Sheila's Stamping Stuff

Just A Number – Birthday Card workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:53:00 +0000

Do you need to replenish your stock of birthday cards? If so, this workshop is for you. You will create four cards each of three different designs. The cost of the workshop is only $10, and you will have a stack of twelve birthday cards to give to someone special. All of the cards for this workshop use sentiments from the Just A Number stamp set, which will be available from Close To My Heart beginning February 1.

A “fashion forward” gal from the Fashionista stamp set is used along with papers from the Stella kit. A notched image cut using the Art Philosophy cartridge is perfectly sized for a sentiment from the February stamp-of-the-month, Thoughtful Tidings. Inside of the card is complete with a ‘happy birthday’ sentiment and a row of shops stamped along the bottom.

For a more masculine look, an argyle print from the Cruisin paper is used with a sentiment from Just A Number and frame from 10 Things. A piece of Juniper cardstock was embossed using the Cuttlebug Argyle folder to coordinate with the printed paper.

Actually very little stamping on this card. The bird and the frame are cut using the Art Philosophy cartridge. Some Bitty Opaques and a Bitty Sparkle are added for a finishing touch. The flourish is from The Present stamp set and this card also uses a sentiment from Just A Number. Thanks to CTMH consultant Christine David for the inspiration for this card.

February’s “Just A Number” Birthday Card workshop will be offered on two weekends - February 3 & 4 and also February 10 & 11. The Friday evening classes will start at 7 pm, and there will be two sessions on each Saturday. One starting at 9 in the morning and the second one at 1 in the afternoon. You will create four of each of the three projects (total 12 cards and envelopes) for a workshop fee of $10. Allow approximately two hours to complete your projects. Please be sure to bring your favorite adhesive. All other supplies are provided with the workshop fee. All stamps and papers used are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

Everyone who attends will also receive a FREE copy of the brand-new Close To My Heart Spring/Summer Idea Book. As an added bonus, if you place a $50+ order, your workshop fee is waived.

Please let me know if you would like to attend one of the Birthday Card workshops. Feel free to leave me a comment on this blog, send an email to sheilabennett@comcast.net, or call 913-485-4355.

Little Reminder (January SOTM Blog Hop)

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop which features the Little Reminder stamp set from Close To My Heart. With a complete set of numbers, the days of the week, and months of the year, this stamp set is perfect for documenting the dates of your scrapbook pages.

If you have come here from Shirley's 'Mom 'n Me Scrap' blog, you are on the right path! With over 50 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other CTMH products on their blogs, you should be able to find lots of great creative ideas to use for your own projects. Blog Hopping is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

A great gender-neutral 'baby' card using some pattern paper from the Elemental kit along with Lagoon and Creme Brulee cardstock. The Little Reminder 'month circle' was stamped on a circle and adhered to a scallop circle, both were cut using the Art Philosophy cartridge on a Cricut machine.

Now "Hop" on over to Wendy's 'Paper Creations' blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas! Remember, the Little Reminder stamp set is only available during the month of January 2012. The regular price is $17.95, or you can purchase it for only $5 with a minimum order of $50 in other CTMH products.

If you get lost on the Blog Hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of all participating blogs on Helen's 'Hooked on Stamping' blog.

A Rubber Chicken!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:04:00 +0000

A silly knitting project to share. Saw this cutie on the KnitPicks blog and just had to give it a try. The pattern can be downloaded for free from the KnitPicks site. Following directions for the different chicken "pieces" was challenging, and I was proud of myself for being able to follow along and complete it. Really wish I had sewed the legs on a bit more to the side of the body instead of straight out the back end. The chicken is about 6" long, stuffed with polyfill and really silly looking.

A top view of my rubber chicken.

And all the rubber chicken "pieces" before becoming a complete chicken.

Rock the Block! (Blog Hop)

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 02:00:00 +0000

Welcome to our Rock the Block! Blog Hop. As a special preview for the new 2012 Spring/Summer Idea Book, Close To My Heart is offering a great special. When you place a minimum order of $25 from the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book, you can get two new products for just $15: the My Creations® Collage Cubes (a Spring/Summer 2012 sneak-peek product!) and the exclusive My Acrylix® Rock the Block E-size stamp set.

If you have come here from Lori's 'Saving My...' blog, you are on the right path! There are over 30 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using the Collage Cubes and the Rock the Block stamp set, which work together for interactive, 3-D fun. Blog Hopping is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

A Kraft Die-Cut Card was used with paper from the Dreamin kit and a stamp from the special Rock the Block stamp set to create this 6"x6" square card. The right side of the card is actually a flap that folds over to hold the card closed. It comes with a scallop edge, but I simply cut the edge of that off and adhered some papers that had been cut with a zig-zag border using the Art Philosophy cartridge for the Cricut.

Some Dreamin paper was added to the flap of the coordinating Kraft envelope to complete the card.

Now "Hop" on over to Susan's 'Out of the Closet' blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas! The Rock the Block! special is only available from December 19 until the end of January, with a minimum $25 order of products from the Autumn/Winter Idea Book.

This exclusive Rock the Block stamp set is available ONLY during this special. It will not be available in the new Spring/Summer Idea Book. It includes 22 stamps in a 9"x11" snap envelope.

If you get lost on the Blog Hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of all participating blogs on Helen's 'Hooked on Stamping' blog.

Mad About You (December SOTM Blog Hop)

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:00:00 +0000

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop which features the Mad About You stamp set from Close To My Heart. This stamp set contains some wonderful images to use for Valentine's cards or a special 'thinking of you' card. As with so many of the new CTMH stamps, several of the shaped images can be cut using the Cricut-Art Philosophy cartridge.

If you have come here from Jen's 'Roxybonds Scrappin' blog, you are on the right path! With over 60 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other CTMH products on their blogs, you should be able to find lots of great creative ideas to use for your own projects. Blog Hopping is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

Wanting something bright and cheerful, I chose the color combo of Pansy Purple and Pear. The shaped card and all the coordinating pieces were cut using the Art Philosophy cartridge, and simply selecting different sizes for each cut. Two of the six flower shapes that can be cut using the Cricut cartridge are used on this card. The flowers are so fun to create, simply cut the desired size, start rolling the flower from the outside until you reach the middle, then use some Liquid Glass to hold the flower together. For the center of the card, a frame and sentiment from the Mad About You stamp set was used. Even though it is difficult to see in the photo, some sparkle is added to the word 'sweet' using Glitz Glitter Gel.

Now "Hop" on over to Lori's 'Saving My... ' blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas! Remember, the Mad About You stamp set is only available during the month of December. The regular price is $17.95, or you can purchase it for only $5 with a minimum order of $50 in other CTMH products.

If you get lost on the Blog Hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of all participating blogs on Helen's 'Hooked on Stamping' blog.

Altered Clocks

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:22:00 +0000

Such a fun project! Using an inexpensive (approximately $3.50) wall clock, remove the screws so that the back of the clock can be removed from the frame. Then, gently remove the clock hands and set aside. Decorate the face of the clock as desired, replace the clock hands and then re-insert the back into the frame. You now have a cute, customized clock.

The numbers on the clock face are cut from a self-adhesive vinyl using the Art Philosophy cartridge for the Cricut machine. The large circles for the clock face were also cut using the Art Philosophy cartridge.

This face of this red-framed clock was covered with a plaid paper from the Believe paper packet and then a piece of the cute Santa paper was also used. The tree was stamped using A Timber and then cut out and placed on the clock. There are Bitty Sparkles to add a bit of 'bling' to the tree.

For the winter clock, a large sheet of snowflake paper from the Wonderland paper packet was used for the background. For the large snowflake in the center, it was cut from Grey Flannel cardstock using the Art Philosophy cartridge. Then, the entire surface of the snowflake was covered with glue and Prisma Glitter to give it plenty of shine. There are also Bitty Sparkles on each tip of the snowflake.

All stamps and papers used are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

S'more Box

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 17:54:00 +0000

Love this little S'more goodie box made using a My Creations Card Box from CTMH. Even though it is difficult to see in the photo, there are score lines and dots on the Desert Sand cardstock to make it resemble a graham cracker. The letters are from the Color-Ready Alphabets Cork and have been colored using a Smoothie marker. The adhesive-backed letters are so simple to use - just peel and stick. Plaid paper from the Roxie paper packet cover the sides of the box.

Inside the box are all of the ingredients necessary to make a S'more, along with a microwave recipe. This is going to make a great gift to send to my daughter at college.

Cherish the Day (November SOTM Blog Hop)

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:00:00 +0000

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop which features the Cherish the Day stamp set from Close To My Heart. This stamp set is perfect to use as a quick 'date stamp' on your scrapbook pages. And the tag shape is one that you can cut on the new Cricut-Art Philosophy cartridge.

If you have come here from 'Carla Creates', you are on the right path! With over 50 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other CTMH products on their blogs, you should be able to find lots of great creative ideas to use for your own projects. Blog Hopping is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

Even though the Wonderland paper packet is designed to use for Winter photos, the photos used on this page were actually taken on one of the hottest days of the year in July. While in Washington DC for the annual CTMH Convention in 2010, my daughter and I took a Segway tour with some other consultants and friends. It was a fabulous tour, and I highly recommend it as a way to see a lot of sites in DC in a 3-hour time span. Riding the Segway was so much FUN!

For this page, large flowers were stamped using the Hooray Bouquet stamp set, after cutting the coordinating images using the Art Philosophy cartridge. The letters for the title were also cut using the Cricut cartridge, and the Cherish the Day stamp was used to indicate the month. A small '10' was stamped using contrasting ink to indicate that the year was 2010.

Now "Hop" on over to Susan's 'Out of the Closet - Stamping in the Open' blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas! Remember, the Cherish the Day stamp set is only available during the month of November. The regular price is $17.95, or you can purchase it for only $5 with a minimum order of $50 in other CTMH products.

If you get lost on the Blog Hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of all participating blogs on Helen's 'Hooked on Stamping' blog.

Same - But Different

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 03:14:00 +0000

This card may look familiar. That is because it is the same design and papers used for the Holiday Magic SOTM Blog Hop earlier this month.

I really love the colors and papers with the Mischief kit, so decided to use the same card design for a sympathy card. This time, a tree is stamped using the Treetops set and the sentiment is from Say It In Style.

All products used are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

Christmas Card Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:00:00 +0000

It is almost time to start thinking about the holidays. Join us for a Christmas Card Workshop to complete 16 cards all ready for mailing to friends and family. You will create four cards each of four different designs. Two of them using traditional Christmas red & green colors, while the other two cards are more inspired by nature.

Using the whimsical tree from the Tannenbaum stamp set and paper from the Believe kit, this card is sure to make anyone smile.

With stamps from the A Holiday set, simply stamp the patterned leaves on cardstock that has been cut to the correct shape and size using the Art Philosophy cartridge for the Cricut machine. The top portion of the card is embossed with the Snowflakes folder for the Cuttlebug and paired with a stripe pattern from the Believe paper kit.

Papers from the Dreamin' kit complement the moose from the Nature's Gift stamp set. The sentiment used is from the versatile Say It In Style stamp set.

A pair of deer from the same Nature's Gift stamp set create a serene card when paired with papers from the Elemental kit. Inside of the card is completed with a "Nature gives to every season, a beauty all its own" sentiment.

The Christmas Card Workshop will be offered on Friday evening, November 4 (starting at 7 pm), and two sessions on Saturday, November 5. One starting at 9 in the morning and the second one at 1 in the afternoon. You will create four of each of the four projects (total 16 cards and envelopes) for a workshop fee of $15. Allow approximately two hours to complete your projects. Please be sure to bring your favorite adhesive. All other supplies are provided with the workshop fee. All stamps and papers used are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

As an added bonus, place a $50+ order from the Close To My Heart Autumn/Winter Idea Book - and your workshop fee is waived.

Please let me know if you would like to attend one of the Christmas Card workshops. Feel free to leave me a comment on this blog, send an email to sheilabennett@comcast.net, or call 913-485-4355.

Sweet Moments Cameo

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 01:27:00 +0000

Just a sweet card using the Sweet Moments stamp set and some pattern paper from the Mischief kit. The card was copied from an original idea created by Janice Hodgkin.

Knitted Jack-o-Lanterns

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:27:00 +0000

Aren't these adorable little jack-o-lanterns? This is the first 'cutsey' thing that I have knitted. They were really quick and easy. And the fun part was waiting for them to be delivered to my daughter at college as a surprise. She loves them! The embroidered faces are not the best, but I am still really happy with the way they turned out.

Holiday Magic (October SOTM Blog Hop)

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 01:00:00 +0000

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop which features the Holiday Magic stamp set from Close To My Heart. This is a great Christmas set with stockings, trees, and a sleigh, all with varied patterns and a nice assortment of sentiments..

If you have come here from Krista's 'Simply Creating' blog, you are on the right path! With over 50 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other CTMH products on their blogs, you should be able to find lots of great creative ideas to use for your own projects. Blog Hopping is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

For a very non-traditional Christmas card, this uses the Mischief paper packet, which is actually designed for Halloween. On this 5"x7" card, the tags for the sentiment and for the tree were cut using the Art Philosophy cartridge for the Cricut. The tree was stamped using Sunset ink, and 'rolling' the edges of the stamp in Cocoa ink before stamping in order to add some color variety to the image. Instead of using the standard 'tree stand' that is included in the Holiday Magic stamp set, I chose to use the small decorate image which matches some of the detail in the tree and the background paper.

Now "Hop" on over to Jen's 'Roxybonds' Scrappin' blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas! Remember, the Holiday Magic stamp set is only available during the month of October. The regular price is reduced to $17.95, or you can purchase it for only $5 with a minimum order of $50 in other CTMH products.

If you get lost on the Blog Hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of all participating blogs on Helen's 'Hooked on Stamping' blog.

Sonoma - Cards with "Shape"

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 01:00:00 +0000

My very favorite feature of the new Art Philosophy cartridge for the Cricut machine is the card 'feature' which cuts a fabulous card with each image on the keypad.

For this shaped card, the base was cut using Cocoa cardstock, and then a slightly smaller card was cut using the paisley paper from the Sonoma kit. The patterned paper card was then cut at the fold line, one half placed on the front of the card, and the other half turned over so the reverse side of the paper would be on the inside of the card. It really gives a nice 'complete' look to the card. For the sentiment, the image is stamped using one of the stamp sets that is included with the Art Philosophy cartridge. The coordinating shape was also cut using the Cricut in graduated sizes for a layered look.

A long and narrow card, this features different papers from the Sonoma kit along with the 1/2-inch 'zip strip' that is included on each piece of patterned paper for a border. To add a little sparkle, Rhinestone Designer Brads were added to the sentiment piece.

Quick and easy - use the Art Philosophy cartridge to cut a ticket-shaped card, add a smaller ticket shape with a stamped image from the included stamp set, and you have a unique card.

An overview of all the shapes that can be cut using the 'Card' feature of the Art Philosophy cartridge. Some of the cards have specific shapes for the outline of the card, while others have rounded edges and a cut-out 'window' in the front of the card.

All stamps, inks, cardstock, and patterned paper used are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

Pair-a-Phrase Card Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:49:00 +0000

Everyone needs greeting cards! Using the special Pair-a-Phrase double stamp set (that can be yours for FREE with a $75 order) along with other new stamps and papers from the Close To My Heart Autumn/Winter Idea Book, you can create an assortment of greeting cards. These are perfect to send to someone special and are sure to brighten their day.

inside of card

Winter weather will be here soon, and this cute little snowman from the Pair-a-Phrase stamp set is sure to bring a smile to someone's face. The card is cut using the Art Philosophy cartridge and a piece of double-sided paper from the Wonderland kit. The snowman "peeks" out of the window in the front of the card.

This card may look familiar. It is the same card design that I posted in August to introduce the Pair-a-Phrase special for "National Stamping Month" in September. Just used different papers and colors. This card uses my favorite plaid paper from the Roxie kit along with the bicycle. The sentiment is completed on the inside of the card with "and may trouble be a stranger to you."

Seems as though it is almost impossible to create a card without using the new Art Philosophy cartridge and my Cricut machine. For this card, the shaped pieces that the sentiment is stamped on were cut using the Cricut. And for the cameo card shown below, the scalloped oval for the stamped image and the large scalloped border pieces at the bottom of the card were both cut using the Art Philosophy cartridge.

Another 'repeat' card - this is almost identical to a card posted for the Heart 2 Heart Challenge a couple of weeks ago. The only difference is a neutral colored card base. Used the Sweet Moments stamp set to create a cameo, added a piece of wide Chocolate striped ribbon, a scallop border, and the card was finished. Colors used are Sorbet, Pear, and Cocoa.

The "Pair-a-Phrase" Card Workshop will be offered on Friday evening, September 16 (starting at 7 pm), and also on Saturday afternoon, September 17 (starting at 1 pm). You will create three of each of the three projects (total 9 cards and envelopes) for a workshop fee of $10. Allow approximately two hours to complete your projects. Please be sure to bring your favorite adhesive. All other supplies are provided with the workshop fee. All stamps and papers used are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

The Pair-a-Phrase stamp set is only available until the end of September. The retail value is $35.90, and it is yours for FREE with a $75 minimum order of CTMH products.

Please let me know if you would like to attend the Card Workshop this month. Feel free to leave me a comment on this blog, send an email to sheilabennett@comcast.net, or call 913-485-4355.

Since this week is "Die Cuts R Us" on the Heart 2 Heart Challenges blog, all three of the cards qualify. For even more ideas, visit the links at the end of their blog post.

A Sweet Moments Cameo

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 03:49:00 +0000

It has been quite a while since I have been able to do one of the Heart 2 Heart Challenges, and decided to participate in this week's color challenge.

One of my favorite new stamp sets in the Autumn/Winter Idea Book is the Sweet Moments set with stamps to create cameos. The scallop oval and the larger oval borders were cut using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. Just stamped the cameo and frame on the oval, added a piece of wide Chocolate striped ribbon and the card was finished. Using the Sorbet and Cocoa colors seem natural with the cameo, and the Pear really seems to brighten up the card.

Sorbet, Pear, Cocoa

All stamps, inks, and cardstock used are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

Limited Edition (September SOTM Blog Hop)

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0000

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop which features the Limited Edition stamp set from Close To My Heart. This stamp set is perfect for making tags, or documenting your scrapbook pages. The tag shapes in the stamp set can also be cut using the Cricut-Art Philosophy cartridge.

If you have come here from 'Carla Creates' blog, you are on the right path! There are over 60 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM on their blogs. Blog Hopping is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

For this simple project, I chose to create a gift bag using the Art Philosophy cartridge for the Cricut and a nice striped paper from the Mischief packet. Once the box was cut, then the curved-side square was cut using Grey Flannel cardstock and the 'congratulations' stamp from the Limited Edition SOTM set was stamped using Sunset ink. Next, a frame for the curved-side square was cut using coordinating Sunset cardstock. A button with some ribbons was added to the front, and a gift card wrapped in tissue paper slipped inside to complete the gift. .

Now "Hop" on over to the 'Scrapi Traci' blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas! Remember, the Limited Edition stamp set is only available during the month of September. The regular price is $17.95, or you can purchase it for only $5 with a minimum order of $50 in other CTMH products.

If you get lost on the Blog Hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of all participating blogs on Helen's 'Hooked on Stamping' blog.

Delightfully Wicked

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Wanted to share a couple more cards using the delightful Wicked stamp set, which is the stamp-of-the-month from Close To My Heart. This stamp set has a fabulous witch, broomstick, scary cat, and witch's hat, along with some great sentiments.

For a non-Halloween look, this card shows only the legs of the witch along with the "best foot forward" sentiment and the Dreamin' paper packet. Both the double-edged scallop piece and the fancy frame for the sentiment are cut using the Cricut cartridge from the Art Philosophy collection. A little 'sparkle' was added to the shoes using Glitz Glitter Gel.

To create the pumpkin for this fun Halloween card, three ovals were cut using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge and then stamped using the 'honeycomb' image from the Wicked stamp set. The card is completed using a striped paper from the new Sonoma paper packet, a 'photo corner' cut using the Cricut, and a pumpkin stem which is actually the witch's hat. This clever idea was 'stamplifted' from the very creative Jen Rubio.

The Wicked stamp set is only available during the month of August. The regular price is $17.95, or you can purchase it for only $5 with a minimum order of $50 in other CTMH products.

In addition, Close To My Heart is celebrating their newly updated Stamp-of-the-Month program by offering an "Extra! Extra!" bonus stamp set with the purchase of the August SOTM at the discounted $5 price. A Typeface is a great little alphabet set that is only available this month and is FREE! It has a retail value of $6.95.

Mini Card Set - using CTMH Art Philosophy

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 01:45:00 +0000

Finally - if you have been waiting for another workshop, this is a great one to attend. You will create an adorable Mini Card Set and learn how to use the versatile Art Philosophy Cricut® Collection.

This charming Mini Card Set was cut entirely using the new CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge for the Cricut machine. Even the 3"x3" envelopes were cut using the Cricut, as was the divided box that the cards and envelopes are stored in. After completing the cards, envelopes, and divided box, the entire thing slides into a perfectly sized clear plastic box. Tie a ribbon around the box to complete the Mini Card Set.

Included in the card set are four "Thanks" cards on Tulip cardstock, and four "Congratulations" cards on Desert Sand cardstock. Patterned paper from the new Roxie pack is used along with two of the the stamp sets that are included in the Art Philosophy bundle. For the "Congratulations" card, you can select the special occasion using a small pearl, Sparkle, or even checkmark using a marker.

Reserve your space early as there are a limited number of spaces available for this workshop the last weekend in August. With a workshop fee of only $10, you will have fun creating your own mini card set for your use or to give as a nice gift.

The Mini Card Set Workshop will be offered on Friday evening, August 26 (starting at 7 pm), and also on Saturday afternoon, August 27 (starting at 1 pm). Allow approximately two hours to complete your project. Please be sure to bring your favorite adhesive. All stamps and papers used are from Close To My Heart (CTMH). Thanks to Lisa Stenz, a very creative independent CTMH Consultant, who shared the idea for this mini card set using the Art Philosophy stamps and Cricut cartridge.

Please let me know if you would like to attend the Mini Card Set Workshop this month. Feel free to leave me a comment on this blog, send an email to sheilabennett@comcast.net, or call 913-485-4355. Or if you and some friends would like to meet at a different day or time, we can schedule another class.

Pair-a-Phrase (National Stamping Month Blog Hop)

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 01:00:00 +0000

Welcome to our Pair-a-Phrase Blog Hop. To celebrate "National Stamping Month" in September, Close To My Heart is offering a free DOUBLE stamp set with a purchase of $75 or more. This very special Pair-a-Phrase stamp set actually includes two sheets of stamps in a single stamp envelope and has a retail value of $35.90. The set includes lots of clever phrases and coordinating images that can be used for handmade cards all year, for many different occasions, or even no special occasion at all. And the celebration starts on August 15, so you can take advantage of this "National Stamping Month" special now.

If you have come here from Pamela's 'Reflections of my aRt &amp; sOuL' blog, you are on the right path! With over 40 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this special double stamp set and other brand-new CTMH products on their blogs, you should be able to find lots of great creative ideas to use for your own projects. CTMH released their new Autumn/Winter Idea Book on August 1, and there are fabulous new papers, stamps, and other products. Blog Hopping is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

Even though the Wonderland paper packet is designed for use with winter and snow pictures, it is used here with the cute bicycle from the Pair-a-Phrase double stamp set. Markers were used to add color to the bike and the flowers.

Now "Hop" on over to Jean's 'Stampin' Maui' blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas! The Pair-a-Phrase stamp set is only available from August 15 until the end of September. The retail value is $35.90, and it is yours for FREE with a $75 minimum order of CTMH products.

If you get lost on the Blog Hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of all participating blogs on Helen's 'Hooked on Stamping' blog.

Cupcake, Sweet Cupcake

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:00:00 +0000

One of my favorite shapes on the new Art Philosophy Cricut® Collection cartridge is the cupcake. There is even a coordinating cupcake stamp with the Celebration stamp set that is included with the collection. One of my display boards for Extravaganza featured artwork using the <cupcake> button for cutting, and these are some of the cards. Of course, every cupcake is topped with a "cherry on top" shiny Sparkle.

This cupcake card was cut from Smoothie cardstock using the Cricut-Art Philosophy cartridge. A slightly smaller cupcake was cut using Cocoa cardstock and layered inside the front of the card to create a 'frame' for the cupcake window. Inside of the card has the cupcake stamped image. The card is then completed with a Sparkle on top, some ribbon, and an embossed 'Happy Birthday' sentiment.

No stamping on this card, everything is cut with the Art Philosophy cartridge using the new Elemental paper packet.

With Elemental papers, used the 'Tag' feature of the cartridge along with the 'Font' (for the flowers) and 'Font Layer' (for the border) to create these two birthday tags. Again, the coordinating cupcake stamp that is included in the Art Philosophy Collection was also used.

For this cupcake card, papers from the Roxie paper packet were used on the inside of the card to cover the 'window' and decorate the cupcake.

Art Philosophy - all 700 images!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:07:00 +0000

Here they are - all 700 images that can be cut using the new Art Philosophy Cricut® Collection. Each page shows all 100 cuts that are available using that specific 'Feature' button on the Cricut machine. The images shown in gray are selected by using the 'Shift' button. Simply click on any image to enlarge it so you can see more detail.

Base images, no 'Feature' button

Layer 'Feature'

Decorative Layer 'Feature'

Tag 'Feature'

Card 'Feature'

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Two Quick Cards - with the Cricut

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:45:00 +0000

August 1st - such a great day. It is the day that Close To My Heart is releasing their Autumn/Winter Idea Book with lots of fabulous new products!

This card was created using the new Cricut-Art Philosophy cartridge along with a great striped paper from the new Believe paper packet and a sentiment from the A Timber stamp set. First, a 3"x3" card was cut from White Daisy cardstock. The Art Philosophy cartridge automatically rounds the corners of the card, and indicates the fold line. Next, the frame with the ornament was cut using Sky cardstock and the sentiment was stamped on the ornament using Holiday Red ink. Simply layer a piece of the striped paper to the front of the card, add the frame, then add a small knot of ribbon along with a Sparkle to top off the ornament. Very quick and easy, and also a cute card.

Another card which uses the same striped paper. You can see that the backside of this paper is actually a nice plaid pattern. Using the 'Card' feature of the Art Philosophy cartridge with the button, the card was cut with the ornament being a cut-out window in the front of the card. Another was cut slightly smaller using Sky cardstock and layered on the inside front to form a small mat around the edge of the cut-out ornament. There is also a rectangle of White Daisy cardstock on the inside left of the card with a sentiment and space for a personal note. A white ribbon was added and the card mounted on a rectangle of Sky cardstock.

In order to see even more fabulous creations using new products available in the Autumn/Winter Idea Book, visit the Blog Hop/Linky Party on Tresa's Fabulously Artsy blog. Click on a thumbnail to visit a blog participating in the 'Linky Party.'

Wicked (August SOTM Blog Hop)

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 01:00:00 +0000

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop which features the Wicked stamp set from Close To My Heart. This stamp set has a fabulous witch, broomstick, scary cat, and witch's hat, along with some great sentiments with shapes that coordinate extremely well with cut images on the new Cricut-Art Philosophy cartridge.

If you have come here from JIll's 'Scrap Wench' blog, you are on the right path! With over 60 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other CTMH products on their blogs, you should be able to find lots of great creative ideas to use for your own projects. With the release of CTMH's new Autumn/Winter Idea Book on August 1, there will be a lot of fabulous brand-new products being used. Blog Hopping is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

A sassy witch on this card reminds you to "put your best foot forward." On this 6"x6" Kraft scallop edge card, the right side is actually a flap that is being held closed with the witch image. To decorate the card, the scallop background, scallop edge patterned paper, as well as the different frames for the witch and the sentiment were all cut using the Cricut-Art Philosophy cartridge. The cartridge is perfect for creating just about any shape you need for card making or scrapbooking. The inside of the card is completed with the black cat from the set stamped in the lower right corner. You can get 10 of the card bases with matching envelopes for only $6.95.

Now "Hop" on over to Mary's 'mestamp2' blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas! Remember, the Wicked stamp set is only available during the month of August. The regular price is reduced to $17.95, or you can purchase it for only $5 with a minimum order of $50 in other CTMH products.

If you get lost on the Blog Hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of all participating blogs on Helen's 'Hooked on Stamping' blog.

A Bundle of Cricut Fun! (Extravaganza class)

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Bennett) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 04:52:00 +0000

"A Bundle of Cricut Fun" was the name of the class that I was chosen to teach at the Extravaganza class during Close To My Heart's Convention earlier this month. It was so much fun to play with the new Cricut cartridge - Art Philosophy. Certainly, my favorite 'feature' of the cartridge was the CARD feature. When selecting this 'feature' button, you are able to cut different card shapes with all 50 of the Cricut buttons. It is amazing!

During the Extravaganza class, I shared several cards that I had created using the Art Philosophy cartridge. All of the cards are really simple, and very quick to create. You will be able to create a nice gift tag in no time at all.

This 3 1/2" tall card is cut entirely with the Cricut cartridge. It is cut 3 1/2" tall, 7" wide, with rounded corners, and score lines indicating where to fold. It also cuts out two facing birds from the front of the card. For this card, I simply added some background & texture paper inside the front of the card, added Sparkles for the bird eyes, and stamped a simple sentiment on the front of the card.

Perfect for a gift tag, cut the circle card at 3" using Sunny Yellow cardstock. It has a flower cut out of the center. So, I simply cut a smaller circle card (without a flower cut-out) using Bubble Gum cardstock to line the card. There is an even smaller circle cut using White Daisy cardstock and stamped with a sentiment on the inside of the card. A large pink Sparkle was added to the flower on the front and the card is complete. For a coordinating envelope, I cut another flower a slightly smaller size and used the cut-out petals as a stencil to apply ink to the corner of a 3"x3" white envelope. These nice envelopes are now available in packs of 10 from CTMH.

One of my favorites, and a super simple card. The card is cut at 3 1/4" high which makes it a total of 5" wide. The Cricut machine rounds the corners and cuts the small flower out of the lower corner of the front of the card. Fold on the score lines to create the card. I added some background & texture paper to the inside of the card so that it would appear behind the flower cut-out. Also used the Art Philosophy cartridge to cut a small scalloped edge to put on the front of the card along with another strip of background & texture paper.

Three sheets of Dimensional Elements are included with the purchase of the Art Philosophy cartridge. In order to create a mat for the Dimensional Element shape, simply cut the shape 1/4" larger than the element and layer it behind. For this card, Desert Sand cardstock was cut the same size as the scallop circle Dimensional Element. A stamp from the included stamp sets is used to stamp on the Desert Sand cardstock which is then adhered to the Dimensional Element. Black cardstock was cut 1/4" larger to create a mat. Then a large scallop circle card was created, and some background & texture paper was cut in the same shape to layer on the front of the card.

A round card with a butterfly cut-out is mounted on a scallop circle which has been cut 1/4" larger. The butterfly is a 'window' in the front of the card and there is background & texture paper shown on the inside of the card.

Using the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge, these cards were all very quick to create. The three stamp sets and Dimensional Elements which are bundled with the cartridge are also used. As you can see, some of the cards are square or rectangular with rounded corners and then have cut-out images that can act as a 'window' to see inside the card, or you can back with background & texture paper. Other images using the CARD feature are cards with a distinctive shape, like the large scalloped circle. Just remember - you have 50 different card designs you can create using this new cartridge!