Anything is Possible!

Potential

 I love this saying, don't you?  I was blessed to grow up in a family who encouraged and supported me, no matter what the obstacle.   We heard about the "Little Engine that Could" more times than I can count.  Thanks Mom, it is a gift beyond measure to have someone believe in you and learn that Anything is Possible.

March 2012 SOTM Potential (Set of 8)

Stella papers were used to create the artwork shown above.  

You can see the complete list of supplies here

   

Congratulations!

                                       Doesn't this picture cause your heart to race?

          Congratulations to all you  New iPad owners today!  Wishing on a Star.... maybe some day....

Close to my Heart, Clearly the Best!

I have had some questions about how to use this set Just for You.  I hope the illustration below will help.  Clear stamps and blocks make things amazingly easy and placement of one image over another is a breeze.  I was even able to use this set without the ole magnifying "reader glasses".  This set comes with 3 different style's of petal's or "quilt pieces" that can be mixed and matched or you can use all of the same pattern if you wish.  Possibilities are endless.  Please let me know if I can help in any way.  Have an awesome stamping day.

Just for You!

MS Crop for a Cause Saturday March 10, 2012

Just for You  (set of 7)

Bling Buttons

Stella Paper, Cocoa, Olive and Sunset Ink

I thought you might like to see what we did at the MS Crop on Saturday.   We had so much fun and everyone was excited to see their finished project.

Catch the Magic while you can!

   Close to my Heart is famous for their recipe guides that make beautiful cards and scrapbook pages.  Their easy to follow directions with step by step guidelines help you create beautiful creations that are timeless.  Results are always WOW, and you will feel so proud....yes, everyone can be an Artist.   Would you like to finish your collection?   They have just announced that these amazing books will only be available while supplies last.  So, if you've ever wished you could have one of these beautiful, hardbound albums at your fingertips....now is the time to snap them up.  They are only $21.95 each, and won't last long.......Don't Delay...Create today!


Scrapbook Programs Collectors Editions:      Cherish, Imagine, Magic and Reflections!

Cherish

Imagine 

Magic

Reflections

Close to My Heart Card Making Programs:  Originals and Wishes

Originals

Wishes

Close to my Heart Must Have Item's

  

Close to My Heart Scrapbooking and Cardmaking Programs

Close to my Heart has just announced  "While supplies Last" sale of these awesome books.  More details to follow tomorrow.

CTMH will put a Spring in your step.....

I mean...spring on your card......and brighten anyone's day.  Watch the video below and find out how Close to my Heart puts a spin on Spring!  This is a close up image of the card from the video using My Peeps stamp set and it coordinates beautifully with the Lucy paper pack.

You will find this card on page 72 of the Close to my Heart Spring Idea Book.  How fun is this!  My little ones were so excited about making these cards.  It's starting to warm up around here.....Welcome Spring!!!

Come by and say Hi this Saturday in Roselle, IL!

                 

If you are in the area, we would love to see you...better yet, stay and Crop for a while.  All proceeds go for a good cause and you can see the crop information here.   Laura is phenomenal, she organizes this event every year!

                         Come see us this Saturday from 2:30 - 10:30 pm
                                          Trinity Lutheran Church
                                             405 S Rush Street
                                              Roselle, IL 60171


     

Adorable Bunnies!

I can't wait for you to see this video.  These bunnies are super cute, and wait until you see how they  "spring" to life.

I have a CRUSH on you!

Valentine morning surprise was a hit at our house, thanks to my friend Gail.  She is such an inspiration to me and you can see her artwork here.    Everyone Loved these, and they can't wait to get home from school and try the Strawberry Crush.    I hope you all have a Happy Valentines Day.

Happy Valentines Day!

                      The tag above was created using Stamps, Versamark and Chalk.

I wish I could remember where I saw the idea for these Cute  Cricut Sock Cupcakes.  We used the Cindy Loo Cricut Cartridge for the base and Close to my Heart Stamp Sets Enjoy and Crafted with Love for the tags.  They were super easy and fun to make.   I think these will be fun Valentines to give, don't you?

Happy New Year 2012!!!

                                                          Welcome 2012!

From our family to yours....Wishing you all things happy and successful in 2012...with time left over for crafting and scrapbooking your memories.

Cricut, Cricut, Cricut!

So much to do.....So little time.   There are soooooo many possibilities with this new  Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge and Oh my, it includes 3 stamp sets and 3 packages of chipboard. (See details previous post)  That is an amazing offer for $99.    This mini album is made with, you guessed it, our new Cricut Cartridge and our  6x6 Kraft Die-Cut Cards and Envelopes.  Don't you just love the scallop border?  CTMH has made it faster, and easier than ever to create artwork you will be proud to give as gifts or shhhhhh...keep for yourself.

CTMH Cricut

Art Philosophy

  Thank you CTMH!  We had so much fun at Convention making these  albums and I cannot wait to share them with family and friends.  What a great memento!  It was especially nice coming home with completed projects that we could use right away.

BIG News: CTMH & Cricut

Starting August 1, you will be able to order Close to My Heart's exclusive Cricut® Art Philosophy Collection with 700 shapes, 3 My Acrylix® stamp sets, and 3 sheets of Dimensional Elements!


When you purchase the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge you will ALSO receive 3 exclusive D size stamp sets, designed to perfectly coordinate with images on the cartridge.  Plus we are including three 9 x 12 dimensional elements that work in tandem with the cartridge as well.  You can mix and match to your hearts content.  Stamp on your cricut shape, cover your Dimensional Element with a Cricut Shape, or cut, stamp and then cover!  You will be all set to create uniquely beautiful artwork with incredible ease! 


                                               Check out this video!  

Happy Birthday!

    

                                                               That was then....
                                                                            

                                                                  This is now........

How is it possible that 10 years have gone by? As you can see, we have not been inside too much lately...been outside, capturing these moments while we can. The sunshine is fleeting here in Chicago and kids....well, you know what happens to them. They grow so fast. Katelyn will be a Junior in college next year and Logan and Brandon are celebrating their 10th birthday today. I love you guys..... I am so very lucky to be a Mom and have a job that allows me to share these moments with you.

Mother's Day Surprise!

I feel so blessed to be a Mom. Love this, Don't you! Made me smile, and of course hugs all around. I hope all you Mom's out there had a Happy Mother's Day. P.S. In case you might be wondering...the eye's are mini muffins, and that is bacon as eyebrows:)

CTMH Celebrates Scrapbooking 2011

May is National Scrapbooking Month.   Check out the latest artwork! Close to my Heart makes it so easy for anyone to create these amazing pages with step by step directions and embellishments all included in one kit. What do you think?





Has the thought of becoming a consultant ever crossed your mind? Now is the perfect time to "Get off the Fence" and say "Why Not".  Did you like the artwork in the video? Guess what? The You and Me kit can be yours free when you signup in May, 2011. How exciting is that!!! What a great time to get the "stuff" and future discounts too.

Tower of Paper

What  is it about Spring that seems to initiate the almost uncontrollable urge to fluff and clean our nests?  I love Scrapbooking, Stamping and paper of all colors, shapes and sizes...however, I can't bring myself to throw anything away....even all those little pieces of paper, that  for the average person, would be shhhhh....trash.  Only a paper crafter would save these little strips and squares because, "this would be perfect for a card etc"...so it gets put in a pile.  Well, not anymore.  Since I can't throw away, I throw in the drawer.   I have been using this system for a couple of years now and I LOVE it, so I thought I would share.

  Not only has this been an awesome solution for me to help clear the flat surfaces in my office...lol....but my daughter is excited because she has her own "Tower of Paper".   I have a 6 drawer Iris Cart (minus the wheels) that  helps paper find a new home.   This one is the original size...the drawers measure   10 1/2 x 14.   They also make a larger  cart with drawer sizes that can hold 12x12 size paper.   I wanted the smaller size because this is for "scraps" only...lol.  The drawers are arranged in "Rainbow" order with black and white in the top drawer.  Each drawer has a 9x3 piece of paper attached to the inside front of the drawer so you can easily tell what color family is in that drawer.  

I had to add some stars.....

Here's a peek inside!

 This has been great because everyone who comes over to crop knows about the scrap cart.  It's super easy to find paper for any project without having to cut into a new piece of cardstock.  Logan is happy as a clam because she doesn't need to "ask" to use anything in her tower.   Sometimes I also put left over stickers and other embellishments in the drawer.  A little surprise for her and helping me to "let go" at the same time.    Needless to say...she loves it!    Please feel welcome to ask any questions.   I hope you enjoy.  

Sunshine in Chicago!

It was so nice waking up to Blue Sky this morning, and there was another surprise waiting for me in Dusty's Garden today.   I received a beautiful spring basket a couple of years ago that had blooming bulbs of different kinds.  One of them was miniature daffodils.  I loved them...they were Oh so cute,  and I had never seen a daffodil that small.   I wondered if they would come up again if I planted them outside in the garden.   Well, I am happy to say that the dark skies and rain this week helped these adorable little flowers bloom.   I placed a regular size daffodil next to them in the picture so that you could see the size difference.  I hope you enjoy.  Welcome Spring!

Eggs and CTMH Stamps

A good friend of mine is constantly telling me to post more stuff....lol.   Most of the time I do not take pictures of things I give away......... So here goes.   I am trying to get out of the ole comfort zone here and  share because this probably seems a little crazy.  Stamping on eggs..... You see, my oldest daughter loves frogs and she was home from college for Easter.   Anyway,  I wanted to see if the resist technique could work on eggs. Guess what, it did, and how fun watching the image appear right before our eyes when we dipped the eggs in the dye.   I used Versamark ink and  stamped one of the frogs from the Fun Times stamp set on a white hard boiled egg, then colored them.   It was a little tricky stamping on the curved surface......But how exciting.  We did it!!  So fun, and a great Let's Get Inky project for kids( because the ink is clear...lol).......Hope you like it.....and maybe give it a try.....