blessings - project sneak

Hello Folks!

Leaving for Viva Las Vegas tomorrow, but thought i would post quickly before the frenzy of packing begins!

I'm working on finishing up this project now, and when i return from warmer climates. It's the first shaped mini album i've worked on, and i'm loving it (however the sanding the paper around the edges can get a little monotonous and the paint is curling the chipboard - but i'll live!).


When finished, it will hang perfectly off my bulletin board at work, to remind me about allll the great things I am surrounded with (a nice reminder when i get bogged down!).

PS i love ribbon. i really do.

<3 one love

hot off the press | love for family

Helllllo my crafty folk

A layout to share for today.

Just because.... family is great.


Gush with me now..... awwwwwwwwwww

<3

on meditation | the mindful list

MINDFUL LIST

do you meditate?

Q. Do you meditate (or have a meditative practice of writing code, entering data or answering emails) during your work day? If yes, does mindfulness inform your practice?

A. Once a upon a time, a few years ago, i had a specific meditation routine (believe it or not!). Then, along came Jess, who mixed everything all up. Not to complain of course, but my life certainly does not resemble routine anymore, and we don't even have children (dare i say yet?).

And, for some reason, I just can't bring myself to introduce routine into my life again. Well, I can, but it doesn't really seem to stick.

Does anyone else out there seem to feel like routine is so much easier when it is just me myself and I that has to be considered?!?

That being said, today's mindfulist prompt did exactly what it was meant to do. It made me mindfully consider something I would never have thought of. Or be prompted to think of. So tonight before i go to bed, i'm going light me up some candles and ease my mind :)

What have you done lately to be mindful? Do you meditate? Or more importantly, what do you do to ease your mind when creative thoughts seem to overcrowd your otherwise focused mind?

much love

eeek Christmas is soon!

Place Cards Numero 2
Originally uploaded by Ode to the Ordinary

A quick little post to show you what i've been working on tonight... Christmas is soon here and i am looking forward to it!

These are my current work in progress... placecards for our annual Christmas dinner. I believe new placecards every year is a tradition mom is looking to start.

I suppose i dont mind... it is an excuse to play with pretty pretty winter papers for a couple of hours....

Merry Christmas everyone out there!

Happy Mail from Betty!

Happy Mail from Betty!
Originally uploaded by Ode to the Ordinary

Yesterday mom and i received happy mail christmas cards and i just had to share! Pictures of mine are on their way. I tried to be as artsy as i could whilst taking said picture of the happy mail. Did i succeed? I was trying to follow something called the rule of three or something.

i have so much to learn!

Let's Get Sketchy Wit' It

Ok folks... I am now about to share my very. first. ever. card challenge project.

(laughing is only permitting with good intentions)

I took this (supplied by the team over at get sketchy):

and came up with this:



I'm sure it looks very juvenile... but i had a lot of fun working on this challenge (which was doubly as challenging because i rarely even make cards!). Anyways, i will definitely play along in the future, because it gives me the chance to reach outside of my creative comfort zone. That, and i really can't pass up the opportunity to win free paper and pretty things.

Thanks for stopping buy and checking out my little card!

one love

My Boyfriend's a Stud

I was dying to have some fun with the uber cool "speech bubble" paper from American Crafts. And here's what i came up with. I haven't scrapped an 8.5x11 since i first started scrapbooking. It was fun, but now i have nowhere to put this bad boy. I will have to go purchase a binder for my random printer paper sized layouts.

Happy Tuesday (wishing it was Friday).

one love

dearest check engine light. i detest you.

My car has decided to give me car troubles, so i have spent an abnormal amount of time home this weekend (Jess picked up a few extra shifts because i was supposed to be busy all weekend).

Sigh. But i suppose the upside of that is creation at home (and a bit of cleaning too).

This is just a quick post to update on some of the stuff i have been working on, etc.

I have a "things to remember" book for myself that i periodically add to. I loved my new american crafts paper so much i decided to work ahead a little bit:


A few more pages to my happy days album:




I have a bunch more that i finished late last night too... i just haven't taken pictures yet. I am so excited that the happy days album is coming together! I'm thinking about redoing the first few pages though, because i was having "beginning of project mind blank syndrome" which usually results in the first few pages being a little less creative than the rest of the project.

Anyways... have a spectacular Monday! I'm off to spend a few hundred dollars on parts for my beloved car. I know, aren't i generous? *groan*

one love

It's my break. thank goodness.

What a day! My mind is just not co-operating with me today. It keeps telling me to shut down, and mindlessly surf the internet. Which, i can't really do, considering i am at work.

Which definitely makes actually working hard, because my brain does not want to work. So... i put on my "Law of Attraction" cd and try to will my mind to stay focused....

It worked for a little bit. But then it was my break time, and i finally get to do some scrappy related stuff! i uploaded lots of pictures onto flickr (previous and present)... and will share some with you here! I'm really loving this W R Memory Keepers Grandma's Kitchen paper (the orange/yellow/greenish stuff), and i am hoping that i can find some more fairly soon. It was paper i bought eons ago, and then just never used it until now. Why i waited so long i dont know!

I experimented with hand cut flowers... on my inner beauty page. Didn't turn out quite how i wanted it to, but hey, you gotta start somewhere when trying something new, right?

Anyways, hope you enjoy them! Take it easy out there... tomorrows Friday. yippie!!

Peace Out

Happy Days Sneak

Hello everyone!

I only have a few minutes, but i thought i would throw up some quick pictures of my happy days album. I have done quite a bit more on it, but i am having one heck of a time trying to get decent pictures! (with the flash i get that awful flash mark, and without the flash, my pictures turn out fuzzy!). So this is what you get for now....

Yes, the cover is plain and simple. and that is just how i like it. My summer has been filled with happy days. plain and simple. I figure there will be lots of colour inside the album to make up for the lack of colour on the cover.

The inside cover

The inscription

The Beginning Road Trip Page

But now i am off to go to walmart to get a new collar for my puppalupp and then off to look at a 4 runner that my dad saw today for cheap! So exciting!

I'm loving this cooler weather (27 degrees is AWESOME!) hope you are too! :)

Sign Language

[i think my scrapping hours are beginning to drive my boyfriend crazy. especially when i break out the old school eyelet placer]

Today i did it. I sent off my emails to Canadian Scrapbooker containing wonderfully re-sized pictures of some of my finest pages completed in the past little bit. It feels kind of cool actually - knowing that someone else will take a look at them, even if they only get as far as the person who opens the email! Who knows what will come of it!

In the meantime i started using my wickedly sweet cosmo cricket paper and rub-ons and elements for my new "happy days" album, which belongs to the summer of 2009. I'm making it with binder rings, so that i can expand when i run out of room, and it won't look like i didn't plan for that many pages. It's really exciting because it is going to be a mixture of a journal and a scrapbook -- lots of colour and memorabilia, but also lots of notes, and doodles, and pure reflections of me. My scrapbooking is changing the sense that it is not so much for other people to look at anymore, but for me, as out outlet of my thoughts and feelings and rediculous desire to document everything so i don't forget about the memories when i am older. Sometimes i find it hard to show my friends what i'm working on, because a lot of them don't do anything remotely close to this... so i happen to know that they think my obsession with paper is well, just plain weird!

I'll take pictures of the work-in-progress tonight and post them up tomorrow for sharing!

so this is my wednesday

It is time to reflect on the day that was today. Today i did an excellent job staying on task and getting lots of work done! Yay! Sometimes i find it hard to remember that no mater how much i get excited about at, and being unique, and putting myself out there... my job still pays the bills. If i want to spend more time crafting and day dreaming (which i most certainly do) i just have to alter my lifestyle schedules so it fits. Its hard though, because i seem to get hit with neat ideas and inspirations the most when i am at work working (or lying in bed about to fall asleep) ... and then i can't do anything with them! I guess i need to start carrying an inspo book with me in my purse. My problem is probably that i have my own office now at work, and it is a little space of my own (something i don't have at my house).

Anyways... i have done some more creating lately and finishing some older layouts that have gone without journelling for quite some time - to submit to Canadian Scrapbooker. This is a first submission for me - so we will see where this road takes me! I also tracked down the new uber cute cosmo paper with fishies and octupuss's on it and the matching rub-ons. I am seriously excited to dive inot that stuff. i got goosebumps when i saw it (it made me break my "no more paper" pact with myself).

(This one`s a new one, but i wanted to share something!)

I also went shopping in the mall today whilst in langley, looking for some new shoes... but returned home with a top instead. Retail therapy doesn't have the same affect on me like it used to -- at least not with new clothes. It seems to be more of a chore than anything else. Unless it is sweet etsy stuff or home decor from urban barn. then i'm all over spending money. But for some reason lately, clothes really and truely frustrate me.

But anyway, in closing, i would like to thank the government for giving me money today and allowing me to feed my scrapbooking addiction. I would also like to thank my S.O. for watching the puppy so i could spend said money, and i would also like to thank the lovely wonderful people who made my coffee this morning.

And finally i would like to also thank anyone, really anyone, out there who reads these journal entries :)

love shan

P.S. i made cardboard cut outs of cupcakes today. They make my heart swell

P.P.S. now i am all inspired to be crafty but i must go to sleep. lame sauce.

Weekend Update and Crafty Crafty Layouts

Weekends are wonderful wonderful things. Especially sunny ones.
My S.O. and I took our puppy out for his first full hike this weekend, and he did amazing!
I think he outlasted both of us. I got the chance to take a few neat photos:

I am still learning how to format pictures all neat for my blog - so if anyone has any pointers they could give me, they would be warmly welcomed! I also discovered this uber rad jewelry company called BJohnson Jewelry (http://bjohnsonjewelry.com) that make the cutest stuff using little swallow bird charms and!! (get this) it's affordable! I love supporting individual artists, but sometimes i really can't afford to, even though i love their work. I've already found a few items on the website that i love - and im keeping my fingers crossed for the contest draw that kevin&amanda are putting on right now!

Anyways, i doooo have some layouts to post. Some of you may have already seen them, they are currently rotating on my flickr box, but i'm going to post them anyways. They are definately some of my fav's and are inspired by the work of Kate O'Brien (her blog is listed to the left, but she hasn't posted anything new in a while *sad face*).

Anyways, hope you like!

love shan

Fathers Day Project

Hello All :)

Last week I took an incredible class, and loved it so much, i made an altered version. Here are some pictures of my Father's Day Project.

This little mini album appears to be a tiny little book...


But it unexpectedly turns out to be a really cool, layout made out of three 10x10 pieces of cardstock!Here are a few more close up pictures... i am really proud of how it all came together. Papers are all Basic Grey, with a collection of various other items found in my stash of supplies.


I hope to be putting more pictures up of my past projects pretty darn soon!

<3 Shan