Sentimentally Yours

Plenty For Twenty!!! It's a great time to stock up supplies for the winter months ahead!

2010-12-01T21:00:00.000-06:00

http://www.lpettis.myctmh.com/

New Art and Soul Episode

2010-11-19T09:33:00.005-06:00

Are you looking for great inspiration as you prepare for the holiday's. Got some inspiration for you right here. Click below on the Art and Soul icon to watch the new episode.

ART & SOUL

My favorite is the Demensional Elements Ornaments. They have some great ideas for you. One idea of my own is to use the ornaments as name cards for your place settings for Thanksgiving or your Christmas table. Tie with a bow around the napkin or put in the center of their plate. Personalize it so they have a sweet little favor to take with them to remember the time spent together this holiday season.

Easy online shopping is available to you!!!
Love these ideas? Click on the Shop With Me icon and have your goodies delivered direct to your door. Easy shopping with no long lines, gotta love that! I find myself doing lots of online shopping since the birth of my daughter just three years ago. I had been on bedrest three weeks before Christmas so it was my savior to get my holiday shopping completed! Need a gift giving idea for the scrapbooker or card maker in your life? Why not purchase one of our wonderful "How To Books" . Look for them under HOW TO PROGRAMS. For $21.95 they make great gifts and each one is filled with endless ideas to make creating simple.

Shop With Me

Close to my Heart has put together these creative episodes to spark your creativity! Hope you enjoy it and may you find time today to create a something special today!

Thanks for visiting today!

My favorite product from Close to my Heart!

2010-11-09T10:35:00.002-06:00

CLEAR STAMPS!

Perfecto!

Since a friend introduced me to Close to my Heart products

I instantly feel in love with their CLEAR STAMPS!

I have been a long time stamper and really found the clear cling stamps so much easier to use than the wooden mounted stamps I had been use to. Sometimes the foam mounted stamps loose their thickness over time (foam flattens or dries out) and storage was always an issue! Clear stamps were the answer for me. The added bonus is CTMH clear stamps come in their own storage envelope and the stamp storage case makes keeping them organized a cinch!

Clear Stamps when used with their foam inserts or self healing mat create a clearly stamped image and stamps add special touches to my cards and all of my scrapbook layouts. Seeing though the block & and stamp image makes for easy alignment and spacing on any project.

I am a stamping scrapbooker and I love the fact that I can use my clear stamps in so many different ways to create many different looks. They are super on the budget since you can reuse them to your hearts content!

I don't have to scramble to find things that work on my creative projects clear stamps are so versitile, I absolutely LOVE THAT!!!

New scrapbook layouts and my favorite new tool!

2010-11-08T10:19:00.001-06:00

This layout was inspired by a scrapbook design seen at a recent scrapbooking retreat!

Flower Stamps, Ribbon and Alpha Stamps are all by Close to my Heart!

Love You 365 Days!

This is a layout I have had in my mind for a long time.

The circle date stamps are older but I use them often.

Close to my Heart paper and stamps are used here.

A closer look!

                                                          My new favorite tool by Tim Holtz!
                                                          Love my new tiny attacher. It is great for
                                                          attaching ribbon and many other things!

This tool is so easy to use! Love it

Find one for yourself at Two Peas!

Thanks for stopping by for a visit! Come back soon for more!

Check out the Idea Book for great Close to my Heart Products!

A New Month- A Little More Thanks!!!

2010-11-04T13:10:00.002-05:00

November is a great time to order from Close to my Heart!

When you place your qualifying order you not only can earn the Stamp of the Month FREE but you will also be able to choose a second stamp set of your choice FREE! That is TWO SETS, a total of $45.90 FREE! HOW GREAT IS THAT!

Check out the IDEA BOOK to begin shopping, there are so many wonderful products to pick from! Shop online and your product will arrive to your doorstep or simply contact me for assistance with your order I am happy to help. Contact me to do a book order with your local crafty friends and become the hostess to receive more free product...it is your choice. I am here to help if you have any questions.

Close to my Heart products help make crafting simple & FUN!!!

Can't wait to scrapbook this years fall pictures

2010-10-29T10:44:00.008-05:00

In the late afternoon we decided to do a quick little photo shoot. I love the results and these will be favorites for a long time!

Don't you just love Fall and all it's wonderful colors!
Thanks for visiting, have a fun and frightful Halloween weekend!!!

ART & SOUL- Autumn Projects To Fall For

2010-10-20T21:18:00.003-05:00

Horray! I love when a NEW Art and Soul episode is released! Click the icon to the right to check it out for yourself. A favorite of mine is the tissue technique. It adds a special touch to many of your stamping projects and it is sooo easy. Plus you always have kleenex tissues on hand so you don't have to look far for supplies, gotta love that!

Enjoy and may this spark some new creativity in your scrapping and card projects!!!

Card and Layout

2010-10-15T19:37:00.004-05:00

I was inspired to create these two with the help of the current Idea Book for a party I had last week.
For the scrapbook layout I turned to page 42 in the Idea Book and recreated the layout at the top second from the left. Instead of the snowman family I decided to use my Heartfelt Christmas set instead. I really liked how they took the Cherry-O paper and used it for a winter scene. CTMH papers are great for many layouts and easy to change them up for all occasions.
On page 37 I used the Grown with Love stamp set to create the fall card with the tree. I added some ranger glitter to make the leaves sparkle a bit. Cute card don't you think?

When you need inspiration for your projects don't forget to look through the pages of the idea book! It is a great tool for any project you want to do.
Thanks for visiting today.

Art and Soul

2010-10-11T23:07:00.003-05:00

Looking for some INSPIRATION?

If so take a look at the new Art & Soul video,click the link to the right to watch CTMH TV. Every month Close to my Heart has a new video just for you filled with creative ideas that help to make your cards and layouts shine! Enjoy!!!

My Accents Organizer

2010-10-05T13:47:00.003-05:00

Close to my Heart products are so helpful in keeping things organized. On page 99 in the Idea Book above you will find the My Accents Organizer! What is fantastic about this is the price has been dropped to $17.95 from $22.95. This is a great organizer for all your buttons, brads and favorite little embellishments! It will hold 60 craft jars! It is something you will make great use of! It has easy to carry handles so you can take it on the go!

A customer once told me about a retreat she went to. As she was moving her stuff into the location of the weekend scrapping retreat she dropped her stuff on the ground. What did she drop? It was the container that held all of her fun embellishments! A friend showed her the My Accents Organizer and she fell in love with it. Unfortunately at the retreat she had wasted a bunch of time sorting out all the embellishments that fell and mixed up when she could have been creating pages instead. She now has this handy dandy organizer from Close to my Heart and will never have that problem again!

Get yours today at a great discount of only $17.95. The jars are listed there too and come 6 to a pack! Both are handy tools to keep your time spent on crafting and keep you organized in your creative space!

Thanks for visiting today!

2010-09-17T09:31:00.004-05:00

Take a look at the new Fall/Winter Idea Book. Lots of great new products to help you to create many beautiful scrapbook pages and papercrafting projects.

Need a few gift ideas for the upcoming holidays? Why not create your own recipe box and fill it with all your family's most delicious meals. This also makes a great shower gift. The my creations recipe/photo box is located on page 94 for only $6.95.

Everytime I get my new IDEA BOOK I always look for the new Creative Basics paper packet. I love these and always purchase each one that is released. Lots of great paper for a great value plus you get 4 yards of ribbon, love that! These paper packets are great for scrapping but I usually use these for cards & papercrafting because you have 6 pages of each design. Check out the Mistletoe Collection on page 88 for only $7.95.

Ready for Halloween? Check out the adorable paper on page 18 called Hooligans! Fun and vibrant colors. Don't forget to embellish,go to page 91 for the adorable adhesive backed felt monsters. What a cute addition to a card or scrapbook layout!
Simply FUN!

Now that school has started and the weather is changing to fall I so look forward to things slowing down a bit so I can get into my crafting mood and get some more pages done for my albums. I am often in the card mode so it will be a nice change to dig into my photos and create some beautiful pages!

Thanks for stopping by!

Summer Idea Book

2010-08-13T22:28:00.002-05:00

My time flys...I have been busy creating, doing parties etc...
The CTMH Summer Idea Book has been very popular and I have found much inpsiration
throughout it's pages to spark my creativity. There is not much time left to shop this terrific book so be sure you take a peek through it's pages and order before time runs out! The good news is Close to my Heart will be releasing the new Autumn & Winter Idea book very soon so be sure to check back here once it goes "live".

Close to my Heart continues to provide us with terrific products at a great price. Some items have had their prices dropped, yep you heard right! Gotta love that!

If you haven't tried products from Close to my Heart you are missing out. I simply grew tired of trying to match papers to ribbons plus my local crafting stores had such limited supplies that I just made up my mind to become a consultant! It is really simple to do but getting a discount on products you already love can't be beat ! All the products coordinate with each other and I always have the supplies I need right at my fingertips or I can order online and have it DELIVERED TO MY DOORSTEP!!! Saves time for this momma of a 7yo and 3yo and it certainly brings a smile to my face when UPS shows up at my door!!!

IT MAKES LIFE SOOOOO SIMPLE!!!

Check out the CTMH TV tab which is on my website for great product demo's.
I love the current Summer Splendor episode. Lots of great ideas for you!

It' HERE!!! Check out the 2010 Idea Book

2010-01-01T10:12:00.009-06:00

I am so excited with this new Idea Book. Lots of great Stamps/Paper and inspirational products packed inside. Click on the 2010 Idea Book above to shop...
GOOD NEWS...A size stamps have been REDUCED to $7.95, can you believe it? Go to pages 80-81 to see a few of these cute stamps!

Click on the IDEA BOOK above then go to pages 84-85 and there you will seen the Posterboard Alphabet Set listed. For a limited time you can get that terrific and large stamp set at a discount so now is a great time to purchase to add to your stamp collection for your upcoming projects!

Or visit http://lpettis.myctmh.com/MyCTMH/CTMHTV.aspx

Don't forget to check out the new Stamp Of The Month for January!!! With qualifying purchase you can earn this stamp set for free! See the wonderful projects you can create with these adorable stamps, see the photo on the sidebar.

You Rock is one of the new paper packets in the new Idea Book...I love this paper see the photo at the top of this post! Lots of vibrant colors to spotlight your little Rock Star in your albums or for use to make "Rock In" cards too!!!

Can't forget to mention the National Papercrafting Month! The Felicity Collection is stunning. Beautiful colors, great papers and even an Alphabet stamp set with birdie & florishes to highlight your photos!!! When you purchase $60 of stamps (excludes stamp of the month & art & soul sets) you can earn this collection for FREE!!! That is a SAVINGS of $34.95!!! OR when you place an order of $125 or more of Close to my Heart products you will receive ONE collection FREE with your order! This offer will end on Jan 31, 2010 or while supplies last!!!
For more details check out the campaigns & promotions and visit www.lpettis@myctmh.com.

Happy New Year!!! Make 2010 a GREAT ONE!!!

Alpha Stamp Set On Sale

2009-12-08T22:20:00.011-06:00

Visit my Close to my Heart website to watch the new Art & Soul video.

Click the CTMH TV tab and there you will find tutorials on products in our Idea Book. I really love their Large Alpha Stamps and for a limited time you can purchase the Posterboard Alphabet set from the Holiday Highlights video at a reduced price! Use this stamp set with your favorite patterned paper for titles on your pages or they would be great to use when creating your 2010 calendar! They are so easy to stamp with they create a natural bold border which makes it so easy to cut them out!!!

There are new episodes posted regularily to the CTMH TV site so be sure to check back for some great ideas and highlights on many of the products available in our Idea Books. It is a wonderful place to find inspiration!

Click on the IDEA BOOK above then go to pages 84-85 and there you will seen the Posterboard Alphabet Set listed. For a limited time you can get that terrific and large stamp set at a discount so now is a great time to purchase to add to your stamp collection for your upcoming projects!

Or visit http://lpettis.myctmh.com/MyCTMH/CTMHTV.aspx

Handmade cards

2009-12-08T14:57:00.003-06:00

I have finally been able to so some crafting again. Here are a few cards I created. The stamps are by Close to my Heart along with the ribbon and cardstock.I had a request for a few birthday cards. The pattern paper is from a misc. bundle that I got from Costco.

MN is getting snowy and it is really begining to look like Christmas with all lights on area homes and now we finally have some snow sticking to the ground! It is time to get in the holiday spirit. : )

Thanks for visiting, enjoy your day!

Shop the Holiday Heyday Specials for BIG SAVINGS!!!

2009-12-08T12:18:00.010-06:00

Many items still available. Stamps for only $8, paper packets only $5 and accessories like sassy strands for only $1 plus good deals on ribbon!

Don't miss out. It is a great time to pick up some great products at unbeatable prices.

Notice The Details

2009-12-01T15:08:00.003-06:00

Check out this months Stamp of the Month!

You will find this stamp set very useful for all your creative projects. Get it FREE with a qualifying purchase. See page 109 of the Idea Book above to see the inspiring projects created with this stamp set.

Save 50%-80% It's a Holiday Heyday!!!

2009-12-01T14:40:00.002-06:00

Beginning Dec 2nd - 17th (while supplies last) you will be able to start your holiday shopping with Close to my Heart. There are wonderful specials on My Acrylic Stamps (some as low as $2), My Reflections paper packets from $5, grab bags for $30 (filled with over $100 in product)plus great deals on shipping.
Tell family,friends and don't forget to tell your hubby to check out all the great savings before they are gone. Fill your stocking with great products from Close to my Heart and have a Holiday Heyday!!!

Thanks for visiting and enjoy the festivities of December!!!

Shop with me...

2009-11-20T10:35:00.012-06:00

ORDER TO WIN

Shop with me=FREE STAMPS~
It is just one week away until this years holiday shopping season begins. What an exciting time of year!!! If you love to scrapbook and create handmade cards why not send your friends and family shopping to the places you love the most!!! For your convienece Close to my Heart provides online shopping!!! Many of you have heard of Paypal but with Close to my Heart we are able to process your orders online using your preferred credit card through ProPay in the same way you are use to with Paypal making your shopping experience SIMPLE, SAFE and AFFORDABLE.

Time is running out on our November special...Stampaganza!!! When you purchase two stamp sets you will receive a third set of your choice (equal or lesser value) for FREE!!! This is a WONDERFUL savings and they make great stocking stuffers too!!!

In celebration of my recent birthday on 11-12 and it was a BIG ONE...I offering a GIVEAWAY!!! When you place a minimum order of $25 on my CTMH site on or before 11-25-09 I will hold a drawing & one person will win two stamp sets...CELEBRATION and IN THE WILD! (please note In the Wild is "gently used" but Celebration is brand new) That means you could add a total of 5 new stamp sets to your collection if you shop with Stampaganza!!!

When you want quality products at affordable prices don't forget to shop with Close to my Heart. No more running between numerous stores to find things that coordinate for your creative projects. That is what I love most about Close to my Heart and you will too!!!

I look forward to brightening someone's day this holiday season. Have a safe & wonderful Thanksgiving with your family & friends!!!

November Is Stampaganza Month!

2009-11-03T09:22:00.003-06:00

It is hard to believe that November is here already!!! Are you ready to start your holiday shopping??? It is a great time to jump start shopping for a loved one or maybe you've been good & deserve a gift for yourself? CTMH is celebrating November by offering Stampaganza!

Now is the perfect time to grab some My Acrylics stamp sets! Starting Nov 3rd thru Nov 30th when you purchase any two stamp sets at full price you will receive a third stamp set of your choice for FREE. (of equal or lesser value) This is a savings up to $22.95. Shop through the current 2009 Idea Book or 2009 Product Review book from my CTMH website and see all the great clear acrylic stamps sets now available! Take advantage of this month's great offer & add to your stamp collection. Don't forget you can shop online and ship directly to your doorstep...how easy is that!

Stamping is my favorite way to add great embelishments to my cards and scrapbook pages. This is the time of year when we create the most why not buy some adorable stamp sets to create with and ENJOY great savings too!

3 New Scrapbooking Pages

2009-10-29T13:24:00.016-05:00

For the Daughter Layout I used the Bella Level 2 & Cardstock by Close to my Heart.

Happy Layout-I used the Twitterpated Level 2 paper and stamp set. I love how the tree turned out & the cute little embelishments that match. My favorite paper in this Idea Book for sure!!! This paper is now available.

This paper is sooo nice I didn't want to cover it up. You could cut out the various words and use as titles but instead I used the page and added one of my favorite fall photos of my children. I did use a glitter pen to add some sparkle to some areas of the page. Simple yet so nice. This paper is also by Close to my Heart.
I hope these pages give you inspiration to stamp on your scrapbooking pages and always look to the Close to my Heart IDEA BOOK for some great inpiration.

Enjoy your day!!!

Gift Card Holders

2009-10-13T17:06:00.004-05:00

I made these fun gift card holders to sell. I will be making more of these in various paper patterns. They are fun to make and will make wonderful gifts too!

Fancy Card

2009-09-16T10:05:00.004-05:00

Here is a card I made for a friend's birthday. This is a fun card pattern for many occations. The cardstock, ribbon and tatoo stamp are all by Close to my Heart. The pattern paper is actually from a Costco paper packet I bought recently. This has been a busy week so far and it looks to continue through the weekend as we spend time celebrating birthdays and it will be our son's 6th yr anniversary of his adoption. Then a football party on Sunday at our house and hanging out with friends again. Lot's of fun packed into the upcoming weekend...so looking forward to that!!!

Thanks for stopping by, make it a great week!

Scrapbook layout-Twitterpated paper packet

2009-09-13T21:23:00.003-05:00

Here is the Twitterpated paper packet. I love the colors in this layout and the stamped tree image in the corner. You can purchase this paperpacket for yourself.

The level 1 kit is just $9.95. It includes 4-12x12 Preprinted pages, 2-12x12 B & T Duos (Background/Texture, 1 ea of 2 patterns)2-12x12 Cardstock sheets (whitecore) and 2-6x12 My stickease adhesive sheets.

The Level 2 kit is $12.95. This kit includes 10-12x12 Cardstock sheets and 12-12x12 B& T Duos (2 ea of 6 patterns)

Scrapbook all your fall photo's with this wonderful paper packet. Close to my Heart papers are a wonderful quality, double sided, all color coordinated, white core and a great value!!!

Have a great week and thanks for visiting!!!

Sept kit of the month

2009-09-12T19:50:00.002-05:00

Isn't this set cute!!!

Treasures- The Sept Stamp of the Month

2009-09-08T13:10:00.002-05:00

I really like this newly released stamp set. Flowers are always a favorite to create with but this set also has some great sentiments. With your CTMH purchase you could earn this stamp set for free or at a discount. Click on the Idea Book above for more details, this set is on the last page of the book. It is a great value to earn this set with purchase, make it part of your stamp collection today.

School is in session and fall is fast approaching. I so look forward to this time of the year time for scrapbooking and cardmaking with friends. Time for some FUN!!!

Have a great week and thank you for visiting!

NEW RELEASE...CHECK OUT THE NEW CTMH IDEA BOOK

2009-09-01T16:13:00.003-05:00

It's here...
Check out all the new products in the new FALL/WINTER Idea Book by Close to my Heart.
Just click on the idea book above to page through the Idea Book...have fun.

Digital Card

2009-08-31T14:31:00.003-05:00

This is a cute little gift card holder that I made that was really fun. I am certain I will be making more of these, they make great gifts. To make the gift card holder you need to use a regular size envelope. Lick the envelope closed. Then cut in half. Then you actually have two gift card holders to decorate as you like. I found the Thank You image on Smilebox and printed it out. I added a layer and the flower attaches with the brad for a little extra something. Cut the insert to fit the holder, attach ribbon and while this is the optional part you could use a glue dot or something else but I chose to use the photo corners on the bottom two corners to hold the gift card in place. Cute don't you think?

Can't believe that it is the last day of Aug already and summer is coming to a close. I look forward to fall and all the pretty colors that are to come plus it is the season for indoor activities once the snow starts to fly which means I will be able to do some much needed scrapbooking!!! Looking forward to that!!! Time to get crafty and looking forward to using some of the new products being released in the new Fall/Winter Close to my Heart Idea Book. Check back tomorrow as it will be online so you can flip through the book and shop online to see it for yourself!

The GREATEST GIFTS are found in the HEARTS of TRUE FRIENDS.-Cindy Law

Thanks for stopping by today!

Fall/Winter 2009 Idea Book

2009-08-18T22:50:00.003-05:00

This book is filled with lots of NEW and Fabulous products. It will soon be available online. Lots of great things to spark your creativity!!!I will post the Idea Book once available. Leave a message if you would like a book of your own only $3.95 + s/h.

Another sneak peek-Grace Paper Packets

2009-08-14T20:30:00.004-05:00

Take another sneak peek at the new products being released in the autumn/winter 2009 CTMH Idea Book...

I am totally lovin this paper packet called GRACE by Close to my Heart. This paper will be available beginning Sept 1st when the new Idea Book releases. Don't you just love the stamped images of the children. This is a brand new stamp set called Childhood Portrait!!! I can see myself using that stamp set over and over again. I can't wait till mine arrives. I just love the colors and the LO on this creation. Thanks a bunch for visiting and watch for more CTMH fun stuff posted here soon. I will post the Idea Book on my page once it releases so you can flip through the Idea Book for yourself to see all the great things being released. Have a great weekend!!!

CTMH Paper Packets

2009-08-11T14:52:00.003-05:00

Check out this fun new paper called Twitterpated by CTMH. A favorite of mine! I am so looking forward to using this paper with some of my fall themed photos I need to complete for my childrens albums. The New CTMH Idea Book will be released soon this is just a sneak peek at one of the new paper packets that will be available, visit again soon for more.

August-It's Your Day Acrylic Stamp Set

2009-08-02T22:58:00.007-05:00

This is a set to have in your stamp collection as you will use it over and over again. When you make a purchase from the Idea Book you can earn a discount on this adorable set or get it FREE. Don't miss out on this acrylic stamp set. Go to pages 108-109 in the Idea Book on my blog home page for a closer look! If you have any questions please leave me a comment below. The NEW Idea Book will be arriving soon and the opportunities to order from the Summer Idea Book will soon end so don't miss out on some really great product to create fabulous scrapbooking page(s)and cards. Thank You for visiting my blog!!!

Christmas in July-Card swap

2009-07-22T10:22:00.004-05:00

This is the card I created for our monthly card swap. The stamps are clear acrylic from Close to my Heart. The background is swiss dot and created with my cuttlebug. I thought it made a nice background & fit the look of snow. It is hard to get in the mood to create Christmas cards in the summer but I enjoyed this project and the end result.

That cooled me off for a bit, now back to summer!!!

July- Stamp of the Month

2009-07-01T23:53:00.004-05:00

New month ALREADY!!! WoW has this summer been flying by or what? Here is the adorable new stamp of the month. Check out the Idea Book at the top of this page and you can earn this stamp set at a discounted price...even free!!! So many great possibilities with this set.

Michael Jackson-Gone To Soon

2009-06-26T11:36:00.006-05:00

As a kid of the 80's I enjoyed Michael Jackson's music. I even had posters of him on my wall from the old Tiger Beat Teen Magazines. He was such a talented person and ultra talented performer. 50 is way to young to say goodbye to anyone, the world
will miss him dearly. Rest in Peace....

Listen to the song of the same title...Gone to Soon here as well.

CTMH Graduation Card

2009-06-17T21:46:00.003-05:00

Here is a graduation card I created for one of my cousin's. The cardinal stamp maker is unknown but the papers, ribbon and number/letter stamps are all Close To My Heart products.

Right now there are great daily offers posted to the CTMH site. When you place an online order for one stamp set you will receive the "deal of the day" free with your order. Check the link to the right to see all the daily "deals of the day". If you are in need of some new stamps to create with check this out. You can shop on line by viewing the idea book on the sidebar and turn each page to see all the products. Click on a product and it will zoom in for you. The idea book is also a great tool for inspiration & ideas to make a new card or scrapbook layout.
Thanks for stopping by and I will be back to post more again real soon.

June Stamp of the Month

2009-06-01T22:22:00.000-05:00

Card & Teacher Gift Idea

2009-05-30T15:42:00.009-05:00

Teacher Gift: they are important people who work hard so as a thank you for a job well done I made this gift for my son's teacher. I modified a acrylic photo frame to a post it note holder. I hope it is something useful that she can use while at her desk. There are so many cute ideas for this project and it is quick and easy. My son still has to sign his name then we can wrap it and attach a card so he can give it to her this week his last week of school. I can't believe my son will finish kindergarten...time flys by so fast but we are looking forward to summer break!!!
The stamps used are by CTMH and the learn~study~grow~ I love school stamps are from the September Word Puzzle set.

The card is one I created for our monthly card swap. The challenge was to use black and white paper with one color of your choice. A favorite combo of mine is Black/White and Red. The Close to my Heart cardstock is great to create a distressed look to your projects as it has a white core center, just tear it up and you have another great look for your projects! The inside of the card reads "Thinking Of You". The stamp set is by Close to My Heart and the set is called: September Word Puzzle. This is a stamp set I have used a lot...can you tell? LOL

Leave a message I would love to hear your comments...thanks for stopping by.

Scrapbooking made easy...

2009-04-04T09:10:00.006-05:00

Here is my take on one of the Cherish scrapbooking pages. As you can see the first picture is the one from the book itself. The next two are part of the instructions on how to cut your papers to create the layout. With this layout it was simple to use a circle cutter for the layer of circles behind the main picture.
The final picture is my end result. The Cherish book has many creations such as this to help you in creating fun scrapbooking pages that you will enjoy for many years and the fun part is just change up the papers and you will have many more creation using the same layout! This has been a favorite of mine when I want to highlight just one photo.
Thanks for stopping by!

Need inspiration???

2009-04-04T00:09:00.006-05:00

Close to my Heart offers these wonderful books filled with scrapbooking/card making layouts that will certainly inpire you to make beautiful creations!!!

Cherish is on sale for $21.95, this book is filled with 50 two-page 12" x 12" layouts!
Add these to your collection today. Take a look at the NEW Summer Idea Book for more details, visit How To Programs. Order online and it will ship to your doorstep, if you are a beginner or someone who has been crafting for years you will really enjoy using these books to inpire new flair to all your creations and it makes scrapbooking so simple and sweet!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Scrapbooking Layout, Summer catalog released TODAY!!!

2009-04-01T19:29:00.004-05:00

The four pages above are created with the That's Amore paper packet from Close to my Heart! Isn't this paper adorable, it is a favorite of mine. I love the background/texture papers from Close to my Heart!. They are all coordinated and printed on both sides which makes doing projects so quick, easy and adorable. Their cardstock is white core cardstock which is fun to create with, just sand it, tear it or distress it what ever way you like to add a little extra touch to your pages! There are many patterns and colors to choose from and they all coordinate together with our inks, markers and ribbons which makes scrapbooking so simple!

The NEW Close to my Heart catalog was released today. Check out all the products by clicking on the Idea Book over to the right. Flip through the pages of the book right on line. Lot's of great stuff. The catalog makes for great ideas on your scrapbooking layouts and cards too! Close to my heart makes it easy to shop on line too, great products at a great price...check it out!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Base Pages

2009-03-07T15:06:00.006-06:00

I have enjoyed creating scrapbook pages with these base pages. I have purchased these for my childrens books and they are a quick and easy way to create a scrapbook page with so many options of layouts in this one paper packet! Just add your pictures and embelishments, with two children at home these pages allow me to scrapbook my photos quick and easy... I love that!

Right now these base pages are discounted at 40% off. Check out the CTMH Idea Book, then go to discounted items and paper icon to see the three colors currently on sale. While supplies last.

Have a great day!

Layout using Unity Stamp of the Month

2009-03-05T19:24:00.002-06:00

Here is a page of the kids during the fall.
Stamped images by Unity Stamps.

Monthly Card Swap Project

2009-02-23T21:27:00.003-06:00

Here is a photo of the cards I made for our monthly card swap. There are nine of us total and it is so fun to see what everyone comes up with. The bunny stamp and hip hop sentiment are from Unity Stamps, one of my favorites.
Little Miss Isabella had to join in on the fun so I used the kids small table and she was happy to play scrapbooking with mom. She wanted to play with all the materials it was pretty funny how she knows at age two to take the cover off the glue and apply it to the paper then stick together...she is a natural scrapbooker already!!! That's my girl!

St. Valentine's Day

2009-02-12T13:26:00.003-06:00

Here is one of the two Valentine gifts the kids helped me to make for their teacher and daycare provider. AJ's is not pictured as his is already taken to school but he did a great job in decorating his handprints to wrap around the gift.
For Isabella I used construction paper she "doodled" on for her handprints. I added chocolate to the inside of the box (can't have Valentines day without it...right?)

Wishing you a wonderful Valentine's Day with your SWEETHEART!!!

Our baby turns two!

2009-01-19T22:46:00.003-06:00

Here are a couple photos from Isabella's birthday party at daycare. It is hard to believe she is two already, time flys. WE are SO LuckY to have this bundle of energy in our LIVES!!!

Little Darling

2009-01-04T22:48:00.003-06:00

It is hard to believe that it will be two years ago that this little darling entered our lives. She is full of energy, loves to climb and at almost two she is starting to talk more and more each day. This weekend she said "thank you" so crystal clear and has added "ok" along with one of her first's "yah". We are so blessed to have her sweetness in our life.
In the photo above she decided she wanted to wear the santa hat from last year only it is too small so she balanced it on her head and walked around with it...she was happy! Then later while we celebrated Christmas Eve with my side she wanted to wear her new jammies, got her favorite blanket and snuggled up with her daddy to relax a bit, so cute!!! Then later we opened our gifts and the ones sent by their grandma and grandpa Sam and she loved her new princess sleeping bag, it was amazing she knew that it was something she uses to sleep in as to my knowledge she has never slept in one yet so when she opened it and layed down it was so cute to watch her.
It was a very nice holiday for all of us, we are blessed to have a healthy family and our extended family is doing very well too! Hopefully 2009 will continue to bring "good things" along with "happy memories" our way and I wish the same to you as well!!!
Thanks for stopping by!!!

It's a White Christmas After All

2008-12-24T12:40:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it is Christmas Eve. It sure did sneak up on me this year. We have lots of fluffy white snow so we can enjoy having our white Christmas here in Minnesota! I have been finishing up the last of the wrapping and quickly adding the handmade gift tags to the remaining packages. I make these every year and enjoy it, gotta have something handmade...right?

I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. May your holiday be filled with PEACE, LOVE and HAPPINESS!!!

New cards

2008-12-19T21:27:00.004-06:00

Here are a couple of cards I have created lately. The first one is a gift card holder. The image is not so great since I used my crappy Olympus camera while my other one was in repair which ended up finally getting replaced under waranty YIPPEE. The center image is from Unity Stamp Co.

The next one is a birthday card I made. It was a fun card to do. All stamps are Unity except for the "sweet" sentiment which is a CTMH alphabet set.

We are supose to have a blizzard this weekend so I am hopeing to finish some of my handmade holiday creations, plus I need to make christmas tags and wrap gifts. Then to find time to do some holiday baking. The time is flying by so fast I cannot BELIEVE that Christmas is only 6 days away. Happy Holidays to you and your family!

Thanks for stopping by!

One year later...Wow how fast they grow up

2008-12-15T00:03:00.008-06:00

I noticed in my slide show the photo of the kids from last year and now looking at my last post I was amazed how much they have grown since Christmas last year. WOW!

A Wink & A Smile!

2008-12-14T23:44:00.003-06:00

Sometimes I take a photo and I have a layout in mind just by looking at the picture. In this case Isabella has learned to wink like daddy and I happen to capture it today so once I develope it I will certainly have the title read "A Wink & A Smile".
Check back later as I will post the creation once finished.

It was AJ's Christmas program at church today so I happened to get a couple of quick snapshots of the two by the tree. Isabella was more interested in arranging the chairs to sit on as our first attempt of sitting on the floor in front of the tree didn't work out as they wanted to play with the ornaments. The chairs worked until Isabella decided she wanted to walk across them and stand on them. It was a breif photo shoot but at least I got a couple good ones to capture the moment!

delightful...the feeling inside when I see my children

2008-12-03T20:35:00.002-06:00

Here is the Wednesday Unity Challenge I finished. From the background stamps to the title, journal window, candy jars, and I love you tag all of these are fun adorable stamps from UNITY!!! Stamping on my scrapbook pages is my favorite thing to do and with this page I decided to add some fun sparkle too!.

I enjoy creating my own backgrounds by stamping images straight to the page! That way it's an "original" and unlike anything you can buy! Isn't the title of the page awesome, Angela allowed me to have one of these to add to my collection {thank you} and I have so many ideas to put this "huge" stamp to good use!!!

Thank you for stopping by!

3x3 CTMH card

2008-11-16T22:46:00.005-06:00

It has been busy lately so I haven't had too much time to post projects even though I have been creating a lot lately. This past week I celebrated my birthday. Another year older...YIKES! I received roses from my children and husband...gotta love that! We had a sitter and enjoyed an evening out just the TWO of us...so I thought. To my surprise he contacted our friends to join us at the restaurant so that was a treat, it's always fun to celebrate with friends!!! I had a great evening.
Here is a card I made for an upcoming event, I love making 3x3 cards, they are such a fun size! They make a great addition to gift bags which seems to be the trend for gift packaging these days. All products are CTMH and the pattern paper is from the Evening Song paper packet which is a favorite of mine from the current idea book.

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Paper Craft Planet & Kim's blog candy

2008-11-05T06:50:00.003-06:00

I have been a long time follower of Kim's wonderful blog. She has great tutorials and has inspired my creativity so I was very happy to visit her blog recently to learn she is now a member of their design team...Way to go KIM!!!

If you haven't heard about Paper Craft Planet visit Kim's site and join for a chance to win some blog candy. Visit her site at http://www.clearlyinspired.blogspot.com
there you can enter to have a chance to win. Winner to be announced on Nov 11th then join in on the sketch challenge that will happen this Saturday Nov 8th.

Congratulations Kim.

More Halloween

2008-11-03T20:02:00.004-06:00

Here is a couple more photos from Halloween. The kids had a lot of fun this year and it was nice to have warmer temps to go out and about trick n treatin. One house we visited near ours really spooked the kids good. They were talking about that house the rest of the night, lots and lots of cool decorations and music. Every window had something to see from huge cat eyes, a large mummy in the upstair window, strobe lights, skulls and who knows what else.The pictures don't show the best of it but it is my pick as the best decorated house in town.

Bella Bug

2008-10-29T21:20:00.003-05:00

Here is our little Bella Bug. Daycare had a Halloween party and so she got to wear her costume today. These are a couple of the photos our wonderful daycare mom captured for us, aren't they so cute! She made a spider during craft time and enjoyed some Halloween treats. She takes after her parents and loves chocolate,this might be her favorite holiday for now!!! It is so nice to get a little peice of her day in these photos and to know while we are away she is happy and well taken care of, what a blessing.
Thanks for stopping by.

Unity's TWILIGHT challenge

2008-10-27T18:49:00.002-05:00

Here is my card using the 4 novels as inspiration for Unity's TWILIGHT challenge.
Instead of just one element I chose a little something from each of the 4 novels.
The 4 {in the 4 U} represents the 4 novels in the series of books. It was fun and it came together fairly quick. What do you think?
Thanks for stopping by!

CTMH card idea

2008-10-17T18:21:00.002-05:00

Here is a card I made recently for my upcoming workshop. Inside the center has a spot to put a photo, a great little card to send to friends and family for the holidays. The center stamp and border stamp on the belt closure are from the stamp set called "SNOW FRIENDS" by CTMH, one of my favorites. Who doesn't love snowmen??? The paper used is by Close to my Heart.

Click on the Close to my Heart link to the right side of my blog. A new Art & Soul tutorial is there for you to watch (click on CTMH TV then Art & Soul). I hope it gets you inspired to give Close to my Heart products a try.

Thanks for stopping by!

Simply Autumn

2008-10-14T18:43:00.002-05:00

We took the kids out to attempt to get some nice photos of them and the changing colors. They weren't too cooperative but it was fun and they had fun running down the hills and through the leaves. They each collected some "big" leaves to take home.

Thanks for stopping by.

CTMH-Memory Keeper

2008-10-11T23:30:00.006-05:00

Here is the memory keeper I finished tonight. I plan to attach a large photo on right side once I decide who's memory keeper box this will be for. The front closure is magnetic so it will close tight and hold many keepsakes inside. This was a fun and easy project to do. I may make a few for holiday gifts and use it for the package with the gift inside that will be a little extra something to keep instead of throwing the paper and boxes!
Interested in making one like this? Go to my Close to my Heart website, you can find the link to the right. Click on CTMH TV for tuorials and there is also a new section recently added called Art & Soul if you go there you will be able to watch the tutorial on how to make a memory keeper of your own.
Thanks for stopping by!

Unity Challenge Wednesday!

2008-10-08T22:22:00.003-05:00

The challenge for today is to make a non standard card. My camera was not cooperating for me today so it is not the best photo, sorry. Here is my creation.

Check out the Unity site and join in on the Hip Hoppin fun beginning Thursday at 10am. Lots of goodies and a day filled with fun. Every Thursday is Hip Hop Day at Unity so be sure to check it out!!!

Happy Fall

2008-10-08T17:09:00.003-05:00

Here a couple of photos of the kids. They were so excited to get their pumpkins.
We are enjoying the last bit of nice temps before the snow flys, I hope to take more pictures of the kids playing in the leaves I will post more later.

Thanks for stopping by.

So So Loves

2008-09-24T21:23:00.007-05:00

Cheers to Sherrie! She makes such adorable cards, I saw one of my favorites...so so loves by Unity Stamp Company (also my employer) and decided to make my version of this cute little card.

Next I will have to try the paper-piecing technique that looks like fun, check out Sherry's blog I have added her to my "fun places to visit" on my blog page. Have fun!

Textured cardstock by CTMH colors bamboo,watermellon and dutch blue.

Baby AJ

2008-09-23T20:39:00.005-05:00

This goes along with the post before this, look how much he has grown. This photo was for his first Christmas and he is nine months old. It is hard to believe he is already in kindergarten.

How do you spell LOVE to a child? T-I-M-E !
(author unknown)

Time fly's by so fast...enjoy every minute!

First day of kindergarten for AJ

2008-09-23T20:14:00.002-05:00

I am late in posting these photos, they are of AJ on the first day of kindergarten. We also recently celebrated his 5 year adoption anniversary! We are so lucky to have him in our lives.
He looks so grown up! So far he is loving school and likes his teacher. Things have been busy lately new schedules to get use to, Isabella is settled into her new daycare and is doing good. Making the most of the nice weather we have lately by letting the kids play outside a lot, soon they will be playing in the snow! AJ is looking forward to jumping through the leaves again and begging to get pumpkins carved and for Halloween to arrive! To be a kid again...carefree & fun!

Wednesday Unity Challenge

2008-09-17T22:01:00.003-05:00

Here is what I created for Unity's Wednesday Challenge. Colors for this challenge... Black and Pink.

It's a friend's birthday coming up so she will be the lucky one to receive this cute little card, hope she likes it!

Thanks for stopping by! Keep Smilin!

Fun new cards...Unity Stamps

2008-09-11T22:42:00.003-05:00

After the kids had their "tubby time", bedtime stories and good night prayers I enjoyed spending the evening doing my favorite thing...stamping and getting creative!

These are a few of the cards I completed. All three stamps are from Unity and are so much fun. I hope you like them as much as I do!

It's getting late so I will be keeping this post short and sweet, thanks for stopping by!

Ride 'em Cowboy!

2008-09-11T22:33:00.005-05:00

A MOP's (Mother's of Preschooler's)event took place Nov 2006 and this is one of my favorite photos taken that evening. He had a fun time "dressing up" and playing the part. HE'S MY HANDSOME LITTLE DUDE! Love you AJ!

(sorry it is a bit blurry, I should have taken it out of the page protector prior to taking the photo. Was in too much of a hurry, I will remember this for next time)

Quick little card's

2008-09-01T12:27:00.004-05:00

Here are a couple of cards I created with my Unity Stamps. For the Thank You card I used liquid glass to add texture, I love this stamp there are so many things you can do with this stamp to dress up the image. On the inside of the owl card I stamped "I Miss You" for the sentiment.

We have had a very nice holiday weekend. Time spent with family/friends and tonight we are going to the neighbors for a "back to school" sundae's. Should be a fun time!
I can't believe how summer is coming to a close and school begins this week. It will be nice to see things slowing down a bit to allow for more creative time indoors.

Thanks for stopping by...Happy Labor Day!!!

More celebrating

2008-08-26T17:13:00.002-05:00

This is another anniversary card I made for the occasion. It was a fun filled day of celebration for Grandma & Grandpa.
In the one photo Isabella is sitting on grandpa's lap as she wanted her shoes off and went to him for help. She loves to be barefoot. AJ is grandma's little boy and loves to sit on her lap. He wiped out on his scooter that day and got his first official skinned knee. It was a pretty big scrape poor little guy but he gets going pretty fast on his scooter and bike so it was bound to happen.
I plan to get busy with some new projects so check back soon! Not many days left of summer break and AJ will be headed for kindergarten, we will meet his teacher tomorrow...he can't wait! Bye for now!

60th Anniversary

2008-08-22T09:56:00.010-05:00

AJ in slide!

Isabella climbing!
It has been a busy couple of weeks and the fun isn't over yet. This weekend our family is getting together to help grandma and grandpa celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. What an accomplishment, not many people reach this milestone these days so this is a special occasion to CELEBRATE!
We took the kids to Como Zoo in St. Paul last weekend, we all loved the animals, the kids had fun. AJ loved the play area and slides...see photo above. The strawberry smoothies were awesome and kept us refreshed on such a hot summer day. On the ride home to give the kids a break. ( and DH too he took a short nap as the kids played ) We stopped in Delano at a park we drove by on the dreaded DETOUR. They had so much fun and there were a couple of other kids there to play with so AJ made some new friends. Isabella had fun climbing I can't believe how strong and daring she is at only 19 months old. She will climb on anything, we call her our little monkey because she just loves to climb and is very coordinated. It just amazes me when she does this and always with a cheezy smile. Gotta love it! Time flys by so fast! Not many days of summer left before school starts so we have to savor every day.

Thanks for stopping by, until next time...keep smilin!

Save Big!

2008-08-19T16:48:00.003-05:00

Click on the Close to my heart link to the right. Next click shop online, here you will find the link to some clearance items CTMH has to offer. Shop early to save big, and when you purchase over $75 shipping is FREE. Shop online and your items will arrive to your doorstep, quanities are limited so don't wait!!!

08.08.08

2008-08-08T23:56:00.005-05:00

It's a super great date and can't forget to make a post before the day expires in just four minutes! I am smilin big tonight because I got my hands on the Autumn/Winter 2008 Close to my Heart catty!!! Stayed up late to take in every page...so many great ideas and new products! Looking forward to creating some of the great cards and layouts in this book so check back later!!! Did you check out the opening program for the Olympics? All I can say is AWESOME!

A card for today!

2008-08-07T09:23:00.004-05:00

Here is one of the cards I finished last night. I just love these, reminds me of Holly Hobbie. I look forward to receiving the second one I ordered which is on back order, but I am happy to finally get my hands on these popular little stamps.
Thanks for stopping by!

Used CTMH Good Times B & T paper with Twighligt cardstock. Ribbon is from Target, stamp is from Sarah Kay.

Save BIG in August

2008-08-05T23:43:00.002-05:00

Click on the link to the right to link to my website at Close to my Heart.
Next click the "Shop Online" link.
Shop the clearance list or regular items. More information on the clearance sale is listed there for you. Enjoy the savings and have fun shopping...hurry supplies are limited so don't hesitate.
Don't forget to shop the current Idea Book for more great products and when you place an order online you'll enjoy the fun of having a wonderful package at your doorstep very soon!!!

He's my crafty little boy!

2008-07-30T18:28:00.005-05:00

As my daughter was taking her nap today we got a little crafty at our house as AJ would say! As I created this layout my son stamped and cut out the animals and created his own artwork.(He did the last page) He loves animals and has the creative bug like mommy. Not bad for being only 5 yrs old. I plan to place both in his photo album next to each other as a memory of his first page completed, I have to first find a photo to place in the middle of it. I use many of his projects as B & T paper and layer the photo on top. There are so many pages he has made that I have saved that I had to find something creative to do with them and he enjoys seeing his artwork in his book!
About Me/ Alpha stamps from Unity Stamp Company
Paper and animal stamps from CTMH

A Message For Kim

2008-07-30T18:19:00.002-05:00

We welcomed a new little girl to the family. My cousin adopted this sweet little girl named Kim, they arrived home with her a month ago and she is a doll. We held a party for her recently so everyone could meet her. For the occasion I made this page layout as a "guest book" for everyone to sign. In the photo she is holding a toy phone so the message reads " A Message For Kim". It was fun to finally meet her!

Changes

2008-07-29T15:37:00.002-05:00

Made some fun changes to the design of my blog, hope you like it!
Check back later as I am working on a couple new postings and will have more details on how you can save BIG on Close to my Heart products in August!!!

A Card, Tagbook & New Layout

2008-07-18T10:51:00.008-05:00

Here are a couple of projects I completed. The tagbook is part of a gift I am giving to my cousin who had a baby boy and a new layout. I found the sketch for this layout at http://www.alteredambitions.blogspot.com and thought it was fun...here is my take on it. Have a great weekend.
Card: Colonial White Cardstock, CTMH With Love acrylic stamp set
Tag book: CTMH Baby Miracles Acrylic stamp set, Solo'a A stamp set, misc paper
Sketch Layout: Cricit lettering,CTMH Paper Garden B & T paper, cardstock, CTMH Brilliant Backgrounds, Sensational Seals stamp set,Baby Miracles sentiment & CTMH ribbon.

100th Birthday Celebration

2008-07-13T13:57:00.000-05:00

This is a card I made for my grandpa's sister who just turned 100 years old! (this is a card one doesn't get the chance to make too often) Their parents lived a long life with their mother reaching 93 and father 105 and they were lucky to celebrate 75 years of marriage together. Can you imagine all the different things they experienced in their lives...WOW! Luckily she is doing very well at this age and with in the past year just moved into an assisted living center, she had been living at home until then. Many of the siblings are still living and they range in age from the youngest at 80 to the oldest Evelyn who had her 100th Birthday!!!

Summertime Card

2008-07-08T11:53:00.001-05:00

Here is a card I found a while ago and finally got around to making one! I decided to use the CTMH Taffy card stock as it reminds me of a Orange Cream Ice Cream Bar. You could make these in any color which makes them so much fun. For the inside I used a Birthday sentiment. The riboon tie holds the card shut. You could attach a gift card to the inside...just an idea. For a childs birthday it would be cute to make a bunch in different colors and stick them in a small flower pot with a "Thank You" sentiment and have the kids bring them home. So many fun ideas for this card.

New Card

2008-07-07T12:39:00.001-05:00

Here is a card I did recently. I used the flower as a flap closure. The sentiment in the background is a small Acrylic stamp set from Papertrey Ink. When I say small they fit on my Close to my Heart 1x1 acrylic block, otherwise the rest of the materials are from Close to my Heart. I have many of these cards on hand, they were so easy and fun to make.

High School Album

2008-07-07T12:25:00.000-05:00

I have been busy working on a "Sport's" album for a 2009 graduate.I have enjoyed spending my time putting all her memories together so that she can share them with all her friends and family at her 2009 Graduation Party.
I have been stamping on the layouts, using a cricut machine(LOVE this machine), punches and used a few sticker/foam empelishments that she wanted incorporated in her album. Here is a couple examples and some of the pages are in her school colors. I used the CTMH Topiary and Moonstruck cardstock and some colonial white.

New layouts

2008-06-29T20:50:00.000-05:00

Love, love, love this paper. It screams fun and is so fitting for girls. I usually will scrap around my photos but in this case I tried something different and did the layouts first, it was fun for a change. It has been a busy couple of weeks. Last weekend was my 20th class reunion and this week was full of Willmar Fest activities and the parade on Sat.which about halfway through it rained. We need the rain but it would've been nice if it could have held off for another hour to make it through the end of the parade. Those poor floats, everyone was leaving before the parade was over and the people in it had to finish off the parade route in the rain with little people left to watch. The kids didn't mind the rain, we did bring our big umbrella so
we managed to stay pretty dry. They got a lot candy so they left with smiles on their faces!

Photo Frame

2008-06-11T13:13:00.000-05:00

Here is a project I created as a gift for Mother's day. I took photos of the little girl I watch a couple times a week. I took photos of her hands, eyes, bare feet and other close ups and then put them togther and printed them as a border and then a greeting from her to her mommy. I used blush cardstock and my cuttlebug then attached ribbon and the big pinks flower and button to finish it off. She can hang it by her desk or attach it to the refrigerater as I also added a magnet to the back.

Pictures on the 25th

2008-06-11T12:40:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since the last posting. Busy times kept me from blogging. AJ had his preschool graduation and finished preschool and is now enjoying his summer break. Unfortuately the weather has been gloomy so it goes in streaks where he can
ride bike and play outdoors. He has finally mastered riding his bike without training wheels so he is excited about that. Here are a couple of photos taken on May 25th and they will be added to my pictures on the 25th mini album soon! One is AJ with his pets Codie and Boots and the other is AJ having a picnic with his animals.

Happy Mother's Day-

2008-05-08T22:27:00.000-05:00

Grandma Vonnie and Grandma Florence

Go to the playlist and click on "my angel" to listen to as you read this posting.

For those of you who know me you can understand clearly how important my grandparents have been in my life. As we approach Mother's Day I wanted to share a few photos of "the angels" in my life! This song is so beautiful I had to create a post especially for them and Mother's Day is the perfect occassion to do so.

This May 18th it will be 4 years that we said goodbye to Grandma Florence, and she is gone from our lives for now but never forgotten!

For all you Mother's out there...Have a blessed Mother's Day! I know I will and I forever cherish the two little blessings who call me mommy!!!

Cherish Layout

2008-05-01T12:19:00.000-05:00

For this photo I looked in our CTMH Cherish Book and found this layout as my inspiration. This design can be found on page 117 of the Cherish book.

I used the Cutie Pie B & T paper, card stock all CTMH product.Three main colors used, Sweet Leaf, Amathyst and Sunny Yellow. The Sweet Leaf coordinates with the chair she sits in, Sunny Yellow brings out the sweater she is wearing and the Amathyst shows off her bright blue eyes. I used my circle punch then rotated the two different colors behind the center photo. I also stamped the flower for the background and added the dashes. I like how all the patterns and colors appeal with the photo...soft and sweet.

I have been working on so many cards lately it is fun to get back to scrapbooking again. Thanks for looking!
Happy May Day!!!

Pictures on the 25th

2008-04-28T11:30:00.000-05:00

Check out http://www.shimelle.com/ to join in on this fun project.

Every month on the 25th for the next year grab your camara and take some pictures of that day. After one year of this you'll be glad you did. Time fly's by so fast why not take a day to celebrate the memories, it could be a good day or a bad day but at least now you'll always remember what happened on the 25th! For this project I created a tag book to scrap my memories beginning April 25, 2008!

Photo Challenge- Snooze

2008-04-20T22:56:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Nic @ http://scrappernic.blogspot.com/ &

Jenn @ http://ilovethisscrap.blogspot.com/ I decided to take on Friday's Photo Challenge which is a first for me but it is one I couldn't resist. I had a hard time choosing but decided Isabella's photo was it. I took this photo of her Christmas Morning 2007-Her 1st Christmas before I woke her up to see what Santa had delivered.

Winter Wonderland... IN APRIL???

2008-04-11T07:49:00.000-05:00

When will spring finally arrive? Here is what we woke up to this morning...a blanket of new slushy snow. The trees in the back yard along the fence are Lilac bushes, this time of the year I get anxious for them to start blooming they bring so much color to our backyard. The weather here in the Midwest is always full of surprises!

Check Out The April Stamp Of The Month!

2008-04-08T22:52:00.000-05:00

Tonight was spent with a group of friends to help celebrate a birthday for one of them, so today I spent some time making some birthday cards. Above is a sample of one of them. I decided to use our Express Postage acrylic stamp set which is also April's stamp of the month! The card is made with white card stock and the Let's Get Together paper packet. I am finding this stamp set to be so versatile...I just love it! Once again I decided to use the no waste crisscross card. When the insert is in the pocket all you see is the flower peeking out below the tab. To make the tab itself I used a circle punch and folded in half, I find adding this or ribbon helps the insert to slide out of the card's pocket a bit easier. ENJOY!!!

Lori's Journal of Scrapbooking Inspirations

2008-04-04T11:11:00.000-05:00

Here is what I created. (So far)

I am not the person who originally created this wonderful idea, but I learned about it a few weeks ago at our meeting & fell in love it. Maybe you have seen something like this before but if not I'd like to share it with you now.

If you have tons of "heavy" catalogs, magazines, or other creative books, you can now "simplify" your stock. Many times we keep catalogs or magazines for one idea. Why not pull all the ideas you love together into one book and use that one book as your inspiration? Use a composition notebook and design the front/back how you like. For the inside I used my file folders stamp to create the tabs. Cut out your inspirations and journal what you liked about the idea. (Sometimes this helps you to remember later on what it was you first liked about the picture, was it the color combos/layout/fonts) I hope you like it & this inspires you to make your own.

I've Been Tagged

2008-04-03T08:24:00.000-05:00

A couple of things I have completed. The criss cross card love the Just Blooms Big Pinks flowers & my reflections scrapbook page. I love to stamp on my pages for a nice variety. This color is currently retired but I am looking forward to trying all the other colors now available. I like how quick & easy it is to complete a page .With two little kids someday's that's a nice go to paper packet. When it's nap time it's my time to complete a few quick projects so that I can also get on with other items on the to do list!!! Gotta have a bit of scrappin in the day to keep mom happy it's my form of "mom time".

A few days ago I was tagged, so for this I need to share with 7 people random and/or weird facts about myself and then tag 7 others to do the same. I had to stop and think as to what I would write for this so here it is...

1. A favorite food my grandma made growing up was creamed peas on toast

2. When eating ketchup with fries I like to sprinkle pepper on the ketchup, less tangy this way

3. Nail biting...my bad habit

4. I have a fear of heights

5. Don't like rainy days

6. I have watched Y & R since I was in 7th grade ( when I lived in Hawaii I met Victor & Hope when filming scenes in Hawaii on their honeymoon. Ate lunch with both, got autographs. Both super nice people)

7. I have lived in two states, Hawaii and Minnesota love em both but miss the beach. I would much rather swim in the ocean than the lake, don't like the mucky stuff at the bottem of the lake the sand is sooo much better!

Here are the rules:

Link to the person who tagged you.

Post the rules on your blog.

Share w/ 7 people 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself we all want to know.

Tag 7 people @ the end of your post & include links to their blogs, then let each person know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Inspiring blogspots to visit!

clearlyinspired.blogspot.com

stamptildawn.blogspot.com

theunitystampco.blogspot.com

scrapbookingbyswanky.blogspot.com
scrappernic.blogspot.com

hookedonstamping.com

craftinggirl.wordpress.com

A bit of card inspiration

2008-03-27T11:08:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of cards I was able to make last night using our colorful textured card stock, sweet pea B & T paper and Organdy ribbon. For a closer look click on the image to enlarge.

After a nice Easter weekend it is nice to get back into the swing of the daily routine, and even finding some quiet time to create cards to share with others. Hope you enjoy them.

Funny Face...baby

2008-03-19T22:10:00.000-05:00

Here is a scrapbook page that I was able to work on today. My friend Lisa & I got together to put some crafting into our day! I have had the idea in my mind to do a page titled "funny face" with her picture for a while now. When she giggles she has this squinting expression that is so adorable I felt the title fit her. I also recall an old song my grandparents had on a 8 track tape of Donna Fargo song of the same title so I added it to the playlist for the fun of it. ( I don't believe it was actually on the playlist...wow!) The letters (Rustic Alphabet) are stamped with sweat leaf ink on sweet leaf paper then cut out & set on the page with pop dots. The tags are stamped, handwritten then attached with sassy string. I added the spring iris paper for contrast, a fun color combo. I enjoy stamping on my scrapbook pages that is what I like about Close to my Heart products, great stamps & papers all in one book!

There have been so many birthdays lately, I needed to get some cards made as my stock is running low. I have to give Kim a big thanks for the layout idea, I just changed up the colors. The card is textured sweet leaf paper (again) & colonial white with a sticker from the sweet floral my originals card kit. I added some sassy strand in green to give an extra somethin!!! Must be in a "green" mode today or just looking forward to spring & seeing some green outside instead of dirty snow!

It was actually a really beautiful day outside, AJ got to ride his new bike, he loved it. He had two friends over today to play...it's spring break so it was a fun day for him. Isabella had a fun day trying to keep up with the"big" kids. She accomplished one new task today which was she learned to ride horse. Not quite...we have a rocking horse & she was attempting to climb on to it which is taller than she is. When she couldn't get it I helped her on, then off again. Wouldn't you know once I turned around to sit down she had figured out how to climb on herself & then she got off again. I couldn't believe it the little stinker...she has no fear & loves to climb!!! She is only 14 months old, & such a busy little girl.

AJ's birthday & sleepover

2008-03-17T10:13:00.001-05:00

The first one is CTMH butterfly kiss stamp set, the butterfly is sprinkled w/glitter. With acrylics it is so nice to bend the sayings as we did with the Happy Springtime stamp, stamped random flowers for the background both are from the CTMH word puzzle sets, used colonial white cardstock. Added a bow & accent strip of B & T paper and it's done.

The second card was cut using the colozzel circle cutter but folding at one edge for the opening.

Cut the papergarden B&T paper to size on half, used another strip of solid cardstock, rip the edge to show the white core and then used the brown distressing ink to distress. Stamped the saying which is from the celebrate life stamp set & layered it on the squares and used the small distressing brown ink pad to distress the top and edges of the top layers. The flowers/leaves were cut out and then crumpled and layered, a big brad was attached and all were glued to the top. I love the paper garden paper packet I think it is a favorite of mine from the 2008 spring catalog.

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

I enjoy using smilebox to share photos of special occasions. See the one just created for Aj's birthday. It was a busy weekend. On Saturday I went to our unit meeting for CTMH. Lots of great ideas were shared & we did some fun projects. See the cards we made above. While I was at the meeting Chad took AJ and his cousins to the park by our house to play ice hockey. They burned off lots of energy& had a blast. Then we took all the kids to the YMCA to swim, they love the waterslide!. Then to supper at Jakes Pizza not a crumb was left... they were hungry after a busy day. Once we got home it was movie time & they all relaxed to watch Shrek 2. The next morning Chad made pancakes and I prepared lunch for the party on Sunday afternoon. Sunday was Chase's birthday he turned 9 so he had his party at the bowling alley in RWF and everyone signed his "birthday pin" a gift given from the bowling alley. AJ did good he bowled an 80- Next we went to grandma & grandpa's to watch Chase & AJ open their presents, then it was time to eat & enjoy the cupcakes with DQ ice cream cake. It was a busy yet fun filled weekend and it wrapped up week filled with birthday celebrations. Whew it will be nice to quiet things down a bit after that!!!

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY!!!

A brand new bike!

2008-03-14T11:20:00.000-05:00

After taking the time to figure out the design of my blog page I want to share a few of the pictures we took during AJ's birthday party. He loves his new bike, now as a 5 yr old he needs to finally learn to ride it without training wheels, we are working on that. This weekend we have another birthday party for cousin Chase and then we are celebrating AJ's again with the family. Two parties this year and he can't wait to go bowling with all his cousins. Here is a picture of Isabella in her new hat.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-03-13T11:48:00.001-05:00

2008-03-13T00:04:00.000-05:00

Today the blogging begins. I have been inspired to get with the program and include blogging in my routine of life. Computers have sure changed the world we live in...what would we do with out them?

Today was a very special day, our son AJ turned 5 years old. For the past two days in spare time I handmade 16 little bags for him to fill with treats to bring to his classmates at his preschool. He helped by cutting out the "stamped"animals and glued them to the front for decorations while I did the cutting and assembling of the bags themselves. It was a fun little project. He did a good job and he really loves to color, cut and draw pictures for everyone. He is really creative and smart, it is fun to see all that his little imagination can do!!!