Throwback Thursday! The Chantilly Textiles Flower is BACK!

Hey there!  Who's feeling sparkly today?  I have a great throwback for you today, so hold on to your hat!

Remember when the Chantilly Textiles first came out and I made THIS little flower?  The video shows me making a little pink flower that I JUST now finally attached to a card, lol!  Here it is!

Poor little guy had to wait all this time on my desk to make an appearance here!  I can't believe he didn't run away!  ;) 

I used the Chantilly Paper Packet that is still available and the retired Dotty For You yellow polk-a-dot paper as well.   The Bitty Sparkles were just the right bit of brightness on this one!  :)

Guess what?  I didn't use any stamps on this card!  The sentiment is cut from one of the zip strips on the Pattern Papers in Chantilly, so it was easy-peasy!  How sweet it is! 

Can you guess where I got this wonderful card pattern?  You guessed it!  It is none other than pattern #28 in Make It From Your Heart Volume 2!  I highly recommend both volumes for loads of inspiration from Jeanette Lynton (founder of CTMH) in your cardmaking and scrapbooking!

Cricut 101...with Chocolate! Time is running out on the August Stamp of the Month!

Happy weekend everyone!  I just had the revelation that it is the LAST DAY OF AUGUST!  GASP!

That means it is the very last day to get the August Stamp of the Month for FREE!!!  Or even get it AT ALL since it will be gone when August is over!!!!  You don't want to miss this little beauty...

I used this set at my Cricut 101 class last night for the projects we made...and it was so much fun!!!

Here is a picture of the projects we made as we learned about the difference between REAL and RELATIVE dial size...the ladies who came cut out the white CS pieces for each project on their own Cricut machines and did a fantastic job!  :)

The corrugated star is not available on my website any more, but the almond glitter glitz gel we used to glam it up is on there!  I do have a couple of packages of the corrugated shapes left, so let me know if you need one! 

These cuts are almost all from the Close to My Heart Cricut Art Philosophy Collection.  The adorable cherry is the only one from Artiste.  This super-simple happy birthday sentiment from Holiday Tags My Acrylix was MADE to go on a banner like this...

This stamp we added to our envelope is from A Chocolate Affair!  Loved how easy it was to trim out each part of the stamped image to make a yummy cupcake with a Pink Glitter Gem on top!

How cute would this tag be attached to a mini package of Oreo's?  SO fun!  Again, we used the August Stamp of the Month--only available through today!!!!  I adore the bronze shimmer trim touch at the bottom of the banner and the twist tie added to the top...

We used the Babycakes Paper Packet for the pattern papers in each of the projects...and the retired Dotty for You yellow polka a dot paper for the icing on the card!

Don't wait until tomorrow to grab this stamp of the month for FREE with any $50 purchase from my website...it won't be there!!!  Click on the link above to order it today along with any of the products I used in the projects seen here, or email me at mimimyselfandi.outlook.com to place an order.

Choose Your Own! :)

Yes!  This should be fun.  Are you ready to choose your own colors for this one?  Color Dare #46 is all about choice, so pick your own shades of pink, orange, and yellow!  Woo, hoo!!!!

I chose Close to My Heart Colors Smoothie, Sunset, and Buttercup.  This is such a happy combination, that I wanted to do a happy card--and if you're happy, then you sparkle.  :)

LOTS of sparkle...in the form of Silver Shimmer Trim, Sparkles Black Flourishes, Sparkles Clear Assortment, and the Glamor Glitter Alphabet.

This button and acrylic flower on my card USED to be clear.  The flower is from the Clair Assortment and the button is actually on clearance for only $1.25 on my website in While Supplies Last!

I learned a little trick from my fellow Diva teammate Stephanie Davis at The Gypsy Chic to turn them any color I want!  You just tap, tap, tap on them with your little Mini Pigment Ink Pads until they are coated how you like...sprinkle them with Clear Embossing Powder, and hit them with a shot of your heating tool!  Walla! Coordinating colored embellies for any project!  ;)  You can see Stephanie's post HERE for details and to see her amazing creation. 

This pretty flower up above is made with cuts from the Cricut Artiste Cartridge and the Hello Blooms and Hooray Bouquet My Acrylix stamps. I used Smoothie, Sunset, and Buttercup Exclusive Dye Inks.

I combined the playful Buttercup and Smoothie retired Dotty for You paper and Chantilly Textiles with the elegant script B&T Duo of For Always.  Somehow, it totally worked!   The bottom front of the card is edged with the Martha Stewart Scallop Dot Edger Punch and trimmed out with a ruffle of the textiles.

 

Just in case you would like to give this ruffle a try, there are several consultants who have put together tutorials on the process.  There are probably tons of them on YouTube.  I used my ATG as the adhesive base for mine and proceeded like this:

Here is a look at how I covered up the rough edges of the ruffle on the inside of the card with a bit of heavily adhesived CS and some more shimmer trim...

So, which shades of Pink, Orange, and Yellow will YOU choose?  Play along with us at the Color My Heart Color Dare this week and link up to us by Thursday the 13th in order to be considered for the coveted Color Dare Diamond Blog Badge!  :) 

Pun FUN again!

I really love these cards I made a while ago as part of a set using the Pun Fun My Acrylix Stamp Set.  I am entering them into Heart 2 Heart's Pun Fun challenge this month.  :)  I used last year's amazing National Scrapbooking Month paper promo, Dotty for You. 

Here is a pic of the complete set...

I will be adding this set of cards to my Etsy shop soon!  Not much there at the moment, but my baby frames are selling like hotcakes!  ;)

Color Dare #33 + Easter = FUN!

You are going to LOVE this dare!  It is totally different than any other we have done...this time we want you to use two different paper packs to come up with a lovely combination of whatever colors they happen to be!  The Close to My Heart Papers can be current or retired.  I chose one of each: Dotty for You and Chantilly.

Now, I am definitely NOT a math whiz by any means.  I am famous for measuring and cutting my paper only to find out that I should have cut it a different size.  I do know that this was a super-fun, low-key project for me though with practically no measuring involved!  I let my Cricut Expression 2 do all of the cutting along with my Close to My Heart Artiste cartridge!

I made this adorable Easter time treat.  It is actually a clever sucker sleeve (try saying that three times fast!)

I used the Smoothie Dotty for You paper for the juicy strawberry, and the Pear B&T Chantilly Paper as the leaf.  The easy-peasy tag is one of the square remnants from the Irresistibles Frames that I inked with Buttercup Exclusive Ink.  Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE using leftovers?  Not the food kind so much, but the paper type, YES!

A simple banner with the sentiment is popped up with a few layers of cardstock for dimension.  This is a fantastic trick that I just learned from Katy Tayor, one of the DT at the Heart 2 Heart Challenges Blog.  Here is her post about this clever technique.  I continued the "dots" theme with some of our new Washi tape.  It was really easy to punch a hole in one corner of my tag to tie it to the stem, I mean stick, of the sucker.  ;)

This pretty green ribbon is actually our Color Ready Seam Binding Ribbon that I colored with our amazing Alcohol Ink markers!  I love this method of quickly coloring the ribbon because it dries so fast!  Patience is not one of my strong points.  Sparkle, yes--patience, no.  ;)  Here is a look at the backside of the berry.

 To make these strawberry suckers (minus the tag,) you need the following items:

I just love how Rachel Loesch at the Cricut With Heart Blog shows her projects with the cuts and sizes on her versamat, so decided to try it here.  GREAT idea, Rachel--it really helps explain the how-to of the design.

The 3D strawberry cut is on page 72 of the Cricut Artiste handbook.  I cut it at 3.5 inches relative dial size, but cut the leaf at 3 inches so it would not get in the way of the tag.  If you aren't adding a tag, then feel free to cut it larger to match the berry.   I cut the leaf out twice, flipping the paper over for the second cut.  This way I can glue the two together and have the green side show on both sides.  :)
I first tied the bakers twine to the stick and then wove it in and out of the flaps for the strawberry.  I wove three flaps through one side of the tie and the next three through the other, ending around the stick again with a knot.

Next, I inked up the edges of the leaf, and gently widened the hole in the middle with my Crop-o-dile just enough to fit snugly over the stick.

Finally, I added the ribbon to keep it all together.  This is also where I added my tag, but you certainly don't have to!  This was a pretty easy project for making to add to Easter baskets or for treat bags.  I hope you get a chance to try them!

Now it's your turn to take the Color My Heart Color Dare!  Pick any two Close to My Heart Paper Packs and combine them for a whole new look!  Be sure to link up with us to share your project.  I can't wait to see what you make!  :)

Thinking Warm Thoughts in Layout Form

Hello everyone!  It has been a fast and furious few days in my life.  In case I haven't said it lately, thanks so very much for stopping in to read my blog and see what I have been up to in my craft room.

Today I wanted to share this layout I made by using the first book in the new series by the amazing founder of Close to My Heart, Jeanette Lynton.  Make It From Your Heart, Volume 1 contains the instructions for making 18 layouts and 12 cards with easy-to-follow pictures and cutting guides.  At just $7.95, this publication is a wonderfully affordable way to boost your creativity.

My layout is made with pictures from one of our family trips to Florida.  It is a bit chilly here in the midwest as of late, so I needed to feel some warmth with these beautiful beach pics to keep me holding on until spring break finally arrives.  I used pattern number 12 on page 28.

The gray spotted paper is from a special paper packet Close to My Heart had a while back called Dotty for You.  The shades of blue are Sky, Dutch Blue (retired), and Outdoor Denim.

I used two different My Acrylix sets for this layout, the retired Footloose Workshop on the Go (shell and sand dollar) and the currently available Just Chillin' (bucket.)  A few Opaques added some pretty pearls to my beachy scene.

These wooden shapes are also no longer available, but were just the perfect touch for my layout.  

I did add some extra photos to my layout, so it is a bit different from Jeanette's layout, but that is the beauty of our How-To books!  You get all of the design ideas without handcuffs!  ;)

I wanted to also let you know that two of our previously discontinued How-To books are back with our Spring and Summer Idea Book and more affordable than EVER!  They are now in a softcover edition for only $14.95 each!

 Reflections contains 100 scrapbook layouts.

 Originals gives you 100 card patterns to choose from!

Check them out by clicking on the links above.  Jeanette is brilliant, and they have truly become indispensable tools in my craft room.  :)

UnBEARably Cute Sneak Peek

I honestly cannot wait for you all to see this new Idea Book.  It has the most gorgeous artwork in it by so many super-talented consultants.  I can't wait to see how they did it all!

This is one sneak peak that was hard to keep under wraps for long.  This adorable little bear is from Peachy Keen Stamps.  I love, love, love their stamps!   I paper pieced her together using Desert Sand Cardtock, The Dotty For You Paper Packet, Shimmer Trim for the heart, and our BRAND NEW Chantilly Textiles!  YES!  Close to My Heart has FABRIC in this new Idea Book.  And. I. Stamped. On. It!  Oh my gosh, let me get the smelling salts because I am afraid I lost you!  ;)

The pink patterned pj's are one of the three different fabrics you receive in the Chantilly Textiles Pack that is available starting February 1st from Close to My Heart.  Can you spot the second brand new product?  Here it is up close--the bear's hair!  :)  This is a hemp baker's twine that comes in the new Wooden Mini Medley Collection!  I think it is perfect for hair, lol!  I attached it on the back with my ATG tape and tied it up with floss.

I used the Black Exclusive Ink for this experiment and will try the other kinds of ink soon!  Remember, February 1st all these new products and MORE will go live on my website!  :)

Tune in on Friday to see some more of this fabulous fabric in a whole new way! 

Getting Punny and Linky!

Alright!  I am soooooo excited to share my latest creation!  I have been an admirer of Wendy Coffman's art for almost as long as I have been with Close to My Heart as a consultant.  She makes absolutely amazing cards and decor and had been the motivating factor in several of my past purchases, lol.  Well, this time, one of her creations spurred me on to make one of my own.  Here is her beautiful set of cards she made with the Pun Fun stamp set.  I fell in love with it and stewed on it for a while before I decided to come up with a set of Pun Fun cards of my own.  Which paper packet do you think I reached for?  Dotty for YOU of course, one of my FAVORITE ever paper packs!  I cannot get enough of this retired paper so it is a good thing I have a stash of it, lol.  I hope you love these cards as much as I do.  Actually, you have already seen one!  Here they are:

Recognize the little turtle?  It is the card I gave to my monkey on her birthday last week.  You can see it HERE to get the details if you missed it.  Now here are the rest one by one...

All of the sentiments/pictures from the Pun Fun My Acrylix are stamped in Archival Black Ink so that when it was dry it would allow me to color in the pictures without the black bleeding.

How fun is this one?  The lemon is colored with the Honey and Sweet Leaf Alcohol Ink Markers.  I added some extra fun with sweet leaf ribbon from the Designer Ribbon Green Collection and a Dimensional Elements Heart.

This little bee is just darling, and I absolutely love the saying.  I think he goes beeutifully with the striped background paper. 

This was also the perfect card to spruce up with some flower embellies.  I chose the Just Blooms Paradise Assortment Flowers with a pretty green sparkle.  Behind it, you can see the Paradise Baker's Twine in Lagoon.

 A bit of Glitz in Stardust and two Licorice Opaques gave him a little lift.  I colored in his body with Honey Alcohol Ink Markers and the silver Metallic Marker.

I had to incorporate the chevron Dotty pattern somewhere, and this one was perfect for it.  Shimmer Trim really lights up the two lower corners of the card.  Bitty Sparkles are the sprinkles on the cake!

Have you noticed my bows are suddenly a sight to behold?  Lol...that is because I finally purchased a Bow-Easy from Ebay!  I can make several different sizes of perfect little bows now.  I love it!  This one is from the retired Pink Collection. (sorry!)

Oh how I LOVE this big bow!  The dress Punny needed some feminine embellishments, so that is exactly what I gave it.

This is a stick pin from the Bling Assortment Pack.  I stuck it through one of the Smoothie Paper Flowers and on through the bow made of the Sweet Leaf Bulk Grosgrain Ribbon.

Bitty pearls dot the bodice and hem of the little dress.  Sweet Leaf and Smoothie Alcohol Ink Markers filled it in.  These markers are great for shading images to give them dimension.  I am still learning how to get it just right.

 Finally, the rocking chair was colored in Sweet Leaf Alcohol Ink Marker.  How did that Shimmer Trim get in there?!  I am telling you it just hops onto everything I make these days!  ;)

 I ran some grey Neutral Collection Baker's Twine along one side and attached a sweet leaf button.  I used liquid glass to adhere the two glitter buttons that can be found in the Bohemian Assortment.

I had so much fun making these cards and creating a set that actually coordinated.  I encourage you to get a set of these versatile stamps and come up with one of your own with your favorite papers!

I am going to link this up to Wendy's Friday Favorite Things giveaway and show her what she inspired me to create!  :)  Thanks, Wendy!  And thanks to everyone for popping in to see!