My little cutie pie...

It's snowing outside and I have the day off work and I am going to spend it in my craft room watching Christmas movies, gazing at the snow outside once in a while, and creating all day long.

I adore the holidays. I'm a little sad that they are almost over. I love the excuse to spend time with family, decorate the house and get all sentimental.

Speaking of sentimental, I found this photo of my darling little niece. She spent Christmas Eve at our house making gingerbread houses. Only she is now 8! So I took a minute to remember her when she was not 8. Time flies.

I used the December Stamp of the Month, Cutie Pie, to create a cute matte for the frame. And when I'm ready to change photos, I'll slip this one out and add it to a scrapbook page. And just a little reminder, this stamp set is only available until December 31st. That's only 3 days away. Time really does fly.

Happy Holidays to all. Enjoy the rest of your holiday week!

Merry Christmas to all!

From my family to yours, have a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas VW!

And the VW Bug is back and all dressed up for Christmas! You didn't think I had retired him after the last batch of VW cards, did you?

I started out with Kraft paper which I spritzed with very watered down white paint to give the effect of snow. I stamped the tree from Make it Merry (I think this is my favorite Christmas stamp set this year) and added some twine to tie it to the top of the car. Because it's Christmas, I used some silver glitter paper to bling up my Ruby red VW.

This card makes me happy.

Merry Christmas!

PS Look what I found from my college days! It wasn't a VW Bug but it was a VW Kharmann Ghia. I can't believe my ex boyfriend (at the time), who would end up being my husband two Christmases later (it's a long story), let me borrow his car to go buy a Christmas tree with my roommate. Good times!

Tis the Season-Christmas Cards, 3

And here is card #3 that will be going out this Christmas season from me!

One of my favorite Christmas songs is Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Of course, it must be sung by Judy Garland (if you haven't before, you really should watch the movie Meet Me in St. Louis). So I had to use this stamp on a Christmas card this year.

I used my Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge to cut some trees. You could use almost any background stamp to stamp the tree. I used In the Background. (Don't forget, you can get this stamp set for just $10 this month with a qualifying purchase. See here for details). I added a little twine and some sequins for bling.

I love that this one is simple and a little old fashioned. All Christmases should have something simple and old-fashioned. 

Merry Christmas!

December Stamp of the Month--Cutie Pie

We interrupt the regularly scheduled Holiday proceedings to bring you the December Stamp of the Month, Cutie Pie!

It may not be sugar plums and gingerbread but these cupcakes are pretty yummy!

I need to play with this one some more--I was experimenting with watercolors which I have zero experience with (other than watercolor coloring books as a child). But I still think this stamp set is adorable! And besides, it's only $5.00 with a qualifying $50 purchase ($17.95 without). And that qualifying purchase also makes you eligible for the Deal of the Decade--C and D size stamp sets at just $10 each!  And it's only available in December so get it while you can!

Happy Stamping and Merry Christmas!

Tis the Season--Christmas Cards, 2

Card #2 for my Christmas cards this year. This one was inspired by a card I saw on Pinterest.

I love the way dry embossing the white cardstock for the presents makes them stand out without the need for color. 

Merry Christmas!

Quick holiday wrap!

I love beautifully wrapped gifts. I believe that part of the magic of a gift is how it is presented. However, sometimes when you are running a little behind, there may not be time to wrap a gift in the way that you would like it to be presented. 

So here's a quick wrapping solution for a small gift, my Designer Creations Paper Bags. I popped the gift inside a bag, folded down and punched the top and tied with some ribbon bits, used my Cricut Artbooking cartridge to quickly cut the cranberry and white shapes and stamped Make it Merry in Cranberry ink. Darling wrapped gift in less than 5 minutes. 

These bags come in multiple colors. Keep a few stashed for those quick gifts. They are the perfect size for Base and Bling jewelry. And they are darling for party favors, cookies, and other such wonderfulness.

Christmas gifts--Base and Bling

Every year I struggle to find a meaningful, inexpensive gift. But Close to My Heart came out with a fabulous base and bling line of jewelry. It's quick, easy and inexpensive and you can say you made it yourself.

This is one of my favorite necklaces, given to me by the corporate office. The necklaces come in antique gold or silver and a variety of shapes.

You can add charms as shown on the necklace on the right or no charms. They are darling either way. And you can choose what image you want to go inside.

Close to My Heart has wonderful images that you can get to customize your necklaces but I wanted something Christmasy so I found this Santa image.  There is a little bubble on his beard--not noticeable from a distance. This is a result of my hurry to put together this necklace with the help of a three year old. I used this adhesive which works fabulously (liquid glass works as well) but you must make sure you rub it down well to remove any bubbles such as this. As I said, I was being assisted by a very cute but impatient three year old.

Here's another fun holiday image.

And yes, there are bracelets as well.

A pendant, a glass, a chain, an image and one charm are less than $10 (before shipping and handling). You could make multiple pendants and just switch out chains and charms. The bracelet is less than $5.50 for bracelet and image. Either way, this is a beautiful, inexpensive, personalized gift for a loved one (or yourself).

Merry Christmas!

Totes Adorbs! Just in time for Christmas!

Look what came in stock just in time to order for Christmas!

These are pretty fabulous. Check out more about these fabulous new rolling totes and the coordinating shoulder bag in the video.

You can order the rolling tote on my website or directly from me. I know I'll be asking Santa for one!

Tis the Season-Christmas Cards

Last year, I had a wonderful Christmas holiday but must admit, I was a bit of a "Bah, Humbug" when it came to Christmas cards. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas cards! I have been sending them since my college days. But last year, I got a little more caught up in crafting and memory keeping and my Christmas cards fell by the wayside--I only got a handful sent out. 

So this year, I am repenting and I am back on track. I started my Christmas cards early. However, since I tend to get a little bored making many of the same card, I'm doing a few different ones this year. Which one will you get if you are on my list? Check back during the next couple of weeks to see them all. Here is the first.

I love the look of this stamp embossed. Whether you use white, as I did, or gold or silver, it's beautiful. 

This was actually a quick and simple card. Emboss the angel in white, stamp Hark the Herald Angels... in black (be careful to dab off the black ink that gets on the white embossed area so it won't smear), sponge around the angel in crystal blue ink and then layer it all on either black glitter paper, black shimmer trim (as I did which is a bit more time consuming) or even black cardstock and then layer that on top of crystal blue cardstock and the white card base. 

I love how it turned out. And I love having a card that reflects the true reason for the season as well.

Merry Christmas!

Simply Inspired Blog Hop: Seasonal Expressions 1

I am so excited! It's the Holidays. And there is a new Seasonal Expressions full of fun new stuff. And because of that, we are blog hopping again. Time to share some great ideas with new product that will inspire you!

You should be arriving here from the lovely and talented Michelle Snyder's blog. Should you get lost along the way, simply go here to find your way. And now on to it!

Valentine's is right around the corner and I don't know about you, but my house always seems a little bare after Christmas and I don't have that many Valentine decorations. The Seasonal Expressions is full of great Valentine's stuff so I dove right in to make some Valentine decor.

I started with the Heartstrings Paper Packet and the Forever in My Heart stamp set. I've been experimenting a little bit with mixed media lately so I grabbed a canvas and started getting messy.

  

I embossed this little cherub in white and sponged around him. He didn't pop as much as I hoped so I shaded around him a bit and added a cute little puffie bow. 

I love the way this heart turned out embossed. And yes, the multi-medium made the black ink on Love Struck bleed just a little but I don't care. This is supposed to be messy, right? And I love the arrow badge from the Heartstrings Assortment. I loved these badges so much I used two.

More puffies (these are so stinking cute) and a few stickers from the Heartstrings complements...

  

And ta da! A finished canvas. This was so much fun. I used the Heart embossing folder and some Whisper cardstock to add a little more texture. I almost can't wait for Christmas to be over so I can display this (I said almost). 

I hope I've inspired you. And now on to the wonderful Lisa Stenz's blog. Happy Blog Hopping!

Holy Cyber Monday!

At midnight tonight, it will officially by Cyber Monday. And Close to My Heart is getting in on the action. From 12:00 am, Monday, December first, through 11:59 pm Monday night, you can purchase any Close to My Heart Cricut collection at 20% off! There's never been a better time to pick up any of the four fabulous cartridges CTMH has to offer. Get them directly from me or order on my website.

 

And the timing of this sale is perfect. December 1st is the kick off for 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.

And, Monday is also the premiere of the new Seasonal Expressions! I'll be blogging more about that on Tuesday but there is some fabulous new stuff in there you can order beginning tomorrow. (Please note: Stamp sets from the Seasonal Expressions do not qualify for the Deal of the Decade but they do count towards your $50 base purchase).

I am so excited for all of you! And I will be doing some ordering of my own. Happy Cyber Monday and Happy Holiday Shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Creative credit to Jen Mahan

Happy Thanksgiving! I will be eating more than I should today but I will also be counting my blessings, and friends, family and loyal blog readers are counted as blessings. May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

PS If you watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, watch for the American Fork High School Marching Band. My daughter is in the color guard!

Memory Keeping as an Expression of Gratitude

It's that time of year that we all remember to be grateful, and not just grateful but to say "thank you." A friend of mine who I aspire to be when I grow up because she is so kind and wise said on Sunday that thanksgiving is the expression of our gratitude!

And how does that tie into my crafting blog? Because I believe memory keeping is a form of expression for gratitude. Yes, we sometimes may tell of experiences that aren't so fun and happy, but even then, we end up saying thank you for the experience and what was learned, yes?

At the most recent Artistic U, the lovely Tricia Goff shared her insight on why she scrapbooks. And I thought it was so heartfelt that I asked her to say it again so I could video her and share it here (with her permission of course).



Happy Thanksgiving!

November Stamp of the Month: It's the Little Things

Time to share a little love with the November Stamp of the Month, "It's the Little Things". Inspired by a card that Sheri Rottler made with another stamp set, I made this one with the November Stamp of the Month. Always wonderful to be inspired by others.

Remember, this stamp set is only available in November. Check it out here for all the details and to order.

Fall 2014 Artistic U Recap

Part of my crazy past two weeks was getting ready for and participating in the Artistic U scrapbook retreat. With my partners, Diana and Jen, we offer this fabulous scrapbook/craft retreat twice a year in the beautiful town of Heber, UT.

As always, we were in a beautiful setting with lots of fabulous people. It's amazing how creativity flows when you get several talented, like-minded people in the same room.

The food was delicious. Diana, with her fabulous helper Callie, is amazing! Here they are making homemade rolls! No cold cuts or frozen dinners here.

Aren't those turkey cupcake toppers made by Jen the cutest things ever?! (Secret--two Cricut flowers layered make the tail feathers--brilliant and fast). 

This year we featured a jewelry buffet. Everyone got to create their own necklace and then do any additional necklaces or add ons as they liked.

 

The necklaces were packaged so adorably in these.  

We played with mod podge!

As always we had some scrapbook layouts. This was my contribution.

Our snowman contest was so much fun! I mentioned that these are some very creative people!
 

There were two masseuses and we did a little yoga! We truly wanted our guests to be relaxed.

Diana, the fabulous Cricut expert, taught a class on our new Artfully Sent cartridge and Jen did one on one Cricut classes as needed.

And there was time for the hot tub, movies, laughter and much more.

If you came, we hope you had a fabulous time and will join us again. If you missed it, our next one is May 7-9th, 2015. Registration is already up on Artisticu.net. We filled up this year and had to turn people away so register early. You can even take advantage of payment plans if you register now!

Happy Crafting!

Document December

I admit, I have been missing in action. It has been a very busy past two weeks. There are more than a few blog posts coming to catch you up on all that has been going on. But in the meantime, I just wanted to get this post out about my Document December workshop.


Every year I want to document Christmas, or Christmases past. And every year my best intentions get waylaid by everything else going on. Well, this year, I want to help you and me achieve that goal!

Join me on for a Christmas Remembered Workshop. You will create this fabulous album using the Holiday Happenings My Crush Book and the assortment and a few additional accessories. With the book completed, all you have to do is slide in photos and memorabilia of Christmas as it happens or as it is remembered from years past and you are done! A Christmas keepsake to be cherished!

I had originally advertised this in the newsletter for Thursday, November 20th at 7:00 pm. However, as I am slow on getting this on the blog, I am offering an alternate night, Thursday, December 4th. Please RSVP by Saturday, November 29th to secure a spot. Cost is $28.00.


Can't make the workshop? You can still purchase a kit. Photos of all pages will be included to allow you to assemble at home. Cost of at home kit is $30.00.


I hope you'll join me!

Nevermore...

In celebration of Halloween, Edgar Allan Poe, and a lot of spooky fun, I wish you all a Happy and a Safe Halloween!