I apologize for the silence.  I do try to post an entry as often as I can....however sometimes life gets in the way.  It's been a busy first 3 weeks in 2012, which is good.  Busy is always good as long as there is balance between work and play.  I think however that lately, I've been playing more than I have been working and that isn't always a bad thing so I don't regret having been a bit neglectful of my work commitments....suffice it to say that I do plan to keep a more balanced schedule looking ahead.  And hopefully not leave such long lapses in between blog posts!

It's almost the end of January and as a lot of you know I teach a class at the Hamilton Community Centre here in Richmond on the last Sunday of every month.  For this month, the class is scheduled for Sunday, January 29 from 10 - 2 PM. The first 2 hours will be spent creating 4 cards and the last 2 hours is free time to play and work on whatever your current project is.  I will be on hand for this last part to help you out with your projects and answer whatever designing questions you may need answered.  Below are sneak peeks at the projects for this day.

I am thrilled with the cards for this class -- definitely more beautiful in person than on the computer.    If you live in Metro Vancouver and want some info on this class, send me an email at inkfinity@gmail.com and I'll send you the details.

I am currently reading this book, Divergent.  It is quite good -- if you like the Hunger Games, you will like this also.  It speaks to me about choices and how all choices we make transform us in ways big and small.   When I think of choices I am reminded of a saying by Mark Twain,

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

This really is so true.  There are 4 questions I like to ask of myself when I feel a change is in order.  Here they are:

1. What is your dream job? -- for me, it's exactly what I am doing now.  I love to craft and share my passion with paper and ink with anyone who cares to learn it.  And I've made so many friends along the way that most days I really don't feel like it's a job.  If you can find what you love and figure out a way to make money doing it, you are all set!

2. What fullfils me?  -- Friends, meaningful conversations, silliness, hugs, being in love,  laughing so hard no sound comes out,  belly aches from that laugh, unlimited joy, finding your soulmate.

3. What is my greatest fear? -- not living my life to my full potential.  Reaching the end of it and chiding myself for not having done more than I did.  I struggle with this and try to live each day to the fullest.  It's harder on some days, but it's always worth the effort to try.

4. What do I want more in life? -- well, right now I feel pretty complete in my world, like there really is nothing else I need.  However, one can never have enough friends, so friendship is always a good choice when asked what you'd want more of. 

From my answers to these questions I try to make changes if I feel I need to make them.  Most people don't like change,  I am one of them.  But change is constant in our life and we have to adapt to it everyday.  We have to have the courage to change, to dream the dreams we want to accomplish.  And if it means we need to change something we are presently doing, then change we must.  Because the future depends on what we do in the present.  So make change your friend.  You will be all the better for it.

 

 

Reflections and Ponderings:

It's 2012, a new year and as good a time as any to reflect on last year with a goal of making this year not only great, but better.  January is the time that everyone makes resolutions....I see proof of this in the gym which is suddenly packed everyday with people deciding that this is the year they get fit.  This happens every year, but unfortunately by mid February most of these people stop their visits as the eagerness of the new year and new beginnings starts to wane.  Personally, I am looking forward to new beginnings.  I've learned not to audit life, to show up and just make the most of it now.  Life hasn't always been tied with a bow, but it's still a gift and in many ways it's a miracle.  No one is in charge of our happiness, but ourselves.....so when going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.  We get one shot at this life, there are no do-overs.  It's never too late to reach a goal, seek happiness, find love and  live your truth.  

Holiday Images:

The latter half of December and the first few days of January have always been party cetral for my family.  So rather than write about all that went on, here are some pictures!

Jordan and Erika enjoying a moment in the living room -- this was shot on Jordan's birthday which is January 3.

Every year after Christmas, we have a "regifting" tradition.....just a fun thing where we choose a present we received that was so ridiculous or something we would never use and we wrap it up and "regift" it to each other for fun. Here is Taren opening up her regifted gift!

Hahahahaaa!!  This was so funny.  My mom's regift was a cell phone holder in the shape of a shoe!  Hilarious.

Jordan turns 21!   He has turned out to be quite a capable young man with a bright future.  I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished.

New Year's Eve celebrations with my sister and my nieces.

Jordan and I.

Alyssa and I.

Cousins.

The family stayed overnight at the hotel, this is breakfast the morning after.  

Bacon, Sausages and Eggs -- the kids were hungry after dancing the night away.

Thumbs up.  Another great new Year's party, can't wait for next year!

 

What's Coming Up:

I will be hosting another all day stamping/scrapbooking event on Sunday, February 5, 2012 at the Holiday Inn.  More detaisl will follow but here is sneak peek at one of the cards we will make in class.  This event will focus on Sale-A-Bration which starts on Januray 24.   This is a great time of year to earn stamp sets for free.  If you want to be included in my email blasts, with info on Sale-A-Bration and all upcoming events, drop me a line at inkfinity@gmail.com

Stampin' Up's  new mini catalogue launches on January 4, 2012.  If you are on my mailing list, you'd have already received this in the mail.  If you haven't yet, send me an email with your snail mail addy and I'll be happy to get one in the mail to you right away.  To email me click on the EMAIL ME link in the left side margin.

One of the new sets in the catalogue is one called Apothecary Art.  This set is meant to be used in conjunction with the Labels Framelits Dies.  I wondered at the name of this set.  Historically, an apothecary is someone who dispenses medicine to doctors and patients.  Today we have pharmacists that do that.  So the nature of this stamp set being very floral and vintage didn't really tie in with this definition.  However,I'm guessing that back in the day many Apothecary shops carried herbal medicine in various forms, herbal teas, medicinal wines and tinctures.  All of which were dispensed in  dark glass bottles bearing vintage labels much like the images in this set.  I am not one to use a lot of vintage type images, as I gravitate to more contemporary looks, but once I started playing with this set, it started to grow on me.  I will be teaching a class using this set and again if you are on my email list, you'd have already received the email blast with the info on class times and dates.  If you aren't on my list, or haven't received the class email but would like to, please let me know and I'll send it out to you. Below are pics of a couple of the cards included in this class.

These are the Labels Framelits Dies that are perfect to use with this set.  They cut out each image perfectly.

After stampin and coloruing, use the right sized die with the Big Shot to cut it out .

This is what you end up with after cutting out each stamped image.  Cool, huh?

This is a close up of the finished card, and another one I made also for the class below.

I love this card above.  It's very girly and feminine.  Looks so much better in person!

Now as promised, here are a few pictures of my family's Christmas.

Christmas Eve dinner at my sister's house.  Here I am with Taren, my niece and my daughter, Alyssa.

Alyssa baked cookies for Jordan and Erika for Christmas, and made little paper caricature cutouts of both of them. The cookies were shaped in their initials, J and E.  It was so cute.

Christmas day lunch at my brother's house.  Here I am with my other niece, Ashley.

Baby Sophia, the newest and youngest member of the family.  I love her!

Time to eat!  There was so much food.  When my family celebrates Christmas, they like to prepare a lot of food!

Relaxing after lunch, getting ready for the 2 hour present opening marathon that ensues.

Trying to get the family organized to take the Christmas shot is harder than it looks.  It involves trying to extract toddlers who are hiding under the dining room table refusing to come out, babies smiling one moment and crying the next and a lot of laughing.  We always manage one good shot.....but what you don't know is that that one good shot may have taken several attempts to achieve!   It is crazy, but so much fun.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas.  Next up, New Year's!

 

 

1 more day till Christmas.  The christmas lights have been strung up outside, presents have been wrapped and laid out under the tree and the kids have been warned to stay away from the tree trying to figure out which presents are thiers.   Of course my kids are older now and know better than to sneak into the living room looking for their presents so that isn't really a problem anymore.  

As always this christmas will be busy, starting with Christmas eve dinner at my sister's house tomorrow.  My sister makes a mean turkey dinner with all the fixin's......mashed potatoes, stuffing, yams, carrots, peas.....you name it.   On Christmas day we all go to my brother's home for lunch.  This is when all the presents are opened and with 6 siblings plus spouses, plus all our kids and their significant others you can imagine that this is at least a couple of hours of present opening, wrapping paper flying with a healthy dose of talking and laughter thrown in.  Then after this, we then proceed to Doug's brother's home to have Christmas dinner.  You can see why I usually spend the entire week leading up to these 2 days at the gym.  I promise to take pictures and share them with you all after I recover.

So another year has come to an end. What have you learned this year?  Here's some things I know I've learned.

• Spend more time with those who make you smile and less time with those who you feel pressured to impress.
• Laugh at silly jokes. Apologize. Tell someone how much they mean to you. It’s the small moments that make life grand.
• If you want to feel rich, just count all the great things you have that money can’t buy.
• No matter how bad your heart has been broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief. The sun comes right back up the next day.
• Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.
• It is okay to be angry. It is never okay to be cruel.
• And finally, people who are meant to be together will find their way  to each other. They may take detours, but they'll get to where they belong.

I will post again after Christmas as I take the next few days to be with my family and celebrate the season.  Merry Christmas to you all, I hope you find happiness, joy and contentment this holiday season.  God bless you all.

One of my favourite stamp sets is a set consisting of nothing but trees.  The set is called Lovely As a Tree and the images are below.

This set is a classic and indeed has been one that has remained in the Stampin' Up catalogue for sometime now.  It lends itself beautifully when creating masculine greetings as well as sympathy greetings.  Tonight I played a bit with this set, starting off with a background layer of Bashful Blue stamped randomly using the flower image from the "Field Flowers" set.  I stamped in Craft Whisper White.

If you stamp randomly, you create a pretty and subtle background paper.   Below is the finished card.

I used markers in Olive and Early Espresso to ink up the tree.  I didn't reink between the 3 images, thus creating the illlusion of depth as the images stamp progressively lighter.   And below is a close up.

I quite liked the way this turned out.  The blue and brown are fabulous together.

We are nearing the end of this year -- christmas is 11 days away.  Time is flying by, it is scary.  Do you have any New Year's resolutions you are mulling over?  Last year, my resolution was to start a muscle/strength program aside from the cardio I do at the gym.  It has worked quite well and I've progressively been able to lift heavier and heavier weights at the gym.  For those of you who want to try working out to build or tone muscle, here are some tips!

1. Always remember to breathe. This seems obvious, but when you're in the middle of an exercise you may actually forget. In most cases you'll exhale when you do the hard work (e.g. the pushing up part of a push up), and inhale on the easier part (e.g. when you lower your body for the push up).   When I first started training with a trainer, I had difficulty with this and always seemed to do the breathing in reverse.  I've since corrected this. 
   
2. Form is extremely important. If you do an exercise wrong, what seems like progress initially will quickly dissipate and possibly result in injury. Be sure you're doing the exercises correctly before you begin. Ask a friend to watch your form first. If you are a newbie with muscle and strength workouts, getting a trainer to teach you good form is a smart start. 
   
3. Take it slowly. While aerobic exercise if often the exception, most other exercise is best performed slowly. This doesn't mean you should take long breaks in between each push up and sit up, but that you shouldn't perform each as quickly as possible. Going slowly will work the muscle more and make you stronger.
4. Your goal is to fail. The key to a good work out is failure. That doesn't mean giving up because you're frustrated and tired, but rather pushing the limits of your strength until your strength is spent. Obviously you don't want to push yourself to the point of injury, but that shouldn't be a concern so long as you're exhibiting the proper form. Don't worry too much about the number of repetitions of any given exercise, but instead concentrate on working as hard as you can. A larger number of push ups doesn't necessarily mean you're stronger. Some days you'll have more energy than others and will perform better. Some days you'll perform worse. The key is to do the best you can with all of the energy you have. If you fail, you succeed.  You should train to total failure, i.e. your muscles are spent and can no longer lift another rep.

There are many other things to remember, but these 4 core rules are what my trainer taught me right from the start, and I've only had one injury so they must be good rules!

 

I've heard from some of you....wondering where I've gone to.  I'm still here, just been a bit busy.  Christmas is just around the corner and sadly, I haven't yet done much in the way of shopping.  I plan to do this in the next 2 weeks with a battle plan of arriving at the mall EXACTLY when it opens and doing what I can in about an hour, then leaving.  It won't matter if I don't finish what I need to do, the plan is to get out before the rush of people arrive.  I figure if I do this 3 or 4 times, I will have escaped shopping with the crowds and the long lines.  Wish me luck!

Classes and teaching:   work chugs along....been teaching a lot and I'll have one more class before Christmas then I'll be putting away the ink and stamps till 2012. Gosh that sounds so far away....but it's in 3 weeks!   Sneak peeks of some cards below!

Friends:  Last tuesday night I got together with some fantastic ladies to do some stamping....with a mix of delicious food in the way of cake and cookies.   Here is a pic of my friend Liane and I taking a break from stamping (and sugar consumption).

It's been a busy past few days and I sometimes scold myself for taking on too much, driving myself at full speed, even when not necessary.  I still need to practice the art of being more present, so that life doesn't rush past without me noticing.  I like being busy and therein lies the problem.  So in 2012, I will try to be more relaxed than busy.  Normally we have two different modes in life. There’s the busy of our everyday lives, and then there’s the relaxed mode, which happens when we have some unstructured time: vacation, a day at the beach, a spa getaway, some time in the park with the kids.  I must try to get an even balance of these 2 modes: busy and relaxed.   I know that if I just learn to "feel" instead of "think", I will be more "present" in each and everything I do.  As I put more focus into physical sensations, I am able to enter relaxed mode as opposed to thinking mode.  Am I making sense? For example, If I'm  going for a run,  I will try to feel the wind rush past my face, the sun on my back. If I'm eating, I will try to taste every little nuance of the food, smell the food, feel the texture in my mouth, feel the movement of my hand going to my mouth.  In doing so, maybe I will learn to live more in the present than the future and turn busy-ness into being present, harriedness into enjoyment.

Life will be lived, instead of ignored.  Want to try it together?

A couple of days ago I was given the priviledge of sharing my passion and love for paper and ink at the Shervin Communications Annual Customer Appreciation Event.  Shervin owners Kevin and Sherrin Western had asked me a few months back if I would come and provide an activity for their clients at their annual Christmas Dinner.  Teaching and sharing my craft is a passion, and I immediately said yes.  I love this about my job.....not only do I get to share what I love, but I get to witness the joy it brings to people as I encourage their creativity and artistry to unleash.  There's no age limit to this exercise.....old, young --- everyone will enjoy it.  Here are the pics of that most memorable evening.

The tables were set to perfection.  I made each guest a little matchbox of chocolate nuggets with the Shervin logo emblazoned in the front in red. 

The action starts.....everyone received their kits and the ink and paper start to fly. 

I loved how the enitre room was creating.  They were all making handmade christmas cards!  I loved to watch everyone creating their own versions of my example, adding their own touches and creating something all their own. 

Aahhhh.....one of my favourite pictures from this evening.  "See what I made!"  

Busy colouring in the handstamped images.  Stamp, colour and cut!

Oh yes.  The Glitter Station.  A popular corner of the room.  This is where the sparkles flew at warp speed.  Glitter was all over this table and I only imagined what the servers were thinking when they walked by wondering, "who's gonna launder that tablecloth with all that glitter stuck to it?"  I smiled each time I walked by and saw people "glitterizing" their work.  I even saw a couple people throwing glitter at each other.  FUN.

I had helpers -- the staff from Shervin helped me out.  Thanks to all of you.  You guys should become Stampin' Up Demonstrators!!!!

Can you just feel the fun looking at the pics?   I smile when I see people sharing what I love to do and getting a kick out of it. 

"IT WORKS!"  The interactive pieces move correctly!  Another picture that I love......

And of course, what card is complete without a heartfelt message on the inside.  There is nothing like a handmade card.....until you start making them, giving them and receiving them, you will never appreciate the love that often goes into creating a card for someone in your life.  Store bought is never acceptable!

Can you believe someone made this?  They actually took the plastic sleeves that I packed thier supplies in and incorporated it into their card.  Now, if that is not impressive I don't know what is.  .....another reason I love my job.  I witness people creating and making works of art like this. 

Finally, one last picture -- Doug and myself at the beginning of the evening standing by the Shervin  welcome sign.   Thank you to Sherrin and Kevin Western of Shervin Communications for allowing me to share what I love to do with all their clients.  It was so much fun!

Today I had the opportunity to teach 30 students from Robert McMath Secondary School here in Richmond, B.C.  The students ranged from grade 9 - grade 12.  All of them were fantastic, very polite, extremely talented and fast learners.  They picked up what I taught them to do very fast and they breezed through 2 cards in no time.  Here are some pics. (apologizing in advance for the quality of these pics.....I just used my Iphone)

The class ran for 1 1/2 hours and all 30 students were able to create 2 cards. They stamped, watercoloured, glittered and glued their way through the class and they all seemed pleased with their creations.  I was very impressed with all of them and their creativity and willingness to change things up and not follow my example to a tee, but rather customize their creations to suit their own personalities.   Here below you see how the snowmen are done differently by the students.

And in this next card, one student even gave the snowman a scarf with some felt material she had on hand.  So creative!  And if you look at the background of the picture....see that little felt pony?? One of them made that!  

In this next card, I had a good laugh when one student wrote "I'm a snowball!" on her card.

The second card they made was a birthday card using floral images that they had to watercolour.  Again, each card looked different......some liked brighter hues and others opted out for lighter, more subdued hues.  

All in all, it was a good day for everyone.  I really enjoyed teaching these kids.  A couple of them asked me questions on how I got started doing this and why I loved to teach, so it was nice sharing that personal aspect of what I do.  They seemed genuinely interested and I loved that they did!  One student walked me back to the front of the school when it was over and she asked me why I did this for a living and I told her the same thing I tell  anyone that asks me the same question -- I told her, "If you figure out what you love and find a way to make money doing it.....you'll never have to work a day in your life."  I hope I was able to give her food for thought.  These students all  think that I taught them something today....but what they don't realize is that they taught me just as much!  I loved teaching them!

The most selfless act is to serve and respresent your country in the name of freedom and peace. 

Today we honor and remember all those who have done this so that the rest of us can enjoy a life of peace and freedom.  We remember you and thank you not only today but every day of the year.

On a personal note, I remember my uncle Gerald Moylan who served proudly and bravely as a U.S. Marine.  Uncle Gerry was awarded the Purple Heart Military Award for being wounded in active duty while defending his country, freedeom and peace while in combat.  My Uncle is no longer with us, but his memory will live in my heart forever, as with our entire family.  My uncle was a loving father, husband, brother, son and a wonderful uncle to me.  He was very tall and I remember screaming loudly as a little kid when he would lift me up and carry me on his shoulders.  He was such a loving family man. 

To soldiers everywhere, here in Canada, the U.S. and all over the world, THANK YOU.  Not just today, but every single day.  And to families everywhere whose family members serve to protect and defend, thank you for selfless acts of courage and bravery as well, as your loved ones leave for active service.  Your strength and unselfish acts as you continue your daily lives while your sons, husbands, brothers and nephews go off to serve are also greatly appreciated. You are unsung heroes too and deserve every bit of recognition and honor as your loved ones.

I always loved this poem, written by Canadian military Lieutenant Colonel  John McCrae.  so I am posting it here to honour those who have given the ultimate sacrifice.  You are gone, but not forgotten.

 

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.