Thanks For the Lift!

Did you know that there are some Spring items in the Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide?  The Lifting Spirits stamp set landed on my doorstep last week, and I have been wanting to ink it up to show you how fun the Spring product is, too!  I used the sketch from The Paper Players for this card.

Now who wouldn't love getting this balloon in the mail?  The clouds, balloon, and banners are a part of the Lifting Spirits stamp set.  I didn't use a lot of patterned paper on this card  - just a little Chantilly and Surf's Up.  I've colored the banners and balloon with Buttercup, Sky, and Sorbet markers after stamping the images with chocolate pigment ink.  Do you see that woodgrain pattern?  That is one of the washi tapes in the book, and I will be using that one a lot!  I brought out the white core in our paper by sanding the dots after dry embossing.

If you don't have your Holiday Guide yet, you can view it online HERE.  The fun thing about going to this link is that you will also find the recipes for the projects in the current Idea Books!

Thanks for stopping in today and giving me a lift!

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Sparkle & Shine Mini Album Instructions

Many people have requested the pattern for how to make my Sparkle & Shine Mini Album.   I am not allowed to sell the template/pattern, but there are two ways that you can get it!

WITH A PURCHASE

Buy any one of these items, and I will send you the instructions via e-mail as soon as I am notified of your order.  To order, you can simply click on the item name.

X7176B  Sparkle & Shine Paper

X7176C  Sparkle & Shine Dimensional Elements

Z1860 Sparkle & Shine Assortment

JOIN MY TEAM

I share all of my classes and templates with my team so that they can use it personally or for their classes.  They often get to see things long before I show them on my blog or Facebook page!  Actually, there's a whole bunch of sharing on the Rose Blossom team from each one of the team members.  We have all kinds of photos and files on our Facebook group for every level of inspiration.  

I love that everyone is so willing to share ideas!

The Consultant Kit is $49, and there is just so much in that kit.  It's approximately $155 of product, so the products shown are at an almost 70% discount!

Besides the Consultant Kit, wouldn't you love to get a generous discount on your own personal paper crafting needs?  The quarterly minimums are low, and the fellowship is not only great on the Rose Blossoms team, but throughout all of Close To My Heart.  I cherish the friendships I have made across the miles thanks to Close To My Heart!

I would love to answer any questions you might have - whether it is to make a purchase or join my team.  

I love hearing from you!  Thanks for stopping in and have a creative day!

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November Scrapbook Club Pages

We are using Huntington for scrapbook club in November.  

Today I am showing you the pages, but check back next week as I'll have photos on them for you.

In club we make two 2-page layouts.  The cost is $25 for class, and when you come, everything is pre-cut and sorted for you.  Club is a time of learning, and I want you to focus on the techniques I am teaching plus I want you to have time to socialize with friends!

I have some openings in November, and of course, there are always openings in my long distance club!

Monday, November 11th at 6:30 pm - 1 opening

Tuesday, November 12th at 6:30 pm - FULL

Monday, November 18th at 6:30 pm - 2 openings

Tuesday, November 19th at 6:30 pm - 2 openings

Let me know if you are interested in joining us!

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November Classes

November always brings a load of classes in my home, so I wanted to share them all with you in this post.  If you lose track of this, you can always click on the "Classes" tab at the top of my page, and all of the information will be there!
If you are long distance, don't worry!  I sell all my classes as kits with a small shipping fee.

Christmas Card Class

Saturday, November 2 at 1:30 pm

$15

Create 15 cards - 5 of each design - using Sparkle & Shine paper

Christmas Canvas

Thursday, November 7th at 6:30 pm

$13

Create this 6x6 Display Canvas using Frosted paper and Sparkle Flourishes

Note Card Box Gift Class

Thursday, November 14th at 6:30 pm

$13

What a perfect gift for Christmas!  We will create this box using Laughing Lola paper and you will go home with almost a full package of Laughing Lola Dimensional Elements.

Christmas File Box Class

Thursday, November 21st at 6:30 pm

$16

This is the perfect box to create right before the Christmas season kicks into high gear!  We will use Sparkle and Shine paper, and you will go home with almost a full package of Sparkle and Shine Dimensional Elements.

As you can see, there are a lot of ways to create Christmas gifts in November!  In December I'll be having a Wrap it Up! class to help you tag and wrap your gifts with Close To My Heart charm!

Be sure to come back over the weekend.  I'll be sharing my November Scrapbook Club pages!

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Congratulations to My Rose Blossom Team!

I was absolutely thrilled to the read the Corporate Recognition last week!  I always like to see if any of my Rose Blossoms are mentioned, but I was over-the-moon excited to see where my team landed in sales!  The Rose Blossoms were #2 in the company for teams of our size!  That is HUGE, and I am so proud of all the love and work that my team members put into Close To My Heart!!

So this morning I went to the mail, and I found this fabulous card from one of my team members, Lynn.  

It is a congratulations card for our Rose Blossom team's success!  What a wonderful card to send Lynn!  

I would be here for hours if I started to tell you all the many ways that these women on the Rose Blossoms team support each other.  Right now, some of my team members are participating in a secret card swap for each other.  It's always so exciting to see what each one of the create!  The Rose Blossoms help each other with business ideas, share artwork, and congratulate and boost each other up.  More than that, they are friends - good friends across the miles that pray for each other and truly care about each other.  So in the end, it's truly about the friendships that are built just because of paper and ink!  

Can you tell that I love my team?

I'd be remiss if I ended this post without telling you that we would love to have you join us on the Rose Blossoms!  E-mail me at girlygirlrose43@msn.com if you would like more information, and I can tell you about the generous discount, quarterly minimums, and answer any other questions you might have.  It's $49 to join Close To My Heart, and you will receive $155 in products - WOW!  That's a 70% discount!!  If you  are ready to join this team, simply click HERE and it will take you directly to the Consultant Application.

Thanks for stopping in today!!

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Happy Birthday

I love playing along with Cardabilities challenges because they stretch in ways I may not create otherwise.  Maybe it's that I'd like to create that way all the time.  There is nothing I love more than just lingering over paper and ink, fussy cutting, and then putting it all together.

This is very old paper and because I love it so, I have been hoarding it.  For those of you that have known Close To My Heart for several years, perhaps you remember this one - Key To My Heart.  It was a January special in 2009, and I have three sheets left along with some scraps.  It came with matching stamps, and that is how I created the journaling box, heart, and vines.  If you look closely (you can click on it to make it larger), you will see that I did some light stamping on the background.  I used the script in Universal Backgrounds and the diamond pattern in Geometric Backgrounds to make a tone-on-tome base.  I inked color ready seam binding with a juniper marker. 

It's cold and rainy/snowy here in Minnesota.  It's a good day to be in my craft room.  I hope that you are having an awesome day!  Thanks for stopping by!

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Holidays from the Heart Giveaway!!

I am so excited about the Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide!  Do you remember the other day when I told you about the special in this mini Idea Book?  

Here's the scoop!

When you place a $100 order from the gift guide and/or the Autumn Winter Idea Book, you may choose one FREE "starred" item from the Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide.  

There are 11 items to choose from, and let me tell you, it's a hard decision!!

(Let me know if  you'd like me to send you a book.  I'd love to do that for you!)

That all ties into my giveaway!  Here's how it works:

Place an order of $100 or more between now and December 31st.

Your name will go into a drawing for a $100 gift certificate from me for Close To My Heart product!

I will be drawing the name of the lucky winner on New Year's Day 2014!

(HERE is a fast and easy link to my website.)

Brenda's New Consultant Special!

Join my FABULOUS Rose Blossom team from now until December 31st.

(The extremely low cost of the New Consultant Kit is just $49, and it is valued at $155.)

If you join my team, you will receive a ticket in my drawing for the $100 gift certificate!

Should you receive your first $300 in sales within the first 30 days.

you will receive $25 in Select Product Credit from Close To My Heart and $25 in product from me!

It's like getting paid back for your kit cost!

Now is a great time to join Close To My Heart and my Rose Blossom team!

(Click HERE to go directly to the Online Application.)

Please don't hesitate to call or e-mail me with any questions!

(763) 227-0583  girlygirlrose43@msn.com 

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October Stamp of the Month - Scandinavian Wishes

This is such a lovely stamp set with so many pretty images.  

I have grown very fond of using the border stamp to create my own background paper.

I found this template HERE.  I did things a bit differently making the card in a way that a gift card could slide in.  It also gave me an opportunity to use the tag in this stamp set.  

You can get your Scandinavian Wishes stamp set during the month of October.  

It is $5 with a $50 purchase or $17.95 outright.

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Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide Blog Hop

Welcome to the Holidays from the Heart 

Gift Guide Blog Hop!

You should have come to me from the sweet and fabulous Sheri Rottler's blog.  This blog hop is a circle of  fifteen Close To My Heart consultants that I am sure will inspire you to create holiday paper crafts that will Sparkle and Shine!  You can jump from blog to blog but should you get lost along the way, you can find the complete list HERE.

I wanted to make something that would show you several of the patterns that are in the Sparkle and Shine paper packet.  I found an old pattern in my files for a fun and unique mini album, and I thought this was the perfect project!   I've got a lot of pictures to share, so let's get started with the front of the album!

We got a glimpse of this paper in the Fall/Winter Idea Book with the Sparkle and Shine Textiles, so I couldn't wait to make a bow with the pretty slate houndstooth fabric.  It made the perfect closure for this album.  Don't you think it matches the paper and embellishments perfectly?  The trees and sentiment are the from the Sparkle and Shine Dimensional Elements, and the yo-yo is a part of the Sparkle and Shine Assortment.  Now let me open open the album for you...

I created the album in a way that I could easily untie the bow and slide it out from the popped up embellishments.  As you can see from this photo, I've used some of the matching slate houndstooth paper on the inside.  But let's take a look at it completely opened up...

I am so happy that I dug through my files to find this pattern.  What a wonderful display for Christmas photos!  The base of this album is two sheets of Ruby cardstock, so it's very sturdy. I added White Daisy mats under the Sparkle and Shine paper to give it even more strength.  I want to share a close-up so that you can see how well everything coordinates and how pretty the embellishments are.

The flags and stitched circles are from the Sparkle and Shine Assortment, and the twine, buttons, and felt poinsettas are from the Ruby Mini Medley Assortment.

Let me tell you a little bit about the Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide.  This is a 21-page mini Idea Book filled with fantabulous product and over-the-top gorgeous projects.  What I love about this book is that is that there are items not only for the paper crafter but for the gift giver as well!  You'll find a super cute fabric Seasons Tweetings Gift Bag Kit with tags that you can stamp yourself to add that special detail and perfect touch. Do you have a teenager or busy mom in your life?  I bet they would love to find one of our Hip Pics Albums under the tree!

As good as that all is, there's a BIG something for you, too!  For every $100 purchase from the gift guide and/or Autumn/Winter Idea Book, you will receive one of the "starred" items in the book FREE!  There are a plethora of items from which you can choose, and a shining deal to save you even more this holiday season!  This special runs from October 15 - December 31st.

I've shown you just a little of what's in this book, and there's just so much more to see!  Hop on over now to Karen Pedersen's blog.  She is not only my upline, but a good friend and constant source of inspiration.  I know that you are going to love visiting her!

Edit:  Thank you so much for your emails and comments!  Due to Corporate Policy, I cannot sell this template.  I veered quite far from the original cutting guide to build this to suit my needs, so the original pattern would not be recognizable.  I don't know the source of the original pattern, but even so I will not copy and distribute in respect of the copyright.   I will however, be offering my personal cutting guide and template as part of a purchase.  Watch my blog the week of October 21st for more information!

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November Card Kit - Huntington Gratitude Cards

I told you all about my Christmas Card Class yesterday, and today I am bringing you my November card kit!  This kit will be available through November 6th (or until all 50 kits are sold), and I will mail all of the kits on November 8th.

I have been asked if I have a subscription for my card kits.  I do!  Simply let me know you would like to receive a monthly invoice.  I send all the monthly invoices on the 1st of each month.  That makes it easy so that you don't have to worry about getting in touch with me.  It's all about making your paper crafting time faster, simpler, and easier!

I've used Huntington this month to make one Thanksgiving and three thank you cards.  The kit will also includes the necessary amount of our beautiful Bronze Shimmer Trim.

Thank you for stopping in today!!  I hope that you've had a fabulous weekend!

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Christmas Cards Class (Kit Available)

Saturday, November 2nd

1:30 pm

$15.00

Location:  Andover Senior Center

(Long Distance Option Available)

In this class, you will make 15 cards (5 of each design), and the class includes:

15 White Daisy Card Bases and Envelopes

Pre-Cut Sparkle & Shine Paper and Cardstock

20 Yards of Grey Wool Twine

All of these cards can be made flat so that you will only need to use one postage stamp.  My inspiration for these cards were the patterns and stamp set in the Frosted Cardmaking Workshop on the Go.  I hope you enjoy the rich Ruby and Slate colors I have used for this class.  This is such beautiful paper!

Here is a closer look at each one:

I would love to have you come to class, but if you are not local (or unavailable that day), I want this class to be available to you as well!  In the long distance kit, you all of your pieces will be pre-cut and stamped with instructions.  

I will be mailing kits weekly starting on October 28th, and they will be available through November 18th.   You can e-mail me at girlygirlrose43@msn.com to sign up for the local class.  If you would like to order long distance, simply use the PayPal link.

Kit Options

(1) Kit with Shipping $20.00 USD (2) Kits with Shipping $35.00 USD (3) Kits with Shipping $50.00 USD

Thank you so much for stopping in!  I so appreciate your visits!

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Thank You

I saw a sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge, and I loved it!  

It is wide open for interpretation, and I like sketches like that.

Babycakes is a paper full of surprises.  If you look at it in the Idea Book, you may not give it a second look if you aren't doing anything involving babies.  Today, I made a thank you card, and I think the paper worked out really well!  I cut the accordion fold flowers on the Artiste cartridge, and I embellished those flowers with some discontinued Sunset buttons, and some Slate trinket pins.  The sentiments are from Scrapbook Statments and For a Friend.

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit today!  I hope you are having a fabulous week so far!

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Always Grateful

I was so honored to be a guest designer at ABC Challenges this week!  Their current challenge is to use three patterned papers, and I pulled out my Huntington to create this card.  The flower and leaves are from the Happy Autumn stamp set.  I absolutely love that autumn rose!

I used the sketch from Cardabilities for this card, and I am also going to enter this card into:

• Addicted to Stamps and More - Photo Inspiration, and 
• Papercraft Star - Photo Inspiration

Thank so much for stopping by today!  I really appreciate your visits!!

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Frosted Display Tray

I realized this morning that I haven't shared my Frosted Hinged Display class with you.  This tray is such a beautiful piece of home decor, and it will display your winter photos perfectly!

This subtle Frosted paper takes my breathe away when I work with it.  It is just so soft and lovely.  Let me give you the details of what is included in this class:

• Hinged Display Tray (each side is 5x7)
• Pre-Cut Frosted Paper
• Full package of Frosted Stickease (you will have a lot left over)
• Sheet of Clear Sparkles
• Two Sparkle Flourishes
• Silver Shimmer Trim (for outside out tray)

I am holding this class in-home on Thursday, October 17th at 6:30 pm.  The class fee is $30, and I have 4 spots remaining.  Please e-mail at girlygirlrose43@msn.com if you are interested!

If you would like to purchase this class long distance, the cost is $35 shipped directly to you.  The class would come with full photos and instructions to make it easy for you to complete.  All long distance classes will be mailed on Friday, October 18th.  You can order your display class through the PayPal button:

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