You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you. Psalm 128:2

Monday, February 27, 2017

Hat Lady Birthday Card


I was looking through my stash to find the right elements to put together for my stepmom's birthday card.  She loves to wear hats to church on Sundays and thankfully, I remembered a set of hat lady Dazzles I got...years ago, of course!  The next thing was looking for the right paper and I had totally forgotten about the beautiful floral pattern paper I got ages ago from www.paperwishes.com!  I think this has to be one of the reasons I love papercrafting so much.  The product really never gets to old to use!lol

Friday, February 24, 2017

February SCT365 Challenge


Hi everyone!  Well, I finally got my layout finished for the SCT365 February Challenge.  I've had this particular paper pack from Karelyn Siegler for at least 3 years.  I didn't have time to look for multiple pictures so I was thrilled to find this picture of me and my girls in a stack of photos.  And I wanted to tweak the sketch (which is a double page layout) to just a single page and with one photo instead of three...or was it four?  At any rate, I love the outcome!  Now, it I get a little bit more me time this weekend, I may get a card done as well!  Wish me luck!

Thursday, February 23, 2017

11 Reasons Your Children Will Want to Have Baby Books

11 Reasons Your Children Will Want to Have Baby Books

11 Reasons Your Children Will Want to Have Baby Books #babyscrapbook #babybook #baby #memories #crafting #scrapbooking #ctmh #closetomyheart
In a day and age that makes taking and printing photos so easy, you would think that more and more parents would preserve these photos in books and scrapbooks. However, it seems that most photos nowadays don’t leave our computers or social media accounts—and at times, even our cameras!
The art of printing our family photos, writing down our stories, and placing them all together in the safe arms of an album seems to be a dying art—and it’s something that our kids are going to miss someday. When they want to see what they were like as babies and toddlers, the years they will remember very least, they will have nowhere to turn.
Here are 11 reasons why your children will want to have baby books:

1. They will know where to find photos of their childhood.

You may know where your favorite pictures of your babies are on your computer or on Facebook, but in 10 years will your kids know where to look? Not so much, unless they can grab their baby album off of the bookshelf.

2. A baby book is tangible evidence of your love.

When your kids go through the emotional highs and lows of the teenage years, the baby books you made for them will remind them—and you—that, despite what it might seem like at times, you love them with all your heart. ðŸ™‚
11 Reasons Your Children Will Want to Have Baby Books #babyscrapbook #babybook #baby #memories #crafting #scrapbooking #ctmh #closetomyheart

3. Your toddlers will love to look through their baby books.

Though you may think your kids won’t value their baby books until they are older, chances are they will actually love them as toddlers. Toddlers love to see pictures of themselves as babies; it’s part of a phase where they begin to discover their own identity. Also, baby books make some of the best bedtime stories!

4. They will love to look at their baby pictures when they have their own kids someday.

When your kids start to have kids of their own, it will be so much fun for them to look through their baby books and see how their traits and mannerisms were passed down to their own kids.
11 Reasons Your Children Will Want to Have Baby Books #babyscrapbook #babybook #baby #memories #crafting #scrapbooking #ctmh #closetomyheart

5. They will want to look through their siblings’ baby books.

Nothing bonds siblings together quite like looking through each other’s baby books. They will laugh at silly pictures of each other. And even though they may not have memories of their siblings because of age differences, they will get to see those memories through your eyes.

6. They will love to show relatives who come to visit their baby books.

Your in-laws or grandparents might live far away, but you can help them feel more connected to your children by showing them the baby books you’ve been working on when they are in town visiting—and once your kids are old enough, they will love to be the ones to pull out their baby books and talk your visitors through each page. ðŸ™‚
11 Reasons Your Children Will Want to Have Baby Books #babyscrapbook #babybook #baby #memories #crafting #scrapbooking #ctmh #closetomyheart

7. Life goes by lightning fast, and baby books make it easy to stroll down memory lane anytime they want.

Childhood flies by, so your kids will want to revisit their old memories. And if you’re a young mom, just trust us. You will want to revisit those baby pictures over and over again. Especially once puberty hits. ðŸ˜‰

8. You will forget the stories, even if you preserve the photos.

Though you may save all your photos in one way or another, the stories that go along with those photos will be lost unless you document them in a book. And moments from those sweet baby years are moments both you and your children will want to remember forever, even the small ones.
11 Reasons Your Children Will Want to Have Baby Books #babyscrapbook #babybook #baby #memories #crafting #scrapbooking #ctmh #closetomyheart

9. They will love to see your perspective.

You may think baby books are all about your babies, but they’re also a time capsule of you as a mom. As your babies grow into parents themselves, they will love to look back on your perspective as a new mother. Even seeing your handwriting will bring back good memories.

10. They will cherish their baby books more and more with time.

A baby book is something that increases in value with age. Just imagine how much that book will mean to your kids when they have grandkids and great grandkids! It’ll be a family treasure!
11 Reasons Your Children Will Want to Have Baby Books #babyscrapbook #babybook #baby #memories #crafting #scrapbooking #ctmh #closetomyheart

11. They will turn to their baby books in difficult times.

When life gets your kids down, they will turn to their baby books for comfort, to reminisce about the good old days, and to gain some perspective (though you may not see them doing this as teenagers because that would be so embarrassing! ðŸ™‚ )
Recipes 
Cricut® Shapes:
Artistry 
2″ Banner (cut 16, p. 1)

Friday, February 10, 2017

True Crafters!

Good morning!  If you are a True Crafter, you are going to LOVE this week's blog post from Close To My Heart!


19 Signs You’re a True Crafter

1. You don’t particularly like to tell your husband how much you spend on crafting supplies.

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh

2. You always keep the door to your crafting room shut because . . .

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via someecards

3. You believe embellishments are a girl’s best friend.

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via scrapbook.com

4. You subscribe to crafting and homemaking magazines . . . and may even scrapbook your favorite magazine pages.

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via Giphy

5. You believe there’s no such thing as too much glitter. Because it’s the truth.

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via Giphy

6. At any given time, you’re working on 10+ projects simultaneously, but you WILL finish them all…one day.

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via The Happy Scraps

7. When someone asks, “Where did you get that?” and you get to say, “I made it,” it’s basically the best.

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via Giphy

8. You don’t throw away ANY scrap paper. Honestly, who would do that?

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via Giphy

9. Your heart melts when you stumble across family members randomly looking through your scrapbooks.

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via heckyeahreactiongifs.tumblr.com

10. You lose track of time (and reality) when you’re crafting.

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via Queen and Company

11. You don’t understand anyone who thinks that storing their photos on their computer or on social media is “good enough.”

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via reactiongifs.com

12. Martha is your Queen Bee.

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via pwdart.tumblr.com

13. Trying to clean your crafting room is basically impossible.

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via craftstorageideas.com

14. You frequently see things at the store and think, “Sheesh, I could make that myself for half the price!”

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via Sewing Rabbit

15. If you spot something cute for a project “you might one day do,” your willpower goes right out the door.

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via A Girl and a Glue Gun

16. Using your favorite crafting materials to create a gift for a friend is like giving them a little piece of your soul.

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via Queen and Company

17. The problem is always the size of your crafting room, never the size of your stash. ALWAYS.

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via U Create

18. And speaking of your stash…no one needs to know just how much stuff you have.

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via Craftaholics Anonymous

19. You will make all the things forever and ever.

19 signs you're a true crafter #funnymemes #craftingmemes #craftinggifs #scrapbooking #closetomyheart #ctmh
via Kathy R. Jeffords
If this describes you, then welcome! You have found your people! We’re a company that loves crafting so much we make it possible for people to earn a living by crafting in their own homes!
Becoming a Close To My Heart Consultant is easy and super affordable. It only costs $75 (USD) to join, and when you do, you get a box full of supplies PLUS $50 (USD) in Select Product Credit to buy even more stuff! And this month only, you can join for even less if you were a former Consultant. We want you back, friends! ðŸ™‚
As an Independent Consultant, you’ll not only get to work your own hours from home doing what you love, but you’ll also get an AMAZING Consultant discount on our exclusive products! And anyone who joins this month gets three stamp sets for FREE, a retail value of over $50 (USD)!
We want you to succeed (and to wake up each day loving your job), so we have tons of online resources and training courses to help make this dream job a reality. There’s nothing to fear!
To learn more about the perks of becoming a Consultant, and the exclusive deals we’re offering to those who join this month, visit my website at http://debrablake.closetomyheart.com !