Finally Unpacked My Workshop!

So last week Brittany succumbed to the dreaded H1N1 flu and was home sick for the week. She slept for 72 hours pretty much straight...though worried about her, I have to say I was grateful for a housebound week of quiet, and I finally managed to unpack my scrapbooking workshop space, amongst getting caught up on a few other chores. So many of you have been asking to see pics ....here they are.

These first three photos basically pan across the room from left to right...as you can see lots of windows!!

Here is a close up of my Giant "Clip It Up System" that Mike and I built if you can remember the post describing that craziness of that process, but I love the finish product! I love how flexible it is and that I have a display space included.

This is one of my favourite things...each box contains all my leftover chip letters of that letter. Makes finding letters so much easier! and it looks cute as well. (I also did this with my small chipboard pieces)

Brads, Buttons and more are stored in clear fishing tackle boxes and put on these great deep shelves from Ikea ( the Besta line), it also holds 12 x12 cases without the sticking out.

Most of my books are stored in these great Kids bookshelves from Pottery Barn, there a few years old but I love the accessibility!

My stamps are stored not by the set...I know all you Stampin Up Girls can yell at me later...but by the image type...word with word, flowers with flowers and so on...and so quick to find. I do have all my holiday and card ones in their sets in a bin if that makes you feel better

Glimmer Mist, and Stickles, my two favorite things right now!!!

Notice the basket of layout books on the table, in easy reach and easy to put away.

and lastly my favorite Magazine...in a spot of Honour...Canadian Scrapbooker!!

Speaking of Canadian Scrapbooker...Both the winter issue and the CS Basics 5 came out this week!! Check out my layout in the winter issue and 4 in the Basics issue!!!

In Honour of that I thought I would do a contest...

I need you most amazing storage ideas! So post your ideas in the comment Field and I will do a random draw for A copy of the Canadian Scrapbooker Basics 5! There is nothing basic about the amazing techniques in this book...I even learned a thing or two!

Christmas Cards

So I really love Christmas Cards, nothing puts me into the spirit like making them....and I really love the new trend of the fancy folded cards....as you can see.

From the Monday Night Class Blog

SO I meant to post this here...so now it's on both!

The Calm Before The Storm
So it's shortly after 7 am and if you know me you know I am not a morning person...yet today I find myself awake , alert and happy. Today is the day of the Jingle Bell Crop, and I suppose appropriately I feel a little like a kid at Christmas.

I often have conversations with others about the amount of work planning something this big is and how much work it is. I don't know maybe I was born with a planning gene. I remember orchestrating elaborate plays and games with the neighborhood kids as a child....and I definitely had an opinion at how we should we do every party and family dinner celebrations. I must have drove my Mother crazy!

I have even planned a few weddings, ( not of my own) and when I had my wedding we actually had a planning meeting with the bridal party and I delegated lists to them of things I needed them to do and what time they had to be where was typed out as a schedule...(OK so now as I put that in type I think I owe them an apology)

Anyways...at this point I know that today will be filled with lot's of last minute details, but it will come together in the end. Why am I so calm?...well I have "rules"( that's for you Kim) for event planning that I follow that make me feel like I have done all I can.

Rule one: Visualize- Okay I know this sounds very new age , but before any event I walk through the event in my mind and actually see what I want it to look like, what I am going to need, all that stuff.

Rule Two: Write lists- I can definitely rock a good list, I usually do a list while I am visualizing, but other types of list are good as well, like a guest list and a to do list!

Rule Three: Delegate- No man ( or woman) is an island...ask for help, enlist a partner in crime, and if need be, hire someone.

Rule Four: On the day of the event, don't sweat the small stuff. No one is going to notice the things you forgot, or that the napkins aren't the color you planned them to be, but they are going to notice if you are a crazy lunatic, losing it on everyone.

Rule Five: Say thank you, a lot...over and over again. Gratitude is really important!

Rule Six: Book the next day off, we spend months planning but expect things to wrap themselves up. Clean up takes time and so does event detoxing!!

Rule Seven: Have fun!

Well I am off to get ready...see you all soon!

Had a great weekend....is it really already thursday?

I went to an amazing retreat at Stoney Nakoda Lodge this weekend, hosted by Debbie Pearce and Diana ( otherwise known as Debbie's sister) and whose last name I won't print out of respect for her. They did an amazing job! What a great group of girls we had there!...and I got to see the ever awesome Star Mercer! Missed you! and of course I went with a few of my friends Rose, Tracey, Diane, and Crystal. I even gt a little designing done...as per pictures above! I have started to actually reproduce my own artwork into kits...making them truly one of a kind!

We also had our first set of inspections for the house...they fixed about 75% of the small issues we have found. I will have to wait for spring for the rest. Oh and I got a call from Samsung...can they send out a tech to fix my fridge so that when my new one comes they can resell the old one right away? HA!!!!

Upcoming Posts

I thought I would share an up coming class with you all...

It will run thursday evenings -Oct 15 - Nov5 at Paper Pastimes in Calgary and Wednesday evenings/ mornings from Nov 4 to Nov 25th at The Scrapbook Pantry also in Calgary. COst is $100 for all four classes and all material accept a basic tool kit are supplied. The description is as follows...

Advanced Scrapbooking 210: Be adventurous and take your scrapbooking to the next level with Christy Riopel. Learn how to create your own backgrounds and embellishments using stamping, sewing, Glimmer Mist, acrylic and more. Over the four weeks we dive into the world of paper crafting and see how to take their time honoured techniques and create some of the most original and amazing pages you have ever made.

to register for either class contact the stores individually.