Pretty Pins Winner!!

The winner of the package of Pretty Pins is Linda!! You are going to get some Blog Candy in the mail this week!!

Thanks for playing everybody!! Enjoy your pins, Linda!!

You are Precious to Me...Pretty Pin Drawing Tomorrow!

The Pretty Pins drawing is tomorrow - Valentine's Day!! I am posting a card using our Pretty Pins. If you follow the post below, there are some other great ideas for these Pretty Pins!! I LOVE this embellishment and find myself grabbing for them all the time!

What would you do with them? Tell me and you could win a package of Pretty Pins! I am selecting a winner in a random drawing tomorrow evening. Check on Sunday morning to see if you've won this pretty little blog candy!!

No Artwork Today...Just a Memory!

I was thinking about Valentine's when I was a little girl. I was always excited for this holiday because "way back in the day" we really got to decorate the classroom before any type of holiday. We spent time the week before making boxes for the wonderful Valentine's we would receive at the party, and there was great anticipation over the homemade heart-shaped treats that all the mothers would bring in that special day!!

Want to hear something funny? I never made it to one single Valentine's party in elementary school. Every year I had a fever, the flu, and during the last year, I had chicken pox. Can you believe it?! It is no wonder that I over-do this holiday a bit in our house - LOL!! ;)

When my son came along, I was really anxious to make his first Valentine's party at school special. I planned on bringing treats, we made homemade Valentine's. You'll never guess what. He came down with the chicken pox and couldn't go to school that day!! So you know what I did? I decorated the house, called the moms to see which kids already had chicken pox, and invited them over after school. During the day, Shane and I put together Valentine's for his friends - and it turned out to be a great party!!

Oh, and he was never sick on Valentine's again!!

What about you? Do you have some Valentine's memories? I think they are just grand times to remember! Roses, chocolate, love ads in the paper, jewelry - it's such a sweet holiday!!

This year Jerry and I are going to dinner at a place called Serendipity on Valentine's Day. They have a harpist that evening, and I am quite sure from talking to friends that it is going to be lovely.

May you have a Valentine's Day filled with love!!

More To Adore

I love this simple layout using the Level 1 More to Adore packet. We created this in our February club last year. This layout makes good use of the Stickease in the Level 1 kit. With a few embellishments - especially those Big Pinks - along with some good old-fashioned distressing, this page is ready for your romantic memories! (Filled with chocolate and roses, of course!)

Love, Love. Love

This is such a simple card to make. And when you are finished, it is really quite elegant. What a wonderful card to give that special person on Valentine's Day or even to use for an anniversary.

All the supplies I used making this card are CTMH:

• Vanilla Cream CS
• Cocoa CS
• That's Amore B & T
• Baroque Alphabet
• Soulmates Word Puzzle
• Timber Brown Staz-On Ink
• Sparkles
• Colonial White Designer Ribbon
  
  

Perfect Day Layout

I just had to sneak in another piece of artwork today! If you ever wonder, this is why all the routine household "stuff" gets done last minute - LOL!! I'd just rather create this time of the year!!

These are some pictures from our Mediterraean Cruise with CTMH. I look at the photos and still can't believe we were there!! the left layout was taken on the ship by a CTMH photographer. On the right are pictures from Nice, France. Oh what beautiful markets they had in the street! I would never tire of roaming through those streets and smelling the fresh flowers, handmade soaps, vegetables, smelling the coffee from open bistros. It was wonderful. And the people were so friendly in Nice! I really enjoyed the short amount of time we had there.

All products used on this layout are from CTMH:

• Perfect Day Level 2
• Tulip Ink
• Dimensional Elements Framed Fun
• Fancy Cuts Botanicals
• Love Story Rub-Ons
• Oxford Color Ready Alphabet
• Spring Blossom Mini Medley
• Cranberry Eyelets
• Cocoa Grosgrain
• Heritage Edge Anchors
  

We Remember Moments...

During this week of love, I hope you remember the moments that make the ones you love special!

All items used are CTMH in this 6x6 card:

• Colonial White Cardstock
• Desert Sand Cardstock
• Moments Stamp Set
• Versamark Ink
• Gold Embossing Powder
• Black Photo Clips
• Colonial White Grosgrain

It is the week of Love!!

Happy Valentine's Week!! I love this week of the year! I love everything about Valentine's scrapbook papers, hearts, and love...

This week I am going to share new artwork every single day. I hope to inspire you so that you find the many ways you can honor the ones you love through paper crafting!! Enjoy!!

All CTMH products products used in this "Forever" layout:

• That's Amore Level 2
• Rustic Alphabet
• Intrinsic Backgrounds
• Love Always Journaling Spots
• Dazzling Die-cuts - Chocolate
• Colonial White Designer Ribbon
• Chocolate Designer Ribbon
• Edge Anchors - Heritage
• Inks - Blush, Chocolate
• Craft Buttons - Holiday, Autumn
• Chocolate Waxy Flax
• Just Blooms Paper Flowers & Big Pinks
• Mini Medley Shades of Chocolate
• Bigger Brads Basic Assortment
• Sparkles

Book for a Special Young Man

I was busy creating this
afternoon, and this is what I came up with for nephew's birthday. I wanted to make a combination picture book/quoto book for him. This is the Close To My Heart 6x6 Accordion Book, and I've done layouts on the pages for pictures. On every page, I've put phrases or quotes. My favorite is a vellum quote I found in the store oddly enough by Brad Pitt. Here goes:
"This is just the real world and I'm growing up. Life is tough and it's crooked, but it's pretty fantastic."

Here are the supplies I used other the 6x6 book:

• Basic Grey Fusion Paper
• Jo-Lee Stars
• Little Yellow Bicycle Rub-Ons - Zane's Life
• Dazzling Die-Cuts - CTMH
• Stardust Flexi-label Star - CTMH
• Ribbon - CTMH
• Buttons & Waxy Flax - CTMH
  

Love My Swaps!

I just participated in a swap, and WOW, do I love the cards I received in return! I do this swap every single Idea Book and I invite other consultants. It is so much fun to see what everyone comes up with!! This time I put a twist on the cards and wanted them to be interactive in some way, shape or form - a fold, a tuck, a spin, a pop - whatever anyone felt like. Well, just look at what people came up with!! I am so blessed to have such talented friends!! I am going to tell you - these pictures do not do the cards justice at all. They are so much more gorgeous in person!!


Cards #1: Penny K - She has created a dial, and each word was rubbed on with individual letters from our Love Letters rub-ons. Oh, so beautiful.

Card #2: Helen B - I love when Helen makes pop-up cards!! The colors and the cupcakes are so much fun in this card. Look at the shape of the card - and the colors!!

Card #3: Sandy R - Sandy random stamped this card and then look at the cuts. It opens up to make it look like the world spins! I LOVE it! Right away I thought of Graduation with this card.

Card #4: Amy H - I took Amy's card out, and I still can't figure out how she did this! I LOVE this ribbon pull on the inside! It doesn't lag when it's inside or outside. It's just beautiful - this is a fine design!!

Card #5: Jennifer B - What you can't see about this precious cupcake card is that Jennifer has created a pendulum inside the card. When you open the front, the cupcake swings. Oh, so much fun!

Card # 6: Regina - She has created a purse for all of us girls. Isn't it adorable with all the hanging beads? When you open up the purse, there is a spot for a gift card. VERY good design!!

Card #7: Dani - I love when Dani participates! She always has the sweetest cards and this tag card is no exception. Done in sweet leaf with the Dream Wishes stamp set, it's just SO pretty. I am thinking this would be a very nice design for shower invitations.

Card #8: Crissy - Isn't this Cupcake Sprinkles card cute? Boy, it has little girl written all over it!! She has make a slot in it to fashion a "belt" card. That is a very good way to show off our beautiful background and texture paper - just as she has done!

Cards #9 & #10: Me (I had a swapper drop, so I did two!) The first card has a spinning daisy on the front. the second has a hidden journaling tag.

Swaps are a great way to get ideas! I just love sharing with my friends this way!!

Dreaming of Summer Vacation...

Jerry and I made our summer vacation this past weekend, and we are so excited! We are going up to Quarterdeck Resort on Gull Lake. Gull Lake is a such a great fishing lake, and I want that for Jerry this summer. He has sacrificed so much the past few years while I've worked my CTMH business. It's time that he got to have a really great vacation for all the hard work he does during the year...
And let me tell you, fishing is where it's at for Jerry! I am quite certain that he'll be up early to go hunt fish. And at night, he'll most likely be out for late night fishing. From now until we go, he'll study Gull Lake and make sure he knows the hot spots. It's going to be a great trip for him!
We are giong during something called Beanhole Days that Jerry heard about on the radio. They bake secret recipe beans in the ground overnight and then raise them the next day to serve them. Fun! There's also the Majestic Pines Art Festival, and I love the shopping in that whole area. It's going to be a wonderful vacation!