Getting there...

....slowly....so...many....plans.....

1) I need to get my album of CTMH samples DONE.

2) I need to go to IKEA and get m'self a kickass shelf for storing stuff...I am agonizingly frustrated by having to go upstairs, downstairs...heck, even out to the garage (ACK!!) to find supplies.

3) I need a vacation.

Okay, so that last one is a dream, but still...I AM going to Nav-Can in April!!! :-) WOO HOO!!! Just me. No kids. No meals to make. No alarm clock. NO little fingers under the bathroom door when I'm trying to hide and/or pee.

I digress.

I made a layout and a card at a....well...10 hours gal-pal crop I went to last Saturday ;-) too much gabbing, but very theraputic!!

Both contain solely CTMH products.

As an aside...I need a new printer. Mine won't print properly NOR will it scan properly. The glass is warped. How can glass be warped, you ask? I don't know...but it is. I swear!! ;-) As for the printing issues...could be from the little ornamental ROCK I plucked from it's bowels yesterday...courtesy of Thing 1, I'd imagine...he NEEDS to know how everything works....what he lacks is the capacity to realize that he's BREAKING the damned things!!! ARGH!!!! I'm loving the Epson I currently have...very cost efficient on the inks...let me know if you have one you love that has a scanner, k?

Keep up the creativity!!!

Yes, I am alive....

If I had've taken any longer of a hiatus from posting, I'd be brushing cobwebs off of myself!!! SHEESH!! You'd think I had five kids or sumpthin' ;-)

Where to begin??? Well...my passion for scrapbooking has been renewed with a vengence!!! Two passions, really....Close to My Heart (http://www.closetomyheart.com/), and Tina's Scrapbooking (http://www.tinascrapbooking.com/). Let me fill you in on both!!!

Tina's store is located in Winchester. Why would I pick something a little further away? Because of the variety of selection and the total awesomeness that is Tina. She won't even charge you for her awesomeness ;-) I've so far completed a few layouts, cards, and a TOTALLY awesomely wicked Christmas album...you MUST check it out if you're in the neighbourhood of her...I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. Yes, I admit that sounds a little cocky, but given my "understanding" that I'd let her choose a "mini" album...I thought it was an, oh, 6x6 or something.

NOPE. This thing has SECTIONS...complete with tabs!!! I used every single scrap of paper she'd left in my package. You must-see.

I've since completed some layouts, which I'll post here, and which will soon be in her store, so you can get the goodies!!

For my personal scrappin'...I have a new addiction to altering photo frames...you know, the ones that have multi-photo-ability (can you tell it's past my bedtime???). ANYhooooooo...for Christmas gifts for the grandparents, I made these multi-photo serving trays into...YUP.

...a "mini scrapbook".

And now....on to "Close To My Heart". I've had an epiphany, of sorts. I'm so "gung-ho" it's crazy!!! I will no longer be doing a personal "Hostess Club". If any of you wish to accumlate some gals pals and we meet at YOUR place? FUN FUN FUN!!! :-) You'd need another 5 gals plus yourself...I can let you know how it works for some FREE stuff!!

So NOW I can focus on doing classes :-) I love teaching!! Or, really, just getting to hang out with my OWN gal pals and chit chat whilst drinking some java and munching on something sweet. ;-)

My goal is to get a newsletter up and running before the month's end...any sooner and you might just see me on the news. Not so good.

I made this little layout with all CTMH product...this stuff really IS the schizzle :-) Lovin' it!!!

I'll keep you posted about new stuff I'm working on, I promise!!! In the meantime, keep creative!! xo

Scrapbookers need thumbs...

who knew? Well let me tell you, spraining the thumb of your "useful" hand whilst trying to catch Thing 2 launching himself off of the top of the stairs can really hamper the production factor!!

These are "pre-sprain", from a crop weekend a couple of weeks ago. Yes, I'm late...it's because I had no thumb!! ;-) I'm hoping to get out again this weekend to work on some DT stuff for Tina's Scrapbooking Creations (http://www.tinascrapbooking.com/) and am SO excited!!! Could also do some xmas cards and...NO!! Wait!! That's right...I'm all DONE!! :-) Oh, the sweetness of it.

Nav-Can!!!

Posting a little late on this one, seeing as how my life fits into the "they can't make this stuff up even for a B-movie" kinda thing......

So. I went to my second retreat with some close gal-pals the weekend of the 17th, and WOW. Seriously. Fun times!!!!!!! The laugh till you pee kinda fun :-) It was crazy!!! I had a ton 'o things I'd wanted to get done, and most of which I really did!!!

I also time warped ahead to thinking about Christmas, and taught my Close To My Heart Christmas card workshop with some of my best students EVER in attendance...and even included my mom!! :-) It was a riot. These ladies ROCKED the class!!!

I have a few others things on the go, a hostess club on Wednesday night, and planning for Design Team schwing.....life is never boring in these parts of the world! ;-)

Chipboard Album

Okay, so here's a challenge I hosted on Lovebug this past weekend (http://www.lovebugscrapbooking.com/) where I wanted to use up all those bits and pieces of chipboard I have laying around...which is a TON ;-)

So I took a handful of odds and ends...and put together a mini-album!!! I particularly liked that I could use some less-than-perfect photos because they would be cropped small...not enough to fit a layout, but perfect for this!!

The gals hosted a TON of challenges for you to "scrap your stash"...so go check out the forum and try them!!! :-)

Pull-out Scrapbook

Whoaaaaaaaaa Nelly!!!!!!!!! Seriously, I managed to pop this off whilst shaking Thing 1 off my chair and Thing 2 grabbin my arm. Oh, the sacrifices for the art ;-)

This is a project I'm doing for my hostess club, called a "Pull-out Scrapbook". This, in one word, is AWESOME. Why? Because it suits any level of scrapbooker. You can make it just with your papers, or you can add stamps. You can add eyelets, embossing and fibres. The list, really, is endless. This is pretty simple, consisting of papers, CTMH "Stickease" stickers (seriously, I used stickers) and two stamps (on the cover).

Think a quick birthday gift (you don't have to add the pics, they can!!), a hostess gift, teacher gifts and XMAS gifts!!! You could put some pics in it that cover the past year!! :-)

Dahlia Fold Cards

I love them. End of story.

Dahlia fold cards are the BEST way to get that "my card is better than your card." Period. ;-) LOL!!!

These little beauties I will be teaching at Tina's Scrapbooking Creations (http://www.tinascrapbooking.com/) on October 4th, 2008 at 1 p.m. Check out her website for some new products and such, too!!! THEN....head on over to her design team gallery where you'll find....ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SOOOOOOO excited to have been selected as part of her design team for the 2008-2009 season!!!! :-) Thanks, Tina...I'm honoured!!!

These cards feature the "Love You" line by Daisy Bucket...by far my most favourite paper line company for doing dahlia fold cards!! First, because they're THIN papers. This makes it so much easier to fold the little pieces (what pieces, you ask? come take the class!!) Second, because they're double sided. I'm always looking for "more bang for your buck". And for these particular folds, it just makes sense. THIRD? I love the colours.

Hope you find inspiration today!!