More New Art to Share and the Open House Grand Prize Winner!

It was great seeing everyone at the Open House; although, I think the first real snowy weather we've had kept a few of you away. To those of you who were brave enough to withstand the elements, it was very nice to visit with you again. Our 2013 Spring/Summer Idea Book is jam packed with wonderful new products, so there was a lot of great art, projects and ideas to share.  I wanted to go ahead and share some more art that was on display at the Open House.

I created this card with the lovely and oh-so-versatile For Always papers.  Adding a pop of color with some Honey and layering up some gorgeous flowers from the new set Hello Blooms, and this card is finished!



Since we always need birthday cards, I used the awesome tiered cake from the set included with the Workshops on the Go Chantilly Cardmaking Kit for this card.  Stamping with Chocolate, I paper pieced the cake to create a fun, colorful card.  It all comes together with just a bit of the burlap ribbon, sparkles and some banners from the same stamp set.
  


This little 3"x3" card was whipped out in no time, using a brand new set Fabulous You.  Nothing simpler than starting with some Whisper cardstock and stamping in Slate, then adding a little bit of coloring and a few buttons.



This one is using a couple of fun new sets, Honeycomb and the set included in the Workshops on the Go Buzz and Bumble Scrapbooking Kit.  First, I stamped some of the delicious honeycomb designs for the background of the card.  Then I stamped the seed packet sign with a few flowers and sparkles to pull everything together.



For a punch of color, I used a vibrant print from the Chantilly papers with the cheerful new set Puns of Praise.  Paper piecing the sewing machine with another print from the same packet, a few sparkles and voila, all done.



I'm so excited with the new Buzz and Bumble papers; I am pretty sure I bought every bumble bee thing that I could.  Kyle's elementary school is the Solon Stingers, so I know that I'll have tons of ways to use everything.  I'm also using the new Quick Cards - Bumble Bee set.   So cute!!!



For an entirely different look, I used a couple different Chantilly paper papers with this card and the Puns of Praise set again.

   

The new Surf's Up papers are perfect for the warmer weather that I just know will eventually get here (right?).  Using the new Patterned Pennants set with the set included in the Workshops on the Go Surf's Up Scrapbooking Kit, I created this card -- sure to make someone's day when they receive it.



Celebrating those phenomenal days where everything is just sublime, I created this card using the set included in the Workshops on the Go Buzz and Bumble set again.  Using a fresh color scheme with the new Outdoor Denim chevron ribbon, and I have a great card to thank someone for a special day.



And sorry, one more bumble bee card!!!  LOL  I told you I am going to get a lot of good out of all these.  Again using the new Honeycomb set with several papers from the Buzz and Bumble packet, set on the background of the new Brown & Tan Glitter paper.  The main accent is part of the Buzz and Bumble assortment, a gorgeous faux wax seal.



And finally, it's that time again to unveil the grand prize winner of the 2013 Spring/Summer Open House:



(* drum roll *) And the winner is... Anne S! Congratulations, Anne!  Anne hardly ever misses an Open House, and she always has tickets in for the grand prize.  I do believe, that she has won the most Grand Prizes ever -- so such loyalty definitely has its rewards.  :-)  Anne, enjoy all your grand prize goodies, and everyone who won a door prize AFTER you left... your prize is in with your order!

Dani
 

February Stamp of the Month: Home Sweet Home

I found some time to make some art with February's stamp of the month set.  I had a couple of them at the Open House, but the rest are brand new.  This month's set is Home Sweet Home, and I simply love each and every one of the sentiments.

First, I'll share the two cards that were at the Open House.  This first one is using the brand new For Always patterned paper and our beautiful new Black & Gray glitter paper.  It has a touch of Ruby and Lagoon for just the right pop of color.



This next card is using a print from the new Chantilly patterned paper.  The colors in this pack are so pretty and the patterns are so eclectic, but somehow go together perfectly.  A few strategic punches with the Corner Rounder and add some finishing touches with embellishments - a clean and simple card.



This next card I just finished, so it wasn't shared at the Open House.  I played around with the house shape on CTMH's first Cricut cartridge Art Philosophy.  Using another new patterned paper, Surf's Up, I decorated up a fun house card.  I thought it turned out just adorable!





And last, but not least, I created something with our awesome new 5"x7" Hinged Display Tray.  I absolutely love it!!!  I gave it to Kenny as an early Valentine's gift.  :-)  I used the For Always paper again with Hollyhock as my accent color this time.  I also pulled the Hollyhock colored print from the Chantilly paper packet.



I turned the photos to black and white, and I am so happy with the finished product.  I need to get another one of these to play with.  Here are close-ups of each side:





He's already got it packed up to take to work tomorrow!  Quick, simple and beautiful!  I made it in a couple of hours, and that was with homework and who-knows-what-else interruptions.  :-)

If you haven't yet received your new Spring/Summer 2013 Idea Book, make sure to get in touch with me to get your free copy.  You can also view it online now!

Enjoy!

Dani
 

Open House This Saturday - 2/1!!!

An Open House Celebration for the new Spring/Summer 2013 Idea Book!
Saturday, February 2nd -- 9:00am - 2:00pm



There will be:

-New product and artwork on display
 
Like the new fabric options (shown above); or paper packets with enticing names of Chantilly, Buzz and Bumble, For Always and more; beautiful new home decor options; stunning new stamp sets; and so much more!


-Free make-n-take projects, here's one project:


-A small selection of "take home today" products, specially priced

-Retired Stamp Sets Sale
Last Time! - I have over 90 retired sets pulled, marked drastically down!  I am going to be changing how I sell my retired sets, so this will be the last Retired Stamp Sets sale at an Open House.  Don't miss out!  Great Deals!!!

-Open House only specials

-Door Prizes & Grand Prize Basket


Earn chance(s) to win this Grand Prize basket - worth over $75, includes our brand new 12"x12" canvas (includes materials and instructions)!

-Light snacks and refreshments


Make sure to stop by to get YOUR *FREE* Spring/Summer 2013 Idea Book!!!

Dani

P.S. I've also extended the RSVP for the February workshop to cover the Open House, so the RSVP date is now Saturday, February 1st.

 
 

As many of you know, Jeanette Lynton has her own blog; I've had a link to her blog on my blog forever (off to the right).  (She started up Close To My Heart and is still the heart of the company.)  Today she shared pictures of her studio... check it out and feel envious along with me.  :-)

 Dani
 

February's Workshop!!!

I wanted to wait and use some new product with this workshop, so sorry for the delay in posting February's upcoming workshop. I am very happy to finally share everything, including a few sneak peeks of some new product to come in February. This workshop will be set up like normal -- with either a scrapbooking project, cards or both.

 

This class will be held on Friday, February 15th at 6:00pm.  Again for scheduling ease, they'll be held on the third Friday of the month so we can all plan ahead.  You can decide to do either scrapbooking or cards for the $25 fee, and it comes with the B1410 A Friend Like You stamp set as well as the new Black Assortment of Buttons and half a package of the Flutter Paper Shapes.  If you'd like, you can make both the scrapbooking and cards for an additional $10.  Everything is pre-cut and ready for you to assemble.

Another new product we're using is the beautiful new For Always paper packet.  The classic black and white look makes it easy to complement with a variety of colors.  The kit showcases Ruby, Slate, Honey and Lagoon; for variety, I went with Cashmere, Twilight and Barn Red for our workshop.



For those of you who would prefer, I'm also offering To Go kits with every workshop.  This will allow you to create the projects at your own convenience, directions will be included.  I'll also have a list of supplies needed for each project that aren't included, most of which you may already have or have something close you can substitute.

Supplies Needed for To Go Kit: Z2105 Black Ink Pad, Z2104 Barn Red Ink Pad, 1"x1" acrylic block, 1"x3-1/2" acrylic block, Z697 Sponge, Adhesives
 
I'm even offering a club option with the workshop, providing even more benefits!  Club Members will commit to a 6 month rotation workshops, which will make them eligible for hostess goodies, prizes, members-only specials, etc.  To see all the nitty-gritty details about the workshop and club option, check out the flyer.

If you are interested in attending the workshop, I'll need your RSVP (including payment) by Thursday, January 31st.  This will allow me time to order the necessary supplies and get all the packets prepared and ready to go.

Now you can easily pay online via PayPal, if you'd like!  Check out the chart to see the payment required, and you are good to go:

$25.00 - To make either the scrapbook or cards (please let me know which one you select)
$10.00 - Add this to make BOTH the scrapbook and cards   
$  5.00 - Add this for shipping costs, if you aren't local for the To Go kit  
$  ?      - Please contact me if you need some extra supplies for the project, and I'll give you a total
 
If you are a CTMH consultant, interested in giving this class yourself, please contact me for special pricing.

Workshop Costs Scrapbook, Cards, or To Go (local)$25.00 USD Scrapbook & Cards$35.00 USD To Go - Scrapbooking or Cards (w/shipping)$30.00 USD To Go - Scrapbook & Cards$40.00 USD

More information to come soon on the upcoming Open House celebrating the Spring/Summer 2013 Idea Book!

Dani

Have You Tried Our Burlap Ribbon?

Have you tried our burlap ribbon?  If not, you have to try it, because it is simply wonderful.  Here's some art I made messing around with it.  It is so versatile and fun to play with. I layered the burlap ribbon with our Silver Trim and also made a little "flower" with it.



Here I wanted to use the burlap more as a background, so I took two pieces of frayed burlap ribbon and put them together.  It added some texture and brought all the pieces together.



By overlapping the ribbon on the basic owl shape, it added some fun texture and life to the owl.  So cute!



And last, but not least, I finally got around to some scrapbooking again with A Day of Fun.  I stitched some Baker's Twine into the burlap ribbon and even cut some more up into fun flowers.



Nice, huh?  Love it!  I've already ordered some more.  :-)

Dani
 

Whooo's Your Valentine special!!!

I know that several of you have already taken advantage of this special, but I haven't had a chance to sit down and play with it yet.  IT IS SIMPLY ADORABLE.  Seriously!  I guess I didn't look at that closely at the stamp set that came with it, but I love it!  I made a couple of things today. 

First, I decorated up a cute little treat holder.  It was beyond fast and easy to make.  The little box was already die-cut, complete with creases, so it was super easy to put together.  I happened to have some of those little M&M's left over.  So instead of using the papers that came with it, I went with my own color scheme to match the candy.  I stamped right on it with the design I selected and put it together -- easy peasy.  I stamped another image, colored it, and attached it directly to the treat tube.  LOVE IT!



Then I just HAD to make something with the darling little owls in the stamp set; I went with a 6"x6" card.  So this time, I decided to go with the papers that came with the kit -- the glitter paper, hollyhock and blush.  In addition to the owls, I used some hearts and sentiments from the set as well.  Finishing it up with some bling... how delightful is this?



If you don't have this special yet, I think you are going to want it!!!  It is yours for only $10, with a $35 or more order.  Check out the flyer for more information!  The offer is valid until January 31, 2013 -- while supplies last.  As of right now, they are showing 46% left.  So now is the time to order while it is definitely still available.  Sweet, huh?

Dani
 

January Stamp of the Month: Happy Valentine's

I thought I'd have MORE time to do things over break, but now I'm thinking that I'll have more time once the kids go BACK to school.  UGH.  If they don't stop bickering, I think I'll go mad.  (* sigh *)  In an effort to maintain my sanity, I found some time to create some cards with this month's stamp of the month set, Happy Valentine's.  With beautiful floral designs and sentiments of love you can use year-round, you're not going to want to miss this set. 

I know that a lot of you aren't big on coloring in your images, so I wanted to show how easy it was to use this stamp set with little to no coloring!  I'll start out with a couple of cards that I did a little bit of coloring on and finish up with a couple more with absolutely no coloring at all.

With this card, I stamped some tone-on-tone stamping with Champagne for the background.  Then I cut a heart out with my Cricut Art Philosophy collection and stamped tone-on-tone with Ruby.  I colored one flower with watercolor pencils, fussy cut it and put everything together.  Quick, simple and beautiful!



This card looks like a lot of coloring, but I just lightly colored the flowers and leaves with our watercolor pencils again; I didn't worry about a lot of shading.  The attention to detail in the images themselves helps bring out depth in the flowers and leaves.



No more coloring at all now!  I just random stamped the designs in black for a beautiful black and white background.  You can easily add any color you'd like at this point; I went with Topiary since green is a new "in" color.



And here, I took my color scheme from our Dark Chocolate Striped Grosgrain Ribbon.   I stamped in Chocolate and added the striped ribbon as well as our beautiful Colonial White Rosette Ribbon.  Finishing it off with the Emily Bronte quote and this card is finished in a snap.



If you make anything with this set, please share!  I'd love to see.  :-)

Dani

 

Save the Date!

An Open House Celebration
for the new Spring/Summer 2013 Idea Book!
Saturday, February 2nd -- 9:00am - 2:00pm




There will be:
-New artwork and product on display
-Free make-n-take projects
-A small selection of "take home today" products, specially priced
-Open House only specials
-Door Prizes & Grand Prize Basket
-Retired stamp sets sale
-Light snacks and refreshments

Make sure to stop by to get YOUR *FREE* Spring/Summer 2013 Idea Book!!!

Save the date, I can't wait to see you!
Dani
 

Christmas Gifts!

I thought I'd share a couple of fun Christmas gifts made this year, now that they've already been "delivered."  :-)  First, I made a READ wreath for the librarian at Kyle's school.  I used the My Creations Mini Banner as a center piece and basically just tore up an old book.  I was very pleased with how it turned out, and I'm going to want to make some more when I get the chance. 

   

Delaney designed and created these adorable little bumble bee puffs as ornaments.  She did a great job and ended up making several of them.

 

I'll try to share more later!   

~Dani
 

The 12 Days of Christmas Specials!

The 12 Days of Christmas Specials are at an end -- happy Christmas Eve!  We're going to have fun with a different special every day until Christmas Eve.  You can participate in one or all of the specials, but you'll have to let me know THAT day if you want the special (via phone or email).

IMPORTANT: At the end of The 12 Days of Christmas Specials, I will total your entire order for you.  If there are enough orders for Hostess Rewards, I will also draw for Hostess Goodies.  If your name is drawn, you'll have until Thursday, December 29th to let me know what you want for your goodies in order to get everyone's orders placed in a timely manner.

Don't forget to check your email (if you're not on my email list and would like to be, just let me know) or this blog to see what the daily 12 Days of Christmas Special is!!!

Twelfth Day of Christmas special: Monday, December 24th!

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Dani

PS - There's been a question regarding this month's stamp of the month for December, Year Round Cheer.  Yes, if you spend a subtotal over $50 over the 12 days, you will be eligible to get the stamp of the month for $5 if you want it.

December Stamp of the Month: Year Round Cheer

How is everyone doing with their holiday shopping?  I've actually been making some progress here and there.  It's still sort of hard to believe that it is December -- especially with the warmer weather we've been having.  I finally found some time to create with December's Stamp of the Month, Year Round Cheer.  I think it's my favorite stamp of the month in this Idea Book.  It's so cute!  It has such sweet sentiments with matching icons.

   

The set comes with 12 stamps, and I ended up making one card for each.  My goal was to use each design in a different format and size -- so I have 3"x3", 4-1/4"x5-1/2", 6"x6", 5"x7" and more.  Here's a close-up of each design.



 

 

 

   



   





 

 

   

Moving on to the next project... :-)  

Dani
 

Ornament Photo Ball

I thought I'd share a fun project that I created just yesterday -- an ornament photo ball.  I've made these before a few years ago, and I have to say that this time the project went together a lot faster, simpler and easier.  :-)  The differences were my Cricut & CTMH cartridges as well as the changes in our paper!  So if you have made these before and felt they were a bit too time-consuming to make, you might want to try again.  Here is an instruction sheet that I mostly followed, and I'll try to explain why it was easier this time around and include a template below when needed as well.

First if I recall properly, I think I used the Coluzzle to cut out all my circles last time (you need 20 of them).  This time around I used my Cricut Artiste cartridge and cut out those 20 circles in a snap!  They are all perfectly cut and the exact-same size/shape -- which also means that your ornament goes together a lot easier.  I used the circle on p. 48 of the Artiste cartridge, or you can use the circle on p. 21 of the Art Philosophy cartridge.  (For convenience, there is a circle and square shape on both cartridges, the rest are all unique shapes on each cartridge.)  I used the Pear & Patridge paper, cutting 3 circles out of each pattern with an extra circle each for 2 patterns -- giving me 20 circles that coordinate together perfectly.

After cutting out your circles, you need to fold them.  For 3" circles, you need to fold with a 2-1/2" equilateral triangle.  I couldn't find that shape on either cartridge (if there is one, please let me know where), so I just made one myself and cut it out.  I'm including a template for a sheet of them at that size, simply print out on cardstock and carefully cut out.  You'll center the triangle and carefully fold up each edge on each circle.  Take your time and fold with care, when you put your ornament together it will go together a lot easier.

After they are all folded, it is time to get ready to assemble the ornament.  Before attaching the pieces together, quickly lay them out in front of you to try to keep identical patterns from being right next to each other.  So you'll need 10 alternating pieces to form the middle (triangle point up, then down, etc.), just lay them out in a line and ensure that you don't have the exact same pattern right next to each other (don't forget the first and last -- they'll eventually come together).  Then you'll need a circle of 5 for the top, then another circle of 5 for the bottom (all triangle points up and come together). 

I started with the middle of the ornament.  I just used an inexpensive acid-free glue stick (the ones I provide at workshops), applied the adhesive to the circle edge and ended up with a line of 10 folded circles.  Then you attach the first to the last and have a nice circular center of your ornament.  Next, I worked on the top and bottom piece.  Not only did I try to ensure that I didn't have any colors side-by-side on the top or bottom piece, but I also tried to check where they would eventually fall when attached to the middle.  You can move colors around as needed, then put together the top and bottom piece.  Then I took my 3 separate pieces I just created (middle, top & bottom) and put my photo ball together.

Actually, you could easily stop at this point if you wanted.  Add a loop with string or even an ornament hook to hang on a tree, and it is good to go.  I think the stitching just adds a bit to the final piece, so I went ahead and added the stitching.  I just used embroidery floss (3 strands), a tapestry needle, and a piercing tool.  The last time I did this, the paper I used must have been a lot thicker.  This time, I easily just poked my holes with the piercing tool on each side (it was quite an effort before to get those holes in).  Then I quickly stitched around the ornament.  I tried to hide any knots or string edges inside the ornament.  I just carefully pried open the section and shoved the floss in with the tip of my scissors when needed.

When you are finished with the stitching, all you need to do is add a loop of floss to hang it with and photos.  You can also easily add sentiments, journaling or stamped images to dress your ornament up too.  Since mine is to be a Christmas gift, I didn't want to show the finished project before the holidays online.  Here's another view of the ornament:



If you make any of these, please share a picture.  I'd love to see them!  Either on the Facebook page or email me.
 
Enjoy!
~Dani
 

January's Workshop - two color schemes!!!

Since I'm skipping December due to the hectic holiday season, I am going to try to get working ahead a little bit more.  :-)  Which means, I am very happy to share January's upcoming workshop with a winter theme!   This workshop will be set up like normal, with either a scrapbooking project, cards or both.  But the twist this time is there are two color schemes to select from -- either blue or pink.  Just let me know when you sign up what color scheme you'd prefer to use.

Color Scheme #1 - Blue 



Color Scheme #2 - Pink 



This class will be held on Friday, January 18th at 6:00pm. Again for scheduling ease, they'll be held on the third Friday of the month so we can all plan ahead. You can decide to do either scrapbooking or cards for the $25 fee, and it comes with the C1506 Flakey Friends stamp set as well as the Dimensional Elements Snowflakes and Stardust Glitz Glitter Gel. If you'd like, you can make both the scrapbooking and cards for an additional $10. Everything is pre-cut and ready for you to assemble.  This time around I'll also need to know what color scheme you'd like to go with -- blue or pink.

For those of you who would prefer, I'm also offering To Go kits with every workshop. This will allow you to create the projects at your own convenience, directions will be included. I'll also have a list of supplies needed for each project that aren't included, most of which you may already have or have something close you can substitute.  To see what supplies are needed for the To Go Kit, click here.

I'm even offering a club option with the workshop, providing even more benefits! Club Members will commit to a 6 month rotation workshops, which will make them eleigible for hostess goodies, prizes, members-only specials, etc. To see all the nitty-gritty details about the workshop and club option, check out the flyer.

If you are interested in attending the workshop, I'll need your RSVP (including payment) by Friday, December 28th Friday, January 4th. This will allow me time to order the necessary supplies and get all the packets prepared and ready to go.

Now you can easily pay online via PayPal, if you'd like! Check out the chart to see the payment required, and you are good to go:

$25.00 - To make either the scrapbook or cards (please let me know which one you select)
$10.00 - Add this to make BOTH the scrapbook and cards
$ 5.00 - Add this for shipping costs, if you aren't local for the Go To kit
$ ? - Please contact me if you need some extra supplies for the project, and I'll give you a total

If you are a CTMH consultant, interested in giving this class yourself, please contact me for special pricing.

Workshop Costs Scrapbook, Cards, or To Go (local)$25.00 USD Scrapbook & Cards$35.00 USD To Go - Scrapbooking or Cards (w/shipping)$30.00 USD To Go - Scrapbook & Cards$40.00 USD

Hope to see you at the workshop!

Dani

 

It's hard to believe that the holiday season is already upon us.  I was just in Walgreens, and their entire seasonal aisle is Christmas, Christmas and more Christmas stuff.  Crazy!  So speaking of the holiday craziness, my husband and I have decided that it would be best to skip the month of December for workshops.  It tends to be a very busy and stressful month of the year for me, and I think that it will help a lot with the overscheduling.  After the Christmas Card Workshop in November, we'll get back to our regularly programmed workshops in January.  I'll try to get it designed and online as soon as possible.  

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a couple of quick and easy projects I found on Pinterest that everyone could find handy with the holidays coming up.  The two presents shown up above were made with toilet paper rolls!  :-)  The one on the left is simply covered with patterned paper and then some cellophane, while the one on the right is again covered with patterned paper then folded like a pillow box.   

You'll need to start saving some toilet paper rolls.  They'll be perfect for the small, odd-sized present.  To decorate, cut a piece of patterned paper 4"x6-1/2" and adhere to the outside of the toilet paper roll (for both of them).  For the cellophane-wrapped one, you'll either want to wrap your present in tissue paper before inserting or cover the edges with some patterned paper too.  For the pillow box one, I simply flattened the toilet paper roll down, then "popped" it back open and then used the creases to push down the edges. 

Quick, easy and cute!  If you make any, please share a picture!  

Dani