We will be cropping this Friday night, the 20th at the New Hampton Community Church in New Hampton at 6:30. We will also crop the Friday night after Thanksgiving at the Waumbec Methna Snowmobile Club House in Jefferson at 7:00. Hope you can find time to join us this month.
FYI on crop dates for October.
This Friday, the 16th in Jefferson.
Next Friday, the 23rd in New Hampton.
See you at a crop!
I just got a delivery of goodies this afternoon. I ordered this Jingle paper to finish last Christmas' pictures with. I will be finished my 2008 album once these pages are done!!!!!
Look at how cute the coordinating brads are! Adorable! I can't wait to play with this kit! However, Twitterpated is calling to me this afternoon. First things first!
Apple picking in Loudon has become a family tradition! We have had a bounty of beautiful fall days this year in Central NH and this was just one of them. It was just a perfect day to be outside.
Elle had a blast with her buddy! Here they are trying to decide if they should take a bite or not! They carried their red baskets around collecting the 'most perfect' apples! Those apples were well on their way to being apple sauce before we got home!
The gangs all here!
Friends at the orchard.
We just couldn't resist a family picture - Elle really has had enough of me and the camera! "Do we have to?"
I have not forgotten about all of you out there! Things have just been crazy busy around here the last few weeks! The Jefferson Public Library Crop, 'Cropping in the Village', was a huge success! I hope many of the new scrapbookers and card makers who joined us there will be inspired to join us at upcoming crops in Jefferson as well. That reminds me. There are a few schedule changes that I wanted to post. The next crop in Jefferson will be on Friday, October 16th at 7:00 and the next crop in New Hampton will be on Friday, October 23rd. Hopefully these date changes will not conflict with anyone's already busy schedule.
I have new pictures of apple picking at Meadow Ledge in Loudon. I will try to post them soon!
Just incase anyone is wondering what next month's workshop is... It is Twitterpated. This is a beautiful collection of fall colors, perfect for Thanksgiving.
More information should be coming out about Studio J in the next few weeks. I cannot wait to try it out and share!
To celebrate National Stamping Month in September, we've designed a gorgeous new card kit for making 16 cards and are offering it in a multi-faceted Everyday Celebration campaign where there's something for everyone!
Dates: August 18–September 30, 2009
You may purchase the Everyday Celebration card kit outright for $39.95/$49.95 (item number CC1006B) or you may get one card kit for FREE with a minimum purchase of $60/$75 in stamp sets (includes A, B, C, D, and E-size; excludes Stamp of the Month, Art & Soul, and K-size custom stamp sets). (Item number CC1006C). There's also an exciting daily drawing for a FREE card kit!
Wow, how summer got away from us. Just yesterday it was pouring every day in July and now it is time to go back to school. Where did all of summer go. We have been busy around here lately with weddings and visiting with family in from OH. Elle has a blast playing with her cousins. Unfortunately she doesn't get to see them that much. Perhaps it is time to dig out the web cam! Here is a picture of myself, my brother and sister and an Aunt and Uncle. This picture was taken at a wedding last weekend and I think it will look great scrapped on the new CTMH paper, twitterpated - deputing on September 1st.
A quiet afternoon at Belknap 4-H Fair. The kids will love to get up close and personal with all of the farm animals. All of the animals at the fair belong to 4-H kids, so these animals are used to being loved by children and don't mind all the attention. Check-out the sheep, cows, pigs horses, chickens and rabbits! Don't forget to swing through the exhibit hall and see the creativity of the local 4-Hers! Usually the second weekend in August.
At last week's crop, I made this cute little calendar. I love the Moon Doggie paper, it just went perfect with the colors in these photos. Scrapbooking doesn't have to stay in an album. You can turn wonderful memories into functional pieces of art!
Place an order for $100 and you'll get the My Acrylix Stamp of the month and a My Reflections level 2 paper packet for free! Valid Aug. 3rd to Aug 17th.
I have evolved as a scrapbooker. I used to find my pictures, match my papers and then scrap the page. Now I scrap the page and add the pictures later. Here is my Back Country workshop page in progress.
This is the stamping I plan to cut out and use on my page.
This page was incredibly fast and easy! I did all of the cutting, sponging, stamping, dry embossing and put it all together while the fam. was off at the playground! I love it when they go this quick!
These are the tools needed for this page. You can make stunning art with these simple supplies.
Campin' Fever Stamp Set
Dry Embossing Tool
Adhesive
Brown Bag Ink
New England Ivy Ink
Sponge
When visiting the White Mountains you must stop and take in Franconia Notch State Park. We are fortunate to drive through on our way to Elle's Grammie's house. We have seen bears eating blueberry's on the slopes of Cannon Mountain and Red Tailed Hawks flying by our window. Elle can't wait to drive through next time, because she is going to say hello to the red and yellow tram cars!
The aerial tram brings visitors to the top of Cannon Mountain. Elevation 4,180 feet. On a clear day, you can see four states and Canada. Of course the day we went you were lucky to see your hand in front of your face, but that is besides the point! Elle thought it was just amazing that we were in the clouds, just like her cartoon buddy, Kipper!
Once at the top of the mountain you can hike around the short walking path or check out the 360 degree view from the observation deck.
Once you are finished with you adventure atop Cannon Mountain, you can venture over to the New England Ski Museum, swim in Echo Lake, fish in Profile Lake, ride your bike on the bike path, visit the Flume Gorge or hike along the Appalachian Trail. A visit to Franconia Notch State Park will certainly fill your day!
Pictures taken in the Notch just go great with Back Country paper. You might consider adding some stamping to your page using CTMH's Campin' Fever Acrilx Stamp. This stamp set is especially relevant if you do any fishing while enjoying your stay in the park.
Friends will be gathering this Friday at 6:30 pm and Saturday morning at 8:30 am at the New Hampton Community Church in New Hampton for several uninterrupted hours of scrapbooking. Please call or email for more details.
How do you make crabs come out of their shells? You 'hum' to them!
Boats on the river.
We love this place!
Family time on the beach... Cheese, crackers.... beverage anyone??
The vibrant colors of Independence Day inspired me to scrapbook these pictures from the day I took the kids to see Sarah Palin at Weirs Beach. 
I wanted to get the kids to see all the candidates, but unfortunately you were not able to get within ten miles of an Obama event in the last few weeks before the election.
View of the town docks and Church Landing in Meredith.
Under Construction
Choose your Favorite Five in July!
Become a Close To My Heart Consultant between July 1-31 and we'll send you your choice of five additional select products for FREE, with no additional shipping/handling or tax! It's a limited opportunity you'll want to jump on right away!
This was so easy! Using the Wishes Card Confidence Program and Emporium paper I made this cute little card in no time!
When you choose to become a consultant in July, for only $99, you will get over $300 in product AND you will get your choice of five products valued at almost $100 from Close To My Heart's 'Favorite Five' list.
'Favorite Five' List
My Acrylix® Thank You Stamp Set
Magic Moments Scrapbook Kit
Basic Textured Cardstock Combo Pack
Life Delights Memory Showcase
My Originals® Hello Birdie Card Kit
Creative Basics™ Silhouette Collection
HeartFelt™ Whimsy Die-Cuts
All-Out Adventure Rub-Ons
Window Charms™ Squares
I believe that Close To My Heart is the best direct sales company in the business. Not only is the product innovative and of superior quality, the tools and support given to consultants from the corporate office is unmatched by others. As a Close To My Heart Consultant you have the ability to be your own boss, set your own schedule and decide just how much money you want to make. Some choose to become a consultant just for the great discount on products, others decide they want to make just enough to pay for their child's dance classes, others turn being a consultant with Close To My Heart into a full time job. With Close To My Heart the possibilities are endless.
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There is nothing like an ice cream treat while riding the rails!
Under Construction.
Any day at the beach is better than a day at work!!! While mom and dad were bundled up, Miss Elle pretended to be an airplane at Old Orchard Beach! In the brief intermission between rain drops there was time for castle making and kite flying. Thank goodness girls week at the beach is coming up.... we'll try for sunshine then.
While I was hoping to scrap our vaca pictures in Moon Doggie paper, I think I might have to change it up and use the soft hues in Bella instead. Bella paper is a subtle mix of Creme Brulee, Hollyhock, Olive and Smokey Plum.
I have started my 9x9 album!
I used CTMH cardstock cocoa, colonial white, lilac mist and a BT Duo in tulip for this layout. I made the tulip scallops with my corner rounder. Used the new flip flaps to do some hidden journaling and two tags with ribbon for added journaling on the right side.
It is Graduation Time! Elle, all her cousins and great grandparents!
Purposeful Scrapbooking
Sit down and browse through your family scrapbooks. If yours are anything like mine, you will find pages and pages of fun times scrapbooked with beautiful papers and embellishments, with all of the event's details neatly journaled. You will see tons of pictures of our little girl as I try to capture precious moments as she grows. Our family scrapbook is a history of the year. A recording of important events. A precious gift that our daughter will have forever. However, it is not 'my' scrapbook. Most of the pages focus on our daughter, as I want them to, but my story, how I was feeling about an event our situation isn't always captured in these pages.
As a company, Close To My Heart is putting an emphasis on purposeful scrapbooking this year. Putting more of yourself into your layouts. They kicked this effort off with National Scrapbooking Month and their Tickled Pink Celebration. Scrapbookers were encouraged to submit their best pages about themselves. Pages that showcased them. Whether it was a page about your favorite things, your greatest accomplishments or favorite place, it was an effort to get scrapbookers to focus on themselves and leave their stories for future generations.
I was cleaning out a shoe box last week and came upon some pictures from the year my husband and I started dating. I thought to myself, that I really should scrapbook these, and then decided that it was the perfect opportunity to start my own scrapbook. This 9X9 album wont sit on the shelf in the living room with the other family scrapbooks. This will be my place to put photos, and thoughts separate from that of our family scrapbook. This will be a legacy of treasured moments that not only will I be able to look back over in years to come, but a treasured keepsake for future generations. Don't you wish your mother or grandmother had kept such a journal for you to flip through so many years later? Wouldn't it be wonderful to know how your grandmother felt about being a new mom or how she dealt with sending a son to war? For generations women have gathered to record their families histories. Our grandmothers did this through quilting, we do it through scrapping. Now it is time for us to do a bit us purposeful scrapbooking and create a treasured keepsake about us.
Need some inspiration to begin your own purposeful scrapbook? Try making a few top ten pages.
10 Favorite Recipes
10 Fondest Childhood Memories
10 Things I Love About Me
10 Most Romantic Dates
10 Favorite Treats
10 Things that Inspire Me
10 Goals to Achieve before I Turn . . .
10 Most Embarrassing moments
10 Items I Can't Live Without
10 Best Cleaning Products and Household Secrets
And the list goes on and on!
Last week I was motivated to make up a few of these cute little cards for various friends who I had been meaning to send notes to. One of our very close friends recently underwent thyroid surgery and I wanted to get a card off to him - two weeks late isn't bad is it? Thankfully all reports are that he is doing well and will be recovered in time for Bike Week! Now that is what is really important isn't it?
I made this card using Magic Moments paper (X7101C), Sunflower Ink ( Z2150), Moonstruck Ink (Z2134), The Connections Stamp Set (D1330) and a pewter spiral clip. Order your supplies today.
I am just starting to get into making cards. The new cardmaking book be Jeanette Lynton, Wishes is my next purchase. This How-To Book has patterns for bulk cardmaking and trendy circle cards. I can't wait to get the patterns so that I can create 8, 12, or 16 cards in one sitting with one paper packet! Wishes Card Confidence Program (9033).
Squam Lake Science Center - Holderness NH
We love the Science Center! Elle always has a great time checking in on the 'baby animals'. On Friday we made a special trip to the center in order to buy one of her friends a pass for his birthday.
Taking a break on the boardwalk near the pond.
Sunday we tried out Dad's new toy. His four wheeler. We went exploring on the trails in Warren, NH. It was late in the afternoon before we got there, but surprisingly we didn't see anyone else all afternoon.
After exploring we were able to connect with Andy's sister Laurie and enjoy a great bbq supper with her fam. Elle loves to walk Toby the dog, even though he is taller than she is! Laurie sent us home with some flowers for our new garden!
I think our Four Wheeler expeditions will look great scrapped on CTMH's new Back Country Paper! (X7110B) This paper is rich with barn red, goldrush, olive and outdoor denim. The adorable My Stickease (X7110C) and Dimensional Elements (Z1158) are full of compasses, trees and trail signs.
Oder your Back Country kit today!
Before Andy left for A.T. he and Elle discussed buying a new bike. She had become a pro on her little plastic one and Daddy thought it was time for an upgrade. Andy told her if she was a good girl while he was gone, they would go bike shopping when he returned. All Elle could talk about for two weeks was how her and Daddy were going to go shopping for a new bike and helmet. Andy returned Friday night and Sunday they took a break from yard work, while it rainned, and went shopping for this fancy new pink and purple bike! She couldn't be any prouder of her new wheels!
Last Thursday was one of those rare gifts from mother nature that we sometimes get here in the great state of NH! After a long winter, we certainly deserve more gifts like this. The weatherman said the temperatures would be in the 90s and it only took one yell to Elle, "Do you want to go to the beach?" for her to spring out of bed and hunt down her swimsuit!
Great Island Common, in New Castle NH is only about an hour and 15 minute drive from our house. Just perfect for day trips. The Common is just a perfect spot for toddlers and young children. It is three dollars for adults and the kids are free. Folks park in the small parking lot, or along the road that circles the park. It is so much safer than trying to get the kids out of the car at Hampton Beach with all of the traffic racing by. When you and the kids have had enough of the sandy beach, the common has a great playground, with climbing structures, swings, sandbox and plenty of shady spots to have a picnic.
Some moms might cringe at this picture, but with one pail of ocean water it quickly washed away and Elle had so much fun playing in the mud. Think of all those brain synapses connecting! This is what childhood is all about!
This is the view from the beach. The kids and I walked down to the rocks and tried climbing on them. This is a very challenging task for two year olds, but that didn't stop them from trying! We saw some lobster boats on their way out to their traps and folks in kayacks. The beach was bustling. I think many kids may have taken a 'personal health' day from school to enjoy the weather with their moms and dads!
The kids were super all day and earned themselves a stop at the ice cream stand on the way home. The Ice House Restaurant is right there between the beach and Route 1. Both kids choose vanilla ice cream in a bowl with a cone on top! You should have seen the mess we made on the picnic table! We tried our best to clean it up. The best two 2 year olds can do! I don't think we were out to the traffic circle and both kids were fast asleep.
These photos are going to look awesome on Moon Doggie Paper! I can't wait!
