DAKOTA workshop results

 Well, we got out the CRICUTS and rounded us up some pictures and some inks and made some mighty fine pages in CLUB this month.  I had to dig extra deep to find some pictures, because my family is no where close to rural!  And this is definitely some rural WESTERN paper.  Thank goodness for nieces and nephews!

I try to include a page about each of the families that we are close to in my albums every year, and I think these portraits, taken by a friend of Chelsea's, are a great way to end the 2012 album.  I will have a page for each of the other families too, when I can get my hands on some pictures!  ;)

 I love how the special cut oval accents the larger family picture here. 

 With the family picture in the middle, I wanted to keep the focus on the couple first, so I kept their picture on the left hand page.  Going with how the eye is going to move across the page. 

Then on the right page I could focus on the kids more.  I did put special emphasis on our nephew and his daughter, they look so much alike. 

The cards were fun!  I picked a card from our idea book (page 107) and designed the 3 cards this month on that layout design. 

I just moved things around, and added stamping until I was comfortable with the final card.  

 Each of the cards has a bit of a different feel, but they are all masculine and will make great birthday cards.  

A little bit of that western flair makes this one my favorite.  

See you next time, connie

Moonlight Workshop

What a great time of year this is.  Even though I am not a big Halloween person, I love the bright colors with the black accents and all the fun bling and blitz that goes with it. I can almost feel all kids, big and small, start getting all excited and wound up.  For me, this is the big kick off to the holiday season.  I don't know about you, but I have put the finishing touches on my gift list and am ready to hibernate in my scrap room and make some gifts.

Before I do that though, I need to finish up some old business.  I need to show you all the cards we did for Club this month.  We used the MAKE IT FROM THE HEART VOL. 1 book.  All of my club members receive this book so that they have access to all the designs used in the clubs whenever they wish.  Vol. 1 contains the layouts for each workshop in the Autumn Winter 2012 Idea book plus many more AND  it contains 12 new Card designs.  It is a great resource for inspiration when sitting down to design cards or layouts. For these cards we used layout #29 and changed it up just a bit.  I love that we can do that with these basic designs.  All 6 cards are done with ONE layout.

Yes I said 6.  This is the month that I design one set of cards for Halloween, and for my customers who aren't that crazy about Halloween, I design the same set of cards for Fall.  This month, I also used the Sept. Stamp of the Month.  It is amazing to me that the SAME paper pack and SAME card layout can look so different with a turn of the card or change of the stamp.

 Some of the small details make all the difference.  On the decorative strip in the middle of this card, I stamped the words "pumpkin patch" from the Sept. Stamp of the Month.

 Here, I used the tiniest grey crystals for the spider's eyes.  It really makes them pop. 

And, last but not least, I know this one is fuzzy. Sorry about that. But I really wanted you to see that we totally changed the Striped B&T paper by stamping the tiny works randomly between the stripes.  It really is a nice detail on the card. 

 I hope you enjoy these cards.   Connie

Workshops For the Holidays

I don't know about you, but I am starting to feel the pre Holiday anxiety that I seem to get every year.  I can feel the little perfectionist in my saying "You can make that for so and so and you could do such and such for someone else"  I make myself crazy!  To top it off, I know I am starting to think about the Holidays later this year that I usually do and that is adding to my stress.  Bad Plan!!

So, this morning with my coffee, I am sitting here writing to you and I've decided to CALM DOWN and take a deep breathe and look at what is really going on.  I don't have a list of things I want to make/buy yet.  That is making me insane.  So, by the end of the evening, I plan on making that list.  You get to hold me accountable.  I also know that as my children are getting older, the Holiday shopping etc. is less and less.  They know that the big man is on a budget and that the Christmas and Thanksgiving celebrations are more about family than gifts.  Now, as long as I keep reminding the little girl inside me that LOVES to gift people and make PERFECT celebrations, we should be OK.

I know I don't have a lot of time to be making things, but I do have some really great workshops coming up and that should get my Christmas cards made and the beautiful Advent calender done.  I know that will be a wonderful gift for someone!  There - 2 things off my list!!  I feel better already. This blogging thing can be cathartic at times.  It allows me to slow down and breathe for a minute.  I needed that this morning.  Thank you.

So, back to the upcoming workshops!  I am so excited to be offering a wonderful ADVENT CALENDER workshop on October 28 from 1 - 5 PM.  I think that using this calender will be a tradition that your family can  look forward to for years to come.  It is cut using the new ARTISTE cartridge from CTMH and this will be a great time to preview it if you don't already have it.  The kit includes everything you will need, and I will provide the space and instruction to make it happen.  The cost is only $44.95 plush shipping and tax.  I do need to get these ordered before the 20th of October, so please contact me if you would like to join us.

 The next workshop I have coming up is on November 11!  We are going to be making Christmas cards.  What a great way to make your cards, surrounded by your friends and enjoying an afternoon of productivity! I will need to have you pre-registered for this class by October 29 so I can order the kits.  These are very reasonable kits including everything you need to make 15 cards, including the stamp set!  For 29.95 plus shipping and tax you too can have your Christmas cards done or at least well under way! And the cards are so beautiful!!

Again, please contact me by October 29 to register for this workshop!  We would love to have you join us!

And now, I am off to get some much needed house cleaning done.  Maybe that will alleviate some of my anxiety about the Holidays too!  See you soon!  Connie

Organisation

I should warn you that this post is going to be brutally honest.  I am not going to sugar coat the state of my room at all and I am going to confess some cold hard facts on a public forum.  This is really scary, but the truth is .... I cocoon!  You know what that is right?  I build piles ... all around myself.  Piles of things I need to do, things I need to finish, things I want to think about and things that need homes.

Then I get ambitious, or frustrated and I start moving my piles!  This is a big mistake.  Because then, you see, I put pictures that belong here ... somewhere 'safe' where I will 'remember' where they are because it is 'logical'.  AT THAT MOMENT!! When I go to look for said pictures - they are GONE. POOF!  I have no idea where I would have put them, but I am sure I will find them ... 15 minutes after I finish the page that I needed them for so I went out and had them all reprinted.  So, that my friends is the truth about my scrap room.  I am constantly trying to find a 'system' that works for me.  And someday, I truly believe that I will get organised, but for now ... this is what my table mostly looks like.  Some days a little better, some days a little worse.  But mostly .... cocooned.

The one thing I have implemented and that seems to be working well for me is my stamp storage. I scan all my stamps and save them alphabetically to my computer in a very specific file!!  So I can find it!  And, since I am a very visual creator, when I am ready for a stamp, I look through my files and I know EXACTLY where to find the stamp I am looking for.  And, I made the storage pretty, since I am going to have to look at it (once I find homes for all the stuff in front of my boxes!)

 I used left over paper and my Art Philosophy cartridge to decorate the boxes. 

Guess which size I have the most of??

Some of the boxes are STUFFED and some of them are 1/2 empty.  I am sure that I need to purge a bunch of stamps, but I am waiting until I am sure I have them ALL scanned so I can make good choices. This is the limit I have for storage boxes though, so I am pretty sure that for every stamp I purchase ,soon, I am going to have to get rid of one.  I hope I can do it!  I still have about 20 stamps to scan (right now!) and file. Then I can start making some choices. Every catalog it gets harder and harder, because I am pretty careful to only buy what I love.

So, my friends, that is a peek into my scrap room.  I would give you a real tour, but I keep tripping over the piles on the floor that I am looking for homes for.  I think after this retreat one pile will be totally handled!  Yeah!  then I can find homes for all these things .......   connie

Guardian Angels

Do you believe in guardian angels?  I do.  I have ever since I was little and I give them a workout, I assure you.  I drive between Rapid City and Sturgis several times a month.  That seem to be the time that I challenge my guardian angels the most.

For example, last night I was driving home from my monthly Club meeting in Sturgis and letting my mind wonder over all the fun we had had, and what pictures I wanted to put in my little Cruisin' book, now that it wouldn't be passed around so much, when I caught a movement in the road in front of me.  It is amazing how quickly your mind processes information when you are about to be in an accident.  I recognized that the  movement was a small deer.  Then that there were 2 small deer.  Then that there was blood on the highway so someone must have hit these babies mama. Then I realized that I was about to hit at least one of them and I braised for the impact. When I braised for the impact, I turned my wheel - slightly!  And went right between the two fawns!!

I couldn't believe it!  I missed them both!!  And my dad's truck remained unscathed!  Only through the intersession of my guardian angels.  I know I give them a work out, but I thank God every day that they are there.

I shook all the way home.  I thought about sharing this all night long, and I find it is something I must.  It is the only way I know to express how grateful I am for every day ..... C

September 2012: National Stamping Month

I am so excited to share this special with you!  I love this stamp set.  For NATIONAL STAMPING MONTH Close to my Heart has created a beautiful double stamp set that matches our DOTTY paper from National Scrap booking Month!  I am loving this set.  It will work not only with fabulous daily scrap book pages, but it is going to make some amazing cards too!  It touches on all the trends in the paper craft world right now and I couldn't be more thrilled.  If you would like this stamp set for just $5.00 please contact me at the email shown to the right of this post.  HAPPY STAMPIN EVERYONE!    C

And so Normal life begins ... Again

The rally is over , and even though I don't have kids in school any more, this seems to be the time of year that I start re-evaluating my schedule and seeing what I can do to get some control over my time and my activities.  I look forward to things slowing down and falling into a routine again. ( Has there ever really been a routine?  I'd like to think so.) And I start planning all the things I want to get done before the new year begins.  I could probably tell you how many day until the dreaded Christmas deadline, but that would be unkind, and I don't want to do that to you.

CLOSE TO MY HEART IS HAVING A SALE! It is While Supplies Last so you need to head over to my website and check out the great deals!!  $2.00 Albums!!  I am in shock.  If you are interested in any of these items, get your orders in now.  I don't know how long they will last.  I am hoping to catch some of the albums... but we will see.

And, I always think that I should have a picture in every post, so I am going to add a random picture from our Rally adventures this month!  Enjoy, and I hope you will hear from me again soon!  C