Calling all Copic Marker Fans

If you are new to copic markers, here is a great chart for you!  Justrite has compile a chart that combines trios, quads and individual marker combinations.  It is a great guide to use when selecting colour shades and highlights in the same family.

My cousin passed this info along to me, and she got it from one of her card making gurus!  It could save you some money when selecting your copics.   I know the mistake I made was to choose "the pretty ones" that I liked instead of buying "families" of colours.  

Here's the link and thank you Carol and Bonita!

 http://www.justritestampers.com/pdfs/JRCopicMarkersWEB.pdf

More Copic Cards

I just love copic markers!  Here are three cards I made at a class hosted by Memory Keepers on Hamilton Mountain.  Dawn designed and coached as we made these three cards!  I love them and they are too pretty to give away.  Now I feel the need to invest in more copic markers ... I wonder which came first, the markers or the cards .... mmmmm.

18 Scrapbooks for Beverly Central's Grade One Class

Math was never my strong suit.  When Megan's grade one teacher asked me to design a scrapbook for each of her grade one's to put their memories in, I though sure.  How hard can that be? She was very flexible on the design and content and would leave that part up to me.

The sample scrapbook went together very quickly and Mrs. B loved the concept.  We set a deadline and off I went.  What I forgot, is that one book assembly is pretty quick, but 18 books is a marathon session.  40 hours, 6 bottles of glue (the good stuff @ $7.00/bottle), stacks of paper and one cricuit sheet later, the books were done.  Fortunately I had left the "fun" decorating/embellishing part until the end or I might still be working on them!

They were definitely a labour of love, but Megan got first choice and everyone thinks her mom is the best!  Crafty Mom, as I am affectionately known at the school, is really happy with the result and I know the kids will love working on them and that makes the effort all worthwhile!

How Many Fellas Does It Take to Change a Water Filter?

The answer is three.

My father passed away seven years ago and my youngest brother lives with my mother. Yes, he's in his 40's, a confirmed bachelor, godfather to my daughters and one of the most OCD people you'll ever meet.  But, to his defense, he does look after my mother and helps her live independently by taking care of the heavy house work, yard work and is her personal chauffeur.  I love him to bits, but the one thing Phil is not good at is anything that would fall in to the "handy man dept."  


As a matter of fact, the "handy man" gene is missing from both of my brothers' DNA.  My husband is oozing with that gene.  Alf is a millwright and loves to tinker and fix stuff.  My brothers, on the other hand, try to assemble things and have parts left over (they inherited that from my father.)


One afternoon, Todd (brother one) and Phil (mom's homeboy) decided to change the water filter.  They had changed the filter before, but somehow during the installation they managed to block the water flow completely.  Phil, had my mother call the plumber/water treatment folks (sensing a $150 service call, so much for saving a few dollars by doing it yourself!)  Todd just left and went home, perplexed and leaving Phil to deal with the situation.


When Phil came over to our house (we live just across the road) to get water to flush the toilets.  Given our gene pool and based on past experience,  I dispatched my husband, aka MacGyver, to rescue the water-less pair.


Turns out, the boys put the filter in backwards.  Service call averted.  Water restored.  Result thanks to Alf! Now Mr. MacGyver ... can you assemble a liposuction machine for me with some paperclips, string and duct tape?  My diet isn't working very well!

A Great Gift Idea for the “Crafty Girl” on your list

I received one of the best gifts from my friend Karen.  It was the gift of crafty organization.   If you are anything like me, when I start crafting, my creative genius takes over and my craft zone resembles a colourful paper war zone by the time I am finished.

Karen gave me a gift, which on the surface may resemble a photo organizer, but in reality it is a paper odds, sods and embellishments organizer.  Remember all those paper scraps, the ones too good to throw out, but not big enough to scrapbook with, but might be good for cards, tags, accessories (you get the picture), well here’s what you do with them. Take the individual cases that would nornally house the 4”x6” photos and organize those bits and pieces by colour, season or pattern in to those cases.  Everything now is beautifully organized for your next crafting project all at your fingertips.

Here’s a video clip explaining the process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvGB-f7iavM&feature=related

 

YouTube - Videos from this email

Awesome gift Karen!  It takes a crafty girl to know one.  Now if I can just remember to keep it organized. Mmmm.

Bad Hair Day, oh my!

My Keegan (16 year old flame point Himalayan cat) is getting older and he doesn’t groom himself like he should.  The result is that his fur gets matted and then needs professional attention.  I know that winter is not the best time to groom him, but given his matted condition, off to the vet for his check-up and trim.

The result was a bit severe.  As you can see, he looks like that poor cat on the “Hang in there baby” poster.   He garnered such sympathy and attention that my sister-in-law swaddled him in a baby blanket!   Now he thinks he needs to sleep in my bed, under, yes under the covers.

To add insult to injury, our other cat Tom (the 20 pound, domestic shorthair that adopted us and has finally won “Largest Cat” title from the Rockton World’s fair and has the trophy to prove it) didn’t recognize poor Keegan when he came back from the vet.  He hissed and spat at the poor boy, thinking that I traded poor Keegan for a wimped-out version of what a cat should look like!

Sorry Keegan for the bad hair day, maybe even a bad hair month, but I am sure you feel better without the matts in your fur.  We’ll try to wait for warmer weather next time!  Besides, it could be worse, you could be wet!

Winter Getaway at Niagara Falls

All three of my girls have January birthdays and the deal at my house is that you have the option of having a birthday party with your friends or we can go as a family to one of the Niagara Waterparks for an overnight stay and swimming get-away.  The waterbugs always vote for the waterpark!

This year we decided to try the Niagara Falls Waterpark and stay at the Crowne Plaza.  The waterpark is located at the Crowne Plaza, but you do have to go through the lobby and take a separate elevator to the park itself.

From my Corporate Marketing Professional standpoint, the Crowne Plaza is a beautiful historic hotel located at the base of the falls with easy access to the Casino, the Hard Rock Café and five star restaurant at the Crowne Plaza.  From my "Mom and Family Event Planner" perspective, it is the least family friendly hotel that we have been to in a long time.

The rooms are very small and we were tripping over one another.  There was no mini fridge in the room which I find very useful when travelling with kids.  (Yes, I pack milk, juice cereal for breakfast and a plethora of snacks for grazing – so the milk stayed in the ice bucket to stay cold).  The beds were hard and everyone had trouble sleeping.  No sleep + all day swimming @ waterpark = grumpy kids There were house rules too.  Street clothes were to be worn when passing through the lobby on the way to the waterpark.  What the heck?  How kid friendly is a hotel that promotes a waterpark then makes you dress for the occasion, then undress to use the waterpark , and dress to come back to your room.

The waterpark is fun and comparable to Great Wolf Lodge and the Americana Hotels nearby.  The proximity to the falls is great and it is walking distance to all the attractions on Clifton Hill (although as a parent I would avoid those places like the plague!)  If you go in the winter, the lights are still on and the falls is amazing at night time!   But the hotel’s $40 restaurant coupon and the “kids eat free breakfast” coupons are not for the family budget consumer.  Oh did I mention the $20 parking fee and the locker fees to keep your “stuff” safe at the pool are all part of the package too.  Lesson learned.

Gotta be honest here, I know that Great Wolf Lodge sounds like more money on paper, but the value is there if you are travelling as a family.  Bigger rooms, fridges and microwaves in the rooms, affordable food on-site (including pizza delivery to your room), free waterpark lockers, free parking, free story time and craft sessions for the kids.  Lots to do without ever leaving the facility.  Americana is OK if you have little children, but your older kids (tweens) will quickly get bored and want to do more than that facility has to offer.

My analysis, from the Mom/Family Event Planner perspective, two thumbs up for Great Wolf Lodge (go midweek if you can for the best room rate and more room in the waterpark), Americana if you have little kids, and the Crowne Plaza should stick to their corporate clients with expense accounts or adults looking for a Casino get away.  (Yes, I did sneak out when the kids were asleep and invest $40 in the Niagara economy!)