Wings Layout Sneek Peak

Sneak Peek time! The layout you see today is one of the three 2-page layouts we will be making at my Play Group classes in February. Be watching my blog during the next week to see all three. This is one of the new kits that are coming out in February, but this one is orderable during January too! It's called Wings and its absolutely beautiful!

Oh and don't forget: today is the last day for the 3 FREE THINGS you can get from me and Close To My Heart in December. Click here to read all about them (I have extended the Studio J free album special through today, December 31) and then head to my website, click on shop online, and go to town!

Happy Birthday, Easton!

The layout you see pictured here today is the layout I did after the last birthday we were able to spend with Easton (until today, that is!). He turned 19 in December of 2007. He left less than a month later for his 2-year LDS mission. As many of you know, we as parents don't get to see them during those 2 years, and only get to talk on the phone on Mother's Day and Christmas. Thank heaven for those weekly emails! Now that Tannon is on his mission, I am experiencing that all over again.

Easton returned home in January of this year and what a year it has been between then and now! He got home in January, began dating his wife in February (although they knew each other growing up, they never dated), got a job and worked until he left for Cedar City for college and his football scholarship in June, proposed to Daysha in August, finished a semester of school and his first college football season, and was married on December 17. WHEW! What a whirlwind.

Easton, I am so very proud of you for so many things: for the man you are, for serving a mission, for choosing such a wonderful wife, for working so hard in school (3.92 this semester!) and football (go, T-birds!), and for the honorable priesthood holder and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that you are. I love you! Happy 22nd Birthday! Enjoy this montage of some of my favorite photos of Easton growing up. I still can't believe my little boy is a married man!

Art & Soul - Pulling It All Together

Yes! I do know it's not Halloween. There is a perfectly good reason for me posting this Halloween album today. I promise! Read on to find out...











The newest webisode of Art & Soul ("Pulling It All Together") is up on my website and it's one you don't want to miss! Fifteen minutes is well worth it as you fill you mind with new tips and tricks and fill your eyes with amazing artwork!

Here's a sneak peek:

• Kristine shows the fun Mix & Mingle album and a new way to use it, along with Stazon stamping on acrylic albums (the photos you see here are of a Halloween album I made 2 years ago for my friend. All of the black stamping you see on the clear acrylic pages were done just like Kristine shows in this webisode. Click on any photo to see it larger and in more detail) and metals. She carefully explains the technique and the artwork examples are WOWZA!
• Jill (check our her stinkin' cute shirt and sweater! I want one just like it!) shares an oh-so-cool marbeling technique using liquid glass. Again, the artwork examples are out of this world!
• Monica shows even more uses for our Mix & Mingle Album. Can you believe this beautiful woman is pregnant with #7?
• Tiffany, who I got to work with while teaching a photography class once (she's awesome!) shows some GREAT Studio J tips and tricks. You won't want to miss it!
• The webisode concludes with CTMH's founder and owner, Jeanette Lynton, showing her beautiful calendar pages.

See what I mean? You gotta take 15 minutes and check it out. You can see it here. Then head on over to my website and click on 'shop online' and order all of the fun things you saw in Art & Soul.

Only Five Days Left to Shop!

There are only 5 days left to get many of the Close To My Heart products that are retiring on December 31. Most of our accessories will be available again in 2011, but ONLY the paper packets you see in your Close To My Heart Autumn/Winter 2010 Idea Book will be carrying over (you can view this Idea Book here) to the new year.

Check the retired list here and get shopping! There are only 5 more days to get these paper packets. An added advantage is the Plenty for Twenty offer (you can read more about that here).

To order just head to my website, click on shop online, and go to town.

I hope you ALL had a wonderful holiday filled with all the people, places and things you love most!

Water, water and MORE water!

Dan and I are currently in St. George, UT watching Dawson play in a basketball tournament with the Lone Peak Knights (GO KNIGHTS!). We cannot even believe what we are witnessing...not with basketball...but the WEATHER! The heavy rains from California have hit Southern Utah and we have gotten about 14" of rain the past few days. There is a lot of flooding going on all over St. George and the surrounding areas. Our prayers go out to all those whose homes and businesses are being affected.

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to let you all know that I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. Between my son's wedding last weekend and heading out of town for another son's basketball tournament this week, and returning just in time for Christmas Eve, the chances of another post from me before Christmas are pretty slim. Forgive me. I promise to be back to my "normal postin' self" quickly after Christmas.

In the meantime, I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season. I decided to post a few cards from last year since I am without something new to share today. I hope you don't mind. :) You can click on the photo to see it larger and in more detail.

These cards use the darling Around the Block (D1377) stamp set. I embossed in white on Brown Bag Cardstock (X5644) to get that yummy gingerbread house look. Enjoy!

Click here to shop on my website 24/7...especially when you're getting ready for Christmas.

The Wedding

Note: The photos you see here are just snapshots taken by Kori and other various people during the evening. They are awesome but I can't wait to have the professional ones to share (especially the ones of Easton and Daysha in front of the temple)! Our photographer, Megan Heaps is THE BEST!



It's official: As of about 12:30 pm yesterday, Easton and Daysha are now Mr. and Mrs. Easton Pedersen. The wedding yesterday, the luncheon, and the reception were all wonderful and went off without a hitch.

I think as parents, the thing we want most for our children is for them to grow up to be good, kind, giving human beings, for them to be productive and hard-working, and for them to choose to marry a wonderful person to spend time and all eternity with. Yesterday was a day that we, as parents, live for. Dan and I couldn't be happier with Easton's choice in a wife. Daysha, we love you! Kori also chose a wonderful man to marry four years ago. 2 down, 2 to go! :)

It was a beautiful day! It started out with Easton and Daysha being married and sealed for time and all eternity in the Draper, UT LDS Temple by Daysha's grandfather. From there we went to a luncheon where over 100 close friends and family came and celebrated with us. There was a nice program where we showed a video of Easton and Daysha (so cute!), then both of their siblings and parents paid tributes (of course, Dan-the-Man was the comic relief), Easton and Daysha each spoke, and Daysha sang a beautiful love song to Easton. After the luncheon it was on to a gorgeous reception. After the formal line and dinner, there was a fun program. Daysha and her four sisters sang "We are Family" by the Pointer Sisters, Daysha did a traditional wedding hula (the 'money dance'. It was a hoot. Daysha even hula-ed on Easton's back in 4" heels!), more singing by family and friends, and then we all boogied the night away (Dawson Pedersen, who taught you those moves?). At the end of the evening, we sent the newlyweds off in their car (decorated courtesy of brothers and cousins) for the honeymoon, and the rest of us came home. It was a day that Dan and I will never forget.

Easton and Daysha, we love you both so very much and wish you an eternity of happiness together.

Let Them Eat Cake!

It looks good enough to eat, doesn't it? Before you take a bite I should warn you...this entire cake is made of PAPER. No joke! I am still drooling over this "work of heart" my friend, Tracey Mason send to my son, Easton and his bride-to-be, Daysha. It arrived on the day of the shower and you should have seen Daysha's face when she opened it.

I stole this photo from Tracey's blog because it was much better than the one I took. She is not only a master paper cake creator, but a master photographer on top of it. Don't you just want to hate her? Trust me, I've tried but I just can't. She's too awesome!

This cake will have a place of honor at the sign-in table at the reception this Friday night.

You can read all the mind-boggling details of how Tracey made this "work of heart" and the Close To My Heart products she used on her blog here.

So stop drooling, make your list, check it twice (I really don't care if you're naughty or nice) then head to my website, click on shop online (24/7...even in your jammies!), and then fill your Santa bag with all the treasures you need to make some cakes of your own.

P.S. Love ya, Tracey!

90% Off Scrapbooking Supplies!

No kidding. It's for real! There is a HUGE clearance sale going on RIGHT NOW on my website. Just go to my website (http://leavealegacy.myctmh.com), click on Shop Online, the Discounted Products and shop away! Hurry, hurry, hurry! Supplies are limited and things are going fast.

On top of getting up to 90% off on many items, you can still take advantage of the 3 other specials that are a-happenin' at the same time.