Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a safe and blessed New Year!

Welcome Banner - January Creative Club

January’s Creative Club will be held on Wednesday, January 19th and Thursday, January 20th. We will be using a ton of new products to make this fun banner. (Long distance kits also come with step-by-step instructions, pre-stamped images, and pre-cut paper.) You will learn how to make accordion folded flowers, how to use our new Spray Pen, how to make a puddle pad to create multi-colored stamped images, and you will have the opportunity to use the new Wings paper packet and beautiful new January stamp of the month. Everyone will receive a full package of My Creations Banners which includes 8 chipboard pennants and 7 jump rings. You can choose to have your banner say anything you like or create it to say “Welcome” like my sample. (Please indicate what you would like your banner to say if you are ordering a kit and will not be attending the class.) I will pre-stamp your letters for you using the adorable new Bohemian Alphabet stamp set.
Please let me know by January 5th if you will be able to attend or if you would like to order a kit. January’s class will be $10 or $5 with a $25 order. (If you are not local, please add $5 for shipping.) Extra kits will be $10. Please note that I will pre-stamp the banners, letters, and bird for the extra kits and long distance kits, but you will need the following supplies to complete the project:
Spray Pen
Create-a-Shade Pearl Paint
Vineyard Berry Re-inker

If you like this project, click here for more details on my super fun club! Contact me at lisa@myctmh.com for more information, to sign up for next month’s class, or to order your own club kit(s). Please contact me no later than January 5th if you would like to join us or order your own kit(s).

To find out more about my monthly non-commit Creative Club, click here. You do not need to be local to participate.

Last Chance to get Plenty for Twenty and Retired Items

The Plenty for Twenty promotion is ending soon plus
this is your last chance to get your favorite retired products!

Place an order of $20* or more on my Close to my Heart website from December 1–31, 2010, and you’ll be rewarded with a popular, retired D-size stamp set for FREE! Talk about getting more for your money—the free stamp set is valued at $22.95! I’m sure you’ll be thrilled with the set that CTMH picks out for you. You’ll also get FREE shipping/ handling and tax on your free stamp set. That’s a lot of “Plenty for your Twenty!” But time is running out. You only have a few more days to take advantage of this great promotion!

Grab Plenty for Twenty in December by visiting my website and making a qualifying purchase today!

Also, don’t forget that there are TONS of CTMH products that will be retiring on Friday as well. Click here to download the 2010 retired list. Be sure to get your favorites while they last.

*Excluding tax and shipping/handling. Qualifying purchases must include shippable products (Studio J® layout purchases excluded, Studio J memberships and 5-packs will count toward a qualifying order only if shippable items are also ordered).

Come back tomorrow to see my January Creative Club project using lots of new fun products.

2011 Creative Club

Monthly (no-commitment) Creative Club

Do you like to make fun projects at a great price or for FREE? Do you like to learn new techniques? Do you like to earn free products? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, my Creative Club is for you!

Starting in January 2011, my Creative Club will meet the 3rd Tuesday and Thursday of the month at 7pm at my house, however, you do not need to be local to be part of the club. My long distance members get their kits mailed to them and any orders they place get drop shipped to them directly from the Close to my Heart office. (Sometimes they even get their orders before the local gals!)

Here is more information on the Club:
You may join the club at any time and there is no commitment to stay in the club for any length of time or to place an order. There will be a small fee (depending on the project) for the supplies used for the projects we make which will range from cards to small gift items, to scrapbook pages, and more. Each person who signs up for this club will have their name added to the bottom of the hostess list. The person whose name is on the top of the list will get the hostess rewards that month. In order for your name to keep its “place” on the list, you must place a $25 minimum order whether you attend the class that month or not. If you do not place a $25+ order that month, then your name goes down to the bottom of the list. If you do place a $25+ order, then your name continues to move up the list AND you will get $5 off your kit for that class. (For example, if the class is $10 that month, your kit will only be $5 or if the class is $5 that month, your kit will be FREE!) Long distance members pay an additional $5 to have their project kits mailed to them.

Club members will also receive:

• A free current Idea Book/Catalog!
• Free Hostess Rewards during your hosting month
• Optional monthly classes with project kits
• Opportunity to hold a home workshop, gathering, or catalog party to boost your hostess benefits
• $5 discounts on all of my other workshops and classes while you are a member
• Other freebies and surprises...

Contact me at lisa@lisastenz.com for more information, to sign up for next month’s class, or to order your own club kit(s).

Check my blog and/or CTMH website for upcoming club projects.

Papertrey December Blog Hop Challenge

I thought it would be fun to participate in Papertrey’s December Blog Hop. The challenge this month was to create a paper crafting project using scraps of wrapping paper, parts of holiday cards, recycled gift tags or bits of ribbon. We received a standard “Hallmark” type card (although I am not sure if it truly was a Hallmark card) that had some nice patterns on it. So, I cut it up and created this Christmas thank you card. I just have to make sure I don’t send this thank you card to the family that gave us the original Christmas card. LOL!
There’s not much to explain about how I made the card as it is pretty simple. I am having fun making accordion flowers lately so I had to add one to this card. I used CTMH Colonial White cardstock as the base and the original card pieces for the rest. The sentiment is Papertrey’s Signature Greetings stamped with CTMH’s Cocoa ink. The button is from Papertrey’s White & Cream Mix with a small piece of CTMH Chocolate Waxy Flax threaded through the middle. I sponged some Chocolate ink around the edges to finish it off.
This is what the original card looked like before I had at it with my scissors and paper trimmer. LOL!

Merry Christmas!

Free Downloads

Happy Christmas Eve! I wanted to hop online quickly to let you all know that if you visit Northridge Media’s blog right now, you can download a free issue of Scrapbook Trends, Bead Trends, and CARDS in addition to two free Christmas Digital Scrapbooking Kits! Click here to get your free goodies!

If I don’t get a chance to post tomorrow, I hope you all have a blessed Christmas!!

Lots of Love,
Lisa

Etched Christmas Plates

Every year I struggle with what to make for my neighbors for Christmas. We have such a tight knit neighborhood and we are all good friends. In fact, on my small street alone, we have 29 kids! We have a lot of block parties and play dates! Everyone knows me as the “crafty” one so they always expect something handmade. I have tried my hand at baking and cooking and always end up apologizing when I deliver my burned, undercooked, or just plain uneatable gift. LOL! This year, I opted to make every family a custom plate. I’ll explain how I made them in a minute. After I made the plates, I realized that I had to put something on the plates to give them. Sooo...knowing that I wasn’t about to attempt to make a zillion (probably burned) cookies, I decided to take part in my very first cookie exchange. After burning 2 batches of cookies, I opted for a simpler cookie. So, I ended up making some ginger snaps and jam filled sugar cookies. And they actually tasted pretty good and I didn't even burn them!!

Anyway, onto the plates...I found some glass plates at the Dollar Store which was where my idea first started. I bought 15 of them and figured that I would try my hand at etching them with some etching cream. I created a jpeg file for each family with their names and importerd the files into my SCAL (Sure Cuts a Lot) program. Then using my Cricut I cut out the names from some contact paper that I also got at the Dollar Store. I peeled the backing off and stuck the contact paper to the plates to use as a mask. Then I brushed the etching cream on and let it sit for about 5 minutes. I washed it off and then peeled off the contact paper. I was pleasantly surprised at the results. After washing and drying them really well, I filled them with a bunch of different cookies from the cookie exchange, wrapped them up in cellophane and tied them with some ribbon.

I delivered them yesterday and everyone loved them. A few of my neighbors even asked where I got them. They wanted to know if I ordered them online. They couldn't believe that I made them! The best part was that they were so inexpensive to make. The hardest part of the whole gift was the cookies...really, that was the hardest part for me. LOL!

Anyway, I hope this gives you some ideas for some last minute, quick personalized gifts. I think it would be great to personalize a glass mug or bowl and fill it with candy. (That would have been much easier than making 100 cookies!)

More Christmas Cards

Are you sick of my Christmas cards yet? LOL! Here is one more. This one is a super simple design but I love how it turned out with the sparkles on the snowflake and on the edge of the card. It is really hard to see but I swiped my Bonding Memories Glue around the edges of the card and sprinkled some on Prisma Glitter. I did the same with the snowflake that I punched out of White Daisy Cardstock with my Martha Stewart punch. The sentiments are from my all time favorite card making stamp set called Say it in Style.
All Supplies used at CTMH unless otherwise noted:
Stamps: Say it in Style
Ink: Cocoa
Cardstock: Heavenly Blue, White Daisy
Other: Bonding Memories Glue, Prisma Glitter, Martha Stewart Snowflake Punch, Corner Rounder, 3-D Foam Tape

St. Nick Christmas Card

Here’s another one of the Christmas cards that I will be sending out this year. (Yes, I know they should have all been sent out by now...) This one uses the beautiful sentiment from the St. Nick set. I stamped it in Cocoa ink and then colored in the “M” with a Garden Green Marker and added some holly berries with a Cranberry marker. I outlined the stamped image with a silver Starburst gel pen that I got at Michaels. It adds a lot of sparkle that was hard to capture in the photo. The light is really uneven in the photo below, but hopefully you can get the idea. I also used some paper from the Mistletoe Creative Basics Collection and ribbon from the Cranberry Ribbon Rounds.
I’ll be back to post a few more projects later...

Photo Gifts

This year I decided that my Mom and my Mother-in-Law would get photo gifts. Costco has some great options. I was amazed at the quality when they arrived. In fact, I had a really hard time packaging up the bag and sending it off to my MIL. I really wanted to keep it. LOL! I might just have to order one for myself. The top picture is what the front of the bag looks like. The bottom picture is of the back of the bag. I had the option of adding another photo to the back for an additional charge, but I opted to keep it black.
This is my daughter modeling the purse for me. She wanted to keep it too. LOL!
My mom will be getting this fun throw blanket. It is actually a pretty good size and fairly thick. The photo is of my mom, my brother, his son, me, and my two kids. We were all wearing different colored shirts, so I decided to change it to sepia and it turned out pretty well.
Here’s a close up of the corner of the throw. I love the way it turned out and hope my mom will too.
If you need any last minute gifts, check out Costco.com. The throws are $10 off right now with free shipping! (Bummer for me since I paid full price, but maybe you can take advantage of the great deal!)

I’ll be back tomorrow with some more last minute gift ideas...

Have a great Sunday! *Ü*

Heart 2 Heart Christmas Card

Here is one of the Christmas cards that I am sending out this year. I need to send a huge thank you to Tracey Mason and Christine Adams for the inspiration for this card! Thanks ladies!

The last Heart 2 Heart challenge of the year is to post a favorite holiday card. I have made a few different cards this year, but I think I like this one the best. I will post a few more of my Christmas cards this week...
One of the things I love most about this card is the Clear Card base that I used. I LOVE Close to my Heart’s Clear Cards! Did you know that you can run the cards through your Cuttlebug using an embossing folder? Thanks to Tracey Mason for pointing out that cool tip!

All Supplies used at CTMH unless otherwise noted:
Stamps: Card Chatter - Christmas, Evergreen, Holiday Trinkets
Inks: Cocoa, Topiary, Garden Green, Heavenly Blue
Cardstock: White Daisy, Chocolate
Other: Clear Cards, Sponge Dauber, Cuttlebug, Snow Flakes Embossing Folder

Special Gift from CTMH

Look what Close to my Heart sent me for Christmas! Wow! What a wonderful surprise to open my mailbox and see a CTMH package inside. I must tell you that Close to my Heart is so good to their Consultants. Look at this beautiful bracelet! I LOVE it and can’t wait to wear it. Thank you Jeanette and the rest of the CTMH Gang!!

Would you like to join this fabulous company and be able to purchase some amazing products at a great discount? How about starting your own business where you are the boss and you decide where and when you want to “work.” I put the word “work” in quotes, because it really isn’t like work. It’s more of a fun hobby where you can make money. OK, let’s just call it a “jobby!” LOL! So, how would you like to make Close to my Heart your “jobby?”

Click here to read about the new Consultant Kit and some reasons why you might like to join my team today!
Click here to contact me with any questions you may have.
Click here to sign up.

I love my “jobby!” *Ü*

Stocking Gift Card Holder

Here’s a quick little gift card holder that I made while my supplies were out for the last project I posted. LOL! Since I have a bunch of gift cards that I will be giving this year, I wanted to make some sort of cute card to put them in. I found the template for this card here.
I used the same Mistletoe paper packet and Accessories Assortment that I used on the last project. The “Merry Christmas” sentiment is from CTMH’s Holiday Trinkets set. I sanded the cardstock with a sanding block and used scallop scissors for the trim. It’s a pretty simple card, but I think the recipients will like it.

2010 Christmas Ornament Mini Album

Have you ever been inspired by a project someone made that was originally inspired by you? LOL! Well, I was inspired by my friend Cindy Baker who made this cute ornament album that she said was inspired by this ornament album I made last year. This is a photo of my 2010 version. I still need to fill it with photos and journaling, but I am glad to have it designed. My plan is to make one every year and hang them all on the tree each year.

This is a great (inexpensive) way to highlight each year of family photos. The mini 3x3 albums are a GREAT price and so easy to decorate. I used Close to my Heart’s Kraft album which is even on sale right now! I also used some paper from the Mistletoe Collection and a white poinsettia from the Mistletoe Assortments. The sentiment comes from the lovely Card Chatter - Christmas set.

I'd love to see your version if you have made one of these. *Ü*

Incredible Christmas Light Display!

You have to see this amazing light display. I was speechless when I saw it. I love Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s song, “Christmas Eve in Sarajevo,” and this display makes it even more spectacular.



Kinda humbles our little blow up Red Barron Snoopy that’s on our front lawn! LOL!
Happy Friday! *Ü*

Simple Circle Card

I love fine stationary and am always trying to find ways to recreate some of the great designs I see. I made this card after being inspired by a few different cards I've seen lately. I used a Close to my Heart Colonial White Circle Card for the base, the November stamp of the month called A Little Thanks, and one of my all time favorites, Treasure Life. (The A Little Thanks set is unavailable to order, but I have a few extra sets. Let me know if you are interested in purchasing one.)

To make the card, I used a large circle Nestability (but you can use any die cut circle), laid it on top of my card and traced around the outside of it with a pencil. Then I stamped the flowers in Cocoa ink on the edge. I put the sentiment on my block in a curve to match the curve of the penciled circle. (Just one of the many reasons why I love CTMH clear stamps.) After stamping the sentiment on the penciled line, I erased all of the pencil. (Make sure the ink is dry first.) I put the circle Nestibility back on the card and traced around it with my CTMH Cocoa Marker. Then I stamped a few flowers on the envelope and I was done. I love the clean look of the card and am planning to make a few sets of these for gifts.

Mistletoe Album

Check out what my friend Joanne Walton sent me. WOWZA! Is this the most amazing album you have ever seen or what? She used Close to my Heart’s Mistletoe Paper Packet and Creative Basics along with the Mistletoe Level 2 Assortments to make this fabulous album! I love these papers and I LOVE my gift! THANKS JOANNE!

Plenty for Twenty, my New Purchase, and my Clearance Sale!

I know that’s a lot to include in one post, but I am excited to share everything with you! First of all, I am thrilled to announce Close to my Heart’s December promotion!

Place an order of $20* or more on my Close to my Heart website from December 1–31, 2010, and you’ll be rewarded with a popular, retired D-size stamp set for FREE! Talk about getting more for your money—the free stamp set is valued at $22.95! I’m sure you’ll be thrilled with the set that CTMH picks out for you. You’ll also get FREE shipping/ handling and tax on your free stamp set. That’s a lot of Plenty for your Twenty!

Grab Plenty for Twenty in December by visiting my website and making a qualifying purchase today!

*Excluding tax and shipping/handling. Qualifying purchases must include shippable products (Studio J® layout purchases excluded, Studio J memberships and 5-packs will count toward a qualifying order only if shippable items are also ordered).

Next, I am super excited to tell you that, thanks to many of you and to Amazon’s Black Friday sale, I FINALLY got my new iMac today! Woo-Hoo! If you have been a follower of my blog for a while, you probably know that my old iMac was on it's last legs. It was only 6 years old, but apparently in the computer world, that is ancient. I was having problems uploading photos, updating my website and blog, working with my email, you name it. It was making it very hard to do anything. So, I decided it was time for a new puter. I went though my stash of CTMH products and listed a ton of things for sale. I told myself that if I could raise enough money from my "Clearance Sale," I would get my new Mac. (It was a great fiscal lesson for my 7 year old. He watched me constantly update my spreadsheet of items for sale and asked me everyday how close I was to my goal. He is slowly learning that if we want something bad enough, we need to work and save for it. Since he knew that he would be getting my old computer when I got my new one, he was just as excited as I was when UPS came today.)

Anyway, this thing is AWESOME! I am excited to try out the cool camera and iMovie software to see if I can actually record some tutorials and videos for you guys. (Tresa, I may need a few pointers. LOL!) I hope that now that I have a reliable computer again, I will be able to post more regularly like I used to.

The only bummer is that I can't use my old Adobe Creative Suite software on my new computer. It is too old to upgrade so I will need to order an entire new Suite which, if you are a graphic designer you know, costs an arm and a leg! In fact, it is almost as much as my computer. That brings me to the next part of this post. I am continuing my online Clearance Sale in hopes to raise enough money for the software that I need. I have a ton of new and used products for sale at some great prices. Click here (or on the tab at the top of my blog) to see a list of what I have for sale. Let me know if there is anything that you'd like me to photograph for you. I am happy to email you photos.

Thanks so much to everyone who has helped me raise the funds for my new computer and to those who have been so patient with my lack of posts the past few months! You guys are wonderful! Big Hugs to all of you!

Dimensional Tags, Ornaments, Cards - December Club Projects

December’s Creative Club will be held on Wednesday, December 8th and Thursday, December 9th. We will be making some fun holiday projects including a photo ornament, two gift tags, and a card. Everyone will get a full package of Ornaments Dimensional Elements along with some decorative brads, and pre-cut patterned papers. (Long distance kits also come with step by step instructions.) You will even have extra chipboard shapes left over to make more projects as well!

A fun 3-D tag to dress up your gifts.

A personalized photo ornament to dress up your tree.

A cute mini tag to dress up your small gifts.

...and a Christmas card to send to a loved one.

The cost for the December kit is $10 or $5 with a $25 order. (If you are not local, please add $5 for shipping.) Additional kits are are $10.

If you like this project, click here for more details on my super fun club! Contact me at lisa@myctmh.com for more information, to sign up for next month’s class, or to order your own club kit(s). Please contact me no later than December 4th if you would like to join us or order your own kit(s).

To find out more about my monthly non-commit Creative Club, click here. You do not need to be local to participate.

4th Annual Christmas Boutique

You are invited to our 4th annual

Christmas Boutique

If you want to find those special gifts, and still enjoy what the season is all about, you won't want to miss this cozy shopping experience. Come hand pick, design, and even create your own gifts without crowds or stress.

Enjoy great food, free creative make-and-take projects, a free 5 min. massage, door prizes, and more!

Open House (drop in any time)
Saturday, November 13th 9am-2pm
33131 Monroy Circle, Temecula 92592

Featuring Gifts Galore from:
Close to My Heart Stamping and Scrapbooking, Pampered Chef, Tupperware, Homemade Gourmet, Cinderella's Fitness and Massage, Simply Fun Games for the Family, Little Blessings Children's Clothing, Dani's Handcrafted Jewelry, Thirty-one
Gifts, and Mary Kay.

Get some great discounts on many of the vendor's products. Be sure to check out the huge clearance sale on my stamping and scrapbooking products. Plus purchase pre-made scrapbook pages and project kits at great prices!

If you are not local but would like to shop my big clearance sale, click here to see the sale items. Email me with your wish list and I will let you know if the item(s) are still available and how much the shipping will be.

Hope to see you there!

We have a winner!

I know I said that I would post as soon as someone guessed what my anniversary gift from my hubby was, but time got away from me once again. The winner was actually the 2nd person to guess! Congratulations to Peggy Herrington who said...“Congratulations Lisa, and I think He probably bought you a beautiful diamond anniversary ring.” You got it Peggy! Please email me your address and I will send out the Love Letters Rub-Ons right away. (My email address is lisa@myctmh.com.)

I loved reading everyone’s guesses! As much as I would have LOVED (and really need) a new computer, I love my new ring! Christine, you crack me up girlfriend! A COW in a third world country village in my name??? Where do you come up with this stuff? LOL! Although that does sound more like something Andy would get me instead of jewelry. I think he may have had a little outside coaching on this one since it is the first time he has bought me anything like this since we got married. *Ü* Do you know that for our first Christmas, he got me a ladle!! Yes, a soup ladle! One year for my birthday, I got a very sweet...air purifier! I know. My man is sooo romantic. I think he has been teased enough by family and friends that he really wanted to do something special and unexpected, and he sure did!

In case you’d like to see my little beauty, here she is...
Thanks for sharing our 10th anniversary with us!

10 Year Anniversary, Weekend Getaway, and a Little Blog Candy

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been a little preoccupied with my family the past few weeks. My wonderful hubby and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary on November 4th and went away this past weekend to celebrate. We went to a Marriage Conference put on by Family Life that was AMAZING! I highly recommend this conference to any married couple. It is great for newly married couples, pre-married couples, those who are really struggling in their marriage, and those who just want a little “tune up” like us. It is called A Weekend to Remember and is filled with great information and practical tools to help strengthen your marriage and your family. The conferences are in cities all around the country and we were lucky enough to have one close by in San Diego. You can read more about it here. And you can find out if there will be a conference near you by clicking here.

By the way, if I haven’t mentioned it before, I have the best husband in the world! He is such a sweet, caring, thoughtful, godly man and I am so grateful for him! I am one lucky, no... blessed lady! I love you hunny! Happy anniversary! xoxo

What until you see what he gave me for an anniversary present. I will take a picture of it and post it this week. Hey, I have an idea. How about you guys try to guess what it is and the first person to guess correctly will win a package of Love Letter Rub-Ons. That seems appropriate, doesn’t it? OK gang, start your guessing. I will post as soon as I have a winner...

Holiday Gifts to Warm the Heart - November Creative Club Projects

November’s Creative Club will be held on Wednesday, November 10th and Thursday, November 11th. We will be making some fun holiday gifts that can be given to neighbors, co-workers, teachers, Secret Santas, etc. Everyone will get an A Sip stamp set along with pre-cut cardstock and patterned papers to make a hot cocoa gift bag with matching tag, a tea bag card, and a coffee card made with real coffee grounds. *Tea bags, hot cocoa mix, marshmallows, and candy cane are not included.

This quick and easy bag in a box can hold just about anything.
Mine has two hot cocoa mixes, a bag of marshmallows, and a candy cane inside.

The tea bag card holds 2 standard sized tea bags
and has a sweet message to the recipient on the inside.

This card can be used as a coffee card or hot cocoa card.
We will use Liquid Applique and real coffee grounds for a 3-D effect.

The cost for the November kit is $15 or $10 with a $25 order. (If you are not local, please add $5 for shipping.) Additional kits without the stamp set are $5.

If you like this project, click here for more details on my super fun club! Contact me at lisa@myctmh.com for more information, to sign up for next month’s class, or to order your own club kit(s). Please contact me no later than November 3rd if you would like to join us or order your own kit(s).

To find out more about my monthly non-commit Creative Club, click here. You do not need to be local to participate.