30 April 2012

technology...when & what should we allow our children to have?

this seems to be on everyone's minds today among my circle of friends.  I've had several online conversations about hackers on Facebook, should my teen have a smart phone, should I give up Facebook altogether, the list goes on.  I love technology and how it can make my life easier through using it.  It becomes an issue when the tech companies convince us that we have to have these items in order to live our daily lives.  Well, we don't NEED them.   While they are great aides to our daily lives we'll get along just fine without them.  In fact there are now disorders associated with these devices and addictive properties associated with NOT having access to them.  I am guilty of this myself at times. 

Our cabin before any painting

However, I have no issue with traveling to our cabin, where I rely on TV over the airwaves for my evening news, no phone lines into the cabin (we do get cellular signal - for emergencies only though), the kids don't have their computer games, they must use the board games, decks of cards, or play-doh to entertain themselves or golly gee - talk a walk!  We all need to unplug ourselves more than what we do for the sake of our physical & mental health. 

There was also a segment on TODAY that I only caught the end of - "we need to teach out children about what fits into our budgets." This has stuck with me all day, here's a link to the segment.   I know I do this with my children (ages 11 & 15), but how many of us actually include our children in on just what all we are paying for to provide them their "toys".  Needs vs Wants.  It's up to us to teach them what is actually needed vs what they want or think that they may need.  I was taught by my mother to ask myself these questions:  How many times will I use/wear it?  Where will I keep it?  What will I give up to make room for it?  Do I still need it?  If you were buying it instead of me - would you spend your paycheck for it - remembering that you need to save 1/2 of your paycheck, too?

Not enough of us are having these types of conversations with our children - it's also the reason why Americans are so hugely into debt.  I run my own business, but if I hear a customer say that they are spending money earmarked for bills to purchase from me - I advise them to rethink that, while I am glad for the sales, I do not want to be taking money needed for living expenses.  I know that's not how mainstream America thinks, but maybe it ought to be...  I am in business to make money, but not to put someone out on the street either.  I want repeat customers.

I just needed to post this today as it seemed to be on a lot of people's minds.    I know that I am the minority with these views - Some food for though America!

25 April 2012

Great Ideas for Gifts

Found some really great tutorials on You Tube for making dry erase boards for Summer chore charts; Mother's Day, Father's Day, Honey Do Lists, Dorm Room Doors for notes while away...possibilities are endless!  These videos are on my SBC+ 4.0 play list, be sure to check out the other great tutorials I have listed in my other playlists for your ease in locating them.

I haven't made any yet, however here's a link to some really great ideas from Kari's CM training site.  I've included a few photos of my favorites from her site.




24 April 2012

News this week from Creative Memories

Be sure to join me for our Virtual National Scrapbook Celebration!  It's going to be 9 days for fun and exciting things.  One that I can tell you about now is an AWESOME sale from April 27th through May 5th.  Please see the attached flier.  For your ease I have listed the items below with links to the pages for quick & easy ordering.






A fantastic sale to celebrate National Scrapbook Day! If you’re ordering off the CMdigital center or CreativeMemories.com you’ll need a consultant's information.  My CM ID # is 41342448

35% off 12x12 Cardstock (excluding Decorative Cardstock)
35% off digital artwork downloads (for StoryBook Creator or universal format)

  •  12-Inch Rotary Trimmer  
  • Small Wavy Blade 
  • Wavy Blade 
  • Deckle Blade 
  • Straight Replacement Blade
  • Scoring Blade
  • Perforating Blade  
  • Postage Stamp Blade  
  • Pinking Blade 
  • Scallop Blade  
  • Replacement Mat Strip  
  • Personal Trimmer  
  • Hummingbird Personal Trimmer 
  • All-Purpose Scissors  
  • All-Purpose Scissors (3/pack)  
  • Paper Edger  
  • Tearing Tool
  • Wavy Tearing Tool  
  • NOD Scallop Tearing Tool


  • 12 x12 White Scrapbook Pages (15/pack) 
  • 12x12 Natural Scrapbook Pages (15/pack) 
  • 12x12 Black Scrapbook Pages (15/pack) 
  • 12x12 Spargo Scrapbook Pages (15/pack) 
  • 12x12 Page Protectors (15/pack)  
  • 12x12 Side-Loading Sleeves (15/pack)  
  • 8x8 White Scrapbook Pages (12/pack) 
  • 8x8 Natural Scrapbook Pages (12/pack)  
  • 8x8 Black Scrapbook Pages (12/pack) 
  • 8x8 Spargo Scrapbook Pages (12/pack) 
  • 8x8 Page Protectors (12/pack) 
  • 8x8 Side-Loading Sleeves (12/pack) 
  • 13x9 Multi-Pocket Pages (10/pack) 
  • Large-Pocket Pages (15/pack) 
  • 11x14 Large-Pocket Pages (5/pack) 
  • 11x14 Multi-Pocket Pages (15/pack) 


If you’re ordering off the CMdigital center or CreativeMemories.com you’ll need a consultant's information.  My CM ID # is 41342448

• Page Prints (all sizes) ordered on the Digital Center
 
Page Print Product Credits (10/pack)  
• Custom Album Pages (all sizes) ordered on the Digital Center  
Extra pages and lay-flat upgrades on all Hardcover StoryBooks ordered on the Digital Center

**Sale prices effective 12:00 a.m. (CT) April 27 through 11:59 p.m. (CT) May 5, 2012**






Please join my Facebook Fan Page Event it will link you to the Creative Memories NSD Celebration Party!  Something for you to do every day both traditional and digital scrapbookers and a ton of ideas and projects for the general crafter.  I also still have spaces left for My NSD Event on Saturday, May 19th.  Please RSVP and join us for a lot of fun for either event.

Here is a schedule of events for NSD Celebration starting Friday, April 27th:

Daily Project Challenges & Door Prizes
CM has some fun activities planned throughout our nine-day NSD celebration that will engage you each day and help you get moving on your photo projects! Every day by noon Central Time, CM will post a sketch and project challenge on CM’s blog (watch for links on Pinterest and the Home Office and Go Digital Facebook pages). The sketches and challenges will be adaptable for both digital and traditional croppers.  All you will need are a computer, a variety of scrapbooking products and photos ready to pop onto your pages (including one or two of them as children and some vacation shots)!  Anyone who uploads an image of a daily challenge project to CM’s Facebook page by 11:59 p.m. (CT) will be entered into a door-prize drawing for that day.
Additionally, CM will be posting a link to a daily Speed-Scrap Challenge on the Go Digital Facebook Fan page to help digital scrappers complete beautiful pages quickly. They will also offer daily digital freebies that, when collected each day, will include all the components of 2 full pages!

DAILY EVENTS (Central Time) – one hour behind Eastern Time
9 AM: (10:00 am EDT)

Scrapbooking Challenges on the Home Office and Go Digital Facebook Pages. Every morning, we'll post a new challenge for both customers and Consultants to complete. Complete the entry form and post an image of your completed project to either Facebook Page by 11:59 p.m. that day to be entered for a daily door prize!
Noon: (1:00 pm EDT)
Sketch Downloads on the Home Office Facebook Page, Pinterest and our Digital and Traditional blogs. Learn how using sketches can inspire new layouts. (Save the sketches to use at future events!)
Digital Freebies on the Go Digital Facebook Page. Collect one each day to have the ingredients for a complete two-page digital layout at the end of the celebration.
Varying Times:
Speed Scraps
on the Go Digital Facebook Page. See how fast and easy completing a digital page can be!

23 April 2012

Spring Cleaning Continued...

WOW! I have been so busy to even post recently. I am proud to say that the entire family assisted me with cleaning up the 1st floor of the house this past Saturday.  In the sprit of spring cleaning I have also been purging computer files and backing up photos and uploading to free storage sites, too.  Time to get rid of the cobwebs in ALL aspects of my life.  Been cluttered for way too long.

Be sure to become a member of my blog! I recently added this feature to the blog.  If you are a fellow blogger, please link if you like what you see.  I have been cleaning up my You Tube & Pinterest pages too and they are also linked to my blog on the right under Favorite Links. Also working on getting 4Shared, Photo Bucket & Picasa sites ready for public viewing as well. I'll add them when they are ready; don't forget my FB Fan Page, too.

The past week has been hectic, but very productive for me personally. It has gotten me energized for the weeks that lay ahead. There are so many activities to attend for the end of year stuff for the kids and then right into vacation & summer camps...before you know it August 25th will be here & time to get ready for School to begin all over again. I am amazed at how it just FLIES by.
Here are some after photos of the clean rooms in the house:
Living Room

Dining Room


Kitchen Island

clear counter

Ham, Potatoes & Green Beans: cooking away earlier today for supper
I was able to work all day today without having to think about the meal; I was also clearing out leftovers from the refrigerator!  Left over Ham from Easter and just added the ham stock from the ham and some large cubed potatoes; after about 5 hours added the green beans and just kept warm until dinner time (about 5 pm).  Worked out fantabulously - both kids have their meetings tonight & DH is running them to their events.


back deck even got cleaned!

Deck #2

Deck #3

Deck #4
The boys used the shop vac to blow the petals off the flowers on the cherry tree before the heavy rain that was coming on Saturday evening.  He he he - it looked like it was snowing!  It was a huge help though - the deck would be much worse than it is here if they hadn't done that.



These next two photos are of the room with the fireplace; it is my work in progress area...organized, but needs put away in its proper places.
Fireplace Room #1

Fireplace #2
 In the first picture is Eric's bin to organize all the nails, screws, nuts, bolts, and other hardware and will eventually have a home in the newly cleared garage.  My goal for this room is to be able to use this desk to work off of when I crop by myself instead of the island or dining room table.  that way I don't need to put it away to make/serve dinner to the gang.  The other Fireplace picture is of the wood box that I need to get the outside painted sage green & stenciled with my pine cone & pine branch stamps.  It also shows all of my cases for when I travel to crops as a CMC with my cardstock (in the coffin) one for my cricut, another for my sizzix & dies, my carry-all bag contains my current album project, the daisy case hold mt 12' trimmers, notebooks with CCS, and the Creative Cuts Box.  It may seem like a lot of cases, but all are on wheels to make it earlier for me to travel since my shoulder surgery.  It seems to be working; also saves my back from having to lift everything.  The pile in the middle of the room are my personal supplies, props for workshops, open houses, and other vendor events.  All needs to be packed better & send to storage until I need it.

Tomorrow I will attempt to tackle my office upstairs.  I need to purge & make room for many of these cases to go there.  Will keep you posted on the progress!

18 April 2012

Spring Cleaning

I have been on a mission the past few weeks.  I am SO tired of all the clutter.  I spent most of Easter weekend working on organizing the cabin & the shed at the cabin while Eric & the kids cut & brought in firewood to be split for this winter and next.  They were quite busy...





Just a few photos to show how much work they all did...the daughter is getting a tad bit bored with the work :)


Not every trip to the cabin is a working trip; we did have a bit of fun on this one, too.  We hid some plastic eggs for the kids to have an egg hunt.  Even the 15 year-old still enjoys it, though he'll never admit to it :)

The kitty even enjoyed the warm days. 


Then I came home to washing all the linens from the cabin and moved right into the De-cluttering of the garage.  We've lived in our current home for over 11 years and I was at my rope's end about not being able to park my van in the garage along with hubby's motorcycle & the kids bikes, etc. and to have boxes sitting everywhere and not have access to the garage attic because of ALL the clutter.  I unfortunately don't have a before picture, I only have the after...
This picture shows a pile on the left that still needs to be purged.  Along with my son's backside as he's attempting to get out of the frame of the shot - he he he.  He's my HUGE helper.  I can't complain, most of the time he's a great kid.

Now for the garage to STAY this way.

I have now moved on to my daughter's room.  A few months ago my nephew assisted me with the cleaning of her room only to have it return to it's current state of disarray within a few days of our hard work.  I've since been working a little each day to remove articles of clothing and toys she has LONG since outgrown, but refuses to part with them.

I am also doing this with ALL of my craft & scrapbook items.  Needless to say the rest of the house and all of our lives are suffering.  Because in order to clean up and become organized you create a larger mess at the beginning.  I can say though it's starting to pay off!  I have donated 5 garbage bags of clothing and two huge boxes of other misc. items.  They are out of my house & I am feeling better about the purging process.  I just now need to get the rest of the family on board.  Check back in a few days - I'll try to post more photos of my progress along with some tips and great sites to help you get started.

#1 be willing to throw things out!

16 April 2012

Some NEW Items


May/June 2012 Catalog  Please be sure to check it out.


 

 View the How To Video on YouTube.  It's a great video that shows how easy this system is to use.

From Creative Memories:
This May we’re trying something new – and, based on the rate of sales during this trial run, you and your customers will help us determine whether it should stay or go.
We’ve purchased a one-time quantity of 22,000 stamping tools as well as a supply of four different colored ink pads. And we’ve created stamp sets in exclusive Creative Memories artwork to go with them. (Each ink cartridge should last about six months. And the stamps themselves, when properly washed and cared for, should last indefinitely.)
Based on focus groups and research, there’s solid demand out there for help with alternative projects like notes, invitations and cards, which is one of the reasons we added the Just Because Card Kit, also coming in May. The stamper is ideal for people who enjoy projects like this, as the inks are not photo-safe and not intended for long-term use in scrapbooks or with photos. So if you have card-makers or other crafty folks in your customer base, when you share this with them, be sure to emphasize that quantities are limited.
We’ve also created a bundle to make the offer even more appealing. Buy the Stamping Tool and three of the stamp sets and get the fourth stamp set for free.



New CriCut Cartridge - Exclusive to Creative Memories - Be Young  Click here to see all the artwork.

Just read about these upcoming digital discounts:
May: save 15% on photo panels and metal photo panels
May 15-June 15: Father's Day card sale, save $1
May & June: Double bulk discount, save 20% soft cover bulk storybook orders
June: Save 20% on additional pages and lay flat page upgrade for storybooks

Get to work on those digi projects to be able to take advantage of the sale pricing!

Updated Tool Kit - Available May 1st -

14 April 2012

Anniversary Digital Page

A few weeks ago I created a digital page to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary.  (It would be very easy to adapt to a traditional page as well).  We have been in love with each other for 30+ years (there's a story there, too).  It was difficult to find a layout that had enough photos and that wasn't too feminine; I wanted something that was more casual & relaxed - like we are 99% of the time.  This is what I came up with on my own.


I used CM SBC+ 3.0 to create the page and here are the components that I used:
Rugged PP, Figaro text, Rugged Aplha, & Rugged overlay were used. Frames were stretched & tags were 'cut' to create frames.

You may certainly scraplift - please link back to my blog if you do...

Thanks,
Chris

13 April 2012

Updates to Blog & You Tube

I just spent the evening updating My You Tube Channel's video links for your easy reference.  There are A LOT of helpful videos there for ALL of Creative Memories Products; CriCut helpful hints; specialty cards; knot tying; and the list goes on...  Please use the link to check them out.  I am hoping to make this blog a site of reference for you & me.  I hate nothing more than having to search for something for very long.

12 April 2012

NEW LIMITED RELEASE

Stamper System

Video of how to use the new stamper system is now available on YouTube.  Check it out along with the project center for ideas on how to use the new system.  This is a limited release so if you are considering this tool, contact me prior to the 1st of May to place a pre-order.  I will be adding more photos later this evening to this post of the other newly released items.  Save some of those tax refund checks for your crafting supplies.  I will gladly take your advance orders to be placed on May 1st.  You can also place your orders at www.mycmsite.com/christineheberlig on or after May 1st, too.

To see more of the great new products please visit fellow blogger - Lisa's Workshop for a peek at the other products. Thank you Lisa for all the GREAT information and Thank You to Lucinda Endres Fritchen, a fellow CMC who was kind enough to post pictures of her new products.  I am so excited to get mine ordered!


Just read about these upcoming digital discounts:
May: save 15% on photo panels and metal photo panels
May 15-June 15: Father's Day card sale, save $1
May & June: Double bulk discount, save 20% soft cover bulk storybook orders
June: Save 20% on additional pages and lay flat page upgrade for storybooks