Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge

I am having a blast with Close to my Heart's Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge. I was excited when CTMH announced that we were getting this cartridge, and I knew I would use it, but I had NO IDEA I would use it all the time!

Here is a bag I recently made. I used the treat bag and put a black scallop oval bent over the top to make it a closure so now it looks like a cute little purse. You simply attach 1/2 of the oval to the back, score it at the top and bend it over the front. Then squish the sides a little towards the top. VERY EASY!

I made a quick flower on the Cricut and doneI used 2 stamp sets with this. The flourish is from out stamp set Instant Memories (C1466 $13.95) and the "you make me smile" is from our Hooray Bouquet (D1491 $17.95). Side note on the Hooray Bouquet...all the flowers in this set have Cricut images! So you can cut them out, stamp on them and you are done! No more hand cutting! YIPPEE!

If you haven't gotten your Cricut Cartridge yet, you need to! If you have it already...make sure you make some of these great bags!!! They make great gifts for teacher, coworker or friends! Enjoy!

Sweet Heart Gift

Do you know anyone that likes chocolate? Here is an easy gift to make. And you know Valentine's Day is coming up fast!

First I used our My Creations Card box (Z1647 $4.95).

6 1/4 x 4 1/4 plaid b&t from Roxie 

6 1/4 x 1 Plaid 

6 1/4 x 2 Tulip cardstock times 2 

2 x 4 1/4 Tulip cardstock times 2 

1 3/4 x 4 1/2 plaid times 2 

1 x 3 1/2 zebra b&t times 6 

6 circles 1 1/4" of linen b&t 

I sponged the edges of the box with black.

The heart doily is 4" - it is on our Cricut Cartridge. The "chocolates" are the chinese take put boxes also from the Cricut Cartridge. Those are cut at 3" & 2 1/2". I took some of our stripe

ribbon to go on some of the "chocolates" and the white squiggles are made with our liquid appliqué. When you are making the chinese boxes, fold the top flaps in and adhere. Then glue them on the box upside down using liquid glass! How fun is this!

Here is the inside. I used Reese's peanut butter cup for the round ones, Ghiradelli squares (on the right) and nuggets (top left).

It's a fun and inexpensive gift for that special chocoholic in your life!

Snowman Candy Bar Holder

Need a cute quick idea that holds CHOCOLATE? Here it is. This cute snowman candy bar holder. It holds a Hershey's chocolate bar.

Here's how to make it. Take a piece of white cardstock cut at 5 1/2 x 6.

On the 5 1/2 side, score it at 1 1/4", 1 1/2", 3 3/4", 4". I used our All Decked Out stamp set (page 75 of our current catalog). This stamp set has 29 pieces of the snowman in it. I stamped the white cardstock with the snowman pieces. Adhere the bottom and back, crimp the bottom and you are ready to dress your snowman.

The scarf is just coordinated ribbon but the hat...it's a baby sock! YES! A baby sock.

What I did was cut the toe part off (just a little bit so you don't lose the length) then I cut little slices and tied it in the middle so it looks like a hat. The elastic for the top of the sock becomes that bottom of the hat. Too cute huh!

Then I put my candy bar in it and ready to give to a favorite friend! Make some for your chocolate loving friends!

Scallop Card Treat Bag

I am going crazy creating these cute little treat bags! They were inspired by a fellow CTMH consultant, Pam O'Connor...and I ran with her idea! They are so much fun!

They are made with our 6 x 6 Kraft Die-Cut cards (Z1474 10 for $6.95...see page 123 of our catalog). YES I turned our cards into a treat bag and with minimal supplies...this is what I came up with.

First you take the card and open it up. It has that cute little scallop edge on it already! HANDY! So you open the card, but keep the scallop part folded over facing down on your Cricut mat. Oh, did I tell you, you get the oval by cutting it with your Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge! YOU DO! So put the card down on your mat with the scallop fold on your left. Then set your size to 2 1/2". Now you will need to move your blade to the following position. Left/Right 1 3/4" and the In/Out to 0 11/16. This is where you manually move the blade...watch your screen for the left/right and in/out position...it will come up as you move the blade. I used the Oval 3 on page 42 of the Cartridge book. Cut. Then take it off the mat and score 1 inch on both sides of the score line to have the bag stand up. Then just decorate with your favorite stamps and paper and tada!

I was having so much fun, I had to create on for Halloween, Christmas and Winter! HOW FUN ARE THESE! You simply add a baggie filled with your favorite treat and give to a special friend, teacher, coworker etc. So order your Kraft cards and get started making these great treat bags soon! You just never know when you will need some!

Cute Halloween Treat!

I know it is a little early for Halloween, but it is NEVER too early to start creating cute treats for all those little ghosts & goblins.


It is a quick and easy treat holder. I put Hershey kisses in it, but you can also put Nuggets in them. Here's how to make it. Take a piece of 4 1/2 x 4 1/4 cardstock. I used our Pear cardstock. On the 4 1/2 side, score it at 1 1/4, 2 1/2 & 3 3/4. I stamped the outside using the diamond from our All Hallows Eve stamp set (C1462). I stamped it in Topiary. It wasn't as dark as the Pear. I then stamped the scrolly stamp on top of the diamond using Grey Wool. Sponged the edges and folds with black. The scallop is from our NEW Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge. It's the scallop from page 62 of the Cricut book and I cut it at 1 inch. I used the one with the holes in it, but ended up putting the holes behind the cardstock.

I also used Captured Moments stamp set (C1423) for the ghost image. It was quick and easy and I have to say DARN CUTE! I put some adhesive on the bottom to hold the Hershey kisses in place.

It's never too early to start making your Halloween treats!! Give this one a try!

Happy Birthday to ME!

We made this cake (below) at our recent unit meeting. We took the idea from the incredibly talented Tracy Mason.
I have to say...they are so FUN to make.

So I decided...I was going to make another one that will match the layout, that will match the clothes I wore on my birthday. Yes, yesterday was my birthday! YEAH for me!

The paper on the cake on the right is our Sophia paper and then I brushed some of our create a shade paint over it to give that shimmer look.

The one that matches my layout (the one on the left) is from our new paper pack You & Me. It is the special paper pack for the month of May...there is still time to get it! If you want one, call me soon so we get it for you before the end of the month.

We also made those awesome paper flowers and topped them off with a pearl opaque in the middle. All in all, they took me about 2 hours (each) to make. I invested some time, used scraps I had and had fun making them and it turned into an amazing outcome!

Treat Pockets

Today I am going to show you how to make this treat holder. You can put 2 flat candy bars in the pockets. I have used Ghirardelli chocolates and York peppermint patties. Last year I got the York peppermint patties that were shaped like bats for Halloween. Very cute as far as bats go! LOL

Main cs - 6 1/2 x 3 Score at 3, 3/12 (I used Gypsy cardstock from our Hooligans kit)

Decorate front how you like.

Inside patterned paper - 6 x 6 Score at 1 3/4, 4 1/4, turn 1/4 turn and score at 2 3/4, 3 1/4.

14 inches of ribbon. This is our Pear ribbon from our Pear Mini Medley pack.

Adhere ribbon down the middle of inside of cs.

Fold inside pattern piece and glue together, leaving the ends open to insert candy. Glue real good to the main piece of cs. It is best to glue the middle, then fold the cd and then glue the pattern paper as you are folding it. That will help make it bend better.

You can use Ghirardelli chocolate or York Peppermint patties. One in each pocket.

The stamps I used for this was The Boo Crew (C1421) Very cute little pumpkins. I also used the black Opaques for the eyes on this pumpkin. Can you tell I LOVE those Opaques! The bat that I popped up in the corner was from our In the Month of October stamp set (C1431). So take some time and start creating some great 3 dimensional items for those "special" spooks!

Treats for your Spooks!

I like to give some special treats to some of my trick or treater that come to my door, so I will be taking a few days here on my blog to share some of them with you.

These are good for teachers, co-workers, or even those special spooks!

Here is how you make them...

Cut 2 pieces of cs 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 for box. Score 1 3/8 on 2 short sides (sides) and one long side (bottom). See picture.

Cut off the ends on one piece and just cut up the score line on the other box just up to where it intersects with the next score line. See picture.

Assemble making sure the front doesn’t have any outside edges facing forward. So when you are looking at it, it looks nice. It folds backwards. For a nice clean look. Then you are ready to add your front image. You can even add a handle if you chose.

I used our Hooligans Level 2 kit and our Spooky Alley (D1439) stamp set. I LOVE this set! I also used our markers to color in my little Frankenstein guy. The marker colors I used are Pear, Gypsy, Sunset, Cranberry (for his scar) Grey Wool and Grey Flannel. I popped out his head (love the look of popping things up) and then added black Opaques for his eyes. How fun is he! lol

I hope you try this little box. It is a fun way to make your treat a little extra special.

Traditions

It is a tradition that when you go to a CTMH event, you make something cute for your room mates or those who you will be spending time with. I am going to our Advisory Board Retreat in Park City Utah and I wanted to make my fellow board members and the corporate staff some little gifts. This is what I came up with.
They are fold out photo albums for my fellow board members, and also Jeanette, Kristine and Monica. I didn't think the boys would like these, so I make them a snack bag filled with trail mix. And of course I had to use these ADORABLE monster stamps!

The colors I used are from our Olivia kit. I just love the fall look. The stamps are called Party Animals (D1437 $22.95).

These treat bags are a GREAT inexpensive way to make something for someone special. You can make these for teacher gifts, roommates, co-workers just about anyone and you can put anything in the bags. Just get a ziplock bag of your choice, measure the top and cut your cardstock to fit. It is that easy!

You are Sweet Candy Sticks

I created these cute M & M sticks for my unit swap. They are just little 1 x 8 inch bags (you can get them from clearbags.com) and I stamped a cute little tag and tada! Very cute, quick and easy. And I am just loving this stamp set! It is You're Sweet (B1351 $13.95) It has other fruit in it too. Like a slice of orange (or you can use it for a lime or lemon), apple, strawberry and a lemon. VERY CUTE! I just can't get enough of this Cherry O kit. I hope you are having as much fun with it as I am!

Kiss Your Stamps!

Have you ever wished your solid stamp had a pattern? If you "kiss" your stamps, you can make your own pattern! Ok...don't really KISS your stamps with your mouth...you KISS the stamps on another stamp.

Here's how you do it. You ink your solid stamp, then you press that stamp on a patterned stamp. See second picture. The pattern of the one stamp will pull ink off your solid stamp. Then you stamp it on cardstock. See how the pattern is now on the solid stamp. It's pretty cool.

I took that flower stamp and cut it out and made these cute little bookmarks. I am at our annual convention right now and this is what some of my friends and my roommate got in their little gift bags. They were fun to make, very easy and very inexpensive! I used our Noteworthy stamp set (D1412 $22.95) for the houndstooth pattern and the grid pattern on the solid stamp, The flower is from A Posy (A1102 $7.95). The crochet flowers are from White Daisy Mini Medley (Z1136 $7.95) and the corduroy brads are from our Autumn Garden Mini Medley (Z1119 $5.95) blue ones are from our Winter Mini Medley (Z1120 $5.95). The bookmarks can be any size you want. I put the flowers at the top so that part can hang out of your book! Give them a try!

Customize your own Recipe Box

Have you been looking for the perfect recipe card holder and just can't find one? I have been! But now, Close to my Heart has the PERFECT one! It is a BLANK recipe box. We call it our My Creations Recipe/Photo Box. (Z1322 $6.95)

I made this one using our Cherry O kit (my favorite!). All I did was measure the sides and top and adhere the pattern paper, sponge all the edges. I did this with blush ink. I also sponged the title, stamp a little and TADA! The "recipe" in the title was created using my Lots of Dots (Z1261 $4.95) I also used the stamps from our new Cherry O workshop kit, Bowl of Cherries (G1008 $29.95 includes the paper I used too). This is a GREAT and inexpensive gift. You really use very little paper!

Inside I put our My Original's Sugar and Spice Card Kit (X8625 $12.95). These are recipe cards (32) and tabs (6) with stickers (3 sheets). These will be GREAT gifts for weddings, showers, mothers day etc. I am going to make a "masculine" one for my son. It's time he starts collecting recipes and cooking!

You can also use these to store photos you are working on or even a fashionable accessory for your desk. Just pick out some patterned paper and go! The choices are endless.

I have measured all the pieces for you so all you have to do is grab your paper, adhesive, stamp pad, sponge and you are ready.

You will need the following;

Top - 3 1/2 x 6 1/4

Side - 3 1/2 x 4 1/2 (you will need 2 of these)

Back - 4 1/2 x 6

Front - 4 1/2 x 6 (lay box on this sheet to trace the opening and then cut this piece out.

Inside Top - 3 1/2 x 6 1/4

Inside Flap - 2 1/4 x 6 1/4 (again trace the flap and cut just a little smaller to accommodate this piece.)

Outside Flap - 2 1/4 x 6 1/4

Title - 1 3/4 x 6 and 1 1/2 x 6

I used our Irresistibles Lots of Dots for the "recipe" title, chocolate ribbon (I layered 2 ribbons to give it a different look) and a sweet leaf button with chocolate waxy flax.

The adhesive that I used was our liquid adhesive. Memory bonding glue. I gave a generous amount around the edges and some crossed through the middle. Not too much that is ripples, but enough to get it to stick real well! I found this is better then Mono adhesive.

Need to order your recipe box? Give me a call or send me an email. I will be happy to help!

Small Easter Basket

Need a cute Easter basket idea that is quick and easy? Here it is. You can make this little Easter basket in no time!

First you will need cardstock for the bottom 4 3/4 x 7 3/4 - score 1 1/2 on all 4 sides. Put adhesive on the outside tabs. Then fold into the box to form the base.

cardstock - handle 1 x 11

b&t (patterned paper)- handle 3/4 x 11

Adhere the b&t to the handle

b&t - 1 1/4 x 8 3/4 and 1 1/4 x 4 3/4

Take the larger piece and wrap around the box making sure the edges start and finish in the back. Then the smaller piece will cover over the space in the back to make it look complete. Make sure the larger piece starts and finishes in the back.

14 inches of ribbon - take the ribbon and wrap around box. Embellish as you like.

Attach the handle on the inside with adhesive and then add brads for extra strength. Then add some Easter grass, jelly beans and of course a chocolate bunny.

I think these baskets will make great May Day baskets, picnic baskets (that would be a cute placeholder for the picnic), Halloween or any other time you would need a little basket. Great for teachers and co-workers.

Enjoy making these baskets!

Chocolate & Scrapbooking Supplies

Do you love Chocolate? Do you have scrapbooking supplies? Need a great inexpensive gift idea? This is it! I took Hershey candy bars and wrapped our background & texture paper around it, put some ribbon on it, stamped an image and there you go! EASY! I used our Veranda kit and our new A size stamp set called A Paisley. The cool thing about this stamp set is it's only $7.95! We have several of these sets (on page 81 of our Spring 2010 Catalog) that are inexpensive, but really delivers!

I made these candy bars for those who attended my 12th Anniversary Crop last week. You are now wishing you attended that crop don't you? Catch the next one in May. Oh, and create some of these cute candy bar wrappers for co-worker, teachers, your kids...for just about anything!

Post it Note Organizer

I made this cute post it note organizer the other day. Here are the directions if you would like to make one yourself.

Cocoa cardstock

8 x 5 1/2 score at 3 3/4, 4 1/4

5 x 3 1/2 (this attaches to underneath of the inside pocket)

1/2 x 5 1/2 (this is for the ribbon that holds the pen. Attach the ribbon to this piece)

Sorbet b&t from Caboodle kit

3 1/2 x 5 1/4 (cover)

6 x 4 score 1/2” on 3 sides (the 2 short sides and 1 long side)

3/4 x 3 1/4 (for pen)

Vanilla Cream cardstock

2 1/2 x 4 1/2

2 x 4 (scraps for stamping)

Crème Brulee cardstock

2 3/4 x 4 3/4

Punch one of the long sides of the pocket with a circle punch, but use only 1/2 of the circle to punch it. This will allow you to get into the pocket.

Isn't this birdcage stamp set cute! I know...so many stamps...so little time. This set is called Love Birds (C1396). These post it note organizer is a great little handmade gift for teachers, co-workers or friends. Not a bad thing to have in your own purse!