This Moment January 2015 SOTM Blog Hop

Welcome to the This Moment January 2015 Close To My Heart Stamp Of The Month Blog Hop. This month there are about 60 bloggers participating. If you are new to hopping, grab your favorite beverage, click the link (typically near the bottom of each post) that will take you to the next blog and enjoy the creative projects from everyone.

You should have arrived here from ***Judy Faye Garner's blog Judy Faye's Place***. If you ever get lost along the way, a complete list of participants will always be found at Melinda Everitt's If You Bling It.

The SOTM for January 2015, This Moment, is a D-size set of 12 stamps that is only $5 with a qualifying purchase.

Recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks for this stamp set are: 1" x 1" (Y1000), 2" x 2" (Y1003), 3" x 3" (Y1006) and 2" x 3½" (Y1009).

I tried to do something unexpected with this stamp set for this month's hop and I hope you like it.

Before you visit the next blog on the hop, ***Lilian Yeh's The Leaf Studio***, additional information about how my project was created is below.

I created my own mask by using the Arrow Line Border from Artbooking. I resized it, duplicated it and used the slice function in Cricut® Design Space so I had strips with 4 and 3 arrows then I duplicated the strips some more then welded them. I used Heidi Swapp Color Shine Mustard to spritz because I did not have any Honey Exclusive Inks™ Re-Inker. Here is a close-up of that area of the scrapbooking page:

I used a technique we used at the CTMH Fall Album Retreat in October 2013 and layered two ampersands to create the illusion of a shadow (in the absence of a shadow die cut).

Supplies for my layout (all from CTMH except where noted):

• January 2015 SOTM: This Moment (S1501)
• My Acrylix® Flight of the Arrows stamp set (D1578)
• 12" x 12" White Daisy Cardstock (1385)
• 12" x 12" Outdoor Denim Cardstock (1275)
• 12" x 12" Honey Cardstock (X5668)
• Outdoor Denim Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad (Z2140)
• Honey Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad (Z2162)
• Sponge Daubers (Z726) or Sponge Daubers Value Pack (Z1938)
• Cricut® Art Philosophy Collection (Z1686)
• Design Space code(s):
• #M471A5 - Banner
• ampersand - font
• Cricut® Artbooking Collection (Z1906)
• Design Space code(s):
• #M3DDEA - Arrow Line Border
• #M4235A - Banner Page
• #M3F64E - Go Arrow Circle
• Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen (Z1979)
• Mini Stapler (Z2027)
• 3L® E-Z Dots® Adhesive (Z3022)
• 3-D Foam Tape (Z1151)
• Designed Décor Colonial White Shadow Box (Z2016)
• Supplies not from Close To My Heart: Cricut® Design Space, Cricut® Explore, Heidi Swapp Color Shine Mustard.

I love to read your comments so if you have a moment, please leave a message before heading to ***Lilian Yeh's The Leaf Studio***.

CTMH January 2015 Stamp Of the Month: This Moment

The Close To My Heart January 2015 Stamp of the Month is This Moment

This Moment (S1501) is an exclusive D-size stamp set of 12 stamps that you can only purchase during the month of January 2015. The stamp set can be yours for $5 when you place an order of $50 or more in qualifying Close To My Heart Products. Alternatively you can purchase it for $17.95.  Recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks are: 1" x 1" (Y1000), 2" x 2" (Y1003), 3" x 3" (Y1006) and 2" x 3½" (Y1009).

Items created with the stamp set by CTMH Corporate artists are the mini album and treat bags pictured below:

If you would like a list of the products used to create the above items, you will find the information in the Recipes (clicking the link will open a PDF in a new tab), a booklet that works hand-in-hand with the Idea Book to provide details to re-create any projects at home. Also check my Pinterest Board CTMH 2015 01 Jan SOTM This Moment for additional ideas using this stamp set.

Please stop back tomorrow for the This Moment Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.

January 2015 also brings us National Papercrafting Month

From January 1 through January 31 when your qualifying purchase is $50, you can add the Year >> Noted paper kit to your order for only $5. Or, for an additional $5, you can also add a My Creations™ Kraft Mini Book (Z3044) which was introduced on page 31 of Seasonal Expressions 1.

The following items are included in, and most are exclusive to, the Year >> Noted paper kit:

• One My Acrylix® Year >> Noted Stamp Set (C-size)
• Two sheets of Year >> Noted B&T Duos™ Papers
• One sheet of Light Blue Cardstock
• One Sheet of Light Pink Cardstock
• Two sheets of White Daisy Cardstock
• One Golden Foil Sticker Sheet

The exclusive Year >> Noted paper kit has a retail value of over $24 USD and is only available in January 2015 while supplies last. The kit is perfect for creating goals for the upcoming year or creating a time capsule of your 2015 experiences by completing the mini album and sealing it with the large golden seal included on the sticker sheet. I think this would be a great idea for recording a child's year and then sealing it to open on a future milestone birthday. Or scrapbooking the first year of marriage and then opening it on a future anniversary. What a treasure either would be for future generations.

My Pinterest Board CTMH PROMO Year >> Noted will have additional ideas for using this paper kit and stamp set.

Please stop back on January 7 for the Year >> Noted National Papercrafting Month Blog Hop.

New Studio J® Express Collection for Your Holiday Photos

From January 1 through February 28 there will be a new Studio J® Express Collection designed by CTMH studio artists with your holiday photos in mind. This limited edition collection has 10 pre-designed layouts plus a cover and last page featuring designs from the Yuletide Carol paper packet. There are 65 photo wells to accommodate many holiday photos. Try to set aside some time on New Years Day to select the photos you would like to use so you have plenty of time to create your layouts before this Express Collection disappears when the clock strikes 11:59pm on February 28.

Extra Hostess Rewards in January 2015

Also available during the month of January are Extra Hostess Rewards. When your On-Line and/or Home Gathering sales reach at least $350 you can earn additional Hostess Rewards. Typically when a Gathering sales total is $350 you can earn $60 in rewards, but for January you will earn $90. There are also increased rewards for higher sales totals. If you would like to book an on-line or home gathering during the month of January, please contact me ASAP.

Free Idea Books
From now until January 31 when you order on my OBA you will have the option to add one free copy each of Annual Inspirations and Seasonal Expressions 1 to your order. The books not only showcase CTMH products, but include beautiful artwork, tips and QR codes that link you to CTMH videos. Add them to your order even if you have these Idea Books. You can pass your new copy to friends or family you would like to share your love of papercrafting with (or who are constantly borrowing your books).

New CTMH Newsletter
If you were subscribed to the Celebrate Your Creativity newsletter directly from CTMH, you should have received an email to confirm your interest in to continuing your subscription to the new Close To My Heart email newsletter (this is a different newsletter than I have been sending). If you receive the newsletter and no longer want to subscribe, there are instructions to remove your name from the mailing at the bottom of each newsletter.

Thank you for you support in 2014. When you are ready to order Close To My Heart products I hope you will allow me to be your Consultant. If you are ready to place an order or would like to research any product, the Shop Now button will take you there.

If you have any product or promotion questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.

Brushed Have a Happy Day

I am not a girly girl, I wear blue jeans and comfortable shirts or sweaters every day, but I love the Brushed paper kit from CTMH. I also love to create easy, yet beautiful, cards. At least I hope you think my card is beautiful.

It is a little hard to tell from the photo, but I used first and second generation stamping on the center panel.

All products used are from Close To My Heart:

• My Acrylix® stamp set Have a Happy Day (D1616)
• 12" X 12" Colonial White Cardstock (1388)
• Brushed Paper Packet (X7190B)
• Flaxen Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad (Z2642)
• Pixie Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad (Z2644)
• Hollyhock Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad (Z2128)
• Cranberry Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad (Z2116)
• 3L® E-Z Dots® Adhesive (Z3022)
• 3-D Foam Tape (Z1151)
• ⅜" Grosgrain Ribbon - Cranberry (Z1103) - retired

There are less than 72 hours remaining to take advantage of Deal of the Decade which allows you to purchase C- and D-sized stamp sets shown in Annual Inspirations for only $10 each when you have a $50 qualifying purchase. Additional details, including a list of eligible stamps, can be found here. The Have a Happy Day stamp set could be yours for only $10, a savings of $7.95, if you purchase it during the Deal of the Decade promotion.

Click the Shop with me link if you are ready place an order. If you would like to learn how you can earn free and 50% off products, email me with your contact information so we may discuss your hosting an in-home or on-line gathering.

You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you! I am happy you found an opportunity to visit my blog during this busy time of year.

Today, instead of Christmas cards, I am sharing some treat holder gifts I made using the Santa's Sweets SVG Kit from SVGCuts.

The first item I created from the kit is this Mason Jar Snowman using mostly scraps from my stash. I could not find enamel dots at my local stores so I used gemstone style embellishments. The ribbon is from a box of trims my mom keeps. So it would be easy to remove the snowman from the jar I use glue dots to attach the ribbon rather than tie a ribbon around the jar.

Then I created the Mitten Box using Black and Glacier cardstock and Snowhaven paper from Close to My Heart.

I used the Score Board to create the "ribbing" on the mitten cuff because I thought adding another patter or bling might take away from the beautiful paper.

The next item I created from the Santa's Sweets kit is the Gingerbread Man Box. I mostly used paper from my stash except the "icing" which is Yuletide Carol from CTMH. I used similar gemstone like embellishments as on the snowman. I forgot to put the bow tie on before taking the this photo.

Thanks again for visiting today. I hope you like my latest creations. I hope you and yours had a great holiday celebration.

Scrapbooking Albums

Close To My Heart's exclusive new albums are available in post bound and D-ring styles. They are also available in three colors: Black, Lagoon Chevron and Ruby Floral. Watch the video for a much better look at the albums than you could in photographs.



The CTMH Corporate description of the video is "Check out Close To My Heart’s exclusive new albums. Introducing three beautiful colors and designs in post bound and D-ring styles."

Again, the available options are:

• My Legacy™ Lagoon Chevron D-Ring Album (Z2090)
• My Legacy™ Ruby Floral D-Ring Album (Z2091)
• My Legacy™ Black D-Ring Album (Z3034)
• My Legacy™ Lagoon Chevron Post-Bound Album (Z2092)
• My Legacy™ Ruby Floral Post-Bound Album (Z2093)
• My Legacy™ Black Post-Bound Album (Z2094)

If you prefer the post-bound album and create pages with a lot of dimension, you may want to  purchase spine expanders, as shown in the video below. Adding the spine expanders will protect any flowers, Cricut® cuts and other dimensional elements you use on your layouts from getting crushed. And if you use buttons or brads, the spine expanders will help keep them from making an impression on the page protectors or adjacent layouts.



Another use for the spine expanders is when you have an album that is for a specific event and you do not have layouts to completely fill the album. Add the spine expanders to "fill the gap" so your side-by-side layouts appear as one continuous 12" tall by 24" side page and there is no gap between the pages.

As you can see in this photo, the posts that hold the album together are visible. When you add the Spine Expanders, they move to the background.

This will also make the album's spine look full and increase the stability before you add the cap to cover the spine.

Having the posts full with page protectors and spine expanders will look like this before you add the cap to cover the spine.

The Spine Expanders (Z4120) are sold 10 expanders per package.

If you would like more information about the available albums or the Spine Expanders, feel free to send me a message.

Click the Shop with me link if you are ready place an order. If you would like to learn how you can earn free and 50% off products, email me with your contact information so we may discuss your hosting an in-home or on-line gathering.

You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.

1 Week Until Christmas

While I know this card would not get to its intended recipient by "regular" mail it at this late date, I had to continue with the countdown. I created this card with the intention of hand-delivering it to the recipient anyway.

This week I am using two of the Deal of the Decade stamp sets (learn more here). One stamp set, Always Grateful, is typically viewed as an Autumn stamp set and the other, Holiday Tags, has a variety of holiday greetings.

And a close-up of the glitter on my trees:

I used a masking technique to create this card. I stamped the evergreen on a scrap of paper and fussy cut, then, after stamping and heat embossing the evergreen on my Colonial White cardstock, I used scrap to protect the surface while I stamped the deciduous tree, overlapping the evergreen slightly so it looked like it was slightly behind. After heat embossing the deciduous tree, I used a fine pointed glue pen on the tops of the branches where there was no embossing to add the glitter and create a snow-like effect.

Products used (all from Close To My Heart unless noted):

• My Acrylix® stamp set Always Grateful (C1559)
• My Acrylix® stamp set Holiday Tags (D1560)
• 12" X 12" Colonial White Cardstock (1388)
• Yuletide Paper Packet (X7187B)
• Basics Exclusive Inks™ Mini Pigment Pads Set (Z2503) - Chocolate
• Adventure Exclusive Inks™ Mini Pigment Pads Set (Z2501) - Cranberry
• Enchantment Exclusive Inks™ Mini Pigment Pads Set (Z2502) - Ponderosa Pine
• Ranger™ Clear Super Fine Embossing Powder (Z2088)
• Craft Heater (Z555)
• 3L® E-Z Dots® Adhesive (Z3022)
• Prisma Glitter (Z134) - retired
• ⅜" Grosgrain Ribbon - Cranberry (Z1103) - retired
• not from CTMH: Sakura Quickie Glue (a pinpoint roller glue) - to add the glitter

I hope to link my card to Decosse's Dynamite Doodles 12 Months of Christmas Card Link Up.

I am happy you got a chance to visit today. If you have a moment, please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Snowflake Table Runner

When I received the November 2014 Cricut® Mystery Box a roll of Cricut® Stencil Material was included. Therefore it was perfect timing when I saw a Stenciled Snowflake Table Runner on the blog Cheryl Style within a few days of receiving the roll. On that post, sponsored by Brother ScanNCut, they provide a downloadable PDF that you can use with that machine. While I am a crafting tool junkie, I do not have a ScanNCut yet, so I turned to my Cricut® Explore and Design Space to create my version of the project.

I have a Design Space subscription and when I searched for snowflake, I was offered 341 images to choose from. If I owned all of the cartridges that are not part of the subscription, I would have 409 images to select from.

I started by selecting several snowflakes I really liked and put them on my mat. Then I started eliminating the shadows and extra layers I did not need and the snowflakes that looked too intricate for this project. I also put squares around my snowflakes so the Explore would cut the stencil material into more manageable pieces. I also attached the images within 11½" x 11½" to get more cuts from the stencil material. The next time I will add a bit more space around each image so I do not have to worry about paint on the outside edges of my stencil. It only happened two or three times, but it really slowed me down when working around the edges.

I purchased a Jute table runner, Tulip Soft White Matte Paint and Tulip Crystal Sparkles Glitter Dimensional Fabric Paint. I used a foam brush to first apply the white matte paint and then I went back to add the glitter paint. I do not have a table long enough and the was too dark inside to take photos, so I hung the table runner outside to take these photos.

A few notes about cutting the Stencil Material. I set the dial on my Explore to Custom and selected Stencil in Design Space, but when I was trying to separate the flakes from the stencil material, I found I wished it had cut a little deeper; but it does not need to be a lot deeper.When you are ready to cut your stencil material, on the Cut Preview screen, you may want to choose Material Settings and set the cut pressure a little higher. The default is 284 points; maybe 290 points would be enough, but not so much that the blade would go though the backing and into your mat. I have not tried cutting stencil material again to give you a better idea.

I hope you like my table runner. It will be a Christmas gift this year. My mother is in the process of cutting and sewing some blue Duck Cloth to make a table runner and coordinating place mats. We will use the same snowflake stencils and paints to create another Christmas gift.

I hope you like today's project. Thanks for visiting today.

2 Weeks Until Christmas

As I was creating this card and writing this post we were experiencing the Nor'easter that The Weather Channel named Winter Storm Damon. It can be as nasty as it wants outside - that is as long as we do not lose power. Like many, when there is no power, we have not heat.

I loved the Merry, Merry stamp set as soon as I saw it in Annual Inspirations and this card is loosely based on the card and technique demonstrated on page 68. This stamp is one of the qualifying Deal of the Decade Stamp Sets. Full details, including a list of stamps, are here, but in a nutshell when you purchase $50 of Close To My Heart products (excluding Studio J and While Supplies Last), you may purchase any C- or D-sized stamp set from Annual Inspirations for only $10. You may select as many qualifying stamps as you would like for only $10 each!

I ungrouped the wreath scene card in Cricut® Design Space and enlarged the wreath as much as I could to be a backdrop to the stamped wreath. I stamped the wreath in Flaxen, the pinecones in Chocolate and Ruby (I used a Sponge Dauber to ink the stamp) and the greenery in New England Ivy on White Daisy cardstock. After fussy cutting the stamped images, I added some Glitz™ Glitter Gel to the berries. Here is another view:

I used Sponge Daubers and Ruby and New England Ivy to ink the Peace and Love stamp.

I only used supplies from CTMH to create this card:

• Cricut® Artfully Sent Collection (Z3017) - wreath scene card - #M1317A1
• My Acrylix® stamp set Merry, Merry (C1591)
• 12" X 12" Kraft Cardstock (Z1375)
• 12" X 12" Flaxen Cardstock (X5771)
• 12" X 12" White Daisy Cardstock (1385)
• Flaxen Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad (Z2642)
• Chocolate Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad (Z2111)
• Ruby Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad (Z2170)
• New England Ivy Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad (Z2135)
• Sponge Daubers Value Pack (Z1938)
• 3-D Foam Tape (Z1151)
• Thin 3-D Foam Tape (Z2060)
• Bonding Memories™ Glue Pen (Z553)
• Glitz™ Glitter Gel (retired)

I plan to link my card to Decosse's Dynamite Doodles 12 Months of Christmas Card Link Up.

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you like my card and if you have a moment, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Picture My Life™ Scrapbooking Programs

The Picture My Life™ Scrapbooking Program was introduced by Close To My Heart in the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book. That book is now retired, but the PML™ items offered in that book are still available. If you still have a copy of the S/S 2014 Idea Book you will find PML™ on pages 66–69.

Five additional Picture My Life™ options were added with the release of Annual Inspirations, the Idea Book and catalog valid from August 1, 2014 through July 31, 2015. PML™ is on pages 146–149 of Annual Inspirations.

The five Picture My Life™ programs introduced in Annual Inspirations are shown in this video:



Two additional PML™ selections were added with the release of Seasonal Expressions 1, the Idea Book valid from December 1, 2014 through March 31, 2015. PML™ is on pages 30–31 of Seasonal Expressions 1. The newest options are Heartstrings and Hopscotch and are only available . In addition, the A la Carte Picture My Life™ option was introduced. You can purchase the same cards featured in Annual Inspirations, but without Memory Protectors™ or a designed cover sheet with a corresponding lower price point.

Two CTMH Vice Presidents, Kristine and Monica, give us a quick introduction to the Picture My Life™ Scrapbooking Program in this video which was filmed for the S/S 2014 Idea Book before the A la carte option:



Other products mentioned in the video are:

• Memory Protectors™ Designs 3-5 (Z1950-Z1952); Design 3, Design 4 and Design 5
• Medium Organizer (Z4139)
• My Creations™ Journaling Cards Box (Z1953)

As of December 1, there are a total of 15 Picture My Life™ scrapbooking programs. Some coordinate with previously offered paper packets and others coordinate with current product, but you do not need to order anything other than a Picture My Life™ scrapbooking program and a My Legacy™ album or the recently released My Creations™ Mini Book to add with your photos to have all of the supplies to create a wonderful album that will preserve your memories for years to come.

The two Picture My Life™ scrapbooking programs introduced in Seasonal Expressions 1 are Heartstrings and Hopscotch. Both only include cards, a smaller number of cards, at a lower price.

The five Picture My Life™ scrapbooking programs introduced in Annual Inspirations are Chalk It Up, Wanderful, Seaside, Pear & Partridge and For Always; all fifteen of the available PML options are below.

Heartstrings (Z3046) Heartstrings Coordinating Colors: Cranberry, Crystal Blue, Hollyhock, Lagoon, Whisper, White Daisy	Hopscotch (Z3045) Hopscotch Coordinating Colors: Colonial White, Flaxen, Glacier, Indian Corn Blue, Ponderosa Pine, Smoothie, Sunset
Chalk It Up (Z2018) or A la carte (Z3061) Chalk It Up Coordinating Colors: Black, Champagne, Flaxen, Lagoon, Sorbet, White Daisy	Wanderful (Z2019) or A la carte (Z3062) Wanderful Coordinating Colors: Black, Colonial White, Crystal Blue, Flaxen, Gypsy, Honey, Smoothie
Seaside (Z2020) or A la carte (Z3063) Seaside Coordinating Colors: Colonial White, Desert Sand, Glacier, Hollyhock, Lagoon, Pear, Sorbet	Pear & Partridge (Z2017) or A la carte (Z3064) Pear & Partridge Coordinating Colors: Cashmere, Olive, Cranberry, Desert Sand
For Always (Z2022) or A la carte (Z3065) For Always Coordinating Colors: Black, Desert Sand, Honey, Lagoon, Ruby, Slate, Whisper	this space intentionally left blank
Avonlea (Z1942) or A la carte (Z3053) Avonlea Coordinating Colors: Avonlea Off-White, Avonlea Teal, Avonlea Green, Chocolate, Slate; Avonlea Off-White, Avonlea Teal, Avonlea Green are trend colors that were only available in the Avonlea paper packet;  additional colors that work: Juniper, Smokey Plum	Babycakes (Z1943) or A la carte (Z3054) Babycakes Coordinating Colors: Buttercup (retired), Chocolate, Colonial White, Slate, Sunset
Laughing Lola (Z1944) or A la carte (Z3055) Laughing Lola Coordinating Colors: Black, Gypsy, Laughing Lola Blue, Laughing Lola Gold, Laughing Lola Purple, White Daisy; Laughing Lola Blue, Laughing Lola Gold, Laughing Lola Purple are trend colors that were only available in the Laughing Lola paper packet; additional coordinating colors are [I will fill in soon]	Later Sk8r (Z1945) or A la carte (Z3056) Later Sk8r Coordinating Colors: Lagoon, Outdoor Denim, Pear, Slate, Whisper, White Daisy
Surf's Up (Z1946) or A la carte (Z3057) Surf's Up Coordinating Colors: Chocolate, Crystal Blue, Ponderosa Pine, Sorbet, Surf's Up Gold, Surf's Up Teal, White Daisy; Surf's Up Gold and Surf's Up Teal are trend colors that were only available in the Surf's Up paper packet; additional colors that work: Lagoon	Skylark (Z1947) or A la carte (Z3057) Skylark Coordinating Colors: Bamboo Desert Sand Juniper Kraft Lagoon Sweet Leaf White Daisy
Balloon Ride (Z1948) or A la carte (Z3059) Balloon Ride Coordinating Colors: Cashmere, Colonial White, Créme Brulee (retired), Crystal Blue, Juniper, Saddle, Sky (retired), Sorbet	Chantilly (Z1949) or A la carte (Z3060) Chantilly Coordinating Colors: Buttercup (retired), Champagne, Cotton Candy, Pear, Ruby, Sunset, Twilight (retired)

Click on any of the images to see a larger view of the collection.

For the "[I will fill in soon]" spots, I recently came across a wonderful idea by another consultant. I want to make a couple of changes to their idea then I will fill in the blanks.

Another item introduced in Seasonal Expressions 1 are the My Creations™ Mini Books. They come in Black (Z3043) or Kraft (Z3044). The mini albums are spiral-bound and have 10 page protectors that hold either one 4" x 6" or two 3" x 4" PML™ cards or photos. They will make a great gift album.

If you would like more information about the Picture My Life™ kits, feel free to send me a message. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Click the Shop with me link if you are ready place an order. If you would like to learn how you can earn free and 50% off products, email me with your contact information so we may discuss your hosting an in-home or on-line gathering.

You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.

Recently Introduced Cut Above™ Kits

Close To My Heart added six Cut Above™ kits when Annual Inspirations was introduced August 1 and two additional kits when Seasonal Expressions 1 was introduced on December 1. The kits create cards or treat bags and are meant to be a happy medium between handcrafted and premade. You will find the Cut Above™ kits on pages 158 to 161 of Annual Inspirations and pages 32 and 33 of Seasonal Expressions 1. If you do not have copies of the Idea Books, you can download a PDF of each on my OBA here.



The six Cut Above™ kits from Annual Inspirations featured in the video are:

• Cut Above™ Halloween Treat Bag Kit (Z2058)
• Cut Above™ Holiday Treat Bag Kit (Z2057)
• Cut Above™ Christmas Card Kit (Z2064)
• Cut Above™ Holiday Card Kit (Z2065)
• Cut Above™ Happy Birthday Card Kit (Z2061)
• Cut Above™ Thank You Card Kit (Z2063)

And the two Cut Above™ kits introduced in Seasonal Expressions 1 are:

• Cut Above™ Valentine Treat Bag Kit (Z2056)
• Cut Above™ Birthday Treat Bag Kit (Z2059)

There are suggested coordinating My Acrylix™ stamp sets pictured below the Cut Above™ kits in the Idea Books. In Annual Inspirations they are:

• Sweet Salutations (B1466)
• Merriest Christmas (B1468)
• You Mean the World To Me (B1467)

And in Seasonal Expressions 1:

• Sweet Salutations (B1466)

I have created some items using the Cut Above™ kits. The Holiday Card Kit can be found on my Annual Inspirations New Product Blog Hop post. The Christmas Card Kit can be seen in my 19 Weeks Until Christmas, CTMH Cut Above™ Christmas Card Kit - Another Variation, and CTMH Cut Above™ Christmas Card Kit posts.

If you still have not started your Christmas or Holiday cards this year, if you order kits, a stamp, and, if needed, Ruby Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad (Z2170), 2" X 2" My Acrylix™ Block (Y1003) and either Duck® Easy-Stick™ Adhesive (Z3033) or 3L® E-Z Dots® Adhesive (Z3022) today and choose FedEx Ground, you might receive the items just in time to create and hand deliver the cards (maybe even mail them if they do not have to travel too far).

If you are curious about the Cut Above™ kits, feel free to send me a message. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Click the Shop with me link if you are ready place an order. If you would like to learn how you can earn free and 50% off products, email me with your contact information so we may discuss your hosting an in-home or on-line gathering.

You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts.

Seasonal Expressions 1 Blog Hop

Welcome to the Seasonal Expressions 1 Blog Hop - a special hop from the folks that bring you the SOTM Blog Hops. Today's hop is to celebrate the new items in the recently available Seasonal Expressions 1 Mini Idea Book.

For this hop we have almost 40 participating Independent Consultants. If you just happened upon this post, clicking the link to the next blog will eventually take you full circle.

You should have arrived here from Katy Taylor's An Inside to My Heart...one scrap at a time; a complete list of participants can be found at Melinda Everitt's If You Bling It.

When you browse the pages of Seasonal Expressions 1, either the copy you receive from your consultant or online, be sure to look at the Icon Legend in the lower left corner of page 1. Some of the items are seasonal in nature (indicated by a clock) and are only available for the life of this idea book which is December 1, 2014 though March 31, 2015 (you will find the dates at the top of the back cover). I should also point out that the My Acrylix® You’re the Bomb stamp set pictured on the back cover of Seasonal Expressions 1 is available only for the duration of Seasonal Expressions 1 (until March 31, 2015) even though the icon does not show that. Also please note that purchasing You're the Bomb generates a $3 donation to Operation Smile (except in AL and MA where it is excluded by due to legal requirements).

When I saw the papers in Seasonal Expressions 1 I immediately thought Valentine's and Easter and while I have been a notorious procrastinator for a lot of my life, I am trying to do better so I thought this was a perfect time to get a jump-start of my Spring crafting.

I created these Valentine's boxes for my nieces.

On the top box I used Hollyhock pigment ink; on the bottom box I use VersaMark ink.

So I would be certain to stamp in the correct orientation, I scored my box and folded it to it was easier to envision the top and bottom then I laid it flat for stamping and heat embossing.

The box is from the Artiste cartridge. You will find it on page 39 of the Handbook. It normally has a label shaped opening, but I used a heart from Art Philosophy (page 26) and the Slice feature in Cricut® Design Space to change the opening.

I used a transparency to cover the opening and embossed it with the Heart Embossing Folder (I hope you can see the hearts in this photo). I used some leftover candy from my Thanksgiving place cards/treat boxes so you can see how they will look filled.

I also created this Easter basket to be the centerpiece at Easter dinner. The handle moves so I can either put a vase of flowers inside, some candies or a flameless candle. Since Christmas is still a couple of weeks away I have not thought that far ahead yet.

I also started something to give to each person on my list. I will fill these carrot boxes with some of their favorite candies.

I hope you enjoyed your visit today. Before you head to your next stop on the Seasonal Expressions 1 Blog Hop, Catherine Nowak's CatScrapbooking, a few more details about the projects I am sharing today are below.

Supplies for Valentine's Boxes (all from CTMH except where noted):

• NEW - Heartstrings Paper Packet (X7193B)
• 12" X 12" Hollyhock Cardstock (1246)
• Adventure Exclusive Inks™ Mini Pigment Pads Set (Z2501) - Hollyhock
• VersaMark™ Ink Pad (Z891)
• Ranger™ Clear Super Fine Embossing Powder (Z2088)
• Craft Heater (Z555)
• NEW - My Acrylix® stamp set XOXO (M1054)
• NEW - My Acrylix® stamp set Mini Valentine (M1052)
• NEW - Heart Embossing Folder (Z3018)
• Liquid Glass (Z679)
• Cricut® Artiste Collection (Z1790) - box - #M41CF6
• Cricut® Art Philosophy Collection (Z1686)  - heart - #M46EAC
• not from CTMH: Cricut® Design Space and Cricut® Explore - I used Design Space to change the opening on the box lid to a heart; transparency to cover heart opening; Cuttlebug

Supplies for Easter Basket (all from CTMH except where noted):

• NEW - Hopscotch Paper Packet (X7194B)
• 12" X 12" Sunset Cardstock (X5758)
• Liquid Glass (Z679)
• not from CTMH: Hippity Hoppity SVG Kit from SVGCuts; Cricut® Design Space and Cricut® Explore; flower-shaped brad

Supplies for Carrot Box (all from CTMH except where noted):

• NEW - Hopscotch Paper Packet (X7194B)
• NEW - Heartstrings Paper Packet (X7193B)
• Liquid Glass (Z679)
• Color Ready Seam Binding (retired)
• not from CTMH: Hippity Hoppity SVG Kit from SVGCuts; Cricut® Design Space and Cricut® Explore

Before you head to your next stop on the Seasonal Expressions 1 Blog Hop, Catherine Nowak's CatScrapbooking, I would appreciate it if you took a moment to leave a comment. Thank you for visiting today.

3 Weeks Until Christmas

Again, the past week has been too busy. I doubted I would get a card done in time, I even carried some stamps with me to work so I could make some design choices during my lunch break and my ride home. While preparing this post I realized I never got back to the Week 5 post to list the products I used so I need to put that on my to do list.

Today I am sharing a card that I made using We 3 Kings (1) by digistamps4Joy.

I used the following materials to create this card: We 3 Kings (1) by digistamps4Joy printed on Georgia Pacific white cardstock. The image was colored using ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ markers in colors available from Close To My Heart: Carmine (Z2448), Lavender (Z2453) , Vivid Green (Z2466), Marigold (Z2457), Golden Yellow (Z2452), Warm Grey (Z2467), Cerulean Blue Light (Z2449), Clay (Z2451) and Pastel Peach (Z2460). The sentiment is from Let’s be Jolly Mini Kit by Unity Stamp Company and was stamped with CTMH Black Exclusive Ink™ Stamp Pad (Z2105). The white card base was covered with CTMH Twilight cardstock (retired) which was embossed with the Starry Night folder from Sizzix Winter Set #2 and sanded.

I plan to link my card to the digistamps4joy Monthly Progressive Christmas Challenge December 2014 and Decosse's Dynamite Doodles 12 Months of Christmas Card Link Up.

I hope you enjoy my card. I love traditional Christmas images and found this an easier card to create. If you have a moment I hope you will leave a comment. Thanks for visiting today.