I Heart Faces Photo Contest Entry -- Pets

Of COURSE I'm going to enter this!!  I have more pet photos (ie, my "kids"!) than I do people photos!!  :)  You may have seen this one earlier on my blog, as it is one I took of Sydnie during my photo class.  But I still love it.

 
Be sure to go to I Heart Faces and check out all the other adorable critter pictures!! 

52Photos

Ok, so, since I've taken my two photography classes with the awesome and very talented Brooke Snow, I've been somewhat remiss in practicing my newly learned skills.  I'm not a very motivated person, so having something to push me seems to work much better than Brooke saying "the best way to get better is to practice!  Take one photo a day, or a week, concentrating on something you learned in class.  Aperture, lighting, shutter speed, whatever."  (Likewise, the whole "practice" concept didn't go over so well with me when I took piano lessons, either.)   I needed something to hold me accountable.  And I think I found it with 52Photos!

I have been following the blog of this wonderful, gorgeous, and also very talented lady whom I now consider a friend (isn't that crazy, how you can make friends across the country and across the world with the internet?) , Monika Wright.   Her blog, iloveitallwithmonikawright.blogspot.com, is filled with crafty ideas and beautiful photos, and she is one of the founders of a concept called "52Photos."   Click here to read her first post about it.  So!  Of course I would have loved to have joined in beginning in January, but she and fellow founder, Lisa, encourage you to join anytime during the journey.  So, even though the year is more than half over, I'm jumping in, and going to practice my photography and document the world around me!  Am I a multi-tasker, or what?  :o)  

If you would like to check out the group, 52 Photos, click here, or on the blog button on the right hand side of my blog.  I'll be posting my photos to my blog (as well as to the flikr group) each week, so be sure to check back and leave me some love!  Wish me luck! 

WOW! That's a GREAT deal!

Would you like to know how to get FOUR, yes I said FOUR, stamp sets for only $5? Close to my Heart has two promotions that are overlapping for two weeks and you can double dip and take advantage of both of them from August 15 - 31!

The first promotion is to celebrate our new Stamp of the Month program. When you spend $50, you can get the Stamp of the Month for only $5 (see below)! When you do this in August, you will also get the adorable mini alphabet stamp set called A Typeset FREE!

Below is the August Stamp of the Month called Wicked. When you spend $50 this month, you can get this set for only $5!

In addition, to celebrate National Stamping Month (which is in September), you will get this adorable DOUBLE stamp set called Pair-a-Phrase absolutely FREE when you spend $75! (We like to call them our "Double D's! LOL!)  You’ll love this double set—two D-size sets come in one envelope—which includes lots of clever phrases and coordinating images that you can use all year long. CTMH is starting this promotion today, August 15th and it will run through September 30th.

 

Since the promotions overlap from August 15 - 31, if you spend $75, and get the August Stamp of the Month Wicked for $5, you will get both the A Typeset stamp for FREE and the Pair-a-Phrase double stamp set for FREE! Now that, my friend, is a GREAT deal!

If you have been thinking about ordering the new Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge bundle, now is the perfect time to do it because you will qualify for all of these great promotions and you will get 4 extra stamp sets (a total retail value of $60.80) for only $5! There are TONS of other great items to choose from as well, including lots of great discounted, while supplies last, products.  Happy Shopping!

Click here to start shopping now or contact me to place your order!

I Heart Faces Photo Contest Entry -- Eyes

I was delighted when my friend's gorgeous daughter asked me to do her senior pictures.  This one is one of my favorites -- all I've done is made the photo b&w -- the eyes are original to the color photo.  She is such a beautiful girl, inside and out.  I love her dearly! 

Be sure to stop by I Heart Faces and check out all the other amazing entries!

FanTABulous August!

Yes, ladies and gents, it's HERE!!!  The much-anticipated, gorgeous, amazing NEW Close to My Heart Fall/Winter 2011 Idea Book.  We're talking 144 pages of pure yumminess!! 

Click on this link in the left-hand sidebar to view the idea book page by page!

Let me tell you about a few of the fantastic deals you'll find in the new book:

• Chirp, chirp…Check out our new, exclusive CRICUT cartridge! The Cricut Art Philosophy Collection comes with a cartridge containing 700 images (font, shapes & 3-D items), 3 stamp sets, and 3 sets of Dimensional Elements that coordinate beautifully with the Cricut cartridge! – page 13 

• EIGHT gorgeous My Reflections Scrapbooking Kits…you’ll love the new look and feel of our kits as all of our B&T papers are now cardstock weight with two different prints on each sheet! That’s right, the paper has been beefed up, but…the price has slimmed down! -- pages 16-61

•  Over FORTY fun, new My Acrylix stamp sets! You’ll notice a few exciting changes:
• LOWER PRICES on ALL stamp sets!
• All sets are now shown at 100%!
• Stamp Sets outlined in RED coordinate with the NEW Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge!
• Our NEW Stamp of the Month program makes it even easier to earn your SOTM!

• Our new Complements line provides the perfect coordinates for some of our new My Reflections Kits…Canvas Shapes, Rub-Ons, and Dimensional Elements – pages 16, 28, & 46 (offered as an upgrade to the My Stickease.  Now, each kit offers something new!)

• Can’t get enough Embellishments? Neither can we, so we’ve added lots of new offerings – felt shapes, charms, corrugated shapes, jewels, bling, overlays, journaling spots, and more! Page 128

• Add a little dimension to your projects with several new Dimensional Elements sets, many of which coordinate with the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge! You’ll also love our redesigned Dimensional Elements Monograms featuring 6 brand new fonts! – page 130

• Studio J is better than ever! Be sure to catch all the details on all the benefits of Studio J Membership – page 11

• Our New Consultant Kit has been revamped and is not more affordable than ever at only $99! - pages 4-5

And, during the month of August, you can earn a cute alphabet stamp set, entirely free!!

So, as you can see, August is a great month to order!!  Click on the "shop with me" link in the left hand sidebar to go to my website today!