A little lace.

published in Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine, Spring 2011, p33

This week's challenge at Practical Scrappers is to use your lace cardstock. I still have a pretty large stash of it in my possession, so I was happy to give this one a go. If you go check out the challenge, you will see some interesting variations on the lace cardstock theme, with Dt members playing by the Practical Scrappers rules and using what they had on hand. There are lace doilies, lace punches, Cricut and Cuttlebug diecuts as well as lace card.

I chose to use a sheet of green stars from KI memories; first using it as a stencil to mist the background paper. I then cut a swatch of it to use as a border under my photos, and proceeded to go crazy with the Basic Grey stickers!!
What a fun page to make!

This is where I used to scrap...Groan!

They finally came and did the temporary install for the washer and dryer yesterday, but with the duct work being rerouted, I'm only able to get in there at night to do anything. It's going to take a few days to get caught up on laundry- good thing we don't plan on leaving the house while they are working, or I'd need more than mismatched outfits for the boys.


Did I tell you that I used to work in telecommunications? for a few years I was responsible for managing  equipment required on site for fiber optic rings ( systems) and working with installation crews to make sure everything and everyone arrived on time. I processed emergency orders, movement of material from site to site and final reconcillation and billing- blah blah blah...what I'm getting at is that I've worked with a lot of installers, lots! So I'm not surprised at the following events.

Long story made short- there were water pipes in the way, and the guys asked me if it was okay if they passed the duct work on the other side of them. In the same breath they added " we don't really have a choice" ( in their best Quebecois). Maybe it's because I'm native New Brunswicker -LOL, but what I understood, and what they were planning were two totally different things. Not only does the bulk head pass along the entire length of back wall, they passed it through the side wall of the back room which is going to be the laundry/bathroom- right where the shower should sit.
ARRRRGGGGGHHHH!
I'm sure it's going to require more material, and add a few more hours onto the job, but they have no choice but to move the ducts to go around the outside of the room ( which was the original plan) and replace the studs they chopped down in the side wall.

Did I mention they chopped one of my motions sensors for the alarm off the wall? I got a call from our security company yesterday asking if everything was ok- only to descend into the basement and find one guy with the motion sensor in hand- he thought it was wireless, and that he could just move it.

We also had a small drip of a leak in a drain pipe in the furnace room. it's been there since we moved in, and we've had a bucket under it. Yesterday the bucket got moved when the washer and dryer got relocated. No one knew to put it back where it was.
No biggie...until someone also knocked the drainpipe, and turned our small drip drip into a trickle.

Now I'm waiting for the electrician and the plumber.

wish me an uneventful day!

on a positive note, I got my photos back yesterday! WHOOOHOOO!!
as I copied them over to my desktop, I kept seeing stuff I forgot I had, and feeling even more grateful that I hadn't lost them all forever- all 22,000+ photos! I won't complain of not having any photos to scrapbook for a long, long time!

Here's my scraproom in much earlier glory days:

Challenge day

It's my day again at Practical Scrappers- this week we're trying out out stitching techniques. I usually overlook stitching as an option on my page, because I usually don't start out with much of a plan, and  well, I'm an instant gratification type of girl. The faster I can get to the desired effect the better.
Stitching usually provides a very subtle effect, and I'm not so subtle...

So here's what I came up with:

A sheet of kraft paper, some embroidery floss and voila! custom paper! I added a few flowers, pearls, and my favorite mini letters from October Afternoon. It's simpler than usual, but I'm pleased with the result.

This is where I used to scrap...update

I may bore you all to tears, but I'm going to try to post photos of my scrap space as it evolves, and record the headaches that come along with the renovations. It's really too bad I don't have any photos of how it really used to look- I think I may find some of those when our recovered photos are here.

The demolition is done, and measurements taken for the ductwork. The cabinet design is done, and just needs fine tuning...good thing I asked about the height of the countertops this morning, or everything would have been at desk height. ( I'm used to standing at countertop height). That little hiccup will change quite a few measurements, and possibly rule out upper cabinets along the long wall under the ductwork. I'm still unsure, but I think The counter height and lots of drawer space is more important.

So girls wanna see what happened to our space? (speaking to my cropping buddies)


This was it last Thursday:

That was early in the morning, after Mark and I finished emptying it. The yellow room if you don't recognize it is the back room that was filled with books and movies ( and boxes of books and all the other junk we haven't found a home for yet).

This is what it looked like Thursday afternoon:

And what it looks like today:

This is the view standing at the back wall of the back room ( which is all one big room for now)

 And this one from where my computer used to be- looking at the back room.

( if you look closely you'll see my abandoned and much needed washer and dryer stored in the furnace room- the guys were supposed to come this afternoon to hook them up temporarily...I'm still waiting!)

The real work will start only at the beginning of September, so unless I scan in some design plans, there shouldn't be any more updates until then.


Now I just need to figure out how to scrapbook a 12 x 12 page in an 8 x 8 space....

I completely forgot

...To post last week's project for Practical Scrappers! The challenge was to use some of our Summer themed product. I searched and searched, and realized that I had been pretty good at using up the summer papers I bought for our photos from Jamaica. I did find a stray paper or two and some journaling spots, but no real summer themed embellishments. What to do? - Wait, what is this large machine sitting on my desk again?! Oh yeah! I can use my Cricut! ( I always forget)

So I took the only shot I have right now from our trip ( We purchased it from the resort photographer) and used an assortment of papers to create a summery page.  I used some basics papers from Basic Grey to make the sand castle, since the colour and textures were perfect! I cut the castle in two pieces, and used one on either side of my layout.

Cardstock : Bazzill Basics Paper
pp: Fancy Pants- Rustic Sun Collection, Basic Grey Basics, Creative Imaginations
Journaling spot: Bo Bunny
letters: American Crafts
Ink: Ranger Distress Ink
pens: Uniball signo- white, Copic multiliner- black

The winner is...

Stacey!
I drew the number 4 at Random.org, she was the fourth comment to tell me what to create! 

Stacey said...

Happy Anniversary & adorable layout. Boy embellies, cars, trucks, dinosaurs...  Congratulations Stacey! send me your mailing address to girl.paper.scissors@hotmail.com, and I'll get creating some boyish embellies right away!

Wanna be a winner too?

I decided to give my own sketch a shot during Saturday's Crop for the Cure crop put on by Scrapbook Star.  My scrapping buddies were all very supportive too, and used the sketch for layouts and a card. 

Lucky thing, because My friend Bella was the winner over at Practical Scrappers for the polymer embellishments. 

There's still a chance for you to win your own set of custom embellies, just leave me a comment telling me what kind of embellishments you'd like to see, or what paper collection you'd like to have stuff to match.

I'm up for a challenge, and will be breaking out the clay after picking Friday's winner at random. 

This layout is very strange for me, since I made the sketch, many of the papers, and coloured the digital stamp accents ( stamps by Dustin Pike). I find the distressing and cute stamp mix a little different, but somehow it works I guess! The square papers ( excluding the red and black diamond pattern) were made using Impression obsession stamps, Distress inks, and loads of Glimmer mist. The black and white papers are from MME. Stamps coloured with Copic markers, coated with Glossy Accents. Add some black distress ink, some distress Stickles, letter stickers by Basic Grey and Cosmo Cricket and there you have it.

A year already?

I've been so caught up in all the challenges and fun going on over at  Practical Scrappers, I almost forgot my own blog! Tomorrow marks a year since I moved  Girl,Paper,Scissors over to bloggerland! Happy Birthday- er... Bloggerday to me!! I've met some really great people through my blog,  loved all the comments, and found some great blogs!

In order to celebrate all the great fun the blog has brought me over the past year, I'm going to dig out the polymer clay I've been neglecting, and create a set of custom embellishments for one lucky follower.  I'm also giving away a set over at Practical Scrappers as a prize for an online crop sketch challenge. Visit the Message boards and post your creation using my sketch by Sunday 11:59 pm EST to be eligible to win.

Here's the sketch:

come and visit the online crop this weekend for lots more fun and prizes!

Here's an example of the embellishments you could win:

( these ones were based on a set a friend of mine had that matched my layout perfectly- since she wouldn't part with hers which were created by Kimmie Prout- I had to improvise!)

Leave me a comment on this post telling me 1)what kind of creations would be fun to have or 2)tell me what paper line you'd love to have embellies to match!
I'll draw a name next Friday afternoon at random.

Happy Friday!

Sticker Mania!

To celebrate It's one year Anniversay, Practical Scrappers is having 5 different challenges this week all involving the number one. Thursday's challenge- to use only one embellishment, but as much as you want. As...much...as...I...want? no one had to ask me twice! lol!

Well ok- I'll admit I did find this challenge pretty hard- I mean what constitutes an embellishment anyway? There were ways in which I was going to use patterned paper that could have been considered "embellishment", that goes for inks, mists and such too! If I used flowers, would whatever I used for centers be considered a second embellie?


In order to simplify things for my easily confused brain, I decided to "stick" with stickers. Lord knows I have tons of them, that I usually neglect them, and it was an easy way around the question of whether or not a title was considered "embellishing", since I could use stickers for that too!

This is what happens when you take a great shot of my boys, 2 packs of seriously cute Doodlebug Design stickers, and some yummy papers by my new favorite company- Echo Park- oh and don't forget those title letters by Pebbles!

Rainy Days

First let me say that I'm amazed that I'm actually posting twice to my blog in the same day! This having the computer in the playroom might be a cool thing after all.

We've been hit with crazy rain the last couple of days, and  even though the sun is out for now, everything is just too soggy to warrant going out with the boys. Monday- Painting and playdoh playdate with Luke, Yesterday more playdoh, and the start of a dinosaur train for the playroom wall.

First let me say that I had visions of either cutting these cute digital images by Dustin Pike on my Cricut,  in layers of pattern and colour, or spending hours carefully colouring them with my copics.

Then the kids needed something to do- so we broke out the crayola markers:

Still a work in progress ( Ethan got sucked in by Word World on TV and abandoned his egg car). I think we'll let it wrap around the wall if the kids are still interested in coloring more.


Maybe I've been spoiled, or maybe we just need new markers for the kids, but man I missed my copics!

Hyperventilating

Ok I'll admit it ( but only because my husband doesn't read my blog) I got a little ummm... testy...last night.  It may have had a little bit to do with the pregnancy hormones, or just being tired, but I'm pretty sure it had a lot more to do with the fact that everything I needed to do last night went against the very nesting instincts I'm starting to listen to lately. I've spent the last two weeks sorting, purging and organizing in my scrapbook room. It was starting to look great- good thing too, because our renovations came really close to being canceled, and it made the thought of not having the room redone that much more bearable.

Yesterday, the contractors woke up and realized they were close to missing an important milestone in our project, ( and close to losing the job). It took 4 men, (5 if we include my husband) half an hour to conclude they couldn't possibly confirm any design plans until they started ripping out the ceiling and planning overhead duct work- ( Duh! we knew that 5 weeks ago!)

So- guess when they are starting "exploratory" demolition? Yup! TODAY.
 Guess who was up until 1:30 am moving precious scrapbooking supplies, computer, cricut, camera...
No, not my loving husband, (who was content once the computer was moved). Me- the neurotic scrapbooker. Mark kept saying "they'll tape up the area's they aren't  cutting to keep the dust out".

The experienced voice in my head reminded me of how effective plastic sheeting has been in the past, how plaster dust doesn't really care what precautions you've taken, and how likely it really was that anyone coming in to cut into my ceiling was going to view my scrapbook stuff as valuable.

I don't have any before photos- not until we hear more news about the hard drive recovery.

But if you've ever seen my room, you'll appreciate these...this is what I was left with at 1am:

everything REALLY important (except my albums) got relocated here:

 ...and here:

I keep reminding myself it's only for two months, and hoping that the boys will be understanding and share the playroom with Mama's stuff. I still haven't figured out a safe place for my trimmer...

Do you know the Derry-o?

The boys are starting to sing songs other than Twinkle Twinkle and the ABC song by themselves. This is the rendition of Farmer in the Dell I heard Ethan singing while playing with Playdoh this afternoon:

"The farmer in the dell, the farmer in the dell- I know the derry-o, the farmer in the dell..."

It went on like this for a few repetitions until he moved onto something else.
Makes perfect sense if you know what the heck a derry-o is!

Happy Monday!
Erin