CTMH Miscellaneous Cards

Handmade Christmas -- Part 1

Christmas gifting is one of the most wonderful parts of the holiday season, but it can also be one of the most stressful.  Especially when it comes to those who you deeply appreciate and want to thank, but don't know personally enough to figure out what they might want -- people like teachers, daycare providers, etc.  This year is my first year of teacher gifts -- and my son has 4 teachers!!  I knew I didn't want to get them lotions or candy because I'm sure they get plenty of that stuff.  So I decided to make and gift handmade card sets.  Everyone uses cards, right?  And I love to make cards, too!  So it was a win-win as far as I was concerned.

For each set, I chose one B&T paper design and two styles of cards.  I varied the greetings, but kept the paper and styles the same to help create that "set" feel.  My favorite stamp sets for making card sets are sets like Finding the Words and Happy to Be Friends.  These sets include several main words and lots of supporting phrases to mix and match -- making them extremely versatile and perfect for putting together a giftable set.

I also make sure to include envelopes when gifting card sets.  This may seem obvious to some, but it's easy to forget to include envelopes when you cut down your own cardstock for card bases.  That is why I prefer to use the CTMH card base value packs for making card sets.  Not only are they an awesome value for both cards and envelopes, but when mass-producing cards, it is extremely convenient to be able to skip the cutting / folding of the card bases.

The completed set

Close-up card sample

Close-up card sample

Close-up card sample

Supplies used:
*Art Philosophy Cricut collection
*Finding the Words stamp set

*Confetti Wishes paper packet (retired)
*12" x 12" Lagoon cardstock
*12" x 12" White Daisy cardstock
*White Daisy card bases
*Pacifica Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Lagoon Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Thistle Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Canary Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Gold shimmer trim

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Until next time, remember to design it with {heart}!

Stamp of the Month Blog Hop -- August: Framed

 Welcome to the August Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

If you came from visiting Alyson Mayo, then you are in the right place.  If you just happened upon my little corner of the blog world, simply start here and continue hopping until you return here -- our fun hop is one big loop for your viewing pleasure. 

The month's featured stamp set is S1508 Framed (pictured below).  This set is only available until August 31st and is only $5 with a $50 Close to My Heart purchase.

For today's cards, I used the Confetti Wishes paper packet along with the NEW Artistry Cricut Collection.  Artistry... learn it, memorize it, love it!  You will be hearing this word non-stop for days, weeks, months to come.  This amazing NEW cartridge collection is available to all beginning today.  You will not want to miss out on this one.  I know I've said this in the past, but Close to My Heart and Cricut have truly outdone themselves with this collection.  This month's stamp of the month set is a fun introduction to Artistry... and wow -- check out that collection of sentiments!

Supplies used:
*Artistry Cricut Collection (NEW)
*Framed stamp set -- August SOTM
*Confetti Wishes paper packet

*White Daisy cardstock

*Canary cardstock

*Lagoon Exclusive Inks stamp pad

*Thistle Exclusive Inks stamp pad

*Pacifica Exclusive Inks stamp pad

*Gold sequin assortment

*Aqua Dots

*Fiskars Paper Crimper

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Thank you for visiting me at JD Designs and for hopping with us on the Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month August Blog Hop!  Next up on the hop is Terrie Shortsleeve. I hope you'll hop on over to her blog for more inspiration.

Until next time, happy crafting!

Jump on it July Blog Hop

 Welcome to the Jump On It July Blog Hop!

If you came from visiting Priscilla Gotham, then you are in the right place.  If you just happened upon my little corner of the blog world, simply start here and continue hopping until you return here -- our fun hop is one big loop for your viewing pleasure. 

This hop features the Close to My Heart July Constant Campaign called Jump On It July.  For every $25 you spend on current, retail-priced stamps, you are eligible to receive any current Hostess Rewards set for only $5!  These sets are normally only available to hostesses with qualifying workshop sales, but  in July, everyone is able to purchase these exclusive sets. This special is only available until July 31st -- so be sure to "jump on it".

As many of you may have heard, last week was CTMH's annual convention.  The online world was buzzing with convention-related news and sneak peeks.  We will soon have an amazing new collection of products to play with.  However, in the meantime, I am diving into our current line and re-visiting some of the collections I haven't played with since last Fall/Winter.  I would encourage you to do the same.  There are LOTS of great products in our current collection.

In that spirit, the layout I have for you today features the Confetti Wishes collection - one of the first collections I worked with from the current Annual Inspirations Idea Book.  I also used the Hostess Rewards set "Happy Hexagons" along with a sketch from Sketch Savvy.

The Sketch

My Layout

Supplies used:

*Confetti Wishes paper packet
*Pacifica cardstock
*Crystal Blue cardstock
*White Daisy cardstock
*Pacifica Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Thistle Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Gold shimmer trim
*Gold sequins assortment
*Artbooking Cricut Collection

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.  And for full details on the "Jump On It July" special, please my July 1st blog post.

Thank you for visiting me at JD Designs and for hopping with us on the Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month Jump On It July Blog Hop!   Next up on the hop is Lisa Plummer. I hope you'll hop on over to her blog for more inspiration.

Until next time, happy crafting!

SpiegelMom Scraps National Scrapbook Day Card Sketch Challenge

In honor of National Scrapbooking Day, my friend Jody over at SpiegelMom Scraps is sponsoring a fun weekend full of challenges and a blog hop.  I have donated a great Close to my Heart prize set and will be participating in the challenges today and the hop tomorrow.

For today's 8 PM CST Card Sketch Challenge, Jody shared two sketches.  I loved them and decided to work with both of them.

Here's my take on the sketches...

Supplies used:

CARD #1

*Confetti Wishes Paper Packet
*Pacifica Cardstock

*White Daisy Cardstock

*Tagged with Love Hostess Exclusive stamp set

*Pear Exclusive Inks stamp pad

*Pacifica Exclusive Inks stamp pad

*Gold Sequins Assortment

*Thistle Extra-Thick Bakers Twine

*Art Philosophy Cricut Collection

CARD #2

*Taste of Summer Paper Packet

*White Daisy Cardstock

*Finding the Words stamp set

*Canary Exclusive Inks stamp pad

*Thistle Exclusive Inks stamp pad

*Coral Reef Sequins Assortment

*Bitty Sparkles

To order any of our fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

I hope you'll take the time to visit SpiegelMom Scraps on Facebook and participate in the National Scrapbook Day challenges.  Join us tomorrow for the SpiegelMom Scraps & Southern Girls Combined Blog Hop.

Until next time, happy crafting!