FIVE THINGS - Updates and New Sketches!

Hello friends! Have you been wondering where I've been for the last couple of months? It was like I dropped off the face of the earth! 

If you don't follow the Organized and Creative Mom Facebook Page, you might not know that I had a health scare in mid-March. I’m much better now, and back at work, but I was very ill with a painful bout of what turned out to be Acute Pancreatitis. Although I’ve suffered on and off with various auto-immune issues for several years now, this was the first time it has affected any internal organs. My recovery has been slower than expected, and it has become almost another full-time job to get and stay well, never mind figure out the underlying cause. I may not be making any new YouTube videos for another little while as they take a fair amount of time to plan, film and edit and I am still soooo tired, but during my recuperation I had lots of time to create new sketches and plan out some other fun things that ARE manageable for me!

So, after such a long absence I wanted to highlight FIVE things you should know that have either happened or WILL be happening in the near future!

1 - PLEASE STAY IN TOUCH! Perhaps most importantly I want to invite you to stay in touch with me by subscribing to the blog by email (see sidebar to the left) AND joining the OCM Facebook Page. I suggest the Facebook Page as I tend to post quick updates there that might not get featured in a full blog post. I also have my work featured in other places such as the Creative Scrapbooker Magazine Blog and the Creative Life Scrapbooking Facebook page, and I always share the links to those posts on the OCM Facebook page. It really is the best way to know what is going on!

2 - I WROTE A BOOK! If you haven't clicked on the link above to the OCM Shop, you might have missed that I actually finished and published an e-book called 1-2-3 Scrapbook! 30 Sketches for Fast & Easy Scrapbook Pages. It was ready in early March and I shared it on the Facebook page but wasn't able to get the full blog post published before I fell ill. I've been so pleased with the responses from ladies who have purchased the book and used the sketches and I already have another e-book in the works for release in the fall! (Yes...I had a LOT of time to sketch and plan while lying in bed over the past couple of months!) If you like my 1-2-3 Layouts, you'll definitely want to get a copy of this e-book!

3- I HAVE NEW SKETCHES FOR YOU! I'm happy to finally share the April and May single page sketches with you...better late than never I guess! I wasn't able to create the Sketch-to-Page videos to go with them, but you can download the free printable handouts with the sketches and cutting guides/measurements to help you create these fast and easy layouts!

Here is the April Sketch...

 ...and a sample of using the sketch with Creative Memories Little Lamb Boy Papers and Embellishments. (So SWEET!)

If you love a two page layout, you'll want to see how easy it is to duplicate the sketch to create one!

Next up is the May Sketch...

...and a sample layout using Creative Memories new Sun-Kissed Papers and Embellishments! (So FUN!)

And finally, the double page version of the sketch:

Remember you can get your free printable sketches and cutting guides over in the OCM Shop!

4 - I HEART MY CUSTOMERS! And I have a new Customer Appreciation Program! Because of family time commitments and compounded by my recent health issues, I'm not doing in-person customer events anymore and most of my business will now be online. I loved hosting Crops and Retreats and used to offer my customers Make & Takes and fun little gifts at these events, so I definitely want to make sure that my online customers are happy with their purchases, have the tools and inspiration they need to use them and get a fun little reward so they know how much I appreciate them.

With that in mind, each month from now on I will be rewarding customers who make a purchase from my CM website with a kit that will actually help them use their new products! Each kit will be different and may be based on a specific Creative Memories Collection but will include fun things like layout sketches and instructions, papercrafting project instructions, printables and/or cut files (for use with an electronic die cutting machine) that can be used with ANY papers and embellishments. Once my customers make their online purchases from my CM website, I will email them their kit! I'm currently working on the first kit which will be based on the newSun-Kissed Collection and will be ready in the next week or so. I will definitely be writing a separate blog post about it with all the details as soon as it is ready to go.

***Please note that I will be backdating this for 2018…all my customers who made purchases on my CM website from January 1st of this year will receive this inaugural kit! Going forward, customers who purchase during any given calendar month will then receive that month’s kit.

And for those of you who follow my blog/videos/FB page but live outside of Canada and therefore can’t purchase from my Canadian CM site (or those who purchase in person from their local CM consultant), you will be able to purchase the monthly kits from my shop! And I'm happy to offer them for purchase to my fellow Creative Memories Consultants as an easy way to set up a workshop or as a way to inspire their own customers! Again, watch for the blog post in the next week or so once the package is ready for all the details!

I haven’t forgotten my digital customers either…each month I will be doing a monthly draw for Forever Gift Certificate! Any customer who has made a purchase from my Forever website during the month will be eligible and will be entered in a random draw. The winner will be notified by email and will be able to use their Forever Gift Certificate towards any future Forever purchase on my website!

5 - TEACHING AND LEARNING ONLINE! Now that I have created my first e-book, the teacher in me has been wanting to create and offer an online course. Well, I’ve had lots of time to think about it and plan it out over the last couple of months, and I’m happy to announce that this summer I will be offering  my FIRST online course - a 12 week course full of summer-themed stash-busting fun!

The “Scrap-Your-Stash Summer” online course will run June 21^st– September 21^st. Each week you’ll have access to a new project that will help you use up your stash of scrapbook papers and embellishments! And each week there will be a printable package with supply lists, full-colored sketches and instructions, videos, private Pinterest inspiration boards and a super-secret facebook group where we’ll chat and share our projects! I can’t wait to spend some time with you over the summer!

The course will be priced at $24.00 CA (that’s only $2.00 per week!) and registration will run from June 1^st to June 20^th. Watch for more details to follow!

Whew...a lot has happened in the past couple of months. I can't begin to express my gratitude to those of you who reached out to me to send happy thoughts, messages, prayers and well-wishes. I am beyond blessed to have such wonderful readers and online friends! Thanks for bearing with me as I navigate the balance of my recovery and my new situation.  💓💓💓

Happy Scrapping!