I love a Clearance Sale!

Don't miss checking out the "Holiday Heyday" Sale on my Close to my Heart website: shop.myctmh.com. I got to shop one day early and the products are really great. Hurry up, though. The quantities are really limited. I just may have to go back and order a few more things.
All the information will be posted on my website. Happy Holiday Shopping!

My favorite Christmas CArd

This is my favorite Christmas card with my favorite My Acrylix stamp set this season. I created this for a CTMH card swap. I love the combination of Sweet Leaf, Cranberry and Cocoa. I added some red stickles that are hard to see, but they add that little bit of sparkle!

The stampsets are from this FAll/Winter '09 catalog:

D1366 Holiday Trinkets &

D1384 Snow Flurries.

You can view and shop for these and more at my website: shop.myctmh.com

I hope you enjoy and have time to make a fun Christmas card for your Christmas!

Hand Made Cards for the Holidays! and a layout too!

Well, it's been a while. We have been battling the usual fall flu for the THIRD time! I got some great scrapping done, attended a CTMH regional celebration in Minneapolis and even found time to make some hand made cards. I hope you enjoy the fruits of my "indoor time".

I used Close To My Heart "Jingle" Creative Basics Paper for these layouts. You can click on my website (shop.myctmh.com) on the right hand side to view this holiday paper and more!

You can email me: shop@myctmh.com for the card recipe, too!

Oh, I also used Cricut cartridge "Christmas Cheer!...Enjoy!

Gypsy Mania!

I am really excited for the release of the New Cricut Gypsy! It will be great to carry all my cartridges in one little box. If you haven't heard of it yet, you will. There is also a link on the right side of my blog. If you click on the Gypsy Release icon, you can learn more about what I think this amazing little machine will be able to do.

Tune in after I get mine, and I will show you what I can accomplish!

Time to get updated!

Well, I'll come back to the trip later. Summer sure got away from me.
I have been back and forth to California twice! I made it out to the Leadership convention for CTMH. It was fabulous. I wanted to share the cards I made for the contest. It was titled 3 designs from one pattern. Even though I didn't win, I was sure happy with the cards I made.
You'll have to turn your laptop or look sideways. I can't get the pictures to rotate. Crazy computer some days. The papers are Aspen, Back Country and Bella.
I will post the recipe on my website: shop.myctmh.com in a couple of days.

Don't forget the brand new catalog is out! I have been playing with the new products and will post some artwork very soon. Keep watching.

My OPen House is scheduled for Friday, Sept 11 6-8:30pm. If you are local, plan on stopping by.

Have a great Thursday, everyone!



Bella

Falkland Islands, Penguins and FUN!

The Falkland Islands were one of the reasons I wanted to take this cruise. How many people have been to the Falkland Islands? No one that I have ever met and I wanted to see it. Nothing like dropping a little bit of England in the middle of an ocean. It was drizzly and a bit cold when we got there. The drizzle let up while we visited and that made it a pleasant trip out to see the penguins at Lagoon Cove.

All the white you see on the ground isn't snow...it's penguin feathers!

This colony of Gentoo penguins was large and it also included a King Penguin with her chicks.

It was quite a ride out to see the penguins.

We boarded 4x4's driven by Island residents...who are among the nicest people you could meet anywhere. It was an adventure greater than an amusement park ride. We were up and down in the mud and peat. The guys still can't believe

we made it. Oh yeah...the guy in red with the

rubber boots (the smart one) was our 70 yr old driver.

It was the last tour of the season at this beautiful seaside property. The owners and hosts treated us to a bbq and the most delicious local treats. What a wonderful accordian player. It was really a memorable experience. Thanks to all the wonderful Falkland Islanders!

The only way to go!

Puerto Madryn, Argentina & Penguins

Our visit to the Punta Tombow Penguin Reserve was one of the absolute highlights of this trip. Even though most of the penguins had already left (including the chicks), there were plenty of adults still finishing their molt. They really were not afraid of us at all. If you wanted to get up close however, you had to get on their "level" and just be patient. My husband Jack had no trouble with that. This curious penguin just kept eyeing up Jack until his curiosity got the best of him and he went in for a closer look. This part of Argentina is Patagonia. There was only this type of scrub vegetation for as far as you could see. It was windy and you needed to keep your hood up to protect your ears!

It was a 3 hour drive just to get to the Penquin rookery. We spent about an hour there and it really was worth the drive. Back at the port we got a great picture of the city of Puerto Madryn. You can see the buildings along the shore of this protected port and the open land just beyond.

This was one of the best days of the cruise!

Next day at sea and then...the Falkland Islands (another favorite).

A good rain...again!

With all the drought we have had, the rain this evening is so welcome. My gardens are looking really good and are in full force right now. The Globemaster Alliums are one of my very favorites. I was looking back at the hail damage to my gardens that happened on May 31 last year. It pretty much devastated my gardens for the season. They recovered, but they never gained their grandeur after that storm. The white "snow" you see in the picture is actually the hail. I tried to scoop it up in buckets so my plants wouldn't freeze.

My Purple pavement rose is so hardy and it smells wonderful right now. It's the best plant. YOu do absolutely nothing to it and it grows like crazy.

There is nothing more relaxing than wandering through the garden!

Montevideo, Uruguay

Monday, March 30, 2009 found us waking up in the port of Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.

Greg and Nancy, some fellow cruisers from the Cruise Critic forum, had arranged a walking history tour of Montevideo. We opted to join them. Our hostess was a British ex-pat. She was absolutely delightful. She kept us moving and gave us an historical perspective. She had old maps and showed us where the city used to be and where the remnants of the old city are located. I really hadn't known much about Uruguay before this visit, and I felt pretty happy walking away with the knowledge I had acquired. The picture you see is the arch that leads to the park in the center of the city. There was a gaucho pulling a horse drawn cart during our walk. While that was charming to see, we also saw our fair share of feces (both animal and human...enough said).

We walked back towards the cruise terminal to visit the markets just outside the Mercado del Puerto. We found some leather goods and tshirts for the kids. We had walked through the Mercado building in the morning when they were bringing in the wood for the grills.

It smelled wonderful then, but now with all the different food cooking...it was irresistible. We had read about the Estancia del

Puerto and were eager to give it a try.

It was fun to watch all the action at the counter. The different salsas were fun to try and I can honestly say I had the best chorizo I have ever tasted. If only I could have brought some home.

We had a nice walk back to the ship. The weather was fabulous and it was a great day! Next day was "at sea" and our next destination will be Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Penguins...here we come!

South America Cruise

Well,

It is time to begin the cruise review!  We started our cruise in Buenos Aires, Argentina after a long overnight flight.  This was the view of the ship..the Norwegian Sun in port.  Our cabin was at the very top of the ship, right in the middle.  

We had the best views!  We also had some big waves, but more on that later!

We shot this next picture as we were leaving the harbor in Buenos Aires.  Jack is hanging out on our balcony (Cabin #1001).  The view you see is the newest area being developed in BA.

You can also see the smog!  We were so tired, we forgot to snap pictures of the city of Buenos Aires.

We stopped in La Boca, but the only thing we could do was find a cup of Cafe con Leche!  Next stop...Montevideo, Uruguay.

New Catalog Bash

Just a reminder that my open house is this Friday!! You can leave me a post if you need directions.  I would be happy to have you come to see the new catalog.  I used the Bella papers for our theme.  You will be making your choice of the card or scrapbook layout.  If you bring a $25 order, you can make both!   The 12 x 12 layout you see here, uses  the brand new"Bella" paper pack.   My picture is from a trip to the US Botanic Gardens in Washington, DC.  (Gardening is my other passion).  I used Front and Center mosaic from the Reflections scrapbooking program.  If you have never used a CTMH scrapbook program, you are really missing something.  It is so nice to find a pattern that works with your pictures.  It takes the guesswork out of layouts.  I can get so much more done and coordinate my paper perfectly!!  Well, the weather is fantastic and my spirits are so much better to match.  If you have any questions about the layout or scrapbook program, you can email me:  shop@myctmh.com.

You can also visit my website to see examples of the scrapbook programs:  www.shop.myctmh.com

Oh and there is also a card program, too.  It takes the guesswork out of card layouts.  

Remember, your choice of the card or layout (or both with a $25 order).  Please RSVP your choice.

In the meantime, enjoy the Bella layout!

Happy Spring!

I'm back!

Well, it took me a while to get caught up from our trip to South America.  I think the 16 days we were gone were just too long.  The trip was fantastic and I will start sharing pictures soon.

I just wanted to share my NEW Catalog BAsh deTailS.  

The party is May 22 (Friday) from 7-9pm.

Here is a picture of the card we will be making (or you can also choose a 12x12 layout!)  The paper is from "Bella" and the stamp set is "Buttoned Together".

If you would like to come and didn't get my newsletter, just drop me an email:  shop@myctmh.com.  I would be happy to have a FREE card or layout ready for you.  If you want to be added to my email list, send me your name and email address to:  shop@myctmh.com.  In the subject line write:  email list.  It's that simple.  I will then add you to the email newsletter list.

Keep watching the blog for trip pictures, new projects and garden photos.  

Here comes the week!

Wow, I can't believe I haven't blogged for so long!  I have been busy making cruise trip arrangements. Life sure has a way if getting busy really fast.  

We will be doing our last club of the season in April.  It is pretty exciting to know the new Close to my Heart Idea Book will be here when I get back.  It is so fun to sit down with a cup of tea and just peruse the pages.  I let all the great inspiration just roll over my eyes.  Now if I only had the ambition to match!

Hopefully I will get my computer issue resolved.  I can start posting pictures again.

Have a great week!

It's snowing...again!

I am getting used to this "warmer" weather.  It's nice to be able to go outside and not have to have gloves on.  I was beginning to think it might stay nicer...and then it starts snowing!!!

Oh well, just another day in the North!

I am tickled to know my new Cricut Expression may be on it's way.  I got a great deal on this Cricut machine at the end of December.  I was all ready to move up to the "big machine" from my original bug.  Well, customcrops.com got great reviews on our CTMH bulletin board.  I decided to trust the great deal they were offering.  It turns out they charged my CC immediately, but have yet to ship me an Expression.  I saw they finally said they were in stock on their website, so I emailed them wanting to know when mine would be shipped.  They answered back later in the afternoon and said it is set to be shipped.  I hope it's true.  I think it is really a poor business practice to charge someone for something and then take almost 2 months to ship it (without telling you it will take that long when you order.  I guess it's a live and learn.  Kind of like wishing for spring too soon, and then it snows....again!

Welcome Weekend!!

What a busy week.  I went back to work after my neck surgery and it was ok, but I am a little tired and sore.  I am hoping to steal some scrapbook time this weekend.   I feel a burst of creativity coming on!  I have been spending a fair amount of time researching our cruise to South America. I still can't believe I am going.  The cruise deals out there are so amazing right now, you can't take a cheaper trip!

Have a great weekend and if you live in the "North", enjoy the winter thaw.

Letting go.....

Well, as much as I love my scrap supplies, it is time to let go.  I have been cleaning out my scrapbook supplies and parting with things I didn't think I could.  I have listed them on ebay to see if I can get anything for my efforts.  It is cathartic to let go.  I'm getting rid of some clutter (although I am sure I will manage to fill the space!).   I learned once I get started, it is easier to keep going.  Who knows what will be out the door next!!

My great group of Scrapbook women meet tonight!  I really look forward to our once a month Friday night gatherings.  I've decided to add a new little twist.  Have to keep the fun going...especially in January!

Happy Thursday!

It is beautiful and sunny here....but very cold!!  Somewhere tropical sounds perfect about now!  My recovery from neck surgery is going well.  I can't help but feel it would go much better somewhere warm.

I am getting ready for Scrap club tomorrow with help from "the boys".  I keep getting distracted by my Taste of Home Magazine.  It just came yesterday and headlines "Tons of Chocolate".

I can't ignore a headline like that!  I may just have to try and bake something this weekend.

My computer has been on the blink, so will try to get some pictures posted soon.

Have a happy Thursday and have some chocolate.

I shopped the clearance sale.

Well, I got myself online and managed to snag a few things I wanted.  Some were gone before I got my cart to checkout...oh well.  As for the stamps, they were NOT included this time because of the February Stamp Promotion.  Word is they will go on clearance starting March 1.  In the meantime, I thought it was only fair to give you a sneak peak at the promo.  This is a great deal and a really cute set.  

You can click on the picture or my website link to check out the catalog (and order online if you wish).  This promo runs Feb 3-28.  Enjoy the sneak peak!