September, where have you gone?

"Hmm, that's odd, the blood usually gets off on the 2nd floor."

-Mr. Burns, Treehouse of Horror V

^^^

I'm offically into Halloween mode now. I've been watching some Treehouses of Horror (annual tradition), and the quotes just make me laugh so much, there are some really good ones.

This month has gone by so quickly I can't believe it. It makes me sad knowing that half of Fall is gone essentially, but I'm also excited for October, which is probably my favourite month of the year. So much to look forward to, so much to do! Heather and I made a "Heather and Geneviève's October Spooktacular" calendar with all our activities laid out for the month. We have pumpkin carving, a "spooky" dinner party, 3 craft nights, a Halloween inspired photoshoot, and every week we are going to watch a scary movie. It's going to be so fun!!

Anyway, just wanted to share some pics of the beginning of my living room wall collage. I've seen plenty of decor magazines with collages like these and I love them so much, so I've decided to start one with what I have, and I'll built onto it when I find more treasures. I got the cross stitch and the oval frames from Value Village, and I inserted a picture from a Toast catalogue in the other frame, I'll switch it out when I get tired of it. I also have my little deer plaque I've had since I was a baby and my Flea market frame. Soon I hope to fill the entire space above the couch, but half the fun will be hunting for what I want to add.






I finished my Fall book last night, I'm scanning it tonight, I'll probably post tomorrow.

Until then, welcome Spook Month!

Preparing for a weekend of...

sleeping, tidying, mopping, dusting, sweeping, laundering, picture hanging, rain watching, movie renting, crafting, contact paper installing, closet organizing, sandal storing, cookie eating, hair cutting and hubby kissing.

I ordered my glasses today. Two pairs. One "nerdy" and one less nerdy. Can't wait to get them...in 2 weeks. Darn me and my Marfan.

Working on another Toast pages "book" like the one I made this summer. Hope to get alot of it done this weekend, I will post again if I do :)

So, I had some leftover contact paper from when I did my cupboards, and it hit me one night in bed that I should made decals out of it, like I saw on Rachel's blog, so I made a branch for my room and quickly did a free hand "Love" for my living room. Not sure if I'll keep them, but the neat thing is that if I don't like them, I can just remove them and try something else!



Been annoyed lately with my body. Its lack of fertility is something I try not to think about, but as that 1 year mark approaches, I can't help but wonder what the hell is going on. Time is passing, we're getting older, and I want this stage of my life to begin. I keep hoping for the best, that's all I can do at this point. But I am annoyed.



Well, that's all. My mind's blank, time for sleep (been super tired lately, it's the Season.)

Night night. Happy Weekend everyone.

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf...

Welcome Autumn.

Oh my word...

...I scrapped. It's a friggin' miracle. And, even more, it's a 12X12! And, gasp, I used a REALLY hard sheet of BG patterned paper that I would have otherwise never been able to use. But I've decided during my weeks long hiatus that I'm not going to be so hard on myself when I scrap, I'm not going to compare myself to the girls I so admire, I'm not going to worry about technique or which products I'm using or if everything looks exactly perfect, I'm just going to sit down, scrap what I can manage and be happy about it. And you know what? It worked.

I have a bunch of pictures from my sister's wedding, and since her colours were pink, black and white, most of my pages will have those colours and nothing else. I also decided to play in the the OLW challenge, which was "Love". Easy peazy.

[Story behind the journaling: My sister decided to make cupcakes for her wedding instead of a traditional cake, so she spent hours making around 80 cupcakes, and I helped her ice them all. Then, when the wedding day came, we brough them over to the site and stored them somewhere to keep cool, since it was August, and then with the hussle bussle of the wedding and meal, everyone completely forgot about them. By the time they remembered, everyone had gotten up from their tables and were scattered all over, making it impossible to eat them. So, all those cupcakes went to waste. So sad, but true. Also, so Daphné.]

Supplies: B&G & Love Elsie, Sassafrass flower, MM letter stickers, office label, Hello Kitty sticker, Wal Mart ribbon trim, K&Co die cut shapes, Hambly overlay.

Thanks for looking! Hopefully there will be more to come soon! :)
G.

2 years ago [yesterday...]

...I was walking down an aisle made of dirt under gorgeous grapeleaves at a beautiful nursery, surrounded by friends and family, to "Canon in D". My dress had pollen and dirt on it, my curls were starting to fall out from the heat, and my husband-to-be was wearing the wrong (and very shiny) shoes. My grand-papa's Rosary was looped around my 15$ bouquet I had made the night before, and I don't remember a thing that we said as our vows. We ate pork and orzo, sweated to death in the cozy dining room, and took pictures in the garden. We cut the pie, and Dan fed himself, and people laughed. We relaxed, kissed and left for our honeymoon by 8pm [afternoon perfection.] I loved every second of that day, and remember it with more joy every year.

Since it was our 2 Year Anniversay, Dan and I talked about [over our romantic Chicken Burger dinner], the past year, the good and bad. Here are some reflections I've had about my 2 year marriage to my best friend and Balance in Life, Dan:

1. The two best things that happened to us this year:

-Dan graduated school and we both started working, meaning less strain on us financially

-We moved to our own place, what I would really call our first "home"

2. The two worst things that happened to us this year:

-Dan had to live in Springhill for 8 months of the year for school, so we were apart [again]

-Because Dan was in school, money was tight, making the year boring and stressful

3. The two funnest things we did this year:

-Travelling together on a real trip for the first time and also seeing a concert together

-Our teepee trip for our Anniversary last year...one of the best mini-trips we've taken for sure

4. Two things I've learned about our relationship this year:

-We genuinely enjoy spending time together and miss each other when we're not together

-We are good at negotiating, compromising and coming up with [and reaching] goals together

5. Two things that will never change:

-Dan will never close the shower curtain after he takes a shower

-I will never stop nagging him to close the shower curtain after he takes a shower

6. Two dreams for the upcoming year:

-We start really saving for a house

-We have a child

7. Two things I think that make our marriage strong:

-Time apart

-Complete trust

8. Two things I hope we never stop doing:

-Calling each other "Babe"

-Hugging every single day

9. Two things that have surprised me this past year:

-How hardworking and dedicated Dan is at everything he does

-Money helps (really, sad to say, but it's true, we are much happier now that we have 2 good incomes)

10. Two things I wish for our future:

-That we not only love each other forever, but also really LIKE each other forever

-That we never forget the past, good times and bad.

Anyway, that's all, I just wanted to say that I'm super lucky to have such an amazing husband, after hearing stories from other people from time to time, I come home and realize just how lucky I am to have a husband who is loyal, hardworking, compassionate, giving, and who really wants to make me happy. I can't ask for anything more.

It's just going to get better and better babe! I love you.

Our "official" wedding shot...we look strange, but it's good for us!

My favourite shot from the day, my dad took it, it's natural and serene, I love it...

The funniest shot of the day, Dan's dad caught me, well, being me. Notice the black toenail and 10$ flip flops from Wal Mart...

I...

...am feeling better after being sick for nearly a week
...am debating whether to get nerd glasses instead of contacts tomorrow at my appointment
...am loving Value Village (of course)
...ate too much Treatza Pizza this weekend
...need a haircut, bad
...am ungrateful for what I have most of the time, but am trying to change
...will be married 2 years tomorrow
...am mad that I haven't scrapped in forever
...am even madder that I haven't picked up my camera in forever
...am eagerly anticipating the changing leaves
...want to go apple picking and Sara visiting
...am happy I went to church yesterday for the first time in forever
...love Catholics
...need to lose some weight
...want to pull out my scarves and hats
...become Martha Stewart obsessed at this time of year
...am into my 11th month of inertility
...am starting my Modified Work Week next week (every 3rd Monday off, woo!)
...don't really like the new Facebook
...have nothing to watch on TV (suggestions?)
...heart Ewan McGregor
...have my Halloween Movie List ready
...am getting sick of seeing "artsy" girls and their cool little homes/projects...we fucking get it
...need to eat healthier
...bought golden mums yesterday
...still don't quite get the appeal of the Coen Brothers
...need to start running/Pilates again
...really need/want a dining room table
...want to go home, but am trying to hold off
...am looking forward to nice weather this week
...will buy peaches tonight at the supermarket
...am starting to like my kitchen walls
...want to do something random
...am holding off on decorating for Halloween so far...but it's hard
...can't believe it's mid-September already
...am generally pleased with life.

[...need some pics to post!]

Vampire Love...[aka Mini post #3]

So I just finished reading the 2nd book in the "Twilight" series [aka the vampire love story]...I had never heard about these until I saw something on a Sunday morning show about the 4th book that came out back in August. They said it was the next Harry Potter [a bandwagon I never jumped on] and that it was about vampires and a teenage love story....I thought 'hey, I could get into that'.

See, I'm not much of a reader. I try to be, and sometimes I can get into it, but honestly, I think that I've lost too much of my attention span to be able to read like I used to. I can't focus for long periods of time, making it hard to read anything that I can't put down and pick up a million times. Sad, but that's the truth. I blame University. So there.

Anyway, so I went to loan the 1st book from my library, and hello, the waiting list was like 100 pages long, so I just decided to bite the bullet and buy the paperback for 12$. And I must say, I'm glad I did.

Sure, it's juvenile. It's melodramatic. It's teenagerish. It's filled with Dawson Creek-est vocabulary sometimes. But man, what a good, brings-me-back-to-being-17 love story! And the whole vampire thing is really right up my alley...I finished Twilight in a few weeks.

New Moon (the 2nd book) wasn't as good, I must say, but it was still good enough to hold my interest and even the werewolf thing didn't lose me. So, I am planning on getting the 3rd book this week and hopefully it will be better. It's a good end-of summer read.

Vampire Love. It's a good thing.

Idea Log [aka Mini post #2]

So, I want to get rid of my big, bulky 90s-ish entertainment centre (no offense Mama and Dave!) and get something smaller, sleeker and less...well TV-oriented. Something that looks like it's meant for something else, but just so happens to hold a TV at the same time (I also want to get rid of our huge TV in favour of a smaller flat screen, but that's another story...). So anyway, was checking out IKEA online (oh why can't they have a store on the East Coast?!) and found these that might do the trick...

All very different styles, but all the same basic idea. Since we just painted the kitchen I'm going to hold off on doing any major shopping/decorating for a bit, but in the up coming future I'm hoping to get the living room finished (meaning getting a chair/loveseat, some end tables and lamps, art for the walls and hopefully a new entertaiment centre...oh and some floating shelves...) I can see why they say Rome wasn't built in a day, it's going to take me years before I get this house the way I want it!

And that's the way I want it :)

Bonne fête mon amour...[mini post #1]

Today is this amazing, caring (and HAWT) man's birthday...the man I adore, my best friend, my balance in life, my husband :)

Happy 26th Babe! I love you.

Be Still my Heart...

i'm in love. my dream weekend-cottage look.

(i wish i could remember where i got this

picture, but i can't, i found it while surfing

madly this morning, sorry for the lack of

a credit!)

Message to myself

Dear Geneviève:

This is your Inner Artist speaking. Lately, I must say that you have been letting me down, BIG time. You know I'm in here, wanting to come out and play, yet you continually ignore me and my yearnings. You need to get your act together and FOCUS. Stop fidgeting, stop running around, stop thinking of 40 million things at the same time and just FOCUS. Sit at your desk (grab a comfier chair), clean it off, use your stuff that's now getting dusty and create something, anything. I know you really want to, and I don't really care what it is, as long as you let me free. Don't get up after 2 minutes to get something to drink, bring your drink before you sit down. Don't get up to go watch TV or surf online, use your hands and your heart until you have something done in front of you. Don't try any of your old excuses like "I'm not good enough", "I don't have the right supplies", "I don't have any ideas", because I'm not having it anymore. I know it's hard, I know you feel like you can't let me out, but it'll be so worth it when you do let me play. If you can't think of anything to scrap about, make a list, or use the Challenges you like so much for inspiration. Journal. Don't journal. Use pics. Don't use pics. Use old supplies. Use new supplies. Use your style. Try something new. I don't care. As long as you don't quit, as long as you do something, I know you'll enjoy and will get back into it. It's just a habit, letting me out, and you've lost it. Get it back. Get me back into your life. It's so much better when your Inner Artist is part of you.

Most importantly, remember your old Mantra:



Sincerely,
Geneviève's Inner Artist

Once in awhile...

...I can get a layout finished. I really just need to concentrate and follow through on my ideas, and not let something sit around too long and get stale. Be in the scrapping moment. Corny, yeah.

Anyway, here's a layout I made last night about my excitement over the end of Summer [sounds like an oximoron I know] and my joy that Fall is finally here. I'm not sure what size it is, probably 7X10 or something like that, the paper is a page from the Summer 08 Toast catalogue, I just really liked the little poem on the side so I decided to go with it. I'm going to paste this into my Art Journal, since that seems to be where all my odd shaped layouts go. I used scraps [yea!] and K&CO rub ons and die cuts. Love K&Co, always have, always will. I also used my awesome little black letter stickers as well as the stickers I got in my Sweet Twee Lab kit. Finish it off with a Prima, Daisy D heart and bracket, and Hambly overlay and you have yourself a little layout.

[Yeah, I didn't overexplain this layout or anything like that] :S



Anyway, since I'm a huge dork who's mostly just self involved [and bored] I thought I'd document my current scrapping moods/styles, just so that I can look back and see what drove me to do all these crazy [and probably soon dated] layouts.

1. Favourite type of Layouts to create: Ones about myself and/or "nothing" [oh boy, here we go...]
2. Least favourite type of Layouts to create: "Events" (aka birthdays, trips, etc...too hard and formal!)
3. Favourite part of the Scrapping process: Picking out the papers and embellishements, putting it all together
4. Least favourite part of the Scrapping process: Journaling, creating titles, glueing it all down!
5. Supplies I use over and over again: Letter stickers, flowers, Dymo, Patterned Paper, Stickers, Staples, Sharpies, found paper and objects
6. Supplies I wish I used more: Paint, Ink, Stamps, Glitter, Tools, My Computer
7. Favourite Manufacturers: K&Co, Hambly, Making Memories, "No Name" stuff
8. Favourite Kit Clubs: The Dozens, Sweet Spuds, Bad Girls, Cocoa Daisy, Scarlet Lime
9. Favourite Challenges: Scrapjack, Scrapmojo, One Little Word
10. Favourite Scrappers of the moment: Kara, Amber, Silje, Lindsay, Mandi, Christina
11. Pages that aren't my style but that I admire: Kate's (for her honest journaling)
12. What I think I can do well: Pick out papers/colours that go well together
13. What I need to improve on: Trying new things, journaling and title work, anything "techy"
14. What I hope my layouts will do: Brings others into my weird little word and allow others to see a piece of the real me, vanity and all
15. My style is: Messy, not straight, eclectic, bright, funky, full, young, shallow, light
16. Sometimes I wish my style were more: Grown-up, Technical, Elaborate, Deep
17. My biggest inspiration comes from: Other scrappers, Blogs, Home Decor, Flickr

That's all for now I guess, might do some more later. I changed my blog around a bit, made it a bit more "fall-ish" [oh yeah, I'm running with this Autumn thing], and I need to go through my Bloglist and update it. Anyone know of some good scrappy blogs to read? Kind of getting tired of the same old chicks (sorry!), I need something new.

In some non-scrappy news, I think that I'm finally decided on the colour for my kitchen...think pears, think cotton...this weekend when I paint it I'll be sure to show some before and after shots, it's going to be quite the difference! So excited :)

Well, bonne nuit all, until the next episode of "Geneviève's Scrapping Rambles"

G.

Goodbye Summer, you fickle jerk, and hello my Love [aka Fall]

Well, September is finally here, and to me this means the beginning of my favourite time of year, a time when I smile more, admire more, love more, enjoy more, relax more...it's the beginning of Fall. I absolutely love September-December for so many reasons. It's a feeling I get when I sense the chill in the air on my way home from work, when I see the leaves start to blush red and orange and gold, when the smell of cinnamon, pumpkin and spices fill my home, when the colours deepen and saturate, when sweaters and warm blankets become part of life, when holidays [including my all-time personal fav-Halloween] are around every corner, and when being home with the ones you love, or out in nature, are the best possible things in the world. Fall is perfect in my eyes. I'm at peace in the Fall. Let the season begin.

Well, now that I have that little declaration out of the way [I will be expressing my love for Fall several times over the next few months, so be warned], I can move on to some goodies I forgot to show off before I left for California. Two weekends ago I went to the Flea Market in my hometown, and I didn't find quite as much as I had hoped, but I did manage to spend my 100$ and get some nice things.



Got these cute little salt and pepper shakers for 2.50$, they are so adorable, and the colours go well with the colours I'm now thinking for for my kitchen (more on that later.)



This is the largest thing I bought, for 40$, and I absolutely love it. It's a handmade blanket holder/shelf. I love the rustic, country look of it, but I also love how it's black and kind of gothicky looking, like something you would have found in a house in Salem in the 1600s (see, I love Halloween and Fall...) The tree detail is creepy and lovely. Love it.



This is probably my favourite find. It's an old painting of the Virgin Mary, and I think she's beautiful. The colours are rich and go well with my yellow walls, and the old frame just adds to the vintage feel of it. I bet she used to live in an old Catholic church basement somewhere, watching over everyone as they went by, and now she gets to watch over me. The best 18$ I've spent :)



This was a cheapy find. The frame only ended up being 5$ since the mirror that used to be in it broke on the way to the Flea Market. I decided to staple in some material I got to make some throw pillows for my couch, I think it turned out ok. It might end up going in bedroom, I'm not decided yet, but I will definitely find a place for it.

I also got some more beads (blue), some delicious Oreo fudge and other misc stuff. Good time, can't wait for next year :)

This weekend my parents came up for the weekend, and although the weather wasn't great, we had a good time. On Saturday we headed down Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore to a place called Clam Harbour Beach, a beautiful white sand beach right on the coast. It was a bit chilly and windy (I had my fall jacket on), but we had a little picnic and enjoyed the beach (Félix especially enjoyed himself.) Here are a few pics from the day.

There are more on my Flickr, as always.

Well this is getting long so I'll go, I have some more stuff to post later, including a little layout I'm working on now, hopefully I'll get to post later. I must say, my scrapping has dropped dramatically, I'm hoping that the new season will inspire me (my craftiness usually goes up in the Fall, we'll see if that translates into scrapping.) Before I go, here are some funny shots of Dan, poor guy always has the camera in his face, but he's so cute, what can a girl do?



Here he is playing with his new toy, the mandolin he got while down in California (and early Christmas present.) He's already learned about 4-5 songs and he's only had it a week, he's so talented! I love him so.



Well that's all, hope everyone is enjoying the holiday and the beginning of the new season!

G.