A Very Different Kind of Album Project....

Right now I am cooking up christmas projects with all the fab new goodies that Close To My Heart is about to unleash but this little album has really caught my eye...

I am bubbling over with ideas for this little beauty as a christmas gift...how about a desk calendar project, or a birthday calendar, or a recipe book, or a book of positive affirmations....for just $20 I am predicting that the Designed Decor Flip Stand Album is going to be HUGE for christmas 2013! If you want to snap one (or more!) up for the people on your gift list, just click here and it will take you straight there!

http://lesleysanders.ctmh.com.au/retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=7377&CatalogID=2111

Hot Tip Tuesday!

Life in our new house has FINALLY settled down and so it is back to business and back to scrapbooking and story-telling for this little bunny! I am progressively working my way through all the super-cool products that Close To My Heart (CTMH) has to offer but to date one of them has been a complete stand out...the Workshops On The Go (WOTG) kits!

WOTG kits are the perfect introduction to stamping and scrapping the CTMH way because they represent great value and give you the ingredients you need to create brilliantly coordinated and stylish layouts and cards. Each kit contains cardstock, decorative paper, stamps, embellishments and a layout and cutting guide to help you create magic without the stress. Here is a video to show you a sample of what you can create with these amazing kits...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8Zx_JRQZOU#t=48


To date I have played with the Laughing Lola Scrapbooking and Card Kits, Tommy and Pro Player Scrapbooking Kits and I am THRILLED with the results! For a digi scrapping girl like me, WOTG kits have been the PERFECT solution as I ease my way back into playing with paper because I can choose to follow the layout guide exactly, or deviate from the guide and still end up with fabulous results. If I want to sex up my layouts with lumpy bumpy embellishments I can, and if I prefer to keep it clean and simple (which you know is generally my preference!) then I can do that too - love that flexibility!

If you haven't scrapped for a while, or stamped, or if you are just getting started then trust me when I say, Workshops On The Go are the answer for you! And if you are a seasoned stamper and scrapper, I challenge you to give them a go - I bet you are in for a very pleasant surprise!

The Challenge Is ON...HELLO!!

We all have a tendency to put our own needs and interests behind those of our children/family etc...can anyone relate? Personally, I have been struggling with this a lot lately as I dealt with illness, injury, moving house, kid activities, work commitments...you know the story. But this past week or so I decided that enough was enough – I need to say HELLO to the things that I have been missing these last few months/weeks. I need to get reacquainted with those things that make me happy, because I know I function a lot better when I am running on Happy (as opposed to running on empty!). So my challenge to you tonight is to think about the things that you enjoy, that make you happy, that you have been pushing aside for whatever reason lately and make a page that says HELLO. Let’s all welcome those happy things back into our lives!

 

 

Don't miss this opportunity to get $200+ of free product!

There is only ONE WEEK LEFT to get your $99 kit! It contains over $300 worth of wonderful Close To My Heart products, so this kit represents exceptional value! Whether you want to grow a business, finance your own hobby or just love being part of a crafting community, you are welcome here! Receive 22% discount off your personal product purchases including your digital printing, earn a few $$$ towards your household expenses or just play along with me - there is something for everyone! Purchase your $99 kit directly from my website (www.lesleysanders.ctmh.com.au) by clicking on the OPPORTUNITIES tab...give it a go....what have you got to lose? There are no penalties if you don't do anything other than purchase a kit and you will walk away with over $200 of free product! That is one sweet deal!

Keeping Busy

People often ask me how I manage to do all the different things I do and still have a life...in truth, I don't think that I do any more than anyone else does, I am just going about life and trying to live it the best way I know how. And sometimes that means I am busy, very busy!

Today was the perfect example: the day started out early as we drove Kid 1 across town to a special event he has looked forward to all year. Then we went looking for furniture for the new house, stopped off at the embroidery shop to buy two new cross-stitch patterns, then home for a quick bite of lunch, then off to a Stampin Up catalogue launch party, home for dinner and a nap on the couch before spending the evening catching up with a girlfriend. That's a good day in my book because I got to spend time with my family and friends, got to make some cool stuff, got to think about new cool stuff I want to make...what more could a girl ask for??!!

In 2012 I purposefully made a List of things I wanted to do during the year and then I worked my way through it and ticked off the experiences as I had them. And I got to do some really cool stuff, trust me! I didn't make a List for 2013 because I thought I had learned my lesson and that it had just become a part of the way I would operate going forward: making time to do the things that I want to do for myself. BIG MISTAKE! I totally should have made a List this year, because now the year is half-gone already and I feel time slipping away from me. My List kept me focussed in 2012 - not having that List in 2013 has allowed me to slip into bad habits, putting aside personal dreams and aspirations for other stuff that draws my time and attention.

So I am thinking of going back to my List for the remainder of the year...of writing down several things I want to achieve personally before the clock ticks over to 2014. There are so many great experiences out there just waiting for you if only you take the time to seek them out. So it's time for this girl to get back on track and re-focus on what I believe I was put here on earth to do: to learn, to create and to teach.

Watch out world, this girl is just getting started!

Long Time Gone...

With the Close To My Heart Australia lift off just 1 day away now, I find my mind is shifting gears again and getting back into business mode. It's been kinda nice to have this guilt-free time out of business as Creative Memories wound up but as of Monday 1st July that holiday is over and it is back to work full tilt. What that business is going to look like, I have no idea...I just want to get moving again and put all the trouble of the last 2 months behind me. Wow, is it really only 2 months since everything imploded?? Seems like a lot more than that!

So now I am in planning mode; planning how to launch my new business, planning how I am going to run things differently this time around, planning what I am going to make once my new business kit arrives...planning, planning, planning! And I am ITCHING to get my hands on that business kit!

I get excited just thinking about all the cool stuff I can make with this bundle of goodies!!

And in the last 8 weeks we have added nearly 1000 people to the Virtual Crop group which is pretty cool! I won't lie, it has been a lot of work to keep it all going and we wouldn't have been able to do it without the support of a whole army of other people, especially our families who have been endlessly patient with us as we lived out our lives glued to Facebook, eating meals in front of the computer so we could post comments and ideas and music videos to keep everyone bubbling along until the CTMH launch date. There is still a lot of work to be done in the Crop as we make the transition from CM to CTMH but we have survived this long in the wilderness so we are pretty much unstopable now!

And then to top it all off, we found out 2 weeks ago that we have to move house! Yep, after 17 years in this house, we have to pack it all up and relocate at the end of July!

So things are about to shift to a whole new level of madness around here but that's ok, it keeps life interesting! Not sure how/when/where I will get to make much of anything over the next 4 weeks as we get ready to move but I am quietly confident it is all going to turn out for the best...I can feel it in my bones! I am ready to blast off into the next chapter of my life, in a new business with a new company, in a new home for my family, with my own craft room (woo hooo!!)...this party is just getting started!!

Getting My Craft On!

Been a busy week around here with lots going on with my husband and the kids. But the BIG revelation this week was remembering that everything happens for a reason. With everything that has been going on lately and all the stress that has been circling around me, I was struck this week by a sense that I am here, right now, in this place for a reason. I may not be 100% sure about where or what that place is, or where it is going in the future, but for right now I am right where I need to be be. And I need to be creative. I need to make stuff. I need for focus on making things for myself and my family. In essence, I need to craft my way forward. So I have been...

I dusted off the stamps last week (with the help of a friend!) and made some cards...something I have not done in a VERY long time. And I am really happy with them, it has inspired me to make more stuff this week!
Sometimes I think it is very easy to get lost up in all the things you have to be for other people. I am a wife, a mother, an employee, a business owner, a volunteer, and a million other things for other people. But at my core I am someone who learns, creates and teaches - I know in my heart and soul that is what I was put on this planet to do. So in spite of all the thousands of things that I should be doing, I am making and taking time right now to just be me: to refuel my tank by learning and creating new things so that I am ready to teach others again when all this CM mess is finished with.
And it feels sooooooo good!