My Baby Girl is Already 3 Months!

Merry Christmas Eve!  My little girl turned three months old and I used one of the free images with my trial subscription on the Cricut Explore to cut out a Christmas owl.  I just love his Santa hat and scarf!

 

The chocolate and champagne cardstock was used from some Pathfinding Paper Packet scraps.  The rest of the sign was from the Yuletide Paper Packet.  With the exception of the branch which I just grabbed from my stack of scraps that I never seem to get organized.  But... on this day it served it's purpose.

 

I set this layout up in the Cricut Explore software called Cricut Design Space.  I did it for months 3, 4 and 5.  Mostly because I was wanting to take advantage of other cute owls that are included in the 2 week trial subscription for images.  I learned an important lesson!  That was too many mats on one project.  Maybe my internet is just too slow... that could totally be the problem.  If you are like me - sometimes you cut an image and need to recut it.  In my case there were 12 mats needed and I need to recut something at mat 10 and 11.  To get to that mat you need to patiently wait each time you click next mat.  There must be a better way... This means I need to spend more time working with the machine to figure it out.  Bummer!  ;)

 

 

A Hopscotch Thank You

Good Morning.  I shared the second project I made using my Cricut Explore and didn't want to forget to share the very first project.  This card took me literally 10 minutes to make.  It would have been even less but I was motivating myself to get other stuff done when the machine was cutting, so I wasn't right there when it stopped each of the phases.

This card was created by Cricut and is one of their ready-made projects.  All you have to do is choose the project, chose your paper and load your mat.  It almost feels like cheating to include it on my blog, so I'm trying to balance that out by sharing how much I truly love this machine.  :)

I chose this card because it has some intricate cuts and I wanted to see how it worked right out of the gate.  One of the cutting problems I ran into with my Cricut Expressions 1 was that I didn't seem to get the pressure and speed right.  That guessing work has been taken out of the equation with the Cricut Explore.

I have wanted to use the Hopscotch Paper Packet since it made it's way to my doorstep a couple months ago and decided the shapes the Explore was going to cut for the card would match one of the patterned papers perfectly.  I hope you like it. 

Yuletide Christmas Banner

Good Morning!  I'm very excited about the Merry Christmas banner I created using the Yuletide Carol CTMH paper packet along with the coordinating Yuletide Carol Assortment.

This was the second project I made with my new Cricut Explore.  I have to say that I absolutely love this machine.  For all my accounting friends out there this Cricut is like moving from manual posting of journal entries on green sheets to an accounting software that posts the transactions with the click of a button. 

I decided on the Yuletide Carol paper for a couple reasons.  First, I really like deep reds and deep greens.  Secondly, I liked the way there were a couple papers in the packet that already had their own distinguishing characteristics.  For example, the red paper I used for the M in Merry was mostly red but also included some cream swirls. 

It was easy to use the leftover scraps from cutting out the banner to help add more color and excitement to each of the letters.  In addition to the scraps I used the Gold Shimmer Trim,  Gold Sequins and the Bling Gems Gold Assortment.

Seasonal Expressions Is Out!

Orders can be made from Close To My Heart's Seasonal Expressions starting December 1st! There are so many fun new things in this catalog.  I love using embossing folders and there is a new one with cute little hearts on it (see page 11.)  Hopscotch might just be my new favorite paper packet (see page 19.) Visit my website at www.melissabigler.ctmh.com.

Who's Thankful for Pumpkins?

I am!  My son and I made 6 of these little cuties over the weekend and they came together pretty fast.  The clay pots and saucers were spray painted and left in the garage overnight.  The "stems" are just little knobs that we painted with Crayola washable paint and the "vines" were shaped by wrapping the wire around a pencil.  We used a hot glue gun to hold the stem and vines to the pumpkin.

Lesson Learned - Nail polish works to remove orange paint from your hands if you happen to be messy like us.  :)

Are you a digial scrapbooker? Studio J is for You!!

Close To My Heart Studio J digital scrapbooking is celebrating it's 5th Anniversary.  What does that mean to you?  They are having a sale called Studio J Lucky 5!

Layouts purchased during November are just $5 each.  That's a 25% discount.  You still have a week to take advantage of this great deal.  This is just one of the 5 way to win during November by purchasing Studio J layouts.  Visit my website for more details.  http://www.melissabigler.ctmh.com/

It's the Little Things

I've been excited to use the new CTMH Shadow Box to display a scrapbook page on our wall.  Thanksgiving felt like the perfect time!   I'm using the Pathfinding Paper Packet as well as the Pathfinding Complements.

The November Stamp of the Month It's the Little Things was used to add a sentiment with Barn Red Exclusive Ink in the bottom right corner.  I also used a couple different leaves with Olive Exclusive Ink to add to the coordinating cardstock.

I'm really excited with how this turned out!  There will be 3 pictures of Connor holding his new sister in it. 

Our Little Lady is Already One Month

Good Morning!

Each month I want to take a picture of Emily holding a little sign that says the month.  I'm so excited to see the progression of her changes throughout the year and then, of course, make the perfect scrapbook page(s) to go with it.

I'm using the Lollydoodle paper packet here.  This was definitely a favorite paper packet of mine from the summer for making cards and it seemed fitting that it should be used for the first month.  I used the Artiste CTMH Cricut Collection.  The fun circle is from page 77 cut at 3 1/2 inches.  I decided to use the negative instead of the actual cutout.  I then cut some flowers from scraps to add with 3-D foam tape to add some dimension. 

Halloween Treat Bags

I've been wanting to use the new Artfully Sent Cricut Collection and making treat bags for my son's Halloween party at school gave me the perfect excuse.  This cartridge truly does so many amazing things and this is only one of the 700 images that this one cartridge will do.  What I like about this spider is it's a little scary looking and that it's web is attached so I could make them look like they were hanging on the word.  (See page 43 - I used 3 inches and 2 inches.)

Connor recently had a fieldtrip and needed to take a sack lunch to school, so I ended up with lots of extra paper bags that I didn't know what to do with.  Using them up was the starting point of this idea.

Happy Halloween!

Trunk or Treat Banner

Here is a fun banner I made using some Halloween paper I was able to get super cheap last year at Michaels after Halloween had come and gone.  How cheap you ask?  Twenty-five pages for $1.49!!  I was saving it for just the right occasion and I'm happy with how this banner came out.

I made this particular one to display my Church's name at a local Trunk or Treat.  It would be fun to have one at a Halloween party or around the house as holiday decorations.

Art Philosophy Cricut Collection from Close To My Heart:
Banner triangles - page 49 at 8 in.

Artiste Cricut Collection from Close To My Heart:
Scalloped circle - page 77 at 3 3/4 in.
Spider web - page 76 at 3 1/2 in.
Banner name - 2 1/2 in.

Halloween Decorations

Happy Saturday!  I've made some Halloween decorations to help decorate a trunk for a Trunk or Treat tonight.  I'm super excited to see them in action.

 

I used two of the Close To My Heart Cricut Collections.  The Artiste for BOO, Eek, skeletons and spider webs (see page 76 and 77 of the cartridge booklet) and then I used the Artbooking collection for pumpkins and spiders (see page 54 of the cartridge booklet.)

 

One More Purse! I just have to!

Good Morning!  Today I wanted to show you my Huntington paper packet purse created using the Artiste Cricut Cartridge.  This paper packet was from last fall and I have to say that it is what pulled me into being a consultant.  I just loved it!

By cutting the same purse and folding it on the opposite side I was able to create two different looking purses.  On the one I used a solid color to add a bit of pop and on the other I used the zip strip that I never like to see go to waste.  All purses need a little bling so I added in a couple sparkles to the trim on each purse.  The leaves were also cut from Artiste in a couple different sizes on solid and patterned paper.

Let's Get Crafty at a Craft Fair!

This past weekend I attended a craft fair for the first time as a vendor!  It was a lot of fun and luckily my sister-in-law was able to be there and help with my little one.  She slept through most of the day and was in pretty good spirits. 

The picture below shows part of my booth.  I had another table with a lot more cards on display.  You'll recognize a lot of projects as things I have been blogging about throughout the summer and here recently.

Happy Papercrafting!

Snowhaven Artiste Purses!!

Good Morning!  I have created a couple different purses using the Artiste Cricut Collection today.  I used the zip strip included on the B&T (background and textured paper) from the Snowhaven Paper Packet to embellish the purse cut from page 33 of the cricut guide (see page 4 of the assembly guide for instructions on putting it together.)  I still love love LOVE shimmer trim and used the silver shimmer trim to add some sparkle to the purse.

The Santa Claus Stamp Set is a steal at $13.95 and I used it for the image on each purse with the black or cranberry exclusive ink.

Artiste Coffins!! Loving CTMH Cricut Cartridges!

Hello there!  I used the Artiste Cricut Collection to make a coffin last week and sat down today to make 6 more!  I'm going to a craft fair this weekend and wanted to have more on hand.

I used the Scaredy Cat paper packet and the loved the foam tape to help add some dimension.

Thanks for stopping by.

Artiste Frosted Purses

Good Morning!  I created some CTMH purses this morning using the Artiste Cricut Collection.  I'm excited to be making some different things from my craftroom.  My idea is to put some small candies in the middle and I'm hoping to sell a few at a craft fair this weekend.

The purse itself can be found on page 32 of the Cricut guide and the assembly directions are on page 4 of the assembly guide.  The embellishment on the front of the purse was something I made up using the Accent 1 on page 55 of the Cricut guide.  I cut the larger one at 3 inches and the smaller one fits in the larger one nicely at 2 inches.

Trick or Treat Mini Album

Good Morning!  I created a mini album using the Artbooking Cricut Collection.  This project came to be one day when my son was wanting to play in the craftroom with the Cricut.  He loves Halloween and was excited about the idea when I showed him.

It came together in under an hour and was very easy to do.  I liked using a fun background paper to show through the negative space that coordinated with the theme.  The space behind the orange holding the Trick or Treat title would be a great spot to include a picture.

All the cuts in this book are from the Artbooking cartridge.  The Artiste Cricut Collection also has Halloween specific items that would look awesome included in this book.

I'm excited to try a Christmas mini album!!  Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

Do You Love CTMH Products?

Do you want to save money on the CTMH products you buy?  Order a New Consultant Starter Kit!!

One of the many new awesome ideas that came from the 2014-2015 Annual Inspirations book is the way starter kits are sold.  For $99 you can choose whether you want a starter kit geared towards Cardmaking OR Scrapbooking.  Click on the links to see what is specifically included in each kit.

Scrapbooking Starter Kit:

Cardmaking Starter Kit:

Please contact me at http://melissabigler.ctmh.com with any additional questions.  I would love to have you join my team.

No Tricks Only Treats

Hello There!  Here's a super easy Halloween card that I just love using the Scaredy Cat Paper Packet.  Orange is one of my favorite colors and I just love this little card.  Also used is the Scaredy Cat Assortment black stars.

The sentiment is stamped using the Archival Black exclusive ink stamp pad.  The archival black is used instead of the regular black ink pad to ensure a solid black for the solid parts of the stamp.  The Halloween Greetings stamp set includes the sentiment that was used along with 9 other Halloween related stamps.  The Artiste Cricut Collection cut out the shape of the sentiment.

Halloween Papercrafting with Artiste!

Hello!  I'm really excited to share the coffin I made using the Artiste Cricut Collection and the Scaredy Cat paper packet.  A really cool thing about the Artiste Cartridge is it also includes a booklet with assembly instructions.

The spider web, spiders and cat are also cut from Artiste.  October 31 is cut using the Halloween Greetings stamp set and the corner rounder was used on a piece of slate paper (included in the paper packet) cut to fit the stamp image.  The zip strip was used to add an added embellishment to the top side of the coffin lid.

Christmas Tags

Each year I'm hopeful I will make my own tags to attach to Christmas gifts.  This year I'm hopeful again.  The difference is the October CTMH Stamp of the Month will make it a snap to do.  With a $50 purchase from my website this set can be yours for only $5.  That's a $17.95 value for only $5!  This set coordinates with the Art Philosophy Cricut Collection.  One of the many things I love about CTMH is that even though they have the brand new (and fabulous!) Artfully Sent Cricut Collection out that they are still rolling out new stamp sets using Cricut Collections that have already been out. 

This set also isn't limited to just tags.  The Bear and Christmas bulb wit "dreaming believing wishing" would be awesome for cards.

See below for a few tags I created using this stamp set.  I made my Cricut cuts on White Daisy Cardstock and used the Topiary and Cranberry Exclusive Ink Pads.

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day.

Cardmaking with Pathfinding

The Pathfinding Workshop on the Go Cardmaking kit makes 5 each of 3 different style cards for a total of 15 cards.  One of the things I really like about the workshop on the go kits is how you are given the opportunity to use so many of the stamps included in the stamp set.

I especially like the wood grain stamp in this set and the feather.  The wood grain was used in two ways.  One directly on the card and then again on another card by stamping it on glacier paper.

Other supplies used to make these cards:
Chocolate Exclusive Ink Pad
Desert Sand Exclusive Ink Pad
Glacier Exclusive Ink Pad
Goldrush Exclusive Ink Pad
3-D Foam Tape

Cardmaking with Seaside

Today I have for you a couple easy cards using the Seaside Paper Packet.  I really like the way the Pear Exclusive Ink complements the paper packet.

The Have a Happy Day stamp set has so many fun stamps.  These two cards give you a chance to use 9 of the 19 stamps in the set!

Other Supplies Used:
Silver Sequins
NEW Thistle Exclusive Ink
Whisper Exclusive Ink
Thistle Diagonal Striped Ribbon
Colonial White Cards and Envelopes

Sweet Moments



This card came together with a couple thoughts in mind... I wanted to play some more with the September Stamp of the Month and I LOVE fall colors.  This was a perfect excuse for me to pull out the colorful Pathfinding Paper Packet that includes all the colors I love.



 

This was my first time using glitter paper.  The Teal Glitter Paper matched the paper packet perfectly.  I love the way it accented the card and was much easier to cut than I anticipated.

 



Other supplies:
Woodgrain Embossing Folder
Autumn Terracotta Exclusive Ink
Olive Exclusive Ink
Colonial White Card and Envelope

Fun with the New Cricut Cartridge

Today I have a fun Thank You card that was created using the new CTMH Artfully Sent Cricut Collection.  When the cricut cuts this card there is a perforated half circle to easily add the layer to the card.  The Happy Birds stamp set includes the flower stamped on this card in the new Flaxen exclusive ink stamp pad.

The half fold on the front of the card is the perfect time to use the new Score Board.

Chalk It Up

Here's a quick and easy scrapbook layout that uses the Chalk It Up paper packet and the September Stamp of the Month.

I love the way the sorbet and lagoon paper look next to each other.  The zip strips included on the background and texture (B&T) paper is awesome with a paisley pattern.  The sorbet exclusive ink pad gives a nice darker color when stamped on the same color paper with the heart.

As a reminder - spend $50 in CTMH products and you can purchase the Stamp of the Month for $5.  That's a $17.95 value for only $5.  Pretty awesome deal.

Hello Sunshine!

This card was also created using the new Artfully Sent CTMH Cricut Collection.  I really like how the Hello stands out compared to the sun.

This 5x7 card uses the Have a Happy Day stamp set for the flower and leaves.

REMINDER:
September is National Stamping Month: Along with it we are celebrating our owner, Jeanette Lynton's 30th anniversary in the stamping industry with a special stamp set you can earn for FREE called #30yearsofhappy.  This darling set is yours for FREE when you spend $30 on any current retail-priced stamps during the month of September. This set is valued at $13.95.  Once you've spent your $30 in stamps, that gives you almost 50% more back in value for FREE!

To take advantage of these specials go to: http://melissabigler.ctmh.com/ 
Click on the PROMOTIONS drop down link to see more specifics of each special

NEW!! CTMH Artfully Sent Cricut Collection

Hot off the presses!  There is a new Cricut Collection from Close To My Heart called Artfully Sent that is officially released and can be purchased from my website. 

Collection includes: 1 – Cartridge (700 images: Cards and Font)
3 – My Acrylix® D-size stamp sets
1 – 12" × 12" White Daisy Cardstock Pack

Cardmaking has never been easier or more fun! With our newest Cricut® collection, you can make handmade masterpieces in no time at all. Choose from cards with sentiments cut directly into them, or combine several cutouts to create your own pop-up scenes. Featuring more than 25 different card themes and 5 different card formats including dynamic interactive designs, this cartridge has a card for any and all occasions—even if the occasion is "just because"! Card styles include pop-ups, scenes, sentiments, sleeves, and pocket cards.

Below is a beautiful 5x7 card made with the new CTMH Cricut Artfully Sent Collection.  It is layered with two cricut cuts.  One for the front of the card and one for the inside of the card.  The birds are from the stamp set Happy Birds using the new Glacier and Thistle exclusive stamp pads.  Also used on this card are the Gold Sequins and Gold Shimmer Trim.

Snowhaven Card Workshop on the Go

I'm so excited to share some Christmas cards with you today.  Cardmaking Workshops on the Go with Close To My Heart are awesome and the Snowhaven Cardmaking kit is no exception.  For only $24.95 you can put together 15 cards and have the envelopes to send them in to boot.

One of the things I really like about all the workshops on the go (both cardmaking and scrapbooking kits) are the leftovers once the project is complete that can be used for other projects.  Of course they all come with a full size stamp set that can be used on endless projects to come but there are other goodies too.  In this particular cardmaking kit there is a lot of silver shimmer trim as well as the cute little red hearts. 

Enjoy!