Book Review "Brides for Brothers" and "The Marriage Risk"

I have surpassed my reading goal for this year!!!!
My goal was to read a book a month and I have read 14 books this year!!!

I am not one for romance books, give me a good horror book or a personal history book, but romance is not my thing.
With that being said, every year at Christmas time I read a sappy Holiday book.
This was not what I was expecting.
See the cute cottage, and the snow and the fact that it takes place in Alaska......it is not a Holiday book!!!
It took place in June for the one story and one of the summer months in the second!
As disappointing as was my pick for my Holiday book, the stories were sweet.

You know what they say "Don't judge a book by its cover" rings true to this book, lol.

I will go over my other goals that I succeded at or failed in tomorrows post.

Hope you all have a very creative day :)

Tracy :)

Merry Christmas

I thought I would share with you our Christmas and the fun and shenanigans we enjoyed.

Every year my daughter do the baking...a lot of baking.
They go to Ashley's house and bake all day while watching the Resident Evil movies...thats Christmasy isn't it ;)
This year they wanted to make t-shirts.
So they found a design and I made them these shirts...cute right?!!

This year was a bit different for us.
Christmas Eve is usually spent with Wayne's side of the family, but with the passing of Wayne's dad, and the family being so big (there are almost 50 of us now) it was decided that everyone celebrate with their immediate family.
So Christmas Eve was spent at my house this year.

Which meant we got this little cutie all to ourselves :)
Can you tell how much grandma and grandpa love this little guy.

So we decided to start a new tradition.
I used to make these mini gingerbread houses for the young ones that came to our New Years party.
This year I made them for our Gingerbread challenge.

Here are our masterpieces.
Mine is called "Winder Wonderland" and Wayne's "Christmas Wonderland"

Kristy's "Cozy Home" and her boyfriend Blake's "Winter of '96"

Ashley's "At the Lake" and her husband Tyler's is called "The Shitter's full" .... yes its an outhouse, lol.

Last but not least is Heather's "Monster House" and Sawyer's....well he just enjoyed eating it, teehee.











And the winner is....It's a tie.
Ashley and Kristy!!!
They won the trophy for the year and a gift.

And lastly we enjoyed opening some gifts.
Actually we enjoyed watching Sawyer open his gifts more than anything.
Look how happy he is to open his gift.
We got him a play kitchen (which he loves) but honestly, I think he would have been just as happy playing with the box, teehee.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed spending time with your family and friends.

Tracy :)

Tags, tags and more tags

I almost forgot to share these awesome tags I received from my friends in our Christmas tag exchange.
These ladies outdid themselves again this year!

If you would like to see them in more detail, I did a video on each one.
I didn't take close up photos and, well.....I used them ion my gifts this year.
To watch the video on my YouTube channel, click on the link "Tracy's Treasures".
And if you do, I would love a thumbs up :)


I hope you all have a very Creative Day :)

Tracy :)

Christmas Cards 2017

My Christmas cards are completed and out in the mail.
I kept it simple again this year..very simple.

If these look familiar to you, its because I made a set of my Christmas tags with this cute image.
Also Sharon from Scrapbook Cottage, made a gift card, card like this at the make N take at Crop & Create.

I love this stamp from Lawn Fawn called "Here we go a Waddling"...so cute right!
I put the cute little Penguins on a tag and coloured them in with my Copic markers.

I used older papers for the background of these cards.
My creative friends can take the tags off of these cards to use in a different project if they choose to.

To even make things easier this year, I stamped 8 images on my Copic colouring paper.
I made sure that I had room to cut them into tags.
I then coloured the sheet of stamped images.
Lastly....I photocopied these stamped images on the high quality setting on my printer and on a good quality paper.
Voila, I have coloured images I just needed to cut into tags!
I have done this before and loved how they had turned out.
But putting your printer on the highest quality setting is the key, I can't tell the difference in the ones I colour to the ones I printed!!

The second time I went to print out my set of coloured images, I forgot and pushed blank and white copy, lol.
They are still usable as I can add colour to the book and the trip of their hats..I can also add some sparkle to their hats.

The second mistake I made was I stamped the inside sentiment incorrectly.
I was using my Tim Holtz stamp press (which I have to say I love!)
I think I put this card in upside down, lol.
So I cut the front pannel off and adhered it to a new card base and re-stamped the inside of this card...correctly ;)

Those are my cards for this year :)
I hope they put a smile on the faces of those receive them :)
Here is a video I made on these cards.
If you would rather watch it on my YouTube channel, just click on the link "Tracy's Treasures24"



Have a very Creative day!

Tracy :)

Christmas Gift Tag Swap 2017

Last year my friend Lesli from Vintage Scraps suggested that we do a tag swap.
10 of us signed up for it again this year...looks like a new tradition :)
These tags are to be used on gifts, not the fancy decorative tags....but use being hard core crafters, anything creative we go hard core on, teehee.

Here are the Christmas tags I made for my friends :)
The first one may look similar as we did a card at Crop & Create make and take with this image.
So cute right!!
I coloured these cute Lawn Fawn images called "Here we go a-waddling" with my Copic markers
I did a little trick with these cuties so I didn't have to colour them over and over...but that will be in another post...or you can watch the video below where I explain it.

My next tag has more of a vintage look.
I made the tag with my Stampin' Up tag punch and the bird punch out is also from Stampin' Up.
The branch is from a Martha Steward punch and I stamped the background with a Stampendous stamp.
I used my paper scraps for the punch outs.

My last tag is totally made with my scraps!!
I keep my paper scraps in file folders, each folder is dedicated to a colour and I have one file with holiday papers.
I used pattern paper behind the cardstock and just free hand cut the triangles for the trees.
This was hard for me for the fact that the trees weren't perfect, but even though, I think they turned out so cute.

Here is the video I made with more info on these tags.
If you would rather watch it on my YouTube channel, click on the link "Tracy's Treasures24".

I hope you all have a very creative day :)

Tracy :)

Christmas Party Decor

Last Friday I had a scrapbooking crop with my friends.
We did a Christmas tag swap.
I love to host Parties and love to decorate for them.
Here is some of the decor, and I had a blast decorating.

I made these felt gingerbread girl and snowman out of felt so many years ago, I can't even remember how long ago it was.

I picked up these pretty poinsettia plants and placed them in this plant stand.
The red skis I made out of wood again...many years ago.

 I didn't put up a Christmas Tree downstairs, even though my daughter thought I should.
So instead, I decorated the pillar like a Christmas tree ;)
I added all hand made ornaments to it.

Here is my Christmas village.
The skating rink plays music as the skaters spin around the rink.

I painted all of the houses in this village (except for the gingerbread house).
Some of the houses I purchased were already painted, but I painted them anyway as I didn't like the colours or how they were painted, lol.

I did a little video sharing more of my decorating.
If you would like to watch it on my YouTube channel, just clink on the link "Tracy's Treasures24"



So there you have it, my decorations for my Christmas Scrapbooking Crop.
I will be sharing the tags that I had made and that my friends had made soon :)

Hope you all have a very Creative Day.
Tracy :)

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 :)