May 24, 2016

Harmony

Using the Mojo Monday sketch and the beautiful harmony "gypsy boho" Diva Inspirations Challenge inspiration photo from Verve I created this card!
Paper - Happy Times paper collection (CTMH); Stamps - Bloom & Grow (Verve);
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Canary (CTMH); Dies - Stitched Circles (SSS);
Embellishments - Gold Sequins (CTMH); Gumdrops (YNS).
May 23, 2016

Love is Like Wine

I was stoked to come across this image I had painted up awhile ago and finally put it together on a card using the simple sketch over at The Paper Players.
Paper - Colonial White, Kraft cardstock (CTMH); Watercolour paper;
Stamps - Tuscan TF Set (Ai); Uncorked (PTI); Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black (CTMH);
Dies - Wonky Stitched Squares (MFT); Stitched Circles (SSS).

May 21, 2016

Joy: Go There

The bike on this week's Inspired By All The Little Things post got me thinking about an older stamp set I had. I got out both my watercolour paints and pencils this time and set to work. The card turned out softer than the inspiration picture, but it definitely sparked my creativity! I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches to finish off my card.
Most products are Close To My Heart:
Paper - Distressed Watercolour paper (Tim Holtz); Kraft cardstock; Happy Times paper collection;
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black; Stamps - La Belle Vie Scrapbooking Collection.

I was Inspired by All the Little Things when I was making a card for my nephew's 7th birthday this week.
Paper - Kraft, Cranberry cardstock; PML cards (CTMH); Distressed Watercolor Paper (Tim Holtz);
Cricut cartridge - Art Philosophy (CTMH); Embellishments - Gold Medley (CTMH).

April brought about a mix of emotions along with some very meaningful gestures from positive people in my life. I was able to end the month and start May with one of the most peaceful and pleasant things I have done in the past year. Here are my top pictures of the month:
Making a Fairy Garden and spending time with my Mom  
My friend Gill and I going to one of my favourite spots along the Goat River.
Reconnecting with my friend, Nadine, and enjoying a walk along another beautiful part of Goat River after a fantastic meal at the Kootenay Thai restaurant in Creston.
Chris and I planted a Muckle Plum tree on the 22nd from our parents on our property that will bloom with pink flowers near the end of April in honour of Paris. Chris also made a bench at work and put it beside the tree.
Peace and serenity at the Meditation & Mindfulness Yoga Retreat in Lake Louise.
At the Meditation & Mindfulness Yoga Retreat I was given a beautiful journal to write down my thoughts throughout the weekend. My top words or "North Star" (guiding star) of the weekend were Calm, Peace, Mindfulness, and Balance. I learned about Heart Math and Loving Kindness, and started a nightly routine with Chris where we share 1 highlight, 1 thing we are grateful for, and 1 thing we appreciate about each other. I set some intentions that I hope to keep as I move forward to a busy time of the year in my personal and professional life.

One of my April goals centred around reading for me. During the past year (and especially now while doing my Masters) I have found it difficult to pick up a book and read for me. I was able to enjoy some great literature this past month, but I am still having trouble getting into fiction again. Here are some books, though, that I did truly enjoy:

Tiny Beautiful Things - Cheryl Strayed
The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare
Essential Muir: A Selection of John Muir's Best Writings - Fred D. White
Better Than Before - Gretchen Rubin
Daily Om - Madisyn Taylor
May 08, 2016

Perfect

Today was a beautiful day and I set out to make some cards with my watercolours. I found a relaxing setting by a pond at my inlaw's and just had to photograph my card beside it, too. I used the sketch over at Mojo Monday and the colours of the new Happy Times paper collection to link up with Color My Heart Color Dare and Heart2Heart to celebrate National Scrapbooking Month.
Here's a close-up of my flowers and sentiment:
Paper - Happy Times paper collection; White Daisy cardstock (CTMH); Distressed Watercolor Paper (Tim Holtz);
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black (CTMH); Stamps - Card Word Puzzle (CTMH); Simply Amazing (Verve); 
Dies - Amazing Adjectives Word Die Set, Elegant Leaves (Verve); Stitched Rectangles (MFT).


Two exciting things start today in scrapbooking land:

1. It's National Scrapbooking Month
Close To My Heart likes to celebrate by releasing a fun, fantastic paper collection for a limited time only, and this year is no exception! I LOVE the Happy Times paper collection and the coordinating stamp set is cute as well.


2. Close To My Hearts Seasonal Expressions

Here are my top 5 pics from this new mini-catalogue:



Page 35: PML Watercolour


"It is easy to be heavy; hard to be light."
- G.K. Chesterton

This month's goals all centre around play:
  • Laugh every day
  • Sing along to the radio
  • Make someone smile
  • Have fun
  • Take it outside
I liked changing my monitoring around last month by not using a day-by-day calendar and so this month I am going to track my goals with tally marks. The back of this paper is also woodgrain, so I intend to put my top pictures right onto it! I find my focus quote to be very motivating, which may seem ironic, but it is something I have been working on and need to continue to do so. I found the quote in "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin :)

All supplies are Close To My Heart:
Paper - White Daisy cardstock; Happy Times paper collection; PML watercolour;
Other - Le Pen; Watercolour paints; Letters cut from Artistry Cricut cartridge.


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