Let Them Eat Cake--Scrapbooked!

I am very fortunate to have some very talented, crafty friends. Jen Mahan is one of those friends. She and I and Diana Veenendaal work together on Artistic U and I love them both dearly. And do you know what an extra perk is of having crafty friends? They make you crafty stuff!

Could Jen have designed a better page? I added my photos and my three cake birthday is preserved for the ages.

She added extra tiers to the Artistry birthday cake in Cricut Craftroom. (Jen is really good at Cricut Craftroom). And the colors of the Zoe paper packet are perfect.

Thank you, Jen!

P.S. We are still eating cake. I froze some but I suspect we'll be eating cake for a while. Hey, it just gives me an excuse to continue celebrating my birthday for a few days more!

P.S.S. Don't forget tomorrow is the last day for retiring Close to My Heart product! Get it while you can.

Happy Birthday! Let them eat cake!

Okay, maybe "Happy Birthday" and "Let them eat cake" don't go together historically but hey, on my birthday, I am absolutely going to eat cake. This is not a day to diet.

And this year, I asked for three, yes, three birthday cakes. Why? Because I couldn't decide. You see, I love the chocolate cake from Costco (we call it the Matilda cake--see here in case you haven't seen the movie).

And I am a fan of the Dairy Queen ice cream cake which we usually only get on birthdays because there isn't a Dairy Queen close by.

But our local Meiers grocery store makes the BEST cake (it is like eating a giant Hostess cupcake only better).

And so I debated about which cake I wanted. And I decided I wanted all three. Birthdays only come once a year and I'm reaching a respectable age where I should be able to get what I want on my birthday.

I even made myself a birthday card to commemorate the occasion.

So Happy Birthday to me! (We are going to be eating cake for weeks!)

Creativity is Messy!

Anyone else have a craft room that looks like this?

I have to clean up before I start my next project and sometimes, as in this case, that takes a while. And then I start my next project and when I'm all done, my craft room looks like this again.

I dream of a perfectly organized, Pinterest inspired craft room but you know what? I've decided that a clean craft room is an unused one. You know those artists with featured spaces on Pinterest spent hours, maybe even days, getting those rooms picture worthy. Besides, that's why my craft room has a door. And I consider myself blessed that I have a dedicated space that I can get messy in.

Hats off to messy crafters everywhere!

Seaside

One more plug for Seaside before it is gone.

Here are my pages from my Cherish Your Memories group this summer. The pages above were inspired by the lovely Jen Mahan, my wonderful friend and creative genius.

Lots of details on this one. Most pieces are sponged in desert sand ink and several are popped up off the page.

 

I kept things simpler on this one and added a tree cut with the Artiste Cricut cartridge. 

I think the Seaside complements had to be some of the best yet.

You can still get this paper and the complements but only until the end of the month or until they sell out (whichever comes first). Order from me and I'll share the cutting guide for these pages. 

Happy Summer!

Those Lazy Days of Summer...

Ahhh, those lazy days of summer.

And they are almost over. My youngest daughter goes back to school tomorrow and that seems to mark the end of summer for the rest of us as well. But in the meantime, she sits on my couch enjoying my favorite summer pastime--reading.

I used to read countless books in the summertime, whether in the air conditioned comfort of my bedroom or while laying out in my backyard pursuing a tan (yes, the days when we didn't worry about wrinkles and skin cancer). Many a summer night I would stay up late reading until all hours of the morning because I knew I could sleep in the next day. I miss that.

In honor of summer reading, I am sharing a book mark made from the summer sensational Seaside paper (retiring at the end of this month).

The goal was to keep a list. Maybe next summer?

So what is your favorite book of the summer?

Convention Highlights and a New Addition to the VW Series

The annual Close to My Heart Convention is one of the highlights of my year. The most recent one was held in July at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. To gear up, I pulled out my Artfully Sent Cricut cartridge and make a new VW for the series. I LOVE this one. 

Close to My Heart gets so creative with their themes! This year the theme was UP.

One of the BEST parts of convention is getting to see so many friends I only get to see once or twice a year AND getting to hang out with these fabulous roomies of mine.

There is always some good creative stuff. We get to make wonderful stuff with brand new product.

There's always a few characters mixed in too.

And you never know. There might be an award in order if you work hard (I was surprised with one this year). There's always an awards banquet with great food and great entertainment.

And we all need a chance to dress up and sparkle!

Yes, I will be back at convention next year. I can't wait. It will be at Disneyworld in Florida! Anyone want to join me? It's easy to become a consultant and so much fun. Check it out here or contact me.  If you've been a consultant with Close to My Heart before, you can rejoin in August for just $49 (if you didn't get an email from CTMH, contact me as your instructions will be slightly different).

Just looking back at these pictures makes me so happy. And that is why I do this. I do this because it matters that I preserve those memories. It matters that I foster those friendships. It matters that I laugh until I almost wet my pants. And it matters that I help others to do the same. Make memories, people! And then preserve them! I'm happy to help.

Happy Creativity and Crafting!

Blossom

Summer is winding down and so is the CTMH catalog. Don't forget there are a lot of items retiring and they are beginning to run low. Blossom is one of those paper packets that I love but it will soon be gone.

 My pages are ready for my August Cherish Your Memories Class. I love the colors in these pages.

I kept them simple this month because my groups are doing two kits this month (see here for the other set). But sometimes simple is all you need.

If you're interested in a kit, let me know. Or if you're local and want to come to my class, let me know that as well.

Take care all!

August Artistry!

We are only one month away from the new Close to My Heart catalog and lots of wonderful new crafting bliss! However, while you have to wait until September 1st for most new products, CTMH is making a few available to you early!

First of all, during the month of August, you can pick up one of these fabulous new organizers (what crafty person doesn't need some organizational help?).

And to sweeten the deal, during the month of August, if you order the marker roll-up, you get the new Balloon Wishes stamp set free ($17.95 value). If you order the accessory roll-up, you get the Affirmations and Lovely Blooms Base and Bling sheets free!

And during August, you can also pick up any of these:

• My Reflections™ Zoe Paper Packet (X7197B)
• Zoe Complements (X7197C)
• Zoe Assortment (Z3082)
• Coral Shimmer Trim (Z3088)
• Enamel & Glitter Duos Green Triangles (Z3123)
• Workshops on the Go® Zoe Scrapbooking Kit (G1096)
• Framed – August Stamp of the Month (S1508)
• Zoe Studio J® Kit
• Zoe Studio J® Limited Edition Express Collection (Live until September 30, 2015)

I love the patterns and colors in the Zoe kit. It will be my featured kit in September for my Cherish Your Memories classes.

And now the big drum roll, please. The biggest release of all that you can get a month early!

The new Cricut Artistry Collection (Z3167)! Yes, a new Cricut cartridge with new images and new stamps and lots of creative potential. You can even order it digitally if you prefer! I just got mine a few days ago (being a consultant does have some perks such as early ordering) and I can't wait to play with it.

Now, of course, in the excitement for new product, don't forget that there are a lot of products retiring. Make sure you get them as they are only available while supplies last. Check them out here.

Have a Happy Day!