Saturday, April 30, 2016

Today is the last day

I just submitted all my Studio J purchases!  Woohoo!  If you have not done so, please work on them now.  Unfortunately there will be no extension so if they are not redeemed, they will be forfeited.

Today is also the last day to purchase products from the Seasonal Expressions 1.  Starting tomorrow, when the Seasonal Expressions 2 goes live, most products from the current mini catalog will become unavailable.

April's promotion Baby, I'm worth it is ending in just a few hours.  If you want to know more about the perks of signing up this month, please read the details here.

Life in Pictures, Stamp of the Month of April will be discontinued as well.  Act fast if you like it!

Apart from various reminders, I also want to share with you a layout I made using the cute Regatta paper.  It has a nautical theme but it is not limited to that:


Last year I took a class taught by Amy Tangerine and I had so much fun!  I had to take pictures with her as well!  The pictures were captured by my iPhone but the quality wasn't bad at all! :)

I'm entering the challenge at Heart 2 Heart challenges.  It is challenging us to use Regatta paper.  If you have got the paper but are thinking about using it for something other than a beach/nautical themed project, go to the challenge page and be inspired by the beautiful work made by H2H design team!

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, April 29, 2016

An Update

Happy Friday!

A few reminders while we approach to the end of the month.

1)  Sadly, Studio J will be discontinued by the end of April 2016.  If you have purchased those 5-packs or layouts but haven't used them, please do so immediately.  After April 30, 2016, we won't be able to access it anymore.

2)  Life in Pictures, this month's Stamp of the Month will discontinue April 30, 2016 as well.  Below is a card and a layout I made earlier this month using this set:




Camera motifs can be used on ALL sorts of projects.  Don't miss this one. :)

3)  Baby, I'm Worth It promotion will also end by April 30, 2016.  Before then, if you sign up as a consultant, not only will you get your beautiful New Consultant Kit at a new, lower price, but when you submit $350 in personal sales within the first 30 days, you get your choice of either a FREE Cricut collection or $100 in Select Product Credit, that's in addition to the Straight To The Top start-up bonus you'll earn!  If you are on the fence, don't wait any longer.  This is the best time!

4)  Most of the products shown in the Seasonal Expressions 1 will retire by the end of this month.  Unlike before where Cricut compatible stamp sets will carry forward, Close to My Heart has changed its policy and decided to retire them as the next Seasonal Expressions becomes live.  So if you have been debating about certain products, don't wait too long!  My favorite is the Charlotte paper pack/Workshops Your Way.  The neutral colors are so versatile!  Love it!

I'm off to finish my Studio J layouts.  Have a great weekend!

Monday, April 25, 2016

Dinner at Ikko

Last July, I had the opportunity to enjoy a nice Japanese dinner at a restaurant called Ikko.  I took many pictures of the food, despite the dark interior of the restaurant.

I have finally developed the pictures to create a scrapbook page:


I had to make two layouts - one for the food and one for the gluttons.  This one is dedicated to the food.  Sorry about the glare.  I wish I knew how to take better pictures without background lighting.  Note to self:  try taking pictures during daytime instead.  LOL.

I'm entering the challenge at Heart 2 Heart.  The theme is Photo Op.  For me, I'd love to capture all those little moments in life - those with family and friends are the precious ones, even if we are not doing anything special.  Years later, these photos/layouts will help us remember what happened.  I've specifically added two camera motives onto this layout.

Those cameras come from Life in Pictures, this month's Stamp of the Month.  There are only a few days left to get this cute stamp set.   Camera images can be used for cards and layouts. I've made a card here.  It was just one image but with different colors, the camera image makes me smile.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

Friday, April 22, 2016

Seriously Thanks for Everything

Happy Friday!

I'm sharing a quick and easy masculine Thank You card today.  In general I think the most difficult part on a masculine card is to strike the balance that it is simple and clean enough for a guy card but at the same time interesting and fun enough as a handmade card.

For this one I'm using patterned paper from the Regatta collection:

The Regatta collection has a nautical theme but it can be used in so many other themed projects.  I have made scrapbook layouts that are in no way related to the sea, beach, or even summer.

For this masculine card, I used one of the card sketches from Make it from Your Heart Vol. I.  I used the wavy background stamp in the Jumping Geometrics set to create my own patterned paper for the background.  Tone-on-tone stamping is one of my faves and I just couldn't resist it for this card.  The sentiment comes from the set Stamps of Approval, which will retire end of this month. This set has five badge-like images that are great for card-makers.  I'm sad to see it go but happy to make room for new products. :)

To add a finishing touch, I included a strip of silver shimmer tape.  These shimmer tapes last forever (I'm not complaining!). :)  They are a great helper to add a little something to any projects.  I like that they last forever and are easy to use.

My card is entering the following challenges:
Inky Impressions - All about boys
The Paper Shelter - For the Boys
Crafty Girls Creations - Anything Goes
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Monday, April 18, 2016

A baby card

Happy Monday!  I'm afraid this post goes up rather late this Monday.

I mentioned last week that I would be working on my cousin's birthday card but I got distracted and made a detour - a baby card.

Baby J arrived late February and is just about ready to meet with us.  I wanted to make a card for his parents (and sneak in a gift card for them).  Although they insisted that they really don't need anything, since J has all the hand-me-downs from his older brother K, I feel bad that when K was born, there was a shower and he got many gifts while J only has hand-me-downs.  I want to fair with both K and J! LOL.  Oh well, if his parents insist, there is no reason to argue with them.  I'm sure there are many many opportunities in the future that I could send a gift to J.

The card I made for J's parents followed the sketch from Hearts 2 Hearts Challenge:


It has been a while since I last played at H2H but I can't miss this one because I love sketch challenges!   My card used the mirror image of the sketch:


I can't help but using my trusty Zoe paper pack.  Don't you agree that the bright colors are great for a Congrats card?  I've also mentioned numerous times that the patterns are so generic that you could use it for a wide variety of projects.  Love it!

I've also used the stamp sets Baby Zoo, Packages, Boxes and Tags for the elephant and the sentiment. Both of these stamps will be retiring on July 31, 2016.  If you are interested in them, do not wait until the last minute!  The White enamel stars are another of my favorite.  They just work on almost all projects!  The best thing?  Use your alcohol markers to turn them into any color you like.  Who says they have to be white?  Make them blue, yellow, whatever!

My card is also entering the following:
Ellibelle's Creative Moments - Critters/Creature
Dream Valley - Anything Goes
Our Crafty Corner - Anything Goes
Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week ahead!

Friday, April 15, 2016

Have a magical day!

Happy Friday and have a magical day!

Today I'm sharing a card that I made for my sister-in-law.  Her birthday is in May but there are so many cards I have to send out in May so I have to start making them early.

I really like the Fairy Friends set from Lawn Fawn and decided to make a birthday card for my SIL with it.  It's a window card again!


I can't resist making window cards.  They didn't involve a lot of effort but they sure do add a lot of interest!

In addition to using the Fairy Friends set, I also used the snow globe from Ready, Set, Snow, the sun and clouds from Hello Sunshine, flowers from Happy Easter, and the grassy border die.  The perfectly plaid paper was a must for the background!  It adds a lot of colors to the card!

I got to work on my cousin's birthday card next........my project for this weekend. :)

My card is linking to the following:
A bit more time to craft - anything goes
2 creative chicks - anything goes
Crafty gals corner - die cuts
Crafting with an attitude - anything goes

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Monday, April 11, 2016

For My Mom

Happy Monday!

As we are approaching mid-April, I have to start the many cards needed in May.  I'll have to make a Mother's Day card for my mom and her mom, then several birthday cards, including a masculine one that has already started giving me headaches.  This masculine card will go to my mentor and every year I strive to make it better than the one sent in previous years.

I do not want that worry to ruin my entire card making journey for May, so I'll start with Mother's Day cards.  An early start should prevent stress later.  :)  I have always been a fan of window cards because they are super fun.  Then I realized that even my mom has never received a window card from me.  So I was determined to make one for her.

While I was searching for inspiration, it occurred to me that I have not played along with any sketch challenges for a long time so I went online to see the current sketch challenge.  I found this one on Sunday Stamps:


The circle in the middle of the banner presents a perfect opportunity for me to make a window card:


When the card opens, it looks like this:


I love this owl image from Lawn Fawn.  It is oh-so-cute!  It has been a while since I played with my copic markers so I can't help taking them out and color the owls.  My mom is currently in Tokyo, and I'm hoping that she will find a retailer of Copic markers and fulfill my wish list.  (My mom is a shopper, but when she saw my list she wondered if something went wrong and almost fainted when I said that was actually my shortened list.)   I'm still debating whether I'll stamp or write "Happy Mother's Day!" inside the card.  I guess I'll make the decision when I'm about to send it out.

When I first saw the sketch I thought I would use a circle as the window, but then I thought a heart shape would be better because, it's for my mom!  And red polka dots will be appropriate for the heart inside the card.  I like that the red polka dots make a big contrast with the blue plaid pattern on the card front.  I hope my mom will like it too!

My card is linking up to the following:
Sunday Stamps - see sketch above
Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
Crafty Boots - Use a Sentiment
Incy Wincy - Color Me Wonderful
Our Crafty Corner - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, April 8, 2016

Quick update

Happy Friday!

I am just back from heaven where I was having fun with my niece and nephew!  Needless to say I didn't have time to craft at all but I wouldn't trade that for anything.  It was very sweet of R, my little niece, that was asking for me after I had left, and kept asking where I was and when I would return.  That little sweetheart!

My little nephew J just turned one and he has a veracious appetite.  I fed him with a full bowl of cereal, then a full cup of yogurt and he still wanted to have more.  I heard that he would throw a tantrum if you start cleaning the table while he's still hungry.  That didn't happen to me.  LOL.

I am back to share the April deals from Close to My Heart.

First, you can't pass up the cute stamp of the month:


I've a quick card here if you'd like some inspiration.

These camera images are also good for scrapbooking purposes:



If you'd like to have a great focal image on the front cover of your album:



Stamp of the Month is always a bargain.  When you place an order of $50 or more, you only pay $5 for this special stamp set.  But if you wish, you could pay the full price of $17.95 for this set.

Another great deal in this month is called Baby I'm Worth It:


Signing up as a new Consultant with Close To My Heart during April is more rewarding than ever. Not only does your new Team member will you get a beautiful New Consultant Kit at a new, lower price, but when you submit $350 in personal sales within your first 30 days*, you gets your choice of either a FREE Cricut® collection or $100 in Select Product Credit—and that’s in addition to the Straight To The Top start-up bonus that you’ll earn along the way!

So if earning money—and rewards—through your love of scrapbooking and stamping sounds like a dream job, then now is the perfect time to join Close To My Heart. 

* The 30-day period begins five days (US) or ten days (CA) after the New Consultant Kit has been shipped.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Friday, April 1, 2016

April is here!

Happy Friday everyone!

Anything happened on April Fool's Day yet?

Today, I'm sharing a card that used only two stamp images.  I used one of the cameras from Life in Pictures, the Stamp of the Month in April 2016 to create a colorful background, then stamped it in black, added the greeting "smile" to finish up the card.


The colors I've used are: Sunset, Canary, Lagoon, Crystal Blue and Thistle.  The colors are arranged in rainbow order, so they coordinate nicely. :)

A friend of mine is going through some difficulties.  I hope this card will bring a smile to her face.

My card is entering the following challenges:
Simply papercraft - Anything Goes
Kittybee - Friendship
Stamping with Dragon - Anything Goes
Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes
Brown Sugar - Anything Goes
A Beautiful Mess - Anything Goes

I'm off to spend the weekend with my lovely niece and nephew.  Have a great weekend!  When I return I'll share more about the April specials. :)

Thanks for stopping by!