October in Review!

   Well....I am still playing catch up! However, I am so close to being all caught up (and even AHEAD of the game) that I had to share these fun pictures with you all tonight!

   I was terrible about getting workshop and class project pictures up ahead of schedule for October, but you get to see them now! :) Better late than never, right? Here are a couple goodies from October's Workshop Wednesday (on the 2nd) which was a special preview party featuring the "Holidays from the Heart" gift guide! We made Christmas tags using some of the new stamp sets from the gift guide as well as some other stamp sets from the Fall/Winter 2013 Idea Book!

Chalkboard paper tag cut out using the CTMH's Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge. Then I heat set some clear embossing powder on the snowflake image, and stamped the "Holly Jolly" stamp in White Daisy pigment ink (stamps are from the WOG: Frosted Cardmaking Kit stamp set). I added some more "chalk" effect over the snowflake using a tiny bit of White Daisy ink on a stencil brush, and finished it with some red glitter gel!

Chalkboard paper tag cut out using the CTMH's Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge. I first brushed White Daisy pigment ink over the background to give a chalk-like look. Then I stamped the tree (from one of the Cricut Art Philosophy stamp sets) in Olive. The watercolor effect was natural (and a surprise!) since it was dye ink over dried pigment ink (smooth surface), so the ink pooled itself and turned out pretty cool! Then I used gold embossing powder and heat set the "Peace & Joy" phrase from the WOG: Frosted Cardmaking Kit stamp set.

Chalkboard paper tag cut out using the CTMH's Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge. I first applied snowflake embellishments that I had in my stash (low tac) then I sprayed Mister Huey's Blizzard ink over top. Before allowing that to dry I quickly spritzed Mister Huey's Calico White over everything! The result was a pooling "blizzard". I heat set it (to dry faster) before removing the snowflakes.

Colonial white paper tag cut out using the CTMH's Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge. I stamped the mini "Santa's Greeting" stamp in Black ink then colored it in using CTMH's alcohol markers in Olive. Next, I covered the colored olive greeting with Liquid glass to give it an epoxy look! Lastly, I distressed the edges of the card in Chocolate ink.

White Daisy paper tag cut out using the CTMH's Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge. I used the "Love Life" stamp set for the flourish and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. I used used a sponge wedge to add Twilight ink over top of the whole tag, and finished it by distressing the edges in Slate ink.

White Daisy paper tag cut out using the CTMH's Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge. I spritzed the entire tag with Chartreuse Color Shine (by Heidi Swapp). Then I stamped the bottom of the tag with the "Celebrate" phrase from the WOG: Sparkle & Shine Scrapbooking Kit stamp set in Black ink. Next, I used the Sparkle & Shine Ruby washi tape in the middle and then wrote a "To" and "From" at the top. Lastly, I added some Cranberry Baker's Twine in a bow!

Colonial White paper tag cut out using the  CTMH's Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge. I first stamped the bottom of the tag with the banner image from the "Banner Wishes" stamp set in Lagoon ink. Then I stamped the "Thank you" (from the same stamp set) in Slate ink. Next, I layered the Metallic Silver washi tape and the Honey triangles washi tape toward the top. Lastly, I distressed the edges with Chocolate ink.

Kraft cardstock tag cut out using the  CTMH's Artiste Cricut Cartridge. I first layered the Sparkle & Shine washi tape from the bottom up. Then I wrote a "To" and "From" and added a Cranberry Baker's twine bow at the very top!

Kraft cardstock tag cut out using the CTMH's Artiste Cricut Cartridge. I first stamped the background of the tag with the mini snowflakes background stamp from the WOG: Frosted Cardmaking Kit stamp set in Ruby. Then I used a 1 1/4" circle punch on the Sparkle & Shine polka dot paper, and distressed the edges in Slate ink. Next, I stamped the "25" image from the "Magical Days" stamp set in Ruby ink and did some fussy cutting around the edges. Lastly, I distressed the edges of the tag in Chocolate ink.

   The next event I had in October was a Fall Decor Class (on the 19th)! During this class, attendees were able to choose a Halloween theme or a Fall theme for their Home Decor projects! We made paper pumpkins and matching stamped, drawstring Burlap or Canvas bags! Check out a couple examples of our projects below!

Fall paper pumpkins cut from the Huntington paper pack using CTMH's Artiste Cricut Cartridge. I cut 6 pieces at 5" and 6 pieces at 3" then glued them using the back-to-back method for stability (and a more full look). I distressed the edges with Chocolate ink, and cut 1.5" and 2"  leaves out of Olive paper using CTMH's Artbooking Cricut Cartridge. I then stamped the smaller leaves with the flourish stamp from the "Swirls Around" stamp set, and covered the bigger leaves with an orange stripe paper from K&Company. Lastly, I used my CTMH quilling tool to curl and round strips of olive and chocolate paper into vine-like strips!

Another view of the pumpkins

5" pumpkin up close

3" pumpkin up close

CTMH's Burlap bag with a Colonial tag die cut using CTMH's Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge. "Happy Autumn" stamp set used for the sentiment and the flowers/leaves. Stamped images are in Chocolate, Autumn Terracotta, Slate, Barn Red, Creme Brulee, Olive (1st and 2nd generation), and Garden Green (retired color) dye inks. I used CTMH's blending brush to add contrasting colors to some of my flower petals, and then I fussy cut the images out and used Zip Dry wet adhesive to adhere them to the bag. Last, I adhereed a grey Baker's twine bow to the tag! Thank you to Heather Morgen for the inspiration on this project! I loved how yours turned out so much that I decided to something similar!

   The last event I had in October was Croptoberfest, which was last Saturday! I had two ladies (good friends of mine) that came over for a whole day of cropping and crafting! We had a lot of fun, played with some new products, and got a lot of crafting accomplished! Here are a couple pictures from Saturday!

Working hard on our projects!

The ladies received a special Croptoberfest goodie bag for coming all day! The goodie bag was filled with Close to My Heart products like a Halloween paper pack, rub-ons, alphabet stickers, a stamp set, and sparkle gems (Retail Value: $50!)!! Thank you, ladies, for such a fun day!

   Well that's it for a recap on October's events! I hope you enjoyed the overview and a look at all the fun projects we made this last month! I look forward to making more fun projects with you all at one of my upcoming events in November and December!  Until next time: 

Here's to life, love, and creativity!