Artfully Sent "Merry Christmas" Card

Merry Christmas, everyone!  Before we say goodbye to Christmas 2014, I want to share a card that I made for a few friends.  I was happy to get to pull out my Artfully Sent Cricut Cartridge once again.  The instructions for this card indicate that it should be cut at 7", but I wanted something a bit smaller and I cut the card components at 5 inches.  I have the Cricut Expression machine and felt that even at this smaller size, the card cut beautifully!

What is wonderful about this cartridge, is that with many of these cards, the inside of the cards a loaded with interesting, creative and fun details...

And finally I will show you a close up of some of details...

Now for the list of supplies used to make the card...

• Artfully Sent Cricut Cartridge, pg 47, Pop-Up Card, 5" (additional card components also cut at 5 inches)
• CTMH Exclusive Cardstock:  Cranberry, Juniper, White Daisy
• Baker's Twine, Cranberry, retired
• Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, pg 60, Gift, 2"
• Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, pg 60, Bow, 2"
• 3D Foam Tape
• Prisma Glitter, retired.

Joy-ful Christmas Card - Artfully Sent Style

We are in full Christmas mode and I am finally getting around to sharing a Christmas card that I made using Artfully Sent!  That cartridge is just loaded with wonderful possibilities, so the hardest part was deciding what to make.  I was making this card for a sweet lady and just had to use pins and green rather than the traditional red and green, which amped up the fun level of this card...

How fun is that?   While the outside of the card is great, with Artfully Sent, the inside is equally amazing!

I also wanted to include a closeup of some of the details on this card...

This is the list of what went into this card...

• Artfully Sent Cricut Cartridge, p49, Joy Pop-Up Card, 3"
• Artfully Sent Cricut Cartridge, p57, Deer Icon, 2.25"
• Artfully Sent Cricut Cartridge, p75, Merry, 0.75"
• Artfully Cricut Cartridge, p75, Christmas, 0.75"
• Sparkles Clear Assortment
• ShinHan Twin Touch Marker, Cherry Pink
• Topiary Striped Washi Tape
• CTMH Exclusive Cardstock:  Hollyhock, Whisper, Topiary

Just a quick note,  I colored the Sparkles with the ShinHan marker.  

Gift Basket

My oldest daughter recently celebrated a birthday.  Since she is attending school in Oklahoma, which is over 15 hours away, it was the first time we were unable to celebrate her birthday in person with her.  I have known that this day was coming, but I was still not prepared for how sad I'd be.  In all honesty, I had a much more difficult time with the whole thing than she did!

Since she is a poor college student, all she really wanted for her birthday was money.  Being the practical person that I am, I had no problem giving her money, but I did feel that I wanted to do something that would add a bit more fun to her day.  Although not an original idea, I did make it my own - I shopped for inexpensive gifts that were small enough to be individually wrapped and light enough not to cost me a fortune to ship.  I was shooting for 7 so that she could open one each day for the week leading up to her birthday, but somehow I ended up with 8 which just added to her fun.   I was very pleased with the results and the feedback I received from her indicated that she enjoyed her gift basket.  Also, since she received it several days before she needed to start opening the gifts, she actually had several days to enjoy the pretty gift basket and remember how much her family loves and misses her!

I wrapped each gift in some Kraft wrapping paper that I had on hand and used some assorted tulle and ribbon as added embellishments.  Here is the result...

and here is a close up of a couple of the stamped tags....

Now for the list of Close to my Heart products that I used on this project...

• Magical Days Stamp Set, D1552
• Enchantment Mini Pigment Ink, Ruby
• Adventure Mini Pigment Ink, Topiary
• 2" Scallop Circle Punch, retired
• Season's Tweetings Gift Bags, retired
• Topiary Cardstock
• Ruby Cardstock
• White Daisy Cardstock
• 3D Foam Tape
• Ranger Clear Super Fine Embossing Powder

Thanks for spending time with my blog and I hope you enjoyed this project :-)

New Close to my Heart Totes!

Close to my Heart has introduced a new Rolling Tote and a Shoulder Tote.  They are a wonderful way to carry your supplies to a crop.  For the times between crops, they can serve double duty as beautiful storage containers,  or, if you prefer,  the rolling tote can be collapsed for easy storage. 

They are not only functional, but the slate and lagoon color pallet is quite fashionable with the chevron pattern and the accent charms/bling .  They were designed with your favorite Close to my Heart tools in mind, including the score board, paper trimmer, the storage containers, 12x12 papers...the list goes on. 


The rolling tote (Z3032) is priced at $149.95 and the shoulder tote (Z3031) at $26.95.  If you'd like to get them at 50% off, consider hosting a gathering, I'd be happy to talk to you about it.  Learn more about these exciting new additions to the CTMH product line in the following video....

Deal of the Decade

I am excited to tell you about the December constant campaign – Deal of the Decade – to celebrate CTMH’s 10 year anniversary of the introduction of the My Acrylix clear polymer stamps.  Here are the details:

Place a qualifying purchase of $50 during the month of December, and in addition to getting a great deal on the sweet Cutie Pie stamp of the month set, you will ALSO be eligible to purchase ANY C- or D-size stamp set from the Annual Inspirations idea book for only $10! That’s up to $7.95 USD/$9.75 CAD of savings on a single stamp! Even better, once you have achieved the qualifying order, there is no limit to the number of eligible stamps you can purchase at this discounted price.

So ladies, if you find a C or D size stamp or two that you’d like to add to your collection, December may be a great time to get it. While only stamps that are in the Annual Inspirations Idea Book are available for the special December constant campaign pricing, stamps from the new Seasonal Inspirations Vol 1 Idea Book can be used to reach the $50 qualifying purchase amount.  

Skylark Birthday Card

My oldest daughter recently celebrated a birthday and, of course, I wanted to make a special birthday card for her.  My goal was a quick, but beautiful, card so I turned to the Skylark Picture My Life Kit.  Here is the results...

Here is a peek inside...

And finally, a close up of some of the details....

Here are the details of how this card was made:

• Skylark Paper Pack, B&T Duos paper scrap, 2 x 4" segment and 4 x 4" segment for card front plus additional paper scraps used to make paper strips shown in the close up shot above.
• Skylark Picture My Life Kit
• Desert Sand Exclusive Ink Pad
• Sweet Leaf Card Stock, 4 x 6" segment for inside of card
• Colonial White Card Stock, cut 4 x 12" folded to a 4 x 6 card base with a 2" left side and a 4" right side
• Card Chatter - Birthday, D1475 (Retired)

Thanks for stopping by!

Anniversary Card

I recently celebrated a 26 year anniversary with my husband.  It held personal significance to me because my parents had been married 26 years when my husband and I married.  It is hard to wrap my mind around the idea that all those years have passed and how incredibly quickly they flew by...but I digress...

Since I love making cards, I could not let something as wonderful as an anniversary slip by without making a card.  While I wanted it to convey my love for my husband but I also wanted it to be a bit masculine.  Here is the result of my creative effort...

This is a peek inside....

And finally, a close look at some of the details included on this card...

Here are the details of what was used to complete this card:

• Circle Spin Card
• Cocoa Cardstock
• Paper Fundamentals, Basic
• White Daisy Pigment Ink
• Cocoa Exclusive Ink Stamp Pad
• Bitty Sparkles
• You Mean the World to Me Stamp Set, B1467
• Your Own Kind of Wonderful Stamp Set, D1627
• Card Word Puzzle Stamp Set, C1494 (Retired)
• Ranger Clear Super Fine Ebossing Powder 
• Craft Heater
• Misc Ribbon

December News

December 2014 has arrived!  And with it, a new Stamp of the Month and a new Constant Campaign.

Let's start with the Stamp of the Month, Cutie Pie.  It contains 11 stamps and is great for children's scrapbook pages, can serve double duty on a birthday card/layout and is also perfect to the young at heart.  It is whimsical and perfect for using the new ShinHan Touch Twin Markers.

These are the images included in this stamp set:

Here are a couple of sample projects made by corporate using this stamp set: 

Now to talk about the December Constant Campaign - Deal of the Decade -which was designed to celebrate CTMH’s 10 year anniversary of the introduction of the My Acrylix clear polymer stamps.  Here are the details:

Place a qualifying purchase of $50 during the month of December, and in addition to getting a great deal on the sweet Cutie Pie stamp of the month set, you will ALSO be eligible to purchase ANY C- or D-size stamp set from the Annual Inspirations idea book for only $10! That’s up to $7.95 USD/$9.75 CAD of savings on a single stamp! Even better, once you have achieved the qualifying order, there is no limit to the number of eligible stamps you can purchase at this discounted price. 

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Picture My Life Skylark Program - Card Project

I love the Skylark Picture My Life Scrapbooking Program.  I must be honest...I am a traditional scrapbooker to the core!  I have yet to use this program to make a pocket based scrapbook layout.  I do see the fun and the appeal of a quick layout that you get with the program, but I just love the creative aspect that comes with traditional scrapbooking.

With that being said, I do love this program and the idea of using the cards on other projects.  Today, I will share a 4 x 5.25 inch card that features a card from the Skylark Picture My Life Scrapbooking Program.

 

Here is a close up picture that gives a great peek at the beauty of the dry embossing and the dragon fly from the Skylark WOTG stamp set that I stamped using lagoon ink and then fussy cut.  While I wouldn't enjoy doing tedious fuzzy cutting very often, even a Cricut loving girl like me can find it occasionally a bit relaxing and rewarding!  

With a few simple additions, this card quickly and easily came together.

Here are the supplies that I used to make this card:

Skylark Picture My Life Scrapbooking Program

Skylark WOTG, retired (Stamp set and a few scraps that were left over from previous projects)
Lagoon Cardstock
Kraft Cardstock
Lagoon Exclusive Ink Stamp Pad
Quatrefoil Embossing Folder

Thanks for stopping by!

Picture My Life - Traditional Scrapbook Layout

I love traditional scrapbook page layouts, but I also was drawn to the variety and unique looks that are available with the Picture My Life Kits.  No wonder one of my first projects using a Picture My Life Kit would be a traditional scrapbook page....

Left Hand Page of 2 page Layout

Right Hand Page of 2 page Layout

I used some flip flap on this layout in order to maximize the number of pictures that I could include on this layout and also to provide a generous space for the journalling.  Although I still need to add the journalling, I have plenty of space for all I want to say.  Here is a peek inside the flip flaps...

 

I also want to share a few close up shots of some of the beautiful details that are on this layout...

I will close today's post with a list of the items I used to complete this project.  Thank you for stopping by.

Flip Flaps, 4x4 inch and 4x6 inch
Bohemian Alphabet Stamp Set, retired
Skylark Picture My Life
Skylark Assortment , retired
Slate Striped Twist Ties
Artbooking Cricut Cartridge, page 62 <Icon>, cut at 1 inch from Lagoon Cardstock
Sweet Leaf Cardstock
Desert Sand Cardstock
Lagoon Cardstock
Lagoon Exclusive Ink Stamp Pad
Lagoon Zipper Lace, retired

I hope you enjoyed this project and thanks for stopping by!

Pathfinding WOTG - Secondary Layout

Today I am sharing the second two page layout from the Pathfinding Workshop on the Go.  This is my final product....

I followed the instructional guide for the most part, but I did take liberties with the size of my photos.  Since I personally prefer a lot of photos, I rarely use a large photo, like the one featured on the right hand page of the original artwork, and I decided to replace it with the photo sizes you see above.   This simple change gave me two additional photos on my layout and now the focal photo will be a standard 4x6 instead of the proposed 6x6.

This photo modification meant I needed to move my title to the Left hand page.  To maintain a nice balance on the two pages, I ended up moving  both of the 2x2 inch photos to the Right hand page, as well as one of my embellishment clusters.  Since I haven't yet decided on which photos to add, I can't made a decision on my journalling, but it will be simple enough to add at a later date.

Overall, I was very happy with this layout, it maintain the feel of the original, but is must more suited to photo sizes that work best for me. Click HERE if you'd like to purchase this great kit.

Pathfinding WOTG - Primary Layout

I certainly love the CTMH Workshops on the Go Kits.  When you look at the price, it is like buying the paper, stamp and instruction guide and getting two packages of embellishments for a couple of dollars.  Another added benefit is that once you complete the four scrapbook pages (two 2 page layouts), you have plenty of paper, embellishments and, of course, the wonderful stamp set, to complete additional projects.  It is really a great deal.  That being said, I want to share with you the primary layout in the Pathrfinding WOTG Kit.

Since I followed the kit instructions to make this layout, I will summarize the slight modifications that I made.  First, I wasn't too fond of the Colonial White frame for the focal photo on the Left Hand Page, so I pulled out a sheet of Goldrush cardstock (this wasn't included in the WOTG kit)  and then backed the maple leaf cutout with Chocolate cardstock, instead of the Goldrush cardstock that was instructed in the guide. I also ended up with slightly different embellishment clusters, but the overall effect was the same.   If you'd like to purchase the Pathfinding WOTG, click HERE.  I will end today's post with some close up pictures of the details on this page...

Updated Cricut Compatible Stamp Sets

My sweet friend and amazing upline, Nancy Berdanier, updated the list of stamp sets that are compatible with the CTMH Cricut cartridges.  Thanks so much, Nancy!

This list is important  because CTMH has promised that any stamp set that is compatible with a Cricut Cartridge will not be retired.  This means that no matter when you purchase a CTMH Cricut Cartridge, you will have access to all stamp sets that coordinate with it :-) 

If you click on My Acrylix Stamp Sets on my CTMH web page, you will only see the list of "current" stamps.  However, if you type an item number from one of the older stamp sets, for example A1115, into the Search for Products box and hit Search you will see that it is still available.  One of my favorite realizations was that all of the monogram stamps are Cricut Cartridge compatible so they will always be available :-)

If you are ever blog surfing and you run across an idea using a cricut cut and corresponding stamp set that you just love, you can rest assured that you will be able to purchase that stamp.

                                Cricut Compatible Stamp Sets

Item No.	Description	Cartridge	Idea Book, Page No.
A1115	A Holiday	AP	Fall 2011, 76
A1121	A Blossom	AP	Spring 2012, 67 Spring 2013, 98
A1131	Love	Artiste	Fall 2012, 96
A1142	Friend	Artiste	Fall 2013, 8
A1149	Trim The Tree
A1159	LOL	Artiste	Annual Inspirations, 36
A1164	Beach Gear	AP	Annual Inspirations, 129
B1381	Holiday Cheer	AP	Fall 2011, 76
B1390	Countdown	AP	Fall 2012, 78
B1391	Zoology	AP	Spring 2012, 85
B1392	Key Moments	AP	Spring 2012, 95
B1398	Just for You	AP	Spring 2012, 18 Spring 2013, 76
B1399	Crafted with Love	AP	Spring 2012, 108  Spring 2013, 98
B1400	Beautiful Friendship	AP	Spring 2012, 101 Fall 2012, 90
B1404	Cup of Cheer	AP	Fall 2012, 96
B1408	Buttons, Bits, and Bobs	Artiste	Fall 2012, 28
B1409	Pirouette	Artiste	Fall 2012, 19 Spring 2013, 79
B1412	Perfect Fit—Holidays	AP, Artiste,    Artbooking	Fall 2012, 74 Fall 2013, 79
B1413	Perfect Fit—Halloween	AP, Artiste,    Artbooking	Fall 2012, 71 Fall 2013, 84
B1415	In Gear	Artiste	Spring 2013, 48
B1417	Perfect Fit—Birthday	AP or Artiste	Spring 2013, 95
B1422	Easter Wishes	AP	Spring 2013, 65
B1424	Classy Doily	Artiste	Fall 2013, 51
B1427	Perfect Fit—Thanksgiving	Artiste	Fall 2013, 79
B1429	Eek & Shriek	Artbooking	Fall 2013, 85
B1431	Reel Life	AP or Artiste	Fall 2013, 65
B1435	Angel Friends	Artiste
B1460	Trick or Treat Sweets	AP	Annual Inspirations, 41
B1466	Sweet Salutations	AP	Annual Inspirations, 159
C1441	Affection	AP	Spring 2012, 65 Spring 2013, 68
C1462	All Hallows Eve	AP	Fall 2012, 71
C1463	Harvest Happiness	AP	Fall 2012, 85
C1464	Blue Ribbon	AP	Spring 2012, 92 Fall 2013, 100
C1465	Unscripted	AP	Fall 2011, 36
C1467	Sweet Moments	AP	Fall 2012, 93
C1469	December 25th	AP	Fall 2012, 78
C1483	Born to Ride	AP	Spring 2012, 60  Spring 2013, 88
C1484	Love Clusters	AP	Spring 2012, 24
C1496	Enjoy!	AP	Spring 2012, 54 Spring 2013, 100
C1497	Pure Adventure	AP	Spring 2012, 35 Spring 2013, 85
C1501	New Arrival	AP	Spring 2012, 87 Spring 2013, 97
C1502	Princess Wings	AP	Spring 2012, 30
C1503	The Best Things	AP	Spring 2012, 98 Spring 2013, 82
C1509	Magic Potions	Artiste	Fall 2012, 57 Fall 2013, 85
C1521	Approved	Artiste	Fall 2012, 45
C1523	Outta This World	Artiste	Fall 2012, 105
C1530	Sail Away	Artiste	Spring 2013, 60
C1531	Tropical Paradise	AP or Artiste	Spring 2013, 54
C1532	Camping Delights	AP or Artiste	Spring 2013, 74
C1534	Sightseer	AP or Artiste	Spring 2013, 86
C1537	Honeycomb	Artbooking	Annual Inspirations, 128
C1538	Girls Rock	AP	Spring 2013, 41
C1540	Hello Blooms	Artiste	Spring 2013, 76
C1541	New Baby	Artiste	Spring 2013, 97
C1542	Perect Fit—Dad	Artiste	Spring 2013, 67
C1543	Perfect Fit—Mom	Artiste	Spring 2013, 66
C1558	Wild Wonders	Artbooking	Fall 2013, 39
C1564	Stitch Wonder	Artiste	Fall 2013, 102
C1565	In the Moment	Artbooking	Fall 2013, 26
C1566	Tech Speak	Artiste	Fall 2013, 32
C1567	Santa Claus	Artbooking	Fall 2013, 71
C1580	Big Top	Artiste	Spring 2014, 110
C1599	Pretty Petals	AP	Annual Inspirations, 130
D1458	American Celebration	AP	Spring 2012, 79
D1459	Canadian Celebration	AP	Spring 2012, 79
D1480	Snowflakes	AP	Fall 2012, 88
D1481	Vintage Type	AP	Spring 2012, 118
D1482	Love Life	AP	Spring 2012, 100 Fall 2013, 94
D1490	Backdrop Charmed	AP	Fall 2012, 72
D1491	Hooray Bouquet	AP	Spring 2012, 69
D1493	Fill in the Blank - Holiday	AP	Fall 2011, 79
D1494	Christmas Cheer	AP	Fall 2012, 77
D1502	Look Who's…	AP	Spring 2012, 91
D1506	Family Love	AP	Spring 2012, 53 Spring 2013, 92
D1515	Play Day	AP	Spring 2012, 88
D1518	Christmas Delights	AP	Fall 2012, 76
D1520	Ornamental Cheer	AP	Fall 2012, 75
D1524	Frame It Up	AP	Fall 2012, 46 Fall 2013, 96
D1525	Casual Expressions	Artiste	Fall 2012, 27 Fall 2013, 108
D1526	Family Tree	AP	Fall 2012, 20
D1527	Perfect Fit—Frames	AP	Fall 2012, 91 Fall 2013, 95
D1536	Perfect Fit--Frames 2	Artiste	Spring 2013, 81
D1539	The Happy Couple	Artiste	Spring 2013, 33
D1542	For A Friend	AP	Spring 2013, 99
D1545	Wheel of Life	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 77
D1546	Frame Flair	AP	Spring 2013, 19
D1555	All the Details	AP	Fall 2013, 101
D1556	School Years	Artiste	Fall 2013, 99
D1560	Holiday Tags	Artiste	Fall 2013, 105
D1561	B is for Baby	AP	Fall 2013, 38
D1599	Geek is Chic	AP	Annual Inspirations, 31
D1605	Halloween Greetings	Artiste	Annual Inspirations, 40
D1607	Bodacious Banners	AP	Annual Inspirations, 93
D1610	Christmas Post	AP	Annual Inspirations, 64
D1613	Best Christmas	AP	Annual Inspirations, 78
D1617	Make it Merry	Artbooking	Annual Inspirations, 69
M1000	M onogram A	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1001	Monogram B	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1002	Monogram C	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1003	Monogram D	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1004	Monogram E	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1005	Monogram F	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1006	Monogram G	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1007	Monogram H	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1008	Monogram I	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1009	Monogram J	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1010	Monogram K	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1011	Monogram L	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1012	Monogram M	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1013	Monogram N	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1014	Monogram O	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1015	Monogram P	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1016	Monogram Q	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1017	Monogram R	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1018	Monogram S	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1019	Monogram T	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1020	Monogram U	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1021	Monogram V	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1022	Monogram W	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1023	Monogram X	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1024	Monogram Y	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1025	Monogram Z	AP/Artiste	Spring 2013, 114
M1050	Mini Calendar	Artiste	Annual Inspirations, 139