American Girl Christmas II

This is one happy girl! Last year she asked Santa for an Amerian Girl doll and he brought her a miniature Kit Kitredge doll that was about 4 inches tall. When Hailey saw it she said, "oh, I thought they were bigger."

She's been saving her allowance for months hoping to buy the authentic 18" version for herself. Unfortunately, these little beauties are not cheap. But mom and dad came to the rescue this Christmas. Hailey sleeps with her and takes her to the store and to church (but "Amy" has to remain in the car).

Tis the season to be jolly...

Gratitude Box

My friend, Claire, shared a holiday tradition her family enjoys this time of year. They each write down things they are thankful for on strips of paper and insert them anonomously into a box. On Thanksgiving Day one person is elected to read each comment aloud as the rest of the participants guess who was the author.

I really like this idea and decided to make a Gratitude Box for our family. I used a plain white 4x6" recipe box from Close To My Heart and decorated it with leftover scraps from the Olivia paper collection. Stamps used include: A Little Thanks (November Stamp of the Month), and Many Thanks. I used Mocha Opaques to create the faux metal accents.

My six-year-old has already submitted a few things he is thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Studio J Is Making My Life Easier...

I created several layouts using Studio J while catching up on some TV shows on my TiVo. This is pretty addicting. There are no paper or supplies to set up or put away. No photos to print & crop, hoping for the right size. No adhesive or expensive tools. Just me, my laptop and my remote (for the TV). You could even create while your child is sitting on your lap and not have to worry about them getting coated in glue and ink.

All Studio J layouts are sold as two pages, but I created this layout below with the intention of using each page by itself as a one page layout. I'm one of those crazy moms who does a scrapbook for each kid. I realized that one child didn't have backyard pool photos for 2006 or 2007. Problem solved in a snap with Studio J.

There's nothing to download and no obligation to buy. Please visit my website and have some fun with this exciting product. If you would like a "tour", contact me and we can set it up.

You might also find this link useful in your discovery of Studio J.

Stamp Camp 2010

I look forward to the String of Hearts team stamp camp each year near Heber Arizona. We stay in the beautiful cabin for two nights and three days and laugh, create, and EAT. It recharges my batteries every year.

We push the furniture out of the way and set up long tables so we craft into the wee hours of the night.

We had a smaller group this year, but we still made memories: Lynette's delicious cantaloupes from her garden, Vicki's divine cinnamon rolls, and Sharryl's creative ideas. I really missed you Lee, and I hope you're feeling well again soon. God bless!

Check out all these snacks!

8 Days to Save!

2, 4, 6, 8...who do we appreciate - YOU of course. Beginning August 4th Close To My Heart has some fantastic savings for you, available exclusively through my website.

$2 - select My Stickease (reg. $4.95)

$4 - select Level 1 My Reflections paper kits (reg. $9.95)

$6 - select Level 2 My Reflection paper kits (reg. $12.95)

8 DAYS ONLY! August 4 - 11 (while supplies last). Sale starts at 9 a.m. (MDT), 8 Arizona time

If you like to see a preview listing of sale items, email me at EzScrapbooks@cox.net

August Play Group - Cherry O

I'm excited to play with the Cherry-O collection shown here at our next scrapbooking Play Group. We will create two 2-page layouts using this charming paper and embellishements.
See the next post to find out all the details about how to join my Play Groups.
August Play Group Dates are

• August 19th at 7:00 p.m.
• August 20th at 9:30 A.M.
• August 20th at 7:00 p.m.

RSVP and supply fee due by August 9th.

Join One of My Play Groups

It's time to join a Play Group

Would you enjoy time out with friends laughing and sharing while creating beautiful scrapbook pages to preserve your memories? Then join one of my Play Groups. We meet once a month for about 2-3 hours in my at-home studio, and together we make four 12x12 scrapbook pages ready for your photos. You'll meet new people, learn tips & techniques, and gradually add some of the best products on the market to your "toy box."

Playgroup Member Benefits:

 

• A fun way to get out of the house.
  
• Keep up with your scrapbooking.
  
• Build relationships & make new friends.
  
• Free products, see details below.
  
• Free Idea Books throughout the year.
  
• 15% off one item during your birthday month.
• You never have to clean your house to host a party…before or after.
  

The fine-print:

Play Group requires a 10 month commitment (no meetings in December or July), and a $15-$20 purchase each month for project supplies. The fee varies due to the accessories used in the project and upgrades are available. Participants provide their own adhesive and essential tools such as a paper trimmer, scissors, piercing tool, etc.

Each month a different, predetermined member of the group – the "hostess" – will get to choose at least $25 of select product for FREE. Many of my past hostesses have qualified for $40, $60 and even $80 in free products. Hostesses also have the opportunity to purchase exclusive bundles.

We love it when the hostess brings light refreshments for the group.

If you are unable to attend on your Playgroup date, you may attend another group with advance notice. In order to be fair to all participants you are required to meet the minimum purchase whether or not you attend each month.

Getting Started:

A. Select a day of the week and time you can commit to attend the Playgroup –

(Events will generally be held during the third full week of the month. A detailed schedule will be provided at the first Playgroup)

Thursday Night - 7:00 pm (Aug 19) Friday Morning – 9:30 am (Aug 20)    Friday Night – 7:00 pm (Aug 20)

B. Select your scrapbook products for the August project (see images of the products in the attached flyer) –

 

Option 1: Cherry-O Workshop Kit $35.26 (price includes shipping & tax)

You get Cherry-O Level 2 paper pack, Tulip accents, an exclusive stamp set*, and illustrated instruction guide for scrapbooking AND cards.

Option 2: A la Carte
(price includes shipping & tax)

Cherry-O Level 2 paper pack $15.24

My Accents-Tulip Assortment $5.83

 

Available Upgrades (price does NOT include shipping & tax – I will calculate your total)

Colonial White Designer Brads $3.95

Chocolate Waxy Flax $3.95

Field Trip Alphabet stamp set $34.95

Ink Pads $5.25 each (colors: Tulip, Chocolate, Sweetleaf)

Corner Rounder $7.95

*Acrylic Blocks needed for stamp set: 1x1-1/2 $4.50, 2x2 $6.50, 1x6-1/2 $6.50

 

C. Submit full payment to guarantee your seat and to select your hostess month. You may pay with Cash, Check (payable to Sheila Wilkerson) or Debit/Credit with NO FEES!

Please respond no later than August 9^th to allow time for supplies to be ordered.

 

 

Contact me: SHEILA WILKERSON (480)380-3031 EzScrapbooks@cox.net

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Hey friends, I didn't really fall into a sink-hole or have an E.T. experience. I've been distracted since returning home from Washington D.C. where I attended the CTMH national convention (more about that in a minute). Since returning home I've had a birthday, swim team finals for two children, syncronized swim finals for another child and back-to-school shopping (yes, it's that time again). This will be the first year that all of my children will attend public school all day long. THAT is a mix of emotions; we'll see how the first few days go. I have one more birthday party to plan and then I'm home free (okay, there's always something, but I can see the light).

What can I tell you about D.C.? AMAZING. This was my second national convention with Close To My Heart, an event held just for consultants. I'm so impressed with this company. Not only do I get to be my own boss, but they make it so easy and fun. We were treated to 4 days of first-class instruction and creativity which I can hardly wait to share with you. Stay tuned, the new idea book goes live September 1st.

I extended my trip to D.C. a few days so I could take in the history and sites. I have been there once before when I was a junior in high school as part of the Close-Up program; but there are new things to see an do 26 years later. I was impressed by how large the WWII memorial is, and I don't remember the Korean War memorial being there before. I visited the holocaust museum which is very well done and disturbing, as it should be. It's difficult to take in.

Part of the WWII Memorial

Korean War Memorial

Did you know the only marshmallow Peep store in the U.S. is in National Harbor, MD just outside of the Capital, and walking distance from my hotel? I shared that morsel of trivia with my kids before I left Arizona, and every time I called home they would ask, "Did you go to the Peep store yet? One time I asked my little guy if he was more excited for me to come home or the Peeps to come home. His reply: "I'm excited for YOU to come home with the Peeps." What a charmer. Needless to say they were very glad to rot their teeth with the chocolate covered marshmallow chicks.

Apricot Freezer Jam

I bought these rather small apricots at the local produce store and decided to make freezer jam with them. It turned out to be so DELICIOUS. My 5-year-old son is a big helper. He took off all the stickers, you know the ones that have the code on it for the cashiers? The jam was so good, I had to make wheat bread to go with it. MMMMMmmmm.

June Crop

Join me on Friday, June 18th for a scrapbook crop and optional workshop from 1 p.m. til Midnight.

Crop only $5
Crop with Zippidee two-page layout included $10
Buy the Zippidee workshop kit* for $40 and the crop is FREE

Prepayment is required no later than June 8th to secure your seat.

This is the two-page layout. With the $40 workshop kit you'll be able to create this layout and so much more. The kit includes 22 sheets of paper (patterned and cardstock), Star-shaped chipboard Dimensional Elements, Ticket To Ride stamp set, illustrated instruction guide, and Colonial White assorted accents (buttons, brads, etc.).

Today is a Jackpot Day

Do you think you know which Level 1 Scrapbook kit includes the FREE jackpot item (the two ribbon rounds shown below)? Why risk it -- order one of each! Offer expires at 8:00 a.m. Wednesday, June 2nd. Visit my website to order your Level 1 kits and get these two ribbon rounds free, and shipping is just 99 cents for each of the qualifying items (Wahoo!): ezscrapbooks.myctmh.com

Jackpot June

Beginning today Close To My Heart is offering fantastic discounts on popular crafting items. Hit the jackpot and win free products OR grab loaded goodie boxes at 50% off or more.
Enjoy two types of deal days in June!
It's a great time to pick up some products you love or ones you've never used before at incredible prices and potentially win some for FREE! You can add to your crafting supplies so you'll always have just the perfect item on hand.

On goodie box days… you can purchase one box filled with popular products at 50% or more off retail value! Each goodie box day will feature different surprise items, so you can score
a wide variety of current and recently retired products.

On jackpot days… 5 products will be offered for sale at discounted prices. One of the 5 products is the mystery jackpot item for that day, but we’re not telling which—exciting, isn’t it! If you happen to order the mystery jackpot item, we’ll reward you with one or more FREE Close To My Heart products, with shipping included on the free items! If you purchase all 5 products, you’re guaranteed to hit the jackpot! There’s no purchase limit—if you order multiple secret jackpot items, we’ll send you the same number of free items.
These special offers include discounted shipping/handling (just 99 cents per item) and are only available onmy website. Check back every day for the latest offer.

* Offer valid June 1–July 1 at 8:00 am (MDT), on MyCTMH websites only. New deals are posted each day at 9:00 am (MDT).
To be eligible for discounted prices, your order must contain only Jackpot June items. Visit facebook.com/closetomyheart or closetomyheart.com to see what the mystery Jackpot item was for the previous day. Offers are while supplies last.

100% Success Rate

Today, the last of our pupae became a Painted Lady butterfly. We have 10 in all. Now what the heck do we do? I've read that they reporduce within 2 days. It would be fun to continue the life cycle, but I've never considered myself a caterpillar/butterfly breeder. Also, the food plant the caterpillars need to survive may be a little hard to come by in the desert.

Easter

I made this scrapbook layout in less than an hour using Studio J. There were no photos to print or crop, just a few mouse clicks and voila! I can hardly believe I have a 2010 event ready for a photo album. You can play with Studio J by clicking on the link in my website: ezscrapbooks.myctmh.com By the way, this paper kit is called Hippity Hop and it's only available through Studio J. Check it out.

The Butterfly Chronicles

Uncle Trevor gave our family a butterfly kit for Christmas. I finally got around to ordering the little critters a couple of weeks ago. In my defense, I didn't want to order the bugs when it was too cold, but I almost waited too long -- the Arizona heat is knocking on our door. Here are my happy scientists inspecting our new caterpillars that arrived via USPS on April 28th.


This was one of the bigger caterpillars. There are about 10 total in the two containers.


Do you see that webb-stuff in there? The carmel-colored stuff on the bottom is there food and droppings (aka frass).


They're growing...We hope to see chrysalides real soon.

Cherries in the Summertime

There are some pretty incredible products inside the pages of our new Summer Idea Book. Here's just a sampling. Click here to see the entire new book on line.

Studio J is HERE!

Last July Close To My Heart unveiled plans to launch Studio J, Online Design Scrapbooking software - you may be more familiar with the term digital scrapbooking. But of course, this is digi scrappin' the Close To My Heart way. After countless hours of nerdy technical software programming (Horns and Trumpets please) Studio J is now available on my website ready for you to experience it. You can create designer scrapbook pages in minutes ready to be custom printed for your cherished album.

It is absolutely free to play, so take a peek today on my website.

These layouts were all created with Studio J. There's no photos to print and crop, no adhesive necessary! All you need is a computer, internet access and digital photos.

With Studio J, I was able to add text right over my photos.

I didn't have to crop out the beautiful scenery in these photos in order to fit them to the page.

There were people on the beach who ended up in our photos, but they're cropped out now.

I even have access to My Stickease coordinating embellishments (title & flowers) in Studio J. The ribbon, the brads, the vellum... all part of the Studio J experience.


This Halloween themed paper kit is exclusive to Studio J.


And I didn't have to cut out all of these circles, or crop tiny photos.

Irresistible

I love these "irresistible" chipboard accents included in the Miracle Kit. See how they start out all white with a shiny pattern on them? I used a sponge to apply ink from my stamp pad to the chipboard. The shiny pattern resists the ink and shows up as white against the color of my choice. It's a miracle. These chipboard designs are only found in the Miracle Kit available through May 31st, while supplies last. The list price is $19.95, but there are ways to get your kit for $10, $5, even free. See the post on April 16th below for more details.

Launch Party!

No, there isn't anything wrong with your eyes. I purposely distorted this photo of my new Summer products from Close To My Heart. You can see them clearly at my Launch Party on Thursday, April 29th. Send me a message with your email addy and I'll send you an invitation with all the details.

Miracle Cards - As Promised

I told you this Miracle Kit was not to be shunned by cardmakers. Aren't these gorgeous! I'd like to give a big shout out to Rebecca Lehman who created the original cards using patterns from our How-To books, which I totally lifted with her permission. [Another perk of being a Close To My Heart consultant is sharing in all this creativity. So many are extremely generous with their talent.] Read the previous post to find out how to get your very own Miracle Kit, available through May 31st while supplies last.

Wait a minute...did you notice that unusual card on the left? It's a sneak peek of what's to come on May 1st. See below:

A Miracle Awaits You!

You'll love this charming Miracle kit designed exclusively for National Scrapbook Month in May. This beautiful kit featuring spring-inspired colors and floral patterns is miraculously easy to assemble with no stamping required. The brochure will guide you through easily creating two beautiful two-page layouts. [And if you're not a scrapbooker (you could be with kits this easy), check back soon to see some pretty miraculous cards made with this kit.]
The featured colors are Bamboo, Colonial White, Crystal Blue, Olive and Sweet Leaf. But you custom color the embossed chipboard elements to coordinate with YOUR photos.

Here's what is included:

5 sheets 12"x 12" Colonial White Cardstock
1 sheet 12"x 12" Bamboo Cardstock
1 12"x 12" Floral B&T Duos printed paper
1 12"x 12" Stripe B&T Duos printed paper
1 Crystal Blue B&T Duos Die Cut
1 Sweet Leaf B&T Duos Die Cut
1 - 6" x 12" My Stickease adhesive assortment
1 6" x 9" Irresistibles Chipboards Die-Cuts
1 package of Mini- Medley Accents Colonial White Collection
12" Colonial White Waxy Flax
3 - 4" x 6" Memory Protectors Flip Flaps
2 sponge wedges
1 Color brochure with instructions

Click here to see more images.

There are several ways to get this fashionable Miracle kit at a great discount or even FREE*:

• Purchase the kit outright for $19.95*

• Place a minimum order of $40, and purchase the kit for only $10*

• Place a minimum order of $60, and purchase the kit for only $5*

• Sign up as a new Consultant between May 1–31 and receive a kit FREE!

• Host a Home Gathering between April 15–May 31 with minimum sales of $300 and receive a kit FREE!

Amaze yourself and your friends during National Scrapbooking Month in May with gorgeous layouts you create using our Miracle Kit.

*Tax and shipping apply. Offer available through May 31, 2010, while supplies last.

Contact me or visit my website to order your kit today.

Motorcycle Mama

Yep, that's me on the back of a Honda 750 with my husband, Clark. We planned to go to lunch, and a matinee today and I suggested we take the bike. Once I got on and we rounded the corner I questioned my sanity. I wasn't that fond of my husband driving a motorcycle, and now I was riding on the back of the same one he was driving.

I started thinking crazy thoughts like what if he can't turn with my added weight on the back, what if he can't stop fast enough. Who will take care of the children we left at home. However, after a short time, Clark proved himself to be very capable of handing the bike with an extra passenger. But then my paranoid brain began to conjure up images of other cars crashing into us, or suddenly stopping in front of us. I had to shoo those thoughts away quickly before freaking out and needing serious medical treatment.

We headed down the long on-ramp of the US60 and I felt my grip tighten around Clark's waist (I'm surprised he could still breath) and my legs squeezed tight, as if that would save me. I think they call that the death grip. I was really scared. It was like getting on a rollercoaster - exciting and exhilirating but frightening all at the same time. As time went by I began to relax a bit more and enjoy the ride.

I'm sorry I doubted you honey. Stay safe!

More Veranda Artwork

I've been playing around with scraps of paper from my Veranda Level 2 paper kit. You may recognize this layout from the CTMH 2010 Spring Idea Book (see page 12). I was able to use the same pattern from our Reflections how-to book and give it a new look with various embellishments and two photos rather than one. I just love the Posterboard Alphabet stamp set, which I used to make the title "Makenna." This alphabet is unique because it's an outline rather than a solid, so patterned paper shows through. All products used are Close To My Heart.

Not only did I use up scraps of paper, but also leftover My Stickease (stickers). The humming bird and tulip are stickers designed especially for the Veranda collection. [I get a kick out of kids with missing teeth.]

The rest of the artwork is various cards I made using scraps of papers, stickers and stamp sets. All of the patterns come from Wishes and Originals how-to card books.