2014 Christmas Card Exchange

Yesterday I held my annual Christmas card exchange. This year I had a total of 7 participants including myself. We exchanged our creative cards, ate some yummy food and played with some paper while laughing and exchanging stories. As always I was delighted with all the talent and creativity that this group of ladies brings every year!

The card I created this year was inspired by one that I saw on Pinterest. I had no instructions though and needed to incorporate products exclusively from Close To My Heart. I loved the idea of creating a Christmas scene within a cozy home setting. Not only did I pull out some older non-Christmas stamps, but I also dug out some older retired textiles!

I used my Cricut to make a variety of cuts from a couple of the cartridges. I also borrowed my daughters sewing machine to sew the fabric curtains on the window!

Do you recognize those old sassy strands wrapped around the Christmas tree? I even created a snowy scene behind the vellum framed window!

Here are the cards from the ladies~

Aren't they all amazing!!

I also made a small gift for them as a sincere thank you for their participation and hanging out with me for some creative fun!

Inside of these adorable little burlap bags were a couple of my favorite types of tea. I hope that when they are relaxing at home, enjoying their tea, that they will think of me and our fun creative times we shared throughout the whole year. I really, truly have the best customers and friends!

In my next post I will share with you what these wonderful ladies were up to at our get-together! Hmmm....I wonder what they could be making?

You're the Bomb Mini's

One of the first items on my wish list from the brand new Seasonal Expressions book was the You're the Bomb stamp set. This stamp set has the cutest little images and some great phrases in a fun hand written font. What really makes this stamp set cool though is that a portion of the proceeds is being donated to Operation Smile. You get an awesome stamp set while a child gets confidence through their smile for a lifetime! That is pretty cool!

I inked up a few of the images and phrases to create some mini 3x3 cards for my customers. With any purchase they get to choose a set of cards and wouldn't you know that I didn't have a single set of these left over!!

Did you see some new papers in there? how about that glitter paper? don't you just love the gold sequin and those new puffies?

Tomorrow is my annual Christmas card exchange. Instead of mini 3x3 cards for my customers I have a little something extra for them. It is the season of giving after all! Come back soon to see what goodies I have to share and to see the Christmas cards designed by myself and my talented customers!

Christmas Yuletide Shadow Box

I created this shadow box last month to display at my Holiday Open House. The frame is on page 163 of the Annual Inspirations Idea Book. It comes in a Black finish or as I chose for my project a Colonial White finish. I chose to use almost one solid sheet of the Yuletide paper for the entire page, however I trimmed just a little bit on all the edges to adhere it to a dark green base. That way it really stands out in the frame. The photo I chose is actually from last year, but one of my favorite pictures of me with my almost grown kids!? I added some grosgrain ribbon, complements, zip strips and lots of gold glittery sparkles.

The Details~

 

a close up~

I decided to display my shadow box on the fire mantle this year.

 

Check out Santa-man chillaxing in his sleigh!! I "believe" in throwing in some whimsical fun into a classy and elegant display!!

The shadow box and Yuletide papers truly are gorgeous any way you display it. Close To My Heart makes it easy for you to make your Holiday homemade!

Deals in December

Close To My Heart has some wonderful deals for you this month. Be sure to take advantage of these specials and get your hands on some new merchandise also.

First is the Deal of the Decade!

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of Close To My Heart’s revolutionary My Acrylix^® clear polymer stamps—and we can’t wait for you to celebrate with us! With a qualifying purchase of $50 during the month of December, you will be eligible to purchase ANY C- or D-size stamps from the Annual Inspirations 2014–2015 idea book for only $10. That’s up to $7.95 USD / $9.75 CAD of savings on a single stamp set! Plus, once you achieve the qualifying order total, there is no limit to the number of eligible stamp sets you can purchase at this discounted price. Remember, a purchase of $50 will also qualify you to receive the December Stamp of the Month for only $5, so if you purchase both the discounted Stamp of the Month and additional stamps at this special campaign pricing your savings will compound! It is truly the deal of the decade.

How cute is that Cutie Pie Stamp of the Month? Take a look~

You can see an image of the stamp set on the "Current Specials" tab at the top of this page. If you follow me on Pinterest you will find several pins of artwork using this adorable stamp! It's only $5 with a qualifying order.

It's also time to order from the brand new Seasonal Expressions 1 Idea Book. This book contains the sweetest paper collections, gorgeous new stamps, awesome embellishments and the cutest PML cards! Right now you can leave a comment telling what your favorite product is on the Make It from Your Heart Blog to win prizes. Hurry though, winners will be announced on December 8th!

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.

Orders can be placed online here or directly with me. Don't forget that Monday is also December 1st, which means that you can also order new products from the Seasonal Expressions 1 Idea Book!

Plus, it marks the beginning of a new monthly promotion and it's the Deal of the Decade! With a qualifying purchase of $50 you can select any C or D sized stamp set from the 2014-15 Annual Expressions Idea Book for only $10! Once you achieve the qualifying order total, there is no limit to the number of eligible stamp sets you can purchase at this discounted price.

Finally, you will also be eligible to purchase the adorable stamp of the month Cutie Pie.

 

So many good deals, but the Cricut Collections are only on sale Monday until 11:59 (MST).
Happy shopping!

Feeling Grateful

I feel that it would be appropriate to share some Thanksgiving/Fall scrapbook layouts today! I hope to take several pictures at our family gathering to fill them! I used the Pathfinding papers and complements to create these simple layouts. I had a little help from the Artbooking Cricut cartridge as well!

Give Thanks~

Oh-So Grateful~

I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving surrounded by family and friends. Remember to capture the memories!

Over the Hill

The "No"vember challenge last week on Heart 2 Heart was to create with NO embellishments! An Artfully Sent card was perfect for this type of challenge. The cards are all cut out so beautifully that truly no embellishments are needed. However, a little paper piecing is required!

I made this for my Brother-in-law who turned 40 last weekend. I like the bold sentiment across the center of the cake and all the colors peeking through the image.

inside

Only one more challenge left this month on Heart 2 Heart! Be sure to stop by and see all the inspiration!

Ode to Pinterest & Celebrating 40 ~ Studio J

I have two more layouts to share with you that I created on Studio J. The first one is a collage of all those recipes and projects I finally stopped hoarding on my Pinterest boards and actually tried.

 

This second layout is a collection of photo's from my 40th Birthday celebration! So often I'm scrapbooking for my kids, family, Holidays or travels. It's very rare that I'm in front of the camera and scrapbook my own personal events or accomplishments. I figure turning forty is a worthy accomplishment and I really should document it! {My husband and I were also celebrating 20 years of marriage which is also quite an achievement!}

You still have time to create your Studio J layouts for only $5 and win some prizes too! Click on the Current Specials tab for more details. If your on Instagram you can search #ctmhlucky5 for some inspiration and I have recently "pinned" ideas on Pinterest that will surely make you think beyond a traditional two-page layout!

First Ever Crate Card Club

Last month I introduced my customers to a new club I was starting. I call it the Crate Card Club!

This is the original photo I made for the flyer and introduction. I did an example and explanation of the club and handed out 6 colorful crates that day.

Our very first club met this past weekend and it is already a success! In fact I already gained an eighth member for our next club in January!

Here is how the club works~

Each member brings their crate filled with a sample card and all the materials for all other members to create their sample card. Each person gets a turn to be the teacher. We rotate to each member around the table until we have completed everyone's cards. In the end you create/design one card yourself and get to make 7 (depending on how many members you have that day) more cards taught by other members. They can be any occasion they desire, I only require that they use mostly Close To My Heart products.

Each member received a plastic crate that they could decorate as they desired. I gave away all the brightly colored crates so I used an older clear one that I dressed up in some black gross grain ribbon and a Base & Bling pendant.

Inside I had my designed card (inspired by the Snowhaven card making WOTG) the papers already cut, stamp set, embellishments and envelopes. I also had all the stamps we were going to use already mounted on blocks.

Here are the cards that were created from all the members~

My card

Nanette

Pat

Tommie

 

 

Barbie

Janet

Lori

What did we learn from our first get together?

1. We get to use stamp sets that we don't already own

2. We learn different styles as everyone has unique ideas

3. We learn clever and creative techniques we never tried before

4. Everyone has a different way of teaching

5. Several cards can be made in a little amount of time

6. We will have a variety of cards for many occasions

7. We laugh and have way too much fun being members of this club!!

I can't wait to meet again in January!

Also~

In conjunction with the Crate Card Club I held a Holiday Open House where I showcased some of the Autumn and Winter collections available in the Annual Expressions Idea Book. I also hosted a Base & Bling buffet and gave a sneak peek to several products that will be featured in the newest Seasonal Expressions Idea Book. Whew!!! Yes, it was a big day for me!{and that's only the half of it!}. Stick around and I will have photo's from my Open House soon!