Thursday, December 25, 2008

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...

... my CTMH Consultant gave to me: Lots of wishes for a very happy, healthy, and wonderful Holiday with your friends and family!

I also wanted to share with you my big project that I have been working on! I had to wait until today so that my Mom would not see it before she unwrapped it! I bought the blank Event Calendar, and the rest was up to me- the only thing preprinted was the month and days- I scrapped/embellished the rest!

Each month has family and friends birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, etc. Since this is meant to be used year after year, the floating holidays are not included (Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving). To protect privacy, these pictures have the birthdays and anniversaries whited-out. Thank you for your understanding!

Here is the cover, January, February, and March (click on the image to make it bigger):

January: Snow Friends, Please Join Us, Aspen Paper:

February: Just Because, Soul Mates, Perfect Day Paper:

March: Best Friend Doggie, So Sweet Seasons, Stardust Paper:

I separated the posts to make the lables easier to add...

I truly wish you all a blessed holiday! From the bottom of my heart, lots of love,
-Erin-

Event Calendar: Part Two

Here is April, May, and June:


April- Eastertime, Paper Garden Paper:

May- Key to My Heart Stamp Set and Paper Packet (January 2009 promo):

June- Coffee Shop, Simple Pleasures Paper, Liquid Glass:

Event Calendar: Part Three

Here is July, August, and September:

July- Tool Time, So Sweet Seasons, Moonstruck B&T, Stardust Paper:

August- Treasure Life, Sponge (background is sponged with Sunny Yellow, Creme Brulee, Honey, Sorbet, Blush, Barn Red):
September: Love Bug, Cranberry B&T, Notebook Paper:

Event Calendar: Part Four

Here is October, November, and December:


October- Boo-tiful, Enchanted Paper:

November: Four Seasons, Give Thanks (booking set), Autumn Terracotta/New England Ivy Textured cardstock:
December: Merry Pursuits, December Word Puzzle, Creative Basics Evensong paper, Markers:

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas...

... my CTMH consultant shared with me- a completed desk calendar!
Cover:


January and February:


March and April:


May and June:


July and August:


September and October:


November and December:

Have a very happy holiday!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

On the Tenth Day of Christmas...

...my CTMH Consultant introduced to me: the new CTMH Promo!

Close to my Heart is running an awesome promotion for the remainder of December and throughout the month of January: Key to my Heart! CTMH has declared January is National Papercrafting month and created a E-Size stamp set (with flourishes, a key, sentiments, hearts, journaling box, etc) and a coordinating paper packet with the four new colors: Tulip, Sorbet, Creme Brulee, and Juniper!



The nitty-gritty details:
The kit retails for $47.90, which you can purchase now through January 31st. Or, if you spend $75, you can purchase the kit for just $20. -OR- if you spend $130, you get the kit for FREE (oh yea, and you also qualify for the January Stamp of the Month, Moments in Time, for FREE, too)! The bummer part- you do have to pay shipping/tax, even on the free stuff :-(

After the holidays I will post some fun artwork with this kit- it is really too cute! Look for it on the project for the Twelfth day of Christmas!

Check out the details at http://www.closetomyheart.com/

Have a great day!
-Erin-

Monday, December 22, 2008

On the Ninth Day of Christmas...

... my CTMH consultant gave to me- cute wreath ornaments!

These are super easy once you get the folding down! Please email me at tazzygirl2000@yahoo.com if you would like step-by-step instructions! A big thanks to CTMH consultant Amy Bailey for introducing me to these:






the stamps are all CTMH, but the paper is some older stuff I had in my stash that I thought still worked really well. The take twelve 4x4 squares to make the wreath part, so 1 1/3 sheets per wreath!

Happy holidays!
-Erin-

On the Eighth day of Christmas...

... my CTMH consultant gave to me: a Paper Bow that can dress up any holiday package!


These are super simple to make, and add a little pizzazz to gifts. A template can be found on Splitcoast Stampers (http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/dsp_bow/). For this one I used the pinstripe B&T from Just Chillin' (one of my favorites)!! Use the same paper for a gift tag to make everything match!

Hope you are all having a great day!
-Erin-

Saturday, December 20, 2008

On the Seventh Day of Christmas...

... my CTMH consultant gave to me: a GREAT calendar idea!

CTMH now has these awesome little My Creations Display album... a flip album for your table/desk top. It's 6x6, and has twelve page protectors- PERFECT for a calendar! I used the January 2009 Stamp of the Month (Moments in Time), which is a set of little calendars you can use to mark special dates, holidays, etc.

(Sorry about the flash!)
You can see a preview of upcoming Stamp of the Months two months in advance: go to http://www.closetomyheart.com/, click on Stamp of the Month, and scroll down to see the links for future months.

Warning: if you plan on making these, they are a LOT of fun, and easy to do... but keep it simple- if you have a lot of bulky embellishments, the months will not lay flat and it may look a little funny!

Have fun!

Friday, December 19, 2008

On the Sixth Day of Christmas...

... my CTMH Consultant gave to me: whoops, an apology for not posting yesterday! And a cute gift tag idea, too!






Both of these use the great October 2008 Stamp of the Month, Annotations! This definitely beats those little lables we used to use as kids- you know the kind, with the cheesy santa or snowman with hardly any room to write... and you can customize the look/feel to match the packages!

Now back to the holiday preperations...



Wednesday, December 17, 2008

On the Fifth Day of Christmas...

... my CTMH Consultant gave to me: a quick, non-denominational "Peace on Earth" card!



It's funny that none of these stamps are Christmas stamps- the birds are from Free Spirit, the Globe is from long-retired travel set, and the Peace is from a sentiment set, and I used Linen stick-stock, so the cloth actually feels real!

On a separate note, I feel that this week is "crunch time"- the packages MUST be out before the weekend, the cards (which aren't even adressed yet) MUST hit that blue box at the Post Office no later than Friday, and co-worker goodies have to be ready to go by Thursday! ACK- where did the month go?

Here is to a stress-free Wednesday! Hopefully it is a productive day for all (me included)!!!

Lots of Love,
-Erin-

PS- Hi Sarah! Thanks for your call last night! I am glad you are enjoying the blog!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

On the Fourth Day of Christmas...

... my CTMH Consultant gave to me: A GREAT gift idea- a True-Fit- Folio Album!

Originally created by CTMH Consultant Kelly English-Triggs, this is an awesome little album that uses the True-Fit Folios as the base and lets you decorate five tags to put inside. Here is an example of one I made for my Dad with pictures of him and his "little girls":


Unfolded:


Unfolded with the tags out:


This project is compact and simple, and once you make the actual base, it is pretty easy to put together!

I liked showing these particular colors for today- it reflects the nice and rainy weather here in Phoenix! Midori is not too sure about going outside in the rain, but I have the day off, and with the exception of teaching Junior Achievement and running a few errands, I will be home with the pups all day (working on Christmas presents, of course)! I hope you all have a chance to relax and enjoy the holiday season!

Lots of Love,
-Erin-

Monday, December 15, 2008

On the THIRD Day of Christmas...

... my busy puppy-training consultant gave to me:

Another fun Gift Card holder! This is the VERY simple double-pocket gift card holder we made at the November Gathering! So easy to do, and it only uses one sheet of 6"x 8" paper!


This is what I love about the CTMH double-sided paper- it is perfect for this kind of project! I cannot take credit for this cute little template, but you can find a great video tutorial on fellow CTMH Consultant Nona Davenport's blog: http://www.nonapearl.blogspot.com/ (Scroll down on the left side, it will be the first video under "Classy Crafts" Tutorials).

For the one above, I used Evensong Creative Basics (B&T paper and the Olive grosgrain ribbon with it), Merry Pursuits, December Word Puzzle, and a Colonial White brad. I also used the Coluzzle circle template for the small holly berry circle on the front. Just slide a gift card in the back pocket, a tag in the front pocket, and viola, you are ready to give!

Happy Holidays!

Saturday, December 13, 2008

On the Second Day of Christmas...

... my CTMH consultant gave to me: A fun Gift Card Holder template!

I "lifted" and modified this idea from a Pier One gift card carrier from last year. It looks like a simple card, but when you open it up, the gift card is held right there!

Outside:



With Band removed:


Inside:
Materials:
Paper:
White Daisy Textured Cardstock, Juniper Cardstock, Perfect Day Paper (Juniper print B&T)
Stamp Sets: December Word Puzzle, Chocolate Large Alphabet, Jingle Boarders, Tiny Typewriter Alphabet
Ink: Juniper, Tulip, Grey Wool (marker)
Extras: Sparkles, 3D Foam Squares

Base: 10 1/2" x 4" White Daisy textured cardstock
Bottom: 4 3/4" x 4" Juniper Cardstock
B&T paper for front: 4" x 3 1/4" Juniper B&T
Title piece for front: 4" x 2" White Daisy textured cardstock

Band: 8 1/2 x 3/4" White Daisy textured cardstock

Ornament: 1 1/2" x 2" carstock

Bear with me- this could get a little tricky!

For the base, take a 12"x4" piece of white daisy textured cardstock and score along the following: 11 1/4", 10 3/4", 8 1/2", 5 1/4". Cut at 1 1/2". See below (Measurements on top are for each piece, measurements along the bottom are total lengths to make it easier to score in your paper cutter):

Fold A below B; C down to touch inside of B. D will fold out (eventually be the piece that holds the gift card), and E down (which will later attach to the bottom). Also, cut a slit down the middle of piece D to hold the card. I go about 1/2" from the edge, and then put a small piece of tape on either side to add a little more stability. You may have to work with this to make sure the card fits snuggly, as you do not want it to fall out or rip!

For the bottom piece, take your 4 3/4" x 4" Juniper Cardstock and score 1 1/2" inches in.

Cut a notch (1/2" x 2 1/2") in piece F. Fold F up. G will eventually attach to the top of A.

*Please note the Gift Card is not labled, but this just shows you where it will go*

Try piecing the holder together so you can see which piece goes where. I suggest stamping before gluing the final piece!

Attach the Juniper B&T to the front of B. Stamp JOY on the additional title piece of Cardstock, using the ornament stamp for the O. Cut around the bottom to follow the shape of the letters. Ink around the edges and adhere to front of B&T. Stamp the inside (C) with Jingle Boarders in Juniper Ink. Stamp the same pattern on F (tone on tone). Stamp holly berries along G (so that you will see it when the card is closed), and stamp images and sentiment on G for the inside. For an added touch, flip over holder and stamp the small "Joy" in a circle from the December Word Puzzle on the back of the holder (A).

Onto Gluing! Adhere the back of C to B. Adhere G to A, lining up the bottom edge. Now the tricky part- I always make sure my creases are nice and clean and try opening and closing the card before actually gluing this last part. Fold F down (to touch G like the card is closed). D will fold upward (touching C), E will fold downward, touching F.Put adhesive on E. Fold the card closed, so that E will touch F flat, and hold closed so the two will hold together. (I hope I have not lost you yet)!
To make the band, wrap the 8 1/2 x 3/4" White Daisy textured cardstock around the closed card holder. Glue ends together to create the band. Stamp the same ornament used for JOY on the scrap cardstock in Tulip; cut out. Slide the band around the holder, and using a 3D foam square, attach the ornament to the band in the same place as the juniper one on the front. Accent with small sparkles.
Slide a gift card into the holder (D), taking care not to rip the sides. Open and close a few times to test. Now sit back and admire your hard work!

Friday, December 12, 2008

12 Days of Christmas- Close to my Heart style! DAY ONE

On the first day of Christmas, my consultant gave to me...

A Sneak preview of the Spring 2009 Idea Book!

Cover:


Emporium (Buttercup, Cocoa, Crystal Blue, Sweet Leaf):


Unforgettable (Desert Sand, Cocoa, Juniper, Sorbet):


Daydream (Blush, Creme Brulee, Lilac Mist, Sweet Leaf):


That's Amore (Blush, Chocolate, Garden Green, Tulip):


Stardust (Bamboo, Honey, Moonstruck, Topiary):



Isn't that WAY better than a Patridge in a Pear Tree? Happy Holidays!
-Erin-