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 

Can you Picture it?

Can you Picture it?! I totally CAN! :)

 

Close To My Heart has begun an incredible recruiting opportunity, unique Constant Campaign, and product sneak-peek all rolled into one huge offer! 

 

From November 1—December 15, new Consultants who enroll with either the Essentials   (Cost of $49 for approx $155 worth of merchandise) or Master  (Cost of $99 for approx $335 worth of merchandise) New Consultant Kit may also receive a brand-new exciting product from the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book.

What's the new product? It's the gorgeous new Picture My Life™ scrapbooking program. There are 8 fresh and stunning design themes to choose from (sneak peeks of 6 right now with 2 more being revealed Jan 1st!), each one featuring 122 double-sided, designed cards in a mix of 3" x 4" and 4" x 6", plus a 12"x12" cover page to bring your album together beautifully. You also get 10 Memory Protectors™ with new formats designed just for this program and lots of your photos. It's a retail value of $24.95 but it’s FREE to qualifying new Consultants! There is a preview period for these and all new products starting in January. 

 

 

You can begin earning your Picture My Life program FREE right now when you sign up. Consider it: when you order the Essentials Kit and qualify for the offer, you will receive more than $180 in products and supplies, plus commission on your sales, all for just $49. Add to that the perks of the Straight To The Top program, additional rewards and cash incentives from myself, PLUS a new Idea Book coming soon….. you have an incredible opportunity to grow quickly!! In addition to the free product and cash incentives I (personally) also offer each member of my team full access to all of my workshop files! I will do my very best to help each member of my team be successful! I have multiple workshops that I’ve painstakingly created cutting guides and tutorials for…my customers can find them for sale on my blog but my team members have access to each of those files free of charge! What does this mean? This means that they have the ability to use my hand created documents to host their own classes and workshops while ordering all of the supplies themselves…resulting in sales commissions back into THEIR pocket! :) Think of it as a ‘ready made’ workshop where I’ve done all the hard work for you! #SUCCESS :)
 
I will be posting more information about joining my team all throughout the Month! If you are interested in hearing more RIGHT NOW please contact me HERE and I will be glad to answer any questions you might have! 

 

Are ya still hangin' with me? :) Have a sneak peek at 6 of the 8 New 'Picture My Life' Collections! :) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know about you but I'm super excited about all of the things coming soon to Close to my Heart! I'm so glad I'm a part of it! Won't you join me?! :) 

Blessings Friends!

Sus  

 

A Little More Scandinavian Love!

Here's another Cute Card using the October Stamp of the month, Scandinavian Wishes!

 

You only have a few days to get your hands on this stamp set! With any $50 order you can purchase this set - regularly $17.95 - for only $5! :)

 

That's all for today Folks! :) 

Blessings, Sus 

3rd one's a CHARM!

Here's #3 in my Upcoming Sartia 4 Layout Workshop! :) 

Isn't this little Sweetpea the cutest?! This is my childhood best friend's daughter Crosslyn Raye. :) 

This workshop will be featuring the Small Flip Assortment! My favorite part about this layout is that it holds 13 Photos! WHOOT! Each of the 3X3 photos wells are using a 3X3 flip flap, which means you can 'house' a photo on the backside of the one shown as well as another underneath the 'flap'.  If you'd rather, either space can be used as journaling area instead of additional photos. :) 

 

I am SO EXCITED about this workshop! I've been working on the cutting diagram for what seems like FOREVER! It is coming along well juts taking a while.  I can't wait to offer it to you! 

Did you miss my previous posts on the other two layouts featured in this workshop? 

 

I LOVE THEM! I'll share the 4th Layout soon! It is Darling! 

Thanks for joining me for a short post!

Blessings Friends!

Annnnnnnd Another one....

Another layout that is! Yesterday I shared one of the layouts I created for my (4) Layout Sarita WOTG Workshop....Here's another one. :) 

I am SO DISAPPOINTED with my photos (again)....they are so drab! They do not do this paper justice! It is CRAZY BRIGHT! 

In all (4) of my layouts for this workshop the PINK can easily be substituted!

 

Don't let the Baby Pictures fool you! This paper is the furthest from baby you will find...it just happened to work with with the pictures I had just received from my friend. :)

 

And of Course.....my Favorite part once again...Flip Flaps! :) This Layout holds 15 Photos! :) 

I'm working tirelessly on getting my cutting guide completed for these pages! Stay tuned to see the remaining 2 sets. :)

Thank you again for joining me!

Your are such a Blessing! Sus

Along with my other projects going on right now I've been working like crazy on my next big Workshop project....(4) Layouts using the Sarita Workshop on the Go Kit and one of my favorite products...Flip Flaps! I'm sharing one of those layouts with you today! The rest are on their way! :)

As you, most likely already know, the Sarita Workshop on the Go Kit comes with the Sarita Level 2 Paper Pack, 3 extra sheets of cardstock, the Sarita Embellishment Assortment, Natural Hemp, and the exclusive Stamp Set (which happens to be my favorite set at the moment).  

I have added in a few extra sheets of Colonial White Cardstock, the Small Flip Flap assortment, and the tiny type Epoxy Alphabet to create this Darling Workshop!

One of my favorite parts of this layout (other than my Sweet Niece) is that is holds up to 16 Photos! YES, 16! 

The Flip Flaps are basically clear 'flaps' that adhere directly to your layout or on top of your page protector....each 'flap' Houses a photo on the top, then on the backside of the flap, and then underneath the 'flap'...so with each single flip flap you can house (3) photos or have space for hidden journaling or memorabilia. I am waiting for my sister to edit a few more pictures of my niece and will then fill all of my spaces! :)

 

 

 

 

I can't wait to share with you the remaining (3) Layouts...I'm knee deep in cutting guides for this workshop and am so excited to be able to offer it to you soon! :)

Thank you for joining me today!

Blessings, Sus

Just A Little Love & Hugs

Just a Little Love & Hugs with my BFF at the moment, Sarita!

I just LOVE how this card turned out....It's so eclectic Looking...a little bit of this, little bit of that! :)

I used the Card Pattern #20 from the Make it From Your Heart 'How-to' Book....Easy as can be! No wasted paper whatsoever! Whoot! 

And of course, gotta have a little 'somethin' somethin'' on the inside to match! :) 

I used some of my Favorite Embellishments for this card!! Teal Base & Bling Assortment, Sartia Embellishment Assortment, and the Base & Bling Metal Flowers! (Especially love these)

 

See, a little bit of this and a little bit of that add up to make a powerful punch to your paper crafting! :)

Thank you for joining me again today...short and sweet, just the way we like it! :) 

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