Indian Summer

Our weather has been great here in Southern Alberta - way warmer than we usually get this time of year. The chinooks have been keeping it that way, which most of us are happy about! It's especially great when the wind doesn't blow!

It's supposed to be so nice on Halloween, and with daylights savings ending later, it'll still be light out when it's time to go trick or treating. So much better than those years when it snows on Halloween!

I made a card today using the Close to My Heart Happy Haunting stamp set. I just love the house because it looks spooky, but still a house that you would definitely go to on Halloween! I bet they'd have great treats there!

Supplies: Close to My Heart Happy Haunting stamp set; Summer Posies paper flowers; Exclusive Inks pens Autumn Terracotta, Olive, Honey, Sunflower; Black and Wild Flower Watercolor Pencils; Textured Cardstock in Autumn Terracotta, New England Ivy and Pansy Purple; Ribbon - Heartfelt; Stamp pad - Black; Others: Bat sticker - Recollections, pop dot - EK Success

Celiacs Unite!

I have Celiac Disease.

I was dianosed in June of 2005 after my Mom insisted that I be tested. Both my Mom and sister were diagnosed in their 30's, and then so was I. I don't have the classic symptoms, but I've had headaches at least since I was 12 or 13. All those specialists then didn't make the connection that the headaches were because of my disease.

Last weekend, Mom and I went to the Celiac Conference in Calgary since I had never been. The speakers were terrific and I learned alot. This disease is manageable if I stay away from gluten, which to outsiders may seem life a tragedy. Gluten is in so many things that you would never guess, like toothpaste, vitamins, soy sauce, licorice, taco chips and certain chocolate bars. It's so important to read labels and ask lots of questions. But, I'm happy to say that I feel well most of the time. I have donated blood since I started university, and was disappointed when my iron became too low to keep donating. This has gone back to normal since I have been on the diet.

To read more information, check out the website: http://www.calgaryceliac.com/
Amazingly, 1 in 100 Canadians have Celiac Disease, and the majority don't realize it. If you have certain unexplainable health problems, perhaps you should consider this disease. Having a manageable autoimmune disorder is not a bad thing!

Halloween is coming...

I saw this cute Frank enstein at Michael's and just had to have him! I made this card for my in-laws who are far away from us right now on vacation. I used Close to My Heart's Sanding Kit to distress the paper. I just love how our paper has the white core, as this effect is so neat. I hope they like it!

Supplies: Cardstock - Close to My Heart Pansy Purple, Autumn Terracotta & White Daisy Textured Cardstock; Frankenstein & Bat - Recollections Dimensional Stickers; Ribbon - Bobbin Ribbon; Paper Flower - CTMH Summer Posies; Ink - CTMH Black

Living Under the Arch

Here's my first foray into blogging! I have wanted to start one for a long time! It's called "Living Under the Arch" because here in Southern Alberta, we have a chinook arch ALOT! For more about our chinooks, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinook_wind. This explains why it's windy here so much. It a great thing in the winter because it can warm up real fast, especially when it's been cold for awhile. The main picture was taken from my kitchen window looking west in October 2008. This picture was also taken in October from the edge of town looking north-west. It shows just how distinctive the arch can be.

As an independent consultant for Close to My Heart Canada, I try to scrapbook and stamp as much as I can. I plan to post as much artwork here as possible, so please check back often! If you have any suggestions, please pass them on. Check out all the great blogs that I keep up with. These gals are so talented, and I'm sure that you will learn alot from them too!