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Saturday, February 28, 2015

Choose Happy March 2015 SOTM Blog Hop

Welcome to the Choose Happy March 2015 SOTM Blog Hop. There are over 50 bloggers participating in this hop. If you are new to hopping, just keep clicking on the link (typically near the bottom of the post) to visit the next blogger. The hop is circular and you will eventually arrive back on the blog where you started.


The SOTM for March 2015, Choose Happy, is a D-size set of 14 stamps that is only $5 with a qualifying purchase.


You should have arrived here from ***Crafty Happy by Darlys Recker***. If you get lost along the way, a complete list of participants is always listed at Melinda Everitt's If You Bling It.

I was having a hard time thinking of how I wanted to use this stamp set, but in mid-February I was sitting in a meeting and the discussion shifted to a topic that did not apply to me and viola, I had a idea. I bet the people around me were wondering why I kept flipping to the back of my notepad and sketching. I actually went home that night and started creating something with scraps to keep the idea fresh in my mind.

After a couple of previous attempts, this is what I ended up with (watch for my earlier creations later this month). I hope you like it.


And inside the card:


Before you visit the next blog on the hop, ***Evergreen Memories and Art by Michele Rowley***, additional information about how my project was created is below.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:
If you are not already working with a CTMH Independent Consultant, you may purchase all of the supplies I used at my online business address.

I hope you like my card. I love to read comments so if you have a moment, please let me know what think of my creation. So you do not have to scroll up, the next stop on the hop is ***Evergreen Memories and Art by Michele Rowley***. Thanks again for visiting today.
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CTMH March 2015 Stamp of the Month: Choose Happy

The Close To My Heart March 2015 Stamp of the Month is Choose Happy


Choose Happy (S1503) is an exclusive D-size stamp set of 14 stamps that you can only purchase during the month of March 2015. 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. Recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks are: 1" x 1" (Y1000), 3" x 3" (Y1006), 2" x 3½" (Y1009) and 2" x 6½" (Y1010).

Items created with the stamp set by CTMH Corporate artists are the mini album and layout pictured below:



If you would like a list of the products used to create the above items, you will find the information in the Recipes (clicking the link will open a PDF in a new tab), a booklet that works hand-in-hand with the Idea Book to provide details to re-create any projects at home. Also check my Pinterest Board CTMH 2015 01 Mar SOTM Choose Happy for additional ideas using this stamp set.

Please stop back tomorrow for the Choose Happy Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.

March 2015 also brings us Recruiting on a Roll


Have you been thinking about joining Close To My Heart? If so, March is the month to do it! During the month of March, new Consultants who enroll will receive a FREE shoulder tote (a retail value of over $26 USD) in their New Consultant Kit. The New Consultant Kit is just $99 USD and includes nearly triple the retail value in products and supplies. When you include the value of your FREE shoulder tote, that is a savings of over $290 USD! If the free shoulder tote is not enough, new Consultants who remit $300 worth of commissionable sales in their first 40 days after their New Consultant Kit ships will receive the rolling tote (a retail value of $149.95 USD) as a FREE bonus (not including shipping/handling)! These organization pieces are designed to help you get your business rolling, but they are only available while supplies last, so hurry on over and join today!

If you are considering joining CTMH and my team, please contact me so we can discuss your goals and what type of support and events you would like from your team.

Dates: Offer valid March 1, 2015–March 31, 2015.

March is the last month to order from Seasonal Expressions 1

I would like to remind you that there are several items in Seasonal Expressions 1 that will no longer be available after March 31. Look for "clock" icon next to the product name. Also, please note, after March 31 the My Acrylix® Operation Smile You're the Bomb stamp set (C1617) pictured on the back cover will no longer be available. It should have had a "clock" icon next to the product name. Finally, the Picture My Life™ Heartstrings (Z3046) and Hopscotch (Z3045) Scrapbooking Programs on page 31 should have had the "clock" icon. The Heartstrings and Hopscotch PML programs will be available after March 31, but only while supplies last. These correction are also posted on the CTMH Idea Books page.

If you are ready to place an order or would like to research any product, the Shop Now button will take you there.


If you have any product or promotion questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.
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Friday, February 27, 2015

43 Weeks Until Christmas 2015

This week I combined two Cricut® images to create a card. I liked the top of a box and thought it would make a nice card front.



I used a red cardstock from American Crafts (unfortunately it looks like it has pink tones in my photo) and gold glitter paper from the stack Brights Glam Glitter by The Paper Studio. I also used some Gemstones (Christmas Trees and Holly & Berries) from The Paper Studio.
Other supplies used: Cricut® Design Space; Cricut® Explore; Square Flourish Card - #M37392 - Creative Holiday Cards; Merry And Bright Box - #M44678 - Merry and Bright

I hope you like my latest card. Thanks for visiting today.
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Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Cricut® Artfully Sent: Sleeve Function

The week's video focuses on the Sleeve Function key on the Cricut® Artfully Sent cartridge (Z3017). The Sleeve Function key has a mix of sleeve and overlay cards.



The CTMH Corp. description of Cricut® Artfully Sent: Sleeve Function is "Layering is where it’s at! The Sleeve function of Close To My Heart’s Cricut® Artfully Sent cartridge holds dozens of options that will lend beautiful depth and complexity to your cards in a matter of seconds."

Some tips shared in the video:
  • when cut at the suggested size, the sleeve cards fit a 4" x 6" photo
  • if you set real dial size to 3½" it is the perfect size for a standard gift card
  • sleeve cards have tabs (similar to an open-ended envelope) that when folded in create a pocket to slip your photo or gift card in
  • back the overlay with one color cardstock or B&T for a quick card or several different colors for a more dramatic card
Here is a page from the handbook identifying the sleeve cards:


The sleeve and overlay cards shown in the video (with Cricut® Design Space codes) are:
  • Celebrate Card - #M100F7D - pg 7
  • Flower In a Pot Sleeve Card - #M100FA0 - pg 10
  • Flourished Frame Sleeve Card - #M101019 - pg 23
  • Flourished Sleeve Card - #M1010C2 - pg 46
  • Flowers Card - #M101174 - pg 19
  • Banner Card - #M10112E - pg 3
  • Purse Card - #M101138 - pg 6
  • Tree With Banner Card - #M10114D - pg 11
  • Line Abstract Card - #M10116E - pg 18
If you would like to purchase the Cricut® Artfully Sent Collection, any of the Cricut® collections exclusive to CTMH or any other product offered by CTMH, the Shop Now button will take you to my Online Business Address. I would like to remind you that you will earn $25 Hostess Rewards when spending or hosting a gathering with sales of $150. If you have friends that would place an order or have other items you would like to purchase, contact me and we can work together to help you maximize your rewards.


If you have any product or promotion questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.
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Saturday, February 21, 2015

Offers Ending on February 28

One week from today, on February 28, some specials are ending and the Yuletide Carol Expression Collection in Studio J® will vanish.


The February 2015 SOTM, A Happy Hello, will no longer be available when we flip the calendar to March. Additional details about the SOTM are posted here. If you are looking for "Pinspiration", please see my Pinterest Board CTMH 2015 02 Feb SOTM A Happy Hello where you will find my SOTM Blog Hop project also pinned.


Also coming to an end is the Album Allure. Details are available here.



The special edition Studio J® Yuletide Carol Expression Collection will not be available after February 28. The collection was designed by CTMH studio artists with your holiday photos in mind. You will find some additional information on my January 12 blog post and my Studio J® page in the green bar above.

Once the clock strikes 11:59pm Mountain time on February 28, 2015 this collection will no longer be available.

Your comments, feedback and purchases provide me with the encouragement to continue to publish updates, create samples and post tips and tricks. If you would like to make a purchase, the Shop Now button will take you to my Online Business Address.


If you have any product or promotion questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.
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Friday, February 20, 2015

44 Weeks Until Christmas 2015

I decided to try something a little different this week. This is a fairly quick and easy sponged card.


I cut a transparency using my Cricut® Explore and used ink pads with sponge daubers to decorate the card front. Then I layered the image on Ruby and New England Ivy cardstock.

CTMH supplies I used to create the card:
Supplies not from Close To My Heart: Cricut® Design Space; Cricut® Explore; Christmas Card - #M46A60 from Holiday Cards 3; transparency; white card base and envelope

If you would like to purchase the Close To My Heart products used on the card, the Shop Now button will take you to my Online Business Address.


If you have any product or promotion questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.
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Thursday, February 19, 2015

Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker Tray Retiring & Upcoming Systems Maintenance

I just read in our weekly update that the Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker Tray (Z4135) is retiring. It is now available while supplies last. If you have the Exclusive Inks™ Organizer, this tray sits on top of the organizer when the handles are folded down.

Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker Tray (Z4135)

As I showed you in photos when we received the news that the Exclusive Inks™ Organizer and Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad Tower were retiring, the medium organizer (Z4139) may work for storing your re-inkers.

This is the view from top of my medium organizer with the lid open; you will find my re-inkers in the front left corner:


Please mark your calendars: Systems Maintenance Scheduled for February 25
From the Corporate Office: "Our next systems maintenance is scheduled for Wednesday, February 25 from 10:00 pm to midnight (MST). Online systems, including Order Entry, Studio J®, and shopping on your OBA, will be unavailable during this maintenance window. Please share this information with your customers so they will know to avoid shopping at that time."

If you would like to make a purchase, the Shop Now button will take you to my Online Business Address.


If you have any product or promotion questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.
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Magical Air Theme Challenge

Recently I participated in a challenge for an attempt to win a Cricut® Explore Air. Yes, I have an Explore, but wireless via Bluetooth would be nice. Unfortunately I was was not one of the finalists.

The guidelines were (quoting from the 2 Guys & A Cricut Facebook Group):

So how do you enter this amazing contest?
1) Create a "Magical" projects using Cricut images or SVG's. You have over 50,000 Cricut images to search through to make your amazing project or choose from ANY SVG. You DO NOT need to make your project using a Cricut to enter the contest.
2) The project must contain the color Blue as we all know this is the NEW color of the machine
3) It must support an "Air" theme. You can use anything that makes you think of the word Air (hot air balloon, air guitar, etc.) The more creative the better!
4) The admins of this group will each pick their favorite 2 magical projects
5) The 10 final projects will be put up for a "LIKE" contest. Everyone in the group can place their vote by liking a project. So we encourage you to invite people to the group to like your project as well.

This is the card I created.


CTMH supplies I used to create the card:
If you would like to purchase the Close To My Heart products used on the card, the Shop Now button will take you to my Online Business Address.


If you have any product or promotion questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.
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Tuesday, February 17, 2015

45 Weeks Until Christmas 2015

Yes, 45 Weeks Until Christmas 2015. Actually 45 Weeks Until Christmas was really on Friday, February 13th. My Friday the 13th was busy. I was putting off upgrading my phone for months and I finally went to the store to look at my options. I worked with a young man who was EXCELLENT. I made certain the store manager was aware that he has a great staff member.

Unfortunately I did have to go to the store twice that day, but only because one of the items I wanted was due to arrive later in the day. That and shopping with my mother was how I spent the day.

The Cricut® cuts and most of the stamping were done for several days, but I just could not eek out the time for assembly.


I also shared my card in the Facebook Group Let's Learn Cricut!

Supplies I used to create the card:
If you would like to purchase the Cricut® Art Philosophy or Artiste Collections, the Shop Now button will take you to my Online Business Address. You earn $25 Hostess Rewards when spending or hosting a gathering with sales of $150; if you have other items you would like to purchase or friends that would like to place an order, contact me and we can work together to help you maximize your dollar.


If you have any product or promotion questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.
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Cricut Product Team Event & Cricut Explore Air Launch Watch Party

Q&A with Cricut Product Team Event & Cricut Explore Air Launch Watch Party Invitation



Tomorrow (2/18; start watching at 11:59pm on 2/17) the Explore Air is debuting on HSN.

Watch this video to learn how you will have the opportunity to win an Explore Air. Join the Facebook Group Let's Learn Cricut Explore. If you want me to send you an invitation to the FB group (which also earns me an entry) email me or find me on Facebook. I'm Brenda Centralnyscrapper.

Good luck!
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Saturday, February 14, 2015

Unpacking and Assembling a CTMH My Legacy™ Post-Bound Album

My Album Allure purchase arrived. Today's post includes photos of unpacking and assembling the My Legacy™ Black Post-Bound Album (Z2094) I received. Since this post contains several photos, I kept them small; click on any photo for a larger view.

The first thing I want to bring to your attention is finding the posts. They near the top edge of your album.


The posts are are attached to a piece of cardboard so they will not disappear on you, fall on the floor and roll under the table or accidentally get wrapped up in the packaging and end up the in trash or recycling bin.


The spine cover comes flat inside the packaging.


The inside front cover of the album is plain white and the inside back cover contains the Close To My Heart logo.


The "half-moon" piece  of the post folds down after you have attached the ends of the posts to each other.


This is my album with 20 12" x 12" Top Load Memory Protectors™ (4110) that have no layouts in them. I forgot to order Spine Expanders (Z4120), but I think I am going to need at least one pack when I place completed layouts in my album. If you would like to re-watch the videos about the albums and spine expanders, you will find them on my December 24, 2014 blog post.


I found that I preferred to put the longer side of the post through the front cover toward the back and then closed the posts. I thought the flap that covers the hardware closed better with the posts oriented that way. Your preference might be different.

Finally, here is the album with the spine cover installed.


I hope the photos help you put together a post-bound album or helps you decide between post-bound and D-ring albums.

If you would like to make a purchase, the Shop Now button will take you to my Online Business Address.


If you have any product or promotion questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.
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Wednesday, February 11, 2015

A Happy Hello

When I created the card I shared on the A Happy Hello February 2015 SOTM Blog Hop, I did not use all of the flowers I stamped and cut. I decided to use some of them on another card.



There were several people on the A Happy Hello February 2015 SOTM Blog Hop (this link is to first blog on the hop) that curved the leaf and stem stamp on their My Acrylix™ block, but the one that I kept remembering was created by Jen Rubio.

The ribbon in the upper left is based on the Adorable Little Bow video CTMH shared on Instagram (which I shared on my blog January 14, 2015). To create the ribbon tails I folded the ribbon at a 45 degree angle when creating the bow. I forgot my Mini Stapler (Z2027) so I had to improvise with extra Micro Glue Dots.

Supplies I used to create the card:

If you would like to make a purchase, the Shop Now button will take you to my Online Business Address.


If you have any product or promotion questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.
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Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Cricut® Artfully Sent: Sentiment Function

The week's video focuses on the Sentiment Function key on the Cricut® Artfully Sent cartridge (Z3017). The Sentiment Function key includes 4¼" x 5½" and 5" x 7" cards.



The CTMH Corp. description of Cricut® Artfully Sent: Sentiment Function is "The Sentiment function of Close To My Heart’s Cricut® Artfully Sent cartridge goes deeper than words. See for yourself what extra tricks are hidden within this fun function!"

Some tips shared in the video:
  • there are two sizes of cards under the Sentiment Function: 4¼" x 5½" and 5" x 7" cards
  • border cards are the smaller 4¼" x 5½" cards and have shapes cut near the bottom front of the card
  • the larger 5" x 7" cards feature a mixture of sentiments and larger icons
Here is a page from the handbook identifying the sentiment cards:


The sentiment cards shown in the video (with Cricut® Design Space codes) are:
  • Alien Sentiment Card - #M100D41 - pg 28
  • Bag Sentiment Card - #M100CC7 - pg 6
  • Flower Sentiment Card - #M100D0D - pg 19
  • Shepherd with Star Sentiment Card - #M100DC8 - pg 46
  • A Sweet Little Baby Card - #M100B89 - pg 23
  • "Blast" Birthday Card - #M100BC3 - pg 28
  • Friends Forever Card - #MF0434 - pg 5
  • Celebrate Card - #MF045A - pg 7
  • Sweet Fairy Princess Card - #M100BA6 - pg 26
If you would like to purchase the Cricut® Artfully Sent Collection, any of the Cricut® collections exclusive to CTMH or any other product offered by CTMH, the Shop Now button will take you to my Online Business Address. I would like to remind you that you will earn $25 Hostess Rewards when spending or hosting a gathering with sales of $150. If you have friends that would place an order or have other items you would like to purchase, contact me and we can work together to help you maximize your rewards.


If you have any product or promotion questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.
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Friday, February 6, 2015

Operation Smile You're the Bomb Blog Hop

Welcome to the Operation Smile You're the Bomb Blog Hop. There are almost twenty bloggers participating in this hop.


Not only is the You're the Bomb (C1617) stamp set versatile and adorable, but $3 of the proceeds from each stamp set sold will be donated to Operation Smile. Do not delay, because this stamp set is only available until March 31, 2015.


You should have arrived here from ***Pam's Clearly Crafty Corner***. If you get lost along the way, a complete list of participants can be found at Melinda Everitt's If You Bling It.

Here is how the front of my card turned out.


Since it is a waterfall card, there is more to share on the card front.



Finally, I had to do something a little extra special on the card inside.


Before you visit the next blogger, ***Angela White***, additional information about how my project was created follows.

This is my first waterfall card; second if you count the one I created from scraps to confirm I understood how to make the mechanism work. I recently saw one posted on another blog and, while I think my card is quite different, I decided it was time for me to give this style card a try. I used my favorite search engine, found a few written and video tutorials and set about giving this a try.

I selected this tutorial by Christina Griffiths because I do not have unlimited Internet at home and I could get started learning the concept. Christina Griffiths also has a video tutorial that I could watch during my lunch break. Christina's tutorial was in centimeters, so I grabbed a ruler and found the nearest measurements in inches and set about trying to create my card.

Try as I might, I could not find a good place on my card to add some bling. I decided perhaps there was enough happening on this card? But others say you can never have too much bling. If you had some Red Enamel Hearts (Z2009), Sparkles Clear Assortment (Z1752), Sparkles Black & Grey Assortment (Z1754) or any other embellishment CTMH offers, would you add any? If you would add bling, which would you add and where would you add it?

In case you would like to create a similar card, here are the cuts I made:
  • (5) 2" squares from Heartstrings
  • (4) 2¼" squares from Cranberry Cardstock - the 5th 2" square is added to the strip that created the movement
  • (1) 2¼" x 12" strip from Cranberry Cardstock - this is the mechanism to create the movement; I trimmed about 2⅞" this piece so it would not hang off the card
  • the anchor to hold the waterfall is the zip strip from the B&T Duo™
  • I scored the 2¼" x 12" strip from Cranberry Cardstock at 2¼", 2¾", 3¼", 3¾" and 4¼".

All supplies from Close To My Heart except where noted:
If you are not already working with a CTMH Independent Consultant, you may purchase all of the supplies I used at my online business address.

Thanks again for visiting today. I love to hear what people think of my creations; please leave a comment if you have a minute. So you do not have to scroll up, the next stop on the hop is ***Angela White***.
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46 Weeks Until Christmas 2015

While looking through the pocket cards on the Cricut® Artfully Sent cartridge to work on an idea for the Operation Smile You're The Bomb blog hop (coming up tomorrow) I saw the wreath pocket card and decided to work on a card for this countdown to Christmas post.


Creating the poinsettia was inspired by Patricia Manhire. You will find her Poinsettia Flower tutorial here.

This was my "test" creation. When trying something new I like to use products from my stash just in case I am unhappy with the results. I planned to recreate this using CTMH products, but I have run out of time (Thursday night) and have to be on the road early tomorrow.

Cricut® cuts:
  • Cricut® Artiste Collection (Z1790)
    • #M3B8B0 - Bow (Border) - pg 55
    • #M3DC57 - Flower - pg 61
  • Cricut® Artfully Sent Collection (Z3017)
    • #MCDFF6 - Wreath Pocket Card - Artfully Sent - pg 20
  • Supplies not from Close To My Heart: Cricut® Design Space, Cricut® Explore
  • Cricut® Design Space file - this file will only work if you have the Artiste and Artfully Sent cartridges linked to your account; it was sized for a 6½" x 5" side fold card
If you would like to purchase the Cricut® Artiste or Artfully Sent Collections, the Shop Now button will take you to my Online Business Address. You earn $25 Hostess Rewards when spending or hosting a gathering with sales of $150; if you have other items you would like to purchase or friends that would like to place an order, contact me and we can work together to help you maximize your dollar.


If you have any product or promotion questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.
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Thursday, February 5, 2015

Exclusive Inks™ Organizer Retiring & While Supplies Last

Update: February 9, 2015 - I just learned that both the Exclusive Inks™ Organizer and Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad Tower have sold out.

I just read in our weekly update that the Exclusive Inks™ Organizer (Z4131) as well as the Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad Tower (Z4132) are retiring. Both items are now only available while supplies last. If either product is something you are interested in having, please order soon before they are gone.

Exclusive Inks™ Organizer (Z4131)

Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad Tower (Z4132)

If you are looking for a different storage solution for your stamp pads, one of the hard case organizers may be what you are looking for. The medium organizer (Z4139) in particular is an ideal size for storing ink pads. The internal dividers that come with the medium organizer divide it up into perfectly sized sections for stacking your ink pads.

I tried to post a photo of the medium organizer from my OBA, but no matter what I tried the product looked out of proportion. So photos of my medium organizer with some stamp pads and other supplies inside will have to do. This is the view from the front:


And this is the view from top with the lid open:


As you can see this organizer holds many supplies and none are packed so tightly that I cannot easily find what I am looking for.

If you have been watching my blog for photos of a My Legacy™ Post-Bound Album, my order has shipped and I hope to be able to post photos mid to late next week.

If you would like to make a purchase, the Shop Now button will take you to my Online Business Address.


If you have any product or promotion questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.
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