Thursday, September 17, 2015

2nd chance to create your own "She Art" with me!!

Thank you to all of these lovely creative friends
who joined me at my "SHE ART" Workshop
last Saturday, September 12th!





I just LOVE to see how each 5x7 Canvas
is transformed into a unique work of art!
These are just a few of the finished creations...

If you had to miss it (or you want to join me again!)
I'm offering another chance to come and create
your own "SHE ART" with me (in my home)
on Saturday, September 19th (6pm-9pm)!

...and because we are using up leftover scraps from
past projects, the fee for the class/materials is 
only $5 per 5x7 canvas!!
(you can expect each canvas to
take 1-2 hours to complete).

Please call/text me at 760-220-0683
or leave me a message online (via Facebook)
to reserve your space now!!

As you can see, the idea behind "She Art" 
is to create a mixed-media piece that features a girl 
and an empowering or heartfelt sentiment
 that represents who you are or who you want to become.

Here are the artwork samples I've
created to inspire you:




I hope you can join us
this Saturday (9/19) for all of the fun!

I also invite you to book your own
"She Art" class/party with me 
(for yourself and a few friends)!
My hostesses easily earn FREE 
Close to my Heart products
while learning and sharing the joy of
creativity (which can include "She Art" 
and/or cardmaking/scrapbooking) with me!

Sunday, September 6, 2015

National Stamping Month Blog Hop! (Hello, Life!)

THANK YOU for stopping by to enjoy our
National Stamping Month Blog Hop!

 If you've just arrived here from WENDY's BLOG
then you are on the correct path.

Today, 40 consultant artists are featuring 
artwork created using these special limited edition 
stamp sets that are available for purchase now:

Hello, Life! - Scrapbooking 

(cc1040)

Hello, Life! - Cardmaking 
(cc1041)

Hello, Life! - Pocket Scrapbooking 
(cc1042)

You can purchase any of these stamp sets
during September 2015 only for $13.95 each,
-or- get ALL three stamp sets for $34.95!!
(which is a savings of $6.90)!


 The card on the top right (above) features a background paper I created myself using our NEW watercolor paints (Z3132) on watercolor paper (Z3146) with our new paintbrush set (Z3188). I also used the September Stamp of the Month, Paper Garden (S1509). The ink colors I used on this card include Black, Fern, and Goldrush. The "Hello Friend" sentiment is from the 
Hello, Life! - Cardmaking stamp set (CC1041).

The card on the left (and below) also features the fun "brushstroke-looking" stamp
that is included in the Hello Life! - Pocket Scrapbooking stamp set (CC1042).
To create the background of this card, I simply started by stamping the same image from top to bottom with Eggplant, Goldrush, and Fern inks. The first (top-most) image is stamped with solid ink coverage on my stamp, and then the second time I stamped it I used "second generation stamp-rolling" technique, which is done by inking the stamp and stamping it off on scratch paper (or why waste ink? Stamp some of the ink off as you stamp the solid image on the card the first time), then roll just the outside edges of the stamp image in the same color ink before stamping it on the card again 
(the white daisy cardstock front is cut to 3.75" x 5").
 

I hope you've enjoyed seeing my creations!
Now you can continue on with the hop
and be inspired by more creative ideas
using this stamp set by visiting
BETH's BLOG next.
Enjoy the hop!!


Wednesday, September 2, 2015

What is FUNdamental Scrapbooking?? (my Convention Presentation!! - Part 1)

So, back in May 2015,
the Close to my Heart home office
called and invited me to be a
"special presenter" at the annual 
Close to my Heart Convention
(at the Disneyland Hotel, in Anaheim, CA)!
Of course I said "Yes!", so... I DID IT!!!
(as scary as it was to be up there, lol).

...and now that the NEW Annual Inspirations
and Holiday Expressions Catalogs have been released
online on September 1st (view catalogs here!!),
I can finally share ALL of the details about
what exactly it is that I shared on stage!!

First, here are a few photos of me as a presenter that day...





Next, here is what I presented on stage
(along with the first two of eight total 
scrapbook layouts that I shared that day):

What is a "Fundamental" Scrapbooker?
 Fundamental scrapbookers like to create clean, uncluttered, and balanced pages that can be completed quickly and without a lot of fuss. We may not care to add any dimensional embellishments that make our pages lumpy/bumpy. We like our photos and journaling to be the main focal points on each page, without too many distracting decorative elements.

A Fundamental scrapbooker may be a beginner 
that we are teaching to scrapbook for the very first time, OR...
It may be someone who is a very experienced 
scrapbooker, like me, that wants to complete their pages 
faster, simpler, and easier!

Even though I do like to take my time being extra creative sometimes, most of the time my busy life as a wife and working mother of five, just doesn't allow as much creative time as I want to have. If you, like me, have ever felt that you lack the time, lack the creativity, or lack the money to afford a lot of product, then Close to my Heart offers us a
simple solution...

FUNdamental Scrapbooking!!
using our new line of Paper Fundamentals and coordinating stickers/embellishments, as well as, our My Reflections paper packs and Complements!

Let me show you what my
"Fundamental" scrapbook pages look like...
(the new products I used are listed beneath each photo below)!!

NEW Paper Fundamentals - Basics (black) Z3128 (p.109)
NEW Fundamental Stickers Pack - Basics (with gold foil) Z3166 (p. 110)
"Piano Man" title is cut from NEW Gold Glitter Paper Z3076 (p. 145)
with the Cricut Artbooking cartridge Z3169 (p. 120)
"Jose Rubio Jr." is stamped with Alphabet stamp set, Jennifer's Hand B1484 (p. 107).

(close-up of the Left page)

(Close-up of the Right page)

NEW Paper Fundamentals - Whimsy (crystal blue & sweet leaf) Z3127 (p.109)
NEW Fundamental Stickers Pack - Basics (with gold foil) Z3166 (p. 110)
ALL of my titles and black/white/grey elements are stickers from this pack!

 (close-up of the Left page)

 (Close-up of the Right page)

Here's a tip on how to easily line up your sticker titles perfectly straight:
First, cut out just the word you want from your 6x12 sticker sheet.
Then, peel back and crease either the top half/bottom half of the sticker backing.
(it helps you to crease the backing more easily if you remove
the "negative" outside part of the stickers from the wax-paper backing also).

Then, lightly press to adhere just the sticky part of your sticker letters to your page wherever you want them. Last, pull away the wax-paper backing from underneath the rest of the stickers and press them in place. If you press them gently at first, then they are easy to remove (and re-adhere) wherever you prefer IF they do happen to move/slide around on you a bit. Now, they are instantly lined-up and spaced evenly and exactly how they came on the sticker sheet!

That's all for now!!
I'll be back to post Part 2 (two more layouts
that I presented on stage) very soon!! :)
 

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

September Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! (Paper Garden S1509)

THANK YOU for stopping by to enjoy our
September Stamp of the Month Blog Hop
featuring this month's SOTM:
Paper Garden S1509


You should have just arrived here from
TRACEY's BLOG.

 Here are the two standard-size cards I created using the
Paper Garden stamp set to share with you today!

The card on the left (and below) uses a patterned paper from the NEVERMORE paper pack (X7198B), which just goes to show you that the Nevermore papers can be used for a lot more than just Halloween!! The NEW Ink colors I used here include Eggplant and Fern. The "Be Happy" sentiment is from one of three stamp sets included with the NEW Cricut Artistry collection Z3167 (D1682 Love Right Now).

The card on the right (and below) features a background paper I created myself using our NEW watercolor paints (Z3132) on watercolor paper (Z3146) with our new paintbrush set (Z3188). The ink colors I used on this card include Black, Fern, and Goldrush. The "Hello Friend" sentiment is from one of the three special stamp sets available during September 2015 only, as part of our National Stamping Month promotion 
(CC1041 Hello, Life! - Cardmaking).

Finally, here is a view that shows all of the
beautiful images included in this stamp set:

Now you can continue on with the hop
and be inspired by more creative ideas
using this stamp set by visiting
Enjoy the hop!!