Easter Pages

Now that Easter is over let's get those photos developed! There's room for 6 photos on this layout. Some of you may remember the "Original" Miracle kit from before it was made into a "My Reflections Kit." (It was a CTMH special that you could earn by ordering ordering product, maybe 9 months ago or so.) Everyone liked the paper so much they made it into a kit, yippie! I for one Loved it and was so glad to see it in the latest catalog. The color scheme is flexible enough to go with anything! It included some of the same paper designs and as pictured below, the gorgeous half circle & bracket die cuts and also came with some of my favorite chipboard...called "Miracle." (Imagine that!) The chipboard is what we call "Irresistible." They are die cut into flowers, leaves, flourishes, butterflies & stems, but the best part is when you ink them they have an area on them that resists the ink & stays white. It's a very stunning affect.

This is a close up of the bottom of the page using the half circle die cut. We will be making this page at the next WOTG night on May 6th. If you have the kit, bring it, if not I will be teaching you how to make a similar die cut with your my Reflections "Miracle Level 2 Kit" a cricut & some punches. Call or email me to join us at the LAAC for this class. ( We will also be making one more layout with the Miracle paper.)

Learn how to use watercolor pencils and a waterbrush to make these rabbits look so realistic and soft.

"Awe" isn't he cute! (Yes I said that!) Stay tuned in for the next few days & I will show you some beautiful cards made with this paper pack. Stop back tomorrow for more inspiration!

April SOTM

More inspiration with the April SOTM. Hurry you only have through the end of the month to purchase this stamp set or earn it for Free! Shown here using paper from "Mayberry" & "Sweetheart."

Thank you cards for Hosting Easter Dinner

O.K. Sooo, you all know how I don't do "Cute" very well. When I first saw this set I didn't like it..."Way to cute" Well let's face it...I was gagging! To make a long story short, once I started playing with it, I liked it! It's Beatrice Potter inspired & it is cute but in a subtle way. After stamping the bunnies in black ink & coloring them with my water color pencils & then blending with our water brush I thought "these aren't so bad after all...they're even kinda cute!" I like the soft delicate look. I guess I forgot how much fun it can be to color! Adding the satin ribbon made such an impact on the card above. The green was perfect & it accents the soft subtle look. Aren't these bunnies cute! (I can't believe I just said that twice!) I'm surprised that I haven't used my water color pencils in so long! When coloring this is my favorite medium. I love how you can blend the colors with out losing the intensity & washing out the vibrancy of the shade. The "Miracle" Paper pack is the perfect match for the soft adorable bunnies. With the springlike blues and greens & beautiful paper designs this kit is perfect for any theme (Easter, baby, young boy or girl, mothers day, ect) or photos outside or inside, it's very versatile. Wouldn't receiving one of these cards delight your Easter Host and make her feel appreciated for an extraordinary dinner.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter & enjoyed your time with your families. I sure did, my Aunt, Uncle & cousins came down from Canada to visit. Joanne the Greek Easter dinner was awesome!

Heart 2 Heart Challenge, Recycle or Re-Use! I love this kind of challenge!

I was bloghopping through some of my favorites & had to accept this challenge! Some of you may have seen these tool caddies before or you may even own one now! (As I gave them out as crop gifts with candy & my sisters crocheted flowers & some of my book flowers!) Anyhow... I made 32 of these! (Well for the crop I used just one can for the attendees and they were a huge hit, the girls couldn't decide which one to pick as they where all decorated different!

Super easy to do. Make sure you have a can opener that doesn't leave sharp edges (you can find them at most stores, Kmart, Meijer, Target, ect) this is important because you don't want anyone to cut themselves on the edges of the can. I cut off the label & ran them through the dishwasher. Use any size can. The tall one here is a spaghetti can & the short round one is a chicken can. Soup cans, veggie cans, tuna cans, stew cans, mushrooms, they all make great containers for your supplies. Just add paper & embellishments. I used my 3-M Scotch Tape Glider as that tape is really sticky. You can find them here

at framingsupplies.com You know how I like to find a good deal well, this tape is half of what you would pay for most others however...the gun is huge & some crafters don't like it. Make sure to use the "Gold" tape for scrapbooking. OK, so...back to the project! I attached them together with 2 sided 3-D foam tape & then added Liquid Glass for extra strength. Let dry overnight. The flowers and other embellishments are attached with Glue Dots, either mini or regular size. Have fun with them, they would make a great teacher gift filled with candy or tea bags, or what-ever! Use your punches or rhinestones add flowers or hearts.

I hope I've inspired you to think about what your throwing away & what you might be able to create with it if you altered it with paper!

Krafty, Kool & Kolorful!

Check out this quick video on just some of the techniques you can do with the "Kraft Borders." After watching this you will want to enhance all your projects with them! Also make sure to look at the cards in the post below. They are gorgeous!

April SOTM Artwork

These beautiful cards were made with our April SOTM by a fellow CTMH Consultant, Karen Pedersen. I think they are sooo pretty. I never would have thought to use these colors & I love the combination! Cotton Candy & Chocolate (mmmm sounds yummy!) "

Check out the details; beautiful coloring & shading, white embossing, placement of flowers with our brads & buttons, sanding & then tone on tone random stamping. Look at the way she incorporated our new "kraft borders" with a cotton candy strip underneath so the color shows through the design & by adding "Clear Sparkles" where the design meets. The kraft borders are fun, quick & easy to use & add flair to your cards & pages. Thanks Karen for such wonderful inspiration!

This is the April SOTM. It comes on a 6" x 6" carrier sheet. Don't forget that this month has all kinds of specials! "Lovin' Level 1", Studeo J & the SOTM. if you purchase $100. in product you get the SOTM (above) for FREE & a level 1 paper pack FREE, that's $32.90 in FREE PRODUCTS!! WooHooo!

CLEARANCE SALE!!

There is a HUGE-A-MONGOUS CLEARANCE sale going on right now on my website here. When you get there, just click "Shop Online" and then "While Supplies Last". We have added paper packs & "mystickease." Close To My Heart has bundled some paper packs, stickease, and accessories together and priced them at over 50% off, some much more than that. Once you get to the "While Supplies Last" page, you'll need to scroll down about half way to get to the paperpacks. Remember, if you spend $100 (before shipping and tax) on my website during April, you'll not only get a Level 1 Kit of your choice FREE ($9.95 value), but you'll also get the April Stamp of the Month FREE ($22.95). That's about $33 worth of FREE stuff. Can you say "WOOHOO!!" This bundle includes the Passages Level 2 Paper Pack ($12.95 value), the Passages MyStickease Assortment ($4.95 value), the Passages MyStickease Assortment ($4.95 value) and the Passages Marks ($3.95 value). This bundle's total value is $28.95 and is on sale while supplies last for $10.75. That's 51% OFF!

This bundle includes the Cherry-O Level 1 scrapbooking kit ($9.95 value), Level 2 Paper Pack ($12.95 value), the Cherry-O MyStickease Assortment ($4.95 value) and the Cherry-O Connections Textured Stickers ($4.15 value). This bundle's total value is $32.00 and is on sale while supplies last for $15.00. That's 54% OFF!! CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE TO SEE MORE OF THE AWESOME CLEARANCE PRODUCTS AND PRICING HERE!

Digital Scrapbooking with Studio J

April's "Sparkle with Studio J" Special: This April, it’s time to let your Studio J® layouts shine with this exclusive, members-only campaign! Studio J members get free bling when they buy 10 layouts this month. Bling it up and bling it on with FREE packages (one of each) self-adhesive Sparkles and Opaques Pearl gems! Click here to start with Studio J.

Lovin' Level 1!!

April's "Lovin' Level 1" Special: During April, when you place an order of $100 on my website, you’ll receive one My Reflections® Level 1 kit ($9.95 value) of your choice FREE. Choose from several popular Level 1 kits. You’ll also qualify for a free April Stamp of the Month ($22.95 value) set! Now that’s a deal. Start shopping on my website here!

April SOTM

April Stamp of the Month, "Blessed" * earn it FREE when you spend $100 or more (before shipping and tax) * earn it for 75% off ($5.74) when you spend $75 or more (before shipping and tax) * earn it for 50% off ($11.74) when you spend $50 or more (before shipping and tax) * earn it for 25% off ($17.21) when you spend $25 or more (before shipping and tax) * purchase it for full retail price ($22.95) When you spend $100 in April you not only get the Stamp of the Month ($22.95 value) FREE, but you also get a Level 1 Kit ($9.95 value) FREE. That is a total of $32.90 FREE when you spend $100 on My website in April. So what are you waiting for? Start shopping!