Sandy's Creations

Happy Weekend!

2012-01-27T17:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning! I plan on keeping it low-key this weekend as I was home sick with the cold and flu this past week.
I wanted to show you a few more things I did for our house. In the latest issue of Country Sampler magazine, I got this idea to make a feed sack style valance. I already had some burlap on hand so I just needed to get a stencil- which I found at Euro Stencil Designs on etsy.

It looks perfect in my laundry room!

I also fell in love with this huge print screen of a horse- that I saw at Home Sense.

Last week, I slowly started working on the pages of my latest art journal. I am enjoying the process so much! At one point I found myself working on these pages unti 1 am- without even noticing it. It felt like I was in a trance.

Here is a sneak peek on something I will be working on next week. I hope I can sneak away some time to work on it- between work and the kids.

Before I go, last week the talented Denise from In my Blue Room- was a Guest Curator on Crescendoh and I was honored to have her name my blog as one of her favourites. Click on the image to get a close up of Jenny's chocolate smile from my Valentines post -created last year.

La Vie en Rose

2012-01-22T11:33:00.000-08:00

I'm back and I have lots of red and pink to show you :)

For this, I altered a canvas frame and used a sweet image of a girl on it.

I also made Valentines tussie mussies for my kids. I can't wait to fill them up on Valentine's day!

I decorated some pegs that I picked up at Michaels.

I added retro Valentines images and trim- to a BE MINE banner that I also picked up at Michaels.

I made this mobile with paper hearts and a paper doll.

I made these pink faux cup cakes.

This year I only put up my Valentines decorations in one area of the kitchen.

Here's a closer look...

So for now it feels like I'm living 'La Vie En Rose'. I'll be back later to show you some Valentines swaps I participated in. Have a rosy week!

Five Years Makes a Huge Difference!

2012-01-22T10:48:00.000-08:00

I had a nice weekend and I hope that you did too! For some reason it feels like I haven't been on blogger for a long while.
I ended up really enjoying the hockey game on Saturday! The Leafs won and Mike Myers was there. When the camera focused on Mike, he was rubbing his 'breasts'. That guy is so hilarious!

I also managed to complete my entire 'Week in my Life' album at Bizzy B's day crop. The Ladies -at the crop- confessed that they don't actually go to crops to finish anything. They go to crops to chat and shop instead! So when they saw me serious at work -and that I finished my album- they thought I was crazy..lol!!! For me though, time is sacred, so I have no choice but to take advantage of it and to get a lot done.

When I looked at the finished pages, I couldn't believe all of the things that have changed in just 5 years!!!

This is what has changed in my life:

*We moved houses

*Vince changed his career and I now work

*The kids are no longer in diapers and are all in school full-time

*Our Guinea Pig is gone but now we have a Bunny

*I have better appliances and computers

*I no longer go on scrap booking sites, (I do blogger/flickr instead)

*I no longer hang around some of the people I used to associate with

*My holiday decorations are way cooler now..lol

*Gas went up 50 cents

*I no longer smoke! However, my Daughter pointed out to me that I have started 'drinking' now...lol!!!

While my Son was looking through the album, I told him that when I was little, we didn't have cell phones. I laughed so hard when he ran to get an old telephone and said, "See Mom! They did have cordless cell phones in the 'olden days'"! Too precious!

That's Roxy! She is my parent's Chihuahua. She's so bad, but for some reason she loves me :) I'll be back soon with so much Valentines stuff to show you- that it will look like a pink explosion up in here!

Documenting my Week...

2012-01-19T10:31:00.000-08:00

Ali Edwards had been doing a 365 Life Project over here. I love how she uses sleeves with small pockets- for her pictures. I also love how Ali adds instax photos in them, (like polaroids). I decided to join her in this project, but I am only documenting a week. It's similar to the one I did 5 years ago. Once it's done, it will be amazing to look all the changes that took place over the last 5 years!

So for the past week, I have been keeping my camera and instax by my side, and taking photos of my entire day.

Breakfast, getting lunch and home work in the kids' back packs, and taking them to school on time.

Going to work and sometimes making a stop at my Grand Mother's place- to tidy it up.

Then picking the kids up on my way home, preparing snacks for them and helping them with their home work. Next it's time to prepare dinner and set the table. After dinner, there is the table/floor and dishes to wash.

Once the kids are bathed, in their pyjamas, read to and tucked into bed, I am pooped! This is my favorite time of the day because the house is quiet. My Husband and I watch our favorite shows, catch up on the computer and sometimes indulge in sweets, popcorn or simply a hot cup of coffee.

This weekend I am going to an all day crop at Bizzy B's scrapbook store. I aim to finish the album there. I'll be back with photos soon. I'm going to my first Leafs game tonight :)

P.S I scanned this image from one of my Golden Books. They have the cutest images of little children!

Handsome 'Cabinet Card' Men

2012-01-16T19:36:00.000-08:00

Every morning I have about 1 1/2 hrs. to myself- before I go to work and my favorite thing to do- is to sip hot coffee while reading your blogs! Thanks for entering my previous give-away! The winner is Kim Budash! Kim, please leave a comment here with your e-mail address :0)
The other day I was tinkering around with vintage images on my computer, and I created these two digital collages. I decided to add these two handsome men into my Valentines decor.

Ryan believes that nice guys finish last...

...and Gilbert always wears his heart on his sleeve!

I'll be back soon with some more Valentines creations.

***I'm back and OMG; after reading your comments, I realized that my men would make great Valentines cards!! I am going to have to send them out this year!!! Thanks girls!!

xoxox

It's a Digital Scrapbook Software Give-Away!

2012-01-12T11:10:00.000-08:00

When creating my mini albums, I like to put together digital scrapbook layouts. Some of the layouts I use- are from My Memories. I also use their Scrapbook software to put it all together. Because I am one of My Memories' best Customers ;), they are letting me give-away a FREE My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbook Software upload to one of you! All you have to do is go to their site here, pick one of your favorite digital paper packs or layouts, and comment back here with your choice.

With the My Memories Suite Scrapbook Software, I created this quick scrapbook layout . I just drag and drop my photos into the layouts and voila- it's done in minutes! All the elements -on this page- are included in the software (except for the little girl and photo). But it doesn't stop there!

You can make gifts tags.

You can make your own blog banners and side bar graphics.

You can even create cute frames for your blog posts. The possibilities are endless!

So please don't forget to leave a comment here, and if your name isn't picked, My Memories has released a 'share the memories code' for you to get $10 off of the purchase of your own My Memories Software! Simply go to http://www.mymemories.com/digital_scrapbooking_software

and use this code when checking out:STMMMS40190.

I will be selecting the winner on Jan 16th. Good luck!

Dear: Diary,

2012-01-11T11:48:00.000-08:00

Today I am...

*Looking at the warm bright sun light- shining through my windows

*Hearing my bunny Thumper, slurping his water bottle

*Smelling the aroma of my fresh cup of Tim Hortons coffee

*Feeling revived after a nap

*Looking forward to fun in the water with the kids-at Great Wolf Lodge

*Making sweet Valentine's ornaments

How was your day? I'll be back soon with a special give-away!

What I did during my winter break...

2012-01-08T17:08:00.000-08:00

Even though our summer break is longer, I find that I truly relax and have a lot more leisure time the week after Christmas. I tend to stay in my pyjamas for most of the day and I tinker with this and that.
One afternoon I baked this yummy Croque Monsieur a-la- Martha Stewart.

I started journalling in this book- which was bound by Natalea (thanks so much!!)

I worked on some birthday and swap hostess gifts.

I took down the Christmas decorations and made this banner with my favorite Papaya post cards.

I actually read! I have 4 books in the works. (Yup that's my boot and I made this for my Kobo wall paper )

I even made a case for my Kobo!

Then on the last day- which is today- I hit some hobby and scrapbook stores and got some supplies for some projects I am so excited to get started on. I can't wait to crack open this Prims issue too.

This year I will be starting a diary. Because my time is limited, I got the 'One Line a Day' -5 year- journal through Amazon. Amazon has other cool journals, like the 'One Sketch a Day', 'My Quotable Kid' -where you keep track of the funny things your kids say- and the 'Reading Journal'- where you document the books you read. I'll never forget the great experience I had- while completing the 'Wreck this Book' journal :)

Well I'm all showered and already in my Pjs. I'm off to bed- with magazine in hand. Have a great week! I know I will welcome the peace and quiet- with the kids going back to school!

Shhhhhh!

2012-01-04T07:21:00.000-08:00

( Psssst; good morning!)
(Shhhhh; the house is soooo quiet and we are all 'chilling'. It's a rare occasion.)

(Keep it down. You don't want to disturb Emily as she is quietly playing with her new doll house)

(Kayla? Oh she is taking photos -around the house- with her new camera.)

(Tee,hee..Aren't her pictures so funny?)

(P.S Thanks for keeping me sane this week Santa!)

Out with the old & in with the new

2012-01-01T21:53:00.000-08:00

Even after all these years, it still amazes me that I get to share my birthday on the most celebrated day of the year; New Years Eve. I was floored by all the people that sent me birthday wishes here in blog land and on facebook :) This year we celebrated both events at my Sister Julie's house. We ordered Asian cuisine from Szechuan Szechuan and ate this delicious lemon cake.
I got a couple of tops, new shoes and make-up. I also got this cool Sally Jean jar and Betsey Johnson earrings from Natalea.

When I arrived at my Sister's house, I realized that I was wearring two different shoes!! Man, I am really getting old! Funny though, because the shoe to the right is the new one I got for my birthday, so it could also signify; 'out with the old and in with the new'..lol!

Has anyone watched the New Year's Eve movie? It has been a long time since I have gone to the movies with my Hubby and we got to see it. It had tons of Celebrities and it was a nice feel-good movie.

One thing I always do -before the new year arrives- is I journal about my past retreats and develop photos that were taken over the past year. I made this Christmas retreat journal from a chocolate marshamallow cookie box.

I'll be back to show you what we have been up to during our 2 weeks off :)

Lots to Celebrate!

2011-12-31T02:00:00.000-08:00

Yipeeeee today is my BIRTHDAY!!!!

I just had to mention that Kelly's precious little cupcake Sophie is also celebrating her birthday today. She is just the cutest doll ever and she is turning one :)

Happy New Year also to the world! I sure hope 2012 brings all of you lots of love and laughter. See you next year :)

Has Christmas Already Come and Gone?!

2011-12-26T12:37:00.000-08:00

Today is boxing day, but you won't find me shopping- no way! Instead you will find me recovering from the holidays in bed-and reading off my brand new Kobo Vox e-Reader (thanks Vinsker-eeters!)

You see, this past week alone- I had Emily's Piano Concert and the children's Christmas concert.

Then I went to my elementary school reunion.

The kids also met Santa, I hosted Christmas Eve dinner and then Santa arrived on Christmas day.

This year I rented my table ware for Christmas dinner. I went with a blue winter wonderland theme- since we had a green Christmas this year.

I added cloches with childhood pictures with Santa- throughout the table.

I also set up a table for the sweets that were arriving and made snow flake cupcakes. It was so pretty!

Just before Christmas Eve I got a surprise package in the mail- from Grace. She sent me Christmas gifts that were wrapped with lovely retro Santa wrapping paper.

It included yummy Christmas treats, a pooping snow man :) this adorable Santa Kewpie, a darling retro reindeer orni. and a vintage bottle brush tree inside a mini Santa cup.

I hope that you got spoiled this Christmas as well, and that you had a fabulous time celebrating with your family!

It's Christmas Time in the City!!!

2011-12-24T05:31:00.000-08:00

FROM ME...
...AND MINE...

TO YOU AND YOURS;

HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Fake baking and Mail Love

2011-12-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

Wow I can't believe how mild the weather has been! It looks like we're going to have a green Christmas. I can't complain but I do feel like Christmas just isn't the same without the snow.
The girls and I made faux cupcakes after seeing Vivian's tutorial here. Everyone thinks they're real! Leave it to us to be busy baking fake food in the kitchen- for the Holidays :)

I also got a lot of mail love today-yipee :)

Tammy knows how much I love Matryoshkas- so she sent me this adorable aqua Matryoshka pin and ring.

A festive package came from Natalea too.

Inside was a Christmas journal Nat created-using sewn up Christmas paper and a vintage book as the cover. She also gave me an adorable Santa figurine and a collage of my latest favorite character; the original Frosty the Snow Man!

I had the pleasure of meeting Debby at her store this year and she sent me this sweet Christmas tag- along with other art images and ribbons.

Finally, I received my ornaments for a Christmas card swap that Tammy hosted. These are the ones I made.

These are the sweet ones I received.

I just love them all. That's it for now. Christmas is only 6 days away! See you then!

Decking the halls...

2011-12-17T11:21:00.000-08:00

'Deck the halls with boughs of holly...' Hello! I thought I would stop by and show you more snippets of Christmas decor around my home. This is in the front hall.

The rest of the photos were taken in the kitchen.

Oh and I made this card display by wrapping a hoop with ribbon and using clothes pins. I got the idea from Scrap for Joy!

It's Christmas; I'm in Love!

2011-12-16T05:18:00.000-08:00

It's Fridaaaaay and Christmas is just a week away soooo I thought I would throw out there a final 'It's Friday; I'm in Love...with CHRISTMAS- special!! Woohoo!!
Everyone knows I love egg nog- especially the one made by President's Choice. They actually add a touch of rum to it..hee,hee.

I get so excited when After Eight comes out with their MINT chocolates! I always have some right by my computer- this time of year!

Eeeek- I treated myself to this because the smell is so exotic and I collect the cute blonde dolls.

I always break into a 'fa,la,la,la,laaaa' when I drive by a beautifully lit house around here.

Ha,ha,ho,ho; this charm from Sally Jean is hilarious!!

I am definitely making this pumpkin bread for my peeps-after seeing the recipe on The Creative Patch! Thanks Leah!

I love being a voyer on Pinterest and seeing how people deck their halls for Christmas!

Look at those tiny cookie cutters!! I just had to buy some mini Christmas pastries for my Blythe dolls- from Cynthias cottage design on etsy!

How cool are these Christmas tags that Junk Garden shared with us on her blog here!! I am giving them to my Sisters and marking NAUGHTY on them- for a good laugh :)

I had to blognap this photo from Natalea's blog. I just tried these peppermint chocolate donuts from Tim Hortons and they definitely made my tongue jingle..lol!

Finally, this is the sweetest kit that you could buy from One lucky day!

That's it for now. Have a GREAT weekend!!!

Sandy Clause...Ho,Ho,Hooooo!

Crafting is the best medecine...

2011-12-15T11:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my Son Lucas turned 6!
It's amazing how much our little 'Luke' is just like me! He is funny, stubborn, creative and sooo cute..lol!The above Blunt card is just hilarious!

We are throwing a birthday party for him on Saturday and I made this cute banner of his Cousins. I saw the idea on Pinterest.

Here's a close-up. The kids are going to get such a kick out of seeing their faces on there.

This past weekend I had a cold and the flu. I found that resting actually made me feel worse, so I got crafting. I made this pipe cleaner angel ornament with a needle-felted hat.

I made these angels on a roof top with an old house ornament.

I made a decorative pillow with a print out of the original Frosty the snow man.

Then I made this cute primitive Ginger Bread boy that's displayed in an old sifter.

I'm feeling much better :)

This and That

2011-12-10T10:56:00.000-08:00

Momma sure loves her some egg nog this time of year and I already went through a carton!
The kids also really enjoyed decorating their Barbie Ginger Bread House.

They also made these snow flakes to hang over our table on Christmas Eve as we are going with a Winter Wonderland theme. I got the tutorial through Vanessa's blog after I saw it on Natalea's blog. I rented all the table wear and some decor so that I could just return it un-washed once the party is over. Hey, anything helps :)

The kids are also going to be sending Santa a letter- with style because we won this Santa Writing Kit from The Creative Patch.

My Creating Vintage Charm issue came in and it brought me such joy to see my decorations scattered across the pages :)

I also received a little surprise in the mail- from sweet Claudie. It included a cute planter, Christmas ornament, apron, neat soaps etc. Thanks girl!

Have a great week!

Christmas Trees and Winter Under Glass

2011-12-03T11:56:00.000-08:00

Hello! The kids and I had a fun evening of baking and putting up our Christmas trees. I found the red butter-cream in the States-yipee!
Here's the big tree in our living room.

Then we put up our new pink tree on the other side of the living room.

Here is a little little cloche winter scene.

At Natalea's get-together, she gave us the idea to make snow globes. This is how mine turned-out. I love the idea of putting tiny Christmas figurines in small olive jars and filling them with water, crystal snow or glitter- and glycerine.

This one is my favorite :)

I also created this by combining 2 retro ornaments together.

Next I have to get cracking on the Christmas cards and wrapping the presents-yikes! Have a great weekend!

Published in Creating Vintage Charm :)

2011-11-30T14:00:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to stop by and share some wonderful news with you! I didn't get to show you all of my Christmas decor...like my coffee table winter wonderland scene here.

That's because it's been published in a special magazine...

...Creating Vintage Charm~! This is such a creative and inspiring magazine.

You can view my article and more decor pictures- by purchasing the issue here.

OH and my Review for David Rocco's Dolce Vita blog is up on his Publisher's site!!! Check it out over here!!!

Be back soon with some fun Holiday creations.. Happy December!

A Holly Jolly Weekend

2011-11-27T17:49:00.000-08:00

I just got back from Natalea's place and boy am I pooped!
I have to say that I just loved Natalea's bright Christmas decor!

Here is one of the many Christmas trees she has around the house.

There's cuteness in every corner.

She made this gorgeous pom pom wreath.

Here's a pink and aqua nook in her Kitchen.

I drove down on Friday night and Natalea and I went dancing. We had a little too much fun, I tell ya! When Vivian got here on Saturday, Natalea had a delicous spread of cheeses, dips, breads and olives out for us. Then we devoured our drinks and got crafting.

Vivian showed us how to make adorable Christmas Elves!

This is how they turned out. They are soooo cute!

Then we did a little gift exchange. Don't 'cha love the gift wrap on our gifts- from Nat?

Natalea gave us lovely Amaryllis bulbs and a cool ornament that she made.

Vivian made us a wonderful teddy bear/snow man figurine.

I gave the girls some Christmas treats.

I also made them this door-hanger softie of a snow baby.

Afterwards, Viv and I weren't tired, so we actually went to the movies together and watched Breaking Dawn. I LOVED it!

The next day we all went junking at this great barn.

I picked up these plastic figurines for a project Natalea inspired me to do. I'll post it once it's complete.

I also hit some of my favorite stores before I left. There were lots of shoppers and the border was pretty busy- due to Black Friday. I got some Christmas decor for next to nothing. I'll be back with some more Show N' Tell soon!

A Christmas Cheer!

2011-11-24T20:13:00.000-08:00

I can't think of a better way to start off the Christmas holidays- than to have some Christmas cheer at Natalea's place this weekend! I've been preparing for it all week and Vivian's going to be there too!
Until I return, I wanted to show you a Christmas ornament I made by using a German doll head. I learned how to bleach the tree through The Creative Patch.

I also made this standing tree for my Daughter's room.

See you in December!!!!

Vintage Toy and Doll Collector's Show

2011-11-22T06:15:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, my friends Wendy and Bob met me at the Toy and Doll Collector's show at the International Centre.
They had gorgeous vintage German dolls

The old doll houses were exquisite. I love the penny and celluloid dolls.

I fell in love with the vibrant German tin toys.

There were plenty of old instrument-playing puppets.

I swooned over the 1950's retro Christmas ornaments.

I picked up these frozen charlottes and boudoir half-doll for future art projects.

I found my Jack in the box and rolling bee- from when I was a kid. I'll have to show you my childhood toy collections soon.

Then I started a mini collection of bright colored wind-up tin toys.

Finally, I picked-up some light-up plastic decorative stands from the 1960's. These will go perfectly with my Holiday decor.

Let it Snow...

2011-11-19T08:16:00.000-08:00

The other day I was enjoying a Peppermint Mocha at Starbucks, while listening to Charlie Brown's Christmas music- when suddenly it snowed! It was so magical. Everyone was amazed to see the first snow and at one point it came down like a blizzard. It truly put me in the holiday spirit.
After that, I went home and baked some Christmas cookies.

Then I got cracking on some Christmas ornamanets I'm making for a swap. While I was at it, I started on some Christmas treasures. This old baking powder tin was perfect for this Christmas project.

Then I created this charming retro piece. I used a plastic globe from Michaels, I mounted it an old jello mold and I added an old dresser knob over top.

Every time I pass by the dollar bin at Michaels, I always want to pick up some of their tiny ornate frames. There is so much you can do with those frames and I turned this one into a Christmas ornament.

That's it for now. I am leaving you with some vintage images that I altered. Please feel free to use them in your art. I hope they inspire you to get Christmas crafting! I would love to see what you make with them :)

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!

2011-11-16T18:01:00.000-08:00

This year I got an early start on my Christmas decorating. However, I'm waiting to put up my Christmas tree in December.
I decked the halls with plenty of bright Retro Christmas decor.

I looked to The Farm Chick's Christmas book for some wonderful decorating ideas.

I also brought out some of my New York finds from last year.

Soon I will put on my festive apron and bake plenty of cookies.

Then it will be time to write to Santa and to do some Christmas shopping.

For now though, I am going to sit here and read the latest holiday magazines by the fire.

For it won't be long before Christmas arrives!

Inspiration for the Holidays

2011-11-13T07:45:00.000-08:00

I was in need of some Christmas inspiration so naturally I turned to Amy Power's latest 'inspired ideas' winter issue.
I learned how to make a shadow box ornament from a vintage spice tin.

I made this mini winter scene on an extra large spool.

I printed out Mary Engelbreit's sweet Elf gift tags.

I learned how to dry orange slices...

...and decorated my railing with them.

I also tried the recipe for mini peppermint cakes.

Where do you go for inspiration?

These are a few of my favorite things...

2011-11-09T14:58:00.000-08:00

Taking a breather to share with you some of my favorite Christmas items.

Yummy Buble's new Christmas Cd . I love his male version of Santa Baby!

Candy Cane marshmallow cookies

Nostalgia's soaps and creams (on etsy)

This vintage painting I recently picked-up

The latest issue of Country Sampler

Twisted Peppermint Hand Soap from B&BW

This Gingerbread Annie from Ahlcoopedup etsy, (on my wish list)

What are some of your Christmas favorites?

Work-a-holic

2011-11-09T14:45:00.000-08:00

Been loading up on the O.J for some strength this week, (do you like my Barbicide jar that I'm using as a straw holder?) This week, apart from being a maid,chef,chauffeur to my kids- I am also an event planner for my Husband's work Christmas party, an Author/Photographer for a special Christmas Magazine, and Care Giver to the clients I work for. Plus I got started on my Christmas decorating/shopping. Wish me strength and luck! I'll be back Friday with an 'It's Friday; I'm in Love...with Christmas' post.

Itching to go Junking

2011-11-07T17:35:00.000-08:00

I've been itching to go junking! Lucky for me Wendy and her awesome man Bob- took us to Southworks Antiques.
The antiques were endless and they were on the entire top floor of a very long old factory.

Wendy spotted this adorable shabby old pink Elephant for me-eeek!

THEN I found the ULTIMATE treasure; SANDY (me)...

...and VINCE (my Husband)...

...in a Hot-Air Balloon Lamp!! I had the exact lamp as a child and was praying for years that I would find one again for my Daughter's room. It's because of this lamp that I always wanted to try flying in a hot-air balloon. Then one day- 14 years ago- my dear Husband took me up in one and proposed to me :)

Oh and I forgot to show you my 'squeek' collection. I just love their adorable faces.

This gal is my latest squeek. I just had to have her after seeing her on someone's blog post (does anyone know who's blog it was?)

Anyway, I feel great now. Time to get back to my Christmas preparations!

Duck, duck, goose & Tag- I'm it!

2011-11-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

Eeeek I just can't get over this picture of my older Sis Sabrina. We just loved our plastic rolling duck!
That's why I just had to snatch up this old duck bath toy at the antique market. I bet the same company made it too.

This time last year I was living it up in New York with Grace, so when she tagged me over at her blog Pink in The City, I just had to comply. So, here are 10 things about myself that you may not know:

1) I pick everything up off the floor with my toes

2) I have a lady bug tatoo over my right foot

3) As a teen, I bred Hamsters & Gerbils from home- and sold the pups to a pet shop

4) I believe in ghosts, (my previous house was haunted..no..really!)

5) I sometimes have the mouth of a trucker

6) I call all my family members by different and very strange names, ie; Kayla is Shi-nay-nay, Emily is Shem-a-lem, Lucas is Peter or Johnny and Vince is Vinner Zam-boney.

7) I can't stand the sight of anyone's feet

8) My biggest pet peeve is when 2 people talk to me at once or when one person is asking me a question while I'm talking on the phone.

9) I like trashy vulgar music and will sing along to it all day, ("Johnny, La gente esta muy loca,What the f*ck!?...")
10) I have a dual personality because on one hand I can be an angel who likes to go antiquing- and on the other hand I can be wild and have a need to drink and go dancing

Now that I 'spilled', let me know something crazy about yourself will ya?

Tea for Two

2011-11-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

A whole day and 4 large bins later, I packed away my Halloween decor. Now I feel like my house is a blank easel and it's just beckoning me to decorate it with wonderful shabby Christmas decor. The other night I caught up with my friend Wendy. We went to 'Desserts by Lamp Light', hosted by the Historical Bovaird House.

Coincidentally our server's name was Sandy too.

Check out the spooky image of Wendy. The event took place the night before Halloween and rumor has it that the place is haunted.

I really enjoyed the cranberry short bread cookies and pumpkin bread.

The place is just gorgeous and they had it all lit up by oil lamps.

Wendy snuck in a little purchase for me at the gift shop there. She bought me these sweet booties for my dolly :)

She also made me this adorable little vintage style bonnet.

'Twas the Night of Halloween...

2011-10-31T06:36:00.000-07:00

'Twas the night of Halloween...
...and all through...

...the house...

...all the creatures were stirring...

...even the Mummies.

The Witches brooms were hung by the doorway with care...

...while pizza Mummies...

...Ghost toast...

...hot dog Mummies...

...a grave yard cake...

...and poisonous treats, were served every where.

The creatures heard spooky stories....

...and danced to the Monster Mash with delight...

...in hopes that people everywhere would have a fright night!

Happy Halloween!

Last Minute Halloween Fun!

2011-10-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

Halloween is just a weeek away and we are still having fun with it all.
This is how the kids and I decorated our Jack-o-lantern this year.

I'm still adding little Halloween vignettes around the house.

My Halloween tree is getting fuller and fuller.

I made this one last ornament for my tree.

This is a close-up of the paper doll Witch ornaments I made for the swap hosted by Viv.

We also did a lot of Halloween baking. Here's a funny way that we decorated some hostess cupcakes.

I have also been busy planning for a halloween party that I am throwing on Sunday- for my kids and their friends.

The kids have already had a dress-rehearsal in their Halloween costume. Doesn't Lucas look so similar to Harry Potter? He is actually going to dress up as his current idol; Super Mario. I'll be back next week with pictures. Have a spook'tacular Halloween!

A Fabulous Ghoul's Weekend!

2011-10-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

I had the BEST time this weekend, hanging with my best pal Natalea. When she got here on Friday night, I had a delicious Dolce Vita- style (from my cooking blog) dinner waiting for her.

We also had yummy Halloween cupcakes- which I decorated with these cute Charlotte Witches cupcake picks.

Afterwards, we exchanged gifts with one-another. My gift to Nat, was presented in a canvas bad I altered.

I have her this cool Witch that I got on etsy.

I also altered this cupcake tin for her.

Natalea made me this extraordinary Witch in a boot! I love the Witches face and the bats are wicked!

As if that wasn't enough- she also made this way cool assemblage inside a pumpkin!

Then she presented me with a wonderful Witch hanging piece, an adorable Danita print and some delightful treats.

Afterwards we enjoyed some drinks and snacks. I made Dracula's Kiss and Black Cat beverages.

We then threw on our P.J.s and crafted Junker Jane-type 'Ugly dolls' 'til late into the night.

We soaked our dolls in grunge sauce and toasted them in the oven- like Hansel and Gretel.

This is how mine turned out and naturally I decided to name her Gretel. I just LOVE her!

The next day we went to Black Creek Pioneer Village.

We toured some old homes and saw some animals along the path.

We enjoyed a slice of home-made bread with butter and a steaming cup of yummy apple cider.

The place was a gorgeous back drop for beautiful pictures.

It was a relaxing afternoon. We had some time to kill- before our dinner reservations, so we decided to pay a little visit to someone special:

We met Chef David Rocco, the writer of the cook book I have been blogging about over here. David actually knew who I was and gave me a big hug!! He asked me if I would blog about his new book and suggested we do a movie like 'Julie and Julia'...eeeek! Afterwards, his Publisher gave me her card and asked me to call her about my cooking blog!

I was on cloud 9 and had to call my family to brag about my meeting with David : )

Natalea and I enjoyed wonderful Italian food at AutoStrada Restaurant.

Nat tried the Burrino which is the softest (and most expensive cheese) from Italy. Her egg plant rolled in goat cheese- was to die for too!

Then- in the spirit of Halloween- we went to Canada's Wonderland for their Halloween Haunt.

It was spooky and the Haunted houses were a creepy good time!

I had to give credit to Nat for not being such a scaredy cat- such as myself! Those Zombies could sense my fear and would come after me as a result..ha,haaa!

The next morning we went antiquing at Aberfoyle. I had to get this print from Eve! I had one just like it when I was little. I even picked up an old Singer sewing machine. Nat scored some cool stuff too!

It was a gorgeous sunny day and we had a yummy lunch there as well.

We had the best time this weekend! Thanks for a great time Nat!!!

Halloween Ornaments and A Special Guest

2011-10-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to stop by and show you the fang'tastic Halloween ornis that were exchanged betweeen my pals from this fabulous weekend!
My Halloween tree is no longer empty. I'll have to snap a pic. of it later.

For now I am preparing for Natalea's arrival at my place this weekend! We are going to have some festive fall fun. Here is the invite I sent her.

It seems to be a tradition that we get-together during the fall. It's a great time of year to get cozy and craft away. I'll be back with a re-cap next week. Have a great one!

Home Sweet Home

2011-10-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

Hello there! I just wanted to stop by and show you some more completed rooms in our new house. I chose the sweetest toile wall paper for our powder room, and I am loving the old framed photo of a horse that I picked up while junking.

For the laundry/mud room, we added a wooden counter top over our washer/dryers and I hung an old coat rack mirror on the opposite wall.

We just got our aqua toile drapery installed in the kitchen as well. I just love that fabric!

I noticed that my kitchen has been pinned on some Home Decor Pinterest boards :)

Now I can finally show you my living room. I love the train wagon coffee table that I found, as well as the old Hotel parking sign.

I got these adorable custom pillows on etsy.

Here are my shabby arm chairs. They have a ledger pattern all over them.

Another favourite feature is my stone fire place and custom wall unit. I especially love the wish ticket I had Deneen make for me (in upper right side of cabinet). I'm so happy with the way it all turned out, that sometimes I have to pinch myself to see if I am dreaming-or if I really do live here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Fall is...

2011-10-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

For me, Fall truly begins when we celebrate Thanks Giving. Fall is about going for long walks...
...and enjoying the bright colors of the leaves.

It's about picking out your own pumpkin- at the pumpkin patch.

It's also about visiting an apple orchard...

... and picking juicy apples, then buying some fresh baked apple pies.

For some reason, granola also makes me think of the Fall. Donna was so sweet to send me some of her delicious home-made granola in the mail- along with some wonderful tags and an ornament! The kids and I are hooked on the granola and have it every morning with milk or yogurt. Thanks Donna!

Fall is also a reminder that Halloween is just around the corner. Remember the Scaredy Kat I sent Marsha- for our Prim swap? Well I received her Miss.Dottie the other day and I am just smitten over her! I scored big time..lol! Thanks Marsha!

My living room is finally done, so I'll be back with pix soon :)

I am Thankful...

2011-10-05T06:13:00.000-07:00

THANKFULLY my flu only lasted 24 hours, so I'm feeling much better! So this weekend is Thanks Giving here in Canada. THANKFULLY it's not my turn to host it at my house though, because I don't know if I would have the energy.
Anyway, THANKFULLY I had energy to put together some Halloween vignettes- around the house.

(I got the idea for the hand from Tammy)

Happy THANKS Giving to my Canadian friends! THANKFULLY we are having gorgeous sunny weather this week. Have a great week everyone!

Busy weekend = the flu

2011-10-02T18:09:00.000-07:00

Oh gosh! Just what I was afraid would happen; I am now officially sick with the flu...argh!!
You see, this weekend I was non-stop busy! I threw a party for 27 people.

It took me all day to make 8 pizzas!

Then on Sunday I just had to go to a cake show, where Buddy {a.k.a Cake Boss} was going to make an appearance.

Buddy was pretty cool. I like how down-to-earth he is.

The cakes were extraordinary too.

When I got home tough- that's when I got hit with the flu hard. That will teach me for not slowing down!

K's Birthday and Some Halloween Crafting

2011-09-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

My name is K...K,K,K,K! Today my Daughter Kayla turns 10! We are celebrating her birthday and having a house-warming party at the same time, so I am cooking for 27 people! Happy birthday to my dear Tween!

(Thanks for the digital frame Raspberry Road Designs!)

Also, this afternoon my Husband is coming home. It was a bit hard having him gone, but the kids showed their appreciation by baking me this cute lemon cake.

I did some Fall decorating and I just love all the orange.

However, next week I am excited to bust out all the Halloween decor.

I made this needle-felted 'bat baby' ornament the other day.

I also altered a candle jar with an image that Tammy shared on her blog.

Have a great weekend!

A Primitive Halloween!

2011-09-29T06:12:00.000-07:00

Yup, the leaves are already changing color and I have Halloween on my mind. Here is an image for you to use. *Thanks for your comments on my last post! My Daughter Kayla pulled through for me by warming up dinner and washing the dishes- while I had a 2 hour nap :)
With my Husband being out of town, I needed some shopping therapy. I picked up this Halloween bag of goodies at Bath & Body Works.

Lately I have been obsessed with Prims. Marsha and I decided to do a one-on-one primitive Halloween swap. I haven't received hers yet, but I sent her this Scaredy Kat that I made.

While I was at it, I made this primitive bat ornament that I baked in grunge sauce. It smells so good!

I also purchased this adorable primitive bunny with 3 babies (they remind me of my own 3 babies). I got her from ahlcoopedup on etsy.

I'll be back to show you more of my latest Halloween creations soon!

So sorry...

2011-09-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry for swearring at you and for threatening you over the phone Mr.Duct Cleaner Tele-Marketer, but you see... I am very tired today and I was hoping the call was from someone who was going to come over and save me.

Yours Truly, Sleeping Beauty xox

Living room sneak peek and a tutorial

2011-09-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

My man went on a hunting trip so I am in over my head with the kids and work. I spent the entire weekend cleaning, grocery shopping, buying the kids clothes for school picture day and bringing them to see my M.I.L.

So I just wanted to stop by briefly and show you an area of my living room. This wall unit was built in beside my stone fire place.

The bottles in the cabinet above- were so easy to make. Here are the instructions (click image to see it better). I love the technique of taping and soaking your image to give it a translucent look.

Here is a close-up of one of the houses on the shelf too.

Do any of you look up your dreams? I have a really old Dreamer's Dictionary that has pretty accurate definitions. Like the other day- when I dreamt of a bird with a long beautiful beak and the book indicated that this meant I was changing residence!

Have a great week!

It's Friday!

2011-09-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I did a "Friday; I'm in love" post, so here it goes:
I love the new show 'Picker Sisters'! These gals are so fun and sooo creative with their junk!

I love my blogger friends- seriously! I was humbled by every one's latest comments about my home decor! Thanks Tammy for this wonderful card, and all you other gals who sent house-warming wishes my way! When I told Sandy I felt blessed, I loved her response:" When a lot of blessing comes into our lives we consider it "harvest time" from all the good you planted. You must have planted lots of good deeds." I am so happy to hear from you Cindy (I finally found your blog again) and thanks for 'dusting off the tread mill' with me Marsha! I can't wait to meet you next year Claudie- and to see Lulu, Tammy, Maija and 'Dolly God-Mom'; Grace again! Donna I can't wait to try your Great Granola. I also look forward to having you over for some Fall fun in just a few weeks Natalea!

I love Chris Martin of Cold Play! I knew from the first time I saw him in his 'Yellow' video- that he was going to make it BIG! Cold Play performed live in Toronto just the other night and their performance was out of this world!
My name is Sandy and I am addicted to Indiana Kettlecorn Popcorn! That's all.
Sniff,mmmmm I am in love with this line of shower gels (thanks Nat!)

I love Smerna Frizz and her Griffon, made by Lenae on etsy.
Not only are my new Matryoshka measuring cups adorable, but they are so functional! I use them all the time!

I love this song! It's a 'feel good- let yourself go' kind of song. I'm also impressed that our own Canadian girl Avril Lavigne joins in.

Cheers to the weekend y'all :)

The air is crisp here in the prairies...

2011-09-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

The air is crisp and the nights are getting chilly now. Although I love the summer sun, I am really looking forward to the Fall.
I did a bit of Fall decorating already.

I have also been Halloween crafting. I made this custom Halloween hand bag and Dolly Dingle for our adorable neighbour Julie Anna.I added her face over a little girl's body and then inserted her over a Halloween background.

Speaking of gifts, Natalea surprised me with a lovely house-warming gift in the mail.

She sent me this awesome Prairie Style book created by the famous Fifi O'Neill, and an old house card to use in my art. In reading the book,I discovered that my kitchen is more prairie style than farm style. I'll be back soon with sneak peeks of my living room :)

A Tour of my Kitchen

2011-09-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

Yipee!! My kitchen is almost complete! Even though I am still waiting for the drapery, I couldn't wait any longer- to show you the other side of my farm house kitchen. Thanks to Carmela from CPL Design Group-for helping me design my home! Enjoy the tour :)

Now all I have left to show you- is my living room, powder room and laundry room. Those areas should be done by the end of the month. Just in time for a house-warming party I am throwing! Have a great weekend!

A Break from Entertaining

2011-09-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

This past week we have had guests over for dinner every night.

I enjoy entertaining a lot more now that there is more space to cook.

My parents came over for the first time and surprised us with this yummy cake.

Right now though, I am feeling really tired and emotional. I don't feel like cooking at all. I plan to have some of the delicious Jamaican patties that my neighbour gave us.

Then I'm soaking in my tub by candle light, and shutting out the world for a while.

While listening to this. Sigh...

Back at Work and Dolly Love!

2011-09-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first day back at work and it was awesome! My client happened to be a doll collector and saw me admire this dolly that I had when I was little. Before I left from my shift, she actually gave me the doll and insisted I keep it! I shall name it after my client Daisy :)
When I went antiquing in Barrie a few weeks ago, I picked up another doll that I once had. She is Baby Skates and she still skates!

I also found this precious boudoir pin cushion doll.

As per Andi's request, here is a closer look at what's inside my art room armoire. Lots going on here!

I can't wait to show you the rest of the kitchen too. Hopefully it will be done soon! Here's a little part of it. Have a great weekend!

House-Warming Treats and My Art Studio

2011-09-07T07:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the kids were back at school. I was really looking forward to the break, but I felt sad for the kids when I saw how nervous and teary-eyed they were.Thankfully they all had a great first day back!
So, the other day I received some sweet gifts in the mail, from the wonderful Tammy. She sent me this pretty shirt to remind me of our weekend at Natalea's place.

Tammy also gave me these two gorgeous hand-made tea towels for my home. They match perfectly with my kitchen!

Then I went antiquing with my friend Wendy, and she gave me this wonderful primitive piece- which is now displayed on my hallway console. She is also working on a peasant style bonnet for me!

I finished organizing my art studio. It took a week because I had so much stuff! Thankfully my new armoire is big enough to store a lot of it. So this is the left side of the room.

The middle to right side.

The right side of the room.

Then the left side. Now if only I could find some time to create! I will be going back to work at the end of this week.

Our New House

2011-09-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

Heeey! I'm baaack! Moving was CRAZY and really STRESSFUL! I learned that showers, home-made food, coffee and careing family and friends are all I really need to survive! Thankfully we're all moved in now, but we are still waiting for some drapery and back spash etc. So today I am finally posting photos of some areas in my home- that are complete, (thanks for the reminder Suz!). Today is also our 13 year wedding anniversary-yipeee!

Bench in front entrance.

Entrance stairs.

A corner of my bed room.

Kayla & Emily's bedroom.

Their dresser.

Other side of room.
Their window seat isn't done yet.

Front entrance. Sill waiting on some stuff for the living room.

Entrance console.

BEFORE

AFTER (We turned it into a larger farm house kitchen)

The right side of the kitchen isn't done yet.

We love our new neighbours and some have already visited with house-warming gifts. I also got some sweet gifts from my blogging besties. I will be back soon with pix of the gifts- along with some more photos of the house!

See you..in Septeeeeember :)

2011-08-16T05:53:00.000-07:00

Bit by bit I have been moving things over to the new house and un-packing.
By August 31st we should be settled in at the new house. Until then, I am taking a blogging break, as I will be deep in boxes until then.

Speaking of moving, I saw a moving truck in flames on the road the other day and my photo made it on our news page. Hope that doesn't happen to us!

On top of all the changes, my Husband and his partner have opened their new Insurance business. Best of luck guys!

See you in September!!!

I might just run away with the Circus!

2011-08-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

Lately visions of the circus- have been dancing in my head...
It all started when Cirque du Soleil performers, attended a party we went to in Arizona.

They did a wonderful performance during our dinner.

Then I read the book 'Water for Elephants' and watched the movie the other day.

The movie was spectacular and it taught me that if times are really tough, I could always run away with a circus :)

Thank you to those of you who entered my blog-anniversary give-away! The random generator chose JOYCE!! Congrats girly!

My Blog Turns 4 today!

2011-08-05T06:50:00.000-07:00

Hip, hip hooray, my blog turns 4 today! Blogging has brought such hapiness into my life- not to mention wonderful new friends and experiences!

I made an extra set of gifts (created for the garden art party), so to celebrate, I would like to give it away to one of you!

For a chance to win the items, simply leave a comment here. Good luck and thank you for being my blogger friend!

Sandy xox

It's Friday;I'm in Love

2011-08-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I did a 'Friday...Love' post, so I thought I would do one before I head to the cottage for a week.

I LOOOOVE my new pink shoes-that I picked up in Buffalo.

I love anything primitive-especially this owl I picked up while shopping with Vivian.

I love these Babushka cups that I also picked up in Buffalo.

Martha got me hooked on this great free on-line magazine.

I love this girl Tammy! We really connected and shared some good laughs when we met for the first time at the garden art party!

I love this plate and hope it will guarantee that my son will eat more veggies :)

I love the ending of The Bachelorette! Go Ashley and J.P!

I love these journals that Natalea made for us last weekend. I will be filling mine up with garden art party memories while I'm at the cottage.

I'll be back with a give-away for my blog-anniversary soon!

Garden Art Party-Day 2

2011-08-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

I'm back again. Just wanted to post some gifts that were exchanged. I gave this to Nat (along with a junk garden necklace) for hosting the party.

I also made this and gave it to Vivian for letting me stay with her.

I made these for all the guests.

Then these adorable gifts were exchanged from everyone else. Barb even sent us a special gift.

**** Shoot I just erased some of the other gifts!!! You can see them on Nataleas' blog.

On day 2, we went to a Garden Walk. We got to peek inside people's back yards and see their beautiful gardens.

This was everyone's favorite garden.

Check out these weird flowers!

My fav. though- was the one with the lady who made us food and drinks.

She had the most whimsical garden!

Fairies were hiding in every corner!

Here we are! Sandy,Vivian,Natalea,Tammy,Tabitha and Heather!

We stopped for an awesome lunch at the Blue Monk (thanks Tammy)! We had fries that were served with 4 different dips, and I had a gourmet macaroni & cheese.

Then we did a bit of shopping and went for dessert at Cocoa- where I had 'sipping chocolate'! It was sooooo sinfully good!

When we got back (after downing an energy shot) we started on Natalea's garden journal class. This is the fabulous one she completed.

This one was created by me.

After the class was over, we headed down to the beach to watch some fire works.

We shared some great stories and good laughs at the beach!!!

The fire works show was spectacular too!! It was the perfect ending to a fantastic art-gathering!

I'll be back in a week with a give-away for my 4 year blog-anniversary!!!

Garden Art Party Day 1

2011-07-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

Natalea did such a great job decorating for the Garden Art Party!
I was so happy to see her again!

I met Tammy for the first time and just fell in love with her!

Then I met sweet, sweet Heather!

I also met fun-loving Tabitha but I don't have many photos of her-as per her request.

Natalea served us bright fresh salads in her gorgeous garden.

Then for dessert she made us delicious watermelon sorbets.

That night I taught a resin ring class.

Here are some of the rings we made.

Natalea gave me these wonderful treasures- as a thank you for teaching the class.

I'll be back shortly with pictures of some activities we did and gifts we made for eachother.

How fun!

2011-07-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

I'm baaack and I have lots to post about the garden art party.

Before I headed to buffalo though, I visited Debby in Port Colborne- at her new store the Gathering Nest . There, I bought a great hand bag made by Papaya .

Debby is such a sweetie and she her store is so cool! She gave me a gorgeous print by Art & Ghosts!

Then I waited an hour at the U.S border and to top it off-the Customs guy wanted to look through my trunk! When I was getting closer to Viv's place, I got pulled over for driving 'the Canadian speed' but the Sheriff let me go..lol! Finally, when I arrived at Viv's place, we picked up her cute Daughter Jennifer (a.k.a J.Lo) and shopped 'til we dropped.

Back at Viv's place, I really admired her house and surrounding land.

Inside, her cats and parrot welcomed me. I was amazed at how smart and friendly they all were!

I was so giddy as I looked around at all her treasures in her art room!

Vivian had adorable pieces everywhere in her home!

We watched T.V and ate ice cream in our jammies late into the night. The next morning we got ready for our weekend at Natalea's place.

We had delicious home baked muffins, while Vivian made her famous strawberry pretzel pie for the weekend. Then we stopped by Buffalo Stamps on our way to the party.

I'll be back with a re-cap on the garden art party soon! For now I need a nap!

Finally!!!!!

2011-07-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

It's been so long since I got together with my artsy friends, so I have been counting down the days 'til Natalea's Garden Art Party.

FINALLY, this weekend is the art party and I am going down earlier to visit Debby at her new store and to go beaching and shopping with Vivian! I can't wait to hang out with my old blog pals Natalea, Vivian and Jenny and to meet Tammy, Heather and Tabitha for the first time! I'll be back next week with photos of the art party, the class I'm teaching and the gifts I made!

Keeping my cool!

2011-07-21T07:15:00.000-07:00

I am in awe of how hot it is here in Toronto! It's hotter here than in the Bahamas right now with the temperature at 113 F with the humidex! It's so hot that all the birds are gone, our plants have died and our grass is yellow!

I stayed cool at the Cinema and watched Harry Potter's final movie. It was wicked!!

I'm also reading this sweet book, and can't wait to watch the movie when I'm done.

I'm in the middle of sending my address change post cards. Aren't they so sweet! I had Hope customize them for me.

(Above photos taken by me)

I have also been busy taking photos for the July 2011 photo Challenge on flickr.
Plus I have been sewing cute pillows for the window seat in my Daughter's room.

Most importantly we have been staying cool by having water gun fights with our neighbours almost every night.

Inspired by Frida

2011-07-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

A while ago I watched the movie 'Frida'- which is a biographical film depicting the professional and private life of the surrealist Mexican painter Frida Kahlo- which stars Salma Hayek.
Frida had such a twisted life, but I really admired her talent as a Painter.

On our recent trip to Las Vegas, we dined at a Mexican restaurant that had a shrine for Frida.

It inspired me to make a Milagros with her portrait on it. I have to say, her uni brow and the hair on her upper lip- makes her quite fascinating..lol!

Milagros means 'miracle' and they are usually charms people carry for good luck and protection. Heart-shaped Milagros can represent the human heart, and it might be connected with cares of worries over a heart condition. Or, it might represent the love that one person feels for another. They can also represent the Sacred Heart of Jesus or the Sacred Heart of Mary. I believe a heart-shaped Milagros was the perfect charm for Frida's promiscuous relationship with Diego Rivera.

Seasonal Fruits

2011-07-17T07:10:00.001-07:00

It's going to be a wild ride folks, as I struggle to keep the kids busy this very HOT summer!
My kids already finished camp. This is Emily with Freckles at riding camp.

She even won quite a few ribbons and awards.

Blueberries and raspberries are in season now, so we picked up some blueberries- on our way home from the cottage.

Then I made Martha Stewart's blueberry muffins with them. They were sooo yummy! It's so amazing that you can get any recipe on-line, then you just print it out and start cooking away!

Cottaging, Junking and Rooster Inspiration

2011-07-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

I feel so blessed to have our friends let us stay at their gorgeous cottage in Haliburton this past week.
Look at the gorgeous view from our balcony!

We got to use their awesome out door jacuzzi. Their Daughter slept over, so we went to a public beach, then out for Kawartha ice cream.

On our way home I visited 'The Lazy Farmer' to check out their antiques. This was one of the best antique stores I ever came across! (Thanks for the heads up Wendy!)

I read this fabulous issue -on the dock one day- and was excited to see Heather's article about her chicken coop! I had no idea that some hens lay pink and blue eggs and that you had to feed them worms and oyster shells!

It inspired me to take pictures of a rooster that was hanging around the antique barn.

He was so smart because he led me to some great antique finds!

Taking some much needed R & R

2011-07-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

I took this picture at the zoo and it just makes me smile. I'm doing the same thing up at the cottage this week as I am in much need of some R&R. I'll be back in a week.

Up to a Photo Challenge?

2011-07-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

I joined Natalea's July 2011 photo challenge on flickr. I am amazed by everyone's submissions and I'm having a blast coming up with my own photos for the challenge,(above are my subimssions). It's not too late for you to join too.

Sold :(

2011-07-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

WOAH we sold our house in just 2 days!
Why am I so sad?

A Marathon of a Weekend!

2011-07-03T17:27:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Canada Day this weekend and we did so much!
First we went out for our annual Canada Day breakfast- with our Aunt Alida and Uncle Tony. We took the kids to Pioneer Village. My friend Wendy works there and here she is in costume.

The kids had a blast learning the old way of doing things.

We also went to our friends: Dale & Wayne's annual family bbq. Above are their kids Anthony and my God Daughter Kristine.

We moved some stuff out of the house and into our new house. This is my Nephew Tony's Italian way of saying he's had enough :)

I took the kids strawberry picking at Downey's Farm.

I made strawberry jam. I got the free on-line printable labels here. Then we went to my Nephew Alex's 37th Birthday party. Phew! That was the longest weekend ever! I'm going to go put my (swollen) feet up now.

Today's my Children's Last Day of School!

2011-06-30T05:25:00.000-07:00

I made these lavender sachets for my Daughter's Teachers. On the bottom it says, 'A good Teacher is like a candle-it consumes itself to light the way for others.'

Great message from 'The Universe'

2011-06-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

All that you need to have all that you want, Sandy, will be provided, as if by magic, once you know what you want and do something about it every day. No matter what. -The Universe

The Last Few Days...

2011-06-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

I've been inspired by Natalea's latest 'The last few days' post, so I thought I would do a similar post. So the last few days, I have been watering and admiring my peonies.

I have been planting some bright colored flowers in my back yard.

I have been cooking yummy dinners from my Dolce Vita cook book.

I have been collecting ideas for my new house- through Pinterest.

I have been rocking out to THIS catchy song. It reminds me of American cow boys for some reason.

I have been painting furniture after my Husband is done with sanding them.

I have been altering old pieces into decorative items for my home. This is an old window turned into a frame with old door knobs for hooks.

We have been eating out at this fabulous Italian Restaurant called Motorino -when I was too busy to cook.

I laughed my butt off watching Bridemaids at the movies with my Sisters. Melissa McCarthy (previous actor on Gilmour Girls) did an AWESOME job in this movie.

I have been devouring juicy watermelon.

I have been watching a few movies starring the Handsome Josh Duhamel.

*I have also been giggling on the phone with some of my girl friends, monkeying around with my kids, watching crazy reality TV, eating lots of sweet & salty popcorn and drinking ice caps from Tim Hortons.

What have you been doing?

In a Crafting Mood

2011-06-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

I have been itching to take a break from all the house stuff and to create something exciting.

So I created this assemblage from an old sewing table drawer. The kids remind me of my Daughters and Son. I love the way it turned out! Ahhh, I feel better now...

What I did instead...

2011-06-16T18:24:00.000-07:00

I was going to do the laundry today...
...but instead I spent the day altering an old small wash board to hang in my new laundry room :)

Yup; sometimes it's great when the day doesn't go according to plan.

Quote of the day...

2011-06-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

"What is this life if full of care; we have no time to stand and stare"

-W. Davies

I hope you get a chance to stop and smell the roses today :)

It's Friday;I'm in Love!

2011-06-09T05:59:00.000-07:00

I KNEW this was going to happen! All that packing and stress and now I am home with a sprained neck! I have been visiting the Chiropractor though- and am already feeling better. I really need to learn to pace myself.

We also got a crazy hail storm last night. Check out how big the hail stones are!

We had a bit of flooding, but that didn't stop my neighbours from having some fun :)

Anywho, I won't let anything stop me from doing a 'It's Friday;I'm in Love' post!

I am loving my vintage stamp holder-that I picked-up while furniture shopping at Aberfoyle over the weekend. I added bottles and tiny bowling pins to it.

I love DottieAngel's hankerchief banner and got one for my Daughter's new room. I am hanging it along a tree that I will have painted on their wall.

I love the baby Robin in our tree- who just learned to fly.

I love PrimsbyKim's stuffed animals, so I purchased this fuzzy little elephant from her.

I love eating boiled quail's eggs. Their shell is so lovely too.

AfterMidnightFolkart makes the coolest Charlotte doll creations and I got this one around Easter time.

I love this 'Upcycled' book about how to make recycled purses from grocery bags etc.

I love this light from BootsNGus and am thinking of getting 2 of them for over my kitchen island.

That's it for now. What are you loving this Friday?

Home Sweet Home

2011-06-06T05:20:00.000-07:00

I have been busy,real busy! I have been planning the interior decor of my new home- with the help of my Designer Carmella. Also, with packing the items in my old house.

Hunting for antique furniture at Vintage Flea Markets on Sunday- with the help of my kids and my dear friend Wendy.

Refinishing my old furniture pieces-to match my home.

Hopefully I can take a break and create something sweet. What have you been up to?

Life is good!

2011-06-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

A baby Robin has hatched in our pine tree...
Our lilac tree is in full bloom...

Life is good!

A Mixed Minded Weekend

2011-05-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

What's up y'all ? :O) I went to Mixed Minded in Kitchener for the weekend and I took some cool classes.

I was pleasantly surprised to see some of my old friends there. To the left is sweet Elizabeth- who I worked for at her scrapbooking store when I was preggos with Lucas. The next lady is the famous Carmi- who taught us all an awesome class. To the right is sweet Marissa- who I get to see at our craft meet-ups -at a scrapbooking- store every now and then. Martha was there too!! It was great seeing everyone!

Check out the acorn ring Carmi made! She said if she was given an engagement ring, that she would have liked the acorn ring better than a diamond ring. I have to agree!

Anywho, Carmi taught us how to use resin in our art. These are a few of the gorgeous pieces she made.

When I got home, I made charms for each of my kids with their tooth in each one. I know it sounds gross but I think it's pretty cool. So half way through the class, I got hit with the flu. I slept 12 hours straight-at the hotel!

Thankfully I felt a bit better the next day- because I was taking the talented Nancy's Encaustics class. She did a fabulous job and I learned so much!

That's where I bumped into more old friends, like Hope and Daniza.

Here are some gorgeous Encaustic pieces by Nancy.

This is the one I made (using my Dad's class picture). It looks even better in person.

These girls made some cool ones as well. It can be very addicting!

Today my pal Wendy and I woke-up early to go antiquing for furniture-for the new house. I found almost everything on my list and I was thrilled by how little it ended up costing. I can't wait 'til it all comes together. It will take a few months though.

Look for me!

2011-05-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

Have you subscribed to Amy's Inspired Ideas-Birthday Issue yet? It's only the price of 2 cups of coffee!

If you do subscribe, don't forget to look for me in there! Here is a sneak peek of my work that's in the issue :) Have a great weekend!

A New Home and a Completed Journal

2011-05-23T12:27:00.000-07:00

If someone told me last week that I would be buying a new house soon, I would have thought they were crazy. However, as fate would have it, I just bought a house and we are moving in soon. Our old house was too small for our family. Since this will probably be our last home, I want to put a lot of thought into the decor. I am finally going to get that Tuscan-style kitchen I have always been dreaming about (Nat, I need to borrow your Tuscan Decor books!) It's going to be a lot of work, but a true labour of love!

I finally completed my Florida art journal last week and I love how it turned out. I created it with the help of this and this ,(on-line journalling classes). I was also inspired by Hope's Florida journal.

(The cover of the journal was once a coin display, so I added other found objects and sealed them in with resin)

Now I better get back to packing! Have a great week!

C'est Vendredi!

2011-05-19T06:03:00.000-07:00

It's FRIDAAAAY-YEEHAAAW! In celebration, here is another 'Friday I'm in Love' post:

I'm in love with; My Daughter Emily-who turns 8 on Sunday! Happy Birthday baby girl!!

I LOVE mangos and anything with cilantro! This mango and cilantro salsa looks devine!

I LOVE David & Goliath clothing and accessories! I picked-up this hand bag in their Vegas store.

I'm in love with the sweet hand-made Mother's Day gifts the kids presented to me!

I'm in love with Lollia Imagine hand cream and was so excited when I came across their perfume in Vegas.

I LOVE getting an invite to spend a weekend at my BFF Natalea's place!

I LOVE my mini santos in a cloche, that I got during Bayberry Cove's promotion, (that I learned about on Amy's blog).

I'm in Love with Junk Garden's jail house accessories (thanks for blogging about it Martha!)

I am loving that we now have a panera here in Toronto! Their baked egg souffles are to die for!

I love the post cards that came in from Nat's post card swap! I displayed some on my new bird cage jewelry display.

I LOVE edamame soy beans big time! I could eat tons of these in one sitting.

Drop me a line and let me know what you are loving lately :)