December Specials

December is a great month to get a great deal--not just any deal. . .the Deal of the Decade!  When you make a $50 purchase, you can buy as many C- or D-size stamp sets (regularly priced at $13.95 and $17.95) as you'd like!  Plus, with a $50 order, you qualify to get the Stamp of the Month for only $5!  Get in on the fun before the month is gone!

 

Easy Home Decor Projects!

When you start with awesome coordinating products, you can put together incredible home décor projects in a really short time.   I did BOTH of these framed pieces in less than 2 hours!  The bottom one is copied from one that CTMH Consultant Amy McGrew made (I love Amy's projects).   The Designed Décor frames come in Colonial White or Black.  What's fun about these projects is that you can put your 12 x 12 design into the frame for a season, then pull it out and put in a different design for a different season.  I just use a little removable adhesive to make sure my creation stays in the frame.  You can order all of these products on my website at http://christina.ctmh.com

 

This frame was made with the Pathfinding Paper Pack, the Pathfinding Assortment and the Rosewood Mini-Medley Accent Collection. 

 

To make the Christmas frame, you'll need our black Designed Décor Frame, the Snowhaven Paper Pack, Snowhaven Complements and the Ruby Mini-Medley Accessory pack.  All of the squares are cut 3 1/2" in size.  Note that I used the Chevron Embossing Folder for the two gray squares--just gave it some fun texture.  Below you'll see close-up photos of the different squares.

 



Picture My Life meets Cards--Sooooo Many Possibilities!!

Although I love our Picture My Life Program for quick, adorable scrapbooking pages, I've come to LOVE these Programs for making cards!  As soon as I saw the Pear & Partridge PML Program, I knew I had to make me some cards!!!  Each PML Program ($24.95) comes with 120 pre-printed, double-sided cards (44 -  4x6 and 78 - 3x4), one 12 x 12 title page and ten of our Memory Protectors.  But, starting this month, you can now buy JUST THE CARD DECK (no title page and no Memory Protectors) for only $14.95.  This is PERFECT for cardmakers who only want to use them for cards or for scrapbookers who prefer to use the cards on their classic layouts rather than in the pocket pages.  Thank you, Close to My Heart, for this exciting new option!!!

On Thursday, November 20th, 6 p.m., I'm offering a PML Pear & Partridge Christmas Card Workshop.  Cost for the class is $25 if you choose the card deck only program or $35 if you want the whole Pear & Partridge program (if you also scrapbook, you may want to have the Memory Protectors and title page so that you can do some scrapbooking as well).  We will make 15 cards in the class--the cost includes the extra cardstock and embellishments we will add.  After you've made your 15 cards, you are WELCOME to stay longer and make more cards. . .after all, you've got 120 pre-printed cards that come in your PML Program.  I'll have extra cardstock and embellishments on hand for you to purchase if you'd like to make more than the 15 included in the cost. 

If you'd like to create some of these cards on your own, you can order the Pear & Partridge PML Program through my website, http://christina.ctmh.com.  You'll need extra solid cardstock to mat the cards--I used Cranberry, New England Ivy and Juniper).  For embellishments, I recommend our Gold or Red Shimmer Trim, Gold Bling Gems, Gold Sequins, Gold Polka Dot Washi Tape and Cranberry Striped Twill Ribbon.  You can easily crank out 100 cards from one of these programs. . .perfect for those of you who have a LONG Christmas card list!!

Picture My Life Programs give you a fun, easy way to display your photos.  Just slide your cards and photos into the pockets, add some journaling, and you are done!

 

Here's a photo of just a FEW of the pre-printed cards that come in the Pear & Partridge PML Program.

 

These are 15 of the cards that I cranked out using the Pear & Partridge PML Program and some coordinating cardstock.  Below you'll  see some close-ups of a few of them.

 

Simple, Affordable Christmas Gift Ideas

Every November, I host a "Great Gifty Ideas" workshop for my customers, and the goal of this workshop is to give them fun, affordable projects that they can make as gifts for the holidays.  Here's our lineup for this year's class!

 

Here's the first project I've got lined up!  It's a purse made from ONE piece of patterned paper (I used paper from our Yuletide paper pack).   This purse is large enough to hold cards. . .below you can see some cards I made to with it (NOTE:  for the Great Gifty Ideas Workshop, we'll just be doing the purse--not the cards).   I got the instructions for this purse from a YouTube video by France Martin (http://youtu.be/MT6HhvXPZTc )--so feel free to check it out!

I embellished the purse with our Gold Shimmer Trim, Gold Bling Gems and the Black Striped Twill Ribbon.  The poinsettias are cut in Cranberry Cardstock from the Artiste cartridge, p. 80.

 

 

I got this super fun idea from Consultant Amy McGrew.  Amy used our Kraft Containers (shown below), and turned them into adorable snowmen!  Because these containers are so incredibly sturdy, you can fill them with any kind of small gifts--jewelry, socks, mittens, gift cards, candy, cookies, etc.  If you're wondering about the stocking cap, it is made with a toddler-size sock.  I tied a knot in the sock and sewed a bell on to the end of  it.

 



I've seen this cute little card box idea several places on the internet, but the inspiration for this project came from Jacquelin Green--I loved her Snowhaven cards that she made to go in the box and had to make a few for myself.  The scalloped card base is on the Art Philosophy cartridge (cut them 3").   

I've made a bunch of different Hershey nugget holders over the past few years, but I like this one because it's super fast.  The bottom is just a cardstock "tray" that holds your nuggets in place.  The bags are pretzel stick bags, which you can find in the candy making section of the store (I actually found them at Walmart).  To make the tray, cut a piece of cardstock 4 1/4" x 2 1/4".  Score a line 3/8" from each side down the length of it and fold the sides up.  To cover your nuggets, cut your patterned paper 1" x 3".



So, this time of year, my purse is an absolute mess--full of receipts, etc. from my shopping trips.  To help out with that, I designed this fun, three-pocket receipt organizer.  Each section is 3 1/2" wide, so you've got plenty of room to slide your receipts down into it.  You could also use it to store/organize coupons or cash.  Below is a picture of the inside.  I used the Brushed paper pack and the "Your Own Kind of Wonderful" stamp set.  You could make these out of cute Christmas papers, but I wanted it to be something you could use all year round.

 

 

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

We have such a pretty stamp of the month for November!  I'm a sucker for floral stamp sets (even though I have a zillion of them), but what I particularly like about this set is the cursive font on the sentiments.  You can only get this stamp set in the month of November. . .get it for only $5 with a $50 purchase OR buy it for the regular retail price of $17.95.  You can order it on my website, http://christina.ctmh.com

Studio J®: Step-by-Step Basics

Let's Get DIGITAL!

It seems to be a well-kept secret that Close to My Heart has one of the best digital scrapbooking programs out there on the market.  It's called Studio J and, it is absolutely INCREDIBLE what you can create with this program.  Here's why I love this program so much:  you don't have to PAY to try it nor do you have to download any software, join any club or anything like that.  To give it a whirl, just go to my website, http://christina.ctmh.com, and click on "Studio J" (you'll find it under the "Products" heading).  If you're a first-time user, you'll have to set up an account, but that's mainly because you'll need a password to save and access your designs.  Once you've done this, you can just start to play.  You can choose from OODLES of paper designs. . .this includes retired papers from the past few years (like our much sought-after Giggles and Grins paper with a Disney vibe) as well as exclusive designs that are designed just for Studio J.  You can create pages using our many page templates or you can select the "no limits" design and start from scratch.  If you're in a hurry, try one of our Express Collections--beautifully pre-designed pages where you can just drop your photos in the box and add some journaling. 

 

You can work at your own pace on Studio J.  Just save your creation before you quit, and come back to it another day.  When you're ready to order, just add the pages to your cart and order as many copies as you'd like.  There's no cost to just get on there and design pages--you only pay when you decide to order prints of your pages. 

 

During the month of November, two-page Studio J layouts are only $5 each.  That's $2.50 per 12 x 12 page--you can't even get your photos printed for that!  PLUS, every fifth order will receive a free embellishment with their shipment.  And, FIVE lucky winners will get a GOLDEN TICKET to receive one of our new D-ring albums for FREE!!!  (Check out that cute chevron album in the photo)!

 

 

 

 

Snowhaven Card Kit Workshop Thursday, Nov. 6th

 

I'm a big fan of Close to My Heart's Cardmaking Workshop on the Go Kits because I think they are a great value for the customer.  The Snowhaven Cardmaking Kit (G1085, $24.95) is no exception.  The kit includes an adorable D-size stamp set (that's a $17.95 value by itself), a full roll of Silver Shimmer Trim ($4.95 if purchased separately), a full package of the Red Enamel Hearts ($3.95 if purchased separately)--plus, you get all of the card bases, paper and envelopes that you need to make 15 cards (three each of the designs shown).  The kit comes with a color guide for cutting and assembling your cards, so you can easily assemble it at home--or, if you are local, sign up and join us at my workshop on November 6th.   Stamp pads are not included in the kit (this one uses Cranberry, Glacier and Slate). 

 

 

Below is another card that I made with the stamp set that comes from the Snowhaven Card Kit.

 

My Fall Pathfinding Projects

Thought I'd show you some of the projects I've designed for autumn.  I'm kind of a sucker for all things fall--love those gorgeous warm colors!   These projects feature the Pathfinding Paper Pack (X7186B, $9.95).  You can order the paper and all of the stamps shown on these projects on my website, http://christina.ctmh.com.   Don't forget that, if you order $50 in October, you can pick up our adorable October Stamp of the Month (Home for the Holidays) for only $5, plus you'll get a surprise gift of ribbon/trim with your order (be sure to click on the Ribbon Revelry special to claim it when you check out).

It took a little TLC to add all of these autumn leaves to the layout, but I love how it turned out!!  The tree is cut from the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge (p. 53, 11 3/4") and the leaves and "Autumn" are from the Artbooking Cricut Cartridge.  Both layers of the leaves, p. 72, are cut 4"--that should wind up with an actual leaf size of around 1".  I cut "Autumn,", p. 73, at 2" Real Dial Size.  Stamp images came from both the Pathfinding Card Making Kit and the Pathfinder Scrapbooking Kit.  I also embellished both the layouts and cards with our Gold Sequins (

Here's a close-up of the leaves.  They are layered (the base is Chocolate Cardstock and the layers are either Autumn Terracotta, Barn Red, Olive or Goldrush).  I mounted some of them on foam tape to stand out.

I used the stamp set from the Pathfinding Cardmaking Kit (G1083) for the "Thankful for You" sentiment, and the C1589 "Lifetime of Happiness" stamp set for the flowers/leaves. 

I used the zip strip from one of the Pathfinding papers for the message on this card.  The owl comes from the Pathfinding Complements (X7186C, $4.95).  The branch is cut from the Artbooking Cricut Cartridge, p. 66, 8 1/2".  The leaves are from the "Lifetime of Happiness" stamp set (C1589), but you could certainly cut leaves from one of our fabulous Cricut cartridges.

This card features the "Thankful Heart" stamp set (B1463).  I stamped the message and the pumpkins/leaves with brown Staz-On ink and colored them with our new ShinHan markers (remember that you can BLEND colors to get colors you might not have. . .for example, I used a bright red mixed with a brown to get a leaf color that matched my Barn Red cardstock).  The bottom is embossed using our Chevron Embossing Folder (Z1925).  Don't you just love how embossing just takes your card to a whole new level??!!!

I posted this one on my Facebook page the other day (www.facebook.com/christinactmh), but I'll post it here, too.  The pumpkin is from the "Beyond Measure" stamp set (A1161).  I cut the leaf from the Artiste Cartridge--I can't quite remember, but I'm thinking I cut it about 1 1/2" Real Dial Size.  The Chocolate cardstock in the middle is embossed with our Woodgrain Embossing Folder (Z1996).  Did I mention that we have even MORE embossing folders coming out in December??!!!

I'll be featuring this layout and these cards in my November clubs. . .if you're local and you'd like to attend, let me know!

CHRISTMAS CARD MARATHON

These are the cards I have lined up for the Christmas Card Marathon on Monday, Oct. 27th, and again in Thursday, Oct. 30th, both at 6 p.m.  If you'd like to attend, I still have openings on the 30th.  Cost is a $25 minimum order.  We'll make 20 cards in one night--four each of the five designs. 

  

This card features the stamp set from the Snowhaven Card Kit.  That's why these card kits are such a good value--you get a great stamp in that you can use again and again. 

I this is one of my FAVORITE stamp sets in the whole catalog--I just think it's beautiful, and I love the fonts they use for the words.   You can ONLY get this stamp set as a Hostess Reward--it's one of several exclusive stamp sets that hostesses may purchase with their FREE Hostess Rewards.  I stamped the angel in Glacier ink and "Hark. . ." in Cocoa ink and again in Ruby (cutting out the one line in Ruby). 

I used Snowhaven papers and the stamp image from the October Stamp of the Month to make this festive card.

I like Christmas cards that speak about the real meaning of Christmas.  For this card, I used Ponderosa Pine Cardstock, Desert Sand Cardstock and B&T paper from the Yuletide paper pack.  Stamp set is D1614 Reason for the Season. 

 

This card was one of our Make N' Take projects at Convention this summer--I love it because the stamping is SUPER simple.   The stamp set is D1613 Best Christmas.

 

October Stamp of the Month, "Home for the Holidays," and Snowhaven Paper Pack

I thought I'd share the artwork that I've created with the October Stamp of the Month, Home for the Holidays, and the Snowhaven paper pack.  I LOVE this stamp set, and I know you will, too.  You can order it on my website, http://christina.ctmh.com.  If you have a $50 order, you can get this stamp set for only $5 PLUS you get a spool of ribbon for FREE!  By the way, the images in this stamp set are compatible with shapes on our Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.

 

Below you'll see some detail shots of the stamped images.  I stamped several of the images multiple times in Cranberry, Black or Glacier--and then cut out parts from one color and layered it on the same images stamped in another color.  I made plenty of use of our Silver Shimmer Trim and Silver Sequins as well!

I love how well these stamp images work on both layouts and cards.  Here are some of my cards, along with a box I cut from the Artiste Cricut Cartridge.  All the products on these projects are available to order on my website.

Both the scalloped oval and the ornament images can be cut from the Art Philosophy cartridge.

This is one of our die-cut cards (Z1473).  I just glued a piece of the black snowflake paper to the front of the card and trimmed it to match the pre-cut edge.

This is the only card that I "cheated" on and used a stamp image from another set. . ."Make It Merry" (D1617).  The coordinating Cricut shape is on our Artbooking cartridge.