Tuesday, December 4, 2012

I won "Fanciest Cookies" title!



My new friend, Katie, invited me to her annual cookie exchange this year.  I like this one because I only had to make 3 dozen cookies.  I've made as many as 12 dozen in the past.  Katie gives out prizes and my cookies won Fanciest Cookies. Wahoo!!  They are not hard at all, especially when you decorate them while watching reruns of Downton Abby Season 2 (can hardly wait for January 6th - season 3). You can find the cookie recipe at OurBestBites.Com.
Tip: I made the white icing a little thicker than the colored icing so it would hold it's shape better.

Here's another tip for making cut-out sugar cookies.  After mixing the dough, put a portion in a gallon size zipper bag and press dough around filling the space in the bag until you reach your desired thickness. Don't zip the bag shut until you have the dough flattened inside the bag.  Then you can refrigerate or freeze your dough.  When you're ready to cut shapes simply cut the sides of the bag and lay it open. Cut right from the bag.  You can roll any excess dough out again by scrunching it in a ball and putting the top layer of the bag over the ball, then roll with your rolling pin...ready for more cookie cutting. Pretty nifty.  And rather than dip your cookie cutter in flour, use powdered sugar.



   




Happy Holidays,
Sheila

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Holiday Home Decor

I love this little holiday sign. It works for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Create this dual holiday home decor item using the Mix & Mingle mini album - it's availalble for $5 when you shop online.  Go to the shopping link of my website and click "While Supplies Last."  You'll see some other killer deals while you're there.  Please join the December Gathering when you check out.

Read on for a supply list to make this project.

One side for Thanksgiving...
Flip it over for Christmas.


Here's what you'll need:
  • Mix & Mingle Mini Album (Z1334)
  • Chipboard letters - Notable Dimensional Elements (Z1682)
  • Themed patterned paper and cardstock of your choice
  • Your favorite embellishments and stamped images
  • Adhesive. I used Liquid Glass (Z679) because it dries super fast.
Happy Holidays,
Sheila 
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Friday, November 30, 2012

2012 Retiring Products Announced

The end of the Autumn / Winter 2012 Idea Book is drawing near—January 31, 2013 to be exact! We must reluctantly retire some of the old items as we look forward to the release of the new.

Effective immediately, the items on this list are available only while supplies last.

Be sure to shop my website for many other clearance priced items available December 1st - While Supplies Last.  Every $50 order will receive a free Bonding Memories Glue Pen ($4.50 value). And you will be eligible for the December Stamp of the Month - Year Round Cheer for just $5 ($17.95 value).

Start shopping here.

2012 RETIRING PRODUCTS
Item # Item Description Page # Autumn/Winter 2012 Idea Book
A1104 A Tweet 90
A1111 A Tulip 68
A1116 A Melody 94
A1122 Bravo 92
A1128 Quick Cards—Shell 80
A1129 A Rainbow 85
B1365 Spring Up 71
B1369 Rosy Regards 67
B1374 Bee Happy 83
B1397 He Is Risen 74
B1402 My Peeps 72
C1439 Enjoy Life 95
C1440 Take a Picture 93
C1442 Tailor-Made 94
C1450 Eclectic Edges 99
C1452 Delight 71
C1455 Aspire 96
C1456 Heartfelt Treasures 68
C1457 Happy Camper 84
C1458 Paper Lantern 90
C1473 Remarkable Wreath 70
C1474 10 Things 105
C1485 Super Powers 47
C1498 Country Life 82
C1499 Perfect Day 80
D1195 The Works Alphabet 117
D1222 Tiny Typewriter Alphabet 117
D1296 Chocolate Alphabet Small 114
D1301 Hodge Podge Alphabet 114
D1303 Classmate Alphabet 114
D1462 Splendid Day 77
D1464 Card Chatter—Love 106
D1467 Trees & Things 76
D1472 Simple Memories 66
D1478 Bingo Alphabet 113
D1505 Roar! 89
D1508 Diverse Backgrounds 102
D1509 Magic Adventures 78
D1511 Kick Back 81
E1013 Field Trip Alphabet 114
G1040 Workshops on the Go® Spellbound Cricut® Kit 14
G1041 Workshops on the Go® Avonlea Cardmaking Kit 22
G1042 Workshops on the Go® Scroll Album Kit 23
G1043 Workshops on the Go® Pear & Partridge Cardmaking Kit 66
G1044 Workshops on the Go® Advent Calendar Kit 67
G1045 Workshops on the Go® Avonlea Scrapbooking Kit 21
G1046 Workshops on the Go® Clementine Scrapbooking Kit 29
G1047 Workshops on the Go® Dakota Scrapbooking Kit 35
G1048 Workshops on the Go® La Belle Vie Scrapbooking Kit  41
G1049 Workshops on the Go® Scholastic Scrapbooking Kit 47
G1050 Workshops on the Go® Flirty Scrapbooking Kit 53
G1051 Workshops on the Go® Moonlight Scrapbooking Kit 59
G1052 Workshops on the Go® Pear & Partridge Scrapbooking Kit 65
X7147B My Reflections® Stella Paper Packet 68
X7147C Stella Complements Canvas Shapes 68
X7148B My Reflections® Pemberley Paper Packet 68
X7148C My Stickease® Pemberley Assortment 68
X7150B My Reflections® Victory Paper Packet 69
X7150C My Stickease® Victory Assortment 69
X7153B My Reflections® Florentine Paper Packet 69
X7153C My Stickease® Florentine Assortment 69
X7158B La Belle Vie Paper Packet  38
X7158C La Belle Vie My Stickease® Assortment 38
X7160B Flirty Paper Packet 50
X7160C Flirty Complements Dimensional Elements 50
X7161B Moonlight Paper Packet 56
X7161C Moonlight Complements Dimensional Elements 56
X7162B Pear & Partridge Paper Packet 62
X7162C Pear & Partridge Complements Glittery Rub-Ons 62
Z1054 My Creations® Display Album 132
Z1252 Cutting Knife 135
Z1316 Designer Ribbon Cocoa Collection                                                                                 124
Z1349 Shimmer Designer Brads 127
Z1352 4 1/2" Colonial White Circle Cards 123
Z1353 4 1/2" White Daisy Circle Cards 123
Z1360 Rhinestone Designer Brads 127
Z1361 Brads Red Assortment  127
Z1362 Brads Pink Assortment 127
Z1363 Brads Blue Assortment 127
Z1364 Brads Green Assortment 127
Z1365 Brads Basic Assortment 127
Z1378 My Creations® Banner 132
Z1385 Designer Ribbon Blue Collection 124
Z1387 Wooden Designer Buttons 125
Z1388 Newsprint Rub-Ons  130
Z1391 Buttons Clear Assortment 125
Z1393 Mini-Medley Accents Black Collection  126
Z1395 Irresistibles™ Eclectic Chipboard Die-Cuts (the alphabet) 130
Z1407 6" x 6" Olive Quick Pic™ Album 122
Z1408 6" x 6" Pansy Purple Quick Pic™ Album 122
Z1460 Foundry® Ribbon Slides 126
Z1461 Décor Journaling Spots 129
Z1464 Milepost Shapes 128
Z1465 Irresistibles™ Make-It-Count Numbers 130
Z1466 Bling Assortment 128
Z1614 My Creations® Memory Game 132
Z1615 Designer Ribbon Red Collection 124
Z1616 Designer Ribbon Green Collection 124
Z1681 Dimensional Elements  Numbers  131
Z1687 Bohemian Assortment  128
Z1689 Timeless Charms 128
Z1692 Tough Tags 128
Z1694 Bouquet Assortment 128
Z1695 Urban Felt Alphabet  130
Z1696 Keepsake Felt Alphabet  130
Z1700 Dark Chocolate Tapestry Velvet Rub-Ons 126
Z1709 Just Blooms® Petals Paper Flowers 129
Z1711 Foundry® Binder Clips 126
Z1712 Foundry® Number Plates  126
Z1731 My Originals® Sweet Surprises Card Kit 123
Z1733 Black Tapestry Velvet Rub-Ons 126
Z1741 Haunted Assortment 128
Z1742 Parlor Velvet Rub-Ons 126
Z1743 Festive Velvet Rub-Ons  126
Z1749 Autumn Lane Assortment  128
Z1761 Dimensional Elements Ornaments 131
Z1762 Dimensional Elements Snowflakes 131
Z1763 Boutique Assortment 128
Z1765 Color-Ready Arbor Wooden Shapes 130
Z1772 Dimensional Elements In Color—Holiday 128
Z188 Craft Jars 120



Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Bonus Workshop - Calendar Gift Ideas

Are you in need of a gift idea for a teacher, family member or friend?  Why not give a hand made calendar? They"ll think of you everyday! =)  Join me Thursday December 13th at 7:00 p.m. or Friday December 14th at 9:30 a.m. to create one or both calendars shown below.  You will need to order no later than December 2nd to ensure delivery of supplies needed for the projects.


Event Calendar $3 class fee plus supplies -
I immediately thought of Close To My Heart's unique Event Calender - a perpetual calendar to record annual events like birthdays and anniversaries - when I saw the December Stamp of the Month "Year Round Cheer" in the Idea Book.  Each of the 12 images is perfect for the months of the year.  They also look adorable on their own for a 3x3 note card, or to embellish a scrapbook page.

Supplies:
1 Event Calender 4" x 18" (Z126) $8.50 each
1 December Stamp of the Month: Year Round Cheer (S1212) optional $17.95 or $5 with a $50 purchase
 Each month has a 3.5" x 3.5" white space to decorate with random scraps of paper and embellishments to your liking.
close up view

All 12 squares. You can design your own, or copy mine

Desk Calendar $5 class fee plus supplies - 
This ingenious creation comes from the very talented Lisa Stenz.  I've created my version with Scholastic paper that I think is ideal for teachers.

Supplies:
2 My Creations Blocks (Z1746) $3.95 each
1 My Creations Card Box (Z1647) $4.95 each
1 Hook & Loop Dots (Z1805) $3.95 each
1 Bonding Memories Glue (1512) $6.95 each, recommended adhesive
If you don't want to use the Scholastic Paper shown, bring 4 sheets of 12" x 12" paper to the workshop
*Optional stamp sets:
Glamour Lowercase (D1522) $17.95
Casual Expressions (D1525) $17.95


side view
Feel free to order supplies directly from my website or contact me to join my order.

Happy holidays,
Sheila

Friday, November 9, 2012

Gobble Gobble Gift Bag

Here's a cute gift bag you can make for a teacher or special friend for Thanksgiving using the Close To My Heart Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.  I filled the bag with candy corn and yummy chocolate popcorn I found in the candy aisle at Walmart.  I really want to make these pumpkin snickerdoodles for the next one.


Here are the dimensions, supplies and assembly instructions:
·        Chocolate Bag – 6 ½” Gift Bag  [font layer + shift < 3 >]
·        Chocolate Body* – 4” Scalloped Oval [fourth row, second from left]
·        Desert Sand Collar* – 2 ¾” Scalloped Oval [fourth row, second from left]
·        Chocolate Head* – 3” Egg [fourth row, fourth from right]
·        White Daisy Eyes – cut 2, ½” Ovals [second row, second from left]
·        Goldrush Beak – 1” Banner [third row, second from right]
·        Cranberry Waddle – 1 ½” Uneven Heart [bottom row, second from right + Shift]
·        Honey Feet – cut 2, 1” Skinny Heart [second row, fourth from right + Shift]
·        Feathers – One in each color, 1 ¾” Skinny Oval [top row, second from left]                                            Suggestions: Barn Red, Smokey Plum, New England Ivy, Honey, Autumn Terracota.
Also need
·        2 black Bigger Brads
·        6” Baker’s Twine
·        Liquid Glass, or other adhesive (I like this because it dries quickly)
·        Piercing Tool
·        Chocolate Ink
·        Sponge
Assembly: 
Sponge (*) pieces in Chocolate Ink.  Assemble turkey using Liquid Glass or similar adhesive.  Cut about 1/2" off bottom of Turkey body before attaching to the assembled gift bag, otherwise he won't sit up.

 
 


Enjoy,
Sheila
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Thursday, November 8, 2012

Save The Date, Capture The Savings


In November, you’ll get something extra when you buy the stamp of the month—50% off another stamp set!

When you place an order of $50 or more in full retail products and buy the November Stamp of the Month set, Capture the Date, for just $5, you can pick any stamp set at 50% off! Get Capture the Date and then capture the savings today!

To show our support of Red Cross relief efforts for those areas of the US severely affected by Hurricane Sandy, Close To My Heart will donate $1 for every Stamp of the Month set sold as a part of this promotion during November.

*Shipping/handling may apply. Offer valid November 1–30, 2012. Offer valid for A–E and M size
stamp sets only; K size, Workshops on the Go® , Cricut® collections, and Stamp of the Month stamp
sets are not eligible for this promotion. Maximum of one 50% off stamp set per order.


Click here to start shopping.

Avonlea Scrapbook Layouts

Aren't these layouts gorgeous?  Perfect for those cherished heirloom photos.  I can't take much credit for these other than I can follow directions.  They were created by a very talented and generous CTMH consultant, Karen Pedersen.  Thanks Karen!

I will share with you how to make these beautiful pages at my scrapbook playgroup January 11th.
 


 
 
 
 


Items Needed:
Avonlea Workshop On The Go (G1045)
Avonlea Complements canvas shapres (X7155C)
Antique Gold mini medley accents (Z1786)
Slate & Chocolate exclusive inks stamp pads (Z2173 and Z2111)
VersaMark Ink and White Daisy embossing powder (Z891 and Z673)

Have a memorable day,
Sheila

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Thursday, November 1, 2012

Fall Harvest

Halloween...check. The Fall festivities are in full swing.  I love the cooler nights and crisp mornings this time of year in Arizona.  Today I'm taking down all the gobblins, ghosts and pumpkin decorations and replacing them with cozier items like this Harvest banner I made with Close To My Heart products.  When I saw this on page 86 of the Idea Book I knew I had to make one for my home. I've included a tutorial video showing our new alcohol based markers which I used to make these beautiful blended fall leaves.  Now, how many days till Christmas?  :\


 I used  the Cricut Artiste cartridge (Z1790) to create the banner (4"), border (1.25") and title (2"). 


These leaves are made from paper.  I stamped the images from the Fall Harvest stamp set (item C1504) on colonial white cardstock and then colored them using our new markers.  Finish off with some brads, hemp and new burlap ribbon (item Z1760).  Now I need to get to the craft store and purchase some garland to finish off the mantle.


Have a memorable day,
Sheila

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Pear & Partridge Holiday Scrapbook Layouts

Join me in November to make these festive scrapbook pages.  I love the patterns and colors of the Pear & Partridge collection, including the charming dimensional elements.

 

Tip: Print titles and journaling using a word processing program and print on cardstock.










Here's a sample of those coordinating dimensional elements I mentioned. 


And this is a combination of the complementary rub-ons and stamped images.

Items used:
G1052 Pear & Partridge Scrapbooking Kit
Includes X7162C Glittery Rub-Ons and Z1326 Assorted Sparkles
Z1772 Dimensional Elements In Color - Holiday
Click here to order yours.

Have a memorable day,
Sheila
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Thursday, October 4, 2012

Owl-o-ween is Coming

I love using up scraps. I get to be creative and clean up at the same time.  If you saw my craft room right now, you might think I need to use up more scraps in a hurry.  It's a mess in here, but I've been busy organizing albums and scrapbook layouts.  Anyway, I want to share these Halloween cards I created using up scraps from the Moonlight workshop kit.


Have a memorable day,
Sheila

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Studio J - Buy 9, Get 1 Free!

A few of my favorite things about Studio J
  • No cropping of photos, just click and drag to a photo well. The program sizes it for me.
  • Use paper kits that are no longer available for purchase.
  • Resize My Stickease to be large or small, and use the same image multiple times.
  • Tombow adhesive never runs out since I don't need it for online scrapbooking.
  • Accessories and ribbon are available in a wide variety of colors.
  • Can change the color of patterned paper to fit my needs.
  • Pay nothing until I purchase completed layouts.
  • Free layouts in October!


October is the month to save on Studio J® layouts. In this special promotion, when you buy 9 Studio J layouts, you’ll get another custom-printed layout for free! It’s the perfect opportunity to try this fast and easy online software for the first time. The discount is automatically applied to your cart when you order 10 or more layouts. You can get up to 4 free layouts with this fantastic promotion! So what are you waiting for? Start your online scrapbooking today!

Visit Studio J to place a qualifying order and get your free layout—only in October!
*Taxes and shipping/handling may apply. Offer good during above-specified dates, while supplies last.

Here are a few Studio J Layouts from my collection:
This Zippidee paper is no longer available for purchase but it's available in Studio J, and it's perfect for my 2011 Convention photos taken at the Disneyland Resort.
This Wonderland paper is no longer available for purchase, but I was able to use it Studio J for our snowmobiling vacation.
This is an exclusive paper kit available only in Studio J.  The cupcake print and banner are very hip.

Visit Studio J and give it a try.  It's free to play,  You don't pay for a thing until you purchase completed layouts.

Have a memorable day,
Sheila

Monday, October 1, 2012

Halloween Countdown

Aren't these blocks adorable?  It's the bonus project for the Moonlight Workshop On The Go shown on page 59 of the Fall/Winter 2012 Idea Book from Close To My Heart.  These countdown blocks are easy to make and don't require much in the way of paper.  You'll need two 3" blocks (Z1746), one set of dimensional elements Number (Z1681) and coordinating Haunted Assortment doo-dads (Z1741).  Click here to see assembly instructions.  The stamped images and paper are from the Moonlight Workshop kit (G1051).

October Stamp of the Month: Very Merry Christmas


I know, it's October 1st and the high in Phoenix is 102 degrees today!  But it's time to start gearing up for the holidays.  Christmas is 12 weeks away.  The October Stamp of the Month is loaded with holiday images to help you create cards, gifts, and scrapbook pages. 


Here's a quick card I made this weekend. I made my own patterned paper using the image of the tree and presents. That little added shimmer is Shimmer Trim self-adhesive ribbon (Item #Z1799). I love it!

Have a memorable day,
Sheila
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