Cricut Flowers, No Watering Needed!

I have had so much fun these past few weeks with the latest and greatest product from Close To My Heart, The Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge and coordinating stamp sets. Talk about easy as sliced bread, this little puppy has made even my little Cricut (he's old, only 6"x12", poor baby), crank out the most beautiful artwork and all with the snap of an "on" button!

This beautiful card was made using the Mayberry paper from our last catalog and the cut outs from the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. The stamped saying is from one of the stamp sets that come with the cartrige bundle.

To add a little pizzazz, I used 3D foam tape under some of the flowers and the saying as shown in the photo below. I can't believe how fast this card came together! A few pieces of advice I've gathered from the last week . . . find a spot for your Cricut to make it accessible. If you have to dig for it in a closet or pull it out of a bag, you will be less likely to use it. Mine is sitting on a little side table, ready for some Cricut cutting at a moment's notice!

Also keep a few of the paper cutting mats so you can leave one loaded with your different color cardstock or paper while you are working on a project. Do not leave them over night or it will become a sticky mess, but I found it saved a ton of paper if I just left the Colonial White mat where I could pop it in the machine for a quick mat or another flower.

Enjoy your Cricut!!! Chirp, chirp!

Cricut Creations!

The Cricut, baby, the Cricut! I absolutely am in love with this new creation! The Cricut Art Philosophy Collection has got to be the hottest thing since sliced bread!!!!

This card, which I have stamp lifted somewhere, and I'm so sorry I can't remember where . . . took me minutes to make! Really! I cut the flowers and the little doily and the leaves out with the Cricut . . . added the "Best Wishes . . . " from one of the sets that came with the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection. The paper is from Dreamin' Collection. So easy!

I have a very old Cricut (it only cuts 6"x12" paper) so I made the french fry box but could only make it 5 1/2" so it turned out little, but SO cute. It would be perfect for little party favors or a gift card.

I used the Dreamin' Paper pack for this one too and the stamp sets that came with the Cricut Art Philosophy stamp set. Oh my goodness, it was super quick to make too and I loved how easy it was to stamp the thank you tag on the die-cut ticket. Super easy too!

I'm hooked on my Cricut!

Get yours too! The CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy is only available through CTMH so let me know if you *need* one too! :-)

See page 13 of the new catalog and be sure to come to my upcoming Cricut 101 class! Fun!

Creative Convention Extravaganza

Oh yeah, baby! Close To My Heart Convention is ALL about the artwork . . . not only do the Consultants get to see some of the best artists at work at Extravaganza, but the attendees also receive all the products they need to create their own fun artwork with the new tools, papers, stamps, and doo dads (oh, how I love the doo dads!)

 These two pages (which I wish I could figure out how to display side by side) was the project layout idea we were given at Convention.(And yes, we received EVERYTHING we needed to make it including the awesome bling, found on page 127 & 128) I used photos highlighting a recent stamp session with my very good friend, Michele, who is SO creative. You should definitely check out her blog for ideas too: http://michelesinkitstampit.blogspot.com/.

I created the pages in her Studio and then went around her beautiful rural property and took some pictures. Michele also took me to a fun lunch place and  . . . yes, there was a chicken store next door. Alas, no big chicken artwork, but I have not lost hope.

These pages were created with the new Roxie paper pack and the stamp set, 10 Things C1474 (remember new stamp prices so it's only $13.95!!!) and the ribbon (which I just noticed is majorly crooked . . . ah well, I'm not perfect either) is from the Designer Ribbon Red Collection Z1615 (only $5.95). I wrote something I love about stamping with Michele on each of the little tags in the pocket (on page 123 of the catalog . . . only $3.95). Michele has a rockin stamp room, you can see from the picture of us . . . don't even worry, I'm heading back that way SOON!

Convention attendees also received everything to create a darling mini album using 6x6 Kraft Cards (p. 123 and only $6.95 for 10 cards & envelopes). The stamp set was an exclusive Convention attendee only stamp set, featuring that adorable castle which Megan, my oldest daughter, says is a rendition of Hogwarts! LOL

The book is created using 3 of the Kraft cards, folded accordion style and attached with strong adhesive. Pictures of my friends from high school playing in Mickey land look GREAT in this book! I love it!

Stay tuned . . . I'm stamping again today! :-)

Playing with new papers!!!

Today I decided to play with some new products from the brand new catalog. These are the rub ons that coordinate with the Wicked set, found on page 46 of the new catalog. They were super easy to apply and not only does it include Halloween themed rub ons, but also Thanksgiving and the borders could easily be used for just about any theme. I love multi use items!

So I made this card, using only the rub-ons, no stamping . . . and the papers from the Wicked set (don't you just love saying you used "Wicked" paper?) I also sanded the background paper and sponge a tad bit of Cocoa ink around the edges to make it look rather Fall like. I love how easy the card was to make and how fun the images came off the paper . . .

The Zip Strip from Dreamin'

Then I decided to make a daisy card, using the stamps from Thanksgiving stamp set C1426 on page 65 of the new catalog. The little sayings came from the "zip strip" from the top of the new background and texture paper. You will notice that our new paper not only is a heavier weight, but it also does not have the logo stamped on the useable piece of paper, it is on one side of a 1/4" strip at the top of the paper and the back side of this piece? Totally different little strip to be used for decorating whatever your heart desires.

I also decided to use some scraps I had left over from Convention make and takes to create these 3 little notecards. I love 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" little cards. Perfect for including with a gift or just writing a little something to a friend or favorite neighbor with those batch of cookies (hint, I love chocolate chip . . . )

Have a fun stamping day! And remember, if your fingers aren't inky when you're done, you didn't do it right!

Wickedly Awesome Stamp Deal

There are only a few more days left to take advantage of this awesome spooky Wicked Deal! This month you can not only get this stamp set for only $5 with a $50 order, but you'll receive the alphabet set shown to the right. Free stamps! Yeah!

The stamp set this month is called, Wicked . . . I love the witch, her stripey socks make me want some just like hers! And the kitty? Well, she's going to be good for other things besides Halloween, like birthday cards for my feline loving pals. I have already made a bunch of cards and then realized . . . oh, I need to wait for OCTOBER to be sending out spooky greetings. LOL

The best change to our stamping program (besides the lower price on all the stamps) is the complete guide to the projects that are shown with the Stamp of the Month at the back of the catalog. How does this work? Well, the CTMH Art Department have shared how they made all that beautiful artwork. Not just WHAT they used, but HOW they did it. Oh my, stamp lifting made even easier??? Sign me up!

This cute box is shown on the last page of the catalog, only it's shown open . . . go to the link from the CTMH website under the "Campaigns and Promotions" section and you can see exactly how it's been done. Yeah!


 http://www.closetomyheart.com/en/Campaigns_and_Promotions/Stamp_of_the_Month.aspx

Happy Stamping and Crafting! Let me know if you *NEED* Wicked or anything else. :-)

Stamper Girls Unite!!!!

Part of our team at Convention 2011

In 1997 I went to my first stamping party . . . my husband asked where I was going at 7:00 pm on a Tuesday night (not that he cared really, not with that dazed look a new dad has when he has a 4 month old baby, a rambunctious 3 year old and a 7 year old that was really just wanting attention, so maybe he just wondered how long he could hold onto his sanity).  I said I was going to a stamping party which was kind of like Tuperware and no, I wouldn’t spend too much, but could I take the checkbook, you know, just in case. When I look back at my life from that point forward (and I still say I'm only 29, just an OLD 29), I have to say the best thing I decided to pursue was my journey as a Consultant with Close To My Heart, the best stamping and scrapbooking company in the whole world. Not kidding, it's true! I've been a Consultant for almost 15 years (that's half of my 29 years . . . oh wait, now my math is getting kinda blurry. LOL)

I love being a Consultant and not just because they carry a FULL line of the best scrapbooking paper (yes, I sniff the new bags of paper. Best. Smell. Ever.), best clear stamps (I sniff them too), and matchy matchy everything from the inks to the accessories to the ribbons, oh how I adore ribbon. You can never, ever have too much ribbon. No, the very best thing about Close To My Heart is the friendships I've made and the connections I have made with both my customers and my team members and others in this awesome company from around the world. And let's face it, many of them became team members after becoming my customer or were my friend and I hooked them into this fabulous art world. Truly, when I say hooked, it really is addicting. My husband watched me with a class of stampers one day and he pulled me aside and said that it was a little like a drug deal going down.

Me: "This stamp pad color would go perfectly with that paper pack."
Mary Stamper: (name changed in case the husband reads this) "oh, yes! I love that color, is it Tulip?"
Me: "oh my, you know your CTMH color palette so well. Would you like to look at the other Tulip accessories?"

Michele P.'s beautiful card.

And so it is that Mary Stamper orders EVERYTHING she needs to make an adorable Cherry O greeting card and enough paper to create pages for her scrapbook and maybe even little goodie bags for her daughter’s birthday party. Yes, it is a little like dealing, I suppose. However, unlike dealing bad things, stamps and scrapbook things are GOOD things. Not only is it extremely therapeutic (I have a psychologist on my team who has endorsed stamping and scrapbooking as a form of therapy) but we stampers create a legacy of scrapbooks and cards for generations to come. Plus, it keeps us out of trouble. Right? Get the glitter, girls, we've got work to do!!

Look what I stamped today!

I made these cute little 3x3 cards today with my new stamps and papers we received at Convention . . . It was SO much fun and now my fingers are inky and I am pretty sure there is a smudge on my nose too (I can just see it as I'm typing this . . . ) but it makes me happy so, that's okay. Maybe the pizza delivery guy won't notice. Oh wait, that's just Dave, my hubby.

I made these cards too . . . I love the blingie buttons (that's a real word) and the butterflies are beautiful and make me think of a Jason Mraz song.

Then I totally switched gears and made a Halloween card. I know, random, huh? But I couldn't let the cat be so boring so I added an opaque black button for her nose and red sparkles on her eyes. Spooky!

But wait, isn't Halloween not for another 2 months? Don't tell Target or Michael's that, they barely got the summer stuff out there for me to think about and bam, it's Christmas stuff. Huh? Anyway, Have a Wicked Christmas! LOL