O is for .... Oops

As in Oops .... I didn't quite get to my "O" assignment .... Mrs. Matlock, Mrs. Matlock ... the dog ate my homework .... seriously ... she did ... honest truth .... would I lie to you???

True story ... our dog once at my daughters homework ... it was a paper in an AP course in senior year ... my daughter left it on the stairs next to her backpack, we went out and upon our return there were shreds of paper everywhere ... sadly it was a completed paper that she got an amazing grade on and she wanted to keep it because of the wonderful comments she had from the teacher.

Okay, so i chew paper ... there's not too many things i can get rough with at my size.

Mrs. Matlock, see .... it does happen.

Another true story ... our dog confounded and amazed me today .... we lock her in the basement in our little storage room/craft room when we go out ... she is comfy there and spends lots of time there when i am crafting, or doing laundry. I come home ... usually she barks when she hears the garage door go down ... no barking. I put my key in the door, again ... no barking. Now I'm getting nervous because she always barks to greet us ... i enter the basement ... i can't see her ... i call her name ... and finally i hear a yelp. I look in the direction of the yelp and up on the second shelf of the shelving unit (and this is one of the black heavy duty plastic units that home depot sells for garages) way up on the second shelf inside of a white storage box is my dog ... yes all 4 1/2 pounds of her emitting terrified little yelps and shaking like a leaf. So how did she get up there? and get in that box? and what was going through her itsy bitsy teeny weeny mind??? I guess we will never know, but she was sure terrified ... and I was completely astounded ...

Just call me Houndini!

And yet another true story ... Jenny was having a giveaway and the prize was Julie Schuler's book "On a Windy Night" ... it is soooo coool!!! you can tell its cool by the sheer volume of o's in those two words ;) but it is, very cool ... the art is intriguing and dark and imaginative and just very brilliant! Thanks so much again Jenny for the giveaway and thanks so much Julie for the signed copy. I love it.

Oh ... my "o" word .... it's out. yes, out ... remember that post i did for "I" ... where i felt like i was always going "in" through the out door ... yeah ... that one ... well this post is OUT ... so it's kind of the opposite of the In post, but not quite .... it's a bit different in it's own way and almost the same but opposite ... yeah ... "Out through the in door ... that's me!

And for everyone who left comments on my "Nice" post ... thanks so much, i really enjoyed reading them and they were all so genuine and heartfelt and its lovely to get such wonderful communication from you all!

Once again coming to you from the uber fabulous Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday Meme ... if you haven't explored this meme you just must ... it is cooool .... that's right ... cooool!!!

Awe, how cute am I in my totally cool bandana

N ...n n n n n n n ....

Today something a little different from me … I am taking a break from my compendium and writing about something other than me … I heard that sigh of relief (lol) … today I am writing about something that is bothering me at this moment …. Yup, this very moment.

What ever happened to … Nice? Seriously ….where did Nice go?

Nice used to happen …. It used to be Normal … until Normal got a spin doctor and decided to revamp its image…

Naughty never had a use for Nice … in fact it was once considered the opposite of Nice … Santa used it on his list and the idea was to be Nice … not Naughty. Now the opposite seems to true … sometimes … in fact a lot of times Naughty gets you further than Nice … Naughty gets you more attention, more media hype … and isn’t that what it is all about these days ?

Some people even consider Nasty the New Norm … seriously, who needs Nice when Nasty can outsell every other magazine on the rack??? Kitty Kelly is about to rake in more millions because she writes mean things about Oprah’s past … Kate is mean to John, Brangelina is going to break up any day now, Paris has a sex video, and Lindsay is in rehab … again!!! And these are just the covers of the magazines at the grocery counter … on People – a picture of a pretty teenaged girl … she committed suicide because she was bullied … really … another one??? How many kids do we have to lose to Nasty behavior??? Some people are Narrow-minded enough to think that maybe bullying is just a Nuisance … something that we all have to put up with, something that is Not worth our time to deal with… In a recent study, 50% of parents claimed they had witnessed a Coach being mean to a player (we are talking kids sports here) … And that was just in Canada … we ranked 5^th worldwide in meanness … thankfully India, Argentina, Italy and the US were there to “beat” us with that stat … So what do we do to that stat??? … Do we go to the coach of the winning hockey team and ask him to go easier on the boys??? Make sure they play Nice??? ….or do we just pay attention to it for about a Nanosecond and then go Neglecting such situations until they reach Nuclear proportions?

So where did Nice go??? I’m not talking about the “Have a nice day” type of Nice … I am talking about the heartfelt, do the right thing, help your fellow humans type of Nice … are we all becoming much to Narcissistic to even care about it … I mean watch the Jersey Shore or any version of the Housewives ….

Perhaps it just felt Neglected and melted into the Nothingness of Night …

I am participating in Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday meme .... just click on the linky to read some wonderful and mostly upbeat posts using the letter N. There are lots of wonderful ideas and usually some great photography so please check it out! ... and I promise, no ranting next week .... back to the same old compendium of me posts ...

what do you collect???

That question was asked to me in a circle journal. For those that are not familiar with circle journals, usually a group of people get together and they each make a journal or small scrapbook that asks a questions or about a theme or something of the nature ... then they pass each others journals around so that each participant gets to work on each journal. when the journals are done, the originators have a wonderful journal filled with thoughts and art by each participant ... So I got Karen's circle journal ... and it asks "what do you collect?" (other than scrapbooking supplies) ...

so what do i collect ... i have my dolls but i haven't been actively collecting them for a long time, and besides scrapbooking supplies, i really do not collect much ... just dont have the income to do it. But if i could, i would collect all things vintagey ... all things seashore ... all things cream & turquoise, and dolls ... lots of dolls ... and china & teacups & butterflies and of course my library would be huge ...

and then i thought ... i collect! i do collect! I collect memories ... it's why i scrapbook ... i collect memories, both mine and others ... i have stories about grandparents and ancestors, I have stories about my parents as kids ... i have family stories both as a child, and as a parent ... and every step in between ... so yes, i do collect ...

So my friends out in blogland ... what do you collect? What do you wish you could collect? Inquiring minds want to know ;)

This is the circle journal pages i did for Karen's journal ... both pages are 8 x 8 ... all of the butterflies were punched with my trusty martha stewart punch, and the are all punched from actual photographs ... i stamped the journaling on the page ... and i used that weird funky picture my daughter took of me at the BC House at the Winter Olympics.

close up details

Cards, cards, and more cards!

So I have been busy scrapping lately, i just haven't completed anything yet ... i have 3 baby books (2 girls & 1 boy) under construction ... a "favorite things" mini album and a another mini album called "whispers, lies & intrigues" ... sounds a whole lot more interesting than ... baby girl mini album ... tee he he .... so in the meantime, I have created 8 cards that are rather simple ... I'm trying to make cards like i see in magazines ... you know, using layering pattern paper and matting everything ... not really my style at all but I thought i would give it a go. Anyways, I came up with 8 cards that i actually like ... some of them i like quite a bit. I'm going to wrap them up and include envelopes and give them to a friend as a "I'm glad your my friend" gift. And since she doesn't scrap or papercraft I'm pretty sure she will enjoy them and hopefully enjoy giving them out.

The card on the left is a total scraplift ... a prettier version of this cards was made by Hayley for a class at Pick of the Patch ... I just borrowed her idea.

All of the remaining cards are my own design ... they are all really basic ... and i tried to keep most of them flat so they can be mailed.


I made the little white rolled rose out of white felt, and i popped in a hand felted ball as the center. The leaf is a fake suede ribbon. All of the cards are made with Basic Grey pattern paper from their gorgeous Kioshi line.

This card is more representative of me ... my style ... kinda hodge podge ... I love the 7Gypsies printed masking tapes ... there are an inexpensive and fun element to add to any project.

This one is really simple, I made the flower with my new SU punch ... the graph paper i used is actually from my mom's old accounting supplies ... the pages are all numbered and its kinda cool that she still had it.


A close up of the flower ... i used lots of Diamond Glimmer mist and scrunched all of the layers inward ... it all drys fairly stiff so if you want lots of dimension, it is easy to do ... The only problem with this flower on a card as it jacks up the mailing cost ... but hey, friends are worth the extra little bit ...

So other than scrapping, i've been touring blogland, and i have my nose buried deep into a novel ... which I am about to dive into again any minute now. Thanks so much for stopping by ... feel free to leave a comment, it makes me smile to read them. ciao!

M is for ... Mean ...

... masterful, majestic, maladapted, maniacal, martyr, meddling, minion, menace, meal-ticket, meticulous … fortunately none of these M words apply to me … well okay … except when laughing … then I can sound a little maniacal … but only a bit...

Maternal ~ I am …

My beautiful baby

Machinations ~ sounds so intriguing … but I have none … I only plot happy & fun little schemes …

Surprise!

Magnetic ~ I feel like my on magnetics are way off …I’m the kind of person who can break something electric just by walking by it … lets just say electronics do not last long in my house … my alarm clock still rings at the time I set it, but I doesn’t show me the correct time … it’s been stuck on 3:21 pm for weeks …

yeah ... magnetic or something ....

Meditate ~ not as much as I used to …. I more or less just wander around in that labyrinth of a mind … when I do meditate I prefer a Buddhist walking meditation … there is peace in movement.

My beautiful baby ... again!

Make-believe ~ I swear sometimes I am stuck in the land of make-believe … I think that is why I like the artsy side of scrapbooking and journaling …. Sometimes I just wander and do little art journals … my favourite one is about Paris and the conversations I have with Monet, Coco and Christian Lacroix … where we go, what we see … my fabulous shoes …

Monet in his garden c. 1927

Memories ~ The real reason I scrapbook … to preserve memories …not just mine, but of past generations, their stories, their recollections … My much loved Grandmother feared the number 13 with a great passion … and that is the day she passed on … the 13^th … in a little twist of irony I am mentioning this in my M post, which is the 13^th letter of the alphabet …

My Grandma, Grandpa & me ... 1957

Mommy~ I a mommies girl! I just adore my Mom … with all my heart … she is the best, so thoughtful, so brave … heck she was in labor with me for 3 days … so strong, and yet feminine and fun… I only hope to live up the amazing example she has set.

My beautiful Mommy ... 1960's i think???

Once again coming to your from the fab JENNY MATLOCK Alphabe-Thursday meme ... just click on the link to see her blog and browse through all of the other M posts!!! It's time well spent!

Bradner Flower Show ...

Lucky me ...I spent Sunday with my Mom & Dad (Daughter was studying for exams) at the Bradner Flower Show. Bradner is a tiny little village in the Fraser Valley and honestly it was fun to see so many country sites like, Cattle, Horses, Lamas & feathered friends .... lots of acerage .... barns bigger than anything i could have imagined ... green houses and blueberry and flower fields that stretched on and on and on. So Bradner is "famous" for its daffodil farms ... and there were a couple of hundred hybrids for us to admire. Sadly most of the bulbs are shipped to Europe as North Americans don't buy that many bulbs ... i was totally surprised to learn this ... i do love spring flowering bulbs! Here are a few that i really liked ... enjoy! And as always .... thanks for stopping by!

Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they

Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils

by William Wordsworth

L is for … lots and lots of words

So it turns out, there are lots of L words … and I like lots of those L words … but finding some that describe me are a little difficult … so lets just go with what I like …

Love … love for family and love for friends is so important to me … it’s not just important to me, it is me … it is an integral part of who I am.

My baby ... my mom .... 20 years ago

Liberal … my beliefs are quite liberal …. I truly believe there is room for all of us, with our various faiths and beliefs … coexist people … coexist

Labyrinth … as in my mind … it’s not a simple one directional steel trap … it has layers and levels and secret blinds and alleys that allow me to hold dear, retain, float freely, calculate, balance, create, fly and whatever comes ….

I often wonder if the mind has colour when its all firing away ...

Lace … I love old lace … something with substance … preferably and old ivory crocheted lace … to me it represents the intertwining of threads … like our lives … like this earth … how everything twists and turns together … little bits intertwining together to form greater & bigger parts … gotta watch it ...i'm starting to think a little too large ...

Luminous … a moon child … born under the sign of the moon … surrounded by the beautiful cold light of the moon … with just a wee bit of Loco thrown into the mix.

these little sea creatures remind me of moons in a deep blue sea/sky ...

Light … I am so light deprived … it’s a condition … it affects a lot of us here in the Pacific North West …

colour and light deprived ...

Lemon Meringue Pie … my dad has always made the best Lemon Meringue Pie … always with home made lemon curd … he is an old school baker, no bottled lemon juice or shortcuts... all fresh, nothing fake. Sometimes I relate to the pie … like it I am light and fluffy on the top … I have little peaks and valleys and just the right amount of sweetness … and in the middle … I’m all real … a little tart, but 100% real. And the crusty … yeah, I have just the right amount of flaky … I’m able to laugh at what may come!

I just wanna know how, who and when those damn wrinkles got put around my eyes???

Lollygag … yeah … I do …. And dawdle, procrastinate and wander … I am amazed that I actually manage to get these posts done up on time … it must be the influence of Mrs. Matlock …tee he he

Coming to your from the fab JENNY MATLOCK meme ... just click on the link to see her blog and browse through all of the other L posts!!!

Happy Easter ....

Mother Nature has been cleaning house lately .... sending in high winds to clear debris and shut down power ... and it has been wonderful ... a little scary watching the trees that are so close to us, swaying and some snapping, sailing branches through the parking lot and the street ... pelting my patio with debris ... shedding herself of weak branches ... Nothing like a windstorm in the forest ... and then Easter Sunday ... all is calm, and beautiful and in great need of sweeping!

A little white & pink basket for my mom!

I hope you all had a chance to celebrate Easter in your own way ... this was the first year that Hayley and I didn't dye eggs ... kind of depressing not to do it and I think we will pick it up again next year, we both love fun and dyeing Easter eggs is total fun! You are never to old to stop dyeing eggs.

A little blue basket for my Dad!

I did manage to get two more little vintage inspired baskets made ... these are tiny, the crepe paper covers an aluminum foil tart cup ... the handle is a pipe cleaner covered with ribbon and bakers twine ... I loved making the rolled roses out of felt ... tres easy and totally inexpensive ... i had so much fun making them that i might just make everyone a basket next year ... or make them for Halloween or Christmas or ...

All three of the little baskets, waiting to be given out!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by!

As always, Honey is trying to get in the shot ... with those giant ears she could almost pass for the Easter Bunny!