My First Blog Award!

How Cool Is This?!?! My "over the top" talented friend Lisa has awarded me this Over The Top blog award! My very first one. I'm so excited.....

The Rules are:
1. You can only use ONE word!!!
2. Pass this along to 5 of your favorite bloggers!
3. Alert them that you have given them this award!
4. HAVE FUN!!!

OK, narrowing these answers down to only one word is REALLY hard, but I will try...
1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your hair? blonde
3. Your mother? sweet
4. Your father? deceased
5. Your fave food? italian
6. Your dream last night? forgotten
7. Your fave drink? tea
8. Your dream/goal? cruisin'
9. What room are you in? scraproom
10. Your hobby? crafting
11. Your fear? failure
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? in-the-black!
13. Where you were last night? PA
14. Something that you aren't? Underweight!
15. Muffins? warm!
16. Wish List Item? landscaping
17. Where did you grow up? Virginia
18. Last thing you did? unpack
19. What are you wearing? sweats
20. Your TV? off
21. Your Pets? dirty
22. Friends? wonderful
23. Your Life? blessed
24. Your Mood? tired
25. Missing Someone? brother
26. Vehicle? CIVIC
27. Something your not wearing? Hat
28. Your fave store? Coldwater
29. Your fave color? blue
30. Last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? hard
32. Your best friend? Jesus
33. One place that I go to over and over? Kroger
34. One person who emails regularly? Cheyanne!!!
35. Fave place to eat? Panera

I'm supposed to pass this on to five of my favorite bloggers. I have so many, but here are a few of my favorite daily reads...

1. Cheyanne
2. Kelli
3. Tresa
4. Vicki
5. Christine

Christmas Cards Workshop

Here are a few Christmas cards that I made with our new Jingle Creative Basics paper and a few new stamps sets. They are SO easy to make on your own, or I have a couple of opportunities for you to make these fun Christmas cards with me!

Shanti is hosting a card workshop for her friends at her house on Saturday 10/31 at 6pm or join me at my house on Friday, December 4th at 6:30pm. Contact me for more information if you are interested in either of these opportunities.

Here are the cards close up:

This one is very simple - cover our Dimensional Elements chipboard with prisma glitter for added sparkle! This card features our Holiday Commentary stamp set.

This card has snowflakes that have been heat embossed with our White Daisy embossing powder and a few adhesive backed pearls. This card features our new Snow Flurries stamp set (one of my FAVORITES)!

This one also has a few Dimensional Elements Stars covered with Prisma Glitter. The stamp set featured on this card is Holiday Trinkets (another FAVORITE), and Card Chatter - Christmas!

This card is very simple with a little prisma glitter on the stars on top of the tree. It also features our new Holiday Trinkets stamp set.

This cute card has Liquid Applique and Fun Flock on the fur on the coat and hat! The stamp set featured here is our new Ms. Holiday Cheer.

All supplies are Close To My Heart:

Paper: Creative Basics Jingle Collection (X5808), White Daisy Cards/Envelopes Value pack (X254), Tulip cardstock, Juniper cardstock, White Daisy cardstock, Black cardstock.

Ink: Tulip, Juniper, Black, VersaMark

Stamps: Holiday Commentary (C1379), Snow Flurries (D1384), Holiday Trinkets (D1366), Card Chatter - Christmas (D1388), Ms. Holiday Cheer (D1374)

Other: White Daisy embossing powder, heat tool, 3-D foam tape, Dimensional Elements - Flurry, Liquid Applique, Fun flock, Adhesive backed Pearls, Ric Rac Ribbon Rounds, corner rounder (for scallops on last card)

Mini Pumpkin Cakes

I made these little treats for my team meeting last weekend and decided I had enough left-overs to make another batch to take to bible study tonight! I got the recipe from this month's Southern Living Magazine. (The ones on the cover look a whole lot better than mine!)

I used the smallest leaf on our Many Thanks stamp set, rolled out some carmel squares and stamped them on there. Then trimmed them off with a knife. The stems are cinnamon sticks. (You could also roll carmels into stems.) The icing is a basic vanilla glaze or if you are daring, you could use a Carmel-Rum Glaze!

Also, I substituted a baking pan that I had rather than purchasing the pumpkin muffin pan that it calls for. I used a pamered chef silicone mini cake pan with different floral designs, not really pumpkins, but it worked okay.

Here is the recipe:

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an elecgtric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir in pumpkin and vanilla.

2) Combine flour and next 4 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Spoon batter into 2 lightly greased pumpkin-shaped muffin pans, filling 3/4 full.

3) Bake at 350 degrees for 24-26 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire reacks 5 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks and cool completely (about 30 minutes).

4) Cut rounded tops off muffins to make them flat. Invert top muffins onto bottom muffins, forming pumpkins. Drizzle glaze over pumpkins. Decorate with stems, leaves, and vines if desired. Makes 8 pumpkins.

Vanilla Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 to 4 Tbsp. milk

A Warm Welcome

This month's Wishes Club card uses our new stamp set called Welcome Home. I LOVE the images and sentiments in the set! There are beautiful frames, a sofa, a fireplace & mantel, a floor lamp, an end table, a flower in a vase, a mantel clock, a coat rack, a dog, and some background stamps!

The Wishes pattern we are using is called Sentiment Secured. The techniques we are learning are dry embossing and inking, paper piecing, background stamping.

Okay, I must admit that I totally "scraplifted" this card from Jeanette Lynton. You can see her projects on her blog here.

It's hard to see but I have the scored Garden Green paper on 3D Foam tape along with the fireplace & mantel. I also used the antique brads and bitty brads instead of pewter like Jeanette.

Gratitude Journal & Cards

I heard about a scientific study done last year that showed how writing down once a day, one thing you are grateful for improves your overall satisfaction with life. That's what the SCIENTISTS said! I personally believe that when we have an "attitude of gratitude" it transforms our perspective - it's even in scripture!

So -- with that in mind, I wanted to create a workshop that will BLESS everyone who participates! Here is what I came up with.......it includes 1 journal and 4 cards/envs for $10. (As you list things you are grateful for, if it includes a person, you may just want to send them a "I'm thankful for you" card to brighten their day too!) It includes xyron adhesive for the inside and outside of the journal for a solid, permanent stick! Plus I'll provide snacks and a door prize!



First let me say that I had LOTS of inspiration from fellow CTMH consultants!

I already had in mind I wanted to do a journal, and then I stumbled on this journal by Aaron Brown.

Here is my version. The sentiment uses our CTMH font CD (Deja Vu) and the Welcome Home stamp set (and coluzzle oval cutter) and is raised on 3-D foam tape.


The leaf cluster was inspired by the fabulously artsy Tresa Black on her layout here
I used 3-D foam tape under the acorn and tied a hemp ribbon on top with the leaf tips curled up! I LOVE this Many Thanks Stamp Set!!!


The first card was inspired by a card on Jeanette Lynton's blog here
I put 3-D foam tape under the acorn tops and used the spot on backgrounds, thank you and many thanks stamp sets.


The second set of cards was also inspired by some wonderful consultant, but I don't remember who you are! Sorry! Thanks for the inspiration!! Again, I used 3-D foam tape under the acorn and tied a hemp bow on top, with the leaf tips curled up.


The workshop is Monday, October 19th at 6:30pm. Contact me if you are interested in this project!

Holiday Warmth - October's Stamp of the Month

October's Stamp of the month is called Holiday Warmth and contains a wonderful variety of images and sentiments including a Christmas tree, gifts, snowflakes, a dove, a star, flourishes and 2 sentiments. Above is one sample of artwork created with this set. Below are more ideas.

Click here to see how to get your stamp set online now - at a discount or for FREE!