Autumn is Coming!

School bells are ringing and there is a chill to the night air which means that autumn can't be far behind. Even though I'm not a big fan of Halloween I have to say that I am in love with the color palette and patterned paper designs that Close To My Heart has created this season. The Scaredy Cat Paper Pack has a perfectly paired palette of Black, Colonial White, Pear, Slate, Sunset, and Thistle (new color). 


Along with the Scaredy Cat Complements (2 - 12" x 6" Kraft sticker sheets) and the Scaredy Cat Assortment (16 pieces) the collection provides wonderful paper crafting and decorating possibilities.
 

The following "No Tricks, only Treats" card was stamped with Halloween Greetings (D1605) - set of 10 and embellished with two black resin stars from the Scaredy Cat Assortment.

The journaling tag on the right uses the rich colors of my Midwestern autumn seasons. The Pathfinding Paper Pack palette has Autumn Terracotta, Barn Red, Champagne, Chocolate, Colonial White, Glacier (new color), Goldrush, Lagoon, and Olive. 


The Pathfinding Complements have 2 - 12" x 6" chipboard sheets and the Pathfinding Assortment is a 10-piece set of printed wooden and cork shapes. The journaling tag above is stamped using "Lifetime of Happiness" (C1589) - set of 21 and embellished with a sparkle and the gold shimmer trim.



Now go out there and enjoy what little summer we have left!!

Retirement Card

Here's what I created last week when I needed a happy retirement card for a friend:

I stamped the image from the Great Job My Acrylix stamp set in Canary ink and mounted it onto Canary cardstock bordered by a zip strip from the Chalk It Up Paper Pack. The card is embellished with black resin stars from the Scaredy Cat Assortment, and clear sparkles. The stamped stars were colored using several ShinHan Touch Twin markers. The sentiment is from a retired stamp set.



Since I couldn't find an appropriate stamp for the inside sentiment, I did a Google search for sayings and found the one below.

After typing the saying into Word, and altering the fonts, I printed it onto white cardstock then used the LePen journaling pen to hand draw the irregular border and handwritten sentiment.

It's nice to be able to create a meaningful card quickly when needed (especially when I couldn't find a single retirement card at our Walmart!)

My {Scrappy/Crafty} Home

Introducing My {Scrappy/Crafty} Home....

That's me and Cricky in front of our home located in Pekin, Illinois. You are welcomed here!

If you've visited my home in the past you can see I've done some re-arranging in my great room! With the furniture pushed back, there is room now for four six-foot tables.

The tables are set up to have up to eight guests to attend classes and workshops. Each station is set-up with a full-spectrum lamp, cutting mat, a Scrap-Ma-Bob for drinks and scraps, a padded chair, and power strip for additional small electronics.

For small crops, the full six-foot tables can be used to provide additional work space.

I also have Close To My Heart products available for sale. The prices are the same as stated in the catalog with my shipping/handling & tax added then rounded to nearest nickle. I stocked up on the medium and large organizers last month before the price increase and I'm selling those at the lower price!

I carry all forty colors of CTMH cardstock, plus whites and kraft. Also available is printed paper & matching accessories for almost all thirteen Picture My Life sets to coordinate with your pages. 

A select number of supplies and embellishments are available as well. In addition, some embellishments are available to buy per piece when you only need just a few to finish your projects. All of the current (and some of the retired) ribbons and trims are available to buy per foot length.

My complete collection of over 150 Cricut cartridges are available for use at any event. All of the CTMH exclusive cartridges are pre-loaded in the Cricut Jukebox for easy access and use on my Cricut Expression machine. I do ask that you either supply your own cutting mat or purchase one for $5. Also, to ensure cutting consistency, use only CTMH cardstock or paper to cut with my machine. If you wish, you can also bring your own Cricut machine and borrow my cartridges to cut on any paper/cardstock source. 

All of the Cricut handbooks to my cartridges are available. I also have several printed databases that list Cricut cuts by word or shape to easily find the image needed.

My entire collection of CTMH stamp sets are also available for use at my events. 

For easy reference, I have created a real-size illustrated catalog of stamp set images and words in my collection sorted by theme. (This is the only way I can keep track of everything for myself!)

At any of my events, feel free to bring your own drinks, food, and snacks. My entire kitchen is available for your use including filtered water, ice, Keurig, SodaStream, refrigerator/freezer, and microwave. I also have an assortment of coffee, cocoa, & cappuccino K-cups for $.50 each. Bring your own SodaStream bottle and syrup to use my machine & bubbles for free or you can purchase a variety of flavors for $1 per liter. 

My hope is to provide a comfortable place for you and your friends to come and craft for the day. You ARE welcomed here!!

Artfully Sent - Coming Soon

Close To My Heart has announced yet another Cricut exclusive cartridge! The ARTFULLY SENT cartridge is a MUST HAVE if you love to do cards....REALLY! 

Once again this collection includes 700 unique images plus three My Acrylix D-size (6x6") stamp sets - one with two styles of upper-case fonts, plus lower-case and numbers, another with 34 different sentiments (covers almost every occasion), and the third with four fancy frames to coordinate with cuts from the cartridge. In addition, the collection includes a full pack of 24 sheets of 12x12" White Daisy cardstock to get you started creating your own cards. This collection will also be packaged with a keypad overlay and fully illustrated booklet.

This cartridge has some GREAT features! 

     50 pop-up cards with coordinating icons

     100 icons, shapes, and phrases

     50 scene/swing cards

     100 quick layered sentiment cards

     50 sleeve cards

     50 overlay cards

     100 pocket card fronts (for your Picture My Live or Project Life pages)

     And a font that coordinates with the stamp set

That's 400 beautiful uniquely designed cards all included in this one collection.

The Close To My Heart exclusive Artfully Sent Cricut collection will be available in September at wendyh.ctmh.com. The price for this entirely new Cricut collection is still only $99.

At convention, we were able to complete the following pre-cut Artfully Sent cards:

Check back here often as I will announce any updates on the date Artfully Sent will be available for shipping. As a thank you for ordering through me you will receive a free Annual Inspirations Idea Book/Catalog (value $6) AND your choice of one of the following stamp sets (value $9.95).

You can order online at wendyh.ctmh.com or email at wendyh.ctmh@gmail.com. View the entire 2014-2015 Close To My Heart Annual Inspirations Idea Book/Catalog online here. 

I'm sooooo anxious to get my hands on the Artfully Sent Cricut cartridge! Stay tuned!!!

Now Available!

The new Close To My Heart Annual Inspirations Book is now available and has 190 pages of beautiful projects, awesome tips and new products! There is now only one main book for the year (released Aug 2014 and running through July 2015). To complement the Annual Inspirations Book, there will be 2 Seasonal Expressions mini books released.  Watch for them in December 2014 and April 2015.

The CTMH Annual Inspirations is filled with NINE (9) beautiful new My Reflections Scrapbooking Kits to keep you creating all year long!!  Each new paper collection includes coordinating complements and embellishments!

There are over 85 NEW stamp sets, 5 new exclusive colors, AND a fabulous new Cricut Collection… Artfully Sent (which will be available early-September!)  With over 250 new products, you'll definitely want to get your hands on the new Annual Inspirations book!!

You can view online, download a printable PDF version of the CTMH Annual Inspirations book, or add a personal copy to your next order for ONLY $6.00! If you have purchased your copy with an online order, show me the receipt at the next event you attend and I will give you $6.00 off your next order placed through me. Also, if you attend an event, your catalog is free with a purchase of $25.00 or more.

Additionally, don't forget to download the Recipe Book for the 2014-2015 Annual Inspirations!  This guide will tell you the products and Cricut cuts used in the beautiful projects showcased in the Annual Inspirations!

It's a new day, it's a new year

As most everyone knows, I lost my husband of almost 30 years barely 2 months ago. My world has been turned upside down and I'm missing my best friend, my soul mate, my traveling companion. Thankfully, I have wonderful, beautiful memories preserved in film, slide, video, and digital files. More, now than ever, I turn to my passion for scrapbooking to begin to fill a void...never to replace, only to stand in as a poor substitute...till we meet again.

Dave left me with a beautiful gift, our home, the result of our coordinated efforts and hundreds of hours of his sweat equity. I have spent the last month making plans for today. May I welcome you to "My {Scrappy/Crafty} Home"! My great room has been converted to a crafting space. Each 8 foot workstation has a two full-spectrum lamps, two Scrap-Ma-Bobs to hold your drinks and scraps, two cutting mats, and a power strip to accommodate additional electronic tools. Currently there is room for eight (plus) crafters. September will bring regularly scheduled crops and workshops, but August is my 'soft opening' and I invite you to get a friend (or more) together and join me for some crafting time {for free}.

August 1st also represents a new year for Close To My Heart Independent Consultants. I am pleased to introduce the all new 2014 Annual Inspirations Idea Book! Everything will be available for a whole year, plus new products will be introduced with two Seasonal Expression books in December and April.

I am looking forward to sharing my home with you!

cry, laugh, remember
Wendy

New Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book & Catalog

Happy February!


Wanted to post pics here from the new Spring/Summer 2014 Close To My Heart Idea Book & Catalog but Blogger is being buggy so I'll just redirect you to my Facebook business page instead and try again at a later date :(  https://www.facebook.com/WendysCTMHpage


To see the Idea Book live go to my shopping site: http://wendyh.ctmh.com/ctmh/products/online-idea-book.aspx


There's a new option available for fans of the Project Life style of memory keeping. Picture My Life (PML) is a new program from Close To My Heart which provides a quick way to get 100 or so pictures in an album complete with dozens of coordinated sentiments, icons, or journaling style cards. The program includes 122 double-sided cards in 3x4" and 4x6" sizes, a 12x12" designed cover page, and 10 assorted pocket pages for only $24.95. A bonus for three of the designs is that they coordinate with our current paper packs and accessories. Babycakes (from Autumn/Winter 2013) and the new Balloon Ride and Skylark. I'm looking forward to working with these quality card sets for use on traditional scrapbook pages, custom cards, and other artwork as well. Click here to see all eight themed sets.


Also new in this catalog are five embossing folders...dot, chevron, quatrefoil, damask, and stripe. These folders 7x5", priced at $8.95. See them here...  Get yours for free: when you purchase 2 packs of bulk single color or combo cardstock during February, you qualify to receive your choice of a new embossing folder FREE. Restock your supply of fabulous paper and complement it with adorable embossed designs during this limited-time offer!


Contact me if you're interested in finding out how to get your own personal copy of this catalog.

GOING, Going, (soon) gone!!

Its that time again! A new catalog will arrive on Feb. 1st, 2014, which means it's time to retire some products to make room for fresh and new stamps, paper, and accessories. Close To My Heart has announced the retiring list and it's posted on my site at wendyh.ctmh.com under the Shop tab and all the way to the bottom of the list. Here's a few of my favorites that are now only available as supplies last. Order soon so you don't miss out!


Card Chatter—Sympathy
D1476 $17.95



Card Chatter—Birthday      
D1475 $17.95



Universal Backgrounds      
D1477 $17.95

  
Cozy Cat
A1140 $6.95

 
A Bowwow
A1126 $6.95

 
Quick Cards—Butterfly      
A1120 $6.95
 
 
Slate Satin Polka-Dot Ribbon
Z1802 $4.95



ALL of the Glitz is being discontinued including my favorite...Stardust
Stardust Glitz™ Glitter Gel      
Z1313 $2.75

 
I've been using this a lot making Christmas cards. Works great for making puffy snow or fuzzy Santa hats:)
Liquid Applique White
Z308 $3.95


 
Opaques Mocha Adhesive Gems
Z1333 $2.95

There is a lot more items listed here: wendyh.ctmh.com 

Do The Twist

When you're celebrating someone special, you need décor to match! Make your own—and make it unique—by curving, bending, wrapping, angling, curling, and coiling Slate striped twist ties into decorations. Click here to watch this episode.

 

What a great episode! Christine & Monica demonstrate several new techniques using our Slate striped twist ties. The ties with the embeded wire makes it easy to connect and hold your projects. Wrap them around a pencil to make a curl that holds and holds. Want to coordinate them with your décor? Color them using our markers (lighter markers work the best).

 

Check out this picture from the video:

The ties have been colored with a yellow marker then curled. Below that is our Slate houndstooth fabric from Sparkle & Shine Textiles using the technique demonstrated in the video to stiffen the fabric making it perfect to twist around the top of the Burlap Drawstring Bag and hold its shape.

 

 Below is another video picture:

Do you recognize that layered looped 'ribbon' underneath the tag? I would have never guessed that could be done using our Slate Polka-Dot Washi tape! What an economical way to multiply the uses of our 15-yard rolls of Washi tape ($4.95 each) using the 7" long twist ties ($3.95/20) to stiffen and shape the tape into position.

 

Well, I'm headed off to make my own twist ties creations. Can't wait to share them with you! I would love to see what you create also :)