Merry Christmas

                              For to us a child is born,
                                      to us a son is given,
                                      and the government will be
                                      on his shoulders.
                              And he will be called
                                      Wonderful Counsel
                                       Mighty God,
                                       Everlasting Father,
                                       Prince of Peace.
                                                                                                   Isaiah 9:6

Merrry Christmas!

Traveling by Donkey

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, becaurse he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
                                                                                                 Luke 2:4-5

Enjoy your Day!

The Shepherds and the Angels

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
                                                                                                                                  Luke 2:8-12

Enjoy your day!

Wise Men Still Seek Him

Enjoy your Day!

Unstoppable

Here's my #31 in action. This year Dalton was a captain and leader on our team. I decided to take a few pics that show what this amazing young man can do.

Studio J made this layout really come together. I changed the Elemental paper to blue & gold our school colors.

Enjoy your day!

Roxie Art Philosophy Card

Using the Cricut AP cartridge I cut this card at 4 1/4". The heart is cut out of the center, so easy! Then taking that heart cut out I stamped the heart with Smoothie ink and mounted it to the inside of the card. When the card is closed the heart sits in the center of the cut out.

I covered the front of the card with Roxie B/T paper cut 4"x4" square. Then I took 2 small hearts stamped with Smoothie ink and mounted them onto the front of the card, one with mounting tape to add some dimension.

In each corner I added some Glitz Glitter for faux brads. Sponging the edges with Chocolate ink finishes this card.

Enjoy your day!

A Sign of the Times

A SIGN OF THE TIMES

As a little girl climbed onto Santa's lap, Santa asked the usual, "And what would
you like for Christmas?"

The child stared at him open mouthed and horrified for a minute, then gasped:
"Didn't you get my email??!!"

Enjoy your day!

A Twist

I saw this card on the CTMH bulletin board and forgot to pin it to give credit...sorry! The original card was done with red but I wanted to use a twist on the traditional colors we think of when we think of Valentine's day.

So Lagoon is the go to color. I used my Cricut AP to cut out the hearts, stamped them with the Lagoon ink. Mounting them on 1" squares of Lagoon cardstock with mounting tape makes them pop.

A 1 1/2" wide strip of Daisy white cardstock is stamped with the swirl stamp and Lagoon ink. Edged with black cardstock 1/4" wide. I find the easiest way to do this is to cut a piece of cardstock 1/2" wide, put adhesive on the back of the main strip then pick up the black cardstock. Layer this onto the card.

Adhere the 1" squares with hearts on top of the swirl strip, spacing evenly.
Stamp the sentiment with Lagoon ink in the upper right hand corner. Add a black ribbon to the left corner with a Bling brad in the center. Or if ribbons aren't your thing, try 3 black brads in it's place.

Enjoy your day!

Mad About You...

So it's been awhile...sorry! As you know it's December and 11 days before Christmas. Are you ready? Yah, me either. That said I wanted to share a few cards I did recently for a really good friend who wanted Valentine's day cards as she doesn't send Christmas cards. Talk about switching gears. I'm so doing Christmas right now and to even think about Valentine's day is a stretch.

I used the December stamp of the month "Mad about You" and the Roxie paper packet. Roxie is one of the paper packets that will continue into the new Spring/Summer Idea book...I wonder if I'm supposed to tell you that?! Oh well, too late.

Stamping the swirl border down the edge of the card with Chocolate then cutting around and sponging creates a nice edge. Putting a 1" wide strip of B/T paper makes it stand out more.

Stamps one large heart with Smoothie ink then mask it. To do this I like to stamp the heart on a post-it note, cut it out, cover the stamped heart on the card with the post-it. Then ink up your heart again, stamp a second heart next to and on top of part of the post-it. Once you remove the post-it the second heart will look like it's behind the first heart.

Stamp with Smoothie ink the swirl onto the paper butterfly, sponge the edges. Place mounting tape under the body of the butterfly and adhere to the card. Place a sparkle for the head. Stamp the swirl with Chocolate ink for the butterfly trail.

Sponge all around the card with Chocolate ink. Stamp sentiment with Chocolate ink.

Enjoy your day!

Touchdown!!

In all the years my son played football, he always played defense. This year, and alittle last year, they had him playing both ways.

These pictures of his first & only touchdown were taken by a professional photographer who's nephew is on the team. Frame by frame you can see Dalton heading to the end zone. I too snapped pictures but at the same time I was screaming....so these pics are better than mine!

I've actually used the Elemental paper packet but changed the colors of the B/T paper to our school colors. It's amazing how fast this was and how much fun!

Enjoy your day!

Family Faces

When we go to my in-laws for Thanksgiving the dynamics are hilarious! My husband & his brother are like a comedy show. We all could just stand around and watch the them. Throw in my father in-law and all bets are off.

We all bring our dogs, notice Angus & Rosie, and in all there are 5 dogs roaming around. Crazy!

This was the last Thanksgiving before my son goes away to college next year. Needless to say, I had a few "moments" were I was all choked up. But I am excited to see where God places him and I'm choosing to be enjoy this time.

Enjoy your day!

Give Thanks

Do you have your Thanksgiving pictures scrapbooked? I do!! I know, it's not nice to gloat but with Studio J I am on top of all the pictures I took at Thanksgiving.

Dreamin' paper packet works perfect for these pictures, so that's what I used.

Do you need help with your scrapbooking? Want to learn more about Studio J? I offer free 1/2 hour demonstrations at your convenience....let me know when you want to have a quick demo and I'll show you more.

Enjoy your day!

Making Cookies

I always take pictures. It's kinda my thing. But this is the first time I've taken pics of the day we do our holiday baking. Not sure why I never thought of it before....duh!

In Studio J I used the Believe paper packet and the Stickease that come with it. I will admit this isn't my favorite Christmas paper packet CTMH has ever come out with. But this paper was perfect for these pictures.

My sister and niece ham it up for the camera. It actually took a few shots to get my niece to smile for the camera. What is it about teenagers? Why can't they just smile normal for a picture? Oh yeah, that's right...they are teenagers! Ugh! But she is an amazing young woman, except when we want to take pictures, and she is going to be a good baker. Poor thing, this year she was the designated "ball roller". It seemed that all the cookies she helped with entailed making round balls out of the dough. By the end of the day it was the running joke...poor Steph!

My nephew was a trooper. He put up with his Mom & me, and kept everyone on track.

Enjoy your day!

My Baking is Done!!

A tradition in my family is the Saturday after Thanksgiving my sister and get together to do all our holiday baking. We have been doing this for about 20 years and though it is alot of work, it is done with so much love & alot of laughter. In the last few years we have added my nephew and niece to help too. And my Dad & stepmom stop by to help and visit.

The first picture is of the Spritz cookie we make. Now we each will take a dough, mix it up and then we all help with the baking. Except the Spritz cookie. This cookie is all mine.
Not because I'm better at it but because it's one of those cookies that can really frustrate you. I always start my day with a double batch in green which I made into trees. I then went into red flowers and finished with white bars. All the batches got decorations that really brought them to life

In the meantime, everyone else is busy making other types of cookies. All in all we make 8 different kinds of cookies. Several hundred cookies are made to share with family and friends. Whenever I have somewhere to go, I take them a plate of cookies. It's amazing the "Ohhh's" and "Ahhh's" I get. Really fun!

Do you have a tradition in your family? If not, why not start one this year. We only have one lifetime and when our loved ones are gone we can't get that time back.
So take time spend it with loved ones, laugh alittle, love alot!

Enjoy your day!

Windsor Knot

Way back in October was Homecoming. It seems so long ago.

Dalton decided he wanted to learn how to tie a Windsor knot in his tie. So out came the iphone and u-tube to the rescue. I'm still amazed at the videos out there. Seems like you can find one for just about anything. And yes, there are several on how to tie a Windsor knot.

While in his bathroom watching the video and tying the tie, I was snapping pictures. Dalton has gotten used to me and my camera. Not that he always appreciates it but too bad! The dogs also were watching him so I snapped a picture of Angus while I was at it.

I used the Roxie paper packet, believe it or not. I love this packet and I think it looks good! I used the Stickease and created my own colleague and layered over some of the sentiments.

Isn't he handsome? Thanks, I think so too!

Enjoy your day!

Honoring God & Coaches

At our Fall Sports Award night they called all the senior parents & athletes up to the front of the chapel to pray over them. How awesome it that?! Anyway, I loved that our friend was able to snap a picture of Duke & I with Dalton and Sebi. Let me tell you I was very choked up and this is just the beginning of the end of high school. Sometimes I wonder how I'm ever going to make it through this year....in His strength, not mine that's how!

Again, using You Rock paper packet in Studio J, I was able to create a layout quickly and with no mess, no fuss. I drag & dropped the pictures into the photo wells then started having fun playing with the Stickease and Text boxes.

I love that I can resize the Stickease, layer them and make my own design. I'm not hampered by what someone else thinks is good but I can use my own taste & creativity. I removed the pre-set text boxes and put titles on all my pictures with no paper behind them so they look like I wrote on each picture. I really like this technique and it's very easy to do.

When you don't want paper or vellum behind your text all you have to do is click on the text box area which will bring up the "menu" box. Click on the button to set the background color and click on the "none" button. This way when you click off there is no paper behind your text box. Otherwise if you don't pick a color of paper the text box will default to vellum behind it.

Want more hands on? Attend on of my Studio J 101 classes and learn more. Check out my calendar starting back up in January for dates and times.

Enjoy your day!

Team Mom

It's been awhile...so sorry! It is the holiday season and I promise I've been busy but you wouldn't know it by my lack of posting. So I want to share the Studio J layouts I've been working on.

This layout is from the fall sports award night. As you know, I finished up my tenure as Team Mom and thankfully, someone clicked a picture as I was gifted beautiful flowers & goodies.

This paper packet is called You Rock and I've used it alot because our school colors are blue & gold.

So what is different in this layout? I have changed alot of the papers to different patterns by bringing substituting ones that worked better for me  and removed text boxes to add my Stickease accents, then added a text box where I wanted to journal. I liked the toggle accents so I left them as they come on the pattern, where normally I remove them. I also almost always Distress my cardstock and I did that here too.

I love that I didn't have to have pictures printed or resized. I did this layout in about 30 minutes start to finish. Ahhhh! I LOVE Studio J!!

Enjoy your day!

Happy Thanksgiving

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November

Today as you celebrate all the blessings you have received I hope that you are thankful for the freedom that we all enjoy because of the men & women who serve our country. As they are away from their families I hope that you will ask for a special blessing for them.

Enjoy your day!

Football is Over

Here are the final 2 cards I made for Thank You's for the coaches Monday nigt at the awards ceremony. I liked how they turned out.

My bestest buddy and fellow team Mom, Lisa,  wrote a wonderful sentiment for the inside. We added alittle gift and that's it! All done with football! I've turned my Team Mom title over to the next blessed lady who will watch over these fine young men. What an honor it has been for 3 years being "Mom" to 55+ young men every year. I will miss them all but am excited to see what God has in store for them all.

Go Eagles!!

A Fond Thank You

One of the things I love about being a CTMH consultant is that I have access to all kinds of goodies! One of those being PAPER!! I've been accused of having a "paper habit" and it would be true.

So when it's time for cards I always offer to make them. 1.because I love to do it and 2. I can personalize them using all my goodies.

This is one of the cards I made to thank all the wonderful people who help with football. Since our school colors are blue/gold I used Outdoor Denim & Honey.

Get out the Cricut and the Sports Mania cartridge....can you believe I'm not using the Art Philosophy cartridge?! Anyway, after cutting the football frame in Chocolate cardstock I then layered onto the Honey & Outdoor Denim cardstock.

Stamping a thank you from the set Card Chatter (C1381) in Outdoor Denim and sponging the edges with Honey ink. Done!!

Enjoy your day!

Christmas Front Door

I pinned this card on Pinterest, http://ejoym.blogspot.com/2011/11/metal-holiday.html, and I love it. The original card is 8"x 3 1/2" but I wanted to have a standard sized card so I adapted it.

You will cut the panel at (2) at 3"x1 1/2" and (1) at 3 1/4"x 1 1/2". Sponge these panel with chocolate ink. Mount with mounting tape to card base.
Cut a 2 1/2" circle and stamp Remarkable Wreath with Cocoa. Add Cranberry berries. Cut out center with exacto knife. Sponge inside/outside of wreath with Cranberry ink.
Add ribbon to back of wreath. Mount wreath with mounting tape to card.
Add bow.
Add Antique Brad for door knob
With Glitz Glitter Red add to berries and with Liquid Applique add some white berries/heat to puff.

Enjoy your day!

Luke 2:14

                                                       Glory to God in the highest,
                                                             and on earth peace,
                                                           good will toward men        
                                                                                          Luke 2:14

Can you imagine traveling by camel following a star in the sky because an angel told you to? Me either but that's what brave men did. To a star which pointed their way to the birth place of Jesus Christ. This Savior, who took on human flesh to offer it up as payment for my sin.

I love Christmas and the reason we celebrate the season. When I saw this card on my upline, Naomi Smith's blog, I knew I had to make my own version.

Using Colonial White cs (4"x5 1/2") base I stamped the saying in Cranberry ink
Layering Colonial White cs (2 1/2"x4 1/2") onto Cranberry cs (2 5/8"x4 5/8") I then stamped with Cocoa ink the wisemen and the star in the sky. Using cs torn at an angle to replicate hills, I sponged Cocoa ink. Then came back in and stamped the town for dimension. Adding a Sparkle to the center of the star finishes it off.

Enjoy your day!

Brrrrr!!

                                    Card closed

                                    Showing the single 'Z' fold
            

                                Alittle bling & sparkle


It's starting to be chilly here in Washington and there is snow in the mountains. I love snow but prefer it to stay in the mountains! This card is as close to a snowflake as I want to get for awhile! I know, what a weenie!

I used a single Z-fold on this card. Take a standard card fold in half. Then using a scor-pad ( I use Martha Stewart's) score the front flap in half at the 2 1/8". Then fold that flap in half again so you have a Z (see photo).

I layered Wonderland B/T paper on the front panel (2"x5 1/4") and a piece on the inside (4"x5 1/4").
Cut out your snowflake on the Cricut using the AP cartridge. Stamp the outline & filler stamp in Twilight ink. Adhere 1/2 of the snowflake on the front panel of the card.

I added a Bling brad and Glitz Glitter silver to the snowflake too.

Sentiment stamped in Twilight on the 2nd panel. You don't see it until you open the card.

Enjoy your day!

Milepost Shapes

My friend Carla did a card like this earlier this year and I loved it. What I remember about it was the great use of the Milepost Shapes and adding sparkle with the Glitz Glitter.

So here's my take on her card from my fading memory! I have used the Holiday Wishes stamp set available this month. On a standard card I stamped the tree with Topiary ink. I stamped the sentiment in Holiday Red ink Then using the Topiary marker I added lines to frame the tree. In each corner I added Red Glitz Glitter for a faux brad look. The star is on with mounting tape and then Red Glitz Glitter is added into the grooves.

Alittle sparkle, alittle shine....Thanks Carla!

Enjoy your day! 

Holiday Wishes

I love the simplicity of this card and that the tree can be cut on the Cricut saving time. I've used the November special stamp set Holiday Wishes and the Roxie paper packet.

A standard card layered with Roxie B/T paper (4"x5 1/4") and edges sponged with Smoothie ink. A piece of Cocoa cs (3"x4") adhered down to the center of the card. Cut from Daisy white cs a tree using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge and stamp the tree using Smoothie ink then sponge the edges with the Smoothie ink. Then cut a 2nd tree from Smoothie cs increasing the size by 1/4". Mount the stamped tree with mounting tape onto the Smoothie cs tree, glue down to center of card on top of Cocoa cs.
Cut a piece of Daisy white cs 1/2"x 3", stamp sentiment, sponge edges, adhere to card.
Add Glitz glitter silver to stamped tree.

You can receive this stamp set easy-peasie! Just place a $25. stamp order and get this set of  9 stamps for only $5.00. Go to my personal shopping site by clicking the Shop With Me button on the right hand side of the blog!
Enjoy your day!

Believe

Check out the cute things you can make with the Believe paper packet. Interested? Let me know and we can make some in a workshop together.

Enjoy your day!

A Big Thank You to My Veteran

You've met my son, Dalton. Now meet my husband, Duke. Now Duke is not his given name but it is the name that everyone knows him by.

Duke felt called to give back 3yrs ago and the place he felt called back to was the Army. When we were first married he was in the service and after 5 1/2 yrs he got out. We been living life but now we add a weekend every month with the Army.

Dalton is feeling the pull of the military too. He was always GI Joe for Halloween and has always been intrigued with weapons & strategy. So he is applying to West Point Military Academy. We are praying God will place him in the perfect college and trusting in that.

To all veterans I say Thank You for your sacrifice & service to this worderful nation!
Hug a Vet today and give them a big Thank You.

Enjoy your day!

Here's Me

I've been very busy and haven't been doing alot of creating lately. For that I'm sorry! If you wonder what I have been doing, this picture says it all!

We are still playing football! Yep, we are in the playoffs for the first time and loving it. But what that means is I'm busy with taking pics and not making fun stuff. I have been in Studio J with all my pics and I'll show them to you at the end of the month.

We are playing this Saturday. If you think of it, say alittle prayer for safety....and a win!!

Enjoy your day!

A Little Present for You

I love this simple card. I made these last year for all the leaders in my bible study and they were quick yet perfect.

 I got the dimensions from Vicki Wizniuk for the card. Here are the cutting instructions for the presents. 
                                    1" x 1 1/2" B&T (sm present)
                                    1" x 2" B&T (med present)
                                    1" x 2 1/2" B&T (lg present)

Enjoy your day!!

Hand Rolled Roses

Did you ever wonder what we did before the Cricut? We went old school to make roses and hand rolled them. This is a card I made for convention inspired by Jeanette Lynton, our founder & CEO of Close To My Heart.

Using only cardstock I cut 3 circles, one 4" and two 3". Starting from the outside of the circle I spiral cut with my scissors into the center. Once my circle is spiral cut I then rolled the paper starting from the outside of the circle inwards. I roll the paper around the one of my finishing files just to make it easier. Once I've hit the center of the flower & use Liquid glass to glue the flower down.

The leaves are just cut from cardstock then run through my crimper. Remember that tool? It is sure handy to have, too bad we don't still have something like it in the Idea Book.

A simple thank you finishes off the card or on some I used Happy Birthday.

Enjoy your day!

Adorn-able

I made this card last year but I still love it. Using the stamp set Adorn-able (D1446 $17.95) and Cranberry cardstock & B/T paper (retired).

Using a standard sized card, dry emboss Cranberry cs 2" and sand. Place B/T paper 3 1/3" on lower half of card. Scallop cut a 1/2" piece of Daisy white cs, place over seam between cs and B/T paper.

Stamps the solid base in Desert Sand ink, stamp overlay with Cranberry ink. Cut out. Add White pearls and Glitz Glitter to ornament.

Stamps sentiment onto layered cardstock with Cranberry ink. Adhere to card base.

Place mounting tape behind the cut out ornament. Add white grosgrain ribbon to top of ornament.

Enjoy your day!

I Believe

I love the untraditional colors (Pear, Cranberry, Chocolate) used in this card. The stamp set I Believe (C1427 $13.95) has seven images that all have a snowflakes on/in them. This Santa is the largest image and just accented with sparkles is all it needs.

I did not make this card and, unfortunately, the card has no designers name on it. But I think we all can appreciate the nice work she did.

Enjoy your day!

A Thank You Card

I received this beautiful card from my friend Debra! I had attended her jewelry party a few weeks back and with my order she included this fabulous card!

Debra is the gal who several years back contacted me after moving up from California. She was looking for a CTMH consultant who held workshops at their homes and wondered if I did. I of course said "Yes", even though I didn't. Now it wasn't a total fib, I had been pondering starting workshops at my house, I just hadn't gotten to scheduling anything. Let me tell you I got out my calendar and scheduled them right away!!

So to my friend, I say "Thank You" for the beautiful card and the gentle push.

Enjoy your day!

Thanksgiving Paper Bag Card

                                         Created by Sharon Hatch

Received in a swap, I love the use of a commom item we all have around the house.

Fold & trim the bottom of lunch sack to form a point, adhere together.
Fold over bag to create a card base. At this point you can choose to seal the bag or leave it open as a pocket for a treat, gift card, or private note.
Using scissors, cut eneven, wavy edge to pointed end of bas as well as edge of bag.
Now how fun creating a card for within & outside the bag.

Enjoy the day!

Candy Corn Cookies

Look what I made! These cookies were easy & fun to make. My son thought they were "really pretty" but didn't realize that they were shaped like a candy corn candy until his friend Emily pointed it out to him!!

Check out this fun blog:  http://www.sweetsugarbelle.com/?bloggerURL=/2011/05/flowers-in-pots-cookies.html

Enjoy the day!

Kraft Card with Topstitch

Made by Carol Thompson

Received in my national swap package I love how Carol incorporated the Kraft cards with the paper Butterflies. These butterflies come white or with writing on them. You can sponge them, stamp on them, change them to colored by soaking them in reinker & water. There are so many ways to use them.

Don't you love the Dark Chocolate Striped Gosgrain ribbon? Me too! It is about 1 1/4" wide so you can use it wide or cut it down to a narrower size.

Enjoy your day!!

Holiday Wishes for You

I love a good deal, don't you? So have I got a great deal for you. Starting today and running through November 30th you can receive this stamp set for only $5.00 when you order $25. in My Acrylix stamp sets .

I'm very excited about this stamp set especially since all the images can be cut using the Cricut AP cartridge. But if you don't have a Cricut you can definitely cut all the images by hand, no problem!

Sorry I've been MIA lately. It is coming to the end of the football season and, if we win Friday night, we will be heading to the playoffs!! Tonight was the last team dinner I will help with. Am I sad? Kinda, I love these boys BUT then again Thursday are really busy!

I will be ordering my stamp set this weekend....you can too. Online or email me to get yours.

Hoping to post new artwork next week! Have a wonderful weekend and GO EAGLES!!

Enjoy your day!!

Flowers for my Mom

I love fresh flowers. Though, like alot of us, I don't receive them very often. These beautiful flowers were given to me by Dalton on Senior night at the football game. Just thought I'd share them with you!

Enjoy your day!

Celebrate Freedom

I love how in Studio J you can take a small picture and it will resize it for you. The picture of the flag is from the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii. I loved how through the roof of the memorial you can see the flag waving.

When you are in Studio J you can "toggle off" the accessories that are on the layout. Then you can add your own from the embellishments menu. But if you like the accessories that are there, like I did in this pattern, you can colorize them and "BAM"...done!

You can also resize any of the Stickease in the kits. Stickease are just Close To My Heart's way of saying sticker. And by "right clicking" on groupings you've made you can layer items to give it  real texture & depth.