September is ending!

Well, obviously I'm having too much fun this month because September is almost over! Did you get some new goodies? Create with any new special products? Did you at least stamp something for National Stamping Month?!!!!

Here is what I have been up to with some of the newest goodies that will be available for just a few more days!

Share the Season~

Perk Up with Pumpkin Spice~

"BOO"~ tacular Halloween Cards and Complete Creativity Cricut Layout~

These are just a few of the new, fantastic products that are available now! You can always find more artwork on my Instagram. (link in right hand column) Please also check out my website for all the latest promotions and specials. Do your shopping there too, but don't wait too long!

August has Workshops!

This month Close To My Heart has some great offers on getting crafty with Workshops. Whether your a scrapbook crafter or a card maker you will fall in love with the workshop kits that CTMH has to offer! To sweeten the deal you can purchase your second workshop at 35% off regular price.

Before I give you the details on this month's promotion, I would like to share an album I created for my new nephew due to make his appearance in October. This album is an example of what you can create on your own with papers and embellishments offered in a complimenting assortment in the Idea Book. The album was a mini wooden album offered back near Father's Day. It can be purchased individually which is what I opted for then added to the pages with the Into the Wild papers and complements.

As you can see I used many different papers, images from the cut-apart sheet, complements, wooden and chipboard pieces, picture my life cards and some Cricut cut images too! It was a little time consuming and there is certainly no template to follow, purely all out of my own imagination!

Sometimes I can take my time for a project like this, but that is not always the case. If you also struggle to find the time or creativity, but want to get your photos preserved and documented you would definitely benefit from a workshop kit.

On my website you will see this image. Click on more information and it will list all the kits included in this sale. You will find scrapbooking kits at various levels and card making kits that are super easy and fun! Once you try a kit I guarantee you will be hooked!

If you want a mini album kit with all you need and simple instructions included, I recommend you try the Craft On Everyday Life Album.

You’ll learn the fun 3-2-1 scrapbooking technique that focuses on using 3″, 2″, and 1″ paper pieces to build and decorate your layouts. Download the workshop instructions and order your workshop kit plus any of the additional supplies you need directly from my website. 

You will also see the Seaside Bring Back my Pack promotion and as always the Stamp of the Month at a discounted price!

Beautiful Moments Crafting On

I shared a layout I created using the Cut Above layout from the Craft with Heart subscription. This layout featured the Craft On collection which I altered the papers and embellishments with some older Prickly Pear items. Here is the original layout from the subscription box to remind you.

If you look carefully at this layout and the one I created in the previous post you will notice that I did not use the yellow flowers, some of the title and the polka dot and black stickers on the bottom portion of the page. Not to let any goods go to waste I repurposed them in another layout featuring the Craft On papers and embellishments. Take a look.

Pretty clever huh! I pulled in some of the cut-apart pieces and papers from some older mix-in packets too adding a pop of yellow stripe and Lagoon!

See all of the Craft On collection in the newest Seasonal Expressions Idea Book or online here.

Thinking Outside of the Box! Plus, It's June!

Hello friends!

Welcome to a new month and new specials! June has some great specials to continue your scrapbooking, gift giving and all things summer!

First, I would like to say that I just started my summer with a quick trip to sunny Southern California to see our son and spend time as family. I am just embarking on my summer adventures which will hopefully include more crafting time with all the new products.

One of the new items I've been wanting to play with is the scrapbooking pages from the current Craft With Heart Subscription Box. I really liked the layout for the month of August which features the Craft On papers. I however, was not thrilled with the floral papers and wanted a burst of color to match the pictures I took in California! So I thought out of the box and pulled in some older Prickly Pear papers. The perfect match!

Here is what the original layout looks like in the Cut Above guide~

Big difference it makes! It was easy to change up though, I only needed to add some papers to the existing base and change up the embellishments. The "sunshine" title remained and I added the "California" from the Hello USA Cricut cartridge.

Here is a look at the layout with photo's~

I feel like the Cut Above kits gives you a good launch board towards creativity, yet allows you freedom to put your own flare on it!

Speaking of getting a head start towards creativity! Check out the special for this month.

FREE Layout Kits with Select Stamp Sets!

Celebrate the best moments during June with four My Acrylix® stamp sets and coordinating layout kits designed to preserve some of your favorite memories. This special features three stamp sets from our Seasonal Expressions idea book and one exclusive set—Then & Now—designed just for this special. 

For this month only, we’ve paired each of these stamp sets with materials for creating a 2-page scrapbooking layout at no additional cost! You pay the price of the stamp set and get the layout materials FREE—a savings of up to 40%!

Save an additional 25% by purchasing all four kits as part of the special The Best Moments Are Free bundle! You can also get one of these workshop kits FREE when you become a Consultant or host a qualifying party in June!

Take a look at some of the kits you can purchase online or get the bundle!

Please log onto my website for more details and to see all the purchasing options!

Let's not forget about Dad's and Grad's this month either! We have a special mini album that is geared for Dad's, but would make a great graduation gift also with a few changes!

You can find all the details included for this promotion also on my website here. The bundle is the best deal and will make your project super easy to put together in time for Dad! 

Last, but not least, a super pretty Stamp of the Month. It's Your Day to Sparkle is the sweetest cake stamp great for wedding, anniversaries and birthdays.

As always you can get this special stamp at a discounted price for the month of June only. Follow the hashtag #ctmhitsyoudaytosparkle or search for it on Pinterest for more ideas using this lovely stamp.

Thank you for stopping by, hope you have lots of crafty fun this summer!

May is National Scrapbooking Month

In May we celebrate preserving our most treasured memories! Close to My Heart always provides an exclusive paper packet and stamp set to celebrate. This year they have so many spectacular options for every crafter in mind! You can choose to create traditional 12x12 pages, easy Cut-Above pages, mini-albums, and for card-lovers we still have something for you!

Here are a few options, but be sure to check online for more choices!

While online you are going to notice several new products as a brand new Idea Book also launched on May 1st! This book will give you options to craft projects for summer, travel, girls, boys, weddings and the craft-a-holics you know and or may be yourself!

I will give you a peek at all the new collections later. Plus, you will see in addition to the new products even more specials. Here are just a few~

No More Teens!

Back in early March a thought came into my mind as I was working. The following day would be my daughter's birthday. My youngest child was turning 20! I no longer have young children, no more teenagers, my kids aren't kids anymore! I'll remind you that I work at an elementary school and as I had these thoughts I happened to be working with a kindergarten student. Where did the time go? I suppose I know the answer, but how does it happen so fast?

Moments like this make me grateful that I kept scrapbooks throughout all the years. I can fondly look back at all the memories and see how much everyone has changed. I certainly don't want to stop preserving the memories as new moments are on the horizon. I look forward to the new adventures!

My now 20 year old daughter seeks her own adventures as well! Away at college we were not able to spend the day with her, but she made the most of it with a close friend taking photo's to capture the milestone. I printed the pictures she sent me and created some beautiful pages of my beautiful daughter on her special day!

This single page was inspired by a couple of similar designs on Instagram and the Internet. I knew that I had to incorporate a rounded floral design and the bold "Beautiful" title from the So Much Happy collection!

Here is the page with the photo's added. These were my two favorite pics.

I chose to print these in black and white so they did not distract from the pretty colors of the page. I added in some more chipboard and sticker flowers from the complements.

Here is the complimenting page with some more photos from the day. These I left in color as the location has such gorgeous scenery!

The So Much Happy paper collection and coordinating embellishments will be available until the end of this month.

Be sure to preserve those magical milestones. The precious moments in our lives are fleeting fast!

Finally Friday and a Freebie

Hello and happy Friday friends! It's been awhile since I posted and for good reason. You may recall in my last post that I was eagerly anticipating the graduation of my son from Marine Corps Boot Camp. It was an exciting time and I was thrilled to see him again and share in his accomplishment with family and friends.

I took lots of photo's and now I'm in the process of documenting the experience. In this first layout I captured our first day to arrive in San Diego. We traveled with our own little crew and made a fun day after hours of driving in a car. We played on the beach and had some delicious tacos.

The layout design came from a free pattern shared on the Make it From Your Heart Blog. You can get the printable design for your self. Mix it up with any papers you desire, I used the So Much Happy papers and embellishments from both the cut-apart paper and Complements. Here is what the layout looks like before adding pictures. {I flipped the photo's on the right page to be horizontal rather than vertical.}

Don't be afraid to cut-apart sentiments even further to curve it around your cut circle. You can also bend your border stamps to outline the circular shape!

Be sure to visit the CTMH Blog for your free pattern. It is lots of fun to create!