I wanted to share my St Pat’s Quarter Auction Celebration invitation with you. I saw a card similar to this in an old “Simply Handmade” magazine published by Northridge Publishing. I love looking at magazines old and new to get my creative mind turning! It is always so funny to me how the picture I may be using as an example never turns out like the original! HA! My card doesn’t resemble it’s scraplifted original by any means, except we both used the Cricut Sentiments cartridge to cut the chair!

Of course, I couldn’t resist making a few different versions just by varying the color of the ribbon, “upholstery”, buttons, and flowers. Other than that, I stuck with the same pattern for these 6″ by 6″ cards. Many people shy away from sizes other than the traditional 4 1/4″ by 5 1/2″, but I like to surprise my recipients every once in a while! Another thing I don’t do often enough is use my crafting tools! I have gotten so used to stamping my my papers and hand crafting my embellishments, that I really haven’t used tools lately! The ovals are die cut with my Big Shot and of course hand stamped and inked with a Cocoa Stamp Pad, (Z2114).

Now, these cute crocheted flowers are not from Close To My Heart, but rather American Crafts “Dear Lizzy” collection. Which brings me to another point. Use what you have in your craft stash, or around the house for that matter with your Close To My Heart products. I love mixing old things with new things. I am a texture girlie for sure, so I also like finding unusual objects and incorporate them in my cards, scrapbooks, and various other projects. It is just fun to me to think up new ways to use ordinary things that may normally discarded! (I have a secret stash of toilet paper and paper towel rolls that I just KNOW I will be able to use to create something fabulous! Ha!).

I can’t wait to hear about the reaction to my invitations by the guests that I am inviting to the Quarter Auction! It is 9am Saturday, March 19th at the Manhattan Country Club and should last about 2 hours. $10 gets you a paddle, breakfast, beverages, and most importantly, a fabulously great time! I myself am planning some gorgeous prizes to give away! Call or email me for more information if you are in the local area!