I did it!

I did it! I actually did it! I mailed in my application to teach at our Close To My Heart Convention this summer in Washington DC. I poured over some of my artwork and picked out a few samples to send in, I filled out my application, and I sent them the link to my video. I think that's it. Now...just to wait on a response. They are only picking 32 teachers out of the thousands of consultants. I have no idea how many people actually send in applications, but it is bound to be a lot! As I said before, it has always been a dream/goal of mine, so we'll see what happens. I know there are a lot of more talented artists out there than me, but I also know that you can't get chosen unless you apply!Remember this layout? I showed it to you before-it was done for a swap I was in. Here it is finished with all the photos added. It is one of the pieces of artwork that I submitted to Corporate along with my application. Wish me luck in my endeavor!Thank you all for the wonderful comments! You have no idea how much that means to me. I think the toughest part of making the video was getting used to hearing my own voice. Do I really sound like that?? The other toughest part was the editing-I certainly have a lot to learn on that end. Maybe I need one of your teenagers to come and help me out with that. They seem to be up on all the latest technology and get the hang of that stuff naturally!?! They say we learn something new everyday. That was certainly true here! However, if you know me, you also know that I'm usually up for a challenge. I will continue to learn and put out some more videos for you (at least I will try!)

Happy Scrappin'

My first video tutorial!

Alright, here is my very first ever attempt at a video. After a few questions on how to put together the Meandering Album, I thought it was a good time to actually 'try' to make a video. It will also serve as a tool for my application to teach at our CTMH Convention in July. This has always been a dream of mine, so...it's finally time to take action and at least give it a whirl :)

You just have to promise me not to laugh at my first attempt. I have tried many times and am just not a computer guru and don't know a lot about this sort of thing. It's a lot of trial and error on my part, but that's ok, I stepped outside of my box!

Here goes...



Let me know what you think - or if you have some helpful hints for me as far as editing my video!

Happy Scrappin'

Meandering Mini Album

I promised you instructions for making another mini album, so here they are...

This time, we are creating a "Meandering" Mini Album, as that's what you end up doing with your one piece of cardstock that you start with.

Score your cardstock at 3", 6", and 9". Turn your cardstock and score the other direction at 3", 6", and 9". Then you are going to cut your cardstock as shown in the photo below on the red lines.Then you just start at one end and accordion fold (or "meander") your way to the end of the paper.Once that is done, you are ready to decorate your pages. I chose to use up a bunch of scraps to decorate my pages (what a great use of scraps).Cut 2 pieces of chipboard at 3 1/4" x 3 1/4" and cover them with patterned paper of your choice. Add a ribbon or hemp to tie your book closed and then put your little album inside your covers.Finished...Faster, Simpler, and Easier - just the way I like it!

As always, if you have questions or just plain don't understand, let me know and I will try to explain better.

Happy Scrappin'

The Grand Canyon

If you have never been out to see the Grand Canyon, I highly recommend it to everyone! It truly is a sight to see. You drive for what seems like forever through a lot of nothing to get there, but it is really worth it. I was in awe the whole time.We went to the South Rim which is at about 7300-7500 feet elevation. The North Rim is about 1000 feet higher, but is pretty much closed during the winter months. We would have loved to have hiked to the bottom of the canyon down by the river, but that alone is a day long hike. We could go back and spend a whole week just at the Grand Canyon. Maybe another time...
I know I am uploading a ton of pictures today, but they are all so beautiful, I just can't decide which ones to show you.Then, if you think picking out pictures is a chore, I can't decide which paper pack to use to scrapbook this trip either. Decisions, decisions...
On the way back to Vegas from the Grand Canyon (about a 5-6 hour drive) we decided to take the Historic Route 66 part of the way.This pretty much concludes my vacation photos. I'll be back again tomorrow with the simple instructions for another mini album for you.

Happy Scrappin'

An easy Mini Album for you

While I do have some Grand Canyon photos to share with you yet, I thought I would share some artwork with you first. Here is a cute little mini album that you can create for yourself. I even came up with some simple instructions for you to do so. I did use up some retired papers on this one, so they are not available anymore, sorry.First of all, you start out with a 9x12 piece of cardstock. Score it at 3", 6", and 9". Then turn it vertically and score it at 4 1/2". Cut it from the 3" score to the 9" score marks (the green line in the photo).Then crease all your score lines and unfold again. You want to make some good sharp creases. Fold it in half hot dog style and then push it together to form an "X". Then fold it into a book. You will have to re-crease your folds and make them sharp.Decorate your pages as desired and add a ribbon closure if you wish. Viola - finished - easy!Happy Scrappin'

And we have a winner...

And we have a winner...or should I say two!!!

First up we have:

waiseone said...

Tammy, I marked your blog on my google reader for inspiration. I love your artwork!! Congratulations!

February 18, 2010 9:10 AM

And next we have:

Angie Hornick said...

Hi Tammy!! I love all your posts and I love seeing the pictures of your pages. So beautiful. I am a newbe to scrapping, so always looking for ideas and tips. Thanks so much for all your hard work.
Angie Hornick

February 19, 2010 6:17 AM

Ladies, if you will send your snail mail addresses to my email (tammyhellstern@myctmh.com) I will get your goodies in the mail to you right away. Thanks so much! I absolutely love to read your comments! Feel free to keep leaving them for me :) Tracey, no I don't have my paper pack picked out for this vacation album yet! I've been thinking, though-I have lots of ideas floating around in my head.

Yesterday was a busy day. I had our team meeting at my house. What a great day. I love to reconnect with my scrappin' sista's! We learned so much and had a lot of laughs. Now today, I have my Club girls coming over. I love my Club days, too! If you have an interest in joining my club, let me know and I would be more than happy to share that information with you. My current club is full, but I can start another club at any time.

I look forward to hearing from you...

Happy Scrappin'

Hoover Dam

Of course, we had to see Hoover Dam again on this trip.

Here is a cool picture of just a very small part of Lake Mead on our way out of Boulder City headed for Hoover Dam.We have done the Hoover Dam tour and heard what they had to say, so this time we didn't do any of that, just visited and looked in amazement at the structure. It's so hard to imagine them building it so many years ago without all the equipment they have now days! We drove over the Dam and into Arizona. This is a picture of Hoover Dam from the Arizona side.While we were waiting in traffic to get back to the Nevada side of the river we kept our eyes open for wildlife. If you look very closely at this picture (click on it for a closer view), you can see the big horned sheep up on the mountain (pretty much the very center of the photo). I am even the one that spotted it up there and if you know me and my eyesight, that was an accomplishment all on it's own!On our way back into Vegas I took this picture of the "Strip." The Stratosphere is a very unique building that stands very tall. We loved it as you could spot that 'a mile away' or should I say about 14 miles away! That is how far away from the Strip we were when I took this picture. It is a photo of pretty much the whole strip. You can spot the Stratosphere on the far right hand side of the photo. I thought that was pretty cool.
Today is your last chance to leave a comment in order to get your name put in the hat for my drawing. I will be drawing somebody's name out at 3:00 this afternoon (Central time). If you haven't read about my blog candy giveaway yet, you can read about it here.

Happy Scrappin'

Valley of Fire

On our next adventure, we headed out of Vegas and into the Valley of Fire.It is just so amazing to me how very different it is from Wisconsin. I am fascinated with the landscape and the beautiful views.I think the only thing we were disappointed in is that we were not seeing cactus. We were both just under the impression that since we were in the desert, we would see some. I know it was winter and I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it or not, but we were anxious to see some cacti. We kept looking, though.Remember, tomorrow is the day that I will be drawing a winner of my blog candy. Read all about it in this post if you haven't already.

Happy Scrappin'

It's good to be home...

As much fun as we had on vacation, and as much as we didn't want to come home yet, it was time...we needed to come home so we could rest up! Vegas really is the city that doesn't sleep! We were up WAY past our bedtime on most nights, but it was oh so much fun! It did feel good to sleep in my own bed last night (and I was even able to sleep in!)

Today and in the coming days, I will share with you some of our adventures. We really got out of the city a lot on this trip (we put about 1000 miles on our rental car) and saw a ton of beautiful places.Day 2 of our trip took us out to Red Rock Canyon. Here are a couple of fun pictures from out there.Oh so beautiful and much, much different than our Wisconsin landscape!Now, don't forget about my blog candy giveaway. Leave me a comment (or send me an email) and I will enter your name in for a chance to win something handmade by me. Each time you comment your name will be entered again. I will be drawing the winner on Friday. Read all about it here.

Happy Scrappin'

Happy Valentine's Day from Las Vegas!

Happy Valentine's Day from Fabulous Las Vegas!So far we are really enjoying our vacation. The time is going way too fast, but other than that, it is good. Since we haven't struck it rich yet, I'm sure we'll be home on Tuesday afternoon sometime :)

I won't be posting much from here as internet is spendy, but I have to tell you a little story. It really pays to be a scrapbooker some days!

See, getting to our plane turned out to be a bit of a challenge. We left home in what should have been plenty of time, but got caught in a little rush hour traffic and it took us about 20 minutes longer than anticipated to get to our Park n Fly lot. We got on the shuttle bus to the airport and got out at what our paperwork told us was our terminal - only to find iut that we needed the other terminal! (We were flying an airline that I've never flown before, so I never even doubted our paperwork, it's never been wrong before, so why doubt it now??)

No worries...we can take the tram to our terminal. We followed the signs to the tram...and followed more signs...and kept following (for a very long way!) Finally we get to the right terminal. Then we did a lot more walking (fast faced at that) and FINALLY got to our ticket counter. Luckily there was NO line! Imagine my surprise when the ticket agent said, "So, you scrapbook? Me too!"

Alright, things are looking up! I was wearing a fleece that says "heart" to scrap. I proceeded to hand her an Idea Book. She said, "You just made my day! No really, you REALLY made my day!" then the sun shone in the window on her and she was a very happy girl!

She smiled and told me she was going to check my bag for FREE! Whoo Hoo! Thank you!! Sometimes it really pays to advertise what you love! Hopefully I'll be hearing from her again :)

After talking scrapbooking a little (mind you, by this time we are only about 35 minutes until our plane takes off) we finally made it to our gate! Plenty of time...we were even seated in the second row of the plane (the closest I have ever been to the front).

Later that night, I got us 2 meals for the price of one, too! What a great day for bargains for me! Now if only I could keep saving us money like that, but I'm afraid it is spending way quicker than that down here!

Happy Scrappin'
Tammy
(sorry, no fancy name from this laptop-I never thought about that before we left)

PS-thank you so much for all the comments! I really appreciate each and every one of them. Keep them coming for a chance to win something handmade from me...a little blog candy (scroll down to read more about it).

Happy Birthday, Kiana!

A very Happy Birthday today to my beautiful, crafty, spunky niece, Kiana! I am so glad that we got to spend an evening with you for your birthday last Saturday night.
I sure hope you enjoyed your cake! See, Kiana wanted an ice cream cake and our Dairy Queen isn't open yet. Aunt Tammy to the rescue, I made one for her. It was yummy! It's a good thing she blew all those candles out quickly as I think they were starting to melt the ice cream!!
Happy Scrappin'

My beautiful new necklace

As this is being posted, we are in the air on our way to Vegas for a fabulous Valentine's Weekend (I love technology in that I can schedule a couple of posts for while I am away...if it works!)I just have to show you the beautiful new necklace I got last night. See, I was surfing some blogs and came across a wonderful website with necklaces such as this on it. I was scoping them out and figuring out what I wanted. Meanwhile, I had my scrapping weekend with my girlfriends. I was talking about these necklaces and my friend Leslie told me that her nephew's wife makes them. After getting her information and a few emails back and forth, I got my necklace last night. It is just what I wanted! (Here I am doing my best Price is Right imitation - LOL!)Kori did a fabulous job in making me exactly what I wanted. It truly is a custom piece of jewelry that is just what I wanted. Thank you so much, Kori! I love it!! Here is Kori's website if you are interested in something of your own. I am sure she can set you up with what you are after. Just tell her Tammy sent you.A special thanks to Kori's hubby, too! Kori really wanted me to get my new piece as soon as possible and they really went out of their way to do just that. Her husband was coming through town on his way home from work and was going to stop in with it. The trouble was, I wasn't going to be home. I was going to be at my niece's basketball game (Great game, Congrats on the win, Sam!) He stopped at the school and hand delivered it to me. Talk about service! I am very impressed.

Happy Scrappin'

ps-Don't forget to leave comments with what you like or don't like about my blog to be entered to win some fabulous hand crafted item from me!