~ surfin' saturday ~

Today's surfin' saturday is short & sweet...

Check out pagemaps.com.
Yet another great site for sketches.

Enjoy!

~ questions & answers ~

Thanks for all of the fabulous comments in the past month. I really appreciate it. It's good to know people are actually reading this! :)

Here are some answers to some of the questions I was asked...

I used to enjoy being on Scrapbooking forums, however the last couple of years have been really busy & I haven't really had time to keep up with any of them. I used to participate as cindysuniqueflare on the Smalltown Scrappers & Love is in the Details forums. I miss them and the fantastic people on them, but I do see them around the province at various events and communicate with them via my blog.

I use a variety of stamps in my scrapbooking. I buy my stamps at various stores in the city, but always on sale! :)
Kelsey Kolench is who I go to for Close to my Heart Orders.
Heather Fisher is who I go to for Stampin' Up Orders
If you'd like to get in touch with either of these ladies send me an e-mail at cindy@auniqueflair.com and I'll get the info. to you.

My scrap space emerged slowly; it's take 3 years to get it this way. I put it together literally piece by piece. I bought all of my organizational pieces as I needed them, on sale and I re-organized the space as I added pieces. Most of my purchaces were at Michael's {vertical storage & tools} and Superstore {rubbermaid drawers, mini totes & pencil boxes} My latest piece was the rubbermaid 4 drawer chest on the floor by my chair. That piece has been my lifesaver since I bought it and reorganized.

Last but not least, I loved doing the stationary & scrapbook for my brother's shower. Unfortunately, I did not make the lolipops. I bought them at Dollarama. They're good!

Again, Thanks for the comments and keep them coming.
Happy Saturday to all of you!
Cindy

~ fabu friday ~

Yippee, the week-end is here!

I'm so busy with my brother's wedding shower, it's not even funny.

So that's my weekend... the shower is on Sunday and I still have food to make!

Last week-end I spent it being blah, but during the week I've been scrapbooking and creating. I have to say, it's some of my best work. :) Here's what I've been doing...

~ Thank you Tags! ~

~ Invitation {done earlier in the month} ~

~ Story Scrapbook ~

Enjoy your week-end!

Ooooo. I've been featured in the 6th edition of the Canadian Scrapbookers Carnival. Take a visit and let them know I sent you. Have fun visiting others around Canada while you're at it!

Cindy

~ thesaurus thursday ~

Here is your word for thesauraus thursday...

word: celebrate

definition: {from dictionary.com}

1. to observe (a day) or commemorate (an event) with ceremonies or festivities: to celebrate Christmas; to celebrate the success of a new play.
2. to make known publicly; proclaim: The newspaper celebrated the end of the war in red headlines.
3. to praise widely or to present to widespread and favorable public notice, as through newspapers or novels: a novel celebrating the joys of marriage; the countryside celebrated in the novels of Hardy.
4. to perform with appropriate rites and ceremonies; solemnize: to celebrate a marriage
5. to observe a day or commemorate an event with ceremonies or festivities.
6. to perform a religious ceremony, esp. Mass or the Lord's Supper.
7. to have or participate in a party, drinking spree, or uninhibited good time: You look like you were up celebrating all night.

synonym: honor, rejoice, remember, solemnize, glorify, honor, applaud, commend

Happy Scrappin'
Cindy

~ wow wednesday ~

It's been a busy few days around here!
I'm sorry I missed yesterday's blog. My brother's wedding shower is on Sunday and I've been getting some keepsakes ready for them to share.

Well here's some news for you Winnipeg Scrapbookers...
Dalcrafts is MOVING!
Their building has been sold and they are planning to move this summer.
They're not leaving or going out of business, just moving.
It's business as usual for these two fabulous gals, and to make sure you know it, they're having a sale for the next few weeks...
Tell them that you heard they're moving and you get 25% your entire purchase.
Yep. 25% off of your entire purchase. It's great.
See you there!
Cindy

~ tag book tuesday ~

Hiya!

So today's technique is Double Stamping.

This was the technique I used in yesterday's make-n-take flower.

Double Stamping...

1. Gather your materials: tag, scrap paper,

2 similarly shaped stamps ~ one with a large surface area & one detailed image~ , &

2 inks ~ either the same colour in 2 shades or 2 different colours.

For this tag I used 2 different colours; they coordinate & have enough contrast to show stamp details.

2. Take your 1st stamp & your lightest coloured ink & stamp your image. If the ink is still too dark, try this: Ink your stamp, stamp once on a scrap piece and then stamp {without re-inking} onto your final piece. This will give you the same colour, just lighter.
3. Let the 1st colour dry. Take your 2nd image & your darker colour and stamp this image onto your 1st.
4. Cut it out & use on your card or layout. Have fun with your stamps try different combinations & let me know what you come up with.

Happy Scrappin',
Cindy

~ make-n-take monday ~

Seeing as yesterday was such a blah day I opted for a pretty make-n-take today!

Happy Hello - Note Card

1. Gather your materials: scraps of paper, scissors / paper cutter, flower stamps, inks in various shades of one colour & edging scissors.

2. Double stamp your flower image, using your 2 chosen colours & cut around it with your edging scissors.
3. Ink your flower edge with a bright colour {I used yellow}. Add any embellishment you'd like for your flower centre {I used a large button that matched my background}.

4. Ink the edges of your background / note card, on both sides.

5. Use fibre or ribbon or ric rac to make your flower stem. Add more dimension to your note card by using 3d squares to adhere your flower.

6. Stamp your greeting and voila! You have yourself a pretty little note card!

Happy Scrappin'

Cindy

~ sense-ational sunday ~

Today is a very blah day. It's raining outside and has been cloudy since I woke up this morning. I'm a sun person. I really am.

I feel... lathargic. No sun = no spirit for me. {I'm like one of those kids who is sitting by the window hoping the rain would go away} I did nothing on my weekend list today. I know! I had the time and I couldn't get myself to scrapbook. Blah! {okay, this means I played with lulu all day and that was fun}

I see... a cloudy sky. Really, who wants to wake up to this? {Good thing I have lulu, who is my everyday sunshine}

I touch... warm soapy water. I have to do something and my mountain of dishes {I have no dishwasher} was calling out to me.

I hear... the pitter patter of rain, on and off all day today. It's a little depressing but, it's okay as I haven't had a chance to go out & water my garden, so it was needed.

I taste... some great juice. I bought this juice as a splurge {I was feeling tired of being the only one in my home who makes the juice} and I'm in love! It's good for me too! yipee!

Sorry today's post is a little depressing. How was your Sunday? Someone cheer me up!

Cindy

~ surfin' saturday ~

Hi again,
I was organizing my scrap space last night and I took a break to read some blogs for today... surfin' saturday.

I started at Sisterhood of Scrap & this week's "sister" Shannon Wyman recommended this blog: Notes From Your Calm & Collected Organizer. What a great read & what great organizational ideas. It's right up my ally this weekend! {I bought my cubbies (at superstore for $20) as soon as I started to overflow my rubbermaid containers & I've loved them since!}

Here's a look at my studio space...

~ my laptop & photo printer ~

~ my studio table & scrap space ~

{yes, there are times I have the table full of ideas for 1 layout!}

~ my rubbermaid draws full of essentials: adhesives, scissors, markers on top; chipboard & plastic pieces next; flowers, tins & punches in the 3rd drawer; and bags & extra class supplies in the bottom drawer ~

~ my scrappn' supplies organized in metal cubbies ~

{I also use pencil boxes, baby wipes containers & rubbermaid totes & mini drawers within the cubbies to hide sharp & little items from lulu - it also hides the little clutter}

~ my paper, stickers, rub-ons, scraps & specialtiies are stored vertically for easy acess & more storage space in my cubbies ~

Now that my space is organized {till I go nutty again}, I'm going to add this blog {Notes from your Calm & Collected Organizer} to my list, you should too!

Happy Surfin',
Cindy

~ fabu friday ~

I'm gonna have a fabulous week-end... I'm scrapbooking most of it! Yippee!

Tonight... I'm doing the much needed re-organizing of my scrap space & hopefully finishing up a baby eventful frame. {the little guy is so cute ~ I'll post a photo next fri}
Saturday... I'm teaching a teen class in the morning & then creating a scrapbook for my brother & his wife-to-be.
Sunday... I'm getting ready for their wedding shower; I'm creating the thank you tags & love notes for everyone to fill out for the lucky couple. I'll post some photos next friday!

As for last week-end, we had a great time with family & friends. I also started on some gardening, which took me most of the week to complete. It inspired me to create some more... So, I'm gonna build a retaining wall with another flower bed, on the other side of the house. I can't wait!

So, there are no photos of the gatherings because the camera batteries died and then they were charging. I'm sorry about that. :( But you did get to see my garden shots didn't you??? Check out wow wednesday for those photos!

See you tomorrow!
Cindy

~ thesaurus thursday ~

Here's your word for thesaurus thursday...

word: beautiful

definition: {from dictionary.com}

1. having beauty; having qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind: a beautiful dress; a beautiful speech.
2. excellent of its kind: a beautiful putt on the seventh hole; The chef served us a beautiful roast of beef.
3. wonderful; very pleasing or satisfying. –noun
4. the concept of beauty (usually prec. by the).
5. (used with a plural verb) beautiful things or people collectively (usually prec. by the): the good and the beautiful.
6. the ideal of beauty (usually prec. by the): to strive to attain the beautiful. –interjection
7. wonderful; fantastic: You got two front-row seats? Beautiful!
8. extraordinary; incredible: used ironically: Your car broke down in the middle of the freeway? Beautiful!

synonyms: lovely, hadsome, gorgeous, stunning, attractive, picturesque, scenic, charming, wonderful, exquisite

~ wow wednesday ~

I'm pitiful... sorry.


Here you go my wow for the day {yes I know it was yesterday} is that my front flower garden is done. Here are a couple of shots of the before & after.

~ before ~

~ after ~

I'm really excited about this because I can see that the little tulips I transplanted last fall have come up and grown beautifully. I'm sure to have more blooms next year. I also planted some white daisies {in honour & as a reminder of my little sis~ she loves daisies} & I can see the first set of daisies ~ red ones ~ already coming up.

~ my sister's daisies ~

My mom & I also planted some orchids in my flower bed last summer & I was observant enough to see them coming up as well {instead of pulling them out} . I'm really excited about the possibilities of these beauitiful flowers & the colour combinations I've chosen. As they grow I'll post more photos.

Cindy

~ tag book tuesday ~

Journaling blocks are all over the place right now and honestly they're great.
Like Goldilocks' bed they're not too big and not too small.
They're just the right size for a little bit of detail and info to make your layout complete.
Some use pre-made journalling blocks, while others stamp them into their layouts. Here's my version of a journaling block. {I use both! :)}

With that said, here's another great technique using scraps of photo paper {see yesterday's post for another great idea!} . Try it out and add it ot your tag book!

Here's what you are going to need: photo paper scraps, journaling block stamps & ink, edging scissors & a marker.

Photo paper is great for stamping because it leaves a clean & crisp image. Some things you need to remember are: make sure the stamp is clean and that you blot the stamp with the ink pad {see below}. This will ensure no stray ink spots .

If you've never tried Acrylic stamps this picture says it all!

To complete my journalling block I brought out my trusty scissors & cut the block out with a decorative edge. I used a permanent marker to ensure no smudging.

I hope you try this little technique. Let me know if you did!

Cindy

~ make-n-take monday ~

I know I'm always in need of thank you cards, are you?

Here's a quick recipie for making a couple of thank you notes using only some scraps. Best part of these cards... they use the photo paper scraps I always feel guilty throwing away. {as I use various sizes of photos on my layouts, I print my photos at home}

1. Gather your materials: cardstock scrap, photo paper scrap, sticy notes, inks, brayer, thank you stamps & marker.

2. Cover you photo scrap in sticky notes. Create 3 layers of sticky notes, you'll see why shortly.

3. Cover your brayer in ink. Use the darkest ink first; this will be your dominant colour {see the examples above} .

4. Now take the 1st layer of sticky notes off & clean your brayer by rolling it on some other scrap piece of paper. Use the next colour, which should be lighter than the 1st, but darker than the last, to over the now white surface.

5. Remove the last layer of sticky notes & use the last colour to cover the remaining white surfaces.

6. Now, cut this inked piece as you see inspiration & how it will fit the cardstock pieces you have.

7. Once cut, ink the edges in acoordinationg colour & stamp your thank you on it. Embellish your card as you want & voila!

Enjoy!

Cindy

~ sense-ational sunday ~

sorry, sorry, sorry...

I themed my blogs so that I would remember to blog everyday, but I cannot compete with Murphy's law. :)

My sense-ational sunday is based on my being outside yesterday. It was such a great day; warm sunny & just that slight breeze that keeps you comfortable while you're working. Here I go:

I SEE my front flower bed in desperate need of some weeding.


I TOUCH the soil, making sure my hands are coverd with gloves. This is just in case I happen to touch the many bugs that are living in the dead mulch & beneath the weeds. eewww!

I HEAR my little one blabbing away in her stroller, playing with her toys, while I'm on my knees weeding.

I FEEL the sun on my back & on my arms as I open up the ground for my beautiful tulips. I can't believe they can grow so well in and amongst all of the large weeds.

I TASTE clean & clear water as I seek relief for my thirst.

I would show you a shot of my newly weeded garden, only that it's only half done. My little one didn't want to be outside anymore. At lease the tulips are happier!

Cindy

~ surfin' saturday ~

sorry this is a day late... it was crazy here yesterday!

Surfin' Saturday is all about sharing what I have found on the web. Most sites & informaiton will be scrapbooking realated while others, not so much.

I've been really interested in sketches lately {as my little one sometimes leaves me with little or no decent time to scrapbook, sketches have come in really handy}, and here are few sites I've travelled to & enjoy!

• 52 weeks...52 Sketches
• Sketches-R-Us
• Sketches! {by tamara}
• Sketch Satuday @ Sisterhood of Scrap

Take some time to visit these fabulous ladies & try out their sketches. I hope you find them as inspiring as I do!

See you later,

Cindy

~ fabu friday ~

Fridays, in general, are great because they signal the beginning of the best part of the week... the week-end! I am always excited about the week-end; I make plans to meet up with family & freinds, or I plan to go outside to have some fun in the sun {especially now that the sun is out}, or I make plans to dome some of my easier & more entertaining house chores like gardening or dusting {believe me, when I'm in my gardening get up I'm very entertaining!}

Notice how I plan to do so much... yep, you guessed it, it usually doesn't turn out the way I planned. But, this is why I think Fridays are so fabulous. I enjoy making great plans and knowing that although I may or may not do what I had planned I'm still happy it's the weekend and not at work.

So, on Fabu fridays I'll post some photos of my previous week-end & give you my plan for the week-end to come. Hopefully there'll be lots of fun stuff to share & scrapbook about as time goes on!

Here is today's fabu friday plan...
1. do some gardening this week-end & plan my new retaining wall
2. go to a friends for a BBQ saturday evening {this is already planned}
3. go to the park & have a family play date on sunday

I can't wait! It's going to be such a great week-end!
I hope you have one too,
Cindy

~ challenges on hold ~

So, I have no entries for Challenge #2.
I know I'm competing with a lot of online challenges & such, so I'm gonna hold off on the challenges until I can zip up the program. I've set a deadline date for myself, so you should see a new challenge program from A Unique Flair by the end of this summer.

Do you have any ideas how I can make my challenges more appealing?
Let me know I'm willing to try anything {within reason of course :) }

I hope to see you then,
Cindy

~ thesaurus thursday ~

I love to write; I've been writing in a journal, since I received my first diary when I turned 12. It's how I usually start my scrapbooking layouts. Lately, I have been chasing my little girl with my camera trying to get her to do something that matches something I've written {I created a journal called love letters; in letters to her I document her firsts & my feelings of these occurences}.

Words are my friends, and I've noticed that some people absolutely avoid journaling in their scrapbooking because they don't know what to write about. Well, on thursdays I'll take a common word, define it, and give you several examples of other words that have similar meaning.

word: fun

definition: {from dictionary.com}

1. something that provides mirth or amusement: A picnic would be fun.
2. enjoyment or playfulness: She's full of fun. –verb (used without object), verb (used with object)
3. Informal. joke; kid. –adjective
4. Informal. of or pertaining to fun, esp. to social fun: a fun thing to do; really a fun person.
5. Informal. whimsical: flamboyant: The fashions this year are definitely on the fun side. —Idioms
6. for or in fun, as a joke; not seriously; playfully: His insults were only in fun.
7. like fun, Informal. certainly not; of doubtful truth: He told us that he finished the exam in an hour. Like fun he did!
8. make fun of, to make the object of ridicule; deride: The youngsters made fun of their teacher.

synonyms: amusement, excitement, joy, merriment, pleasure

I hope you are inspired to have a little FUN with your journaling!
Cindy

~ wow wednesday ~

This is hump day, the middle of the week, the day we all feel a little blah... wow wednesday is here to change that! I'll be posting great news and really good stuff, anything that makes me go WOW! Here it is:

• My 'sense-ational' sunday is a hit & I'm a link on Emily Adams's blog Trend Watcher! Check out her comments!

• Our next Mommy's Scrap Club is scheduled for Friday, June 13th, 2008. The theme for the evening is "Let the Sun In". Come and join us, in studio, for a fabulously fun night of scrapbooking fun! {p.s. it's only $8 dollars!}

• There's a great crop planned for Saturday, June14th, 2008! A friend of mine, Barb Plett, the owner of Themecrops.com, is planning a 14 hour crop full of fun! Check it out!

Have a great day & know that the week is almost over!
Cindy

~ tag book tuesday ~

Hi Everyone!

I have a fabulous little tag book that holds all of my "new" techniques. Everytime I learn a new technique I make a mini version of it on a tag & place it in my little book. So, I thought I would share some of these with you on Tuesdays.

I taught a creative chipboard class in Brandon for NSD & I'll start with one of these fabulous & easy techniques. . .

Glittered Chipboard

You'll need: chipboard piece(s), tacky liquid glue and a brush or a glue pad, and your choice of glitter. An additional option would be paint for colour if your glitter is just white or clear.

1. If your glitter is clear, apply a coat of white paint and then a coat of your colour choice onto your chipboard piece.

2. If you have coloured glitter (and once your paint is dried) you can apply a thin and even layer of tacky glue to your chipboard piece.

3. Let the glue get a little tacky & then sprinkle on the glitter. Shake of any excess glitter and if you notice any bald spots, apply a little more glue to that area (with the tip of your brush) and then sprinkle your glitter again. If you don't have glitter, you can also use embossing powder (as shown below).

4. Let it stand to dry. Leave it drying for about 1/2 hour to an hour depending on the amount of glue you applied.

5. Once it is dry you can use it on your layout.

This is a fabulous way to create coordinating pieces for your layouts, cards or other paper crafting pieces.

Happy Scrappin',

Cindy

~ a little reminder ~

Entries for Challenge # 2 are due on the 15th of the month, which is Wednesday this week.
Here's my take on this challenge. I really hope to see some entries for this one!
Cindy

~ make-n-take monday ~

Here's a great make-n-take for you. . .



A Large Tag Album



A. It's free {I'm not selling anything}

B. It's an great gift album that you can make within an hour &

C. You can claim to be more green as you can use {as I did} paper only from your scrap stash.

Here's how you can create it...

1. Gather Your Materials: A large tag [tracer], bigger pieces of cardstock [in the photo it's green], matching pieces of patterned paper from your scrap stash, a hole punch, paper cutter & any embellishment that you favour.

2. Trace your large tag onto your cardstock. These will be your album pages so you want them to be thicker paper, ie: cardstock. Make as many as you'd like {it is YOUR album} . Make sure to mark the hole(s). Be creative, you don't have to stick to the middle {like I did}.

3. Use your paper cutter to cut out your album pages. This will give you straighter lines and {for those of us who like to measure everything} will give us numbers to work with.

4. Once you pages are trimmed, punch the holes & embellish the edges any way you'd like. I just rounded the corners, but you can use edging scissors to create a variety of edges!

5. Now you can go ahead & create your little album any way you'd like. I used edging scissors to embellish my scrap edges & doodled around that. I also used flowers & felt embellishments that coordinated with my papers. I left room for journalling & make particular places for photos.

Let me know what your little album looks like! Send your photos or link to your photos to cindy@auniqueflair.com. Enjoy!

Cindy

~ sense-ational sunday ~

As I promised, here is the beginning of my daily themed blogging.

I'm starting with becoming more aware of my life & what surrounds me. I was inspired & challenged to start my week with my senses by Emliy Adams.

This 'sense-ational' sunday is focused on my very first mother's day. As most of you know I'm a first time mom to a beautiful little girl. Being a mom meets most & exceeds every other thought or expectation I had. I'm so glad I have her in my life. Here I go.

I SEE . . .

the sweet family I am a part of. I love waking up in the morning {as I did today} and finding my little one smiling at me, and then {looking at my sleeping hubby} wondering how I got so lucky as to have 2 people in my life who love me unconditionally.

I TOUCH . . .

her cute little curls. I have poker straight hair, which I love for its ease and variability in styling, but disliked due to its plainess. My daughter has inherited my hubby's curls; I love it with absolute envy. I enjoy playing with them.

I know that I'm going to have to teacher her how to take care of these curls so that she appreciates this wonderful inherited trait {she can always blame her dad for it ;) }. I just hope that she doesn't hate her hair as she grows up... it scares me to think that my daughter will have to face all of those images & messages to always be more beautiful. I want her to grow up feeling that she is beautiful. I have a lot of work ahead of me.

I HEAR . . .

Happy Mother's Day for the first time! I absolutely loved it. Thank you lulu for giving me this wonderful day!

I know that this day is set aside just for mom's, but I know that some families have only dads or gramdparents or aunts or uncles and some with mothers in heaven. As in my previous post, being a caregiver on a daily basis is hard and yet so rewarding. My best goes out to those of you who take on this challenge, responsibility & daily dose of love.

I TASTE . . .

When I geve birth to my daughter the first thing I was given to eat was some toast & jam. I have craved it ever since. That's all I ate {at all hours & among the other food handed to me} those few days in the hospital. I would get up during the night, with my hubby & new daughter asleep in the bassinet, to make & eat some toast & jam. When I was okay enough to start driving again, I went out to buy some field berry jam & that jar didn't last me a month.

So, to start this wonderful day & had some toast & jam. I also introduced lulu to grape jelly. She likes it!

I SMELL . . .

I think my brother said it well, a few weeks after lulu was born, "You really can't bottle this [baby] smell". {only to be told by my sister that he was holding the lotion bottle in which the smell came from... we all had a good laugh at that!}

It's so true. This one thing make me want to weep, its so sweet! When I pick her up in the morning I take a deep breath of her baby smell, and smile. When I finish giving her a bath at night, I do the same and know that all is right in my world.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my 1st 'sense-ational' sunday. Let me know what you see, hear, touch, smell, & taste.

I hope you take Emily's challenge and become more aware of your surroundings!
Cindy