Belle Papier {pretty paper}

Yes…you are on the right blog! Grin. Major facelift here. I just wish I looked so good! If you’re reading this on google reader or other feed, please come visit. I have a beautiful new blog template. Sara Williams rocks! She worked so hard to get it ready in time for World Card Making Day…October 3rd. Unfortunately some server issues made us wait until now but I’m just thrilled that it is working! No more grey!

Sara from Tweaks and Designs has just done an incredible job. She worked so hard to make the template “me”. The colors, the images, the feel is just so perfect. I love beautiful things and this new blog template is inspiring me to get creative. I need a bit of that right now!

The other thing that may have you wondering if you’re on the right blog is the photos. No paper crafts today. Over the past few weeks I’ve felt a need to do some fall nesting and just recharge my creative batteries by doing so home-related projects.  Here’s a little peek at some of the things I’ve been working on…

Another thing I’ve been working on is a new blog. I know. I think I’m a little crazy to be starting that as well but I really wanted to be able to go a different creative direction now and then and didn’t want to bore you here if it’s not your thing. It’s called finding beauty @ home and it’s a whole melting pot of things. Creative home projects, recipes, ramblings on being a stay at home mom, a few inspirational thoughts and whatever else I may think of! LOL If that’s something you’re interested in, stop by and say hello. And if not… Don’t worry! I’ll still be paper crafting and posting here. I just need to find the right balance in my life.

Quick Tip: If you need to charge your creative batteries, switch creative gears for a project or two. You’ll be glad you did!

Thanks for your support!

Change is good. Change is everywhere these days. Sometimes it’s not so fun. There’s been some companies folding and those that want to stay in business are doing some serious restructuring. The entire crafting industry is changing and it’s interesting to see how things will be. Seriously, I don’t think it’s entirely a bad thing. We may not like the transition but I do know that hard times do make us stronger. It makes us think of new ways to do things.

So. Where am I going with this? Changes are coming for me as well. I’m sure most of you know that I’ve been on staff with Cornish Heritage Farms for almost two years now. It’s been a fabulous job. I’ve grown, learned and stretched my abilities and gave it my all. Unfortunately due to the present economic climate, both Becky and I have been laid off. And that’s OK. While most companies are carrying massive debt, CHF’s policy is to not run with a deficit. And I  respect that immensely. What does that mean for me? A lot of things actually. I’ll have a little more time on my hands. I’m going to spend more time with my family. Lots more. Yay! I’m looking to explore new creative outlets and possibilities. I’m excited because although the transition can be tough, I know God has something special in store for me.

I’ll be with CHF until next Friday, the 21st of August. I know this sounds quick but I’ve had lots of notice. Thanks so much Richard and Liz for the wonderful opportunity of working for CHF. It was always a joy, a challenge and a great experience.

So what will you be seeing here on my blog?

• You’ll still be seeing some CHF designs and stamping. I’m STILL designing stamps each month for release and I’m excited about that. Thanks Richard and Liz for this awesome opportunity. I love it. And yes…I’ll still be sharing some of that rubber with you.
• I’m going to have some fun with other paper crafting products and explore some different ideas and see where it leads
• I’m going to be part of a new team….you’ll have to wait for the details
• I’ll still be writing for Craft Critique and sharing those reviews with you
• I’m still going to be designing freelance for publications
• I’ve been wanting to get back to scrapbooking. Becky has been nagging me for months and I’m really going to do it
• I’m going to finish off a couple Jessica Sprague courses and do some digital projects
• I’m going to practice my photography
• I’m going to blog a little less. Probably the same amount of projects…just blogged together instead of daily.
• ? Who knows!

I hope you’ll stay with me as I journey along.

Change is good.

We have a new addition here at the Stainton household. We thought five kids were enough so don’t worry…not another one of those. We have a new puppy.  We lost our 13yo German Shepherd in June and we wanted another so Friday night we got a new puppy. So much for my stress-free weekend! Seriously…I think a new puppy is more work than a new baby. At least human babies stay where you put them and will wear a diaper! It’s been a long time since we had those 13 puppies born Christmas Day. Fourteen years to be precise and at that time we had their mom to help look after them. I knew it was going to be busy but by Saturday morning I was thinking, what HAVE I done?! Actually he’s really starting to settle in already and is such a smart little guy. He really is little as he’s not quite 7 weeks old. After MUCH debate, we named him Maximus. The kids are loving him and it’s been great for getting them outdoors more.

Here he is with my 6yo. That should give you a little idea of the size. I’ll get some better pics to share soon. He’s just been a busy little guy and hard to catch a photo of!

***** It’s time for summer CHA again and I’m once again staying home. That’s a good thing with the new puppy! It’s been fun seeing the new sneak peeks so far and what I’m really looking forward to is keeping an eye on what’s going on with Craft Critique. Many of the reporters are off to check it out and they always provide great coverage. Keep your eye on Craft Critique as there will be updates there throughout the day once the fun begins!

Life is Beautiful

Here’s a quick card I put together. I’m loving this dotted Bazzil cardstock…so pretty and I still love those Jenni Bowlin 4×4 mini papers. I bought some more that arrived while I was on vacation and I can’t wait to get into them!

Stamps: Ornamental Beauty (The Rummage Bin line) by CHF

Ink: Black Memento by Tsukineko

Paper: cardstock by Bazzill Basics, 4×4 paper by Jenni Bowlin, Simply Smooth white cardstock by Cornish Heritage Farms

Other: voila trim by Prima, ribbon, circle punch, Copic markers

Have a beautiful day!

My husband came running in the house Monday night telling me to grab my camera. Now this is not an ordinary occurrence…he usually shuns the thing but after a day of rain, there was the most stunning rainbow I have seen in years.Across the road and fields of Fall wheat this rainbow was just radiant and spanned in a complete arch from side to side. There was no way to capture it with my camera as my lens is not wide-angled. Here’s one of the few pics I managed to take right before my camera battery died.

Now image my surprise this morning to wake up to everything well-blanketed with snow! Hmmmm…are those costumes for Friday night going to fit on top of snowsuits?! I totally can’t believe it because I had the boys standing out waiting for the bus for a long time. The delayed the bus by two hours. What a day!

Now as for the layout part of the post…it’s layout challenge day again.

We’d love to have you join us for this layout sketch challenge! Jennifer Roach has also created a sample for this layout…check it out here!

The Story of Us

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Well…this is NOT a football post. Actually this is a milestone for me. Today is our 19th anniversary and we’ve been married half of my life. I guess that gives my age away but I’m really not one of the people who hide it. While we’ve had hard times, we’ve had lessons, we’ve also had many, many joys that far outweigh them. I know I am incredibly blessed.

the better half

OK I will admit this “recent” photo is a couple years old. I really wanted to create this layout today to remember my thoughts and I just couldn’t find anything more recent of us together.

Take care!