Crafting with Lalia

Wednesday’s Pic of the Week

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

This is our life right now. SNOW . Not PNW rainy days I’ll be checking on my stash of Wonderland Paper. There’s only 13 days left to order it and with all the snow we have in the Pacific Northwest, it’s a perfect pick.

Navigating the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge with Ease

2012-01-17T21:05:00.001-08:00

CMTH released a Cricut shape index for this cartridge last summer to showcase the shapes before the cartridge was available. This tool has been invaluable for me and I want to share with you why I love it more than the standard handbook. It’s available on the CTMH.com website under Ideas & Inspiration/Cricut. Or just click here.

The first page of this 7 page handout holds the key to most of the cartridge. Look at page 1 in a new way. There's a pattern to it that you'll never see in the handbook. Take a good look at the black shapes and how they’re organized in columns.

Column 1: circles & scallop circles
Column 2: ovals
Column 3: squares
Column 4 rectangles
Column 5: rectangular labels
Column 6 oval (rounded) labels
Column 7 is a bit of miscellaneous
Column 8: tabs
Column 9: banners
Column 10: tags.

In addition, deeper into this handout in later pages you’ll find the following:
All boxes are on "Font Layer"
All rolled flowers are on the "font"
Regular borders are on "Font"
Fancy borders & doilies are on "font layer"
Photo corners are on "font"
All the flourishes and swirls are on "font layer"

How great is that?

The rest of images are here in one of my first “Art” posts, if you can’t open the adobe file link I mentioned earlier.

I love this cartridge. I hope you do too. You can buy it here or contact me to find out how you can get it discounted or free.

Discontinued Items: Get them while available!

2012-01-13T07:45:00.001-08:00

As of January 31st, the following list of items will be discontinued. Don’t wait, some items may not last!
Click on the bold header of each list to see more info.
To order, go online or email me.

Paper Collections

Workshop on the Go for these 4 papers will be discontinued but the Level 2 paper packs will still be available:
Typeset (WOTG) Kit – G1024 - $29.95
Roxie WOTG Kit – G1025 - $29.95
Elemental WOTG Kit – G1026 - $29.95
Sonoma WOTG Kit – G1028 - $29.95

These paper packs and their Stickease will be completely discontinued: Dreamin, Mischief, Believe, Wonderland, Mayberry, Lucky, Sophia and Fanfare

Dreamin’ L2 Paper – X7142B - $9.95
Dreamin’ My Stickease – X7142C - $4.95
Dreamin’ WOTG Kit – G1027 - $29.95

Mischief L2 Paper – X7144B - $9.95
Mischief Compliment Rub-Ons – X7144C - $4.95
Mischief WOTG Kit – G1029 - $29.95

Believe L2 Paper – X7145B - $9.95
Believe My Stickease – X7145C - $4.95
Believe WOTG Kit – G1030 - $29.95

Wonderland L2 Paper – X7146B - $9.95
Wonderland My Stickease – X7146C - $4.95
Wonderland WOTG Kit – G1031 - $29.95

Sophia L2 Paper – X7131B - $12.95
Sophia My Stickease – X7131C - $4.95

Mayberry L2 Paper – X7136B - $12.95
Mayberry My Stickease – X7136C - $4.95

Lucky L2 Paper – X7137B - $12.95
Lucky My Stickease – X7137C - $4.95

Fanfare L2 Paper – X7138B - $12.95
Fanfare My Stickease – X7138C - $4.95

Coordinating Collection Embellishments

Midnight Felt Shapes - Z1462 - $3.95
Harvest Charms - Z1633 - $4.95
Holiday Packets - Z1486 - $4.95
Lucky Level 2 Assortment - Z1356 - $4.95
Lucky Level 2 Journaling Spots - Z1359 - $3.95
Bliss Level 2 Assortment - Z1355 - $5.95
Sweetheart Level 2 Assortment - Z1386 - $4.95
Fanfare Level 2 Assortment - Z1400 - $4.95

These accessories and embellishments are retiring to make way for new exciting product!

Ribbon
Colonial White Ribbon collection - Z1126 - $7.95
Cranberry grosgrain ribbon - Z1103 - $4.95
Cocoa grosgrain ribbon - Z1100 - $6.95
Colonial White grosgrain ribbon - Z1102 - $6.95
White Daisy grosgrain ribbon - Z270 - $6.95
Wings Level 2 Assortment - Z1398 - $4.95

Floss
Embroidery Floss - Red/Pink - Z1092 - $3.25
Embroidery Floss - Green - Z1094 - $3.25
Embroidery Floss - Blue/Purple - Z1093 - $3.25

Waxy Flax
Waxy Flax - Cranberry - Z1086 - $3.95
Waxy Flax - Sorbet - Z1249 - $3.95
Waxy Flax - Juniper - Z1248 - $3.95
Waxy Flax - Crystal Blue - Z1247 - $3.95

Brads
Designer Brads - Colonial White - Z1274 - $3.95
Designer Brads - Pewter - Z1146 - $3.95

Mini-Medley & Eyelets
Mini Medley - Antiqued Copper - Z1275 - $4.95
Mini Medley - Colonial White - Z1276 - $4.95
Foundry Metal - Bookplates - Z1147 - $3.50
Soft Set Eyelet Tool - Z1208 - $14.95
Soft Set Eyelets - Black and White Daisy - Z1228 - $3.95
Soft Set Eyelets - Chocolate and Colonial White - Z1229 - $3.95

Just Blooms
Just Blooms Spring Blossom - Z1266 - $7.95
Just Blooms White Daisy Variety Pack - Z1300 - $5.95

Color Ready Alphabets
Color Ready Alphabets - Oxford - X5749 - $3.95
Color Ready Alphabets - Hodge Podge - X1406 - $3.95

Dimensional Elements
Dimensional Elements - On Target - Z1226 - $5.95

My Creations Items
My Creations - Board Book - Z1310 - $6.95
My Creations - Journal - Z1268 - $7.95
My Creations - Memory Showcase 9x9 - Z1198 - $5.95

Misc.
Rubber Brayer - Z616 - $12.95
Soft Set Eyelet Tool - Z1208 - $14.95
Eyelet Tool Replacement Punches - Z1245 - $2.95

Discontinued My Acrylix® stamps

A Game – A1113 - $6.95
A Hop – A1112 - $6.95
A Little Buzz – B1353 - $9.95
A Little Everything – D1408 - $17.95
A Love – A1103 - $6.95
A Paisley – A1105 - $6.95
A Posy – A1102 - $6.95

Adoption – A1098 - $6.95
Adorning Corners – D1322 - $17.95
Always In My Heart – A1101 - $6.95
Ambiance – C1349 - $13.95
Around The Block – D1377 - $17.95
Baby Love – B1368 - $9.95
Backgrounds & Borders – D1463 - $17.95
Beary Best – C1363 - $13.95
Beary Busy – C1409 - $13.95
Beautiful Butterflies – B1373 - $9.95
Beautiful Things – D1298 - $17.95
Believe In Your Dreams – B1322 - $9.95
Beloved – B1343 - $9.95
Birthday Blast – C1436 - $13.95
Birthday Boy – C1411 - $13.95
Bless This Nest – C1445 - $13.95
Blooming Layers – C1449 - $13.95
Bon Apetit – D1367 - $17.95
Boom! – B1354 - $9.95
Bunny Love – B1324 - $9.95
Campin’ Fever – D1353 - $17.95
Carefree – C1447 - $13.95
Catching Waves – D1466 - $17.95
Charmed – C1385 - $13.95
Cherished Flourishes – D1413 - $17.95
Ciao – D1461 - $17.95
Circle Around – D1300 - $17.95
Circle of Love – D1438 - $17.95
Circle Together – B1372 - $9.95
Connections – D1330 - $17.95
Cruisin’ – D1471 - $17.95
Cupcakes Sprinkles – D1336 - $17.95
Daydream – D1297 - $17.95
Down By The Sea – C1451 - $13.95
Dream Big – D1399 - $17.95
Dreams Come True – D1470 - $17.95
Enjoy Every Moment – C1395 - $13.95
Extreme Happiness – C1356 - $13.95
Family – C1305 - $13.95
Family Ties – C1346 - $13.95
Family Ties – Children – C1345 - $13.95
Family Ties – Pet – B1350 - $9.95
Fill In The Blank – D1465 - $17.95
Flower Pot – D1409 - $17.95
For Every Occasion – D1187 - $17.95
Friendship Blessings – D1191 - $17.95
From My Heart – C1443 - $13.95
Fun Times – B1309 - $9.95
Happy Holidays – D1431 - $17.95
Happy Moments – C1437 - $13.95
Hero – D1474 - $17.95
His and Hers – C1460 - $13.95
Horizon – C1454 - $13.95
Hot Diggity – C1407 - $13.95
Howdy – D1435 - $17.95
In The Month Of April – C1405 - $13.95
In The Month Of February – C1403 - $13.95
In The Month Of July – C1417 - $13.95
In The Month Of June – C1416 - $13.95
In The Month Of March – C1404 - $13.95
In The Month Of May – C1415 - $13.95
It’s A Zoo – C1360 - $13.95
Just For Boys – C1338 - $13.95
Just For Girls – C1337 - $13.95
Just The Ticket – B1323 - $9.95
Kanji Phrases – C1339 - $13.95
Let’s Go Camping – C1355 - $13.95
Little Princess – C1414 - $13.95
Love Always – D1337 - $17.95
Love Birds – C1396 - $13.95
Love Ya – D1460 - $17.95
Magic Tabs – C1448 - $13.95
Makin’ Waves – C1365 - $13.95
Ms. Chillin’ – D1404 - $17.95
Ms. Scrapbook – B1352 - $9.95
Notice The Details – D1378 - $17.95
On The Edge – C1399 - $13.95
On This Day – D1468 - $17.95
One Of A Kind – D1410 - $17.95
Over The Rainbow – D1426 - $17.95
Paisley Praise – D1414 - $17.95
Piece of Cake – D1407 - $17.95
Play Day (old set) – D1360 - $17.95
Post Card – Travel Series – D1357 - $17.95
Precious Love – C1444 - $13.95
Priceless Love Word Puzzle – D1348 - $17.95
Recipe Box – D1364 - $17.95
Retro Tech – C1446 - $13.95
Royal Birth – D1441 - $17.95
Salutation Seals – C1461 - $13.95
Shining Star – D1320 - $17.95
Smiles – C1397 - $13.95
So Lucky – C1390 - $13.95
Soul Mates – D1254 - $17.95
Springtime – D1415 - $17.95
Star Power – D1403 - $17.95
Summer Breeze – C1453 - $13.95
Summer Days – B1375 - $9.95
Sweet Baby – C1359 - $13.95
Take Luck – B1364 - $9.95
Tasty Treats – D1427 - $17.95
Tea Time – C1438 - $13.95
Thank You – D1361 - $17.95
Thrill Ride – D1425 - $17.95
TLC – C1364 - $13.95
Togetherness – D1402 - $17.95
Treetops – C1368 - $13.95
Trellis – D1451 - $17.95
True Happiness – D1365 - $17.95
Two-Step Backgrounds – D1473 - $17.95
Unity – C1422 - $13.95
X-Treme – D1432 - $17.95
You Did It – C1351 - $13.95
You Rock – D1346 - $17.95
You’re Great – D1434 - $17.95
You’re Sweet – B1351 - $9.95

Introducing Pemberley

2012-01-12T05:54:00.000-08:00

Last week I introduced a sneak peek of the upcoming idea book that’s due out in just 19 days from today on February 1st.

Tuesday I received my first shipment of product. It’s very fun and I can’t wait to show you more of it! If you get a chance to look at an Idea Book and don’t like the papers, call me. Printed pictures simply do not do this 2012’s CTMH Spring & Summer’s Idea Book paper packets the justice they deserve. I have samples of all the papers and you have to take a good look to appreciate how amazing they are. I think I have a new favorite or two and it’s not Pemberley.

So call me! Let’s get together and look over the Idea Book with some friends and I’ll bring all the paper packs so you can see what I’m talking about!

Now on to Pemberley. There’s 6 different, totally unique patterns in this My Reflections® pack. It is a clean design but features so many colors: Bamboo, Colonial White, Desert Sand, Honey, Indian Corn Blue, Outdoor Denim, Pacifica, Vanilla Cream, White Daisy. In other words, it’s going to be very versatile and you can use your Pacific or Outdoor Denim Exclusive Inks and nobody’s even going to notice!

This card was made with just the Outdoor Denim Exclusive Inks and the new My Acrylix® stamp that’s featured right with the Pemberley papers. It’s so simple & versatile. I could have one of many sentiments on this card. This stamp set is Card Word Puzzle C1494 which means you can build your own message.

So let me know what you want to see next! Girly Pink, Designer Tulip, Groovy Juniper, Masculine Victory, Boyish Superhero, Breezy Lagoon or my new favorite…

Wordless Wednesday: Pemberley

2012-01-11T21:49:00.001-08:00

Wordless Wednesday: Sneak Peak

2012-01-04T04:36:00.000-08:00

Too bad this is a Wordless Wednesday Post. Otherwise I could say more...

January Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

2011-12-31T17:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! We will be featuring January's SOTM, which is “Little Reminder” a set of 25 stamps.

If you have come here from Jean's Blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants here.
This month we have 54 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!
I created a gift card holder using this month’s stamp of the month set. (directions below)

I used the long “zipper” stamp to create a grid on the Heavenly Blue paper with Sweet Leaf.

I glued together two of the label shapes to hide the Designer Sparkle Brad and give a strong base for a bit of velcro to hold the purse closed. I used liquid glass and my clamps after noticing the gap in the top picture.

Notice the green sparkle brad? My up-line taught me a trick that I just love. Color your clear sparkles with a permanent marker! Keep on scrolling for the cutting & scoring information on this gift card holder.
Products Used

Wonderland Level 2
Bright Blue Shade Pack (Heavenly Blue)
Sweet Leaf Paper
Chocolate & Sweet Leaf Exclusive Inks
Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge
Sweet Leave Ribbon
Designer Sparkle Brads
Sponge

Now "Hop" on over to Kathleen's Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the January SOTM is only available until the 31st! Are you inspired? You can purchase this stamp set directly from me on my website www.ctmh.com/lharris or email me.
Direction for the gift card holder.
I received these directions from a Paper Zone store. Here’s their blog post with their directions: http://www.paperzoneblog.com/2011/12/day-2-holiday-gift-card-holder.html. But as they are in the process of closing their stores, I’m not sure how much longer this blog will be active. I also modified this for 12” paper
cut 4.25 x 12” piece of Heavenly Blue cardstock Score at 3.25, 6, 8.75 Do a mountain fold. Flatten and stamp the front and back cover in Sweet Leaf ink. Glue the inside of the mountain fold together to make the gift card pocket. cut a slot for the gift card based on the size and shape of the gift card. I just used scissors. The Wonderland spotted paper accent is cut from Row 3 Button 7 on the Art Philosophy Cricut at about 3.5” tall and cut in half. The front is adhered first. Then the ribbon is adhered to the back of the purse, in line with the front accent. Then the accent for the back of the purse is adhered, covering the ribbon.
Cut 3 labels Row 1, Button 6 from Sweet Leaf Cardstock at 1.” One is stamped with the sentiment, the other two are for the purse latch. Add the designer brad to one and then glue the second label on the back to hide the brad. Use strong adhesive like Liquid Glass to keep it from pulling apart after it’s folded. Fold in half and adhere to the back to of the card. Add velcro to the front of the tab, below the brad. Put the other side of the Velcro to the front of the card.
Enjoy!

Perfect 10 for Studio J members!

2011-12-30T12:40:00.001-08:00

Preserve your Christmas memories now!

If you’re a Studio J member, you can take advantage of this great opportunity to fill up your scrapbook—get your holiday photos in albums right away! For every 9 custom-printed Studio J layouts you buy, you’ll receive the 10th layout free. To receive the discount, just add 10 or more layouts to your cart. You’ll see a discount reflected in your order total. And you can totally take advantage of this promotion by ordering in multiples of 10. Buy 9, get 1 free. Buy 18, get 2 free. Buy 27, get 3 free. And so on! If you’re not a member yet, now’s a great time to join! Contact me for more information.

Studio J memberships are available as 3 month and 12 month subscriptions. You can purchase yours in just 5 minutes!

Don’t forget, you can start creating now! Create all month or even now in December and order your layouts at the end of the month as you get free shipping once a month as a Studio J member.

Rock the (Home School) Block Blog Hop

2011-12-18T17:05:00.001-08:00

Starting December 19th thru January we will be celebrating National Paper Craft Month! SO JOIN THE CRAZE! When you place a minimum order of $25 from the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book, you can get TWO new products for just $15: the My Creations® Collage Cubes (a Spring/Summer 2012 sneak-peek product!) and the exclusive My Acrylix® Rock the Block E-size stamp set.

That’s a retail savings of almost $30! You're going to love the Collage Cubes and the Rock the Block stamp set, which work together for interactive, 3-D fun. Click Here to Start Shopping
Watch this Close To My Heart video to see more inspiration.
Welcome to this Rock-The-Block Blog Hop where you can see a variety of projects using this stamp set and block kit by different CTMH consultants. If you have come here from Rachel’s Blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants here. There’s more than 30 of us Rockin’ the Block so keep on hopping!
My blocks were designed for my 5 year old. We’re home schooling him and while we have manipulatives for math, we didn’t have any hands on items for phonics.

He’s learning his phonics, starting to read and now building some words on his own.

We’ll also use them as a kid décor item to spell out some special words.

Being that they’re kid friendly, I didn’t use any ink on the blocks. His hands are rarely clean and dry at the same time. I did paint them with our Create a Shade Pearl Paint before adhering any of the papers.
The blocks were covered with cardstock cut at 1.75” using the Art Philosophy cartridge in Holiday Red, Sunset, Sunny Yellow, Pear, Dutch Blue & Gypsy—all from the Summer Cardstock Combo Pack X5918. Letters were cut in White Daisy at 1.5” also using the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.
Now "Hop" on over to CC's blog to see her work.....

Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the Rock the Block set of blocks with the exclusive E sized stamp set is only available until January 31^st! Email me or go online to get this promotional bundle. Get them now before it’s too late. The My Creations® Collage Cubes (a Spring/Summer 2012 sneak-peek product!) will be available all next year but the exclusive Rock the Block Stamp set is only available until January 31^st.
Check back for more pictures of this home school edition. I’m still putting the finishing touches on! I also can’t wait to get another set so I can have a beautiful “mom” set that’s complete with pictures & beautiful embellishments.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T02:21:00.000-08:00

Holiday Holly: A Take Out Box

2011-12-08T15:08:00.001-08:00

I just love this little stamp set "A Holiday" A1115 from Close to My Heart. It's Cricut Compatible with the Art Philosophy cartridge from Close to My Heart and it's so versatile!

I made this takeout box a while back using the Art Philosophy Cartridge. I used my Gypsy to weld the holly leaves that coordinate from “A Holiday” stamp set. You could also cut the leaves separately and adhere them to the round closure on the box with a very strong adhesive like CTMH’s Liquid Glass. Cricut Craft Room is also available to all users now and that allows you to weld as well.
I stamped everything and then assembled the box. It’s so simple to put together because it interlocks and doesn’t require much adhesive. The holly berries are just round circles of Cranberry Cardstock. They are about a half inch, and aren’t to scale of the holly stamp berries. I love them big. It adds more red!

I have entered this page in the Art Philosophy Linky Party, to show how you can use this cartridge to spice up your cards. Since I have gotten this cartridge it has not been removed from my Cricut. It is my go to cartridge for everything, and I totally love everything about it. Please feel free to explore the rest of my blog as just about every Crafty post on has something that was created using the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.

Feel free to explore the rest of the blogs in this linky blog hop.

Featuring: Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T06:28:00.000-08:00

I know several bloggers including Jessica who feature a weekly Wordless Wednesday. So here’s my first post. Hope you enjoy it. Since I’m already using words to introduce this series, I might as well note that I took this picture yesterday morning on my very frosty and beautiful patio table.

New While Supplies Last!

2011-12-05T12:48:00.001-08:00

Click to view online. If you’re local, email me. I want to put in an order by the end of the week. You can save on shipping.

X7134B 12" x 12" SWEETHEART LEVEL 2 PAPER PACKET

$5.00

X5685 12" x 12" CARDSTOCK COMBO PACKS

$7.00

X7135B 12" x 12" WINGS LEVEL 2 PAPER PACKET

$5.00

Z1034 DESIGNER RIBBON ROUNDS™ BLACK COLLECTION

$4.00

Z1222 WINTER CHEER GLITTER RUB-ONS

$3.00

X7135C WINGS MY STICKEASE® ASSORTMENT

$2.00

Z1206 BASIC CRAFT BUTTONS

$2.00

Thanksgiving Sale

2011-11-24T22:54:00.001-08:00

Let's Make This Simple...

Order with me & get 10% off through Monday, 11/28 11:59pm.

I'm thrilled to offer a bit of my own Black Friday for the whole weekend!
Place an order directly through me--Email, Facebook or phone call & get 10% off your order and take advantage of all the promotions that CMTH is offering this month!
So give me a call at 425-350-6879, email me or Facebook me www.facebook.com/lalia.harris
Get the Holiday Wishes Stamp Set for just $5 with a $25 stamp order (click for details)
Get the Stamp of the Month for $5 with any $50 purchase (click for details)

But wait! That's not all...

I'm going to add a few more things. Do I sound like a commercial yet?

The first person to place a $99+ order can purchase a half-priced hostess reward.
Anyone & everyone who places a $75+ order can choose a new D sized stamp set from my inventory.

Remember: All orders must be placed directly with me.
If you want to do it online, please coordinate with me to get a special link. I won't be able to give you a discount but I can send you some more goodies!
This promotion is better than the one I offered earlier this week so it supersedes it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Studio J–16 dinosaurs scrapped!

2011-11-18T15:05:00.000-08:00

The thought of scrapping 16 pictures in a single layout was a bit daunting before I uploaded my pictures to Studio J. I had no desire to print and crop all these little dinosaurs. Studio J was so easy. For fun and a little information, I added the names of the dinosaurs to the ribbon. I was able to copy and paste their names from a website which saved time in typing and spell checking too. There’s no way I could have done that in classic scrapping.

To learn more about Studio J email me or click here. I would love to get together with you and give you a tour.

They did it again… more while Supplies Last Items

2011-11-13T00:17:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I received my latest CTMH box. Today I see more great items have just been added to the While Supplies Last section of the website. Click here to see the newly discounted items!

MINI-MEDLEY ACCENTS LAGOON COLLECTION

$4.95 $4.00 19 % off Z1340

12" x 12" OLIVIA LEVEL 2 PACKET

$12.95 $5.00 61 % off X7128B

12" x 12" OLIVIA LEVEL 1 KIT

$9.95 $5.00 50 % off X7128A

12" x 12" MAGNIFIQUE LEVEL 1 KIT

$9.95 $5.00 50 % off X7127A

MAGNIFIQUE MY STICKEASE® ASSORTMENT

$4.95 $2.00 60 % off X7127C

Fantastic Items …Fantastic Prices ... and Still Available.
TWINKLE BRADS JOLLY ASSORTMENT

$3.95 $1.00 75 % off Z1220

IRRESISTIBLES™ MIRACLE CHIPBOARD DIE-CUTS

$3.95 $1.00 75 % off Z1354

Don’t forget about the Holiday Wishes stamp set for just $5 with the purchase of $25 My Acrylix Stamps.

More details are here.
Click here to shop online now

Studio J ~ Perfect Placement Tutorial

2011-11-11T15:00:00.000-08:00

Adding My Stickease accents is a great way to personalize and dress up your layout. Here’s a tutorial on layering these to give them a hand-scrapped look. It helps to think of Studio J scrapping much like classic paper scrapping. You layer your photos and embellishments so that one overlaps another. You are be able to do the same in Studio J.

Link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=crWkwmqX2Zg#!

To learn more about Studio J email me or click here. I would love to get together with you and give you a tour.

Studio J Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend I wrapped some Studio J layouts. I’m excited about getting back to scrapping. This layout is from the new Mischief paper pack. I’m loving the fact that the My Stickease accents come in Autumn & Halloween themes which gives this paper much more flexibility.

I’m enjoying getting my layouts done in about 30 minutes including the time to pick out my pictures.

To learn more about Studio J email me or click here. I would love to get together with you and give you a tour.

While Supplies Last

2011-11-04T14:26:00.001-07:00

Check out the while supplies last section of MyCTMH.com There’s some fabulous finds.

If you would like to save a bit on shipping, I’m creating an order tomorrow. Just email me the items you want.

$1 Twinkle brads, Irresistibles Chipboard, & Top-Coats frame

Only $3 – Glitter Rub-On’s in 3 colors

$4 Black Designer Ribbon

$4.95 Mistletoe Assortment

$5 Festive Memories Card Kit, Makes 12 cards

Holiday Wishes Exclusive Stamp Set!

2011-10-30T21:52:00.001-07:00

Make your wish come true this November with an exclusive stamp set at an incredible discount.

A perfect set for the holidays! This beautiful D sized stamp set is just $5 with the purchase of $25 in My Acrylix ® stamps sets between now and November 30. That’s a significant savings of $12.95. You may buy one Holiday Wishes stamp set for every $25 in qualifying stamp sets you purchase. As a creative bonus, the 4 large images in the set coordinate with our Cricut® Art Philosophy cartridge for added cutting and stamping fun!
Print all the details & pretty pictures here.

Call 425-350-6879 or Email me to get your set! I cannot wait to get this stamp set. I’ll be placing my order at the end of this week on 11/5. Would you like me to place an order for you?
Can’t wait or live out of the area? Order it online!

November Newsletter

2011-10-28T16:26:00.001-07:00

Fall is here! We have some exciting specials from CTMH in the next 4 weeks!

I sent this info out to my subscribers last night. If you’d like a copy delivered to your inbox, please sign up over here on the right.

Fall Card Workshop—this Saturday!

Space & materials are still available! October 29^th @ 1:30pm at my home. Create all 5 of these beautiful cards! Everything’s cut and ready for you to stamp & assemble these beautiful cards. This is using the CMTH Dreamin’ paper pack and the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge that’s exclusively available from Close to My Heart. Cost is $8 for the first set & $7 for each additional set you want. It comes with everything you need, envelopes & adhesive too! If you can’t come Saturday and want these cards, let me know and we’ll work out the details. Please RSVP by Friday night! 425-350-6879.

Trick or Treat! Free Shipping is Sweet!

Now through Halloween, get free shipping on any order you place directly with me! Need ink, bling or paper as you get ready for the holidays? This is a great way to save the 7.95% on shipping. This applies only to orders placed through me (for local delivery). Email or call me with your order today. Don’t wait until the 31^st to place your order with me.

Holiday Wishes Stamp Set $5 in November

When you place a minimum order of $25 in MY ACRYLIX® STAMP sets* between November 1–30, you can add a new D-size Holiday Wishes stamp set for only $5! That’s a significant savings of $12.95. You may buy one Holiday Wishes stamp set for every $25 in qualifying stamp sets you purchase. As a creative bonus, many of the images in the set coordinate with our Cricut® Art Philosophy cartridge for added cutting and stamping fun! Talk to your me today. (*Workshop on the Go & Cricut Bundle stamps do not qualify).
Order online here or contact me with your order.

Christmas Card Workshop & Stamping Garage Sale

November 19^th 10:30 – 3pm, Drop in or stay all day. Use the Wonderland Papers in cool blues and rich browns to create warm wishes for the holiday season. Make 20 cards for $25.
I will also have some lightly used and new stamp sets available as well as a ton of other goodies. Did you hear that I won a huge prize package from Creating Keepsakes this spring? A few of those items will be up for grabs. The desk will NOT be for sale, just in case you're wondering.

November Stamp of the Month

Get the Stamp of the Month for just $5 when you place an order of $50 or more in products.

Cherish the Day is a versatile stamp set that is Cricut Compatible with the ticket shape as well as other rectangles on the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.

Click here for a detailed view of the stamp set.

Give the Gift of CTMH

Or receive it! Our products are terrific gifts for the paper crafter in your family. If you're the paper crafter, send me your wish list and let me know who I needs a Santa's helper when shopping for you. Gift wrapping & Gift Certificates available too.

Quick & Easy Holiday Tags

2011-10-21T15:50:00.000-07:00

It’s getting that time to think about the holidays. These beautiful tags were made with the help of the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge and Cricut Compatible My Acrylix stamps exclusively from Close to My Heart.

You’ll find the stamps and project info on page 102 of the current Idea Book. If you don’t have the latest Idea Book contact me and get you a copy.

If you can’t see the video, here’s the link: http://youtu.be/zdaXCZjVpRQ

If you would like more information on the products and stamping techniques, let me know.
let me show you how®

Don't forget, through this Monday, I'm offering free shipping on any local order!

Free Shipping Sale!

2011-10-18T03:06:00.000-07:00

Know that saying, “When life serves you lemons, make lemonade!”

Well, I’m offering up lemonade in the way of free shipping this week.

I have a tiny little order that I need to place next Monday 10/24 and even tiny orders have to pay the same shipping as a $100 order. That’s my lemon.

I’ll give you free shipping on your order. That’s your lemonade!

Email me your order and we’ll catch up on payment when I deliver your order (Cash or Check only). Stamp of the Month & “While Supplies Last” can’t go on this order, everything else still works! Need an Idea Book? Email me and I can get you one.

Fall Card Workshop, October 29th

2011-10-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

Aren’t these cards gorgeous? Come on over to my place on Saturday, October 29th from 1-3pm to make a set of 5 cards. This is a quick and easy project as all the paper is pre-cut for you. You will stamp and assemble and have handmade cards made by YOU.

Cost: $8 for 5 cards, $15 for 2 sets.
Bring a friend who is new to CTMH and receive a special gift.

Please RSVP to me by 10/26 by email, Facebook, or 425-350-6879.
Space and card kits are limited so please let me know if you’re coming.

Love Your Layout October Edition

2011-10-15T13:21:00.001-07:00

I’ve been tinkering with Studio J this summer but never stopped long enough to learn tricks from the best. Close to My Heart has release video mini-tutorials for StudioJ which are fabulous. They give you some simple tips to enhance your digital layouts while saving time. I’ll be posting some of the older ones in coming weeks. If you can’t wait, you can go directly to the CTMHcorp YouTube Channel.

As always, StudioJ is free to try.
If you would like a personal tutorial, I can meet with you at your home or anywhere with Wi-Fi. We can even work together over the phone. In about 30 minutes, you will be well on your way to creating Studio J layouts. Contact me today for your tutorial!

Fall Beauty Wreath

2011-10-11T22:12:00.001-07:00

Last week you saw my son’s flowers. This week you get to see my 3-D flower project. I love how it turned out. The roses were simple to make and

Everything was cut from the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, roses, pennant pieces, letters. The paper is from the Dreamin Paper Pack.

If you’re interested in making it, let me know. I am putting in order on Friday night, I can order the supplies for you without charging double shipping. It would be $12 and you’ll get a bottle of Glitz Glitter Gel & a whole package of chipboard elements for future projects and all the items cut out for you. (Wreath not included). Materials for 2 wreaths would be $15.50 as you’ll be able to use the same chipboard package and the glitz. I’ll ship it for $2 more.

Contact me to place an order or schedule a workshop at your home with your friends to make this wreath.

Shape A Day

2011-10-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

I’ve been loving the shape a day from the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge on Jeanette Lynton’s Blog. Have you?

Here’s a few of the recent posts.

This one’s my favorite.

For more info on this cartridge go CTMH.com/ideas & inspiration

I send every customer a free copy of the current Idea Book which is full of more fabulous ways to use the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge when I receive their order. Click here to order.

(Don’t forget to add the current Stamp of the Month S1110A for just $5 after you add the Cricut Cartridge to your cart.)

Are you craftier than a kindergartner?

2011-10-04T07:27:00.000-07:00

There’s no shame if you aren’t.
I have a handsome & extraordinarily crafty kindergartner as your challenger.
The challenge:
Have you used your Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge yet?
And have you made any of the 3D flowers?
I’ll admit that it took me over a month to cut my first 3D flower. I crossed that bridge just the weekend before last.
Here’s what I learned: Make 6 of one of the designs and then try the others. You’ll get great practice and be successful. I made one of each of the 6. None of them looked great. So I watched Mandy’s video (below) and tried 3 more of the same flower. Success!
The key is to roll up the flower and then loosen it up before gluing it down. Also, use medium weight card stock (CTMH is perfect, imagine that!). The textured Core’dinations & DCWV is too heavy and folds instead of bends with the texture lines when doing small flowers. We learned that ourselves.
Watch & learn. Contact me and I can give you a 1 on 1 tutorial.
Or watch fellow CTMH’er Mandy’s awesome YouTube Video.
Now on to the challenger. While working on my project last night, my son wanted to make his own rose. He selected his paper, put it on the mat and was able to push cut. I don’t let him load the mats or the cartridges but he gets to work all the buttons. He did everything but hold it down & wait for the glue to dry. He Cricut cut, rolled, and applied the Liquid Glass. I did the holding because it takes about 30 seconds and that’s a bit too long.

So are you going to take the challenge? Are you craftier than my kindergartner?
If you need this Cricut Cartridge, you can buy it here. Want it for half price? Host a gathering!
Please give me a call 425-350-6879 or email me at laliah@live.com if you want to learn more about making these wonderful flowers!
Stay tuned, later on this week, I’ll have a post featuring the project I was working on.

Hello October

2011-10-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

There’s only a few minutes left of September. It’s been a busy month, with a vacation, the whole family having colds and kicking off home schooling a kindergartener. I’ve had to burn the midnight oil to play with my pretty papers and stamps lately.
The other night, I was invited to help MyScrapChick.com out and be a designer to dress up one of Kristi’s newest releases, “Holiday Card Fronts.” I created this card using the CTMH Believe paper pack, the October SOTM and a few other items that I had. It was a fun little adventure and am pleased how this turned out. (I probably could easily recreate it using Art Philosophy too!)

Close to My Heart’s Stamp of the Month program has been fabulous this year. They’re now releasing the stamps 2 months before the holiday so you have time to make cards! Hence the reason that we had Halloween’s Wicked in August. Our love stamps will be in December!
This stamp set is so versatile & fun. I only stamped the sentiment here. I can’t wait to show you more projects throughout the month. It is available for only $5 with a $50 purchase or $17.95.
Here’s some up coming dates to keep in mind
October 10 – Catalog kickoff Everett, WA @ my home 7pm
Come see what CTMH is all about.
Win fun prizes.
Make 2 very simple projects that you can take home & make more of
Enjoy a night out with girlfriends!
Bring a friend & receive a treat.

October 29 – Fall Card Workshop, 1:30pm or 7pm Saturday

Make 5 cards for $8, 10 cards for $15 or a full of 25 for $30.
Everything is cut & ready for you! You will receive all embellishments, paper, envelopes and your own copy of instructions so you can quickly stamp and assemble.

November 18 – Christmas Card Workshop
Get started on your Christmas cards. Make a dozen or a dozen dozen this workshop is for you. Create simple, beautiful cards with ease. More info coming!
That’s all I have for now. Thanks for stopping by.

Announcing Cricut Shape-a-Day!

2011-10-01T15:06:00.001-07:00

You won’t want to miss Jeanette Linton’s blog this month. It is featuring a shape a day from the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge from Close to My Heart.

There’s a couple different ways to follow her posts:

Jeanette’s beautiful blog
The Close to My Heart Facebook Page

Whichever way you choose to follow it’s up to you. For more info about cartridge see my other blog posts. To order, click my website. or contact me laliah@live.com

Have a great Saturday!

Hip hip hooray, I broke some rules!

2011-09-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hooray Bouquet D1491 is a great Cricut Compatible Stamp set. I love its three sentiments: “hip hip hooray,” “may this be your grandest year yet,” and “you make me smile.”

There’s an assortment of flowers and flower centers on this sheet so you can have layered flowers or large & small. The best part is that it’s Cricut Compatible with the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.

Each Cricut Compatible stamp set gives you the recommended size to cut your paper. For this card, I didn’t follow their suggestions. First, I eliminated the white border by making the flower a 1/4” smaller than the stamp sheet. Next, I added dimension to the center by enlarging it and using a scalloped cut instead of a basic circle. My favorite way to break the rules is to repurpose a stamp. The leaves were stamped using the same stamp I used on the petals after cutting the leaf shape with the Cricut. I don’t need a leaf stamp when you have a great shape to cut on the Cricut!

This card was finished with a
swirl in Honey ink from the D1482 Love Life
Z1483 Bronze Glitz™ Glitter Gel
Green papers are from the X7137B Lucky Level 2 Paper Packet (Don’t just stamp on cardstock!)

Have a hip hip hooray day!

Daisy Daisy!

2011-09-08T15:22:00.001-07:00

I saw this daisy at a leadership meeting a couple weeks ago and knew I had to make some.

They’re incredibly easy. After cutting and getting your supplies out, it will take you about 1 minute to assemble.

Tips: Stack all three layers of petals and then ink!

This one I layered the white petals and then inserted it into my Crop-A-Dile Big Bite and punched a small hole all the way through. I inserted a skewer and secured it with Liquid Glass. Then I added the Olive Green & Honey colored centers. I dotted Liquid Glass around for a little accent and I was done!

The rest of the instructions are on Lisa’s Blog. I want to give her full credit for the project so I’m sending you over to her blog. Leave her a comment if you stop by!

This is one of the projects at my gathering on 9/24. Come on by!

Coming up in September

2011-08-31T04:01:00.001-07:00

I can’t believe September is only a few hours away! How can this be? I’m not ready for the school routine. I like my lazy days of summer!

With September, Close to My Heart is celebrating National Stamping Month & a new Stamp of the Month! Both of these specials are good Sept 1 thru Sept 30th.

September’s Stamp of the Month one of our first Cricut Compatible stamp sets. That means that the tags & cards can be cut out with the new exclusive Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge and then stamped. How’s that for Faster, Simpler, Easier?

This stamp set is just $5 with a $50 purchase or $17.95.

On August 15th, we kicked off National Stamping month a couple weeks early. This stamp set is available through Sept 30th. It’s CTMH’s first ever Double D stamp sets. It includes two D sized stamp sets in the one envelope.

Pair-A-Phrase is only available with a $75 purchase and is free (almost free, you have to cover its shipping).

Combine both stamp sets and save big!

You can order online at www.ctmh.com/lharris or contact me today to get your beautiful, new Fall 2011 Idea Book and take advantage of this offer.

Lalia Harris
425-350-6879
laliah@live.com

RUBBER STAMP WARNING

2011-08-17T21:34:00.001-07:00

A recent study indicated that rubber stamps and embossing powders give off certain pheromones that actually hypnotize women and cause them to purchase unreasonable amounts.
When stored in large quantities in enclosed spaces, the pheromones (rubber) cause memory loss and include the nesting syndrome (the rubber emits a very high pitched sound, heard only by a select few..a breed of women know as “Rubber Stampers”. When played backwards on an LP, the sounds are heard as chants, “buy me, stamp me, emboss me.”
Studies have also indicated that aliens have inhabited the earth, helping to spread the effects that these stamps have on the human population. It’s also been experienced that these same pheromones cause a pathological need to hide these stamp purchases when taken home (or at least blend them into the existing stash), and when asked by a significant other if the stamp is new, the reply is: “Oh I’ve had it for a while.”
Are you addicted?

I can help you with your addiction.

I have no idea the source of this, but it was so cute I just had to share!
Have a great day!

Tons of Freebies!

2011-08-14T19:32:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned earlier this month, we have tons of freebies!
With a $50 purchase, you can get two stamp sets as part of the August Stamp of the Month for $5. (retail value $23.90.)

With a $75 dollar purchase, you get Pair A Phrase for free Aug 15-Sept 30. (retail value $35.90)

So if you’re interested in the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, this is a perfect time to get it!

These two offers can be combined, but just in the month of August. That's FOUR stamp sets for just $5.00 (plus ship/tax) instead of $60.80 retail. INCREDIBLE. Contact me today to get your beautiful, new Fall 2011 Idea Book and take advantage of this offer.

I'm putting in an order Monday night (8/15). I can add your order to my own & you will save about $5 on shipping.

Lalia Harris
425-350-6879
laliah@live.com
lharris.myctmh.com

Wicked, without Orange

2011-08-09T17:30:00.001-07:00

The August Stamp of the Month set is Wicked a clearly Halloween set of stamps complete with a black cat, witch and broomstick. However, you’ll find some non-orange ideas in this post that will keep you using this stamp set all year long.
This stamp set is $5 with a $50 purchase from Close to My Heart. This month you’ll also get the “A Typset” for free as well.

These blog posts are pulled from a Stamp of the Month Blog hop. You can see all 60+ entries here. (Also see the SOTM tab above)
Click on each of the pix below to take you back to the original source & creator of these projects. (I take absolutely no credit for them!)

The caption says “Put your best foot forward”

Notice the great swirly border?

Here’s the broomstick…

one of my favorites

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of inspiration. As always, you can find more Stamp of the Month info and inspiration at the top of my blog.

Ready to start shopping? I’m putting in an order on 8/15 if you’re local and want to save on shipping. Or you can order online here.

The winner is….

2011-08-05T22:25:00.001-07:00

Sorry this is late—it didn’t post so we’ll try again.

For my Christmas in July contest that I posted about 3 weeks ago the challenge was to guess what greens were going to be used in the new Christmas paper pack from Close to My Heart that was released this last Monday on 8/1.

The answers are: Sweet Leaf & Topiary.

This paper pack also features Holiday Red & Sky.

*** Drumroll Please! ***

The winner of all the entries is Karen! She was randomly picked from all the entries. Congratulations Karen. You just won a green CTMH Exclusive Inks ink pad of your choice!

Art Philosophy Cricut Images

2011-08-04T23:14:00.000-07:00

Close to My Heart has posted shapes index for their Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge today! As you can see, CTMH wasted no space on this Cricut cartridge. It is completely full of useable images.
Click here to download the Index (PDF)
This direct link from CTMH doesn’t give me the option to view in a browser.

To order your Art Philosophy bundle today, click on the image below.

I appreciate my customers. I will send you the new Idea Book with the purchase of this cartridge or any $100 purchase from my website or directly through me.
This purchase also makes you eligible for the current Stamp of the Month for $5. For August, if you purchase the Wicked Stamp of the Month you can also receive “A Typset” for free.

If you have any questions about this cartridge, please let me know. Contact me at laliah@live.com or give me a call 425-350-6879.
Happy cutting & stamping. No more scissors! Well, almost no scissors.

Introducing Dreamin’ B&T Duos

2011-08-03T21:45:00.001-07:00

I made a little project last week. I covered a little notebook I picked up on Sunday at the back to school sales. I’m not sure what I’m more impressed with… how it turned out or how quickly I used it!

This is one of the 8 new paper packs that just came out in the new Idea Book.

The flower was made from 5 scallop circles from the CTMH 2” scallop punch & a sparkle brad. I rubbed the gold brad over the Goldrush Exclusive Inkpad and then sealed it with Liquid Glass. I spritzed the scallop circles with water and crushed them to give them dimension.

It was simple & fast. My favorite!

If you’re interested in making something like this and would like a bit of help, let me know. I’m here for you!

The new Idea Book is here!

2011-07-31T23:11:00.000-07:00

The CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge is available for purchase along with 8 new paper packs and some new stamp sets!
Click on my older posts to find details more details!
Click on the idea book to view it online.

http://lharris.myctmh.com/MyCTMH/ProductHighlights.aspx?PageId=180
Enjoy!

Last Chance!

2011-07-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

It’s the last 2 days of July which means…
Last 2 days of this Idea Book
Last 2 Days of the July Stamp of the Month
Last 2 Days of the Christmas in July Contest!
Last 2 Days of the Bang for Your Buck promotion

Last 2 days for these 8 paper packs:
Bliss, Miracle, Wings, Sweetheart,
Hooligans, Magnifique, Hooligans Olivia & Mistletoe

Get ready for August & it’s going to be fun!

2011-07-29T12:22:00.001-07:00

With every Close to My Heart catalog release there’s some exciting changes. Here’s the scoop on the Fall/Winter 2011 changes.

An Exclusive CTMH Cricut Cartridge called Art Philosophy.
See all my posts for the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge by clicking here. You'll have to keep scrolling!

New stamp pricing that’s significantly lower!!! It’s the same size of stamp before, even the same stamps but lower prices. Some have dropped a whole price level, i.e. A D-Size is less than the old C-Size!

Stamp size	New Price	Savings!!	Old Price
A Size	$6.95	$4	$10.95
B Size	$9.95	$4	$13.95
C Size	$13.95	$5	$18.95
D Size (our most popular)	$17.95	$5	$22.95
E Size for alphabets	$29.95	$5	$34.95

8 new paper packs with card-stock weight papers! The price of the paper pack has been reduced from $12.95 to $9.99. The weight has been increased so they’ll be great for using as card bases and 3-D projects such as flowers & boxes. I will not be shy about saying that the number of sheets of the paper has dropped. CTMH’s intent is that we’ll use up the paper pack, not collect it.

Stamp of the Month (SOTM) changes. If you’re order is over $50, the SOTM is $5. Period. Simple. No more 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% discounting. It will be much easier for everyone participate in the program.

August SOTM is a double!

When you buy the one that’s listed in the catalog “Wicked” you’ll get a free alphabet called “A Typset.” There’s no mention of it in the catalog. Online ordering will automatically suggest this when you order.

National Stamping Month Celebration Starts August 15th
TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL STAMPING MONTH IN September, we are offering our first-ever double stamp set! You can get the exclusive My Acrylix® Pair-a-Phrase double stamp set FREE when you place an order of $75 from August 15 through September 30, 2011. You’ll love this “double D” set—two D-size sets in one envelope—which includes lots of clever phrases and coordinating images you’ll use in your handmade cards all year. And with a retail value of $35.90, this set drastically increases the value of your qualifying purchase! Have double the fun stamping during National Stamping Month with our new Pair-a-Phrase double stamp set!

click on images for a better view.

Good things come to those who wait a couple weeks…
Place a $75 order from Aug. 15th - Aug. 31st and you receive:
-Two D-size stamp sets in the "Pair-a-Phrase" campaign - FREE (retail $35.90)
-August SOM 'Wicked' - $5.00 (retail $17.95)
-Bonus stamp set "A Typeface" with $5.00 SOM purchase - FREE (retail $6.95)
That's FOUR stamp sets for just $5.00 (plus ship/tax) instead of $60.80 retail. INCREDIBLE.

Make your own online party! If your order for yourself or between you & friends is greater than $150, it will automatically generate hostess rewards of a minimum of $25. Hostess rewards are listed on page 2 of the catalog. (Sorry the link to the catalog isn’t live yet so I can’t post it)

The catalog will be online August 1st via www.lharris.myctmh.com!

In Search for the Red Line… Cricut Compatible My Acrylix ® Stamps

2011-07-27T13:51:00.001-07:00

There are two ways to identify the stamps that are compatible with the Close to My Heart Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge. One is by the red line around the stamp image, the other is the little curly, scalloped C down by the price & item number.
Today I found 20 My Acrylix Stamp Sets featuring the red line!
4 are Stamp of the Month: September, November, December & January
16 are in the main catalog.
Here’s a sneak peek!

Cricut Compatible My Acrylicx®

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Can you tell I’m very excited about this new Cricut release? Nah…It’s only 5 days away!
Which also means 5 more days left to enter the contest! http://craftylalia.blogspot.com/2011/07/christmas-in-july-lucky-green-contest.html

If you order your Art Philosophy Cricut bundle through this link (Art Philosophy Kick-Off), I'll give you the new Close to My Heart Idea Book for free. This is up to a $9 value $3.95 for the Idea Book & $5.15 for shipping. Just leave me a comment saying you want it, & I'll send it!

Fanfare Inspiration

2011-07-23T04:20:00.000-07:00

Fun summertime colors using Fanfare products

Stamps:
Pennant Alphabet E1018
Paper Lantern C1458

Fanfare Workshop on the Go Stamp set G1021
Natural Hemp Z280
Scallop Punch Z1392

Fanfare Workshop on the Go Stamp set G1021
Buttons, Blue Assortment Z1371

Stamps: Summer Days B1375
This is the same paper, it’s the flipside of the blue paper with the + design.

Order online at www.lharris.myctmh.com

Don’t forget about the July fun…

2011-07-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

Click on the links below to review July’s promotions!
Christmas in July Contest!

July Stamp of the Month

Bang for Your Buck promotion

Cricut & CTMH: A Wonderful Combination!

2011-07-19T12:24:00.001-07:00

Calling all those who are CRAZY FOR CRICUT!!! This is for you!

Close to My Heart has taken it to a whole new level! We are the first to come out with a Cricut Cartridge that pairs with clear acrylic stamps and dimensional chipboard. Simply plug the cartridge into your Cricut®* Personal Electronic Cutter machine and you’re ready to cut any of the 700 shapes, ranging from elegant rosettes and lace to trendy gift boxes and banners! You’ll also receive three stamp sets as well as three sets of 9" × 12" Dimensional Elements that work in tandem with the cartridge. On top of that, numerous My Acrylix stamp sets in our new Idea Book pair wonderfully with images on the Cricut® cartridge. They made it SOOO easy…if you look closely at the sets you’ll see that they’ve put lines around the images that coordinate and marked the size setting right on the acetate sheet.

The chipboard sheets are available to purchase separately. However, the 3 Acrylix stamps sets are only available with this cartridge bundle.

The bag, star, circle and tickets were all cut on the Cricut. Scissors were only required to cut the ribbon!
Check out this video from Close to My Heart to see what it’s all about:

click on video or YouTube logo to view larger version

There are a couple of different ways you can get this amazing new kit:
1) The collection is available August 1 for $99.00. You can email your pre-order Just order online as of 8/1. laliah@live.com (when you include your address I’ll send you a copy of the new Idea Book). And we now can offer Hostess Rewards for every order over $150. So if you add a few other items, you can also get at least $25 in rewards plus the Stamp of the Month for $5 (actually you'll get two stamp sets in August--A Halloween one & "A Typset" which is an alphabet.
2) Host a party! When your party total reaches $250 or more, you will be able to get the bundle as a half price item – so you can get the Cricut Cartridge for less than $50!!!! Plus you’ll get at least $40 in Hostess Rewards.
3) OR you can join Close to My Heart as a consultant for only $99, get this amazing kit of products & supplies, and then order the Cricut Cartridge from yourself at a great discount. I’d love to have you join my team. Email me for more details!
I can’t wait to share with you the amazing artwork the CTMH art department has created with this bundle. Love love love it! Stay tuned to see more artwork!
So give me a call to preview a catalog (if you're local) ~~or pre-order today.~~ 425-353-6879.

P.S. Don't forget about entering my contest on this post! http://craftylalia.blogspot.com/2011/07/christmas-in-july-lucky-green-contest.html

If you order your Art Philosophy Cricut bundle through this link (Art Philosophy Kick-Off), I'll give you the new Close to My Heart Idea Book for free. This is up to a $9 value $3.95 for the Idea Book & $5.15 for shipping. Just leave me a comment saying you want it, & I'll send it!

More details about stamps that are Cricut Compatible are on this post...

Mayberry Inspiration

2011-07-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

No Andy Griffith but some very sweet, versatile summer time papers!

Find the whole line of Mayberry products HERE.

Stamps: Bless this Nest C1445 & Say it in Style D128
Pearls on the roof: Mocha Opaques Adhesive Gems Z1333

Stamps: Say It in Style D1283
Butterfly: Irresistibles Miracle Chipboard Die Cuts Z1354
Kraft Color-Ready Borders Z1377

Stamps: Enjoy Life C1439
Distressing with Sponge Daubers Z726

Stamps: Salutation Seals C1461
Kraft Color-Ready Borders Z1377 (Inked the white side with Garden Green Exclusive Inks)

Order online at www.lharris.myctmh.com

It pays to go digital…. Studio J

2011-07-14T01:03:00.000-07:00

I created this layout using the CTMH StudioJ online scrapbooking. It has 16 pictures. Can you imagine how long it would have taken to create this using classic scrapbooking methods? Cropping 12 photos down to just the right size, just for starters. Oh yeah, don’t forget the other 4.

It took me about 30 minutes and most of that time was selecting from pictures and typing my journaling. I’m really slow at journaling. Really slow.

What I’m trying to say is that most of my time was spent doing the things that all scrappers do. Choosing the right words and the right pictures. But after that, I was able to plop them into a layout and be done. Can you say that about your scrapbooking?

Give StudioJ a try. It’s free to try. Click here to sign up through my website.

See what you can do in 30 minutes!

Still not sure? Not tech savvy? Contact me and I’ll give you a personal tour.

Last chance! The current CTMH Idea Book ends July 31st

2011-07-11T05:42:00.000-07:00

At this time, I don't know what's coming, but I know it's going to be good. However, I do know what will be no longer available as supplies run out or July 31st, whichever is sooner! So if you're in love with a current paper packet or Workshop on the Go and you haven't purchased it, now is the time! And do it soon, it's while supplies last.

This is a long post so I'll just give you my contact details now:
Order online lharris.myctmh.com
Email Me laliah@live.com
Call me: 425-353-6879

Don't forget about the other July promotions "Bang for your Buck" & Stamp of the Month too!

Workshop on the Go that are "going." Paper to stay

Workshop on the Go includes the Level 2 paper pack, embellishments and an exclusive My Acrylix Stamp set. The stamp set will not be available to purchase after July 31st. The Level 2 paper packet and embellishments will still be available in the new Idea Book.

Fanfare Workshop on the Go

Lucky Workshop on the Go

Mayberry Workshop on the Go

Sophia Workshop on the Go

Going and good as GONE
These next 4 Workshop on the Go kits are going, as well as all matching paper packs and Stickease.

Bliss

Miracle

Wings

Sweetheart

Going and Sweet Farewell
These papers were introduced in 2010 and returned as Level 1 & Level 2 paper packs with matching Stickease for Spring & Summer 2011. They are to be discontinued as of July 31st.

Magnifique

Hooligans

Olivia

Mistletoe

Here's the details, for those of who like details!

G1016	Wings Workshops on the Go	$ 29.95
G1017	Sweetheart Workshops on the Go	$ 29.95
G1018	Lucky Workshops on the Go	$ 29.95
G1019	Sophia Workshops on the Go	$ 29.95
G1020	Bliss Workshops on the Go	$ 29.95
G1021	Fanfare Workshops on the Go	$ 29.95
G1022	Mayberry Workshops on the Go	$ 29.95
G1023	Miracle Workshops on the Go	$ 29.95
X7127A	My Reflections Scrapbooking Kit Level 1 Magnifique	$ 9.95
X7127B	My Reflections Scrapbooking Kit Magnifique Level 2 Paper Packet	$ 12.95
X7127C	Level 2 My Stickease Assortment Magnifique	$ 4.95
X7128A	My Reflections Scrapbooking Kit Level 1 Olivia	$ 9.95
X7128B	My Reflections Scrapbooking Kit Olivia Level 2 Paper Packet	$ 12.95
X7128C	Level 2 My Stickease Assortment Olivia	$ 4.95
X7129A	My Reflections Scrapbooking Kit Level 1 Hooligans	$ 9.95
X7129B	My Reflections Scrapbooking Kit Hooligans Level 2 Paper Packet	$ 12.95
X7129C	Level 2 My Stickease Assortment Hooligans	$ 4.95
X7130A	My Reflections Scrapbooking Kit Level 1 Mistletoe	$ 9.95
X7130B	My Reflections Scrapbooking Kit Mistletoe Level 2 Paper Packet	$ 12.95
X7130C	Level 2 My Stickease Assortment Mistletoe	$ 4.95
X7131A	Sophia Level 1 Kit	$ 9.95
X7132A	Bliss Level 1 Kit	$ 9.95
X7132B	Bliss Level 2 Paper Packet	$ 12.95
X7132C	Bliss Level 2 My Stickease Assortment	$ 4.95
X7133A	Miracle Level 1 Kit	$ 9.95
X7133B	Miracle Level 2 Paper Packet	$ 12.95
X7133C	Miracle Level 2 My Stickease Assortment	$ 4.95
X7134A	Sweetheart Level 1 Kit	$ 9.95
X7134B	Sweetheart Level 2 Paper Packet	$ 12.95
X7134C	Sweetheart Level 2 My Stickease Assortment	$ 4.95
X7135A	Wings Level 1 Kit	$ 9.95
X7135B	Wings Level 2 Paper Packet	$ 12.95
X7135C	Wings Level 2 My Stickease Assortment	$ 4.95
X7136A	Mayberry Level 1 Kit	$ 9.95
X7137A	Lucky Level 1 Kit	$ 9.95
X7138A	Fanfare Level 1 Kit	$ 9.95
Z1355	Bliss Level 2 Assortment	$ 5.95
Z1386	Sweetheart Level 2 Assortment	$ 4.95
Z1398	Wings Level 2 Assortment	$ 4.95

No longer available at this time:
3x3 mini albums Z1166 on page 120 of the current Idea Book

Happy Shopping!

Order online lharris.myctmh.com

Email Lalia laliah@live.com

Call Lalia: 425-353-6879

Christmas in July--A Lucky Green Contest!

2011-07-09T10:14:00.001-07:00

If you've talked to me recently, you'll know I'm very excited about the new CTMH Idea Book that's coming out August 1st. So let's have a little contest! I'm curious what the new Christmas colors are going to be. Last year's Mistletoe paper pack featured Garden Green, New England Ivy, as well as Cocoa and Cranberry. You can still order the Mistletoe paper pack from Close to My Heart until July 31st via my website.

Mistletoe Paper Collection-click for larger view.

So what's your best guess for this year's colors? Which Green????

Take a look at the Idea Book and email me your best guess for the new green color(s) for the new Christmas paper pack at craftylalia@frontier.com. Comments left on the blog or Facebook don't count.

Color Hint: All the CTMH colors are listed near the back of the Idea Book.

Here's a link to the 2011Spring & Summer Idea Book: http://lharris.myctmh.com/MyCTMH/ProductHighlights.aspx?PageId=180

The Prize?
A little something that's Christmas and perhaps green from the new Idea Book. I don't know what it will be yet because I too haven't seen the new Idea Book. Here's the deal.... The prize is going to grow with the number of entries! Please help me get the word out about Close to My Heart and my blog.

Rules:
I will draw from the any entry that lists a green Exclusive Inks color from the Idea Book.
Limit one email entry per person.
Extra entries:

One entry for every $10 of product purchased from my website www.lharris.myctmh.com.
By referring a friend to this contest! Their entry email needs to mention who referred them. ie. My color guess is ____ and my friend Toby Harris told me about your blog contest.
Subscribe to this blog using the "Follow By Email" on the right.

Last day to enter contest is July 31st.
Winner to be announced by August 3rd.

Independent Consultants not eligible.
I will never sell your email address however, you may receive future newsletters from me, always with the ability to opt out.
Please don't say that Toby Harris referred you or my dog may win.

July Stamp of the Month (SOTM)

2011-07-09T05:33:00.000-07:00

You may be wondering why all the fuss about a stamp of the month set that's for a holiday that's already taken place. I have to tell you, this is a fun versatile set of stamps! Don't just think red, white, and blue!

The July stamp of the month, America, is a patriotic stamp set but can be used for other celebrations including birthdays and even Christmas. Follow the blog hop and see the creations of many talented consultants. More than 60 CTMH consultants have posted their take on this fabulous stamp set.

Add this set to your order and have a great Bang for Your Buck. It's regularly $22.95 but the more you buy, the more you save with SOTM. With a qualifying $25 purchase; save 25%, $50 purchase save 50% ($11.48), $75 purchase; save 75% (pay only 5.74), with $100, it's free!

This set is only available during the month of July so don't wait! Click here to shop: www.lharris.myctmh.com

July Specials

2011-07-01T07:01:00.000-07:00

We have a great fabulous for July, "Bang for Your Buck." Simply put, when you make a minimum purchase of $50 from the Spring/Summer 2011 Idea Book, you can add a bonus item for just $1. Choose from five items, each valued at $8.95 or more (limit one bonus item per qualifying order). To qualify for this promotion, items purchased must be from the Spring/Summer Idea Book. This campaign is a great way to stock up on items from the current Idea Book before the Autumn/Winter Idea Book goes live on August 1. For more details, head over to my website and get your big "Bang for Your Buck!" Click on the link: http://lharris.myctmh.com

You can choose from:
     1) Creative Basics Mistletoe (X5807)
                                    (retail value: $8.95),
     2) Creative Basics Animal Cookies (X5811)
                                    (retail value: $8.95),
     3) My Originals Bits & Pieces Card Kit (X8624)
                                    (retail value: $12.95),
     4) My Originals It's Your Day Card Kit (X8622)
                                    (retail value $12.95), or
     5) My Originals Around the Holidays Card Kit (X8623)
                                    (retail value: $14.95)

while supplies last!

You are just going to love the bang!

Fanfare Flower Garden

2011-06-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

This fun flower garden was made with the new Fanfare paper packet from Close to My Heart. I love using their paper packs because there's a great range of color and texture that matches! It means no more sorting through my stash to find a cardstock that matches the patterned paper. What a time and energy saver!

If you love what you see or are curious to know how I made some of these flowers, please let me know. I can host a workshop to teach you these techniques and more. Don't worry, they don't have to be a flower garden. These flowers can also go on cards or scrapbook layouts.

You & Me in June!

2011-06-16T08:25:00.000-07:00

During the month of June, order a You & Me kit for only $15 US/ $16.50 CAN (a retail value of $34.95/$38.95), and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross 2011 floods and Tornadoes relief operations. Simply use item number CC1012B to place your order for this sensational kit and help those in need at the same time. The You & Me: Stronger Together campaign will continue until June 30 at 11:59 pm (MDT) or while supplies last.

This includes a fantastic full-sized D stamp set which retails for $22.95. The flourish is my favorite so far. It is just so versatile!

Here's some layouts for this pack. Don't forget, it will also make some great cards!

To order online go to http://lharris.myctmh.com/ or give me a call if you are near me.

425-353-6879. I will be placing an order on 6/29.

Offer valid June 2–30, 2011, or while supplies last. No qualifying purchase required. Tax and shipping/handling charges apply. The placement of the donations is prioritized by the American Red Cross, with all money earmarked for disaster relief from the tornadoes and flooding in the midwestern and southeastern United States.

Try Studio J for Free in June!

2011-06-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

DURING OUR STUDIO J® FREE-FOR-ALL IN JUNE, WE’RE GIVING EVERYONE
a FREE Studio J® JPG file—no purchase required! Simply log on to Studio J,
create a layout, then order one JPG file of your layout. It’s as easy as that!
Download and save your file so you can post your layout online, email it to
family and friends, or print them.
If you have a Studio J or a MyCTMH® account, just log in and start creating.
If you don’t have an account, creating one is easy. You can access Studio J
through your Consultant’s MyCTMH website or at studioj.com.
Discover how quick and simple scrapbooking can be with Studio J—and get
your FREE JPG layout in Free-for-All June!

To get started, go to my website and click Studio J on the left hand column

http://lharris.myctmh.com/

Only 2 Days Left for the May Specials

2011-05-30T15:02:00.000-07:00

May has two wonderful specials and there's less than 2 days to claim them. Both can be your for free with a $100 product order.

May is National Scrapbooking Month so CTMH is featuring the You & Me kit for $34.95 or even free!

WHEN YOU PLACE A MINIMUM ORDER OF $50 IN CLOSE TO MY HEART PRODUCTS* in May, you can get the exclusive You & Me scrapbooking kit for the discount price of just $15—that’s more than half off the retail value! You’ll create two fully embellished two-page layouts using the new cardstock-weight B&T Duos® papers, D-size stamp set, accessories, and instructions. You can also purchase the kit at full retail for $34.95 with no minimum purchase required. Become a Close To My Heart Consultant during May and we’ll include a You & Me kit for free* as part of your New Consultant Kit. Contact me today to get the celebration started. (Shipping & Tax is still applicable)

Every month, we have an exclusive Stamp of the Month

There are 2 ways to order:

Directly from my website. http://lharris.myctmh.com

Directly from me. Email me, leave your order on this blog post (nobody can see comments but me) or call me at 425-353-6879. (Please do not put your credit card number in any email or message, I'll call you) Orders will ship to my home and you'll get a discounted shipping. Orders must be placed by 7am 6/1/2011 if they go through me.

Welcome to Close to My Heart!

2011-05-29T23:13:00.001-07:00

I have joined CTMH this weekend and am so excited to share with you a product line that I love and has completely changed my way of scrapbooking!
I know it’s the end of May, which is National Scrapbooking Month. I wish I had joined sooner because they have a great kit (pictured below) which is only available in the month of May and I would have been able to share it with more of you. Click the image below to check out my online CTMH website and see all the great products they have to offer.

New Favorite CTMH tool

2010-11-11T09:57:00.000-08:00

I just got the little gum eraser from CTMH and I love it! I still haven't used it to erase pencil marks yet but it does so much more. It took the hard to remove sticky off my scissors. It prepped my stamps to make them ink better. But most of all, if I Cricut some letters and run them through the Xyron sticker maker, it picks up all the residual sticky from them which is my favorite use for it!

Handbook Help!

2010-11-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

Here's a trick to help me navigate the image-only handbooks. I label each pair of pages with the keypad row number and button number. This bee on Create A Critter is row 5, button 5 from the left.
Remember the game Battleship?

This is so helpful on Animal Kingdom, Create a Critter and the 2 Paper Dolls cartridges.
I hope this helps you too!

Guest Post by a Junior Designer

2010-10-30T23:43:00.001-07:00

Here’s a cute little post by my first “guest designer.” This was a card my little guy made for his Papa (Grandpa) this week for his birthday. He had to have the pumpkin. Knew exactly which one (Stretch Your Imagination). He picked all the papers, the card base and the eyes and picked the two sizes himself. No, he didn’t want to use a rubber stamped greeting. He wanted it done on the Cricut too—on white paper. He did all the gluing except for the stem. And then he wrote his name! All.By.Himself. For the first time in pen. He’s been writing, just not any type of paper that could be saved. It was awfully hard sending that one out the door so I took lots of pictures.

Inking Pink Blog Hop!

2010-10-27T13:08:00.001-07:00

There’s still time to join the Pink Blog Hop. It’s thru 10/31, with drawings on 11/1-3. There’s more than 2 dozen gals who have partook in this hop. may have blog candy this week! Have fun & don’t forget to check your girls this week! Click on the logo to start the hop or this link below:

http://pattyandcharlie.blogspot.com/2010/10/inking-pink-blog-hop.html

Getting into the Spirit of things

2010-10-15T21:29:00.001-07:00

I’m testing my new blog publishing software using Windows Live Writer for the first time ever. I hope I can be better at updating my blog if it’s easier. Here’s a card I made last year around this time for Christmas.

This is from the Christmas Solutions Cricut Cartridge.

Hip Hip Hooray birthday card

2010-10-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

One extra fold added a lot to this card. It made it nice and dimensional without hardly any effort.

.
Used the flower that was cut from the hippo's bum to add to the inside of the card for a nice touch.

My son has informed me just now that it's missing something. Googley eyes!

Butterfly card

2010-09-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

This was such a simple card to make, especially after I tossed all the
detail cuts for the dots on the wings and just used bling. This was a card
that went with a present. It would be very chunky to mail.
I think everything was purchased at Joann's. Coor-dination's paper and some
really old flower bling from the dollar bin.

50 Bites

2010-08-13T23:50:00.001-07:00

Made this for my sister's 50th birthday last year. I wish I would have picked better contrasting colors but it still looked great in person. My flash washed out the colors. 50 flowers on skewers with a bite of chocolate in the center of each one. All flowers were done with a Cricut Cartridge.

The Happy Birthday and 50 Bites were with SCAL

Princess birthday card

2010-04-07T18:17:00.001-07:00

You can't have a frog without a princess! Natalie's card was made on the Gypsy because the crown is from Gypsy Wanderings. Used the shadow feature for the base paper and the regular feature for the front. Stickles filled in the crown to give it some sparkle.

The Happy Birthday Natalie is a combination of the Gypsy Wanderings font for the upper case letter and Plantin Schoolbook for the lower case.

The lighter pink is some eye-popping pink from an old paper pack from ages ago. The front page is DCWV Winter or Spring cardstock stack from just over a year ago.

Once again, I cut the base paper 6x12 and then joined it end to end with a double sided tape. This was cut on the 12x24" mat in one piece.

Hoppy Birthday Jacob

2010-04-07T18:10:00.001-07:00

I created this card using Design Studio and the frog from Paper Dolls. He's the princess' frog on page 47. By welding the frog I was able to eliminate the detail cuts. I also hid the eyes so they wouldn't cut by clicking hide. Hoppy Birthday is from Lyrical Letters. At 1 inch this was way too delicate to work with. I'd prefer a more sturdy font in the future. The front of the card is the same frog glued over the base in the pearly green textured paper.

The base of the card is made with a green paper I had on hand out of a unknown pack. The front was made with Core-dinations from J's. Gemstone's "Jade" I cut the base paper to 6x12 and then used double sided tape to make a strip of paper 6x23.5" long. The entire folded card was cut out at one time. The Cricut cut through all the layers pretty cleanly.

A couple googley eyes and an upturned smile that I filled in with a marker turned him into a very happy frog.

Shaped Cards

2010-03-17T22:20:00.000-07:00

I made these two cards in design studio last summer. My husband's brother and his wife have birthdays 10 days apart in July. Todd received the cowboy hat. The hat is from PDDU, Howdy is from Storybook. I welded the design and added a second hat on top of the first, hiding the contour of the edge of the hat and didn't weld that one so the detail cuts would cut. See my pumpkin example earlier in my blog to see what I mean. Capadia Designs also has some wonderful tips on this.

The princess card was for Shonda, Everything was from Storybook. The light pink paper is the pearly paper from Core-Dinations. This was just a few weeks after Joann's started stocking it so it was fun and exciting to cut with it.

I'm having fun with shaped cards. I'm working on some more that take a 12x24 mat and a single 12x12 piece of paper as the base. I can't wait to finish and post them.

Butterfly card

2010-03-17T22:14:00.001-07:00

Inspired by the butterfly on the Cricut cake cartridge (You can sneak a peek if you have the latest Design Studio libraries loaded). I made this card in SCAL for two of my beautiful nieces. One turned 14 today and tomorrow the other one 27. Oh my, I'm feeling old now. They both love butterflies, green and black.

Shadow box Baby Keepsake

2010-01-17T22:43:00.000-08:00

The best of both worlds. A Cricut Cartridge & SCAL.

Using SCAL and a free font called "Little Lord Fontleroy" I cut vinyl and adhered it to the glass. I covered the velvet backer board with some scrapbook paper via Scotch double sided tape in several place. Added the cut from A Child's Year as well as the baby stats. A bit of ribbon was added a the top. The hardest part was cutting the baby stats down and then creating the right size of matting. I am not well practiced at this.
Using SCAL 2 is great for the title. You can center align the two rows effortlessly and size it exactly. I cut the vinyl, weeded it and transferred the whole thing using transfer tape in 1 step. That way there wouldn't be any uneven lettering. It may seem like your not conserving vinyl but you are after you throw out a couple pieces due to mistakes!
A very simple but remarkable gift. This shadow box is only 8x10 which is a great size. If you put paper on the back, you don't have to layer or splice two sheets and hide it with ribbon.

Boo

2009-10-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted. I created this card using Stretch Your Imagination & Plantin. My Cricut didn't want to cleanly cut out the eyes but I made it work. I wouldn't want to go much smaller unless I had a sticky new mat.

An inch is an inch

2009-07-04T17:31:00.001-07:00

There was a discussion today on Cricut Chat MB about the sizing of everything. I offered my 2cents worth and added a visual.

The size of your cut is always measured from the top to bottom of the mat, not the longest part of your cut. Some things are laid out in such a way on the cart that 1" tall makes them 3" long!
Imagine my surprise when I cut 1" tall waves to go with my little 2" light house from Life's a Beach. It looked like Tsunami! I almost always use CDS for planning cuts.
Here's a visual example. Everything here is 1" tall. But everything varies in proportion tremendously.

Inkscape isn't just for SCAL users

2009-06-21T19:31:00.001-07:00

I’m falling in love with SCAL for fun journaling blocks. Check this out.

Font is Crazy Harold from somewhere on the internet.

Create a text box & enter text.

Create a spiral of a reasonable size.

Click on the Spiral, under the Path Menu, click “object to path.”

Hold down the sift key so you can also select the text box (both will be selected)

Under the Text Menu, click “Put on Path.”

You’ll have to fiddle around with text size and the shape of the spiral to get it perfect. I don’t have all the specifics on that because I’m just figuring that out.

.cut file compatibility between baby & Big E

2008-12-13T23:15:00.000-08:00

This just irks me. I was trying to get things ready for a crop last night and I couldn't figure out why my cuts were off. I wasted a ton of paper and time which threw off my whole night. Tonight I sat down and studied the situation. It wasn't me! How many of you are aware that the margins for the 12x12 mat are different than the 6x12 mat in DS? This matters if you try to cram as many cuts on a piece of paper as possible. Thus having lined up your cuts along the leading edge of the mat (the left side of the mat which is cut first!) I know a lot of you have upgraded to the Big E this season. Please keep this in mind! It's a real bummer if you have welded cuts like I do that involve lots of little shapes that have to be scooted over Take a look at my example: If you're still thinking, big whoop, it's only a square. Try this on for size. I created a poinsettia using the flower in George by adding a triangle on to the tip of each petal to make a pointed petal. That means there are 6 elements for every flower. I had 46 flowers on 1 sheet (they were about 1" each) Being squashed together to conserve paper, I had to scoot each and every element over 1 arrow-key click to the right. That's click with the mouse then scoot with the arrow key 276 times!!! I hope someone sees this and is spared a little point and click-click by this. :) Have a good night.

Welding & Detail Cuts in Design Studio

2008-12-07T16:38:00.001-08:00

When I made the treat bags back in October, I noticed that I had some problems with the pumpkin showing all its features. See the example on the right. I filed a ticket with cricut via their website. They responded back with "it's a design feature." Yeah, that's what engineers say when there's a problem. I know, I've been one of them in my past life. Basically, in Design Studio, you have two options: to Weld or not to Weld. Some times you don't have a choice. But with using Cricut markers, you do. The image on the left was not welded. The pumpkin on the right was welded. All the detail cuts are gone.

Click on the picture to see all of it.

This can be very helpful, especially if you're making cards or boxes. If you click weld on any TBBM item, it gets rid of those little tic marks for scoring (blackout doesn't do this). It also gets rid of those marks on any of the cards (I know this works for SYI & Plantin Schoolbook). In Plantin Schoolbook EndCaps feature, it also gets rid of the top & bottom cut line so you can add those letters on top of a larger shape. (I don't generally use the actual end cap shapes, but I love the stencil effect it makes). I hope this can help you out!

Treat Bag Swap

2008-12-07T16:25:00.001-08:00

A while back I created some treat baskets for the the swap on the Cricut Design Studio Forum.

Daisy Basket only uses George. Baby Bug Compatible.
I used the cricut markers first, then cut it. Each are on different tabs in the same file

Pumpkin Treat Basket. uses George & PDDU. Baby Bug Compatible.
I've fixed it so that the cricut markers do the face very nicely. Do this before cutting.

This is a very old post and my file sharing expired. If need a file, please leave a comment with your email address and I will get it to you.

Crosses--I've fixed the download

2008-12-01T10:16:00.000-08:00

luvmygirls asked for a cross on the Cricut MB. I created 2 adjustable ones so that she could make whatever size she wanted.

Click Here to Download the Correct File

Please no drive by swiping! There were 15 people out there who downloaded the wrong file this week and not a single one of you said ANYTHING--not ooops, not thank you. I guess you get what what you are thankful for--nothing.

Photo File Folder 4x6 with tab

2008-11-01T14:50:00.000-07:00

Here's the file folder I created this week. It fits in the photo boxes I buy at Michael's--That's why it's only 4.25" tall and about 7" wide. It has a tab that you fold over and fit through the slots to keep the contents of the folder from sliding out the one end. If you don't want that feature, feel free to delete the tab and the two slits. This fits on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of cardstock on the Expression. It is not baby bug compatible. It's also pretty symetrical so you can have the tab on either side of the folder depending on the way you fold it or use it. I inked the edge of this folder in the picture so you could see the details better. I don't do this to all my folders. Enjoy.

Testing My Photo Uploading Abilities

2008-10-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

Let's see if I can get this together quickly. Oh my, this is working much better slick as can be. Isn't he cute???