Christmas Party at Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel...

Here's a bunch of pictures from our trip to Banff, Alberta, this past weekend.

This is the front of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, aka The Castle.

This is what you walk in to after going through the huge revolving doors...

Some great views...

Lee and I at the Christmas party, just after dinner.

It sounds like next year the party will be held at another hotel, so this may have been our last time to stay in this beautiful hotel.  

On a side note, I was wandering through the hotel sometime before the party began to see areas of the hotel I hadn't seen the last time we stayed, and I met a couple from Edmonton celebrating their Anniversary.  The hotel had to bump them from their room and they were placed into the Presidential Suite!  They asked me if I wanted to see it.  I think they were pretty excited about their "bump"...  I know I would have been.  It is where the Queen would have stayed in past visits, as well as celebs.  Very cool, and very cool of them to invite me.  Of course I checked it out.  There were 360 degree views, with this room being at the very top of the hotel. 

:)

Edited to add:  I was asked about pictures of the Presidential Suite.  I didn't take many photos, and the ones I did don't do it justice.  So instead, I found a link to a virtual tour on the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel website.  Just scroll down to the Presidential Suite at the bottom of the page...

One Of A Kind Snowflake card.... 99.9% CASEd

I LOVE this card!  I completely CASEd it (Copy And Steal Everything) from the uber talented Annette Green and you can see her's on her blog HERE.  The only thing I changed is that I used red sparkles where she used red brads.  Otherwise it's basically the same.  Did I mention I LOVE it???

We were away at Banff this past weekend for Lee's company Christmas party and stayed at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.  Beautiful.  It was so nice to get away again, as we skipped it last year.  What were we thinking?  I wonder now, because it's so awesome there.  I will share some photos perhaps tomorrow. 

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):
Paper:  Creative Basics Mistletoe Collection B&T; Bamboo, Cocoa, Colonial White CS
Stamp:  Ice Crystals
Inks:  Cocoa, New England Ivy
Embellishments:  Red sparkles, Cranberry grosgrain ribbon
Other:  Scallop border punch (SU), 3D foam tape, Corner rounder

Card Holder Book

I've been wanting to make one of these for quite some time and finally got around to doing it.  I saw some measurements here on Cindy Major's blog post, that I thought were perfect.  She used 8 1/2" x 11" CS sheets and just scored them at 3" for the card pockets for the inside pages, making a 8" x 8 1/2" book.  Perfect.  So that's what I did.

I have a bunch of SU retired product that I thought I'd try to use some of, so I pulled out my Simply Scrappin' At Home kit, and added some cardstock, mostly retired colors, and went to town.  I kept it really simple to try to keep the bulkiness down, because I still have to add cards to the pockets. 

Below are pictures of the January and February pages just to give you an idea of what the insides look like.

For the monthly calendars, I simply created them in Excel.  I'm offering to share my file with you if you want it.  It prints 3 months per 8 1/2 x 11 sheet, so you'll need 4 sheets to print them on.  You will just need to email me with your request, as I'm not sure how to share downloadable pdf files here yet.
(Perhaps someone can help me out with that???)

***Updated:  Here's the downloadable file for the Calendar Months.

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all SU unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Simply Scrappin' At Home kit; Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand, Close To Cocoa, Buckaroo Blue, True Thyme, Cranberry Crisp CS; White Daisy CS (CTMH)

Stamps:  Save the Date (CTMH)

Inks:  Chocolate Chip, Buckaroo Blue, True Thyme, Cranberry Crisp; Brown journal pen

Ribbon:  1" Chocolate Chip Double Stitched grosgrain, stickers from At Home kit

Punches/Dies:  Scallop border, Bigz Scallop Square die, Sizzlits Lots of Tags die

Other:  Cinch 1 1/4" White binding wire (We R Memory Keepers), The Cinch (WRMK), Cuttlebug (Provo Craft)

Snowman Treat Box

Saw these over at Lisa Young's blog and thought I'd give it a try.  Cute!

I don't have the Fancy Favor Box die, so I made my own box.

Here's my measurements:

6x12 White CS, score at 2 1/4", then turn and score at 2 1/4", 5 1/4", 7 1/2" and 10 1/2".

The finished size of this box is:  3 3/4" H x 3" W x 2 1/4" D

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  White Daisy, Black, Tulip CS; Olivia B&T

Ink:  Black marker, Tulip ink

Embellishments:  Tulip buttons, Natural hemp, 1" Chocolate Chip Double Stitched grosgrain (SU)

Punches:  5/8" and 1" circle (EK)

Other:  Micro-tip scissors, ScorTape (ScorPal)

{retired} Build-A-Robot Birthday Card... bring out your old stamps!

I'm posting this card in hopes that it gets you in the mood to play with your old stamps.... you know the ones that you had to have and they are now sitting there collecting dust.  We all have some of those laying around!  Shhh, don't tell my husband, and I won't tell yours...

This is one of those retired sets that doesn't get the love it deserves.  Believe me, it's one of many retired sets I'm going to hold on to that don't get much love.... {wink}

I hope this inspired you to create something today -- in the recycle and reuse type of way!  haha

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Black, White Daisy, Grey Wool, Lagoon CS

Stamp:  Build-A-Robot (long time retired)

Inks:  Grey Wool, Lagoon

Embellishment:  Star brads silver (Making Memories)

Other items:  Paper crimper (Fiskars), Cuttlebug Stars embossing folder (Provo Craft), 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 1/8" circle punch (EK), Paper piercer

Feathery Flakes in Gypsy

Another simple card for the season!  This one uses Feathery Flakes for the background.

I'm liking purple with silver lately, so I used that color combo for my card.

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  White Daisy, Gypsy CS, Tiara Bling CS (Bazzill)

Stamps:  Feathery Flakes, Peace On Earth

Inks:  Black, Gypsy

Embellishments:  White Snowflake brad (Making Memories), Opal Grey Satin ribbon (Walmart)

Punches:  Mega Snowflake, 3" Giga Scallop Circle (Marvy Uchida); 2 1/2", 2 1/4", 1", 5/8" circles (EK), Scallop border, Oval, Large Oval (SU)

Winner of my giveaway is...

Gosh, I have to take a moment.  You all have left so many kind words on my blog candy post that leave me rather speechless, so I'm struggling with my words right now and with how to express my graditude to each of you.  Thank you so much!  Comments keep us bloggers doing what we do - sharing our work with everyone, and without them it can feel a little lonley out there, like we are talking to ourselves... lol  I can truly say that when I log into my blog and say "Hellooo", I know that someone is there to say hi back.  It's such a great feeling, to say the very least.  So thank you!

So with that said, let's get on with the WINNER!

I used Random.org to pick a winning number from all the comments left. 

And the winner of my Triple Play Album Kit and handmade card is #3:

Karen Day!

Congrats, Karen!  Can you please email me with your mailing address? 


:)

Adorn-able Noel

This card features a stamp set called Adorn-able, with different shaped ornaments and some choices of how you'd like to "adorn" them.

This one reminds me of my childhood, when I used to lay on the floor in the dark, looking up at the Christmas tree lights and my Mom's glass ornaments. She had a few of these style that I thought were so pretty.  Over the years, with these being glass, she had very few left.  Mostly in thanks to the cats we had that liked to paw at them while they dangled and swayed on the tree branches.

Ahhh, the days when Christmas was magical...  I miss those days.  Now it just seems so commercial and it's lost most of its magic, for me at least.

For the ornaments, I simply sponged the ink onto the stamps to give them a softer look.

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Bamboo, Colonial White, Gypsy CS

Stamps:  Adorn-able, Peace On Earth, Feathery Flakes

Inks:  Gypsy, Desert Sand

Embellishments:  Purple sparkles, Iris satin ribbon (Walmart)

Other:  Scallop border punch (SU), ScorTape (ScorPal)

Joy - Mojo Monday #166

It's been a really long time since I played along with the Mojo Monday challenges.  This is the card I came up with using this week's sketch.

Still using up my leftovers from the Echo Park Wintertime Collection Kit.  And there's still a bunch to go.  ;)

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used:

Paper:  Wintertime Collection Kit (Echo Park); Chocolate Chip CS (SU)

Embellishments:  Chocolate brad (CTMH), Brown stitched grosgrain (Walmart)

Punches:  Wide Oval (SU), Real Estate Sign (EK)

Buttons & Bows... a quick how to...

Yes, I have posted this card before, but this post is to help answer some questions on how I do my buttons & bows on my cards, like the one above. 

Here's my step-by-step tutorial with photos, to help the visual learners.  ;)

1.       Using a button, thread a 3” piece of black waxy flax through the two holes, leaving the loop at the back as big as you can.  Set these aside for a moment while you get your bows ready.

2.       For the bows, just take a piece of ribbon and loop the ends so it looks like the beginning of tying a bow, but don’t tie it.  Take your button and put the ribbon through the large waxy flax loop.  Place the button in the center of your “bow” and tighten the waxy flax, tying it in a knot at the front.  Trim your bow ends and waxy flax ends.   (See pictures below.)

3.       To attach your buttons and bows to your cards, tear off and use a small piece of ½” ScorTape to adhere them.

Hope that helps answer any questions.

Happy creating!  :)

Because I Care Thank You Card

I just got this stamp set the other day and had to play.  It's a beautiful set from SU and I paired it with Love Letter DSP.  I added some color with my blending pen.

Can't wait to play more with this set.  ;)

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used:

Paper:  Love Letter DSP (SU); Colonial White and Black CS (CTMH)

Stamp:  Because I Care (SU)

Ink:  Black (CTMH), Cherry Cobbler and Always Artichoke (SU)

Embellishments:  Black satin ribbon (Walmart), Black pearls (CTMH)

Other:  Glitz Glitter Glue (CTMH), Blending pen (CTMH), 3D foam tape, ScorTape (ScorPal)

Happy 10th Birthday layout

Cole celebrated his 10th birthday this past summer. 

I created this layout at the retreat weekend in October too, but just finally got around to getting the pictures printed for it a couple of weeks ago.

I used the Hooligans paper pack and MyStickease to create a quick layout.  The layout is from the new Magic book. 

Funny thing about my retreat weekend was that I didn't bring much for photos, so I wasn't feeling very inspired to create.  So I started asking my friends for pictures to scrapbook.  I gave a few layouts away and then started getting more into it.  So then I decided to start at the beginning of the Magic book and just create the layouts in order, kinda like a personal challenge.  I got up to the 6th layout in the book done (without photos), with this one being the first in the book.

As I get them finished with photos, I'll share them here. 

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Hooligans B&T; White Daisy, Lagoon, Gypsy CS

Stamp:  Party Pennants

Ink:  Black

Embellishments:  Hooligans MyStickease

Other items:  Cricut Base Camp cartridge (Provo Craft), Black Journal pen, 3D foam tape, Magic - Parlour Trick

You Are One of a Kind... a layout

Wow, it feels like forever since I shared a layout (other than my mini album).  I created this while away at a retreat weekend at the beginning of October and I'm just getting around to sharing now.  This one is my fave from that weekend.

I simply stamped with the Damask Tiles and black ink directly onto the polka dotted Sunset B&T from the Olivia paper pack.  How easy is that?  Some people at the crop were surprised that it was stamped.  They thought I bought it that way... lol

I cut some flourishes out of Grey Wool CS using my Cricut, and the title and journaling is from one die-cut (Top Note Die - SU) just cut into two pieces.

The "hinges" are plain grungeboard pieces from Tim Holtz.  I left them plain as they went with the grey in my color scheme.

Super easy layout that was pretty quick to put together.  Love that! 

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Olivia B&T; Black, White Daisy, Grey Flannel, Grey Wool, Sunset CS

Stamps:  Damask Tiles, Ice Crystals, Timeless, Unity, Save the Date, Journaling Jots

Ink:  Black

Tools:  Top Note die (SU), Cuttlebug (Provo Craft), Cricut (Provo Craft), Home Accents and George & Basic Shapes cartridges (Provo Craft)

Embellishment:  Grungeboard (Tim Holtz)

Season's Greetings cards... another CASE

Yes, I know, I do love to CASE at times, don't I?  There's just so much inspiration out there that I just can't help myself!  lol

This set was inspired by this one by Connie Collins.  I love the size of hers (3x6), but decided for ease of mailing to make mine 5 1/2" x 4 1/4".

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Mistletoe B&T; Colonial White, Cocoa, New England Ivy CS

Stamp:  Holiday Commentary

Inks:  Cocoa, New England Ivy, Cranberry

Embellishments:  Cocoa grosgrain, Green grosgrain (Walmart), Holiday Red button, Cranberry button, Natural Hemp

Punch:  Scallop Trim Border (SU)

Other:  Sponge, ScorTape (ScorPal)

Stacked Presents - a CASEd card

I totally CASEd this card from Allison Ohran's birthday card.  Love it.  It was so quick, too.

I'll share the measurements of mine so you can very quickly create one for yourself.

4 1/4" x 5 1/2" Bamboo CS
3 3/4" x 5" Chocolate CS
3 1/2" x 4 3/4" Colonial White CS
1" x 1 1/2" B&T (sm present)
1" x 2" B&T (med present)
1" x 2 1/2" B&T (lg present)
3" x 2 1/2" scrap Colonial White CS

Steps to build the stacked presents: 

• Ink the edges of all 3 pieces of B&Ts.
• Glue them on top of each other onto the 3" x 2 1/2" piece of scrap CS. 
• Trim off excess CS with scissors. 
• Attach a piece of ribbon around presents with ScorTape.
• Use another piece of ribbon to tie a bow, then attach with ScorTape.
• Adhere entire piece onto the 3 1/2" x 4 3/4" piece of Colonial White CS, leaving enough room to stamp your sentiment.

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):
Paper:  Mistletoe B&Ts; Colonial White, Chocolate, Bamboo CS
Stamp:  Peace On Earth
Ink:  Chocolate
Ribbon:  Chocolate grosgrain
Other:  Sponge, 1/4" ScorTape (ScorPal)

New ART & SOUL webisode... Stencil, Sparkle & Shine!

You can watch the latest CTMH Art & Soul webisode called Stencil, Sparkle & Shine!

These webisodes run about 10 minutes long.

Just click on the above logo.

Wintertime 6x6 Album, now spiral coil bound

I finally made it to the scrapbooking store yesterday to pick up the coil binding for my album.  (You can see my original album post HERE, which shows all the pages.)

Okay, as for The Cinch... I LOVE it!  I think I prefer the round holes it makes compared to the Bind-It-All's rectangular holes.  It was soooo easy to use, and lining my pages up to make sure they would all get punched in the exact same spot so they would line up perfectly was a breeze.  

I used a sprial binding wire (it's actually plastic) for this album, which was my first time using this style.  So to finish the ends, I took my pliers and crimped/bent both ends so they won't unwind. 

So as far as the other style of coil, I haven't used it yet to give a proper verdict on The Cinch tool.  Perhaps on my next album?!  ;)

For a decorative detail, I added a clear acrylic snowflake to the side with a red metal key chain. 

My last step is to find my pictures and get them printed, and my album will be complete.  :)

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used:

• The Cinch 1" Bark Spiral Binding Wire (We R Memory Keepers)
• The Cinch Binding Tool (We R Memory Keepers)
• Clear Acrylic Snowflakes Keychain (Maya Road)
• Red metal key chain (Exclusively You)

Christmas cards... using my scraps

Well, I found some time to use some of my scraps leftover from my Wintertime mini album to create some cards.  I think this one is my fave.  Love the stocking.

 It's a little hard to see in the photo, but I random stamped snowflakes in Chocolate Chip ink onto the Chocolate Chip CS.

Happy creating!  :)

SUPPLIES USED:

Stocking card:
Paper:  Wintertime Collection Kit (Echo Park), Chocolate Chip and Real Red CS (SU)
Stamps:  Stocking Style and Peace On Earth (CTMH)
Inks:  White Daisy pigment (CTMH), Chocolate Chip (SU)
Embellishments:  Wide White Daisy grosgrain (CTMH), Brown stitched (Michaels), Clear sparkle (CTMH)
Other items:  Snowflake punch (Martha Stewart), Sponge, 3D foam tape, Micro-tip scissors (CTMH)

Hot Cocoa card:
Paper:  Chocolate Chip CS (SU), Phoenix Swiss Dot CS (Bazzill)
Stamp:  Feathery Flakes (CTMH)
Ink:  Chocolate Chip (SU)
Embellishments:  Wintertime CS Stickers (Echo Park), Clear sparkle (CTMH)
Other items:  3D foam tape, Micro-tip scissors (CTMH)

Skate card:
Paper:  Wintertime Collection Kit (Echo Park); Chocolate Chip and Real Red CS (SU), White Daisy CS (CTMH)
Embellishments:  Silver ribbon (Walmart), Chocolate brad (CTMH),
Punches:  Snowflake (Martha Stewart), 3" scallop circle (Marvy Uchida), 2 1/2" circle and 2 1/4" circle (EK Success), Scallop border (SU)
Other items:  3D foam tape,  Paper piercer (CTMH)

Snowflake card:
Paper:  Wintertime Collection Kit (Echo Park); White Daisy CS (CTMH), Chocolate Chip, Real Red and Kraft CS (SU)
Stamps:  Festive Frills and Stocking Style (CTMH)
Inks:  Chocolate Chip (SU), Chocolate (CTMH)
Embellishments:  Cranberry grosgrain (CTMH), Red sparkle (CTMH)
Other items:  Unibal Signo white gel pen (SU), 3D foam tape

Happy Birthday Little Princess... H2H Challenge

I made this cute "princess" birthday card for the Heart 2 Heart Challenge.  This week the challenge is to create something Girly.

I used Glitz Glitter Glue on the wand and the hearts on the tiara, and I also added some pink sparkle gems.  It's gotta have the sparkle and bling!!!

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Hooligans B&T; White Daisy, Black, Cotton Candy and Amethyst CS

Stamp:  Little Princess

Inks:  Black, Gypsy

Embellishments:  Pink sparkles, Hollyhock button, Black waxy flax, Glitz Glitter glue

Other items:  Paper piercer, Micro-tip scissors, 3D foam tape, Scallop border punch (SU), C5 Cool Gray No. 5 (Copic)

CTMH November Spotlight Blog Hop

Welcome to the Close To My Heart November Blog Hop! 
You should have arrived from Chris Hill's blog.  But this is a circular hop, so it doesn't matter where you begin.  ;)

This month we are spotlighting Christmas/Winter stamp sets.  For my tea box project, I used two different sets:  a Christmas set called I Believe for the snowflakes and a winter set called A Sip for the main images.

The instructions I used to create the Tea Box are from the fabulous Kelly Lunceford.  You can find her awesome instructions HERE.  The finished box size is 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 1 3/4".  Although I filled mine with various flavors of tea, this box would work perfectly for a set of 3x3 cards and envelopes, too.

I also created a matching 3x3 card to go with my tea box as part of a gift set.  I used A Sip again for the main images, and another winter set called Festive Frills for the sentiment.

Thanks for visiting!  Your next stop along the blog hop is over at Debbie Carriere's blog.

If for some reason you get lost along the way, you can always find a compete list of this month's CTMH Spotlight Blog Hop participants on Wendy Kessler's blog HERE.

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):
Paper:  Mistletoe B&T; Cranberry, Black, Colonial White CS
Stamps:  A Sip, I Believe, Festive Frills
Inks:  Cranberry, Garnet, Black
Embellishments:  Black Gingham ribbon, Colonial White button, Cranberry waxy flax
Other items:  3D foam tape, Velcro dots (other), 1/4" ScorTape (ScorPal), Sponge

Enjoy The Delights of December... Gift Card Holder

Perfect for the coffee lover, I have someone in mind for this card...

I made this gift card holder using leftover patterned paper from the Wintertime Collection Kit by Echo Park, that I used on my 6x6 album.  So fast and easy, it's awesome!  I can imagine that lots of people will be receiving cards like these this holiday season.  ;)

Of course I had to include a Starbucks gift card!  ;)

Instructions for these have been around for quite awhile, and the ones I used I can't find them now -- I had jotted the measurements and scoring info down, but not from who/where... but you can find the basic instructions to make these gift card holders HERE.
 
*** Note:  Mine is made using a 5 1/2" x 12" piece of paper, scored at 4 1/4", 6", and 7 3/4". 
The finished size will be a standard A2 size (5 1/2" x 4 1/4").

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used:
Paper:  Wintertime Collection Kit (Echo Park), Silver CS (Bazzill), Black and White Daisy CS (CTMH)
Stamps:  A Sip (CTMH), Festive Thoughts (CTMH)
Ink:  Black, Juniper, Twilight
Embellishments:  Red sparkles, Cranberry grossgrain, Black waxy flax (CTMH), Grey button (misc)
Punches:  1 1/4" circle (CTMH), Word Window (SU)
Other items:  3D foam tape, Micro-tip scissors (CTMH), 1/4" ScorTape (ScorPal)