i LOVE scrap supplies ...

Sometimes I wonder what I like better - scrapbooking, or shopping for supplies and organizing (and re-organizing) them. Not even sure why I even bother to shop anymore, since I probably have enough supplies to open my own store. How liberating to be able to say this, knowing full well that dh doesn't read my blog ... he he he!

Owning new scrap stuff just makes me happy. It just does! And everybody deserves a little happiness, right?

Well I was doubly happy this week. Not only did I buy a few new things at the lss last night, but I also received in the mail, earlier this week, my Queen & Co. goodies from Nic Howard. I - who never wins anything - won a draw over at Nic's blog. How cool. For those of you who don't "know" Nic, she's an awesome scrapbooker from New Zealand, as well as scrapbook author and teacher. As a matter of fact, she is coming to teach in Toronto in a few days, and my friend Barb will be going to meet her. How cool is that? Anyhow, many thanks to Nic for these awesome goodies:



Happy to report that I was a good little girl while shopping last night. Probably has something to do with the fact that I only had 30 minutes or so before my hair appointment in the same strip mall (and I would like to add that it is complete coincidence that my hairdresser is so conveniently located near the lss. Not at all planned that way. Lol). I only bought enough to get one stamp on my card (well, two, since it was double stamp Friday). Among other things, I purchased these cool clear flowers by MM:


As well as these neat paper snowflakes with crystal gems, also by MM:



Heads up to my sister D, I am sharing the bounty - you're getting half of each package in the mail, ma soeur. xoxox

Ok - 'nough blogging, and back to laundry! I have tons to do today, including getting ready for our hunt camp Thanksgiving tomorrow. Ciao!

The only constant is change ...

If there's one thing I've learned about life, it's that just when you go and feel all comfy and secure, something changes and you either adapt, or things don't go so well. And once you adapt, and get all comfy and secure, something changes again.

I've been through lots of changes at work in the last couple of years, most good, some bad. And there are major changes about to happen again, not the least of which is my boss' retirement and with it, a New Boss. New Bosses can be scary things until you get to know them. And sometimes, New Bosses can be even scarier things once you get to know them. So wish me luck, eh.

In order to properly bid Outgoing Boss goodbye, I offered my scrappy talents to my colleagues and proposed to make a small scrapbook (a glorified card, really) that she could remember us by. Out of respect for my colleagues' privacy I won't post all the pages, but here is the cover and the first couple of pages. There are 8 of us, and in each picture, one of us is holding up a different word ... which spells out "Dear (Outgoing Boss) We Will Miss You Very Much!". One of my cheesiest ideas yet, but we gave it to her today and she seemed very pleased.







I used a mini-album and patterned papers which came in a kit that I purchased at Costco almost a year ago. It was an awesome value, tons of stuff for under $20. I prettied up the cover by using puffy paint which I purchased last time I scrapshopped with my sister D (we have the worse luck scrapshopping together, whether in her town or mine, the stores are always closed! But we are resourceful and managed to find stuff in an art store last time around). I also used prima flowers, Bazzill sticker letters, Creative Memories hexagon punch, and Tim Holtz distressing ink. You can't really tell from these pictures but the whole thing has a kind of a shabby shic look.

The whole thing came together quickly and easily; the hardest (and longest) part was fitting picture taking into my schedule.

Oh, and if you're wondering what those Chinese symbols are at the beginning of this post ... they are the Chinese symbols for danger and opportunity, which together, form the Chinese symbol for change. Very fitting to what is going on in my life right now, I think!

A Change of Seasons

Despite the lovely weather we've been having lately, I have heard a number of people grumbling about the end of summer and the imminent arrival of fall (and winter). And while I will miss those lazy evenings bbq'ing and drinking on the deck in the heat of summer, I must admit I am looking forward to some lazy evenings bbq'ing and drinking on the deck in the crisp fall air, as well as those lazy evenings bbq'ing and drinking on the deck bundled up in our parkas (do you see a certain pattern emerging here?).

I am definitely in the minority when it comes to favourite seasons. Almost everyone I ask says "summer". But I have always LOVED autumn. That first glimpse of school supplies displayed at the mall ... the promise of fresh new notebooks and pencils ... the excitement of buying a few new pieces of clothing to make the transition between seasons ... the chill in the air ... the return of the sweater ... the symphony of colours which begins so slowly and insidiously until one day - BANG! It's fall.

We do plenty of outdoor family activities in the fall. We love taking walks through the woods, picnic and bottle of wine in tow. We especially love our new yearly tradition of spending Thanksgiving Day at our friends' hunt camp. Through the years I've documented some of our adventures in our scrapbooks. The other day I was inspired to scrap a page documenting how I feel about my favourite season (another layout for my Book of Me!):



You all can mourn the end of summer if you want; as for me, I am celebrating the arrival of fall!