Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Despite the silence around here.....

I do still craft.  I actually did a lot of this mini album on the road.  I was successful this time because I got my dad's printer to work AND the eprint app.  It was sketchy there for a while but I managed.

And I love  how it turned out.  I ended up not using half of what I brought but thats okay.  This is also a work in progress as I fill in journaling and location names.  I worked on the pages each  night in Calgary while watching the Stampede highlights on television.

 Freckled Fawn Washi tape, Pink Paislee wood letters, Heidi Swapp instaframe.

 Our tickets, a selfie (I'm so bad at taking these!).  Flair is from the a{flair} for buttons Etsy store.  That Calgary tag was in a pack of tags from October Afternoon.  I've been saving it.

 I collect shaped paper clips.  I found a collection on Amazon and I add a pack to every order I place.  My newest acquisition are the speech bubbles paper clips!

 More flair.  My first stop in Canada is always the Tim Horton for coffee and a sandwich.
 The fun things to add like brochure clippings, cards and ride tickets.  Thats my cousin holding N on his shoulders.
 Pictures of our Barn Tour passes since we weren't allowed to keep them.  Oh and I'm obsessed with Mounties!
 Our chuckwagon friend Wayne Knight.
 More flair there.
 I used a lot of these Jillibean Soup sticker letters in this book.  They were perfect for adding just a little title to a photo.
 The Studio Calico veneer shapes are awesome.  That receipt is the park pass for Banff National Park.  The car veneer is perfect since it was a 'road trip'.  If you were wondering about whether or not you need some veneer, you do.  ;)  You can thank me later!
 More shaped paper clips, washi, veneer and those October Afternoon Mini Market stickers.  Another small 'font'.
 At this point, I was keeping it simple.  I lost interest but wanted to finish something big like this (for once) so I kept going.  These are the photos that I'm still adding stuff too.  Journaling, sticker letters with just the name of where we were etc.
 I'm known to pick up all kinds of paperwork when we go places.  So much that I almost need another bag to take home.  I even pick up real estate magazines if I *really* like a place.  I *really* liked Calgary so I may or may not have picked up real estate magazines for more than one suburb.....

This is just a great map fold out that shows all of the areas in the Banff to Jasper area.
 I think our favorite part of the trip was the Ice Fields excursion.  Its the one my husband keeps talking about and can't wait to go back.  My husband doesn't get excited about much so when he talks about something incessantly you know he had a good time.  He tells perfect strangers about the glacier so that means he had a great time.
I kept our tickets and used more of the veneer.

 I tucked in some random bits in the middle pocket.  Extra Stampede ride tickets, stickers, tickets etc.
 If anyone wants to know the pancake story, click here.  Its become such a joke that Kings fans were eating pancakes for breakfast during the playoffs. So of course, I had to have some 'Canadian' pancakes while I was in Penner's home country.
 Some of these pictures need no journaling.




 More flair!  I attached a small brown bag behind the photo of my son and stuck our train tickets in there.  I stapled one of them so it stuck out.



Its still a work in progress as I find little tidbits from the trip.  I tried to keep it all together in a folder but there is always the odd item that you stick somewhere else.  I also had some stuff in my wallet which I promptly lost at Target when we got back.  I'm heartbroken because there were some tickets in there and about 3 pressed pennies from random places.  I'm slowly getting over that fact and have purchased a larger wallet, one that might be harder to leave in the basket at Target.....

Don't forget the Design Team call for the Stringery.  The call ends on August 15th so hurry and email us!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Design Team Call - The Stringery

Its about time I post this call for extra members of the Design Team.

I've had this in draft for a couple of weeks and I'm finally getting around to posting.  Its been a little crazy around here with a new job, vacation and a birthday party to plan.

The new job is a month old, a little boy has turned 5 and I'm finally recovered from our vacation!  So, the details of the call are:

Do you like string and twine as much as we do?  Do you find ways to stick a little here and there on layouts and cards - or any project for that matter?  Then we need you!  The Stringery Etsy shop is looking for 2 more designers for our small team.  I need two more people to share the love for all things string!

Requirements:

Active Blog with at least one post per week.  We do not have a store blog (yet) so its important to have a place to share your projects.  Online Galleries are also welcome.

Ability to post 2-4 projects a month using products from the store.  Projects can consist of cards, layouts or other projects using the strings or ribbon currently in stock in the store.

Be open to using the products in new ways.  We will be adding new products to the shop every month.  Our designers will be the first to work with the products.

Be able to advertise the store discounts, contests etc.

If you feel like you would be a good fit for our team, submit your projects!  Deadline to submit is August 15th so you have over 2 weeks to work on projects.  Email your work to ohmy17@yahoo.com.  We will reply letting you know we received your submission.

The two new members of the team will be announced August 20th.

Don't have anything to work with yet?  Stock up using our special DT Call coupon.  Save 20% off your order with us when you use the coupon code DESIGN20 during checkout.

Our current Design Team blogs are the following:

Erica - You are here
Mandy
Jennie

And our awesome Facebook page.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Calgary in pictures

I truly am jealous of anyone that gets to live in Canada.  There is so much natural beauty in Alberta alone that its really hard to come home.  I know everyone up there would gladly trade lives and come down here.  Anyone up for a house swap?

An overview of the trip in pictures:

 At the Calgary Stampede.
 First Nations Princess.






 Meeting Gracie from Studio Calico!

My cousin Bryce.
 Bryce got us a barn tour where we met the Chuckwagon teams.

 Wayne Knight





 Wayne Knight is in the blue wagon.
 Wayne Knight wins!
 The evening show.
 I had to escape the heat and crowds of the city so we headed to the mountains.  I love Banff.

 Bow Falls.




 Athabasca Glacier









 Morraine Lake
 We walked the 5k trail to the waterfalls.
 Lake Louise.

 After a few days in the mountains, we headed back.  We let N skate a couple of times to practice.  Since he was going to miss 2 weeks of lessons, we figured he could use a little practice.

 Heading up to Edmonton.

 The school my grandfather went to.
 My grandfather had a 'corner' in the basement lunch room.  It was his corner and no one else was allowed to sit there.  At the time, he was the schools star hockey player so everyone listened.  N wanted to site in Great-Grandpas 'spot'.
 The photo of my grandfather.  Hes in the bottom left on the end.
 This rink wasn't there when he went to school but the hill behind it was.  He said he used to sit at the top of the hill during lunch and when the principal would blow the whistle, he used to pretend he couldn't hear it.  ;)
 Riding the train.

 Heritage Park.


 We explored some of the restored train cars and saw some fun things.  I think it would be cool to travel the way they did back then.






 There were bunk beds above the sitting area in some of the rooms.

 The 'cheap seats'.
 They had bunk beds too.
 Then it was off to the Indian Village where we learned to shoot a bow and arrow.

 Mountie training.
 We still don't always know the left from the right.  ;)
 Got it!

 Marching!
Officially a Mountie!

I edited 800 photos down to 400 and these are just a few.  I didn't take as many thing trip because I have so many from last summer.  I don't need duplicate photos!  In between editing, I've been working on finishing up the mini album I took with me.  I'll be posting pictures in the next couple of days.