Kayla's genius:

My friend and co-teacher for the Christmas Class, Kayla Aimee, made this project as a freebie for you! She writes:

"I am absolutely covered in glitter. I've been making these Christmas trees out of old paperback books and I put together a tutorial to share with you! Check it out here if you are interested, they are cute, inexpensive and environmentally friendly! I really hope you like them. These vintage book pages are really showing up in my holiday decor this year: wreaths, trees, ornaments... it's very indicative of my scrapbooking style and I'm a crazy reader so it fits me well. Plus, if I decorated the house in Jeff's hobbies, I'd have to use tennis rackets and video games and I just can't make those into cute decor."

Isn't this cute? And it's just a taste of what you can expect from our Christmas class with a zillion projects!

A bit of good news today: Phil 2:13 [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.

Watch out for a special post/event on my blog tomorrow!
Much love

I *heart with chocolate* Sundays

Wonderful, family-filled Sundays are the best! right? Just a quick post this morning to tell you about my new favorite Christmas Album. If you are looking for something deep and meaningful in Christmas music then I can recommend this album by Downhere. It's not typical, it's touching. The song "how many Kings" are one of my favorite. ever.







Lyrics to How Many Kings :
Follow the star to a place unexpected
Would you believe, after all we've projected,
A child in a manger?
Lowly and small, the weakest of all
Unlikeliest hero, wrapped in his mother's shawl -
Just a child -
Is this who we've waited for? 'cause...

How many kings step down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
And how many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that is torn all apart
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Bringing our gifts for the newborn Savior
All that we have, whether costly or meek
Because we believe.
Gold for his honor, and frankincense for his pleasure
And myrrh for the cross he will suffer
Do you believe?
Is this who we've waited for?

All for me...
All for you...

Yippie!

"Created for this" is the winner of the class + the $20 voucher! Please email me @ wilna71 at yahoo dot ca. I am so excited for you! Then Grammy and Olivia won the MM Christmas Foam stamps! Be sure to drop me a line too! (with your address of course!)

If anyone wants to put our animation blinkie on their blog, we would be so happy! All you need to do is copy and paste the following code into a HTML Widget (for blogger) or a Typelist (for Typepad):
<a href="http://kaylaaimee.com/"><img src="http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/71babe/animated.gif"/></a>

If you have any questions about the class, please leave me a comment! If you want to register, click the animation to your left!

Remember this piece of good news: Phil 4: 13 I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].

Tonight we are having a family movie night!

Today!!!

I have been working this whole week non stop on this class! Kayla Aimee and I are collaborating to bring you the most creative Christmas ever! Registration is open (or will be very soon) so head over to the beautiful class website and read more about the class! Make sure to read the FAQs and all the other yummie information!
There will be more than 25 projects... all easy and fun and fabulously creative!

I am jumping up and down!! Like sharing candy with my friends! And to kick things off on a high note I will be giving away a spot in the class today + a Two-peas-in-a-bucket gift voucher (for $20) to one lucky commenter! If you have questions, please ask away in the comments too!

Lastly I just have to say that I made a Christmas edition watercolors for the Starbucks cup album as seen on Ali's Blog. We will be making this album with the new RED cups!

All that's left to say is: Happy registration!

Tomorrow...

is a big day. Even though today was too... for me anyway! I am so happy to proclaim 2 of my scrapping buddies making the CK Dream team! Laura and Jen: HUGE CONGRATS! You so deserve it and I am for sure one of your biggest fans! : )

I will do the drawing for the foam stamps tomorrow + our exciting announcement about a new and very creative class... : )

This page was on the Making Memories Blog today! You can see more details here. This week is Parent viewing at the dance studio and it makes me so happy to see my girls dance. Jana is such a comedy!


Till tomorrow!

Back to work...

After taking time out for travel and relaxing, it's back to work. I am already loving the routine just these 2 days! I have been getting emails with some exciting offers and now I am contemplating... considering the field, so to speak.
I have also been working non stop on something very exciting that Kayla Aimee and I have up our sleeve! You will not have to wait too long to find out. Only till Thursday! All I can say it's crafty and Christmas-ish. and beautiful. and fun. and creative! he-he. Sometimes with Christmas sneaking up on us, it's good to purposely embrace the season. and (sigh) the snow too.

Today, to get the seasonal excitement going, I want to give away a set of Making Memories Christmas foam stamps! Just leave me a comment.

As for some good news: I was reading Isa 55 last night and it's been staying with me all day today: "Hey there! All who are thirsty, come to the water! Are you penniless? Come anyway—buy and eat! Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk. Buy without money—everything's free! The good news is free! It doesn't cost anything! The Greek word for freedom, eleutherias, means without obligation! Also in James 1:25, the law of perfect liberty, is the law of spontaneity, without obligation! But sometimes this is so hard to believe. Yet, it's really THAT good!

Talk again soon!

down time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my mom!!!
This has been a whirlwind week: U2 Concert in Vancouver on Wednesday. Jasper today and Edmonton tomorrow! Sunday we are going Home and I am sure the absolute urge I have for routine would come to pass then. Absolute craving. For routine. and the duller the better.
The Concert was more than I ever bargained for. Except for some tender ears. It was truly magnificent! When Bono sang Amazing Grace, I cried. and now I am a U2 fan till the end. with or without you. he-he.
I would LOVE to show you some pictures, but my (little) camera-mac cable is packed in somewhere. somewhere deep and unknown. But I can show you a picture of Jana and I goofing in the cold... this was taken by the Doctor on Tuesday near Lake Minnewanka, Banff. After all this time away from my girls I just want to hug them as much as possible.

A bit of good news on a cold Canadian day:
Francois writes: ‘If you continue in My word, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free; and whom the son sets free, is free indeed.’ John 8:32,36. The word of Jesus is so much more than the red-letter edition Bible; it is everything that God spoke to mankind in Christ. Heb.1:1-3. Son-ship sets you free! The revelation that the son of man is in fact the Son of God is fundamental to the message of the gospel. Mathew 16:13, 16-19, Luke 15, Malachi 2:10, Psalm 82:6, Deut.32:18, Is.51:1, Ps. 22:27,30,31, Eph.3:14,15.

I will write again as soon as my life is as boring as possible.

Home for one day...

It sure is good to be home again! I couldn't keep my eyes open today... most probably because we walked miles and miles and slept very little In NYC. + I cannot seem to hug my 3 girls enough today. So happy to be home! But it's just for a day! We will be leaving for the Canadian Rockies tomorrow and will be gone for a week. On Wednesday Jaco and I will catch a flight to Vancouver for a day to watch U2 in concert. Just thinking about it makes my heart beat a little faster!



One of the highlights in New York City was the food. We ate at fantastic restaurants. Let me tell you:
Rosa Mexicana: Such a high end Mexican restaurant where they make the guacamole right in front of you. The food is so awesome... it's noisy, but happy!
Mesa grill: Our last dinner was at the mesa. Jaco said outright that never in his life did he eat better food anywhere... (I was not offended...he-he). And yes, it was out of this world. Also a little Mexican flavor with lots of corn-based-dishes. But OH! So, so, so fantastic. We will definately see Mesa grill again in our life. Oh, and remember to make a reservation a month in advance!
My personal favorite place was PUBLIC. a quaint little place in some kind of warehouse near Greenwich Village in Elisabeth street. I loved the atmosphere, the menu's (printed on ledger paper) and the food! We had our farewell brunch there. I will definitely go there again (and again). Just lovely.
We strolled down Bleecker street. And we found Magnolia Bakery...known for the best cupcakes in the world. The line was out of the shop and my husband is not so hard pressed for cupcakes... so I decided it was good enough reason to return to New York. amen.

Miracle on 54th:
On Wednesday night we went to Rosa Mexicana and came back to our hotel late the night. I remember taking out my wallet wanting to pay the cab driver but putting it back because I didnt have enough small change. The next morning I picked up my camera bag and the little compartment where my wallet was in, was open and empty and I knew in a second I lost my wallet. I wasn't worried at all as I took out my visa the previous morning and put it in the safe in our room (we always do this ) so the only thing in my wallet was my drivers license, my health card and a debit card. Anyway, we went to breakfast and while drinking our lattes, I got a call on my cell phone from my bank in Winnipeg... asking if I lost my bank card. I said yes! and the guy said that my wallet was found and at NYPD in 54th street. when I picked it up, not even the cash in there was missing. Coincidence? Someone once said that coincidence is when God workds a miracle and decided to remain anonymous. : )

I am itching to be creative... but I will enjoy my family time right now!

So, those of you making my little album from Ali Edwards blog, I would LOVE to see it! Please link me in the comments to pictures of your project!

THEN:
Please vote for my friend Kayla Aimee as she is pursuing her dream: TO WRITE! It's just one click for you. : )


I am uploading all my NYC pictures to my Mobile me gallery to give the family a slide show!
Till later!

i woke up....

in a city that never sleeps! but what an awesome time. We are having a (mini) family reunion...Jaco's mom and dad are here as well as his brother, Andre (and his which we haven't seen in 5 years. Andre (and Denis) lives in London and have been living there so long, he is a real brit. He also knows NYC well as he works here a week in every month. It's just been a wonderful time connecting and spending time with them. and walking. walking thousands of miles. (he-he)

One thing of Andre and Denis is also that they know all the wonderful local places to eat. So, thus far, both nights has been fantastic dining. Tuesday night we had a fantastic (times 100) dinner at Pastis in 9th ave. It's a french bistro and we even got complimentary Champagne. Very appropriate for celebrating our reunion. Last night we had dinner at Rosa Mexicana. What can I say? The pomegranate margaritas was wonderful... And tonight we will be eating greek and going to see the Lion King. I cant wait!

Denis is our self appointed tour leader and as he is an architect, he has a vast knowledge of the structure and city planning of Manhattan. we did the downtown tour yesterday and visited ground zero. And the St Paul's chapel. This was the little chapel that was a home to all the relief workers. The stories told in the exhibitions there made me totally emotional. Just thinking of it make me emotional. What a horrible day 911 was. But that little chapel and the volunteers that worked there to me, was Jesus.
We also took the Staten Island ferry going past the statue and Denis took the typical tourist picture of the doctor and I. After downtown we took the subway to SOHO. What I love about NYC is the authenticity of it all. It's the original thing. Like the Prada shop's design and of course Anthropology.

Thanks SO MUCH for all the kind words about my Starbucks cup album. I was totally amazed! And the winner of the give away is: Megan that said...What an awesome idea! Starbucks Frappes are my weekness, and I love to indulge when I manage to get close to one. I may just have to do this special project to tell my story. Please email me! wilna71 at yahoo dot ca.
This post cost me $10. Yep. no free wireless at Hotel Hudson (where we are staying) but otherwise this is a wonderful Hotel. I love the location (on central park) Today Denis is taking us on the midtown tour. Our first stop will be breakfast to go at Wholefoods Market (reminds me SO much of woolies foods in SA). The we will be going up, up, up in the Empire State Building.
I will write again!

Just a bit of good news: Psalm 27:4 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple. In Christ this desire has been fulfilled and are we able to meditate, consider, and inquire!
Peace!

happy day!

I am currently in the air on my way to NYC! But Ali graciously said she loved my tutorial on making a Starbucks cup album and posted it on her blog today! So head over there and take a look! I asked a few amazing friends to make the project just to show some different perspective and here is what they did! Please click on each of their pictures to see their blogs...(and fantastic work) and then you can click here to go the flicker gallery to see all the albums... really inspiring!






























Oh, and just to celebrate a bit, leave me a comment and you can win a fantastic box of Making Memory goodies...
Smiles
Wilna
x