World Smile Day Tomorrow!

What? You didn't know about World Smile Day? Well, just to get you up to speed, here's a snippet from "worldsmileday.com" on the history behind this happy day:

"As is well known by now throughout the world Harvey Ball, a commercial artist from Worcester, Massachusetts created the smiley face in 1963. That image went on to become the most recognizable symbol of good will and good cheer on the planet.
As the years passed Harvey Ball became concerned about the over-commercialization of his symbol, and how its original meaning and intent had become lost in the constant repetition of the marketplace. Out of that concern came his idea for World Smile Day®. He thought that we, all of us, should devote one day each year to smiles and kind acts throughout the world. The smiley face knows no politics, no geography and no religion. Harvey’s idea was that for at least one day each year, neither should we. He declared that the first Friday in October each year would henceforth be World Smile Day®. Ever since that first World Smile Day® held in 1999, it has continued every year in Smiley's hometown of Worcester, MA and around the world.
After Harvey died in 2001, the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation was created to honor his name and memory. The Foundation continues as the official sponsor of World Smile Day® each year.
...Be sure to join the celebration this year on Friday, October 1st, and 'Do an act of kindness. Help one person smile'!"

Well, that certainly sounds like a terrific idea! In addition, I'm told you're also supposed to wear the colors of the smiley face - yellow and black. So let's all join in and celebrate World Smile Day with an act of kindness - not only will you brighten someone else's day, but your own as well!

Time is Almost Up!

There's only two more days left to get your hands on the National Stamping Month Special from Close To My Heart! It's the "Triple Play" Kit, and it includes everything you need (except adhesive and photos!) to complete three adorable 4" x 4" mini albums in three different color schemes - including an Exclusive stamp set and mini ink pads! These really are cute and make GREAT gifts (think teachers, grandmothers, aunts, etc.)! There are several different ways to get one of these kits, so be sure to refresh your memory by viewing the FLYER HERE. You can place an order directly from my website at http://funforyou.myctmh.com - just hit the "Shop Online" tab on the left-hand side. Have fun!

It's a Wonderful Thing...

When I had my Close To My Heart Annual Holiday Open House earlier this month, I demonstrated Studio J to my guests. Everyone loved it (what's not to love?!). I also did my very first Powerpoint presentation on the benefits of a Studio J Membership (even more to love!). During this presentation, we learned that with a Studio J Membership, you get a 50% price reduction on your layout purchases - but only up to 10 layouts per month.

Well, I am here to tell you that that restriction is no more! Now with a Studio J Membership, you can order as many layouts as you want at 50% off (free shipping per still covers from 4-20 layouts per month)!! That's incredible! And awesome! And just ONE MORE thing to LOVE about Studio J Memberships!

I just had my very first Studio J layouts delivered to me yesterday, and all I can say is that it made my entire day! I couldn't stop smiling! They look so incredible - I can't wait to create more! This is going to be such a huge benefit to my everyday scrapbooking - I might actually get pages done! And now with my Studio J Membership, I can get all the layouts I want at 50% off! Whoohoo! I can't wait to dive in!

Here is my favorite layout from my CTMH Convention 2010 Album:

I just LOVE the colors and the pattern for this layout! Oooo, this is so exciting! I think I will start on our summer camping trip album right now....

Until next time, Happy Scrappin'!

A Rare Treat

A week ago yesterday, I had the rare opportunity to meet my favorite author, Janet Evanovich. She was doing a book signing at the Borders bookstore in Braintree on the day of the release of her newest book, "Wicked Appetite". Though there was drama to be had (lost ticket; lost camera battery), I did get to have my book signed and picture taken. Here it is:

It was quite an evening, and I even got to chat with Janet's daughter, Alex. Thank goodness I also had a best friend of mine join me just to keep me company. She kept me sane - thank you, E!

Studio J - Become a Member!

You may have heard me talk about Studio J in the past. If you haven't, Studio J is Close To My Heart's Online Scrapbooking program, and I can tell you from experience that it is awesome! I traveled to Washington, D.C. this past July for CTMH's annual Convention. I decided to create a scrapbook of the event by using Studio J (I had never used it before!). It was terrific! And at the same time, I had access to Exclusive patterns and Kits because I am a Studio J Member!

Ironically, I didn't use any of the members-only kits or patterns for my Convention album, but I did a Back-To-School layout using a Members-Only pattern and this month's Members-Only Kit called, "Class Act". Here is what I was able to do:

OK, tell me that's not awesome. And as a Studio J Member, with each printed order, I receive a FREE high-res jpeg file of each of my pages, as well as a low-res jpeg file of both pages combined for use on the web. How cool is that? I LOVE this program! You can even get online and just play with it, without making a purchase or being a member. You will have to create an account, but that's totally free. Hop on over to my website (http://funforyou.myctmh.com) and hit the "Studio J" tab on the left-hand side. Set up an account and start playing! I am hoping to create a video tutorial on the features of Studio J...I will get back to you on that! Be sure to contact me at aafaa@charter.net if you'd like to purchase a Studio J Membership - I have already saved more than half of my membership cost in the first month ALONE!! You can't beat that!

Have fun playing!

Holiday Open House Artwork - The Final Chapter

Wow, I hope you have been inspired by the artwork I have been posting. I am inspired because the man-in-brown delivered a Close To My Heart order today! Whoohoo! I have next month's Kit Of The Month (that's what I'm going to be calling the Workshops On The Go now) - and it's Hooligans! The Hooligans Level 2 Paper Pack is awesome on its own, but throw in an adorable, exclusive monster stamp set named "Troublemaker" and the new Sunset Mini-Medley, and it just can't be beat! I hope you will be able to join us when we work with this Kit next month! But I'm getting ahead of myself! Let's see the last of that Open House artwork! All supplies are Close To My Heart. Each & every one of these uses the Mistletoe Level 2 Paper Pack:

 

Here's a great example of how much you can do with just a small stamp set. This set is called "A Timber", and it's the smallest sized stamp set that Close To My Heart offers. There are seven images in the set, and you can make them go a long way! Next:

These images are from the "Father Christmas" stamp set. You probably can't tell from the picture, but Glitter Glitz was added to the holly berries for some sparkle.

This is a scrapbook page that uses the same stamp set, "Father Christmas".

Here's a cute card that uses the "St. Nick" stamp set, as well as the flourish from the "Adorn-able" stamp set. And, yes, that is white ink that the flourish is stamped in. Close To My Heart's white ink is awesome! They don't even sell the dye-based white ink anymore (which is amazingly what I stamped the above image in), it's now pigment-based - so your white will be even MORE white! And lastly:

 

This card uses the "Adorn-able" stamp set as well. There are clear Sparkles on both of the ornaments for added bling (and who doesn't love bling?!).

Well, that's all, folks! I hope you have enjoyed the artwork and I hope you have been inspired to create some of your own! I don't know if I'll get a chance to post for the next few days (I will be away from my computer again), but when I post again I will be showing you an Exclusive Studio J Kit & Pattern that's only available to Members! You are going to love it! Check back in a few days to check it out!

Until then, Eat, Sleep, & Scrap!

Holiday Open House Artwork - Part 3

Here we are again for more inspiration! Today I will be showing you half of the winter/Christmas art - I say half because there are nine of them, so I figure I will break it into two parts for you. And, again, all supplies are from Close To My Heart. OK, here we go:

 

Ooo, isn't this card pretty? It was made with the Magnifique paper pack, Dimensional Elements - "Flurry", and the "Captured Moments" stamp set. The image and snowflake were silver embossed.

 

This ornament was also created with the Magnifique paper pack, Dimensional Elements - "Flurry", and Dimensional Elements - "Ornaments", along with silver embossing.

This card was made with the Mistletoe paper pack, the "Snow Days" stamp set, and the Mistletoe Level 2 Assortment. One more...

This is one of my favorites! It uses the Mistletoe paper pack, the "I Believe" stamp set, Designer Ribbon Rounds - Cranberry, and My Creations "A-door-ables". The square with the reindeer on it opens up to reveal a sentiment. It's so cute!

Well, that's all for today! Tomorrow I will post the last of it. Make sure to leave your comments as to which piece you like best and why for your chance at winning a free gift!

Until tomorrow - Happy Stampin'!

Holiday Open House Artwork - Part 2

OK - here's another chance to let me know what you like and why you like it! It's Part 2 of my Holiday Open House artwork! As in yesterday's post, I will follow each photo with a brief description of what was used to create it. All supplies are Close To My Heart. Let's do the "general" set today. Here's the first:

 

I just love this card in its simplicity! It uses the new Magnifique Level 2 Paper Pack, and the "A Sip" stamp set. Next:

This peacock is so lovely with its sparkling Sparkles - Blue & Green Collection! The paper is Magnifique, and the stamp set is "Circle of Love".

The Magnifique paper pack is used again here, as well as the "One of a Kind" stamp set and Glitter Glitz.

You may have already seen this adorable card, because it was the sample I used for "I'm Distressed!" Part 1. It uses the "Harmony" stamp set and plain, old cardstock.

This last one for today also uses the "Harmony" stamp set. It also uses the new Mistletoe Level 2 Paper Pack - isn't it gorgeous?!

I hope you are getting inspired by this artwork! I know that it's inspired me to do more! Come back tomorrow for Part 3 - winter & Christmas!

Be inspired!

Holiday Open House Artwork - Part 1

I have a ton of stuff to show you, so I thought I would break it down into a few different posts. Let's start with Halloween and fall. I will post the photo, then a short list of the prominent supplies used to create them. All supplies are Close To My Heart. Here's the first one:

How cute! This card uses the new Hooligans Level 2 paper pack, 4 1/2" Clear Cards, Licorice Opaques, and "The Boo Crew" stamp set. Next:

This time we have a regular 4 1/2" Circle Card, Hooligans paper, "The Boo Crew" stamp set, and the Hooligans Level 2 Assortment (the felt stickers). Then:

A 5" x 7" card using Hooligans paper, "The Boo Crew" and "Party Animal" stamp sets, Licorice Opaques, and "Rustic Alphabet" (for the "BOO"). Let's move on to some September Stamp of the Month artwork:

Isn't this a cool card? It uses the September SOTM, "Thriller", as well as the Hooligans Paper Pack. The following is a scrapbook page that uses one of the new layouts from the "Magic" Scrapbooking Program:

This also uses the "Thriller" stamp set and Hooligans Paper Pack. The 5" x 7" box in the upper left corner opens up to reveal eight more photos! Here it is fully opened:

It's really cool. Finally, I have a card made with the stamp set, "In the Month of September":

Isn't that pretty? Which project is your favorite so far and why? Post a comment in the comments section and you could be randomly chosen to receive a free gift! There's much more artwork to come, so check back tomorrow!

Until then, Happy Stampin'!

Sticky Boy!

I know I said that my Open House artwork would be in my next post, but I just listened to a conference call from Close To My Heart which mentions "Sticky Boy", and I just had to share the story (and the video!). No, I'm not talking about my son after having had an ice cream cone. I'm talking about the elusive, and totally adorable, Close To My Heart "mascot", Sticky Boy! Evidently, this image used to be part of a CTMH stamp set called "What's Up". Long after it was retired, "Sticky Boy", as he became known, returned as the My Acrylix "test subject". Please go to the following link to view the hilarious testing video of Sticky Boy and My Acrylix stamps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrfRjEOncBw.

Since his resurrection in 2004 with the introduction of My Acrylix stamp sets, it has been a fun and very competitive tradition to search for Sticky Boy stamps during the course of Close To My Heart events - particularly Convention. I had attended 3 Conventions without finding a single one. Then this year, I ended up finding two! It's like a right-of-passage to find one of these babies - it was so exciting! (It's the little things, you know?) Here are my prized Sticky Boys:

Speaking of PRIZES, watch for an upcoming post where you can get a prize of your own - and it's SO easy! But, next up will be that Open House artwork I promised you...it's taken me a little longer than I thought to photograph it all! But that's next!

Until then, Happy National Stamping Month! Keep on Stampin'!

I'm Distressed! Part 4

In this final installment on distressing, I will be showing you edge distressing. You can do this technique with a pair of scissors, or a special "edge distresser" tool. An edge distressing tool is usually round and looks like a flower - only with little razor blades between the petals. In order to edge distress, you scrape the edge of your tool or scissors along the edge of your paper. Let's see how it works.

This is a picture of a very nice card without edge distressing:

Now, this is perfectly beautiful the way it is, however if you are a fan of shabby chic or grunge, then you might want to "rough it up" a little. As I mentioned, the technique involves running the edge of your scissors or edge distresser along the edge of your paper:

What it basically does is shred the edges of your paper - tearing them up a bit. It can be a bit messy with little bits of paper falling everywhere. Keep scraping along each edge of your paper:

 Continue this process for each piece on the card:

Now that you've really roughed-up the edges of all the papers, assemble your card. Now it looks like this:

It definitely adds some texture to the project! For a variation, you can ink the edges after you've distressed them, but I personally like the white edge (of course this only works with cardstock/paper with a white core).

I hope you have enjoyed being Distressed! Next time, I will be sharing my Holiday Open House artwork with you! You'll get to see lots of gorgeous examples of what you can do with the brand new products in Close To My Heart's new Autumn/Winter Idea Book! So stay tuned!

Until then, Happy Stamping!

It's Magnifique!

I must take a brief break in the "I'm Distressed" series to let you know about Close To My Heart's Workshops On The Go. This is not a new program to CTMH, just new to me! And it's been updated, revamped and improved, so I have decided to give it a try - and I LOVE it! I love it because in the Workshop On The Go (WOTG) Kit, I get a FULL My Reflections Level 2 Paper Pack, an Exclusively designed stamp set that I can't get anywhere else, a FULL package of accents (not just the ones I'll need), and a full-color Workshop Guide that shows me how to create a two-page scrapbook layout AND six gorgeous cards! How cool is that?!

This month's Kit features the brand-new paper pack - "Magnifique". The colors and patterns of this paper are gorgeous, and you'll love the wonderful stamp set that comes with it! You can contact me to order this kit to do at home, or you can join me at my home on Sunday, September 26th from 1-4pm, where we will be creating these beautiful items together! But you must hurry! In order for me to have the kits in time for the workshop on the 26th, I have to have payment by THIS FRIDAY, September 10th. The cost of the kit, including S&H and tax, is $34.20. Here are the images of what we will be making:

Aren't they gorgeous?! I hope you can join us! Contact me directly at aafaa@charter.net or visit my website anytime to order online at http://funforyou.myctmh.com!

Tune in next time for our next installment of "I'm Distressed!" Until then, Happy Scrappin'!

I'm Distressed! Part 3

Here, in our third installment of "I'm Distressed!", I will be talking about sanding. We're not going to the beach, though. Instead, we're going into the toolbox down in the basement or in the garage and digging out some sandpaper. Sanding is one of the coolest ways to distress your paper - but only if your cardstock has a white core (see last post for that discussion). You can sand a cardstock to your heart's content that is the same color all the way through, but you probably won't see any difference.

In this post, I am going to show you a sort of faux leather technique, coupled with sanding - to really pack a punch! First, let's take a look at a card before we punch it up:

It's cute, right? Well, let's see what a little texture will do for it. First, let's take the gray cardstock background and cut it about 1/2" larger in both directions than we are going to need it. That's because the technique I'm going to show you is going to shrink the cardstock a little. After you've done that, either spritz it with water (both sides) or just run it under the faucet water for a second. You don't want it too wet, or it will rip when you do the next step.

Next, crumple the cardstock up into a ball. You can crumple it a little, or keep uncrumpling it and re-crumpling it until you get as many wrinkles as you want. But be careful - the more you crumple, the more likely it is that your paper will tear.

After you're done crumpling, uncrumple the cardstock and lay it out flat to dry.

Wow, this looks pretty cool already, right? Well, once it's dry, you're going to grab that sandpaper we mentioned earlier and lightly rub it over the surface of the cardstock. Use a medium-grain sandpaper for the best results. A rough grain will just hack up your paper, and we really don't want to do that - we just want to take some of the color away from the raised ridges.

When you're done, your cardstock should look something like this:

Now it's ready for our card! Make sure you trim the piece to the size of the front of your card (depending on how much it shrunk, you may not have to do this at all), and assemble. What a difference!

The added texture adds so much interest to the card, not to mention resembling the actual skin of an elephant! Think how cool this technique would be on a scrapbook page about the mountains or rock climbing! See what cool uses you can come up with - I'd love to see them!

Until next time - Happy Sanding!