Here we go again...

Last year just before Thanksgiving, we had warm weather with rain and the whole thing. School was out due to icy roads. It was a mess. Ok, can someone tell me what month we are in? It's Dec. 4, 2011 (ok technically, the 5th) and here we sit on 40 degrees. It is 12:20am and 40 degrees?! What is up with that?! Not sure but totally not digging it. AT ALL Anyways, on to creative thoughts. Did you see Tag #4 from Tim Holtz? Oh my gosh, so very cool. Did you know you could ink using the distress stains? I did not. I am so going to have to try that. It gives it a ghost kind of effect. And just when I though flourish stamps where a thing of the past. Dig them out, Girls. We have a new way of using them. Can't wait to try it while it rains tomorrow - on top of ice- making slush. Yeah, good times. haha So, stay in, turn up the Christmas music, make some hot cocoa and play.

12 Days of Christmas

Everywhere I look there is a craft project that is celebrating the 12 day of Christmas. Have you checked out Tim Holtz tags yet? Oh my jeez.... uber awesome. I am actually chewing on the idea of making them myself. I don't have everything he uses but if you do, my hat's off to you and I want to come live with you. lol Also, Following the Paper Trail has her projects up and going. The Day 1 project is a mini. Big surprise there. haha I am so going to make that. But I love Laura's projects. She is so creative. Not sure how she sleeps at night with all of those creative juices boiling in her brain. Anyways, go and check hers out too. Super cute. How do you celebrate the 12 days of Christmas. I didn't use to but I think that this is a good year to start a new tradition. Let's do this together. Oh, and please share your ideas. I would love to see what you've done.

New changes..

I have decided not to sell CTMH anymore. I have been a consultant for a long time. I originally signed up in April 2001 and was with the company for 4.5 years and then re-signed again in January 2006. It has been loads of fun and have met the best people. Still love the products but it is just time to move on. Time to use up my ever-growing stash. haha Speaking of that, have you seen the new Bo Bunny line Snowfall. Oh, be still my beating heart. It is so incredible. I just love it. It is pre-glittered. Why on earth did the company print something on the back? Yeah, not sure either. I would NEVER turn that gorgeous printed glitter over. Almost a sin to do so. lol I am busy making Christmas cards and gifts. Found some super easy mini book designs. I will have to show the finished project. So much fun. One of them, I am making out of envelopes and cards. I picked up the new DCWV line called Winter Magic. I really like DCWV especially when I can get it for 40% off at Joann's. lol It is really pretty snowflake designs. I'll show it too when done. I am shooting for at least two done by the end of Sunday. Cross our fingers. lol Let's dig out our cards and envelopes and make something today.

Long time..No post

What a fun fall we've had. We are expected to get our first real snow tonight. It is the 25th of October!!! The kids are all into their thing this year which is making like so very busy. Kevin is working on yet another Master's Degree. But other than that, nothing is new. I haven't been working on too much. Learning to make more flowers. I am here to tell you that YouTube is the devil's work. Ok, maybe not but I could spend all day on it. Oh, wait. I have. lol Am learning so many cool things. Now, I just have to apply it all. Oh, my dear friend, Kim, had a baby just a few days ago. How exciting is that?! First baby's so exciting. Everything is new to both parents and baby. So, so happy for them all. I am continuing my walk with the Lord. It has been a struggle these last few months. But Kevin is a huge source of encouragement. How did I get so blessed to have him for a partner, spouse, champion. I don't know either but am so glad he is. Got pictures printed and so now I am off to adhere paper together. lol Go get some paper and pictures and let's get started together.

I am so blessed!

My friend came over today so that we could make baby shower invitations for a special friend of ours that is expecting her first baby. We laughed and tried not to cry at times. Shared and cared for each of our hurts and joys. I got to thinking about our afternoon and came to the realization that I am so very blessed and have never said as much. Well, I am going to now. I want to thank you, Carole, for listening to my woes and loving me anyways. For reminding me of God's grace and love. For caring enough to say "you should process that" and knowing my heart so well to know it's true. For giving of yourself freely and taking so very little in return. I love you, my dear friend, Carole.

If there is someone that is on your heart, tell them and why before it is too late. It will brighten their day and yours. God bless you!!

Here is the new Fall/Winter 2011-12 catalog. I am so in love with this idea book. So many wonderful projects and layouts. The creative juices just get to going when I look in this. The colors are go well with each other. All of the stamps are at 100% now. No guess work on what size they are. Totally love that. The new accessories are killer. Have I mentioned lower prices?! Yeah, not kidding. Gotta love that! You are going to love this catalog.

Look what FedEx delivered..

This is the special from August 15th thru September. When you purchase $75 you get these TWO sets for free. I love these sets. So cute. Kinda remind me of Unity stamps. Also, in the box was some of the new goodies from the new catalog. The paper is gorgeous. The stamps are super cute. I got the new pocket watch set. Super cute. I will share my creations when I get them made up. Have fun looking through the new catalog. If you haven't gotten one, please, let me know and I'll get it to you. Oh, and look on the CTMH website and take a look at just a few of the images on the new Cricut cartridge. Amazing!!!

Just checking in....

Just to let you know, I have been crafting. lol Making different kinds of flowers. They are so fun to make. I have also been making cards. I just need to take pictures and post those pics. But, these past couple of weeks have been crazy. Family was here for a visit. Our daughter was suppose to come up on leave but called and said she couldn't. A friend came over and needed help getting something heavy out of the back of his truck. Kevin goes out to help. The "heavy" object was Becky. She came home after all. Happy times. Went to a card class yesterday at the Stamp Cache. Made four cards. They are great. Will show those soon too. One we used cork paper. What a cool concept for a masculine card. You should try it. Oh, and did you know you can use Chalk Ink to emboss with? Yeah, me either. You should try that too. Get your inks out and see what else you can do.

My head is reeling...

Close To My Heart is having their convention right now. Several of the ladies have been posting updates for those of us that weren't able to go. Oh my, I am going to be soooo broke. lol There is a CTMH exclusive Cricut cartridge. Can't even wait to see that! New embellishments. The patterned paper is card stock weight. All new paper packs. New alterable items. Again, I can't wait. I love those. My fave right now is the banner pieces and the recipe box. So much fun. I can't wait to see the new catalog. It goes live August 1st. So, let's get together and make something awesome.

What was I thinking!?

This is the Deshka River at around 5:30 in the morning. I know, what was I doing on the river at that time of day? Yeah, not too sure. They call it fishing. lol So, here I am sitting in the boat waiting for 6:00 to start fishing and thought I would take some pictures. It was foggy and the sun was just starting to peak over the tops of the trees. It looked enchanting. Like being in a magical forest. Back to the fishing. We caught our limit of one each in about 45 minutes. That was fun. My fish was the biggest but not by much. It was about 20 pounds. Felt like I had a car on the end of the line. Very heavy. On our way back, I was enjoying the view. Sunshine streaming through the trees and fog leaving rays of light on the river. It was an amazing sight. The whole day was scrapbook worthy.

Wednesday with the girls

Last night, two of my dear friends came over and we made cards that had a flower on them. We also made the flowers. It was so much fun. I am totally flower making crazy now. Love making the flowers. Don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE Prima flowers but we don’t always have a source to purchase them. Michael’s carries Prima flowers but Oh My Stars they are soooo expensive. So, Youtube has shown me how to make a wide variety of flowers. Go check it out. Youtube, then search for handmade paper flowers. You will be amazed at easy it is to make up a few. Have fun.

So much paper...

and I never seem to have enough time to use it all. I have been making flowers lately. I have found a few tutorials that make them easy to make. So much fun. You should give it a try. Youtube is a huge help on how to make them. However, I find myself spending countless hours watching videos. lol We are making three different kinds on Wednesday for Hostess Club. I also started a new mini using some K and Company paper. Love that paper. Oh, speaking of "love that paper" Have you seen the new BoBunny paper? OMGosh, it is incredible. One line is called Liberty. It is a patriotic line. Great colors. Nice prints. The second is Barefoot and Bliss. Nice summer, kind of tropical print but in a whimsy way. Love the colors. It is happy paper. If you are as big a fan of Bo Bunny, run don't walk to pick up your supply today. I see it all selling out quite quickly.

Color of Creativity….

As I had mentioned in the last post, both of our daughters had moved out. With the loss comes gain. My gain is a craft room. My wonderful husband was helping move some boxes around the room when he says, “Since the room doesn’t have everything in it yet, we should paint it.” So, my man paints my room the paint that I has purchased last summer for our daughter’s room. It is a lovely shade of yellow. Very soft and warm. Samantha calls it the “color of creativity”. I so totally love the room. I am now working on moving the rest of my goodies from the upstairs to the down stairs. But when it is all done, I will have room for a couple of craft tables. There will even be a day  bed for company. When it is all rearranged and orderly I will post a pic of my awesome get-away. Oh, if you are wondering why I didn’t paint Sam’s room the yellow. She said that she wanted to decorate her room red. So, we didn’t paint it the yellow. And I am glad of that. Her room (which is now our room) is very bright with lots of sunshine and with the yellow paint it would have become too bright. It was meant to be this way. Can’t wait to play!!!

Changes...

I am sorry that I haven't been posting much lately. The household has has some ups and downs these past couple of months. Changes that have me questioning my faith. I am feeling like I am getting beat up by the enemy in every direction and not sure where to go for help. Anyways, I will have a craft room by the end of the week. A part of me is very excited about that but the other part is sad and feels guilty for being happy. I have been working hard on some projects and have about thirty others clogging all thought processes. But when the room is at least somewhat up and functional, I will be starting on the list of projects. haha Ever had so many ideas and projects floating around the brain that you had to write them down?! OMGosh, crazy. I thought I would give crocheting these fancy roses a try. Yeah, NOT!!! I couldn't get the silly things to work right. So, I will leave those roses to others and make some not so fancy. haha I haven't worked with thread for quite some time. I have missed my doily making days. Maybe later this summer I will take it up again. First things first, have a couple of mini albums to finish. Work on some cards for Hostess Club and Sunshine Committee. A couple of surprise projects from the latest CTMH Idea Book. So cute. It's spring time or that's what the calendar says. Let's get out some bright paper and make something together that we haven't done before. Spring into something new.

Just sitting here....

I am last of the family members to catch the cold. So, I am sitting in the sun (through the window, of course) coughing and doing the whole nose thing. I wanted to change the name of my blog for some time now but I may just leave it as is. What do you think? Should I change it? Have been working on some mini albums. I picked up some Bo Bunny items yesterday at the Stamp Cache. Going to make a mini out of the Note Worthy pieces and some card stock. Not going to put a lot in the mini only because it gets too thick. Less is more for this one. I picked up some new DCWV at JoAnn's not long ago. Don't you just love it when their paper is on sale?! Yeah, me too. This line is called Botanicals. Very pretty. I covered a mini book and it looks like something that should belong in Kevin's grandma's house. Her house is full of antiques and such. You know, tea cups, china, art work, ect. Anyways, this paper reminds of some of her tea cups. So, I thought I would put pictures in it and send it to her. She hasn't gotten pictures of up for some time now. I think she will enjoy it. If you haven't made a mini album lately, dig out your scraps and go for it. No rules. Just play and enjoy. Put some pictures in it and send it to someone. Great "just because" gift.

Happy New Year!!

Can it be possible that one year has ended and another began?!  Had a fabulous night beading with my oldest daughter. We made jewelry. She is so creative. Becky made a necklace using yellow crystals and I just love it. So, I asked her to show me how she made it. That is what I did last night. She worked on a couple of bracelets. The boys played video games and watched movies. The other two girls were out doing their thing. My husband is making fishing lures. Always the fisherman. lol  Oh, and guess what?  Yeah, not done with the mini album yet. It is put together and everything but I still need embellishments. That has me stumped. I don’t want to add too much to make it overly bulky but I want to do the paper justice. It is vintage-y looking paper.  Just love it. Anyways, I will get it done here this next week and all will be good. I did finish my MIL’s book and put pictures in it. So, it will be sent off this next week too. I feel so horrible that I am so behind in the shipping gifts off thing. My sick leg really got me behind. But it is better and I am ready for the new year. Have you got your list of goals written down for the New Year? Let’s make a mini to celebrate the occasion. It’s going to be GREAT!!