CTMH Claire cards

Cards made with CTMH Claire paper packet

The Claire Collection from Close To My Heart is so feminine and pretty, but uses strong colors such as Outdoor Denim and Hollyhock to show off the more delicate and dainty Blush and Cashmere.  When I spread out the all the papers on my desk to view the colors and patterns, I was immediately inspired to make a coordinating set of greeting cards.  My eye went right to the flowers featured on one of the sheets of B&T (Background & Texture) paper and my mind started whirling!  

The rounded petals of the flower made me think of the Just For You stamp set which in turn coordinates with a shape on my Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge and it all fell into place!

I used a 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" card base from the White Value Pack and  then cut out the paper based on Pattern #24 in the Make It From Your Heart Volume 1 book.

Using my paper trimmer made this project easy and quick.  You can do this, too!  Just cut out a 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" rectangle piece for your background.  Next cut a 4" x 2 1/2" rectangle piece to place as your second layer.  For this piece, I used a lighter cardstock so I could stamp a sentiment on it.  Then use a 1/2" x 4 1/4" strip (I used the top zip strip on the B&T paper) to go across as the third layer.  Lastly, cut a 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" square to place just slightly right of center.

I used my Cricut to cut a quick flower shape at 2 1/2" out of a piece of Cashmere cardstock.  I stamped the flower outline and the "A note for you..." sentiment in Outdoor Denim. The petals were stamped using Blush, Sorbet and Outdoor Denim inks.  I glued a button (Outdoor Denim from the Blue Assortment) in the center, tied it with a piece Natural Hemp and finished the embellishing with 4 Opaques Adhesive Gems in Light Tan.

I wanted to do four cards that could be given away as a gift, so I mixed and matched a bit with the background paper to show some variety.  Then I added envelopes and tied them with a pretty piece of Outdoor Denim Chevron Ribbon.  Voila!  A handmade gift for a friend or loved one.

Thanks for letting me share my love of Claire!  I have lots of paper left over, so I'm off to work on a scrapbooking layout next.  I also bought the coordinating Complements Canvas Shapes, so I will be sure to use them on my next project.

CTMH Dream Pop Details

It's official, the Dream Pop paper packet will be the fantastic promotion offered by Close To My Heart to celebrate National Scrapbooking Month in May 2013!  This special edition paper packet includes 12 cardstock sheets along with 12 patterned sheets that were created to celebrate the creativity of scrapbookers everywhere!  Colors such as Banana, Mint, Raspberry, and Tangerine are sure to make your pages "Pop"!

Here are the ways that you can get your creativity juiced up and get this awesome paper packet for yourself in the period of May 1-31, 2013:

1.  Spend $35.00 (excludes shipping and handling) on my shopping website and receive this exclusive paper packet for only $10.00!  Spend $70 and receive two Dream Pop paper packets for $20.00 and so on!

2.  Be a Hostess and get it for FREE!  Either in your home or online with qualifying May Gathering Sales Totals of $400.00 or more.  This is in addition to the other ways you can earn free product by hostessing a gathering!

3.  Become a Consultant and receive it for FREE as part of your New Consultant Kit when you enroll in May. Only a $49.00 investment gets you over $149.00 in product!

The best thing is that this offer is combinable with our already wonderful promotion called the "Stamp of the Month".  When you spend $50.00 on a qualifying order before shipping and handling,  you can purchase the May Stamp of the Month for just $5.00.

In May, if you spend just $50.00 you can get both!!!  Add the Dream Pop paper packet for $10.00 and the Stamp of the Month for $5.00!  That's a retail value of $37.90 for just $15.00! 

Take a look at the May Stamp of the Month, Pinwheel - 

May Stamp of the Month - Pinwheel

This offer is "while supplies last", so don't miss out.  Order early!

CTMH Dream Pop B&T Duos

CTMH Dream Pop Cardstock

CTMH Dream Pop Sneak Peak!!

May is National Scrapbooking Month!  In celebration of this annual event, Close To My Heart
is offering a yet unannounced special promotion that involves this amazing paper packet called "Dream Pop".  See it here first!!  The colors are juicy and rich and from what I've heard  the card stock actually has gloss and texture!  How amazing is that??!! 

Sorry about all the exclamation points, but I'm so excited about this!!

This collection is going to be absolutely perfect for your spring and summer projects.  I see  gorgeous scrapbook layouts of friends and family just jumping off of these papers.  The oranges and pinks would be perfect for sunset photos on the beach.  Can you see them now?  The teals and greens would be an awesome backdrop for pictures of spring flowers and outdoor nature scenery.  

As soon as I hear about the details of the promotion, I will post it here on my blog so you can be sure to take advantage of the special offer.  Stay tuned!

Happy first day of Spring everyone!

UPDATE:  Check out my CTMH Dream Pop Details post for more info!

Stretch Your Crafting Budget with the Cricut Craft Room

For many paper crafters, including myself, the Cricut is an essential tool to own.  However, due to the initial expense of the machine, it's often financially difficult to purchase an assortment of cartridges or images to give variety to scrapbooking or card making projects.

Here's a solution...The Cricut Craft Room!  It is an online tool that allows you to combine images from your existing cartridges in an unlimited amount of new designs.  What a wonderful way to stretch your crafting budget by using what you already have in a new and different way.

Say you want to cut out a large circle from your "Accent Essentials" cartridge, but customize it by cutting out an event date or the initials of your monogram inside using your "Alphalicious" cartridge.  The Cricut Craft Room makes it so easy to do.  You can even link up letters to make words and titles.  No more cutting out each letter individually!  As long as you already own the cartridge or image, the combinations are only limited by your creativity and imagination!

Watch the video below for detailed instructions on how to use this tool to stretch your crafting budget.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVnMQH4R3Jc

Remember, think outside the cartridge box and create something new and fun using what you already own!

CTMH Chantilly Easter Cards

I'm getting a jump start on Easter this year.  It's not going to sneak up on me this time around!  This time I've got my cards ready. This past Saturday, I hosted the Scrapbook, Stamp and Socialize crop here in Jacksonville and in addition to teaching a fun "Create and Take" I was able to make16 Easter cards.  Whoo hoo!  I feel such a great sense of accomplishment about this. 

I used the lovely and spring like Chantilly collection from Close To My Heart.  The pretty pastel colors of Champagne, Twilight, Buttercup and Cotton Candy are absolutely perfect for Easter.  I wanted my cards to be playful and cute, so I used the adorable stamp called Easter Wishes to create the the front of the card. The egg stamp perfectly matches a shape on the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge! 

CTMH Easter Wishes (B1422)

Here are supplies that I used:

CTMH Chantilly and Easter Wishes

For inspiration, I consulted my trusty copy of the "Make It From Your Heart" publication; an amazing book of beautiful scrapbook and card patterns from Close To My Heart Founder and CEO, Jeanette Lynton.  I choose card pattern #25 on page 45 as a starting point.  

Here's how I made my card:

5 1/4" x 4" piece of patterned B&T Duos paper 
4 1/4" x 3" piece of coordinating cardstock
3 1/2" x 2 1/4" piece of white cardstock
1 3/4' egg from white cardstock 

I stamped the egg stamp on the egg shape plus the sentiment "It's what's inside that counts" in Blush ink.  The chicks emerging from their shell was stamped in Champagne ink.  I colored the chicks using my Watercolor Pencils and softened the color a bit using my Blending Pen.  I also used the Champagne to ink around the edges of the patterned paper and the colored cardstock for some dimension.  Lastly, I added two Pink Glitter Gems for some sparkle.

I adhered the layers together, largest to smallest, and added the egg using 3-D Foam Tape to make it pop up. Then I mounted it to a 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" white card base.

Ta-da!  The finished product:

CTMH Chantilly Easter Card

Budweiser Clydesdales

The Budweiser Clydesdales visit Jacksonville

Look at this gorgeous animal!  Today I was amazed by the size and beauty of the famous Budweiser Clydesdale Horses.  The 8 giant horses along with their beer wagon, team drivers, dalmatian and entourage made a stop today at the Budweiser plant here in Jacksonville.  They were unloaded from a fleet of semi-truck trailers that are custom made to transport them on their cross-country tours.  From what I understand, two trucks carry the horses and a third carries the beer wagon.  

Once they emerged from the trailers they were all put into their harnesses.  I'm not very knowledgable about what other things were strapped onto them, i.e. bridles, bits, etc. but I can tell you that the horses were so well trained that when the handler walked up to them to start the process, they bowed their heads so that all of the equipment could be slipped right on.  It was so fun to watch the whole process and see how gentle the horses are and well they were treated.

After they were hooked up to their "hitch", they clip clopped through the parking lot giving plenty of opportunities for visitors to take photos.  As they passed by, I was so awestruck by their size.  I've never seen a full grown Clydesdale in person before today.  It was very cool!  

Here they come!

Look at how beautiful they are!  I'm so glad that I got the opportunity to see them in person.  

I was tickled to find out that the beer wagon that they pull actually has beer in it!  So even though it was barely 50 degrees outside with a brisk north wind, my husband and I shared a Bud!  We are not ones to miss out on an opportunity for a free beer.

Every year, I faithfully watch the SuperBowl not for the game, but for the Clydesdale commercials.  This years offering with the baby Clydesdale touched my heart so much that when I heard they would be coming to my hometown, I just had to go.  If you ever have an opportunity to see these spectacular creatures in person, please go.  You won't be disappointed.

There they go!

CTMH Buzz and Bumble Post It Note Holder

Hello everyone!  I'm sorry it has been a few days since my last post.  I've started a "real" job and it has been a bit of an adjustment for me.  But, don't worry - my favorite job will always be   sharing my love of paper crafting with others!

After work tonight, my wonderful husband suggested that I relax by playing with paper!  He didn't need to say it twice - it was just what I needed to clear my mind and stop thinking about   whether or not I was doing well in training for the new job.  So, I got out my Close To My Heart Buzz and Bumble Workshops On The Go kit and started creating.  I wanted to make something quick and easy with a high instant gratification factor so I decided to make a Post It note holder using shapes cut out with my Cricut from the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge.

I have to admit, I think that it came out incredibly cute!  What do you think?  Take a look!

Buzz and Bumble Post It Note Holder

CTMH Buzz and Bumble

Here's how I made it:

Using your Close To My Heart Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge cut the following shapes...

One 3 1/2" Card in the <Square 2> (page 33) using Cocoa cardstock
One 3" <Square 1> (page 23) using B&T Duos patterned paper
One 2 1/2" <Square 1> (page 23) using Sunset cardstock

Using the coordinating stamp set from the kit, stamp flowers in Goldrush ink, shade using Chocolate, Honey and Autumn Terracotta Watercolor Pencils; then blend with a Blending Pen to create depth.  Then I cut out the flower shapes using an exacto knife.  Micro-tip scissors would also work well for this task.

Score 1/4" in from each side of the center line of the card shape and fold.  Layer the remaining pieces and embellish!

I sanded and inked (Goldrush) the edges of the patterned paper and the Sunset cardstock. 

I added a wooden bee shape from the Buzz and Bumble Assortment, two Antiquated Copper Brads, and put sparkles in the center of the small flowers from the Sparkles Brown & Tan Assortment.  I used 3-D Foam Tape under the small flowers to make them pop!  I also tied a bit of White Hemp around the top for a little something extra.

I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed making it.  Remember, you don't need hours of time to turn something ordinary into spectacular...just take a little time to "Create with Care"!

Looking for a deal?  Check out the "While Supplies Last" page on my website for great prices on limited quantity items.