Camp Crop-A-Lot Autumn 2012

One of the classes offered will be similar to this one above with 12 cards in total. Twelve delightful pretty homemade holiday cards go a long way especially since Christmas is far enough away for you to make more of these kinds of cards. We'll be getting out the glue, glitter, spray bottles, embossing powders there will be plenty of sponging going on. These cards are definitely sponge worthy!

Scentsational Season clean, simple, crisp 3"x3" mini cards. These cards evoke smellories for me. I love the smell of pine, mint, chocolate at Christmas time!  Perfect for the busy stamper during the holidays!  Envelopes included.
There's a mini album coming and more….

Joel and Breanne

Bre+Joel, July 1, 2012 from Joel Brandt on Vimeo.

Mt. Lehman Winery out in Abbotsford and the location of my cousin's Canada Day wedding.  The reception was held under a tent on the winery grounds, overlooking the vineyard. It was very picturesque. Joel and Breanne’s wedding was very much an expression of their personalities, both original, sweet, and it felt so intimate . The proposal story is adorable and so are the first date stories. How did they meet you may ask. Well, Breanne saw Joel from his band website while shopping at Value Village, she contacted him through facebook and then they got together and getting to know one another was a dream come true for both of them. So of course we gave them a gift certificate. Wait it's still in my purse but will make it's way to them. 

Gifts were in the barn in a vintage suitcase displayed on a table covered in vintage linens. The bridesmaids’ dresses were all previously loved for under $50 each all different – but matching nicely. Table cloths were actually thrifted bed sheets cut to fit the tables and the afternoon tea was served in vintage china cups, saucers and plates. The centre pieces were made from jars and vases collected, and dressed up, holding dried flowers, dried themselves and potted succulents that were then transplanted into their garden. Also there was a serve-yourself candy table. The wedding cake sat on a vintage plate as well beside a display of photographs of the couple. The barn where the ceremony took place was decorated too and they did a lovely job! 

One of the neatest displays at the wedding was a hutch that had photos of their parents and grandparents weddings various picture frames; a wonderful way to honour their heritage and highlight the importance of family. They rented some items from Trove Vintage Rentals & Handmade Affairs and found other items adding them to their home afterwards.  One of Joel and Breanne’s favourite pieces is an old antique stereo that held their register. I could tell by some of the fabrics she was a child of the 80's for sure. 

Next month another bride will be wearing her beautiful dress. One of their family friends made all the jam served with the scones and tea. How awesome is that?! Her bridesmaids were two of her close friends and Joel's sisters. They seemed pretty tight knit. Aren't the flowers gorgeous? I wonder whose ear that is. 

I asked Breanne why they decided to do their wedding this way. This is what she wrote to me: [reblogged from Thrift Shopper for Peace]

One, it was frugal. Since we are both poor students with tight budgets we didn’t want to financially overburden our parents. Two, we really value simplicity and wanted our wedding to reflect that. Three, we love old things and love being able to support organizations like MCC and Bibles for Missions which donate their proceeds to important causes. Four, we were turned off by the mass consumerism that has been generated by weddings and wanted to avoid getting sucked into it. Five, I just love crafting and if I can make something myself, I am all over it! And six, we really wanted our wedding to be reflective of our values, lifestyles and who we are as a couple.

P.S. These pictures came from Thrift Shopper for Peace. Check out her fabulous blog! 

manghi insanity

Is my husband insane? Maybe it's me? Right now he is working on the yard. He has a lot of fancy Japanese garden ideas with a pond which I am trying not to squash. I do not want a pond with small children running around and I am skeptical that it will become as he pictures. Lately I have been practicing visualizing in order to use my left brain or something….I think some folks can picture things in there mind with more accuracy and maybe even move them around. I decided that possibly I may do this as well with some practice but each time I try to I see a scummy pond full of frogs and other things children have thrown in including barbie heads and plastic pieces of toys or broken computer parts and packaging, not to mention papers large and small in various sizes. Anyway I have given up on filling the hole each time he goes to work because that just wasn't working. He can dig deeper and faster than I can and get less dirt on his feet. The 'hole' has been filled with weeks for a little while now and I cannot pull them out as fast as my children can mess up the kitchen with stepped on crackers or soggy cheerios so I gave that up too! I am so grateful we have a yard now don't get me wrong but sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of additional work it provides. Also my husband loves to shop FOR PLANTS! This spring he went crazy making hanging baskets. Those dang people who lived here before had already hooks all around the deck! They also were close to retirement and designed the yard to be low maintenance, God bless them with volcano rocks and very little grass plus a huge garage to enable the next owners-us to leave things like broken washing machines, various bicycles, barbecues, furnitures, old mattress', malfunctioning fridges, recycling, half fixed items belonging to other ward members. There are some borrowed then broken things- do not lend him anything! -when he breaks it he buys a new one to replace and then keeps the new said item and plans to fix the borrowed one. Plus there is anything his brothers bring over and leave here. Now he is installing and working like a dog every day off and after work A BOARDWALK over the stepping stones with a lovely little path bordered by railway ties leading to the garage. There is cement mixing, wheel barrels, digging, sawing, comments like, "I am not a carpenter" in a Filipino accent, measuring, ropes, swearing, tools accumulating, lumbar heaving, several trips to Lowe's in between and lots of dirt coming in our house. It's like pig pen lives here. It's hard enough to keep an only bathroom floor used by six people clean as it is. It's driving me up the wall. Not only does he work during the cooler hours of the day but the hot ones too. INSANE i tell you! I love him dearly not queerly but right now I want to put a bucket on his head and beat it with the post hole digger. A metal bucket, good thing we do not have. Maybe I will just ask him to kindly wipe his feet, put all packaging in the nearby recycling and garbage bins, close the basement door to keep the bugs out, hose himself down outside and enlist the missionaries to teach him while helping, eat outside, feed his children while I am at work and take a chill pill. Don't sweat the small stuff .I keep telling myself that and taking deep breaths and taking the children to the park! He is a fabulous father but handy he is not. He does work as a janitor slash maintenance man but his dad who is quoted above is an office type who doesn't really like to get dirty and detests assembling anything because it takes him two days. I won't even mention the perfectionist part of my darling knight in previously shinning armour because I know how sleep deprivation can make you think! What a big load getting all that off my chest! Park here we come. Wait they already left without me with three cousins in tow. I better grab the lunch and head out the door! This from a mommy who barely has time to brush her teeth and read her beloved scriptures as she rushes and rushes and rushes.

 

Pick and Mix your own teas

Don't Eat the Paste: We picked and mixed our own herbal tea (tisane): Wild Chamomile Blossom - Taken by Shala Kerrigan In the last few years, I've been making a point of showing William and TG what's edible…
Check out this recent post from Shala full of good information. I found it interesting and I love eating my plants too! Please Don't Eat the Paste but DO enjoy her fabulous blog!