Make It Monday

   Welcome back to Make It Monday! Have you been getting crafty for the holidays this month? Are you crafting for you or for others? I typically do more crafting for others this time of year, but I am hoping to squeeze in some time for my projects soon!

   Today I want to share another layout with you, but this one is for Christmas pictures! I used the Workshops Your Way: City Sidewalks Kit to complete this layout. However, I modified the original layout and sketch to make it my own. This is layout #2 from the WYW kit:

   Now here is my take on this sketch:

   I took the original sketch and rotated it outward (the bottom of the sketch now became the sides). I don't typically use a lot of 2x2 or 3x3 sized pictures so I also modified the picture sizes on my layout to use 4x6 and 3x4 pictures instead!

   Instead of the stripe paper I used the darker trees side, but kept all the other papers and colors the same. I moved the title to the bottom to accommodate my pictures better, too, and dovetailed all the pieces under the title piece. I added the glitter die-cut pieces from the City Sidewalks Complements pack, but still thought it needed something. So I decided to add some stamping! I used the Cozy Christmas stamp and Thin Cut Bundle to die-cut the trees and stamp them for my pages. I used Willow and Lagoon inks for the trees, Chocolate ink for the bases, and Cranberry ink for the stars. Then I layered and adhered them to my pages. I think they added the perfect touch, and were super easy to do!

   What do you think of my modified layout? What's your favorite way to modify sketches given to you in the Workshop kits? Let me know if you have any questions about this project or about the products used! Remember, this WYW kit and coordinating embellishments and stamp sets retire at the end of this month! So make sure and gets yours before it's too late! I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, and until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

Black Friday CTMH Haul

   It's the eve before Winter Storm #2 of the year, and I decided to share a fun video with you all! I purchased a couple of the Black Friday bundles from CTMH this year, and got around to finally getting a video posted this week for you all to see what I received!

   I purchased 3 of the bundles, and am very pleased with all the products I got! Check out the video here or on my YouTube page.

   I hope you enjoyed seeing my Black Friday haul from CTMH! Were you able to score one for yourself? I would love to hear what you got!

   Stay safe this weekend if you're traveling, and until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

Make It Monday!

   Welcome back to Make It Monday! Sorry I have been MIA the last month with my blog posts. It has been very busy with traveling, craft fairs, and the holidays! I am slowly getting caught up, but wanted to share some holiday and winter projects with you before the holidays sneak by us!

   Today I want to share a layout I made using the Oh Deer paper pack by Close to My Heart. This layout was inspired by a Scrapbook Generations sketch that I made into a 2 page layout and modified! Here's what I came up with:

   I also offered the first page of this layout as a make-n-take at my Fall Retreat this past September/October! I used 1 full page of the branches and acorns paper, but cut it down to span the two pages. I then edged that paper with the matching zip strip from that sheet of paper. I used Sea Glass and Cocoa cardstock to mat my photos on the left-hand side and to edge my photos on top and bottom as seen on the right-hand page.

   All the pictures used were 4x6 so I didn't have to cut anything down! I also used Sea Glass glitter paper and the Snowflakes Thin Cuts (now sold out) to embellish the layout. For the title I used the Winter Thin Cut and a Cricut die-cut title from the new Flower Market Cartridge by CTMH. I like how the two different fonts work together even though they are from completely different products!

   On the left-hand side I stamped the journaling lines using the Capture This stamp set and Desert Sand ink. I then stamped the pine branches from the Perfectly Pine stamp set in Bamboo ink. On a separate scrap piece of White Daisy cardstock I stamped the pine cones in Cocoa and Desert Sand inks, and fussy cut them out to layer them over the stamped pine branches. I also added the berry branches in Ruby ink behind the pine cones. This was an extra fussy cut I had from the September stamp-of-the-month (now retired).

   I really like how quick and easy this layout came together, and the pictures of me and my niece from a couple years ago fit perfectly with the colors! If you have any questions about this layout or the products used, please let me know! The Oh Deer paper, Thin Cuts, and Perfectly Pine stamp set will all be retiring at the end of this month! So make sure and get yours before they sell out or before they retire! Until next time,

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

Get Organized this Fall!

   The election is finally over. I'm not going to get into politics on here because this is not the platform to do so, but I will say that I am glad to not have the ads and phone calls any more this month. So back to the fun things at hand....papercrafting! Woohoo!

   Papercrafting is very therapeutic for me, but so is organizing! I mean who doesn't like to have a new system to store and display your fun supplies???

   Today I want to share with you another shot blog series I am going to do this Fall/Winter called "Get Organized". Today I have a video I did on how I am storing some products that I find difficult to store and/or take with me on crops and retreats. I think you're going to love this! Check it out on my YouTube channel or watch the video below:

   What do you think? Pretty fun, right? I love this Sea Glass Album, and what better way to store these tools than in a pretty album! Let me know your thoughts, and until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

November Newsletter

   Welcome November! I can't believe it's November 1st, but there's some great things happening with CTMH this month that I can't wait to share with you all! Check out my newsletter below to get all the details:

Click here to view November 2016 Newsletter

   
   Also, Snapfish's Penny Prints and Shutterfly's 101 Free Prints ends today. Check out the codes below to print your free pictures today:

   I think that's everything for today! Have a wonderful first week of November, and until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

Happy Halloween!

   Happy Halloween, everyone! We love Halloween at my house, and this year we get to experience trick-or-treating with our little guy for the first time! We know he won't get it and most likely won't care, but we're excited to take him to a few of our neighbors' houses and say hello!

   Since it is Monday and Halloween, I thought I would share a couple quick and easy Halloween projects for you today. I know it might be a little late to make these now, but you can always have them in store for next year (or maybe that last minute card you wanted to make but now need it immediately)!!

   First up is a super cute paper box using CTMH Jeepers Creepers paper from the Holiday Expressions Idea Book. I made this 4x4 box using my WRMK 1-2-3 Punch Board (love this tool), and some adhesive! It was super fast and easy to do! The only difference I made was instead of using the flaps to close the box, I glued them to the sides so you could see the double-sided paper detail. I then cut the "Boo" from the CTMH Artbooking Cricut Cartridge in Tangerine cardstock. This project is perfect for holding cards, treats, and other fun little gift items.

   Inside my Boo Box I had 3 Halloween cards I made. These little guys were inspired by projects I had pinned on Pinterest a while back. I don't know who to give credit to, though, since the pins took me to other re-pins or posts.

   These cards are super simple, too, and only require scissors and a couple circle punches! I used a 1 1/2" punch for the eyes and eyelids then added 1" circles as pupils, noses, etc. I even used a 2" circle to make Dracula's hairline! Pretty sneaky, right? These were so much fun to do, and I think kids would love making them, too, on paper bags or as a banner!

   Lastly, I made this super quick and easy Halloween garland for my house. I planned on using it as a countdown, but it was too cute and I wanted to leave it up! I used the new stamp set, "Monster Crossing", and Jeepers Creepers papers, both from the Holiday Expressions Idea Book, to make the rings of this garland. I stamped the images in lines across a 12x12 paper then cut them down to 6" strips and added adhesive and a mini staple to each one to help it hold. Super easy and fast, which is definitely up my alley!

 

   I hope you enjoyed my Halloween projects for you today! Check back later this week to see what else I have in store for you, and until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

2017 CTMH Planner

   Happy Friday, everyone! Are you ready for Halloween on Monday? We have been putting the final touches on the house, and will be attending our first Halloween party with the little guy at his daycare this evening! It should be a ton of fun!

   Today I wanted to share with you a video I made showing the 2017 CTMH Planner. I went through and showed the pages, what was new and different, and gave my opinion on the layout and style! You can watch the video here or on YouTube! Enjoy:

 
    What do you think? Isn't it pretty? I need to start filling in my birthdays, events, and upcoming reminders before I start coloring! I just love the look of this planner! So new and ready for the upcoming year's adventures! Let me know if you need help getting your hands on one of these pretty planner bundles yourself! Until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

Make It Monday!

   Happy Monday to you! I hope you are enjoying this new blog series I started this month! I love sharing my projects with you all, and hope that you are feeling inspired to get crafty yourself!

   Today's project is a two page layout using the new Swan Lake Workshops Your Way collection from the Holiday Expressions Idea Book!

   As soon as I started playing with the Swan Lake papers, I knew I wanted to scrap these photos of the hubby and I from 2010!!! Yep...only 6 years ago...no biggie.

   For this layout, I used the main pattern paper (swans on one side and floral background on the other) as accent pieces. Then I used the zip strip from that same paper under my photos, and finally embellished the whole layout using stamped images! That's right....only stamped images on this one! I used the With You stamp set from the Holiday Expressions Idea Book, and the Capture This stamp set from the Annual Inspirations Idea Book. I also used the September stamp-of-the-month, Blessed Beyond Measure, to add a few more Fall touches as well.

   The title was stamped directly on my project using Peacock ink and the new Marker Alphabet stamp set, and I love how it turned out spanning both pages as a centered title!

   Also, the other thing I love about this layout is the fact that I have room for 11 photos on these two pages! Yep I said 11! Can you find them all? Let me give you a hint:

   FLIP FLAPS!!! I love Flip Flaps and really cannot use them enough! I really didn't want to make another layout using my leftover photos from this one out-ing. So I used a 4"x12" Flip Flap (now retired) to add extra pictures to the left side of my layout. Since I cut my pictures down to 4x4 photos on this side, I technically could have 9 photos on this 1 page! Instead of a photo, though, I decided to put some memorabilia in a photo well spot, and, if you look at the pictures, you'll notice the pumpkin stickers are the ones on our shirts from that day at the Pumpkin Patch!

   What do you think? I still need to journal on this layout about our day at the pumpkin patch, but I love how fast this came together with very little product from my Swan Lake kit!

   Let me know if you have any questions about this fun Fall layout, and hopefully you can scrap some Fall pictures for your albums this week, too! Until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

New Products!!!

   Happy Friday! It's an exciting week for CTMH because quite a few new products were released this week! I am so excited to be able to tell you about all these! So without further ado, here's the low down:

1.) 2017 Planner

      Woohoo! If you recall from an email this summer, I mentioned that mid-October we would be seeing the 2017 Planner from CTMH. Well it's here, and it's amazing! These planner pages will fit in the old Black and Gold albums from last year or in the new Black and White stripe or Sea Glass albums!

      The planner has 12 monthly tabs each with a different design on it for you to color (if you choose). Then each week has a page spread with each day getting its own horizontal box to fill in or journal on. I love this type of layout because I can use Bullet Journaling to record my family memories, notes I want to remember, or ideas I had. I will be posting a video of my planner once I receive it in the mail next week!

      Want to get your 2017 planner?? There a few ways you can order. There are 2 planner bundles to choose from or you can get just the planner pages by themself. The planner bundles include
either the Everyday Life Sea Glass album or the Everyday Life stripes album, as well as
the planner pages. These planner pages come with monthly calendars (Sunday through
Saturday), weekly calendars (Monday through Sunday), 12 pages for notes and
journaling, a clear pencil bag, and three gold paperclips.

     
      Order yours today because these planners are while supplies last only, and won't stick around for long! Let me know if I can help you get your planner today!


2.) New Thin Cuts

      Also released this week are 4 new Thin Cut sets that coordinate with stamps from the Annual Inspirations Idea Book! These are also while supplies last for the rest of the duration of the Annual Idea Book, and are:

CC1155—Swirly Seashells ($18.95; coordinates with C1664 Swirly Seashells)
CC1156—Sweet Birthday ($9.95; coordinates with B1532 Sweet Birthday)
CC1157—Wreath ($10.95; coordinates with A1193 Wreath)
CC1158—School Kids ($15.95 USD; coordinates with D1706 School Kids)

3.) New Tombow Tape Runner

      Starting this week, CTMH has decided to add Tombow's latest tape runner to the CTMH adhesive line! This new tape runner has a better design,  permanent adhesive, and the ability to place tape in the smallest corners for more even coverage. You can get the runner and refill now on my Online Shop!

                      

4.) New Hostess Rewards Items

      Starting November 1st, Hostesses will have new options to purchase with their qualifying 50% off item! You will be able to get exclusive CTMH gear that has only been available to consultants this year! You can get the Whimsy craft apron, the 2015 Convention messenger bag, or the 2016 Rolling Bag!

          So what are you waiting for?? Host a workshop with me today to earn these items for yourself!  

Availability Update:

      Workspace Wonder items will start to become available by the end of the month, but in limited quantities. If you have your heart set on any of these items, make sure and place your order immediately to ensure availability. I will keep you all updated as soon as I find out that this awesome new organizing system is out!

      Shimmer Brushes have been out of stock for a couple weeks now. They are a hot commodity this fall, and new shipments have sold out fast when available. The next big shipment should be here by the end of the month.

    That's it! I know there was a lot of info, but you can contact me with any questions you might have or if you need help placing an order! Happy Shopping this weekend, and until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

Make It Monday!

   Welcome back to Make It Monday! I hope you all are having a great start to your week! Today I want to share with you a fun fall card using the new CTMH collection, Swan Lake, from the Holiday Expressions Idea Book!

   I love the colors in this paper collection, and wanted to make a generic Fall themed card that I could use now or even closer to Thanksgiving! I used the main pattern paper from the Swan Lake collection (swans on one side and the floral background on the other), the new Black Shimmer Ribbon, and the Autumn Wishes stamp set. My card base is Kraft cardstock, and I matted my image with Glacier cardstock as well.

   To get the dimensional look on the pumpkin, I paper pieced the two middle sections from a Saffron stamped pumpkin onto a Goldrush stamped pumpkin. I also paper pieced a Chocolate stamped stem onto the Goldrush stamped pumpkin. The sentiment was stamped in Peacock ink, and both of the Colonial White cardstock pieces were ink distressed using Desert Sand.

   This is a quick and easy card to do, and looks elegant and warming at the same time! If you have any questions, please let me know! Otherwise, I hope you are able to get crafty this week and possibly make this card for yourself!

   Enjoy the rest of your week, and until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

New Ink Pads!

   They're here! They're here! The brand new CTMH Ink Pads are finally here and available to order in all 43 of our colors this week!

   I love the new design of our ink pads! They have a magnetic closure, larger pad, and slimmer design (so they feel lighter to me). Plus the new CTMH labeling font is swoon worthy and pretty, too! The whole design and look altogether just makes me happy! Check them out:

   You can start ordering your new ink pads today by contacting me or visiting my Online Shop now! Or why not host your own CTMH Workshop and start earning new ink pads for FREE with your hostess rewards? Contact me today to find out how!

   Happy Shopping, and until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

Back from hiatus!!

   Hi, everyone! I'm so sorry I've been on hiatus this year. Time flies really fast when you have a little one around, and trying to find my new normal has been a huge part of this year's learning curve!

   I'm loving being a mom, though, but miss posting fun projects for you all! So I'm back to blogging and sharing my fun creations with you, and am hoping that this will help me get more crafty time in each month as well!

   To start back in the blogging world, I want to start a new post series I'm calling "Make It Monday"! On most Mondays, I am hoping to share with you a project that I have made recently, and to give you tips on how you can re-create it for yourself!

   Let's kick this fun series off today by sharing a fun Halloween layout I made using CTMH's new collection, Jeepers Creepers, from the new Holiday Expressions Idea Book.

   I really wanted to scrap the pictures we took from our little guy's 1st Halloween last year. So I got out my new Jeepers Creepers Workshops Your Way Kit and got started! I used only 1 sheet of the main Jeepers Creepers paper (eyes on one side and cute monsters on the other), and the coordinating zip strip for that paper. I then added the Jeepers Creepers washi tapes, a journal card from the PML paper, and some die-cuts to complete the look.

   The title die-cuts came from a few cartridges. I used the font from the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge to make the "baby's" die-cut, and the "halloween" die-cut was cut from the new CTMH cartridge Flower Market. These two title pieces were then "colored" with the new CTMH Shimmer Brush to add a little extra shine and glitter to these fun die-cuts.

   For the ghosts, I used the Create-a-Critter 2 cartridge which has a pirate ghost image on it. I then cut the pirate hat off so that I just had these cute ghosts left. I ink distressed the edges in Desert Sand, and added foam tape to pop them off the page. The larger ghost was stamped to complete my title using Black ink and two new CTMH alphabet sets: Marker Alphabet and Bistro Script.

   The mini stars were punched out using an EK Success star border punch and the new CTMH color Tangerine, and the banners on the right side of the layout were made using Slate cardstock and the new CTMH Adventure Fundamentals collection to get the Pansy dots paper. I added a couple mini staples to these to add some more dimension on this side of the layout.

   That's it! It was a simple and quick layout for Halloween, but I love how all the little elements came together. All of my pictures are ~4x6 (I say approx. because they are printed from my Canon Selphy printer and not true 4x6 prints), and I still have a majority of my Jeepers Creepers Workshop kit to play with!

   You can click on any of the links in this post to find the products I used to complete this layout, but if you have any questions or comments, please let me know! I would love to help you re-create this for yourself!

   I hope you have time this week to get crafty yourself! Enjoy your week, and until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

April Newsletter

   Happy April, everyone! No jokes on the blog today. Just promotions and deals! Can't go wrong with that, right? My April newsletter is now out, and I'm so excited about the "Baby, You're Worth It" campaign!

   You can check out all the details and get the full scoop by clicking the newsletter link below:

Click Here to view my April Newsletter

  
   As always, let me know if you have any questions or need assistance scoring these awesome deals for yourself! Until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

CTMH Updates!!

   Happy Pie Day, everyone! I am finally getting back into the blogging world! I know it's been awhile, but I have enjoyed being home with my little guy these last few months!

   With that said, I have some updates for you today! CTMH has a lot of things going on right now with new product about to be released, old product about to be retired, and awesome new inspirational videos for us to check out! Here's the quick scoop on what you should know:

1.) Low or No Inventory on Thin Cuts dies

   That's right! With the release of this brand new product, CTMH has had a very positive response to these fun new dies. However, that also means inventory difficulties before the end of the Seasonal Idea Book.

   The Springtime Wishes Thin Cuts are completely sold out. New inventory will not be offered for these dies due to the lengthy manufacturing and ordering process. These dies were set to retire with the Seasonal Book's retirement, but inventory sold quicker than expected! It goes to prove that if you really like a product, ordering it sooner rather than later is best in these Seasonal supplements!

   I also found out that the Spring Critters Thin Cuts inventory is very low, and most likely will be sold out before the end of April. If these thin dies are on your wish list, I would suggest ordering them ASAP before they're gone!

2.) New Workshops Your Way Videos are now available on YouTube!!!

   Are you a visual learner? Do you enjoy watching instructional videos rather than read a pamphlet?? Well CTMH has the perfect solution for you! CTMH has made Workshops Your Way videos to help guide you through the 3 new workshops from the Seasonal Book. Simply go onto YouTube, search Close to My Heart, and you will have access to these and so many more helpful videos! Go check it out now!

3.) New Stamp Policy!

   Some of you may have seen my newsletter or Facebook post about this, but it's really important and I thought I should revisit again on here!

   CTMH is revamping their stamp policy for when and how long stamp sets are available for purchase. Starting now, stamp sets featured in the current Idea Books will retire when those Idea Books retire. There are only a few select stamps that this will not apply. You can view which stamp sets will carry over on the Google Document I set up for you:

Stamp Sets not Retiring in 2016

   Let me know if you have any questions about this or any of the other updates I shared today! I hope you all had a great weekend, and are enjoying some pie today! Until next time:

Here's to live, love, and creativity!

March Newsletter

   Happy Leap Year, everyone! I hope you enjoyed your extra day in February, and maybe even got some crafting done as well!

   Stampaganza is back during the month of March, and I'm so excited! Now's the perfect time to stock up on your favorite stamp sets. Plus I mentioned new items retiring, and more information on next month's Scrap Your Stash Weekend Retreat! You can check it all out on my monthly newsletter below:

Click here to access my March Newsletter!!!

   If you have any questions or would like to sign up for any of my upcoming events, please contact me! I would love to help you out! Enjoy your first week of March, and until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

February Newsletter

   Welcome to another awesome month of deals with CTMH! If you haven't read it already, check out my February newsletter for all the details!

Click here to access my February Newsletter!!

   I hope you all have a wonderful month! I will be in Florida until February 17th, but I won't be back in Minnesota until the 22nd. I will still be checking emails and my business pages, though, so let me know if I can help you score any of this month's deals! Until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!

January Newsletter

   Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are enjoying the start of a new year!

   We were busy this holiday season with Ian working and then traveling to my family's Christmas over New Year's. We're back, though, and starting to tackle taking down the decorations and cleaning the house (a larger task when you have a little guy on the move).

   January is National Papercrafting Month, and there's a lot going on this month with CTMH! You definitely don't want to miss these steals and deals! Check it out by clicking the link below to access my monthly newsletter!

Click here to access my January Newsletter!!!

   I told you it was exciting! Let me know if I can help you score any of these deals for yourself this month! In the meantime, I hope you're getting some crafty time in! I know I'm itching to get back in my craft room for sure! It's been way too long! Until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!