garden girl

Over the summer, we tried to stay outdoors most of the time and as a result, discovered new places that we never knew existed before.  Such is the case for Edwards Garden which is tucked away somewhere behind the familiar Toronto Botanical Gardens.

We enjoyed a fabulous summer day at this place just hanging out and enjoying the cool breeze and beautiful greenery. 

I used an old Papertrey favourite, Trendy Tree Tops dies.  The stickers and journaling card are from Echo Park and the bitty dots papers are from Papertrey.

Close up of the journaling...

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pwp #24 - catnap

I am back with another everyday moment layout.

Some kids need a warm, comfy bed to sleep.  But not my DD.  When she feels tired, she can take a nap just about anywhere.

Case in point… Here is a layout I made of my DD taking a nap by our stairs.  We are meeting some friends for dinner (and she is also excited to see her best friend at said dinner) so this would have to do while waiting for us to get ready, LOL.

I used Papertrey’s Sketched Shapes die and smokey shadow buttons.  I also used cards from my Project Life kit, patterned papers and sticker embellies from Simple Stories and enamel dots from My Mind’s Eye.

Some close ups...

I am also entering this to Leigh Penner’s Pages with Papertrey challenge here which is to use two in a layout.  It could be two photos, two stamps, two dies, etc.  For my layout, I used two photos. 

Thanks for stopping by!

polka dots and rainbows

Last weekend, we threw a “Rainbow and Polka Dots” baby shower for one of our friends.  Of course, that meant I got to create some crafty stuff for the mom-to-be.

First off, I made her a rainbow diaper cake.  I used the “no roll” diaper cake tutorial which I got here.  I love combining various rainbow colours to come up with this fun diaper cake.

I used 12x12 cardstocks from various companies (mainly Stampin’ Up and DCWV).  The big flowers are cut outs from Stampin’ Up and the smaller ones are those canned Prima flowers from Michael’s which I have since forever.  So glad to finally be able to use them. 

The topper is a banner I made using My Creative Time’s banner dies and Papertrey’s Headline Alphabet dies.  I also used various ribbons and twines from my stash. 

Here's a top view of the cake so you can see the diapers….

This cake sat on my desk for a week before the party and I simply loved waking up to it!

Next up is a notebook for guests to write their well wishes and advice for the expectant parents.  I used various dies from Papertrey and MFT (Hanging Out, Heart to Heart, Flip Flops and grass dies) to create this fun laundry scene (as what my DD calls it).   

I carried the same baby clothes theme inside the book…

Next is a card I made for the parents-to-be, using the adorable giraffe from Papertrey's Sweet Baby set. 

I actually made a few to have on hand for the many babies that will be coming in the next few months…

Lastly is the dessert table… Fun rainbow colours with some sprinkles of polka dots!

I also dressed up some lollipops using this cute little lollipop holder which I got from My Creative Time. The tag is from Papertrey's Tiny Tags set. We gave this out to the guests, young and old alike.

Thanks for stopping by!

strawberry fest

You know it is summer when you see strawberries everywhere.  Strawberry picking used to be one of our favourite things to do during summer.  But this year, my DD decided that she is not interested in going anymore.  So I looked for an alternative so that we can still celebrate those beautiful strawberries.  And viola… there was a strawberry festival happening somewhere near our area (I told you we have festivals for everything!).

Here is a layout I made of that day.  (Can you feel that I am still on denial that summer is going to be officially over soon?)

I used Papetrey’s Strawberry Patch stamp and dies, Headline Alphabet dies and bitty dots patterned paper.  I also used a card from Project Life and a polka dot paper from Simple Stories.

Close up of the journaling...

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Garlic Fever

"There is no such thing as a little garlic." - Arthur Baer

My love affair with garlic started with my first taste of "Adobo", a "garlicky" dish staple to any Filipino home.  Incidentally, as I was writing this blog, my mom who is visiting, prepared this delicacy for lunch. 


Mom's version of Chicken-Pork Adobo loaded with garlic - YUM!

Mom won't always be here to prepare Adobo for me.  So on days when I need to satisfy my garlic craving, one quick way is through roasted garlic.   Roasted garlic can be enjoyed by itself or as a topping for mashed potatoes, bread or pasta. Here is one recipe from Elise Bauer who posted her idea at Simply Recipes. 

To my delight, September is proving to be the month of garlic...at least in my neck of the woods.  The Stratford Garlic Festival starts tomorrow and runs until Sunday in Stratford, ON.  Next weekend, the Niagara Garlic Festival will be held on Saturday, September 13th at Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON.   And on September 22nd, the Toronto Garlic Festival will take place at Evergreen Brickworks in Toronto, ON.  These festivals help promote local garlic growers and producers of garlic. 

For those interested in free tickets to the Niagara Garlic & Herb Festival, email me (or craftmatesetc ^@^ gmail.com, if link doesn't work) with your address, # of people attending, and I'll mail out the tickets to you.  Or, if you prefer, pick it up at the admissions tent on the day of the festival.  Note that the free tickets are limited so they are on a first-come-first-serve basis. 

Enjoy your weekend!

 

pwp #24 - together is a good place to be

There’s just something about professional rib vendors gathering together in an outdoor event to showcase their culinary expertise.  Everything seems fun, easy and delicious.  

Rib festivals have become one of our summer traditions.  There were  a number of rib fests in our area this summer and we made sure we were there to experience them.

Here is the first one we attended last July...

I made a simple but striking layout, mainly pulling the colours from my DD’s dress that day.   Navy blue, pink and yellow turned out to be a fun colour combo.

Some close ups...

I used Project Life-like cards which I got from Michael’s Recollection brand, Kelly Purkey’s Right Now stamp and some punched out circle shapes using Papertrey’s cardstock (enchanted evening, hibiscus burst and harvest gold).

I am also entering this to Leigh Penner’s Pages with Papertrey challenge here which is to use two in a layout.  It could be two photos, two stamps, two dies, etc.  For my layout, I used two photos. 

Thanks for stopping by!

peaceful wildflowers

Happy September!  Quite a bittersweet day today as we start school and say goodbye to summer. But I think I am ready for cooler weather and a more regular schedule around the house.

Anyway, today I have a card to share.  I have always liked the look of silhouette flowers. So when Lisa Johnson came up with the Peaceful Wildflower set over at My Favorite Things, I knew I had to have it. 

I used it to make a clean and simple note card.  I deliberately did not put in a sentiment on the card so it can be used to for any occasion (or even for no occasion at all).

I also used an October Afternoon button and some twine.

And because it was so easy to create this card, I made 3 more...

And here they are, looking pretty together…

 

Thanks for stopping by!