Mad About You

This is the last day to order Mad About You - a simply beautiful Valentine's Day stamp set. This set has 14 stamps, and I have been finding that it's useful for so many occasions!  Let me share some of my Mad About You artwork one more time ~

You can CLICK HERE to get your stamp set or you can send me an e-mail for your order.  I'll get it in today so that you can start making your Valentine's cards, pages, and projects in the next couple of weeks!

I hope you all have a safe, fun, and Happy New Year's Eve!!

Dude

 I spent the whole evening in my scraproom, and it felt so good!  I was watching a movie and just putzing on this one page.  I am not a "40-pages in one night" kind of gal, so this was really enjoyable to me.  I used a sketch from Crop & Create for this layout. 

All of the product used is from CTMH.  The paper was a monthly special this year, and I was hoarding it.  Time to use it all up, though, because there is a new idea book around the corner!

Valentine's Day Banner

This is a class I am going to be teaching in January.  The date is Saturday, January 14th at 9:00 am, and the cost is $10.00.  If you are long distance you can buy the kit for $10.00 plus shipping!

In the next month, I am going to have a lot of ideas for you for Valentine's Day, so stay tuned!

Families

I hope that you've had the opportunity to spend time with family this Christmas!  We've actually had two Christmas celebrations within 24 hours, and boy, are we full!  We also feel blessed to share time with extended family during the holidays and throughout the year.  So I came home earlier this evening and put this card together as a way of expressing my thoughts about the past two days.

There are a few accessories on this card (buttons, ribbon, and glitter gel), but otherwise this was created with cardstock and stamps.  The background gird, flourish, flowers, and sentiment are all from the Rock the Block stamp set.  I want everyone that buys this wonderful set to have plenty of ideas with what to do with it!  I think this would make a nice Valentine's card for a parent or grandparent. 

Merry Christmas

From our house to yours, we wish you a bright and peaceful Christmas filled with blessings and love!

More December Stamp of the Month

I just know that as soon as Christmas is over, you are going to want Valentine's Day ideas.  So here's another example for you using one of the sentiments from Mad About You.

Roxie is such a delicate paper.  This card was fun to make. I took my time and sliced around the flourish with my craft knife so that I could tuck that scalloped circle underneath it. I cut the scalloped circle, heart, and flower templates with the Art Philosophy cartridge.

December Stamp of the Month

I have been showing you cards made with the December Stamp of the Month, so today I wanted to show you a layout.  This is actually one of the pages from January Club (you can see all the pages under my Classes tab).

This paper is Roxie, and I just love it.  The pink color is Smoothie, and it's such a warm pink.  The stamp of the month images are the two tickets and heart on the bottom left.  The other elements on the page are the matching Roxie Stickease.  What I did to give the stickease just a little "more" was put Liquid Glass on the flowers.  I know that is hard to see, but it just gives everything such a nice look!

What an Honor!

I haven't had much time to play along with challenges lately, so imagine my surprise when my friend Lynn told me about this:

for this card:

Yippee!  What fun news!!  I have so been enjoying working with kraft cardstock lately, so this was really an honor!!

You're Sweet

I am still working out of my card scrap box today, and I've made a Valentine's Day card to show you. I wanted to make sure to show you another example using the December Stamp of the Month Mad About You.  I know we all have our minds on Christmas right now, but we are going to want to make our Valentine cards in January!

I've used some Roxie scraps, Colonial White Ribbon, and Bling to put this card together.  So such a simple pattern really showcasing the lovely stamps from this set.

There are two ways to get the stamp of the month.  You can purchase it outright for $17.95.  Or when you place a $50 order, the stamp of the month is only $5.00.  What a deal!!

Thank You Card

I have the coolest box in my craft room.  It's one of those 13x13 clear scrapbook boxes, and I use it for card scraps.  I like it because when I have a few minutes, I don't have to go to my paper shelf, but I can grab this box and create.  I never know what treasure-filled scrap I might pull out - just that I am always on a mission to use all that I possibly can.  Tonight I saw a sketch at Mojo Monday that I liked, so I got a start on my thank you cards for January.

I love this chocolate striped grosgrain ribbon.  It may cost a little more to mail, but it is so worth it!  This card is very clean and simple, but the ribbon paired with Wonderland paper adds a lot of punch.

How are your preparations going for Christmas?  It is a crazy busy time, isn't it?  I wrapped the last of my packages today, so now it's just a matter of making food.  I think we can enjoy the rest of the week!

Our Gingerbread Tree

Shane's been spending some time in the kitchen, and things are looking pretty festive!  I thought I'd share one of his creations ~

Rock the Block Winter Promotion

Ok, I have been chomping at the bit waiting to show you the artwork that I created with this awesome winter promotion from Close To My Heart!  This is an amazing promotion, so hang on to end of this post to hear all the details and see my artwork.
You will be able to find it on my website starting today!  I will have a tab at the top of my blog for you to access the ordering information.  This set contains an amazing set of 9 blocks (2"x2") that sit in a tray:

Along with that, you will get a wonderful 8-1/2" x11" stamp set.  Look at a piece of typing paper -yes, that is how big this set is!  Tale a look at this fabulous set:

To give you an idea of the size of the stamps, the grid and polka dot pattern fit on the block.  Such a great set, right?!

Would you like to know the price?  When you place an order for $25, you can purchase this set for just $15.00!  Oh my goodness - this is such an amazing price, and you will love creating this set for your home or as a gift!

Now I'll show you what I created with this:

I wanted to be an "out of the box thinker" (as the stamp set says!), so that is why I took the blocks out of the tray.  I wanted to create a firm standing piece of home decor for our living room.  I want to invite you to click on the photo to see the detail up close.  I stamped all of my pieces with the grid-like stamp from the set.  What a great way to create your own patterned paper!

I created some flowers with the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge using Sonoma paper, grabbed some matching embellishments, and I had this completed by the end of a two-hour movie on Netflix.  Really, this is a fast and easy project! 
So then I was left with an undecorated tray.  So the next night I caught up on an episide of Glee on Hulu while I created this:

I love this frame!  Dreamin' is a gorgeous paper, and it suited this picture of Shane well.  Truly, I just grabbed scraps and a few matching pieces to finish this piece.  So by thinking out of the box, I maximized the use of this special set - getting a lot more bang for my buck! 

What do you think about this set?  Can you tell that I am thrilled about it?!  I think the price is amazing  as the set has a value of $42.90.   You know I created two pieces of home decor and still have an amazing stamp set to explore.  Whether you are a card maker or scrapper, you will find a use for these stamps.  Now let me tell you about a couple little extras I am offering with this set.

1. I am holding a FREE class on Saturday, January 14th at 9:00 am for those that purchase the Rock the Block special.  I want you to have fun creating your own individual piece!  You bring your set and supplies.  You can do anything you want, and I'll offer you help along the way.   I'll have my Cricut out for use, and I am quite certain you'll find coffee and some muffins on my kitchen counter.
2. Anyone that joins my team between now and January 31st will receive the Rock the Block special from me as a gift!  This set of collage cubes is going to be in the upcoming Spring/Summer Idea Book, so wouldn't it be great to have a project completed to show your future customers?  I think so!  I have an amazing (and super creative) team that I know you would love!

Please contact me if you have any questions about this set or the "extras" that I am offering with it.  I would love to help you out!  My e-mail is girlygirlrose43@msn.com, and my telephone number is (763) 227-0583.  I can't wait to hear from you!!

Cookie Bake

I have been finishing up some Studio J layouts for a Christmas gift, and I thought I would share a rather festive one with you.

For this layout, I used Believe paper along with the matching stickease.  The great thing about using Studio J is that if I want to use more stickease than would come in the physical package, I can.  It was so much fun to copy and paste those button and banner pieces!  I was able to re-size the banners, elf, letters, and quote to fit the way I wanted them.  There was another advantage of building this layout in Studio J.  If either of my sisters or any of my nieces want copies, I can easily go back into Studio J and order them.

I can hardly wait till this layout arrives from Close To My Heart!  I know the colors will be true, and the layout will be awesome quality.  This 2-page layout cost $6.50, comes with free page protectors, and is being shipped free.  What an economical way to create a gift album!

Love Your Layout with Studio J

There are some great tips in this month's Love Your Layout!  Studio J is a fabulous ways to get some of your holiday pictures scrapped quickly - and make copies to share with family and friends!  Please contact me if you have any questions!

Cardabilities Reveal

It's time for a new sketch at Cardabilities!  The sketch is fabulous, and I am sure you will have fun with it!

Although it's not seasonal, I really felt like working with these feminine colors.  Once I rolled the flowers, I put a little liquid glass on them, let them dry a bit, and then sprinkled some embossing powder inside the petals.  It was a joy to create with these colors! 
Head over to Cardabilities to see what the rest of the design team has prepared for you!

Let it Snow

I came to my craft room this morning with the desire to just sit down and create.  I really wanted to sit down and play with my papers and ink.  I found a sketch that I liked from Sketchbook Saturday 

and combined it with the "Let it Snow" challenge at the Kraft Journal.

I so love combining these blues with kraft paper.  It's just so soft and reminds me of a gentle snowfall.  I painted the snowflake with pearl paint and then poured prisma glitter on it.  After all the glittering I've been doing this month, I think my carpeting is will shimmer for a long time!  I sponged all the edges with white pigment ink.

Items used on this card that can be found on my website:

• Z1375 Kraft Cardstock
• X7146B Wonderland Paper
• Z2163 White Daisy Pigment Ink
• Z1225 Flurry Dimensional Elements
• Z1385 Blue Designer Ribbon
• Z1327 Blue Sparkles
• Z1039 Create a Shade Pearl Paint
• Z134 Prisma Glitter

Just a Peek!

Do you remember me telling you about the Rock the Block special?  Today I can't help but show you a little peek of my completed project.

Did you have any doubt that I would create with these colors?  I will be showing you the whole project next Sunday, December 18th.  This fabulous set of 9 collage blocks with a full 8-1/2 x 11 stamp set goes on sale Monday, December 19th.

I can't wait for you to get your hands on this block and stamp set!  With any $25 purchase, you will be able to buy this winter promotional set for $15!   I am looking forward to getting more blocks because I have ideas for every room in the house!!

Photo Tray

I have had these done for a couple of weeks, but I couldn't show you until I gave it to my sister.  In fact, I made these for two of my sisters, so they received them this morning when I saw them at a craft boutique.  It was such a nice boutique with lots of wonderful handmade items.  I had a hard time narrowing down my purchases!  Right now I am sitting here in my heavy knit slippers.  If you have every had these heavy, handmade slippers, you know just how happy and toasty my feet are right now!  In the days to come, I will show you some of my other purchases!

Now getting back to the gifts I gave my sisters.  They is the 7Gypsies 6x6 photo tray.

Of course, I had to fill them with all kinds of CTMH goodness!  Do you remember when people used to line their shelves with beautiful lace edges?  That's the look I was going for by adding the border strips above the small squares.    Some great paper and a few embellishments and these gifts were done!

Items that can be found on my website:
X7143B Sonoma Paper Packet
Z1487 Pewter Mini Medleys (I used the corners and cut a frame in half)
Z1635 Heirloom Asst
Z1466 Bling Asst
Z1333 Mocha Gems
Z1126 Colonial White Designer Ribbon
Z1682 Notable Alphabet Dimensional Elements

One of a Kind

I saw a sketch at Cards & Things challenges, and I fell in love with the simplicity of the sketch.  I love making round cards, so I set to work right away on this one.

I used a clear card, so there is a lot of dimension to this card.  That beautiful blue mat (from the Believe paper packet), bottom snowflake and sentiment are on the inside of the card.  The silver ribbon, sparkles, and large snowflake are on the outside.

Have you ever wondered how to attach paper to a clear card?  I use Liquid Glass - a wonderful product that not only holds really well, but is clear (thus the name!).  It works beautifully on clear cards or albums.

Those glittery snowflakes are easy to create!  I took a couple Flurry dimensional elements and painted them with Create-a-Shade pearl paint.  While they were wet, I sprinkled prisma glitter on them.  It's a pretty look!

Have you been working on Christmas gifts?  I have, but I've not been able to show you.  In case people are reading, I have to wait so as not to spoil the surprise!  It's COLD here!  Today will be in the low 20s, and tomorrow night there are predicting 0 degrees.  Brrrr!!  I think I'd rather have snow!

Thank for stopping by!  I hope you are having a blessed week!

While Supplies Last Updated!

There is new product on the While Supplies Last tab on my website!!  More retired paper and LOADS of cardstock!  If you are a card-maker, you are going to want to check out this sale!!

You're Sweet

I am so grateful to my leader, Karen.  When we reach a particular goal she has set, she sends handmade cards.  I so appreciate them!  She makes beautiful examples using the stamp of the month, and I think that is really awesome!  So if you've never visited her blog, hop over there to see what she's up to.  I know you will love it!  I want to show you the card she made for the December Stamp of the Month, Mad About You.

Isn't it lovely the way she used the hearts from the set to make a flower?  GO HERE to see the details on how she made this card.  The December Stamp of the Month is one of my favorites.  If you put "December Stamp of the Month" in the search bar at the top left of my blog, you will find examples of other projects I've made with this set.

Time-Saving Gift Idea

The gift-giving season can be an uplifting time of merriment and joy... but it can also feel a bit hectic. It’s nice to know you can count on Studio J^® to help you give meaningful gifts that don’t require a lot of time or money. Here are a few ideas to simplify your life and save time for both the giver and the receiver.

Make one family layout and print multiple copies for everyone. (Time: 15–45 minutes) With Studio J, printing extra copies of a layout is as simple as changing the quantity on the checkout screen. Or, if you prefer, create one layout, then copy it into a new project as many times as you like and customize it for each recipient.

Give a Studio J 5-pack along with a Quick Pic™ album. (Time: 5 minutes) Since a 5-pack includes free layouts, free shipping, and free Memory Protectors^®, it’s everything they’ll need to create a finished album!

Present a loved one with a 3-month Studio J membership. (Time: 5 minutes) A 3-month membership costs just $30 US / $33 CAN and is the perfect way to help someone “get their feet wet” with Studio J and give them complete access to a product you love. Combine it with a 5-pack to make it an extra-special stocking stuffer!

Give a gift certificate for one-on-one Studio J training. (Time: 35 minutes) With Studio J, you can create two 2-page layouts in just 30 minutes. Give a gift certificate for a 30-minute session of one-one-one training where you help them create two layouts. Once you’ve shown them how fast and easy it is to scrapbook the Studio J way, they’ll be excited to create more pages on their own!

So put on the holiday music, pour yourself some eggnog, and pull out your holiday gift list. Studio J is a great way to help you give the gift of memories—without taking much time!

Love Squared

The other day I showed you the stamp set that you can get with the Rock the Block special.

I want you to know that you can do so much with the stamp set once your collage blocks are made.  I am going to be showing you examples this month and next, so I am bringing you my first card today.  This is a simple, yet bold card.

You have to love this stamp set!  This is the big corner flourish from the set - isn't it great?  I added a small flourish to the right of "love".  And speaking of the "love," I stamped and fussy cut it out so that I could pop it up.  I also fussy cut the border and adhered it to the pleated ribbon.  I love the simplicity of this card.

Items used that can be found on my website:

• Rock the Block Stamp Set (available on December 19th)
• Cardstock - X5759 Pacifica; 1388 Colonial White; Z1375 Kraft
• Ink - Z2192 Pacifica; Z2116 Cranberry
• Z1327 Blue Sparkles

December Newsletter

Dear Wonderful Customers & Friends,

Happy Holidays! I am wishing for an amazing month of celebrations for you and yours!

December Stamp of the Month – Mad About You

Even though we are heading into Christmas, it’s time in the stamping world to think about Valentine’s Day. Mad About You will not disappoint you and will easily meet your Valentine needs. The stamp of the month can be purchased outright at $17.95 or with a $50 order; it is yours for just $5.00!  Here is an example for you using this set.  Watch for many more examples during the month of December!

December Special – Rock the Block

I am really excited to tell you about Rock the Block! If you have purchased any of the My Creations items (page 131 of your idea Book), you know what good quality they are and how easy they are to alter to meet your needs. With this special, you will get a set of 9 collage blocks in a tray along with an 8-1/2”x11” stamp set. This set has a value of $49.90, and with your purchase of $25, you can get it for just $15.00!!

I LOVE this set! It allows for so much creativity and really, you can do whatever you’d like with the blocks! Watch my blog in the next week to see what I am doing with mine.

A couple extra Rock the Block perks for you:

Rock the Block Class – Saturday, January 14^th at 9:00 am

Bring your Rock the Block set to my house, and I will help you put it together. Often all we need is to do is chat a little, eat a little, and see the creativity of others to finish our own work. I’ll give you some tips and ideas that make working with the My Creations items easy and fun! This is a free class when you purchase the Rock the Block set! RSVP by Thursday, January 12^th.

Join My Team 

 

Have you given thought to joining the Close To My Heart family? I would be honored to have you join my Rose Blossoms team! If you join my team from now until the end of January, I will buy you the Rock the Block set! Please contact me if you are interested in this great opportunity. Whether you are interested in joining to receive a discount for yourself, earn a little extra money, or build a business, there is a place for you at Close To My Heart!  Here's a layout of me, one of my downlines, and one of our CTMH friends.  The friendships I have built in Close To My Heart are priceless to me!! These are pictures from Regional Celebration in Detroit:

 

 

December Classes and Workshops
Scrapbook Club - FULL
(but look for a great option below!)

If you would like to purchase a kit to create the four pages at home, the cost with shipping is $25.00. All of the pieces are pre-cut and all stamping is done for you. What a great way to have four pages done for your Christmas pictures!

Cricut Art Philosophy Class
Wednesday, December 7th
6:30 pm

We will be exploring the 700 images on the Art Philosophy cartridge and creating several items. If you have purchased the Art Philosophy cartridge this class is free of charge. If you would like to come to see what this cartridge can do before purchasing the collection, there is a nominal fee of $5.00. Should you decide to purchase the collection, I will subtract $5.00 from your total! RSVP by Tuesday, December 6^th.

12-Hour Crop

Saturday, January 21
9:00 am to 9:00 pm
$15.00

Do you need a day to get out and get some serious (or not so serious!) scrapping done? The cost includes lunch (sub sandwiches), dinner (chili & cornbread), demonstrations, and hourly prizes. They are always a lot of fun! I have 8 openings left for this crop, so please let me know if you are interested. The crop I had in November filled up with a waiting list, and I am certain this one will, too!

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A FUN EVENING WITH FRIENDS?

I would love to come to your home and show you and your friends what is new with Close To My Heart. I can help you plan a Gathering with a free make and take where your friends and family will have a blast! There are always prizes and great booking rewards. Along the way, you'll earn generous Hostess Rewards, possible half-price items, and a generous Hostess Gift from me!

I have just a couple of openings left for January and February. Whether you have a Home Gathering or Online Gathering, your Hostess Rewards are the same!

Contact me today (763) 227-0583 or by e-mail to set up a date - it's the perfect time of the year for a Home Gathering!

Thank you again for sitting down to read my newsletter. I so appreciate your loyalty and your business!

Black Friday

I have another Studio J layout to show you today recapping our Black Friday experience.

There is not a lot of "extra" on this page as I let the journaling and pictures speak for themselves.  Poor Jerry - that is a picture of him in Target at 3:00 am!!

Come back to visit me later this evening.  I'll have my newsletter done, and you'll see the fabulous Stamp of the Month and special for December!