Apparently, Julie's bracket from her braces, is sliding across the front of her teeth like a carriage return on an old typewriter. She has an orthodontist appointment this morning, so it's me.

Last week to me seems forever ago. Some of you may have forgot that we are having a drawing today. No worries we haven't forgot.

 Here are the three winners that will each receive two paper crafting kits of their choice:

Donna VW

Avital

April 9:59AM

Email kristen@cosmocricket.com to receive your cool prizes!

I want to thank each of you for all of your great comments about my family. This has been very fun for me. I owe Julie and Eric so much. We tease back and forth but I couldn't ask for better friends, let alone business partners. Eric and Julie if you're reading, Love ya lots!

 To give you an update,Thanksgiving day my wife, kids and I did a video chat with Greg, Lisa, Jen, and the kids. They got to meet my gang and my gang met their's. It was very fun.

This weekend I received emails from every family member including my father and his wife that I have never met. We're going to talk by phone this week. I can't express in words how much they mean to me. These are the very best people and have welcomed with me with open arms. They have gone out of there way to make me a part of their family. I love them!

If you guys want, in the future I'll blog about some of the things that me and my new found family have in common and the numerous coincidence's. I think you will be amazed how much genetics plays in our life.

(You're probably thinking, "Oh no, the world can't handle more than one Lindsay")

I was blown away, really! ( here's a little taste-when I was 18 I lived with my grandparents next door to my sister Jens best friend. I knew the neighbors well and Jen used to come over all of the time but i didn't know any different)

Most of us have some sort of story to tell. Some are funny, some sad, some very personal, some crazy. Thanks for letting me share mine with you and thanks for your support.

Okay, enough about me. Here's a terrific project from someone I refer to as only "falduto." She's amazing! Thanks Lisa for the project and for using Nutmeg!

  Life is complicated, challenging, but not without reward. Have a great day and a great life!

Lindsay

For those of you that are longtime blog followers, you know that I am constantly trying to stay in shape and regain my youthful, pre-four-babies figure.

Well, just in time to completely ruin the holiday season I am at it again. It all started with this post on Facebook.

Well, after a phone call to Thom, we have decided on a company challenge with ourselves as the players. Here are the rules:

Start date: Today

End date: CHA Winter 2010

Trust: We will be honest because being dishonest is worse than being flabby.

Measures: We will use the same scale for every weigh in. We will use the percentage of weight lost. The person losing the highest percentage wins.

Other rules: No fads, or gimmicks. These include by are not limited to cleanses, pills, saunas, etc. Just good, old-fashioned diet and exercise. We want to be healthy!

Winner's Prize: The winner will see their new CHA line used in a layout done by the other and posted on the competitor's blog. (Thom thinks he is getting the better deal because we have a much larger blog following. What I didn't tell him is that I'm not a very good scrapbooker...... wait, maybe he isn't either.) The winner may also see their company shirt worn by the other at their booth at the show. We need approval from Thom's boss before promising this though!

 

Here's what I need from you all....... tons of support! I weigh a bit more than I did at Scrapfest, 5 pounds more to be exact. But, Thom weighs a lot more than me and he's a guy. So, I started a seperate blog, The Julie Diaries, for any who are interested in following all my ups and downs..... hopefully, their all downs! Go there and keep me motivated with helpful tips and encouragement, I'm sure I'll reward you with occassional prizes.

OK, enough of that! I love to get emails from Karola Witczak. I couldn't resist any of the Jolly by Golly project she sent my way. They are all delicious.....

 

 

You remember that guest blog entry that was suppose to be on Creating Keepsakes last Friday? Well, long story short, I won't be guest blogging over there for a week or two now. This means that my Thanksgiving centerpiece idea I video taped will no longer apply. So, I thought I would share it with you here.

I have to say, I am no Lindsay Moore. I am a bit less ADD and a bit more.... well...... Julie Comstock. I hope you still enjoy the clip, and I apologize for the echo-y sound...... I guess we need to invest in a better microphone or something. And, I plan on getting Eric to make title screens for all videos in the future. There is little less flattering than being caught in mid-word.... oh well!!!

Congratulations Jamie Sherman! You were the winner on the Blue Light Bride Contest. Send your address to kristen@cosmocricket.com and she'll send you your prize. Then, check back here tomorrow to see what to do with that Everafter Paper Crafting kit. We are featuring a super cool snowflake project!

Can I tell you I just love my little sister, Becky. Well, it's true that I love all my siblings, but Becky is the most like myself. In fact, once I met her for lunch and without knowing ordered the exact same thing, down to the drink, sides and preparation while wearing the exact same pair of shoes that both of us had independently bought for the occasion.

You may remember Becky as the photographer that taught us how to lose 20 pounds in one photo. You may remember her as the baby sitter of my children.

But, even if you don't remember Becky, you most likely remember her husband Jon............ The Warehouse Guy.

Well, these days, Jon is in a law program at a university that does not allow him to have a job during his studies. So, it's Becky's responsibility to support their little family. Besides her photography business, she has started a blog with her friend Kate that has advertisers and everything. It's called Blue Light Bride and it is simply beautiful! 

You should check it out, not only because it will help her and make me happy, but it is full of gorgeous photography and great low cost wedding ideas.

Besides that, I am offering a Blue Light "Bribe"...... leave a comment over there today and I'll have Becky pick a random winner who'll receive a Nutmeg Paper Crafting kit, Jolly by Golly Paper Crafting kit and Everafter Paper Crafting kit (it is a wedding blog afterall). 

Do you just love this layout? Well, the girls at scrapbook.com do. This is their choice for the October challenge winner.

Debbie Weinhold who created this project has been patiently waiting for the past two weeks for us to get this posted on our blog. She is too nice to complain or ask us to hurry up. She has just been watching and hoping everyday that we would get our act together.

Well, Debbie, we are so sorry for the delay! But, we absolutely adore the layout!!!

...................................................................................................................

You may have also noticed that I was not the guest blogger over at Creating Keepsakes on Friday. This one is totally my fault. I did a blog entry, but I forgot to tell Eric where to email it. I'll be making amends with CK this morning!

...................................................................................................................

While I was in Florida totally letting the Cosmo Cricket world back home fall apart, I did find some great seashells!

These ones are different than the ones I got in July. They are HUGE! My kids have already claimed the biggest and best, but my leftovers aren't too bad. Check it out (I put in one of the July shells so you could see the size difference).

Well, I'm just glad to be back home to the snow covered ground of Providence, Utah. It was complete torture dealing with Florida's cold winter temps of about 70 and gorgeous sandy beaches. They are really missing out over there. Who would prefer walking barefoot on sand over walking on snow in wool socks and boots?

Oh, we did have some business to conduct too, it's not like we were on the beach the WHOLE time...... I promise! In fact, it looks like we'll have some great things going on with HSN this March!

Have a great Monday everyone!

Sorry, the blog is a little late today.  Gym girl got pulled over.....gggggrrrr!  It's my fault. I was speeding.  But, still!  I could have lived without that!

On Monday, I asked any of you who wanted to share your amazing projects with us to send them to me.  (tiffany@cosmocricket.com) Well, you do not disappoint!  Thank you for all the amazing talent you shared.  Keep them coming.  I have a lot of amazing stuff to show, so don't get discouraged if yours is still in my inbox.  I will get it on the idea gallery at www.cosmocricket.com as fast as my little mouse will click them there! 

For now, here are some great projects that I received this week.  First, this Early Bird Layout from Lisa Hidy.  Check out more from her on her blog http://createdbylisa.blogspot.com

Next, an amazing advent calendar (One of my favorite holiday memories from my childhood.  Only this one is kicked up a notch from the premade ones my mom bought at the grocery store!) from Linda Cummings.  Linda doesn't have a blog yet, but she's had some gentle coaxing in that direction.  With talent like hers, I'm sure we'll see more from her!

Here's a great card from Kristine Davidson.  You can find her on her blog kristinedavidson.blogspot.com 

Finally, this is such a creative and fun idea.  I think I may have to try it with my five year old this weekend! This comes your way from Holly Hanks www.hollyscharmedlife.blogspot.com

As for yesterday's giveaway, I'm afraid the winner is going to have to wait to be announced.  Kristen is out of the office today.  She's the one smart enough to work the random number generator.  Hopefully she will be here tomorrow.  Have no fear, gym girl will follow through!  Thank you all for sharing your charities info.  No matter how stressful our lives get (rotten speeding ticket!), it's always great to have a little dose of perspective.  We all have it pretty good, right?
 

Hey there!  It's me, "Gym Girl".  For those of you who said you were jealous when I was lucky enough to take a tour of Cosmo Cricket, hold on to your seats!  I am the luckiest gym girl out there, because now I work for CC!  I am Julie's executive assistant (You never knew gym girls had so much hidden talent, right?!?) 

Julie and Lindsay are out of town this week, so here I am!  Last week we asked what you liked seeing on the blog and everyone had a different opinion as to their favorite.  So, here are some projects, cards, and layouts for inspiration.

Piradee Talvanna created this fabulous layout with Earth Love:

Candice Carpenter taught a mini book class using Jolly By Golly.  See all the fun details at: http://candicecarpenter.typepad.com/photos/holly_jolly_mini_book/index.html

Over the weekend, I was pulling together some of our artwork for a licensing client. This required me to open up some older files........ among them, the border sheet for Earth Love.

Do any of you use InDesign? It's a program I use quite a bit and it has a great feature that I love. On the bottom of your tool bar, there is a button to press that shows what your printed page will look like. When you hit this button, all the guides, grid, bleed, etc is turned off. I took some screen grabs to show you. Here's what it looks like with the button pressed.

When I clicked this feature off, look what I found!

Do you recognize that little tree? Here it is in our Nutmeg papers, just done in different colors.

I decided I liked it better for Nutmeg than Earth Love. So, I told myself that I would use it on the Nutmeg border sheet. Well, I forgot all about it. But now that I remember, I want each of you to have it. I have saved it in both colors so if you prefer Earth Love or Nutmeg or you want both, simply click on the image and then right click to save it.

 

By the way, the poem is from the 1800's and was written by Christina Rossetti. It's among my many favorites that my mom used to tell me when I was little.

Now for the winners from Friday's contest. Congratulations Laura Sexton and Jessica Turner. Send your info to kristen@cosmocricket.com and she'll send you your prize!

If you didn't win, don't worry. There is a fun blog hop going on today too. You should definitely check it out because you could win a great prize featuring Early Bird. Get started here.

Have a fabulous Monday everyone!

PS: Those digital images look so huge because on screen they are 72 DPI, before you print them, you will want to save them to 300 DPI. This will scale them down to the right size or, you can scale the height to 12" and that will get you the right DPI. If you have questions, just ask. ENJOY!

Well, you all have convinced me to keep growing my hair, at least until January. But, I have to say, that if it's not better by CHA, I will most likely chop, chop, chop!

OK, you guys have been so great at sending me your Thrifty Gifties. Today I have some fun stocking stuffer ideas. The first is from Becca Shogren. She has been making these cute belts for her little guy.

You know what I love about this...... well besides that fact that it's using Cosmo Cricket ribbon ;)..... it's something a mom can make for her son. So often all the ideas are for little girls with aprons, headbands, skirts, etc. I love that this is something cute for a boy!

These would be so quick and easy to make. Not only would it make an inexpensive belt and stocking stuffer, but then if Santa guesses the size a little on the big side, you'll be ready!

Our next project is by Debbie Marcinkiewicz. Check it out!

This is one of those, "why didn't I think of that" ideas. It's so simple! You can buy a pack of pens for almost nothing. Then, using the mini deck, for the smaller print, just take the pen out of the plastic shell, roll paper around it and put it back in. Too cute!

I'm not sure if Debbie has attached them to cards, or if these are bookmarks or notepads. Whatever they are, they are delicious! I think I may have to make some for some people I know!

Okay.....I know it's late. I apologize. I forgot, this is Lindsay ( Cosmo Cricket Pinch Hitter) if you couldn't tell.

It has been a hurry hurry Tuesday. Lot's and lots of phone calls. I have no prizes today but promise some later this week. I hope you like todays blog.

I hate to admit this but, I have been accused of being a "Chatty Cathy"). Who me?

Okay, I also have another confession. I love altered projects. I have attempted a few before, but don't have the Knack, which by the way was also a singing group from the 70's and 80's. They had songs like "My Sharona" and "Good girls don't but I do."

Here are a few projects from some that do have the knack. First up, Lori Oliver doing her thing with Nutmeg:
Next few courtesy of our good friend Danni Reid (aka Danni Doodles):

Love the projects and the talent! What great inexpensive gifts ( Julie would be proud of me for promoting Thrifty Gifty).

I hope you like them and by the way check out Mosh Posh Kit club, http://www.mosh-posh.com/

They have a terrific kit for November using "Nutmeg."  I  think you will love it!