Damask Divas Ivy Lane Blog Hop!

 Hello, my crafty peeps!  Welcome back for another edition of the Damask Divas Blog Hop!  This time, we are debuting the BRAND NEW Ivy Lane Paper Packet! Our entire hop goes live on February 1st, so all of the links will be working by then--please bear with us as we get the kinks out and help our newest Divas get the hang of this thing!  :)

If you came from Jessica's blog, then you are on the right path!  If not, feel free to start at the beginning over at the Damask Divas Blog where you can see the entire line-up of Divas participating!  :)

Since February is a month of love at our home for a variety of reasons (V-day and two anniversaries!), I wanted to focus on that for my theme.  I had never made the mailbox from the Close to My Heart Cricut Artiste Collection, so I figured it was about time!

This amazing paper project is found on page 51 of the Artiste handbook.  I LOVE how they color coordinated the parts in the pictures so you know just what you are cutting with each step.  It really makes choosing your papers a breeze!  Then, it even shows you how to put it together in the Assembly Guide.  Thank goodness, because I did NOT do it the right way at first!  ;)

I used Cocoa CS that is included in the Ivy Lane Workshop on the Go Cardmaking Kit for the main body of my mailbox.  The trim was cut on Kraft CS.

These gorgeous 3D flowers were JUST the thing to decorate my mailbox.  I used Kraft CS, Hollyhock CS from the Cardmaking Kit, and the double sided pattern paper included as well--one side for the leaves and the other for the flowers.  :)  These beautiful cuts are also found on Artiste...the leaf is right underneath the flower.

I attached a great little love banner that is found on the Remarkable Wreath My Acrylix.  This has long been one of my favorite stamp sets from CTMH, and I even bought it BEFORE I became an independent consultant.  I stamped it in Cocoa Ink and blinged the ends of the banner up a bit with a couple of the smallest gems in the Sparkles Brown and Tan Assortment.

Back to those flowers for a moment...I inked the edges with my Sweet Leaf Exclusive Ink Pad and dauber.  Then I folded them along a faux vein to give them some depth.

See the bit of glimmer on those inked edges?  I used my Wink of Stella glitter pen to easily add the pretty sparkle.  Super-easy and quick, PLUS I love the effect on the flowers!   I attached them to the mailbox with Liquid Glass--THE BEST go-to adhesive for bulky embellishments! 

Here is one product you won't find anywhere else in the NEW Spring and Summer Idea Book--GOLD Shimmer Trim!!!  It is exclusively available in the Ivy Lane Workshop on the Go Cardmaking Kit!  Let's just say it was on my FIRST order!  ;)  It matched really well with these Rolos candies that I decorated with a simple 3/4 inch scallop punch.  These were PERFECT to fill my mailbox!  I used the Almond Hershey Kisses that are wrapped in gold for another version of this box (and my friend adored it, BTW!)

I hope you found some mojo to take with you from my blog today! 

Your next stop is Brenda's blog!  Have a great time browsing all the fabulous creations on the rest of the hop, and never let ANYONE steal your sparkle!  :)

February Stamp of the Month!

Embossing is BOSS!!

Last DAY for the Close to My Heart Cloud Nine Cardmaking Kit and Cross-Stitch Wishes!

Don't procrastinate any longer!  If you had your eye on this Cloud Nine Cardmaking kit, better get to it because after today, it will be history!  Stock is running out, so I guess it is a good thing, too!  ;)

Here are a couple more cards from the kit that I made...

The retail value of the entire kit that makes 10 cards AND includes three BRAND NEW full size products is $46, but you can get yours for ONLY $15 with a $35 purchase on my website HERE!

The Size D My Acrylix stamp set that comes with is a $17.95 value on its own!

Don't miss it, OR the January Stamp of the Month--Cross-Stitch Wishes!  :)

It is also the LAST DAY to order items on the RETIRING LIST!  Here is a link to my website page that lists all the stamps and other goodies that will not be returning in the Spring and Summer Idea Book.  Get them while you can!

I made this Valentine's Day card with the Stitched Together My Acrylix that is on the list.  I'll tell you more about the other stamp set I used in a few days.  :)

I also used it on one of my all time favorite cards HERE.

One of my favorite stamp sets is retiring!  The Universal Backgrounds set is really a must have on my list.  I use the woodgrain and script stamps all the time.  You can see the woodgrain on a card HERE

and a special project HERE

and a tag HERE.

The musical notes background is GREAT for Christmas tags like this one HERE.

There is even a burlap texture that I used on this quilted card HERE.

Better grab this versatile stamp set before it is gone! 

Last day in January--yikes!!!!

Green Day Crush

I scrapped another ticket stub!  Yeah!

This Green Day concert was sooooooo much fun to reminisce.  It was my first time at the Aragon Ballroom in downtown Chicago.  The venue is very cozy, and we were in line super-early to get the best view possible.  Little did we know we would end up right down in front of the stage.  AWESOME view--and got up close and personal with the front railing as the crowd got into it!  Ouch.

How fun are these little Green Epoxy Bubbles added to the elements from the Crush Assortment?

It was a Green Day concert--I had to use green on the page, no?  Used some contraband green glitter tape since we don't have that color--yet!  Here's hoping!  :)  I also used this little wooden trinket from the soon to be retired Huntington Assortment.  Get it while you can before January ends!

The best thing I have discovered for my Crush Book scrapping are the Flip Flaps that Close to My Heart carries in all kinds of sizes.  I used a couple from the Small Assortment for my pics on this page.  I like that I can still get my pics in here protected from the little fingers that are bound to explore!  :)

Close to My Heart Washi Wednesday!

Welcome back to my blog!  I hope you are well rested and ready to meet all the amazing washi choices we have at Close to My Heart with the release of the New Spring and Summer Idea Book on February 1st!  I wanted to show them off, and show you a cute little easy way to use them, so I made up a quick video...take a peek!  :)

Here is that little envelope from the video--tell me this isn't the EASIEST way to pretty up your cards and letters!  :)

Remember, there is ONE more new washi coming out on February 1st, but I just didn't have it in my hands when I recorded my video...here is a peek...and a sneak peak at my creation for Tag (You're It!) Tuesday next week!  ;)  This one is striped in Smoothie!  Yum!

Thanks for popping in to see my post today!  :)

Hold on for just one minute!!!  I have a ginormous goal to reach with Close to My Heart this year, and to make it happen, I'm going to need a few good peeps on my team!   I am looking for team members who I can help to build their dream job like I am doing right now.  If you have a heart for crafting or scrapbooking or cardmaking, then you can make your dreams come true as well!  It is never too late, really, it isn't!  I never thought I would be able to do something like this, but guess what?  I had never tried!  Once I did, I realized that my dream wasn't impossible, and that it CAN happen little by little.  BUT, that is the key--you HAVE to TRY!  I guarantee you that if you just sit back and wait for your dreams to come true, they won't.  Not ever.  Consider this quote that is often attributed to Mark Twain even though he didn't say the whole thing...

Yep, the picture is mine.  :)  And so is the little create sentiment!

I have a dream to reach my goal this year and it isn't going to be easy...but I believe it will happen with a lot of hard work...and maybe just a bit of pixie dust.  ;)   I am just one team member shy of becoming a manager, and even though I still have quite a few business cards that say, "Supervisor" on them, I would be OK with getting more, lol!  But to me right now, it is so much more than that.  I have seen my team members blossom and grow personally AND in their business through the process of mentoring and guiding them along in their goals.  Are you going to meet every goal you set for yourself the first try?  NO!  But how are you going to meet ANY goals by not trying?  If you never fail, it means you are not trying new things.  It is a safe road to travel, but it just goes in circles.  It is time to take a new road!

The very next person who signs up with me to try and make their dreams come true will get to choose one of the brand new Spring and Summer Workshops on the Go absolutely free from me.  Let me show you how to make your creative dreams come true!  :)

Click HERE to find out more about joining my team, or feel free to contact me at mimimyselfandi@outlook.com.  It's time to throw off the bowlines and dance YOUR dance!  :)

Crush on Artbooking (and Artiste)!!!

Ready for some more Crush Book pages???  GREAT!!!  So am I, so here we go!

These are the next two pages in my book...

Isn't a walk down memory lane eye opening?  I cannot get over my hair in these pictures.  I believe it was required for entry to the Depeche Mode Concert, you see.  How could I deprive my children of this awesome laugh?  ;)  I am so excited to be getting these scrapped!  It really goes quickly with the Crush Book style.  I used the Flip Flap Small Assortment to protect these photos from the little fingers that will soon be prying.  

Another advantage of using these is hiding more embellishments or journaling underneath! 

I used more stickers from the My Crush Book Assortments and the One Way Borders My Acrylix here...

The next page is one of my faves with this negative cut from the Artiste Collection.  The mustaches are just so trendy still!  Too cute.

I can just hear the Gin Blossoms now singing Hey Jealousy.  Great times!

Now, take a peek at some ways you can use the brand new Artbooking Cartridge for your Crush pages!



What memories are lurking in YOUR house?  These have been sitting around for ten years just waiting to be brought back to life!  Isn't this the whole point of our hobby?  We want to preserve the memories and moments of our lives to relive and to share.  What is stopping you from getting to yours? 

UPDATE!!!  I made these so long ago, and schedule my posts ahead of time mostly...that I forgot to mention that I learned I was putting the flip-flaps on wrong for these first pages...you should tuck the flap with the adhesive behind the picture when you attach it to the book page.  I will show you how in a future post!  Sorry about that, but there is so much to learn that I am always learning new tips and tricks with our AMAZING products!  :)

Workshop Weekend Wrap-up With a Sneak Peek, of Course!

Happy Monday!!!  I shared this on my Facebook page yesterday, so wanted to show you what I look like today!  ;)  Baby, it's COLD outside!!!

I post all the time on my FB page, so get on over there and like it to get the latest news!  I heard there might be a giveaway in February...

I am just popping in today with a quick wrap-up of my weekend Scraptacular Memories Workshop and Open House. 

Friday night we created this gorgeous layout designed by my friend and fellow consultant, Shelly Nemitz...

Isn't she BRILLIANT!


Then, on Saturday I had my NEW Spring and Summer Idea Book Open House where my local peeps could come and grab their copy and play with some of the new products as well.  We made some of these cards...

Surprise!!!!  This last one is a total sneak peek of the new February Stamp of the Month called Wild About Love.   This one will be available starting February 1st and it coordinates with the cuts on the Cricut Artiste Collection!  Raise your hand if you HAVE to have it!  :)  ME!

On the Mend at Lawnscaping Challenges

Hi everyone!

There are SO many great crafty bloggers out there that I love to follow when I have the chance.  Many of them are design team members for some fabulous paper crafting products.  Over at the Lawnscaping Challenge Blog they want us to use a DT member as inspiration for our project, so I just HAD to play along!

My inspiration piece comes from Elise C. at Whimsipost.  HERE is a link to her creation..

I love the use of pattern paper in stamping, but hardly use the technique.  It was time to remedy that!  I used my Lawn Fawn On the Mend stamp set to make this card for my Aunt who was facing a mastectomy.

I used my Close to My Heart Chantilly Paper for the green turtle and a retired Flirty pattern for the ice pack.  I just stamped them in black on those papers and trimmed them out.  Then I stamped him on the white card base and put him together like a puzzle!  :)  The cute frame around this fella is from MCT.  I like playing with the white on white look lately.

Elise used one of my favorite embellishments on her card--sequins!  Guess I just HAD to add some as well, hee, hee.  Not sure what brand these are anymore, but I love the colors.  

 Such a cute little sentiment to lift somebody's spirits!

Thank you, Elise for all the CAS inspiration on your awesome blog!  Can't wait to see more!   :)

Don't forget about the two amazing specials going on with Close to My Heart this month!  Time is running out! 

See the Stamp of the Month for just $5 with a $50 purchase HERE.

Or the Cloud Nine Cardmaking kit with THREE full size NEW products for just $15 with a $35 purchase HERE!

New Close to My Heart Idea Book Sneak Peeks!

Happy Friday!  I am so completely excited that I just completed three challenges in one sitting!  Do you even know how crazy that sounds?!  Let's get right down to it because this one has some going ON!  ;)

The first thing you might have noticed is that I used the awesome sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches this week.  Yes, I did flip it on it's side...the card is kinda wild like that.  ;)

OK, the SECOND thing you might have noticed is that I used a technique that is totally NEW to me! (Since the codeword over at Addicted to CAS is NEW, I am linking up over there with this one, too!)

I have never used a stencil before...or spritzed my paper with anything except water.  It was SO much fun that I just might try it more often!  You won't believe what I used for the stencil...

This is the remnant left after I punched out all the chipboard hearts from the Close to My Heart Dimensional Elements Hearts that coordinate with the cuts from the Art Philosophy Collection!  I cannot believe we have to say good-bye to these at the end of the month!  And to think I JUST figured out to do THIS with it!  Sigh...

Really, it was super-easy to combine just a bit of Isopropyl Alcohol with my Ruby Re-Inker in one of my Spray Pens.  I sprayed it just three times so it would not cover it completely...and I love the result!

Alright, moving along...the My Acrylix Stamp set that I used for this card is actually a sneak peek of the Stamp of the Month for February!  Since that is NEW as well, I am also linking up over at Heart to Heart Challenges for their New Year, New Beginnings Challenge.

I adore this sentiment!  It coordinates with the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection, so matching up the stamp was easy-peasy.  I cut the little heart out of Ruby CS and added a touch of Liquid Glass to make it look like a little enamel sticker!  Super-cute!  A little once-over with my Wink of Stella glitter brush never hurt anyone either.  ;)

Behind the sentiment, you can see the retiring Dark Chocolate Striped Grosgrain Ribbon which I love and will miss.  Better pick some up while you can.  Also, some sequins seem to have gotten away from me and somehow flung themselves onto the card!  I guess they wanted to bling it up a bit!  The large ones are new from Teresa Collins' You are My Happy Collection (totally adorbs!) and the littler brownish ones are also a sneak peek at some of the new embellies coming in the CTMH Spring and Summer Idea Book!  I sure cannot wait!

Thanks for stopping in today, and come back anytime!  :)