Global Design #246 and Inspired by Challenge card

Margaret here guest designing for the Scrapbook Nerd - if you want to come play along join us Scrapbook Nerds & Friends on Facebook! 

For those who prefer to watch verses read I created a little process video over on my Youtube channel

 

Today I am using two challenges for inspiration for my card design! 

The Global Design #246 Challenge and the Inspired By Fresh Morning Challenge

I created two cards featuring Vicki Boutin's Color Kaleidoscope line with some of the 12x12 paper and the coordinating stencil pack and the Wild Flower and Honey cardstock stickers. 

I used the blender brushes and a color palette featuring Flirty Flamingo, Balmy Blue and Rococo Rose from Stampin' Up!

 Finished products ....

 Everything About You ... Loved Beyond Words

 Adore Everything About You!

Happy Stampin'

Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Be Totallyawake4-life

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Join us for an Adventure Challenge this month

Margaret here guest designing for Scrapbook Nerds and Friends! 

Feels so good to see the light at the end of the tunnel and have a handle on my immune system once again which means more energy allowing me some left over to get back into the craft room and get my hands inky!
 

This month's theme is Adventure with a bonus color challenge! 

 I opted to choose my inks from Stampin' Up! The Blushing Bride, Flirty Flamingo, Grapefruit Grove, Petal  Pink and Soft Sea Foam were a perfect match in my opinion! 

My idea of an adventure is being out in nature with the flowers so I opted to play with the Vicki Boutin color kaleidoscope stencil and coordinating cardstock stickers for my sentiment and paired with the color challenge palette!

I am just loving the Picket Fence Studio brushes - the come in all sorts of sizes on the Scrapbook Nerd website!I l love how the varied sizes allow you to get into tiny spots and provide a lovely blend!

 Here is my finished card - a perfect card for either retirement, bon voyage or just because!  

 If you would like to see it come together check out my process video over on YouTube! 

 Happy Stampin'

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life 

*this post contains affiliate links

June's Paper Pumpkin has arrived!

So excited when my Paper Pumpkin arrives each month! 

This month's Paper Pumpkin is all about #sharesunshine and this is the exclusive stamp set that comes with the kit!

If you love a good unveiling watch it here with my process video on Youtube! 

These are the 4 card designs that come with the box - perfect for new crafters or those in a hurry that do not want to have to think up their own designs - quick and easy yet totally adorable!!!!

 And these are 4 designs I came up with using the supplies from in my box but thing 'outside the box'!

I cut the sunshine card base in half for this card. Used the smile sentiment from the exclusive #sharesunshine Paper Pumpkin kit with versamark and black embossing powder and mounted on a new whisper white card base, basic black card front and embellished with some metallic pearls!

For my second card I cut a strip of the one card front and than mounted on white card base and used a black polka dot sticker, die sun die cut and a label and embellished with the kits bling!

 Card number three I cut the stripped card front in half and mounted on black card front on a white base and embellished with items from my kit! 

 Final outside the box design for today - again made use the card front by cutting it in half diagonally and than used kit embellishments to finish it off!

 Happy Stampin'

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life

*this post contains affiliate links

So Fun with Vicki Boutin

Margaret here guest designing for over at Scrapbook Nerds and Friends! 

Today sharing some fun I was having playing with the Vicki Boutin - Colour Kaleidoscope - So Fun Stamp & Die Set and alcohol markers with a pop of Nuvo drops!

Perfect card just to say 'love you' to someone special in your life!

Happy Stampin'

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life

Stop demonizing PRIVATE childcare operators

PSA for those who do not understand how childcare WORKS and a rant about those who continue to demonize 'private childcare' who should know how it works but do not seem to GET IT .... the stereo types around non profit being better verses private being substandard greedy villains drive me bonkers! 

I have listened to this rhetoric for 30 years working in the field for both non profit and private models and now operate my own private home based early learning program because after 17 years in 'licensed' sector I was just DONE with the constant changes that to me reduced the quality of the program with increased ratios and paperwork and policy that took time away from children and add little to no value to their actual early learning experience .... but I can tell you there is no PROFIT in Ontario childcare! If there were we would see childcare popping up beside every Tim Horton's and there would be no shortage of childcare! 

If there was a profit in childcare we would see business rise to meet it and being offering affordable childcare for ALL!

Reality is that regardless of the funding model we all operate under the same revenue cap of our license capacity as well as all face the same 'staffing' requirements under same licensing capacity and have the same fixed expenses around insurance requirements and other legislated expenses - so the only wiggle room for is for those things that are not FIXED - so their rent they might pay for their space and the ability to find 'money' not earned through their license - so fundraising or grants! 

I have worked for a non profit in my current region I live that paid me LESS than the private one I had left when I had to relocate ... and it was not a small non profit a 'chain' of over 14 centres. It was also very top heavy with 'management' positions that did very little for the 'front line' support.

The reality is that the only difference in private VS non profit is the priority that management/owners give to allocating funds they have to work with! There are non profits that divert disproportionate funds to management heavy salary positions so the front line has less resources and there are privately funded programs where the management is only the owner or the owner and a RECE supervisor and so there is more left for the front line!
And yes there are childcare programs where the 'owner' is rarely around but lets face it there are non profits where the 'Director' is rarely round either - they are out networking and doing other stuff so again BOTH models have management that are not hands on support to the front line but they also both have those who ARE ... again not the funding model but the HUMANS working in them! 

Non profits also have access to larger disproportionate funding from government, often they are able to secure FREE or REDUCED rent due to their charitable status, they get discounts on phone services and other services for same reason that reduce their overhead .... but yet there are still non profits that are poor quality programs because, and I will say this again for the people in the back, its not about the funding model its about the HEART/VALUES behind whose is running the program! And sadly there are people whose heart is in the wrong place in ALL models of childcare - just like in ANY profession there are those who excel and those who really should choose a different journey!

This post was sparked by someone comment that 'of course the greedy private childcare operators will be ready to open their programs on Friday' in face of the news this week that we can reopen as of tomorrow! IMO the far likely reason that 'privately owned' childcares might be ready to open this Friday is that they did not wait on the Ontario government to tell them what to do - they likely spent the last few months researching what every other country ahead of us was doing and started to formulate a plan and source the things they felt they were likely to need on their own because they have their heart and soul and all their own finances tied up in funding their childcare program and if it goes under they are not just out of a 'job' they are out their entire personal investment they have made! 

Honestly until all the people demonizing the private model want to step up and open NON PROFITS themselves can we please stop demonizing people who see a need in their community and rise to meet it .... the fact is that the challenge with operating a non profit is no one wants to VOLUNTEER to do all the hard work to get one up and running and to keep people sitting on the board that is required but yet they cast stones at those who see the need but want to be PAID for their hard work and the risk of their own funds and investment on an industry that has a capped revenue potential and go out of their way to try to make them drown with unfair funding and grants and campaigns .... you can invest in a Tim Hortons franchise or you can invest in opening a childcare centre in Ontario which one is the 'better investment' if all you are concerned about is sitting at home rolling in the PROFIT ... hence why there is a Tim Hortons on every corner and NOT a childcare centre 🙄
 
Rant over

Have a great day

Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Be Totallyawake4-life

June Sketch challenge of at Scrapbook Nerds

Playing with June's Sketch over at Scrapbook Nerds and Friends!  Head on over to Facebook and join the fun ~ sketches are a great way to get your creative juices flowing plus well Joy gives lots of fun prizes in her group!

 This is my take on the sketch playing with the Vicki Boutin - Colour Kaleidoscope - So Fun Stamp & Die Set and coordinating ephemera and Brutus Monroe Watercolor galaxy paper and a Wish die for the sentiment.

 Happy Stampin'

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life

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Classic Stampin’ Spot Techniques

The new Classic Stampin’ Spots Assortment on page 147 of the 2020–2021 Annual Catalog that goes live this week is the perfect little ink collection for your stampers. 

With eight colors including Basic Gray, Coastal Cabana, Daffodil Delight, Flirty Flamingo, Gorgeous Grape, Granny Apple Green, Real Red, Shaded Spruce, the lovely array of colors hits the spot. 

Here are some fun techniques to prove that some of the best things come in tiny packages.

• Block Background: Use the spot as a stamp. Turn it over and apply it directly to the paper for the cutest card on the block.
• Tasteful Texture: To mimic the wood grain of the In Good Taste Designer Series Paper, swipe the spot across the stamps instead of pressing the stamp to the ink.
• Layered Colors: Use the Stamparatus and apply the darkest colors around the edges of the image. Stamp. Then clean the stamp with your simply shammy and apply a lighter color in the center. Stamp again to create the look of a multicolored markered image

You can also create your own 'custom mini spots' using the uninked spots just add your own reinker color choice!

Happy Stampin'

Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Be Totallyawak4-life

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