Sunday, December 23, 2018

Get ready for Boxing Week!

What is Boxing week?  Let's start with Boxing Day.  It's where you box up the old and make room for the new.  We're going to be celebrating all week long from the 26th thru the 31st with deals on my CTMH website!

Each day new deals will be posted!
Some items will be current inventory, others will be boxes dusted off from previous catalogs.  

Mark your calendars and get ready to save!

Sunday, December 16, 2018

Upcoming events and workshops!



Just a quick note!  I will be having some events in the next few weeks.  Grab your calendar and add them now so you don't miss out. 

Everett Art Walk - Guest Artist at Tabby's Coffee

Thursday, December 20th from 4-7pm at Tabby's Coffee, 2702 Hoyt Avenue, Everett, WA 98201

I've been invited to be a guest artist at Tabby's Coffee during the Everett Art Walk.  Tabby's Coffee is located at the Everett Public Library  Stop in and say hello, grab a coffee and make a couple cards.  Then grab a map and enjoy the rest of the art walk in the neighboring blocks.  I'll have a couple cards you can make and items for purchase. 

Library address:  2702 Hoyt Avenue, Everett, WA 98201  Please note the library parking garage closes around 6pm, the same time the library does.  The coffee shop will stay open until 7pm.

If you're in the coffee shop any time this month, please stop and admire the 3 artists who are displaying items in the Coffee Shop displays.  Everything is available to purchase! 

The art walk takes place every 3rd Thursday in Everett.  You can find more info here

Saturday Cards during the Day

Saturday, January 5th at 1pm at My House! 

It seems like it will have been forever since I hosted a regular cardmaking class!  Let's get together!  I'll also have a brand spankin' new catalog to drool over!  Cards will be $2-3 ea.  I'll also have my pre-stamped bin of cards out, ready to create!  Please bring a friend and your favorite adhesive.  


3 Cards & Coffee @ Tabby's Coffee

Tuesday, January 15th at 6:30pm
Join me in the library coffee shop to make cards.  Cost is $10.  Come early and buy a hot beverage and a treat to enjoy as you create!  

Library address:  2702 Hoyt Avenue, Everett, WA 98201

Magnolia Frame

Saturday, January 26 at 1pm at My House


We're going to be making this gorgeous, versatile frame.  Everything is pre-cut.  It comes with both options, the weathered grey and the natural brown frame as well as both sentiments.  

Add this to your calendar now!  If you cannot make it, the kits are available to purchase.  I'm also looking to schedule another date.  Please send me an email or leave a comment on my blog on a date that works for you.  

I'm also accepting requests to host a private workshop with you and your friends.  Let's chat and pick a date!  

This frame is available now through the end of January, while supplies last so it won't be available for long!  

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Magnolia Frame Now Available to Pre-Order!



I'm so excited about the January Special Magnolia Frame!  And as of today, I can accept pre-orders and start shipping them to you.  (On Jan 1, you can order them on your own).


This is the 1st frame I created.  It's currently at Tabby's Coffee at the Everett Public Library because I'll be hosting a Saturday afternoon workshop there in February!  Date TBA.  

I'll also be hosting a workshop in my home on Saturday, January 26, 2019 at 1pm. 
Want a different date?  Let's talk and make it happen!  

This frame kit is virtually scissor free!  Just add adhesive.  Liquid Glass is recommended.

Kit Contents
You'll get a heavy chipboard 2piece frame.  It has built in hangers on the back.  It will be over 1/4" thick when it's assembled. 
1 double sided wood frame sheet.  It's a weathered grey on one side and brown on the other
diecut words - love & home
diecut flowers & leaves
diecut rose gold foil branches and flower centers
1 12x12 background sheet in shiplap

Did you see that the center is 12x12?  The frame is 16" wide!  And that's before I added the flowers and leaves.  Mine is over 20!  

Here's some inspiration on how to make it your own.   




 

The large letters and & are sold separately here.  
The dies for the family names are here.

Now here's the best part, the more you purchase, the more you save!

1 kit is $29.95 ea
2 kits $24.95 ea
3+ kits $19.95 ea

Shipping via US Mail starts at $4.95 and FedEx $7.95.  If you'd like these before Christmas I highly recommend FedEx.  For the west coast, you'll receive your shipment usually 2 business days after it leaves the warehouse.  Only after Black Friday has it taken 3 days for a FedEx delivery.

All pre-orders will be shipped directly to you.  

You cannot place an order yourself until January 1, 2019.  But if you'd like them early, contact me with your quantity, if you need Liquid Glass adhesive and anything else you'd like from my website.  I'll respond with an approximate total and we'll decide on payment method. 
(please never provide your credit card number in a text or email)

Have you joined my Customer VIP group on Facebook?  
You'll want to join to see more artwork and inspiration for this kit.  This group is reserved for my current & future customers.  Kindly do not ask to join if you are a CTMH Consultant.




Friday, December 14, 2018

Season of Joy Project Roundup

I've had so much fun with the Season of Joy Cricut Collection.  This collection retires at the end of the month and may sell out so I thought I'd give you a last chance to purchase it before it's gone!
Please remember this is a digital collection and can only be used on the new Cricut Explore & Maker machines via Design Space.

 My Magical Village was based on the houses from the collection!

There's an Advent Advent Calendar!  
This version is available as a workshop on my website until the end of the year or while supplies last! 

A Wreath!  
There's so many color options for this! 


Thursday, December 13, 2018

Hedge Hug Birthday

Did you know the end is near?  Our amazing Holiday Expressions catalog wraps up at the end of the month.  And... even the non-holiday stamps are retiring.



Products Used

Nearly everything is retiring aside from the Alphabet Stamps & the Story By Stacy stamps AND all of the patterned papers. Quick!  Order your papers for your Christmas scrapbook before they sell out!   Shop now.  

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Gift Card Mugs

The new Season of Joy Cricut Collection is on of my favorite toys right now.  Have you seen all of the projects I've created with it lately?  No? Don't go away looking quite yet.  Sit and enjoy a cup of coffee with my coffee mug gift card holders.

I used the Tis The Season paper pack for them and had so much fun.  I must note that the mug is from the Flower Market Cricut Collection by CTMH.  You'll need both to create these fun gift card holders.  They also fit in an A2 envelope so you can send them.  But seriously, I'm not sure if I can hide their cuteness in an envelope.



First came Gingy.  That's the gingerbread man in the Shrek movies. 


Then my son wanted to drown Gingy (feet up) instead I selected this adorable Elf Legs from the Season of Joy Collection.  That's all the elf that they made.  

And lastly, because my file gets 3 mug from a single sheet of paper, I created the candy cane.  

I used the stamp set Love With All the Trimmings CC10188 which is still available but originally released for the Holiday Sparkle shaker cards!



If you purchased the Season of Joy Collection from me, my custom Design Space File has been emailed to you!  If not, order the Season of Joy Cricut Collection here.  And grab Flower Market too!  

This collection is only compatible with the Explore & Maker Cricut series machines and Design Space.  

The best place to see my other Season of Joy projects is on Instagram.  

Want the file but already own the cartridge?
  
**Purchase link has been disabled**

You will receive the Design Space File, Workshop Guide and Consultant Release to reproduce this kit for your own customers (but not share the file)

Friday, September 7, 2018

Magical Mouse Christmas Village!

I've been a little MIA lately between homeschool planning responsibilities and THIS project.  I'm so excited to say that it's 99% complete and I am ready to show it to you!


First came the re-release of the Magical papers and a new stamp set last month.  We're calling it More Magical as it's with updated colors.  New blues and a beautiful Candy Apple Red.  

And then we released a new Cricut Cartridge for Christmas called Season of Joy with a Christmas Village and more!  


So I decided that they would be amazing together.  Especially if there was a certain mouse infestation!

The clock tower is so much fun... and so easy.  Do you see the ears in the snow?

Yesterday, I started simplifying things.  The clock face doesn't have tiny fiddly hands on it.  I sliced them from the white glitter and backed the white with red glitter paper.  I didn't want it hard to assemble the clock and I certainly didn't want the hands to fall off of the clock.  This will be a project that I want to last for years to come.


I altered this house a LOT.  Who puts a big ugly garage door on the front of a Christmas village anyway?  Not me.  I also added a chimney that's not in the original design.  Because what village would every have homes without chimneys?  Maybe one in eco friendly Seattle.  LOL.  

Ooh! Another house with a chimney!  If you refer to the image from the cartridge, you'll see this was Vanilla house #1.  


I didn't change the chapel too much, other than giving the steeple a spire.  Because this is a Magical Village, don't all pointy roofs require flags and spires?  I think I saw this in the opening credits of a movie or two on Sunday evenings when I was a kid.  



All of the images are from the CTMH Season of Joy Digital Cricut "Cartridge."  It is compatible with any of the new Explore machines and Cricut Design Space.  When you order this cartridge, you will receive a card with a scratch off code to redeem your cartridge.  It won't be emailed.  

There's also many other images on this cartridge
 


So let's talk about the village some more

Supply list for the Magical Mouse Christmas Village
More Magical paper pack - 1 pack (only available while supplies last in September 2018)
More Magical Cardstock  1 pack (didn't use the Candy Apple)
White Glitter Paper - 1 sheet of 3
Red Glitter Paper - 1 sheet of 3
Vellum - all 3 sheets in this pack
Red Enamel Gems - nearly the whole pack
Willow Cardstock - 1 sheet
Bluebird cardstock - 3 sheets 

In lieu of the More Magical Cardstock pack you can pull these colors from your stash:  2 canary, 1 black, 1 Carolina.

I cut everything on my Cricut Explore 2. You'll need a scoring tool in the first slot.  I didn't use fast mode as my machine doesn't score the paper very well on fast mode. 

3 ways to get the Design Space Files & Assembly Guides
  1. Place a $30 order on my website (before shipping & tax)
  2. Join my team. 
  3. Order the efiles for $20 (below)
I normally don't charge this much for files like this but this one has taken me an incredible amount of time.  I have added extra elements and structure to the files.  I've simplified them so the same shape of  piece will be used on more than one building, thus saving you time sorting pieces.  I'm proofing my files this weekend by cutting them again, just to be sure.  My plan is to have the files released by end of the day Monday, September 10, 2018.

You'll have a Consultant Release to recreate this with YOUR customers.  (not to share the files)
Assembly guides and Design Space Files that are ready to cut.  You will only need the Season of Joy Cricut Cartridge and the basic shapes that are free with Design Space to cut this village.  

**Purchase link has been disabled**

Monday, August 13, 2018

Customizing a Workshop Your Way: Fresh Air Cards

Our Workshop Your Way Card kits are wonderful for making a dozen cards quickly.  However, they have only 2 designs!  Let's fix this! 

Take the Fresh Air card kit called the In My Heart Cardmaking Kit. 
You receive a stamp set, bronze sequins, 12 card bases & envelopes and plenty of cardstock and patterned paper to make a dozen cards.  (I actually made a 3rd design with my scraps). 


But I wanted a little more variety than these two designs. 


I grabbed Birthday Sparkles (retiring at the end of the month) and use that sentiment as well!  Now I have tons of variety!  I hear making masculine cards is hard for you all.  Guess what?  It doesn't have to be!  


This photo also shows a 3rd design!  Using Make It From Your Heart Vol 4, I found another card design that was simple and used up my scraps.  I did have to dig in my stash for 6 more card bases but I'm a cardmaker.  I always have card bases on hand.  

If you love extending your supplies and getting 50% more from your card kit, let me know!  When you purchase your WYW cardmaking kit from me, I'll send you the instructions to cut the materials for the 6 extra cards.  

Enjoy your cardmaking!  Have a great day!


Saturday, August 11, 2018

Welcome to Craft With Heart™


Introducing Craft With Heart™ a new subscription making your scrapbooking faster, simpler, easier!  (That's Close to My Heart's slogan, not mine.)

Imagine getting the supplies for two double page layouts and 3 page protectors delivered to your door each month. 

Here's the ones that are available for September. 

They feature standard photo sizes 3x4 and 4x6 photos.  AND everything is pre-cut.  Put your big paper trimmer away. 

September 2018 Craft with Heart Layout 1

September 2018 Craft with Heart Layout 2
Starting in September you can order the kits to be delivered monthly.  
But RIGHT NOW, you can subscribe for a whole year.  

You'll get a big box with 4 months sent to your door at one time.  And they ship for free and are 20% off!  

I have all 4 months:  September, October, November, & December already.  Check out my unboxing video below or click here. It gives you a preview of all 4 months and the supplies included.  

  

Want more info?  Go here to see all 16 12x12 pages. 

Two more things! 

  1.  Free photos!  You'll receive a voucher in each box for 30 4x6 prints from Persnicketyprints.com when you get the Annual Subscription.
  2. Free gifts from me!  Every subscriber will receive a free gift from me to help you create amazing layouts  But the 1st two subscribers will receive additional Cut Above kits (pre-cut, no paper trimmer needed) from me!  
Please read the FAQ and ask me questions!  I'd love to complete a year of memories with you!  

Monday, August 6, 2018

Why I have a shimmer brush addiction

Who thinks all water should sparkle?  

(Me!)

Back in May (I'm still catching up) I created this fun card with a turtle in the shimmering blue sea.  


I used a Clear Shimmer Brush that I personally tinted with Peacock & Pacifica Reinkers!  


It got used here for the blue Mason jar and the butterflies.  


 And here!  See the blue plaid teacup?  Shimmer brush! 

Notice the sparkly pink ribbon?  Do we sell pink ribbon?  Nope.  

But we do sell a Bashful pink shimmer brush & white ribbon!

These brushes aren't just for finishing touches.  Use them in place of markers to color your stamped images and your ribbons!  

Grab your favorite darker reinkers. 
I used a mix of Peacock and and Pacifica for my blue shimmer brush and Clover Meadow (similar to Willow but much much older) for a pretty green one.  

I added reinker to clear shimmer brushes that I've used for a year.  They were still half full!  These were my workshop shimmer brushes so they had been used heavily and were still going strong.  Be sure to shake your brushes so the mixing beads rattle before using and enjoy!




Monday, July 30, 2018

There's always time for tea

Happy Monday Friends!  

Here's some beautiful cards to perk you right up today!  

But hold the coffee, they're all about tea.  

The Beautiful Friendship paper pack was very tea themed, it even had a whole sheet of paper with beautiful teacups.  But today, I'm taking that coordinating stamp set Beautiful Friendship - Cardmaking C1720 and using it with other papers featured in the Seasonal Expressions 2 catalog.  


This first card features the lovely Documented paper suite.  Documented does not explain how beautiful this paper is with the purples, pinks and golds mixed with greys.  If you looked at the scrapbooking kit and coordinating stamp set you'd see why it's called Documented.  

I stamped the teacup and sentiment on one of our new stitched Thin Cut Circles.  Don't forget about our rose embossing folder that I introduced nearly a year ago.  It's still available!  


This second card is from the Central Park paper suite.  It's so whimsical with houses, watercolored dots and bright colors.  I stamped the tea cups and then colored them in with our Shin Han markers and various stamps.  It was a lot of fun to make each one unique.  

And I believe this is the LAST of my posts that were destined for the Coffee Loving Paper Crafters blog hop back in May!  Whew, I finally got them posted.  :)  

With joy in my heart and coffee (not tea) in my cup, have a great day!