Hmmm, my link in the below post got cut off, so I'm going to attempt to re-post it here:
http://www.cricut.com/messageboard/tm.aspx?m=2955627

This is the info for an upcoming retreat here in the Roseville area. I'm not the one hosting it, but will be teaching a couple of classes there. And everyone who signs up for the retreat will be able to pick one class complimentary. Woohoo!!! Plus I'll have kits available for whichever class you might miss out on. Anyway, go check it out - it's not just a Cricut retreat, but yes, we all know that Cricuts are taking over the world, so of course it's going to sound like a Cricut retreat with all the buzzing going on! Hope to see all my favorite people there!!!

This is my Emily Jewell. She just turned 4 years old, and had the Pony Party of her dreams. She had about 17 of her closest friends over to our house to ride real ponies in our backyard. She's a fantastic kid - so happy and expressive! And yet I've been feeling like I haven't been there enough for her over the past year. Yes, I'm mostly a stay at home mom, but I've been gone about 2-3 nights per week for work, and she has missed having me tuck her in and read her stories at night. (Now that she has a twin bed, she loves for me to lay down and snuggle with her while we read. She's too cute!) I have absolutely loved, loved, LOVED working at Green Tangerines, but have made the tough decision that it's time to part ways so that I can do a little better job at merging the 2 things that I'm passionate about - my family and teaching Cricut classes.

So as of now, I am an independent Cricut Instructor. It's going to be a very exciting venture for me, and I'm thrilled at the many new and different ways that I can now be open to teaching. My friend Leslie calls it teaching in "3D" and I love it. No limitations, no box, no boundaries. Just the freedom to express, create, teach, learn, laugh and explore like never before. And since I'll be doing most of my work from home, I'll get to go tuck in my little sweetie pie way more often. Does it get any better than that???

Here's the official scoop on what I'll be doing. Between now and January, I will be teaching at a couple of different retreats. One is already full, but one still has some openings, and you can check it out here: http://www.cricut.com/messageboard/tm.aspx?m=2955627&mpage=1

I am also available to teach at other retreats, events, or even do small group Cricut classes in people's homes. For instance, one of my favorite groups ever has requested that I come out to their area and teach a class to the 7 of them. What a blast that will be, and I'm open to doing the same for other groups of friends as well. I also just signed up as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator because I needed a reliable supplier with incredible papers. For me, a great design has to start with gorgeous papers, and I'm in love with theirs, so now we're in business. Plus they have great tools, but that's another story, LOL! Anyway, I'll also be hosting a couple of big Stampin' Up! workshops here in my current house, and I'll still throw in some fun Cricut elements too (how could I not?). Not sure of the dates of those workshops yet, so stay tuned, but I'll be working on some fun fall and Christmas designs for those events. Woohoo - my 2 favorite themes to play with!!

This coming January, my family and I are planning to move into a new home in the Whitney Ranch neighborhood in Rocklin. If all goes as we hope and pray, we will be blessed with a pretty sizable home, with plenty of space to hold a few classes each month. That will add yet another dimension, which I can hardly wait for. And to bring together all of the wonderful ladies who enjoy the same passion, I also hope to start a small Cricut Club group sometime in February 2009. This will be a monthly crop night to get to know each other better and have a blast together. Ok, and there might just be a ton of give-aways and make-n-takes too, and I might even organize some swap groups within the club so everyone can get to know each other even better and exchange ideas each time. Why not, right? If we're gonna do it at all, we'd might as well go ALL OUT!!!

So keep watching this blog and I'll try to do a better job of updating with new info. If you want more info on something, you can always either leave me a comment here with your own email address or contact me through the Cricut board. And I'll get a regular website set up in a month or two so it will be easier to contact me directly.

May the bug be with you!!!!

BOO!!! Ok, I'm not good at scary - unless it can be cute too!! So here's the project for an upcoming Cricut class in October at Green Tangerines. It's an explosion box! Thanks for the fun idea, all you Cricut Clubbers! You'll get to learn the easy way to make an explosion box (without a Cricut), and then we'll use the Paper Dolls cartridge to spook it up and make it adorable. Paper Dolls is absolutely packed with cute Halloween images - I barely scratched the surface here. You can't sign up yet, but watch for GT to release their October class schedule in early to mid September. (This class is tentatively set for 10/22.) There will only be 24 spots available, but if there's enough interest, I might make a few additional kits as well, complete with detailed instructions of course. Happy Early Halloween!!

Hey, I'm on a roll! Today I made Kermit the Frog with Design Studio. It took me a few hours (and cost me a few of my meager remaining brain cells), and I was surprised that he was actually more complex than Snoopy, but it was a blast, and I think I'm starting to get the hang of this. Woohoo! I used the good ol' George cartridge, and Opposites Attract, as well as a black Cricut marker. He turned out to be about 4 3/4 inches tall by about 4 1/2 inches wide, so you can make him on either the Expression or little bug. If you have Design Studio and would like the cut file, you can track it down on the Cricut message board in the Design Studio forum, or just figure out a way to get me your email address, and I'd be happy to send it to you.

I just made this Snoopy with the Design Studio software. I've always been a huge Snoopy freak, so this was an incredibly fun challenge. I'm happy to share the file if you can contact me with your email address. It uses the George cart, and can cut either on the baby bug or Expression. I also used the markers for the outline. The only piece I had to free-hand was just drawing the line on his ear. Yay Snoopy!!!

I have designed a new line of Rock & Roll Baby cards for the discerning client who likes to walk on the wild side. Let me know what you think!!

There is a fantastic baby store in Arizona called Room 4 Baby. My friend is a co-owner there, and they just so happen to carry some of my baby cards in their store. You can check out their website here: http://www.room4baby.com/

I have just designed a new line of cards for them, and I'm pretty excited about the possibilities. They measure 5 1/2" x 5 1/2". I've just made a couple of girl designs so far, but can't wait to get started on some boy cards, and even a twin version or two. Let me know what you think!