I'm Back!!

It's been a very busy three weeks. Very busy. But a lot of fun!! I went to San Antonio with Leslie for a week. It was such a beautiful place to visit...but soooooo hot and humid! We visited the Riverwalk, the Zoo, Seaworld, the Chinese Tea Garden, The Alamo, the Missions and did lots of shopping. Here are some pictures - it's hard to pick a handful to show as so many were taken!!

A week and a half after getting back from San Antonio I was off to Winnipeg to spend some time with my brothers, sister and parents. We were able to get out to Jasper for a couple of days and also managed to get some yard work done!! I'm going to organize those pictures and post them in the next day or so.

I'm such a slacker...we'll at least when it comes to keeping this blog updated.

I'm off!! Yippee! Tomorrow morning I am heading to San Antonio with my sister for a little vacation. It should be a blast (as always) with a week worth of shopping, sight-seeing and eating. I'll be sure to take a ton of pictures! - Don't I always??

The weather around here finally has gotten nice again. All the plants have been put outdoors. Half the backyard has been dug-up and seeded. And now it is time to enjoy the weather.

I'm still trying to get around to taking pictures of my latest project (a cosmetic bag) and some of my recent scrapbooking pages...I guess I'll have to do it when I get back. Here's a sneak peak, though. Inspired by the beautiful weather.

What a Hoot!

I FINALLY finished my first real sewing project. It was a kit my sister picked up for me at the quilt show in Manitoba...isn't he cute? He's got a little owl that goes with him - so that's my next project (it's the same owl, only smaller!....yikes!). I think he turned out not too bad for a beginner seamstress!

National Scrapbooking Weekend and Other Updates

Well. This past weekend was National Scrapbooking Day. I went to two of the local scrapbooking stores and scrapped for 26 hours total. Let's just say, I didn't get as much done as I had hoped, but I had lots of fun!! I'm loving all the new product and bought the new Max and Whiskers line by Basic Grey. It's pretty cute and the colors are great. Here are the layouts that I did get done..

As for my other little projects on the go...the sewing is coming along - I'm working on a cosmetic bag and two cute stuffed owls. They are a little time consuming, as I am no where near an expert seamstress and got stuck on step 1. But thanks to Leslie, I am now on to step 2. I just have to pick up a few supplies to finsih them - hoping to get them done in the next day or two. Yippee!!

Last night, I had to re-pot my little garden plants as they were getting a bit too big for the trays. This is how big they are now!!

Unfortunately, the garden has to be put on hold - this is what I woke up to this morning!!

Rain, Rain...Go Away...

It's been a cold, windy, rainy last couple days...and I'm anxiously awaiting some sunshine. I've been busy working on the backyard to make it look prettier. It was a bit of a disaster when we moved in - all of the gardens were pretty much a disaster. There were dead shrubs, plants, leaves etc. that needed to be dug up. All the flower beds (6 in total) were crooked and made using old pieces of wood. And the grass...what grass?? It's so patchy and non-existent in some parts!! Here are some 'before' pictures - so you can see what we were in store for!!




I will post some 'after' pictures when I get a chance. We don't have anything planted yet (except a raspberry bush and a rose bush...and some veggies - but they're underground). As soon as the risk of snow/frost is gone, we will be getting around to that!

And as for my other projects...I'm starting to work on sewing a cosmetic bag - using some very nice, asian-inspired fabrics. AND...I am making a pleated purse using Basic Grey 'Blush' fabric!! Yippee!!

As for scrapbooking, it's National Scrapbook Day (Weekend) and am looking forward to getting a ton of stuff done! We'll see how much I really get done through all the shopping and chatting, but it should be a fun weekend, nonetheless.

Middle of the Week...and trying to catch up on things...

This week has been very busy so far...and I'm looking forward to the weekend. We're supposed to be getting very nice weather - which means getting outside and continuing our backyard fixing-up. Speaking of which - it's been a just over a week since my seeds were planted and they are growing like...well, weeds! Here's what they looked like on day 7...

And just for the fun of it, here are some recent layouts - yes, I am NOW just getting around to taking pictures of them. I did go scrapping on Saturday...and was just thinking that National Scrapbooking day is almost here and I have to start planning my projects. 24 hours of scrapbooking is a lot of time to fill!!

Can you tell that I love Webster's Pages, Basic Grey, and Prima??!! Sometimes you can't have too much bling, flowers...or butterflies for that matter!

That's all for now!! Thanks for looking!

How Does Your Garden Grow??

It's spring! - Except that there's snow on the ground as of last night....but I did get around to planting my seeds on Monday indoors. I planted a nice variety of fruits and vegetables and lots of flowers. Some of my favorites (and I hope they grow up to be big and strong) include watermelon, pumpkin, bleeding hearts, zinnias, and morning glory. Here is a look at Day 0 - planting day.



And Guess what???? On Thursday I wandered upstairs to look at my tiny little seeds to see how they were doing and...I have little seedlings!! Apparently the lettuce was eager to come up so it sprouted first! - followed very quickly (as of today) by Zinnia, Cosmos, Hollyhocks, Allysums and Morning Glories!

Okay - Glimmer Mist isn't that scary....

I finally used my Glimmer mist!! And it wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be - nor was it very messy. And I actually liked the way it turned out!! I had a great time on Saturday with Aimee and am looking forward to the next time we go scrapbooking. The Layout I did is of Leslie sitting in front of a bed of tulips in Chicago. I used the butterfly screen and Tattered Leather Glimmer Mist. And I'm loving the flowers from Prima!!

It was back to work today. After work, I wasn't very motivated so I didn't accomplish much on my ever-growing "to do" list. There's always tomorrow night though...right??

Friday...*sigh*....

Happy Friday? I'm starting to get a head cold so I don't think I'll be doing too much this weekend. Except cropping for 12 hours tomorrow!! It should be a good time...I will definately have a few layouts to show. I'm hoping to try out my new Glimmer Mist - I've been a bit intimidated by this product, but I think the best thing to do is just jump into it and give it a go. We'll see how well it goes.



Aside from that, I finished my sewing lessons and now am going to start on a project - not sure what I'm going to work on, but I'll be sure to keep you updated.


I'll leave you with some cute pics of my "boys" - I snapped a few pics of them doing what they do best, being lazy!!

End of a Busy Week

Time sure does fly!! It's been a busy week - and I've realized that I am quite domestic...and loving it!! The week involved work, scrapbooking, sewing, sewing lessons, baking and enjoying some of my favorite shows. Last weekend I managed to finish the mini album I was making for my friend, Helen. I used Basic Grey 'Origins' line....and I LOVE the way it turned out. The colors are so bright and it's just a fine line to work with.

This week, like I mentioned, I also took my first sewing class!! I am a newbie at a sewing machine. but I am proud to say that I made my first bag!! It's nothing too exciting. I used a plastic shopping bag as a template. But it was a little project that got me used to sewing. I still have a ways to go, but as I get more comfortable, I am sure it will slowly come together and the projects will get more elaborate!

This evening, I didn`t do anything too exciting...I spent the evening cleaning and baking Peanut Butter - Oatmeal - Chocolate chip cookies. But I am looking forward to the weekend and some shopping. I am planning on going to the Restore to see what kind of materials I can find for a little project I am planning...and maybe to a local greenhouse to check out the plants for the garden!! I am REALLY looking forward to summer and working on our backyard!!

New Year...New beginnings...(a little late).

It's been a little while since I posted anything. There's no real reason why, other than things come up, I put things off and lose track of time. I moved into a new home, which took up alot of my time and energy getting things straightened out...and making the space 'ours'. Then Christmas - we all know what that time of year is like. Next thing I know it's January, February and now March! I keep vowing to myself that I will make more time for me, and make more time to do the things I love. I have been getting more inspired lately with sewing (thanks to Leslie and my new Janome!), and making over old furniture, and, of course, scrapbooking. But also, now that spring is coming, I'm excited about our backyard and planting a garden. Yup! I feel like I have lots of things on my plate and I'm trying to organize things so that I can get to work on all my wonderful, inspired projects! I am planning to start 'blogging' again - because I know a lot of people who keep asking 'what are you up to?' and I am excited to show people some of my projects!! So, you can (hopefully) start to expect more frequent posts...