Little Bit of Decor~

Here is a another little peek at what you may see at our wedding reception!

I've taken various sized mason jars and wrapped twine around the top. Then I added more of my flowers made from  maps that I had posted a month or so ago.

In each jar is sand from a beach that Sean and I have been to, and they are labeled accordingly.

Then at the reception they will have candles glowing inside!

A better look at the flowers again. They are made from road maps or NS and PEI, using the EK Success XXL Retro Flower punch.

Meet Miss Kya~

Sean and I recently adopted a sweet little dog from the Atlantic Small Dog Rescue. So I thought it was about time to do a little blog post dedicated to her and our life so far with her.

Her name that she came with was Keira. Which is a pretty name, however we thought it was just a little too close to our wonderful sister-in-law's name Kiara. So we shortened it slightly to Kya. Any movie nerds out there may have remembered the name from the movie Willow. In this fantasy classic, Willow's wife's name was Kya. I've loved the name ever since.

So here are a few things that we have learned since Kya became a part of our family.

1. She loves water of any type. So much so that if you do not close the door to the bathroom when you have a shower, she WILL be at your feet in the shower with you. This has happened twice now. At the same time  when you actually need her to get in the bath for a little cleaning, she jumps right in!

2. She loves the car. She sleeps the majority of longs trips. Perfect for us.

3. She is so sweet and cuddly!

4. She loves to be brushed.

5. She does not like the sound of a whoopee cushion or a didgeridoo.

6. She loves everyone and everything. One of her favorite people would be Elena's baby girl Sarah.

7. She barks at motorcycles.

8. Her favorite spot in the house is the window by the stairs where she can see our neighbor....another of her favorite people.

9. We're not sure of her heritage. All we know is that there is some terrier in there. Plus a little something else that gave her one gorgeous blue eye.

10. She loves to nap right on top of Sean on the couch.

We are so lucky to have her!

This photo was taken the day we picked her up from her foster home. So lucky to have this photo! Especially since she was busy running around with our friend and photographer's dog Paddie, also a beautiful rescue pup!

Check out Christine's photography website

http://www.wonkyeye.ca

Tools of MY Trade:

I have people ask me all the time when I am teaching what tools or adhesives I recommend. SO I thought I would do a blog post on it. So here are a few of the "Tools of MY Trade" that I would recommend to anyone!!

First of all, here is a photo of VERY well used paper trimmer! You may notice that the numbers on the bottom are worn off. If this happens to any of you out there, if you message the company and send a photo of the product they will replace it. This is a Fiskars Rotary Trimmer. The reason I picked a rotary trimmer is so I could cut many sheets of paper at a time, good for preparing classes. Also I have NEVER had to replace the blade, just the cutting bar that it cuts against.

If you have taken one of my classes, you will know that I ink EVERYTHING that is inkable! These are the inks that I use. I order them 12 or more at a time! I like them because they dry quickly and are easy to handle when inking large or small items.

My scissors...also VERY well used! These are Fiskars scissors, and they have the spring loaded handles. I have joint pain, so having scissors that bounce back for me really helps!

Here is one of my adhesive recommendations. Tombo Mono Aqua has 2 tips for application. The one I use most is the fine tip for all of those small details. But it also has a broad tip that is good for mini books and home decor items.

This is my Big Bad Tape Gun!

It is a Scotch 700 Tape Dispenser and takes rolls of ATG tape. Adhesive can be one of the most expensive parts of scrapbooking, so if you want something that adheres something for the long haul and also costs less than anything else in the long run...then this is the way to go.

People often have the concern that it is too heavy and too big. Well this is coming from someone who has joint issues, this tape gun is made well ergonomically and does not cause me any trouble at all.

Canadian Scrapbooker~

My copy of the Canadian Scrapbooker that my layout appears in has arrived!
From time to time I do submit layouts, and I will admit...not as often as I should. This is a layout that I had posted before but had to remove it where is was getting published. So back up it comes now that the issue is out!

The patterned papers and knit embellishments are by Lucky Seven Factory a company in Quebec.

http://thelucky7factory.blogspot.ca/?zx=21945ba02a3beb27

This was my take on Canadian Scrapbooker's February "Sketchy Challenge"

Punch Maintenance~

Every once in a while I find my well used punches get a little dull or gummed up. So just the other day I took the time to do some well needed maintenance on my favorite punches.

If you find that your punches seem to be sticking...try punching them through wax paper for a while.

If you find that your punches are dull and not cutting well...try punching them through tin foil to sharpen them.

On Display~

These are just a couple of the mini projects that I created to go on display at Michaels here in Sydney. The layout is my Scrapbook Bio layout. The canvas is a simple 9x9 canvas that I painted and then add just a little scrapbook flair.

Family Love~

This is the last layout that I had to post from my weekend away. This one is of  Megan's beautiful family!!

Photo by Bumbleberry Photography

http://www.facebook.com/hbryanton?ref=ts

http://www.bumbleberryphotography.com

I used my 1.5" scalloped circle punch and my regular 1.25" circle punch for the border.

Patterned papers are from the Generations Collection by Simple Stories.

Out Takes Layout~

Here is another layout created from my weekend away in Pictou.
It isn't often that I do double page layouts anymore, but in this case I really wanted to include all of the girl's out take photos. This is how it turned out and I think it's pretty cute!

I started by trimming the 7 photos that are in the wave to 3" wide. Then I stuck them to some dud cardstock that I had in my stash. The wave shape I did with scissors and just went for it, a little scary at first, but it turned out just fine.

Here's a cute little idea, and you get to re-use something that you probably already have in your home. I used pop can tabs as ribbon charms, and TA DA!!

The patterned paper that I used is a line by Lori Whitlock called This & That, by Echo Park.

Back from Pictou~

Last night I got home from a wonderful weekend spent at Pictou Lodge. The Gadget Girls hosted a fun filled crop with the help of Shabby Shutters and their team. It was great to see old friends and meet lots of new ones! I loved cropping with these crazy fabulous women!

I was also fairly productive through the weekend. My first post this week is going to be of my favorite overall layout that I created. For a couple of reasons :)
1. I love the circa 1989 photo of Sean. This was when he was playing in the Ceremonial Guard Band in Ottawa.
2. I just loved how the layout turned out.

The red patterned paper was from Prima's December 25th Collection.

The diamond pattern is by Graphic 45.

I also used a gold foil paper to add shine.

Black Liquid Pearls were added around the red and onto the scrolls.

Averie~

Just a little more Averie LOVE on the blog today! A fairly simple layout I created using blacks and whites...a little glitter and as always a layered flower.

Photo by Bumbleberry Photography

http://www.bumbleberryphotography.com