Day 2 London

Each day gets better and better. Today we visited Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, and we took a City Bus Tour. We also found a great pub for lunch and a Pizzeria for dinner... off the beaten path. Today was a perfect day. We leave tomorrow at 8 a.m. to catch the Euro Rail and we are heading to Lille, France. Bonjour! Enjoy the photos!

Tina

Day 1 In London

We're here! YEAH! After a long day of traveling we had an even bigger adventure finding our hotel. Instead of hiring a cab, we opted to use the Tube (underway subway). A 15 minute cab ride turned into a two hour subway ride, changing trains, carrying 100 pounds plus of luggage, having Kent get stuck in the train door and then falling onto all the luggage and then having him drop the luggage down the escalator, we started questioning our choice. It was too late to go back so forward we marched.

Once we got to our station, we had to walk several blocks to our hotel. WOW... were we tired when we finished. But that didn't stop us, we quickly changed clothes and decided to venture out into town! We jumped on a Double Decker bus with Shannon and Aaron and off we were!
We decided to go to Camden Town to explore, but jumped on the wrong bus. Our destination ended up being Nottingham Hill! Can I say... WOW! How exciting it was to see all the London Customs and all the bustle of the city.

If you know me, you can appreciate my next statement... "I am ready to sell it all and move here!" LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT! I think we must have explored for hours. Before we knew it, it was 6 P.M and we were starving. We had not had anything to eat since the Atlanta Airport.

We ended up at this marvelous cafe! The food was OUTSTANDING! It was just what we all needed! A quiet place to sit down and EAT!

You think that would have been enough for us to call it a day. No, not quite. We jumped back on the tube and headed toward Piccadilly Circus. Again, we loved it! We must have taken 100's of photos. I am going to have to have a scrapbook JUST for London!

Once we finished with Piccadilly Square we went to see Big Ben a night! That was stunning. Exhausted we headed back to the hotel and here I blog. I have been vertical for 42 hours! I am off to bed. We are leaving at 7:30 in the morning to see more sights. We are doing London in a day and a half. Only 13 more days of this! WOOHOOO!

Until tomorrow,

Tina

Atlanta Airport

Our touring buddies are here! Here is a photo of Shannon and myself anxiously awaiting our LONG flight! We are so excited!!! I'll check in when we arrive in Europe!

Still Giddy,

Tina

We're outta here! Destination- London England!

The day has ARRIVED! I am a few hours away from becoming an European Tourist! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. By tomorrow morning, I will be in London England... having tea with the queen. (Hey- you never know, stranger things have happened). From London, we will be traveling to Lille, France, Paris, Belgium, and finally Spain. I will catch the CTMH CROPPIN' boat in Barcelona. WOOHOO! I will try to post updates along the way so be sure to check here often!

In the photo, I am holding two luggage tags compliments of CTMH! Of course... I had to stamp them. Just thought I would share!

Ok, off to put the tags on my bag. SQUEAL! I'll update from EUROPE! (BIGGER SQUEAL)

Creatively and giddily yours,

Tina

3 days and counting!

3 days before I leave for Europe... but who is counting?

One More Secret Sister Gift

Thanks to a leak- I had to pull my photos. They will go back up after the cruise. I am sorry.

Here is the last gift that I made for my secret sister! I made 3! Hmmm... who will get the third book?

Another Secret Sister Gift

DUE TO A LEAK- I had to pull the photo. They will go back up after the cruise!

I made this organizer to hold memorabilia. This is a great way to store brochures and souvenirs when you are traveling. Inside are pockets labeled with the ports that we will be visiting. I used CTMH's software program to make the labels! Everything is in a safe place until you scrapbook. As always, I made two. One for me, and one for my secret sister!

Goofing around with my Mac!

I bought a new Mac computer and I LOVE IT! One of my favorite things is the Photo Booth! I love goofing around with it. I have been taking silly photos all day long! Just had to share!

Travel Journal

In 2007 I earned a cruise to Alaska, from CTMH! My dear friend Barbara gave me a beautiful travel journal. It was one of the most beautiful paper craft gifts that I ever received. In fact, I haven't written in it yet, even though she gave it to me almost 2 years ago!!!! I save things I love... I don't want to ruin them. GO FIGURE!

Anyway, she inspired me to make a few books for the Mediterranean cruise. One for me, and one for my secret sister. I love them BOTH! Oh dear... which one will I keep? Which one will I give away? Time will tell! I hope my secret sister enjoys her book as much as I have enjoyed mine. (hopefully my secret sister will write in hers!!!!)

Creatively yours,

Tina

The books were made from Perfect Day Paper Packet and Notebook Paper Packet. (Both from the Autumn Idea Book)

8 Days and Counting!

8 days until I leave for Europe! WOOHOOO! I can't wait. I have been busy working on my cruise layouts. When you earn a CTMH cruise, you also earn a CTMH EXCLUSIVE STAMP SET for cruisers only. I love the set that we are using this year. It works so well with the Perfect Day paper. I thought you would enjoy a peek!

Tina

Ohhhh.... My Aching Back

As many of you know I injured my back in Chicago after working the Scrapbook Expo. I had to be rushed to the hospital by ambulance. (I tried to get my MIL to take photos but she refused!) After a few weeks of suffering, I finally had my appointment with an orthopedic specialist! I am happy to say.... I should have a full recovery. It is just going to be a slow!!!!! I am cleared to go to Europe with Meds in hand. 1 week and 2 days.... and I am Europe Bound. WOOHOOO!

Art and Soul is HERE!

I am so excited about Art an Soul! Close To My Heart is producing an online crafting show called Art and Soul which airs on my website every other Tuesday! You can view these programs at your leisure and the ephisodes are approximately 15 minutes long. There will be a new ephisode every two weeks. WOOOHOO!

The Art and Soul show has been created to teach tips and techniques while jointly showcasing our amazing products. Each episode will feature at least one project that is completed from beginning to end. EVEN BETTER.... you can download printable instructions and recipes for the projects and if you chose to buy the items featured... YOU WILL RECEIVE A DISCOUNT AT APPROXIMATELY 20%! Simple, fast, easy and FUN, FUN, FUN!

The first episode features our new memory keeper box and the BEAUTIFUL "Notebook" paper packet. What a beautiful gift this box will make!
Watch the first episode NOW!

Vintage Travel My Acrylix Album- Secret Sister Gift

Getting ready for the Med!

I leave for Europe in 10 days, provided my back holds up. I earned a Mediterranean cruise for my wonderful husband and myself. We decided to add a week to the trip to do a quick tour of Europe! We will be flying into London, traveling to Lille, France, then to Paris, on to Belgium (CHOCOLATE) and then to Barcelona. WOOHOOO! I can't wait. Once we arrive in Barcelona we will catch the Norwegian Gem for a fabulous cruise.

One of the traditions that CTMH cruisers do once on board is SECRET SISTERS! I have been working on one of my secret sister gifts this afternoon. I thought I would share a sneak peek. Hopefully my secret sister won't see it. Then it wouldn't be so secret anymore! LOL! Enjoy!

Tina

I used CTMH's new Acrylix Album, Vintage Travel Paper and Stickease! FUN, FUN, FUN!

Navarre Crop Slideshow- September 13, 2008

Navarre Crop- Big Success

We held our fall crop at the Navarre Conference Center. I had 49 guests and 8 consultants at the crop! Did I say FUN, FUN, FUN! The fabulous snappy scrappy flamingo croppers, cropped ALL NIGHT LONG! It was the PERFECT DAY as we created PERFECT DAY layouts. We also raised $330 for our CTMH charity... Operation Smile! I am so thrilled! You can view a slideshow of the event above!

Tina and Jeanette on Awards Night

What a fun surprise.! The Close To My Heart Office emailed me this photo of Jeanette and I on awards night at convention.  It was taken immediately after I had received my awards for the 2007 CTMH year.  Fun, Fun, Fun! I love this company- I can't believe I get paid to do what I do!

Ok, Ok, I'll Blog!

As many of you requested.... I've officially decided to blog!  I started a blog a few years ago and there it sat!  Two years later... I am committed!  I am excited to officially enter the blogging world.  Welcome to my blog spot.  I hope you will visit often!

Tina