February's Monthly Club Pages

My goodness -- I am cetainly behind on getting things on here. I have a few months to catch up on.  I should start back with October, but I am going to put February's on here first, since everyone is already done with October! 

In February, we worked with the Stella papers.  This is my absolute favorite paper from the new Idea Book.  I made the two layouts from the Workshop on the Go, and then did the third layout from one of the idea books.  Here are the pages we made:

Masculine Birthday

I really struggle with masculine cards.  Here is a card I made for my boss for his birthday.  Nothing too fancy.

Thank You Card

I made this card for a customer of mine.  It was the first time that I have made a 3x3 card. I am totally in love with this size of a card.  So many possibilities!!

Another Sympathy Card

Here is another sympathy card that I made back in November.

I know my pictures are not the best.  HOWEVER, I bought a new DSLR camera on New Years Eve Day.  It was something that I had wanted for a LONG time.  I am still taking a few classes to learn how to use it properly.  I am have so much fun!!  I have about 4 more pictures to share using my old point and shoot camera, and then you will get to see pictures that are bright and amazing!!  I know you can hardly wait :)

Graduation Card

Here is a grad card that I made for a family friend.  I have been seeing a lot of cards of this style using the long scraps of paper.  I thought it was perfect for a masculine grad card.  These are just scraps from my drawer.  Finally, a way to use some of them :)

Sympathy Card

Over the next week or so, I will be posting a few projects/cards that I have made but hadn't had a chance to post yet.  The first is this pretty sympathy card.

I made this card using the Deamin' paper kit from Close to My Heart. This was a card for my dear friend, Amy's, family for the loss of her step-dad.  I based the card off of a Mojo Monday sketch. It was the first time that I had tried one of their sketches.  I think it turned out well - if I do say so myself!

2012 Spring/Summer Idea Book is now LIVE!!!

It's that time again ----- time for the unveiling of another amazing Idea Book.  You are going to love this issue.  There are 8 new paper packs -- all very unique.  And for those of you who have boys and think there are not many 'boy' papers in our Idea Books - you are going to be pleasantly surprised!!
Click HERE view the Idea Book online.  If you would like your own copy, you can purchase one for $5.00, which will include a coupon for $5.00 off your first order of $25.00 or more.

The February Stamp of the Month is called Thoughtful Tidings. It's a collection of 11 thankful and full of love sayings that will work perfectly with your next card, layout or 3D item.  And 7 of these stamps coordinate with our Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.  You can purchase the Stamp of the Month through February 29 for $17.95 or pay just $5.00 with any $50 order.

Whether you are a Studio J regular, or have been waiting for just the right time to try out Studio J, you will LOVE the February Constant Campaign.  For every Studio J 5-pack you purchase, you will receive another 5-pack for free!!  That means for $55, you will receive a total of 10 2-page layouts at a cost of just $2.75 per page! This price includes page protectors and free shipping & handling.   This is a perfect time to try Studio J if you have never tried it before. 

Visit my website HERE to take advantage of this incredible deal!

WoW!!!!

I can't believe that it has been SOOO long again since I last posted.  I apologize if you have come here during my absence to try to find inspiring artwork.  I will be updating my blog with some of my current artwork within the next couple of days.  In the meantime, please check out my new RETIRING page above to find out what CTMH products you will no longer be able to purchase after January 31, 2012. 

Black Friday Sale

Because I am so thankful for all of my loyal customers and feeling lucky to have so many blessings in my life, I have decided to have a Black Friday Sale. I hope that you can take advantage of this sale and that each and every one of you have a wonderful holiday season this year. 


Spend up to $24.99 and get a free accessory of my choice

Spend $25-$50, receive a free dye-based ink pad of your choice ($5.25 value). If this is $25 in stamps, you will also be qualified to receive the Holiday Wishes stamp set for $5;

Spend $51-75, receive either an A-size stamp set or Shade pack of your choice ($7.95 value). You also are qualified to purchase the Stamp of the Month for $5. If you order $25 in stamps, you will also be qualified for receive the Holiday Wishes stamp set for $5;

Spend $76-100, receive either a B-size stamp set or Level 2 Paper Pack of your choice ($9.95 value).  You also are qualified to purchase the Stamp of the Month for $5. If you order $25 in stamps, you will also be qualified for receive the Holiday Wishes stamp set for $5;

Spend $101-$149, receive a C-size stamp set of your choice ($13.95 value). You also are qualified to purchase the Stamp of the Month for $5. If you order $25 in stamps, you will also be qualified for receive the Holiday Wishes stamp set for $5;

Spend $150 or more, receive $25 of free products of your choice (certain limitations apply) as well as the Stamp of the Month for FREE. In addition, if you order $25 in stamps, you will also be qualifed to receive the Holiday Wishes stamp set for just $5.

All orders must be e-mailed to me (dotforbord@gmail.com) to qualify for this sale.  This is my own personal sale and cannot be purchased from my website.  You can, however, go to my website to choose the items you would like to purchase.  Sales totals before tax and shipping will be used to determine the free gifts you will receive.  All orders must be received by me no later than 10:00 p.m. Sunday, November 27 to qualify for this sale. BECAUSE OF A GLITCH WITH MY MAILCHIMP EMAIL NOT GOING OUT ON WEDNESDAY AS PLANNED, I AM EXTENDING THIS SALE UNTIL 10:00 P.M. ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2011.

Want to get Close To My Heart products for Christmas?  Contact me for a Wish List form you can complete and give to your significant other or anyone else that may want to buy you a Christmas gift.  Gift certificates are also available.  I will even gift wrap your Wish List gifts!!

Happy Holidays!

Really Simple Card

I had depleted my stock of thank you cards recently, but I needed one fo I made one really quick.  Now, it's not a card that has a lot of detail, but I needed one quick and I think it got my message cross. Sorry for the bad pictures.  I haven't yet tried Tresa Black's method for taking/posting great pictures on your blog!

Final Open House Photos

So here is my friend Juli.  She was the winner of my Open House door prize.  Needless to say, she was a very happy camper (or scrapper, I guess)!!  Her winnings included the Reflections How-To Book, a Perfect Day Level 2 Paper Pack, A Game stamp set, a Find Your Style stamp set and 2 packs of embellishments. 

The Happy Winner

The Prize!

Beautiful Holiday Wishes Stamp Set

Our November Special is amazing!  From now until November 30, you can purchase this beautiful, intricate Christmas stamp set called Holiday Wishes for only $5.00 with every $25.00 of My Acrylix stamps that you order.  Isn't it beautiful?! Just think of the Christmas cards and projects you could make with this stamp set!  You can order directly from my website or you can contact me directly  to place your order.

Remember that you will be able to cut the images outlined in red on your Cricut machine using our Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.  Just imagine - you could whip out your Christmas cards in no time this year which would leave you lots of time to relax and enjoy the season!

Still More Open House Photos....

Here are some of the bags I made using our Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.  I had made several things so that I could show how versatile the cartridge is.

This first bag I made using the one found in the Idea Book on page 101 as my inspiration.

For this cute Santa bag, I was inspired by Mandy Leahy's bag which you can see here.  Instead of using the fluff around the top, I applied glue to the white piece and used some flock.  It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but it turned out good, I think.  And for the buckle, I used my Versamark and some silver embossing powder to make it shiny.

This Halloween test tube holder wasn't made using the AP cartridge, but it was cute, so I thought I would make it!  I found the tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers here.   You could actually use these instructions to make test tube gifts for any holiday or birthday.

This final bag was inspired by another CTMH consultant, Pamela O'Connor.  In her version of the bag, she used one of our Kraft cards to make the bag.  I didn't have any of those cards yet, so I improvised and used some of our Kraft paper and then just added a flap at the top. 



I hope you enjoyed looking at all of my creations.  If you have any questions about any of them, don't be afraid to ask  I love to share!

While Supplies Last........

Run and check out the 'While Supplies Last' section of my website as soon as you can.  There have been some new things added such as some retired paper packs and some of our retired blocks.  Check it out soon so you don't miss out!  You can find that section HERE.

More Open House Photos

Here are some more pictures from my Open House a couple of weekends ago.

This first card was inspired by the one in the Idea Book on page 85. I loved the colors and the stamp set (Remarkable Wreath C1473) used in their card, but I didn't want to 'copy' it exactly, so I decided not to make a shaped card.   The second card I made I really wanted to use the flowers from Hooray Bouquet (D1491) stamp set.  I know I will have a lot of fun with this one. And it was super easy making the flowers by using the coordinating cuts on my Cricut with the Art Philosophy cartridge rather than cutting them out by hand!

Card Class

I am having my first card class on Saturday, October 22 at 9:00 a.m. and Monday, October 24 at 6:30 p.m.  I am having two different class times to accommodate a couple of schedules.  You will make 18 cute little cards using our Elemental Paper Pack and several different stamp sets. All of the paper will be precut, so you will just stamp and assemble.  The cost of the workshop is $15.  If you would like to make these beautiful cards, call or e-mail me before Friday, October 14 so that I can order the supplies for you.

Open House

I had my Open House celebrating our new Idea Book (I know -- I'm a little late!) last Saturday.  Over the next couple of days I will showcase some pictures of a few of the things that I made to showcase our beautiful new products. 

First up is this beautiful card box.  You can use it for cards, as a catchall on your dresser or desk, to hold special momentos/keepsakes, ect.  I may be holding a workshop to make one of these before Christmas, so keep your eyes out for that.  This box was inspired by the one found in the Idea Book.

The outside of the box was covered using our Sonoma paper packet.  I didn't think I really liked this paper packet until I actually had the papers in my hand.  It's beautiful! The flowers on top, as well as the label, were made using our Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge.  I really can't get enough of this cartridge!  It has brought my Cricut new life!  And don't you just love our new bling brads!

Pretty Birthday Card

Here is a birthday card that I made for a very special friend.  I was inspired by the card on Page 123 of the Idea Book.

Blogtoberfest Is Here!!!

What is Blogtoberfest you ask??  Well, it was started by the amazingly talented Tresa Black (one of my idols and inspirations) from Fabulously Artsy.  She created Blogtoberfest to challenge us to, as she puts it, 'step up' our blogs. She is going to be posting tips on improving your blog throughout the month.  I must admit that I am not very good at posting on a regular basis.  So, for the month of October, I am challenging myself to post at least 3 times a week.  That my not seem like much of a challenge to you all, but believe me, it will be a challenge for me!  Hopefully I will post something that teaches or inspires you somehow!  Let me know if there is anything that you would like to see or learn and I will try to accommodate your request as best I can.  You can join Blogtoberfest, too, or simply check out Tresa's amazing blog at Fabulously Artsy.

Last Week To Get Pair-a-Phrase Free with $75 Order

Can you believe it is already September 25??  Why is the summers/falls so so fast and winter goes sooooo slow??  Since it is almost the end of September, you only have a few more days to take advantage of September's National Stamping Month special.  When you purchase $75 in product, you will get the Pair-a-Phrase double stamp set for free!  Contact me to place your order!