So busy!

I just wanted to let you know that I am still here but you may not be seeing any posts for a while. I have decided to enter the Album Contest at Convention so that is going to keep me busy for the next while. I have to get it done now as Extravaganza deadlines are coming up pretty quickly so I don't have much time to work on these layouts. I have a pretty good idea what I want to do, but it takes time and 

that is at a premium right now... 

As soon as I have some more of it - time, that is, I will be back to posting regularly here. So, in the meantime, I ask for your understanding as these are projects I cannot 

share at the moment. 

I am also on my quest to drop those last 10 pounds. I am now down 75 pounds and am determined to lose those final 10 pounds before Convention! I am watching my diet very carefully and walking over an hour daily and they are s.l.o.w.l.y coming off but it is a frustrating process. But I WILL do it! I intend to look my very best when I stand at my booth at Extravaganza!

Mini Banners - So Easy to Make!

Mini Banners are all the rage right now and Stacey from Close To My Heart will show you how easy they are to make, using our Art Philosophy Cartridge. Take a look below. 

Now, isn't that simple? Makes me want to do one right now except that I have another big project on the go at the moment. 

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Dotty for You Campaign!

The Dotty for You Campaign is SO awesome that I had to take it from my Current Campaign link at the top of my blog and place it here, just so I could make sure you see it! It is SO AWESOME!

For EVERY $35 you purchase, for just $5 more, you can add this terrific pack of 24 sheets of paper to your order. 

And hostesses can get this paper pack FREE with a Gathering of $400 or more. 

New consultants who sign up between now and May 31 get a Dotty for You Paper Pack in their Consultant Kit as well! 

How awesome is this?? 

Get yours now!

H2H Challenge - Stitched Card

I'm back! After a wonderful holiday, I am all revved up to create again! 

This card is for this week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge, which requires stitching, one of my favourite techniques. Depending how you do it, it can be a very time consuming technique but it adds so much to both cards and scrapbook pages and I use it often, particularly on my layouts. 

Here, I stitched around the outside of the card as well as around the flourish. I alternated pink and turquoise floss around the flourish, just for variety. 

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Supplies used are CTMH unless otherwise noted: 

Paper: Dotty for You Paper Pack, Lucy Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Pear Cardstock

Stamps: Love Life

Inks: Lagoon, Cotton Candy, Black

Accessories: Paradise Paper Flowers, Bitty Buds Assortment, Art Philosophy Cartridge, Buttons - Pink Assortment, Buttons - Basic Assortment, Embroidery Floss - Pink, Turquoise (not CTMH), Border Punch (not CTMH), Piercing Tool, Needle, Bitty Sparkles, Sharpie Markers - Pink, Turquoise (not CTMH)

H2H Challenge - We are So Blessed Card

This will be my last post for a week as we are off to Florida for a week's vacation tomorrow - YEAH! Hopefully it will be warmer there than it has been here lately!

I wanted to get in my Heart 2 Heart Challenge for the week before I left, though!

This week's challenge is a sketch challenge. Since I love the Dotty for You paper so much, I HAD to use that! (I obviously didn't straighten my card very well when I edited it this morning... I'm pretty tired today...)

The sketch is shown below the card.  

Have a great week and I'll be back next week! I'll still be checking my blog for comments while I am away!

Enjoy,

Alyson

Supplies used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise noted:

Paper: Dotty For You Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock, Smoothie Cardstock

Stamps: Blessed (ret.)

Inks: Lagoon, Hollyhock

Accessories: Ribbon - Pink Collection, Pearl Opaque Adhesive Gems, Paradise Paper Flowers, Turquoise Ribbon (not CTMH), Foam Tape, Blending Pen, Glue Dots

Extravaganza - I Can't Believe It!

Well, the news FINALLY arrived! I opened up the email at supper on Friday night and there it was... 

I have been chosen to present at Extravaganza at Close To My Heart's Annual Convention in Dallas, Texas in July! 

I am over the moon! 

It is currently 4:00am and I cannot sleep. 

I don't know that I will ever sleep again!

All I can say is THANK YOU to everyone who believed in my abilities when I didn't - 

and there were many of you! 

I can't wait for this experience - I know it is going to help me to grow creatively and personally. 

Alyson

Post #2 Today - Clean and Simple Challenge - Card

This is my second post today, so make sure you scroll down to see the 
Freshly Made Sketch Challenge as well!

This was a neat challenge from the Clean and Simple Blog - using a border punch, create a card by layering the scallops, then add a sentiment. It leaves a very neat effect and allowed me to use up 
some of my Dotty for You scraps.

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Products used are all Close To My Heart unless otherwise noted:

Paper: Dotty for You Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock, Buttercup Cardstock

Stamps: Dream Come True (ret.)

Inks: Lagoon

Accessories: Border Punch (not CTMH)), Paradise Paper Flowers, Pearl Adhesive Gems

Freshly Made Sketch Challenge Card - Friendship

I love everything about this card - the colours (Lagoon is my favourite colour), the sentiment, the stamp sets, the paper... I could go on and on! I am already running out of Dotty for You paper and am waiting for 

April 17 so I can order more! 

The sketch from Freshly Made Challenges is found below the card. 

Enjoy, 

Alyson

All products are Close To My Heart

Paper: Dotty for You Paper Pack, Sweet Leaf Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock

Stamps: Beautiful Friendship, Dreams Come True (ret.)

Inks: Lagoon, Sweet Leaf, Black, Versamark

Accessories: Buttons - Basic Assortment,  Baker's Twine - Neutral Assortment, Clear Detail Embossing Powder, Prisma Glitter, Heat Tool, Black Opaques Adhesive Gems

Dotty for You - CTMH Video

"Dotty for You" is the latest promotion from Close To My Heart and it is AWESOME! In this video, Kristine Widtfeldt from Close To My Heart explains what it is all about. The paper is so adorable and the price is unbeatable! Starting April 17, you will want to order yours right away so as not to miss out on this awesome campaign. Additional details can be found under the Current Campaign link at the top of my blog. 

Enjoy,

Alyson

Layout for My Workspace

This is the last layout from the portrait session I had done with my mom. This will be the one that hangs in my workspace as it is my favourite photo of the two of us. Thanks for your patience as I scrapbooked each and every picture that was taken... It was a lot of work but at least they are all completed now. 

Below the layout, I have shown a close-up of the picket fence on the layout. I love how this turned out. I thought we might have something similar on our cricut cartridge but I couldn't find anything that would work so I just cut the pieces out and made it on my own. 

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Supplies used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise noted: 

Paper: Sweetheart Paper Pack (ret.), Black Cardstock, Pear Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock

Stamps: None

Inks: Cotton Candy, Cotton Candy Reinker, Bamboo

Accessories: Art Philosophy Cartridge, Sparkles Flourishes, Clear Sparkles, Petals Paper Flowers, Flutter Paper Shapes, Bling Assortment, Pink Sharpie Marker (not CTMH), Various Flowers (not CTMH), Foam Tape, Doilies (not CTMH), Edge Distresser, Sewing Machine and Pink Thread (not CTMH), Border Punch (not CTMH), Irresistibles Lots of Dots Alphabet, Bitty Buds Assortment

Video using "Crafted With Love" - Thinking Out of the Box

This is an awesome video from Close To My Heart, featuring Stacey San Juan. She shows you how to use a new stamp set called "Crafted with Love". It is a stamp set that most people would use to stamp the backs of their cards or artwork but it can also be used to decorate the front of your work. Kind of makes you think out of the box...

Take a look!

Enjoy, 

Alyson

H2H Challenge Card - Spring is Here!

This week's challenge at Heart 2 Heart is Easter or Spring cards. I love spring in Ontario - we have already had some very warm weather although we did have a SNOWFALL this past weekend. Hopefully that is over for good now and the flowers can come out. 

I used bright colours on my card today, signalling the start of the spring season. 

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Products used are all Close To My Heart unless otherwise noted: 

Paper: Stella Paper Pack, Olive Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock, Cocoa Cardstock

Stamps: Pair-a-Phrase (ret.), Sonoma WOTG (ret.)

Inks: Colonial White, Cocoa

Accessories: Art Philosophy Cartridge, Foam Tape, Sparkles - Green & Blue Assortment, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (not CTMH), Border Punch (not CTMH), Clear Detail Embossing Powder, Heat Tool

Layouts of Portraits of Me and My Mom - Finally Finished!

I have had such a busy week. These layouts have been on my desk all week... I have been slowly working away at them and I finally completed them this afternoon. I am really happy with the results. I don't get to do "feminine" layouts very often, so this was a real treat for me - flowers, butterflies and lots and lots of PINK! 

My mom is such a special lady and I am so blessed to have her in my life. The 6th anniversary of my father's passing is coming up soon for my family and I count my blessings every day that my mom is still with us. 

There are two layouts below. Beneath that, I have posted each page of the layouts individually so you can see the details on each page. 

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Supplies used are all Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Sweetheart Paper Pack (ret.), Black Cardstock, Cotton Candy Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock, Pear Cardstock

Stamps: None

Inks: Grey Wool, Cotton Candy, Grey Wool Marker, Pink Sharpie Marker

Accessories: Art Philosophy Cartridge, Sewing Machine and Pink Thread (not CTMH), Designer Ribbon - Pink Collection, Sparkles Flourishes, Clear Sparkles, Bitty Sparkles, Bitty Buds Assortment, Bling Assortment, Just Blooms Petals Paper Flowers, Irresistibles Lots of Dots Alphabet, Sponge Daubers, Foam Tape, White Daisy Grosgrain Ribbon (ret.), Black Mini- Medley, Crocheted Flowers (ret.), Other Flowers (not CTMH), Computer for journaling (not CTMH), Border Punch (not CTMH), White Lace (not CTMH)