Happy Fourth of July!

Honored and proud to be an American!

CTMH's Perfect Pairs Special & SOTM

During the month of July, get a free CTMH paper packet and coordinating accessory with a qualifying online purchase ~ Perfect Pairs.

Place an online order of $75 or more in July and I’ll send you a popular paper packet and coordinating accessory—a Perfect Pair—for free! Different Perfect Pairs are available on different dates throughout the month so you’ll want to place more than one qualifying order to snatch several Perfect Pairs.

July SOTM: Live Out Loud

Beautiful Stamps, Amazing Discounts ~ Each month you can enjoy a new D-size stamp set, available for one month only, for just $5—that’s over 70% off retail! When you place an order of $50 or more in Close To My Heart products, you qualify for this special SOTM pricing.

DIY: Custom Baker's Twine Tutorial

This is an awesome tutorial from JoAnne at Oh Goodie Designs. It's even featured on the Martha Stewart craft site, so I had to share. I love making my own embellishments, and the ability to custom coordinate with a project is a crafter's dream. Photos and step-by-step instuctions below.

supplies:

 plain cotton thread (#10 crochet cotton works well)

markers (red & blue shown)

2 rulers

tape

Tape one end of the cotton thread to the underside of your ruler.

Start wrapping the cotton thread firmly around the ruler.

Wrap the layers right next to each other with no overlap.

Continue wrapping until you reach the end of your thread.

Attach the end of the thread to the ruler with tape.

Starting at one corner of the ruler, begin to draw a diagonal line across the rows of thread.

I used a 2nd ruler (or straight-edge) to help guide my marker and keep my lines straight.

  Press the marker firmly down and draw the line slowly.

You want the ink to saturate the cotton thread on both sides.

  Move a 1/2 inch down or up, and draw another diagonal line parallel to the first.

Continue drawing spaced diagonal lines until the whole side is covered.

Flip the ruler over, and do the same.

Let it dry until the ink does not smear when touched.

Once dry, unwind and enjoy your homemade, custom-colored baker’s twine!

Summertime Photo Scavenger Hunt

I stumbled up Rinda Ontivero's second annual "Summertime Photo Scavenger Hunt " and decided to join. Since I've started taking my camera bag with me everywhere (so as not to miss those everyday shots), this should be fun. I printed the list and need to laminate it for durability throughout the summer. Love having my scrap supplies on hand for other purposes!

2012 Photography Scavenger Hunt List

1.    A pier
2.    A clothesline
3.    A border
4.    A roadside stand selling something
5.    A train
6.    A historical landmark
7.    A person playing a musical instrument
8.    A person dressed as an angel or a statue of an angel
9.    A fountain

10.  A horse

11.   A shadow

12.   A maze, labyrinth, or trail.

13.   A library

14.   A person playing with a ball.

15.   Someone dancing.

16.   A bride.

17.   A church, chapel, cathedral, mosque or temple.

18.   A movie poster

19.   An outdoor stairway

20.   A swing hanging from a tree (or a hammock)
21.   A picture of you standing with something that symbolizes your nation

Thought for the day ...

Love the phrase ... and the tile/coaster. Definitely need to lift this project. 

Color Ready Seam Binding Ribbon

Make this pretty, soft white Color-Ready seam binding ribbon a stunning color to match your layouts, cards, and home décor projects. Our Close To My Heart expert shows you how easy it is to do.

Summer Manifesto

According to Wikipedia, a manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.

Inspired by an Ali Edwards blog post, I decided to create my own Summer Manifesto. It's a combination of things I want to accomplish, as well as experiences I want to share with the family. What are your summer plans?

~ Uno Championship on autotrain to FL

~  swim with the dolphins at Discovery Cove
~ tons of campfire banana melts & hobo pies 

~  family movie night at a drive-in

~  discover & conquer new bike trails

~  collect 2 National Park Passport stamps

~  go raspberry & blackberry picking

~  enjoy delicious meals from our garden

~  eat lots of Amy's cucumber sandwiches

~  learn to can (enjoy our harvest year-round)

~  crab-stuffed mushrooms from summer catch

~ family board games on the deck
~ create homestead notebook
~ lunch at a Sonic Drive-In

~ scrapbook name banners

~  learn to french braid
~ ride Rebel