Inspiration Challenge

Have you ever, truly taken the time to open your eyes and gaze at the things around you?? You can really find some inspiring things. The pattern of a dress, the color of some flowers in the garden, the texture of your ice cream cone, songs you listen to, paintings and pictures.

Look at what I found for you today:



I love the quote, the colors and the design. I hope something in this inspires you to create today!

Challenge: Make a card or layout using this as inspiration. Then, email it to me at thynner5@yahoo.ca or link it below. I will post the April prize on Sunday to check back!!
BONUS: Earn an extra ballot for the monthly draw by telling me what inspires you below.

Due Date: May 1st
Draw Date: May 2nd

Happy Scrapping!

~Tara~

Let's Capture These Sketches Reveal & Challenge

I am so excited to tell you that the first official sketch reveal at Let's Capture These Sketches is............... today!!

Our first sketch is by Mel and it was so wonderful to work with. I had these pics of DD printed for awhile but was waiting for the right design and papers. When I saw Mel's sketch I knew I was going to use them.

Here is the layout I created using a lovely die cut lace paper from Basic Grey Lemonade as my background. We have an amazing sponsor this month for Let's Create and unfortunately my parcel didn't arrive in time. I promise to update my layout with... My Little Bit of Whimsy when it arrives. Have you seen the amazing goodies they have there?? Go and check them out. I can't believe that all that lovely eye candy is hand made!! I have my eye on the bird, owl and flower pins. Yummy!

Challenge:

Please hop on over to the sketch blog to see all the other wonderful creations! Then use Mel's sketch as the foundation of your next layout. Email it to me at thynner5@yahoo.ca to earn a ballot for this months draw!

BONUS: Earn an extra ballot by signing up to be a follower to the blog! Email me to let me know you signed up.

Happy Scrapping!

~Tara~

Happy Belated Mother's Day ~ Challenge #2

I was having some problems with delayed posting and this post should have been up before. Sorry girls, but I will be blasting my missed posts out now.

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there.

I have been blessed with three lovely, wonderful girls to love. I cherish them each and every day. I suffered alot of miscarriages and thought I would never be a Mom. Lo and behold, I beat the odds and I had two pregnancies make it to term. I truly believe that I was put on this earth to be a Mom. To teach my children to love and be loved.

Here is one of my favorite photos of me and my girls:

Challenge:

I would love to see a photo of either your children or your mother. You can post it on your blog or send it to me via email. Please let me know why they are special to you. You can provide a link below to your blog. You will earn one ballot for the draw.

BONUS: If you do a layout of your children or your mother, you will receive 3 extra ballots for the draw.

BTW..... I have a special announcement to make regarding the prizes this month. Stay tuned. I'll post it on Friday!

Due Date: May 31st

Draw Date: June 1st

Happy Scrapping!

~Tara~

Life.....or Something Like That

Well... it happened. Life got in the way of my blogging! I swore I wouldn't let it happen but, with the holidays and my birthday I slipped.
It is amazing to me just how exhausting the holidays truly are. I have been so worn out that I actually fell asleep on the couch the other day and woke up with a sore neck and shoulder! Crazy thing is that the last time I ever fell asleep on the couch was when I was pregnant. NOOOOOOOOOOOO....... I am not pregnant now!! Don't even think that! Three is a great number. It just goes to show you just how tired I was.

I am not sure how many of you have decided to chose a special word to be your mantra for 2009. If you don't know what I am referring to you can check out Ali Edwards Blog for details. It took me all of three seconds to come up with this years word..............................................................
RELAX!!

I tend to over do things and get caught up in things. I am constantly focusing on the negative and letting it get to me. I have become a magnet for stress. I am going to learn to chill and relax more. Spend more time enjoying my life not worrying about it! Spend more time with my family and friends. Laugh more.

Challenge #1 ~ Your Word:
What is your chosen word for 2009?? Chose something that means something to you. Email it to me at thynner5@yahoo.ca or post it below to earn a ballot for this months blog prize draw, again valued at $50.00!!
**Bonus: Use your chosen word on a layout and send it to me to earn two ballots. An easy way to start 2009 off!!

I have all the names drawn up for Decembers Draw!! I will let Paige pick the winner in the morning. Then.... it's back to business on my blog!

THANKS to everyone who have been checking in every day and sending in those amazing creations! I am so thrilled everytime I receive an email and see your creations. I will continue to post challenges throughout the month.

~Tara~

Challenge #3 ~ The Recipe

I was chatting with the gals at Creative Scrappers about their favorite recipes and about cooking. It made me think about this amazing recipe my friend Kate, from CCAS, gave me. I still make them every Christmas with my girls and they don't last long. I would like to share the recipe with you.


Peanut Butter Tassies:

1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup white sugar
1/2 Cup smooth peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 Cup shortening or butter
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 Cups flour
Miniature peanut butter cups
candy Tassie or mini-muffin sized paper cups

Yield: 24-36 pieces
Cooking time: 7-8 mins


Preheat oven to: 400 degrees

Line pan with paper cups.
Unwrap 24-36 peanut butter cups and set aside.Cream together peanut butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and shortening.
Add salt, flour and soda. This will be a very stiff dough.Drop small balls of dough (size of a walnut ) into pans.
Bake for 7-8 minutes until very light brown on top.Remove from oven and press unwrapped peanut butter cup
into cookies while still in hot pan.
Let cool slightly and remove from pan; repeat.

I like to decorate the tops of them with a squeeze of green frosting
and a cinnamon candy. It gives them a very festive look for the holidays!

Challenge #3:

I would like you to blog about your favorite recipe. You can link it here in the comment section. If you do not have a blog you can email it to me at: thynner5@yahoo.ca . You will earn one ballot for the draw.

BONUS: If you use this recipe on a layout or make a recipe card you will earn not one... but two extra ballots for this months blog draw!! Yep... another $50.00 value of new releases!

Deadline: All challenges are due December 31st. The draw will take place on New Years Day!

Happy Scrapping!

~Tara

Let it Snow.... ~ Challenge #6

We sure got dumped on with snow last night. It was so magical waking up this morning and looking out the window. It looked like a magic snow globe. Big fluffy snowflakes falling down over a pristine, untouched yard. Lovely.

Here is what our house and lane way looked in the morning:

By the time I fetched my camera, the kids were running through the yard with the dogs. They were all laughing and having a grand time. They must have stayed out there for well over an hour.

They got it and fired up the hairdryer to dry the dogs. How sweet. My bathroom now smells of a lovely combination of wet dog and burn hair. NICE!!??

We just sat down to relax when we heard the tractor pull up. Steve had gone to work to borrow the tractor to clean out our driveway. The girls hopped up and got their snowsuits back on and waited while Steve built them their mountain. Every year he builds this mountain of snow on the front lawn. Last year it was so high that it reached all the way up to the girls bedroom window. If it had been a door there they could have walked out and been on top of it.

They had lots of fun with Steve and the tractor. He let them sit in the bucket and raised them up and down. The best part was when he raised them a little, went over to the mountain and tipped the bucket. They slipped out of and onto the mountain. You could probably hear the fits of laughter all over Ontario. Maybe even as far as BC.....

Challenge #5:

I know that it's not winter for all my blog readers but for those of you that have winter.... I would like to see you post a snow picture on your blog. If you do not have any snow photos you can blog about what you love about it. I know some of you probably have never even seen snow. You can blog about that as well.

Just add a link to your blog or email me at: thynner5@yahoo.ca

You will earn a ballot for the $50.00 CHA Blog Draw!!

Bonus: Do a layout featuring snow as the subject and earn an additional ballot! Email me at: thynner5@yahoo.ca .

**Due Date: December 1st**

Happy Blogging!

~Tara~

Mini Challenge #3

This is a blog challenge. With Halloween over and the sugar high subsiding.... I want to hear what was your favorite Halloween memory. It can be from this past weekend or from years past.

I have two that will forever stick in my mind. Mainly because they seem to mirror each other.

When I was 8 years old I had broken my ankle the day before Halloween. I had a fresh cast on my ankle and no way to move around. My costume hung on the closest door. Mocking me as my brother, dressed in his Star Wars costume headed out the door. I was so sad. It seemed like an eternity that Jay was out Trick or Treating with my Dad.

When he finally returned I was expecting him to mock me as he did when he left. Instead he sat down in front of me and handed me a bag, full of candy!!! He had asked at every house if he could have an extra treat for his sister. Some houses gave more when they found out!! I will never forget how I felt when he did that. My brother may be big, and scary to most BUT he has a heart of gold and is one of the most loyal people you could ever meet.

Flash forward to this year: I had Emmy home from school on Halloween with a fever and diarrhea. Paige came home from school looking tired. I gave Emmy some medicine to get her through the night. I dressed them up for Trick-or-Treating. They were all excited and I snapped some adorable pictures of them.

As we were going around the block, Paige literally dropped to the ground and couldn't get up. She was crying and said she was sick. She was burning up. I had Emmy rush to a friends house and they took her home. A few houses later, DD did the same and also had to go home. Emmy was so sweet when we continued and asked for extra candy for her sick sisters. People were more than generous.

When we got home both DD and Paige were lying down, still in their costumes. The look on their faces when Emmy handed them bags of candy warmed my heart. At first I thought this was the worst Halloween ever but... it really was the best Halloween!!

Here are some pics I got before we tried to venture out:

Halloween cuties:

Emmy ~ an angel. So true!! So sweet, innocent and giving!

DD ~ a devil!! Full of spark and tons of unending energy. A little sassy too!

Paige~ a pink kitty. So sweet, tender and loving!

Please blog about your most memorable Halloween. You can provide a link below or send me an email at thynner5@yahoo.ca. If you don't have a blog you can email me your Halloween memory. BONUS BALLOTS..... if you post some Halloween pics or a layout.

***All the challenges this week are due in my inbox( thynner5@yahoo.ca) or on the blog November 3rd!! I have extended the dates so everyone has more time to create and send their layouts or cards to me. I will announce the winner on the 4th. ***

Remember you are playing for a RAK valued at over $50.00. All new CHA goodies.

Happy Scrapping!

~Tara~