Yuletide Napkin Ring and Name Plate

 It is so easy to dress up a place setting by using colored napkins and napkin rings! And I love that I can coordinate the napkin ring to match the other elements on the table!

The rose is the same as the one used on the Take Out Box and the Gold Glitter base is the same design used on the tag on the same box.

And guess what I used for the actual "ring"? I used a piece from our Base and Bling line...

...it's our Base and Bling Oval Cuff in a Faux Antiqued Gold finish. I love using our products in a unique way - outside of the intended purpose. It's kind of like buying an outfit that you can wear different ways - it's double duty, and cost effective!

I also added a name plate using our new Designer Creations Frame.

 These frames come in a pack of 3 with 3 different designs. Even though I added my name to the front of the frame, you can easily slide in a photo, name, or other artwork through the slit on the side.

One more post coming tomorrow to finish my place setting!

Yuletide Take Out Box

The next item at my Christmas place setting is a little gift box! It features our new Designer Creations Take Out Box made of sturdy kraft cardstock and embossed with white hearts!

It's adorable as is! But I decided to change it up a bit. I covered it with some of the Yuletide paper and cardstock to fit in with my Christmas table theme. I did some fussy cutting to get the bird on the front!

Here is a side view so you can see how the top flares out a bit.

And since the handle is a simple wire, I decided to cover it with our Cranberry Twill Ribbon. I added our Base and Bling Double-sided Adhesive Strips to one piece of ribbon, placed it along the wire and then added another piece of ribbon under it. That way the handle is covered top and bottom and with the adhesive strip between, it's nice and solid and sturdy.

Then I added a tag using our gold glitter paper and some gold embossing powder. I love how it turned out.

And I topped off the box with some beautiful 3-D roses!

It's so easy to create a beautifully coordinated theme for any occasion with Close To My Heart products and your Cricut! Stay tuned for more of my table setting....

Joy Banner Frame

I love setting the dinner table and making it festive - for any occasion! But especially for holidays. We weren't home for Christmas Dinner this year, so I didn't have the privilege decorating the dinner table. BUT, for our convention this past summer, I created a few Christmas items to put at each place setting. Over the next couple of days I'm going to share them. I realize Christmas is over - sorry - but maybe you can keep these ideas in mind for next year, or change them up for a different holiday theme!

First up is our versatile Banner Frame.

This white chipboard frame features a 6" x 6" recessed opening for your photo or artwork. The surface can be stamped, inked, painted, or covered with paper! 

Inside the frame opening, I used the Yuletide Carol Paper with music notes in the background and added a title using our Gold and Black Glitter Paper, and added a Gold Bling Gem.

I used my Cricut Explore to cut out the title above and the "Christmas 2014" below. I love how easily the Explore cuts out small details. 

I also embossed the rose and edge of the paper with gold embossing powder! It's a cool technique! Simply use a sponge dauber to ink the edge of the paper with VersaMark ink, then sprinkle with gold embossing powder and heat set.

Would you like to recreate this project? Here is my Design Space file for the Cricut Explore. Help yourself and change it up however you want to suit your project!

I'll be back with more this week!

Merry Christmas!

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and an exciting New Year!

Thank you for following my blog! Let's continue creating memories and making pretty stuff that blesses others in the year ahead! 

But for today, surround yourself with family and lift your heart in praise for the greatest gift given to man!

Merry Christmas!

Heartstrings Club Mini Album and Cards!

This month at my clubs we will be working on our Snowhaven projects. But we will be ordering for next month's projects using HEARTSTRINGS!

Here are a couple of project ideas using our brand new and OH SO economical Heartstrings Picture My Life Card pack for only $8.95! These cards easily complement your Heartstrings scrapbooking pages and are tailor made for pocket scrapbooking. But you can do SO much more with these cards!

The pack contains 20 - 4x6 cards and 36 - 3x4 cards! Enough to make SEVERAL projects!!

I used some of the cards to make....CARDS! Simply trim down a 4" x 6" card to 4" x 5 1/4" and adhere it to a standard 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" white card base! OR layer the 4x6 and 3x4 cards for even more options! Here are a couple of examples:

As you can see, I purposely left them super clean and simple. But you could easily jazz them up with more embellishments and ribbon! Red, white, and silver shimmer trim are a perfect complement to these! And I added a few of the Stuck On You Puffies (puffy glitter stickers) to accent the cards!

Another idea for these cards is a mini album using our NEW My Creations Mini Album! These sturdy chipboard mini books come in black and kraft and include 10 mini page protectors in a spiral binding that hold either one 4x6 card/photo or two 3x4 cards/photos!

Here is the inside cover. The album is a beautiful black matte finish, but I covered it with some of our Heartstrings Pattern paper and cardstock just for fun. 

Here is one of the inside pages that I simply added a little red and silver shimmer trim and one of the puffy hearts. (The glare in the photos is so bad, I won't show you all of the inside pages.)

Here is the last page in the book with the back cover decorated also.

You could do several of these mini albums with just one pack of cards!! And wouldn't this make a perfect gift? Anniversary, Wedding, New Baby, New Grandchild, boyfriend/girlfriend, or anything you absolutely LOVE - a new puppy, Starbucks Lattes, your job (as a Close To My Heart Consultant), etc.

Want to join the club and make this project with us? Contact me to place your order before Christmas. Want to make this on your own? They are super easy projects! Contact me for a full supply list or suggestions or click here to start shopping now!

Heartstrings Club Cards!

This month my clubs will be working on our Snowhaven projects, but we will be ordering next month's kit which is HEARTSTRINGS!

My card makers will have a couple of options.  Using the material and instructions in these kits, we will create 15 beautiful cards (5 each of 3 designs)!

The stamp set included included in the Deluxe kit has many different sentiment options! These will make perfect valentine cards! But you can also choose from the following sentiments:
"True LOVE finds a way" - wedding, engagement
"BE Mine" - valentine
"Happy Valentine's Day" - valentine
"HUGS and Kisses" - encouragement or anytime!!
"you + me" - anniversary, valentine, love
"straight to my heart" - valentine or anytime

You can even substitute "happy birthday" or "thank you" or "thinking of you", etc. using my stamps or some of your own!

The DELUXE kit includes everything you need (except ink and blocks) for only $25:

The Deluxe Workshops on the Go® Heartstrings Cardmaking Kit Contents:

 1 – My Acrylix® Heartstrings Workshop Stamp Set (D-size) 

1 – Heartstrings Pattern Paper 

 4 – Cardstock Sheets (1 Glacier, 1 Pixie, 1 Whisper, 1 White Daisy) 

15 – White Daisy Cards and Envelopes 

 1 – Pixie Extra Thick Twine (Z3035) 

1 – Stuck on You Puffies (Z3037) 

1 – Instructional Brochure 

Featured Colors: Glacier, Lagoon, Pixie, Slate, Whisper, White Daisy 

The BASIC kit is $17 and includes all of the above EXCEPT: 

 1 – My Acrylix® Heartstrings Workshop Stamp Set (D-size) 

1 – Instructional Brochure 

(you will be able to use my stamp set during club)

As you can see, for only $8 more you will receive a stamp set valued at $17.95 PLUS a full color brochure with cutting guide and assembly instructions in the DELUXE kit - making it the BEST option!

Would you like to join us? Contact me to order your kit before Christmas! Want a kit to make on your own? Contact me for more information or order your Deluxe kit online here!

Heartstrings Club Layouts!

This month, my clubs are working on Snowhaven Layouts and Cards, but we are ordering for next month's project - HEARTSTRINGS!

Heartstrings is all about LOVE. And as scrapbookers and card makers, we are always one step ahead of the season - so in January we will be making our Valentine projects! But these projects go way beyond "Valentine's Day" - love is a theme that's in season all year long!

These layouts will work with ANYTHING you are head over heels about! A spouse, child, grandchild, pet, Starbucks Lattes, YOU NAME IT! Are you making it for a gift? Wedding, anniversary, serious relationship, adoption, new grandchild? Any of these will work!

These layouts - although bright and beautiful - are very simple! Great for beginners and seasoned scrappers alike! The first one is a pattern from our Magic Book called Card Trick!

This second layout is a pattern from our Make It From Your Heart Vol. 2 book pg. 8.

The basic kit includes paper and stickease. The only extras I added are the Heartstrings Assortment and Sparkle Flourishes! You will also need 3-D foam tape and Slate ink and sponge to distress with.

Want to join us? Contact me before Christmas to order your kit! Want a kit to make on your own? Contact me for ordering details!

Stonewall Crop Full?

I'm so excited about our upcoming Stonewall Resort Crop, January 23-25, 2015!! If you have asked me to hold a spot for you or a friend, then I have. BUT, I have not received at least a partial payment from more than 20 people!! And new people are still signing up and paying! Woo Hoo! That's great news, HOWEVER, here is what that means for you. 

As you know, payment secures your spot. If you haven't made at least a partial payment, I will have to move you to the waiting list. If you decide you still want to go, I will need at least a partial payment and we will see if there is still room for you. 

As you can see, it is crucial that you secure your spot today! If you intend to pay in full by December 31st to earn your $20 in crop cash, contact me and let me know so that I can hold your spot for you. And if you have decided that you can no longer go, please let me know that also, so I can fill your spot.

Thank you for your cooperation. And I am SO excited about this crop and the workshops we are working on! More info on all of those January 1st!

To pay for your spot via PayPal, click here. To pay by cash or check or to inquire about the balance you owe, contact me here.

Looking forward to our time away together!!!

Look Whoos Here Layout!

Today I want to share the gift I made for Sarah. I had to fall back on one of my all time favorite baby layouts from the Artbooking Cricut Cartridge! THIS is not the layout I gave her, this is one we made at a team meeting a while back. I don't think I ever posted it before, so here you go!

 It was fashioned after one featured in one of our Idea Books, only they used pink and purple for a little girl - and she was 2! I love the white on white overlay with random color behind some of the openings. It's a subtle look with great impact!

And I love the owl - he's just so cute!

And one of my favorite parts are the glitter paper balloons with glitter gems and epoxy bubbles on top! Simply add a puddle of liquid glass to your balloon and then add the gems for a sturdy, permanent stick! (The balloons are from the Artist Cricut cartridge.)

The title actually cuts out as "look whoos here", but I cut off the "here" to add the number "1" at the bottom of the page.

Here is the page out of the Artbooking booklet - pg 84.

Now Sarah's home is more rustic than bright and glittery. So I tried to modify this layout to fit in with her decor but still have a little bit of celebratory sparkle!

Here's the cute little owl again, only this time a little bigger and I popped up his feather layer for more dimension, since I have a beautiful, dimensional shadow box frame to work with!

I tied some of our base and bling charms onto the ribbon around the photo mat just for a little something extra!

And here's those festive glitter paper balloons with green epoxy bubbles and clear sparkles on them. WAIT - "clear" sparkles? They look BLUE to me! You know what? We're BOTH right! I used clear sparkles and colored them with our ShinHan Touch Twin alcohol markers! Cool, huh?

And this time I left my title in tact. But to create a little added dimension, I used two layers - slate grey and whisper grey and just offset them slightly to create a shadow effect. Then I cut the title out a third time in silver glitter paper and trimmed off the "look" and "here" to pop up the "whoos" for even MORE dimension!

I love how it turned out - but more importantly, Sarah loved it too! I was so honored to be a part of her special celebration! 

I love you Sarah and can't wait to see what God is going to do in and through this very special child!