Four Fabulous Years!!!!

Today is my 4th Anniversary as a Close to My Heart Independent Consultant!!!! 

I have no idea how the time has flown since I picked up my first My Acrylix Stamp set and Exclusive Ink Pad. 

This was my first Idea Book back in the Spring of 2012...

Remember?  Stella was my FAVORITE paper packet!  Which was yours?  Pemberley?  Typeset?  How about Footloose?

Just for giggles, here is that first post I made on my blog about it--the big announcement, lol.

Can you believe they had not even invented Shimmer Trim yet back in the day?  The horror!  ;)

If you are still with me on my little stroll down memory keeping lane, thank you for humoring me.  My customers and blog followers have been amazing along my journey.  I quite frankly could not have come this far without you guys.  And I would be talking to MYSELF for goodness sake!

To my friends near and far who have supported and buoyed me as I navigated the sea of planning crafty classes, THANK YOU for filling my sparkle bucket day after day...I reflect your kindness, your optimism, and your encouragement that you so selflessly have given.  I love you all more than glitter.  And that's a LOT!

Now!  DON'T forget to take advantage of the fantastic sale going on right now on my Close to My Heart Website...

 
And this sunny Stamp of the Month is only here for March, too!

Perk Up Your Planner!

Happy Hump Day!

Here is a quick little way to pretty up your planner.  All you need is a binder clip and some pretty ribbon like this Close to My Heart Black and Gold Ribbon...

Just crisscross the ribbon through one of the clip loops and presto!

This was one of the easy car-crafting ideas I came up with on the road to FL this past Christmas.  Quick and easy just the way I like!  ;)

B2G1 in March!

March Stamp of the Month!

Hoppy Monday!

How cute is this little frog?

I just adore the little critters with banners on the Spring Critters My Acrylix from Close to My Heart.

There are so many fun sentiments to choose with this set.  AND just in case you were oogling my amazing cutting finesse, those blue lines around the images indicate there is also a matching Thin Cuts die available!  I used mine on my Sizzix Big Shot.  You can see how they work in the video below...

I matted this little Penelope patterned paper square on Canary CS and popped a Ghiradelli Square on the back as a little thank you treat. The frog pops with a little bit of foam tape.

NOW is THE perfect time to pick up this fab little size C stamp set...because when you buy 2 My Acrylix stamps from Close to My Heart, YOU GET ONE FREE!!!  Yes!  We have four sets available that coordinate with a matching Thin Cuts, so you could have loads of fun with them!  HERE are all the important details!

CTMH Perpetual Calendar: March

I promise not to string these calendar pages out much longer, lol, but since it is March now, here you go!

I kept it clean and simple for this one--and wanted to incorporate a St. Patty's Day theme.  This golden "choose happy" is actually a Beautiful You Picture My Life card trimmed down to fit my calendar square!  I double matted the inspirational message with Sweet Leaf and Topiary CS. Golden Sequins add a bit more sparkle to the pot!  ;)

How ironic that I didn't use a single STAMP on this creation!  Close to My Heart has so many wonderful papercrafting  products besides stamps!

BUT!!!  If stamps are your thing--THIS is the month to get them!  Stampaganza is back with an amazing buy 2 get 1 FREE (no limit!) sale!!!

There are a TON of details I listed HERE for the sale--including the new Close to My Heart Stamp Retirement policy information, so check it out before you make your list!

The Stamps Come MARCHing IN!

Today is March 1st...and it is supposed to snow 3-4 inches here by the time we go to bed.  Now, I realize that is FAR from blizzard conditions, but come on, now, it's MARCH!!!  Sigh.  OK, that's fine...

Because it IS MARCH!!!! That means a super-cute new Stamp of the Month, and a BRAND NEW sale over on my Close to My Heart website my inky-fingered friends and I like to call...STAMPAGANZA!!!!!

YES!!!  For EVERY 2 Regular retail priced My Acrylix clear stamp sets you purchase in March, you get to choose a 3rd set FREE!!!  PLEASE plan carefully though--your free stamp, no matter how many multiples of 3 you order, will be the lowest or equal in value to the rest in your order.  Feel free to contact me with any questions on that, or advice on ordering.

EDITED TO ADD:
Here are a few more details for the Stampaganza sale!

1. There are a FEW stamps not included in this special: the Stamp of the Month (which you can still get for just $5 with a $50 purchase!), stamps included with the Cricut Collections, stamps included in the Workshop on the Go Kits, and the Animal Greetings Operation Smile Stamp set.  Hostess Rewards are always only redeemable on regular priced items. ALL the rest of the stamps on my website are FAIR GAME for the Stampaganza!!!

2. For every two My Acrylix stamps you buy, you get the third one of equal or lesser value FREE--there are no limits to the number of stamps you can earn FREE!  Buy 2 get 1....buy 4 get 2....buy 10 get 5!!!

3. When you place them all in your online cart, only the lowest price stamps will be FREE.  If you buy 3 stamps for $17.95 each, then a $17.95 set is FREE!  If you buy a $17.95 set, a $13.95 set, and a $6.95 set, then the $6.95 stamp set will be FREE.  If you buy 3 $17.95 sets, 2 $13.95 sets, and a $9.95 set, then the $9.95 set and a $13.95 set will be FREE!  Get it?  You can always place multiple orders to make the most of this sale--don't hesitate to contact me for assistance.  :)

This is a fantastic time to stock up on some of the CTMH collectible stamps such as the sport themed sets:

PLUS swimming, cheer-leading, and gymnastics!

Just $2.95 each!!!  3/5.90!  Get all 26 (plus another M stamp) for just over $50!

How about the 50 states?  Collect all your faves NOW at this fabulous buy 2 get 1 free price!  :)

Did I mention ONE MORE little detail?  Starting soon, all stamps will only be available while pictured in a CTMH Idea Book.  EVEN the stamps that coordinate with the Cricut cartridges will be following this policy!  This new availability schedule "will go into effect immediately, meaning that stamp sets featured in Seasonal Expressions 1 will be retired at the end of that idea book on April 30, 2016. Stamp sets featured in Annual Inspirations 2015–2016 and any other stamp sets that are currently available but are not pictured in any active idea books will be retired on July 31, 2016, with a few exceptions. The exceptions are the States & Provinces stamp sets, the Australia & New Zealand stamp sets, and a handful of other stamp sets that will be carrying forward to a future idea book."

I will keep you updated on which stamps will be moving forward for your planning purposes closer to July.  What does this mean NOW?  It means if there are any stamps floating around on my website or in the catty that are on your MUST HAVE list, don't wait to grab them--this sale will only happen once during their availability!  

OH!  Just in case you wanted to see that new March Stamp of the Month, here ya go!

Freshly Made Sunshine

One of the reasons I LOVE being able to play along with the sketches over at Freshly Made Sketches is that I really have fun writing the blog post title!  ;)

The new sketch this week begged for some sunshine today, so I whipped out the Close to My Heart March Stamp of the Month, Sunshine Birdies.  Here's your sneak peek!

I used my watercolor paints, paper, and medium round brush to create the background. The sun was stamped first in Memento Ink, but I wasn't happy with the dullness after I painted, so I took a fine tip black marker over it again.

A sprinkle of Pretty Pink Posh sequins gives a little sparkle to the flat paint.  I colored the sentiment with my ShinHan markers and trimmed it out into a flat-bottomed cloud.  I wasn't done yet, though--I added some vellum cloud layers and white gelly roll accents.

I LOVE how it turned out!  Thanks for the great sketch, Jen!  :)

Balloon Animals Zoo Layout

I showed my Facebook followers a little peek at this layout title over the weekend, so I can't keep them waiting much longer, lol...

Speaking of Facebook...how many of you utilize it for keeping track of WHEN your pictures were taken?  I seriously blanked when the time came to date these pics, but Facebook came to my rescue...since I had posted them on the day of the event!  :)

The lettering is from the Cricut Artistry Cartridge and I just elongated it on Design Space before I cut it out on my Explore.

The framed image on the Close to My Heart Balloon Animals Stamp of the Month serves as a great little frame for the letters in my layout title!  I stamped in Sapphire Ink on Crystal Blue CS. The shapes are cut from the Artistry Cartridge on my Cricut Explore where I was able to tweak the size a bit for the inner white shape in Design Space.  It was then that I discovered my carrier sheet has incorrectly listed the size to cut in order for the stamped image to fit.  It should be a height of 1.25 inches, NOT the .75 it has listed.  Does anyone else have that issue?

I stamped this little guy in Eggplant Ink.

I used the super-springy Penelope Papers for my background.  Some Fundamentals Stickers and Silver Sequins round out my embellishment clusters for a quick and easy layout!  :)

Time is quickly running out to get your Balloon Animals Stamp set!  February is just about history!

You can still Share the Love with this special My Acrylix stamp AND donate $7 to Operation Smile!