Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Bears, Pine Trees, and Ground Squirrels!

I know it's a silly title, but I just returned from my retreat to Big Bear Lake in Southern California and oh, what a retreat it was. We stamped and snacked and rooted for our favorite team during the World Series (mine was, of course, the Giants!). We had a blast and we were all so sad when it ended.

When I got home from Big Bear, I unpacked my bags and admired all the cute things I made. Here are a few of the things I created. So much fun!

This cute card looks like a box when it's opened, but it folds flat and when the receiver opens it . . . poof! Cute pop up snow man! One of the other retreaters showed us how to make it and I'm so inspired. I think it would be a blast to make these for Valentine's Day or a great birthday card with flowers or maybe that cute bird set I love so much . . . anyway, I'm inspired!

This adorable banner was created with the cards from Picture My Life Pear and Partridge set, which can now be ordered without the page protectors and 12 x12 page. The really cool thing about these little cards is you can use them for more than scrapbooking! We saw all kinds of cards made with the Picture My Life cards as the focal point! The new price for the Picture My Life cards is only $8.95. What a deal!





These are a few of the cards that Sue L. made with the other cards in the set. So easy, so inexpensive. Tons of fun!

I know I could just keep posting and posting about all the fun stuff we made . . . but I'll spare you having to look through too much or your brain will be full like mine! :-)

More to come . . . .
I'm saving up for another retreat!



Saturday, October 4, 2014

Ribbon!

It's ribbon month! Don't miss out, quantities are limited:

During the month of October, with each qualifying purchase of $50 you are eligible to receive—as a special bonus—one of two chevron ribbons FREE! Each chevron ribbon—Ruby or Outdoor Denim—has an original retail value of $6.95. So which ribbon will you get? It’s a surprise! Quantities are limited, so place your orders as early in the month as possible. Be sure to take advantage of this fantastic offer so you can enjoy embellishing your creations with your own surprise roll of bonus ribbon!
Dates: Offer valid October 1, 2014–October 31, 2014. 


I'm working on some Fall artwork so the next post will be all about those crunchy leaves and crispness in the air (I wish, we're having a heat wave). A girl can dream, right?

Have a stampy good day!
Elaine

Friday, September 5, 2014

Stamps For Sale

Stamps for Sale:
Just let me know which one's you'd like and I'll get them to you asap. Each set of stamps is just $5 each, plus shipping. There are 4 sets shown per photo. First come, first to own these slightly used stamps. Happy shopping.















Wednesday, August 27, 2014

All you wanted to know about Stamp & Chats

What is a Stamp & Chat anyway? I have them about twice a month and everyone has a good time, but what is it and why do I persist in having them?

First of all a Stamp & Chat is just that. We stamp, we chat,  we drink coffee and eat chocolate. Sometimes everyone wants to make a project I create and sometimes they bring their own projects and we all work together. Sometimes it's a stamp project and we make a card. Sometimes we work on scrapbooks. Never does it cost any money to attend a Stamp & Chat.

These are the cards I made at my daughter's house. I would say we had some really good Stamp & Chats, which brings me to the next question, can you take a Stamp & Chat and have it somewhere else?

Of course you can! In Colorado, Kim and JoAnn and I moved our Stamp & Chat to a local coffee shop. In Idaho, Megan and I had our Stamp & Chats in her dining room. I just loaded up a suitcase with all the fun goodies from my Stamp Studio. Oh the fun you can have.

My next Stamp and Chat is coming up Wednesday September 3rd from 10 am to 1 pm. Do you work during the day and can't come to my Stamp and Chat? Just let me know and I'll plan an evening one AND we can even have it at your house or mine.



If you want to plan your own Stamp & Chat at your house with your own friends, just leave a comment and I'll get right back to you so we can have some stamping fun!

Hope to see you at a Stamp & Chat really soon!

Megan took the Pathfinding card kit and added the little fox from a past Stamp of the Month. Very clever and very cute!

Friday, August 1, 2014

Stamping on the Road

This week I took my Stamp Studio essential supplies, fun papers, stamps, and accessories and had some fun with my friends, Kim, JoAnn and Emma, in Longmont, Colorado. We had a blast! I thought you'd enjoy seeing some of their samples we made, including this new bird set that is in the NEW catalog. Be sure to check out my website for the all new catalog.

These cards are made by JoAnn and Kim, using the new paper called Pathfinding (in the NEW catalog) and Happy Birds (in the NEW catalog). We also used some gold sequins, also in the new catalog. Aren't my stamping friends, talented?

Stamped by JoAnn
Stamped by Emma

Stamped by Kim


Stamped by Emma

The bug cards and box are made with Lollydoodle paper (no longer available . . . sorry) and the bug set is called Buggy Love. We also used some Flamingo Dots to add some bling. You can't see too well in the pictures but we glittered the bugs too. FUN.

All the stamping fun!


Friday, July 25, 2014

Hitting the Ground Scrapbooking

Come on, ladies!! These warm summer nights are perfect for staying up late into the night scrapbooking and stamping to your heart's content.

It's also a good time to enjoy some company while you're stamping your day/night way. So, I'm pleased to announce . . . two upcoming Stamp and Chats for August. The two dates are Wednesday, August 6th and Wednesday, August 20th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (or whenever you have to leave).

The event is strictly for fun .  . . it's free to attend and is just a place to work on your projects and chat and sip coffee/tea/water and, of course, nibble some chocolate. I have samples of what I've been working on and . . . this is fun . . . slightly used/brand new stamps from my growing collection for sale. ALL sets are just $5!!!!!

And, drum roll please (drum rolling) the NEW catalog is here in my house and FREE for all who place an order. You are simply going to love all the new papers, the new colors, the stamp sets, oh . . . I  could go on and on.


Also, there's still room in the fun Stamp Club Program! Join in the fun! CTMH has one of the best hostess programs around and you don't have to actually have a traditional gathering to receive the benefits. A fun program I ran a few years ago, was a great way to earn free stamps/papers/inks etc. and I'm happy to announce I'm starting it up again!It's super easy to join and the participation is super easy and inexpensive!

To participate, email me that you'd like to join the Stamp Club and I'll get you all set up. The requirements to participate are completely affordable, just place at least a $15 order by the 15th of each month and we'll rotate the hostess. The hostess will receive at least $25 in free product. If the subtotal of the orders collected is more than $150 than you will receive MORE free product (see page 4 of the new catalog for all the CTMH hostess details).Other benefits include a free prize from me each month (like a handmade card, bookmark etc.), a birthday card on your birthday and lots of ideas from me on ways to enjoy stamping even more. The prize for this month is ultra cute and you'll want it . . . you lucky Club Members!

The next club order is August 15th, so if you are interested, just send me an email and we'll collect those orders and get the happy hostess her prizes. Hostess rotation will be set to first
come, first served-- so don't wait if you want to be the hostess sooner!

Happy Stampy Day to you!

Elaine Hagebush

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Jewelry Making Mom's Night Out

Everyone deserves a little break and crafting is right up there with ways to cope with stress. Yeah!

You are going to love the next Stamp and Chat because it's a Jewelry Making mom's night out.

Mark your calendars for a jewelry making party at my house Wednesday, July 16th at 7:00 p.m. It's going to be super fun and inexpensive. Just $10 for the items to create one necklace. Feel free to bring a friend and I'll give you a bag of charms of your choice!!! See pages 80 and 81 in the Summer catalog for what you'll be making.

Here's a picture of the samples in the catalog:
The charms are an extra 75 cents. If you'd like to make more, it's $10 per necklace.

I hope to see lots of faces. For this workshop there is a limit of 12 slots. If we have more than that interested we might have to have another shift. Please RSVP as soon as you can, first come, first served.

I'm so excited!
We're going to have so much fun!!!

Yours in Stamping,
Elaine

Thursday, June 26, 2014

New Catalog!!!!

I think I'm in love! This new catalog is FULL of so much new product and stamps and papers and a new Cricut cartridge and accessories . . . and, and, and.

I can't wait to look at it again. So excited to share it with you all next month!!!!
 

These are some of the cards we made today. They were made with our new Cricut cartridge. That's not all, we also made a cute mini album, but I didn't get it finished. I'll post it once I get my pictures in it. The projects were wowie cards, but without the wowie work.

Here's a quick snap shot of us working hard on our projects. We received SO much free product and I loved creating with the new paper products and stamps.

And what are we doing tomorrow? Well, of course, we're stamping again. Yahoo!

I will post again. I love Convention!!!!

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

I've arrived!

Today is the day it all begins . . . the countdown to the reveal of the new catalog and all new goodies to play with!

But first Lori and I had some Mickey time.
He's so cute!!!

The real excitement is tomorrow though as the new catalog is revealed and all new stamps, and papers, and accessories, and more!!! Stay tuned and I will keep you posted on all the new developments! I'm so excited that 9 of us are here from the California Dreamin' Team! We rock!

Now to try and get some sleep so I'll be bright eyed and bushy tailed for tomorrow's excitement!

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Convention!!!!

In just 5 days I will be heading to Disneyland. I'm so excited! And not just because I LOVE Mickey Mouse. No, I'm excited for the best thing about being a Close To My Heart Consultant . . . Convention.

First of all there's the excitement of seeing the catalog for the first time . . . filled with treasures galore, this puppy is going to be a doozy! We've even been promised a NEW Cricut cartridge. YES!!!! And there's going to be new stamps and new albums and new papers and accessories that are going to boggle my mind!

Then there's the camaraderie of all my fellow Consultants. Not only will I see many friends from other teams, there's going to be 9 of us from our own unit, California Dreamin'! That's exciting. We even have matching shirts to wear one of the days. (Pictures to follow!)

Finally there's my favorite part . . . playing with all the new product and papers in the Creative Sessions. We'll all have inky fingers for sure, but then again, that's how you know you've been having fun! (Pictures to follow of what I made too.)

Be sure to follow my blog as I update you daily on what's new and exciting and fun on the Convention scene. I'll be like a reporter. <giggle>

First up . . . gotta find that mouse!!!

Thursday, June 5, 2014

The Blues

No, I don't have the blues . . . the Heart to Heart Challenge for this week was to create a card using blue as the main color. So I chose my favorite stamp set, Fabulous You, and Lagoon as my blue.

I used some of our retired color ready ribbon and dyed it with our Lagoon ink. The images are colored in with our colored pencils. The card shape is cut using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.

It's the perfect card for a favorite friend.

Have a stampy day!

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Making a Manly Card, Well, Manly

Making a man's birthday card or any occasion, really, is difficult because I always want to bedazzle it or add glitter or add a bow, which most men are not so keen on.


The card here was made with Close To My Heart's new Timberline paper set. I used a retired birthday set for the birthday wishes and added the Lagoon paper as an accent color (not in the Timberline set). Does it count that I added some baker's twine with a knot?

Well it's a manly knot so I decided it would work. I didn't add too many other fancies like our Aqua Dots or Sparkles and though the hardware would have looked cool like our Triangle or Artisan studs, I really felt it took away from the cool tool back ground, created with the "You're the Best" stamp set.

One thing to really dress a man card up or I should say, make it look more manly, is to add some sponging or sanding to the edges of your paper.

And if all of that work on a perfect card and it still looks rather girly, take it out and run it over with the car. Seriously, there's only so much a Stamping Queen can do with the manly genre!

Happy Creating!

Friday, May 16, 2014

I made the top 10!

I'm so proud. I competed in the Heart to Heart Challenge and won top 10 for my pretty flower card:

I'm so inspired by these challenges. They've really helped get my creative juices flow!

Here's the tag I earned and is now proudly displayed to the right:
If it seems like I'm bragging on myself . . . I am. Shamelessly. Wonder what the challenge will be this upcoming week. Bring it on!



Monday, May 12, 2014

Wonderful Fabulous You

I thought I'd start off the week with the Mojo Monday Challenge for this week. Here's the template:

 Here's my version:
I twisted it to be horizontal instead of portrait and used hearts instead of circles.

All products are Close To My Heart. The paper is from the Ariana paper pack and the hearts are from Sweet & Lovely (Artbooking Cricut bundle). I used the phrase from Fabulous You. The white doily is cut using the Cricut cartridge Art Philosophy. The hearts are Sorbet and the phrase is second generation Outdoor Denim. Just for fun I added bitty pearls and glitter tape at the top and to the left of the phrase.

A sweet card for a sweet friend.

Have a great day!

Friday, May 9, 2014

5 Really Cute Owl Cards

Okay, yeah, I know. Elaine made more owl cards. For crying out loud is that the only stamp she owns (no, of course not) and why is she making us look at so many bird cards? It's torture, I know. I promise my next post will be about an entirely different stamp set. Maybe. The owls are still on my stamp table, looking at me with those adorable little beady eyes. I. Will. Resist.


















I know you've seen some of them but these are my favorite of the owl cards. I need to stop now. I'll start work immediately on a non-owl card. If I can only pry my fingers off this stamp set. :-)