Going, Going, Gone

Summer is going so fast and now we have finished another week.   It has been a wild one too.  I was really busy at my day job (yeah!!)  and came home and was really busy with my CTMH business.  I had my monthly club meeting in Sturgis on Wed. and that was such a mess!  For some reason we didn't have the room scheduled and there I was .... with no place to play and 17 friends coming to play!  Well, thank goodness, the Sturgis gals take such good care of me, we found a spot to play at the last minute! We made pages with the TYPESET papers from out new catalog.  What great paper. 

Now, I am gearing up for next month!  We are going to be playing with the Mischief papers, only we are making FALL cards instead of HALLOWEEN cards.  It should be really fun to design some cards that will use our new papers.   I am also preparing a great second calendar class for Sept. 4.  We are going to be using the WINGS paper pack from the SPRING Idea Book.  I can't wait to see the dramatic, beautiful calendars that these papers are going to finish.

And, Oct. 1, I am going to be celebrating NATIONAL CARD MAKING DAY by creating 8 CLEAR CHRISTMAS CARDS.  This is going to be a great class and I will be taking sign ups for this class soon! 

Well, I need to run off to get some sleep (how inconvenient!) So I can get a few things accomplished on my day off tomorrow!

OK - Fall is coming

and I need to get this BLOG thing going again.  Who thought it would be so hard to find the time to talk to all of you?  You know how good I am at this!  Talking, that is.  Not keeping up this blog obviously.  I am going to be better, I am going to be better. 

Part of what stops me is that I think I need to have something to show you every time, and honestly, life has been to busy to create for awhile.  I feel lucky if I get the CLUB workshops done.  (Speaking of which....I am needing to finish those soon!)  So, I am going to worry less about having something to show you, and more about getting our creative mojo going.  I'll see if I can share a bit of what I find interesting and what gets my creativity going.  This week, I am playing with my new CRICUT EXPRESSION. I can tell I have alot to learn, but I really am loving it.  I have been cutting out the elements for every ones cards and pages for club this week.  For hours!!  I am not crazy about this.  We may have to come up with another solution for cutting things for club next time we need to use the cricut. 

Anyway ... I did have a workshop for the first Christmas gift I have made this year. I am planning on having another workshop on SEPT. 4, 2011. This is the nicest way I can think of to give family pictures to a relative and not have them shoved in a corner. This Calender is put in our 'My Creations Display Album' #Z1054 found on page 131 of our new Fall and Winter Idea Book. So ... check out these pictures, and if you would like to make a gift calender like this one, contact me and join our class SEPT. 4.

These layouts were made using the Whoops a Daisey paper from 2 years ago. 

The class I am teaching on SEPT 4 will use the wings paper pack from last spring's idea book.

These layouts are so FUN!! and you really can get a ton of pictures in this book to share with family and friends. 

I hope you will consider coming and playing with us. 

Catching up

Well, look at this.  It is the 24th of June already.  This month has been insane.  Will came home the beginning of the month and I feel like the whole house fell apart around my ears.  Not just the house, life.  All of the control that I like to think I have, gone in an instant. 

I know I have talked to all of you about my 'flylady' routines.  This is the only thing that has kept me sane since all the boys moved in.  I am not keeping up with everything, but atleast the major things, laundry and dishes, are getting done. I am adding the office day, Friday, back into my routine.  I hope that will help with the blog and CTMH business that I would like to be getting done. 

I do have to tell you that Gary and I took a great motorcycle trip through Colorado with friends this last week.  What a great time.  I am so excited to get all the pictures from everyone and do the scrapbook pages!  I know that with the boys grown up, our books are going to be just about us from now on out so I am trying very hard to remember the camera all the time!  That is tough.  Anyway, I don't have a page or card to share with you today, but I will share a couple pictures from our trip. (oh yeah!  vacation pictures!  ha ha )

Well I am finally getting around to sharing our National Scrapbooking Day pictures.  What a great time we all had and I think everyone got a bunch of pages done!  I am looking forward to using the Lions building again next year.  We had plenty of room, it was warm, and we had plenty of parking.  That's all a scrapbooker needs, right?

Everyone had their own tables this year.  A full 8' table was nice to be able to spread out on.  These girls are neat compared to me!

My friend Jolene was the lucky girl to win the Close to my Heart National Scrapbooking Day special.  She got hers before we even got a chance to order it.  Congratulations Jolene!!

Each of the guests received the 'HOPE' stamp from CTMH.  This stamp set was designed and sold after the tsunami hit Japan.  All of the proceeds from this stamp set went to help the relief efforts in Japan.  I was glad to be able to support this cause. 

I asked each of my guests to design a card with their new stamp set, and I would include the cards in the box of cards I would be sending to Afghanistan.  

I wish I could remember who made which card!

Every one's card was different and so pretty.

And I loved that everyone tried a different tecnique or product with the stamp set.  It made them all so different.

These girls are so talented!!  Look ate these beautiful cards!  

I'm back - again

Well, talk about a neglected Blog.  I can't believe it has been that long since I have been here.  It is now Easter weekend and I am finally getting some time to scrap for my own books.  I am hoping to finally get Will's high school album(s) done.  I started his as a 9X9 and should have done a 12X12.  My little man LOVES the camera and I have a ton of pictures to scrap.  And I have 5 years to scrap.  Oh, the problems he has created!  ha ha ha   I have had to hi-jack Jamie's 9X9 album for Will, and I will do James' album in a 12X12.  Of course, he hates the camera, so I am going to have to be creative enough to turn 12 pictures into a full album.  The joys!! 

I can only deal with one problem at a time right now, so I am going to get Will's albums done.  I am planning on boxing them up and putting them in a safe place out of the way until he moves out.  We just have no storage room in this house and my albums need to be distributed to the owners.  I think if I get Will's high school years and his Eagle scout album done, that is it for him.  Then I can start on James.  You know, the one with 12 pictures!  ha

I am looking forward to a great National Scrapbooking Day.  We are going to be meeting at the Lion's Club building at the fairgrounds.  It has plenty of room for all of us, and as long as it is warm enough, I think it may be a great location. And you know how that day goes, food, scrap, food, scrap, food, food and then maybe a little chocolate, scrap.  ;-) 

Since I am talking so much about my son, this is him, entertaining his cousin at Easter 5 years ago.  I think his cousin watches too much CSI.

Here he is with his pride and joy car (which I learned to hate!! what a money pit)

And my boy!  Isn't he beautiful?  Even in 2006 he was a handsome young man.  You should see him now!! 

These are some of the fun pictures I am going to go put in an album now.  I hope you are getting some fun stuff done. 

Happy Easter!

February Challenges!

Ha!  You thought I would forget to put them up this month didn't you?  Well, I have them ready, and I hope you are ready to play along.  This month let's make some pages!

1. BoM  -  My Every Day Life (a day in my life...something along this line)
2. Card  -  Wishes pg. 53, On the Edge
3. Layout  -  Reflections pg. 53, Main Frame Quarter Circle,
4. Product  -  Ink, paper, B&T, kits  (this month is a gimme!)
5. Color  -  smoothie, cotton candy, cranberry, holiday red, tulip (the reds, use 1, some or all of them)
6. technique  -  make your own B&T paper (random stamping or striping)

OK, see what appeals to you.  I am planning on using some of these to finish up the baby album on my desk.  What are you gonna do?

Here are a couple entrants from last month!  Don't they look great?   Why don't you come out and play with us too?  See you soon, connie

Retreat Success!

Well, I am home from my weekend in the hills with all my good friends.  We ate, we laughed, we cut and we glued!  Another amazing weekend at Storm Mountain Retreat center with the girls.  I love February and I know that most of the women that come to the retreat look forward to it all year long, just like I do. 

This year, I didn't have very big goals.  I wanted to start a mini album for a friend of my son, and make a mini for me.  I also knew that I needed to crank out some cards to send to Afghanistan. I haven't sent any in awhile and I am falling behind on my commitment of a box a month.   And so, my final report is, my album - finished, the mini for John - started, and 100 cards made to go to Afghanistan.  Not bad for a weekend of work, especially when I was miserable with a cold.  Yuck.  It put a little damper on this years retreat, but not much. 

Now, I have to show you the album I made for myself.  I am so happy with it. 

 Isn't this stamp cool?  I love the filmstrip mutating into butterflies.

 I love these little stamps by CTMH.  They are the perfect accent for this page.

 A girl's gotta have some bling, don't you think?

 Another stamp from CTMH on the right page.  Great accent stamp.

Here's a closer look.  I think a person could do alot with this stamp set! 

Anyway, that is the mini album I finished at retreat.  I can't wait to find the time to get some pictures in there.  Of course, I have to find pictures of me first, that is the hardest part.  I hope you are better at getting your picture taken than I am!  I will post more pictures from the retreat soon.  C