September is National Stamping Month - Let the Stamping Begin!

Wow does Close To My Heart have a great special this month for National Stamping Month.  Check it out:

In a time that there is so much hate in this world, Close To My Heart wanted to encourage the consultants and customers to spread a little kindness around the world.  I love this idea.  You may think I'm one of those hippie baby boomers but I think that if we all just treated everyone with love and respect, so much crazy stuff just wouldn't exist.  All you need is love!  And maybe by sharing these mini cards with a police officer, or a student that seems down, or your waitress that is gruff, you will start a positive change reaction.  Like that?  Instead of chain reaction, let's start our own change reaction!  I challenge you all to go to my website and order this great kit that will allow you to create 24 mini cards.  Once you get it, see how fast they come together.  Then, for part 3 of the challenge, start sharing them  to spread some kindness.  Then, come back here and tell me how you used the cards.  I will also be doing this in September.  Keep your eyes open on social media for #createkindness to see other people's stories.

Picture My Life Fun!

Time for a Technique Blog Hop

This month we were challenged to use a Picture My Life (PML) card in an original creation. If you are coming from Kirsten Jade's blog, you are in the right spot.

I needed to make a birthday card so I reviewed my stash of PML cards and chose from the Gold Watercolor dotted card that I painted with my Watercolor Paints.  I also used some scraps from the Magical Paper Packet.  I finished the card with the Amusement Park and Kaleidoscope Cardmaking Workshop Acrylix Stamp Sets and watercolored them in with a very fine tipped paintbrush.  

Notice how the gold accents resist the watercolors?  Also, this was a 4x6 PML card but each pack includes some in the 3x4 size as well.  Even if you don't partake in pocket style scrapbooking, you will find so many other uses for these PML cards.  Hop on over to Helen Gullett's blog to continue to find more ideas.

CTMH Technique Blog Hop - Color Your World

If you are coming from Wendy Kessler's Blog  you are in the right place.

This month our featured technique is coloring.  The idea was to use markers, watercolor paints, or watercolor pencils. Since I am ready to escape to a beach, I was inspired to bring a little beach fun to me but using the Beach Life Stamp Set that is in the Seasonal Expressions 2 catalog.   

First I used our medium round waterbrush along with the desert sand watercolor pencil to paint a background.  Once that was dry, I then stamped the sand castle on top of it using the Desert Sand Stamp Pad.  By using the water based ink as the last step, it does not fade or run.  I stamped the bucket using the Momento Black ink and then colored it using our versa mark markers.  The card was complemented using the Calypso Compliments.  Now I'm ready to hit the sand!

Now hop on over to Kirsten Jade's blog to continue seeing all the fun coloring techniques!

If you want to order this cute stamp set, please hop on over to webpage and get all your summer, beachy, vacationy stamps, papers, and compliments!

Happy Times Blog Hop

Today's blog post is for a blog hop I am participating in using our National Scrapbook Month specialty paper pack, Happy Times.  If you are coming from Tonya Whitehurst's blog, you are in the right place.  Continue reading and then you will be directed at the bottom of the page for where to hop to see another example of great artwork created by my team members.

I used the pretty floral paper and cut it on a diagonal, then accordian folded it at the 1/2", then 1/4".  I used the resist technique by using my watercolor paints over one of the new watercolor Picture My Life cards.  I rounded it all out with cardstock and a flower fromt he Happy Times stamp set.  If you love this paper pack as much as I do, go here to order today.  Hurry because it is only available in May while supplies last.

If you started hopping with Melissa Robinson's blog, then you are at the end of the hop.  If not, click HERE to get back to the beginning.

Pau Hana Day Crops in Mansfield!

Pau Hana means "finished work". I thought that could be an appropriate name for a retreat, whether it is because we are celebrating with being off work for the summer or celebrating that we WILL get lot's of UFO's finished this weekend, come join me for a guarenteed fun crop.  Although the overnight retreat spots are filled, there is still an opportunity to come spend the days with us to crop, play, and relax.  The days available are from June 23 - 27.  You can come for one or for all 5 days.  If you sign up and prepay for all 5 days, you will get a $15 discount, that's just $75 for 5 days of cropping!  Just go over to my events page on Sassy's Creations Facebook page to sign up and see all the details.  Space is limited so don't wait too long to sign up!

CTMH Technique Blog Hop - Let’s Interact

If you are coming from Wendy Kessler's Blog you are in the right place.

What a fun challenge this Blog Hop is this month. I have made explosion cards before but I needed a special card for a special kiddo from school so I made this slider type of card.  Let me explain.  We have a great kid that is at the school I work at and I always have a big cup from Lambert's Cafe with me.  He asked me one day what the guy on it was throwing.  I told him it was rolls, that there is this restaurant in Missouri that is the Home of Throwed Rolls.  They will actually throw rolls from across the restaurant to you.  He became fascinated with this.  So, one day, my cousin had posted some videos of her kids catching rolls there.  I showed my friend Q and he thought they needed to change the 4th grade field trip from the Texas Capital to Lambert's Cafe.  So, since he will be leaving Erma Nash this year, I wanted to get him his own cup to hopefully remember me by because I will most definitely remember my little Gamer Buddy!  He's going to be missed by all of us!  I used some scraps from the Urban Paper Pack and the new stamp set "Smarty Pants Occasions" along with my watercolor pencils and the new Waterbrush Medium Point for blending.

I am so lucky to work in an elementary school and get to have millions of smiles from great kids like Q.  I hope you all are as blessed to be touched by the innocence of children because there is nothing as wonderful!

Now hop on over to Kirsten Jade's Blog to continue the hop!

National Scrapbook Month Makes for Happy Times!

Guess what?  May is National Scrapbook Month.  I don't know about you but with me that means more time with my scrappin sisters and lots of opportunities to spend money on scrapping supplies.  My husband hates May for that reason - LOL!  Well, I want to let you all know about a special crop I have planned for May 22 from 12 - 5pm.  You can go here to see all the details of the crop.

Oh and do you see the pretty picture above?  I used a special paper pack to create those cards.  Here's a couple of close ups:

Close To My Heart has released the Happy Times Paper Pack and a Happy Times Stamp set that will only be available in the month of May while supplies last.  Speaking from experience, these paper packs and stamp sets go very fast so hurry up and either secure your space now for the crop or order yours starting May 1st on my website.

How to follow our Cutting Guides - Regatta Workshop Your Way

Do you feel like you have a hard time cutting your paper correctly to assemble the layouts in a CTMH kit?  Well, Close To My Heart has developed a video series that is super helpful in taking you through the steps of one of our Workshops Your Way.  Here is the first video for the Regatta Workshop Your Way - Cutting Guide.

There are three more videos that show you how to assemble the layouts, Picture My Life layouts, and cards.  Just keep watching on YouTube.  If you are interested in ordering this Regatta Workshop Your Way, you better hurry on over here because it will only be available until April 30th.

SOON TO BE GONE!!!!!

Hurry before it's too late.  Products in the Seasonal Expressions 1 catalog are retiring on April 30th.  Go HERE to shop for the items.  Let me remind you of some of the cute Workshops Your Way.

We have the Charlotte, Penelope, and the Regatta Paper Packs.

And don't forget there are some really cute stamp sets that will be going bye bye as well so don't wait, order now.  Is there just too much stuff that you want but the budget is tight?  Host a Gathering with me before the end of the month and earn some goodies for free!! Just click LET'S PARTY

Crop Club Forming Now!

What is a Crop Club you ask?  

Well, it is a group of 6 - 10 people that love papercrafting and want to earn free products by hanging out with friends and crafting.

I don't have time?

This is a great opportunity to set aside a couple of hours each month for YOU TIME, YOU DESERVE IT!

How does it work?

As a group, you decide on your monthly spending committment, when and for how long we play, and then we rotate the Hostess Rewards among the members.

For Example:

I currently have a club that meets on one Saturday afternoon for four hours per month.  There are 9 members and they have committed to spending $35 each month.  The two months that they have met, the hostess's each earned $100 in free product and 2 half-priced items, averaging $152 in savings.

Great news is that we can meet at my house so noone has to clean or be worried about where to go with 10 people.

If you are interested in joining a club, please comment below with your email address and I will contact you.

SWEET 16

  

My baby girl is 16 today - Happy Sweet 16th Sydney!  I love you so much and am so proud of the young lady you have become.  

In honor of her 16th birthday, I made a special explosion card with the La Vie En Rose paper pack and some pomegranite and black cardstock.  She is my little punk rocker that loves playing the guitar so I cut some guitars out of a Cricut cartridge (one from my supply -not one of the Close To My Heart ones).  Take a look:

I am looking forward to making her a special cake and hanging onto, oops, I mean out with, her as long as I can.  

If you love the basic black and white patterns, you can shop for the La Vie En Rose paper packet HERE

Until next time, ROCK ON!.

Technique Blog Hop - RESISTING CAN BE FUN

If you are coming from Tammy Lubic's Blog you have come to the right place.

The challenge of this technique blog hop was to do the resist technique.  Here's my one page layout that I did of my husband's birthday celebration at TX Roadhouse:

I embossed the words CLICK! SNAP! SMILE! from the April Stamp of the Month Acrylix Stamp Set with White Embossing Powder.  Then, I applied a brushed hombre look over the embossing with our blue Watercolors.  FYI, the stamped camera is also from the April Stamp of the Month set.  Keep reading to see the full stamp set.

Here's the finished page!  I copied the layout from a past issue of our Idea Book.

Here's the April Stamp of the Month:

This stamp set can be yours for just $5, with a purchase of $50.  You know you can't "RESIST", (get the pun?).  You can shop for all the supplies you need to start using this great technique by going HERE

To continue to see other ideas, follow the blog hop by going to Belinda McLane's Blog .

Why I Love Being On This CTMH Team - Blog Hop.

 

 If you are coming from Katy Taylor's blog you are in the right place.  Now let me tell you my top 3 reasons I love being on the Heartfelt Sentiments CTMH team: 

1.  The Relationships 

The lines are blurred as to whether they are friends or customers but I definitely value the friendships more than the business!  My customers are the best friends ever!!!!

Also, the ladies I have met on the Heartfelt Sentiments Team are too much fun!  We live all over but get to come together for training and those have been some crazy times!  We are so in sync that when Melissa and Katy went to take the above selfie, the rest of us photobombed as if it were the natural thing to do!  

2.  My Upline:  Melissa Robinson

I have been in several direct sales companies and have never had an upline like Melissa.  She has been so supportive from the very beginning.  She will do whatever it takes to help me out.  She built my great blog and trained me on how to use it. She provides excellent marketing advise. She encourages my ambitious goals and visions. And above all else, she is a blast!

3.  Close To My Heart Corporate

In all my past direct sales endeavors, the Corporate Office has never been as supportive as Close To My Heart.  They provide mini trainings every quarter that are just a roadtrip away.  They provide simply everything you could need to make this a successful business from a free website, online training, marketing support, product support, creativity support, and annual conventions.  In addition, the home office peeps seem to be all about work hard but play hard too.  They actually played Pie In The Face on PI Day.  

If you have read through this entire post and find that you may be interested in joining our team, April is the right time to join!  The benefits are great.  Just $75 will get you started with this great team.  Talk to your consultant if you want to learn more about the April Recruitment Special.  If you don't have a consultant, I'd be happy to help you out.  You can contact me at cathy.bufano@gmail.com.

Now head on over to Debi's blog to see why she loves CTMH.

April Stamp of the Month - Life In Pictures

OK my little Photobugs!  Here is a great new stamp set that is available for just $5 this month with a qualifying order.  It is a must have and makes for these great cards!  I also used my Cricut Artistry Cartridge to make the cute film strip in the card below.


  

If you are interested in this cool stamp set, go HERE to see the details.

Baby I'm Worth It! And so are you!

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. Believe us, it’s worth it! 

This is no joke folks!  I have been able to support my crafting habits as well as meet new people and earn great rewards.  If you sign up as a Consultant in April you will earn amazing rewards—including a FREE Cricut® collection! Signing up as a new Consultant with Close To My Heart during April is more rewarding than ever. When you sign up as a New Consultant you already get:

• New Consultant Kit with essential supplies for only $75
• $50 in Select Product Credit to spend on additional supplies
• The chance to earn fantastic Straight To The Top start-up rewards

And only during April, you can also earn your choice of a FREE Cricut® collection or an additional $100 in Select Product Credit when you submit $350 in personal sales within your first 30 days! That is could likely come from hosting just one crop!

I would love to talk to you about what a great company this is and all the rewards I have received.  Don't hesitate, call me, email me, or just go ahead and sign up already.  You know you want too!  (heehee).

Offer valid April 1, 2016 (9:00 am MDT) – April 30, 2016 (11:59 pm MDT). Cricut® collections available while supplies last. No tax will be charged on the free item. Shipping/handling will be charged based on the retail value of the free Cricut® collection.

FREE Cricut Collection????

Oops, looks like I was on the right track just a little early yesterday when I posted how great it is being a part of the Heartfelt Sentiments Team.  Today, our Corporate office annouced a new recruiting special for April.  Check it out, you can even earn a free Cricut Collection!  I'm pretty sure that this will be the best offer for signing on as a consultant this year!  Here it is:

Signing up as a new Consultant with Close To My Heart during April is more rewarding than ever. When you sign up as a New Consultant you already get:

• New Consultant Kit with essential supplies for only $75
• $50 in Select Product Credit to spend on additional supplies
• The chance to earn fantastic Straight To The Top start-up rewards

And only during April, you can also earn your choice of a FREE Cricut® collection or an additional $100 in Select Product Credit when you submit $350 in personal sales within your first 30 days!

If you love to scrapbook, make cards, or do any kind of papercrafting, being a consultant with Close To My Heart is a great way to earn your products for free and even make a bit of extra cash.

I signed on a year ago and I have loved every minute of it.  The relations I have built with my customers and the other Consultants will last my lifetime and then some because I am preserving these memories with our great products!

Come join me today.  YOU are worth it!

My Favorite CTMH Stamp Set - Blog Hop

This month is Stampaganza...

If you are coming from Melissa Robinson's Blog you are on the right track.

I have accepted my first blog hop challenge with the Heartfelt Sentiments Team and it is to showcase my favorite stamp set.  I am head over heels in love with all the possibilities of the SOTM set, Sunshine Birdies.  Here's one of the cards I created using the cute butterflies and birds:

I got the inspiration from Nancy Ball for the random stamping of the birds on white background and then just adding splashes of colors with the CTMH Watercolor pencils.  I used some B&T from the Penelope paper pack along with a zip strip.  The sentiment is from stamp set C1619, So Many Smiles Occasions.  

If you love this stamp, you can get it for just $5.00 with a qualifying order, this month only.  And, with the Stampaganza going on, you can really rake in the stamp sets for cheep, cheep this month (get the pun?).

Now head on over toKatyTaylor's Blog to see what she has to share with you.

ROADTRIP!!!!!!!

Today is a perfect day for a roadtrip with the girls!  We are headed to Houston for the new Product Release that is coming your way May 1st.  Remember, you only have thru April 30th to order products out of the Seasonal Expressions I catalog, or while supplies last.  Don't miss anything from your wish list, go HERE.

Enjoy your Friday!

Happy Birthday Sketch Challenge

Well, today is my baby boy's 18th birthday.  Happy Birthday Anthony, you have given me so much joy and happiness.

So, in honor of those special boys in our lives, I am posting a card sketch challenge.  In doing this challenge myself, I realized how much I love using our How-To books because they are so easy to follow and enable me to create quickly.  Here is the sketch I used from our Make It from Your Heart Volume 2 idea book.  

Here is the card I created for Anthony:

I used the Urban Paper Pack and Accessories.  The stamp sets I used were Cricut Artiste Collection Birthday for the cupcake & Jennifer's Hand for the letters.

Go ahead and try this sketch challenge and post your finished projects here. If you haven't used the How-To sketches before I'm sure you will love it.