Wow-You can Make 10 cards in 45 minutes!! And they are great to send to the Men in your life!!!

These card kits are perfect to send to the men in your life!

The Cut Above cards are so easy to put together. All the pieces are precut. The picture on the package insert is all the instruction you need. On the back of the insert it gives a suggested ink pad to use.

The first one I'll take about is the Happy Birthday Card Kit:

Page 161 Item #Z2061 $9.95 US

Here are 2 of the 10 cards I put together

I decided to time myself putting all 10 cards together. It took me 40 minutes to complete this kit. That includes the little bit of stamping. By the way-CTMH suggests using Pacifica ink for the stamping. You can stamp any of the greetings on the center shape which was already inked and ready to stamp.

I did purchase the suggested stamp set (B1467 for $9.95 US) which you can see is very versatile:

B1467 for $9.95 US

     
The second kit I worked with today was the Cut Above Thanks You Card kit.

Page 161 Item # Z2063 $10.95 US

The ink suggested, which I used, was White Daisy. It is a pigment rather than a water soluble ink and it gives a look of chalk on a blackboard. These cards are also perfect for the men in your life. I was able to stamp and put this kit together in 45 minutes.

So, think about this for a minute. In 45 minutes, you can have 10 cards that you can have at your fingertips without driving to the store, paying for gas, buying whatever else you buy at a store, maybe a candy bar, because I never just walk out with a card. These kits can save you time, gas, and calories!!

Here are 2 of the 10 cards I put together

The ladies in my original CTMH club will be putting together the Christmas card kits (see page 160 in the Annual Inspirations catalog) for their November group. They will be ahead of the game for Christmas cards and they will LOVE how quickly and easily the cards go together. 

And in keeping with the Christmas theme, The October Stamp of the Month are Christmas tags or decorations. I stamped some to show the ladies Saturday night.

If you place a $50 order, the stamp is $5.00. Otherwise it is $17.95.

Thanks for stopping by!

Dot

I love My Scrapbooking Clubs!!

I had one of my clubs yesterday. These ladies are so nice and forgiving. 

I swear I thought we were supposed to do the Scaredy Cat pages... Anyway I made the Scaredy Cat pages that you can see on my Oct. 14th post. The problem is 2 of the 3 club members ordered Pathfinding. We did talk about that but I've been a little goofy this month-not sure why. 

Fortunately, I did put my Pathfinding pages together and brought them to show everyone for November's club meeting. Anyway, we all laughed and made fun of ourselves and one did the Scaredy Cat layout and the other 2 did the Pathfinding layout. All my club ladies have gotten so good at cutting that they now do so much on the own and I watch to try and catch any mistakes and do the Cricut cutting to help with time.

Here is the Pathfinding layout and my other Pathfinding layout that uses Stickease and little to no stamping:

2  page alternate layout

Page 1

Page 2

I am so ready for Autumn! I know the date tells me it is the fall but it's in the 80's in Texas. Although it is beautiful out, I want to feel a bit of a chill in the air. Enough of the complaining Dorothy! 

OK-here are the alternate pages:

2  page alternate layout

Page 1 my close up, Mr. DeMille and

page 2. OK, I know I stamped the leaves but I love fall leaves...

......and don't forget the Stamp Of the Month, yours for $5.00 with a $50.00 purchase by October 31, 2014.

Start early to get ready for the holidays by making gift tags using the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge

It's time to get in gear for your Fall, and Thanksgiving pictures. These pages are perfect for your life stories.

XO

Dot

More Tools of the Trade

Tools, just so you know, you don't have to be a man to like tools! 

Close To My Heart has some great tools to work with, especially for stamping. Our stamps are clear and pretty darn rugged. The best thing next to clear stamps are the thick clear blocks.

The reason why clear stamps and blocks are the way to go is because stamping isn't always perfect. uhhhh What do you mean not perfect?!

Remember, there are no scrapbooking police, but some of us like to try to be almost perfect! So there is a little spongy pad that comes with every stamp set and you really need to have a clear spot to put the pad down, place the paper/cardstock on top of it, then ink up your stamp and press down firmly. Lift the stamp and block off and behold your work of art!! 

oopsy  You say it's not perfect. Maybe you didn't press evenly, maybe there was a wrinkle you didn't notice on the pad...who knows. BUT IT'S NOT PERFECTTTT.

You can see where the ink is still on the stamp and not the cardstock. Well, No Problemo! Just stand up and maneuver the stamp back into position and try again.

Even with aging eyesight, I can line up the ink to the no ink spot then, 

Ahhhhh you achieved perfection

 Always remember to "season" your stamps. This just means to place each stamp on a block and stamp them several times on scratch paper until you achieve a complete image.
By the way-this is really important!

I will now make a confession. Forgive me Father, for I did not want to stamp. 

I just wanted to use CTMH's stickease (really, really, thick stickers that coordinate with the papers, which btw-I love). All the CTMH papers have coordinating stickease or dimensional elements. If you really don't want to stamp, you don't have to. But, I have to tell you how much I like to stamp now. I'm not really happy till I have ink up to my elbows and embellishments stuck to my jeans. Yes, I found a star on my pants that was going into the wash. See, I AM A STAR!!!

So much fun and it feels so good to create, even if I use someone else's instruction. We each make it our own in some way. 

A long time ago, the girls from work, me included, would go out for lunch. Of course we were always on a diet...so we would go shoe shopping. WooHoo!! Our work was not in the best of areas and the outlet shoe warehouses catered to some other working girls-if you know what I mean. There was a line of shoes (very fancy shoes) that had a motto engraved on the soles "too much is not enough". I always thought that was funny. Well, decades later when I embellish I find that motto comes back to haunt. Appropriate for October, right?

Thanks for stopping by!!
Dorothy

A Simple Halloween Wreath-I Mean Really Simple!

                      Fast and Easy Wreath? This one's for you!!                             

This wreath is so easy and you can use any seasonal papers to make it.

I started with a Scaredy Cat paper packet (X7185B) $9.95 and 1 sheet of silver Glitter Paper from the Black & Gray pack (Z1829) $5.95.

                                          Materials and Tips:                                                   

• 4- sheets of paper (your choice).
• 1- 12" foam wreath ring.
• Cut all papers into 2"x12" strips.
• Holding the ends together, cut a shallow triangle from the 2 ends at the same time.
• Using an adhesive (I use Tombow) and a couple of drops of a very permanent glue (I use Liquid Glass (z679) $6.95-it doesn't let go but it needs about 20 minutes to dry).
• Match the cut ends together and press. 
• Alternate the strips.
• I cut a 4" spider and a 5" bat from my Artbooking Cricut cartridge (Z1906) $99. Images found on pages 70 and 71. I added red sparkles for eyes and a purple ribbon for hanging. 

Starting to adhere the strips around the ring.

All the strips are in place.

Boo!!

                                4 Reasons why I like this project                                      

• I had a lot of fun doing this easy decoration. 
• I don't have to store anything big and cumbersome. 
• I'll cut the paper off after Halloween and use the foam ring for my next seasonal wreath. 
• This is a great way to decorate using extra or leftover papers, ribbons and sparkles from your stash of stuff.

Thanks for looking!!

Dorothy

WooHoo it's Boo time!

WooHoo it's Boo time! Close To My Heart has the cutest paper in time for Halloween and your little monster's costume. Maybe I'm saying that wrong... Anyhoo, the paper packet is called Scaredy Cat (X7185B). This time there is not a Workshop On The Go, but never fear, I have some instructions that can help you create this adorable layout:

Here are the instructions for making these Frightfully Cute pages:

Here is the Halloween Greetings stamp set (D1605):

This stamp set uses the 2"x2" (Y1003) 3"x3" (Y1006) and 2"x6.5" (Y1010) clear acrylic blocks.

 I also used the Scaredy Cat Complements (X7185C) $4.95 + S&H:

and the Scaredy Cat Assortment (z3011) $6.95 + S&H:

More eeky, freaky, scary stampsets                                     

 

Trick or Treat Sweets B1460 $9.95 + S&H

Creepy Creatures C1522 $13.95 + S&H

Eek & Shriek B1429 $9.95 + S&H

Quoth the Raven A1166 $6.95 +S&H

I've added some additional Halloween stamps for your spooky delight!!                         

Boo to you and yours!!

Thanks,

The Good Witch Dorothy

Chalk It Up Workshop On The Go (WOTG)

Ok. School is well underway. By now you are accumulating pictures of the first day of school, school pictures, maybe some event pictures... Where do you put them?! The Chalk It Up papers are perfect for your needs and the Chalk It Up Workshop On The Go (G1081) $29.95 + S&H gives you the instruction and embellishments to make it happen! Here is a picture of the 2 page layout from the WOTG:

I love the Cricut additions from our Cricut^® Artbooking Collection (z1906) $99.00. Remember-Each of our Cricut cartridges have 700 images on them! The calendar and the spiral notebook paper are so perfect for a school atmosphere. 

If you don't have the Cricut cartridge that is totally ok. Here are pictures of the layout, which are still cute and perfect for your pictures, just with simple cuts:

I have to say I really like the background paper with the letters on it. The dark background is like a chalkboard, thus Chalk It Up! I get it!! The tiny puffy stickers that come with this kit are beyond cute.

Chalk It Up Assortment (z3009) are included in the WOTG

Chalk It Up Stamp Set is included in WOTG

 

Chalk It Up Complements are separate X7184c $4.95 US

October 2014 Constant Campaign

Ribbon Revelry

During the month of October, with each qualifying purchase of $50 USD / $55 CAD you are eligible to receive—as a special bonus—one of two chevron ribbons FREE! Each chevron ribbon—Ruby or Outdoor Denim—has an original retail value of $6.95 USD / $7.75 CAD. So which ribbon will you get? It’s a surprise! Quantities are limited, so place your orders as early in the month as possible. Be sure to take advantage of this fantastic offer so you can enjoy embellishing your creations with your own surprise roll of bonus ribbon!

Dates: Offer valid October 1, 2014–October 31, 2014.

• Are you starting to think about Christmas? 
• Everything Christmas is showing up in the stores. 
• Here is a way of making cute tags or cards, ornaments-let your imagination take over!! 
• Close To My Heart helps us make everything look so special!!

October Stamp of the Month

Home for the Holidays 

sET OF 7 $17.95 USD/$19.75 CAD S1410 

Purchase this D-size stamp set—available for one month only—for just $5 with your qualifying purchase. That’s over 70% off retail! 

Simply place an order of $50 or more in Close To My Heart products to qualify for this special Stamp of the Month pricing. Cricut® Art Philosophy Cartridge

RECOMMENDED BLOCKS: 1" × 3½" (Y1002), 2" × 2" (Y1003), 3" × 3" (Y1006), 2" × 3½" (Y1009)