"Celebrating" with myStamp Box & Canvas Corp...

Once a month the entire myStamp BOX design team participates in a little group challenge and this month we are featuring a new Kraft paper line by Canvas Corp, from which I created this happy little card.  (Well not so little, it's 5"x7").  I am LOVING everything about this new line of black and brown prints on kraft papers which I paired with this cute myStamp BOX set called  Kind Flowers.

I used one of Canvas Corp's Polka Dotted Kraft Cards as my base and the Black & Kraft Ribbon Stripe print as my background.  Matting this stripe on the solid colored cardstock really sets it off don't you think?

I stamped a variety of colored and patterned flowers using ColorBox fluid chalk inks in primary colors to create my cheery little garden and I really like how all the flowers having the same shape made them pop right off the patterned paper.  I cut my sentiment from plain card stock using my Quickutz die and I added Close to My Heart jewels, brads and liquid glass for sparkle.  A piece of dark red ribbon and some hand-drawn faux stitching were all I needed to finish off this lovely little card!

 

Now why don't you hop over to today's myStamp BOX blog to see what lovely things my fellow DT members created with this product!

YOU are a BEAUTIFUL Soul... An AMAZING "Circle Journal" Adventure

I wanted to end January by sharing the most amazing experience I had when I received back my second ever circle journal.  "What is a circle journal?" you ask... It is a five month commitment for which you create a small album in which you scrap the instructions and the first two pages and then you send it out into the world to be created.  You will not see it again until it arrives back home fat with completed pages!

 

Here it is FAT with Pages

In the meanwhile about every two weeks you receive a new journal to complete according to the owner's instructions.  Our circle journal group consisted of 10 women from all over Alberta and Saskatchewan who committed to the process and "NO!" we did not all know each other, but we sure did GET to know each other through the journals that appeared every couple of weeks!

 

My Instruction page

I went out on a bit of a limb with this journal because I wanted to create something that allowed me to share my true, authentic self, and also something which would give me a glimpse into the true authentic self of my fellow circle journalers... So I asked each of them to create two pages that listed all the compliments they had ever received and which included at least ONE favorite photo of themselves.  That's it.  Doesn't sound too hard does it? But REALLY!!!  Just try and compile an entire page of good things about YOURSELF... we just don't DO that in our society!  We have no problem at ALL in coming up with a list of NEGATIVE things about ourselves.. but Good stuff?! which is why I went with the "compliment" idea... because I figured it's slightly easier to create a list of what OTHER people said about you than to come up with your own!  

Here are my two pages...

I really wasn't sure what I would get back and if the other women would even embrace this very personal request... don't forget I don't KNOW these women!... but when my completed journal arrived back home I was amazed and truly gratified with the results of  what this wonderful group of women had created for me.  They have generously given their permission to allow me to share it with all of you... so HERE IT IS ... My 2012 "You Are A BEAUTIFUL Soul" Circle Journal... and the amazing process of the "reveal"!

Here is an exerpt of what I wrote to my group about the experience of seeing my completed journal:

"Well Ladies.. you have all blown me away! I have just spent the last two hours going through my journal... (I'm the one that made you create two pages about yourself)... And it is AMAZING! It has EXCEEDED anything I had hoped to get back!!! Not only did all of you help to create a most beautiful and empowering journal, but you also allowed me to see and get to know the REAL you... Going through this journal was an amazing process... It was kind of like opening one of those presents that's wrapped up in many boxes so you have to keep peeling away layers until you finally get to the REAL Gift!  First I read what I wrote back in August and admired MY pages (because of course I had totally forgotten everything I had done!) Then I flipped through the pages of the journal and admired everyone's work and craftiness, giggling at some photos and admiring other photos; THEN I read all of your comments on the back page - (I LOVE that each one of you wrote from the HEART ).  Well after reading those comments I just had to go back to each of your layouts and look at them again but now with your very personal comments in hand, and I REALLY read the words each of you had chosen for yourselves... THEN I went back and re-read your comments yet again, and my heart was so full it kept overflowing into my Eyes!  But I only thought my heart was full because THEN I saw the final page, the back cover where each of you had created your name bracketing the "You are a BEAUTIFUL Soul" comment and I knew that was the REAL gift (Heartfelt Sigh), my heart was truly FULL.  Thank you ALL for both your efforts in making me a beautiful journal, but also for truly participating in my exercise of Empowerment and Joy, what an amazing memory you have given me!

  And here are their pages:

 

This personal comment brought tears to my eyes because how many of us truly feel that WE are the only ones?

 You would have no idea how hard this was for Lynnette unless you truly know her and I am so very, very grateful that she allowed herself to do this! {{{Sending Hugs}}}

 

 

This layout is especially dear to me as my friend Melanni created one of her first ever SHE Art Ladues for me to keep forever!

But THIS is my very favorite page of the entire journal... it makes my heart FULL!

Please feel free to leave me a comment because I would love to hear what you think

A Month of ARTY Stuff....

This month (year?) I have embarked upon a journey of creative discovery.  I have challenged myself to learn new things and to DO new things and to push my artistic boundaries way outside my box! and boy have I EVER done that!  I signed up for two on-line arty programs (one free, one purchased) and they have been keeping me hopping all month long!  

The first one... Creative JumpStart 2013 ...is the brain child of a lovely German artist, Nathalie Kalbach.  Every day in January I receive by e-mail a link to a five to ten minute video created by either Nathalie or another wonderful artist in the scrapbooking industry/community and I get to learn about another technique.  This is a FANTASTIC idea especially when I tell you that she doesn't charge anything for this (although you can make a donation if you want to support her endeavour!)  Watching these short videos really does give me a "creative jumpstart" and lights a fire under my little creative butt! (grin)  And every e-mail contains all the links and passwords to the ALL the videos to date so even if you sign up at the end of the month you will still receive ALL the videos... Check it out Here! You can expect to see some of the stuff I have done with some of these techniques next month!

My second and much more intense endeavour is called LifeBook 2013 and is a creation of a British artist, Tamara Laporte of Willowing Arts.  It is a year-long adventure into art, art journalling, art techniques and a huge commitment to myself.  I am creating a year-long journal for myself and at the same time I am learning to draw, paint and the most important to me... to unchain my inner artist, allowing her to fly free and express herself through pictures.  

There is a new project every month and a new video every week.  You can do ALL the weekly projects, or just the monthly ones, or whatever appeals to you... it's YOUR course.  There are a couple of on-line support blogs and a private face book site and I am absolutely overwhelmed by the amazingness of all the people in this arty community, their positive support and willingness to share their work even if they are scared to death of criticsm.. (which NEVER seems to happen!) and their outpouring of love and support is truly freeing! 

So I would LOVE to share this creative journey with all of you and I will try to do a post every month so you can see what I am up to.... GRIN.... Let me know what you think and send me some Cyber LOVE!

Practice Exercise #1! My Fairy ArtMother... the idea was to create a safe and kind creature to look at so that whenever I hear myself making negative comments about  my art ability to look at her and imagine what loving comments SHE would make- I LOVED what I created!

Official Exercise#1- to create the road that I am travelling down this year with all that I am already grateful for in the clouds and all that I want to work on in the flowers.... I chose to WALK down my road this year with a grandson on each side

Bonus Exercise #1 was about imagery and words... I chose flowers because I LOVE the beauty and the "Plant a seed and see what blooms" analogy and then I filled my beautiful garden with words that mean things to me this year...

This is a compilation of all that I have learned so far this month, created for a dear, dear friend that lives far away and I will be mailing off to her soon.  I want it to remind her of me and of us and of what a REAL friendship means....

Please feel free to send me a comment, I would love to hear what you think!

Celebrating the Small Stuff...

All my family's birthdays are in the first half of the year starting with my daughter's on January 12th and continuing on until mine and my grandson's on May 27th and 28th consecutively.  Our families live 900 kilometres apart so we try and get together at least once every year to celebrate someone's birthday, but really it's just an excuse to get together to celebrate all of us being together again. And as I have gotten older (and OLDER) I have come to realize that no matter what other events or accomplishment I gather up in my life it's always these annual, unstructured gatherings that seem to hold the sweetest memories.  So in honour of our upcoming Family day here in Alberta I have created this layout to remind myself that it really IS the small stuff that matters most, like eating chocolate cupcakes together... Grin

Now for all you scrapbookers out there that might be interested I created this layout using two stamps sets from myStamp Box:  the Happy Birthday set and the Fleurishing Punctuation.  The background paper and embellishments were cut from the We Are Memory Keepers Maple Grove collection and all the sparkle comes from Ranger Stickles (of course!)  For a little something different I stamped the "Happy Birthday sentiment right onto my photo creating a second frame.  And notice how the three trees are placed to focus your attention on the photo while the brackets highlight the title so it doesn't get lost on the page.  The final touch for me is always some handwritten text somewhere and I love finishing off with a hand drawn, wobbly black line all around my page... Enjoy!

A Happy, Sunshiney Moment...

I love everything about this layout ... the colors, so bright and cheery; the photo... who doesn't look good tanned?; the energy... joyful and relaxed; but most of all the sentiment.. "When I am with YOU, the ONLY place I want to be is CLOSER!" 

Sometimes when I am caught up in the daily grind of house stuff, kids stuff, work stuff and BILLS I can forget the LITTLE stuff about my partner that attracted me in the first place.  Those little things that he does that still warm my heart and make him who he is to me today! And it's these little things that always seem to hold us together in the tough times.   I made this layout to hang in my Girl Bathroom to remind me 1) of the good times and 2) to remember those little things... Like Laughing OUT LOUD at his very bad jokes and holding hands... something he still does to this day...  and I guess to remember what I LOVE about "us".  

Now This layout was a challenge for the myStamp Box Design Team to use this sketch by Becky Fleck at Page Maps.  I don't typically use sketches but what a great way to get the ideas flowing... as you can see there is just a faint resemblance between the actual page map and my layout but look at what evolved!  I used the myStamp Box Wishing you Sunshine and  Sigh, Gush, Gasp stamps on this layout, and you can check out what my other design team members created using this sketch on today's  myStamp Box blog post. 

  

And Now for Something Completely Different!

I love making (and sending) cards that are not your typical standard fare and I love using products in unusual ways.  So I just have to share with you this card I created for my dear friend Shannon's baby shower to welcome her new little girl into the world.... I used the myStamp Box "Wishing You Sunshine" stamp set in a very different way, because I used the cloud stamps as Flowers!

For more detailed information on how I created this card why not come visit me at the myStamp Box Design Team Blog and leave me some LOVE!

Cheers.... Lynne

BE Where you ARE.... Otherwise you will MISS your life!

  

On this first day of 2013 I would like to share with you a little tradition that has developed in our home that has made a huge difference in my life and had an even bigger impact on my relationship with my life mate...

It’s kinda become a tradition in our home that on the morning of the last day of the year my partner and I curl up on the couch with a cup of coffee each and spend an hour reflecting upon the past year.  We review all our accomplishments, remember the good times, and then move on.  Sometimes we are in perfect sync and agree and laugh and enjoy the memories and sometimes not so much (grin) and we disagree and end up arguing like every other couple out there (Bigger grin) but we always make up by New Year’s Day morning when we sit down together to negotiate (yes, NEGOTIATE!) our list of priorities for the coming 12 months.   We NEVER make resolutions, we just jot down a list of five things we would like to accomplish inside the house and five more outside the house and number them from most important to “if we can get to it” and then we each list one thing we are going to work on in our relationship and that’s it.

It has been a pattern that we developed one New Year’s weekend when we were going through a bumpy patch and it stuck… it has been amazingly effective because it does not need to be revisited through the year But it has allowed us to start every year on the same page with a basic plan for the direction we would LIKE to head out.   

And I am always surprised by how much we actually get done on our list without very much effort and WAY LESS arguing!  Life happens, priorities change, but you know I have found that it is a lot easier to negotiate the detours on your life path when you actually HAVE a path. 

 Happy New Year to everyone!