My Pages Talk Voice Recorder

I'd have to say that the My Pages Talk Voice Recorder is probably my favorite item released in the new Autumn/Winter Idea Book. Immediately, I could see so many great uses for it and a Christmas Ornament is where I chose to start. Each year I try to purchase a new ornament that represents something special throughout the year. With this ornament, I'll be able to not only treasure a photo of Conner, I'll be able to hear is unique words at the age of four forever. The voice recorder contains a flash memory and uses a typical watch battery. So when the battery finally runs down, I can add a new one without fear of losing the precious contents.A link to the most important part of this ornament is the recording it contains.

*Note: there is music playing in the background and I plan to re-record this once Conner agrees (probably a little closer to Christmas). ;)

Here comes Christmas!

{Christmas Card Workshop}

Sunday, October 12th @ 4pm
RSVP/Order by Wednesday, October 1st

Join us for a fun afternoon of creating handmade Christmas cards, snacking on delicious deserts and socializing. Come create all 25 cards (envelopes included) for just $25.

Space is Limited. RSVP by phone (425) 413-4280 or by email: CreatewithChristine@msn.com.

*You will need a basic tool kit of paper trimmer, scissors and adhesive.

Library Fun

Today I get a chance to teach Scrapbooking 101 at my local library. I am very excited for this opportunity. If you are local and would like to find out about upcoming library class, shoot me an email at CreatewithChristine@msn.com.

Participants of the class today will get to create this layout using Game On paper packet and Shinning Star stamp set. (Please forgive the angle on the pictures, I wanted to snap them quickly before I run out the door.)

My Creations Memory Box - Extravaganza Artwork

I was looking through my files and found my pictures from Convention Extravaganza (the class that I taught. It is hard to believe that I haven't shared them with my loyal blog readers. My goal was to share them right after my open house, life just got super crazy.

It was such a pleasure to be selected as a Convention (Extravaganza) teacher. My buddy Nona and I were selected to teach the new My Creations Memory Box. Honestly, at first we were a little less than thrilled with the though of teaching about a box. Yet the ideas begin to flow and I fell in love with the boxes. These pictures are just the five display boards (since we only received three boxes to take assembled). When I have a few moments to get pictures of the completed boxes, I'll be sharing those as well.

I hope that you'll like these as much as I did. It is my guess that you will since those at my open house were wowed by them!




There is a bit of a funny story about this box. I was looking forward to giving this box to Conner's upcoming preschool teacher. Well, there are only two teachers he could have and I was sure that it was Miss Karrie. Big oops, I remembered incorrectly. So, I'll be recreating the cover before Christmas

Recruiting Special - New Consultant Kit $99

This time of year is the best time to start a new adventure in direct sales and make some money to help with Christmas gifts. Take advantage of the upcoming Holiday season and gift buying occasions and start with Close To My Heart now. All new recruits through the end of September will receive Close To My Heart's Just Because card kit AND your choice of either the 9 x 9 Butterfly Album or Seasonal Celebration stamp set. Check out my website for more information and benefits on joining my amazing Close To My Heart Team for just $99.

** OR **

View my website for complete details.

House Pictures (Part 7)

Things are getting closer. Brian and Andrew have a couple of things to tie up and then it is time for inspections. Once those are done, Mike takes back over and we start things such as insulating and sheet rocking. I can't wait to see the walls become actual walls.

Yesterday was a fun day. We have done quite well with our budget. Actually, I should say Mike did an amazing job and by doing the mechanical and Andrew helping out with the electrical, things are looking good. So, since we had to reselect our flooring, tile and counter tops to go with the change in cabinets, we looked at upgrading just a bit. We are still waiting on the numbers to make sure that we haven't totally blown our budget (by miles) out of the water.

The Walnut Pre-Finished Hardwood flooring is going to cover most of our floors (entry, hall, living room and kitchen). Some of the colors don't appear on camera as they do in person. The Corian (which we may look at Granite) is actually like chocolate milk. I love all of it, however the border tile makes me really excited. The leaves are shiny and actually reflect the color of the cabinets perfectly.

Rather simplistic in the bathrooms and utility rooms. Our back splash will have just a row of the 2 x 2 tiles. The color palettes for the entire house go together rather well, cohesive.

House Pictures (Part 6)

This last weekend they started siding the house. All of our windows are wraped (all four sides), it gives the house so much character. They will be adding Hardiplank shingles above the cut off line here. It will serve as a great accent! Can't wait to see what it looks like.

Brian and Andrew have been working hard getting the Electrical in. I am so excited that Andrew is our Electrician. He and Brian work wonderfully together and they are taking care of me. There are 10 can lights in my scraproom, you'll never have a problem seeing in my house again. Oh, don't worry it won't be too bright either, they are going to be on dimmer switches.

And here are some more pictures of my door. This is sort of what it looks like looking at. There are still some stickers on it and packages of mounting hardware, but you get the idea.Once Brian and Andrew are done with the electrical (and Brian has to finish up the heating) things will begin moving quickly again I think. Oh, by the way if you need some good referrals on Electrician's and Sheet Metal guys, let me know and I'll get you the names of our guys (they have been great)!

Garage Living

It has been 11 weeks since we moved into the garage. Some were worried that we would have a rough go at it. Other than being cold when it chills off and dirty (from all the dust), it has not been too bad. I promised Nona I'd share some pictures and so here they are, minus the bed area. We sleep off to the left of the top picture, sectioned off by a curtain. Our beds are in a U shape and right up against eachother. I think the boys like being so close, worries me a bit about having to move into separate bedrooms. Although, I can't wait to have my own room again...scraproom that is, lol. The above picture is of our kitchen (fridge sits off to the left). The sink is in the back right corner. The washer and dryer are not hooked up, Brian's Mom has been doing our laundry (heaven sent). Funny thing about cooking in the garage, to run any devices (micro/toaster/burner) we have to turn off nearly everything else. I ended up buying a battery back up for my computer, because we blew the breaker so often and it was hurting it.


This is my scrap area. My hubby is so great to me! He actually hung up all my shelves, so that i could stay organized. I also have my paper racks cabinet on the wall behind this area. Surprisingly, I have nearly everything still within reach. I only had to pack a handful of boxes upstairs.

I don't know what I would do without the garage. My mom worked the entire time I was growing up, so I am rather solitary. My family is all in the area and great, but living with them may have sent me over the edge. Building a house is such high stress, being in someone elses space would have been like being in a pressure cooker. Say a few prayers that the house will progress quickly so that we don't have to figure out what to do in the cold weather.

{Perfect Day Workshop on the Go}

Sunday, September 28 @ 4pm

RSVP/Order by Wednesday, September 17

Fun, funky artwork makes your layouts shine.
If you love “mixing it up” with artwork, this workshop is the place to be! You’ll get hands-on experience creating unique eff ects with combinations of Close To My Heart’s My Acrylix® stamps, My Stickease™ adhesive sheets, our fabulous new rub-on designs, and colorful sheets from the My Refl ections® Perfect Day paper packet. Then simply add your photos to make each layout one-of-a-kind. But don’t stop there, when you’re finished you will find even more exciting project ideas online to use your remaining papers and My Stickease. Join us for this exciting workshop!

Have it your way! Simply select which kit option you would like plus any additional items and send me an email at CreatewithChristine@msn.com to RSVP.

Distant customers may now participate in workshops as well.

Everything you need to create the projects will be shipped right to you!

□ Basic Kit $21.77 (plus tax & shipping)
X7100B – Perfect Day Paper - $12.95
X7100C – Perfect Day Stickease - $4.95
Embellishment Pack $3.87
Rub-Ons
Ribbon
Detailed Perfect Day Workshop Guide - $3.87

□ Better Kit $44.72 (plus tax & shipping)
Everything in the Basic Kit

D1304 – Life’s Creation Stamp Set - $22.95

□ Best Kit $59.17 (plus tax & shipping)
Everything in the Better Kit
Z1100 – Cocoa Grosgrain Ribbon - $6.95
Z1285 – Holiday Buttons - $7.50

□ Distant Kit Add $2.00 (for embellishments shipping)

Additional Recommend Items
□ 9029 Cherish - $21.95
□ 9030 Imagine - $21.95
□ E1009 My Acrylix Building Block - $34.95
□ Z2114 Cocoa Exclusive Inks™ Pad - $5.25
□ Z2164 Sorbet Exclusive Inks™ Pad - $5.25
□ Z2166 Tulip Exclusive Inks™ Pad - $5.25
□ Z2365 Juniper Exclusive Inks™ Marker - $2.95

□ Z1298 Texture Tools Kit - $9.95

*You will need a basic tool kit of paper trimmer, scissors, adhesive and paper piercer.

Operation Smile - My Promise

Thank you all for your donations and purchases, together we raised $100 towards Operation Smile. Over the course of the next year I hope to raise $1200 (already $100 down) towards 5 new smiles. You may join me in changing a child's life simply by purchasing your favorite scrapbooking & stamping supplies through me - 1% of all sales will be donated to Operation Smile! This is the card that each person got to create at the open house!
Thank you Lisa for the inspiration.

Open House was a Blast!

Thank you to those who came and had a great time! Everyone created a beautiful card that I'll post later after I have everything unpacked :) It was a blast to spend a couple hours with such super fun people and I can't wait to offer the next event. If you missed out this time, be sure to come next time which will hopefully be my new scraproom reveal (and I have HUGE plans for that party - think Red Carpet).

Congratulations to all the winners!

Tammy - Magic Moments Stamp Set & My Creations Acrylic Mini Album
Jennifer - Completed Just Because Card Kit & Juniper Marker
Amanda - My Creations Memory Keeper
Sharon - Autumn Leaves
Amy - Sparkles, Ribbon & Charms

Special Invitation

What: Scrapbooking & Stamping Operation Smile
Fundraising Event & New Catalog Release

Join us for a couple of hours of Close To My Heart fun as we raise money to benefit Operation Smile. Attendees will be treated to great games, prizes, scrapbooking and stamping projects and an overall good time.

*Be among the first to see my artwork boards using all the new products, prepared especially for Convention.

*A large selection of new product will be available for immediate purchase.

*Exclusive Hostess & New Recruit Specials

*One lucky attendee may win Hostess Rewards!

When: Sept. 6th from 11:30am to 1:30pm

Where: Kent Round Table Pizza

Cost: FREE - My Treat
Come with a Friend!

Please RSVP by emailing CreatewithChristine@msn.com

or by calling Christine at (425) 413-4280.
Space and Goodies Limited -First RSVP, First Served

Eeks! I'm 30!

Today is my birthday and I am now 30 years old! Wow, where did the time go! For the last couple of month's I have tried to figure out something "GRAND" to do for my big day. After much consideration, I have decided that I should be happy and satisified by the building of our home. With that decision made, this year has turned out to be one of my best birthdays ever!

My hubby (who I know loves me) often forgets my birthday or simply doesn't do much for it. Well, he surprised me with a very nice Sunday celebration (early, can you believe it). We dropped the kiddos with the Grandparents and had lunch at my favorite restaurant, Zao's Noodle Bar at Kent Station. At lunch he presented me with my very own iPod Nano. SWEEEET! Then we grabbed a slice of my fav chocolate cake and headed home to watch a movie. I convinced my hubby to let me stop and get my hair cut since we were out without the kids. Along with cutting my a couple of inch or two above my shoulders, I had my eyebrows waxed for the first time. Pampering is awesome and something I never do. I left the salon feeling like a new woman. We then stopped by the library and picked up a couple new books (I have finally started reading again). Finally, we made it home and watched Little Miss Sunshine, which was hilarious.

Now today, everyone has remembered my birthday! With the start of school, I was so used to people forgetting (including my family). What a treat my 30th birthday has been!

Scrapbook In A Purse

I have some fun artwork to share with you! Another Consultant shared a nifty idea that we have named "Scrapbook In a Purse (SIAP)." Remember the Scrapbook In a Box, well, this is very similar. I thought it would be great at Christmas time as it could hang on a tree. I think I'll be hosting a workshop on how to create the SIAP, if you are interested email me at CreatewithChristine@msn.com. I will also be selling these at my upcoming Holiday Craft Fairs.