Saturday, November 16, 2013

Artbooking Made Easy: Cross-Cartridge Collaboration

While each Cricut® collection from Close To My Heart is a treasure trove all its own, 
together they offer an unmatchable selection of borders, overlays, photo mats, and much, much more! 
The thousands of both classic and trendy die-cuts found within this terrific trio will ensure 
that the projects you make are always uniquely your own. 
Mix 'em, match 'em, and love 'em!


I find it hard to believe, that 3 short years ago, I purchased my first Cricut Expression...until CTMH introduced the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, I never thought I needed a Cricut...now, I rarely create anything without using one of our fabulous cartridges.  I can't wait to make the adorable 3-D boxes in this video...all by mixing & matching our cartridges.  I hope you make some time to create this weekend!  

Holidays are right around the corner...be sure your Santa knows you would love a CTMH Cricut Collection under the tree!  Contact me today!

Z1906  Cricut ARTBOOKING Collection
Z1790  Cricut ARTISTE Collection
Z1686  Cricut ART PHILOSOPHY Collection

Enjoy your weekend!  See you next week...

Friday, November 15, 2013

Blast from the Past - Flowering Thanks


When Jeanette Lynton began her venture into stamping 30 years ago, she drew by hand all her stamp images. Originally made of rubber and set on wood blocks, a few of these stamp sets are available to you in clear polymer for a limited time only! Enjoy the intricate and cozy line designs in conjunction with our alcohol-based markers for fun accents that will brighten your layouts as they take you back in time.


When I saw Jeanette's stamp archive in the Idea Book back in June, it brought back so many memories of where I began with Close To My Heart.  I had many of the old rubber/wood stamp sets shown on 
pages 114-115 of the Autumn/Winter 2013 catalog. 

Including this one:     A1145 Flowering Thanks


I used a combination of the Laughing Lola papers and Frosted papers.  How often do you try to mix & match papers?  The Champagne patterned paper on the card front is Frosted, as is the piece I stamped on.  The other papers are Laughing Lola, including the zip strip from Lola.  I also used our Exclusive Alcohol Marker Sets to color in the details of the image.  Colors used include: Blush (dark), Gypsy, Lagoon (light), and Hollyhock (dark).  I high-lighted the word "Thank You" by going over the sentiment using the Whisper (light) marker.  My embellishments for this card were kept simple:  Pink Glitz Glitter Gel (bling in a bottle!) and the hemp bakers twine from the Wooden Mini Medley Collection. 

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Sparkle & Shine Gift Tags

This project was created and designed by fellow consultant, Tammy Rusch, for our group swap.  Tammy created a set of gift tags...perfect for those presents under the tree 
or as a handmade gift for a friend.

The packaging that holds all 12 tags is created by using the Sparkle & Shine paper packet, and the Sparkle & Shine WOTG stamp set.

The "Merry and Bright" is on a band that wraps around the gift tag folder, 
it slides off to unveil the tags inside.  Start with an 8-1/2" x 10-3/4" piece of patterned paper or cardstock.  Score paper on 10-3/4" side at 1/2" 3-1/2", 4", 7, 7-1/2, and 10-1/2". Turn paper 90 degrees and score on the 8-1/2" side at 1-1/2" and 6".  Fold to create pockets on long side.  
Use adhesive of choice to seal on the 1/2" sections of the pocket.  
Fold into rectangular box, and secure with band of paper of choice. 

Inside, the tags are stamped using the stamp set from the Season's Tweetings Gift Bag kit.

Great job on your Gift Tag set, Tammy!  Love them!

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Sparkle & Shine Santa

Need to make a few, very special Christmas cards for those special people in your life?  
This one is just the ticket!


This card was created by fellow consultant, Jodi Frank, for our group swap.  
Products used include:
 Embellishments: Silver Shimmer TrimPearl Opaques
 and Liquid Applique to add the puffy appearance to Santa's hair and pom-pom on his hat.

Great job on your card, Jodi!

Saturday, November 9, 2013

12x12 Sparkle & Shine - get ready to preserve holiday memories

I'm loving the Sparkle & Shine papers and embellishments!  Have you taken advantage of the Holidays from the Heart Special yet?  It's simple...just place an order of $100 or more, and choose a "star" item from the Holiday Gift Guide (retail value of free product ranges from $4.95 to $17.95).  

Here's is my 12x12 scrapbook page I created for our team board swap...I promise to share our groups artwork this weekend.  


I have plans for the opposite page...you'll be seeing it soon!  For this page, I used the Sparkle & Shine paper...can you believe I only used 1 sheet of the B&T paper?  I also used the Sparkle & Shine Washi Tape 3-pack in the holiday gift guide...and it makes it look like I used several different patterned papers.   I also used the Magical Days stamp set for a unique way to add the year (which I got free with my $100 order!) and the Trim the Tree stamp set, and the Sparkle Holiday Shapes.  I added some bling using the Silver Shimmer Trim and the Silver Glitz Glitter Gel...don't you love how it all comes together?  This page is the left page of pattern #11 from the Make It From Your Heart, Volume 2 how to book.  The title (merry & bright) is cut from the Artbooking cartridge in Ruby and White Daisy cardstock...pg. 56, Title, <o>, cut at 10" (NO Real Dial Size).  I shadowed the title cutting a second "merry & bright" in White Daisy Cardstock and just offset the two images. I have found the best adhesive to use with the "welded" titles and the overlays is the Bonding Memories glue pens.  

Friday, November 8, 2013

Artbooking Made Easy - Festive Holiday Mini Album

With the Cricut® Artbooking cartridge from Close To My Heart, your photos will find a cozy home on the pages of a dazzling holiday mini album. Watch the video to gather your own ideas on how to use its themed keys to create merry and bright holiday projects that last.