Buckets for our Bucket Fillers

So in my class this year, we are working on the theme of being "bucket fillers" for each other. This means we try to fill somone's bucket with good feeling and thoughts. Many thanks to my son David's second grade teacher who read the book to us at Open House the other night.

So, I borrowed the book and read it to my fifth grade class on Friday and they loved it! I thought I would surprise them on Monday by giving them each their own bucket, with a name tag and some things to decorate them with. Here is the sample I made for my assisstant:

Thanks for peeking!!

Jean

September News!

Hi all- Can you believe how fast Septmeber is flying by?! As many of you know, I have recently returned to work after a two year leave. To say it has been hectic and quite an adjustment does not even begin to cover it!! However, now that I have a couple of weeks under my belt, I think I'm ready to face the "creative" world again.

I have a few projects I'm working on- including making buckets for our "bucket fillers" in my class and at home and some Halloween goody bags!

Anyway, hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather (my favorite time of year).

Thanks for peeking!
Jean

Holy Moly- where has the time gone?

I can't believe it has been nearly a month since I posted on the blog. Life has been pretty hectic trying to get ready for school and keeping the kids entertained!

I wanted to take a minute to share with you the exciting details of our new campaign for Sept. It's called Delight in the Everyday! This is a terrrific card kit, chock full of goodies including an exclusive stamp set, B&T papers, chocolaste and dutch blue distressing ink, mini- medley accents, ribbon and a sponge.

Contact me to learn how to earn this kit for FREE!

Here is a picture of the gorgeous cards you can make with this kit-

Aren't these cards just beautiful? I'm going to play with this kit tomorrow and see what else I can come up with. One of the nice features of the kit is that the papers are not pre-cut so if you wanted to use them for a layout instead of cards, you can!

Have a great day!

Jean

Easy embossed bookmarks!

So I made these bookmarks for my class tonight! I figured everyone must have tons of time for summer reading now! LOL!

I used Playful Flourishes and Treasure Life stamp sets. Then I embossed with black powder and added Stickles for some bling!

Thanks for peeking- have to get ready for my workshop now!!

Jean :)

Second Stardust layout using dryer sheet technique

Hi all- a very quick note to say hi- we went to Adventureland today and had a great time! We stayed for eight hours and nobody got cranky (a miracle!)

Here is the second Stardust layout for an upcoming workshop- I used the dryer sheet technique to create the bottom of the second page-

Close up of the dryer sheet technique-

Have a great night- thanks for peeking!

Jean :)

Stardust Layout!

Hi all- Good Morning! Just a quick post to share the Stardust layout I will be doing at a workshop in August. I did some random stamping, used a stipple brush, did some ink distressing and used Prisma glitter and Stickles to make the stars.


Here it is:

Close up of the left-
Close up of the right-

Thanks everyone for peeking! Have a great day!

Jean :)

Too many pictures? Here's a solution-

I am always taking tons of pictures of my kids whenever we go anywhere! Then, I have problems choosing which ones to scrap. So- luckily, CTMH has a new product called Flip-Flaps. These are 4X6 mini clear page protectors that attach right to your layout so you can add more pictures to the layout. Woohoo!

Here is my example:

Sorry for the glare! So where are the pictures? Take a look-

Here are some more-

I was able to fit an extra 6 pictures onto the layout!

This is also going to be a workshop not only using the Flip-Flaps but also using a 9X9 page protector!

A funny story for everyone- yesterday I tool the kids over to see the lighthouse near us by Robert Moses Beach. After we walked the path to the lighthouse, we had some snacks and then decided to walk back. We wanted to walk along the beach so we set out splashing in the waves and enjoying geting our feet (and other parts) wet. However, as we were walking along, my older son David said to me, "Mom, that man has no clothes on!" I think to myself, that's crazy, he must have a thong or speedo or something. Well- he didn't! That's right, he was naked- along with all the other beachgoers at the beach! Apparently, we stumbled onto the nude beach! I had no idea there was even a nude beach anywhere near us! Needless to say, there were many snickers, giggles and tons of questions. All in all, my kids handled the situation well and we just tried to continue enjoying the beautiful day! We had lots to tell Daddy when we got home! LOL!

I hope everyone has a great night- Thanks so much for peeking!

Jean

20 cards

Hi all- hope everyone is doing well. We are great here! Lots of fun going on with visits to the beach, the park and Captree to watch the boats.

I am one of those people always looking for birthday cards when my kids have parties to go to. For some reason I remember to get the presents but never the cards. So I created a 20 card workshop- 10 "girl" cards and 10 "boy" cards so that I'll always have a card ready.

The "girl" cards-

I used two B&T papers and two pieces of cardstock to create the cards and then used the Daydream My Stickease to embellish. I will also stamp the sentiments and add a few brads and such!

The "boy" cards-

I used two B&T papers and two pieces of cardstock to make the bases and then used Animal Cookies My Stickease to decorate. I still have to stamp the sentiments and add a few embellies to finish them.

More details about the workshop will be coming and if anyone would like the kit, please contact me-

Thanks for peeking!

Jean

Happy Friday!

Hi all- just a quick note to say hi! We've been very busy here going to the beach and the pool. We also were so lucky to go and see the new Harry Potter movie. It was great!! The kids loved it and wanted to stay and see it again.

No projects this week, I've been working on getting ready for my next 18 page workshop. I'm using the Emporium paper. There are eight ladies coming and it should be a fun night!

Construction is going well- the new roof is on and the walls are going up!

That's all for now- off to get Emily and then go to bed- I'm exhausted tonight!

Thanks for peeking!
Jean

Another basket, an oops and a card-

Good evening everyone! Wow have we been busy busy busy! I love summer with the kids!


So I made another attempt at the picnic basket. I made the large one this time- I like it better and feel like I can decorate it more! Here it is:

It's hard to see but I used stickles on the flourishes and am still figuring out how to make the ribbon stand up- I may tie the two pieces together after I fill it with treats. I already know that for the next one I am going to make it with butterflies!

Another project I worked on today was a birthday card for my mother-in-law. The first time I tried it, I decided to use my brayer to add some color over the background (kind of like Michelle Zindorf does so beautifully). The only problem is I am not so good with the brayer. I embossed the flowers and vines before using the brayer. Here is the card-

My plan was to add a third blue flower and pop dot it and also to cover the center of the green flowers with buttons or brads.

Anyway- didn't love it (don't have to wonder why) so instead I made this card-

Same idea, I pop dotted the blue one, added sparkles and used my foam tool to add some slight blue color for the background.

Thanks so much for taking time to peek at my blog- have a wonderful night!

Jean :)

Mini Picnic Basket!

Usually for each of my customers, I like to have a small treat at the workshops. This time, I decided to use a template I found at Paper Trey Ink created by Lauren Meader. The template costs $5.00 to download and then you have it forever. It is super easy to make the item once you have the template!

The one I purchased today has both a small and a large picnic basket but I only made the small one for now. I am going to use it to put in some tools my customers are receiving at my next workshop- sponge daubers and a stipple brush.

Here the small basket- not great but just my first attempt-

I also made a lid for it but it doesn't quite fit- LOL! I am going to have to play some more and really jazz these up!

Thanks for looking- enjoy the day!:)

Jean

Emporium 18 page workshop!

Hi all- Happy 4th of July! I'm home still resting so I thought I would get a little ahead of the game by worksing on my next worklshop. I'm having another 18 page workshop this time using the Emporium paper. Here are some of the generic layouts-

Here is one with the pictures on it- I didn't get a chance to put the title and embellishments yet-

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Thanks for peeking:)

Jean

Surgery went great!

Hi all- quick update- my surgery went great- I was home by 5:00 or so. Feel good today- only some referred shoulder pain.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts and prayers- will be back soon!

Jean :)

Simple Thank You cards-

Here are the simple cards I made for Emily to send as her Thank-You cards. I used Tulip paper, Friendship Blessings Stamp set, tulip and black ink and the matching ribbon is from Michael's.

Thanks for looking!

Jean

Some news-

Hi all- this has been a tough week here at my house. My Mom went in to the hospital on Sat. and ended up staying. She had a large cyst removed from her lower back which should hopefully relieve all the horrible pain she has been experiencing.

I myself, will be having some minor surgery tomorrow. Nothing major but I will be out of commission for a few days. I haven't had a lot of time to be creating but I will post some simple thank you cards I made for Emily to send.

Construction continues here. I can't believe how fast it is moving along (knock on wood!)

Well that's it- will hopefully be back soon- have a great night!
Thanks for peeking-
Jean

Race Day!!

Hi all- no pictures today but just wanted to share some news. Today was my first ever 5K race and it was GREAT! I was able to run for just about all the 3.2 miles (with only 3 stops- total of 8 minutes) and completed the race in 45 min (my goal was under 55min!)

Special thanks to my good friend Chris who came to cheer me on! It really made a difference that someone was there cheering for me and celebrating this accomplishment with me! Thanks Chris!

Happy Father's Day to all -

Thanks for checking in with me!
Jean :)

Woefully behind but lots of news!

Hello everyone!! I've been shamefully neglecting my blog as these last few weeks have been crazy!!!!! Here are some news items:

1. Denise is a winner!!!! Many congrats go out to Denise on being a winner in the CTMH Scrap and Share contest! Way to go- you deserve it and enjoy all the goodies!

2. Blog Candy winner- Iona- She correctly guessed that I would using Animal Cookies paper to scrap my daughter Emily's recital. Here are some pics-

and...

BTW- these pages were part of the 18 page workshop- I still need to embellish and journal them but I love the way they look with the colors in Emily's costume!

Iona- just shoot me a message or email with the Level One paper pack you would like and I'll get it right to you! Congrats!

3. Our construction has started!! Yippie- now we just have to pray the rain stops sometime soon!

4. Some of you may remember that I was training for my very first race- well it is this Sunday! It's a 5K (3.2 miles) and I'm really excited and nervous. Wish me luck!

5. Here is a sneak peek at July's Monthly Workshop- we will be doing 4 pages this month and using the masking technique as well as embossing. We will also do some coloring with my favorite Copic markers!

That's about all the news from here!! Hope everyone enjoys the last few days of school. Thanks for checking out my blog-

Jean :)

Some before and after pics for 18 pg workshop!

Hi all- I'm very excited to host my first ever 18 page workshop (thanks to CTMH consultant Robin Garrows for the template!). We will be meeting this Saturday night to make the 9 layouts. The ladies will have all the pieces pre-cut and ready to assemble. Then they can embellish, title and put pics on any way they like.

Here are two layouts- the first picture is the basic layout and the second one is my completed layout!

Layout #1-

Finished Layout #1- I added some mattes and buttons. I also stamped and cut out some "beachy" embellishments-

Left side-

Right side-

Layout #2-

Finished Layout #2- I added some buttone, one journaling box, a few mattes, some brads and a flower-

Left side-
Right side-
I am very pleased with the way these pages came together! I can't get over how versatile this paper pack is and how many different types of layouts I can make with it!

I am thinking of trying this workshop with another paper pack- any suggestions? I was thinking maybe Emporium or Bella.

Don't forget to vote for the paper pack you think I'm making Emily's dance recital layout with!!

Also- don't forget to pop over to Scrap and Share to vote for Denise's layout to win!

Have a great day-

Jean :)

Proud Mommy! Blog Fun!

So I just had to share some pictures of my daughter Emily's dance recital on Saturday. We had a great time and she was beaming from head to toe!

Blog Candy Contest!

I already know just which paper I'm going to use but just for fun- cast your vote for the paper that you think would go best and if it matches the one I've chosen, you could win a Level One Paper Pack of your choice!! This blog candy contest ends quickly on June 12th so get your guess in!

Here are the pics-

Thanks for looking!

Jean :)

Denise is finalist!!!

Hi everyone- some great news today- one of my very talented customers named Denise is one of the finalists in the Scrapbook and Share contest by CTMH. If you would like to see her layout (and post a comment thereby giving her a vote) simply click on the link below!! She is Finalist #1 in the Use of Photographs category (the first category!)

Thanks to everyone who takes a peek and wonderful job Denise!!

http://www.scrapbookandshare.com


Have a great day!
Jean :)

Yet Another Animal Cookies Layout!

Hi all- in case you can't tell, I am still loving this paper pack. There are a ton of directions a layout can take. Here is the second layout for my workshop later this month. I used the masking technique for the flowers and also embossed them.

Close up of the right side-I used out new stamp set called Playdate for the three children and colored them in using my Copics (although I didn't really take time to shade and play with them!)

BTW- I don't like the way the cameras look on the layout so I won't put them in during the workshop!

Close up of the left side-




And of the flowers-

I really like the way the flowers came out!

Have a wonderful night- thanks for peeking!
Jean :)

Exciting new June promotion- Deal-A-Day!!

Hi all- CTMH has a very exciting new promotion for the entire month of June called Deal-A-Day! It's full of fun and interest and if you get a chance, check it out!

Deal-A-Day

Here are all the exciting details:

Beginning June 1st and ending June 30, 2009, there will be a new featured product available exclusively through my website every day. The product will only be available for 23 hours from 11:00 AM to 10:00 AM the following day.

There are two different types of deals that will be offered-

1. Receive a free item with a qualifying purchase. On 24 of the 30 days, you can receive a specially selected product absolutely free when you purchase a My Acrylix stamp set (A,B,C,D or E sized) This does not include the Stamp of the Month.

2. Receive 50% off or more on “Great Goodies” boxes. On 6 of the 30 days, you can
purchase a “mystery” box filled with great Goodies! Contents will vary by box and will
include current and retired stamp sets, paper packs, embellishments and other great
products. The “Great Goodies” box will have a pricing of at least 50% off retails value
for the items inside. No qualifying purchase is necessary on the Great Goodies days!

Now for the big question- what is the going to be the cost of the shipping for this promotion?
Since there is a possibility a customer may order the special deal/item more than once during the month of June, CTMH has decided to offer some wonderful shipping rates. These rates apply only to the Deal-A-Day items and nothing else.

For the free items/stamp set- $3.00 for shipping.
For the Great Goodies box- shipping will be based on the price of the box (which changes depending on the contents) but it is deeply discounted and the shipping will be clearly posted at checkout. As a general rule- shipping will be between $6.00 - $10.00.

Some important details:
1. You may only order one Deal-A-Day item/box per order and NOTHING else may be on that order. So even if you planned on ordering more items, they cannot be included in the special order.
2. There is no way of knowing what items are going to be inside of the “Great Goodies” boxes. We, the consultants, do not get a list or any hint of what will be inside.
3. You can see the Deal-A-Day items each day by going to my website-
jeanbelcher.myctmh.com *** Note there is no www. At the beginning*
4. There are no returns on any items purchased.
5. Items are available while supplies last but they are chosen because there are an abundant amount of each item so customers are encourage to not feel as though they have to check out the special “right away”. Feel free to check them out later on in the day.

So, how is that for a wonderful and exciting new campaign?! I will be checking out the specials each day and if anyone would like an e-mail telling them what each special is, please let me know.

Have fun and happy shopping!!
Jean

Animal Cookies Layout-

Good evening everyone! It's been a very busy week here at our house! David lost two teeth- one in the front on the top and one in the front on the bottom. I actually had to work two days this week- (AHHHH). I alos have my workshop tomorrow night which I am really looking forward to!

In other news, I've begun training for my first 5K race on Father's Day. I'm going to have to do a run/walk race but my goal is just to finish this first one! I know my dad is watching and smiling (he ran the NYC marathon twice!!)

So I am doing a workshop in June using the Animal Cookies paper (love this paper!!). It is going to be two 2 page layouts- here are the first two pages:

Thanks so much for peeking!

Jean :)

Be Yourself Workshop Pics

Good morning all- hopefully everyone got to enjoy the wonderful weather yesterday! We were outside all day and Emily and David actually got into the pool for the first time! They had a great time and kept insisting they were not cold (even though their teeth were chattering!)


Thanks to Linda and Jenn for a fun Crop Night last night! It's always so great to sit and relax and scrap away!

I got a few of the pages for this workshop finished and Ireally love the way they came out! I used Silhouette Level 1 paper, some tulip and black cardstock and the Be Yourself Stamp set (May SOTM).


Cover:

First two pages:

Next two pages:

Next two:

Notice I spelled "daughter" wrong and had to sneak in the "t"! Ooops!

Thanks everyone for peeking- hope you like the layouts!

Jean :)