Third Place Finish!!!

Well, I am just as thrilled as can be that I finished third in the Close to My Heart Facebook contest for National Scrapbook Month.  Thank you all so much for the votes and words of encouragement.  It helps that my wonderful director, Mandy Leahy took first place!  Congrats, Mandy!!!

 I also need to say thank you to my peeps who attended my Kick-off Extravaganza.  It was a wonderful turnout, and a great success!  I was able to donate $40 to My friend Jenny to support her in the Relay For Life 2012.  Those of you who were able to score a Dotty for You Paper pack, you are one of the last few who did--they went like hotcakes and are now SOLD OUT! 

How shocking that the month went by so fast!  I am not quite sure how this is the last day of May.  It was also my kids' last day of school, so summer, here we come!  :)

I just want to share with you quickly the adorable letters that I decorated for my Studio.  I bought them at Michael's, and spiffied them up with some of my favorite Close to My Heart B&T Duos Paper Packs and embellishments.

A few close-ups of our fabulous embellishments:
Hemp and Bohemian Assortment button and flower

 Just Blooms Paper Shapes and Pearl Opagues

 Chocolate spotty ribbon round

Dotty for You Contest!!! Time to Vote!

Hello!  It is finally time to place your vote for the Dotty for You National Scrapbook Month Contest from Close to My Heart.  I could win $100 worth of product from the Spring/Summer Idea book.  Well, that would mean I would just HAVE to have a giveaway, so please come and vote for me HERE!  Thank you all so very much!  This is a picture of the keepsake box I entered for the contest:

Please go vote!  The contest winner will be announced on May 29th.  :)

Kick-Off Extravaganza Gathering is here!!!

Today is the big day!  It is my official Kick-Off Extravaganza to start my business with Close to My Heart.  I am both excited at the prospects and very nervous too!  I have been pouring over the Idea Book for quite some time, so I am ready to do this!  If anyone out there would like to place an order but are unable to make it to my Gathering, HERE is the link to my website.  Remember, Dotty for You is almost gone!  You only have until May 31st to place a $35 order from the Spring/Summer Idea Book in order to get your pack for only $5.  Be sure to get it now--don't wait!  Here is a pic of the pattern side.  The reverse side is an adorable dots pattern in several different coordinating colors.

 The other limited time offer for May is the Friendship Bouquet Stamp of the Month.  You can get it only until May 31st at regular price, OR for only $5 with a $50 purchase!  That is almost a $13 savings!  Here are two cards I made with the beautiful sunflowers and sentiments in the set:

 Also, just a reminder that half of my earnings will be donated to sponsor my friend Jenny Beguin in the 2012 Relay For Life of Oswego and Montgomery, IL.  She is participating in honor of her friend, Jen who lost her battle with cancer recently.  I hope to really make this a big success.  Thanks so much for your support of Mimi, Myself, and I!  We have been having quite the time with our creative side.  ;)

NSM Facebook Contest: Dotty for You Entry

Happy Wednesday!  Today I just want to remind everyone of the contest that CTMH is having for National Scrapbook Month on Facebook.  Entries have to incorporate the Dotty for You paper pack in any project of your choice.  I decided to remake a keepsake box for mine.  Here is the finished project:

 I cut out many of the embellishments from the paper itself.

 Then I chose buttons, dimensional elements, and twine to add some more flair.

 LOVE these glitter buttons and the opaque pearls on the scallop cut.

 I even used paper flowers and brads to round it out.

 This ticket feature is one of my faves.

 More cut-outs, paper flowers, and a bling button on top.

 I tried to incorporate each of the patterns in the papers on the box.  There were only two that didn't make the final cut.  I finished it up with ribbon around the outer edge. 

Starting this Saturday, the 26th, you can vote for my project to win.  I will add a link in a later post to make it easy!  ;)  Wish me luck!

Nomination for Blog Award! Who, Mimi???

Yesterday my blog was nominated for it's first award! The "Liebster Award" This award was given to me by Pamela at I Candy Scraps.  I am so taken by surprise, Pamela, thank you so very much for the humbling compliment!  Pamela has her own fabulous Liebster Award-winning blog so be sure to check it out here!

Liebster is a German word meaning "Beloved," "Favorite," or "Dearest."  This award is a peer to peer award in which fellow bloggers present the award to their favorite bloggers with less than 200 followers. The origins of this award is unclear, but is believed to have originated by a German blogger.  This award was designed to be a blog award in the pay it forward fashion to share your dearest  and most beloved blogs that have less than 200 followers.

The rules to accepting the "Liebster Award" are as follows

• Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog.
• Post the award onto your blog.
• Give the award to five bloggers who you appreciate that have less than 200 followers.
• Leave a comment on their blog letting them know that you have given them this awesome award!

My five picks for this award for their inspiration to me go to:

Wendy- http://www.stampingrules.com/

 Darla-http://stampingunderdoctorsorders.blogspot.com/

 Lalia-http://craftylalia.blogspot.com/

 Pamela-http://cherishyourmemories.blogspot.com/

                               ~AND~

 Ashley-http://www.cutesyandsillscrafts.blogspot.com/

Now, ladies, it is your turn!  Choose one of the following to post on your blog and then choose your five to share the love with!  :)

Bethie's Belated Birthday!

Ok, so it took a while for me to get this card to my friend for her birthday (in my defense, I was not home on her birthday--National Scrapbook Day!!!), so I could not share it until I did, lol!  I finally succeeded with delivery today and am excited to share this one.  It is a different color scheme than I am used to--and THAT was my personal challenge to myself.  I began with the Dotty for You paper pack...remember, it is ONLY available for a limited time now...when May is gone, so is Dotty!  {cry, cry}

~ I cut the card out of Colonial White cardstock on my Cricut Expression from my trusty Art Philosophy cartridge.

~Other CTMH supplies I used:  Basic Button assortment, Evergreen Color-ready Corkboard Shapes (star), Paradise Assortment Baker's Twine, Stamp of the Month for January 2012 called Little Reminder, Sunset, Grey Wool and Black Exclusive Ink Pad, February Stamp of the Month 2012 Thoughtful Tidings,  and the Typeset Workshop-on-the-Go Stamp Set.  See the chipboard circle that has the calendar numbers stamped on it?  It is one of the scraps left over from the My Originals Sweet Surprises Card Kit.  Don't throw those away!  They fit perfectly for this use!  ;)

Happy Belated Birthday, Bethie!!!  ;)

Happy Mother's Day!

Well, I should have no trouble staying in my craft room today--I can do what I want for Mother's Day!  Too bad it is also gorgeous outside!  Oh well--it will be gorgeous again.  I have much to do in preparation for my Kick-off Extravaganza! 

Since my cards have been received, I can now post more detailed pics of a mother's day card I made this week.  You might recognize this one from my recent post, Tip of the Day. I used the two flowers and a butterfly from the Card Word Puzzle Acrylix Stamp Set.  This is one of my favorite sets and perfect for the occasion too!  I also used a sentiment from Wonderful You and a circle from Countdown.  The inks are Outdoor Denim, Indian Corn Blue, and Colonial White.

 I wanted to add some sparkle, so I heat embossed the butterfly with a powder that I have had forever from Stamp-n Suff.  Sorry, but I have no idea if it is still available, lol.  I love the effect!

Celebrate you mom!  Big hugs to everyone that cannot celebrate it with her today.

We Interrupt This Craft Blog...

OK, so this isn't a post about a cool craft I made or anything.  This is a post about a mission.  A little, actually no--A BIG voice spoke to me yesterday afternoon and you just don't ignore that BIG voice, because it is always right.  So I took action.

I recently scheduled my Close to My Heart Kick-Off Extravaganza Gathering and sent out the Evites to as many friends as I had emails, lol.  I posted on my FB business page and continued merrily browsing away.  The VERY first post I saw was from a friend that is participating in the 2012 Relay For Life Oswego/Montgomery and was asking for donations. * Enter THE BIG voice * Yep--it told me that I should donate half of my commissions from my kick-off to sponsor her.  What???  I helplessly replied.  But it was useless to question my own thinking at that point because I LOVED THE IDEA!!!  I was absolutely consumed with it by two seconds after it popped into my head.  I made the big announcement on my FB page later that evening, actually yesterday to be exact, lol.  After a bit of hilarious confusion on the part of my wonderful target, who is walking/running in memory of her friend who just recently lost her battle with the horrid beast that is cancer, she realized what was going on.  Oh the JOY of that moment.  It was fabulous.  And I want this donation to be fabulous too.  I want it to be three figures of fabulous.

Here is the link to my Kick-Off Extravaganza Event.  If you feel so inclined, use it to place your order by the date of the actual event, May 26th.  All orders to be counted toward this goal must be placed by that date--I can't get them in later because of the computer system.  You may also contact me by leaving a comment here with your contact information to place an order.  If you go directly to my website without this link, then make sure you choose to join the Kick-Off Extravaganza before checking out, or on the home page first.  Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Just a couple of ordering thoughts.  We have two specials going on.  In May, with a $35 order of Spring/Summer items you can add the Dotty for You paper pack of 24 fun double-sided papers for only $5.   Also, we always have a Stamp-of-the-Month set available one month at a special price of $5 with a $50 purchase.

Cancer sucks any way you slice it.  I am also donating in memory of many I know that have lost their battles with cancer and those who still struggle with it daily.  Hopefully with continued support and research we can give it the knock-out punch soon.

Tip of the Day!

I had an absolutely fantastic time on my scrapbook retreat this past weekend, and I cannot think of a better way to celebrate National Scrapbook Day!  Now I am back to work with a quick tip I just used while making Mother's Day cards.  Have you ever signed a card that has a window on the front in the wrong place?  It has happened to me many times, and it is frustrating to say the least!  I just came up with a fab solution!

First, with your card closed, slip in a piece of lightweight or see-through paper or other material.  I used the backing that comes with our CTMH My Acrylix stamp sets.  Line it up with the top or bottom edge of the card window to cover the part you will NOT be writing on.  In the example below, I want to put a word at the top, so I line it up like this:

 

When you open the card, hold this sheet in place as a guide.  I now know how far down I can safely write and not infringe on the window opening.  Whew!

I did the same thing when writing at the bottom of the window, just lining it up with the bottom of the window instead.  Hope this tip saves you from revealing a bit too much too soon.  Now I have to tell my sister not to read my blog before IT reveals too much, too soon!  ;)  Later, gators!

OH!  Before I forget, I am entering a contest to win a Cricut Expression so here is a pic of me in my scrapbook room in the midst of crafty CHAOS!!!!  *sigh*

Happy National Scrapbook Day!!!

I am super-excited to be cropping today...are you?  Just wanted to pop in here and share one of the pages from the album I am working on.  These are some of my favorite pics from a trip to Washington State with two of my friends.  It was the trip of a lifetime and deserves a fabulous layout, so I pulled out my Cherish CTMH How-to book and found the perfect one--Visual Texture.  These books are selling out quickly because of how easy they are to find a layout by the number of pics you have to use.   You can still catch a few of the volumes if you hurry over to my CTMH website HERE.

 I love this stamp set called Code It.  I do wish I had printed out the word, "priceless" though.

Here is a list of my supplies, all from Close to My Heart unless otherwise noted:
Papers/Cardstock: 2 Desert Sand (page background), Olive, Pacifica, Chocolate, Colonial White, Elemental B&T Level 2 pack,  Wings B&T Bulk
Inks: Tulip, Chocolate
Mini Medley Pacifica
Durables Round Gold
Code-It My Acrylix Stamp Set (Retired)
Art Philosophy Cartridge
Provocraft Cricut Expression 2

The Box--Take Two!

I couldn't wait to try my hands at another box makeover, and I had the perfect reason to do so...we needed a gift box for a sweet sixteen celebration!  With some input from my daughter on colors and patterns, I got to work.  Here it is!

 We both agreed that it HAD to be zebra print, and what better place than the lid?  It is the perfect backdrop for the beautiful flowers that I cut out on my Cricut with my Art Philosophy Cartridge from Close to My Heart. 

The beautiful bling on top is also from Close to My Heart and is one of the Sparkles Flourishes.  I wanted to add some class with the pearl brads and even added more glitz with my Sakura Gelly Roll stardust pen to the flowers.  I think the finished product says "teenage girl" all over it!  :)

One Giant Leap...

...for Mimi, Myself, and I!  I set out to turn a plain kraft chipboard box into a beautiful container for a set of cards, and I did it!  I am so thrilled with how this came together--you have no idea how nervous I was to ruin my materials and have to start over.  I am planning on making more of these and selling card sets, so I am not going to share the details like I usually do, but I will take special requests, and I will post the card set that I make to go inside this box which is a gift for my daughter's speech therapist.  Here are some pics.

I added this tag to the box after I had already taken the rest of the pics--I was a tad bit excited:

I will say that I used the Wings paper and many other embellishments from Close to My Heart.  I am starting work on box #2 right now!  Already have received a special request!  I love it when a plan comes together!  ;)  Am I showing my age?