appreciation...

I love when my aunt visits.. she always brings with her oodles of goodies...she collects them for my mom and I(my mom is a fab doll artist)..through her thrift store she volunteers at. She has a lady that also collects for us, Anne.. anything and everything.. buttons, ribbons, old lace, trims..odds and ends.. blingy bits and pieces... I love up-cycling what people think has no more use.. breathing into it a new life..to brighten the day of someone else. How I love digging through the goodies she brings.

This trip was no exception..lots of vintage trims..buttons galore(oh la la..feeding my obsession) millinery flowers and leaves,beads and bling, charms and doilies.I came back home with such a stash.. my mom got the other half. It was so much fun sitting around the table sorting and sharing..ideas turning slowly in my head.. I can't wait to create with all these great finds..

Many of the embellishments I use have come from my aunt and Anne..many hours of collecting, cutting and sorting.  I decided to make a set of cards to give Anne. She is an older lady and I wanted to give her a little something that contains many of the things she has collected for us over the years. It is a lot of hard work that I want her to know doesn't go un-appreciated.

 Since this was an odd sized card I whipped up a little wax paper bag to send the card along with. Notice that doily there? It's part of a new obsession- making doilies. I was inspired by my blog buddy Joanne.. she makes the cutest doilies! Trying to use up my rub-on sentiments. I love that you can showcase them simply. Again I broke out my Waltzing mouse stamps.. I am more than slightly attracted to silhouettes and cameos..Actually made some cameos at my moms.. she has the most awesome molds. Don't worry. You will be seeing them frequently in upcoming posts. You may grow tired of me showing them..
I hope to get in a few posts soon. My brother in laws are going to be visiting.. when I have some down time I'll pop back in.
Til then,
~Becks

ties that bind...

I am back from my short holiday..
Relaxed.. refreshed..ready to go. It's always a treat visiting family. Does my heart good; makes me realize how blessed I am. It also takes its toll on me somedays-a two sided coin; realizing just how far away I am physically.. although never in spirit.
I left my heart in B.C....

 It seems there's never enough time to fit everyone in.. So many friends went unseen.. but not forgotten. There's always next time I say. This visit was all about family. So good for my soul to reconnect.. my mom had a full house. The best kind to have if you ask me. My aunt(my moms sister) was also visiting..staying longer than my guy and I were. So good to see everyone together.. That ever present invisible thread..the ties that bind us together as family.

Some of the best times were spent sitting around the big kitchen island, cup of tea in hand,  just talking..reliving stories of youth.. learning more about family relations..hearing stories of my nanna and pa...keeping their memories alive. I love discovering things I never knew before.

Home again and just in time.. I will soon have a full house myself.. We are taking turns. First mama, then me, then my MIL.. A great month of nothing but family..visiting, talking, enjoying each others company.. My BIL's arrive in a couple days. I can't wait. I know my guy is looking forward to it.
Just a quick card I made for another little set for a very dear lady.. I will explain more in a future post..I had fun using tea stained goodies,  romantic papers..keeping it simple..using little embellies..letting them shine. I do hope she likes it.
As always I appreciate the visit..
Looking forward to more posts soon,
~Becks

relaxation vacation...

Whew. I finally have a few minutes to sit down and relax...We leave for a 6 day vacation tomorrow and boy, has it been a zoo around here. Trying to get the house in order for the house/pet sitter.. I don't know about you, but I hate coming home to a messy house after being on vacation.. That, and wanting the house to be clean and fresh for our sitter..

I am looking forward to the next week.. so excited..a little anxious(I'm a nervous flyer) but I know the few short hours on a plane are worth it when I get to spend time with some of my very favourite people..remembering at least I have a travel partner this time..and that some of us are coming a lot further than my guy and I are.

Lots of catching up to do... eating good food.. walks on the beach... seeing old friends...shopping with 'the girls'... enjoying each others company to the fullest. It's not too often all of us are in the same place in the same time. These days are the days I look back and and treasure. They keep me going on my darkest days.

This card is the last in the set I made for Alexis...I kept it simple and themed... cameo's and butterflies..I am smitten with Waltzing mouse Cameo To Go and Cameo Builder sets..

A mix of items used here.. Melissa Frances and Girl's Paperie papers..french bookprint..seam binding..a handmade doily..Maya Road trinket pins..tea stained paper doily..some more of the fab sticky backed, embossed lacy trim from my mama. I love when the all come together nicely..

Not the greatest picture but there they are-in all their glory.. I'll try and pop in with a post or two while I'm away..
Until next time,
~Becks

moon-catchin'....

I've made me a moon-catchin' net,
And I'm goin' huntin' tonight,
I'll run along swinging' it over my head,
And grab for that big ball of light.

So tomorrow just look at the sky,

And if there's no moon you can bet

I've found what I sought and I finally caught

The moon in my moon-catchin' net.

But if the moon's still shinin' there,
Look close underneath and you'll get
A clear look at me in the sky swingin' free
With a star in my moon-catchin' net.
                   -Shel Silverstein.

Reliving some of my favourite poems as a child lately. How I loved, and still love Shel Silverstein's weird and wondrous poems. It sparked my love of writing and reading..I'm an advocate of kids reading at a young age...there's nothing better than reading a good book.
Sharing another card in the set I made for my friend...Finally got around to using the frame I crackled in this post here. Using my new Waltzing Mouse stamps.. how I love the cameo sets..I can and will use them over and over again. There's something timeless about cameos. Different patterned papers...which fits with the theme over at The Shabby Tea Room this week...*polka dots* I have a 'thing' about polka dots.. love love love them! You can see them poking out in the background..just the right amount of polka dotty goodness.
I'm off to link this up and head to bed.. this night owl is ready to turn in...
Happy weekend!
~Becks

growing...

I'm loving this time of the year:

Watching my garden grow..

Seeing the puppy get bigger and bigger. He acts like he's still tiny .. 45 pounds and still tries to curl up on my lap..it's a fun experience.


My 'baby girl' Keiko..my Siamese kitty..growing like a weed.. only 6 months old and has completely stole my heart.. She's a curious kitty for sure...


Enjoying walks with the pup in the evenings..

Loving the sunshine.. when it makes an appearance..its been a rainy, grey summer this year.

Expanding my crafty horizons(more on that to come in future posts)

Rediscovering a love of exercising..being active..feeling great.

Looking forward to traveling out west to British Columbia, and back east to Ontario..(home for me and my guy)

Anticipating visitors in the form of two brother-in-laws in just a few short weeks...

Counting my blessings and realizing Mother Nature's power and beauty:


Watching the Aurora Borealis(Northern Lights)...so humbling and so beautiful in the night sky...

Experiencing a massive lightning storm..standing on the shore of the lake.. captured by the beauty..frightened, yet awed by the sheer power of it...

Keeping an eye on the ever rising river..hoping the rain will stay away and let the river recede...

Missing those no longer with us every single day..reliving memories ever so sweet..

Growing and learning...

 

Just sharing with you another card in a four card set I made for a great gal.. Lots of lovely layers. A little crackle technique on the butterfly..tea stained doily..my favourite papers and stamps.. perfectly imperfect stitching poking out..its love all around.
Thanks for letting me share a bit of my summer with you..
Before I go just a little 'hello' and welcome to a few new blog followers.. thanks for joining me on my crafty journey.
I'll be back soon with a few new crafty projects.
Night friends,
~Becks

mix and match...

*ETA Happy Dance!!! this card made the Terrific Top 3 this week at The Shabby Tea Room:) Thanks to the DT for choosing my card. Such an honour*

If you're anything like me, when I am making cards I tend to hoard everything.. and I mean e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Including scraps of paper. I just don't have the heart to throw them away. In my mind I think that they are a) too pretty to throw out and b)I will find a use for them(eventually).. So, I keep them all.. trim them to make straight edges..and they sit... and sit.. and sit. Unused and unloved. Until now...

This hoarding has come about since I love patterned papers, and live so far out of civilization( and let's be honest- I have no patience to wait and wait for my online orders). This weeks challenge over at one of my fave sites The Shabby Tea Room is to mix and match patterned papers, using at least 3....this got my wheels turning.

I now have a reason to use all of my cut off ends and hoarded scraps...hooray! For this project I picked out a bunch of my favourite papers- Basic Grey(Capella and Porcelain collections) and Melissa Frances- and started playing around with the order..the colours I wanted together.. and this is what I came up with.. the pieces were all different lengths, so I trimmed them flush once I taped them all together(oh the wonders of double side tape:P) I love that they all are different widths too.

I just had to show a close-up of this fabby embossed 'lace'. It's something I have in my stash.. they are too pretty to part with.. my mama finds the most cool things when she's out on the hunt for her own art projects(she's an amazing doll artist..) I love the fact its sticky backed..and comes in long strips so you can cut just how much you need. I highlighted the dots with some mini pearls-a gift from my sister..(how they totally get me and my favourite embellishments..feeding my hoarding obsession lol)

All of those pieces of patterned paper sit on a piece of Japanese handmade paper(the blue at the bottom of the card) from my mama..book print dye cut(PTI mat stack)is the base for my doily and butterflies..I'm really digging layering these days.. more is more if you ask me... lol. Let's hope I don't over do it. This is one of a four piece card set for a dear friend of mine. Do you think she will like it as much as I do?
Just wanted to say thanks for stopping by the ole blog tonight. I love reading your comments..such great encouragement.

I'm off to post this to the challenge site..
'Til next time,
~Becks

moving on...

Hiya, just me; back again...
Quilt square number 1 this time.. yes, I did them in reverse order..I thought  I had a card to go with it...but amongst all the 'excitement' that was that week I plum forgot to take a picture of the card that matched this square. But let's start from the beginning....

Our very good, very dear friends Steve and Alexis (the first people I met when I moved to the North) have left us....moving on, as is the way with our guy's careers...one of the downsides if you ask me.. They have moved to their new posting...back home for Alexis; a new adventure for Steve.. It has been such a change in our lives.. I miss them everyday.. they used to live just around the corner for us.. Alexis and I often would walk over to each others houses for some girl time and tea. How I miss our tea dates..among many things I miss about them.

The week they were leaving and packing etc, got me thinking about homes.. and houses-as they were leaving their home here to start living in their new house. That, and being heavy hearted about their departure, I knew I needed to keep my hands busy..as is the case when I'm sad, and decided that then was a good a time as ever to start my art quilt.

Originally I knew that I was going to have a square dedicated to something 'home-like'. My home is a haven..I am still painting and decorating(a year on) to make it our own. I try to make it feel more homey for my guy.. try to make it welcoming after a long day at work...love to have the house full of wonderful smells of baked goods or yummy dinner cooking.. there's nothing better than that for me.. It reminds me of being at home when I lived with my family.. I so look forward to visiting home..there's no place like it..

The card was pretty much an exact copy of this.. just on paper.. used bits of fabric and trim..lots of hand stitching...very comforting and calming. I love that I can stamp on fabric and not have it bleed out.. there will be more of that in squares to come..
Luck have it, this fits in with the challenge over at the City Crafter Challenge blog. this week. I'm so glad to be able to get back into a couple of challenges again. I'm off to post this and have a peek at the other entries.. be sure to join me over there and play along!
Happy Weekend!
~Becks