We Asked, They Answered: the Close to My Heart Thin Cuts Alphabet!

Based on my professionally limited research, THIS has got to be one of the most requested products EVER.  I am SO excited to introduce you to the Close to My Heart Thin Cuts Block Alphabet as we said good-bye to a family heirloom...

It was great how the stripes in the Fundamentals Basics Paper lined up!

Aren't they fantastic for titles!?  This was actually a super way to put "big orange" in BIG letters for some BIG impact.  We had that couch for YEARS...and it was in the family FOREVER, so this was a BIG occasion.  Are you feeling me?

I used the new In the Background stamp set to ink up some polka dots in just the right size to fit the letters...

I also used the current August Stamp of the Month for the thought bubble on this layout...

It's only around for two more days!  After that, the Seasonal Expressions retires and a NEW Holiday Expressions Mini Catty begins!

Don't forget to catch the 50% off Warehouse sale items too!

Duck, Duck, Georgie!

Oh my word, I LOVE making up blog post titles!!!  ;)

OK, so this layout is perfect to share as we prep for Easter.  My kiddo's college has pet dorms, can you even imagine?   Well, this little fellow is such a cutie pie!  I used my Close to My Heart Georgie Paper Packet along with the Whisper color Paper Fundamentals pattern to create this layout...

I added some bling with the Silver Shimmer Trim and Silver Foil Tape running alongside the Zip Strip from the top of one of the Georgie papers...

Don't the white photo mats make the pics POP against the background?

WAIT A MINUTE!!!  You MUST go over to my FB page or Instagram RIGHT NOW to see some sneak peeks of what's coming soooooooon to a Seasonal Expressions 2 Catalog near YOU!!!

Don't forget that March Madness means Buy 2 get 1 FREE stamps over on my website!!!

Fundamental Friday Returns!

Yes, it HAS been a while since I have shared a Fundamental Friday layout featuring the fantastic Close to My Heart Fundamentals products...so here you go!

I had SUCH a fun time making an album for my daughter full of pics from her first year of college.

For this page I used the Paper Fundamentals Basics in Black for the base and spruced it up with a title made from stickers included in the Adventure and Enchantment packs.  A sprinkle of White Enamel Gems rounds out this simple styled layout.

As you can see, it is FUNdamentally simple to put together fabulous layouts with these coordinating products!  They truly make scrappin' your pics FUN and easy!  :)

Only in February!

Only in February, too!

Fundamental Friday Layout

Alright, I think this is officially my favorite Fundamental layout yet!

This font found on the Close to My Heart Cricut Artistry Collection is fantastic for lettering OR using the negative cut...

Did you know that Close to My Heart carries the ENTIRE 50 states???  YES!  Also the Canadian provinces and Australia/New Zealand!  :)  This photo really shows off the shiny embossed side of the Fundamentals Patterns...

Did I ever mention how much I ADORE matting photos?  ;)

JUST one final reminder that TODAY (Friday, December 4th) is the LAST day to save 25% on almost 40 products on my Close to My Heart website!  Better hurry!  You only have until 4pm MST to get the Cricut Artfully Sent Collection for just $74.25!!!  (That's 6pm CST for my peeps!)

Fabulous Fundamental Friday!

Fundamental Friday has officially become my FAVORITE day of the week!  How about you?  OK, yeah, Friday is pretty much the BOMB!  ;)

Today I have another layout to share with you from a special project I am working on so lets get to it!

One of my new favorite ways to use the Close to My Heart Fundamentals Papers is as a background to my scrapbook pages.  I am especially fond of matting my pictures in White Daisy CS to take full advantage of the POP it provides.  I am also LOVING these clips that come in the NEW Fundamentals Assortments...

This white clip comes in the Fundamentals GOLD Assortment.

If you like hitting the easy button for your scrappin' then check out the new alphabet letters in the Paper Fundamentals Sticker Assortments!  

The Sapphire colored letters are in the Enchantment Sticker Pack!  ;)

Thanks so much for always stopping in to see what I have been up to in my craft cave.  Have a FANTASTIC weekend!  :)

Don't forget to get the October Stamp of the Month...AND see how you can get it FREE from me HERE!

Fabulous Fundamentals Friday!

So you know I can't live without these NEW Fundamentals patterns from Close to My Heart by now...and I just might run out of my first selection of them before long if I keep up this pace!

Here is my latest layout...

I used the Whisper and Champagne patterns in the Paper Fundamentals Basics along with the Pacifica pattern in the Adventure Assortment.

I added assorted sequins from the Gold and Coral Reef Sequin Assortments.  Ok, maybe a retired Oceanside sequin or two as well...

I just loved the squared off layout, but I grabbed a cloud border that I had already cut out from the NEW Cricut Artistry Cartridge on my Explore Machine just to experiment with some curves...and oh my word was it the perfect addition!

Have you had a chance to play with the Paper Fundamentals line?  See even more fantastic ideas for them over on the Close to My Heart Blog HERE!

Give them a try this month on my website, link up to my FREE Gift with order when you check out, and I will send you some embellishments to go with them!  :)

Need to know how to JOIN your order to a particular giveaway on my website?  Watch this short video!  Be sure to turn the volume up...

Fundamental Friday!

I made this one last month with some new toys I purchased with my birthday money...

Paper Fundamentals Basic Assortment

Black and Grey Glitter Paper

This is how I colored the White Daisy CS with my Sparkle Watercolor Gel Crayons!  I just colored directly on the paper and then went over the crayon with my Blending Pen.

I purchased these on Amazon with a gift card because, let's face it, they had MY NAME on it!  ;)

Last call for JUMP ON IT IN JULY deals for the month!!!

Spend $25 in STAMPS, get a $5 Hostess Rewards Stamp!

This sale is only through 5 pm MST!!!

UPDATE!!!  The Studio J sale has been extended to August 3rd at 11:59PM MST!!!

FREE Stamp of the Month, YES, PLEASE!!!

Makeover Monday!

I hope my peeps from the USA had a fabulous 4th over the weekend!

I have been a bit occupied the past few days with a family trip, a luxury which I quickly learned to cherish after my oldest left for her first year of college.  These days are going by fast while she is home, and I want to enjoy each little chance our family has to hang out together.  Here is a peek at us all rocking out to old Disney movie soundtracks in the van on the way home from TN...

It was GREAT!!!

Alright, back to a layout that I showed you a sneak bit of in May...because I finished it!  :)

That little heart splatter stamp is found on the Documenting Memories My Acrylix.

I used a layout in the last Close to My Heart Idea Book as the inspiration for my makeover...

You might have noticed this picture on the CTMH website in the Specialty Papers category, too!

I will hit some of the product highlights for you...

I used the Paper Fundamentals Basic Assortment for the bold background of the layout.  Enamel Dots, Sequins, and some stitching using the Stitch Guide and Piercing Tool round out this cluster.

I cut the letters from the Cricut Artiste Cartridge on my Explore from Lagoon, Topiary, White Daisy, Smoothie, and Honey CS.

The next two pics show all the different washi tapes I was able to coordinate into the layout...

I hope you use your copy of the Close to My Heart Idea Book to transform the amazing ideas into YOUR creations too!  :)

Some of these products I used are retiring in August and running out of stock quickly if you are interested in a makeover of your own!  You can check them out using the links up above.

If you also happen to fill your cart with just $25 in stamps, remember to add a FREE Stamp of the Month OR a $5 Hostess Only My Acrylix stamp set this month!  :)

Mojo Monday 335

I have a very sparkly Mojo Monday creation to share with you today!  Are you ready to put your sunglasses on?  Here we go!

I didn't blind you with the silver glitter paper, did I?  I just can't get enough of this stuff!  I used it as the frame element in the Mojo sketch by adhering it to one of the chipboard Cricut shapes in the Artbooking Collection.  The portion in the middle is covered with the reverse side of that White and Whisper colored arrow chevron pattern that I took from the NEW Paper Fundamentals Basics Assortment.  These neutral colored pattern papers have an embossed resist on one side that you can see better in the picture below with JUST the right lighting...

This sentiment is found in an acrylic stamp set from Verve called Bloom and Grow.   I also used the leaf stamp and die that coordinates from that set.  I stamped it in Juniper on the polka-dot pattern in the Lollydoodle Paper Packet.

I love all the LAYERS in this card...it was tricky to stand it up for a picture!  ;)

The chipboard arrow shape and stamp are also included in the Artbooking Collection--it is definitely not just for scrapbooking!  :)  The Smokey Plum color I used is perfect.

I had a hard time limiting my pictures for this post!  I can't get enough of the color combination!  This gorgeous, delicate flower in dark purple is from the CTMH Ivy Lane Assortment.  It shows up just a bit darker than it actually is in real life.  The flower-shaped sequins that dot the sides are from the new Polka collection from Lawn Fawn, and I used liquid glass to insert a little purple glitter gem into each shiny silver flower.

Thanks again for popping in to see me!  :)

A Valentine's Day Coffee Gift Card Holder with Art Philosophy

I have said it before, and I'll say it again...I am a lazy crafter!  If it takes too many steps, I'm out before I started.  SO why in the world did I not use a simple tutorial for this project???

Oh, no.  I just HAD to make a CCR file using the Close to My Heart Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge!  Yep.  I was determined to do it after seeing so many cute coffee cups.  I KNEW I could design one of my own, and I did!  The best part is that I can cut every single part from my Cricut for my workshops!  AHA!  There is the lazy factor!  ;)

Here is my final product, and you better believe it took a bit of java to get me here, lol...

I simply welded and altered shapes from the Art Philosophy Cartridge to make each part of this card, cut them out, and assembled!  The scallop behind the sentiment is a punch that CTMH used to carry, but I sure could make it on the Cricut if I wanted to do it that way.

I used the brand new Paper Fundamentals Basic Assortment from CTMH for the cute heart pattern sleeve and am linking this creation up to the Heart 2 Heart Hearts Galore Challenge this month.  The sentiment is one of many included in the Holiday Tags My Acrylix.  A retired glitter button, some contraband baker's twine, and a Flamingo Dot round out the embellishments.  That's it!

You can attach a gift card to the insert with a couple of glue dots.

I wrote a little instruction on the back just in case...

You can decorate the back of your card with another sleeve if you like, but I wanted to have plenty of room to write a little message.  :)

This Paper Fundamentals Paper is FANTASTIC!  There is a clear resist pattern on one side and the same pattern in white on the other.  Two of each of the neutral color palate for a total of 20 sheets in each pack.  I will be making this one from the Idea Book for SURE!!!  Who's IN???

Are you ready for some GREAT news?  Anyone who places an order on my website is eligible to receive the CCR file for these Coffee Gift Card Holders!  Just place an order and let me know you want me to email it to you!  It is THAT easy!  I did all the hard work for us, lol!  Shop now at www.mimimyselfandi.ctmh.com! 

There is also one more way to get the CCR file from me--this will be one of the cards available to make at my Creative Cards Workshop on Feb. 28th at 7 pm.  All attendees will be able to have the file absolutely free!  There are several themes available for the card since it will be past Valentine's Day.  Here is a shot of the stamp set so you can preview some of your choices...

Remember!  Did you read my newsletter?  When you place an order at my workshop, you get a discount on the workshop now!  I will have all the details up on my Workshop tab shortly!  :)