One little word

"Let me pray not to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them." -- Rabindranath Tagore



A few years ago, Ali Edwards (the scrapbooking/memory keeper guru) started a tradition of choosing one word each January to focus on over the course of the year. One word to keep in mind as she went about her daily life.


This idea really appeals to me and the word that popped into my head today was "fearless". Just the thought of living for a year with that one little word as my guide scares me. Which makes me think it is the right choice.

Here's a video by the Buddhist author, Susan Piver, describes exactly what "fearless" means to me.


I plan to create two scrapbook layouts --one at the beginning of the year to express my intention and the second one at the end to reflect on the process and the influence that living with purposeful fearlessness has on my life.

As you consider making resolutions at the start of the new year, I challenge you to join me in this twist on tradition. Choose one word -- or as Ali says, let it choose you. Live by this word and at the end of 2010, reflect on what kind of impact it had on your life. I'd love to know which words speak to you. Please share your choice in the comments...................or keep it close to your heart.



I wish you all a very happy New Year!

Oh, I have sadly neglected my blog. The last post was for Halloween and now it's almost Thanksgiving.

I'm headed out on a scrapbooking retreat weekend tomorrow. When I return I should have lots of new things to show you. In the meantime, here is a photo of the cards we'll be making at my holiday workshop on December 3.

All of these cards were made with Jingle Creative Basics paper and ribbon by Close to My Heart. the ideas were adapted from other consultants and our how-to book, Wishes. It's hard to see from the photo, but there's glitter and "snow" and pearls -- lots of bling!

In addition to the cards, we'll make a little embellished box that can be used for storage or to turn the cards into a really cute gift set.


All for just $15! And you'll have lots of paper left over so you can make multiples after you learn the techniques. Join us!

Trick or Treat!

I love Halloween! It's right up there with Christmas for me. In some ways it's even better because there's less pressure. Some years I go all out and some years I make minimal effort. This year has been somewhere in between.

I taught several groups of women how to make these little treat bags and made at least 25 myself. After being filled with candy, the bags went out in the mail to Santa Barbara, Chicago and Durham (you know who you are!) and have been handed out all over town.

The directions can be found on the Scor-Pal website. The only change I made was to cut the paper 4.25 x 11 so I could get two out of each sheet of paper. All of my Halloween paper scraps and stickers were called into action. I used a variety of Martha Stewart ribbons and although I didn't take a picture, the bat from Beware, a Close to My Heart stamp set that's on special right now, was featured on most of the bags.

Have fun but beware of ghoulies and ghosties and things that go bump in the night!

BOO!

Thursday Thirteen

"He who does not thank for little will not thank for much." - Estonian proverb

Not the big ones like family, friends and health, but 13 little things I'm grateful for:

1. Lululemon workout pants
2. Advil
3. DVR
4. E-mail
5. A good sermon
6. A good book
7. My Knitpicks interchangeable circular knitting needles
8. Rain (but enough, already!)
9. Prepared meals in the freezer
10. Glue dots
11. Birthday cards
12. Zinnias
13. Friday nights

For the stylish witch

How cute is this?!

I'm going to fill this little witch shoe with Halloween candy and bring it to my hairdresser on Friday. Then I need to make at least one more to give to an unnamed friend who looooves shoes. You can download the pattern here: http://www.skiptomylou.org/2008/10/28/paper-witch-shoes/

Tips: Use double-sided paper and you won't have to line the shoe.

Paper clips or mini clothespins work well to hold the shoe together while the glue dries.

I used Beacon 3 in 1 glue. It worked great and holds quickly.

Wouldn't these make adorable favors at a princess birthday party or a bridal shower?

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things I Love About October:

1. Halloween

2. A hint of fall in the air -- no more 90-degree days

3. Sweaters

4. Mini Milky Way bars

5. Pumpkins at the farm stand and grocery store

6. Witches

7. Bats

8. Black cats

9. Red and yellow leaves

10. Shopping for winter clothes

11. Being able to work on my pink afghan without sweating to death

12. Taco Soup

13. My birthday

Digi-scrapping

I've been dabbling with digital scrapbooking for a couple of years now ever since Creative Memories came out with their Storybook Creator software. I find it more user-friendly than Photoshop Elements. There isn't the same tactile satisfaction of playing with paper and glue that you get with traditional scrapbooking, but I like having an alternative.

I was struggling with how to do our family album for 2008. I haven't kept up with my scrapbooking the way I used to and we also don't have as many pictures as we used to now that we are empty-nesters. So, I created a "year in review" photo book using the information from my daily planner as an integral part of the layouts. These are the pages from February and September:

Early next year, Close to My Heart will introduce their free online design software called Studio J™. There is no software to purchase and install; instead, you'll simply log in to Studio J from my CTMH website and start designing your layouts! All Studio J patterns are two-page layouts, chosen from Cherish™ and Imagine™, with additional combinations forthcoming from Reflections®. The initial launch of Studio J will include 25 layout patterns that can be swapped and rotated for even more variety. The paper and embellishments will be digital versions of the CTMH products we all love! I'm looking forward to trying it out!

September's Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

I think these are so much fun and a great way to find creative ideas for the current stamp of the month from Close to My Heart. There are almost 70 consultants participating this month which features September's stamp called "Treasures." Feel free to hop on and off the trail as time allows. Here's where you start: September Blog Hop.

New Card Workshop

We're back from our cruise of Russia and the Baltic and mostly recovered from the jet lag, so it's time to get back to making some cards and scrapbook pages. I can't wait to play with the products in the new Idea Book, but first I needed to prepare for a card workshop at the end of the month. Here are the cards we'll be making:

Thank U and Happy birthday card are based on sketches in Wishes. These use the "solo" alphabet stamps.

These two use the August Stamp of the Month and were "cased" from consultants on the blog hop I told you about earlier this month. I love this stamp!

Here's another one from Wishes. It's definitely a must-have book.

Now that these are done, I can play with "Twitterpated." What's that, you say? You'll have to wait until September 1 to find out!!

We're here!

Blog Hop!

There are 64 Close to My Heart consultants participating in the August Stamp of the Month blog hop! This month's stamp is called "It's Your Day" (D1352). It's full of fun party images: cakes, candles and gifts plus a few festive sentiments. This set is perfect to have on hand for all your birthday needs! It is only available August 1-31st so get it before it's gone. Contact me right away to get your set at a discount or even for FREE during the month of August.

To start at the beginning of the hop,visit Jena's blog first. Then just click on the link at the end of each blog post to go to the next stop. It's a great way to see some creative artwork and get some new ideas for your cardmaking.

Let me know if you participate. Maybe I'll join in next time.

Hunting at the Flea Market

I'm taking an online class with Jenni Bowlin at Big Picture Scrapbooking called "Re-purpose, Re-invent, Re-think." This week's assignment was to visit a flea market to discover the objects that inspire us creatively. Jenni says that because our "Creative DNA" makes us all receive inspiration in different ways it's important for us to identify the triggers so that we can begin to surround ourselves with those things. She had us compile a list of the top ten things that we are most drawn to and then sent us off to the flea market with our list as a guide.

Here is my list:

1. Old postcards -- especially greeting cards
2. Old photos -- portraits
3. Old letters and ledgers -- almost anything with handwriting
4. Quotations
5. Birds/owls
6. Halloween -- black cats/witches/crows
7. Old Christmas ornaments
8. Buttons/sewing notions
9. Brown & white china
10. Skeleton keys

The photo at the top is my flea market haul from yesterday. My favorite is the small notebook with mostly empty pages. I'll probably tear them out to use on cards or layouts. I also love the portraits of the girls wearing glasses! Richard said the one with the round glasses looks like me!

I had never paid any attention the elaborate designs on the back of portraits before. It's one of the things that Jenni Bowlin loves and it did influence which photos I chose out of the hundreds that were there. After about two hours, I was on sensory overload and went home. I'm still thinking about two things I didn't buy -- a big, old ledger and a circular metal plate with numbers on it that I think was part of an old gas pump. Next time!

10Thirteen was really Lucky!

I was at the Atlanta Scrapbook Expo crop Friday night and they were doing a bunch of giveaways based on your birthdate. I couldn't believe it when they called out October 13!! And, then I was amazed to see five people run up! The nice Expo people decided to give each of us a prize. Like Let's Make a Deal, I got to choose between the box, the bag or a surprise behind the curtain. I chose the curtain and went home with a brand new Cuttlebug machine. I don't think I've ever won anything before so this was pretty exciting. Earlier in the evening I actually won another drawing and got to pick out a little gift -- some cute ribbons to match the paper in the gift bag we received at the crop.

What a fun day! I took a Basic Grey card class where we made a set of magnetic cards with a matching portfolio to hold them. After that I headed out to Chick-Fil-A for lunch with my friends Marta and Adele. Gretchen joined us when we got back to the Expo and we shopped until we dropped! My favorites were the felt borders at Queen & Co and the glittered chipboard at Melissa Frances. I also bought a ton of Basic Grey. Dinner out revived us enough to do some cropping and we stayed until the bitter end.

Adele & Gretchen at the Queen & Co. booth

The four of us at CTMH.

Gretchen, Marta & me cropping

I was exhausted and went to bed Friday night with visions of embellishments dancing in my head. Yesterday Gretchen convinced me (she didn't really have to twist my arm too hard) to head back over there to take a class from Melissa Frances. It was great to meet her and make five cute cards using her chipboard pieces. Can't wait for next year!

It's Mojo Monday again!

These are so much fun! Here's the sketch:

And, here's my card:

I've had this stamp forever. I used Basic Grey Bittersweet paper. The ribbon, flowers and pearl brad came from my stash. This will probably end up being a birthday card for Beverly's "milestone" birthday and maybe the prototype for a swap I'm doing on ScrapShare.

Walk-In Wednesday

Every Wednesday during the summer I have Walk-In Wednesday from 10 am - 2 pm. The house is open and I'm downstairs in the scrapbook room working on whatever appeals to me at the moment. My customers are welcome to drop in with their albums and work alongside me. No fee, no frills, no food. It's easy for me and it's fun!
Today I had 5 people walk in, including Amy who needed to do her Unforgettable workshop projects. So I was busy and didn't get much done, but I did make this card for Richard's 4th of July birthday:

CTMH supplies: Indian Corn Blue, Cranberry and Colonial White cardstock , Shining Star and Argyle Background stamps, Indian Corn Blue ink, Wishes how-to book.

My Very First Blog Award!

Deneen over at A Path of Paper has given me my very first blog award!

The rules for this award are:
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.
3) Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.


Blogging seems to be all the rage for CTMH consultants, so that will make up a good part of my list.
Just Ducky at Heart
Laurel's Place
Wizard's Hangout
Fancy Melissa
Miss Gingerdots
Paige
Jeanette Lynton -- Jeanette is the founder of Close to My Heart and certainly doesn't need an award from me, but I really enjoy her blog and wanted to share it with you.
Mojo Monday
The Last Door Down the Hall
Lemons2Lemonade --my friend, Lee (formerly of ScrapShare!)
CynM -- another ScrapShare friend
Brooklyn Tweed -- one of my favorite knitting blogs -- gorgeous photos
BabyCocktails -- more knitting (and cocktails!)

Well.....that's not 15 like the rules say, but it is Lucky Thirteen!!

Meeting the challenge

I promised I would post my Mojo Monday cards this afternoon, so here they are. All of the paper is from CTMH's Notebook kit which is still available even though it's not in the current idea book. The stamp and embellishments are from miscellaneous sources.

Here's one more using the same paper and a sketch from the CTMH book,"Wishes." It's the same as one of the cards we made in Sunday's workshop -- an easy, versatile pattern. I think I'll add some stickles to the black chipboard piece to give it a little bling!

A Challenge

I challenge you to use this sketch from Mojo Monday to come up with your own card! I'll post mine tomorrow after Walk-In Wednesday. Remember -- every Wednesday this summer from 10-2 I'll be in my workshop room working on cards or page layouts. You are welcome to join me. Just walk right in! See you tomorrow.

Sunday Card Workshop

Here are the cards we're going to make tomorrow at my afternoon workshop. All of the patterns are from the new Close to My Heart how-to book, Wishes. The book includes cutting directions and step-by-step

instructions. It couldn't be easier! And, all you have to do is change the paper or the stamp to get a totally different look.

https://cathryn.myctmh.com/Retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=4618&CatalogID=1529

Memorial Day

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Friday is my dad's 82nd birthday. I thought the sentiment on this Club Scrap stamp was especially appropriate given that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer over 12 years ago!

Getting Ready for National Scrapbook Day

My biggest crop of the year is this Friday night from 4 pm - midnight. Twelve people are signed up, so that's a full house! I have another crop on Monday from 9 am - 5 pm with lots of openings left there. Here's a sneak peek at the gifts my croppers will receive:

The cards were all made using the same sketch. It was fun to see how different I could make them. Only two paper packs were used: Silhouette and Emporium.

There will also be a drawing for the new Tickled Pink Scrapbooking Kit, the March Stamp of the Month: Butterfly Wings, a distressing kit and a sheet of ABC stickers.

Back from The Windy City

We had a great weekend visiting Greg in Chicago.
Did a bunch of touristy things including an architectural river cruise (fun),

the pirate exhibit at the Field Museum (disappointing)














and Mother's Day brunch at The Peninsula Hotel (fun, again).

Mother's Day Cards

These are ready to go out in today's mail.



Funny that for my first post in what is intended to be my Close to my Heart blog, no CTMH products were used.

Products used in "Purl Gurl" include Knitting Bella from Stampin' Bella, printed paper by Collage Press and solid background paper by Basic Grey. I used the Copic markers I've been collecting for the first time! The knitting basket is cut out and popped up with foam dots.

The dress card uses scraps and a template I found on splitcoaststampers. http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148547&highlight=dress+template

Happy Mother's Day!