THANK YOU From the Bottom of my Heart!

I can't even begin to say THANK YOU enough to all of you who support me, and my Close To My Heart Business.  I just finished earning my 13th incentive trip. This one is to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and I will be heading there with a guest for a week in February 2017.  I am so excited. I am also so grateful for a company like Close To My Heart who is so generous to their Consultants and who allows us to have these travel opportunities. Because of these wonderful trips, I have been able to take my husband and each of my children on all expense paid, one-on-one trips in places throughout the world, places we would never have been able to travel otherwise, and places that have helped us create memories that will last a lifetime.  We've been to Hawaii, Alaska, Europe and the Mediterranean, several places in the Caribbean, the West Indies, Mexico, and MORE!

This would NEVER have been possible without YOU, my loyal customers and friends, who support my business by purchasing wonderful CTMH products from me and attending my classes.  I love what I do and am so glad that there are so many of you who enjoy what I have to offer.

This post is not full of artwork or creative tips, but instead, a very heartfelt THANK YOU for supporting me in what I do.

Autumn Card and Create Kindness Artwork

I don't know how almost a week has gotten away from me since my last post. I had planned to post some artwork with the Creating Kindness kit last Friday and totally spaced it. As a result, today you get a post filled with DOUBLE THE FUN!  I'll be sharing some September Stamp of the Month artwork as well as some Creating Kindness artwork.

Let's do the September Stamp of the Month artwork first. The card you see at the top of the post is something I put together using this beautiful stamp set.  I've also included a full products used list at the end of this post, that includes everything I used on this card as well as the Creating Kindness artwork later in this post.  The list is complete with photos and links for your convenience.

A few quick artwork tips from this card:

• I stamped the pumpkin in Goldrush ink then shaded on top of that with a rusty orange and a tan pencil from our Watercolor Pencils set. 
• To get the 'splatters' on the card, I just used my black memento pad, squeezed some ink in the top of the lid by pressing it down on the ink pad with the lid closed. I then opened the lid and used it for my 'pallet.'  I added a bit of water and then used a medium paint brush to pick up some of the slightly watery black ink. I then held that over my card base and just lightly tapped on the paint brush to create the splatters. Be sure to let that dry before stamping and putting things together so you don't smudge those cute splatters.
• To line up the "Thankfuls", just lay a ruler across your card and stamp the first row right above it.  Then, for the second row, just use the first row as your guide and stamp each word centered between the words on the first row for visual interest.

This gorgeous stamp set is only available in September and is yours for only $5 ($12.95 savings) with every $50 you order (before shipping and tax).  Spend $100, get 2...and so on.  When ordering on my website, you'll be prompted to add your set(s) before checking out.

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Now let's move on to the Creating Kindness artwork I promised.  I'll share some artwork, then remind you of the Creating Kindess special (ends September 30, or while supplies last...whichever comes first) and how it works.

To color in my stamped images, I used watercolor pencils (without water). I love how soft and seamlessly they blend!

As you can see below, the kit comes with pre-printed 3"x 3" card bases. I did one 3" x 3"  card and then used a couple more of the bases as patterned paper on the bookmark and the standard card (5 1/2" x 4 1/4").  You see some of the Glacier polka dot bases on these projects, but there are are also Willow striped bases, Raspberry striped bases and Pansy polka dot bases as well. You can see them all below, as well as seeing some artwork I did with the Raspberry bases here and here.

We are celebrating National Stamping Month this September with hand stamped cards designed to help create a little more kindness in the world.

The Create Kindness card kit contains all of the supplies needed to create 24 beautiful, handmade 3" x 3" cards that you can use to brighten someone’s day!

Great uses for these cards include (I'll be posting artwork ideas for many of these suggestions throughout the month):

• gift enclosure cards
• RAK cards. Carry them in your purse and give them to anyone who brightens your day.  How about a card to your hair stylist just saying thanks for always doing a great job, or to your bank teller for always being kind and outgoing, etc, etc.
• Turn them into bag toppers for a little bag of treats
• Don't fold them and turn them into darling book marks.
• Use the card bases as patterend paper on layouts and full-size cards and stamp those cute stamps just about anywhere.
• Color your stamped images in with markers, watercolor paints, or even colored pencils. The possibilities are endless!

Thanks to the pre-printed card bases, these cards come together in no time, leaving you more time to do something thoughtful for someone! Watch the hashtag #createkindness on Instagram and Facebook to see what acts of kindness these little cards are inspiring, and join the conversation by posting some pictures of your own!

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Create Kindness Card Kit

The Create Kindness card kit  includes:

• 24 pre-printed card bases with envelopes
• 8 exclusive M-size stamp sets
• a 2″ × 2″ My Acrylix^® block
• an Archival Black mini pigment ink pad
• all packed snugly in the My Acrylix^® Mini Stamp Organizer

$46.95 (valued at over $55!).

If you don't want the whole kit, but just a  few of the components and/or stamp sets, click here to see the items from the kit you can buy individually.

Blessed Beyond Measure�September Stamp of the Month	Colonial White Cardstock	Whisper Exclusive Inks� Stamp Pad	Cocoa Exclusive Inks� Stamp Pad
Goldrush Exclusive Inks® Stamp Pad	Pomegranate Exclusive Inks� Stamp Pad	New England Ivy Exclusive Inks� Stamp Pad	Black Memento� Ink Pad
Watercolor Pencils	Paintbrush Set	Red Enamel Gems	Whisper Thick Twine
Create Kindness Card Kit	12" X 12" White Daisy Cardstock	Adventure Cardstock Combo Pack	Mini Stapler
Mini Staples	White Twine	Poppy Thick Twine

InLinkz.com

Dawson and Paige are Engaged!

Over the weekend, our youngest (and only unmarried) child Dawson got engaged to his beautiful girlfriend  (now fiance'), Paige. Where did the time go?  He was just born yesterday, right?

It was absolutely beautiful!  They had scheduled to have photos taken together on Saturday, September 17 and he felt it would be the perfect time to officially propose.  After all, his football number is 17 and it was the 17th. They have also set their wedding date for December 17.  #17 is a big deal in their lives.  He had me come down and help him set everything up earlier in the day so that when they got to the spot where they had chosen to have their photos taken, it would be there waiting. On top of that, having a photographer already there to take the pictures (and she secretly brought a videographer with her) was the perfect way to capture the special moment forever.

Dawson decided he wanted to write down 17 reasons he loves her, arrange 17 rocks into the #17, and tie a reason to each rock. That's where I came in. He sent me the reasons and then I made them into cute tags. I went down and helped him tie them to the rocks and set everything up before the photos.  He also had a little necklace made that he tied with the tag to rock #17 that had a #17 charm on it. As they read each tag, we cut them off the rock and put them on a jump ring so that she could keep them forever.

She had absolutely NO IDEA what was coming and it was awesome. She was shaking like a leaf for an  hour.  Both Paige's mom and I were there to "help with the pictures," so we got to see the whole thing.  BEST. DAY. EVER.

Here is the video. Grab a box of kleenex. You might need it.

Thankful Woven Card

I saw a card similar to this on Pinterest and really liked that weave design, so I pulled out the September Stamp of the Month, cut some 1/2" cardstock strips out of papers from the Enchantment Cardstock Combo Pack, stamped them with stamps from the September Stamp of the Month in the same color inks as the papers, then did a little weaving. VERY fun!  I've included a full products used list, complete with photos and links, at the end of this post for your convenience.

This awesome stamp set is only available in September and is yours for only $5 ($12.95 savings) with every $50 you order (before shipping and tax). Order $100 and get 2...and so on. When ordering on my website, you'll be prompted to add your $5 set(s) before checking out. Easy!

Blessed Beyond Measure�September Stamp of the Month	Colonial White Cardstock	Enchantment Cardstock Combo Pack	Black Memento� Ink Pad
Goldrush Exclusive Inks® Stamp Pad	Pomegranate Exclusive Inks� Stamp Pad	Fern Exclusive Inks� Stamp Pad	New England Ivy Exclusive Inks� Stamp Pad
Peacock Exclusive Inks� Stamp Pad	Eggplant Exclusive Inks� Stamp Pad	Surecut� Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer	Non-Stick Micro-Tip Scissors
3" X 3" My Acrylix® Block	1" X 3 1/2" My Acrylix® Block	3L® E-Z Dots® Adhesive

InLinkz.com

Treat Toppers and Cards with the Create Kindness Kit

You may look at the wonderful Create Kindness Kit (only available this month) and think it is a darling 3" x 3" card kit, and you would be right....but it's so much MORE!  I  have been using it to create all kinds of other sized cards and papercrafts.  Today I thought I'd share a few treat toppers, a treat box, and a couple of standard sized cards (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") I made with this kit.

A few things to note:

• although the cards in the kit are 3" x 3" and so cute for that, you can also cut them apart like you can see I have done with a few of these products (the raspberry stripes were the 3" x 3" card and I just cut one in strips to use on a few of these projects)
• although the stamp sets (8 of 'em!) in the kit are perfect for 3" x 3" cards, they are great for just about anything
• you can always mix in a few papers or other supplies that don't come in the kit for your creations. I've used a few of our Uptown Fundamentals Papers and a bit of Raspberry Cardstock.

Now, let's talk a little bit about the kit itself and how to get it:

The Create Kindness card kit contains all of the supplies needed to create 24 beautiful, handmade 3" x 3" cards that you can use to brighten someone’s day!

Great uses for these cards include (I'll be posting artwork ideas for many of these suggestions throughout the month):

• gift enclosure cards
• RAK cards. Carry them in your purse and give them to anyone who brightens your day.  How about a card to your hair stylist just saying thanks for always doing a great job, or to your bank teller for always being kind and outgoing, etc, etc.
• Turn them into bag toppers for a little bag of treats
• Don't fold them and turn them into darling book marks.
• Use the card bases as patterend paper on layouts and full-size cards and stamp those cute stamps just about anywhere.
• Color your stamped images in with markers, watercolor paints, or even colored pencils. The possibilities are endless!

Thanks to the pre-printed card bases, these cards come together in no time, leaving you more time to do something thoughtful for someone! Watch the hashtag #createkindness on Instagram and Facebook to see what acts of kindness these little cards are inspiring, and join the conversation by posting some pictures of your own!

---

Create Kindness Card Kit

The Create Kindness card kit  includes:

• 24 pre-printed card bases with envelopes
• 8 exclusive M-size stamp sets
• a 2″ × 2″ My Acrylix^® block
• an Archival Black mini pigment ink pad
• all packed snugly in the My Acrylix^® Mini Stamp Organizer

$46.95 (valued at over $55!).

If you don't want the whole kit, but just a  few of the components and/or stamp sets, click here to see the items from the kit you can buy individually.