RENO Done and Baby Birds

The New Deck Isn't the Only New Edition We Have

And we are done and extremely happy with the final results of our little edition. I must say it was great sitting out and enjoying the sunshine (when we had it) on our new deck. Cooking is so much easier also, no need to go up and down to get to the BBQ now, it is right where it should always have been. I must say it certainly adds more space to the family room (not that we needed it) allowing the outside in. Can't wait till next spring so we can enjoy it even more!

And Then There Were Eight

This year for my birthday I decided to buy myself some birds, Society Finches to be exact. Lee-Anne, my wonderful neighbour next door has two and I absolutely fell in love with them this spring and decided that I too want some. So off to the local pet story we went on a mission to get two male finches a cage and some odds and ends.

Here is where it began. I don't know about you but I'm not an expert in sexing birds but you would think the pet store could seeing this is their field of experts or it should be. But like anything buyer beware, it is very difficult to sex birds.

I asked the nice very young obviously high school student that I would like only males and was told that was all they carried. So I choose two lovely MALE birds named Coco and Ginger. Weeks go by and they settled in, adjusting to the fact that it was just the two of them, Coco singing his songs and Ginger (slightly more shy) just sitting silent checking things around him.

Two months pass and everything is going fine, still a shy Ginger, still Coco singing until one day... when my husband runs into the bedroom wakes me to tell me we have eggs in the nest. Sure enough there are 6 pretty little eggs no larger than your tip of your baby finger. And if I didn't know better a smirk on Coco's little face.

We kinda knew something was up couple of weeks ago when JC got a kick out of watching Coco on Ginger making these weird sounds and movements, "I think they are having sex" he said... I myself roll my eyes... men. I mean we were told they were both males, shouldn't they know the difference at the pet store?

Now we are happy to say we have baby birds. When first born they are really ugly all fleshy with no feathers or eyes, even there wings were these sad little stumps. Within two weeks they have managed to grow more than 4 times in size, they have lots of feathers and pretty little eyes and tiny little beaks that make a big sound when they are hungry. Unfortunately out of the six eggs laid we only have 3 survivors but they are happy and definitely health.

Proud Mom and Dad Ginger and Coco

First picture of one of the little baby birds peaking out of the nest.

RENO UPDATE

Well the reno has been going great when I got back from my weekend away, I came home to a deck and stairs already done. And today we got a big hole in the house and then it started to poor. I felt so bad for the guys working in that cold rain but they kept on going and then before I knew it we had ourselves some kick as french doors! Tomorrow, railings go up and Friday the final unveiling.

The door construction.

So when we bought our new house a year ago (yes hard to believe time has gone by so fast) the only thing we didn't understand was why they didn't build a deck to enjoy the wonderful view and as you will see fantastic sunsets. So we decided to add a deck, remove a window and add french doors from the kitchen/family room.

Over a month ago we were happy to see that the house two doors down were replacing their deck and loved what we saw. I am always a believer that word of mouth is the best advertising and asked for the companies name. Meet Andy the handy man. He understood everything we wanted and more and we took the plunge into our first ever real reno, and are enjoying the progress that is taking place.

Outside the window that is going to be taken out and replaced with french doors.




Artistic view of the deck from the backyard.


Moving further back same angle.

Further back in the garden different point of view.

From the right side showing where the hot tub will go shhhh JC doesn't know yet...

Thanks for stopping by look for pics from my weekend away coming Tuesday!

Creative Escape Weekend Retreat - Oct 1 – 3, 2010 Le Viceroy Auberge & Spa

This weekend I will be attending an event that I have been looking forward to since the beginning of the summer "The Creative Escape Weekend Retreat". This event is going to be so much fun not only are we staying at a fantastic place see here but its a weekend just being creative and relaxing.

We also get:

• A Fabulous Goodie bag with $60 in Stampin' Up! product from the Fall Holiday Mini catalogue.
• We'll design fabulous make and takes that you will make using your goodie bag products!
• Two breakfasts, one 4 course Lunch and a 5 course dinner!!
• Access to the Nordic Baths on Saturday from 4 – 7 pm!! Spa Treatments available for extra fees
• A Candy Bar to help the creative juices flow! lol!
• Pillow gifts throughout the weekend
• 4 demonstrations during the weekend
• 4 optional classes (for additional fees)
• Space to work on your creative projects! 2 people per 6" table
• Draws for fabulous Stampin' Up! products from the holiday mini.

Use of our Stampin' Up! inks, punches, stamps, Big Shot and dies!!!

Plus I get to spend a weekend with friends I have met through Stampin Up, and do nothing but have fun!

To help get myself in the mood I decided to create a little something for each person who is attending so I came up with a these cute little vintage treat boxes all using Stampin Up products. I like to call it the Late Night Emergency Snack Attack. These treats are full of everything you need for a sugar fix, all you need is a glass of cold ice milk. See the recipe here.

I made enough for 40 people and baked 6 trays of Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars and trust me my husband has been enjoying one almost every night I have been making them. So if you are attending this weekend retreat don't for get to get your little treat!

Late Night Emergency Snack Attack Just Aadd Milk

What I used:

• Riding Hood Red, Crumble Cake, Very Vanilla Card Stock
• Riding Hood Red, Early Expresso ink
• Lover Letter Designer Series Paper
• Decorative Label Extra-Large (mini), Modern Label Extra-Large, Petal Card Extra-Large Double Punch
• 5/8 Satin Ribbon Expresso
• Artistic Etchings, Notably Ornate, Bella Toile Stamps
• Antique Brads, Basic Rhinestones

Where Has the Time Gone...

Gosh it has been so long since I have blogged, in fact it has been over two months and I have to say I am sorry I haven't posted more but a lot has been going on. First I would like to thank those of you who have sent me private e-mails asking me if I was OK, wondering if I was still designing, how my Dad has been doing and reminding me very gently about my FREE blog candy that was very late in getting out. If you have not received your blog candy please e-mail me privately here.

Lately I have been working hard on my next Wedding Workshop Class and getting ready for Xmas Workshops, traveling and of course weddings, weddings weddings. So things have been very busy and I will be posting everything I have done over the past 2 months in the next few weeks.

As for my Dad he has completed his radiation treatments and is doing very well, in fact he has had his first ALL clear and will be returning in November for another MRI, and if all goes well another 3 month ALL clear. Lately we have been very happy and taking advantage of the downtime that has been allowed since his first diagnosis. Just trying to have some normality after the last 7 months. With all that said my Mom however has seen better days, 1 week after getting Dad home she had a fall and ended up breaking her arm really bad and required surgery. She is now proud to say she has metal plates and screws in her arm and is taking physio one day at a time. Needless to say it has been a busy time looking after all their needs and trying to have a normal balance of home life.

My first post is a birthday one, for my lovely Miss Olivia or Missy "O" as I like to call her who celebrated her first birthday about 3 weeks ago. I was absolutely honored to help and attend such a wonderful event and like everything Kimmie does it was fun and fantastic.

For the initiation I created a really cute cup cake card which I have now misplaced but when I find I will post in hot pink and turquoise. A sweet Happy 1st Birthday Olivia banner, water bottle sleeves, cupcake toppers and a absolutely adorable shadow box with wish cards. Here are some pictures of her big day! All created in shades of pinks, turquoise, and lime green.

Miss Olivia AKA Missy "O"

Here absolutely beautiful mother Kim (Kimmie to me)

Kimmie wanted to create something that Miss Olive could keep and a reminder of her special day. What better then to create a shadow box that sends her wishes for the future. I created little cards for guests to write their wish for Olivia on her first birthday, these will be placed inside the shadow box for when she gets older. This we created in beautiful cherry blossom design and on the left branch is the date and place the event took place. On the right are is the following message ...

"May these wishes guide you on your journey through life..."

"Be the change you wish to see in the world" - Mohammad Gandhi

Each wish that is given will be tuck into the pink band with chocolate ribbon at the bottom ready to be taken out and read at anytime. Isn't this a cut idea? Everything was made using Stampin' Up products except for the shadow box.

Close-up of the message card and the wish card.



Sign to match the shadow box asking guests to leave a wish for Miss Olivia on her first birthday.

Happy Birthday Banner




Memory Tree

I absolutely love this idea very simple yet elegant. This actually branch was used at Kim and Nicks wedding holding beautiful crystals and the place tags for the guests that attended the wedding, so it has some history also.



Water Bottles, very simple and personal such a great idea!




Cup Cakes

Absolutely yummy with little lolly pop sticks with Olivia's personal silhouette!

PPA51-Wedding Theme Challenge

Friends Never Fade

I am not sure what I was more excited by the paper or the stamp set but I absolutely love the organic feel of this set. It reminds me of very old hand panted books of botanical flowers. So I thought what a great opportunity to take part of the Pals Paper Art Challenge and do a Wedding Invitation with this very different set. Here is my submission for PPA51-Wedding Theme Challenge using Marina Mist Certainly Celery and Early Espresso.




Invitation Closed with Belly Band




Close-up of Bell Band and Flower

Inside of Invitation with Bell Band

Closed-up of Invitation Interior and Belly Band

Invitation with Reply Card and Belly Band

Interior of Invitation with Other Events and Belly Band

Just a Little Chatter - Nothing Says Fresh

Nothing Says Fresh Like Homemade


Nothing is more wonderful then being able to go outside your backdoor, head to the garden and pick the sweetest raspberries I have ever tasted. Well to be honest mine always came in a container from the store, so these are the best ever. When we bought our new house over 9 months ago it came with these fabulous gardens and with that several raspberry bushes.


About 2 weeks ago my husband and I bought a ice cream/sorbet/gelato machine from Costco in the hopes of making some fresh treats instead of store bought garbage which contains so many things I can't even pronounce. My first try I made vanilla something easy and not to difficult. It was a special Fathers Day treat along with a chocolate fondue, it was a great hit especially when you drizzled the chocolate as it hardened on the ice cream so delicious!

Yesterday I picked a whole punch of raspberries and thought I am going to make some ice cream with these and headed to back in the house before I ate them all. Making homemade ice cream is not hard at all you just need to prep ahead of time. I leave the freezing bucket in the freezer just in case this way I don't have to wait 24 hours for it to freeze which is the most important thing. Using the recipe that was in the book for strawberry I changed it slightly by removing the lemon and adding more raspberries. It was super easy and within 25 mins I was done and into the freezer it went. Now if you like soft ice cream you can just leave it in the freezer for several hours and it is good to eat. I like my ice cream hard, and cold so I let it go over night in fact almost 24 hours.

So today after our BBQ we invited our wonderful neighbours Lee-Anne and Gary for something fresh and delicious. It was a great hit!

Tomorrow I am going to do a scrap booking page of my raspberry bush, picking them and the end result, I know silly but I am so proud of myself. I don't know what I like more making the ice cream or shooting pictures of it LOL.

And the 100K Blog Winners Are ...

Thanks to everyone for their wonderful comments, each winner was selected using True Random Number Generator see here and in the order of comment. For the Wedding Guest Book only those who ordered or came to my Demonstrator Wedding Workshop were drawn. So with out further delay here are the results and comments!


Wedding Demonstrator Workshop and To-Go-Kits



The Winner is...

Judy said...

I love your blog and your ideas! I was lucky to order your to go kit. Amazing!

The one set i would love to see you work with is Tropical Party. I'm thinking it would be a nice set to use for destination weddings. I hope i get the chance to win something...

Congratulations Judy! Please e-mail me privately with which design from the Demonstrator Wedding Wedding Workshop you would like me to do for your guest book!


Because I Care Purse and Note Cards

The Winners Are...

(5) Kim Assaly said...

My sweet Jo-Ann. These projects are so wonderful and even better when you see them live like I did today. They were all so precious. You are very talented & I wish I could get married again so you could make my invitations.(married with the same man of course)Love you to pieces and can't wait for your next great post. You keep me inspired girl!

(8) Sue aka "britcanadagal" said...

I want to see if you could do one using the new hostess set Apple Blossoms. Maybe something in greens or purples for the autumn. Or maybe Always Elegant...

(19) Kelly said...

A new set that I think would be super fun for wedding invitations is the Aviary set... just love that little owl! Just Believe and Growing Green are two others that I think would be beautiful on invites. And Style Beautiful has such gorgeous flourishes... I'm sure you could do something wonderful with that set too!

Can't wait to see what you come up with!

(6) Lisa Hilts said...

I love ALL of your designs. I would have a hard time choosing just one! My new stamp set pick for wedding invitations would be "Fast and Fabulous". I can't wait to see what is next. You inspire us all.

(4) Michelle Lotan said...

I've just started checking out your blog. You are very talented and creative. I think Elements of Style would work great for wedding invites. One that could be interesting is Cottage Garden (along with the matching DSP)

Thanks for the inspiration you provide me and others!

Congratulations ladies! Please e-mail me privately with your addresses! Thanks for all your wonderful comments.

5 Sets of 3 Charm Inserts

NOTE: Jewelry not included.

And the Winners Are...

(15) Carole Vancouver said...

Wow didn't know there was a Blog Candy contest going on - I am at work and needed some inspiration for a swap for tomorrows holiday and well, you are the place I turn when classy inspiration is needed... so here i am. Love the concept of the contest... I chose Elements of Style (I think that's it...the grungy one) Love Love to see what you could do with it for invites. Big HUGS to you for getting to 100K from the Westcoast

(3) Nicole said...

Love your ideas. I design invitations as well, more digitally then with stamps, but trying to incorporate them more. Thanks for the inspiration. My favorite new sets for invites are Just Believe, Growing Green and the Friends never fade combined w/ the larger Ornate Blossom.

(12) Melanie said...

First of all, I love the work you do and wish I had been able to take part in your wedding workshop--if only! I would love to see something done with Have a Seat. Those chairs are my #1 to-order, and I think that the love seat bench could be nice for a rustic wedding. Second up (but hopefully already in your plans), I'd really like to see something with Vintage Vogue.

Thanks for sharing your work with so many people, and I hope you keep loving what you do!

(9) Marciava Stovall said...

You have an amazing website..absolutely beautiful work...The new set I would to see you complete wedding creations with is Artistic Etching. I will keep checking back to see your newest artwork.

(11) www.noteworthydesigns.ca said...

Congrats on all your accomplishments! Sorry for the late reply - I read in google reader and sometimes forget to click over! I think "Style Beautiful" would make great wedding stationery!

Keep up the great (and creative!) work!

Thank you ladies for your wonderful comments and congratulations. Please e-mail me privately with your addresses.

“Island Floral iPOD Carry Case” from
Stampin Girl's Convention 2010 WOW SWAP

NOTE: Does not included iPOD.

And the Winners Are...

(7) Karine said...

Your cards are always just fantastic, and even better in real life! I have to say, because of you, one of my favourite new sets is "Because I care". Keep up the awesome and inspiring work!!

(2) Abbie said...

I have been an avid reader for quite some time and you have been an inspiration to me as I am currently in the process of making my own wedding invitations. The wonderful designs that you come up with - wow! I had a hard enough time with this one. :)

My stamp set is the Funky Four stamp set. I think that would be great for a whimsical and earthy couple. Wish I could use it on mine but I'm using the flower (with a stem) from the Always stamp set on ours.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with - you are super talented!!!

(14) Lesley said...

I love your blog and all the gorgeous ideas you come up with. I love the stamp set because I care it would make a beautiful wedding invitation. Thank you for having a chance to win a prize


(18) Michelle Ip said...

Congratulations on achieving 100k hits! I do not know what "new" stamp sets there are, but what inspires me most is looking through blogs, like yours! You're creations are always absolutely beautiful and stunning!

(23) Andrea Shields said...

I just love your cards, I first saw a card you made on Stampin Connection and then searched for your web site. I cased your Because I Care card for my club meeting in June and they all loved the card.

Now for the blog candy, I would love to see you use "Nature's Nest" for a wedding. I think it would make a very earthy, starting our nest theme wedding.

Are you going to convention this year? If so I would love to meet up with you and swap a card. Have a great week hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks ladies, your comments make me want to create more and more! Don't forget to e-mail me privately with your address!

NOTE: I am in the middle of finalizing everything for my next workshop once this is complete I will update you all with regards to who has won the $20 e-coupon off the next purchase of my Fall Wedding Demonstrator Workshop and To-Go-Kite purchase.

Have a great weekend!

J