Happy New Year!!

What happened to 2009??  For many it was a tough year and for others it was a year of new beginnings.   Here's to hoping 2010 is a great year for everyone and is filled with happiness.

Julie

Christmas Layouts

I started working on some of my Christmas layouts last night and realized that I didn't post the December Workshop pictures yet.  Although the workshop is done, I wanted to post the pictures for you so you can hopefully be inspired to start scrapbooking your Christmas photos as well.

I am working in 4 other Christmas layouts right now and will get those posted for you shortly, so stay tuned over the next few days.....

 

New Blog

I have officially started a new blog for my new cake business.  If you are interested in following along please visit us at http://smashingcakedesigns.blogspot.com

I will keep the blog active with new cake photos as well as information on cakes, so please join us. 

Happy Holidays everyone!

Oh Christmas Tree

A fun Christmas Tree cake.   I made this cake for the kids Christmas party at daycare tomorrow.  I was going to make something with a lot more detail, however I just found out today that the party is tomorrow rather then Thursday so in a time crunch this is what I came up with.

Snowy Candle

A snowy candle cake for a 60th birthday.  This one was fun to work on after the tractor cake.   Cream Cheese icing with white chocolate snowflakes.....yummy!

John Deere

This was a fun cake to make.  My daycare provider asked me to make a tractor cake for her Dad's birthday this weekend.  The wheels and hay stacks are made from rice krispie treats and covered in chocolate fondant.    The cake will be delivered tomorrow and hopefully it will be what she is looking for.

Gingerbread House

My son always wants to help me make cakes.  So I thought this would be the perfect project for him and I do build together.   He was so happy to finally help and be allowed to touch without getting in trouble. 

January CTMH Campaign

Felicity Collection

• Customers and Hostesses: December 15, 2009—January 31, 2010
• New Consultants: January 1–31, 2010
  

The Felicity Collection features decorative die-cut paper, three gorgeous color schemes, and a D-size stamp set that include flowers, flourishes, argyle, birds, and an entire alphabet!
This collection has a retail value of $34.95 US/ $40.95 CAN. You can buy it outright, or get it free!
There are two ways to qualify for a FREE Felicity Collection:

• Purchase a minimum of $70 CAN in full-retail priced stamp sets (A, B, C, D, and E-size).
  
• Place an order of $145 CAN or more in full-retail priced Close To My Heart products.
  

The campaign also has enticing opportunities for hostesses and new Consultants. Hostesses get the package FREE with a Home Gathering sales total of $470 CAN or more, and New Consultants who join Close To My Heart between January 1–31 will receive the package FREE in their New Consultant Kit. Shipping/handling and tax may apply.

Clean and fresh

I have one section of the kitchen cupboards done.   I love how nice and crisp they look.  My before picture didn't turn out great at all but here is a after picture of the top section I have done as well as one the shows the bottom cupboards so you can see what they looked like before. 

 I think I am hanging up my paint brush until after Christmas now, so will finish it off then and start planning a new counter :)

Big Project

I must admit my timing on my latest project is purely bad.   I have a cupcake workshop to start preparing for, Christmas baking to start, a cake order or two to work on and of course a ton of Christmas presents to wrap.  Plus I am dying to get some scrapbooking done.  

So of all the items above, what do I start doing this weekend......remodeling my kitchen.   Am I crazy????   We have lived in this house for 5 years and I have always hated the kitchen, so on Friday I decided enough was enough and I bought myself some paint, new knobs and hinges and started to work away.  While it's now Sunday and I am only a 1/4 of a way through painting the cupboards.  So far loving the way it looks but can't stand to look at how much work is still ahead of me.  Once the painting is done I want to do the counters and a backsplash and hopefully have a kitchen I can finally stand looking at....he-he.

I will take some pictures as I go and post my new kitchen :) 

Christmas Cupcake Workshop

Sign up today to reserve your spot in the session of your choice as space is limited.   You will make 12 cupcakes, 3 of each design(Tree, Christmas Mouse, Melting Snowman and Rudolph) - if you need to make more let me know when you sign up.

I have some fun Christmas gifts for each person attending that will help you continue baking fun Christmas goodies this season, so don't miss out on this workshop!!
Thursday December 17th 10am-12pm OR 7:30pm-9:30pm
$20 per person - Pre-Registration is required, you can e-mail me to sign up.

How did you do?

Did you manage to get into the Close to my Heart sale today?  If not don’t worry, you still have time but items are going fast!

I logged in right at 11:00am to take advantage of these great deals.  It was a very slow process with the overload of people on the system but I was lucky enough to get all but 2 of the items that were on my wish list. 

Now I have to sit and wait a couple of weeks for that man in brown that I love so much to bring me my goodies.   

December Close to my Heart Clearance Sale!!!

Starting December 2nd at 11am you can access this great sale by going to my website www.craftingwithjulie.myctmh.com and hitting the 'On-line Shopping' tab.  From that page a link shold appear for the December Sale which will allow you to see all the items.

Sale has quantities restricted to FIVE per item to provide a smooth shopping experience for all customers.

To view a list of the sale items sent me an e-mail and I will send you a copy.

Have fun shopping!

Igloo Cake

I have been having cake decorating withdrawels, so last night I decided to pull out everything and created this Igloo cake.   It was a lot of fun to make.  This was my first time making fondant trees, your hands could get pretty sore if you had a lot of them to make, but they are pretty easy.

Daisies

This cake is made for a customer who's Mother is turning 50 today.   She loves Daisies, so the only requirements for the cake was lots of Daisies and enough to feed 30.  Hopefully this will be enough flowers and make her smile on her birthday. 

For a Mom-to-be

I was asked last week to make a baby shower cake with Teddy Bears and a bed, so this is what I did.  I based it on my 5 Little Monkey cake.  This cake needs to feed 20 people so it's a 'queen' sized bed :) 

Family of Bears

This was my project last night. I have a cake order for this weekend that will have these little bears on it. They are made from fondant and gum tex. It's always fun to see these things come to life.
Tonight is more prep work for this cake then I need to start working on the other 2 orders for this week......oh, it's going to be a long week :0

All in a days work

When I seen photos from a photo session my friend Malinda from STUDIOdpi captured of a little boy smashing cake on his first birthday I was sold. I booked an appointment with her and a week later took my 15 month old daughter Megan for her cake smashing session. This was so much fun, baby pictures and cake all mixed together...what more could I want!!

Stay tuned to see my little girl on some upcoming stuff soon and be sure to book your cake smashing session with Malinda if you have a little one. Her work is amazing, check out her website at www.studiodpi.com.

Thanks Malinda for the great shots, I will cherish them forever.

Christmas Card Workshop

Get in the Christmas spirit with this Christmas card workshop on November 26, 2009. You will make 25 cards for $25, all papers will be pre-cut for you so don't be afraid to join if you are new to the scrapbooking world. I am offering 2 sessions in Barrie - 1-4pm or 7-10pm. You will have a basic, better or best option for the cards. Please contact me directly at craftingwithjulie@myctmh.com for more information on your options. All supplies need to be ordered in advance so please sign up by November 10, 2009.

Snowman Cake Workshop

Hopefully the snow will hold off for a little while longer, however it will come at some point so lets embrace it by making this cute snowman cake at the next cake decorating workshop.

I will run 2 different workshops on Tuesday December 1st, 7:30pm - 9:30pm or Wednesday December 2nd, 10am - 12pm. Workshops will be held in Barrie and you must PRE-REGISTER.

Each session can hold a maximum of 8 people and will run with a min of 4, so tell your friends! Workshop cost is $20 which includes all decorating supplies, use of my tools and a tool of your own to take home!

Pre-register early to save a spot by e-mailing me at craftingwithjulie@myctmh.com

When a regular cupcake just won't cut it

Go big or go home :)

November Scrapbooking Workshop

We will be completing these 2 winter pages at our next Scrapbooking workshop on Thursday November 26, 2009 10am-12:30pm in Barrie. For $20 you will receive all the paper, embellishments and use of stamps to complete these 2 winter layouts. Please pre-register by November 12, 2009 by contacting me at craftingwithjulie@myctmh.com to save your spot.

Time to stock up!!

Stampaganza is happening during the month of November at Close to my Heart. When you buy 2 stamp sets you will receive a 3rd (of equal or less value) for FREE! Contact me for details craftingwithjulie@myctmh.com

Happy Halloween

I just finished this cake for my kids Halloween party at Daycare tomorrow.

Swap Layout

I am part of a swap with other CTMH consultants. 8 of us are to create layouts using a certain paperpack, so I made 8 of this layout, and will receive 7 different layouts back. It's hard to get the full picture of this layout as 4 additional pictures are to be added that aren't matted to see where they go here (I will send a diagram to the other consultants so they know where to put the pictures). I didn't put a title so that it doesn't limit the other consultants for what type of pictures they can use.

Fall Leaves

I love these shots of Megan's first experience jumping in the leaves. This layout uses the Twitterpatted WOTG kit. This is a great kit and the layouts are very easy to do, contact me to order your kit today.

Campfire Pictures

I wanted to scrapbook Owen's night around the campfire because he usually doesn't make it to late into the evening.

This is another super simple page using Game on paperpack.

It's a Zoo around here

This is a simple layout of a trip to the Elmvale Zoo this year. I used the Animal Cookies paperpack.

Getting caught up

Okay so I am really behind on my scrapbooking. I lost my grove for a little while there but it seems to have returned. :)

I am sneaking to my scrapbook room every chance I get this week to get some serious scrapping done (okay I need to get one cake done as well so some time management is called for).

I was starting to feel bad for all you scrapbookers and my lack of inspiration for you lately. Please stay tuned and I will post some pictures when I get a chance.

Also keep an eye out for information on the next Scrapbooking workshop, Christmas card workshop, and another cake workshop in November, it's going to be a busy month!

Cutting board Cake

I couldn't resist doing this cake. Tomorrow I am having a Pampered Chef party and the guest special is a free cutting board with qualified purchases and the host special is knives this month....so ta-da!! What better then a cutting board cake. This one was so much fun to make, I love how real everything looks.

Only a few more spots

The cupcake workshop has been a hit....thank you everyone!
If you are thinking about joining us the spots are going quickly so don't hesitate or you might miss out. We have 1 spot left for the 7:30-9:30pm group and 4 left in the 10am-12pm session. Contact me at craftingwithjulie@myctmh.com to save your spot.

Happy Thanksgiving

This is a fun fall themed cake I made for Thanksgiving dinner at my Sister-in-Laws.

Halloween Layout Workshop

While the session is here. Time to pick your pumpkin and get a Halloween costume for your kids or maybe for yourself.

You can make these fun Halloween and Pumpkin Patch (or Pumpkin Carving)layouts for only $15 on Thursday October 29, 2009 from 10am-12:30pm *note new time*

Sign up early by e-mailing craftingwithjulie@myctmh.com to reserve a spot as the workshop is already 3/4 full.

I'm truly honoured

As many of you know aside from all my crafting and cake decorating I own a business that assists people with disabilies enter into the work force. Over the years I have had many accomplishments and a few award nominations that I have been very proud of. Well the cake was topped for me this week.
I received 2 phone calls on Tuesday, one from the Barrie Examiner looking to do a photo session and the other from Rogers looking to do a TV interview. I was slightly confused by everything but it turns out I have been nominated for the Women in Business Heart and Soul award. I never would have expected to be nominated for such a prestigase award and I am truely honoured and grateful. This has been a week to remember and now that all the newspaper and TV interviews are over, I will sit patiently and await the upcoming award cerimony on October 15, 2009. I am not at all expecting to win the award as I know I am up against some pretty amazing women. I am just thrilled to have this experience :) I will keep everyone posted on the event as it gets closer :)

Halloween Cupcake Workshop - come join in the fun.

You asked for it, so here it is....my first cake decorating workshop. We will start with some fun Halloween cupcakes that will be a hit with kids and adults.

I will run 3 different workshops on Tuesday October 27, 2009 to accommodate all the different work schedules. Workshops will be held in Barrie from 10am-12pm, 1pm-3pm and 7:30-9:30pm, you must PRE-REGISTER by October 16, 2009 so I can order supplies.

Each session can hold a maximum of 8 people and will run with a min of 4, so tell your friends! Workshop cost is $18 which includes all decorating supplies, use of my tools and a tool of your own to take home!

So come on out and learn how to impress your kids, family and co-workers with these cute Halloween Cupcakes. Don't miss out, pre-register early to save a spot by e-mailing me at craftingwithjulie@myctmh.com

Make n' Take for Home Gathering

Thought I would share a photo of the layout we would be making at a home gathering tomorrow night. I love the simplicity of this layout, something like this works great in an album or in a 12x12 shadow box to display a great family photo.

Beach Baby

I am trying to finally get caught up on my summer scrapbooking, so I did this quick layout of my daughter at the beach. This layout uses the Laid Back paperpack, which some of you may have received in your goodie boxes this summer, it also uses the August Word Puzzle which is on the retired list now.

Every September Close To My Heart posts a retiring list of products that will be available while supplies last until December 31, 2009. Take a look through the list to see if any of these items are on your wish list. Don't miss your chance to order some of these great products.

If you want to see what something looks like you can visit my website and type in the product name or number to see a picture

To order contact me directly by e-mail craftingwithjulie.myctmh.com or shop on-line on my website.

The above layout is one I did last year using the Enchanted paper and the October Word Puzzle stamp set which are now both on the retired list.

Coluzzle
Z371 Circle
Z1144 Big Circle

1776 Long Reach Punch 1/8"
1777 Long Reach Punch 1/4"

1012 Eyelet organizer
1505 Memorabilia Pockets
1011 1" posts & screws
Z4126 1/2" posts & screws

Z4201 Shoulder Tote

Z1134 Holiday Fabric Tags

Z400 Sassy Strands White Daisy
Z401 Sassy Strands Autumn Harvest
Z402 Sassy Strands Winter Classic
Z463 Sassy Strands Spring Harmony
Z464 Sassy Strands Summer Carnival
Z465 Sassy Strands Winter Cozy
Z466 Sassy Strands Autumn Garden
Z468 Sassy Strands Summer Celebration

Creative Basics
X5802 Creative Basics Everlasting
X5803 Creative Basics Silhouette
X5804 Creative Basics Boom-Di-Ada

My Reflections Level 1 Kits, Level 2 Paper Packets, and My Stickease
X7045A Vintage Travel
X7045B Vintage Travel
X7045C Vintage Travel
X7079A Rough 'N' Tumble
X7079B Rough 'N' Tumble
X7079C Rough 'N' Tumble
X7080A Route 66
X7080B Route 66 (SOLD OUT)
X7080C Route 66
X7082A Expedition
X7082B Expedition
X7082C Expedition
X7083A Let's Get Together
X7083B Let's Get Together
X7083C Let's Get Together
X7084A Floral Tapestry
X7084B Floral Tapestry (SOLD OUT)
X7084C Floral Tapestry
X7085A Everlasting
X7085B Everlasting
X7085C Everlasting
X7086A Caprice
X7086B Caprice
X7086C Caprice
X7088A Free Spirit
X7088B Free Spirit
X7088C Free Spirit
X7087A Enchanted
X7087B Enchanted
X7087C Enchanted
X7089A Life Delights
X7089B Life Delights
X7089C Life Delights
X7093A Sweet Pea
X7093B Sweet Pea
X7093C Sweet Pea
X7094A Paper Garden
X7094B Paper Garden
X7094C Paper Garden
X7099A Whoops-A-Daisy
X7099B Whoops-A-Daisy
X7099C Whoops-A-Daisy

My Originals Card Kits
X8608 My Originals Groovy Blossoms Card Kit
X8611 My Originals Pretty Purses Card Kit
X8615 My Originals From the Heart Card Kit
X8617 My Originals Holiday Wishes Card Kit
X8620 My Originals Merry & Bright Card Kit

X8524 Simply Snapshots Rough 'N' Tumble Album Pages
X8525 Simply Snapshots Let's Get Together Album Pages
X8527 Simply Snapshots Free Spirit Album Pages
X8529 Simply Snapshots Silhouette Album Pages
X8530 Simply Snapshots Sweet Pea Album Pages
X8531 Simply Snapshots Boom-Di-Ada Album Pages
X8532 Simply Snapshots Perfect Day Album Pages

Stamps
A1083 WHIMSY NUMBERS
A1090 SUMMER'S WAVE
A1094 MAKE MY DAY
A1097 NO GREATER LOVE
A1100 Boo-tiful
B1210 FLUTTER
B1213 LITTLE ANGEL
B1256 ALFRESCO
B1265 WONDERFUL CHARMS
B1270 BELOVED BLOSSOMS
B1271 SUMMER PICNIC
B1274 CELEBRATION BLOCKS
B1276 DINO ROAR
B1279 LIFE IS A PARTY
B1280 BEST OF TIMES
B1281 HALLOW SCREAM
B1282 SENSATIONAL SEALS
B1283 LITTLE SPOOKS
B1299 SPRING EQUINOX
B1300 LUCKY YOU
B1301 SOFTBALL
B1303 GOLDEN YEARS
B1304 GYMNASTICS
B1310 Volleyball
B1312 Make A Wish
B1317 Shalom
C1190 Believe Lowercase
C1191 CALENDAR
C1205 WHIMSY CAPS
C1206 WHIMSY LOWERCASE
C1247 SIMPLE BLOSSOMS
C1256 LITTLE BOYS
C1259 BECAUSE I LOVE YOU
C1263 CHARM UPPERCASE
C1265 CHARM LOWERCASE & NUMBERS
C1267 EASTER EXCITEMENT
C1268 VALENTINE EXCHANGE
C1269 FABRIC FINISHES
C1270 PURE LOVE
C1271 TREASURES OF THE HEART
C1273 AHOY MATEY
C1274 NATURE WALK
C1275 SAFARI
C1276 ADVENTURE
C1279 ROUGHIN' IT
C1280 OUT WEST
C1281 CARD COMMENTARY
C1283 DANCING DREAMS
C1284 WILD THING
C1285 VICTORIAN SNOW FLAKE
C1286 GOODNESS OF LIFE
C1287 CELEBRATE LIFE
C1289 WARM MEMORIES
C1290 MEMORY LABELS
C1294 SWEET TREATS
C1295 WINTER PLAY
C1296 COLOR MY WORLD
C1298 PARTY INVITATION
C1301 THING OF BEAUTY
C1302 BOUTIQUE NUMBERS
C1303 PLACEMENT GUIDE
C1306 Genuine Country
C1309 Decorative Dainties
C1312 United We Stand
C1314 Tool Time
C1319 Laughter
C1320 Just Arrived
C1321 Solos Punctuation
C1325 Wonderful Holiday
C1327 Snowflake Kisses
C1329 Homeward Bound
C1330 Winter Fun
C1331 Santa's Flight
C1332 Merry Wishes
C1334 The Season Defined
C1335 Ring in the New Year
D1063 SWEET TALK
D1082 MADE BY ME
D1083 Believe Caps
D1085 HAPPY EASTER
D1110 GIVE THANKS
D1131 RITZY RIBBON
D1139 SMALL PLEASURES
D1141 SO SWEET SEASONS
D1151 OFF ROAD
D1154 LOVE IN BLOOM
D1160 FRIENDSHIP FLOWERS
D1164 THE GOOD LIFE
D1167 Halloween Parade
D1168 SCHOOL ZONE
D1169 BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
D1178 CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
D1181 AUTUMN SPLENDOR
D1182 IT'S A PARTY
D1183 ADORABLE
D1184 FLYIN' HIGH
D1186 RUSTIC FLOWERS
D1189 FLORAL DELIGHTS
D1192 NOW AND FOREVER
D1193 VINTAGE VALENTINES
D1199 COME UNTO ME
D1205 NEW HORIZONS
D1209 LOVE FLOURISHES
D1210 MOMENTS
D1213 HUNTING
D1215 GAME NIGHT
D1216 FINISH LINE
D1218 SUMMERTIME
D1220 TYPEWRITER KEYS
D1223 FAIR BLOSSOMS
D1228 CHILLIN'
D1229 FABULOUS FALL
D1230 CELEBRATION FEAST
D1231 LOVELY BUCKLES
D1232 NATURE'S VEIN
D1233 POWER PLAY
D1234 TAKE FLIGHT
D1235 TICKET FOR ALL SEASONS
D1236 NURSERY BASH
D1238 A BIRTHDAY WISH
D1240 DOODLE ART
D1241 WINTER WONDER
D1246 SWEET LOVE
D1253 FRIENDSHIP'S FLIGHT
D1256 ALL STAR
D1264 ANGEL WHISPERS
D1268 JANUARY WORD PUZZLE
D1269 FEBRUARY WORD PUZZLE
D1270 MARCH WORD PUZZLE
D1271 APRIL WORD PUZZLE
D1272 SLUMBER PARTY
D1273 TEE TIME
D1274 BELIEVE IN ME
D1277 Touchdown
D1278 Best Shot
D1279 Shootin' Hoops
D1282 He Said, She Said
D1287 May Word Puzzle
D1288 June Word Puzzle
D1289 July Word Puzzle
D1290 August Word Puzzle
D1291 Celebrate Canada
D1295 Vintage Canada
D1310 September Word Puzzle
D1311 October Word Puzzle
D1312 November Word Puzzle
D1313 December Word Puzzle
D1314 Friendship Patch
D1318 Uniquely You
D1321 Festivities
D1323 Happy Christmas
D1325 Argyle Backgrounds
D1328 Post Marked
E1001 Essential Alphabet
E1003 BOUTIQUE ALPHABET
E1004 COBBLESTONE ALPHABET
E1007 HOMESTEAD ALPHABET

I did it!

Tomorrow my little brother is getting married. I was asked to make the wedding cake for them. Being that I am still very new to the world of cake decorating this was a huge challenge for me but how could I say no to them?

The wedding colours are black and white so this is what I came up with for their cake. I hope they are pleased with the results as they gave me full control over the cake they have no idea what to expect. I of course see things I would like to change but for my first wedding cake I am pretty happy with the results.

Blog Candy

Laurel is an amazing scrapbooker and I have enjoyed following her work on the CTMH consultant website as well as on her blog. She is offering up some blog candy to celebrate some milestones :) If you would like a chance to win her amazing blog candy goodies visit her blog at

http://want2scrap.blogspot.com/

and follow the directions on her blog. Don't forget to scroll through her blog to view her amazing work while you are there.

Yeah, it's September 1st!!

Today is the day the new Fall/Winter 2009 Idea Book is released. There are some beautiful new stamp and paper sets. Browse through the book on-line by clicking the link on the right hand side or contact me for a hard copy.

Happy browsing :)

Corn Roast

Cake at a corn roast? Of Course!

Yesterday was a Jack and Jill Corn Roast for my brother. So I thought this was the perfect excuse to create these unusual cakes. I made 16 corn on the cobs and this large double cheeseburger cake which was a great way to accommodate a large group of people and different varieties of cake.

Heading to Disney World

I was asked to make a cake for a kid that loves Mickey Mouse. His gift from his parents was tickets to Disney World and they were leaving the morning after his party, so I thought Mickey jumping out of a present was the perfect cake idea for him.

Hot Chocolate Anyone?

I was asked to make a coffee cake yesterday afternoon for gathering a friend is having today. Well I can't make a boring old coffee cake, so I had to put a creative spin on it and came up with this. Since I was running on short notice and supplies it's pretty plain and ended up being hot chocolate rather then coffee, but I still think it turned out pretty cute.

National Stamping Month

Here's how to get this great card making kit now until September 30th.
* Buy it for $49.95
* It's free when you order $75 worth of stamp sets
* Become a new consultant
* Host a home gathering with $500 in sales and receive it free as a thank you for hosting.

Cards not your thing? That's okay, the paper included is 12x12 paper so can be used for scrapbook pages rather then cards.

Contact me directly at craftingwithjulie@myctmh.com for more information on placing an order, booking a party or becoming a consultant.

Fall Workshop

Join us October 1, 2009 in Barrie to complete these fall layouts. You can order a basic kit for $15, or the deluxe kit for $21.50 which includes the Chocolate Mini Melodies which retails for $9.95.

Please sign up by e-mailing me at craftingwithjulie@myctmh.com to sign up by September 4, 2009.

Dino Cake

This is a super fun and easy cake (besides the cramped hand from all the grass) to make for a little boy that loves dinosaurs. I am thinking for candles that sparklers in the volcano are the way to go to help give the illusion of the steaming hot lava :)

Bridal Shower Cake and Cookies

Today was the bridal shower for Melissa - my soon to be sister-in-law. Unfortunately I wasn't able to invest as much time as I would have liked to perfect these as we returned home from a week of holidays last night at 5pm which only left me a few hours to get everything made, but at least she had a cake :)