Sneak-A-Peek: Rock The Block!!

What better to sneak a lil' peek at what the Spring/Summer 2012 catalog has in store for you? The campaign that runs through Dec 19, 2011 to Jan 31, 2012 features the product 'Collage Cubes'. It's a really neat little product that gives you more than just one side to show off your awesome photos!

 When you order $25.00 CAD worth of product from the current Autumn/Winter catalogue, you can get these two neat products for only $15.00 more! The E-sized stamp set included in this promotion is only available during this time and is not available in the Spring/Summer 2012 catalogue.

As well, I'm excited to tell you that the Canadian 2012 pricing matches the US dollar for dollar! That means that you'll be able to purchase more stamps at lower prices. The adjustment will be in effect Jan 1, 2012 - so to get a heads up on pricing refer to the US version of your Idea Books online.

And last, but not least, this may be my final post of the year before next year rolls around, so I'd like to thank all of my readers for following along with my crafts. Merry Christmas and see you all in 2012!!

Christmas Cheer at the office

In the two different jobs I have been at - past and present - it has led me to be really grateful to work with a team which not only genuinely cares about you like you were family, but respects your choices without judgement and believes in you to get things done.

As a female software developer, I often end up being the lone lady among a pack of males. Which makes it very important to have the right team, or you end up very miserable. Not only have the boys been very good to me, they have also guided and mentored me over the last many months, and I wanted to say thank you and bring Christmas into the office for our little team.

Thank you to a very amazing hubby who gifted me (early) with a Cricut for Christmas! Using the Art Philosophy cartridge in the E2 alongside the Wonderland paper pack, I came up with pillboxes which I stuffed with four chocolate pieces. Note to self - using tape runners does not mean they will stick together; arm yourself with a very trusty glue gun.

My favorite part about these boxes is that the brown dotted paper is literally the other side of the blue diamond pattern - don't they go so well together?

The tags were also cut with the Art Philosophy cartridge - first I cut the recommended size on the stamp sheet, and then I cut a slightly larger tag (and for the smaller one, I lopped off the handle). Any stamp set that has a corresponding shape to the Art Philosophy cartridge also has a recommended size printed right on the sheet! Sooo handy!



And finally, I decided to add blue ribbon to finish off the look. Each packet actually had names written on them but those were edited out. The interesting thing is that you could just change up the colors of the papers and the stamp tags to something else and you could end up with party favors!

These were paired with handmade cards and were a hit.

Michaels:
* Cardstock: "Primary"
* Blue ribbon

CTMH:
* Wonderland Level 2 Paper Packet
* December 25
* Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge
* Spring Iris Ink

Have you bought your turkey for Christmas yet?

Tree's up..

.. and tomorrow is our annual Xmas potluck that we have for a few close friends we see a few times a year. I can't believe that December is flying by so fast.

Today's inspiration is from Mojo Monday : MOJO218. I absolutely adore their layouts.

 

It`s really easy to make your own card bases! A tip from Wishes is to simply take a 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper, cut it in half to make two 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 pieces, and score straight down the middle. What's even better is that my local stationery store happens to sell matching sized envelopes; $12 for 100.

As you can see I couldn't resist using Liquid Applique to give my little inked Santa a bit more oomph on the front of the card, and dressed the card up with a bowtie and some little sparklies.

I always love matching up the colors on the inside of the card with the outside. I've also noticed a change in quality of the photos taken - in previous posts, they were done with a Canon point and shoot; these two photos were taken with a Canon Rebel XT aided with a Canon Speedlite 430 EX.

Michaels:
* Cardstock - "Primary"
* Rhinestones

CTMH:
* Mistletoe Level 2 Paper Pack (retired)
* Wonderland Level 2 Paper Pack
* Christmas Cheer
* Christmas Love
* A Timber
* Festive Thoughts
* Ponderosa Pine Ink
* Cranberry Ink
* Chocolate Ink

It smells like Christmas here,

Wishes - Greeting Card Workshop

Jeanette Lynton has published two amazing books for cardmaking : Originals and Wishes. These books contain awesome layouts, tips and tricks, recipes on how to make them, and even printable templates on a CD! You can't get any better than that.

I thought I'd try out one of the card workshops in Wishes - Greeting Card Workshop found on page 111. These workshops make 16 standard 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 cards. It took me a total of three hours to finish the workshop, but most of the time was spent cutting. On average, the cards you see in my posts are an hour to make or more including fiddling, color coordination, and cutting/stamping/assembly.

I ended up with 16 beautiful cards which are much simpler than my usual style. I couldn't resist using foam squares though.

The biggest tip of all is: "keep it affordable by stamping your embellishments instead of using consumable accents". It's a great tip for those just starting out.

3 sheets of 12 x 12 paper and 9 pieces of 8 1/2 x 11 white paper for cardstock... plus additional embellishments and a few stamp sets later and voila!

Michaels:
* Cardstock, "White"
* Green cardstock
* Cardstock, "Gems" collection

CTMH:
* Holiday Warmth - October 2009 Stamp of the Month, retired
* Snowflakes
* Festive Thoughts
* Holiday Commentary
* Mistletoe Level 2 Paper Pack - retired
* Snow Flurries
* Bundled Buddies
* Cranberry Ink
* Ponderosa Pine Ink
* Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge

Christmas is fast approaching! P.S ... did you see the card I made with Mad About You (Dec 2011 SOTM) in the previous post?

Hearts, Christmas and Valentine's Day

Can you believe it's December already? I can't... the year has just seemed to fly by! But there is snow on the driveway, Christmas lights are up around the neighbourhood and the local grocery stores are now sporting real Christmas trees for sale.

With a qualifying total purchase of $55.00 CAD this beautiful set - Mad About You - could be yours for only $5.50! This set is totally versatile for Christmas (hearts), Valentine's Day, and of course wedding cards.

I only managed to get around to doing one this weekend, but it features all the prettiest parts about this set - hearts! Today's inspiration is an older Mojo Monday from April 2011: MOJO185.

You can just barely see them but the three brads on the left hand side are hidden in the ribbon bow's shadow. This card just proves that the Wonderland paper bundle from the Autumn / Winter 2011 CTMH collection doesn't have to be just for Christmas cards! The big heart and the sentiment are from Soul Mates to augment the hearts from the stamp of the month.

On December 19 the constant campaign will start which includes one Sneak-A-Peek product from the Spring/Summer 2012 catalog - Collage Cubes. I'll post more about it then!

Michaels:
* Cardstock
* Ribbon
* Brads
* Edge punch

CTMH:
Mad About You - December 2011 Stamp of the Month
Soul Mates
Now and Forever
Cranberry Ink
Chocolate Ink