The Veranda Workshop Play Dates are April 16, 17, and 19!

Reservations for our April workshop

featuring the Veranda papers are needed by April 9th!

Remember that you can click on any of the images below to see them larger. Please e-mail me if you'd like to request a kit order form be sent to you by e-mail (as the one I have posted may be too small for you to see well and print out). I accept cash, checks, and credit/debit cards for your convenience, so you can even make your reservations with me over the phone. Please feel free to call or e-mail me to RSVP asap and with any further questions you might have! All workshop play dates will be held in my stamp room here in Barstow.

The April 2010 VERANDA Workshop on the Go play dates for you to choose from are:
Friday, April 16th (6pm to 10pm)

Saturday, April 17th (2pm to 6pm)

and/or Monday, April 19th (10am to 2pm) - bring a sack lunch!

Please pre-order your workshop kit by April 9th

so all supplies can arrive in time for these play dates!

$8 or $14 to create the VERANDA cards and bonus item!
Includes pre-cut papers and embellishments to make a variety of 3 standard-size cards, a surprise bonus item (pop-up gift card wallet shown below!), plus you get the instructional Workshop Guide too! (You will need to provide your own adhesive). Cards may vary slightly from the examples shown in the guide as I may have to use the bulk papers and embellishments available to me to make this lower-cost option possible. When you choose the double cards option you will make 2 each of the 3 card designs (1 bonus item) for $14.

$8 to make the VERANDA layout and bonus item!
Includes pre-cut papers and embellishments to create 2-12x12 pages, a surprise bonus item (pop-up gift card wallet shown below!), plus you get the instructional Workshop Guide too! (You will need to provide your own adhesive). Layouts may vary slightly from the examples shown in the guide as I may have to use the bulk papers and embellishments available to me to make this lower-cost option possible.

VERANDA BASIC Kit – you pay $35
($5 more to add the My Stickease®)
Includes full embellishments,
but no stamp set (you can use mine)
Total value $36.16 including tax & shipping (save $1.16)
X7119B Veranda Level 2 paper packet ($12.95)
Z1269 Filigree Charms ($3.95)
Z1275 Mini-Medley Accents Antiqued Copper Collection ($4.95)
Z1266 Just Blooms Spring Blossoms ($7.95)
Workshop Guide ($1.00)

VERANDA BASIC “BUDDY” Kit – $36
($18 per person, $5 more to add the my Stickease®)
Includes everything in the BASIC Kit shown above,
plus an additional Workshop Guide so you and a friend can split and share the contents of your kit! (the contents of each basic kit can be split equally!) You may need to purchase a few additional sheets of cardstock to complete all of the projects.

VERANDA BEST Kit – you pay $43.00
($5 more to add the My Stickease®)
Includes exclusive stamp set and
full selection of embellishments!
Total value $52.54 including tax & shipping –
you save $9.54! (best value!)
X7119B Veranda Level 2 paper packet ($12.95)
My Acrylix® exclusive “Follow Your Heart” stamp set ($13.95)
Z1269 Filigree Charms ($3.95)
Z1275 Mini-Medley Accents Antiqued Copper Collection ($4.95)
Z1266 Just Blooms Spring Blossoms ($7.95)
Workshop Guide ($1.00)

Additional Required Tools:
When you attend the workshop, I will have all of the items listed below on hand for you to use! Please remember to bring your adhesive, paper trimmer, and scissors and bring the items listed below with you IF you have any of them to cut down on your time spent waiting to share supplies with other guests. You also have the option to add any of these items on to your order if you want to (and this could help you get the Stamp of the Month set FREE or at a discount)! If you are not able to create with us in person, you can either add these items on to your order or substitute other similar items you may already have to use (for example, any alphabet font stamp set you have could be substituted to create your desired title for the layouts).
E1010 My Acrylix® Chocolate Alphabet Large $34.95
Z2167 Crème Brulee Exclusive Inks® Pad $5.25
Z2120 Garden Green Exclusive Inks® Pad $5.25
Z2166 Tulip Exclusive Inks® Pad $5.25
Z1142 Brown StazOn® Ink $9.95
Z726 Sponge Daubers $3.95
Y1001 1" × 1.5" My Acrylix® Block $4.50
Y1004 2.5" × 2.5" My Acrylix® Block $7.50
Y1010 2" × 6 1/2" My Acrylix® Block $9.95

We're gonna create some beautiful things! I'll look forward to seeing you at one or more of our workshop play dates in April!!

April Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

WELCOME to my blog and THANKS for stopping by to see my artwork featuring the April SOTM - Flower Pot D1409! I have used the Veranda Level 2 paper packet X7119B for all of my creations.

• First is a pop-up gift card wallet. You are getting three views of it at once in this photo; bottom left shows it closed, top left shows it partially opened, and on the right you see it opened all the way. You are supposed to insert a gift card or folded-up cash in the pop-up spot where you now see my business card! I will share the cutting dimensions and directions how to make it below. I learned how to create this fun pop-up holder from my 3rd upline Cindy Baker who learned it from one of her uplines Debbi Fournier (so thanks so much for sharing it and passing it on down to me ladies)!
• Next, I have shared a 4.5" circle card: design inspired by Wishes - Side Note (p. 127).
• Finally, in the last photo are two small cards: the 3x3" card design is inspired by Originals - Squares & Overlay (p. 65) and the 2.5x3.5" card is inspired by Originals - Double Duty (p. 113).

Pop-Up Gift Card Wallet instructions:

• Cocoa cardstock base is 4.25 x 10" (round corners)
• Score the cardstock base at 3", 4", 5", and 8" (or scoring 2" from opposite end works better)
• B&T paper for outside of the holder - 2.75 x 4" (cut two - one from B&T and one from vanilla cream cardstock to be stamped on) and 1.75 x 4" (cut one)
• B&T paper for inside of the holder - 2.75 x 4" (cut two) and 1.75 x 4" (cut one)
• The band that is wrapped around to hold the holder closed is a 12" x 1/2" strip of cardstock (layered with a .75 x 4.25" piece of Cocoa cardstock underneath on the front side only), which is then embellished with paper flowers and a button.
• At the 3" score make a valley fold (this will be the front bottom).
• At the 4" score make a mountain fold. (This fold and the next fold will make the portion that will hold the gift card).
• At the 5" score make a valley fold.
• At the 8" score make a valley fold (this will be the front top).
• Use a strong adhesive (like tombow) along the outside valley fold of the 4" scored edge to adhere the pop-up gift card holder portion together, then cut off 1/16th of an inch of the pop-up fold so you can insert the gift card/money there.
• Fold the holder (you may need to trim a little off the bottom front flap to ensure it folds closed well) before adhering the B&T papers. Once it folds nicely you can apply all of the B&T papers as well as your stamped cardstock to the front and back sides.

If you want to see a whole lot more beautiful artwork created by participants of the consultant SOTM swap that I host each month you will want to come back tomorrow to check out my next posting (on April 1st, 2010)!! You'd be a fool not to want to check it out - lol!

Now you can continue on with the hop by visiting **JODY'S BLOG** next to enjoy her amazingly creative artwork!!

CTMH team meeting at Cindy's house today!

Today I drove about two hours to Menifee with a few of my Close to my Heart consultant friends to attend a team meeting at my 3rd upline Cindy Baker's house! I enjoyed the drive and conversation with my friend and downline Katrina and my upline Mary and sideline Jolene and then we had a great time at our meeting. The creative projects were fun to make and very inspiring, the food was yummy (potluck), and I really enjoyed getting out for the social time too! Cindy presented some good ideas for us to take and apply to make our businesses better. Our team theme for the year will be the same theme we will be focusing on at Convention in Washington D.C. this Summer: "Picture This." Cindy challenged us to come up with a small goal (something realistic we can accomplish with CTMH) and "Picture ourselves" achieving it within the next 6 months. We made the sweetest little gift card wallet using our new Topstitch papers and also an altered canvas wall-hanging to help remind us of our "Picture This" goal to shoot for over the next 6 months.

I added a photo of Washington D.C. to my canvas to remind me of my goal. I will be working towards earning enough income with my CTMH business to help me pay for my trip to the Washington D.C. Convention in July! I love attending our Conventions!! This will be the 5th one I've attended and I have already registered and decided that I am going for sure (whether I can really afford it or not - lol). I am so blessed to have such a loving husband and family willing to support me and sacrifice a little just so I can go enjoy a week away to this wonderful event with CTMH. This year though, I would really like to be able to say that I earned and covered my own expenses in full which will probably be about $1200 including the registration fee, air fare, hotel, and food costs. So that is what I will be working towards! I hope you enjoy the photos I've shared here to show you what we created. What a good day it has been!!