Artbooking Made Easy: Togetherness

Another set of beautiful projects from CTMH are on this video.  Also, there is a tutorial showing how to make the fun rolled flowers from the Artbooking Cricut cartridge.  This is the same technique that can be used with many different die cuts or punched strips using edge punches.

Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you for visiting!
Bev

Artbooking Made Easy: Fun In The Sun Video

This is the last video in the series that CTMH produced for the Artbooking Cricut Cartridge.  Kristine shows a couple of layouts with some great techniques.  I especially like the use of reinkers for painting and the tiny hexagons to number the photographs.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you for stopping by!
Bev

National Scrapbooking Month Promotion Ends Saturday

CTMH Free To Be Me Paper Collection

There are only a couple more days to receive this great paper collection! During National Scrapbooking Month, you can get the Free to Be Me paper collection for just $5 with your qualifying purchase of $50. The paper collection features exclusive printed cardstocks, vellums, and B&T Duos™ and, with a retail value of $11.95, is a fantastic deal for products you can’t get anywhere else. Plus, with your $50 qualifying purchase, you will also qualify for the May Stamp of the Month for an additional $5 (retail value $17.95)! This means May is the perfect month to double up on promotions, getting the paper collection for $5 and the May Stamp of the Month for $5—that is a savings of nearly $20! So make sure to get your Free to Be Me paper collection in May for just $5 and let your creativity take flight!

Here are some examples of artwork made with the May SOTM:

You've Got A Friend May 2014 CTMH Stamp of the Month

Here are the images of the You've Got A Friend set:

If you are not sure what to purchase to help you meet the $50 minimum, maybe consider one of the new product bundles. Close To My Heart selected some of the most popular products and bundled them together to help make shopping easier.  Here is the Stamping Basics Collection:

CTMH Stamping Basics Collection

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Outdoor Denim Exclusive Inks™ Pad (Z2140)
New England Ivy Exclusive Inks™ Pad (Z2135)
Ruby Exclusive Inks™ Pad (Z2170)
Honey Exclusive Inks™ Pad (Z2162)
Smokey Plum Exclusive Inks™ Pad (Z2147)
My Acrylix™ Quick Cards—Japanese Blossom (A1155)
My Acrylix™ Quick Cards—Island Greetings (A1157)
My Acrylix™ Spritz Cleaner (1778)
My Acrylix™ Stamp Scrubber (Z1782)
My Acrylix™ Organizer (Z1038)

Or possibly getting a bunch of items to help you make gorgeous cards is on your wishlist!

Cardmaker's Quick Start Bundle

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Cotton Candy Exclusive Inks™ Pad (Z2193)
Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Pad (Z2195)
My Acrylix™ Belated Birthday (B1442)
My Acrylix™ Big Hug (D1584)
2" x 2" My Acrylix™ Block (Y1003)
2" x 3 1/2" My Acrylix™ Block (Y1009)
White Card and Envelopes Value Pack (X254)
Pink Glitter Paper (Z1922)
Baker’s Twine Paradise Assortment (Z1702)

Maybe adding some cool new tools to your craftroom has been on your to-do list:

Essentials Toolkit

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Medium Organizer (Z4139)
Craft Boxes (Z4137)
Dot Embossing Folder (Z1924)
Chevron Embossing Folder (Z1925)
Stitch Guide (Z1852)
Piercing Tool Kit (Z1114)
Sanding Kit (Z1294)
Bone Folder (Z1204)
Spray Pens (Z1380)
Create-a-Shade™ Pearl Paint (Z1039)

The last two kits are all about memory keeping:

CTMH's Stamping Scrapbooker's Delight Bundle

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Slate Exclusive Inks™ Pad (Z2173)
Desert Sand Exclusive Inks™ Pad (Z2118)
My Acrylix™ Believe in Yourself (C1574)
My Acrylix™ Hopscotch Alphabet (E1028)
My Acrylix™ LOL (A1159)
3" x 3" My Acrylix™ Block (Y1006)
Bonding Memories™ Glue (1512)
Liquid Glass (Z679)
VersaMat™ (Z1279)
Memory Protectors™ Side Load Value Pack (Z1977)
Memory Protectors™ 4" x 6" Flip Flaps™ (Z4114)
Paper Fundamentals Basics Assortment (Z1939)

Memory Keeping Fundamentals Bundle

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Timberline Paper Packet (X7182B)
Timberline Complements (X7182C)
Timberline Assortment (Z3005)
Skylark Paper Packet (X7177B)
Skylark Complements (X7177C)
Skylark Assortment (Z3000)
Bonding Memories™ Glue (1512)
Memory Protectors™ Side Load Value Pack (Z1977)
Cherish™ Scrapbook Program (9038)
3-D Foam Tape (Z1151)
Scallop Border Punch (Z1851)
Corner Rounder (Z1912)
Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen (Z1979)
Metallics Markers (Z1768)
Sparkles Flourishes (Z1708)
Teal Shimmer Trim (Z1918) Chocolate Woodgrain Washi Tape (Z1930)
Keyboard Kraft Alphabet (Z1825)

These bundles range in price from $65.30 to $133.40.  To view them all, please visit here.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope you have had a fun and productive National Scrapbooking Month!

Beverly

Last Few Days for Studio Savings

March 31st is the last day to order your Studio J™ layouts—including ones using the new Photo Express Collection—for only $5 each! Quickly create gorgeous, personalized studio layouts using the wide selection of papers, collections, patterns, and embellishments. And don’t forget to check out the templates in the new Photo Express Collection, which allow you to design layouts entirely comprised of photos in minutes. You’ve taken the photos. Now keep the memories™.  Click here to get started.

*Offer valid March 1–31, 2014. Studio J layouts ship in a protected box that can hold from 4 to 50 two-page layouts. For additional information about shipping and handling, please visit Studio J here. 

Cricut Artbooking and Floating Art

This new video, starring Monica from CTMH, shows some clever ways to make easy home decor/artwork.  I love the floating days of the week chart.  A chalk pen would be an easy way to write (and erase) appointments or menu items on the glass of the frame.

Please let me know if you have any questions.
Beverly

Free CTMH Cricut Collection for New Consultants in April

Join Close To My Heart as an Independent Consultant April 1–30, 2014, and receive your favorite "art-full" Close To My Heart Cricut^® collection FREE! Our New Consultant Kit is just $99 and comes packed with nearly triple the retail value in products and supplies to help you succeed. 
Plus, when you qualify for the Straight To The Top program, you will be refunded the price of your New Consultant Kit. Select your FREE Cricut^® collection—retail priced at $99—when you order your New Consultant Kit and watch your new business soar!

Art Philosophy

Artbooking

Artiste

If you have thought about becoming a consultant, April is the month to do it!

Please email me at Stampinbev@msn.com if you have any questions.
Beverly

Easy Cards Made With Paper Fundamentals

 

The first card is made with the Paper Fundamental paper as the base. The resist side is shown on the front. The inside and layered front is the reverse side. Above the layered sentiment is a piece of Slate Polka-dot Washi tape. The solid colors of cardstock are Outdoor Denim and White Daisy.

 

CTMH's Paper Fundamentals Basics Assortment Includes 2 Each of 10 Colors

The new Paper Fundamentals Basics Assortment from Close To My Heart contains 20 double-sided 12 x 12 pieces of cardstock. One side has a fun glossy resist pattern and the other side has the same design in a two-tone colorway.

Washi Tape Card Base

I had a scrap of the black chevron left over. Not liking anything to go to waste... this card was designed around that one small piece.  The card base is White Daisy covered with Gold Polka-dot Washi tape. This is a very flat, standard-sized card so it doesn't require additional postage.  The sentiment is from the Workshops on the Go Balloon Ride Scrapbooking kit. It is stamped on a die cut from the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.

The other two black and white cards are also very flat and easily mailable.  And they were super fast to make!  The "thank you" sentiment is from a retired stamp set.

The accent piece on the card above is the resist side of the paper pictured below, colored with a Ruby alcohol marker. "Hello" is a cut from the Artiste cartridge.  Actually, it is on the same page (pg. 65) as the "Thank You", pictured below.

Thank you for visiting today!
Beverly

Accordion Pockets for Scrapbooking and Accordion Bindings for Mini-books

Hello!  I've been cleaning up my desk and using up the scraps that have accumulated/multiplied - and which were beginning to take over.  It seemed that the best thing to do (mainly so I would not have to spend time filing scraps of paper) was to make gift tags.  But then they had to be stored somewhere until needed.  Using more scraps to make pockets was my first thought.  Then I realized a little book to keep the pockets corralled would be the easiest (and cutest) way to use up more of the excess paper. The pockets can certainly be used alone on traditional scrapbook layouts for hidden journaling or interactive elements. Or they would look cute on a card.  Possibly with a gift card or cash tucked inside.

Accordion Binding Mini-Book

This video shows the three different sizes of pockets and how to make the accordion book for containing small bits of paper or other miscellany.  Maybe coupons? Maybe receipts? Or what about a cute tag booklet with photos in each pocket?  Lots of possibilities with this one!

The measurements are listed below. 

 The outside cover is made of two pieces of heavy patterned paper. One piece is 12" x 5 1/2". It is scored at 5 1/8", 6 1/8" and 11 1/4". The smaller piece is used as a flap on the front.  It is the pink and red piece with the zip strip words and a resin flower adhered to it.  The piece is 3" x 5 1/2" and is scored at one inch.  This piece is adhered to the 12" piece and the scored part is to form the bend in the cover to bring it to the front.

 The spine of the book is one inch wide.  If there were no flower on the front cover, it would sit beautifully on a bookshelf.

 There are two inside cover pieces which hide two chipboard pieces.  The chipboard is cut just a smidge smaller than the two patterned pieces of 5 1/2" x 5"  The chipboard spine is 15/16" by 5 7/16".  The easiest way to do this, if your cutter doesn't have sixteenth of an inch marked increments, is to cut a piece 1" by 5 1/2" and then cut off a little bit more from the width and length. The accordion binding will cover most of the chipboard.  If you do not want to see it at all, cover it with another piece of patterned paper.

 The accordion binding is 7 1/2" by 5 1/2". It is scored at 3/4" increments: 3/4", 1 1/2", 2 1/4", 3", 3 3/4", 4 1/2", 5 1/4", 6" and 6 3/4".  The first 3/4" and the last 3/4" are adhered to the inside of the front and back covers.  The middle part of the binding "floats".  In the video, I stuck one side down and then added the pockets before sticking the other part of the binding to the cover.  It probably doesn't matter in which order this is done, but it seemed to make it less cumbersome.

 There are three pockets in the book.  They could all be made the same or all different, as I did here.  More pockets can be added, as I mentioned in the video.  Each pocket can either be made with a front and back piece or one long piece folded in or near the middle.  All of the pockets have side accordion pieces.  The first and last segments are what is adhered to the front and backs of the pockets.

Pocket 1 - One Valley Pocket: 8" x 5 1/4" scored and folded in half at 4 inches. The sides are two pieces of one inch paper scored lengthwise at 1/2" and cut to just under 4 inches long.

Pocket 2 - Two Valley Pocket is 8" x 5 1/8" scored at 3 3/4" to create a little bigger back section of the pocket. The two side pieces are 3" wide and scored every 1/2".  These are cut to just under3 3/4" long.

Pocket 3 - Optional File Folder Pocket is 10" x 5 1/2". It is scored at 4 3/4".  The side pieces are 6" wide and scored every 3/4".  Even though the video said the paper was cut at 5 1/2" long, it really only needs to be about the size of the shortest side of the pocket. So just under 4 3/4" is a good size if you don't want it to protrude beyond the top edge of the front of the pocket. If dividers are desired, tuck a piece of cardstock cut at approximately 5 3/8" wide by however tall you want them. I like dividers to stick up a bit over the top of the shortest side of the pocket, so mine are cut about 5".

The pockets inside the book are different heights and depths.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for visiting today.
Beverly

Cards Made With New CTMH Embossing Folders

Slate Polka-dot Flower Base Made with CTMH Washi Tape

The new embossing folders are 7 x 5 inches.  This makes them easy to use for card bases without worry of having missed edges and ending up with weird blank gaps. I used a Cricut Cuttlebug to run all of the embossing folders through with CTMH cardstock.  Even though they are large folders, they fit with no problem. The first two cards are made with the same Dot folder - one shows the embossed side and the other is the debossed side.

CTMH Stripe Embossing Folder Base Layer

 Even though there is a lot of texture on both the card above and the one below, they are both standard sized and would not require any additional postage.

CTMH Chevron Embossing Folder

 I love the versatility of the stamp sets that come with the Workshop On The Go kits. The stamping on all of the cards is from the Ivy Lane WOTG Cardmaking Kit stamp set.

CTMH Sarita Base with Embossed Lagoon Cardstock Layer on Top

 If a more distressed look is desired, the embossed areas could be sanded and the white core of the cardstock will come through giving a shabby chic or weathered grungy look. I chose not to do this on any of these cards, but it only takes a few moments to achieve that look.

Sunset Cardstock Embossed With CTMH Quatrefoil Folder

 The last card looks much better in person.  The top two layers are stamped images, the next layer is a piece of B & T Duos (patterned) paper placed on the bottom layer, which was embossed.

Top Two Layers are Stamped Images from Ivy Lane WOTG Cardmaking Set

Supplies are all from CTMH, except for the butterfly punch used on the third card from the top. All five of the new embossing folders are found here.

Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you for visiting today!
Beverly

Fun Pockets from the Artbooking Cricut Cartridge

This is my absolute favorite video from CTMH's Artbooking Made Easy series thus far. Carly shows an awesome mini book and a 12 x 12 layout using the Artbooking Top Secret keys. I love all of the fantastic pockets!  There are so many ways to use them.  How cute it would look to layer one on the front of a card! Or on the inside of a card for a secret message or gift card. And the notebook paper cut is perfect for so many different types of layouts.  LOVE this!
As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Beverly