Here is a layout I did with Jingle. I used CTMH's Color Ready Alphabet in Oxford for the word "Christmas" and I colored it with Juniper ink using a sponge dauber.  The brads I used were various brands.  For the word  "Joy" I used our Dimensional Elements Monogram letters and the ornament from the Holiday Trinkets stamp set.  The trees are from the stamp set Evergreen and the Snowman is from Snow Friends.  I hope these pages inspire you to do your own Christmas layouts!

Four Fabulous Fall Cards!

This first card was made with the Twitterpated Level 2 paper pack.  The striped paper is pleated. The stamp set I used for the frame and writing is called True Friends and it was January's Stamp of the Month, so I'm sorry to say, you can't get it at the moment.  But you never know, it may pop up in the new Idea Book next year!  The flowers are from a stamp set that was part of one of our Constant Campaigns last year.  I know, I know, it's not fair to show you stamps you can't get, but I just love this card and there are other stamp sets you could use to get the same look, just ask me and I will guide you to some that could work!

 This card was designed by Jeanette Lynton!  I liked it so much, I made it too!  I made it with White Daisy Cardstock (CS), Twitterpated paper, and the Many Thanks stamp set.  I used Autumn Terracotta and Chocolate ink.

 I love the little owl on this card so much!  This card was made with the You're a Hoot stamp set. I used Autumn Terracotta CS and distressed it with our edge distresser and Autumn Terracotta ink.  I then used Barn Red CS and stamped the background with the leaf from the Spellbound stamp set.  The Desert Sand CS was stamped in the same ink color with the Intrinsic Backgrounds stamp set.  The owl is on Colonial White CS and I used orange rhinestones for the eyes.  I used ribbon from our Chocolate collection to tie it all together!

 This card was made with our retired textured Card Stock in New England Ivy and Pansy Purple with a bit of Sunflower thrown in!  The flower and word are from our Treasure Life stamp set.  They are both stamped in Pansy Purple ink.  The bow on the flower is made with our twill ribbon.  

    

 

Sorry it's been so long since I posted last.  October is always a very crazy, busy month for me!  We have A LOT of Birthdays and plenty of activities going on to keep us going.  Also, last Wednesday the3rd, I came down with a horrible case of Strep throat, a Sinus infection and an ear infection which landed me in the hospital for a few days.  I'm home now and each day gets a little better, but it's been a rough healing process.  In fact I will be canceling my Christmas Workshop on Saturday the 13th and hopefully rescheduling it.  I will keep you posted.
I wanted to post my Halloween layouts from last year that I did with paper from Silhouette, using a sponge to give it a spooky green color.  I then used the stripes from Silhouette and the Smokey Plum from Enchanted.  I also used Autumn Terracotta CS, Black CS, and Smokey Plum CS. I used the Spooky Smiles stamp set and the October stamp set that is now retired :( I also used Spellbound and Creepy Cobwebs. It was a really fun page to make!  I really had to think "outside the box" on this one because I had already used Enchanted a couple of years in a row and I wanted a different look!  I hope this inspires you to also "think outside the box"!  Enjoy your day!

You may have noticed something different about this card.  It's CLEAR!!  Close to My Heart now sells Clear Cards!  They are SO much FUN!!  To make this card, I cut 2 frames out on my Cricut with our black CS.  They are actually on the blackout setting so there is no oval hole.  To make it look like a frame I cut an oval out with my Cricut out of Bamboo CS.  I then stamped the image, which is last month's Stamp of the Month, Thriller, in Staz On ink in black.  I distressed the edges of the oval with the black Staz On.  I glued the oval onto one of my "frames" and used Liquid Glass (which is a great adhesive when you need something to dry clear) to attach it.  Then I attached my other "frame" on the back side of my first "frame" on the other side of the card front to make it look neat.  I then distressed the edges of the card front with the black Staz On ink because it is made to go on slick surfaces, it also gives you a truer black image.  I used Olive CS for the inside and randomly stamped it with the crown and the flourish from "Thriller".  I distressed the edges in black and adhered it to the inside of the card with Liquid Glass.  I then cut another oval the same size as the first, in Bamboo, and one more oval a little bigger in black. I stamped "Scary Halloween to You" in black and distressed the edges of the Bamboo CS, then attached it to the black oval and adhered it to the card, directly behind the frame, so you can't see it from the front!  So much fun!!  I hope this all makes sense!  If it doesn't, please feel free to let me know and ask questions!  Enjoy!

Here is a Fun Halloween Scrapbook layout to inspire you!  I used the stars paper from the "Game On" paper pack, black CS and Autumn Terracotta CS.  The stamp sets are "October" (which is no longer available, but we do have another stamp set that would work, called "In the Month of October", "Spooky Smiles" and "Creepy Cobwebs".  The alphabet is the "Friendship" alphabet.  I also used our "Dimensional Elements Monogram H" for the H and covered it in the stars paper.  I embossed the spiderwebs and spiders onto the page.  I did emboss the spiderwebs right on the pictures!  Just be really careful when you do this because the pictures can get too hot and be ruined.  Happy Haunting everyone!!

Hey Everyone!  I wanted to let you know that I will be at this Boutique on Saturday October 16th!  I will have displays to look at, the Fall and Winter Idea book, the Stamp of the Month artwork and more!  I will also be giving away prizes!  So please, come on over and check out the Fun Fall Boutique!!

Hey Everyone!  I just thought I'd post a fun Halloween card to get you all in the mood for Halloween!  As most of you know, Halloween is my favorite holiday, after Christmas that is!  So I am WAY excited that it is now October and time to start Celebrating!!  This card is made with September's Stamp of the Month, but couldn't help but share it, because I had so much fun making it!  I hope you all Enjoy!!

 

This card is 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".  To make the card above, I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder with Autumn Terracotta CS, then dragged my black Staz On ink over it to make the swirls pop.  The frame is cut with my Cricut.  I embossed the skull image on White Daisy CS, made a mask by stamping the image on a post it note and cutting just the skull out, then stuck it over the skull I embossed.  Then I sponged Olive ink all around the skull, remove the post it mask and your skull stays White! I attached the frame over the White Daisy CS that is now Olive with the skull image.  I embossed the crown on another piece of White Daisy CS and sponged it with Smokey Plum, cut around it, then attached it over the frame so it is popping out of the picture.  I embossed the wording on Smokey Plum CS and distressed the edges in black ink, then added black brads to the four corners and attached it to the Autumn Terracotta CS.  I inked the edges of the Autumn Terracotta CS with black ink. I then attached the Autumn Terracotta CS to black CS for a nice frame around the edges and I distressed the edges with my edge distresser.  Then add it to the card front. To top it all off I added some Bling to the image with our new pink and purple Sparkles!  I LOVE Bling!!

Announcing my 2010 Christmas Card Workshop!

Due to health issues, this workshop has been re-scheduled for December 4th from 1-4pm.  Sorry for any inconvenience.

If you live in the Salt Lake City area, I'd love for you to join us for this great workshop! (And if you can't make it, all the pieces needed to make them yourself are available at my online store.  Contact me if you need a list of the products used.)

Click on the flyer to view full size.

10/03/10 This is the second page that I never posted back in February!  Just thought you'd like to see it!

Wow! Time really does fly! Those holidays hit and it's just so crazy busy you're lucky you can remember to show up for everything! I really did enjoy our holidays this year! I am so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. We have had some sadness mixed in there, with the passing of my sweet Aunt Joyce, our friends Eric and Haily Warrens baby, and my friend Katharine. We've gone to 3 funerals in 4 months. So, I am ready for some happiness in my life now! We are headed for St. George next weekend to hopefully get some much needed rest and relaxation! Also, we need to spend some time with my grandparents who are struggling with their health.

In other news, and happier news, I got a Cricut for Christmas!!! I am SO excited! I've been wanting one for 2 years!! Adrian finally got a good deal and caved in! It is so much fun to use! I just love it! I plan to use it often! I did manage to take a picture of a layout I did last month so I posted it here for you to see!

Here is me with my Mom at Disneyworld! We had to make a stop there Of Course!
Here we are in the Convention Center

Here is a view of the family pool, and part of the hotel

Here is some of the GREAT art samples I got to see

while at Convention!

Here is some more fun art!

Well, it's another New Year, so I thought I'd try to get better at this blog thing again! We had a very nice Christmas this year with my side of the family, and since Adrian's family was here visiting we got to spend time with them too! I have lots of cute pictures that I'm planning on posting soon! I was very lucky to have a great year last year and I'm hoping for more of the same this year! I did go to that convention I was talking about in my last post so I thought I'd post some of the pictures from it here! It was REALLY fun and I learned a lot of new techniques to use in my scrapbooking!

Happy Summer Everyone! I know I am horrible at keeping this blog up! Sorry about that! I will try to be better as usual! lol! We just celebrated the 24th of July (which is Pioneer Day here in Utah) by going up to the park behind my parents house and watching the most awesome fireworks show around!! We love it because we can just walk from my parents backyard so there is not a parking issue! Also, the mountains are so close there that the fireworks sound REALLY loud! It is a very fun family tradition! I told my parents they can never sell that house so we can always enjoy this tradition! LOL!!

So, we FINALLY moved into our brand new Town House!!! It is so cute and so roomy! It was WAY too much work, but it was SO worth it!! I am still unpacking boxes like crazy and Adrian has set up his office in the basement and I hardly ever see him! He has a lot of projects going on right now so it is so nice for him to have a space where he can spread out! It's nice for me, because it's not all in the living room! :) I'll have to post some pics when I get it decorated the way I want it!

In scrappy news, I'm REALLY EXCITED!!!! Because Close to My Heart's Convention is next week!! My Mom and I are flying to Orlando to attend!!! I will get to see all the great new products they will be coming out with for the new Fall/Winter book! I will also get a copy of that book!! There are tons of free give aways and the make and take should be AWESOME!! There are also some really informative business classes. Then there is Extravaganza where you get to go to several 30 minute mini classes!! In these classes you get TONS of ideas about how to use all the amazing CTMH products we sell, including the new ones which is WAY exciting!! We will be staying in an amazing, gorgeous resort to boot!! Since we'll be in Orlando, we will be taking advantage of my FREE Disney pass!!  So, after convention, my Mom and I will be staying with my Uncle Bob (he lives 30 min from Disney World) and we'll be going to Disney World for a few days!!! It should be WAY fun!!! I am REALLY looking forward to it!! I will have to post some pictures of all the fun artwork I get to make and of the fun things we'll be doing!

I hope everyone else is enjoying their Summer as much as I am!!

Hey Everyone! My friend Jen Ashton is trying to win a chance to sing live on stage with Rascal Flatts!!! She entered the contest late, and she really needs votes. So, I am asking everyone I know to PLEASE listen to her sing and VOTE for Jen! She is incredibly talented and she really deserves this chance! Below is a link that will take you to her page where you can vote! Thanks Everyone for your support!! I REALLY appreciate it!
Love,
Jen

Hi Everyone! Adrian informed me that nobody would look at my blog anymore if I only post to it once a year!!! LOL! So, since I told you in my last blog that I was going to make my Christmas pages, I thought I would share them with you! I am really proud of my little "photo pocket" that I made on the second page down. I used the file folder Coluzzle template to make the little folder. Then I cropped six photos that I couldn't fit on my pages, but still wanted in my album, and adhered them to red cardstock. I made the tabs out of punched circles that I adhered to the back of the cardstock. I traced the folder on the outside of the page protector and then cut a square in my page protector following the outline. I then put the page in the page protector and slipped the photos in the folder so I could pull them out whenever I want to! It was a really fun way to scrapbook many photos at a time!

We had a really nice holiday season spent with loved ones in Idaho. We are very happy that it is Spring now and we have a few life changing events happening right now! First Adrian quit his job at Feature Films For Families! After 12 years he finally got an offer he couldn't refuse! He took a job at Disney!!! He will be working for Disney Interactive on their video games as a Senior Artist! We are so very happy about it!!! This has been a life long dream of Adrian's and I am really proud of him!

Second, we are building a house!!! We were starting to think we would be living in apartments the rest of our lives!!! It is a rambler townhouse. It has 2 bedrooms on the main level and laundry on the main level, and 2 bedrooms, an office, a family room, and bathroom in the basement! It is perfect for us, since there are just the two of us, and we will be a part of a homeowner's association so they will take care of the lawn and snow and all the outside stuff! We will also have access to a pool and hot tub which is great for me!!! We couldn't be happier right now! We will be moving the first part of May! I will have my own scrapbook room, so watch out world!!! LOL! It will be so nice to have a place where our family can visit and we can have family and friends over once in a while!

I have a Valentine layout and cards and an Easter layout and Spring cards done, so I will try and post them next! I know I always say I will try and be better, but hopefully I will!!!

Thanks to all who actually read this blog!
Love,
Jen

O.K. So I didn't keep up with this blog like I thought I would! I discovered Myspace and I've been spending all my time there! LOL!! I thought I might make up for some lost time now! I have a cute Thanksgiving layout and some fun Christmas cards to post, so I hope you enjoy them! I used the same stamp set for these three cards! I used the snowflakes to make the wreath, and to make the peppermints! I put a window charm over the big peppermint and wrapped it in cellophane to make it look real. For the words on the peppermint card I used another set and stamped it in cranberry then used a write 'n' rub pen to trace the words. When it dried I rubbed glitter over the words to make them sparkle! For the berries on the wreath I used our sparkles, they're self adhesive so that really helps! I'm hoping to keep up a little bit better with my blog now! Hopefully I will!

The last couple of weeks have been spent decorating my apartment and my Mom's house! My Mom had shoulder surgery Nov 2nd and is still having a lot of pain and not much movement in her shoulder. So, since I haven't been working because of my back, I went over to help her. I slept over night for 2 nights! It took a long time to get done with both of us having handicaps! We joke that together we make a whole person since she can do things I can't and I can do things she can't! Anyway, it was REALLY fun and I finally got both of our homes done! Now I'm going to work on making a 2 page Christmas layout and making more Christmas cards so I can send them out! It is a BUSY time of year! I hope everyone will enjoy this holiday season!

I'm sorry I haven't posted here for a while. I haven't been feeling well. I had a cortizone Epidural injection a week ago Wed and I've had a horrible reaction to it. I've been in a lot of pain all over my body and had low grade fevers. I ended up in the ER last Sat. and had an MRI on Tues and they still don't know what is wrong with me. I am hoping it is just a bad reaction and will eventually get better. I am on strong medication which makes it hard for me to type and to think straight, so, until I feel a bit better I probably won't post for a while. The cards in this post were made before I got the injection. The bottom one is what I made for my mom for Mother's day. Hope you are all doing well! If you have any comments they are welcome.

These are the cards I made for my Customer Appreciation Day. I used CTMH paper called "Lets Get Together" I love it! I think it is such fun, summer paper! I used it in the layout I did in my last post also, the one about Shantelle. Speaking of that layout, I never intended to let anyone else make it. It was just for show, I really went all out on it and tried some new techniques, it was A LOT of work. So, of course my mom and sister saw it and REALLY wanted to make it in our club. I knew how much work it would be for me to get everything cut and ready for them and I knew how much work it would be for them to put it together, but, I caved in and told them they could make it. So, the night before the club, I pulled an all nighter, I was up 'till 6 a.m. cutting paper, and getting all the ribbons, sassy strands, waxy flax, and accessories all ready in their own little envelopes. Last night was the club night and I gave them their little envelopes and their paper and let them get started. Now, you have to know that any time me, my mom and my sister get together, craziness ensues! We have so much fun together and we always make each other laugh hysterically! (did I spell that right?) Anyway, they both open their carefully put together envelopes and immediately, there are ribbons all over the table, mixed together, on the floor, everywhere! I swear it was like they just threw it in the air and let it fall where it may! But I know they didn't, they just get talking (or cackling as Adrian calls it!) and they are sharing stamps and inks and stuff gets shifted around! So my mom couldn't find half her stuff and my sister couldn't find some of hers. Meanwhile all three of us are talking a mile a minute and they are asking me one question after another as fast as they can! My mom, who HAD to make this page, was complaining the whole time about how hard it was! HELLO! I knew this! Anyway, it was so much fun! We were laughing about which "F words" my mom should use from the Alphabet Solo F stamp set for her layout! Usually, the club lasts 2 hours, last night it lasted for 3! When it's all said and done, the chaos with the supplies, the talking, the questions, all of it, made some really good memories and it was so worth all the work to have that time with my mom and sister. I love them so much and they are such a blessing in my life. My mom wrote a poem about her mom and sister, and me, my sister and her. The last line says,

"Me, Jenny and Heather
We are great together just us three,
A mother and two daughters
How much greater could life be?"

I think it is so true! It is so fun to have 2 women in your life who understand you and your past, who love the same things you do, who have the same taste in clothes and food and home decor, who are there for you when you are going through hard times and who can make you laugh until you cry! Love you guys!

Well, here it is, week 2 since I've been "blogging" and here is another page! I'm keeping up pretty good I think! I made this page to display at my Customer Appreciation Day I had last week! I had people come and make a card for free and I had prizes and food! It was really fun! This page is devoted to my niece Shantelle. She is the oldest of my nieces and nephews. She will be 6 in June! I can't believe it! This picture is a rare one! Shantelle DOES NOT like to have her picture taken and she is pouting in most pictures! But, she was sitting across the table from her Uncle Adrian (my husband), whom she just adores, and he got her to laugh and snapped a quick picture! It was so cute, I had to blow it up and give it, it's very own page! This page was made with all Close to my Heart products of course! I used paper from the new Idea Book that isn't even available until May 1st! It's called Let's Get Together and I think it's my favorite paper in the new book! The flowers are stamps from the Delight in Everything set and the "S" and the s words are stamps from the solo "S" set. It is so fun to play with the Alphabet solos! Monograms are really in right now!

We went to St. George, UT for Easter weekend to spend time with family and friends and that is where we took this picture. We used to live in St. George and I really miss it! It was so warm and I felt so good down there. I have Fibromyalgia which causes me to ache all the time in my muscles. Lower elevations and warmer weather always make me feel so much better. But, you have to live where your work is, so here we are in SLC, UT, which is beautiful, but it is a higher elevation and it is stormy a lot. Maybe some day we'll make it back down to St. George to live! Anyway, hope you all enjoy this page and I hope it inspires you to make your own pages! If you have any questions or if you want to purchase any Close to My Heart products, you can reach me through my website, www.jennyr.myctmh.com

This is one of my favorite pages. The pictures are of my mother in law and my niece.

Happy Spring!

O.K. I'm sure people are wondering why there is this empty blog just sitting here, with absolutely no posts and 3 comments! The truth is, my husband set this blog up for me, with hopes that I would use it to post some of my scrapbook artwork. At the time I thought it was a good idea, but I kinda forgot about it until now! I just started blogging on Mrs. Toonclub and remembered that this was here! So I plan to start taking advantage of it now!

As you may have guessed I am a gal that loves to scrapbook and make cards! I even sell scrapbook products through a company called Close to My Heart. I love everything about scrapbooking! I love the papers, stickers, stamps, flowers and all manner of embellishments! I also love the challenge of designing the "perfect" card or page! It is just so much darn fun! It is a great creative outlet for me as well as a social outlet. I have a club that meets once a week where I teach other scrappers, beginners and advanced, new techniques and fun page and card layouts! So, I will start posting some of my artwork here. Feel free to offer advice or give tips! I love to learn about new techniques! Since I sell Close to My Heart, almost all the products I use are from them. They are a great company and have so many fun, cute products to use!

Just a side note, the reason I post as ms. baboon, is because my husband has a blog called Toon Baboon and I thought it would be fun to be ms. baboon! Anyway, I hope you enjoy my blog from here on out! I plan to update it more often! Also, if anyone is interested in buying Close to My Heart product from me, you can go to my website at www.jennyr.myctmh.com