July!! How did that happen?

Well, here we are, it’s summer!  Things have been crazy since Easter as we deal with my mother-in-law’s health (in case you wondered why I’ve been a little AWOL).  Hopefully she is discharged soon, the third time’s the charm, and we see some steady improvement!  We’ve been neglecting Stately Wayne Manor too. But I have been squeezing in some de-stress craft time.

Cross card for Easter 

The card above was made using the Paper Pumpkin kit from March.

Thank You cards for hospital staff during National Nurses Week.

Most of the supplies are retired, but the hugs die was from the second quarter Paper Pumpkin set.

Picking paint out of the trim with dental tools.

The second floor is mostly finished.  Carpet was installed during Jeanine's first admission.  There are a few windows to paint and Jeff needs to hang a closet door or two.  His next project is finishing the stair rail.  I'll be tiling the backsplash soon.

 

Trusty Tools card for Father’s Day

I basically skipped Mother's Day.  My family's gathering was the same day as the crop.  We went to see Jeff's mom at the rehab hospital.  I made each of our moms an arrangement with the Paper Bouquet Kit.  Finished an order for 75 wedding invitations recently, but I can't show those yet.

Coming soon:  Peaceful Garden Suite

#CreativityNowSU

A new month means new kits!  You can find them under the SPECIALS tab.  There is also a new Online Exclusives release this month!!  Head to SHOP to see all of those. I plan to feature some of the new products on Feature Friday/Spotlight Saturday on my Facebook page.

20 Years as a Maker

If you missed the email, here's the info on my anniversary give-aways:

November marks my 20th year as a Close To My Heart Maker/Consultant and I sending YOU the presents! After all, if it wasn't for all of you: shopping, cropping, booking, and sharing, I wouldn't be in business. I will be entering people into drawings for random prizes. How are you entered? Let me count the ways!

1. Do something...comment, like, follow, share on social media. For my vanity? No. Because that's how Social Media works. Algorithms and other techie stuff. You can find links to the right (on web page). I'm also uploading and sharing my videos. I made a new page on my blog where your can find my previous classes and links for the CTMH workshops.  If you're on a new platform such as:  Locals, Mewe, Gab, Rumble or Parler, let me know.
1. bonus "tickets" for finding "errors" on my blog
2. Shop. That's always appreciated! Look for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales and announcements later this month. The new November/December catalog just started and the new Core Catalog is only a few months old. FYI there were a LOT of items that sold out from September/October. In a few days we'll know if there is anything left (paper, thin cuts, embellishments). You should be able to find September/October stamps in the Online Only section; they are around for about a year. I'm giving out prize drawing "tickets" for almost anything that involves "20" or "anniversary."
1. every $20 spent
2. items from page 20
3. item numbers that include "20"
4.  stamp sets that include the word "anniversary"
5. November/calendar products
6. Stamp of the Month

3. Join. Sign-up, renew, and/or refer a VIP. There are also TWO special products exclusively for VIP members! Don't forget my Stamp and Scrap Club and Create with Heart subscriptions!
4. Donate $20 to Operation Smile. You can go through my website, no shipping, etc. It's only $240/child for surgery that will change, if not save, their life.  Can we raise enough for one smile??

This "special" runs through November 30, 2021.

Distressed Much? CTMH Technique Blog Hop

Welcome to our blog hop for March! You may have arrived from Lauren's CTMH Craftings. To continue the Hop, just follow the links from blog to blog until you get back to where you started. If you get lost, you can find a list of participants on Melissa's page. 

This month's theme is ironically appropriate. We have over a dozen participants this month and I hope sharing our projects will distract and de-stress you! 

I used our new Cricut Collection, Everyday Moments, to create this card. It originally had a number of various colors, but I am getting ready for St. Patrick's Day. This design was perfect-once I changed the colors to greens and gold. 

How many shades of green do you see? Four?? Right, but I only used TWO colors of cardstock! With our two-toned solids, you get both a light and dark side for twice as many options!! The two darkest greens are the light and dark Clover. The lighter greens are light and dark Green Apple. Throwing in the Gold Glitter paper was a no brainer!

I added a little scrap of glitter paper behind the heart cut out and added a touch more bling with the Gold Glitter Gems. (These are expected to be back in stock soon! A good substitute is Golden Rod Stickles.) 

Our paper also has a white core which gives you several fun options for distressing. I sanded the outside edges of the cardstock pieces. Sometimes sanding or inking the edge of paper gets a little tricky because the paper is relatively flimsy. TIP:  Place the paper on the edge of a table to keep it stable. If your table isn't "craft friendly" (or it's curved), use the edge of the Versamat. It can be extended past the edge of the table for extra protection without losing its functionality. This is especially useful for full sheets like scrapbook pages.

You can use regular sand paper or even an emery board! The smaller shape makes those scallop edges easy!

If you don't have a CTMH consultant and want some shopping therapy, head over to my website.

The next stop on the Hop is the fabulous Miss Carrie!