In My World

I scrapbook most days.  Some days I am able to complete several layouts.  My secret is using great sketches . . . sketches that suggest ways to set up layouts while leaving lots of room for interpretation. My plan (hope) is to post a new sketch every Monday to entice you to grab your trimmer and adhesive and create something wonderful.  I hope and encourage you all to share your creations and inspire others. If I run across any interesting blogs or sites, techniques or ideas I will share them here as well. To get you started, here is a very simple two-page layout from my newest book Scrapbooking With Two-Page Layouts :

This will be my third year participating in the St. Thomas Relay for Life on the Pink Scrappers team. If you would like to participate in some way you can donate to a walker online or in person, volunteer at the Relay, join a Relay team, make a donation to one of our events -- all day crop, silent auction, book sale, bake sale, yard sale -- and come out and support our fundraising efforts. The Relay for Life is being held June 7th at St. Joseph's High School. Please choose at least one way to help us raise money to fight this horrible disease.

I belong to the Pink Scrappers Relay for Life Team and will be walking in the St. Thomas ON Relay for Life on June 7th.  Why do I participate in the St. Thomas Relay for Life? The Relay for Life is fun. The Relay is a way to honour those who have fought the battle against cancer . . . win or lose. It is a joyous occasion. The Relay is a great fundraiser that allows the whole community to step up. It is a chance to cry and remember. The Relay is a chance to play dress up and stay out all night and pretend I'm not an old grandma. I know the money raised brings us one step closer to defeating this horrible disease. The Relay make me feel hopeful. The Relay is a way to make a difference. If you would like to make a difference and support the Relay for life you can: 1. make a donation to a participant (like me) in person or online, 2. join a Relay team or form a new team, 3. share your message about why you support the Relay for Life 4. purchase a luminary The Pink Scrappers have tw...

This photo was taken June 2012 which was the second year I participated in the St. Thomas Relay for Life. And I'm back again for another year.   I would really appreciate your support .  You can make a donation . . . any size . . . big or small . . . I know every little bit helps to make a difference. Thanks.

I wish I could share all of the layouts I created in February but since so many are going to be published in my books I can't share them here.  If I did, no one would buy my books and then how would I afford to scrapbook?  You can see the books I already have available at Lulu.com .  As you may well guess, I usually write about . . . scrapbooking . . .  You can find all of my handmade paper piecings at https://www.facebook.com/PaperPiecings  I love Close to my Heart papers. I love tags. .  . . and yes I do use my paper piecings . . . a lot!

This is the first strip I have completed for the Afghan Crochet-along at Holiday Mystery Gifts Yahoo! Group.  Isn't it wavy?  LOL.  I'm almost finished the second strip as well.  I'll share that photo as soon as it is done.  The patterns for this afghan will stay posted in the group until the project is completed.  I think you may have guessed by now that I really enjoy this group!

This sweet little hand towel is another pattern that was free only in February at Holiday Mystery Gifts Yahoo! group.   I did find the pattern here as well  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/be-still-my-heart-3  I really enjoyed making it but haven't decided who to give it to yet . . .

Woo Hoo -- twelve oddball squares done so far and only 30 more to go and then of course putting it together and adding a border.  These squares are so challenging and so much fun to make.  This little beauty here was frogged several times before I finally figured out the technique.  I couldn't find an online video or web site that explained it in a way I could understand.  So I just interpreted the pattern, tried it and frogged it . . . a few times . . . before I finally figured it out.  After that it was kind of fun.  You can see the afghan and patterns here .

Isn't this the cutest little crocheted basket?  It is meant to hold coasters but mine is now on a shelf filled with afghan square samples.  I found the pattern on Holiday Mystery Gifts Yahoo! group .  This is a very fun group.  At the beginning of each month different designers post selected patterns that would make great gifts.  The patterns only stay up for a month and then they disappear.  They are available for sale from the designers after they disappear.  Members are asked not to share the patterns outside the group as a courtesy to the designers.  Each month I select the patterns that appeal to me and add them to My Dreaded To Do List.  I really enjoyed making this little basket . . . simple and fairly quick to make. I found the pattern at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/all-around-cloth-basket  but there is a small charge to download it.

My hubby's employer is just a minute or two down the road from the Denny's at Highbury/401 so we have frequented the place several times . . . usually in the middle of the night when I am picking him up and he is starving.  Guess what?  I don't want to cook in the middle of the night . . . LOL. I have had some very lovely meals in this restaurant.  My first favourite meal was the breakfast plate with grits.  Yum.  And then one day I had the pumpkin pancakes and they were delicious.  I now have a new favourite, tried for the first time today.  Banana Pecan Pancake Breakfast.  It came with two large whole wheat pancakes with tons of pecans and extra bananas sliced on top, 2 slices of turkey bacon which I always love and scrambled egg whites.  I've never had egg whites before but they were light and fluffy and I think I like them better than whole eggs.  Yep that's my new favourite meal at Denny's. Do you know what else I like about ...

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Swiss Chalet about their new pasta and rice bowls.  I thought they looked delicious, especially the butter chicken, and couldn't wait to try them.  In fact, I mentioned the ad in my Facebook status.  So you know I was really looking forward to trying this dish.  One FB friend did mention that she thought it was wrong to serve jasmine rice with butter chicken. Last week my sister was in town for the day.  We went with Mom, Nanna and our sister-in-law to Swiss Chalet for lunch.  Guess what I ordered?  Nancy and I cracked a joke about the butter chicken being served with the wrong kind of rice.  And that's when I got my first shock.  "It's not our fault that head office is r*****ed" our server informed us.  I hate that word.  I know it is a simple, harmless word all by itself.  But it is used to demean others, especially those with challenges they can't help.  But I bit my t...

Sometimes new does not always mean better.  I've been reading about the Knook for quite a while.  Some people seemed to absolutely love it but just as many absolutely hated it.  I'm open minded.  I'll try anything once especially if it might be fun or challenging.  So one day while I was in Michaels with a 50% coupon in my clutches, a Knook fell right into my cart. I finally decided to give it a try tonight.  I followed all the instructions in the booklet which is really well written and has lots of lovely pictures.  I was going to make the infinity scarf in the booklet because I was sure I would be an expert at this in no time at all . . . LOL. By row three I was so freaking annoyed.  This was not fun, this was not easy.  This was someone's horrid idea to make me miserable.  The stitches do not work up naturally.  The stitches kept shrinking on the cord so that you had to struggle to put the hook through.  It was just g...

Oh how I wish I was telling you about my trip to Hawaii . . . but we do what we can. Helen wanted to start her Relay for Life fundraising off with a little pineapple.  She invited all the Ladies' Day Out ladies for lunch and some quality scrapbooking/crafting time.  In exchange for $5.00 she provided all kinds of great hula props for photo ops and fed us Hawaiian pizza and pineapple upside down cake. We had a great time!!