Book Review "Eleanor Rigby"

11 books in 11 months...I am so close to completing my goal for reading a book a month!!!!
I was given this book from a friend and it has been in my bookcase for awhile.
I was getting ready for bed and then realized I NEED a book to read for this month!
So I rushed downstairs and grabbed this one.
I didn't have my glasses so rushed upstairs to get them...then without reading the back of the book, sat on the stairs landing and read the first page....
Which then turned into a half hour of reading, lol.

I really enjoyed this book.
It was a quick simple read.
I read it in 2 days.

You will all laugh at me when I tell you I didn't know what the title of this book was.
I wasn't sure which was the title and which was the author.
It wasn't until I was near the end of the book that it came to light which was which.
If you all are fans of the Beatles as my husband is, you would totally know, lol.






















Or you are my friend Debbie, who was over and I gave her the book and she said isn't that from a song, lol.
So it may be only me and my daughter, that didn't know which was which, lol.
I should have known which was the author as I had read another book by Douglas Coupland this year "Girlfriend in a Coma"

Even Sawyer enjoyed this book, teehee.
This is what I have been doing lately.
Looking after this little cutie 💞

I so enjoy being able to spend so much time with him.
But as a mother of 3 daughters, I don't remember needing a nap in the middle of the afternoon....and its Not my age, lol.

I hope you all have a very Creative Day :)

Tracy :)

Quick Layout Share

You have all been asking me about all my kits and wanting to see what I have done with them.
Well here are some of the layouts I had done :)

I usually do 2 page spreads, but I have been expanding my horizon and been doing a few 1 page layouts.
I have been making quite a few 1 pages for Sawyers album.
Honestly my grandson's 1st year album will be completed well before any of my 3 daughters will, teehee.

I used the Sweater Weather 2016 Fall kit from Scrapbook & Cards Today, for these layouts.
"Fall Love"
I have to say I love this layout.

I really like the papers and all of the fussy cut flowers I had to trim up.
Of course the star of this page is Sawyer. 💗 (can you believe I just discovered I can add symbols to my text).

Now back to my 2 page layouts.
"In My Arms"
I picked out some photos of Sawyer and I for this one.
I may change the word Love to Safe..so the Title will read Safe in my Arms.
I used this same layout of this page, in "Autumn Family" page below.

Here is the second page to this layout.
I did purchase the blue plaid, it was not in the kit.

"Little Pumpkin"
I used a different sketch then was in this kit.
I really like how this one turned out!!!
Simple yes, but I love the large circle.
I may do my journaling on the lower left of this page.

Second page.
My photographer daughter Ashley (Sawyer's mommy) took these photos in these layouts.
The backdrop to these photos was a fall display my daughter Kristy and I did in our front yard.

"Autumn Family"
The photos from these layouts were of our family that came to our home for Thanksgiving dinner last month.
My sister and her children are in this photo (as well as my family) as they were the only ones able to make it for dinner.
But we all enjoyed being together and Ashley did a great photo shoot of us all.
This layout I used the same sketch as I used in the first page of "In My Arms"

This second page is of Wayne Sawyer and I and then Wayne and I with our 3 awesome daughters.

See I have been using what I have 😉.
I made a video with more detail of the kit, these layouts and a few other layouts that I haven't put photos on yet.
If you would like to watch the video on my YouTube page just click the link "Tracy's Treasures24"
If you go to my channel I would love a thumbs up and would love to read your comments :)


I have so much to share, but have been busy looking after Sawyer most days now that his mommy is back at work....but I love being able to spend so much time with this little cutie, even if I need to have a wee nap when he does, lol.

I hope you all have a very creative day :)

Tracy :)

The Scrapbook Cottage Haul

I did a bit of shopping at The Scrapbook Cottage when I was at the Crop & Create event.
I know, I know, I am behind in my posting...but I'm working on getting caught up for the New Year.

Here is some of my goodies :)
I picked up some of this cute collection by Meggie Holmes called Chasing Butterflies.
The chipboard Thickers are not part of this collection, but went perfect with it, so I grabbed that as well :)

I made my own kit with this collection by Simple Stories called "Beautiful"
I added some cardstock as well.
One of my biggest tips to scrapbookers (new and experienced) is to make a kit on the spot.
If you see papers, stickers, chipboard and embellishments that are in the same collection or that just go really well together, then pick out some cardstock and make a kit right there in the store!

I also grabbed some of this Maggie Holmes collection "Shine".
The die cuts or ephemera isn't part of her collection, but thought they went really well with these papers.

I picked up these 2 kits.
I love the mint colours in this Heart collection.
The Simple Stories collection "Domestic Bliss" I picked up, as I purchased some of this collection on line through Peachy Cheap.
I know, I know, I am not an on-line shopper...but I am now apparently, as I have been doing it quite a bit lately, lol.
I will show those in a different post ;)

I also did a video with more of the goodies I purchased from The Scrapbook Cottage.
If you would rather watch it on my YouTube channel "Tracy's Treasures24" I would love if you gave me a thumbs up and a sweet comment over there :)

I hope you all have a very Creative Day :)

Tracy :)

Too Many Kits....nah.

I am trying to tie up some loose ends before January comes....and it is coming faster then I would like.

Every year I say to myself I am going to start this year off fresh and not get behind.

Well, how am I suppose to do that when I start off the New Year with projects I need/want to complete from the year before....that is just asking to fail.

So I am committing November and December to not starting any new projects and just completing the ones from this year if not from a few years ago.

To begin this plan of mine, I have quite a few videos that I need to edit and upload to my YouTube channel "Tracy's Treasures24"

And here is one of them.

You all know I went to the scrapbook event Crop & Create and I can't rave about it enough, as my friends and I just love it and look forward to it every year...so much so, that tonight I just registered for their Winnipeg event in March!!

Ok, back to the subject at hand.

When I was at this event last month, I picked up a few scrapbooking kits...a few meaning 13, teehee.

Even if I do a kit a month, I will still have one left over for the following year.
And I also have more kits that I purchased from trips and such....guess I need to tweak that goal of doing a kit a month huh, lol.

Here is the video I did on these kits.
I couldn't open them all and share every detail to each kit, or I'd still be taping....so what I did was give quick peeks at them all.
Once I work on each kit, I will share all of the contents and then show the completed pages...at least that is my plan for the new year :)
If you would rather watch the video on my YouTube channel "Tracy's Treasures24" here is the link.
Also subscribe, like and leave me a comment, I'd love to hear your feedback :)
"Too Many Kits...nah"

Day 2 of Crafty Shopping

I thought I would let you marvel over day 1's crafty shopping for a day or so before posting day 2, lol.
Actually I was tired when we got home and The Walking Dead was on, so was watching TV, teehee.

Ok onto Day 2.
Now that I found the Brother Scan N Cut mat, I could really concentrate on my shopping, lol.
1st stop was to Target.
I needed another set of banners (which there was only 1 left) and found a few other items in their dollar spot.
Some of these may or may not be gifts for a few friends ;)

Not crafty shopping, but found this cute set of PJ's for my grandson Sawyer.
Sawyer's daddy likes spider man....would have been fun if I could have found a set for him as well, they could have matched, teehee.

Wayne picked up this shirt for Sawyer as he liked the saying...he also liked the colour.

Back to the crafty shopping.
I thought I was going to leave Michaels empty handed.
That was until Wayne found some lonely Halloween supplies for 80% off.
First thing he noticed was the Tim Holtz stamps....he loves the TH's stuff, plus I think he is proud that he knows a popular craft designer who he met in person, lol.
Nothing here was more then $3.00!!
Sorry Lesli, I bought more washi tape, but they were so cheap!

Then we went to the Dollar Tree.
I love the Dollar Tree as everything there is actually a Dollar!!
Our Dollarama, very little is actually a dollar.
I picked up a few books and for a dollar, I don't feel as bad if they are not a great read and donate them later.
I forgot my earbuds at home and wanted to edit a video or 2 (which I didn't get to) and if they only lasted a night, I was good with that.....actually I was impressed with the sound the produced.

What we thought was going to be our last stop for the evening was to Walmart to get one of these letter boards as we don't have these in our Walmart.
It was Ashley that told me about these, so I texted her to see if she wanted another one...she said yes as she could have fun with it in her office (as today was her first day back to work after having Sawyer).

Before leaving the store, I thought I had better look at them to make sure everything was in them and that nothing was broken.
Turned out, out of all 5 boards in stock, only one wasn't broken.
I figured I could add some trim to the least damaged one...if Walmart would give me a discount.
They would give me .10c off.
.10c !!!! That is it.
She then told me that they will need to take them off of the shelves and discard them.
So I said to her...so you would rather throw them out, then give me a better discount?!?
She said she didn't have the authority to mark it down anymore than that...and walked away.
I just shook my head and bought the only one that wasn't damaged.

We then went back to the hotel to chill for the night.
That was until I got a craving for Taco John's Potato Oles!!
I had some the day we got into town and I asked for less or no spice on them and got the cheese dip.
You know you are obsessed with a food when you have a dream of eating it, lol.
I decided to get a planner, so off to Michael's we went again.
I had 3 that I liked, but picked this one as I like the sentiment on the front, as I seem to always make a fresh start..over and over again, teehee.
As I was walking down the aisle I noticed these stamps with the matching dies, they were under $3.00 each...nice deal.

Onto My Day:
Today was Ashley's 1st day back to work since having Sawyer.
Here in Canada you get a year off with maternity pay....Ashley took an extra week off.
She didn't want to go back and I don't blame her, who would.
But I helped by telling her that on the days her husband has to work, I will look after Sawyer.
So today was one of those days.
We enjoyed breakfast together, then headed to the clinic as Heather had an ear infection and I told her yesterday that I would go with her.
Sawyer and I snuggled, played and had a great day together.
I have to say, I needed a bit of a nap when he went home...how can a one year old out last me...oh right he got in an afternoon nap, lol.

I hope you all have a very creative day.
Tomorrow is going to be a home day for me (I will have a lot more of those now that Ashley is back at work as I would visit her at least 3 days a week or she and Sawyer would visit me)
I still haven't put away all of my Halloween decor from my crop!!!

Tracy :)

Day 1 of Crafty Shopping

Wayne and I decided to go on a little get away to Duluth MN at the spur of the moment :)
So I picked up some American money, printed off some Michael's, Hobby Lobby and Joanns coupons and off we went :)
My main goal was to find a Brother Scan & Cut mat.
I was gifted a Brother Scan & Cut machine but I couldn't get it to scan an image...it would only cut the shapes that were programmed into the machine.
After weeks of asking questions on different forums, we all came to the conclusion that the mat I had (12x24) would not scan...the older machines couldn't scan on that size mat.

So our first stop once we got to Duluth, was Michael's.
I had read that some Michael's stores carry this product....but nope:(
But I did pick up this dotted journal as I heard it takes different types of mediums and I want to get back into my daily journaling and was hoping I could use this as my fauxbonichi in the new year.
I also picked up an R89 Copic marker, as when I used mine, the tip was dried up.
I changed the tip, but it was empty....I know I could purchase a refill, but I would need to order it and I plan on doing some colouring for Christmas tags and I need this colour :)

Next stop was Hobby Lobby.
I was so hoping I would find the Brother Scan & Cut mat here.
Sadly another disappointment :(
But I did find some stickers in the clearance area.
Yes that is all that I had found here....but my focus was on getting this mat, so I wasn't really looking for anything other then the mat...I was a bit obsessed.

Last crafty store was JoAnns.
Every store had a type of Cricut, but no Brothers!!!
I found this small hexagon punch I was looking for, but not Scan & Cut.
As I was paying for the punch I look behind the teller and in the locked cage what do I see....A Brother Scan N Cut machine....my heart starts to beat a little faster.
I ask the teller if they have the mats for the machine...which she responds "We don't carry anything by Brother"...huh?
I tell her it is behind her in the cage.
She then phones someone and then informs me it is in the sewing area!!!
I can not tell you how happy I was when I saw them there!!!!
Mission completed!

Wayne has a few stores he likes to check out when we come here.
There isn't a Cabela"s here and now there is no longer a Gander Mountain, so we went to Menards.
I seem to always find something there as well.
I saw this Family frame...isn't so sweet.

I always have work gloves in my jeep, but these ones are insulated, so they will keep my fingers warm this winter and they are just so pretty :)

I ran into the Dollar Tree to look for some books I might like.
I didn't find any books, but I picked up these cute dimensional stickers for some little kid cards as well as this calendar.
I have this exact one for myself, then my daughter Ashley commented on how much she liked it, so I picked her up this one.

Then it was time for dinner.
We always go to Red Lobster and I always get the Shrimp Trio.
But the last few times, the pasta was either crispy, the sauce in the pasta was watery and one time my shrimp was raw.
So I decided to change it up.
I love shrimp, but not a fan of most other types of sea food.
But Wayne convinced me to get this dish.
I loved the shrimp, the garlic potatoes and I kind of liked the lobster.
I didn't love the crab...I had a bit of it, but gave the rest to Wayne.

Before coming back to the hotel, we stopped off at Target to pick up some pop (soda for you Southerners, teehee).
You all know you can't go into Target without looking through their dollar spot area.
I picked up these wood pieces...I couldn't make them for the prices they were selling them at.

I also picked up this fun music note banner.
I think I may need to pick up another one if I want to decorate it up with a festive word.
I also picked up these gift tags....I love the ones with the wooden snowflakes.

That is the end of my shopping for today.
Tomorrow will be more fun for me as I won't be on a mission to find that mat, lol.

I hope you all have a very Creative day :)

Tracy :)

Book Review The Memory Keeper's Daughter

I am still going strong on my challenge to read a book a month.
I actually completed this book at the end of October.
I really enjoyed this book.
You know when you read a book and you love all of the characters.
I like it better when I don't.....which this book did.
I like when the characters are real and have their flaws...like we all do.

This is the second book I have read this year that has a child that has a special needs.
Both of the books take place in the past (this one over 50 years ago) and show how far we have come in how we see and how we value those with special needs.

I would recommend this book.

Tracy :)

Happy 1st Birthday my Sweet Sawyer

I can't believe it has been a whole year since this little cutie stole my heart.
My grandson Sawyer turned one on Friday!!!!
ONE...I can't believe it.

We went to there to have a little celebration on his actual birthday.
This is the first time he has ever had sweets, and he wasn't to sure of it at first.
But once he had a finger full, he downed the rest of his cupcake.
My daughter picked up his cupcakes from a local store called Milk & Water Baking Co.
They were sooooo good.

On Sunday Sawyer celebrated his 1st birthday with family and friends.
I love the way my daughter (Sawyer's mommy Ashley) decorated.
I love this pallet wall with his monthly photos displayed.

As you can see the cupcake starter, helped with the big cake, teehee.
Sawyer is a messy eater, so he was stripped down to his diaper and went to town on his cake.

Can you tell he has a doggy in his life as he went right in mouth first, lol.
He had such a great birthday surrounded by so many that love him.
Happy Birthday Sawyer.

Here is Count Sawyer.
He was Dracula for Halloween
Look at those little fangs.

Poor Sawyer has a cold and wasn't happy during this little photo shoot, especially when I kept having to wipe his little nose.
If you haven't noticed, Ashley took these photos by one of my Halloween displays from my scrapbook crop.

I could have filled this post with even more photos of Sawyer, he is just so adorable!!
But I will keep it at these ones :)

Tracy :)