Thank You Sydney~

Today I share a more personal blog post. I don't do this often, however we are about to start a new chapter in our lives and are leaving Sydney in just a few days. So this is a post dedicated to everything that we have loved and will miss about our Cape Breton home.

It's easy to say the beautiful Cape Breton landscapes or the easy going culture,

but these are the day to day things that we will truly miss.

First is our sweet and cozy little home. If we could take it with us we would.

Probably my favourite place, would be sitting on our front porch in the evening sun.

Our neighbourhood could not have been better with it's quiet, large tree lined streets.

Another favourite spot is the new Open Hearth Park here in the North End of Sydney.

We got the most use out of their off leash dog park.

This is Kya's favourite spot.

Another North End gem is Master Meats, our local butcher shop. Great prices and superb quality.

A diamond in the rough, is this Dollar Store in "the Pier". You could find all sorts of great little treasures here.

Fuzzy's Fries! This funky little chip wagon has a close second to my favourite place in Smiths Falls, Ontario....Tin Lizzy's.

Our usual grocery store. There is not a No Frills in the Truro area.

Music has been a huge part of our lives in Sydney. Sean and I have had so many great opportunities to play in our time here.

One of which was one of my lifetime musical highlights, playing in the pit band for Les Mis at the Savoy.

Other musicals that we have been involved with were Chicago (below), Oklaholma, Anything Goes, Annie, Oliver and My Fair Lady.

We also had the privilege of playing with the Cape Breton Orchestra.

Sean was the co-conductor and I played in the Second Wind Community Band. A friendly and hard working group of musicians.

Second Wind presented Sean and I with this beautiful Kenny Boone print as a Thank You and Farewell gift. We will forever cherish it.

I marched in a parade for the first time with Cape Breton Brass, a group that Sean had been a member of for a number of years. I will fully admit that I do not love marching, but so glad I was given the opportunity to try. I also met some pretty fabulous people and had some pretty fun evenings.

With music, always brings friendships. These are friendships that will last a lifetime. Whether you see each other weekly or once a year, our musical friendships are ones that I cherish and will stand the test of time.

Here are a few of our musical family.

Then last, but not least....my scrapbooking family.

These ladies never ceased to put a smile on my face every week!

We had Connie~ sweet and mothering (always forgets to ink that last thing, and never has a bag), Shelley~ thoughtful and funny (has an amazing collection of flowers)

Elena~ Super Mom, creative and loving (can come up with a page title for almost anything, and is the party planner)

Liz~ funny and a conversationalist (Liz is the one person that is louder than I am in the room and supplies us with numerous caching containers)

Linda~ sassy and hilarious (Linda is Liz's sister and I love watching them fight)

Nancy~ strong and the leader (I love Nancy's passion and strength. She adores her family)

Tanya~ crazy fun with a great sense of humour (Tanya is always the bad one at crops)

Janice~ Another Super Mom who has a very similar sense of humour to me...so she's hilarious.

(she has the largest collection of trimmers known to man and does not like Kahlua)

A huge Thank You to everyone who has been a part of our lives here in Sydney. I am sure our paths will cross again!

We really have met some truly amazing people.

xoxox

Selfie Love~

It's not very often that Sean and I have photos of just the two of us, or both of us together in the same photo for that matter. So every once in a while, a "selfie" is in order. Sean is so much better at it than I am, he has longer arms!

This layout features a recent selfie taken while on the Halifax waterfront. Love the photo, lobe the memory of the weekend.

I used the Save the Date collection by Teresa Collins. Not just a wedding collection, it works for all sorts of occasions. You can find it at The Cutting Garden.

The perfect coloured hand dyed paper doily is from The Curtsey Boutique. The flowers are by Prima and the oh so pretty sheer ribbon is by May Arts.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to get photos of you and your loved ones as often as possible, no matter how you have to do it.

Teresa Collins Flip Book~

Here we go again, more Teresa Collins Designs LOVE!

This is a project that I created during my last crop of Spring 2014. My friends and I cropped with My Stamping Studio in Windsor, NS.

This mini Flip Book and patterned papers also from Teresa Collins Designs, Urban Traveller Collection were giveaways at this fun filled crop!

I kept the inside simply embellished, as to not make the book too thick.

A beautiful gift for a beautiful young woman.

Thank you for stopping by! Stay classy crafters!

Good Times~

I have a couple more layouts to share from my crop weekend with friends earlier in May.

This first layout features patterned papers and coordinating embellishments from the Cut & Paste collection by My Mind's Eye.

Of course I added some coordinating buttons from Buttons Galore & More.

The large white tag, and the yellow library card are a great addition to the layout from Curtsey Boutique.

My second layout features my favourite photo of Zoe and Tyler from their semi formal this spring.

I used the You Are My Happy Collection by Teresa Collins. I adore the colours of this collection with it's hints of gold.

I slipped in one of my Curtsey Boutique white tickets, I just think they are too darn cute!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Wildflower Mason Jar Vase Tutorial~

Today I'm sharing a little crafty project that I had so much fun creating and adore how it turned out.

This is my Wildflower Mason Jar Vase created using an assortment of fabulous May Arts ribbon.

Once I finished my sweet little project, I rushed into the backyard of our home in the city to pick "wildflowers" also known as pretty weeds!

No matter what you classify them as, I think they looked just too sweet and smelled so nice in our dining room.

Project Recipe:

• May Arts Ribbon
• DecoArt Glass Chalkboard Paint & a foam brush
• Liquid Pearls (Olive and Pearl)
• Washi Tape
• Waxed Paper
• 1.75" Circle Punch
• Hot Glue
• Mason Jar & Vase Lid

Step 1: First I placed row after row of washi tape on the waxed paper. This is going to be your template or mask.

Step 2: Then I used my circle punch to cut out the hole to create the template.

Step 3: Peel the washi tape template off of the waxed paper and place it on the jar. Make sure it is secure especially on the edge where you will be painting.

Step 4: Using a foam brush, apply the chalkboard paint. Using a dabbing technique, rather than brushing may be best for your first coat of paint. Multiple coats will be needed. Follow instructions on your paint for truly curing it.

Step 5: Once the paint is completely dry, peel off your mask. If you have any paint bleeding, you can probably pick it off at this point. Or more than likely it can be covered by the next step.

Step 6: Apply your decorative Liquid Pearls.

Step 7: Add your ribbon to the jar lid. I just tacked it in the back with a little bit of hot glue.

Step 8: Cut 12-15 pieces of your chosen ribbon to about 2" long.

Step 9: Attach each piece of the ribbon in a loop, using your hot glue gun.

Step 10: Add the final layer of ribbon to the top of your loops. Now you are ready for water and pretty wildflowers!

The chalkboard front can be personalized with someone's name, perhaps the type of flower you have in the vase or just a nice sentiment for someone you care for.

I am in love with all the May Arts ribbon textures and colours working together.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

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