Artbooking in August #2

Welcome to Week #2 of Artbooking in August! Are you ready to get creative? Let 36 Close To My Heart Consultants inspire you this month! This is a circular blog hop, so if you get lost along the way, please visit Adeline Brill's site here, and you're sure to get back on track!

Today just happens to be my birthday, so this hop is like a birthday present to me! I've had a pretty fantastic weekend filled with fun adventures and rare quality family time. One of my favorite things about the weekend was getting to finally meet a consultant friend that I've only ever talked with on the phone and through e-mail/Facebook. She is such a treasure to have for a friend. On top of that, I even received extra surprises of not one, but 3 birthday cakes! Wow, huh? If you were here, I'd share with you. Really, you'd be doing me a favor! LOL 

Okay, enough birthday chatter! You surely didn't come here for that! :)

If you arrived here from Michelle's blog, you're on the right path. Today's cards were inspired by Pinterest. Love that site!

Hexagons were cut at 1 1/4", page 66. Circles were cut at various sizes 2", 1 1/2", 1", 3/4", and 1/2", page 83.

Recipe:
Paper: Proplayer, Outdoor Denim CS, Sunset CS, White Daisy CS
Stamp: Casual Expressions Occasions 
Inks: Slate, Black, Barn Red
Tools: Cricut Artbooking, Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors, Sponge, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder
Other: Tulip Brads

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. Now, hop on over to Gina's blog to see what beautiful project she has in store for you.

Casandra

Autumn/Winter 2013 Idea Book is Here!

The highly anticipated Autumn/Winter 2013 Idea Book is here! Check out the image below to see the front cover.

Isn't it fabulous? The designs in this book are even better than the last. Wait, is there an echo? LOL I know I say that every time, but it's true! 

For the month of August, we have a SWEET promotion for you! Yes, you! Click this link to see the images that come with this yummy stamp set.

August is an especially sweet time to shop — when you place an order of $50 or more during August, you’ll receive the August Stamp of the Month set, A Chocolate Affair, FREE! This D-size stamp set, with a retail value of $17.95, includes 16 images and sentiments that will have your friends salivating over your chocolatey layouts and cards. Make every project a treat with this must-have set.

I would like to show you two examples of my favorite products from the Autumn/Winter 2013 Idea Book.

Cricut Artbooking Bundle

Make It From Your Heart Volume 2 Pattern Book

If you would like to place an order, please contact me or go to my website where you can order products 7 days a week, 24 hours a day from the comfort of your own home.

Have a great day!

Casandra

Artbooking in August #1

Are you ready to get creative? Let 40 talented CTMH consultants inspire you with their creativity this month. Each Monday in August, these ladies will be posting artwork to their blogs and you can follow their blogs or set your alarm to make sure you do not miss a post!

If you arrived here from Michelle's blog, you're on the right path.

I created a scrapbook layout featuring the overlay items from Page 80 of the Artbooking cartridge. I set my Real Dial Size button and cut at 9" for the left page, and then cut the overlay item for the right page at (shift) 4 1/2", again using the Real Dial Size button. The stamped images were created using the stamp sets that come in the Artbooking bundle.

Recipe:
Paper: Back Country (retired) Sarita, Huntington, Colonial White CS, Outdoor Denim CS
Stamps: Artbooking
Inks: Outdoor Denim, Barn Red
Tools: Cricut Artbooking, Glue Pen
Other: Back Country stickease (retired), In Color - Adventure Dimensional Elements (retired)

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. Now, hop on over to Gina's blog to see what beautiful project she has in store for you.

Casandra

Merry Monday Anything Goes Christmas Card

I joined a card/project swap this past month and just finished up my cards for it, so I thought I'd share it with you. It also works for the current challenge over at Merry Monday "Anything Goes Christmas".

Recipe:
Paper: Frosted, Crystal Blue CS, White Daisy CS
Stamp: Look To The Light
Ink: Twilight
Tools: Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors, Scallop Border Punch, Sponge Dauber
Other: Red Shimmer Trim, Aqua Dots, MIFYH Volume 2
(All supplies by CTMH)

I've never used the shimmer trim before and have to admit that I love the self-adhesive backing, and how it lays flat, making it perfect for mailing.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Casandra

Life With Kids

A fellow consultant writes a blog post often with the subject of "Monday Listicles". Wendy Coffman's blog posts are always highly entertaining, and I totally relate, considering we have children near the same ages and apparently quite similar personalities. 

This week's topic over at Monday Listicles is "ten photos about life with kids". I thought I'd give it a try for fun. Certainly, it will be entertaining for me to look back on later. I already miss the days of newborn and toddler-hood.

10 Photos about Life With Kids

1. Izzy doesn't look at a bracelet or headband the way other children do. She is totally gypsy-spirited.

2. Jack took this candid picture of Izzy and I together. A bit blurry, but totally gives you an idea of Izzy's personality.

3. This is Izzy's first-ever picture-taking experience. Awesome, right?!

4. My life would be nothing without these 3 people in it. Love them so much.

5. Um, do you think you should be doing that, Izzy?

6. Jack and his cousin Micah. They are 7 months apart in age, but so alike they could be twins.

7. I can always count on a silly pose/face from Jack. He has photo-bombed many pic's. Just sayin'.

8. Is there anything cuter than a sleepy child?

9. Jack has to sleep under his pillow with the fan on Mach 3 speed.

10. This kid can hear a wrapper being opened 3 rooms away & smell chocolate outside the house. LOL

So there you have it. Everyday life with my kids. There are the moments where a camera is the last thing I'm thinking of...they do know how to push mommy's buttons. But all I have to do is look at these pictures, and my heart melts. Oh, and speaking of chocolate: I can't keep it hid. She's 5 and knows all of my hiding spots, and probably future ones I haven't yet thought of...like a mouse, really. And my little boy? He said to me just last night, "Mama, I like it when daddy smiles. He has the nicest smile." Seriously? At 7, he can be so sensitive and sweet, but let's be honest, "can be"...as in, when he's not terrorizing his sister in a totally gleeful way, as she does the whole "King Kong" dramatic screaming. Yeah, it's like that.

Have a great day!

Casandra

Later Sk8r Workshop

Good morning. This is a quick post to share my Later Sk8r pages that we made at my workshop on Sunday.

Recipe:
Paper: Later Sk8r (retired), Outdoor Denim CS, Slate CS, White Daisy CS, Black CS, Lagoon CS, Pear CS (CTMH)
Stamps: In Gear, Fast & Furious, Boys At Play (retired), Roar (retired), Love Life, Pinwheel (retired), Trinity Alphabet, Varsity Alphabet (CTMH)
Inks: Lagoon, Slate, Outdoor Denim, Pear, Black, Black Distressing Ink (CTMH)
Tools: Cricut Artbooking, Cricut Artiste, Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors, Sponge (CTMH), Hexagon Punch (Fiskars), Scallop Border Punch (SU!)
Other: Later Sk8r Stickease, Blue/Green Epoxy Bubbles, White Daisy Bitty Brads (CTMH), Foam Tape, Glue Dots, Embroidery Floss

This was definitely a favorite kit of mine. It is now retired, but if you love it as much as I do, there are still ways to create with it. Have you ever tried digital scrapbooking? Close To My Heart offers several templates where you can upload your photos, change up some colors, such as adding sunset orange (for instance) to this fabulous kit, and in Studio J, the papers never retire. If you would like to learn more, please visit my website.

Happy crafting!

Casandra

My Busy Life

Hello to my friends in blog land.

I have been busier than usual, this Summer. I wanted to share a bit of what I've been doing, for the past few weeks.

During 4th of July weekend, I began reading a book called "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman. If you have never read this book, I highly recommend it. It's great for all of the relationships in your life, not just with your spouse or significant other.

This year, we decided to grow a garden for the second time. The last time was in 2007! So, needless to say, it seems like a learning curve all over again. I've been busy pulling weeds everywhere! I should have taken a picture to show you the section I actually got weeded. LOL 

Close To My Heart held their annual convention at the end of June, and I've been busy checking out all the new goodies and making creative plans. My lovely upline, and good friend, was kind enough to have a team meeting a week ago. I was even able to put together a cute card that I forgot to take a picture of, but it looks similar to this.

As part of my "path" to healing and self-discovery, I have sort of been reinventing myself. I've lost a few pounds, and am finding myself with a little more energy than I've had in the past few years. I have returned to attending church services as of the past two Sundays. It feels like coming home. We've even started up an old family tradition we had ten years ago before my cousin/sister-in-law passed away from cancer. The past 3 Sundays have found us having dinner with my in-laws, mostly cook-out style. It's been so nice. Sometimes, we just have to stop and reflect on what is missing in our lives, and what changes we can make to better ourselves. My children love all the extra time spent with grandparents.

In keeping with the whole gardening thing, we started making our own home-made jams, too. So on Saturday, I spent two hours picking at a local raspberry farm and came away with 8 quarts of fresh raspberries that are completely free of pesticides. Boy, do they make some fine jam! I even found a yummy recipe for raspberry cobbler that I'd like to share with you. Please click this link for the recipe.

Saturday evening, hubby and I were in the kitchen making up 4 batches of home-made jam that included 2 of raspberry, 1 triple berry (my favorite!) and 1 blueberry jam.

And last but not least, on Sunday, I finally had my first workshop in 3 months, featuring Later Sk8r. It is now retired...and I sure wish I'd bought another paper pack just for me (okay, shh, I have one extra hidden away). It was definitely my favorite paper pack in years. 

We made the above layout with some alterations, plus 7 other pages. I will be sharing them soon...gotta get my pictures taken just so and watermarked. 

Next month promises to be even busier with a birthday and an anniversary, plus a camping trip for the Bennett gang down to Traverse City...the Cherry Capital of the world. We're pretty stoked about it. I will also be hosting my next workshop with the Tommy kit on August 18th. 

If you took the time to read all this, I thank you for catching up with me. I wish you all a safe and happy Summer. Try to get some face-time in front of the camera, too, when recording your family memories. Your kids won't care if you look perfect with make-up in place and hair all done up like a model. They will treasure pictures of you forever. 

*Hugs*

Casandra