Wishing for some good weather....

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I woke up to torrential rain this morning. I definately wasn't looking forward to leaving for work. So here's a card to make you smile.



The image is from Stamping Bella's Hugabug line. Isn't she cute. I love that it is raining hearts. This was just a very easy card to create. Very simple.

enjoy.

Convention 2010, Last Day

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Hello again from Washington.

Today is the last day of convention. Very sad :(

Our general session started with Jeanette answering questions that were sent in by consultants from all over. This was really heartfelt and informative.

We also got to find out that our next convention will be in California in DisneyLand. Woo Hoo!! Everyone was so excited.

After our general session we started with our make and takes. We made two layouts using the new papers, stamps, and inks.

They are truly amazing.

After this we had our business classes. Another amazing day.

In the evening we had our Dinner where we recieved our specially made convetion stamps. I also found a STICKY BOY!! My first!! I was very excited.

Convention 2010, Day 2

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So the sun rises and brings with it another convention day filled with paper, ink, and lots and lots of embellishments.

Today started again with General Session, and our keynote speaker was Mary Christensen, a motivational speaker. She is the author of "how to be a network marketing superstar". This woman was great. She was funny, entertaining, and engaging. She kept us really entertained.

After lunch we had two business classes and then our make and takes.

We completed four cards for our make and takes, using the new stamps and embellishments. They were SO cool.

After we were done we went out for dinner and dessert. We had a great time. I even got to go into the Peeps store!!! I have never seen one before! Not that I actually eat the things, mind you, my sister and I have a ritual of microwaving them. SO FUNNY!!! you should definately try it. We are usually in stitches for hours when we do this.

Well that's all for now, going to bed. :)

Convention 2010, Day 1

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Hoorah!!!

It's hear! The official first day of convention.

General session started at 9am, but we did breakfast of course first and some card swapping. Got lots of neat cards from consultants I had never met before. This is a really great networking time, plus you get all this inspiration.

At General session we got to see all the new product that Close to My Heart is releasing in the new catalogue. The biggest change is that we are going from three catalogues a year down to two. But don't fret, these two catalogues are going to have 24 more pages each. YA! We also got introduced to 8 new colours in the spring colours. They are amazing. We also got new papers, stamps, and embellishments.

After general session we did lunch, then were off to Extravaganza.

Here we went to 8 different stops and sat and listened to all the different classes from boutique chic to glittering. It was fantastic. After each session we handed in a ticket and got a new product from the catalogue. After 8 all sessions we had: 3 new stamp sets, the opaques, flip flaps, the new inks, metal accents, and clear cards. WOW!! These are going to be used in our make and takes on Friday.

Pretty good day!

Museums and Memorials...

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Today Gail and I went to the Smithsonian Museum, specifically the Museum of American Hisotry and we also visited the Holocaust Museum.

Our trip started at 9:30 where we met up with Liz, another CTMH consultant we met on this trip. We took OnBoard tours down to the Old Post Office. We decided to do the Tower Tour. This is where you go into the Old Post Office and travel all the way up the tower. You can then look out across DC to see all the sites. In the back drop you could see the Cathedrals, the national monuments, and the White House. It was pretty high up and I got a bit queasy.

On the way down we stopped where the housed the bells. Got a really good picture. Then on to the bottom of the building. We looked in the shops and got some really good postcards of washington.

Next we headed over to the Museum of American Hisotry. We got to see Julia Child's kitchen. This was one thing I really wanted to see especially after having seen the movie Julie and Julia. I had so much fun...Bon Appetit!! LOL. I also got to see the Holidays on Display, Pop culture items, and the First ladies dresses. In the pop culture section I saw KERMIT the frog, Judy Garland's ruby slippers, Archie Bunkers chair....it was pretty cool.

After we had visited the gift shop Gail and I headed out to the Holocaust Museum. When we arrived we went and looked at Daniel's Story. It took you through the changes that Daniel experienced with his family. Very sad. We were lucky that we booked tickets to the permanent exhibit....I am very glad that we did as it was amazing and sad all at the same time. The entire time you walked through the exhibit there wasn't a word uttered. It was completely silent, very respectful. Some of the images were a little hard to digest, but it really made you think. I would definately recommend that if you are travelling to washington, you make this a stop. I was practically in tears by the end of it. The sadest part was the children's section. I had to walk by that, there were pictures on the wall and toys....

While in the gift shop they had this really interesting poster, it said:
THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU SAW
- the next time you witness hatred
- the next time you see injustice
- the next time you hear about genocide

We ended up getting back to the hotel about 3:30pm.

Gail and I then headed back to the room and then out to register for convention.

Night tour of DC

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WOW!! Last night we boarded the OnBoard Tour bus with all kinds of CTMH ladies. Gail, Carol and myself had signed up for DC the Lights tour. This tour took us to the US Capitol Building, Iwo Jima Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, The White House, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, World War II Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial. The only one we didn't get to see was the the Old Post Office.

Our driver and tour guide were amazing. Our first stop was teh Iwo Jima Memorial. It was a really good day to do this tour because on Tuesdays, they have a practice with the guns and the band infront of the memorial.....all those guys in uniform. It was spectacular. It's amazing the control they have when throwing the guns and flipping them. If I ever tried it you can bet your booties mine would be on the ground on the first flip.

We stopped next at Korean War Memorial. We learned that the statues are covered in this special paint so that at night when the special lights are on they look like ghosts. On the wall there are faces of people who have perished. The tour guide even had one lady who saw her father's face in the wall. After you pass by the statues and the wall you come to a little fountain, and on the wall is the quote "freedom is not free". This was truly awe inspiring.

Next we stopped at Lincoln Memorial. Can I just say he is HUGE!!! Makes me feel so small! Underneath the statue there is a little museum about Abe with quotes and such. Then you can go up on this elevator to get to the statue. The view looking out is great. It was dusk by the time we got here, so it was even better. On a side note though....We saw the biggest nasty RAT at the memorial. We were all totally grossed out practically running away from it when we noticed it, however, one girl (as a true scrapbooker would) went to find it to take a picture. Truly Brave!!

Next stop....Vietnam War Memorial. There were supposed to be three parts to this memorial however they were restoring one, so we only got to see the nurse's statue and the wall with the names. I can't believe how many names are on that wall. The memorial is made up of two walls that make a "V" for Vietnam. The nurse's status was really neat, and it's nice that they recognized the work that they do. The tour guide had informed us that there were a lot less casualities because of the work that these women had done.

YAY!!! Obama....too bad I didn't actually get to see him, however we got to visit the white house. I even saw the guys who patrolled the top of the building. It was pretty cool. We walked around part of the building before we got to the front. It was neat to see it at night with all the lights, and the fountain lit up. The other neat thing is I got to see the Secret Service Police car. The lady driving it was pretty cool when I asked if I could take a picture.

On to the World War 2 memorial. In the centre of this memorial there are fountains and all around are pilars with states names and wreaths on them. On one side there is a wall with approximately 4,000 gold stars....and one little duck....LOL. I didn't think it was real, but it was!!! I chuckled about that.

.....and last but not least the US capitol building. Again the lights on the building were pretty cool.

All in all it was a pretty good tour, a little dark and gross outside because it was still about 80F with NO wind, but it was a great experience, and I would recommend this to anyone who comes down.

Until later today...

Official Day 1 in Washington, D.C.

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Hiya Ladies,

Today is my official first day in Washington. We left yesterday morning about 7 am from Newmarket, Ontario. It was Carol, Gail and myself in the car along with our luggage, and scrapbooking supplies. We arrived in Washington about 8pm. It was a pretty long drive with a few pit stops along the way. All in all it was a good trip, even managed to grab a nap.

We did hit a few snags with the directions and got a bit lost, but everything turned out ok. We got a pretty good room at the Gaylord National Hotel. We can see some of the river to the right of our window, and the views from the inside of the hotel of the Potomac River are specatular!!!

So, now back to today. we got up pretty early had the oil changed in the car (wanted to make sure that we would be able to make it back home as it had gone down quite a bit because of the heat and the long drive). Then we headed to Mount Vernon. This was really cool. We got to see where George Washington lived and died. The building itself is now owned by "The Ladies", a group of women that bought it in the 1800's for $200,000. This included all the buildings and the approx. 300 acres of land. Pretty neat, eh? I thought so.

We took the tour of the house, saw where the servants of the guests stayed, where family and visitors stayed, and the kitchens. We also got to see all the out buildings, and the tomb of Washington and Martha, and their other family members. I believe the tour guide said that there were about 25 other family members buried there.

We got to see where the slaves were buried and where the farming was done. It was a terrific experience. We also did the museum where the took you through his life, and his military carrier, and what happened in his life. We also got to see this really neat movie about some of his battles. The chairs even moved, and we got snowed on too!!! LOL. Not real snow, but soap bubbles of some sort. Now ask me how I found out they were soap bubbles, well of course I looked up. Please DO NOT look up if you go. I got it in the eye. Not such a happy camper. Luckily all was good.

So tomorrow, I believe Gail and I are going to the Holocaust Museum, and to see Julia Child's Kitchen (my idea). I wanted to see this kitchen after that movie....Julie & Julia, which by the way I LOVE!!!

Well catch up tomorrow.

Post pictures when I get home as I can't on the computer I am at!

Cheers.