Eleonor's Stamping Blog

A Little Bit of Summer in my Kitchen.

I was at Home Depot last week to look at racking for my craft room and was distracted at all the wonderful flowers in the garden section.  I never even got to the racking....I just walked around and looked at all the beautiful flowers.  I ended up buying this:

 

Notice that it is green, my fave colour.  And I filled it with these:

 

I love my set of African violets.  The guy working in the garden section told me to be careful not to get the leaves wet as they will turn brown.  I obviously am not too good at this cause I can already see one leaf starting to turn brown.  I have to pay more attention when I water them next time.  I look at my flowers everyday when I am doing the dishes!   The racking??  Never did get to them.  I'll have to go back and buy it next time -- and stay away from the garden section!

The new A Muse classes are now up on display at the store I work at.  There will be 2 classes using these stamps and you can see the images here.

Below is a card I made using a Stampin' Up hostess set called the More the Merrier.  

  

This card features some of the new colours unveiled for this year, here is a closer look.

 

For those who have been asking about my Stampin' Up card kits, you can see the info on the set here.

Have a good weekend everyone.  Enjoy the sunshine!

Busy days.

It's been quite a couple of weeks.  Starting off, of course with Jordan's Dry Grad and Alyssa's birthday parties then continuing on with Canada Day celebrations at home and at work.  This was followed by my High School Reunion -- what a fun time we had.  It was wonderful to see my high school friends and I have to say....we all have aged beautifully.  I can honestly say that everyone looked awesome!  Here we are at the Arbutus Club during our reunion dinner.

 

It seemed like just yesterday when we were all together in school and now we are married, have families and our kids are graduating from High School!  It was great to reconnect and I know that all these friends of mine will continue to stay friends and some of us have already made plans to meet again.  So cool.  There is nothing like friendship and the ones that last and endure are the ones that are the most special.

I have been asked by some of my subscribers when I will be featuring another Stampin' Up stamp kit and the answer is NOW!  I will be updating my kit blog in the next couple of days.  If you want to be included in the email announcing the next kit, please drop me an email with your contact info (email please) and I will include you in my email blast.  In the meantime, here is one of the cards in my next kit.  It features a new hostess set from the new catalogue called "The More, the Merrier".

  

 

This card uses the new Rich Razzleberry ink and cardstock introduced by Stampin' Up this month.  The rest of the kit will also include more of the new colours!  Again, if you want to be notified of the kit release, drop me an email.

 

Happy Canada Day!

Canadian and proud of it!

A Card, A Son and a Daughter

A Card: This is the third card in my Clearly Manipulated class at I'm Impressed.  The classes run in July and August and the class calendar is now up and you can view it here.

 

The inside of the vase is watercoloured with a waterbrush and an inkpad and then I added Ranger Glossy accents on top to create the look of water.

The flowers are coloured using Copic markers and I added glitter in the centers.  The card looks so much better in person, so come into the store and see for yourself.  Don't forget to say hi to me when you visit!  We have a fun make n'take planned for the kids on Canada Day, July 1, so come out and enjoy the holiday with us at I'm Impressed -- remember Canada Day is July 1, 2009.  Check out the I'm Impressed blog here for more info on this event.

A Son: This past Friday was Jordan's Dry Grad celebration.  Dry Grad is a fun way for kids to celebrate their graduation in a fun, safe and responsible manner.  As part of the Dry Grad committee,  I was very happy to see what a succes this event turned out to be.  We chose a carnival/circus theme for the evening.  Here are some pics:

 

The entrance to the school was decked out with a red carpet, balloon arches  and spotlights.  The faces on the kids' faces as they arrived were priceless.

 

The gym looked amazing -- we used both gyms at school, one being used for Lazer tag -- which was so popular with the kids. 

 

Starbucks was kind enough to let us use some of their equipment to create a coffee bar.

 

We had a poker table -- fake money of course and they won prizes for first to fourth place.

 

The photo booth was a popular spot that night!  The kids took as many pics as they wanted for free....they absolutely loved it!

 

The bungee pull was also a popular station.  Of course, the parents had to try it out before the kids did!

The mocktail bar.  The kids were thirsty after all that playing! 

It was a long year of planning and fundraising for this event.  We (the parents) were at the school till very late the prior 2 days before this event setting both gyms up and we were there all night to make sure things went well and to stock and restock all the food/drinks, etc.  It was tiring!  But the kids at Jordan's school are an awesome bunch.  I have never seen a more polite, well mannered and outstanding group of kids ever!  All night long, they kept coming into the kitchen where we were busy working to thank us again and again for all the work we did for them.  I absolutely love these kids and I'm kinda sorry that I won't be seeing them anymore....!  Jordan also thanked me and while I thought he wouldn't like the idea of his Mom being at his Dry Grad (though he never really saw me except when I entered the gym to restock food!)....he actually sought me out several times that night to show me his photo booth pic, show me his signed t-shirt, run excitedly into the kitchent to tell me he loved Lazer Tag......it was wonderful to see him share his excitement with me.  Grad is a once in a lifetime event, and I can truly say he enjoyed his.  And the fact that I was part of it made it special for me as well.  A priceless memory for me.

A Daughter:  The day after Dry Grad, it was Alyssa's turn.  It was her 13th birthday party.  She had all her little girlfriends over for a Lazer Tag party.  While I was exhausted from being up all night the night before, I couldn't not do this for Alyssa after what she knew I had done for Jordan.  And she was thrilled with her party!  Here she is with her friends at Planet Lazer gettting ready for battle!

After their games at Planet Lazer, we took them all for pizza and dessert at Pizza Hut.

 

It was a very tiring weekend for me, but as a Mom, it was one of the most fullfilling weekends of my life.  To see my kids reach milestones in their young lives and to see them growing up happy, healthy and well balanced is all any parent (me at least!) really want.  

If you have kids, enjoy them.  The grow up way too fast. 

Shapely Vases

My class samples are finally on display at the store.  I will be teaching a class called "Clearly Manipulated" in July and August which will feature a technique called shape shifting using Stampendous' clear stamp set called "Shapely Vases".  The vase and stem images in this set are meant to be manipulated to create any shape you want.  Here is one of the cards.

This particular card only uses the flower images in the set as I wanted to show how the flowers can be used independent of the vase. 

I used the scor-pal to make the lattice background on the main image.  I will post another card using the vase image in my next update -- but the second card using the vase can be seen at the I'm Impressed blog here.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Dad's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day and Doug came down to meet me after work for dinner.  Bob (Doug's brother) came as well with his family. 

It was a nice family dinner -- the first one we've shared with Doug's side of the family, since both our fathers passed.  We must do it more often.  Life passes by so quickly and opportunities should never be passed up.  I miss my Dad still.  There are so many moments we shared that I think about and wish I could relive.  Not so much the big moments like my 18th birthday or my wedding.  Important as they are, it's the small, silly and mundane moments I shared with Dad that I really miss.  Moments like when he would phone me at work and utter one word.  Sashimi!  That meant he wanted me to buy some sashimi and bring it home for him.  He loved to eat that.  Or the way he would squeeze my kids so tight when they went up to kiss him.  And I loved that whenever I left my parent's home he would walk out the front door and watch me drive away.  Miss those moments.  Miss my Dad.  I think of him all the time, but specially yesterday.

When we got home, I decided to make cards simply for the fun of making them.  Not for a class, not for a display board, not for an order.  Just for fun.  And because I could!  I made this.

The colored stamped pieces start of as white then I filled the pieces in with color using sponges and direct to paper method --- haven't done that since the early days! 

To add colour, just use a stampin' sponge to pick up colour from an inkpad.  Just pounce up and down to pick up the ink on the pad, then do the same to transfer the colour onto your blank, stamped piece.  It's an easy and super fast way to add colour to large areas.

 

My base card is a ruby colour, but the inside of it is white so a message can still be written on the white side.  This paper is called duplex cardstock -- colour on the outside, white on the inside.  Here's another close up of the card.

 

Well, happy Monday everyone.  Have a great week ahead.

Alcohol Inks Revisited

I am teaching new classes in July/Aug at I'm Impressed.  One of them will be an Alcohol Ink class -- these inks have been around for awhile, but I've been asked by many customers about them, so I decided to use them in this class.  Here is one of the cards in the class.

 

This card is actually a replica of a card I made last year that was published in Papercrafts.  You can check out the published card here.  Here is a close up look.

 

This card has many layers to it and each of the 1x1" squares features a punched out star.  Check out the second card in the class at the I'm Impressed blog here.

Hope you can join me at class!  Check out the class calendar here.  It should have the class dates in the next week or two.

Summertime, summertime....sum,sum,summertime!

Well, summer is in full swing in my little corner of the world.  And in 2 weeks, elementary school lets out for the summertime which means that the waterpark in Granville Island where I work will be full of little children, running around and enjoying the water.  I took my camera to work and took a pic of it last week.

 

Pretty empty right now -- this was taken during the week so most kids were at school.  I got brave and went up close and personal with one of the water spouts -- risking my camera getting wet, but it was too nice a day not to get close to the water!

 

I did get wet, just a little bit and my camera got a few drops...but not enough to hurt it.  I love taking shots like this and I always take my camera with me as much as possible wherever I go.  I am saving money to buy a powerful zoom lens -- the one I want runs about $400....then I can take even better pics!

Pretty soon this little thing below will see long lineups as the kids flock to the island to play!

 

I've been busy at work and at home....lots of year end stuff going on with both kids graduating -- Jordan from High School and Alyssa from elementary school.  I haven't had time to do basic house stuff including grocery shopping.  Jordan said to me, "Mom, can you please go grocery shopping???" And I told him to make a list of what he wanted me to buy -- cause there are certain things he likes that I don't necessarily buy all the time like chocolate milk, certain cookies, etc, etc.  I had a good laugh when his list had one word on it.  FOOD.  Just goes to show you how much I had neglected the shopping!  So today I went and bought so much stuff that when I got home I had to do some creative moving around to get everything in the fridge and pantry. 

Jordan's Grad Valedictory was last Friday and it was a memorable night.  We knew he was getting a $2000 scholarship from UBC, but we were surprised (so was he!) that night when his name was called for a special Music scholarship from Tom Lee for all his DJ work at the school.  He DJ's as a hobby and has gotten quite good at it.  Here he is with Doug, Alyssa and Mom at Grad.

We are very proud of him and all he has accomplished this year.  He has proven that if you set your mind on something, anything is possible.  I'm crossing my fingers, toes and eyes hoping that Alyssa is observing her brother and will learn by example!!

Tonight I spent some time making these boxes.  They are such fun to make.  I used the matchbox die from Stampin' Up to make them.

 

They are filled with Hershey's chocolate nuggets!  Perfect little gifties, don't ya' think?

Milestones, Regrets and a new Class....

Milestones: Alyssa turned 13 this weekend.  A teenager!! My youngest is a teenager.   How did that happen, and where did the time go?  I remember the day I had her very vividly (by C-section!) and now, here she is a teen.  The heart palpitations come fast and furious when I think of her starting to date, but thankfully that won't be for awhile yet...she's so into her dancing that she's not even remotely interested in that....(thank heavens, for my sake!) Here is a picture of Alyssa and Taren, my niece.  They always celebrate their birthdays together since they were born one day apart -- Alyssa turned 13 ad Taren turned 25.

 

I got them tiaras to wear and numbered candles, but the store had run out of the #5's, so we improvised.  Of course, all my nieces and nephews (smarty pants that they are....) kept yelling, don't forget to light the 5, don't forget to light the 5! 

Regrets:  I had to teach last night and Jordan had his awards night at school.  He won several awards, but he also won an individual award for Top Math Student for the school and I missed him being called up on stage to receive that.  A moment I will always regret!  It is a distinction that even I never won at school, though I thought I did pretty good....Jordan has proven that there is always room for improvement as he surely has surpassed even my wildest hopes as far as his achievements.  So proud of him!

 

New Class:  Finally, I have a new class scheduled for July/August at I'm Impressed.  It is a technique based class using alcohol inks.  Alcohol inks have been around for some time, but we've had several customers come in asking how they are used, so I thought why not feature them again.  Here are scans of one of the cards.

 

The background starts off as white glossy and we will create the background using different alcohol inks and a grid stamp.  Hope to see some of you at class!

Island Life

It is very hot in my neck of the woods right now.  Thankfully we have centralized AC at home, so it's nice and cool indoors.  Summer is definitely making its presence known in Vancouver, B.C.!  It has been nice at work and I've been able to capture life on the island.....

 

Mommy & Daddy Geese have been out everyday keeping people company at lunch and waiting to be fed.  The gelato place by the pond sells birdseed which the tourists and locals alike are only too happy to buy to feed the ducks and geese.  The kids go wild over the animals and I sat on a bench at lunch and watched all the kiddies in action.

 

I love this picture.  These 2 kids were standing looking at the geese and I could hear their conversation:
little girl:  Is that the mommy and daddy duck?
little boy: I don't know.  How can you tell if they are or not?"
little girl: I think they are because they are the biggest.
little boy:  Well, the bigger one is the daddy.  Daddies are always bigger than mommies.

So cute.  What was funnier is that I looked at the geese who looked like they were having a discussion of their own about the 2 kids....kinda like "why are you staring at us?  That is rude!!"

Then there was this cute little guy.

 

This kid did not want to leave the park when it was time to go home and screamed bloody murder when his parents tried to pick him up to leave.  They kept trying to pull him back by the hood of his jacket.  He screamed so loud and they finally had to bribe him with candy to make him stop!  I love to spend my lunch hours outside and am looking forward to the entire summer on the island! 

We have a new product in the store called embellie gellie.  Love that name.  Here is what it looks like.

 

It is a quick pick n' stick for charms, sequins, beads, buttons, punched shapes and many other small little embellishments you want to put on your project. After you apply adhesive to your project you mold a pearl sized ball of the gellie onto the end of your wand and then use it to pick up all the little tiny embellishments you want to add to your work.  It is strong enough to pick up heavier things like buttons and charms, yet it releases lightweight items like confetti with ease.  I love this product.  I used it to make the card below.

 

I added the rhinestones with my embellie gellie.  I also used class-a-peel stickers which I stuck to watercolour paper and then watercoloured.  For more info on how I made this card, check out the I'm Impressed blog.

Lastly I want to thank my good friend Sarah Lucow who we asked to design the Stamp Out Breast Cancer poster we needed for last weekend's event.

Not only did she do an excellent job, but Sarah wanted nothing in return.  Thank you Sarah -- you are so talented and I'm lucky to call you my friend!....(but let's face it, you're pretty lucky too to be able to call me your friend....!  just kidding!!)  You're awesome!