Me and My Big Ideas - Lacey Charm Album

I usually buy albums in person but I found it is cheaper sometimes to order them online. At a craft store like Michael's the albums can go for $40.00 (CAN) if not more I've also bought some albums at "Dollar Stores" or variety stories for about half the price but that is still just the book. I found some wonderful books on amazon including this one. For just $34.99 (CAN plus free shipping), I got the beautiful album, 20 pages (12 x 12), three sheets of stickers and a spool of black lace. These sheets are designed very nicely (with a lace look to most of them) and there is enough to fill up the album. In my experience most scrapbooking sheets with designs on them are at least $2.00 if not more so for the price this is a good buy.

Lacey Charm Album

Nerd Love Week 1 (Row 1 - 10)

Starting from the top, as you can see we will only be using the background colour and the lettering colour for a little while. (We choose blue and black, you can pick whichever colour you want). 

Starting: Chain 150 + 1

Row 1: 150 Blue

Row 2: 150 Blue

Row 3: 150 Blue

Row 4: 39 Blue, 8 Black, 4 Blue, 5 Black, 4 Blue, 6 Black, 15 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 4 Blue, 4 Black, 4 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 41 Blue

Row 5: 41 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 3 Blue, 6 Black, 3 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 14 Blue, 7 Black, 3 Blue, 7 Black, 3 Blue, 8 Black, 39 Blue

Row 6: 39 Blue, 8 Black, 3 Blue, 7 Black, 3 Blue, 8 Black, 13 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 41 Blue

Row 7: 41 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 13 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 3 Blue, 3 Black, 1 Blue, 3 Black, 8 Blue, 3 Black, 39 Blue

Row 8: 39 Blue, 3 Black, 8 Blue, 3 Black, 1 Blue, 3 Black, 3 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 13 Blue, 8 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 41 Blue

Row 9: 41 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 3 Blue, 6 Black, 15 Blue, 7 Black, 3 Blue, 3 Black, 1 Blue, 3 Black, 4 Blue, 7 Black, 39 Blue

Row 10: 39 Blue, 7 Black, 4 Blue, 3 Black, 1 Blue, 3 Black, 3 Blue, 6 Black, 17 Blue, 4 Black, 4 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 2 Blue, 3 Black, 41 Blue

Geometric Designs - CAL - Week 8

For this page, I used what some call "Fruity Colours" these are basically light, vibrant colours. Colours like purple, pink, light red, yellow, greens, a baby blue. I used a mix of markers and pencils, alternating each row.

This next page made me think of flowers and leaves so I coloured them accordingly. I stuck with the same colours for the most part and experimented with different shades.

Nerd Love (CAL)

Welcome to our new CAL! We are sticking with the Mario theme this year but this time we are changing things up a little. This Crochet Along will be for a Single Crochet, Half Double Crochet or Tunisian Stitch. This is one whole blanket, NOT squares. 

Each week we will release the next 10 rows of the pattern until the blanket is finished! This blanket requires: 

                                      - A Background Colour (We are using Royal Blue)

                                      - Letter Colour (We are using Black)

                                      - Rose (Or Dusty Pink)

                                      - Chocolate Brown

                                      - Red 

                                      - Black

                                      - Skin Colour (We are using Off White)

                                      - Bronze Colour (or Light Brown)

Mario Monday! - End of the Month Bonus Graphs!

Since May was all about Mario, to end the month, this week is all about Luigi. There are a few different ways you can see Luigi in Super Mario Bros 3. He gets a few different power ups that change his appearance and a few different actions too! So here are two Luigi graphs.

These graphs are 30 x 30. Most of the Mario and Luigi graphs are 30 x 30. If you would like to use them in your blanket you can always make every square 30 x 30 or you can make the Mario graphs 40 x 40. 

This graph requires: 

                                   - White

                                   - Black

                                   - Green

                                   - Green (Light)

                                   - Skin Colour

                                   - Background Colour (Any colour you choose)

Mario Monday! Mario in a Goomba Shoe

For May we are going back to Mario! There are a few different ways you can see Mario in Super Mario Bros 3. He gets a few different power ups that change his appearance and a few different actions too! This graphs is when Mario gets the Bag and can walk over things. 

This graph is 30 x 30. Most of the Mario and Luigi graphs are 30 x 30. If you would like to use them in your blanket you can always make every square 30 x 30 or you can make the Mario graphs 40 x 40. 

This graph requires: 

                                   - White

                                   - Black

                                   - Green

                                   - Red

                                   - Skin Colour

                                   - Background Colour (Any colour you choose)

Mario Monday! Brick

This week we are sharing the Brick. And because it is the end of the month we have a bonus graph for you! These graphs are both bricks, one is more proportioned to what the real brick in the game would look like, while the other is a slightly different version, more filled out. Both these graphs are 20 x 20 and require the same yarn colours.

This graph requires: 

                                   - Brown (or brick colour)

                                   - Black

                                   - Background Colour (Whatever colour you choose)

Book Club - Chapter 7

The seventh chapter was very interesting. We get to meet Dr. Dmitri Erland for the first time. It quickly becomes evident that he is the Doctor trying to find a cure for the outbreaks. As we get to know Dr. Demitri more we get to see his character and thought process towards the aspects of his life and the demands put on him. We also get to see the beginnings of his interaction with Cinder. 

Continuing with the main story line it seems as though Dr. Erland is very interested in Cinder and see potential in what she has to offer his study.

1) What similarities to Cinderella do you see? 

2) Why do you think Dr. Erland is having such a hard time doing his job?

3) Do you think Dr. Erland will be sympathetic towards Cinder?

4) What do you think Cinder is in for at the hands of Dr. Erland?

Yarn Canada

Today I am sharing with you a Canadian Yarn website that I stumbled upon called YarnCanada. I love Michael's craft stores and I love the coupons they offer. Unfortunately, they do not deliver and the closest one to me is a half hour away, which makes buying yarn a hassel often times. I was very happy to find this shop online, the shipping charges are reasonable and if you have an order over $45, the shipping in Canada is free! 

Freebie Friday - Guacamole

This week for Freebie Friday we are sharing a picture from social media about Guacamole! Everyone has heard of the traditional Guac but this photo shares inspiration on how to jazz that up and how to make them more cultural for different countries!

Freebie Friday - Battleship

This game is called Battleship. It is a single person version of the classic game. There are ten ships in this game. One with four parts, two with three parts, three with two parts and four with one part. This is important to keep in mind when playing. (Each game will have a legend so you can keep track.) Any square with no boat piece in will be water. 

Along two sides of the grid, we give you numbers. This represents the number of boat PIECES that are in that row or column. Keep this in mind, it will also help you fill in the squares. All squares around a ship are water. This means for example: If you place a two-piece ship  < > the two squares above and below are water and the three on each side are water also (creating a box around the ship). 

Here is the second battleship puzzle, enjoy!

Check out the original post on our website for last months answer! 

Tips, Tricks, Tutorials - Left Over Stock

For today's Tips, Tricks and Tutorial Thursday we are going to talk about Stocks. This is a great thing to have on hand and very simple to make. When we say "Turn Left Overs to Stock" we mean save some of your scraps for a stock. 

Great things to save for stock are: 

Celery Ends

Carrot Peels and Ends

Onion Skins and Ends

Excess Garlic Cloves

Chicken, Beef or Pork, Bones, or Skins

Mushroom Ends or Caps

Potato Peels

Chicken Skins

Meat Fats 

Meat Bones

You can freeze these things also until you have enough to make a stock. Once you have all the things to throw in, just add them all to a pot, cover with water and let boil (30 minutes to an hour). It is just as easy as that. 

If you are vegetarian or Vegan, you can use any and all vegetable scraps you have. For chicken, beef and pork broths you want to usually stick with the basic vegetables (listed above). This is especially true if you plan on using stock for gravies. 

How to store homemade stock: 

There are a few way to store your stock, you can fill Mason Jars with your stock and freeze for up to 6 months in the freeze (defrost in warm water in the sink). You can fill ice cube trays so you have small portions to use when needed. Or you can store it in an air tight container in the fridge for one work week (five days). 

Tips, TRicks, and Tutorial Thursday - Working the Round

This blog post is going to be dedicated to working in the round (example: hats, rugs, coasters, place mats, doilies, etc). This chart is great to have handy because it shows you exactly how to start a basic double crochet circle. This can be used for a number of things and sometimes its just nice to have something simple to follow. (This photo was found on social media, full credit goes to Maggie Weldon - creator.)

Movie Review: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Let me start by saying I am a big fan of Star Wars. I have grown up watching Star Wars and my older brother is completely obsessed with the franchise including the extended universe. I have seen each previous installment numerous times and enjoy them each time. 

The Last Jedi is the 8th installment in the core movies. While many complained that The Force Awakens was too much like A New Hope (or simply "Star Wars" for the hardcore fans), The Last Jedi kind of just goes all over the place that made it feel really long with a lot of filler, it is NOT a retelling of The Empire Strikes Back.

Personally, I felt there was a lot of build up with a lot of let down. The Force Awakens made us ask questions, lots of questions that we hoped to get answered in The Last Jedi, or Episode 9. Instead, they throw a lot of it out the window and say it never mattered leaving a feeling a disappointment.

There were a few scenes that annoyed me, not only as a Star Wars fan but a movie fan in general. There is one scene in particular that still annoys me to this day. Anyone who sees the movie will know the exact scene I am talking about (Yes, that one). 

However, overall the Star Wars: The Last Jedi was still good. I enjoyed it an will watch it again. The story was good and the battles were epic and of course, who could forget the musical talents of John Williams who once again brings his best to conduct an amazing score, worthy of an Oscar. I am still wondering whats next, what will happen in Episode IX. What they did right, outweighs the things they did wrong in a tenfold.

If I had to give Star Wars: The Last Jedi a number ranking it would be 4/5.

Wednesday Review - Adult Colouring Book: Be Inspired

As we talked about before Colouring books are a big thing and the trend isn't dying anytime soon. Which may be for the best. A lot of people claim that colouring helps them relax and it is a great tool for dealing with anxiety and depression. This Adult Colouing Book, is part of a series of colouring book and if they are all the same as this one, they have beautiful drawn pictures in them. Whether they are normally such a good price or if it is just Amazon pricing. This book (and others like it) sells for $8.48 (CAN) and because it is shipped by Amazon it will ship for free on orders over $35.

Recommendation Wednesday - Starting Soap Making!

As everyone in the "soaping" world will tell you Bramble Berry is one of, if not, the go to place for anything soap or body product. They even offer easy to do kits if you want to just try your hand at a certain project. They also offer a Starter Kit that includes a handful of useful items for getting started with the Soap Making or other Bath and Body Product making process. 

Unfortunately, Bramble Berry is an American based company and that can result in very high and expensive shipping charges. Some alternatives to this are of course ordering to a P.O Box in the US that you can pick up your order from, or ask a friend to looking into what may be cheaper shipping charges or to hold them for you until you can pick them up. (Please note that it is your responsibility to claim anything you bring into a country at the boarder, this includes Soaping Materials.) 

Alternatively, you can try and find what Bramble Berry suggests to start with. According to the listing on their website for the starter kit, it includes: 

     - 1qt Mixing Bowl 

     - 1 Square Spoon

     - 1 Spatula 

     - 1 Ladle 

     - 1 Round Spoon

     - 2 Easy Pour Mixing & Measuring Containers

     - 2 Squeeze Bottles

     - 1 Pair of Soaping Goggles

     - 1 Plastic Mini Mixer

     - 1 KD 7000 Scale with Adapter

The only other item we would recommend is a Stick Blender especially for making soap. This will come in very handy. Some of these items can be easy to find and if you are new to soaping you don't need to spend crazy amounts of many just to start off. 

The mixing bowl seems to be a Tempered Glass Measuring Cup, and this should work fine especially when beginning. Though we couldn't find any online examples of this, we recommend Anchor products they are tempered (please read the information provided with the glass containers to make 100% sure of this) and they are good quality. We got ours at Canadian Tire for less than $12. The Spoons, Spatula, and Ladle can all be found at a Dollar Store or any kitchen supply store. The key to buying these is to make sure they are silicon. Some of the other items can be found at Candora.ca or Amazon.ca, These are the best Canadian options we have found. Unfortunately, Candora's shipping charges can get expensive too so trying to buy a large order at once or picking up personally would be a good option.