Idea Book Goes Live… Tomorrow!

I hope that by now everyone that has placed an order with me for the past year has gotten your Idea Book that I placed in the mail to you.

Tomorrow is the day that you can start placing your orders…. YEA!!!!!  I started off my new Idea Book by ordering Stella for myself.

 

And I am still making cards with it.  What a pretty pack of paper.

Here is what I am going to order in a couple of days when I get off work:

Pemberly is the next paper pack on my list and I am so ready to start playing with it.  Here is the rest of my list.

And I do not want to forget the Feb Stamp of the Month!

Mike is going to change the “Catalog” link in the morning for me so that you can see the online version.  I can do almost everything else on this blog by myself but the catalog link kicks my behind every time.  

On a side note:

If you are placing an order online, please make sure your complete address in listed on the order.  I have one customer this week that the address was incomplete and I am not sure if it is a computer glitch but her package came to my house.  While I do not mind “home delivery” to her house she is having to wait an extra day for her goodies. 

I know how excited I get about a new box so she must be about to bust her buttons.    If you are having trouble getting your address to stick let me know so that I can call CTMH Corp.

*** THIS ENDS YOUR PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE***

Now be off with you – go start making notes – and start having fun with a whole Idea Book of new goodies to play with!

Yea – For Studio–J!

A Happy Compromise

I always have the same problem.  I get started working on scrapbook pages and then I want to stop and make cards for a while.  Then while I am making cards I feel guilty that I am not making scrapbook pages.

Last night was CROP NIGHT and I gathered all of the materials that I have been using to make a set of cards.  Towards the end of the night as we were all cleaning up – it hit me….

Just leave the card kit that I have been working on out here in the CROP ROOM and then I can make scrapbook pages in the SCRAPROOM.

I have 2 kits set up and ready to go here.  Each kit it on a paper tray all organized and ready for me to play. 

This will also solve the problem of carrying everything I am using to make an album to the crop area every month for crop.  Hopefully by doing it this way I can stay on track with the pages that I need to make and my need to make cards at the same time.

Also for me it is easier to carry on a conversation when I am making cards.  I get into a zone when making pages and I do not realize that I am not talking.

So it looks like I am all set and ready for CROP NIGHT next month.

Just Goofing Around

Today I had almost all day to play with products. This is a stamp set that is in the new Idea Book (goes live Feb 1) that I have been dying to play with.  The stamp set is “Just for You” B1398.  There is a card in the Idea Book that appeals to me but I did not have all of the supplies to make it happen.

This card features:

“A Note for You Card”   Wishes: Gallery™

B1398 My Acrylix  Just for You ®

X7147B Stella Paper Packet ®

Z2114 Cocoa Exclusive Inks  pad ®

Z2118 Desert Sand Exclusive Inks pad  ®

Z2137 Olive Exclusive Ink pad ®

Z2195 Lagoon Exclusive Inks pad ®

Z1704 Pewter Badge Buttons

Z1708 Sparkles Flourishes

Z1096 Embroidery Floss Neutral Assortment

Z1686 Cricut Art Philosophy Collection  ®

 

Since I did not have all of the supplies to “scraplift” this card I did the best I could with the supplies I have on hand.

Final Product  

I used:

“A Note for You Card” Wishes: Gallery™

Felicity Collection (long retired)

B1398 My Acrylix Just for You ®

Z2111 Chocolate  Exclusive Inks pad ®

Z2160 Twilight Exclusive Inks pad ®

B1398 My Acrylix Just for You ®

Z1704 Pewter Badge Buttons

Z1686 Cricut Art Philosophy Collection ®

Z1096 Embroidery Floss Neutral Assortment

Contraband ribbon with “A note for you” stamped on the ribbon

I let the Cricut do all of the cutting and I just stamped, sewed, and assembled.  17 more cards to go and I will have a nice set of cards using a combination of new and retired products.

I have a full day of classes at the hospital tomorrow but I think when I am done with those I will have some quality time … just me and my cards.

Goodie Book for Idea Book

Early last year I shared the way that I plan what I am going to buy when each idea book comes out.  My trusty spiral bound notebook has died  

Last night I stole one of Kaela’s new composition notebooks and here is what I came up with.

Just like my old notebook, write each month per page and just make a wish list based on your budget for each month.  The idea book is live for 6 months so you will have Jan – July going now. 

Here is what I plan on ordering for myself next month.

I have gift cards from Christmas so I made a note that I want to use those to stock up on my cardstock & made sure I could see when I need multiples.

I have all 6 months all planned out

One Little Word 2012

Ali Edwards came up with the concept of “One Little Word” several years ago.  One little word is just a word that will mean something to you in the coming year.  A word that you want to keep in the forefront of life.

I have not done the One Little Word project in the past because lets face it most days I am not even sure what day it is!   

But I was sitting here listening to a podcast and they were talking about what their words for the 2012 year are and mine just popped in my head….

CURVES

I did not even realize this was my word, it choose me.

Here is why this will be my word for the year.

• I have curves I need to work on
• I can not enjoy my passion for scrapbooking if I am feeling unhealthy
• My scrubs were getting tight!
• I just feel better about myself when I look better
• I hope to improve my strength and endurance so I have do some mega-scrapping.  I have 12 crop nights a year to train for
• I need to do this for myself
• I fall down less when my legs are stronger

How do I plan to accomplish these goals? By going to my local CURVES location at least 3 times a week.  Yes I know I have had a membership in the past and blew it off but for some reason I am enjoying my time at Curves and I am starting to crave going.

(you know like when you NEED to go to a scrapbook store).

So my membership started in December and I have been going 3 to 4 times a week since then.  I have only missed one week because I was sick.   And because I am going when they open I can scrapbook all I want when I get home without feeling guilty. 

So do you think that my local location will let me take photos of the gym so that I can scrapbook that part of my life? Stay Tuned.

Cards Made From SCRAPS!

Over the past couple of months I found a couple of cards on the CTMH Consultant boards that I fell in love with.  I have tried to go back and find the names of the consultant to give them credit for their work because again I did not write their name down but I could not find them… so if these are your card designs THANK YOU for the inspiration!

I vow this year to write down your names… I want to give you credit.

When I made cards I always made 8.  Four of them I keep for my use and four of them go on my card spinner display.  Those are for sale during crop nights and the crafts shows that I attend. 

The first card is one that I found in the CTMH Fall / Winter 2011 Idea Book.   It uses the December Stamp of the Month.  This card came right out of the Idea book with no changes.  It is on page 143.  The paper pack is Roxie.

This next card uses the stamp set that came with the Wings Workshop on the Go Spring / Summer 2011 (man does time fly).  I love that just by changing to colors you get two different moods from the same design.

This mood is very elegant and classic. I could send this card to anyone and know that they would love it.  I love Chocolate and Olive together.

I pulled out a retired color (Watermelon) for this card because I wanted to be bright . fun,  and almost too much.  I used the same stamp and design on both cards but they feel different.

I used a very old stamp called “For Every Occasion” for the sentiments on both cards

Last but not least is a card that when I saw the design I started laughing.  On the stamp is a glamorous image of a witch.  I love the image and wanted the stamp just because of her.  I had all kinds of Halloween ideas running around in my head.  

I saw the design for the next card and

thought of my daughter and her friends.

I changed the colors to suite their taste and I am going to give them to Kaela as Valentine's to her girl friends.   I hope she likes them.

I used the August: Wicked Stamp of the month along with an old stamp called Heartthrob.  The paper pack is Sweetheart. The colors I used were Cotton Candy, Black, and Gypsy.

All of these cards were made with “older” stamps and papers that are not “current” but I was able to make fresh, of the moment cards out of what I have on hand.

So go and raid your older papers and your scrap cardstock piles I want to see the cards you make from them.

The Idea Books are coming!

It is such a pretty day here in TEXAS that I am having a hard time staying indoors.  It is 76 degrees  and it is January, this is crazy. 

But I am taking advantage as much as possible.

I have all of the windows open while doing laundry so the house smells great on top of the nice breezes coming in and out.

I have all of the  Spring 2012 Idea Books processed and ready to go.

I plan to mail them out next week.

If you have placed an order during the past year – be on the look out. 

If you have not, well just place an order and I will get a bright and shiny new Idea Book to you too. 

I have been working on a couple of layouts this week and for some reason the “fence” layout kicked my behind. The  first page is not my favorite but I did better on the second page.  Look closely there is a sneak peak of new papers used on these 3 layouts.

The photos are taken at an angle because the sun is coming in the windows and I was not getting good shots.  Bear with me.

The first layout just seems forced and not in my usual style but I seemed to relax on the other two.  If you can not tell these layouts are about when our fence went flying down the ally during a spring storm in 2009.   I tell the story in the journaling but did you notice what is behind the journal? 

There are just some photos that work out really well for this application.

Here are a couple more layouts using older papers.  I know the new catalog is almost here and that I should be showcasing new artwork but I tend to use papers that fit the photos and not just what is new and hot.

So now you are going to tell me that you have seen these photos already.  I know that, you saw them when I was working on one of Kaela’s school albums – this is the “family 2009” album and there are some photos that were used for both. 

Kaela will be taking her albums with her when she moves and I need my albums here so some photos get duplicated.

The fun part is not making the layouts the same.

Rock the Block for Addilynn

I took advantage of the Rock the Block specials that CTMH has going on and decided I needed to make my niece a gift just because. 

This is Addilynn Grace: other wise known as Additude!  She is a ball of blonde energy that just will now stop.  Her mom (my baby sister) is in nursing school and sometimes needs a new “distraction” she can use during study times.  Rock the Block fits the bill. Here is what I did.

First everything gets a coat of pink or in this case I used the Create a Shade paint (Z1039) with a couple of drops of Blush re- inker.  It came out to be the perfect shade of pink.

Just trying to show you the mess I made here

Then I just took the photos and paper and put them where I wanted.  I can not show you a finished project because Bridge does not have it yet but I will as soon as possible. 

And just for fun here is another photo of Bridge and Additude!

Photo Budget (Ugh)

The holidays are over, the decorations are put away and I had my yearly “too tired to get out of bed week” last week.  So what have I done this week?  Well it is that time of year that I get all of my photos printed and organized for scrapping.    This is where I broke the bank!

Family 2011 photos – not bad only 85 photos for the entire year

First half of Kaela’s 9th grade – again not bad, still do able

2011 Road Trip – yea here is where I messed up

I knew I was taking a ton of photos during the trip and I did not even print all of them.  I am going to have loads of fun putting this album together. 

I have all of them organized by day of the trip and I think tomorrow after CURVES I am going to sit and get the journaling done before I forget the details.

I think I am also going to take a few of the photos to place in the “family 2011” album since I did not take many day to day photos this year. 

CURVES UPDATE:

Today was measurement day and here are my numbers in a nutshell.

Weight: up 1/2 pound (not bad considering it was the holidays)

Overall inches lost: 12.75!

Number of workouts total: 12 (missed a week being sick)