Wednesday, April 24, 2013

April Giveaways!

Do you love Close To My Heart products?  Do you want to get some fantastic products for free? 

If you sign up to be a Consultant in the Month of April (NO Commitment, NO Obligations!!), you'll get over $220 in exceptional Close To My Heart product for only $49!!

You'll get all you see here:


Plus all four remaining Stamps of The Month - Free!



 This is a FANTASTIC deal that's too good to pass up!!  There is absolutely NO obligation to purchase anything further to get all this great product for free!  It's virtually unheard of to get so much stuff for free!  But we're doing it.  Remember, you have to sign up before the end of April to get all your free products. 

Click here to get started today!



Tuesday, April 23, 2013

My Sunshine "You're Tweet" Masculine card




I think this turned out to be the cutest card to tell my husband I'm thinking of him!  He works midnights and I like to sneak a card into his duffel before he leaves for work from time to time.  He usually finds it sometime during the night when we're sleeping.  It's important to me to let him know how much I love him and how important he is to me.  I know his work schedule is hard on him (and our marriage and our family).  Not only does he have to work the graveyard shift, but some of the responsibilities he has for his job requires him to work days as well, which means 16 hour shifts and LOTS of lost sleep!  He needs to know how appreciated he is for how hard he works to take care of our family!  And I'm always looking for cute masculine cards that also appeal to me.  And this card is certainly appealing.



I used our adorable Stamp of the Month - My Sunshine.  If you haven't ordered yours today, you only have until the end of the month!  The Stamps of the Month are exclusive stamps only available during their particular month.  Once the month is over, they're gone!  I have seen so much beautiful artwork with this stamp - and I have a crop coming up this Saturday.  (over 12 hours of uninterrupted creating, I'm getting more excited the closer it gets!!)  Look for more artwork next week.  But you should make sure you get yours before it's too late!

For this card I used the papers from our Buzz and Bumble paper pack.  I love how striking and masculine this card turned out to be. 

I got the pattern from page 43 of Make It From Your Heart, the Close To My Heart pattern program.  If you don't have it yet, please, please, please get it.  It's fantastic!  It has scrap booking and card patterns.  It gives you final measurements for the projects and gives adorable completed projects to showcase how you might use the designs.  But you know - you're only limited by your imagination.  I love using Make It From Your Heart when I want to be creative, but I have a time crunch or my munchkins aren't being cooperative.  It's easy to use, easy to understand and only 48 pages, so it conveniently tucks everywhere without taking up a lot of space - leaving more room for creating.

Hope you like it as much as I liked making it!




Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Crazy for Cars Retiform card



I have LOVED this technique since the first time I saw it YEARS ago.  And it’s SO EASY!!  All you need to create this technique are – Post-It’s!  I have two boys (and 10 nephews), so I am especially fond of anything I can use to make little boy cards and projects.  And I love, love, LOVE cards that are SUPER simple to make and have a great WOW factor when they’re finished! 



All you need to complete this card, are:
-Outdoor Denim Cardstock – cut to 5 ½ x 8 ½ (Scored halfway down its length to make the final card dimensions 5 ½ x 4 ¼)
-Pear Cardstock – cut to 3 7/8 x 5 1/8
-White Daisy Cardstock – 2 pieces cut to 4 x 5 ¼ AND 3 ¾ x 5
-Outdoor Denim, Pear and Slate Inks
-Fast and Furious stamp set (companion stamp to Later S8r paper pack)
-Acrylic blocks
-Sponge Dauber
-Post-it Notes

The FIRST thing I ALWAYS do when I’m getting ready to create any paper project is set a LARGE sheet of scrap paper on my VersaMat.  I don’t know about you, but I make a huge MESS!  I always stamp off my image until I get one that I like; I never stamp the image on the actual paper until I’m completely satisfied.  I also love the look of inked edges.  And any of you who also love that look, know how much of a mess it makes when those inked sponge pieces come off the dauber.  You’re also going to need to remove some of the excess Slate Ink from the dauber by blotting it on a piece of scrap paper.  Even if you’re a normally neat crafter, this can be a pretty messy card so you might want to have a piece of scrap paper close by.
I prefer to ink the edges of my card.  I did it with the Pear and White Daisy cardstock pieces on this card because there was so much Slate Ink on the stamped image, the white edges were kind of distracting.  So I did that first and set them aside until I was ready to put the card together.
I started with the “Crazy For Cars” stamp and I stamped it slightly off-center.  I used the Rock n’ Roll Technique with the individual stamped images.  I stamped it in Pear Ink first and then rolled the edges of the stamp in Outdoor Denim.  I love that our stamps are clear and you can see exactly where the ink is, so if you want to add more to one part of the stamp, you can. 
After you stamp the image, you outline the image with Post-It’s.  Use the sponge dauber to rub ink around the edges of the stamped image.  Dip the dauber in the ink, then blot it on the scrap paper (just like you might blot off excess lipstick when you’re putting on your makeup).  I start the daubing process on the Post-it because it helps control how much ink ends up on the paper.  It’s easy to add more to make it darker, but if you start out too dark, you can’t make it lighter.
Then the images I stamped in order were the tire tracks, the dump truck, the race car, the beetle and finally the “beep”.  For the dump truck and the race car, I put the Post-It notes up FIRST.  It allowed me to get the image that I wanted, and also created the effect of the image being behind another image (I love it when cool things happen that you don’t initially plan.) 
After all the images are stamped and sponged, then I put the card together.
And voila!  You have an ADORABLE card for your favorite little guy! 

Singing in the Rain, I'm singing in the Rain....

Not yet.  But it's coming.  Here outside of Memphis, where I live we've had a very wet spring.  (My family in Wisconsin and Minnesota would probably take my water-logged streets over their snow plows right about now.)  The rain drenches us for a couple days and by the time I think the sun has dried us out, we get drenched again.  I wish I could be creative when the clouds go dark and grey, but I can't.  Rainy weather makes me just want to curl up on the couch and nap.

But this happy stamp MAKES me want to get creative!  I adore the hot air balloons and happy little sun is just so bright and cheerful to me!




This is the April Stamp of the Month, so act fast to get yours today!  Click here to place your qualifying order of $50 to get this great stamp for $5 (a savings of $12.95)!

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Don't you LOVE getting free stuff?? I do!!

Do you love Close To My Heart products?  Do you want to get over $225 worth of stamping and scrapbooking swag for ONLY $49???

If you sign up as a Close To My Heart Consultant before April 30th, you'll get all this


AND THIS





There is NO OBLIGATION to purchase anything else in order to get all this great product!  Just click HERE to get your FREE PRODUCT!!  

Monday, April 15, 2013

How Fiskars is going to save my sanity!



I have two boys – and they’re almost 11 years apart! I’d forgotten how much babies need.  All the time, attention – and in my little guy’s case – constant demand to be held.  Before he was born, I was looking forward to the long nap times where he would be peacefully sleeping away in his crib which would allow me endless blissful hours to fill with my card making…  Silly me!  Where my oldest son was (and still to some extent is) a champion napper, my baby power naps.  I think since last June, I’ve created three cards and one two page layout.  And because my hubby works third shift and needs to get his sleep during the day, I can't just put the little guy in his crib and let him squall. 

Well, I no longer need to prioritize whether I’m going to scrapbook or keep the house quiet – I’ve got the perfect tool to help me do both!  Today, I used our Fiskars Cutter for the first time and I FELL IN LOVE!  I can use this baby one-handed for most of the smaller cuts.  The wire trim guide shows me exactly where the blade is going to slice the paper.  I can hold the baby in one arm, and stabilize the paper AND operate the blade with the other hand!  I danced a little jig.  I’m not kidding.  I actually danced.  The baby loved it (I was holding him at the time and he loves being bounced).  Hubby peeked his head around the corner and walked away shaking his head.  He may not understand my NEED to get creative, but he totally understands a happy wife and a calm home life.



If you’re in a predicament like mine and you have to choose between your little ones demands’ and exercising your creative muscles, then this is a MUST HAVE tool!  Just click HERE to get yours today!

Friday, April 12, 2013

You are MY SUNSHINE, my only sunshine...


Oh, Spring is FINALLY here!  Or so we're told...  If only Mother Nature would get on board!!!

While she's deciding whether to hit us with a cold front or let the warm breezes blow, this stamp set helps me feel the sunny expectancy that spring brings with it!  The happy little birdie and the hot air balloons are just adorable.  Since I have an itty bitty munchkin in my brood this spring, I'm looking forward to all the pictures of him enjoying the warm, sunny afternoons, picking off the buds of new growth on the bushes and plants, and digging for earthworms (I don't know why boys love slimy things so much!).  I already have plans to use this stamp set to help preserve those precious memories.

This set retails for $17.95, but it can be yours for only $5 with a qualifying order!!! Just click here to place your order. 


Thursday, April 11, 2013

Home Sweet Craft Room



 
This is my craft (ahem) … room.  (If my mom saw this picture, she’d be hanging her head in shame and wondering if anything she taught me about keeping a home sunk in!)  This is much worse than it usually looks because The Bling Team is getting ready to host a 12 hour crop in Memphis, and as a member (and consultant), I’m getting all my product and projects ready to go!  (We host a great event 5 times a year with Workshops, Make and Takes, Giveaways, Door Prizes, a CTMH Scavenger Hunt and a FANTASTIC store chock full of new and retired CTMH product!  If you ever swing through Memphis, keep us on your radar by visiting www.memphisareascrapbookers.blogspot.com regularly to see what we have to offer or sign up to be a part of this exclusive event!)  I’m also trying to streamline and minimize the space I need while maximizing my project output.  Sounds professional, right?  *I try.*  

I’m really just trying to get the clutter under control so I can get back to playing with my paper and stamps!  I don't know about you all, but for some reason, I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT create in a clean organized space.  I start out with a clear area slightly bigger than my VersaMat, but as the project nears completion, I'm usually working on top of stacked paperpacks.  I spend just as much time hunting tools and supplies as I do creating.  It's part of my creative process.  So I decided to unearth all my stuff and go through each piece to determine whether I was going to keep it and what I was going to share.
 
And truth be told, I don't even have a whole room to craft in - this is a hijacked corner of my baby's nursery.  My baby’s 10 months old now (time RACED by with this one!) and he needs his room back.  So Mommy has to find a new place to store her stash.  I pretty much stopped my crafting after the birth of my youngest – and I MISS IT!  So now that he’s more mobile and learning how to play on his own some (if he’d only learn how to nap!), I feel like I’m in a good place to get back to it.  But before I do, I want to get it organized.  I have limited space, and although we talk about it, hubby and I won’t be buying a bigger house any time soon.  

As you can see I have boxes of product (UNUSED) just waiting to be played with.  Some of it I'll keep, but most of it I'm going to give away.  That's right!  I said GIVE AWAY!!!  I'm a big believer in giving useable things away that I no longer need, want or can find a use for.  (I think it keeps my Karma in check for the cursing and the *tiny* bit of road rage I have.)  So check back often to see what's up for grabs!

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Winning in April!

Do you love preserving your precious family memories by scrapbooking?  Do you love sharing your love of paper crafting by making cards and giving them to your family and friends for special occasions?  Isn't it a wonderful feeling to create useable home decor projects to display in your own home or give away as a gift?  Maybe you just want to get a great discount on all your favorite Close To My Heart products and supplies (I know, I did.  That's what hooked me into becoming a Consultant in the first place.).

Do you want to make some money sharing that love?  From April 1-31, if you sign up as a CTMH Consultant, you will get ALL FOUR REMAINING STAMPS OF THE MONTH - FREE!!!!  These are D-sized stamp sets retailing for $17.95 each.  That's a savings of $71.80!  Look at how adorable these stamp sets are...
These exclusive stamp sets can ONLY be purchased during the month they are offered.  Once that month passes, the opportunity to add them to your stash passes.  This is a unique chance to get your hands on these stamp sets before anyone else does.  If I wasn't already a Consultant, this awesome promotion would be all the enticement I needed!

You can get these stamps FREE by one of the following two ways.

#1. Sign up as a Consultant by purchasing the Essentials Kit shown below:
For $49, you get $155 worth of product and supplies to get your business up and running.

#2. Sign up as a Consultant by purchasing the Master Kit shown below:
For $99, you get $335 in product and supplies!  PLUS, you get the above four Stamps Of The Month - FREE!  That's an amazing value!!

As a Close To My Heart Consultant, you'll have the amazing opportunity to meet new people, make new friends and earn exclusive trips and experiences!  You'll also be a part of an unbelievable group of creative individuals like yourself who encourage and support each other.

Click here to get started today!



Oh, My Goodness!

I can't believe how long it's been since I have been on here posting!  This "spring" has really been a doozy and it's been AWFUL for flexing my creativity muscles!  But I'm back now (along with the sunshine) and ready to share with all of you the wonderful projects I have planned and the amazing products that we have to offer with Close To My Heart.