A quick overview of my December Classes

Display Trays--make any of these three trays on December 10th, 6 p.m.  NOTE:  I need to know by December 1st so that I can order the trays and accessories.

 

To make this tray with the Clementine paper and variety of colors, cost is $28.

To make the tray shown above with the Avonlea paper and canvas stickers, cost is $32.

To make this Christmas Display Tray, cost is $34 (includes set of rub-ons and set of chipboard Dimensional Elements).


Come to one of my December hostess clubs and you can make this beautiful Christmas layout.  If you'd like to officially join our club rotations, both of my Monday clubs are taking new members.  Or, if you just really want to make this layout but can't commit to the club, you can attend and place a $20 minimum order when you come.   The first club meets Monday, December 10th, at 10 a.m.  Second club meets Monday, Dec. 17th, at 6:30 p.m.  If you are a card maker, I will have some winter cards or 3D projects designed for you. . .still working on it!

 

Come to the cookie/recipe exchange class and make these adorable "JOY" blocks (made with our My Creations Blocks--Z1746, $3.95 each) on Thursday, December 13th, 6 p.m.  Cost for the class is $15.   For this class, each participant makes a holiday treat (this can be cookies, candy, breads, hot cocoa/tea mix, snack mix, etc.) and brings a copy of her recipe along with her goodie.  Once I get a final head count, I can tell you how much of your treat to bring.  I then divide up the goodies and send everyone home with a sampler platter. . .plus, we might just do a little sampling while we're there!

Get a great deal and help a great cause!

Our November Stamp of the Month is a great basic set with months and numbers that you can use on layouts, cards, calendar projects, etc.   You can purchase this stamp set for only $5 with any $50 purchase this month.  And, when you take advantage of this Stamp of the Month deal, you'll ALSO receive your choice of any stamp set from the catalog for HALF PRICE!!  That's a great deal!  And, Close to My Heart will donate $1 to the Red Cross for every Stamp of the Month sold in November!  This month is flying by, so be sure to place your order by the end of the month.  You can order through my WEBSITE or contact me directly.  

 

 

 

Projects for my Great Gifty Ideas Workshop

Each fall, I offer a Greaty Gifty Ideas Workshop to show my customers some fun, inexpensive gift items that they can make.   These are some projects that I came up with:

You'll find this triangle box on the Cricut Artiste Cartridge (Z Key>3D Object).  I cut mine 11 inches (Fit to Page).  I used the Pear & Partridge paper and stamps from the Merry & Bright stamp set.  The poinsettia is also on the Artiste Cartridge (Merry Christmas key). 

Our new Treat Cups are fun and affordable (only $3.95 for a set of ten).  For this project, I cut the ornament shapes with the Cricut Artiste cartridge and then used the Center Point key on my Cricut to cut a 1 3/4" circle in the middle of the ornament so that I could fit my treat cup in.  The Treat Cups have a self-adhesive rim on the back, so I filled it with candy, pulled off the adhesive backing and attached it to the solid red ornament.  I cut another ornament 1/4" smaller, cut the circle out of the center of it and put it over the other ornament.

There's a cute little snowman jar in our catalog on p. 87, and I wanted to try making something similar.  The snowman comes fom the Flakey Friends stamp set (C1506, $13.95).  I stamped him in black Staz-On ink on white cardstock, colored him with our alcohol markers and cut him out.  Then, I painted a thin layer of Tacky Glue over the front of him and glue him to the inside of the jar.  Then, I sprayed spray adhesive on the inside of the jar and sprinkled it with Prisma Glitter.

For the lid, I stamped the "Love Never Melts" message (also from Flakey Friends) directly onto ribbon with the Staz-On ink pad.  I cut some snowflakes with my Artiste Cricut Cartridge and hung them on the bow with our grey Baker's Twine.

Cards from my Christmas Card Marathon

Each fall, I offer a Christmas Card Marathon where my customers can make 20 cards in one night.  I select five card designs and we make four of each design.  Here are the five cards I designed for this year's marathon:

This card features Pear & Partridge paper and the stamp set from the Pear & Partridge card workshop. 

I wanted to show off our fabulous Artiste Cricut Cartridge and show my customers that they can use paper from other non-Christmas paper packs (like Dakota) to make Christmas cards.  The mittens are cut using the Cricut Artiste Cartridge with Barn Red and Pacifica cardstock. 

I don't think my photography skills quite captured this one, because it has some nice sparkle with the Prisma Glitter and Sparkles on it.  I used Whisper and Slate cardstock.  The images are from the Blessings of Peace stamp set (B1406, $9.95).  I stamped them in Whisper Ink. 

As you can probably already tell, I lean toward simple, clean designs on my cards.  This one is made with the Merry & Bright stamp set (C1510, $13.95).  I put Liquid Glass on top of the "berries" to give it a more 3D look.

I am a SUCKER for snowman stamps!!  I love them all!  I'm particularly fond of this year's new snowman set, Flakey Friends (C1506, $13.95).  I stamped this snowman in Staz-On ink and colored his scarf with our new alcohol markers.  I used the Pemberley paper packet for this card, again showing that you don't have to use Christmas papers to make a cute Christmas card.  I used a bit of our Burlap Ribbon to embellish the message box--I frayed it out to make it look a bit like the ends of a scarf.

You can order the stamp sets, paper and accessories for any of these cards on my website, http://christina.ctmh.com

Advent Calendar Workshop on the Go

This workshop is coming up Thursday, November 29th, 6 p.m.  If you'd like to attend, be sure to sign up by November 16th.  Cost for the class (which includes the My Creations Cubby box, the cardstock, the chipboard "frames" and a number stamp set) is $52.  I believe this is a project that you can display again and again for years to come.  Also, the colors are subtle, so you could keep the cubby out all year.  Or, as one of my friends suggested, you can make a second set of boxes/drawers that you use throughout the year.

More Display Tray Fun!

I finally got a chance to sit down and make a Display Tray with some of Ellen's senior photos.  This is such a fun way to show off a variety of poses!  You can personalize the tray to go with your child's personality--or even use high school colors and memorabilia.  I think these trays would also be ADORABLE for baby photos!  You can purchase these ready-to-embellish Display Trays on my website, http://christina.ctmh.com (click on SHOP) for only $19.95.  I've decided to offer another Display Tray Class before Christmas because these trays make such a wonderful gift item.  If you'd like to attend, you can make this tray (tweak it to your tastes) or the Avonlea Display Tray that I posted last month.   Class is Monday, December 10th at 6 p.m.  Cost is $30-$35, depending on which tray you select.