First Circle Card EVER!!

I have not really been a big fan of the circle cards. I like the way they look and all, just was not sure what purpose they served! LOL Well, I chose to create a 4 1/2 inch circle card from Close to my Heart's card book "Wishes" as my swap card for December. This was a HUGE challenge for me, which is why I chose to make one.....

I thought that I would show you the progression of how my card came to be, or will be! The first card started out with just the lamp from the "Welcome Home" stamp set. The little squares around the edge are from the stamp set "Circle Around".

After completing this, I felt like something was missing. So, I went online to ask my fellow CTMH sistahs what they thought..... A few said something needed to be added to the left of the lamp, maybe the couch or the end table. A couple suggested adding random stamping to the blue cs. So, I did both....added a couch AND random stamping.


Now that I have it with and without the random stamping, I cannot decide which one I like the best. Any thoughts??


As I am posting these photos I am noticing that the cards are NOT straight.....kind of hard to do when dealing with a circle.....so please forgive the crookedness of the cards!

Well, I am off to watch My Sister's Keeper with my family! I hear it is really sad.......better go get the kleenex before I sit down.....

Hope to have inspired you to create your OWN circle card.....now that I have created one, I WILL be creating MANY more!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Jen

Close to my Heart Clearance Sale!!!

Check out Close to my Heart's Clearance on my website! You can get Level 1 Scrapbook Kits for as low as $5 and Level 2 Paper Packs for $6.50!! There are ribbon rounds for as low as $4 and stamp sets ranging from $2-$8! That is just to mention a few of the awesome items that are being clearanced......

Whether you are a long time customer or are curious as to the quality of the products, there is something in this Clearance Sale for YOU!!

Make sure to stop by to see what deals there are to be had! They are still adding items to this sale too.......

Go to www.lovinscrappin.myctmh.com and check out the sale. You can order directly from the website and it will be delivered to your front door! Hurry, because this sale ends December 17th! Deals like this won't be around forever......darn it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Check back soon for a circle card that I am in the process of creating using "Sweet Home" papers.....CUTE!!

Now get over to my website (or your CTMH rep's website) and check out the sale!

jen

I have GREAT news!!

We hired someone to come into the office 2 days a week!! I am so excited to have a little bit of crafting time back!! Well, I will have to share it with the laundry. BUT I also have someone to come in every other week to clean my house! So a little less cleaning and a little more crafting!! WOOT WOOT!!

OK let's get on to the cute stuff! Last week was my monthly unit swap! So, I am sharing my creation. Keep in mind as you are looking at these darling little happy snowmen that I created 11 cards all on the same day that my swap was due!

When I arrived at my unit meeting 10 minutes late, my upline Shari came over to me and asked to see my hands.......UH OH.....they were still covered in Tulip ink from distressing all the edges! She then turned to the rest of the group there told them they owed her $10! So, maybe I have shown up too many times on the night of the unit meeting with inky fingers from finishing up swaps! ROFL

I searched the CTMH card book "Wishes" for a 3x6 card pattern to create this card. Well, I started out following 1 pattern, but then ended up completely making up my own! I used my corner rounder with the guard off to create the scalloped border. The paper I used is from the paper pack "Jingle" and the stamp set is my all time favorite "Snow Friends". I don't think I will EVER tire of this set! LOL It is little hard to tell from this photo, but there is Prisma Glitter on the buttons of each snowman and on the ground around them.

If you like the "Snow Friends" stamp set as much as I do, then you are in luck! This month when you purchase 2 stamp sets from CTMH, you will receive the 3rd for FREE! Check out my website www.lovinscrappin.myctmh.com for more details!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hope that I have inspired you to get out your happy little snowmen stamps and play too!!

Jen

P.S. I am now a consultant for Tastefully Simple! If you have never heard of this company, you really need to check out my TS website! If you have and you LOVE the stuff but don't have a rep in your area, you can order it from my website and it will be delivered directly to YOU!! Need a little extra spending cash? Check out the opportunities that are available through TS!

Life just does not get much better than this! I can eat yummy food while I scrapbook and get paid for both!! LOL

FALL BOUTIQUE THIS SATURDAY

Fall Boutique
Open House

Saturday November 14th
10am-2pm

17831 Englewood Circle
Hawthorne Subdivision 180th/Q

Door prize drawings every half hour!
Shop and Browse From These Vendors:

Mary Kay Cosmetics from Lisa Vehle

Premier Jewelry from Sheryl Paskevic

Longaberger Baskets from Julie Korte

Lets Do Tea from Deb Yates

Tastefully Simple from Rebecca Maschka

Close to my Heart from Jennifer Bennett

Scentsy from Becky Crafton

Pampered Chef from Gail Klemp


FREE Stamp Set!!

PLUS a beautiful full color brochure with directions for a 2 page layout.

All you need to do is stop by the Fall Boutique on Saturday and place a $25 Close to my Heart order and you will receive $23.95 in FREE stuff!

Remember Stampaganza! Order 2 stamp sets in November you receive a 3rd stamp set for FREE.

Finally my HAS card......Humble Artists Swap

Sooo, life has been a little crazy for me lately. Last week I worked 30 hours and have been averaging 25-30 each week. For some, this may not seem like a lot of hours, however I have been a SAHM for 15 years and this is WAAAYYY more time away from the home than I am used to! LOL I am actually thinking about breaking down and hiring someone to clean my home once a week......that is a hard thing for me to do since I think that I should be able to do it ALL myself....admitting that I might need help does NOT come easy for me.....

I am trying to adjust to my new schedule while keeping up and trying to grow my CTMH business. Some things have had to go on hold.....unfortunately it was my HAS card. So Sorry!!!! BUT I completed it and sent it out last week and here it is this week.



The pattern for this card can be found in the CTMH card program "Wishes". This was such a fun card to make! I went through a couple of different papers, but once I used these 2, it all came together!! The fun part about this is that the card changes with each square of paper that I cut. So each card, even though it is made with the same 2 papers, looks a bit different from each other.



The stamp set I used is "You're a Hoot". The papers used come from the "Grace" Level 2 paper pack. I added the new Crystal Blue Waxy Flax along with Antiqued Copper Brads and a Circle Window Charm for my embellishments.

There really is no special technique this time....the card kind of takes care of that for me as it is unique in itself. I do however have an AWESOME technique that I will show you next time I post.....maybe you have all seen it before, but it is new to me and it is SUPER COOL!!!!!

Well, thanks for stopping by!!

Hope I have inspired in some way....maybe creatively OR maybe made you feel like you are NOT the only one who needs a little extra help around the house....LOL Anyone ever feel like me? I feel like a failure in a way when I can't seem to keep up with my housework and I am NOT working full time....uugghhh

OK enough of the pitty party! LOL

Have a GREAT Sunday!!! Maybe I will be able to post again soon!

Jen

How about another swap card?

This is the card that I made for the unit swap that I participate in each month. This card was thrown together last minute....and I really mean LAST minute!! LOL I was cutting out leaves as my daughter tried on ballet shoes for dance that night! I was thinking that I had 1 more day to be able to create a card, but September's unit meeting snuck up on me. If it were a snake, it would have bit me! LOL

If you have seen the CTMH Autumn/Winter Idea Book, then you have seen the super cool technique that is used with the Many Thanks stamp set and Twitterpated papers. If you have NOT seen the Autumn/Winter Idea book then you NEED TO!! LOL

If you like this card, you can find the pattern for it in the CTMH "Wishes" card program book. The card opens up from the top where the Sorbet Waxy Flax is attached to the Colonial White Bigger Brad.

The technique used to create the 2 tone look with the brushed look can be done 1 of 2 ways. The way that CTMH shows in the Autumn/Winter Idea Book is where you put a few drops of Sorbet Reinker on a craft paint tray, run a 1" craft paint brush through it and apply it to the stamp that you want to use.

My version of this technique is a little easier......I inked my stamp in my Sorbet ink pad, took my stipple brush and ran it over the inked image, then just stamped!

Since that made such a super cool effect on my leaves, I thought I would take it up a notch and ink the stamp in either Sorbet or Sweet Leaf ink, then roll the edges in Chocolate ink THEN run my stipple brush over the inked image and stamp. This way I ended up with a 2 tone distressed leaf!!

Well, I am on to finish this month's swap......which I actually know what I am making ahead of time!!! Now to cut for 10 cards before next Tuesday......should be easy, RIGHT??? LOL Anyone who knows me, knows that I will be cutting out and inking everything the day of swap!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hope that you have found inspiration in this technique. If you would like a visual for the CTMH version of this gorgeous technique, go to my website www.lovinscrappin.myctmh.com and check out the Autumn/Winter Idea Book ONLINE!! See something you like? Contact me, or just order it on my webiste!!

Jen

I am on a scrapbook roll........

Lately, I have been concentrating on getting pages done. I LOVE to create cards as they are sometimes a little less scary to put together than a 12 x 12 page, BUT I have a TON of photos that are desperately in need of pages!

A few months back I came accross this awesome workshop that a fellow CTMH consultant Robin created and shared. I had been looking for a multi-page workshop since the CTMH Base Pages had been retired and this is EXACTLY what I needed!!!!

This workshop requires 1 Level 2 My Reflections paper pack along with extra CS to complete the pages. I had actually bought the Majestic Blue paper pack a year before with the intent of using it for my Jamaica photos. So, I thought I would pull it out and give it a try with this workshop.

LOVED IT!!!! Only 1 slight problem.....Moon Doggie came out in the Summer Idea Book right after I had completed these pages! The colors and flowers in Moon Doggie went much better with my Jamaica photos than the Majestic Blue papers. SOOOO I pulled out my beach photos from our trip to Florida last year and started going to town. MUCH BETTER......

Here are a few of the pages that I have almost completed.....I mean almost because I have not journaled on them YET!