A Birthday Card and a Bear Called Jack

I've been super swamped lately with "house" stuff.  Seriously would consider a tiny home if I could have a second one for my crafts!  ;)

Thank goodness for a back-log of projects I made with the Close to My Heart Jack Cardmaking Stamp and Die set.  This bear.  I cannot explain my love--because bears are not really high on my list of creatures in real life.  Not by a long shot.  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger--but bears, they will kill you!  I like to think my fear is a "healthy" fear.  ;)

Anyhow, this little guy who I just like to call Jack is SOOOO incredibly versatile!  And if you know my crafty self, versatile is a must.

I am definitely not what I would call an experienced "artist" when it comes to coloring, but we can't all be good at everything, so I'm willing to cut myself some slack.  Luckily, the ShinHan Touch Twin markers make it enjoyable and the results smooth themselves out to a point. I like the Mahogany for his fur. My go to ink for coloring stamped images with no embossing is Memento.  Always.

This set mixes so easily with others since this little guy has adjustable arms--he can hold virtually any item!  I used the candle from the Sweet Birthday Stamp and Die set.  (PLEASE NOTE:  You will want to wait to purchase this one if you haven't yet!  It will be available in August as a set with the die included.  Only the stamp set is currently available.  I know it will be tempting to get this one during Stampaganza right now, but you will NOT be able to purchase the dies separately later, only in the set!!!)

One of my new favorite easy-button techniques is attaching burlap ribbon with the Mini Stapler...

I also used one of my favorite card kits right now...Workshops Your Way Let's Party.  I just love this sentiment for the inside...

The papers I used on this one come in the Jack Paper Pack (mmmmm, those trees!) and the Let's Party Kit.  I will have some more Jack to show you later this week!  :)

Never let anyone dull your sparkle!

Only in July!

Buy two get one free!!!!!!  Really!

Last Chance for these Throwback Thursday Favorites!

Hey everyone!  Just want to pop in and remind you that TODAY is the very last day to order several items in the Close to My Heart Spring and Summer Idea Book.  Here are some of my faves in the most monstrous version of Throwback Thursday if there ever was one!!!

Marquee White Enamel Shapes--GOTTA HAVE THESE!!!

Burlap Ribbon--AMAZING TEXTURE!!!

My friend Dana made this one!  :)

Zipper Lace in Lagoon and Hollyhock!  Yummo!!!

Ruby and Outdoor Denim Chevron Ribbon!

Chocolate Woodgrain Washi Tape!  STOCK UP NOW!!!

The Lollydoodle Workshop on the Go Cardmaking Kit!!!  OH THAT SENTIMENT!!!  And the SEQUINS!!!

Laughing Lola Papers and the Cityscape My Acrylix Stamp!

Wouldn't you know I JUST talked MYSELF into some of these again!!!  ;)

My Creations Clear Pillow Box Treats for Spring

I love making little treats for people to say thanks, or just to let them know I am thinking about them.  Close to My Heart has several different creative options for me to use to do that, including these Clear Pillow Boxes.  They come in sets of three for just $2.95 and are food safe.

I decorated this pillow box in a spring theme for my daughter's teacher and added a gift card and some candy inside...

The little boxes measure about 5.75 x 3.5 when assembled.  They are the perfect size to hold a bit of candy and a gift card.

I embellished this one using the Skylark Textiles, Balloon Ride Paper Packet, and Gold Polka-Dot Washi Tape.  The eggs are cut from the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge and then I added a layer of Liquid Glass for an enamel look.  You can find the directions for my nest tag HERE.

There are really so many ways to make a super-fun gift for people using your CTMH craft supplies!  What little containers do you like to use for spreading a little sparkle?

Want to pick up the supplies to make this treat box AND spread some sparkle to a mom for Mother's Day this year?  Any order placed on my website this month qualifies you for the drawing to win this awesome Mother's Day stamp!  Click HERE to shop and win!

Tag (You're It!) Tuesday: It's For the Birds

Welcome back to my blog for another Tag (You're It!) creation!

This tag is dedicated to the birds who were forced to take a break from building their nests when it SNOWED yesterday, April 14th, in what is turning out to be THE LONGEST winter in the history of my life!  (That sentence probably is too!)  ;)

Alas, I have ZERO control over the weather here in the Midwest, but I am in FULL control over my creation today!  Take THAT, snow!

I am just head over heals for this one, and I hope you are too!

Wouldn't this be perfect for some candy eggs?  Chocolate, of course.  I ate mine already, so I just used another kind of candy...hmmm better get to the store before the weekend!  Ooops!  ;)  Anywhoooo, I am linking up with the Simon Says Happy Easter and/or Sweet Treats Challenge!

I used the following Close to My Heart products to make this little treat bag and tag:

Cricut Art Philosophy Collection (cartridge and dimensional elements tag)
Desert Sand CS
Pink Glitter Paper
Black and Grey Glitter Paper
Brown and Tan Glitter Paper
Burlap Ribbon
Skylark Textiles
Mini Medley Accents Wooden Collection (hemp baker's twine)

Let me show you how easy this was to make!  Did you notice there were no stamps used?  ;)

Start off by cutting a length of Burlap Ribbon that is just longer than your tag shape.  Then trim off each side that has the thicker cord...

 Now you can separate all the little fibers of burlap...

I used the Dimensional Elements Tag shape to have a sturdy base for the tag.  You can cut the same shape tag out of the Desert Sand CS and attach it to the chipboard tag with Bonding Memories Glue.

Squeeze out a nice layer of liquid glass onto the CS to apply the pieces of the nest...

You don't have to be neat about this part...just lay the longer threads of burlap fiber out to overlap the sides and hang off the edges of the tag a bit...

It ends up looking nice and irregular with some extra space between the fibers...so you can just go back and add some of the shorter pieces of burlap to fill in the gaps while adding little drops of liquid glass as you do...

Walla!

The egg shape I used is also found on the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge.

Did you hear you can get this cartridge for FREE this month?  Did you hear you can actually get over $425 worth of amazing CTMH products and business supplies for only $99???  It is all true!  There are no strings attached at all to join my Close to My Heart team this month!  Whether you are looking to build a business from home or just build a collection of amazing products for a great discount, you are welcome to take advantage of this limited time offer!  You can actually choose any of the three Close to My Heart exclusive Cricut cartridges for FREE when you purchase the New Consultant Kit pictured below for just $99 with $15 to ship it out.  THAT'S IT!  No commitment, no strings!  Of course, I would LOVE to help you get off the ground running with your very own business, but the choice is yours.  :)  Team Been There, Blinged That is growing and would love to have you!  I really don't want you to miss this opportunity, so if you are interested, follow this link HERE for way more details!  If you have already made up your mind, then click HERE to join me and choose your FREE Cricut Collection!  :)

Cardholder for St. Louis Regional Cards

Hi there!  On Thursday, I shared the cards that I was able to make from the Close to My Heart St. Louis Regional Celebration in 2012.  If you missed it, you can see them HERE.  Today, on the anniversary of that amazing experience, I'm sharing the cardholder that I designed to coordinate!  :)

I really couldn't put this set in a box because of all the different sizes, one being a 3 x 8!  But I needed to have something since I was donating the set for an auction.  I came up with a great solution, and decorated a 3D item from the CTMH Artiste Collection to go with any kind of decor.

The retired Dakota Woodgrain pattern was such a versatile paper.  Just add Burlap Ribbon and Durables for a great decor piece that you won't want to hide in the desk!  ;)

The auction is tomorrow, and I can't wait to see how things turn out!  :)

Throwback Thursday: Meet Me in St. Louie

I am absolutely stunned that it has been almost a year since I traveled to St. Louis for the Close to My Heart Regional Celebration.  The memories are still so fresh, and it really hammered home how amazing it is to represent this fantastic company.  Maybe it is because of all the fabulous new friendships I made during the trip?  :)  What better way to celebrate, than to finally finish one of the projects we got to take part in?  Sure wish I had planned it that way!  ;)

Remember that I promised to show you some cards that mix and match patterns from different paper packets?  Cards 2 and 4 below do just that!  Here are the four cards that feature the retired Close to My Heart papers from Avonlea, Flirty, Dakota, and Scholastic.  They all use images from the Casual Expressions My Acylix and the wonderful Burlap Ribbon.

Clementine Paper Packet

Scholastic and Dakota Paper Packets

Flirty Paper Packet

Avonlea and Dakota Paper Packet

So, tell me, do YOU like to stay current with all the new products and ideas from Close to My Heart?  Do you like to be the first to get your hands on newly released items, like our amazing Cricut cartridges?  Would YOU like to travel to a Regional Celebration or even CONVENTION in Disneyland next summer?

Guess what I am doing today?  As a consultant, I am pre-ordering the FABULOUS new products in our soon to be released Holiday Gift Guide!!!!  Guess what else?  I am getting them at a discount!!!  You can do the same thing when you join my team!  Do you need to rediscover YOUR creative side?  That is just what happened to me when I signed up to be a hobbyist a year and a half ago!  Little did I know how my business would grow in the months to come!  ;)  Click HERE to find out more about joining Team Been There, Blinged That, and invest in YOURSELF. 

Tag, You're It!

I recently discovered that I LOVE making gift tags!  The only problem is that I rarely need to give a gift, lol, so I have a growing collection of tags.  ;)

This one is specially made to enter the Heart 2 Heart Blog Challenge, Tag, You're It.

I started off with this one thinking about woodgrain, so wanted to use the Dakota Paper Packet.
Instead of the woodgrain paper, though, I made my own with some Kraft Cardstock, Saddle Ink, and the wood stamp from the Universal Backgrounds My Acrylix.  I attached this paper to a tag shape that I got from the Dimensional Elements Tags set and covered with Colonial White Cardstock shapes cut to match the tag exactly from the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge.

The flower incorporates both sides of one sheet of B&T Duo paper.   I inked the edges with Outdoor Denim Ink to give each layer some definition.  Yep, it was messy, but oh, so worth it!   I LOVE the way it turned out!!!  The leaves are made of Olive ribbon from the retired Designer Ribbon Green Collection.

I used the flower cut on page 54 of the Cricut Artiste Cartridge which I cut at 1.75, 1.5, 1.25, and 1 inch on my E2 cutting machine to form the layers of the flower.

At the center of the flower is a tiny button from the Buttons Basic Assortment that has a thread of the burlap ribbon tied in the center.  I used one that I had carefully pulled from the edges of the ribbon to make it fray a bit.

I selected a versatile THANKS sentiment for my tag that I fashioned with the brand new Keyboard Kraft Alphabet stickers from Close to My Heart.  I also added a houndstooth pattern Irresistibles Frame to ground my embellishments.  The Hemp Bakers Twine that I used as the tie of the tag is in the Mini Medley Accents Wooden Collection.

Do you like to make gift tags?  Have you ever tried one?  Now just might be the time to give it a go and link your creation up with the Heart 2 Heart Challenge!  You have until the end of the month to enter.  :)