Sunday, November 27, 2016

Cricut® Flower Market Blog Hop

Welcome to the Cricut® Flower Market Blog Hop. We are featuring projects created with the Cricut® Flower Market cartridge which is exclusive to Close To My Heart. There are over 20 Independent Consultants sharing projects created with Flower Market. When you click on the link to the next blog (typically near the bottom of the post) to visit the next stop. Our blog hop is circular so visiting the next blog will take you back to where you started.


The Cricut® Flower Market Collection comes in two versions. Both contain the same images and include the same stamp sets and cardstock, but one includes a cartridge, keypad overlay and handbook while the other includes a card with a scratch off area covering a code you will input on the Cricut® website to add the cartridge to your account. When you add the cartridge to your account, it can be accessed in Cricut® Craft Room for use with the Expression 2 and older Cricut® machines and Cricut® Design Space for use with all versions of the Explore.

You should have arrived here from ***The Inky Scrapper by Haley Dyer***. If you get lost along the way, Melinda Everitt keeps a list of participants on her blog at If You Bling It.

I created a wreath for this hop using only cuts from the Cricut® Flower Market cartridge.


I used Sea Glass Re-inker to "tone down" the brightness of the embroidery hoop. I wish I had the Fern Re-inker or one of the lighter Basic colors as I think it would appear better in photographs, but in person the hoop is barely noticeable. I used my fingers to shape the Baby's Breath Branches, Holly Berry Twigs and Bow from the Holly Wreath, but it is hard to capture in a photo. The branches and twigs are only adhered at the bottom and the top while the edges were left loose.

The bow has two layers of 3-D Foam Tape in the middle and one layer on the left and right sides. The rest of the bow is left loose. I threaded the fern ribbon through the screw mechanism that holds the hoops together and tied a simple knot to create a loop. I wanted the hanger to blend into the wreath so the Ruby bow could take center stage.

Before you head to ***Corinna's Crafts by Corinna Murphy***, the supplies I used to create my project are listed below.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:
In case you do not receive the CTMH Corporate Newsletters, you may not know that the CTMH Cyber Monday Special is Cricut® Craze! On Monday from 12:00am MST to 11:59pm MST when you spend $30 on regular priced products, you can purchase a Cricut® Collection at 30% off.


If you are not already working with a CTMH Independent Consultant, you may purchase CTMH products at my Online Business Address.

Before you leave I would be delighted if you left me a comment letting me know what you think of my project. So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***Corinna's Crafts by Corinna Murphy***.

Thank you for hopping with us.

Cyber Monday: Cricut® Craze!

I just received a message that confirms most of the updates I posted below.

The CTMH Cyber Monday deal has been announced and it is Cricut® Craze!


When you spend $30 on regular priced items (discounted and clearance items will not help you qualify for this special) you can purchase any of the Cricut® collections at 30% off. The "get ready to start shopping!" link in the message is not working yet since the sale starts in about 8 hours (at 12:00am MST Monday morning), but the Cricut® Collections can be found here at my Online Business Address.
  • There's no limit to the number of Cricut® collections that you can qualify for at that discounted price—you can get one with every $30 you spend!
  • City Sidewalks is not included in this offer, but the update did not say City Sidewalks could not be used toward your qualifying purchase.
  • You'll see a full list of available collections on the shopping cart page when your order qualifies for the special.
  • Purchases will count toward earning the discounted Stamp of the Month and Hostess Rewards.

I have also heard that the retired, but not sold out, Cricut® Artfully Sent Collection is included in this sale (probably while supplies last), but again, I could not find this information on the consultant site. There are currently five Cricut® collections that are exclusively available from Close To My Heart Independent Consultants; it is my understanding that all collections, including physical and digital options, except City Sidewalks are included with this offer.

Cricut® Artfully Sent Collection (Z3168)
physical cartridge
space intentionally blank;
not available as a digital option
Cricut® Artbooking Collection (Z3169)
physical cartridge
space intentionally blank;
not available as a digital option
Cricut® Artistry Collection
(Z3167)
physical cartridge
Cricut® Artistry Collection
(Z3500)
digital cartridge

Cricut® Flower Market Collection (Z3285)
physical cartridge
Cricut® Flower Market Digital
(Z3290)
digital collection
space intentionally blank; not available with a physical cartridge; not included in the Cyber Monday: Cricut® Craze! promotion
Cricut® City Sidewalks Digital (Z4017)

The Cricut® Artfully Sent Collection was introduced in the Annual Inspirations Idea Book and Catalog 2014–2015; the collection includes a physical cartridge, three D-sized stamp sets and a package of Whimsy cardstock (combo pack). This collection retired on July 31, 2016 and is available while supplies last.

The Cricut® Artbooking Collection was introduced in the Autumn/Winter 2013 Idea Book; the collection includes a physical cartridge, three D-sized stamp sets and a package of Whimsy cardstock (combo pack).

The Cricut® Artistry Collection is the first collection that is available with a physical cartridge or as a digital collection and was introduced in Annual Inspirations 2015–2016. It too includes three D-sized stamp sets and a package of Enchantment cardstock (combo pack). When you order the physical cartridge you will receive a box with the cartridge, keypad overlay and image handbook. The digital collection includes a card with a code you redeem online, the stamps and cardstock combo pack. In addition to the three stamps you receive when you purchase the collection, there are six stamp sets available that coordinate with images on this cartridge.

The Cricut® Flower Market Collection is also available with a physical cartridge or as a digital collection and was introduced in Annual Inspirations 2016–2017. It also includes three D-sized stamp sets and a package of Adventure cardstock (combo pack). Like Artistry, the digital collection includes card with a code which you will receive with the stamps and cardstock and redeem online. In addition to the three stamps you receive when you purchase the collection, there are four stamp sets available that coordinate with images on this cartridge.

City Sidewalks is not included in the Cyber Monday: Cricut® Craze! promotion, but I did not read that you cannot use the City Sidewalks collection to reach your $30 purchase of full-priced products. The Cricut® City Sidewalks Collection was introduced in Holiday Expressions 2016 and I anticipate it will be retired at the end of the Holiday Expressions book on December 31, 2016. It only comes as a digital collection for use in Cricut® Design Space with any model of the Cricut® Explore machine. It has 30 complete images and does not come with stamps or cardstock.

Thanks for bearing with me while I learn all of the last minute details of this special. I appreciate your patience.

The Cricut® Collections can be found here at my Online Business Address.

Friday, November 25, 2016

Black Friday Sale Going on Now!

Hello. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I see my Thanksgiving greeting did not post when I expected. I guess there were too many other things going on and I forgot to double-check. Sigh.

The Black Friday: Surprise Stash! sale is going on now! In case you have been too busy to sign up for the CTMH Corporate Newsletter, this is the email that was sent early this morning:


The "Check out the deals!" link takes you to my Online Business Address. The page is divided into three sections. The first grouping has scrapbooking bundles, the next grouping has cardmaking bundles and the last grouping is combined cardmaking & scrapbooking bundles.

Happy Black Friday Shopping. Be sure to stop back on Sunday for details about Cyber Monday deals.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Black Friday Surprise Stash Sale

I have a bit more information about Close To My Heart's Black Friday Special. It's a Surprise Stash Sale.


For 24 hours only on Friday, November 25 from 12:00am MST (2:00am EST) to 11:59pm MST (1:59am EST) or while supplies last CTMH will feature themed mystery boxes filled with retired Close To My Heart products, all at a major discount! The mystery boxes will have five different price points ranging from $35 to $150, with some mystery boxes being offered at 50% off the retail value!

Some boxes may contain items included in other mystery boxes, at other prices. The prices of the mystery boxes are:
  • $35 mystery boxes (on average, a $70 value!)
  • $50 mystery boxes (on average, a $90 value!)
  • $75 mystery boxes (on average, a $140 value!)
  • $115 mystery boxes (on average, a $235 value!)
  • $150 mystery boxes (on average, a $335 value!)
The scrapbooking bundles will contain products like retired My Legacy™ albums, papers, Complements, Instalife™ mini albums and cards, Picture My Life™ pocket scrapbooking cards, and assorted embellishments like mini-medley accents, washi tape, and stickers!

The cardmaking bundles will contain things like retired Cut Above™ card kits, envelopes in assorted sizes, papers, and assorted embellishments.

Finally, there are scrapbooking & cardmaking bundles with a combination of products for those who love it all!

All of the bundles are mystery boxes, so you won’t know which exact products you’ll be getting, but this gives you an idea of what CTMH Corporate is offering.

You may receive duplicate items in the mystery boxes, but since many of the items in the mystery boxes are consumables like paper and compliments, having more than one is better for creating multiple projects. When there are duplicates you will not receive more than two identical items in a single mystery box.

There is no limit on the number of mystery boxes you can order, but they are only available while supplies last until 11:59 pm MST on Friday, November 25. Purchase of mystery boxes does count toward the discounted Stamp Of The Month, but they do not count toward Hostess Rewards and all sales are final. Please note shipping/handling rates are based on the full retail value of the mystery box(es).

If you would like to purchase a Mystery Box, head to my OBA on Friday, November 25 and visit the Promotions tab.

Be sure to sign up for the Close To My Heart Corporate newsletter, it looks a little like this.


CTMH will be sending a special newsletter on Sunday, November 27 with details about the Cyber Monday sale. Please see my blog post, How To Sign Up For the Monthly CTMH Newsletter, with step-by-step instructions for signing up.

Thank you for reading today's post. I hope your Thanksgiving is wonderful.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Black Friday & Cyber Monday

There will be special newsletters on Friday, November 25 and on Sunday, November 27 with news of Black Friday & Cyber Monday specials.

If you are not receiving the newsletter that comes from the Close To My Heart Corporate offices, it looks a little like this:


If you would like to be reminded of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, please sign up for the CTMH Newsletter. Please see my blog post, How To Sign Up For the Monthly CTMH Newsletter, with step-by-step instructions for signing up. Typically CTMH only sends one newsletter each month, but makes exceptions to this general rule during times of special promotions like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Flash Sales.

I do not want to give too much away about the Black Friday Surprise Stash Sale so I will only tell you that they are themed mystery boxes, are available for purchase at 12:00 am MST (that's 2:00 am EST) on Friday, November 25 and the sale ends the same day at 11:59 pm MST (that's 1:59 am EST). The mystery boxes are only available while supplies last.

I do not have any more information about the Cyber Monday sale yet, but if you sign up for the Corporate Newsletter you will receive a message on Sunday, November 27. I am getting the impression it is also a one day sale since it is always referred to as a Cyber Monday sale rather than a Cyber Week sale. Check back here and as I learn more information I will pass it along.

Finally, stop back here on Monday, November 28 for a Cricut® Flower Market Blog Hop. The Flower Market collection is the latest full cartridge from Close To My Heart.

The Shop Now button will take you to my Online Business Address if you would like to research a product or place an order.



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. Thank you for visiting today.

Friday, November 18, 2016

Happy, Happy Christmas Workshop - "Leftover" Supplies

I am sorry I have not posted for so long. I was preparing some swap pages for a trip I took this past weekend and am still catching up.

I wanted to share some photos of the supplies I have after creating the Happy, Happy Christmas Workshop. In the photo are the full My Crush® pages and Picture My Life™ Cards. The pieces I have after cutting for the Workshop are not included.


There are seven full My Crush® pages, 19 - 3" x 4" and 13 - 4" x 6" Picture My Life™ Cards in the photo above. Here are the backs of the seven My Crush® pages.


Here is a close-up photo of the 13 - 4" x 6" Picture My Life™ Cards. In case you have not worked with the PML cards before, the reverse side is the same image oriented in portrait.


All of the supplies to create all of the Happy, Happy Christmas Workshop projects, including the home décor items, are still available on my Online Business Address. If the home décor projects interest you, please do not delay purchasing as the Designed Décor Red Magnetic Chalkboard, Display Tray and 5" x 7" Hinged Display Tray are available while supplies last.

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Happy, Happy Christmas Blog Hop

Welcome to the Happy, Happy Christmas Blog Hop. This month there are over 10 bloggers sharing projects they created with the CTMH Happy, Happy Christmas Bundle. We try to keep our hop easy: just keep clicking on the link to the next blog (typically near the bottom of the post) to visit the next stop. Our hop is circular so continuing to visiting the next blog will take you back to where you started.


You should have arrived here from ***Jean McNulty's Stamping Maui***. If you get lost along the way, Melinda Everitt keeps a list of participants on her blog at If You Bling It.

I created this page to be the "opening" or "cover" page of my album. The layout was inspired by Pattern 17 on pages 38-39 of Make It from Your Heart™ Volume 2.


While I only cut the overlay using my Explore, I did use Design Space to "rough out" my design. I used some images from Artbooking to "fill in" for the Thin Cuts I used.


Before you head to ***Jacquelin Green's Paper Goodness: Creating from the Heart ***, the supplies I used to create my project are listed 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.

Before you leave I would be delighted if you left me a comment letting me know what you think of my project. So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***Jacquelin Green's Paper Goodness: Creating from the Heart ***.

Thank you for hopping with us. I hope you are finding many ideas for using the abundance of scraps from your Happy, Happy Christmas Bundle.

Friday, November 4, 2016

Happy, Happy Christmas Workshop

Happy, Happy Christmas Workshop Update


I just learned that there were a couple of minor errors in the Workshop instructions. From Corporate: "The corrections to the guide were to page 6, where the dimensions of 3C and 3I were swapped in the cutting diagram, and to page 24, where additional information has been added about adding 7J to space five of the display tray."

If you downloaded the Workshop from my OBA or from my November 1 blog post, please download an updated copy of the workshop or write the changes on any copies you may have already printed. I am sorry for the inconvenience.

By the way, I did sign up to participate in the Happy, Happy Christmas Blog Hop. Come back here on Monday, November 7 to see what I have created. I am pretty happy with it and if time allows I have another idea in mind too. I hope to "see" you on Monday.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

New Year’s Cheer November 2016 Blog Hop

Welcome to the November 2016 SOTM Blog Hop featuring the stamp set New Year's Cheer. This month there are almost 30 bloggers sharing projects they created with the CTMH Stamp Of The Month. If blog hopping is new to you, we try to keep it easy: just keep clicking on the link to the next blog (typically near the bottom of the post) to visit the next stop. Our blog hop is circular so visiting the next blog will take you back to where you started.


New Year's Cheer (S1611) is an exclusive D-size set of 13 stamps that is only available for purchase during the month of November 2016. The stamp set is available for $5 when you place an order of $50 or more in qualifying Close To My Heart products. Recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks for this stamp set are: 1" x 1" (Y1000), 1" x 3½" (Y1002), 2" x 2" (Y1003) and 2" x 3½" (Y1009). The images outlined in red coordinate with the Cricut® Flower Market cartridge.


You should have arrived here from ***Jennifer Dykstra's jd designs***. If you get lost along the way, Melinda Everitt keeps a list of participants on her blog at If You Bling It.

I created a couple of projects for this hop. I do not know why, but I have been "stuck" on creating wine glass charms. Here are some charms I created using the stamp set.


The thing I like about creating my own wine glass charms is guests can take them home can add them to their scrapbooks for embellishments and I do not have to worry about keeping track of a set of charms.


When opened, this card has a nice surprise.


Before you head to ***Stamping Maui by Jean McNulty***, the supplies I used to create my project are listed 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.

Before you leave I would be delighted if you left me a comment letting me know what you think of my project. So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***Stamping Maui by Jean McNulty***

Thank you for hopping with us. I hope we are providing you with inspiration to help you ring in the New Year.

November 2016 CTMH News

Hello and welcome. I have a lot of news to share with you this month so please grab your favorite beverage and sit in your favorite chair so you will be comfortable until the end of this post.

The November 2016 Stamp of the Month is New Year's Cheer


New Year's Cheer (S1611) is an exclusive D-size set of 13 stamps that is only available for purchase during the month of November 2016. The stamp set can be yours for $5 when you place an order of $50 or more in qualifying Close To My Heart products (and if you qualify for additional sets at $5 for each $50 you spend). Alternatively it is available at $17.95. Recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks for this stamp set are: 1" x 1" (Y1000), 1" x 3½" (Y1002), 2" x 2" (Y1003) and 2" x 3½" (Y1009). The images outlined in red (banner and bow) coordinate with the Cricut® Flower Market Collection which comes in two versions: with a physical cartridge (Z3285) and as a digital only option (Z3290).

Please note – some of the first stamp carrier sheets list the bow as on page 20, but the bow is actually on page 12 of the Flower Market handbook. If you order early in November your carrier sheet may be incorrect and you may want to add a label or write the page number on the carrier sheet in permanent marker.

CTMH Corporate Artists created this card/invitation and tag.



If you would like a list of the products used to create the above items, you will find the information in the Recipes for Holiday Expressions, a PDF file that lists the products used to make the samples in the Holiday Expressions. I am participating in a New Year's Cheer blog hop this month; you will find my post tomorrow. Please visit my CTMH 2016 11 Nov SOTM New Year's Cheer Pinterest Board for additional ideas using this stamp set.

November 2016 – Happy, Happy Christmas Album Bundle


The Happy, Happy Christmas Bundle comes in two choices - one features a D-ring album and the other a post-bound album so you can choose your favorite album type.

Happy, Happy Christmas Album Bundle – D-ring
(CC1179)

Happy, Happy Christmas Album Bundle – Post-bound
(CC1180)


Other than album style the bundles are identical. Create a beautiful Christmas album now so after the holidays all you will need to do is print your photos and add them to your album. There is a 26 page PDF of a workshop you can download which includes cutting and assembling instructions for the items pictured below (if you downloaded the workshop before 10pm on 11/3, please download it again as pages 6 and 24 have been updated); alternatively, before adding the bundle of your choice to your shopping cart, look under the "Add to Cart" button for the "Download Guide" link to get a copy. The bundles features enough products to create five two-page layouts and the papers for four bonus projects.



As you can see from the photo below, the bundle creates much more than just an album. The bundle includes enough extra paper and embellishments to complete four additional projects. The additional projects do require a few extra supplies, but you may already have some of them, for example a 1" circle punch, corner rounder and 3-D Foam Tape, on hand.


You may only need to purchase the frames (Designed Décor Red Magnetic Chalkboard, Display Tray and 5" x 7" Hinged Display Tray) and the Everyday Life™ Album—Sea Glass (Z4027) and Memory Protectors™ designed to work with the Everyday Life™ Albums: 8" × 6" (Z3252), 4" × 6" (Z3192) and 4" × 3" (Z3191) to create the four additional projects pictured above.

If you are really fond of any of the frame projects, please order the supplies as soon as you can. The frames are retired products and are only available while supplies last. I suspect they will be big sellers since they would make fantastic gifts. I used the 5" x 7" Hinged Display Tray for an auction item at my family reunion.

Planners Gonna Plan


I first told you about the new 2017 Planner products after the Australasia Convention in mid-October. Since this post is already so long, I will ask you to please visit that blog post for more information.

More Thin Cuts!


Like the Planner products, I first told you about the additional Thin Cuts after the Australasia Convention in mid-October. To keep this post from growing too long, I will again ask you to please read that blog post for more information.

Australian/New Zealand Stamps Retiring

Since they were not shown in the Idea Books that were available in North America, you might not know that CTMH offers stamps inspired by Australia and New Zealand. They were introduced when CTMH started operations Down Under in 2013. I recently learned that 10 or so stamp sets are retiring on December 31, 2016. To see the stamps that are retiring, please visit an earlier blog post.

Spanish and French Versions of Some Stamps

In case you missed this when looking though Annual Inspirations 2016-2017 or Holiday Expressions 2016 (the links will take you to a PDF of the Idea Books), I wanted to point out that CTMH offers eleven stamps in French and Spanish versions. When browsing the Idea Books look for the globe icon to the left of the stamp set name (the legend near the front of each book describes all of the icons used in the books). I posted a link to the flyers highlighting the French and Spanish stamp sets in October.

Holiday Expressions 2016


The Holiday Expressions Idea Book (download a PDF here) is only valid for two more months, until December 31, 2016. Many of the items inside, including the papers, are while supplies last, so please do not put off ordering if there are any items that you would like to create with.

Black Friday/Cyberweek Shopping

I not have any information about any Cyberweek or Black Friday specials, but we did have some nice specials the last two years. Because I am hoping that Corporate will do something again this year I will suggest that you stop back around Thanksgiving to see if I have any information to share. If you would like to be reminded when I publish a new post, you can complete the Follow by Email form to the right so you will receive an update.

Thanks for sticking with me though the post full of CTMH news. If you are ready to place an order, 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. Thank you for visiting today.