Tooth Fairy Week with Tinkerbell

Hello friends!  Welcome to this week's Bitten by the Bug 2 Cricut challenge. I am hosting the challenge this week and boy, oh boy did I ever mess up! We all know that the perfect Cricut Cut challenge for today SHOULD have been Sun and/or Moon.  Did I think of this back in May when we were selecting challenges for the summer?  OH, NO!

So instead of focusing on the full eclipse that will pass over my house at 2:43 pm EST today, I was all caught up in National Fairy Day! Seriously. Who even knew there was such a thing? Though to be fair, the other big names get their own day: Santa, Easter Bunny, New Year's Baby, etc. It does seem only fair that the Tooth Fairy gets a day also.  And, as that day falls this week, I chose Tooth Fairy Day over the Eclipse (I know! I am hanging my head in shame).

I used a ton of individual cuts on my custom built Fairy House shaped card: 

- Tinkerbell and Friends - For Tinkerbell, of course

- Lori Whitlock SVG - Baby Card

- Heritage - Divan

- Sentimentals - Desk

- French Manor - Chair

- Art Philosophy - Flower vase and flowers

- Sugar and Spice - Mushroom lamp

- Create A Critter - House roof and front door 

- SVG - Fairy Tale verse

I am not sure if you can see it in the photos, but created a custom pop down piece making the card open only to 90 degrees, so it appears more "room like."  The piece fold up inside the card and drops down as the card opens.

I had fun creating is this card.  I like to think that if she would like to, Tinkerbell could take a peep out her round window to see the eclipse today (only with ISO authorized eye protection, of course).  Otherwise, I think she and the other fairies will have a fabulous time celebrating Tooth Fairy Day!

We we love to have you join us at Bitten By the Bug 2 for the Tooth Fairy Challenge.  Extra bonus points for anyone who includes a sun or moon on their project (like one of my cleaver design sister did)!  Be sure and go by the BBTB2 blog and take a peek at the Fairy projects!

This Is The Life Layout

Hello paper crafting friends!  I am back today to share a layout I created using the new Close To My Heart cartridge, YOU ARE HERE.  This layout features the angelfish, tortoises, shells, waves, and title from the cartridge. This layout could work for several different scrapbooking themes - beach, cruise, or as I am planning to use it, a visit to the aquarium.  

I used papers from the Adventure Fundamentals sets, both patterned and solids.  I finished the layout with some fun sequins.

If you are still on the fence, or think this cartridge may not be for you, I hope you take another look.  There are so many wonderful cuts on the cartridge.

If you have any questions about the YOU ARE HERE cartridge, or any of the new CTMH products, please ask!

CLOSE TO MY HEART

I am hopeful that many of you followed along in my Close To My Heart posts last week.  I enjoyed sharing a few of the new products and sharing my favorites from the 2017-2018 Annual Inspirations Book.  

Host a Gathering:
As a reminder, anyone who hosts a gathering this month can qualify for a boost in Hostess Credit, earning more free merchandise and more half price products.  

Become a Consultant:
Then NOW is the time for you to become a Close To My Heart Consultant! With our new Rewards Your Way program, it has never been a better time to get started!

Rewards Your Way

When you sign up as a Consultant in August and meet certain sales goals, you’ll be rewarded with your choice of one of these items FREE:

• Any of our Cricut® Collections, including You Are Here
• The Thin Cuts Block Alphabet + In the Background Stamp Set
• An additional $99 SPC

To qualify for this reward, sign up today and submit $300 in commissionable sales by September 30. Enroll now.

Join our community of Consultants and start enjoying these rewards:

• 22% base commission on product purchases and sales, with the potential to earn even more! Learn more.
• Opportunity to make money doing what you love: crafting!
• Flexibility to earn extra income while working your own hours.
• New Consultant Kit full of product valued over $200! Learn more.
• $50 in Select Product Credit immediately upon sign-up.
• Free Consultant website so your friends can shop with you online!
• Opportunities for other exciting incentives, like trips, crafting products, and more! Learn more.

Stamp of the Month - 
Do not forget August's Stamp of the Month - School Year! The stamp is available for $17.95, or with a $50 order, you can add the Stamp of the Month during checkout for only $5.00!!

Mickey Mouse Says It Is School Time

Hello friends!  Welcome to this week's Bitten by the Bug 2 Cricut Challenge. Michelle, my super busy, super scrappy Design Team sister, selected this week's challenge - Back To School.  Michelle's timing is perfect as local teachers report back to work this week.  In fact, my Cricut and I spent part of last week making decorations for my daughter's second grade classroom. I had so much fun crafting pirates and seashells to go with her new decor theme!

My take on the Back To School challenge is this fun Mickey Mouse clock card. I was inspired by three things in creating this card - a Mickey Mouse watch I had years ago, and lyrics from a 1970 hit song, "Mickey Mouse says it's thirteen o'clock, well that's quite a shock..." And my granddaughter's love of The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. (Avaleigh thinks this is gramma's best card ever!! lol).

I used four cartridges to create this card, as well as basic circles, Mickey and Friends, Artiste for the gear cogs, Edge to Edge for the clock face, and Gypsy Wanderings for the clock hands. The School Time phrase was cut with the font Arab Brushstroke.  

If you have children or grandchildren going back to school, I wish them a happy and productive year. I wish patience for those "get them out the door" mornings.  Ugh, I hated those rush around mornings of years ago.

I hope that you find time to join us this week in the Back To School challenge. There are so very many possibilities of things you could do with this challenge.  If you have not already done so, please drop by the Bitten by the Bug 2 blog and check out the great and inspirational projects the Design Team created.  

I will be back tomorrow with another Close To My Heart project to post!

Summer Camp Scrapbook Pages

Hello friends! Are you ready for another two page layout using the Close To My Heart YOU ARE HERE cartridge? In addition to YOU ARE HERE, this layout utilizes one of my absolute favorite CTMH paper packs, Jack! I am using the Workshop Your Way Jack Kit.

How many of you have summer camp photos to scrap for your children? My kids used to go to camp for a week in the summertime and always had a selection of fun photos.  However, I know that many children spend six or eight weeks at summer camp.  A million years ago when I was a college student, I worked at a summer camp in the Poconos. We had the same children for eight weeks, and they went home with tons of photos of their camp experiences. I just hope they had scrapbooking moms!

This layout is perfect for the little guy's camp experiences. There are photo mats for Bunk mate photos and other adventures.  Every cut on these two pages came from the YOU ARE HERE cartridge.

I added some twine details to the layout - note the little knots on the small photo frames above. I also used the twine on the Happy Camper title cut on the left page.  The non-Cricut elements are from the Jack Workshop Your Way - Little Man, Brave & Strong, and Axing for Trouble!  

For a closer look at the Jack Workshop Your Way kit click HERE.   Jack also has coordinating stamps, stamps + dies, and other accessories.  

Click HERE to order your YOU ARE HERE cartridge today! 

Wedding/Anniversary with "You Are Here"

Hello friends!  As promised I am back today with another FAB project using the new Close To My Heart YOU ARE HERE cartridge. And guess what? Every element on this card, except the Bliss tag, was cut with YOU ARE HERE, and it is not about travel!! I told you that this cartridge has far more going on that merely travel.  

For this card I used four cuts from the cartridge to create this card: the gift package cut on the front of a square card, the Happy Couple banner, the STUNNING wedding cake, and the toasting flutes.  Toss in some amazing papers and a few sequins, and I have created a great card! At least I think it is great!  And I hope my neighbors think it is great.  They are celebrating their 60th(!!) wedding anniversary later this month and this card is for them.

I know I have repeated over and over that this card is about more than travel.  I hope this card gives you an idea of some of the potential.  I have more projects created that I intend to post to reinforce my message and to assure you that you really DO want to purchase this cartridge!

If you have any questions about the YOU ARE HERE cartridge, or any of the new CTMH products, please ask!

I will return on Thursday with another YOU ARE HERE project to share.

Birthday Goddess Tag

Hello friends!  Welcome to this week's Bitten by the Bug 2 Cricut Challenge. My amazing AND talented Design Team sister, Maureen, selected this week's challenge - Gift Bags and/or Gift Tags! I love this challenge. I confess that normally I would have chosen to create a gift bag, but this week the idea of a feminine gift tag was intriguing.

I used three Cricut Cartridges to create this feminine tag:  Art Nouveau, Bits and Pieces, and Edge to Edge.  

The goddess and the flowers were both cut using Art Nouveau. I confess that Art Nouveau is a cartridge that I have owned for years, but do not use nearly often enough. I truly love the flowers and beautiful women on this cartridge (though there is more to the cartridge than women and flowers).  I love the flowers used on this tag; they are just so pretty.

The intricate lace cut behind my main character is from the Edge to Edge cartridge. This cartridge has so many pretty lace and background cuts. 

The two piece tag (though my tag is three piece as I created a frame for the top) is from the Bits and Pieces cartridge. I like this two color tag - it adds more to the design than a solid single color.

I finished my tag with above mentioned white frame cut as well as pearls and pink binding ribbon. The tag will be perfect on a friend's birthday package!

I do not know if you have been by yet or not, but you NEED to view the projects my design sisters created for the Bitten by the Bug 2 challenge. They have a variety of gift bags and great tags.  They are such a talented group; I feel blessed to have them.

CLOSE TO MY HEART

I am hopeful that many of you followed along in my Close To My Heart posts last week.  I enjoyed sharing a few of the new products and sharing my favorites from the 2017-2018 Annual Inspirations Book.  

Host a Gathering:
As a reminder, anyone who hosts a gathering this month can qualify for a boost in Hostess Credit, earning more free merchandise and more half price products.  

Become a Consultant:
Then NOW is the time for you to become a Close To My Heart Consultant! With our new Rewards Your Way program, it has never been a better time to get started!

Rewards Your Way

When you sign up as a Consultant in August and meet certain sales goals, you’ll be rewarded with your choice of one of these items FREE:

• Any of our Cricut® Collections, including You Are Here
• The Thin Cuts Block Alphabet + In the Background Stamp Set
• An additional $99 SPC

To qualify for this reward, sign up today and submit $300 in commissionable sales by September 30. Enroll now.

Join our community of Consultants and start enjoying these rewards:

• 22% base commission on product purchases and sales, with the potential to earn even more! Learn more.
• Opportunity to make money doing what you love: crafting!
• Flexibility to earn extra income while working your own hours.
• New Consultant Kit full of product valued over $200! Learn more.
• $50 in Select Product Credit immediately upon sign-up.
• Free Consultant website so your friends can shop with you online!
• Opportunities for other exciting incentives, like trips, crafting products, and more! Learn more.

Stamp of the Month - 
Do not forget August's Stamp of the Month - School Year! The stamp is available for $17.95, or with a $50 order, you can add the Stamp of the Month during checkout for only $5.00!!

A Few Of My Favorite Things

Hello friends.  It has been a long week!  I am back today to share my top five favorite products from the new Annual Inspiration Book. 

1. Workspace Wonder Carousel Base and Top 

You know me, I am a sucker for a good organizational tool.  Our Workspace Wonder Set is one of my absolute favorite things.  I have about 18 pieces of Workspace Wonders - six paper trays, a pen holder, accessory trays, and a tower of ink holders. They are fabulous for keeping my desktop supplies organized.  So I am THRILLED that Close To My Heart released the Carousel Top and Bottom pieces.  Goodbye tower of ink; hello twirly carousel of ink!!! 

2. You Are Here Cricut Cartridge Collection

Seriously, do I even need to recap my feelings about this cartridge?  Briefly, I thought it was all about travel - and it IS about travel - but not exclusively. It is a great cartridge.  See Monday's post if you require more information.

3. Beautiful You Stamp + Thin Die Set

I love this set.  I am, when it comes right down to it, a girly-girl.  And so is this stamp and thin die set.  It is just so pretty.  I like pretty!

4. The Color of the Year - Bashful!  LOVE this.

Speaking of pretty??? Yep, this color right here!!  I have been asking for a pale pink color for the last .... four years, at least.  Thank you powers that be at CTMH!

5. Splash of Color Stamp Set

This stamp set!  WOW. When you look at the image below you probably have the, "what's the big deal?" reaction. I LOVE that this set makes quick work of creating custom watercolor look backgrounds. Need splash of color? Here you go.  Need a few splatters? Right here. Need a block of color? This set has you covered.  For such a boring looking set of stamps, this set packs a power punch of potential use. You NEED this stamp set.

There it is, my top five from the new catalog - with one caveat - because I covered so many dies yesterday I did not list the border thin dies.  I do love those thin border dies!

Click HERE to link to the online version of the Annual Inspirations Book. Have a look through and discover your own favorite new products and create a wish list!  

Thank you for joining me this week.  I will be back on Monday with next week's Bitten By the Bug 2 challenge, then later in the week I will reveal two more You Are There creations.

Dies to Die For and More....

Hello friends.  I am back today with day three of "What's new at Close To My Heart!"  Today I am going to share some of the new Thin Dies and Stamps + Thin Die sets.  Please forgive some of the photography - Apparently I am having photo technical issues today! 

I know some of you may ask, "why do I need thin dies if I own a Cricut?" Thin dies have so many benefits to us as crafters.  In the case of the flower and succulent dies below, the dies do away with the tedious fancy cutting after stamping.  They allow us to create dimension in our projects instead of just flat stamping.  And, the dies have a wonderful finished edge.

The truth is, I rarely meet a CTMH die that I do not like.  Perhaps I need a 12 step program?  I love using both my Cricut and my dies.  I suspect that is not just me!

I am going to begin with a few of the stamp + die sets:

Beautiful You Stamp + Thin Die Set:

Here is the stamp and die set used on two layouts (at the top of the page and below):

For You Darling Stamps + Thin Dies

Thoughtful Bird Stamps + Thin Dies

My mother-in-law would have loved this set.  She loved bird art. 

Border Dies

Thin Cuts Scallop Border:

Thin Cuts Ribbon Border

Thin Cuts Heart Border:

The layout below used all three border dies - and I just love the effect. 

You can find all of the dies in my on-line store under the tab title Dies.

Hostess Information

Have you ever considered hosting a Close To My Heart Gathering?  NOW is definitely the time.  This month ONLY, Close To My Heart is putting more rewards into the hostess program.  When you gathering sales reach tier three, you will receive all of the hostess benefits for tier four.  That means as the hostess you will receive $80 in free papers, stamps, and inks, and TWO items of your choice at half price (including Cricut cartridges).
Facebook Gatherings - are now a thing!  If you are not local to me, we can still get all of your crafty friends together on Facebook and do a gathering. That mean you can 1. Hostess in your PJs, 2. Not worry about how clean your house might be, and 3. No making of a dessert (unless YOU want dessert).  Best of all, your friends still get to purchase their favorite items and you still reap the rewards.  If you are interested, please reach out and let's get started.

Join My Team

Maybe you want more than two half price items and $80 in free merchandise?  Maybe you want it all, at a discount.  Then NOW is the time for you to become a Close To My Heart Consultant!  With our new Rewards Your Way program, it has never been a better time to get started!

Rewards Your Way

When you sign up as a Consultant in August and meet certain sales goals, you’ll be rewarded with your choice of one of these items FREE:

• Any of our Cricut® Collections, including You Are Here
• The Thin Cuts Block Alphabet + In the Background Stamp Set
• An additional $99 SPC

To qualify for this reward, sign up today and submit $300 in commissionable sales by September 30. Enroll now.

Join our community of Consultants and start enjoying these rewards:

• 22% base commission on product purchases and sales, with the potential to earn even more! Learn more.
• Opportunity to make money doing what you love: crafting!
• Flexibility to earn extra income while working your own hours.
• New Consultant Kit full of product valued over $200! Learn more.
• $50 in Select Product Credit immediately upon sign-up.
• Free Consultant website so your friends can shop with you online!
• Opportunities for other exciting incentives, like trips, crafting products, and more! Learn more.

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I will be back tomorrow to share some of my favorite new products from the Annual Inspirations Book.  One of the benefits of being a Consultant is we can purchase all the new product a month before they go public.  That makes it easy for me to have a favorites list.

Cardstock, Ink Essentials, and More...

Hello friends.  I am back today with part two of my five day series on what is new at Close To My Heart.  Today I am going to share an in depth look at our Essential Fundamentals paper line.  But first a quick reminder of all that is going on at Close To My Heart this week:

• A brand new Annual Inspirations Catalog
• A special Hostess Rewards increase for August Hostesses
• An incredible sign up promotion with the opportunity to earn $99 in extra goodies
• A brand new Cricut Collection

Now onto our Essential Fundamentals - there are four separate groups that make up the CTMH Fundamental. Each group contains a packet of print papers, coordinating solid cardstock, small pigment inks, ink refills, and individual ink pads in each color.

Adventure 

Adventure is the set of papers and cardstock I used to make the framed photo of John and Bethany above.  For the second part of their honeymoon (three years ago), they went to New York city.  I used the Adventure series to cut the double layer buildings from the You Are Here cartridge, as well as the Tourin' NY City sentiment.

Adventure Prints:

Adventure Solids: Note the new two toned solid cardstock

Adventure Mini Pigment Inks:

Enchantment 

Enchantment prints:

Enchantment Solids: Note the new two toned solid cardstock

Enchantment Mini Pigment Inks:

Whimsy

Whimsy subtle prints:

Whimsy Solids: Note the new two toned solid cardstock 

Whimsy Pigment Inks:

Basics 

Basics Prints: (I love the Basics prints)

Basics Solids: Note the new two toned solid cardstock 

Basics Mini Pigment Inks: 

In addition to the print papers, cardstock, pigments inks, etc., each line also has coordinating ribbons and other embellishments available.  And, as I stated above, we have full size ink pads in each color.

I wanted to provide you with two close ups on the two toned cardstock - have I mentioned that I think is this a GREAT idea?  Below you can see a bold color and a subtle color:

Yesterday I told you that YOU ARE HERE is more than just a travel cartridge.  It has so many other aspects than just destinations or travel cuts. 

Like all of our previous Cricut Cartridges, You are Here is accompanied by three full size coordinating stamp sets and a pack of our CTMH solid cardstock.

I am going to give you a couple of more peeks at Bethany and John's NY photo. This is framed in an 8 inch by 8 inch frame.

Close up:

There has never been a better time to become a Close To My Heart Consultant! There are fabulous incentives along with quality products and friendships. 

When you sign up as a Consultant in August and meet certain sales goals, you’ll be rewarded with your choice of one of these items FREE:

• Any of our Cricut® Collections
• The Thin Cuts Block Alphabet + In the Background Stamp Set
• An additional $99 SPC

To qualify for this reward, sign up today and submit $300 in commissionable sales by September 30. Join my team and Enroll now.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Thank you for supporting Busy With The Cricky! I appreciate you so much!** 

* See the Close to My Heart catalog HERE
* Order Close to My Heart HERE 
* Join My Close to My Heart team HERE 

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