WWW.COUTURECARDSTOCK.COM

The website has launched, the blog is rolling, come and join us over at Couture Cardstock! Right now we have a giveaway in play. Simply go to the online store at www.couturecardstock.com, browse the brilliant monochromatic color families and then leave us a comment on the blog about which one is your favorite! We will then randomly select a winner... you don't want to miss this, the cardstock is amazing!

I will issuing a challenge in a couple days also, with another prize pack to give out - so head on over there and bookmark us!

Pumpkins, Glimmer Fish, and Roses... OH MY!

This morning, little girls with tousled hair dove into our beds. They had already smelled the doughnuts waiting for them, had dreamed of things glittery and sweet. I, myself, awoke in anticipation of a hot apple cider topped with a bit of cinnamon and homemade whipped cream. Today was the day. Time for the annual Kelley Carve-Off ! We celebrate the Fall today, the life we have been given and are allowed to share with one another, and while many celebrate Halloween... we tend to celebrate togetherness. That isn't to say that we don't partake in some festivities, such as costumes, candy, and pumpkin carving, but we believe all the magic of this holiday is simply in our being together.

This year it was Ahna's and my turn to carve a pumpkin together. (We alternate every other year with our daughters.) Ahna's heart desired flamingos, and after one minor slip of my hand, a plethora of glue and a toothpick... this is how our pumpkin turned out!

Patrick and Sarenna teamed up this year to carve what sweet 6 year old Sarenna called a "floral spectacular." And I must say, it was quite a site when glowing against the aged paneling on our porch this evening!

Here is how all three pumpkins turned out! Did I forget to mention our very own "Jax-O-Lantern?" We couldn't very well leave out our newest pumpkin to the patch now could we? He comes complete with a blue pacifier...


As the hour drew closer to candy collecting, I noticed that my house started to smell oh, so sweet! Of course, the cinnamon candles and hot cider always work wonders to put you in the mood, but this was a special sweetness. And when I turned around, this is what I saw...

Sarenna, my blossoming, beautiful rose had stepped into the room. Could there be anything more precious? She glimmered with dew upon her petals. And just as she sashayed across the hall, a small, pink, butterfly came to rest on her blushing cheek.

And then out of nowhere, a brilliant, shimmering creature stepped up to me. She batted her eyes, and took my breath away. It was her, the glimmer fish, the one that spreads hope and cheer, wiping all the pouts off all the sad little fishies in the sea. (If you haven't read the book "Pout, Pout, Fish" I must ask you to do so...)

Both the rose and the glimmer fish sat for a moment, allowing me to capture them in all their brilliance... and then they were whisked off into the night to see pumpkins luminaries. (Stumbling across a few chocolate treasures along the way.)

Happy Fall my friends. I hope you had a safe and magical evening with friends and family!

COUTURE CARDSTOCK DESIGN TEAM CALL

I am so excited to be a part of the new DT for Couture Cardstock, along with my good friend Alyssa, and I am thrilled to be part of introducing this new company to you. I have been using Couture Cardstock for a while now for various projects, and it is incredible. There are a variety of textures and weights within each color family, so you get the right weight and texture for any project.

The launch of this new company is Sunday, November 1st. I will be back on Sunday with links to the new site! There will be a DT blog, contests, giveaways, and more.

Now, it's your opportunity to join the team! All the info is below.

Couture Cardstock Design Team Call

Couture Cardstock products are hand picked and tested by paper crafters. Our offering includes over 200 different colors and finishes. Couture Cardstock encourages crafters to use paper weighted specifically for the particular technique, project, or challenge at hand. Each of our papers are weighted (light, medium or heavy) and helpful project suggestions can be found in our item descriptions and design team member gallery. We have priced our inventory competitively and though you will feel like you are scouring the bargain bin, you will be enjoying our fashion forward cardstock from the comfort of your arm chair.

We are looking for 4 people to join our team: 1 layout designer, 1 card designer, 1 altered art designer, and 1 SVG/GSD file designer. You are welcome to apply for as many of these positions as you like, but you must submit a separate application for each position, and you may only be chosen for one position. Applications will be accepted immediately, and must be received by November 15th.

All applications will be reviewed carefully, and 3 finalists for each position will be chosen and notified by November 18th. At that time, each finalist will be shipped a paper pack, and have 1 week to complete 1 additional project in accordance with our guidelines and using our paper products. Publication and copyrights for this final project will remain with Couture Cardstock regardless of acceptance to the team. Final decisions will be made by December 5th, and the new team will be announced on December 7th.

Position Requirements:
· 4-5 projects per month. Project load might vary from time to time due to tradeshows and company needs.
· 2 blog posts per month
· Willingness to submit to an editorial process.
· Cheerful participation in all DT activities, promptness meeting deadlines, and strong communication skills.
· Designers should own a digital craft cutter or die cut machine (Cricut, Silhouette, Big Shot, etc).

Compensation:
· Design Team members will be compensated generously in products, both Couture Cardstock and partner manufacturer products.
· Opportunities for incentives and promotion exist.

Please read the application requirements closely, as applications that are incomplete will not be considered.

Please provide the following info (all applicants):
· Full contact info (name, address, phone, email)
· Links to your galleries and personal blog
· Please list past and current DT experience
· Please tell us a little about yourself.
· Why do you want to work for Couture Cardstock?

Scrapbooking Designers:
Please submit 3 layouts of your choice to amcgrew@couturecardstock.com. One of these may be a previously created layout (show us your favorite work). The two additional projects should be new and remain unpublished or posted until the new DT is announced. All of the projects submitted should show us skill in transforming paper products like cardstock, vellum, mirrored paper and chipboard into works of art.

Card Designers:
Please submit 3 cards of your choice to amcgrew@couturecardstock.com. One of these may be a previously created card (show us your favorite work). The two additional projects should be new and remain unpublished or posted until the new DT is announced. A focus in stamping and the use of Copic markers is a plus, but not mandatory. All of the projects submitted should show us skill in transforming paper products like cardstock, vellum, mirrored paper and chipboard into works of art.

Altered Artists:
Please submit 3 altered items of your choice to amcgrew@couturecardstock.com. One of these may be a previously created project (show us your favorite work). The two additional projects should be new and remain unpublished or posted until the new DT is announced. All of the projects submitted should show us skill in transforming paper products like cardstock, vellum, mirrored paper and chipboard into works of art.

File Designer:
File designers should have the ability to convert files into various formats for use with the variety of cutting machines on the market. Designers should submit 2 newly created files, as well as one layout or card using the created files. Please send both cutter files and photos of your completed project to amcgrew@couturecardstock.com.

Contractions, Monitors, Hospital, OH MY!

So, last weekend I ended up in the hospital. I was worried that perhaps I had an amniotic leak (I won't go into details here.. gross) and after calling Dr. Martin - he said that I needed to get myself to the hospital to get checked out. About 5 minutes into my checkup, all was declared well (HALLELUJAH!) and then... the contractions started. They began to come about every 2.5 minutes. I wasn't really certain that they were real contractions, because while I have had two children before, I was induced with them and only know what contractions feel like under the influence of Pitocin. From what I understand, they are much worse. And I will just concur, because I never had Braxton Hicks in either of those other pregnancies (at least not that I felt anyway), so I have nothing else to base my opinion on! Little did I know that for the past several weeks, these little contractions that I have been having are not Braxtion Hicks, but the real deal. They aren't all painful, some of them are, but mostly they have been just really uncomfortable. The nurse looked at my like I was some crazy person.

I assured her that I am not.

And then my husband assured her that I was.
ANYWAY...

They gave me some Brethine and stopped the contractions. For at least that night. The contractions are still coming, but not as fast as they were before. I am getting them about 1 every 2.5 or 3 hours, so when I go back and see the doctor at the beginning of next week we will talk some about it. Right now I am under instructions to really monitor when my contractions are coming, painful or not at this point, and when they hit 4 or more an hour, I am to head back to the hospital. I was told to pack my bags.

To pack Patrick's bag (because you know he won't)
To pack the girls bag (since we know no one here and they will probably come with us.)
So today I might pack. Yes, I have put it off a few days. Maybe because I am only 33 weeks, and maybe because I hope that my refusal to pack will make Jax wait a bit longer to come. He's not ready yet, I am not ready yet. (Well, I am not ready because he is not ready... does that make sense? If I had my way, we would be at his due date and we could get this all rolling.)
But, we are not. So, I am not ready. For his sake.

The good news is that his nursery is almost ready! His grandma came with her sewing machine and finished off the crib bedding that I had ordered. ;) His clothes are now washed and put away, and besides a baby monitor, I have almost everything we need (for at least the first few weeks... because who wants to stockpile diapers for the next 2 years?)


So, that is about it my friends. I am excited, and nervous. I want Jax to be a happy, and most of all healthy, baby boy - so I need him to stay put for a couple more weeks.

And now I am off, to put the finishing touches on the girls Halloween costumes, and while I am at it... probably eat some of the candy I bought to pass out.
Mmmmmm. Chocolate.

Bad Heidi... BAD.

Okay, so I have been horrid. Just downright terrible about catching everyone up on this thing. It isn't that I don't love sharing my woes, joys, and creations with you... I just, well... have been entirely lazy. I am enjoying this pregnancy way too much by way of snoozing while my girlees are at school, munching on zucchini and brownies for lunch, pulling my hair back, and wearing my pajamas all day long. For those things I won't apologize, lol. But I will now attempt to re-join the blog-osphere and will do so today by trying to cram the last ohhhh, 2 months or so into this one teeny, weeny, skinny, but maybe long post!

October brought with it a very large belly... only 28 weeks in this here photo. **snicker** I told you that I grow 'em big. (Can you see why I spend a lot of time with my feet up?)


We got to see sweet Jax on our 4D ultrasound, and he is the most beautiful baby ever. And no, I am not biased. His lips are so sweet, and I cannot wait to hold him... this is now getting unbearable. I want him to stay in there as long as he can, but I can't wait to see him outside the belly. He is weighing in at 3.5 lbs already, well on his way to topping his sisters' 10 lb birthweights... just look at the size of his foot already.




















I then resigned from Scrap n'Art. I have loved working for and with these ladies, but it was time to move forward and begin focusing my attentions back onto my family, and the newest love of my life who will be here soon. The time that I spent was wonderful with SNA, but too much... and I could not commit to giving them that time any longer when my baby boy will be consuming my every waking moment! I need to be able to see my girls when they get home from school, hold Jax for hours at a time, and shoot flirty winks at my husband across the room while doing so... therefore, holing myself up in the scrap room will just not do any longer!

As I resigned from SNA, a new opportunity arose... one that I believe I can indeed commit to. I will be designing now for Couture Cardstock! Haven't heard of them yet? Just wait. There is some delicious things coming your way!

My darling daughter Ahna is strumming her evenings away. This delights me in so many ways! First, that she was found an activity that she enjoys! She has never been a physical kind of girl, and creativity runs wild in this one... music is the perfect outlet for her! She has already grown leaps and bounds, and her music teacher is incredible with her... pushing her like she needs, but gently in a way that is causing her to bloom!


Then we took our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch... This is one of my favorite times of the year... beautiful colors, children delighted, caramel apples... you know what I am talking about.


A week ago we had our family portrait taken... yet another thing I have been incredibly lazy about. I cannot believe that I am going to confess to this as a scrapper and mother, but the last time we had a professional family portrait done was when Sarenna was 4 months old. SHAME ON ME, I know. **sigh** But... we went ... and I am really happy that we did before Jax comes, because not only does this give me the push to get another photo done because our family picture will be incomplete otherwise, but it helps me to remember the blessed years of just the 4 of us!
I also was able to get my preggo pics taken **GASP** I know, I know, those of you who know me... have heard me say never, not ever will I allow this to happen. I re-thought it, and since I am still feeling somewhat okay.. been a good pregnancy that way.. I jumped off the ledge and did it. I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER ABOUT IT. This will, however, probably be the last preggo pic anyone sees of me this pregnancy. Since I am 32 weeks right now, and the baby is due to double in size over the next month... so will I, and ummm, enough said.























AND last but certainly not least... I decided to take some time for myself this morning, away from DT obligations and assignments, away from chores, and scrap for myself. I cannot honestly remember the last time that I did this, so I had a blast!! Here is what I did...






















And that's about it my friends. Insert about 60 naps, a few ice cream sundaes, homework assistance a plenty, unpacking the remaining boxes, and you have my last two months or so! I promise, or at least will try a bit harder now, to keep this updated a bit better!

Love you all.