Paper Bag Project

Well...school has officially started, and my blogging has taken a back seat. (((sigh))) I have had these pictures in my computer for a few weeks and just never had the chance to write a post because I was too busy getting ready for school.

Back in early August, we had a unit meeting and I was asked to teach a project to the rest of the group. I had seen something similar to this the week before and I just had to re-create it. I figured this meeting was the perfect opportunity to do that!

This is made from a small brown paper bag. With a fold and a few simple cuts, you can create this unique card. When it is opened, the top half and the bottom half both have pockets that you can insert a note, gift cards, money, candy, or just about anything small that you can think to add!

All of the stamped images are cut with the new CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge, and then stamped with our coordinating stamp sets. I used the Olivia paper pack on this project. Even the flourish on the front was cut with the Cricut cartridge. The flourish is embellished with mini opaque mocha pearls. I used antique copper brads for the flower centers, the lower pocket, and to hold the pleats in the ribbon. As always, click on each photo for a closer look! 

Front cover

Inside of bag (opened)

Surprise!

Today I had an interesting surprise that I had to share with all of you. Read on to hear what happened...

The past few days have been pretty busy with my CTMH business. My club meeting was Friday night and I attended a unit meeting/picnic yesterday with some great friends and 'sidelines'. All of last week was spent prepping for my club meeting and gathering all of the wonderful new products I wanted to share with my customers.

When I arrived home from yesterday's meeting, I went into my scrap room and was shocked to see that it looked like a bomb exploded when I wasn't looking! Since my hubby was busy, I started cleaning up and putting things away. I worked most of the evening, and finally headed to bed around 11:30.

This morning, I realized there was still another box of new product in the back of my car. So, my husband brought it in from the car, and put it up in my scrap room. Ugh! Still more things to put away...so around lunch time I headed up to get back to work! I had a TON of new stamp sets to put away, but I always turn the carrier sheets from my stamps around first so that you can see them from the front. One at a time, I started 'flipping' my stamps around. I got about half-way through when it happened...

I had just finished "flipping" one of the free stamp sets that we got at Convention this year. Right before I closed it and put it away, I felt a stamp on the outside of the carrier sheet. I figured I had just inadvertently put in on the wrong side of the sheet. But something felt funny...

Can you see it?!? Here's a closer look...

I found a rogue sticky-boy hanging out in this stamp set, waiting patiently for me to find him, since Convention in Anaheim! You see, I had shared stamps with a friend of mine, and I never even took this stamp set out of the pack. This little bugger was in my possession from Day 1 of Convention, and I never even knew he was there!

So...the moral of the story is:

When attending CTMH Conventions, look EVERYWHERE and in EVERYTHING! You never know when/where sticky-boy will make an appearance.

Needless to say, he made my day!! The only problem was that there was nobody here to share my joy (the hubby just doesn't understand the whole sticky-boy obsession), which is why I am sharing here. Hope you liked my story :o)

New Product Blog Hop

I'm so excited to be a participant in this New Product Blog Hop! Fellow consultant Tresa Black started the hop as a way to share new product with all of you. Check out the fabulous artwork by some amazing consultants! (My card is #32 below!) I just love what these talented consultants have done with our wonderful new products. Fellow consultants are welcome to join along. Just go to Tresa's blog and check out her directions for participation.

Dreamin' Card

Well...I think I have finally recovered from my whirlwind week in California. It took me a while to get over the jet lag, and I'm not sure that I'm completely recovered, but I am functioning again. Thanks to all of you who came along on the trip by following this blog. I've gotten so many nice comments from people who were following and I am so happy to hear that people were actually reading my posts :o)

I've gotten back to crafting this week and I have a card I can't wait to share with you! This card uses a lot of new product and I had so much fun making it for my mom to give to her pastor. This weekend will be his last service at their church, after 17 years as their minister. She wanted something special since there aren't many thank you cards for pastors. I'm sure he will be getting many duplicate cards, but I can guarantee this one will be one-of-a-kind!

I started with one of the new Kraft Die-Cut Cards (Z1474) from CTMH. I love the look and feel of these cards and know I will be stocking up on many more! Another new product I used on this card is the new Dreamin' paper pack (X7142B). I just love the new thicker paper, and the cool 'zip-strip' on the top of each page. I used this strip on the side flap and I think it just adds so much to the card. The stamped flowers and the interior sentiment are from the Treasure Life stamp set (#D1306). The "God Bless You" sentiment on the front is from the Card Chatter - Sympathy (D1476) set. I stamped the flowers using clear embossing powder on white daisy cardstock. Then I added color by sponging in honey ink over the flowers. I finished the image by sponging in chocolate around the edge of the flowers. The final touch was a series of Cream Opaques (Z1336) added to the scalloped edge. As always, feel free to click on each picture if you want to take a closer look. I absolutely love the look of this card and am so proud that I could give my mom something special for this wonderful man. Thanks for looking!

Card front

Card interior

California Day 6 (Convention Day 3)

Today was the last day of Convention and although I am sad to see it end, I am definitely ready to go home. I miss my hubby :-( It's been a whirlwind week, and my mind is spinning with excitement about our new products. I can't wait to share what I've learned and saw this week with all of my friends and customers back home.

The sessions today were wonderful! In the first session, we learned a little bit more about the changes the company is making and the reasons behind those changes. There were also tons of new product give-aways, and I won one of our new paper packs! It's even better that it is one of my favorites too. Stephanie also won some of our new journaling pockets.

The second session was probably my favorite business class. During this class we made a memory game box. This is the first time that we have made something during a business class, and I must admit that it was a great idea! While we were working, the presenters discussed the new products and shared the benefits of each. Check out the picture below for the finished box.

At the closing session, we wrapped up the convention by reviewing the week, discussing the future, and watching a video from the past few days. My roommate and I were so excited to see that we made it into the closing video this year! We learned that next year, convention will be heading go Dallas, Texas. Hopefully I will be heading there this time next year.

Finally, Corp did something new this year, and held a crop session. We were able to work on our own projects or complete a mini album designed by the CTMH staff. The album is so cute, and it was so much fun to make. Again, the pictures of the final project can be seen below.

We took a few final pictures to remember our trip before retiring to our rooms for the night. Hope you've enjoyed these updates. Tomorrow is my last full day in California before heading out on Monday morning. One more day to do some last minute shopping and who knows what else. So long for now!

Another Roomie Gift

Earlier this week I had mentioned that we exchanged Roomie gifts. After that post, we had one more person share her gifts with the rest of us. I would like to share the project she made. First, she gave us all a purple visor with our names to wear with our purple gear on the first day of convention. For each of us, she also created a mini album that we can use to write important dates we need to remember throughout the year. These books are super cute and I can't wait to start using mine! Thanks, Stephanie for all of your hard work and your very thoughtful gift. I absolutely love mine!

California Day 5 (Convention Day 2)

Well, today was another busy day filled with fun and excitement! We started the day with a guest speaker from the Disney Institute. She was interesting and funny and had a lot of great things to share with us. One of my favorite things she mentioned was a quote by Walt Disney. He once said, "People may not notice all of the details, but they will sense the perfection." What a profound statement that I would like to try to remember whenever I create. Although my work is far from perfect, it would be neat to strive for that "sense of perfection" with every project.

After the general session, we had lunch. Since lunch was on our own, my roommate and I grabbed a bagel and some fruit from the hotel coffee shop. Then we headed to business classes. In one we learned all about the new Corp newsletters that consultants will be able to use to keep customers informed of what is going on with CTMH. The other discussed the ABC's of business.

Then came my favorite part of convention. We had our first Create and Take session! We made a beautiful two page layout (see below). But...before that session started, I found Sticky Boy! For those of you who don't know, he was the first ever CTMH acrylic stamp. Every year at convention, staff hides these different sizes of these little guys all over the convention center. It's quite a site when consultants find one. One thing is for sure...you definitely don't want to get in the way of a consultant who has spied a Sticky Boy! You could be seriously hurt if you do!

After the create and take session, we had a bit of a break before heading off to the Awards Banquet. This is the time that we celebrate the achievements of our fellow consultants after sharing a fabulous meal together. The meal was amazing! Throughout the evening, we were treated to singing, dancing, and skits by the Disney Entertainment Group. It was a magical night for sure!

Found one!!!

After almost two days of searching, I finally found a Sticky Boy! Will post more later, but had to share :-)

California Day 4 (Convention Day 1)

If I had to sum up today in one word, it would have to be WOW! I just have to say that love being part of this company. Their forward thinking ideas and philosophy have made them the front-runner in the industry and I am so thrilled to be one of their consultants.

The day started with our first general session. It was filled with magic and quite a few Disney characters too! We learned about all of the new products that are available in our new fall catalog. I'm going to try to list everything I can remember...my mind is still reeling!

First - All My Acrylic stamp packs are coming DOWN in price! Sets will range from $6.95-$17.95 with no change in the amount of product you will receive.

Next - Level 2 paper packs are also cheaper, but they will have a few less sheets of paper. The packs are now $9.95, but the background paper is now heavier weight. This is great because you can now use background paper as the base for a layout. There are six printed sheets in a level 2 pack, along with six sheets of solid cardstock. The top of each printed sheet has a bonus zip-strip. This strip can be removed and the one side is printed and can be used as an accent to your projects! No more wasted strip!

Corp has decided to update our mission statement to include more possibilities for the art of memory keeping!

Another big announcement was that the hostess program is being expanded to include more free product. You can now select Workshops on the Go, Studio J memberships, and Studio J 5 packs, in addition to all of the previous options when you are the hostess for a show grossing at least $150.

We have tons of new accessories in the new catalog! Check out some of them in the pictures below.

Now for the huge news!!! CTMH now has an exclusive Cricut cartridge. This cartridge cuts over 700 shapes and cards that coordinate with several of our stamp sets and dimensional elements! This is huge news and I can't wait to start using this new cartridge with our product and sharing it will all of my customers.

If any of you are not a customer of mine and you are interested in learning more about all of this fabulous product, please feel free to email me a jobarron@ptd.net and I will be happy to sit down and talk to you about how you can start using CTMH product!

After the general session, we got an awesome bag (see below) with our new catalog and supplies for our create and take projects. I'm still spending time drooling over the catalog. Every time I look at it, I find more awesome stuff!!!

I am heading to bed shortly, but wanted to share a few pictures from the day. Enjoy!!!

California - Day 3

Yet another fun day is happening here in sunny California today! We started the morning in Disneyland again. We spent a few hours there and got some great photos and rode some of the classic rides. We hit up Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, Pirates of the Carribean, the Haunted Mansion, and It's a Small World, to name a few. After a few hours, we headed to California Adventure. A few of the rides we were hoping to get on had super long waits, so we just took a leisurely walk around. We did manage to ride California Screaming, which was a super fun roller coaster! We also met Mickey!!!

Around noon, we headed to Downtown Disney for lunch. After lunch, it was time to register for Convention, so we headed to the convention center to wait for the doors to open. To our surprise, they started letting us register an hour early! We got all of our name tags and information for the convention. On our way back to the room we met Goofy!

All in all, it has been a fun day, and it's not over yet! In a few minutes, we are heading back to Downtown Disney for dinner and some shopping. We need to be back to the hotel for a team meeting at 8:00. I may post more later. If not, be sure to check tomorrow for great news from convention!

California Day 2

Well, today was a little bit more low-key than yesterday (which is just fine with me)! Because my knee is still sore from the surgery, I decided to stay away from the parks today. My roommate and some other dear friends were set to arrive around noon, so I decided to hang around the hotel to wait for them to arrive.

I had my cereal breakfast in my room, watched a little TV, then showered and headed out for a little while. I took some time to walk around the hotel grounds to see what is all around us. I took a few pictures and then visited the hotel gift shops. When I came out of the gift shop, several of my PA friends were arriving at the hotel. We spent some time catching up, and before I knew it, my roommate and our friends arrived! I hung around with them while they checked-in and then we headed to our rooms.

Once they were settled, we exchanged roomie gifts! Roomie gifts are a CTMH tradition, and my friends never disappoint! This year, I got tons of great gifts! We also decided this year to include a few "virtual roomies." These are some friends who are not in our rooms with us, but are close friends that we wanted to share in this tradition. In all, there are six of us exchanging gifts.

The Mickey ears are from my upline, Nancy. I'm sure we will be wearing those a lot this week. (When I get home, they will be great for Crazy Hat day at school!) The ring was made by my roommate, Crystal. She used CTMH buttons to make this great accessory. She also made another ring with a CTMH mesh flower (not pictured). Jean made us all a gorgeous charm bracelet. Stacey made an adorable tag book filled with Disney quotes. The necklace with the cute little guy hanging from it was my gift to the others. That cute little guy is called Sticky Boy and he is well known in the CTMH community!

After we finished with our gift exchange, we headed to lunch. Since my friends were famished from their flights, we headed to Downtown Disney and I took them to the Rainforest Cafe, since in knew exactly how to get there from yesterday. We got a great table in the back of the restaurant, and it felt like we had the place all to ourselves. We had a blast and got some super fun souvenir pictures taken for the scrapbooks!

Right now, we are back in the room, deciding how we are going to attack the next day. Enjoy the pictures I'm sharing that recap what I've shared above. Hang in there for more updates!