happy holidays - WHAT????????

OHMYGOD!!!! We are less that 2 weeks til christmas ... how did that happen! i have a few gifts done and no decorating (exept the stuff that didnt go away last year! lol!) two of the kiddies have got most of their shopping done ... ME? not even CLOSE!!oy Vey!

i did get my cards done - actually i did extra last year (really cute skating elves) and then i needed 20 more so that was EASY! here are the new ones ... it was class i did at SCRAPBOOK QUEENS!

and i have been teaching quite a few Community Living classes - cards, altered items, LOTS of fun! this is a wood block we made and i think Granny would love it! with a picture of the kiddies tucked in ... what do you think?

i also did a mini album of our trip to Costa Rica ... think DH is getting that in his stocking! Have a look :

ok, friends, i need some good sporty ideas ... we are full into hockey season and i have actually TAKEN SOME PHOTOS!!!!!

(now back to the mall with me ...)

wow! its been a long time ... part deux!

i am back again! things just seem to take over ... ok, more blogging - less something else (i will let you know what it is when i figure it out!)

i am trying to work some classes into my busy schedule ... i am really excited because we have a few Community Living groups coming to use the studio at the store ... i LOVE how crafts bring people together! if you have a group that is looking for some space to meet, let me know!

i finished my Costa Rica mixed album ... well, i finished it a while ago but i will post pics .. its so cool ... i have enough leftovers to run a class of 5 ... let me know ASAP if your interested!!!

super busy with hockey ... my kids all play, i play ...DH used to play but hurt himself and never got it fixed so now he on the injured list (and isnt allowed to drink with boys after so FINALLY got it xrayed, m.r.i-ed and is waiting to see the specialist )...ugh - enough about DRAMA boy ...

i am coaching and managing 3 (yes THREE) of the girls 4 teams! peuf! my awesome girls are playing on 2 teams each and i could not be prouder but wow is it lots of work ... oh, and daddy might need to start driving a cab on weekends... and maybe weeknights ... and maybe on his lunch hour ... heeheeheeh!

anyone need a glass of wine?

SMASH IN!!!!!

if any of you are waiting for SMASHbook items.... THEY ARE IN!!! If you have pre-ordered anything from Scrapbook Queens, i will be calling you today ... woohoo!

Next order of business ... we have a group that meets every 3rd Thursday of the month at the store called BOOK OF ME ... you are welcome to come and work on your "book of me" or any other projects that need finishing ... BRING A FRIEND!! oh, its FREE!

and lastly ... 13 yr old girl DRAMA! oy vey!!! one day they are BFF"s and the next day they are not speaking ...ugh! i must say, DLU has her share of drama but i do admit she is usually not the perp! LOL! she has a friend who eats sleeps and breaths DRAMA! what do you do? they have been buds since they were little but seriously, its getting s bit crazy ... does someone like that ever grow out of it? do i encourage her to move on or is the friendship some-thing she should try to salvage? DLU is often at the receiving end of the negative behaviour ... she is a passive person, maybe too passive ... UGH!

i really am not looking forward to the next few years- girls are tough!

GARCON! i need a bottle of Chianti! STAT!!!!

so, its been awhile ... AGAIN!!

so sorry ... been crazy with work and kids and life ... its all getting out of control!

i am coaching happy happy's hoceky team, trying to tip toe thru the landmine that is a 13 yr old girl and keeping tabs of the pre-pubescent boy ... sigh ... and dh is taking off for a week on the island

... HELP!!!!

Is Summer REALLY almost OVER?!?!?!?!

WHERE DID IT GO?????? I think summer has simply flown by!

... that being said, some really cool things coming into the store for you ... keep watching, i'll post pics this week!

Urban Love

Check out this awesome sight!!




Urban Love

WOW! its been a long time ...

June is SOOOO crazy for me ... there never seems to be enough hrs in the day ... *sigh*

ANYWAYYYY ... so we got our first order of SMASH BOOKS in at Scrapbook Queens and they were a super-hit! my girls each got one and are madly filling them up ... i am being a bit more selective about what i put it - LOL! i think, esp for HAPPY!HAPPY! (my littlest girl - 9 on Friday!!), the appeal is that it looks like a REAL book and its kinda cool to be gluing stuff into it and altering it!

SUPER BOOBIE FAIRIES also had a super-fabulous-amazing old fashioned crop-a-thon last saturday and it was TOO MUCH FUN!!! a very different format from our 24 Crop 4 a Cure ... Digi Fairy was the brains behind this operation and she is GOOOOODDDD!!! HUGE thanx to everyone who participated and all the Fairies who helped out!

And finally, after the crop on Saturday i took DLU and headed up to the cottage. Friends have great place up on Lake CeCeBe near Burks Falls ... its so beautiful up there!!! We had a great day up there on Sunday tubing and knee boarding and skiing! Kids found frogs and snails and played badminton and we ate and drank ... ahhhh summer!!!! Here is a very cool structure that is being built in Burks Falls out of shipping conatiners ... awesome!!! (DLU and i were looking for some mud to go mudding ing and came across this ...)

I got some great pictures too last weekend! i have been playing with the camera on the manual setting. For some reason even on a full charge, the camera battery doesn't seem to be able to power the big lens ...? the geek at the camera store says lens is much better on manual setting anyway which i am beginning to agree with!!! YAY me!!! The geek also suggested i bring the camera and lens in and they can check it out ... doesn't he know its PICTURE SEASON?!?!?! cant part with it even for a moment! lol!

i think i need another cottage weekend soon ... the WHOLE weekend this time pls!
xod

COPICS!!!

oh, i am soooo addicted to my COPICS!!! its funny cause i have had them for a few yrs but just really have gotten INTO them in the past year or so.

i took the Copic Certification Program about 2 weeks ago, and now i can't seem to put my markers down!

her is a wee princess i did for a birthday card ... still not so great with the hair and skin tones but i am practicing!!

any suggestions?

HEY!!

so its been a CRAZY week ... inventory ... don't need to say any more!

oh, an i totally forgot to tell you: i am OFFICIALLY the Manager of Scrapbook Queens (as of about 2 weeks ago)! pretty cool, eh? YUP!

k, so, we are really excited about our big show this weekend ... gotta go an pack up the store!

but first, here is a sneak peek for a class i am putting together - a chipboard AND acrylic project!!! watch the blog for more deets!

peace!
deneen

death ...

a sad bit of news ... last Saturday, very early in the morning, my Uncle Bud passed away suddenly of a heart attack. he will definitely be missed.

its so hard to understand the finality of death ... we have all experienced it in different forms ... pets, neighbours, grandparents ... at different ages and stages it means different things though.

for me it was the first death of a close family member that all of my children will participate in; when my grandfather died, only M and S were at the funeral and they were 6 and 4 and i know they were sad but definitely didn't have the same emotional depth that they do now. this is also the first funeral with an open casket and i definitly didn't prepare any of them for that ...

it is the first person of my parents generation to pass away in our family... it made me acutely aware of what a fine line we tread ... it made me realize that it can be anyone at any time and we all need to take care of each other.

it made me realize (yet again) how alone i am ... when my parents die, i will have do all those things ALONE that my cousins had each other for ... it also made me realize how grateful i am that my kids have each other ... one day, they will be grateful too ...

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY AGNES!!!!

i wish for all of my mummy friends - those with kids and those who may not have their own but love and care for other kids - a lovely, lovely day! xod



today, i got up and walked w my usual sunday group (most of whom were in Oakville for a race ...)... i had a LOVELY surprise waiting for me this morning in the form of Agnes!

Agnes is a lovely lady who began walking with us last summer. i think she was 73 then. she is an ex runner - started running when she was 55 but sidelined about 18 months ago due to an injury. anyway, agnes and her husband Ted have been running at the RR for quite a few years and so when she could no longer run, she joined us half marathon walkers! YAY! Ted runs weekly w his group and during the nice parts of the years, Agnes walks w us. rather we try to keep up to her.

last fall when the weather started to turn Agnes said she was not walking during the winter - she was going inside to the Y and then would likely ski w Ted all winter (so sundays were out). a few months ago i learned that over the winter Agnes had been diagnosed w breast cancer. i was so sad.

last weekend i briefly saw Ted and asked him to give her my love and he said he would (he is a man of VERY few words!) ...

well, this morning Agnes was back! looking wonderful! and storming down the road to a full recovery! today i was so thankful to have my friend back! i am thankful for her good spirit and i am thankful for the great care she has had over the past few months that allowed her to come back to us!

this Happy Mothers Day is dedicated to Agnes!!

xoxoxd

LAST CALL FOR THE GARAGE SALE!!!!!

today is the last day to bring in your garage sale items!! check out the Scrapbook Queens website for more info - www.scrapbookqueens.ca .

we have lots of great stuff already but still have room for more!

don't forget to come buy and SHOP on saturday! we are open at 10 am sharp ...garage sale is cash only but plastic is still ok in our retail store!

see you then!!
cheers!
d

a few scrappy things ...

FINALLY finished this layout!! i am pretty happy w it!

and page 2 ...

and this was my last SO, YOU'RE NOT A BEGINNER ANYMORE class ... it was a fun class and a great group of scrappy girls!!

page 2 ...

(no pictures in the layout yet ... might need a photo shoot now that the rain has stopped!LOL!)

cheers!
d

sorry ...

i haven't posted much recently ... i have been very unmotivated ... about 2 weeks ago my friend and i were driving home from the village and came up a TERRIBLE accident ... the car was wrapped around a tree - cracked in 2 pieces ... sadly, the driver was dead and, unbeknownst to us, there was also a passenger in the back who was unconscious and trapped. my friend called 911 as i pulled the car over to the curb ... all i can say is it was the single worst thing i have ever seen. it was almost not real - part of my brain was convinced that i had arrived on a movie set ...

anyway, i have been hardly able to get his out of my mind and as a result have not been much up to writing or creating or anything ...

OMFG ... you gottta make these

...ok, for those of you who know me, you know i don't BAKE! (and i have Sugared Memories in my life now, so its even less likely to be a regular occurrence ...LOL) but you GOTTA try these!!

http://www.lapuremama.com/2011/04/vegan-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies.html?showComment=1303261603096#c8414734963602176800

ENJOY!!!

GREAT WEEKEND!

i am exhausted ... literally can't get out of bed ... my scrappy weekend was AWESOME! didn't get too much finished but got lots started and learned TONS!!!

friday night i had a WONDERFUL beginner class ... i so love it when people really enjoy the class and feel like they got full value for their time... my class that would have normally been a 1.5 hr class ended up being 3 hrs (which was agreed to by ALL!) ... they had great questions and i think we ALL learned a little something - hey, we even had a "field-trip" into the paper racks during the class! hope to see you all in the Beyond the Beginner!!

saturday we had a super fun QUEENS CROP complete with queens, fairies, design team and a make and take that included COOKIES!! yup, treats and scrappy stuff - my fav! i think some scrappy fairies might have a new addiction...? it was so great to be able to spend time actually SCRAPPING w my peeps! cant wait for the next one in May!!! (izzy and tab, you were missed ...)

sunday i took a great class of Natalie's ... 5 cards ... great techniques, great papers, lots of different techniques. Thanx to Isobel and Sheila for putty up w my inability to keep up!!

finished it off w a glass of wine at the pub for dinner with the family!

GREAT WEEKEND!!!

OMG!!!

i was so CONSUMED with Scrapfest that i totally forgot to tell you all: i TURNED 29 LAST WEEK!!!!!! woohoo!!!! DAMN, 1982 was a good year!

convieniently, it was a car year so DAH's shopping was easy-peasy! (and, sadly, no 2 karat, princess cut in an antique setting ring again this year ... sadface ...but on the flip side, i am cool-mum w a way cool ride!)

i also got some ROCKIN' new hockey gloves - don't hate cause i'm better dressed than you, b*tch's! and since DAH's b-day was the week before, split the difference and had some yummy peanut butter chocolate cupcakes from Sugared Memories!

check it:

peuf!!! i SURVIVED Scrapfest!

Well, its OFFICIAL - i survived Scrapfest!

SQ had an awesome booth at Scrapfest in KItchener last weekend! We spent many weeks preparing for what was essential the wild blue yonder! Oh, i have been to (and worked) many trade and consumer shows but not in this capacity!

Our booth looked amazing - in the words of a fan "the best decorated booth at the show"! WOW!! Lorrie came up with a wonderful design concept and we did it! Check out the chandelier in the pics below ...

Set up was relatively painless ... and by showtime on Friday at 4pm, we were ready for the masses! We showcased some of our FAVOURITE things : Lorrie Everitt Designs exclusives, Quick Quotes kits and GlueArts Glue Glider Pros and refills. We had some other pretty good deals but certainly didn't bring everything and the kitchen sink! Just enough to keep us on our toes.

We met up with some old friends and made lots of new ones! Thanx to everyone who stopped by and for those of you who didn't quite make it ... Come visit me at the store this week - i have a couple show stoppers specials left i can hook you up with (but don't tell the QUEEN!! LOL!!)

cheers!
d

Veg For Life: Another Good Muffin day..

Veg For Life: Another Good Muffin day..: "I like to give the kids a good snack and sometimes muffins just fit the mood.  These are sure to please and I hope you will like them a..."

we are home.... peuf!!

well, its done ... march break is, sadly, over...

to get home we left Tambor at 9:20am from our hotel and caught a 9:50am flight on a cesna (OMFG i so love flying in little planes ... if i had EVER flown in one as a young person, i would, today be a pilot - oh, except for the math and physics bit ...). once we got into San Jose we had to wait a few hrs in the airport and that is where the shopping kicked in - yup DAH is an Airport Shopper!!

surprisingly tho, our flight left about 35 minutes EARLY! .... BUT our once direct flight to Tdot was now to become a flight w a stop over in ... get ready for it ... CANCUN!!! yup, a couple hours on a flight in mexico never ends well ...

we ended up arriving home over 2 hrs late.

good thing i have a sense of humor; did ya see the foot of snow outside this morning?

GREAT book!

i finished The Secret Daughter today - highly recommend it! much better ending than beginning; lots of great insight to the world of international adoption. if you need a copy, i have one! xod

and some more ...

some photos of Cost Rica!

a great holiday mixed up w a little "revenge"

so far we have zip-lined, fished, snorkelled and "pooped" ... poor DLU came down with a tiny little tummy bug WHILE WE WERE STRANDED ON ISLA TORTUGA!!! good thing they had a potty there (even better that it came to fruition AFTER snorkelling!!) BAD thing -it cost $1 usd to poop!! bye-bye tip for tour company - they could have told us we needed $ for amongst other thing (chairs on beach, umbrellas, etc) the TOILET!!!!!

today mum and DLU are having a quiet day at the resort while she full re-covers - w the help of our friend ammonium - while DAH and BUDDAH and HAPPYHAPPY spend the day on a private boat fishing and swimming and SNORKLING!!!!! (this kid owes me, i tell ya!! LOL!)

SPRING ahead ... really?????

so don't forget to SPRING AHEAD tonight ... tomorrow is the day we get our hour back ... or do we give up an hour ...??? i don't know; you can be sure, however, that i WILL be dragging my sorry a** around for the next few days ...LOL!

SCRAPPY YUM YUMS!!!!

Come in sample our YUMMIES!!!