Sneak Peek of August Sign Up Special, $100 in FREE product and a Christmas Layout

First things first: if you read this whole post,  in addition to art and technique tips, you will see how you can get $100 in FREE product from me. Keep reading and see if you can find it. I'd LOVE to have to come through for you!

Today I wanted to share a layout I made for my class at Convention with the brand new Avonlea papers (you can click in it and any other photos on my blog today to see them larger and in more detail). I decided that by adding a bit of Cranberry, I could make this paper quite Christmas-y.  This is what I came up with. Although the Avonlea papers and the ornament stamp set that I used are not available until the new Autumn/Winter Idea Book goes live on August 1 (be watching here on my blog for it that day), there are several items I used on this layout that are available right now, such as:

• Cranberry Cardstock
• Cranberry Stamp Pad
• Chocolate Cardstock
• Chocolate Stamp Pad
• Dimensional Elements Monograms (C, H, R, I, S, T, M, and A)
• Red Glitter Gel
• Star Dimensional Elements
• Heart Dimensional Elements
• Red Ribbon Collection

Before I share the close-up detail photos of this layout and a few technique tips, I wanted to give you a sneak peek into the special for August. It's a good 'un!  Not only can you now sign up to become a consultant for only $49, but if you do it in August, you also get this awesome damask bag for FREE!  I have one and I love it!

You can sign up on my website here.  If you sign up and reach $300 in sales between your sign up date and September 30, I will give you $50 in FREE product of your choice! If you sign up and reach $1200 before September 30, I will give you an additional $50 in product free for a total of $100 in FREE product of your choice.  No kidding! I want you to succeed and I know that by doing this, you will be off to a screaming start. In addition to that, CTMH has a great incentives for hitting $300 and $1200 as well.  We're talkin' LOTS of FREEBIES!

Here is what comes in the $49 New Consultant Kit (filled with over $130 in products):

How could you resist? Sign up August 1, and reach the sales numbers I listed above by September 30 for a total of $100 in free product of your choice from me.

Now on to some detail photos of the Christmas layout:

Avonlea Christmas Layout: detail 1

Avonlea Christmas Layout: detail 2

Avonlea Christmas Layout: detail 3

Avonlea Christmas Layout: journaling detail

Technique Tips:

• Try sponging our dimensional elements with Cranberry ink and then topping that with a generous layer of Red Glitz Glitter Gel. I used a small paint brush to move it around evenly
• Want some words to stand out in your journaling?  How about highlighting them with colored pencils?
• Looking for an easy and inexpensive way to sponge on ink? Try our round sponge. It's only $1.25. I usually cut it into 6 pie pieces.  Just hold the pointy edge and add ink to the rounded edge and you have your own very inexpensive (.32 cent a piece) sponging tool.
• Want a little bit of a distressed/antiqued look? Well that's easy! Just sponge a little bit of a neutral ink around the edges of pieces. I have used Chocolate but I quite often also use Desert Sand, Cocoa, Black, and even greys.
• Attach a ribbon loop to a journaling pocket piece with a staple. Quick and easy and a great way to make it easy to pull out.
• Attach chipboard pieces to your layouts using liquid glass. It's a great way to make sure those heavier pieces stay adhered.

Have a wonderful day! It's Pioneer Day here in Utah.  It marks the day in 1847 that the pioneers arrived and Brigham Young famously declared, "This is the place!" I'm grateful to live in such a beautiful place. Happy Pioneer Day!