Zoo Trip!

We went to the Zoo way back at the beginning of October and I've been meaning to share pictures of our great day with you ever since! I am actually already working on a scrapbook layout of our day on Studio J (thanks to the inspiration from my sister Janine who said I should work from most current backwards! It is rewarding to see pictures I just took scrapbook and journaled!)

We were able to participate in a Keeper talk at the Elephant enclosure and it was really exciting for me to watch all three of my kids ask great questions of the Keeper!

White lionness

 We were really this close to the Polar Bear - I did not zoom in on my camera - but there was a plexiglass in between us!

I find jellyfish one of God's more fascinating creatures!

Digging for dinosaur bones!

Ending the trip right - with Elephant Ears - one caramel banana and one Nutella! Yum Yum!

Christmas cards

Same layout - two different looks! I chose a layout from "Make It From Your Heart Vol. 1" and used CTMH's new Pear and Partridge paper. I love the sparkle from the self-adhesive Silver Shimmer Trim! The stamp set on the top card is C1510 Merry and Bright  - I stamped it in Olive and then a second time in Cranberry. I cut out the flowers and ribbon and adhered to the Olive wreath. I added a pearl to the ribbon. To make the bird I inked my stamp with sponge daubers using Cranberry pigment ink and in Cashmere pigment ink and then stamped. I added cocoa marker for the eye, beak and legs and cut it out.

For the second card I used D1483 Glory to God - my favourite Christmas stamp! I simply stamped the manager scene in black, the star image in yellow and added sparkles.

Let me know what you think!

New Organizing Tools

If you are like me and have wondered about CTMH's new organizing tools - what size they were, how much they would hold and so on, or if you need to organize your crafting supplies, then check out this short 1:49 video!


I love that the new craft boxes are larger so I can organize more than just brads or eyelets! When my supplies are organized scrapbooking and crafting are even more enjoyable.

Digital scrapbooking even faster!

Close To My Heart has introduced Express Collections that make digital scrapbooking with Studio J even faster! Express Collections are groups of layouts that are designed for you. Examples include "A Year in Review", "Travel", "School Days," Little Miss", "Little Man" and more.

I have been loving these new layouts - I used the Travel collection and within a couple of hours scrapbooked 8 layouts from two of our cross-country trips! I can't do that with classic scrapbooking. Drop in the pictures, edit the titles, add journaling and I was done.

Check out this video to see how Express Collections work:

A Week at One-Room School House

We had a chance to experience 1860 pioneer life at Black Creek Pioneer Village at the beginning of September. The kids and I spent four days in school with seven other homeschool families participating in a one-room school house. There were 35 children altogether, ranging in age from 4 to 17  - a true one-room experience!

Jeremy learning how to spin wool

 

Highlights of the week included a visiting the blacksmith, flour mill, a spelling bee, learning a dance (the girls enjoyed this anyways), and bread, butter and jam sandwiches for our pioneer lunches.

Jeremy during his math lesson

Our group

Dancing

Inspiration from CTMH

Close To My Heart has come out with quite a few new videos showcasing their latest and greatest new products! Here's two of my favourites:

First, learn about our fantastic new alcohol based markers while making a harvest banner:


and second, discover a super simple new stamping technique to add interest and dimension to your stamping!

Day 7 - Toronto, ON

We arrived home in Toronto around 8:30 pm Friday night and unpacked the van. The kids were pretty distracted checking out their rooms and toys again though! No pictures from the day - we basically just drove after doing a little bit of shopping in Kalamazoo. We stopped at one park along the way to stretch our legs but it was another hot day so the kids barely played - the swings were the best part! We're looking forward to attending our church on Sunday and worshipping and fellowshipping with our friends there. This week the kids and I will be at Black Creek Pioneer Village attending a one-room school  - I'll share pictures and let you know how it goes!