November Deals and {Play} Dates

Autumn is my most favorite time of year! The smells of the crisp aspens just as they turn, fresh apple pie and homemade cranberry sauce, the crimson-lined streets as the trees show their best shade, grateful blessings, friends and family. It doesn't get any better! I wanted to share with you some beautiful artwork today, created by Karen Pedersen, where noted. She has designed some amazing classes, which I am offering in November, and she has graciously allowed me to share her art with you.

Here's what's in store for November:
1. Stamp of the Month
2. Capture the Savings
3. Play Dates

• Christmas Advent Calendar
• Flirty Scrapbook Layouts

1. Stamp of the Month

Get the Stamp of the Month set of 72 stamps for just $5 (S1211A) when you place an order of $50 or more in products. Jump-start the fun by ordering the items from the list below to create this artwork! You’ll find helpful assembly tips at my website under Promotions. Available November 1–30, 2012

Dakota Paper Packet
($9.95, X7157B, Autumn/Winter 2012 Idea Book p. 32)

Slate Exclusive Inks® Pad($5.25, Z2173, p. 9)

Posh Journaling Spots
($5.95, Z1755, p. 129)

Sparkles Clear Assortment
($2.95, Z1752, p. 127)

Baker’s Twine Neutral Assortment
($4.95, Z1701, p. 125)

Cricut® Artiste Collection($99, Z1790, p. 15)

RECOMMENDED BLOCKS: 1” x 1” (Y1000), 2” x 2” (Y1003), 2” x 3½” (Y1009)


2. Capture the Savings

In November, you’ll get something extra when you buy the stamp of the month—50% off another stamp set! When you place an order of $50 or more in full retail products and buy the November Stamp of the Month set, Capture the Date, for just $5, you can pick any stamp set* at 50% off! Get Capture the Date and then capture the savings today!

To show our support of Red Cross relief efforts for those areas of the US severely affected by Hurricane Sandy, Close To My Heart will donate $1 for every Stamp of the Month set sold as a part of this promotion during November. So pick one up today and lend a helping hand.
*Shipping/handling may apply. Offer valid November 1–30, 2012. Offer valid for A–E and M size stamp sets only; K size, Workshops on the Go®, Cricut® collections, and Stamp of the Month stamp sets are not eligible for this promotion. Maximum of one 50% off stamp set per order.

3. Play Dates

Christmas Advent Calendar Workshop

Artwork by Karen Pedersen

You can participate in this workshop in one of three ways:

1. Come to an in-person class (see dates and times below)
2. Participate long-distance
3. Host this workshop in your home with you and at least 5 friends and I'll come to you (in Utah).You, as hostess, will earn at least $40 in hostess rewards and at least one half-off item (and that's only if everyone only purchases the Basic Kit. The more you sell, the more you earn)!

Call or email me to order a kit and sign up in one of those three ways (check the side bar for contact info). Read on for more details...

The finished project is 14" x 14" x 2 3/4" and each daily drawer is 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" square. It's a darling Christmas decoration and very functional. One of the things I love most about it is that the little drawers are so roomy you can easily fit enough treats in each one for each child or grandchild that will want to pull out the drawer each day in December. (Most advent calendars are only for one treat or prize.)  My friend, Karen, had the great idea of filling each drawer with Hershey's Kisses and a scripture reference.

In person classes at my South Jordan Home (if you want to attend one of these classes, I need to hear from you no later than Monday, November 19):

• Monday morning, November 26  from 10 am - 1 pm
• Saturday morning, Novemberer 24 from 10 am - 1 pm
• Saturday evening, November 24 from 7 pm - 10 pm

To attend the class, all you need to purchase is the Basic Kit.  Anything above and beyond that is up to you. I will be providing the items you see in  the Better and Best Kits for your use at the workshop, but you may want some of those items of your very own. View the kit details here.


Flirty Scrapbook Layouts
This class was designed by Karen Pedersen and these are just the funnest! This trendy, fun paper is such a bright turn for Autumn. The colors emulate the changing leaves and the brightness of the season. You can make these great layouts in my November Play Date Scrappin' Classes. I would LOVE to have you join us!  For details on how these classes work, just scroll down the left side of my blog until you see the section titled "Play Dates" and you can read all about it. 

Here are the three 2-page 12" x 12" layouts we will be making in November (click on any photo to see it larger and in more detail). If you would like to participate, please contact me (look to the top of the left column for info) with your kit order no later than Thursday, November 7.

You can participate in my Play Group classes in one of three ways:

1.  Attend a class in person
2.  Host one in your home with your friends (and earn free product!). Call or email me to schedule your date
3.  Participate long distance. Just add $5 to the kit total you see to have your kit shipped directly  from me to you. (call or email me to order your kit)

In person class dates and times:

• Monday morning, November 12,  10 am - 1 pm
• Friday evening, November16, 8 - 10  pm

I'm confident you will enjoy what we do and be very happy with the projects you make! Layout #2 was inspired by the fabulousVicki Wizniuk and Layout #3 was inspired by the wonderful Liz Johnson. Thanks, ladies!

After the layout photos, you'll find the shopping list.  Keep reading...

Layout #1: "Autumn Bloom"

Layout #1: without photos

Layout #1: detail shot one

Layout #1: detail shot two

Layout #1: detail shot three

Layout #1: detail shot four

 ________________________

Layout #2: "Family" (inspired by Vicki Wizniuk)

Layout #2:  without photos

Layout #2: detail shot one

Layout #2: detail shot two

 _________________________

Layout #3: "Happiness" (inspired by Liz Johnson)

Layout #3: without photos

Layout #3: detail shot one

Layout #3: detail shot two

Layout #3: detail shot three

Layout #3: detail shot four

 Shopping List:  To attend or participate in a class, all you are required to purchase is the Basic Kit.  If you want to purchase the Better or Best Kits, or even pick and choose a few items from those to add to your Basic Kit, you are welcome to, but it is not required.

Basic Kit (this is all that you are required to purchase to participate) 

• Flirty Workshop on the Go Kit (includes: Workshop Stamp Set, Flirty Paper Pack, 2 extra sheets of Colonial White Cardstock, Sparkles Clear Assortment, Flirty Dimensional Elements, Instructional Brochure)
• 2 extra sheets of Colonial White Cardstock
• 1 extra sheet of New England Ivy Cardstock
• Karen's Cutting Guide

Subtotal: $31.36
Total with Shipping and Tax: $35.90 (add $5 more if you are participating long distance)


Better Kit = Basic Kit + the following products (I recommend this kit!) 

• Autumn Lane Assortment
• Color Ready Arbor Wooden Shapes
• Olive Mini-Medley

Subtotal: $48.21
Total with Shipping and Tax: $55.31 (add $5 more if you are participating long-distance)

Best Kit = Basic Kit + Better Kit + the following products  

• Cocoa Stamp Pad
• Olive Marker Set
• Autumn Terracotta Marker Set 

Subtotal: $70.61*
Total with Shipping and Tax: $81.00 (add $5 more if you are participating long distance) 

*at this purchase level ($50 or more)  you qualify for the November Stamp of the Month ("Very Merry Christmas" - $17.95 value) at only $5! 
e) at only $5! 

Phew! I know that was long, but thanks for sticking with me! Have a great November and a Happy Thanksgiving!

Warm wishes,

Spooky Banner {Cricut Artiste and Art Philosophy}

I bought some random Halloween papers at my local craft store a few years ago and they have been sitting, collecting dust ever since. All cute papers but nothing to go with them! That's one of the main things I love about Close To My Heart - everything coordinates! Not only that, but with My Reflections Paper Packs, you don't get home and have one really cute paper... and nothing to dress it up with.

 I've been on vacation this past week and spent it at home. Sometimes that can be really relaxing and sometimes it's not! I had a little of both this week and was able to spend my relax time on this fun project.

This banner is a combo effort, using both of CTMH's exclusive cartridges, Art Philosophy and Artiste and no stamping! Let Cricut do the work for you. I programmed cuts in between loads of laundry. The B&T's used for the pennants' bases are Little Yellow Bicycle. The rest of the products are all CTMH.

Using Art Philosophy, cut one pennant per B&T (the first striped and the last white bat are the same paper, different sides). Pennants: Stripes "S" pennant: Page 29, cut at 7"; Second "O" purple diamond: Page 29, cut at 10 1/2"; Spider web "P" pennant, page 60, cut at 9 1/4", White with black bat "Y" pennant, page 60, cut at 6 1/4"; Orange First "O" pennant, page 68, cut at 8", black graveyard "K" pennant cut with Fit To Page, which scaled at 11 1/2". Cut your letters in White Daisy cardstock using the Font Layer feature, all in lower case at 3": "S" page 42, "P" page 40, 2 letter "O" page 30, "K" page 38, "Y" page 36. Rosettes: Floral rosette in Orange (retired), page 41, using the Decorative Layer feature x 6 count; The Black Discs are the negative center of the circle frame on Page 41, using the Layer feature, cut at 1 1/2".

Artiste: Rosettes (cont.): page 50, cut 12 pinwheel flower strips in Pansy Purple (retired) at 1 1/2" (you need 2 per rosette.) Fold and adhere the ends together with a little Tombow Adhesive. Flatten and adhere to the pennants with Liquid Glass. Spider: Page 77, use Shift, Accent 4 plus the [Halloween] key, and cut at 2". Spiderweb Border: Page 76, use Shift, Accent 4 plus the [Eek!] key and cut at 1 1/2". Glowing Eyes: Page 77, use Shift, Accent 3 plus the [Halloween] key and cut at 4".

Tie on a little Black 1/4" stitched grosgrain ribbon and some D-rings and you're done!

Warm wishes,

Happy Birthday Mom

Ann, my lovely mother-in-law (and heart!) celebrated an undetermined birthday this past week. The whole family came over and celebrated with a wonderful dinner and cream cheese pie (mmm....piiiiiie.) It was great to get together and see everyone. We try to do so about once a month with Brandon's family, but we're just getting so darn BIG, I'm not sure how long it will continue. Best to relish it while it does!

The stamp set is from the Cricut Artiste collection (it comes with THREE D-size stamp sets, and 3 sheets of chipboard dimensional elements). I loved the simplicity of the word blurbs and know Ann just loves simple, fun cards. I knew this set would be a winner for a quick gift of everyday greetings stamped in Dutch Blue (retired) and chocolate. Top it off with a pretty ribbon and it makes a beautiful presentation to someone you love.

Warm wishes,

Avonlea Happy Birthday Card

Now that my friend, Yvonne, has received her birthday card in the mail (ok, left in the early morning on her porch..) I can now show it off to you! I created this using Avonlea from Close To My Heart's new Autumn/Winter 2012 Idea Book and the accompanying Complements Canvas Shapes.

I love how this turned out! This is a new card pattern from the publication Make if from Your Heart, by Jeanette Lynton. (I love all the wonderful new full-color artwork in it, too!)

Add some chocolate ink distressing to the edges of all papers, some ribbon and waxy flax and a brad and voila! Fabuloso!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Warm wishes,

Chrstmas Advent Calendar and Stamp of the Month

Christmas Advent Calendar Box Workshop, photos and artwork courtesy of
Karen Pedersen

Who wouldn't want to make this darling Christmas Advent Calendar Box?  I can't think of a single person. 

You can participate in this workshop in one of three ways:

1. Come to an in-person class (see dates and times below)
2. Participate long-distance
3. Host this workshop in your home with you and at least 5 friends and I'll come to you (in Utah).You, as hostess, will earn at least $40 in hostess rewards and at least one half-off item (and that's only if everyone only purchases the Basic Kit. The more you sell, the more you earn)!

Call or email me to order a kit and sign up in one of those three ways (check the side bar for contact info). Read on for more details...

The finished project is 14" x 14" x 2 3/4" and each daily drawer is 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" square. It's a darling Christmas decoration and very functional. One of the things I love most about it is that the little drawers are so roomy you can easily fit enough treats in each one for each child or grandchild that will want to pull out the drawer each day in December. (Most advent calendars are only for one treat or prize.)  My friend, Karen, had the great idea of filling each drawer with Hershey's Kisses and a scripture reference.

Here is a photo that shows a close up of a few of the drawers:

In person classes at my South Jordan Home (if you want to attend one of these classes, I need to hear from you no later than Monday, November 19):

• Monday morning, November 26  from 10 am - 1 pm
• Saturday morning, Novemberer 24 from 10 am - 1 pm
• Saturday evening, November 24 from 7 pm - 10 pm

To attend the class, all you need to purchase is the Basic Kit.  Anything above and beyond that is up to you. I will be providing the items you see in  the Better and Best Kits for your use at the workshop, but you may want some of those items of your very own.

If you are participating in this class long-distance, I suggest you get the Better Kit. You'll need those few extra items to complete the workshop if you are not attending in person. If you already have the Artiste Cartridge and a Cricut Machine, you won't need the Best Kit. If you don't have them, you can either purchase the Best Kit or pay an extra $5 and I will cut your workshop papers for you before I send your kit.

Basic Kit Includes (add $5 to the total if you are participating long-distance):

• Advent Calendar Workshop on the Go (includes My Creations Cubby, Advent Calendar Workshop Stamp Set, 15 Cardstock Sheets {3 each of 5 colors}, 1 Bitty Sparkles Pack, 2- 12" x 6" Dimensional Elements In Color Frames Sheets, 1 Instructional Brochure)
• 1 Sheet of White Daisy Cardstock
• Cutting Guide and Instructions - with a few enhancements

Subtotal: $44.95
Total (with shipping and tax): $51.57

Better Kit = Basic Kit + the following products:

• Black Stazon Pad (this pad is fade proof and light and color fast. Great for home decor items that will be out in natural light)
• Ruler
• Bone Folder

Subtotal: 69.80*
Total (with shipping and tax): $80.07
 
Best Kit = Basic Kit + Best Kit + the following products (this kit is the BEST value. When you purchase this kit, you get the Stazon Stamp Pad and the Bone Folder in the Better Kit FREE!):

• Cricut Artiste Cartridge

Subtotal:  $153.90*
Total (with shipping and tax): $178.73

Items you will need to complete your project:
Lots of Glue Dots
Lots of Tombow Adhesive 

To sum it up, here are the pricing options:

• Basic Kit: $51.57 (+ $5 if you want Karen to cut your kit and + $5 if you are participating long-distance)
• Better Kit: $80.07 (+ $5 if you want Karen to cut your kit and + $5 if you are participating long-distance)
• Best Kit: $178.73 (+ $5 if you want Karen to cut your kit and + $5 if you are participating long-distance)

*At this purchase level, you qualify for the Stamp of the Month ($17.95 value) at only $5

Here is the awesome October Stamp of the Month ($17.95 value) that is only $5 with every $50 you order:

October Stamp of the Month: "Very Merry Christmas" (carrier sheet actual size is 6" x 6")

With great ideas like these, there will be plenty to keep the giving warm and heartfelt this year!

Warm wishes,

Happy World Card Day

Sitting here watchin' screen and I thought, "What better time to bust out some quick cards?" This is a kit from a National Stamping Month promotion by Close To My Heart a few years ago. I had cut the pieces and stamped the stamps but for some reason or another (read: life) I never finished it. So here it is better late than never. (But I feel SOO productive!)

Warm wishes,

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This Old House and Updates

Wow, has it really been over a week? Time has just flown this week and I apologize for not getting on here more often. I have the garage still torn up as we gut and re-do, kids busy in school and plenty of homework and news from Afghanistan. Today, you can find a few updates here and a new, old layout.. (I'll explain).

Morton Updates:

1. We finally heard from Drew this past week!! Drew is a good friend of our family and deployed this summer to Afghanistan with the US Army National Guard. We are very proud of him for doing this and we are so grateful for the freedoms we still have as American citizens, which he protects daily with his life! He left behind a pregnant wife and young son and will miss the birth of his daughter while overseas. He is an extension of our family and we pray for he and his family constantly while he is there fighting for the next year.

Out on patrol. I am so grateful for his friends who are willing
to take pictures for me and especially for him!

This is the market just out the "front door" where he is stationed.
The soldier pictured is standing just outside the gates, looking out.

 All we can say is keep sending us photos in cyberspace and hurry home!!!

2. General zaniness abounds at our house. Brook is studying Utah this year, while Aidan's class is currently refreshing what they learned in kindergarten as far as colors and service personnel relationships (don't ask me where that came from). So, dreaded math and spelling lists mixed in with a little salt dough is EVERYWHERE in our house! We've had one field trip so far (Aidan) and one more at the first of October (Brook). It seems things are ramping up even faster this year and I'm not sure I'm ready! (Too late, needless to say.) We had so much fun being crazy together as a family while at Paige & Zac's wedding this month so I thought I would share one of the photos we took at the photo booth. (If you ever get the chance to do this, DON"T PASS IT UP! It is just too much fun! I think the picture says it all.

3. This Old House is one of my favorite magazines to read, based on the television series, which you can find on your local PBS or online. I love reading about all the DIY projects and getting sucked into just how "easy" or "cheap" something can be. (Note to self, use sarcasm appropriately here.) Love the projects and ideas - but they NEVER turn out to be cheap OR easy for me!! I started this layout a few years ago and just finished it last night. I went through a phase where I wanted to get caught up so I faked it and cut the pictures and papers for the layout and put them together but left all the journalling, titles and embellishments off for another time. Seemed like a great idea at the time but now I just have a bunch of unlabeled photos in books rather than a box. I don't recommend this method for everyone!! LOL.

Anyhoo, these are pictures of our first house. It was a 1934 farmhouse my Grandma inherited from my Great (Great!) Aunt and we later purchased. So nostalgic to look back at those times. Things were different, sure, (jobs, cars, kids) but the funny thing is thinking about who I thought I was then and where I thought I was going.... and thinking about who I am now and where I am going. Some are the same. Many are different. I think I may add a little hidden journalling about that.. but I'll leave that for later!

Warm wishes,

Supplies: Everything on this is retired Close To My Heart from a few years ago. You can find the pewter brads here, Colonial White Waxy Flax here, and the Dark Chocolate Stripe Grosgrain here. Oh, and don't forget the extra fine tip Sharpie!

Reflections from Primary

I was priviledged to teach the five year olds at my church a few weeks ago and speak on the commandment to love one another (John 13:34). My son, Aidan, is in my class as well and it's been fun spending this special time, just the two of us (well, at least without his brothers and sister!) It's one more way for me to spend time with just him, within our family, and it has created a new bond.

Here are the activities I cut on my Cricut for Lesson 32: Love One Another, in the Primary 2 handbook. Both are cut from Cricut Artiste, an exclusive cartridge from Close To My Heart.

Often, I find when we are assigned talks or teaching assignments, the lesson is for both student and teacher. I've really enjoyed spending time with these beautiful souls. In many ways, they have taught me so much more than I ever hoped they could learn from me. I have truly grown spiritually in the few short months I've had them and I look forward to Sundays in a way I never thought I would. I know that this calling to teach has not only given me the opportunity to share the gospel with others, but has allowed me to research topics and doctrine I wasn't familiar with. Every week I teach I learn something new that I hadn't known before, and the blessings are magnified tenfold. I get to see life through the eyes of a child and I am so grateful for the opportunity given to me to teach these bright minds!

Warm wishes,

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