April kits are up for Sale

April kits and add ons are now available for sale on the site. The pictures can't do this paper justice. The colors and textures are really luscious. Check them out :-)

Meal Makers

Here is another LO using the April kit. I totally love Meal Makers and had to preserve our experience.

Friends and Creativity

We went to dinner at a friends house yesterday. It was a lot of fun and the food was really good. There were 8 of us total and we had steak, brats, potatoes, corn, fruit, and cobbler. After dinner we chatted. 4 of us are teachers, so the conversation always turns to the kids. We also played with the Wii. That game system is a ton of fun. I want one now and usually I am not in to things like. You get a great work out and you get to interact with the game. I must get one when they are available for sale again.

I am starting to feel a little restless again. I think Spring to me means new beginnings and discovering yourself and a whole bunch of other new age ideas :-) I can't help feeling like I am missing out on something greater. Something more creative. Something more meaningful. I am not sure what it is, but I know I need to actively seek it out. I really want to live more passionately even though I am not sure what that means just yet or what it entails. Only those in the scrap world may get this reference, but I want to live more like Stacy J., or Ali E., more creatively, surrounding myself with art and beauty, feeling like I am living more purposefully. They make it seem so easy, even though I am sure it is not. I don't wnat to be them, but I want to understand how they create this aura of being centered and balanced. I find it intriguing.

Anyhoo, enough of my ramblings. Have an awesome day and enjoy the start of Spring :-)

I decided to post a new LO using one of the April kits. I took this photo last fall and believe it is still one of my faves. The style is a little different from my norm, but I really really like it. The new kits will be on sale later this week. Not very many kit clubs are featuring this paper and I think it will sell out fast.

Happy Crafting :-)

Family Fun

Rob and I went to Chicago to surprise my step dad for his birthday. We had a nice time. We ate, played cards, talked, went to the movies and just hung out. Always nice to see family, but I will admit that my bed felt good last night :-) Here are some fun pics from the weekend. Nothing artistic, and that is okay b/c it is my family as we are each day and as I remember us when I was younger. I can't believe how much my younger sister looks like me. Geez louise, she is a mirror image almost. And Tiffany, you never know you may have a surprise visit this summer. Only thing is, it is hard to surprise you when you have to drive three hours to pick someone up from the airport :-) LOL LOL :-)

pics and growth

As promised here are some of the pics I took this past Thursday when Rob and I went to the park. I can't wait to scrap them. I love what this new lens can do. It is awesome. So glad I decided to get it. I am excited for the weather turning warmer. That means more opportunity to snap away with my camera.

Pssst...can I tell you a secret...starting my own business this year as really given me an entrepenuerial spirit that I never thought I had. I have been thinking of how else I can branch out creatively and I am considering photography among other things. I still have things to learn and plan to take another course or two over the summer, since I will be on break, but I think I may look into this more seriously. The kit club business has not been totally easy. I have learned some hard lessons and some easy ones as well, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am having fun and I enjoy the business side of it as much as the creative side. We are growing, and that makes me really happy and proud. So who knows, maybe before the end of the year, I will have a new link on my side bar advertising my new photography business.

Growth is my word for this year and I definitely plan to do just that :-)

Rob and I had a great day yesterday. The weather was absolutely beautiful, so went to Forest park and ate dinner outside at the Boathouse. We then went for a walk around the park and I played with my new lens. I have some great shots and will post them in a bit. It was a quiet evening and I love that we can do things like this together. Best part of being married are the quiet moments with my hubby. Love him a bunch.

Another Sneak Peek LO: Madison

Here is another LO using the second kit we will be offering next month. This kit has a different line of Prima paper and is a bit bolder than the kit below. This is my niece Madison. When my sis sent this picture I knew I had to do something with it. She is a gorgeous baby with a lot of spirit and sass. I hope you like it Tiffany and mom.

April Sneak Peek

Here is a sneak peek of some of the product in one of the April kits. Gotta love Prima, Heidi Swapp and bling. The stamp is one of the monthly add ons. Check us out at Color Your Memories kit club

50mm Lens

I was convinced to buy it by the lovely ladies at Willow Traders. I had read about it before, but seeing their pics convinced me. It works fantastic in low light situations. The fruit platter pic I took hand held by candlelight. I also love the perspective it gives on the cookie photo. It will take some time to get used to it. It has no zoom other than my legs :-) and it is a bit tricky to get it to focus on the right spot. Overall it is a good portrait lens and provides sharp details in well lit situations. Not sorry I bought it at all. B&H photo has them at a good price if you are interested.

Funny thing about this hobby is that it causes you to evolve. I became interested in photography through a desire to improve my pics for scrapbooking. Now I truly enjoy it as a hobby unto itself.

Shaking the Blahs

The last few days I have been feeling sort of blah. Nothing dramatic or tramatic has happened. I really do think it is just the weather changing. To shake the blahs yesterday, I went up stairs to my scrap room and worked on a couple of creations. I created this accordion album for a friend of mine at work. Her little boy is a cutie and I think she will get some good use out of it. This was the first time I have ever made a mini album. I think it turned out well. I used a kit from Personal Scrapper. First time in a few months I have scrapped with something that wasn't from my kit club.

I also got my new lens and I love it. I will post some new pics with it. My indoor shots have improved with this lens. It needs very little light to take great photos. Perfect for indoor portraits and it's under $100.

Color Your Memories is Having a Guest DT Contest

Color Your Memories Guest Designer Contest

Description:

Color Your Memories is in search of a Guest Designer for the month of May. Submit your designs using the Crate Cowboy or Crate Carnival collection to our new gallery area. One winner will be chosen based on style and originality. The contest is open to everyone.

Requirements:

Must use the Crate Cowboy or Crate Carnival collection Two submissions per person (can be a LO, card, or altered art) Items must be submitted by March 30th, 2007

The winner will be our May Guest Designer and receive our fabulous May kit to design with. The kit will be packed with new products from CHA (Cherry Arte and Creative Imaginations to name two). Please make sure you upload your creations into the challenges album located in the gallery.


CYM Gallery


I can't wait to see what you create :-)

It's A Card Thing

If you really want to see some cute cards and support another woman owned business, then check out the cards Monica is selling on Etsy: It's A Card Thing I am always happy to support another entrepenuer (sp?). They are cute, one of a kind and handmade.

Mom, here is the LO I was talking about :-) Wait till you see the one of Madison :-)

4 Nice Things

Four Fabulous things about Friday:

1) No School
2) Shopping with a friend
3) The prospect of spending quiet time with my hubby this evening
4) A new camera lens (the Cannon 50mm fixed, I cant wait to play)

Here are the pics for the entry below

My Week

Geez lets see where I should start...

Disclaimer: I have pics to post, but the dumb computer won't let me right now, so i will try again later when Rob gets home from class.

1) Last week I had my first photo shoot. MY friend wanted me to take a picture of her husband and his band for a tv promotion. I was way scared, but it was so low key. They just wnated a picture in front of the water fall at the mall :-) Well because I took the photo, he gave Rob and I tickets to come down to the tv station to watch them perform live. This was too cool. i had never been in a tv station before, let alone for a live taping. It was fun. They had interviews and two chefs cooking on the show as well. I think the show is called The Best of STL.

2) I debuted my March kit last week and I got a lot of positive response back and sold twice as many kits as I did in February :-) I sponsored the ladies over at Memories From Scraps and they did a fantastic job designing with the kit. Check them out!

3) Our romantic getaway was absolutely fabulous. We drove to southern Illinois and toured the wine country there. If you know me, you know I love wineries. The wine there was some of the best we have had. There are eight on the tour, but we only made it to five. Our fave was the peach port that was so smooth, you thought you were drinking fruit juice and not brandy. Each of the wineries were also hosting local artist and displaying their work, which meant a free reception at each place, so we snacked the whole day on good food as well.

4) The best part was the B&B we stayed at. It was a school house built in 1910. As a school teacher, I got a blast out of this. Our suite was an entire classroom. They even had the original blackboards up around the room. There were old school posters, maps, original drinking fountains, original wood floors and the original desks studnets used to use. It was amazing. the owner is a history buff, so he gave us a tour and explained all of the historical details. The gym is tsill there and is used for banquets and catering affairs. It was an awesome experience. The man also fixed us the most amazing breakfast. Bacon, smothered potatoes, pancakes, fresh fruit, eggs, sausage, and juice. Total experience. My hubby is fantastic for planning this all for me. I was totally unaware of where we were going and what we were doing, but it was a fab experience. I am so very lucky.

Haven't updated in a minute. I have been super busy. I still am. Rob is taking me on a secret getaway this weekend, so I won't be able to post until Sunday. I promise a big update on Sunday. TV Station, Photo Shoot, Love, and Kits = My Week :-)