Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge - #139

Once again I am joining the sketch fun over at the Atlantic Hearts Challenge Blog...

Although I have finished making my Christmas cards I used this sketch as inspiration for this cute little red and green creation. It is not your traditional type of Christmas card but came together in just the same way as a card I posted a little while back, ( you can see that here ) where all the left-over bits and pieces on my craft desk were combined together and resulted in a simple but cute card.

So many different pieces of paper scraps were used in this card - Cranberry, White Daisy and Kraft cardstock, Kaleidoscope papers,  Enchantment Paper Fundamentals. The sketch design brought them together beautifully and they co-ordinated so well with the stickers and kraft card die-cut shapes from the
White Pines Complements pack ...how cute is that little reindeer?! The "Hugs enclosed" sentiment was stamped in Cocoa Ink from the stamp set Packages, Boxes & Tags (D1664)... and if I am not too late for the Christmas mail??... this card will be making it's way to a special someone I know could use a BIG hug right around now. I love sending my handmade cards out as little acts of random kindness and I know the recipients love and appreciate that someone cares!

Don't forget to pop on over to the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge and take a peek at all the inspiring ideas - play along with us and post your creations based on this sketch too... it is a lot of fun!

 

Holiday Greetings

Like all Aussie's I dream of a White Christmas or least the opportunity to experience one...there is something very magical about snow scenes at Christmas time and I have created my own! Yes, yesterday as I was finishing the very last of my Christmas cards ( yay-me!! ) I decided to make a special little Holiday Greeting card depicting a snow scene and the cute little woodland critters from Close To My Heart's Miracle of Christmas Stamp Set.

I used a combination of different techniques to create the scene, sponging, colouring, random stamping, paper piecing and paper tearing. The background was sponged in Sapphire and Glacier Exclusive Inks™ and then in White Pigment Ink I randomly stamped an image from the Ink Blot Stamp Set to represent falling snow. I then hand tore strips of White Cardstock and layered them in the foreground. The cute fox and bear images were stamped in Cocoa Exclusive Ink™ onto white card stock and patterned papers found in the White Pines Paper Pack and the Picture My Life™ White Pines Scrapbooking Program multiple times then I fussy cut out features such as clothes and scarves. I used the ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Clay Marker and the ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Carmine Marker to add details to the noses, cheeks and ears. The scene was then matted onto some Kraft Cardstock before adhering to the card base. It was so much fun working on this card and using colours other than the traditional red and green.

I have really enjoyed creating cards with these little critters this holiday season and the Ink Blot Stamp Set is an all time favourite. Here is a little peek at some other cards I created using both these sets and similar techniques.

Both stamp sets are available to purchase in my Online Shop you can order online and have your goodies sent directly to your door or if you would like me to place your order and have it delivered to my workshop events simply email me at lotfam@iinet.net.au

 Off now to end out into a hot Summers day to post of my Christmas cards - check your letter box one may just end up your way!!

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge - #137

It is time to join in the sketch fun over at the Atlantic Hearts Challenge Blog...

 

I do have to admit that this sketch was a bit of a challenge for me - I am currently finishing off my Christmas cards, using the stamp set from the 

White Pines Cardmaking Workshop and at first glance I couldn't see any of the images (included in this set) working with this design. However, looking beyond the Christmas Tree & Wreath images  there are some sweet little flower images. It was the larger of these flowers, that I ended up using as my inspiration.

 

 



I rotated the sketch and stamped the images in Fern Ink into the centre 3/4" squares of White Cardstock that were then matted onto larger 1" squares of Cranberry Cardstock. The centre of each flower image was embellished with rhinestones shapes from the Sparkles Clear Assortment. The lower section of the card includes a selection of great crafting goodies from the Close To My Heart product range - Red Shimmer Trim, Fern Thick Twine and the floral paper was cut from a card found in the Picture My Life™ White Pines Scrapbooking Program. The sentiment was stamped in Cranberry Ink and comes from the Festive Trees Hostess Reward Stamp Set.

Don't forget to pop on over to the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge and take a peek at all the inspiring ideas - play along with us and post your creations based on this sketch too... it is a lot of fun!

Friday Friend Feature #12

With "Activity Week" commencing in most Primary Schools across Victoria next week... we are certainly on the countdown to the end of another School Year. My crafting friend Alicia has come up with a cute little appreciation gift idea for your child's teacher that I would like to share with you. A handmade gift is a perfect way to show your gratitude and this project is ideal for those of you who may have left it until the "last minute" - it is simple, quick and very economical.

Alicia followed this tutorial to create her sticky note holders complete with a co-ordinated and conveniently attached pen. Alicia has used Cranberry Cardstock, the chevron patterned cardstock from the Paper Fundamentals - Adventure Assortment and the sweet Red Enamel Hearts to piece together the project. The stamp set she has used is aptly named Teacher Appreciation.

I used the same stamp set to create this Thank You Card which would also be the perfect card to accompany your gift.

This is one of my favourite stamp sets it features 13 individual stamps including 7 different sentiments....and it can be used throughout the whole school year. Having lots of school teachers in our extended family I know that receiving a card of appreciation at any time from a student or a parent truly warms their heart. The Teacher Appreciation set retails for $27 however, during Close To My Heart's Deal of the Decade promotion in December you can purchase this set for only $10 - a huge saving of $17.....to find out more, simply click here. The Deal of the Decade runs right through until the 31st December and not only can you purchase this set for $10, you can also choose any of our C or D size stamp sets for the same price with a qualifying order. Visit my Online Store to view all the stamps available to you.

If you are wanting help with Christmas gifts not only for teachers but for the crafty family and friends in your life - don't hesitate to contact me. I have an array of goodies for immediate delivery or if your prefer a gift voucher, I can help you there too!!

Have a great weekend!
 

Paper Christmas Tree

I thought I would quickly share another Christmas Craft Project...this time made with the gorgeous vintage look Yuletide Carol Paper Pack - this cute little Christmas tree is perfect to adorn your Home or Office during the Festive Season and is very easy to put together.

I started with a DecoFoam/Polystyrene cone shape and covered the base with one of the B&T Duos™ Papers from the Seaside Paper Pack then slowly built the shape up with folded 2.5 inch squares from papers from the Yuletide Carol Paper Pack. I then resurrected an old floral ornament and some red ribbon from my craft cupboard to add the finishing touch. I attached them with Bonding Memories Glue and Liquid Glass my absolute "can't do without" adhesives!!

I'd loved to hear what you are creating this holiday season and what Close To My Heart products you just "can't do without" - leave a message in the comments section below or visit my Facebook page.
 

Christmas Craft Time

My favourite part of preparing for the holiday season is the sharing of recipes and gift making ideas. I don't fancy myself as a cook however, there is something about the festive season that sees me spending a lot of time in the kitchen!!... I love trying out new recipes from my friends especially gingerbread and chocolate treats! Then the fun part begins...packaging these treats up in little boxes and bags to pass on as Christmas gifts.

If this is something you like to do too? - why not join me this week for a Christmas Craft Night? - this is a great opportunity to make your Teacher Appreciation Gifts or something a little more personalised for your Work Place Kris Kringle  - see details below.....YOU MUST RSVP!

I have all sorts of Crafty Fun to share with you -  you can make Holiday Treat Bags, decorate Bon Bons, sample the Cut Above Christmas Card Kits, fashion some Base & Bling Wearable Craft and/or create ornaments, tags, bags and boxes from my pre-prepared kits. Here is an example of some of the creations we will be making, all put together with the lovely Snowhaven range of papers.

All these ideas have been shared with me by fellow Close To My Heart Consultants and I look forward to passing them onto you - a great big circle of creative love!! My favourite creation was the paper pine cone I did however, decide to go "big" (10cm) and make this a home décor piece rather than an ornament for my Christmas tree. It was a little more time consuming but the result was so worth it...imagine a bowl of these in different colours on your table at Christmas! The Close To My Heart art department created this gorgeous bowl of paper pines cones from the Pathfinding Paper Pack - simply select a Paper Pack of your choice and you will be well on your way to creating your own home décor masterpiece in no time at all.

Thanks for visiting my blog today - looking forward to the "paper play-time" with some of you on Friday but wherever you may be - I wish you a fun crafty week!!

Friday Friend Feature #11

While I may have been "missing in action" this past week, I can assure you I have still been adding ink & scissors to paper and creative activities have been oozing all over my craft room LOL! - so stay tuned, I have lots to show you over the coming weeks....but in the meantime, I want to share with you some fabulous cards made by my friend Alicia.

School is almost over for another year and I know many of you are looking at making thank you cards and gifts for your child's teacher... these cards designed by Alicia are just perfect for this. They were created using Close To My Heart's Teacher Appreciation stamp set - click here for a preview of the 13 images included in this set.

Alicia has a real flair for combining different themed paper packs together and these cards are no exception. These cards use papers from the following collections - Scaredy Cat, Paper Fundamentals Adventure Assortment, Seaside and Snowhaven and they have certainly come up a treat. Speaking of "treats" here are a few more ideas to help inspire your homemade gift giving...simply add your stamped images to boxes, tags and other creations from the Cricut Artiste Collection and your gift will be made in no time at all.

If you would like to order the Teacher Appreciation stamp set or need Papers & Embellishments to complete your end of year teacher gifts? - you can add your order to the gathering listed as "November Orders" at my Online Shop... all you need to do is click on the "join" icon at the bottom of the page and list the items you require.

Have a great crafty weekend and be sure to take a peek back here in a couple of days when I start sharing the projects I have been working on.

Mini Christmas Album

Today I wanted to share a little project that makes the ideal December Daily style of album. Never heard of a December Daily Album? - I like to think of this style of album as a combination of the "Photo-a-Day" and "Smashbooking" concepts...an opportunity to capture the spirit of the season in the 25 days leading up to Christmas.

The Mini Christmas Album project I have designed uses the Designer Creations Short Stack Album. It takes 1 hour to complete and if you would like to create one ready to commence recording your memories come the 1st December  - then contact me today or join a workshop event  - simply drop me a message at lotfam@iinet.net.au to find out more.

This is a wire bound album with 10 – 5" × 7" Kraft pages and a Kraft printed hardcover. Adding Flip Flap Memory Protectors to the album ensures there is plenty of space to preserve every photo taken during the month of December... and the journaling cards from the My Crush Holiday Happenings Assortment mean that every memory can be recorded too!

Here is a little preview of some of the pages - I love the "olde world" look of the My Crush Holiday Happenings Assortment. ...and no Christmas project would be complete without some "sparkle & shine" and I used Gold Shimmer Trim, Gold Sequins and Bitty Sparkles to add this festive look.

Looking forward to sharing and creating this project with you and don't forget you can pre-order the Album & Accessories from my Online Store - you can even add your order to the November Orders Online Gathering ...found at the bottom of the home page.

I am also offering this album project as a "mail-out class" similar to my card club.  The "mail-out class" comes with cutting instructions & full colour photos to make this an easy class for you to complete at home. To take advantage of this offer, please email me at lotfam@iinet.net.au

Enjoy!

 

Friday Friend Feature #9

It is time for another Friday Friend Feature… every Friday I have be featuring art work created by my Crafty Friends using Close To My Heart products. Some of this art work has been created by consultants in my team, paper craft designer friends and others from my circle of scrapping and card making buddies – all have fabulous crafting skills and a love for paper craft. 

Today I am sharing some beautiful Christmas Cards created by Veronica a very talented consultant in my team. Veronica has become a little addicted to card making with the new Artfully Sent Cricut Collection ... and if these cards are any indication, I can't wait to see what else she creates from the 700 images available on this cartridge.
Veronica loves using overlays in her scrapbook projects so it was just a natural progression to look at the "sleeve" selection on the Artfully Sent Cricut Collection in the same way...for her cardmaking creations.

I love that both these cards are a deviation from traditional Christmas colours. The "Joy" card uses paper from both the Brushed and the Paper Fundamentals Whimsy Assortment and the sentiment comes from the Noel stamp set. It is a little difficult to see in this photograph but the "Joy" sentiment is embossed with Gold Embossing Powder co-ordinating beautifully with the Gold Shimmer Trim and adds a touch of Christmas sparkle!

 

I think Veronica has a "bit of a thing" for glitter! - she has placed some Purple Glitter Paper behind the "overlay" on her cute Polar Bear card...and how great does that image look stamped in Smokey Plum Ink ??! Remember, today is the very last day you can add this Polar Bear image and the October Stamp of the Month to your orders....don't miss out - click here to have one shipped to you today!

Veronica has also used some Silver Glitter Paper to make this Christmas card "sparkle & shine". This is one of the "sentiment" cards from the Artfully Sent Cricut Collection and how clever was Veronica to use the Chalk It Up Papers to enhance this sentiment - the star print is a perfect choice for Christmas.

If you would like to see what else Veronica has created using the Artfully Sent Cricut Collection head on over to her blog or if you would like to add this cartridge to your crafting collection simply place an order in my Online Shop.

Thanks for popping by my blog today - be sure to leave some "love" for Veronica in the comments section....if you are celebrating Halloween I hope you have a fun day and the rest of your weekend is full of crafting adventures!

 

A Quick Christmas Project

It is not yet November and my Christmas preparations are well under way - and yes! that is very unusual for me...and even more so, considering I have had an extremely busy October! Before I share one of my Christmas craft projects with you....I want to take this opportunity to once again convey my love & gratitude for Jeanette Lynton's Close To My Heart & the sisterhood it embodies. It was a very special moment being honoured by my peers with the inaugural Australasian Spirit of Close To My Heart Award at our first Australasian convention...I sincerely LOVE what I do! ... so much so, that the minute I arrived back home from the convention I hit the road again, spending 4 days in the city demonstrating and promoting this wonderful company and product range.

While the travelling has been fun it is also lovely to be home "playing" in my Happy Room - a little ink on my fingers and lots of paper scraps on my floor and I am bouncing with joy!....and that my friends brings me to the little Christmas project I wanted to share with you.

This quick and easy home décor piece was created using some wooden letters and the gorgeous Yuletide Carol Paper Pack. I simply adhered the papers to the letters ( using Bonding Memories Glue ) then using the Sanding Kit I trimmed the paper back to the outline of each letter. Next some Ink was applied to the edges of the letters using a Sponge..... not only to disguise any irregularities!! but to add some depth and shadowing to each individual letter. I decided to keep this project very simple and chose to only embellish the "O". The roses and leaves were cut using my Cricut Machine and the Art Philosophy Cartridge, then some "sparkle and shine" was added with Gold Glitter Gems from the Yuletide Carol Assortment along with Gold Sequins and some clear Bitty Sparkles....quick, easy and Done!

If you too, are wanting a head start on your Christmas Projects??... don't forget this month's Stamp of the Month.... it is a stamp set jammed packed with images that make great gift tags, tree decorations and add that finishing touch to your Christmas Card Creations...time is running out, so order yours today here at my Online Shop.



....be sure to pop back for a visit on Friday when I share some lovely Christmas Cards created by one of my Craft Friends!

Friday Friend Feature #7 - on Tuesday!

My apologies for those of you who were waiting for last week's Friday Friend Feature...somewhere in the wonderful world of cyber space my scheduled post went missing! I was interstate celebrating all things Close To My Heart at the 1st Australasian Consultant Convention and haven't been able to rectify the mishap until today.

The cards I am featuring today were made by Andrea - a very passionate & organised card maker in my team of consultants. Andrea has made a head start on her Christmas Cards for this year and tells me she has almost finished them! Her secret to being so organised is the Picture My Life collection Pear & Partridge. The 3" x 4" cards became the foundation from which she created her Christmas Cards.

Many of the cards in this collection come with great sentiments & designs but every so often a little extra "something", just finishes them off. Andrea chose to add an Aussie flavour to her cards with the Australian Thanks stamp set and coloured in the Waratah image with ShinHan Touch Twin Markers. The cards were then matted onto Cranberry and White Daisy cardstock - using the Corner Rounder to tie in with the shape of the cards. They were then mounted onto Kraft Cardstock that had been dry- embossed with the Quatrefoil and Dot embossing folders. If you are a fan of Embossing Folders? - then I will let you in on another "secret" Close To My Heart will be releasing another 4 folders into their product range in the very near future - stay tuned for more information!!

If you would like to attend a Christmas Card Making Class simply send me a message at lotfam@iinet.net.au and I will slot you into one of my upcoming events where you will be able to complete 10 cards in less than 1 hour - you'll be as organised as Andrea in no time at all.

I also have lots of other Christmas Projects to share with you...many of which will be on display at my stand ( 146 ) at this weekend's Stitches & Craft Show in Melbourne - come by and say hello or purchase some crafty goodies to get you started.
 

October Stamp of the Month Cards

I have had such a busy schedule lately ( and it is about to get busier ) but today I had a few moments spare and I thought the best way to spend it... was to get a bit of ink on my fingers!! I chose to play with the cute Polar Bear image which is one of the stamps in the October Stamp of the Month and in no time at all I was able to whip up two equally cute cards.

The snowflake embellishment on this card was created from shapes found on the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge using White Daisy Cardstock and Grey Glitter Paper and finished off with a Clear Sparkle coloured red with the Carmine ShinHan Touch Twin Marker. The "Happy Holidays" sentiment comes from the "Just to Say" stamp set which is one of the exclusive sets included in the Artfully Sent Cricut Collection. This card was so quick to piece together - stamp, cut, paste, embellished - finished!

 

The second card I completed today came together just as quickly using the same Paper Pack and the same stamp, cut, paste, embellish format. I love that this card isn't particularly Christmas themed... it became more of a fun uplifting card with a winter flavour. I have had this idea in my mind for awhile after a consultant friend shared a project where she used the puffy glasses from the Chalk It Up Assortment to embellish her image. The caring sharing nature of Close To My Heart  Consultants  is pretty awesome and I get to experience it a little more this week when I attend and celebrate the first ever Australasian CTMH Convention - be sure to check on my Facebook Page for all the updates...it is going to be very special

 

The sentiment again comes from the "Just to Say" stamp set included in the Artfully Sent Cricut Collection and is actually two different sentiments combined to make one... there are 34 sentiments included in this stamp set that can be combined together to give you endless possibilities. I also used some Red Shimmer Trim to add a touch of sparkle to the card and a White Enamel Star to add some pizzazz to Mr Bear's scarf!

 

When you purchase/or order $75 of Close To My Heart products with me or in my Online Shop during the month of October "Mr Bear" and 6 other delightful images can be yours for just $5 - this is a D-size stamp set valued at $27  - that is over 70% off the retail price - fabulous value!

 

 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today - it is so nice to have you here...I would love you to leave a comment to let me know you have paid a visit...and be sure to check back on Friday when I feature some more cards made by Crafty Friends.

 

October Stamp of the Month

Traditionally when my calendar ticks over to October I make a start on my Christmas projects...I like to be organised early and I love making and receiving homemade gifts. If you too, enjoy creating personal and exclusive handmade gifts then this month's Stamp of the Month is perfect! Home for the Holidays has 7 images that will help you create, celebrate and share the Spirit of the Season!

Last year my Christmas Dinner guests received a hand stamped paper package filled with chocolates. This year I intend to fill handmade bon bons with little personalised gifts and I have already got off to a good start. I've had my Cricut Machine buzzing and cutting bon bon shapes from the Artiste Cricut Collection using Kraft Cardstock.

I have trimmed the bon bons with Red Shimmer Trim and the music print B&T Duos™ Paper from the Yuletide Carol Paper Pack  (to give them that olde world classic Christmas look). The roses and leaves were cut from the Art Philosophy Cricut Collection in Cranberry and Olive cardstock. The Colonial White tag was also cut from the Art Philosophy Cricut Collection . The Do Not Open sentiment comes from the  October Stamp of the Month ... which I stamped on the tag in New England Ivy Ink.  The bon bons were tied with the Cranberry Striped Twill Ribbon and embellished with Gold Sequins and Clear Sparkles.

When you place an order of $75 or more in Close To My Heart products here in my Online Shop  you can purchase this D-size stamp Home for the Holidays set valued at $27 for just $5 — that’s over 70% off retail! ( available for one month only )

....and in addition to this Close To My Heart have a special bonus gift to accompany each qualifying purchase of $65 - you will receive one of two chevron ribbons FREE! Each chevron ribbon—Ruby or Outdoor Denim—has an original retail value of $9.50 So which ribbon will you get? It’s a surprise! quantities are limited, so place your orders here early this month.... be sure to take advantage of this fantastic offer so you can embellish your bon bons and craft projects with your own surprise roll of bonus ribbon!

 Hope your start to October is crafty and productive too - Have a great day :)
 

Picture My Life Projects

Only a few days remain to purchase any of the 13 available  Picture My Life™ Scrapbooking Programs featured in the 2014–2015 Annual Inspirations Idea Book (you can view them all here)  and receive your choice of  Memory Protectors (10-pack) for just $4.00! - such an awesome deal!  Each Picture My Life Scrapbooking Program already includes a coordinating 10-pack of Memory Protectors, so when you add an additional pack you will be well on your way to your own picture-perfect pocket album/project finished, done and beautiful!!

Each of the Program Kits contains a 12" x 12" cover page to begin your album project, 10 co-ordinating Memory Protectors,  and 122 double-sided cards (in 3" x 4" and 4" x 6" horizontal and vertical designs). The double-sided cards include titles, journaling boxes and so many beautiful patterns & designs to embellish your project. However, the cards can be adapted and used in various other paper craft projects and this is one of the reasons they are one of my all time favourite products. I am currently conducting card classes where you will make 10 cards in less than 1 hour!?!  - Yes! 1 hour!...they are quick, easy and you end up with a collection of cards (and envelopes) that will make you feel very organised - cards for every occasion. If you would like to be super, super organised and a step ahead of your Christmas preparations this year? - why not contact me today to schedule a Christmas 10 Card Picture My Life class - they are a lot of fun!

The cards below, feature the gorgeous Picture My Life Pear & Partridge Scrapbooking Program. I stamped all the blank areas of the embellishment cards with some of the lovely sentiments from the Christmas stamp sets Mary and Babe, Yuletide & To You and Yours....added some Washi Tape, Clear Sparkles and they were finished in no time! I have 2 of these kits in stock now, available for immediate delivery, contact me at lotfam@iinet.net.au and they are yours!

All 13 of the Picture My Life Scrapbooking Progams can be adapted & made into cards such as these - why not choose your favourites from my Online Shop and get started today...remember, multiple purchases that add up to $75 or more, also entitle you to add the August Stamp of the Month to your order for just $5 - don't miss out on this offer...these Owls are just so so cute!!

A Tiny Touch of Ink

My Craft/Happy room has been full of activity over the past couple of weeks and especially over the weekend while I put the finishing touches to my Christmas Craft Projects! While we have now, officially commenced the countdown to Christmas I'm not as organised, as I would like to be. December is also full of birthday celebrations for my extended family and this year we have had milestone 80th & 21st birthdays to celebrate. My Close To My Heart Cricut Collections have become my best friends as  I work my way through lots of card projects - they certainly make any art work shine with so many fabulous and versatile shapes - would you believe there are 2100 images spread across the 3 different collections??!! absolutely amazing!! and I recommend them as a "must have" for any paper crafter.
This Birthday card was created with my Cricut Cartridges - no stamping - no ink - just lots of pretty paper...

...being a "pink" girl... I LOVE the Chantilly Paper Pack it is one of my favourites. However, it is soon to be amongst the products retiring from the Close To My Heart range. If you haven't added it to you paper collection yet?! - then I suggest you pop on over to my Online Shop and place an order before it is no longer available...and while you are there, you might like to check out the complete list of Retiring Items...just in case there is anything else you may have missed out on!

I thought today I would also share a Christmas Card I made using a snow flake embellishment cut from the Cricut Artbooking Collection - this collection is like magic - you simply take a piece of paper, push a button and out comes a fun accent to add to your project ...what an easy, quick way to produce a card?! -  gotta love that!! All I needed to do then was cut my card base, add a tiny touch of ink to distress my paper edges & snow flake embellishment, stamp a little sentiment and my card was done!

If Paper Craft is your thing!? - then be sure to keep an eye on my Online Shop.... National Papercrafting Month is coming in January 2014  and I will have lots of fun projects and products that will have you on "Cloud Nine" - stay tuned for a "sneak peek"

Christmas Treats

I know I have already posted this week but I did say I would be back with a little surprise! For those of you who have attended the "Come Create with Chris" events over the past few months you will remember me making the promise that I would share the instructions for the Toblerone Chocolate Wrap?!.....well today is the day - Ta Da!! I have finally updated my instructions.

This is a super easy peasy papercraft project and simply perfect for this time of year, especially when you are looking for little gifts to give your work colleagues, trinkets for Church fetes or something the kids can make for Teacher gifts.

I have just made a nice little bundle of these to use as place settings on our Christmas Dinner table. I found some really gorgeous decorative borders in the Artbooking Cricut Collection from Close To My Heart that I used to decorate them with. I then trimmed the edges of these borders with the Sparkle & Shine Washi Tape - it has to be one of my favourite products from this year's Holiday From The Heart Gift Guide .....if you haven't seen all the wonderful goodies in this gift guide then head on over to my Online Store and check them out!

 

I have also put the Washi Tape to good use when making decorative toppers for bags of chocolate treats - again, super easy to make up and the little jumping Santa from the Santa Claus stamp set is such a cute stamp to add that finishing touch....and while I am in the gift giving mood... I thought I might give away one of the Santa Claus stamp sets to the next person who places a $100 order through my Online Shop - then you too, can create your own gift projects this Christmas... and as the saying goes "you have to be in it to win it"!!

 

...and don't forget my previous giveaway - leave a comment under my  Cards for all Occasions post from Tuesday 3rd December and I will send you 2  card kits....everything pre-cut just waiting for you to assemble.

 

Happy Christmas Crafting!

 

Cards For All Occasions

Goodness me! - I didn't realise it has been so long since I last updated my blog...not really sure I have an excuse, except that I have been crafting up a storm in preparation for Christmas and some milestone Birthday celebrations in my extended family. I have also been busy with Card making classes and organising the first of my Card Kit Collections to hit the post before the holiday season really kicks in! With so many stamping projects on the go, it was difficult to choose something to share with you today but I settled on a couple of pretty cards suitable for any occasion and a preview of some of the Christmas cards I have been working on.

The ladies that attended my card making classes last week made some awesome versions of these pretty rose cards...we spent the class learning about all the different ways you can make "unique one of a kind backgrounds" for your images using Close To My Heart exclusive inks and acrylic blocks - it was lots of fun getting inky and seeing what we could produce :)

I've been making a series of different Christmas Cards this year....and you all know how much I love colouring with alcohol makers!!!... the moment I first saw the cute Christmas Village Stamp Set I knew I was going to spend some quiet time colouring with my markers. Although it is summer at this time of year, I still love snow themed scenes of Christmas and one day I do hope to celebrate a White Christmas!! I wasn't sure how I was going to create the snow and I tossed a few ideas around but ended up deciding to colour in the outline of the snow with my Sky coloured marker... then using the Blending Maker saturate some of the sky colour out of the cardstock. I think it worked a treat.

 

 

I am in the process of putting together my class schedule for 2014 and if you would like to host a gathering with your family and friends at my house or yours I would love to hear from you...just send a message to lotfam@iinet.net.au and we will lock in a date before my calendar starts to fill up. You can also send me an "expression of interest" message if you would like to be kept up to date with my Card Kit Collections - next year I plan on having a kit ready to send out to you every month. Here is a "sneak peek" of what a kit looks like - all materials and full colour instructions included...you just stamp with your choice of Close To My Heart stamps from my suggested list.

 

 

I have 2 of these kits ready to send out to a  reader of my blog...my gift to you this Christmas......if you would like to be the lucky recipient? just leave a comment on my blog and I will choose someone at random to receive the kits in the mail next week. This giveaway is only open to Australian residents.

 

Stay tuned for the announcement of the winner and my last blog post for 2013....it just might contain a little surprise too?

 

Folded Flowers

I've had fun in my "happy room" this week trying out an idea inspired by a fellow Close To My Heart consultant. Over the weekend I was shown some very clever Christmas ornaments made with stamped shapes from the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection they were gorgeous and I wondered if I could create something similar to add to my card creations. These are the three cards I came up with using the ideas. I love how this concept can be used to create a card for any occasion....and a HUGE thanks to the original creator.

If you like the Sparkle and Shine Christmas papers don't forget they are only available for a limited time - they can be purchased from the Holiday Gift Guide which can be viewed at my Online Shop... and as an added bonus if you spend $130 or more you could earn this paper pack for free. I also used this paper pack for the second Christmas card I made using the folded image idea - love how this one looks like a 3D flower.

I decided to try the idea again this time hand cutting my images with the fabulous non stick micro-tip scissors - they have the perfect tip for cutting around intricate shapes and there is something very therapeutic about cutting paper - well I think there is LOL! I also sponged some ink around the edges of the shapes to deepen the colour and add a bit more texture - I think this gives the flowers and the leaves a more realistic look.

If you live in my area and would like to see these cards in real life or even have a little play time creating them or want to purchase some of the goodies I have used ....why don't you pop along to the Shepparton Papercraft Expo.....I'd love to "show you how".

Hope to see you there!