Top 11 Projects of 2011

Happy New Year!  I love this time of year... the food, the socializing, the excitement, the more relaxed schedule....all of it.  As much as I hate to see another year slip by so quickly, reflecting on the previous year I am invariably reminded of so many things that have shaped who I am today.  I am reminded of how much was accomplished and learned each year and that makes me excited and sometimes proud.  Looking through photos I am astonished at how much the girls have grown in such a seemingly short time.  There are also those not so pleasant moments where I wasn't at my best or even close, but there were things learned from those moments as well so I give them their due also.   If you'll indulge me tonight, I am going to take this opportunity to reflect on the past 12 months of my favourite hobby by posting my Top 11 Projects of 2011.  Here they are, in no particular order.

1.  A cover spot on the Winter, 2012 issue of Scrapbooking & Beyond magazine:  This came as a complete and total surprise a few weeks ago. 

2.  This is my favourite of all the mini albums I created last year.

3.  I worked on the design team for Imaginise all year and this is my favourite layout of the year.

4.  My favourite altered item of the year, another Imaginisce project.

5.  This year, I checked off another bucket list goal - to have some work accepted for publication in Creating Keepsakes magazine.  This mini album had a two page feature in the Summer Travel issue.

6.  This is another of my favourite mini albums of the year.  That fox is just too cute!

 7.  I took an interest in hairbands and clips this year.  These are some of my favourites.

8.  My youngest daughter celebrated her 1st birthday last February.  I'm not sure what it is, but there is something about this page that I love.

9.  This page made the list for a couple of reasons.  My girls started skiing for the first time last winter and absolutely LOVE it.  This 2 page layout speaks about their new found hobby. This was also the first page I created using a Cricut machine.  Northridge Media liked this one as well and published it in the November issue of Cricut magazine.

10.  I did a product spotlight for GCD Studios last spring and this is one of the pages I created.  I love the whimsy of all the characters on the page.

 

11.  Last but not least, I added this page because I love that the page was made almost in its entirety from scratch.  From the red frame to all the layers of lace and sequins to the scallop border made from a series of cut circles - it was all pieced together to create the whole. 

So there it is...a quick glimpse into a year of crafting.  I have no idea what 2012 has in store for me, but I hope it is more of the same doing what I love.

Cheers and I'll see you next year!

Merry Moments

Would you believe that I have an appropriately themed page to share today??  It's a rarity, I know.  I usually create and post most of my Christmas work in the summer. LOL  At any rate, I wanted to post a Christmas page and holiday wish today.

Supplies:  Paper (SEI, Little Yellow Bicycle), Letters (Websters Pages), Button (Purple Pumpkin Crafts), Journaling Sprouts & Pins (Jillibean Soup), Rhinestone Word (Studio 18), Glitter Border (White Blossom)

Photos by Karyn Fillmore

Isn't that Santa just the cutest?  It's another lovely by Purple Pumpkin Crafts.

Before I sign off today, please accept my heartfelt wish for a joyous holiday season with lots of love and laughter. 

Merry Christmas!

Hippity Hoppity

If you've been following the Imaginisce blog this week, you will have already seen peeks of their brand new paper line, Hippity Hop.  In sourcing out photos for this line, I stumbled upon a package of Spring, 2011 photos of my girls playing in the rain.  I had forgotten all about them but what really amazed me was just how much they had grown in just a few short months.  WOW!  Check out these pages.

With those, I'll leave you with thoughts of spring and a wish for a wonderful day.  Thanks, as always, for stopping by.

Holiday Hairbands

Hairbands are not new on this blog so I won't get into alot of details on how they are made.  You can find other examples in the Hair Accessories label.  The hairbands I have to share today are suitable for the holidays.

Supplies:  Hairbands, i-Top, Medium Snap Daddies (Imaginisce), Ribbon (Michaels), Flowers (Imaginisce, Petaloo, Prima), Fabric & Pearls (Fabric Supply Store)

I really love that Imaginisce has created so many great tools and accessories that I am able to customize hair accessories for any occasion.

Hello Sunshine!

OK.  So it might not be real sunny today but that isn't going to deter me from posting a fun in the sun page.  As promised, here is my second sprinkler page.

"Hello Sunshine"

Supplies:  Paper (Simple Stories), Tickets, Doily & Button (Purple Pumpkin), Chipboard (Pebbles Inc.), Cardstock: Bazzil, Border Punch (Fiskars)

Grouping tickets together like this can make a nice anchor for an embellishment cluster of Purple Pumpkin goodies.  By stitching the tickets in place, the ends can curl up ever so slightly since they are not glued down.  I love adding these little bits of texture to my pages.

Make sure you come back on Thursday for some holiday themed hairbands.

Thanks so much for visiting.

Sprinkler 101

In keeping with the summer theme as of late, I have a few more fun summer pages to share over the next little while.  Today's page is all about learning how a sprinkler works. 

"Sprinkler 101"

Supplies:  Paper (Simple Stories), Chipboard (Pebbles Inc. & Maya Road), Fabric Button (Purple Pumpkin), Acrylic Word (Fancy Pants), Journaling Sprout (Jillibean Soup), Letters (Basic Grey), Twine (The Twinery)

I just love these photos and Simple Stories is a company I've been keeping my eye on lately and am pleased to have finally gotten some of their lines.

I'll leave you with that for today.  Look for another sprinkler page next week.  Until then, have a wonderful weekend!

Princess for a Day

Happy December!  It's 10 degrees Celcius here today and so mild it feels like spring.  Though the kids might be disappointed, I certainly am not. I love this warm weather we have had all fall.  That being said, I am still working through summer photos and don't feel a bit out of place doing it. 

Today is the official launch of the December sketch challenge over on the Purple Pumpkin blog and here is my take on the sketch.

Supplies:  Paper (SEI), Fabric Buttons (Purple Pumpkin), Trims (Webster's Pages, Making Memories), Crystals (Zva Creative), Flowers (Prima, Jolee's & Maya Road), Journaling Spot (Jillibean Soup), Chipboard (Scrap FX & Magistical Memories)

I don't know if I will ever tire of these beautiful fabric buttons by Purple Pumpkin.  I love how nicely they work as flower centers on this page.  If you would like to have some of your own, check out their blog and popular monthly sales.  Don't forget to get your entry in the monthly sketch challenge.  There are some really great prizes to be won!

Thanks so much for visiting.