Dudes

After I did my last post and I mentioned the number of books I've read this year - I've finished 2 more since then - I thought " How stupid of me to not atleast say what one was my favourite." Maybe some of you are, like me, always keeping an eye for recommendations and critiques.
So in the fiction category I pick Room by Emma Donoghue, followed very closely by The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King. If you haven't read the Dark Tower series you're missing out, in my opinion.
Non-fiction I pick Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander III M.D. I WANT to believe.
That's better.

Moving on to my cards. I've got two using the same style and layout.

I'm pleased with how these cards turned out. More importantly, I photographed them from a different location in my house and am pleased with how the pics turned out :) How often I like my cards but hate their unflattering pictures. I'll spend ages tweaking tints and contrasts.... just making it worse.

For these challenges -
Digital Tuesday - LAYERS
Papelitos Stamps - ANYTHING GOES
Thru the Craft Room Door - ANYTHING GOES
Artistic Inspirations - ANYTHING GOES
Crafty Bloggers Network - ANYTHING GOES
Love To Create - ANYTHING GOES
My Grafico - ANYTHING GOES
Tammy's Scrapin' Corner - ANYTHING GOES

Thanks,
Farrah

Christmas Deer

It's already December and I'm only now posting my first Christmas card.
I-am-so-behind.
In January I might keep a tally on how many cards I make in the year. I'm curious because I make quite a few that I never post so it's impossible to know the exact number. I like to know specifics. Last Christmas my hubby gave me a Kindle. (I haven't physically turned a page in almost a year!) It's great because it keeps a list of all the books I've read, so I decided to add them up and I'm at 32 so far. That seems like a lot of books. I'd have guessed quite a bit lower. That's what got me wondering how many cards I've made. Hmmm now I'm wondering how many movies I've watched this year. For sure the number is less than 32. Probably a lot less.
Probably I'm just trying to find out where the whole YEAR went! Every year, time moves a bit faster doesn't it?

Christmas Card v.1 is this.

For these challenges -
Kaboodle Doodles - USE CIRCLES
Crafts 4 Eternity - CHRISTMAS CHAOS
Everybody Art - CHRISTMAS
The Stamping Boutique - HOLIDAY CARDS
Top Tip Tuesday - CHRISTMAS
ABC Challenges - HOLIDAY WITH BLING
Love To Create - HOLIDAY CHEER
The Kraft Journal - CLEAN AND SIMPLE
Craft Spot - CHRISTMAS
Deep Ocean Challenge - CHRISTMAS

Thanks for looking,
Farrah

Summer in November

I made TONS of stuff in the months that I've been unable to post. However I never bothered to take any pics because I couldn't upload them into my computer anyways.
See, my internet started crashing.... then it just wouldn't load AT ALL. I was busy working on a project for a friend that made me unable to take my computer in for repairs because I needed it for my scrapbooking program.
Finally I was able to hand it over to the professionals...... 4 days later it was returned to me IN WORSE CONDITION!! The laptop guy had added a second profile that he claimed would allow me to use the internet. I didn't. It still crashed constantly. And even if it did work, all my bookmarks and favourites list was in my OTHER profile. I NEED those lists. Also, the "professional" had somehow managed to screw up all my programs and files so NOTHING was working.
Oh how I wanted to start using my daughter's laptop. So easy.....just move a bunch of my stuff over to hers. But I held strong. I figured my computer had gotten a bad virus and I didn't want to risk spreading the infection to hers.
Instead I used hers for Google. Endless Googling what could have gone wrong with my laptop and ways to fix it. A lot of trial and error but mine is now running PERFECTLY. Internet is smooth and all programs are perfect. (and I've deleted the pointless secondary user profile)
Ok rant over.
I know that I should be showing a Christmas card if I wanna fit in, hopefully soon since I just finished one, but this is a "HELLO" card with a bit of a summery feel.

For these challenges:
Deep Ocean Challenge - PASTEL COLOURS
Papertake Weekly - FREE FOR ALL
Party Time Tuesdays - ANYTHING GOES
Through the Craft Room Door - ANYTHING GOES
Tuesday Alchemy - ANYTHING GOES
Joanna Sheen Challenge - ANYTHING GOES BUT NO CHRISTMAS
Pile It On - ANYTHING GOES BUT NO CHRISTMAS
The Squirrel and the Fox - ANYTHING GOES
Simon Says Stamps - ANYTHING GOES

Thanks,
Farrah

You're Cool.

Good Evening Peeps.
I've spent the past three days cursing out my computer. I'd try to get online and Internet Explorer would crash. So I started using Firefox instead. Same problem. So THEN I would just use lovely daughter's laptop. It worked fine, but it was annoying. I needed my FAVOURITES list and I couldn't access my pics. And my Scrabble games on Facebook were suffering because her screen was too small to be able to see the whole board :) Turns out, one of those "highly recommended" flash player updates that I always have popping up was actually necessary! I thought those annoying windows only popped up to test my patience or attempt to make me spend money on programs I don't want. Hmmm.
I'm either super smart for figuring out the problem, or super {opposite of smart} for thinking for weeks that that pop-up was spam. I choose to believe the first option.

I've been needing some birthday cards for boys, so I went with this.

For these challenges -
Kaboodle Doodles - STITCHING
Di's Digi Designs - MORE THAN ONE DIECUT/PUNCH
Send A Smile 4 Kids - ANYTHING GOES
Mark's Finest Papers - TAGS
By the Cute and Girly - BOYS/MEN'S CARDS
Just Add Ink - KID'S CARDS

Thanks,
Farrah

Have I Mentioned I Love Felt?

With the kids back at school I enjoyed some quiet, crafty time in the afternoons this past week.
I was able to make 2 of the following card. (Felt's so nice, I made it twice)

What'll I do next year when the boys start grade 1 and I have the WHOLE day free?
I could spend all my time at my desk, happily surrounded by paper..... or YIKES ...... go back to work :) Hmmmm it's a toss up. I'll decide later!

For these challenges -
Charisma Cardz  - SEEING DOUBLE
Crafts and Me - ADD A FLOWER
Clearly I Stamp - LEAVES
Digi Doodles - HANDMADE FLOWERS
Inky Impressions - ANYTHING GOES
Simon Says Stamps - USE STAMPS / NO DIGIS

Thanks for looking,
Farrah

I May Have Forgotten How To Type.

I knew the summer was going to be busy but, come OOOOONNNN, 5 weeks without a post is insanity :) It feels good to be here and back into the mix.
I finally sat down at my desk for some crafty fun but had only a teeny tiny window of time so I quickly improvised a card using some old Scrabble* tiles that were there.

*the game pieces were from a previous project where I made them into drink coasters but one of my kids accidentally broke it. I had intended to re glue it.... so it should now make sense why I have random tiles on my desk :)

I looked through all my papers for something with a large grid pattern and didn't have any so I tried recreating a Scrabble board with some scoring and stamps.

For these challenges -
Craft Your Days Away   ANYHING GOES. This is their last challenge and I'm sorry to see this blog go.
Lawnscaping Challenges   MAKE YOUR OWN PATTERNED PAPER.
Addicted To Stamps   RECYCLE SOMETHING
A Musing Challenges   ANYTHING GOES
Challenges 4 Everybody   ANYTHING GOES
Fat Pages and Cards with Attitude   ANYTHING GOES
Paper Play   SENTIMENT AS FOCAL POINT
L'il Red Wagon   UPCYCLE
Paper Shelter   ANYTHING GOES

Thanks,
Farrah

Birthday Girls.

I've been finding it nearly impossible to get the time for posting.
The kids are keeping me busy, busy, busy. But so far our summer has been a lot of fun.
At school my daughter had to do a project about a local legend. Her and I googled ideas and found The Screaming Tunnel. It's a tunnel that is supposedly haunted by a young girl and my daughter was so intrigued by it that we took a little trip to visit it. It's just outside of Niagara Falls and is the tunnel used in the Dead Zone movie. I thought the kids might be a little freaked out going into it, but nope, not at all :)

That's daughter pretending to be a ghost in there. She's awesome.

For my cards I used another of Sureya's images, from deviantArt.

The papers are new -yay- that I picked up at Michael's. From a pack called Retro Collage. The sentiment stamp is super old and I don't remember the brand.

It worries me that the grey hair makes her look old. That wasn't my intention but, what-ever, I wanted to experiment with different colours so c'est la vie :)
For these challenges -
Bearly Mine. GIRLY BIRTHDAY
Papertake Weekly. ALL THINGS GIRLIE
Paper Makeup Stamps. DIGI DIMENSION
Simon says Stamp and Show. ANYTHING GOES
My Heart Pieces. FOR SOMEONE SPECIAL
Totally Paper Crafts. LOTS OF LAYERS
Simon Says Stamps. SKETCH.

Thanks for looking,
Farrah

Happy Birthday x 2

Whenever I go to Michael's I see all the yellow and red clearance pricetags hanging from EMPTY hooks. It's maddening. However..... I was there a few days ago finally managed to get some radically price-reduced supplies before they were all taken! First I pick up a fantastic 12 x 12 paper pad on sale from $29.99 down to $11.99. (It was the last one!!) Also I grabbed some birthday stickers reduced to $1.49 from $6.99. And I never use stickers on my cards but I put them to use right away.
So here's two cards, from one sticker pack.
FAB birthday.


I'm making an effort to use my Cricut more. The FAB diecut is from the Create a Critter cartridge. For these challenges -
Shopping Our Stash. STICKERS
Die Kreative. HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Card Crafters Circle. SENTIMENT
Aud Sentiments. SENTIMENT FOR KID'S BIRTHDAY


For the second card I really went to town with the stickers. Paired them up with some strips of my new paper....easy peasy.


For these challenges -
Crafty Sentiments. BRIGHT COLOURS
Loves Rubber Stamps. PHOTO INSPIRATION
Lexi's Creations. HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Thanks, Farrah

Dotty Madness.

Recently I was snooping around in Blogland and I came across an AMAZING site. It's called deviantArt and it appears to be an online gallery for artist to showcase their work.
I saw some outstanding talent and tons of images just perfect for cards. The images are also FREE!
(Just be sure to check the artist's bio for their policies and preferences.)
One gallery really appealed to me, so these 4 characters are all designed by the same artist. Her name is Sureya and you can see all of her work HERE.

The cards are one layer. I cut around the heads for a little extra dimension.

These girls are too cool :)    Originally I planned to have only the image and sentiment. Not sure where the dot idea came from but I was nervous about it, figured I was likely gonna ruin the cards by doing it, but I like how it turned out.

I glossy accented all the eyes, and some parts of the images. Like the gun and knife here.

For these challenges:
CAS-ual Fridays

Sir StampAlot - BINGO. I think I could make multiple bingos here, but I'll go with BLING/BROWN/PINK
Card and Scrap - BLING.
Smudgy Antics - ANYTHING GOES.

Thanks for looking,
Farrah

Man Tags.

Gotta be quick! I'm attempting to do this post while the boys are preoccupied with Play-Doh. A couple of tags for the guys. I started out knowing I wanted to use bottle caps, then decided to use the beer bottle shape for the second tag. If the Cricut has a beer die-cut I KNOW I don't have that cartridge :) so I bit the bullet and freehanded it.

Likely liquid snow would be the best choice for the foam but I don't have any and am trying to use more of the things I DO have on hand, rather than buy MORE stuff. I mixed Glossy Accent with paint and a smidge of glitter.

I made this for the current challenge at CAS-ual Fridays.

They ask for a masculine project using designer paper. I've used Kraft cardstock, the green paper is from DCWV and the chevron paper is Basic Grey.

Also for these challenges - Karen's Doodles. CHEERS
Tuesday Throwdown. MAKE IT MASCULINE
Simon Says Stamp and Show. FOR THE BOYS
Thanks for looking,
Farrah

Rides.

I love amusement park rides. The biggest park in my area is Canada's Wonderland and I practically lived there as a teenager. I even met my husband there when I was 15. A friend and I used to daydream about travelling the world together and riding every rollercoaster ever created. But it was only a few months ago that I went to Disney World for the first time, and I've ALWAYS dreamed of going, so I was pretty excited about the rides. And they were soooo fun!! One a side note - As a kid I often imagined being in the castle at Disney. I pictured a grand, curving, royal staircase and stores full of goodies, and perhaps a ballroom. So I was actually more thrilled about finally visiting the castle than I was about the rides. But in reality, the castle is just a short tunnel with a single boutique inside. Well ho hum, at least the rides were all I expected and more :)  My personal favourite was SOARIN' at Epcot Center and the kids just loved them all. Except for DINOSAUR at the Animal Kingdom, which freaked them right out! They practically climbed over other people to get off that one when it ended!

I recently heard of something called "hidden mickeys". Apparently there are Mickey Mouse images or silhouettes hidden throughout the parks and people try to find as many of them as they can. I read that no one ever recorded where they all were as the park was being built and that there are field guides and scavenger hunts available to help you look. Sounds fun and I intend to search for some if I ever get there again, so I decided to include one on my layout......

For these challenges -
My Memories Blog - *Suite* Word Challenge. Create a layout with only a single word.
Craft Your Days Away - RED/WHITE/BLUE.
Getting Cricky - DISNEY
Secret Crafter - ANYTHING BUT A CARD.

Thanks for stopping by,
Farrah

Plane Ride Layout.

What a fantastic long weekend I had. I wish everywhere in the world could have had the same amazing heat and sunshine that we had! I spent about 90% of it outdoor and the highlight was our streets private fireworks show on Saturday night. All the kids in their pj's, eating popcorn and cheering, it was great.

I swear I'll start making some more cards soon.... I've just been concentrating on other things. So here is another layout I made using My Memories. My kids and hubby on the plane in Florida.

Everything I used here was free at the last My Memories blog hop!! I pick up tons of great designer packs.
I made this for the My Memories blog challenge - scrap your vacation/holiday, and I used the sketch from The Paper Variety.

I'll be back soon, thanks for looking,

Farrah

Birthday Layout.

I've been getting quite a few scrapbook pages done with the My Memories program. Recently I've been working on some layouts from our trip to Florida but when I saw the current challenge at the My Memories blog I wanted to make something to play along. They have a few themes to choose from, I went with the one that shows A PARTY or FIESTA. My daughter Livy's 8th birthday party.

I'm still a work in progress with these digital pages, but having fun learning :)
Notice the weirdly scratched out faces! That's the only way I could figure out how to disguise the other kids! Probably would be fine to leave it as is but I didn't want the hassle of asking all the parents for permission to post this.
Next time I take the kids to Chuck E Cheese I'm getting my own cup of tokens. I noticed I have a tendency towards these 2 sentences. 1. "Ohhhh I'm really good at this game....Want me to play it for you?" Which gets me an eye rolling from my kids. 2. "Uh hey, lend me a token so I can have a try at alley ball." With this my kids don't even acknowledge that I've spoken.
Also for these challenges -
Creative Inspirations Paint. RAINBOW/INSPIRED BY A RAINBOW
Robyn's Fetish. BUTTONS, BLUE, AND A BOW TOO
Our Daily Bread. ANY LAYOUT
Thanks for looking, and if you want a copy of the My Memories software, remember to use the code on the right-hand side to get $10 off and $10 in product!
Farrah

Smiles Only.

Thank you to those who played last month at Just Tracy's.
This month is a treat because the theme is.... there is no theme! Anything goes this time around!
The winner will receive $15 to spend at Just Tracy's online store. There is also the Top 3 badge up for grabs!

I found last month to be kinda lacking in craft time for me personally. I always seemed to have something else that I had to do instead. I think I put this card together in like 9 minutes. The sentiment and die-cuts were all premade. So to fancy it up a little I wrapped the cardstock in acetate and embellished that as well. It was almost too easy :)

Thanks for looking.
Please be sure to stop by and visit the other girls to see their amazing work!
For these challenges -
Crafts 4 Eternity. SPRING
Simon Says Stamps. ANYTHING GOES
Farrah

Hippo Birdie the Third.

I never get tired of using this stamp. I have tons of different stamps that I've NEVER used, but I always seem to rely on my few favourites. I have been trying some different kinds of crafty things though. Some sewing and home decor projects. I made a scarf that I'm quite pleased with. I'll get some pics of it soon.... I'll ask lovely daughter to be my fashion model.... she may swoon from delight about it :) But I planned to be quick here since ME=BOOKWORM and the new Dark Tower book was released today and I'm soooo wanting to start it.... so I made this card for this week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays.

The stamp is Studio G. Found in the loonie bin at Michael's. The papers are Tahiti Beach by DCWV.

Also for these two challenges - Sir StampAlot. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Paper Sundaes. IT'S SO CUTE. Thanks, Farrah

Mr & Mrs Card.

I'm using my creative licence with this card. It's not a conventional wedding card at all, and it's one of those rare cards that end up looking pretty darned close to how I pictured it in my mind's eye.



This week's challenge at CAS-ual Friday is OPPOSITES ATTRACT and so I thought I'd make a card with something resembling a yin yang symbol.


Thanks for looking,

Onto my
digital scrapbooking giveaway. I gotta say, it surprises me that more people weren't interested in this contest. I've been having tons of fun with the software. I'll share a couple of things. First I made my daughter's birthday invites.


The little name tags hanging off them.... those I made with shrink paper. I love them because they're handy to tie onto the kids backpack. I tie them right onto the zipper and it's easier to open. I let my kids make their own at the beginning of the school year.

Also, the page I originally made for my daughter getting her ear's pierced.... well I wasn't really thrilled with it so I made a new one.


Getting to the point, I put the numbers in my hands and had Adam pick left or right, congrats JAN you've won the software. Sorry Amanda, I wish I could give it to both of you! Jan... watch your inbox for the code and instructions within the next few days.

Thanks,
Farrah

My Memories.

*** THIS POST WILL REMAIN ON THE TOP ***

I've been thinking about getting back into scrapbooking again for awhile now. However I really love how digital books look, all bound like a regular coffee table book, but I hadn't yet "grabbed the bull by the horns" and gotten started. So it couldn't have been better timing when I was contacted recently by a fab company called My Memories to host a review and give-away of their software here on my blog!
I've been playing around with their software for about a week now and - WOW! The possibilities are endless! They offer so many papers and embellishments (a LOT of freebies too!) and fun little extras. The program is real easy to learn and all the elements are nicely organized. It looks like I'm happily back into scrapbooking but I see many more uses for the My Memories software! Invites, and announcements, and I am now looking forward to making my own photo Christmas cards with it this year!

Thank you very much My Memories for the software!!
And the best part is that they are allowing me to give away a copy of the program to one lucky reader!!!
I'm keeping the contest open for just over 3 weeks, so it'll end on April.15th. All you have to do to be entered is
1. Add your name to the link and
2. Have a look around My Memories and leave a comment here about something you saw on their website that you liked. A paper pack, or a certain quick page etc....
Good luck!!





While the contest is open.... and no doubt for a long time afterwards :) I wanna share the pages and other things I've made using the program. Back in the day, when I used to do scrapbooking I would do a year per book. Yes I often had to buy extra pages! So I decided to start this with the same idea and the first "moment" that I wanted to capture this year (other than our holiday, I'll conquer that next) is my daughter FINALLY getting the nerve to pierce her ears. She's wanted to do it for months, been at the store twice and got too nervous, but this time she did it. I was so proud and the happiness in her was massive.



I also made a card using their digital papers and their leaf images.



One last thing. You'll find a coupon on the side here for $10 off the software price! It retails for $39.97 but make note of the special code for a $10 discount AND that code also includes $10 of additional product so it has a $20 value!!

Thanks for looking,
Farrah