Simply Beautiful

I don't know about you, but I am constantly seeing things online where I think to myself, "I can do that!" With the ever-growing popularity of Pinterest, there is definitely no shortage of inspirational ideas out there. For me, I am drawn to cards. I have a cards board on Pinterest, subscribe to two different card magazines, and follow several blogs offering up spectacular artwork in the card arena. Recently, about 60 different Close To My Heart consultants participated in a "Dream Pop Blog Hop". You could start anywhere in the chain, then just click on a link provided in the post that would take you to the next person's blog, until you made your way back to the place you started. It's a great way to see how others are using the products!

There was one image in particular that caught my eye while hopping blogs. It belongs to Gina Brandstetter at gmbscrapper.blogspot.com. The image is actually that of a My Creations Bookmark Album cover that she decorated, but I decided to make it as a card. Here is Gina's artwork:

Now, here I was mentally figuring out what papers I had to cut to create the "Beautiful" cluster at the left - but guess what? The entire base for my card - and this album cover - is the top-left portion of one of the patterned papers from the "Dream Pop" paper pack! Check it out (it's the sheet at the bottom-left):

So all I had to do is cut that portion of the paper at 8" x 3.5" for the front of my card. Next, I cut a 4.5" circle from the Banana cardstock (CS), and mounted it to the right-side of my card, trimming off the excess. Now the fun part - cutting all of the flowers! These were quite easy using the "Art Philosophy" Cricut cartridge (pg. 48 ). For the smaller flower, I cut the following: Strawberry CS - 1.75" & 1"; Raspberry CS - 1.25"; Banana CS - 1.5". For the larger flower: Strawberry CS - 2.25" & 1.5"; Raspberry CS - 1.75"; Banana CS - 2". Stack the flowers and adhere each of the layers together (I only glued the centers, so I could bend the petals up a little). I then punched a 1/2" circle and a 3/4" circle from Banana CS for the flower centers. Add a couple of clear buttons tied with embroidery floss, and you're flowers are complete!

All that was left was to adhere the flowers to the front of my card, add a strip of Silver Shimmer Trim to the top-right corner, and three Clear Sparkles under the word "Beautiful".

I love it! I would also love to see what you do with the papers in your "Dream Pop" paper pack! You don't have yours yet?! Time is running out! See if you're in time to get one by going to http://funforyou.ctmh.com and clicking on "SHOP". The "Dream Pop" paper pack is only $10 with a $35 purchase! Good luck!

A Gift Box For Mom

With Mother's Day just around the corner, here's a cute, little gift box that can be made using Close To My Heart's Cricut cartridges, stamp sets, and ink. I've included the entire list of instructions below! You, of course, can use any colors and stamps that you'd like - be creative! You may want to customize it for your special Mom, or make it larger in order to accommodate a larger gift or sweets. It's up to you - have fun with it!

INSTRUCTIONS:

Step 1) Cut box from Whisper cardstock (CS) using the CTMH Cricut “Artiste” cartridge - 3” 3D Object (pg. 45) (NOTE: Make sure “Real Dial Size” is NOT selected).

Step 2) Cut flower bow and topper from Honey CS and Hollyhock CS, respectively, from the Cricut “Artiste” cartridge – 5” Accent 1 and 5” Shift-Accent 1 (pg. 55) (NOTE: Make sure “Real Dial Size” is NOT selected).

Step 3) Cut a circle from White CS using the Cricut “Artiste” cartridge – 1¼” Card (pg. 48) or a 1 ¼” circle punch. Stamp the “MOM” circle image from the “Perfect Fit – Mom” stamp set onto the circle using Whisper ink.

Step 4) Cut scalloped circle from White CS using the CTMH Cricut “Art Philosophy” cartridge – 2 ¼” (pg. 31). Stamp the scallop circle frame from the “Perfect Fit – Frames” stamp set in Hollyhock ink onto the cut piece.

Step 5) Stamp Heart image from the “Perfect Fit – Mom” stamp set onto a scrap piece of White CS using Lagoon ink and cut out.

Step 6) Cut a 1” x 12” strip of Honey CS and random-stamp it with the flower image from the “Perfect Fit – Mom” stamp set using Honey ink.

Step 7) Trim four ¾” pieces of Silver Shimmer Trim and adhere to the Hollyhock scallop circle frame in an overlapping fan pattern as shown. Using 3-D Foam Tape, adhere the “MOM” circle to the center of the Hollyhock frame. Embellish “MOM” image with two Bitty Sparkles as shown.

Step 8) Assemble box (pg. 16 of the Artiste Assembly Instructions booklet). Assemble flower bow (pg. 30 of the Artiste Assembly Instructions booklet). Attach a silver Bigger Brad through the center of the flower bow. Attach entire bow assembly to the top cover of the box.

Step 9) Apply glue to the back of the Honey CS strip and wrap it around the center of the box horizontally, starting in the middle of the back of the box (pinch the CS around the corners as you go).

Step 10) Using 3-D Foam Tape, adhere the Hollyhock frame to the center of the front of the box. Using 3-D Foam Tape, adhere the Lagoon heart to the lower-left corner of the Hollyhock frame.

Creatively Cricut®

I've been working hard on the 3-D projects for my next Workshop - they're looking great! I only have one left to do. I will post them all next time - I promise! In the meantime, I just viewed this great video from Close To My Heart that I'd love to share with you. It's called "Creatively Cricut®". In it, Kristine Widtfeldt shares some very helpful tips and tricks on using the Cricut with our "Artiste" and "Art Philosophy" cartridges. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Valentine Flair

As promised, here is a look at the fun & elegant valentines we created at my last card-making workshop!

We began with this card which uses January's Stamp of the Month, suitably named "Happy Valentine's". This card was fun for two reasons: we used the large roses stamp to create a tone-on-tone background for the top section of the card and we used CTMH's new alcohol-based markers to color and shade the stamped roses that we used for the focal point. Very cool. This stamp set is so gorgeous - I had to resist using it for every card we did that day! The patterned paper, for those of you who are dying to know, is from the "Clementine" paper pack.

This next card is kind of fun & whimsical. My favorite part of this card is the flower. It was created using the "Just For You" stamp set. You start by stamping the stitched outline (here in gray) onto your precut flower piece from the Cricut "Art Philosophy" cartridge. On a separate piece of Blush cardstock, stamp six of the "petals" in Hollyhock ink and cut out. Adhere them into the spaces on the stitched flower cutout. Add a punched circle of Silver Glitter Paper (sneak peek!) and a button, and you've got yourself one gorgeous flower! The wood-grain patterned paper is from the "Dakota" paper pack, and the strips of glitter in the background are the self-adhesive Silver Shimmer Trim. The sentiment on this card could be anything!

This is a very pretty card which uses several of my favorite products. The first of which is the Cricut "Artiste" cartridge which was used to cut the heart-shaped card and the heart for the sentiment. My second favorite product is the gorgeous Colonial White Rosette Ribbon - what a quick and simple way to add texture, dimension and elegance to your projects! My third favorite product is the Spray Pen. It was used with brown reinker and water to tone down the bright white of the sentiment heart, as well as add that "aged" look - love it. The sentiment is the "Love" stamp, and the patterned paper is from the "Pear & Partridge" paper pack - yes, you can use "Christmas" paper for other things!

Lastly, we put together and embellished one of the treat tubes from the National Papercrafting Month's special, "Whoo's Your Valentine?" Kit. The cute little boxes come pre-cut & scored - all you have to do is stamp it (if you choose), fold it up, and glue it together. Then you can embellish any way you'd like! The kit comes with it's own D-sized stamp set with plenty of options for spicing up your treats! We had a lot of fun - then we filled them with Valentine candy corn and/or Cherry M 'n M's...yum.

I hope this inspires you to create a special valentine for your special someone! Come back next Wednesday when I'll be sharing...well, I don't know yet, so it'll be a surprise! I LOVE surprises! :-)

Just For Fun - Part 4

Happy New Year! I have made but one new-year's resolution this year - to try and be better at updating my blog! Time always seems to have a way of getting away from me, but I am going to do my best to make the time to update my blog once a week. There is a new Spring-Summer 2013 Idea book from Close To My Heart on the horizon, so there will be lots of new products, artwork and techniques to show you! I can't wait! So be sure to check back every week for new artwork & inspiration (I will be trying for the same day each week - when I know what day that will be, I will let you know!)

For now, let's check out some more artwork using CTMH products from the current Autumn-Winter 2012 Idea Book! First up - a terrific way to use up those scraps:

The patterned paper used on this card is from the "Clementine" Paper Pack. The paper was cut into leaf shapes using the Cricut "Art Philosophy" cartridge. The butterflies were also cut from the "Art Philosophy" cartridge. The sentiment is from the "Casual Expressions" stamp set. I love this stamp set because seven of the eleven sentiments have coordinating cuts on the Cricut "Artiste" cartridge - I just love not having to use my scissors!

This beautiful card was created with the Cricut "Artiste" cartridge - it's what's referred to as a "swing card". The Cricut cuts the card itself, with the "swinging" heart - all I did was stamp the "Love" stamp onto two cardstock hearts (also cut from the "Artiste" cartridge), and attach them to either side of the swinging heart. I then embellished the card with cardstock strips & pennants, a paper flower, and a button. So simple and so pretty!

In keeping with the love theme, let's move on to this adorable gift bag - also created with (you guessed it!) the Cricut "Artiste" cartridge. The scalloped borders were created using paper from the "Dakota" paper pack. The stamped images, from the "Cup of Cheer" stamp set, were stamped, colored, cut out, and adhered to the inside and outside of the bag's window. It's so cute!

The "Dakota" paper pack is a lot of fun to work with. I used it again on this gift box (cut from the Cricut "Artiste"), along with Blue Designer Ribbon, an Antiqued Gold button, and Square Durables Studs. The box has a window cut into the front which can be covered from the back with a clear or colored plastic, or you could place the contents of the box in a clear bag or tissue paper. But wait...there's more!

It's the "Dakota" paper pack again, only this time used to cover the "My Creations Memory Game". This item is a chipboard box, with a magnetic-closure top, which contains 24 3" x 3" chipboard squares. After covering the box with patterned paper and Durables Studs, I covered each of the interior squares (front & back) with 3" x 3" versions of my Studio J layouts! Can this get any cuter?! What a fantastic gift idea for grandparents! I got this idea from Convention last year - as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to do my own. It's easy since Studio J provides you with JPEG files of your layouts for you to print at any size you'd like! Love it!   OK, just one more little one....

I call this "tiny purse", mainly because that's exactly what it is. I didn't even bother to stamp or embellish these beyond the "pearl button" because I thought they were adorable just the way they were. I made these with the "Artiste" cartridge (surprise!) and used them as little incentives for booking a party with me. If you booked a party, you got to choose a "purse" which contains a slip of paper with a free gift written on it. The "latch" of the purse closes with Mini Hook & Loop Dots. I made larger versions of this purse for my daughter's book club members - they were pink or purple with black scissors on the front (cut from "Artiste") and contained barrettes, hair elastics, and a travel brush (the book was hair-salon themed). It's such a great idea for party goodie bags or gift bags to your best girlfriends (these mini-versions are perfect for those with American Girl dolls, too!)

So many fun ideas to try! If you have any questions about how to make any of these projects, don't hesitate to call or email me! Better yet, come to my next Card-Making Workshop on Sunday, January 13th from 1-4pm. The class fee of $7.50 is due by January 5th in order to reserve your spot! As an added incentive, attendees of this workshop will be the first to receive copies of the NEW CTMH Spring-Summer 2013 Idea Book, as well as creating on of the adorable treat tubes from this month's "Whoo's Your Valentine" National Papercrafting Month special kit! Call or email me ASAP to reserve your spot!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Have Your Heard?

I don't know if you realize it or not, but this month is a "Stampaganza" with Close To My Heart! This is a fantastic opportunity to stock up on your favorite stamp sets! Here's the deal - for every two My Acrylix stamp sets (sizes A-E) you purchase at full retail price, you'll receive a third stamp set - of your choice - FREE (of equal or lesser value)! That's a savings of up to $29.95 per set!! CTMH My Acrylix stamps are the best on the market - clearly! (See what I did there with the "clear" reference...)

To get you as excited about this fabulous promotion as I am, here are a few of my favorite stamp sets from the current Idea Book. First up - "Card Word Puzzle":

This is a great stamp set because it not only has gorgeous floral & butterfly images, but also just about any word a crafter will ever need in order to make cards. Here is a beautiful card I made for my mother's birthday with this set:

So pretty. Next, "Eclectic Edges":

I just created a fun card with this gorgeous border set that I will be swapping at Convention in Dallas next month...here it is:

And so easy! Here's a set that I just love for masculine cards - it's called "Blue Ribbon":

Six of the images in this set coordinate with cuts from the "Art Philosophy" Cricut cartridge. Here is one of the cards I created with this set:

Ooo - love it! And lastly, but certainly not least, is "Hooray Bouquet". I love this set because all of the flowers in it coordinate with cuts from the "Art Philosophy" Cricut cartridge, which makes the stamps so quick & easy to use and layer - no scissors involved! Check out how fun & fresh this stamp set makes this scrapbook layout:

Yea! I hope you take advantage of this month's Stampaganza to get your own favorite stamp sets! This special is only good through June, so don't miss out! You can order online anytime on my website at funforyou.ctmh.com. Happy Stamping!