My 5 Goals after the 2010 Close to My Heart Convention

Wow!! One word can't really begin to capture how much fun and creative genius that I was exposed to at the Close to My Heart Convention this year!

The theme this year was "Picture This". For me, this really hit home. While at convention, I began to look at my artwork, pictures and business in a whole new light. I decided that I had to come home and change a few things. I am giving myself 5 goals to shoot for this upcoming year.

So, first things first... I am resolving to keep up this blog. I will be adding artwork, family stories, papercrafting techniques and many other ramblings along the way. I think this will be a great way for you to get to know me a little better, and for me to share things that I learn along the way. I hope you are able to find some inspiration and motivation when you visit this blog.

Next, I have resolved to stay current with papercrafting trends. NOW in my defense, let me say, I try to stay pretty current with learning new techniques. However, I realized that there were sooo many things that I could add to my artwork that are current and fresh.... banners, paper ribbon folds and paper flowers just to name a few. This is a picture of a card that was on display at convention. It was created by Tracey Mason. Isn't it FABULOUS!! She is an amazing artist. Ohhh... what I would give to have a dropper full of her creativity.

The third thing that I will be doing now that I am home from convention is to take advantage of all of the training academy classes that Close to My Heart has to offer. I will be working through a Bachelors, Masters and eventually PHD in papercrafting. Now, I just hope that my kids get the memo and allow me a little time to do this :)

Fourth goal is to produce more!! I have all of these ideas swirling in my head. However, I need to get the picture to the page, card, altered item, etc. So, I will be working to catch up on more pages, cards, etc. I am looking to Studio J to help me with this. When Close to My Heart first introduced digital scrapbooking, I thought, NAH! Not for me. However, I must tell you. I think they have brought me to the dark side a little. Don't, don't move, don't cover your ears... listen to me. I am still a classic scrapbooker at heart and always will be. I love the feel of the paper and stamps in my hands. I like the smell of the My Acrylix stamps and getting inky! However, let's be honest... how many of us could stand to get caught up a little more? AM I right? OF COURSE! So, I will be using Studio J to help me catch up on all of those layouts that I can't seem to get to while I am busy classically scrapbooking the others!

The final thing that I will be doing is investing more time and effort into my business. I am looking to do more craft shows, kits of the month specials, fun technique workshops, etc. I am just sooo excited about all of the things that I learned at Convention, and I am ready to share the WOW! factor with someone else. I want you to learn all of the great things that I learned during my time in DC!! So, I hope you stop back by again. I promise, there will be sooo much more to see!