Jellybean Toes, Cheerios, and a Scrapping Hullabaloo

For all of you scrappers...

2009-09-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

...Come on out and grab the deals while you can!
Little Dreamer is having a store wide Fall sale and EVERYTHING is marked down 25-35% !!!

It hasn't been feeling much like fall around here , in fact it has been Hotter than it was for most of the summer, but with the long cold winters we get in Manitoba, I'm definitely not complaining!

I did manage to get in the fall spirit a wee bit and have a few new things up in the store ( finally!)
Here are my bits, one brand new and two re-releases, and I have lots more in the works for some fun guest stuff coming up in October, so be sure to check back soon and see what's up :)
Happy Creating to you

A little free online lesson to share

2009-09-18T15:10:00.000-07:00

Hey there peeps, Today I am the guest blogger over at the CK blog,
There's tons of fun info and ideas shared there all the time, it's definitely one to add to your bookmarks.
Come on over today and check out my lesson on EXACTLY how to make this layout in just one hour!!!

Be radiant, Go strong into this day!

2009-09-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

...a message me and my girls have been discussing today...the ability is in each one of us, it is a CHOICE to shine!!!

go forth in all your beauty my fine friends

Kindergarten baby

2009-09-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

Our baby girl started school this morning. In that cute new backpack is a cabbage patch kid to hug in case she "feels tears coming" and a little framed picture of mommy "to see"...sigh, I Love having little people to admire and hug and giggle about, they are just so very fantastic!

Anyways, She was so excited that she got up this morning and drew a little picture for her teacher, requested pea soup in the new soup thermos for her first lunch, and got all prettied up in her new knee highs and sweet sweater. Such a funny little monkey she has been so excited and then came the tears when it was time for me to get her settled at her little table. The thing with baby #3 is that I KNOW she will love it, she will be totally fine and she is more than ready for the fun that she is about to have. So I am not having tears in the van this time. Amazing since I thought sending my littlest one would make me sad...but no. The days will go by so fast and I will have her little arms around me every second day for this year anyways, next year when she goes every day I might feel differently, but for today she is our newest school girl and we are so proud of her :)

So are her big sisters who were both very eager to show her the ropes and get her settled where she needed to be

ETA: I had to come back and share how happy she was at the end of the day. Little Bella says it was her BEST DAY EVER! look at this sweet little happy face after school...

Go me!!!!! ...are there Sea snails?

2009-08-31T18:45:00.001-07:00

we always seems to have waves when it comes to efficiency around here, sometimes fabulously radiant "high tide" where we are managing to do everything and do it fairy fantastically, and then sometimes we go for the oh so low-on-the-organized-and-efficient-side-of-life wave...
OK.
dude, we are like burrowing down in the ocean bottom sand with the sea snails right now......are there sea snails??? I dunno, maybe I just made them up, but you get the idea.

Today I jumped back on the meal planning bandwagon once again...don't get all excited now, cuz I know I'll fall off in a month or two when life needs attention more in another direction, but for today we are STOCKED!!!!!
I couldn't even fit all of the bags in my superstore sized cart and the bag hangedy hooks were missing too, so it was a fabulous balancing act to get it all out to the van.
But, OH, SO worth it!!!
The menu for our coming suppers this week is...

Lasagna, Cesar salad and garlic bread
Garlic pork steaks, fresh Manitoba corn, and roasted baby potatoes
Perogies and koulbasa with a coleslaw salad
tortellini with 4 cheese sauce and fresh baked buns
Toasted tuna melts and pea soup
french toast, hashbrown patties and french toast ( because breakfast is ALWAYS yummier at supper time!)
I am deciding to chatter about this so that I can look back and remember how good it was to do it right, and do it all over again next time the efficiency is at low tide. Aaannnnd so that I can tell you that I picked up this book last week and it totally inspired me, great buy, worth the money, check it out!

wings of freedom

2009-08-16T23:36:00.000-07:00

This canvas is a reminder for me, and for my girls, hung right in our upstairs hallway outside of all of our bedrooms where we begin our day.
I believe that it is so true;
We all have such beautiful potential within us if we can just stretch open our freedom wings and believe that we can each take off in all of the beautiful ways that we were made to fly.
Having said that though, in walks self doubt and a few good ol' bummer days to Rob us of our freedom...that positive mind set is easier said than done right?

So here we go;
a bright reminder hanging in our hallway right at eye level!
on this project I used a 16x24 canvas, brushed with cream and blue acrylic paint, then gel medium with old book pages, masking tape for texture, india ink and spray inks to build up my background. Then onto the yummy toppings; words are drawn in regular black uniball pen, painted with watercolor paint and highlighted with white charcoal, wings are painted with white watercolor, vintage bird card, prima flower stem, 7 gypsies keyhole and other goodie bits are all a part of the Kenner Road kits this month!May you spread your beautiful wings of freedom my friends, your potential is unlimited!
Take flight in faith.

His mighty plans

2009-08-15T21:18:00.000-07:00

Some very cool and surprising developments are stirring for us around here... and so of course my thoughts and feelings about the whole thing spilled out into my Art journal as we drove out on our road trip and Cam and I talked for 4 hours straight. It was good , and fun, and super exciting to be all abuzz together and have that driving time just to talk and share and just BE together in excitement; I'm not quite ready to spill all of the beans in any great detail cuz I want to see how everything unfolds in the coming weeks, but this is truly one of those times where we know that God will provide for our needs and his plans for us are so often better than we can even begin to dream up on our own.

Good stuff.
Just super good.

My little precious

2009-08-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

Look at my baby, turning 5 this summer and going into kindergarten, there really is not so much "baby" left in there, is there? she is slowly being replaced with lovely little girl...so lovely, I really enjoy hanging out with her, she is a truly sweet and sensitive little person. It is a gift and a privilege to be the one holding the hands of these three little girls of mine as they go through life, and getting the front row seat to watch them grow into the amazing people they were designed to be.
I am definitely the Lucky one.

This is my 3rd project for Kenner Road this month, about this kid of mine, my littlest baby who is growing FAR too fast! but somehow will always be MY baby no matter how big she gets :)
This page is made on the paper bag that Kerry-Lynn sent everything out in; I used the alpha stickers as a mask for all kind of spray ink, ripped and messied the edges of my pieces, and used torn bits to create my little "meadow" below...Gotta Love this little mama and baby bird, it's US!!! LOL
Wishing that you enjoy all of the little hands you have the privilege to hold!
Peace

Our life is beautiful

2009-08-13T22:01:00.000-07:00

Here is project #2 for my "guesthood' at Kenner Road ( see previous post)

This is just a little book celebrating a life I am truly grateful to have.

Made from some green Prima flower packaging as the cover, with light bulb pack inner pages ( y'know the wrapper that keeps the bulbs safe until you get them up and lighting your house? well ya, that stuff) and lots of Kenner Road Kit bits to doll it all up!!!We are getting ready to pick up Emy from camp tomorrow and head out on a family road trip so I will have more inner pages to share sometime later when we are done "summering"...at least it is all ready for me to add to as I have a minute. It is in a big ziploc bag with pictures printed and bits thrown in for embellishing and I have my handy dandy pen and masking tape at the ready all good to go so that I can just cart it along with me in my purse!

Happy life to you my friends!

Italy 08 with Kenner Road

2009-08-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

I am the guest designer this month for Kenner Road...Kerry-Lynn creates fantastically gorgeous vintage inspired kits that are totally right up my alley! Check out their gallery and just drool over the work of the amazing team of artists over there!!!

The good news is that I should have a layout/project to share almost every day for the next week or so starting with this layout from the time that Cam and I spent in Italy last spring.

the water splash ( blue India ink) and the Euro coin are on there to help tell the story; in the photo we are at the fountain in Rome where you throw a coin over your shoulder to ensure you will visit Rome again someday :) I sure hope that we do!!! Our friend Helena and her family showed us all of the ins and outs of getting around Rome and having an incredible time doing it! We couldn't have dreamt up better hosts to spend our time in Italy with.
The title is written directly onto the photo using a regular black uniball, and a white out pen to fill it in.

vintage treasure hunting

2009-08-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

I have this little {completely unstoppable} Love for cool old finds that can be turned into comfy pieces in our home or fun props for my photo sessions. This week was a total Jackpot in the cool treasures department and I happen to have some fairly cute little models to help me show them off!
These old shutters were a super fun find at the habitat for humanity store for just $5! They will get hung on a little girlie wall and I will most likely use the little slats to hang something from....haven't decided yet, but I have been looking for some for quite awhile so....BOOYA!!!
(This little brown eyed shutter model is a total keeper too ;)

Next in line, this chandelier above was a steal at only $20, and since brushed Gold is not the look I am going for as a pretty bedroom light we added the investment of two cans of glossy white enamel spray paint and "Voila!" a gorgeous addition to the bedroom!!!...ok well this photo isn't quite at the "voila" stage yet all stripped down and on the side of the driveway but you get the idea...just imagine the "Voila", my paint was still wet.

Then I found this antique toboggan on our church ladies road trip, just a total random find at a cute little tea house for $5 and I have some really fun photo shoot ideas for it....I mean cute fall/winter ideas that do not involve summer clothing in my driveway LOL, but again you get it...
and of course if the photo ideas are a flop there will def. be a sweet spot out in my garden for this one.

Here's to cool treasures from the past!!!

Lost little girl

2009-08-05T22:53:00.000-07:00

" I have an idea mama, let's do some pictures where I am like a lost little girl out in the woods with my bunny...kind of old fashioned ones OK?" she says to me right before going into her little lost girl poses
and then she drops the bunny and goes for some wild flowers with the idea " now how about I am a girl in Love who picked some flowers and is dreaming of her wedding day, Ok mama ?!!!"
It is such a treat to do photos with kids who have their own ideas for the shoot, whether it's my own funny kids or someone else's, I always try and work with their ideas when I can, because these little folks work along with me with such passion when they are a part of the whole thing and not just along for the ride. As in most parts of life they have fantastic thoughts and ideas when we take the time to listen and give their ideas a shot!

Thanks to my Beautiful Tiara for a lovely time out in the trees...Luv ya kid!!!

the renos begin!!!

2009-08-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

Cam is on holidays for two weeks and we have quite the tall order of things we are hoping to accomplish around the house...the kind of big projects that don't seem to have the time to unfold during regular work weeks. Starting with Little Bella's room (formerly Emy's room). Our littlest one is in the habit of keeping everyone awake and making a ruckus at bedtime so we decided to get her a big girl bed for her 5th birthday and change things up a bit putting the two big girls in a room together and getting this little one on her own for awhile.
Here are a few before shots of the room as it has been for the past couple of years

I painted her flowers when we moved to this house 5 years ago, it was a promise I made to a very little girl who was unsure about moving. The desk is an antique that was mine as a little girl, and it had been my great grandmother's before that so we have tried to tie it into the room design when we can, she Loves the history in the piece. The Rose stool was Cam's grandmother's, and Emy painted the little canvas for herself :) We will be finding the desk a new spot for her to keep on Lovin' it in her new room.and this little corner has held her "special shelf" with a starfish from Hawaii, some special hangings with diff. significant meanings, a faith candle from her auntie and a really pretty prayer book, all topped off with Nanny's candle chandelier. It will be fun to set these all up in a new spot once we have the girls all moved and re-settled in.Here is a quick little peek at some of the fun going on around here so far....
we have the little primer girl covering my flowers with 6 coats of primer ( so far they keep bleeding through!)

...and our very happy painter of pink walls

I will have to show some after shots once we have everything finished...the plans are really pretty, with white wainscoting, a pretty coral-y pink called "devoted" and a delicate white chandelier I don't think we can go wrong!!!
Lucky little one :)

sweet summer day

2009-07-22T16:16:00.001-07:00

and.....a lazy sweet summer day to follow our busy one

The girls and I spent the afternoon out in the country dancing and giggling in the rain, it was perfect happiness; THIS is what being a little girl in the summer is all about!
I have no pictures of our day to share other than one of me in the van that I took for an e-course I am doing right now, and this one of my mother-in-laws flowers, because I too was dancing in the rain...I'm living in the moment my friends, it's good good stuff.

Wishing you a summer day just as Blessed and relaxing as ours!!!

Zoo day

2009-07-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

We spent the day at the zoo today with a couple of gals that we happen to adore...such a great way to spend one of the warmer summer days we have gotten so far, and the first time we have been to the Zoo this year. I Love watching the girls get excited about the same things I can remember loving as a little girl...those adorable crazy monkeys, the pink flamingos, and then there is just something about those big bears that always grabs every kid as they arrive for their zoo adventure!

Tiara was our vigilant map reader, Emy was our FAB peacock caller, and little Bella looked adorable in her carefully chosen "zoo clothes" ( AKA: a flowered dress, polk-a-dot tights, sparkly pink dress shoes and a safari hat LOL...I wish I was 4)
The Monkeys always have been and probably always will be my personal zoo fave...they're SO funny

...and this rare species of Monkey is pretty funny too, I have to say ;)

We had such a great time just doing the day at our own pace, which is sometimes so much better than the scheduled guided field trips. Was nice just to stop and sit in the grass for a picnic when we wanted to and stroll along as we pleased.

I completely adore this little moment; the warm end of day sun, the way Emy is holding her cute little foot and the gentle way that she stops to help her little sister to fill her water bottle at the fountain. She is such a sweet Big sister

I Love signs like this...they make me want to leave the walkwayExcept for dudes like this guy with the crazy hair to scare me into staying on the straight and narrow! The kids got a real kick out of him staring down at us with all of his unique and funky flair everyone took turns hatching out of big dino eggs and huddling inside of giant trees in the barn to finish the day. It was so super Rawkin' fantastic!
HUGE thanks to Julie and Jodi for spending the day with us girls and making it 100 times better just by being who you are!!!

in the moment

2009-07-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

Another page from my 8x8 "Grow" journal. It's been far too long since I shared anything art journalie. This one is has layers of paint, molding paste, and tape underneath ( see the dots and the textures?)
then it is topped with burlap and wood patterned mac tac, and some stamp and doodley bits.
I made this one out of the desire to express how I want to live my life "Being in the moment and Living right here and now"
I don't ever want to be too caught up in my own silliness to see the beauty around me. My life is truly a gift in so many different ways. I know this 100%...
That doesn't mean I am always good at putting aside all of the curve balls and savoring the moment, no siree, but hopefully this little page will serve as a good reminder and I will keep on trying my best :)

Today I will:
-leave my camera at home when we go for a walk so that I can giggle and jump and play with the girls,
-I will take time to observe the people I Love and appreciate what makes them each special,
-and I will make the choice to be patient and at peace in long lineups or traffic Jams or whatever comes my way...perhaps I will even play eye spy instead of getting ticked off.
That's the plan!!!

How are you making the choice to be living in the moment right now today?

little flood helper

2009-05-11T23:55:00.000-07:00

One of the things about living in Manitoba in the spring is that every couple of years there is some pretty crazy flooding for a lot of folks, and we all try to come together and make things a little bit better for those who need help. I Love that about Manitobans, I Love seeing the community spirit that I grew up with growing in my own children. This year happened to be some of the worst flooding we have gotten for years, people have been working together to help sandbag the homes which have been evacuated and so many people have lost much of their belongings to flood waters. It's so sad. So Bella and I spent a day out past Lockport helping some people to load their things out to safety, she was a great little helper and we took plenty of time to play together in the mud and water too. these are the kind of days I Love most...the kind of memories that you never forget. we were both suited up and totally right in there....
Check out these fabulous little hands full of nature's best paint!!!

She took a few slides right into the slippery mud and thought that was hilarious!Even found a fabulous and furry new little friend named "Diamond Rose Petal"and we did some very yummy baking too ;)
chocolate cream pie or a milkshake anyone?!

I am hoping to get some time with the bigger girls on the weekends when they are out of school to do some more of the same, helping out people who so desperately need to get high and dry, and having a great great time doing it :)
Feeling Thankful today for good hearted people, God's cool creations, and awesome exploring!!!

Weekend away

2009-05-04T22:57:00.000-07:00

Once or twice a year we try to go down to the states for a weekend away with Cam's family, the good ol' hotel kind of fun.
We just got back home from a FANTASTIC time!!!
Our Auntie came along this time and Cam's younger brother Kyle, who is in town for a holiday from the air force. The kids just adore both of them, and of course their grandparents are the heroes of their world, so the happiness level was definitely at the highest end of the scale!
There were yummy dinners out, shopping was done, oh yes it was done and done some more...BOOYA!
aaaand the kids had an absolute blast in the pools. Emy was a little fishy as she always is and the little two girlies donned every floaty item possible ( I'm talkin' goggles, life jacket, two blow up rings AND flippers!) and finally got up the courage to join in the water fun in the Big pool

Bella even discovered a water canon to soak us all with and thought she was quite the tricky one LOL!We are so incredibly thankful to be a part of such a loving and fantastic family.
So So Blessed.

spring splashers

2009-04-27T23:31:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite Muckosky spring traditions is to go for long walks and splish splash sploosh in all of the big puddles until the girls boots are squooshy and filled up with water and they all get thrown in the tub to warm up when we get back home...SO much fun...I really need to get me some rubber boots so that I can splish splash sploosh right along with them!!!
I know, seriously I just really refuse to grow up! but I'm good with that.

This weekend the good times were all about these two little munchkins...they are the die hard adventurers...Tiara needed to watch first and check out, once again this year, what she would be getting herself into.

I LOVE this kind of outdoor, messy, totally free adventuring!!! their little squeals of pure Joy and the fun of totally letting go and enjoying Life together. Whoot for spring, and double Whoot for crazy cool Kids!!!

It's party time!!!

2009-04-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

It's time to partay in the Little Dreamer Shoppe...Little Dreamer is celebrating it's 2nd Birthday and there is all kinds of fun going on over there!
A sale, all kinds of challenges and giveaways and SOOOO many fun birthday themed kits up by different designers for a steal of a deal at only $3.00!
Here is mine; 26 hand painted pieces to bring your celebration pages a lil' bit of Rawkin' Birthday Booya!
come on over and Celebrate with us!

re-packaged

2009-04-20T23:00:00.000-07:00

What is this you ask?
It is my Store..and it is finally getting all of my products re-packaged and loaded up for sale, YAYY!!!
Thanks so so much to all of you awesome supportive customers who have been emailing and asking where to find these stuffs, I'll keep working as hard as I can to get everything back up for sale A.S.A.P.

Happy Creating!!!!!

Fire Hall

2009-04-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

I tagged along for the preschool trip to the fire hall today...I seriously think that I like these field trips as much, or possibly even more than the kids do!!! I guess it brings out the little kid in me who always has gotten super stoked about a good field trip :)
Little Bella was pretty nervous before hand, and definitely backed away from the fire fighter dude in his full attire, but on the whole she did awesome and had a really good time; climbed up in the front and back of the truck and even used the little remote thingy that lowers the hoses in the tower and makes a bit of noise...Whooo hooo Bella!
She was pretty pleased with herself for being a "big girl" and Totally proud of her new fire hat.

here's to many more happy "big girl" outings in years to come!

Easter in pictures

2009-04-15T23:12:00.000-07:00

Not as many as I usually would have to share but I am finally getting around to loading up some of the pictures from this past Easter and just thought I'd share a few of my faves for all of our family far away to feel like they can be in on it just a wee little bit.
(Love you guys)

The pretty flowers, yummy dinner, and Nana's pumpkin pies; the Easter surprises for the kids who were flouncing around in their pretty dresses, and the Awesome church services made for an all around perfect few days together. We are so so very Blessed.

cleaning pages

2009-04-10T23:53:00.000-07:00

We've been working at going through stuff around here and DE-CLUTTERING our lives....clear clear clear it OUT!!!

Anyways, I have come across a number of the pages that have gotten sent back to me after publication over the past couple of years and haven't quite made it into scrapbooks yet...I really need a better system for that cuz they tend to just come home and get a smile from me and the girls and then get set aside for sometime later, tsk tsk to me....sooooo I thought for those of you who maybe don't read CK or for our sweet family out there who love the stories ON these pages and the cute cute little people in the pictures I would post a few of them to share over the next while :)

This first layout above was in June '08 CK and is about the struggles My Tiara faces with her Sensory issues. She calls them her "Tough Days" and the journaling is about how the tough days she is facing will make her into a strong and beautiful woman, how her amazing strength and beautiful love give her wings and will help her to soar through it all while she learns and grows from each step of the journey. I decided to document this in her scrapbook because Tiara's struggles with anxiety and sensory issues were so very real for her right at the time I was making this, as much a part of her story as all of the happy smiley stuff I usually scrap about. I think that the page really captures her feelings and is a great encouragement to her. She kept coming to look at it as I was working on the detail bits, and telling me that it really is how she feels sometimes and that she will get her wings pretty soon too.

I just kept on telling her that she already has them.

sweet girl :)

The page design was inspired by this cool shell chandelier that hangs at My in-laws place. My little hanging bits represent her many tears, and the hearts on the wings represent her love and strength giving her freedom and helping her to fly through those tough days.

Quick technique notes: I painted a few different shades of blue and green with watercolors onto a full sheet of cold press paper, inspired by the chandelier colors of course, then ripped them into tiny pieces and hung them together with small jump rings. The drippy masking tape is the stuff I used on my edges to hold the paper down while I painted, re-enforcing the mood of the layout and providing an exact color match to balance out that bottom right corner of my page.

And the good news, Tiara is not worry free but is doing so much better this year than ever before...her "Tough Days" are much fewer and father between.

Spring Break Check-in #2

2009-04-05T22:33:00.000-07:00

For the second half of our Spring Break week we have taken in plenty more good family fun....it's everywhere you turn, look out!
In fact, I think my maturity level has actually regressed this week and I might not want to go back to semi-responsible grown-up-ness when the week is done...these small people are just WAY too much fun to groove with, I ADORE them!

We have sung very LOUDLY, painted all sorts of surfaces, The girls did some thrift store shopping with the money they have been saving up and got themselves a whole bunch of pretty cool finds, Emy and I explored a cool antique store, and All 5 of us took a nice long trip to the bookstore; which is always good for all involved.We finished up the week with a fun trip out for a 3-D flick; Cam and I took the girls to Monsters VS Aliens, which is kind of funny to those who know us well, since we are usually pretty careful what they watch and wouldn't even consider most things with Monsters OR Aliens in the title, but this one was actually Reeeeeeeally good! No one had a scary moment, Cam only had to hide his eyes once, and no bad dreams resulted.

Just a little FYI; I usually check out reviews for movies we are unsure of from a christian perspective at Plugged in which is a great website from focus on the family.

Truth is, I will sure miss these kiddos when they head back to school this coming week, it has been RAD-awesome to have the time to slow things down (or hype things up!) with my little ladies and have so much extra fun. Here's to funny glasses, good books and great people, both big and small!