Peony Season

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It’s the end of June and that means it’s finally Peony season here!!!

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I had one plant succumb to winter kill but the other two made it and one is thriving better than ever before. It literally makes my heart skip a beat when I see them!

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I bought my very first plant 6 years ago, I brought it home and discovered that it was covered in ants. I quickly cleaned all the ants off into the dumpster and proceeded to plant it in my flower bed. It died. A seasoned peony growing friend of mine told me they need the ants. I did not like that! Not one bit. I hate ants but I wanted the peonies, I learned to accept that the ants were part of the package. I don’t know what the deal is, I don’t know if they actually need the ants but I’ve been growing the plants successfully since, I’m not about to mess up a good thing.

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Lesson learned: accepting things I do not like might yield a beautiful result.

Explore your backyard

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MacKinnon Ravine Park – Government House Park

Edmonton, Alberta

Photos taken in May & June 2017

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As soon as all the snow melts and the sun is shining bright I head down to the River Valley for my run/walks. I come down here and forget that I’m even in the city. It’s gorgeous, calm and so peaceful. I lose myself in my thoughts and come away more energetic and full of inspiration. This daily practice does wonders for my life.

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I park in a residential area just off 142st near the 142st bridge. I start there and head out through the MacKinnon Ravine Park towards Government House Park. From there I head out over the Groat Bridge, run a few sets of stairs and then head back. It works out to be about 6km with the stair climbs.

IMG_7812The Downtown view from Groat Bridge.

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It’s not a hard 6km, I’m stopping constantly to take in the views and take photographs. Everyday, no matter how many times I see it, this is my routine. Spring/Summer is so short here, I never take these seasons for granted.

IMG_7816Almost to the top of a stair set in MacKinnon Ravine.

IMG_7819The reward for the stair climb. The view south towards Hawrelak Park.

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I have began a habit of looking up. The blue sky, the sun, the light, the green- I feel a happiness inside that I can’t put words to.

Get out, explore, there is magic out there if you’re willing to see it.

 

 

Check out Creative Scrapbooker

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I was fortunate enough to be published in the Summer 2017 Issue of Creative Scrapbooker… 3 times! I can’t even tell you have grateful I am. 3 full pages with my work and the faces of a few of my favorite people.

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You can find me on pages 60, 61 & 62. The magazine is available at Treasured Memories & most local scrapbook stores, Chapters/Indigo, Barnes & Noble,  I’ve also seen at most places where you can buy magazines (Walmart, London Drugs, etc).

The call I submitted for was “Using found objects around your home as stamping tools.”

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I used paper towel & 2 different sized drinking glasses for the rings here. Product used: Simple Stories.

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On this page I used corrugated cardboard. I painted the cardboard and then used it like any other stamp. Product used: Bo Bunny.

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On this page I used bubble wrap and a candle holder & hairspray lid to create the rings. Product used: Simple Stories.

May Month Kit Inspiration

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These layouts were created using the May Month Kit from Treasured Memories. The feature product for this kit was Tealightful  from Pebbles- these papers are so pretty! The kit was packed with goodies from various sources and as the designer of the kit I was only allowed to add cardstock to my pages. I created 7 pages with this kit and had plenty of product left over.

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I wrote a blog post for Treasured Memories using this page as the inspiration.  I wrote about how you can utilize your paper more efficiently by turning it into embellishments.

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Treasured Memories creates a new kit each month, you can check out June’s here.

Dear Anna,

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You are growing up way too fast.

I hate it. I love it.

I see your face changing daily and it breaks my heart and lights me up, all in the same second.

I worry that I didn’t spend enough time soaking up baby Anna and every phase after that. I remind myself daily to soak up who you are now before that part of you grows up too.

Every new phase we enter brings new challenges but also new celebrations.

Every now and then I wish I could turn back the clock but then I remind myself how grateful I am for where we are now and the present becomes my favorite phase.

Right now:

  • You are 6 years old.
  • You are so funny & you’re a little too cheeky for your own good.
  •  You love to go on dinner dates and coffee dates.
  • You still love to hold my hand.
  • You are so smart.
  • You are becoming more brave and confident daily.
  • You play with Barbies, Shopkins & Lego.
  • You can read.
  • You love to sing and are always making up songs. This morning I heard you singing about math.
  • Lucy is your best friend.
  • You love to go on family adventures.
  • Your favorite foods are anything potato, grilled cheese, banana pancakes, Nutella on anything and berries.
  • You have lost 6 teeth. 2 pulled out by the dentist, 1 kicked out at recess and 3 pulled out by me. Your toothless smile makes me smile.
  • You love swimming and are working so hard at swimming lessons.
  • You hate bedtime. Bedtime can be so hard. You are a master at avoiding getting ready for bed.
  • Someone said something kind to you at school about your freckles and now you love them. I’ve loved them all along. I hope you learn to love them on your own.
  • You say “I Love You” all the time and leave little love notes in my office for me to find.
  • You only have 34 days left of Grade 1.
  • You take Hip Hop classes, swimming lessons and have joined the running club at school.
  • You really want to read/watch Harry Potter but you’re afraid of Voldemort.
  • You love Snapchat & I always find the funniest pictures on my phone.

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Anna, you are my favorite & I am so grateful that I get to be your mom.

xo,

Mom

 

May’s Cards

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These are the cards I have created for my May card class/kits at Treasured Memories. I used the Campfire & Lakeside collections from Photo Play- I love these papers! The colors are rich and the patterns are a perfect mix of masculine & feminine.

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Details:

Photo Play Card Class: Wednesday, May 31 at 6:30pm – 9:30pm. The full description can be found over here. *Take home kits will also be available.

April Layout Work

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I was responsible for designing pages using Treasured Memories April Month Kit (follow this link to see all the kit product). This basically means I am given a collection of goodies that all tie together and I get to play. Designers are allowed to add only cardstock and everything else needs to be created using the contents of the kit. You can usually get 7-10 layouts completed, depending on how heavily you embellish your pages.

These are 4 of 7 layouts that I created using the April Kit which had Bo Bunny’s Petal Lane as the feature product.

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