Fundraiser for the LAM Foundation!

As most of you already know, I was diagnosed with LAM a few years ago. It has been a bit of a roller coaster since then, but through it all, the LAM Foundation has always provided unmeasurable support and has been instrumental in their ongoing fight for a treatment and cure for LAM. UPDATE: I have extended the fundraiser for one more month! From January 1-29, 2012 From February 1-29, 2012, I am donating 20% of all sales from an online gathering to the LAM Foundation. Since this is an online gathering, it is easy for everyone to browse and purchase whatever they want and have it shipped directly to them.

Here is the link to a web page with all the details, where you can start shopping right away and even invite a friend: Fundraiser for the LAM Foundation.

I have also created a few cards to share for some ideas on what you could create, complete with a list of supplies (simply click on the image for more information). Each card has a basic version as well as a version with more of a creative kick. I hope you enjoy them!

























If you have any questions on how any of these cards were made, don't hesitate to ask. There are a few items which are retiring at the end of January, so make sure to order what you want while you can. I did update the supply lists to reflect what items did retire at the end of January. Again, please ask if you have any questions!!!

Dani

The 12 Days of Christmas Specials!

The 12 Days of Christmas Specials are in full swing! We're going to have fun with a different special every day until Christmas Eve. You can participate in one or all of the specials, but you'll have to let me know THAT day if you want the special (via phone or email).

IMPORTANT: At the end of The 12 Days of Christmas Specials, I will total your entire order for you. If there are enough orders for Hostess Rewards, I will also draw for Hostess Goodies. If your name is drawn, you'll have until Thursday, December 29th to let me know what you want for your goodies in order to get everyone's orders placed in a timely manner.

Don't forget to check your email (if you're not on my email list and would like to be, just let me know) or this blog to see what the daily 12 Days of Christmas Special is!!!

Twelfth Day of Christmas special: Saturday, December 24th!

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Dani

It's Christmas Gifts time!!!

We've been busy making some homemade Christmas gifts, which of course, I can't really share too much. However, we did give Kyle's librarian her gift already so I can share those! I help out at the library in the elementary, and one day I was helping her trim her tree and decorate a bit for Christmas. She didn't seem to have any ornaments that were for reading or books, so Kyle and I decided she needed some little "books" for her tree.







We ended up making her five little book ornaments. Kyle selected all the series to include: Harry Potter, Fablehaven, Redwall, Magic Tree House, and Percy Jackson. :-) They turned out so cute! They are a miniature book made from a small pad of sticky notes! Then I just raided my scrap paper drawer to decorate them up. If you'd like to make some mock little books, the directions I used can be found here. Here is a shot of the entire tree with our book ornaments on them.



I'll try to share some more as gifts are handed out to the recipients!

Dani

More Cricut Fun with CTMH's Art Philosophy Collection!

The cold weather is bringing me down, so I decided to take a break and craft a bit -- and I needed some bright and cheery colors! :-)

First, I made a fun card with the Art Philosophy Seasons stamp set, that comes bundled with the cartridge. I used the "christmas tree" stamp and cut-out as a banner on a party card. I went with a rainbow effect using Topiary, Sunflower, Sorbet, Tulip, Gypsy and Pacifica colors. Add some ribbon and a little bling with the "It's a Party" sentiment from the Art Philosophy Celebration stamp set, and it's finished! Does that lift your spirits or what?



I loved the colors so much with the Kraft cardstock as the background, that I decided to keep playing with the same color scheme. This time around however, I made a mini-card set. I made a set of six 3"x3" cards with matching envelopes and even a cute little holder for all of them. I selected a basic shape for each card from the Art Philosophy cartridge and then added texture and design with the Unscripted stamp set. I also cut out a coordinating envelope for each card with the cartridge too.



Last, but not least, I cut out a little card holder and decorated it up to match to hold the entire set.



Mission accomplished: spirits lifted!

Dani

Halloween 2010 Mini Album!

Waaaaay back over the summer, I said I'd post more of my artwork from teaching at convention... but you know how things go. :-) There is never enough time! (* sigh *) But considering this month is October with Halloween coming up soon, I decided to post close-up pictures of the kids' mini-album from last year's Halloween.

The mini-album is our My Creations All-Sorts Mini Album, with the Fanfare papers, and one of last year's stamp of the month set D1442 Thriller. I pulled the journaling from a Family Blog post from last Halloween. You should be able to click on any of the pictures to see a larger picture.

COVER:


SPREAD 1:


SPREAD 2:


SPREAD 3:


SPREAD 4:


SPREAD 5:


BACK:


Sorry for the slight glares and shadows, I just quickly snapped these pictures out in the back yard. I wonder who will be visiting us this year at Halloween? :-)

Dani

Christmas Card Workshop!

Get all your Christmas cards done in a snap. Go home with beautiful handmade cards -- ten each of two to four designs of your choice. As always, most everything is pre-cut and ready to assemble. This workshop is done in an assembly line fashion, in order to make ten of each design in a timely manner. In order to keep the overlap of supplies used to a minimum, each card design can only be used twice. Designs will be chosen on a first-come, first-serve basis -- so sign up now to get your favorite designs.

For a downloadable flyer of the workshop (pdf format), please click here. To see a close-up of all the individual designs available, please click here.

It has been quite a while since I've held a workshop (due to being diagnosed with a chronic illness and subsequently adjusting to it), so I'm going to go over a few basics regarding this Christmas Card Workshop for everyone who is new or as a gentle reminder for everyone else. :-)

• How many cards can I make? You can decide to make 20, 30 or 40 cards. Your choice! Simply select 2, 3 or 4 designs, and your cost is adjusted accordingly.
• What size are the cards? All the cards are a standard size (4-1/4"x5-1/2") and come with envelopes.
• Why are the designs limited to two people each workshop? Designs are limited to keep the overlap of supplies used to a minimum, in order to keep the workshop moving since we are making ten of each design.
• Do I have to cut all the individual pieces? Most everything is pre-cut and ready to assemble, except where noted on the individual design sheet (mainly if you are stamping and then cutting something out).
  
• Why do you need a RSVP date? The RSVP date is the last day to reserve your spot and get the payment for the workshop to me. I need time to order the supplies, get them back to me, and then get everything cut and ready to go for the workshop.
  
• Why are workshop fees non-refundable? I am ordering multiple quantities of lots of supplies. I simply can't afford such a large quantity of supplies or need such a quantity myself. If for some reason you are unable to attend, the kit will be packaged for you to finish at your own convenience or a make-up date can be arranged.
• What happens if the class fills up? I do keep an eye on how many people are participating, to ensure there is enough space for everyone to work comfortably. If the dates fill up, I'll simply open another date/time.
  
• Can a group of people schedule their own workshop? Sure! Simply contact me, and we'll work on finding a date/time mutually convenient.
• Can I bring my child(ren) to the event? These workshops are fun "me-times" for many people, so please make other arrangements for childcare. (Breastfeeding babies are an exception.)
• Can my child(ren) sign up for the workshop? If they are at least a teenager and able to work on their projects without assistance.
  

If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask! I hope to see you all at the Christmas Card Workshop!

Dani

Woo-hoo! I placed in three categories!

Close To My Heart runs a contest for consultants with each new Idea Book. I am excited that I placed in three categories! I also received my very own "blog badge" from CTMH for the first time ever to help share the good news. :-)



Nice, isn't it? I like it! You can click the link above, and it should take you to see all the winning art!

I placed in the Cricut Dreamin' category:



The Cricut Wonderland category:



And the November Stamp of the Month category:



Yeah! So excited! Thanks for letting me share!

Dani

One project finished... check!

I have had these artboards for an embarrassingly long time (they are discontinued now if that says anything), and I finally got around to doing something with them. I saw a neat picture where they had "inspiration" boards in their office.



Basically the clipboards were places to clip up anything inspiring, whether it was colors or an ad, whatever, so they could remember and use it in a project. LOVED IT! I decided to do the same thing.

I used a color scheme that would go well with the office, and I wanted them to be "pretty" even if nothing was clipped onto them. So I went with some creative/inspiration quotes to dress them up:

INSPIRE - "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." ~Pablo Picasso

DREAM - "The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible." ~Arthur C. Clarke

IMAGINE - "The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless." ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau

CREATE - "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." ~Scott Adams

I still can't believe they are finished. :-) It gives me hope for other unfinished projects. HA!

Dani

Questions about purchasing the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection with this month's specials!

I've had several questions about whether or not the purchase of the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection counts towards this month's specials. The short answer is a resounding, "YES!"

The longer answer is I will break down everything you can get with the purchase of a Cricut Art Philosophy collection this month, taking into consideration this month's specials.

First, the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection includes...

... the actual Cricut cartridge itself, of course! It comes with 700 images: font, shapes, 3-D items, and more.

The collection is also bundled with three stamp sets:







Every shape on each of these three stamp sets has a corresponding image on the cartridge, for quick and easy stamping on a perfectly sized cut-out. Not only that, but the setting needed to cut the shape the correct size is also listed right on the stamp's carrier sheet. Easy peasy!

But the collection doesn't stop there! There are also three 9"x12" Dimensional Elements sheets included as well:







You can not only just cut and stamp with ease, you can also cut, stamp and then cover Dimensional Elements in a snap. :-)

Not that it isn't simply awesome to have the cartridge with the bundled stamp sets and dimensional elements coordinate perfectly, but throughout the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book there are also numerous other stamp images which also work with the Art Philosophy cartridge. Bonus!!! If you see a stamp image surrounded by a red outline, you will know there is a matching shape on your Cricut cartridge. Here is an example of a stamp set that does just that:



This is the stamp set Hooray Bouquet. If you look closely, you can see that all six flower shapes have a red outline around them. So I know that I can utilize my Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge to easily cut out shapes for all of those stamped images. And, once again, the carrier sheet lists the setting that I need to cut the shape the right size. Here is a card I made with this set and our new Roxie papers:



I wanted a subtle tone on tone striping design in the back, so I layered strips of Kraft cardstock on top of our Desert Sand cardstock. The sentiment is also from the same set. Normally cutting out three flowers like this could be a little bit time-consuming, but with the Cricut cartridge... they were all cut in a snap. I simply stamped right on my base shape, added some embellishments, and voila! My card was finished. LOVE THIS!

The Cricut Art Philosophy collection is only $99*! That's the cartridge, stamp sets and dimensional elements all in one easy collection. It has a retail value of $124.69, so you are already getting a discount of over $25 in the bundled price. But, you can take advantage of even more this month!

The purchase of the Art Philosophy collection automatically qualifies you to get the stamp of the month for only an additional $5* (retail value $17.95). September's stamp of the month set is Limited Edition, a set of 21 stamps with vintage images, tags, sentiments and more.



Second, the purchase of the Art Philosophy collection also automatically qualifies you to receive this month's special in celebration of National Stamping Month... FREE* (retail value $35.90)! You can receive the exclusive My Acrylix Pair-A-Phrase double stamp set, our first ever double stamp set, simply by purchasing the Art Philosophy collection.





So this month, with the simple purchase of the $99 Cricut Art Philosophy Collection and an additional $5 for September's stamp of the month, Limited Edition, as well as the free Pair-A-Phrase double stamp set, you will spend $104* (actual retail value $178.54) -- a savings of over $70! You will receive the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge, 6 (six!) stamp sets and 3 dimensional element sheets. Wow! You can hardly purchase 6 stamp sets of that size for that price, let alone with the cartridge and dimensional elements too. This is a GREAT deal.

Make sure to order your Cricut Art Philosophy collection this month before the special is over!

*All prices listed are subtotals, before any s/h or tax is added.

Ask if you have any questions!
Dani

More Cricut art!

I have been having a lot of fun creating art with my new Cricut Expressions and CTMH's new Cricut cartridge collection, Art Philosophy, as well as all our lovely new paper packs. Since my very first Cricut card shared was using September's Stamp of the Month set, Limited Edition, it seems fitting to share yet one more with that set since this is officially September now! YIKES!

This card is focusing on color with a Kraft background and Sky, Pear, Lagoon and a touch of Sunset for a pop of color. I used the new Art Philosophy cartridge to cut out the letters "fun". Clean and simple.



The Art Philosophy collection also comes with three D-size stamp sets (Philosophy Tags, Philosophy Celebration, and Philosophy Seasons), and 3 Dimensional Elements sheets (Tags, Mixed Shapes, and Banners) which work perfectly, of course, with the Art Philosophy cartridge! I had to play around with EVERYTHING! :-) I'm going to share my favorite card made with each of our new paper packs and the new Art Philosophy collection.

Here is a card that I made with our new Mischief papers, adding some red for a splash of color. I used the Cricut cartridge to cut the large scallops on the bottom of the card, the scalloped circle and banner edges off each side. I also used two of the stamp sets from the collection, Tags for the sentiment and Celebration for the banner edges. It looks like it took a long time to put together, but it was quick and easy to do with the Art Philosophy cartridge!



While sometimes clean and simple is just what I'm looking for, other times I just seem to want to play with as many embellishments as I can dressing up the card. :-) This card is using our new Roxie papers, which is my current favorite new paper pack. I used the cartridge to cut out the frame for the sentiment as well as the beautiful 3-D flowers in the bottom right corner. I have stitching, ribbon, butterflies, opaques and brads all on one card! The sentiment is another one from the Tags stamp set in the collection as well.



This one was for Dee. She kept wanting me to make something with the cupcake stamp in the Celebration stamp set. So... a birthday card was born, using the new Typeset papers. In addition to the cupcake stamp, I also used the banner, star as well as the "Happy Birthday" sentiment from the same stamp set. I used 3-D Foam Adhesive for some dimension with the cupcake, as well as making it easy to use a new Foundry Pin Clip to attach the star.



I don't know why, since the Fourth of July has come and gone a while now this year... but for some reason, I kept seeing a patriotic card with the star and heart in the Seasons set. :-) I used the red and blue prints from the new Believe paper packet (which just illustrates that you CAN use Christmas paper for other events quite easily). I cut small scallop strips to make the background, as well as the hearts, star and sentiment accent.



Here is another quick and simple one, using the new Dreamin' papers. I cut out the petals for the flower and the scallop circle with the Cricut. The sentiment strip on the bottom is one of the new Zip Strip Borders; there are three different designs in each paper pack.



The flower in the Seasons set was just screaming to be used too, so I put it with our Elemental papers with some stitching going for a quilt-like effect. I was able to cut out the flowers, large scallop accents and the sentiment "hi" with the cartridge. How easy is that?



Going back to the clean and simple design, I created this adorable little card with our new Sonoma papers. I cut out the tree branch, leaves, bird and wings with the cartridge. The sentiments are from the Seasons stamp set included in the collection too. Just love this!



And last, but not least, is our new Wonderland paper packet. I have to say this paper is gorgeous, even if winter is my least favorite season. I used the cricut to cut out the trees from the Seasons set and the sentiment accent. Aren't they cute? I love the polka dots. I also used one of the new Zip Strip borders with this set, making a mock ribbon towards the bottom and accenting it with one of our new Rhinestone Designer Brads. You really can't ever have enough bling, right?



For those of you who already purchased the Art Philosophy collection, I hope this gives you some more ideas. And for those of you who haven't yet... what are you waiting for? This cartridge is filled with 700 images and not only coordinates with the three stamp sets in the collection, but also with numerous other stamp images throughout the idea book. Whenever you see a stamp image surrounded by a red outline, you will know there's a matching shape on the Cricut cartridge. Since our stamps are clear acrylic, you can easily cut out your shape with the setting indicated on the sheet and stamp your image right where you need it to be. Can't be any easier than that! :-) If you still don't have one, get your Art Philosophy collection today!

Dani