Last Day to Enter Mystery Hostess Giveaway!!!

Hey everyone!  Just a little reminder that March is just about over, and so is your chance to enter my celebration giveaway! 

Get those orders in by midnight TODAY for a chance to win all those hostess reward goodies!  This offer is ONLY available through me on my website, so use the link below to order....

Shop at mimimyselfandi.ctmh.com!

Last day for these fantastic offers as well! 

Throwback Friday! Um, yeah...

Hi everyone!  Oh my goodness, what a crazy week!  I can't keep track of the days right now, so I am making this my throwback day this week for my friend Beth so she isn't alone!  ;)

Anywhooooo, I'm bringing back an oldie but goodie for my Spring Fling Workshop next month!  Who remembers these little cutie pie projects from the Cricut Artiste Collection?  We will be making the Strawberry Sucker Sleeve next month!  :)

I love these easy to assemble candy boxes for Easter baskets.  Here are the supplies you need for each and what size to cut the papers on your cricut machine on relative size.

For more details about the project, with a helpful explanation of the strawberry sizes, click HERE.

For more pics and details of the carrot box, go back in time to THIS POST on the Damask Divas  Blog!  :)

OK, NOW BACK TO THE FUTURE....I mean present!  March won't be present for long though, so enter my Mystery Hostess Giveaway soon!  :)

Graduation Announcements and So Much More in Studio J!

Hey everyone!  I have a pretty cool idea to share today, so I am glad you stopped in!

You might not know it, but Close to My Heart has an online digital scrapbooking program called Studio J.  You also might not know that it is completely free to try and set up an account.  This month all the two page layouts are just $5 each!  They are regularly $6.95, so now is a great time to try it out.  I don't have nearly the time to catch up on all my scrapbooks the traditional way, so I use Studio J to catch up in between.  You even get a JPG file of the layouts you purchase to use however you would like!

Last year at Christmas time my upline posted a fantastic idea to use Studio J for her Christmas Cards.  Well, I just finished designing my daughter's graduation announcements with it!  I didn't have to buy the usual, ordinary ones from the sale at school...I made them myself for one low price!

You can fit four journaling wells on a page in Studio J by sizing them at 4 x 8 inches.  I let Kaylee pick the papers to use, and she immediately settled on one of the current paper packs, Ivy Lane.  Did you know that you can use many of our retired paper packets in Studio J?  Yep!  Have a favorite paper that you miss?  Go try it in Studio J!  :)

I used the extra 4 x 4 spot on the page to create an invitation to her graduation party that I can just slip into the announcement envelope too!  :)  I just LOVE all the possibilities with this program!  Need invitations for anything?  Birth announcements?  Studio J is the answer!

So, with the sale, my announcements are only $0.63 each!  Even at regular price they are only $0.87 a piece!  That figure doesn't even include the invitations that are free!  :)

Shipping for Studio J is also fantastic.  You can have up to 50 two page layouts shipped for just $5.95!  Wow!

AND, remember, you can also SCRAPBOOK in Studio J!  ;)  Here is a layout I made with the retired La Belle Vie papers...

AND did you know you can print out ALL KINDS of sizes of pictures to fit in your layouts you make with the CTMH Workshops on the Go kits?  Check out this layout of pictures I sized for different layouts I am planning...

Alright, who wants to play in Studio J today?  Go set up your free account HERE on my website.  If you want to make your own photo cards or announcements instead of scrapbook layouts, you can see the directions on my upline, Mandy Leahy's Blog HERE.  Have fun!  :)

Be sure to join my Rewards Club Gathering to qualify to win FREE products this month in my Mystery Hostess giveaway!  :)

 

Tag (You're It!) Tuesday Takes on White (NOT the snowy kind!)

Hey there!  Welcome back to my blog for yet another inspiring tag!  I apologize for all the white, it keeps reminding me of the snow still being predicted around here each week, lol!  Yikes!  NOT my intention at all, I assure you.  ;) 

I told you that I was working on another white on white monotone paper creation, and here it is!

You really should try this kind of colorless combo!  It is really fun to see what you can do to make the white stand out against itself.  I love embossing the paper to add some shadows, so I used the new Close to My Heart Dots Embossing folder to give my 3D bow from MCT some extra depth.  

The stitched and scalloped circle dies with this vellum look amazing with the Whisper Ink and the shadows from the layers. I am linking up with the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge for using vellum with this one too!

All the dies I used are from MCT, and the stitching on them is such a great touch on a monotone color palette.  I doubled up the tag on this one to give it some extra uumph!  :)

Hope you are all having a good week so far!   March is quickly coming to a close, so remember to grab that Stamp of the Month and place an order on my website so you can be entered into the drawing for my MYSTERY Hostess!  Click here for more info!  Or, get right to shopping HERE!

Glitter and a FREE Cricut Cartridge Make Everything Better!

Hi everyone!  I have REALLY got some news today to Make YOUR Monday!  :)

FIRST, let me show this fabulous little card I made for Simon Says Glitter It...yes, a glitter challenge!!!  Tell me it didn't have my name all over it!  ;)

I used my Close to My Heart Skylark Paper Packet and the newly released Mamma Elephant set, Just Hatched.   Check out the gorgeous patterns in this packet...

You probably couldn't see the glitter too well, so here is a little shot of it on the egg shell.  I just used my Wink of Stella Glitter brush to add it to the teal stripes...

Alright, on to the FREE CRICUT COLLECTION!

If any of you have EVER thought about joining Close to My Heart as an Independent Consultant OR Hobbyist, then APRIL is the month to do just that!  When you purchase the $99 starter kit in April, you will get to choose one of our Cricut Collections ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!  It will come with the kit right to your door!  This is an incredible opportunity, and they haven't offered a free cartridge since I signed up TWO YEARS ago!   I wanted to let you know early about this opportunity so you have time to decide.  They will not be back-ordering the Cartridges, so you will have the best selection early in the month until they run out of stock.  I would love to help you get your own business off the ground, so think about it!  Hobbyists are also welcome to join at this time. 

Remember, this offer begins on April 1st.  For $99, you will receive over $425 worth of products and supplies!  AND, you can even earn the $99 back by reaching your Straight to the Top goal of selling $1200 in your first 90 days as a consultant.  Here is a look at the rest of the Consultant Kit...it includes that brilliant Skylark Paper I used for my card today, and you can find out more details HERE on my blog.

Paper Smooches are Just What the Doctor Ordered.

Happy weekend! 

I made up a quick card this week for a little friend who had a tonsillectomy.  He is a huge Superman fan (actually, he really IS Superman in disguise, but you didn't hear that from me), but alas, I have no superhero stamps.  Instead, I decided to go with the color scheme of the retired Superhero Paper from Close to My Heart and used my darling Party Posse hamster from Paper Smooches for the Anything Goes challenge over at Paper Smooches SPARKS.  I accidentally sent his little 3x3 card off before I took pics, so I made up a second to show you...

I LOVE steel dies lately, and used a little set from PS called Cardbooking Dies to make the little word bubble.  I really need to get a set of wire snips, though, because I keep getting indents from the little bits left on the die after I separate them.  Someday!  ;)

This mixed font set from PS called Mini Monograms is soooo fun for the sentiment on this little card.  My favorite feature of this type of font is that you don't have to stamp in a straight line to make it work.  ;)

That awesome white star is one of the White Marquee Enamel Shapes from CTMH.  I love these on everything from scrapbook layouts to cards right now.

I gave this little guy a bit of color with my CTMH Watercolor Pencils.  They are super easy to use, and when you use the Blending Pen after coloring, all your pencil lines magically disappear!

Here is the inside of the card also using the PS Mini Monograms...

Thanks so much for popping in today!  Remember, cards don't have to be crazy complicated to bring a little smile to someone's face!  :)

Don't forget!  I am drawing a Mystery Hostess this month!  You can find those adorable White Marquee Shapes, Blending Pen, and Watercolor Pencils on my website HERE.

Shop today for your chance to win!  :)

My Legacy Faux Leather Albums Retiring

It is certainly not easy to say goodby to some of the products that retire to make room for new additions to our line of fantastic scrapbooking accessories.  This is definitely one of those occasions.  The My Legacy Faux Leather Expandable 12 x 12 Scrapbook line is retiring at the end of July and currently available only as long as supplies last.  I wanted to let you know this in case you wanted to make sure that you have enough Spine Expanders, Posts, and Screws to get you through the albums you are making or any new ones you would like to stock up on. 

Now, that said, we are going to be getting a beautiful new kind of album to replace these, made out of a different material but they are not expandable.  They will come in both post and D-ring styles (woot, woot!) and will include both patterns and solid colors to choose from.  If you have a copy of the current Idea Book, you can see the beautiful patterns that are on the way to our warehouses soon!  We sure don't like to have new products delayed, but it just isn't something we consultants have any control over, unfortunately.

Now for the GOOD news!  If you still need to stock up on any of the Faux Leather Albums, you certainly can and will even have a chance to win some FREE products too!  Any orders placed on my website during March will qualify for a chance to be the MYSTERY HOSTESS for the month and get to choose at least $25 worth of Hostess Rewards!  Just click HERE to join my Rewards Club gathering and shop!  You get one entry JUST for ordering, and another for every $25 in products you buy!  I will draw the winner when I return from spring break in April, so patience is a must with this one, but OH so worth it!  :)

The Pure Joy of Washi Wednesday!

Happy Washi Wednesday!

Today, I actually have an awesome video that shows one of my favorite layouts in the Spring and Summer 2014 Close to My Heart Idea Book.  Remember, you can absolutely USE your idea books to make your favorite projects you see in them!  Close to My Heart not only has a YouTube Channel, but they also list the recipes for the gorgeous projects you see in the pages of the book.  Just click HERE to go to my website page that displays the two current Idea Books and scroll down to find the "Recipe" clicky right underneath the photo of the Idea Book.  If you need any help finding these, please let me know.  :)

Without further adieu...here is that gorgeous layout!

If you are as eager to replicate this layout as I am, here are the products you will want to pick up from my Close to My Heart online shopping website, or your own Close to My Heart consultant if you already have one! 

Paper Fundamentals Basic Assortment Z1939
Stitch Guide Z1852
Foam Mat Z1859
Piercing Tool Kit Z1114 (Tip:  I just use the smaller foam mat in this kit instead of the large one listed above.)
Smoothie Striped Washi Tape Z1923
Ruby Chevron Washi Tape Z1933
Honey Triangles Washi Tape Z1931
Chocolate Woodgrain Washi Tape Z1930
Gold Polka-Dot Washi Tape Z1920
Lagoon Houndstooth Washi Tape Z1850
Slate Polka-Dot Washi Tape Z1817 or Silver Geometric Washi Tape Z1932
Teal Shimmer Trim Z1918
Aqua Dots Z1853
Flamingo Dots Z1934
The letters in the title are cut using the Artiste Cricut Collection with a Cricut Machine
White Daisy, Smoothie, Honey, Goldrush, and Lagoon Cardstock
White embroidery floss or other threading material

If you happen to stock up on these supplies in March, you will qualify for more than one entry in my Mystery Hostess Drawing!!!  This drawing is my own personal giveaway this month in celebration of my second year with Close to My Heart!  :)

AND you will be able to order the Stamp of the Month for JUST $5!!!

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!  ;)

Make My Monday: Read Your Pattern Paper!

Hi everyone!  Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

I am introducing a new recurring post on my blog today called Make My Monday.  We all need a little extra pep in our step to get back into the groove on Mondays, so I hope this helps!

At my last workshop, one of my customers friends made a HUGE discovery.  Heather, you totally rock, and I told you I would!  ;)

I had prepared one of the cards we were making by cutting up portions of this sheet of pattern paper from the Timberline Paper Packet from Close to My Heart:

Now, I don't know about you, but I don't usually pay a whole lot of attention to what these collage-type pattern papers SAY on them.  I just look at it overall and say, "oh cool, camping paper!"  ;)  OR, in this case, since the back of this one is an amazing woodgrain paper, I just really didn't look at it much at all.  Boy did I learn my lesson when she started to read all the little bits and phrases on this one...

Totally love this one!  Just change "man" to "craft!"

Yep, that bear would probably be me today!  ;)

Love the "stable" relationship...

Ha, ha, get it?

Dude, I know, right?

I mustache you if you like mustaches.

Anyone else catch that part that is almost faded out?  OH MY!

This last picture is a big jumble.  I was focused on the Lake House Rules in the middle.  When I went to edit these pics, however, I realized that I missed one!  Check out the middle left..."As a matter of fact, I WAS raised in a barn!"  Whose dad didn't say that one back in the day?  :)

I hope you all got as big of a chuckle out of this as I did that night.  Just ask Heather...oh, but what happens in the Craft Cave STAYS in the Craft Cave, so I guess you can't!  ;)  But you CAN pay more attention to your patterned paper! 

God's blessings on your week!  I hope it started with just a bit more sparkle today.  :)