Category: Holidays

Snowflakes and Poinsettias

On By patriciamanhireIn Cardmaking, Christmas Cards, Heartfelt Creations, Holidays8 Comments

Kia Ora Koutou

I have some more Christmas inspiration this month with the Holiday Star collection from Heartfelt Creations. I had so much fun creating this non-traditional card with stunning purple poinsettias and the festive sentiments make Christmas cards so easy to make.

For more details of the products I have used please visit here.

Today’s project was created with products provided by Heartfelt Creations.

Scroll down past the photos for instructions on how to make this card.

Instructions:

Cut a piece of Deluxe Flower Shaping Paper 10’ x 7”, score at 5” along the long side and fold to create a base card of 5” x 7”.  Cut a piece of silver cardstock 5” x 7” and adhere to the front of the card.  Cut a piece of dark purple paper 4 7/8” x 6 7/8”, sponge the edge with Periwinkle ink and adhere over the silver cardstock.

Die cut the outer frame out of light purple pattern paper using the No. 1 day from the HCPC-7363 Holiday Snowflake Frame Die and repeat with light purple cardstock.  Adhere the pattern paper frame to the purple frame, sponge the edges with Periwinkle ink, and adhere to the front of the card. Stamp the Merry Christmas image from the HCPC-3995 Starry Holiday Greetings on purple pattern paper using embossing ink and heat emboss with silver embossing ink. Using the No. 2 and No. 3 dies from the HCPC-7363 Holiday Snowflake Frame Die die cut three decorative frames – one out of previously stamped purple pattern paper, one out of purple cardstock and one out of silver cardstock.  Adhere the purple pattern paper frame to the purple frame.  Sponge the edges with Periwinkle ink and adhere to the centre of the card.  Adhere the silver frame outside of the decorative die as shown.  Stamp the Merry Christmas image from the HCPC-3995 Starry Holiday Greetings Cling Stamp set using embossing ink on Deluxe Flower Shaping Paper and heat emboss with silver embossing powder.  Die cut with the coordinating die.  Die cut two plain dies out of purple cardstock and stack together with the silver letters on the top.  Adhere the sentiment over the stamped image on the front of the card.

Stamp the large and small spray images from the HCPC-3959 Holly Berry Spray Cling Stamp Set in English Ivy on Deluxe Flower Shaping Paper.  Colour the leaves with Leaf Green ink and die cut with the coordinating dies. Add Crystal Clear glitter to the leaves with clear gloss gel medium and a paintbrush.  Adhere a large and small spray to the top right of the card and two small sprays to the bottom left of the card. 

Stamp the small spray image from the HCPC-3958 Small Festive Poinsettia Cling Stamp set in English Ivy ink on Deluxe Flower Shaping Paper.  Colour the leaves with Leaf Green ink and die cut with the coordinating die.  Shape using the coordinating die and add Crystal Clear glitter using clear gloss gel medium and a paintbrush.  Adhere to the top right and the bottom left to create a base for the flowers.

Stamp the small flower images from the HCPC-3957 Large Festive Poinsettia Cling Stamp set in Paris Dusk ink on Deluxe Flower Shaping Paper.  Colour the images with Periwinkle, Violet and Magenta Hue inks and die cut with the coordinating dies.  Colour the backs of the petals with Periwinkle in and then shape using the coordinating mold and assemble with two of each size petal.  Pierce the centres of the flowers and insert the silver pearl stamens and secure them with Dries Clear glue.  Add Crystal Clear glitter using clear gloss gel medium and a paintbrush.  Trim the stamen threads and adhere over the holly sprays with a hot glue gun – one large and one small flower to the top right and one medium and one small flower to the bottom right of the card

Stamp the leaf images from the HCPC-3957 Large Festive Poinsettia Cling Stamp set in English Ivy ink on Deluxe Flower Shaping Paper.  Colour the leaves with Leaf Green and English Ivy inks and die cut with the coordinating die.  Colour the backs of the leaves with Leaf Green ink and shape using the coordinating mold.  Add Crystal Clear glitter using clear gloss gel medium, trim and adhere around the flowers.

Stamp the small leaf spray from the HCPC-3959 Holly Berry Spray Cling Stamp Set in English Ivy ink and die cut with the coordinating die.  Trim and adhere around the flowers and sprays as shown.

Add Crystal Clear glitter to purple rose hip stamens with Dries Clear glue, trim the wires and adhere around the flowers as shown.

Stamp the small snowflake and star images from the HCPC-3994 Large Holiday Star Cling Stamp set in Hero Arts Embossing and Watermark ink and heat emboss with silver embossing powder on Deluxe Flower Shaping Paper.  Die cut with the coordinating die and add some stars around the sentiment as shown and some snowflakes around the flowers. 

To finish, add some iridescent gems to the centres of the stars and snowflakes and around the sentiment as shown.

Other Products Used:

Ranger Archival ink – Violet, Spellbinders Essential Cardstock – Purple Mist, clear gloss gel medium, paintbrush, iridescent gems, Ranger Embossing Powder – Silver, hot glue gun

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Happy Crafting

Patricia

Festive Holly Shadow Box

On By patriciamanhireIn Christmas, Heartfelt Creations, Holidays10 Comments

Kia Ora and Welcome Back.

Today I would like to share a shadow box that I have decorated with the Festive Holly Collection for the Heartfelt Creations Inspiration Wednesday.  This frame is a great way for using the small panels from the paper collection and very simple to decorate with the holly, cardinals and trees.

Materials used:

HCDP1-280 Festive Holly Paper Collection

HCD1-7146 Festive Holiday Die

HCPC-3791 Festive Holly and Cardinal Stamp

HCD1-7145 Festive Holly and Cardinal Die

HCD1-7107 Frolicking Frosty and Spruce Die

HCPC-3749 Snow Kissed Spruce Stamp

HCPC-3795 Window Box Fillers stamp

HCD1-7149 Window Box Fillers Die

HCDA2-450 Stack and Store Daubers

2411159 Dove Blender Pen

159951 Art Glitter Dries White glue

159723 Art Glitter Dries Clear glue

TSMP707 Memento Ink – Bamboo Leaves

TSMP709 Memento Ink – Northern Pine

TSMP808 Memento Ink – Espresso Truffle

TSMP805 Memento Ink – Toffee Crunch

PGM13016 Rajni Chawla Frosting Powder

Other – MDF frame, Nuvo drops – Simply White, Red Berry, Memento Ink – Love Letter, White Cardstock, Zig Clean Colour Brush Markers – 020, 041, 047, 091, 052,  Bristol Smooth Cardstock

Instructions:

Cut small pieces of patterned paper to fit the apertures of the frame and adhere to the frame.  Place the panel with the sentiment in the centre of the frame.

Stamp the lamp from the HCPC-3791 Festive Holly and Cardinal Stamp using the Stazon Black ink on Bristol Smooth cardstock.  Colour in with the Zig Clean Clear Brush markers and die cut with the coordinating die.  Adhere to the bottom left as shown

Stamp the images from the HCPC-3791 Festive Holly and Cardinal Stamp in Tuxedo Black on white cardstock.  Colour the leaves with Bamboo Leaves using the Stack and Store Daubers and colour the berries with Love Letter ink using the Dove Blender pen.  Colour the branches with Toffee Crunch using the Dove Blender pen.  Colour the cardinals using the Love Letter ink and Toffee Crunch ink.  Die cut using the coordinating die.  Trim and place around the frame as shown.

Stamp the trees from the HCPC-3749 Snow Kissed Spruce Stamp stamp set and die cut using the coordinating die.  Add snow effects with the Dries White glue and Rajni Chawla’s Frosting Powder.  Add to the front as shown.

Stamp the bare branches from the HCPC-3795 Window Box Fillers stamp in Tuxedo Black ink and colour the branches with Espresso Truffle ink.  Die cut with the coordinating die.  Add snow effects with Dries White Glue and Frosting Powder and adhere to the bottom of the frame.

Die cut the decorative frame from the HCD1-7146 Festive Holiday Die using white cardstock.  Add to the top of the frame with Dries Clear Glue.  Add dots around the die cut with Simply White Nuvo drops.

Have a good week and Happy Crafting.

Ka Kite Anu

Patricia

A Summer Christmas

On By patriciamanhireIn Cardmaking, Christmas, Christmas Cards, Heartfelt Creations, Holidays10 Comments

Kia Ora and Welcome Back

I am so excited to share the new Winter’s Eve Collection that just been released by Heartfelt Creations.

Celebrate the more simple side of the holiday season, and add a touch of nostalgia and wonder to all of your holiday themed greeting cards, scrapbook layouts and altered art pieces with the new Winter’s Eve Collection by Heartfelt Creations. Reminisce Christmas blessings from years gone by with a tranquil collection featuring an array of illustrations bringing back memories of silent nights by candlelight, choir voices resonating from the little church in the wildwood, woodland creatures foraging for food beneath the glistening snow, windows illuminated with the soft glow of a warming fireplace, and beautifully decorated Christmas trees ready to engage the imagination and excitement of little boys and girls eager to see what lies beneath them on Christmas morning! A charming and peaceful paper collection delivering a color palette of icy blues, pine greens, poinsettia pinks, berry reds and frosty whites filled with decorative elements including delicate swirls, subtle checks, bold stripes, dainty florals and lace like accents will whisk you away to a peaceful winter wonderland overwhelming your heart with the comfort and joy of the season! Three wintry themed cling stamp sets along with coordinating dies bring a further touch of simplicity to the season with bouquets of petite flowers and foliage, an old fashioned sled and a window frame with dimensional box ideal for creating warm and inviting scenes featuring a beautifully illustrated candle arrangement, Christmas tree or glowing fireplace. Three intricate and ornamental dies lend themselves beautifully to creating breathtaking decorative die cuts for accenting all of your winter wishes. Come along with us as we set the scene for a tranquil winter’s eve and a happy holiday season!

For more inspiration on this gorgeous collection please visit Heartfelt Creations here: https://www.heartfeltcreations.us/blog/610/debuting-the-winters-eve-collection

Today I am featuring a Christmas card with a summer theme for those of us downunder.  Christmas for me means hot days, barbecues and gardens full of flowers.  In fact, one year it was 33 degrees celsius and we did not know what to do with ourselves as it was so hot.  As soon as I saw all the gorgeous flowers in the Window Box filler set I knew I would make a summer Christmas card.

Materials used:

HCDP1-281 Winter’s Eve Paper Collection

HCD1-7148 Window Frame Die

HCD1-7149 Window Box Fillers Die

HCD1-7150 Window Box Elements Die

HCPC-3794 Window Frame Stamp Set

HCPC-3795 Window Box Fillers Stamp Set

HCPC-3796 Winter’s Eve Stamp Set

TSBL32 Brilliance Pearlescent Coral

TSMP900 Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

TSMP103 Memento Canteloupe

TSMP707 Memento Bamboo Leaves

159723 Art Glitter Dries Clear Glue

85-glitter Ultrafine glitter – Crystal

PGM15015 Rajni Chawla’s Crystal Clear

HCDA2-450Stack and Store Daubers

HCST1-410 Deluxe Flower Shaping Kit

Others – die cutting machine, Spellbinders Fancy Frames 2, Heart of Gold Prills, Stazon Black ink. Bristol cardstock, Zig Clean Colour Brush markers, 041, 047, 026, 091, 031, 028, 067, 040 Hot Glue Gun, Glue Gloss Pen

Instructions – To make the base card cut a piece of cardstock at 10” x 7 “, score and crease at 5” along the long side and fold in half to make the base card at 5’ x 7”.  Cut a piece of the blue and green striped paper from the HCDP1-281 5” x 7” and adhere to the front of the card base.

Cut a piece of Bristol cardstock 3 ½” x 4” and stamp the angel and tree image from the HCPC-7149 using Stazon black ink.  Colour the images with the Zig Clean Colour Brush markers.  Add Crystal glitter to the garlands, star and angel’s wings with Dries Clear glue. Add foam strips down each side of the image.

Cut a piece of patterned paper 3 ¾” x 4 ½” and using the window frame from the HCD1-7148 die cut the rectangle from the front.  Adhere to the foam strips on the painted image to create the window.

Stamp the window from the HCPC-3794 in Tuxedo Black on white cardstock, and die cut with the coordinating die.  Adhere to the front of the aperture.  Die cut the frame and the filigree die from the HCD1-3794 in white cardstock.  Trim the filigree frame die in half and adhere either side of the window as shown.  Adhere the frame to the top of the window as shown.

To make the window box die cut the window box, insert and edge from the HCD1-7150 Window Box Elements Die from white cardstock.  Adhere the tabs to the box with dries clear glue.  Add the insert to the box.

To make the flowers stamp the images from the HCPC-3795 Window Box Fillers with Tuxedo Black. Sponge the flowers with Pearlescent Orchid and Canteloupe using the Stack & Store sponges.  Colour the leaves and stems with Bamboo Leaves.  Die cut out using the coordinating dies.  Add the Crystal Clear glitter to the flowers using the glue gloss.  Add the Heart of Gold Prills to the centre of the flowers with Dries Clear glue.  Add the flowers and leaves in the insert and glue with Dries Clear glue.  When dry adhere to the card at the base of the window.

Stamp the sentiment from the HCPC-3796 Winter’s Eve stamp set using Tuxedo Black ink on a piece of blue paper.  Die cut using the Spellbinders Fancy Frame set and adhere to the front of the window box.

Stamp the poinsettias from the HCPC-3745 Ornate Sleigh stamp set in Pearlescent Orchid on white cardstock.  Sponge with orchid ink using the stack & store daubers and die cut using the coordinating die from the HCD1-7104 Ornate Sleigh and Presents die set.  Shape using the Deluxe Flower Shaping set, assemble and then add Crystal Clear glitter using Dries Clear Glue.  Add Heart of Gold Prills to the centres and add to the top right of the card as shown.

I hope you enjoy this new collection as much as what I have done.  Have a good week.

Happy Crafting

Ka Kite Anu

Patricia

A Golden Christmas

On By patriciamanhireIn Christmas, Christmas Cards, Heartfelt Creations, Holidays14 Comments

Kia Ora and Welcome Back

Today I would like to share a card I have made for the Heartfelt Creations Inspiration Wednesday using the gorgeous papers from the Festive Holly Collection.  I love this combination of golds and reds and it was very easy to put together.
Materials Used:

HCD1-7145 Festive Holly paper collection

HCPC-3793 Festive Holiday Cling Stamp

HPC-3680 Sparkling Poinsettia stamp set

HCD1-766 Sparkling Poinsettia die

242174 Vellum

PGM15015 Rajni Chawla’s Crystal Clear

HCPP2-451 White cardstock

Deluxe Flower Shaping Kit

359760 Embossing Powder – Gold

242174 Vellum

Other – Heart of Gold Prills, Gold foil card, Versamark ink, White cardstock, Spellbinders Elegant Ovals, Memento Love Letter

Instructions – Cut a piece of white cardstock at 12” x 6”, score and crease at 6” to make a base card of 6” x 6”.  Cut a 6” x 6” panel of patterned paper and adhere to the front of the card.  Cut a second piece for the inside of the card.

Die cut the oval from the Elegant Ovals die set in gold card and adhere to the front of the card.  Stamp the sentiment from the HCPC-3793 Festive Holiday Cling Stamp set in versamark and emboss in gold embossing powder.  Die cut the sentiment using the inner oval from the Elegant Ovals set and adhere to the front of the gold oval.

Fussy cut a corner from the patterned paper with the cardinals and holly and adhere to the bottom right of the card.

To make the poinsettias stamp the poinsettia images from the HPC-3680 Sparkling Poinsettia stamp on vellum with versamark and emboss with gold embossing powder.  Sponge with Love Letter on the back of the images and then die cut with the coordinating die.  Shape using the Deluxe Flower Shaping kit tools.  Assemble the poinsettias and then sponge the petals with Dries Clear glue and apply Crystal Clear for sparkle.  Adhere to the card as shown.

For further inspiration and a preview of the release of the Winter’s Eve Collection please visit the Heartfelt Creations site here: https://www.heartfeltcreations.us/blog/607/fun-new-creative-inspiration-a-winters-eve-preview

Have a good week and Happy Crafting

Ka Kite Anu

Patricia

Welcome Festive Holly from Heartfelt Creations

On By patriciamanhireIn Cardmaking, Christmas, Heartfelt Creations, Holidays18 Comments

Kia Ora and Welcome to the Release of the Festive Holly Collection from Heartfelt Creations

Celebrate the “holly-day” season with the new Festive Holly Collection by Heartfelt Creations!  Charming and elegant, with a hint of a country feel, this festive collection is filled with heartwarming imagery of falling snow, towering pine trees, and beautiful wildlife all woven together with lavish illustrations of abundant holly and berry clusters!  Immerse yourself in a paper collection revealing a traditional holiday color palette of rich reds and fir greens accentuated with sky blues, antique golds and crisp whites all melting together creating perfect backdrops to graceful background imagery of hand stamped post marks, floating music notes, delicate snowflakes, ribbon like swirls and lace like accents.  A charming assembling of three delightful cling stamp sets boast enchanting illustrations of red feathered cardinals, abundant holly and berry clusters as well as an antique candle lit lantern and vintage wooden wheel all at the ready to be paired with the coordinating dies and transformed into exquisite dimensional Yuletide embellishments!  An elegant, lacy decorative arch shaped die lends itself perfectly to create a breathtaking accent or die cut within your card front itself adding a touch of delightful holiday magic, while ornamental sleigh bells ready themselves to ring in the merriest of seasons!  Join us as we prepare for the Christmas festivities with the new Festive Holly Collection!

Today I have 2 projects to share using the Festive Holly Collection.  First up is some Christmas Crackers using the gorgeous red foil paper from the Collection.  These are so pretty and would look lovely on the Christmas table to add some festive cheer and they are very easy to make.

Materials Used:

HCPC-3793 Festive Paper Collection

HPC-3680 Sparkling Poinsettia stamp

HCD1-766 Sparkling Poinsettia die

HCD1-765 Large Sparkling Poisettia die

HCD1-7108 Snow Kissed Flakes and Tag die

HCD1-745 Luggage and Tags die

PGM15015 Rajni Chawla’s Crystal Clear

159723 Art Glitter Dries Clear Glue

TSMP707 Memento Bamboo Leaves

359760 Embossing Powder – Gold

242174 Vellum

Other supplies – Gold mirror card, red ribbon, Cricut Machine, CTMH Artiste Cartridge, Versamark ink, Heart of Gold Prills, Green cardstock, red organza ribbon, Memento Ink Love Letter

Instructions – cut the cracker at 8” on your Cricut machine using the red foil paper from the HCPC-3793 Festive Paper Collection.  Assemble using the Dries Clear glue.

To make the leaves die using the HCD1-765 Large Sparkling Poinsettia die out of green cardstock.  I have used the 1 mm tip from the Deluxe Shaping kit and the hard mat to score lines to indicate veins. Sponge the edges with Bamboo Leaves ink and adhere to the top of the cracker.

To make the poinsettias stamp the image from the HPC-3680 Sparkling Poinsettia stamp with Versamark ink and emboss with gold embossing powder.  Sponge the back with Love Letter ink and then die cut.  Sponge on the top with Dries Clear glue and sprinkle Crystal Clear over it.  I have used Heart of Gold prills in the centre of one flower and a gold gem on the other one.

Cut a snowflake from the HCD1-7108 Snow Kissed Flakes and Tag die out of gold mirror card and trim and place over the leaves.

To finish the cracker die cut the label using the die from the HCD1-745 Luggage and Tags die, sponge the edges with Bamboo Leaves ink and adhere under the flower as shown.

Tie red ribbons to each end.

My second project is this lovely elegant card.  I love the blues and Rajni Chawla’s Crystal Clear looked fabulous on the vellum, while the lovely medallion die went well with the Fleur Border Basics die.

Materials used:

HCD1-7145 Festive Holly paper collection

HCD1-7146 Festive Holiday Die

HCPC-3793 Festive Holiday Cling Stamp

HCD1-747 Holly Berry Jingle Die

HCPC-3793 Holly Berry Jingle Stamp

HPC-3680 Sparkling Poinsettia stamp

HCD1-766 Sparkling Poinsettia die

HCD1-7120 Fleur Border Basics die

HCD1-761Everyday Heros die

242174 Vellum

TSMP602 Teal Zeal ink

TSMP604 Summer Sky

CB80 ColorBox Frost White

159951 Dries white adhesive

159723 Art Glitter Dries Clear Glue

PGM15016 Rajni Chawla’s Frosting Powder

PGM15015 Rajni Chawla’s Crystal Clear

359843 Bridal Tinsel Embossing Powder

Other – white cardstock, Spellbinders Circles, Clear Sparkles

Instructions – Cut a piece of white cardstock 6” x 12” and score and crease along the long side at 6” to make a 6” x 6” card.  Cut a 6” x 6” panel from the paper collection with the cardinals at the top right corner and using the cutting edge from the HCD1-7120 Fleur Border Basics die cut across the bottom of the panel as shown.  Cut a separate piece of the lace edge from the HCD1-7120 Fleur Border Basics die set in white cardstock and adhere it to the top piece of the panel. Adhere both edges to the card front as shown.  Add the effect of snow to the cardinals with Dries White glue on the snow on the branches and add Frosting Powder and heat for a sparkly effect.

Die cut two of the frames in white cardstock from the HCD1-7146 Festive Holiday die set and adhere together to create a circle. Die cut the circle panel from the paper packs in the coordinating blue background and adhere to the front of the lace doily. Adhere to the front of the card as shown.

To make the poinsettias stamp the images from the HPC-3680 Sparkling Poinsettia set in Frost White ink on vellum and emboss with Bridal Tinsel embossing powder. Sponge the back of the images in Summer Sky ink and die cut using the coordinating die. I have left the centres white. Using Dries Clear glue and a damp sponge wipe the edges of the poinsettias and sprinkle Crystal Clear over it.  The moisture of the sponge will allow the vellum to curl.  Assemble the flowers and add a clear sparkle to the centres, then adhere to the card as shown.

Stamp the image from the HCPC-3793 Festive Holiday Cling Stamp using Teal Zeal ink and die cut out using the arrow die from the HCD1-761 Everyday Heros die set.  Sponge the edges in Summer Sky and adhere as shown on the bottom left.  Add a clear sparkle to anchor the tag.

I hope that you visit the Heartfelt Creations blog to view all the other amazing artwork featuring the Festive Holly Collection here: https://www.heartfeltcreations.us/blog/597/debuting-the-festive-holly-collection

Have a good week and Happy Crafting

Ka Kite Anu

Patricia

CTMH Yuletide Carol Pic Folio Album

On By patriciamanhireIn Christmas, Close to My Heart, Holidays, Scrapbooking3 Comments

Welcome back.

It is not that long to Christmas now and I have been busy with Christmassy things such as Christmas cards and decorations.  However, I have taken some time out to complete this My Creations Hip Pic album.   I have been looking at these albums for some time and I was inspired by my upline, Grace Green, who created a similar album using the Yuletide Carol papers.  I love these papers as they are so traditional and the patterns are beautiful.  Some of them are too beautiful to cover with photos in fact.

The Hip Pic albums are  sturdy kraft chipboard albums with  16 white pocket photo pages with 3¾” × 3¾” windows that hold 16 – 4″ × 6″ photos and are spiral-bound. You can decorate as much or as little as you want and they will look fabulous.  These are very inexpensive and great to decorate up with lovely papers and embellishments and give as a gift.

Z1956

 

I have done the front of the album utilising the lovely image of the stockings and the bird.  Inside I have used an assortment of stamps and die cuts from the Artbooking and Artfully Sent cartridges to decorate the pages.

CTMH Yuletide Carol Pic Folio albumMaterials used:

Cardstock – Ruby, New England Ivy, Topiary, Black, Colonial White, Cocoa

Paper – Yuletide Carol

Yuletide Carol Assortments

Stamps – Noel Holiday, Charming Chevrons, Artfully Sent – Just to Say…

Inks – Ruby, Black, New England Ivy

Washi Tape – Topiary Chevron, Gold Polka Dot, Silver Geometric

Gold gems

Chevron sparkles

Cricut Cartridge – Artbooking, Artfully Yours

Scallop punch

All these materials and the album are available for purchasing through my website here.

This album will be for sale at Gift Hutt.

Happy Crafting

Patricia

 

 

 

 

Sparkle and Shine Double Page Layout

On By patriciamanhireIn Christmas, Close to My Heart, Crafts, Cricut, Holidays, Scrapbooking, Stamping5 Comments

Welcome back

I hope you all had a good Christmas and are now rested for the new year.  I would like to thank you so much for all the lovely get well wishes.  I am on the improve and am looking at getting back into crafting again which is always a good sign.

For my last post for this year I am finally using a scrapbook layout.  While I a primarily a cardmaker I do enjoy scrapbooking as well.  Close to My Heart has really made it a lot easier for me as well.  It is so much easier coordinating colours and papers to create fabulous layouts.

I am really enjoying using the WOTGs from Close to My Heart and also have found the “Make It From Your Heart” Volumes 1 and 2 books by Jeanette Lynton really useful to use for creating well balanced and interesting layouts for my scrapbooks.

I have loved using the Holidays from the Heart WOTG – Sparkle and Shine as the colours and papers are gorgeous.  I have completed the two double layouts that are suggested but as they have family members in them that are not happy about having their photos posted, I have used this layout with my cat, Sox, in it.  The photos are from last year’s Christmas and we had record high temperatures of 32 degrees.  Needless to say we were struggling in the heat and our poor Sox just did not know what to do with himself.  Plus, he had to be in the action and not miss out on the fun of opening presents!

For this layout I have used the recipe from page 32 “Make It From Your Heart” Volume 2 book by Jeanette Lynton.  I have found this particular recipe really useful as I can use landscape photos much more easily.  I have also used my Cricut to cut out the titles using Cricut Craft Room to make the letters weld together.

CTMH Sparkle and Shine double page layoutThese books that are available from Close to My Heart are great when you are struggling for inspiration.  There are layouts for all number of photos and the instructions are easy to follow.  Here I have added some extra embellishments and titles to help make it my own and kept it very simple to make the photos the focus of the pages.

The materials I have used are:

WOTG – Sparkle and Shine

Stamp set – Stitch Wonder Everyday Life

Cardstock – Slate, Ruby, Juniper, White Daisy

Inks – Slate, Ruby, Juniper, White Daisy

Sparkle Clear Flourishes – small

Cricut Cartridge – Art Philosophy

Make It From Your Heart Volume 2 by Jeanette Lynton

These products in the Holidays with Heart Gift Guide are still available through until December 31st while stocks last.   Orders totaling over $150 during the promotion can choose one starred item from The Holidays with Heart Gift Guide for free so it is an ideal time to purchase one of our Cricut Collections or our ink and marker organiser.

So be in quick as there are only a few days left before these products are no longer available.

I am hoping to get my creative mojo up and running in time to do the Australasian Blog Hop for the SOTM on 1st January which will be good.  There are some very talented ladies downunder and it is a real privilege working with them.

Enjoy the rest of the year and look forward to more creative gorgeousness next year.

Happy Crafting

Patricia

CTMH Gift Card Holders

On By patriciamanhireIn Cardmaking, Children, Christmas, Christmas Cards, Close to My Heart, Crafts, Cricut, Die Cuts, Holidays, Paper Crafting10 Comments

Hello everyone

Gosh Christmas is just around the corner and I still have not completed my Christmas shopping.  Life has just got in the way over the last couple of weeks.  However, I will get it all done by the big day.

For those who do not know what to get for people a gift voucher is a great option and then the recipients are able to take advantage of the sales post Christmas.  Close to My Heart Cricut cartridges have the answer for how to present these vouchers with a cool gift card holder.  My inspiration for these cards came from Pinterest and in particular from this blog Busy with the Cricky where Susan has done some lovely cards and given instructions on how to make them.

For my cards I have used the Artiste cartridge and I have cut the the card from page 59 in the booklet and cut them at 5″ which gave me two cards per 12 x 12 sheet of cardstock.  Then using patterned paper I cut another card at 4.75″.  To finish off I cut a piece of white daisy cardstock at 4.5″ to place in the middle of the card for a sentiment and for people to write on.  The two smaller pieces had the centre cut out and I was able to mat the patterned paper onto the cardstock easily.

Here are my versions:

CTMH Christmas gift card holdersHere are some close ups of the cards.  One or two photos may be a bit blurry so I apologise for that.

CTMH Gift Card Holder CTMH Gift card holder CTMH Gift Card Holder CTMH Gift card holder CTMH Gift card holder CTMH Gift card holder CTMH Gift card holder CTMH Gift card holderAnd I have kept the inside of the cards fairly simple to enable people to write on them.  Sorry I have just realised that I missed taking a photo of the little section to put the voucher in but you can just see a little part of it in the photo below.  I will try and rectify this in the next week to really show you how neat this little card is.

CTMH Gift Card Holder insideI have mainly used the stamp set from the Seasons Tweeting Gift Bag kit from the Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide.  This little owl is so cute and I love the different sentiments that go with them.

Here is a list of the materials I have used:

Cardstock – Ruby, Juniper, Daisy White

Patterned paper – Sparkle and Shine paper packet

Stamps -Seasons Tweeting Gift Bag kit, Scandinavian Wishes, Sparkle and Shine Workshop on the Go Stamp set

Inks – Slate, Ruby, Juniper

White Bakers Twine

Clear Sparkles

Artiste Cricut Cartridge – rosette from page 55 cut at 1″, bows from page 55 and cut at 1/2″ and 1″.

Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge – Holly leaf  from page 46 cut at 1″ and the rose from page 69 and cut at 3″

As you can see I am loving my Cricut and there is so much more to do yet.  I have  just barely scratched the surface with all the cool things to do on it and I still have to get the Art Booking cartridge.  I think I am going to be very busy and it  will keep me out of mischief I am sure lol.

The products from the Holiday from the Heart Gift Guide are still available until the end of December and if you spend over $150 you can choose one starred item for free.  Just by buying a Cricut Cartridge you would qualify for this special offer so visit my shop now and have a browse.

I hope you all have a great week and I will now have to see what I can come up with for my last blog post before Christmas.

Happy Crafting

Patricia

Australasian Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

On By patriciamanhireIn Close to My Heart, Crafts, Cricut, Holidays, Paper Crafting, Stamping14 Comments

Hello and welcome aboard the Australasian Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Marianne’s Blog, Your Creative Journey with Marianne, then you are in the right place. If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post.

I am really excited to finally show you what I have been doing for this month’s blog hop.  This has been a work in progress and I originally wanted to make a box for a thank you gift and it wasn’t quite what I had expected so my creative mind went into overdrive and thought it would be great to do an exploding box and use the December SOTM set and then I was all sorted for this hop.  I had done an exploding box as part of a group a few years ago for a friend who was undergoing surgery and she has still got it now as it was such a special gift.

I ended up doing two boxes – one for Christmas and one made out of Chantilly for more general purposes.

Side view of the exploding box

The inside of the box showing the three layers and the decorations that I have p

Exploding hexagonal box All assembled

To cut out the hexagon box shapes I have used the Artiste Cricut cartridge page 48 3 D object.  For the Chantilly box I have cut out 3 different sizes – 3.25, 3.00 and 2.75 inches.  The Christmas box is slightly smaller and the sizes are 3.00, 2.75 and 2.5 inches.

Using my Cricut machine has made this so much easier and I could spend more time on decorating the box.  Here is the base and as you can see I have cut up the cardstock and paper ready to put on the base front and back.

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????The dimensions I have used for the Chantilly panels are:

Bottom layer:

Outside panel – 2 1/2″  x 3″

Inside – plain cardstock panel 2 1/2″ x 3 ”

Patterned paper panel 2 3/4″ x 2 7/8″

White cardstock – 2 1/4″ x 2 6/8″

Middle Layer

Outside panel – 2 3/8″ x 2 7/8″

inside – plain cardstock 2 3/8″ x 2 7/8″

Patterned paper 2 1/4″ x 2 6/8″

White cardstock 2 1/8″ x 2 5/8″

Inner Layer

Outside panel – 2 1/2″ x 2 1/4

Inside – plain cardstock 2 1/2″ x 2 1/4″

Patterned paper – 2 3/8″ x 2 1/8″

White cardstock – 2 1/4″ x 2″

Unfortunately, the sides were not even so you may have to do a little adjusting to get an even matting.  If you are sharp eyed you will have seen I have made a mistake with the middle layer with the inside layers being smaller than what I have written here but I have given you the above dimensions to make it easier for you.

Here is the middle layer with the layers all cut out and I have distressed the edges with Desert Sand ink.

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I then adhered all the layers to the sides outside and inside.

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I then used  the You are My Happy stamp set to stamp images using Outdoor Denim ink on the White Daisy cardstock and distressed the edges with Desert Sand ink.  These were then adhered onto the patterned papers.

For the middle of the top layer I had to cut out another  hexagonal shape (2 1/2″) out of patterned paper using the base of the box.  If I had the Artbooking cartridge I would have been able to cut the hexagon from there.  However, this was a simple way to get the nice patterned paper and I just cut the sides off and it fitted very nicely.  The edges were also distressed with Desert Sand ink.

All stamped and ready to assemble

Once I had completed each layer the box was adhered together to create the exploding box.

All assembled

I cut out the top of the box out of Cotton Candy cardstock and decorated it with a lily on a lily pad and a heart shaped doily and topped it off with a dimensional tag stamped using the SOTM set Special Care.   I have got the idea for the lily from Angela Mansfield a fellow CTMH consultant.  She was very generous and gave very good detailed instructions.

Here are the instructions for the decoration on the top.

The flower has been cut from White Daisy cardstock using the  Artiste Cricut Cartridge (pg 73 accent 1)at 2 1/2 ”   – 3 layers.  I have sponged the edges of the layers and then shaped the petals using my fingers.  The 3 layers were adhered together to form the base of the lily.

For the centre I have cut 3 flowers again from the Artiste Cartridge (pg 54 Accent 3) from  Buttercup cardstock and layered them on top of each other and once again using my fingers to gently add some shape and dimension.  To complete the lily I added a clear sparkle in the centre.

For the lily pad I have cut a plain circle from the Art Philosophy cartridge (pg 21 circle1) at 3″ out of  New England Ivy cardstock.  I then cut a small wedge out of the circle and using an embossing tool I went around the edge of the circle to  create a small lip for a ruffled edge.  I also embossed some vein lines to add some more realism.  to finish off I have sponged the edges with Topiary ink.

I have cut the lovely heart shaped doily from the Art Philosophy cartridge (Pg. 70 Font layer) out of White Daisy cardstock and distressed it with Desert Sand ink.

Finally I have distressed  a dimensional element tag with Desert Sand ink and stamped the Handle With Care stamp using Topiary ink onto it.  I am really pleased with the distressed look this came out with.

Here are some close up views of the top.

Close up of the lily Close up of the tag

Materials used for this box are:

Cardstock – Cotton Candy, Desert Sand, New England Ivy, White Daisy, Buttercup

Dimensional elements – tags

Inks – Cotton Candy, Topiary, Desert Sand, Outdoor Denim

Stamp sets – CTMH SOTM set – Special Delivery, You are My Happy

Sparkles

Chantilly papers

Memory Bond adhesive

CTMH Artiste and Art Philosophy Cricut cartridges

For the Christmas box I have followed the same procedure as above but I have reduced the size of the box.

The papers used are from the Holidays from the Heart gift guide and I have teamed them with Slate and Ruby cardstocks.  I love the look of the candy cane papers.

Christmas exploding box

The rosette has been cut using the Artiste Cartridge (pg 50, accent 4).  I can’t remember exactly the sizing but I think I cut it at 2″.

The rose has been cut out of Ruby cardstock from the Art Philosophy cartridge (pg 69, Font) and the holly leaves have been cut using New England Ivy cardstock from the Art Philosophy cartridge (pg 46, Leaf3).  The holly leaves have had lines embossed and the edges sponged with Topiary ink to add some dimension. The holly berries have been cut from the Art Philosophy cartridge again (pg 64, Layer) and I have added some liquid glass to add some shininess and dimension to the berries.

I have not distressed the dimensional tag and chosen instead just to stamp the Handle with Care image using Ruby ink onto the white tag.

Inside I have decorated in a similar fashion but this time I have used the Art Philosophy cartridge to cut out postage stamp shapes (pg 24, Square6) at 1″ and stamped all the images from the Magical Days Holiday stamp set from the Holidays from the Heart gift guide in a mix of Slate, Juniper and Ruby inks.

another view all laid out Close up view of the panels using the Holidays from the Heart Magical Days Holi

Materials used:

Cardstock – Ruby, Slate, White Daisy, White Daisy

Sparkle and Shine B&T Duos from the Holidays from the Heart gift guide.

Inks – Ruby, Slate, Juniper

Dimensional elements – tags

Grey Bakers twine

Stamp sets – SOTM Special Delivery, Magical Days Holiday

Memory Bond adhesive

Liquid Glass

The Special Delivery stamp set  is a very versatile set and I would have loved to have done a baby layout with this, but as I already have scrapped my children’s baby photos I thought I would do something completely different.

This exclusive stamp of the month is only available during December. It can be yours for just $5 with a qualifying order of $75 or for $29 if ordered separately from your CTMH consultant. If you do not have a consultant please contact me or place an order in my online store.  I’d love you to leave a comment and some liking before heading off to the next stop, Jenny’s  blog, Jen’s Creative Classroom.

Happy Crafting Patricia

Christmas Cards and Treats

On By patriciamanhireIn Cardmaking, Christmas, Christmas Cards, Close to My Heart, Crafts, Die Cuts, Holidays, Stamping4 Comments

Welcome back.

Well it is that time of the week for another blog post.  This time I am just going to show some Christmas cards and party favours that I have been making while I have been working on a big project for our next blog hop on the 1st November focusing on the December Stamp of the Month – Special Care.

I am loving the papers from the Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide.  They are so beautiful and the colours coordinate so well.  I have also done some layouts using the WOTG Sparkle and Shine kit and once I have printed some more photos I will post them on here.  I am so pleased with how they turned out as I have used the recipes in the Make it from the Heart series of books.  This has made it a lot easier to get good layouts and then I could concentrate on coordinating papers and embellishments to finish off the pages.

Back to the cards.   Christmas cardThis card recipe is rapidly becoming one of my favourite designs.  It is from the Make It from the Heart Volume 1 which is a great source of recipes for both scrapbook layouts and cards and is sooo cheap for quick inspiration (just $12 per book!).  So quick and easy to mix and match colours and papers and these patterns go so well together.  I have also used different stamp sets and I was really pleased how they turned out and actually did this card in a class last week and they turned out well.  I had pre-cut everything and the Cricut has come in so handy – I have used the Artiste cartridge here.

The stamp sets I have used are:  Perfect-Fit Birthday Occasions, Perfect-Fit – Frames 2 Occasions and Magical Days Holiday from the Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide.

CTMH card using Sparkle and Shine papers and SOTM set Scandinavian Wishes

I have never really used alphabet stamps before so I am pleased this has turned out well.  This is another simple card that did not need special equipment to make – just a good accurate trimmer like the Fiskars Surecut Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer that is available from my shop.  (Just as an aside I have been doing a lot of cutting and had to get some more blades quickly, and I won’t be doing that again as the blades were more expensive at the local Warehouse Stationary than what I can pay retail through Close to My Heart!).  I am using bakers twine more often now and the sparkles add the shine to the card.

The stamp sets I have used are:  Urban Alphabet, Scandanavian Wishes – November SOTM.

???????????????????For this card  I have been inspired by a card by a fellow CTMH consultant, Wanda, and here is my take on it.  I have used my Cricut (Art Philosophy) to cut out the frame and the holly leaves, berries and the flame.  The holly leaves have been embossed by hand to give some shape to the leaves and the edges were distressed with Topiary ink (I have used Olive cardstock).  The berries were cut out of Ruby cardstock and I have used my Liquid Glass to create some dimension and make them stand out.  The flame was cut using a petal shape and I have stamped the candle on the base of the petal.  

The stamp sets I have used are:  Scandanavian Wishes (October SOTM)  and Illuminate (November SOTM – available for $5 if you spend over $75 – be in quick though as this will no longer be available after the end of the month).

Finally here some party favours that I have made from the Artiste and Art Philosophy Cricut cartridges.  I have put little chocolate bars inside them and used them as little thank you gifts for the ladies attending my classes at the Upper Hutt Library.

??????????????????Christmas boxThe stamp sets I have used here are: Banner Wishes Occasions and Santa Claus Holiday – both from the Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide.

Just a reminder that you can choose one ‘star’ product free for every $150 you spend in both the Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide or the 2013 Product Launch Guide.  This great deal is available through until the 31st December 2013 or until stocks last.

1310-cc-holidays-from-the-heart-au_nzPlease feel free to click on the links to my website to go shopping for any of these products or contact me for further information.

My next blog post will feature the December SOTM – Special Care.  I can’t wait to show you what I have been up to.

In the meantime have a great week.

Happy Crafting

Patricia