Mother-In-Law's Scrapbook

OK, here is project #2 for Christmas. 12 months, 7 grandkids, multiple pictures of each kid for each month. 25 pages. DONE! 4 days until Christmas!


Cover Page


January


February


March


April


May


June


July


August


September


October


November

Mom's Scrapbook

Have you been wondering what I've been up to the last month or two? Well, I was working on PLENTY of scrappin' projects! All of which I will post photos of in the next few days! I completed a scrapbook for my husband, Brian, to take on his deployment. I hand stamped 100 Christmas cards to mail around the world. And the biggest two projects, by far, have been completing 2009 Scrapbooks for both my Mom and Mother-In-Law for their Christmas present. I had to get a photo of each of my Mom's grandkids (8) and each of my MIL's grandkids (7) for each month for all 12 months. I completed a 12x12 layout (2 pages) for each month for a total of 25 pages for the entire book. It was quite the undertaking (I think collecting the pictures from 4 sisters, 1 brother, and 2 sister-in-laws was the most difficult part of the project :-)). Thanks guys for mailing and e-mailing me TONS of photos!


Cover Page


January


February


March


April


May


June


July


August


September


October


November


December


I used the "Magic Moments" Scrapbook Kit from Close To My Heart, which is no longer available to purchase online (but I do have some in stock if you're interested!). The kit included all 24 level 1 scrapbook pages, a spool of ribbon, a jar of brads, eight sheets of stickers and 13 page protectors! Using a kit is a great way to easily make a full scrapbook (a whole year!) without having to put too much "thought" into it.

My goal was to mail it on 18 Dec, but I just finished it this afternoon. It will be in the mail first thing Monday morning (21 Dec) and I hope it makes it across the country to California by Christmas! I hope she loves it!

CLEARANCE! 50-80% off CTMH Products!

Close To My Heart is placing most of their remaining 2008 products on a FABULOUS clearance and supplies are limited, so hurry and check out the "Holiday Heyday" Sale on my website!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP!


Shipping is $7.95 for any order, but once you hit $100, it is a flat $5 shipping!

You know how I am always bragging about my "Level 1" Kits that usually run $9.95 and I can complete 4-6 12x12 pages? Well, they are all on sale for $5! GREAT DEAL!

Remember, it is "while supplies last!!!"

Christmas Card Workshop!

It is time to make some FABULOUSLY simple Christmas cards! I will be holding 2 workshops for making these cards to try and fit with everyone's schedule. They will both be held on Tuesday, 1 December. The first one will be held in the morning, from 10-Noon, and the second in the evening from 7-9 pm. You can make cards in 5-card increments. The layouts are simple, with only 2 stamps per card, so they will only take about 5 minutes to make once you get the hang of it. Cards are $1 each, complete with envelope! Buy 9 and get the 10th for free, So, $5 for 5 cards or $9 for 10 cards. Your choice....You can make more if you want, too! I have plenty of paper, stamps, ink, ribbon, etc.

Please RSVP to lifeisgood@brianamanda.com if you can make it! Also, let me know if you will come for the morning or evening session.

Making the Most of Leftovers

I'm sure you've all used super cute paper to scrapbook a few layouts, and you are left with scraps of all that cute paper. Why not put it to good use instead of trashing it? I used a paper pack to complete 2 layouts, and had a good amount of paper left over. I took some white cardstock and added it to the other colors and prints of my "leftovers". It yielded nine cards! Whoohoo! Now I have great Thank You and Happy Birthday cards!

My two original layouts:





The nine cards I made with the leftovers:

Craft Photo Block Workshop!

Are you tired of giving the same old gifts? Try something different! This Photo Block is a unique and inexpensive gift that can be created in 2 hours for only $10! It is perfect for a Dad's desk, or even a Grandma's mantle. With photos on each side, it can be flipped for a different look 6 days a week!

I will be hosting a workshop next Tuesday evening, 24 Nov, from 7-9 pm to create these awesome Photo Blocks. All supplies are provided (Close To My Heart Creations Cube, Emporium Collection papers, ribbons, stamps, brads, glue, and anything else you desire to make your creation YOURS). All you need to do is bring 6 photos. Each block side measures 5in x 5in, so make sure your photos can be cropped to about 4x4.

Please e-mail me at lifeisgood@brianamanda.com if you'd like to RSVP for the workshop. I hope you can make it!

More Layouts

Yes, I completed another 6 pages yesterday! It only took me two hours using a Level 1 Kit. This one is called Magic Moments, and I love all the fun colors. All 6 pages completed for $9.95! I'm still on track for being about a year behind...haha! So these pics are from last Nov-Dec. One of these days I will get caught up!

Card Making Workshop!

Now that I'm starting to sell Close To My Heart stuff, I have begun to host events at my home that are "make and take". It is where you come over and spend a few hours making a project with other ladies, and you actually get to take your finished product home with you and have something to show for it! You pay for your paper supplies only, since I have all the tools and inks and what not.

Next Tuesday evening, 3 November, I will be hosting a Card Making Workshop from 7-9 PM. There are 8 different kinds of cards you can make. The cost is $5 for 2 cards, $10 for 4 cards (which includes the paper, cards, envelopes, brads, ribbon, and adhesive). I wouldn't suggest making all 8 because you will be here forever! Please RSVP at lifeisgood@brianamanda.com and let me know if you want to make 2 or 4. Space is limited so please make sure to RSVP!

Below are a few close ups of these adorable cards! I hope to see you at the workshop where we can spend time stamping and chatting!

Another Layout

I used the Twitterpated Level 1 Kit to complete these 6 pages. We took this trip last November to the Eastern Coast of Korea. The fall colors were beautiful!

Christmas Layouts

Yes, these are almost a year old! Remember how I said my goal is to get caught up on scrapbooking? I'm obviously not there yet, haha! I completed 6 Christmas pages last night! I used a level 1 Evensong paper pack from CTMH, so these 6 pages only cost me $9.95!

Scrapbooking Thailand

Here are a few pictures of a recent layout I completed (in one evening!). I used the Moon Doggie Level 1 Kit, and completed 6 pages (3 layouts) using the paper and stickers in about 2-3 hours! These pictures are from the end of our Thailand trip...lots of Elephants! I love how easy Level 1 kits make it to complete a scrapbook page! Very simple, and cheap! The kit was $9.95...so that totals less than $2 per completed page!

Click the above link to see Moon Doggie products on my CTMH online store!

Shop on my Website!!!

I bit the bullet and paid the $155 for a year long subscription to sell CTMH stuff online. So you know what that means! I need you to start making purchases :-)

Being the accountant I am, here is my break-even analysis: I must sell $815 in retail product to cover this fee. My commission is 22% minus the 3% online charge for accepting customer credit cards. Ouch. That's a lot of money. If you are reading this, mosey on over to my NEW website and make a purchase, please! Help me sell $815! :-) Thanks~!

https://amandaevans.myctmh.com/

Getting Serious About Scrapbooking

Now that I am a stay-at-home-mom and have decided to sell Close To My Heart Scrapbooking stuff, I need to get serious about actually selling it to other people besides just myself. I'm not sure how good of a salesperson I will be because I don't want my new friends thinking I just want to sell them something. You know? I just want to invite people over to scrap and have fun, NOT to buy something. But, if they like the products I use...then they can just buy it if they want.

My grand plan, for today at least, is to pick a day/night of the week that I can dedicate to scrapbooking. Then, tell my friends and neighbors that if they want to come too, Come on over! That way we can get to know each other better and get some work done on our scrapbooks.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Getting Caught Up

If you are a scrapbooker, you have probably said this before. "I need to get caught up!" It seems like no matter what we do, we are never truly caught up with our scrapbooking projects. My goal is to do a better job with getting "caught up". I have completed 34 scrapbook pages in the last two weeks, which is a monumental feat for me. I hope to keep this pace! We just moved into a new place and I set up my very own scrapbooking room. This should help me accomplish my goal of getting caught up...or at least close to caught up!

New Blog!

So, you all know I have a regular family website (www.brianamanda.com) where I post all my family stuff. And you probably know I have a little side business for making Slideshows, which has a website too (www.slideshowdvds.com). Well, now I have decided to sell Close To My Heart Scrapbooking stuff, hence the new blog website...Scrapbooking With Amanda! I am trying to find something to do as a stay at home mom business and since I love to scrapbook, I figured why not try selling this stuff and hosting in-home scrapbooking workshops! Wish me luck!