My Hubby's Birthday is Today!

I love celebrating my husband's birthday, another opportunity for me to welcome in a fun and exciting year!  Of course, life is always full of fun and surprises when you have the husband I have! 

Birthday events are pretty limited around here as mine is smack in the middle of football season and his, during recruiting.  So, we take pleasure in doing what we can to celebrate the event around the busy football schedule and this year is no different.

Yesterday I made this birthday card for him out of our "You Rock" paper pack.  I am pleased with how it came out and hope you like it too!  (While it's difficult to see, the Goldrush star (just above "rock") is 3-D, layered on top of the same star.)

Brrr...

If you recall, I mentioned (in a previous post) that my team had done a gift exchange during the holiday season called, "Holiday Homies".  Well, one of the requirements of the participants was to send a "thank you" gift to the person that had been giving to them.

I received some CUTE items that I'll be sharing over several posts.  My downline and friend, Joey, included this beautiful card with her thank you gifts!  I love how she used the White Daisy pigment-based ink on these snowflakes!  She also included some bling in the middle of them using our Sparkles and topped it off with a piece of Chocolate ribbon and a snowflake from our "Wonder Heartfelt Die-Cuts" collection.

Thanks so much for all my goodies, Joey!  I think I'll make sure you have me next year!  :0)

Gotta love a snow day!

I knew it got cold and snowed quite a bit in Kansas, but what I did not think about was the fact that people from around here or further north don't think twice about wintery weather.  We knew we were expecting 4 to 8 inches of snowfall Thursday evening but I wasn't holding my breath for a snow day!

After the snowfall we had in November, which pretty much became ice, and I still had to drive to work for several days in a row I was surprised at the call I received last night.  "Due to weather conditions, school is cancelled tomorrow..."  Woohoo!  I didn't even need to listen to the rest of the message!  I love an excuse to stay warm and cozy inside while being able to do whatever I want to!  Of course, a 3-day weekend is just an added bonus.  I was productive and will be sharing some of my creativity over the next few days with you.  In the meantime, here are some wintery photos from Kansas.

A view outside the backdoor.  This was early in the day and it continues to snow but you can see the height accumulation on the picnic table.  There won't be any "picnicin" here for awhile!

A photo out the front door.  Our side street never gets cleaned since it's parallel to a main street.  That's where the challenge takes place!

Out the front door, looking southwest.

My purpose for this photo, although I didn't make too many attempts because it was COLD, was to show how deep the snow on the front porch was.  It had been pushed back when Corey went to work this morning.

Altered Letters

Have you ever known someone for just a short while and felt like you have known them all your life?  That is how I feel about my friend Kristy.  We were blessed to meet each other in 2006 while working at The Academy in Irving, TX.  It was her first year teaching and we were neighbors and hit it off just great!  We have shared some fun times and great memories since then and I just love my friend!  I decided to make her these altered letters - some wall decor she can find a home for. 

I purchased these larger (and cute) letters at Hobby Lobby and used the backside of one of the paper patterns included in "Daydream" (the green stripes).  Then, I used our "Love Letters" rub-ons to include the flourish design you see here.  While the photos were not taken in the best light, I think you get the idea.  I hope she loves them!

"Love Is Family" Workshop - February 18th!

For just $6, join me on Thursday, February 18th at 6:30 p.m. and you too can make these layouts - perfect for your family photos!  Space is limited and the event will be held at a location in Hutchinson (KS).  Reserve your spot by Sunday, February 14th.  Contact me for additonal details!  I hope to see you there!

Close-up of the left page

Close-up of the right page

Rub-Ons on Mugs?!

My downline, Joey, used Rub-Ons on a tall vase (which was a gift for one of our other Consultant friends) and I thought I would give a whirl and here was my result.

I bought these mugs at the Dollar Tree for just $1 (gotta love that) and used our "Love Letters" rub-ons to decorate them.  I was pleased at how simple it was to do so, making sure I cut out the image and then laid it on the mug.  I did use a small piece of tape, on either end of the image, in order to help hold it in place as I rubbed the image onto the mug.  I did not seal them - need to look into that - but figure I can always use and hand-wash them when I want.  However, right now, they are sitting in my scrap area/office with some CTMH goodies in them! 

I even went as far as to place some images on the back side of the respective mugs.  I was so pleased with the results and hope you like them too!

Had a successful Open House!

My "Out with the Old, In with the New" event, held this past Saturday, was a fun and successful event!  I enjoyed sharing Close To My Heart with those who attended.

When each guest arrived, they were given one of our brand new, 2010 Spring Idea Books - a gift from me for attending - a folder full of useful information AND a cute, Hershey Nuggets tent (close-up provided in a previous post)!

I had new products out for them to view, helping them complete their Tic-Tac-Toe game sheet (of course, their were prizes given for completion).

On this table I highlighed our soon-to-come Studio J online scrapbooking software, our great "how-to" program (Cherish and Wishes), Serendipity (our January/Papercrafting Month Constant Campaign), cards made with "True Friends" (our January Stamp of the Month) and some cute paper-crafting projects (you can view a close-up in the photo below).

Here are just a few of my favorite papercrafting/altered items.

Guests did make a cute, altered coaster that served as a sticky note holder (I will post a photo of that later in a separate post) and they loved them!  There were tickets given for various things such as RSVPing for the event, placing an order, make the create 'n take item, etc. and I am proud to announce that Pam was the winner of the drawing!  She won $25 in select product credit and was able to select 3 items from the Idea Book.  Thanks to all that attended!  I had a great time!

Nugget Tin

Gotta love these nugget tins that are so practical - they have Hershey's Nuggets in them (hello!) - and make cute gifts!  This one was made using the Grace paper pack and the January Stamp of the Month, "True Friends".  I used coordinating Background & Texture paper (a.k.a. patterned paper or B&T) to cover the Hershey nuggets so they coordinated with the tin.  This didn't take much time to put together and I love the results!

NEW Idea Book Celebration

I am finishing up some final things for my NEW Idea Book Celebration which will be held tomorrow!  I am excited and look forward to showing off some of our newest products and generating some interest for my upcoming events.  I am hoping for some fun and energy as I share my love of Close To My Heart with people in this area.  Each person that attends will get their very own copy of the NEW Spring 2010 Idea Book FREE (valued at $3.95) - filled with awesome products and beautiful artwork - as well as some additional treats for attending!

I look forwarding to providing an update on how my event went.  Until then...  I wanted to share this cute gift with you.  I received it with my Christmas gifts, made by my Mom.  It's a cute sticky note pad holder made with coasters (yes, drink coasters)!  The paper used is from "Notebook" with some adorable embellishments that really put the finishing touches on this cute item!

Here's an "inside" view:

Clear Bucket

While I have received these cute little buckets as gifts before, and have even purchased some, this is the first one I have decorated and I think I did a pretty good job! 


I used our Magic Moments paper pack and the January Stamp of the Month, "True Friends", to decorate it.  Of course, the bucket would not be complete with all the cute ribbon on the handle.  This one is a gift for a friend and I hope she likes it!