CTMH Leadership Conference Update! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Okay, ladies! Here we go! Not much to report yet; we think we're getting the new book, announcements etc. at General Session tomorrow morning.

But for the create n take tonight, we got a new paper pack, "Twitterpated"! Colors are Sorbet, Sweet Leaf, Chocolate and Crystal Blue. Sorbet B&T with tiny Chocolate dots, a striped pattern with all colors, a page with acorns, a brown plaid, a sweet leaf circle pattern and a pretty Asian-looking choc and cw stripe with choc vines and sorbet leaves. "Hello There" stamp set with a cool vine and leaves, mushroom caps and stems, a porcupine (cute) and three sentiments. Also a packet of brads with four colors (like the ones we got last book), except each color has bitty, normal and bigger brads! Cute chipboard buttons in colors and patterns to match the papers. We used all these tonight to make a two-page layout with a new WOTG guide. The guide includes patterns for three cards also. Still have a couple of layouts from the pattern books.

We are so sleepy!!! Can't wait till tomorrow!

p.s. thanks for your kind comments about the design team. I can't wait!!!

Sweet dreams,

My news - Artful Inkables! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Okay, here's the exciting news. I was selected to be on the Design Team for Artful Inkables! WoooooHOOOO!!!! I am so excited I am about to jump out of my skin!!!

If you don't already have the blog bookmarked, check it out here! As a Design Team member, I'll be showcases at least two new stamp sets each month right here on my blog, as well as assisting in tutorials and contests on the AI blog.

I've never done anything like this, and I'm so honored to be chosen as one of the new Design Team members. I am official an INKgirl. Now, how cool is that?

Thanks for putting up with me and my big head - teee heee!!

And remember - tonight at midnight check out CTMH's August Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - right here!

Exciting News Coming August 1!!! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Hey there from Long Beach, California! That's right.....I'm here at CTMH Leadership! wooHOOO!!!! Oh my goodness. I'm so excited!!!!!!!!

Annette, Janice, Sherri and Laura arrive tomorrow and the festivities start tomorrow night! Hopefully I will be able to post some sneak previews for you!

But that's not all! August 1 I will be participating in TWO blog hops - Close To My Heart August SOTM and Verve's two year anniversary! So be sure to scroll down on Friday to see all of my posts. I had a cute idea with the Stamp of the Month, so I can't wait to show you!

I have three cute cards that I made for a contest here at Leadership, but I need to wait till I turn them in, so I'll post them tomorrow night. So I wanted to show you a couple of photos of new precious friends that I made a couple of weeks ago. Didn't they do a great job on their cards? And they had never made cards before. You gals rock!!!

I'll have some really special news tomorrow night or Friday that is top secret till then - let's just say I'm going to be part of something really special!

I have a funny story for you about Alan and a peanut, but my eyes are closing so I should get some sleep.

Sweet dreams,

Mojo Monday Sketch 97 CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Greetings! Happy Monday!!! Mondays are not so bad now that I have discovered Julee's Mojo Monday sketches. What fun! Have you tried them? If not, why not give them a try! This is my interpretation. Although the colors look a little 'off', they coordinate nicely in real life. This is a nice sketch! I think I may reach for it again and again. Maybe it was so easy because I didn't add a bazillion layers and dimensionals - notice there's not even any ribbon! HA! And I used my Stickles for the first time...woooHOO!!! I have collected about 10 bottles but forget that I have this stuff. I've been moving out of my rut (using the same stuff over and over) and started to play with some of these fun supplies. It's so much fun....I feel like a kid again!!!

I used a mat pad from K&Company. If you're going to make cards, these mat pads are plenty big enough and a lot more affordable - you can buy some of the coordinating accessories with the money you saved. tee hee. Anyway, I colored my medallion with markers, ink and a blending pen. I'm not such a hot colorer. Would probably had been nicer if I had paper pieced. Hmmmm. That's an idea for next time! How do you like that cute little squiggle in the corner? It's actually a Sizzix die that I used in my Cuttlebug. It's actually the only Sizzix die that I own. I bought it because I wanted a little flourish and could not find what I wanted from Cuttlebug or Spellbinders. It looks different than this in its original form. I cut it up and repositioned it. The recipe for this card is on my new Splitcoast Stampers Gallery.

What are you up to? I have been dying to announce that I am going to be leaving Wednesday for Close To My Heart's Leadership Conference in Long Beach, California! WoooHOOOOO!!!! I am about to die with excitement! Alan is going to hold down the fort and keep the kitties company. Now, I am a last-minute packer. Probably because I don't have enough clothes to pack and still have something to wear to work! I'll be doing laundry tomorrow night, then packing around midnight, I suppose. I can't WAIT!!!!! We will be getting the brand new Idea Book, new products, create and takes, leadership classes....boy, I sure can use those. I am a terrible leader. I would probably do better if I didn't spend so much time doing contests and blogging, right???? Oh well. I will get a fire lit under me this week, I am sure!

Check back for fun updates starting Wednesday night. Oh, I am SOOOO excited! WooHHOOOO!!!! I hope to see some of y'all there!

Sweet dreams,

We're goin' hoppin'!!! Get ready!!! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

It's almost time for CTMH's Stamp of the Month blog hop! Thanks for reminding me, Leslie....I'll tell you thanks here since I'm having trouble commenting on your blog again. It's hit or miss for me, dear!

So tune in August 1 for 64 (gasp!) gals hoppin' with a cute new set. I'm also participating in Verve's 2nd Anniversary blog hop on August 1, so stock up on chocolate and your favorite beverage.

Now, let me get to bed so that I can create something to post tomorrow - oops, tonight!

Sweet dreams,

Black and Cream with a spot of Red Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

I hope you are having a great weekend! I started with the intention of cleaning up (i.e. organizing) my scrapbook room, but got distracted by all of the pretty paper and sparkly things - ha! I'm sure you can relate! Who can resist all that fun stuff?

Here's a card I made OMO (on my own - without a sketch). A new abbreviation, thank you very much! Again I used that luscious La Creme paper stack from DCWV. This time I added a couple of little flourish doo-dads that came in a coordinating set. Used my Nesties for both label layers, and added a couple of Kaiser pearls. Stamped saying fom Flourish. That's it - quick and simple!

Alan is watching a show with lots of snakes. Yuck, yuck, super yuck. Time for me to retreat back to the scrapbook room, I think.

Have a great weekend!

Sweet dreams,

The photo is old and so is the layout! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Friday night - my favorite time of the week!! WOOHOOOO!!!! We had the most horrific thunderstorm and lightning here tonight that I have ever seen in my entire life. No kidding - my entire life! The lightning flashes were constant - it was so scary!!! I am not one to be afraid of storms, but this was spooky. There were tornadoes north of here. And the television went out RIGHT in the middle of my DODGERS game! You know I don't get to see them often, but this weekend they are playing the Marlins. Since I live in Florida, I generally get the Marlins broadcasts so..........WOOOHOO!!!!

Don't you just love this photo of my baby? My baby is almost 22 yo - ha! He was the cutest baby I ever did see (I may be slightly prejudiced - but I digress). I made this layout last September but I don't believe I posted it anywhwere. I really love it! I used the packing foam that comes in our CTMH orders to pad the squares, then 'quilted' them. I used the "Gloria" stamp set to create some stained glass pieces with embossing powder, markers and Liquid Glass. Then added our Fabric Tags and a few rub-ons.

I really need to get back to doing some serious scrapbooking. I have been doing a lot of cards lately as I have the opportunity to place some in a local coffee shop. So much to do! My scrap room is a disaster area!!! I would post a photo if I could get in there to take one. HA!

Well, it's back to the Dodgers for me. Wish us luck!

Thanks for stopping by and sweet dreams,

You leave an impression on me Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Just a quick comment and a card from me. This is for the Verve challenge using vellum! Now, I had to go back and look up the word for 'vellum' because my mind is shot. I woke today with weird waves coming over me and tingling both arms every ten minutes. I went to work 'cause I work at a healthcare facility - ha!

After four bites of yogurt and the realization I was not getting better, I wandered into Karen's office. She took over my job as Risk Manager about seven years ago, but she is a nurse and I don't have a clinical bone in my body. She took me over to get my blood pressure checked and Dr. Thomas determined I was having an allergic reaction to a medication he gave me last Wednesday. I am pretty healthy (in spite of being grossly overweigt) and don't take a lot of medication. Medication allergies run in the family, so I shouldn't be surprised. So she dropped me off at home around 10:00 and I slept until 6:00 p.m.!!!! I can't believe I slept the day away. I hate that! But I no longer have those symptoms. Am sleepy, though, believe it or not!

I don't recall using vellum on a card, although I had purchased it and was ready to go! I embossed it with the Cuttlebug Script embossing folder, then rubbed Cocoa ink over the letters. Used CTMH's Journaling Spots for the card (see, that might be the wrong name - my brain is not functioning!) and a couple of little baby pink conchos - aren't they cute?

Well, it's 8:24 p.m. and Alan is asleep. Believe it or not, I may go back to sleep despite sleeping all day. Good Lord. I hope I am up to posting more tomorrow. Thank goodness I took the time to create last night! Tee hee.

Thanks for enduring my musings, wanderings and probably typos - too 'out of it' to check.

Back tomorrow!

Mojo Monday Sketch 96 and the first moon landing Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Greetings to all my blog-reading buddies! Today was a great day because I asked my boss if I could leave early.....woooHOOO!!!!! I ran a couple of errands, then came home to get my mojo going. What better way to do that than with the Mojo Monday sketch challenge?

This card is not my typical style, is it? But I really like it! The Mojo sketch had three patterned bands and four solid bands. I used Cloud Nine's Cocoa Mint paper and dimensiompnal stickers. Yum! Plus one of the most awesome stamp sets, CTMH's "You've Got Flair" - remember the July Stamp of the Month Blog Hop? Yep, same stamp!!!

See how the image shines? Copper embossing powder! Now, copper is my metal of choice. I really LOVE copper! My kitchen countertops have little copper sparkles in them. They make me very happy!!!

RECIPE:

Paper: Cocoa Mint (Cloud Nine), Chocolate Cardstock (CTMH)
Stamps: You've Got Flair (CTMH)
Ink: Chocolate (CTMH), Versamark
Other: Ribbon (Martha Stewart), Copper Embossingn Powder (JoAnn's), Craft Heater (CTMH), Cocoa Mint Dimensional Stickers (Cloud Nine)

Today is the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Remember where you were? We were on our annual summer vacation to Virginia ('back home'). Every year that I can remember, we piled in the station wagon (it was always a station wagon - the precursor to the SUV, right?) and head north. Now, my dad had to leave at 3:00 a.m. He wanted to get some miles behind us before the traffic got bad. Looking back, he probably wanted to get those miles behind us before we starting "fussin". Teresa was the prissy older one (4.5 years older than me - a century in kid years) who tried to be our second mother. She will kill me if she reads this....tee hee. Anyway, Sonny and I would usually play the road trip games together. He is five years younger than me, but we probably played together more. Jeannie was the baby (yes, five years younger than Sonny). Lord only knows how we made it without killing each other!

Anyway, I was lucky to have a cousin (Pam) the same age as me, so I usually got to stay at Ada Marie's house. Ada Marie is Pam's mom-remember her? "God love that young'un!". That Aunt Ada. So on this particular trip, the whole family was at their house, preparing to watch this momentous moment on television. Ada and her husband Jim Ed were the rich side of the family. They had a huge double-wide trailer with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a family room, den AND a living room! And a trash compactor! No one in the family had ever had one...and has never had one since! Jim Ed bought and sold large equipment (tractors and such) and those children got anything they ever wanted. They bought me my first Barbie, although it was not technically Barbie, it was her younger sister Skipper. My only Barbie was a 'used' one from Teresa's friend. Pam had at least a dozen Barbies. We had SUCH fun playing Barbie!!!

So this time we gathered in the den to watch the moon landing. Well, I should say that the grownups gathered in the den. We were off playing some important game (probably 'Operation') till my dad hollered "You young'uns get in here and watch this! This is history here!" So with a plethora of sighs and eye rolls, we slumped into the den and watched and listened to Neil Armstrong. Do you remember? Remember the long delay and the jumpy video? All black and white. Did you keep your eyes peeled for the man in the moon? Were you afraid the astronauts were going to sink into the moon? My heart was beating out of my chest, waiting to see some space alien jump out and grab the astronauts. What a moment! I'm sure my dad's heart was beating out of his chest with pride. He worked at the space center his entire adult life, and he was the expert. This made us experts of sort, at least to our hillbilly cousins!

Since then we have watched dozens, maybe hundreds of space launches, landings, walks....remember the first space walk? We were lucky to grow up in central Florida!

Sweet dreams,

Layouts of me and Teresa CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Greetings! Good grief - I haven't posted since Wednesday! I have been busy preparing for today's crop. We had a super time! I made two wonderful new friends, too! Neva and Stephanie had never made cards, and they rocked! I took photos and will post them tomorrow. I am usually drained after these crops and classes, even though I sit around and do nothing all day. hA! Do you know what I mean? Can you relate? I can't begin to tell you how many dear friends I have made since I started doing this nearly two years ago. We have the best time together. It's so fulfilling!


Here are a couple of layouts I made with CTMH's "Workshop On The Go" program, using one of my favorite papers, "Notebook". Aren't they great? No, I didn't place a dirty coffee mug on the layout - ha - it's the paper! That is me (above) in the black velvet dress, right after we moved to Florida. Then with my sister in the right page. This is probably the last year I was shorter than her - tee hee! She is five years older but much, MUCH smaller! In every way - trust me! Oh well. See how the grass had not even filled in the Florida sand?


I was just three when we moved here from Virginia, so I don't remember, but apparently we drove down in this big ol' black Cadillac (pictured here). Teresa and I slept in the back seat, on top of a big console tv! Remember how huge the consoles were, with the small picture tube? Ah, those were the days!!! My parents were brave, though, leaving all of their family and friends in Virginia to bring us to Florida, the promised land - tee hee. My dad had contracted pneumonia and was given marching orders to better weather. And we've been here ever since!


RECIPE (All CTMH):

Paper: Notebook Level II
Ink: Desert Sand
Stamps: Shining Star
Other: Hollyhock Twill, Colonial White Brads, Notebook My Stickease(R), Notebook WOTG Guide


I had so much fun with the girls today that I am inspired and in a creative mood!!! However, most of my stuff is still packed, and the rest of my room looks like a cyclone went through it! I am going to have to spend some time tomorrow straightening up before I make anything else, I
am afraid.


Thank you so much for all of your kind comments. It means more to me than you will know! I must say that I have been having issues again posting to other Blogger accounts. Am I the only one?

What have you been doing this weekend? Is your mojo 'on'?

Sweet dreams,

Cuttlebug Challenge - doing the inside! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Happy Hump Day! WooHOO!!!

There's a challenge over at The Cuttlebug Spot this week and I thought I'd jump in. I've been neglecting my little green bug lately and it needed some well-deserved lovin'!

The challenge was "all about the inside". The goal was to focus on the inside of the card. So I cut a window in the front of my card with my bug and my Nestibilities. Then embossed the front with the Cuttlebug sticks embossing folder. It was the first time I had used it, and I like the look! I sponged a little Cocoa ink on the 'sticks'.

Then I stamped this awesome owl (you saw him a couple of weeks ago on my favorite card ever - at that point - tee hee) in Cocoa, along with some of the branches and sentiments. The cute little nest on the front is from the same set, as is the inked sentiment on the twill.

What do you think? Did I put enough emphasis on the inside? I tend to do at least a little sumpin' sumpin' on the inside of my cards. Otherwise if looks like I ran out of steam! What about you? Do you give much thought to your cards' innards?

RECIPE:

Stamps: Take Flight (CTMH)

Paper: Colonial White, Desert Sand and Cocoa Cardstock (CTMH)

Ink: Cocoa (CTMH)

Other: Nestibilities (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug Sticks Embossing Folder (Provocraft), Antique Copper Photo Hanger (CTMH), Twill (CTMH)

I missed the shuttle launch tonight! Did I ever tell you about my Dad working at the Cape? I think I talked about it a bit. Well, he always, without fail, called us to remind us about a launch. We live about 15 miles from the space center and my Dad worked there for over 30 years. I really miss his little reminder calls. This is the first one I've missed. Well, I know he would have forgiven me.

Now, off to visit blog land!!!

Sweet dreams,

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge Card Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Welcome back! Well, it's Mojo Monday! I have to tell you that my mojo is pretty burnt out today - tee hee! I made so many cards this weekend....well, it's not the quantity, really, but the amount of time I spent making them! It was very satisfying, but at the same time, I am worn out tonight. I couldn't get to sleep till 5 a.m., and up for work at 7:15! Yes, I know......maybe if I hadn't gone to bed at 4 a.m. the last two nights.....tee hee!

Well, this is my card for today's Mojo Monday sketch. With no mojo in my soul, I decided to test the CTMH motto of "faster, simpler, easier!" and use my products to accomplish this goal. Success!!! No stamping, very little cutting. I used our Journey Journaling Spots for the three elements on the front, then the All-Out Adventure Rub-Ons for the compass image and the two words on the Journaling Spots (just $2.95 for 36 images!). Talk about fast, simple and easy! It took me more time to think about it than to do it! WOOhooooOOOO!

RECIPE (all CTMH):
Paper: Moon Doggie, Cocoa and Colonial White Cardstock
Stamps: None - tee hee
Ink: Cocoa
Other: Journey Journaling Spots, All-Out Adventure Rub-ons, Twill, Natural Hemp

Speaking of rub-ons. We have three different styles. Each style comes in a package of three sheets - identical except for the color. You get a sheet of white, black and chocolate. And they truly rock! They rub on very smoothly without that nasty shadow around them. I have rediscovered them. They work super on acrylic, too!

Good grief - we had some heart-stopping thunder this afternoon! The electricity went out twice - then BOOM!!!! It came right back on, but needless to say....no shuttle launch today! These summer afternoon thunderstorms have been nonstop. What's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

Happy blogging,

Super Sparkly Card, but no more weekend - boo hoo Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Where does the time fly? I have been making cards all weekend long. What super fun! Alan and I have been staying up so late. I went to bed at 4:00 Saturday and Sunday mornings. Can you believe it???? I just did not want to stop playing! I decided to make cards for the CTMH Card Contest at Leadership, so I can't show those to you, but I'll take photos for later. I love them!!!

I also made cards for the Verve July challenge. Here is my favorite! We had a specific sketch, plus we had to use scoring. I used the Perfect Day papers. I love the Sorbet Damask pattern! It's double-sided; you can see where I used the darker and the lighter side of the same paper. I went overboard on the Sparkles, but I wanted it to look like tufting.

Did you have a good weekend? It was cloudy here most of the weekend, but we took my mom to lunch today. She is a hoot. We hear the same stories over and over again, but that's probably good - will help us remember them later on ;-)

RECIPE:
Paper: Perfect Day, Tulip and Sorbet CS (CTMH)
Stamps: Kindred Spirits (Verve)
Ink: Tulip (CTMH)
Other: Sparkles, Sorbet Ribbon Round (CTMH)

Sweet dreams,

Win $1000 at TheCuttlebugSpot.com! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Remember my post the other day about winning $50 from The Cuttlebug Spot? Well. How about a THOUSAND dollsars???? The Cuttlebug Spot is having a contest - "The Journey to 1,000"! They are trying to reach 1,000 followers by the end of July and need your help. To enter all you have to do is go to their site, sign up as follower and complete a few easy steps and you could win a $1,000 gift certificate to Custom Crops (http://www.customcrops.com/)! Check it out at http://www.thecuttlebugspot.com/.

WooHOoO!!!

Flocked Paper, Pastel Popping and staying up late Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Good morning! Yes, it is 1:00 a.m. here in Florida. I am a nightowl. If I had my druthers, I'd stay up till 3 or 4 every night (morning?) and sleep late, late, late! But I have a day job that pays the bills. But Friday night.....well, that's my night to stay up late and create!!!

This is a card that I made for a Verve sketch challenge. This is one of those DCWV paper pads that I bought last weekend....like I need more paper....hell-OOOOO!!! It's called "La Creme" and about half of the papers are flocked! The strips along the top and bottom are flocked, as is the matching tri-color strip in the center.

This card uses a technique called pastel popping, I think. You stamp an image with Versamark, then go over the image with chalk. Gorgeous!!! I have a new favorite technique!!! It was super easy, too. Wherever you see blue or green, that is the popping.

RECIPE:

Paper: La Creme (DCWV), White Daisy Cardstock (CTMH)

Stamps: Verve

Inks: Versamark, Black (CTMH)

Other: Organdy Ribbon, Pearl (Kaisercraft), Nestibilities (Spellbinders), Chalk (CTMH)

What are you doing this weekend? I am hoping we will have some sunshine so I can get some exercise in the pool. We have had nothing but clouds and rain for a couple of weeks. It looked sunny for about a minute last weekend. Oh well. I have more stamping to do, anyway...tee hee! Enjoy your weekend!

Another super simple card! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Here's another super simple card. This is one of two cards we will be making at the Senior Center this weekend. It will be my first time teaching people I don't know, as well as those who have likely never stamped nor made cards. They just put up my flyer Monday, so we'll see if I have any takers. It might be nice for my first class to be small!!!

RECIPE:

Paper: Bella Paper Packet, Smokey Plum, Olive and Colonial White Cardstock (CTMH)

Stamps: Happiness, Say It With Style (CTMH)

Ink: Smokey Plum, Olive (CTMH)

Other: Colonial White Ricrac (CTMH)

Well, I am sad to say that my beloved Dodgers lost last night. But....I get to watch them again tonight! Miracles of all miracles! I usually only see them five or sixe times a year! Perhaps the fact that they still have the (a-hem) best record in baseball is influencing the amount of air time they are getting! WOOHOOO!!!!

Are you guys watching the Bachelorette? It is one of my guilty pleasures. I enjoy "vegging" out and getting lost in silly tv shows while I am creating. Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing the next show. And SO glad she finally had the opportunity to see Wes' true colors!!! What a total dorkface he is. Ugh, ugh, UGH!!!!

Off to cheer on the boys in blue,

Quick Little Heart Card CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Happy Hump Day!


My beloved Dodgers are on television tonight! Unfortunately, they are behind 4-2. The game is only half over, though, so I am not ready to concede - tee hee!


This is just about the quickest card you could ever make. I used CTMH's HeartFelt(R) Whimsy Die-Cuts, That's Amore paper pack and a couple of brads. I even used a pattern from the extremely awesome "Wishes" book, so I didn't even have to think! Just read the measurements, snip snip, zip zip (tape - ha) - and there you go! This will be one of the cards for my August card class. The gals will be happy - an easy one! ;-)


Three weeks from today I will be headed to the other side of the country - California! - for CTMH's Leadership soiree. I am SOOOOO excited!!!! I just finished some super-cute roomie gifts for the other gals from our central Florida unit who are going. Oh, joy joy JOY!!!! Then next year is Convention - the most fantastic time of your life! Want to go? Sign up to be a consultant! All consultants are invited to Convention...I've been saving my money since last July! Most of my downline are hobbyists....you don't have to sell a lot to maintain active status with CTMH! And this month, you can sign up and receive lots of extra stuff free (read about it here)!


Well, I have no boring stories for you tonight.....my eyes are darting back to the Dodgers!


Sweet dreams,

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge 94 and a Birdy! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Greetings!!! I can't believe that I have finished this weeks' Mojo Monday Sketch on Monday! WOOHOOO!! I just loved this sketch. Heck, I have loved them all - ha!!

You need to click on the photo to enlarge it and see just how adorable this paper is! Now mind you, I have enough paper to wallpaper the White House. Hm..........ha!!! Anyway, I went to JoAnn's yesterday just to get some new cutter blades. Yeah, right!!! It evolved into one of those shopping trips where I saved tons of money 'cause everything was on sale! HA! They certainly know how to enable our craftiness, don't they? Well, in this case I am happy with my purchases! No regrets!

This paper is The Green Stack by DCWV. I will admit to you (because you know you can relate!) that I also bought DCWV's Latte Stack and their La Creme Stack. Now, the La Creme Stack is right up my style alley. Which is one reason I bought the other two. I don't do a lot of cutesy stuff, but GOOD GRIEF - this Green Stack is sooooooooooooo CUTE!!! I am happy, happy, happy!!!! I used my cute little Verve saying "Hey there, Sunshine"!

RECIPE:

Paper: The Green Stack (DCWV), Twilight Cardstock (CTMH)

Stamp: Hey There Sunshine (Verve)

Ink: Cocoa (CTMH)

Other: Brads, Flower (OTC), HeartFelt(R) Whimsy Die-Cuts (CTMH), Sassy Strands (CTMH) Buttercup RicRac (CTMH)

So have you recovered from the weekend? I was not happy to roll out of bed and go to work today. When I got there, I discovered that I was the only one in the office!!!! Now, plenty of people in the company were working (over 1000 employees), but we have an office suite with six gals. Needless to say, I was able to breeze through my e-mail and phone messages with super speed.

Now, I fully expect several of you to run out this weekend (if you can wait that long) to get this cute little paper packet. The trees remind me of the CTMH Treetops stamp set. There are also owls and a little chipmunk or groundhog (maybe someone can clear that up for me ;-).

Sweet dreams,

The Cuttlebug Spot - 'cause every bug needs a spot! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Woohooo!!! If you love your Cuttlebug as much as I do, here's a spot for you - The Cuttlebug Spot! Stop by and become a follower. They're giving away cuttly stuff - yum!!! Plus everything you needed to know about the bug, but were afraid to ask. Did I say woohoooo???!!!??

I'll be back later with a little somethn' somethn'. ;-)

Later,

Patriotism on Parade - Happy Fourth!!! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Happy Fourth of July! I hope you are having a fantastic holiday with your family and friends! Alan is home and we are watching Star Wars. Some kind of fireworks there, I tell you!

I had to have this super set of stamps by Flourishes called "Patriotism on Parade". You should see all of the images! I loved the little children on parade. There's also a larger lined image of them that you can color - woo hoo! - that would look great on a scrapbook page!

RECIPE:

Paper: Blue Ribbon Level II (CTMH)

Stamps: Patriotism on Parade (Flourishes)

Ink: Outdoor Denim, White Daisy (CTMH)

Other: Fence Punch (Martha Stewart)

What are you up to this weekend? I think we might just jump in the pool - it's actually sunny for a change! I want to take Alan clothes-shopping, but that's just not gonna happen - tee hee.

Remember the sacrifices that have been made for the freedom that we celebrate today.

Celebrate!

$725 worth of goodies for just over $200! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

What fun was today's Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! Can you believe that I hopped through all 43 consultants' blogs? Wow, they really put me to shame.....I'm going to have to try harder next month! Did you get some great ideas for this July Stamp of the Month? I found a couple of cards that I might add to my card class. How exciting!!!

Well, I know that it's Wednesday - not Monday - but I'm finally getting around to the Mojo Monday sketch challenge. This is my third one and I'm really enjoying the challenge! My issue now is that I'm so busy making cards, I'm not getting any scrapbooking done! Good grief!

I used CTMH's Silhouette Level II Paper Packet for this one (the most gorgeous paper ever created)! I don't think I will ever run out of it 'cause I bought waaaay too much...tee hee! I actually sent in a product suggestion for another classically elegant paper like this one. It has been my best seller to date! I believe every CTMH consultant has redone their wedding album with this paper!

Anyway, back to my card. I have been disappointed with my ability to find sympathy sets that I thought were appropriate. Either the font was nice or the sentiment was okay...but nothing perfect. Until now! Verve Stamps' new release Forever in Our Hearts is just about perfect. You can't tell from this photo, but I also stamped one of the sentiments inside, as well as a few of the leaves. I also cut out some of the floral images from the paper and popped it up on the Desert Sand square. I really like it, don't you?

RECIPE:

Paper: Silhouette B&T, Black, Desert Sand, Bamboo and Colonial White Cardstock (all CTMH)

Inks: Black (CTMH)

Stamps: Forever in Our Hearts (Verve Stamps)

Other: Dove Punch (Martha Stewart), Pewter Pearl (Kaiser), Pearls (Michaels), Black Organdy Ribbon (CTMH), Nestabilities (Spellbinders)

Now - have I got a deal for YOU!!! tee hee. Do I sound like Monty Hall from Let's Make A Deal? "Carol Merrill, what's behind door #3?" I used to looove that show when I was a kid! But I digress. During July, anyone who signs up to be a Close To My Heart consultant gets to choose five cool items FREE!

It's already an extremely great deal, without the special! I originally signed up to get a great (and I mean GREAT) discount on my scrapbooking products, but I was so overwhelmed by the wonderful products that I've been able to develop a nice little side business!


The basic consultant kit has $300 worth of products and supplies for just $99! If you want, you can add one or both of the bonus packs for even more products and more savings. The scrapbooking bonus kit is just $60, but you get $180 worth of products! Then the cardmaking bonus kit, which is just $50, has $150 worth! You can see the contents of these kids in the Idea Book Summer 2009 here.


But wait - there's more! (tee hee). During July, when you join my team, you can choose five of these items - that's up to $98 in extra stuff FREE - and the tax and shipping for the free stuff is on the house! WOOHOO!!!! Choose FIVE of these awesome items:

1. My Acrilix "Thank You" Stamp Set ($22.95) - I used this in the blog hop today!


2. Magic Moments Scrapbook Kit ($34.95)


3. Basic Textured Cardstock Combo Pack ($14.95)


4. Life Delights Memory Showcase Kit ($12.95)


5. My Originals "Hello Birdie" Card Kit ($12.95)


6. Creative Basics Silhouette Collection ($8.95) - coordinates with the card shown above!


7. HeartFelt Whimsy Die Cuts ($9.95) - my favorite new product!


8. All-Out Adventure Rub-Ons ($9.95)


9. Window Charms Squares ($9.95)

Good grief! I wish I could join again this month! Do you realize that if you purchased the basic kit, both bonus kits and chose the first five free items, you would spend $209 plus tax and shipping, but receive over $725 in products!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!! What a great time to start your business.....start scrapbooking and cardmaking.....you get the idea!!!

I'd love to have you as a member of my Young Hearts team. We have teams with members all over the country....so easy with blogs, e-mail, and cell phones! Why wait any longer? Start today!!!

p.s. On another note, I wanted to remember to say thank you sooo much for the kind comments that you leave. I don't know if you realize what an encouragement it is to us bloggers!

Sweet dreams,