Happy for everything NEW!

A New Year, new decade, new month, new expectations, renewed hope, new IDEA BOOK, new STAMP OF THE MONTH,  new FELICITY PAPER COLLECTION, and one of my favorites NEW WORKSHOPS! WHEW, did you get all of that? I am so stinkin excited, I can hardly wait to start the journey into 2010.

No, I have not gone deep undercover (well maybe a little). This last month has been a tough one for me. The demands of the Holidays plus not feeling well left me in survival mode for most of the month. I have been on Auto Pilot for the last 6 weeks or so.  I hope to now turn off Auto Pilot and take control of my ship again. This flight might be a bit long so grab a drink and a snack, buckle up, sit back and put your feet up and enjoy the ride while I tell you about all the exciting new things available from Close To My Heart.

It wouldn't be a new year without a new IDEA BOOK

(to view the entire book contact me or click on the image on the right side of my blog)

I just love the new Topstitch Paper Packet (x7120B) and coordinating stamps; Charmed (C1385) and Togetherness (D1402). Any kit that contains chocolate is O.K. in my book! This paper would be great for girlfriends, weddings, baby showers, family reunions, etc.

Another great kit is Caboodle (X7121C). The coordinating stamps are Playing Hard (C1387) which has a Track hoe, an airplane, a Skateboard, a scooter, and six other stamps. The other set Boys at Play (C1386) contains signs having to do with adventure such as Super Hero, Full of Fun, and Hangin Out. I love the soft colors of this kit. It has great colors for boys but it also has soft colors that would work for babies, summer, girls, birthdays, etc.

To see the other two new Paper Packets and tons of new accessories and stamps click on the Idea Book picture on the right of my blog. Make sure you check out the Soft Suede Pinwheel Flowers on page 91 and Top Coats on page 93. You also won't want to miss the new lower prices on the A sized stamp sets, now only $7.95. View four new A sized stamp sets on page 81.

This stamp set is only available January 1-31st. Click on the image of the Stamp of the Month on the right side of my blog to see the details of how you can get yours!

Felicity Collection (available thru January 31st or while supplies last)

Did you know that January is National Papercrafting month? The best way I can think of celebrating is to buy this Collection. The Felicity Collection features decorative die-cut paper, three gorgeous color schemes, and a D-size stamp set that include flowers, flourishes, argyle, birds, and an entire alphabet! Close to My Heart has even set up a blog with ideas on how to use the collection. I have included a link to the blog on the right side of my blog.

This collection has a retail value of $34.95. You can buy it outright, or get it free!


There are two ways to qualify for a FREE Felicity Collection:

• Purchase a minimum of $60 in full-retail priced stamp sets (A, B, C, D, and E-size). (Excludes Stamp of the Month, Art & Soul®, Workshops on the Go™, and customizable (K) stamp sets.)
• Place an order of $125 or more in full-retail priced Close To My Heart products.
• The campaign also has enticing opportunities for hostesses and new Consultants. Hostesses get the package FREE with a Home Gathering sales total of $400 or more, and New Consultants who join Close To My Heart between January 1–31 will receive the package FREE in their New Consultant Kit.

AND MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE MONTH; WORKSHOPS

Workshops will be on January 23rd from 10-12 a.m. We will be using the Bella kit from the summer 2009 Idea Book. The pages we will be doing will be a little different from the ones pictured above. The basic layout of the pages will be the same but I will be adding lollipop flowers. If you would like to join us please let me know by the 13th.

I hope this flight has been as enjoyable for you as it has been for me. Now that we have landed in 2010 I can hardly wait to see where our new adventures will take us.

December Stamp Of The Month

This is a card I made inspired by Sue Neal with the December Stamp Of The Month (D1378- Notice the Details pg. 109) and the Grace Level 2 Paper Packet (#X7117B pg. 18). 

This is an incredibly versatile stamp set that will work on cards, pages, home dec. projects (don't you just love how I am learning the new slang), calendars, etc.. How it works is each month Close To My Heart offers a specially designed My Acrylix® stamp set at a great discount or even free. There are 5 different ways to get the Stamp of the Month.

•  Buy the stamp set for $22.95 
• Spend $25 and get it for $17.21 (25% off)
• Spend $50 and get it for $11.48 (50% off) 
• Spend $75 and get it for $5.74 (75% off) 
• Spend $100 and get it FREE!

Remember this great Stamp Set will only be available until December 31st.

Notice the Details - December S.O.M (click here for more information) 

MY FAVORITE GIFT

I love this time of year: the music, the lights, family, and friends. But what I love the most is a present that was given to me wrapped in swaddling clothes. That small precious child has given meaning to my life. How grateful I am for my Savior.

HE knows me as an individual and loves me. HE is there for me through my struggles as my greatest Cheerleader. I will never have to wander the path alone because he has given me his gospel and will walk beside me so I may return to HIM and my HEAVENLY FATHER. Through HIM I will be able to be with my family for eternity. Without Him I have nothing. All that I have and all that I am is because of HIM.

Clear Creek Camp

60 - 5th grade girls; $60 billion dollars

an indoor craft; $1000

a heated cabin with bathroom; $1 million

being the group with the fastest time to start a fire; $800

not falling into the hot lava; $1500

HUGE squirrel's nest (squirrels included); $600

making it through the rope course; $900

Bunk Beds with paper thin mattresses; -$5000

Waking up to 5" of snow; $2000 (until I had to scrape it off the truck, then its value went way way down)

The chance to spend this time with my incredible daughter; PRICELESS

Twas The Night Before Christmas

These are some pages I did for a quarterly page swap. My inspiration was a quilt that I fell in love with and hope one day to finish. In the meantime, I am looking forward to filling these pages with Christmas Eve pictures from this year. We always have a big Christmas Eve Dinner (so we have nummy yummy leftovers for Christmas Day), the girls get new p.j.'s, we play games, and wait for Santa. I think the anticipation of Christmas Day is just as good if not better than the day itself.

If you would like to recreate these pages I used all Close to My Heart products except the thread for Santa's reins. The pages, Santa, and reindeer, are black CS (#1386 pg. 100), moon - Sunny Yellow CS (#1225 pg. 101), twas the night before words and holly leaves - Olive CS (#1245 pg. 101), Christmas words and holly berries - Tulip CS (#X5753 pg. 101), house - Brown Bag CS (#5644 pg.100), snow - White Daisy CS (#1385 pg. 100), windows - Honey (#X5668 pg 101). The smoke from the chimney is two spiral clips. The holly and letters were cut out with my Cricket. The shingles on the house are from the Cupcake Sprinkles Stamp Set (D1336 pg. 60). The bricks and window casing uses the November Stamp of the Month (shown below) - Around the Block (#D1377 pg 109).

November Stamp of The Month (click here for more information)

Science Day

O.K. don't hate me but I spent yesterday going to classes and having lunch at the U of U for free. Yes FREE! Once a year the University holds a science day for High School students and their parents. My daughter Taylor, a junior at Westlake High School, wants to be a Pediatric Endocrinologist (wow that was a mouthful typeful. LOL). This was her second year (last year dad went, this year was all me! YEAH).


Our first class was Fluorescent Microscopy. We looked at yeast cell protein that had GFP (green fluorescence protein) and RFP (red fluorescence protein) from the jellyfish attached. When you attach the jellyfish protein to another species protein that protein will also fluoresce. It was so exciting! By studying how the different proteins work in the cell this lab is hoping to learn how to turn off the Cancer and HIV triggers and stop the disease from spreading. I hope I didn't bore you too much, but it was so exciting to see the beginning stages of a possible cure that could save millions of lives. Yes, the truth is out I am a total science geek. The best part of the whole day was when Taylor was offered a 4 week internship with this lab next summer. WHAAA HOOO! She is so excited she can hardly stand it.

Our second class was Extreme Makeover: Human Body Engineering. This class was about how Metallurgy and medicine come together. We learned about artificial joints, stents, and disk replacements. We have come so far but have even farther to go. For every problem we solve we create a new problem to be solved.

Our last class was Astronomy. We were able to look through the telescopes at the Observatory. One telescope was pointed at the sun. All Taylor and I saw was a big red blob. Apparently we are part of the unlucky few who have a hereditary eye problem and can't distinguish the different colors put out by the sun. Taylor looked on the bright side (no pun intended) and decided that knowing she couldn't major in Astronomy had an upside. She has one less major to think about leaving 75 other majors to consider. That girl cracks me up!

We ended the day with a yummy lunch and awards ceremony. The College of Science has a random drawing and gives away six $500 scholarships during lunch. Taylor may not have won a scholarship this year but the excitement for college and learning new things is a prize that is immeasurable.

Another Scrap Project

This is our Thanksgiving Advent Calendar. The idea came from a Craft Day at our church. It is made using a muffin tin, paper scraps, ribbon scraps, stamps, and brads. Inside each tin is a different thing to be thankful for. Each square measures 3 1/4 x 3 1/4 and is held on by a magnet attached to the corner on the back. The only thing I bought for this project was the muffin tin (I bought mine at Walmart for under $4). I love (really I mean LOVE) projects that use my extra supplies. Talking about being thankful, I want my family and friends to know how THANKFUL I am for their love and support. I am so very blessed and feel like the luckiest girl around!