Artbooking Magic with Pro Player!

I realized that this cute little mini Album never made it to my blog! So I wanted to share it today while giving my Workshop Posts a 'day off'! :) 

I created it using the Pre-Designed Travel Album keys on the CTMH Exclusive Artbooking Cricut Cartridge! (Be still my Heart!) 

It Just does all that 'Hard Work' for us! Everything is pre-proportioned for us, all of the elements cut to fit perfectly for the dial size you select! :)

I know you've heard me pluggin' away at it for the past week but I'll say it again.....Join my JUST CRAZY BLESSED CTMH Team in April and YOU can get the Artbooking Cricut Cartridge Bundle For FREE with your kit! 

With over $300 in products already in the New CTMH Consusltant kit it's already a great deal at only $99! BUT, throwing in a free Cricut Bundle for $99?! Unbelievable! 

It's NOT 'too good to be true'! Ask me how today! 

Blessings! Sus 

How about a little more Huntington...? 3-D style!

Carrying on with the Huntington Love! 

I Love each of my 3 CTMH Exclusive Cricut Cartridge Bundles! They have been worth every single penny and I am anxiously awaiting any future cartridges Close to My Heart might offer to us! 

I Love this little baggie cut from my CTMH Art Philosophy Cartridge! Cutting them at 5.5" is just large enough for a small gift of candy or trinket yet small enough that you can cut (2) from a single sheet of 12X12! Making it also one of the less expensive projects to create! 

Of course there are my favorite leaves from the CTMH Artbooking Collection! 

And my most favorite Bakers Twine....the Hemp Twine from our Wooden Mini Medley Collection! :) Did you see yesterday's post on how I got that quick CURL?! :)  

I am CRAZY about the BLING Buttons! I was thrilled when they included such a beautiful color in the Rosewood Mini Medley Collection! :)

Here is one of the purse projects from the CTMH Artiste Cartridge! I had never use it before this project and I am sad that I've had this cartridge for a year and a half and never had used it before this! It's Awesome! :)

I just love each and every element in the Rosewood Mini Medley Collection! :) 

I LOOOOOVE the Hemp Ribbon! How PERFECT is it for the handle of the purse?! Just a bit of Liquid Glass adhered it to my project Perfectly! :) The seam was barely noticeable!

That's it for today Friends...short and sweet!
Blessings! Sus

HUNTINGTON!

I promised an Incredible amount of Artwork Inspiration last week but it's proving to be harder to get my posts up in a timely manner this time of year! 

I created my blog in April of this year so I have never had blogging responsibilities throughout my busy season at work (Propane Season)....I am finding myself working through my lunch hours now just to keep up with my office responsibilities instead of working on Blog posts during that time.  I am also back to working 6 days a week each week so my Saturdays are a thing of the past as well.  :(

So....Forgive me for leaving you hanging! As promised, Here are some Huntington Projects to inspire you while your Fall Photos are fresh on your mind! :) 

I Love this Pattern! You have heard me Brag on the Make it from Your Heart Pattern Books time and time again....they are incredible! You  have patterns (and cutting guides) for tons of layouts as well as Cards for only $7.95! They artwork along is breathtaking, you will NOT be disappointed! This Layout came from the MIFYH Volume #2 Book!. :) 

This layout has several Artbooking touches! How cute are those photo frames with 'fall' cut into them?! 

I also Love the Leaves from my Beloved Artbooking cartridge...They are perfect! :) 

Of course I couldn't waste those Colorful Sentiments on the Zip Stripes of the Huntington Level 2 Paper Kit! I cut them and use them right on my page! Thriftiness at it's best! 

That Hemp Ribbon....! No words for how cool it is! Stay tuned for 3-D Project using the Hemp ribbon! :)

Of course you can see some touches from the Rosewood Mini Medley Collection as well as the Wooden Mini Medley Collection! :) 

How CUTE is that CURLED Hemp Bakers Twine?! 

YES! That is a Flat Iron! I first began bringing my flat iron into my craft studio when I started working with our new Textiles! I learned it did such a great job of giving me a 'faux hemp' that I desired when working with the fabric! So instead of transporting my flat iron back and forth I decided to purchase a less expensive model to keep in my studio! 

It worked SO PERFECTLY to curl the bakers twine...just a quick zip through it curled it in a snap! :)

I hope you enjoyed this quick little post! I promise to have something tomorrow as well! :) 

Blessings, Sus

Now they can hush....:)

Hi Friends!

Something just totally Fun Today! I was invited to join a design team over at Creative Craft Cottage Blog a while back...the team member who chose the challenge this month chose 'Texture'.  While it's no secret that I'm not a 'technique' junky I knew EXACTLY what I was going to show you the minute they announced this month's challenge! :)

Close to My Heart Introduced our very first Cricut Cartridge (Art Philosophy) in the Summer of 2011. Artiste followed in Summer of 2012 as did Artbooking this past summer! 

I, of course was totally on board! You already know I am SUCH a thrifty person, it's just my nature....so I can really see the wisdom in a larger initial purchase - I can get WAY MORE for my money than buying punch after punch after punch or die after die after die! I mean, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to do the math....! 

Each of our Cricut Collections have 700 images! Then each of those images can be sized at intervals as small as tenths of an inch! (Holy Cricut!) Then, taking into consideration how the free 'Cricut Craft Room' software factors into the equation.....I can bend, flip, rotate, stretch, weld, (list goes on) any of my images from my cartridges in Addition to the free images in the CCR Library! Seriously they are the Best Value for your hard earned money! :) 

Okay, so I DO have a point....I'm getting there! :) 

I've heard- since our partnership with Provocraft (Cricut) - that crafters LOVE every aspect of the cartridges with one exception.....they can not emboss! Well.....Now they can hush. :)  CHECK. THIS. OUT. 

 

I Stinking LOVE this card! Every single Detail makes my heart skip a beat! :) It is a very simple, clean looking card...which is Just my Style. :)

I know, I know....nothing spectacular about! Except the way I made. it! :) I embossed with my cricut! (LOVE!) 

Here are the steps I took to get this look! :) 

Chevron is Big right now and we have such a FABULOUS (Full Page) Chevron Overlay on our Cricut Artbooking Cartridge! 

I wanted to show you what the screen of the Cricut Craft Room looks like (if you are not already using the CCR - GET TO IT! It's free and totally Awesome!) 

 

I sized them so they would be sure to fit through my Cuttlebug machine.....then just copied and pasted as many as would fit onto my page.  

I cut 3 of the the overlays....next time I will cut 4 of them to give it a more defined emboss. :)

Don't throw away your negative pieces! They make perfect embellishments for other projects! :)

Okay.....so this is the Time consuming part! You will need to adhere all of the layers together.  I thought I'd skimp on my adhesive to make it faster but I ended up making a mess first time out of the chute gate! The overlays will shift when they are being run through the Cuttlebug so you will need to make sure that they are adhered very well.  

I used ATG for the outer edges and Bonding Memories Glue Pen-Fine Point for the inside sections. :)

 

 I know...it's alot of work but think of the money you are saving! And you are getting a CUSTOM Embossing plate to suit your personal preferences! :)

Next, just use it in the same way you would any other embossing plate! I lined it up JUST RIGHT for my cardstock! I loved how I could see right through it. :)

  

It gives such a nice crisp emboss! :) I absolutely Love this!

And!! The BEST part about Close to My Heart Cardstock.....the WHITE CORE! INSTANT TEXTURE Girls!!

How Fun! I already have thoughts of embossing with all of the Fancy card bases from our Art Philosophy Cartridge as well as all of the Theme Specific Images and flourishes from Artiste...and of course Artbooking with all of it's CRAZY AWESOME Overlays make embossing with our Cricut Cartridges a Paper Crafters Dream! an Absolutely UNIQUE Dream! :)

So, the next time you hear someone say Close to My Heart has no Embossing options....you just tell them to hush and show them how easy it really is. :) I LOVE getting the most out of my money spent, don't you?! :) 

I guess I really should share the inside of my card...it will be no surprise, you already knew it would match the front, didn't you? :) 

And SERIOUSLY.....how much do you LOVE that Woodgrain Washi Tape?! (GIDDY) 

Thanks for joining me girls! Sure do appreciate each of you!

Below is another great Video from Close to My Heart with information about our Cricut Collections! :)

Blessings, Sus 

So, you thought it was a Christmas stamp....?

So, you thought the October Stamp of the Month was a Christmas Stamp..? Fooled you, huh? Fooled me too!  (BIG SMILE) It fooled me until I came across this DARLING card! The original was inspired......okay, practically copied EVERYTHING!...by fellow consultant, Dana Kessler! :)

Is sure doesn't look Christmasy to me! :)  I adored this card when I first saw it and now even more so that I have it sitting on my desk at work....just plain ole BRIGHT & CHEERFUL! 

Of course you'll notice the Cricut Artbooking image, as well as a hint from Artiste! I never get tired of using all of those cartridge images! :) :) With 700 Images on each cartridge it's my PLEASURE knowing that each single image costs me only .14! WHOOT! Blows a Punch right out of the water!! :) 

Have you got your hands on the Scandinavian Wishes Stamp set? Remember, it's ONLY available throughout the Month of October...and you can get it for a discounted price of only $5! Now, who's being THRIFTY?! :)

Now that I've created something Non-Christmasy with this Christmas themed stamp set I'm moving onto another project using it! I can't wait! If you don't already have your set why don't you get it ordered and we can play along together! :)

Supplies Used

Laughing Lola Level 2 Paper Packet

Lagoon & White Daisy Cardstock

Kraft Keyboard Alphabet

Clear Sparkles

Sparkles Flourishes 

Cricut Artbooking Collection

Cricut Artiste Collection

I'm so Glad you joined me today...just a short and sweet post today but I'm so Glad to have each of you!

Blessings, Sus 

Sarita True Fit Folio & Textile Workshop

It's Workshop time! Not Local? No Problem! :) 

During this Workshop we will be incorporating into our layout a Close to My Heart True Fit Folio! 

Here is a photo of your layout while the Folio is Closed....

 Here is a Photo of the Layout with the Folio Open....

We will be learning how to safely protect each of our photos on this 4 page layout while adding a few fun interactive elements!

We will also be learning a simple textile technique that requires no sewing whatsoever!

 

Long Distance Kits are Available! $22 + Shipping

Class fee includes;
Sarita Patterned Paper
Misc. Cardstock Sheets
Full Package of Sarita Assortment Embellishments
Pieces from the Sarita Textiles Collection
(1) True Fit Folio
(3) Close to My Heart Memory Page Protectors
Pre-Cut Cricut Images (*If you desire a different tile CONTACT me, I will be happy to find a replacement suitable for the photos you are wishing to showcase!)
Snacks for the local attendees.

I'd like to thank Lori Marie Allen for her inspiration on this project! Hi Lori!! :)

If you'd like to RSVP via Facebook you can do so HERE

If you should have any questions concerning this, or any other Workshop, Kit, or Project I have been displaying I'd like to invite you to visit with me further by emailing me HERE.  

I am SO APPRECIATIVE you all! 
Blessings, Susan 

** May 21, 2015 Notation** The Above Featured Sarita Kits are no longer in stock, however I do have the cutting files (including tutorials featuring the Fabric Rosettes as well as how to alter a page protector to allow for interactive elements) available! 

Don't forget! The 'Artbooking Made Easy' Video Series can be conveniently viewed under the 'Artbooking Made Easy Video Series' Page tab at the top of my blog! :) Episode #3 has just been posted! :)

A Spectacular September!

That's right! This month is going to be SPECTACULAR! 

It's National Stamping Month and the Specials offered by Close to My Heart Corporate are Top Notch!! 

Throughout the Month of September you have the opportunity to get your hands on the 'You Are My Happy' Trio of Stamp sets for only $10! (Whoa!) For Every $50 you spend you can purchase 3 of the most DARLING stamp sets for only $10! Order $100 and get 6 sets!  (Did someone say Christmas Shopping in September?)

Here's a Better look! :) 

You will receive an uppercase as well as lowercase Alphabet...complete with numbers and a few symbols....

Fantastic Images....and do you notice the measurements and page numbers next to many of the images on the carrier sheet?? Yes...you already know what that means! No fussy cutting those! All of you who already own the CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut Collection have the coordinating cartridge to do all the hard work for you! (Big SMILE)

And, how about these ADORABLE Sentiments? 

I am SO IN LOVE with these stamps! They are so perfect for Layouts, Cards, and Gift Giving Projects!! I can't believe I have had them in my hands for a while and haven't inked even ONE of them! I've been neck deep in my newest 'MY CRUSH' Project that I haven't had even one opportunity to play with them!  (I can't WAIT to share my Project with you!)

The Best part? I know many of my ladies love taking advantage of the 'Stamp of the month' campaigns each and every month.....Did you know that your $50 purchase to get the Stamp trio can also be used to get your September Stamp of the Month? YES! They are allowing "Double Dipping"!! EXCITING! 

Your $50 qualifying purchase will get you the September Stamp of the Month for only $5! Girls...That's 4 Full Sized Stamp Sets for only $15! (WHATTT???!)

This Month is RIDICULOUSLY full of Specials! It really is amazing how your dollars spent really work in your favor just by shopping with Close to My Heart! :) 

September is a PERFECT time to get your hands on the New Cricut Artbooking Collection! Your purchase will qualify you for multiple sets of the Stamp Specials this month! (Whoot!) 

Close to My Heart announced a 32 Video Series on the Artbooking Collection a few months ago....The Introductory Video has been released and I'd love to share it with you now! :) 

Thank you for Joining me friends!!