Sunday, November 23, 2014

December Workshop: Snowhaven


December 11, 2014
7pm to 9pm
1504 High Country Lane
Allen, Texas 75002
RSVP:  Email: jperry@myscraproom.net


Products To Pre-Order:
Workshops on the Go: Snowhaven Cardmaking Kit
G1085  $24.95

Other supplies that are needed:
Basic Kit (your personal supplies)
Paper Trimmer
Scissors
Adhesive 
3-D foam tape
My Acrylix Blocks (if you have them)
Piercing Tool


15 cute and out of the ordinary Christmas cards to send to those you love.  Send the very best...
 a handmade card! 

 This set works out to be just $1.66 per card. 
 How cheap is that! 

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Cafe Brazil

It is Friday night.... 
What to do?

My favorite place to be when Mike and I want to hang out but get some work done at the same time is Cafe Brazil.  It is a small funky coffee shop chain here in the DFW area.  They are open 24 hours in the Richardson location which is perfect for our late night dates.


The first order of business was food!  
The dinner I made was not so yummy and frankly I was hungry again.  Mike and I split the Steak Quesadilla dinner then after we had our very first Brazilian Steamer.  I think I am addicted!  The Brazilian Steamer is just flavored steamed milk but OMG it is that good!

Cafe Brazil has always been a very stimulating place for me.  I started and finished my CTMH education here.  I started with the Bachelors, then worked on the Masters and finally my PhD in scrapbooking right here.  

 Tonight I find myself in blogging heaven.  

Friday, November 21, 2014

A Week At A Glance

Is it really Friday?  Where has the week gone?
I have not done much scrapbooking this week but I have been really busy.  Before we begin I need to up date everyone on the craft fair this past weekend.  I had a fabulous time!  I did not take photos of my booth this week because there were no major changes.  This was one busy little craft fair to only be two years old.

Kaela was able to spend the whole day with me (loved that!) and all of her friends stormed the booth to smoosh my child.  Just before lunch Kaela ran upstairs to grab an overview of half of the vendors and booths.   This is just a small part of the Allen High School cafeteria.   If you are in the area next year stop in - there was a huge amount of hand made items to be taken to their forever home.  

I had the fastest pack up in history after the event finished because it was also Crop Night and you know how serious I take Crop Night.  I miss seeing you guys each month so canceling was not an option.  My family was a HUGE help and I even had time for a much needed bubble bath before crop began,  

I was watching the morning news this week and they said there was only 35 days left before Christmas and I freaked. I am normally finished Christmas shopping before Halloween and this year I am way behind... like way way behind.   The local weatherman said it was going to be 70 degrees so I thought why the heck not.   

I gathered my list and hit the town.  By dinner my Christmas shopping was done!  Combine the local shopping with the two items I could only find on Amazon with the handmade gift items and it was time for the wrapping to begin.


Ok so hopefully some kiddos do not get on the blog for a while or my cover is blown but the pug was determined to be in my scraproom with me while wrapping gifts.  Every time I moved a box or a gift bag he changed places. The louder he snored the faster I wrapped.  Since the tree is not up yet all of the gifts are stacked upstairs.  We are not allowed to put the tree up before Thanksgiving so I will wait a bit before taking the haul downstairs.  

Now that I have the shopping and the gift wrapping out of my system maybe my creative brain will come back and let me play.   

I really need a play day!

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Remember the Veteran's




I have two very special people I need to thank this year for their service to this country.  
My brother Tommy and his soon to be wife Erika. 

Let's start with Erika:

I do not know much about her service and I am not sure if I am allowed to say where she served but I know what it took for her to recover from injuries sustained while on duty.  She is an amazing woman in more ways than one.

PS:  I stole these photos from her Facebook page so I could do this post on the quite side....

I am not sure who this in the photo with her but let's thank him today too.



I love this next photo of her:



Erika has not only made huge strides in her recovery but is also she is getting her Master's degree this year.  She hopes to give back to her fellow servicemen.  
I am so thankful for her and so very proud to call her family!  

Than there is my little brother Tommy:


He went into the service while I was pregnant with Kaela and served overseas.  I sent many care-packages of food that I never even thought of eating but would carry well in backpacks.  The local Brookshires told me that if I let them know in advance what I needed for him they would order extra so I would not clean off the shelf.  I thought that was rather nice. 
 Tommy came back with no physical injuries to speak off but he still had a great deal healing to do.  Since the completion of his military service Tommy has found happiness driving a truck in the Texas oil fields.  He is back to his happy place! 

Both Tommy & Erika saw and heard what none of us ever want to.  They have to live with those memories the rest of their lives because they wanted to protect our freedom.  I am so happy that both were able to come home but many never do.  Say a prayer for those families today.



Today is the day to Thank the Veteran in your life.  Without them we would not be free.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Seasonal Expression Mini Catalog


What is a Seasonal Expression


It is a mini CTMH catalog that supplements the Annual Inspiration.
The Annual Inspiration is has 193 pages.  
The "Big Yearly" catalog live from August 2014 to July 2015.

Seasonal Expressions 1 (Mini Catalog)  has 37 pages is live  from December 1, 2013 to March 31, 2015 only. 
 It is not a replacement of the big catalog just a cute little supplement. 

SE-1 has:
2 new paper packs
2 new Picture My Life kits
2 new Cut Above kits
Too many Accessories to count
and... STAMPS!

I have 9 Seasonal Expression Mini Catalogs to give away during my November events.  Here are your two chances to get your copy of SE 1 a tad bit early and for free!
Crop Night - November 15, 2014
Workshop Night - November 20, 2015


You need to attend the events to receive your free mini catalog.

This Week: Allen FFA Craft Show

I wanted to send out a reminder that I will be at the Allen FFA Craft Show THIS Saturday.

Saturday November 15th 2014

Allen High School Cafeteria

8 am to 5 pm


Now for those of you thinking that it is in Cafeteria therefore must be small - Allen High School is HUGE and so is the Cafeteria.

There will be plenty of parking all around the school so no worries there.  Bring your SUV (to haul your stuff home) and come have a great time.

Do not forget about the:
 Door Prizes
Silent Auction
All of the Christmas Shopping you can get done in one spot!

Come by my booth and say Hello
I will be looking forward to seeing you.

Construction Finished

The job was easier than we thought it would be! 

I have been trying to get a couple of ceiling fans installed for YEARS and I am not kidding about the YEARS part.  In the past I have had electricians come out to bid the job only to tell me that it was going to be $1000 for one installation (bathroom) and they did not even want to touch the kitchen.

Then I met Tim.  Tim is the husband of my long time friend and cleaning guru, Michelle.  I love her to pieces but did not know that her husband is a contractor.  Well when I found out that little tid bit of information I asked if he would be interested in giving me a bid on getting these fans put in.  

Mind you we build this house when we were 29 and did not think of the "personal summers" to come so there are some rooms that did not have the electrical boxes installed for a ceiling fan.... that is the problem.  I am 43 now and I am DYING in the kitchen and the bathroom gets hot because it is over the garage and we live in Texas.  

Tim came over and brought an electrician with him. Together they formed a plan to put in the bathroom box from the attic and the kitchen box from my scraproom floor... right where my desk sits.  It was a great idea but I would need to move out of my scraproom for the day.  

NO PROBLEM!

Here is the one thing I forgot... Mike was going to be out of town for the entire week.  He would be able to unplug all of the computer, TV, printer, and Apple Air box but I would have no idea how to put it all back together by myself.  And before Amy tells me that I should know - you did not see that huge pile of unmarked spaghetti cords Mike left in the Crop Room.  

I had no idea what cord went with what machine.  So I was without my work space for the whole week Mike was out of town.  But the work was done - under budget and under the time frame given for completion.

  
So this is my scrap desk that Mike build for me about 10 years ago standing upright.  I forgot that Tim was going to be cutting a hole in the floor, so sawdust is everywhere but while the room was torn apart I did take time for some spring cleaning.  

I thought I took photos of the hole in the floor but I can not find them, in fact I know I took those photos - but what camera did I use?


The finished products: 

I have a fan in the kitchen but when I had the blog blow up I lost that photo.  So just know that it looks fantastic in the kitchen.

I am in LOVE! 
 This puppy can put out some air and it is heaven while putting away groceries or cooking dinner.  Worth every penny and a little dust upstairs.

The bathroom



This fan is a little smaller and it is white because I did not want it to scream "ceiling fan in the bathroom".  I forget it is even there except for the nice soft breeze while getting dressed in the mornings.  No light kit was needed because there are already a ton of lights in the bathroom. 

I am a happy girl!



Friday, November 7, 2014

November Crop: Delayed Start Time

Hi Ya'll

We are having CROP NIGHT on the 15th 

But I need to have a delayed start time of 1 hour..... so 7pm.

I will be working the Allen High School FFA Craft Show that same day and break down starts at 5pm.  My break down is about 20 minutes and I only live 2 miles away so I can be home by 7 pm.  I will just need to get the truck unloaded and our tables back upstairs and set up for us to play.

Now, for my long time crop ladies - I know that craft shows used to wipe me out and I could not function after completing one BUT now that I am not working 12-hour shifts at the hospital I am able to work a craft show and come home and play. 

As usual we will have some sort of dinner during crop (maybe Chinese delivery this time) so you can order with us or bring a brown bag and have dinner and crop.  Bring your drink of choice.  

Crop Night 

November 15th 2014

7pm to whenever 

My House


Monday, November 3, 2014

Construction Zone!

Pardon the mess, I am under construction...

I am having two ceiling fans installed in the house this week. It would not be such a big deal but we have to run the electric and install the boxes because there are no light fixtures where I want these fans.

Why does this concern you?  

Because to get to the kitchen location to place the box they will have to pull up the carpet and part of the floor under my scrap desk to work.


So the plan is to fold up all but one table in the crop area to make room, then I will have to remove EVERYTHING from on and under this desk for Tim to be able to work.  

This desk was built in this room and it is all one piece we will slide it away from the wall.  There is a table leg right where Tim needs to be.

I will not be able to work while the construction is going on.

The upside:

When we are done I will have two very desperately needed  fans (one in the kitchen and one in the master bathroom) and I am going to do a spring cleaning as I put the scraproom and crop area back together.

Send Happy Thoughts to Tim and his crew that they have a smooth install and plenty of chocolate and coffee to me so that I can deal with the mess.  I do not do messes well. 

If you need me please email or text. I will have my laptop and phone but not my office for a couple of day.  
Thank you for your understanding during this process.  

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Lucky 5!


Celebrate the five-year anniversary of Studio J® with 5 lucky ways to win!

November marks the five-year anniversary 
of Studio J®, and that means it’s your lucky 
month, with five amazing ways to win through 
Studio J and Close To My Heart social media!

1

First, throughout the month of November, 
all layouts purchased in Studio J are $5! 
That is a savings of over 25% off of retail! 

Your second chance to win big must 
come by sheer luck: every fifth order 
placed in Studio J during November 
receives a FREE surprise Close To My Heart 
accessory in its shipping box! The accessory 
has a retail value of $5 or more.

3

If luck doesn’t smile on you in that way, you might stumble upon 
it by finding a little extra something in your Studio J box. Five 
“golden tickets” will be sent out during the month of November 
with randomly selected Studio J print orders. This “golden ticket” is 
redeemable for one of Close To My Heart’s new D-ring albums* loaded 
with 10 Top Load Memory Protectors™. 

4

 For a fourth way to win, simply create new, gorgeous layouts in 
Studio J, select your favorites, and then post pictures of them 
on Close To My Heart’s Facebook page using the hashtag 
#ctmhlucky5. After November 30, five lucky winners will be selected 
from the entries based on their artistry and creativity and each of these 
winners will receive their own D-ring album loaded with 10 Top Load 
Memory Protectors!

5

 take your new Studio J artwork 
and post a picture of it on Instagram using the hashtag 
#ctmhlucky5. 

Just as it is with Facebook, after November 30, five lucky winners will be selected from the entries to receive their own D-ring album loaded with 10 Top Load Memory Protectors!

To make things even more exciting, starting November 1, five brand 
new kits from the Annual Inspirations idea book will be made available 
in Studio J, so you can create new artwork using the latest papers and 
embellishments from Close To My Heart. With so many ways to win, 
five may be new your new lucky number!

 Log in to Studio J and start 
creating today.

*Offer valid November 1–30, 2014. 
Pattern and color of new D-ring album to be given 
to winners will be at Close To My Heart’s discretion based upon availability.

 New kits 
available in Studio J® on November 1 include Confetti Wishes, Snowhaven, Seaside, 
Pathfinding, and Scaredy Cat. No tax or shipping will be charged on the free item(s). 
Studio J layouts ship in a protected box that can hold from 4 to 50 two-page layouts. 

For additional information about shipping/handling, please visit StudioJ.com, Products 
and Pricing & Shipping Options.



November Stamp of the Month

Available only November 1–30, 2014 


It’s the Little Things SET OF 15
$17.95 USD

Purchase this D-size stamp set—available for one 
month only—for just $5 with your qualifying purchase. 

That’s over 70% off retail! Simply place an order of $50 
or more in Close To My Heart products to qualify for 
this special Stamp of the Month pricing.