What the...?

It's over a month since I last posted.  I think it was just before my annual holiday workshop, wasn't it?  Well, that turned out smashingly well, if I do say so myself!  I had so much fun welcoming my stamping friends to come and create over 100 Christmas cards, snack on the goodies and have lots of laughs and chitchat.  I feel sort of at a loss now since there are no more classes until January.

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving is just what they wanted it to be.  Mine was imperfectly perfect!  My eldest son and his family came down and spent a few days with us.  The house was full of noise, stuff was everywhere and I wouldn't have changed a thing (for this neatnik, that is huge!).  His entire family is vegan so it was a bit of a challenge for me to plan the dinner but I found a recipe for Disney's Ratatouille and gave it a whirl.  It was great!  (Pardon the ugly baking dish).

While I love seeing my son, the highlight for me was getting to spend time with my 5 year old grandson, Lucas.  They're little for such a short time!  Here he is hugging my Mickey snow-mouse.  He even slept with it and asked if I could find him one.  Sure hope I can deliver!

I did get some crafting time in there as well.  I love the deco mesh wreaths so I made one for my sister.  I also tried my hand at the rosette trees featured on the cover of our holiday gift guide.

And now it's the countdown to Christmas.  I actually decorated my house today though the tree is still standing there with just lights on it.  It takes me a few hours to get all the ornaments on so that's saved for Sunday.  Tomorrow is the annual sister's shopping day.  Claire and I will spend the whole day together trying to finish our shopping lists.  We usually don't succeed as it's more our chance to just be with each other, uninterrupted and enjoying each other's company.  I hope everyone is having a happy, healthy and joyful season so far with more to come.  2014, here we come!

Smiles, Caron

Picture Your Life with Close To My Heart!

What a unique opportunity you have!  From now until December 31st, join my team for as little as $49 and  you can earn this brand new scrapbooking program FREE!  Contact me for details.  I'm super excited to get my hands on this as well!  Click here!
Smiles, Caron

And so it begins...

It's November 1st and the countdown begins.  No matter what I do, I'm never ready so I've decided to stop trying.  Let's face it - I'm not Betty Crocker, Martha Stewart, Suzy Homemaker or any of those famed people who seem to have all the answers, do everything perfectly AND on time.  Where's the fun in that, anyway?  My favorite memories (you know, the ones we tell over and over and over) are always based on the things that didn't go as planned.  Remember Christmas eve morning when we found the toilet hadn't stopped running the night before and there was water (clean, thank goodness!) all the way into the living room where the presents were already under the tree?  What about that Thanksgiving where I cooked enough food for 20 people because I didn't know how to cook for just 3 - and then forgot to even take the stuffing out of the turkey?  And who can forget that time when a week after Christmas I discovered a whole bag of presents hidden in the closet - and we had a second celebration opening them?  Does anyone really reminisce about the perfect wrapping paper, the thoughtful table settings or the handmade decorations?  I don't!  So, here's my advice to you from now.  Take it one day at a time and really enjoy what life is handing you THIS VERY MINUTE.  In the rush to be prepared for one single day, it's all too easy to miss the joy in the ones that come before it.

Here's a little card I made (just to keep this post related to stamping)!
Smiles, Caron

It's all in how you look at it!

I recently attended a seminar about diversity in the workplace and one of the key statements was to take a second look to see what you might not notice at first glance.  Well, I applied that theory to this card!  I had a bunch of paper left over from a Christmas paper pack that is now retired.  What to do with it?  I took a second look at it and tried to see beyond the fact that it was Christmas themed.  The card below is the result and nobody I showed it to could tell!  I used my Cricut and Art Philosophy for all the shapes.

Smiles, Caron

A Sarita Birthday

Here's a card my students recently made.  I used the Sarita paper pack and M1033 Heartfelt Birthday Wish (one of our super affordable stamps).  Before stamping, I sponged some lagoon and gypsy inks onto the white cardstock.  Then I stamped the sentiment.  Finally, I added some liquid glass to the open letters.  It's a simple technique but it adds just enough to the card to make it special.  If you click on this picture, you can see some of the shine the liquid glass added to the card.

Smiles, Caron

Holiday Gift Guide!

It's here!  It's here!  You can order from our Holiday Gift Guide starting today!  If you haven't gotten a copy from me, you can always view it on my website (click the link on the left of the screen) or stop by and get one.  Some items are while supplies last so don't hesitate.  I've listed them here:

 "While supplies last" products include:

• Sparkle & Shine Assortment (Z1860)
• Sparkle & Shine Washi Tape 3-Pack (Z1907)
• Workshops on the Go^® Sparkle & Shine Scrapbooking Kit (G1071)
• Season's Tweetings Gift Bag Kit (Z1913)
• Season's Tweetings Gift Bags (Z1914)
• Sparkle Holiday Shapes (Z1910)
• Party Washi Tape 3-Pack (Z1908)
• My Creations^® Hip Pics Album Kit (Z1915)

  And remember - if you order $100 or more (from any current idea book) you can choose a star item for FREE!

The “star” items are the products in the gift guide that have a circled star image next to the product’s item number and include:

• Sparkle & Shine Paper Packet (X7176B)
• Sparkle & Shine Complements Dimensional Elements (X7176C)
• My Acrylix^® Magical Days Stamp Set (D1552)
• My Acrylix^® Santa Claus Stamp Set (C1567)
• My Acrylix^® Mary and Babe Stamp Set (C1562)
• My Acrylix^® Trim the Tree Stamp Set (A1149)
• My Acrylix^® Charming Chevrons Stamp Set (A1150)
• My Acrylix^® Lots of Love Stamp Set (A1151)
• My Acrylix^® Angel Friends Stamp Set (B1435)
• My Acrylix^® Lifting Spirits Stamp Set (C1570)
• My Acrylix^® Banner Wishes Stamp Set (B1438)

Smiles, Caron

Holiday Workshop 2013!

I wasn't going to do this but someone's puppy dog eyes (her initials are Tina O'Brien) convinced me to continue with my annual holiday workshop this year.  I have six designs to choose from, each with a bit of sparkle to them.  This year the cards will be $1.50 each (envelopes available for 10 cents each).  You can make whichever ones you want and however many you want!  Please rsvp with your order by November 1st.

Come share some fun, creativity, holiday music and goodies with me!  There will also be several little gift items already made that will be on sale!

Smiles, Caron

Happy Holidays

Candles (Pinterest inspired!)

Ornaments (Pinterest inspired!)

Penguin

Snowflake

Sparkle Trees

Layouts!

I just ordered a few more Studio J layouts and thought I'd share them with you!

 It's great when a paper pack matches your photos so well without you having to change a thing!

 My middle "baby" is 25!!!

 It's so easy to create accent clusters with My Stickease! You can rotate and resize to your heart's content!

 This was from an express collection.  I just had to personalize it and I was done.

The latest entry in my Disney album.  Can you spot the not-so-hidden Mickey?

Smiles, Caron

Brayered Background

I saw a card like this on (where else) Pinterest and decided it would be a good one to try my hand at brayering the background.  I've seen some amazing cards using this technique, let me tell you!  Anyway, first I punched a small circle out of a sticky note and placed it where I thought the sun might be as it was setting.  Then I inked my brayer with goldrush and lightly rolled it over the entire piece of colonial white cardstock.  Next I inked the brayer in some sunset ink and rolled again but just from the middle down to the bottom.  Lastly, I inked it one more time in autumn terracotta (no need to wash between colors as long as you go from light to dark) and worked that really well at the bottom.  A little bit of sponging around the edges and I was ready to finish the piece.  I removed the circle mask and stamped my tree in black.  Voila!  It reminds me of sunset on the savannah (hey, I've seen the Lion King!).  The tree is from D1543 Country Born.

Smiles, Caron

A happy happy for the week's end

As yet another weekend draws to a close, I thought I'd share another card I made.

This one has no stamping at all!  It didn't start out that way but I like how it ended up.  I used the Laughing Lola paper pack, black glitter cardstock and Art Philosophy for the flower.  I think it's elegant and funky at the same time!

Smiles, Caron

Getting "Pin-spired"

I admit it.  I'm a Pinterest addict.  I can skip around for hours getting all kinds of craft ideas, scrapbook layout designs, cupcake recipes, crochet patterns...you name it, I pin it!  If I were to actually attempt to create all that I pin, I would never do anything else.  I think it's more of a wish list than it is a to-do list but I have actually done a few of the things I've pinned, so there's that.  As usual, I get a lot of inspiration for making my cards at this site.  Why reinvent the wheel when you can simply add your own special twist?  Here's a card where I did just that.

I used D1550 Happy Autumn for the rose and leaves and D1510 For My Friend for the sentiment.  That small piece of striped paper is from the Babycakes paper pack and I added a touch of glitter with our Bronze shimmer trim.  The rose was inked in honey, rolled generously in goldrush and then rolled slightly in autumn terracotta.  I then added even more dimension by using a colored pencil.  I think it turned out quite pretty!

Smiles, Caron
PS:  By the way, if you click on the words in blue (hyperlinks), it will take you directly to that page of my online store where you can see the complete description and price.  Sure beats looking it up in the idea book!

Special blessings in store!

My friend is about to become a mom after waiting for almost seven years!  She and her husband are adopting a little girl from China.  I never knew it took so long but the time is finally arriving and they should be going to get their little princess next month.  I'm so happy for her!  In anticipation of the little one's arrival, her friends threw a baby shower and I wanted to share what I made for her.

I love all types of crafting so it's a treat when I get to create something other than cards or a scrapbook layout.  I hope her little girl likes it!

Smiles, Caron

A card for all seasons!

Here's yet another card my students recently created.  I wanted the milk jug to be cream colored but didn't want to color it myself so I stamped the whole image in black on colonial white cardstock and then cut the jug out.  Then I stamped the image again and glued the colored jug on top of the plain one.  Easy peasy!

Smiles, Caron

September Newsletter

September 2013A newsletter from Caron Little moments matter. Caron Barnard Close To My Heart Independent Consultant Supervisor 9549646067 "Fall" in Love! Autumn is a great time to fall in love with crafting all over again!  I don't know how it works for anyone else, but for me, it's a time to get back to business. Summer sort of slows everyone down which is a good thing but too much of that and laid back becomes lazy bones!  Even though I no longer have kids in school, I still like the structure the school calendar gives me. It's a nice way to ease back into a schedule of some sort and start getting some new projects going.  After all, the holidays are looming just around the corner! So, before the chaos begins, go through your craft stash, peruse your idea books, cruise on Pinterest for ideas and get ready to fall in love again with creating! Check my blog for class schedules! Smiles, Caron September is National Stamping Month! Cheerful wishes to lift your loved ones year-round Read Celebrate National Stamping Month by ordering our new, exclusive You Are My Happy stamp set trio for just $10 only during September. When you place an order of $50 or more you qualify for this whimsical triple stamp set of cheerful sentiments, images, and an alphabet to complement life’s silly, sweet, and serendipitous moments. The stamp set trio, which arrives on three D-size carrier sheets in two envelopes, is stylistically designed so all images coordinate to help you celebrate your happy times all year! Contact your Independent Consultant today to get your own You Are My Happy stamp set trio for just $10 — a savings of $37.90 over retail value! Offer valid September 1–30, 2013. Get your $10 You Are My Happy stamp set trio today! » Stamp of the Month: Poster Tidings Block out some time to make stunning holiday projects Read With the September Stamp of the Month set, Poster Tidings, you’ll have exactly the right words to express what you feel this upcoming holiday season. All of your favorite holiday phrases are included on these fun block stamps, and mixing and matching words is easy to do using the masking technique! The trendy “subway art” look is a cinch with the September Stamp of the Month, so make sure to get it while you can! Offer expires September 30, 2013. See the September Stamp of the Month » Have a Crush? Fall in love with quick and easy memory keeping Read With our two new My Crush™ books, Modville and Bluebird, preserving everyday memories and mementos is a snap! The little things that normally get lost in the busyness of life will be safe within your book’s pages. With just a little tape, glue, or even a paper clip, you’ll be able to preserve life’s adventures as they happen — ticket stubs, receipts, photos, and fast journaling And thanks to the coordinating My Stickease® images, journaling spots, alphabets, and envelope pockets in the four My Crush assortments, you’ll make beauty in no time at all. Fall head-over-heels for the ease of scrapbooking on the go with our new, handy-sized My Crush books!