What a Hoot! August Stamp Of The Month Blog Hop

 Welcome to the August Stamp Of The Month Blog Hop!

This month I am following {{{ Stefani Ewing's Blog }}}. There are almost 70 Close To My Heart Independent Consultants participating in the August hop. If you get lost somewhere along the hop, a complete of of all participants can be found here.

When you purchase the August Stamp of the Month What a Hoot (S1408) you receive a set of the 17 images pictured here:

Despite most people in my family loving Autumn we have never robustly celebrated Halloween so I do not make a lot of Halloween cards. Maybe it is because we have a few birthdays around that time and I am busy with cards for those celebrations. I loved this stamp set as soon as I saw it and knew I wanted to create with it.

The owl is fussy cut and except for the eyes it is created entirely from patterned paper. Once I had the front complete I had to dress up the inside too.

Thank you for participating in the hop. It would be fantastic if to left a comment before heading to our next talented blogger {{{ Catherine Nowak }}}.

The What A Hoot Stamp Set can be purchased for $17.95. Or, if you purchase $50 in CTMH products, you can get the stamp set for $5. What A Hoot is only available from August 1 to August 31, 2014.

You may purchase this stamp set and all of the supplies I used to create this card on my website.

Supplies Used

Chalk It Up (X7184B)	Scaredy Cat (X7185B)	Pathfinding (X7186B)
Wanderful (X7191B)	Seaside (X7192B)	Colonial White (1388)
Chocolate (Z2111)	ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Peony Purple Marker (Z2462)	ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Marigold Marker (Z2457)

Happy Hopping,
Brenda

21 Weeks Until Christmas - Joy Christmas Tree Stripe Card

I am sorry I am a little late with this post. I try to have them publish at midnight, but it has been a hectic couple of weeks. Also, before I forget, I invite you to stop by tomorrow when I participate in the CTMH August Stamp of the Month blog hop.

Back in May, on the 22nd, when there were 31 Weeks Until Christmas, I posted a photo of some envelopes I created to go with the pre-designed "Wishing You A Merry Christmas" cards. Back then I wondered if I could write twice on the envelope. Maybe others have tried this, I don't know, but I finally got a chance to try this and here are the results:

The two envelopes on the left are what I created in May writing one time on the envelope using the Cricut® Silver Metallic and the Cricut® Midnight Antiquities Pens (from left to right). What I did for the envelope on the right was to duplicate the image, change the pen color and then slide the image copy on top of the existing image. Changing the pen color for the copied image in Design Space made the Explore stop and prompt me to switch pens.

My newest envelope needed a card so I selected Holiday Cards 16 - Joy Christmas Tree Stripe Card (#M41A2E) from the ready-to-go projects in Cricut® Design Space.

I used non-traditional colors of cardstock from my stash.

I hope you enjoyed my cards and envelopes and please stop back tomorrow for the blog hop. Thanks for visiting today.

Family Reunion Raffle Item

If you visited on Thursday, you saw the canvas I created when I did a test cut of this project from cardstock. This is the same tree, I just moved the split a little and changed the fonts.

I was inspired to create this by all of the split monogram projects that have been and continue to be shared (mostly) on Facebook. I am always looking for good projects to donate to our family reunion auction or to raffle to raise funds for our future reunions.



The tree is #M3CEF8 from the Botanicals cartridge. I am sorry, but I do not remember what font I used, but I do know it is a Cricut font.

I am still a novice at using vinyl (my first was putting numbers on my new mailbox). I am thinking I should have selected a smaller mirror for this project, but it worked out after some scary moments. I did not put the final touches on the mirror until the morning of our family reunion - I decided it would be easier to line up and apply the vinyl in natural light (that is why you can see the pavilion our reunion was held at in the mirror).

The purchaser of the winning raffle ticket had one very happy daughter. Her mom knew her daughter wanted to win the mirror and promised her daughter she could have it if mom won. Oftentimes it really is more rewarding to be the gift giver than the recipient. Her sister was the winning bidder on the similar canvas.

Thanks for visiting today. I hope you like this mirror almost as much as my family did.

CTMH SOTM Blog Hop

Starting with the August Close To My Heart Stamp Of The Month I am going to start participating in the CTMH SOTM Blog Hop organized by fellow Independent Consultants. Each month 40 to 60 Consultants post projects they have created with the SOTM.

August 2014 SOTM - "What A Hoot"

If you have followed any of my SOTM Pinterest Boards you know that there will be many cards, layouts and some home décor items shared on the hop. Please please mark your calendars to hop with us starting on Friday, August 1, 2014.

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant yet, I would be happy to any CTMH questions you may have and would be delighted if you make a purchase from me.

Click the Shop with me link above to place an order or contact me if you have questions about any CTMH product or promotion or to schedule a Home or Online Gathering.

My First Split Monogram

If you visited on Thursday you saw the canvas I created when I test cut a split tree using cardstock. Today I am sharing my first attempt at a split monogram using cardstock on canvas. I actually cut this and started the canvas back in late March, but I was not thrilled with the results (I am not sure I am pleased with this yet) so I set it aside.

Split monogram projects were hot (and still are) on Facebook groups devoted to the Explore and Design Space only a week or two after those of us that purchased the Explore during the World Launch received our machines. The two fonts that I have seen the most discussion about for this technique are Monogram KK by koeiekat and Regal by Aldus.

Seeing all of the wonderful split monogram creations made me think a split monogram home décor item would be a perfect auction or raffle item for our family reunion. Then I started thinking that a split "family" tree would look nice on a mirror and I will share that project in a day or two.

OK, this is not really split, at least how you would expect it to appear. My mother and I had a debate about leaving the flourishes off that would normally be removed. She won and I left them on.

This project has a lot of firsts for me: split monogram, canvas, Mod Podge. I still have a few canvases from my "bulk" purchase so I can continue to work on "perfecting" my technique. I used the Regal font and some generic rectangles on this project. The paper used to cut the monogram is the soon-to-be retired CTMH Balloon Ride B&T Duos™. The paper for the date and last name was from my stash of cardstock. Unfortunately I did not note which font I used for the date and name, but I am quite certain they are Cricut fonts.

I'm a novice at using Mod Podge and my paper rippled. I have since read about sealing paper with a spray and will try that in the future. The ripples make this project unique (that is my story and I am sticking with it).

My family reunion is tomorrow and this is one of the items I am donating to the silent auction.

Please visit again in a day or two when I share the mirror I created with a split tree and vinyl. I have to add the name and date to the mirror and it will be done tonight. The mirror will be a raffle item so everyone that purchases a raffle ticket has a chance to take it home with them.

Thanks for making my blog one of those you visited today.

Family Reunion Silent Auction Item

There are 22 Weeks Until Christmas, but I had to make creating things for our family reunion auction a priority. I hope to be able to get back to making Christmas cards after the reunion.

My family reunion is Saturday, July 26 and I was woefully unprepared to contribute any items to the silent auction - that is until the past couple of days. We use the silent auction to raise funds for printing and mailing the announcement, reserving the park and purchasing shared supplies (charcoal, condiments, etc.). We usually have an auction and a 50/50 raffle.

I purchased a Cricut® Explore during the World Launch on HSN and joined a few groups on Facebook to see what other people are creating, to learn more about my Explore and stretch my creativity. Only a few weeks into having an Explore many people were creating split monogram items.

I was thinking a split monogram home décor item would be a perfect auction or raffle item for our family reunion. I am not in love with my first attempt but my mother tells me she likes it. I added some additional elements to it so it is still drying. I'll share that project in a day or two.

I got to thinking that a split "family" tree would look nice on a mirror. What you see here is my trial cut with cardstock (retired CTMH Stella B&T™) - I wanted to be sure I would not waste any vinyl.

This was also only my second attempt at creating a canvas and I am still learning. During the grand opening of a craft store I picked up a "bulk" package of canvases so I have some more to keep trying to "perfect" my technique. I painted the canvas with Aleene's Premium-Coat Acrylics Paint in Dusty Sage. The tree is #M3CEF8 from the Botanicals cartridge. I am sorry, but I do not remember what font I used for the name, but I do know it is a Cricut Font; "Est. 1857" is from Art Philosophy. The letters/numbers were cut using cardstock from my stash.

I'm a novice at using Mod Podge and my paper rippled a bit, but I have decided I like it. It gives the tree more dimension. And I have layered so much Mod Podge on this that it feels leathery where the edges are raised.

Please visit again in a day or two when I share a mirror I created in a similar manner, but with vinyl. I am ready to cut, but am a little nervous since it will be my second vinyl project (my first was putting numbers on my new mailbox).

I hope my family likes the canvas and get carried away bidding on this item. We need to build up our 2015 Reunion Fund.

Thanks for visiting today.

July CTMH Contest: Fundamental Crafts

I cannot believe that July is almost over and I did not tell you how you can enter to win your own Paper Fundamentals Basics Assortment yet. You only have 9 days to enter. Details are in the video.



The CTMH description of the video is "Add a little glimmer or a classic subtle design to your project with the Paper Fundamentals Basic Assortment. Leave a comment before July 31, 2014 here, on Facebook or Jeanette Lynton's blog and tell us your fundamental scrapbooking item for your chance to win a Paper Fundamentals Basic Assortment!"

There are three ways to enter:

• comment on Jeanette Lynton's blog post "New winners from June, and a new contest for July!"
• comment on the Fundamental Crafts Contest video on YouTube
• comment on the Close To My Heart Facebook page (the contest post is not too far down the page).

Good luck and do not forget to check Jeanette Lynton's blog on August 1 to see if you won.

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant yet, I would be happy to assist you and would be delighted if you make a purchase from me.

Click the Shop with me link above to place an order or contact me if you have questions about any CTMH product or promotion or to schedule a Home or Online Gathering.

New CTMH Cartridge Artfully Sent

By now it is no secret that CTMH has a new Cricut®-compatible cartridge in out newest Annual Idea Book & Catalog Annual Inspirations. The cartridge is Artfully Sent and is all about cardmaking. The Artfully Sent Collection (Z3017) includes the cartridge with 700 images: cards and font, a keypad overlay (not pictured), three My Acrylix™ D-size stamp sets and one 12" x 12" White Daisy Cardstock Pack.

The description on page 141 of Annual Inspriations (valid August 1, 2014 through July 31, 2015) reads: "Cardmaking has never been easier or more fun! With our newest Cricut® collection you can make handmade masterpieces in no time at all. Choose from cards with sentiments cut directly into them, or combine several custouts to create your won pop-up scens. Featureing more than 25 different card themes and 5 different card formsts including dynamic interactive designs, this cartridge has a card for any and all occasions–even if the occasion is 'just because'! Card sytles include pop-ups, scenes, sentiments, sleeves, and pocket cards."

Here is a peek inside one of the cards you can create with Artfully Sent.

The cartridge will be available sometime in September, but we do not have an exact date yet. If you would like to be notified when the cartridge is available to order, please complete the form below and I will send you a note. Hint: read on for a special promotion from me.



Every person that orders Artfully Sent or any other Cricut® Collection from my Online Business Address aka OBA will receive their own copy of Annual Inspirations (a $6 savings). In addition, for each cartridge you purchase, you can choose two M-size or one A-size stamp set (please do not add the stamps or Annual Inspirations to your online order; they will be shipped separately). Once you place an order for the cartridge(s) of your choice, send me an e-mail with your selection of stamp(s) and I will arrange shipment to you.

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant to answer any questions you may have, I would be happy to assist you and would be delighted if you make a purchase from me.

Click the Shop with me link above to place an order or contact me if you have questions about any CTMH product or promotion or to schedule a Home or Online Gathering.

Thanks for stopping by today.

23 Weeks Until Christmas

The past week went by like a flash. I feel like I blinked and missed it therefore I am again a few hours late posting my card. It was complete before I headed to bed, but I did not have the right lighting to take photos. This week I am again using the Digi Stamps 4 Joy July 2014 Monthly Christmas Challenge image. I love cats and this image is too cute.

I used the following materials to create the card: Irresistible Bling by Digi Stamps 4 Joy printed on Georgia Pacific white cardstock. The image was colored using Sargent Art Water Color Pencils and a CTMH Medium Waterbrush (retired) was used to blend and soften the colors. I fussy cut the image using a craft knife and glass mat.

The pre-cut and scored card base is 6.5" high and 5" wide. I inked the edges with a Sponge Dauber and CTMH Exclusive Inks™ Cocoa Stamp Pad (Z2114). I used a piece from Music Note Brown Noel (item #35582) from Making Memories's Noel collection to cover the card front (how many of my friends from Crop Chocolate remember this collection?). I distressed the edges with scissors. I stamped "Merry Christmas" with Cocoa ink on a scrap of red cardstock and dovetailed the end. The greeting is from the My Acrylix™ A Holiday stamp set (A1115). I used 3-D Foam Tape (Z1151) to attach the fussy cut image to the card. Except for the image, everything was from my stash.

I am linking my card to the Digi Stamps 4 Joy July 2014 Monthly Christmas Challenge and Decosse's Dynamite Doodles 12 Months of Christmas Card Link Up.

I hope you like my card and thanks for visiting today.

Retiring Items and Upcoming Price Increases

Can you believe it? July is one-half gone. I always find this time of year a little sad because it seems that the summer is one-half over. Honestly I am a wilted flower when it is hot and humid so I will not be complaining when the worst of the summer heat is behind us, but I am not going to hope that time moves faster as it seems to be rolling along at record speed. Now if it could be no hotter than 80 degrees with low humidity and a slight breeze every day maybe I would have a different outlook about summer.

One good thing about the month of July marching on is CTMH is on the brink of releasing the new Annual Inspirations, but sadly that means there are some retiring items. I first posted the retiring item list on June 14, 2014 and if you check out that post you will find some items have already sold out. There are still plenty of wonderful items on the retiring items page so be sure to check them out (that is where you get the most up-to-date information about what is in stock too; once and item is gone it will no longer appear there). Edited to add: the purchase of retiring items does count toward a $50 order which allows you to purchase the SOTM for $5.

While previewing the new Annual Inspirations (valid from August 1, 2014 to July 31, 2015), I learned that a few items will be increasing in price on August 1. You will find a complete list below. Be sure to place your order for any of items below before midnight on July 31, 2014 to avoid paying the higher price.

item #	description	S/S 2014 page	price ending 7/31	AI '14-'15 page	price starting 8/1	price difference
3505	Watercolor Pencils	131	$22.95	180	$26.95	$4.00
3174	Blending Pen	131	$3.95	180	$4.50	$0.55
Z726	Sponge Daubers	131	$3.95	180	$4.50	$0.55
Z19389	Sponge Dauber Value Pack	131	$14.95	180	$16.95	$2.00
Z1297	Edge Distresser	132	$2.50	181	$3.95	$1.45
Z1294	Sanding Kit	132	$3.50	181	$4.95	$1.45
Z1471	Ruler	133	$9.95	181	$11.95	$2.00
Z1852	Stitch Guide	133	$12.95	181	$13.95	$1.00
1512	Bonding Memories™ Glue	133	$6.95	182	$7.95	$1.00
Z1342	My Legacy™ Dark Chocolate Faux Leather Album; starting 8/1 page protectors are not included	134	$24.95	184	$29.95	$5.00
Z1346	My Legacy™ Outdoor Denim Faux Leather Album; starting 8/1 page protectors are not included	134	$24.95	184	$29.95	$5.00
1778	My Acrylix® Spritz Cleaner	136	$4.25	183	$4.95	$0.70
44751	Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Pad	136	$5.95	183	$7.50	$1.55
Z4138	Small Organizer	137	$12.95	186	$14.95	$2.00
Z4139	Medium Organizer	137	$16.95	186	$19.95	$3.00
Z1834	Large Organizer	137	$22.95	186	$24.95	$2.00
Z1038	My Acrylix® Organizer	137	$12.95	186	$14.95	$2.00
All dye-based Exclusive Inks™ Pads and Exclusive Inks™ Re-inkers
Z2101	Autumn Terracotta Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2103	Bamboo Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2104	Barn Red Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2105	Black Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2111	Chocolate Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2114	Cocoa Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2116	Cranberry Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2117	Crystal Blue Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2118	Desert Sand Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2123	Goldrush Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2128	Hollyhock Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2130	Indian Corn Blue Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2135	New England Ivy Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2137	Olive Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2140	Outdoor Denim Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2145	Ponderosa Pine Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2147	Smokey Plum Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2153	Sweet Leaf Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2155	Topiary Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2162	Honey Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2164	Sorbet Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2165	Juniper Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2170	Ruby Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2171	Saddle Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2172	Whisper Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2173	Slate Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2174	Champagne Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2175	Cashmere Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2190	Gypsy Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2191	Sunset Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2192	Pacifica Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2193	Cotton Candy Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2195	Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2196	Smoothie Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2197	Pear Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$5.25	189	$5.95	$0.70
Z2201	Autumn Terracotta Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2203	Bamboo Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2204	Barn Red Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2205	Black Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2211	Chocolate Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2214	Cocoa Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2216	Cranberry Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2217	Crystal Blue Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2218	Desert Sand Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2223	Goldrush Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2228	Hollyhock Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2230	Indian Corn Blue Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2235	New England Ivy Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2237	Olive Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2240	Outdoor Denim Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2245	Ponderosa Pine Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2247	Smokey Plum Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2253	Sweet Leaf Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2255	Topiary Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2262	Honey Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2264	Sorbet Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2265	Juniper Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2270	Ruby Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2271	Saddle Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2272	Whisper Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2273	Slate Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2274	Champagne Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2275	Cashmere Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2290	Gypsy Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2291	Sunset Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2292	Pacifica Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2293	Cotton Candy Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2295	Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2296	Smoothie Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
Z2297	Pear Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.25	189	$4.95	$0.70
All Pigment-based Exclusive Inks™ Pads and Exclusive Inks™ Re-inkers
Z2163	White Daisy Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$6.95	189	$7.50	$0.55
Z2168	Colonial White Exclusive Inks™ Pad	139	$6.95	189	$7.50	$0.55
Z2263	White Daisy Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.95	189	$5.50	$0.55
Z2268	Colonial White Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker	139	$4.95	189	$5.50	$0.55

While I am like you and I hate to pay higher prices for things, this is the first price increase since I became an Indepenent Consultant in March 2012. Just like we are paying more for office supplies, groceries, gas, etc., so is CTMH. I believe it was not an easy decision on CTMH's part to increase prices. Anyhow, act now before you might have to pay a little bit more for these products.

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant to answer any questions you may have, I would be happy to assist you and would be delighted if you make a purchase from me.

Click the Shop with me link above to place an order or contact me if you have questions about any CTMH product or promotion or to schedule a Home or Online Gathering.

Surprise Birthday Card

Last Sunday we attended a surprise (well, at one time I thought it was a surprise) birthday party for a neighbor, former educator and friend.

I turned to Cricut® Design Space for some card ideas and liked the Anna Griffin Sea Shell Card so much that I made very little changes to the sample, including the colors.

I did not have any appropriate sentiment stickers so I substituted a BBQ - Label (#M673E3) from Anna Griffin Summer Soirees cartridge. I made it a size I was satisfied with, wrote "Happy Birthday" with the Cricut® Midnight Antiquities Pen using the writing style font Simple Celebrations then duplicated and re-sized the label for a shadow effect.

I stamped "Celebrate Today" using the My Acrylix® The Party Is On Stamp Set (C1568), a Hostess Rewards set from Autumn/Winter 2013 (retired), using a Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad (Z2195).

I found the cutest stamp set to use on handcrafted cards from Sweet Stamp Shop (the stamp set is called "Made By") so I used one the back of the card again using Lagoon ink. The paper is from my stash.

I have not seen our neighbor since she opened her stack of cards, but I hope she really loved the card we created just for her.

24 Weeks Until Christmas and Monthly Christmas Challenge - July 2014

I am sorry I have been missing for the past week and am a few hours late posting my card this week. I do not post much personal news my crafting blog, but I have been getting ready and helping others get ready to use our three minutes each privilege of the floor at a Town Board meeting. A local business owner is trying to add an industrial facility to his trucking company in an area he admits is not ideal the the business and is otherwise completely surrounded by homes. The vote is tonight and I hope you will send good vibes our way. Unfortunately this is only a temporary measure so our work is not done. Enough about that. Let's talk about fun stuff.

Working toward my goal to finish all of my cards well in advance of the fall holidays, I created this card with the Digi Stamps 4 Joy July 2014 Monthly Christmas Challenge image. I just finished adhering it this morning.

I used the following materials to create the card: Irresistible Bling by Digi Stamps 4 Joy printed on Georgia Pacific white cardstock. The image was colored using Lyra Rembrandt 72 Polycolor Fine Art Coloured Pencils for Artists. Here is a close up of my coloring:

The card is a large one this time: 8" x 6". I cut it from CTMH White Daisy cardstock (1385). The polka-dot layer on the card base is the back side of Bright Stripes (item #ELC6607) from Echo Park Paper Co.'s Everybody Loves Christmas collection by Bella Road. The oval layers were cut using Creatives Memories Custom Cutting System. I inked some edges with a Sponge Dauber and a CTMH Exclusive Inks™ Chocolate Stamp Pad (Z2111). Except for the image, everything was from my stash.

I am linking my card to the Digi Stamps 4 Joy July 2014 Monthly Christmas Challenge and Decosse's Dynamite Doodles 12 Months of Christmas Card Link Up.

Thanks for visiting my blog. I hope you like my card. I would love to hear what you think.

25 Weeks Until Christmas

Can you believe that we are already in July? It has been so hot here in central New York that it is hard to think about Christmas, but as fast as this year has been going Christmas will be here before we know it.

I started by mixing Topiary Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker (Z2255) with some water in a Spray Pen (Z1380) until I liked how the color looked in my white sink. Then I misted the front of a card from a 5 1/2" X 4 1/4" White Cards & Envelopes, Value Pack (X254).

I stamped the bracket-like image from the CTMH My Acrylix™ stamp set Swirls Around (D1551) using a CTMH Exclusive Inks™ Black Stamp Pad (Z2105).

The greeting was cut from Stella B&T Duos™ (retired) using the CTMH/Cricut® Artiste (Z1790) cartridge. It is image ##M3806B. The greeting was cut at 5 inches. I attached the greeting with Liquid Glass (Z679); with the fans running I thought other adhesives would dry too quickly.

If I make another card like this I will try the greeting at 4.5 inches, but I do like how the greeting and "frame" intermingle.  I think I will also add some Create-A-Shade™ Pearl Paint (Z1039 - also retiring) to add some shimmer in the mist. A simple card can still be a beautiful card to send.

All items are from CTMH. If you would like to order any of the items used, just click on a link above to be taken directly to the description of that product. The stamp set is on the retiring list and is only available until July 31.

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant to answer any questions you may have, I would be happy to assist you and would be delighted if you make a purchase from me.

Click the Shop with me link above to place an order or contact me if you have questions about any CTMH product or promotion or to schedule a Home or Online Gathering.

I hope you are inspired to create some cards. I would be delighted if you decided to follow my blog and/or Liked my Facebook page Brenda's Paper Crafts. Thanks for visiting to see what I have been up to lately.

Just Because

With all of the social media products available to us today I do not think we take the time to send a card to someone "just because" - because something reminded us of them and we are thinking of them or because we heard they might be going through a tough time and could use a bright spot in their day.

I started by stamping the quilt blocks from CTMH My Acrylix™ Stitched With Love (B1425) at the bottom of a card from a 5 1/2" X 4 1/4" White Cards & Envelopes, Value Pack (X254). Then I stamped the young lady on a piece of on White Daisy cardstock (1385). I used an Exclusive Inks™ Archival Black Stamp Pad (44751). I colored the images using Watercolor Pencils (3505) and a Blending Pen (3174). I cut around young lady using a craft knife with the Versamat™ (Z1279).

I cut a piece of Jubilee B&T Duos™ (Z7181B) to fit the card front without covering the quilt blocks and used the Scallop Border Punch (Z1851) on the bottom edge.

The sentiment was stamped with an Exclusive Inks™ Black Stamp Pad (Z2105). 3-D Foam Tape (Z1151) was used to attach the young lady to the card.

All items, except the craft knife, used to create this card are from Close To My Heart. If you would like to order any of the items used, just click on a link above to be taken directly to the description of that product. Two of the items are on the retiring list and are only available until July 31 or while supplies last: they are the stamp set and Jubilee B&T Duos™.

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant to answer any questions you may have, I would be happy to assist you and would be delighted if you make a purchase from me.

Click the Shop with me link above to place an order or contact me if you have questions about any CTMH product or promotion or to schedule a Home or Online Gathering.

I am also on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts. I would be thrilled if you liked my page. I hope this card inspires you to send a card to someone "just because". Thanks for stopping by today.

CTMH July 2014 Stamp of the Month: Circus Alphabet

The Close To My Heart July 2014 Stamp of the Month is Circus Alphabet

When I first saw this stamp set my first thought was "what will I do with this funky alphabet; I have not been to the circus in years", but when I saw the CTMH Corporate artwork I did not see the expected circus-themed layouts, I saw some great out-of-the-box ideas for using this set.

You will find a larger image of each project shown in the above photo, a list of the products used and some hints for recreating the samples above on my OBA > Promotions > Stamp of the Month page. Also check my Pinterest Board CTMH 2014 07 Jul SOTM Circus Alphabet for additional ideas using this stamp set.

Circus Alphabet (S1407) is an exclusive D-size stamp set of 68 stamps that you can only purchase during the month of July 2014. The stamp set can be yours for $5 when you place an order of $50 or more in qualifying Close To My Heart Products. Alternatively you can purchase it for $17.95. The CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks you would use depends on how you plan to use the alphabet (and your level of patience). If you plan to only use a letter at a time (and do not mind needed to stamp many times to complete a word or phrase), the 1" x 1" (Y1000) block is probably find for you. If you would like to be able to place several letters on the block at one time you may want to have the 1" x 3 1/2" (Y1002),  2" x 3 1/2" (Y1009) or the 2" x 6 1/2" (Y1010) blocks on hand.

There are a few things I need to remind you of.

The first is the CTMH Retiring Products. You will find a list of retiring items on my June 14 blog post sorted by product type. Retiring products are available until July 31 or while supplies last. I update the list on the weekend with items that have sold out.

Also ending July 31 (or while supplies last) are the Collections that Save/Five Fab Collections. You will find photos and a description of each collection on my May 23 blog post. The Collections are geared toward different types of papercrafting and allow you to purchase a set of complementary products for $5 to $10 off the regular retail price.

Finally, I anticipate that we might see some items added to While Supplies Last on my OBA in the next month or so. Be sure to check there regularly. Sometimes items sell out the same day they are added.

Click the Shop with me link above to place an order or contact me if you have questions about any CTMH product or promotion or to schedule a Home or Online Gathering.