Typed Note -- April 2015 Stamp of the Month

Wow!  There is a lot of exciting things going on at Close to my Heart this month.  Today I want to share with you this super cute stamp of the month set.  Typed Note (S1504) can be purchased for $17.95 or for $5 with a qualifying order of $50.

The April Deal of the Day will get you close, if not over, the $5 price point of this versatile stamp set.  Here are a couple of examples from CTMH for you.  : )

Super cute, no?!  I want to scrap-lift the first one really badly.  I hope I find the time to that!

This stamp is only available until April 30, 2015, so don't wait too long to order it!

April is Deal of the Day at Close to my Heart

I know several days have passed us by already... Thankfully there are many more days in April, and thus, for this special.  What am I talking about?

Spontaneity and surprise are the two key elements fueling the fun of April’s Deal of the Day campaign. Part of the fun of buying a grab bag is that you never know just what you are going to get! All you know is that you will be getting a great deal on a mix of new and retired Close To My Heart products—and everyone loves getting a good deal! The value of each grab bag varies with its price point, with some grab bags containing product valued at more than DOUBLE the price you pay!

Check my website each day at 3:00 pm (MDT) to see the new deal, which will be available for 24 hours or while supplies last. Keep in mind that while each day’s deal will feature grab bags at the same price tier, there will be a variety of grab bags available at that price. This means that you may purchase multiple grab bags on a single day and get different products in each one.

To trigger each day’s deal, simply place any retail-priced item in your shopping cart. You will then be able to add your desired number of grab bags to your online order. Although the grab bag purchases don’t contribute toward Hostess Rewards totals, they will count toward earning the Stamp of the Month, which just adds even more value to the order! April is the month for great deals, so be sure you make the most of this dynamic, daily promotion!

It’s a big surprise, but this much we will tell you: grab bags will feature a mix of current and retired product. Five grab bag tiers will be available at random times throughout the month, but not all grab bags within a given price point will contain the same product. The price tiers are as follows:

                        • $35 Grab Bags (On average, a $70 value!)

                        • $50 Grab Bags (On average, a $90 value!)

                        • $75 Grab Bags (On average, a $140 value!)

                        • $115 Grab Bags (On average, a $240 value!)

                        • $150 Grab Bags (On average, a $325 value!)

So you can order from our Annual Expressions idea book or the brand new Seasonal Expressions 2 supplement.  Again, go to my website to see all the great products Close to my Heart has to offer!

Project My Life cards into Greeting Cards

I thought I should share with you some of the cards we'll be making at this month's workshop.  We will be transforming many of the Project My Life (PML) cards into greeting cards.  Would you like to join us?

Workshop dates are Monday April 27th and Tuesday April 28th from 7 to 9 pm.  We will start making our 25 cards, but I highly doubt anyone will finish.  Even Miss Speedy ;)  That's why I'll be emailing those who buy the kit a file with instructions so the cards not finished can be completed at home.  Heck, you don't need to come at all if that's your desire.

Here are 12 of the 25 cards you'll be making. Your kit will contain the whole Hopscotch PML cards, 25 card bases with envelopes, and the paper pieces cut (you'll be cutting the PML cards) so all you have to do is assemble (don't get too excited... you'll have to cut some of the cards up -- like the stars on the upper left card).  Cost to you is $45 (plus shipping if appropriate).

What are you waiting for?  Let me know you'd like a kit by Saturday April 4th.

Softball Mini Album

My daughter's softball teammate had a birthday party last year.  Her teammate loves playing softball!  I thought it would be nice to commemorate the season for her birthday present.  All the work was done in the Cricut Craft Room using the Artbooking cartridge.

the front cover

The title was formed by welding the letters of Softball with the arrow.  I cut two copies out, one on white and one on black.  The year was created the same way.  A square was welded into the middle of the page so it would be cut out.  Then the sun ray and heart was glued underneath with vellum on top.

Here is page one and two.  Page two features two small tags.  I left the sticky on the bottom to encourage the recipient to write. The tags were stamped in Ponderosa Pine on white cardstock.

More teammates and a decorated car.  The gray areas may look a little weird -- I eliminated the girls' name.  The Grey Flannel page (you would use Whisper now) was distressed with the direct to paper technique.  I opened the stamp pad and lightly rubbed it against the paper in a circular motion.

It was neat capturing some of the season's tradition along with the girls.  The girls became good friends.  : )  "All Star" comes as is.  I did cut a star out of the black paper so a window was created.  I can't remember why exactly now.  Maybe because I thought it would be cool and I could!

The softball page was created by welding baseballs together.  The collage becomes softballs when it's printed on Honey paper.  After I created this page, I clicked on the image - hide contour - and eliminated the seams and space between the balls.  That's what formed the front and back covers!

We finally reach the end of the album.  When I added the names, I put the girls' first and last name.  That way, years down the road, the birthday girl will have the names to look the other girls up.

I know I had a lot of fun creating the book.  I hope she enjoyed receiving it!

You're the Bomb card

This super cute card was inspired by a card made by Donna Digby.  Her original card can be found here, where she continued the theme inside her card.

My take was similar but I matched it with my Hopscotch workshop.  : )

The colors used are Hopscotch paper, Indian Corn Blue, Flaxen, and Smoothie.  The Indian Corn Blue was run through with my Chevron Embossing Folder (Z1925) and centered on a layer of Hopscotch paper (X7194B).  The spark for the fuse is a medium sequin from the Gold Sequin Assortment (Z2012).  Finally, the fuse was drawn by hand using our Journaling Pen (Z1979).

The bomb itself is a circle with a rectangle glued to the back of it.




If you look at the "You're the Bomb" stamp set (C1617) used for this card, you'll notice the "you are" is flagged only on one side -- the wrong orientation for this card.  We just cut the other side to make it "symmetrical".  Easy peasy!

And the "sparkle" from the lit fuse is really the shine of the diamond.  As I was telling a friend, I stamp because I can't draw!

As you look at the stamp set, you can see the versatility!  This stamp set is only available through the end of the month.  In other words, you have until March 31, 2015 to get this fabulous set.  Another benefit is $3 of the cost goes to Operation Smile!

Artfully Sent "Q"

Here are some more Artfully Sent samples - let's check in with Gail Vought's samples.  The "q" key is found on page 11 and depicts owls, branches, and a tree.

Gail used Seaside paper packet (X7192B) and colors to adorn this Scene card.  The belly, eyes, and beak of the owl are cut out and Gail chose to back them with Teal Glitter Paper (Z1991), Black cardstock (1386), and Desert Sand Cardstock (in Seaside paper packet).  She accessorized the card with aqua dots (Z1853) and Baker's Twine (Z1921).

One thing that distinguishes Gail's artwork is the incorporation of black.  With this card, Gail outlined the owl.

 Keeping with the black accents, Gail uses Black cardstock under the Brush Paper (X7190B) and again outlines the branch and leaves.  Where did the branch and leaves come?  They are the negative cuts from the <Pocket Card><shift> option of the "q" key.  She could incorporate the other part into a card front or on a layout.

The flowers (page 29 and 70) and black border (pg 63 with holes punched) are from the Art Philosophy Collection  which can be purchased as well.  If you don't have this cartridge, you are missing out on 700 basic shapes, tags, borders, 3D flowers, and more.

This final example is on the Sleeve option.  Gail again used Brushed paper, and outlined with black pen.  And she once again used the negative cuts to add dimension to the pocket card.  Since it's narrower, I believe she used the cuts from the Sentiment card.  It looks like she also had the branch cut smaller and then only used a portion up above where you see "HELLO" -- very creative!

Where can you find "HELLO"?  That word is just one of 700 images found on the Artbooking Collection (Z1906), and found on page 39.  Obviously, Gail likes all four of our Cricut Collections.  I don't think I could pick out a favorite cartridge either!

Wedding Card Revisited - Different Paper

Well, I didn't really revisit this card.  In fact, I made it at the same time I made the Hopscotch card.  AND, this is the one I gave to the bride and groom!

The same thought process went into making this card as the Hopscotch wedding card, but I used Florentine paper (retired).

With this card I highlighted the heart by overlaying it with coordinating Florentine paper and adding the Small Flourishes sparkle.  I left the Colonial White "Love" alone so that it represents simple elegance.



In the picture below, you can see that I also popped the word up off the card base (Cocoa cardstock).

As you can see, I went with simple on the inside of the card as well.  The "Mr" and "Mrs" are lined with Florentine background and texture paper, and the "&" is coordinating cardstock.  The rings have been cut from the silver glitter paper.


Another simple yet elegant wedding card!