A simple thanks...

... I don't have any  new cards to post for you today - by Friday I had finally managed to cut all the little pieces for the four cards, 10 cards each (40 cards) and last night I had assembled 10, 30 to go. I hope these cards help out my friend's charity greatly.

Thank you to Kelley and Nancy for already ordering two sets! You rock my world! 8 left to sell...

Today is a small card that I had tacked onto a client's first order back in the fall. We had chatted about making cards over lunch one day, and then I invited her over for a playdate. (shhh... if you're a crafter you're never too old for one) and she was hooked. Plus, perhaps this will inspire her for further cards along the line.

This was inspired by one of the layouts from Jeannette Lynton's book Wishes, but I can't remember which one.

The background square is from an old set of brick stamps I bought to do my wedding thank you cards back in '08 and the rest of the stamps plus that little strip of paper at the bottom is CTMH. After all, sometimes the simplest cards can speak the largest volumes.

Michaels:
* Cardstock, my stash
* Cardstock, "Spice Market"

CTMH:
* Mistletoe Level 2 Paper Pack (retired)
* Dream Big
* Cherished Flourishes

Stay warm,

Come drink my rum... and Cherish the Day Nov SOTM

The housewarming invitation read something along the lines of 'come help me drink my rum...' We helped a friend move back in January when the wind was whipping around us with cold flurries. And although it's almost close to winter again, her new little home is ready for a party, and she apparently has some rum to share.

I thought she deserved a card and a little present. After all, what is a housewarming without a bit of celebration? This card actually (for once) did not follow any templates at all!

I used Lucky Level 2 embellishments and canvas buttons to help me embellish this lovely card! Strangely enough this became a SOTM card. If you look closely, can you identify the three months featured on this card? If you guessed March, September, and more importantly November you are correct! The stamp of the month for November is called Cherish the Day.

With every purchase over $55 CAD this can be yours for $5.50; which would also qualify you for the Holiday Wishes campaign.

Michaels:
* Cardstock from "Spice Market" set
* Cardstock from "Primary" set

CTMH:
* Grace Level 2 Paper Pack (retired)
* Chairs To You (March SOTM)
* Limited Edition (September SOTM)
* Cherish The Day (November SOTM)
* Cherished Flourishes
* Chocolate Ink
* Cranberry Ink
* Tulip Ink
* Juniper Ink
* Canvas Badge Buttons

Cats, Spiderwebs, and Holiday Wishes November Campaign

One of my favorite squares that I saved for last is the one below.

Again, I used Cherished Flourishes to dress this one up a bit, used my CTMH corner rounder for rounded corners, and with rhinestones and a pen I created a rhinestone spiderweb. It's so much fun to sometimes freehand in the last little details that you don't otherwise have a stamp for.

Every year since we have moved in and handed out candy, we have had at least one little munchkin look at us like we're going to eat him/her. It's the most adorable look I have ever seen. Let's see if this year proves to be the third year in a row.

After Halloween the next holiday is Christmas! Are you excited yet? I sure am - it's my favorite holiday of the year, and I celebrate it twice. Denmark celebrates it on the 24th, and of course Canada is the 25th. Speaking of holidays, CTMH has decided to gift us with a little something extra.

That's right - with a minimum order of $25 CAD between November 1-30, you can add this cute D-sized stamp set for only 5$! This stamp set normally retails for $19.95. As an added bonus, most of the images in the set coordinate with the Cricut Art Philosphy cartridge.

* Note: Stamp of the Month, K-sized customized name stamps, Cricut® Art Philosophy Collection and Workshop on the Go kits do not count toward a qualifying purchase. Tax and shipping applies.

Trick or Treat!

Rhinestones and Witches

The only thing I don't like about transitioning into Fall and then Winter, is the ensuing sicknesses that always go around every year. I'm still unfortunately sniffling and exhausted and haven't done any new Christmas cards for a while. However, I am moving forward on Mom's Christmas present.

I have another Halloween cube decoration for show! I always have pictures to post, don't worry; and I will take some photos of the calendar when I get a chance. I'm waiting for the oven to warm up so that I can get my chocolate chip cookies in there.

This one required some fancy decoration. I was running out of ideas to use just Wicked (August 2011 SOTM) for the decor. So, Cherished Flourishes gave this one a fancy flourish which was finished off with three little rhinestones. I used Fiskar edger scissors for the "Have a Wicked Halloween" piece, and then distressed it with Chocolate ink. Did I mention how much I love inking up edges with sponges? The witch is also popped up with foam tape.

I also received spray pens, reinker and Pearl Paint in my latest order, and I can't wait to find a good use for them! This is my first time using them, so I thought I'd do a little research and lengthen hopefully the lifetime of the pens. The following video from CTMH is an excellent how-to video for this tool.

I'll be spraying up one of my Christmas cards up really soon! Keep an eye out for it - and in the meantime enjoy the cube decorations.

CTMH:
* Wicked (August 2011 SOTM)
* Cherished Flourishes
* Olive Ink
* Outdoor Denim
* Black Embossing Powder

Michaels:
* Embossing Ink (from the old days before I discovered CTMH)
* Cardstock from 'Gems' and 'Spice Market' sets
* Rhinestones

Only a few more days till' All Hallows Eve,

Congratulations Kelsey & Matt!!

Ahh, Facebook is wonderful for social networking. Or so I thought, when I was lazily putting on lipchap Friday morning and doing my usual graze through my feed before I knuckled down for work, and noticed one particular picture. I dropped the lipchap and grabbed the phone to see if I was dreaming or not. I'm surprised the lipchap didn't go rolling under a few cubicles down the hall.

Nope... not only is that one gargantuous rock on her finger, she's got a killer manicure!!

Congratulations to both of you - and all the best for your years ahead together!

I passed the photo off to of course the lucky bride and caught up. What a great way to start a Monday morning. Apologies for the blurry photo, I didn't realize until after the fact. The inspiration from this one is an old Mojo Monday one from 2010: MOJO169. 

The card boasts 99.9% CTMH products! The only thing that isn't CTMH is that brad holding the flowers down, the blue strip and a wee bit of grey cardstock!

* Bliss Level 2 Paper Pack (retired)
* Bliss WOTG stamp set (retired)
* Just Blooms White Daisy Variety Pack
* Villa Irresistibles Chipboard Die Cuts(retired)
* Now & Forever
* Cherished Flourishes
* Pair-A-Phrase (retired promo)
* Chocolate Ink
* Sorbet Ink

New House New Beginnings

A friend who originally was a coworker of mine back in the day 7 years prior, recently bought a new home. I know that he has been dying to move out of the basement suite he has been living in since he moved into Vancouver.

I had acquired Chairs to You without realizing what I'd use them for, but they were just perfect for this occasion. Today's inspiration comes from a previous Teneal Williams post: Creative Elements Case Study 50 Hop.

As the middle chair needed to stand out, I used a technique known as paper piecing. What you do is stamp the image onto two sheets of paper, one is your base image, and the other you cut pieces out of. In this case I used plain brown cardstock, but you could do this with patterned cardstock to really 'pop' the image. As well, the sentiment on the front is embossed in black.

I seem to have a real habit of decorating the inside as well, but I find that it helps to balance out the card weight if it's a card with the fold on top. This time I opted to stay simple, to keep in theme with the rest of the card.

Michaels:
- Cardstock
- Embossing Inks

CTMH:
- Chairs To You (May 2011 Stamp of the Month)
- Lucky Level 2 Chipboard accents
- Chocolate Shades Collection Mini Medley
- Black embossing powder
- Chocolate Ink
- Smokey Plum Ink