HAPPY news!

This happy news is not work-related. : )

Some of you have noticed that I haven't been posting any new recipes lately. The reason? Cooking & baking are pretty low on my list of what I want to do these days with the yuckiness I've been feeling. I'm pregnant! (As soon as I'm back to feeling closer to "normal" again, I'll be back to sharing recipes.) Our little family is very much looking forward to adding a little darling to our family this September.

In other (work-related) news ...

The Mesa, Arizona CK Convention is coming up on April 18th and 19th and I'm going to be there. Come say hi! I'll be available from 9am - noon on Saturday. You can register in advance and check out ALL the convention information here.

I'd like to give some vendor faire passes away! Anyone interested in getting in for free? Just say you want a vendor faire pass (in the comments below) and I'll randomly choose 10 of you to win a free ticket.

happy easter

Happy Easter weekend to you!

april sketch

If you've received your April issue of CK, you may be familiar with my sketch for this month. I created an entire mini album with the sketch ... and it was completely digital (a first for me)! You can see several layouts of Claire's First Year mini album here.

I also wanted to share a simple layout I did using the sketch:



Plus, if you didn't notice on p. 50 of the April issue, I did 23 bonus sketches, all based on layouts throughout that issue. It's one of those tear-this-out-and-keep-it-handy pages. Hope it helps you get a few more pages done!

school kit FAQ

First of all, a picture from this past weekend. And it appropriately highlights GREEN for St. Patrick's Day, which is today.



Went to L.A. with some friends to see Wicked (my first time) and LOVED it. The talent blew me away.

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I'm thrilled that so many of you are doing the "happy dance" about us making the school kit available. I'm happy to address the questions some of you have.

Q: How long do I have to pre-order, to guarantee that I don't miss out?

A: This Friday (March 21) at 5:00 pm MST will be the last day that you can pre-order and KNOW that you'll receive your kit(s) when we ship. We will continue taking pre-orders at a first come, first served basis, based on how many kits we have left with the inventory we've ordered.

Q: When will the kits ship?

A: June 1.

Q: I went to order, but I'm not sure the site is secure.

A: The main KOTM page with all the information is not a secure site, because it does not need to be. But when you click to order, everything is absolutely secure in the shopping cart.

Q: When is my credit card actually charged?

A: Not until the kits ship in June.

Q: Will you take international orders?

A: YES (yay)! We'll ship to you, wherever in the world you may be.

Q: Are the memorabilia pockets designed for a 3-ring binder?

A: Yes. The holes are already punched for you and everything fits perfectly into 3-ring binders. Remember: It is not intended for EVERYthing (all the school years) to fit into one album. Depending on how many pages you add to each grade, and how full the memorabilia pockets are, will determine how many albums you'll need for each child.

Q: Any chance of ordering just the memorabilia pockets?

A: Nope, sorry.

Q: Does the kit come with a list of suppliers in case I need to piece together another one in the future?

A: This kit is made up entirely of the custom designs & colors that I worked on with a super talented graphic designer. That means nothing in the kit comes from another manufacturer. So if you want just some of the pieces or parts of the kit, you just have to get the kit. : )

Q: I already got my kit and wondered about getting more of some of the papers & accents from the kit. Is that possible?

A: All I have to say is ... Just WAIT until you see my brand-new kit that will also come out in June.

Q: I got a kit the first time around and noticed a damaged piece. Who do I tell?

A: Contact Vivian (vgrothe@ckmedia.com) and she'll take care of you.

Q: I'm new to your blog and not familiar with the school kit. How can I learn more?

A: Go here for the website where you would read about the kit, and also place your order. I have done a couple of video clips showing the kit contents and explaining more about them right here on my blog. Click on February 2008 (on the right) and scroll down to my Feb. 1 and Feb. 6 blog entries.

the school kit is back!

Guess WHAT?

I am so excited to tell you that we are definitely bringing my school kit BACK and if you're concerned about it selling out again ... I'm going to tell you how to avoid missing out: We are making this available as a PRE-ORDER item. That means you just head over to the website, place your order, and you guarantee yourself a shipment this summer. : )

Go here to order & get more info. You'll see the orange "preorder now" button to the right. And tell your friends!



The re-released kit will have one change: There were a few tabs damaged on the memorabilia pockets (there is one per grade included in the kit) with the original kit. These will be detached this time around and you'll just stick them on (they're self-adhesive and ready to go). I got the samples and they're GREAT. No more damaged tabs.

PS - If you happen to see "sold out" on my kit, that's NOT correct. Just a little glitch that needs to be corrected on the website.

i'm here.

Alive and well. Just spent the past week with my little family, vacationing and taking a break from everything. It was wonderful. And now ... so much to catch up on. I'll be posting again soon.

march kotm

Happy March! And you know what happens on the 1st of every month - a new kit of the month is released! So be sure to check it out here.

I made a few layouts using the March KOTM. Fun, bold, colorful designs. The kit includes everything you need to complete lots and lots of layouts. Sounds so good, doesn't it? Just add your own pictures & journaling. Be sure to check it out.