A Very Merry Blog Hop

Even though it doesn't quite feel like Fall yet here in Southern California (temps are supposed to be close to 100 next week), it's almost time to begin thinking about the holidays and Christmas cards and gifties! Our October Stamp of the Month is just what I needed to put me in the holiday mood!

Welcome to the October Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! If you've arrived from Elizabeth Mindemann's blog, you are on the right track. If this is your first stop, simply follow the links at the bottom of each blog until you arrive back here. We have over 65 talented consultants participating this month, so I'm sure we'll all be in the holiday spirit before we finish the hop!

The October Stamp of the Month, Very Merry Christmas (S1210) is a set of 11 stamps perfect for holiday cards, gift tags, scrapbook pages and so much more! All of the images coordinate with images found on the Cricut Artiste cartridge available only from Close to My Heart.

The perfect compliment for the Very Merry Christmas set is our new Pear & Partridge My Reflections kit. Of course, you know I love a little bling, so I had to add the Shimmer Trim too...I love the contrast between the muted, almost earthy tones of the Pear & Partridge papers and the Shimmer Trim!

To create the ornament, I stamped it once in Cranberry ink on the Desert Sand cardstock. Then I stamped it once more in New England Ivy ink (also on Desert Sand cardstock) and cut the center element out to adhere over the Cranberry stamped image. I love this simple method of getting more than one color onto a stamped image. The Silver Glitz Glitter Gel gave just a bit of sparkle to the ornament.

The edges of the New England Ivy cardstock were "scissor distressed" by simply running the open blade of my scissors along the edge of the paper (use caution as you can tear the paper if you push too hard...or cut yourself!).

Lately, I'm all about dimension, so I added lots of 3-D Foam tape to really make things pop.  

Remember, the Very Merry Christmas set is only available through October 31st. Regular price is $17.95, but you can add it to your $50 order for just $5! Head on over to my website to order yours today!

Time to hop along and see what treasure Angela Tutton has created to share with all of us!

Halloween Home Decor Workshop

Join us as we use the new Moonlight papers to create this super fun Halloween Home Decor "frame" - just perfect for a picture of your little ghosts and goblins (or even your own spooky side)!

Date: Saturday, October 20th

Time 12pm or 2pm

Location: My Studio in Newbury Park

Cost: $16 pre-paid (full payment must be received no later than October 10th to allow time to order and prep supplies)

All supplies will be cut for you and you will receive a FULL package of the NEW Pixie Glitter Alphabet!

Guests will need to bring scissors and adhesives (tape runner, glue dots, 3-d Foam tape). If you need scissors or adhesives let me know and we can order them along with the workshop supplies.

See my Workshop/Events page to RSVP with your workshop fee!

Flirty Little Monograms!

I just returned from an event I look forward to each year...our annual team retreat! For the past 8 years we have spent 4 or 5 glorious days in South Lake Tahoe scrapping the days (and nights) away, learning new tips and techniques from fellow consultants, and sharing LOTS of laughs! This year we had a slight change of plans, and as much as we LOVE Tahoe, we all agree Big Bear was much easier for us Southern California girls! When I got home I asked myself how it was possible to be totally refreshed and re-energized, yet completely exhausted at the same time - I guess crafty time with friends will do that to you!

As part of the retreat, I was asked to teach a make-n-take (always so stressful as I wonder how I could possibly share anything NEW with the amazingly creative ladies who join us), AND we give little gifts to each attendee. This year I decided to combine the two and make them coordinate.

I found this fun little card on Pinterest (my newest addiction) and CTMH-ified it with some Flirty paper for my create-n-take!

Have you checked out our new Monograms? They are sold by the letter at just $2.95 each! I LOVE them and was so thrilled when my Director, Sue Laufer decided to gift one to each attendee! The banners and rosette were cut using the new Cricut Artiste Cartridge and a little Shimmer Trim gave the card just the right touch of bling!

After teaching my create-n-take, I presented each attendee with their giftie...this fun little box and set of three 3"x3" cards. They had already stamped a few extra monograms while we did the card, so they simply added their own monogram. 

The box was cut with the Cricut Artiste cartridge. The frames were cut using the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge and stamped with the Perfect Fit-Frames stamp set (I still LOVE that our stamps coordinate so perfectly with the Cricut images!). 

I have so much more to share from the retreat, so check back soon...workshops, scrapbook pages, and more!