Last Day for Stampaganza!!!

How in the world is it possible for March to have just one more day?!?!?  The worst part is that means Stampaganza is almost over too! 

Today (March 31st) is the last day to receive a FREE stamp set for EVERY 2 you order on my website!  Any size stamp is eligible, with just a few exclusions like hostess rewards and the stamp of the month. Just add the stamps to your cart and your free sets will automatically be discounted.  Remember, the lowest price stamps will be free first, so plan accordingly!  (See all the details here...)

I am so excited for my customers to be able to purchase these stamps at such a super price!  Here are some of my faves available now!

Rain or Shine

Ink Blot

Treats of Friendship

So Many Smiles

Illinois

Handwritten Print

Don't forget it is also the last day to grab this adorable Stamp of the Month, too!

Happy Easter!

 I just wanted to pop in and wish you a very Happy Easter today!

Kaleidoscope Paper Packet
Penelope Paper Packet
Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge
Paper Fundamentals Whimsey
Spring Critters My Acrylix
Spring Critters Thin Cuts 
ShinHan Markers 

Mixed Media Madness Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Blog Hops with Heart Mixed Media Madness Blog Hop!  If you need an alternative activity to the bouncing orange ball, WE have just the right kind of madness for you!  Our hop runs in a circle, so just click on the next participant's name at the bottom of each post to take you to the next inspiring creation!  I will post a list of all the talented bloggers at the end.

I have been keeping a bible journal lately, so I want to show you EXACTLY what that involves...

1.  I painted a very thin layer of clear gesso onto my page to prep it.  I don't do this for every page--just the ones I intend to get a little WET...I used a couple of sheets of vellum to protect the pages I am NOT working on today...

Yep, it curls...a bit.

2. Use a bit of washi to keep your page still...

I used a few circle cuts to mask off the bottom of my page.  Then I sponged Crystal Blue Exclusive Ink onto my skyline and up...

3. The verse I am working with is Isaiah 1:18  

"Come now, let us reason^[a] together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
    they shall become like wool."

I used my watercolors to add some red coming down from the top...then I stepped away to let it all dry...

4. I came back to a nice wrinkly red, white, and blue page.  Hmmmm, that was interesting to me. I stamped the word RED in Ruby Ink, and thought this Ruby Chevron washi worked nicely...and some cloudy washi...and some snowflake Cricut Artistry cuts...and clouds OF COURSE...and white snowy shimmer trim!

5. This last addition was completely spur of the moment...wool.  I stamped the Lamb from the Reason for the Season My Acrylix in White Daisy Pigment Ink and embossed with White Embossing Powder.

See the Wink of Stella Gitter on the snowflakes?  :)

I love the process of hearing God's Word through my art!  Now I can't wait to see the rest of the art on our hop!

Check out the fabulous madness over on Kelly's Blog next!

Here's the lineup for our hop this month:

Amie (that's ME!)

Kelly

Becca

Duck, Duck, Georgie!

Oh my word, I LOVE making up blog post titles!!!  ;)

OK, so this layout is perfect to share as we prep for Easter.  My kiddo's college has pet dorms, can you even imagine?   Well, this little fellow is such a cutie pie!  I used my Close to My Heart Georgie Paper Packet along with the Whisper color Paper Fundamentals pattern to create this layout...

I added some bling with the Silver Shimmer Trim and Silver Foil Tape running alongside the Zip Strip from the top of one of the Georgie papers...

Don't the white photo mats make the pics POP against the background?

WAIT A MINUTE!!!  You MUST go over to my FB page or Instagram RIGHT NOW to see some sneak peeks of what's coming soooooooon to a Seasonal Expressions 2 Catalog near YOU!!!

Don't forget that March Madness means Buy 2 get 1 FREE stamps over on my website!!!

Sending Prickly Hugs!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!  I'm a bit 'o Scot-Irish, so I have decked myself in green today, how about you?  Now let's get CRAFTY!!!

This new Close to My Heart My Acrylix stamp set has been one of my FAVORITES lately...

C1643 Stuck on You

One of my favorite things about it is that it happens to have a matching set of die cuts that you can use in any of your embossing machines!

Z3200 Stuck on You Thin Cuts

I had TONS of fun creating this little card with them last week along with a few other crafty faves...

I have been absolutely drooling over this Mama Elephant window die...

I colored my cute little barrel cactus with my ShinHan Alcohol Ink markers...

After embossing the rustic bricks from my Tim Holtz folder, I inked it up with Desert Sand Exclusive Ink.

 I LOVE the brick embossed on this card!!!  I think it looks like a little Italian building window...

Doesn't this stripey pattern from Penelope make a GREAT wallpaper?

I didn't take a pic, but the sentiment inside reads..."sending you a prickly hug!"  In case you didn't hear, the Thin Cuts are a HUGE hit and are selling like hotcakes!  The problem is that since they are SO new and impossible to guess on how to stock them, we have already run out of the floral set, Springtime Wishes!  If you are interested in any of the three remaining sets, I would scoop them up soon.  You could even buy two of the coordinating stamp sets and get the third one free with the Stampaganza sale going on NOW!!!

Close to My Heart Perpetual Calendar: April

Mooooooooving right along with my perpetual calendar we come to April...

I reached into my leftover Cricut cut drawer and pulled out spring!  I had a hot air balloon already stamped and some great clouds and grass all ready to go--and all found on the fabulous Cricut Artiste Cartridge.  It doesn't get any easier than that!  I was missing the balloon basket, however, which actually turned out to be a simple and more creative fix.  :)

Stay tuned for the rest of my calendar coming soon!  Have a wonderful week!

Only in March!

Buy 2 Get 1 FREE!!!

Important Close to My Heart Product Update!

Hi crafty friends!  I have some important news from Close to My Heart.

 First of all I have the unhappy task of letting you know that the online scrapbooking program, Studio J, is going to be retiring at the end of April.  This makes me sad for many reasons, but it makes sense from a business standpoint.  Less than 1% of sales is associated with Studio J, so spending more on updates just doesn't make any sense.  If you have any projects pending, please plan accordingly as it will no longer be available after April.

The next info is exciting and disappointing all at once.  We have completely sold out of the dated planner pages and the Springtime Wishes Thin Cuts (the set with flower images!)  These are new products which makes it a bit difficult to predict shelf life, and there is no historical data to suggest how much inventory we will be able to support.  The good news is that these products are a HIT so they will be coming out with new sets in the future!  :)  Now if you are thinking you might want to try the Thin Cuts (especially the Spring Critters) it would be best to pick them up SOON.

Spring Critters Thin Cuts

That's all I have for you today, but I will see you soon!  :)

Four Fabulous Years!!!!

Today is my 4th Anniversary as a Close to My Heart Independent Consultant!!!! 

I have no idea how the time has flown since I picked up my first My Acrylix Stamp set and Exclusive Ink Pad. 

This was my first Idea Book back in the Spring of 2012...

Remember?  Stella was my FAVORITE paper packet!  Which was yours?  Pemberley?  Typeset?  How about Footloose?

Just for giggles, here is that first post I made on my blog about it--the big announcement, lol.

Can you believe they had not even invented Shimmer Trim yet back in the day?  The horror!  ;)

If you are still with me on my little stroll down memory keeping lane, thank you for humoring me.  My customers and blog followers have been amazing along my journey.  I quite frankly could not have come this far without you guys.  And I would be talking to MYSELF for goodness sake!

To my friends near and far who have supported and buoyed me as I navigated the sea of planning crafty classes, THANK YOU for filling my sparkle bucket day after day...I reflect your kindness, your optimism, and your encouragement that you so selflessly have given.  I love you all more than glitter.  And that's a LOT!

Now!  DON'T forget to take advantage of the fantastic sale going on right now on my Close to My Heart Website...

 
And this sunny Stamp of the Month is only here for March, too!

Perk Up Your Planner!

Happy Hump Day!

Here is a quick little way to pretty up your planner.  All you need is a binder clip and some pretty ribbon like this Close to My Heart Black and Gold Ribbon...

Just crisscross the ribbon through one of the clip loops and presto!

This was one of the easy car-crafting ideas I came up with on the road to FL this past Christmas.  Quick and easy just the way I like!  ;)

B2G1 in March!

March Stamp of the Month!

Hoppy Monday!

How cute is this little frog?

I just adore the little critters with banners on the Spring Critters My Acrylix from Close to My Heart.

There are so many fun sentiments to choose with this set.  AND just in case you were oogling my amazing cutting finesse, those blue lines around the images indicate there is also a matching Thin Cuts die available!  I used mine on my Sizzix Big Shot.  You can see how they work in the video below...

I matted this little Penelope patterned paper square on Canary CS and popped a Ghiradelli Square on the back as a little thank you treat. The frog pops with a little bit of foam tape.

NOW is THE perfect time to pick up this fab little size C stamp set...because when you buy 2 My Acrylix stamps from Close to My Heart, YOU GET ONE FREE!!!  Yes!  We have four sets available that coordinate with a matching Thin Cuts, so you could have loads of fun with them!  HERE are all the important details!