30 Years of Happy NSM Blog Hop

Welcome to our 30 Years of Happy Blog Hop!  I always look forward to the month of September. Not only is it National Stamping Month, but it is also the month that my kids go back to school. 

When you spend $30 on any current retail-priced stamps during the month of September, you qualify to receive the exclusive C-size stamp set #30yearsofhappy for FREE! This exclusive stamp set features 30 adorable mini images and sentiments. 

You should have arrived from Peachy Lamb's blog. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants at Melinda Everitt's blog.

For this blog hop, we have forty Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using #30yearsofhappy stamp set and other great Close To My Heart products on their blogs. A blog hop is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

While these mini stamps are certainly small, I think they add the right size embellishment when coordinated with other like-size pieces. I was recently looking back through some of my albums and realized that somewhere along the way, I sort of stopped really telling the story behind the pictures. So today's layout is all about journaling...both my take on the event, as well as my son's. Scrapbooking is a journey, and it's important to me to preserve memories for my family. What are some of the reasons you scrapbook?

Recipe: 

Paper: Chalk It Up, Chalk It Up PML Cards, White Daisy CS, Black CS, Lagoon CS (CTMH)

Stamps: What A Day (convention exclusive), #30yearsofhappy, Friendship Alphabet - Large & Small (retired)  (CTMH)

Inks: Black, Glacier, Flaxen, Sorbet, Lagoon (CTMH)

Tools: Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors (CTMH)

Other: Black Embroidery Floss (retired), Chalk It Up Assortment, White Enamel Stars (CTMH)

Now "Hop" on over to Nikka Geers' blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting tips and fun ideas!   Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount! Thank you for stopping by today.

Designs by Close To My Heart

Chalk It Up Preschool Layout

My kids went back to school today. I asked them on the way to school if they had butterflies, and they both got confused. My very logical third grader said "It's almost Fall, Mom. Why would we see butterflies?" My first grader kept looking around, asking "Where are the butterflies?" LOL 

I have to remind myself that said first grader takes everything literally. When she was two, she liked to color on herself and the walls, tables...everything. One day, I saw her running across the floor with some markers and quickly stopped her to make sure they were the washable kind. "These markers are washable; you can play with them." I went on about my chores and after a few minutes realized I was hearing the water run in the bathroom. Any mother will tell you that with a two year old, you need to investigate. Turns out that Izzy took me literally; I DID say "washable".

Anyways, after that story, I have another Chalk It Up school layout to share with you. 

Ironically, these pictures showcase Izzy at the exact age she was during the "washable marker" incident. Jack was four years old in these pictures, just starting preschool. 

I used Picture My Life cards, the Chalk It Up Workshop On The Go kit and also used the convention stamp and chevron border punch that my friend Celina sent me. This is a nod to Celina and her husband Greg...it's desert sand cardstock, not kraft (wink, wink).

I spent more hours on this layout than I meant to. Every time I felt stuck, I walked away and then came back to it. I think it has the right balance now, but what was bugging me was all the "white space". However, the desert sand cardstock really pulls out the colors my son was wearing in the photos, and after all, that's the point.

Have a great night!

Casandra