My Colorful World in VT

Holy Hummus Batman!

2012-01-28T15:45:00.000-05:00

Geoff has been on this hummus kick ever since this summer, but this past week, he has eaten so much that it is coming out his ears! At $5.50 a dish (two nights worth of snacking) I decided to make him up a batch HOMEMADE! The recipe comes from the "Paper Crafts Gourmet" 2008 book. It combines my two favorite things-FOOD and CRAFTS! It is full of easy recipes and the perfect ways to decorate the goods ready for gifting.

It is generally easy, sometimes messy and inexpensive after you purchase your initial ingredients.

That is alot of Hummus!

Just opened this garlic up and I have never had something so jam packed in a jar before! That's my kind of packaging!!!

Recipe:

1/2 tbsp. salt

4 tbsp. Olive Oil

3/4 C. Lemon juice

1/2 C. Tahini

3 cans Chick Peas

2 Large gloves of Garlic

4 tbsp. water

Place all ingredients except water in a food process. pulse until ingredients are mixed, but not smooth. Add one tbsp of water at a time until micture is of desired consistency. Do not over mix. Place in a bowl and drizzle a little olive oil on top.

Using a food processor would work the best, I have used a blender and a bullet and get by with those!

Some Family Fun!

2012-01-23T08:21:00.001-05:00

I was at the checkout at Old Navy and found this pack of mustaches for a couple bucks and I had to get them. Collin is always taking scraps of paper or fabric and making them stick under his nose to look like Daddy!

See even Max joined in on the fun!

And then it got gross!

What's even funnier is that Geoff was at work the other day and had to use a wrench and there was a stache on his wrench and he had to laugh. He said he was freaked out at first though! He sent me a pic by phone and I thought it was a caterpillar at first. Wish I could show you all!

2012-01-20T04:44:00.001-05:00

Ok, I would have to say "I ROCK" for getting Collin's V-Day cards/candy done ALREADY, but I had that idea in my head ever since I saw a card a few years ago. Yes, that's what I said....it's been a few years and I knew that I had to do it now, while he is still young and before he starts making his own opinions on what to do for cards! oh and I forgot to take a picture of the inside, but it houses some POP ROCKS!

I started out using the rock and roll ..hee hee technique and just couldn't get the kind of ink blending right especially with this odd shaped stamp.

And then I remembered the wonderful technique of creating your own ink pad!

Grab a stack of 3 or so baby wipes, a plastic lid or here I have my paint tray, use any reinker colors you would like, and start creating your pad. I wanted a rainbow affect and knew that blue should go in the center as my main color. You also have to think about how colors should sit next to each other since they will bleed into each other. It's also fun to create a tie-dyed affect too!

I started with a 12x12 paper and scored it at 3" and then again at 71/2" and then trimmed it at 93/4".

Now turn the paper and cut 4" srtips.

Fold and then draw a light pencil line where they overlap.

That line will show you where the thumbnail cut should start. Hard to see in the pic but my half circle starts on that line. That is what helps with the closure, fold it up and staple the sides.

Hope you have fun creating something for your SPECIAL ONE!

january Round Up!

2012-01-18T19:23:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe that we are already halfway through this month! Just wanted to give you a few reminders since you have had some time to recouperate from the festivities.

January awesome Rock The Block special ends on the 31st. Purchase $25 in product and receive an Excluive E-size Stamp Set as well as this ALL NEW Collage Cube set for ONLY $15.00.

And for the Studio J Members, purchase layouts and get your 10th one for FREE!

Don't forget my CRAFT IT FORWARD challenge over on my facebook page. Create an item and post a picture with a description and choose any A or B sized stamp set for FREE!

The Valentine's mini album that was planned had to be rescheduled due to weather so class will be held on January 19th 6:30 in my home. I hope that you can make it!

December's Winner!

2012-01-06T13:57:00.000-05:00

Several entries were made, but only one person is getting this cute Irrisistable chipboard set.

And the winner is TAMMY! Collin was excited to help and don't you just love the fluff on his face!

January's Craft Class

2012-01-02T09:34:00.003-05:00

Be sure to mark your calendars for January 12th 6:30pm and join us for this fun mini album just in time for Valentine's Day! Please RSVP for this class so that kits can be prepared.

A little sneak pieak inside! We are playing with the December SOTM Mad About You, the lovely Roxie paperpack and the beautiful Bling assortment.

A Perfect 10!

2012-01-01T11:13:00.002-05:00

If one of your resolutions this year is to scrapbook more and stay on top of it, then this is a great way to do it! Becoming a Studio J member is so easy and is FULL of rewards!

Member benifits include:

Free jpg files for every cutsom-printed layout purchased
Hi-res, printable jpg files also available seperately for just $3.00 per layout (no layout purchase required)
Special members-only patterns and kits
Free shipping and handling on your monthly order
Free Memory Protectors
Exclusive promotions and deals throughout your membership
Purchase a two-page layout for only $6.50

Other benefits of using Studio J:

Print mulity copies of one layout to give each family member one and keep one for yourself
Your Studio J account will hold your files for up to one year
No photo printing required so you will save money
Get so much more versatility with each paper by using the color change bar
Receive all the benefits of using stickers, fonts, ribbons and brads at no additional cost

As a special bonus from me, when you become a member, you will receive a punch card to be redeemed for a ALBUM of your choice with you purchase 14 layouts from Studio J.

So go on, what are you waiting for? Now is the time to start Studio J!

New Year's "Challange"

2011-12-22T18:54:00.000-05:00

Let's start the NEW year off with a CHALLANGE! A CRAFT IT FORWARD CHALLENGE. For the month of JANUARY, I challenge you to create a piece of art and post on my facebook page with a description attached so that someone may try it out themselves. The page name is Kingdom Scrappers, request to join the page and you will have the ability to upload photos and post comments.

Of course with any challenge, comes a great reward! Receive a free A or B sized stamp set just for Crafting It Forward! So get your thinking cap on and your crafting fingers ready!

Rock the Block

2011-12-19T03:53:00.001-05:00

Not sure why this image is coming out blurry, kinda a bummer. Our December/January Special is under way and is a ROCKIN' one! Now through Jan. 31st you can pick up this awesome My creations Collage Cubes set (a Spring/Summer 2012 sneak-peak product!) and the exclusive Rock the Block E-size stamp set for only $15.00 with any $25.00 purchase. Thats a retail saving of almost $30! You're going to love the Collage Cubes and the Rock the Block stamp set, which work together for interative, 3-D fun!

I have tons of ideas swimming around in my head and I cannot wait to share them with you!

Upcoming Class

2011-12-13T12:25:00.000-05:00

You have two choices of what to make:

Either this door hanger style countdown

Or a stocking one

Christmas Countdown $5.00 Craft Night

Wednesday Dec. 14th 6:30pm at my house

I hope that you can join us for this fun and festive project!

Christmas Countdown: Day 12

2011-12-11T21:19:00.000-05:00

Here are some more pics of the dress up pieces.

Collin was so excited to try them on. They fit him perfect!

I have one last project to leave you with and this is a super cute stocking garland idea that I got from the Scrapbook etc. magazine. I love this color combor of Lagoon, Cotton Candy, Cranberry and Pear.

I cut all the stocking from the cricut and these measure 4 1/2". After they were cut I put each base through a cuttlebug folder.

Once embossed I used a sanding block and because our paper has the white core, it works perfect.

Before I put the top part to the stocking, I stapled ricrac on for the hanger. And I am going to leave you with one of my favorite new tricks. I didn't want it to poke through my paper so I used the block to flatten it down a bit. It works best with the brads. Just push the brad through the paper, then fold the legs back and then using the block, push down on the brad and it will flatten the legs out so that the brad isan't bulkie on your card or layout.

I hope that you all have enjoyed these posts and will use some of the projects to make you holidays joyous!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Christmas Countdown: Day 11

2011-12-11T16:36:00.000-05:00

We had fun creating these cute projects for the holidays. Great for role playing, puppet shows and even family photos! I have more photos but cannot seem to get them uploaded so I will keep trying and get them on when I can.

I simply traced out my shapes and then added colors creating layers and then hot glued the stick on.

Christmas Countdown: Day 10

2011-12-10T18:13:00.000-05:00

Making a gift is great, but making it, wrapping and decorating it is even better!

I love making my own bows, they are so simple, quick and frugally use half a sheet of double sided paper.

I am really hoping that with these photos you can click and save the files to your computer and print them off for a reference. If you are having problems, email me and I can send the files to you.

Christmas Countdown: Day 9

2011-12-09T08:34:00.001-05:00

Here is another box with a window and I have the perfect project planned with this.

I cut a piece of paper for the top half of the front and then created two hills for the bottom.

On the inside of the flap put the narrow foam tape at the edge of the window also being sure that the tape didn't affect the lid closing. I cut a piece of paper a bit larger than the clear window and stamped an image that you would see through the window. I sprinkled glitter inside the foam tape frame and stuck down my stamped paper onto the foam tape.

And Viola! I was on a roll and forgot to get more pics. I sponged the edges of my hills to give them dimension and foam taped the top one. The trees were from the felt collections from a few years ago and I added glitz to them for some sparkle. The stamps are from the Winter Joy set and papers are from the Believe collection.

Christmas Countdown: Day 8

2011-12-08T20:28:00.000-05:00

I love finding deals at the scrapbook section, I love it even more when they come in cute boxes. I have saved these boxes that used to hold chipboard letters, just so that I could repurpose them.

I wanted to preserve the window from the box so to get a jist of where it is i used the old school trick of gliding a pencil over it to find the edge of the window.

I cut out the pieces to cover each edge of the box and chose a paper that blended in the color of the box which was pink. Add a few stamped images, sparkles and ribbon for the perfect touch.

Using the Art Philosophy cartridge I cut a frame out to hide my rough cut papers underneath and this worked out really well. I did the same technique on the inside flap to finish it off.

Fill the box with some goodies and it make a great gift with a special touch!

Christmas Countdown: Day 7

2011-12-07T08:19:00.001-05:00

Collin is so excited about his countdown. The day after Thanksgiving my Mom put up her outside tree and deer that light up and ever since then Collin thinks Christmas is tomorrow, so I hope this help him understand!

The hangers were created using the Art Philosophy cartridge dial set at 7". The countdown was simply stamping the cicles in coordinating inks fromt the My Acrylix Connections set (oldie but goodie)and numbers are from the My Acrylix Old World stamp set. Then punching them with the 1 1/4" circle punch and layered with 1 1/2" scallop cut from the cricut. Then I attached coordinating ribbons.

I love the scallop trick using my corner rounder. Just by removing the gaurd I can slide it along my paper and cut a perfect scallop edge. Cut those down to 2 1/8" wide and attached to the pockets of my hanger.

I hope that you have as much fun with this countdown as we did!

Christmas Countdown: Day 5

2011-12-05T04:29:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite parts of the holiday is all the baking and of course eating! I love pulling out the holiday cookie and pie recipes and getting busy in the kitchen. I am checking another "must do" off my list this year by bundling up some home baked goods and homemade cards to send to the troops. I have a few new recipes this year from a dear friend Deb and I made some delicious chocolate chip cookies and no bake cookies.

Of course once those cookies are made, you have to figure out what to do with them. These clear tins are just perfect and our My Stickease images work just as perfect for decorating!

I added some pearls and in 10 mins, the packaging is done!

These are one of my favorite holiday cookies from Pampered Chef.

Peppermint Fudge Cookie Sandwiches

3/4 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup all-urpose folour

2 candy canes or 8-10 peppermint hard candies

1/4 cupe white chocolate chips

10-12 mini foil wrapped peppermint patties

Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Line large cookie pan with parchment paper. Combine chocolate chips and butter in a microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for 40-60 seconds stirring every 20 seconds; until smooth. Add sugar and egg to batter bowl; mix until well blended. Add flour; mix just until flour is incorporated. Scoop with a small spoon, 20-24 cookies.

Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges are set. Do not overbake.

Meanwhile, place candy canes in a bag and crush using a hammer and set aside. Place white chocolate into a resealable bag and microwave until melted.

Remove cookies from oven, flip half of the cookies over and immediatly place peppermint patties on the cookies and place remaining cookies on top to form sandwiches. Cut corner of white chocolate bag and drizzle sandwiches from side to side and immediatly sprinkle crushed candies on top.

EAT AND ENJOY!

Christmas Countdown: Day 4

2011-12-04T04:29:00.008-05:00

One of my favorite gifts to give each year is a photo. Anything that has to do with a photo, makes the gift that much more special. I remember before I was a scrapper, that it just meant putting the picture in frame and wrapping it up, but even then, I still knew it meant "Something"! I love little desk calendars and this is a great way to display a calendar and a photo.

Take a basic coaster, even snag one from Applebees, and cover with paper. Using a sanding block, sand the edges and sponge if desired. The mini calendars are from Vistaprints and are just the right size. You can get these heavy duty magnetic circles from a craft store or get the magnet rolls and cut your own to length. I used Liquid Glass to attach my magnet.

The recipient can just put it up on the fridge or bring to work and attach to a file cabinet at their desk!

It's gifts like these that really put a smile on my face becuase I can see them all year round.

Christmas Countdown: Day 3

2011-12-03T04:08:00.001-05:00

These fun little gift bags are a perfect way to say THANKS!

I made these up to give each one of my club members as a THANK YOU for being such loyal customers and wonderful friends. THEY are what keeps my business going and my creative juices flowing.

From the cricut I used; shift font layer at 4 3/4". You can get two from one sheet of paper. The cut out gives tick marks where you need to fold.

For the poinsettias; shift 1 1/2" and 1 1/4" . Then I glittered the inside of the smaller ones, set aside to dry and then attached to the larger ones.

The tag was a punch I had that measures 1 1/4x1 1/2 and I used the stamp set from the WONDERLAND WORKSHOP. I love this set and cannot wait to use the cups!

I will let be telling what I have stuffed these with since not everyone has received theirs yet....but I think they will ALL be very very HAPPY!

Christmas Countdown: Day 2

2011-12-02T04:59:00.001-05:00

This is not my creation, but instead comes from my sister, Crystal and boy did my mouth drop when I saw it! I was first stunned to see it because she made it all in one morning while bummed up on the couch from a knee surgery.

And then I looked closer and saw what she used to make it. The Color-Ready Kraft Borders looke excellent and add so much to each pennant. Great job Crystal!

And the countdown BEGINS!

2011-12-01T05:00:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite parts of Christmas time is the fun countdowns that you find throughout the whole month. And every year I tell myself that I WILL participate, but never do! This year has been my years of MUST DO and so lets get started. This card was lifted from scrapbooks etc. and was certainly a must share!

You will start with a Cranberry piece of cardstock. I started with 4 1/4" x 11" scored at 2 1/2" and 8" When folded the card with be the basic 4 1/4 x 5 1/2.

This was my first chipboard set I ever got from CTMH and I was saving those squares for something....I just knew it!

I cut out a small square to use for Santa's belt and squirted the Glitz all over it.

The White Daisy cardstock was cut using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge; shift font at 3/4". Cut three times to fit all the pieces. The Black cardstock was trimmed to fit insite the belt buckle and wrapped around the card.

Tied off with bakers twin and a tag adds the perfect touch.

The card is designed to hold a gift card but if you are choosing to use it as a regular card, just trim your black belt to the edge instead of wrapping it around so that the bottom half of the card will unfold.

Off to a good start so far, be sure to stay tuned each day for my 12 days of Christmas Countdown!

12 Days of Christmas Countdown

2011-11-29T21:18:00.000-05:00

I hope that you can join me for a fun filled month in December of stunning artwork, tasty treats and a few tutorials to make this Christmas FABULOUS!

Starting December 1st and the 11 days following, I will be sharing some great Christmas ideas to get you into the spirit and ready for the holidays!

Black Friday DEAL!

2011-11-21T18:42:00.000-05:00

Receive FREE SHIPPING on all orders of any amount THIS WEEKEND ONLY! Email me your wishlist anytime between 12:00am Friday, Nov. 25th and 11:59pm on Sunday Nov. 27th and receive your shipping for FREE. All items will arrive in time for Christmas!

Receive this stamp set for $5.00 with a purchase of $25.00 in acrylic stamp products.

add a little more to your shopping cart and you can grab this stamp set for only $5.00 with a minimum purchase of $50.00.

Now is a great time to take advantage of these great specials at deep discounts and shipped for FREE!

AHOY MATEY!

2011-11-21T05:26:00.000-05:00

Collin turned 4 and we had one shipwreck of a parrrty!

Everyone got bandanas, eye patches and earings. I think I was the only one that sported it the longest!

We had pizza and pirates booty for dinner.

We had such a blast with the pinata which was stuffed to max! The ship box was a hallmark gift box that worked just perfect. I knew not to repeat last years pinata in which it was so tuff to smash we had to use a knife and cut it open to get inside!

Tons of presents of course and he loved everything he got!

I had lots of fun decorating. This was my attempt at a pirate hat cake and I think it turned out well. My only worry was that it was going to tip over, but it stayed upright.

Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, oh my! And that one cupcake is "WALKING THE PLANK"

This was Collin's first year blowing out his own candles and my face lit up when he really did it! What a big boy he has become. Happy Birthday Buddy, I love you so much!

A Season of JOY!

2011-11-18T05:40:00.002-05:00

I absolutely love how this layout came out and I give all the credit to the wonderful "Magic" book. I took the beautiful Belive paper pack and using the cutting instructions was able to put this layout together in less than an hour. Yup, that's what I said, LESS THAN ONE HOUR!

And one LUCKY gal is going to take these precut papers home to recreate this herself. DONNA was drawn from my monthly bucket of comments. It's as simple as leaving a comment here or by email with each post to earn a ticket into the bucket.

Happy Scrapping!

What I've been up to!

2011-11-17T06:24:00.000-05:00

Batman and a Pop Tart

2011-11-10T21:30:00.002-05:00

Don't they just look adorable! And super excited to be Trick-or-Treating! We were able to get out early on Monday and visit family and friends and the kids had a blast. Me, always behind the camera was dressed up like Cat In The Hat. They loved that too!

Christmas Card Workshop

2011-11-07T04:20:00.000-05:00

Time to get into the holiday spirit and start those Christmas cards if you have not already! Join me for these upcoming classes where we will be playing with the fun Acrylic cards, new stamp images and our Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge. We will be crafting at my home Nov. 10th 6:30pm and again Nov. 12th 9am at Miss T's in Concorc. An RSVP is appreciated to ensure your spot.

Be sure to sign up for our Recipe Swap!

2011-11-04T05:12:00.000-04:00

Just a few days left to sign up and participate in our Recipe Swap coming up Nov 19th. This is a great way to build up your recipe collection with some tasty treats just in time for the holidays. Be sure to call or email me by Nov 5th to have your kit reserved!

2011-11-02T04:32:00.000-04:00

Here is a layout I pulled from this month's Scrapbook Etc. mag and I had to do it. I have Desert Sand CS as my base and using Vineyard Berry and Goldrush Reinkers, I sprayed the background with my Spritz Pens. Papers are from our NEW Typeset collection and last year's Splenor collection. I also got to break out the Color-Ready Cork Alphabet and sponged Chocolate ink on them as well as the Newsprint Rub-Ons.

So much fun and I will be teaching this class tonight!

November Special

2011-11-01T05:47:00.001-04:00

What a lovely tree that is and I just have to have it! We have a great special for the month of November. When you spend $25 in stamp products, you can grab the D-sized Holiday Wishes stamp set for only $5.00. And yes, it is compatible with the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.

You may go online or contact me by email to get your hands on this special!

Let's PARRRTY!

2011-10-31T04:44:00.002-04:00

Oh look, It's a message in a bottle!

No, It's a TREASURE MAP!

Collin and I whipped up his Birthday invites and I love how they turned out. Can you tell what theme we are going with? PIRATES!!! I will of course share all the details and tidbits of the party as we get closer so that you too can have a fun PARRRTY!

For the treasure map, there are a few different ways that you could create this. I choose to take a 12x12 piece of desert sand cs and with my handy dandy ruler, placed it in the center and tore. Try not to have a clean tear, the rougher the better. Then I tore on the rest of the sides and sponged the edges in brown bag while the paper was on a mat moving my sponge in a circular motion. That also helped rough up the edges. Stamps used were Ahoy Matey, one of my first stamps I got from CTMH, You & Me, for the dotted lines, Bingo Alpha and Friendship Alpha.

Another option is to crinkle up your paper, press it back out and run an inked sponge over the high spots. But I would recommend you stamp out your map first and then distress the paper.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-27T09:37:00.000-04:00

Look at my little helper I have this morning!

She is so nosey sometimes!

Now here is a card to get you into the HALLOWEEN spirit. I was inspired by a pillow I had seen online from Kimberbell Kids. I love the old Hooligans papers from last years halloween line with some added BLING and the August SOTM.

Hope everyone has a SAFE and SPOOKY Halloween!

October is a great month to start your own business!

2011-10-21T12:34:00.000-04:00

What a STEAL! If you have been thinking of joining Close To My Heart and want to "do what you love" then NOW is the time! When you join my team in October, you will already get a superpacked start-up kit of all the essentials for ONLY $99.00, but you will also get to choose an ADD-ON kit for FREE. Can't decide which ADD-ON kit to get? Then get the remaining two kits available for only $40 each.

Trying to do the math in your head? Let me help you out. If you wanted just your New Consultant Kit

and the FREE Add-On Collection all valued at over $360.00, the cost to you would be $99.00!

Add the other two ADD-On Collections and your bundle would be worth over $570.00 for only $179.00! That's almost $400.00 in savings RIGHT THERE!

Close To My Heart has also got a great jump start program that is super easy to follow and will help get your business off to an amazing start and you can earn free product credit when you reach your goals! Free product, what's not to love about that?

Ask me how to get your New Consultant Kit ordered TODAY!

Gift Baskets

2011-10-20T05:12:00.002-04:00

We have had three new families move in on our road with the past few weeks, so I thought it would be nice to welcome them with a sweet basket of goodies. Inside each one I decorated a jar of homemade spaghetti sauce, a jar of apple cider with a hot buttered apple cider recipe attached, peanut butter fudge and some banana bread. Then added a tag that said "Welcome to the neighborhood". I live in one of those small towns where everyone knows everyone and it is such a wonderful community and I love that!

Upcoming Crop and Recipe swap

2011-10-18T11:27:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year again when all the men are supposedly "HUNTING", us ladies get together for some much needed CREATIVE TIME!

Please join us for a crop day on

Saturday, Nov. 19th, 10am at Kristen Gate's

The idea of the recipe swap is to take a favorite recipe and create several 6x6 scrapped cards that you would then swap for other peoples recipes to fill your flip album. The albums are $10.00 each and will include the materials to decorate. A final count of how many recipe cards you need to create will depend on how many people want to participate.

And there's more! Prepare that same dish as your recipe and we will vote for the "Most Enjoyed" by the croppers with of course a special gift from me!

Please respond by November 5th if you would like to do this fun project.

Apple Pressing

2011-10-11T12:11:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we visited our friend John White and pressed apples to make apple cider. His apple press was so easy to use and worked very well. I have seen several different kinds and really enjoyed this method. Collin had a ton of fun and worked really hard collecting apples, cranking the jack and then drinking his rewards! The weather was perfect that day. I hate to think that I have to wait another whole year to be able to do this again.

Charity Bow Maker Tutorial is up!

2011-10-07T06:37:00.011-04:00

Have trouble making a bow for your scrapbook layout or card? Wish there was an easier way? Well, there is! Get your very own Charity Bow maker today and start creating fabulous bows the EASY way.

I have created this great step by step video on how to use your Charity Bow maker. With your $5.00 purchase of this unit, proceeds will benefit to Operation Smile. This is a charity that Close To My Heart supports and I always thought that I could be doing more to help raise donations.

Shipping is available, simply email me at shannonpvt@yahoo.com and I can estimate the cost.

2011-10-05T07:36:00.019-04:00

I recently posted some youtube videos on how to create these adorable treat holders and I am giving away a package of all the items to create these! I missed the giveaway from August, so I have drawn names from all the comments received and DEB DESJARDINS will be getting these!

And for September I have precut papers to create this cute layout. Now, I would normaly put all the comments that i received this past month and draw a name, but I do have to say that one lady really deserves this. I had posted a layout this month that I had worked so hard because it was a contest entry. Bummed I was not selected, I then received an email from Theresa telling me that my title was missing a letter! AH-HUH, just my luck! So Theresa, come on down and collect your prize. Just kidding, I'll see you on Thursday! I do want to give a shout out to Vicki Wizniuk, this layout was all her doing and I so had to lift it! Thanks Vicki-Love it!

So to get your name in the pot, remember you need to leave a comment or however many you would like either on my blog or by email and that will get your name into the monthly giveaway.

2011-10-03T07:19:00.001-04:00

We have some upcoming card classes where we will be creating these four fall cards using some great stamping techniques.

October 13th 6:30pm at my house

October 22nd 10am at Miss T's in Concord

Space is limited so please RSVP!

Owl Treat Holder

2011-09-29T07:36:00.001-04:00

This project is so fast and easy to create for party favors or classroom gifts. The one tool you need is our NEW Art Philosophy Cricut Cartidge only available from Close To My Heart. Hope I have inspired you to CREATE today!

To order your own, contact me at shannonpvt@yahoo.com

Dracula Take-Out Box

2011-09-27T07:30:00.000-04:00

This guy was so much fun to create and I had challenged myself to make all the items from our new ART PHILOSOPHY cricut cartridge. The video has a list of materials and dial settings. Have fun creating!

To order yours today, contact me at shannonpvt@yahoo.com

Lollipop Treat Holder

2011-09-26T07:18:00.002-04:00

You have got to try out this great and fun new project and the only tool you really need in our NEW Art Philosophy cricut cartridge!

Contact me by email shannonpvt@yahoo.com to get your own cartridge so you can start creating today!

Seafood Festival

2011-09-22T07:31:00.001-04:00

Last weekend the family took a ride down to Hampton Beach to check out the Seafood Festival and just as the name sounds, its a festival with seafood!

The food was sooo good from lobster tails on a stick to fried oreos.

It was also Collins first time to the OCEAN. He was not to sure about taking his shoes off at first and running in the hot sand.

He absolutely loved the waves and how unpredictable each one was. The water was freezing and the wind did not help. We made sand castles and sculptures and just had an amazing time!

Time to COLLECT!

2011-09-20T14:27:00.000-04:00

Remember the pumpkin patch that we had and we were not sure how? We had a frost the other night and had to collect the pumkins. This was only half of them! We ended up filling the whole tractor bucket with these gorgeous colorful pumkins, mini pumkins and pie pumpkins!

It is just so cool to think that there was not too much involved in producing these and we will definetly grow in this spot again next year!

ROXIE

2011-09-09T07:36:00.001-04:00

Another interactive layout from the MAGIC book page 62 called On With The Show. It was tons of fun to create even if I got a bit frustrated at first! I like to get right to it, so when it is important to read instructions step by step, i tend to grunt a bit. I loved sponges the ELECTRIC ALPHABET Chipboard letters for my title and had fun adding BLING!

WONDERLAND

2011-09-08T07:31:00.001-04:00

I love this layout! I used the new WONDERLAND paper with the matching MY STICKEASE ASSORT., ICING OVERLAYS and BLING! I pulled the design from the Grace workshop.

2011-09-06T07:25:00.002-04:00

One of the two pillow cases I made with the inpiration coming from http://www.twindragonflydesigns.blogspot.com/ She always has wonderful sewing, decorating and cooking ideas!

I had these pillows that were kinda dingy looking and flat as pancakes so I decided instead of buying new ones, I would just make the pillow cases with this reverse applique technique and in the meantime, restuff the old pillows to make them plump again. Turns out I did a pretty good, Collin loves them and the second one was so much easier than the first!

Have a wonderful day!

Not a WINNER :(

2011-09-05T08:31:00.000-04:00

So if you have been wondering, I have been busy creating this summer to submit artwork for our CTMH contests and unfortunatly I did not win. Bummed yes, but the flip side, I get to keep my artwork! Here is a layout using the new MISCHIEF paper, MIDNIGHT FELT SHAPES and HONEY MINI MEDLEY COLLECTION.
Have a wonderful LABOR DAY!

A few of my FAVORITE things!

2011-09-01T07:47:00.001-04:00

I absolutely love my hummingbirds! This feeder is the most popular one and it sits right outside my kitchen window so I always get to see my babies. They come back every year on Mother's Day believe it or not, and always have one more family member!

My chickens. Only the rooster (the yellow one) has a name-Duke.

They are so camera shy!

I love my gardens. They are coming right along, but they did get hit a bit bent over that last storm.

My best tomato and pepper plants i have ever had, I am hoping they make it!

The corn WAS doing good!

2011-08-30T10:16:00.000-04:00

Our annual family camping trip was last weekend and we had so much fun! This was Moriah and Jasmine's (me nieces) first year coming and they loved the place. As usual, my camera was misplaced most of the time so not to many pictures to show. There was a pond full of HUGE bull frogs, tons of fish and baby turtles here and there. Collin also recently learned how to ride his bike WITHOUT training wheels so he spent most of the days riding his bike around and showing off! The campground in Jay, VT that we stay at is also the host of this wonderful festival called August West. It gets bigger and bigger each year we attend and there is always lots of things to do and see. We have big plans for next!

Summertime finds!

2011-08-29T09:41:00.001-04:00

We have had a great growing season this year and I was so stunned when I saw this patch of pumpkins growing this spring. We are still unsure where it came from and have a few possibilities in mind...but it is producing some great zuccini, pumpkins and some other things we are not sure of yet! There are also some great looking tomato plants scattered in between, but because the leaves of the pumpkins are shading the plants, i do not think that they are going to do so well!

Another odd planting that I found! A huge tomato plant! So the theories are 1) I had bought tons of seeds in the spring and when I was ready to plant I couldn't find half of them, thinking that maybe collin did his own planting. 2) Next to the hen house was the pig pen and when they were gone i threw all the old pumpkins from decorations, into it and we took the fencing down and smoothed out the soils this spring. It's a mystery!

I have never had such nice looking pepper plants. I cannot wait to make salsa!

Corn has never done well for us. Our growing season is not long enough, but I like to plant it to cut at fall time for decoration and I grow my beans with them so that I don't have to use any fencing or wires for them to grown on.

Summer Swim Lessons

2011-08-19T07:58:00.002-04:00

Collin and Cooper waiting for their last lesson to begin.

Not afraid of the pool anymore!

Collin loves water basketball. They had so much fun that day that it made me want to jump in and join them!

It was a cold day so they were kinda grumpy even with pops in their hands!

Wedding Memory Box

2011-08-18T07:43:00.001-04:00

I recently attended a friend's wedding and made her this beautiful box. The papers are from the Bliss packet and I created clusters of flowers and topped them with some white prima flowers. I absolutely love the butterflies in the Bliss assortment pack. I filled in with tule and pearls sprigs to add that wedding feel to the box. She can put her something old, something new or large photos inside to keep everything safe.

2011-08-15T07:29:00.001-04:00

You know Close To My Heart has a hard time waiting and loves to give things AWAY! September is National Scrapbooking Month and we want you to be prepared so

starting TODAY with a purchase of $75 in product you will receive TWO stamps sets for FREE!

This special will run through the end of September.

August Campaign

2011-08-14T14:14:00.000-04:00

Giveaway Winner and SOTM Blog Hop

2011-08-02T07:09:00.000-04:00

If you have not checked out the amazing Stamp Of The Month Blog Hop, now is the time! The all new WICKED stamp set is perfect and full of fun. Start at Sarita's Blog and just follow the prompts from blog to blog until you come back to her!

TAMMY is our July Giveaway winner of this beautiful layout.
CONGRATULATIONS!

Believe Layout

2011-07-26T08:59:00.000-04:00

Do you like this layout? It could be yours! I have all the papers precut, ribbon, sparkles and instructions inlcuded. Not included are the Eclectic Chipboard letters and Dreams Come True stamp set, both of which you may order through me! We are nearing the end of the month with only a few comments in the bucket for the drawing. You are able to go back through to leave comments and the more you leave, the more tickets go in the bucket. It's that EASY!

Feel the MAGIC!

2011-07-25T12:48:00.000-04:00

Oh the excitment!!! I am so thankful each and every day that I have joined Close To My Heart and that I am a part of this family, making so many friends along the way. If you want to be a part of this excitment, join my team and catch a flight to DALLAS, TX!

New things to come....

2011-07-19T07:02:00.001-04:00

We have EIGHT new paper packs coming in the new Fall/Winter Idea Book so that has got to be something there for YOU! Not only are they new designs, BUT they are also new PAPERS. CTMH has redesigned their B&T duos to be more like cardstock giving you more VALUE! These duos are beautifully designed to have TWO completely different prints per sheet, one on each side. Not only that, the little CTMH logo will no longer be found in the corner of each sheet, but is now on a zip strip so that when you cut off that logo strip, the reverse side can be used as an alternative designed border or accent piece!

WONDERLAND

ROXIE

MISCHIEF

ELEMENTAL

DREAMIN

SONOMA

BELIEVE

TYPESET

I am going to have so much fun with these papers and new accessories. This is only a tidbit of exciting new items so stay tuned!

Disneyland

2011-07-18T07:46:00.000-04:00

We made it to Disney and had a blast. Collin's favorite part was the POOL. Gosh this kid is easy! And this is the only picture with his true smile in it.

In our room was this amazing backdrop that lit up with stars and fireworks. So beautiful! Collin would jump from bed to bed every morning and night.

It was so hard to get pictures of everything because there were people everywhere and lines waiting to get into places. We hit most of the rides at Disneyland Park and the Adventure Park so we certainly felt accomplished after the second day.

Have a wonderful week!

We made it to DISNEY!

2011-07-12T07:29:00.003-04:00

The family and I have made it to Disney and we are overjoyed to here! If you recall, last November I ran a telethon to help earn monies towards this trip. With such a wonderful bunch of ladies placing their orders that night with the hopes of earning their own freebies, I made up these wonderful Thank You gifts that they should have seen come through the mail recently. If you did not, then here is your sneak peak of what to expect!

(sorry if you are viewing this sideways, I could not get my photo formater to save the rotation of it)

I had gotten several of these sizzix cases from my Aunt and she knew I would put them to good use! Inside I cut paper to size and stamped images from the THRILL RIDE stamp set as well as sprayed the inside with the SPRAY PEN and BLUSH REINKER. The band was made up of some JINGLE paper and WHITE DAISY CS. Then stamped "Thanks a POP" on it with a special message on the back. I found these cute Mickey pops and they work just GREAT. I coundn't add to much bling with mailing in all, but they turned out so CUTE!

I will post photos upon my return as well as convention stuff!

Retiring Products

2011-07-11T07:09:00.000-04:00

July is here and so this means we are in the COUNTDOWN to the new Idea Book release AUGUST 1ST. With the release of each new book, also comes the RETIREMENT PARTY! Here are a few of the items that are slated to retire at the end of July and to give them a big WHO-RA you can them with a 10% discount off the retail value. I will combine this offer with the current Bang for you Buck special too.

WINGS

Level 1, Level 2 paper packs and My Stickease

SWEETHEART

Level 1, Level 2 paper packs and My Stickease

MIRACLE

Level 1, Level 2 paper packs and My Stickease

BLISS

Level 1, Level 2 paper packs and My Stickease

So be sure to get these while you can and this is an exlcusive offer only redeemable through myself by emailing me at shannonpvt@yahoo.com

Bang For Your Buck

2011-07-08T06:09:00.000-04:00

July is the month you can get MORE BANG FOR YOU BUCK! When you spend $50, you may choose ONE of the following items for just $1.00. These items are no longer available in the current Idea Book, but they will sure be worth the money!

Creative Basics® Mistletoe Collection (original retail: $8.95)
Creative Basics® Animal Cookies Collection (original retail: $8.95)
My Originals® Bits & Pieces Card Kit (original retail: $12.95)
My Originals® It’s Your Day Card Kit (original retail: $12.95)
My Originals® Around the Holidays Card Kit (original retail: $14.95)

*Offer available July 1–31, 2011. Tax and shipping/handling charges apply. Close To My Heart reserves the right to substitute a comparable promotional item while supplies last. Limit one promotional item per qualifying order

Join us in JULY!

2011-07-05T07:29:00.000-04:00

It is always hard to stay caught up with your scrapbooking, but sometimes even harder to find the time to create. That is why I have a scrapbooking/cardmaking workshop one night EVERY month filled with tips and techniques to keep your CREATING. Plan to join us for this upcoming class and you will sure to leave with a SMILE!

MONTHLY GIVEAWAY!

2011-07-01T07:56:00.001-04:00

How about earning a chance for a FREE Close To My Heart item EACH month? Sounds pretty good to me! You have all month long to leave a comment on my blog for EACH or just ONE post. For every comment left, you will earn a ticket towards the PRIZE. Please only one comment per post will count, but I will always have more than one post per month, so your odds are/can be GOOD!

The FUN starts NOW!

I'm still going!

2011-06-29T07:13:00.001-04:00

Week after week, there is something new going on with my life and this past weekend, we celebrated Geoff's 30th Birthday. The party was a surprise and we made out pretty good!

The bouncy house was a hit with the kids as well as the ice pops.

Collin helping Daddy get his cards opened.

Geoff's Mom made the cake and it came out PERFECT!

AND next we are getting ready to head out to California for the CTMH Convention. For the 7 out of 9 of us gals that met in SLC, Utah last October, we decided we are reuniting and thought we needed to stick out of the crowd, so I threw these together for us to wear. I had tons of fun creating them and cannot wait to see them in CA! To the girls that cannot make, Lori and Jamie, we will see you ladies again soon!

There's still TIME...

2011-06-27T07:35:00.001-04:00

to take advantage of my FABULOUS special. With the purchase of FOUR similiar items, you may choose a FIFTH for FREE!

What a great time to get your albums or maybe even add to your stash of stamps!

This offer is redeemable by emailing me at shannonpvt@yahoo.com and ends June 30.

JUNE is full of FUN!

2011-06-24T07:25:00.000-04:00

Just a few more days for you to take advantage of this GREAT deal. Go ahead and try STUDIO J absolutely FREE and even get your very own file so that you can share your creation. Getting started is so easy and creating is so much FUN!

Visit Close To My Heart on their YouTube channel to see all the how-to videos to get you started.

2011-06-15T07:22:00.001-04:00

After several attempts to upload a video from the Relay, I have decided, I JUST CANNOT DO IT! But here are a few shots that we got. Taking photos are just not my strong point and I always double guess myself of being a scrapbooking, when I hardly take the time to take the pictures!

This was the beginning of the Survivor walk. It was so wonderful to see their participation.

Here Mom and I are showing off the photo board that I created as our on-site fundraiser. This year's theme was "Relay Rocks Vegas" and what better than to bring Vegas to the NE Kingdom.

Here are some great supporters!

AND that's all I got. Isan't that just sad?!?! For our first year at the Relay, "The Scrap Squad" (that's us) raised just around $1,200.00 and we couldn't be more happy! We already have ideas floating around for next year.

FREE Studio J jpg in June!

2011-06-13T17:39:00.000-04:00

Come out and PLAY! In the month of June, create a Studio J layout and get the jpeg for FREE!

With your jpeg you are able to share the photo on facebook or by email so that all your friends and family can see your creations. You may choose to have your layout printed by Close To My Heart, but in a pinch you may have the file printed at your local print shop.

What a great way to play around with all the options available without committing or paying anything.

Visit my website at http://www.shannonmvt.myctmh.com/, go to Studio J, create an acct with a username and password, upload photos you want to use and while those are uploading go right ahead and start creating your layout. It's that easy!

I hope you take advantage of this great special and be sure to share your layout with me!

YOU & ME: STRONGER TOGETHER

2011-06-09T09:34:00.000-04:00

While supplies last, we are extending the purchase period for the

YOU & ME kits

through the end of June. You NO longer need a min. purchase of $50 in products to get this kit.

When you purchase the kit at a discounted price of $15.00 a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross 2011 Floods and Tornadoes relief operations.

Contact me today to order your kit!

Buy FOUR get one FREE in June!

2011-06-01T07:15:00.001-04:00

If you have been wanting to stock up on some much needed ink pads, stamps or papers, then June should be the month you do it in! For the month of June I am hosting my OWN special. When you purchase FOUR of any similiar item, you may choose a FIFTH one for FREE! For example, you have been dying to re-create that gorgeous layout found on page 115 of the current idea book using all of those buttons, and you need 5 packages of buttons total-Buy 4 and get the 5th for FREE!!!

This special cannot be redeemed with online orders or with Studio J layout purchases. With the purchase of stamps, your less expensive item will be free.

This is also a great time to stock up on brads and accessory packets too!

Contact me by email at shannonpvt@yahoo.com or by phone at (802) 535-6818 to order.

Scrapbook Weekend Retreat

2011-05-30T07:51:00.001-04:00

Going back through my photos, I was thinking I did pretty good getting shots, but not so sure NOW! I did manage to grab a few from our weekend away and boy, DID WE HAVE FUN! We spent friday night getting settled into our rooms, getting to know everyone, fulfilling "ADDITIONAL" requests (you gals that attended know what i mean) and creating our own DELICIOUS ice cream sundaes! Saturady up and early we went straight to scrapbooking as we had SIX layouts to complete, some giveaways, as well as a yummy build-your-own-bulkie lunch and a delicious dinner picked from the lodge's menu. Sunday, back at it again with FOUR more layouts to complete our album and a few more giveaways that included the Spring Iris Shoulder Tote that went to Kristen and the Magic how to book that went to Shirley, but then was given to Judy as a swap for a stamp set that Judy received! I had so much help from Andrea and Elaine (also CTMH consultants) getting prepared for this event and thank you ladies so much!

This is Carol (my gram) opening her NEW album she got as ONE of the goodies in her bag FULL of stuff.

Gram and Crystal working feverishly!

Cheryl came in all the way from PA to be with us. THANKS CHERYL!

Donna to the left and Penny to the right, working lampside because we didn't have the best lighting.

The girls stretching their legs and jammin'. Kristen is in the background and Andrea kicking it up!

Judy and Shirley opening their new bag of goodies.

We had a fabulous and fun weekend scrapbooking, chatting and eating and I cannot wait to do it all again!

CTMH on YOUTUBE

2011-05-29T17:51:00.000-04:00

If you have not checked out CTMH's youtube channel, you've got to! There is so much information packed into each video that I bet you will learn something new with each one! Check out this great video using our new NEWSPRINT rub ons.

Start a new HOBBY or CAREER Today!

2011-05-11T07:27:00.001-04:00

Let me share with you some reasons why YOU should become a Consultant.

Close To My Heart is also GIVING you FREE PRODUCT when you sign up as a Consultant in the month of May. I don't know how else to describe it, but they are just GIVING it away! When you join my Team you will receive OVER $370 in product, including the You & Me Kit, for just $64.50.

Not only are you getting some of the basic materials needed to start up your business, in your Consultant kit, you will also get to choose THREE product bundles to fit your crafting style and have the option to purchase the remaining bundles at a DEEP discount. And don't forget that YOU & ME KIT!

There are lots of reasons to join CTMH! You may want to get a discount on your own personal addiction, sell to just family and friends, or have the opportunity to earn a full-time income while you work around your own family and work schedule.

Besides being paid for doing what you love, YOU are your own boss—setting your own hours, work around your priorities, and share the BEST products unparalleled in the industry. You’ll also receive discounts on the products you love and have the AMAZING opportunity to touch hearts and change lives through the joy of scrapbooking and stamping!

Visit http://www.shannonmvt.myctmh.com/ to see the bundle options.

May is National Scrapbooking Month!

2011-05-10T07:03:00.001-04:00

Close To My Heart has an AMAZING special available this month and you are going to LOVE them!

You will create TWO fully embellished two-page layouts using the included papers, stamp set, accessories and step-by-step instructions.

You and Me Scrapbooking Kit is available to you when you place an order of $50 or more, you can get this exclusive You & Me scrapbook Kit for just $15 – that’s more than half off the retail value!
You can also purchase the kit at full retail for $34.95 with no additional purchase necessary.
Join my TEAM and receive the kit in your New Consultant Kit for FREE!

Visit http://www.shannonmvt.myctmh.com/ to order your kit today!

Back from PA Leadershare!

2011-05-09T07:37:00.053-04:00

I have made it back from PA and had a blast while I was there! On Saturday April 30th, CTMH's Independent Consultant Kathy Markloff hosted a Leadershare event with 120 (or more) Consultants attending. The day was full of creating and a few business classes where ideas were shared.

We had time (not that we used it wisely) to create a two-page layout and a cute My Creations cube. Obviously, I did not use my time wisely and spent it chatting, that I do not have my artwork completed to share, but here are the items that we go for FREE! My registration fee with $35 for the classes and you can CLEARLY see that we got more than that in FREE products alone! CTMH is SOOOO good to us!

I earned a goodie bag cause my name was drawn! Andrea did too!

I also participated in a swap/art contest. I didn't win the contest, but I still got to go home with show stopping artwork. The Pennant door hanger was created by a great friend Kristina Livingstone. CIndy Leek did the wooden spoon. The butterfly card was Betsy Fusco. And the chocolate package was Naomi Smith.

This gorgeous layout was designed by Vicki Melhuish.

The tea packet dispenser won the contest and was created by Jessica Ballas. The happy happy birthday came from Betty Locco. Sit back and enjoy was created by Jeanie Burch and last but not least the Friendship card was from Olivia Reinsel.

Thank you so much ladies for all these beautiful items!

Not only were we the largest group attending out of the 5 conferences around the country, but we also had a goal to raise $1,600 for Operation smile. If I can remember correctly, I believe we reached $3,000 because of the sweet generosity of all the consultants. Several pieces of artwork were created to be donated and raffled off and of course, the ladies BID AND BID AND BID some more! What a great day it was! We ended with some shopping at the mall in Philadelphia and then some dinner at The Cheescake Factory.

This photo does not really show how LARGE this salad was....it was twice the size of my head! BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad and it was soooo YUMMY!

Coffee for TWO please!

2011-04-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

I love perusing through fellow Close To My Heart Consultant's sites to see what they are creating and I certainly love it when they include tutorials so that I can try it out for myself. I was visiting Lisa Stenz's blog and she had this "ADORABLE" Valentine's Day coffee cup project. I loved it, but was not sure where I was going to find any cups. Just recently our local gas station switched to these plain jane cups and the light bulb went OFF.

It's BANNER Time!

2011-04-26T22:58:00.000-04:00

I have been busy working on some banners for a local store. These turned out so cute, I may want to keep them! The SOPHIA papers are so adorable on this Beautiful Baby Girl one.

On this banner I played around again with Jeanette's beautiful banner idea. I LOVE IT!

Join the fun at the Scrapbook Weekend Retreat!

2011-04-25T06:54:00.001-04:00

We welcome you to come and celebrate National Scrapbooking Month with a weekend full of fun and

laughter with friends and scrapbooking.

Friday, May 20th-22nd Fun starts at 7pm

Cedarwood Lodge in Jay, VT

We will be creating 10 scrapbook pages filled with colors, stamping

techniques and beautiful embellishments from Close To My Heart.

Pages will be fully instructed for the beginners or you may go

at your own pace with step by step printed instructions.

Registration includes your bundle of product, an album,

lodging and meals. Be sure to bring sneakers for

walks and your most comfortable scrappin' clothes

and slippers and stay the weekend to be a

part of all the fun and giveaways!

Cost to attend is $200.00 per person and registration for this event ends May 9th.

Seating is limited so be sure to sign up today.

This is a perfect gift for MOM just in time for Mother's Day!

Another video is up!

2011-04-23T07:22:00.000-04:00

After a few takes of trying to put a video together, I finally convinced Collin to go outside and play so that I could get some peace and quiet. If you listen really close, I bet you can hear him driving truck outside. I had to chuckle a bit while filming!

2011-04-22T07:53:00.000-04:00

Here is the banner that I created from Jeanette's blog. I had tons of fun with the background brayer technique, that I am sure I will try it again soon! I love Jeanette's color combo here and the faux knot trick. How simple, and easy. Definitely made me fall in love with the new Trellis stamp set as well!

Easter Shaker Card

2011-04-20T07:44:00.000-04:00

I got so excited when I found a small oval punch at my local scrapbook store "The Scrap Box", that I am sure Sheila was like "You crazy!" I had been wanting to make this card ever since I saw the beautiful Mayberry Paper Pack. The papers are so adorable and perfect for SPRING! I also used the March SOTM Sensational Season stamp set with watercolor pencils and some paper piecing. You can watch my tutorial on how to create a shaker card here.

Easter Egg Dispenser

2011-04-19T10:34:00.000-04:00

I finally got to play around and take a stab at the candy dispensers that Heidi Swapp created. Check out her tutorial here where she shows you how to assemble your pieces together in these cute and festive crafts.

I had a hard time finding smaller eggs, but these seem to work well. I have been having fun with crepe paper and doilies lately too, so this was right up my alley!

Got to play a bit!

2011-04-14T09:35:00.000-04:00

I had bought these wooden plaques at Creative Habitat and decided to dress them up. I got to play around with the cricut some more using the Playtime cartridge. Added some paint and extra stickers and these suckers came out fabulouse!

Online Scrapboking with Studio J!

2011-04-12T11:45:00.001-04:00

Be sure to join us for the Studio J Introduction class planned for Wednesday, April 13th at 7pm in Danville.

During the class you will learn how to set up your own Studio J account, upload photos and start creating beautiful layouts all online. You will get to explore all the wonderful colors that Close To My Heart has to offer with the coordinating papers and embelishments at no cost to you until your ready to purchase your layouts! There are so many perks of scrapbooking online with my favorite, the photo editing. Blemish and red eye removal, photo orientation and sizing as well as not having to run to the store to get them developed or cutting them to a certain size only to realize I propbably messed up!

Be sure to bring your laptop with wireless access and some photos already uploaded to your laptop or on a memory card.

Come check it out, you have nothing to lose!

Busy Saturday!!!

2011-04-10T09:30:00.000-04:00

I started out a beautiful Saturday with a card class at the new store Miss T's in Concord and what a great success! All the proceeds of the class will be donated to the American Cancer Society for the Relay For Life. I am so excited to be a part of this wonderful event this year and have some great fundraisers planned!

After class I went with my family to a friends new sugar shack for a Sugar On Snow party and oh, how sweet it was!

I also learned how to make maple cream, not that it's hard, but I did not realize how easy it was!

We then had dinner plans with some friends and got to try out some homemade pizza that was so delicious I had four peices! Followed by a Washers Tournament. Now, I don't want to bore you trying to explain the rules to this Vermont pass time, but it is similiar to horseshoes.

Spring is coming!!! Have a wonderful week!

April is BLISS

2011-04-08T07:31:00.001-04:00

Be sure to sign up for our upcoming workshop where we will be playing with the BLISS papers and the new VILLA IRRESISTABLE chipboard peices. This workshop comes just in time for the WEDDING season to start. Give the layout as a gift or be ready with the SIX card workshop.

Check out what I did with a full packet of paper and additional items.

Lovin' Level 1

2011-04-07T13:15:00.001-04:00

Have you been waiting for a good deal to come around on some of your favorite embelishments? How about some getting an extra LEVEL 1 PAPERPACK of your choice for FREE? In the month of April, when you purchase $100 worth of product on my website, then you will get just that! And the savings don't stop there. There are several GREAT items in our clearance section that also count towards your sales.

Love the Sparkle!

2011-04-06T07:30:00.001-04:00

Who doesn't love to add sparkle to their life? So why not add it to your lives that we scrapbook! As a STUDIO J MEMBER and with a purchase of 10 layouts in an individual order, you will automatically receive a package of SPARKLES and MOCHA OPAQUES for FREE. This is in additon to your already FREE page protectors and shipping that you will receive, just for being a member!

Hope for Japan

2011-03-29T07:54:00.001-04:00

I'm proud to be a part of such an amazing and loving company and to know that Close To My Heart is doing their part by offering an exclusive "Hope for Japan" stamp set from which 100% of the profits from the sale of this set goes toward relief efforts in Japan by way of the American Red Cross. You can get yours now through April 30th and you are not limited to just one. Order as many as you like. Give them away as gifts!

Visit my website at http://www.shannonmvt.myctmh.com/ to get yours today!

2011-03-28T08:52:00.000-04:00

Check this out. A Mussie Tussie out of PAPER!!! I love my carrot and it was so easy to make. I had a gathering this past weekend and this is what the girls created. Open up the tissue paper top and pull out a bag of goodies.

The stamp is from our March SOTM set called "Sensational Season" and is still available for a few more days. Visit my website http://www.shannonmvt.myctmh.com/ for more details!

SPRING!

2011-03-22T07:07:00.001-04:00

It's coming, it's coming. Spring is coming!

We have had some beautiful weather the past few days and we finally got together with my sister and her daughter for a play day. We spent most of the day out on the porch in the sun and had a blast. Collin had gotten all his boots soaked playing in the mud and water puddles, so I pulled out the flip flops.

That's my neice Gwenneth!

See those huge snow piles! Most of that is the snow off the deck, but it was still almost waist deep.

Collin just loves his trucks!

Just call us the Scrap Squad!

2011-03-20T15:07:00.000-04:00

I am super excited to be participating in our local relay this year. It seems like each year there is always something going on so this was the first thing I put on my calendar for the month of June.

I am looking for anyone that wants to join our team and help us raise money for a great cause. The event will be held at the St. Johnsbury Academy on June 11th & 12th and if you haven't guess the theme yet, it's VEGAS! Very exciting, huh! I have always wanted to see Vegas and by the way our first team meeting was decorated, I am sure that they will pull out all the goods for that night!

If you are not local, but still wish to make a donation, please visit my web page.

I will be writing more about this great event and other ways that you can help, so stay tuned.

Collin's 1st Dental Visit.

2011-03-16T11:20:00.000-04:00

Nurse Susan was so much fun! She was teaching Collin how to squirt the wall with the mouth rinser.

This was the tooth counter.

The mouth called BOB. Collin got to see how a tooth falls out!

Just sit back and RELAX!

Job well done with great teeth!

2011-03-15T07:55:00.001-04:00

I can't even see the my table! I got my Cricut Expression on Friday and have been playing all weekend. I really need to get cleaned off and get downt o business. There are tons of things in store to get ready for so keep your eyes peeled!

Spring Ahead!

2011-03-14T11:12:00.000-04:00

Did you change your clocks yesturday? It ususally takes me a few weeks to get every clock swtiched. As for my car...Geoff gets frustrated with me, cause I will keep it until the fall when the time goes back. I got to thinking about it as I woke up this morning. We must have this planned on a Sunday so that everyone is ready when Monday morning and the work week rolls around, but come this morning, we were still on the old time. It usually takes us FOREVER to get use to the time changes.

I made this banner using the new SOHPIA papers and printing the words out from my computer. I like having all the different fonts. I added streamers material to the tops of each flag to dress them up a bit. The scallops are from our SCALLOP PUNCH, just folded in half and strung on ribbon.

We are making progress towards spring as I see some more birds coming around and we are almost into the forties for temperatures!

Have a wonderful day!

Bliss Wedding Album

2011-03-10T07:34:00.001-05:00

I created this album to coordinate with a candle and wreath that I made for a wedding display. This is our 6x6 chipboard album and it was so easy to create using the Bliss papers and matching stickers. I added some opaques and liquid glass to bling it up.

Have a wonderful day and happy scrapping.

Magnetic Embelishment Display Board

2011-03-08T07:16:00.001-05:00

I had bought this box of tins at the Champlain Valley Expo flea market a few years back knowing some day I would create one of those magnetic boards for showcasing embelishments. I bet I paid under $5.00 for them and they are perfect with the clear lids.

I always keep my old magnets for several reasons, but they seemed to work really well for this project. I just took a corresponding size punch to punch out the sheets and then glued them on with Liquid Glass.

This was a frame that I got for my birthday and it included a clear calendar sheet and a magnetic sheet. I knew just what I was going to do with it when I saw it!

Happy Scrapping!