Wicked Pillow Box with Close To My Heart and Cricut

Welcome to the August Stamp of the Month blog hop! This month we are featuring Wicked, a set of 9 stamps sure to give you a wicked good time.  We have about 6o consultants participating, so you'll have plenty of project ideas, in addition to the project ideas now included right in your stamp package.  (You can go online for the assembly tips until August 2012!)  Also, FYI, there has been a super change to our SOTM program - now you have only two price points.  You can pay regular retail (now $17.95), or when you order $50 of product your price drops to just $5.00!  I am loving this deal, as this is how I buy my SOTM sets too.

If you've arrived here from Tutton's Treasures, or are just starting out, you're in the right place.  Our hop is a big circle, so you can just continue on around until you wind up back here!  Your next stop will be Creating with Wanda.

For my project, I've decided to combine the stamp set with our new exclusive Cricut cartridge, Art Philosophy.  There are some great 3-D items on this cartridge, and I've chosen to make a pillow box.  I give all of the details, including cut sizes I used, in my video below.  If you don't care to watch the video at this time, you can skip down to the pictures.

Side 1

Side 2

Notice I didn't label those as front & back - I think both sides look great, so neither one is really the "back" side!  In case you missed the measurements in the video, the pillow box was cut at 8", the tag at 1.75", and the solid shape for the witch at 2.25".

All items, including the Cricut cartridge, are available beginning August 1 on my Close To My Heart website. (The link for the Cricut cartridge is here.) If you don't have a consultant, I would be honored to have you as my customer.  I'm always happy to answer questions and help in any way needed, even if you have a product purchased elsewhere.  Thank you for stopping by!  I always enjoy comments, lol, and I'd love it if you'd become a follower or a subscriber.  Hope to see you again soon!  Don't forget to hop along to Creating with Wanda now.

Interactive Scrapbooking with CTMH, Echo Park, and Cricut

Hello!  And welcome to our "How Neat Is That?!" interactive item blog hop!  We're all sharing things that move in some way, and you should leave us with several ideas to make your projects interactive.  If you've arrived here from Dawns' blog, you're on the right track.  If you are starting here, you may want to head over to Scraps To Treasures and start at the "beginning".

For my project, I chose to create a layout with a "spinner thingy" - it's called a Revolving Door.  I used a pattern from the Magic book from Close To My Heart to design my layout, and followed the technique on the following pages to create my interactive door.  The book even comes with a DVD of PDF patterns so you can print and cut the pieces.  Or, as I did, import them into Make The Cut software to use with your digital cutter.*

Here's my entire layout:

Sorry for the poor lighting on this one; it was really hard to get that spinner lit properly!  The fabulous patterned papers and mini letter stickers are from a new line, The Apothecary Emporium from Echo Park Paper.  The coordinating cardstock is all from Close To My Heart, as are the stamps, and the Cricut cuts.

Here are a few important details for you:

This is the Revolving Door in it's original, upright position.  Note that the door spins on a large brad.  (I made this one using a sticker from the Echo Park Paper collection and a flat brad and epoxy sticker.)  It is also thick, made by sandwiching foam adhesive between two layers of cardstock.  This not only adds depth, but will allow the door to hold up better over time.  Also, FYI, the original pattern from the Magic book showed a flower shaped base here, but I didn't feel that went with the Halloween theme.  So, I found a neat looking doily shape on the new Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge (available August 1 exclusively from Close To My Heart), on page 31 to be exact.  I cut the top layer from a pattern and a solid layer from Sunset cardstock.

Here the door is turned one space.  Note that the journaling for each photo is in the space opposite it on the wheel.  I found that when cutting the photos it helped to cut my template from clear acetate that I edged with a Sharpie marker so I could see exactly what I would fit in my space before cutting the picture.

The broom and cat images are from Close To My Heart's stamp of the month set for August, and I added tiny little self-adhesive sparkles to the cat's eye's.

Here, the wheel is halfway between spaces.  You can see that the photos and journaling areas are each arcs that fit snugly together in a circle on top of a solid base.  I did choose to cut my journaling sections separately instead of in one large piece.  It made it easier to write the journaling on them before placing the Revolving Door on top.

One of my favorite touches on this layout, this image is also part of the August stamp of the month set from Close To My Heart.  She is stamped in archival black on white CS.  I colored her striped socks and the underside of her hat with a Sunset marker from CTMH, and I colored her skin with a Copic Marker.

Finally, the title was cut using the Font Layer function on the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.  I used the tiny cut holes in the letter design as a placement guide for adding some Smooch for bling.

Thanks for hopping by today!  I would love it if you would become a follower or subscriber, and come back another day to see what I am up to.  Don't forget, Scraps2treasure is having an overall grand prize and these are the simple rules: Become a follower, leave a comment at every stop and that's it.

Now, hop along to Jennifer's blog and check out her awesome project!

Details on Exclusive Cricut Cartridge from Close To My Heart

Wow, I'm back again already!  My Art Philosophy cartridge collection arrived this afternoon and I had to try it out right away.  I shot a short video on my first time using it - it's not pretty, but it's functional, and I thought it would give you a better idea of what's included.  I completely forgot to mention the precut white chipboard shapes that also come in the collection, but they are great for layering.

I intend to give this cartridge a good workout as soon as possible, as there are some AWESOME and unexpected shapes on it!  You can be sure you will see some in this weekend's ineractive scrapbooking blog hop (Sat & Sun, not Fri & Sat as I previously stated), as well as in the Stamp of the Month blog hop on August 1.

If you are interested in the cartridge collection, I would be honored to have you as my customer!  As always, I provide follow-up with any questions/problems you may have.  I am also happy to answer questions about ANY product, regardless of where it was purchased.  If I don't know the answer I will do my darnedest to find out! 

The Art Philosophy cartridge collection will be available beginning August 1, along with Close To My Heart's other new products for Autumn/Winter.  You can shop 24/7 on my website.

Now, on to that video!  Sorry for the lack of editing and the fact that at some point my camera shifted a bit, but I think you can still see most everything.

White Christmas Winners!

Finally!  I have your winners from White Christmas week.  Sorry it has taken me so long; it has been crazy busy since I returned from CHA.  We are preparing for a huge neighborhood garage sale, I've got a 5th grader just starting Summer band this week, I'm fill-in babysitting, and made 3 thank you cards I can't share yet.  I'll be participating in a VERY cool blog hop this Friday & Saturday, so be sure to stop back for that.  I haven't finished (or even started for that matter) my project yet, but I have it in my head so it should go together quickly.

Now, on to the winners, who will each receive an awesome set of Christmas stamps!

Winner #1 is Anniebee and Winner #2 is an55w.  If you see this, please email me with your mailing address in the next couple of days or I will need to draw a replacement winner.  Now I'm off to try and contact the winners!  Once again, thanks for stopping by; hope to see you again soon.

Final Day of White Christmas Week!

Hello and welcome to the final day of White Christmas week!  Don't forget to post on any/all White Christmas posts for a chance to win one of at least two Christmas stamp sets.  I would appreciate it if you are also a follower or email/reader subscriber.  I will draw winners when I return from CHA.

Here's my final card:

 

This simple card uses some Heidi Grace papers from my stash, along with stamps and inks from Close To My Heart, and heat set studs for the i-Rock from Imaginisce.  I used a technique called ghosting to create the stamped image at the bottom of the card.  Simply stamp your design with Versamark ink and heat emboss with clear embossing powder.  Then sponge ink all around the image.  Finally, lay a scrap of cardstock on top of the embossed image and iron with a clothes iron until the embossing powder all transfers to the scrap cardstock.  Another quick & easy card that looks like so much more!

Thanks for stopping by today; I hope you will continue to visit me!  I'm afraid we got back too late tonight to post any CHA pictures, but there will be some news and goody giveaways coming up - I even managed to take second place in a mixed media challenge contest so there will be a couple of things I don't normally have coming up.  I also have a terrific small paper company that I can't wait to share with you!

A Tim Holtz White Christmas

Welcome to day #4 of White Christmas week!  Don't forget to enter to win one of at least two Christmas stamps - please be a follower (or feed or email subscriber), then simply leave a comment on any or all White Christmas week posts.  I'll draw the winners after I return from CHA.

For today's post, I decided on a simple card made with a Tim Holtz stamp.

I stamped the Reindeer Games ATC sized stamp and embossed with gold embossing powder.  I matted it on a burgundy patterned paper from my stash.  The three little accents (mounted on the same paper) are some Jolee's dimensional snowflake stickers.  That's it!  Easy-peasy, ten minute card.

Thanks for stopping by today, and don't forget to come back tomorrow for the final day of White Christmas week!  I might even have a few CHA sneaks, as I happened to see more than one Christmas tree set up on the display floor from the glimpses we were able to get!

Imagine a White Christmas

Hello and welcome to day #3 of White Christmas week!  Don't forget to enter to win one of at least two Christmas stamp sets.  Entering is easy: please be a follower, then just comment on any/all White Christmas week posts.  I'll draw a winner later this week after I return from CHA.

Today I created my card using my Cricut Imagine:

Using the Snow Angel cartridge, I printed and cut just the round center image from one of the ornaments, sized to 3" real size.  I used a self-adhesive shaker box with some chunky glitter and adhered it to the front of the image.

I punched a 3" circle from a white 4"x6" panel.  I embossed the panel using the Cuttlebug Snowflakes embossing folder, and sprayed the entire panel with Pearl Glimmer Mist.  I matted the white panel with a light blue cardstock and adhered it to my 5"x7" card base.  I stamped my sentiment on the same light blue cardstock, inked just the edges, and adhered it to the white panel.

Here's another shot of the front so you can see the Glimmer Mist:

 Thanks for stopping by today!  Don't forget to comment for your chance to win, and be sure to come back tomorrow for day #4.

Cricut Christmas Card & A BIG Announcement!

Welcome to day #2 of White Christmas week! (Just FYI, day #3 will be Monday, not Saturday.)  Don't forget that you have up to 5 chances to win one of at least 2 Christmas stamp sets.   To enter, please be a follower (or email or feed subscriber), and just leave a comment on each White Christmas post.

Today, in addition to sharing my favorite of my 5 cards, I have some BIG (and I mean BIG) news to share!  Be sure you continue reading after the card post!

Now, check this awesome, elegant card:

 

This card turned out so great for being so simple and fast to make.  I might even mass produce this one for the majority of this year's cards!  Size is 5x7, since we still tend to send a photo of the kids in our cards.

That wreath is the highlight of the card, and is simple to do if you own a Cricut Gypsy. First, I selected the wreath from the Joys of the Season cartridge and set it to 3.5" high.  Next, I created a second layer and selected the wreath shadow, being sure to place it in exactly the same place (the zoom feature comes in REALLY handy here, lol) on the mat.  Once hooked up to the Cricut, I used my brand new Amy Chomas gel pen holder with a green mini gel pen from Staples and "cut" the first layer on some Sweet Leaf cardstock.  When it was complete, I made sure to select "return to design" on the Gypsy screen, then I pressed "load mat" on the Cricut itself.  I switched out the gel pen holder for the cutting blade, then cut layer 2 from the Gypsy.  Next I colored some Opaques Pearls using a Lipstick Red Copic marker and adhered them to the "berry" spots.

I embossed my main white panel with a Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, matted it with Holiday Red cardstock, and adhered it to the front of my card base.  I popped the wreath up on the card front  using foam adhesive tape.  My bookplate panel was cut using the Calligraphy Collection cartridge.  I stamped my sentiment using a stamp set from my stash (coordinating stamp on inside) using Sweet Leaf ink, edged the panel in the same ink, and adhered it and gold ribbon from my stash using Scor Tape.

Here's a quick supply list, then on to the BIG news:

• all cardstock & ink, foam adhesive tape, and adhesive pearls from Close To My Heart
• Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder
• Copic Marker in Lipstick Red
• Cricut cartridges Joys of the Season and Calligraphy Collection
• Amy Chomas gel pen holder
• Scor Tape

Now, finally, here is the BIG news!  I am so excited to share with you that Close To My Heart is finally getting their own Cricut cartridge!  Beginning August 1st, the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection will be available for purchase.  I'm told that the cartridge contains 700 cuts, including 2 fonts, stamp-compatible cuts, and 3-D items.  The cartridge will only be available as part of this collection, which contains the cartridge, 3 D-size stamp sets (retail value $17.95 each -yes, a price cut on stamps is coming!), and 3 different 9"x12" sheets of white Dimensional Elements (retail value $4.95 each).  Retail price of the collection is only $99.00!  If you subtract the value of the other items, that means your cost for the cartridge is $30.30 - how cool is that?!

I can't wait to get my hands on this set, so I can show you everything possible.  I will TRY to at least get a picture posted sometime later today of the contents of the collection, once the online catalog is available for consultants to view.  There are other changes coming as well, including Hostess Rewards on a single-person order - I don't know what everything is yet, but I will be sure to update as I find out!

UPDATE - here's a picture from the upcoming catalog:

 and here's a link to a video from CTMH with a few details on the cartridge: http://youtu.be/OdUV0y4RFDI

Oops!

Just realized I left a couple of important words out of my previous post - comment limit should read one comment per person per post.  That means up to five chances to win!

White Christmas Week!

Hello and welcome to White Christmas week here at Saving My...!  I love making Christmas cards, but I hate scrambling to get them done at the last minute.  There's a challenge blog I follow to help me try to get a jump on it, as well as have a little fun with it.  I've only managed to participate a couple of times so far this year, but that's ten cards I won't have to make later!

So, I've decided to share them all with you this week as well as give away at least 2 stamp sets while we're at.  Of course they will be Christmas themed!  The rules are simple: please be a follower, and just leave a comment on any/all of the next 5 posts (limit one comment per person per post).  I will be gone to CHA next week, so I will pick at least two winners when I get back.

Now, on to the cards!  This month's challenge at Christmas Cards All Year 'Round is "white".  White should be a main color, and there should be bling included.  As an extra challenge, you can add flowers.  Here's a quick shot of all 5 cards (not a great shot thanks to lighting, but it's just needed to link up to the challenge.):

Like I said, I will get to these cards over the next five days.  Today's featured card is a "gift box" card.

All of the details for this card are over on the Cutters Creek blog today, so head over and check it out!  Be sure to leave a comment before you go so you can be entered in the drawing for the stamps.

Mixed Media Mini-Bags

I'm still playing around with those crocheted roses from last week.  I decided I wanted to use one on a bag, and it took me a while to decide what to do for leaves.  Rather than add crocheted leaves, I wanted to leave the flower plain so it could be removed from the bag and pinned to something else.  I finally decided to use my Yudu and screen on the leaves.  This is what I wound up with:

The little bag is about 5.5" square.  I got mine in a multi-pack at Michael's.  My leaf design came from the Autumn Flourish SVG set from Lettering Delights.  I cut it from some outdoor vinyl, which I then adhered to the top of the Yudu screen.  I used Olive Yudu ink to screen print the leaves.  It's a bit darker than I wanted, but the other two greens I found didn't look as good.  After drying, the ink should be heat set so the bag can be washed if necessary.

Finally, I simply used a safety pin to pin the flower from the inside of the bag.  This would make a great little gift with a set of note cards tucked inside.

Look at What I Found!

I know, I know, I promised a project post and I DO have one coming!  But I wanted to share this neat new jewelry store I was just introduced to, where you can build your own watches and necklaces.  Chunky Bling has the parts all assembled for you & everything is interchangeable with lobster clasps!

I thought these were just too cool not to share, and I immediately signed up to become an affiliate.  I can't wait to get my first order, but I'm still trying to decide what to get first, lol.  Check it: you choose which beaded watch band or bands you want, then choose a watch face or two.  They send them to you and you just attach the band to the face with the clasps.  Same goes for the necklaces; each charm cluster hooks on to the chain with a lobster clasp, so you can change whenever you want!  (They even have cute beaded rings!)

My favorite thing are the names of some of these beauties!  Cotton candy, Midnight Magic, and Merry Mistletoe are just a few - and they have contests to name the new ones too.

I know, how do we know they're any good?  They ARE a newish company, but so far have great reviews.  They have a decent quality guarantee as well, which you can read on their website.  You can also return for ANY reason during the first 30 days.  Shipping is a flat rate, starting at just $3.95, with orders over $75 shipping free.

If you'd like to find out more about becoming an affiliate yourself, just head on over to Chunky Bling and click on the Affiliate Information link under the All Other Information tab.

If you buy, I'd love to hear what you think!  I'm off to try and make a final decision now...

Get More Bang for Your Buck!

Here are the details on July's special offer from Close To My Heart:

IT’S SIMPLE. SPEND $50, THEN CHOOSE A BONUS ITEM FOR $1 (five products to choose from). Because everyone loves more bang for the buck!

Eligible $1 Bonus Items:
• Creative Basics® Mistletoe Collection (original retail: $8.95)
• Creative Basics® Animal Cookies Collection (original retail: $8.95)
• My Originals® Bits & Pieces Card Kit (original retail: $12.95)
• My Originals® It’s Your Day Card Kit (original retail: $12.95)
• My Originals® Around the Holidays Card Kit (original retail: $14.95)

*Offer available July 1–31, 2011. Tax and shipping/handling charges apply. Close To My Heart reserves the right to substitute a comparable promotional item while supplies last. Limit one promotional item per qualifying order.

You can place your order online 24/7 at http://loribrown.myctmh.com/ - stretch your dollar further by shopping our While Supplies Last section for bargains of up to 78% off!

Thanks for stopping by - I will have a project post up later Monday or Tuesday morning, depending on how long it takes things to dry.  And be sure to stop by on Thursday for my White Christmas post,  including a giveaway!  Hope to see you then.

Where Has Lori Been?!

You MAY have noticed I've been a bit negligent of my blog this week.  While hubby had to stay behind & go to work, the kids & I joined my family on a mini-vacation!  Can you guess where?

Yep, we headed to downtown Chicago.  It's only an hour's drive for us, but we met some of my family there for a few days.  The kids' favorites were our trip to Navy Pier and the Museum of Science & Industry.  And they actually got  me up in the giant ferris wheel.  I am actually petrified of heights, but once I got in I was fine, as it's the safest looking ferris wheel I've ever seen - and all of the cars were enclosed so not much danger of me falling out, lol.

Hopefully, I will be back at it on Monday or Tuesday!  I haven't had time for crafting yet, and I work tonight & all day tomorrow.  I guess I better get it in gear, as I still have to get ready for CHA the following week, and I don't want to leave you post-less while I'm gone.  See you in a couple of days!

Summer Flower... Circa 1934

The new challenge over at Scrappy Frog's Challenge Blog is Summer flowers. (The challenge blog post will be up sometime later today.)  I hope you will join us!  I chose to use a crochet rolled rose that I have been obsessing over since Bonnie shared hers the other day.  Since I'm also gaga about all things vintage, I pulled a couple of sheets of Circa 1934 papers out of my hoard.

Using a pattern from the Wishes card making book, I laid out my papers.  My circle is cut with the Cricut from CS in my hoard, then sponged with Desert Sand ink and sentiment stamped in Black.  I laid down Glue Lines and adhered black buttons from my hoard - many of them are actual vintage buttons, so I thought this was a fun use of them.  A few are tied with white hemp.  Lastly, I adhered my crochet rose with Scor Tape, and some felt leaves with Liquid Glass.

Supplies used:

• Circa 1934 patterned papers, Cosmo Cricket
• Black and green CS
• Wishes card making book, Close To My Heart
• Black & Desert Sand stamp pads, Close To My Heart
• Black buttons
• White Hemp, Close To My Heart
• #10 crochet cotton, Coats & Clark
• Size 5 crochet hook
• Felt Leaves, Close To My Heart
• Liquid Glass, Close To My Heart
• ATG tape, 3M
• Glue Lines, Glue Dots