It is our last night at the Bluefin Bay Resort :)
Enjoyed the jacuzzi every night while enjoying the fire Wayne has kept going every evening.
Actually I fell asleep on the floor beside the fire for an afternoon nap yesterday, teehee.
But if have been following me for awhile, then you know I do this at our cottage all the time :)

I will share with you my crafty goodies that I had purchased at Hobby Lobby the other day on our drive to Duluth.
I know….I need another 6x6 pad of paper like I need another 6x6 pad of paper, lol.
But these are so cute and they were on sale ;)
I used a coupon for the punch. It is a corner rounder with 3 different sizes. My corner rounder broke and with this one having 3 different sizes for the price of one, I thought it was a good deal.
I also picked up these Delusion stamps. Again coupons were used :)

Here is my Michael's goodies purchased that same day :)
Again coupons were used.
I love these Heidi Swapp monthly number rub-ons.
The Love banner stamps, I was going to purchase one day when Heather and I were shopping back home. I was torn, as I told her I have many banner stamps and it is easy to add letters and such to the centres of the ones I have.
She told me not to buy it.…so I listened.
But when I saw these in Duluth and they were on sale, I just had to pick them up.
Yes, you see another pad of 6x6 paper, teehee.

Heading home tomorrow and looking forward to seeing my girls :)
Hope you all had a Creative Saturday.

Tracy :)

On-line shopping…yes I did it again

I did another on-line order…shocking I know :)
I had asked Andrea (from Unity Stamps) if there was a way my order to be at my US shipping address by the date that Wayne and I crossed the boarder.
The reason being, it costs $19.99 to ship to Canada, and only $ .42 to ship to the US :)
She assured me that it would be there by the time we headed back home.
I was supper excited to see that my stamp order was there here :)

I am loving these AngieGIRLS from Angie Blom :)

Oh here is some more ;)
I love the centre stamp as it reminds me of my scrappy friends and I.
We have plenty of photos of us with a Polaroid cut out as a prop.

I had only order the Back Girl, but this Have a little faith stamp was in my order.
I didn't pay for it and it wasn't on my packing slip.
So I contacted Andrea, but she is off until Monday, so I will see if I have to send it back.

I am so excited to colour these images up, or use them in my art journals….It play time Caroline ;)

When Wayne and I were shopping yesterday, we stopped off at Barnes & Noble.
I picked up another graph book for another Fauxbonichi. I just want to be prepared, teehee.
Wayne told me I needed the Travelling Journal ;)
I picked up these small Moleskine note books for something I am working on…I will share when I get it complete ;)
And Wayne picked up this hardbound notebook.
He also picked up this Moleskine pen. I was teasing him about it….that was until he allowed me to try it out.
Wow, it writes really smooth. I thought the shape would be uncomfortable, as it is in the shape of a carpenters pencil. But it seemed fine. Not sure how it would be for a lot of writing though.

Wayne and I went to Grand Marais for lunch at "My Sister's Place". Best burgers and sweet potato fries.
I got very upset in one of the stores we were at, so we headed back to the Bluefin.
For a town that thrives on tourism (most of the stores were closed for the winter) they really need to change some of their policies.
Like having public washrooms in their stores…especially a dept store!
I will leave it at that.

I hope you all had a creative Friday :)
I did, I drew a bit in my journal…but didn't bring my colouring mediums, so I will have to colour it up when I get home :)

Tracy :)

Early Anniversary

I am on my next adventure :)
My honey, Wayne and I are on an early anniversary getaway :)
Our actual anniversary is on Feb 5th.
We are celebrating our 27th Anniversary!
Again we are at the Bluefin Resort.
Lake Superior is stunning…even with all that broken ice out there.

Wayne and I headed out early and drove to Duluth first.
First stop was Micheals, teehee.
Then we stopped in for an early lunch at 5 Guys, at our daughter's recommendations.
It was delicious. I had to laugh at Wayne being so impressed with the perfection and consistency of the salt on their fries, lol.
We also stopped at Hobby Lobby, Barnes & Nobel as well as a few of Wayne's stores ;)

I picked up these cute heart shaped Peeps.
I thought I would give them to Wayne a little Anniversary treat.
Then I remembered he doesn't really like them…guess I have to eat them all myself ;)

When I saw this adorable tiny aluminum bottle of Coke, I just had to have it.
Wayne had heard that they are planning on cutting some of the sugar out of Coke, but just for Canada.
I was like "WHAT!!"  I had better stock up on this then, lol.

I did pick up a few crafty goodies along the way today, but the lighting is pretty bad (I'm surprised these photos turned out as crisp as they did) so I will take photos tomorrow in the natural light :)

I hope you all had a very Creative Thursday :)

Tracy :)

Fauxbonichi page January 23, 2015

Here is another page in my Fauxbonichi….can you tell I am having a blast with this book :)
This is the opposite page of the one I shared with you yesterday.
I should have actually shared this page first, teehee.
I love my girl stamps and am so happy to be using them in here.
Some of these stamps (like this one) I have used for the first time in my Fauxbonichi :)

I coloured this Prima girl up with my water based markers. I can't remember if they were the Tim Holtz distress markers or Stampin' Up markers…or both ;)
I then blend the colour with my water pen.
Next time I colour with these markers I will add the colour with a brush.
I like that I stamped the background.

I also stamped the sentiment (from this same stamp set) and then used this pretty washi (or decorative) tape, above and below the stamp.

I tried a new background in my journal today.
It looks awful, lol.
I shared some photos with the girls in the Facebook group. They all said that they liked it…but I'm not naive, I know they were just being polite, lol.

I hope you all had a Creative Wednesday :)
Tomorrow is adventure day for me :)

Tracy :)

Fauxbonichi page...Jan 24th 2015

Are you tired of seeing my Fauxbonichi pages yet ;)
I am having so much fun with this book.
It is actually helping me to be less uptight about everything being perfect :)

Yes the date is from a few days ago, but it was filled in on that day.
I usually fill in my journaling, after supper.

I am on a Facebook page dedicated to those using a Fauxbonichi.
It is such a fun group and the people on there are so encouraging to each other and really like to share their pages and tips.
One of the admins has been putting on fun little challenges or prompts.
Tuesdays are dedicated to Zentangles or Dangles.
I had done a Zentangle a few years ago…and I don't think I enjoyed it.
But I do enjoy doing these Dangles :)
This one is a bit primary….but I am sure I will get better the more I do.

Here is a bit of a closer look at my girl.
I coloured her up with my Stampin' Up markers and used a water brush to blend the colours.

I hope you all had a very Creative Tuesday :)

Tracy :)

Sticker piecing

Look what I found today :)
I was pretty excited to find these at the Dollar Spot at Target.
I never go to Target, but hearing that they are pulling all of their stores out of Canada, I thought I would  go and check out the dollar spot and pick up some shampoo.

I should always take my cheater glasses with me wherever I go…I thought these were chalkboard banners…nope, just card stock.
But with 18 banners in each package, I am still happy with this little find :)

Remember yesterdays post on my Art Block in my "Fauxbonichi"?
I used these outline stickers and coloured them in with my Stampin' Up markers.

What I did was cut an oval around the pieces so I had a frame to work in.
Then I carefully placed each piece in the oval.
I had to move them around to get the spaces (more or less) the same distance apart.
I am thinking of colouring within the spaces….not sure, what do you think?

I had so much fun with these, I need to find some more :)

I hope you all had a very Creative Monday :)

Fauxbonici page..Jan 25 2015

I am still lovin' writing and creating in my Fauxbonichi :)
I have been adding stamping to my pages and then colouring the images.
For January, I have tried to keep the pages in a Winter theme.
But when I came across this sticker frame, I just had to try it out :)

I was going through our paper work today and found this in amongst the papers.
How it got there I have no idea, but I was pretty excited to find it.
It is a sticker out-line of the image.
Here is the sheet with the bottom one pulled off.
It is very thin and delicate.

As soon as I pulled it off, I carefully placed it in my book. As you can see it is bigger than my Art Block, but that does't actually bother me (odd I know).
I think it looks pretty cool just like this even.
But you know I had to add some colour :)

So out came my Distress markers and my Stampin' Up markers.
This paper has a smooth texture to it and doesn't take water colour as well as water colour paper.
So it doesn't blend as nicely and in some area's it pills…but again I am okay with that.
If anything, my Fauxbonichi is helping me be more relaxed with my creative side.
Look at all the room left to write in here as well :)

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and a Creative Sunday :)

Tracy :)

Purging more paper

I am sure I am not the only one who goes into their craft room to get something and gets lost in there for a few hours, lol.
I went looking for some velum-type butterflies and hearts that I couldn't find last night.
So I had a mission to go and find them today.
I went into my room and searched and searched and still couldn't find them.

So I decided to go through a few of my drawers and make space for other supplies, in hopes those butterflies would jump out at me.
I emptied my Old paper drawers…now when I say old, I mean 15+ year old papers.
I had defunkified these papers in the past and donated the ones I thought I would never use.
Looks like I should have just donated the whole lot, lol.

As I was trying to find homes for other supplies…I finally just got frustrated, cleaned off my desk and went upstairs to check my email.
I was happy to see that Lisa left me a comment to check out Paper Issues.
I was happy to see that I was one of the Fan Feature Friday, on my Fauxbonichi pages I posted on their challenge blog :)
Thank you Lisa for suggesting I link up my project to their site :)

Oh and if you are wondering, Mission Failed, I didn't find those darn butterflies ;(

Hope you all had a very Creative Saturday :)

Tracy :)

Such a smart kitty

I watched a few YouTube videos today and Luna thought she should join me.
She also enjoyed walking on the keyboard and pausing the videos, lol.

We have such a smart kitty….she is so technical, lol.
Kristy took this photo of Luna.
Luna was actually typing and backspacing….I guess she made a few spelling mistakes, teehee.
I love her face here, it looks like she is saying "Don't disturb me, I'm working", lol.

I opened up a new ink today.
As you can see, the ink spilled over to the edges.
It was like this when I opened it….I hope I can clean the ridge as I don't like the mess of it.
When I used it though, it seemed nice and juicy.

I hope you all had a very creative Friday…I did as my friends came over for Friday Night Scrapbooking :)

Tracy :)

Hunger Games Mockingjay

Today was a good day :)
Heather had the day off of work, so we decided to go to the movies :)

We have been meaning to see The Hunger Games Mockingjay for awhile now, but we had never found the right time.
Heather and I are both avid readers, and lucky enough to enjoy the some of the same types of books.
And the Hunger Games being one of them :)
One thing about going to an afternoon show on a week day….there was only one other person in the theatre ;)

I hope you all had a very creative Thursday :)

So what was one of your favourite book to movie have you seen?

Tracy :)

Fauxbonichi pages for Jan 17th & 18th.

Here are some pages in my Fauxbonichi.
If you are unfamiliar with a Fauxbonichi, you can check on my blog post, it even has a video ;)

I am using my Fauxbonichi as a journal…or a diary, to document mine and my family's life.
For this page, I had some artistic fun :)
I used these adorable stamps from Unity, designed by Angie Blom.
I then coloured the images up with my Copic markers and then used a snowflake stencil to add some colour and interest to the background :)

I just love these stamps :)
This stamp is called "Christine Girl"
I did my writing on the space to the left of the girl.
Nothing much happened that day, so I didn't need much room.

This sweet image is called "Charlee Girl"
Again nothing much happened this day, so I wrote a memory I had of when I loved to skate as a young girl. I thought it was fitting for this stamped image.
The sentiment I used here was from a Fiskars memory stamp set.

Here are my pages :)
I really like how these ones turned out.
I love the decorative tape I used on the top and bottom of these pages.
Reminds me of a winter sweater :)

As much as I love these pages, not all of my Fauxbonichi pages are going to be so detailed or artistic :)
But these pages are some of my favourites ;)

I hope you enjoyed seeing my Fauxbonichi pages, and I hope you all had a very Creative Wednesday :)

Tracy :)

I am linking these pages to Paper Issues "Say it isn't Cold Outside" snow challenge.
I am also linking these pages to "Unity (Be Inspired) challenge.
I am also linking these pages to "Simon Monday Challenge blog"

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

Here is the book that I stayed up until 2:00am to finish reading last night ;)
I was gifted this book from Phillane for my birthday…or Christmas, not sure which as she sent both gifts in the same parcel ;)

This book was pretty good :)
It is about the Salem Witch trials. Going from that time to the present as a young woman is researching and on a mission to find Deliverace Dane's Physick Book.
It was an easy read, or my standards of an easy read.
Not only did I thoroughly enjoy the book, I also love the texture of the paper on the cover…yes I am a book lover.
I don't think I would have picked this book out at the book store, but am so glad that Phillane thought I would like it..as she was correct :)

You know you have read a good book when most of the day you are still thinking of the characters and what they are up to ;)

I hope you all had a very Creative Tuesday :)

Tracy :)

The Love of a a Good Book

Blogger unavailable due to being absorbed in her book :)

I used to read a lot. 

But now only seem to read when we are at the cottage in the summer. 

One of my many goals this year is to read more. At least one book a month.

Not only do I love to read, I have been known to read more than one book at a time...much to the confusion of my SIL/friend Sharon. 

I enjoy all types of books and many different authors. 

I have a love of books and have a bit of a collection. Especially in hard cover. 

I could go on and on with my love of reading and my love books, but I have a book to get back to ;)

I hope you all had a Creative Monday. 

Tracy :) 

Winter Crop Smash book page

I have another Smash book page to share with you.
I am on a roll.
My goal was to do a page a month….look at me, my second one ;)

I started this page at the Crop I put on the other Saturday.
I actually took these photos that same day (as I am in the photo, someone else actually took them ;)
I used my new Instax, instant camera my daughters bought me for Christmas :)
It is a fun little camera, I had an instant camera when I was a young girl and loved it :)

Let us take a closer look to this page.
Here are the cute photos :)
I popped them up with foam dots.
At the bottom of the layout I needed to cover up the manufacturers information.
I didn't realize when I did my first page (which is the back of this page), that this wasn't where the books pages actually started, lol.
So I used some pattern paper to make a pocket to cover it up, I then added a journal tag and popped it inside the pocket with my journaling on it.

I had fun making this little cluster :)
I used a journal card and added a overlay on top of it.
I added some washi tape, a flag that I cut out of the same paper as the pocket and lastly stapled this cute birch bark butterfly on top of it all.

This butterfly was given to me by Verna (she is in the bright pink shirt). She punched it out with a butterfly punch out of a thin layer of birch bark that was picked up on some trail…or in someone's back yard ;)
Pretty cool eh?

Using the same pattern paper as I did for the pocket, I cut out this banner.
I then adhered it to some twine and popped each banner up on a foam dot.

I sprayed this wood piece with some glimmer mist to better match the colour of the layout.
Orange would be one of the last colours I would use in a layout, but the page facing this one has pretty orange, I guess they are more of a peach colour, flowers on it.
I like the facing page, so wanted this one to blend nicely with that paper.

Here is a closer look at the overlay on the journal card.
"Enjoy This" is on the overlay.

One last look at the finished page :)
As you can see, I have added the journaling to the journal card.

 

I just started a new novel and I have a feeling it may be a late night for me ;)

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and a Creative Sunday :)

Tracy :)

Colouring in my Fauxbonichi

I coloured a bit in my fauxbonichi today :)
I have kept up with writing daily in my journal…but haven't kept up with my art block.
That is what I will call this block, that I use for stamps, drawing, photos or just sentiments.

I used one of my new stamps, that I had purchased from Unity stamps, and then coloured her in with my Copic markers.
I then used Stampin' Up markers as a water colour for the background.
If you can see, the marker I used bled when the water was added.
I knew it would react this way, but I couldn't help myself, I wanted to get the colour as close to the line as I could :)

It was pretty mild outside today, mind you it has snowed all day.
But it was a perfect day for me to stay inside ;)
Wayne ran out for a bit, but then set up his video games and played the rest of the day…I think it will be another video gaming and creating weekend…
Perfect weekend for me :)

I hope you all had a very Creative Saturday :)

Tracy :)

Happy Birthday sis

Short post tonight as it is Friday Night Scrapbooking and I am busy creating….well, I am probably visiting and chatting with my friends more than creating, teehee.

Yesterday was my little sister Julia's 40th birthday.
I can't believe that my little sister is 40….I guess that makes me, older than I think I should be, lol.
I took her out for lunch and we had a great afternoon together :)

One of my many goals for this year is to only post when I have something creative to share, but I just can't get out of the habit of posting every night :)
Oh well, some habits are hard to break…especially since I have been posting every day on my blog for 5 years and 16 days ;)

I hope you all had a very Creative Friday :)

Tracy :)

Winter Warmth Art Journal page

Here is my second art journal page that Caroline and I have challenged each other with.
This months challenge theme was "Christmas/Winter"

So lets get to the details.
I adhered some pattern tissue paper to the pages.
After cutting the excess tissue off, I then sanded the edges to get them as close to the page as I could.
The red you see here is left over from last month, when I cleaned off my stencils.
I was a bit worried about this….but I just went with it.

I used Gelatos for the background colour.
Gelatos remind me of a crayon…I just coloured it on the background and then blended it together with a baby wipe.
I wanted a deep blue (as I wanted it to look like a night time sky) so I added some dark blue colour spray on here as well.
See how the red is still coming through the tissue…I'm still going to go with it.
I told myself it looks like the Northern Lights ;)

I also wanted to add some snow to my scene.
I used Gesso to paint the snow.
I then added some texture to the snow with an embossing plate that I applied gesso on and used as a stamp.
I knew as I was doing this, that I should have added another layer or so of gesso to the snowbank, but I was too excited to use the embossing plate as a stamp, lol.

I drew my whimsical house on some scratch paper and then transferred that onto some pattern paper.
Fussy cut the pieces of the house out of the pattern paper.
After adhering the house to the background, I then added snowflakes with some modelling paste and a stencil.

I printed my sentiment out on the computer and then inked the words before cutting them out.
I wasn't sure which sizing I was going to use, so printed the different sizes off at the same time.
As you can see, I made a slight mistake in my sentiment.
I didn't notice until I was totally done with the page….but I fixed it ;)
I changed it to "Winter Night" instead of "winter day".

I then used my Big Brush Pitt Pens to add shading around my elements.
This really ties the page together…I love these things :)
I also added some gesso to the tips of the snowflakes, as the embossing paste dried, it took on the colour of the background. The Gesso helped to make the snowflakes more crisp white.

I wanted to add some highlights to the hearts that are coming out of the chimney, but all of my white gell pens or markers didn't want to work, grrrrrr.
So I tried the Picket Fence distress marker and it gave them a bit of a highlight.

So there you have it my Art Journal page complete :)

I was in a bit of a fog while making this page and this video.
So excuse the dippiness and enjoy ;)
If you would rather watch the video on my YouTube channel…just click the link "Tracy's Treasures24"
I am so excited to start on my newest challenge.
I think I may give Caroline a heart attack if I finished it early…and I wouldn't want to do that, teehee.
Now go over to "Caroline's" blog and see her masterpiece to our challenge.
So much texture on her page :)

I am linking my project on "The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #8. Something new for the New Year".
I am also linking my project up to "Paper Issues "Say it isn't Snow" challenge.
I am new to art journaling, but using Gelatos was a very first for me :)

I hope you all had a very Creative Thursday :)

Tracy :)