Clean and Simple Watercolor Christmas Card

Today’s Christmas card was inspired by Kristina Werner from the Online Card Class that I am taking, which is appropriately called Clean and Simple Holiday. I cut down a piece of cold press watercolor paper to 4¼" x 11", scored it, and folded it in half. Then I used some washi tape to mask off the triangle shape in the center of the card front. I used my watercolor paints to make the graduated blue stroke marks. I made sure to not use too much water so that you could still see some of the brush marks. Once the paint dried, I carefully peeled off the washi tape mask. You could get a similar effect with a waterbrush and ink from the lid of a CTMH water-based ink pad. (Just squeeze the ink pad together before you open it to get some ink on the inside of the lid.)

The sentiment is from the Christmas Blessings stamp set. I spaced out the words so that I could add a Bitty Sparkle between them. Then I finished it off by adding a few Clear Sparkles and Bitty Sparkles to the tree. The card is definitely simple but the thickness and texture of the watercolor paper makes it feel somewhat elegant and “high end.”

Christmas Snowflake Shaker Card

I have been making shaker cards like crazy. (I just can’t stop! I think I may be addicted.) In an online card class that I am taking right now, they talked about using metal dies to make shaker cards. I couldn’t wait to try out this idea with one of CTMH’s snowflake dies from the Winter Flurries Thin Cuts set. I used the largest snowflake for this card and die cut it from a piece of 4" x 5¼" snowflake patterned paper from the ‘Tis the Season paper packet. I stamped the “Merry Christmas” sentiment from the Christmas Blessings stamp set in Charcoal ink under the die cut snowflake.

Then I created the shaker on the back of the snowflake opening. The Shaker Window Acetate and Foam Circles work perfectly with this size snowflake, so it made it super quick and easy. I filled the shaker window with some Loose Silver Sequins and then adhered the whole piece to a folded piece of 4¼" x 11" Candy Apple cardstock using the extra foam pieces that came on the inside of the foam ring.

I stamped the “Sending warm wishes...” sentiment from the Love with All the Trimmings stamp set in Charcoal ink onto a strip of Pewter cardstock and attached it to the center of the opening with a piece of Thin 3-D Foam Tape. To finish off the card, I added a few of the Loose Silver Sequins to the card front.

I added a white panel on the inside with the snowflake that was cut from the front. I also stamped another sentiment from the Christmas Blessings stamp set in Charcoal ink on the bottom.

November Project Kit - Christmas JOY Glitter Letter Kit

This month's project kit is a set of chipboard letters that spell the word “JOY” that you will decorate to display for the holidays. You will cover the 11½" white chipboard letters with silver glitter paper and then decorate with die cut pine cones, pine needle branches, and a 3D cardstock bow. You can display your letters on your fireplace mantel, hang them on the wall, or even place them under your tree.

The local class this month will be held on Tuesday, November 27th at my house at 7pm. (If you are unable to attend but would still like a kit, you can either choose the “shipped” option at checkout and I will mail the kit to you or if you are local, you may choose the “local” option and I will drop it off or you can pick it up.)

The basic kit is $25 and includes the following:

• (3) 11½" white chipboard letters (J, O, and Y)
• (3) 12" x 12" silver glitter paper
• Pre-cut cardstock pinecones, pine needle branches, bow
• Link to Design Space file. (All kits will be pre-cut. You will only need this file if you’d like to make more in the future. In order to cut file, you will need a Cricut machine compatible with Design Space such as the Explore or Maker, and the Flower Market Cricut Cartridge.)
• Step-by-step instruction guide

Additional supplies needed (add-ons):

• Bonding Memories Glue (or other liquid glue) - $8
• Clear Shimmer Brush - $5.50
• Round Sponge - $1.50
• Ink Pads: Espresso, New England Ivy, Candy Apple, Toffee - $9 each

You will decorate (3) white chipboard letters with the glitter paper and die cut pine cones, pine needles, and a 3D cardstock bow.

Add on the Clear Shimmer Brush to add sparkle to the pine cones and pine needles.

Contact me for more information, to sign up for the local class, or to order a kit. All kits need to be paid for in advance. Thank you for your understanding.

Kits ordered by November 12th will be mailed by November 29th.

Kits ordered after November 12th, will be mailed within two weeks.

**If you are attending the class, please place your order by November 12th.

To order a kit(s), you may either send me cash or a check, or pay securely online with a credit card or your PayPal account by using the “Add to Cart” buttons below. If you would like your kit(s) shipped, please choose the shipped option. $6 will be added for shipping. (Kits can only be shipped to U.S. addresses per CTMH policy. I apologize for the inconvenience.)

Christmas JOY Glitter Letter Kit - Local 

$25

Christmas JOY Glitter Letter Kit - Shipped
$25 ($6 will be added for shipping)

Add-Ons

Clear Shimmer Brush $5.50 USD Round Sponge $1.50 USD Bonding Memories Glue $8.00 USD Espresso Ink Pad $9.00 USD Candy Apple Ink Pad $9.00 USD New England Ivy Ink Pad $9.00 USD Toffee Ink Pad $9.00 USD

 

To find out more about my monthly “no-commitment” Creative Club, click here.

You do not need to be local to participate. *Ü*

November Specials

Fund Your Fun

Sign up for $75 and get $75 back in CTMH Cash

There are many perks that come with being a Close To My Heart Consultant, including getting an exclusive Consultant discount on our high quality crafting products! When you join my team in November, you’ll get the price of your kit back in CTMH Cash, which you can use for buying additional creative supplies! 

Use your CTMH Cash to get products like these free: 

• Paper packets 
• Complements 
• Cardstock Packs 
• Workshops Your Way® 
• ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ markers 
• Cut Above® kits 
• Picture My Life™ cards 
• Exclusive Inks™ 
• My Acrylix® stamp sets 
• My Acrylix® blocks

Visit my New Consultant FAQ page for more information on signing up.

Or if you are ready to sign up now, you can find the online application here.

Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions. I’d be more than happy to chat with you. Whether you love creativity, community, business, or all three, you are welcome here!

Offer available November 1 - 30, 2018.

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Jump for Joy

Earn extra hostess rewards with a qualifying party in November

When you host an in-home or online party in November that reaches the third level of Hostess Rewards or higher, your rewards will jump up to the next level—that means extra free product AND an extra 50%-off item, too! When your rewards jump, we know you’ll be jumping for joy, too! 

Contact me to schedule an online or in-home party.

Offer available to hostesses who host a qualifying Gathering between November 1 and November 30, 2018. No shipping and handling will be assessed on Hostess Rewards items when shipped with other items; Shipping and handling is assessed on any Hostess Rewards overage.

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Christmas Blessings

Exclusive card workshop for celebrating the heart of the season

You can never get enough Christmas. For a limited time, CTMH is offering a discounted workshop bundle with an exclusive stamp set that gives you materials to create 12 cards that celebrate the heart of this special season.

You can order a kit which includes the exclusive stamp set or you can order the stamp set separately.

Visit my website here to download the workshop guide with instructions for recreating the cards and to see what other supplies you may need.

Only available October 15–December 31 while supplies last. Shipping and handling will be assessed on the full retail value of your order. 

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Important Things

Create a colorful, compact album highlighting the important things in your life.

Highlight the unique things that are important to you with The Important Things Everyday Life™ workshop. This workshop shows you how to create eight 6″ × 8″ layouts plus a title page and a closing page for an Everyday Life™ album.

Below is a sample page from the album. Download the instruction guide to see the other pages.

Click here to download the instruction guide and to order your Important Things kit.

Offer available September 15 – December 31, 2018 while supplies last.

Shipping and handling assessed on retail value.

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November Stamp of the Month — Seasonal Trees

With a minimum qualifying purchase, get your D-sized Stamp of the Month set for just $5! Add the stamp set to your cart here at full retail price ($18.95) or, with your qualifying order of $50, get it for just $5!

Set of 23

Recommended Blocks:

1″ × 1″ (Y1000), 2″ × 2″ (Y1003), 1″ × 6½″ (Y1005), 2″ × 3½″ (Y1009)

Click here or on the image below to order your Stamp of the Month.

*Stamp of the Month is only available November 1– 30, 2018.

New Product Blog Hop - Fall Themed Wreath

Welcome to the Paper Trufflez Team Blog Hop. The participants in this hop will be highlighting new products from the 2018 Holiday Expressions catalog. If you have come from Brandi’s blog, you are on the right path.

The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way around. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants here. It’s really simple to hop along with us. Simply click on the link at the end of each blog post to move to the next one.

I’m excited to share a fall themed wreath with you that I created. I had the honor of being an Extravaganza presenter at the CTMH Convention this past summer. Extravaganza is where a few Consultants are asked ahead of time to present artwork that is created with new product on stage at CTMH’s annual Convention. It is an honor to be asked to present and I was thrilled. I was asked to create different projects using the new Seasons Mix-Ins papers. The Mix-Ins paper packet is a smaller pack of patterned paper that can “mix in” and coordinate with all of the other themed paper packets.

I used the Saffron striped paper from the Mix-Ins pack as the background for this fall themed wreath. The leaves and flowers were cut using images from the Flower Market Cricut cartridge. I used Goldrush, Fern, New England Ivy, Glacier, White Daisy, Espresso, and Pomegranate cardstock along with some White Glitter Paper.

I also used some of the chipboard pieces from the Grateful Hearts Compliments pack. I love that they have pretty rose gold foil aspects to them.

Here is a link to the Design Space file so you can make this project too. (Note, you will need to have a Cricut Explore or Maker machine and the Flower Market Cricut cartridge in order to use the file.)

Now “hop” on over to Chris’s blog to see her fabulous artwork. Be sure to visit all the Consultants in the hop to get some fun creative ideas. If you get lost along the way, here is a list of participants. Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome Sign

I always love it when I visit someone's home and they have a welcome sign on their door or in their entryway. It just makes the home feel so warm and well...welcoming. I created this 11½" x 7" welcome sign with just a few pieces of cards, the Grateful Heart—Cardmaking stamp set, and a piece of woodgrain patterned paper from the new Mix-Ins pack.

The welcome image is from the You Are Here Cricut cartridge. I cut it once from a piece of black cardstock and 5 times from White Daisy cardstock. I adhered each layer together with some Bonding Memories Glue to create a thicker, more sturdy piece.

I adhered the layered die cuts to a piece of woodgrain paper from the Mix-Ins paper packet. Then I cut some flowers and leaves from the Flower Market Cricut cartridge from Canary and Sweet Leaf cardstock and inked the edges with the corresponding ink colors.

To finish it off, I stamped a butterfly from the Grateful Heart—Cardmaking stamp set with the waterproof Intense Black ink and colored it with the Watercolor Pencils and blended the colors with the Medium Waterbrush.

It is a simple project but I hope it helps my friends feel welcome when they come into my home.

October Project Kit - Christmas Shaker Cards and Ornaments/Gift Tags Kit

This month's project kit is a set of Christmas Shaker Cards and coordinating Ornaments/Gift Tags. You will learn four different ways to use the new shaker window products by creating (4) holiday themed shaker cards and (4) coordinating ornaments that can also be used as gift tags. 

The local class this month will be held on Tuesday, October 30th at my house at 7pm. (If you are unable to attend but would still like a kit, you can either choose the “shipped” option at checkout and I will mail the kit to you or if you are local, you may choose the “local” option and I will drop it off or you can pick it up.)

Watch the video below to see the shaker cards in action.

Shaker Christmas Cards & Ornaments/Gift Tags Set basic kit is $27 and includes the following:

• Package of (10) Shaker Window Foam & Acetate pieces
• (4) 4¼" x 5½" white cards and envelopes
• Package of Silver Loose Sequins
• Red Shimmer Brush
• 1 yard Silver Embellishing Thread
• Pre-cut ‘Tis the Season patterned paper, cardstock, silver glitter paper
• Pre-stamped sentiments from Love with All the Trimmings stamp set (available to purchase October 2018 only)
• Link to Design Space file. (All kits will be pre-cut. You will only need this file if you’d like to make more in the future. In order to cut file, you will need a Cricut machine compatible with Design Space such as the Explore or Maker, and the Season of Joy digital Cricut Cartridge.)
• Link to video showing how to use shaker window products
• Step-by-step instruction guide

Add on extra kits with no Sequins or Shimmer Brush for just $16 each

Additional supplies needed (add-ons):

• Anti-Static Pouch (HIGHLY recommended) - $9
• Liquid Glass - $9
• Bonding Memories Glue (or other liquid glue) - $5 
• Adhesive
• Thin Cuts Basic Circles

Optional add-on supplies:

• Shaker Window & Confetti Thin Cuts - $22
• Love with All the Trimmings stamp set - $19

Add on the Love with All the Trimmings stamp set shown below for just $19. This set is only available during October 2018. (Cards will be pre-stamped if you do not add the stamp set to your order.)

You will make (4) shaker cards and (4) coordinating ornaments that can also be used as gift tags.

The coordinating shaker ornaments can also be used as gift tags!

Card and Ornament/Gift Tag #1

This shaker is attached to the card on top which is the standard way to create a shaker card. It also has the die cut cardstock on the front with the sequins behind.

Card #2

This shaker is attached to the card under a layer of patterned paper to create a smoother more flush card front. The die cut cardstock is on the inside of the shaker with the sequins are on top. You will use the Red Shimmer Brush on this card to give the berries, bow, and sentiment some sparkle. (It’s hard to see the sparkle in the photos. Watch the video above to see it better.)

Card #3

This shaker uses (2) pieces of acetate to create a clear window on the front of the card so you can see the die cut on the inside when it is closed. You will also use the Red Shimmer Brush on this card to give the berries, large circle, and sentiment some sparkle.

Card #4

This card and coordinating ornament/gift tag has (4) layers of die cuts and is probably my favorite! The card is like a little book with a ¼" spine.

Contact me for more information, to sign up for the local class, or to order a kit. All kits need to be paid for in advance. Thank you for your understanding.

Kits ordered by October 12th will be mailed by October 31st.

Kits ordered after October 12th, will be mailed within two weeks.

**If you are attending the local class, please place your order by October 12th.

To order a kit(s), you may either send me cash or a check, or pay securely online with a credit card or your PayPal account by using the “Add to Cart” buttons below. If you would like your kit(s) shipped, please choose the shipped option. $6 will be added for shipping. (Kits can only be shipped to U.S. addresses per CTMH policy. I apologize for the inconvenience.)

Shaker Christmas Cards & Ornaments/Gift Tags Kit - Local Basic Kit - $27 Extra Kits with no additional Shimmer Brush or Sequins - $16 each

1 Shaker Card and Orn./Gift Tag Kit $27.00 USD 2 Shaker Card and Orn./Gift Tag Kits w/ 1 brush, 1 sequins pack $43.00 USD 3 Shaker Card and Orn./Gift Tag Kits w/ 1 brush, 1 sequins pack $59.00 USD 4 Shaker Card and Orn./Gift Tag Kits w/ 1 brush, 1 sequins pack $75.00 USD

 

Shaker Christmas Cards & Ornaments/Gift Tags Kit - Shipped Basic Kit - $27 Extra Kits with no additional Shimmer Brush or Sequins - $16 each $6 will be added for shipping

1 Shaker Card and Orn./Gift Tag Kit $27.00 USD 2 Shaker Card and Orn./Gift Tag Kits w/ 1 brush, 1 sequins pack $43.00 USD 3 Shaker Card and Orn./Gift Tag Kits w/ 1 brush, 1 sequins pack $59.00 USD 4 Shaker Card and Orn./Gift Tag Kits w/ 1 brush, 1 sequins pack $75.00 USD

 

Add-Ons Choose add-on options from pull down menu below.

Anti-Static Pouch $9.00 USD Liquid Glass $9.00 USD Bonding Memories Glue $5.00 USD Shaker Window and Confetti Thin Cuts Dies $22.00 USD Love with All the Trimmings Stamp Set $19.00 USD

 

To find out more about my monthly “no-commitment” Creative Club, click here.

You do not need to be local to participate. *Ü*