Scribble Sensational

To be honest with you, I was not aware of the scribble trend until it was mentioned in the video. I searched Pinterest and, wow, there are a lot of project ideas out there, but I did not need to see those ideas to love the stamp sets shown in the video. I already have one, one will be arriving at my house any day and the other is on my wish list (admittedly it has moved up the list after seeing this video).



The CTMH Corp. description of today's video Project Inspiration: Scribble Sensational is "Join in on the scribble trend with these super cute images from the My Acrylix™ Oodles of Doodles stamp set. Watch the video to learn more about this playful stamping technique, and then contact your Close To My Heart Consultant to purchase the necessary supplies."

Products used in the video:

• My Acrylix® Oodles of Doodles Stamp Set (B1449) - page 100 of S/S 2014 Idea Book
• My Acrylix® Charming Chevrons Stamp Set (A1150) - page 100
• Sparkles Chevron Shapes (Z1909) - page 123

Some of the tips mentioned in the video:

• the My Acrylix® Oodles of Doodles stamp set coordinates with the Cricut® Artiste cartridge
• a similar stamp set is My Acrylix® Doodle Signs (A1158) - page 7, but it is only available as a Hostess Reward; contact me if you would like to host a Home or Online Gathering to earn rewards to acquire your own; Doodle Signs coordinates with the Cricut® Artbooking cartridge
• use the stamps with the included sentiments or hand-in-hand with other stamps to create a focal point or embellishment, the choice is yours

I hope today's video inspired you to try scribbling. If you are ready to place an order the Show Now button will take you to my Online Business Address.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Thanks for visiting today.

3-D Effects from Flat Die Cuts

Do you love to have dimension in the projects you make? Then this video might contain your next bit of inspiration.



Today's video is DIY: Easy 3-D Effects. The CTMH Corp. description is "Ever wanted to turn a flat Cricut® shape into a 3-D element but didn't know how? Watch the video to learn how easy it is to create beautiful 3-D embellishments from flat Close To My Heart Cricut® Artbooking shapes. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3-D!"

Products featured in the video:

• Cricut® Art Philosophy Collection (Z1686)
  
• Cricut® Artiste Collection (Z1790)
  
• Cricut® Artbooking Collection (Z1906)
• Bone Folder (Z1204)
  

Some of the tips mentioned in the video:

• center your die cuts over the groove in your Surecut™ Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer (Z1783) and use a Bone Folder (Z1204) in the groove to score the paper and create crisp folds
• the ornaments were created with four flat shapes scored down the middle and glued together using Liquid Glass (Z679)
• the heart garland has nine hearts along the length of twine and each was created with three flat shapes; some hearts were stamped before scoring; only score two of the die cuts as the third will be used as a base
• place adhesive (to the wrong side of the paper) on one folded side of a heart and attach the other folded heart
• lay the flat heart (base) on your table, add some adhesive, lay the twine on top and attach the folded hearts
• the film strip book on the mini album page is from the Artbooking cartridge
• cut two film strip die cuts
• before scoring the film strips, back the squares with cardstock in a color that coordinates with your project
• score between the openings on the film strip and where you have it backed with cardstock you may need to score a little harder
• staple the film strip book along the back edge (single layer, fold, single layer, single layer, fold, single layer) after embellishing
• in the middle of the completed film strip book, add some washi tape over the "binding" to give it a more finished look

I don't know about you, but this makes me look at banners in a fresh light. And I cannot wait to try the film strip idea.

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant yet, I would be happy to be your Consultant. If you are ready to place an order the Show Now button will take you to my Online Business Address.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

CTMH February 2014 Stamp of the Month: Wild About Love

The Close To My Heart February 2014 Stamp of the Month is Wild About Love. Today also marks the first day you may make a purchase of new items from the Spring Summer 2014 Idea Book.

This stamp set is so cute it created a lot of chatter among the CTMH Consultants that participate on the Consultant Bulletin Boards. 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. Another place to look for ideas using this stamp set is my Pinterest Board CTMH 2014 02 Feb SOTM Wild About Love.

Wild About Love is an exclusive D-size stamp set of 9 stamps that you can only purchase during the month of February 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.

Recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks: 1" x 1" (Y1000), 2" x 2" (Y1003), and 3" x 3" (Y1006).

February also brings us the Embossing is Boss! event.

During the month of February 2014 when you purchase any two colored cardstock packs (single color or combo packs), you can choose one embossing folder for free. The embossing folders come in a variety of patterns: chevron, damask, dot, quatrefoil, or stripe and are 7 inches by 5 inches. The patterns are also repeatable for those times when you want to cover a larger piece of paper.

Just so you know, Kraft, White Daisy, Colonial White, and Paper Fundamentals Basics Assortment cardstocks are excluded from this special. In addition, the embossing machine is not included, but the folders will work with most embossing machines currently on the market.

Picture My Life™ is a new line from CTMH. It is pocket style scrapbooking. As a new scrapbooker you may like the ease of using the cards just as they are in the package. Alternatively, an avid scrapbooker may like to add these to their traditional albums to add more photos without the need to create several more 12" x 12" pages. You could even make the included cards "your own" by stamping, doodling or writing on them. Your only limit is your imagination.

Be sure to check out my Picture My Life™ tab above. On that page are photos of each PML collection as well as a list of coordinating colors. The photo above depicts the Babycakes collection.

Finally, you can view the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book online. Just go to my OBA > Products > Idea Books. This year you can purchase your own copy from my OBA. Just search for item WC1141. The cost is $3.95 plus shipping (and tax if applicable in your area).

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant yet, I would be happy to help you learn more about CTMH products. Click the Shop with me link below 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.

Thank you for visiting.

It's a Cloudburst

I have to admit it...today is a little bit of a sad day for me. In a few short hours January 2014 will be over and when that happens the retiring items in the Autumn/Winter 2013 will be gone for good. That is if they have not already sold out. In addition, the January 2014 Stamp of the Month: Cross-Stitch Wishes will also be gone. Finally, the awesome cardmaking promotion Cloud Nine will have come to an end. In case you need a refresher, here are a few photos to remind you:

Cloud Nine Cardmaking Kit

January 2014 SOTM Cross-Stitch Wishes

If you will regret not purchasing any of these items when the stroke of midnight comes and February 1 is upon us, click the Shop Now button to place your order.

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant yet, I would be happy to help you learn more about CTMH products.

Please contact me if you have questions about any CTMH product or promotion or to schedule a Home or Online Gathering.

Pajama Party Tonight!

I hope you will join me at the Big Picture Classes Pajama Party tonight at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific (I hope to join you after my meeting tonight). Close To My Heart teamed up with Big Picture Classes again for another fun event. One of the projects on tonight's agenda is this wonderful layout:

You will find my introduction to the Pajama Party and the supply list on my January 9th post. You will find the photo and cardstock measurements on my January 16th post. If you are using the stamp set from the Sarita Workshop on the Go™, my stamped images can be seen on my January 23rd post. Unfortunately I learned that the Sarita WOTG™ is no longer available, so on my January 24th post I offered some ideas for using different stamp sets to create a similar layout. Finally, on January 28th I told you about the giveaway that I am sponsoring and how you could get entered into the drawing.

I hope you see you online this evening. Until then...

Artbooking Made Easy: Crush on Artbooking

Artbooking Made Easy: Crush on Artbooking is the latest in the video series Artbooking Made Easy. Each week until April 2014 (except occasional breaks for holidays) Close To My Heart will release the next video in the series. Every video has tips, tricks and project inspiration for using the Artbooking collection.



The CTMH Corp. description of this week's video Artbooking Made Easy: Crush on Artbooking is "When you combine Close To My Heart's Cricut® Artbooking shapes with My Crush™ books, you'll take your on-the-go art to new heights. Watch the video to see how you can cohesively bring two different worlds together: Cricut® Artbooking shapes and My Crush books!"

A few points I want to be certain that you do not miss while watching the video:

• save your extra bits and pieces when cutting embellishments with Artbooking cartridge to use them in your My Crush™ books
• pages in the My Crush™ books are 7 inches wide by 10 inches tall so any cuts you make within those measurements using Real Dial Size will fit in the book
• use photo mats to create pockets to hold your memorabilia
• use mini book pages to create additional pages in the My Crush™ book; use twine, twist ties or similar to attach them to the spiral binding
• in Jeanette Lynton's post, Artbooking Made Easy: Crush on Artbooking, you will find even more detail, closeup photos and a list of supplies used for each album

If you have missed earlier videos in the Artbooking Made Easy series, I am maintaining a list so they are easier to find. Just look for CTMH Cricut® Artbooking Collection in the green bar above.

Contact me if you would like to learn how you would be able to purchase the Artbooking collection at 1/2 off by hosting a Gathering either in-home or on-line.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Thanks for stopping by today.

Create a Layout & Your Name Gets Into My Drawing

The Big Pictures Classes Pajama Party is this Thursday, January 30 at 9:00pm Eastern. Details how to join the Pajama Party were posted on January 9.

The stamp set used on this layout is from the Sarita Scrapbooking Workshop on the Go® (which is no longer available for purchase), so I want you to think outside the box with me to create a layout similar to the layout (sketch) below. Last Friday, I told you the stamp sets I am going to use to create my interpretation of this layout, now I want you to think about (and more importantly create) a layout. If you create a one-page layout and share it, I will put you into a drawing for a new stamp set from my stash.

This layout is based on the Bottom Border—Title™ pattern from the Reflections™ Scrapbook Program (9037). Photo measurements and cardstock sizes are on my January 16 post.

You can get your name into the drawing more than once; here's how:

• you get two chances for creating a layout based on this sketch; either post your creation on your own blog, Facebook or on a photo sharing site by 11:59pm on Friday, February 14, 2014 and post a link in the comments of this post, or, if you do not have a blog or online space to share photos, feel free to email a photo of your layout to me by 11:59pm on February 14, 2014 (sending me your photo gives me permission to post it on my blog to share with others)
• you get one additional entry if you use a stamp set that was available for purchase in the Spring/Summer 2013 or Autumn/Winter 2013 or is available in the Spring/Summer 2014 Close to My Heart Idea Books (one additional entry maximum)
• you get one additional entry if you use an embellishment that was available for purchase in the Spring/Summer 2013 or Autumn/Winter 2013 or is available in the Spring/Summer 2014 Close to My Heart Idea Books (one additional entry maximum)
• you can get one additional entry if you are a current or new follower of this blog
• you can get one additional entry if you like my Facebook Page, Brenda's Paper Crafts aka Brenda Lapp - Close To My Heart Independent Consultant
• you can get one additional entry for every $25 (before tax and shipping) you spend on my OBA before 11:59pm on February 14, 2014
  

The fine print (sorry, but including these details could prevent a misunderstanding):

• this drawing is something I am doing on my own; it is not sponsored by Big Picture Classes, Close To My Heart, Blogspot or Facebook (or anyone else)
• this drawing is only open to mailing addresses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam and U.S. military bases; as an Independent Consultant in the United States, I am only able to sell products in these areas
• no purchase is necessary (though a purchase could earn you additional entries)
• the winner's name will be posted on my blog on Monday, February 17, 2014
• the winner will have until noon on Thursday, February 20 to email me to claim their prize; if they do not contact me an alternate winner will be selected and their name posted Friday, February 21
• the winner will be able to select their winnings from a list of stamp sets I send them
• the stamp set will be mailed via USPS at my expense to the address you provide

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant yet, I would be happy to help you learn more about CTMH products. If you are ready to place an order click the Shop Now button below to browse the products available.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

The Pajama Party Meets Cloud Nine (and other stamp sets)

Today I am going to tell you how I am "blending" Cloud Nine and other stamps with the Big Picture Classes Pajama Party layout I have been telling you about for the past two weeks.

I just learned that the Sarita Scrapbooking Workshop on the Go® is no longer available for purchase. The WOTG included this stamp set that was used on the above layout:

Since I first learned about the Pajama Party I have been thinking about different stamps that could be used to create a similar layout and if you recall my January 9 post, I had already suggested a different stamp set to use. Why? Because I know not everyone has the same tastes and might not want to have an identical layout (except for the photos of course) to the one shown above. I also think not everyone may want to purchase the WOTG just for the stamp set. In addition, I understand after the December holidays some people do not have extra funds to purchase non-essential (gasp, crafting is not essential?) purchases. Finally, in all honestly, shipping at the beginning of this month was a little delayed for several reasons: the weather, the end of the 4th quarter (where Consultants have to meet minimum sales to remain a Consultant) and January 1 was the start of the preview period for new CTMH products (this is when a Consultant can order new product from the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book). Consultants, including me, want to get those new products so we can show you the great new papers, embellishments and stamp sets we have to offer you. I did not want anyone to feel that they had to order this WOTG to create a similar layout; I also did not want anyone be disappointed in the unlikely event their items did no arrive prior to the Pajama Party.

That said, these are the stamp sets I shopped from my stash to use (I put a pinkish outline around the stamps I plan to use):



These stamp sets are:

• D1595 Cloud Nine (coordinates with the Artiste cartridge; only available until January 31 or while supplies last whichever comes first)
• D1559 Geometric Backgrounds
• D1586 Ivy Lane Cardmaking WOTG (coordinates with the Art Philosophy cartridge and available to order February 1)
• E1027 Framework Alphabet (to stamp "Lots" where "In Love" appears)

I hope to carve out some time this weekend to create my version of the layout. I hope you like my idea for shopping your stash.

If you want to think outside the box with me...I will be posting details in the next few days about a drawing for a stamp set that I will be sponsoring. Please stop back for additional information.

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant yet, I would be happy to help you learn more about CTMH products. If you are ready to place an order click the Shop Now button below to browse the products available.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

The Pajama Party Is Next Week

Last night I cut images from the Artiste cartridge to prepare for next week's Big Picture Classes Pajama Party. You may recall two weeks ago I posted that Big Picture Classes and Close To My Heart were teaming up for another Pajama Party. This is the layout that we will be doing next Thursday, January 30 at 9pm Eastern.

You will find all of the details about the Pajama Party in my previous posts, Mark Your Calendars for the Pajama Party on January 30, where you will find a link to join the party and a supply list, and Pajama Party Preparation, where you will find the dimensions to cut the cardstock layers. The layout is the Bottom Border—Title™ pattern from the Reflections™ Scrapbook Program (9037).

Here are my die cuts stamped and ready to go. Both cuts are from the Cricut® Close To My Heart® Cartridge Artiste. "Lucky" is cut at 2 inches. It appears on page 51 of the handbook and is Accent 4. The flower is also cut at 2 inches. It appears on page 44 of the handbook and is Accent 2.

I am completing the tasks I can prior to the Pajama Party because unfortunately I have a meeting that night. I am hoping to get home in time to participate right from 9pm Eastern, but my have to join you late. Keep your fingers crossed that my meeting ends within a reasonable amount of time and the weather cooperates so I can take a shortcut home. I hope to see you next week.

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant yet, I would be happy to help you learn more about CTMH products. If you are ready to place an order click the Shop Now button below to browse the products available.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Artbooking Made Easy: Love Mini Albums

The latest in the video series Artbooking Made Easy is Artbooking Made Easy: Love, Love, Love. Each week until April 2014 (except occasional breaks for holidays) Close To My Heart will release the next video in the series. Each video has tips, tricks and project inspiration for using the Artbooking collection to create beautiful mini albums or layouts.



This week's video is Artbooking Made Easy: Love, Love, Love. The CTMH Corp. description of it is "Love making mini albums? Love Close To My Heart's Cricut® Artbooking cartridge? Love learning chic techniques for papercrafting? You will love this episode of Artbooking Made Easy where we show you how to create two trendy looks using re-inker, sponge daubers, and mini album pages cut from the Artbooking cartridge."

A few points I want to be certain that you do not miss while watching the video:

• there are two love-themed mini album keys on the Artbooking cartridge
• you will find the keys on pages 48 and 49 of the Artbooking booklet
• both mini albums are created as they were designed at 8" by 3 1/2"
• in the first mini album, the Valentine's version, some of the flowers we cut using Real Dial Size, that is, they were not cut in proportion to the page (only the "medium" sized flower in the upper left of the flower cluster was cut in proportion to the page with real dial size off)
• for the second mini album, Love You, there is an ombré theme throughout the album
• the ombré cover was created by mixing about 10 drops of re-inker with about 2 tablespoons of water, but don't dilute too much or your paper will wrinkle and buckle even more; use a spong dauber to "paint" the color from top to bottom; go over areas more than one time to achieve a darker color; your paper may "pill" as you do this - just wipe it away; take a break to allow the paper to dry between applications; heat set to speed the drying; cover the wrinkles and buckles with photos or embellishments or leave them exposed to give more "character" to your pages
• to create the paint splatter, saturate your sponge dauber and tap the page; too soft a tap and you may just get an outline of the sponge dauber; the harder you tap and the more saturated your dauber the larger the splat; after splatting, move the dauber around a little to "fill in" where the dauber hit the paper
• in Jeanette Lynton's post, Artbooking Made Easy: Love Mini Albums, you will find even more detail, closeup photos and a list of supplies used for each album

If you have missed earlier videos in the Artbooking Made Easy series, I am maintaining a list so they are easier to find. Just look for CTMH Cricut® Artbooking Collection in the green bar above.

Contact me if you would like to learn how you would be able to purchase the Artbooking collection at 1/2 off by hosting a Gathering either in-home or on-line.

Thanks for visiting today.