Blog change update

I have created a new blog to go with my new e-mail address and I think it will be easier - more fun - to remember!

To reach me, please redirect to:

www.beadspaperyarn.blogspot.com

Hope to see you there!
- Heather

whole lotta nothing

Haven't been as creative as I'd hoped so far this month. I've been busy doing other things, including visiting with Jamie and my adorable grandson. Max will be 3 months old on July 30th. He's growing so big, and is such a chunky monkey - love his chubby little rolls! Here is what I did for Jamie for a birth announcement - we're so far behind that they haven't been sent out yet, but that's what next week is for, right?!? Getting a little more familiar with Photo Shop Elements -Scrapper's Guide is a great learning place!

Today I'm off to Grasshopper Gallery in Irricana - some of my goodies are in there, along with a whole lot of amazing artists' creations.  Check this place out - it's well worth a trip to this cute little town. Grab a drink and a snack and head on out!

Etsy Store Now Open

Finally did it - after being in a trade fair in Irricana last weekend I posted a few unsold items in my new etsy store. So exciting after thinking about it for so long and finally doing it. I have been spending my time playing with beads and paper mostly, and a wee bit of yarn in the form of crocheted flowers at the request of my scrappin' friend Eryn. She intends to use stamping inks to colour white flowers - can hardly wait to see the finished results!

I have sold a dozen of the following cards to the lovely Unwind Yarn and Fibre Lounge in Gibson, BC, of course keeping with the fibre theme for the store:

And here is my newest passion - Paper Quilling. I will be adding a line of cards embellished with quilled little lovelies like these feet, and I'll also be selling Quilled Treasures on my Etsy site - a selection of six or so themed items to create your own cards. The following was a "congrats" card, but wouldn't these make lovely announcements, with room for a photo inside?

And last - but *certainly* not least - my greatest passion, my dear Jamie and Adam's baby Max. I love being able to spend more time with Jamie now that she's on maternity leave, and cuddling this adorable little man. This is the bear Uncle Derek got him for Christmas, before he was born. Whenever he sees this bear, it'll remind him of his wonderful uncle!

Something new...

I know it's been awhile since I posted. It has been a tough past few weeks. My Dad passed away on April 10th after suffering congestive heart failure on March 6th. I'm thankful to have had visited Dad twice in April, including being with him when he passed. I miss him terribly - I am Daddy's Little Girl.

However - my daughter's baby decided he needed to come three weeks early to end April on a joyful note for our family. Introducing... Max Adam Lowe - born April 30th at 9:24 am. Here he is at 3 days old. What a beautiful little man he is!

Here he is with Mommy and Daddy minutes after making his entrance into the world by C-section, weighing in at 6 lbs 4 oz and 19 1/2 inches long.

And of course, we have to include a shot of the proud Grandma with her little grandson. Thanks for the good tears this time, baby Max!

Project 12 - March

March was the month for the girl's birthdays, mother and daughter. Good times. Next up - April will be the time for my son's military grad. Photos of a handsome man in uniform coming soon...

Project 12 - January & February

It seems everything I make is always as a gift for someone else, so I decided it's long past time to do a scrapbook for myself. My book is going back to the start of 2007, which is when I began my new life as a single woman. Sometimes we don't have control of the twists and turns life throws at us - but we always are in control of how we deal with them. As the saying goes, life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you deal with it!

One of my scrappin' buddies, Eryn, turned me on to the Project 12 Challenge. What a perfect way to ensure you keep track of what's happening in your life! Each month you are given a double layout sketch and if you get it in on time, you are elegible for monthly prizes. As is always the way with a challenge, you win even if you don't get a prize.

Here is my double layout for January:
And here are the two pages for February:

Unwind Yarn & Fibre Lounge

A new yarn store has opened in Gibsons, BC on the Sunshine Coast --- one more good reason to check out this little piece of heaven on earth. Check out Unwind Yarn & Fibre Lounge on Facebook. I've been asked to create a line of journals for this lovely new store.

Below is a project book for all your knitting and crochet projects - with room for a photo, yarn sample and label.

I also did a number of plain lined journals - no two are alike so hopefully something to suit everyone...

Jeanne Marie's Scraps

So I headed over to ACOT on Saturday to see what was going on, and found Jeanne Marie was having a contest - buy her 365 Grab Bag, use some of it in a layout, and post it. It was quite a kit for only five bucks that day --- here's what I put together:

Shhh, here's Kari's b-day card. It was send a couple weeks late so she doesn't have it yet. I had fun playing with this SU paper pack - I'd been letting it "age" for a few months. I have a problem with buying things because I love them but then not wanting to use them because then it'll be gone. Silliness because there will ALWAYS be something new to fall in love with :)

I did something different for Kari too - a journal jar with accompanying journal. I coordinated them with the card too, and forgot to take a photo. Oops. If you're interested in journal jars, just do a search. There are many ideas - three things, random words, books, what would you do if... Pretty much whatever you can think of that will inspire you to get those creative juices flowing out of your pen.

And sometimes...

... things just don't work out the way you want or expect. I had my exploratory surgery yesterday and the doctor was unable to do the repair procedure we hoped for. Still on the roller coaster, no hope of ever getting off. And so it goes.

I did have a great overnight with my daughter though - she's an awesome little nurse and we had a great time visting and crafting. Here's one of my items from today - my Dad's 75th birthday card. His birthday is next Sunday. sure wish I could be there with him.

A whole lotta thinkin' going on...

My surgeon's office called Wednesday to give me an earlier surgery date after I had to cancel January's surgery. I had that adrenaline rush when I got the call - "oh good, oh shit, oh yes, oh no!" After two poor nights of sleep and a great physio session, I slept well last night, and feel pretty good today.

Crohn's disease. For a couple years my GI and I have been waffling, hoping what had been ulcerative colitis for many years had not progressed to Crohn's. Well - I think it's now a done deal. Crohn's it is. After having major surgery 11 months ago, colectomy and ileostomy, I am still having issues that are definitely Crohn's-related. Abscess. Fistula. Arthritis.

I have learned alot through this journey living with a chronic illness, and continue to learn --- about myself and my strengths, about attitude, about loved ones, family, friends. And the most important thing I've learned --- you cannot do it yourself. Accept and appreciate the help you are offered, be it a ride to an appointment, a listening ear, a bit of advice. Thank you to all of you who are there during it all. xo

If you would like to learn more about IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) there are great resources:

CCFC - Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada

Uncover Ostomy - an awareness project

Colitis Blog - a scientist-patient looks at IBD

last two album pics

these pages are special to me - the first shows my mom and my son --- the day before the party, we three went and decorated. derek couldn't be at the party, so he made up for it by making vases full of cranberries and candles, and flowers... and decorated the place up for his little sis. I had made a dozen huge pompoms to represent snowballs to hang from a beam on the ceiling. However - after going up a ladder twice Derek informed me "eff that, you get four pompoms instead of 12." --- didn't like the ladder :)

Wedding album part 3

Wedding Album continued

Jamie and Adam's wedding album

I'm almost done the wedding album - very productive day on Saturday and today... here are the first few.

The real deal for my own scrapbook

Time for my book - not a gift for someone else, but for me! I'm scrapping (in no particular order) my life since singlehood. Here are two pages - both from my Aug.09 roadtrip to Kelowna and Vancouver...

I am really enjoying the digital scrapping experience. I have to start scrapping my own life - going back to February 2007 when my new life as a single woman began. Can't start back then, though, I am starting with my summer vacation last year. Two week roadtrip from home to the west coast of Vancouver. And of course, several days in Kelowna with my Mom and Dad. I did this layout 8 1/2 x 11, I'm not sure why... my album is 12 x 12! I will just have to expand or redo it.

Party party party...

Jamie and Adam's wedding scrapbook is a combo of paper and digital. I decided the reception would be all digital, so did the following pages for her. Not a lot of style - just working on getting a large number of photos onto each page.

My family's page - my Mom, one of my brothers, and the nieces and their spouses and babies...

The groom's family and friends:

Jamie's father's page:

And finally - a fun silly series of the bride and groom... Adam was very tolerant about dressing him up after a few rum's :)

Settling in at BMQ

My dear son is into week 2 of his military training. He's received his kit, and is currently sewing name labels on every article of clothing. Good thing I taught that man how to mend! And - he has purchased the 5x7 frame he's allowed to have on his shelf. He asked me for some pics to swap out, so here's what I did. I'm loving SU's My Digital Studio - got to make these pages, and then sent to Walmart to print for a whole 97 cents each. Now I'm off to the post office with his package.

UncoverOstomy.com --- something to say!

I've raved about this site to my family and friends before - an awareness campaign complete with blog by the lovely inside and out Jessica Grossman. If you want to learn about life with an ostomy, this is the place.

Today's journal entry is written by a friend/ex-boyfriend of Jess, who is giving his perspective. As a single woman, of course the eventual desire to date will grab me - and along with the usual insecurities of sharing myself with someone, the extra "what will he think of an ostomy". Here is Mike's perspective. Sounds like quite a guy.

Digital Scrapping

My first digital album - Jamie and Adam's wedding. Here are a few pages from the 15-page album I've created for my parents and myself.

I love this photo series - so fun! Taken the morning of their wedding in downtown Victoria, a great way to start the day in a fun way, no nervous bride and groom here.
Jamie loves the dancing in the square shot, and i just adore the middle shot. And the pair of coolsters, I love that shot too.

The ceremony - in the library at Abigail's hotel. They left the library decorated from Christmas, all in coppers and bronzes, Jamie's favourite. They said it looked beautiful.

Love this LO I borrowed from Days - love the row of flowers.

And of course, I had to include a bride page - my baby girl, wearing the birdcage veil and fastenator I made her. The center of the flower is a combo of pearls and crystals... the crystals came from my mama, from an old old necklace she had. Another treasure, the little pearl sprays from a dear friend, intermingled with the feathers.