Twisted Gatefold Beary Christmas Gift Card Holder

I'm back a LOT sooner than I thought!  Actually, it's probably due to sheer will at this point, hahaha!

I really wanted to share this version of an amazingly simple fancy fold card with you before Christmas rolls around so you can put it to good use if you like.  Don't freak out yet--it totally fits in a standard size A2 envelope!  ;)  (If you missed my Thanksgiving version, head over to THIS POST for a link to the directions and my inspiration.)

Isn't that just the cutest thing?

I used the Thought that Counts My Acrylix stamp set from Close to My Heart.  This one has some crazy funny tag sentiments that I know my peeps will enjoy for years, check it out...

The inside of this card easily holds a gift card with a couple of glue dots!

LOVE it!

This December, It's the Little Things!

Hello my crafty friends!  December 1st is here, and I am so excited to share the latest Close to My Heart sale with you!  This month, we are paying tribute to the little things.  Check out this amazing and timely deal!

"So often it’s the little things that matter most—and what better way to celebrate the little things in life than with adorable mini albums? Whether looking for a meaningful gift idea or a treasured keepsake, these mini albums are a fast and easy option, and this month you save 30%-off the retail price of the products you need!"

Priced at just $18.95 and $19.95, these will make the perfect gifts for the scrapbooker or memory keeper on your shopping list!  Each of the bundles saves you almost $10 off the retail price of the products!  See all the available bundles HERE on my CTMH website.  Order soon for delivery before Christmas!  :)

Makeover Monday!

Hello!!! 

Makeover Monday is back in a BIG way!  I am pretty excited over this one, you see, because I haven't had a workshop in what seems like AGES.  Well, this weekend I buckled down and scheduled a Christmas Workshop!!! 

One of the gift tags we will be making uses the perfectly beautiful plaid paper from the Close to My Heart Cut Above 'Tis the Season Card Kit.  I ADORE this little piece of paper, you guys!

You will just have to imagine the string on this one as I was in a hurry to get my workshop email out today...but I can't WAIT to show you the rest of my creative session!  See you soon!

Here are the other CTMH products I used to make this one....

A1193 Wreath My Acrylix Stamp

CC1157 Thin Cuts Wreath 

Z4005 Thin Cuts Gift

C1665 Season of Magic My Acrylix Stamp

Poppy Enchantment Exclusive Inks Mini Pigment Pad

Emerald Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

Red Glitter Paper 

Tag (You're It!) Tuesday Makes Everything Christmas!

I am in for a quick post today, and SOOOOO glad to report that technology and I have kissed and made up!  ;)

Here are the four tags I have so far for my upcoming Everything Christmas Workshop on Saturday...

Have a closer look at this one...I used the retired green glitter paper (only available until they run out!) on the tree tag image from the Cricut Artistry Cartridge!  Is that a sparkly tree, or what!?

Tomorrow I will show you another one of the workshop cards, so come back to see!

Merry, Merry Christmas!

The stockings are filled, the presents are placed, and this momma is headed to bed!  I just HAD to share the ornament I made for my oldest this year.  Each Christmas, the kiddos each receive an ornament that describes them at the current stage in their life.  We have everything over the years from Blue's Clues to Star Wars, Care Bears to Webkinz, and Barbie to Winter the dolphin.  They all change so quickly that it is truly a timeline of their interests displayed all around our tree.  I am happy to have been able to create one this year for a change!  I could not find one to suit my #1's personality, so I made it instead!

If you are in MY age bracket, then you may be entirely clueless as to what this means...and I am here to reassure you that you are just fine, lol.  This is the "logo" for a musical artist named Hoodie Allen that has stolen the heart and voice of my college girl.  She finally got to see him in concert, met him, and "swooned" as he signed her CD this month.  It was only fitting that this be her themed ornament this year.  (I guess I would have had one that had the New Kids on the Block at one time, lol!) 

I cannot wait to see her reaction!  I used my fine MS glitter inside the plastic ornament.  Then, after it dried overnight, I simply snipped my self-adhesive Silver and Black Shimmer Trim with the Non-stick Micro-Tip Scissors to form the logo.  Easy as french silk pie!  ;)

May your heart feel the love of Jesus, whose birth we celebrate today and always!  Merry Christmas!!!

Bookmarks for the Kids with My Cricut Explore!

ONE more day until Christmas!  Are you ready?  I am...just about, lol!  I have to tweak one more project for a gift...

Right now I want to show you what I made for my first graders...of COURSE I used my Cricut Explore!

Here it is HARD at work cutting them out...

and here they are all assembled along with all the little "bits" left over...

Can you tell what they are?

Yep!  I made each of the kids a bookmark with their name on it!  There won't be any mix-ups this way, lol.  I made them in the school colors with my Topiary and Honey CS from Close to My Heart and added a little baker's twine tail...easy peasy!  :)  The rectangle shape is from the Cricut Artiste Cartridge and the font is from Learning Curve.

What kinds of gifts have you tried with your Explore?

Christmas My Acrylix Stamps from Close to My Heart and FREE Idea Books!

There are just so many amazing options for your Christmas crafting in the Annual Inspirations Idea Book.  I would LOVE to play with them all to show you, but this crafty momma has limited time right now.  That won't stop me from sharing the gorgeous works of heart the talented designers at Close to My Heart have whipped up for you to see!

Make it Merry

Bright Spirits

Christmas Post

Merry, Merry

Sing Glory (Hostess Reward Only--ask me how!)

Noel

O Holy Night

Which one is your favorite?

Did you know that this month you can get all your C and D size stamps from the Annual Inspirations Idea Book for just $10 each?!  Yep!  With a $50 purchase, you can stock up and save up to $7.95 per stamp!  AND you can even still add the Stamp of the Month for just $5 on TOP of the Deal of the Decade! 

BUT WAIT!!!  You will also receive a FREE copy of the Annual Inspirations Idea Book AND the Seasonal Expressions 1 with your orders now through January 31, 2015!  How cool is that?  Now, that might just be the deal of the CENTURY!  ;)

Just place your order on my website, and I will contact you to choose a color!  Don't add it to your order, it will ship separately.   :)

On the Second Day of Christmas...

...my crafty hands made me, A Treat Tube full of Christmas love!  (yeah, it's soooo not gonna rhyme every day!)  ;)

I used the Treat Tube (new product in Close to My Heart's 2013 Spring/Summer Idea Book) from the Whooo's Your Valentine Kit to make this great stocking stuffer or secret Santa gift!  I love the look of the Lollipop Tag.  My friend sent me a link to these little treasures for inspiration, and I finally had the time to make some.  Here is THE BLOG the idea came from.  You will see more of them on the Fourth Day of Christmas.  ;)

The sentiment is stamped in White Daisy Ink on Cranberry Cardstock.  The stamp is in set C1469 December 25th.  I attached the Lollipop Tag to my Treat Tube with Shimmer Trim!  It stays put nicely, and the weight of the Kisses keeps it upright too.  I bet I could even squeeze one more in there...

Hope I inspired you to treat someone this year!~Hugs!

12-12-12

Once in a lifetime.  What did you do today?  I didn't really put much thought into it actually, and I am totally fine with that.  :)  I was cruising my Facebook wall today and realized that everyone has such different ways of preparing for Christmas.  Some friends have precious cookie recipes to make that have been passed down through the years.  Others have that Elf sitting on a shelf waiting to bust a move.  Many of you are busy getting those crafty Christmas cards into the mail.  Writing letters to Santa is a popular pass time right now too.  Personally, I am constantly playing my Christmas CD's *cough, cough* I mean Christmas songs on my iTunes or Pandora--my how the times have changed!  The best part is that there is no right or wrong way to celebrate.  Whatever your family's festivities might include, I wish you joy and peace and love this year.

Tomorrow is the official start to the 12 Days of Christmas.  I hope to post up a new card or project leading up to the 25th ~ the day that my family celebrates the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  For me, it truly is the most wonderful day of the year! 

NOW...

If you have crafty people on your shopping list, then you won't want to miss out on this special that starts TOMORROW!!!  When you spend $35 on products from the Autumn and Winter Idea Book, you can purchase the Whooo's Your Valentine Kit that has supplies to make 12 treat tubes!  Here is the adorable stamp set that comes with it (a $17.95 value!)

Check out the pic I took of mine...notice that shiny sheet of glitter paper?  NEW PRODUCT ALERT!!!  If you love our shimmer trim, you will not want to miss this paper!

Here is the link to my website if you want to check it out starting December 13th!   If you want to get your order delivered by Christmas, you must order by this Friday the 14th!!! 

mimimyselfandi.ctmh.com

Damask Divas December Blog Hop ~ Pear and Partridge

Ho, Ho, Ho!  Welcome to the December edition of the Damask Divas Blog Hop!  This month we are showcasing our gorgeous Reds and Greens of the Pear and Partridge Paper Packet just in time for Christmas.  If you came from Mandy Leahy's Blog, then you are on the right path!

I decided to make decorations for my Christmas Wreath with the different B&T Duos from the Pear and Partridge Paper Packet.  I have been wanting to make poinsettias for this wreath since last year, and with the proper motivation of a blog hop, I finally did it!

All of the shapes for the decorations were cut from the Close to My Heart Art Philosophy and Artiste Cartridges.  For the first poinsettia, I layered different sized flower cuts on Cranberry Cardstock and a red patterned B&T Paper from Pear and Partridge using foam tape.  I also added a layer of White Daisy which is actually a snowflake cut.  I stamped an image from the Snowflake My Acrylix Stamp Set in Cranberry Exclusive Ink (dye ink.)  The center is fastened with a gold Shimmer Designer Brad.  These brads will be retiring next month, so get them while you can!

I dotted the points with Almond Glitter Glitz for some added sparkle and shine.

I made these two other poinsettias as well using the same supplies.  The leaves were super-fun to make and are another pattern paper from Pear and Partridge.  I used a stylus to "draw" the veins on the leaves, and then I colored over the impressions with my Ponderosa Pine and Olive Alcohol Markers to give it some depth.

I love how the foam tape placed at the outer edges of the petals gives the flowers more "POP!"  I sponged Cranberry Ink onto the edges of all the petals as well.

I also wanted to use other decorations on the wreath, so I strung up this pair of mittens.  This striped B&T (Background and Texture, in case you were wondering what that stands for...) is also in the Pear and Partridge Packet and looked great as a knit pair!  They have Shimmer Trim on the cuffs, and a cute little snowflake adorned with a big, clear sparkle on the body.  A length of Olive Baker's Twine holds them together.

What to do about a bow???  OF COURSE!  Our new Burlap Ribbon was the perfect choice for added visual interest.  I used liquid glass to form three 18" loops, and then wrapped a short piece around them in the middle.  The liquid glass is THE best adhesive to keep bigger embellishments in place.  After it dried, I attached it to the wreath with some thin wire.

One more space remained, so I decided to hang an ornament shape with more Baker's Twine for balance.  The image is also from the Snowflake My Acrylix and stamped in Cranberry Ink after cutting the coordinating shape on my Cricut Expression.  O Shimmer Trim, O Shimmer Trim, how silver are your sparkles...sing with me.  ;)  Come on, you knew I would add some, didn't you? 

I hope you have been inspired to create your own Christmas decor and paper projects using some of the products you have seen along our hop!  I only wish I had more time to make EVERYTHING that pops into my head!

DON"T FORGET to make sure you enter the Rafflecopter drawing on the Damask Divas page at the beginning of our hop!  I am giving away the beautiful Christmas My Acrylix set, Blessings of Peace.   This is a fabulous time of year to use it!

Don't miss your chance to win if your mailing address is in the USA!  :)

Your next stop along our merry hop is Melissa Thompson at My Love 4 Creativity.  I can't wait to see her gorgeous creation! Remember, if you get lost on our hop, just check the Damask Divas Blog for a list of participants.  :)

Christmas Tag Blog Hop!

Hey everyone!  Well, the leftover turkey and stuffing is gone, the tree is up, and the Christmas CD's have officially come out at my house.  Time to get ready for my favorite time of the year!  In celebration, some of the Damask Divas are having an impromptu Christmas tag blog hop to help you get ready!  

We are featuring something that EVERYONE needs at this time of the year--gift tags for Christmas packages!  So grab a cup of hot chocolate, sit back, and enjoy as we share our creations with you!

I went a little "tag happy" actually this year as it is my first Christmas with Close to My Heart.  I have made sooooo many, but blogged so few!  Here are a few of my faves that I made.  They are all created with cuts from the Cricut Art Philosophy or Artiste Cartridges along with other fabulous Close to My Heart products.

Artiste and Very Merry Christmas S1210

Art Philosophy and Holiday Wishes CC1015

 Shimmer Trim and Sparkles too!

Art Philosophy, Perfect Fit Frames D1527, and Countdown B1390

Art Philosophy, Snowflakes D1480, Universal Backgrounds D1477, and Very Merry Christmas S1210

Hmmmm...it is kind of crazy, but guess what I feel like doing now?  Making more Christmas tags!
Hop on off to see the other amazing creations while I get busy!  Thanks for hopping with us!

Your next stop is Traci Williams at Paper Crafting 101.

If you get lost along the way, here is a list of participating blogs:

Mimi, Myself, and I --you are here!

Paper Crafting 101 --your next stop!

Crafting with Carolyn

The Gypsy Chic

Cutesy and Sills Crafts

Creating Fun Crafts

Enjoy the fabulous creations!