I can't keep a secret.

So I came up with something to keep me occupied...

A contest!

Every second day (Beginning August 19th, Ending August 29th) we'll be giving away a different prize to the Blog Follower who correctly guesses what the hint is.

All of the Hints will be clues to the exciting announcement we will reveal on

August 30th.

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Contest #1, August 19th

Today's Hint is also the Prize.

(It's 3 little words.)

* To win this paper-pack just become a Follower of the blog & add your guess in the comment section of this entry. If there is more than one correct guess, a winner will be chosen at random. All guesses must be entered before midnight (MST). The winner will be announced the following day. Prizes must be picked up in person at our store. Good luck ladies!

Huge News.

... but I'm not telling. Not until August 30th.

And that's going to kill me.

So mark it on your calendar. Circle it. Highlight it. Set an alarm on your phone. Tell your husband to remind you (nevermind, that never works...). Check our blog on August 30th for HUGE NEWS. The biggest we've had in a long time.

Ideas.

10 Summer Layout Ideas.

1. Things that are exclusive to summer. When our summers are so short, they're worth the mention. I'm scrapbooking the berries that I always buy (pictured above) on the side of the highway. So juicy. So good.

2. Water. The beach, spray park or kids playing with the hose. There are so many great clear elements (ghost letters, transparencies, dimensional fluid) that can be used to inspire great Water layouts.

3. The Journey, NOT the Destination. There are great road trip & bicycle papers from My Minds Eye in-store right now. On your next trip take a picture of the kids sleeping in the seat or stopped on the side of the road. And the journaling possibilities are endless (What do you do to entertain yourself on a 5 hour trip?)

4. Your Summer Playlist. Most great songs remind me of one summer or another. This summer I've been listening to Jamie Callum. Love him.

5. Summer Snacks. I am dying to scrapbook the many pictures I have of Miles enjoying Watermelon. I am getting excited just thinking of the great combinations of red, green & black paper I can use. I have a good idea for a Freezie page that includes some winter paper too!

6. Toys. That can mean wagons, buckets & trucks. But even adults have summer toys. Our new toys for the summer are Kayaks. But I think I'll do a page of the boats and all the stuff that is now filling our backyard (life jackets, paddles, inter-tubes, towels on the clothesline, fishing rods...)

7. Nature. Like I said, our summers are short... There's only a short window for my Lilys to bloom & I am excited to capture them this year.

8. Your Favourite Time of Day. At the Lake, it's sunset. I have beautiful sunset pictures to scrapbook. But I also love it when it stops raining and the clouds break up.

9. PLAY. Kids playing at the park & with friends. Sibling that will actually play together when all of their friends are gone away. Men playing with their toys (quads & dirt bikes).

10. Dirt & Damage. Dirty feet. Cute little hands that played hard all day. The dirtier than usual summer clothes. Grass stains. Muddy boots. Scraped Knees. Bruised elbows. (And in our case, a baby with a head full of bruises.) Sunburns. Heat rash. Blisters. All signs of a good summer.

Summer Highlights

I've taken over 500 pictures in the past 3 weeks. Here are a couple of my fav's.

Miles sleeps on a boat ride.

Right before our Helicopter Tour of the lake. What an amazing view. Thanks to my cousin Sean!

Brian & I test out the new kayaks.

Beach Boys. Both tanned so well (and yes, I did cover Miles & put sunscreen on him. Still, he tanned really well....)

A new hat Auntie Kendra brought back from Peru. Unfortunately this summer was cool enough to use it. Blah. And a new bib from Tasha's store in Lloydminster (Um, anyone who goes to Lloyd HAS TO stop in at Home Hardware. I am in love. I bought a couple bibs, some candles, more snack traps, a weekend bag... unreal. They have a better baby section than almost ANY baby store I've been in. I was in there for over an hour. Alone. It was bliss.)

Just In Time...

Two more NEW Halloween lines are in-store. Once again I have picked the juvenile Boo To You as my fav. I love the paper, love the die-cuts & isn't that little Dracula brad the cutest thing ever? I'm thinking I know what Miles will be for Halloween this year...

And the second option is Spider Web. It's a little distressed, and doesn't have the matchy-matchy brads & chipboard but uh... LOVE the pumpkin paper & it's Victorian-Gothic feel. Perfect for tweens.

Early...

Two new Christmas lines have arrived (a bit early, or very late, depends how you see it). I am IN LOVE with this Colorful Christmas. It's so cute, perfect for kids, and excellent for any winter photos too. Plus, for the first time ever, My Minds Eye made coordinating Brads, Ribbons, Stickers & Chipboard.
Cute packaging huh? And the prices are great.

If you're wanting a bit more "mature" Christmas line, check out A Very Merry Day (pictured below), kinda vintage, totally traditional. Love it too.

Oh the choices!

New!

New lines from My Minds Eye have arrived & will be available in-store Tuesday. Come see Oohlala His & Hers (above) as the HUGE Abbey Road Line. (Pictured Below. But the Boys cars & dino papers are totally adorable and deserve a mention)

Try This.

Balance

I'm struggling to find it. I've been a mom for just over a year, and in that time, let's be honest, my business has deteriorated. I've enjoyed all the time I've spent with Miles, but when I go to my store (which was once my baby) I feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. I feel as though I have let people down. So I am going to take this opportunity to apologise to those who have been so supportive of me & to those who have tried... This fall my focus will be on improving the store. Everything. From the inconsistent hours, availability of basic products (cardstock & adhesive) and classes to the communication (or lack of) I have kept with you all. Thank you for understanding as I try to find Balance.

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1. Quality Time with Children

2. Quality Time with Husband

3. Personal Time to Relax (Doing nothing)

4. Time for a Hobby (Scrapbooking, Sewing, Reading...)

5. Time for Personal Health (Fitness, Yoga Class)

6. Time for Grooming (Getting hair/nails done, Showering)

7. Time Spent Online (Blogging, Facebook)

8. Entertainment Time (TV, Movies)

9. Time with Friends & Extended Family

10. Time spent Cleaning

11. Time Working (away from Home)

12. Time Spent Running Errands

13. Time Spent on Faith

14. Sleep

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Put these items into two lists

A. What you spend MOST of your time doing.

B. What is MOST important for you to spend your time doing.

(most desirable to you).

How do these two lists compare?

My Results.

A. 1. 12. 14. 10. 8. 7 & 11. 9. 2. 6. 2. 4. 3. 5. 13.

B. 1 & 2. 4. 5. 11. 9. 3. 7. 8. 14. 6. 13. 10 & 12.
Post your results in the comments section if you like. You do not have to leave your name.

Ummm.

Last night I saw Coldplay. And all I have to say is

"Gywenyth, I get it."

Oh Happy Day.

I'm going to see Coldplay tonight. Pretty excited (just to get out of the house). I am more excited that it makes my sister insanely jealous (because with her recent travels the jealousy has been going in the opposite direction). Anyway, makes me happy just thinking about it.

Other things that are making me happy?

1. Isabella. Our babysitter. We are so lucky to have her. I was telling Kim I had to go pick her up before 4:30 and Kim said "You're so lucky to have an "Isabella". You're right Kim, we are.

2. Starbucks. Was unusually fast this morning. I wasn't late for work!

3. Jesse. I get to have a drink with her & Kim before the concert. I haven't seen her in forever! Yay Jesse! Yay Drink!

4. Tomorrow. Brian & I both have a day off together... what to do?

Woop woop!

10 Reasons Why I Have Not Blogged

(in no particular order...)

1. No new stock. But now there is. We've got some adorable Doodlebug stuff in-stock & there's more great summer products on the way!

2. I was in Toronto. It was time to meet the rest of the Ross family! We put in some quality time with them and also with George Stromboulopolis who we met after seeing The Hour (thanks for the hook-up Lisa!).

3. Juliana came to visit. And that means red wine, long talks & a few nights out (which always result in late mornings). It was nice to see her & Steve & Egor. We miss them.

4. My house is clean. Which means the rest of my life is in disarray. Hey, you can't win every battle.

5. Summer. Every summer I drop off the "Blogging Grid". Check out past entries from previous summers... few & far between... It's just too nice out to stay indoors (unless of course you are scrapbooking!).

6. Miles turned one. And that meant planning a party (small, but a party nonetheless). And then of course there is recovering from that party.

7. My internet has been... "wonky".

8. I haven't scrapbooked. So no layouts to post. I plan on fixing that this weekend. Thanks to Kacey.

9. Shortened store hours. Every summer we shorten our hours for 2 reasons. A. We want to make the most of the short summers we have. B. Apparently so does everyone else, it's dead in here! So I'm at home more... and blogging less. I rarely turn on the computer at home, there's just so much else to keep me occupied.

10. Miles is walking. Full on, walking! And so as you can imagine, he's into everything (this morning he discovered nail polish & I spent the next 10 minutes on the phone with Poison Control... he's fine.) I like this age. He can do more, play more & get into more totally adorable trouble. Love it.