Sneak Preview of the March Kit of the Month!

Just had to give you a sneak preview of the March Kit of the Month. Let me just say up front that I LOVE it--and the value is amazing. I'm so excited because I'm finally getting caught up on last year's photos thanks to this kit. I was able to scrapbook all the holidays and seasons of the year--birthdays, Christmas, Fourth of July, summer fun, Halloween, and so on--in just a short amount of time (complete with photos and journaling). The kit includes 40 of the cutest pages (20 two-page layouts) you've ever seen and all components are already pre-cut, pre-punched, pre-embossed, etc. All you have to do is add adhesive, your photos and journaling. The pages are very versatile (you can easily change the theme) and work well with 4 x 6 photos or enlarged photos. I created all the pages, then added my photos later. Here is a sample from each of the four seasons.

Just had to tell you the story behind this page. My 17-year-old, Kade, is always ready for a good time--and he's a complete kid at heart. A couple of Saturdays ago, he had Sage and her friend, Krisha, put on their winter clothing, took them to the store and bought sleds, then spent the afternoon sledding down a huge hill. He even took the camera along and got pictures! Love that kid!



Here is my Spring page. (Check out how the paper matches Sage's swimming suit almost exactly.)



And my summer page--we were in a state that allowed fireworks on the Fourth of July. My boys went nuts!



And finally my Fall page:



You'll feel really creative with this kit (lots of fun to put together) and you'll get a lot of pages completed in a short amount of time. Make sure you order early because this one is sure to go fast. (It goes on sale at 9:00 a.m. MST on March 1st.)

Also, if you love to create, my friend Stephanie--the editor of Heart and Home magazine--is asking for submissions. Go to www.homegrownhospitality.com for more details. And--check out Steph's blog--www.homegrownhospitality.typepad.com. You're sure to fall in love with her and all her creations like I have.

I'm off to Tokyo for CKU-Japan. My hubby's going with me. We're hoping to see the city before the event begins.

Have a great week!

Lisa

What a Wonderful Weekend!

First of all, again a huge thanks for all the stickers sent to Brian. His sister made this sweet comment:

Lisa,
I am Brian's younger sister. I also live right in Highland. My mom called me on Thursday and told me of the wonderful Valentine's Day Brian had received! I was absolutely thrilled. Very rarely does Brian get attention, and to be noticed in such a NICE way was really special. Thank you so much for being so great. Thanks for taking the time to touch someone's life. I know this means so much to him.
Love,
Jamie Hofheins

Last night was an incredible evening. Collin received his Eagle Scout Award at a wonderful Court of Honor and it was an evening to be remembered. Here is a photo of him with a live bald eagle! Way to go, Collin!



Also, I've had the pleasure of having a wonderful gal stay with our family over the past four days.



Gladys and I met on a Carribean scrapbooking cruise and became instant friends. She's from Brooklyn, New York and came all the way across the USA to stay with the Bearnson gang. We loved it. I love how scrapbooking connects all of us to each other. We miss you, Gladys!

Last week my super spontaneous hubby packed all the kids in the car and drove 10 hours to Disneyland to hang out with me while I was at CHA. This was a total surprise right up until the moment they left. (He did the same thing last year but had no idea he'd do it again.) How sweet that they wanted to be there with me! (And the kids were pretty excited about missing a few days of school too.) I flew the next day and was able to hang out with them at Disneyland for two nights. As I mentioned in my last entry, my family got stuck in the bad storm but made it home safely.

This photo is pretty cool. Can you see what's unusual about it??



Yep--Mickey's ears are perfect placed around Steve's head!

I'm scrapbooking up a storm this week (I'll share a few of my layouts later in the week), plus I'm getting ready to go to CKU Japan. I'm a little stressed out--I just check my passport last night and discovered it expired a few months ago. Luckily we discovered that you can expedite the process.

Hope you're having a great week. We went to the Spiderwick Chronicles today and it was really good!

Lisa

Oh My Heck! Brian's Having a Great Week!!!

I am moved to tears right now. What an amazing bunch of people you are. I can't believe the outpouring of love sent to Brian Nishimoto. I have been in touch with his mom, Sonja, several times this week and she said Brian is just thrilled.

I posted the below blog entry on Thursday of last week. By Saturday Brian received his first envelope filled with stickers (from Provo, Utah). This is a photo taken by his mom on Monday of Brian in front of all the yet-to-be-opened envelopes--just four days after posting the blog.



Sonja has been updating me everyday with the names and states (and even countries) where all the envelopes are coming from. Wow--I think every state has been covered! And I know some foreign mail is on its way. Plus, she told me how Lori Chadwick stopped in at Subway and hand delivered a package. Brian was so excited!

Here is a note from Sonja:

To all of Brian's friends--

Brian was so thrilled at the many nice cards and stickers that he received. He said it was better than Christmas! We both want to thank you all for the time and effort that you took to make him so happy! He will certainly be busy with these stickers for projects for a good time to come. It really gave him a lot of happiness. You are all so very kind and thoughtful.

Your friend,
Brian and mom, Sonja

She added this second note to me:
"Brian was very happy to get the cute stickers that he has been receiving. We never knew that there were so many cute and different stickers. Unbelievable! My husband went to the store to get him a nice container to keep his new stickers in. You have very nice friends in your network! Thanks so much for making this an amazing Valentine's Day for Brian. He rarely gets mail, so this has been fun for him. Thanks so much for your kindness to Brian."

I feel such a love in my heart for each of you who took the time to make this an unforgettable day for both me and Brian. I will always remember your great kindness. The world is filled with wonderful people.

Have a wonderful day filled with love and laughter.

Sincerely,
Lisa

P.S. If any of you saw the HUGE storms in Utah on the news, I was caught in that storm. I was at CHA and got stuck in California in the airport (long story) and then it took me seven hours to get home (normally a 40 minute drive). My family got stuck in Southern Utah (another long story--I'll post it later) and are driving home now. Please say a prayer for them--Steve called to say the roads are terrible. If you saw the school where all the kids got stuck overnight because of the storm, that is right in my neighborhood. Unbelievable! We are ready for Spring here!

Please Help Make Brian's Valentine's Day a Happy One!

Hey Everyone,

I'm back from QVC and what a day! Hopefully you were able to catch some of the shows and get the Today's Special Value before it sold out. Really an amazing kit!

I sold a kit last Monday which was simply adorable--"Smitten" by K & Company. It included all types of fun products to made cute valentines and Valentine's Day pages. I loved this kit so much that I decorated my french double doors with the glittery hearts. I then hung all types of eclectic valentine's ornaments from the curtain rod above the door. I love the look.



I plan to do this for St. Paddy's Day, Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween and Christmas (I actually hung ornaments at Christmas this past year).

Hey--I need your help. Right before Christmas I was in my local copy center when I noticed a cute boy in his early 20s carefully choosing stickers. They were the Mrs. Grossman's, Sandy Lion, Frances Meyer type stickers--more on the younger, light-hearted side. I observed how he counted his change and then would carefully choose another sticker. He repeated this process several times. I asked the employee how often he does this and she said "Almost every day." I started chatting with him (his name is Brian) and found out he stuffs kid's meal bags at a nearby Subway, then on his breaks goes to the copy center for stickers. He says he LOVES stickers and is obsessed with them--he creates "picture books" with them. I got his name and address and took him a binder full of old stickers at Christmas time. He was thrilled and his mom was equally happy! I saw him a few weeks ago and he said he's almost out of stickers.



So--here's what I thought would be fun. Go through your stash and the older stickers you no longer will use, consider sending them to Brian. His mom was thrilled with the idea and said I could include his address. It would be fun to do this as soon as possible so we can make his Valentine's Day really great.

Here's his address:

Brian Nishimoto
5663 W. 11200 North
Highland, UT 84003

You all are the best. Thanks for helping with this great cause. And drop me a note if you do choose to send Brian some stickers.

Have a great rest of the week.

Sincerely,
Lisa

P.S. I explain a little more about Brian in the comments section.