Beginning Again

Hey everyone!

First and foremost WELCOME to the new My Thoughts Exactly and THANK YOU for stopping by!! I am SO excited to be starting this new chapter, and I am even more excited that YOU'RE here to come along with me!

I feel like I should start off with a little background for those of you who are stopping by for the first time, and maybe for those of you who missed the last few posts on the old MTE blog and Facebook page. So here goes...

For starters, who the heck am I?

Hello there, my name is Alyssa. My middle name is Leanne, and contrary to what seems to be the norm, I have always loved my middle name, so out in bloggy land (and really anything internet wise) I like to go by Alyssa Leanne. I am 24 years old, I graduated from San Diego State University, I live in sunny San Diego, and I'm currently teaching kindergarten, though in school my focus was in middle school math. I have a 13 year old dog, a 1 year old cat, the most awesome roommate on the planet (and an amazing friend of 15 years), and a boyfriend who pretty much rocks in every way possible. I spend my free time exploring this beautiful city (that I'm so blessed to live in), volunteering for Canine Companions for Independence (a HUGE passion of mine), reading, crocheting, and most of all I love paper crafting. Other important things to note: I LOVE giraffes, teal, and everything Chevron.

If I didn't bore you enough and you want to read more about me, check out my About Me page. You can even see my face there.


What is My Thoughts Exactly and where did it come from?

Ok, now I've bored you with who I am, what is THIS? Well, today My Thoughts Exactly is a BLOG written by yours truly, and used as an avenue to share my crafty creations with you. But since this is not  necessarily a NEW blog, it is more of a RELAUNCH of an old blog, I figure I should give you a little background. Some of you who have been my crafty friends for years now already know all of this, so please bear with me. (It's gunna be a little long...)

Here is the long story made super short (if you can believe it): I started paper crafting in 2009/10 while preparing for my DIY wedding. Needless to say, I fell in LOVE. I found electronic die-cutting and MTC and Trendy Twine and glitter and glue and most importantly I found stamping. I launched the first My Thoughts Exactly blog in April 2011, and I started my own stamp line in July 2011. Before I knew it I was running my blog, a business, and designing for amazing companies like Trendy Twine, Core'dinations, CuttingEdge Magazine, and many more. I had the time of my LIFE running My Thoughts Exactly. Above all I met some AMAZING crafters who were even better friends. In November 2012 my previously (seemingly) supportive and loving husband came home one day and told me he didn't love me, he wanted a divorce, and that I had to leave. And so I did. On that day MTE pretty much shut down, I have since sold (almost) all of the remaining MTE stamps and shut down the original MTE website. The months since the initiation of my divorce have been INSANE. I have had some of the WORST times of my life, and somehow (by the grace of God), I have also had some of the BEST times of my life. I thank God every day because I am simply in awe that in 8 short months I could go from having my entire life ripped out from under me to having a job that I LOVE, living with an amazing friend I've known for over 15 years, and dating one of my best friends from the past 6 years. Even though sometimes it feels like the dust has just barely begun to settle, through it all I noticed something: I still find peace in paper crafting.

So here I am, beginning again.



Now, if you've made it this far, THANK YOU. You ROCK. Seriously.
Bonus stars for listening to my babble.
But let's get to the good stuff yeah?



Now that the past is in the past and My Thoughts Exactly is beginning anew, here is a glimpse of the AWESOME stuff I have planned for you at MTE:

Weekly segments: Make-It Monday, Tip-It Tuesday, Work-It Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, Freebie Friday, and Scrap Box Saturday!

Here are some details for ya:

Hopefully these all sound as FUN to you as they do to me!!

Now to kick off my first Make-It Monday I have a card for YOU! For my wonderful friends and followers, old and new. To you, I say... Thanks for putting up with my crap!

Ok, ok.. I actually made this card for my roommate, and by my crap I meant my dog's crap, this was a thanks for puppy sitting while I was away card :P But it felt perfect for this first post, because you guys ROCK for sticking with me through all the ups and downs over the past few years.

I am in LOVE with this hilariously witty stamp set from Unity Stamp Co, Ah Crap! I used this masking technique and stamped the toilet 5 times to create the rainbow effect, plus I stamped one extra which I fussy cut and popped up to add dimension. Then I wrapped the layer with matching Trendy Twine and added my stamp. BAM. Clean and simple.




Annnnnnnd, if you've made it THIS far, then I have CANDY for you, because I love you SO much!! Ok, it's not real candy... But I know you'll like it anyway...

I couldn't have a relaunch without a CELEBRATION could I? No, I don't think so. So in celebration of the NEW My Thoughts Exactly and my new beginning in blog land, I am having a HUGE giveaway!! Check it out:

You want some of that delicious candy, yes?
Enter below:



I just want to say THANK YOU again for stopping by. And a BIG, HUGE THANK YOU to those of you who hung in there and actually read all of my babble.

I would LOVE it if you would leave me a comment and tell me about YOU. Can we be friends? Please?
(Don't forget to leave your blog address if you have one)

Also, if you have any questions about MTE or even me personally, please feel free to ask away in the comments!


Big bloggy hugs <3