New Kit: Happy Birthday themed!

I'm going to go with, better late than never, and finally share the next kit available.  :-)  I'm switching things up a little, and there will be no more workshop class times.  Everyone is always busy, myself included, and attendance has really dropped at the classes.  Many times those who were planning on attending, call me the day before or day of the class to say that something came up and to just package up their kit to go.  It's not a big deal, I completely understand; it seems as if our schedule is always jam-packed as well.  Since the To Go kit option seems to be more popular and convenient, I'm going with kits only for a while and see how it goes.

This will also open up possibilities for a variety of kits.  I was always careful to include a scrapbooking and card making option in each kit, so that everyone had the chance to do one or the other (or both!) and that way everyone is happy.  But now, the kits will just be available as long as the supplies are, so I can now have fun and have even more projects.  I am working on a Crown Point school themed mini album which I will have available here soon, and I have lots of ideas for additional kits that I can't wait to share.

Some of the nitty gritty details:

-Each kit is pre-cut and ready to stamp and assemble, complete with all products listed and directions.
 
-Kits are available on a while supplies last status.  If you have prepaid online and the supplies are no longer available, you will be promptly refunded.  
 
-Everyone who purchases a kit will receive one free copy of the current Idea Book, just let me know if you need one.
 
-Each kit will come with a special coupon, that is exclusive to the kit.
 
-Local participants can simply pick up their kit, while long distance participants need to add $5 for shipping.

-Kits will be mailed within 2-3 weeks (allowing time to order needed supplies).
 
-All kits need to be paid for in advance, thanks for your understanding.

-If you have any problems with your kit, please contact me.  I'll be happy to help figure it out, or if you are local, you can set up a mutually convenient time to work on it with me.
 


So here is the new kit, all ready to go, with a Happy Birthday theme - click here for a flyer!  Don't we always need birthday layouts and cards?   You can create the projects at your own convenience, directions included.  Here is a list of supplies needed for each project that is not included, most of which you may already have or have something close you can substitute.

Supplies Needed for To Go Kit: Z2171 Saddle Ink Pad; 1"x1", 2"x2", and 2"x6-1/2" acrylic blocks; adhesives; and a Z1114 Piercing Tool kit would be helpful (but not necessary)

Any kit orders need to be paid for in advance, you can pay via check, credit card or PayPal online.

$25.00 - To make either the scrapbook or cards (please let me know which one you select)   
$10.00 - Add this to make BOTH the scrapbook and cards
$  5.00 - Add this for shipping costs, if you aren't local and able to pick up your kit   
$  ?      - Please contact me if you need some extra supplies for the project, and I'll give you a total  

Kit Costs Scrapbook or Cards(local) $25.00 USD Scrapbook & Cards(local) $35.00 USD Scrapbook or Cards(to ship) $30.00 USD Scrapbook & Cards(to ship) $40.00 USD

Since setting aside a time for a class is no longer a consideration, any of my previous kits since I started back up again may be available for purchase again as well.  My time is hard to come by as well, so I'm not going to take the time now and check whether all the supplies are available for each kit right now.  If you are possibly interested in one, simply let me know, and I will let you know whether or not I can still make the kit.  I just included a link to the original blog post, so disregard any class times and RSVP dates -- just pay attention to the kit design and supplies. 

Previous Kits (just let me know whether or not you are interested in purchasing one):

















 If you have any questions regarding the kits or any of the recent changes, please don't hesitate to ask.  I love to hear from you guys!

~Dani
 

June's Stamp of the Month set: A Flowering Bunch!

I finally found some time to play around with June's stamp of the month set: A Flowering Bunch. I love how versatile it is; I was able to have fun with several techniques with my cards.  My first one, I just kept to a simple monochromatic color scheme, taking the color from the Outdoor Denim Chevron Ribbon.  Cute, sweet and simple (and fast!).



Next, I decided to color the image in with our markers.  Have you used our new alcohol-based markers yet?  They color so smoothly, with such vibrant results.  Since each marker color comes with two coordinating shades, I only used two colors on this flower: Lagoon and Sweet Leaf.  But look how colorful it looks!  I also did some paper piecing with the Relief for Oklahoma Thank You set.  The patterned paper designs are from Later Sk8r.



I thought the paper piecing turned out so nice on the previous card, that I decided to do some paper piecing with the floral designs as well.  This time I pulled designs from two paper packs: Dakota and Chantilly.



And since I somehow seemed to be on a blue kick, I decided to make sure that my last card threw that color out and went with something new.  This time I decided to mess around with masking, and create some fun floral groupings.  Again, I was coloring with our awesome markers.  I think the colors I used were Autumn Terracotta, Hollyhock, Topiary and Smokey Plum.



I'm so behind.  I could just sit and play with this set, but I need to move on to my next project.  I did do some much needed spring cleaning though, and my two upper levels are nice and clean!  Definitely not fun, but oh so needed.  :-) My lower level (which has my craft room too) will require some more time.  UGH!!!

Enjoy!
~Dani

 

Helping Red Cross Relief Efforts for Oklahoma!

Close To My Heart is releasing a stamp set from the upcoming Autumn/Winter Idea Book early to help the Red Cross in their relief efforts for Oklahoma. It is an adorable stamp set for only $2.95, and one hundred percent of the profits from May 23 to June 30 will be donated to aid tornado victims in Oklahoma. You can place an order online on my website, or you can contact me directly.  Here's a picture of it:

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!
Dani
 

A New Checkbook Cover!

It is nice to cross things off your list, even if they are little things.  I've been wanting to make a new checkbook cover forever, but I don't know, I just never got around to it.  I've had one for years, that I think I made at a unit meeting with my upline, but I'm not quite sure.  It has definitely seen better days.  It was literally tearing at the ends, stained and basically falling apart.



I used the paper from the Dream Pop special, and I made a bright, fun new one today!  I used our Fashionista stamp set too.  Since I didn't want any lumpy, bumpy embellishments, I just cut out a flower from one of the prints.



I don't know why I took so long to do this, because it literally only took me a few minutes to make.  I think it turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself.  :-)

Dani
 

Pinwheels!

Last weekend, Delaney had a soccer tournament down in the Indianapolis area, so I really wasn't able to do any crafting for National Scrapbooking Day. However, they did let me go to Archiver's and shop around a little. :-) I found these adorable paper straws with a chevron pattern, that I just KNEW would look so cute with May's Stamp of the Month set: Pinwheels.  So... here they are:



Sweet, huh?  They came in a pack of 25, so I still have 22 more to play with!!!

Enjoy!
Dani
 

May's Stamp of the Month set: Pinwheel!

I decided to mix the current special Dream Pop with my May Stamp of the Month: Pinwheel artwork.  You are going to absolutely LOVE the papers in the Dream Pop special!  They are so vibrant, fun and easy to work with.  Then stamping with the sweet Pinwheel set was just the icing on the cake.  I had to make myself stop and move on to another project.  :-)











Aren't these papers just yummy?  The link to the special is above and to the side.  The Dream Pop packet is only $10 with your $35 purchase.  Please ask if you have any questions!!!

Enjoy!
Dani

 

Photo Pillow Sham!

This is a project that I had started a while ago, back in early March actually, but I wasn't able to get back to it until now. It is going to be a Mother's Day gift for my grandmother, and I didn't want to be working on it the day before... so it was starting to stress me out a bit that it wasn't finished. (And since my Grandma isn't online, I think it's safe to share here early.  Anyone who knows both me AND my grandma... mums the word!!!)  As my sewing skills (I hesitate to even use the word skills) are self-taught and more of a learn-as-I-go sort of process, I wasn't even sure how long it would take me to complete. Thankfully, I had some great instructions in a book by Donna Downey, Fabric Scrapbooking.  (It's part of a 'Yes, It's a Scrapbook Series' of books that I really enjoy, I actually have three more: Creative Albums, Photo Decor, and Decorative Journals -- all by the same author.)



The project I was doing was the Photo Pillow Sham.  Since this is for my grandmother, I found pictures of all her great-grandchildren to include -- my two kids, my sister's two boys and my cousin's two girls.  I printed the photos out on colorfast sew-in inkjet fabric sheets.  That was the part that I had finished for a while now, I just hadn't gotten around to the sewing it all together part.  But I'm happy to say, that I started working on it today and was able to finish it!!!  I even had to run some errands, get supper ready, play chauffeur to/from school events, laundry and help with homework and STILL was able to finish it even with my very limited sewing skills.  So all in all, I count it as a success.  I especially love the fact that it was a sham, so I was able to do all the sewing on my machine and not have to hand sew the last seam or anything.

And yes, I was using some of Close To My Heart's very own textiles: I used the Black Damask print from the For Always Textiles with the Buttercup Polka-dot from the Chantilly Textiles with the Black with white script from the For Always Textiles for the back.

Here is a closeup of one of the pictures of my kiddos on the pillow sham:



It's pretty neat - the pictures turned out really well I thought.  I'm very pleased with the final project.  Now I'm anxious to try some other projects in that book!  There is an Accordion Album, Ribbon-Hinge Album, and an Altered Canvas Tote that I have sticky noted, just to name a few.  So nice to get another project on the To Do list finished!

Hope you like it!
Dani
 

May's Workshop!!!

I thought it would be neat to use some of our fun wooden embellishments.  This workshop will be set up like normal -- with either a scrapbooking project, cards or both.



This class will be held on Friday, May 17th at 6:00pm.  Again for scheduling ease, they'll be held on the third Friday of the month so we can all plan ahead.  You can decide to do either scrapbooking or cards for the $25 fee, and it comes with the B1372 Circle Together stamp set as well as the Wooden Mini-Medley Accents Collection and the Trinkets Wooden Shapes.  If you'd like, you can make both the scrapbooking and cards for an additional $10.  Everything is pre-cut and ready for you to assemble.

For those of you who would prefer, I'm also offering To Go kits with every workshop.  This will allow you to create the projects at your own convenience, directions will be included.  I'll also have a list of supplies needed for each project that aren't included, most of which you may already have or have something close you can substitute.

Supplies Needed for To Go Kit: Z2191 Sunset Ink Pad, Z2153 Sweet Leaf Ink Pad, 2"x2" acrylic block (minimum), adhesives  

I'm even offering a club option with the workshop, providing even more benefits!  Club Members will commit to a 6 month rotation workshops, which will make them eligible for hostess goodies, prizes, members-only specials, etc.  To see all the nitty-gritty details about the workshop and club option, check out the flyer.

If you are interested in attending the workshop, I'll need your RSVP (including payment) by Friday, April 26th.  This will allow me time to order the necessary supplies and get all the packets prepared and ready to go.

Now you can easily pay online via PayPal, if you'd like!  Check out the chart to see the payment required, and you are good to go (and let me know what your highlight color request is):

$25.00 - To make either the scrapbook or cards (please let me know which one you select)  
$10.00 - Add this to make BOTH the scrapbook and cards     
$  5.00 - Add this for shipping costs, if you aren't local for the To Go kit    
$  ?      - Please contact me if you need some extra supplies for the project, and I'll give you a total  

If you are a CTMH consultant, interested in giving this class yourself, please contact me for special pricing.

Workshop Costs Scrapbook, Cards, or To Go (local)$25.00 USD Scrapbook & Cards$35.00 USD To Go - Scrapbooking or Cards (w/shipping)$30.00 USD To Go - Scrapbook & Cards$40.00 USD

Sorry this is online so late -- still catching up from our vacation!  :-)

Dani
 

April Stamp of the Month: My Sunshine

Even though we don't have any sunshine outside hardly yet, I had a lot of fun messing around with April's Stamp of the Month set, My Sunshine.  Even if I can't enjoy warm weather outside yet, I can pretend, right?  :-)

First, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the hot air balloon image and give it a 3-D effect.  I used a print from Surf's Up as the background and stamped the balloon image three separate times: in Cranberry, Honey and Sunset.  I added a few clouds and stamped the sentiment on the largest cloud.  Pretty cute, if I do say so myself.  HA!



Since I am in dire need of some sunshine, I was drawn to the sun images and sentiment next.  I pulled the chevron pattern from Claire and pulled my color scheme from there.  Now if it could just get nice and warm outside... it is, after all, the middle of April.  I don't think it is too unreasonable to want warm weather!!!



And last, but not least, I stamped the bird and you're tweet sentiment.  I inked the bird up in Honey, then rolled the tail and tummy with Smoothie to give it some dimension.



I ended up using the Cricut Artiste with each card too.  From clouds and balloons, to suns, leaves, birds and more -- it had just what I needed to quickly finish up each card perfectly!

Dani

 

Sign Up and Celebrate!

Free stamp sets for signing up in April!

 

When you join the Close To My Heart family during the month of April, you'll receive the April, May, June, and July Stamp of the Month sets for free* (that's a $71.80 value)! And that's in addition to what you receive in your start-up kit, let me share what you can get:

When you sign up and select the Essentials Kit, you'll receive over $226 worth of products and supplies for only $49 (including the kit and April's special).  And as a consultant, you'll be eligible for:

- discounts on your own product orders
- FREE online business address
- oodles of FREE training (creative, business and more)
- ability to order new products before they are released
- pre-designed workshops and bulk items
- earn even more product in your first 90 days with the Straight-to-the-Top program
- access to very active consultant-only bulletin boards (art, business, swaps, etc.)
- and so much more!!!

One of the things I love about this company is the flexibility that is offered.  You can run your business as little or as much as you want, and believe me, depending on different circumstances in my life -- I've worked it at almost all levels, I've been with Close To My Heart for over ten years now.  You can run it as a hobbyist, just to get the discount; you can run it as a part-time business, to get a little extra income; or you can run it full-time and make it your career.  It all depends what you want to get out of it.

If you are interested in joining my team and becoming a part of the Close To My Heart community - make sure to contact me!  You can even easily sign up online, at any time that is convenient for you.

Dani

 

How to Make Quick Banners and Chevrons!

Okay, here's the how-to for the quick banners and chevrons that I posted a bit ago. I'm starting with the quick banners. I pulled a few more scraps and created another card with banners. These papers are so old, that I don't even remember what the name of the paper pack was. :-) A large square punch is all you need to create these super fast banners.

 

I like to punch it upside down, so I can see where I am punching.  I'll just be using a corner of the punch, to create the indent on the banner strip.



A quick punch, then you have a quick and easy banner.  After punching the other two strips, I put together another card with some more scraps.  Can't be any easier than that!



Making the chevrons has a few more steps, but it is still a lot easier than you'd think.  I did get the inspiration from this site, which was showing how to quilt with chevrons.  The card I shared in the previous link, I cut 12 pieces of different patterns (just leftover scraps again) into 1/2"x6"strips.  After creating the chevron pattern, it almost covered an entire 5"x7" card (there were small margins on the left and right sides), and I had some leftover too.  I hated to not use them, so I used the leftover pieces on another card:



So you can easily just use some chevrons as a partial design, it doesn't necessarily have to cover the entire background.

But since these chevrons almost filled up an entire 5"x7" card, as well as leaving enough to decorate another card... this time I wanted to make the chevrons a bit smaller.  I'll try to walk you through step by step what I did here with the smaller chevrons.

This time, I cut the pieces (from leftover scraps again) into 1/4"x6" strips.  I was using all the patterns from an older packet and cut two complete sets (so two each of all six patterns into 1/4"x6" strips).  Then I cut one more of the first pattern used to finish up the design.  I attached each strip onto cardstock, using a 1/4" spacer, so I offset each strip the same amount each time.



When you get through your strips, here's what they all look like glued down.



So I started in the corner with one pattern from the pack, then offset each subsequent piece 1/4" and went through the other 5 patterns.  Then started again and went through all six patterns, and finished off with the beginning pattern for the ending.  Make any sense?  :-)  Then I did the whole thing again on the other side of the cardstock, creating two sets of strips.  (Sorry this picture is a bit fuzzy, but for some reason all of my pics of both sets were.)



Now we need to trim these off at a 45 degree angle, and since I don't have the handy-dandy quilting tool that she had in her blog... I had to make my own guide.  I simply took an 8"x8" square, and cut it on the diagonal from opposite corner to the other to create my own 45 degree guide.



The resulting triangle, will have a 45 degree angle on each end.  I simply lined it up along the edge of my stripes and gently drew a pencil mark where to trim.



When finished, you'll end up with two pieces that look like this:



Now you simply slice each piece into equal strips, I decided to use the lip of my cutter as a guide.  I ended up with four equal strips from each piece (with a bit leftover that I simply threw away).



Now you just need to alternate your strips from each piece and glue them together on your card!  Again at this size, it still almost filled up an entire 5"x7" card.  I'll have to keep messing around to find the right dimensions to fill up a regular sized card.



I know it can seem a bit much, but with some simple cutting and gluing -- you can create perfectly aligned chevrons that is way easier than trying to glue all those little pieces yourself!!!  Just try it!  If you figure out the perfect size and number of strips to fill out a regular size card, please share.  :-)

So go ahead, make some banners and chevrons out of your scraps and create some gorgeous cards.  If you do, please share.  I'd love to see them!

Dani
 

Use Up Your Scraps!

We all have tons of those scraps of papers that you have hanging around, so let's use them up! I'm going to start with sharing a couple of great cards that you can easily make with just leftover scraps. The first one has three banners, which are perfect for varying sizes of patterned paper you have left.  Add a sentiment and a small embellishments, and it's finished! 



The second card is showing a big trend right now: chevrons!  I used a variety of coordinating patterned papers and was able to use several small leftover strips of patterned paper.  Again, adding a sentiment with some small embellishments and it's good to go.



I'll share more detailed instructions on how I made each card in another post.  A quick hint, the first card used a square punch for quick banners and the second card utilized some quilting tricks to easily make the chevron pattern.  More to come!

~Dani
 

March Stamp of the Month: Floral Happiness

I finally got to play around with March's Stamp of the Month set, Floral Happiness.  I wasn't sure how I felt about this set initially, but I have to say I really love it now.  It's so easy to use, and I love the two-step stamping.  The finished flowers and leaves look absolutely gorgeous, with hardly any effort on my part.  Love that!  HA!  I also decided to play around with some of the pretty color schemes that I've pinned on Pinterest, so I'll share the scheme I used first then the card.

Color Scheme #1:



With this color scheme, I selected the CTMH colors of Whisper, Black, Barn Red, Cranberry, and Sweet Leaf.  I used the second generation stamping technique to stamp both the flowers and leaves.  I also used the awesome chevron print from the For Always kit for the background.
  


Color Scheme #2:
 


This color scheme led me to the CTMH colors of Slate, Goldrush, Blush and Smoothie (I skipped the bluish color).  I used the detail stamps for the flowers to create textured backgrounds on the colored strips.  Then, I used some stamp rolling along with second generation stamping to create the flower accent.

   

Color Scheme #3:
 


For this color scheme, I went with the CTMH colors of Twilight, Blush, Whisper, Chocolate and Sweet Leaf.  Instead of second generation stamping, this time I went with tone-on-tone stamping.  So I stamped the base floral stamp with the same ink on the same color of cardstock.  Then for the detailed floral and leaf stamps, I stamped them all in Chocolate.



Color Scheme #4:
 
With this last color scheme, I just went the trendy and always pretty grey and yellow.  I did second generation stamping with Creme Brulee and Whisper.  I also yet another print from the Love Always kit for the background, with just a hint of our Slate Satin Polka-Dot Ribbon.
    


Almost too pretty to send out, right?  If you don't have your March Stamp of the Month set, make sure to get in touch with me before the month is over.  :-)  Enjoy!

Dani