NEW CLOSE TO MY HEART STAMPS!!!

The new catalog debuted September 1st and this was a must have stamp set for me. It is adorable. Its called "Childhood Portrait". It includes a child on a rocking horse, a large tree, ballerina, children on the bench, a child with a yo-yo, grass, birds and even a couple of sentiments! This set has the whole sh-bang! (Is that spelled right?!) You know what I mean!

Anyway, the ribbon and green paper are not CTMH, but the cream paper, ink, embossing powder, stamp and blue paper are CTMH. I just love all the textures in these cards. I made them and sold them in under 24 hours! I guess I am not the only one who liked them!



FYI, I have created a new pricing label. I read this week that if you are selling something to the public, that you must have consistent, easy to see pricing and descriptions. One of the biggest turn-offs for a potential customer is having to ask for a price. I found this information very interesting and helpful. Now I have always priced my items, but not in the same manner. For example, I used little white stickers and a black pen. Then I used little round stickers and a red pen, then I had a few special labels thrown in. It is harder for a customer to "know" where to look if it's different each time. So from now on everything gets a little "handmade" label. Now I can never let myself run out of Kraft card stock again! Which is OK with me! :)

j.

My oldest is 15!

Man that just should not be! She was very happy with her gifts, several movies, a phone, nail polish.....you know all the stuff a teenager has to have to survive! :)

Happy Birthday Megan!

Totally cool cake....in fact Megan said it was "awesome"........cool.


Thank you card for a customer of mine. Used the "Whoo loves you" stamp set from Close to my Heart. All paper except the Kraft card stock is Close to my Heart. Sentiment was printed on home printer. Mushrooms were stamped and cut out. Little mushrooms are from the "Dream Big" stamp set from CTMH. Owl and branch were cut out using the Home Decor Cricut cartridge. Lots and lots of sponging chocolate ink. The inside of the card says "I do", along with a note of thanks for purchasing her supplies from me. :)


Anytime notes. I had a dream about this set. I could see the plain white back ground with really bright solid color butterflies all over the front of the card. When I sat down the next day to make it this is what I ended up with! Not my normal style at all. Too.....ummm clean?!




I took a break from scrappin' one day this weekend and made this watch. I have been thinking about the idea for several weeks now and I finally got around to buying the watch part. (I had everything else!) It took about an 1 1/2 hours to complete and was simple as pie. I just love the color combo. Very eclectic.....that's me! I like old...new...vintage...chic....modern...all of it! So the best part about this watch is that the watch part is actually on jump rings, so I can change the beaded band part if I want to later! Very cool!


j.

Girl Scouts giving and learning........

We picked apples at the leaders family farm just east of town. Lovely small red apples, perfect for giving in a basket! Each girl bundled up a basket for their family and one for a friend. Attached was a little recipe booklet with 6 apple recipes. (The muffin one was fantastic by the way...so I am sharing it!!)













Grandparents day @ school.......

Addie is happiest when she is in grandma's lap!










Addie and her friends...Leigh Ann & Sydney.











Apple Muffins

¼ CUP SHORTENING
½ CUP SUGAR
1 EGG
½ CUP MILK
1 ½ CUP FLOUR
1 TBS. BAKING POWDER
½ TSP. SALT
½ TSP. CINNAMON
1 CUP CHOPPED APPLES (PEELED)

CREAM SHORTENING & SUGAR – BEAT IN EGG – BLEND WELL. ADD MILK WITH SIFTED DRY INGREDIENTS. FOLD IN APPLES. FILL GREASED MUFFIN CUPS ½ FULL. TOP WITH BROWN SUGAR MIXTURE.

MUFFIN TOPPING
1/3 CUP BROWN SUGAR
½ TSP. CINNAMON
1/3 CUP CHOPPED NUTS

STIR ABOVE INGREDIENTS TOGETHER. PUT ON TOP OF THE MUFFIN BATTER. BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR 20 MINUTES. (MAKES 12 MUFFINS.)
(Recipe courtesy of Nadler's Butchery & Catering Service.....Shelly & Sally Nadler.)

Enjoy!


j.

Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock............


We are getting closer and closer to the Creative Hearts Retreat deadline..have you sent in your registration form? Registration is open until October 1st, if there are still seats available after that date we will continue to accept registrations until all seats are full.

We are currently working very hard to ensure this retreat is everything you want it to be, from the menus to the optional classes available to the goodie bags for each attendee. Our plan is to make this a wonderful relaxing retreat that you can sit back and enjoy!


So click on over to the Creative Hearts Retreat Blog, print your registration form & we'll see you in January!

http://www.creativeheartsretreat.blogspot.com/


j.

Happy 46th Birthday Daddy!

j.

Two cards, one wedding, one new car & a partridge in a pear tree......



ummmm...where is the groom? ;)

Remember the rehearsal dinner invitations I made about a month ago....well the wedding was this weekend. My cousin Catherine is the bride and she looked absolutely stunning! Her dancing partner is her dad.( My mom's brother).


Catherine & her brother Jared. Jared's wedding is next month, we haven't been to a wedding in 9 years and now we get to go to two in two months!

Mr. & Mrs. Justin Noel

What every little girl dreams of. Addie was so excited to go to a wedding. She has never been to one and so seeing the bride in her full gown with sequins and diamonds well, Addie was in awe...
This little cutie on my brothers lap is the bride next month. My oldest daughter Megan said, "mom, she is sitting on "Bubba's" lap....eww! That's gross!" So I politely turned to her and said..."Megan there is a really hot chick sitting on his lap, holding a beer and she is single. This is the most fun he has had in 15 years...let him enjoy it!" :) HAHAHA! (That's his wife in orange by the way and yes she is laughing!)
When my uncle Jim realized this was all happening, he went over and sat on Jared's lap (his son) & I was ready with the camera! Bubba's face is a little red.......

Jared & Sam
See ya in October!

The card I made for Catherine & Justin from us.


The card I made with mom's help for the happy couple from her and dad. She saw this card in a magazine and wanted to make it. Well she is in the middle of remodeling her house and can't even find her scrapbook supplies, so we made it at my house. She helped pick out buttons and I glue dotted each one. It looked like a very simple card, but it took a lot of time. You had to find the perfect spot for each button and each pearl and it had to form the heart. (We cheated and started with a heart cut out on the Cricut and put the lace all around the edge and then started filling in. (Freehand is not my friend, I have to have a template.)

The white embossed back ground is actually two pieces and the seam is hidden behind the ribbon. The "Love" stamp was stamped and embossed with chocolate ink and clear embossing powder. Then I ran it through the Cuttlebug embosser. Worked great!

Close up of the buttons. I love buttons. They make me happy to dump the whole bottle of buttons and dig through them to find the perfect one. ok, enough with my weird button fetish..... :)

The bride and her dad.

Last but not least, today is John's birthday! Happy birthday to my wonderful husband of nine years. Enjoy your birthday present!

And yes, he is unbelievably spoiled. :)

j.

Simple Thank you's this week.....

First up is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 card. Start with green print paper, layer the white 3x3 piece then the green 2 1/2x 2 1/2, then a die cut paper flower. Cut out "Thank you" with Cricut in yellow cardstock.









Next up is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 card base. First layer is a piece of patterned paper, then add a strip of orange cardstock about 1/2" x 4 1/4. Then on the edge a piece of chocolate cardstock that's approx. 3/4 x 4 1/4. On top of the chocolate cardstock add a piece of cardboard cut to about 1/4 x 4 1/4. The tag was a piece of manila file folder that was cut into a tag shape, added the little ring sticky thing and then inked it with Tim Holtz distressing ink. I used a sponge to apply the ink. The finish on the folder makes the ink look like old leather. (Very nice effect) Using Stazon black ink I stamped the "Thank you". Add a white daisy that has been sprayed with coffee colored Tattered Angels Glitter Mist, then a little orange paper flower and finally a velvet aqua brad.







My final thought tonight is of this little hummingbird that flies around my gazebo. I have tried to capture his photo several times, but he is not very cooperative! He usually dive bombs my head or fights with other hummingbirds, so getting this picture was really exciting! Enjoy!


j.