Close To My Heart's Art & Soul and Thank You, Kate!

I wanted to be sure you all knew that there is a brand new webisode of Close To My Heart's awesome creative series, Art & Soul that you can view on my website. It's called "Live Your Dreams" and is only about 12 minutes long. In those 12 minutes you will learn, among other cool things, how to make and use your own "puddle pads." Trust me, you've gotta see it! Click here to go directly to my website to view it.

I also thought I share this stinkin' cute card that came in mail for me this week from my friend and downline, Kate C. THANK YOU, Kate. Not only is the card to die for, but the note inside made me cry. I love happy mail!

A couple of 'must have' Close To My Heart products that Kate used on her stinkin' cute card: Animal Cookies Level 2 Paper Pack (X7112B), Springtime Stamp Set (D1415), Bitty Sparkles (Z1263).

Click here to shop on my website 24/7...especially after you learn how to make puddle pads. I think you're gonna need some re-inkers after watching Art and Soul!

National Scrapbooking Month "Miracle" Kit

As promised, here I am showing you the BEAUTIFUL and Oh-So-Springy "Miracle" kit that Close To My Heart is offering for National Scrapbooking Month. It's a steal and you'll just have to have it when you see what it looks like and understand how it works. And, I'm here to make sure you walk away from reading this post with both.

National Scrapbooking Month is actually in May, but CTMH is on the ball. They have offered this kit to you starting today, April 15 so that you can have it in your hot little hands in time to start celebrating National Scrapbooking Month from day 1. Bravo! Once you finish this email, you can order this kit by going to my website here (details on order #'s are later in this post).

First of all, seeing it...I'll start with my two finished layouts using this kit, and add a few detail photos as well (you can click on any photo to see it larger). I'm sure you'll be shocked to see that both layouts feature my granddaughter, Daci. lol.

Layout #1: Celebrate. This layout is not only gorgeous, but so functional. "Flip Flaps" are included in this kit so this 2 page layout can accommodate a plethora of pics!

Here you can see the flip flaps open. So, a page that looks like it only has 2 photos, really has 6! Cool beans! You could even add more flip flaps for more photos.
Here is a close up of the journaling I added to this layout as well as the BEAUTIFUL dimensional element accents.

One more little detail pic of the accents before we move on to layout #2 of this kit.
Layout #2: Memories. There is NOTHING cuter than a baby and a lollipop!

Now let's move on to understanding how it works. It's simple! This charming scrapbooking kit featuring Spring inspired colors and floral patterns is "miraculously" easy to assemble with no stamping required. The brochure will guide you through easily creating two beautiful 2-page layouts (and you'll have plenty of left-over papers and supplies for a few cards!). There are several ways to snatch this fashionable Miracle kit at a great discount or even FREE!

1. purchase the kit outright for $19.95 (order #CC1009) between April 15 and May 31
   
2. spend $40 (before shipping and tax) and receive this kit for $10 (order #CC1009A) between April 15 and May 31
   
3. spend $60 (before shipping and tax) and receive this kit for $5 (order #CC1009B) between April 15 and May 31
   
4. Host a home gathering between April 15 and May 31 with minimum sales of $300 and receive a kit FREE!
5. Sign up as a new Consultant between May 1 and May 31 and receive a kit FREE!

Miracle Kit Contents (CTMH Colors featured: Sweet Leaf, Olive, Crystal Blue, Bamboo). See the photo of the supplies at the top of this post and the cover of the tri-fold brochure with step-by-step instructions here.

• 5 - Colonial White Cardstock
• 1 - Bamboo Cardstock
• 1 - Floral B&T Duos Paper
• 1 - Stripe B&T Duos Paper
• 1 - Crystal Blue B&T Duos Die-Cut
• 1 - Sweet Leaf B&T Duos Die-Cut
• 1 - 6" x 12" My Stickease Assortment
• 1 - 6" x 9" Irresistibles Chipboard Die-Cuts
• 1 - Mini-Medley Accents Colonial White Collection
• 12" Colonial White Waxy Flax
• 3 - 4" x 6" Memory Protectors Flip Flaps
• 2 - Sponge Wedges
• 1 - Brochure
  

Happy Birthday, Dawson!

16? You have got to be kidding me? When and how did this happen? My baby cannot possibly be 16 today. Okay, I guess he is. 16 years ago this morning I gave birth to my last munchkin, Dawson. I LOVE this kid.

Some of my favorite things about Dawson:

• He still gives me big hugs without being bribed.
• He is not afraid to tell me he loves me, even in front of his friends.
• He makes up the goofiest little sayings and uses them all the time. Over and over and over.... Okay, maybe this in one of my favorite things sometimes and one of my least favorite things sometimes.
• He understands that the choices he makes now can affect his future.
  
• He loves to tell me every little detail about whatever he is doing. I love men who TALK! {I even married a guy that does this! WOO HOO!}

I hope your day is PERFECT, Daws! I LOVE YOU!

Cherry-O Circle Card

Hi-H0-Cherry-O! I hope your day is going GREAT! Mine is, in large part because I taught one scrapbook class this morning and will be doing another one tonight. I love my job of being an Independent Consultant with Close To My Heart! You can EASILY sign up to be a member of my team by going to my website, then clicking on "Your Opportunities" and following the prompts from there. It's only $99* to start!

It's been a couple of days since I've shared. So, I had to take 2 seconds in between classes and making dinner and share this little circle card with you. I used the brand new Cherry-O line of papers from Close To My Heart that will be coming out May 1 (see Sunday's post for more details).

*before shipping and tax

New Cherry-O Line from Close To My Heart

Have you noticed that cherries are all the rage in scrapbooking products, papers, linens, and even clothing lately? Lest you think that Close To My Heart missed the boat, let me assure you that they certainly did not! You just have to wait until May 1 and you will have your fill of delicious cherry themed papers, stamps and accessories. May 1 is when the Summer Idea Book goes live and you will be able to view it right here on my blog. Be sure to check back then and look for the cover on the left side of my blog. By clicking on it you'll be able to view it page by scrumptious page.

In the meantime, just to wet your whistle, I thought I'd share a photo of some of the Cherry-O products (Feel free to click on the photo to see it larger. I know you want to see every yummy detail!) and a darling layout of my friend, Monica's beautiful little daughter, Melia. The Cherry-O line uses the CTMH color mix of Tulip, Blush, Chocolate, Sweet Leaf, Crystal Blue and Colonial White. Tasty!

I really am trying to enjoy every minute of my life and "live in the moment" (isn't that the catch phrase of the last year or two?), but I can't help getting excited about this new Idea Book and the upcoming National Scrapbooking Month "Miracle" kit. Click here to see a little sneaky peeky of that. You'll see ANOTHER one of Monica's beautiful daughters in that post, Ariana. She sure makes beautiful children, doesn't she?

In the meantime, there are so many wonderful products available RIGHT NOW through CTMH. Live in the moment, right? Click here to enter my website and order some (24/7!). You can view the current Idea Book (Spring 2010) by clicking here.

Miracle - Sneaky Peeky

There is something exciting that is coming on April 15 with Close To My Heart. As you may or may not know, May is National Scrapbooking Month. CTMH usually begins their special a few weeks early so you can have your 'goodies' in your hands to scrap by the beginning of May. I love that!

This year the special is called "Miracle" and it is so beautiful. Being a CTMH Consultant, I was able to get my Miracle Kit early and play. I will be revealing it all to you next week (on Thursday, April 15...so be sure to check my blog that day for all the details and full photos), but I thought I'd give you a few little peeks today as well.

Enjoy!

Thank you, Sue!

I opened my mailbox yesterday to a fun surprise...a card from my Hawaii buddy, Sue! Thank you, Sue (check out her blog here)! You made my day. There is nothing more fun that happy mail, especially from someone you think the world of!

As you can see on the detail photo (click either photo to see them larger), Sue added some fun little extras. She scissor distressed the edges of the Sweet Leaf Cardstock (instructions in a moment), edged the Colonial White Cardstock under the umbrella piece with a crystal blue marker, and dotted Liquid Glass (Z679) on the polka dots on the umbrella. Genius!

Scissor Distressing is a fun and easy way to add character to any project. Close To My Heart's Micro Tip Scissors (Z534) are the perfect tool for this technique because the outside edge of them is nice and sharp too. That way you can leave your scissors closed to distress and not have to dull the cutting edge. To scissor distress, just hold the paper firmly that you want to distress and run the edge of your closed scissors up and down the edge until you reach the desired effect. Sue was very subtle with her distressing on this card, which was just perfect for the "Happy Spring" feel, but if you really want to go to town and make something look old and beat up you can do that too.

Close To My Heart products used on this darling "Sue Card": Springtime Stamp Set (D1415), Caboodle Level 2 Paper Pack (X7121B), Crystal Blue Stamp Pad (Z2117), Crystal Blue Marker (Z2317), Designer Ribbon Rounds Colonial White Collection (Z1126), 3D Foam Tape (Z1151), Liquid Glass (Z679), Micro-Tip Scissors (Z534).

Click here to order from my website 24/7...especially when you're having a "Happy Spring."

Did you guess?

Did you guess which one was me? Several of you have posted or emailed me to find out which of the list I shared in Sunday's post was me. So far, no one who has guessed has gotten it right.

I'll tell you which one I was and the story to go with it in just a minute. Before I do, I have something much more important to share: My granddaugther, Daci learned to say Grandma yesterday! WOO HOO! Sorry I don't have any wonderful artwork to share today. I have been busy doing things other than creating art the past few days. Hopefully this darling photo of Daci will suffice.

Back to the list. I was this one:

• Over 100 people have seen my bare tush.

Lest you think that I am a habitual mooner, please let me give you a quick re-cap of what actually happened. I was 17 years old and on a first date with a new guy. We decided to go swimming. As I was climbing out of the pool on the ladder (and he was right behind me), he said, "Karen, you have a hole in the back of your swimsuit." YIKES! I politely thanked him and went into the womens restroom to check it out. Hole was the understatement of the year! The seam in the back of my swimsuit was up the middle (instead of the sides like most swimsuits) and it was totally unstitched. I didn't have a hole in my swimsuit....I didn't have a swimsuit! My entire rear portion was bare for the whole pool full of people to see. I almost DIED! I think I stayed in that bathroom with a towel wrapped around my waist for a good 30 minutes before I got enough guts to go back out, get my date, and leave. I couldn't look him in the face the rest of the day.

That story should make all of you feel VERY good about yourselves, right? I hope you all got a good laugh to start your day at my expense!

2 of My Favorite Things

Two of my favorite things are General Conference and Easter. How cool is it that they happened together this weekend?

I'm pretty sure you all know what Easter is, but maybe not General Conference. In a nutshell: twice per year the leaders of our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints..."The Mormons") broadcast meetings over a 2 day period (the first Saturday and Sunday in April and October). Each day there are 2 general meetings that last 2 hours each. I love them!

I feel filled with happiness and remembrance of what is most important in life as I listen to these wonderful leaders share their testimonies of their Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, as they give us wise counsel, and as they tell us the things we need to know. If you go here, you can see a brief description of what General Conference is. If you go here, you can view some of the talks from yesterday. My very favorite was a talk on the difference between love and lust given by Elder Jeffrey. R. Holland. You can scroll through the speakers and listen to him if you'd like. On Saturday night, there is also a meeting for the men (12 and up) called General Priesthood Meeting. The guys all get dressed up in their suits and ties and go to our local church building to see the satellite broadcast of this meeting. That means 2 full hours of a house void of testosterone. Woo hoo! Not that I don't love testosterone, but a break every now and then is nice! I decided to fill my home with as much estrogen as possible during those two hours. I invited my daughter, Kori and granddaughter, Daci (see photo. Unfortunately I got so busy when everyone arrived I forgot to take pictures. Darn!), Easton's girlfriend, Daysha, my sister-in-law, Cindy and her two daughters, Paige and Katie over for a girls dinner and evening of fun.

You can see a photo here of one of the place settings at the table. I had fun making and decorating a sugar cookie for each of my guests, and also gave each of them a little notebook to use to take notes during General Conference. I thought it turned out nicely.

We started out with a delicious "girls' food" dinner of Chicken/Broccoli soup, green salad and breadsticks. As the food settled we played a little game. I had each of the attendees let me know something that no one at the gathering would know about them ahead of time. I turned it in to a matching game and we had fun laughing and telling stories as we figure out which thing fit which person. Here were the 'adventures' on the list:

• Over 100 people have seen my bare tush.
• I won a best legs contest
• I broke into a baseball field at 4 am with my friends.
• When I was a little girl I secretly brought home a stray cat and kept him in my dresser drawer for months with no one knowing.
• In high school, I beat our quarterback in a push up contest in front of the whole school.
• I have a recurring dream of being the pink Power Ranger.

Hilarious! After guessing the 'culprits' we finished with a scrumptious eclair cake. It was a fun evening. The boys came home just in time to help with the dishes. Perfect!

Today, as we celebrate Easter, I am especially grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ and the gift of His infinite atonement. I know that He has felt my pains, sorrows, and sins. I know He loves me in spite of my short comings. I am grateful for this knowledge and try to live my life according to it. The painting of Jesus Christ that you see here today is a favorite of mine by Simon Dewey (you can see lots of his gorgeous paintings and purchase prints here). Happy Easter, everyone!

April Stamp of the Month - Flower Pot

It's a new month, which can only mean one thing...a brand new Stamp of the Month at Close To My Heart. April did not disappoint with this darling Flower Pot stamp set (Item #D1409, actual size of carrier sheet is 6" x 6")...just in time for Spring!

This set can be yours in several different ways:

• earn it FREE when you spend $100 or more (before shipping and tax)
• earn it for 75% off ($5.74) when you spend $75 or more (before shipping and tax)
• earn it for 50% off ($11.74) when you spend $50 or more (before shipping and tax)
• earn it for 25% off ($17.21) when you spend $25 or more (before shipping and tax)
• purchase it for full retail price ($22.95)

Close To My Heart products used: Flower Pot Stamp Set (D1409), Noted Backgrounds Stamp Set (D1412), Veranda Level 2 Paper Pack (X7119B), Tulip Cardstock (X5753), White Daisy Cardstock (1385), Versamark Stamp Pad (Z891), White Daisy Embossing Powder (Z673), Cocoa Stamp Pad (Z2114), Cocoa Marker (Z2314), Designer Ribbon Rounds Chocolate Collection (Z1127), Natural Hemp (Z280), Basic Craft Buttons (Z1206), 3D Foam Tape (Z1151), Corner Rounder (Z578).

Click here to order from my website 24/7...especially when the flowers are blooming (stamped or otherwise!).