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Download xoxo_supply_sheet.xls  I hope this helps!

BTW, I placed a Basic Grey order for the store yesterday.  They said it would be in by Monday.  So we will have the paper!  WOO HOO!

I’ve got to prep brr!  *A*

I went pretty simple on these.  The paper is all Blush (Basic Grey), the ribbon, sparkle brads and white flower are Making Memories, the book plate is Daisy D’s, the heart brad is bazzill and the Bling Word is Heidi Swapp.  The store has ordered paper … they have about 12 packages of the bling words and 8 of the ribbon.  We do have similar ribbon available in our open stock section.  Use your imagination!  You’ll also notice that I did not do rub-ons (I just didn’t have any here ~ they’d be so cute!)

Check back later for a shopping list with quantities!  TTFN!  *A*

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My cute sister-in-law took these for us the week after Thanksgiving. I thought you’d enjoy seeing them! She has started her own photography business. It’s called Rebecca Matheson Photography. She did a fabulous job! It was somewhere around 25 degrees that day and the boys were such troopers (Neal had strep), but my dad needed pics and we had it planned. We would get posed, then we’d say “take off your coats” and so we would throw our coats to the side and snap the pic … then we’d put our coats on and do it all over again. You can see the boys cute, red noses and ears … but the photos still turned out great!

My mother-in-law says “presentation is everything” and so, as her daughter, Rebecca puts these slide shows together to present the photos to her clients. I hope you enjoy! *A*

I am thinking of entering this year’s CK Hall of Fame contest and I need your opinion.  There are three assignments that every entrant must submit.  The first assignment is this: 

Assignment A: Inventive technique Create a layout that showcases an original, innovative technique. Near to the layout, explain in a step-by-step format how you performed the technique.

This is my question … I think I do a lot of cool things, but are they really original?  What technique do I do that you think is original?  What should I submit that will set me apart from the crowd?

Question #2:  I’m teaching a Wedding class next quarter and I don’t want to do just black and white pages … so I’m going to do color!  I purchased this Basic Grey   Blush Card kit on Saturday.  It has chipboard and rub-ons you can only buy in the kit.  I thought it would be fun to use this line of paper with this kit for the class, but is it BLUSH overkill?  I switched my Love Shack class to this last week and I am using it for a layout in Possibilities!  What do you think?  There are so many other products out there that I can use in the class.  Should I use BLUSH or something else?  BTW, I am going to use these pages for my parents/parents-in-law wedding pics!

Thanks for your help!  *A*

p.s.  To add your comment, simply click on comments on the bottom of the post … then you type your name (not full name) and email address in the appropriate areas and then type your comment and press the post button.

SO … I taught Love Shack on Wednesday and Tuesday night I had NO paper, so what did I do?  Did I cancel class OR did I make lemonade?  I made the sweetest lemonade you have ever tasted!  You might want to try it!

Actually … the Chatterbox paper I used in Love Shack has sold out (it’s so darn cute).  I have redesigned it in Basic Grey’s Blush line.  It was hard only because it was the night before the class and I had kits to prep.  Do you want to know the silver lining???  This is the paper I wanted to use in the first place, but they hadn’t started shipping it before the class due date.  I LOVE it!  I liked the class before, but I LOVE it now!  I hope you like it as much, if not more, like me!

Don’t forget, there are two more opportunities to take this class:

• Wednesday, January 31 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
• Thursday, February 8 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.

hugs!  *A*

My son’s elementary school sent home a Ziploc baggy with the instructions that I was to fill it with "comfort things".  A letter, a stuffed animal, a snack, something the teacher can give to them if they are ever told they have to stay in class for an extended period of time (locked down).  I was grateful to do it, but how sad is it that this is the world we are living in.  My friend said, they’ll never use it … and she is right!  I am glad our PTA was thinking ahead and providing a way to hopefully comfort our children in the case of an emergency of any kind.

I wanted to put a lot of thought into it and make it meaningful.  So what did I do?  Forgot about it and at midnight last Thursday, (it was due Friday) I decided that I wanted to have a 4×4 mini album full of pictures (grandparents, friends and of course our little family).  Neal can’t read very well (he’s great at Sam I am!) and I thought this would help him know how loved he is.  Luckily, I happened to have an AMM accordion album or two (or 10!) in my basement and I was able to pull it off!  This is what I prepared (we had to change bears because Neal didn’t want the teddy bear sent to school).

*A* 

I was getting on the blog to confess that I am a total clutz!  I have mentioned that in class before.  I mean, I’ve burned paper while using the stove burner to emboss (I was a poor, married college student and the toaster was too slow), I’ve burned chipboard in the microwave because I was too impatient to let it dry on its own … and today, just a few minutes ago, I spilled a quart of Chocolate Brown paint on the bathroom floor!

As I said, I was getting on to confess (I guess I did anyway) and I thought I’d check out my email first and Cami sent me this quote:

"Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities." Gloria Steinem

WOW!  What a compliment!  Thanks Cami for reminding me that the bumps along the way (an ocean of paint on my cabinets and bathroom floor) are okay as long as you are always trying new things.  (And, yes, it’s the bathroom I painted twice in April! ~ I’ll share it when it’s done!)  *A*

p.s.  I DID get it cleaned up! 

Who would be interested in XOXO wood letters?  I have had a few people contact me and am thinking of throwing them together.  I thought XOXO would be great to go with the kisses from last year.  It would be another quick turn around.  I’d need orders by the end of next week so you’d have them in your hands the end of the month … Let me know!  *A*

I’d better have something for you to comment about!   Thanks to everyone who emailed me about my hair color!  It was a hard decision and one that I have been contemplating for years … no maintenance!  However, I am afraid I MAY have waited too long … the darker color shows the gray hairs I am getting (in a patch right in front, no less).  Right now, there aren’t enough to worry about ~ nothing a little plucking can’t handle!

I have been asked to be the "Teacher Lead" at the store.  I am excited for this opportunity!  I know our classes are the best around and know I can make a great contribution.  That means I get to work on the class calendar for next quarter!  We have a graphic designer who will do the actual layout, but I will feed her all the written info.  COOL!

I was invited to attend CHA with a friend.  Shayna, a former AMM designer (Studio Collection) has started her own line and it will be unveiled at CHA.  My friend asked if I would want to go and work her booth.  But, I am teaching on the day we would leave and the day we would come home … thanks to you, my classes are full and are a success, so I am GLADLY staying home to teach them! 

I am HUMBLED by your support and excitement for my classes.  It’s a weird feeling designing classes … because the designs are a bit of me, but they are not for me, they are for you!  I am truly grateful to you for your support (I can’t say it enough) when I teach a class, read a comment on the blog, or get an email, you brighten my day!  Things have been really emotional lately (I cry all through the news) and almost every day I have one of you contact me and lift my spirits.  Thank you.

I have decided that I need to share more of myself with you.  I have always tried to be as open as possible, but in all relationships, I’ve kept my guard up.  (You know, things in the past and all)  I feel like I have been fairly sterile in my posts and you don’t always get to see the "Real" me.  I wonder if you are interested in the mundane, everyday things around here … A WARNING:  THEY ARE NOT PERFECT! … but I have decided that I need to share more of those along with the "business" aspects of my life!  I have also been really guarded with my children and have not wanted to share too much (there are perverts out there, you know!) … so if this is a No Perverts Allowed blog!  😉  I hope you don’t mind!  TTFN!  *A*

p.s.  Did I make ANY sense or did I just ramble??  Did I get too sappy?