It Has Been Lots of Fun (Fun Fold that is)

***Don't forget to sign up to earn free products with my Online Hostess Club. Registration closes TODAY! Read all about it HERE***

Good day all!

Today I share with you a Fun Fold Card that was posted by Ink It Up! with Jessica. I can see that I will be making more of these. I did alter is some to highlight more stamping though. Here is my take on the card:

I used the following Close to My Heart Products:

- Exclusive Inks: Ruby, Sunset and Lagoon

-Good Times Stamp Set (retired)

Speaking of Retired, today is the last day to get the Retired Items on my website. Thanks for stopping by and come back for a VIDEO tomorrow. Until next time....

Happy Birthday David

Happy day all!

Holy moley guacamole, I cannot believe my baby is now 16! He was the last but the biggest and brings me a lot of joy (he is a comedienne). Here is the birthday card I made for him:

Happy Birthday David. Pa and I wish you all the best. We know you are destined for great things! Love you!

Happy Birthday Dad

This is my Dad's first birthday in heaven and we miss him dearly. My talented younger brother Chris wrote this poem for Dad and I just had to share it:

Happy Birthday in Heaven Daddy. We will all honor you by being the best we can be and know you are always with us. Love you!

Another Sweet Card.....

***Don't forget to sign up to earn free products with my Online Hostess Club. Registration closes January 31st. Read all about it HERE***

Howdy Pardners!

Today I have another card made from the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge. This was from the week prior but I still did it anyway-LOL! 

Can you believe I got so much out of one paper pack (I even have to pieces left)? Wait till you see what else I have made. Until then....

You've Got a Friend in Me (Rex)

***Don't forget to sign up to earn free products with my Online Hostess Club. Registration closes January 31st. Read all about it HERE***

Good day all!

Today is another project that I made using the Toy Story Additions pack from the now defunct Creative Memories. I knew I was not going to make too many layouts so I opted for a card instead. Here is the first of 4:

I think it is perfect for a fellow Disney lover like me. I got the inspiration from the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge and enter it there. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will come back tomorrow for another Disney project. Until next time.....

The Quickest Scrapbook Layout in the East.....

Greetings all!

Today I took some me time from the afternoon to the evening to be creative. I was feeling really anxious and this was the best medicine! I have been trying to use up some of my scrappin' stash to make room for the new items coming in February from Close to My Heart. You can earn free products with my Online Hostess Club (see deets HERE).This was a Toy Story Creative Memories I have had for ages. Of course this is all set up for a pic of our grandson Elijah. Here it is:

I think it is too cute and suitable for the cutest grandson in the world. Come back tomorrow to see some more Toy Story projects I made. Until next time.....

What Great Friends I Have.....

Good day all.....

Today I decided to surprise my stamping friends who meet once a month by coming to our monthly group. Since Dad passed on Monday they did not expect to see me but I felt the need to be surrounded by these phenomenal women. Today my dear friend Julie taught us a card masking technique that I thought was loads of fun. Here is the card we made:

As she is a Stampin' Up demonstrator, we used Stampin' Up Inks and stamps. She then challenged us to use this technique for our card swap next month. I only have one large background stamp so I decided to try something a little different. Here is my first test run:

For this card we used the center of the template from card above to mask the middle of the card. I used the following Close to My Heart products:

Stamps: Sparkle & Shine Scrapbooking Workshop on the Go Stamp Set, Cricut Artbooking Collection Take Note Stamp Set, Cricut Art Philosphy Celebration Stamp Set

Exclusive Inks: Lagoon, Sunset, Gypsy, Ruby

I did not get to make any cards for this month's swap but I had my dear friend Erin make this card just for me:

And our uber talented friend Jean made this card:

I am so grateful to be surrounded by such wonderful family and friends who are supportive always. I know I would return the favor in a heartbeat. Thanks for stopping by and I wish you a wonderful night. Until next time......

It is done....

Well all, the day came and Dad has passed on to a place of no more sickness and pain. I am grateful to have a wonderful Dad. I will be offline for about a week so I can be there for my Mom (the most influential person in my life). RIP Dad.

Until next time.....

Scrapbook Blessings Blog Challenge

Good evening all (yup I am posting late today):

Today I got to make a card for the Scrapbook Blessings Blog. The theme of the challenge is Pretty Pictures, so pull out those stamp images or digi stamps and make a pretty picture with them. This can be a card, layout or wall hanging or anything else you can think of. I chose a card as that is what popped in my head. I am also going to try a layout as well later in the week. Here is the card I made for the challenge:

Here are are the items that I used to make the card:

- Close to My Heart Black Shimmer Trim

- Close to My Heart Angel Friends Stamp Set

- Close to My Heart Sparkles Grey & Black Assortment

- Close to My Heart Special Care December Stamp of the Month (retired)

- Close to My Heart ProPlayer Paper Packet

- Close to My Heart Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads: Black, Twilight, Ruby, and Slate

- Close to My Heart 12" x 12" Cardstock: Ruby and White Daisy

- Stella Wink Glitter White Glitter Pen

- Sakura Metallic Gel pen: Silver and Gold

This card was so much fun to make that I can see making a bunch of them. I will also be sharing this for another challenge we are doing among friends to use our new items. Remember, you can get all these great products as part of our new Online Hostess Club (click the link for more details). I look forward to sharing some more great projects using my FAVORITE products. Until next time....

A very Successful Crop

Good day all!

I am going to apologize in advance as these pics are less than stellar. It has been kind of a rough two days. Got home from an all day crop and got some bad news. I did have a successful day though cropping with my friends Julie and Sharon. Got to catch up with other friends too (Hi Nellie and Micki). Here are the layouts that I got done:

As things come to a close for my Dad, I realize how important it is to make good  memories with your loved ones and preserve those memories. Do you have LOTS of pictures on your camera or computer and want a way to share them. Well, join my NEW Online Hostess Club and make sure those memories are not lost FOREVER. For as little as $25 a month (with 6 members) you can earn free products during your hostess month. You can gather 6 friends or I can add you to a group. Not a traditional scrapbooker, no problem with the new Close to My Heart Picture my Life Scrapbooking program. Easy peasy for sure. Come and give yourself a gift that can be enjoyed by others. Contact me with any questions HERE.

Get Inky! Challenge Blog Hop

Hi, and welcome to the Get Inky! Farewell & Welcome Blog Hop. You should have arrived here from Lyne's blog blog. If you happened to have stumbled into the hop mid-way be sure to start at the Get Inky! Challenge blog for a chance to win a fun prize! The blog hop is saying goodbye to our previous team members, and welcoming our current members, some of whom are new to Get Inky!

Now for the fun part... Leave a comment on each blog along the way and you'll be entered to win: 


* one of three one-year Inky Moonbeam memberships 


* one Crafty Card Gallery app donated from Jennifer Restivo


To see what the club is all about, visit www.bluemooncreation.net

For my project I decided to pull out an oldie but goodie idea. I decided to make a Folded Gift Card envelope card (I will be teaching this as a workshop this year as well). Here is the card closed:

And here is the card open:

Here is the recipe for my project:

- Paper is from the Close to My Heart Sparkle and Shine Paper Pack (this is retired so I will be making more with the Laughing Lola Paper Packet)

- Digi stamp from the Get Inky Moonbeams club I belong to (get more details HERE)

- Miscellaneous brads, eyelets, twine and medallion from the scrap pile.

This is so fun and I cannot wait to share with it others. But for now, I send you off to Susan R's blog. Until next time.....

Get Inky Stamps Challenge Inspiration

Happy Friday all!

Today I am sharing a card that I made for the Get Inky! Stamps Challenge blog. The theme is Handmade Flower. Well, for this challenge I used several stamp set from Get Inky! Stamps. Here is the card I made:

Here is the "Recipe:

* Paper is from Recollections Letter size cardstock
* CTMH White Daisy 12" x 12" cardstock
* Get Inky! Stamps: Sew Sweet Cupcakes, Love Bugs, Buzzing Bees and Mini Buzzing Bees 
* Adirondack and Ranger Inks
* CTMH Sparkles (currently available in Clear, Brown & Tan Asst and Black & Gray Asst)
* CTMH Silver Shimmer Trim (also currently available in Red, Black and Bronze w/new colors coming soon)
* Flower made from scrap pink paper from a tutorial found here

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you will join the Handmade Paper Challenge over at the Get Inky! Stamps Challenge blog. Until Next time......

I am on Cloud Nine....

To see about our New Online Hostess Club, click HERE.

G'day all:

I finally found the time to make cards from the Cloud Nine Cardmaking kit. I was on cloud nine and you can be too! Here are my cards:

Here are some closeups:

You can get an exclusive Cloud Nine cardmaking kit for $15 (retail value $46) with a qualifying purchase of $35 or more (excluding tax and shipping) during January in celebration of National Papercrafting Month. Make 10 adorable cards (2 each of 5 designs) with funky messages to put any recipient on cloud nine! You can add one cardmaking kit for every $35 in your order*. Watch the campaign video and then contact me for more details.

*Note that Cloud Nine cardmaking kits do not count toward qualifying order totals. The retail value of the order is totaled prior to determining promotional kit eligibility. For example, if you purchase $60 in retail items, and add a single card kit for $15, that $75 purchase does NOT qualify you to add a second promotional kit. The qualifying base purchase is exclusive of promotional cardmaking kits.

Black & White Challenge for Crafty Card Gallery

Happy day all!

Today I get to be guest designer for Crafty Card Gallery! The theme was Black & White and I first thought of penguins but then opted to think outside the box. With wedding and prom season approaching, I thought this would be a great card. Here it is:

 I made a doily dress and used some Stampin' Up pearls. The stamp set is from the Cricut Artbooking Collection (click the link to see the whole collection). This was such a fun card to make for sure! Thanks to Jen for having me over here at the Crafty Card Gallery. Thank you for stopping by. Until next time.....

Earn FREE products with our NEW Online Hostess Club

The new 6 Month Club will run FEBRUARY - JULY 2014 and you spend $25 each month (plus S&H and Tax). There are 6 spots in this club of which you can have more than one spot if you choose to. You will then be the Hostess and earn FREE product for each club spot you hold.

When it is your Hostess Month you will receive an email explaining the details again so you don't have to remember all of this. You can choose from stamp sets, paper packets, stickers and complements, ink pads, markers, re-inkers, cardstock, acrylic blocks, Workshop on the Go Kits and Studio J Layouts (see these on my website: suenj.ctmh.com)

In addition to being the hostess, ALL members will receive:

1) FREE Idea Books before other customers

2) A FREE gift just for joining

3) A FREE Stamp of the Month during hostess month

4) One month of being the hostess earning at least $25 in FREE Hostess Rewards

5) Access to the monthly Corporate Campaign & My personal specials.

6) A Give-Away for each club

No Home Gathering or meeting is required for this club...just send me your order via e-mail by the 12th of each month, paid by the 15th Outside orders from friends, family, co-workers, etc. will help you earn more goodies so they are definitely encouraged!!

*All orders should be sent to me via e-mail by the 12th of each month, paid by the 15th!! I put in your order individually, shipping directly to you!

*Orders are processed and shipped straight to YOU as soon as you pay for your order.

I cannot wait to share this with all of you. If you have any questions, feel free to email me here.

Pssssssstttttt...........

Good day all:

I had to let you in on a little secret. Lookie here:

The NEW 2014 Spring/Summer 

Idea Book is coming soon. 

I had a chance to go through it already and I have to say that I want it ALL. There are SO MANY amazing new products in it and I want you to join in the fun. The new Idea Book goes live FEBRUARY 1, 2014 BUT

You can get yours EARLY and FREE:

- Place an order of $40 or more on my website (suenj.ctmh.com) and I'll send you one FREE! 

You will have paper catalog in hand to see all the papercrafting goodness there is in it. And remember, if you order before January 31st, you can get the SPECIAL Cloud Nine Cardmaking kit for only $15 (reg. $46). If you do that, you also qualify for the January Stamp of the Month for ONLY $5 (that is 70% off retail). What a bargain!! If you order be a part of my EZ Invite Online Gathering and qualify to be the MYSTERY HOSTESS for January. The more orders, the more free and discounted products you can earn. So bring your friends to the party. I am looking forward to meeting your papercrafting needs with quality products. Please let me know if you have any questions by sending me a message HERE. Until next time......

Have You heard the News.....

Close To My Heart is teaming up with Big Picture Classes again to bring you a live webcast with step-by-step instructions for making this Valentine’s Day scrapbook page. It’s the perfect way to showcase your precious photos of that special someone.

The free webcast will air Thursday, January 30 at 7:00 pm (MST). The Pajama Party will be available for FREE at BigPictureClasses.com on January 30, and will be archived after the event for future viewing.

If you would like to interact on the message board, participate in live chat, post to the gallery, download handouts, or enter any contests, you will need to log in to the Pajama Party “classroom” by creating a free account on the Big Picture Class website.

To make our “Lucky in Love” scrapbook page, you will want to have the following items—or similar products—on hand (click the link to go straight to my website):

• G1066 Workshops on the Go™ Sarita Scrapbooking Kit
• X5935 Adventure Cardstock Combo Pack
• 1385 White Daisy Cardstock
• Z2106 Blush Exclusive Inks™ Pad
• Z2170 Ruby Exclusive Inks™ Pad
• Z1826 Hollyhock Zipper Lace
• Z1807 Pink Glitter Gems
• Z1850 Lagoon Houndstooth Washi Tape
• Z1294 Sanding Kit
• Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

I am so looking forward to this class and would love for you to join me. The best part of ordering these items is you will qualify for the discounted Cloud Nine Cardmaking Kit and the January Stamp of the Month. If you have any questions, then you can email me HERE. Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.....

Joy to the World....

Good day my friends....

I took a couple of days hiatus to get acclimated to being back home and to work. I had to wait to share my current project as it was a early birthday gift for my bestest friend Laurie. We have been friends since H.S. (1983) and she appreciates when I make her hand made presents. The holidays were rough for both of us and I wanted to bring a little JOY to her winter days. Thus, I made her this winter Joy banner....

The banners are canvas and the papers were all Stampin' Up. I figured that she can hang it in her office at work. I added Stickles to make stamped letters to make them stand out.

I will try to post frequently but this is a difficult time for our family. Family is always first for me so I promise to post as much as possible. All good thoughts are definitely welcome. Until next time....

This is way overdue....

Greetings all from the frozen Tundra (AKA New Jersey)! I decided to do a video now that I am back from an extended visit with my parents. We enjoyed the visit as this will be the last Christmas we have with Dad. I came home to some happy mail and hubby (aka Principe Films) broke out the camera for me (even though he has a raging cold). Here are all the goodies that I ordered (for now):


You can see these items and more over at my website suenj.ctmh.com. And remember that the new Idea Book will be available online February 1st. If you place an order on my website now through Jan 31st, I will send a paper catalog so you can see it before anyone else. I cannot wait to start using all the new products. Also remember that if you place a qualifying order of $35 or more, you can get the Cloud Nine Cardmaking kit (seen HERE) and then you qualify for the January Stamp of the Month for only $5 (retail value $17.95). Join my EZ Online Gathering where, when you place your order,  you can qualify to be the Mystery Hostess of the Month. The more orders the higher the rewards. So bring your friends over to my Website and get in on the fun. 

I look forward to seeing one of my followers and/or FB friends being the Mystery Hostess of the Month. Until next time.....

One of my Resolutions is to get More Organized.....

How about you? Well, do I have the answer for you. The My Creations Craftable Containers are heavan sent. Here a video with more information:



There are many to choose from so there will be one to fit your organization needs. You can see the entire collection HERE. I'd love to hear how you will be getting organized this year. Until next time....

Walking in a Washi Wonderland

Happy 4th day of National Papercrafting Month!

Today I have a video showing the wonders of Washi Tape. The video shows several Washi tapes and we have some new ones I am super excited about. Here is the video:



The Washi Tapes you have to choose from are:

Z1817 Slate Polka-Dot Washi Tape

Z1850 Lagoon Houndstooth Washi Tape

Z1931 Honey Triangles Washi Tape

Z1932 Silver Geometric Washi Tape

Z1933 Ruby Chevron Washi Tape

Z1920 Gold Polka-Dot Washi Tape

Z1923 Smoothie Striped Washi Tape

Z1930 Chocolate Woodgrain Washi Tape

The Cricut Artbooking Collection is perfect for making a mini book or you can add it to embellish a card. So come and join the Washi Wonderland. Come back tomorrow for another sneak pick. Until next time....

Picture My Life Scrapbooking Program

Happy 3rd Day of National Scrapbooking Month!

I just love month long celebrations, don't you? Today I wanted to showcase the ULTIMATE solution for those that lead busy lives but wish to preserve those special memories. If this describes you (and ME), this is a wonderful solution for you. The Picture My Life Scrapbooking program gives you 8 themes to add to your pocket pages to accent your pictures. The themes are:

PICTURE MY LIFE AVONLEA SCRAPBOOKING PROGRAM

PICTURE MY LIFE BABYCAKES SCRAPBOOKING PROGRAM

PICTURE MY LIFE CHANTILLY SCRAPBOOKING PROGRAM

PICTURE MY LIFE LATER SK8TER SCRAPBOOKING PROGRAM

PICTURE MY LIFE LAUGHING LOLA SCRAPBOOKING PROGRAM

PICTURE MY LIFE SURFS UP SCRAPBOOKING PROGRAM

As you can see there is something for everyone. There is so much you can do. Just select an album and one of the themes and run with it. I think Chantilly is my favorite. You can read more about it on my website HERE. Come back tomorrow for a spotlight of another new item. Until next time....

Artbooking: Let's Celebrate

G'day all.....

Today I am previewing a Close to My Heart Video that features the Cricut Artbooking Collection. These Collections are an amazing value! Check out these Celebration layouts in this video:



You can order this and the other Cricut Collections Here. The best part of ordering a collection is that you can get the January Stamp of the Month for only $5 (retail price $17.95) and the Cloud Nine Cardmaking kit. Stay tuned for some other wonderful projects to come. Until next time....

It's National Paper Crafting Month and I am on CLOUD NINE....

Happy New Year all!

Surprise! I was going to not post today but I have been bursting at the seams to share some new things with you. The first one is available starting TODAY until January 31st. It is the Cloud Nine Cardmaking kit. Here is a pic:

And here are the stamps that come with the kit:

There are two ways to get the adorable Cloud Nine cardmaking kit: Purchase it for just $15 (retail value $46) with a minimum qualifying order of $35 during January in celebration of National Papercrafting Month. Or get it FREE when you enroll as a new Consultant in January and submit total personal sales of $300 or more*. (See the tab on my blog at the top about joining my team) Create 10 cute cards (2 each of 5 designs) using three sneak-peek accessories from the upcoming Idea Book, a new D-size stamp set, and exclusive papers. Here is a video showing this great kit (you will not be disappointed):  

The Cloud Nine Card Kit Contains:

1 – My Acrylix™ Cloud Nine Stamp Set (D-size)

1 – Cloud Nine B&T Duos™ Paper

1 – Lagoon Cardstock Sheet

1 – Honey Cardstock Sheet

1 – 9" x 9½" White Daisy Die-Cuts Sheet

1 Roll – Gold Polka-Dot Washi Tape†

1 Roll – Teal Shimmer Trim†

1 Package – Durables Triangle Studs†

10 – Card Bases & Envelopes

1 – Instructional Brochure

†new product in Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book 

*New Consultant’s total qualifying sales must be remitted no 

later than June 30, 2014, and the free kit will automatically 

ship with the Consultant’s order that achieves the minimum 

sales, or, if that order is a customer’s OBA order, it will ship with 

the next order going to the Consultant’s address. Orders must 

be Consultant-placed and the listed shipping address must 

correspond to an address listed on the Consultant’s profile in 

their online Personal Business Assistant.

Offer valid January 1–31, 2014. Additional criteria may apply. 

Tax is based on the price paid for the promotional item. Shipping/

handling based on the full retail price of the card kit ($46).

Featured colors: Lagoon, Sunset, Honey, White Daisy

†new product in Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book

*New Consultant’s total qualifying sales must be remitted no later than June 30, 2014, and the free kit will automatically ship with the Consultant’s order that achieves the minimum sales, or, if that order is a customer’s OBA order, it will ship with the next order going to the Consultant’s address. Orders must be Consultant-placed and the listed shipping address must correspond to an address listed on the Consultant’s profile in their online Personal Business Assistant. Offer valid January 1–31, 2014. Additional criteria may apply. Tax is based on the price paid for the promotional item. Shipping/handling based on the full retail price of the card kit ($46).

Come by my website (suenj.ctmh.com) and get yours today. I cannot wait to show you the new items in the catalog as well. I will also have some special announcements coming as well. Until next time....