My Little Sweatshop

Here is the secret to my success (lol x10). The kids wanted to help me make tags, so I put them to work punching shapes. Most of Ella's were not fit for much ;), but Malia was a great helper.

Here are a few things "we" made that day.

What a gloomy day it is here today. The most exciting thing we have done is have Malia's soccer pictures taken. Woo hoo!

We are all tired from a busy week, and don't feel like doing a whole heck of a lot. Kids are grouchy, and I'm crossing my fingers for an early bedtime tonight. (for the kids of course!)

They all need it so badly!

Hope you are having a wonderful day!

~Linda

Sunglass Case Holder

So....I had been wanting to try to make one of these for awhile, and I finally did! It's a little different than I originally envisioned, but I think it turned out okay. Ruffle flower with vintage button center. It covers the Velcro flap.Inside is lined with fleece to protect the sunglasses.Back of the case - with the ruffle!Okay, that's all I wanted to share for today. I have 9 cards to make for my CTMH Unit Swap tomorrow. Eek! But first we have soccer and back to school night. Looks like I'll be burning the midnight oil. lol.

~Linda

Back to School for 2

I must be getting old, because back to school week wore me out! We were out of town for Labor Day Weekend. Had family pictures taken on Monday, shopped for a few last minute things for Malia (which were impossible to find on Labor Day!), had Malia's first day of school and first soccer game on Tuesday, and Alex's first day on Wednesday. And, I don't want to forget our 10th wedding anniversary on Thursday (9/9/10). Whew.Here are a few pictures from the first day. Better late than never! Here is Malia:She **LOVES** 1st Grade and thinks she has the best teacher ever! I'm so happy!

Here is Alex:

He loves his class and has made a new friend each day so far. :)

Hope you are all having a great September!

~Linda

Happy Sunday!

I saw this someplace and thought it was funny. I can barely text while sitting in a chair.

Hope you are having a great day wherever you are!!

~Linda

It's September...Time for a NEW Idea Book

Yippeee! It's finally time to launch the new Idea Book!
You can view it online HERE.

~~~~~

And of course a new month means a new Stamp of the Month (SOTM).
The featured SOTM for September is called "Thriller".
Ask me how you can get it at a discount or for FREE with a purchase.

Here is a sample of artwork created with "THRILLER":


And, the actual stamp set:


For more information, to take a look at my artwork, or find out more about CTMH, you can visit my website here: www.lindaw.myctmh.com.


Did you know we also have a great online digital scrapbooking program called Studio J?
You can check it out here: Studio J.

Have a creative weekend!
~Linda

Our First Camping Trip

Whew! We did it! We survived our first camping trip. And, I think it was a success!
So, it wasn't exactly "roughing it", but it was perfect for us. The cabin even had heat and electricity. I was able to bring a little 4 cup coffee maker - ahhhhhhh. Heaven. The kids loved each and every minute of the trip. There were places to ride bikes near the cabins.

We had a campfire in the morning and also at night. (The weather turned a little cool at the start of our trip). The above picture is our first morning campfire. Notice Malia has some 1/2 pajama, 1/2 outfit creation on. :)

There were trails to hike - and I do mean hike. Some were more steep than I was expecting. Good for the legs though! For some reason Ella only seemed to want ME to carry her on the way back UPHILL. I did what I could...but Rourke had to a lot of the uphill shoulder rides with her.

We went to a Ranger talk and then took a field trip to the beaver pond/dam. It was really beautiful. Rourke even spotted a nutria. I didn't even think he was paying attention! I learned that nutria are really destructive animals and can overtake the beaver habitats quickly. Male/female nutria pairs have to be split up FAST!

We even found a playground near the east campground - where the real tent/camper people stay. :)

We had fun cooking over the campstove. We tried to travel light, so I was happy to get home to a bigger selection of ingredients and tools to cook with!

Here is Malia with a few of the friends she and Alex made. It was very kid friendly. The kids were exhausted every night!

After S'mores, we moved on to the Jiffy Pop Popcorn. The kids and "neighbors" from cabin 1 had fun eating and telling spooky stories in the dark (well, next to the campfire and with the porch light on!).

So..........overall it was a great time! I was a little freaked out by the sign that said "You are in bear and cougar country" when we got there. But was almost over it by the time we left...until the guy in the next cabin said he saw a mountain lion on a trail that morning. Great!!

Okay, got to run.

Have a great day!
~Linda

Happy Birthday Julie!

A quick post to wish my long time friend Julie a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

I think it was 15 years ago (give or take a year) that we were celebrating her birthday in Cozumel and Playa del Carmen! Just 4 single girls with not a care in the world (okay, we probably had job stress, and mabye some boyfriend issues - but looking back I can't remember much).

Here we are someplace in Cancun - on that same trip. Julie is in the middle and that's our friend Cindy on the left. Fun times!

Anyway........I hope Julie has a wonderful day today down in sunny California!

XO Linda

CMTH Card Swap/Challenge

Every month our CTMH (Close to My Heart) unit does a mini card swap. One person provides an identical sheet of paper for everyone, and the next month we bring back completed cards using that paper.

Last month we were given this (retired) paper:

There were actually a few different colors of the same pattern this time. Usually they are exactly the same. I chose the Ponderosa Pine color.

And this is what I ended up creating with my paper:

I flipped the paper over so the more splotchy Ponderosa Pine pattern was showing, not the words. I matted my random stamped snowflake paper on top of it.

I also used my Cuttlebug to emboss the top with the Swiss dot pattern. Added a clear button with a rhinestone to the center of 1 snowflake, and finished that snowflake off with glitter.

Here's a look at what the other gals came up with: (I'm always amazed at how different they turn out!)

The above picture shows 2 6x6 layouts.

The below picture shows the 6 cards.

"Happy Holidays" Card Supplies:

Holiday Commentary Stamp Set C1379

New Fallen Snow Stamp Set D1171
Clear Craft Buttons Z1155

Prisma Glitter Z134

Tulip, Topiary, Sweet Leaf & Blush Stamp Pads

White Cardstock

My Garage Sale Find!

Okay, so a few weeks ago I read on Craigslist about a garage sale with antique quilts...........I'm a sucker for old quilts. My grandma who passed away this month was an AMAZING quilter - made hundreds in her 94 years of life. I have started many, but never finished ONE! How embarrassing is that? Somewhere along the line I either get bored, or intimidated. Years ago I started a red & white quilt, inspired by the quilt in Monica & Rachel's apartment on Friends (the early years). lol.

Back to the garage sale. So, I made it to the sale, about an hour+ after it started. I think the kids didn't sleep well the night before, and I was having a hard time getting out of the house early. I get to the garage sale, to find not much left or cool, old - as in barn wood buffet table from New England 1800s, stuff from all over the country (or at least that's what the guy said!!) marked as "SOLD". It's probably a good thing I was late. What do I really need anyway? Nothing.

So......I spot the quilts, The first one I see says $5. REALLY, $5?? I grab it. Then my tired eyes start seeing $5 on more, really big tags. So........I pile up and go to pay. OOPS.

The first quilt DID say $5. The others said $125, $75, etc. How embarrassing.

I bought the $5 and left. :)

Here she is:

The tag said it is from the early 1900s. I think I was drawn to the red & white part.....which goes back to the "Friends" quilt in progress. :)

Today I'm taking Malia & Alex to see "Nanny McPhee Returns" this afternoon with my Sister and her kids (who are kind enough to go with us - they are mid-teens to early 20 year olds). It should be fun. Ella gets to spend some time with Grandma.
Have a great day!
~Linda

AMAZING Scrapbook Sale - Close to My Heart

$2, $4, $6 for 8! It's YOU That We Appreciate!

I have just re-started my website...and it looks like I was just in time.

Close to My Heart is offering amazing deals on select MyStickease Assortments ($2), Level 1 Scrapbook Kits ($4), Level 2 Scrapbook Kits ($6) are yours for 8 days only (or while supplies last, whichever comes first). Mark your calendar for Wednesday, August 4 - Wednesday, August 11 (or while supplies last) and don't miss this HUGE sale. All items are over 50% off. To take advantage of this sales, head to my website (http://lindaw.myctmh.com/) and click on 'Shop Online' and starting August 4 there should be a link for the sale. (When you shop online, all orders ship directly to your door!) In the meantime, start your wish lists. Here are a few more pictures of what will be on sale!!

(For pictures of ALL items on sale click here).

More to Adore Level 1 Kit: Jingle Level 1 Kit:Emporium My Stickease (stickers):Emporium Level 2 Kit:

Good Times Level 2 Kit:

This is just a sneak peek! There will be tons more on Wednesday Aug. 4th. :)

You Rock Cards - CTMH

Hello blog readers! I thought I'd share a fun card I made for our swap with the other gals in our Close to My Heart unit. We are each given 1 sheet of the same paper, to make 7 identical cards. At the next month's meeting, we swap our cards and leave with 7 different cards. It's fun to see what the other ladies come up with using the same paper!

This card has a fun center fold!

CTMH Supplies used:

You Rock Level 2 paper pack

Notice the Details Stamp set

Star Struck Stamp Set

Bitty Sparkles

Autumn Craft Buttons

And.............watch for exciting news coming up about a HUGE paper sale on my Close to My Heart website: www.lindaw.myctmh.com. It starts at 8am Wednesday morning! If you haven't shopped on my site, you might want to set up an account now - so you can be ready to shop! :)

Thanks for visiting~
~Linda