Cricut Artiste Diaper Card

Okay...I have a confession to make...I am just now discovering all of the amazing creative treasures our Cricut Artiste cartridge holds!!

My daughter's 3rd grade teacher is expecting a sweet baby girl right around Christmas time, so after a few weeks of planning, we had a surprise baby shower for her today! The parents pitched in an we bought her a Target gift card. I needed to make a card for her and wanted it to be a little special...Artiste to the rescue!

This adorable diaper card is cut from the Cricut Artiste cartridge and was really, super easy to make using the Baby themed key!

I cut two of the diaper bases, one in Blush cardstock and one in my patterned paper, at the largest setting I could (I believe it was 5 1/2"). I adhered them together and added a little Hollyhock ink to the edges.

Without changing the size setting, I cut the scalloped oval insert in Blush and a second one in Holly hock, just 1/2" smaller. This insert was the perfect fit for the gift card.

The "It's a Girl" was also cut using the same themed key as the card itself.

Recognize that cute paper? It's one of my favorite "oldies, but goodies"...Sophia! We used Sophia as our color inspiration for the shower. When I get pictures I will share the adorable pennant banner this kids helped me make (thankfully, we have a mom in our class who takes amazing pictures and captures all those details, as I realized I never took a picture of the banner before I took it in today)!

Many thanks to Mary Thompson and Rachel Loesch at www.cricutwithheart.blogspot.com for the inspiration. You can see their adorable diaper card HERE!

Quick & Easy-Thank You!

If you know me at all, you know that I'm all about quick and easy crafting! I love the clean, simple look that can be created in just a matter of minutes!

Recently, I stumbled upon a card on Pinterest - for you die hard bloggers/blog readers and those who scour the web for ideas, you MUST check out Pinterest - it's one big online bulletin board where you can "pin" all those fun ideas you find online and refer to them just when you need them! Yes, Pinterest is my new obsession!

But, I digress....as I was saying, I recently stumbled upon a card on Pinterest that was just my style - clean, simple, quick and easy! Unfortunately I can't tell who created the original because it links back to Google reader, but whoever you are...THANK YOU for the inspiration. Note to self...start watermarking photos posted online so people know who created it when they want to refer back to it!

When I needed a few thank you notes this weekend, I pulled out one of my very favorite papers, Sophia, and went to work. In no time at all I had whipped out 6 of these fun cards!

I'm just about finished setting up for my monthly card night tonight, so check back tomorrow to see what we create with the Mischief papers!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you amazing mom's out there! We have a busy weekend celebrating our own mom's this weekend - dinner with Mike's family tonight (a delicious strawberry cake made with FRESH strawberries is done and ready to go) and brunch in Pasadena with my mom tomorrow - but I wanted to take a moment to share with you one of the Studio J layouts I created at Boot Camp this week!

This layout features photos taken last Mother's Day when my sweet hubby and children treated me to brunch at the Queen Mary!

Do you recognize the "paper" kit used in this layout? No? It's my all time favorite, SOPHIA! A few of the more advanced techniques used in creating this layout include:

1. Changing the color of the B&T - that cute polka dot is Pear and White Daisy in the classic line...in Studio J, I can make that polka dot any color I'd like!

2. Changing the color of the cardstock - Did you know that you can use ANY of our 60 exclusive colors with ANY kit? That's right, Chocolate isn't a featured color in the classic Sophia line, but through the magic of Studio J, I can add it to my layout!

3. Layering My Stickease - using the "send to back" layering My Stickease, text boxes and more is a snap in Studio J!

Want to learn more about Studio J? Call or email me to set up your personal one-on-one Studio J session...all you need is 5 to 10 photos of two different events, an internet enabled computer and 30 minutes...with that I will help you create you first two Studio J layouts!

Or simply head on over to my website to check out Studio J for yourself - it is absolutely FREE to try!

Sweet, Sweet SOPHIA

Named after the sweet granddaughter of Close to My Heart's CEO and Founder, Jeanette Lynton, the new Sophia My Reflections kit is as sweet as the sleeping baby featured on the front cover of our Spring/Summer Idea Book (that sweet baby just happens to be Sophia herself).

I've already shared a bit of Sophia with the February Stamp of the Month, but wanted to give "her" proper billing in my 8 day showcase of the brand new My Reflections kits.

Sophia will be featured at all of my workshops in April. You can find all of the dates in the Workshops tab above.

Check back tomorrow for another sweet My Reflections Kit!

More Stamp of the Month Inspiration!

Did you check out the Stamp of the Month Blog Hop? If not, you don’t want to miss it – our talented consultants certainly out did themselves this month and shared some pretty incredible artwork in the hop!

Today I want to share a couple more pieces of artwork using the gorgeous February Stamp of the Month set, Friendship.

All of the cards shown below were created with that super cute Sophia kit – definitely my favorite in the new Idea Book!

This 6x6 card, created by fellow Consultant Janice Hodgkin just makes me smile! I love the damask images along the top creating a border, the bold Sweet Leaf ribbon, and the fun Clear Buttons!

This card was created by my talented team member, Kathy Wafer. I LOVE Kathy’s use of the damask image as a subtle background on the sentiment block. Nice touch! And of course, isn’t everything better with a little BLING? The three Sparkles along the bottom and the single Sparkle dotting the “I” add just the perfect finishing touch!

Finally, a card from my crafty team member Jill Belkin! Jill used the GORGEOUS new Bohemian Alphabet, lots of sponging and a sweet little knot to top it all off!

If you’ve enjoyed these cards, be sure to check back tomorrow as I will share even more ideas using the Friendship set.

If you are ready to order you Stamp of the Month, head on over to my website and get yours today. Remember, the Stamp of the Month is only available this month. Buy it for $22.95 or earn it at a great discount (or even FREE) when you order other items.

February Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

The beginning of February means LOTS of great things where Close to My Heart is concerned...a new Idea Book, not one, but TWO AMAZING specials, and of course, the Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! I shared the great Studio J special yesterday and will share the other real soon, so stay tuned. Right now, it's time to get hoppin'!

If you've arrived here from Dawn's blog, you're on the right track. If this is your first stop just follow the link at the end of this post (and the links in the subsequent blogs) and you are sure to be inspired by over 65 talented CTMH Consultants! If you get lost along the way or find links that aren't working, you can find the entire list of participants at Helen's blog.

February is all about love and friendship, so what a better way to celebrate than with this pretty set appropriately named Friendship. Classic damask images and a beautiful sentiment about friendship make this a very versatile set.

I absolutely love the sentiment in the set as it reminds me of so many friends who have touched my heart, so I decided to let the sentiment be the focal point of this card. I used the brand new Sophia papers because like my friends, they just make me smile!

Other items used include CTMH Corner Rounder, White Daisy Grosgrain Ribbon and Brads from the new Pink Assortment.

Time to hop along to Angel's blog to see what she (and all the other talents ladies) have in store for us this month.

Be sure to check back over the next couple days for fun artwork from the brand new Spring/Summer 2011 Idea Book!