Crop Tropical Here We Come!! And Giveaway!!!


I've had the idea of doing a scrapbooking vacation at an all-inclusive resort for about 3 years and I am beside myself excited that it's finally here!!  Crop Tropical Scrapbooking Escape in Cancun, Mexico is about to begin and I am so excited to be hosting an amazing group of new friends!!!!

This event is basically a sister event to our Crop and Cruise Scrapbooking Cruise, but instead of being a SEA event, it is a LAND event!!  Otherwise it is very similar... great instructors, great sponsors and a TON of goodies and fun just waiting to be had (not to mention the HOT, TROPICAL heat!!!)

Check out some of what's in store...


Someone attending Crop Tropical is going to win this fabulous HP A636 photo printer!!!!  HP understands that great layouts starts with great photos and what better tool to have at your disposal than a personal photo printer!!


Get a good look at this stunning www.MondayNightClass.ca kit that is exclusive for our Crop Tropical event!!!  And the bonus is that designer Christy Riopel is joining us as our featured instructor and has soooo much in store to teach us!  Here is another sample of her gorgeous work attendees get to create chalk full of delicious techniques...


All the layouts from Basic Grey, Bo Bunny, Tattered Angels, etc. will be stored in this to die for 12x12 acrylic album from Harmonie!!!
And the album plus all the extra goodies from Stix2, Scrapbook Pantry, Paper Pastimes, Scrap Hut, Scrapbooker's Paradise, Scrappin' with Friends, Scrapbooking Heaven, Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine, Connexia, Marvy, Westcott and Artytart will have ample room stored in this NEATNIX stuff bag!!

And Creative Imaginations has a new fun product that we are oh so excited to play with called Mudd Puddles!!!

Oh and I can't forget these Basic Grey doilies!!!

Okay... all this excitement has me feeling a tad bad for those of you who weren't able to join us in Cancun, so why don't we do a fun little giveaway while I'm gone!!!!  You may enter by simply answering this question:

If you could go on a tropical scrapbooking vacation, which do you think you would prefer... a LAND event at an all-inclusive resort like our Crop Tropical or a SEA event on a cruise ship like our Crop and Cruise?  And where would you love to go to?

Submit your comments to the above by February 19 to be entered to WIN!!!  Meanwhile, know I'll be thinking about you while cropping on the beaches of Cancun!!!

And just a friendly reminder... we are still accepting applications for instructors on our next Crop and Cruise Scrapbooking cruise to the Caribbean in Nov. 2010!!!  Check out the detais HERE!!! 

CHA Blog Giveaway Winner!!


Sorry for the delay on announcing our $100 CHA blog giveaway (but technically it is still Feb. 1 in Calgary!!)... we are pleased to announce the winning entry out of 512 total entries (using random.org generator) is...


Sacha said...

My son makes me laugh. The other day he told me that the worst tornado was an F150. He says the funniest things.


So "Sacha" please contact Scrapbook Pantry in Calgary and let them know that you are the big winner!!!  And if you know Sacha... let her know she won!!! Maybe she'll share some of her goodies with you!!!!
Thanks everyone for playing along!  We hope you had as much fun as we did bringing CHA to you via blogland :)

TONS of CHA and last chance for GIVEAWAY!!!

Okay... as this is the last CHA post and chance for the GIVEAWAY, it's going to be long and full of goodness!!  Remember you can enter once for each day on my blog here, Christy Riopel's blog and by sending comments to Scrapbook Pantry!!  Winner will be announced Feb. 1!!

So let's get started!!  I asked in an earlier post about basic tool storage, etc. and wanted to show you this fabulous new "Tropical Tool Kit" from NEATNIX and it's fabulous!!!  It has multiple pockets, a great carrying handle and fits a 12" trimmer!!!  Are you thinking what I'm thinking??????  HINT:  Tropical Vacation on a cruise ship scrapbooking in the Caribbean!!!  Might just see some of these on our Crop and Cruise in November 2010... wanna come???!!


Oops, before we go further, here's something you need to know, at CHA there is an unspoken rule that about 90% follow...  what you are wearing only matters from the ankles up!!  To be on your feet walking the show floor for hours for days in a row, you need decent shoes!!  Here is a sampling of what my little group wore!!  

And for those asking, here is just one of the make & takes Christy and I taught at the Westcott booth... we got to play with Prima and Graphic 45 with all the Westcott tools!!!   

Okay, now onto more of my favourites from CHA.  Melody Ross is an industry name that has been noted over the years, but this year she has partnered up with GCD Studios and has released some absolutely to die for goodness!  I guess what makes me love her and her line even more is that she runs retreats in the States similar to our Scrapbook Your Heart retreats here in Canada!!  She gets that this hobby can be oh so therapeutic and touch your heart if you let it!  You can tell by her designs...





Another favourite find came from Bazzill!!  We mostly know Bazzill for their fabulous cardstock but I took a closer look and found these delightful Bazzill buttons!!!  They are all about the BLING!!!  LOVE it!!!!  Many of the Bazzill girls were wearing them around their necks as jewelry!!!


Another classic favourite is Fancy Pants!!  Of course I was drawn to their "Tropical Travel" line, but get a closer look at their transparencies... they are flocked!!!  How cool is that???!!!!



And speaking of flocking, this is a HOT trend we are seeing and my absolute favourite display of this came from My Mind's Eye new release appropriately called "LUSH".  From mini albums to papers and embellishments, this line in assorted colours is simply divine!!  Makes you just want to reach out and touch!!!


Another HOT trend is bare canvas products that you can decorate, glam and bling up in your own way!!  This mini-album was from Prima where they also had tote bags, camera bags and more in plain canvas.


Yet another HOT trend I noticed is the use of measuring tapes!!  Many of them are in the more vintage lines, but this one from Teresa Collins is part of her baby line!!!  How precious!!


Now onto some shots from some of my favourite companies!!  In no particular order... below you see Crate Papers new lines... here is Brook Collection and a layout from a fun "young lady" line called "Paper Doll"


And we can't do a review without showing some Hambly goodness!!  I was smitten with this transformed Ikea light fixture... how funky is this??!!!  Might have to squeeze that somewhere in my new home!!

And PRIMA... wow, wow, wow!!!  Their booth just has so much beauty and originality...  you can't stop looking!!  Just when you think they've done every type of flower possible, they come out with something new!!!  I just fell in love with these huge flowers... perfect for some home decor projects like shown before (I'm all about displaying our artwork outside of our albums too!!)  And perfect for an accessory like hats, jewelry, etc.!!





Lots of buzz around the Tattered Angels booth!!  There I met Liz Hicks showcasing their new fun products that partner with the Glimmer Mist!!  They have created "Glimmer Glam" and "Glimmer Glaze" which look like a ton of creative fun waiting to be had!!!



And last year this cute and blingy company won best of show and brought out some fab products again this year!!  Glitz seemed to combine some vintage with the bling which of course caught my eye!!


And there was something simply beautiful about Webster's Pages booth... calm, serene and beauty all around... loved their flower ribbon shown here!

And now for some CANADIAN companies eh???!!!!  One of our favs is Upsy Daisy and they came up with a grand idea!!  On their new papers, instead of having the extra strip just having the company name,  website, etc. they have converted it into a fun "saying" you can use on your layouts!!  This one has "You are my sunshine" and the alphabet on it!!  Cool idea!! 

And Harmonie from Quebec was located in the "new exhibitors" section!!  Christy and I were walking around with our Crop Tropical 12x12 acrylic album from Harmonie that everyone's going to get and boy did it generate some interest!!  So we just kept sending them to the Harmonie booth to check out their whole line of acrylic albums!!  A must have for that special event!!

And a fun new Canadian on the scene!!  Meet Kiki of Kiki Art!!!  She has a great line of products that will appeal to a wide variety of scrappers especially those with an "international" interest.... her Oriental inspired designs were rich with colour!!  Watch for them at your local stores here in Canada!!

And last, but not least, I have to show just a few more shots from some companies already posted about... just too much goodness!!  Here is the other amazingly wonderful line from Core-dinations!!  These papers come in a variety of colours and also have assorted patterns that are revealed when you sand the surface!!  Too much fun and so much creative potential!!!


And a few more of my fav home decor stuff from 7Gypsies!!  This one was HOT on the show floor... a "Receipt Holder" that you can display smaller pieces of artwork, artist trading cards, etc.  You can see the "before" on the left and the "after" on the right.  Way cool and different!!  And as a photographer, I'm always on the hunt for ways to showcase my recent favourite photos so this 4x6 photo holder by 7Gypsies also caught my eye!!  




Alrighty!!  Long but delicious eh????  I can hardly wait for these products to begin to show up in the stores!!  I did manage to snag a few for our Crop Tropical in Cancun next week so those coming along on that will be some of the first to get to play!!  

So... final question from me for the $100+ CHA giveaway by Scrapbook Pantry in Calgary...

Out of ALL the products posted over the past days of my CHA 2010 review, what are the TOP 3 that you are most excited about?

Remember that you can post a comment on each day to enter to win here on my blog, on Christy Riopel's blog and by sending a comment to Scrapbook Pantry!!  Winner will be announced on Feb. 1!!  Best of luck everyone and thanks for playing along!!!!

Scrapbook Your Heart Registration OPENS!!!

Today I'm taking a bit of a CHA break to bring you other important and delightful news!!!  You can still comment on this entry to win the CHA bundle though!! :)


We are pleased to announce that registration for our 


Alberta-wide retreat hosted by the GBC Scrappers will be opening as follows:


Early Bird* opens 
Jan. 31, 2010 at 8am
Regular Registration opens 
Feb. 2, 2010 

*Early bird registration is open for those who have attended a Scrapbook Your Heart retreat in previous years.  We have reserved the first 50 spots for our early birds!! 

Details for pricing and registration are now posted on the Scrapbook Your Heart website!!  Please help us spread the word by posting on your blogs, facebook, emailing your friends, etc.!!!





PLEASE NOTE:
This retreat is NOT a typical marathon of scrapbooking (there are many other great events that ARE and we encourage you to attend those if that is what you are seeking!!).  Please understand that this retreat is so much more and our desire is to fill it with women ready for a soul uplifting experience...



Scrapbook Your Heart is a weekend retreat of life changing fun for women!

Scrapbook Your Heart takes place nestled in a peaceful location in central Alberta with inspiring creation all around.  This retreat is offered to woman who are anxious to:
-  meaningfully and artfully explore matters of the heart
-  be pampered and feel special about who they are
-  share their life experiences in a safe environment
-  dig deep to discover new truths about themselves
-  laugh, cry, play, create, share, learn and grow together


Question of the day (pick one or pick all!):  What makes you laugh?  What makes you cry?  What inspires you? What do you do for YOU that makes your heart sing? What do you do to get through the tough times life throws at you? What is your favourite thing to do for others?


And don't forget you can enter to win the CHA bundle at Christy's blog and by sending a comment on the Scrapbook Pantry website!!  Winner will be announced on Feb. 1!!

Lots of CHA and still doing our Giveaway!!

Alrighty!!!  Back home in snowy Calgary on my home computer!!

Let's begin with the explanation of the Tim Holtz fiasco...


As already mentioned, one of the much anticipated new releases was the Tim Holtz dies so while in the Ranger booth, I attempted to video Tim giving us a brief overview of his new line (which I actually LOVE especially the ones shown below!), but as many of you guessed... I pushed the "stop" button when I thought I was pushing the "record" button and MISSED TAPING THE WHOLE THING!!!  I didn't realize it until later when I tried to play it back... talk about frustration!!  But yet kinda funny as this sort of thing seems to be part of the story of my life :)


I did manage to snag a two second video of him the next day saying "Hi Canada" and later that night Christy and I were in bed blogging.  It was REALLY late at night, everyone else was asleep and Christy and I already had the giggles.  I wanted to find a photo of Tim's dies to use on the post and so I googled "Tim Holtz dies".  What pops up?

Did you mean: tim holtz died  


"Tim Holtz died!" I read outloud.


"What???" exclaimed Christy.  "Tim Holtz died"?  Needless to say, once we both grasped the misunderstanding, we were laughing so hard and so long we could hardly breath!!!  So with one last product shot from Tim, let's move on!!!


Some of my other favourite things I saw... so many companies venturing into the "Jewelry" lines like Making Memories... very intriguing!!






One other paper line that caught my eye especially for tween/teen guys was the Little Yellow Bicycle line called "Generation Z"...








Maybe it's because my guy just turned 13 AND he loves soccer, skating, biking, etc. AND it's hard to find really good guy papers.  He's not into Guitar Band, but I know a LOT of kids his age are!!

In the HOME DECOR arena, this 7Gypsies Printer Tray caught my eye!!  Here's a "before" and "after" shot (see our Canadian Vicki Boutin in there?)




And speaking of 7Gypsies, there was a ton of goodness in their booth that caught my eye!!  Get a load of these "jeweled" binder rings and "dangles"!!



I will share more show stuff again over the next few days, but in the meantime, I want to do a HUGE call-out to the fabulous girls that shared this week with me (and the hotel room)... it was an honour to get to know you all a little better this week :)




And even though we are home safe and sound, we are still continuing our BLOG GIVEAWAY to receive a $100+ value bundle of CHA goodness!!  Winner will be announced on Feb. 1 so continue to enter 3 times a day (once on each blog)... mine, Christy's blog and send comments to Scrapbook Pantry!!


Question of the Day:  
What do you keep your basic scrapbooking / crafting tools in at home for easy use and access (ie. scissors, adhesives, pens, trimmer, etc.)?  Do you care more about function or cuteness factor?

Just a short CHA...

It's 2:30am and we are so wasted tired... the kind of tired where EVERYTHING is funny... where you're laughing so hard you need to go pee even though you just went?

After a FULL and FINAL day at CHA, we went out for our traditional "Crazy Canucks" dinner coordinated by the lovely Trisha Ladouceur!!  Think there were probably about 30 of us!!  (See Christy's blog for photos).  We then did a quick shop at Target and headed back to the hotel.

It has been a challenge (again) to pack all our "swag" and goodies from CHA and not incur any extra baggage fees... here's hoping!!!

And although I took a schwack of wonderful photos today during our last day at CHA, I am simply too exhausted to post very many so here's just a few to tide you over!!!

One of the "big" reveals came from Cricut... a new machine called the Cake Cricut and it die-cuts fondant for cake decorating, etc. just like the Cricut does for paper!!!  It uses all the same cartridges too!


One of the HOT trends we saw throughout the show is the JEWELRY!!!  This one in particular was from Margie's booth...

And for fun, Christy posed for a portrait...

And last, but not least, my question of the day...

What is the average amount you spend on a typical trip to your local scrapbook store?


And bonus question:  What do you get when you google "Tim Holtz dies"?


Remember... you can enter up to three times per day to win a $100+ CHA prize bundle from the Scrapbook Pantry!!  Answer the questions of my blog, Christy's blog and send comments to Scrapbook Pantry!!  Winner will be selected Feb. 1!!

My "Allison Oops" day at CHA...

I stole a rolling tote bag today.

I didn't mean to... it was all so innocent...

I had parked mine by a booth and was having a lovely chat with the company owners and when done, I simply grabbed the handle beside me and took off to find Christy.  She was already in the next aisle over sitting by the washroom.  As I approached, she commented, "Whose tote is that?"

I looked down to see a strange silver tote bag in my hand and saw that Christy was sitting with MY red tote at her feet. It took a few seconds for me to grasp what had happened... I had just stolen someone else's tote and I had no idea who!!!  I frantically ran back towards the direction I had come and as I rounded the corner of the aisle, I saw a lady looking as frantic as I was searching all around at the various booths.

I approached her and exclaimed, "Is this what you're looking for?"  The look of pure joy and relief on her face told me the answer and she began to thank me profusely for finding it!!!

"I didn't actually find it... I accidentally stole it", I tried to explain.  But no matter how much I apologized, she just kept thanking me!!!  So I finally said, "You're welcome!" and walked away!!!

That was "Oops #1"... read to the end for the bigger "Oops"... probably my biggest Oops of the year!!!  But first, some eye candy!!!



Teresa Collins' booth is divine!!  She has some beautiful new releases and a ton of sparkling crystal and I absolutely LOVE to look at the photography on her layouts!!  Striking!!


And everyone loves a BEFORE and AFTER shot!!!  Let's do it with Core-dinations Cardstock's new line "Core Amour"... above is the "before"... and here is the "after"...



The "core" of this new line is patterns that are beautifully revealed when sanded!!!!!  Oooohhhh the possibilities!!!

So one of the HOT trends this year is VINTAGE...



As always, Graphic 45 had a booth attracting so much attention with it's unique displays, there was hardly room to take photos!!  What's cool is that the Scrapbook Pantry is planning on doing a super fun "Flea Market" at their store where you will be able to shop all kinds of awesome product lines like Graphic 45, 7Gypsies, Websters Pages and more!!!  Sooooo fun!!!

Mid day we met a wonderful new friend by "divine appt"... Christy was yawning in the aisle as she was waiting for me (happened a LOT today) when she got "caught" by Heidi Sonboul... Heidi and her began laughing and chatting, I joined them, and before we knew it we were at the GCD Studios booth where we met Melody Ross!!  I won't go into it here, but Melody's story has been a HUGE inspiration to me for our Scrapbook Your Heart retreat this year.... and although our conversation got cut short, I'm inspired by her and her new lines with GCD even more!  I'll share more later, but here is Christy with our new friend!



So I'm in the Ranger booth today shooting video of the new Tim Holtz dies (for not being a die-cut girl... I'm loving these ones!) and in walks Tim Holtz.  Although he was looking a tad busy, we asked if he'd mind doing a quick intro video for Canadians on his new line... and he agreed!


Well, let's just say there's a reason I married my gorgeous "gadget-guy" husband... and I'm the photographer... he's the videographer...

Question of the day:

What do you think of Tim's new dies and what do you think was my second MAJOR "Allison Ooops" of the day... or should I say week... or should I say year?????  


Remember, you can WIN over $100 value worth of CHA goodness from the Scrapbook Pantry by simply answering our fun questions of the day here on my blog, on Christy's blog and by emailing the Scrapbook Pantry!!  Enter 3 times per day (one each site) to win!!!!

First "Real" Day of CHA 2010!!!

Okay... you know it's a good day when you walk into a booth and tears of joy begin to form in your eyes!!!!  Seriously!!!!  One of my favourite companies designed an entire line of papers... just for ME!!!!
It's called
"Mama-razzi"





HELLO!!!!  I have not been this personally excited about a new line for a long time!!!  Don't get me wrong... I love LOTS of new lines, but this one SCREAMS ME!!!  And I am soooooo excited to get to play with it!!!!

And the best news???  It's from one of my most favourite companies...
BO BUNNY!!!!
So I wasn't going to reveal my "Top Picks" just yet especially as I haven't yet had the chance to really walk the show floor... but I can't get this one out of my mind!!!  And so I must share!!!

But on to other things...

Christy and I have had fun teaching at the Westcott booth and test-driving their trimmers and scissors... this company knows their stuff!!  We are really impressed with all their tools... and love their new fun colours!!  As Christy says, "Life is too short for ugly tools!!"

At the very end of the day as we were walking out, we got distracted by a wonderful booth filled with some great eye candy...







Nikki Sivils is a talented (and cute!) new face on the scrapbooking scene... with some really neat ideas (she designed her packaging on several products to be used!  Love that!).  Christy had mentioned this girl as one to watch for so it will be neat to see how she does!!!  Her story is a great one (see Christy's blog!)

And speaking of Christy's blog... don't forget you can enter each day on her blog and on Scrapbook Pantry's website to win a great CHA prize bundle!!
 
My question for today is...

What are your favourite colour combinations to scrapbook with?

Clear skies today in LA... please join our GIVEAWAY!!


This is what we woke up to this morning!!!  Clear blue skies and NO RAIN!!!!  And don't ya just gotta love the palm trees!!!!  So we had another day of the "Supershow"... this time instead of teaching, we got to walk the floor checking out all the goodies for sale.



One of my favourite finds of today was a new product called "Mudd Puddles" which is basically a sand medium that creates texture on your layouts, cards, embellishments, etc!!!  Ummm... can you say "Tropical Vacation" potential???!!!!!
 


We are sooooo going to play with this in Cancun in a couple weeks (yes, in just 14 sleeps Crop Tropical will be kicking off in Mexico!!!!)


So in the evening, we attended the Creative Imaginations Premier show where we got to see all their new releases as well as try fabulous make & takes, eat some great food and schmooze with the CI designers and staff (like the beautiful Cheryl Mezzeti, Josie Celio, Sally Griswold, and Christine Adolph).  Speaking of Josie and Sally (Iron Orchid Designs)... check out their new gorgeous release with CI...




And although I'm not really into the whole "Twilight / Vampire" type thing... I REALLY liked this new line from Marrah Johnson called "Breathless"and think it will be a big hit with the younger crowd (and those who are secretly and not so secretly hooked to the series)...


So it's just past midnight and Christy and I are just finishing up our blogs while all the other girls are SLEEPING!!!  What's up with that???!!!!  Oh well, as you can see, we had another great day and with the "real" CHA starting tomorrow, I guess we best get some sleep as well.  We will be teaching again at Westcott most of the day... wonder if we're handing out more FREE SCISSORS???!!!!




And last, but not least, my question for the day...

What do you think I was whispering to Christy in this last photo that made her laugh????
PS. Kim... please keep it clean :)

And don't forget to enter on Christy's blog and at Scrapbook PantRy (not Panty) as well!!

CHA Giveaway DAY 2!!

Oh my oh my!!!!  What a great day we had yesterday!!  CHA does a "Supershow" which involves many of the CHA vendors, but is open to the public to come SHOPPING!!!  So many of my favourite companies were there showing their wares... including new releases!!!  I didn't get a chance to check it all out, however, as Christy and I were working the Westcott booth most of the day meeting fabulous crafters from all over the country (and some Canadians eh?)!!  It was way too much fun especially as we were giving away "FREE SCISSORS" all day long to everyone that walked by!!!!

I also got to visit Crystal and the Scrapbook Pantry gang doing their gig and "just so happened" to time it with Tim Holtz presenting!!!

I noticed several of you mentioned that you were most anticipating Tim Holtz releases... well... I am sworn to secrecy for just a couple more days until CHA officially begins (with a Press badge, I am privy to some sneak peeks!), but let me just say.... WOW! COOL! LOVE IT! WANT IT!! NEED IT!!

I promise to share when able, but for now, let this tide you over...  (Linda... this one's specially for you)




And we are also VERY excited about what we've seen from 7Gypsies, Provo Craft, LYB, Shabby
Green Door and My Mind's Eye!!  I'll be able to share more pictures from today walking the floor!!

Alrighty, today's blog question is:

What excites you the most and why:
1. Paper
2. Embellishments or
3. Tools

Here's the rules again to win a $100+ giveaway of CHA goodness from the fabulous SCRAPBOOK PANTRY store in Calgary!!!
You can enter once each day on 3 different sites!

  1. My blog (you're already here!)... leave a comment answering my CHA question of the day!
  2. Christy Riopel's blog... leave a comment answering her CHA question of the day!
  3. Scrapbook Pantry... send your comments to Crystal each day!
So you can enter ONCE a day on EACH site... so 3 entries per day to WIN!!  The winner will be announced Feb. 1!!!  Have fun with this!!!

CHA BLOG GIVEAWAY!!!

Well, after a bit of a delay at the Calgary airport, Christy and I were off for LA to attend CHA (Crafts and Hobby Association) where thousands of companies come together to show their "new" releases and ideas!!

So... I am on the hunt for my TOP PICKS of 2010!!  I've heard through the rumourville that there are some new products, tools, etc. that will blow my socks off!!!  BRING IT ON... I'm ready (and I'm wearing socks... even in bed as it's so darn cold in LA right now!)


And in celebration of it all, let's do a

CHA BLOG GIVEAWAY!!!!!
Starting today you can enter to win a $100+ giveaway of CHA goodness from the fabulous SCRAPBOOK PANTRY store in Calgary!!!

Here's how it works!!  You can enter once each day on 3 different sites!

  1. My blog (you're already here!)... leave a comment answering my CHA question of the day!
  2. Christy Riopel's blog... leave a comment answering her CHA question of the day!
  3. Scrapbook Pantry... send your comments to Crystal each day!
So you can enter ONCE a day on EACH site... so 3 entries per day to WIN!!  The winner will be announced Feb. 1!!!

Ready to play????!!!!  Okay, here is my question for today as we head out to the show:

What company / product / line / tool are you most anticipating from the show?

Leave a comment here then head on over to Christy's blog and Scrapbook Pantry to enter there!

Woooo Hoooo!!!!

Call for Crop and Cruise 2010 Instructors NOW OPEN!!!


(click on photo above)


It's that time again!!!  Crop and Cruise is on the hunt for the next amazing team members for our ultimate Scrapbooking Cruise to the Caribbean in November 2010!!

Click HERE to learn more about applying and click the photo above to see some of the fun we had as "Allison's Angels" in the Caribbean on last year's Crop and Cruise!!

We want to give EVERYONE and ANYONE the chance to be part of this ultimate experience so be sure to apply!!!  And if you know a talented teacher you think would be awesome, be sure to let them know!!

Just imagine...

2009 - A Year in Review



My year of 2009 was an amazing ride!!  I thought it would be fun to do a year in review through some photos!  January brought CHA (Craft and Hobby Association in Los Angeles).  With a Press Pass, I was able to squeeze front and centre for Paris Hilton showcasing her new scrapbooking and crafting line!!  I even got to chat with her and yes, I do believe she scrapbooks!  Here is a photo of all the media from around the world waiting for her arrival...


And my favourite CHA photo (long story) I affectionately call "Up close and personal with Tim Holtz"!!  Be sure to watch my blog this year (Jan. 20-27) as I'll be posting again from CHA as I'm on the hunt for "My Top Picks" for 2010.


I was barely home from CHA when one of my bestest soul sistas got married!!!  It was sheer joy to take photos on this special day...


Us three girls have shared a lot of memories, tears, laughter and fun together and although we didn't want to share her with anyone else, we agreed to release her into someone else's life!


February bought my next Crop and Cruise Scrapbooking Cruise for Canadians to the Caribbean!!!  It would take volumes to describe the experience... these girls were amazing (Leica Forrest, Jill Hildebrand, Trisha Ladouceur and Deanna Hutchison).  We'd love to have you join us in the Caribbean again in November 2010! Meanwhile, I'll just let some photos do the talking...




April was the annual Camp Croppin' hosted by Scrapbooker's Paradise where I got to do a TV segment with Becky Fleck...

and enjoy the entire teaching team that was there.  I'll be there again this year for Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine and it's sounding very exciting again so be sure to sign up!!!


In May, I got to be part of my all-time favourite Alberta event... Scrapbook Your Heart retreat in Caroline, Alberta.  The theme was "Princess Warrior" and we explored how in life we need to have a princess heart recognizing how special we are with a warrior attitude that can get us through the tough times.  It was so powerful and I truly hope lives were changed... mine was.


July brought me back to Camp Caroline to take photos of the summer camps... this is just one of my favourites of many...


Then a long camping trip down the Oregon coast where we explored the most amazing sand dunes!




Everything in Oregon is HUGE!!  The dunes, the trees and the sunsets (my favourite thing to capture).




And after months of research, debate and a ton of prayer, we took the plunge and are building a new home!!  We expect it to be finished sometime in June and can hardly wait now!!


September and October were filled with two fun events sponsored by Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine... the Great Canadian Scrapbook Carnival!!  Way too much fun!!  Be sure to take part next year!!


November and December were filled with more events, a ton of soccer, Christmas, family, friends and preparations for my next big event... Crop Tropical in February in Cancun at an all-inclusive resort!!  We have amazing sponsors and I've been thoroughly enjoying working with the oh so talented Christy Riopel!!  Those coming are in for such a treat... I can hardly wait!

So here's to another awesome year in 2010!!!  God's richest blessings to you all!!

Soooooo Excited!!!!!!




So... guess who our next Crop Tropical sponsor is????!!!!!  Yup... BASIC GREY!!!  I love this company, not only for their delicious products that we all love, but because they are simply beautiful people to work with as well!!!



And... one of these delicious 12x12 acrylic albums from HARMONIE is coming to each "Cropper of Cancun"!!!!  This will be our Crop Tropical event album... perfect for displaying the works of art we will be creating throughout the week while lounging under the palm trees and frolicking in the ocean!!



And... speaking of ocean, this oversized "Stuff Bag" from NEATNIX will not only serve to carry a ton of scrapbooking goodies, but can double serve as a beach bag!!!  Handy pockets for sunscreen, lipcare, cameras and more!!!!

I'll give you all sneak peeks of more to come, but this alone is sooooooo exciting... I just HAD to share!!!!

Breakfast TV making Christmas Crackers



This was truly one of the most fun TV segments I have evah done!!  Thanks to Christy Riopel, our daughters and some fabulous papers from Basic Grey's "Eskimo Kisses" Christmas line, our crafting of Christmas Crackers was oh so fun!!

Those who know me, know how "jumpy" I am... if you watch closely near the end of the video, I actually scare myself with my snapper!!!  It didn't go off with the first pull and so I tried again... nothing like live TV to totally embarrass oneself :)  No... it was seriously all fun especially when Dave Kelly joins in!!  This truly is a great craft for all ages with a ton of ideas to include on the inside (like a trip to Crop Tropical in Cancun in Feb!!)

Rusty Pickle Coming to Calgary!!!

One of my favourite guys in the industry is coming to Calgary!!!

Lance Anderson from Rusty Pickle is scheduled to appear in Calgary at the Scrapbook Pantry to teach two amazing classes!  I first met Lance at CHA this year and was impressed with his company, his chocolate fountain and Lance himself as a genuinely great guy!!

Get a look at the two classes being offered on Monday, Dec. 28, 2010:



Be sure to call NOW (403-455-1558) to book your fun time with "The Pickle"... you won't be disappointed!!

New Tattered Angels "Angel"

So... it has been a fun game for the crafting community to try to guess the new "Angel" for Tattered Angels and it was finally released today...

Heidi Swapp!!

So... they are releasing at CHA's winter 2010 show her new "Exclusively Heidi" line of Glimmer Mist including "Viva Pink", "Silver Sugar", "Black Magic" and "Electric Blue".

I must admit I'm surprised!  Should be great for Tattered Angels to have such a big name endorsing their product and I am anxious to see the rest of the line! What are your thoughts???

Harmonie Blog Winner!


Alrighty!  We have a winner for this Harmonie Blog Giveaway (I hope!)


My daughter pulled a random number out of our bucket and it is #9 so if we count down from the top of the comments, here is our winner:

Anonymous said...

Ok, you know how I love anything/everything practical!!! So, if they even make the packaging useful (ie: the ribbon packaging) then you know I will love it! And, I'm always a sucker for cute packaging anyway!

So... "anonymous" did not leave her name... but I get the feeling that it is someone I know and I have a good idea, but don't want to make a mistake!!  So let me know and you can get this awesome Harmonie stamp set and funky ribbon (along with the oh so cute packaging) in time for Christmas!!

Thanks everyone for playing along and be sure to watch for this awesome CANADIAN company to hit the market by storm!!  Be sure to ask you local store to bring it in!!!

Crop Tropical Featured Sponsors!!!

It's official!!  It's officially AWESOME!!  We have confirmed 3 fabulous FEATURED SPONSORS for Crop Tropical in Cancun in February!!

MondayNightClass.ca is your best choice in Canadian Scrapbook Kits where YOU get to pick the kit you want!!  With a vast and talented design team, you get oh so many fabulous options, you're going to want them all!!  AND... their very own Christy Riopel is coming to Cancun to teach us all her secrets!!  I can hardly wait!!!



NEATNIX is one of my favourites for oh so funky and functional storage!!  And each Cropper of Cancun is going to receive a SUPER AWESOME tote bag/beach bag!!!  Watch here for more details!

 
HARMONIE is my latest favourite CANADIAN company eh??!!!  Check out some of their products in the blog post HERE and make sure to enter the BLOG GIVEAWAY for some of their delicious goodies!!

Watch here and on the Crop Tropical blog for more sponsors, more sneak peeks and GIVEAWAYS!!

OR... join us in Cancun in February and get it ALL and more!!  Just imagine....

Cancer in my gut...

I cried today... no big surprise for those who know me well.  The phrase "Cancer in my gut" has been hovering in my mind for months... sitting, churning, comforting and convicting me since this past July.  Let me explain...

As some of you know, our family is building a new home.  In fact, here is our annual family photo... standing on our lot one cold day in November...



Over the past 17 years when Brad would occasionally mention moving, I would refuse.  I felt exceedingly blessed to live in the home we had and although there were things I would change, I never felt right about "upgrading" to a different home (especially when so many in our world have so much less).

But, long story short, when this opportunity came up, I finally agreed to entertain the thought, prayed long and hard about it and ended up going for it!  Shortly after the decision, I was reading my Bible one night and came across a very interesting verse (BTW, I'm reading "The Message" and totally enjoying this "storybook" version as it puts things into such a different light!) :

"Your greedy luxuries are a cancer in your gut, destroying your life from within." James 5:3

I kept reading and re-reading this verse and the whole chapter over the course of the next several days and came to feel like it was a gentle warning from God and sure enough, over the next many months of planning this home, it was hard to not get caught up in the desire for "greedy luxuries" in all the house decisions!  Do you know how many different types of "specialty" faucets there are out there, or types of granite with certain profiles and tiles and fridges and cupboards and carpets and windows and railings and lights????

BTW... see this light here... take a wild guess at how much just 1 of these pendant lights cost???!!!



This is the light my family and I picked out for over our island... at least until we found out how much it cost...  $900 each!!!!!  Oh, and we need 3 of them!!! I don't think so!!!  But it's hard to not get caught up in WANTING!!!  Decision after decision was so very hard for me especially when everyone's attitude is "It all just gets added onto your mortgage anyways!" or "If you're moving to Quarry Park, you obviously can afford it"!

Major life lesson:  Just because you CAN afford something doesn't mean you SHOULD!!

Anyways, moving ahead to today... well... today was the final signing of EVERYTHING we chose.  We finished checking it all over for the 1023rd time, signed it and I was driving over the pile of papers when the tears began to flow... I was simply overwhelmed again with how blessed I am... blessed with an amazing family, friends who love me and the opportunity to create a new home where more blessed memories will be formed (and scrapbooked!).  And I honestly feel like with God's help, the "cancer in my gut" was mostly under control through the whole process.  And even my kids get it too... Justin's comment when he heard the price of the light... "Do you know how many kids in Africa that would feed?"  And so we as a family have also made plans for giving more and blessing others even through our new home... LOVE that!!

BTW... want to see the light we ended up getting?  Here it is... and only about $130 each... and we think it's beautiful even if it's not hand forged in Vermont!!

New Canadian Company and BLOG GIVEAWAY!!!



Click HERE to watch my first City TV segment on my annual "These are a few of my favourite things" Christmas crafting segment and HERE to watch the second one which made BEST OF Breakfast Television!!
This year I am showcased a new favourite CANADIAN company Harmonie!!  I met the talented people behind this company when in Edmonton at the Great Canadian Scrapbook Carnival hosted by Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine!

What I love most about this company besides being Canadian, is that they simply have delicious products that are so easy to fall in love with!!  For example, their packaging on their ribbons is a beautiful chipboard shape that you can then use for crafting (see my ornament on the top!)

And, I am drooling over their "Pacifique" line of everything...  umm... can you say PERFECT for any of my Tropical Scrapbooking Events?????!!!!!   BTW... there is still room to join us in Cancun in Feb. 2010 for the LAND event Crop Tropical or for those who love the SEA, we just opened up our registration for our next Crop and Cruise in November 2010!!!


And although this picture does NOT do it justice, I am smitten with their stunning 12x12 acrylic albums in an assortment of designs...



This card was designed by Marie-Eve a talented member of the Harmonie team and was great fun to put together for the TV segment!


So in honour of this new company, I'm going to do a BLOG GIVEAWAY!!!  Simply comment on this post and tell me what is your favourite thing about HARMONIE... feel free to check out their website and blog for even more inspiration!!  Here is what you can win!!



We will randomly select a winner on Dec. 13!!

BTW... I also showed a fun "Album Holder" from Chatterbox which can be purchased at the Scrapbook Pantry, Neatnix storage on sale this week at Scrapbooker's Paradise and Harmonie products at The Scrap Yard.