I haven't done much lately. Actually, that's not true. I had spent some time with Cheryl at my LSS, the Scrapbucket, trying out new things for new classes at the store. But, I found that I needed that time to mellow out more than to scrap. I tend to use a lot of that time to vent to Cheryl and making her eat crap food. Good times! Hmmm....I don't think my habit of eating crap when I'm stressed will ever change.

We will be starting a slow transition out of our home for our foster son. It has been a hectic 1 1/2 months and I find myself not being able to channel my energy into crafting too much. My mind is wrapped up in legislation and rules and attachment to children.

I don't know how much I will be doing in the near future as well, because we are appealing a decision to move our foster daughter. I think we'll have a long road ahead of us with some big boulders to climb, but we will overcome.

Anyway, if I can do anything this long weekend, it HAS to be the two wedding cards I need to make for Lala. I want her to come home from her vacation and to see the cards on her table when gets back. That's my plan. Maybe, I can hang out with Cheryl a bit today.

For those of you enjoying the outdoors, pools, scrapbooking and everything else (I can't believe that somewhere it's snowing :S) have a great time! Show your kids everything and let them experience lots...it just makes them into a well-rounded child!

Have fun! ~Rowena~

Thank you to...

those mother's out there who stay up late with newborns and sick kids....the moms that never feel like they have enough time and feel like they haven't done enough.

Thank you to the moms who worry so much it makes them sick and only want the best for their kids that they will do anything and put up with anything.

The mothers that try, try and try but sometimes feel like everything they do doesn't matter or they're not getting anywhere...deserve a BIG thank you.

As Sandra Bullock recently said at the Oscars, "the mums that take care of the babies and the children no matter where they come from. Those mums and parents never get thanked."

As a mother to a 3 1/2 year old foster daughter, a 28 month old biological daughter and a 26 month old foster son....that meant a lot to me...thank you for thanking us...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

I just finished this page today. I wanted to try something different. I rarely use a sketch to make layouts but I had seen one similar to this one a while ago and thought I would give it a try.

This is also a first in using October Afternoon PP. I LOVE anything with strawberries! As you can tell with the paper and the little whimsy button, courtesy of Stephanie at "my little bit of whimsy."

Thank you for stopping by! Happy Scrappin'!
~Rowena~

It's a different style of card...

It's a bit different, but I think I like it. It was a card request from my neighbour for a bridal shower. I inked the chipboard bird with distress ink and then embossed it with an iridescent embossing powder. Embossing resulted in the ink being pushed out towards the edges of the bird giving it a washed out look. The combination of Prima Tiny Tots flowers remind me of a cherry blossom tree...so delicate, fragile and new.

~Rowena~

I've added some "pages" to my blog

I've taken advantage of the new "pages" function on Blogger to create a separate page for cards and a separate page for layouts I've made in the past. You'll find the tabs in black directly above this post. Once you click on the title, it will automatically bring you to a new page on my blog strictly for images of cards and layouts.

Thanks for stopping by!
~Rowena~

piece of cake...

When the cake decorating contest came up at Creative Scrappers, I knew I wanted to make a cake. It's one of those areas where I've dabbled in and next week, I will be starting the first of many cake decorating classes. I've made the wilton cakes, I've free-styled some cakes...





I didn't really know what I wanted to make for Creative Scrappers. I'm not entirely happy with it, but it's cake...and I want to eat it too. So, I made some molded chocolate flowers, leaves, cupcake, cake and party hat for decoration. I think I'm WAY too tired and I don't think I was really in the mood today, but here it is...a cake with too many chocolate flowers...



HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CREATIVE SCRAPPERS! Thanks for all the inspiration and help with getting our layouts done! Did you see the whimsy button? ha ha ha, I had to add that in.

Thanks for stopping by!
~Rowena~

a card made for France...

My lovely neighbour Lala, yes...that IS the name she goes by, has asked me to make a few cards for her. One is to be sent to France for a wedding. My first thought was shabby french couture...but, as you can see, it evolved into a shabby vintage design. It's something that just happens when I mix Webster's, Graphic 45 and some Prima lace. It seems to be the style I'm into lately.

I would like to try the idea that "Scrapbooking from the inside out" has...bring what is inside, the emotions into reality in a creative way. I think I'll make a point of trying that.

I am in dire need of some serious scrapbooking time. Tom isn't home until Friday. It seems much longer than the 2 1/2 weeks that he's been away. With everything going on in our house in the past week...I don't know what direction I'm going in. I can't wait to pick him up on Friday morning. Although, it is only for a week...boo...I must make GOOD use of that time!

Thanks for stopping by!
~Row~

I have been asked by my neighbour to make a few cards for her. One is for a wedding in FRANCE! What a perfect time for making a card to be mailed to France...it seems that some manufacturers have included some sort of embellishment "en francaise" in their lines...especially Webster's Pages and 7 Gypsies...OH...and Tim Holtz!

I can't wait to get my 7 Gypsies Avignon and Penny Black Thinking of You Clear Stamp Sets from The Paper Passion and see what this card becomes!

On another note, BLOGGING IS FREAKING HARD! After my day with the 3 kids...and being sick...and Tom being sick...I don't even want to look at the computer. I think I just have to get in the groove. It might be easier if I had a computer in my craft area too...I have to figure it out.

Needless to say, creativity has been on the low...but I think part of it is the lack of space to create. My supplies are slowly creeping onto my tabletop with no place to call home. I had to subtly tell Tom that I don't have any space to create...and he said that he probably should get finishing the addition so I can have my room. Hee hee. Hopefully by the end of June, I can move into my craft room.

Until then, I will continue to pile my supplies. Does anyone else out there have the same problem I have? I go and buy all these cool supplies and put them away but never realize just what I have stocked in those drawers? I think I have to have everything out so I can see EVERYTHING...hmmm...maybe a pegboard/slatboard? Wait until Tom sees the stash! HA HA!


Lauren always cracks me up. We have great days together and she's always doing something goofy. We picked this basket up at a second-hand store for my thickers stash a couple of weeks ago. She's got both of our goofiness and Tom's demeanor. Happy-go-lucky! I am the one who is so lucky!

Guess what!

I've been following Creative Scrappers (click their name for a link!) through their awesome birthday celebration this month and for the Monday, April 12th Sponsor Giveaway....

I WON A GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR my little bit of whimsy! YIPEEE! It is forever embedded on my blog...ha ha.

I'm so excited! I've never won anything in my life! Creative Scrappers has something everyday this month from Sponsor Giveaways, Reader Reveals to Game Days. They've got fun stuff and a LOAD of inspiration!

I can't wait to do some MORE shopping at my little bit of whimsy. (click their name for a link!) Stephanie makes the most bold, bright, adorable buttons and pins on this earth! I highly suggest you hop on over and take a look.

Thanks Creative Scrappers and my little bit of whimsy! You made my day!

~Rowena~

some cards from the past...

This card was made with a cuttlebug folder, a nestability, a stacked flower design, some ribbon, and a touch of crystal stickles. The flower is made from those cardstock sets that are perforated so you can easily punch out the flower pieces. They were designed to be stacked to give your flower embellishment some dimension in a paper tole fashion. I LOVE them for cards. They come in a variety of different styles and patterns (usually 3 different flowers on a sheet)...bronze outlined (like on my card), silver outlined and I've just recently spotted these sets in colour!


I made this card for Tom's birthday this past January. Sometimes I find it difficult to make a masculine card, but I decided that the diamond plate cuttlebug folder was the ticket. Tom loves old cars...he may not have one, but he loves the history of them all. I used a peel-off sticker set that allows me to place the outline peel-off sticker onto a piece of glossy paper that has been matched and coloured to that specific peel-off. Voila...a coloured vintage car sticker!



I used the micro-fine Glitter Ritz for this card. It was part of a 10 card set I made for Christmas gifts...20 sets altogether..yikes! It's a glitter that doesn't flake off because of the sookwang double-sided tape that you use to adhere the glitter. It also leaves a velvety texture after you "burnish" it (rubbing the glitter into the tape with your finger). Everything on this card is glitter. Sookwang tape comes in a number of different widths. So, you don't have to deal with cutting double-sided tape!

I took the top photo in the sun so you can see the glitter shine. The bottom photo gives you a better look. I punched out the shapes out of the tape paper that covers the sookwang double-sided tape and used them as masks. Then, starting from darkest glitter colour to the lightest, I started adhering the glitter to the tape accordingly. It is tedious and you have to be careful...but it makes for some awesome glitter cards in whatever design you want. You can even cut the sheets of double-sided tape in the cricut for letters, etc.

Oh, by the way, not too long ago, I had posted a number of photos of other layouts and cards on The Paper Passion Gallery. That was just before I jumped on the blog bandwagon. If you wanted to take a look at some other things I created, just head on over to The Paper Passion's Gallery and take a look under "rowena"

Thanks for stopping by!
~Rowena~

Not scrappin .... auughhhhh

So...I haven't been able to do any scrapbooking or cardmaking lately.

Tom has been ill and he was supposed to go back to work up north yesterday. We didn't want him to go until he was feeling better so he leaves on Sunday afternoon and comes back on April 30th. Back to the normal routine.

We did take the kids out after daycare to eat and I got a couple of good photos of them watching geese. It was nice to get some fresh air and see them running around.

I've found it hard to do any crafting because he has been feeling so bad that we haven't done anything for 2 1/2 weeks. We haven't gone to the gym...haven't gone ANYWHERE. But he's feeling ok today so we're going to go out and cruise Winnipeg with Lauren...maybe go to the park or zoo or shopping.

I can't wait to take some pictures. Lauren is such a goof. Much alike to Tom and I. She's a ham....110%.




I've been following Creative Scrappers for a little while now and it's their birthday month. I seriously advise you to check them out. They've got AWESOME sketches and they've got something going on EVERYDAY. Giveaways, Game Days, Reveals, etc. Check out Kristine and the gang at Creative Scrappers by clicking their graphic on the right!

Have a great weekend everyone...hopefully I'll have a new layout or card...or take photos of cards and upload them! Sheesh.

~Rowena~

Another Heritage Layout

Another one of Tom's Nana & Grandad. They took such amazing pictures! Tom keeps saying that his Grandad was a ham...

I've got tonnes of vintage buttons that seem appropriate for pages like these. I am a BIG fan of Rosa and The Paper Passion in Ontario, Canada. She carries a lot of awesome stuff. I think everything I used on this layout, from the inks to the lace, except for the floss, cardstock and buttons, came from The Paper Passion.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Rowena~

my first layout on my blog...with more to follow

This is Tom's Nana, who has already left us to join her husband a number of years ago. We had a lot of stuff still leftover from their days and I finally went through their photos and found a wonderful treasure. I decided I would start a heritage album and all I want to do is scrapbook black and white and tinted photos....EVERY MOMENT I GET!

I was pretty proud of myself because I had never "created" my own chipboard letters, other than on the cricut. I painted these letters with Siren Smooch Ink and then crumpled a piece of paper, inked it in black and stamped the letters. I'm so pleased how they came out!

I did some fancy cutting on the butterflies and roses of this Prima PP from the Pastiche collection. I wanted some dimension so I cut the flowers, leaves, butterfly wings, rubbed them with a rub-on tool from behind to round them up a bit and popped some up with pop dots.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Rowena~

It's Easter!

There's no snow outside...YAY! Spring is definately on it's way. Isn't it refreshing? I can't wait for the smell and feeling of lush grass and the sun beating down on us.

I had never prepped or done an easter egg hunt with the kids until today. I didn't know what to expect. It was cute watching them run around fighting for all the eggs! I've confiscated all their baskets....I don't think I'm prepared to have them eat 24 pieces of candy all at once, just yet.

I hope you are all having a HOPPY EASTER with your families. Don't forget to get your scrap-worthy photos! I've probably got over a dozen already!

~Rowena~

Hi, my name is Rowena and I'm addicted to scrapbooking.

So...here it is. An attempt at a blog. I was asked if I had a blog to see all the creations I've made and it got me thinking...I could probably do it. It might take me a while, but I think I can do it.

I'm a stay-at-home mom in Manitoba. My husband goes to the Northwest Territories to work for 2 weeks at a time and gets to come home for 2 weeks at a time, where we can do whatever we wish.

But, we have a very busy life. We have a beautiful 2 year old daughter. It took a while...but she finally came AFTER we started fostering. We also have a 3 1/2 year old foster daughter and her brother, our 2 year old foster son.

We also do a few extra-curricular things outdoors. We love riding our motorcycles and snowmobiles. We live by the river and we go for boat rides. Tom is a hunter. I love flinging arrows from my bow and we can't wait to try out our new compound bows.

With this lifestyle we've chosen, I've started scrapbooking and cardmaking in January 2009. It's my release. It's my sanctuary at the end of the day. Hence, the blog name, late night inspiration....I can usually be found still scrapbooking at 2 am, if I've gotten my groove on. As soon as the kids go to bed, I sit at my craft table. I love it. I love being able to preserve memories because, to be honest, I'm not very good at remembering a lot of things.

We've got an addition in the works and it includes a 12' x 12' craftroom (yes, I'm a lucky girl) and for Tom, a gunroom. Right now, I have tables set up in the lower level in the family room area and I'm slowly creeping INTO the family room, until my room is done.

I don't know where this blog is going to go. I'll be posting layouts, cards and altered art in hopes that someone will take some inspiration back to their craft table. I love looking at other blogspots to get some inspiration. Hopefully, I can give some back.

Thanks for stopping by! Hopefully, we'll see you soon.
~Rowena~

P.S. in order to comply with the "no photos" rule for our foster children, if I post a photo of a layout with them in it, their faces will be blocked out with some sort of embellishment. I hope you can understand.