ScrapFIT Workout #63

I am so excited to bring you the new ScrapFIT Workout!  Some of you may remember Diana from Sketchy Thursdays.  Do you miss those sketches as much as I do?  I am so happy to tell you that Diana is ScrapFIT's Creative Trainer, and you will be finding her sketches on ScrapFIT!  So without further ado, her is the sketch for this week along with my interpretation.

Journaling on this layout means meant as much to me as the wonderful picture taken of Shane on Christmas day.  Shane has so many aspirations and dreams and sometimes life just doesn't go fast enough for 22 year-olds.  That's what this layout is all about.  The journaling reads, "Sometimes it takes a little while to get where you are going.  There are a lot of twists and turns in the road, but hang on because the road does straighten in a lot of wonderful places.  When we do reach those places, we have grown so much from all those curves and detours we encountered that our destination is even sweeter.  Oh the places you'll go!!"

I hope you'll visit ScrapFit to see all the wonderful inspiration from other design team members.  Paper Quirks is our sponsor and prize for this challenge.

Items used to create this layout can be found on my website:
X7154B Cruisin' Paper Packet
X7154C Cruisin' Silver Foil Images
Z1701 Grey Wool Baker's Twine
Z1682 Notable Alphabet Dimensional Elements
Z1335 Licorice Gems

Heaven is for Real

I haven't done a book  review for you in awhile, and I just knew I had to share this one with you.  Have you read it?  This book not only strengthened my faith, but it reminded me in a HUGE way of how much God loves us.  This is a true story about a little boy's journey to Heaven and all the many ways that it impacted him and those around him.  I don't want to say too much because I want you to discover this book on your own.  This is an easy read, but it is so powerful.  If you choose to read it, I pray that you find as much hope in it as I did!

Two More Days!

My husband and I are away on a little 3-day vacation up on one of Minnesota's most beautiful lakes - Mille Lacs Lake.  But I needed to make sure that I posted one more time about the fabulous Studio J special.  You have two more days to take advantage of this special:

Buy one Studio J 5-pack and get one 5-pack FREE!

This is an awesome way to try Studio J!  With Studio J, there is no software to download.  It is user friendly, and I love that about it!  Why not create a free account and give it a test.  Should you like it, you can buy a 5-pack and get another one free.  Your layouts will be shipped free and you will receive page protectors.  So for $55, you receive:

• Ten 2-page layouts
• Free Memory Protectors
• Free Shipping

Remember, in Studio J there is no need to print off your pictures.  You just upload them right to the layout of your choice.  Studio J will also resize them to get the fit you want.  Now look at this layout of my pets.  That picture of Sassy is fabulous in Studio J!

Give me a holler if you have any questions!  I would love to help!!



Spring

I have a Gathering on Saturday morning, and I wanted to make a little something for my hostess.  You know how much I love working with banner pieces, so I create a Spring wall hanging.

The fun thing about this is that it was created completely with the Art Philosophy cartridge!  The banner pieces, the flowers, the butterflies, the circle - all Art Philosophy!  (Don't forget about that great special I told you about where if you join Close To My Heart in March, you will receive the Art Philosophy cartridge free!  Read about it HERE.)  The other items I used to complete this are Lucy, a little Smoothie Baker's Twine, and some green sparkles.  The stamp set is a called My Peeps, and I just have to show it to you:

Too cute, right?  One of these days I am going to make one of these banners for me!  But in the meantime, I'll let my hostesses enjoy them!!

Happy Birthday

I am having an embossing class in March.  Here's the information:

Friday, March 9th at 6:30 pm

or

Saturday, March 10th at 10:00 am

5 cards for $10.00 and all supplies are included.

Just bring yourself!

I wanted to show you one of the cards we'll be making.  This is basic embossing mixing dry and heat embossing using the upcoming March Stamp of the Month.  I will start my class with this card because I want to make sure the basics are covered.  Then I've got 4 other wonderful embossing techniques to share that will be used to create the other 4 cards.

Now, if you are interested, I want you to sign up early!  The spots are already starting to fill up, and space is limited for this class.

Want the Art Philosophy Collection FREE?

Remember I had you click on the "Join My Team" tab yesterday?  Today I want to tell you about an AMAZING promotion for March!  This offer is valid March 1 - March 31st.  I was going to wait until March 1st to tell you, but I wanted to give you time to think about this and ask any questions you might have.

During the month of March, if you join Close To My Heart, you will receive the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection free!  WOW!  That is a $125 value - for free!!  Already have the Art Philosophy collection?  That's okay!  Instead you can choose $100 in Select Product Credit.

For $99 (plus shipping and tax), you will receive the Consultant Kit (valued at $284) PLUS either the collection or $100 in product.  Click on my "Join My Team" tab and read it one more time.  Then let Kristine tell you even more about Close To My Heart in the following video.



Please let me know if you have any questions.  I am so excited about this special, and so excited for you to get a good start in Close To My Heart!   I would love to talk with you in person or over the phone.  Just send me an e-mail HERE to let me know what would be a good time to contact you.  You can also give me a call at (763) 227-0583.  I can't wait to hear from you!!

Have You...

...clicked on my "Join My Team" tab lately?  I'd love for you to visit there!

Thanks

Yesterday you didn't hear from me because I spent the day paper piecing, fussy cutting, and distressing.  (Really, this girl's favorite thing to do.)  I am always in need of cards.   I took the day yesterday creating one card that could be used in many, many ways.  I went to my favorite go-to pattern in Wishes (All Squared Up - page 101), and I created two dozen of these cards.  Many of them are flat, and then some one them are dimensional like this one.

The paper you are looking at is Stella.  There are several unique colors in this paper packet - Olive, Lagoon, Sunset, Cocoa.  Colors I would have not put together myself, but go beautifully together!   The stamp set that I used for the flower and leaves is Just For You.

I wanted to show you the set so that you can see exactly how I used it.  First of all, do you see the dimensions written by a couple of the images?  That means that is the size you cut the matching die-cuts from the Cricut Art Philosophy collection.  Close To My Heart has made it easy, haven't they?  I cut the large flower on the sunset print from the paper packet.  I used the "snakeskin" print to cut circles for the center of the flower.  From there, it was easy to stamp the images using cocoa ink.  I took one of the petals and stamped the back side of two of the printed papers I wanted to use.  Then I stamped the leaves onto the snakeskin paper.  After I fussy cut the petals 144 of them!) and leaves (96 of these!), then I distressed everything with cocoa ink.  As you can see, I alternately pieced the petals into the flower.  For this card, I used a bit of cocoa ribbon underneath the popped up center square.  I also popped up the center and added some Mocha Gems.  I " stamped this one with "thanks," but it's easy enough to add any sentiment to the other cards I made.

So there's a little lesson in bulk card making.  It didn't really take all day.  I'd say it took about 3 hours to make two dozen of these cards.  Pop a movie into your laptop and time goes quickly!

Together

Every time I use one of Liz Qualman's sketches , I have to tell you again how much I love her work!  She inspires me to bring my pages to another level and to create in a way I may not.  This week her suggestion was to try color blocking with her sketch.  Please visit her HERE to see her example.  You will love it!

These are pictures taken at our bonfire last October.  The top photo is my sister Patti's family, and the bottom photo is my husband's twin brother's family.  I took Liz's sketch pretty literally so pretty much everything that was suggested.  The paper and stickease are Olivia, and they are retired.  But isn't it so pretty for these photos?  Let me tell you how I made the banner.  I used the Banners Dimensional Elements and covered them with paper.  So easy to do because I used the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge to cut the perfect sized banners.  Then I punched holes and weaved Sunset baker's twine through the holes.  I LOVE that we now sell 8 colors of baker's twine!  I cut the tickets with my cartridge, too, and then stamped them with last November's stamp of the month, Cherish the Day.  I also added a few buttons from our Sunset Mini Medleys.


I think you should try this sketch.  It was so much fun and it showcased my pictures perfectly!

Twelve/Twelve/Twelve

I took a little break during my retreat this weekend to do a Studio J layout.  Do you remember that I told you about the Ella Publishing class I am taking?  Take twelve pictures on the twelfth day of the month in 2012.  Easy and fun!  I don't focus so much on the everyday pictures, so this is a great class for me!  I wanted to use Studio J so that I could journal right on the photos.

This paper, Love Birds, is only available in Studio J.  Don't forget, this is the month to test out Studio J.  When you buy a 5-pack of two page layouts, you get a 5-pack free!   So that means 10 two-page layouts with free memory protectors and free shipping.  Such a great deal!!  This  special is good until February 29th.

Just a Little Prayer

I needed a sympathy card this week, and I decided to take out a little Lucy paper.

I used the color ready seam binding ribbon on this card, and I used grey wool ink to color it.  It makes it look like silver.  So I inked the edges, too.  I cut the tag and flowers with the Art Philosophy cartridge.

I have to get back to my retreat now!

Thinking of You

I saw this very clean and simple sketch over at Frosted Designs, and I just loved it!  Every once in awhile I like to take a sketch at it's face value and just create. (Click on the link so that you can see the sketch.)

I used Pemberley paper, which has quickly become one of my favorite go-to papers.  I used the A Blossom stamp set for the sentiment.

Thanks for visiting!!

Gifties

I am at my weekend scrapbook retreat now, so I can show you these little gifties that I made for my sisters and nieces.  I am also entering this into The Cricut Creative Cutter Room challenge for Valentine's Day.  Have you visited there yet?  It's a great way to showcase your skills using your Cricut!

I found these petri dishes at Target in the dollar section.  They were two in a package for $1.00, so I bought loads of them (surely you understand!).  I used Roxie paper, and I cut circles and flowers with the AP cartridge.  Oh so easy and fun!  I never get tired of rolling flowers.  I filled them with Dove chocolate and thought the girls could use them on their craft desks.  The letters are the Eclectic Dimensional Elements Alphabets, and I sponged them with black.  The are pre-embossed (cool!), so the prints resist the ink.

Back to my weekend!

ScrapFIT Workout - XOXO

Now that Valentine's Day is over, I'll bet you have an abundance of pictures to scrap.  Why not play along with at ScrapFIT in our new XO challenge?  The rules are simple!  We want to see some love on your layout by using "X" and "O" on it.  You can use it in whatever fashion you want, just so that little love signature is loud and clear!

This is a photo of Jerry's grandparents taken at their 60th wedding anniversary in 2001.  Wow - 60 years!  That deserved a little "XO"!  I covered some dimensional elemental letters using my AP cartridge and matching paper.  Then I tied them up with a little bling.  Now I can't wait to see what you come up with!

We have a great sponsor this week for you.  KStudio was our sponsor in Workout #61 (blank canvas - you still have time to play!), and they are graciously offering up the prize for this workout, too!

Be sure to head over to the ScrapFIT blog to see what the other FIT girls have for inspiration!

Items used in this layout that are available on my website:
X7140B Roxie Paper Packet
Z1686 Art Philosophy Cartridge
Z1089 Black Waxy Flax
Z1104 Clear Sparkles
Z1612 Foundry Pin Clips
Z1635 Heirloom Asst
Z1466 Bling Assortment
Z1463 Flutter Paper Shapes
Z1682 Notable Alphabet Dimensional Elements

I am also going to be adding this layout to the Cricut Creative Cutter Room challenge which is Valentine's Day.

Love Your Layout

I want to share this month's Love Your Layout from Studio J.  It's so nice to know that Studio J can be completely your own in so many ways!



How fun, fast, and easy is it to play and work in Studio J!  Remember, this is the month to give it a try.  When you purchase a Studio J 5-pack, you get a 5-pack for free!

I am going to be working on some more Studio J layouts this week, and I can't wait to share!  In the meantime, I'll share one of my favorites from a few months ago.

We Can't Thank You Enough

I wanted to show you another example using the February Stamp of the Month - Thoughtful Tidings.

This is such a great set!  I found myself reaching for it often with all the wonderful phrases:

There's something for just about everything in this one, isn't there?  The stamp of the month is $17.95, but if you place a $50 order, you are able to buy it for just $5.00.  What a great deal!!

I just have to stop for a minute and tell you how blessed I am by the people I meet just because of Close To My Heart.  I had 5 absolutely wonderful women at my house last night for my Scripture Box class.  It was so much fun to watch them roll flowers and to create their boxes.  I just love when people realize that they CAN make something beautiful!!  And that is a blessing to me!!  The best part is that I have another class tonight, and I just can't wait!!

I'll also share a picture that I took last night of my hubby and our dog.

They are too cute together, right?  I think Miss Chanel has her daddy wrapped around her little paw!

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

• X7147B Stella Paper Packet
• X1410 Colonial White Value Pack Cards
• Z1686 Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge
• S1202 February Thoughtful Tidings
• Z1702 Paradise Baker's Twine
• Z1358 Basic Assortment Buttons
• Z1333 Mocha Opaque Gems

5 Free Studio J Layouts!

Did I get your attention?  There's no gimmick in that title - it's true!!  Let me tell you about this awesome special!

When you purchase a 5-pack of Studio J layouts during February, you automatically get one more 5-pack free!  I love this special because it truly gives you the opportunity to try and get a good feel for Studio J.  When you order your Studio J layouts, you get:

• Free shipping
• Free Memory Protectors
• Free jpeg files

At this special price, the cost is just $5.50 per 2-page layout.  That is so amazing!  I really love the professional print and beauty of a Studio J layout.  Well, instead of talking, I am going to let some layouts speak for themselves.  Let me know if you have any questions!

Step Class and Workouts at ScrapFIT!

Are you a follower over at ScrapFIT?  You have until February 29th to play in our Blank Canvas challenge.
Missy also has a great weekend warm-up for you using clusters on your layout.  And if that weren't enough, Sheila just posted the first Step Class!  It's a GREAT tutorial on covering and embossing chipboard with fabric. You are going to love what you learn!!

Just a Little Prayer

As long as I had my Florentine paper out, I thought I would make another card with it.  It's just so pretty that it's hard for me to put it away!

I used the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge quite heavily on this card.  The card base/layer, butterfly, butterfly layer, flowers, and banner strip were all die-cut.  It's so fun and easy to put a card together using the Art Philosophy cartridge!

Again, I sponged some color-ready seam binding ribbon and finished it off with a couple of foundry pin clips.  The stamp set is Card Chatter-Sympathy and the gems are from the Mocha collection.

Ok, I promise that tomorrow I will put the Florentine away and pull out one of the other new papers!  Maybe I'll put out Victory - a nice masculine paper - to balance things out.  Thanks for stopping by today - I always appreciate the time you spend here!

God's Gift

I have a card to share with you today using the new Florentine paper.  This is such a beautifully warm paper, and I think it's just lovely for any kind of project.

Let me tell you a little about the card.  I cut the card base, flowers, frame, and heart (do you see it tucked behind the ribbon?) with Art Philosophy cartridge.  The sentiment is from a new stamp set called Family Love, and I do believe that it's one of my favorites:

I want to show you a little close up of the flowers.  It's so fun and easy using the Art Philosophy cartridge!  I tucked Mocha Gems in the middle of the flower and little bitty gems in the area for a little added interest.

I also want to tell you a little about the new Color-Ready Seam Binding Ribbon.  WOWIE, so I love this product!!  You don't have to dye it to color it.  You simply sponge the color on it.  So easy and so beautiful!  One product ($6.95 for 10 yards) and you have the option of have 60 colors - brilliant!!

Sometimes paper and color just speaks to you, doesn't it?  That's exactly what happened for me when I saw this paper packet.  I am sure you will see a lot of it!!

Don't forget - if you need a new Idea Book, just let me know!

Sometimes You Just Have to Scrap It...

I saw this picture of my great-nephew on Facebook, and I had to make sure that I stopped everything to scrap it!  My niece does such a wonderful job of capturing smiles and faces with her kids.  I just love to scrap them!  I've had a Liz Qualman's sketch for this week sitting on my desk, so I used that for this picture.

This is retired paper from CTMH (Stardust), but I am really glad that I had a couple Level 1 layouts left!  The colors are perfect for this picture.  Liz had sewing in her sketch, so I actually hand sewed!  (I know - don't fall over or anything - it's a rare thing from me!)  I used the CTMH ruler to mark my lines and then grabbed the embroidery floss to sew.  If you like this paper and these accessories, be sure to check out Studio J.  You can still use this one over there!

I have been in kind of a creative slump lately searching all over the house for my missing mojo.  Do you ever have those days?  So I was really glad for the inspiration I found in this picture, paper, and sketch!

Hip Hip Hooray

I needed a boy's birthday card, so I sat down today with Superhero.  Such great paper!!  If there is someone in your family that likes superheroes or the comics, this is the perfect paper.  It also is such a good mixture of red, white, and blue that it will make a really good Fourth of July paper.  I love when there are multi-uses in one paper packet!

I brought you up close on one side because I wanted you to see that little spring.  Those are the new Adhesive Springs, and I thought that would be a great way to bring a star forward.  Other items used on this card are Milepost Shapes, Blue Button Collection, Neutral Baker's Twine, Red Ribbon Collection, and Silver Glitter Glitz  Gel.

NEW Idea Book, February Specials, and a Publication!

If you are looking for the ScrapFIT reveal, scroll on down!

I have a lot of news today, so bear with me as you read this longer post!  I have already shown you my February Club Pages, my Scripture Box Class, and my February Card Class, so today I am going to focus on the specials for February.

I am so stinkin' excited!  There is a brand new Spring/Summer Idea Book that you can purchase from starting today!!  If you don't have your copy yet, follow the link at the top left of my page.  You can purchase the book using a check, debit card, credit card or your PayPal account.  I will ship it to you right away with a $5.00 coupon to use on your order.

The February Stamp of the Month is called Thoughtful Tidings.  It is a set of 11 stamps that I think are perfect for card making and gift giving.  You can always purchase the Stamp of the Month outright for $17.95, but it gets even better.  Place an order of $50, and you get the set for $5.00!  Truly, the stamp of the month is the best on-going special EVER.  I will be showing you plenty of artwork samples in the days ahead using this fabulous set!

FIVE FOR FREE Special!  Have you been wanting to try Studio J?  This month is your chance!   I love this special, and I know many of you have been waiting for something like this!  During the month of February, buy a Studio J 5-pack for $55 and get a 5-pack FREE!  Wow!!  That means you get 10 layouts for just $2.75 per page.  Best of all, shipping and memory protectors for your pages are free!  If you have thought of trying our online software program Studio J, now is a marvelous time!  There is nothing to download and all elements that are in Studio J are included in the price.  


Let me tell you a little about what I think about Studio J.  I was resistant to try it - that's just being plain honest.  I love the feel of paper and embellishments!  However, once I tried Studio J and saw the finished pages, I fell in love with it.  I love the idea of being able to create pages that can easily be duplicated if someone else would like a copy.  I also found out when I went to the zoo and took over 100 pictures, that it was easy to pop the photos into Studio J and let them do the re-sizing.  Let me show you a couple:

Here are some other things I like:

• I can get all the embellishments in 60 different colors!
• If I want my patterned paper to be a different color, I can change it!
• All of the patterned papers that I LOVE that have been discontinued are in Studio J!  There's even a few that are exclusive to Studio J!
• I can stitch in Studio J without taking out a needle and thread! (I am not a seamstress, so this is huge for me!)
• It was easy to use.  I am not tech-savvy, but I was able to go right in and use it!
• I can spread one photo across several photo wells!
• I use Studio J to create my traditional pages.  It's nice to be able to pick a pattern from a how-to book, layout the papers on Studio J and then cut my paper!

Along the course of the month, I will be showing you some more pages.  Please don't hesitate to contact me at (763) 227-0583 or girlygirlrose43@msn.com if you have questions.  I would love to help!


Finally, I have a publication to share with you!  If you to Scrapbooking.com magazine, you will find my Over the Moon in Love layout.  I think it's so much fun to be published in this online periodical because project cards are printed out and there are youtube tutorials for you.  I am also so excited - and very humbled - to share publications with you.  For those of you that have been published, I don't know if you feel the same way, but I have to pinch myself every time!  I am so glad that what I do can be inspiring in that way, and that makes me feel very blessed!


That's it for now.  I am going back to my craft desk to create!  I hope you are able to fit some craftiness in your day!

ScrapFIT

It's my first reveal at ScrapFIT!  I am so excited and would love for you to play along!  Every good layout starts out as a blank canvas. For this workout we want you to start out with a WHITE background paper and build your layout from there. This leaves your opportunity for creativity wide open - and isn't that fun?!  Those of you that know me well, know that this was a challenge for me, too!  But I found a picture of my sister that I really love, and I like the results. (Don't you think the paper matches her shirt perfectly?)  Be sure to stop by ScrapFIT to see the rest of the DT's layouts!

We have a great sponsor from Etsy this week - K Studio.  Check out the awesome prize:

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

• X7151B Footloose Level 2 Paper Packet
• C1495 Just Chillin' Stamp Set
• D1506 Family Love Stamp Set
• Z1710 Paradise Blooms
• Z1463 Just Blooms Butterfly Shapes
• Z1702 Paradise Baker's Twine
• Z1327 Blue Sparkles