Cut 'n Paste

Notes Journal

I know that these are not the best photos, but I wanted to share a handmade journal that I made with you. I used the same techniques that I teach in my "Start to Finish" workshop to make this book which uses vintage fabric and lace in combination with some modern fabric, hand stitching, an old tintype and a Tim Holtz frozen charlotte doll.

I have such an afinity for these handmade books and lately I have made several of them to give as gifts. They are nice to give, because the recipient does not have to be a scrapbooker to enjoy it. In fact, I have a few around the house that I don't even really use. They are more decorating elements in my house!

Thankful for you card - Happy Mother's Day

(Supply List: Jewell Patterned paper (PA363), C'est la Vie Cardstock Stickers (GN544),  Cream Pearls (GN297), Other, non Melissa Frances supplies: Vintage ledger paper, old white and cream buttons, sewing machine and white thread, kraft shipping tag, pink seam binding and scalloped chipboard trim.)

Our family celebrated Mother's Day on Monday as my Mom and Dad will be travelling on the actual holiday. This is the card that I made and gave to her as we celebrated what a kind, generous and supportive Mom she has been to us. As our relationship has shifted and changed over the years, I always come back to how eternally grateful I am that I was born to whom I was born to. My Mom is fierce in protecting those she loves, full of love and support, yet is not afraid to gently rebuke when necessary.

To those of you who are celebrating Mother's Day with your mom this weekend, I hope that you have a great day. For those of you who have lost a Mom and the day brings pain...I hope that it also brings memories of the good times. For those of you who have a mother who does not bring those warm fuzzy feelings, I'm sorry. I hope that you have found peace in your situation.

Hugs and love!

Home from a wonderful time in Norway

(My hostess & friend, Ellen and I Sunday night (April 28), after my final workshop. Note to self: In the future, try to take a photo with my hostess earlier in the day when you don't look quite so tired!)

I arrived home at 3AM this morning after a missed connection, then a delayed flight, from my whirlwind 6 day trip to Norway. I absolutely love my visits to Bikuben. After having the honor to teach there 5 times over the years, it feels like I am visiting with family and friends. My hostess Ellen and her family always make me feel so welcome. Our most recent visit just deepened the friendship we have.

For those of you who plan to travel to Oslo in the future, I would encourage you to consider a trip to Bikuben in your schedule. Ellen has the largest scrapbook store I have ever been in and it is FULL of products that appeal to the shabby-chic/vintage loving paper crafter. Plus she carries many lines of Scandinavian scrapbooking products (papers, dies and stamps) that we don't have access to in North America.

A huge thank you to all the students who joined me for the workshops. I loved your enthusiasm and creativity, and of course, how kind and welcoming you were. I look forward to seeing you again next time!

(Teaching class on Saturday, April 27. Some of these ladies have honored me by coming back year after year, each time I teach at Bikuben.)


(a photo collage made by Elisabeth Aasen who took my 'That's Life' workshop on Friday, April 26.)

Thanks again Ellen, Egil and Stien for being such kind and thoughtful hosts. I truly feel blessed.

Evan | Langley Newborn Photographer

I had the pleasure to photograph little baby Evan a few weeks ago. His daddy works with Rick and this little one was much anticipated. He was such a great little baby, giving us some awesome awake and sleeping shots. Here are a few of my favorites from our session.

If you are looking for a newborn photographer in the Lower Mainland of Vancouver, I invite you to send me an email using the 'email me' button at the top left of this page, just below my photo and I would be pleased to send you session information. Thank you!

Art Camp recap

(Click on photo to see a larger version of it.)

April 11-15th saw my sweet momma and I head down to Lincoln City, Oregon to teach and attend the 9th edition of Terri Brush's Art Camp. Terri has crafted an amazing event that is both inspiring and empowering.  This was my second experience at Art Camp (I had previously attended the Fall 2012 edition), and it was even better than the first! Women came from all over the USA and Canada. Some by themselves, and others with friends. But by the end, whether you came alone or in a group, we all felt the camaraderie of having shared a fabulous experience together. 

My workshop was taught on the last day of the event. It was my 'Start to Finish' Mini Album which I have taught several times before. But it is always different teaching to mixed media enthusists instead of a scrapbooking crowd. These gals took my original idea and truly made it their own using supplies they brought with them. It always brings me tremendous joy to see people use my techniques to make something that really reflects their personal style and taste, so it was a great day of teaching.

This was my mom's first Art Camp experience and she and I both agreed that it could easily become a mother-daughter event on our calendar. That's the cool thing about the camp. It has people of all ages, all backgrounds and experiences come together to craft, eat, visit and encourage each other. What a special place.

Terri, thank you for inviting me to be a part of your 9th edition. It was an absolute pleasure.

Dexter | Delta Newborn Photographer

This sweet little guy was only a few days old when I came to his home to take his newborn portraits. He had the most precious face with delicate features. While he had a tough time falling asleep, with patience we finally go him there and captured some wonderful photos for his family.

If you are looking for a newborn photographer in the Lower Mainland of Vancouver, I invite you to send me an email using the 'email me' button at the top left of this page, just below my photo and I would be pleased to send you session information. Thank you!

Workshops in Norway

I can't believe that it's been a whole month since I last shared with you here on my blog. It seems as if time is just flying by at the speed of sound!

I have been kept busy with newborn photography, work and organizing upcoming teaching and travel. Speaking of which, I am happy to share that I will be back in Norway for some workshops at Bikuben at the end of this month. This will be my fifth visit to Bikuben, and I love Ellen, Egil, the girls at the store and the customers, so many of whom come to see me each time I visit.

I will be teaching three workshops at the store:




Please visit the Bikuben website here for workshop details and pricing.

Teaching in Italy

I am so thrilled to share that I will be teaching at Scrappando Carta e Ricordi in Prato Italy this May 11&12.I couldn't be more excited to get to know scrapbooking sisters who live halfway around the globe from me!

Here's a brief look at the class: In her "Start to Finish" workshop Carolyn will be taking students through a Bookbinding 101 class. She will show how easy it is to use chipboard and fabric to create a truly custom journal or mini album. Carolyn will also show how to make and sew signatures into your new fabric album cover. We will also explore how to color our Melissa Frances accents with Copic markers then use a super cool technique to give the colored accents a shabby chic look. You will be given direction and class time to decorate pages inside your new mini album if you'd like. Suggested uses for your finished book include a diary, notebook, or traditional mini album. This workshop has one of the largest class kits Carolyn has ever assembled. Students will have many left-overs which can be used for subsequent projects.

And, here's a little bit about the class for any Italian readers:
Carolyn, fantastica scrapper Canadese, direttrice creativa del marchio Melissa Frances. Con l'aiuto di Carolyn, realizzeremo un mini album in perfetto stile shabby/vintage, utilizzeremo la macchina da cucire, i copic per colora re gli abbellimenti......un corso davvero completo. Nel prezzo del corso è incluso il kit dei materiali e un piccolo pranzo a buffet. Il corso ha durata l'intera giornata.

For more details, or questions, please email my lovely host Patty, her contact information is on the promo photo shown above.

Colten | Surrey, BC. newborn photographer

Thanks for all the kind messages left on my last post. I appreciate the love so much ☺

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of taking the newborn photos for this handsome 3 week old little guy. His full head of hair was gorgeous, and he was awake and alert for the first half of our shoot, before heading to sleep for the second half.







If you are looking for a newborn photographer in the Lower Mainland of Vancouver, I invite you to send me an email using the 'email me' button at the top left of this page, just below my photo. Thank you!

On the mend

February has been a busy month for Rick and I. The end of January saw us heading to Puerto Rico with some friends for a short holiday in San Juan before taking a Caribbean Cruise. Cruising is one of our favorite vacations for simply relaxing, and this one was no exception. There is nothing like trading the grey, rainy, cold days in Vancouver for the sunny skies of the Caribbean. It was heaven!

Upon our return, I have taught some local workshops, done a few newborn photoshoots, and earlier this week had surgery. I am doing really well and on the mend but do feel like laying low for a few more days.

Almost exactly 2 years ago I shared with you the news about our ectopic pregnancy. It was a very traumatic event for Rick, myself and our family. As we have continued to go through this journey of infertility, some days/weeks and months are good, and some are bad. This week was a good one. We had the best possible outcome from my surgery and once again, I feel like anything is possible...