Open House & More For Your Money

Join me for my open house on Friday 9/2 from 5pm-9pm and Saturday 9/3 from 10am-4pm! Read all about it here. Contact me if you are interested in the Clearance Table items as well as the More For Your Money Sale. Many opportunities are available virtually as well as in person!

Flower Pen in a Pot!

I love how cute and simple this is! This is one of the projects my customers will be able to make at my upcoming open house. It's a pen - disguised as a flower - in a pot of coffee beans! (Love how it smells!!)





This cricut cartridge is SO MUCH FUN to work with!! Come visit me at my open house next week to try it for yourself!

New Home/Welcome Gift

My mom lives in a renovated historic building that used to be apartments, but now is luxury condos. She has a new neighbor and wanted to give her a symbolic welcome gift (since this lady already has everything she could want). So she used my idea from last year with the quote from "It's a Wonderful Life". She designed the whole thing herself - from color to content and even made the card to match! She is one of those who is quick to say "Oh, I could never do that" when it comes to papercrafting. I was thrilled to be able to show her -"Oh yes you can!" I'm proud of you mom!

The tag reads: BREAD - that this house may never know hunger, SALT - that life may always have flavor, WINE - that joy and prosperity may reign forever.

Club Gifts!

I absolutely LOVE my club girls!! And I look forward with great anticipation to each club night! It's like a girl's night out filled with friendship and laughter and love - and of course - creative fun!!

To celebrate the release of our new Autumn/Winter Idea Book, I wanted to give each of my club members a little gift! So I used our brand new Cricut cartridge - OF COURSE - to hold one of my favorite new accessories - Rhinestone Designer Brads!!



I cut an 8" pillow box on our new Mischief B&T paper that folds together to perfectly hold our new Rhinestone Bling! For the sentiment, I used another cricut shape (in grey wool) and used the coordinating layer for the frame (in grey flannel), added some prisma glitter to the frame and then attached the sentiment to the pillow box with some 3-D foam tape. I added some ribbon with a large Rhinestone brad wrapped around the knot - so that the ribbon slides off to open the box, then slides back one to use again!

Love my club girls! Love our new cricut cartridge! Love how easy it is to create projects you can be proud to give! LOVE MY JOB!!!

Dreamin' Scarecrow

Here is another Dreamin' project I made for Extravaganza. I wanted to do something "out of the box" so to speak with one of the cricut images, so I made a scarecrow!

I used the gift bag template again - just like the 3-tiered cake, I cut off the handles and sealed the opening - only this time I stood them up rather than laying them down to stack them.

I used all kinds of different cricut shapes in this project. Let's start at the top. For the hat I used our heart pocket shape, but simply folded the top edges of the heart shape (front and back) to create a hat that would sit on the top box (head). I added some of our flat flower images (layered) and one of our border images on the brim!


For his nose, I used on of the 3-D flower images (the spikey looking one).


For his arms, I used another of the border images, his hands are a corner embellishment. And he is holding some of our Dimensional Elements - Banners (that come with the Cricut collection) embellished with our new Color Ready Cork Alphabet - inked in chocolate!


And finally, for his shoes, I used the cupcake box, folded down on top with laces added for effect!


I'm tellin' you - this cricut cartridge has become an obsession!!!! I just can't STOP!

More Dreamin' 3-D Projects

Here is our new french fry container with some little snack sticks inside. I also used our Cricut cartridge to cover the DE and add layers behind it. So quick, so easy! Again, there was minimal effort put into this project, as you can see. Would make a quick & easy project. And the leaves were cut using our Cricut catridge too! The stamped sentiment is from the Harvest Happiness stamp set whose image has a coordinating cricut shape. Print out the shape, stamp your sentiment on top, and you're done! Woo Hoo!!



This little box is one of my favorites - it's just cute! It's our chinese take out box template on the cricut cartridge.


I added the scallopped circles using cricut cartridge too! For the sentiment, I typed it on my computer, printed it on cardstock, then used the Center Point feature on the Cricut Expressions to cut it out in that shape with the sentiment centered on the shape! So stinkin' easy!!


I added one of our 3-D flowers on the cartridge to the top. Isn't it just adorable?

In my class I promised that once you started using this Art Philosophy cricut cartridge, that you'd be dreaming of projects in your sleep. I know am - how about you? I've got more to show you.....coming soon!

Dreamin' Card set

Want to see some more Extravaganza artwork? Here is a card set using our new Dreamin' papers (don't you love that name?). I need to preface this with the fact that I was running out the door when I made this. I had very limited time, so there is nothing fancy about this - which is perfect to show how fast and easy it is to create a quick, personal, handmade gift for someone!

I created a flat box (10") when folded, it will hold our standard sized cards. I folded 3 sides, but left the top part open, and trimmed off the 2 tabs at the top.

I used one of our chipboard Dimensional Elements that is included in the Cricut Collection to embellish the top and add a couple of flowers from the cricut cartridge too!




For the coordinating cards I put inside, they are just paper with a sentiment stamped directly on the paper - nothing at all artistic or fancy about it, but still makes a nice little quick gift!

Add a little coordinating paper inside a Pentel RSVP pen, and you've got a complete gift ready to go as you run out the door!

Sonoma Party Theme

Oh I'm having so much fun creating for ANOTHER secret project!! (I think with all of my secrets lately that I need a cool spy name or something -- just a thought.)

Anyway - since I show you what I'm working on just yet, how about I share some of the artwork I made to display at my Extravaganza class at convention!

This project features our beautiful Sonoma papers - perfect for elegant events, heritage, and so much more! Here I've used it along with our Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge to create everything I need for a party theme!

I started with the centerpiece - the cake - and built my theme around that. The cake was made using the gift bag template on the cartridge. I cut off the handles on the top and then added a piece of cardstock to seal the opening - making a closed box. The bottom layer was a FTP size (11 3/4') on a 12x24 mat, the middle layer is a 9 3/4", and the top layer is 7 3/4". Then I added a lace border around the edges - LOVE that our cartridge does this for me! I also added a coordinating doily for the cake to sit on. Then I embellished with roses and pearls! The roses are in amethyst, petal, smokey plum, and colonial white and range in size from 1" to 2 1/2". (Note: I didn't curl the petals or ink the edges. If I did this again, I think I would. It's those little details that make all the difference!) You can't tell from the photo, but I spritzed the cake/boxes with a bamboo reinker/water mixture using our spray pen to give the cake some texture.





Then I made a coordinaing napkin ring and embellished a Glade candle from the grocery store to compliment the theme. I used the lace border and embellshed with roses and pearls!



I also made a shadow box place setting - using one of the cards from the cartridge and created a shadow box on the inside front cover.



How about a coordinating party favor at each place setting! Here is the gift bag with the handles left on this time!


Finally I finished with a banner. (This banner is sized to fit on my board. Of course in real life, I would make it large enough for the wall!)


Just imagine ANY party theme from elegant to fun & funky to cute & sweet. The choice is yours and the work is easy with many paper and embellishment options from Close To My Heart and our new Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge! Click here to get your own cartridge and supplies today!

Typeset Student/Teacher Gift - Creative Club

I'm so excited to be able to introduce a project for this month's creative club that features many new products! With school getting ready to start, I thought you might have a need for a teacher gift or a student gift or an aide, or pricipal - this would even work for co-workers in your office! Absolutely anyone could benefit from this and it can easily be customized for your specific recipient!

It starts with a notebook that is covered front & back as well as inside front & back covers. I used our brand new Typeset papers - aren't they delicious? I also used a star from our new Milepost Shapes - corregated chipboard shapes in a neutral kraft color ready to take on the color or accents of your choice! I also used some of our cool Color Ready Alphabet Cork letters - adhesive backed and ready to take on the color or accents of color of your choice! And OF COURSE, I had to include our new Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge for many of the fun shapes, as well as the Vintage stamp set and the Blue Ribbon stamp set that both coordinate perfectly with the cricut shapes!



Next is another Cricut project - a doorhanger used as a treat holder! I've incorporated a Starbucks Frap and Little Debbie Nutty Bars - two of my favorite treats!! You can use any drink/treat you want - Little Debbie donut sticks, Skinny Cow Chocolate Wafers, Beef Jerky, Licorice Sticks, Crackers, etc. - YooHoo Chocolate Milk, Water, Tea, Juice, etc.



I also included a pencil with a coordinating topper and created a little holder inside to keep it in place. The topper is attached to the eraser with one of our new Pewter Pin Clips, so it can be easily removed, in case of "mistakes".



And finally, a 3x3 card to further personalize your gift. Here I've used one of the coordinating stamp sets that come with the Art Philosophy Cricut Collection.

Join me on Monday, August 15th at 6:30pm to create these projects.

Create this project for $10 - or only $5 with a $25 order. (And remember, this month, with a $50 order you can get the stamp of the month for only $5 PLUS the FREE A Type stamp set, plus my discounted kit for only $5. Or with a $75 order, you will qualify to receive everything above PLUS the first ever Double D stamp set - Pair-a-Phrase!)

Can't attend that night? This kit (and the specials above) are available for purchase and will include pre-cut, pre-stamped pieces along with step-by-step instructions. (*Kit does not include food items. Shipping will be extra.)

Contact me to reserve your spot or order your kit today!

RSVP by Friday, August 12th.

Emmy's Gift!

I received another gift at convention that really deserves special attention. Emmy and I have been chatting via email for some time, but had never met before. Since she lives all the way across the country, convention was our first opportunity to meet! I'm soooo sad that I didn't think to get a picture with her -- we'll have to fix that next year!

Emmy introduced me to her two beautiful daughters and then presented me with a GIFT that left me speechless!! I didn't get a picture of the whole thing in a coordinating basket and tissue paper - I wasn't able to bring home the basket - I maxed out my suitcases and boxes - but I made sure I brought home everything else! Take a look at what she made! And check out the personalization and detail! WOW!

Here is a journal complete with a schedule of events - personalized for ME!!

Here are goodies with a perscription from Dr. Em!

And of course she had to include Nevada gifts!

Emmy is such a hoot! I always tell her that when I sit to read her very entertaining emails, I grab a cup of tea and take a break to enjoy the story! So in keeping with her extremely thoughtful gift, she included a beautiful cup and extra special tea!

Emmy, thank you again for such a heartfelt, thoughtful, delicious and wonderful gift!