Merry Christmas!

Photo credit: D'arcy Benincosa

On this Christmas Eve, I want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Ho Ho Ho!

Christmas is this week! I can't wait. Ho Ho Ho and Merry Christmas!

Warmest Wishes Christmas Card

There is still time to get your Christmas cards sent!  Make sure those you love get your warmest wishes!

(Those packages remind me, I've still got some shopping to do!)

Warmest wishes this holiday season!

A Darling Christmas Gift Idea

My lovely friend, Ginni Candelaria, gave me the cutest little gift. What a spectacular idea for friends. I love it!

She cricut cut the snowflakes, added pearls, sparkles and glitter. And how clever to cut out the center of the snowflake to insert the EOS lip balm!

Look at this darling tag!

All packaged up it is so cute I could barely bear to open it. Thank you Ginni!

Merry Christmas!

Fa la la la la! Christmas Card

Christmas is fast approaching. I went out and bought stamps to send off my cards today. Too bad my computer crashed last year and I lost all my addresses. I am now collecting those again. Technology, a blessing and a curse sometimes.

Anyway, here's one of the Christmas cards I designed this year. I love that it is super simple. Super simple is my favorite way to go.

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! 

Christmas Tags

Time to get wrapping. I love a beautifully wrapped gift and a stamped tag dresses the gift up perfectly.

CTMH has the cutest little stamp sets that are perfect for tag making. And because they are so inexpensive, you can get more than one (or all four) and even give them away as gifts.

To keep things simple, I either cricut cut or hole punch a bunch of 2" circles. I stamp the sayings and then dress them up with accent stamps. These come together fast so make several at once. I just store any extras with my Christmas wrap or right in the stamp set package. 

Hole punch and string them to gifts and write the to/from information on the back. Done!

They are perfect accents for neighbor/friend gifts. 

If you feel the need to get fancier, adhere them to tags as accents. 

Or add them to 3x3 mini cards. 

Whether you choose to go simple or dress things up a bit, these are the fastest, simplest and easiest little stamps out there for gift tags. 

Happy Wrapping! And Merry Christmas!

Trim up the Tree!

My trees are trimmed! I've actually decorated one tree three different times (it decided to tip over twice). But there is always time for another ornament or two or to create some gifts for friends.

My friend, Lori Bryson, made the cutest ornaments from our Base and Bling so I decided to make some too and show you how.

Take two base and bling pendants. You can check out the different shapes here.

Using liquid glass, glue them back to back with the hook thing that the chain goes through (very official, right?) with one going up and the other going down. You only need a tiny bit of liquid glass, about enough to cover the tiny flat circle in the middle of the back--my sample photo uses too much. Excess liquid glass will ooze out the sides (if you get carried away, baby wipes work best for wiping up the excess). Let this sit for about 15 minutes to allow the liquid glass to dry.

Here's a tip for your liquid glass. Keep a pin taped to the side of the bottle. I store my liquid glass upside down but sometimes you still need a pin to unclog the tip. 

Choose your images. These sticker sheets are self-adhesive but I use a little liquid glass anyway (very little, remember). 

Adhere the images inside the pendants. Make sure they are both in the right direction (you don't want one upside down).

Using a teeny bit of liquid glass (remember, it gets all over), put the glass covers in place.

I like to hold these down really tight to make sure the liquid glass spreads out and I don't see any bubbles. If you do get some liquid glass that oozes out, grab that baby wipe (liquid glass on fingertips makes it very difficult to use the touch screen on your phone--voice of experience).

Now, attach the charms to the bottom with a bit of ribbon. There are lots of charms to choose from but the holiday/winter ones are only available until December 31st. You could use a jump ring but you need a really big one.

Add ribbon to the top and you're done!

These are darling in gold as well. And if you don't want to make it double sided, you could use one pendant instead of two.

If you want to wear it, add a chain or a longer ribbon. It makes a darling holiday necklace.

Happy decorating!

Cyber Sales All Week Long!

It's Cyber Monday but for Close to My Heart, that translates into Cyber Week! That's right--deals for five days, not just one.

Get 25% off selected items, including:

• Cricut^® Artfully Sent Collection (Z3168)
• Designed Décor Red Magnetic Chalkboard (Z2006)
• Designed Décor Display Tray (Z1750)
• Picture My Life™ Going Places Scrapbooking Program (Z3180)
• Designer Creations Buttoned Bag (Z2053)
• Designer Creations Short Stack Album (Z2028)
• Designer Creations Ruby Paper Bags (Z2038)
• Cut Above™ Dapper Giraffe Card Kit (Z3147)
• My Creations™ Pint-Sized Container (Z3137)
• Scallop Border Punch (Z1851)
• Triangle Border Punch (Z1997)
• plus many more! 

Go to my website, blythe.ctmh.com and click on shop and then Cyberweek sale!

Happy Shopping!

Fall pages anyone?

There is snow outside my window as I type this. But we don't necessarily scrapbook Fall while it happens but after the memories are made and the pictures printed. So any time is the right time to scrapbook your Fall memories!

This one has some fun Cricut cuts. It was inspired by the lovely Sheri Rottler who is a Cricut master.

The colors in the Sangria paper packet are so gorgeously Fall! 

But they don't have to be Fall only.

Family pages are valid any time of the year!

Happy Memory Making and Keeping!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It has been a crazy busy November but in a very good way. I'll share later. But today, I am grateful for family, friends and creativity.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Easy Halloween Treat Bags

Need a cute and easy Halloween treat this season? My talented friend, Sheri Rottler, shared this great idea with me.

Cut a reverse stencil using the new Cricut Artistry Cartridge. With a sharpie/permanent marker,  color the face on a plastic bag.

How cute is that?

Stamp a tag. To dress it up, mask it and add cobwebs.

 

Fill you baggie with treats and tie on your tag.

So cute! Happy Halloween!

A little Halloween scrapbooking

Just a little Halloween scrapbooking! Making sure I'm all ready to document the festivities. 

This month's Cherish Your Memories group kit featured Nevermore and the Nevermore complements. I love that silhouette of the trick or treaters. I love the vintage feel of it. 

Happy Halloween!

Happy World Card Making Day!

Last night, I put up my Halloween decorations so a Halloween card for World Card Making Day seemed appropriate.

Happy World Card Making Day!

Hello Life! Hello Good Friends!

I recently went to my (gulp) 30 year class reunion. It was so good to see friends and relive memories. But I also got a chance to hang with some of my very best friends. I still see them, I don't have to wait for high school reunions to catch up, but it was a good excuse to document our ongoing friendship.

I really truly do love these people.

For these pages, I used a combo of all three Hello Life! stamps sets available during September, National Stamping Month. Here's another look at the three.

Pocket Scrapbooking

Card making

Scrapbooking

If you want these sets, act fast as after September 30th, they will be no more. Remember, choose one or two at $13.95 each or get all three for $34.95. And I'd love to see what you create. If you are on Instagram, use the hashtag #ctmhhellolife.

Happy Stamping!

Artistic U is only a few weeks away!

The Fall Artistic U is only a few weeks away, November 12-15. There is still time to register--just click on this link. And this year, we are going to have a pajama party! Staying up late (even all night for some die hard scrapbookers) is part of a retreat so along with great projects, prizes and good food, this year, we're giving out pj's instead of the usual t-shirt.

I hope to have you join us. We have SOOOOO much fun. Here's a post from last Fall's retreat. You can also check out past retreats on our website, ArtisticU.net. Sign up soon because registration closes in October!