La Belle Vie

Hello again,

I am getting ready for a Workshop tonight focusing on Valentines Day and got inspired to make a fancy for my Sweetheart. The first one is obviously the front and then the second is a design I saw and tweeked from pinterest. I needed it to fit the taller card so it had to be stretched out a bit. This paper is from the close to my heart La Belle Vie line and will be going away the end of January, the same as Flirty below. 

From my own  experience it is best to stock up on your favorite papers while you can because once they are retired it is a little difficult to track them down. The stamps I used are from the Workshop On The Go sets that we carry featuring the different paper lines. If you have questions about how you can order these supplies, check out my ctmh site or leave a comment. I hope I'm not posting too often but I suppose you have already guessed that I have a lot to say/share and am not afraid (unfortunately at times) to say/share it!! 

Thanks for looking, and if you haven't been here before scroll down so you don't miss anything!
Talk to you soon,

Debbie

Getting Flirty!

Hi there,
I was hoping that title would get your attention. Being it is almost Valentines Day and Love is in the air, I decided to feature the close to my heart paper package, Flirty, today. Wait till you see these papers! As one of my girlfriends puts it I 'went rogue' and used some of my stash embellishments to dress up some cards. The base projects are from Flirty and if you can see the raspberry paper in the background and feature papers, you will agree that this paper is worth the price of the entire set. I LOVE it. So yummy. I saw a model home in Florida one time years ago and it had been decorated around raspberry carpet. It was gorgeous. Ever since then I have dreamed about having the nerve to carpet my house in raspberry.
I have to mention that this is the last few days that you will be able to order the Flirty collections from ctmh as it will be retired the end of January. I will be sad to see it go but glad that I have a little collection to keep me happy!
Hop on over to my ctmh site and check out the whole line of Flirty and matching inks.
Talk to you soon,
Debbie

Hi again!
Here is the set that I made with close to my heart's Whoo's Your Valentine collection. As you can see there is enough product in the kit to not only complete the 12 treat-tube sets, but loads of extra to create some beautiful cards. Plus, I still have paper left for more cards. I did add some blank 4"x 6" cards so I had all white bases. And don't forget after all is said and done (stamped and stuck!) you still have an incredible stamp set to use over and over again!

Check out my ctmh site at  debbiemay.ctmh.com to order your set today. Time is running out for this set the end of January or while supplies last!
Talk to you soon,
Debbie

Hello and Happy New Year!
I have been busy with family and travel since your last visit. After Christmas we headed to Florida for a few days with my aunt. We spent the end of the vacation at Jetty Park in Cocoa Beach, right on the Ocean. We were camping and were able to walk to the pier for fishing and sun. The canal that the pier runs along is the shipping channel for cruise ships, commercial shrimp boats, pleasure boats and wild life! We saw dolphins jumping in the water not fifty feet from us and right at the water line below our feet were sea turtles. Being from Michigan and used to raccoons being something that you rarely see during the day, it came as quite a surprise to see a Mama Raccoon strolling down the pier looking for snacks for her new babies. Man, are things different in the south! I have to say that the salsa at La Cantina didn't disappoint. If you find yourself in Cocoa Beach, stop by and try the chips and salsa. Best ever!
Now that I am home and have the laundry done and the Christmas Tree down, I have been working on my project for this months scrapbooking club. We call it 2nd Monday Club. I would imagine you already figured out what day of the month we meet! We will be doing 2 cards and a bonus 'bag' project. I used the La Belle Vie paper from close to my heart with a few extra embellishments.

The card on the left is layered with a black embossed bouquet. The stamp is from the January Stamp of the Month by close to my heart. A beautiful and versatile set. The little bag in the middle is a cut from the ctmh exclusive cricut cartridge. Wouldn't this be so sweet filled with treats for your beloved? The card on the right  is an idea I saw by a fellow consultant, Dawn Montagano. I changed it up a bit and added an 'I Love You' cut from the cricut cartridge. A few pink gems add a bit of sparkle in the corners. Enjoy!  (I'm going to try and add the picture now........)

Wow, it worked! That was the first time I actually did my own 'add a picture'!!!! I hope it comes out clear for you and you are able to see the details. I love the color combination and think they will be a big hit with my club.
Thanks for visiting and I hope to hear from you soon. Now that I am getting the hang of this (sort of) I just might be posting more often. I did a TON of projects with the 'Whoo's Your Valentine' kit that is being offered this month on my ctmh site. Hop on over and order a few and check out the other amazing supplies that we offer.
Talk to ya soon,
Debbie

OK, here it is!! My first blog Special!

Deals, Deals, Deals.......
If you are familiar with close to my heart scrapbooking products, you will know how the monthly and seasonal specials work. If not, I will try and make this as clear as possible so you can get in on a drawing that I am offering until December 31st, 2012. To see more details about what is available, go to my ctmh web site (debbiemay.ctmh.com) and get ready to have some fun! If I forget to mention it later, the 'while supplies last' section in the shopping list is a really good place to start. We have sales on there that beat even the best of the hobby stores and our quality beats them All the time!
**From now until the end of the month with a minimum $35.00 order from my site, you will be able to choose the new "Whoo's Your Valentine" kit for $10.00. This is a $40.00 retail value kit and they are flying off the shelves in anticipation of the most romantic day of the New Year! Of course every day is romantic in my world!
***With your $50.00 order from my site you not only qualify for the ''Whoo's Your Valentine" kit, but you can also choose the Stamp Of The Month for December for $5.00. These are a $17.95 retail value and this month's set will take you all the way through the New Year with 12 individual stamps, one for each month/ occasion. PLUS: with your $50.00 order from my site you will receive a FREE bonding memories glue pen (retail value $4.50)
****Now that I have your attention, here is where it gets interesting: When you go to my web site (debbiemay.ctmh.com) between now and December 31st, 2012 and place an order of $100.00 or more (this will include the price you actually pay for the items, not the retail value) you will be entered in a drawing to WIN a FREE close to my heart Art Philosophy cricut cartridge. For more information on what is included in the set that we offer, please visit my site.
That's it folks! As you know I am brand new to blogging and this is my first time to do a great big ol' prize give-away just because I can! Thanks for your patience with me as I learn how to blog along with the best.
Breakdown:
Spend $35.- get a $40.Valentine kit for $10.  Spend $50.- get a $40. Valentine kit for $10. a FREE glue pen (web only) and the $17.95 December stamp of the month set for $5. Spend $100. get a $40. Valentine kit for $10., the $17.95 December stamp of the month set for $5., a FREE glue pen (web only) a chance to win the close to my heart Art Philosophy cricut cartridge set (a $125.00 retail value set).
Now scoot on over to my site and have some fun! I look forward to hearing from you!

Please look to the right for a sneak peek at the 'Whoo's Your Valentine'' kit and a shot of the  ctmh  Art Philosophy cricut cartridge set.



 

Quilted Christmas Cards

This was my first attempt at quilted cards. I have quilted with material for years so I just used some of the same patterns used in quilting. II didn't want to put the greeting directly on the 'quilt' so I made a removable band with the sentiment stamped on it. This way your card can be displayed year round and enjoyed for more than the Holidays. These were inspired by a fellow consultant, Susan Daniels.
Here is the first card:

outside view

outside view with the band removed

inside view

Here's the second, square, quilted card:

 outside view

side view with band removed.  This band actually has a tiny piece of velcro on the back for easy on and off!

inside view

Finally, here's the last of the quilted cards:

 outside view

 outside view with band off

inside view 

Materials used:

Pear and Partridge Collection by Close to My Heart (HURRY! Will be retired at the end of January.  ALSO, if you purchase the "on the go" Pear and Partridge Cardshop Workshop, you get this  sentiments stamp along with the papers and a few different embellishments) In addition to the papers and stamp, I used a cuttlebug folder to emboss the design before placing it on the card base. 

Please visit my Close to My Heart website: http://debbiemay.ctmh.com/ to look around and purchase any of the materials I used to make these beautiful quilted cards.  I just can't say enough about the quality of the Close to My Heart products! Also, feel free to email me with any questions. I would be glad to go over in greater detail any of the steps I used to make the cards!

Welcome to my new Blog. You will see that I am just learning how to use the whole blogging system but my daughter-in-law says I need to drag myself into the 21st Century and to do that I need a blog.
So here goes.
I suppose I need to state a goal for my blog. I would say that my intention is to share with you ways that you can create beautiful or at least interesting things. I am an independent consultant for close to my heart scrapbooking products but beyond that I am an artist. I make things. I paint, draw, sew, build. I have always been willing to try any type of creative project because I was taught at a young age that we can do anything we put our mind to. I'm not saying that we are always successful at all things, but the willingness to try gives you a better chance at success than not trying.
OK, stay tuned and I will try to be entertaining as well as helpful. I hope to show you some projects that I have worked on and be able to include photos and directions when needed.
Thanks for visiting,
Debbie