Close to My Heart Pathfinding Workshop on the Go Tag

Happy Hump Day!  I wanted to pop in this week to give you a look at the second project that I am teaching at my All-Day Craft Event on Saturday.  This one is a great little tag to use on something for the hostess with the mostest on Thanksgiving...

I used two of the stamps from the Pathfinding Workshop on the Go Cardmaking Kit for this one.

The rest of the tag comes together very quickly with a few fantastically shiny Close to My Heart products...

The tag shape AND the sentiment shape are both found on the Cricut Artiste Cartridge.

I also used the following...
Bronze Shimmer Trim
Bling Gems Gold Assortment
Sequins Gold Assortment
Pathfinding Assortment
Kraft CS
Chocolate Exclusive Ink

November Stamp of the Month!

Hello, You Wonderful Sketch!

Happy WEEEEEKEND!!!  In case you are NOT a scrapbooker, today is National Scrapbooking Day, so I will be celebrating quite a bit in my craft cave with my papers and pictures.  :)

Before I get all down to serious scrappin' though, I wanted to share my latest entry for the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge Blog.  It has been quite a while since I had time to play along!  This gorgeous sketch was JUST perfect to jump in on!

I was soooo ready to break out the Hello Wonderful My Acrylix for the round element of this sketch--and I have reeeeeealy been wanting to stamp it in White Daisy Pigment Ink--on Kraft!  I thought the Ariana Paper Packet had just the right floral pattern to go along with...and JUST happened to have a left-over border from a mini album to use!  (Pssst...always save those extra cuts!)

I embossed the Ariana Green CS in my Sizzix Big Shot using one of the new Embossing folders from Close to My Heart--a beautiful Damask to match the pattern on the stamp.

I have been playing with vellum quite a bit lately, and I think it added the perfect softness to the lines in the sketch...

Now, I decided after the fact to add some Bronze Shimmer Trim to this one...I cannot believe how wishy-washy I have been lately about what to add or not to my projects...

I think it is safe to say that a little bit of shimmer trim never hurt anything!  ;)

Have a great time celebrating National Scrapbooking Day!  There are TONS of online events today.  Are you going to be playing along with any? 

Here is the paper packet that Close to My Heart is celebrating with this month--it is called Free to Be Me, and you can pick one up for just $5 in May!

Damask Divas Balloon Ride Blog Hop!

Hi everyone!  Welcome to the Damask Divas Blog Hop!  This month, we are showing you projects we created using the Balloon Ride Paper Packer from Close to My Heart.  The hop officially starts on May 1st, so bear with us until our links are all ready to go--thanks so much!

If you came from Melissa's Blog, then you are on the right path!  If not, you can start from the beginning at Mandy's Blog right HERE, and see a complete list of all the Divas hopping over at the Damask Divas Blog!  :)

For the hop today, I made a set of cards using Balloon Ride and the beautiful Polka-Dot Vellum from the NEW Free to Be Me Paper Packet available only in May for National Scrapbooking Month!

The soft, muted colors in Balloon Ride are lovely for a set of cards!  When I saw the sentiments on the NEW May Stamp of the Month, You've Got A Friend, I just knew they would go together like peaches and cream!  ;)  Here is a look at the entire Stamp set...

The paper that features the hot air balloons really coordinated perfectly with this sentiment below...

Check this out...the gold polka-dots on the vellum are SILVER on the reverse side!!!  (Thank you, Stephanie, for enlightening me!)  BOTH the metallic hues go well with the colors in this particular paper, so I used them both.

The little flag embellishments I added to each sentiment box are made from Silver or Bronze Shimmer Trim and the Zip Strips from Balloon Ride.  What are those, you ask?  Well, Close to My Heart has a unique half inch strip attached to the side of their 12 x 12 patterned papers called a Zip Strip.  They coordinate with all the papers and are a fantastic bonus embellishment!  Just use your paper trimmer to easily cut it off to use--there are no annoying perforations to deal with at all.  :)

Please tell me that the sentiment below makes you sing the song from Toy Story too...because I just cannot stop!

Now, this next sentiment shows the OTHER reason these two products worked so well together--the french theme of this blue patterned paper!  See the Eiffel Tower peeking out?

There you go!  I just love how Close to My Heart makes so many coordinating products like these--they really think of EVERYTHING!  If you are in a rush to get on through the blog hop, then your next stop is Jamie's Blog!  I bet you can't wait to see what this Diva cooked up!  :)

SOOOO, if you are still with me here...you might be wondering about the REST of that Free to Be Me Paper Packet?  Oui?  Take a look!

This last pic shows the two vellum prints with the reverse side of the gold! 

There they are!  The 12 x 12 papers include six double-sided patterned papers, six double-sided solid cardstock with an embossed resist pattern on one side, AND two gorgeous sheets of vellum!  It will only be available for the month of May for our National Scrapbooking Month celebration, so don't wait!  You get all of the paper and cardstock (an $11.95 value) for just $5 with a $50 purchase!  Visit my online store HERE to shop for it now!  I will be showing you more great projects with these colorful papers this month, so tune in again soon!  :)

12 Days of Christmas Sale Day 2 and I've Been Framed!

Happy Cyber Heart 2 Heart Monday!!!

I have a wonderful project to share with you today before we get to the special for day 2 of my 12 Days of Christmas Sale, so can you practice some patience?  If not, you can always scroll to the bottom, but you really want to see this project for Heart 2 Heart, trust me!

This week, we've been FRAMED over at Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog--and we want to FRAME you too!  ;)  For my frame creation, I took an 8 x 8 shadowbox frame and with a little help from nature, turned it into a beautiful display for Autumn.

This September Stamp of the Month, Poster Tidings is wonderful for home decor pieces!   I used some gorgeous ribbon and papers to accent the stamped colors of Saddle, Olive, Barn Red, and Cocoa...The retiring Dark Chocolate Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Bronze Shimmer Trim, Woodgrain Washi, and the Huntington Paper Packet all work beautifully together!

My hubs (pre-hip replacement) and kids helped me gather the acorns from my in-laws yard out in the country to add the perfect touches to this piece of artwork.  I just love when I can get the whole fam into the act!  (Sorry, the colors were tricky editing for this one because of the glare on the glass.)

We would love to see your frame creations using our Close to My Heart products!  Just link your project up with us over at Heart 2 Heart for YOUR chance to be chosen as the Top Chic for December! 

Alright, so I just can't wait any longer!  It's DAY 2 of my sale!  Are you ready to see what it is?  Here you go!

Yep!  ANY size order on my website today will earn you your choice of size M stamp from Close to My Heart!  Just let me know which one you want after you place your order, and I will send it out separately.  I love my customers, and this is just one way to show you!  Shop my website HERE!

Here are just a few you can choose from!

Tree Delights

Santa's Greeting

A True Thank You

Dotted Love

Many more to see in the Idea Book or online, so have a look!  You can see the Idea Book HERE.

Don't forget that each order this month also qualifies you to win my mystery box filled with $50 of Close to My Heart products!!!

Don't forget to check out the new Stamp of the Month, Special Care!  :)

Damask Divas Huntington Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Damask Divas Huntington Blog hop!

If you arrived from Hillary's Blog, then you are on the right path.  If you would like to start at the beginning of our hop, just head on over to the Damask Divas Blog for the entire line-up!  The blog hop starts on November 1st, so don't worry if some of the links aren't up yet!

I wanted to use Huntington for a home decor piece since the colors would be just wonderful for Thanksgiving, or even Christmas.  I think the gorgeous wall cone that that I came up with would work well for both!

This came out even better than I had hoped!  I didn't want it to be too busy, so I limited my embellishments to keep it clean and simple. The cone and the poinsettia are both cuts found on the Close to My Heart Cricut Artiste Cartridge.  The cone is cut from one of the B&T papers from Huntington at the largest possible size on a 12 x 12 mat.  The beautiful accent paper is cut at the same setting on relative dial size using the shift key so they will be sized perfectly to go together.

This poinsettia is cut on the Barn Red CS and inked in the same color along all the edges.  I layered the cuts ranging in size from 1.75 to 2.25 inches.  A beautiful sparkle from the Rosewood Mini Medley Accents Collection adds just the right amount of bling.

I took an old bunch of faux flowers that were actually white and pink and colored them with my Barn Red Alcohol Ink Marker.  I love that I was able to match them to my papers without going out and spending any money on new greenery!  :)

I hung it by attaching the new Jute Ribbon with a brad from the Mini Medley Accents Antique Gold Collection on each side.  They were SO easy to slip through the weave of the jute!  The final touch was trimming the top with some Bronze Shimmer Trim.  You simply MUST have this amazing color of our Shimmer Trim!  It coordinates so beautifully with the Huntington Papers.

You can even hang this from a doorknob!

That's it for me on this hop!  Your next stop will be Jamie's Blog, so hop on over and see what amazing ideas she has for you today!  Thanks for popping in!  :)

Don't forget to check out this month's NEW November Stamp of the Month, Illuminate!  Just $5 with a $50 purchase!

Another Chrismas Workshop Card!

I have really kept you waiting for these, and I apologize!  I finally have my Sparkle and Shine paper, so I am ON it!  :)

Here is the second card for my Close to My Heart Christmas Card Workshop in November.

I used an unusual My Acrylix set for Christmas--it is called Patterned Pennants, and really meant for summer time fun!  I love that I was able to make is more versatile!  Pink Glitter Gems adorn the tree.

A little tree trunk of Bronze Shimmer Trim is the perfect touch at the bottom, don't you think?  We will have to practice some light Glitz Glitter Gel application for this one!  ;)

I am linking up with the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge for Christmas Cards!

I heard a rumor that my next card is for the birds...we shall see!  ;)

REMINDER!!!!  The October Stamp of the Month is a FANTASTIC Christmas set, so be sure to pick yours up before October is over if you like it!  ;)  It even coordinates with the Art Philosophy Collection!