The perfect place for crafty moms, people just starting out with their Cricut, looking for crafty idea, or for those who want to get inspired by a new idea. I am a Close to My Heart Consultant so I will also post projects that can be recreated with CTMH products!
My daughter's Kindergarten teacher has been amazing! She is supportive, thoughtful and the kids absolutely adore her. So, you can imagine how sad I was when she explained at conferences, that Friday will be her last day. Her reasons for leaving are family related and absolutely justifiable. If I were in her shoes I would have to do exactly the same thing. This does not, however, take the sadness factor out of the equation. They have asked her to wait to tell the children, so there is this black cloud hanging over us, knowing that very soon, our daughter will be devastated! For all that she has done for my daughter this year, I wanted to make sure Bunny will give her a card that is super special.
So, I decided to experiment with my Art Philosophy cartridge and come up with something unique. Since getting the cartridge, I have been eying the little window card I used here. BUT I wanted to jazz it up a little more, so I decided to make a shaker card out of it! Using the same button for the card base, window and layer, I was able to come up with the perfect card. To put a finishing touch on it, I also added one of the fabulous rosettes I made for my tutorial video. You can find that video here.
As an extra bonus, I am including a second shaker card here and a tutorial on how you can create it too! It doesn't use the Cricut, so it could be recreated by any crafter, even a Cricut-less crafter! I hope you enjoy it!
I am having so much fun with my Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge!! I was having trouble finding videos to help me figure out how to assemble the Rosettes on pages 68-70, so I decided to make my own!! This is my first full-length tutorial video, so it is far from perfect, but I hope it will help you to figure out how to create beautiful rosettes for your projects. I am looking forward to creating some cards that include these!
I am so excited to get started with all of my fabulous Close to My Heart products! I am in the process of getting together a group for a crafting workshop and am thinking about the Sweet Surprises Card kit to get everyone started AND excited! This was one of the first products that caught my attention. The cards come in a set of 10 and are perfect for creating birthday cards or Valentines, but imagine how great it would be to use as a good bag/thank you for a birthday party! Today, people are looking for ways to get the thank yous out as soon as possible. Imagine having these ready to go with a note thanking your guests for coming! Check out the video below, and if you are interested in purchasing the kit, CLICK HERE to order now!
You can NOT imagine how excited I was when my Close to My Heart Consultant Kit arrived on Friday with my very own Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge and collection! We had a busy weekend planned and all I wanted to do was start crafting!!! BUT...first things always come first and I was only able to find the time to make one card so far. My daughter had a birthday party yesterday, and I could not resist the opportunity to make a princess card for the princess themed party. I had very little time, so I wet super simple, but I was so delighted by how easy this new cartridge made it for me to make a birthday card in less than 15 minutes (which was all the time I could spare after gymnastics and a shopping trip to buy a gift!). Since I am so happy with the cartridge and since you still have time to get it for FREE when you sign up to be a Close to My Heart Consultant for just $99 in the month of March, I wanted to give you details ASAP!!
What do I have to do? Sign up to be a consultant with Close to my Heart and get, not only
the amazing start up kit, but also your choice of the Cricut Art
Philosophy Collection or $100.00 in free product for only $99.00. It is included with the crafting packed starter kit! It is important to note that if you want this cartridge, signing up for CTMH this month will give you tons of free extras and you never have to sell a thing!!
Embrace the Philosophy of fun with the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge
Not sure if this is the right option for you? Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about this amazing opportunity...
What is the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection?This collection includes the Cricut Art
Philosophy Cartridge. It is AMAZING!! With over 700 images, you will be able to create fabulous cards, envelope liners, boxes, a door hanger and more! In addition to the cartridge, you get 3 full sized
coordinating stamp sets that include cut sizes on the stamps to get the
perfect cut to use with you Close to my Heart Stamp Images. You also
get 3 large sheets of chip board shapes that match the cuts on the
cartridge. They are ready to perfectly work with your stamps and inks.
This is a $124.00 value. CTMH's regular price is $99.99 for this
collection. You will get yours FREE in the month of March!
Here is a picture of the Collection so you can see some of the amazing stamps that are included:
Keep in mind that not
only does the Art Philosophy cartridge include shapes that were created
exclusively to coordinate with the included CTMH stamp sets, but CTMH indicates when stamps not included with the collection coordinate as well, so you can buy more stamps later to go with this amazing cartridge. This means that you can cut down on all of your dies and punches and replace them with this versatile cartridge!
What else will I get in my Consultant Kit? Your stater kit will include both business supplies AND lots and lots of the most popular CTMH products to get you started (or just to play with if you choose not to take advantage of the business opportunity)! You will receive MANY different stamps (of the very highest quality - check out the card I made at the top of the post...the Happy Birthday stamp is almost as crisp as a computer printed image!) inks,
acrylic blocks, embellishments, stamp spritz to clean the ink, the famous stamp double
scrubber, cards, envelopes, paper samples, idea books,
adhesives, liquid glass and more! The contents of the kit include products valued at $288.00 and you STILL only pay $99.00 INCLUDING the Art Philosophy Collection
FREE!!! Altogether, you will receive approximately $400.00 worth of high quality and super fun products for just $99.00!!!
Here is a picture of all the amazing items you will receive:
Are you interested in Digital scrapbooking?Add on a 3 month Studio J
Membership. This will allow you to create spectacular digital designs in the comfort of your own home! If you are into digital scrapbooking, this is a great
package. It's a $63.00 value and is yours for only $40.00 exclusively to "New"
consultants.
What's the best part? After you purchase your consultant kit, you are under no obligation to do anything other than enjoy it!! You are not under ANY pressure to become a CTMH consultant, but it can be so rewarding, so if you want to try, you could do that too!! You can sign up today, enjoy all of these amazing products and still not be obligated. You will have access to the CTMH online training academy to get ideas and inspiration. and you can learn more about this exciting business opportunity with no PRESSURE!! Finally, you will start off with a 22% discount on your future purchases and a 22% commission on all of your sales as well. AND as you buy and sell more, that number only INCREASES!!
What's the catch? What do I have to give back if I don't become a consultant? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! If you never want to move forward as a consultant, the entire kit is yours to keep, including the fabulous Art Philosopy cartridge! If you continue with the business opportunity, you meed to have at least $300 in sales per quarter to keep your consultant status. That's only $300 in sales for every 3 months! We would love for you to go above and beyond this, but that is all that is required. So throw a crafting party once a month for 4 or 5 friends and you will MORE than cover the minimum!! If you do not reach $300 a quarter, you
become a Jr. Consultant. The commission is lower and you will not have
as much access to online areas, BUT you will not have any fees or penalties to pay. But don't worry, our blog and the blogs for other fab CTMH consultants will still continue to inspire you regularly!
I hope you have seen something (or a lot of things) that you like here. If you have, CLICK HERE to join me as a CTMH consultant today...OR if you just want to shop with me, I would very much appreciate it! Just CLICK HERE to shop with me now!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!! If you are celebrating, I hope your day is full of fun and excitement!! We're going green here to celebrate. Although the holiday is today, my card was actually ready last week and is now finding its home in IRELAND! I knew I was going to make a card to celebrate my Year of Holiday Cards, and always love when I have a fabulous use for my cards. This one was great because I sent it to my brother-in-law's family in Ireland!!
I don't have the recipe for this one because I had to make it in a hurry, but you can find the recipe for my easel cards here. I used the shaker card process as well for the top layer. This was nice and easy because I used tiny shamrock die cuts from the Cricut Designer's Calendar cartridge inside (all shamrocks on the card, including the cutout are the same cut at different sizes), so the foam tape could have small gaps without the filling falling out. For embellishment on the top card, I hand stitched the card with my white gel pen, and added green Recollections crystals. On the bottom card, I added rainbow ribbon with green glitter ribbon over it (both are taped down under the layer), and stamped it with my Studio G stamp that has a horseshoe with the words Luck O' the Irish all the way around.
Panda Hugs!
-J
I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Use it Tuesday Challenge #27 - Green! - (used my go to Recollections paper, my crystals from my stash, and Offray rainbow ribbon I have had for 100 years!)
I finally decided it is time to take my scrapping to the next level!! I am very excited to announce that I am now a Close to My Heart Consultant. I hope that you will take a moment to check out my snazzy new website. AND I would LOVE for you to join me in this new (ad)venture! Since many of you know I am obsessed with all things Cricut, you may be intrigued by the CTMH March promotion. For the month of March, when you sign up to be a CTMH Consultant, you get the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge and stamping set FREE!!! There has never been a better time to join, so I hope you'll take a look at all there is to offer. I look forward to posting my first projects for you and am so happy you can join me as I embrace the culture of Close to My Heart!
Today was a spectacular day. The sun was shining, it reached 70 degrees and a hint of Spring hung in the air. It was one of those days, for me, when I just feel like a diva. I found myself walking around a local outdoor shopping center with a little more "spring" in my step. With my flowy dress, fab Gucci sunglasses (I splurge because they're prescription) and high heeled boots, I felt like a movie star! I went shopping and it was ALSO one of those days where I loved everything I tried on!
Thinking about my mood, I am convinced that is the combination of the two holidays today that did the trick. The first is Purim, a Jewish celebratory holiday that celebrates freedom from destruction for the Jews in ancient Persia. It is a day of feasting and partying and is often celebrated by dressing up in costume and giving charity to those less fortunate (kind of the opposite of Halloween, you dress up and leave charity at the door - the costume ensures that you remain anonymous). The heroine of the Purim story is Queen Esther. Esther was only allowed to see her husband, the king when he summoned her. The punishment for disobeying this command was death. However, she went against to decree in order to appeal to her husband King Ahasuerus. She asked him to spare the Jewish people from the plan an evil man named Haman had to persecute them. Her success saved the Jewish people, and for that, she is considered a brave, heroic woman. That brings me to the second holiday of the day, International Women's Day.
According to the International Women's Day Website, "International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of great
expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of
radical ideologies...IWD is now an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia,
Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for
women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only),
Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam
and Zambia. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives,
girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some
countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother's Day where children
give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers." Hmmm...why haven't the men here caught on?!
So, in honor of these two holidays, I created a card in honor of Queen Esther, a brave, heroic historical figure who just happens to be honored on the same day as a holiday that celebrates women as a community! I made another easel card, but this time I used my Cricut Once Upon a Princess cartridge and some more of that fab SEI Couture stack too!
Hope you enjoyed my little "lesson" of the day, and the card. Happy crafting!
Panda Hugs!
J-
Glitter Panda
Yesterday morning, I came downstairs to find my almost 9 year old, Cubby, watching TV. I am slightly embarrassed to say that he is usually indulging in a Spongebob episode that he has already seen 1000 times. Yesterday, however, he was watching Sports Center! I don't know why, but the idea of my baby watching sports on TV made me exceptionally emotional. I know it seems silly, but they REALLY do grow up quickly.
If you follow my blog (or stop by from time to time) you probably remember my friend who inspired me to begin my "Year of Holiday Cards" project. Well, her birthday is tomorrow and I felt it only appropriate to make he something special to celebrate. I decided that she would be the recipient of my very first easel card. With the help of an online tutorial by Splitcoaststampers, I was able to complete my task!! Thanks to them for the easy to follow instructions! I don't have a stamp that works with a fishy birthday card, so I came up with "Fishing" You a Happy Birthday! I printed it out from my computer and cut it out with my Recollections scallop punch. I thought it looked lonely as one layer, so I added two more scallops behind it in a staggered arrangement, and that also served to let the easel card rest against it.
Panda Hugs!
J-
Recipe
Easel Card Base
Piece of plain purple Recollections card stock 4 1/4" x 8 1/2" - score at 4 1/4" and 6 3/8"
Fold in half and then fold the small section in the opposite direction
With the small section up, add adhesive and attach a 4 1/4" x 4/14" card from the top of the section
The video from Splitcoaststampers helped me to understand exactly what to do, so definitely check it out!
Top card
I cut the frame for this card from the SEI Crafts Couture stack at 4 1/4" and used the same cut I did for my Shadow Box Card. The fishbowl and fish are both from the Cricut Create a Critter cartridge. <Fishbowl> is the shift cut and I set it to 2" and used layers 1, 2 and 3 on the shift as well. <Fish> is cut at 1" and it is the regular cut. I used layers 1-3 for this as well. I added Stickles to the middle of the fish to make it stand out. The sand layer for the bowl was cut with the the glitter paper in the Mariposa mat stack. After I assembled the bowl, I added the fish with a pop up glue dot and then the bowl was added to the card with pop up glue dots as well. I added 2 sizes of light green Recollections crystals to look like bubbles coming out of the fish's mouth. Finally, I added three Recollections pearls to the card for an extra touch.
Bottom card
I added a white square cut at 4" x 4" and a lavender on top cut to 3 3/4". After I added the white, I taped a piece of Offray 7/8" Sunburst Rainbow ribbon to the lavender piece and taped it with Scotch tape under the piece. Then I used adhesive to place it on top. I added the 3 scallop sentiment on top of it using dimensionals.
I am entering this card into the following challenges:
I had a few moments to myself today and wanted to enter a few contests, so here is a cute idea I have been working on. I call it a shadowbox card because the frame is raised to make the card components look like they are inside a shadowbox. I used the sentiment, "Fabulous" because being told I am fabulous will ALWAYS make me smile!! Hope you like it!
Panda Hugs!
J-
Recipe
Card base
I cut a piece of purple Recollections card stock to 5" x 10" and scored at 5" to make the fold.
Frame
I used a pretty paper from the SEI Crafts Couture pad and cut the frame shape from the Cricut Classic Font cartridge <Waytogo1> p. 72 on the italic function with shift selected. This gives you the entire frame in one cut. I cut on Real Dial Size at 5" to make sure it fit the card base perfectly. I added all of the components first and then added 2 layers of square dimensionals to the back of the frame corners. I doubled them so the frame was raised even higher and then added it on top of the card base at the end.
Woman, shoe and sentiment
Woman - Cricut Forever Young cartridge <Model6> p.29 cut at 3". I used the regular cut and the shift cut (twice to get the dress and purse in different colors). I added green Studio G glitter glue to the little purse.
Shoe - Cricut Forever Young cartridge <Heels1> p.54 cut at 3" on regular and shift cut. I only used 1 of the two that cut.
Sentiment - I cut the two bases for the sentiment from the same button as the woman, <model6> on the emblem function at 2" and 1 3/4". The word fabulous is cut from <Flower7> on page 70 on the word function. Then, I added each base with pop dots in between and then added light blue Stickles to the word fabulous.
Finishing Touches
I added a tiny Recollections pearl to the dress and green Recollections crystal to the patterned strip for some bling - they come sticky so you don't need to add adhesive. For the shoe, I added a purple jewel from a set my son found in a crafting kit in the house and then layered a small green jewel on top of it for dimension. I added monoadhesive to the back of the jewel and it was perfect to stick on the high heel. Finally, I added 3 tiny pearls under the word fabulous....for emphasis!
I am entering this card into the following challenges:
My son's birthday is soon approaching, and with that comes the birthday party. Last year, he opted to go on a family trip and then asked people to donate money to Unicef, one of our favorite charities, instead of giving a gift. This year, he told me he was going to do the family trip every other year and he would like to do a party this year. Instead, we will be walking for the March of Dimes (to raise money for another favorite charity) and he will have the party (gifts and all!).
That being said, I am having trouble choosing the invitation. I know I can ask him directly, but I'd like to get some opinions before I do that. A few weeks ago, I shared what I THOUGHT was the perfect basketball invite. THEN I had to make cards for his basketball coaches and FELL IN LOVE with them. SO, I am going to get some feedback AND offer a little incentive. The basketball shaped card would remain as is, but the coach card sentiment would change to You're Invited! or if you have another suggestion...share it!!
Every week, I log on to see that although I've had a fantastic number of page views, I have only gained 1-2 followers. So I'd like to offer some incentive. Choose between the two cards above. Leave a comment on this post letting me know which of the two you would pick. You don't have to add why, but I would REALLY appreciate it! Then, follow my blog. If you are a follower already, mention that in your post. You have one week to comment and I will use random.org to choose a winner next Sunday, March 11. The winner will be announced here and just has to let me know where to send the prize! If you leave a way to contact you in your post, I will contact you and
post it on my bog. If not, I will announce it here and you can contact
me then! The prize will be a variety of embellishments (stamp, stickers etc.) to add to your next project!!
My son's rec basketball team made the final four for their league!! They won the first 2 playoff games and the championship game is on Saturday! They are playing the number one team in the league and it will be tough competition, but the boys are awesome and I am sure they will have a great game. The coaches for the team were great and to show our appreciation, my husband asked me to make a card for each of them. I made identical cards and they came out are just too cute!! I used my son's number on the little jersey and tried to make the character look like him. The colors really stood out on the pretty green paper. Can't wait to give the cards to them after the game on Saturday.
Panda Hugs!
J-
Cartridges used:
Player and Hoop - Everyday Paper Dolls
Basketball - Best of 2008
Sentiment - Printed from computer and punched with Recollections scallop punch
I am entering this card into the following challenge:
So, I decided to experiment with my Art Philosophy cartridge and come up with something unique. Since getting the cartridge, I have been eying the little window card I used here. BUT I wanted to jazz it up a little more, so I decided to make a shaker card out of it! Using the same button for the card base, window and layer, I was able to come up with the perfect card. To put a finishing touch on it, I also added one of the fabulous rosettes I made for my tutorial video. You can find that video here.
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