Thursday, December 25, 2014

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.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

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:

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.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

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):

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.

Monday, December 15, 2014

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.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

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!

2 Weeks Until Christmas - Artfully Sent & Merry, Merry front


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:

2 Weeks Until Christmas - Artfully Sent and Merry Merry


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:


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.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

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:
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.

Sunday, December 7, 2014

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:
And the two Cut Above™ kits introduced in Seasonal Expressions 1 are:
There are suggested coordinating My Acrylix™ stamp sets pictured below the Cut Above™ kits in the Idea Books. In Annual Inspirations they are:
And in Seasonal Expressions 1:
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 ChristmasCTMH 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.

Saturday, December 6, 2014

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

Thursday, December 4, 2014

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.

Monday, December 1, 2014

Cyber Monday Sale 20% Off Close To My Heart's exclusive Cricut® Collections!

If you saw my blog post yesterday, this is not news to you, but it is so exciting it bears repeating:

Cyber Monday Only: 20% Off All Cricut® Collections!

For the first time ever, Close To My Heart is offering a Cyber Monday Sale on Monday, December 1, 2014. There has never been a better time to buy Close To My Heart’s exclusive Cricut® Collections for 20% off the retail price. Whether you love scrapbooking, cardmaking, or creating 3-D projects, our four exclusive Cricut® collections make the perfect addition to any craft room! Sale starts at midnight (MST) on December 1 and ends at 11:59 pm Monday night.

Enjoy extra savings on Close To My Heart's exclusive Cricut® collections this Cyber Monday!

If you would like more information about any of the Close To My Heart's exclusive Cricut® collections, you will find it here on my blog or on my OBA. Because there are so many tips and ideas for using Artbooking and Artfully Sent, I have special pages for those cartridges. Purchasing one Cricut® collection qualifies you for the SOTM for only $5 and the Deal of the Decade.

In addition, I will extend the offer I made on the Artfully Sent collection to the purchase of any Close To My Heart’s exclusive Cricut® Collections:

Every person that orders Artfully Sent or any other Cricut® Collection from my Online Business Address aka OBA will receive their own copy of Annual Inspirations (a $6 savings), if I have not already given you one. In addition, for each cartridge you purchase, you can choose two M-size or one A-size stamp set (please do not add the stamps or Annual Inspirations to your online order; they will be shipped separately directly from me). Once you place an order for the cartridge(s) of your choice, send me an e-mail with your selection of stamp(s) and I will arrange shipment to you.

If you purchase two Close To My Heart’s exclusive Cricut® Collections, you can select four M-size, two A-size or two M-size and one A-size stamp sets, but you should contact me about setting up a Gathering so you will also quality for hostess rewards.

Finally, anyone that purchases from me between December 1 and December 31 will have their name put into a drawing for your choice of one the following new in the package stamp sets: Real Life (B1431), Love This (B1432) or A Friend Like You (B1410; retired). Your name will be entered for every $20 (before tax and shipping) you spend and, just like the Deal of the Decade, there is no limit on the number of times your name can be entered. Shop my OBA anytime. I will complete the drawing on January 2 and post the results here on January 3, 2015.

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.