Cyber Monday Deal - Free Paper Packet with Cricut Artiste Collection Purchase!

Happy Cyber Monday!  Today is the day to take advantage of some fantastic deals by doing your shopping online.  So to do my part in stimulating the U.S. economy, I'm offering a great deal here on my blog.

Today only (Monday, 11/26/12) get a FREE Close to my Heart Paper Packet with the purchase of the new Cricut Artiste Collection.

If you own a Cricut, this will be your new go to cartridge.  The Close to my Heart Artiste cartridge will take your creativity to the next level by giving you the power of 3-D!  Make gorgeous gift boxes, interactive greeting cards, amazingly coordinated party favors and much more!  The collection also includes three sheets of coordinating Dimensional Elements as well as three coordinating My Acrylix Stamp Sets.

Here's how you take advantage of this special promotion:

Click here to order your Close to my Heart Artiste Collection

Once your order has been placed I will contact you by email and you must reply back with the name of the paper packet of your choice within 24 hours.  I'll have it shipped out immediately to you.  It's super easy to take advantage of this special offer just for Create with Care readers.  Contact me here with questions: createwithcare@att.net

Happy Cyber Shopping!

Calling all Jacksonville, Florida Scrapbookers!

And the winner is....Jacksonville!  I know, I know I thought it was going to be Tampa, but alas, JAX is calling us.  It's the biggest city in the contiguous U.S. of A. and has lots of culture, sports, outdoor activities and most importantly great jobs.  The city is huge with so many neighborhoods to pick from to live in.  We took a reconnaissance trip yesterday to check out places to live and barely scratched the surface.  We are leaning toward the south part of the city, which is only about 15-20 minutes away from the beaches on the Atlantic Coast.  I'm so excited that we will be living the "Florida lifestyle"!

Prior to our decision to go for Jacksonville, we have spent the past two weeks driving around the Gulf side of the state exploring several cities of interest.  The best part of that for me was finding fun places to eat.  So for those that are considering a Florida visit anytime soon, here are a few recommendations:

St. Petersburg - Kopper Kitchen
http://www.kopperkitchenfl.com/kopperkitchen/Home.html

This was a total accidental find!  We set out from our base of operations in Lakeland to check out the Sanding Ovations sand sculpture competition on Treasure Island.  We knew that we'd be passing through St. Pete around lunch time so we took a look at restaurants featured on Food Network's Diners Drive Ins and Dives.  We picked out a place to eat that was not too far out of the way of our route.  Well, when we found it, we turned right around!  I won't mention the name of the place, but it was very scary looking!  So we got back on the main road towards Treasure Island with our stomach's growling ferociously.  Low and behold, on the left side of the street, my husband spotted the Kopper Kitchen.  There were quite a few cars parked outside (a sure sign that it is popular), so he made a possibly illegal u-turn in the middle of the street and squeezed into one of the remaining parking spaces.  I can't tell you how glad I am that he did!  The food was so amazing.  Most everything was made from scratch including the corned beef and thousand island dressing on hubby's Reuben sandwich to the tomato sauce on my lasagna.  You must eat here if you are ever anywhere near the Tampa Bay area.  Triple D should have stopped here instead.

Lakeland - Cuban Delight Cafe
1039 East County Road 540a, Lakeland FL  33813
(863) 701-0190

We're in Florida, so in my mind, it goes without saying that we must have Cuban food.  I love Cuban sandwiches, black beans and rice as well as chicken and yellow rice.  So how did I find Lakeland's best?  I Googled!  Not only was it authentic, but it was very reasonably priced; only $5.75 for a half a Cuban sandwich and a bowl of black beans with rice.  The portions were huge.  Their idea of a half a sandwich was bigger than the average slice of white bread.  Even though we were stuffed, we had to try an dessert!  We shared a warm guava filled puff pastry that was fantastic.  Give this small restaurant a try when in Central Florida, you won't be disappointed.

We hope to be moved during the early part of December, so I will keep you posted as to my new location.  Once I get situated, I'll be looking for a place to hold crops and get togethers.  Don't forget the new Close to my Heart Idea Book will be coming out in January with lots of new papers and accessories to play with.  

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

An Update From Florida

Happy November, dear friends!  I hope that you have kicked off the holiday season in a wonderful way.  I've noticed that Christmas decorations are starting to appear at the mall and holiday music is being played all around.  I'm getting into the spirit and working on making Christmas cards using my Pear &  Partridge paper collection from CTMH.

On a personal note, we have started looking for jobs here in Florida.  We feel that the Tampa area may best suit our needs right now, so have applied there first.  We have interviews scheduled over the week ahead and have high hopes for quick placements.  

We have our business suits pressed, new haircuts and our resumes updated.  Wish us luck!

I'll post again soon with news as it happens.

A Temporary Move and November CTMH Specials

Well, dear friends and customers; it looks like Lakeland, Fl may be just a temporary move.  My husband may be transferring in the very near future to another Florida city for his new job, so we remain living out of boxes for the next few weeks until we know for sure.  Fortunately we have been staying with family while we looked for a new residence, so we haven't signed any contracts or leases as of yet.  Therefore, we can go anywhere the career takes us!  Since it's just the two of us, we are very mobile and ready for new adventures!

I'm actually very excited about the possibility of a new hometown and can't wait until we find out what is next for us.  Close to my Heart is such a mobile "business" for me, that I plan on finding new scrapbooking and stamping buddies wherever we end up!

Fortunately, I have internet access, so I can keep you all updated with the latest specials and promotions from Close to my Heart.  So even though I'm not there to personally demonstrate, you can still take advantage of the latest great deals.

Here are the details of the two November promotions:

Stamp of the Month:  "Capture the Date"

When you place an order of $50 or more, you can purchase this full size stamp of the month for just $5!

 

*********** "But wait...there's more!" ***********

 

 

In November, you’ll get something extra when you buy the Stamp of the Month—50% off another stamp set! When you qualify for and buy the November Stamp of the Month set, Capture the Date, you’ll receive another stamp set* of your choice for 50% off—it’s like two promotions in one! The versatile Capture the Date stamp set is great for any layout, card, invitation, or calendar, and now you can choose another stamp set at half-off for more wonderful papercrafting. Get Capture the Date and then capture the savings today!

 

Take advantage of this great offer right away by clicking HERE!

 

Thank you everyone for all of your support and prayers as we find our way to our new place on the planet! I appreciate all of you so much.  My email remains: createwithcare@att.net

 

With love,

 

Karen

 

 

 

 

 

Boxes, Boxes, Everywhere

I am surrounded by boxes!  Boxes to take to the donation center, boxes to fill for storage, and boxes to move to Florida.  I've moved before, but this time, because it is to another state, it needs to be much more organized and less haphazard then past local moves.

We've slept on an air mattress for the last two nights as our bed has been taken down and put into storage.  Just two more nights of sleeping so low to the ground!  Thursday is the big drive south and we are very excited.

Please forgive my lack of communication over the next week or so as we get settled in.  I'll post again soon and have more details about our new location, new artwork and when I'll be hostessing get togethers.

In the meantime...

If you would like to place an order, please click here.

If you would like to contact me, please click here.

Thank you so much!

Saying Goodbye Saturday

The countdown to our move to Florida is quickly ticking by.  It seems that everyday is filled with last times and goodbyes.  Last times and goodbyes to not only friends but also local sights and scenes.  We decided that before we move we want to make sure that we see and do as much as possible in the local area so that when we get to our new home, we don't look at each other and say, "Gosh, I wish we would have (fill in the blank) before we moved away!".  No regrets of  "I wish we would have eaten there", "I wish we would have seen that", or most especially "I wish I would have spent more time with them".  So this weekend we took a break from packing and organizing for some Fall sightseeing and fun. 

Saturday was devoted to the sights and tastes of Cherokee, NC.  Cherokee is located about an hour west of Asheville, NC and is the home of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. There are cultural sights and attractions, outdoor activities, lots of shops, restaurants and a huge Harrah's Cherokee Casino and Hotel. 

Welcome to the Cherokee Indian Reservation

Our first stop was the amazing Museum of the Cherokee Indian.  The artifacts and exhibits in this museum are first class; detailing the story of the Cherokee from the Paleo Period thru the Trail of Tears.  I'm so glad that we made time for this visit as it not only taught important lessons of history, but brought the stories of real people to life.  Do not miss this museum if you take a trip to Western North Carolina!  The best shopping for locally made arts and crafts is right across the street at Qualla Arts and Crafts.

We drove around the area looking for a restaurant that called our name to eat lunch.  We thought we found the perfect spot at Granny's Kitchen.  There were lots of cars out front and people were streaming in and the smells that wafted from the door were very tantalizing.  However, the wait was just a bit too long for our growling tummies.  We needed food quick!  Harrah's was just a short distance up the road and we knew that they had several restaurant choices on property.

My husband, the mystery diner!

Round One at the buffet!

Let me tell you, we hit the buffet jackpot!!  Did you know that the first lady of southern cooking, Paula Deen has a restaurant in Cherokee, NC?  She sure enough does and let me tell you it is fabulous!  It's called Paula Deen's Kitchen and the fried chicken was life changing!   Oh, and my husband couldn't get enough of the fried catfish.  There were so many sides to choose from: macaroni and cheese, green beans, hoe cakes, roasted potatoes, pinto beans and more.  We could have chosen an entree from the menu, but why pick just one thing, when you can have a taste of so many types of delicious foods? 

See, half my plate consisted of vegetables!  I admit to a second plate, but that was just for small tastes of things that wouldn't fit on the first one.  

As you can imagine, we needed to do a bit of walking after this meal, so we explored the rest of the hotel and casino.  Harrah's has a very large selection of slots and table games and was quite busy on the day that we visited. 

We took a more scenic route on the drive back home and had to stop to take in this breathtaking view of where we had just came from.  I will never, ever get tired of scenes like this.

NC Hwy 19 / Old Soco Road

I'm Moving to Lakeland, FL!

I'm so excited to share my news with you that I will be moving to Lakeland, Florida at the end of this month!  A great opportunity has come our way with regards to my husband's career, so we are stepping out on faith and heading south  I am looking forward to meeting new people  (especially paper crafters!) and putting down roots in a new place.

We have lived in Florida before, but it was many, many years ago and in different part of the state.  I know a lot has changed since then and it will be a different experience from the previous.  I have to admit I won't miss the snow and cold winters of Western North Carolina!  However, I will miss the beautiful mountains; and of course, this goes without saying, my best friend!  But, I know that friendships outlast geographical boundaries, so I know that we'll always be close.

The packing and boxing up of possessions has just begun, but we are making good progress already.  We downsized quite a bit during our previous move, so this time it is much easier.  Plus, I have to admit, I'm a bit of an organized person, so I have the original boxes of a few things still around like my Cricut and iMac! I guess I knew that we wouldn't be in our current place forever, so I kept things at the ready.

Today, I packed up my Close to my Heart products and other crafting supplies so it will be a few weeks before I am able to post any original artwork.  However, I will still post CTMH videos and specials that are going on.  I will also keep you up to date on where I am in the relocation process.  It's looking like we will be leaving Asheville the week of October 22nd.

So here is what I would love...if you are in the Lakeland, FL area and enjoy paper crafting such as scrapbooking, card making or stamping, let me hear from you!  Send me an email and let me know if you would like to get together to Create with Care!