Happy New Year and a Christmas Layout {Studio J}

It's the end of another year. We had many great memories together and I hope to have inspired you at least once during that time. With year's end comes a moment of reflection and and a list of "I will.." resolutions for the new year.

Some Great Moments
Two blog awards!
Week In The Life 2011
Ann Lessner wining my first blog candy contest.
Magic Layouts
April Fool's Day {Colt}
Countdown to Valentine's Day

Welcoming A New Year
I'm including January's Constant Campaign info today as I'll be out of the office on Sunday the first for New Year's. There's a lot a fun coming up in 2012 with brand new classes and stunning artwork! Start signing up for classes as space will go quickly. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, there's something for everyone. Mark your calendars now and sign up today!

January
Play Dates
This month make three layouts from Wonderland. With your Basic Kit you get enough supplies to complete 3 layouts and you get to take home an exclusive C-size stamp set to keep!

Wonderland Kit (G1031)

Retail value: $33.78 / You Pay: $29.95
Wonderland Level 2 Paper Packet (X7146B)
White Daisy Cardstock Sheets
My Acrylix® Wonderland Workshop Stamp Set (C-size)
Clear Sparkles (Z1104)
Foundry® Pin Clips (Z1612)
Instructional Brochure

Rock the Block

When you place a minimum order of $25 from the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book, you can get two valuable new products for just $15: the My Creations^® Collage Cubes (a Spring/Summer 2012 sneak-peek product!) and the exclusive My Acrylix^® Rock the Block E-size stamp set (available only during this promotion). This Rock the Block promotion represents a retail savings of almost $30! You're going to love the collage cubes and the Rock the Block stamp set, which work together for interactive, fashionable fun!

Dates: Offer valid December 19, 2011–January 31, 2012.

Perfect 10
January is free layout month for Studio J^® members! For every 9 custom-printed Studio J layouts you buy, you’ll receive the 10th layout free. To receive the discount, just add 10 or more layouts to your cart. You’ll see a discount reflected in your order total. And you can totally take advantage of this promotion by ordering in multiples of 10. Buy 9, get 1 free. Buy 18, get 2 free. Buy 27, get 3 free. And so on! If you’re not a member yet, now’s a great time to join!
Dates: Offer valid January 1, 2012–January 31, 2012.

Stamp of the Month (SOTM)
Get the stamp of the month for just $5 when you order $50 in products during the month! This month is for all of your little reminders and it's great for Save The Dates!

February
Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book is live for customers on the first and it is SPECTACULAR. You can see it online at closetomyheart.com or you can get one in your hands by calling me TODAY!!

Countdown to Valentine's Day
Here on the blog we'll be counting down the days until Valentine's Day with a fun project every day. Whether cards, layouts or gifts for your sweetheart, this is the place to be to get some GREAT ideas!

I can't wait to see you in the new year! Reserve your spot today and have a Happy New Year!

Warm wishes,

A Very Merry Christmas {Studio J Layouts}

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas this past Sunday! I've been going through my photos and organizing 2011 after uploading my shots of the Christmas festivities in preparation for the final backup and cleanse before 2012 starts. I take an awful lot of photos and it's worse now that I have a digital camera! I love being able to scrapbook them easily and quickly and actually enjoying them rather than just filing them never to be seen again in the lost recesses of my hard drive.

(And I don't feel bad about scrapping them all now!) This layout reminded me of a great post on the Studio J Blog called Remembering Favorite Holiday Traditions. Going to see the lights on Temple Square is one of the highlights of our holiday season and I love scrapbooking these photos afterwards. It's one more way to relive the great feeling you have when you were enjoying the activities in the first place.

You can learn more about Studio J online scrapbooking here. PS - Don't forget to place your order by this Saturday, December 31st at 11:59pm to take full advantage of your membership bennies!

 Warm wishes,

Merry Christmas {Family Pictures}

It's been a pretty crazy year so far! I still don't have a printer so no one got the Family Letter this year in their Christmas card. I'm a slacker. I own it. But just so you don't feel left out, here it is, along with our newest family picture, courtesy of my Dad. It was quite a production to get everyone on the bed and for Brandon to even be involved (he still has the bruises from Brook's bony knees to prove it!) but I think it turned out alright!

The kids had a great time decorating the Christmas tree this year and since I couldn't get us all together, they got to star in the Christmas cards this year! I don't know how professional photographers get such great kid shots.. they must have WAY more time and patience than I do!

I just had to add this photo I took of my sister's family this fall. They are so cute and we had such a great visit while they were in town! We tried all the traditional posing and set up but that just doesn't work for this group! I love how this turned out for them. It's fun and it clearly shows what a great relationship they all have. Can't wait for their new little girl to arrive this spring!

2011 Morton Family Letter

Merry Christmas! We had a pretty great year in 2011 and even managed a few camping trips to Fish Lake, UT this summer and fall. We are truly grateful for the many blessings we received this year and for the experiences in which the lessons were learned.

We welcomed a new addition to our family (see Trish's and Colt's sections below) in November. Brandon and Trish thought their family was just right, but Heavenly Father had other plans for us! We think He must have decided it was now or never, so.. we got now! As a result, we realigned a few of our plans and it has been a great experience for us. We are so happy to have Colt with us. We couldn't have asked for a better Christmas present than this little angel.

We have enjoyed living in South Jordan again this year and the children enjoy a special relationship with their Great Grandma few are blessed to have. Each has learned service to others in helping Great Grandma out and in being companions for her (sometimes a little too much company..) Grandma is a great help to our family and we are fortunate to have her with us this holiday season.

Brandon has enjoyed outfitting the Trailblazer for offroading this past year and then of course, trying it out in between running our household like a well-oiled machine. He was able to take it to Fish Lake this summer and up over Hi-Top and to Crater Lake on some pretty mean trails. In addition he has been documenting his progress with photos (see, scrapbooking is for everyone!) and was excited to have one of his photos featured in the Trailvoy.com 2012 calendar. (Trailvoy is a website for Trailblazer and Envoy offroading enthusiasts.) He was able to finally go coyote hunting this past fall with his best friend, Drew - a trip two years in the making. He continues to hone his mad skillz as a marksman and all of the kids enjoy it when Dad takes them out.

Trisha will celebrate 12 years this January at VECC as a 911 Fire Dispatcher, a job as enjoyable as it is demanding. She continues to enjoy her Close To My Heart scrapbooking business and was able to take some time off from classes this past summer and fall as her pregnancy with Colt progressed. Who can be disappointed in a job you love with flexible hours? The pregnancy was a crazy surprise this spring and we celebrated by breaking the news on April Fool's Day. It was great hearing the different reactions of our "joke" on us. The summer was long and the hottest on record she can ever recall and was a completely new experience as the other pregnancies were on a schedule like clockwork from late Summer to Spring where this one was completely opposite. The surgery went well but recovery was slower and she needed some oxygen for the first two days due to a reaction to pain medicine. She also enjoys a calling at church as a Visiting Teaching Supervisor and has loved getting to know the other ladies in the neighborhood she serves.

Brook has loved being in the third grade this year and has really enjoyed learning cursive and keyboarding. She continues to love drawing and all things art as well as starting to listen to her own music, relishing her own space (no boys allowed) and has started to like reading (yes!) Being the only princess is tough sometimes, but she manages. Despite being the resident royalty, Mom finally consented to cutting her hair (like, OFF-take a deep breath, Mom) in order to appease Brook's tomboy tendencies (and make Dad's mornings easier). She really hoped Colt would be a girl, but alas, she must suffer alone and has decided to keep him and is a great help! Her best neighbor friend moved away this fall and she hopes some girl, er..kids her age move in soon.

Aidan started kindergarten this year after a great time in Miss Crystal's Preschool. He still loves learning and has found two great friends in the neighborhood from his class. He loves being in the big kids' school with his sister and has begun reading. His favorite game at night (second to Mario Kart) is to pick out the sight words from the scrolling ticker while Dad and Mom watch the news. He also has made a self-appointed study in debate this year. We're hoping he takes this in a constructive direction and may some day make a great lawyer.

Garrett has had a great year to grow and develop from the baby into a toddler. We can't believe how much he is talking now from a year ago and how fast he picks up new concepts. He is so curious and adventurous and is never afraid to try anything new. It doesn't hurt that he has some great footsteps to follow in and he loves copying his older brother and sister. In fact, he's recently taken up chemistry and started a few experiments of his own. We all learned some great new ways to work in these exacting environments and I'm sure they will be the basis for many a funny story in the future (far, far in the future.)

Colt is our newest addition and he has been a true joy for everyone. He came into our world on November the 10th a day early (due to everyone and their dog booking 11.11.11 as their delivery date two seconds before we tried) at over 9 lbs with a full head of dark hair and will be starting school next week after his first haircut. Okay, maybe he's not that big yet. Due to being born by cesarean section, he had a little fluid in his lungs that needed to be suctioned and took another day to adjust to breathing without oxygen. This is normal for c-section babies and he is now doing great with no lasting effects. And it certainly hasn't slowed him down. His two week checkup showed he had gained all of his birth weight back and was up another 8 oz on top of that and was in the 98th percentile for height.

We hope your holiday season is just as merry and bright and we are blessed to count you among family and friends.

Warm wishes,

The Morton Family

Rock the Block! Starts Monday at 9am

When you place a minimum order of $25 from the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book, you can get two valuable new products for just $15: the My Creations^® Collage Cubes (a Spring/Summer 2012 sneak-peek product!) and the exclusive My Acrylix^® Rock the Block E-size stamp set (available only during this promotion). This Rock the Block promotion represents a retail savings of almost $30! You're going to love the collage cubes and the Rock the Block stamp set, which work together for interactive, fashionable fun!





I can't wait to get my hands on this little item! You can too by going to my website to order or calling, texting or emailing me today!


Warm wishes,

Remembering Favorite Traditions

Have you ever scrapbooked a favorite recipe? Check out this inspiring layout on the Studio J blog.

Studio J blog | Remembering Favorite Holiday Traditions

Warm wishes,
Trisha

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Holiday Tags and Morton Update {Welcome Colt}

As you can see we've been a little busy around here! This past month and a half we celebrated Halloween, welcomed our new little one, counted our blessings and then decked the halls. Phew! Here's a quick recap of our family but first, let me share this great video on how to make your own decorative tags for great gift-giving that makes a splash!



Happy Halloween
We had some pals come trick or treat with us this year. Uncle Drew and Whitney brought Brayden (aka: Thor) over to reign terror over the streets of South Jordan with us. We couldn't believe how much candy the kids collected this time! The dentist is gonna LOVE this bunch!

Snow Monsters
Our first good snow of the season called for suiting up. Brook and Aidan had a great time making tracks all over the backyard and even fit in a few Monste... er, Angels.

A Welcome Addition

Our house welcomed our new little brother into the world in November. Colt Glenn arrived a day early by cesarean and weighed in at 9 lbs and 11 ozs. He had a hard time adjusting at first due to his size and the c-section and spent some time in the nursery with an IV line until his blood sugar stabillized. When he was born he had a little bit of fluid in his lungs and had started to grunt while breathing, indicating labored breathing normally, so as a precaution they kept him on oxygen for a couple of days. Turns out he just likes to grunt like the other kids did. Completely amazed the doctors. We're glad they took the precautions anyway!



Smile, you're on Aidan's Candid Camera, Mom!

Roast Beast

This year we stayed home for Thanksgiving and had the whole Morton family over. It was great having everyone together again and Mom always puts on a good spread!







Canning

This was a new experiment for me this year. I've dabbled a little bit with freezing produce but really have wanted to learn how to do this and to be more self-reliant. We have a great little garden started and I'd love to be able to put some of our harvest up for a later date.

Last week I tried applesauce for the first time. After a few mishaps and some trials and more errors, I finally got something worth giving! The kids passed it off as a keeper and I gotta say, it feels great knowing that my 7 hours, 2 broken nails and bad temper really was worth seeing those jars on the shelf!

Deck the Halls

Wasn't sure about this adventure this year with a new baby and a 2.5yo Turbo-powered kid running around! Turns out the older two were more, eh.. acrobatic than Garrett. They put every ornament I had on the poor tree and half way through we lost the bottom rung of lights. *Sigh* Mom's fancy trees are a thing of the past for some time to come, it seems, but it turned out pretty nice and they had a great time!



It's been great being off work for the past month. I don't want to go back! I can't say it's been a vacation.. cuz it hasn't. But I've loved spending time with each of my children and my husband and the great way we have come together to work at making our home a great environment for our family. I'm really going to miss that as I move back to the hustle and bustle. Hopefully we can keep a little bit of that in our daily lives. But one thing I am looking forward to... going into the gas station again instead of paying at the pump because I have a car full of kids I don't want to get out of their seats!

Warm wishes,

Glenn Beck and Studio J with {Fanfare}

One of the layouts I finished last month in Studio J features an elightening speaking engagement my husband attended this past year. He was able to tag along with his father and brother when the ladies bowed out and enjoyed the day's many speakers and topics. I wasn't able to attend, but I was glad to document this moment for him.

Check out the fun stitching on this layout to help tie in the My Stickease Letters. These circle patterns are available as an embelishment in Studio J and are super easy! For more fun stitching, check out this layout featuring stars! Studio J is so fast it sometimes feels like cheating, but NO WAY we're missing out on memories because they're still sitting in the box.

Warm wishes,

Cute Pumpkin Card and Video

Here's a cute video to help you get started on your Halloween or Thanksgiving cards. It's short and sweet and explains the Base and Shade stamping technique. Enjoy!


Warm wishes,

New Clearance Sale Items Added

Who doesn't love a good sale? New items have been added to the While Supplies Last section of my website. Bliss My Reflections Paper Packs are now as low as $3 and prices are reduced up to 80% of the retail value. Stop by ASAP before all the goods are gone!

I made this album for Brook this past summer using the Bliss papers to commemorate her baptism in our church. I got the idea from my fabulous upline, Karen Pedersen. You can see the inspiration here. This is such a great and elegant pack filled with neutrals and, like all good things, I am sad to see it pass. It's fantastic for wedding, engagement, anniversary, somber layouts, birthdays, dances and more. Don't let it pass you buy - go here to get yours now! (PS - You can still get it in Studio J, however.)

Warm wishes,

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{Cherry-O} Valentine Cookies Level 2 Layout

I've had a few prints kicking around my desk for several months, not quite sure what to do with them, but wanting to get them scrapped and DONE. Sometimes I'm really good about 'scrapping my photos' as I take them and think in terms of layouts, sizes and patterns. And... Then there's the rest of the time when I'm lucky to get a single cellphone shot of the event and who knows if it's even in focus?

This was an 'in between' event. More than one picture (with my Canon) but not much thought beyond that. Consequently the layout in my head was nowhere to be found.

While looking through my layouts I kept ignoring Cherry-O for this as I felt I'd used it a lot for 2009 and the baking theme was well done.. Then in typical Trish-fashion, I decided, "Who cares?" It works with sweet cookie-making shots for a reason and why not use it when I like it? Lol!

What clenched the deal for me was some fabulous My Stickease found stashed in the packet like a long lost buried treasure. Way too tempting to pass up an easy Level 2 layout and just the approach I needed to get these great memories off my dust pile, Er..DESK pile and into the scrapbook to be enjoyed. May you enjoy it as well and be inspired to take the easy way some days!

Warm wishes,
Trish

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