December 31, 2016 in

A Look Back at 2016

May this new year bring peace, clarity, and happiness. Here's a look back at my journey this year:

January
Charlotte Gift Bags
Definitely one of my favourite paper collections of the year. This gift bag punch is so handy, too.

February
The Most Fabulous Birthday
The clear gumdrops were one of my favourite embellishments this year.
March
Grilled Hawaiian Pineapple with Rum Sauce
I loved creating this delicious dessert in our beautiful surroundings in Maui.
April
April Recap
As part of my Happiness Project, I really focussed on April bringing about peace and calm. To do this I spent some time with those who give me strength. Some activities included creating a fairy garden and going to a Meditation and Mindfulness Yoga Retreat in Lake Louise.


May
Love is Like Wine
The stitched dies were fun to play around with - especially with watercolours.
June
Banana Bread French Toast
I love how this tasty breakfast turned out
July
Plastic Free July
This post is a recap of all my findings and experiences with Plastic Free July. I look forward to further incorporating these changes into my life next year.
August
My Happiness Project - August
Although my Happiness Project fell to the back burner with all that life brought this fall, I love this final layout that I created this summer.
September
Inspired By...All The Little Things Guest Designer
It was fun to be my aunt's guest designer this fall after getting to paint with her this summer at the cabin
October
Good Cheer
I was loving the plaid this year and enjoyed incorporating it into many of my cards.
November
My Own Inspiration Pic
I am so thankful for our beautiful surroundings and love our new property.

December
Happy Holidays
I love this Perfect Bow die from Simon Says Stamp.
Goals for the new year include slowing down, savouring moments, and doing more of the things that make me happy.

Cheers to a new year
December 27, 2016

Love is all you need

As much as I get a kick out of mass producing cards to have on hand, I do really enjoy carefully selecting papers and stamps to reflect on a specific person. Here is another card that I made today for a good friend using the sketch over at Heart2Heart and including some glitter paper for the Make it Sparkle challenge over at Simon Says Stamp. I used the sentiment "Love is all you need" on the inside of the card.
Paper - Oh Deer paper collection; Silver and White glitter papers; Sea Glass, Black cardstock (CTMH);
Dies - Snowflake (CTMH), Perfect Bow (SSS); Stamps - CC1014, Big Hug (CTMH);
Ink - Slate (CTMH); Ribbon - Polka Dot (Verve).


December 27, 2016

January Birthday

My husband's birthday at the beginning of January always seems to sneak up on me so I thought I would make his card ahead of time. I pulled out this small set from Papertrey Ink that I got last year and did not have a chance to use. I used the layout from Freshly Made Sketches and also designed my card to link up to the Make It Sparkle challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.
Paper - Plaid Patterns Merry & Bright (MFT); Silver and White glitter paper, White Daisy cardstock (CTMH);
Ink - Twilight (CTMH); Stamps - Birthday Classics: January Stamp set (PTI); 
Dies - Snowflakes (CTMH), Wonky Stitched Squares (MFT).
Here is the final design of the last Christmas cards I needed to make this season. I love the Oh Deer paper collection and am linking up with the challenge over at Heart2Heart. I used the Perfect Bow die from Simon Says Stamp to play along with their Wednesday challenge: "gift it". The sketch over at Viva la Verve was perfect for the card I had in mind and I added some bling to play along with the "holiday cheer" theme over at Merry Monday.
Paper - Oh Deer paper collection; Kraft, Sea Glass, Gold Glitter cardstock (CTMH);
Ink - Desert Sand; Stamps - Holiday Treats (Verve);
Dies - Perfect Bow (SSS); Tagged Rectangle Die (Verve).

Here's a close-up of my cute bow!

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December 11, 2016 in

Peanut Tags

I have been MIA from my craft room and blog lately finishing up my courses for the semester, but I am happy to be back! I set out to make some peanut tags today as an inside joke with some colleagues and came across these cute tags on Pinterest. Here is my version:
Paper - Perfectly Plaid for Fall (Lawn Fawn); Whisper, Cranberry cardstock (CTMH); Audrey Blue cardstock (SSS);
Dies - Stitched Dress Up Tags (SSS).

November 13, 2016 in ,

Rosé Wine Pepper Jelly

I came across this delicious recipe last year and have made it now twice with my friend, Nadine. Last year I hounded it because it was so good, so this year we made sure to make an extra batch to have some on hand for gifts :).


1 bottle Rosé wine
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 pkg. pectin
4 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup pink peppercorns, lightly crushed

Combine wine, lemon juice, and pectin in a pot. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar and peppercorns and return to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam with a metal spoon. Ladle hot jelly into half-pint or quarter-pint jars, leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims before attaching lids and bands. Process jars in a hot water bath for 5 minutes. Remove from canner and cool on wire racks. Be sure to turn and tilt jars every 30 minutes to distribute peppercorns evenly throughout the jelly. Makes 6 half-pints or 12 quarter-pints. Delicious served on crackers with cheese or on sandwiches!
What did you do with your extra hour today? I decided to get back into my craft room and whip up another card - 5 this time. I saw a similar simple design on Pinterest and thought this would be ideal for the cards I end up mailing out.
Paper - Kraft, White Daisy cardstock (CTMH); Stamp - Glad Tidings (Verve);
Die cut - Snowflakes Thin Cuts (CTMH); Embellishments - Sparkles (CTMH).

I have my own inspiration pic today! I was outside in our yard enjoying the sunshine and couldn't help but be mesmerized by our poplar trees. Although I miss their leaves and the lovely rustling sound and privacy that they bring, I do really love the beautiful bark of these trees regardless of the season.
Here is the card I came up with today incorporating the Heart2Heart challenge of "change" and the colours over at Color My Heart Color Dare. You can't quite tell in the photo, but I added a little Wink of Stella sparkle to the bottom of the card for snow. I was able to make 6 of this card design to add to my Christmas stash!
Paper - Colonial White (CTMH); Ink - Ruby, New England Ivy, Whisper (CTMH);
Stamps - Winter Wonderland (Mama Elephant); Dies - Stitched Circles (SSS).


Yay, not only did I get a chance to add to my Christmas card stash today, but I was stoked to see the plaid challenge over at Merry Monday! I am also playing along with The Challenge to join in on their Christmas inspiration.
I added some Wink of Stella to the bottom half to make some sparkly snow, too!
And here's another version I made with a couple of different colours:
Paper - Perfectly Plaid for Fall (Lawn Fawn); Colonial White cardstock (CTMH);
Ink - Lagoon, Slate, Poppy, Desert Sand (CTMH); Stamps - Holiday Magic (CTMH); Christmas in the Air (Verve);
Dies - Snowflake Thin Cuts (CTMH); Stitched Rectangles (Memory Box).



October 16, 2016

it's Wine o'clock

One more card from the weekend that I just finished up tonight. I just got some more Tombow markers recently and I was excited to have something to use them for! I used the inspiration pic from Inspired By All The Little Things in addition to the sketch from the Fusion Card Challenge. I had an image in mind that contained pumpkins and I knew I wanted to include some stitching on my card, too. Here is what I came up with!
Paper - Sangria paper collection (CTMH); Distressed Watercolour paper (Tim Holtz);
Stamps - Harvest TF (Ai), Free Spirits (Paper Smooches); Embossing Powder - Princess Gold (CTMH);
Markers - Tombow; Dies - Stitched Circles (SSS); Wonky Stitch Squares (MFT);
Embellishments - Gold Sequins (CTMH).




I'm loving our Close To My Heart PML cards that are included in our paper collections and how quickly you can whip up a cute card or two using them! I chose this card to play along with the "uptown" theme over at Heart2Heart.
Paper - City Sidewalks paper collection (CTMH); 
Embellishments - Ruby twine (CTMH); Gumdrops (YNS).

The PML cards can be used either way, too!

I also created two other cards using the PML cards from the Oh Deer! paper collection:

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More time for Christmas cards today with my good friend (and crafting companion) Natasha! I used Freshly Made Sketches and a created a resist for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.
Paper - Oh Deer! paper collection; Gold glitter paper; Juniper cardstock (CTMH); 
Distressed Watercolour paper (Tim Holtz); Ink - Slate, Juniper, Glacier, Desert Sand (CTMH);
Stamps - Frosted Card Making Workshop (CTMH); Winter Wonderland (Mama Elephant);
Embellishments - Clear Sparkles, Slate twine (CTMH).
Hooray for days off! Today I went into my craft room and set to work to create a retro/vintage Christmas card to play along with the Merry Monday Challenge. I pulled out this fun set from Papertrey Ink and set to work with my plaids again :). Can you tell I love them? I also got a special package from Toronto last week filled with some fun goodies to add to my cards - thanks Auntie Karen!
Paper - Perfectly Plaid for Fall (Lawn Fawn); Ink - Lagoon, Poppy, Goldfish, Olive, Cocoa (CTMH);
Stamps - City Scene, City Scene Christmas Sentiments (PTI); Die - Wonky Stitch Squares (MFT);
Embellishments - Gumdrops (YNS).



I just had to make another card today and decided it should be one to add to my Christmas stash. I used the Inspired By All The Small Things inspiration photo and set to work using more of my new plaid paper. Not super Christmas-y but I think it could still work at that time of year!
Paper - Perfectly Plaid for Fall (Lawn Fawn); Dark Chocolate cardstock (SSS); Distressed Watercolour paper (Tim Holtz);
Ink - Desert Sand, Champagne, White Daisy (CTMH); Stamps - Coffee Helps (Verve); 
Dies - Cup 4 All Seasons, Flourished Tag (Verve); 
Embellishments - Black Metallic Baker's Twine (CTMH); Wink of Stella pen.

And here's a close-up of my cup. I continue to try and work on my watercolour to make things look more realistic and not one solid colour :)
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