There is only 24 hours in a day,

This has become my life.  Since I have purchased the flower shop in Three Hills Alberta, I have been so busy getting organized and creating floral arrangements that sadly, I have had no time for CTMH.

I feel so like those people who would stop and say, 

"Oh, I wish I had time to do that" 

and I would think "Oh, just make time"

and now I understand.

Sometimes priorities change

sometimes there is no more time

However, sometime won't last forever and when I get accustomed to this new twist in my life I will have time for creating cards and scrapbook pages.  Until then.  Merry Grinchmas!

Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment. I love to hear what you think.

Tuesday's Tip--tackle the mess, one foot at a time.

Okay, maybe those of you who are "young" Canadians, or British or Australian might tackle the mess one meter at a time.  But I still think in inches, feet, and miles, and even though Canada has officially adopted the metric system, (for quite a few years now) and I understand the difference, my mind refuses to change.

So what do I mean, tackle the mess, one foot at a time?
Exactly, what I said.
I start at one end of a room and slowly,
foot by foot, clean and organize. (And in this case, paint)
Pushing all my mess ahead of me.  ( I am not showing you this picture)

And leaving a clean organized room behind me.

When I get to the last few feet, I have a pile of mismatched items,

 that I either find a place for or pitch.

The main point is,
regardless of how you choose to tackle your mess, don't get overwhelmed.
Tackle it bit by bit and it will be easy to manage. 

 My studio space is 770 sq. ft.

minus a few "storage" bits, so it would have been easy to get lost in the mess. 

To avoid drowning in all that mess, I tackled it foot by foot.

and am slowly working my way to the door, 

When I get to the door...
 what does fit in the room will be tossed out.

And, as you can see from the picture.  I am making progress.

Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment. I love to hear what you think.

2015 garage/studio makeover

Spring fever, affects people in different ways.
For me, it's cleaning, I have this all encompassing need to clean every little nook and cranny, unfortunately, this usually transforms into a complete re-arranging/organizing/painting marathon.
Hence, when I decided to Spring Clean my garage/studio, my 2 day clean is now on week two.
Which also means I'm not scrapbooking.
So here's a look at what I started with

So those are the before pictures.  
My studio is 22' x 34' and has 10' ceiling, a sleeping loft and a washroom, plus a wee bit of actual garage/storage stuff.
So this is quite a huge project.
As I am continuing to find out







Now here a peak at my progress (?)

My Goal is to have this finished this weekend, so I can get back to crafting.

A "close to my heart" Wedding

Okay, forgive me for the pun.  But this wedding is truly close to my heart in so many ways.

1.  It was my beautiful niece's wedding 

 2. the invitations were made with Close to my Heart products

3. and the table numbers

4. and the Card box

Thanks for stopping by.
Please leave a comment.
I love to hear what you think.
And if you would like help creating your
own "close to my heart"
wedding, anniversary or other celebration
Please, contact me.

Puppy Perfect?

you should not get a puppy for your teenage daughter 
if you are over 50 
if you actually think she will spend time with it 
if you work at 6am every second weekend 
if you want to get any crafting done 
if you want any quiet time. 

You should just have your head examined. 

(My appointment is next week) 

On the up side....when I have some quiet time to scrapbook, I will have some really cute puppy pictures.

Just a little story

So, I'm sitting here in my easy chair,
perusing pinterest looking for some inspirations
when I get a "chat" pop up in the corner of my screen.
It's my daughter,
in the next room,
on her laptop.
Hmmmmm, anyone else have this happen to them.
Of couse the really sad thing is that I "chat" back at her.
Cause I love her.

Note: this is not my daughter in this video, but...

Wasn't that a Party

Just couldn't resist.....after our town's Centennial Celebration

with "TROOPER" playing on Saturday nite

I'm sure this was the song running through people's heads on Sunday

Okay enough of that here's a sneak peak at some NEW products.

Yup, that another exclusive CTMH Cricut Cartridge....!!!!

And "Flirty" one of the new paper packs (which I just recieved and am going to play with tommorrow)


Just a little reminder, July is going, going, going, gone month...so stock up on your summer time favorite while you still can Click on my shopping link at the side to order now

Just Bare with me...

only a couple more days and our town's Centennial Celebration will be over

and I will have the time and energy to be creative again...

One of the perks of being a consultant,

is that I am able to pre-order samples of the NEW products,

so I can create some awe-inspiring artwork for you to be tempted by.

So keep checking back...and in a few more days and I will be unveiling some NEW ART

but for now

Here's a look at something old.

  

These are all pages from a mini I made using the Cruisin' paper
(the Cruisin' paper is not in the NEW IDEA BOOK)

(Click here to order now)

Just a little reminder, July is going, going, going, gone month...so stock up on your summer time favorite while you still can Click on my shopping link at the side to order now

Why I can't go to Convention this Year

If you read my bio--you know I live in rural Alberta....I was born & raised a farm girl, moved to the city,and moved back to the farm and now
I've moved back to my home town of THREE HILLS, and this year our town is 100 Years young,

here's the little article I wrote for our local paper (which should explain why I am missing Dallas)

 100 Year of Yesterdayby Chairperson Terry Diack (here's another hint)

Well, it’s official. It is now--July. And the Centennial Celebration is just a couple of weeks away. Planning and organizing this celebration has been a bit like riding a roller coaster with a steaming hot cappuccino in your left hand. One of the things that I have learnt on this ride, is that our town is like a huge family, and not all of us like the same things. Some of us are a bit radical and unconventional and like to stir up the waters. While others prefer to stand on the bank and just enjoy the view. Our committee is aware that our town is made up of people with different backgrounds and different interests and thus we have tried our best to put together a weekend full of entertainment that will appeal to everyone.

So here we go.
Starting Friday, July 20th. Stop in at the registration booth, located on the main floor of the arena and pick up your souvenir booklet, schedule of events and map of the town. Armed with this (and a few other goodies we’ve tossed into the package) you are ready to plan your weekend. You might start off Friday nite, with FREE Teen Swim or if you’re not a teen you might want to take in Bruce Innes and the Original Caste singers. Then around 9pm you might decide to head over to the ball diamonds where local talent will perform for about an hour and then you might decide to stay for the FIREWORKS!! (Who doesn’t like fireworks)

Saturday morning you can enjoy the Street-side pancake breakfast (in front of IGA) while listening to local talent perform on the Stampede Stage. But don’t linger too long you will want to get a good spot for the Parade. Did I mention that the route has been extended from 1 ½ km to 2 ½ km. (don’t worry I will update you on the extended route.) After the parade head off to one of the various activities that will be happening around town. Do you like old tractors--head across the tracks to the watch the “antique tractor pull” or if you always wanted to be a fireman--head to the Battle of the Axes. Maybe you just want to reconnect with some old friends, then head to the Meet and Greet on the second floor of the Arena. Need a space where your little ones can burn off some steam--head to the Free Kids’ Carnival at the curling rink (sponsored by the Three Hills Chamber of Commerce.) If you’re not into any of those activities, but you like model trains--stop in at the Old Firehall and see what the town looked like in 1912. These are just a few of the options you have.

Saturday evening brings more entertainment. Ben Crane is a family orientated event and starts at 7pm. At 9, when the sun goes down, you can choose between two adult only venues--The Emeralds, or Trooper. Tickets for both of these events are still available at the Town Office. (Did I mention that the cost of bringing these two groups to town is covered by the ticket sales)

Sunday morning begins with a huge inter-denominational Centennial Church Service at 10:30 a.m. (Honestly, I don’t think my eyes will be open then) However, I am sure many of you will choose to attend this service. After Church there are a number of events still happening. You can visit the Arts and Crafts Display upstairs at the Arena or maybe take a tour of the town in an Model “A” car. More information can be found at http://threehillscentennialcelebration2012.blogspot.ca/. or listen to Q91 Radio, Friday mornings at 8:10 for our “centennial minute”

Okay, I know I have harped about registration, and I know, it is a bit of work on your part. I mean, those of us on the committee are a little technically challenged so you can’t actually register online. You have to print the form off and then fill it out (the old-fashioned way with a pen or pencil) and then--just like in the old days you have to either buy a stamp and mail it in, or walk over to the Three Hills General Store or the Town office and drop if off. Yah, it is a bit of work on your part, but if it’s any consolation we will be tracking all this info--manually.

So please, make work for us and register.

I would also like to remind that you must register to buy tickets for the Saturday Nite Roast Beef Buffet Supper and that you must purchase your supper tickets by July 10th. Your meal tickets will be included in your registration package and will be available for pick-up at the registration booth on July 20th & 21st.

Okay, one last reminder--history books--contact J Kanderka @ 403 443-7388 or D Enzie @ 403 443 5625 to order yours.

My random thought for this week is a quote from Dr. Suess....“I’m glad we had the times together just to laugh and sing a song, seems like we just got started and then before you know it, the times we had together were gone.”
― Dr. Seuss
*****************************************************************************

Just a little reminder, July is going, going, going, gone month...so stock up on your summer time favorite while you still can Click on my shopping link at the side to order now

Ode to my town

I live in a small rural community in Central Alberta. 
A place of  farmers and fields
students and teachers
parents and children
I live here.
I did not record this, or write this
but I love it.
It feels like home to me.


an ode to my little three hills town....love this place! from KPAM Productions on Vimeo.

Weekend to End Women's Cancer

This past weekend I was at a craft retreat.  46 women attended this event and brought whatever craft they wanted to work on.  Each lucky lady had an eight foot table all to herself.  Meals were included, plus door prizes, plus a silent auction, plus a bake sale & tea on Saturday afternoon (this was open to the public and many came to admire the crafts on display)

From March 4, 2012

From March 4, 2012

This event is very dear to my heart
for a number of reasons
1.  It's a great cause
2.  It's a great way to accomplish a lot of projects
3.  You make new friends
4.  You can bring your sleeping bag & sleep on the stage
5.  It is held in the hall that my husband & I helped build.

This year made it more bitter sweet.
I completed my tower flag album of Brian's Spray Park
and one of the girls who organizes the weekend,
lost her husband to cancer the day before.
Many of the crafter their were sisters and friends of Brenda
and they were going to cancel the weekend
but at Brenda's request they went ahead with the event
and raised over $8,500 for women's cancer research

From March 4, 2012

I can't wait till next year
I have already booked a spot for my daughter and me
In fact, most of the spots are already booked.
However, if you are interested in attending,
leave me a comment and I will forward you more information
The cost for the weekend is $150 ($75 is a charitable donation)

From March 4, 2012

One final picture before I go
and a plea to all you paper crafters
Please!!!!! Consider joining us next year.
The quilters out numbered us 3 to 1.

My town

So, don't know if I have mentioned that it is our town' Centennial this year.
If I haven't, I have now.
Anyways there is a contest brewing---best hometown video wins a FREE mini jamboree in their home town.
This is what our town is like
Please like this video
and spread the word.
 The more Likes this video recieves the better our chances to win.
Thanks and like you

ps.
I'm on the centennial committee
and would love to invite you all to our July 22, 23, 24 Birthday Celebration

I am woman--hear me roar

I thought of this song, as I was cutting the hole for my kitchen sink....
and as I was fighting with the jigsaw I thought of my mother and my Aunty Angela
(both are now deceased)
I remember my mother asking my dad
....over and over to remove the wall between the two small bedrooms, to make it into one large room
and I remember my mother picking up a sledge hammer
and (you guessed it) making a huge hole in the wall
and that night the wall came down.

I also remember Aunty Angela telling me how she pulled up the old carpet in her living room
by herself.  She was over 70, and not in the greatest of health, but SHE did it.

And so did I.
The sink is in!
I am woman, hear me roar!

Goodbye, Farewell

A very dear friend of mine,

who was also my Aunt passed away just before Christmas.

At her funeral,

 as her casket was being taken from the service

they played this song.

Happy New Year

Okay,

I know I am a couple of days late,

but here are my reasons (or excuses)

1. I was working

2. I am Ukrainian--so for me I haven't even had Christmas yet.

3. I just forgot to post. Ooops.

But recently I hinted at something big that might be happening in 2012

I still have a couple of details to nail down

and then I will share it with you.

I would like to thank you for looking at my blog and leaving comments

(I love comments)

I hope you have enjoyed reading my posts as much as I have enjoyed creating them.

Happy New Year and all the Best to you in 2012

Busy, Busy, Busy

As sometimes happens, life becomes chaotic and completely disorganized.
Which is where I am right now. So I thought to put pen to paper and hopefully regroup and prioritize my next few days.

Tiff's Birthday party--Nov 11
things to do--make invites--today
confirm attendance of girls
confirm second driver

Centennial Celebration--presentation to Town Monday Nov 14
1pm today--meeting to prepare presentation
before then--set up office area a bit

Chateau Christmas Market--Nov 12--1-5pm
need to organize items to bring

Hostess Club--Nov 9--7-9pm
need to prepare sample of next month's project
need to prepare mini make'n take for that night

Work--right forgot I work Thurs--Nov 10

Well that's about it, not much, just a half a dozen different things that need to be accomplished at a half a dozen different places. So I guess my first priority is to head to the Centennial Headquarters and start preparing for the meeting that is too take place in the next hour.

I will update my progress as I have time.