February Three Amigos Blog Hop

Welcome to the Three Amigos Blog hop.  We are three Close to My Heart Independent Consultants with a love for stamping and scrapping and would like to share our creative ideas with you.  On the 3rd of each month we feature a different CTMH product and create a card, layout, or other project.  There are only three stops on this hop so it will only take a few minutes to hop through.

This month's challenge was to mix and match papers from different paper packs. I saw a "make it now" designed project for the Cricut Explore that would be perfect for my girls' valentines. I made a set of tags to adorn the cute Designer Creations Takeout Boxes in the Annual Inspirations Idea Book.

Since the takeout boxes are embossed with white hearts, I knew they would be perfect to hold valentine treats for my girls. I used the Tender Pink Shin Han marker to randomly color a few of the hearts on the box. For the tags, I used the black and glacier dot B&T paper from the Snowhaven pack, and the lagoon hearts and Arrows B&T papers from the Heartstrings paper pack. I added red glitter hearts from the Stuck on You Puffies and a bow tied from retired Baby Pink organdy ribbon.

Here's what the takeout box and tag looked like before I put the entire project together.

I tied several colors and styles of current and retired CTMH ribbon to the handle of the takeout box to give it a little frill. Most of the ribbon on the handle came from my scrap jars. Even though the jars look pretty with all of the colorful ribbon in them, using it up felt good!

I attached the tag with white hemp (retired) and opted to tie it with a bow instead of a knot to make it removable. The box will be filled with assorted chocolates and a heart shaped brownie that I will bake just before mailing. Both girls are away at college and receiving packages really makes their day!

Thanks for stopping by today. Hop over to Lisa's blog and then Donna's blog to see what they created!

Supplies Used:

X7188B Snowhaven Paper Pack

X7193B Heartstrings Paper Pack

Z2050 Designer Creations Takeout Boxes

Z3037 Stuck On You Puffies

Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

Z1989 Slate Diagonal Striped Ribbon

Retired CTMH Ribbon (Baby Pink Organdy, Blush Dot grosgrain, Cranberry Grosgrain, Heavenly Blue Organdy, Hollyhock stitched, Lagoon Satin, White Ric Rac)

Brrrr! It's Cold Outside!

A major winter storm is passing through the area today, leaving piles of the white stuff in it's wake. I've never been a fan of winter, especially Buffalo winters! The Snowhaven layouts I'm sharing today seem fitting given the weather. I love the cranberry and glacier in this paper pack and how the black makes them pop.

The Warm & Cozy layout was inspired by a Scrapbook Generation layout I saw on Pinterest. I could only see part of the layout in the picture, but knew Snowhaven was the perfect paper pack to recreate it. I can't locate the picture on their website, but they have some very nice sketches and photos worth checking out.

I may add some more bling once I get photos on the layout. Journaling strips will adorn the space to the left of the first photo mat.

It's hard to see the sparkle of the shimmer trim in the pictures and the bitty sparkles on the snowflakes, but they add to the snowy theme. I tried different angles. Nothing captured the essence of the shimmer trim.

My Making Spirits Bright layout was inspired by a layout from Shannon Buck, CTMH Director of the Stampin' Buds team. I love the symmetry of the layout. Instead of using banners in the bottom section of my layout, I decided to use the snowflake border from the Cricut Artbooking collection (page 76 in the image booklet).

The layout looks very red right now, but once pics are added the red will be more of an accent than a focus.

The resin accents from the Snowhaven Assortment add depth and texture to the layout. White shimmer trim and red enamel hearts dress up the Snowhaven Complements.

Bitty sparkles are sprinkled around the layout, and more white shimmer trim adds a frosty touch to the snowflake border. The line of trees stamped tone on tone along the bottom are from the Snowhaven Card WOTG stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by on this very cold day!

Supplies Used:

X7188B Snowhaven Paper Pack

X7188C  Snowhaven Complements

Z3008 Snowhaven Assortment

G1085 Snowhaven WOTG Cardmaking Kit (stamp set)

Z2173 Slate Ink Pad

Z2116 Cranberry Ink Pad

Z2641 Glacier Ink Pad

Z2009 Red Enamel Hearts

Z3024 White Shimmer Trim

Z1906 Cricut Artbooking Collection

January Three Amigos Blog Hop

Welcome to the Three Amigos Blog hop.  We are three Close to My Heart Independent Consultants with a love for stamping and scrapping and would like to share our creative ideas with you.  On the 3rd of each month we feature a different CTMH product and create a card, layout, or other project.  There are only three stops on this hop so it will only take a few minutes to hop through.

This month we chose to use any type of embossing on our projects. Since I used embossing folders and heat embossing on my projects last month, I decided to show something a bit different this month by combining the two.

Several weeks ago, I saw a tutorial for a gift card/candy box here and thought it would make a cute valentine. I pulled out my Heartstrings Paper Pack (again) and the January Stamp of the Month, This Moment, and got to work.

The base of the belly band is whisper cardstock punched with the scallop border punch. The stamped images, ribbon, and a few glitter gems are all attached to the belly band. The box opens by sliding the belly band down a bit (no need to remove it completely).

Opening the box reveals a pocket that slides up and holds a gift card. I embossed this piece using the heart embossing folder. I added a small amount of Bonding Memories Glue to each heart, sprinkled clear embossing powder on, and heat embossed. As a result, the hearts look like they've been frosted.

A candy bar will fit behind the gift card pocket. Here's a picture with the pocket pulled out. Just slip a candy bar inside and slide the gift card pocket in front of it.

A tag could be placed in the pocket in lieu of a gift card, or even in addition to it! 

Thank you for stopping by today. Now hop over to Lisa's blog and Donna's blog to see what they created for you.

Supplies Used:

X7193B Heartstrings Paper Pack

S1501 This Moment

C1604 Forever in My Heart

Z2172 Whisper Ink Pad

Z2170 Ruby Ink Pad

Z2644 Pixie Ink Pad

Z1807 Pink Glitter Gems

Z1987 Striped Twill Ribbon

Z3018 Heart Embossing Folder

Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

Z553 Bonding Memories Glue Pen

Clear Embossing Powder (Retired, but you can use Z2088 Ranger Clear Super Fine)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I was all set to post yesterday, but I got distracted by this beauty...

Over the last two weeks, my husband has been upcycling a piece of furniture that was given to us years ago. He completely refaced the front and customized it for my paper and stamp storage. I was so excited when he moved it into my studio yesterday!

The paper storage units slide in where drawers used to hide behind the doors. Brian is finishing up the final unit that will go in the upper left space. Once completed, I'll have 46 slots for paper! I plan to store complements and dimensional elements in the spaces next to each paper storage unit.

There was a space between the doors and the drawers when we removed all of the original molding, so Brian added a hidden shelf.

Each drawer will hold about 150 stamp sets! Brian added a divider between the rows so they don't slide around. Are you ready to see what we started with? Unfortunately, I didn't get a before photo of the Armoire, but I do have pictures of what the drawers and doors looked like.

I would say the finished product is one thousand times better! I can't wait to fill it up!

Thanks for stopping by today. Be sure to come back tomorrow for the Three Amigos Blog Hop!

Three Amigos December Blog Hop

Welcome to the Three Amigos Blog hop.  We are three Close to My Heart Independent Consultants with a love for stamping and scrapping and would like to share our creative ideas with you.  On the 3rd of each month we feature a different CTMH product and create a card, layout, or other project.  There are only three stops on this hop so it will only take a few minutes to hop through.

This month we are featuring products from the new Seasonal Expressions book. I decided to take the Heartstrings Workshop on the Go cards up a notch. The kit includes a D-size stamp set, Stuck On You Puffies, and Pixie Extra Thick Twine.

The workshop card were nice as designed, but with a few added elements, I think they really stand out. On the first card, I created a front panel that is slightly smaller than the card base. I heat embossed the heart and the sentiment using Slate and Lagoon Pigment Inks and clear embossing powder. The panel is adhered to the front of the card with Thin 3-D Foam Tape. The heat embossing adds a little shine and dimension to the stamped images.

I heat embossed the sentiment on the second card as well, then added a few sequins dressed up with Red Shimmer Trim and Liquid Glass.

The third card also has a panel that is slightly smaller than the card base. I used the Damask Embossing Folder to create an elegant background for the sentiment piece. I added liquid glass to the petals of the roses and pink glitz gel to the hearts.

Thanks for stopping by today. Hop over to Lisa's blog to see what she created this month.

Supplies:

G1090 Heartstrings WOTG

Z2173 Slate Ink Pad

Z2195 Lagoon Ink Pad

Z2644 Pixie Ink Pad

Z2503 Basics Mini Pigment Pad set (Slate)

Z2501 Adventure Mini Pigment Pad set (Lagoon)

Z2088 Ranger Clear Super Fine Embossing Powder (I used our retired clear detail embossing powder)

Z555 Craft Heater

Z1848 Red Shimmer Trim

Z1927 Damask Embossing Folder

Z679 Liquid Glass

Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

Pink Glitz Gel (Retired)

Hole punch

Another FUNN Challenge

Just before Thanksgiving, I received FUNN mail from Mary Gunn containing December SOTM/Heartstrings mini kits for a FUNN team challenge. My kit included a 6x6 piece of white daisy cardstock, two 3x6 pieces and one 1x6 piece of Heartstrings background & texture paper, a 3" piece of the arrow zip strip, stamped and colored images from the Cutie Pie Stamp of the Month, a puffy heart from the Chalk It Up assortment, and a sticky note from the My Crush In the Pink assortment.

I added a few scraps of Flaxen cardstock, a small length of the new Pixie Extra Thick Twine (LOVE!) and a tiny piece of Pink Shimmer Trim.

I messed up part of the white cardstock and ended up cutting it down to 3x6 to use a a base for the tag. I used the scallop punch to dress up the bottom edges of the tag base and front flap.

The inside of the tag has space to sign or write a little note. Wouldn't this tag look adorable on a package for your little cutie pie? Totes!

Thanks for stopping by today! You can find the Heartstrings Paper Pack and Pixie Extra Thick Twine in the Seasonal Expressions book along with tons of other fabulous products! Be sure to come back and check out the Three Amigos Blog Hop tomorrow!

Cyber Monday and Happy December!

So much to share today!

1. Cyber Monday CTMH Special- Time Sensitive- TODAY ONLY!
All CTMH Cricut Collections are 20% off today!

2. Deal of the Decade- now through December 31, 2014

CTMH is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the introduction of My Acrylix stamps.

When you make a $50 order in December, you qualify to purchase as many C-size or D-size stamps sets featured in the Annual Inspirations Idea Book for only $10 each.

3. New Seasonal Expressions- starts today through March 31, 2015

Forty pages full of new products and ideas from CTMH!

4. December Stamp of the Month- Cutie Pie- now through December 31, 2014

You can purchase the SOTM for only $5 with a $50 order! Come back tomorrow to see a cute card challenge from my upline, Mary Gunn!

5. Snowhaven Shopping List for January Workshop

Now is the perfect time to order your supplies for the January Scrapbook Workshop!

Supplies needed:

X7188B Snowhaven Paper Pack

X7188C Snowhaven Complements

Z3024 White Shimmer Trim (from the NEW Seasonal Expressions)

Z2009 Red Enamel Hearts

Layouts will be available soon!

6. Drawing for Heartstrings Paper Pack and Complements- now through December 31st.

When you make a $50 purchase now through December 31, 2014, your name will be entered into a drawing to WIN the NEW Heartstrings Paper Pack and Complements featured in Seasonal Expressions. I will draw for a winner EACH time I get $300 in sales. After I draw, the sales tally starts over!