Here's Looking At You, Kid

something new ....

2009-02-23T01:29:00.003-05:00

So, I got sick and tired of the design on this blog. I like stars and swirls, but enough is enough already! I needed some pink in my blog-life. :o)

Head on over to my new blog and let me know what you think:

stephaniejoanna.blogspot.com

All the old posts are there, but I gave it a whole new look (and new music too!)

xox

home sweet home

2009-02-18T20:55:00.002-05:00

Yes ... I know it's hard to believe ... I actually completed a layout. And yes, not only did I complete a layout but I actually took the time to photograph it and post it here on my blog. :o)

Today was an icky kind of day for me. I had a midterm exam that I felt totally unprepared for, so I spent my morning pouting in my favorite coffee shop. Once my midterm was done and over with, I took myself shopping (I deserved a special treat!!) and I bought myself an itsy bitsy tea pot. It's adorable. It's meant to be used when you're having tea alone - it holds about 2 cups of tea, so rather than making and wasting an entire pot you can make a single serving. Anyway, I bought the teapot and named her Betsey, and by the time I got home I was in much better spirits and in the mood to scrap.

The layout above is about eventually moving to Vancouver when I finish school here. I finally used some of my beloved Pink Paislee paper, and my Sassafrass Lass letter stickers. The page didn't turn out exactly as I thought it would, but I like it ... I think it totally captures what I'm feeling.

xOxOx

today, I treated myself ...

2009-02-03T19:40:00.002-05:00

I splurged and bought these super duper cute stickers from Michelle's etsy shop. I couldn't help myself, I have a weakness for ice-cream. I have no idea where or how I'll use them, but I knew I had to have them anyway.

Life's been pretty busy over here ... I have a bunch of reading to get done for school, lots of homework and research papers to tend to. BORING. I've also been busy scrapbooking, which is much more entertaining than doing school work. After taking a break for the holidays, Pretty Committee is up and running again. The first challenge is already posted and the second challenge of the month (which is the one I'm working on) will be up on the 10th. Go check 'em out and play along. We've got a really cool sponsor, Paper Trail Studio, and have some exclusive Pretty Committee pins to give away along with a bunch of other cute goodies.

xOxOx

Today I witnessed history unfold...

2009-01-20T19:00:00.003-05:00

On September 11th, 2001 ... halfway through my ninth grade English class ... I witnessed history unfold as terrorists flew two airplanes into the World Trade Center in downtown New York City. As I watched the news reports, I knew I was living through a moment that my children and grand-children and great-grand-children would someday read about in history books. It was a historical moment provoked by hate, resentment and evil. It was a moment that represented all that is wrong in our world. It was a moment I would have preferred to have skipped; one I wish I didn't have to remember. It was a moment that I wish had never happened.

Today, on January 20th, 2009 ... as I watched Barack Obama take the oath of office and become the 44th President of the United States of America ... I once again knew that I was living through a moment that would grace the pages of my children's history books. This time, however, it was a moment brought about by determination, integrity and righteousness. A moment millions of people throughout the generations had dreamed of being able to witness. A moment that represented the audacity of the human spirit, the strength of brotherhood, the power of being able to forgive and move forward together as a nation. It was a moment I was proud to have been a tiny part of.

For me, Barack Obama's victory is not a political one ... only time will tell whether he succeeds as President. I believe that what I witnessed today was a triumph in the battle of civil rights that has plagued America for centuries. And, politics aside, that is a moment worth celebrating.

xox

Cupcakes & Andy Warhol

2009-01-15T18:10:00.009-05:00

Minus the freezing winter weather outside, today was the perfect day ... one that began with delicious food and ended with amazing art. Jessica and I had breakfast this morning at Orange Bistro, which is this new contemporary restaurant on Stanley Street downtown. It certainly lives up to its name - the decor is orange and white, and modern art covers the walls. (Jess and I ate our meal under a giant ceramic nose .... it was kind of awkward, actually). The food there is absolutely delicious, but it's pricey and the service is reallllllyyyyy slow. I'll go back, but I'll be sure to do it on a day when I have lots of time on my hands and extra cash that I'm willing to splurge.

Anyway, moving on ... we ate at Orange Bistro and then headed over to Cho'Cola for some cupcakes and java. Originally, we wanted to check out Cocoa Locale (another cupcake place on the other side of town) but it turns out they're closed for the month of January so that was a no-go. Cupcakes at Cho'Cola never dissappoint, though, and I thoroughly enjoyed my peppermint chocolate cupcake and toasty warm latte. Yummmo.

After a morning of eating and girl talk, Jessica headed off to class and I headed off to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts to *FINALLY* get to see the works of Mr. Andy Warhol. Those of you who know me know that I've been excited about this exhibit since I first heard of it back in August, and today I finally got to see it for myself. I was impressed. His paintings are huge and the colors are even bolder in real life. I also didn't realize how involved he was in music, film and dance. A few months ago, I ordered a book called The Warhol Economy: How Music, Film and Fashion Shaped New York City. I hadn't had time to read it, but I think tonight I'll curl up with a nice tea and read through it. It'll be the perfect way to end a pretty perfect day.

xOxOx

some artsy stuff

2009-01-06T06:18:00.009-05:00

I realized that my blog has become less of a "scrap blog" and more of a "life blog" - which may really bore some of you - and I apologize for the lack of creativity in recent posts. I haven't been scrapping much these past few weeks and, even when I have completed layouts and projects, I've been plagued with camera problems which have made it difficult to take photos of my work to share with you. That being said, I DO still scrapbook. Here are two of my most recent works:

I finally made a layout about my precious fur baby who passed away in early December. I wanted to focus on the journaling, so I kept the page simple and only included one small embellishment on the top left-hand corner. The patterned paper and the green letter stickers are both by Heidi Grace. I wanted to write "I carry" by hand, but I couldn't get it to look nice because my handwriting is really tiny and it just looked ridiculous when I tried to over-size it. I ended up printing off "I carry" using a free font download by Ali Edwards. I then transferred it onto the cardstock using carbon tracing paper, and went over the words with a white gel pen. Voila! Easy as 1,2,3. On Saturday evening, I went to the Hero Arts stamp release party at Scrapbook Star, and got first dibs on their new releases. I fell in love with the little Japanese doll stamps and I just had to have them. I've been wanting to host a sushi night for some of my girlfriends for awhile now, and when I got my hands on these stamps I knew they'd be perfect for the invites.

Making invites using patterned paper can get pricey ... all those sheets add up quickly. Stamps are great because they're totally reusable and all you have to do is change the color of the ink to get a brand new look. To create these invites, I stamped the image of the doll onto white cardstock, using black Staz-On ink. Then I stamped the flowers on with pink Colorbox pigment ink. I wrote "you're invited" by hand, and then cut the cardstock in the shape of a circle using my Marvy circle punch. To create the pink scallop background, I used my circle scallop punch. I then outlined some of the stamped flowers with a pink Zig pen, stuck some bling in the doll's hair, outlined the circle using Stickles and glued everything together. Super cute invites with no patterned paper at all!

travel dreams for 2009

2009-01-02T15:29:00.005-05:00

My heart longs to see the world in 2009. I don't know if I'll be able to afford to travel much, but a little destination daydreamin' never did anyone any harm!

I've visited most of the East coast ... Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia. I'd love to venture out west soon ... I hear California, Nevada and Washington calling! (By the way, you can make your own map here.)

I'd love to see Germany.

I'd love to go back and see my sister in Vancouver, British Columbia.

... and I'd love to see Paris, France!!

Where do YOU want to go in 2009?

xOxOx

full of grace ♥

2008-12-29T22:52:00.004-05:00

I just finished reading a book called "Mistaken Identity" about the two women pictured above, Laura VanRyn and Whitney Cerak. My sister got the book for Christmas, but I borrowed it last night and couldn't put it down. Laura and Whitney were involved in a car crash on their way home from a school banquet. Authorities contacted the VanRyn family and told them that Laura had survived but was in critical condition ... they told the Cerak family that Whitney had been instantly killed. For months, the VanRyn family stayed by Laura's side in the hospital, caring for her and nurturing her. As she began to regain her strength, the family noticed that something wasn't right. One day, during a physio-therapy session, the therapist asked Laura to write her name. She wrote: WHITNEY.

This true story is absolutely incredible. The families of both women are such strong, devoted Christians and the book outlines how their faith and their belief in the goodness of God is what got them through such a horrible ordeal. I put the book down and was filled with so much admiration for both the VanRyn and the Cerak families, they are such an inspiration to me.

There were two parts in the book that really touched me. The first was when Whitney's sister, Carly, is told that her sister was instantly killed in the crash. Her immediate reaction is to tell her friends: "God is still good. He is still good. This doesn't change that at all." The second was when Lisa, Laura's sister, discovers that the girl she thought was Laura is actually Whitney. She kneels down next to Whitney's wheelchair and whispers: "you're doing great Whitney, you're doing great." I was deeply moved by the genuine grace these two sisters had in the midst of all their sorrow. We could all learn a lot from them.

If you have a chance to read the book I really recommend it ... it is a powerful story of hope and faith, and it will move you.

xox

JESUS is the reason for the season

2008-12-25T14:34:00.003-05:00

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

- Isaiah 9:6

my wish list ...

2008-12-18T16:01:00.005-05:00

I am constantly amazed by the little treasures I stumble across on the etsy site. If you haven't spent some time exploring etsy, you seriously don't know what you're missing out on. Handmade goodies, reasonable prices, unique crafting supplies. *sigh* AND it's open for shopping 24 hours a day! Etsy is like music to my artsy soul.

Here are some of my current favorite items ... Santa, are you listening???? ....

New York City wood-mounted stamps ... aren't they just fabulous?

A cupcake pin cushion ... I am in love.

I love the quote, love the art work ... I need this print!

goodbye ♥

2008-12-09T01:17:00.004-05:00

On Friday night, I lost something incredibly precious to me: my kitten. We had found him by the side of the road and brought him home, where we showered him with love and affection. For three months, he nibbled on our toes, climbed up our legs, curled up with us and tried to eat our food. When I left for school or work, he would run to the window and watch me leave. When I came home at the end of the day, he'd come running to the door to greet me. He was a really special little guy ... such an affectionate, energetic personality.

He died suddenly and very unexpectedly. I was getting ready for bed and called him to come, because he always slept with me. When he didn't come running, I began to look for him. When I couldn't find him, I began to panic and woke my mother up. We eventually found his little body downstairs, about two hours later. I can't even begin to describe the pain and sadness that swept over me in that moment. I couldn't believe he was gone ... I still can't believe he's gone. He was only 3 months old.

Some people say "you never know what you have until it's gone", but I'm lucky to be able to disagree. I knew how precious Nugget was from the moment I first held him. I'm so glad I spent Thursday on the sofa, listening to Christmas music with him. Those are moments I will never be able to get back, and I'm so glad I took advantage of them while he was around.

Please give your fur babies an extra hug tonight, in memory of mine. I love you Nuggie. I love you lots and lots.

xoxox

such a lazy, lazy day ...

2008-12-03T23:07:00.005-05:00

Today I allowed myself the luxury of sleeping in, and I woke up at noon! I wasn't feeling so great, so I dragged myself out to the living room, plopped down on the sofa, flipped on the radio and stayed there for a good 4 hours, listening to Christmas music on the radio and talking with my cat. Then I watched Take Home Chef on television .... I loooove that show! Today he made lobster for one couple and and filet mignon for the other couple, and the desserts were flamboyant strawberries (aka strawberries on fire) and some fancy schmancy caramel cake that looked delicious. I was totally inspired to cook, but I really wasn't feeling up to it so I ate grilled cheese instead.

I finished my evening watching Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (such a fabulous movie! I love it, and I love that I know it by heart so I was able to say the lines before the characters could. *lol* I swear, the little things in life amuse me most). I must have been PMS-ing more than I thought I was, because I sobbed at the end of the movie when Kevin gets reunited with his mom. {Can I say that on a public blog? PMS-ing? Is that inappropriate? Ooops}

Then I watched the end of the Rudolph movie and realized that it's actually totally inappropriate for children. I mean really ... hitting the scary snowman monster over the head with a ball of ice? That's just asking to be duplicated on a school playground somewhere ... just sayin' ....

I spent the rest of my evening surfing the net and reading a bunch of blogs I haven't read in awhile, and I've decided that I absolutely NEED to get my hands on this paper by Cosmo Cricket:

I also decided that I want to go to Maine right this second. I miss my beach town. I wanna go shopping for wood-mounted stamps at Maine-ly Stamps and eat the "mile high meatloaf" at Bessie's and walk along the beach (yes, I realize it's freezing but that's irrelevant). I think I am going to make a countdown calendar, counting down the number of days until my week at the beach.

Ohhhh and I also decided that I am seriously ready to get married. *sigh* Yet another one of my lovely friends (Mila) just got engaged and she'll be getting married and moving to Casablanca ... yes, CASABLANCA ... to be with her hubby. I'm extremely happy for her but I have to admit, I'm getting a tad bit impatient. I mean come'on Lord, when is it going to be my turn already? If any of you ladies know a nice, single Christian guy and want to play matchmaker ... *pick me! pick me!*

Well, that's it for tonight.

Love to you all. xoxo

shhhh ... don't tell ....

2008-11-28T20:23:00.002-05:00

I'm not suppose to be here. I'm suppose to be locked up in my room, studying for my history exam and finishing up my theology research paper. But I *NEED* a breath of fresh air, so I thought I'd swing by my little neglected blog and leave some love.

I am almost on Christmas break ... almost .... and let me tell ya: as soon as my last exam is done and over with, I will be busting out my scrap supplies and making some layouts and cards! Maybe I'll even sew something. Heck! Maybe I'll even learn to knit. I am soooooo looking forward to having some time to myself, to be crafty and read good books and drink eggnog with my besties. *sigh* How many days left?! I miss being creative. I miss being something OTHER than a student. :o/

Anyways, I guess I should force myself to retreat back to my room and get back to studying.

laters beloved blogging peers <3

7 is a lovely number ...

2008-11-12T23:53:00.004-05:00

... and Sarah tagged me in a fun game of 7 random facts about you, so I thought I'd play along! So in no particular order, here are 7 little pieces of me ~

1. I think this place has the best coffee in Montreal, and their hot chocolate is made from real chocolate ... yummmm. On a cold November morning there is nothing better than a warm drink.
2. She inspires me beyond belief. I could listen to her music all day long, everyday, for the rest of my life. Seriously. I discovered her music way before she ended up on the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack and I love that she's so committed to remaining an independent artist.
3. I visit this website every single day. Love the recipes, the craft ideas, the cute home decor inspiration.
4. I am sooooo in love with this television show. He's cute AND talented! Bonus!
5. Everytime I go to New York City, I try and make sure I take time to stop by this fab restaurant. Their desserts are to die for.
6. Note to anyone who has yet to buy me my Christmas present: I want this.
7. And, last but not least, this is my favorite Bible verse.

So now it's your turn to play along! If I tag, here are the rules you must follow:

1. Link to your tagger (that's me) and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I'm tagging ...

Jessica
Melody
Alecia
Zoe
Holly
London
SJ

xOxOx

I lost my rainbow ...

2008-11-10T00:15:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure how it happened, or when it happened, or why it happened. It just happened. I lost my scrappin' spark. I lost my creative energy. I lost my rainbow.

I realized the other day that somewhere along the way, I lost sense of the purpose behind my scrapbooking. Scrapbooking is a hobby, but it's also an art form and to quote one of my art teachers from high school: "you can't make art if your soul isn't singing". I became so fixated on the newest products, the latest techniques, the newest gadgets and tools that I forgot that scrapbooking is about preserving your memories and expressing yourself on paper. So I'm taking a little "time out" from scrappin' to get things right with my creative soul again. And as soon as I do, I'll be back here posting layouts that actually MEAN something to me.

In the meantime, I'll keep you posted on my everyday life (it's kinda boring but it's better than nothing) and random tidbits of inspiration I find online. And please, send positive creative vibes my way!

toodles
xox

PS - The picture above is a print I bought from an artist in Portugal. I fell in love with it. Those who know me know that I feel called to work with young women who are going through tough times, and I love how the girl in the painting is crying but still holding on to her rainbow ... her hope. Jesus offers the ultimate hope and I love this verse from Psalm 130 that says: "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits ... and in His Word, I put my hope." This painting reminded me of that verse and of what I feel called to do for God in this world.

Thanksgiving Challenges ...

2008-10-13T14:12:00.011-04:00

I had such a lovely Thanksgiving. Soooo much food, wine, good conversation and quality time spent with my crazy beautiful family. I hope you all had a great long weekend too. I can't believe it, but I actually found time to scrap! I managed to complete 2 challenges on one layout - The Pretty Committee's 2nd October challenge and Rough Draft's first sketch challenge. I used this Rough Draft sketch by Jemma:

... to create this layout about what makes me beautiful ....

I finally got to play with my Pink Paislee paper and my Heidi Swapp mirrors! So much fun. Sorry the photo quality of the layout isn't the greatest - my camera has been playing mean tricks on me. :o(

xOxOx Stephanie

fall photos & other randoms ...

2008-10-11T19:58:00.007-04:00

It's official. Summer's gone and fall is here. You know autumn has arrived when the UGG boots come out of the closet. *happy sigh* I just LOVE this time of year. My church went apple picking awhile ago, and I thought it would be a fun opportunity to work on improving my photography skills. I *love, love, love* photography and would love to take a course someday ... I'm such a newbie. But I'm pretty pleased with the photos I took and the way they came out. My cousin Tara was my little model. Isn't she gorgeous?!

I still have SO MUCH to learn about photography, but I am just in love with it. I'm also in love with two new songs: "Gone" by TobyMac (a song he wrote to a guy who mistreated one his girl friends. I can relate.) and "Slow Me Down" by Emmy Rossum (which is just so lovely and uplifting, I love it. It reminds me of Enya, only better). Don't you just love finding great music?! *happy sigh again*

Anyways kiddos, I'm off. I hope all you Canadians have an incredible Thanksgiving. We really do have so much to be grateful for ... I'm grateful for my family, my friends, my country, my church and my faith. Mmmm ... I sense a mini-book coming out of this!
lol

xOxOx

Stephanie

new layout !!

2008-09-30T23:52:00.003-04:00

This layout is for the October challenge over on The Pretty Committee blog. The challenge was to make a layout about what makes you a gossip girl ... what gets you talking. At first, I wasn't really sure which direction I was going to take with this challenge. I'm NOT a big gossip girl. Honest. I have no idea who's dating who and I really couldn't care less. In high school, though, I was really big on keeping up with the celebrity gossip and the Hollywood fashion trends so I ended up making my layout about how glad I am to have moved on to bigger and better things.

I hope you're all having a great week!

xOxOx Stephanie

powerful beyond measure

2008-09-23T23:16:00.006-04:00

I spent my entire day reading through textbooks, studying and working on assignments. After supper, I decided to reward myself and *finally* opened the amazing kit I received from Crop Suey, a fantastic new Canadian kit club. I only managed to get one page done, but I'm so happy with how it turned out. In making this page, I realized that I rarely use blue on my layouts - I always tend to go for pinks, browns and purples. I am seriously loving the sophisticated look that a little blue (and some hints of gray) can bring to a layout.

I decided to use this photo of me looking out over the Atlantic ocean and one of my favorite quotes ("Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate ... our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure"). The products in the kit were just perfect for the page I had in mind.

If you haven't checked out Crop Suey yet, be sure to wander over to their blog. After tonight's scrap session, I think it's safe to say that I am officially addicted to their kits.

xOxO Stephanie

oh September, how I love thee ...

2008-09-19T11:02:00.005-04:00

I'm still here ... and still scrapping ...

2008-09-11T21:37:00.003-04:00

I dunno why, but going back to school this year has been incredibly stressful and overwhelming. My classes are all awesome and my professors are really down-to-earth, but I already have assignments to hand in and I'm falling behind in my reading .... and it's only the second week of school!!! CRAZY.

Needless to say, scrapping has taken a back seat to school these past few days. I did complete this page for The Pretty Committee's first challenge:

This photo is of me and one of my best friends, Catherine, in New York City. Catherine is by far one of the most stylish and glamorous women I know, and I love that this layout was able to capture that. I used up some of my Love Elsie paper (did you hear that she's no longer going to be designing paper?!?! Sooooo sad!). I also threw in some bling and a funky Hambly rub-on. It's 8.5x11 ... not my usual size ... but I'm so thrilled with how it came out.

Tomorrow, I'm off to the Mega Crop at Scrapbook Star. I have a bunch of page ideas in mind, so hopefully I'll get on a role and have lots and lots to post on Sunday!

have a blessed & safe weekend everyone!

xOxOx

sooooo exciting !!!

2008-09-01T11:45:00.004-04:00

Remember I said I had exciting news to share? Well, go check THIS out.

have a happy Monday!

xOxO Stephanie

it's a beautiful life

2008-08-29T15:19:00.011-04:00

The past few weeks of my life have been filled to the rim with scrap adventures! First, there was the fantastic scrap-fest at my place last Sunday. I *LOVE* creating art with my best friends … I know that sounds so cheesy but honestly, there is nothing better than spending a day surrounded by stickers, adhesive and glitter ... chatting about nothing in particular ... and taking the occasional break only to eat the most delicious chocolate cupcakes (thanks Jennie!). It was such fun. While we scrapped upstairs, my parents were working hard doing renovations in the basement because .... get ready for it, people .... I'm finally getting my own scrap room! YES!!!!! No more adhesives in my sock drawer! It should be ready by mid-September, and I'm so anxious to transform it into the perfect little art studio.

Then, there was the incredible sale at Scrapbook Star ... 40% off one item of your choice. *happy dance* Ever since I started working at the store I've had my eye on the Making Memories precision trimmer but I kept procrastinating because of the price tag. But with my 40% off coupon it was totally affordable!

And last but not least, Jessica came over last night for one final scrap jam before school starts up. We worked on our projects late into the night, and I managed to get 4 pages done. Here they are ~

A page about me and my mommy. I used new papers from Making Memories and Pink Paislee, and some older Basic Grey border stickers.

This one's for the Scrap Mojo challenge ... we had to use the title to any song from the School House Rocks collection on our layout.

I'm finally getting around to scrapbooking my birthday photos from NYC. I used the following sketch to help me with one of my birthday layouts, and I'm so pleased with how it turned out:

That's it for my updates. I'll have some crazy exciting news to share on Monday, but for now I'll just leave you with best wishes for an awesome labour day weekend!

xOxOx Stephanie

Little Pieces of Me ...

2008-08-22T22:19:00.006-04:00

I saw this over on Lisa's blog and thought it was the coolest thing *ever*

1. Stephanie at the jetty , 2. Singapore Curry Noodles & Garlic Tiger Shrimp, 3. Rose - Centennial Park #01, 4. Purple Heart (Purpurhjerte), 5. Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, 6. Prayer, 7. spotted or striped anywhy..fashion!, 8. Peach & Rasberry Cobbler, 9. extraordinary symbols, 10. Color Your Life, 11. __Lovin'_in_All_Stars__, 12. cupcake swap, BEFORE photo

To make your own, answer the questions below and type the answer to each question into
Flickr search, using only the first page, choose your favorite image, copy and paste each of the URL’s into the mosaic maker (3 columns, 4 rows).

The questions:
1. What is your first name? Stephanie
2. What is your favorite food? Singapore Curry Noodles
3. What high school did you attend? Centennial High School
4. What is your favorite color? Purple
5. Who is your celebrity crush? I don't have one :o(
6. Favorite drink? Starbucks
7. Dream vacation? Santorini Islands, Greece
8. Favorite dessert? Peach cobbler
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? A missionary
10.What do you love most in life? God
11. One word to describe you? Creative

have a happy weekend everyone!
xOxO Stephanie

I, Stephanie Joanna, hereby pledge ...

2008-08-18T22:43:00.004-04:00

… to use up my current stash of scrapbook supplies before buying new things. I will not let myself be led into consumer temptation by the beauty that is Daisy Bucket Designs (hellloooo have you seen that paper with the curly tree??) … nor shall I be led astray by the stunning Scenic Route and the super duper cute Doodlebug Christmas goodies. And don't even get me started on the sweetness of Fancy Pants.

Seriously though ... I really do need to use up what I already have. So no more scrap supplies for me until the 2-day September crop at Scrapbook Star. :o(

Let the budget countdown begin ...

home from paradise ...

2008-08-07T20:09:00.011-04:00

You may have noticed that I've been M.I.A these past few days. That's because I've been busy having the time of my life here:

The beautiful beach in Oqunquit, Maine. I LOVE going here in the summer ... it's such a breathtaking, serene place and the little shops and boutiques inspire me so much. I was so glad my mom was able to get those shots of me by the sea, I think they really capture how much I love the ocean. And, of course, leave it to me to find scrapbook supplies every where I go.

My mom and I were driving down the highway and out of the corner of my eye I saw this sign. Of course I made her stop the car and we ventured inside. It was such an awesome shop ... I've never seen so many rubber stamps in one place. It's owned by this really nice couple, who showed us around and gave us all these great tips and tricks. I was so excited to come home with all these awesome goodies:

xOxO Stephanie

Basic Grey ♥

2008-07-27T13:58:00.007-04:00

Ok, so everyone who knows me knows that one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon is shopping for scrapbook goodies at Scrapbook Star. And if, for whatever reason, I can't shop in person I like to get comfy in front of my computer screen and shop online. And if my budget is really not looking so good and spending money is simply not an option, I browse the internet for sneak peeks of soon-to-be released new products.

Yesterday, I stumbled across the new releases by Basic Grey. And let me just say that I am in love. Madly, passionately, deeply, truly in love.

The Ambrosia line is my favorite by far ... butterflies, whimsical damask patterns, bright and bold bohemian colors. PERFECT for autumn pages!! The Eva line comes in second with its pretty pinks and feminine swirls. The Granola line comes in third for me. There are 5 new lines in total ... count 'em people, FIVE ... and I can't wait to see them in real life.

If you haven't checked them out yet, you can visit the Basic Grey site here.

xOxOx Stephanie

Summertime ....

2008-07-03T16:25:00.009-04:00

... and the livin' is easy.

These are my awesome red shoes from Steve Madden ... aren't they awesome?! So bright and lovely, they just make me smile. Unfortunately, they're *really* uncomfy and they give me blisters so I probably won't be wearing them much. But I just love looking at them in my closet !!

How has everyone been? I can't believe my last post was on June 13th. I've been a very bad blogger, I know. I've just been crazy busy enjoying my summer vacation and I haven't really had anything interesting to share. I have been working on some fun pages, though, and I'll post those up later this week. I also ordered a TON of Amy Butler fabric and I'm determined to sew a purse by summer's end. (Stayed tuned for updates on my sewing adventures ... last time I tried to sew anything, my mother accused me of trying to break her machine!)

Here are some other random things that have happened since we last chatted:

1) I've become a vegetarian.

2) I love etsy more than ever. Seriously.

3) My blog has been transformed, thanks to Francesca - aka web designer extraordinare.

4) I discovered the BEST restaurant in downtown Montreal ... a hidden gem called il Cartile.

5) I'm trying to become a Flickr expert, and failing miserably. Any tips on how to use that awesome site would be much appreciated.

On that note, I'm off to enjoy tofu hot dogs. *yummo*

xOxO Stephanie

some randoms ....

2008-06-13T21:45:00.004-04:00

whew! What a LONG week. I dunno why but I was exhausted all week long and didn't get much done, but tonight my energy came back and I was able to scrap this:

I used the last of my favorite Love Elsie paper, some Doodlebug letters, a Bam Pop journaling bubble and some goodies from the new Chatterbox line. These photos were taken after my last final and I was SUPER excited to be on summer vacation. :o]

Well, I'm off to bed (I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow at the store). Night night, sleep tight scrap world!

XoXo Stephanie

Just a little something to ponder ....

2008-06-08T21:51:00.009-04:00

" For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you ... plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

Those who know me know that I’m an obsessive planner who likes to have every little detail perfectly organized. I hate not knowing what lies ahead. Without a plan, I feel lost and unsure of myself … my plans are what keep me grounded and steady. They give me something to strive for and something to keep me focused. Ask me what I’ll be doing a year from now and I’ll probably be able to give you a pretty accurate itinerary.

When I was seventeen, I decided I was going to move to New York City someday. It started off as a little daydream … “gee, it would be nice to live in New York City” … but eventually grew into a deep and genuine desire. I love NYC and I love my family there, and I always feel at home when I travel to the Big Apple. Moving there after my university graduation made sense to me, and once I had my heart set on the idea there was no looking back. I began to research theological schools and seminaries in the city where I could pursue my master’s. I looked up different institutions and places of work where I could begin a career once I graduated. Slowly but surely, my NYC game plan began to come together and by January 2008, I had a school chosen, a room mate selected and a bank account I had nicknamed my NYC fund. The countdown was on.

It never really occurred to me that God might have other things in store for me, and that His plans might differ from mine. After all, my plan was so well thought-out and I was being so responsible about the whole thing … how could God possibly object?!

In November of 2007, I joined a small group at church. We meet every Friday and have fellowship; we pray together and study God’s Word. Small group has been a huge blessing in my life and the closer I grew to God, the more I began to question my plan. More than anything else, I wanted (and still want!) to bring glory to God and live out His purpose for my life. As I grew in my relationship with Him, I wasn’t quite sure moving to NYC was the right thing.

My small group prayed for me several times, and for weeks I prayed: “Lord, I surrender everything to You and I’m ready to live the life You have planned for me.” About three weeks ago, I woke up and my desire to move to NYC was gone. Completely gone. It feels like I never had the desire in the first place. Part of me was heartbroken at the loss of my plan … a plan that had basically dictated my life for the past four years. But the other part of me was excited to see what GOD … the Creator of the Universe, my Maker, My Savior … had planned for me. Every day now I wake up and I feel so blessed to have found the courage to surrender to God. I feel like He reached down and took this huge burden off my shoulders. “Stop trying to plan out your life and leave that to Me …”

Our God is an awesome God. (And a much better planner than I am!)

xOxO Stephanie

3 days until this comes to town ....

2008-05-27T18:30:00.005-04:00

I'm so excited!!! :o)
My favorite television show of all-time and it's finally hitting the big screen.

xOxO Stephanie

I ♥ Candy ...

2008-05-18T15:40:00.010-04:00

ummm ... actually, I don't really love candy all that much. I LOVE good food and I'm a pretty big fan of desserts (cupcakes, anyone?), but candies aren't really my thing. Last night, we had a quiet girls' night in at my place. My mom and grandmother played cards all evening and I sat at the kitchen table and scrapped. I decided to complete the second challenge over at the Category Stories blog, and the challenge was to make a layout about your favorite candy.

I ended up going out and buying two bags of M&M's and after taking dozens of pictures (who knew M&M's are so fun to photograph?!?!) I managed to come up with this layout:

The journaling says: I don't have much of a sweet tooth. Honest. I'd much prefer spaghetti and meatballs over cookies or chocolate bars. But every now and then I get a serious craving for M&M's. And when the craving strikes, there's no looking back.

xOxO Stephanie

Ready For A Challenge?!

2008-05-15T11:32:00.003-04:00

There's a new scrapbook challenge blog on the block and I'm lucky enough to be a part of it!! :o]

My friends and I have been challenging each other for months and we finally decided to invite the rest of the scrappin' world to join in on our fun. I got to issue the first challenge and I think it's a fun one! Oh, and did I mention we're giving away goodies from Elle's Studio????

So swing by our site and leave us some love!

http://scrapbook-challenges.blogspot.com/

XoXo Stephanie

What's on my iPod these days ....

2008-05-08T18:46:00.007-04:00

Priscilla Ahn. Ingrid Michaelson. Amy Winehouse. Third Day. Landon Pigg. Oh, and of course Neil Diamond. Who doesn't love to sing along to Sweet Caroline?! "Sweeeeet Carooooline ... lalala ... good times never felt so good ..."

Anyway, the challenge over at Category Stories was to make a layout about your playlist. My playlist contains all of the artists listed above (and many others too, of course) for one simple reason: I love their lyrics. OK, so maybe Amy Winehouse's songs aren't the most inspiring, but all the other artists on my playlist are incredibly poetic and their songs really make me stop and think. Here's the page I came up with to pay tribute to my favorite singer-songwriters:

I think I'll go listen to some music right now. :o]

XoXo Stephanie

Some Sneek Peeks ....

2008-04-22T18:45:00.007-04:00

First of all, I am CRAZY proud of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team!! Did any of you watch them play last night? We not only won, we totally dominated the entire game and beat Boston 5-0. GO HABS GO!!!

I'm still busy studying for my last exam tomorrow, but I thought I'd give you a little sneek peek at some of the pages I've been working on these past few weeks ...

I've been having lots of fun working with the new Love Elsie, American Crafts and October Afternoon stuff. And I can't wait to get my hands on the new Hambly!! *smiles*

As promised, I randomly selected a winner from the comments to my first post. I'm so excited about this new blog and can't wait to share all my scrappin' adventures with you! Thanks for all your sweet comments, I'm glad you like the new blog as much as I do.

Soooo ... the winner was .....

Congrats Melody!!! Send me your address at creative_coconut@yahoo.com and I'll send some fun goodies your way!

Well, I'm off to study for that last exam. Pray for me! :o]

XoXo Stephanie

GO HABS GO !!!!

2008-04-21T18:53:00.005-04:00

Everyone in Montreal will be watching "THE GAME" tonight. It starts in less than 5 minutes so this post will be short and to the point: GO HABS GO!! Here's a little tribute to our favorite hockey team:

Tomorrow night I will randomly select a name from the comments to the previous post and send that person a cute RAK. So if you haven't left a commet yet be sure to do so by 4:00pm tomorrow!

Off to cheer for the Montreal Canadiens! See you all tomorrow.

XoXo Stephanie

Something new ....

2008-04-17T18:03:00.004-04:00

Welcome to my new little home on the world wide web. Come on in and make yourself cozy. ♥

First of all, can we please discuss how crazy excited I am to be heading to NYC in less than 20 days!??! I have been waiting patiently all year for this trip and have been suffering from some serious New York withdrawl. I can't wait to be going home. There is seriously no other place on the planet I'd rather be to celebrate my 22nd birthday. *sigh* My birthday. I'm pretty excited about that too.

The winter semester at school has finally come to an end. I have an essay to write and hand in on Monday (which I *really* should be working on right about now) and a history exam on Wednesday and then I'm freeeeeeee!! Well, free until the beginning of May when I start my summer courses. I'm taking introductory German this summer. Sprechen Sie Deutsches? {Do you speak German?} If so, wanna help me practice?

As far as scrapbooking is concerned, things have been pretty slow over here at Studio Stephanie. I have TONS of awesome page ideas in mind but no time to work on them. I also want to get my etsy shop up and running by the end of May but I haven't had any time to finish the items I'm hoping to sell and write up the inventory. So much to do, so little time. Hopefully once I get back from New York my schedule won't be quite so hectic and I'll be able to get back into my creative groove.

Oh, and how could I forget :: To celebrate my new and improved blog, I'm giving away a RAK. Just post a comment and I'll pick a winner at random and send them a cute little prize :o]

XoXo Stephanie