Ah the post CU glow!

So I am back from CU, and it was another amazing weekend at Camp Lutherhaven in beautiful coeur d'alene  Idaho. We even got some snow this year! I am so disappointed that my camera decided to kick the bucket before I got a single picture though! I did take a few on my phone but most of the pictures I will post here come from the other crafty ladies that attended this great retreat. I will try to name them all but if I miss someone please comment so I can give you credit!

It’s hard to know where to begin. I guess I will start with the beautiful scenery.

This is a beautiful view of the lake taken by the dining hall. Can you believe we got to see this every time we ate! Thanks Nicole for the beautiful shot!

This is a picture of some of the snow we got Thursday night. It didn’t last long into the day on Friday though.. this is the cabin we stayed in

Of course there was lots of yummy food, I will spare you the details here but they always take good care of us at Lutherhaven!

Taco bar! Yummy! Thanks Chrissy!

just one of the delicious desserts! mmmm….Again thanks Chrissy!

Then of course there are all of the wonderful people!

Who are a ton of fun. That’s our Hostess with the Mostest in the front the Fabulous Tresa Black!

Now what you have probably been waiting for! The projects and classes!

Friday afternoon we got to partake in the Card Boutique at our leisure. Donna designed these adorable cards using the Mayberry papers. Thanks Nona for the pictures.

Sheila created these super cute gift card holders for us!

The first class for my sorority, Lota Croppa was Nona’s layout using ribbon round flowers on Friday night. Of course this is not my layout it is Nona’s hence the photos of Nona’s beautiful family.

That was it for Friday night… Next class was Saturday Morning. I was a teacher’s assistant for Erin’s Charm class! It was a lot of fun! Here is the final product!

Our teacher Erin created this special charm for us isn’t it great!  The Fairy next to it was a special gift to us Charm Fairies that helped in the classes and with the charm swap!

After lunch we made this Pear-fect card/corner bookmark in Jen’s class.

From Jen’s class we went up stairs to Chrissy’s class where we learned how to make Yo-yos and to stitch on our pages.

Then finally we went over to the Lakeview room and made this BEAUTIFUL clipboard!

I love paper flowers and so I think this was just like heaven for me!

So that is about all I think I can fit into one post. I have pictures of my roomie gifts and the projects that I worked on while at CU. But for now I must say goodbye! Enjoy the snow if you were lucky enough to get some!

Kari

CU is so Charming…

I know… so cheesy! But I couldn’t resist! So CU is only 18 days away and I am finally finished with my charms for the charm swap.. I wasn’t going to do it this year but then I couldn’t stop thinking about it.. so I signed up for both themes and went for it!

The themes are Under the Sea, with blues greens and purples.. and the other is Victorian Vintage… think Grandma’s jewelry box…

I am not terribly creative but this is what I came up with. I really wanted to use buttons for some reason.. I don’t LOVE it but here is the Under the Sea charm and filler….

I used two different size and color buttons from CTMH’s spring button collection, and a sparkly bluish purple bead. I used blue waxy flax to string it all together..

Here is the Vintage/Victorian charm. I love these.. they are all a little different.

I found these beautiful resin stickers and cut them to fit my little photo charms. Then I used liquid glad to seal it all in and give it a nice consistent cover over the top.

As you can see I did a very simple cardstock card for the packaging.. I am not feeling terribly creative for some reason.. I need CU to get my creative juices flowing. I can’t wait to learn some great new things this year and meet more wonderful crafty ladies too!

Oh and on a personal note I finally got a new car! Actually it is a Mini van and I love it! We have 3 long drives coming up this year. We have been wanting a van for a long time and decided this was the year. Just in time for the long drive up to CU! Anyway here is my new baby!

She is already in need of a bath! But I just love all the room and the creature comforts it has. This is our last car until after the kids are gone! So I am glad it has a few “extras”.

Have a fabulous week!

It’s been a while!

It sure has been a while since my last post! Well, I think life is finally getting back to normal around here so I thought I would get my craft on and show you some new things!

First! The new Close to my Heart catalog is here! Of course it doesn’t go live until February 1st, BUT it is good for a full 6 months! I have one here in my hot little hands and I can tell you there are some neat things in store for you!

January is our bridge month and there are some good deals to be had here! Check out the Inspirations brochure for a smashing good deal on many stamp sets, including a beautiful full size alphabet for only $25 when you order the Wings workshop kit!

Click on the picture to see all the great products in the Inspirations catalog and to see what great deals are available only for the month of January!

January also brings a new club! We meet the 2nd Friday of the month and there are still a couple of openings so if you would like to meet monthly with a group of crafty gals, make some beautiful projects, and build your collection of fabulous stamps and paper email me and we can get started!

Ok so now for the crafty things I made this weekend!

Here is a Kleenex box re-do. I needed someplace to store my ribbon in and this worked perfectly! Now I just need to make another one for the rest of my ribbon collection! This was really easy to do! I will make a tutorial next time.. Need to buy a new box of Kleenex!

These are my swap cards for my unit swap. We are given a piece of paper and told to make a card with it! I used a sketch I found online for my inspiration. I love sketches!

These are some cards that are in the inspiration brochure and use the January Stamp of the month.. SO Cute!

Ok just the butterfly one is from the brochure..

This one I borrowed from another creative Close to my Heart lady.. I don’t know her name but you can see her version of the card here!

Right now I am working on my charms for our charm swap at CU.. When I get them done I will post pictures here. Thanks for stopping by!

Everyone loves a Sale!

Check out my website for discontinued items at DEEP discounts! New items will be added all the time so check back often!

Click the shopping cart to the right to go to my site. Then click on Shop online, and discounted items!

Happy Shopping!

New Year New club!

Welcome 2011! I know I am a little early, but it is that time of year again! Time for a new club to start!

What is a club you ask? Well, let me tell you!

My paper crafting club meets the 2nd Friday of the month. We meet at my house and make a variety of wonderful paper crafts! From Scrapbook pages, to greeting cards, to home décor items! Past club projects have included the Workshops on the go from Close to my heart, the THANKS banner seen here, Gift card holder for the holidays as seen here, and many more!

Here are the details… It is a 6 month commitment for 6 individuals. Each month you will purchase your workshop kit or place a minimum $25 order. 6 members at $25 per person is $150 in sales which is a “Party”. As you know when you host a home party you earn free and 1/2 price items. The club takes the place of the “home party”. You don’t have to gather up people and clean your house and provide a bunch of refreshments to get your free goodies! Each month one club member will be the “hostess” and will receive a minimum of $25 in free products! During your “hostess” month you can get outside orders to boost your sales and in turn boost your free and 1/2 price items! It is a win-win!

The other great benefit to joining a club is that you have a scheduled night out to craft with friends new and old!

If you are interested in joining my club please email me. In addition each new club member will receive a special stamp set free, just for joining!

Happy Holidays!

P.S. Here is a sneak peek for January!

Plenty for Twenty!

Close To My Heart's December campaign is Plenty for Twenty! 

When you shop my website and spend $20 or more (before shipping and tax) on wonderful Close To My Heart products, you'll receive a free D-size stamp set valued at $22.95 for free—that more than doubles your value!  And on top of that, Close To My Heart will select random orders to have an additional little travel buddy with them…STICKY BOY! If you haven't heard about the legendary Sticky Boy yet, watch this short video to get yourself acquainted.
This special runs from December 1 - December 31, and there is no shipping/handling or tax assessed on the free stamp set.  The free stamp set will be selected by Close To My Heart, so you won't know what set you are getting until you receive your order. 
So click here or on the shopping link on the right and get your free stamp set today!

It’s workshop time again!

So as I was saying in my last post, I had that old saying “Give a man a fish feed him for a day, Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime” on my mind when I was thinking about my next card workshop. I thought I would love to show how to make a variety of gift card holders! It’s a skill that can be used all year long, but especially during the holiday season!

So I have come up with 5 different cards/gift card holders that we will make. Here are some examples of the kind holders we will make! At least one will be a birthday themed holder.  These are all holders that I have made for Christmas.

Please excuse the poor lighting on my photos.  I am almost done with my light box for taking better photos of my cards and such.. Just need another light or two, then I will have beautiful pictures!

Matchbook style

Beanie hat style

Present style

Tresa’s gift card holder style

And my Cup o’ Joe style!

For you local gals if you would like to come to my workshop here is the info!

Where: My house (email me for address)                    When: Sunday Nov. 28th 2pm
Why: Because the holidays are coming and there's always someone you give a gift card to!
How much: $15 or Free with a $25 CTMH order! 
RSVP: by Nov. 20th so I can be sure to pre-cut enough supplies for everyone! No need to bring anything. I will have everything pre-cut and ready to go!

Thanks for stopping by!