Scrapbook Challenges Sketch 454 with Georgie

You might be wondering what happened to Fundamental Friday...well its HERE!  It just also happens to be my very first time entering the Scrapbook Challenges Blog!  I used their super-fun Sketch 454 along with my Close to My Heart Georgie Papers to create a title page of sorts for my new album.

LOVE the grey chevrons on this pattern from Georgie!  The Paper Fundamentals Enchantment pattern in Saffron makes the perfect sunshine cut from the CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy Collection.

Oh my word, I am in love with the gold and silver overlays in the NEW PML Cards!  They sure aren't just for pocket pages!  My clusters include bits from the Grey Enamel Gems and Gold Glitter Paper...

Can you see the shiny embossed pattern on the Fundamentals Paper sunshine?

This sketch was the perfect jump start to my album...and I can't wait to play along again!  Thanks, Scrapbook Challenges!  :)

Only in October!!!  :)

My Journey Through Bible Journaling

Not too long ago...OK so like a year or more ago, lol, I ran across some blog posts about Bible journaling.  I fell in love with the idea of getting to the heart of God's word with art.  After all, art is one of the ways I speak my life...so it seems totally natural for God to speak more clearly to ME through it.

I started researching the how-tos and what supplies I might need to add to my collection to get started, ahem.  (I need supplies.  Right.)  I picked out the bible I wanted to use...and waited what seemed like eons for it to be back in stock SOMEWHERE, lol.  I guess LOTS of people discovered Bible journaling about the same time as me!  ;)

So, that brings me to today when I can finally say I completed a page!  I went so long not knowing where to begin...well, that is until I remembered to start at the very beginning--a VERY good place to start...

If you want the quick low-down on my supplies for this page, here you go:

Animal Greetings
Great Job
Close to My Heart Mini Pigment Inks
Hello, Life 
Faber Castel Gelatos
Watercolor Paints
Brushes
Wink of Stella Glitter Brush
leftover Cricut cut (flower from Art Philosophy)

I probably could have planned the animal arrangement out a bit better, but I was a teeeeeny bit excited.  ;)

I think I need some more animals to fill in the gaps...

My bunny was trapped by the fold of the spine...it hit my stamping block.  Ooops!

I stamped the leaf, sun, and planet with my Watercolor Paints.

Now, remember--I am NOT in any way a good sketch/drawing/painting artist.  Shoot, I hardly even like my own handwriting most of the time.  I stamp.  I color.  I cut paper.  I did the things I DO, not the things I don't.  And it was good.  :)

I will share lots more about my Bible Journaling Journey, so stay tuned!

This is the set I used from Hello, Life!

A Pillow Box Gift Card Holder with Art Philosophy and the CTMH November Stamp of the Month

It felt SOOO good to get some crafty time in yesterday.  I have lots to plan for, plus Christmas is just around the corner, so I need to get cutting!  ;)

We are making this Pillow Box (found on the Art Philosophy Cartridge) that is sized to hold a gift card at the class I am teaching on Saturday at Our Lady of Mercy's All Day Craft Event.  I can't wait!

The Pathfinding Paper Packet is a wonderful choice for fall crafting.  I paired it with the beautiful font and flowers in the November Stamp of the Month...It's the Little Things...

This Black Striped Twill Ribbon is so versatile!

Wait a minute!  I think I forgot to add my bling!  Better go dig out those Gold Sequins!  :)

November Stamp of the Month!

June Stamp of the Month, KABOOM!

Happy, happy Monday!

I am trying to get a lot of posts scheduled for the rest of this week because I am headed off to Disneyland to celebrate 30 years of Close to My Heart at the annual convention soon!  I will be bringing you LOTS of great sneak peeks and new product announcements from Anaheim starting on Thursday, so hang on for a wild ride!

Today I wanted to show you the June Stamp of the Month, KABOOM!, one more time before I leave.  I used the patriotic set to make a little happy mail to send off to the troops with my Operation Write Home donation this year.  You will have a chance to make it at my OWH Card Workshop in July as well! 

I simply LOVE the look of the fireworks on the corners with the coordinating CS color behind it!  I used Ruby for this one.  I would have added some sparkle to this one, but that is a big NO-NO on cards for Operation Write Home!

My favorite Close to My Heart My Acrylix stamps are the ones that coordinate with our Cricut Cartridges, and this is no exception!  It coordinates with the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge.  For that reason, I am using some hashtag magic to enter Provo Craft's current giveaway of a new Cricut Explore!  :)  Just post your creations with these two hashtags to enter all the way through July 30th.

#cricut #imadeit

I will get the rest of my cards workshop-ready after I return!  :)

See it on my website here!

Shop now by clicking here!

A Filmstrip Birthday Card

Welcome to my crazy summer!  Sorry for the shorter/fewer posts for a while, but with a family reunion and VBS coming up, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit!  ;)

Here is a card that I made a while back that I am finally remembering to show you that used both Artbooking and Art Philosophy Cricut Collections to make.  You can tell it was a while ago with that old watermark, lol...

That filmstrip stamp is included in the Artbooking Collection from Close to My Heart.  I used Lagoon, Twilight, and  Juniper for this card and accented with Aqua Dots to match.

The background was super-easy to make by using a few extra cuts I had lying around from the Art Philosophy Cartridge.  I sponged different shades of blue over them all and then removed them...

This is a great technique to play with, so give it a try!

Don't forget you can get all these supplies on my website 24/7 by following the links above.  THIS month is an even better time to shop since I have a special offer for a special occasion!

Shop online at mimimyselfandi.ctmh.com!

 Get ready for July 4th right now with the June Stamp of the Month!

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 and the Changing Challenge

Hey!  Welcome back to my corner of the blogosphere!  Have you ever started out making something for one challenge, and it morphs into another one before you eyes?  Well, THAT, my friends is what I am talking about today...and I even tied a tag in for Tag (You're It!) Tuesday!

It all started when I set out to make a monochromatic color scheme for the MCT Designer's Challenge in WHITE.  HOWEVER, I could NOT keep from adding some color, and so the way it ended up, I laid it out for a completely different challenge--CAS(E) this Sketch!

After I cut the tag, clouds, and back piece of vellum, I realized rather quickly that this sunshine just HAD to be yellow.  NO way around it...so there went the monochromatic part of the card already, lol.

I used a few of my favorite MCT stamps and dies for this one.  The background panel is a piece of vellum that I embossed with the Close to My Heart Chevron Embossing Folder.  That unique and genius cut across the bottom--was a total accident!  LOL!  I pulled the vellum out of the folder, and it started to break apart at the zigs and zags...so I went with it!  When you are creating, trust me when I say mistakes are sometimes your BFF!  ;)

The sun is cut on Babycakes Pattern Paper and Honey CS using the CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge.  This was Close to My Heart's very first Cricut Cart, and it is one of the most solidly designed with fantastic basics and staple cuts like circles and label shapes.  Need a sun--you got it! 

The cloudy background from MCT looks fab whether stamped in a solid way or rapidly done for a more rugged look.  I inked it up with Sky Exclusive ink on this tag.  Those flat-bottom clouds are some of my faves!

That darling little butterfly is die cut vellum that has been colored with my Alcohol Ink Marker in Smoothie, and glittered up with the Wink of Stella Glitter Brush Marker.  SO.  MUCH.  FUN!

Tell me this one didn't NEED those bursts of color!  ;)

A Valentine's Day Coffee Gift Card Holder with Art Philosophy

I have said it before, and I'll say it again...I am a lazy crafter!  If it takes too many steps, I'm out before I started.  SO why in the world did I not use a simple tutorial for this project???

Oh, no.  I just HAD to make a CCR file using the Close to My Heart Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge!  Yep.  I was determined to do it after seeing so many cute coffee cups.  I KNEW I could design one of my own, and I did!  The best part is that I can cut every single part from my Cricut for my workshops!  AHA!  There is the lazy factor!  ;)

Here is my final product, and you better believe it took a bit of java to get me here, lol...

I simply welded and altered shapes from the Art Philosophy Cartridge to make each part of this card, cut them out, and assembled!  The scallop behind the sentiment is a punch that CTMH used to carry, but I sure could make it on the Cricut if I wanted to do it that way.

I used the brand new Paper Fundamentals Basic Assortment from CTMH for the cute heart pattern sleeve and am linking this creation up to the Heart 2 Heart Hearts Galore Challenge this month.  The sentiment is one of many included in the Holiday Tags My Acrylix.  A retired glitter button, some contraband baker's twine, and a Flamingo Dot round out the embellishments.  That's it!

You can attach a gift card to the insert with a couple of glue dots.

I wrote a little instruction on the back just in case...

You can decorate the back of your card with another sleeve if you like, but I wanted to have plenty of room to write a little message.  :)

This Paper Fundamentals Paper is FANTASTIC!  There is a clear resist pattern on one side and the same pattern in white on the other.  Two of each of the neutral color palate for a total of 20 sheets in each pack.  I will be making this one from the Idea Book for SURE!!!  Who's IN???

Are you ready for some GREAT news?  Anyone who places an order on my website is eligible to receive the CCR file for these Coffee Gift Card Holders!  Just place an order and let me know you want me to email it to you!  It is THAT easy!  I did all the hard work for us, lol!  Shop now at www.mimimyselfandi.ctmh.com! 

There is also one more way to get the CCR file from me--this will be one of the cards available to make at my Creative Cards Workshop on Feb. 28th at 7 pm.  All attendees will be able to have the file absolutely free!  There are several themes available for the card since it will be past Valentine's Day.  Here is a shot of the stamp set so you can preview some of your choices...

Remember!  Did you read my newsletter?  When you place an order at my workshop, you get a discount on the workshop now!  I will have all the details up on my Workshop tab shortly!  :)

Trim the Tree with Artiste and Art Philosophy!

Hi again!

I wanted to show you a little project that my small group from church worked on last week.  We decided to get together and decorate a Christmas tree in the village hall,  Our theme was "Better Together" which was also the theme of the bible study we had concluded recently.  We used the Close to My Heart Cricut Artiste and Art Philosophy Cartridges to make it all come together easily.  :)

My friend used the Cricut markers and the Artiste Cartridge to design this brilliant sign...

The banner is from the Art Philosophy cartridge, and the puzzle pieces are again from Artiste.

We had a lot of fun coming up with things that just go better together, like peanut butter and jelly,  cheese and crackers, and a bat and ball, and even more fun decorating the tree.  I even managed to sneak in some glitter!  Doesn't a bit of sparkle make anything better?   ;)

Heart 2 Heart Shaped Card Challenge!

Here we go!  It is already time for the next Heart 2 Heart Challenge for October.  This month, we want you to show us your amazing shaped card creations!  No squares or rectangles, but something else, something different for a change!

What better thing to celebrate with a fun shaped card than an October birthday!?  My youngest just turned 10 last week, so I put on my thinking cap and went to work.  I decided on a party hat design with her favorite color from the Babycakes Paper Packet!

There is quite a bit going on here, so I will hit the high points, lol.  My favorite parts are the Striped Slate Twist Ties and the free printable download of a chevron flag/banner!  You can get them free on my Close to My Heart website until the end of October right HERE!  I just printed them out on white CS, cut it out, and folded it around this stick pin from the For Always Assortment.  Easy as cake!  ;) 

I added a glittered up #10 from the Glamor Glitter Alphabet that I easily trimmed the middle out of to fit the flag.  ;)

The pom-pom atop the hat is made by cutting two of the little burst shape from the Artiste Cartridge, one in Lagoon and one in Pear.  Then I layered over top those with pieces of twine tied in the middle.  It is topped off with another piece from the For Always Assortment.

The wonderful sentiment is stamped with my clear acrylic Joyful Birthday stamp.  I just can't get enough of this font!

Some Lagoon Houndstooth Washi, Aqua Dots, and Black Sequins dot the corners, and a strip of green glitter paper is all it took to ground the bottom of the hat.

I lined the inside with two smaller White Daisy CS triangles than I used to make the card in the Cricut Craft Room.

Have you played in CCR yet?  It is amazing what you can do in there!  You can make a shaped card, for instance!  I chose the pennant banner shape on the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge to start and sized it to fit in a standard size A2 envelope.

Then I copied that triangle, and flipped it using the little clicky below...

After lining it up the triangles, just slightly overlap them so that you can choose to WELD them together!  SO easy! 

Now that you know how to make a shaped card--it's YOUR turn!  Link your creation up with us to play along over at the H2H Challenge Blog!  :)