January Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - This Moment

Welcome to the January Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  This month over 60 CTMH consultants are featuring the fun Valentine's Themed "This Moment" stamp set. If you have come here from Haley's Blog you are on the right track!  If you get lost along the way, the complete listing of all participating blogs is found by clicking here.

I used our new Heartstrings paper as my inspiration and pulled the Lagoon, Hollyhock and Whisper colors for some random stamping fun with the three different arrows.  This card is for hand delivery so I layered on pop dotting to give my black arrow and target lots of dimension.

Love the bit of bling some gold glitter paper adds!  I used our Chevron punch to make some extra shiny embellishments and a wee bow from our Striped Whisper Ribbon to accent my arrow.

I embellished the inside with more of the lovely Heartstrings paper and our Gold Shimmer Trim.  The fun arrows are from the Zip Strip on our paper. 

The January SOTM is available for ordering through the 31st at regular price or just $5 with a $50 order!  To get your set, visit my shopping site:

www.Paige.CTMH.com

Now hop on over to Jen's Blog to see what she has created!  Thanks for stopping by today!

Deal of the Decade - $10 for C and D size stamps from our Annual Inspirations Book!

The December promotion from CTMH is the Deal of a Decade - you can get an UNLIMITED number of C and D size stamps from our Annual Inspirations book for just $10 with a qualifying $50 purchase!   Plus your qualifying order automatically gets you our adorable "Cutie Pie" cupcake stamp for just $5 AND during the month of December you can get our Annual Inspirations Book and our new Seasonal Mini for FREE ($7 value) with any purchase you make via my shopping site - www.Paige.CTMH.com!

This really is an awesome deal because you are saving $3.95 to $7.95 on each and every C and D size stamp you purchase!  To make it easier to shop, here are the screen shots of the available stamps - these will pop up automatically as a special promotion when you place $50 worth of product in your shopping cart.  There are SO many sets to choose from! 

Get the adorable SOTM "Cutie Pie" for just $5 with your qualifying order!

If you have any questions about the promotion or CTMH products, just send me a note to Paige@Stampologist.com!

Stay crafty my friends!

Paige

For Sale - Craft Fair Items

Saturday's Holiday Bazaar was great and I sold LOTS of items but I made SO much that I still have lots of inventory! If you are still shopping for gifts I have some lovely items that can be picked up locally (Snoqualmie area) or I'll ship in USPS Priority flat rate boxes through December 17th for Christmas delivery.  I can even take credit cards with my PayPal swipe - I loved using it at the Bazaar! 

K-Cup Christmas Trees - includes 2 wrapped bundles of York Peppermint Patties as presents under the tree, 3 assorted K-Cups and a star gift tag.  It's a coffee break in a bag! Available in flavored coffee or in regular coffee.  The trees are three dimensional and will stand on their own.

Regular Coffee

My best-selling "World's Softest Sock" Cupcake.  These are the Cozy Crew varieties pictured below.

Here are some of the colors of socks I have.  Each sock cupcake is wrapped in a color coordinating wrapper and comes with a stocking gift tag.  None of the wrappers are Christmas specific so these can be used as birthday gifts as well.

I found these adorable cupcake mugs this summer and thought they'd be a great addition to my Sock Cupcakes!

These come with a beautiful cupcake tag so you can use it for birthdays!

This one is a favorite with my kids - Customizable Coupon Books.  Each of the 8 blank coupons inside are perforated so they can tear them out as they redeem them!

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Santa Fan Club Paper Mustache Straws  - includes 6 paper straws with textured Santa Staches!  These are great as photo props for Christmas milk and cookies!

Elf and Santa wrapped Hershey Chocoloate Bars - how about these for your Elf on a Shelf mornings?

5x7" Framed Snowman Mixed Media Art in Black frame or White

These fun Key Chains with Fob are great for teens too!  These are all that are left so you can be specific when you choose.

Cupcake Pendants with custom gift pouch.  These come on a 24" chain in Silver only.  There are a few different colors of cupcake wrappers - blue, purple, green and one orange left.

I have a large selection of Base and Bling pendants in silver and antique gold in both square and circle designs.  Each comes with a lovely gift pouch.  If you are local you are welcome to go through the selection and pick.  If you are long distance you can tell me silver/gold and square/circle and I'll pick a beauty for you!

That's all that I have left!  If you would like to place an order with me, send me a message to Paige@Stampologist.com and I'll tally it up.  Local pick up for the Snoqualmie Valley area to save on shipping, all other orders will be sent via flat rate USPS boxes.

I hope I can help you with your Christmas shopping while you help me reduce the inventory to store until next year's holiday fairs!  Happy Shopping!

Paige

Seasonal Expressions Blog Hop

Welcome to our Seasonal Expressions Blog Hop!  Today we have almost 40 CTMH Consultants featuring new products from our very first Seasonal Expressions Holiday Mini Catalog!  If you've come here from Krista's Blog you are on the right track!  If you get lost along the way the complete listing of hop participants can be found by clicking HERE.

Since we are just 19 days away from Christmas I thought a gift item would be perfect for today's hop! I've finally finished getting all my projects ready for the big Si View Holiday Bazaar on Saturday including these adorable Sock Cupcakes.  This one features our new Hopscotch paper pack and cuts from our Artiste and Art Philosophy cartridges. 

This paper is full of bright fun colors and patterns - perfect for spring time and Easter projects.

You can order from the fabulous Seasonal Expressions mini starting on December 1st through March 31st 2015.  Be aware that all the papers and kits can ONLY be ordered during those months - once this Seasonal Expression is over anything with the little clock symbol next to it will no longer be available!  To see the new booklet online CLICK HERE and it will take you to my online site to view it or download the PDF!

Now hop on over to Pam's Blog and see what she has created with our fun new seasonal items!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Stay crafty my friends!

Paige

Cyber Monday Sale Alert!

For the first time EVER Close to my Heart is having a Cyber Monday sale with 20% off any of our four cartridges - Art Philosophy, Artiste, Artbooking and Artfully Sent! The Cyber Monday deal is ONLY good on Monday, 1 December!

Plus you can DOUBLE DIP your discounts because with any $50 purchase you are eligible for our December promotion where any C or D size stamp set(s) from the Annual Idea Book ($13.95 or $17.95) are just $10 - no quantity limits!   Don't forget to grab the adorable Cutie Pie SOTM too for just $5! That is a whole lot of crafty shopping you can get done on Monday!

Art Philosophy - General Shapes and Cards

Artiste - Perfect for parties and events!

 Artbooking - Mini Albums and Scrapbook Layouts

 Artfully Sent - Pop Up Cards, Scene Cards, Overlay Cards, Picture my Life Cards and more

Stay crafty my friends!

Paige

December Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to our December Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  This month a group of 60+ CTMH Consultants are featuring our adorable December Stamp of the month called Cutie Pie. If you are coming from Gina's Blog then you are on the right track! If you get lost along the way the complete listing of all the participating blogs is found by clicking HERE.

I have just 5 days left to get ready for the big Mt Si Holiday Bazaar on December 6th so I'm up to my elbows in projects for the show.  One of the items I'm making this year are Base and Bling Pendants with cute holders - perfect for holiday gift giving or as a present for yourself!  This month's SOTM Cutie Pie coordinated so perfectly with our sweet Petite Perks "With Toppings" stamp set that I just couldn't resist creating a special pendant with the mini cupcake!

I used Memento Ink to stamp on our Whimsy Paper Fundamentals (the Pixie Pink heart paper) and also on some Glacier cardstock.  I paper pieced both small and big cupcake and added some accents with our Shinhan Touch Twin markers. 

I punched a 1" circle of our black Glitter Paper for the pendant backer and followed up with a dash of Silver Shimmer trim to highlight the pendant.  I thought the sentiment from the SOTM went perfectly with this necklace as a gift item.  I'll have a complete listing of products used at the end of this post so you can copy this adorable set for a cupcake in your life!

To purchase the SOTM for just $5 with $50 purchase or any of the other items needed to make this project, visit my shopping site!

www.Paige.CTMH.com

Now hop on over to Cat's Blog and see what she created with this fun stamp set!

Items Used to Create my Project - click any of the linked items below to take you to my shopping site.
Base and Bling Circle Pendant Silver
Base and Bling Circle Glass
Base and Bling Chain
Liquid Glass
Whimsy Paper Fundamentals
Glacier Cardstock
White Daisy Cardstock
Black Glitter Paper
Silver Shimmer Trim
Pixie Pink Ink
Artiste Cricut Cartridge (pocket)
Carmine Shinhan Touch Twin Marker
Clay Shinhan Touch Twin Marker
Cerulean Blue Light Shinhan Touch Twin Marker
Marine Blue Shinhan Touch Twin Marker
Sponge Dauber
Memento Ink (non-CTMH)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Stay crafty my friends!

Paige

Creative Blogger Tour

Creative Blogger Award

The other week I was asked to be part of the Creative Blogger Tour - talk about an honor and a surprise!  The tour is an invitational hop where you answer questions about your creative process, kind of a quick peek into the minds of creative CTMH bloggers!

When you check out the blogs of the previous nominees you'll see why I was so gall darn pleased to be asked - these ladies are some of my creative heroes!

Becca Whitman

 Hansi Brittain 

Marie Flayer 

Jody Gustafson 

Amy Moore 

Karen Day

Brenda Rose 

Vicki Wizniuk 

Kelly Janes 

Amie Kiger

 Katy Donaldson Taylor 

Karen Pederson

What am I currently working on?

I just finished up my monthly Card Buffet classes tonight - look at that bit of crazy in the picture below!  These classes are tons of fun but a lot of work to create!  This month I had 12 new holiday themed projects and brought back 22 previous general themed projects for a whopping 34 different items people could make during a 2 hour all you can create buffet.  These boxes are the ones that still had a few projects left at the end of Sunday's class.

My next big project will be getting items ready for the Si View Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, 6th December.  I have lots of ideas, a stocked Pinterest board and tons of supplies ready for me to go on a crafting binge and about 2 weeks of actual crafting time to get it all done!

My daughter is coming home from college for Thanksgiving break and I'm thinking I won't get much crafting done while she is home so this coming week is going to be full of sock cupcakes, gift card holders, Santa and Snowman Hershey Bar Sliders, Christmas cards, Elf Chocolates, Base and Bling Pendants and more!

How does my work differ from others in its genre?

Ask a girl a hard question!  I think most CTMH girls have a great eye for color and design so beyond that I think my specialty is using our Cricut cartridges and creating projects that can be made in a class setting.  I adore seeing creations that obviously took hours to create but most of what I create winds up in a class later on so I try to keep to things that can be copied by a range of crafting levels.

For the past couple of years I've been designing online using CCR and now Design Space so I offer a lot of free cutting files using our amazing CTMH cartridges.  I like to think of it as putting a little good out into the world and I love it when people send me notes letting me know they've used a file I created!

Why do I create what I do?

I think creativity is an essential element for people to have in their life for their mental well being.  Creativity doesn't have to be crafty - it can be cooking a meal or building a stone wall or making Lego sculptures with your kids - anything that engages your hands and your brain in creating something new.  I always joke that there are two things that keep me happy and sane - doing Martial Arts and doing papercrafts.  If I miss either for more than a few days I start feeling a bit cranky.

One of the reasons I love being a Close to my Heart Consultant is because I get to bring wonderful ladies together and offer them an activity that nourishes the creative part inside so they always leave with a smile on their face and in their heart.  My crafting helps make my corner of the world a little bit brighter and cuter and I get to spread the joy with friends.  Who wouldn't love a job like that?

How does my creative process work?

Another tough one to answer!  Necessity is the mother of invention and a lot of times it is what spurs my creativity too!  I can spend hours looking at Pinterest and blogs and get nothing done.  When I have a hard deadline for something to be finished then my creativity goes into drive.  I am by nature a very practical person so my best work is spurred by having a specific person or event to create for - there is nothing that gets my creative juices flowing better than a party to decorate or making a gift!  Beyond that I often find myself paging through the CTMH Cricut handbooks to pick out cuts I haven't used yet or flipping through my stamp collection and picking out a theme based on a stamp.  I love looking through our Idea Books (I have them going back to 2006!) and our How-To books for ideas on color combinations and layouts for projects.  Sometimes I'll just flip through my paper collection and pick out a paper that I want to use and let the project flow from there.

So that is a look into my messy, fun, practical mind and now I get to nominate the new blogger on the Tour!  It is my great pleasure to announce Dawn Ross has agreed to be the next stop on your tour!  Be sure to visit her next Monday for her post!

Thanks so much for stopping by today and spending some time with me!  Stay crafty my friends!

Paige

Holiday Themed November Card Buffet - Thursday, 13th November 12:30-2:30PM OR Friday, 14th November 7-9PM

Who:  Anyone 12 and up!  All pieces are pre-cut and ready to stamp/assemble so new to advanced crafters are welcome!

What:  Card Buffet - all you can "eat" in 2 hours

Cost:  $15 Flat fee for a fun and productive girl's night out!

When:

Option 1:  Thursday, 13th November from 12:30-2:30PM

Option 2: Friday, 14th November from 7-9PM  at my home in Snoqualmie (arrive 15 minutes before the start time to view and be ready to go!)

What to bring:  Adhesives like a glue pen, tape runner and pop dots.  Basic tools like bone folder, scissors (shared tools will be available).

What is it:  This round of Card Buffet will have new projects with a holiday theme including Christmas pop up cards and gift card holders.  These new holiday themed projects will join a large selection of previous projects in various themes so if you aren't doing holiday items yet you'll still have plenty of other cards (around 20) to choose from. 

All projects are pre-cut and boxed with all the tools and inks you need to complete.  You choose the box that contains the card you want to make and then take the box to your seat and put together as many of those cards as you'd like.  When you are done, return that box to the table and pick your next project.  You work at your own pace on whatever projects you choose and can do as few as one or as many as you like of the same card within the 2 hour time limit.  The only rule is that you have to finish each project before you move to the next one (no bringing supplies home to finish).

RSVP:  call/text (425)260-6965 or e-mail Paige@Stampologist.com

Discounts:  Place a $30 CTMH order and get $5 off your Card Buffet!  

There is something for everyone at this buffet whether you are ready to get into the holiday spirit, just want to get some gift card holders ready for the season or need a few birthday or thank you cards! RSVP today!

Artfully Sent Blog Hop

Welcome to our Artfully Sent Blog Hop!

Today we have well over 40 CTMH consultants sharing projects made with our new Artfully Sent cartridge! If you have come here from Melissa's Blog you are on the right track!  This hop is a big circle so if you continue on eventually you'll come back here but if you get lost along the way, you can click here for a full list of all the participants.

I created a missing you card for my daughter. She hasn't been back home since we took her to college in mid-August so we are counting down the days until Thanksgiving Vacation!  I can't even express how much I miss having her at home but I know she is growing and loving college.

I used my Explore to write our names on the front of the card in silver marker.  I picked the fox theme as I just sent her a fox mask for her Halloween party and used the same Scaredy Cat papers.

On the inside of the card I added a bit of color layering to give more detail to the cuts - I added blocks of green for the leaves and pink glitter paper for the bird to match the heart on the front of the card.

I even used tiny scraps of Pixie Pink between the Champagne overlay of the deer and the solid black backer I created for the pop up section.

Here is the Cricut Explore file I created to make this 5x7" card with pop up liner - I changed the names to Me and You to make it more generic for sharing.  To edit these names just Detach the writing and replace. Some of the tiny pieces like the fox tail and the ears I didn't create squares for - simply tear a tiny piece of the color to cover those areas.  I hope you enjoy the free file!  I truly appreciate the patronage I receive of my CTMH business which allows me the ability to create and offer so many free files!

https://us.cricut.com/design#/canvas/project/21839190

I absolutely LOVE our new Artfully Sent cartridge for making cards!  Pop up cards are my favorite and this cartridge makes them so easy to create and to customize!  If you are ready to join in the fun you can order your cartridge today from my online shopping site:

www.Paige.CTMH.com

Now hop on over to Michelle's Blog and see what she has created to share with us!