The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

Some say the "most wonderful time of the year" is the holiday season. But I think that's only because they haven't been to a Close To My Heart Convention yet! I have several favorite moments of our annual Convention, and one of them without a doubt is when the ballroom doors are opened for our kickoff general session. The energy floods into the room right along with the cheering, sprinting teams of Consultants.Every single year, I peek out from behind the curtains backstage to watch. It gets my blood pumping and my heart beating with excitement!

  

I also feel a profound sense of gratitude watching that special moment. I LOVE Consultants—you ARE my extended family! Watching your enthusiasm and feeling your anticipation for the show we've worked so hard to bring you—well, it is very humbling. I am so happy and honored that each of you chose to take time away from your families and jobs and busy lives to join us in Dallas. I know it takes a lot of planning and effort, and in many cases, sacrifice. Each year, when I peek out from behind that curtain, I am awed by your spirit and strengthened by your passion. How I love it! Thank you, thank you!

This year's show asked the question "Who shot JR?" (played by yours truly—and yes, my initials really are JR!) The real mystery was in all the fun product reveals shared by our Divas of Hazzard, Craftits of Beverly Hills, and of course, The Real Crafters of Dallas. I absolutely loved this video! Of all the videos throughout all the years, the "Real Crafters" video was unbridled hilarity. I literally had tears in my eyes watching it on the monitors. I know that Kristine and Monica were a little worried they had gone "over the top" with this one—I told them not to worry. YES, they went over the top, but it was perfect, especially the smeary makeup and cat fights. And don't worry, despite what you saw in the video, Kristine and Monica really are great friends—they're just even better actresses. Best Convention video yet—and yes, I'm very excited about the new home décor Workshops on the Go featured in the video. Hopefully, you weren't too busy laughing to hone in on those—they are great! 

I'm also so excited for our new line of organizers. If you attended Kristine's class later in the day, then you know the small and medium-size products are the first of more great organizational items to come! This product definitely warranted some cheers and shouts from our own Close To My Heart cheerleaders during a brief break away from that ever-suspicious sheriff, Brian. And wasn't he the surprise of the morning, too? Imagine it: IT nerd turned center stage performer! I know the role took Brian well out of his comfort zone and his Smart car, and I thank him for giving his all for the company, right down to the southern drawl! You guys were all fantastic!

I can't even begin to try to summarize all the exciting new products released in that hectic session—pigment inks, alcohol markers, and home décor items are among my favorites. But the hands-down favorite of mine is our new Artiste Cricut collection. As I've worked to design the shapes and direct the projects that can be made using the "themed keys,"I am blown away! There are so many incredible parties just waiting to be created at the touch of a button with this new cartridge—gift boxes, invitations, favors, cupcake liners, and all with easy assembly instructions. I'm also a huge fan of the awesome borders and dimensional cards on this cartridge. I loved the fantastic artwork and ingenuity that came from Extravaganza using Artiste and I hope to see many more of your beautiful creations online—hmm, that gets me thinking. Maybe I need to do some blogging on the great shapes and unique projects you can create using Artiste. More details to come!