December Play Group Layouts (Mistletoe)

I am way behind and seem to keep getting behinder and behinder. Easton and Daysha's wedding is coming up soon (18 more days!) and between that and Thanksgiving I feel like I need at least another week before December gets here. Alas, that is not to be. I will have to make due with the time God gave me (which, by the way, God. It never seems to be enough!).

The photos you see today are of the three layouts we will be making in my December Play Group classes. Of course you can click on any image to see it larger and in more detail. It's too late to sign up for December classes but next week I will be posting the pages for my January classes, so be watching for them. I gotta say, they are AWESOME! I'll be teaching lots of new techniques in my January classes.

Layout #1 Below: "Christmas Time"Close Up of Layout 1's Journaling Below:
Layout #2 Below: "Christmas Eve at Grandma's"
Layout 3 Below: "Christmas 2009"Close Up of Layout 3's Journaling Below:

Even though it's too late to sign up for December's class, I thought you might enjoy seeing the pages anyway. If you're not coming to class, you can always use them for inspiration when scrapping on your own.

These layouts were all made using Close To My Heart's elegantly beautiful Mistletoe Level 2 Paper Pack (X7130B), Mistletoe My Stickease (X7130C), Mistletoe Level 2 Assortment (Z1330), Pearl Opaques (Z1336), Cranberry Ribbon Rounds (Z1209), and Red, Pink and Purple Assortment Sparkles (Z1326).

You can shop 24/7 on my website for these and so many other wonderful items. Click here to begin!

"Joy" Christmas Card

The card I am sharing today is similar to one that I showed you a while back (here), but a tad bit different.

I am so in love with the tone-on-tone damask embossing that I used on this card and have been using it like CRAZY everywhere I turn. The cranberry paper is from the Creative Basics Mistletoe Collection and is a very subtle pattern. I used my Damask Tiles stamp set and stamped with our Cranberry Stamp Pad and quickly dusted with Clear Detail Embossing Powder, then heated with my Heat Gun. Voila!

This card is a standard sized card (5 1/2" x 4 1/4"). Did you know that you can get a package of 50 of these WITH ENVELOPES for only $14.95? It's true! Just click here for the Colonial White pack and here for White Daisy pack. I cut 1" off the front bottom edge. I then added a little scalloped edge that I cut from that strip and I adhered it from the back. The cute little 'black pearls' are from Close To My Heart's new Licorice Opaques. Delish!

Close To My Heart products used: Damask Tiles Stamp Set (C1342), Colonial White Cards and Envelopes (X1410), Mistletoe Level 2 Paper Pack (X7130B), Mistletoe Creative Basics CollectionLicorice Opaques (Z1335), Cranberry Stamp Pad (Z2116), Versamark Stamp PadClear Detail Embossing Powder (Z821), Black Embossing Powder (Z670), Foundry Bookplates (Z1147). (X5811), (Z891),

You can order these and many other products on my website 24/7...especially when you're full of 'joy.'

4 New Close To My Heart Scrapbooking Kits

It's here, and by "it" I mean the Autumn/Winter Close To My Heart Idea Book. Woo hoo! You can view it page-by-page on the left side of my blog, of if you would like your very own hard copy, just email me and let me know (pedermom@aol.com).

In this new book, among other exciting products, are four brand spankin' new scrapbook kits. They are all mouth-wateringly delicious in their own ways. From the fun and cuteness of the Hooligans kit, the elegance of the Mistletoe kit, the soft and warm tones of the Olivia kit, or the blues and browns and homey feel of the Magnifique kit, I love them all!Enjoy some amazing artwork in this post using each of these kits made by the talented CTMH Art Department. I have also created links above that will take you directly to the order page for each of these kits on my website.If you see a kit you just LOVE and want to create some BEAUTIFUL projects with, then shoot me an email and sign up for that month's Play Group class. The months that we will be making each kit are...
October: Hooligans
November: Olivia
December: Mistletoe
January: Magnifique

Swap 'Til You Drop - Christmas Layout and Cards

I am involved in an AWESOME swap right now. There are 5 ladies that each make a layout and 3-4 other items (times 5) using one of the new kits in Close To My Heart's Autumn/Winter Idea Book. We send 4 sets of items to the swap hostess (Thank you, Joanne!), keep one set for ourselves, and she sends us each back one set of each new kit. WOO HOO!

I was assigned the Creative Basics Mistletoe Collection (X5811, available on September 1) as the kit that I would be working with. I am embarrassed to say that my swap is a little late being sent. Remember that flu I had a few weeks ago? Well, it ended up being walking pneumonia and it put everything in my life in a tailspin. So, I hope the other ladies in this swap will forgive me for being a few days late with my items.

Feel free to click on any photo to see it larger and in more detail. It's hard to see in some of the photos, but all of the chipboard snowflakes are sponged or painted with color and then sprayed with glimmer mist. So, there is lots of sparkle and bling to all of these projects. Sparkle and bling always make me happy!

Since this is my first time participating in this swap group, I was a little nervous. I hope my items are up to par with those that I will be getting back. I have already shown you the layout. You can see it with photos added here, so when you see it in this post without photos it might look a bit familiar. The other items (the 4 cards) you have not seen before.

My favorite item is the "Happy Holidays" card (first photo in this post). I love that rich damask tone-on-tone look. To get it I just stamped one of the Damask Tiles stamps in Cranberry Ink onto the Cranberry B&T paper in the Creative Basics Mistletoe Collection, quickly sprinkled Clear Embossing Powder over it, shook off the extra, and heated with my Heat Gun. LOVE that look, don't you? I need some wallpaper just like it!

If you have questions about any of the other items and the techniques I used, feel free to comment here and ask, or even email me directly (pedermom@aol.com).

Click here to shop at my CTMH website 24/7...especially when you want to make class damask looking Christmas cards!

Christmas Layout (Joy) with Mistletoe Creative Basics

I just finished a layout that I am in love with. At least I think it's the layout I love... but I'm not really sure because the little girl on it I am so in love with that even if it was the UGLIEST layout ever, I think I might still think it is beautiful. Let's hope it really is! Feel free to click on any photo in this post to see it larger and in more detail.

I used Close To My Heart's new Creative Basics Mistletoe Kit (X5811, available September 1...only one more week!). I love the Creative Basics series from CTMH. They include 12 sheets of Background & Texture Duo papers (6 each of 2 designs) and a spool of 4 yards of matching ribbon. All of this is only $7.95. These packs are GREAT for making lots of Christmas cards or even a whole Christmas album that is matchy-matchy!

Here are a few close ups of the details on the layout. I used CTMH Flurry Dimensional Elements (Z1225) as my main accent on this layout. They are wonderful white chipboard pieces that can be colored in so many ways (ink sponging, painting, markers, covering with paper, etc). The tan snowflakes I painted with a tan paint and then added a little bit of glimmer mist. The dark brown snowflakes I sponged with cocoa ink then sprayed with glimmer mist as well. I did the same with my "JOY". These snowflakes are so reasonable priced at $4.95 for a sheet of approx. 13 snowflakes, 16 stars, and 17 dots. Wowza! These snowflakes and the "J", "O" and "Y" letters ( (Z1064, Z1069, Z1079...which are made of the same great white chipboard as the snowflakes) are available to order right now, so what are you waiting for? Just click here to enter my website then click on 'shop online'. Easy, peasy!

Mark the Creative Basics Mistletoe Collection on your wish list and check back here for the brand new Autumn/Winter Idea Book on September 1. You'll be able to click on the photo on the left side of my blog and view it page by glorious page.