how sweet it is

 

This is the time of year to head over to the craft store and get your some glitter branches and leaves. I picked up this silver branch for a nickel in the Christmas clearance section!! The flower you see is one that I made by punching several circles (3) in assorted sizes and then snipping out tiny triangles all the way around.

Whatever our souls are made of...

 

This card was inspired by a card I saw in this video from Dawn McVey. I just loved everything about it, and it gave a chance to show you another new product from CTMH. Below you will see I put the card in a new Paper Pouch just like she did in the video. These great little bags come 20 to a pack and are very affordable.

Book Review : Lessons in French

Trevelyan and Callie are childhood sweethearts with a taste for adventure, until the fateful day her father discovers them embracing in the carriage house and, in a furious frenzy, drives Trevelyan away in disgrace. Nine long, lonely years later, Trevelyan returns. Callie discovers that he can still make her blood race and fill her life with excitement, but he can't give her the one thing she wants more than anything--himself.

For Trevelyan, Callie is a spark of light in a world of darkness and deceit. Before he can bear to say his last goodbyes, he's determined to sweep her into one last, fateful adventure, just for the two of them.

The cover of this book is such a turn off for me-it screams cheesy romance.
 BUT I really have enjoyed other books by this author, and this book came recommend from friends. The story is much better!!!

 Trev is a delicious hero and I thought he was very well-written. I enjoyed how he was somewhat of a rebel, cause a little trouble and be mischievous.  Although it seemed sometimes childish, it did make him seem more real.. His need to rebel got him into trouble sometimes - something Callie helps him with - I loved that his feelings are upfront almost from the beginning and that there are several times before the end where he tells her he loves her. *swoon*  They are really cute and sweet together, but the chemistry is also sizzling; was a perfect mix of both. I loved the back-and-forth between them and how they played off one another; they were a very good fit. Callie and Trev are somewhat of what I call daydreamers- always imagining an adventure of some kind-- and when they are together they pretend out-loud, it's quite cute. (Trev also does it with his mother!)  
Trev is back from leaving the country (for reasons that weren't 100% clear to me) to see to his sick mother. He bumps into Callie, who is not married to his surprise but instead has been jilted 3 times! Callie agrees to help get Trev's mother's estate back in order and help her to get better. In the mist of all this her cousin/male guardian loose Callie's beloved (and prized) bull Hubert in a bet. Callie is crushed and Trev makes a plan to get the bull back for her. Which turns out to be a huge mess.
I adore the ending of this book- it was so sweet and finding out that Trev's mother was up to some matching making made me laugh out loud!

hugs & KISSES

It's time to get in the Valentine's Day mode. This card was inspired by one I found on the web. The sweet little heart stamp and the glitter paper banner is from the Whooo's your Valentine Kit- if you want one you should order today!! I used a vintage ticket from my stash and some scraps to make all the banners. I used some chipboard letters and glitter letters from CTMH to make the sentiment- AND a little sneak peak for you- see that grey washi tape at the top? YES- a new product from CTMH

In celebration of National Papercrafting Month, we’re offering a new product, available through January — our Whooo’s Your Valentine kit! This darling kit, which retails for $40, can be yours for only $10 when you spend $35 or more in Close To My Heart product. The kit includes 12 die-cut boxes, 3 cardstock sheets, 1 sheet of silver glitter paper, 12 treat tubes, and an exclusive D-size stamp set created specifically for the kit! Perfect for gifts and classroom projects, the Whooo’s Your Valentine kit will make Valentine’s Day a cinch!
Qualify and buy the Whooo’s Your Valentine kit today for only $10!

Valentine Glitter Heart

One of the other things I love about the January Stamp of the Month is how well the images look as just black and white projects. The cluster of roses for the background of this card makes a great backdrop for the extremely glittery heart. I cover the chipboard heart in a thick layer of pink glitter gel from Close to My Heart.

Book Review: Four to score

Stephanie Plum, Trenton, New Jersey's favorite pistol-packing, condom-carrying bounty hunter, is back - and on the trail of a revenge-seeking waitress who's skipped bail. With the help of 73-year-old Grandma Mazur, ex-hooker Lula, a transvestite musician named Sally Sweet, and the all-too-hospitable, all-too-sexy Joe Morelli, Stephanie might just catch her woman. Then again, with more mishaps than there are exits on the Jersey Turnpike - including murders, firebombs, and Stephanie's arch-rival bounty hunter chasing after the same fugitive - Stephanie better watch her back big-time if she wants to live to crack this case.


In this book Stephanie Plum,bounty hunter, assignment is to bring in a woman.
The fugitive criminal keeps leaving coded messages for her ex-boyfriend, and he's hired Stephanie to figure out what she wants. Stephanie is no good at cracking the code, she asks all the seniors in her building, but no such luck. No surprise that one of the seniors has a nephew that's a wiz at puzzles, not to mention a transvestite singer...
As if it weren't enough to be toting Grandma Mazur and Lula, and now Sally Sweet the singer on her case,  cousin Vinnie has hired her nemesis the woman she caught with her husband, Joyce Barnhardt—not only hired her, but given Joyce the same case! Of course it's not a complete book unless someone is trying to kill Stephanie, this her car and her apartment catch fire!!Whoever it is means business, too—. And then she moves in with Joe Morelli while the damage is being repaired—I can't decide if he is trouble or not?
I enjoy reading these books, they are funny and easy to read. I know there are 19, I wondering if 19 cars get blown up? I will keep reading these between other things I have on my list.

A true Friend

the inside of this card reads "but not your age." Who wouldn't love a card on their birthday that didn't mention you age? Women, that's for sure!! The thought of getting a card that has a huge 4-0 or 5-0 on the front makes my somach hurt!! A card with some great flowers on the front cut with the Artiste Cartridge would make me happy!! I used the stamp set from the Avonlea Scrapbook WOTG---If you want this kit you better get it by Jan 31 cause it's gone after that

Slider Window Card

This Valentine's card featuring the Jan. Stamp of the Month has 2 great inter-actions. 1st it has a band that slides off (the light pink paper) and 2nd it has a windows. Not just 1 window, but 2!! The 1st window is on the slider and the 2nd is on the card it's self. Looks complicated, right? NOPE!! I cut the whole thing using the CTMH Artiste Cricut Cartridge!!

The purple turtle

I don't like missing birthdays, but it happens. One got by me last week and I had to make a quick belated birthday card to get in the mail right away. We have all seen purple turtles, right? This little purple turtle will bring joy to the person who's birthday I missed-I hope!!

National Popcorn Day

 Happy National Popcorn Day!! Did you know that the CTMH Artiste Cartridge cuts a Popcorn box? I cut this one at fit to page, and comes out about 4" in size. Before I glued the box together I used the Chalkboard marker to draw some lines between each scallop. I used the stamps form the Whooo's Your Valentine to decorate the front. You can get the stamp and extra supplies to make the treat tubes below.

In celebration of National Papercrafting Month, we’re offering a new product, available through January — our Whooo’s Your Valentine kit! This darling kit, which retails for $40, can be yours for only $10 when you spend $35 or more in Close To My Heart product. The kit includes 12 die-cut boxes, 3 cardstock sheets, 1 sheet of silver glitter paper, 12 treat tubes, and an exclusive D-size stamp set created specifically for the kit! Perfect for gifts and classroom projects, the Whooo’s Your Valentine kit will make Valentine’s Day a cinch!
Qualify and buy the Whooo’s Your Valentine kit today for only $10!

Book Review: In the land of the long whit cloud

Helen Davenport, governess for a wealthy London household, longs for a family of her own—but nearing her late twenties, she knows her prospects are dim. Then she spots an advertisement seeking young women to marry New Zealand’s honorable bachelors and begins an affectionate correspondence with a gentleman farmer. When her church offers to pay her travels under an unusual arrangement, she jumps at the opportunity.
Meanwhile, not far away in Wales, beautiful and daring Gwyneira Silkham, daughter of a wealthy sheep breeder, is bored with high society. But when a mysterious New Zealand baron deals her father an unlucky blackjack hand, Gwyn’s hand in marriage is suddenly on the table. Her family is outraged, but Gwyn is thrilled to escape the life laid out for her.
The two women meet on the ship to Christchurch—Helen traveling in steerage, Gwyn first class—and become unlikely friends. When their new husbands turn out to be very different than expected, the women must help one another find the life—and love— they’d hoped for.
Set against the backdrop of colonial nineteenth-century New Zealand, In the Land of the Long White Cloud is a soaring saga of friendship, romance, and unforgettable adventure.

I enjoyed the adventure of this book, both of these girls left England with an idea in their head of how they would live and how their life would unfold. Both were so wrong....
I like everything about this book except the ending, to me it just fell off a cliff. My thought was "that's it?" I wonder if it was lost in translation? This book was written in another language 1st and then translated to English.
If anyone else has read this book, let me know your thoughts and for sure if anyone has read it in the original language please tell me if we missed something.

The tower

For this card I used the La Belle a Vie Workshop on the go stamp. Both the tower and the french label were cut out using the Artiste cartridge. I added a grey felt rub-on and some black tulle ribbon for some texture on the card.

With All my heart

This card uses the Stamp of the Month for January. It has some great sentiments with big swirly words, perfect for Valentine's. Each month you can enjoy a new D-size stamp set, available for one month only, for just $5—that’s over 70% off retail! When you place an order of $50 or more in Close To My Heart products, you qualify for this special Stamp of the Month pricing.

Find what brings you joy

When I was a kid I had a bike with a basket on it, I think it was My Little Pony, my handle bars had rainbow colored fringe coming out of the ends. I was proud of that bike! I think if I had a bike like the one in this card now I would love it! Pink with a wicker basket- that's a grown up bike right? For this card I used the La Belle a Vie Workshop on the go Stamp set. I think it's a great stamp to have, of course it has the bike, but it has french sayings and a super cute light pole.

Space Valentine Party

 I bought the Outta this World Stamp set fully prepared to make pink robots!! The best part about this little party set up is that all the shapes were cut on the cricut using the Artiste cartridge!! I started out by cutting several shapes of each image and then stamped all of them using different shades of pink. From there it was so EASY!! I just started puting together all them items!!

Outta this World Valentine

 

You are invited to an Out of this World Valentine Party!! Check back tomorrow to see the full party ensemble using the Outta this World Stamp set!!

Je t' Aime

For this card I wanted to feature the new honeycomb embossing folders I got for the cuttlebug!!!. The La Belle a Vie line from CTMH had this great stamp- Jardin- that had this stunning bee on it! I used some glitter on the wings, and even thought it doesn't show in the picture it sure makes the little bee stand out!

Gift Tag

The January Stamp of the Month from Close to My Heart is a great one for those of use who like to color. The great flower images on the stamp have the perfect amount of shading to make coloring easy. This simple gift tag uses one of the Journaling Tags

Oh la la Birthday

 Girly birthday cards are my favorite to make, and nothing says girly like flowers and Paris!! For this slide out card I used the La Belle a Vie Workshop on the go stamp set. Best part: that Eiffel tower cuts on the cricut using the Artiste cartridge!!

3x3 Love cards

These 2 little 3x3 cards were made using the La Belle a Vie Workshop on the Go!! The stamp set included has the cutest bicycle!!  Read all about the Workshop on the Go here.

Book Review: The Hidden Heart

The story is set in 1863 in South America, the Pacific and England. Tess Collier has traveled the world with her natural scientist father, the Earl of Morrow. As he is dying in a jungle, she promises him she will sail home to England and marry. Her father’s trustee arranges passage for her on the clipper ship owned by Gryphon Meridon (aka Captain Frost) and hires the man to protect her from inappropriate suitors once they reach England. Gryf has been wronged many times, losing his title, his parents and his wealth to an evil uncle. Though he is “half in love” with Tess, Gryf believes he can never have her as he has nothing to give. Though Tess loves Gryf, through a misunderstanding, she marries another—his twisted cousin.  I enjoyed this book very much! It had it's ups and downs as well as some great adventure.  I liked the characters and the story line. I have read other thing from this author, and she has a way with words. 

Colored Rose Card

This card uses the wonderful Stamp of the Month for Jan 2013. It has these great rose images. Perfect for those of us who like to color. I like to color because it is relaxing- If you would like to own your own Stamp of the Month for just $5 head over to my website and shop!! Click here.

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!!
I look forward to the next year of crafting with all of you!!