Just Crazy Blessed Team Blog Hop - Whimsy Fundamentals

Welcome to the Just Crazy Blessed Team Blog Hop!!! Thanks for joining us today! All of August and September, we are showing products from the new Close to My Heart Annual Inspirations catalog. I hope you enjoy this little peek at our new goodies.

This blog hop is a great big circle so you can start wherever you want and continue through to see all the wonderful artwork incorporating the week's theme, by clicking the next or previous buttons at the end of this post. If you are coming from Danielle's Blog, you are on the right track!

This week we are highlighting the Whimsy Fundamentals, and once I started playing with them, I just couldn't stop. I love the sherbet colors of this paper pack. It's bright and cheerful, and can be used so many ways, from Birthdays to Baby and Wedding showers. I paired this fresh paper with the Birthday Sparkles Stamp set (Paper and Stamp set images shown below the card pictures) and made 4 different Birthday cards. Because… always need Birthday cards on hand, right? 

This first card is really simple, but got raves from my "review board". Tone on tone with Smoothie card stock backing a bit of White Daisy with the image on it. I used a blending pen to grab a bit of Smoothie Ink and fill in the "You", and finished off the card with some White and Gold Ribbon.

For this card, I used the 'sparkles' stamp that comes with the set to stamp a texture all over a piece of Sorbet card stock,  then layered it with Juniper card stock and the green dotted paper from the Whimsy Fundamentals. A piece of Glacier behind the White Daisy with the greeting embellished with a few Bitsy Sparkles and it's done.

I really liked the pattern going on here, and wanted to use all four colors in a card. This is two papers with both sides showing. I added a piece of Juniper card stock and Black Shimmer Trim, and along the bottom, the soft Canary Stripe.

I had really been eyeing a paper in the pack that looks like all over watercolor. It's SO pretty! There are 4 colors of this; Sweet Leaf, Crystal Blue, Canary, and Smoothie. I finally was inspired by the blue. I created the clouds and the balloons using images from the CTMH Cricut Artistry cartridge, in White Daisy, Sweet Leaf, Smoothie Stripe, and Canary Stripe. I used Canary card stock behind the sentiment on White Daisy. I raised the balloons and sentiment with Thin Foam Mounting Tape.

There are more papers in the Whimsy Fundamentals that I haven't gotten to yet, but will soon, I am sure. There is SO much in the new catalog, there aren't enough hours in the day...

Look at ALL the paper you get in just ONE pack! Two Sheets EACH of these double-sided patterns!

Thank you for joining us on the blog hop!

If you would like to know more about the products I used in my creations above, please continue to scroll down. If you would like to continue on, please use the buttons below to continue on the Just Crazy Blessed Blog Hop. I hope you enjoy what Michelle at My Flights of Fancy has to share next!

Close to My Heart Products used in cards pictured above (and links to them):
Whimsy Fundamentals Paper pack - Z3255 - $19.95Whimsy Card Stock Combo pack - X5940 - $14.50Birthday Sparkles B-Stamp Set - B1537 - $9.95White Cards/Envelopes Value Pack (50) - X254 - $14.50Bitty Sparkles - Z1263 - $2.95Black Shimmer Trim - Z1809 - $4.95White and Gold Ribbon - Z3189 - $5.95Exclusives Ink in colors below - $6.95 (until the end of August)Black, Smoothie, Sweet Leafe, Canary (colors used for distress edging)If you have any questions about these products, or would like more information about becoming a Close to My Heart consultant, please let me know and I will contact you within 24 hours. Thank you for stopping by.

Summer Time, Lemonade and Retiring Stamps... not your usual combo...

For a lot of us, July =  middle of Summer Time. The kids are out of school (well, mine are all grown, but the kids where I work are gone), the weather may have finally settled into a summery pattern of warmth for most days, and cooking outside is more usual than not. Iced tea and lemonade are drinks of choice around my house.

It's also the last month for the Close to My Heart 2015-2016 Annual Inspirations catalog. And... This time around almost all the stamps are being retired. To put it another way, it was shorter for me to post a list of the stamp sets that were Not retiring, than the ones that were, LOL.

In addition to the stamps going buh-bye, all the paper sets, except for the solid colors, are also going to be changing. So if you like the Fundamentals sets, I recommend picking some up before the end of July. 

Also, the following Close To My Heart Exclusive inks and re-inkers will be retiring: Gypsy, Topiary, Pear, Honey, Sunset, Cotton Candy, Hollyhock.

Along with most of the decor, albums, a couple of shimmer trim colors, and 3 of the Cricut cartridge sets. But I can promise, the things that are coming in August - will wow you! I can't reveal yet, but oh my, so much lovely!

Anyway, in the meantime - happy shopping the retiring items and here's the Stamp of the Month!

It's called "From the Notebook" and is available July only, for $17.95. OR, for $5.00 with a $50 or more purchase. Stop by my online page and check out the entire catalog. 

One last thing. For the Month of July, if you sign up to be a consultant, you'll have the Early Bird opportunity to get some of the incoming products free with your New-Consultant kit. For more information, click here, or contact me. I'd love to have you on my team.

So Much New...

Wheee! It’s August! The summer is flying by far too fast for my liking and there has been SO much going on. Most days I feel like I can barely catch my breath.

So… while I have been hugely busy at work (I know, I say that far too much. And July usually is not busy all the month, but this year was an exception.), there have been things going on with Close to My Heart that have also kept me busy. I briefly blogged about the Studio J Flash Sale, and I saw that a few of you took advantage of that. I hope you are enjoying your layouts! I got 17 done so far, and they should be arriving this coming week, I am very excited! The sale was extended until August 3^rd, so there are a couple more days to take advantage of the $5 per layout deal (minimum of 4 layouts needed to place an order, but still... that’s 8 pages for $20!).

Now… on to the August goodies! In the past, August has been the month that Close to My Heart releases the new Annual Inspirations catalog and idea book. An eagerly awaited event, to say the least. This year, it was pushed out until September. But to bridge the time – the month of August – not only was the 2014-15 catalog extended one more month (an extra month to get those stamps and papers and embellishments that will be retiring….), but some things were released early to whet your appetite for the 2015-16 catalog.

Below is a list, with catalog numbers, of the items that have been released starting TODAY! Included in this basket of goodies is a new Cricut cartridge and accompanying stamp sets,Artistry. I have seen the pictures of all the cuts, and wow, is it versatile! I can’t wait to get my hands on it! I already have the Zoe paper packet and the Coral shimmer trim, it’s so pretty! August’s Stamp of the Month is another one of those all-around useful sets (see picture below). And if you’ve gotten hooked on Studio J, you can use the Zoe paper kit there too.

Cricut® ArtistryCollection (Z3167)
My Reflections™ Zoe Paper Packet (X7197B)
Zoe Complements (X7197C)
Zoe Assortment (Z3082)
Coral Shimmer Trim (Z3088)
Enamel & Glitter Duos Green Triangles(Z3123)
Workshops on the Go® Zoe Scrapbooking Kit(G1096)
Framed – August Stamp of the Month (S1508)
Zoe Studio J® Kit
Zoe Studio J® Limited Edition Express Collection (Live until September 30, 2015)
Marker Roll-Up (Z3120) and Accessory Roll-Up (Z3121) as part of the August Get Organized Campaign

There is also a great Buy this/Get that deal going on in the month of August. Called Get Organized, when you purchase either the new Marker Roll-Up or the new Accessory Roll-Up at full retail price, you will get the Balloon Wishes stamp set (with the marker roll up) or 2 Base & Bling Style Sheets (with the accessory roll up) FREE. Checkout all the details here.

I’ve been super busy not only playing with Studio J(creating layouts for digital photos as far back as 2007!!), but my husband and I have been doing some big stuff around our house and getting ready for out of town visitors. I did get the Zoe paper, but I am going to wait until I get the Cricut Artistry set before I really dive into it. SO… I hope you've been enjoying the images from Close to My Heart.

Please visit my OBA and take a look at all the wonderful products this company creates to help YOU create. If you would like to create your own online party, drop me an email, and I will give you information on how you can do that and earn free products. If you live locally to me, I can cometo your home and share the CTMH products with you and your friends, and you can see for yourself how easy it is to create something memorable. 

And if you're interested in becoming a consultant yourself, again, drop me a mail and I'll get right back to you with more information. It's a great time to join, the new consultant package has just been re-done and is better than ever!

Oh, I almost forgot... in addition to the year-long catalog release on Sept 1, the Holiday Seasonal Expressions will also debut - the Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas papers, stamps and embellishments! The Halloween paper this year... is spooktacular!

Where is June going???

Wow! Between traveling to a family wedding and the craziness of work, this month is just Flying by!

I've barely had time to sit down, let alone paper craft. I did get some time to make some Father's Day cards upon request, but I forgot to take pictures before turning them over to their respective buyers.

Red Alert! The list of Retiring Items has been released! The current Idea Book (code name for catalog) and Seasonal Expressions (catalog add-on) are good until the end of August 2015. At that time a whole LOT of things will be retiring from the Close to My Heart line-up. Way too much to list here. But you can see it all here. Some things are already becoming unavailable, so if there is something you have been considering, I highly suggest you do not wait until the last minute! A few things I can tell you that are retiring are ALL the paper packs (and coordinating accessories), and ALL the My Crush books, and ALL the Alphabet stamp sets, and Most of the Picture My Life card sets (they coordinate with the paper packs). plus a ton of stamp sets, embellishments, and more. Go look... While you are there, check out the While Supplies Last section, more items have been added.

Before I left on my trip, I managed to make one card with the June Stamp of the Month, Ice Cream Dream. I think it might be hard to tell in this photo, but I lightly sponged the base card with Lagoon ink to give it some texture before adding the rest. I lifted the saying and the ice cream cone off the card with foam dots for dimension, and added a bit of Teal Shimmer Trim for sparkle. Overall, I wanted to keep it simple, and focus on the colors. 

The other card I made was a 'scrap card'. I was cleaning up around my stamping area and found an envelope full of paper strips left over from the January Year Noted paper pack. I loved that paper collection, and was bound to use every bit of it that I could. This was what I came up with.

What I did was took all the strips, and dove-tailed one end of each one. Then I took a card base, and starting with one of my strips, I carefully applied it to the card along the edge. Then I did the same thing to the next strip, butting the edge along the previous strip. I just filled the card up. When I was done, I still had some strips (and some of them had been extra long and had to be cut across the top), so I decided to fill in a bit more and added the shorter ones you can see along the top edge. I noticed after I was done that they all seem to be close in length, and the next time I do this, I will try making them more varied. I added a simple saying, and a few left-over gold stickers (also from the Year-Noted set), and a sweet card is finished. I'm really happy with how it turned out. Sorry to say, this paper pack is retired, but the technique can be done with any scraps.

Remember the Ice Cream Dream Stamp of the Month is only available for June. You can pick up your own for only $5 with a $50 purchase! (Or for $17.95 on it's own) Be sure to contact your Close To My Heart Independent Consultant before the end of June.  If you don't already have a consultant, I'd love to be yours.  You can find details on the "Stamp of the Month" by clicking on the "Stamp of the Month" at top of the page on the right or purchase your SOTM here. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

There's also a great deal this month on the My Crush® books. Purchase any My Crush® book and its accompanying assortment pictured in Annual Inspirations 2014–2015, and you will receive the coordinating stamp set FREE! (That is a savings of at least $9.95 USD / $10.95 CAD!) There are 5 My Crush book offerings that will provide a fun and easy background for your favorite memories. This offer is only available while supplies last* and once they’re gone, these books are gone for good, so put your orders in early to get your summer romance rolling today!

*No tax will be charged on the free items. Shipping/handling is calculated based on the full retail price of the free stamp.

Are you ready for Summer?

Close to My Heart is celebrating National Scrapbooking Month by offering a special paper pack just for May. This paper pack is just so bright and summery, I love it. The zip strips are cute too, you can't see them in this picture. And it's a real value at only $8.95 for the pack.

It's one of those sets that I almost don't want to cut into, just hoard. But you can't make cards without cutting... 

There are twelve! pieces of paper in six double sided patterns in the Taste of Summer paper set. It's available only for May (National Scrapbooking Month). And there's a coordinating stamp set that is really cute (mine hasn't arrived yet). This D set of stamps is $17.95 and also only available in May.

Here are the four cards I made - so far. I wanted to use big pieces of the paper and really show off these bright gorgeous papers. I added in a sheet of Sunset, Hollyhock and Topiary cardstock for accent pieces. I cut circles, the citrus inserts (flowers), and speech bubbles with the Cricut Artiste cartridge. I doodled a little bit in the orange slices just because they looked a little bare. I like the way they turned out, don't you?

Both butterflies on this card are stamped on a piece of scrap cardstock and cut out. The multi-colored one is popped up with foam tape. I used an easy trick for the sun burst card, cutting four pieces of paper at once. Now, I have pieces to make four different sunburst style cards. I'll match the bottom strip to the piece in the middle on each one. But I am going to wait to make the rest of my cards until I have the coordinating stamp set.

Materials used in the above cards:

Taste of Summer Paper Pack - CC1038 - $8.95 (May 2015 ONLY)

Exclusive Inks - Thistle - Z2640 - $5.95

Exclusive Inks - Sorbet - Z2164 - $5.95

Exclusive Inks - Black - Z2105 - $5.95

Exclusive Cardstock - White Daisy - 1385 $9.50 (24 pk)

Exclusive Cardstock - Adventure Combo pack - X5935 $14.50 (contains Sunset, Topiary, Hollyhock plus seven other colors - 2 sheets of each color)

Silver Shimmer Trim - Z1799 - $4.95

Coral Reef Sequins - $3.95

Bright Silver Sequins (non CTMH - just some I had on hand)

Stamps used:

'You + Me' stamp from May Stamp of the Month set "Just Sayin" - S1505 - $5.00 (w/ $50.00 order*)

'Hi' speech bubble stamp from Cricut Artiste Bundle - Z1790 - $99.00

'You Mean the World to Me' stamp from set of same name - B1467 - $9.95

Butterflies and sayings on Butterfly card from "Your Own Kind of Wonderful" Set - D1627 - $17.95

You can order any of these items on my OBA by clicking here. If you have any questions about the above cards, please leave me a comment. I'll answer as soon as I can. 

*(Remember the Just Sayin' Stamp of the Month is only available for May. You can pick up your own for only $5 with a $50 purchase! (Or for $17.95 on it's own) Be sure to contact your Close To My Heart Independent Consultant before the end of May.  If you don't already have a consultant, I'd love to be yours.  You can find details on the "Stamp of the Month" by clicking on the "Stamp of the Month" at top of the page on the right or purchase your SOTM here. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.)

May is National Scrapbooking Month!

May is National Scrap-booking Month.

As you know, I haven't been actively scrapping. This month’s Stamp Of The Month (Just Sayin') is designed for scrap-booking, so I felt I should create a photo layout.

 
I needed some inspiration, so I took a Blog Hop tour. If you've never been on a blog hop, they are a great way to be inspired! (the way it works is you start with one blog, and it will link you to the next one in the hop. And they are all using the same stamp or papers for that "hop"). Here’s where I usually start: If you Bling It.   

I also love to blog hop to see how others are using the stamp set. They’ll look at the same stamps in TOTALLY different ways! For example; I had never thought of flipping the stamp over and sticking it ‘design side’ to the acrylic block. (though it was a totally “duh” moment as soon as I read it). You’ll get the same shape as a stamp, without the design… a couple of the bloggers did that in their designs. BRILLIANT! And not something you can do with wood-block stamps. And of course, it only works with symmetrical stamps (like many of the shapes in this stamp set). I love new techniques!

This month's stamp set: These are not only great images for photo layouts. They are great on cards, adding a little extra to a set of pocket pages, gift bags, all those little things that we paper crafters come up with. As every month, the Stamp of the Month set is $17.95 or $5 with a $50 purchase. 

Anyway, you're probably wanting to see the full pictures of my project... and here I have been keeping you waiting. Well, I got SO much inspiration, I created a photo layout page with leftover Blossom paper from the pages I worked on before. Then I made a card, definitely getting inspiration from several of the cards I saw along the blog hop (thank you ladies!). I used my Cricut to cut out a slew of 1 inch triangles and 1 inch circles, and then stamped them up using Pear, Honey, and Smoothie Exclusive Inks. I ended up using some of the circles on the photo layout, and the triangles on the card. (I have a bunch of each left, still un-stamped, for other projects).

Once I started stamping elements to use on this layout, I really went crazy, I stamped all of them in several colors and then chose the one that I liked best. I have lots left that I can use on other projects.

Something I saw done on one layout (by Angela White of www.luvz2scrapbook.com) was to use the Liquid Glass over the stamped elements to make your own enamel look pieces for your layouts. Angela had made quite a few for her page, and it was really stunning. The other idea I saw was on jd designs blog, to use the 1 inch clear epoxy done stickers (that are meant for finishing off DIY bottlecap embellishments) on the circles to make your own "flair". Either way it's done, they look great! I recommend a to visit their blogs!

After I was done with my photo layout, I was still full of ideas from the Blog Hop, so I went ahead and made this card:

I purposely left the exact sentiment of the card blank. It could be a birthday, baby congrats, thank you, promotion, graduation, anything. I used the "This Day" stamp from the February SOTM "Choose Happy", but there are many small sayings in the catalog that would fit.

Here's a complete list of the materials used in the projects above:

Both:

May SoTM  - Just Sayin' S1505 - $17.95 (or $5 with a $50 order)

Exclusive Inks, Pear, Honey, Smoothie - $5.95 each

Daisy White Cardstock 1388 - $9.50 (24 sheet pack)

Sequin embellishments - Coral Reef- Z3042 - $3.95

Marvey Uchida Journaling Pen Z1979 - $3.25

'You & Me' Scrap-book Layout:

Blossom Paper pack - X7196 - $9.95

Kraft Cardstock Z1375 - $9.50 (24 sheet pack)

Han Shin Touch Alcohol Marker - Sap Green - Z2463 - $5.95

'This Day' Card:

Pear Cardstock - X5935 $14.50 (Adventure Paper pack - 2 ea of 10 colors)

Gold Shimmer Trim - Z1985 - $4.95

Pick up your own Stamp of the Month for only $17.95 OR get it for only $5 with a $50 purchase! Be sure to contact your Close To My Heart Independent Consultant before the end of May.  If you don't already have a consultant, I'd love to be yours.  You can find details on the "Stamp of the Month" by clicking on the "Stamp of the Month" at top of the page on the right or purchase your SOTM here. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Coming up next will be The Taste of Summer papers - a very Special Paper pack only being offered by CTMH this month! They are perfect for creating layouts to memorialize those sweet summer memories. Or to create some bright and cheerful cards to send off to make someone's day!



Please take a moment or two to check out the rest of my blog.  If you enjoy your visit, then please consider "following" me by email, and/or leaving a comment.

I feel like I won...

A quick, short update this morning. I got my Deal of the Day box last week, unpacked it, oooh and ahhhd over it, took pictures of it, and then got busy this week with babysitting and fighting a sore-throat-stuffy-nose head cold (on top of working). But, that aside, here's the picture of the lot that I promised:

Look at all those goodies! It felt like Christmas when I opened the box and started pulling little packages out. Mostly because I hadn't picked any of it, but was pleased with it all. There is a nice mix of retired and current items, I got some tools, paper, two kits, and plenty of embellishments. Some types that I had looked at in the catalog but not seriously thought about ordering. There are some groupings that I can put together, which is nice, because I can coordinate some cards, or scrapbook layouts. And my very first thought upon seeing it all laid out was, "I want to order another one"... Hahahaha. I haven't yet, and there's only a week left.

So, I'm reminding you too, if you like the looks of this (this was a $150 Grab Bag), that the April Deal of the Day is only going to last until April 30! And it is SO easy to get in on! Simply go to my Close to My Heart shopping page after 3pm Mountain Time, order ANY one item at regular price (need a new adhesive, we have that), and you will be prompted to order the deal of the day. And you can order as many Deals as you want! The deal's price is different every day.

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section.

My First Scrap-booking Workshop.... Blossom!

I have to say, I had forgotten how tough it can be to work on scrap-book layouts. I haven't worked on my scrap-books in... years. Yep, my photos are piling up, badly. I'm grateful for my digital camera, because now they can pile up on my external hard drive. Let's put it this way, the last time I worked diligently on my scrap-book... that popular company... you know the one I mean... was still under it's original ownership... Yeah... it's been a Lonnnnng time.

So, I've been sort of putting off doing any layouts since I joined Close to My Heart. Just working on cards, loving the My Acrylix stamps and all the gorgeous papers.  And maybe I could have bought one of the scrap-booking Workshops on the Go and dipped my toe in the water that way, or I could have tried out someone else's layout packages. But noooo, I decided to dive into the deep end, grab a paper packet, the complements for said paper pack, some coordinating sequins, my pencil, graph paper.. and go for it. And finally, I am done. I have a bit of paper left, and will probably create two more bonus pages, and maybe some cards. Soon. But here's are the three two-page layouts I have done. I'm really pleased with the way this Workshop turned out. I hope you are too.

While the white mats are meant for photos, obviously, one or more of them could also be used for journaling the story. And you could leave them off and just put the photos there if you didn't want to mat them. It was a very new concept for me to be creating a page with the paper instead of photos as my inspiration. Please leave me a comment and tell me what you think.

Here's a list of the supplies needed, all from Close to My Heart (not including adhesive.)

My Reflections- Blossom Paper Packet #X7196B $9.95

Blossom Complements Stickers #X7196C $4.95

Coral Reef Sequin Assortment  #Z3042 $3.95

Gold Shimmer Trim #Z1985 $4.95

Marvy Uchida Journaling Pen #Z1979 $3.25

I also used a couple extra sheets of White Daisy cardstock. 24 sheets #1385 $9.50

If you don't already have a stash of this, it's well worth it to grab a pack. I promise you, you will use 

it.

I will send the instruction files and cutting guide via email to anyone who orders the workshop supplies (or any $25 order) via my CTMH Shopping site. The files include ta Welcome letter/Cover sheet, the color guide, photo suggestions, additional notes and tips to assist with the workshop completion, Color photos of each page, and the bonus layout and card instructions (that I haven't finished yet, but will photograph and include ASAP.)