Happy New Year!

Well, I finally got brave and told some of you about this blog I've been working on! I have a lot to learn--it really isn't quite how I would like it yet. Chalk this up to another accomplishment for me in 2009! I don't like to make resolutions for the New Year, but I do like to look back at what was accomplished in the year we are leaving. Some of my highlights this year would be hiking a fourteener, skiing and mountain biking without breaking anything, teaching myself how to knit and crochet and teaching Marek how to add and subtract fractions! I do like the idea of adopting a word for the New Year. I think my word will be smile. Smile more, smile often, smile when you don't feel like smiling! It just changes everything! Happy New Year to everyone!

National Paper Crafting Month

To help your creations during the National Paper Crafting Month, Close to My Heart has a special offer for the month of January!
The Felicity Collection features decorative die-cut paper, three gorgeous color schemes, and a D-size stamp set that include flowers, flourishes, argyle, birds, and an entire alphabet!
This collection has a retail value of $34.95 US/ $40.95 CAN. You can buy it outright, or get it free!
There are two ways to qualify for a FREE Felicity Collection:

• Purchase a minimum of $60 US in full-retail priced stamp sets (A, B, C, D, and E-size). (Excludes Stamp of the Month, Art & Soul®, Workshops on the Go™, and customizable (K) stamp sets.)
• Place an order of $125 or more in full-retail priced Close To My Heart products.

Limit of one FREE kit per order.
The campaign also has enticing opportunities for hostesses and new Consultants. Hostesses get the package FREE with a Home Gathering sales total of $400 US/ $470 CAN or more, and New Consultants who join Close To My Heart between January 1–31 will receive the package FREE in their New Consultant Kit. Shipping/handling and tax may apply.

Sympathy

I always find it hard to make sympathy cards, I guess because they come at unexpected times, and you need to get it done and in the mail in a timely manner. Thanks to Mojo Monday though, this one came together pretty fast for me. It it the sketch for week 117.
Supplies used:
Stamp set: A Tweet A1104
Close to My Hearts Black and Bamboo cardstock
Inks: Close to My Hearts Bamboo and Desert Sand
Olive background and texture paper-retired.
Pewter Brads-contra
Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels One

Merry Christmas

This has been a wonderful Christmas. Well, Brian has a pretty bad cold, so I don't know if he would label it wonderful. I got everything done by the 23rd. So the 24th I was able to relax and have fun with Marek. I took him and a friend sledding then came home and did some Christmas baking. Brian took a nap late in the afternoon while Marek and I decorated cookies, sang Christmas carols and played a couple games of Sequence. We then had an easy dinner of soup, then watched Polar Express. I was surprised when I wasn't woken up by 7:00 this morning. It turns out, Marek was up between 3:00-4:30 a.m., checking out the gifts that came, watching some Star Trek and also played a few X-box games! He went back to bed and didn't wake up until 7:30!

Gift Card Holder

Even though it is what the kids want, I just don't feel right giving gift cards! So--I must come up with a fun way to package them! These pizza box holders were the easiest things to make and turned out so cute! This candy cane was inspired by Bren Yule, a Close to My Heart sister that does gorgeous work.

Hand Made!

Pizza Box gift card holder and decorated tin with Hershey Nuggets inside! The nieces and nephews all got the bag with a gift certificate and chocolate inside.

Jingle All the Way!

I love Close to My Heart's Jingle paper packet. The non-traditional colors were so fun to work with. I made Christmas gift bags, pizza box gift card holders and covered decorated cute tins and Hershey Nuggets inside with this paper. This gift bag was totally cased from Shannon Murdock, another Close to My Heart consultant.

Supplies:
Jingle Level 2 Paper Packet (X7115B)
Stamp sets: Holiday Jingle (C1371) and Holiday Trinkets (D1366)

Holiday Heyday!!

Don't miss out on this great sale that Close to My Heart is having. Click here to go to my Close to My Heart website for all the details!

Mom's Birthday Card

I couldn't wait to use this new stamp set. It is Close To My Heart's stamp of the month for April (2010) called Flower Pot. The paper pack is an older one called Tickled Pink. I don't have many opportunities to use the girly papers!

A Big Step!!

Ha!! I've entered the blogging world! I really don't know where I'm going to find the time to play here, but it is something I have wanted to try for awhile. I'll post artwork, rambling thoughts, and anything else that might interest me. It will be a very interesting ride! Thanks for being here!