Quick Update and Treasure That Has Been Hiding in Plain Sight

Another non crafty post.  Just a quick update on what has been going in my corner of the world.  

Hard to believe its March already.  Wow.  And around here in Ontario, we are a week away from March Break for the kids.  Laura is anxiously awaiting to here from  a couple of universities she applied for. she heard back from one already.  Dave and I are finishing up packing up my mom's apartment, next up is arranging a storage locker and movers to transport her belongings.  

It was strange packing up her apartment.  Packing up someone's life, and she is still alive but unable to make the decisions of what stays and goes.  And all the photos I have found has me excited and overwhelmed.  I have about 4 large boxes full of photos and memorabilia.  We have photos not just from my sister's and my childhood and onward, we have heritage photos from my grandparents, great grandparents.  All kinds of memorabilia such as  immigration papers from both my parents (they came over separately and met here in Canada), letters my dad wrote to my mom when they were pen-pals (he lived in Houston, B.C., my mom in Brockville, Ontario).  Last weekend I came across the last letter my dad received from his best friend just before his friend was picked up by the Nazis and subsequently died in a concentration camp, Unfortunately it is completely in Dutch, I need to find someone to translate it for me and the other stacks of letters written by my grandparents. Sorting through these boxes and organizing everything, is a huge project that I will be working on for a long long time. Being the scrapbooker and having always been fascinated in old photos and documents, it is an exciting project that I am most definitely looking forward to. 

Last weekend we took the kids to Woodstock with us to visit my mom and help with some of the packing.  At the end of the day they were fighting over this object pictured below.  This little treasure has been used as an umbrella stand for as long as I can remember.  It has always sat by the door to the home we were currently living in. I knew what it was and thought it one of the coolest things ever.    My kids have always seen it, but never knew what it was.  I handed it to the kids and asked them what they thought it was, Daniel right away said, "It's a mortar shell casing!"  Ding Ding!!!  We have a winner.  My dad picked this up in Holland.  Not sure if he picked it up after or during the war.  I am sure there were hundreds of these laying around at the time.  We know it is an allied mortar shell since the writing is in English on the bottom.  And the kids fighting over who gets this item ensued.  I ruled for now it will be in a common area of the house.   

                                          

Hopefully by the end of this weekend the apartment will be completely packed up and ready for storage.  When this is done that will be one huge item on my long to do list scratched off.  

Thank you for visiting my little corner of the blogging universe.  I would love to hear from you!!

March 1 Update!

Hard to believe it is March already.  Amazing how time flies  And since it is the first day of another exciting month we a couple of announcements.  First we are introducing our first Photopolymer Stamp Set to our line of stamp sets.  They are transparent for perfect placement every time and work perfectly with our firm-foam ink pads.  I can't wait to get my set, it is on order and I am ready to start stalking UPS when I get my shipment notification!!   Photopolymer PDF

It is Stampin' Up!'s 25 year anniversary this year and they are celebrating in so many ways.  Including the Best of 25 Years Stamp Sets.  Each month they will be releasing a stamp set with some of their most popular images and one never before seen image.  For the month of March we have Best of Flowers.  Gorgeous!!!  And for each Best of stamp set you order during 2013 you will get a special 25 year proof of purchase sticker and a collectors card.  Fill up the card and get a FREE stamp set of your choice up to a $17.95 value.  How sweet is that!!!   Best Of Flowers PDF

I would like to leave you with a sneak peek of something I am working on for a card swap that I am participating in.  The theme is Easter and right now I am waiting for the Dazzling Details to dry before attaching to the cards.  They better hurry up.  I have to have these cards handed in tonight at our team Meeting!!

If you are interested in purchasing any of the new exciting products listed above feel free to contact me at riajenkins@rogers.com or shop via my stampin up website:   Ria's Stampin Up Website

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little corner of the blogging universe.  Comments and questions are always welcome.

Excellent March Break Arts Program for Your Preteens and Teens!!!

Diverting from my normal fare here. And tooting the horn for a family member of mine.  

 I am getting the word out on an excellent Arts Program for kids aged 12-17 years.  It will be run during our upcoming March Break.  The course will be at the Glenhyrst Art Gallery in Brantford and my very talented sister in law, artist Mary Abma, will be teaching.  Mary has done various exhibits here in Ontario and in the U.S.  She also has taught numerous art classes throughout the Sarnia and Grand Bend area. 

This program will be in conjunction with her upcoming exhibit at the gallery, "In My Own Backyard", which opens March 16, 2013.  During the week students will be working with Mary on one of the actual pieces of the exhibit, titled  "Terra Dulcis:  Triptych Altarpiece of Glenhyrst Gardens"  Students will also work on their own pieces of art using different techniques and materials. 

Here is a brief statement about the exhibit from Mary's website:   "In My Own Back Yard” is an exhibition containing series of works that are rooted in the study of botany and history--specifically, historical and current botanical practices that have led to ecosystem degradation and homogenization. The artworks‘ grounding in my own piece of property in a typical suburban neighbourhood personalizes the ecological issues, literally bringing them “home”. “In My Own Back Yard” was an in-depth project that spanned four years of intensive study and exploration. There are four separate components that form a comprehensive exhibition of this project; however, each component can stand alone or will work well in combination with one or more of the others. 

Below are some images of the exhibit when it was at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I was able to view this exhibit when it was at Redeemer University, in Ancaster, Ontario last year.  My favourite piece of the exhibit, and it was hard to pick one, was the piece "Herbarium of Lot 161 Plan 150".  It is the second image below.  Very impressive.

For more info on the March Break program and the gallery itself you can visit the website here:  Glenhyrst Gallery     March Break Program

To learn more about Mary and her exhibit " In My Own Backyard"  visit her website here:   Mary Abma  

My three kids have enrolled in this March Break program, even computer genius 12 year old Daniel is excited.  If you live in and around the Brantford/Ayr area, and looking for something to keep your 12-17 year old busy.  Get them into this program.

And before I forget here is a link to some images of when Mary did a similar program with University Students at Calvin College:   Creating an Exhibit 


Thank you for visiting my little corner of the blogging universe.  Any questions or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Happy Valentine's Day Projects

Another Valentine's Day has come and gone. It was a good day.  I was spoiled with a bouquet of roses.  Dave and I were going to go out to the movies, but weather was snowy and slippery and he was stuck in traffic trying to get home from work.  So we decided to watch a movie from home while the kids did after dinner clean up.  And we both could then enjoy the bottle of Lindeman's Bin 40 Merlot that I had picked up earlier and we need to drink it before it spoils.  

Today I would like to share with you a few projects I have made for Valentine's Day.   I love special days like this, Christmas, Easter, Valentine's etc.  And Kim, on our team, has a few challenges for us this month, and I am hoping to scratch a couple of them off my list with these projects.  

First project is the card I made for my amazing husband. 

Supplies used: Heart paper doily (inked with Primrose petals and a sponged dauber), scalloped and cotton lace ribbon, ticket stub, and button all from Artisan Embellishments Kit  and More Amore Specialty Designer Series paper all found in our Spring Catalogue.

The image was stamped in Real Red Classic Ink in using the You are Loved stamp set. The image was then cut out using a heart from the Hearts Collection Framelits and my awesome Bigshot die-cutting machine  And the card base is Real Red cardstock, image was stamped on Very Vanilla Cardstock.    

This second project is a little something I left at each person's seat for Valentine's day morning.  So cute.  Laura and Daniel actually had a few pieces for breakfast (nothing like starting you day off with a little sugar!!), Dave took his to the office and Amanda had the best self discipline of everyone, she didn't touch hers until after school.  

Supplies Used:  More Amore Speciality Designer Series Paper and Ciao, Baby! stamp set both found in our Spring catalogue.

The love tag was punched from the Petite Curly Label punch, which can be yours for FREE in the Sale-A-Bration catalogue.

 Itty Bitty Shapes Bunch Pack, Curly Label Punch, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, 1" x 8" Cellophane bag, Real Red, Very Vanilla and Primrose Petals cardstock, and Primrose Petals Classic Ink, all found in our main Catalogue.  

This third and final project was placed at each persons place at the table for dinner.  In each box there was heart shaped chocolates and red and white jelly beans in 4" x 6" cellophane bags.  The bags were tied with Whisper White Taffeta 3/8" Ribbon and Real Red 1/8" white edged Taffetta Ribbon.

Additional supplies used:  Real Red, Pretty Pink and Whisper White cardstock, Pretty in Pink Scallop Dots 1/2" ribbon, You are Loved Stamp Set, Real Red Classic Ink, Pearl Basic Jewels, Decorative Label Punch, Fancy Favour BigzXL, and Big Shot Die Cutting Machine.  All found in our main catalogue.

The Bitty Butterfly punch can be found in our Spring Catalogue.

 

The links to all of our catalogues can be found along the right hand side of this blog.  Items can purchased through me, contact me via email at riajenkins@rogers.com, or shop online and have your items delivered directly to your doorstep via my Stampin' Up! website which can found HERE

I hope you too had an amazing Valentine's Day.  I know mine was.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little corner of the blogging world.  Comments are always welcome, and let me know what you would like to see for upcoming projects.

A Little Bit of Snow and a Layout

I'm back.  I have been a bad blogger, I know.  Life has gotten in the way, my mother is still in the hospital, my sister and I are getting ready to close her apartment and the medical staff is trying to get her stabilized to be transferred to a long term care facility.  The problem is she keeps going into kidney failure and bladder infections, which is not allowing her to get off of the I.V.  It has been a long journey these last six months with her.  And this on top of a already full life with three very active kids, well, my blog has fallen by the side.   To say things have been overwhelming lately, is an understatement.  But I am starting to find a  rhythm in my life again. Time to regroup and get back on track.   

Today, Friday, was a snow day around here.  I awoke to this scene this morning.  Snow, and more snow.  And this was just the beginning of the snowfall, which has gone on all day.  All three kids and Dave were home since everything was pretty much shut down.  It was a nice day to cocoon, and we all had a much needed recharge of our batteries.

The layout below I created as part of a team challenge our leader Denise had given us for our most recent Team Social (sounds some much more fun than Team Meeting)  The challenge was to use the Canvas Creations in our current spring catalogue.  I found the canvas is easy to work with, our Classic ink pads work beautifully with them, as well as our watercolor crayons.   You will see the banner at the top, the elephant, and the ticket stubs along the side are  made from the Canvas Creations.  Denise dyed a bookmark piece of canvas completely in a mixture of re-inkers and water, she sewed  a cute tiny heart shaped pillow perfect for wedding favours and Margie, embossed an image on the canvas followed by water coloring, and had it beautifully framed, a stunning piece of artwork.   

The layout is of some shots I took while trying to take a group photo of my family.  We were waiting for a subway train in D.C. during our vacation there in 2011, and I had hoped to used the time to get a decent group shop.  I succeeded with one shot, and it was a hard won battle to get that one good shot.    Whenever I try to get a "nice shot" of Dave and/or kids, its always ends up as a circus full of clowns.  Bunny ears start popping up behind people's heads, funny faces are everywhere, and eventually they end up in a tangled heap laughing hysterically.

Besides the Canvas Creations, I used Sahara Sand cardstock as the base, Designer Series Paper was World Spectacular, the ticket stubs and elephant were from our "Your're Amazing" stamp set, and Baker's Twine, all found in our main 2012-2013 Catalogue. The Hearts a Flutter stamp set and framelits were used for the banner, which are found in a cost saving bundle in our Spring Catalogue.  The buttons were our Brushed Bronze buttons which was found  in our now discontinued Holiday Calendar.  This challenge was a fun kick in the creative pants that I needed to get me going again creatively.  You can find links to our current main catalogue and the spring catalogue along the right hand side of this blog.

I also would like you to mark your calendar for Saturday, February 23.  Our team will be hosting a Scrapbook/Card Making and Rubber Stamp Garage Sale.  It will be 9 am - 2 pm at St. Jude's Anglican Church, 81 Peel St., in Brantford, Ontario.  We will be selling new and slightly used items such as rubber stamp sets, embellishments, of course paper, and much more.  And the items for sale there will not be just Stampin' Up!!  There will be other products as well, as demonstrators, many of us have been in paper crafting for many years before becoming Creative Coaches for Stampin' Up!! and of course have accumulated all kinds of different paper crafting products and tools.  And it is time for us to clear out our studios of the old to make room for new and exciting products that we can showcase for you.  And listening to what some of the demonstrators were talking about selling, this is one event you will NOT want to miss.   A huge thank you to Denise and Natasha for organizing this event and of course to St. Jude's for allowing us to use their facility.

If you are interested in hosting a workshop please feel free to contact me at riajenkins@rogers.com.  And I would love to hear from you what you would like to see featured on this blog.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little corner of the blogging world.

Awesome Online Sale Starting Tomorrow.

I am so excited to share with you that starting tomorrow and right through to Wednesday, Novemeber 28 will be an amazing Online Extravaganza going on.    A select number of items will be 20-50% off, we have tools, accessories, paper, and of course stamp sets.  You view the PDF with the list of items and their sale prices at the link below:

Extravaganza PDF


And to make the sale even more amazing on November 19 and November 28 they will three additional products available for 20% off.  Tomorrow's items are listed below.


 Monday, November 19, midnight - 11:50 PM (MT)

Page	Item	Description	Retail Price	24-Hour Sale Price
181	125586	Simply Scored Diagonal Plate	$15.95	$12.76
186	113439	Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine	$122.95	$98.36
186	113474	Big Shot Doctor's Bag	$93.95	$75.16

You can place an order by contacting me via email:  riajenkins@rogers.com, or directly through my website: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/riajenkins/ 

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little corner of the blogging world.  Enjoy your day!

Its Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Christmas is coming!!  And I love Christmas.  Here are some projects I have been working on and the cards are examples of what I will be sending out to those on my Christmas list.  

This adorable little purse was made with our Petite Purse Bigz L die,Snow Flurry Bigz Die,  Candleight Christmas Designer Series Paper, Silver Glimmer Paper, Mixed Medley Stamp Set, and some discontinued cherry cobbler ribbon I had kicking around.

I love our glimmer paper,  GORGEOUS!!

A sweet but simple candy cane holder made using our Petite Pocket BigzXL die, lucky limeade cardstock, Candlellight Christmas Specialty DSP, Joyous Celebrations stamp set, Scentsational Season Stamp Set, Linen Thread, Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad and Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details.  Perfect little pockets at each person's Christmas Dinner plate.

I love the simple elegance of this card.  I inked up our Silver Glimmer Paper with our Stampin' Ink, and daubers.  It is easiest to put a few drops of ink refill in the lid of your Stampin' Pad to dip the daubers in, the new stamp pads are excellent for rich deep color, but you end up with glitter all over your pad.  I have found that the possibilities are endless with our Glimmer Paper.   Product used is Whisper White cardstock , Silver Glimmer Paper, Northern Flurry Embossing Folder, Snowflake Soiree Stamp Set , 1/8" mini brad, Snow Flurry Bigz Die, Lucky Limeade Classic Stampin Ink Refill, Primrose Petals Classic Stampin' Ink Refill, and Sponge Daubers

This second card was made at the CraftDBear Chrismtas retreat that I have mentioned in a couple of earlier posts.  Card base was again Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler cardstock embossed with Lacy Brocade Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Festival of Prints DSP Paper Stack, Greetings of the Season Stamp Set, Labels Collection Framelits Dies, Apothecary Accents Framelits Dies, Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder, and VersaMark.

Here is the second card in the series of cards made with Denise and Natasha at CraftdBear Christmas Retreat. Lucky Limeade Cardstock was embossed instead, and the Ornament Keepsakes Stamp Set was used as well.

The final card in my post today was taught to me by  fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator Tammie.  The wreath is made with Gumball Green, and Wild Wasabi cardstock punched out with the smallest flower from the Boho Blossoms punch.  Cardstock was Gumball Green, Raspberry Ripple, and Primrose Petals. Primrose Petals 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, and Greetings of the Season Stamp Set.

If you are interested in learning to make one or more of these cards either with friends and family in a class, or privately with me, contact me today via comments below or email me at riajenkins@rogers.com.  I would love to hear from you.

And Stampin' Up! now has its own app for iPhone and iPads.  It is the Simply Sent App which can be found for free in your iTunes stores. The app allows you to make e-cards, either from a selected template, or create your own and send it to Facebook or email.  I tried it out today and I LOVE it!!  Allowed me to download a picture to the card from my phone.  I see some quick and easy birthday cards for friends and family in my future.  LOL  And don't worry if you don't have an iPhone or iPad, Stampin' Up! will be releasing the app for Android Phones soon.  Watch this blog for updates.

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world.  Enjoy!!