Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hello friends!  My children, and two of their significant others, will want to shoot me for posting yet another JibJab video featuring them, but I love these silly cartoons.  I will apologize for this one containing a couple of crass moments, but over all it is cute!!

I hope you each have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!!

Wreath Christmas Card with 3-D Bow

Hello friends!  Welcome to Monday of Thanksgiving week!  I do hate to sound old, but.... Wow, this year has flown by!  Last week Bitten by the Bug 2 focused on Thanksgiving (the Turkey Challenge that I missed) so this week we are on to helping you get your Christmas cards finished so they can go in the mail in early December.  

My wonderful Design Team member, Michelle, selected this week's BBTB2 challenge.   Michelle would like for us to any Cricut cartridge and create a new Christmas card.  I loved this challenge and decided to try something different.

I used three Cricut cartridges to make this standard sized card.  I used Paper Trimmings, 3-D Bows, and Art Philosophy.  I had a vague idea of a wreath style card, but I did not want to use an actual Christmas wreath cut on the card.  After a bit of searching, I found exactly what I was looking for on the Paper Trimmings Cartridge.  I love this double layer wreath-like design.  I used Close To My Heart card stock and cut the top layer with Juniper green and the shadow cut with Whisper gray.  

I attached the two layers with adhesive and then stamped a Christmas sentiment into the center section of the wreath.  I applied red sparkle gems and a circle of clean gems to the wreath.  

Using the Art Philosophy cartridge, I cut two Christmas ornaments, one in smooth white card stock and the second in slate gray card stock.  I used the Close To My Heart Trim a Tree stamp set to stamp the ornament cut and attached the ornament to the card front using pop dots.

The layered bow was created using the 3-D Bow cartridge.  I confess that I enjoy making these bows so much - I suspect a number of my Christmas packages will be sporting Cricut Cut 3-D bows this year!  The bow cut so nicely and they assemble in a snap!  I used CTMH Ruby card stock to cut the bow.  

The background paper is from my Christmas paper stash and it is matted on a rectangle of Ruby red card stock.

I hope that you take time to create a Cricut cut Christmas card this week and join our Christmas Card challenge.  If you have not already done so, please go by the Bitten By the Bug 2 blog and check out the variety of Christmas cards the design team has created for you!

Thanks for stopping by today!!  It's going to be a busy week for everyone, but I will be back with more projects to share this week!

Remember that the November Close To My Heart Stamp of the Month - Illuminate, is available for this month only!   You can order the stamp set for $17.95, or with a $50.00 CTMH order you will be prompted to add the Stamp of the Month during check out for only $5.00.

NOVEMBER CAMPAIGN:  NEW CONSULTANT PROMOTION!

This, my friends, is outstanding time to join my team and become a Close to my Heart Consultant!!!

From November 1—December 15, each new Consultant who enrolls with either the "Essentials" or "Master" New Consultant Kit may also receive a fun, brand-new product from the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book. To be eligible for the free product, the new Consultant must have $300 in sales by March 31, 2014.

What's the new product? It's the gorgeous new Picture My Life™ scrapbooking program. There are 8 fresh and stunning design themes to choose from, each one featuring 122 double-sided, designed cards in a mix of 3" x 4" and 4" x 6", plus a 12"x12" cover page to bring your album together beautifully. You also get 10 Memory Protectors™ with new formats designed just for this program and lots of your photos. It's a retail value of $24.95 but it’s FREE to qualifying new Consultants!

More details and photos will be available soon of the new "Picture My Life" scrapbooking program.

You can start earning the "Picture My Life"  program FREE right now when you sign up. When you, as a new Consultant, order the Essentials Kit and qualify for the offer, you will not only receive more than $180 in products and supplies, plus commission on your sales, (all for only $49) you will also add to that the perks of Straight To The Top, and a new Idea Book that will be coming out in January that will be loaded with great new products to introduce to your customers!  

Learn more here and here!

Poinsettia Christmas Card

Hello everyone!  Today I am going to share a shutter-fold Christmas card that I mad just for the fun of it.  Lately I have had a lot of crafting projects that were "for" something specific:  Bitten by the Bug 2, Christmas Card Workshops, Stamp Club project, Crop for a Cause make and take, etc.  I decided that I wanted to make something just for the pure fun of it, to remind myself why I like playing with paper so much!

I was NOT overly creative on this card, I think the dashes and the Merry Christmas (CTMH) stamp were my only additions to this project.  Otherwise I used a Christmas card set from the Merry and Bright set at SVGCuts.com.  Mary designs the nicest projects!  This card set comes with nine complete cards - all of the detail cuts included, for $6.99!  It is tough to beat that price.  I confess that I am addicted to the products at SVGCuts.  I would buy stock in their company... If only such a thing existed.

The papers I used for this card were all scraps from my scrap drawers.  Beside my desk I have a stack of 13 x 13 inch clear drawers which holds all of scraps, sorted by color.  I love it when I can complete an entire project with scraps only! I have used scraps with my Cricut for years and the same method of using the grids on the cutting mat as a guide, works with the Silhouette Cameo.

I have to tell you about a fun road trip I made on Wednesday with my friends Kathy and Susan (I guess that would be MFK and MFS).  Our favorite scrapbook store EV-ER was having a 35% off (almost everything) sale.  The three of us decided we HAD to go see what we might "need" while the prices were so good!  LOL Truly if need were an issue, I would not have to purchase anything for at least two years!  So I confess, we went to see what we might WANT!  We found a good deal to want!!

I came home with beautiful papers, metal dies, glitter/embossing powder cases, etc.  We had lunch and "ice cream" at the lunch shop in the store before completing our shopping and heading home (by ice cream, in my case, I really mean frozen yogurt).  I will add that we should admit that we have a scrap shopping problem since we spent 5 hours in the car round trip just to buy scrapping goods!!!  Don't you love it when your friends have the same weaknesses as you?? :)

I may or may not be back tomorrow with a new project.  I am fighting a bit of a bug today and tomorrow is my 32nd wedding anniversary.  I have NO idea what Doug has planned, but I am sure we will celebrate in some manner.

Thanks for dropping by today and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Snowman Ornaments on my Trees

Hello everyone!  Today I am going to share the cute Christmas ornaments I used for a make & take at a recent Crop for a Cause event I helped to plan.  The event was a fund raiser for my friend Jan's daughter.  We held a 12 hour crop at a local church and raised more money than we expected that we might!   One money maker for the day were these fun Snowmen make & take ornaments.

Thanks to a cut file from a facebook group, and a bit of creative license on my part with the nose, I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut the vinyl pieces for the snowmen faces.  I purchased mini snow pellets at HL and used those to fill the ornaments.

The clear glass bulbs were far more popular at the crop than the frosted ornaments, but once they were placed on my skinny entryway tree, I think I like the frosted best!

I purchased larger ornaments and re-sized the cut file and plan to craft some of the ornament with my adult children over the Thanksgiving weekend.  They are at the stages where they still need ornaments for their trees and I think they will like the snowmen.

Above is a photo showing the two ornaments on my skinny tree.  Below is a photo with the larger tree in the background.

These ornaments were very, very easy to make.  And best of all, they were not only easy, but cut on the tree!

Thanks for stopping by today.  

Elegant Christmas Card with Stamp Club

Hello everyone.  I know it is Monday and I am supposed to post the weekly Bitten by the Bug 2 project, but I was unable to participate this week.  That is truly sad as the theme of this week's challenge is Be a Turkey - create a Turkey project using any Turkey from any Cricut cartridge.  However, I had two Christmas card events at my house last weekend and I found myself unable to complete my turkey project.  

In preparing for the  two card events, I spent part of last week decorating my house for Christmas!  I wanted to set the tone for the workshops so all of the decorations were moved in, sorted, place, etc.  I have never decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving before, but I am actually happy that it is all done!  We even played Christmas music throughout the events.

This is the Christmas card that I created for the ladies of Saturday's Stamp Club.  This card has five pieces in addition to the base card.  The paper is from the Sparkle and Shine paper pack, part of Close To My Heart's Holiday mini catalog line.  We used three stamps on this card - the ornament from Trim a Tree stamp set, the swirl from Love Life stamp set, and a sentiment from a 2012 Stamp of the Month set.  The ribbon is CTMH's Ruby Chevron Ribbon.  The inks are CTMH Ruby and Slate.

I was truly happy with this card.  Two of the ladies that attended Sunday's Christmas Card Workshop made sets of this card.  

Below is a photo of this year's main tree. While this is not the best photo ever, I am happy with the tree.  I had to laugh at my girlfriends various reactions.  Peggy was thrilled I had decorated.  Beth was shocked.  Kathy thought my tree was weighed down with ornaments, but Bernice informed her that there is always room for more!!  I think it is wonderful that we all celebrate and enjoy the season in our own ways!  For me, in this case, more IS better!!!  My only concern is do I use the leaf place mats for Thanksgiving.... hummmm.... Decisions, decisions!

Be sure to go by the Bitten by the Bug 2 blog and check out the Turkey project the Design Team created. Also, remember we love it when you join the weekly challenge!!

Remember that the November Close To My Heart Stamp of the Month - Illuminate, is available for this month only!   You can order the stamp set for $17.95, or with a $50.00 CTMH order you will be prompted to add the Stamp of the Month during check out for only $5.00.

NOVEMBER CAMPAIGN:  NEW CONSULTANT PROMOTION!

This, my friends, is outstanding time to join my team and become a Close to my Heart Consultant!!!

From November 1—December 15, each new Consultant who enrolls with either the "Essentials" or "Master" New Consultant Kit may also receive a fun, brand-new product from the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book. To be eligible for the free product, the new Consultant must have $300 in sales by March 31, 2014.

What's the new product? It's the gorgeous new Picture My Life™ scrapbooking program. There are 8 fresh and stunning design themes to choose from, each one featuring 122 double-sided, designed cards in a mix of 3" x 4" and 4" x 6", plus a 12"x12" cover page to bring your album together beautifully. You also get 10 Memory Protectors™ with new formats designed just for this program and lots of your photos. It's a retail value of $24.95 but it’s FREE to qualifying new Consultants!

More details and photos will be available soon of the new "Picture My Life" scrapbooking program.

You can start earning the "Picture My Life"  program FREE right now when you sign up. When you, as a new Consultant, order the Essentials Kit and qualify for the offer, you will not only receive more than $180 in products and supplies, plus commission on your sales, (all for only $49) you will also add to that the perks of Straight To The Top, and a new Idea Book that will be coming out in January that will be loaded with great new products to introduce to your customers!  

Learn more here and here!

Baby Shower Video Tutorial

Hello everyone!  So yesterday I had a huge blogger oops... No text on my blog post.  This is what happens when I do not stick to my pre-planned blog publishing schedule!!  I had planned to post yesterday's Christmas card, but I completely forgot that I had set up the post.  Monday night I decided that I liked my little silverware stocking so well that I wanted to leave it up another day.  Of course I completely forgot that yesterday's card was already loaded and scheduled for Tuesday.  Oops.

Today I am sharing a Close To My Heart video with you.  This quick video will give you ideas for baby gift packaging or decorating for a baby shower. How fun would it be to use the burlap bags above as favors for a baby shower?

The banner above could be used for a shower, or personalized for baby's room.  So many fun ideas and uses.  I hope you enjoy the video!!

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Remember that the November Close To My Heart Stamp of the Month - Illuminate, is available for this month only!   You can order the stamp set for $17.95, or with a $50.00 CTMH order you will be prompted to add the Stamp of the Month during check out for only $5.00.

NOVEMBER CAMPAIGN:  NEW CONSULTANT PROMOTION!

This, my friends, is outstanding time to join my team and become a Close to my Heart Consultant!!!

From November 1—December 15, each new Consultant who enrolls with either the "Essentials" or "Master" New Consultant Kit may also receive a fun, brand-new product from the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book. To be eligible for the free product, the new Consultant must have $300 in sales by March 31, 2014.

What's the new product? It's the gorgeous new Picture My Life™ scrapbooking program. There are 8 fresh and stunning design themes to choose from, each one featuring 122 double-sided, designed cards in a mix of 3" x 4" and 4" x 6", plus a 12"x12" cover page to bring your album together beautifully. You also get 10 Memory Protectors™ with new formats designed just for this program and lots of your photos. It's a retail value of $24.95 but it’s FREE to qualifying new Consultants!

More details and photos will be available soon of the new "Picture My Life" scrapbooking program.

You can start earning the "Picture My Life"  program FREE right now when you sign up. When you, as a new Consultant, order the Essentials Kit and qualify for the offer, you will not only receive more than $180 in products and supplies, plus commission on your sales, (all for only $49) you will also add to that the perks of Straight To The Top, and a new Idea Book that will be coming out in January that will be loaded with great new products to introduce to your customers!  

Learn more here and here!

Warm Winter Wishes Card

White on White Christmas Stocking

Hello friends!  Welcome to another BBTB2 Monday!  My amazing Design Team sister, Julie, challenge the Bitten by the Bug 2 Design Team to create a Christmas White-on-White project.  I love this challenge!  I used white, silver, and white hues on my 3D stocking!

Are you ready for a confession?  This cute little stocking started as an ornament/small gift sleeve.  However, when I realized I had nothing truly Christmasy looking to add to the stocking (and let it peek from the top - like a candy cane), I punted and came up with the silverware holder stocking!  It was pure dumb luck that I transitioned so quickly - my new red table runner was sitting on the kitchen table and that inspired me to pull out Christmas china and shift gears to a place setting.

I used three cartridges to create the stocking, Art Philosophy, Artiste and Craft Room Basics.  I cut the stocking from the Art Philosophy cartridge at 5.5 inches tall.  I cut a front and back layer, flipping the back layer to the reverse direction.  I used silver card stock to cut the toe and heel sections.  I welded tabs to the front of the stocking using Craft Room Basics cartridge.  The tabs were folded to the inside and glued to the back layer of the stocking

The rosette pieces, two of them, were cut at 1.2 inches using Artiste cartridge. The two pieces were glued together, folded on the score lines, and assembled with snowflake cuts from Art Philosophy glued to the front and back to help the rosette hold its shape.  I topped the rosette with a floss bowed button.

I cut extra snowflakes and used them to embellish the white on cream print stocking.  I layered the snowflakes to add dimension to the stocking.

I will still make more of these cute little stockings to use on my tree, but now I think I will make more stockings to use on the Christmas dinner table too.

I hope that you decide to join us at Bitten by the Bug 2 for our weekly Cricut Challenge.  I love this week's White on White Christmas challenge.  Please go to the BBTB2 blog and review the challenge rules on our sidebar, then join us for some white Christmas fun!

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Remember that the November Close To My Heart Stamp of the Month - Illuminate, is available for this month only!   You can order the stamp set for $17.95, or with a $50.00 CTMH order you will be prompted to add the Stamp of the Month during check out for only $5.00.

NOVEMBER CAMPAIGN:  NEW CONSULTANT PROMOTION!

This, my friends, is outstanding time to join my team and become a Close to my Heart Consultant!!!

From November 1—December 15, each new Consultant who enrolls with either the "Essentials" or "Master" New Consultant Kit may also receive a fun, brand-new product from the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book. To be eligible for the free product, the new Consultant must have $300 in sales by March 31, 2014.

What's the new product? It's the gorgeous new Picture My Life™ scrapbooking program. There are 8 fresh and stunning design themes to choose from, each one featuring 122 double-sided, designed cards in a mix of 3" x 4" and 4" x 6", plus a 12"x12" cover page to bring your album together beautifully. You also get 10 Memory Protectors™ with new formats designed just for this program and lots of your photos. It's a retail value of $24.95 but it’s FREE to qualifying new Consultants!

More details and photos will be available soon of the new "Picture My Life" scrapbooking program.

You can start earning the "Picture My Life"  program FREE right now when you sign up. When you, as a new Consultant, order the Essentials Kit and qualify for the offer, you will not only receive more than $180 in products and supplies, plus commission on your sales, (all for only $49) you will also add to that the perks of Straight To The Top, and a new Idea Book that will be coming out in January that will be loaded with great new products to introduce to your customers!  

Learn more here and here!

Snowman Invitation Fold Card

Hey there!  Today I have new and fun Christmas card to share with you.  This card was made with a Silhouette cut file, Close To My Heart card stock, and Close to My Heart stamps.  Did I mention CTMH ribbon, ink and markers?  I thought not.

This is actually the rose invitation cut file with some edits.  I removed the rose that was supposed to cut out of the front panel of the card and I cut extra print panel covers.  I cut the base card in a Whisper Gray CTMH card stock.  I used the Sparkle and Shine paper pack to cut the panel covers and the striped matting inside the card.

This series of photographs will show you how the card folds closed and who each section is covered.

I used three snowman stamps from the Flakey Friends stamp set.

I love these cut snowmen!  Two of the snowmen were stamped onto smooth white card stock, colored, and hand cut to attach onto the front of the panels of the card.

I stamped one of the snowmen onto the inside of the card, leaving plenty of space for a sentiment and personal message.

I used this wonderful Close To My Heart ribbon to make a knotted band for the card.

I hope you liked this unusual invitation turned Christmas card.  I like that it is unusual and fun!  Thanks for stopping by today.

Light Up Your Christmas

Hello everyone!  I hope I am not boring you with my pre-seasonal Christmas spirit!  I am just so looking forward to this holiday season and the cards just keep popping into my head!  Today's card, Light up!, was made using two different cutting tools and Close To My Heart stamps and papers!

I cut the great Christmas lights with the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge in smooth white card stock.  I used three colors of CTMH ink and the CTMH Trim a Tree stamp set!  The bulbs were trimmed with gems shapes from the CTMH Sparkle Holiday Shapes, which coordinates with the Trim a Tree stamp set.

The tree branch was cut with an Elizabeth Craft metal die cut and my Grand Caliber cutting machine using CTMH card stock.  You know that hint for using metal die cuts where you add wax paper between the paper and the die?  I usually toss out the wax paper after I finish with the cut, but this time I used a micro tipped glue and added the wax paper layer over the green branch to add a touch of "snow".  I like the end result!

I finished the card with peel offs trims and words and a bit of dark brown twine.  I forgot to tell you above - I used the holiday card stock set, Sparkle and Shine paper pack.   

This is the new Close To My Heart Stamp of the Month - Illuminate!  This fun stamp set is available for the month of November only.  You can order the stamp set for $17.95, or with a $50.00 CTMH order you will be prompted to add the Stamp of the Month during check out for only $5.00.

NOVEMBER CAMPAIGN:  NEW CONSULTANT PROMOTION!

This, my friends, is outstanding time to join my team and become a Close to my Heart Consultant!!!

From November 1—December 15, each new Consultant who enrolls with either the "Essentials" or "Master" New Consultant Kit may also receive a fun, brand-new product from the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book. To be eligible for the free product, the new Consultant must have $300 in sales by March 31, 2014.

What's the new product? It's the gorgeous new Picture My Life™ scrapbooking program. There are 8 fresh and stunning design themes to choose from, each one featuring 122 double-sided, designed cards in a mix of 3" x 4" and 4" x 6", plus a 12"x12" cover page to bring your album together beautifully. You also get 10 Memory Protectors™ with new formats designed just for this program and lots of your photos. It's a retail value of $24.95 but it’s FREE to qualifying new Consultants!

More details and photos will be available soon of the new "Picture My Life" scrapbooking program.

You can start earning the "Picture My Life"  program FREE right now when you sign up. When you, as a new Consultant, order the Essentials Kit and qualify for the offer, you will not only receive more than $180 in products and supplies, plus commission on your sales, (all for only $49) you will also add to that the perks of Straight To The Top, and a new Idea Book that will be coming out in January that will be loaded with great new products to introduce to your customers!  

Learn more here and here!