Close To My Heart: ART PHILOSOPY

Hello Everyone!

I have to admit that the ART PHILOSOPHY cricut cartridge exclusively available through CLOSE TO MY HEART, is by far my favorite of this month's releases.

 I have so many plans with this cartridge, but let me start with this cute little card that I gave to my mom at her housewarming last night!

This cartridge as a CARD creative feature on it, as well as a SHAPE, COMBO, LABEL/TAG, FONT and DECORATIVE FONT!  I used the 'card' feature to make my pennant shaped tag.

The white scallop was also cut with this cartridge, but the really cool thing is there are 3 stamp sets that are designed to go with this cartridge!! I used the 'congratulations' on this card with the CTMH ink pad.

This is a really cool and different cartridge because it comes bundled with other goodies from CTMH.  You have to check it out HERE!!

Well, I have much more for you this weekend, so I hope you have a wonderful one!  As for me... I'll be moving!  For those who are interested, friend me on facebook (Tammy Skinner), because I plan to update my status it each day as we travel!!  Oh, and don't forget that I am giving away a GYPSY!!  The more comments you make the more chances you have to win!!

Creatively yours,

Tammy Skinner

HELLO THURSDAY for JULY 2011!!

Wow!  Yesterday was Hello Thursday and boy do I have some great cartridges to show you!  There are a total of five this month, one of which is a first-time exclusive to CLOSE TO MY HEART!!  I can't wait to share that little goody with you!  We also have the new Cricut Circle exclusive cartridge too, I think the circlets will be really happy with this one!  So, let's take a look at what's new:

ART NOUVEAU

 ART PHILOSOPHY
Close To My Heart exclusive

SIMPLY SCARECROW

 SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE

 SOPHIE

Cricut Circle Exclusive

  Well.... what did ya think!?  I thought that one of this month's cartridges was really cut, but absolutely fell in love with the other four!  Ahhh... I'll tell you shortly, lol.  In the meantime, let's do a giveaway!!  

In honor, of my moving to California (the moving truck arrives tomorrow morning and we pull out of the driveway for the last time on Monday morning!!), I have a brand new GYPSY to give away!!!  Soooo exciting!!  And all you have to do is leave a comment on any of my posts between now and next Friday (that's the day we should arrive in Redding, California!  Good luck everyone!

Creatively yours,

Tammy Skinner

Thirty-one WINNER!

Hello all!!

Sorry this is late!  It's been a busy week, with painting and packing!  The moving truck arrives on Saturday and we pull out of the driveway to start our trip to California on Monday morning!  For those who didn't know, we're moving to Redding, California.

But now for the fun stuff!  The winner of the THIRTY-ONE bundle is:

Cassey said...

I've been looking for a bag for my Expression since the day I purchased it, I've already got the link to the store open in another tab.... (I've gotta go shopping now ;) )

Cassey L

PS Glad to hear you're moving to Cali, maybe I'll get a chance to see you at a crop sometime!

July 23, 2011 4:19 PM 

Congratulations Cassey!  Email me at cc.ladybug@yahoo.com  with your address and we will get it to you right away!  

We got several emails with questions from people wanting to order and THIRTY-ONE just released a new catalog!!  So, we've extended my little catalog party!  You have until this coming Friday (July 29, 2011).  Check it out!

http://www.mythirtyone.com/Heidi31/

Take it easy everyone!  Hope your week is GREAT!

Creatively yours,

Tammy

THIRTY-ONE... now this is how I roll!

Hello Everyone!

I am a self-professed "bag lady"!  I just love colorful, beautiful, yet useful totes, purses or bags of any kind!  How many out there are with me?  I collect Vera Bradley in various patterns and styles (currently obsessed with the baroque!) and love to be color-coordinated!  But, I have a confession to make... I just discovered a new (to me) bag company, THIRTY-ONE!  Where have I been!?  It was fate that I should discover them in Houston at the CKC!  LOL!  Thirty-one executive director, Heidi, was displaying many of their awesome bags right across from out Picture Keeper booth!  I stood there and stared at these awesome bags, totes and purses all weekend long!  So, you know that I walked away with some!  Heheee!  And because I figured that there had to be others out there that have not seen this awesome company (like me), I decided to share my discovery with you!

 I got two of the LARGE UTILITY TOTE (12.5"h x 21.5"w x 10"d).  It's the pink with green straps below.

I am so excited about this tote!  At first, I wanted it because of the color!  So, of course, I convinced myself that I 'needed' it for my grocery shopping!  I believe totally in preserving our environment by not using plastic bags and there is nothing wrong with looking cute while doing it!  wink wink!  Then, I got home and started packing for my farewell retreat last weekend and guess what I discovered!!?

Yep!  My cricut expression fits in the LARGE UTILITY TOTE with tons of room for other stuff!!

I also liked that my new tote matched my little green rolling tote and my polka-dotted gypsy bag (makeup bag from Walmart).

This particular tote is made of a very durable material and it has a wire frame at the top.  The tote will collapse completely flat and is easy to store when not in use.

These three bags are all I need for a full day of cropping!  My gypsy is snuggled inside my polka dotted bag...

...or I can even easily store it in the large tote with my expression.

My mats and cardstock is all stored in my rolling tote that I purchased at a Tuesday Morning a long time ago.

For those of you who don't have a gypsy to store all of your cartridges on... you will need TWO of the utility totes!  Lol!  I take my cartridges to crops, because I share them with my scrappy friends.  The flipsider tackle boxes fit perfectly in the other tote that I bought!  Click HERE to see how I store my cartridges, but I must warn you... I am seriously thinking about switching over to the new Art Bin cartridge storage cases.

I have ten cases in the tote, but it will hold 11 easily.

Each case holds 16 cartridges, so there is a total of 160 cartridges in my tote.  But, you might be asking, "How much do these totes cost?"  Well, let me tell you I was surprised that they are only $30 and are available in several patterns/colors!  Unfortunately, this particular tote color was a special for the month of June and is not available in the catalog.  But you can click HERE to go shopping on the online catalog and see for yourself!  Choose "storage & utility" to find this tote.

Heidi set this up as a 'catalog party' for me and I can earn free product (yummy!) for any orders placed between now and this Sunday.  But, what that means for YOU is that you can get this month's special...

Spend $10, get a backpack, thermal tote, pencil pouch 31% off http://www.thirtyonetoday.com/Portals/0/july%202011%20CUSTOMER.pdf

Questions?  Here is Heidi's website (http://www.mythirtyone.com/Heidi31/)... she is so sweet and will be happy to answer any of your questions!  How sweet is she?  Well... she has donated the following bundle to give away here on my blog!  No purchase is required at all and everyone who leaves a comment on this post will be eligible to win!  I'll announce the winner on Monday!

The  St. Andrews Garden and St. Andrews Titan thermal lined totes!  They are great for keeping 
your snacks fresh, your drinks cold or your adhesive from melting!




Creatively yours,


Tammy

Introducing the CRICUT MINI!!! New at CHA!

Man oh man!!!  I am at home packing for my move next week and am totally missing all the action in Chicago at the Summer CHA!  But, I still have my 'connections' and just had to share what's new with you!!

Provo Craft introduces the new CRICUT MINI!

Cricut Mini™

Cricut Mini is a small, lightweight, ultra-portable way to make almost anything you want – out of many different types of materials, including thick and thin paper, fabric, vinyl, magnetic material, craft foil, and lots more. With Cricut Mini, it’s easier than ever to make projects and be more creative!  Small, portable, and lightweight for ultra space savings.  Works with any computer PC or MAC with a standard wireless or wired Internet connection.  Simply plug it in, turn it on, connect to Cricut Craft Room – the online design tool where you can see and design with every Cricut cartridge – and start making projects.  Cuts up to 8.5” x 12” paper and other materials. Cut small shapes and fonts from ¼” to larger cuts up to 11½”!

It is scheduled for launch on HSN in November and it sounds like the price point will be $119.

I'll share more with you as I get it!!

Creatively yours,

Tammy

Vinyl Wall Art is addictive!

Hi there!

I would like for you to meet my little sister, Tracy!!!

She loves her cricut as much as I do and has been playing with vinyl lately!  Here are just two of the projects that she has recently done...

Cute little family from CAR DECALS Cricut cartridge.  Instead of putting them on her car, she applied them to the door that leads to her garage.  This was such a cute idea!  My favorite though is the 'family name' wall that she decorated!

The last names are plaques that she had made in spain out of these beautiful tiles.  She hung them and incorporated black vinyl to bring them together in a meaningful saying.

The cartridges used were GYPSY FONT, PLANTIN SCHOOLBOOK and HOME DECOR.  I just love how this wall turned out!  We are both 'self-professed' vinyl addicts! LOL!  Tracy said she has to 'pace' herself, because now she wants to put vinyl on EVERYTHING!  He hee!

I have several vinyl projects and 'how-to' videos that can be found by clicking on the PROJECTS - VINYL label in the right hand column of this blog.  Enjoy and fair warning... it is addictive!!

Creatively yours,

Tammy

WINNERS: Best of 2008 Cricut and Black & White Imagine Cartridges

Hello Everyone!!

Wow... I just loved my farewell retreat!  We had so much fun and I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends!  We did some major scrapping and even learned some 'new' trends (shout out to Clare, who 'planked' for us! LOL!)

Well, I promised a couple of giveaways, so here they are!

BEST OF 2008 CRICUT CARTRIDGE

TanyaT said...

Oh, I just love your layout. Very easy on the eyes and great style. Travel pages are always tricky for me...I may have to borrow your style for my Wisconsin album (I live in CA and visited for 2 weeks). Thanks for such a great blog. I love checking in with you.

July 17, 2011 9:12 AM

Teresa Collins' BLACK & WHITE Imagine Cartridge

Anonymous said...
Wow!! Would love the chance to win either cartridge!! I love the music layout! I would never think to do a 2pg layout with no pictures on the 2nd page, but I love it! Thanks for the inspiration and thinking outside the box!


Kellygurl at yahoo dot com
July 17, 2011 11:26 PM


Please email me at cc.ladybug@yahoo.com with your address!!  Congratulations!

Creatively yours,

Tammy

Creative Memories TRAVELOR - Cruise Layout

Hello Everyone!

I'm still at my "California or BUST" Farewell retreat and having a blast, of course!  I finished several projects today (yippee!) and wanted to share one of them with you!  I'm working on one of my cruise albums, so here is one of the layouts that I designed with the new Creative Memories TRAVELOR cartridge!

The photos are of the ship and of my scrubby and I on one of the formal nights.  I decided to keep the layout simple and used only two cricut cuts.

The life preserver was cut at 11" and the name of the ship was cut at 1" using the FONT 2 on the TRAVELOR cartridge.  It's hard to see in this photo, but it does include a shadow feature too.

The passport is also from the TRAVELOR cartridge and was cut at 5".  I pop-dotted it to give it more 'umph'.  I'll be using this cartridge alot because I have not one, but two cruise albums to do for this year alone!

Don't forget that I am giving away the BEST OF 2008 cricut cartridge and Teresa Collins' BLACK & WHITE Imagine cartridge!!  I'll announce the two winners on Monday!!  Have a great day, ya'll!!

Creatively yours,

Tammy

Teresa Collins on MY CRAFT CHANNEL

Happy Friday Everyone!!

Can you say 'awesome giveaways'?!  Check out the new MY CRAFT CHANNEL today!!  They're featuring one of my favorite designers today, TERESA COLLINS!!  And in her honor, they are giving away a Cricut Expression 2 and a bonus!  What's the bonus?  Well, you are just going to have to go take a look (hehe hee!)!  Check it out...  MY CRAFT CHANNEL!

I'm going back to crafting now!  LOL!  We are having a blast at my "California or BUST" Farewell Retreat!  This place (Elm Street Crafter's Retreat) is the best!!  I slept like a baby last night!  You can book private parties or just come crop for the day on Wednesdays!  For the weekend retreats, you have the choice of having meals provided or you can provide your own.  Since there are 10 of us and we divided up all the meals, I had last night's dinner and taught everyone how to make my homemade Chicken-n-dumplings...




Click HERE if you can't see the video above.

I'll post pictures of the house later, it's beautiful!  Here's one of the three projects that I finished yesterday...

The shadow and the ipod are from a scrapbook layout kit company called LEGACY PAPER ARTS.  I added my own title using the NIFTY FIFTY cricut cartridge.  Fun stuff!

Don't forget that I am giving away Teresa Collins' BLACK & WHITE Imagine cartridge AND the BEST OF 2008 Cricut cartridge this weekend!!  Leave a comment!

Creatively yours,

Tammy

MY CRAFT CHANNEL

Hello Everyone!!!

Don't you just LOVE technology!?!  I do!  I love it when new things come out, especially in the crafting industry.  New to the internet is the MY CRAFT CHANNEL, a place to find it all.  There will be special guest hosts like Stacy Julian and Kristine McKay and one of my favorite designers will be announced this Friday!  Even better... we all like giveaways... right?  Well, MY CRAFT CHANNEL is giving away 20 Cricut Machines in 20 days!!  That's a combination of Cricut Expressions and E2s!  It just started this past Monday, so hurry on over and get in on this giveaway!!

I've got a giveaway too!!  I'm away at my "California or BUST!" Going away retreat with my scrappy friends this weekend!  So, let's giveaway a Teresa Collins' BLACK & WHITE Imagine Cartridge!!  I LOVE this cartridge!!!

What?!?!?  You don't have an Imagine?  Well... NO WORRY!  Because I am also giving away a copy of the new BEST OF 2008 Cricut Cartridge, too!

I will announce the winners on Monday!!  Good luck everyone!!

Link is http://mycraftchannelblog.blogspot.com/ and don’t forget, there’s a drawing every day to win a free Cricut.






Creatively yours,


Tammy 

SWEET SHOP: Birthday Card

Happy Monday Everyone!!

Okay... the moving truck will be pulling out of our driveway in only 21 days!!  Whew!  There is still SO much to do!  Just got back from the Houston CKC (it was technically in The Woodlands) and had a wonderful weekend!  Just can't beat a weekend surrounded by scrappy goodness with your BFF!  Angela and I may have been 'working', but we love what we do and the PICTURE KEEPER is such a great product!

I'll be doing alot of packing this week, but I'm most excited about a "California or Bust" Scrapbooking Retreat that my scrappy friends are taking me on this weekend!  It's my 'going-away' party and will be held at the beautiful ELM STREET CRAFTERS RETREAT, in Denton, Texas.  But, don't worry!  I've got some fun projects to share with you!  Let's start with this simple little birthday card:

This card was made with the new SWEET SHOP Cricut Lite Cartridge

Of course the sentiment inside is from my favorite MY PINK STAMPER stamps!  This one is from the EVERYDAY SENTIMENTS set.

RECIPE

SWEET SHOP Cricut Lite Cartridge

(Cupcake cut at 3")

Birthday Extravaganza paper pack by The Paper Studio

Core'dinations Vintage Cardstock

Paper scraps

Last, but not least!!  I wanted to give a 'shout out' to everyone who posted on the OFFICIAL CRICUT FACEBOOK PAGE on Friday!!  The winner of a bundle of YOUR STORY LEATHER BINDERS is.....

ASHU93

Email me at cc.ladybug@yahoo.com and I'll send your prize to you!  My post office day is Tuesday this week and I've got quite a few packages to mail!  Take care everyone!

Creatively yours,

Tammy