Small Stuff Spinning Card

Our August For the Love of Crafting stamp of the month is a must have for all crafters.  I personally enjoy all the crafty sayings especially “Enjoy the small Stuff”.  It’s the “small stuff” that makes us realize how blessed we are each day. Like when you come up with a cool card idea and it actually turns out the way you envisioned it or when you end up with an extra peanut in your M&M.  It’s those little things that you make you feel all happy inside.

This card was actually rather simple to create using the “Camera” image from the stamp set, our Thin Cuts, and some of our Documented products. I honestly wasn’t expecting the combination of Bashful and Peacock to go so well together, and am gratefully surprised by the outcome.

I will be creating more projects throughout the month using the For the Love of Crafting stamp set, so make sure to visit my blog, Instagram, and Facebook for more inspiration.  (I might even throw in a live class or two showing you how to make a few of them.)

Don’t forget, our For the Love of Crafting stamp set as well as the Documented products and Bashful Glitter Paper I used on this project are only available through August 31st.   In fact, almost all of our products Seasonal Expressions 2 and Annual Idea Book will be gone at the end of the month.  Make sure you grab them before they are gone. I can’t wait to see what you create!

 

 

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For the Love of Crafting Blog Hop

Welcome to the For Love of Crafting Stamp of the Month Blog Hop where we will be featuring the August For the Love of Crafting stamp set.  It’s has been over two months since I have last participated in a blog hop and I am so glad I was able to sign-up for this one. I ♥LOVE♥ this stamp set and I know you will too. If you have come here from Priscilla Gotham’s blog, you are on the right path! When you are finished reading my post, you can click on the link at the end to move to the next blog. This blog hop is designed to allow you to start here and work your way around. It’s simple, fun, and full of ideas using the For the Love of Crafting stamp set. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog.

The project you see below is similar to one I made for the NA Convention this year. I had quite a few people ask me how to make this little ditty, so I decided it would be the perfect project for this blog hop.  As an added bonus, I am including the instructions in a PDF file FREE for you to download and use.

The Mini-Stamp Holder I created for the Extravaganza used products from our upcoming Holiday Expressions catalog, however, since I couldn’t show those off yet, I chose to use our lovely Documented papers to create another one.  (I know – you were hoping for a sneak peek.) These Mini-Stamp Holders would make a wonderful gift to give to your paper-crafting friends with an M-Size stamp set of your choice, but they also wonderfully designed to hold individual bags of candy. Those individual M&Ms and Skittles that come out in the fall fit perfectly in these. Hmmm..stamps or chocolate? Hard decision. 

If you would like to recreate this Mini-Stamp Holder, you can access the instructions HERE. I only ask that you do not alter or sell these instructions without prior permission. Please feel free to link people to my blog if they wish to also make this fun project. 🙂

I can’t wait to create more projects with this amazing stamp set! You can continue through the blog hop and see more ideas from twenty-eight other Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month’s For the Love of Crafting stamp set and other great Close to My Heart products on their blogs. I will be creating more projects throughout the month using this stamp set and our Expressions Two products, so make sure to visit often.

Now ‘Hop” on over to Michele Rowley’s blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crating tips and other fun ideas. Remember, the For the Love of Crating stamp set is only available until August 31st! Contact your CTMH Consultant, or visit the Promotions tab of my website to see how you can get this stamp set for only $5.00.  I can’t wait to see what you create!

 

Christmas in July Sale

Oh, my gosh! Who doesn’t love Christmas in July, especially when a sale is involved! Get ready, my friends, for a Christmas in July Flash Sale starting at 3:00pm(MDT) on Friday, July 20th. This sale will be featuring retired holiday products available at discounted prices up to 50% off!  This 24 hour sale will end at 3:00 pm (MDT) on Saturday, July 21 and products are only available while supplies last so shop early!

You can visit my website HERE beginning at 3:00pm on Friday and enjoy great savings on a variety of crafting supplies this weekend!

As with all of our Flash Sales, Sale prices are only available on orders placed on my website. This amazing sale will feature a mix of current and retired products, and we have a limited number of these items set aside for the sale. It’s possible that we will sell through several of the items in the sale. Once we do, those items will no longer be available, so shop early! Any current items that sell out during the sale will return to availability at normal price once the sale has ended.

Don’t forget about our Buy Two Get One FREE Stampaganza Sale and save on shipping when you order those stamps on your wish-list while shopping the Flash Sale.  PLUS all everything you purchase will qualify you to get the Stamp of the Month for only $5.00!.

As with past sales, shipping and handling is based on the full retail value of the sale items and there is no grace period for ordering sale items. Happy savings, my friends! I can’t wait to see what you create!

You Are Awesome Card

Do you know someone who is just amazingly awesome? I believe that it is good to recognize those who have blessed you with their friendship, willingness to listen, and ability to tolerate you.  This week, I created a card that you can give those awesome people using the a sentiment and little girl image from our A Bushel & a Peck stamp set.  Isn’t this just adorable?!  I love the combination of Glacier and Bashful together. If you would like to recreate this card you can find the list of supplies I used at the bottom of this post.

Paper Needed: 5½” x 4¼” White Card Base, 5¼” x 4″ B&T (Blue Leaf Fresh Air), 4¾” x 3¼” Glacier Cardstock, 4¼” x 3″ White Daisy Cardstock, 4″ x 2¾” B&T (Pink Beautiful Freindship), White Daisy Cardstock for stamped image

Techniques & Tips Just for You:
• The Glacier cardstock was embossed using a small dots embossing folder.
• I curved the sentiment and placed it onto a block before stamping it onto the B&T paper with Black Ink.
• Here is a list of the ShinHan™ markers used:  Mahogany, Bronze, Clay, Light Orange, Pastel Peach, Tender Pink, Cerulean Blue Light, Turquoise Blue, Colorless Blender

I hope you take some time to create a few of these cards to give to those who are willing to put up with your nonsense. 😉  Remember, this exclusive  A Bushel & a Peck stamp set is only available through June 30th for $17.95 on my website or for only $5.00 with a qualifying purchase.  I can’t wait to see what you create with our Stamp of the Month.

A Bushel & a Peck Stamp Set	Fresh Air Paper Packet	12 x 12 White Daisy Cardstock	Beautiful Friendship Paper Packet	ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Markers
Black Memento Ink	My Acrylix® Block Starter Kit	Glacier & Gold Ribbon	Glue Dots	3D Foam Dots
	Tombow Permanent Adhesive	SureCut™ Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer	MicroTip Scissors

Thanks a Bushel Step-Card

Life is about trying new things, having experiments blow up in your face, and finding the blessing in everything. This week, I wanted to try my hand at a Front Panel Step-Card, and, since card making is one of my weaknesses, it just didn’t seem to go as planned.  Even though the end-result turned out beautifully, the path to discovery was not so glamorous.

As you do in each experiment, I researched the subject. After browsing Pinterest for hours, saving snippets of summer meals, scrapbook sketches, farmhouse decor, …oh, and a thousand ways to make a step-card, I finally settled on a pattern by Colleen Vaux. I thought “I can do this!” (I am sure Tesla and Einstein said the same thing when they formed their hypothesis.) Now the experimenting begins.

Observations:
1. If you choose to change a horizontal step-card to a vertical step-card, take the time to research a new pattern. You aren’t Einstein and math hurts the ever-aging brain cells.
2. When altering one’s pattern, make sure it will fit into the envelope you intend to send it in. Measure twice, cut forty times. (Procedure not working – time to go back to original horizontal pattern.)
3. Do not cut off the side panels. You need those. (Gathering more materials.)
4. When all else fails, turn to your Cricut®. (Make sure you have a decent cutting mat to avoid another piece of cardstock being ruined.)
5. If you are going to go to all this trouble to create a card, you should take some time to enter the Three Amigos and  heARTful stamping challenge.

My experimenting led to a mess of excess, cut-up, cardstock that will go into my scrap pile. I did finally turn to my Cricut® to create this cut file that I can use in the future and avoid additional failed experiments. I proceeded to use products from our New Seasonal Expressions 2 , including the Fresh Air Paper Packet and A Bushel & a Peck stamp set, to decorated the card. All of the supplies I used can be found on my website.

I hope you take the time to try to create a step-card this week using the Free Cricut Design Space™ File I created for you. Now, time to continue on riding the bicycle of life, because in order to keep my balance I must keep moving. I can’t wait to see what you create!

Father’s Day Card & Gift Box

Father’s Day is right around the corner, and, since I enjoy giving you crafty ideas for holidays, I decided to create this Pinterest inspired “Apple of My Eye” card and gift box using the A Bushel & a Peck stamp set.  This fun four-inch card not only has a sweet saying on the outside, but it includes the “I love you a bushel & a peck” sentiment inside.  How great would this be to give to a dad in your life?  You can fill the box with their favorite treat or add some baseball tickets or a few gift cards.

This “Apple of My Eye” card and gift box was not only designed with you in mind, but I also created it to enter this week’s Color My Heart Dare and heARTful Stamping challenges.  It’s been awhile since I have joined one of these challenges.  My craft-room has been in such a disarray that I haven’t been able to make much of anything, so being able to join these challenges makes my crafty heart happy.  If you would like to recreate this project you can find the list of supplies I used at the bottom of this post, along with the instructions for completing the project.

Paper Needed for Card: 8″ x 4″ White Daisy Cardstock, (2) 4″ x 4″ Nutmeg Cardstock, 2¾” x 2¾” White Daisy Cardstock, 1″ x 2¾” White Daisy Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock Scraps

Card Assembly Instrucions:
1. To create the card base, fold the 8″ x 4″ White Daisy cardstock in half lengthwise and burnish the fold with a Bone Folder.
2. Adhere one of the 4″ x 4″ pieces of Nutmeg cardstock onto the front of the card base.
3. Using your paper trimmer, cut out a 3″ square from the center of the other 4″ x 4″ piece of Nutmeg cardstock. If desired, shade the edges of the “Frame” using a Sponge Dauber and Nutmeg Ink. Using Foam Tape, adhere the “Frame” onto the card.
4. Using Glacier Ink, stamp the “Buffalo Check” from the Documented Scrapbooking stamp set onto the 1″ x 2¾” White Daisy cardstock. Adhere this across the base of the 2¾” x 2¾” White Daisy cardstock. (You can choose to use B&T paper instead.)
5. Using Nutmeg Ink, stamp the “You’re the Apple of My Eye” sentiment onto the upper left corner of the 2¾” x 2¾” White Daisy cardstock. Using New England Ivy Ink, stamp the “Small Hearts” below the sentiment. (If you don’t own the Documented stamp set, the Leaf would look cute as an alternative to the hearts.)
6. Adhere the 2¾” x 2¾” White Daisy cardstock onto the center of the card.
7. Using Black Memento Ink, stamp the “Apple Basket” and “Apple” onto scraps of White Daisy cardstock.
8. Shade the “Apple Basket” and “Apples” using ShinHan™ Markers.  Cut out the images and add them to the card using Foam Tape.
9. Stamp a sentiment inside the card, if you desire.

The Apple of My Eye Treat Box was create using a box image that I uploaded into Cricut Design Space™ and it decorated in much the same way that I did the card. You can find instructions for uploading the box image in this Tuesday Tutorial. Don’t forget that the A Bushel & a Peck stamp set is only available through June 30th for $5.00 with a qualifying purchase.  I can’t wait to see what you create!

A Bushel & a Peck Stamp Set	Fresh Air Paper Packet	12 x 12 White Daisy Cardstock	12 x 12 Nutmeg Cardstock	Documented Scrapbooking Stamp Set
Black Memento Ink	Nutmeg Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad	New England Ivy Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad	Glacier Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad	ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Markers
New England Ivy Twine	Foam Tape	Fresh Air Shapes	My Acrylix® Block Starter Kit	Glacier & Gold Ribbon
	Tombow Permanent Adhesive	SureCut™ Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer	MicroTip Scissors

Thanks A Bushel Card

If you are like me, you always have a need for Thank-You cards, so, this week, I created a few using the adorable images and a sentiment from our exclusive A Bushel & a Peck stamp set. I love sending happy mail to customers, especially homemade cards, but each one needs to be quick to make as well as fun to receive.   This card defiantly “fits the bill” – quick to create, easy to assemble, and ready to send.  If you would like to recreate this card you can find the list of supplies I used at the bottom of this post, along with a few techniques to help you complete a few thank- cards to add to your collection.

Paper Needed: 5½” x 4¼” White Card Base, 5¼” x 4″ B&T (Green Fresh Air), 4¾” x 3½” B&T (Burlap Fresh Air), 2½” x 2½” B&T (Green Fresh Air), 1½” x 4″ Espresso Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock scraps

Techniques Used:
• The circle was created using a 2¼” Stitched Circle Thin Cut cut in half.
• The background on the Espresso cardstock was created by randomly stamping the “Blowing Leaf” image onto the Espresso cardstock with VersaMark™ Ink, then it was sprinkled with White Embossing Powder and heat applied with a Craft Heater.
• Three stands of New England Ivy Twine was wrapped around the shorter ends of the Espresso cardstock.
• Color was added to the apples using ShinHan™ markers. Each of the apples was shaded fully with Cherry Pink, then I used Carmine to add shadows and a Colorless Blender to add light reflections. I shaded the “Leaves” with Sap Green.
• I used the Bronze and Clay ShinHan™ markers to shade the “Basket” then used Sap Green and Pastel Green to finish the details.

How cute would this look if you made the apples bright green? Or added a stitched border? Your imagination is your only limitation. I hope you take some time to create a few Thank-You cards using the A Bushel & a Peck stamp set. This exclusive stamp set is only available through June 30th for $17.95 on my website or for only $5.00 with a qualifying purchase.  I can’t wait to see what you create with our Stamp of the Month.

A Bushel & a Peck Stamp Set	Fresh Air Paper Packet	12 x 12 White Daisy Cardstock	12 x 12 Espresso Cardstock	ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Markers
VersaMark™ Ink Pad	Ranger™ White Embossing Powder	Fresh Air Shapes	Marvy® Uchida® Journaling Pen	Craft Heater
All-Purpose Mat	Thin Cuts Stitched Circles	Black Memento Ink	My Acrylix® Block Starter Kit	Glue Dots
Bonding Memories Glue Pen	New England Ivy Twine	Tombow Permanent Adhesive	MicroTip Scissors	3D Foam Dots
		SureCut™ Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer

Classic Summer Bash Blog Hop

Welcome to the Classic Summer Bash Stamp of the Month Blog Hop where we will be featuring the May Classic Summer Bash stamp set.  This stamp set has so many possibilities with it’s mason jar, fruit, and festive summer images. If you have come here from Kirsten Jade’s blog, you are on the right path! When you are finished reading my post, you can click on the link at the end to move to the next blog. This blog hop is designed to allow you to start here and work your way around. It’s simple, fun, and full of ideas using the Classic Summer Bash stamp set. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog.

This Classic Summer Bash stamp set reminds me of  lazy, summer days outside, so I chose make a card you can use to invite others to join you on the porch, avoid life, and sip some lemonade.  Along with the stamped images from the Classic Summer Bash stamp set, I chose to use items from the Postcard Perfect collection to create that lazy, summery feel.

The Postcard Perfect collection was designed to celebrate National Scrapbooking month, but can surely be used for more than scrapbooks. I have enjoyed the Polka-Dotted Vellum so much that I have used it on multiple projects already, and I love how the Mint cardstock tones down bright shades of the images.  Not only does Postcard Perfect have  a wonderful collection of papers and cardstock, but there is a delightful page full of images, like this Hibiscus, that you can use to enhance your projects.

You can continue through the blog hop and see more ideas from over twenty-four other Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month’s Classic Summer Bash stamp set and other great Close to My Heart products on their blogs. I will be creating more projects throughout the month using both the Classic Summer Bash stamp set and the Postcard Perfect products, so make sure to visit often.

Now “Hop” on over to Catherine Nowak’s blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting tips and other fun ideas! Remember, the Classic Summer Bash stamp set is only available until May 31st! Contact your CTMH Consultant, or visit the Promotions tab my website to see how you can get this stamp set for only $5.00. I can’t wait to see what you create!

Don’t Miss Out on Fabulous

Fabulous Specials…that is.  April is coming to an end which means that you only have a few more days to take advantage of the phenomenal specials from Close to My Heart.  Don’t miss out on your chance for Free Stamp Sets, Crafty Savings, a fabulous Stamp of the Month, and a final chance to stag some products from the Seasonal Expressions One catalog.

SPEND EACH DAY DOING A JOB THAT YOU LOVE

If you have been considering becoming a Close to My Heart Consultant, April is the time to sign-up.  For only $75 you receive receive the May, June, July and August Stamp of the Month sets, an amazing $250 consultant kit and $50 in CTMH Cash, PLUS access to purchasing from the NEW Seasonal Expressions Two before anyone else.  THIS IS AN AMAZING DEAL!! 

 

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WEEKEND SAVINGS ARE COMING TO AN END

I hope you have been taking advantage of our Fab Favs Weekend Sales where you can save 25% on Cricut® Collections, Albums, paper crafting supplies, and more.  The final sale will last 24-hours, from Friday at 12:00 pm (MDT) to Saturday at 11:59 am (MDT).

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COLOR YOUR LIFE STAMP OF THE MONTH

If you have been following my blog, you have seen a few projects that I and some other talented consultants have created using our exclusive Color Your Life stamp of the month.  This stamp set is only available for a few more days and can be your’s for only $5.00!

 

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SEASONAL EXPRESSIONS ONE PRODUCTS RETIRING 

If you are like me, you have fallen in love with the Chelsea Gardens, Make Waves, Stargazer, and Gimme Some Sugar products.  All of these products as well as the Thin Cuts metal dies and stamp sets featured in the Seasonal Expressions One catalog will be retiring on April 30th. (Don’t forget that orders over $150.00 receive free hostess rewards from me.) While you are at it, make sure to download those FREE WORKSHOP GUIDES. These are perfect to keep on hand for creating the layouts shown and additional layouts from your own papers.

 

You only have a few more days to take advantage of these amazing offers. Visit my website or email me at misscarriectmh@gmail.com if you have any questions or wish place your order.  I can’t wait to see what you create!

Mother’s Day Bouquet Card

April Showers bring May flowers … and planning days for May celebrations.  On days full of snow and rain, I am able to spend time in my craft room planning for the upcoming holidays without feeling guilty that I should be working on my never-ending yard.  This week, I attempted to create a Mother’s Day card using the colors for this week’s Color My Heart Dare – Lagoon, Mink, Peacock and Silver – which, to me, seemed like very non-traditional Mother’s Day colors. I choose to make a layered Flower Bouquet using various stamped images and, I must say, it turned out better than I had hoped.  You can find the list of supplies I used on this card at the very bottom of this post.

Paper Needed: 4¼” x 5½” White Card Base, 4″ x 4″ Dotted Velum (Postcard Perfect),
2½” x 4″ Mink Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock scraps

Here are some of the techniques I used to create this card:

• I used the second-generation stamping technique on the large flowers so that the Lagoon and Mink Inks appeared lighter. After stamping, I used a Watercolor Pencil to add shading to the flowers, then brushed it with a Clear Shimmer Brush.
• The images were all cut out by hand and layered onto the card using Thin Foam Dots and 3D Foam Tape.  By using two different types of adhesive, I was able to get a multi-layered look on the card.
• I used White Embossing Powder on the sentiment and Silver Embossing Powder for some of the leaves.

Don’t forget that the Color Your Life and the Chelsea Gardens Scrapbooking stamp sets are only available through April 30th.  I hope you take the time to try to create a few Mother’s Day cards this year and, while you are at it, join in on the weekly Color My Heart Dare challenges.  I can’t wait to see what you create!

Color Your Life Stamp Set	12 x 12 White Daisy Cardstock	12 x 12 Peacock Cardstock	12 x 12 Mink Cardstock	Chelsea Gardens – Scrapbooking Stamp Set
Craft Heater	Ranger™ Silver Super Fine Embossing Powder	All Purpose Mat	Ranger™ White Super Fine Embossing Powder	VersaMark Ink Pad
White Cards & Envelopes	Peacock Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad	Mink Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad	Lagoon Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad	My Acrylix® Block Starter Kit
Tombow® Permanent Adhesive	Thin 3D Foam Dots	Clear Shimmer Brush	3D Foam Tape	SureCut™ Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer