Lollydoodle-ing Around!

Have you seen the new Lollydoodle papers?  After dealing with the seemingly endless cold, gray, snowy days, working with this bright, happy paper packet was just the ticket to cheer me up!

Are you ready to be cheered up, too?  Consider joining me for a Lollydoodle workshop!  You can make cards, scrapbook pages or whatever you choose with the bright pinks, blues and greens that herald these papers and matching embellishments.

First, I played with the new Lollydoodle Cardmaking Kit.  If you have ever worked with these kits before, you know that the kit is set up with instructions and all consumable items to make a total of 15 cards - 5 each of 3 designs.  Many times making them per the guide included in the kit is just the ticket for your needs.  This time, I felt that I wanted to change up the cards for my own personal needs.  Although I made one of each of the designs as listed in the guide, I changed up the remaining 4 so that a) they would be most useful for me, and b) I could make use of some of the other embellishments and stamp sets I have accumulated over time.

Here are samples of what is in the guide, as well as how I changed things up.

Guide Design 1:

Some modifications:

Guide Design 2:

Some modifications:

Guide Design 3:

Some modifications:

After all, how many "Love of My Life" cards do you need?  Well, maybe some of you have more than one, I guess, but I need other options!  :)

Second, I played with the Lollydoodle Paper Packet, the matching Lollydoodle Assortment, and our exclusive Cricut cartridges.  I wanted to create something that would be versatile enough to add mats, pictures and journaling to once I decide which photos I want to use to go with this paper.  Of course I turned to one of my trusty How-To Programs, Cherish, and used one of the designs to create three different layouts:

Layout 1:

Layout 2:

Layout 3:

These three layouts use the bulk of the paper in the Lollydoodle Paper Packet as well as most of the embellishments in the Lollydoodle Assortment.  I have also added some cricut cuts, a little extra cardstock, washi tape, Shimmer Trim, and other assorted embellishments.  There are just a few scraps left over to make some matching cards!

Recommended mat colors:  Cocoa, Cotton Candy, Juniper, Pear, Slate, Sorbet, Whisper, White Daisy

Finally, do you like working with the Workshops on the Go?  Do you like getting the entire line of a specific My Reflections set and a coordinating stamp set?  Although I have not yet completed the Lollydoodle Workshop on the Go, here is one of the layouts you can make in this workshop:

Want to Lollydoodle with me?  Then join me for any or all of the above projects!  Here are the details:

• Location:  My home
• Date/Time:  Saturday, April 19 @10:00 am
• Cost (includes S/H and tax):  
• Option 1:  Lollydoodle Cardmaking Kit - $29.00
• Option 2:  Lollydoodle Paper Packet, Lollydoodle Assortment and other embellishments - $20.00
• Option 3:  Lollydoodle Workshop on the Go Kit - $35.00
• Save!  Order all 3 options and save more than 10% - $75.00
• RSVP:  No later than Saturday, April 5 at joycegough7@gmail.com or 703.791.6821
• Bring:  Basic toolkit

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March 2014 Stamp of the Month - Happy Place

The March 2014 Stamp of the Month certainly puts me in a Happy Place!  When my husband and I were married, we went on a honeymoon that included a cruise around the Baltic Sea.  I had always wanted to go to St. Petersburg, and here was my opportunity.  St. Petersburg was one of the ports of call!  While there I picked up a couple of nested wooden dolls - one a beautiful white and gold set and the other a Christmas set.  They sit in my office in one of my glass cabinets for me to smile at with other wooden items I picked up in St. Petersburg:

So when I saw our Happy Place stamp set, I was thrilled.  The best part is I'm going back to St. Petersburg and will love to make use of this set for scrapping my pictures!

March 2014 Stamp of the Month

Each month you can purchase a new D-size stamp set, available for one month only, for just $5 — that’s over 70% off retail! When you place an order of $50 or more in Close To My Heart products, you qualify for this special Stamp of the Month pricing.  Otherwise, you can purchase this set outright for $17.95.



Inspired by this cute set, here is the card I made:

Supplies (all CTMH unless specified otherwise):

 

Paper:  Jubilee Paper Pack, Cranberry Cardstock, Indian Corn Blue Cardstock, Colonial White Cardstock

Stamps:  Happy Place Stamp of the Month - March 2014

Inks:  Versafine Onyx Black (non-CTMH), Indian Corn Blue

Markers:  Cranberry, Honey, Indian Corn Blue

Other:  Sparkles, Summer Celebration Accents (retired)

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Ivy Lane 5-6-7 Workshop

Time has gotten away from me yet again!  Between family issues and the craziness of IT work, I really need to get back to creating regularly and having some social time with my friends and family.  It takes change to make change they say, so I'm dedicated to getting into a new rhythm of doing more things I like to do.  I know that when I dedicate myself to something, giving to others helps me stay on track.

Most every year at the Close To My Heart convention, we talk about the children in need of getting surgeries for Operation Smile.  The folks responsible for doing these surgeries, helping out the surgeons and traveling around the world to help children of all ages have a special place in heaven for doing so.  The least that I can do is help them out in some way.

Therefore, for my first workshop of the year, I plan to do a "5-6-7 card workshop".  This first workshop will feature the new Ivy Lane paperpack from the 2014 Spring/Summer Idea Book.  The workshop is setup to make 5 cards in 6 minutes (per card) for $7.00.  For every set you purchase, $2.00 will be donated to Operation Smile.

In addition, please come by to see many of the new items from the 2014 Spring/Summer Idea Book.  As everyone knows, seeing in person is much better than just looking in a book.  :)

Here are the cards planned for this workshop:

Details:

• Location:  My home
• Date/Time:  Saturday, March 15 @10:00 am
• Cost:  $7.00 (includes pre-cut materials, embellishments and envelopes)
• RSVP:  No later than Saturday, March 8 at joycegough7@gmail.com or 703.791.6821
• Bring:  Basic toolkit

Light refreshments will be served.  Please come and invite a guest!

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Mom's Latest Artwork

My mom is so very talented!  Everytime I see something she has made, I'm just overwhelmed with the thought and details that she puts into her creations.  She truly has a gift and pictures never quite do any justice to her art.  Despite that I thought I would go ahead post some of the cute cards she has made and one extremely gorgeous layout!  Enjoy!

First, here are some cute little cards she made for a swap that she participates in:

Second here are photos of the exquisite layouts she did using the Sonoma paper packet.  Notice the finer details in the closeup shots!  She's my hero!

Isn't she amazing???????

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Catching Up

Preparing for convention and attending has really put me behind!  However, I wanted to take some time to catch up on a bunch of things.  First, I know I've mentioned this to some of my customers but we have an online special going on - Perfect Pair!  If you're missing some of our retired favorite paper packs, this one is for you.  Place an online order of $75 or more in July and you'll receive a popular paper packet and coordinating accessory—a Perfect Pair—for free! Different Perfect Pairs are available on different dates throughout the month so you’ll want to place more than one qualifying order to snatch several Perfect Pairs.

The following pairs are available on selected dates:

Order Dates	Perfect Pair	Retail Value
July 1–5	Mischief Paper Packet (X7144B) and Midnight Felt Shapes (Z1462)	$15.90
July 6–10	Dreamin’ Paper Packet (X7142B) and Harvest Charms (Z1633)	$14.90
July 11–15	Fanfare Paper Packet (X7138B) and Fanfare Level 2 Assortment (Z1400)	$17.90
July 16–20	Lucky Paper Packet (X7137B) and Lucky My Stickease® Assortment (X7137C)	$17.90
July 21–25	Mayberry Paper Packet (X7136B) and Mayberry My Stickease® Assortment (X7136C)	$17.90
July 26–29	Sophia Paper Packet (X7131B) and Sophia My Stickease® Assortment (X7131C)	$17.90
July 30–31	Believe Paper Packet (X7145B) and Holiday Pockets (Z1486) OR Wonderland Paper Packet (X7146B) and Wonderland My Stickease® Assortment (X7146C)	$14.90

Second, convention was great fun!  Lots of new products are afoot and here are the highlights:

Studio J:  Memberships are going away, but the company is making this a much more affordable and viable option for those of you who like to scrapbook from your computers!

New How-To Publication:  We have a brand new publication "Make It From the Heart" (think magazine) featuring 16 two-page layout patterns, two single-page patterns, and 12 different card patterns. The patterns follow along with those found in the WOTG programs.

New Workshops on the Go:  In addition to 8 brand new WOTG kits featuring all 8 of our newest papers, there are 5 ADDITIONAL kits that include a Halloween party supply kit, two fabulous card kits, a kit to create our new spool album (think giant antique thread bobbin), and a gorgeous Advent calendar kit!

Stamp Categories SimplifiedOur stamp categories are now simplified to include the following:

• Holidays
• Seasons & Nature (all things outdoors)
• Flair (backgrounds, accents, borders, frames, tags, and the like)
• Everyday Life
• Occasions
• Alphabets

Updated Color Palette:  Our color palette now includes 40 colors plus White Daisy and Colonial White. AND by popular demand, all 42 colors have individual cardstock packs of 24 sheets again!

Kit Exclusive Colors:  Some of the new paper packets have trendy colors included that are exclusive to those kits!
 
New Pigment Inks:  We now have pigment inks available in sets of ten mini pigment cubes - one collection for each category of color in the color palette!

Organizers:  The new organizer cases that are being introduced are a small and medium case. The small case can be augmented with a foam insert for either blocks or small craft boxes (available separately). The medium case includes removable dividers so that you can customize your case to carry your most cherished accessories!

New Cricut Cartridge:  This is a "must have" product!  This cartridge has an emphasis on 3-D project suites with 698 unique shapes plus a circle and a square to balance out the collection. The keypad cover is designed in an alpha/numeric form to make it quick and simple to find the shapes you need and each key is themed to make a variety of projects. AND it comes with an additional instructions book on assembling your 3-D items!  Once again this product, the Cricut Artiste Collection, is packaged with 3 exclusive stamp sets and 3 sheets of coordinating chipboard. While the stamp sets are only available with the cartridge, the chipboard shapes are also available in the regular product line.

New Alcohol Markers:  We have a brand new collection of alcohol markers that are sold in pairs, one base and one shade, for each of our 40 colors. These markers are not considered to be a Copic competitor, have rigid (not soft) tips, no special paper is needed, and can be blended to create a huge variation of colors.

Product AvailabilityWhile most of the new products are available immediately, there are a handful of items that are not yet available for purchase. It is anticipated that they will be available on the dates below:

Available for purchase on August 1, 2012:
All Exclusive Inks® Marker Sets found in the Whimsy and Enchantment color palettes
Workshops on the Go® Scroll Album Kit (G1042)
 
Available for purchase on August 15, 2012:
All Exclusive Inks® Marker Sets found in the Adventure and Basics color palettes
 
Available for purchase on September 1, 2012:
Small Organizer (Z4138)
Medium Organizer (Z4139)
Craft Boxes (Z4137)
Craft Boxes Foam Insert (Z4140)
My Acrylix® Blocks Foam Insert (Z4141)
 
Available for purchase soon (watch the Weekly Corporate Update for updates):
Rub-On Tool (Z1796)
Quilling Tool (Z1795)

Retiring List:  If you are stuck on some of our current products or just need to complete a collection, the Retiring List includes all items that are available until 7/31/12 or while supplies last (whichever is first).  Here is a list of the items retiring, so get them while you can!

Retiring Product

(not included in the Autumn/Winter 2012 Idea Book)

·      The following products are scheduled to be retired from the CTMH product line and are not pictured in the Autumn/Winter 2012 Idea Book.

·      Combo packs of cardstock are also being retired.

·      All of our How-To Books have been retired and are sold out.

·      BULK items, when retired, are usually available while supplies last. If there are items that you need, it is suggested that you order early.

Paper Packs/Stickease/Complements

·      Cruisin’ Paper Pack (X7154B)

·      Cruisin’ Complements Foil Images (X7154C)

·      Elemental Paper Pack (X7141B)

·      Elemental Complements Dimensional Elements (X7141C)

·      Footloose Paper Pack (X7151B)

·      Footloose Complements Dimensional Elements (X7151C)

·      Lucy Paper Pack (X7149B)

·      Lucy Complements Glittery Rub-Ons (X7149C)

·      Roxie Paper Pack (X7140B)

·      Roxie My Stickease Assortment (X7140C)

·      Sonoma Paper Pack (X7143B)

·      Sonoma My Stickease Assortment (X7143C)

·      Superhero Paper Pack (X7152B)

·      Superhero Complements Rub-Ons (X7152C)

·      Typeset Paper Pack (X7139B)

·      Typeset Complements Canvas Shapes (X7139C)

Workshops on the Go (Kits are available until 8/31/12 or while supplies last)

·      WOTG Cruisin’ Kit (G1039)

·      WOTG Florentine Kit (G1038)

·      WOTG Footloose Kit (G1036)

·      WOTG Lucy Kit (G1034)

·      WOTG Pemberley Kit (G1033)

·      WOTG Stella Kit (G1032)

·      WOTG Superhero Kit (G1037)

·      WOTG Victory Kit (G1035)

Papers/Inks/Reinkers

(Cardstock, inkpads, and reinkers are all included. Check your Idea Book or my website for part numbers.)

·      Amethyst

·      Baby Pink

·      Brown Bag

·      Dutch Blue

·      Garden Green

·      Garnet

·      Grey Flannel

·      Grey Wool

·      Heavenly Blue

·      Holiday Red

·      Key Lime

·      Lilac Mist

·      Moonstruck

·      Pansy Purple

·      Parchment

·      Petal

·      Spring Iris

·      Sunflower

·      Sunkiss Yellow

·      Sunny Yellow

·      Taffy

·      Tulip

·      Vanilla Cream

·      Vineyard Berry

Other Cardstock

·      Colonial White 6-pack (X5901)

·      White Daisy 6-pack (X5900)

Cards

·      Clear Cards 4-1/4” x 5-1/2” (Z1323)

·      Clear Cards 4-1/2” (Z1309)

Albums/Accessories

·      Quick Pic Album-Dark Chocolate (Z1406)

·      Quick Pic Album-Dark Cranberry (Z1405)

·      Quick Pic Album-Outdoor Denim (Z1404)

·      Snapease Album System 12x12 (Z4110)

Embellishments

·      Bitty Brads Basic Assortment (Z1367)

·      Bitty Brads Metal Assortment (Z1368)

·      Bitty Buds Assortment (Z1690)

·      Bottle Caps (Z1691)

·      Canvas Badge Buttons (Z1397)

·      Clear Sparkles (Z1104)

·      Color Ready Irresistibles - Lots of Dots (Z1261)

·      Comic Badge Buttons (Z1688)

·      Dimensional Elements-Ornaments (Z1337)

·      Heirloom Assorment (Z1635)

·      Hinges (Z1402)

·      Mini-Medley Accents-Honey (Z1488)

·      Mini-Medley Accents-Pacifica (Z1698)

·      Mini-Medley Accents-Sunset (Z1338)

·      Mini-Medley Accents-Tulip (Z1320)

·      Photo Hangers (Z1403)

·      Ribbon-Designer Pink Collection (Z1384)

·      Ribbon-Sw. Lf. Stitched Grosgrain (bulk) (Z1383)

·      Seaside Wooden Shapes (Z1693) (sold out)

My Creations Products

·      My Creations A-Door-Ables (Z1321)

·      My Creations All Sorts Mini Album (Z1224)

·      My Creations Cube (Z1152)

·      My Creations Mix & Mingle Album (Z1334)

Tools/Organization

·      Craft Tray (1764)

·      Distressing Kit (Z1299) (sold out)

·      Dotto Dots Dispenser (1766)

·      Dotto Dots Dispenser-Refill (1767)

·      Double Scrubber (Z1163)

·      Euro Personal Paper Trimmer (Z338)

·      Euro Replacement Blades (Z339)

·      Euro Replacement Blade/Scoring (Z340)

·      Microfiber Cloth (Z1006)

·      My Legacy Writer Black Pen Set (4275)

·      Shoulder Tote (Z4204) (sold out)

Finally, most likely, all stamp sets that were not shown as "New" in the Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book will also be retiring.  

Questions?  E-mail me!

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June 2012 Stamp of the Month

One of my customers asked me a question recently about "paper piecing".  She didn't know what the term meant, so in looking at the June Stamp of the Month, I had an "aha!" moment.  For me it was a perfect opportunity to showcase what paper piecing was all about.  As such I created the following card:

If you don't know what paper piecing is, it's a way of stamping and cutting paper such that you can get multiple layers and colors of paper on one image.  So for the sample I created above, I stamped the bird on the green Lucy B&T paper and cut him out (yes, legs too, for my consultant sisters who I went to Shrine Mont with :) ).  Then I stamped him again on the pink Lucy B&T paper and just cut the wing out.  I then adhered the wing to the green cutout bird.  The idea is that you are piecing bits of paper together to get a dimensional and beautifully colored affect.  OK, I know I went a little crazy with the paper piecing as I even did the feet, beak and eye!  Anyway, it was fun to do and now that I've posted the picture, I can give this to my customer and sister, Peggy!

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Welcome!

Although I'm late to the game, I finally decided I needed to bite the bullet and finally set up a blog.  Being in the IT business, I spend so much of my life in front of the computer and really fought spending more.  But I also recognize that I want to keep an ongoing dialog with people who are passionate about the same things I am.

So welcome one and all who find themselves here!

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