Tomorrow is a busy day!

We have the March kit release and the 52 Challenge post as well.

Dont miss anything! Remember to scroll through all the recent posts!!!!! And congrats to Ronni who you will see published again in the Summer issue of Canadian Scrapbooker. You go girl!

Do you submit?

Exciting news!

Someone you know will be in the summer issue of Canadian Scrapbook magazine! I'm so excited! I got home late last night from a lab in Calgary, and I had that fantastic bit of news waiting for me in my email. I posted the layout on the blog before, it was of when I went to Calgary in November for an optical convention, do you remember it? It was the view from my hotel room. Well, I can't show it to you now, one of the stipualtions is that I have to remove it until after the publication. I promise, though, when I can, I will repost it for you.

Anyways, it sure feels like spring is coming, doesn't it? Like I mentioned, I was in Calgary all day yesterday for a lab, so I can't get out today to take photos, but I sure do want to! So I figured I'd show you a few more from last weekend.The view from the top of the steep stairs that I climbed. My legs are still a little weak after that hike, I'm not as young as I used to be, lol!And this one is from my walk into the woods. It is another one of my favorites from that day.And this one is a little more abstract, I suppose. It's just the weeds up againest the cement base of the bridge. I like how it's all cracked-looking.

And the deer... I wasn't able to get terribly close to them, they watched where I was at all times. I was pretty excited when I stumbled across them though.

So, I'm hoping to catch the men's hockey game (go Canada go!) and the closing ceremony for the Olympics in between 30 loads of laundry. Time to get groceries again, too. lol, The work never ends, does it? But I'll be doing some scrapping in the meantime. I just have to decide what photos I want to print off... I can't afford ALL 430, and besides, I don't know what I'd DO with all 430 from last weekend. I need to have room to take more photos...

Take care! ~RonniH.

Glitter, Glitter & More Glitter!
Full restock on all our glitter has arrived, 4 new fabulous colors...
and also a full stock on the tape.

Rembember we still have a few spots for our Anniversary Crop, we can't wait! We have a ton in store for you all...

Have a great weekend everyone... hope to see ya soon!

A quick post...

So I have to get ready for work soon, but I thought I'd show you a quick and simple layout I did the other day. I love this patterened paper!!
Can you tell what I did the title on?? It's metal duct tape! I cut letters out with my sizzix out of double sided tape paper, and added glitter, and stuck them right onto the duct tape. It's shiney and silvery, just like the fab winged skulls. I wrote the journalling right onto the tape with a sharpie marker. I had some see-through hearts of Heidi Swapps that I added with blinged out brads. I have a corner punch that I used on the duct tape to make photo corners, and ta-da! Done!

Anyone else have the song Rockstar by Nickleback stuck in their heads now this morning too??

K, I'm off to get dressed to face the day, have a good one!

~RonniH.

another sneaky peaky

Hope you had a great weekend! I am still trying to recoup from all the awesome classes we took and all the new product we saw.

Canadian Scrapbooker has just arrived! come stop by & pick up yours today!
Plus we also have another great addition... we will be carrying Scrapbook Trends (Scrapbooks, Cards, these come every month & the Create series will come every other month.) I absolutely love these idea books, so amazing.

New adventures...

So I was able to make it down to the park to take photos of the bridge on Sunday. It was something I'd been wanting to do for ages and ages. And I took way too many photos. Like, seriously, 430. Yes, 430, but I did that over a couple of hours.

This one here is probably my favorite of the bridge. Most of the photos I took that day were of the bridge, but this one, it's the most interesting. I got right down low, and just snapped. I love it.And these stairs are steeper in real life too. My calves were aching Monday morning. Granted I kinda jogged up and then back down, because I forget I'm not as young as I used to be. The scene from up top was worth the frost bite on my cheeks from the wind. :)And another favorite of mine from the day. I've got "art settings" on my camera, and it leaves a pinhole effect, that is, a dark edge around the photo. Makes it look artsy instead of just another photo of weeds.This one is a favorite, cause it's the opposite of the last one, lol. It's bright. It's shiney. And do you see this?? Burrs on my gloves!! I'd pull 'em off with one hand, and SURPRISE! they'd stick to the other hand! The lengths I go to, to have a good time, sheesh! lol

Ok, so I gotta go get ready for work, I hope you all are enjoying my photos! Any questions or comments, please feel free to leave 'em and we'll do our best to answer!

~RonniH.

Challenge day!!!!

Hey everyone how was your weekend? i had a good one i love working in the store and dont get to very often anymore. I find myself so relaxed when im there, then again who wouldnt? surrounded by beautiful papers and embellishments and bling..yummmmmmy!!!

So your challenge this week is to do a multi- photo Layout. In this LO i used 15 photos, I cropped them to all fit on my page and mounted them on an angle to get a little more room on the paper.

I cant wait to hear about the gurls trip to Edmonton this weekend!!! They went to convention, I so wish I could of gone. I cant wait to see the projects they made, hear all the stories, and find out what new and wonderful product we have coming!!! YUMMMMMMMY!!!

I hope u all have a great week, I know Mel will be sharing some more exciting pics of her march kit, and i do believe that Ronnie will have some awesome photos to share with us also!!

chat soon

~tam~

Time for an adventure

It's been a few weeks since I've been out on a photography adventure, and I'm starting to get an itchy trigger finger. A good friend of mine from town here often joins me, we jump in my car, and where we end up is where we take photos. The M.D. of Taber park has given me tonnes of inspiration. It amazes me that even when I go with someone else, they see things differently then I do. My friend's work astounds me, and I can't but be inspired. Even the simple trees look different behind her lense, even if we were standing side by side. But like I mentioned earlier, it's time to go out on a shooting adventure again. I love taking photos. I love seeing new things. I love trying different angles and shooting modes. I love learning to see differently. A photo taking adventure sounds like more fun than grocery shopping or laundry or homework, doesn't it? I'm not sure how I'm going to scrap these photos, but I'll come up with something soon. By the way, we love to hear from you on the blog. You're welcome to leave comments at any time. If you have questions or suggestions, please, feel free!
Anyways, til next time,

~RonniH.

Winter wonderland...again?

well i thought the weather was getting better , but as i get up this morning i see this fluffy shite stuff everywhere...im so done with the white stuff!!! please go away!!!

how is everyone doing ? getting lots of scrappin done??

have u seen miss mel's sneek peek of the kit for march??? hmmmm, cant wait to see more, wonder what she has up here sleeve??

Reminders:

1)There will NOT be a crop this weekend feb 19& 20 , due to low numbers .

2) Dont forget the Olympics celebration at the store, get in and get your names on the rings for the awesome prize packages!!!!

3) Take your pics for the April kit.

4) Get registered for our 3rd Anniversary crop.

If u are in the down town area this weekend , drop by and have a chat with me ill be in friday and saturday!!! see ya'll then
have a great day!!!
~tam~

March sneak

Sorry - Kari had my memory card at the store last week and I just got it back! Here are a couple to make up for missing last weeks sneak!!! Hope you enjoy........

Challenge for this week...

Happy Family day! It felt so good to sleep in this morning! I don't have to work today, and even better, I don't have to make my girls a school lunch for a whole week! :) They don't complain too much, and they aren't even that picky, but I hate having to make lunches.
So, I'm assuming that you, like me, don't have to work today, and that will leave you time to do one of our weekly challenges. Your challenge for this week, is to cut apart your background paper, like I have done in the following layout. The swirly-flowery patterned paper is from My Little Yellow Bicycle, and I've had it since the summer, knowing I'd want to do something special with it.
Now, if I had been thinking, I'd have taken a before picture of it, but I think you can see how I cut out the main portion. Use a sharp blade, breaking off the point once it seems to start dragging on the paper. And if you use a glass cutting mat, it will go much smoother. I cut out the inside portions first, and then used my little scissors for the rest of it. It may seem tedious, but the effect is worth the effort. Besides, I enjoy the process of scrapping as much as the finished product. It gives me time to think, or not think, as the case may be, lol! Here are some closer peeks at it. Dontcha love the little Maya Road envelope? I wrote my journalling on a little bit of cardstock, and stuck it inside. A little ink on the edges, and it looked fantastic!As you can see, I also had cut my title. I used Tim Holtz's mask letters on cardstock that I had sprayed with misting ink and then dried. I traced around each letter with a black pen, and cut them out. A little bit of bling, and, ta-da!This layout is from when Nicki and I went shopping for her grad dress. There are a few extra pictures of dresses that didn't make the cut in the envelope matt behind her. I stapled a little bit of ribbon so that they're easy to see. On the journalling card, I even mentioned that there were more dresses to see. Hiding extra photos when you don't have a lot of space is a favorite trick of mine to highlight the ones that you do want seen.

So, give it a go, have fun! Cut up some pattern paper for your background! And, if you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section. I love hearing from you guys!

~RonniH.

Saturday!

Happy weekend! Did you catch the opening of the Olympic ceremonies last night? I did, and was amazed at them... especially the light show. I would have loved to have seen that in person! I'd heard rumours of who was going to light the caldron, and was pleased to see it was everyone of who I'd heard.
So I thought I'd show off a little of what I've done in the past few days. I'll be in later this afternoon, so this will be in the store, as well as a few others. :)
I like to write up and then scrap lists of my kids. I haven't done one of Darby in a little while, so it was time. I LOVE this photo I took of her. It's in black and white, and then I "erased" the black and white layer, so that her green/blue eyes were back to the original photo colour, as well as her poncho in photoshop. Journalling reads:
When you're with friends, you make up songs and sing them over and over. You talk constantly. Your favorie classes are art and music. your favorite colour is green. You would eat cheese pizz for every meal if I'd let you. You always have stories to share of your day. You have 2 favorite songs: "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond and "Wagon Wheel" by Old Crow Medicine Show. You're tucking youself into bed every night, hoping I don't notice that you're up too late reading. Your favorite books are about fairies or the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series. You want to be an artist when you grow up and a substitute teacher in your spare time. Jan. 2010

So, I'll be back with more stuff soon! Happy scrappin!

~RonniH.

NEW MEMBERSHIP REWARDS...
Just wanted to remind everyone that our memberships are changing...:)
With our 3rd Anniversary fast approaching we have decided to revise our
VIS Membership REWARDS. As we know over the years fads change within any industry, so we are hoping the changes will benefit everyone differently. Watch the blog or your emails for possible sneak peeks on what will be happening. But don't worry all will be revealed on March 5th. Make sure you come by to help us CELEBRATE!

Celebrate the Olympics with us.... Store Wide Discounts & Fantastic Prize Draws!

Olympic CelebrationFeb 11th – Feb 28th

The Olympic Rings!
Each ring enters you in to our draw for one of 5 prizes. If you have an entry on all 5 rings you will be entered into our Grand Prize draw.(you must attend in store to have your name entered, sorry no exceptions)
Blue Ring: Entry Starts February 11th , until February 13th
Yellow Ring: Entry Starts February 15th, until February 17th
Black Ring: Entry Starts February 18th, until February 20th
Green Ring: Entry Starts February 22nd, until February 24th
Red Ring: Entry Starts February 25th, until February 28th

Now Even More...
When Team Canada Medals, you SAVE!
GOLD medal, 20% off your entire purchase
*SILVER medal, 10% off your entire purchase
*BRONZE medal, 5% off your entire purchase*

PRIZES: Product Gift Box, Libre Tea Glass, Free Class, 1 Year Coupon Book,
Free 1 Year Membership/Gift Bag
Grand Prize, $500 Value1 Year Store Coupon Book
Merle Norman Gift Basket Embellished Memories Giftand more!!

*Excludes GST, classes, crops, kits, membership fees, specially marked items, and pre-orders, in stock items only. Not valid with other offers. Discount available only the duration of the Day Team Canada wins the Medal. (no carry-over discounted will be awarded) See instore for more details...

winter photos

Winter, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but not everyone likes you. You're too cold. You make me dress in many unflattering layers. You're not as much fun as Spring, or Summer. But, you do make for some interesting photos...I went out with a friend of mine about 2 weeks ago down to Chin lake. This one of the bridge is one of my most favorite that I've ever taken.And I love this one of wheat/weeds.

And I think this one of the barbed wire on a fence post is pretty cool too.

But this doesn't mean I like you winter... It's hard to take photos when you have mittens on. ;)

~RonniH.

Challenge #6

good Monday morning everyone!!!! hope u all had a great weekend ..did u watch the game on Sunday??? not much into football here in our house.
so your challenge this week is as follows....
take this LO and make it your own, whether u use the sketch, the title, the stamping on the back ground , or the way i grunged it up..this is your inspiration for this week. Have fun with it, make it your own!!!!

i cant wait to see what mel comes up with for march!!! very exciting!!! the Jan kit is now SOLD OUT, and I do believe that the Feb kit is getting close too.... so what do u guys think of our new ideas for this kit...are u liking the projects??? dont for get to take your pic of yourself for Feb, if you are planning on purchasing the April kit!!!


some fun and exciting stuff coming up!!! the Olympic Celebration at the store this looks like a great celebration!!! there are some great prizes!!!!

last but not least ...are u gonna come crop with me the weekend of Feb 19???? hope so , call the store to book your place...
have a great week everyone ...ill drop by later in the week and share some kool photos.

~tam~

March kit sneeks

starting soon!

:)

~~Melanie

Introducing...

my newest nephew! Joshua Anthony Ronald. My baby brother and his wife had a gorgeous little boy just this last Tuesday. He has long long toes, and lots of curly, blondish hair. You just know that I'll be taking lots of photos with him! Hopefully better ones than the one below. His mommy made him that cute little hat.

Can't wait to scrap some of these photos! Have a great weekend everyone!

~RonniH.

Good morning!!!!

hi everyone, how is your week going?? Things are starting to get busier with my new buisness. And i got my marks back from school too...this old gal graduated with honors!!! yeah!!!

So have u all seen Ronni's Feb kit?? Dont ya just love it!!!!make sure u drop by the store and see this cute book, she really rocked it!!!

Today im putting things together and make some challenges up for my crop. ive got idea's in motion and it should be alot of fun... make sure u call and book a spot....remember all the Cat's are away ...the mice shall play!!!

P/s ..dont forget make n take it fridays!!!

chat soon

~tam~

February's kit

So I owe you an apology for the colours in my pictures. I realize they aren't the greatest, but the lighting in my kitchen sucks in the evening, and I didn't get time to take more before handing over my sample to Kari. So do you like it? It's February, what better time to document all of your favorite things?The roses on the cover are what I show you, step by step, how to make. They're made with cheesecloth, and if I can make them, they're practically idiot proof. :) Really, they're simple, and add a great touch to future scrappy projects.

There is lots of room to add extra photos or journalling because of all the fold out sides. The colours are fabulous pinks, browns, and reds. Everything you need to make this little book is included in the kit... buttons, beads, everything. I had so much fun coming up with this project, and I hope you enjoy it too. Any questions or help you may need, don't hesitate to ask us. :)

So that's it for me tonight... twice in one day, I'm sure you're tired of me by now, LOL! Have a good night, we'll be chatting again soon!

~Ronni H.

Happy first day of February!

Your challenge for the first week of February, should you chose to accept it, is to use an old dictionary page (or thesaurus, or any other page from a regular book) and alter it in some way.
Here, I used paint to stamp on it and inked the edges, but you could also use rub-ons or stamp with ink. I also sewed down the edges of it, slapped on some masking tape, and called it good.

Now, I don't worry too much about archival quality... the way I see it, NOTHING made with paper will last forever. But if it is a concern for you, there are a few things you can do. Don't use an original, one -of-a- kind, you have no other copy, if your mother found out you used it she'd beat you, photo. You can also matt your photo onto cardstock (or other acid free paper) to slow the acid migration process. Or you can buy patterned paper that has the look of a dictionary. Totally up to you.

Here's a closer photo so you can see better what I did.. So enjoy your week... I'll be back soon to show you February's kit! :)

~Ronni H.