Another Take on Those Cute December Word Puzzle Trees

I posted up a cute CAS card yesterday that used the retired CTMH My Acrylix stamp set called December Word Puzzle.  When I was going through my pics to post, I found my daughter's version she made a couple of weeks ago during a crafty session...and I had to giggle!  She had used the same trees and my same sequins!  Check it out...

I adore the fact that one of my girls loves to play with paper like I do!  She even wanted to learn how to made the sunburst card like this one from earlier this year...

I think she did a FANTASTIC job--and I only TOLD her how to make it...she did the rest of it all on her own!  :)  Maybe in a few years we will have TWO consultants in the house!  ;)

Speaking of becoming a consultant...there is a GINORMOUS opportunity right now when you take that step and finally invest in your creativity by signing up with Close to My Heart.  There are absolutely no strings attached, and nothing but opportunity ahead of you!  Read all about the amazing new Picture My Life bonus that continues through December 15th HERE.  I would LOVE to help you get your own business off the ground as a member of team Been There, Blinged That!  :)

Back in the Craft Room and 12 Days of Christmas Sale Coming Soon!

Happy Black Friday!!!

I did it!  I made it back into my crafty space this week for a bit, and it felt so good!  I wanted to be very non-committal with this visit, so I checked out the current CAS-ual Fridays Challenge to see what kind of clean and simple card I could make without a lot of fuss.  What a great time for them to have a number challenge!  EIGHT is the key in this creation...eight of anything I choose....so I chose a fantastic retired Close to My Heart My Acrylix stamp set called December Word Puzzle, and soon had eight cute trees stamped on a rolling hillside.  :)

My trees are stamped in a variation of first and second generation stamping with the Close to My Heart colors Pear, Sweet Leaf, Olive, Topiary, and New England Ivy.

The eight yellow sequins were my answer to the ever nagging sparkle question...that is...how can I add some sparkle to this card!?

This adorable rolling sentiment is stamped in Ruby Ink and makes the perfect line to follow with a torn-paper snow covered hill.  A strip of Topiary CS and matching paper bow were the final touches! 

I am also linking this one up with Simon Says Stamp for their Anything Goes Challenge!  :)

It felt so good to get crafty again, and the hubs is doing well with his rehab and restrictions for his new hip, so I hope to be in my craft cave again soon!  Like, today!  ;)

So, where is my Black Friday sale, you ask?  Well, there isn't one this year for many reasons, but don't stop reading yet!  Why have a one-day sale, when you can have TWELVE DAYS of fantastic Close to My Heart freebies!!!!  You will definitely want to tune in on Sunday, December 1st for the first of my 12 Days of Christmas Sale!  You won't want to miss a day!

Another Gift Card Holder from Artiste

Hi again, everyone! 

I am almost caught up on all the GREAT projects I have to show you in my stash.  In case you are out browsing for gift card holder ideas, I have one for you!  The Close to My Heart Artiste Cartridge has two wonderful gift card cuts to choose from.  I used the Laughing Lola Paper Packet to whip up a beautiful example for you to see!

I want the recipient of this gift to feel very special indeed, so it resembles an award ribbon.  :)  It also features one of my favorite ribbons, the Slate Satin Polka Dot Ribbon.  Get your hands on this gorgeous 1.5 inch wide ribbon before it disappears...they just added it to the retiring list!  Gasp!  The items on this list are only available while supplies last--except for the My Acrylix Stamps which are available until January 31st. 

I used black and silver shimmer trim and the slate striped twist ties to make these accents...yep, I inked one side of the twist ties in Gypsy!   I used the My Acrylix sets from the Artiste Collection and the Frame Flair My Acrylix to stamp the different elements of the sentiment in Black, Crystal Blue, and Gypsy.  Each of the shapes is cut out on my Cricut to match the stamps!  This is one of my favorite features of our three Cricut collections!

The inside panels of the card are simply matted CS rectangles.  The Black really sets off the pop of white.  I used a sentiment from the Perfect Fit Thanksgiving My Acrylix on the bottom corner.  I adore the font in this set!

I spent my gift card, so had to use CS to show where it goes, lol!

Not too long ago, I posted up a cute Christmas themed gift card holder. using this same cut.  In case you missed it, check it out HERE!  :)  There are so many ways to dress this one up!

And now, let me share a secret with you!  Get ready for some awesome deals!!!

Peppermint Patty Snowmen, the Perfect Stocking Stuffer!

Hi everyone!  Just getting back in the blog post swing today with a quick project for you!  My hubs is doing well with his new hip, so I am trying to get some crafty time in again when I can.

I had these guys finished before he actually had surgery in preparation for a couple of upcoming vendor/craft fairs that I will be working in December.  I found these adorable snowmen last year on Pinterest, and they were a big hit with the kids at school.  They will make fantastic stocking stuffers too!

I cut the scalloped circles on my Cricut at 1.75 inches on different papers including this great candy cane striped B&T Duo from the new Sparkle and Shine Papers in the new Holidays From the Heart  Gift Guide from Close to My Heart.  Then I used a punch to make 1.25 inch circles out of my White Daisy CS.  The snowman parts are stamped with a retired CTMH My Acrylix called All Decked Out, but they are pretty easy to dress up on your own too.  A couple of big glue dots hold the peppermint candy to the paper.  Slide your snowmen into pretzel bags and that is it!  One little tip for building your snowmen....be sure to slide all three pieces in so they are touching before you slide them down to the bottom of the clear bag...otherwise your snowmen could end up with their parts upside down on the way in!  Also, you have to get the kind of candies that are wrapped in a round wrapper, not the brand name kind in a sealed square wrapper.  :)

Now I have an army of snowmen ready to go!  

Hope you like this super-easy winter project! 

Bling is THE Thing! Comment to win!

Hey everyone!  Close to My Heart is at it again!  They are giving away 20 Base and Bling Kits!  You can see the full line of Base and Bling wearables on my website HERE.

So how do you win?  Just watch this YouTube video and comment on it about your favorite fashion accessory, OR go to Jeanette Lynton's Blog HERE and leave a comment...so easy!  Comments on my blog post are not eligible, but they are welcome anytime!  ;)






While you are at it, check out what you can do with our other embellishments with the wearable Base and Bling options!

I Mustache You About Mo-Vember

Hey!  How are you guys?  Are you ready for a little bit of fun?  I made some super-quick and easy little Santa Staches with the Cricut Artiste Cartridge for my upcoming craft show.  What do you think?  I thought they were PERFECT for Mo-Vember, lol.  ;)

Plus they are super-fun for all ages!  

This little project was a wonderful distraction from a big "real life" thing going on today at our house.  Can I ask you guys for a favor?  My hubs is getting a new hip today, so please keep him and our fam in your thoughts and prayers.  Life is going to be interesting around here for a while, and we can use all the loving support we can get.  Thanks so very much, you guys!  God bless you!

Get in the Game, Santa Clause!

Where, oh where is the time evaporating to???  I can hardly believe November is already over halfway through!

I think it's time to mix things up with a game theme over at Heart 2 Heart Challenges before we all get swept away in the hubub of the Holidays.  Are you game? I hope so, because we want you to use a GAME for your inspiration for this one!

I am NOT going to tell you my inspiration for this card yet...but don't worry, because I bet you can guess!

Did you get it right away?  The second I thought about the circles on the game of Twister, I knew I wanted to use the circles and rings in the Perfect Fit Holidays My Acrylix set from Close to My Heart.  

My color scheme was pretty obvious, but I just wasn't convinced I could pull it off with a Christmas theme or feel...until I saw the jolly Santa Clause in the new My Acrylix stamp set named for the jolly old elf himself!

I stamped in Topiary, Pacifica, Honey, and Ruby Exclusive Inks, and backed the White Daisy CS with a mat of Topiary.  I decided to tilt the focal panel off to the side instead of centering it on the mat...after all, Twister is anything but balanced!  I used some of the leftover circles in the inside to round it out...lol...pun intended!  ;)

Soooooo are you game?  Ready to get YOUR game on?  Come on and get your head in the game!  Alright, I am out of punny phrases...lucky for you!   Please do come play along with us over at Heart 2 Heart though, and use a game as your inspiration for a project.  GAME ON!  :)

Artbooking Made Easy Cross Cartridge Collaboration

Ready for another great look at the Artbooking Cartridge for your Cricut cutting machine?  This new video from Close to My Heart shows you fun and unique ways to combine the images from all three cartridges to make some fantastic projects!  I love the gift boxes Carlie made in this episode!  Check it out here:






For more details, and lots of pics, you can check out Jeanette Lynton's Blog HERE.

Trim the Tree Once More in Peace

What a whirlwind of a week!  I love when I have a line-up of cards to show you, but it sure takes a lot to get them all blogged, lol.  I can never get enough of all your blog loving, though, so here we go again!

I really hope you haven't quite had enough of this design, but I promise it is this last one I have to show you!  (For now.)  ;)  I took a third type of Christmas tree stamp, from the Trim the Tree My Acrylix, along with the Framework Alphabet set to make this version.  THIS one was pretty much all about the bling!

My gold embossing went awry somehow for the star.  I suspect the embossing powder may have aged a bit, but maybe I just didn't get it covered well enough either...so I just bejeweled it with the star from Close to My Heart's new Sparkle Holiday Shapes!  LOVE these!

The tree is stamped in Pear Exclusive Ink (dye) and blinged up with miscellaneous colored rhinestones that I received from a recent crop I attended AND another shape from the Sparkle Holiday Shapes.  I love this tree because it totally BEGS for BLING!  ;)

What do you think?  Which one is YOUR favorite tree I have used in this design so far?  Here is a quick re-cap!  :)

Yep, the last two are the same tree, lol...you caught me!  ;) 

Season's Tweetings Gift Bags

Hi everyone!  I decided to show you a sneak peek of some of the things I have been making for a Christmas Craft show.  These gift bags are made from an adorable kit in the new Close to My Heart Holiday Gift Guide Called Season's Tweetings Gift Bags.

I want to have a wide variety of items to sell at my booth, so I didn't want to spend eons on designing.  I simply used the guide that came with the kit for the tags...and then added my own twist to them!  Slate Striped Twist Ties that is!

I added some color and bling to the tags as well, like the cute little washi Santa hat on this birdie.

You have to admit that they are all that much more amazing with a touch of sparkle!

I have a few more left to make, so hang tight for the next creation!  :)   Thanks for stopping by!

Artbooking Made Easy Freedom Layouts

Hey!  I just can't keep up with all the amazing new videos that Close to My Heart keeps adding to our Artbooking Made Easy series.  Here is the one from last week...you can always click the tab up above to go directly to the Artbooking Made Easy Gallery on my website to view any of them.  This new video features some great ideas for patriotic layouts of the Veterans in your life and many other pictures.  Enjoy!  You can also check out more details and pics on Jeanette Lynton's Blog.

Illuminate that Nose, Rudolph!

I just LOVE this time of year!  I love the gift planning, the crafting, the music, and the movies!  It really takes me back to my childhood each year as the television stations show the traditional Christmas movies.  My favorite of these has always been Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  I knew that this beautiful reindeer cut would end up having a shiny red nose at some point in my crafting...but I never dreamed there would be an entire stamp set of sentiments just begging to go with it!

The November Stamp of the Month from Close to My Heart is a dream come true!  Check out all these shiny, sparkly sentiments!

Any of them would be BRILLIANT on this card, so here is just one possibility!

Check out that shiny nose!  I used a teeny little "shine" stamp from the same set to set his nose aglow.  I colored a Bitty Sparkle with a red sharpie to make his red nose.

Rudolph has such a warm and loving heart even though his appearance was scoffed by the others, so I love this sentiment to go along with this card.

I hope you will consider adding this beautiful stamp set to your collection.  It is truly my favorite stamp set of this Idea Book!  Just remember, it is only available during the Month of  November, so get it before it is gone!  :)  This versatile set is only $17.95 at regular price, but you can even get it for $5 with a $50 purchase from my Close to My Heart website!  Just add $50 worth of CTMH goodies to your basket and you will be prompted to add the Stamp of the Month when you get to that amount.  Have fun shopping!  :)  Here are some other projects made with it to get your juices flowing.

I am linking this card up with the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog which is having a CAS week!  :)

Freshly Made Penguin

Whew!  Can you say, "just in the nick of time?"  I made this card yesterday after some inspiration from a friend, lol.  She wanted to know if I had any troubles with this particular stamp, so I gave it a few good tries and let her know it was A-ok.  THEN I remembered the awesome sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches this week, and WALLA!  A card was born!  ;)

This poor chilly penguin sure needs a warm scarf, so I knit him one with my Sparkle and Shine Washi tape!  Take a peek at how I did it...super easy!  Just lay the washi over the image you want to color with it, then trim it out!   :)

...and glue it on!  :)  I topped the hat with a tiny glitter gem.  He is leaving a breezy trail of Sparkles Flourishes behind him and breathing out some frosty breath in front. 

Inside, is a great anytime sentiment.  This My Acrylix stamp set is adorable and only available to hostesses for a limited time.  Contact me here or at mimimyselfandi@outlook.com to earn it for free with your own home or online gathering! 

Here is another cutie pie card made by our corporate offices from the set...

and another one I made...

I am also linking this darling up with the Simon Says Stamp CAS Challenge this week!  :)

Don't forget to check out the Stamp of the Month by clicking on the tab up above!  :)

 

Want to win your choice of Cricut Collection?  Click the Rewards Club Tab up above for all the details!!!

Christmas Card Workshop Wrap-up!

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

Mine started off with two back-to-back Christmas Card workshops that were amazingly fun to say the least!  I don't think I mentioned how much I love my job...of course I have!

Here is a wrap-up of the wonderful Christmas cards we made!

I can't wait until next year!  :)