Overlay Card

I've been enjoying making this style of card lately...3-D flowers on top of intricately cut out overlay cards (thanks to the Cricut Artfully Sent and Art Philosophy cartridges).

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January specials

Close to My Heart has two wonderful specials this month:

In celebration of National Papercrafting Month, Close To My Heart invites you to reflect on the things that make you who you are and on what you want to accomplish in the coming months. Then, with the help of the Year >> Noted paper kit, record your experiences and goals! During the month of January, with a qualifying purchase of $50, you are eligible to purchase the exclusive Year >> Noted paper kit (which has a retail value of over $24) for only $5—that’s over 80% off retail! Or, for an additional $5, you can order the Year >> Noted paper kit with an accompanying My Creations™ kraft mini book. The paper kit for both options includes a C-size stamp set, stickers, cardstocks, and B&T Duos™ papers, all specially designed to coordinate with the My Creations™ kraft mini book so you can have a yearlong scrapbooking experience. This means you will receive over $34  worth of product for only $10 if you purchase the kit with the accompanying mini book! But the fun doesn’t end there—included on the sticker sheet, you will find a large golden seal. Once the year is done and all the pages are filled, seal up your book and create a mini time capsule that you can open years from now. 

During the month of January, all Gatherings that reach $350 or higher will be eligible to receive up to 50% more Hostess Rewards! This means an additional $30, giving you the opportunity to earn up to $230 or more in select free products. This offer is only available during January and is the ideal pairing for your National Papercrafting Month Gatherings, so join in the celebration and watch your earnings grow!Pin It

Tardis Card made with Artfully Sent

So I don't know how successful I was but I tried to make a "Tardis" card for a friend who is a Dr. Who fan. It doesn't say Police Public Call Box and it doesn't have a litle light on top but I think it gives the impression of a Tardis...maybe? I love the detailed cuts on this made with the handy dandy Artfully Sent Cricut cartridge.

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Superhero Pop Up Card Made with Artfully Sent

I needed a quick and cute card that would be appropriate for a young boy's birthday so, of course, I looked to my Artfully Sent Cricut cartridge. Believe it or not, I hadn't yet made any of the many pop up cards that are on there. The superhero card caught my eye and this is what I came up with.

Even though I made this card with a preschooler in mind, when my sixteen-year-old saw it, he thought it was pretty cool. There was even an audible gasp or two!

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Artiste Valentine

Here's what I thought would be a simple card since the Cricut and the Artistes cartridge do most of the work. But I don't have the newest version of the Cricut. I have a Cricut Expression and haven't really tried connecting to Craft Room or Design Space or whatever and I just take guesses at sizes sometime! So it took me a few tries to get a reasonable sized card. 

This is the card when it's all opened up. The hearts have slits which fit together. I also put my paper the "wrong" way on my Cricut sheet because I wanted the pattern to show differently. I ended up using the red pattern which I originally wanted on the outside to be on the inside! Then I added scraps to the outside to make the red pattern go the way I wanted. I'll probably spruce up the inside too!

 Here's the card folded up.

 And a side view...

 ...and all of my tries from Lilliputian to somewhat normal sized. The little ones are cute though. I'll probably use them for something!

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Treasures of the Heart

The little envelope which says, "Treasures from the Heart," is from the My Crush™ Besties Assortment, a collection of journaling cards, stickers, and mini envelopes that go well with the My Crush books but, as you see here, can go on any paper crafted product you like! I used one on my card that I posted yesterday. I used the Artiste Cricut cartridge to cut out the card and the hearts from the Heartstrings papers and the Art Philosophy cartridge to cut out the roses. I also included a little puffy heart sticker from the Chalk It Up Assortment.

 Here's the card opened. I added the teal paper to the square side. I think I will add a light colored piece of cardstock or other journaling card to write a message on.

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3-D Flower All Occasion Card

Here's an all-occasion card I made using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge, the Artiste Cricut cartridge and a variety of papers including our new Heartstrings, Brushed, and the retired Babycakes, as well as a journaling card (the yellow diagonal striped part) from the My Crush™ Besties Assortment. I'm learning to mix and match!

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One Little Word

Last night I signed up for Ali Edwards One Little Word workshop. If you haven't heard of the One Little Word concept, check Ali's blog or the link to her workshop, but basically, every January, she picks a word that she can focus and reflect on for that year. Ali is a big believer in the power of words. One of the things I love about her scrapbooking is the storytelling aspect of it and how she uses words to great effect. In one of her blog posts about it, Ali describes One Little Word as a way to think about what you want for yourself in the new year. I like it better than resolutions!

Although I've picked words for myself these past few years, I've never really done much with them.  I hadn't even thought about picking a word this year but I stumbled upon a post about it last night and a word just popped into my mind. Wouldn't you know it, that word just wouldn't leave...so I thought I should try it out. I decided to sign up for Ali's workshop to be a bit more purposeful about my word this year.

For me, much of this past year has been an exercise of just making it through the day. Not every day was like that of course and I'm grateful that nothing tragic happened. It's just life happening. Working more, having some medical things happen (which were basically little but big enough to require a good amount of time to pay attention to them) both to me and to members of my family and knowing that a number of life changing events will be happening soon.

This is not to say that I didn't try to do a little more than just make it through the day. But more than a couple of things/events/trips we planned on just weren't able to happen. A lot of the good stuff I had done for myself in the previous years (specifically starting to exercise regularly and eating better) took a backseat to survival mode. It didn't make me feel that great about myself but I knew better than to beat myself up about it.

I do feel like I did what I needed to take care of myself and I am in a good place now. I am excited about moving on and my One Little Word for 2015 seems like a no brainer after writing all of this: renew. It is definitely my time to renew.

re·new

 verb \ri-ˈnü, -ˈnyü\

: to make (something) new, fresh, or strong again

: to make (a promise, vow, etc.) again

: to begin (something) again especially with more force or enthusiasm

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