Off to Leadership Conference in less than 12 hours !!!!!

Oh my gosh!! In less than 12 hours from now, I'll be boarding my flight for Leadership!! I've been counting down the days and it's finally here!! Can you tell I'm a little excited??!!

I'm all packed except for 2 clothing items and at the moment, I'm attempting to clean out my purse!! What a chore! I don't know why or how my purse gets so filled with so much STUFF but it drives me crazy. I don't know how all of this was even in there to begin with - don't think I could cram it back in now if I tried ! Crazy ~

I just finished gathering my supplies from the list Corp sent us of products to bring that we'll use for Crop Night and our Fall Create and Takes!! I had everything on the list except for 2 sizes of the Acrylic Blocks and I'm surprised because I really thought I had them all! Of course they could have gotten picked up by mistake after a workshop or something. I'm sure I can check them out from Corp or borrow from my terrific upline Bren who is graciously picking me up from the airport and hosting me in her home my first night in California as well as the night before I fly back home!! Thanks, Bren for your hospitality!!

I plan to take lots of pictures and will be posting daily (THAT'S the plan!). So stay tuned . . . .

Jenn

Quick & Easy Baby Shower Gift package

This was a simple last minute gift I whipped up using one of Lauren Meador's templates! I didn't do a lot of extra stamping or embellishments due to time constraint but it turned out alright and was well-received!

I used our Colonial White Textured cardstock for the base, Blush CS for the front and side panels, white ric-rac and a sticker strip from the Emporium - My Stickease pack that has the Sweet Leaf color in it (one of my very favorites!) that matches the green in the little sleeper.

Nothing fancy at all - actually only took about 30 minutes and that's from printing the template, cutting it out, ink-sponging the edges, adding the ric-rac and stick-ease and the flower with the Hollyhock brad. Quick and Easy!

Counting Down the Days 'til Leadership Conference!!

I just read where my fellow Close to my Heart Consultant, Melissa Laverty (fancyMelissa), had blogged her excitement about our upcoming Leadership Conference next week AND I had to SECOND that excitement!!!

I literally have butterflies in my stomach and feel just like a child at Christmas!! I've been counting down the days for about a month now! I leave one week from today (July 29th) and get to spend 3 fabulous days with hundreds of CTMH consultant friends ~ some I've met, more I'll meet next week for the first time! We'll be attending a great line-up of classes that are geared toward helping us take our businesses to the next level. We'll be hearing about all the awesome new things that await us through-out the coming months as well as spending time creating with our new Product line being introduced in the Fall/Winter Idea Book. Oh! My! Goodness! I can hardly wait!

I was a hobbyist/semi-consultant for so long (until I attended my first CTMH Conference last year - see my previous post about my history with CTMH here ) - but through a wonderful program that CTMH began last year called Journey to Director, I've already brought my business up a level and am now a Supervisor, having 2 new members on my team! This program was created to help consultants reach the upper management levels in the company that, actually, I never thought would happen for me. But through the awesome training we receive, the literature and networking available and very importantly, our Journey to Director Bulletin Board, it is SO achievable! I'm reaching higher!!

And by all means, if YOU would like to be a part of this awesome company, please contact me at Rather.Be.Scrappin@GMail.com .

Did I mention how excited I am !!!!! And the great news is that you can share in this excitement too!! Close to My Heart is open to Business Builders as well as Personal-use Consultants, which is where I began. July is a great month to begin your own business as a CTMH Consultant - when you sign up during July, you get to choose five fabulous products from our Favorite Five list for FREE - with no additional shipping or tax. What this means for you is that you'll be getting product worth up to $100 for no charge, just for signing up in July!! How awesome it that?!! For your sign-up fee of only $99 you'll receive about $400 total retail in product! It's an incredible deal that will really jumpstart your business and your artwork!

Again, you can contact me via e-mail at Rather.Be.Scrappin@GMail.com or phone at 601-479-3053. Hope to hear from you soon!

Jenn

Sweet Baby Girl with new Pink Ice Earrings!!

Ok - we're here at the Mall just sitting in this chair surrounded by sparkly things. I really don't know why - I just know my Mammy has her camera out so I'll give her my smile she loves so much . . . .

Wait a minute ~ what in the world is this lady doing and why is mommy holding my arms down AND PRESSING ON MY FOREHEAD - Mammy, HELPPPPPPPP.

Goodness, all that fussing really wore me out! But my mammy said I was such a big girl and looked beautiful with my new Pink Ice earrings!!

Boy, what an experience! Madalyn has a good pair of lungs!! She startles easily anyway so I think it was more the click of the piercer that actually upset her more than pain, as well as being held down. But she was a trooper and looks precious with her new earrings. And she's done quite well not messing with them last night or today. Her mom (my sweet Jessica) was 6 months old too, when we got her ears pierced - that would be almost 21 years ago!!! Oh my!!!

Just thought I would share our little adventure we had yesterday!

Jenn

Memory Keeper using Animal Cookies

(Remember you can click on the images to get a larger, closer view!)

I finally got a Memory Keeper made using Animal Cookies following Chris Green's instructions she posted on our CTMH Bulletin Board back in May! I love it!! I plan to use it for Nicholas' various school papers this year and other memorabilia he'll make or collect in Kindergarten. I'm also planning to make a 6 x 6 album using the My Display Album to use for pictures we'll take through out the school year to go along with the Memory Keeper.

This was fun to make and really easy as Chris provided very specific instructions and great pictures! Thanks Chris !

Look what I received today . . . . .

(Remember, you can click on the image to get a larger, closer view!)

I’m so excited!! Look what I received today:
A beautiful charm from Close To My Heart that features the signature “heart key”! It’s a Congratulatory gift for reaching a milestone in my Close to My Heart business – my 5 year Anniversary! The letter included states, “At this special time, we want you to know how deeply we value your loyalty, energy, and creativity. We’re honored to have you as a member of our family.” And a family it is!! It’s amazing the bonds you create, over so many miles, with people (most of whom you’ve never met) who share your love of preserving memories through the art of scrapbooking and paper crafts! AND with a company as awesome as Close To My Heart, wonderful friendships are formed, memories are created thru meetings and Corporate Events, and business goals are met uniquely for each Consultant. I feel so blessed to be a part of the Close To My Heart family! Thanks to our founder and CEO, Jeanette Lynton and everyone at Corporate! And thanks to all my sister- and brother-consultants for all the inspiration and encouragement! Here’s to many more years with Close To My Heart!!

Happy 4th of July ~ Happy Birthday Jaime!!

I wish everyone a wonderful 4th of July weekend!! We’ll be on a day-trip to Reform, Alabama to my mother-in-law’s to celebrate her birthday (it’s on Monday, the 6th) as well as fellowship for the 4th! We’re taking 3 of our little munchkins with us, Nicholas, Cooper and Madalyn and they travel well so we’ll have a great time!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY PRECIOUS JAIME!! My oldest, Jaime, is 24 yrs old on the 4th but he’s off-shore so I’m hoping he’ll get to call at some point so I can sing “Happy Birthday” to him! It’s okay – he lets me!!! I know this is SUCH an old saying, but it REALLY DOES seem just like YESTERDAY that he was my ‘little man’, toddling around. Jaime was a very calm, laid-back little boy and then young man. But he’s always had a great sense of humor and loves to make me laugh. He’s lifted my spirits through many hard times with his precious sense of humor as well as his sensitivity. Jaime has such a big heart and loves his family and friends deeply with it. I’m so thankful to God for giving me the honor and privilege of being Jaime’s mom. I’ve cherished every moment since the pregnancy test read Positive!!
Well, I’m off to finish our church bulletin. I normally prepare it on Saturday afternoons but since we’ll be gone all day, I’d better get it done tonight. All 3 babies are asleep now so here’s my chance!!
Jenn