Happy Halloween!!

Hello, Again!

I figured that today was a great day to re-start my blog!

Thank you for being patient with me and not giving up!

I had so much fun creating this 8 1/2  x 11 

HALLOWEEN LAYOUT

that I knew it was time to share and get this blog back on schedule...

Welcome to my blog of simple and fast creativity... I like to think that I create for everyone!! On this blog you will find creations, tips and techniques to help you with your own projects... scrapbook pages, cards and sometimes, 3D projects! I hope that I can inspire you!

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Today's creation was definitely spurred on by the day and wonderful products at my finger tips! And, of course, the coolest headband that a person could find for Halloween. 

A reminder for me of the greatest Halloween movie!

 The base paper is Wisteria (X6032)

The layer is a piece of paper from the mix-in pack from the Fall Catalogue 

The stamp set is an amazing stamp set designed by Aimee Ferre simply titled 

Halloween by Aimee Ferre (D1893).

*this stamp is also stunning when colored, but today I chose not to.

The paper is edged with a black shimmer brush (Z4224).

The words [Spooky] [Boo] are made super sparkly with our Wisteria Shimmer Brush (Z3511).

Love it!

The picture is wrapped with mink twine (Z4221).

The stamped images and picture are all layered onto black glitter paper (Z3236).

*when adhering an item to any of our glitter paper, I use glue dots as this holds better. 

I also used adhesive and 3D foam tape, crinkled the pattern paper and sanded it, and used my favorite black ink which is the Intense Black Ink (Z4189).

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a wonderful Thursday and a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Xoxo Gwen

2019!!

Welcome to a New Year!

With a new year, comes an amazing amount of new product and fresh ideas!

I am so excited that Close To My Heart is a company on top of all of this!! Even after 35 years in the business!!

I can't wait to share everything with you!!

If you know me by now, you know I love simple. 

Beautiful, elegant, classy and simple.

I don't always memory keep in chronological order.

I like to scrapbook my favorite pictures first.

If I find an 'old' picture and fall in love with it, I get that one into

my scrapbook as soon as possible.

I guess if there was rules to the memory keeping world, I'd be breaking them all.

These are some of the reasons that I continue to fall in love with the

Story by Stacy

line that Close To My Heart and Stacy Julian continue to grow with their partnership!  Yayyyy for all of us!! 

I am so excited to be working on dates to offer this amazing workshop for you!!  Stories I Love is going to be such an fabulous workshop to share!!  As well as so many others because, as I said, with an amazing amount of new product, comes some wonderful ideas to be shared!!

Here's to a Wonderful 2019!!

xoxo Gwen

 

Friendship...

Michael Buble's in the BUILDING!! Oh, I so wish.  He is singing in the background though, and that's good enough for me.  For now.  I love a good crooner, and he's my favorite.

Today I'm posting, as my title says, about Friendship.  These are the pages and the picture that confirmed to me that my memory keeping was missing something.  The first picture is the design and layout that brings me peace and satisfaction.  Yes, this page I fussed with and played with, BUT, I worked around the picture and the story.  I kept the focus on my goal.

When telling my story, I remembered how good it felt that Debbie took time from her day and met me for lunch.  She knew I needed her.  I feel the colors of the layout are also saying this.  The colors bring softness to mind.  Kindness.  You can't see it in the picture, but I also used a shimmer brush on the stamped saying and that speaks to me about classiness. Treasure glitters and friendship is a treasure. 

"Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart." - A.A. Milne

Love, love, love this!!  Sometimes, it's the simple actions that we can do or give, but it's so much more than that to the person receiving them. Kindness is so important.

The part that I played with, is the marbled rectangle in the background behind the saying.  To be honest, it was laying on my desk from that mornings card class.  My guests and I took shaving creme and ink refills, stirred it up and then laid a piece of watercolor paper on top.  Pushed gently, pulled it up and used a ruler to get the excess shaving creme off.  A beautiful piece of paper to complete a story that reminds me of a beautiful friend (and the friends that I spent time with that morning making cards)!!

This is memory keeping.

As you can see from the picture right above me, or the second layout, I was focused on the products.  I love what I do and share it with others, but you always have to remember that memory keeping is about the picture and the story.  The design and creation is the celebration of the two!!

Have a fantabulous and wonderful day!!

xoxo Gwen

*Please note that all products are Close To My Heart products!  This is the company that I am an Independent Consultant with absolutely LOVE!! 

I'm Not Just A Scrapbooker...

I'm back. I have no real good reason as to why it's taken me so long to blog again, but I think that you need to know me.

Yesterday I was asked...

"Why do you do what you do? What drew you to it in the first place?"
When you think about it, I think we should all take a step back and routinely ask ourselves this question, to see if we're on the right track, or if we have lost our way a bit, as it does happen.  When pondering this question, I realized that I may have lost my way a bit.

I can honestly say that 26 years ago, I started scrapbooking because I loved the papers, the playing and designing, reliving the moments that the pictures brought to the surface, seeing the changes (some good, some not so good).

Yesterday, I realized that something was missing...

"Why do I do what I do?  What drew me to it in the first place?"

Telling my story.  My story is important.  All of our stories are important.
 
All the reasons for starting scrapbooking, for me, are the same, but what was missing, were the words.  The words that tell the story.  The words that tell the feelings.  The words that tell the memories.  A picture without words is just a picture.

A picture with words is a story.  It's a journal.  It's a life.  It's a piece of me.  It's my heart.  It's my soul.  It's MY life.  My legacy.  My memories.  

One day, those memories may fade.  They may disappear.  Unfortunately, it happens.  One day, the memories are just gone.  These memories matter.  My husband and my kids know that I love them, but with my pictures and words, they can hear and remember why I love them. 

I'm not just a scrapbooker.  I'm not just a woman with a hobby.  

I'm creative.  A designer.
I'm a photographer.
I'm a journalist.
I'm a reporter.
I'm a teacher.
I'm a business owner.
I am so much more than a scrapbooker...


I am a memory book designer and teacher and I am good at what I do.

I'll see you tomorrow as I restart my blogging journey!!


xoxo Gwen 

 

Happy September!

Today I present to you a Halloween Card!!!

This is a 'Wow!' moment for me as it has been years since I designed and created a Halloween card!!

I am truly loving CTMH's new Holiday Expressions catalogue that went LIVE on September 1st!!  You must check it out!!

https://gwenanderson.closetomyheart.ca

*If you open the above link, click on Products and then Idea Books...you will be able to download and look at both of CTMH's brand new catalogues.  They are fabulous!!

 

Products Featured:

X7724B Cats and Bats Paper Pack

Z4045 Cats and Bats Scrapbooking Stamp & Thin Cuts

X5995/Z2833 (New) Pebble Cardstock and Ink Pad

Z2457 Marigold ShinHan Marker

I believe that sometimes when we are creating and showing new product, we forget to use techniques that we love!!  One of the reasons that I love CTMH is the white core paper, wrinkling it and then inking over top to give the paper a completely different look.

 

I am also pleased as punch that this card will enable me to enter into Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge this week!!  This will be my first time entering a card!!  Whoop whoop!!

 https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2k3QZwM1Vs7sZIT4yrZ1jVd1e-aOLEqoh_L0Yn_8m-zlr81E44PaGP0baJlK_MeyXlKlLPSDSbHvk0ZCIXUjSXQd8ix0oqfJQzxWeDD1oHoNOV7BQDqms4QKdrbVtD7nc5eVHAWYmXU5N/s1600/228.jpg

 

Thanks for looking!!

Gwen

"Enjoy the Little Things!"

New Product and a Challenge!!

Good Morning!!

Thank you for taking a moment to peek at my 'blog' today!

It has been a whirlwind July and I appreciate your patience with me as I have been absent for a bit and then I have been 'scrapped' out.

To explain a little...

I created an Everyday Life Album for a family member celebrating a special birthday and then scrapbooked 26 layouts of my husband and I to have on display for our 25th Anniversary. In three days!!

 Nothing like leaving it until the last minute!!

What fun, but what mental exhaustion!

So today, I must once again thank the ladies at

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge

http://atlanticheartschallenge.blogspot.ca/

for inspiring today's layout!!  You must check out this challenge blog as I find it very inspiring!!

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAsKoUCMvOXQD56AbVvI5kNOfVEnWT7p4nj9YVqHSgTLqmJyrg_52rzAu9j0KMTyh8Yrb8rk1tkDmVmHGULgTqDWWaM6jRX6zIafsCTRFegpos3mCRI7RCKpgo4sWydEKWf74RC6Kk_x7/s1600/222.jpg

A sneak peek at some of the NEW CTMH products coming out in our new Annual Inspirations on August 1!!  So excited!!!

Hmm...I must be in a brain fog today as I can't seem to edit my pictures, so please forgive my unprofessional photos today!!  I REALLY want to blog today and I promise I will be 'back' next time!! Oh, dear!!

As usual, all the products used on my single page layout are Close to My Heart and will be available for sale August 1, 2017 with the release of our absolutely wonderful new Inspirations Catalogue!!

https://gwenanderson.closetomyheart.ca/

Thank you for looking and for your patience!!

Gwen

"Enjoy the Little Things!" 

I Needed a Challenge!!

Happy Saturday!

My apologies for being absent...this year has been a crazy spring and my husband has been interfering with my scrapbook time!  Actually, you know things have been crazy when Bob asks me out to the field to help!!  lol.

All supplies are Close To My Heart:

G1129 Workshop Your Way Jack Scrapbooking Kit

 

It has definitely taken this challenge from the ladies at

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge:

http://atlanticheartschallenge.blogspot.ca/ 

to bring me back to my world!! 

Thank you ladies, for these weekly challenges!! 

Thanks for looking!

Gwen

"Enjoy the Little Things"