Random Ramblings of a Scramping Addict

Holiday Shopping With Close To My Heart

Do you have crafters on your holiday gift list?  Don't you think they'd appreciate a gift from Close To My Heart?  I know if I was a crafter, I would.  LOL!  And...since the holidays are quickly approaching, it's probably smart to start getting some of those purchases crossed off the list right?

Well, head office says that the deadline for holiday orders is midnight December 8th (whether placed online or through me) but since the courier's don't guarantee shipping time frames at this time of year, my recommendation, plain and simple is to shop sooner.  In fact, if you want to be guaranteed that your holiday shipment will arrive on time AND get a little something extra too, keep reading, because I've got a special holiday treat for you.

Here's the details:

Contact me by either email or telephone (905)-317-8823 between November 24th and November 30th to place a holiday gift order. With a minimum $25 order I will:

• Gift Wrap your order so it's all ready for holiday giving.
• I'll hand stamp a holiday Gift Tag making it even more ready for the big day AND
• I'll pay the shipping and give you an additional 5% discount!

That's right.  I said, Free Shipping* and an additional 5% discount!  This equates to a savings of 15% on your order total!

This offer is only valid for orders placed through me between November 24th and November 30th.  This offer is not valid for shoppers at my online store.

* Note:  The free shipping offer refers to the cost of shipping the order to me, for pick-up by you, at your convenience.  Secondary shipping fees, if required, are excluded from this offer and will be paid by you.

So, mark those dates on your calendar, and remember to contact me between November 24th and November 30th to place your holiday gift giving order!  This deal is too good to miss!

I Believe - Holiday Card

Yesterday I promised to share the second make and take card we created at Eva's CTMH Home Gathering on Sunday afternoon.  And here it is!

Artwork Recipe
Card Stock: (1386) Black, (1276) Ponderosa Pine, (1272) Cranberry, (Z1353) White Daisy 4.5" Circle Cards
Patterned Paper:  X5811 Creative Basics Mistletoe Collection
Ink: (44751) Archival Black
Stamp Set: (C1427) I Believe
Other:  Adhesive Foam Squares, Coluzzle Cutting System, Nestabilities Die, Cuttlebug, Cuttlebug Snowflakes Embossing Folder, Z1326 Sparkles
Finished Size: 4.5" Circle

I am having loads of fun creating the Circle Cards this year -- while it can be tricky to get your head around at first, it's a nice change from working on a square or rectangular canvas.  On this project, I embossed the CTMH black cardstock with a Snowflakes Cuttlebug embossing folder and the Cuttlebug machine (by Provocraft).  In this case, I particularly love the fact the CTMH Cardstock has a white core and that it splits/cracks a bit when embossed.  This makes the snowflake design stand out even more making it even more interesting I think.  To me, it looks almost like snowflakes falling against a night sky.

Are you making holiday cards this year?  And have you tried any circle designs? I would love to see them! Leave me a comment below with a link to your online gallery and I'll have a peak!

A Little Thanks (well actually a lot)

Yesterday I had 5 ladies join me at a Close To My Heart home gathering.  It had been quite some time since I'd had the opportunity to talk about Close To My Heart to a group of 'newbies' so to speak.  They had seen the product, used the product, and even owned some product already, but had oddly never had opportunity to hear the whole product talk so to speak.  I had so much fun!

Once I completed the product talk - we moved on to create 2 beautiful make and take greeting cards. Because the holiday season is sneaking up on us, I opted for one Christmas themed card and one generic thank-you (we can never have too many of those!).  The thank you can be used for just about anything - be it a gift, an invitation, lending a sympathetic ear - or whatever.  Here is the thank-you.

Artwork Recipe
Card Stock: (1388) Colonial White, (X5643) Chocolate, (X5759) Pacifica (all included in X7127B Magnifique Paper Pack)
Patterned Paper:  X7127B Magnifique Paper Pack
Ink: (Z2103) Bamboo, (Z2192) Pacifica
Stamp Set: (D1444) A Little Thanks
Other:  Adhesive Foam Squares, Scissors
Finished Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

Now this post's title is significant for a couple of reasons.  First, A Little Thanks is the name of the stamp set we used for the sentiment, and it is actually the Stamp of the Month for November.  Here's the whole set.

The reason though that I owe a lot of thanks....is that I fully admit I lifted this card from somewhere in cyberspace.  As soon as I saw it, I just knew that I had to duplicate it - but unfortunately I was a bad girl and didn't record the name of the original artist.  So if that's you ---- I owe you a BIG THANK-YOU because this card is absolutely fabulous!  So please....if it's to you that I owe my gratitude, please please let me know.  All of the gals that joined me yesterday were simply enamoured with your work, and I definitely want you to get the much deserved credit.

If you are interested in purchasing the A Little Thanks Stamp of the Month for yourself, as always, it is available this month only (November 1-30, 2010), as always!  The stamp of the month can be purchased either at full price $26.95 or if combined with other regular priced product at a discount or even earned free! Here's the pricing details.

If you spend $29.50.  You Save 25%.  You pay $20.21
If you spend $58.95.  You Save 50%.  You pay $13.48
If you spend $88.50.  You Save 75%.  You pay $6.74
If you spend $117.50.  You Save 100%.  It's FREE!

And remember, for the month of November, there is also an additional campaign, whereby with a qualifying order of $117.50, you'll not only receive the A Little Thanks Stamp of the Month for Free, but also one additional stamp set of your choice absolutely free as well! (free stamp set excludes E size sets!)

To place an order, you may either shop online, email me, or give me a call at 905-317-8823.  I'm always happy to help you out!

I will share our second make and take card here tomorrow, so watch for the update on that.  I used one of my favourite new stamp sets from the Fall/Winter Idea Book "I Believe".

 

 

Autumn Projects to Fall For

I'm a little slow on the draw posting this one, but if you haven't yet checked out the latest episode of Art & Soul on CTMH TV -- you definitely should!

Believe me....You’ll fall head over heels for the techniques featured in this episode! Add subtle texture and a variety of colors with tissue stamping; create layouts, cards, mini albums, and home décor with Flip Flaps™; and learn how to cluster embellishments and move or resize them in Studio J®. With all this inspiration, you’ll be unstoppable in all your autumn artwork, so tune in now!

(Image credit: http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2008/11/remembrance-day-2008/)

A Stunning Colour Combination

Today, I'm sharing the final 2 cards that I taught last Sunday!

This colour combination: Lagoon, Smoothie and Pear and is completely outside of the box for me, especially for Christmas Cards!  I took it right from the Idea Book and low and behold it works (I guess that's why they pay the art department the big bucks.....to get us excited about all things new!)

 
The card on the left features an image from C1420 "Snow Days" hidden behind a glitter window.  This technique is super fun - albeit a little messy getting yourself and your work area covered in glitter - and works particularly well in winter, simulating snow.  It's really easy to do though - here are the steps.

To create a Glitter Window:

• Cut 2 pieces of cardstock to roughly the same dimensions.
• Stamp your desired image on one of the pieces.
• Cut a window (using a die or punch) in the other piece that your stamped image will show through.
• Now take packing tape (just the regular old stuff you use to seal boxes) and cover the window ON THE REVERSE SIDE,
• Sprinkle Prisma Glitter all over the window (on the sticky side of the tape which is now on the front side of the window) and rub it around to get full coverage.
• Brush off any stray glitter -- note your window will no longer be sticky and then adhere your two pieces together.
• Mount your glitter window focal image on a pre-prepared card base and you're all set!

It's that easy!

The sentiment is from the D1380 "Just For the Holidays" which was released last year but I just picked up. I totally love this set and think if affords of ton of possibilities ~ creating borders, tags, scrapbook page embellies and so much more.

The card on the right hand side is again stolen directly from the pages of the Idea Book and features an ornament from D1446 "Adorn-Able".  To put this one together it's a bit more involved, with the Smoothie panel being embossed before inking, but I'll leave that discussion for another day.  For now, let's just relish in the beauty of this stunning colour combination and be encouraged to think outside of the box when you're creating.  You just never know when you might find a winner!

If you have any questions about the Glitter Window - don't hesitate to shout them out and I'll do my best to answer them.  You can leave me a comment below, or you can call me at 905-317-8823, or you can even email me at [email protected]!  I'm here for you!

Holiday Cards

Again, time is getting the best of me and I've been a bad bad blogger.  So...today I'm actually going to share some art!  What a novel idea!

Lucky for me, I spent last Sunday afternoon crafting with 8 talented ladies.  They each made 5 cards and the photo below shows three of them.  Now you might recognize these designs if you have a copy of the Autumn/Winter Idea Book as while they are not exact, I used the Idea Book designs as inspiration.  Here they are.

My personal favourite is the Reindeer!  I absolutely love this stamp!  It is brand new for Autumn/Winter 2010 and the set is called C1427  "I Believe".  In fact, if you click on that link, you'll see the card I used as inspiration!  The colours are Chocolate, White Daisy and the brand new Tulip.  I am working on a scrapbook layout right now to present at an upcoming CTMH home gathering as well, and I'll post that just as soon as it's ready to go.  I just love the silhouette images with the interior flourishes and snowflakes. To create the sentiment - I used a technique called masking.  I am also currently putting together a photo tutorial on just how I did this, so watch here for updates on that.

The card on the right features the snowman and sentiment from D1244 "Snow Friends".  With his skinny little stick arms he's a bit tricky to cut out, but if you're careful, you can manage it.  I stamped the image once and then pop-dotted the coloured image on top.  He is just too cute for words!  For this card I used White Daisy, Cranberry and Indian Corn Blue.

And....don't forget that the holidays are going to be here before you know it, and if you're planning on making your own holiday cards you should get to it because time is a ticking.  I like to make sure that mine are in the mail during the final days of November so that the recipients can start their December with just a little dose of holiday cheer in their mailboxes.  What that means is, if you need to order supplies, now is the time -- so don't forget to contact me right away if there is anything I can help you with - or you can call me at 905-317-8823 anytime as well.

Happy Stamping!