Artiste in August Blog Hop–Day 5: Any Shape Day

Welcome to day 5 of the

Thank you for joining us for this month-long blog hop featuring projects from the fabulous *NEW* Cricut Artiste Collection exclusively from Close To My Heart.

I am still blown away with all the possibilities this new cartridge has to offer…like 700 images in a wide variety of themes…then add in the fabulous coordinating My Acrylix stamp sets and Dimensional Elements and there is no limit to what you can create!

Click here to view the Cricut Artiste booklet

Click here to order your Cricut Artiste collection

If you are coming from Jen Patrick’s blog, you are on the right path. If this is your first stop, then continue on by clicking on the link to the next hopper at the end of this post.

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Today is another ‘Any Shape’ day, so I am featuring another project that I created for my Extravaganza presentation at the Close To My Heart Convention last month. It is a sweet birthday banner!

 

The base of the banner was made using the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection. YES! We have two AMAZING Cricut Collections! I used the My Creations Mini Banner (approx. 3” x 4”) and layered some B&T Duo paper from the Pear & Partridge Paper Packet onto them. The top border on the banner was also made with the AP cartridge using Chocolate cardstock.

With another Pear & Partridge B&T Duo, I created rosettes featured on pg. 55 of the Cricut Artiste Handbook.

The cupcakes were made using the ‘Birthday Girl’ key featured on pg. 69 of the Cricut Artiste Handbook. I also used the My Acrylix cupcake stamps that come with the Cricut Artiste Collection! Add a little bling, baker’s twine & brads to top them off.

The ‘happy birthday’ banner in Smoothie cardstock was cut using the ‘5’ key featured on pg. 35 of the Cricut Artiste Handbook. I layered it onto a Dimensional Element that is included in the Cricut Artiste Collection and then stamped the ‘happy birthday’ banner image (which is also included in the Cricut Artiste Collection) using Cranberry ink.

My final touches are the Chocolate Striped Ribbon box and the Color-Ready Seam Binding Ribbon that I dyed with a Smoothie Re-inker.

Now seriously, how can you live without either of these two fabulous Cricut Collections exclusively from Close To My Heart!?!

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Receive THREE entries into my…

when you place an order by August 15th. Order the Cricut Artiste Collection now and if you win, you can choose $99 in products of your choice! Winner announced August 16th. More details here.

Click here to join my CTMH Team for as little as $49 and get this bag FREE with your New Consultant Kit, a total of value of $180!

If you come upon a broken link in blog hop or get lost during the hop, here is a complete list of all the blog hoppers.

Gloria Rogers - http://www.scraptabulousstudio.com/
Lalia Harris - http://craftylalia.blogspot.com/
Rebecca Kings – http://heartfeltcreationsbybecca.blogspot.com
Adeline Brill – http://www.adeline-brill.blogspot.com
Jessica Wilson – http://www.craftinandstampin.blogspot.com
Kathy Johnson - http://kathyscreativecorner.com/
Amy Edwards – http://paisleysplayhouse.blogsot.com
Jen Patrick - http://roxybonds-scrappin.blogspot.com/
Pamela O’Connor - http://reflectionsofmyartandsoul.com (You are here)
Melinda Everitt - http://ifyoublingit.blogspot.com/
Denise Hobbs - http://oklahomainker.blogspot.com/

Thank you for joining us today and be sure to come back tomorrow. If you haven’t gotten your hands on the *NEW* Cricut Artiste Collection, click here to visit my CTMH website to shop now!

Well, that’s it for today. Hop on over to Melinda Everitt’s blog and see what she has created for you today.

Don’t Miss This Deal on a Perfect Pair–Act Now!

Place an online order of $75 or more TODAY (7/29) by 11:59 p.m. (MST) and you will also get the Sophia Paper Packet (X7131B) and Sophia My Stickease® Assortment (X7131C)—a Perfect Pair—AND a 2012 Close To My Heart Autumn/Winter Idea Book for FREE (retail value of $21.85)!

Here is a 6" x 6" accordion album I made (inspired by Karen Morris) using the Sophia Paper Packet and Sophia My Stickease Assortment.

***Click Here to Shop Now***

Back to School with the *NEW* Cricut Artiste Collection!

I’m preparing now for the busy school year ahead as I will have a Kindergartner, Freshman and Senior this year! I’m over the moon excited about the *NEW* Cricut Artiste collection from Close To My Heart and how incredibly easy it is to create exceptionally beautiful projects in no time at all!

I created this backpack using a 3-D box and the gift card holder which are all on the Cricut Artiste cartridge! The paper featured is from the new Scholastic collection and the card title is the new My Acrylix School Is Here stamp set. I distressed my papers using a sanding block and a little ink distressing.

Here is a look at the back of the backpack and inside of the gift card…

To get a jumpstart on your fall projects, contact me today to pre-order your very own Cricut Artiste collection, which begins shipping on August 1st!

(Click here beginning August 1st to order your Cricut Artiste collection)

Don’t forget to visit THIS POST to enter for your chance to WIN a Cricut Artiste collection for yourself!

Have a blessed day and make it from your heart,

I’ve linked this post to…

CTMH Superhero Workshops on the Go Kit: Bonus Project

Do you have a little superhero of your own whose birthday is coming up? The bonus project for the Superhero Workshops on the Go Kit is the perfect addition for your party theme!

Make your own cupcake accents, name tags and/or name plates and party favors using our fabulous My Creations Milk Cartons! When the party is over, scrapbook your memories using the Superhero Workshops on the Go Kit which includes most of the supplies needed to make two scrapbook layouts!

Bonus Project: Superhero

Party Favors

Getting Started

If you attended the workshop hosted by your Close To My Heart Consultant, you’ll already have most of the necessary products required to create the bonus project. Simply order the items noted below with an asterisk, and you’re all set!

If you haven’t attended the workshop and would like to create the artwork shown here, contact me to order the supplies.

Materials Needed

1. G1037 Workshops on the Go^™ Superhero Kit (includes):
2. My Acrylix^® Superhero Workshop Stamp Set
3. Superhero Paper Packet
4. White Daisy Cardstock (2 sheets)
5. Comic Badge Buttons
6. Dimensional Elements Stars
7. Instructional Guide
8. Z1739* My Creations^® Milk Carton
9. Z1701* Baker's Twine Neutral Assortment
10. *Requires additional purchase.

Required Tools

1. E1022 My Acrylix^® Hero Alphabet
2. Z2105 Black Exclusive Inks^® Pad
3. Z2116 Cranberry Exclusive Inks^® Pad
4. Z1294 Sky Exclusive Inks^® Pad
5. Z726 Sponge Daubers
6. Z1151 3-D Foam Tape
7. Y1010 2” x 6 1/2” My Acrylix^® Block
8. Y1012 4” x 5” My Acrylix^® Block

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Helpful Hints

To create the featured bonus project, follow the helpful hints outlined below.

• Tip: As you cut the paper, sort the pieces as indicated in the cutting guide so that each item has its own stack. For example, if the cutting guide labels a piece “cupcake accents,” place it in the stack for the cupcake accents.
• Use diagrams in this cutting guide to cut your remaining papers.
• Stamp border image several times on one milk carton creating 5 horizontal rows around the entire carton, alternating every other one with Sky and Cranberry inks.
• Stamp “good job” image with Cranberry ink on 1 1/2” x 1 1/2” White Daisy cardstock.
• Stamp trophy image and “super kid” image with Black ink on 2 1/2” x 3 1/2” White Daisy cardstock; trim.
• Stamp names with Sky ink on three 1 3/4” x 4 3/4” White Daisy cardstock.
• Cover, trim, and smooth edges of Dimensional Elements stars as follows: one large star with 3 1/4” x 2 1/4” Moonstruck cardstock; one medium star with 2 1/2” x 2 1/4” Red B&T; one medium star with 2 1/2” x 2 1/4” Pajama Pants B&T.
• Sponge edges of everything with Black ink, if desired.
• Sponge one small and one medium Dimensional Elements star with Sky ink; sponge one small Dimensional Elements star with Cranberry ink.
• Cut two 6” star zip strips for carton.
• Assemble name cards and attach embellishments.
• Assemble milk cartons as shown. (Tip: Attach zip strips to center of two 1” x 6” Cranberry pieces then attach to milk carton, with the ends connecting in the front. There will be a small gap in the papers, but it will be covered by the other embellishments.)
• Assemble cupcake accents as follows: Use 1 1/4” x 1 1/4” White Daisy squares as base for attaching strips to make cupcake accents; attach embellishments.

For additional Workshops on the Go projects, click here.

Sweet Treats using CTMH’s Lucy Collection

This past weekend, we hosted our first women’s retreat for our church’s women’s ministry. I was honored to be able to create these goodies for all the ladies in attendance. What a blessing it was to combine my love for God, my sisters in Christ & my love of paper crafting!

Inside each goodie bag was a decorated notebook & pen, french fry box & water bottle. I included a bookmark tag to hang on the outside to identify each guest.

I created the french fry box, tag & initials using the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge. Using the Cricut Craft Room, I was able to fit two french fry boxes onto one sheet of cardstock, which saved a ton of paper!

To create the accordion flowers, I cut strips of cardstock and B&T Duos paper into 1” strips and then scored each strip at 1/4” increments. I adhered one strips ends together to form a circle and then pressed one edge into itself to form the flower. I adhered the flower to a 2” scallop punched flower with Liquid Glass on one side and then decorated the other side as desired.

For the decorated notebook, I came across a project using a file folder and with a little creative ingenuity, I figured out how to create a similar project using an 11” x 12” piece of cardstock. Here’s how…

Score a 11” x 12” piece of cardstock according to the diagram above. Cut out the piece shown. Round all the corners with a corner rounder.

Fold all the score lines and turn up the bottom flap to create a pocket on the inside. Adhere the left edge & right edge…no need to glue the center score line. Adhere a 5-1/2” x 8” lined notepad to the inside right panel with the flap closure on the right.

Decorate the cover as desired. I used the upcoming Dotty for You paper packet here…available 4/17 for only $5 with a $35 purchase of products from the Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book. Place a velcro dot on the flap closure to secure shut…and Viola!

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.

I hope you have enjoyed this project! To keep up-to-date on my latest projects, classes & promotions, click here to visit my Facebook Page and ‘Like’ me!

Have a blessed day & make it from your heART!

Simple Saturday Project–Post It Note Holder using CTMH Stella

I created this cute little post-it note holder a few days ago using my Cricut Expressions 2 along with my exclusive CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge. It was super easy to do!

To create this project, select the ‘Card’ feature on the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge and cut one 3-1/2” <Shape2> featured on pg 33 of the cartridge booklet. I measured the width of my post-it note and scored the center of the card on both sides of the center point. The flower was cut at 2-3/4” using  <Flower3> featured on pg 57 of the cartridge booklet.

Adhere your post-it notes to the inside back cover and decorate the front cover as desired. I used the Stella Level 2 Paper Packet along with the ‘Just for You’ My Acrylix stamp set and the Pewter Badge Buttons. Use some 3D foam squares to add dimension to your flower.

I hope you enjoyed this simple Saturday project!

CTMH Art Philosophy Purse with Card Gift Set - Tutorial w/Cricut Craft Room File!

Here is the tutorial I promised to share with you for the purse with card gift set that I shared in my February Stamp of the Month Blog Hop post a few days ago.

CTMH Art Philosophy Purse with Card Gift Set

Here is the purse I made…

…using the new CTMH Stella Level 2 Paper Packet…

…along with the February 2012 Stamp of the Month…

…and some CTMH Dark Chocolate Striped Grosgrain…love this ribbon!

CTMH Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads I used were Cocoa & Lagoon…

 

Here is the purse open with some cards peeking out. This purse will hold five standard cards & envelopes…assuming your cards are not bulky with lots of embellishments.

Alright…let’s begin the tutorial!

I am using the Cricut Craft Room with CTMH’s exclusive Art Philosophy cartridge and an Expressions 2. You can find the images for the Close To My Heart Art Philosophy cartridge in the Cricut Craft Room under ‘Cricut Famous Friends’ filter.

To purchase CTMH’s exclusive Art Philosophy Collection, click here. 

Did you know there are 700 different shapes on this one cartridge!?!

{Ask me how you can get this collection for 50% off!}

Ok, I modified the Close To My Heart Art Philosophy cartridge shape <Shape8> featured on pg 47 of cartridge booklet slightly using the Cricut Craft Room to accommodate the box I made. So, to create this project, you will need to use the Cricut Craft Room to get the exact measurements I have used.

Download the CCR file I created for this project…

Art Philosophy Purse for Card Gift Set.CCR

I’ve had several ask for a Gypsy file, so here it is…

Art Philosophy Purse for Card Gift Set.Gypsy

or follow the below step-by-step tutorial…

Using <Shape8>, insert one shape at 5.25” wide x 6.5” high to cut the outside layer of the purse. I cut a 6” x 7” piece of Cocoa cardstock featured in the Stella Level 2 Paper Packet.

Using <Shape8>, insert one shape at 4.722” wide x 5.847” high to cut the inside layer of the purse. I used a 5” x 6.5” piece of CTMH’s B&T Duos paper  featured in the new Stella Level 2 Paper Packet.

This is what you get when you layer the two pieces…

Now to create the purse insert to hold the set of cards & envelopes…

Cut a piece of Cocoa cardstock at 7.25” x 9.75”. Score according to the below photo…

Score at 4.5” & 5.25” on the 9.75” side. Score at .75” & 6.5” on the 7.25” side. Cut notches out to help the box close nicely. Use sticky tape to secure box sides together. You will have an open top to insert your cards & envelopes.

Now, take the <Shape8> layered piece and score according to photo…

Now for the final few steps…on the backside of the above piece, put sticky tape on one side of  the score line and a velcro dot on the other side.

Now adhere this piece to the card box…centered of course.

For the handle you will need a .5” x 8.5” piece of cardstock. I scored at .5” on both ends of the long piece. I attached my handle with brads.

Alright, that should do it! If you have any problems with the measurements, please let me know so I can double check them. I hope you enjoy creating this project as much I did!

February 2012 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!!!

Welcome to the Close To My Heart Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

This month we are featuring the February SOTM from the NEW 2012 Spring/Summer Idea Book, which is S1202 Thoughtful Tidings, a set of 11 My Acrylix Stamps! 

If you have come here from Traci’s Blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.

This month we have over 60 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. To join in the fun just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

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I am so stinkin’ excited to share with you all the wonderful new products from the 2012 Spring/Summer Idea Book! I love absolutely EVERYTHING in it and I’ve been having so much fun playing with my new products.

Here are a few projects I’ve created over the last week using this fabulous February Stamp of the Month…

This is a card box I created using the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge along with the Cricut Craft Room. I will be working on a detailed tutorial which will include the Cricut Craft Room file I used to create the closure to the box and will post it in the next few days.

This project was created using the new Stella Level 2 Paper Packet and it will hold five unembellished  4-1/4” x 5-1/2” cards with envelopes.

This next card is created using the new Victory Level 2 Paper Packet. I added some stitching using CTMH’s Neutral Embroidery Floss along with a few wooden buttons. Oh, and I spritzed some diluted Chocolate re-inker onto the card base using CTMH’s Spray Pen.

And I absolutely LOVE how this card turned out using the new Florentine Workshops on the Go Kit & My Stickease Assortment. I added some bling using Sparkles.

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That’s it for now…thanks for stopping by!

Now "Hop" on over to Dawn’s Blog to see her fabulous works of art! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas using this month’s stamp of the month!

To purchase your February Stamp of the Month (only available Feb 1-29, 2012) and other CTMH products like the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection…

Visit My Website to shop now!

or click here to contact me to place your order.

Don’t forget to check out February’s Studio J promotion below. Thank you for stopping by and have a blessed day,

Click here to purchase your Studio J 5-packs today!

Click here to visit Studio J to make the above layout!