Hello my friends!

I have a SUPER offer for you! Be the FIRST person to order $50 of product (not including shipping and tax) from my website---judifarrell.ctmh.com (you HAVE to hit the JOIN button!) by noon on  October 31st and follow my blog and I will send you a brand new DOUBLE stamp set! That's two D-sized stamp sets (see photo below) for free!!

 So, here's a sample of what you could get......order $50 or more in your choice of product, purchase the stamp of the month for only $5 AND be the first person to do it and you will receive the double stamp set shown above for free!!  We are talking a $35 value for free!!!  That's $90 worth of product for $55! (not including shipping and tax) WOOHOO!

You only have a few days left to purchase the BEAUTIFUL Christmas stamp of the month!  It has a very cute tag stamp, mitten, ornament, phrases, and more!!  I LOVE it!   As usual, spend $50 (excluding shipping and tax) and the set of stamps is yours for only $5.00!!!  That's a $17.95 value for only 5 bucks!  SWEET!  The stamp set has 5 stamps that coordinate with our Artiste Cricut cartridge. Imagine all the fun stuff you can make for Christmas! (and we crafters know, it's never too soon to start on christmas!)

You should check out our Cricut Artiste package as well.  UNBELIEVABLE value!  Over 700 images on the cartridge, 3 D-sized stamp sets, and 3 sheets of dimensional elements with coordinating shapes!  All for $99!!!!!  A $125 value for $99!  I can promise you that you will LOVE it!! 

Check out the WHOLE catalog @ judifarrell.ctmh.com    There is TOO much to mention here..........
Now would be a good time to make a wish list and give it to your significant other and have them get all your Christmas shopping done right on my site with a few clicks of a button!! 

Don't forget to click on the JOIN button on my site judifarrell.ctmh.com BEFORE you begin ordering and be the first to order $50 worth of product  AND follow my blog and I will send you a brand new size-D stamp set!!  

Happy shopping everyone!!! :)  judifarrell.ctmh.com

Close To My Heart Specials!

Hello everyone!

I know it has been a long time since I last posted.  I have been busy moving around my craft room, son's room and enjoying the beautiful summer we have been having. :) 

I just wanted to do a quick post today to let you know the GREAT special CTMH is having this month in honor of:
 

National Stamping Month
September 2012 Constant Campaign

To celebrate National Stamping Month in September, we are bringing back our popular double stamp set promotion! You can get the exclusive, new My Acrylix^® It’s Your Day double stamp set for just $5 when you place a minimum order of $35 in full retail products from August 15 through September 30, 2012. You’ll love this double set—two D-size sets in one envelope—which includes nearly 50 trendy images that makes it easy to capture the everyday moments in your life. The double set has a retail value of $35.90, which drastically increases the value of your qualifying purchase! Have twice the fun stamping during National Stamping Month with our new, exclusive It’s Your Day double stamp set!

Dates: Offer valid August 15 (9:00 am MDT) – September 30, 2012 (11:59 pm MDT)

 

This is an AWESOME set of stamps you are going to want to get your hands on!! 

 

 

 

As if that isn't enough..........CTMH as always has their Stamp of the Month available too!  It is perfect for all the upcoming fall photos we will all have. 

 

Just head to my website:  www.judifarrell.ctmh.com  and get a close up view of the September Stamp of the Month stamps.   Also be sure to check out all the fun Halloween paper, stamps and embellishments that are available. 

 

Have fun shopping!!  Make sure to click on my JOIN button at the bottom of the website, before you order. :)

2012 Autumn/Winter Close To My Heart catalog

This is an exciting day!  The new and anxiously awaited for 2012 Close To My Heart catalog is now available online!! 

This new catalog is FILLED with TONS of new stuff!!

The newest Cricut cartridge called Artiste is absolutely amaaaaazing!!  The kit includes:

Cricut^® Artiste Collection (Z1790)
$99 (retail value of nearly $125)
1 – Cartridge (700 images: themed projects, cards, font, shapes, 3-D items)
3 – My Acrylix^® D-size Stamp Sets*
3 – 12" × 9" Dimensional Elements in coordinating shapes

If you think about it, the cartridge with its 700 images is really more like having 2 1/2 regular cartridges!  Imagine what that would cost you at around $59.99 per cartridge and up that we pay at the craft stores.  That savings alone is worth buying the kit.

 But wait, there's more!!  How DID they do it?
 
You also receive not one, not two, but 3 D-sized stamp sets!  Yep!  That's right!  3 D-sized coordinating stamp sets!!  That's a value of  $53.85!  Then, there are the 3 coordinating Dimensional Elements chipboard shapes.  They run around $6.95 per sheet---and you get 3!  That's an almost $21  value! 

So let's add it up------$125 value cartridge
                                   $53 value stamps
                                   $21 value chipboard
                                 ___________________
                                   $199 total

YOU can get it ALL for only $99!!!!!  NOW I CALL THAT SAVINGS!!!  Just an AMAAAAZING value!!!!

There are also 8 new paper lines!  They are beautiful!  Some vintage, some modern, something for men, kids, some muted colors and some bright colors.  The list goes on and on! 

We have some new ink colors and cardstock colors, a new Studio J deal, new embellishments and more and more and more!!  And, OF COURSE, new and SUPER cute stamp sets!!!  YOU HAVE TO JUST TAKE A LOOK!!!!!

Another NEW and FANTASTIC DEAL is the cost of becoming a consultant.  You can now become a consultant for $49!!!!  YEP!  $49 and you can be selling CTMH products and earning free stuff for yourself!!  Also, while supplies last, you will receive the cutest tote bag I have ever seen when you sign up!  :)  So, why not sign up???  Contact me if you want to.  I'll be happy to help you get started. :)

Just go over and take a look at the new online catalog and order some FUN and WONDERFUL stuff!!!!!  (DON"T FORGT TO HIT THE JOIN BUTTON NEXT TO JUDI"S PARTY!!----that way I get credit for sending you!)  :)

Here's the link:   http://www.judifarrell.ctmh.com/

HAVE FUN SHOPPING!!!!!!!!!

Close To My Heart---STAMPAGANZA!!

It's finally here!  The long awaited STAMPAGANZA!  The whole month of June, Close To My Heart is offering an AMAZING deal.  Buy ANY two stamp sets (size A-E) and get a third stamp set of equal or lesser value FREE!!  YUP!  FREE!  (This deal does not include Stamp of the Month stamps, custom stamps or the workshop stamp sets.) 

Here is a link to my Close To My Heart site.  Just click on the JOIN button at the bottom right side of the site  (listed as JOIN Mary's party) and start shopping!!  Depending on which stamp sets you buy, there is a potential savings of over $29!!  That's ALOT! 

Now is the time to pick up some of the stamps that coordinate with CTMH's Art Philosophy Cartridge!  These are great stamps that fit exactly onto the coordinating cut image.  If you don't have the Art Philoophy for your Cricut machine, you are missing out!  I have about 50 Cricut cartridges and I almost ALWAYS use my Art Philosophy cartridge.  It has over 700 images on it!!  Amazing!!  You can check that out on the website as well.  It is a magnificent value!! 

Well, what are you waiting for?  Start shopping!  :)  judifarrell.ctmh.com

Ohhhhhh!  It's coming, it's coming!!  Only a couple days left until STAMPAGANZA!!!

That's right!  Close To My Heart will be celebrating STAMPAGANZA  beginning June 1st. 

What is STAMPAGANZA you may ask? 

Well, order two of any size stamp set from CTMH and get one of equal or lesser value FREE!!!  Yup, that's right!  ANY TWO STAMP SETS ( some exclusions apply*) and get one FREE!!!

Head on over to my website   www.judifarrell.ctmh.com  and start ordering on June 1st!  Now is the time to get ALL the stamps you have been wanting.  Stock up and save!!  :) 


*does not include the custom stamps or stamp of the month stamps

Tribute to Ginger

April 30, 2012 was not a good day for the Farrell family.  Sadly, we had to have our beloved pet Ginger put to sleep.  She was a precious, fiesty, loving companion.  She was my shadow.  Ginger was a protector and friend. 

Before my diagnosis with breast cancer, Ginger would jump up wherever I was laying and sprawl across my chest---something she had never done before and never done since---and lay there.  I would push her down, and she would come right back up.  It was as though she knew I was sick and knew where the sickness was.  Weeks later, I would be diagnosed with breast cancer and she NEVER left my bedside. 

I was bed ridden for quite some time, and Ginger stayed on the bed with me (or the couch) through the whole day.  When anyone got close to me, she would snarl and growl at them.  If I moved, she would perk up, look at me or come up to my face and sniff or nuzzle me, than go and lay down again next to me.  The family had a life to continue living and while I was alone in the room, she was there, right by my side.  I told her my fears of dying and leaving the family all alone.  I told her my concerns about the financial difficulty we would be in due to my illness.  I told her everything........and she listened.  As I got better, she would go for walks with me----and not pull on her leash as she always did.  It was as if she knew I wasn't strong enough to hold her back, so she just didn't pull.  She meant the world to me.

Ginger was the kids best friend.  They waited so long for a dog and for mom to convince dad that we needed a dog.  When dad came home from work one day(he worked out of town during the week and came home on the weekends), he carried with him our precious new pup.  She was approximately one year old at the time, and he had adopted her from the pound.  What a joy-filled day it was!!!  She loved all the attention from the kids, but from day one, she attached herself to me.  The kids were kinda jealous, but somehow she and I connected.  Maybe she sensed the similarities in our personality.  We were both stubborn, dominate females.  :)  

She knew we saved her from death and loved us for it.  She was spoiled rotten from day one.  We couldn't help it. :)  Ginger made the kids feel safe at night when dad was gone.  She made them feel happy and loved when she greeted them with kisses and much tail wagging when they would come home from school.  Bad days just melted away when Ginger loved on you.  She was a confidant to us all.  I am sure Ginger went to her doggy heaven knowing many secrets.  She was a sense of security on so many levels. 

Ginger also had a bit of a mean streak.  She HATED squirrels!  She tried to own the neighborhood by letting all the other dogs know that she was the Alpha female in the hood.  She barked at every person who came to our door---snarled at a few too!  She detested being told that it was time to go to bed.  Especially when Brianna told her that.  She would growl, snarl, bark and snap when Brianna would mention it.  She didn't like males in hats.  She didn't like little kids and she hated other dogs, but she LOVED all of us!  Unconditionally.  :)

She was an incrediby smart dog too!  She wowed many people with all of her tricks!  Shake, sit pretty, bang--dead dog and many more.  She would do just about anything for people food.  She would be in the livingroom or bedroom while someone was in the kitchen and she would hear the tiniest piece of something fall on the floor and come charging out into the kitchen to retrieve it for herself.  (It did save cleaning the kitchen floor so often.) :)

Many funny memories with her too.  Like the time she peed on Brians pillow because he came home late and scared her.  It was dark and he didn't see it and well, laid down.  Needless to say, he was up and out of the bed VERY quickly!  Or the time she came charging down the hall and into the livingroom, misjudging the height of the coffee table as she ran under it----or I should say, ran right into it.  She sat there dazed a few seconds, shook it off and charged on. :)  Then there was the time, actually the first night we had her, when, during the middle of the night she jumped up on Easton's bed and got her face right in his.  He woke up and being as he was only 3 years old, forgot we had a puppy and started screaming bloody murder.  We jumped out of bed, invisioning the dog mauling Easton, but there she was hiding under his bed, with a pile of--well you know--on the floor next to the bed.  Guess Easton's scream scared the p_ _ p out of her.  :) 

She loved to torment Brian.  I would be sitting in the breezeway near the back door, and she would go in the livingroom or bedroom and pester him to let her out---eventhough I was sitting right there.  It was SO funny. 

Ginger will be sorely missed in our household.  She was the best dog our family could have had.  Thanks Ginger for all the great memories, for your loyalty and for your unconditional love to us all.

CLOSE TO MY HEART!

I recently became a Close To My Heart consultant.   I thought I would take a chance and try my hand at business.  It has been slow getting going, but I hope to improve as time goes on. 

If you are not familar with Close To My Heart, head over to my website judifarrell.ctmh.com and take a cruise through the catalog.  Close To My Heart has paper, stamps, tools, and more for all your papercrafting needs.  Their glue is AWESOME!  Their papers are quality weight as well as beautiful and their stamps and inks are gorgeous!  I will be posting in the near future some projects using CTMH products.  I would be honored if you would choose me as your consultant.  

Currently, CTMH is running a special---  Spend $35 or more and get 24 sheets of Dotty for You paper for $5.  WHAT A DEAL!!  This is double sided paper. Tons of uses for it!  Or, spend $400 or become a consultant and get it for free! :)  Free is ALWAYS good! :)

I will be headed to a local crop this weekend.  I am going to be doing my first make and take.  Wish me luck.  That's all for now.  Have a great day and..............


                                              GO CRAFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'M BAAAAACK!!!!!! :)

Hello everyone!   I bet you thought I had fallen off the face of the earth.  No such luck.  I just got kinda pooped out on crafting and needed to take a break.  Now, I am back at it and enjoying it SO much!  I must say, I enjoy it the most when I can craft with my daughters.  Recently, I was able to do just that!!  First, my oldest daughter came for a visit and we made a trip to Hobby Lobby together.  I think we spent close to 3 hours in there just shopping around for whatever caught our eye.  (Later in this post, you will see what we made.)  We came home and crafted for several hours together.  She is MUCH more crafty and talented than I am, but we just had a wonderfully relaxing time crafting together.  Then, a couple days later, my younger daughter came home for a weekend visit and we sat ALL day Saturday and worked on crafts for a luncheon she was in charge of decorating for.  We had so much fun decorating candles and making special gift cards.  I'm glad my girls like to craft with me.  I LOVE to craft with them!! 

Let's see, since I last posted, I became a Grandma for the first time!  He is the cutest, most alert little guy ever!  Lots of dark auburn hair and green eyes.  So precious!  We enjoyed having him visit for a few days.  His name is Stafford.  He has 4 legs and can run like the wind.  He is having a hard time with potty training, but we Grandmas know that that sometimes takes awhile to accomplish. :)  Here is a photo of the newest addition to the family with his "uncle".

I also became a Close To My Heart independent consultant.  So far, I am not doing so well.  I will probably be de-moted  my first month.  We'll just have to wait and see.  Close To My Heart has beautiful scrapbooking papers, stamps, tools, etc. for scrapbooking and cardmaking.  Their quality is just fantastic!  You can check out my website judifarrell.ctmh.com and see all the wonderful items they have.  Then, you can order some from me by clicking the join button on the lower right hand of the homepage and adding to your cart. :)  I will be featuring some crafts on this site as soon as I can using their product. :)

Here is the craft my oldest daughter and I worked on last week.  I LOVE how it turned out. :D

It was just plain old chipboard letters that we found at Hobby Lobby.  I added some beautiful paper and made a few embellishments and inked it up a bit and BAM! beautiful wallhanging even if I do say so myself. :D  Here are a couple more views of it:

I cut the butterfly out with my Cricut machine and embossed it  then glued it down.  I made the flower out of some old sheet music a bought at the thrift store and inked the edges of it before gluing it down.  Then, I mod podged the whole thing.  Looks pretty, don't ya think?

That's all for now........please check out my Clost To My Heart site and help me out by ordering some great product. 

Have a great day and...........................


GO CRAFT!!!!!!  :D

A cute card!

Hello!  I haven't posted in quite awhile.  I have been busy trying to clean out my crafting space and come up with some new things to make.  I did make a second set of the tile coasters that turned out cuter than the first set.  :D 

Today I am posting a SUPER cute card I made.  I watched a youtube video on how to make this card and I can't remember for the life of me what the posters name was.  It was something like logansmommy or something like that and I searched and searched for it again and couldn't find it.  So, kudos to logan's mommy for this card.   Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.  :D  Take a look.....................

 Front view of the card.

 Side view. It stands up on its own so you can display it easily on your table or desktop.

Here's what it looks like laying down flat.  It will fit in a photo envelope.

Up close of some of the detail work.

And more details on the second layer.

Third layer detail work.

Can't wait to give it to a most deserving person/persons.  (can't say who, they may see it on here.)  :D   I will say it was very time consuming to make, but I love working on details.  :D  It was lots of fun and I am going to make more with different themes.  I could see this for a Christmas card with snow and Christmas trees, maybe a Santa sleigh.  Or an Easter card with bushes, flowers, little hidden Easter eggs all over and more bunnies.  Maybe an aquatic theme with water, tropical fish, coral, etc.  The  limits are only your own imagination.  :D 

Hope you enjoyed my post.  Have fun and

GO CRAFT!! 

Finally.........a project! 

I am so excited to post today!!  I worked on something yesterday and it turned out TOOOO cute!  (in my humble opinion. ) :)  But before I post my photos, I hope you enjoyed yesterdays post of  some of the things I made over Christmas. I promise, things will get better as I go along.  I am still in the organizing, learning and implementing stages.  Hoping you come and grow with me.  :) 

So, on to my project...........

First I have to say that this is not an original idea.  I saw this on Pinterest and thought I would give it a try.  So many posts of this were on Pinterest that I don't really know where it originated, but I do know that I have done something similar to this in the past. So, the concept has been out there for awhile. :)

With all the incredibly beautiful scrapbooking paper that is out there, the possibilities with these are endless.  They were super easy, super fast and super affordable.  Hope you enjoy.




Using an inexpensive plain tile from Home Depot

and a few supplies

I made a set of beauiful coasters!  Aren't the pretty?  I love them!!

Each one up close.............

I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out.  I am definately going to make more.  I need to add some felt to the back of each to keep the backs from scratching the tables and then they are ready to stack and wrap with a pretty ribbon and give as a gift to some lucky person! 

Hope you enjoyed the post.  I'll be back..............now

GO CRAFT!!  :D



Hello everyone! 

No, I didn't fall off the planet, I've just been busy getting Christmas put away, kids back to school and caught up on household chores that were neglected over Christmas break.  (like MOUNDS of laundry), and being sick with this cold/flu stuff that just won't seem to go away.  I tried my hand at making a few thank you cards to share here and was not satisfied with them.  Sometimes I think I OVER think my work and it turns out, well, not-so-good.   Still trying to decide whether or not to share the cards.  Wanted my first things to be nicer so I would get more followers.     We'll see......

I will be cleaning out my craft stuff and trying to organize it.  I realized that I need to have an organized space to help me craft better.  My stuff is here, there and everywhere----which causes me to go on hunting sprees in the middle of a project, which obviously, slows me down.  Live and learn, right? 

I found out too, that my camera is not the greatest for clear shots to share on the computer.  It kinda distorts the colors of things.  However, truth be told, it could be the photographers fault too.  Working on that as well.

Please bear with me as this is all new to me.  I still can't figure out how to get everything on this blog yet that I want.  (Like a follow me on Pinterest button)  If anyone knows how I can do this, PLEASE let me know!!

So, I decided to share a few things I have made with you afterall...............

 One of my thank you cards.

 Cute little button snowman to/from tags.  (I got the idea from something I saw on Pinterest)

 One of MANY Christmas bags I made for Christmas.

 Some more tags. (they all coordinated with the gift bags and had small coordinating cards too.)

A 12 x 12 scrapbook layout page I custom made for a friend.  A bit more plain and simple than my usual layouts.

 A plain old paper mache box I picked up from Hobby Lobby and made it look like embossed leather.  The photo does not do it justice.  It is SO pretty in person.

 Side view of box.  I just stamped on it and heat embossed it, then rubbed some distress ink over it. 

 Some beaded snowflake ornaments I made from leftover pearls and beads from my daughter's summer wedding.  I also made silver, torquoise and pink ones.  I used a coordinating gossamer ribbon on each one to hang from the tree.  They really were beautiful.

Every snowflake, just like in nature, was different.

Well, that is just a sneak peek of some of my stuff.  Hope you enjoyed.   I will be back soon with more. 

 On a different note, I found out about a really neat book. It has been out about a year now---I'm just slow---that I want to get and read. It's called One thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. It sounds SO inspiring and exactly what I need right now. I need to learn how to be content with what I have and this book deals with that issue. Check it out and let me know what you think.  It has some pretty intense challenges associated with it.  I think I'll try them.

That's all for now....................

GO CRAFT!!!!

Day Two (and proud!) :)

Hello to all!  This is post number two!!  WooHoo!!  I am still trying to fix the glitch on my page when you first open it.  I do not know why it goes through three or four of my blog pages in random, quick succession before ending on this blog.  If anyone can tell me how to fix that, I would greatly appreciate it! 

So, a little more about this blog.............

First of all, thanks to my friends and family for following me.  I feel SO popular!  :D  lol 

 I am hoping to learn how to get more followers and start building a good network of crafting friends----maybe even buyers of my creations!  THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!!!  Again, if you have any ideas on expanding my following, please let me know.  (I already know the obvious---post some of my work!)  :D  I will get to that over the next few days and weeks.  Right now, I mostly just have Christmas stuff and NO ONE wants to see Christmas stuff right now!  I AM CHRISTMASED OUT!  I am still vaccuming up fake pine needles and probably will be for months!!!  We need a new tree and say every year we will purchase one at the after Christmas sales--and every year we are broke after Christmas and can't buy one.  We then console ourselves by saying it will look okay for one more year.  Wonder if anyone else does that?

I am not a tree hugger by any means, but I do like to use and reuse items, when I can, in my crafting.  I have done that for years!  I was raised to be frugal and frugal I am.  (Not the peel apart the 2-ply toilet paper to one-ply and re-roll the paper on two rolls kind of frugal.  That's a bit extreme for me.)  But I do like to reuse jars, boxes, clear heavy plastic, etc.  I am noticing MANY Pinterest posts now, reusing, recycling, upcycling, (you get the idea) everyday products and making new useful items with them.  Yep, I have done that MANY, MANY times for years............I AM THE TRENDSETTER!!  :D lol  (At least I like to think I am!)  OH! By the way, you should follow me on Pinterest---as soon as I figure out how to link the button here. :D

I LOVE to shop at Thrift stores!  I was raised on Goodwill and homemade clothing.  When I was a kid--waaaaay back--it was shameful to have gotten something from Goodwill.  Embarrassing. Disgusting. I remember worrying that someone would recognize something of theirs on me, when I wore it to school, and say something and I would be completely humiliated.  Now, it's posh, chic, even cool to buy from thrift stores and be proud of it.  Funny how time (and economics) changes things.  I always say, "Let the rich guy buy the namebrand item, wear it for a month and donate it where I can buy it for a quarter of it's original price and wear it  (or use it, whatever the case) for much longer."  Now, I ask, Who is the smart one here---the rich person or me???  :D  Anyway, I digress.........Thrift stores have SOOOO much to offer in the line of crafting.  You just have to think out of the box.  So, expect some of that too on this blog.
Out of the box crafting.  I plan on making something today......if I complete it, i will post photos tomorrow.  :D  

Well, enough for now.  I tend to ramble on and on and on..........  Stay tuned for more and invite friends to jump on board here and follow too!  :D

Now......GO CRAFT!!!! 

First Time!

Well, here we go!  My first post on my first blog!  I have NO idea what I am doing, so if you see some strange colors or designs on the blog, just grin and know you are reading the blog of a techo-challenged person!  :D 

So, here is a bit about this blog.....

I LOVE to scrapbook, thus the title above:  Judi's Paper Thoughts.  I follow so many scrappers' blogs and decided that I needed and wanted to get some of my creations out there.  It's my plan to share some fun scrapping pages with you.  I am inspired by vintage mostly, but really am quite eclectic.  I love all sorts of styles, but basic, simple, vintage would best describe my work. 

I hope you will enjoy this blog and visit often.  :D 

I will be adding more to this site as I go.  Ironically, I love to scrap photos, but have hardly any photos of me to add.  (Lucky you!)  :D  I will have to get some made.

I will tell you more about me personally as time goes on.......You'll just have to keep coming back to see what I add.  :D

Wish me luck!!