Operation Smile Auction....

This past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to spend time with some other Close To My Heart Consultants in New Jersey, at a training conference called Leadershare.  What a fantastic trip!  We were lucky enough to have three of the Corporate Vice-Presidents there with us which just amazed me since the training was a relatively small group of consultants (about 120 of us).  Seriously, what company sends 3 of their top executives cross-country for such a small group?  For me, that just solidified the idea that Corporate CTMH really does care about the consultants, and is commited to making sure we have the best training available.

In addition to all the wonderful training (and awesome stamping goodies!!!) we received, one other hightlight of the weekend was the auction to raise funds for one of the charities CTMH supports, Operation Smile.  I was honored to be asked to donate a project for the auction.  After initially freaking out about what I was going to make, and having major self-doubt about whether I could create something that others would actually want to spend money for, I decided to create a home decor project.  I ended up making a canvas that can be used as a wall hanging.  Here is a picture (click on the picture to make it larger):

I was so humbled to have my artwork featured next to some other truly amazing art.  There are some seriously talented paper artists in Close To My Heart, y'all!!!! 

We went non-stop all weekend, and I came home and just crashed on the couch, but it was such a fun get-away.  Why don't you join me next time??  :-)

I'm baaaaaaack!!!!

Wow!  Has it really been almost 3 months since I've posted?  Time sure goes fast.  And a big huge apology to my followers.  My life has been so very crazy for the past 3 months, and that's all I'm going to say about that.  Let's just say everything is good now!

I had to come out of hiding to share a fantastic new customer special this month.  If you've ever thought about becoming a Close To My Heart consultant, NOW is the time!!  For this month only, new consultants will have the option of choosing a FREE Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge, or $100 in product credit with the purchase of a new consultant kit.  Now, the kit alone is valued at almost $300, but is available for purchase for only $99.  When you add in the value of the Cricut cartridge, or $100 free product, that means you receive almost $400 in products and supplies for only $99.  What a deal!!  Plus, as a consultant you are eligible for a discount on all CTMH products, as well as a built-in network of friends who also are addicted....ahem, I mean who love papercrafting as much as you.  :-)

Watch the video below for more information. 



I would love to add new friends to my team, and help you get your business started.  Please contact me if you have any questions!

So long, farewell.....

This is a sad post for me this week.....this post marks my last project and blog post as a member of the Heart2Heart Challenges design team.  I have had such a great time the past six months, using the challenges to really stretch my creative borders.  The other design team members have been wonderful to work with, and they are truly amazing (and TALENTED!!) women.

So this will be the last challenge of this year.  The new design team will ring in the New Year in January, and let me tell you, I can't WAIT to see what they have in store for us!  This week our challenge is to create a Holiday Wish for you, our blog readers.  I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Merry Kwanza (I'm not sure what they say, so please forgive me!), and in general, a very HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  Thank you for being part of my life for the past 6 months, and please stop by often! 

Materials used: (all products are CTMH, unless noted otherwise):



-paper: Mistletoe Level 2 paper pack, Topiary cs, Sweet Leaf cs
-ink: Cranberry
-stamps:  Trinity alphabet stamp set
-embellishments: Color-Ready Alphabets Cork, Red Sparkles, Colonial White Waxy Flax, Art Philosphy Cricut Cartridge; Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder/Cuttlebug machine

Photo inspiration week!

This week we have an inspiration challenge for you at H2H.  Here is the inspiration photo: 
                                                
One of the things that jumped out at me when I saw this photo was the glittery lime green ornament.  I love to make these myself, and they are soooo easy to create, so I thought I would show you how.

The picture just doesn't do the ornament's glittery goodness justice, but if you click on it, you can see the shimmer a bit better (and also my reflection in the glass! LOL).

There are a million and one tutorials all over the internet that show you how to make these, so I'm just going to show you the basic steps.  Here is what you will need:

-re-inker in whatever color you choose
-clear glass ornaments
-ultra fine glitter (I used CTMH's prisma glitter)
-disposable rubber gloves
-small Dixie cups

I usually use the clear glass ornaments you can purchase pretty cheaply at any big box craft store.  Remove the top, and set aside.  Pour 20-30 drops of re-inker into the ornaments, and gently swirl so that the ink covers the entire ornament. 

It's important to do this slowly and gently.  Shaking the ornament results in air bubbles and uneven coverage.

When you've covered the entire inside with re-inker, place the ornament upside down in a Dixie cup.  This allows the excess re-inker to drain out, so that it doesn't puddle up at the bottom of the ornament.  Let it dry for about 10 minutes.  Remove the ornament, and wipe off the mouth of the top...sometimes ink likes to puddle here.  If you're not happy with your ink coverage at this point, you can simply rinse the whole thing out with water, and start again!

Once you're satisfied with the ink coverage, and have cleaned up the mouth, pour several tablespoons of glitter into the ornament.  Put on your rubber gloves, place a finger over the opening of the ornament, and shake, shake, shake, until the glitter covers the entire inside.  It's OK to add more if you need to.  Pour out any excess....warning:  the glitter will be dyed whatever color your re-inker is, so don't pour the excess directly back in to your glitter jar!  :-)

Put the top back on, and there you have it.  Blinged out ornaments!  These are really pretty all on their own, or you can jazz them up by adding vinyl to the outside, or using Staz-On ink to stamp an image.  I decided to make mine a Christmas gift for my daughter's Sunday School teacher, so I made this awesome little basket for it to sit in.  You can see Liza Stenz's fabulous video tutorial here -----> awesome basket tutorial.

So what inpsires you about that gorgeous picture up top?  We'd love to know!  Be sure to link it up at H2H's blog, and earn a chance to win some blog candy.  Make it a great week, and Happy Crafting!!

Sketch time!!

My post this week is going to be very, very brief.  Many of you know that I have had back issues, and had surgery in February.  I've recovered well, but I twisted wrong or something a few days ago, and it really really hurts to sit at a computer (don't know what I'm going to do at work this week!).  So, brief blog entry it is (it will make up for all the other posts where I tend to ramble on.....).

We have a sketch challenge at H2H this week.  Here is the sketch:
                                                

And here is my interpretation:

The stitches were hand stitched, using the amazing new Ruler to make guide holes.  I popped up the sentiment with some dimensional tape.  And of course I had to add some bling.  Here is a closer look:

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope all my American friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that everyone has a fantastic week this week!  My son plays in his first high school basketball game tonight, so I'm excited to see that.  Go Vikings!  :-)

Materials list (all products are CTMH, except where noted):

paper:  Mistletoe Level 2 (retired), Chocolate cardstock, Cranberry cardstock, Colonial White cardstock.

stamp set: Just for the Holidays

ink: Chocolate

embellishments and tools: Dark Chocolate Striped Grosgrain, Mocha Opaques, Colonial White Embroidery Floss, Ruler, Scalloped Punch,

In Time....

Last week I saw the movie "In Time", starring Justin Timberlake (man, I love him!).  The premise of the movie is that everyone stops aging at the age of 25, and only have one more year to live, unless they can "buy" more time.  It was an interesting concept, and I enjoyed the movie (but hey, really....JT on a big screen for 90 minutes?  What's not to enjoy?). 

Anyway, it got me thinking about time.  I recently returned to the work force, after being a stay-at-home mom for many years.  It has been a HUGE adjustment for all of us, and I sometimes think it would be great if we could just "buy" time, since I never seem to have enough!  This week's challenge at H2H is to create something using a "time" motif...you can use a clock, a saying about time, or anything else "time" related.  I chose to make a little desk calendar for my new desk.  The company I work for deals with an industry dominated by men, and there are definitely not a whole lot of frilly things in my office.  So I thought I'd make a little "pretty" for my desk.  Just something to look at and make me smile.  Here is how it turned out:

I used a simple 5x7 acrylic frame for my base (one of those little cheapie ones you can buy at Staples, to display flyers and things), and cut patterned paper to fit inside.  I then decorated the top of the frame with the calendar, an image cut out of Colonial White cardstock, and some bling.  I put the decorative paper clip on just to hold down the pages of the calendar.

This picture might give you a  better idea of how I layered it....

The calendar was stamped using the Month by Month stamp set.  I started with December 2011, and stamped a page for the next 12 months.  I then glued them all together, using this tutorial I found on Pinterest (can I just say how much I LOVE Pinterest!).  I used a different glue than the one suggested in the tutorial, though (I used Elmer's Craft Bond Tacky Glue, but I think any thick, white glue that dries clear would work).  It was super easy, and I can think of 101 ways to use my own note pads!  :-)

Once the calendar was stamped, I simply adhered it to the top of the frame using some red-line tape (in this case, Terrifically Tacky Tape).  Added the image and the bling, and Voila!  Desk calendar!  I can't wait to bring it in to the office, although I'm sure my boss will think I'm crazy.  :-)

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope all my American friends have a blessed Thanksgiving this week.  Be sure to take some time for yourself, and get a little crafting done, using a "time" theme.  Then link it on up at Heart2Heart Challenges!  We love to see what you create!

Materials used (all products CTMH, unless noted otherwise):
-paper:  Perfect Day Level 2 paper pack (retired), Colonial White cs, Tulip cs
-ink: Tulip, Juniper
-stamp sets: Month by Month, Key Moments
-embellishments: Perfect Day My Stickease, Clear Sparkles, Martha Stewart Scoring Board, sanding block, decorative paper clip from my home office desk drawer....

I am so grateful....

Thanksgiving is coming up, and this week for H2H Challenges we are asked to create a project for someone we are thankful for. Knowing that shortly behind Thanksgiving comes Christmas, I decided to create a gift to give away. The recipient of this gift is not on the internet all that much, and I would be surprised if she knew how to navigate to my blog even if she was on the internet, so I feel pretty confident posting it here. :-0)

One of the people I am most thankful for in my life is my mom. You can read a blog post ---> here to see how she inspires me. I am thankful every day that I still have my mom around, and that God chose her to be my mother. We live over 12 hours away from each other, but she is my best friend.

My mom loves to drink iced tea, and she is rarely seen at home without a tall glass, filled with lots of ice and her favorite tea. I decided to make her some coasters to use (those iced tea glasses sweat a lot!!). Here is a picture of my tiles:

I created a little box to put them in, and wrapped them up in some pretty ribbon. Read on for a quick tutorial on how to make your own. Here is what you need:

First, start with some unfinished tiles. I got mine at Home Depot, and the box says Travertine 4x4 tiles.  I found them in the do-it-yourself tiling section.  I think they cost around $5.50, for 9 tiles.  You will also need some Staz-On ink, and whatever stamps you'd like to create with.

Wipe any excess dust off of your tiles with a damp paper towel. Then, simply stamp your images directly on the tile, using Staz-On ink. This ink is specifically formulated to use on non-porous surfaces (tile, glass, metal), and is great to have around if you plan on doing any altered art projects. It will definitely stain your acrylic stamps, but they will still work, so don't be alarmed! I do keep some Staz-On cleaner on my craft table, so I can wipe off my stamps after I use them. That minimizes some of the staining.

(I don't know why my picture is loading sideways...it looks normal when I try to upload it, but it shows up sideways. Sorry. I'll try and go back and fix it later.)

Once I've stamped my tiles, I like to give them a quick shot of hot air with my heat gun. Some people like to put them in the oven and bake them for a few minutes, but I'm too lazy to go downstairs to the kitchen. :-) I've never had any problems with the ink smearing after I've set it with the heat gun, so I guess I'll continue to do it that way....

You will want to put some sort of protective covering on the back of the tile once it's stamped. I use plain old fun foam (available at any big box craft store...for cheap!), but you can also use felt pads, or cork. I cut my fun foam a little smaller than my tile and use Liquid Glass to adhere it to the back.

The next step is to make something pretty to put them in.  I designed a box that uses a 12x12 sheet of cardstock or patterned paper.  First, score it at 2", 4", 8" and 10".  Then turn it 90 degrees, and score it again at 2", 4", 8" and 10".  Then use the following picture to cut it:  the solid lines are cut lines, and the dotted lines are score lines:

Once you've cut the cardstock, this is what it should look like (I've added some patterned paper for decoration):

Flip your cardstock over so that your patterned paper is face down.  It would be so much easier to describe the next few steps if I had remembered to label the flaps, but I'll do the best I can.  Stay with me here, folks.  :-)

The longer piece at the bottom of this picture (the one my thumb is on) is going to be folded over the skinnier piece in the middle.

This picture was taken after I had folded two sides.  You can see on the third side how the skinny flap gets folded at a 90 degree angle.  The score line on the longer flap will go over the top of that skinny flap when it it is folded.

And here is the finished product.  Please feel free to email me if you have any questions.  I know these directions are less than stellar.  But it really is an easy box to make, and believe it or not, there is no adhesive involved!  :-)

Now it's your turn to show us who you are grateful for right now.  Use your creativity (and your Close To My Heart products!) and make something special just for that person.  Don't forget to link it up at the H2H blog for your chance to win some awesome prizes!

Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Crafting!