Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Happy Leap Day!

A couple things today...

First of all-anybody out there a '30 Rock' fan?! Well, I am and I'll be wearing blue and yellow today and I'll be on the lookout for Leap Day William. Doesn't hurt that those are my camp colors either! Happy Leap Day to you!!!

I'll likely be spending my day painting the railway in our hallway. That's been my little renovation project this week! It''s labour intensive but it WILL be worth it when it's all done!

What are you going to do with your extra day this year?

In other news, I have a blog post on the Simple Scrapper blog today! It'll be going live this afternoon! It's my first guest post on a blog and honestly I'm a little nervous. It's all about kit clubs and the benefits of joining one. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a lover of Studio Calico & since my local scrapbooking store started creating and selling kits in the fall I'm head over heels for kit clubs! So, check that out!

And speaking of Simple Scrapper, I have another layout to share that was made using their sketches this month.

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This one is very simple and honestly came together in minutes. I love the 4 by 4 pictures and the pattern paper.

M hates having his picture taken but he accepts it as part of being married to me. He knew I scrapbooked long before we married and it came with the whole package!

These photos were taken at a provincial park at the end of the summer and in an effort to get a great shot of us, I set the camera up on a rock and used my camera remote. But, the photos I love the most are these because they show a real picture of 'us'. They are honest and 'real'.

Love that!

So, bottom line-pay attention to the 'outtakes' because sometimes those tell the best stories.

Oh and enjoy Leap Day!

xoxo
K

The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Technique Tuesday: Little Stitchin'

I thought I would share a little tutorial about how I made this tag that appeared on my blog on Saturday.

Now, great minds must think alike because my friend Sara also happens to be doing a stitching tutorial on her blog today! Check it out here! Also, it's Sara's birthday so you should wish her a happy birthday while you're there!

Happy Birthday friend! I hope it's wonderful!

So, I've been noticing that all kinds of cute Amy Tan tags have been popping up in the gallery on Two Peas and I really wanted to buy one but the shipping costs really deter me- all the way to Canada is expensive! So, I made my own. Here's how:

1. Grab a tag and a punch. I chose a red tag and used a Fiskars heart shaped punch. I punched my heart out of the tag.

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2. Write your word on your tag using a pencil or a marker.Puncture your letters with a little pin- I used the Bazzil stichin' tool. I love this thing for making holes.

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3. Sew your word using some thread.

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4. I didn't like the string that came with the tag so I switched it out for some grey & white Divine Twine.

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6. I decided to add another heart in the punched shape area, popped up with a pop dot, and cover it with some glossy accents to give it that jelly-like feel.

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And then I used it on this layout.

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Just something simple. I wanted to make a layout using the journaling from my anniversary post on February 1st. So I did and I added the journaling, tabbed, behind the photo & the tag.

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If you like to stitch or sew don't forget to check out Sara's tutorial over on her blog as well!

Happy Tuesday!

xoxo
K

Monday, February 27, 2012

Simply Happy

I LOVE weddings. I especially love weddings when you really know the couple who are getting married. Weddings are even more fun when you're involved in wedding party.

This layout is a compilation of a few photos taken during the wedding day of our very best friends Nicole & Mike. They had a gorgeous wedding in Ottawa, Ontario at the National Arts Gallery. It was a beautiful day and we were so proud and 'simply happy' to be a part of their big day!

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This layout was completed using a sketch from Simple Scrappers for their premium members for the month of March. The purples and pink theme was taken from the flowers she chose for each of us to carry and the cake decorations. I aimed to mimic the ruffles of the cake with the butterflies in a combination of different pink papers.

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Isn't she a beautiful bride?! Hard to believe they've been married for almost 7 months now. We can't wait to see them in April and their brand new bundle of joy-a Boston Terrier named Kobe.

xoxo
K

The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

How to: Painting Projects

So a number of you have requested a little more information on how I've been revamping my furniture pieces. Let me tell you that everything I've learned I learned from Centsational gal. She's pretty much my re-vamping idol right now.

I've worked on a number of things now including a mirror, two chairs, two bedside tables and a large armoire- all things that we already owned or were bought on the cheap at thrift stores and just needed a little TLC. It's surprising what a little paint will do to a project. I love white but you could use whatever color you want.

I'll use my first piece-a bedside table to illustrate some of the steps. Here's the before pic.

Side Note: I've discovered that I often am so excited to get started that I forget to take the before pic. I need to fix this. It's much more fun to look back at a before when you have an after!

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Now, get on your painting clothes folks! You're gonna need 'em!

Find a great spot where you can be messy without destroying anything. I use the basement because it's winter and frankly it's too cold outside right now. I always gather the cast of characters I know I'll need for the project before beginning.

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Materials include: an orbital sander, sanding grit, a wet rag, a mask, some primer & regular old latex paint (not pictured), a cheap brush (not pictured), a little mini roller (not pictured), a painting pan, (not pictured). I like to use an oil paint called Cover Stain by Zinsser recommended by Centsational Gal for my primer. It comes in both a paint can and a spray paint. It works well and it's only 1/3 gone since I started my projects so I can say for certainty that it's cost effective. You can also see some of the Krylon spray paint that I've been using for some of my other projects as well.

So first I use an orbital sander, a cheapie that I found at Walmart, to sand the pieces. Get that piece all scratched up!

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In the case of the mirror I actually used the sanding block because it was too hard to use the sander due to the curved edges. The sander does a nice job of getting rid of the varnish first and believe me-there was a lot of varnish on those bedroom pieces! If you need to use the snading block to get into the smaller spaces.

From there I use a damp cloth to wipe away any excess dust left behind from the sanding process. I tape anything that might need to be masked like the drawer slides.

Then I grab a disposable brush-I picked one up at the dollar store-to do a coat of primer. This is key as it coats the piece before you add the latex paint so the paint has something to cling to. I have been tucking my primer brush in a plastic bag when I finished a coat because I knew I would be doing more projects but normally I would just toss the brush-it isn't worth the work involved to get it back to a clean state to use again!

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After it's dry- I usually give it 24 hours for the oil primer to dry- I give it a coat of latex paint with a little mini roller. I just find the roller gives a nicer finish than the brush and it's also faster. I've been using Benjamin Moore's 'cloud white' because I just love white furniture. Give it a few hours and you can go back for round 2. Two coats should do it. I have yet to need a third coat on anything that I've worked on.

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Then I just add some new hardware! I've been using the multi-packs that you can buy in Home Depot for the bedroom pieces because I've needed so much of it. It's more cost effective to buy in bulk.

Here's a few more before and after projects I've done-

Some chairs I found in M's basement at home. Nobody was using them so they will become a feature for our bay window in our bedroom.

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An old armoire that was handed on to us from M's Grandma. It was pretty dated but with a little paint and some new hardware...
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And a bedside table that was part of the same set.
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And that's it! Painting your furniture is such an awesome way to rejuvenate a room on a budget!

Just a few little notes on the whole process and what I've learned...

I used the spray on primer for this pieces because it was my first piece and I thought it might be faster. It dripped like crazy and I didn't like having to go back and sand all the drips before painting it. Too many steps. So I stuck with the brush on primer.

Also, just a note but make sure that you are VERY careful when you spray anything whether inside or outside. I now have a tarp outline on my driveway. Yeah.

Also, wear a mask on your face when you use that spray paint. The fumes are brutal.

I hope that you try out your own project. If you do, please link me up or send a picture! I would love to see your re-do's. If you are looking for a great resource check out Centsational girls blog. Like I said, I credit her with everything I've learned!

xoxo
K

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Sneak Peaks!

I've been working on some layouts for Simple Scrapper this past week and have a few sneaks of some things I've been working on!

Just a few layouts and some teasers for you on this fine Saturday!

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I'll have a little tutorial on that little 'LOVE' tag next week.

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I'll be back tomorrow with a post on how I've been painting my furniture pieces.

xoxo
K

Friday, February 24, 2012

5 for Friday

1. So Liz Katchner recently had the coolest thing up on her blog. It was kind of an animated slideshow and I loved it. Now, I'm sure she used some sort of very cool Photoshop or other program to do it but this past week I discovered a great *free* site called Photopeach. It makes slideshows that you can embed in your blog. So I wanted to try one out.

I had a bunch of photos we took simultaneously on my DSLR when we were trying to get a great shot of our friends on New Year's so I figured that might be a fun way to start. Here's what came out.

Please Note that we are a little crazy. Don't be offended by any of the foolishness- it was all in good fun.



cool huh? Yeah, so I still have to figure out how to turn the music off when the slideshow is over...other than that, it's pretty cool.

2. I haven't made a mini album in ages. I noticed this awesome tutorial for a little 4 by 4 mini album on the October afternoon site this week by Marcy and thought that it was a great opportunity to do a mini and drag out my dusty sewing machine as well!

3. My husband pretty much rocks. He bought me this sick iphone case for Valentine's. It's the Burberry plaid which I L.O.V.E. He also added a little post it on the plastic box, wrapped so delicately in a shopping bag, that said"Happy Valentine's. xoxo. M'. Then he said 'that's all the card your getting'. Honestly, he's such a romantic.

4. Been watching this new show 'Smash'. It's AWESOME. Like I need another t.v. show to be addicted to! Check it out below...



5. I'm getting really excited about the March Studio Calico kit. Gerelyn had some seriously awesome sneaks on her blog. I really like the ones that she used with the Jenni Bowlin tab punch. It's awesome.

If you are interested in the painting furniture tutorial I'll have it on my blog on Sunday. Be sure to check back here then!

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo
K

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Hello!

Hello little card that I'm going to send to someone special.

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Hello newly upholstered & painted chair.

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Hello nearly completed dresser.

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Hello new television show obsession-even if it is about zombies. Who ever thought that would be something on my 'like' list.

Screen shot 2012-02-20 at 11.14.17 AM
Photo Cred: AMC The Walking Dead

Hello friend for sharing secrets. ;)

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Hello lovely. Can't wait to play with you.

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Hello to getting back out on the road this week.

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Just a glimpse of daily life around here.

xoxo
K

P.S: If you have left any comments regarding the painting process I've been using with my new furniture pieces rest assured I am not ignoring you. I'm going to do a whole post about it by the end of the weekend so stay tuned!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Baby Embossing

I made this layout at my LSS crop last weekend but it's taken me this long to get the journaling down on the page. This format isn't traditionally very 'me' but I like that there's a big story and two strips of pictures. If I had my time back I might have changed the title but at this point in the page it was close to midnight and frankly my eyes were crossing from looking at it for so long!

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This layout was done using the Studio Calico Brooklyn Flea kit. The journaling reads:

In December Allison & Liam came over for some covert operations. Allison wanted to create some hand and feet prints of Liam’s little fingers and toes for some holiday gifts for her family members and literally needed an extra set of hands to make that happen. In stepped Auntie Krista. Initially we tried to do it with white paint on red cardstock but it just wasn’t the sharp image either of us had imagined. So, in a genius moment of realization it dawned on me that I could emboss the little guys hands and feet. So, out came the Versamark pad and the white embossing power. I’ll admit that he wasn’t so into it at first but after a half dozen hand prints it didn’t seem to bother him any more. But I think Allison was more amused by my excitement than Liam’s. She laughed at me the whole time as I was so excited to see the hand and feet print come into sharp focus with the embossing gun. We framed up with whole mess and Allison gave them out as Christmas gifts. They’re about the darn cutest things ever- well next to Liam
that is.


But I think this is my favorite part of the layout.

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I found this sentiment on a page of Tiny Type by Cosmo Cricket and just loved it. It fit my page perfectly.

xoxo
K

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

I Want to Ride my Bicycle

I'm yearning for Spring to arrive and thus the theme of this layout. I printed some summer photos recently and I'm just now getting to scrapbook them.

This layout was made using the Studio Calico Brooklyn Flea kit. There's still some left in the shop if you're interested in purchasing one.

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It was a great kit but by far my favorite item were the Ormolu tags. Here I turned them into the '1', '2', & '3' in my layout.

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I LOVE these tags and the company that makes them pretty much rocks. They are 'green' which means they use recycled paper to create their products. They have some really great stuff on their site and their prices aren't crazy either!

For M's birthday we all pitched in and gave him a road bike. He had been wanting one for some time now and the price was right in the end of summer sales and so he was given one awesome birthday present! Now I need one so we can go on bike rides together like we did in Ottawa.

xoxo
K

Monday, February 20, 2012

Monday Musings

It's been a quiet weekend around the blog. I've been busy teaching some scrapbooking classes and watching the Westminister Dog Show. I know, I know. I'm a big nerd for watching the dog show on t.v. but let's face it-it's hilarious and I just love puppy dogs.

On Friday night I had a blast at my local crop-chatting, laughing and having snacks. I even got some scrapbooking done.

Here's a layout I made that's kind of fitting for this month of Valentine's.

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I love chocolate. We have a local chocolate maker here in town and they have some yummy treats that they produce in their factory. In October, we visited their store downtown to try a few of their 'Newfoundland-themed' truffles. They were YUMMY.

I think my favorite part of this layout is the letters that I cut out of a piece of October Afternoon paper for the title. I think that it makes the layout more fun and playful while still fitting the pics and really standing out to tell the story of the page.

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A little Mr. Huey misting with White was also done here and a few buttons were added. The final touch was the date stamp at the top with my Smash rolling stamp.

I'm pretty excited about that rolling stamp because in this month's Studio Calico kit there is a special rolling stamp that American Crafts is making just for the kit. It's going to be awesome and I can't wait to use it on my projects.

Have a wonderful Monday. I hope that wherever you are that today brings you lots of goodness.

xoxo
K

Friday, February 17, 2012

5 For Friday

1. I've been redoing furniture like it's going out of style. Here's the latest redo- a bedside table that started out in the 80's and took a turn for the cottage casual.

before:

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After:

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And next to the bed.

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Kind of looks like it's smiling. I guess it's happy with it's transformation.

2. I've been lurking on Merrik's blog for ages and yesterday she posted the coolest re-do of a thrifty find. I love it and might need to try it!

3. Check out this cool tutorial on the SC blog. I'm def going to try this with some stamps I have!

4. I'm heading to my LSS tonight for a crop. There's still space left if you're local! Check out 'The Paperie' for details. I have to get some scrapping done-I'm still not finished week 5 or 6 of project life. My 'life' keeps getting in the way lol.

5. I'm thinking of revamping the blog-give it a fresh color update at the very least. Maybe a new header. Any thoughts or suggestions?!

Have a great weekend. I'll have some more layouts to share next week as well as week 5 & 6 of project life!

xoxo
K

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Thursday Randomness

So I've been working on project life. I will admit that I am two weeks behind right now. I'm trying to catch up to week 5 & 6 before week 7 is done! That's only a few days away...here's the progress...

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I got a wonderful Valentine's surprise from one of my favorite people in the mail early this week.

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Isn't he a darling!

Also, yesterday I was featured on the Jillibean Soup blog in their weekly Soup Spotting feature. I was honored to be asked and among a group of very talented ladies!

Tomorrow is Friday. TGIF I say.

xoxo
K

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Florida Fun!

The weather here has been ridiculous. Just a few weeks ago we had three snow storms in one week. This past weekend we had more rain than I've seen in a long time cutting the snow in half. It's been windy and rainy and just overall miserable lately.

So right now I wish that I were in a warmer, dryer climate-like maybe Florida.

In the Fall we managed to squeeze a few days in Florida into our travel schedule. We had a blast and went to two different waterparks in the four short days we were there.

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In this layout I tried to mimic the blue skies and clouds that punctuated our days in the parks with the punched clouds and the pattern paper. I also used the Prima mistables canvas ribbon and the sassafras pattern paper strip to create 'waves' below my photos like the water at the park.

Florida was awesome. I wish I was on vacation right now in Florida and enjoying a little water park action.

What's the weather like where you are? Are you buried in snow or enjoying wearing your flats in the sunshine?!

xoxo
K

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy Valentine's Day!

Whether it's your friends, family or your significant other that you are sharing this day with I wish you all the love and happiness in the world.

I'm not a big mush for Valentine's Day. I like it but I don't go crazy. I do have a Valentine's Concert at school today that I am looking forward to. The kids have worked so hard and it will be awesome to see all their hard work pay off! I also made some mini Red Velvet cupcakes, compliments of Taffety, for the staff.

But love isn't all about the mush-it's about the things that you do together with your family, friends and partners. And so I share with you this layout.

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In October M & I ran a 10K race together on Thanksgiving day. Sidenote: We're Canadian so our Thanksgiving is in October. And it was one of our best races yet. Running has become something that we do together and that we share. The year before we got married we started running and trained for a 10K race for race weekend in Ottawa. We joked that it was our 'team building' for the wedding but really it has been a 'team' experience. It's something we love to do together!
So a little early morning race and then a breakfast sandwich & coffee started our Thanksgiving off with a bang.

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I stuck the journaling into a little pocket behind the main picture, used a little misting and more American Crafts chalkboard labels with some white ink and little stamps. The Teal letters needed to be outlined to make them pop and a little filing of the edges with my Basic Grey file gave this group of photos a little dimension.

I'm currently working on a few projects- trying to catch up on Project life because I am two weeks behind! Ahhh! And I've been working on our bedroom furniture-painting it that is. I'll be back with an update soon on how that's going as well as a new bedroom project I'm going to tackle this coming weekend!

Have a wonderful V-day!

xoxo
K

Monday, February 13, 2012

Babies & Mustaches

It's Monday and I've got a little man in a mustache for you to feast your eyes on ladies.

This year for Christmas I made Liam some pretty sweet baby pacifier mustaches. There's nothing quite as cute as a baby who has a mustache-it's actually hysterical. The best part is that he has this hat the makes him look like a little old man so the mustache was just the icing on the cake!

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For this layout I wanted to try out my new ampersand mask from Studio Calico so I incorporated it into my title. I also used a chalkboard label by American Crafts but honestly had no idea how to write on it. So I took to it with some stamps and white Stampin' Up ink. I've had that ink pad for years but it's still just as juicy as the day I bought it. It's truly awesome.

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The mustaches were super easy to make-just a little brown foam and glue dots-I didn't use a glue gun because I wanted his Mom to be able to boil the pacifiers before he actually used them!

Happy Monday!

xoxo
K