Happy New Year, 2019!!!

  
Happy 2019!!!!  I am really quite happy to be able to say that.

SO much has happened since I last popped in to my blog.  Maybe I will get into it sometime, maybe not, but suffice it to say that I have been a bit preoccupied and decidedly UN-crafty since we last saw each other.  The week before Christmas I finally had back surgery to relieve the symptoms of a herniated disc that had been causing me grief for over a year.  I won't know exactly how much relief this will bring for a few months yet, so I will hopefully have some wonderful reports to give soon.  In the meantime, I'm recovering for a bit longer before school starts again next week.  I am happy to say that each day gets a little bit better, so my positivity is improving rapidly!  ;)

Check out this little beauty!  Close to my heart is celebrating 35 years with a beautiful new Seasonal Expressions Catalog!  New products are available HERE on my website now!

There are many specials going on this month, so check them out!

Papercrafters will ADORE this Frame it Up home decor Kit!  Buy more than one and receive a discount!

Scrapbookers need to check out the Happy Heart Workshop Kit...

and the Happy Heart Everyday Life Album!

While you shop, don't forget to add $50 worth of products to your cart to qualify for the Stamp of the Month for only $5!!!  The Card Captions set for January is a MUST have for cardmakers!  I think it has every sentiment you could possibly need in a variety of fonts sure to please. At $5 that's a steal!

If you have any Close to My Heart related questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.  I'm hoping to get a lot more scrapbook pages made this year, how about you? For a MUCH better look at some of the great new products this month, check out the Close to My Heart Blog!

A Belated Birthday Card for Artiste

Hey everyone!  One of the new My Acrylix stamp sets in the Spring and Summer 2014 Idea Book from Close to My Heart is called Belated Birthday.  If that sounds appealing to you, I bet you forget  as many birthdays as I do!  ;)  Either way, I scooped this up as soon as I could, just in case.

Thanks to the ingenious sketch over at CAS(E) this Sketch this week, I discovered the perfect card design for using it!

Let me tell you that I really wanted to make a cutie-pie snowman just like the sketch.  BUT, I am DONE with winter!  Oh my goodness, I cannot express through words how much I am DONE!  So I went a different direction.  I am hoping to make time fly, lol, and spring right into summer.  ;)

While brainstorming, I got an image in my head of the hands on a clock face.  I built my design from these hands cut on my Cricut Expression 2 from the Close to My Heart Artiste Cartridge cut using Slate CS.

The alphabet I used for the stamped numbers is called Circus Alphabet, and it will be available as the Stamp of the Month in July.   You can't order it yet, but you can plan ahead and see it on my website HERE.  I decided to use a rainbow color palette to keep this card versatile enough to send to anyone.  The circle is stamped in second generation Slate Ink from the Frame It Up Cricut compatible My Acrylix stamp set.

 Isn't the sentiment written with the cutest font?  Here is the part that goes on the inside...

Well, I hope this gets you thinking about some good designs for belated birthday cards.  You can pick up the supplies I used for this one on my website, mimimyselfandi.ctmh.com. 

Do you like designing cards too?  Maybe you should think about becoming a Close to My Heart Independent Consultant.  I love helping other people realize that they can make their own cards and other paper creations as part of my job.  Next month marks my second year as a consultant, and I would love to help you get started on your adventure!  The new consultant kit valued at over $300 is a tremendous deal at only $99, and there is no commitment.  To find out more about joining my team, visit my page HERE, or contact me at mimimyselfandi@outlook.com.

One Page Layout without My Cricut?

I wasn't sure if I could actually pull this off to tell you the truth!  I have a gathering coming up where we will be making a scrapbook layout.  Some of the guests are new to scrapping and have never seen a cricut, so I don't want them to run away screaming just yet, lol.  The hostess and I decided to keep it on the down-low and Cricut cut free.  :)

One of the Close to My Heart videos on the Consultant Website inspired me to come up with the following page, and I really love it!

I used Buttercup CS for the base.  The two pics are 4 x 6 matted next to each other on White Daisy with a 1/8 inch mat.  The banner cuts are made with a 2 inch scallop circle punch on White Daisy and a 1.5 inch circle punch on Twilight.  They are folded over a strand of Baker's Twine and adhered with Bonding Memories glue.  I stamped the little flower from C1536 Happy Thoughts My Acrylix from Close to My Heart.  All the patterned papers are from the Chantilly Paper Packet.

This cute journal box is a 1.75 x 2.75 inch rectangle of White Daisy that I cut on my trimmer and used a stamp from D1524 Frame It Up My Acrylix.  I popped it up with foam squares for dimension.  I {heart} dimension!  ;) 

The last hand-made element on this page is the scallop boarder on the White Daisy cardstock at the bottom.  I did this with my corner edger all along the edge of the paper, and it was so easy! 

I am so proud of myself for making a cricut-free layout for a change!  It sure won't stop me from using mine all the time, but it is good to know that I can still do it all by myself, and show my customers who don't have a cricut how to make fabulous pages!  :)

LOVE this Layout!

Hello fellow paper junkies!  Well, a couple of treats for you today.  First, I was able to get my hands on the BRAND NEW how-to-publication from Close to My Heart!  This is the series that replaces our former Hardcover books like Reflections and Originals.  It is a catalog-style book called Make It from Your Heart Volume 1 and features 16 two-page layout patterns, two single-page patterns, and 12 different card patterns inspired by Jeanette Lynton's Let Me Show You How philosophy.  I was sooooo excited to see this, and let me tell you, I am very pleased!  The framed page on the front of the cover even inspired me to make one just like it!  I spent the better part of the night working on it.  This is the cover photo:

And this is my version!  :)

I used my Art Philosophy Cartridge and Cricut Expression 2 to cut out an entire sheet of 1" circles on Colonial White and Smoothie Cardstock.  I chose Tulip as the base of the page and centered the sheet of cut Smoothie over it after trimming.  Finally, I added the 1" circles strategically between the two.  I used a temporary adhesive to tack the Smoothie sheet onto the retiring Tulip (sniff) until I had all the circles down tight.  I LOVE the effect!!!  The matting on the right side of the page was also cut on my cricut in Colonial White and Chocolate.

 These beautiful flowers are from the new Just Blooms Floret Paper Flowers.  I also used the Tulip ribbon from the soon retired Designer Ribbon Red Collection.  A brad and an Opaque Gem made perfect additions to the centers. 

 New My Acrylix Stamp Set Alert!!!  I used Frame It Up (available Aug 1st!) to stamp the outside of this Bible verse from the He Is Risen set.  Both are in Cocoa Ink...the Chocolate just wasn't dark enough for me, so I mixed the papers and inks.  Also seen above are the new Sparkles Assortment Brown and Tan!  LOVE!  The green swooshes are from the Stella Compliments which will still be in the new Idea Book--yay!

I decided to journal all the when, where, and who on these flags.  The bottom sentiment is from another new My Acrylix--Love Blooms.  To balance the corner with the flowers, I added this lovely cross which I stamped in Cocoa from the He is Risen My Acrylix set.

Are you brave enough to give this background a try?  ;)

OK, so I said at the beginning that I had two treats for you, so here is the second:  During the month of August, you can join my CTMH team for only....are you ready for it......$49!!!!  YEP!  You can start your own business for only $49!  But wait, there's MORE!  There were some absolutely adorable bags that they gave the consultants at convention this year...and you will receive one when you sign up absolutely free until they run out!!!  Do not wait to jump on this offer.  Here is what you will receive in your Essentials kit for $49:

The FREE Bag!

 

 Approximately $130 retail value!

Only $49!
Includes a Read Me First Letter, Current Idea Books (qty. 3), Hostess Order Forms (qty. 5), Customer Order Forms (qty. 5), Close To My Heart Color Swatches (W471), Autumn/Winter 2012 B&T Duos® Sampler (W1115), Petite Perks™ Nature’s Delight Incentive Stamp Set (W2023), Avonlea Complements Canvas Shapes (X7155C), Workshops on the Go™ Avonlea Scrapbooking Kit (G1045), My Creations® Recipe/Photo Box (Z1322), Color-Ready Canvas Alphabet (Z1777), Chocolate Exclusive Inks® Pad (Z2111), Slate Exclusive Inks® Pad (Z2173), My Acrylix® Glamour Lowercase Stamp Set (D1522), My Acrylix® Perfect Fit—Frames Stamp Set (D1527), 3" × 3" My Acrylix® Block (Y1006), and a 2" μ 3½" My Acrylix® Block (Y1009).

(Some items may not be shown. Contents subject to change.)

Now, If you want even MORE business supplies to start out with, you can get the $99 Master kit with the following added:

Includes everything in the Essentials kit
plus more supplies and 5 Studio J® layouts. Approximately $280 retail value!

Only $99!

Current Idea Books (qty. 7 more), You Are Welcome Here
Recruiting Brochures (W1151) (qty. 25), The Rewards Come Now
Hostess Brochures (W1150) (qty. 25), 5 Studio J® Layouts (redeem within 3 months, not shown), Studio J® Brochures (W111/W111C) (qty. 5), Hostess Order Forms (W122/W122C) (qty. 20 more), Customer Order Forms (W101 / W101C) (qty. 20 more), Petite Perks™ Nature’s Delight Incentive Stamp Set (W2023) (qty. 4 more), Cello Bags (W1152) (qty. 25), My Acrylix® Stamp Scrubber (Z1782), My Acrylix® Spritz Cleaner (1778), Bonding Memories® Glue (1512), Sponge (Z697), Liquid Glass (Z679), Chocolate Exclusive Inks® Marker Set (Z2434), and Micro-Tip Scissors (Z534). (Some items may not be shown. Contents subject to change.)

Who's in on August 1st?!  :)  Contact me or click HERE for more info!