What's New?

Well it has been quite a busy few weeks - month actually - so please forgive me for not posting in sooooo long! Other commitments have been taking up a lot of time & energy, so I have had to take a break from paper crafting :( I thought I'd post this cute layout from Close to Heart. I'll continue to be on a break until April 1st. But please visit on the 1st so you can see the blog hop for the April stamp of the month and see what I have in store for my April workshop! Thanks for visiting!

February Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

Maybe I'm the only one, but I really love the month of February. You would think that since I turn a year older every February that I might dread the month. But, I don't! I think it may have something to do with the fact that I am a chocoholic and every you look in February you see chocolate! Or maybe because my favorite color is pink, and you seem to see a lot of pink everywhere you look this month also. Whatever the reason, THIS particular February has me all giddy because I absolutely ADORE the Stamp of the Month this month! Adorable cakes & cupcakes piled up on the cutest cake stands, adorned with delicate flowers & patterns - I love it! Check out the blog hop by clicking HERE to get started, and see if you don't fall in love with this set too!

P.S. I very carefully cut my stamp set to remove the candles, so I can use the cake & cupcakes images for any kind of card or project I'd like :)

Buy One, Get One Free in February!!!

If you know me well, you know that I am a bit of a paper hog! I am, of course, my mother's daughter and I think she would be okay if I called her quite a paper collector! And so, for the love of all things paper, I am oh so happy to announce that during the month of February, CTMH 12" x 12" textured cardstock will be buy one pack, get a pack free!

In addition to the great deal (which works out to around .30 per sheet!), with every offer purchased, Close to M Heart will donate $2 to Operation Smile's Haiti relief efforts.

Here are more details:

Order any 12" x 12" textured cardstock combo pack from February 1-28, 2010 at full retail price and receive a second textured cardstock combo pack of your choice FREE.

Eligible packs include:

• X5747 Basic
• X5681 Spring Harmony
• X5745 Summer Celebration
• X5669 Autumn Harvest
• X5670 Winter Cozy

The full retail value of the textured cardstock combo packs is $14.95 US each. See pages 100–101 of the current Idea Book to view the available colors and details about the textured cardstock combo packs.

Operation Smile is always a fantastic charitable partner—offering free facial reconstruction surgeries to needy children throughout the world. They’ve currently marshaled their medical teams and resources to provide emergency relief in Haiti, and the donations given as part of Hearts for Haiti will be used exclusively for Operation Smile’s efforts in Haiti. For more information on their on-the-ground response, you can visit www.operationsmile.org/haiti.

What a hoot!

I thought I'd talk a little about this card that we'll be making this Friday night at the card workshop. This circle card has another circle cut in the middle of it. We'll be stamping the tree from the Grown With Love stamp set, along with the leaves and then placing it behind the open circle with pop dots to give it a little more dimension and the illusion that its in the background. On the front of the card is a circular piece of green paper from the Back Country paper pack. On top of that is a paper "twig" that our adorable owl will be perched on (from the You're a Hoot set). And you know I can't resist putting googlie eyes on my owls! A little hemp tied in a knot will add a finishing touch! It's a really fun card and shows how you can use images from multiple stamp sets to make great card. Hope you join us Friday so that you can make one yourself!!

Can a box of donut holes really make you feel better?

This has very little to do with paper & scrapping, but I just felt the need to do some venting at the end of this very weird day! I went to bed late last night, so it made some sense that I was very tired and didn't want to get out of my bed today. I was up late finishing a layout swap that I struggled with from the get-go. I finished it around 12:30 am and then went off to bed. After my daughter woke me up this morning with her little hand patting my cheek, I remembered how yesterday morning her Dad said HE would get up and fix her breakfast TOMORROW. Since tomorrow was now today, I laid in bed waiting....waiting....for that to come about. But alas, he kept sleeping. So I got up and I think it must have been the "wrong side of the bed" because I was in a mood from the moment my foot hit the floor. CRANKY!! I didn't want to get out of my pj's - even at noon when my little girl said, "Mom, you haven't taken a shower yet!" I fixed lunch for the kids and put them down for naps. That's when I hit Super Cranky Mood! Maybe I was jealous that I didn't get to take a nap. After all, I had to go the Post Office to mail out my swap box. It was a beautiful sunny day, which was such a welcome change after all the pouring rain we've had for weeks. I mailed my box & stopped at the grocery store for milk. As I turned around with the carton of milk in my hand, I noticed a whole display of donuts and danishes right there! I quickly eyed a box of Enteman's donut holes and grabbed it off the shelf. At the register I put down my box of donut holes and half gallon of milk and wondered what the cashier must be thinking! I didn't care though. I came home & explained to my husband that I was going to drown my sorrows in a box of donut holes. He chuckled and made me a cup of tea to help wash them down. And that's what I did! I very contentedly ate one donut hole after another. And you know what, I felt so much better. Maybe it was mailing out that box, or maybe it was the sunshine giving me a badly needed dose of vitamin D. But maybe, just maybe, it was those delicious little donut holes that actually made me feel better today. :)

Card Workshop This Friday!!

Pictured above are the 3 cards we'll be making this Friday, January 29th. Two of the cards feature the "Grown with Love" stamp set with it's adorable tree stamp! The circle card has our favorite owls making a come back from the "You're a Hoot!" stamp set. The third card uses the Veranda Creative Basics paper pack and the January Stamp of the Month entitled "True Friends". It will be quite a creative night! I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

New Product Blog Hop!

Just found another blog hop you might like to follow! It features brand new products from the new Idea Book / catalog and what some crafty women did with them. Since I am a big fan of blog hopping, thought I'd pass it on to you! Click HERE to start!