December Workshop - Holiday Crafts

I have created two holiday crafts for December's workshop.  I loved both so much, I couldn't pick just one!

Every year, we receive so many beautiful photo cards around the Holidays from our family and friends.  I always put them in a ziploc bag and pack them away with our decorations.  When I start decorating the following year, I rediscover the cards and love looking through them.  Via Pinterest, I've seen several ideas of how to display these cards.  I decided to create my own version of a "coffee table" photo card display book.

The book is made from sturdy chipboard and measures 6" x 8".  The front cover has the year embossed in either silver or gold on a chipboard label.  The back cover mimics the front, but does not have the year label.  The inside portion of the cover is also decorated in matching paper. There are 8 different options available, but you are free to use the paper you select to create your own version!  Ribbon selection and label shape may vary slightly.

  Snowhaven Paper Selections

Frosted Paper Selections

Yuletide Carol Paper Selections

The book fits most standard sized photo cards.

The second craft is these adorable decorated treat containers.  The containers are 6" tall and have an approximate diameter of 3".  They are great for gifting candies or homemade goodies!

The workshop will take place on Sunday, December 14th from 1-4pm.  The Treat Container Session will begin at 1:00 and costs $6 per container.  The Photo Card Display Book Session will begin at 2:30 and costs $6 per book.  Feel free to make books to display cards from previous (or future) years!

You may attend one or both sessions.  Light refreshments and drinks will be provided.  Please write in your comments which canister and/or photo book design(s) you wish to make.  Registration deadline is December 1st.

Number of Crafts

One Treat Container/Display Book $6.00 USD Two Treat Containers/Display Books $12.00 USD Three Treat Containers/Display Books $18.00 USD Four Treat Containers/Display Books $24.00 USD Five Treat Containers/Display Books $30.00 USD Six Treat Containers/Display Books $36.00 USD

Halloween Wreath

Last year, I picked up this Black Feather wreath on clearance at Jo-Ann's.  The price tag says $39.99, but I believe I paid $5 for it. 

It was an adorable and fun addition to our Halloween decor.  But, I felt it needed a little sprucing up.  Armed with my Scaredy Cat Paper Pack and CTMH Cricut Cartridges, this is what I came up with.

The letters and triangle pennants were cut from the CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.  Each pennant is tied together with metallic black baker's twine.  The flowers were cut from the CTMH Artiste Cricut Cartridge and inked around the edge with black distressing ink.  The "Oct 31" stamp is from the Halloween Greeting set.   

I love this little spider and web cut from the CTMH Artbooking Cricut Cartridge. Cutting him from the purple glitter paper allowed the spider to really pop out from the web. 

Close to my Heart supplies used:
D1605 Halloween Greetings Stamp Set
X7185B Scaredy Cat Paper Packet
Z1906 Cricut Artbooking Collection
Z1790 Cricut Artiste Collection
Z1686 Cricut Art Philosophy Collection
Z1921 Baker's Twine Neutral Metallic Assortment
Z1992 Purple Glitter Paper
Z1296 Distressing Ink
Z1795 Quilling Tool (so helpful for these flowers!)
Z2105 Exclusive Ink Stamp pad - Black
Various adhesives

October Specials

October is my favorite month of the year.  The weather is beautiful, the trees are changing colors, apples are plentiful, pumpkin patches and fall festivals are tons of fun...what's not to love!  An added bonus is that I celebrate both my birthday and anniversary this month too!  I wish it could be October all year long :-)

Unfortunately, October only lasts for 31 days and we move into November, then December.  Close to my Heart is preparing us for those upcoming months by offering a Holiday themed Stamp of the Month for October.  This way, you will have your Holiday stamps in plenty of time to create tags, cards and layouts for December!  This stamp set is only available for purchase from Oct. 1-31!  The set can be purchased for $17.95, or only $5 with any $50 purchase.   

These images can be stamped alone or stamped onto coordinating Cricut shapes cut from CTMH's Art Philosophy cartridge.  Here are a few examples of the Home for the Holidays stamp set in action.

Once you've already earned your Stamp of the Month by spending $50, you will also get a free roll of chevron ribbon shipped with your order!  Such a fun added bonus for October!  Visit my website to place your order and take advantage of these great offers only available in October!!

October Workshop - Halloween Banner

Join me this month as we make a Halloween Banner to display the fun costumes you and/or your family have donned over the years! Your finished banner will include 8 decorated flags hung on 2 yards of black and white striped ribbon. 

This workshop will be held on Thursday, October 23rd at 7:30 PM.   All materials will be pre-cut and ready to assemble.  All you need to bring is eight 4"x4" pictures!  Light refreshments will be provided. 

Space is limited, so purchase your kit today to reserve your spot!  The RSVP and payment deadline is Monday, October 13th.  You will receive a confirmation e-mail within 48 hours of your payment.  The cost to create this Halloween banner is $15.  Additional flags (as well as 6 extra inches of ribbon) can be purchased for $2 each.  Please make a note when checking out as to how many extra flags you'd like to make.  Payment for these extra flags can be made at the workshop.

Not local to the area, contact me to purchase the kit (with an added fee for S & H) so you can create your own version at home!  All images will be pre-cut, pre-stamped and ready to assemble.  I am happy to help you out via e-mail or phone with any questions you may have.

September Specials

I know the month of September is almost over, but there are still a couple of days left!  CTMH has some great deals for this month!

The Stamp of the Month for September is Family is Forever.  This stamp set is valued at $17.95, but is yours for only $5 with any $50 purchase. 

Here are a couple projects made with this stamp set.

Also in September, if you purchase $30 worth of stamps, you get this special stamp set to commemorate 30 years of stamping with CTMH as well as National Stamping Month!  This set has 30 mini stamps that are great for accenting all kinds of creations!  There are only 3 more days to take advantage of this offer - a FREE stamp set!

Visit my website if you'd like to place an order and get your September specials!

My Amazing Summer!

Wow!  It has been over 3 months since I last posted on my blog!!!!  Honestly, I have just been enjoying life with my family and friends.  We had an amazing summer!  Unfortunately, my blog and business got pushed to the back burner while I was gallivanting around the world!  But, life has calmed down, the kids are back in school, and I'm pushing full steam ahead with my crafting!  So be prepared to see a lot more from me.....starting NOW!

I LOVE taking pictures, so I thought I'd share a few photos from my summer.  Though I took thousands of pictures this summer, I narrowed it down to just these (a very hard task)!

We started out the summer by heading to Park City, Utah.  My husband and I ran as part of the Ragnar Relay.  There are 12 people on a team, and we take turns running for a day and half to finish the ~200 course.  This is my second Ragnar, and my husband's third.  While the sights of Utah are breathtaking, it was hard work running through the Wasatch Back Mountains!  Here are a couple of my favorites from that trip.

 

While there, we visited the Olympic Training Park.  This was a fascinating show featuring the Aerial ski jumpers! 

When we got back from Utah, my niece and nephew came to stay with us for the week leading up to 4th of July.  It was so fun watching all the kids play together and enjoying cousin time!  

Next, a few friends and I took a quick girls weekend trip up to New York!  We stayed in Times Square, saw Chicago on Broadway, and visited many of the city sights.  My favorite thing (my first time doing this in NYC) was a Sunset Boat Cruise.  I only had my phone, so I don't have any great pictures.  However, here are a few of my favorites!

In mid-July, we headed down to the Outer Banks in North Carolina for a week at the beach with more family!  We always stay in the 4x4 area (you have to drive on the beach to get to your house) because it is so much more serene and peaceful!  Plus, the wild horses are constantly wandering around your house!  This was a magnificent treat for my horse-loving daughter!

 

 

 

At the end of July, we flew off to Paris and Ireland for my first EVER European trip!  Words cannot describe how amazing it was.  Our Paris trip was really just a one-day layover, but long enough to explore some highlights of the city and to witness our friends get engaged on the Eiffel Tower!

 

 Sunset over Paris from the Eiffel Tower!

 While in Dublin, why not run a half marathon :-)

  No trip to Ireland should be complete without a Rainbow!

 Cliffs of Moher, on a perfectly, rainy Irish day!

 Our road trip through the countryside showed us lots of sheep and ruins (not always together).

 Bicycling adventure through Killarney National Park!

The beautiful Ashford Castle!

 You can't get more picture perfect than this!

 Connemara County - In my opinion, this was the most beautiful day of driving!

 Adare Manor

Shortly after our return to reality, my daughter celebrated her 8th Birthday with her first Sleepover party! I believe it was everything she imagined it would be!

We finished off the summer with our annual family camping trip to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Then the kids started back up in school!  It was a whirlwind of a summer, but I wouldn't change a thing!

However, I am happy to get back into doing something else that I love.....crafting!!!!  Just imagine how many scrapbook pages I have planned for all these beautiful pictures ;-)

June Workshop - U.S.A. Banner

Join me this month as we make a Patriotic U.S.A. banner just in time for Fourth of July! Your finished banner will include 5 decorated flags hung on 72" of red, white and blue twine. 

The medallions and stars are 3-dimensional giving depth to the banner. 

This workshop will be held on Thursday, June 19th at 7:30 PM.   All materials will be precut and ready to assemble.  Light refreshments will be provided. 

Space is limited, so purchase your kit today to reserve your spot!  The RSVP and payment deadline is June 17th.  You will receive a confirmation e-mail within 48 hours of your payment.  The cost to create this Patriotic banner is $10.

 

Not local to the area, contact me to purchase the kit (with an added fee for S & H) so you can create your own version at home!  All images will be pre-cut and ready to assemble.  I am happy to help you out via e-mail or phone with any questions you may have.

ABC Blog Hop - Letter "K"

Welcome to the Everything ABC's Blog Hop!

For this hop we will be featuring the letter K. This may be the name of a paper, a stamp set or an embellishment. Whatever the crafter has chosen as their K element will be featured in their post.

If you have just hopped onto my blog, please start at the beginning at Linda's blog ~ Scrappy Therapy.  If you came from Catherine Nowak at Catscrapbooking, then you're on the right track!

For my "K" creation, I decided to focus on Kraft.  There are two elements in my design using that designation - Kraft Cardstock and Keyboard Kraft Alphabet Stickers. 

When I first saw the Skylark Paper Pack, the colors brought to mind our beach pictures from 2 years ago.  I took the layout design on p. 21 of Close to my Heart's Spring/Summer Idea Book & Catalog, and changed a few elements around to make it my own. I also used Pattern 15 from my Make It From Your Heart Book, Volume 2 to design a corresponding page (since the original in the IB was only a single page layout).  All paper and stamp sets used in this layout are from the Skylark Workshop on the Go kit.

Other than the beautiful colors of Skylark, one my favorite elements on this page is the teal shimmer trim.  This stuff is phenomenal to add sparkle to any creation!  It is adhesive on the bottom side, and full of sparkles on the top!  CTMH offers shimmer trim in 6 different colors!

My other favorite element is the Irresistibles triangles.  The Irresistible line is so versatile and adds great dimension to any project.  They are a sturdy white chipboard shape with a resist pattern on them.  I used my Lagoon Ink Pad (or you could you markers too) and just rubbed it over the top.  The ink soaks into the non-glossy surfaces of the shape, but does not absorb into the glossy pattern.  I just used a tissue to wipe any excess ink off the glossy portions.  This is such an easy way to get custom embellishments to fit your layout colors.

If you are familiar with CTMH's products, you may be wondering where I got triangles from.  There are two offerings in the Irresistibles line - hexagons and frames.  I took the square center out of the frames and cut them into quarters (diagonally) to form 4 triangles per square.  If you look closely at the image, you can see the glossy resist patterns on each section (left two rows are the polka dots, middle two are the houndstooth and the right two rows are the stripes).

The Keyboard Kraft Alphabet stickers allowed me to easily add the date to my layout.  I finished off this section with the heart stamp from the Skylark Workshop on the Go Stamp Set.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you enjoyed my "K" creation.  Here is a list of Close to my Heart supplies used for this card:
Z1825 - Keyboard Kraft Alphabet
Z1918 - Teal Shimmer Trim
G1072 - Workshops on the Go Skylark Scrapbooking Kit
Z1843 - Irresistibles Frames
Z1686 - Cricut Art Philosophy Collection
Z2114 - Cocoa Ink
Z2195 - Lagoon Ink
Z2153 - Sweet Leaf Ink
Z1151 - Foam Tape

All items can be purchased through my CTMH website.

Next stop is Renee Musgrave at Renee's Creative Queens.  In case you get lost along the way…go to Scrappy Therapy for a complete list of participants