Over the Kitchen Counter: Angie's Place for Cooking and Crafts

Creative Memories Sunset Orange Gather Together

Aaack! The time is zipping by as I am getting ready for the arrival of far away family. I am so excited for my cousin from England to visit and I've been planning and prepping for meals and fun things to do. I've also been working feverishly on finishing my scrapbooking and getting up to date. I completed the Disney album (hubby was away and I powered through!) and then started on the backlog of family pictures. It has been going so well and it feels good to get current again - SO much easier to journal! The summer photos are in the album (one I had sitting on my shelf, I don't even remember the name of it!) and I've added extra pages to maximize the capacity, using up some strays I had lying around. It also feels good to use up what I have! Now that scrapbook is filled too and I'm starting on Fall memories.

Fortunately, I just placed an order with Creative Memories and should have a new book to continue on with tomorrow. I knew I couldn't miss out on the beautiful, new Sunset Orange Gather Together album. The coverset is gorgeous and 'features brilliant sunset orange bookcloth and is adorned with a stunning leaf design that shines in shades of oriental gold, copper and deep-orange foil'. I added the coordinating Gather Together Fast2Fab refill pages, mat pack, and paper packs. I find getting the whole set makes the process really quick without too much thinking! Hey, I get it done right?! I also added another album collection, Gallivant. It has amazing artwork and the colour scheme is perfect for me. Creative Memories has added so many fantastic albums and sets since I last placed an order. So tempting to buy them all but these two kits should last me a while. I find I use an album a year for 'regular' family photos and then add one or two for vacation albums. I adore the Fast2Fab concept and it has allowed me to keep on scrapbooking for all these years.

I noticed with this last album that at this stage of life, and in this era, my albums have changed quite a bit. Not only are there fewer photos from events and holidays, I have many more page spreads with singular pictures lifted from my kids' social media and taken from screenshots of silly snapchats they send. I am very thankful to be able to include these and they are often very quirky and funny. I know they appreciate them too since none of their snapshots actually ever end up printed. It's such a shame so I am certain they will all love having these completed scrapbooks in the future. It is so worth my time, effort, and money!

To end on an extremely satisfying and happy note, my son's girlfriend added a bunch of albums to my order. She is working on gathering her pictures and told my son that after checking out the retail brick-and-mortar stores, Creative Memories albums are what she wants and are the best. That just warmed my heart and I'm pretty sure looking at all my albums influenced and inspired her. When I pulled out all my punches and supplies her eyes lit up and she was super excited to get started! Yay!

Scrapbooking Catch-up

As a follow-up to my post about the SPROCKET PRINTER and HAPPY MEMORY KEEPING, I wanted to let you know that I give two thumbs up to both. I am loving the immediacy of being able to print out little pictures every night and scrapbook the day's memories. It is so easy and super, super fun! I am so glad I purchased the sprocket printer and I am very satisfied with it. Sure, the photos are not print-lab quality but they are perfect for what I am trying to create in the Happy Memory Keeping album - quick snapshots of my day.

While I'm keeping up with the daily planner I am also powering through my Creative Memories Disney album. This is a 'proper' scrapbook, full of our trip photos and memorabilia. The project was a little slow to start but this past week I had the passion re-invigorated and I have been taking every spare minute to get my pictures onto the pages. I finished up this weekend and now will just go back and fill in the details then add some cute titles and embellishments. Most of the 'hard work' is done and now I can get to having fun and being creative with the decorating. I've had the kids journal their respective pages and my daughter's trip notes are perfect for helping me remember each day's schedule.

Once again I have been reminded that a) I am pretty good at this and I was able to fit in all the photos and use almost all the paper in the CM Imagine packs and album kit. Somehow, it all just came together and b) I had so much fun reliving the amazing vacation. Every couple weeks the kids will pull a scrapbook or two from the shelf and look through them. From their childhood pics to family holidays, seeing them sitting on the couch and laughing at their hair styles or clothes, birthday parties or holiday celebrations with the extended family, MAKES me keep doing this hobby. I feel so warm and fuzzy knowing that they can see what an incredible adventure they've been on already, with fantastic memories of a wonderful childhood...and many more special days yet to come!

Happy Memory Keeping

I am so excited for September when I will start my new Happy Memory Keeping planner from me & my BIG ideas. Because I purchased the hp sprocket and can now instantly print photos of the day, I knew I wanted to pair it with a planner for quick memory keeping. The large, 8.5 x 11in planner has slightly larger rectangles than the Classic planner I am currently using every day to keep me organized and on track with my to-do lists. The sprocket prints fit perfectly into those spaces and that makes everything so fast and easy when it comes to this kind of scrapbooking.

The specially designed memory keeper album is spiral bound using the Happy Planner discs and the pages are removable. It is a 12 month undated planner so you can begin any time and has both monthly and weekly calendar pages. There are laminated dividers and 23 additional themed pages. There are so many beautiful cover designs and styles to choose from, as well as metal or plastic discs, and even jumbo starter kits that include washi tape and sticker sheets.

I chose the slightly less expensive plastic discs version and since I have plenty of stickers and washi, I bought the stand-alone album. I think the cover is really pretty and the matching water colour artwork inside is too. I also picked up a large punch (I already have the classic size punch) to make decorating with paper and cropping standard size photos super quick and easy.

There are included 'month' stickers to label the divider tabs and I got a couple of sticker books for embellishing the pages with fun seasonal themes & holidays, as well as everyday titles, prompts, and boxes. There are always great deals and coupons at Michaels so it was a pretty affordable system. Unlike traditional scrapbooking, I intend to keep this upstairs where I can access it any time I have a minute. At the end of the day I can jot down any memories and notes (no need to make this complicated or perfect), add a quick photo or two, and adorn with a few relevant stickers. I love the idea of the monthly calendar pages too since I have made a few proper scrapbooks that way in the past. It's quite fun to look back on a typical month-in-our-lives, but this way it stays current and fresh without having to "back-scrap".

I will absolutely still be using my Creative Memories products and albums for my major scrapbooking (I am in the middle of a Disney vacation and my photos and papers are spread out all over my workshop table!), but I think this Happy Memory Keeping planner is going to be a fun way to record our regular days. I'm excited to get started!

hp Sprocket instant pocket printer review

I have been researching the hp Sprocket mini printer for a while and finally gave in and purchased it. This is a super fun pocket-size printer that instantly prints 2x3" photos using ZINK zero Ink printing technology. That ZINK feature is pretty much what sold me on this buy. NO INK! Because I am a Happy Planner and scrapbooker, I really wanted to be able to add small photos to my pages to help remember special, and perhaps even more importantly, everyday, moments. I tried using my regular printer to get those pics but a) I needed to wait until I had enough to fill an entire photo paper page, and b) my regular printer SUCKS ink and it was costing a fortune (and inconvenience) every time I printed. I didn't do this more that 3 times before I realized I needed a different approach. My source for printing regular photos only offers mini prints in a collage of 4 of the same so that wasn't cost effective, and certainly not convenient.

The HP sprocket is exactly what I was looking for. Instant prints, one at a time, right at home, no waiting, and with no ink. It cost about $160 for the printer and the packets of paper are about $25, making each photo about $0.50. To be honest, I am a gadget/electronic girl to begin with so the more I watched videos of this little guy in action, the more I convinced myself it was worth every penny. I am not disappointed!

My very first print was a little streaky but after that, they have been really good! The reviews are mostly favourable and I am having so much fun using the sprocket. It is so tiny and light, fits in the palm of your hand, and is really sleek (I got the white one with rose gold). It is so simple to set up and use and the app offers SO MANY fun features! It is really cool to be able to completely edit your pics right on your phone and add borders, text, fun filters, etc. I could play for hours! There is instant gratification to be able to print a photo immediately to include in your planner page right away. 

You can save your edited photos to your phone, share them on all the social media platforms, and even add them to a print queue to print later. You can print directly from those social media sites directly as well so that is super fast and convenient if you're willing to sign in and share data with HP. You can print on the go, enable mobile printing from other apps, and even create custom stickers from your own drawings. One feature I'm quite excited to try is the tile printing option. You can print out different configurations of a photo and then assemble them to create a large tiled mosaic print.

There is a photobooth mode and even a way to scan photos and link them to relive memories through more images and videos from the same day or location. Again, if you are willing to share your info and photos, there are available magic frames and hidden treasures, themes and seasonal additions that can allow for augmented reality experiences! That gets a little too weird for me but could be fun!

I am thrilled so far with this purchase and love printing my photos in just the right size for my planner. There are some instances when I can print a quick pic to represent an everyday activity that I probably wouldn't otherwise print (our weekend bike route, a picnic lunch, or picking veggies in the garden, etc.) and it's nice to be able to remember those moments along with the big birthdays or vacations.

I have even changed the way I'm going to scrapbook and memory keep because of the sprocket and can't wait to share what system I have put together!

Royal Wedding Celebration!

I am very excited for the Royal Wedding on Saturday and will definitely be up early to watch. Even hubby is on board knowing I will be serving English Cream Scones at 6:00 a.m. There is nothing like enjoying these tender biscuits with clotted cream or Devonshire Double cream and a wonderful jam. I made a special trip to the British foods store to gather all I needed for the day and it took all my willpower to talk myself out of getting the souvenir Meghan and Harry gold-rimmed plate.

There is a bit of the Christmas fruitcake I made last winter to serve as a wedding cake stand-in (since I don't have time to make a Lemon Cake this week) and I plan on Cornish Pasties with potato, onion, and swede/rutabaga (you can find the recipe I used IN THIS POST) for dinner.

With all the media coverage on t.v. I had to pull out my scrapbook from our trip to England in 2016 to find my photos of Windsor (see them HERE) and re-live that amazing tour of the castle. It made me yearn to return and we so enjoyed the town of Windsor it is hard to see everyone standing where we stood, celebrating without us. Well, it looks like it will be a beautiful day and I cannot wait to see the bride and groom.

You can watch me make scones in my video below...an excellent treat to serve with tea!

Creative Memories Crop Caddy

I didn't technically need a new storage method for my Creative Memories tools and supplies but as soon as I saw the video release of the new Crop Caddy, I was smitten. I loved that there was a place for the most-used items, including pockets for all the Custom Cutting System patterns (which I'd had tossed in a drawer! Not the ideal way to stash these precious shapes). The tote is a great price so I treated myself to an organizer I knew would work well on my cropping table.

When it arrived (along with some other goodies like paper packs, variety mats, and tape runner refills) I was surprised how small and compact it is. It sure does hold a lot of stuff but doesn't take up much room on my desk at all. I couldn't wait to fill it up and referenced the video once again to see how CM added all the supplies. I even had room for my heart and wavy square cutting patterns which had sadly been stored away since we moved over two years ago.

I love the tiny square pockets for the corner rounder, pens, and tape runner but I did find it a bit of a tight squeeze for my trimmer. I don't know if it's because it's an older model but it kind of looks like a snug fit on the video too. That would be my only criticism but it's a minor thing. The trimmer just goes in on a very slight angle.

I much prefer having all my stuff right beside me rather than tucked away in a drawer. I find I use my cutting system more now that it's at my fingertips and I no longer go searching for my pens, scissors, and multi-purpose tool (one of my all time favourite and most used items!). I was correct in my original instinct that I should absolutely order this cute and functional caddy. :)

I have been scrapbooking like crazy and having such a good time doing it. I am almost caught up from the spring, except for our summer getaway to New Brunswick. I plan on doing a separate album for those travel pics so I look forward to concentrating on them when hubby is away for work. I'm excited because I love having fun with the small 8x8 albums - they are so quick to put together and I have to get creative to make everything fit in a beautiful way. I also finally got to use the Maple Leaf punch I ordered a while ago and it is SOOOO PRETTY! It punches so smoothly and crisply and makes gorgeous leaves just the right size. I added them to my Canada 150 day page AND they worked perfectly on our camping photos layout. Love it!!!

Celebrate Canada Creative Memories Haul

I love the new Celebrate Canada album cover from Creative Memories and I knew it would be perfect for this year's '150' celebrations and summer vacation pics. It came in a wonderful special offer bundle complete with a maple leaf punch and matching paper pack (also called Celebrate Canada). Once it all arrived I was delighted with the beautiful foil decoration on the front cover and it's been a long time since I indulged in a new paper punch. The detail on the leaf is really nice and I'm sure I can use it on many layouts (thinking about gorgeous autumn pictures).

Of course I added a few extra goodies to my order since there were some super sweet 8'x8" coversets released too. The Teal Dots album is so, so pretty and since I love that format, it will make a great quick 'getaway' album for a future trip. I always make sure to add refill pages so it's ready to go when I am eager to scrapbook.

It has literally been years and years, ever since I started cropping with Creative Memories, that I have purchased any Custom cutting system patterns. I decided to get the new rectangle set because, although I don't really cut up my photos often any more, I thought this shape was particularly versatile and useful. They just give an interesting softness to the page and allow for co-ordinating decorative paper mats with an even border (versus using a corner rounder punch).

Finally, I included a couple packs of Baby Boy Woodland Whimsy refill pages and a matching variety pack of journaling/matting papers. Although the design is intended for juvenile male pages, many of the prints are perfect for nature photos, camping, hiking, etc. so I thought they'd be great for the Canada album. I've been so spoiled with the pre-designed pages that I don't think I could go back to facing a blank white page! The artwork and photo boxes give me just the right jumping off point for my creativity and I love them.

So now it's just a matter of finding the time to get scrapbooking! We have been so busy that by the evening, we just collapse and catch up on Game of Thrones. The weather has been lovely lately and we are not spending much time indoors, let alone down in the workshop. Plenty of time for that later and now I have the supplies and am keeping up with my once-a-month photo printing schedule, I'm good to go when the time is right.

 

P.S. There is also an Americana album cover too!

Hexie Scrapbook Page & Dozens of Albums

I only have a few more posts about hexagons! Since I just had to document my fun new obsession with English Paper Piecing, a scrapbook page was in order. I dug out my old hexagon punch from Creative Memories and it was just right for my title. I added a few pics of my basted fabric, finished flowers, favourite needles and of course, a close-up of my fingers actually stitching.

I have been slowly adding p-touch date labels to the spines of my albums because I have completed so many that they are getting hard to distinguish. I know what many of them are by sight but even I am having a tough time locating a particular scrapbook when I want to see certain photos. I know it's impossible for my kids to find what they're looking for and since they have been requesting certain ones as of late, I needed to fix the problem before it got worse. It's too bad CM never really came up with a classy, at-home solution for labelling.

My friend was the one who told me she simply uses a label maker and while it doesn't look the best, it gets the job done and they seem to be adhering to the book cloth well enough. It is taking me forever because when I open the album to check the dates it covers, I MUST look through all the pictures! That leads to snap-chatting the kids the funny ones, posting on Facebook to share the great memories, and general reminiscing of all our wonderful times together. This exercise has made me re-appreciate that I've been blessed with a fantastic life, recall what amazing places we have travelled to, and admit we go to Disney World a LOT!

I also confirmed what I already knew...that the photos of my loved ones who are no longer on this earth are some of the most cherished of all. Obviously, they mean so much to me to keep their spirits alive and faces fresh in my mind. Without those pages and my journaled notations, eventually my relatives would not be remembered by future generations. I hope my many albums survive the passing of time and are kept by at least one interested descendant. I love the photos of my blind grandmother holding my hand, the close-up of my grandfather's pipe, sitting on my dad's lap as a baby, my brother carrying me in his arms when I was a child, and my mother's hands rolling out pastry and her fingers holding a delicate tea cup handle. That's why I took the photo of my own hands sewing...I hope one day it means as much to my children.

Holiday Scrapbooking

I've been scrapbooking our vacation pics on the holiday weekend...and I'm almost finished! I had a blast re-living a great trip (one of my favourite aspects about the hobby) and am thrilled to have got the whole album put together in a couple of days. The 8"x8" size album is so fun to work with because each page comes together quickly. I tend to take a lot of close-up shots so there isn't much cropping to do. That makes for beautiful photos but also presents a challenge in a small album. I find myself loading up the empty pages with my photos, making use of every inch. I didn't have room for a lot of embellishments but I think the layouts turned out great regardless - clean and simple with the snapshots taking centre stage. I also didn't leave much room for journaling but with this type of relaxed beach vacay, the photos are pretty much self-explanatory!

The Cool Serenity designer paper pack I picked from Creative Memories was absolutely ideal for my pictures. Not only were the prints and colour palette great for sunny ocean photos but the tones of the shades just seemed to work perfectly. I added some memorabilia using little plastic envelopes (shells, etc.) and popped up tickets and business cards with some dimensional adhesives (I still have a few kickin' around from my card making days).

My final steps for this album are to add a few notes under some photos and add page protectors before I share it with the family. Oh, I also have to clean up the absolute disaster of a table in my workshop. When I crop I go for hours full speed and don't stop to organize or clear the scraps until I'm done (I kind of quilt like that too). So. Much. Fun! Enjoy your day!

Beachy Scrapbook, Hexi Stack & Rhubarb Cake

It's time for me to put away the quilting stuff and work on my holiday scrapbook over the weekend (which happens to be a long one in Canada). I chose this pretty blue 8"x8" coverset (from Creative Memories) and the Cool Serenity paper packs to go along with it. I think they will be perfect for my beach-themed photos and I am looking forward to getting started.

As I wait for the weekend to start I have been slowly working on a quilty gift downstairs while stitching away at my hexies upstairs. I am pleased with my total of 43 completed flowers so far and it's very satisfying to see them starting to stack up in my container. I can't wait to begin setting them out on the design wall and joining all those colourful Grandmother's Flower Garden units together. I've purchased yet another quilt book with ideas for using hexies in gifts and small projects because I'm already anticipating the hand-piecing hole in my life when this current English paper piecing quilt is finished - even though it's probably years away! I'll share the book in a future post since I pre-ordered it and have to be patient for it to arrive.

I've also been doing a little baking since the rhubarb is up in the garden and must be eaten (hey, while it's fresh right?). I've stewed some for dessert topping on yogurt and ice cream and just pulled an Upside Down Rhubarb cake from the oven (which I shared in THIS POST and THIS POST) and it smells amazing! You can watch my video recipe below...yum!

Other than that, I've been getting ready for 3 graduations and 3 birthdays! That is a lot of thinking, prepping, and shopping to do and I imagine I will be all out of gift ideas after that...