Holiday Expressions retiring in just 2 weeks.....

We are half way through December, Christmas is almost here and the Holiday Expressions catalogue is retiring on 31st December! And there are still some great specials available in December too!

One of the paper packs I hadn't used much of till recently was the Seasons Mix Ins. These were new with the Holiday Expressions and are designed to coordinate with all the collections in the catalogue.

Recently, I created 2 layouts using almost exclusively Seasons Mix Ins. The first layout was inspired by one you will see in the NEW Seasonal Expressions available January 1st. 

This layout was created using Ballerina, Pebble & White Daisy cardstock, Seasons Mix Ins paper pack (Holiday Expressions 2018), Sugarplum Glitter Paper, White & Gold Twine, C1744 - Dream Catcher stamp set (Hostess Rewards), Versamark ink pad, Gold Embossing powder. It was a fun layout to create and the ladies who attended my workshop loved making it. 

For this layout, I used left over pieces of paper from the Seasons Mix Ins paper pack, along with Hello Pumpkin bulk paper, White Daisy cardstcok, D1808 - You're my Top Pick stamp set, D1797 - Watercolour Impressions stamp set, Black & Glacier Ink Pads.  I think this layout is great for using those narrow pieces of paper in your stash. I used some of the Zip Strips and cut other strips 1/2", 3/4" & 1" high and between 5.5" & 6" wide. 

As I mentioned earlier, there are some great specials still available during December. These include:

1. The Important Things Workshop -   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. The generic theme of this album featuring the bright colours and patterns in the Perfectly Imperfect Picture My Life™ cards make this a versatile workshop y to create for yourself, give as a gift, or even do both! There are additional products (listed) that you need to purchase to complete this project. It would make a great album to highlight some of your Christmas/Holiday events.

2. Days of December Workshop - Capture your holiday memories with the Days of December bundle and workshop! With this workshop, you can create an Everyday Life™ album to document photos and memories for each day during the month of December. Your December highlights will be preserved for years to come. You will need to add the Everyday Album to your shopping cart if you don't have one in stock.

3. Story Starter Special - Story by Stacy™ products teach you how to focus on the story in your memory keeping, and this December is a wonderful time to share the stories that matter to you with the Story Starter Special. During December, take advantage of 20% off the retail price of all Story Starter workshop kits and both coordinating stamp sets. For even more savings, get 30% off the retail price with a variety of bundles featuring Story Starter workshop kits and stamp sets. If you host a qualifying party or join my team during December, you can choose one of the Story by Stacy™ stamp sets for FREE! Contact me for more details!

4. Heart Happy Workshops - Whether you are looking forward to Valentine’s Day or just need a reason to celebrate the people and things that you love, we’ve got you covered with the exclusive Heart Happy collection. With the Heart Happy workshop, you can make one 12″ × 12″ layout, two 12″ × 12″ single pages, ten cards, and five tags. We’ve also taken this paper packet in a different direction with the Heart Happy Everyday Life™ workshop. Use this workshop to create a 6″ × 8″ Everyday Life™ album perfect for documenting any subject! These workshops feature a NEW, exclusive paper pack, stickers and stamp sets that are only available from now till the end of February 2019! Why not be one of the first to get your hands on this collection! 

With the retirement of the Holiday Expressions catalogue at the end of December, means the current Operation Smile Stamp set (D1798) Beautiful Soul will also retire. You still have time to get your stamp set and support this fabulous not for profit charity who offer FREE cleft lip & palate surgeries to children around the world. US$7.00 from the sale of every one of this stamp set goes to Operation Smile to help with these surgeries. Please help this great cause! Or if you don't want the stamp set, you can donate any amount when you place an order on my website!

Come back again soon and see what is NEW and what I have been creating!

Doreen

Oh What Fun Australasian Blog Hop

Hello & welcome to our Oh What Fun Australasian Close To My Heart Blog Hop. If you arrived here from Lauren's blog, you are in the right place. If you landed here by accident, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. 

Today, I am sharing some projects featuring the Oh What Fun Collection! This paper pack and complements is designed as a Christmas collection, but is so versatile. These pages were designed by fellow consultant, Maddie Dunster and the instructions are available from your consultant. I have added these pages to an album for a new baby in our family! The pages include some of the non Christmas complements and lots of shapes using the Stitched Circle & Stitched Heart Thin Cuts. I love how they came together.

I also created these pages, designed by fellow consultant, Andrea Sherman. I love how they turned out! To create this page I used Oh What Fun Paper Pack, Lagoon, Mint, Raspberry & White Daisy CS, Sugarplum Glitter Paper, Season of Joy Cricut Collection, CC10188 - Love with all the Trimmings Stamp set, Mint Ink Pad, White & Gold Ribbon.

 Andrea's version of this page below, featured snow flakes, but I decided to use summer icons to suit our Australian Christmas season. This layout will be used for photos from our annual extended family pre-Christmas BBQ. I used White Daisy, Linen & Lagoon cardstock, Gold Foil Paper, Sugarplum Glitter paper, Oh What Fun Paper Pack, Season Of Joy Digital Cricut Collection, You Are Here Cricut Collection & Decorative Borders Thin Cuts to make this layout.

And of course, I made some Christmas cards using this collection too! This first card was inspired by a card by Susan Williams, using Raspberry, Sweet Leaf & White Daisy cardstock, Oh What Fun paper pack, Z4240 - Oh What Fun Cardmaking Stamp & Thin Cuts, Black & Raspberry Ink Pads, Fancy Tags Thin Cuts, White & Gold Twine. This card opens to be a gift card holder. 

This card was inspired by a card by Laura Beacham, and created using Kraft, Lagoon & White Daisy cardstock, Oh What Fun Paper Pack, Sugarplum Glitter Paper, Silver Glitter Paper, Z4240 - Oh What Fun Stamp & Thin Cuts set, Black Ink, Clear Sparkles, Basic Stars Thin Cuts, Decorative Borders Thin Cuts. It is a great way to use up scraps!

Once again, I was inspired by a fellow consultant for this card. It was inspired by a card by Becca Whitham, White Daisy & Willow CS, Oh What Fun Bulk Paper, Z4240 - Oh What Fun Stamp & Thin Cuts Set, Black, Raspberry & Willow Ink Pads, Decorative Borders Thin Cuts, White & Gold Twine. I have used this design for several cards now and love how they have all turned out. The design can be adapted to suit cards for all occasions. 

The Oh What Fun Collection is only available till the end of December 2018 (WSL) so make sure you speak to your consultant or visit her website soon to get yours!  If you don't have a consultant, you can contact me here. And don't forget the current Holiday Expressions catalogue retires at the end of December, so make sure you get all the goodies on your wish list before then! Talk to your consultant today!

I'd love you to leave a comment before you continue on our blog hop to see what Maz has created.

Come back again soon and see what is NEW and what I have been creating. 

Doreen

Holiday Expressions retiring soon...

The Holiday Expressions catalogue is retiring soon! In fact there are just 23 days left to get all the goodies you need from this book! Some products have already sold out and others are low in quantity! 

One of the paper packs I hadn't used much till lately was the Seasons Mix Ins Paper pack and I love it! 

At my final workshop for 2018 last night, we used the Seasons Mix Ins to create these two pages. 

This first page was inspired by one you will find in the NEW Seasonal Expressions that will be available from 1st January! The page features the Seasons Mix Ins paper pack along with Sugarplum Glitter Paper and White & Gold Twine. The title was stamped with Versamark Ink and Gold Glitter and is from the Hostess Rewards stamp set - C1744 - Dream Catcher.

This page is on a background of Hello Pumpkin and White Daisy Cardstock then I used scraps of the Seasons Mix Ins and teamed it with D1797 - Watercolour Impressions stamp set with Glacier ink and D1808 - You're My Top Pick stamp set stamped in black. 

While I have used the Seasons Mix Ins paper pack as the main paper in these projects, they were designed to coordinate with all the collections in the current catalogue. And the next catalogue - Seasonal Expressions 1 (2019) features a NEW Seasons Mix Ins pack which I am sure you will love!

If you have some favourites from the Holiday Expressions catalogue, you can get them from my website today (or contact your consultant).

Here is a peek of the cover of the NEW Seasonal Expressions - available from 1st January 2019! It is packed full of lots of crafting beauty!

Come back again soon and see what is NEW and what I have been creating.

Doreen

S1812 Candy Cane Alphabet CTMH Australasian Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Hello & welcome to our S1812 - Candy Cane Alphabet Stamp of the Month Australasian Close To My Heart Blog Hop. If you arrived here from Lauren's blog, you are in the right place. If you landed here by accident, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. 

Today, I am sharing a project I created featuring the Candy Cane Alphabet Stamp of the Month. I haven't had a lot of time to play with this stamp set yet, as I have been prepping for a Christmas market in my local community and all things Year 12 Formal!

But I had fun creating this little gift box (inspired by one I found on Pinterest by Joanne James) that can be used as a table place marker on the Christmas table by stamping the first initial of each guest! That is what I will be doing with mine! 

I used Fern, Candy Apple & White Daisy cardstock and 'Tis the Season paper pack, along with Basic Circles Thin Cuts, Stitched Circles Thin Cuts and of course the Candy Cane Alphabet stamp set (S1812) with the Candy Apple ink pad. The little box fits 4 Ferrero Rocher chocolates perfectly, or you could fill it with any sweet treats or whatever you wish!

This stamp set is very versatile and could be used for pages and cards too - as shown in these sample created by the CTMH Home Office.

This exclusive stamp set is only available during December 2018! It can be yours for just $8.25 when you spend $82.50 with your consultant, or you can purchase it for $29.50 with no qualifying order - during December only. If you don't have a consultant, you can contact me here.

I'd love you to leave a comment before you continue on our blog hop to see what Doris has created.

Come back again soon and see what is NEW and what I have been creating. 

Doreen

‘Tis the Season CTMH Australasian Blog Hop

Hi and welcome to our 'Tis the Season Close To My Heart Blog Hop. If you arrived from Lauren's blog, then you are in the right place. If you landed here by accident, welcome! Please join in by following the link at the end of this post!

Today, I want to share with you a page and a couple of cards which feature the 'Tis the Season collection. 

For my page, I used Charcoal cardstock as a base then added a piece of White Daisy cardstock cut to 11.5" x 11.5". The 'Tis the Season paper squares were cut to 2.5" x 2.5" and added to the page evenly spaced. To add some dimension to the complements, I added some Thin 3D Foam tape. A small loop of White & Gold Twine was added to each of the stockings then "strung" to a length of White & Gold Twine.  I also added a length of Candy Apple striped ribbon across the page, with a faux bow. 

To finish off, I double matted the photo holder using Candy Apple & Charcoal cardstock. 

I have been making lots of Christmas cards and these are just a few of the them!

This card was inspired by one shared by Becca Whitham and created using White Daisy cardstock, 'Tis the Season Paper Pack, Z4240 - Oh What Fun Cardmaking Stamp & Thin Cuts Set, Black, Candy Apple Ink & Fern Pads, Decorative Borders Thin Cuts, White & Gold Twine & the Clear Shimmer Brush to add some sparkle to the tree.

This card was also inspired by a card by Becca Whitham, using Candy Apple, Fern & White Daisy cardstock, 'Tis the Season Paper Pack, Z4240 - Oh What Fun Cardmaking Stamp & Thin Cuts Set, Black, Candy Apple Ink & Fern Pads, Decorative Borders Thin Cuts, White & Gold Twine, Clear Shimmer Brush & Gold Shimmer Brush.

This card was Pinterest inspired by Helen and created using White Daisy cardstock, 'Tis the Season Paper Pack, Red Shimmer Tape, Confetti Stars Embossing Folder (retired), CC10188 - Love with all the Trimmings stamp set (retired) & Candy Apple ink pad. 

 For this card, I used some scraps I had on my desk! It was created using White Daisy & Candy Apple cardstock, Red Glitter Paper, 'Tis the Season Paper Pack, Gold Shimmer Trim, Basic Circles Thin Cuts, Stitched Circles Thin Cuts, D1799 - Christmas Countdown stamp set & Red Shimmer Brush. I used 3D Foam tape to add dimension.

The final card I want to share with you today, was inspired by a card shared by Gail Gross (fellow CTMH consultant). It was created using 'Tis the Season Bulk paper, Charcoal & White Daisy cardstock, CC12181 - Christmas Blessings Stamp Set, Pewter Ink Pad, Basic Circles Thin Cuts & Stitched Circle Thin Cuts. The cathedral window look was created by cutting 1.5" circles from the paper, then using a 1" square, fold the edges of the circles in to created the effect. I did that for the first card I created, then used my cricut to cut more circles for more cards! It was much easier. I created a Design Space file that can be used with the Cricut Explore or above! You are welcome to use this file if you use Design Space. The Design Space can be found here! 

The 'Tis the Season collection is only available from your consultant till the end of December 2018 (WSL)! If you don't have a consultant, you can contact me here!

I would love you to leave a comment before you head over to see what Doris has created using the 'Tis the Season collection.

Come back again soon and see what is NEW and what I have been creating.

Doreen

Oh What Fun!

Today, I am celebrating my annual Marathon (12 hour) workshop with a few dedicated girls! This is one of my favourite customer events of the year! I have been planning the event for quite a few weeks now, adding more projects each time I sat at my work desk! I ended up with 13 projects (more than originally planned) but know the girls will have fun!

Some of the projects the girls will be making are shown below! We are focusing on the Oh What Fun Collection (which is actually the CTMH featured collection for December).

This gorgeous box was inspired by one shared by my dear friend & fellow consultant, Jacquie Paech. I used a scrap of Oh What Fun paper along with Glacier, Lagoon, Raspberry & White Daisy Cardstock, with Sugarplum Glitter paper. It is a versatile little box suitable for some chocolates or something sparkly or more!

This card was inspired by a card shareed by fellow consultant, Laura Beacham - who constantly inspires me. It was created using Mint & White Daisy cardstock, Basic Circles Thin Cuts, Stitched Circles Thin Cuts, Z4238 - Wonder of the Season Stamp & Thin Cuts, CC10188 - Love With All the Trimmings Stamp Set, Intense Black Ink Pad, Mint Shimmer Brush & Red Shimmer Brush.

This card was created using Sugarplum & White Daisy cardstock, Sugarplum & Silver Glitter Paper, CC10188 - Love With All the Trimmings Stamp Set, Sugarplum Ink Pad, Silver Embellishing Thread, various Embossing Folders, Basic Stars Thin Cuts, Cricut Design Space basic shapes. I have also created a similar card using Candy Apple cardstock. 

This card was inspired by a card by fellow consultant, Becca Whitham, who also often inspires me. I used White Daisy & Willow cardstock, Oh What Fun Bulk Paper, Z4240 - Oh What Fun Stamp & Thin Cuts Set, Black, Raspberry & Willow Ink Pads, Decorative Borders Thin Cuts and White & Gold Twine.

This Santa gift card holder is an alternate version of one I have been creating for a few years now. It is so simple to make. All you need is a piece of Candy Apple Cardstock measuring 3.5" x 8.5" - score at 2.5" & 6.5". Corner round the two corners of the small end. Adhere sides to create an envelope. Add buckle (cut from Art Philosophy cricut cartridge) to ½” x 3½” length of black cardstock and adhere about 1” from bottom of holder. Add 3 black dots (hole punched from a scrap of black cardstock). Attach hook and loop to close.  

These cute Elf Legs were inspired by several ideas seen on Pinterest. I used the Elf shoes from the NEW Season of Joy cricut collection then created the shorts using square shapes in Design Space. The girls will be filling their Elf Legs with Red & Green M&Ms. I have made some of these for an upcoming market and as I don't have a food handling certificate, I can't add the M&Ms for that so decided to add pencils. I will also sell kits that purchasers can add their own M&Ms to.

Each year, I make a desk top calendar for some of the girls at the school library where I volunteer and for my bible study group, so I share it at my workshop too. This one is so simple, created using White Daisy & Peach Cardstock with D1815 - Bunches of Love stamp set with Pewter, Peach & Sage ink pads.

I shared this layout on my blog last week as a part of the stamp of the month blog hop. I used Raspberry, Willow & White Daisy cardstock, along with Oh What Fun paper & complements. The tree is from the November stamp of the month - S1811 - Seasonal Trees.

The last project I am sharing today is available from your consultant in the Maddy Dunster Oh What Fun workshop. It features Mint, Raspberry & White Daisy cardstock with Oh What Fun paper pack & complements, along with some paper from the Seasonal Mix Ins paper pack. I love the Raspberry & White Twine around the White centre square.

Come back again soon and see what is NEW and what I have been creating.

Doreen