November Joyful Stars Blog Hop: A Christmas Card

Hi and welcome to the November Joyful Stars Blog Hop. It's a circular hop so no matter where you start just keep hopping till you come back again. If you get lost you can find the list at Joyce's blog. If you're coming from Krista's blog, you're on the right track.

I'm trying to get a jump on the holidays this year so I'm posting a Christmas card. My kids were at the table "helping" me so it's not the most complicated design ... but there's something elegant about it anyway!

The stamp set is a Hostess Reward set so make sure you talk to your Consultant to find out how you can get this exclusive set! To make the card, I used White Daisy and Lagoon cardstock with Lagoon & Silver (non-CTMH) inks with Lagoon twine (retired).

I used second generation stamping on the angel for a subtle effect.

Now you're off to Crystal's blog to see what she's created. See you next month!

Scaredy Cat, Day 3

Here is the last of the cards I made with the Scaredy Cat paper pack scraps:

I recently found out about "Inchie" cards and then saw this template in the MIFYH book. I added some Thistle ribbon and Sunset Mini Medley brads and buttons (retired). The stamp set is Trick or Treat Sweets.

Joyful Stars Blog Hop: October Edition

Welcome to the Joyful Stars Blog Hop for October! If you're coming from Krista's blog then you're on the right track. It's a circular hop so if you do get lost, visit Joyce's blog for the complete list.

I've been working on a self-imposed challenge to post a project a day from the Artfully Sent cartridge, but due to my lack of foresight I'm sharing a card I made from some scraps of my Scaredy Cat paper pack:

I used the new purple glimmer trim, blue twill ribbon and a scrap of the black striped ribbon (retired) with embellies I colored in with the alcohol markers (yes, even the sequins!). The sentiment is from Trick or Treat Sweets stamp set and cut with the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge .

Now you're off to Crystal's blog. Have a sweet October!

Ooops! My Bad.

So I didn't think this challenge through - or at least, I didn't consult my calendar. This week is our town's Farm Show and it's a pretty big deal. One, because it's my family's tradition to be involved behind the scenes and two, I live only two blocks from the farm show grounds. This is a week that I don't buy groceries (or do dishes!) because we eat lunch and dinner there every night. All food stands are from churches and civic groups in town so this is a big fundraiser for everyone. And there is so much good food!

Anyway, I digress ... (sorry, dreaming of those whoopie pies.... mmm!)

Here is a card I made using the Scaredy Cat paper pack, not using the cartridge, this is left over from last month's challenge. I'll post a few more cards using this paper pack (because it's what I have to share) and then I'll return next week with some more projects from the Artfully Sent cartridge.

This 3" x 3" card is made with scraps of the Scaredy Cat paper pack and would be perfect as a gift tag for a teacher's gift or if you're into "Boo"ing your neighbors. I used alcohol markers to color the white enamel stars to match the Thistle ribbon.

Artfully Sent Monthly Challenge, Day Five

Today's project is a card that took me less than five minutes - it's so simple!

This card was actually a mistake cut - I meant to hit "Shift" before "Cut" and this is what I got... but add some washi tape, twine and a liner and I've got a great gift! So simple!

Hope you have a great weekend and I'll be back tomorrow with another project from the Artfully Sent Cricut cartridge!

Artfully Sent Monthly Challenge, Day Four

Here we are at Day Four! Are you enjoying the few projects I've shared with you? If not that's okay - there's a lot more to share so I hope you stick with me! There is so much on this cartridge that I'm finding a month may not be enough time ... but I've committed to a month (and only a month!) and I'm going to do my best to share the range of projects from this cartridge.

Today's project isn't a card - it's an envelope. Back when I married my husband, my mother-in-law and her sisters were making cards together and they made their own envelopes out of wallpaper sample books. It was a time consuming process because wallpaper can be thick and difficult to cut. But they had their templates and they did it - but they also had to cut out liners for the inside because of the ugliness and destruction of the glue on the backside of the wallpaper. Eek! It wasn't for me - I was quite happy buying my envelopes in bulk from Staples. But, I will admit, receiving a beautiful envelope in the mail was an event - it always meant love because I knew it could only come from one of three people. I can now hope to carry on that tradition because this cartridge makes a lot of different envelopes - all with their own liners! It's so easy! 

I selected a plain Jane envelope and liner to start with but there are scalloped edges, sleeve envelopes and more. But I lined it with some of my favorite B&T paper from the "For Always" paper pack (retired but there is a new PML pack that will match it!). This will surely bring a smile to whomever opens it!

Tomorrow's project is another card but you'll love how quick and stunning this one is!

Artfully Sent Monthly Challenge, Day Three

Yesterday I shared the first of two baby cards I made using the new Artfully Sent Cricut cartridge from Close to My Heart. Today, I'm going to share the second one.

This cartridge makes it so simple to make a beautiful card quickly. But it also features envelopes, PML cards and much more. I used a PML card to decorate the front of this card, added a few embellishments and voila!

This card is preset to cut at 4" x 6" so I changed the dial size to 5" so it would better fit a 5" x 7" card. As you can see, it's not exactly 5" x 7" but it does fit the 7" height of the card base.

I added a bow of the new Thistle ribbon and some silver Glitz (retired) to highlight the heart shape.

The drying time of the Glitz was the longest part of making the card, but tying that bow was a close second! :)

The inside sentiment was from the stamp set that came with the cartridge. There are lots of phrases to choose from and it's easy to mix and match. There are sentiments for every card occasion I could think of - all on one stamp set!

Yes, this cartridge is an investment BUT there is so much in this purchase to make it a wise investment. There are three D sized stamp sets that come with it plus a bundle of White Daisy cardstock. I'll be using another of the stamp sets on tomorrow's project.

See you tomorrow!

Artfully Sent Monthly Challenge, Day Two

Welcome back to the second day of my self-imposed monthly challenge with the Artfully Sent Cricut cartridge!

Browsing through the booklet that came with the cartridge, I noticed this 5x7 card and thought it would make a beautiful baby card.

I cut the first two "drafts" out of cardstock (doesn't work well with a dull blade) so I used Desert Sand cardstock and it went much smoother. I backed the inside cover with White Daisy cardstock  and colored in the negative space with the Shin Han alcohol makers to make the card pop. I then lined the whole inside of the card with another layer of White Daisy cardstock to hide the bleed-through of the makers. Because the alcohol markers layer so well, I colored the tree in then let it dry and colored it in again with the same color (Clay, I think) to give it a little dimension, skipping parts of the branches where there would be some highlights.

Since this is going to a friend who just had a little boy, I used blue on the bunting.

Come back again tomorrow when I;ll share a card I made for a friend who just had a baby girl.

Artfully Sent Monthly Challenge, Day One

Today is the first day of my month-long, self-imposed challenge to share with you one project a day that I made using the new CTMH Artfully Sent Cricut cartridge.

Yesterday, I shared with you a beautiful swing card I made using the Scaredy Cat paper pack but today I'm going to share with you a super simple card made with cardstock that came together in less than 10 minutes.

I made this card using Sweet Leaf, Chocolate & White Daisy cardstock, and the ShinHan alcohol markers. Each of the three cuts were made from the same key on the cartridge and they coordinate so beautifully, it's super simple to load up three mats with a cardstock sheet, and feed it through the machine without changing any of the settings (and no, I don't have the new Cricut Explore). It's all programed into the cartridge!

Once I assembled everything, I laid it out flat so that the front card was over some scrap paper and I colored in the tree branch and bird using the ShinHan alcohol markers (the scrap paper was to protect from any bleed through from the markers). I outlined the animals with a marker to provide a little definition.

Using the fun alphabet stamp set included in the cartridge kit, I stamped "Miss you Dear" in black archival ink since I will be tucking this into my hubby's go bag for deer camp in the fall.

Come back again tomorrow when I'll share another card I made for my hubby using this fun new cartridge!

Scaredy Cat meets Artfully Sent

Please forgive me, I got a little distracted this month. After a few months of waiting (for us consultants, it's been since July) the Artfully Sent Cricut cartridge is finally available!

To celebrate the release of the cartridge, I'm undertaking a self-imposed challenge: 31 days of projects using the Artfully Sent Cricut cartridge! (*breathe!*)

I found it so easy to work with this weekend that I made a few more cards than I really needed to make which is how this challenge started - what am I going to do with all these cards?!?

So, I will share them with you over the next few days plus all the new projects I am anxiously awaiting to make. But first... a sneak peek using the Scaredy Cat paper pack (because this month's challenge was using that one paper pack, ahem, oops!)

This is a fun swing card cut on B&T paper. Then I added a Slate gray cardstock to the right inside that was cut with "BOO".

I backed the letters with some scrap Kraft paper to give a little color difference and used the "Frightfully Fun" Stamp Set B1453 in Black Archival ink for the cute little ghost and sentiment.

See you tomorrow when I share another project from the new Artfully Sent Cricut cartridge!

What I'm working on this weekend

Since I was working over our anniversary a few weeks ago, my husband stole me away this weekend to this beach sans kids. Of course I brought some scrapbooking goodies along!

I brought the new Artfully Sent Cricut cartridge from CTMH so I'll have some fun projects to share with you next week!

Stay tuned!

Joyful Stars September Blog Hop: Scaredy Cat

Hi!

Welcome the September edition of the Joyful Stars Blog Hop. If you're coming here from Krista's blog then you're on the right track. It's a circular hop so just keep going till you come back to where you started. If you get lost along the way, stop over at Joyce's blog for a complete list. 

While at Convention in DisneyLand this past summer, I heard it mentioned that the Annual Inspirations book was set up in a way to encourage us consultants to go through it in order, one paper pack per month. If we do, it will line up in an appropriate time frame for sales to happen in time for our customers to be using the Thanksgiving paper pack (Pathfinding) at the Thanksgiving season, for example. Since I can always use a little structure in my creativity, I am following that advice. 

Last month, I explored the Chalk It Up paper pack and this month, I am exploring the Scaredy Cat paper pack. Since it does seem obvious for Halloween, I made two layouts for the Halloween season that I know I will use - the first one is for our costume/trick-or-treating photos and the second layout is for the pictures from my sister's (awesome) annual Halloween party that she hosts for the kids. 

I really wanted to try to push myself creatively (I've been in a slump lately) so I forced myself to use the Cricut cartridges exclusively on each page. I didn't make it to "exclusive" but I used the Artbooking cartridge for both layouts. 

Artbooking is a fun cartridge to work with even if you don't use one (or more) keys to do the entire layout. I cut the B&T paper to use a mats for the photos but let the Cricut do the fun stuff. 

One the first layout, I cut the "Trick or Treat" three times, once each on White Daisy, Sunset and Honey cardstocks. I carefully cut the Honey and Sunset cuts apart and glued them together on the White Daisy cardstock to mimic the look of a candy corn. 

I then cut out the candies and the candy borders on White Daisy and used our Glitz gels (retired) to make them shine. 

One the second layout, I went to Pinterest for inspiration. A lot of Halloween photos came up using this awesome haunted house cut from the Artbooking cartridge so I decided to give it a try.

 I cut the house and some bats out of black cardstock, the moon out of yellow (exact color is unknown but I know it's retired), the fences are from Gray Wool (retired) and the Halloween is from Sunset cardstock. I used the Stickease to embellish a bit and used my black journaling pen to highlight and embellish the Halloween. 

Now you're off to Nickie's blog. See you again soon! I'll be showing you other ways to use the Scaredy Cat paper pack for more than just Halloween.

Create 4 Him Team Striving & Thriving Crop Day Recap

Last week, my upline "grandma", Krista Hershberger, gathered all her team to celebrate her win in the Striving and Thriving contest sponsored by CTMH Corp last year. The contest was open to any Director in the company worldwide and each team had to qualify in 5 areas. After the contest ended, all 18 teams who qualified won a free team meeting from Corp - complete with projects and a business class just for them. And Krista's team won!!!!

It was a nice day just to get away from the family for a bit to be creative but it was super nice to be able to get away with a wonderful group of gals to spend the day creating together - followed by a wonderful party with Kristine Widtfelt and her partner in crime, Tiffany. They gave a great business class then showed us how to use the Picture My Life cards in two scrapbook layouts. Here are a few of the photos from the day.

Being a consultant is really super special, I wouldn't give it up if I had to. If you'd like to know more about the perks of being a consultant, please email me!

Chalk It Up Layout - from Convention

Every year at Convention, Corp spoils us consultants in so many ways! My favorite part of going to convention is getting to make all the beautiful artwork created by Corp using all the new, fun products that were just announced!

This layout was especially fun because it used a theme paper pack (back to school) in an unexpected way.

This layout is just begging for candid shots from a random day - I'm thinking of one of those days that everyone is yelling at each other all day long until we're all outside, digging in the dirt, and I'm watering the garden then surprise! Everyone is wet and giggling and playing together. {Okay, maybe not a random day - that was our yesterday.}

Here are some close ups of some of the fun parts of the layout. 

I have always been a stickler for actually handwriting the journalling on layouts, whether they're mine or for a client (I make them do it). There's just something extra special when you're own handwriting is on the page. This layout uses little sketch marks to embellish the title. I love sketch marks, there really is no wrong way to do it.

This concludes my month-long project with the Chalk It Up paper pack. I hope you enjoyed it! I did so I'm going to continue next month only using one paper pack. I'll be working with the Scaredy Cat paper pack, embellishments and coordinating stamps. See you soon!

Chalk It Up: Back to School cards

School has finally started and all seems to be going well - so far! Little Man says he likes his new teacher and made new friends in his class. Since he likes a hot lunch every day, I don't pack his lunch which means I don't have the opportunity to leave him "love notes" ... but I've greeted him with a card when he eats his after school snack at home. Here are two examples I made using the Chalk It Up paper pack and chipboard accessories.

On this card, I used the new gold sequins to provide some bling but the cool pattern in the B&T is really all it needs. I used black ink to visually pop the chipboard off the paper.

On this card, I used the new alcohol markers to color in the white stars and chipboard pieces to match the paper pack. 

Here's a close up of the stars I colored in using the new ShinHan alcohol markers.

 I have one more project I made to share with you using the Chalk It Up paper pack, which will round up the month. Stay tuned for September when I will be sharing projects I made using the Scaredy Cat paper pack.

August Joyful Stars Blog Hop: Chalk It Up Workshop 2nd Layout

Welcome to the August edition of the Joyful Stars Blog Hop!

This is a circular hop so no matter where you start you can just keep going around till you get back here (or wherever you started). If you get lost along the way, stop over at Joyce's blog for a complete list. If you're coming from Krista's blog then you're on the right track!

CTMH Chalk It Up Workshop Layout 2 from LavendersageDesigns.blogspot.com

I used Pattern #3 from the Make It From Your Heart vol. 2 pattern book with leftover papers from the Chalk It Up workshop. I don't have a title or much embellishments because I'm waiting for some photos to develop to see what will fit ... this reminds me of the old Chicken and Egg question - which came first: the photos or the scrapbook layout? :)

If I go over board with the first day of school photos, then I'll use this in addition to this layout, but I could probably use it for beach pictures too.

What would you do to embellish the page?

Now you're off to my friend Nickie's page to see what she has to share!

August Stamp of the Month

With the introduction of the new Annual Inspirations, CTMH has changed how they do the Stamp of the Month program, which mostly affects consultants but you the customer get to benefit from it too.

In the past, consultants could only purchase the stamp of the months ahead of time with a large prepaid order of Idea Books. Not always easy for the little guys (like me) to be able to work ahead. Used to be, we could order a SOTM one month prior but we'd have to pay full retail price for it. Still not something a little guy (like me) could do. These are the two reasons you rarely saw SOTM projects from me - because I was purchasing them, like you, with my orders, usually at the end of the month.

However, that is in the past!!! Did you see the first few pages of the Annual Inspirations? All 12 SOTM sets are shown!!!!! That's right - you can see what the next twelve special stamp sets are going to be and plan your purchases accordingly! And - they are only $5 with a qualifying order! Seriously - this is a game changer for me! And here's the proof:

An August Stamp of the Month Card!!

Chalk It Up paper pack with August SOTM & ShinHan alcohol markers

I used Chalk It Up paper pack for the background and mat then stamped the images on White Daisy cardstock using the Archival Black stamp pad and let it dry overnight. I used the new ShinHan alcohol markers in Marigold, Golden Yellow and Barely Beige on the belly of the owl and the pumpkin (top) and Carmine for the mask that was stamped in Ruby ink. The feathers of the owl, I used Warm Gray 7, Warm Gray 4 and Clay.

Chalk It Up paper pack with August SOTM & ShinHan alcohol markers

 I wanted to compare the new ShinHan alcohol markers to the water-based markers of the past and you can tell the difference in the photo above. I used the same marking technique on both pumpkins but you can tell how much better the alcohol markers blend together as you color.

Chalk It Up paper pack with August SOTM & ShinHan alcohol markers

 I wanted to see what else I could color with the new markers, so I did the white enamel stars and the puffy prints from the Chalk It Up accessories. Cute!

This was a super fun project as I was able to experiment (successfully) with new products to show you how cute the Stamp of the Month is and how versatile the Chalk It Up paper pack is.

Check back on August 10th as I will be participating in the Joyful Stars Blog Hop with another Chalk It Up scrapbook layout I created.

Annual Inspirations Blog Hop: Chalk It Up layout

Welcome to the New Product Blog Hop featuring projects made from the New Annual Inspirations catalog from Close to My Heart!

I chose to re-work the Chalk It Up Workshop on the Go so there was no stamping or Cricut cutting. I usually only get to work when the kids are in bed so I needed an option that was fast and quiet! :)

I actually feel on top of things by making this layout for my son's first day of first grade coming up in a few short weeks (seriously, where did this summer go?!?!?)

You can check out two more versions of this layout - one with stamping and Cricut cutting and one with just stamping in the WOTG kit - talk to your consultant for more information.

I'll be posting more layouts I made with Chalk It Up throughout the month so I hope you stop back!

Enjoy hopping!

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!)