Year in Review & Looking Forward to 2012

2011 has been a great year for me . . . highlights were:   Great vacations to Hawaii and California with my family and friends.    I enjoyed a fantastic & fun CTMH convention in July in Anaheim.  I saw the number of consultants on my CTMH team triple.  I was published in a magazine for the first time.  My artwork won several CTMH contest categories this year.  I participated on a Design Team for the first time.  I went ziplining for the first time (so fun!).  My hubby & I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary.  And most importantly my kids are happy and healthy. 

Here, in no particular order, are six of my favourite projects from the past year (because I couldn't narrow it down to just five!):

1)  Future All Star Layout (this is my first published layout - in the Summer 2011 issue of Canadian Scrapbooker)

2) Vegas Layout - - love everything about this layout - - everything just came together for me on this one!

3)  Xmas Dreaming layout - - I love the simplicity of this layout.  It was quick to do and yet I love the end result.   I need to do more layouts like this!

4)  The Puck Stops Here - - love the title!! I racked my brain for a title on this layout and when it came to me, I knew it was perfect!! Don't you love that feeling?!?!  (This layout was also one of my 2011 CTMH Contest winners).

5) Full Throttle Layout - not sure why I like this one - but I do.  I think it is partly because I challenged myself in creating this layout & stepped outside of my 'box'.  I challenged myself to use the paper from a 'wedding' kit (Bliss) in a non-wedding way!!    I also tried to use a variety of embellishments & accents from different manufacturers, paper lines, etc. to pull the layout together (which I don't normally do!!) and was happy with the result!    Scrapping your stash is always a good feeling!

6)  Time Well Spent layout - KRAFT!! Kraft was new to me this year & I love it - - my new favourite 'neutral'!   

So what is ahead for me in the New Year?  Well, I have a few goals.  I want to scrapbook more.  And I want my scrapbooking to include more meaningful stories.  (And I would love to help others do this too!!)  I would also like to spend more time submitting to magazine calls.  On the business side of things, I plan to focus more on my crops and retreats and will do fewer smaller classes/workshops (prioritizing the things I ENJOY doing the most!).  I would like to learn more about photography this year if time permits and on a completely unrelated note, I would like to take skating lessons.  I would like to simplify and improve the organization of our home.   I did a better job in 2011 than I did in 2010 of maintaining balance in my life and learning to say 'no' if needed so that I don't take on too much.  I want to continue that in 2012!     Lots of big ideas running through this head of mine!! Now to put it all into action!   Stay tuned for progress updates!

As 2011 draws to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your interest in me, my blog, and my crafty creations.   CTMH and blogging have opened up a whole new world to me these last few years and I can't wait to see where it all takes me next!  

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 

Out with the Old, In with the New

The new Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book is coming very soon!!!  My consultant copies arrived on my doorstep today & the book will be live & available to YOU on February 1st!   I'm so excited to share the new book and products with you in the coming weeks!  

In the meantime, it is time to say goodbye to some great items we've enjoyed in the Fall/Winter 2011 Idea Book!   You have just one month left to order these great paper lines (including the stand alone paper packs, the workshop kits, and coordinating accessories - click on the links above the photos to view products):

DREAMIN':

MISCHIEF:

BELIEVE:

WONDERLAND:

Get your orders in for these popular lines by January 31st!! You can send me an email at csironside@shaw.ca at any time with your order or shop online on my WEBSITE.

Start Your Engines with Typeset

Hope you all had a great Christmas!  I'm enjoying lots of time with family!  It will still be a a few days at least before I'll have a chance to head back into the craft room, but in the meantime thought I would share a project or two from recent months that I haven't yet had a chance to post. 

Here is a two-page layout (click on it to view larger) - love this design!  It is from the CTMH sketch book "MAGIC". 

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):
Typeset Paper Pack
Variety of Dimensional Elements chipboard pieces
Alpha stickers from Silhouette Level 1 kit (retired)
September 2011 Stamp of the Month - Limited Edition
Blue Ribbon Acrylic Stamp Set
Black Ink, Juniper Ink
Black, Desert Sand, Bamboo Cardstock

Thanks for stopping by!! 

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick note to wish all of my followers, readers, customers & friends a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!   Wishing you many memories made with family & friends over the holidays!  

Inspired by: Serenity in Stamping

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):
Card Chatter - Christmas acrylic stamp set
Bundled Buddies acrylic stamp set
Stardust Glitz Glitter Gel
Ink: Black, Indian Corn Blue, Sweet Leaf
White Daisy Cardstock

SEE YOU IN 2012!!!

Rock the Block

Just a quick note to let you all know about the National Papercrafting Month promotion from Close to My Heart called "Rock the Block"!

Place a minimum order of $25 between December 19th and January 31st and you can get TWO brand new products for just $15; the My Creations Collage Cubes (sneak peek of a Spring/Summer 2012 product) and the EXCLUSIVE "Rock the Block" E-sized stamp set!  That is a retail savings of almost $30!!

So many possibilities!!  With Christmas fast approaching, I haven't had a chance to play & create with my Rock the Block goodies yet -  so I thought I'd share some inspiring ideas I've come across online:

First of all - check out this video from the Close to My Heart art department featuring Rock the Block:



And here is some great artwork I have come across online using Rock the Block:

Angela's cute seasonal home decor:
http://angelascraftcloset.blogspot.com/2011/12/rock-block-with-ctmh.html

Wendy's gorgeous holiday ornaments:
http://www.stampingrules.com/2011/12/rock-block-blog-hop.html

Brenda's stunning artwork (more home decor & a homemade shadowbox):
http://roseblossomlegacies.blogspot.com/2011/12/rock-block-winter-promotion.html

and more great ornaments from Christine:
http://createwithchristine.blogspot.com/2011/12/rock-block-perfect-for-ornaments.html

and lastly, Gina's family picture collage:
http://www.gmbscrapper.blogspot.com/2011/12/rock-block-december-18.html

So many great ideas!! I can't wait to get into my craft room to start playing!  Hope these links have inspired you too!!  Contact me before January 31st to order or shop online to get yours!!

Crafting with Kids - Christmas Ornament

Thought I'd share a cute little Christmas tree ornament that I taught to my daughter's hockey team today at their holiday party:

Easy peasy!! Just two materials - several strips of cardstock and a length of ribbon!

I used the CTMH BELIEVE paper pack for my ornament and white daisy grosgrain ribbon.

You can find the full instructions to make these ornaments HERE! 

Enjoy crafting with your kids!

Oh Christmas Tree

We have a new challenge for you at Scrap it With a Song today.   Create a project (layout, card or other) inspired by ANY Christmas carol! 

My choice was Oh Christmas Tree:

My card was inspired by one in the 2010 Autumn Winter CTMH Idea Book.   I just love the bright 'pear' green! 

Hope you'll be able to find a few minutes for crafting in this busy holiday season and play along with us at SIWAS!  We are offering a fantastic prize this month and you have until December 31st to link up your entry!



Xmas Dreaming

We have a new song up on the playlist for you at Scrap it With a Song this week!  It is the timeless "Dreaming of a White Christmas" by Bing Crosby!

My creation is a layout of my son when he was about 21 months old.  We were hanging out in the playroom/family room and he just curled up in a corner, layed his head on a little foam chair & fell asleep!  There is nothing sweeter than seeing your babies sleep!

The paper is pretty busy, so I kept my embellishments to a minimum, just adding some gems to the snowflake centers.

The paper is a retired CTMH pack called Jingle - - one of my all time favourite winter packs because of the non-traditional colors!   The alphas are AC Thickers.

Hope this song inspires you as well!  Link up your card, layout or other project by December 31st over at the SIWAS blog to be entered in this month's draw for a really FANTASTIC prize - THREE holiday paper collections!!

Inspired by Pinterest

Are you as inspired by all of the amazing images on Pinterest as I am!?!?  I am totally addicted!    If you are . . . you will love this new "Inspired By" challenge blog with Laurel Seabrook.  Each challenge will feature an image from Pinterest to inspire your creations!    Love the seasonal image she chose for the inaugural challenge:

GORGEOUS!!

I am really last minute on this one, so I whipped up a really clean & simple card to play along!

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart except as noted):

Christmas Love acrylic stamp set

Olive & Sky Ink

White Daisy & Sky Cardstock

Foam Tape

Gems from Martha Stewart

Be sure to bookmark this new challenge blog to help spark your creativity!!

CTMH Clearance Sale

Woohoo - just in time for Christmas shopping (or a little gift to yourself!!) - - CTMH added some fabulous items to our "While Supplies Last" Clearance Rack online today!!

Don't miss out - - they'll go fast!!

Included are some great paper packs like Sweetheart, Wings, and Olivia, as well as some great variety packs of cardstock!!

GO HERE to start shopping!  Remember that you can combine your Clearance order with regular priced items and your order also counts towards earning this month's Stamp of the Month!

I dug back into my previous posts to find just a few examples of the artwork I've created using these fabulous paper packs you'll find on sale:

As you can see - - all three of these great collections have been 'well-loved' in my craftroom!! I know they will be in yours too! 

Get them now before they are gone!  Click here to start shopping!