Before I share pictures of the upcoming holiday card kit, I wanted to let you know that the baby kits are now shipping. Many of you have pre-ordered and are receiving yours already (or will very soon). For those of you who are wondering, it is not too late and you can still order your baby kit here. If you’re just chiming in, you can find out all sorts of information about the baby kit by watching my video clips posted here on my blog (see 9/22 and 9/23 posts).

Now. A little preview of the holiday card kit that will soon be available for pre-order!

There are 3 main card designs that come in each kit (10 of each; 30 total):

These are the envelopes (cute, huh?):

You also get all these bonus cards for holiday thank-you’s and small notes:

Plus a bunch of chipboard tags for gifts, neighbor treats, etc. These will SO come in handy:

And of course we’re throwing in a collection of darling self-adhesive gift labels:

There’s other stuff that you haven’t seen yet, including ready-to-print-on letterhead that coordinates with the main cards (for those of you who like to include a newsletter with your holiday greetings). I know you’ll have questions. Go ahead and ask away, but just know that I’ll be sharing a video clip & more information, as I always do when I release a new kit. Stay tuned.

Just came across this picture that my brother, Kevin, took about 4 years ago. As a family, we were all “home” in Maryland, and it was just a gorgeous time to be there. Reminds me of every Fall growing up and how much I love the seasonal change. So I imagine this is just what it’s probably starting to look like there. Or it will very soon.

Thinking about lower temperatures, changing leaves, cool breezes, and the smell that Fall brings. Maybe I can get my parents to bring me some leaves when they come to visit us here in the desert later this month. : )

Many of you have pre-ordered and are awaiting the arrival of your baby kit (shipping soon!).

[Yes, you can still pre-order here.]

In the meantime, I want to continue sharing ideas & inspiration from those who have already been playing with the product. Personally, I’ve been making a lot of progress in Crew’s album, thanks to the kit. I’ll be sharing soon.

Mary MacAskill has been whipping up some seriously adorable creations, using components from the baby kit. I have to share! A-dor-a-ble.

Now that we’re in the swing of October, I know some of you are already thinking about your holiday cards (yay for planning ahead). So, if you like the idea of making your cards, but you also want to simplify the process, I am pleased to tell you that I have done another Christmas card kit! If you missed last year’s (that’s what I mean when I say “another”), you can click on November 2007 and get an idea for what the kit was all about.

This year, of course, the cards have a whole new look and we’ve included a lot of fun extras. We’re also going to be shipping earlier so you can get a head-start. You will be able to pre-order soon. So check back here in the coming week for more details, pictures, and all that good stuff.

You may have noticed something happening in the land of Scrapbooking Blogs yesterday. October 1st was the kick-off day for a Blog Blitz, conceptualized by the extraordinary Stacy Julian, and carried out by many scrapbooking bloggers like myself.

So I’m a day late. But in case you haven’t heard about this from other blogs yesterday, here’s the deal:

Stacy has been inspired to issue a challenge to women to become more aware and more intentional about recognizing life as it happens. This is the “Give Yourself a Present” challenge! And as she puts it, “You have everything you need right now to be vibrant and fully engaged in the creative process. Sometimes you just have to slow down, look around and realize it!”

Here’s what you do:

1. Snap ten photos of your life right now.
2. Compile these photos in an itty bitty album.
3. Keep or carry this album with you (in your desk drawer or purse) for one year.
4. Promise to glance through the album every time you stumble upon it or pull it from your purse.
5. On October 1st, 2009, create a scrapbook page about your experience. (If you read Stacy’s blog, she’ll remind you.)

Here are a couple snapshots of my life right now.

(Notice how the princess has filthy feet from playing outside just moments before getting dressed up.)

Interested in more details, pictures of an example album, and more of Stacy’s insight on this challenge? Check out her blog.