My philosophy? Art Philosophy!

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!!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP NOW!

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!

If you're already screaming, "I need it!" CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP NOW!

Otherwise, keep reading...  

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:

  CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP NOW!

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!

Finally, check out the CTMH video to learn more:

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!

Feelin' Like a Diva

 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

Happy Leap Day!

Since today was a rare occurrence, it seems appropriate that it was full of surprises! The best surprise of the day happened right at the end of the school day. My last class of the day is a workshop format and things are always happening all at the same time. Near the end of class, a friend/colleague walked in with a "delivery." Since today was not a special day in general (no birthday, anniversary etc.) I couldn't imagine what it was for. It turns out that the delivery was a GORGEOUS bouquet of flowers from my husband! I have been pretty sick lately and tend to just keep going as though everything is fine. Being a mom and a teacher, I am needed in many different directions, so I don't have the time to stop and take care of myself all that often. This typically means that I end up even sicker than when I started and then I have to get myself back to feeling well again. The card with the flowers basically said that he knows how hard it has been for me to be so sick and he knows this will get better soon. It was SUCH a thoughtful thing to do and I was thrilled!

Since it is Leap Day, I decided it was holiday enough to make a card. This was probably not the best decision, considering that I am exhausted and should have come home and gone to bed. Instead, I set out to create a "Leap" Day card with a cute little frog from the Cricut Once Upon a Princess cartridge. My first mistake was forgetting to run the frog through the Cuttlebug before he was assembled. I tried to do it after, but it messed the whole thing up. I decided it wasn't terrible and kept moving forward. I thought "glitter fixes everything!" SO, I grabbed a new tube of glitter to cover some of the less attractive areas on the frog, but it wouldn't come out of the tube. So, I squeezed a little harder and...

 This is what happened!! So, I apologize for the lack of card, but by the time this happened it was late and I decided it was a sign that I needed to get to bed!! If you've taken the time to read this post, I would love to hear about your craziest crafting disaster. Here's hoping I don't have another like this until the next leap day!!

Panda Hugs!
J-

Love you a Latte Card - Just Because

I made sure to vote on my way home from school today. It was very late, but I think every vote counts! When I got home, I had a wonderful treat waiting for me! The Just Because Cards cartridge was sitting on the counter, all wrapped up in the shipping packaging, just begging to be opened!!

There were two challenges I have been thinking about since the weekend and, after I put bunny to bed, I had a few moments of free time to craft! I told someone today that crafting is my therapy. I am able to focus on my creativity, not because someone NEEDS me to, but because I WANT to! So, I treated myself to a therapy session courtesy of Just Because cards and this is what I came up with. The two challenges are the Getting Cricky Simply Sunday Tea Time Challenge and the PDCC106 based on the colors pink, yellow and gray. The result was a gray, pink and yellow card featuring, my hot beverage of choice, a latte!

I combined the "Love you a Latte" sentiment (#11) with the Milk card (#9) base in yellow. I cut the envelope first on the fit to page button (4 1/4").  The houndstooth print envelope is cut from a BEAUTIFUL 12x12 pad I have from DCWV called Bella Armoire. I cut the card at 4" to make sure it would fit nicely into the envelope. The shift for the card is the strip of houndstooth paper that matches the envelope.

The sentiment was too small at 4" so I recut it at 5" out of the pink paper and then cut the shift with silver paper (both from the Recollections packages). The teacup and teacup steam (teacup layer) were both from Once Upon a Princess and were cut at 1". I attached the teacup using dimensionals to give it a pop and then applied a TINY bit of Star Dust Stickles to give the coffee mug a shimmery finish.

When You Wish Upon a Cupcake Card

I just stumbled upon the "Just Us Girls" Blog and was intrigued by the shape challenge (109) posted this week. The challenge was to use this picture for inspiration:

Looking at the shape for the challenge, I couldn't help but picture a triangle of icing on the top of a cupcake. I picked up the Once Upon a Princess cartridge and cupcake two was the perfect shape!

The doily design under the triangle reminded me of the Cricut Wild Card cartridge doily card and that is what made the entire project come together for me.

I cut the Doily card at 5 1/4" as the base and then added the "triangle," Once Upon a Princess Cartridge - Cupcake 2 - Button and Shift - 3".  The circle and burst on top came from the Classic Font Cartridge - Circle - 1"and Burst 1 1/4" For the burst on top, I made 4 and attached them together by punching a hole through them all and using a Recollections glitter brad to connect them. Then I bent up the edges to give dimension. I hand cut the little flag banner and then cut the word "wish" from the Wild Card cartridge (button 5 - Trifold Card - Shift on Phrase feature) at 13 1/2".

The finishing touch was a dimensional to make the burst at the top stand out, and a touch of Star Dust Stickles to add some bling to the word "wish." I am very happy with the card and can't wait for an occasion to give it to someone! I hope you like it too.