Before I even begin to explain WHERE I’ve been since last posting on the 7th (OH MY WORD! Has it really been that long?), and WHAT I’ve been up to, WHO wants a PEEK at what is being revealed tomorrow?

Here is a TINY view

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Can you take a guess at what this months stamp/paper/template combo will be?

ALSO, we have a BIG announcement to make to, just in time for the release! So who wants to guess what that *may* be?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Comment on this post, to be entered to WIN the first MEGA Pretty Pacakging Template, with 4 Co-ordinating Stamp sets, and a Color Me Pretty Prinatables paper package !!!!!

Winner will be drawn TOMORROW! (Saturday 28th)

I promise this week of project will have been worth the wait since my last posting!

OK where have I been? What have I been up to?

More like what HAVEN’T I been doing?

Summer vacation = very limited crafting time for mom.

It was Amber’s 6th Birthday on the 13th! <—no party yet! We wait until Sept for that.

TONS of play dates, and time with my 18 month old niece.

We’ve all paid for the Dentist’s vacation home with all our appointments this summer!

Alexa is STILL in remission! As we had her checkup last week.

Back to school shopping.

August 23rd was our Wedding anniversary

Kristin and her daughter Tia came to stay for the last few days!! We had a BLAST! I miss them both already (they left this morning :C)

We FINALLY put our house up on the market! Granted it is the WORST time to do it, but once my hubby said OK I got right on it! I have my heart set on this house in particular, but obviously we have to wait for our home to sell. That is tough, but I believe in fate. I know God has a plan, and I just need to wait and be patient. If you know me, patience is NOT a quality I possess. I want everything yesterday, and I am willing to work my hiney off to make anything I set my mind to possible! I don’t shy away from hard work, and I’m totally dedicated to doing whatever I need to do, to get where I want to be. So having to depend on others to get to where I want to be is tough! With my business expanding and kids growing we need a little more room. We bought our home 8 years ago, and even added to it! It was originally only 2 bedrooms. We added an addition (then the market was sky high!) and have tried to make it work, but its not. Anyway….the time has come to move on. I just pray its before Christmas.

Juggling being a mom, and designing for my own company, on top of cranking out tons for samples for *every* release is quite challenging! Each release I look back and wonder HOW I got it all together! I do my best to consistently provide you with an arrangement of gift/card/tag ideas each month, in between the laundry and house keeping. MOST people would have a Nanny! LOL! I choose to do what I can in between being wife, mom, friend, maid, nurse, and taxi….to name a few of the hats we as women wear!

I’m not perfect at any of it either. As I type this post I just tried to DRINK my yogurt, instead of my coffee! (that is NOT even a joke!)

I’ve been feverishly designing for this release and finalizing all the templates and cut files for the upcoming holidays!! We have some amazing things in store, starting with our September Release! I tried to pull out all the stops in the next few months for you all to be able to create your own AFFORDABLE gifts this year.

Let’s be honest the economy isn’t what it use to be, so making your own gifts it not only heartfelt, but more affordable!

You know once the kids go back to school, and the days get shorter that it is time to start thinking FALL and gift giving. I’ll save all my blah, blah, blah, and excitement for tomorrow’s post!

In the meantime, I’ve been SUPER busy here, as I said. As you know with my children home for the summer I do my best to do as many fun & family oriented day activities as humanly possible!

This will be the FIRST year that all 3 of my children are in school FULL TIME! That is 6 hours of MY TIME! Don’t get me wrong, I am actually a bit teary about it. A day I so wanted/needed when they were at the “DRIVE ME INSANE” ages of 1, 3 and 5 are gone. I enjoy my children much more now that they are a smidgen older. I will miss them. I get so use to having them home in the summer that the first week of school I loathe the silence. I almost don’t know what to do with myself, and I watch the clock till it is time for them to come home. Once week 2 hits I get into a regular routine again. I’ve never had 6 consecutive crafting hours, so I can only imagine what I will get done!! Right now I craft like 2 MAYBE 3 hours (that includes design/computer time) a day, and more often than not that is even a stretch!

Anyway….the point is, I am here. I am still crafting! I’ve just been juggling alot (as I do most summer’s) and the payoff will be seen as the kids head off to school and the holidays unfold.

I have some amazing opportunities coming and I look forward to sharing everything with you as time allows.

I really want to thank ALL my loyal readers/followers/friends/customers and everyone in between for hanging in with me through the summer. I’m sure you have all been as busy as I have, and maybe you too are looking forward to returning to the routine of fall.

I hope you plan on stopping by because tomorrow will prove to be the start of a very exciting release!!!!!!!!!!!

See you then.