Triple Stamp set - oh, my!

Hi! I'm trying to take a few weeks to have a late summer vacation after my daughter's wedding but wouldn't you know that Close To My Heart would have one of those extra special sales!

September is National Stamping Month and look at this precious trio of stamps called "You Are My Happy":

 

 

Yes, that first image is of a complete upper and lower case alphabet! The sayings on the 3rd one make it a must have for cards AND photos!  Each of these is a D-size stamp set - $17.95 reg. price - and you get all 3 for $10 with your $50 order.   But there's more ....

 

With a $50 order you also can get this wonderful Stamp of the Month set, "Poster Tidings":

 

 

It is also a D-size stamp so these images are about 2.5 x 5 " each, worth $17.95, but you can get it for $5!  So altogether this month's deal is ...

 

Place an order for $50 and get these four D-size stamp sets for just $15 more - a savings of almost $60! 

 

I will be placing my order for September by the end of the month so you can email me your list and I will place it for you.  If you don't want to wait, you can join my online order (look at the bottom right under my shopping website and click on the "September Orders").

You can order online and have it shipped straight to you.  The advantage of online orders is that you can ALSO shop for the clearance items "While Supplies Last." 

            ---->>>>    Right now there are 2 paper packets being clearance for around $2!!! 

 Look at this snapshot ... these are just some of the clearance items ... but they go real quick soooo get'em while they last!

 

These can only be ordered on my online shopping website, http://debbiescraftingcorner.ctmh.com/Retail/Products.aspx?CatalogID=1702

 

 

 

So take a look around for lots of inspiration, videos, tips and more....

Happy National Stamping Month!   

 

Making memories with you,

 

 

A "2 minute Warning" for Whoo's Your Valentine

I just looked and the inventory for the beautiful Whoo's Your Valentine kit is down to 4%! This kit is only available through this Thursday but when supplies are gone, it's gone! If you want one, you need to order it quickly, through my website for best chance at securing one. Remember it is only $10 with a $35 order from the Autumn/Winter products Idea Book.
My talented upline, Annette Green, made this beautiful card with that stamp set - aren't the owl and heart clusters just gorgeous?!


I made a very simple card using the January Stamp of the month "Happy Valentine's" (also only available through Jan. 31st). Isn't the bow cute? It's made with our great Cricut cartridge, the Artiste.

You can look at the previous posts to see the images of these two stamp sets - very useful for many occasions, not just Valentine's Day.  Remember also the great savings if you combine both offers - almost a $40 savings!

 

Here's another card I made recently with the new little monogram stamps and the Cricut Artiste set of "swing" cards.  You can see from one picture to the other why they are called "swing" cards. I made them as large as could fit in a matching little box, also made with the Artiste - looks really neat!  I made a stationary set to give my best friend and her little girl as a birthday present with another paper kit and it also looked great -but I forgot to take a picture of it!

 

 

 Well, hope these pics inspire you to create something great & please contact me if you have any questions!

 

Making memories with you,

Start the New Year with telling someone how special they are to you!

Those of us who make handmade cards many times do so, not because it's less expensive or faster, but because we want to show the recipient how special they are to us, giving them something we believe is extra special. Let's decide this new year 2013 that we should not wait to do that to all our loved ones, yes? We should never presume on God that we will have tomorrow, so live today the way He would have you to and express your love and gratitude to those that mean so much to you - I'm going to try, how about you?

I hope you know that the crafts I share with you, though they are for my business, is simply stuff that I enjoy doing and hope you do, too.  This month is designated by the powers that be to be National Papercrafting Month and
 Close To My Heart's special is geared for Valentine's Day , and any other "love"-filled day!

 "Whoo's Your Valentine" is a great kit, available through January 31st, for only $10 with a $35 order, while supplies last.  You get 12 die-cut boxes ready to be stamped and decorated, matching cardstock papers (including a sneak peek to our new 12x12 GILTTER papre!!) plus 12 treat tubes (also New Product!!)  to fill with whatever you choose!  At the end I've posted a video all about it. but here are some more samples and the complete kit contents (from a fellow consultant's blog):











Here's the cute and versatile stamp set that comes in the kit:


There's also this month's Stamp of the Month - a match for loving occasions, too -  called "Happy Valentine's" ... love the flourishes and the roses!


Both of these month's specials not only complement each other but one helps you get closer to the other one. By purchasing about $40 of any products from the current Idea Book you would qualify to get BOTH these specials for an additional $15 .... that would be $97 worth of products for just $55 - and some great products useful for so many occasions! I hope you can take advantage of this great sale - please contact me with any questions you may have... now here's the video I told you about...



As always ... making memories with you,

So easy an 8 yr. old can do it!

Lots of you have used Cricut machines but it's only been a recent addition at my house. A few days ago I was crafting so I took it out to the dining room area and left it there for a few days.  One morning I hear the familiar Cricut "chirp" sound before I'm out of bed so I get up to see what's going on.  There's my 8 yr. old and her 12 yr. old sister loading the mat!  They turn around and say, "we're making our Christmas cards!"

The CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge contains over 700 images and comes with a little spiral bound handbook with all the images.  Well, I took that little handbook and scanned it all in and re-printed all the pages in 8.5x11 in. pages, placed them in page protectors and in a binder, and boy, I am glad I did!  It's funny to watch them page through the handy (and much more durable) binder and decide and find the images they want.  

 I teach them how to use the book's image to determine the size of the cut but they did all the thinking themselves.  They came up with cards with stars and their decorative overlays, cut out tags with little stars already cut out, and learned to use the punch out to enhance their design!  My 8 yr. old decided on using the scalloped oval that has Christmas trees cut out cut on white, with the solid oval underneath cut in green so it would look like ... get this ... a "thought" cloud where someone was dreaming of Christmas trees!!  Well, it made me laugh!

I can't tell you just how versatile this cartridge is so if you are a Cricut user (or hope to be one) you should consider getting this one - you will use it constantly!  For each of my customers, I got permission from CTMH to give you the file I created with all the images for you to make your own binder like I did.  I can even help your loved ones get that special gift as a "surprise" for you - just give them my email or address and I'll work with them!  Here's a couple of projects I made with the AP cartridge, the Dimensional Elements and the stamp sets that all come in the AP bundle for $99!  The first is a 5x7 Christmas card using purple and green shades and the other is a small, purse size album using  tags and extra pagesthat match the chipboard tags - hope they inspire you!  Email me and I can tell you how I made them!

 

It’s Finally Here!

The new Autumn/Winter 2011 is finally out and it is SO great! Of course, I had to tell you ahead of time about the Cricut but there is much, much more to tell you!  Let me now give you some of the other big highlights.

New lower pricing on My Acrylix sets!!  Need I say more?!?!  Here they are:     A-size $6.95 B-size $9.95 C-size $13.95
                                D-size $17.95 E-size $29.95

WOW!!!  The high-quality you know and love has not changed – still made in the USA – just at a better price! And just introduced - you can view the stamps in the Idea Book at 100% - FULL SIZE! A lot of the new artwork includes many more stamped projects that can be great inspiration as well.

Say “Hello” to the new Stamp of the Month program!!

You know that each month you can enjoy a new D-size stamp set, available for one month only. Now you can receive that set for just $5 when you place an order of $50 or more in Close To My Heart products, you qualify for this special Stamp of the Month pricing! While it will no longer be available for free, at this price it’s very easy to add to your order.

 PLUS, in celebration of the newly updated Stamp of the Month program, CTMH is throwing in a little something extra: a FREE* bonus stamp set! In August, when you place an order of $50 or more in products and purchase the August Stamp of the Month set, ”Wicked”, for just $5.00, you’ll receive the My Acrylix® ”A Typeface” bonus A-size set FREE (retail value $6.95)! Think of it as two

promotions in one—qualify for and purchase the discounted August Stamp of the Month set, and CTMH will throw in a second stamp set FREE! It’s Extra! Extra!

Heavy Weight B&T Papers!!

All our Background and Texture papers are now cardstock weight and feature a  different design on the front and the back.  The new “Zip Strip,” a coordinating strip at the top of one side, that can be used in your projects is included as well!   At this new weight, the B&T papers can now also be used as the bases for your cards and layouts!

Lower Prices on Level 2 Paper packets!!

In an effort to help you make projects and not collect so many leftovers, CTMH has made the packages a little smaller but has lowered the price! The B&T papers are heavier and can be used as bases. Instead of including the neutral colors, all the included cardstocks will be colored, with more color selections included!

New Color Sets of Cardstocks!!
Cardstock sets in color families and complete sets of the different color ‘seasons” have now been provided - all to give you more selection and great value with just the right amounts for most projects!

Well, this is a lot of information to digest and it’s easier to see in person and in the new Idea Book so I will be hosting a couple of days for you to come by and see lots of the new things that I’ve purchased from the new book plus some projects I’ve made with them. Keep checking your emails for the news! 

Before I quit tonight I'll show you an album constructed out of 3 of the new 6x6 Kraft cards that I made at Convention -  you may be seeing this down the road as a workshop if enough of you like it so let me know!

Front view - cover page 

 2 of the 10 album pages   

complete view from the top

Annual Make-A-Valentine was wonderful!

Hi!  I sent emails but did not update my blog to announce my Annual "Make-A-Valentine" card event.  Please accept my apologies if you did not get the invite - just email me so I can place you on my email list for future email only invitation events, ok?  Well, here are pictures of those cards:

The box pleat in the first card can be a challenge at first (as my participants found out) but you soon get the hang of it and create a lovely "skirt" look!  That bird is from the "Find Your Style" stamp set that was offered in January as the Stamp of the Month.  Under the bird there is a matching stamped image in black cardstock used to create the shadow effect.  The second card features an emboss resist technique  plus random stamping using this month's Stamp of the Month, "Friendship."  These card fronts were then attached to a regular 5 1/2" x 4" card folded up to be an easel.  I don't have a picture of that to upload yet but they turned out pretty indeed!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  I John 4:7 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God."

P.S. For the inspiration behind these cards, I thank my friend and upline, Annette Green!

Start the year with beautiful "Style" and "Inspirations"

Did you know that January is considered to be “National Papercrafting Month”? Those of us who love paper crafts are going to really love the new kit and stamps that Close To My Heart has unveiled to celebrate!

A complete brochure called Inspirations has been created with loads of beautiful artwork showcasing the new “Wings” papers and coordinating products. Click here to see it in my website. The beauty of Close To My Heart is that we are dedicated to not just showing beautiful papers and more, but showing you how to create beautiful things with them. The Workshop on the Go (WOTG) kits include complete instructions on using your papers and the basic products you’ll need to complete them! The “Wings” WOTG is no exception and it is an especially creative one. Here’s what you can make:

And, here’s a picture of all that’s included in the WOTG:  how-to workshop guide, complete Wings paper packet, special stamp set, new Spray mist pen and embellishments.

In addition, an absolutely beautiful Stamp of the Month is being offered at an extra special incentive price. Here is a copy of it (remember that the carrier sheet it comes on is about 6x6 to give you an idea of the size of these stamps) and cards made with it:

Normally you need to spend $100 to receive the Stamp of the Month for free but this January it can be yours free for as little as $50 (before s/h/tax) in purchases from items in the Inspirations brochure.  That's right - only $50 and you can receive the SOTM for FREE!

Here’s how I got that math figured out and all the products you would receive:

Wings Workshop on the Go Kit (G1016) - $29.95 (includes a complete Level 2 ”Wings” paper packet, the special “Wings” B-sized stamp set, the new Spray mist Pen, black embellishments and the How-To guide brochure for making 2 layouts and 6 cards!)

Wings Level 2 My Stickease (X7135C) - $4.95 (2 sheets)

Black Mini-Medley Collection (Z1393) - $4.95 (brads, buttons, ribbon, etc.)

Wings Level 2 Pleated Ribbon Assortment (Z1398) - $4.95 (3 colors pleated style!)

A Game stamp set (A1113) - $5.00 (cute Tic-Tac-Toe game pieces and board!)

              Subtotal: $49.80 WOW!!!

Then the Stamp of the Month, “Find Your Style” (a D-sized set), is yours FREE and that’s a deal!!

This is just my suggestion for how to receive the SOTM for free at the lowest price with the Inspirations promotion. However, there are other extra special prices on absolutely gorgeous new stamp sets that can also be purchased at a discount throughout the brochure. The Workshop How-To also includes a bonus project: the directions for decorating the new “My Creations Banner” – a set of 8 chipboard pennant pieces.

I hope you'll be inspired to create with beauty and style at great prices, and let me show you how with Close To My Heart’s wonderful products!

R U Tired? Black Friday Weekend Sale from the comfort of home!

Black Friday shopping is great but it's tiring!  You have to be a very smart shopper in today's economy but all that walking and hunting up and down aisles of merchandise can be exhausting!  Well, let me offer you some help by offering you my special "Black Friday WEEKEND" Sale.  You can shop from home and take advantage of great products at a special discount.

Click on the flyer to see all the details but in case you can't see it here are the basics:

• All orders receive absolutely FREE shipping
• Orders of $25 and up receive an item valued at $2.95 or less for FREE
• Orders of $50 receive an item valued at $2.95 PLUS the Petite Perks stamp set for FREE
• Orders of $75 receive any item(s) valued at $4.95 PLUS the Petite Perks stamp set for FREE
• Orders of $100 receive any item(s)valued at $7.95 PLUS the Petite Perks stamp set PLUS the November Stamp of the Month PLUS another stamp set of their choice all for FREE

Do you need a gift for a crafter?  Try our CTMH 'how-to" books which include either a CD or DVD with special patterns!  Digital photographers may appreciate a membership in our Studio J online scrapbooking system. Members can purchase two 12x12  page layouts, beautifully designed and color coordinated with our classic scrpabooking products for just $6.50 - that's just $3.25 per page including photo processing!  Our new 12x12 albums in faux leather are sturdy and beautiful, functional and elegant and come in a variety of colors.

Well, I hope you will take advantage of this sale and give your feet a shopping break!  I am always available to answer questions and to give advice to help select the right products for your needs, whether now or in the future. Contact me here by leaving a comment or shop online 24/7 at debbietuggle.myctmh.com

Happy Thanksgiving weekend!

~Debbie~

March Madness continues... Random Stamping tip

Okay, ladies!   I have one order in the pool (who will receive the "Bee Mine" Petite Perks stamp set) but we need a few more so that we can crown a winner of the March Mystery Hostess contest and $25 in CTMH products of her choice!  Don't forget to get your order in by Sunday, March 28th, in order to qualify for the special stamp set and extra chances for the grand prize (see the previous post for details).

I'd like to share another tip with you that I really enjoy - random stamping!  You can create your very own, one-of-a-kind paper with your stamps and inks!  Because the CTMH stamps are clear and stamp so well, you can place a variety of images on your blank paper and create a beautifully patterned paper yourself.  Here's a sample of one of my first attempts, only using 3 stamp images and one color of ink on white cardstock:

While I have gotten better at it, it was pretty simple and fast to make it.  Select your biggest stamp image and use a "triangle pattern" to stamp the image around your paper: stamp once and then go up or down to the left and then to the right.  It is easier to show than to explain but I hope you can deduce it from the picture.  Remember to stamp off your paper to give it that look of a printed pattern.  Then follow with the other images in descending size order.  Here's a picture of how I used a piece of that paper in a layout:

Here's a picture (from another consultant) showing a layout with multi-color random stamping - gorgeous and I love that stamp set for a beach layout!

I really enjoy that technique and I hope you do, too.  If you need more info on random stamping, call or email me and we'll talk.  That's all for now - good night and God bless you!

Making memories with you,

~Debbie

March Madness - a CTMH version

I decided that I wanted to enjoy a little March Madness game time like my husband enjoys with his college basketball TV viewing, but do it the Close To My Heart way! I invite all of you to join me in this contest, where you can earn FREE product if you are chosen as the March Madness Mystery Hostess plus a bonus prize for your purchase. Email me and I will send you the complete details!

For the next couple of weeks, I will posting some ideas for crafting that I hope you will enjoy so stay tuned!  To get us started I thought I'd post a card I made as a "thank you" for my daughter's physical therapist.  It's a design called an "easel card" because the open flap of the card sits like an easel on the back side of the card.  Here's a link to a wonderful step-by-step tutorial on how to make it and a picture of my card:

Making memories with you,

Three projects

Hi, again!  I had promised to post some of my other projects so here they are.  The variety of crafts that CTMH allows me to do with their great coordination of colors, patterns & embellishments is one of the reasons I am really "sold" on their products!

Here's a stationery holder with monogrammed cards that I made a while back. It uses "Life Delights" paper, the "Eastertime" stamp set that has a basket weave stamp, and the Baroque Alphabet set for the monogram (I love that set!).

I went to a crop in October and planned the layout below, using a really versatile paper called "Backcountry."  It's really fun to use this paper for outdoor-sy pictures.  Some of the stamps used are "Backwoods" for the trees and the camera is from "Pitcure Perfect."

I also made a really fast card that taught 3 techniques: stamping on chipboard, masking a stamped image, and edge distressing for a 3-D look. The swirls are made with "Western Flourishes" and the sentiment is from a truly useful set called "Gracious Greetings."  The 2 little brads in the upper corner were placed using a "brad buddy" technique a friend taught me.  If you will leave a comment, I'll let you in on my "secret" for perfect brad placements :-)  !

May this Christmas season be one of unforgettable memories, especially as you remember that Jesus is the real Reason for this Season!

Making memories with you ....