A "Springy" Surprise

One of my favorite card bases to work with is the Kraft Die-Cut Cards & Envelopes from Close To My Heart.  These 6"x6" cards have a scallop flap that folds over the front of the card, and the Kraft color is a nice contrast to some of our background & texture papers. 

For this card, fun paper from the Footloose kit was used to decorate the front.  The sentiment is from the popular Card Chatter-Birthday stamp set, and is embellished with Durables Studs on the tag. 

The funnest part of this card is the surprise inside, which "springs" out as you open the card.  Attached to an Adhesive Spring is the second part of the sentiment.  These self-adhesive little springs are very easy to use and also easy to over-look when flipping through the Idea Book.  They are shown on page 123 and the cost is only $2.95 for 6 springs.   

All stamp images and papers used are from Close To My Heart (CTMH). 

Dry Erase Board

This is a fun, quick project.  Find a nice picture frame with glass and create a simple design to place inside.  Reassemble the frame and use a dry erase marker to write on the glass.  Simply wipe clean with a soft cloth and re-use.  Using CTMH papers and inks, you can create a dry erase board to go with the decor in any room. 

This 8"x8" frame is a great size.  Stella paper is used for the background and some flourishes and tags were cut using the Art Philosophy cartridge for the Cricut.  The sentiment is from the Treasure Life stamp set and the bit of sparkle that you see on the flourishes is Bronze Glitter Gel.

Getting a good photo was difficult.  The first image has a glare on it, and you cannot see the top border on the second image.  Between both images, you get a good idea of what the completed board looks like.  


All stamp images and papers used are from Close To My Heart (CTMH). 

Friendship Bouquet (May SOTM Blog Hop)

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop which features the Friendship Bouquet stamp set from Close To My Heart.  This SOTM sets is one of my favorites.  The sunflowers are so detailed and have a nice 'vintage' look.   

If you have come here from Jen's 'Roxybonds' blog, you are on the right path!  With almost 60 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations, there will be a nice variety of different colors, papers, and creative ideas.  Blog Hopping is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

For this 6"x6" card, papers are used from the Stella paper packet along with the Friendship Bouquet stamp set.  The flower was stamped on Parchment paper using Cocoa ink.  Then color was added using a small sponge tip to apply Sunset, Tulip, Olive, and Honey ink.   

Now "Hop" on over to Georgia's 'Trust Your Crazy Ideas' blog to see her work!  Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas!  Remember, the Friendship Bouquet stamp set is only available during the month of May 2012.  The regular price is $17.95, or you can purchase it for only $5 with a minimum order of $50 in other CTMH products.

If you get lost on the Blog Hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of all participating blogs on Helen's 'Hooked on Stamping' blog.

Dotty for You ~ Clock Workshop

Welcome to our Dotty for You Blog Hop!  To celebrate National Scrapbooking Month in May, Close To My Heart is offering the fabulous Dotty for You paper packet.  This includes 24 specially designed, coordinating papers (2 each of 12 patterns) and an artwork idea insert to get your creative juices flowing.   Valued at $19.95, you can purchase it for only $5 when you place an order of $35 or more from the Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book. 

If you have come here from Shirley's 'Mom 'n Me Scrap' blog, you are on the right path! There is a smaller group of Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations than we normally have for the SOTM Blog Hops, so you can visit all of the creations more quickly.  Blog Hopping is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

For something a bit different, I decided to decorate a couple of clocks with the cheery springtime colors in the Dotty for You paper packet.  Each of the papers has a polka-dot pattern on one side.  For this clock, I used the Art Philosophy cartridge to cut a large circle out of a Creme Brûlée polka-dot paper.  Also using the cartridge, there is a large flower shape cut from a patterned paper with large colored circles.  The same flower shape coordinates with the Just For You stamp set which was used for the center of the clock, using the same ink colors as featured in the Dotty for You papers.  Numbers for the clock were cut using the Cricut, and some self-adhesive Opaques were used to indicate spacing for the "in between" numbers on the clock face.

The clock was purchased at Walmart and is priced at only $3.88.  Simply remove some screws from the back so that the clock face can be lifted out of the frame.  The hands slide off the center post so that you can adhere your newly-created clock face to the front.  Replace the clock hands, reassemble the clock, add a battery and you have a unique creation for your wall or to give as a gift.  


If you would like to create your own clock, plan to attend this month's workshop on Friday, April 27 (7:00 pm) or Saturday, April 28 (1:00 pm).  You will be able to select either a black or silver clock, your choice of papers from the Dotty for You kit, and the cut images you would like to use from the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.  All materials will be provided for you, and the workshop fee is only $8.  Please contact me if you are interested - the class size is limited to 10 participants.


Everyone who attends will receive a FREE copy of the Close To My Heart Spring/Summer Idea Book.  As an added bonus, if you place a $50+ order, your workshop fee is waived.  

For this clock, there is no stamping, just pretty papers from the Dotty for You kit.  Some shapes cut using the Art Philosophy cartridge, some Glitz Glitter Gel added to the center of the roses, and Sparkles to complete the clock face. 

Now "Hop" on over to Dawn's 'Stamp til Dawn' blog to see her work!  Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas!  The Dotty for You special is available April 17 through May 31.  For a complete list of participating consultants, visit Helen's Hooked on Stamping blog.

Papers included in the Dotty for You packet. The reverse of each paper is one of the featured colors in a polka-dot pattern.  At the workshop, you will be able to select which papers you would like to use to create your unique clock.


All stamps and papers used are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).  Please let me know if you would like to attend the Clock Workshop.  Feel free to leave a comment on this blog, send an email to sheilabennett@comcast.net, or call 913-485-4355.

 

You Are... (April SOTM Blog Hop)

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop which features the You Are... stamp set from Close To My Heart, with fun words and some stamps to create great backgrounds. 


If you have come here from Pamela's 'Reflections of my art & soul' blog, you are on the right path! With over 50 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other CTMH products on their blogs, you should be able to find lots of great creative ideas to use for your own projects.  Blog Hopping is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

It is so easy to create a quick card using the Art Philosophy cartridge on the Cricut machine, like this card with four cut-out flowers on the front using some pretty pink patterned paper from the Lucy kit.  You can see the reverse side of the patterned paper peeking through the flowers.  Using different colors of card stock, some larger flowers were cut using the Art Philosophy cartridge to create a focal point for the card.  The small words stamped in the flower are from the Card Word Puzzle stamp set, and the large "Original" sentiment is from this month's You Are... set.   
 

Now "Hop" on over to 'Scrapi Traci' blog to see her work!  Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas!  Remember, the You Are... stamp set is only available during the month of April 2012.  The regular price is $17.95, or you can purchase it for only $5 with a minimum order of $50 in other CTMH products.

If you get lost on the Blog Hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of all participating blogs on Helen's 'Hooked on Stamping' blog.

 

The Philosophy of Fun

If you have ever thought of becoming a Close To My Heart consultant, now is the perfect time.  CTMH is currently offering "The Philosophy of Fun" special, where you will receive a FREE Art Philosophy Cricut collection when you sign-up as a new consultant.  The collection retails for $99.  However when you purchase the new consultant kit this month for only $99, the Art Philosophy collection is included at no extra charge.  

The new consultant kit includes over $285 of product from the Spring/Summer Idea Book, along with business materials to help you launch your CTMH career.  Add the additional $99 retail value of the Art Philosophy cartridge, and that is a total of over $380 worth of products for an investment of only $99!

For more information, here is a short video prepared by CTMH explaining The Philosophy of Fun special.  


If you are interested in joining, contact me at 913-485-4355, or visit my new website at sheila.ctmh.com.