Grace Happy Birthday

I made this card for my mother's birthday and I was really happy with how it turned out. The picture is not the best as it looks very golden and it doesn' t show the dimension of the card but the flower layers are all individual and popped off of one another along with the other layers of cardstock underneath. Originally I wasn't crazy about the background floral from the Grace paper pack but it was perfect for this card and now I really like it! It just goes to show you that you shouldn't judge something until you try working with it first.

Supplies are all CTMH unless otherwised noted.
Stamp Sets: Tickled Pink; For Every Occassion
Patterned Paper: Grace Level 2 Paper Pack
Cardstock: Colonial White; Desert Sand
Ink: Cocoa Exclusives Ink
Ribbon: Creme Brulee Ribbon Rounds
Other: Button and Natural Hemp

Stampaganza is Back!!!

Stampaganza is BACK!! Yippee! What does that mean to you? Well my stampy friends, that means that during the month of November for every 2 stamps sets you purchase you will receive a stamp set FREE!! So if you buy 4 you get 2 free...you buy 6 you get 3 free...you get the idea! And the free stamp sets are you choice as long as they are of equal or lesser value. What a great promo! It was a huge success in 2008 and we're so happy to offer to you again!

So go get your list made so that come November 3rd you are ready to place your order.

Remember you can do this through me directly or over at my website.


If you are thinking about signing up as a consultant, now is the perfect time to do it. With a promotion like this you will have no trouble making sales during November. Check out Your Opportunities page on my website to read more about becoming a consultant or if you know that this is something you want to do then click on the linked picture below to get signed up right away.

Consultant Kit Contents

Jolly Jingle 25 Card Workshop

In November I will be offering up a new workshop and I want you all to be a part of it! It's called the Jolly Jingle 25 card workshop. You will receive all the supplies needs to complete five each of the five cards shown above including envelopes for only $15.00!! It's hard to tell from the picture (so click on it for more detail) each card has some bling and glitter and they are absolutely adorable! All 25 cards will be completed in 2-3 hours depending on your experience level. How awesome will it be to give handmade cards to family and friends this year AND save a lot of money at the same time!!

If you are interested in this workshop check out my calendar for scheduled dates or contact me directly to schedule your own Jolly Jingle Gathering and earn free product too!

Speedy Halloween Goodie Bags

We've been really sick around here since the middle of last week so nothing too productive has occured...that is until I realized that I needed goodie bags for my daughter for her Sparks Halloween meeting. When did I realize this you ask...oh about 45 minutes before she needed them!

I threw these together really quickly and was actually amazed that they turned out as well as they did considering my mind was in a complete flu induced fog. :) You can't tell by this picture (I took that in a hurry too and it shows!) but the bat is on a pop dot.

Supplies (all CTMH unless otherwise noted)

Cardstock: White Daisy

Exclusives Inks: Autumn Terracotta, Black

Stamp Sets: Dream Wishes, Happy Haunting

Great News!

You can now order from me ONLINE!
I finally made the leap and got myself a Close to My Heart website. I haven't updated all of the featured areas yet but you can now go to my website and order product and have it delivered directly to your door!

Click on the icon below to go directly to my website.

Childhood Portrait card

I have to say that I am completely in love with this new stamp set from CTMH! It is so pretty and it was the first thing I ordered from the new catalogue. I had a chance to sit down and play a little today and this is the card I came up with. I love the colours.

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Everything is from CTMH unless otherwise noted...

Childhood Portrait stamp set, TLC stamp set, Desert Sand ink, Baby Pink pearl button, Chocolate polka dot organdy ribbon, hemp, Colonial White cardstock, DCWV pre-printed card base.

New CMTH fall catty is LIVE!

If you haven't been lucky enough to get a look at the new Close to My Heart Fall catty in person, now you can check it out online. There are so many new beautiful things...I can't say I dislike any of the new paper packs...or stamps for that matter! They are all fantastic! They've changed up the catalogue layout a bit to make it a little more user friendly so things may not be exactly where you expect if you are used to the old cattys. It didn't take me long to get used it and I love the clean, simple design of it.

I know, I know...enough babble from me. Click the image below to go take a look for yourself!

*** This is a link to the Canadian catty. If you want the US version click HERE.

Creamy Tex Mex Noodle Bake

I love finding new recipes...especially kid friendly ones that mine will actually eat!! So I thought I would share this one with you just incase you have picky children at home. If your kids (or husband like spaghetti or lasagna than this is a nice variation on those traditional italian dishes. If you aren't crazy about Tex Mex you can substitute 1 tsp of Italian seasoning (I find you need a lot less of the italian seasoning) in this recipe and it works just as well. I just find this is a nice change from the regular pasta dishes we usually have.

This is super yummy! If you decide to make it for your family, leave me a comment and let me know how it went! :)


Creamy Tex Mex Noodle Bake
Serves 4-6
537 calories per serving
18.1 g of fat per serving

Ingredients:

1 lb of extra lean ground beef
1 can tomato soup
1 tbsp tex mex seasoning (or vary to taste) **
1/3 cup of water
170 g broad egg noodles
1 can low sodium cream of mushroom soup
1/2 soup can filled with 1% milk
1/2 cup of light cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of part-skim mozzarella cheese

** you could substitute 1 package of low sodium taco seasoning in place of the Tex Mex seasoning if you prefer more of a taco flavor instead of a chili type flavour.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F


2. Fill a large stove top pot with water and bring to a boil for the pasta.


3. Meanwhile brown ground beef in a large non-stick fying pan over med-high heat. When meat is no longer pink drain fat from pan. Stir in tomato sup, spice and water.


4. Add noodles to boiling water. Set timer for 3 minutes.


5. Whisk mushroom soup and milk together in a large 2 cup measuring cup or medium bowl.


6. When timer rings for noodles, drain in a colander and rinse with water to prevent noodles from sticking together.


7. In a lasagna or casserole dish, layer in this order... 1/2 of the meat mixture, 1/2 of the cooked noodles, 1/2 of the soup mixture, then the cheddar cheese. Repeat layers again ending with the mozzarella cheese.


8. Bake in preheated oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Broil for a few minutes to brown up the cheese a little if desired.

Serve with your favourite salad and this makes a perfect family friendly meal.