Happy Valentine's Day

It's Valentine's Day and I woke up to a heart shaped tin with Dove turtle chocolate hearts inside. They are slowly migrating their way from the tin to my mouth. How does that happen? Then I heard on the Weekend Today that you shouldn't keep open chocolates longer that 10 days! WooHoo!! Who knew? 

An easy to make card with a tube of candies is an easy thinking of you gift.

Close To My Heart has a versatile selection of the small stamps they call their Minis. These small stamps have a small price, $2.95. The stamps take card making to a beyond easy point. Imagine someone receiving a handmade card from you. It would mean so much more. My sister saves mine. How sweet is that. It makes me feel so good when I sent the card to make her feel good. Win-win. Hugs and kisses (M1054) is one stamp that can be used for occasions other than Valentine's Day. The doodle circle and little heart is a separate stamp called Doodled Designs (A1170) that has 5 pieces to it and is $6.95. It can be used with the minis for added flair. The purple paper (Z2032) with hearts is part of our Paper Fundamentals Adventure packet. The same design is on both sides but one side is shiny and monochrome. The pink glitter shimmer tape (Z1986) is self stick and adds so much to any card, especially if you like shiny things!! I happen to love shiny things ;-). The red strip is a piece of cranberry cardstock (1272) that I embossed with our heart embossing folder (Z3018). I didn't realize till now that we have 13 different embossing folders. They are so easy and fun to use. You can even make woodgrain paper. Love it!!  Adding dimension to your card or scrap page is a must. This card was purposely done to be an easy to make and take item. People are using many layers in their creations which is great. But if you are beginning, who wants to be intimidated? The idea is to get started and develop your skills. I had my daytime club this past Thursday. We've been scrapping and putting workshops together for a number of years. Things were pretty timid first with questions like "where is the 1/4" mark on the cutting board?" It hit me Thursday that they are talking to each other, reading their own directions, and I'm thinking they don't even need me anymore. In fact they are challenging me, so next we will be making box cards. How great is this?!

Think about finding a club and joining it or start one even with one other person and it will grow. The camaraderie is great and you encourage each other on the work you've accomplished. I enjoy it but I also love to watch it happen.

I hope you see something that looks like it might be fun to do. Shopping online with me is so easy, too. 

XOXO
Dots

I have a lot of leftover papers. What can I do with them?

 Heart Collage

I decided, since it is February and we are a week out from Valentines Day, I would create a decorative piece to frame and put on my entryway table using the "leftover" papers from my Brushed WOTG.

I cut 2 4" x 12" pieces of the watercolor look Brushed paper and 1 4" x 12" green strip. All papers are from the Brushed packet. The 2 strips that are 1/2" x 12" are the "zip strips" that I cut off the papers and stuck down. I cut an 8" heart from the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge and an 8 1/2" heart from the pink glitter paper we offer. The stamping was from several stamps that are available in our current catalog. I do think I need to add some embellishments to bling it up more. One could go crazy doing this. I'm thinking I'll be creating collages each month to decorate a little. It was fun doing this!

I do love the "Brushed" papers (X7190B) From Close To My Heart. The colors are beautiful pastels. Here is some CTMH artwork that gives you some idea of how beautiful these papers are and what you can do with them:

This layout uses the Brushed Complements (stickers) X7190C and the Brushed Assortment 3D flowers z3013

This layout also uses the dimensional metal flowers of the Brushed Assortment z3013. The frames for the pictures are cuts from the Artbooking cartridge z1906. The assortment and dark green striped Washi tape along with an exclusive stamp set and guide are included in the Workshop On The Go (WOTG) Brushed kit.

These layouts are using the Brushed Workshop On The Go (G1087). The middle layout is described in the guide that comes with the WOTG.

The papers and accessories to the papers are so beautifully designed that each paper becomes my fave. But, this one really is!!

XOXO
DOTS

Happy February-It's Heart Month!!

Do You Have a Happy Heart?

All February is American Heart Month. Right smack in the middle is, of course, Valentine's Day. Back in the days of Aerobic Dance classes, there were Dance For Your Heart fund raisers for the American Heart Association. At the time I was able to dance for the full 4 hour event. Now there is a Heart Walk. That might be more up my alley! American Heart Association has a blog to give you more information about your heart. There is also the National Wear Red Day on February 6, 2015. Heart disease isn't only about men. To support the Go Red for Women campaign here are some cute products that support fighting heart disease in women. And please click here to read the warning signs of an impending heart attack. 

I know this isn't scrapbooking but if you are in an event or a bunch of your girlfriends are wearing red on Feb. 6th it could be a page. Close To My Heart happens to have a perfect embellishment for such a page:

   

The order number is z2009. I purchased a lot of these-

uses many uses and place to put them!

Just a little back story about me. I worked in heart research for 20+ years. So much has been learned about the heart since the 70's when I started in research, yet here we are still hearing the stories that seem unnecessary. 

A neighbor was supposed to have a Super Bowl party at his home yesterday, but the week before he was at a neighborhood party. He didn't look good and wasn't acting like himself. He had been having various kinds of discomfort during the week. Fortunately, he is alive because there happened to be a nurse at the party who immediately started chest CPR when he fell out of his chair. The ambulance was there in 6 minutes and he is alive with a pacemaker now. He is 47 with kids 12 and 19 and a wife who bugged him but couldn't get him to go to the doctor. Keep bugging your man, ladies!! I found a doctor and made an appointment for mine (he was very unhappy with me). He still hasn't had the colon check but we are working towards it. 

Please learn as much as you can to help your family with heart health. 

WARNING SIGNS OF HEART ATTACK, STROKE & CARDIAC ARREST

Here are some February specials from Close To My Heart:

Albums-

Buy one album get the 2nd one 1/2 off-either D-Ring or post bound.

Stamp Of The Month:

Place a $50 order and you are able to purchase this versatile stamp for $5!!

Ideas of cards to make with this stamp set:

Both cards so cute and cheery!

Happy Scrapping!!!  
XOXO

Dots

Hopscotch Workshop On The Go

Remember the fun you had playing Hopscotch? 

Well, these pages are fun, too. The fun photo frames (say that 3 times fast) will enhance your pictures and the colors are all bright and cheery and remind you of the bright clear days when kids played outside. Hopefully, your kids are playing outside even if they are having fun in the snow! My sister in the northeast is under 2 feet of snow now. Of course it was 80 in Texas yesterday... No brag, just fact :-) We do pay for it in the summer, ugh! 

Anyway back to the Hopscotch Workshop On The Go G1091, and here it is:

The suggested pages from the instruction guide using Cricut cuts and the Cricut Artbooking cartridge (Z1790).

What you get with the Artbooking (Z1790) Cartridge purchase:

This are the items that come with the Artbooking cartridge (Z1790). The cartridge itself has 700 images to choose from. 

Now, if you don't have a Cricut, you could have the accent pieces with none of the cutouts. No Problem!

Here is an idea for a No Stamp layout:

Solid easy cuts and no stamping makes this a fast, no muss no fuss layout!

I used a coordinating Hopscotch Picture My Life z3045 card for the title. You can also use a lined card for journaling which I will be adding since I just thought of that!!

Here is the cutting guide for the alternate layout.

Not all layouts or pages have to go in a scrapbook. It can be framed and enjoyed by everyone.

This beautiful layout was created using the Hopscotch Workshop On The Go (G1091).

XOXO

Dots

Having a Birthday in your Home? Break out the Confetti-workshop that is!

Confetti Workshop on the Go

Perfect for birthdays or most any celebration the Confetti Workshop on the Go is fun and ready to enhance your celebratory pictures. The 2 page layout with Cricut cuts looks like this:

This is the layout that comes with instructions in the Confetti WOTG

 There are picture frame mats for the star of the show. The kraft paper looks like it is ready for a no-holes-barred party. It's casual, fun and festive and full of all sorts of confetti. The little squares are 3-D self stick, so easy to apply and come in the kit along with the ever festive gold shimmer tape that brings another layer of festivity to the papers.

G1086

Workshops on the Go® Confetti Wishes Kit (includes):  Confetti Wishes Paper Packet ($9.95) My Acrylix® Confetti Wishes Scrapbooking Workshop ($17.95) White Daisy Cardstock (2 sheets) ($1.66) Kraft Cardstock (2 sheets) ($1.66) Confetti Wishes Assortment ($4.95) Gold Shimmer Trim ($4.95) Instructional Guide ($1.00) All this for $29.95 plus tax and shipping

 An alternate No Stamping layout from the kit is:

Alternate layout that can be created with the papers from the Confetti WOTG kit.

This layout does not use the Cricut or any stamping. It is fast, easy and the instructions are from Make It from Your Heart™ Vol. 1: Pattern 11. 

All the papers, embellishments, kits, inks, etc. can be found on my website:

Shop with me at:

XOXO
Dots

This is a last minute, end of the month, last chance to get it SPECIAL!!!

Since we only have a couple of days left in the month and I've had one problem or another in getting my blog out...here are the specials for January:

Such a great deal! With a $50 purchase You can get a paper kit for $5 or a mini album kit for $10. The papers are so versatile in color.

This is a layout I made from the paper kit. It is ready to go and ready for pictures.

The January Stamp of the Month and ideas below.

Such a cute and versatile stamp!

XOXODots

January 2015 A New Year and a New Workshops

I truly hope everyone had a great Christmas. Now, what have you done with your Christmas pictures? Now till February 28th you have the opportunity to start your New Year off by keeping your scrapbooking up to date! Studio J makes this easy and fast. LOVE IT!!!

My Mom is 92. We traveled from Texas to North Carolina to visit her for Christmas. Here are our pages and I got the jpegs in large (for printing) and small-web size (for social media) to share with other family members:

I'm so glad I have these completed! I feel accomplished and it's early in the year. 

Studio J is easy and the only cost is $6.95 plus tax & shipping for each of the 12x12 2 page layouts. There is a minimum of 4 layouts for each purchase. The software is available on my website and is very easy to use. 

Start here!

XOXO

Dots