Deck the Halls

I am still working on my Christmas cards, and I saw a sketch at Digi Sketch that was really fun.

I've used four of the patterns from the Sparkle & Shine paper packet for this card.  I love the way they all mesh together perfectly!  I've sponged the edges of each piece with Slate ink.  The borders and sentiment box are from the Sparkle & Shine Dimensional Elements.  The buttons are from the Ruby Mini Medleys.  Now if you like the Sparkle & Shine paper and elements, be sure to order soon!  They are only available through December 31st or while supplies last.

Thank you for stopping in today, and I hope this is finding you blessed!

Artiste Gift Bag

Every once in awhile we need a quick gift bag, and that's what I wanted to show you today.

I cut this bag using the Artiste cartridge.  How easy and quick is that?!  I used Sparkle & Shine paper with a little silver wired ribbon and gems from my stash.   The sentiment is from the Frosted card-making workshop stamp set, and it has easily been my favorite set this season!

Thanks so much for stopping in today!  I hope that today is a wonderful day for you!

Holiday Decor with Instructions

I think by now you've all noticed the trees on the cover of the Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide.  

They are so beautiful, and I've been wanting to make at least one for myself.  My favorite piece of paper in the Sparkle and Shine packet is the silver houndstooth, so I decided to go with a silver tree.

This paper is so shiny in itself that I wish I could have photographed that shine for you.    Now let me tell you what I did so that you can make your own tree. 

You will need 5 sheets of paper and your Artiste cartridge to cut the yo-yos.  You can actually choose any one of the several yo-yos on the cartridge, but my "go to" yo-yos are always two on page 55 of the handbook.  They are accent 4 or 3-D object + shift.  I used the one on the 3-D object key for this tree.  You will have to cut two of each to make the yo-yo, so there is a total of 22  die-cuts.  

CUTS

1"

1-1/4"

1-1/2"

1-1/2"

1-3/4"

1-3/4"

1-3/4"

2

2-1/4"

2-1/4"

2-1/2"

Punch twenty-two 1-1/4" circles.  Once you've got the pieces accordion folded, form them into yo-yo by adhering two together with Liquid Glass.  Put a dollop of Liquid Glass on one of the circles so that you have a solid base for your yo-yo.  Then put Liquid Glass in the center of the yo-yo and add a circle to the top.  You may have to hold it for a second or two, but this is going to be an extremely strong yo-yo!

Stack all the yo-yos to create a tree.  Simply use Liquid Glass to hold them together.  When this was done, I added some Stardust glitz gel to the edges of each yo-yo.  Again, I wish you could see how shiny my tree is!  You'll need your Artiste cartridge again to cut the snowflakes.  I used silver glitter paper (cuts beautifully in the Cricut!), and cut the snowflake on page 79 of the handbook at 1-1/4".  I have 18 snowflakes on my tree, and I adhered them with Liquid Glass. 

I went back and forth on what to use for the topper, but I love the bow on 55 of the handbook (Accent 2).  I put two bows back to back on my own tree, so I couldn't imagine why it couldn't be done on this one.  I cut two bows and ribbons at 1-1/4".  Of course, I used Liquid Glass to put them on the tree, and then I searched my stash for some big bling buttons.

The tree took about 3-1/2 hours to make.  Because of materials and time, I think this is the only one I'll make this year, but it was a super fun project!  I think all the glitteriness (yes, I did just make up that word!) will really be pretty in the shimmering lights that we put up for Christmas!

Thanks for stopping in today, and I hope that you are having a most blessed Sunday!

Sparkle & Shine Kraft Container

I wanted to start sharing some fun ways to wrap your Christmas gifts using Close To My Heart product.  I'll share the directions and shopping list so that if you'd like to make any of  the projects, it will be easy for you to do.  I will also offer a kit for each item.  Handmade wrapping is so pretty under the tree!

DIRECTIONS

1. The yo-yo flower on the top of the container is cut using the Artiste cartridge and candy stripe paper.  This is on page 50 of the handbook - key P + Accent 4.  You will need to cut two to form the yo-yo.  Liquid Glass is absolutely the best adhesive for creating a yo-yo.   
2. The dotted paper around the top of the lid is 1" x 10-1/2" .  I use Bonding Memories to adhere paper to the kraft container, but you can also use Liquid Glass.
3. The candy stripe paper is 4-1/2" x 10-1/2".
4. The ruby print strip around the top of the candy stripe paper is 1" x 10-1/2".  I used the scalloped border punch to create a decorate bottom to the strip.
5. I added one of the zip strips with words from the paper packet around the ruby print.
6. The red Christmas tree dimensional elements is adhered to the container with Liquid Glass, and I popped up the green tree with 3-D foam tape.
7. The tag is tied with twine that is wrapped around the container three times.
8. I chose one of the circles from the dimensional elements for the top and added a pearl from my stash.

ITEMS NEEDED

• Z1790 - Artiste Cricut Collection
• Z1833 - Kraft Container
• X7176B - Sparkle and Shine Paper
• X7176C - Sparkle and Shine Dimensional Elements
• Z1701 - Neutral Baker's Twine
• Z679 - Liquid Glass
• 1512 - Bonding Memories (optional)
• Z1151 - 3-D Foam Tape

WOULD YOU LIKE A KIT?

You will receive the Kraft Container, a full package of Sparkle and Shine Dimensional Elements, the pre-cut pieces of paper, twine, and pearl that you need to create this container.  The cost is $16 shipped.

Just click on the PayPal link to order!

Simply Inspired Blog Hop

Welcome to Handcrafted Holidays!

You should have come to me from Debbi Fournier's blog.  This blog hop is a circle of  sixteen Close To My Heart consultants that I am sure will inspire you to create your own handcrafted holiday!  You can jump from blog to blog but should you get lost along the way, you can find the complete list HERE.

I wanted to create a piece of home decor for the top of our stairs.  I love the Close To My Heart display trays, so I used one of those along with some Sparkle & Shine paper.

I love all the photos of my kiddo from past Christmases, but these are three of my favorites.  It was so fun to create this tray and relive the memories from those years!

 I've used several fun embellishments that can be found on my website - Sparkle & Shine Dimensional Elements; Sparkle & Shine Assortment; Sparkle Clear Flourishes; Trim the Tree stamp set; Sparkle Holiday Shapes; Ruby Mini Medleys; Base & Bling Red Jewels; Base & Bling Floral Accents.

There are just so many ways to handcraft a holiday, and you will find many ideas along the way.  Now it's time to head over to Melissa Laverty's blog to see what she has created!

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Ho! Ho! Ho!

I have a Gathering this afternoon, and this is the card we will be making.

Close To My Heart designed a Christmas Card workshop using the Sparkle & Shine papers, and this is an adaptation of one of the cards.    I added grey wool baker's twine, two patterns of washi tape, and some clear sparkles.  The workshop that Close To My Heart designed looks like this and creates 10 cards:

If you would like to create this 10-card workshop, I would be more than happy to send you the PDF instructions along with a shopping list of what you need!

Thanks for stopping in today, and I hope that your Sunday is most blessed!

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Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide Blog Hop

Welcome to the Holidays from the Heart 

Gift Guide Blog Hop!

You should have come to me from the sweet and fabulous Sheri Rottler's blog.  This blog hop is a circle of  fifteen Close To My Heart consultants that I am sure will inspire you to create holiday paper crafts that will Sparkle and Shine!  You can jump from blog to blog but should you get lost along the way, you can find the complete list HERE.

I wanted to make something that would show you several of the patterns that are in the Sparkle and Shine paper packet.  I found an old pattern in my files for a fun and unique mini album, and I thought this was the perfect project!   I've got a lot of pictures to share, so let's get started with the front of the album!

We got a glimpse of this paper in the Fall/Winter Idea Book with the Sparkle and Shine Textiles, so I couldn't wait to make a bow with the pretty slate houndstooth fabric.  It made the perfect closure for this album.  Don't you think it matches the paper and embellishments perfectly?  The trees and sentiment are the from the Sparkle and Shine Dimensional Elements, and the yo-yo is a part of the Sparkle and Shine Assortment.  Now let me open open the album for you...

I created the album in a way that I could easily untie the bow and slide it out from the popped up embellishments.  As you can see from this photo, I've used some of the matching slate houndstooth paper on the inside.  But let's take a look at it completely opened up...

I am so happy that I dug through my files to find this pattern.  What a wonderful display for Christmas photos!  The base of this album is two sheets of Ruby cardstock, so it's very sturdy. I added White Daisy mats under the Sparkle and Shine paper to give it even more strength.  I want to share a close-up so that you can see how well everything coordinates and how pretty the embellishments are.

The flags and stitched circles are from the Sparkle and Shine Assortment, and the twine, buttons, and felt poinsettas are from the Ruby Mini Medley Assortment.

Let me tell you a little bit about the Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide.  This is a 21-page mini Idea Book filled with fantabulous product and over-the-top gorgeous projects.  What I love about this book is that is that there are items not only for the paper crafter but for the gift giver as well!  You'll find a super cute fabric Seasons Tweetings Gift Bag Kit with tags that you can stamp yourself to add that special detail and perfect touch. Do you have a teenager or busy mom in your life?  I bet they would love to find one of our Hip Pics Albums under the tree!

As good as that all is, there's a BIG something for you, too!  For every $100 purchase from the gift guide and/or Autumn/Winter Idea Book, you will receive one of the "starred" items in the book FREE!  There are a plethora of items from which you can choose, and a shining deal to save you even more this holiday season!  This special runs from October 15 - December 31st.

I've shown you just a little of what's in this book, and there's just so much more to see!  Hop on over now to Karen Pedersen's blog.  She is not only my upline, but a good friend and constant source of inspiration.  I know that you are going to love visiting her!

Edit:  Thank you so much for your emails and comments!  Due to Corporate Policy, I cannot sell this template.  I veered quite far from the original cutting guide to build this to suit my needs, so the original pattern would not be recognizable.  I don't know the source of the original pattern, but even so I will not copy and distribute in respect of the copyright.   I will however, be offering my personal cutting guide and template as part of a purchase.  Watch my blog the week of October 21st for more information!

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Christmas Cards Class (Kit Available)

Saturday, November 2nd

1:30 pm

$15.00

Location:  Andover Senior Center

(Long Distance Option Available)

In this class, you will make 15 cards (5 of each design), and the class includes:

15 White Daisy Card Bases and Envelopes

Pre-Cut Sparkle & Shine Paper and Cardstock

20 Yards of Grey Wool Twine

All of these cards can be made flat so that you will only need to use one postage stamp.  My inspiration for these cards were the patterns and stamp set in the Frosted Cardmaking Workshop on the Go.  I hope you enjoy the rich Ruby and Slate colors I have used for this class.  This is such beautiful paper!

Here is a closer look at each one:

I would love to have you come to class, but if you are not local (or unavailable that day), I want this class to be available to you as well!  In the long distance kit, you all of your pieces will be pre-cut and stamped with instructions.  

I will be mailing kits weekly starting on October 28th, and they will be available through November 18th.   You can e-mail me at girlygirlrose43@msn.com to sign up for the local class.  If you would like to order long distance, simply use the PayPal link.

Kit Options

(1) Kit with Shipping $20.00 USD (2) Kits with Shipping $35.00 USD (3) Kits with Shipping $50.00 USD

Thank you so much for stopping in!  I so appreciate your visits!

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