Oh, Happy Day!

The wedding is still weeks away, but I have been having so much fun with the two stamp sets offered dirt cheap this month from Close To My Heart. This is another card from a pattern in Jeannette Lynton's new publication, Make It from Your Heart. You can see the other one I made earlier this week here.

In the close-up you can see the embossing detail on the lady's heart (or click on this or any image to see it larger) and the lift CTMH's 3-D Foam Tape gives to your art. I got the hearts idea from a pal, here, and gave it my own twist using Baroque Borders, the August Stamp of the Month, and a little of my favorite mix of embossing powder which you can learn about here. Top it off with a simple banner from It's Your Day to give the sentiment and we're rarin' to go (to the church on time..) I love how this turned out and how simply adding some stamps I was able to incorporate her colors of purple and turquoise.

 I just had to share these last few photos with you before I let you go. My sweet brother-in-law, Steve, helped my boys make this lovely bouquet of handmade flowers to surprise me with when I got home from work.

 They took some scratch paper and colored on origami flowers to make a fun and vibrant display! This is Aidan's with a bright red and turquoise "A" (his current favorite colors) on the flower to decorate his bloom.

Garrett got into the act going for a more Impressionist look, here. They each took time to personalize it and it sounds like they had a great time with Uncle Steve, too! Then we enjoyed the evening, dining al fresco on the back patio. (If you'd like to see more of these Life Pictures, "Like" my Facebook Business page and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter.)

Hope you all enjoy these last lazy summer days and see you this afternoon at the open house!

Warm wishes,





Card Supplies: Standard Card, White Daisy; 7/8" Black Grosgrain Ribbon; black and white stitched ribbon; Custom Embossing Powder Mix; Black Bitty Brads; Bitty Pearl Opaques; Cardstocks: White Daisy and Black; Stamps: Baroque Borders (Aug SOTM), It's Your Day (National Stamping Month Promotion); Inks: Gypsy; Papers: Magnifique Peacock Teal Tonal; Cricut, Artiste - 1 Black and 1 White Daisy Heart at 2"; one White Daisy Heart cut at 1 1/2"; one Black Scalloped Heart cut at 1 1/2".

The Mr. and Mrs {Bridal Shower}

As I told you yesterday, this is the second card I made for my niece, Paige's, bridal shower. You can not believe how dang easy this card was! As a mom of four, I am all about the time-saving now and this card won't let you down - if you have the secret ingredient! I won't keep you hanging *much*, but watch this video first. It tells you all about the August Love Your Layout in Studio J.

Wow, I just love Avonlea more and more every day! And Studio J is such a lifesaver, too, especially for those of us who may be, um, a little *behind*.

Ok, enough blather. The secret ingredient? Cricut Artiste! Here's the deets. I cut the Mr&Mrs in black cardstock at 4 1/4" (that's the height, not the width). Now, I need to make the base fit, so I measured and then cut the card at 5 1/2" out of White Daisy cardstock. Adhere the black to the white, then tie a cranberry ribbon in a bow and secure with a dab of Liquid Glass to mimic the "tux" on the "Mr." Then grab your Bitty Pearl Opaques and add 5 self-adhesive pearl "buttons" to the "Mrs." for the "dress". To attach the card to the basket I punched a hole in the corner and tied some Cranberry Twine to turn it into a cute tag, complete with my best wishes on the back. Oh, Snap! Baby, it doesn't get any easier than this! (You can slap me now for calling you baby.)

Artiste has plenty of fun sentiments for all your occasions, too, so don't let a lil' ol' bridal shower slow you down. There's baby, holiday and everyday sentiments among the almost 700 images on the cartridge. You ain't seen nothin' yet. Come to my Open House, this Saturday, August 25th from 1p - 4p and play around with the Cricut. You'll never look back.

Paige's Card {Bridal Shower}

Paige's Bridal Shower card, featuring Avonlea,
Baroque Borders and It's Your Day

I was priviledged to go to my niece, Paige's, bridal shower this past weekend and spend some time with the girls "showering" her with gifts and best wishes. My sister-in-law and her girls threw a fantastic party and my mom and I had a great time, though we missed having my sister there (she's in California). We gave Paige, Zac and Berklee a silverware set and then a separate laundry basket with lots of kitchen gadgets thrown in so I made her two cards; one for each gift. I haven't spent much craft time lately and it felt great to get out the ol' Tombow and paper trimmer!

Close up of the embossing detail

This card features our new Close To My Heart Avonlea papers and both the August Stamp of the Month (Baroque Borders) and the National Stamping Month Campaign (It's Your Day) stamp sets. The pattern is featured in Jeanette Lynton's new pattern publication, Make It from Your Heart. I cut the dress form and pattern from Cricut Artiste and then stamped Baroque Borders over the dress and heat embossed with a mix of white embossing powder and silver glitter (I love this custom mix!) to make the lace on the "wedding dress". Ink a Just Blooms Paper Flower with Smokey Plum and add a silver pearl from the Licorice Opaque collection to the center. Then I added a little Liquid Glass to the back and front of the burlap ribbon to hold it firmly in place on the card and make sure my dress form stayed where I put it. There was enough loft from the ribbon to "pop" the dress off the card base without adding any 3D Foam Tape, but I did use it under the sentiment to make it stand out. Super simple and easy, but it packs a lot of PUNCH!

Baroque Borders, August Stamp of the Month

The Stamp of the Month is only available through the end of the month at only FIVE BUCKS! It's exclusive and that means it goes away at the end of the month, so get it quick! You can get this set with any order totaling $50, including your Play Date purchases! And if you think that's hot, read a little more...

The double stamp set, It's Your Day, with almost 50 stamps,
is available now for National Stamping Month in September.

National Stamping Month is in September every year, and Close To My Heart throws a great celebration each year with an over-the-top giftie! This set is perfect for Project Life or any of your 12/365 scrapbook projects. You can get this early, from now until the end of September with any purchase totaling only $35! And guess what? You can combine these deals and get BOTH with your $50 order for only $10 more!! So if you got Cricut Artiste and, say, a new alcohol marker set, you could get two Stamps of the Month and two It's Your Day sets! The good times just keep rollin'!

Amazing things are afoot, here. You can see the other card I made for the second gift tomorrow on the blog, so come on back. In the meantime, stay safe and look for the Silver Lining!

Thanks From the Bottom of My Heart

Look at what a beautiful card my friend Karen Pedersen made! It features the August Stamp of the Month, Baroque Borders,  from Close To My Heart. It seemed like the perfect way to thank all of my followers! I know it's been rough, but thanks for stickin!

(If you want this adorable set, it's only $5 through the end of August with your $50 order. Go to my website to order.)

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Open House and August Specials

It's the dawning of a new era.. or at least a new Close To My Heart Idea Book! It's chock full of A-maz-ing ideas and new products. Come see them at my Open House in South Jordan, Utah on Saturday August 25th from 1pm to 4pm. RSVP to make a fun project with our new #Cricut cartridge, Artiste. It's so much fun, I know you're gonna love it! Birthdays and special occasions will never be the same. (Avonlea artwork by Karen Pedersen.)

Ok, here are the deals and specials for August. Let's get started!
It's In the Bag
During the month of August, when you sign up on my team with Close To My Heart, you can get the very same Avonlea Teal damask bag that was given to the consultants who attended Convention. ADD Moment: And for only $49 who wouldn't?! (See this cute bag at my open house!)
Stamp of the Month
Baroque Borders is a shabby chic set sure to be one of your favorites. The beautiful flourishes are perfect for classically elegant pieces with just enough chic to handle your Gothic Halloween. Can't wait to use this with my niece's bridal thank you's and my Halloween party decor!
The seasons may come and go but they are better than ever! Come see me Saturday the 25th and take home a treat!

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Who Says Girls Can't Do Math?

$495 for only $49
Did that get you curious? I hope so because this is something you will FOR SURE want the scoop on.  This is in addition to the awesomely gorgeous FREE damask tote that Close To My Heart is offering all new Consultants signing up in August.

Here's how my special works:

• If you sign up as a new Consultant and reach $300 in sales in your first 30 days, CTMH will give you $25 in FREE select product credit! 
• If you sign up and reach $1200 in your first 90 days, CTMH will give you an additional $75 in product free for a total of$100 in FREE product of your choice.  No kidding!

To summarize, the moral of the story is: 

o  Sign up for $49

o  Get over $130 in products in your New Consultant Kit from CTMH

o  Then, sell $1200 in your first 90 days

o  Earn over $265 in commission

o  Get $100 in FREE products from Close To My Heart

$49 out of pocket = $495 back in!  I may not be a genius at Math, but even I can see what a rockin' deal that is! And, if I were to get really technical, I guess I could say that you would get $545 (including the $50 FREE tote bag if you sign up in August) for your $49.  To sign up, just go here. You are welcome here!

In the Spirit of Giving

I'll first appologize for being gone so long. Life has a knack of getting in the way sometimes. Between working full time at 911 and chasing a 2-legged-3-year-old-demolition-crew in my spare time, I've been one busy mom! Here are two great Gives- a layout about Christmas and a gift.
I was blessed to get a few spare hours to scrapbook last night (because really, how important IS sleep?) and wanted to share it with you. Since I've been so busy with my two full time jobs ;) I've had precious little craft time and I relished it for the small miracle that it was! I don't foresee it getting better anytime soon, either, as my desk will soon fill with homework and half-finished art projects as school begins in a month. (Crazy SCARY!)
Long story short (oops, too late..) I've been trying to catch all my prints up this year and clean the last straggling layouts-to-be out of my stash. I made the best decision ever last year to use Studio J, Close To My Heart's online scrabook software, to do the bulk of my layouts this year so I could scrapbook stress-free and get it done in a snap! Still loving this decision!

This is the second thing I've been working on: a quilt for my youngest son. One of the many crazy endeavors I embarked on this spring to get myself some mad homemaking Skillz. (I know, I never start small. Wait till you see my other project!)
I took a quilting class with my mom in March based solely on a whim to walk through a little quilting shop I hadn't been in (age deleted...) since I walked through as a little girl with my mother. Incidentally she doesn't quilt either.
I saw this quilt and had to have it! I have three boys and knew they would dearly love it! I decided to give it to my youngest who doesn't have a quilt of his own and you'll never guess how much whining and pandemonium THAT decision caused (or how many new projects I suddenly acquired!)
It's all ready to be quilted and bound now and I'm so excited! This is one of the only craft projects (okay, besides papercrafting) which I've actually finished! (Think the crocheted 12" doll dress from 1986 and... hmm.) Well, anyway, it's not important. This is Convoy from Buggy Barn ala Trish. Hope you can carve out some craft time for yourself (cuz after reading this novel, you'll have precious little) and have a great summer!
Trish

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More Calendar Layouts

Making these calendars for Garrett's baby book have been so much fun and I love the way they turned out! Thank you, Amanda Probst for such great ideas! Check out my previous post just below to see some more!

And speaking of great ideas, Stampaganza is ending in just two more days! Take advantage of the most wonderful stamp sale of all time and get a free stamp set for every two you purchase! All sets except custom K size and SOTM (since they are already such an awesome deal) are eligible with this promotion!

If you need some ideas, I shared a little secret with you earlier this month on how to choose the best stamps here. Contact me today (slvrlinin@live.net, 801.910.8698) or shop 24/7 on my website at http://slvrlinin.ctmh.com . Stamps from our current Idea Book as well as the previous Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book are still available through July 31st. Amazing!

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Cute Calendars and Fish Lake

Vacation was sure fun but it's great to be back and scrappin'! Felt so nice to get out of the valley and get dirty for a bit (I know, it's a strange way to relax!) We had such a good time and I'm so grateful to have great parents who love to go camping with us! And of course, there were plenty of pictures that I can't wait to scrap. I'll show you a few later this week.

Speaking of scrapbooking, I have been reading this lovely book I recently bought from Creating Keepsakes called "Month by Month Scrapbooking", by Amanda Probst. She's put together some cute calendar ideas plus some monthly themes page ideas.

I got this book because I really wanted to document my pregnancies and baby books this way. Makes sense since that's how I recorded them! With each child I kept a planner or calendar (you can get some great ones from Close To My Heart on my website at http://slvrlinin.ctmh.com ) and I simply wrote down the milestones on the calendar when they happened. Sometimes I wasn't spot on so I just wrote on one of the days that week. With my third child I was really good about it and these are a few of Garrett's pages I made using Amanda's book as inspiration.

Some great tools to help you "fake" it through the blank spots in your journalling are pregnancy calendars. Baby Center is my favorite and they email you a weekly or daily event based on your due date or conception information. They even have an App for smartphones which I loved with my last pregnancy! And with Baby Center, you can keep receiving updates as your child grows! Super helpful for busy or tired moms!

Have a wonderful summer!

Trish

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This Secret's Too Juicy To Keep

As you already know, Close To My Heart as the best stamps in the industry. And, to top that off they are having a WONDERFUL special of a free stamp set for every 2 you purchase. You can read more about that here.

If you are trying to decide WHICH STAMPS you should purchase, I have a SECRET for you. You may want to choose some stamp sets that will be retiring as of July 31. They will no longer be available after that date.

To help you out, I have listed below those stamp sets and have made each of them links that take you right to the stamp set so you can see it and even put it in your shopping cart. You're welcome (ha!). The set you see pictured here used on this darling layout is one of the sets that is going bye-bye. Darn! I'll miss him!

The sets below with an asterisk (*) next to them are sets that coordinate with our wonderful Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge. You can see when you click on the link that the stamps that coordinate have an outline around them. When you receive your sets, they will also have the outline around them as well as a measurement of what size to cut that image on your Cricut. Cool beans! The sets below that are bolded and larger print are some of my favorite stamp sets, and are sets that I use often.

Here we go:
Instant Memories
Zoology*
Harvest Happiness*
Unscripted*
Sweet Moments*
Key Moments*
All Hallows Eve*
Christmas Cheer*
Countdown*
Snowflake*
Winter Joy
Harvest Home
Thanksgiving
So Grateful
Captured Moments
Fright Night
Party Animal
A Sip
Nature's Gift
Snow Days
Bundled Buddies
Snow Flurries
All Decked Out
A Holiday*
Holiday Cheer*
Adorn-able
A Twinkle
Tannenbaum
Fill in the Blank - Holiday*
I Believe
Father Christmas
A Timber
St. Nick
Glory to God
Angel Sent
John 3:16
The Present
A Flitter
Treasure Life
Party Pennants
Always Remember
Tag The Occasion
Happy Clusters
Joyful Jar
Month by Month
Gnome Garden
A Game
School Rocks
Live Inspired
Childhood Portrait
Christmas Love
December 25*
Card Chatter-Christmas
Everlasting Life
Holiday Commentary
Holiday Commentary-Spanish
Holiday Commentary - French
Say it in Style
A Little Thanks
Authentic
Made With Love
Live Your Style
Save the Date
Save the Date - French
Save the Date - Spanish
Baroque Alphabet
Friendship Alphabet Small
Friendship Alphabet Large
Field Trip Alphabet
Giggle Caps
Giggle Lowercase
Rustic Numbers
Rustic Alphabet

You can purchase these and many other stamp sets on my website , 24/7...and during the month of June, don't forget that for every 2 your purchase, the third of equal or lesser value is FREE! Who doesn't love FREE?

Have a wonderful day!

Trish

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