Out With the Old, and In With the New

100% Made with my stash.  No new product was harmed in the making of this layout.
:)

It's occurred to me that the whole scrapbooking world is about getting the latest product, and collecting it. If you use it, great, otherwise, you have to go out and get some more new product. The latest and the greatest. Then, of course... we are left with a ton of unused OLDER product!   That product, that we bought filled with excitement, and love of pattern and appearance, and ideas...  becomes almost substandard!  Why is that?  The older product is as wonderful as it was when we bought it.  It's a crazy mentality. I don't toss my clothes after 6 months passes, with the thought that, they no longer are relevant.  One of my hubby's client's yesterday, said something profound. He said, wow... that's a smart industry!  They've done what the software industry has done!  
That took me aback!  


I'm going to be using my stash. I mean REALLY using it!  I've been reading all of these articles lately about the need to use current product if you want to be anything, or go anywhere in this business. That's great, for those on a bunch of design teams... or even one design team, that get a ton of free product delivered to their door... but not so much for everyone else.  And as my son said... not very conservationist, Mom! Oy.  So, here is this somewhat unpopular thought posted on my blog today.  

Use Your Stash!!!

Beauregard and Mischa

I dug out a little stuffed animal that used to sit on my bed a few years ago, (yes, AFTER I was a married mother!), and I gave it to my puppies.  I made them share it... which is easy for my puggle Beauregard!  Not so much so, for my Mischievous Mischa!  If a nickel falls onto the floor, she runs and lays on it, so that you know it's hers.  She's a rescue, and I think she had to fight for her place during her first year of life.  But, the two of them got along with the stuffy perfectly fine!  She tired of sharing quicker, and walked away for a bit. Beauregard could hardly believe his good fortune!

In My Little Corner of the World!

I made this box for my cards.  Playing cards, that is. I enjoy playing cards here and there. My family doesn't, so most of the time, I play solitaire, or a solitary game. :)

I've been spending so much time working at my computer, the days are drifting by almost unnoticed.  I thought I'd post a few of the pics I grabbed the past 2 days, just to make sure I didn't let it all pass me by without 

Looking very bright, my 19 year old gets set to head out for a game of golf with his dad.  And yes, he does dress specifically in golf clothes. They are the only ones he tucks in, apparently.

It's SO hot these past days, (feels like 43 for those of you celsius), and for my US friends... that's over 100F.   The dogs  wanted to be on the back deck with us, but had to sit in the shade. Beauregard went under my swing.  It was just too much for him, altogether!

Coming in from his short walk, Beauregard immediately headed to the vent, to lay ON TOP of it!!! Just to feel some cold air that much quicker.  These puggles aren't huge fans of extra hot days.

Mischa's idea of a cold spot, is on the bathroom floor, right against the toilet, and that's where she headed after her walk.  Guess the air blows nice and cold there.  Hmmm.


So there you have it.  A quick glimpse in the goings on in my home, during a heat spell. :)
Thanks for stopping by!

The MOVE

Don'tcha just love moving?
Yeah... me too. It kills me!  But we did it. And we moved from the country... back to the city. I mean no disrespect to those of you who live in the country... but HOW DO YOU DO IT?????  I was fine with the beauty. The people?  Lovely... but ER... VERY nosey.  Did you notice the all caps?  Uh huh. They know every single solitary thing about you.  And that's imperative. They also feel an obligation to share what they know. sigh
Secondly... the internet. I lost friends online, because the internet had me so disconnected.  I couldn't stay connected. And it was costly. And it was s-l-o--o--o--o--o--w!  SO slow.
Here I am, back with regular internet. Back in the city. Back with high speed. And back with paying slightly less that $500 a month to stay connected.  And no... that wasn't a typo.
It was kinda sad saying good-bye to the old house. But the new one is warmer, I think. Theoretically... not actually. We've just felt *at home* from day one.  That wasn't necessarily the case with the old house. Even though it was bigger, grander, and more eye-catching and romantic to look at... it didn't grab my heart. Not like this one does. And I just prefer living in the city.

And the animals love it too! That speaks volumes to me. From the day we moved in, they were happy. As you all know... animals are NEVER happy moving. But my two cats, and two dogs are thrilled. They are comfy here too. It's good when you find a place like this.

So.. here are my good-bye pictures to the old house in the country. We appreciate the nice roof over our heads, but we were ready to move on.....

What a Giveaway!

Run, don't walk... to The Great Websters Video and Giveaway!   What a FAB Prize. And the Video? SO cute!!!!! You won't want to miss this!

Why Can't Life Be A Holiday?

Then we could spend our time relaxing and having fun!  But.. it's not. So this past week, I was SO busy, I didn't post here at all.

A New Layout!


A layout of my hubby and son, but it's ABOUT my hubby. If there were two words to use to describe him, it would be strong and dependable. No matter what is going on, he will fight to take care of his family. It's a wonderful feeling.
I've got this layout on a stand on the island in my kitchen/family room area.

A Movie

"This Means War"

Hubby and I saw a movie this weekend. It was The Means War, with Reese Witherspoon and Chris Pine. He played Kirk in the latest Star Trek movie. This movie was fun and funny. We both loved it. It wasn't crass. And it wasn't filled with violence and curse words. Ok.. it WAS filled with tons of action... and romance. I really liked it.

Layout to start my week.

I created this layout, actually around the 12 x 12 frame, as you see. I can remove it, but until I do... it partly covers the frame.  The picture is hubby and me when we were dating, and hubby, me and our son, a few years back. I love this brown velvet ribbon. You can't tell here, but it's so luxurious in person. I'd love to find more of it. I got it in a kit last year. Yummy stuff. It contains a great quote.  

Success in marriage does not come

merely through FINDING the right Mate

but through 

BEING the right Mate.

List:

BoBunny - Gabrielle Promenade

artsy.licious - Fine flocked paper in alabaster

Petaloo - Tiffany's Treasurers

Recollections - floral embellishments

Prima - Innoscence flowers

Flora Dodles (Petaloo)

Prima Delightful Day of Glory

Prima Bella Fleur Primrose

Ribbon - velvet

Zva Creative Scrolls

Bling

Perfect Pearls - interference Red

Bazzil c/s

Themed Tuesdays - Takes on ME

Since it's cold outside, (in a LOT of places)... you may want to get down to getting those books on YOU done, for your kids. I know it's tough. And some of you have done your baby pics, and pics on the parents... but what about *other things*...

1.  Scrap your Bucket List.
2.  Scrap Top 10 Lists...  a)  Fave Movies
                                        b)  Fave TV Shows
                                        c)  Top 10 reasons you wanted children
                                        d)  Top 10 fave things about each of your family members
                                        e)  Top 10 fave dishes to make
                                        f)  Top 10 things to do with your family
                                        g)  Top 10 wishes for each family member
                                        h)  Top 10 vacation wants for the future.
3.  Scrap your Moods
4.  Scrap your Horoscope and Chinese Horoscope
5.  Scrap a name page... how you got your name, and what it means
6.  Scrap your most defining moments

7.  Scrap the most influencing people in your world
8.  Scrap "If I could do it again.."
9.  Scrap what each holiday means to you
10. Scrap your best and worst points

Last Night!

Hubby and I were sitting in the family room watching The Bachelor! Puppies were lounging beside me on the sectional... and we decided to have popcorn. We had this big thing in the office, so thought it would be great to have it in the home too. Yeah. Um... GREAT popcorn. But in a 135 year old home? We played POP goes the breaker!!!!  LOL

We managed a bowl of popcorn apiece... but not without some stair-walking. LOL

-------------------

The Big Ole Popcorn Popper

Beauregard and Mischa resting together

A Mini Book

A Mini Book I'm working on. It's about me. I've been experimenting with it, trying to sort out how I want it to be. So, I'm creating one after another page, from scratch. I'm cutting cardboard, and whatever.

When I'm done, I'll post it. This is what I've done so far.

Good Monday Morning!!!

Wish I was at Cha!!! Wow. I REALLY wish I was hanging out at all of the booths. And I mean ALL of them!!!!

A New Layout 

I created a new page, and put it in a frame. The page is a picture of my son playing with the Dolphin on his last Disney trip. I love the picture. And I love that my 19 year old son loves Disney so much, he took his girlfriend there, and on a Disney cruise. We really are a Disney family.

Here's my layout. The frame was a dark wine colour, and it didn't suit the picture. So I painted it blue and green. I won the Fancy Pants paper from Fancy Pants, and just used it. I also used some Zva blling to create the water effect.

Who's playing along with Cha challenges this week?

Check THIS out!!!! Fun stuff. GORGEOUS!!!!! Giveaway chance!!! Don't miss out!

I like this layout!!! It's called Sweet Summer Hike. The pic is of my hubby and son. It was on a hiking path we'd never been on before, so it was great fun!!! Normally when I look at my layouts, I see 10 things I wish I could remove or add. Not sure why. lol. This one? I just like it. Funny  how you get those layouts, eh? It isn't as though I think it's the perfect layout... it's just exactly what I want. That's a good feeling. I don't have it often in my scrapbooking. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe not..

Do usually love your layouts just the way they are?

My Very First Mothers Day

These pictures make me laugh when I think about the story. He hated grass at this age, so my husband would pick him up and put him at the far side of the yard, and he'd crawl on fingertips and tippytoes all the way back, complaining and grunting the whole way... and then when he'd make it, my hubby would scoop him up and run him back. What a meanie. We'd laugh so hard, that the baby would laugh.. and start back.. complaining the whole way. Sometimes parents can be so bad.  My hubby teases him like that to this day.

You can't tell... but the flags have the words My First on them... so that the title is "My First Mothers Day"

Having Fun With my Layouts!

Layout #1  "How to Grow a Tim Horton's Boy". This is a funny layout of my son. What makes it funny? He's drinking out of a Tim Horton's cup as a baby. 16 years later, he will be working at Tim Horton's as a Baker and a Supervisor. Hence the title "How to Grow a Tim Horton's Boy".  Funny! The other layout is called Life and Fate. It's interesting where life and fate takes us. For those of you who are not Canadian, you should know that Tim Horton's is a Donut//Coffee place that is the most popular in Canada. It was started by a hockey player named Tim Hortons.   The way he's looking at the cup makes me laugh. It really does look like he sees his future.    I need to get a pic of him today, in his uniform. But I don't have it.  I will get a picture the next day he goes into work.  I think I'll add it to the 2nd layout. Not quite sure. :)                                                           

Layout #2   "Fate and Life"

I did this layout first.. with the intentions of putting a pic of him in his uniform today. Then, I got the idea to do the "How to grow" layout, and I did that one too. I had to. It literally called out to me.

                                                                           I'm getting addicted to making those flowers. Love doing that. I'm making them by the dozens I think. I now have a box full of various types. lol

This Face!

I get such a kick out of Beauregard's face. He looks at me, and I laugh. His face melts my heart. All wrinkly and sad-eyed.  You can hear him say it.. "Don't you love me anymore??" "I just don't got no friends no how."  What a dawg.

Mischa Has Taken to the Bottle!

This little doggie loves her bottles. Every time I finish a bottle of water.. and I drink a LOT in a day... she takes the bottle.. and is all about it. And yes.. it's NOISY. I think that might be part of the charm. The noise. Mischa loves to make noise. She loves to bark. And she loves to chat. You can hear words coming from her, she chats so much. I'll have to video a chat one day and put it on here.

It's A Disney World... well... CRUISE!

 The Disney Magic!

December 10 to 17th, 2011

So.. as many of you know, my son went on the Disney Cruise in December, with his girlfriend. We've done the cruise as a family, when he was younger, and we've done Disney World a number of times, of course. This just goes to show that once you are a Disney person... you are always a Disney person. He works full time, is in University in Toronto, full time, studying to be a Television journalist, and he is paying for his own education. Yet.. he budgets to go to Walt Disney World, and on the cruise. I can't help but get a kick out of that fact. We really do teach our kids a lot by our own likes and dislikes... and by what we expose them to.  I got these pics from him yesterday, and thought I'd post them for those of you who've never been on a Disney cruise. I highly recommend it! It's amazing. What is nice for those like my son, who travel with no kids, there are adult only pools, restaurants, and areas, that make it as fun for anyone who is going.

My son Dana in white shorts, walking onto the cruise ship

Dana walking the deck

The Mickey Pool and Slide

Dana, Victoria and Sorcerer Mickey

Dana and his girlfriend before a formal dinner on the ship

Dana and his girlfriend

Dana, Victoria, Chip and Dale

The Disney Magic

Santa in the lobby of  cruise ship

      

Dana, Victoria, Pinnochio and Jiminy Cricket

Animators Palate restaurant. It goes from B/W to colour during meal

On the deck

The lobby decorated for Christmas

Their cabin

Themed Tuesdays

Ok.. So.. I thought I'd try and make this blog a bit more interesting. So each Tuesday, I'm going to go back to giving a sketch, and some themes, related to the month/week we are in.

So... A Sketch!

Here is this week's Titles:

• A Cold Day Makes for Warm Hearts
• A silvery Homestead
• A snowflake is winter’s butterfly
• Arctic Blast
• On a Cold Winter's Day
• Winter and Wine go hand in hand
• Snow Angel
• Snow Flurries
• Cold Winter Nights
• January Cold
• Baby, it’s cold outside
• Better inside then out
• Baby It's Cold Outside
• Cold frosty morning
• Cold hands, Warm heart
• Cold, gray light of dawn
• Snowy Life
• Dashing thru the snow
• Dressed to chill
• Frosty & Friends
• Fun in the snow
• Snow Baby
• Brrr
• Give me Hot Chocolate anyday
• Hazy shade of winter
• Headed South for Winter
• In the frosty air
• Is it too cold for dancing?
• It doesn’t take much snow for a little flake to have fun
• It’s a brrrand new day
• Jack Frost nipping at your nose
• Jack Frost was here
• Let the cold winds blow
• Making new friends
• Winter Bliss
• Our winter love
• Out in the cold again
• God's Wonderland
• Ready for Winter
• Romping in the snow
• Mittens and Scarves and Hats, Oh My
• Slip, Sliding Away
• Snowbody loves you like I do
• Snowbody Knows the trouble I've seen...
• Snowmen fall from heaven.  Some assembly required
• Some Assembly Required
• What's Up Jack? (Jack Frost)
• Sub Zero
• Silver and Snow
• The fire is so delightful
• The ice man cometh
• Snowflake City
• Snowflakes and Heaven
• The polar express
• Polar Bear Land
• The weather outside is frightful
• There’s a chill in the air
• There’s no business like snow business
• There’s snow place like home
• Walking in a winter wonderland
• Where's the fireplace?
• Warm socks and mittens here
• Snowball fights and laughter
• Warm wooley mittens
• Warm Winter Gloves
• Welcome Winter
• Don't Eat the Snow
• Winter Wonderland
• Puppies and Snow
• Sledding Fun
• Glistening Snow
• Time for Indoor Fun
• Frosty and Me
• Blue and Silver
• Silver and White
• Listen to the Snow fall

A Winter Layout

Here's a Winter Layout that I did awhile ago. I like this layout. It's of my hubby back in Sault Ste. Marie, where I was born. We were just dating here. 

January Picks

I'm loving the fact that it's January. All of my favourite shows are back on tv. The more tv I watch? The more I NEED to watch. I have that magical beast called 'PVR'. I can tape any  number of tv shows on it. When I want to check some out, I tape them and look later. Well.. when they are good... I get really caught up in them... and I have to tape them ALL the time. Now I'm addicted to 

1. Supernatural

2.  Grey's Anatomy

3.  Once Upon a Time

4.  Flashpoint

5. NCIS

6. NCIS: Los Angeles

7. Criminal Minds

8. Personal Interest

9. Hawaii 5-0

10. Bachelor

I'm sure there are others, but I might have forgotten them. It's funny how taste's change too. I used to watch mostly all reality tv. Now? Not so much. Although.. I am watching The Bachelor.. and I'l watch Big Brother. LOVE those. I like PVR, because I watch the shows while I scrap, or while I can't sleep. I don't have the time to watch them when they're on. So... I watch them when I have time. :) What can I say. What about you? What's the show you can't go without watching? Any? None?

Here's a layout of my son. I love these pictures because he's so bright-eyed. Happy. Fun.