My New Year's Resolutions

I have some pretty typical New Year's resolutions this year like eating healthier, exercising more, and reading through my Bible this year, but one goal for the coming year is a little less typical.  I plan to create and send out three handmade cards each week.  I have plenty of people in my life to whom I can send a birthday, anniversary, get well or thinking of you card.  On the weeks when I can't think of three people who need a card, I will create a couple of extra cards to send to Operation Write Home.  I expect my scrapping buddies to hold me accountable to my goal and that is why I will be hosting Friday Night Scrappers each month.  Some of our group will be working on completing a 2-page layout each week and others will be working on 3 cards per week, but we will all be working together and encouraging each other.  If you want to be a part of our challenge, read here for more details.  Even if you don't live in the Kansas City area, you can join in our challenge on the Always Joyful Scrapbooking & Cardmaking Facebook page.  There you can join in the discussion and post your pics of completed projects.

Love Deeply Card

A young lady who worked at our local bank recently passed away.  It is a small, family-owned and operated business and a normal sympathy card just didn't seem right.  My inspiration came from the large flower headbands she often put on her baby girl.  This is what I came up with for the card:

2011 Challenge

I am so very excited to reveal to you my exciting plans for 2011!! You will want to mark your calendars now and start telling all your friends about these absolute must-attend events that you won't want to miss out on starting this Saturday, New Year's Day!!

1.) I am asking each of you to set a goal for the coming year of either 1 two-page scrapbook layout or 3 cards per week (or a combination of both). If you stayed with it, you would complete 104 pages or 162 cards by the end of the year!  Many of us have kids for whom we are creating scrapbooks and this goal will help you along in that endeavor. I have set a goal of sending out three cards per week to people who are celebrating happy occasions as well as people who need a little cheering up. I want to revive the lost art of writing to people!

2). To help you accomplish this goal, I am offering a NEW club that I'm naming "The Friday Night Scrappers"! We will meet regularly and consistently every 4th Friday evening (5pm to 11pm). Members of this club are not required to make any set amount of purchases from me each month (like some CTMH clubs do), but rather, this club is intended to be more of a support group (and you don't have to use exclusively CTMH products to join us)! All of my customers as well as my consultant team members are welcome to be a part of it. We will be meeting often so we can cheer each other on for our successes and motivate and share ideas with one another. Of course I will continue to have lots of products available for sale during our meetings in case you need anything, but our main objectives are to help each other get more scrapbooking and card-making done this year and to set aside some time together each month to accomplish that. I will also offer a Workshop on the Go each month to inspire you with creative new ideas each month.

3). To help us stay on track at completing 1 layout or 3 cards every 7 days (on average), we are going to be using a points reward system. Throughout the year I will reward you with points for your progress and then at the end of the year, I am going to have all kinds of great prizes for you to pick from and you get to purchase the rewards you want with your points! The participant who ends up with the most points at the end of the year will also win the grand prize – a CTMH gift basket valued at $50!! This grand prize is in addition to anything the top point earner wishes to purchase with all of their points, so the big winner is definitely gonna win big! This is going to be so fun (and should be a very motivating but friendly competition also I hope)!
To get a jump start, I am hosting a 2011 Challenge KICK-OFF!!

Stop by on New Year's Day between 4 and 6 pm to check out new products and sign up to be a part of the Friday Night Scrappers. You can also join us to make a small project with the new Wings paper and January Stamp of the Month. There will definitely be bonus points given to any Kick Off attendees. Our fist Friday Night Scrappers session will be Friday, January 28th.

Here is the breakdown for the points:

2 POINTS for every 2 pages or 3 cards completed

4 BONUS POINTS for each full month that you complete all of your cards or layouts for that month! (April, July, September and Decemeber will require 5 layouts or 15 cards because there are 5 Fridays in those months)

2 BONUS POINTS for each completed layout or set of 3 cards you’ve created using Studio J or a Level 1 or 2 kit.

2 BONUS POINTS for each completed layout or set of 3 cards you’ve created using a Workshops on the Go kit!

2 POINTS for every Friday Night Scrappers Club Crop you attend (4th Fridays)

2 POINTS for every $5 Creative Class you attend with me (dates vary, usually 3rd Friday at Garden City Library)

2 POINTS for bringing a new friend to any event (does this feel like Sunday School?)

1 POINT for each card that you donate to our collection for Operation Write Home (check their site for guidelines before making your cards)

I may come up with more ways for you to earn points as we go, but please notice that this system is NOT based on rewarding you for your purchases and for shopping with me, but rather rewards you for actually using the supplies you’ve purchased (by completing pages) and for joining me at my classes and events!!

Because attending Friday Night Scrappers and $5 Creative Classes demonstrates your commitment to your creative growth and getting more scrapping done this year, I am giving points for attending these events with me. Each Friday Night Scrappers Crop will be held at my home from 5 pm to 11 pm on the 4th Friday night of each month. By offering you this time with me on a regular and consistent basis, I am giving you the opportunity to schedule this activity on your calendar and take a break from your every day responsibilities so you can really focus on getting your scrapbooking and card-making done (amongst friends who share your same passion for creativity)! If you attend the Creative Class and Friday Night Scrappers, you will be well on your way to accomplishing your goals! I welcome scrap-bookers of all skill levels and preferences. Whether you like to elaborately stamp and embellish your pages or prefer the fast and easy Level 1 kits we offer, I hope you will make plans to join us. I do have wireless internet connection available here, so you can even bring your laptop to do your scrapbooking online with Studio J! Whatever way you choose to do your scrapbooking, we are gonna have so much fun getting together and supporting one another in our efforts! I want our group to be more than just a club that meets once a month. I want us to become a support group of close-knit friends who help and motivate one another and cheer each other on for our successes in scrapbooking and in life!

Of course (as always) you are welcome to bring friends!

Wings Bookmark

This is my project for my New Year's day scrapping guests.  From the Close to my Heart Inspirations brochure, we are using Wings paper (X7135B), Find Your Style January Stamp of the Month (D1452), Vineyard Berry (Z2157), Black (Z2105) and Juniper (Z2165) Inks, and Black Mini Medley Pack (Z1393).