November Stamp of the Month - and a BONUS!

I just love working for a company that not only cares about their Consultants, they also care about the issues that affect the world around us.  Love that.

If you have been anywhere near a TV, computer or newspaper over the past week; then you know all about the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy.  If you haven't seen the damage, just turn on the news.  The photos are dramatic and shocking.  Aside from the storm damage, so many people are without electricity, water and food; and relief efforts are proving to be a huge and expensive task.

Here's how YOU can help us to help those in need.  Place an order which qualifies for the November Stamp of the Month, and when you purchase November's SOTM, Close to My Heart will donate $1 to the Red Cross to help with Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.

PLUS, you can choose a qualifying stamp set for 50% off!  Just place at least $50 worth of supplies into your shopping basket, and at checkout time, you'll be prompted to add the Stamp of the Month.  After you add it, you'll be asked to choose another stamp set for half off.  You'll get everything delivered straight to your door, too!

So, there ya go!  Help us to help those in need, and get a little extra somethin' while you're at it.  Place your order through my website and you could also get November's Hostess Rewards if you're the lucky winner!  Make sure you have JOINED the November Mystery Hostess Gathering, either by using the clickable link above or by choosing "Join" at the bottom of my CTMH website. 

Happy Fall, Y'All!!

It is officially FALL here in the great state of North Carolina!  The leaves are drifting to the ground, the squirrels are busy gathering the last remnants of seeds and nuts from the summer blooms, and there's a briskness in the breezes that blow off the pond in our neighborhood. 

Yup.  It's official!  Fall has arrived!  It just makes me want to stay inside with a cup of hot tea and CRAFT!  (Especially since Christmas is coming soon)

Here's what's on my crafty ToDo List at the moment:
1.  Christmas tags
2.  Christmas cards
3.  Christmas Gifts
4.  Christmas Decorations

Did you know that there's only 53 days left before Christmas???  OH MY.  If you'd like to pick up some supplies for your Christmas crafting, join my November Mystery Hostess online gathering, and you might be the lucky winner of the Hostess Rewards for November!!




 

The Cricut Artiste Pumpkin - Unwrapped!

I just LOVE the Artiste cartridge.  I really do!  But, I was a little disappointed with how my previous attempts at making the pumpkin from the cut on page 85 was going.  There is a tiny slot in the bottom of one pumpkin piece, and a tiny slot in the top of the other pumpkin piece.  You slide these two pieces together to create a 3D pumpkin. 

Sounds great in theory, but it looks like this when completed: 

 

 

I told myself that they'd look better with some leaves.  But they didn't.  I wanted mine to look more like the ones on page 85.  So, I figured it out.  And, I'm sharing with you!

 

Your pumpkin will look like this one:

 

 

Isn't that better?  Yeah, I thought so, too.  To make things easier, I wanted a solid shape to fold in half to create the pumpkin.  You could use the slotted pumpkin for this, but I wanted to

I used my Gypsy to alter the shape for the pumpkin slightly by removing the "slot" in the design.  You can do this using the free online software for Cricut as well, called Cricut Craft Room.  I welded a circle inside the pumpkin which was large enough to cover up the slot.  You only need to alter ONE of these shapes, you don't need to do this to both the upper and lower slot pumpkins. 

 

Now, copy and paste the design to create 3 pumpkin shapes for each 3D pumpkin you want to make.  I made mine at 3 1/2".   These were cut from Goldrush cardstock.  I cut the vine and leaf design from the Cricut Artiste cartridge as well, page 76, key E8, 3D object feature key, Shift.  Cut TWO at 3 1/4" Real Dial Size as well from Olive cardstock.

Making the Pumpkin:
 

Each shape was stamped using Saddle and the flourish stamp from the Love Life stamp set (D1482).  The sample on page 85 used the small vine flourish from the Harvest Happiness stamp set (C1463).   Stamp both sides.  I inked the edges to distress them a bit using the Saddle ink as well.  This color is becoming my new "go to" distressing color! 

 

 

 

Fold each shape in half and crease with a bone folder.  You should have 3 folded pumpkin shapes.

 

 

 

Using Liquid Glass, run a small bead of glue along the edge of ONE of the pieces.  Do NOT overdo the glue!!  Just a little dab'll do ya!

 

I found it helpful to insert a finger between the two halves of the folded shape.  This opened up the shape slightly, so it will be easier to form into a 3D shape later.  If your pieces are glued together while they're folded completely in half, it will be more difficult to keep them in the proper shape.  Each piece should be slightly opened so it will create an "open" pumpkin when dry.

 

 

 

Place another slightly opened pumpkin shape into the glue, lining them up evenly from top to bottom.  ONLY THE FOLDED EDGES SHOULD BE GLUED TOGETHER.  If you are gluing the flat side, then your pumpkin won't fan out properly when dry!!

 

Now comes the hard part.  Hold these pieces in place for a minute or two until the glue sets up.  This only takes a few minutes, really, but it's a key step.  If you rush through this waiting time, your pumpkin will fall apart.  It's truly a test of patience!!

 

If you can remove your fingers from the glued shapes and they hold together by themselves, you're ready for the last piece.

 

 

 

Run a bead of glue into the crease between the two pumpkin shapes already put together.  (again - a little dab'll do ya!)

 

Insert your last slightly opened pumpkin shape into the crease, lining it up top to bottom.  HOLD this piece in place for a moment or two until the glue sets up.  (Patience Pays Off!!)

 

Once the glue has set, you can set the pumpkin down.  When looking down at the pumpkin from the top, each half of the pumpkin shapes should be separate.  The pumpkin should look like spokes on a wheel.  If they aren't even close, you can try to remove the last piece, but  

 

LET THE PUMPKIN DRY.  I know how tempting it is to fiddle with the pieces to try to make them perfect.  BUT DON'T.  Once the pieces are dry, you will be able to move them a bit to make them look better.  It's OK for now.  Let it sit for 15-20 minutes and you'll be able to manipulate them so they're just the way you want.

 

For the leaves -

 

Using Olive ink, distress the edges of the leaves and the curlicue of the vines.  Using a Cocoa or Saddle marker, color the top of ONE of the stems to make it look like the stem for the pumpkin.  Fold the stems of both leaves upward.

 

Put the leaves next to each other, and flip one over.  One stem should be up and one stem should be down.  Insert the two leaves into each other, stems toward each other.  The leaves should be going in opposite directions.  Use a pencil to curl the leaves and tendrils downward. 

 

 

 

Put a dot of glue between the leaves so that they will stick together.  Put a dot of Liquid Glass on the lower stem, and glue it inside the folded area of one of the pumpkin halves.  This will affix the leaves to the pumpkin.  You can add a few dots of Liquid Glass to the underside of the leaves where they meet the tops of the pumpkin pieces if you want to make doubly certain that the leaves won't come off. 

TA DA!  You're all done!  You can use these decorations for Halloween, and then save them for Thanksgiving to put on the table.  Wouldn't they look even better sitting next to a pumpkin pie??


Happy Halloweenie!

This past week, I had a great time with a great group of crafty ladies and we made some Halloween decorations using the Cricut and the ever-so-versatile Cricut Artiste cartridge from Close to My Heart.  Aren't these just FABULOUS??

 

Coffin candy boxes!  Candy containers from iced capuccino bottles!!

 

 

And, what display for Halloween would be complete without a pumpkin?

 

 

Want to make your very own?  Here's some simple directions.  I used these supplies from Close to My Heart:

Cricut Artiste Cartridge (Z1790 $99)

Magic Potions My Acrylix stamp set (C1509 $13.95) - labels

Love Life My Acrylix stamp set (D1482 $17.95) - star, flourishes on pumpkins

Universal Backgrounds My Acrylix Stamp set (D1477 $17.95)

Moonlight Paper Packet (X7161B $9.95)

Dark Chocolate Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (Z1617 $6.95)

Burlap Ribbon (Z1760 $7.95)

Baker's Twine Harvest Assortment (Z1751 $4.95)

Kraft Cardstock (Z1375 $9.50)

Olive cardstock - leaves

Black cardstock - bottle sleeve

Colonial White cardstock - shapes, backgrounds

Inks:

black

goldrush

smokey plum

saddle

chocolate

olive

new england ivy

cocoa

autumn terracotta

 

We also used a Stamp of the Month set, Baroque Borders (S1208), for the inside of the coffin.  This was only available with a qualifying order in August.  When you see something you like, make sure to place an order or it will be gone!

 

Candy Bottle

We used the smaller frapuccino bottles from S***bucks, 9.5 oz.  I'm not endorsing them, they're just the right size.  The hard part was drinking all that frapuccino!  (ha!)  You can use any bottle or container you wish.

 

Cut a piece of black cardstock to fit around your bottle.  Ours was 2 3/4" by 9".  Put a glue dot on the front of the bottle to hold the wrap in place.  Wrap and glue ends only.   

 

The background shape was cut at 2 1/4" high.  It's from page 67 (key D7, Accent 3 Shift) on the Artiste cartridge.   

 

We used the Eye of Owl stamp from Magic Potions.  Shape was cut at 1 1/4" from Colonial White cardstock.  Stamped in Black ink. Distressed with Cocoa.

 

The bottle caps were painted with Krylon spray paint in Rubbed Bronze.  The accent around the neck of the bottle is a piece of Burlap Ribbon cut to wrap around the neck, then cut in half and fringed.  It's held in place with a piece of twine from the Harvest Twine assortment.

 

Coffin Box

I just LOVE this little candy box!  The box was cut at 7" from Kraft cardstock. 

Stamp the box first.  We used the Baroque Borders inside the box with Smokey Plum ink; you could use any repetitive stamp to create a fabric design inside the box. 

 

On the outside of the box lid, we used a design from the Universal Backgrounds stamp set which looks like wood; and we stamped it in Autumn Terracotta.

 

We scored the box along the score marks, and then assembled the bottom of the coffin first.  We then assembled the lid of the box to make sure that they would fit together.  When assembling a box with a lid, it's a good idea to check for fit before the final glue-up.  Sometimes you can adjust the side tabs just a little bit for a better fit before they're glued together. 

 

The embellishment was made by inking the edges of a shape cut from the Artiste cartridge (pg 56 accent 1 shift) cut at 1 3/4".  The cat was cut from Artiste as well, page 76 card feature key, shift, cut at 2". 

 

We used a 5" piece of Burlap Ribbon behind the embellishment.  This was frayed on the edges, and cut into a reverse "v" shape at each end. 

 

The star was cut from the Cricut as well.  The stamp comes from the Love Life stamp set and was stamped in black ink.  You could hand-cut a moon or use a circle punch instead.

 

In the sample, I put a skeleton on the bottom of the coffin using foam tape.  The skeleton was cut from the Artiste cartridge as well (so much stuff on this cartridge!) at 6" page 76 accent 2 and accent 2 shift for the skull.  HOWEVER.  My poor Cricut needed a new blade and the skeletons were not cutting very well. 

 

So, you could always do this: 

 

 

 

 

 

In tomorrow's post, I'll show how the pumpkin was assembled.  I really wanted my pumpkin to look like the one in the Idea Book on page 85.  So, I'll tell you how that was done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Stinkin' Cute are THESE??

Well, as some of you may know, my dear sweet daughter is having TWINS.  Today, she had a 3D ultrasound, and her doctor was able to tell whether one baby is a girl or a boy.  He put a little slip of paper inside an envelope, licked it, sealed it, taped it and stapled it shut.  Evidently, he understands about pregnant women, and how hard it is for them to be patient.  She is to open the envelope with her husband tonight when he gets home from work.  If the paper is pink, one is a girl, and blue for a boy.  The other twin was a little camera-shy, so we're going to have to wait to find out the sex of that baby. 

I bet having to wait is just eating her up....hahhaa. 

 

Anyway, I figured I'd share some artwork while we wait.  (I don't like waiting, either.  But I did hear that she might "accidentally" smear peanut butter on the envelope and leave it where my granddog might just snack on it, then she'd just have to clean up the colored paper shreds....bad doggie!!)

On to the artwork!!  My sweet friend had a baby shower to attend, and asked me to make some table favors for the party.  . 

I used the baby bootie from page 63 of the Artiste Cricut cartridge.  I cut them at 4" and about 6 pieces of salt-water taffy fit inside each.

The shoes were cut out at 4" and I first put the top of the shoe together and folded the tabs under.  I began gluing the top of the shoe to the sole starting at the heel, then moving forward on each side evenly.  I found that I needed to trim just a smidge from the toe of the sole once I had put them together.  It may have just been the way that I made them, but that worked for me. 

The first few shoes that I put together used Liquid Glass to adhere the tabs to the sole.  But, I'm very impatient, and didn't want to wait for the glue to dry.  So, I figured I'd be "smart" and use my tape runner.  They came together much easier, and I didn't have to get my fingers all sticky. 

I put them away so I could work on a few other things, and took them out the morning of the party.  UGH!  They had started to come apart.  I should mention that the paper I used was some that I had in my stash and it had a shiny coating which didn't hold the adhesive very well.  I had made some using the Lucy paper you can see under the shoes; but I didn't think that they looked PINK enough. 

I discovered the problem the morning of the shower.  So, in a moment of PANIC.....I got out my trusty glue-gun and went to town.  I fixed the shoes that needed a bit of help, and then re-glued the pearls around the edges to cover up the seam where the top and sole came together.  Yeah, now my secret is out!!  HOT GLUE.  None of that "low temp" stuff for me!  Give me the "so hot it will melt your fingerprints" stuff anyday!! 

Maybe tomorrow I'll find out what flavor of grandbaby will be coming!  I wonder if I'll be making BLUE shoes or PINK ones??

(Note:  We're still waiting to find out the identity of ONE of the babies.  BUT - Baby B is a BOY!)

Don't Miss this Special Set!

National Stamping Month is underway and Close to My Heart is celebrating with a fantastic offer!  You can get the exclusive, new My Acrylix^® It’s Your Day double stamp set for just $5 when you place a minimum order of $35 in full retail products before September 30, 2012.

You’ll love this double set—two D-size sets in one envelope—which includes nearly 50 trendy images that makes it easy to capture the everyday moments in your life.

FIVE BUCKS. 

This set would be perfect for adding a bit of pizzazz to your scrapbooking layouts or to create journaling cards for a Project Life style scrapbook.  Who doesn't like zig-zags?  Or dots?  Or bikes?  Days of the Week?  Butterflies?  How about some cute sayings? 

Yup.  I knew you'd love it!  You can place your order here:  www.deequarles.ctmh.com

What's New?

If you're wondering why I've been MIA lately, things have gotten busy!!  After the Open House, I had one day to breathe, then we left on a road trip.  We spent the next week visiting with my daughter and son-in-law; playing with their dog, catching up, and checking out the latest improvements they've made to their home.  It was a great visit, and my daughter surprised me with the news that she's expecting TWINS!!  I'm so excited! 

After arriving home, we spent the weekend getting settled back in and finishing up some projects, then my son had a tonsillectomy.  He was so quiet for a few days, it was unnerving not to have him chattering away like a maniac.  He's recovered well, though, and is back to his usual chatty self.

Not much papercrafting going on, though I've gotten to play with the new alcohol ink markers.  I have to say, you're going to LOVE these!



  
Each of the colors in our 40 color pallette has a matching marker.  The markers come in a set of 2, so you receive the matching color marker and a coordinating marker that is one shade darker or lighter than our color.  There's a key in the Idea Book on page 9.  If the little circle next to the marker item number is filled in, the coordinating shade is a bit darker.  If the little circle is open, then the coordinating shade is lighter. 

The last week of August was spent getting ready for SCHOOL!!!  The traditional school schedule starts at the end of August here, and we frantically hunted down 3" binders, highlighters, calculators and shoes so the kids would be all set for the first day.  My fabulous sister even tracked down the sold-out LL Bean backpacks that the kids wanted and shipped them to us!!  She ROCKS.  So do those backpacks!!  Seriously - my daughter has used the same backpack for 5 years.  They last forever.

With school in full swing, volunteer schedules, Girl Scout and Boy Scout meetings under control and life resuming some normalcy, I am happy to get back to papercrafting.  After all, I have those summer photos and back to school pics to scrapbook now!

I think I'll make a cup of tea and go have some long overdue crafting time.  Hope your day is as blessed as mine has been!!

Christmas Card Workshop is Coming!

The Holidays are fast approaching, and I'd like to help you get ahead on your schedule of things to do, and we can have a little fun while we're at it!  I'm thrilled to announce that my Christmas Card Workshop is ready!  Join me on Sunday, November 18th at 2 pm to make your very own Handmade by You cards for the Holidays! 

You'll create 16 cards (2 each of 8 different designs) for only $25!!  Your papers will be pre-cut and ready for you to stamp and assemble at the workshop!  Bring:  small scissors, adhesive and a bone folder.  Snacks and beverages will be provided to get you in the holiday mood!

These cards have been designed without lumpy embellishments which can cost more to mail.  For added "bling" I've applied Stardust Glitz Glitter Gel and I'll show you how to use this on your own cards.  Since this gel can take awhile to dry, and you don't want to smudge your beautiful cards, I'll give each person their own bottle to take home.  You can use as much or as little as you like, depending upon your tastes.

These cards are 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 and the card bases will be provided to you as well as the envelopes.  We'll use a variety of Cricut shapes, My Reflections papers, and My Acrylix stamps to assemble them completely at the workshop.  After the workshop, you will just need to apply the Glitz gel at home and let them dry before addressing them and sending them off to people far and away! 

Each workshop is limited to 6 participants, so register quickly to make sure you get a spot!  Class must be paid for at time of reservation, and all reservations must be made no later than November 1st to ensure that products arrive in time for the workshop.  Payment may be made by Paypal, cash or check.  Just email me first to ensure that I have reserved a space for you, and let me know how you'd like to make payment.

**You can also sign up online if you are in my Meetup group!  http://www.meetup.com/Cary-Papercrafters/  

The New Idea Book is HERE!!!

Seriously!  You can see it online NOW and make your Wish List!  Fall / Winter Close to My Heart Idea Book

I remember looking through the Sears catalog when I was a kid, and writing out a loooong list for Santa!  Here's your chance to be your own Santa Claus, and make your wish list a reality! 

Host a Gathering in August or September with me, and I'll help you get the things on your Wish List!  You can earn Hostess credits so that you can get what you want for FREE!!  Call or email me to discuss the date for your show!  I'll make everything easy for you!

Have a GREAT Day! 

Project Life the CTMH way!

Summer is in full swing here, and we are really having a blast!  Before long, though, the kids will be back in school, and life will resume the routine of early mornings, volunteering, homework and carting kids to and fro.  What's a scrapbooker to do?  How will we find time to keep up with our scrapbooks when our schedule is so crunched?

I've got a great solution, and I hope you'll join me!  I've chosen to keep a running record of our year by doing a Project 365 using Close to My Heart papers and our wonderful Work In Progress Binder! 

So - what exactly IS Project 365?  It's a concept that was popularized by Becky Higgins, to keep a running journal of our days, weeks or months.  Using 4x6 pocket photo protectors that fit into a standard 12x12 album, we add pre-made journaling cards, photos and embellished cardstock pieces to keep a running record of our journey. 

What makes this system so simple is that everything is pre-cut and ready to go.  We just jot down a few notes on a journal card at the end of the day or week, pop in some photos, add an embellished card to a pocket, and DONE.  No worries about layouts or color coordinating our photos and paper - everything is all set to go before we need it.  We just tell the story as it unfolds. 

Join me in September at a special workshop to cut ALL of our papers, get them stamped and embellished, and decorate our Project 365 Box!!  We'll use this box to store all of our 4x6 cards and keep them handy. 

This workshop is FREE when you preorder your supplies (or when you purchase $50 in products from me in August).  Please contact me by Aug 28 and I'll have your things waiting for you, or you can order them online at www.deequarles.ctmh.com and have them shipped directly to you.  Make sure to allow at least 2 weeks for your package to arrive!  (it doesn't usually take that long, though!)

You'll have two opportunities to attend this workshop - please choose either Sunday September 16th at 2pm, or Tuesday September 18 at noon.  If neither of these dates work for you, or you need an evening time, drop me an email and I'll make a workshop time just for you!  I want everyone to be able to have a chance to make their scrapbooking FASTER, SIMPLER, EASIER. 
 
Here's what you'll need for the Workshop:
Your choice of any paper packet ($9.95)
Your choice of Stickease or Embellishment Pack  - $4.95 to $5.95
12x12 Chocolate Legacy Work in Progress Album - Z1348 - $15.95
Horizontal Memory Protector Photo Storage Pages - 4113 - $8.95
OR Vertical Memory Protector Pages - Z1324 - $8.95
My Creations Recipe Box - Z1322 - $6.95
Black or Cocoa Exclusive Inks Alcohol Markers (Z2430 or Z2433) - 2 for $5.95
Or your choice of Color for journaling
This will get you started and keep you going for about 3 months of weekly journaling if you use one full page per week. That's 12 pages, double-sided, for a total of 24 weeks.  Not bad for about $50!

When you purchase the supplies, you'll also qualify to purchase the August Stamp of the Month for just $5! 

Cricut Artiste Bundle - What a DEAL!!!

Now that I've had a chance to take a good look at this cartridge, I had to share what a great deal this is!  Most Cricut cartridges sell for $30 - $50 these days, and they have between 50 and 700 images on them.  Most of the cartridges have feature keys for different parts of the same image; or a tag, card and shadow of the same image, so they have far fewer than 700 images. 

NOT ARTISTE!!  It has so much on it!  Shapes, cupcake wrappers, boxes, cards, tags, titles, envelopes, puzzles...  Even if the shape is layered, most of the layers can be used alone on other projects, so that makes this cartridge an exceptional value. 

The Artiste cartridge has so many 3-D items on it that it needs a SEPARATE BOOKLET for them all!  The cartridge comes with the standard handbook, but there's also another booklet that shows how to put the 3-D items together.  What a great idea!

Here's a link to the Cricut site to see what's included on this cartridge:  http://www.cricut.com/res/handbooks/Artiste_Handbook_web.pdf

And here's the additional booklet for assembly instructions:
http://www.cricut.com/res/handbooks/Artiste_instruction%20booklet_web.pdf

You might think that $99 is a lot to pay for a single cartridge.  You could be right.  But, how many cartridges would you need to purchase to have the same images that Artiste has? 

Cupcake Wrappers - $30
Tags, Bags, Boxes - $50
Flower Shoppe - $30
Happy Hauntings - $40
Father's Day - $30
Paper Lace - $40
Font cartridge - $30-$50
Forever Young (purses) - $30-$40
And MORE.

I'll give you a rundown of the items in the 3-D booklet:

purses - 3 different ones (to hold candy or gift cards)
"house" box - has a 4-sided roof - great for a housewarming gift or diorama, toys for kids
flower top box - petals of flower form the top closure
Tim Horton's or Munchkin box
Box that has a handle on top, top flaps go over handle (like a take-out box)
Box with a lid that has a cut-out - like for a cupcake to fit inside!  Or an ornament!
another purse
cone with scalloped top - to hold candy or flowers
pages and cover for a mini album
envelopes for cards
3-d pop-up cards - "love" and "hello"
decorative cut-out sides on a box
milk carton
magazine file (make in card size to hold a stack of cards as a gift)
match box
triangle box (there are 2!) - shown with the new  Christmas papers papers as "trees"
rosettes - 7 different edges
another mini-album!
mailbox!
flowerpot
bows
cardbox
I'm not even halfway through the booklet!!!

PLUS - an upper and lowercase alphabet!!  You'll LOVE this cartridge!  And, it also comes with 3 coordinating stamp sets, and 3 sheets of Dimensional Elements (chipboard) shapes that coordinate with the cartridge.  You're going to have so much fun with this cartridge that the rest of your cartridges will get jealous!

Special Offer:

From now through August 5, 2012, you can purchase this great bundle from me for just $99 including shipping and tax.  Pick it up locally, and that's all you'll pay.  If you need me to ship it to you, there's an additional shipping charge - I only charge you what the Post Office charges me, between $6 and $9.  Please email me for details on this offer!  (Contact me by email or phone to order, online website will charge full price for shipping/tax.) 

Going, Going, GONE......

Is there something in our Spring/Summer Idea Book that you've had your eye on?  NOW is the time to get it!  When our new Idea Book products become available on August 1, the Spring / Summer products will no longer be available!!

All of our markers and the re-inkers for retired colors are going fast!!  Check my website at www.deequarles.ctmh.com for current inventory.  If you see it online, it is available to order.  If you don't see it, it's already gone!!  Don't delay....

The following products are scheduled to be retired from the CTMH product line and are not pictured in the Autumn/Winter 2012 Idea Book.
All of our How-To Books have been retired and are sold out.

Paper Packs/Stickease/Complements
· Cruisin’ Paper Pack X7154B
· Cruisin’ Complements Foil Images X7154C
· Elemental Paper Pack X7141B
· Elemental Complements Dimensional Elements X7141C
· Footloose Paper Pack X7151B
· Footloose Complements Dimensional Elements X7151C
· Lucy Paper Pack X7149B
· Lucy Complements Glittery Rub-Ons X7149C
· Roxie Paper Pack X7140B
· Roxie My Stickease Assortment X7140C
· Sonoma Paper Pack X7143B
· Sonoma My Stickease Assortment X7143C
· Superhero Paper Pack X7152B
· Superhero Complements Rub-Ons X7152C
· Typeset Paper Pack X7139B
· Typeset Complements Canvas Shapes X7139C

Workshops on the Go
· WOTG Cruisin’ Kit
· WOTG Florentine Kit
· WOTG Footloose Kit
· WOTG Lucy Kit
· WOTG Pemberley Kit
· WOTG Stella Kit
· WOTG Superhero Kit
· WOTG Victory Kit

Stamp Sets:
A1095 Always Remember
A1099 Angel Sent
A1107 A Twinkle
A1108 A Flitter
A1109 A Sip
A1110 A Timber
A1113 A Game
A1115 A Holiday
B1356 St. Nick
B1359 Fright Night
B1361 Tannenbaum
B1362 Tag The Occasion
B1381 Holiday Cheer
B1393 Joyful Jar
B1394 John 3:16
C1379 Holiday Commentary
C1382 Holiday Commentary – Spanish
C1383 Holiday Commentary – French
C1401 Friendship Alphabet Small
C1408 Live Inspired
C1419 Harvest Home
C1420 Snow Days
C1423 Captured Moments
C1424 Nature’s Gift
C1425 Month By Month
C1426 Thanksgiving
C1427 I Believe
C1429 Party Pennants
C1465 Unscripted
C1468 Winter Joy
C1470 Gnome Garden
C1471 Happy Clusters
C1472 Bundled Buddies
D1136 Giggle Caps
D1137 Giggle Lowercase
D1267 Rustic Numbers
D1306 Treasure Life
D1308 All Decked Out
D1373 Childhood Portrait
D1384 Snow Flurries
D1386 Save The Date
D1387 Made With Love
D1397 Save The Date – French
D1398 Save The Date – Spanish
D1401 Authentic
D1436 The Present
D1437 Party Animal
D1446 Adorn-able
D1449 Father Christmas
D1493 Fill In The Blank – Holiday
D1499 Live Your Style
E1002 Rustic Alphabet
E1006 Baroque Alphabet
E1011 Headline Alphabet Large
E1016 Friendship Alphabet Large

Papers/Inks/Reinkers
(Cardstock, inkpads, and reinkers are all included. Check your Idea Book for item numbers.)
**Some re-inkers are already gone!**
· Amethyst
· Baby Pink
· Brown Bag
· Dutch Blue
· Garden Green
· Garnet
· Grey Flannel
· Grey Wool
· Heavenly Blue
· Holiday Red
· Key Lime
· Lilac Mist
· Moonstruck
· Pansy Purple
· Parchment
· Petal
· Spring Iris
· Sunflower
· Sunkiss Yellow
· Sunny Yellow
· Taffy
· Tulip
· Vanilla Cream
· Vineyard Berry

Other Cardstock
· Colonial White 6-pack X5901
· White Daisy 6-pack X5900

Cards
· Clear Cards 4-1/4” x 5-1/2”
· Clear Cards 4-1/2”

Albums/Accessories
· Quick Pic Album-Dark Chocolate Z1406
· Quick Pic Album-Dark Cranberry Z1405
· Quick Pic Album-Outdoor Denim Z1404
· Snapease Album System 12×12 Z4110

Embellishments
· Bitty Brads Basic Assortment Z1367
· Bitty Brads Metal Assortment Z1368
· Bitty Buds Assorment Z1690
· Bottle Caps Z1691
· Canvas Badge Buttons Z1397
· Clear Sparkles Z1104
· Color Ready Irresistibles- Lots of Dots Z1261
· Comic Badge Buttons Z1688
· Dimensional Elements-Ornaments Z1337
· Heirloom Assorment Z1635
· Hinges Z1402
· Mini-Medley Accents-Honey Z1488
· Mini-Medley Accents-Pacifica Z1698
· Mini-Medley Accents-Sunset Z1338
· Mini-Medley-Tulip Z1320
· Photo Hangers Z1403
· Ribbon-Designer Pink Collection Z1384
· Ribbon-Sw. Lf. Stitched Grosgrain (bulk) Z1383
· Seaside Wooden Shapes Z1693 (sold out)

My Creations Products
· My Creations A-Door-Ables Z1321
· My Creations All Sorts Mini Album Z1224
· My Creations Cube Z1152
· My Creations Mix & Mingle Album Z1334

Tools/Organization
· Craft Tray 1764
· Distressing Kit Z1299 (sold out)
· Dotto Dots Dispenser 1766
· Dotto Dots Dispenser-Refill 1767
· Double Scrubber Z1163
· Euro Personal Paper Trimmer Z338
· Euro Replacement Blades Z339
· Euro Replacement Blade/Scoring Z340
· Microfiber Cloth Z1006
· My Legacy Writer Black Pen Set 4275
· Shoulder Tote Z4204 (sold out)

New Workshops

The new Workshops from Close to My Heart are great!  You get all of the supplies needed to complete your projects and a wonderful How-To guide that shows you exactly how to make it.  Using quality supplies from CTMH will kick your artsy creativity up a notch! 

What a great way to spend an afternoon - and when you're done, you'll have something beautiful to display or share with family and friends. 

You can make either of these projects as a Workshop with me, and I'll help you put everything together step by step, and give you tips and pointers along the way.  Want to get together with a friend or two to chat and craft?  Contact me and I'd be happy to set up a private workshop just for you and your friends.  Make it a Gathering Workshop, and you'll earn Hostess Credits to boot!

OPEN HOUSE August 5 ! ! ! !

The new Idea Books are here!!  I can't believe how awesome the new products are - the artwork is amazing!  The Art Team at Close to My Heart has really outdone themselves this time!

Want to see for yourself?  Come to my

OPEN HOUSE

August 5, 2012 from 2 pm to 5 pm

I'll have the NEW Cricut Artiste Cartridge bundle - see it, try it, love it!  Special pricing now through August 5 - just $99 includes shipping, handling and taxes! (email for details)

Make something special at the two Make and Take Creative Stations! You'll love how creative you can be! 

You'll have a chance to win several door prizes, including a Grand Prize - $25 worth of FREE Close to My Heart products! 

Sign up for a workshop, a club or a class for more chances to win!   Make plans to Host a Gathering and get even more chances! 

See my flyer here for more information!

Please RSVP.

(link takes you to GoogleDocs - if you prefer to have this flyer emailed to you, please drop me a note!)

Become a Consultant in August!

Do you love to scrapbook?  Do you like to show others how to do things, or share your passion?  Do you enjoy meeting new people?  How would you like to get a discount on everything you buy for yourself, and earn money doing what you love? 

YOU can become a Consultant for only $49 ! ! !

There are two new Consultant Kits available  starting today!  The first one is the “Essentials Kit” and it's only $49!  It includes all of the items shown in the photo below and is worth over $130!

You can also add to the basic kit - The “Master Kit” includes all of the items above plus lots of extra goodies to help you get your business off to a great start! This kit is $99 and has approximately $280 worth of products.

August 2012 Special Offer for New Consultants!

If you join Close to My Heart as a new Consultant in August, you'll receive the Damask Tote Bag for FREE (retail value $50)!  This offer is only available while supplies last, and is good for both the $49 and $99 New Consultant Kits. This awesome, coated-canvas tote can be slung over the shoulder, across the chest, or worn as a backpack.

This offer is available from August 1, 2012 through August 31, 2012 or while supplies last! 

Become a Close to My Heart Independent Consultant in August, and you can have all that AND a cool tote bag to put your Close to My Heart supplies in!  If you've ever considered becoming a consultant for ANY company, talk to me.  I would love to tell you all about the great experiences I've had with Close to My Heart, and tell you what you need to know about becoming a Consultant yourself.  Join for the discount, join for the friendships, join for the income, join for the Cruises!  Join for the Totebag! 

Sneak Peek - August Stamp of the Month

You're going to LOVE this stamp set!  August's Stamp of the Month is absolutely stunning - it's an antique inspired brocade set of 5 stamps called Baroque Borders.  It's distressed a little to keep the edges soft and keep the image from overpowering your work.  Perfect for backgrounds on scrapbook pages, make your own paper for cards, or use the images by themselves as focal points or accents to your artwork!  Love this set!



 You can get this set ONLY during the month of August!  Regular purchase price is $17.95, but if you purchase $50 or more from our new Idea Book (coming August 1!) you can get this set for just $5 bucks! 

Someone asked me if ALL of our stamps come packaged in the envelopes with the carrier sheets - so I thought I'd pass along a little info about My Acrylix stamps while I'm answering her question.  YES - all of our stamps come packaged in a sturdy plastic envelope that's lightly frosted so that your fingerprints don't show but you can clearly see the set inside.  I LOVE this feature! 

All of the envelopes are the same size about 6 1/2" square, except for the large alphabet stamp sets.  Those come in an 8 1/2" by 11" envelope with holes to fit into a standard loose-leaf binder that you can purchase at any office supply store.  I keep mine in a drawer with my Idea Book, though!

Before Close to My Heart, I had several plastic storage boxes filled with various "clear" stamp sets.  They were all different sizes, from different manufacturers, and many were still in their cellophane wrapper to protect them from dust (or because I just hadn't used them). 

Now, my stamps all fit perfectly and neatly into a storage container.  They are organized and easy to look through for the set that I need for my project.  I can find ANY stamp set in under a minute, and then get back to my project without delay.  I've put all of my sets into our My Acrylix Organizers (Z1038) so that I can stack them up next to my desk.  Each Organizer holds 15 sets.  You can see them here:  http://deequarles.ctmh.com/Retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=3662&CatalogID=164

Another tip:  The sets come packaged with a color-coded front sheet, an instruction sheet on the back of that, a layer of foam to cushion the stamps, and a printed clear carrier sheet that the stamps stick to.  The envelope seals with a snap in the center of the "back" of the envelope.  I flip my contents around so that the clear front (without the flap) shows the stamp set.  It makes the stamps easier to see when I'm looking for a certain stamp, and I also have the set name in the upper right corner this way. 

Cricut Artiste from CTMH!

Just a quick post to show you the new Cricut Artiste cartridge!  Oh My GOSH!  It's got so much stuff crammed into it, I can't believe they put all that on a single cartridge!  Here's the handbook:

http://www.cricut.com/res/handbooks/artiste_handbook_web.pdf

I'm offering a SPECIAL price from now through my Open House on August 5th - $99* includes shipping, handling and tax - if you live in NC, that's a $15 savings!  You'll get the cartridge, 3 D-sized stamp sets and 3 sheets of Dimensional Elements that coordinate with this cartridge!

To order, just email or call me.  I can get it ordered for you right away and have it in your hot little hands in about a week!

* This Special is only available through me by email or phone - not through my online website.  If the cartridge must be mailed to you, please add $9 to help cover postal fees - thanks!

Convention News - Great Changes!

Changes are so exciting!  Close to My Heart releases a new Idea Book every 6 months, and our new book is going LIVE on August 1! 

One thing that's changing is that we will now have a color palette that is 40 colors instead of 60.  We're getting 6 new colors, and we'll be saying goodbye to these favorites:

Retiring Colors List
Grey Wool
Grey Flannel
Vanilla Cream
Parchment
Brown Bag
Baby Pink
Taffy
Sunkiss Yellow
Key Lime
Heavenly Blue
Lilac Mist
Amethyst
Holiday Red
Sunflower
Sunny Yellow
Dutch Blue
Moonstruck
Vineyard Berry
Tulip
Garden Green
Spring Iris
Petal
Garnet
Pansy Purple

So, if you love those colors, order them before the current selection runs out!  If you need reinkers, the time to buy is now.  We will no longer be carrying these colors once the new Idea Book is released on August 1.

Get It While It Lasts!

We're well into the second week of this fantastic offer from Close to My Heart!  Have you seen what's up for grabs with a $75 online purchase this week? 

From July 11 through the 15th or while supplies last, My Reflections Fanfare Paper Packet AND a coordinating Fanfare Level 2 assortment, a $17.90 value is yours FREE when you purchase qualifying product from my online site at www.deequarles.ctmh.com.  Once the supply sells out, it's gone.  There is no replacement, so order early!  

Upon checkout, if the Fanfare paper pack is still available, you will be prompted to add it to your order. 

Join the Gathering exclusively for this special, and you could win the Hostess Rewards for the Online Gathering!  Someone has to win it - it might as well be YOU!  To JOIN this Mystery Hostess Gathering, simply go to my online ordering site, then look in the lower right-corner.  Just click "JOIN" and it will automatically add your order to the gathering.  You'll still get FAST shipping directly to you as soon as you place your order. 

If you are the winner of this Mystery Hostess Rewards drawing, I will contact you by email as soon as the Gathering closes so that you can choose your FREE PRODUCTS!

Just a reminder, our new Idea Book is coming soon.  In order to make room for products, some of the current products may not be available much longer.  If you want to get Superhero, Footloose, Lucy or Cruisin' - these items are in short supply and will not be carried forward into the new book.  The Seaside Wooden Shapes to match the Footloose paper pack are no longer available.  I would expect other items to slowly be phased out as this is the end of the catalog cycle.  Don't delay if you want the best selection!

Dinner Menu Board

Are you always answering the question, "What's for Dinner?" Do you get tired of trying to remember what meals your family hasn't had in awhile? Are you looking to get together with a great group of crafters and make something FUN and USEFUL? Look no further!

We'll make a Menu board that you can hang in your kitchen or dining room to let everyone know "What's for Dinner" This workshop comes complete with all of the supplies you'll need to create a pretty and functional menu display - except the recipes!

Each menu board has 7 magnets for the days of the week, 25 blank Meal Tags, a magnetic box to hold the meal tags when they aren't on the menu, and a notepad to write down important ingredients or your shopping list ("buy wine and cheese"). You write down the meals that your family loves the most, and change them as needed. It's a great way to keep track of what you've had for dinner, and make sure you have what you need for the rest of the week!

The workshop will be held on Friday evening, July 27, 2012 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 at my home in Cary.  Please email me for directions.

Menu board background colors are either sunset and cocoa with Lagoon lettering (in sample shown) ; or creme brulee, lagoon, and olive (from the Footloose paper pack, as used in the Beachy Layout). If you have a cardstock that you prefer to use for your base color, please contact me with that information and I'll try to coordinate your colors with you.

To ensure that I have enough supplies for all attendees, I'm asking for payment via Paypal when you RSVP. Simply let me know your email address and I will send you a Paypal invoice. I can also register you by email if you prefer to pay by check, money order or in person by cash. Attendees who have not paid within 5 days of the workshop will be removed from the list to make room for those on the waiting list. If you are unable to attend the workshop, I will hold your supply kit and you can pick it up at your convenience. You are welcome to make arrangements with me to complete it.

Perfect Pairs are here!

So - how are you beating the heat this month?  It's just gotten hotter and hotter, with no end in sight!  It's a perfect time to stay inside and scrap all those pictures from barbecues, pool parties and Christmas!  To make things easier on you, Close to My Heart is offering Perfect Pairs!  You can shop online to get this special offer, and you won't even need to get into your roasting hot car to do it! 

So, what are Perfect Pairs?  Throughout the month of July, we’ll have several different product pairings consisting of a favorite My Reflections^® paper pack with a corresponding Complement or accessory kit that you’ll be able to get for free!  Each pair will be available for only a limited time, and only while supplies last, so when you see one that you want, act quickly!  All you need to do is place an order of $75 or more in full-priced retail products on my shopping website, and you’ll be able to receive that day’s “perfect pair” for free!

Which Perfect Pair you receive depends on when you shop.   Get more information here

Start shopping now!  Just order from my online shopping website - it's totally secure and easy to use!  Add the products you want to your shopping cart, check out, and they'll be shipped directly to you! 

Here's the link!  www.deequarles.ctmh.com

B-I-N-G-O!!

I've been playing with my new stamp sets, and I had to share!  The Bingo Alphabet (D1498) set is so cute!  I love the distressed alphabet font, which is the reason I ordered it.  The lettering fits beautifully inside a 1" punch, like on these magnets for my new Menu Board:   

I couldn't resist trying out a Bingo card while I was playing, and this is what I came up with:

How cute are these card fronts?  I love tucking a little note inside the kids' lunches, and these are just too much fun!  The lettering combinations are endless - Happy Birthday, Have a great day, thinking of you....endless!  And so easy to do with the clear My Acrylix stamps and blocks.  It's wonderful to see exactly where you're placing the letters.  Stamp with Confidence!!

This set comes with a plain grid for the bingo card, all of the letters of the alphabet, a full set of numbers and some small shapes to fit inside the grid blocks - a heart, a star, a circle and a flower - at least I think it's a flower!  It's cute!  It also comes with the swirly accent at the bottom of the grid.  You can use the lettering, the shapes and the grid on separate projects, or you can combine them as I've done for these cards.  Imagine the possibilities!  Such a great value when you consider what you can do with this one set. 

Through the end of June, for every 2 sets of My Acrylix stamps that you order, you can get another set of equal or lesser value FOR FREE!  You get to choose which sets you want!  Go to www.deequarles.ctmh.com to order and have everything delivered to your door.  How easy is that??

Okay, I'm going to go finish my Menu Board and then figure out what's for dinner....hahaha. 



June Beachy Layout Workshop

Sand, sun, surf....I love North Carolina, I really do!  I have tons of photos from the beaches here, and also waterparks, lakes, pools and kids' water play.  I was so thrilled to see the Footloose Paper Pack!  I just love the sunny yellows (creme brulee) and the deep ocean blue (lagoon). 
This month, we'll work on a fun Layout that you can customize.  I really like layouts that use 4x6 photos, since I don't need to crop my photos I can save time.  So, there's only one photo that's been cropped to 3 1/2 by 5.  You can always make the background shape a little taller to accommodate a 4x6 photo, though.

I really LOVE how this layout came out!  I've found 3 sets of photos to use with it, so I'll have to make a few more of these!  Fortunately, the whole thing takes just 4 1/2 sheets of cardstock, some twine and 4 of the Milepost stars.  You could certainly just use Cricut sealife shapes with it, or even use the Footloose Complements for a different look.  You can also turn the right side layout 90 degrees to accommodate 2 horizontal and one vertical photo as well.

I used 2 sheets of White Daisy for the backgrounds, and a single sheet of B&T for the patterned pieces.  I love the sun on the Footloose B&T paper, so I cut it out at 7" across and 8" down.  That left me with a piece for the right-side of the layout, which I trimmed 1/2" off lengthwise.  I then cut 3/4" off the bottom to make the photo mat on the right side.  I used that 3/4" to fill in above the piece on the left side to make a photo mat for the horizontal pic.

I cut one 12x12 piece of Lagoon cardstock to 6 1/2 by 11 1/4 for the other mat piece on the right.

The star and hemp twine embellishment is cut from a piece of Creme Brulee cardstock.  I used only 1/2 sheet of 8 1/2 by 11 Creme Brulee cardstock.  Cut the 8 1/2 by 11 in half, leaving 2 pieces of 4 1/4" by 11.  Cut this into 3 pieces - 1 1/2", 3" and 4".  (You'll have a scrap leftover).

For the Lagoon AP shape on the left, I used the Card shape on p. 58 cut at 6 1/4".  I used my Gypsy to remove the score marks, but you could do this in Cricut Craft Room as well.  You could also just cut it on your Cricut and ignore the marks. 

No Cricut?  Cut this mat at 4 1/4" by 6 1/4". 

There's a few ways to play with this one - here, I've used the Digital photo prints from Snapfish (theyr'e 4" by 5.3").  I changed the embellishment from stars to using a piece of the Zipstrip.  Not perfect, it needs to have the photos cropped, and it needs another piece of Creme Brulee on the right side between the photo and the journaling block.  It shows the versatility of this layout:

The cute girl in this photo is my lovely daughter.  These were taken at Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte during our end of year Girl Scout trip.  Those girls had a BALL!

The title will be cut at the workshop, and will be done in Lagoon, then arranged over the Sun on the left side.  The Journaling block could also be changed to showcase a small photo.  Lots of possibilities with this layout!

Have fun - and don't forget the sunscreen!!

Christmas In JULY!!!

Feelin' the HEAT?  When we moved to NC 7 years ago, we left New England in the middle of a blizzard at the beginning of December.  We arrived 3 days later in balmy North Carolina to temperatures in the 70's.  Wow.  We knew we were HOME.  No more snow to shovel, no more ice to chip off the sidewalks and steps.  Yay!!

But it does get hot in the middle of summer, doesn't it?  To take our minds off the heat, let's have Christmas in July!  Well, we can prepare for Christmas, anyway! 

D1449 - Father Christmas -Set of 6

Get started on your Christmas crafting early this year!   The Fall 2011 Idea Book has lots of great seasonal stamps to help you get your Christmas crafting finished before the rush of the holidays hits. Wouldn't it be great to have your holiday cards finished before you're finishing off the turkey on Thanksgiving??

Take a peek at the Fall 2011 Idea Book and place your order online.  Get those sets that you can't live without for your holiday crafting, and take advantage of our Stampaganza Savings!!  Buy 2 Get 1 FREE!!! 

Santa will thank you when you still have time to make his favorite chocolate chip cookies because all of your Christmas crafting was done MONTHS AGO.  What are you waiting for??  Christmas??? 

Brilliant Idea for the Cricut Stamp Sets!

I'm sure someone else thought of this first, but I haven't seen it shared, so it might just be common sense!  I figured I'd pass this tip along for the quick and crafty types!

I was cutting out some cards on my Cricut, and I thought it was just such a waste of space to have the rest of the paper go in the trash or a scrap pile - so I put as many of the shapes for one of my stamp sets onto the mat to fill in the spaces as I could.  I have a Gypsy, but you could use Cricut Craft Room as well, or even just punch in shapes after you've cut out your main pieces until the paper runs out. 

I had to cut out a lot of card bases and tags, so I just filled in the remainder with various stamp set shapes. I cut some in Col white and some in White daisy.  You could also just sit down and cut shapes to match the stamp sets so they're ready to go. I like easy and quick!!

Then I popped the extra pieces into the envelope with the stamp set - TA DA.  Next time I need a quickly stamped flower or a shape for a sentiment, I've got it.  No messing with finding the right size, placing paper on the mat - it's done.