Open House tomorrow & Friday

Just a reminder that tomorrow and Friday is my Open House where I will be sharing with you my new favorite products and projects out of the new Annual Inspirations catalog from Close to My Heart.

Here are a few specials - just from me - just for attending:

• A free gift just for you plus your own copy of the Annual Inspirations catalog
• A free M-sized stamp set with your order (up to $50)
• A free stamp set of your choice with your order ($50.01-100) 
• A free paper pack of your choice with your order (over $100)
• Plus additional discounts on my Cash & Carry items

Stop by tomorrow, Thursday 7/31 from 4-7pm or Friday, 8/1 from 7-9pm to join in the fun!

Coral and Black wedding card

Going through my photo archives, I came across this gem that didn't make it onto the blog yet ...

My cousin was married a few months ago and I wanted to incorporate her theme into the card I was making them. Her invitation was in the chalkboard effect with a coral-printed burlap ribbon sleeve. I pulled a few elements together and I love what I came up with:

For Always Congratulation card by LavenderSage Designs.

I used For Always paper and the zip strip, burlap ribbon and some bling to embellish the rosette I made with the Artiste cartridge. It was the first time I made a rosette like that and I think I need some practice to make it easier. :) 

Here's a close up --

For Always congratulations card by LavenderSage Designs.

Just a reminder that the end of the month is fast approaching -- now is the time to check out all the retiring products before they are gone!

Friendship Bag Favors

A few weeks ago, I teased you about the friendship favors I was making for my Women's Group using the new CTMH embossing folders. Here they are all finished up!  I used extra papers from For Always (black and white) and Arianna (purple). The flowers were made with Ruby, Hollyhock and White Daisy cardstock embossed with the Quadrafoil folder and finished with a pearl from the Dakota embellshiments (retired). The leaf was embossed with a non-CTMH folder; everything was attached to the burlap ribbon and glued together. The bags were cut from the Artiste Cricut cartridge.

I found some inspiration on Pinterest for filling the friendship bags with little things a woman would need to maintain her friendships.

Here is the text I used to make our tags: 

Candle .............. Friends Light up your life

Paper clip.......... To help hold your friends together

Button.............. To button your lips, when tempted to gossip

Tissue............... To wipe away tears of joy and sadness

Gum................. To help you stick with your friends

Toothpick.......... To pick out the best in everyone, including yourself

Puzzle piece...... Because you’re an important piece in a friend’s life

Marble.............. To replace the ones you’ve lost along the way

Starburst........... For when you’re bursting to share a secret

Cotton ball........ For cushioned support on those rough roads

Band-aid........... For hurt feelings, either yours or someone else’s

Tootsie Roll....... To let things “roll” off your shoulders

Rubber band..... To remind you to be flexible

July Stamp of the Month

This is a fun stamp set that I had to share with you!

I don't usually go head-over-heels for a Stamp of the Month (though I regularly collect them!) but this one is special enough that I wanted to point it out - it's an alphabet!

I love alphabet sets - I own every one available since I became a consultant. They are so versatile and  easy to make any size title, phrase or just to personalize notecards, envelopes, etc. I even use them to make personalized labels for my kids (using Archival Ink).

This is a fun alphabet too, I imagine I will use this on a lot of home decor items for my daughter and niece, it just fits their personalities!

The stamp set includes both upper case and lower case letters and numbers!

Here's the deal: You will need to place a $50 order (before tax and shipping) then you will be able to add this stamp set for an additional $5. This is a great way to get your retiring items and anything you want that will have a price increase soon. (Check out my other post for more information on this)

Also, since it is my birthday, I will extend the party all weekend... Any orders this weekend (until 7/13/14 at midnight) will be entered to win an exclusive grab bag of brand new product! Any size order qualifies for this deal so hurry over to my website - but don't forget the stamp of the month, retired items or items that may be increasing in price.

July News

There is so much that happens in July that I have a hard time keeping up - it's like Christmas for me ... I jump from one thing to another just trying to keep up with all that has to get done. There are birthdays galore (6 birthdays, including mine and my husband's), it's the start of CTMH's new year (meaning a new Idea Book and a year's worth of class/workshop planning and an Open House to plan and create for), plus all the normal summer stuff (we have three vacations this year plus me going to DisneyLand for CTMH's convention) then you throw into the mix our church's vacation bible school planning and the "normal" daily stuff: like going to the pool, playdates and of course we can't forgot actual, good old fashioned WORK! It really is a wonder that our summer goes so fast! I enjoy every minute of it but I want to take a moment to remember you too!

Since CTMH has announced a new Annual Inspirations catalog (available Aug. 1st), there has also been a retired list for items that didn't make into the next year's catalog. Along with the retired list, some eagle-eyed consultants have shared some items that are continuing into the new Annual Inspirations but at a higher price. Because I value you, I want you to be aware of both lists.

CTMH products retiring July 31, 2014
For a complete list of still available products, visit my website here. While this may not be the full list, it is what is still available to order.

CTMH products increasing in price August 1, 2014 (many thanks to the original consultant who shared this!)