New Dotty For You

I have been with Close To My Heart since August of 2004. I always said that I would never make cards or scrapbook using stamps because I always messed up whatever I was doing with a wooden stamp. However, somewhere around 2004, CTMH came out with their acrylic stamps. I loved them and decided to sign up as a consultant. I have never regreted a minute. I have not worked at the business as a business, but just as a hobby, supporting my habit. I have an awesome room to work in and have made so many friends.

May is National Scrapbooking Month and CTMH has designed a paperpack called Dotty For You that is absolutely gorgeous and so versatile for all your spring and summer projects. I hope you enjoy the card I have designed using the paperpack and the stamp set called "Card Word Puzzle".

Eastertime

Easter is absolutely my favorite holiday. Everything is turning green, the flowers are starting to bloom, the birds are beginning to build nests, the frogs are croaking, and we are reminded that we are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is as if the earth is singing praises in color and song to Him. How blesssed we are to have the gift of salvation made possible by Jesus giving His life on the cross. Remember Him this Sunday.

My friend, Bridgett, and I get together before each holiday and make cards. We have family members that love getting our cards and see what we have come up with. How we love to get together. The money we spend on stamps, paper, inks, etc. is worth the cost, when we have our finished products. The time we spend together is priceless. God has blessed me with His salvation, but He has also blessed me with a precious friend. This Easter I asked Bridgett to design our card to send to family and friends. I hope you are inspired by it.

WMU and Card Demonstration

On Monday evening, I will be sharing the love of stamping and making cards with ladies from my church. They have made comments in the past that they would like to make
cards, but felt it surely must be hard. I chose one of the most simple of stamp sets from Close To My Heart to introduce them to stamping. They are very simple but versatile. The stamp set I am using is A Garden. I wanted them to see that for about $20 they
could start making their own cards. The first card I plan to make with them takes about 2 minutes, but produces a simple but elegant little card that even the newest stamper can make.

"A Garden" Using "Dotty For You" Paperpack

I love the new Dotty For You paperpack. The colors are so bright. I wanted to step up the cards a little and show my ladies how a little paper can add to their creativity and make their cards stand out even more.

WMU Card Class

Here is a Christmas Card using A Garden, showing how the card can be used year round.

Old Friends

The funeral home is a terrible place to visit because it always means that someone has lost a loved one. However, for me and probably many others, it means you will see people that you haven't seen in a long time. Thus was the case this week. A high school friend of my husband's and mine passed away last Friday. He married a sister of one of my oldest friends, known since she was born a year and 22 days after me. I found out about the passing when I went into work on Monday morning. I knew that if I went to the funeral home that morning, my oldest friend would probably be there. Sure enough, when I got out of my car and began to look for out-of-state tags, her van was right up front of the line of mourners. She hadn't changed. Oh yes, she had aged just like me, but I recognized her immediately, even after more than 30 years of our last face-to-face visit. The joy of seeing old friends, especially when you see the look of recognition in their face is undescribable. I wouldn't trade it for anything. We hugged and the years just rolled away. She looked absolutely beautiful. Age had not hurt her, even though she and I are now grandmothers, she still looked like my childhood friend. Her dad was also there and began to tell of the antics of my friend and me as little tikes. We laughed and laughed, even though we were in a place of such sorrow. Isn't God good? This week is Easter and our high school friend is with Jesus who died for us so we could have eternal life. God allows joy even in time of sorrow. To see old friends helps ease the pain of losing a loved one. God is so good.