You & Me Card Set

Yes, I know I've been missing from my blog for a while. School is now over for the boys and next month will bring about the big family change that's been looming in the back of my mind for the past couple of months. I don't see much paper crafting in the near future (thank goodness for Studio J!!) mostly because all my crafting supplies will be packed up...to move to our new house!


I'm excited about this move (I'll finally have my own space!), I'm just not so thrilled about packing up our house of 11 years and all the stuff that's in it. Going to be a big job.

And that's just MY stuff!

Would you believe I actually did do some crafting this month? It is National Scrapbooking Month after all. Well, I did. I had a party last weekend and I made this card set for the hostess as a thank you. I used the exclusive stamp set that is only found in the You & Me kit available through the end of the month.

Take a look:




Stamps: You & Me (exclusive to the You & Me NSM Kit)
Inks: CTMH Cocoa, Sweet Leaf, Juniper
Papers: CTMH Wings Creative Basics

These cards were made using one of the card workshops found in the Wishes book from CTMH. Makes whipping up a nice set pretty easy!

If you'd like to get your own You & Me Kit before the end of the month, you can hurry over to my website and get one for your very own. But if you want an even better deal...

Consider joining my Craft Closet Crew! Not only is the Consultant Kit 50% off this month...making it only $64.50...but you'll get a You & Me kit absolutely free!


I'm looking for all kinds of crafters to join me and my team. Whether you want to create your own business, want a way to earn some extra money, or just want to get a discount on amazing stamping and scrapbooking products...I Want You!

Studio J: My Fairytale

So it seems to have been a while since my last post. Darn that whole "life gets in the way" thing!

But I have a special layout to share today. Engineer may not appreciate me sharing it, but today I can do whatever I want. So here it is...


Studio J: Sweetheart Reflections Kit

The quote, in case you can't read it, says,

"Every once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale."

I wanted to have a layout of just me and Engineer...and truthfully, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find enough pictures to fill the layout I chose! I am usually the one behind the camera (like many of you, I'm guessing) and Engineer...well, he's really good natured about having his picture taken, even though I'm sure it's not his favorite thing to do. So I was pleasently surprised to find so many of just us together.

So why can I do anything I want today you ask? Go ahead...ask.
Well, it's my birthday today!

And since it's my day and I can do anything I want...I've opted to not do any of the regular things I do about the house like:

laundry

shopping

cleaning

or cooking


I had a nice visit with some friends that stopped by earlier and later tonight I get to pick someplace to go for dinner. No cooking or cleaning! I may even go to a craft store or two and clean out their scrapping and beading sections!

Now that would truly be a fairytale!

Happy Anniversary To Me...And A Story For You...

Have you ever had an experience that was just so wonderful you wished you could share it with everyone you knew? I had that happen during one of our family trips to Disneyland. I remember the four of us (it was quite a long time ago) standing in front of the castle watching the most beautiful fireworks show I'd ever seen. The music, the lights, the sheer excitement of the whole thing brought tears to my eyes. Yes, I do cry at silly things...just ask my husband. But what I remember most was wishing my whole family could be there to experience the same feelings I was having at that moment.

Just over a year later, I did get my wish. My brother and his wife got married in San Diego and held their reception at Disneyland. My whole family...new baby, new sister, new family members...all stood there that night and experienced a great show of Disney magic. I quietly watched their faces and heard the ooh's and ahh's from the crowd. I felt so content knowing I was finally able to share that wonderful experience I had from the previous trip.

So why am I sharing this with you today? Four years ago, I made one of the best decisions for myself...I became a Close To My Heart Consultant! Happy Anniversary to Me! And I'm sharing because of a wonderful opportunity available to you in a couple of days.

May is National Scrapbooking Month. To celebrate this, CTMH is offering a wonderful kit called "You and Me" to help you preserve your cherished memories! And if you've ever had any thoughts on joining my team and this fantastic company, May is the month to do it. Not only will you receive a "You and Me" kit in your Consultant kit for free, but you'll also receive your Consultant kit at HALF PRICE! That's only $64.50! Whether you're looking for a way to earn extra money, a discount on your personal crafting supplies, or simply cannot pass up a good deal, May is sure to be the start of your own wonderful experiences you'll want to share with others!

PS: As a side note, I know I've been missing/not posting much for quite some time. We've been anticipating some changes here in our household and unfortunately crafting has taken a backseat to other demands. I don't know how long this will last, but I'm crossing my fingers it will be over shortly!

Studio J: Grand Canyon

This month, Studio J members will receive free Sparkles and Opaques Pearls for every 10 layouts they create and purchase!

What a quick and easy way to add a little bling to your layouts. I think I'll have to embellish my Grand Canyon layout with some of those Sparkles. Remember the photos I shared of our blizzard the first day of Spring? Here's the layout I created so we'll never forget...though I doubt we ever would:


Studio J: Magnifique Reflections Kit


I think a few Sparkles sprinkled about the pages would give it a nice embellished finished. Interested in becoming a Studio J member and getting caught up on your scrapping? Now is a perfect time to try it!

Studio J: Volcano!

I know what you're thinking..."Another studio layout?" What happened to the girl who loves ink and paper?! Well...she's been feeling under the weather and this has really been the only way she's been able to have any sort of creative outlet for a while. You know how I'm always letting you know why I love Studio J? Well, it turns out I have another reason...you don't have to leave bed to get a layout done!



I think I picked up something over Spring Break. What about that whole "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" thing? That doesn't cover head colds and tummy troubles? Fine. Just let me stay in bed with the blinds closed.

But before I crawl back to my santuary, I'll share something we did on our last night in Vegas. We had dinner at a great place called KGB in Harrah's...yummy burgers, by the way...before heading out to catch the volcano erupting across the street at The Mirage. The boys weren't sure we were telling the truth when we said Vegas had it's own volcano, but they thought it was totally awesome when the lights and fire started!


Studio J: Moon Doggie Reflections Kit

If you haven't tried Studio J yet, or have only played around a little, this month would be a good one to dive in and get those photos scrapped! CTMH is offering a FREE package of Sparkles and Opaques Pearls to Studio J members for every 10 layouts they purchase this month! What a great way to add some bling to your creations!

Vegas Baby!...And A Studio J Layout: Peek-A-Boo

Happy Spring everyone! This is the last week of the boys' break then it's back to our regularly scheduled...uh, schedule. Anyway, let me tell you what we've been doing since the last time I posted.



We had a nice little family vacation to Las Vegas. My up-up-upline Karen Morris and CTMH Corp. held a LeaderShare meeting for her team members. I was very excited it was close enough for us to go and equally excited to see the Vegas lights for myself.

During our meetings, we listened to amazing presentations given by some of the VPs from CTMH. I could seriously sit and listen to them all day! I always get motivated and inspired by all of them...can't wait to hear from them again at Convention!

We also created two beautiful projects, a My Creations Cube and a layout using the new Irresistables Eclectic chipboard die-cuts. I didn't get a chance to completely finish either of them...very quick paced creative sessions...so I'll have to share those when I get them done.

There was a very nice surprise for me at the end of the day...Karen gave out awards to her team and I received a lovely layout page created by the Art Department at CTMH. It turns out, of those in attendance, I was the Top Recruiter for the last year's 4th quarter! Really? Yeah Me!

My up-upline Kim got this oh-so-lovely shot of me on the way back to my seat.



I'm so glad to be a part of this great company that really supports and recognizes it's consultants. And I love helping people become a part of that as well.

The day we headed home was the first day of Spring. We planned to stop at the Grand Canyon on the way through and do a bus tour. Well, when we walked out the door of our hotel that morning to go to breakfast, we saw the first snowflakes of the day starting to fall. By the time we got to the entrance of the park, this is what the weather looked like...



Of course we didn't really plan on being in a blizzard...in Arizona...in March.


As you can see by the boys' apparel, this snowstorm completely caught us off guard. I really should check out weather forecasts before packing.




The only reason they even have those jackets is because Engineer insisted they needed them before we had visited Hoover Dam the day before. Thank goodness for Target...and for Engineer!

Our bus tour driver came in shortly afterwards and said she was going to try and talk us out of the tour. We wouldn't be able to see the Canyon anyway, what with all the snow falling. We thanked her, then headed for the van to start the trip home earlier than planned.

This is what it looked like as we left the park...



and pretty much stayed that way for half the trip home!

But we made it home safely and have sort of gotten everything unpacked. The house is a disaster, but that can be fixed when I don't have so much...help...at home during the day.


So how about another Studio J layout? I'm working on the pictures from this trip, so you'll have to wait just a bit longer for those, but I have lots of others to share!

This layout is made with another one of those groups of photos that I took just because the boys were being so funny. We had a big mirror propped up in the hall before hanging it and they just became mesmerized with their reflections.


Studio J: Hooligans Reflections Kit

Have I told you lately how much I love Studio J? Yes? Well, I'll tell you again. I love Studio J! I love that I can take a paper pack like Hooligans...



and use it however I want! Why did I choose Hooligans for these pictures? Two reasons. I knew it had that "Boo" stickease for me to use, and because it had that great "fingerprint" B&T paper! Two little boys can leave a lot of fingerprints on a mirror!

By using Studio J, I could pick the paper pack to use based on the patterns, not just the colors. Since you can change the paper to any of our 60 colors, it adds more versatility to your layouts!


Now, I have a couple hundred more photos to download from Vegas and actually have time set aside today to work on more studio layouts. If you want to know more about how Studio J works, send me an email. Next month is another great Studio J Member special from CTMH and you won't want to miss it!