Snowy Tree Christmas Card

Here's a Christmas card I made the other day when I was playing around with another idea I saw on ... you guessed it, Pinterest! My brain is overloaded by fabulous, creative cards and Christmas decorations, and low-fat recipes and simple elegant bedrooms and skinny jeans with scrunched boots and funny sayings . . . and, oh my, what a black hole I can fall into when I start looking at Pinterest.

So recently, I saw this lovely card that was posted by Oma. I think you'll be able to see it by clicking on this link: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/266275396691889965/.

 

 

I fell in love with it and decided to try to re-create the feel of it, but with a pine tree. This is the result.

 

 

It's kind of hard to tell how sparkly it is, but I drew "snow lines" on the ground with a thin glue pen, then sprinkled them with Close To My Heart Prisma glitter. Then I made some dots of glue on the tree and sprinkled them with glitter too.  I made the blowing snow with Bitty Sparkles and added some of them to the tree too. The tree is from the Always Grateful (C1559) stamp set -- which also makes a great Thanksgiving stamp set as it has these sentiments: "Today I am thankful", "always grateful", and my favorite, "Gratitude turns what we have into enough".  The "Peace and Joy" stamp comes from the Frosted Cardmaking Workshop on the Go Kit (G1063).

 

If you see something you have to have, place an order with me by Friday, October 25,2013 at midnight and mention this post and I'll pay the shipping. Woot! Woot!



October Stamp of the Month, Scandinavian Wishes

Here are a couple of cards I made with the our Stamp of the Month, Scandinavian Wishes. This is a beautiful stamp set and many of the shapes can be cut out on the Cricut, using the CTMH exclusive Art Philosophy cartridge. Remember, you can get this stamp set for just $5.00 when you make a CTMH order of $50.00 or more during October. Check out the shopping link on the right side of this page.

Here are my cards. They are two variations of the same sketch, just changing up the colors and sentiment.

 

 

 

Let me know what you think.

 

Snowman Cards for Soroptimist's Unique Boutique

I had a table at the Citrus Heights Soroptimist's Unique Boutique this afternoon. My pal Sarah helped me out -- she kept me nourished with bits of Starbucks' pastry and Pampered Chef crackers, helped me put my cards together and was great company. We had a good time talking to new people and showing off the new Close To My Heart papers, card kits, etc.

I designed these cards so I could demonstrate our wonderful stamps and alcohol markers. Also, I finally made a project that uses washi tape! It was so much fun. Many, many thanks to Vicki Wizniuk who posted a lovely set of cards on Pinterest so I could steal her idea and quickly adapt it to the stamps I wanted to use. Your cards are so beautiful, Vicki!

 

 

This card uses the Close To My Heart stamp Flakey Friends (C1506). The background paper is from the Frosted paper pack and the cardstock colors are Juniper and Crystal Blue. Oh, the little star/snowflake is from one of the Frosted Workshops on the Go.

 

I've been neglecting my blog again, so I've set myself a challenge to post every day this week. Check in and see how I'm doing!

 

Bring Home Jason Kyles

My friend, Rebecca Kyles is looking for her husband. He left home on February 2, 2013 and has been missing since then. Jason Kyles has mental illness and it's likely that he's disoriented and frightened. Rebecca has been inspirational in her commitment to finding Jason. She has spent countless hours searching, encouraging volunteers, and making his plight known. There have been a number of promising sightings in Santa Rosa, but he is still missing. Now friends of Rebecca's have set up a donor site with the purpose of raising enough money to hire a professional tracker and establish a reward fund.

 
Kristian and I have made a donation to the fund, but I would like to do more. The donor site will expire on July 31, 2013, so I am donating all my commissions from any Close To My Heart orders from now through July 31 to the Bring Jason Kyles Home fund raiser.

If you'd like to check out the donor site yourself, here's a link: https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/flh2/bring-jason-kyles-home-?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=fb_share_stream.share&utm_campaign=dashboard_overview_T1&fb_ref=1144195


If you'd like to get something between now and July 31, it's a great time to order. This is the last month to order from the CTMH 2013 Spring Summer Catalog. Get those retiring products before they're gone! Just email an order to me, or use the online shopping (click on the Shopping Cart in the right-hand column.)

There are also some specials:

Let’s Get Patriotic!

June–July 2013 Constant Campaign

Celebrate military service and promote patriotism with our new patriotic stamp sets—available only from June 1 to July 31, 2013. Three dollars from each B-size My Acrylix^® Courage stamp set and $5 from each D-size My Acrylix^® Home of the Brave stamp set will be donated to the USO, the leading, most recognized military-support and services organization in the country. Show your support with your own patriotic stamp set!

Dates: Offer valid June 1–July 31, 2013.

 
Work the Workshop
July 2013 Constant Campaign
Get the discounted Workshops on the Go^® canvas art kit in July—no qualifying purchase required! From July 1 to July 31 you can get this trendy kit to create your own canvas art to hang in your home, regularly priced at $39.95, now discounted to $19.95—more than 50% off! Take papercrafting to the next level with this adorable home décor piece that you can display for all to see.
Dates: Offer valid July 1–July 31, 2013.

 

Sweet Life
SET OF 9
Available July 1-31, 2013
Get the Stamp of the Month set for just $5 (S1307A) when you place an order of $50 or more.

 

 

 

Let's put our prayers, good thoughts, and psychic energy together to support Rebecca and Jason and hope that they're brought together again soon

Thanks for your consideration.

 

We had such a great time at our 2nd Wednesday Club last night. These are the Patriotic Stars we made using the Close To My Heart My Creations Star and various red, white and blue papers, ribbons, and embellishments.

We used a few tricks and tools to make this easier.

• Close To My Heart has published a template to cut the striped pieces to cover the star. (Find it under Ideas & Inspiration on www.closetomyheart.com .)
• The blue star, the banner, and the letters were cut on the Cricut with the Art Philosophy cartridge.
• The rosette was cut on my Big Shot with a Tim Holtz die.

These stars are really fun to make and lend themselves to all kinds of occasions. Try one when you get a chance!

Something special for you ...and you ... And you...

Hello stamping and scrapping friends!

I've got a couple of things to tell you about -- a special end-of-the-month offer AND the announcement of the next ScrapHappy meeting at the Belle Cooledge Library.

Well, it is almost the end of April and I'm going to throw in a little special of my own to finish up the month. My iPad camera isn't working right, so you'll have to pull out your CTMH catalog, or click on the shopping icon here on my blog.

Here's your chance to try out a new CTMH product FREE.  If you purchase the stamp set For a Friend (D1542, page 99) between now and 8 pm on Tuesday, April 30, I will throw in the Muslin Drawstring Gift Bags (Z1822, pictured just above the stamp set) FREE.

There's even an online video showing you how to make a cute project with this stamp set and the bags.

Send me an email with your order and I'll take care of the rest.

SCRAPHAPPY

Come to the Belle Cooledge Library on Friday, May 10 to make swing cards from the exclusive, CTMH Artiste Cricut cartridge. See my earlier posting on Sunday, March 24 for pictures. (Papers may vary.)

ScrapHappy will start at 6:00. Please RSVP so I will have enough kits on hand.

April Events and CTMH Specials

Events:

My partners (Anne and Sally) and I are still working on perfecting our schedule of events, so you’ll notice some more changes this month. We’re going to continue our Second Wednesday project club and we will also offer Card Class every month. Instead of having Scrapbooking 101 every month, we’re going to work some scrapbooking projects into Second Wednesday and schedule some special scrapbooking events throughout the year.

We will continue to offer a variety of projects. We do the up-front work by cutting paper and putting together kits, and we’ll be there to guide you every step of the way. Typically, you’ll just need basic tools and adhesive and we’ll provide the rest. Choose the event that fits your interests and schedule – or try them all! We usually fill all our available spots, so please RSVP early --- we want to have plenty of kits and supplies on hand. Also, we have events at two different Round Table Pizzas, so carefully note the location. Here are the events planned for April.

Second Wednesday

For Always Mini-Album. Sally has designed a mini-album using one of our beautiful new papers, For Always. The classic black and white patterns really pop when you add spots of color. Isn’t it beautiful?

  

• When: Wednesday, April 10, from 7:00 – 9:00
• Where: Round Table Pizza, 9500-1 Greenback Ln, Folsom (In the shopping center with Ace Hardware and Big Lots, near the junction of Madison and Greenback)
• Cost: $15

Class size is limited. Please RSVP right away.

Card Class

4 New Cards. By popular demand, we are offering card class every month. I am the designer this month. As you can see, we're offering an eclectic mix this month. Don't you just love the chicken card? It was inspired by a card I found on Pinterest -- I couldn't wait to try it. Just to add a little fun, if you can think of a cute chicken-y saying to put inside, add it to the comments below and I'll send a prize for the one I like best!

This is a very popular class and we may have to cap the size, so be sure to RSVP as soon as possible.

• When: Wednesday, April 17, from 7:00 – 9:00
• Where: Round Table Pizza, 8822 Madison Ave, Fair Oaks (In the Raleys shopping center at the corner of Madison and Hazel)
• Cost: $9

Please RSVP by April 12.

Second Annual Birthday Card Workshop

This event was very popular last year and we already have several signups, so it will probably sell out quickly. Sally, Anne and Terri are presenting the class. They are all great teachers and will have two great card designs to share.  You’ll finish the class with six completed cards.

• When: Saturday, April 27, noon to 4 pm
• Where: Rancho Cordova (directions will be provided when you register)
• Cost: $15

Space is very limited. RSVP as soon as possible. Payment will be required in advance, by April 17.

Looking Ahead To May:

• Second Wednesday: May 8
• Card Class: May 15

CTMH Special Promotions:

April Stamp of the Month

 

My Sunshine SET OF 8

Available April 1-30, 2013

Get the Stamp of the Month set for just $5 (S1304A) when you place an order of $50 or more.

Sign Up and Celebrate!

Dates: Offer valid April 1–30, 2013

 

 

It's time to sign up as a Close To My Heart Independent Consultant! When you sign up as a Consultant in April, you’ll receive a little something extra for joining the Close To My Heart family—the April, May, June, and July Stamp of the Month stamp sets for free! These D-size stamp sets are great for a new Consultant to create artwork, bring to Gatherings, and show off to everyone. Now that’s a reason to celebrate!

 

The New Consultant Kit has what you need to start your business right, including a huge supply of Close To My Heart products, all for only $49 (shown above). You may add more to your kit by purchasing the expanded Master kit, which includes everything in the $49 plus more tools, products, Studio J® layouts and the like for only $99. Whether you love creativity, community, business, or all three, you are welcome here! Join us and discover all the wonderful rewards of being a Close To My Heart Independent Consultant.

The New Consultant Kit is a great value, but when you add the four free stamp sets, it’s absolutely amazing. Check out this math:

 

New Consultant Kit (retail value $155) + 4 Stamps of the Month (retail value $64) = $219

Your cost is $49. It’s like getting $160 in new products FREE!

And that’s just the beginning of the fun. Wait ‘till I tell you about Convention and Album Retreat and the Training Academy and everything else. Contact me for all the details.

*No additional shipping/handling or tax will be applied for the free stamp sets. Only new Consultants who sign up during the month of April will qualify for the free stamp sets. Offer valid April 1–30, 2013.

**Items shown represent contents of New Consultant Kits ordered between January 1, 2013 and June 30, 2013. Contents are subject to change without notice, and change regularly based on product and collateral availability. Shipping and handling applicable taxes apply.

 

Scrapbooking 101 - Buzz and Bumble Pages Preview

Here's a preview of the pages we'll be making this week at Scrapbooking 101. They're made with the new Buzz and Bumble paper -- I love those BEES!

There's still time to sign up for Scrapbooking 101, which will be held this Wednesday, March 27 in Sacramento. Just send me an email or leave a comment and I'll give you the details of location and price.  These are such fun pages to make -- Hope to see you on Wednesday!

Swing Cards

Check out these cool swing cards we made at Cricut Club this weekend. The CTMH Artiste cartridge for the Cricut does all the tricky cuts, so they are super easy.

 



I'll be offering a class to make some of these cards --- plus some new ones -- on Friday, May 10 at the Belle Cooledge Library.  Send me a message or leave a comment if you'd like more information.

My Own Special March Special

Hello friends,

A couple of things came together to inspire these cards. Early last year, two or three people mentioned to me that they would like to make some sympathy cards. It's the sort of thing you just want to have on hand when you need it, but somehow I never did design any for our card clubs.

 

Then late last year my mother passed away and I received  so many sympathy cards. I was surprised how much comfort they brought me, and how much they still bring.

 

So that's how I came to design a set of sympathy cards. As luck would have it, Close To My Heart released a lovely set of stamps last fall, Words of Comfort (C1524 $13.95).

I thought it was pretty cool, so I decided to encourage people to get it by offering my own special. Order this stamp set from me and I will also send you kits for the four cards shown in this posting. You can make yours just like mine, or you can mix up the sentiments, or you can mix up all the pieces and turn them sideways and run them through your crimper (you know who I'm talking to!)

You may use the shopping link on this page or email your order to me between now and the end of March 2013. Oh, and if you already ordered this stamp set from me, I will not penalize you for being an early adopter. Send me an email and I will send you the kits. I do have to add one more condition - I'm only allowed to sell within the USA, so I will only be mailing kits within the USA.

Wow, I'm excited! I have been trying to get this organized for a month and now here it is actually happening. Let's see how it goes!

Have fun and peace out.

Beaten by Technology Again!

Argh! I have spent a bit of time today working on my blog. I added a new post and then thought I would try tweaking the site a bit. Well, I really shouldn't be cut loose without a chaperone. I kind of messed up the overall look and had to rebuild as best I could. I did manage to add some new gadgets that may be useful, but I've somehow managed to mess up the date/time on some of my old postings. Now my newest postings are not on the home page. Ack! Well, if you're interested in what's new, please check out CTMH March Campaigns. You can find it on the Blog Archives list. Thanks!

S101 - Summertime Pages for May 16, 2012

Hello friends and Happy Mother's Day . . .

. . . or is it Mothers' Day? I wonder but never remember to look it up.  Maybe someone will post a comment with the real answer.

I had a lovely day today -- Kristian gave me a great Walt Kelly/Pogo book, then we went to brunch at my brother & sister-in-law's house with lots of family and friends, and fantastic food -- followed by a nap, a phone call from Joey, and just enough scrapping to finish these pages.

We'll be making these pages on Wednesday evening at Round Table Pizza (on Madison at Hazel), 7:00 - 9:30. Please RSVP so I can make enough kits.

The pages are made with our Dotty For You paper pack -- the Close To My Heart special celebrating National Scrapbooking Month.  You can get the entire pack -- 24 sheets (2 each of 12 patterns) for just $5 when you make a $35 order.  This special ends on May 31.

All the Dotty for You paper has dots on one side and a pattern on the reverse. You can mix and match them to show only dots or lots of patterns  -- your choice.  The large center/right section is random stamped.

Here are a few detail shots:

All the cut-out pieces were done on the Cricut using the Art Philosophy cartridge.

I hope to see you on Wednesday. Happy Scrappin!

Clemantine Fall Card Set

Here's a fun project we made at one of our Second Wednesday clubs. All the supplies are from Close To My Heart. The cards are made with the Clemantine paper pack (X7156B), Bohemian Assortment embellishments (Z1687), Color-Ready Seam Binding Ribbon (Z1732), and Mocha Opaques (Z1333). The cute little "magazine holder" box is made on the Cricut using the Artiste cartridge (Z1790 - available only from CTMH.)

 



The stamps used were Fall Harvest (C1504), Fall Favorites (S1209 - September Stamp of the Month) and 4 My Friend (D1510).

Our Second Wednesday club is open to anyone who signs up in advance for the projects. My friends Sally Atlas, Anne Robertson and I started the club because we have so many friends who wanted to make home decor items, mini albums, gifts and more cards. We typically make cards every other month and some kind of 3-D project on the other months. We won't be meeting in December, but we'll start up again in January. Drop me an email if you're interested in being added to the monthly announcement.

CTMH March Campaigns

We have some terrific CTMH campaigns in March. Thanks to the popularity of Studio J, the special pricing offered in February has been extended to March 15. At only $5 per layout, this is a great time to try Studio J, or to add several layouts if you're already an enthusiast. Just click on the Studio J logo (on the left side of this web page) to get started.

Our other campaign, Jump for Joy! will give you one more reason to party. Host a gathering in March and when your total reaches $250 or more, you'll "jump" to the next higher hostess level. That means more free product and more discounts.

We also have a beautiful Stamp of the Month in March. It's custom made for base and shade stamping (made easy because the stamps and the blocks are CLEAR), and includes several lovely sentiments suitable for scrapbooking or a special card.

Check out the details below:

Digital Delights!

Studio J^®layouts are only $5* through March 15!

 

 

February and March are sure to be months of digital delights because you can purchase any Studio J^® layout for only $5*—that’s a savings of $1.95 per layout! This is a great opportunity to try Studio J for the first time. Create adorable baby layouts with the Wishes and Fishes kit (shown), or use the new Express Collections with collections of 10 ready-made layouts plus a front and back cover that are easy to use and professionally designed. Preserve your memories at a low price for a truly digital delight!

*Shipping/handling applies. Studio J credits must be redeemed before this promotion can be applied. Offer valid February 1–March 15, 2013.

 

Jump for Joy!

More rewards for hostesses in March!

 

Now is a great time to schedule a party. During the month of March, hostesses “jump” to the next level of Hostess Rewards when a Gathering reaches $250 or more! More discounts and more free products for hostesses. Now that’s a reason to jump for joy!

*Shipping/handling and tax may apply. Only Gatherings with a total of $250 or more will qualify for the jump in Hostess Rewards or Hostess Rewards Plus! Qualifying hostesses will receive Hostess Rewards from one level only—the level that is one higher than their sales total. Offer valid March 1–31, 2013.

 

March Stamp of the Month

 

 

 

Floral Happiness SET OF 16.  Available March 1-31, 2013

 

Get the Stamp of the Month set for just $5 (S1303A) when you place an order of $50 or more.

Memories of Stampin' Memories

I am still trying to catch up on my sleep after a great weekend with my stampin' and scrappin' buddies at Stampin' Memories. Four times a year we occupy the Bradley House in Folsom and lose ourselves in a frenzy of stamping, glueing, die-cutting, texturing, embellishing and just about anything else you can think up to do with pretty paper and photos. Oh, and then there are the breakfasts (indescribably beautiful and delish), homemade cookies and cupcakes in the afternoon, and a bit of wine tasting in the evenings. We share ideas, celebrate completed projects, and win fabulous prizes. We tell hilarious stories about our friends and families --- and our own foibles. We laugh a lot and stay up much too late. It's fantastic. Can you tell I love it?

 

Amazingly, amongst all the fun, I even got a few little projects done.

 

Here's a scrapbook layout showing pictures of a dinner party at Joe's Crab Shack with Kristian's workmates.

 

 

 

I won this great 7 Gypsies Mouse Trap Memo Board in the White Elephant exchange and spent most of Saturday, turning it into a cute reminder board using our new Buzz and Bumble paper.

 

 



Another layout - this one has pictures from our first trip up to visit Joey after he started his job at Sugar Bowl. I made my own background paper with random stamping.

 

 

 

Finally, here are a few cards and a photo cube I made. The paisley card uses the triple stamping technique that's so popular now. The butterfly cards were made with a Martha Stewart punch and a Cuttlebug texture plate (very easy).  Of course the photo cube is all about Joey.

 

 

More to come!







January Cards

I'll try to put together a real posting later this week, but I wanted to quickly post the cards I designed for our Scrapbook 101 a couple of weeks ago. The paisley card was made using the Triple Stamping technique, and the Valentine is made 3-D with Cricut-ed hearts.

 

The Triple Stamp technique is very easy. I found a U-Tube video on Pinterest with step-by-step instructions. Unfortunately, I guess I didn't pin it to one of my boards because I can't find it now. However, if you go into Pinterest and search for Triple Stamp, you'll see so many incredible samples, and I'm sure the directions are posted there too.