Let's Stay Home together Artwork

Stay Home and Stamp! Last week we released a new stamp set, Let's Stay Home, designed to equip you with sentiments and images that are especially suited to our present circumstances. Here is some new artwork we have created with this set to help you envision some ways to use the set in your own memory keeping.

Spending more time at home? The "Home is where the heart is" sentiment paired with the adorable house icons make a great accent for a scrapbook page focused on all of the activities you are doing in your home. The house images are attached on the stamp, but are easy to trim out to fit your page just the way you like.

The images in this set work beautifully in pocket pages and mini albums like this one, showing more images of our collective "new normal." The "Play" and "Read" icons are sure to come in handy when capturing the story of right now, and they are a great size for accenting 6" x 8" pocket pages in an Everyday Life album.

You may find yourself paying a bit more attention to the news recently than you normally do. If that's the case, the Let's Stay Home stamp set is there to help once again with timely sentiments like "In the News" and "Current events." For especially noteworthy events, consider using numbers from the Classic Alphabet Thin Cuts set to create a bold, eye-catching element on your page.

See More Artwork on YouTube

We've just released a new YouTube video showcasing this and other artwork and talking all about this new stamp. Watch the video now, and keep your eye on our other social media channels for more great artwork ideas and inspiration.

Days of December

This month we are offering our "Days of December" album. I thought, I would share some prompts to help you along what you might add to each page. I missed some of the first few pages - I will try to send out "prompts" for the next days and maybe even share some artwork. Lets see what you might share for those days. They can be just some pictures for each day. Let's have some fun!

Follow me along in my facebook page as I share on a daily basis.

#daysofdecember #memorykeeping #diypapercrafter

If you would like to compile your little album you can get your supplies at www.scrappingbee.ctmh.com

13 Ways to Beat Holiday Stress

13 Ways to Beat Holiday Stress by Close To My Heart

If you have not read the post this week yet from Close to my Heart - then I wanted to share it with you - not everyone gets their blog - this is a really good post and this is truly from my heart to yours - enjoy :)

Margit

What do you want to remember about this year’s holiday season? Probably not how stressed you feel about all there is to do and buy. We want to help keep your spirits up so you can focus on what matters most: family, friends, and the memories you create together. That’s why we're sharing some tips on lowering your stress levels and keeping your holiday memories purely joyous!

1. Go for a walk in the sunshine. The rhythm of walking calms the brain and improves sleep. Who knew? Daytime strolls are particularly effective because the sun relieves symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. If the sun is rare where you live in the wintertime, take advantage of every day it does show its face. Sounds like it’s time to go outside!

2. Make a soothing spot. Find a place—your bedroom, your deck, or even a corner of your desk—and dedicate it to calm. Keep any stress-inducing items far away! Instead, hang up beautiful artwork you’ve made, pictures of those you love, or even paint the wall your favorite color. Cool colors like blue and green are especially good at telling your brain to relax.

3. Use a planner! There are many benefits to organizing your time, which is one of the many reasons we created our Everyday Life™ planner system. Writing down reminders like grocery lists saves your brain the work of remembering the information. Creating a schedule also helps you feel in control of your life, which reduces your anxiety. Be proactive by ordering our planner system for next year. You’ll experience peace of mind knowing you’re all ready for 2016 to begin!

4. Ditch technology for a while. While it’s true that laptops and iPhones can make life easier, it’s also a good idea to occasionally take breaks from them. Why? So your adrenaline can stop racing from all the noises and alerts of your electronic devices. Lower adrenaline equals lower stress. Besides, it’s always amazing how much more time you have to complete your to-do list when you turn off the television and step away from the computer.

5. Combine holiday preparations with socializing. If you’ve gotta do something, why not do it with people you love? Social people are less likely to catch colds and more likely to catch good sleep. Have your friends over to wrap presents, make cards and decorations, and (of course) scrapbook your holiday memories!

6. Laugh! You always hear that laughter is the best medicine, but do you know why? There are actually physiological reasons why laughter is so great for your health. In some studies, laughter appeared to reduce stress hormones, pain, and blood sugar levels. So go ahead: Pull out your scrapbook album with last Halloween’s funny pictures, take funny photos with your kids or grandkids, or make a silly card. You deserve a good giggle!

7. Hold hands with a loved one. The emotional benefits of being close to someone you care about are reason enough. Plus, traditional Chinese medicine teaches us that applying pressure to the fleshy place between your thumb and index finger can release tension in your upper body. Cool, huh?

8. Reward yourself! In all your holiday shopping, don’t forget to get yourself something every now and then. It’ll boost your mood and get you motivated to conquer your next task. After a long day on your feet, go ahead and get yourself a little something special—doctor’s orders! ;)

9. Have a snack. Try to eat something every two to three hours. Snacks high in carbs and low in fat—pretzels, tortilla chips, and unbuttered popcorn, for instance—are especially helpful because they have been shown to increase your levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that helps you feel calm.

10. Express gratitude. People who list what they’re thankful for are more optimistic and report fewer health problems than those who don’t. But why keep the gratitude to yourself? Spread the joy around by making your loved ones thank you cards expressing your gratitude.

11. Cash in on holiday scents. Science suggests that certain smells are therapeutic. For instance, pine can decrease hostility and depression levels, citrus can boost your mood, and peppermint can increase motivation, energy, and confidence. And there’s a bonus: Smell is the sense most connected to memory, so a whiff of gingerbread can bring back the good ol’ days of baking with Grandma!

12. Crank up the tunes! When “Frosty the Snowman” comes on the radio, belt along, because singing can reduce your stress hormone levels. Not a singer? Luckily for you, even listening to your favorite music increases blood flow to your brain (which helps you think straight).

13. Take time for your hobbies. You didn’t think we’d forget this one, did you? ;) Concentrating too long on tasks may lower your productivity. Spending even a few minutes on an activity you enjoy (like scrapbooking) gives your mind a break, so pull out your artwork and work on it for 10 minutes. When you return to your original task, your brain will be more focused and ready to work.

Don’t send stress an invitation to your next holiday party. Instead, take a deep breath and try these tips. Let this special season be the best one you’ve ever had and make some merry memories!

Clearly The Best: A Countdown to Love (S02E07)

 

If you’re looking for a better way to say “I love you,” you’ve found it. With the Designed Décor black frame and My Creations^® muslin drawstring bags, you can make an “I love you” countdown project for your special someone. Don’t miss a single day of expressing how you feel!

With the holiday season coming up, there are so many cool things you can do with those cute little bags! They are a perfect fit for gift cards or other little gifties!

More Studio J layouts and pictures

So, I only had an afternoon and I had to get these pictures on layouts and on a canvas somehow! I love Studio J, because I can get something done in a hurry! The first two layouts are really not layouts. They are our new freestyle pages for me to put the pictures on the page in whatever size I want them to be. I could actually have put them in a picmonkey layout and them downloaded them and print them through Studio J if I wanted to do that. But I need these pictures in some very specific sizes.

All Studio J layouts are printed on matte photo quality paper, much better than I would get anywhere else - unless I would go to a photo studio. Then I would pay a whole lot more than in Studio J. That is why we call it - Studio J! After convention, I will be able to post my layouts we will be making at convention with the photos from above - yes, convention will be fun again this year!

It's my Anniversary!

Yes, it's been 19 years now that I signed with Close to my Heart. Back then, when I signed up as a consultant, all I was looking for was source I could make some money on the side while staying home with my kids. At the time I had a full time job, but I had to put both of my small children into daycare - not good. At night I barely had tome to get them ready for bed, read them a bedtime story, cuddle with them, pray with them and that was it - that was not good! So, on faith, I quite my job. We were ready to buy a new home, we really needed my income, my husband did not have a job that really made enough to pay for the home at the time, nor did he have the health care - I did. Yet, I knew I needed to quit my job to stay home with my children. Like, I said, after many prayers I knew it was the right thing to do - I quit my job. I found Close to my Heart right after and another job I could do from home. My husband also found a job, that paid better and had healthcare! Yes, prayer works.

When I first signed up as a consultant my husband was not sure, people would really buy stamps. Mind you, we still sold wood mounted stamps at the time. After he saw, how much I sold after the first month, I had him convinced - ha! Yes, I did well. However, I gained so much more than just money over the years. So many times I would walk into a home with guests or a hostess and I would be told - I cannot create - and they would leave saying - I can't believe I did this!

I was able to empower people! For me that was actually one the most important compensations of all.

Over the years, I had to put my business on hold many times, because of our family situations, with my husband in the military or traveling for the government. He was gone more than home. But I never went inactive with my business. I was always able to keep customers, always able to stay in touch. So, here is a great thank you to those of you who have stuck with me over the years. It is nice to not only call you "customer", but a friend.

Hopefully, I will see you again at my next Open House, so we can play again with some of our new toys!

As a little token - everybody who places an order this month will get a little gift from me and your name will go into a drawing for a free stamp set!

Thoughts for Thanksgiving

Just a few thoughts of Thanksgiving ...

It seems we all have thoughts of Thanksgiving at this time of year. A couple of years ago, I might have had a hard time to come up with thoughts of Thanksgiving because my mother was gravely ill and was about to pass away. Shortly there after my dog passed away as well. My husband had just recovered from lung surgery a few months before and I spend almost 6 months with him at Walter Reed. At that time of this year he was back in Iraq. And yet, I still had thoughts of Thanksgiving in my heart, just as I do this year.

Through tough times and good times, my Heavenly Father has always been there. My life has been blessed with a wonderful family. I have two wonderful sons. One just married a wonderful new wife. It warmed my heart to see him as happy as he was on his wedding day. As a mother you always see your children as a doctor or any other great such thing. But nothing is better to see them as a great person and be as happy as they are on their wedding day, when they smile at their bride and she smiles back with just as much happiness.  Those moments are priceless. Those moments, I am truly grateful for.

If I were to list all the things in my life I have ever received that deserve my thanks - I would have to write a book. And much of that are not things I purchased, but they are times spent with my family. Times I spent with them. I loved the times I spent with my sons - we had so much fun together, we were always able to laugh together, be crazy together! Matthew and I still are, ha!

The moment, my husband woke up from his surgery and the doctors told me, he would make it and he would still be able to spend more time with me ... priceless and prayers answered.

Yes, life is wonderful. So, if there is anything I can share with you. If life is hard, try to look around you and see what you can be thankful for and start with that. It has always helped me to keep going.

May the Lord bless you on this Thanksgiving.

Wedding pictures, yeah!

 Here are some pictures from my son's, wedding. Patrick could not be happier. They went to Disney World for their honey moon and they even found an apartment already. All they need now is earn a bit more money and they will be moving down there in a couple more months.

As you can see, their wedding was Halloween based - they both love the movies, so Jack and Sally attended the wedding on top of their wedding cake :).

They both did a wonderful job with their vows. Christen cried when Patrick said his - I cried a well ... just a mother is supposed to ... ha. Now I have a daughter. Many people think of a wedding as loosing their child, I saw it as gaining another one - not in a bad way. I love family. When I think back of all the great times I have had with both of my boys ... all I can say is that I am so grateful that I was able to spend the time with them. Thank you for teaching me how to play Pokemon - and yes, I even beat them at it. There are so many other things they tried to teach me, but most of all they taught me how to love, there is nothing more precious.

So, Patrick - I wish you and your bride all the best in your life. May the Lord always bless you. Love always, Mom.

The only person missing was our oldest son, Patrick - he will be getting married in a couple of weeks. But after 34 years of service to the United States Army my husband, Francis is finally retiring from the military. He has has a number of commands here in the US and abroad in Germany and Iraq. He has had a number of deployments and still found time for his family. We were always able to connect somehow.

He can be proud of his service and the many awards he has received, I know we are. Thanks, honey for your service and to all the other men and their families who are still serving...