A BIG Surprise!

Ever have one of those weeks when you're just feeling out of sorts?  Feeling down...and just not yourself?  I recently had one of those weeks.  Then, out of no where, a cheerful bouquet of flowers was delivered...and all was ok with the world again.  I love an unexpected delivery, and where I live flowers don't make it to my doorstep easily!

My good friend, Shari (Hi Shari!), asked me one day in an email, if I was going to be around that day.  Nothing out of the blue, really.  I replied "Sure...are you going to swing by?" And with that comment, started this story I'm about to share. Now granted, she lives 600 miles away...

To make a long story short, we messaged back and forth most of the afternoon.  I knew she was planting flowers in her yard, then off to run errands. She was texting from her phone, joking that she was only an hour away from my house, wondered what was I working on, and what I was going to fix her for dinner, etc. I told her "the party" was down in my studio, just come on down when she got here (LOL)...she said she was going to ring the doorbell, so my dogs wouldn't attack her.  I was making her birthday gift (that's going to be another blog post) that afternoon, so I was downstairs creating in my studio anyways.  We joked back an forth some more, a few hours had passed...then all of a sudden...THE DOORBELL RANG!  Now, where I live, we don't get people ringing the doorbell often.  I have to say, for a split second, I thought...could that really be Shari?  Did she really drive here?  I about tripped up the stairs, dying to see who was at my door.  When I opened it, I had a gentleman with a bouquet of flowers standing there.  I thought FOR SURE he had the wrong house, but he confirmed the flowers were for me!

The card read "Hope this brightens your day!" 

When I collected myself from the shock...I immediately called Shari (via iChat)...we had a good laugh as I told her my end of the story, thinking that it might really be HER ringing my doorbell, and me tripping up the stairs, as I hurried to see who was at my door.  She wished the dogs (or the man with the bouquet) could have taken a picture of my face when the doorbell rang.
So later that evening, I go to my mailbox, only to find a card from Shari too - the card put a smile on my face, and the handwritten sentiment on the inside brought happy tears to my eyes!  What a day!  Friends REALLY do make the world a better place!

The card alone would have brought me out of my funk, but the flowers...now that was over the top!  Thank you Shari...you made me laugh and cry in the same day! I'm so thankful for CTMH bringing us together and I cherish our friendship!

Time is running out...for Dotty!

...don't have your Dotty for You paper yet?  Hurry...supplies are quickly diminishing, so don't miss out on this FUN paper packet!  May is National Scrapbooking Month and were celebrating with our exclusive Dotty for You paper packet, available for just $5 with a $35 purchase through May.

While Supplies Last!

Here are a couple fun, summertime layouts that I created with my friend, Shari, using the Dotty For You paper packet.

And a simple card...the possibilities are endless with this paper! Love it!

Get your Dotty For You paper pack before they are GONE.  Contact me today!

Happy Mother's Day and more...

Happy Mother's Day...

...to all my CTMH sisters and friends who are mom's!  I hope your day is as special as you are! This card uses the Dotty for You papers...having a blast using this paper...loving this kit! 

It's so versatile. Watch for more artwork coming next week.

It's been a gloomy weekend, and a perfect opportunity to get caught up on some scrapbooking!  I have lots of layouts I've created for earlier workshops, and don't always have the perfect pictures at the time to add to them.  However...I'm making it a mission to put pictures on my layouts!

In January, we created these layouts using the Wonderland paper packet (no longer available)...and I finally added pictures to them.  The layouts were beautiful before pictures were added, but now they really come to life!

Yes...I used more Flip Flaps in the layout below.

My dogs are Husky/Chow mix and they just LOVE the snow!  

What are you doing with your pictures?  Preserve those memories!  Print those pictures and create Classic Scrapbook layouts like mine (I can show you how!) or if you don't print your pictures and have them stored on your computer, try Studio J Online Scrapbooking...create beautiful layouts simple, fast and easy without all the mess!  Contact me to find out more.

Flip Flap Layout - Road Trip!

A couple weeks ago, a few friends and I took a road trip to see a friend in South Dakota (see Road Trip post), and I already have my pictures scrapbooked...I can't believe it!  I think what really helped, was that I made a two page layout for each of them as a special gift to remember the trip (and it forced me to take "people" pictures too!)  Here's the layout I created:

Now, here it is with pictures:

I had several pictures that I wanted to include in this layout, do you find yourself in this same dilemma? I have just the answer...it's FLIP FLAPS!  No, not flip flops...flip flaps!  They are pockets that you can slide photos into and attach the Flip Flap to your layout with its adhesive strip!  

See, I used them on the horizontal pictures above...so I fit five 4x6 photos in that one space (using 2 flip flaps stacked).

And another on the vertical picture on the right page above...fitting three 4x6 photos in that space.

Flip flaps have another great use...you can add "hidden" journaling to your pages.  I plan to add a flip flap on the vertical picture on the left page, and create my journaling under the picture.  I need to create a second 2-page layout for the postcards we purchased at Mount Rushmore, and I'll probably use more Flip Flaps on those pages too!

Next time you have too many pictures for a 2-page layout...remember Flip Flaps! They come in 3 sizes:  6" square, 12" assortment, and 4x6 (used here).

FYI - this layout uses Cruisin' paper, the Love Life stamp set, and the Cocktail Alphabet.  As I see the names of these products listed together...it describes our weekend to a tee!  What happens in S. Dakota stays in S. Dakota! LOL

If you like the Cruisin' papers, I'm planning the Cruisin' WOTG kit in July...watch for it!

Pemberley WOTG in May

I'm offering the Pemberley WOTG (Workshop-on-the-Go) as one of my workshops for May.  What I love most about the WOTG kits, is the value!  For just $29.95 (Retail Value of $34.78) you'll receive a full Pemberley paper packet, an exclusive Pemberley workshop C-size stamp set, 2 sheets of Colonial White 12x12 cardstock, Bouquet Assortment, Bitty Opaque Pearl Adhesive Gems, and an instructional brochure to create 4 pages...and enough product left over to create cards too!

This month, I made an adaptation to the layout in the instructional brochure...which is allowed!  Remember, you can follow the brochure step by step or use it as inspiration to make your own artwork.  I did just that...I used the same techniques and even the same title, I just changed up the layout design to work better for the pictures I take.  My personal scrapbooking style isn't one for lots of "open" space on a layout...which the one in the brochure had, in my opinion.

Layout #1: Mesmerize from the Magic Scrapbooking Program. If you like how I adapted this layout, you can get the cutting diagram for Mesmerize here.

Layout #2: Transfigure from the Magic Scrapbooking Program.

Pemberley Bonus Project includes 5 Cricut cards too!

Each card base was cut using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge...if you don't have it yet, you REALLY should consider it...it's a MUST HAVE!!! I use it for SO many projects, including 3-D boxes, and more.

Road Trip!

It's been a whirl wind for the last couple of weeks...I don't know if I'm coming or going. Actually last week, a few friends and I took a quick road trip to see a friend living in Rapid City, South Dakota...and what fun we had!

We had to stop for each state line and get a picture...wish we were in these too...didn't think of it until after the fact.

We were stuffed to the gills...and this was packing light! I taught 4 different workshops while we were visiting, and of course we saved time for sight-seeing and shopping too!

It was challenging to work in a chance to see Mt. Rushmore...Mother Nature wasn't cooperating! The weather was overcast, rainy and foggy...but we managed to get a clear moment, wind and all. Afterwards, we walked to the gift shop, and when we came out, it was snowing! Our timing couldn't have been any better!

The GPS took us home a different route, so we added another state line picture:

Home, Sweet Home!

May SOM Artwork

All this month, you have the chance to purchase the May Stamp of the Month, Friendship Bouquet (#S1205) for only $5 with a $50 order, or at full retail of $17.95.

View the Friendship Bouquet flyer under Stamp of the Month tab above in the menu bar.

Here's what our group created using this stamp set...showing the versatility of our paper packets too!

Click on the images to enlarge for more detail.

I love sunflowers...and I even have several watercolor prints of sunflowers in artwork throughout our home. Hmmm...a perfect opportunity to share the story about the artist in my scrapbooks. I see a layout using this set in my future too!