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This is a great picture of how I feel this morning. I have a list a mile long and I know when the rest of the house wakes up, the time to accomplish what I want to do will be cut in half. Do you ever feel like that?  I know part of it is the time of year, but sadly, most of the stuff on my list isn’t Christmas related, not directly.

I would like to be able to post some relative content that will feed your creative side, provide answers to your questions and offer you some video to make things a bit simplier to do but I need your help.  What are you struggling with? Is it time to do your projects? a place to make them? Perhaps you need a layout to kickstart your mojo.  I want to be there to help however it would be more productive if I knew what everyone wanted to know or what they needed.

Your assignment for today is to leave a comment below and tell me how I can help you achieve what you desire. Do you have a question that needs answering? A technique you want to learn, or need a video on just how to do it?  Leave me a comment below so I can make sure to answer your questions and make this blog more relevant to your needs.

Now I better get started on my list, Have a wonderfully creative day!!

Creatively, Carol

I keeping with our Sangria Theme this month, I wanted to share the layout as it is on Studio J. I also used the left side of this layout in a Facebook post with a darling little girl.   I love how the focal picture on the left  could be an explanation for the pictures on the right side. We have been doing Sangria in our Sketches this month, how are you feeling about the color theme? do you like the layouts?  Have you tried them??

Leave a message and let me know!

I hope your Monday is starting out well.  Last week I showed you the first layout in the Studio J Express Collection of Sangria.  Today I have the 2nd layout for you. Please remember, if you want to do these layouts in Studio J, our digital scrapbook program, you only have 2 months they are available and then they are gone forever.  I love Studio J for ideas, then you can add your own twist to make it your own.

This is such a sweet color set for a family of girls, but what do you think if you have a family of boys?  Leave a comment below and let me know!

Our mailboxes don’t usually come with nice surprises. If you are like me, you set your bills and such up online so you don’t have to deal with them in the mailbox, and let’s face it… it is easier. But wouldn’t it be nice if when we did make the trip to the mailbox there was a beautiful card waiting to be opened with YOUR name on it ! I think we forget about snail mail sometimes, but just think of the smile on that person’s face when they see it. It is time to take back sending cards and making people smile. Every Thursday I will post a card sketch that is pretty easy to put together even if you are a beginner.  I hear you.. “That’s easy for you to say!”. But what if I can guarentee you that you can make a beautiful card?  Would you give it a try?  That is my challenge to all of you. Here is a sketch to start you off with. When your card is completed, send me a copy via text @ 801-597-4896 or e-mail and be entered into the monthly drawing for a Oldie but Goodie Stamp Set.

If you need help in how to get started, let me know. I am happy to create a set of tutorials taking you from the very  beginning!

Start with a piece of cardstock of your choice and cut to 5 1/2 ” x 8 1/2″ and fold it in half.  Next is a rectangle  3″ x 4 1/2″  use a punch for the bottom and go from there. What’s that I hear?  You don’t have any tools to even get this far?  Click on the links and take a look.  Yes, some you can get at a local craft store with a coupon, but will they get online and help you out?   I can always jump on Skype and show you what you need! Call me if you need help!!  801-597-4896

Memory keeping is about celebrating relationships. Whether you do it by just taking the pictures or by scrapbooking you are recording those great memories for your world to see. Family is important, whether it be your immediate family or your extended family. You might not think that recording those every day family moments are important to record but let me tell you a little story about a young man who was fascinated with bees. When he saw a picture of our great grandmother.

Here is a short video about celebrating relationships.

Leave me a comment below and tell me your thoughts on the subject of memory keeping.

It’s Motivational Monday so are you ready for some motivation for your scrapbooks? Today’s sketch is taken from the Studio J files. Do you do any digital scrapbooking?  I know there are a lot of people that don’t have the time to scrapbook all their photos, but still want the ability to display their photos in a nice album. Studio J is just the ticket for those times. It is important to remember that Studio J is a limited time product and will be going away for good. If you have a project you want to do, you will want to get started soon because you only have until April to get things all finished.  If you need to be more hands on, and feel and cut your way to a scrapbook page, studio J can also help with layout planning. Take a created layout like the one I have here and then duplicate it in paper. I will talk more about Studio J later this week, but if you want to check it out a bit, I do have a couple videos you might like to watch

• Step by Step Basics of Studio J
• Studio J  Photo Editing Tool

Now, what you come to Creatively Carol for on a Monday Morning… Motivational Monday Sketch!

I look forward to seeing what you do with this sketch for yourself! Don’t forget to enter for a free stamp set by SEND ME THOSE PAGES! or text them to 801-597-4896. I hope this Motivational Monday scrapbook is a template you can use in your own scrapbook layouts.

I am excited about today’s sketch. and look forward to creating it with you this week. I have always loved the fanned out pattern you often find in quilting. It is interesting that the two crafts often overlap in design.  I will try to do a video on this technique later in the week for those of you who have never done this type of thing before. It is a great use of your scraps too since only a small strip in needed.

Do you know we have a contest each month for a free stamp set? All you need to do is complete the sketch , snap a picture of your finished layout and either text it to 801-597-4896 or e-mail it to Carol@CreativelyCarol.com and you will be entered into the drawing. I draw the last day of the month and will post the winner in my monthly newsletter. So if you are not on my mailing list, you will not know you won!  I will post all the entries here in the blog when I receive them.

Now, you have your scrapbook inspiration for the week. Go and Create!!

School pictures have just come home, First thing to do, in pencil or a photo safe pen like Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen write the full name of the person in the picture. Yes, I realize that YOU know who is in the picture and so does the recipient that receives it, but this is something you do so when people get old, or have memory issues, they can still know who someone is.  I can’t begin to tell you how many photographs of my grandmothers that we have to guess at who someone might be… give your posterity a break, label your pictures. Jumping off the soapbox now…

This layout if perfect for the annual record of your child in the grade they are in. You could choose colors to match their clothes, or use their favorite colors in your background papers.  You have enough room on this layout  from Easy Scrapbook Sketches© to add the child’s name, grade and favorite things about school.  It also might be fun to a matching layout perhaps flipped that you can list their favorites at the end of the year… have they changed?  Maybe a couple of sports pictures or something else that was important to them during the year.   Of course if this is a young man, perhaps the flowers need to be changed for cars or whatever the current rage is…

I wish I had begun something like this when my kids were just starting school, but I know what I am going to do with all the pictures stacked up in the frame on the wall while I can still remember things the kids like.

What about you? Will you give the layout a try?  When you complete the layout, send me a copy of the completed page to either Contests@CreativelyCarol.com or via text to 801-597-4896. I will be giving away a special Stamp of the Month from a time in the past at the end of the month from all the entries.     I look forward to seeing your work!   

Sangria will quench your thirst for color!  The new colors of Eggplant, Pomegranate and Poppy are so full of bold feeling.  I really love them!  I always have mixed feelings when colors are retired and new color is introducted. We fall in love with colors and can’t imagine that the new one being even better but I have learned over the years that having the new colors add more variation to the overall scrapbook.

Take a look at what Sangria has to offer:

Tomorrow I will show you all the accessories that coordinate with Sangria

Did you know that today begins National Stamping Month? You know that Close to my Heart has special stamp sets and artwork to celebrate!  Do you get my newsletter because you would have learned all about it as well as where to see even more beautiful artwork, three projects,a tutorial and a tip or two…So you really want to look to your right and fill in the box that says JOIN MY MAILING LIST! have learned all about it as well as where to see even more beautiful artwork, three projects,a tutorial and a tip or two…So you really want to look to your right and fill in the box that says JOIN MY MAILING LIST! September is National Stamping Month, and this year Close To My Heart has something to help every kind of papercrafter say a big “hello” to life! Available only during the month of September, these exclusive C-size My Acrylix® Hello, Life! stamp sets can be purchased for $13.95 USD each! Or, for an even better deal, you can purchase all three for only $34.95—a savings of $6.90 USD!

Each stamp set is designed to fit with a specific type of papercrafting, whether that’s traditional scrapbooking, cardmaking, or pocket scrapbooking. However, all the stamp sets coordinate with each other and can be used together to create dynamic artwork. These stamp sets also coordinate with shapes from the new Cricut® Artistry collection to help expand your artwork options even further. Remember, these stamp sets are available for one month only, so get your orders in for one stamp set—or all three—before these gorgeous stamps disappear!

Make certain to follow Creatively Carol’s blog, Instagram, and Facebook page for artwork inspiration featuring these lively stamp sets all month long. You can post your own artwork to your social media channels using the hashtag

This week  is a day of lasts…. so I will be doing several posts this week regarding retiring products. First I want to talk about Studio J Digital Scrapbooking. As I discussed earlier in the month, many of the kits currently up on Studio J are going away tomorrow.  Here is a list of kits that have been used the least in the past 12 months.

Blue Ribbon                                 Boom-Di-Ada                           Caboodle                                  Cherry-O                         Daydream                           Elegant Bouquet
Emporium                                    Everlasting                               Floral Tapestry                          Grace                             Hooligans                           Ivy Lane
Life Delights                                 Mischief                                   Moonlight                                  More To Adore               Notebook                             Paper Garden

More To Adore                           Notebook                                   Paper Garden                            Scholastic                        Sweet Home                      Sweet Pea
That’s Amore                              Topstitch                                   Typeset                                    Unforgettable                    Veranda                             Wishes and Fishes Girl

Also, because we will be introducing new, limited edition Express Collections each month, we have determined that the following Express Collections will also be retired September 1:

Getaway                                  Little Man                                   Little Miss                                    School Days                     Sports                              Travels

Year in Review

If you had planned on using any of these kits or collections for a particular project, now is the time to get those projects done!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!

Did you know that every month I give away a FREE STAMP SET?  That’s right, all you have to do is enter one of the sketch contests I have each month to be entered.

On Monday & Thursday I will post sketches, Monday for my scrapbookers and Thursday for my cardmakers. You just need to complete your version on the card or layout and either send it to me via text to 801-597-4896 or via e-mail at Carol@CreativelyCarol.com

I will be posting everything I get and set up a poll so people can vote on the best one on Facebook I will also do a random drawing each month for another prize.  So Here is September’s Stamp Set Prize “Capture the Date S1211”   If you are making calendars for Christmas, this will come in very handy!   So what are you waiting for??? go pick a sketch and get busy so I can give away this stamp set.

Winner will be announced in my newsletter the first Tuesday of Every Month.