CTMH Perpetual Calendar: February (of course!)

Ready for another peek at my perpetual calendar?

That little glittery heart adds the perfect touch!

I found this latte/travel coffee cup on the CTMH Cricut Artistry Cartridge, and have LOVED it ever since!  This pretty pattern paper is from the Zoe Paper Packet.  The Glacier color combined with Thistle just screams "WINTER" to me, so it fit the month perfectly.  Another thing that gives me a little bit of a winter feel is this amazing thick twine...

I love all the colors this twine is available in now!

Continuing the wintery theme...check out these great little creations brought to you by the creative genius of the CTMH designers!  They used the Treats of Friendship My Acrylix stamp set along with Kraft CS and some clearanced Lagoon Hearts washi!

Check it out HERE!

Share a Smile HERE!

Who Loves Ya? Hello, February!

OH my goodness, what I wouldn't give for another two days this weekend!  I can see you all out there nodding your head right along with me and shouting AMEN!  Some of you have had sick kiddos, I know...and others just had too much to possibly fit into two tiny days.  Me?  Well, I have been battling headaches for a while now, and this has been what I now refer to as a "headache weekend." Why I get such horrid headaches on the weekends I still have no idea.  All I know is that when I do, I get next to nothing accomplished.

SO, while I didn't get any crafty time, I will manage to cut out a few "old school" construction paper hearts tonight to leave for my sweeties to find in the morning...each with a little note telling them something I adore about them.  I saw the idea HERE, and I encourage you to play along this month!

Since it is also the first day of February, I have a couple tidbits of Close to My Heart news to share!

The Stamp of the Month for February is just the cutest little thing!!! You can get it anytime in February on my website for the regular price of $17.95, OR you can get it for just $5 with a $50 purchase!  Check out Balloon Animals...

AND, if that isn't enough...we have a BRAND NEW stamp set, Share the Love, available to raise funds for Operation Smile!!!

Support Operation Smile Here today!

 Have a great week!  See you again soon...

Thanks A Minion!

My school is participating in "kindness week" along with thousands of schools across the country.  To a paper crafter, this is an open invitation to GO MAKE SOMETHING!!!  :)

Well, I made MINIONS, lol!!!  (My CTMH website is undergoing maintenance as I type this, so I can't add the links with product names yet, boo!  I will get them added asap tomorrow!)

I used the New CTMH Paper Packet, Penelope, for the stripey background paper on this super-cute 3x3 thank you card.   HERE is the link to find directions on making these adorable Minion clips.  I found a really easy (and sparkly!) way to attach them to a card with my Shimmer Trim...

Looks like it is time for a new blade on my trimmer!  ;)

I used the A Thousand Thanks My Acrylix and a brand new Alphabet stamp set called Block Uppercase to create a custom sentiment for my card...and I eventually found the combination of Pacifica and Canary I liked the best.

I popped the letter "A" up on a simple punched shape.

These are such a great RAK gift!!!  I hope the ladies in the cafeteria like them!  :)

Don't forget to check the CLEARANCE section on my website today--they just added TONS!!!  Paper packets for $3 and $6 along with embellishments for less than $3!!!!  You can even search by category now!  :)

Planners Gotta Have MINIONS!

Hey everyone!  I am back with another post about how I make the adorable little Minion clips for my planner.  If you missed it, you can see my original post HERE with my first directions on making them with the NEW Close to My Heart Thumb Notch Punch. 

Well, I watched the Minion movie over the weekend, and realized I need to make BOB!  I whipped up another batch and took a few pics and measurements to help you out with creating YOUR minion army!  Hope this helps...

Here's Bob!

I found the best thing to use for holding these guys together was my trusty Liquid Glass.  I applied it on the back side of his head, lay the paperclip on top, dabbed a bit more LG, then added the Canary CS head.  A bit of pressure is all you need, being careful to wipe off any excess glue that squishes out.  

 

  

There wasn't an issue holding it together when I was just making the one minion, but since I had several to make this time, I needed a process to free up my hands.  These clips worked perfectly since there is a notch the keeps them from touching the glue!

This notch keeps the clips from sticking to the glue!

Now, here are the sizes for adding the googly eyes:

2-eyed minion: 1/4th inch size eyes and a 1/8th inch wide strip of black
1-eyed minion: 3/8ths inch eyes and a 3/16ths inch wide strip of black

The final step is to give your little guys some character by adding a grin and some hair!

Thanks so much for stopping in today!  If you have any questions about these guys, just ask!  If you want to make your own, just pick up a Thumb Notch Punch and some Liquid Glass from my website and start creating your OWN minion army!  :)  I used the Pacifica and Canary CS if you are interested in the exact colors.  See you soon!

Only in January!

This month ONLY!

Moon Phases on Monday

Hi everyone!  I wanted to share a quick project that showcases one of the reasons being a crafty mom with a Cricut cutting machine ROCKS!!!  ;)

My youngest needed to make a model of the moon phases, and one of the choices was to make a mobile.  Now, I am NOT the mom that DOES my kiddos homework for them (good golly I already had to go through school once, I've done my time!)  I just showed her how to put the images on the mat on the iPad and size them, and away she went!!!  I hardly had to give her any direction after that except to supervise proper mat insertion (seriously, these kids have a built-in iChromosome these days!)  Here is her finished project!

The entire mobile hangs from a tube hanger...

 She colored in each dark side of the moon...

She chose Topiary and Pacifica CTMH CS

The Earth is found on the Close to My Heart Artistry Cartridge, while the Moon and Sun are found on my CTMH Art Philosophy Cartridge.

Canary CTMH CS

I wish I could tell you the mobile made it to school tangle-free, but that is a strory for another day!

Raise your hand if YOUR kiddos have helped create a school project with a Cricut cutting machine!
This was not our first, and I am SURE it won't be the last!  ;)

Thanks for stopping in today!  Have a STELLAR week! 

How to Use the NEW Close to My Heart Thin Cuts with a Sizzix Big Shot

Welcome back to my blog!  I am super-excited to say I have a new video to share with you today!

Have you heard about the NEW die cuts made by Close to My Heart?  They don't have anything to do with a Cricut Machine, but work beautifully in your embossing machine!  I happen to have a Sizzix Big Shot, but they will also work in a Cuttlebug and other similar machines.  Here is a quick little picture tutorial followed by the video.  Hope this is helpful!

First of all, you will notice these thin, metal dies come already detached from each other and on a handy magnetic storage sheet.  Two thumbs WAY up before I even cut with them!  I used the Stuck on You stamps and dies for the following pics...

The matching stamp set shows you which stamped images have matching cuts with a BLUE line...

These dies work just the OPPOSITE as cricut cuts--you stamp these images FIRST, and then cut them out precisely which is fantastic for all my fellow perfectionists out there!  ;)  I stamped my images with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored them with my ShinHan Alcohol Ink Markers.  I use washi to hold the dies in place on my cutting platform.

I have it all layered like this: magnetic platform on the bottom, then the clear cutting plate, then the CS, die (held in place with washi), and finally the second clear plate.

I really like being able to get my image centered just like SO!

Now, see the fabulous NEW Thin Cuts dies in action on my short video!  I use the Spring Critters Dies and My Acrylix Sets in the following video.  Thanks for watching!  :)

Planners Gotta Plan Blog Hop!

The Blog Hops with Heart team is BACK today with more crafty goodness!  This time, we are getting serious with PLANNERS!!!!  Our hop is one big circle, so just click on the name of the next blogger at the end of each post to see the next fantastic PLANNER idea.  I have included the entire list of talented bloggers at the end of the post if you should get lost.

Confession time:  I have ALWAYS kept a paper calendar, even after I got my first "smart" phone.  IMHO, paper is WAY better than tech in this respect.  I have to be able to SEE my week or month spread out in front of me to make it work.  (Those fantastic alerts you can set on the smart phones are a WHOLE other ballgame--LOVE those!)

Now that Close to My Heart has a the new Everyday Life Planner System, my paper-craft life is just about complete!  She is a real beauty with a gold foil inlay on the cover.

I do, however, also have a playful side that likes many other things than pretty paper...like MINIONS!  I would have minions if they were an actual thing.  I would!  But, until then, I made my own with Close to My Heart's new Thumb Notch Punch...

It was CRAZY easy to make this little man.  I just folded a piece of Pacifica CS in half and then put the FOLD side into the Thumb-Notch Punch.  That made his little pill-shaped body.  Then I used a little scrap of Canary CS to punch out two pieces--one for his head and one for the back side to attach over the paperclip using Liquid Glass.  It was just as easy adding the single eye over a short length of Silver Foil Tape.  I also added additional directions and measurements for these guy on THIS POST.

I stuck this little guy right on the date for our hop!  :)

Seriously, could they get any cuter???

That's all I have for you today.  I like things short and sweet these days, and I am guessing you might too!  You are off to Kelly's Blog to see what incredibly clever planner creation she has to share today.  Thanks for hopping by!  :)

Here is the entire list of the Blog Hops with Heart Team participating today in case you get lost...

Amie (that's ME!)

Kelly

Becca

Stephanie

Amy

Enjoy!

P.S.  These PML pocket cards are available this month that match the Planner!  Get them, and the calendar pages (on SALE!) while they last!  :)