Cross Stitch Wishes Blog Hop

Welcome to the stamp of the month blog hop- today we are featuring the Cross Stitch Wishes stamp set!  If you have come from Michelle's blog then you are on the correct path.  To see this stamp set you can follow this link to view it.

I had to think out of the box for this stamp set - and since New Year's Eve is today I am always 'stuck' on gold and party thoughts! I used the stamp set on the large heart and on the three small hearts- you cannot see them as I then turned them into a scalloped border to the right of my photos.  I also added one of the arrows and stamped it in colonial white pigment ink (I love how it looks agains the black paper).

Here are some close up photos.  Since my photos were of my daughter all dressed up like a diva (on a day she was very sick but she wanted to go visit Santa)- I decided to play up the diva-flair with the use of gold.  For this I used some of the Washi tape the comes in the cloud nine card kit (this is a special during the month of January) and I also used a generous amount of our gold glitter paper.  The images in glitter paper are cut from our art booking cartridge and the heats from the stamp set are from the artiste cartridge.  

Now hop on over to Michelle Jones blog!

Cloud Nine Card Kit- January starts the year off right!

I was lucky to receive my Cloud Nine card kit the other day- as consultant's we can purchase these specials early so that we can create and share with our customers.  I LOVE this one! Enough to make 10 cards- the instructions are included.  You receive paper, card bases and enveloped, die cuts, an exclusive stamp set, durables accessories,  gold polka dot washi tape and teal shimmer trim! SOOOOOOO much goodness!!!

Check out the cards below and how to qualify to receive yours in January!

To get your Cloud Nine card kit in January you can:

• spend $35 in January and receive the kit for $15 (retail value of the kit is $46)
• Become a consultant in January and when you place your first $300 in sales you will receive this kit for FREE!

visit my website in January or message me

braemontgomery.ctmh.com

25 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 25, Decor Advent Calendar

Today is bittersweet- the last day of our 25 days of handmade gifts ( a big sigh of relief on turning these projects out) but also sad as it has been such fun!!  The only thing keeping me happy is that any day now I will be receiving the new SPRING IDEA BOOK and will be planning a big blog reveal for February 1st!!! So excited for new product, new projects and spring!!!

This beauty of an advent calendar mixes a few different items- 

Black Decor Frame

Sparkle and Shine paper

Sparkle and Shine assortment

Sparkle and Shine Washi tape

Magical Day stamp set

Cricut Artiste

I cut all my cute little boxes using the Artiste and added the numbers to the front- I mixed up what i did with them in terms of ink colour, glitz or shimmer trim.  I added the tissue paper to make it feel more like a present for my kids- this year instead of adding gifts to each box we will be revealing a family activity OR something that we can do for someone else- a different spin but one I think will be fun and important for my children!

If you are in Canada and want to order any of the items you have seen please visit my website

braemontgomery.ctmh.com

Be sure to return to my blog regularly! Although this 'activity' is done there will be lots of see over the next few weeks and even more come February 1st!

25 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 24, Snowman T-shirt

Yes- one simple sewing idea and easily lead to another! For this one I used some of our Sparkle and Shine textiles and our Cranberry chevron ribbon (all sewed on to one of the blank t-shirts from Michael's).  EASY!! Now my daughter has a very distinct holiday shirt for daycare.

braemontgomery.ctmh.com

25 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 22, Layout Love

If you are a scrapbooker like me make sure you do not overestimate the hobby you love as a great gift item! I have many friends who LOVE the look of scrapbooking but for various reasons will not attempt to make one of their own- the holidays are a time that I can gift them these items for their personal books.  Fun for me (as I love an excuse to scrapbook) and a great gift item for them!

This one features the following product

Frosted Workshop on the Go Kit

Frosted Stickease

braemontgomery.ctmh.com

25 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 21, Snowglobe Mason Jar

This little project started out as a fun holiday craft with my kids BUT since one of them was to sick to participate I decided to create one :)

I cut out and coloured in some of the stamped images from the Christmas Village stamp set (such a cute set!!) To colour them I used our alcohol based markers as I really wanted my colours to pop! I then glued them on to the outside of the hear and added some ribbon to the bottom to cover the lid.

The inside of the jar has some large glitter flakes in it (about 5 heaping tablespoons) and then is filled with water).  A great little craft that would make a great gift for a child to give to someone. 

December Stamp of the Month Blog Hop- Special Care

Welcome to the December Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - this month we are featuring the stamp set "Special Care"- so cute and compatible with our Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge. If you have come from Sarita's blog then you are on the right path- enjoy and read on and be sure to leave some love!

For this layout I used a mixture of elements from some of our cartridges- the stamp set ones are from art philosophy and the others are from artbooking.  The paper I used is Laughing Lola- accented with Laughing Lola assortment and some sparkles- it all came together perfectly to help tell the story of my 'little Mom'!!

Now hop on over to Lalia and see what she has in store to inspire you!

25 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 20, Gingerbread play dough

Today's post is a little different as it the focus is the inside of the gift- I did work in some Close to my Heart product in the wrapping of my gifts as you will see in the second photo.  Gingerbread play dough is the BEST handmade gift idea for small kids.  All natural, home made and it smells soooooo good!  To make your gingerbread playdough you will need to mix the following items into a large bowl:

2 cups of flour

1 cup of salt

1 tablespoon of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

1 cup of water

Mix it all together and when it becomes hard to mix with a spoon you can knead it with your hands.  Then you are done!! 

To wrap my gift I placed the dough in mason jars- covered the lid with some of the CTMH sarita fabric and tied it off with seam binding ribbon.  I tied a gingerbread man cookie cutter onto the ribbon.  To top  off the gift I added a scallop circle to the top and a while circle stamped with a christmas sentiment.  I cannot wait to give these to the many special little people in our life!

braemontgomery.ctmh.com

25 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 19, Christmas Tree Apron

I want to start this post by stating that I am NOT an expert sewer- I know how to work my sewing machine and once upon a time I was able to even make a pair of boxer shorts from a pattern (sadly that skill is lost- ha ha).  BUT, I had this idea and I really wanted to see it through to the end!

I am VERY pleased with the result! I bought the basic apron at Michael's and wanted to use only some small scraps of fabric leftover from my other fabric projects- it worked out beautifully! I mixed bits of our sparkle and shine fabric, sarita fabric and even our Chantilly fabric.  My tree truck is a piece of our jute ribbon.  I know a little cook who collects aprons and plan to gift this to her pint-sized assistant (it is a child's apron).  

braemontgomery.ctmh.com

25 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 18, Seasons Tweeting's Kit

Welcome to Day 18!!! Today I am showing you the same bags we saw on Day 5 but this time using the Kit pieces. The Seasons Tweeting's Kit comes with 8 gift bags, 8 tags and an exclusive stamp set for making your tags (you can see the stamp used on the tags).  To colour in the images I used the CTMH Blending pen and ink from our stamp pads.  

See the kit on my website here!

25 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 17, Christmas Kraft Container AND my Holiday Team Blog Hop

WELCOME!! Today we have two things going on in one post- it should prove to be lots of fun!! If you are here for my '25 Days of Handmade Gifts' then stay and read on- not only will you be able to enjoy and be inspired my by project BUT my team is doing a blog hop! If you click on the link at the bottom of my page it will take you in a circular hop to other blogs run by my team- each of us has an inspirational holiday project to share with you!  You may know all that already if you came to me from Heather's blog :)

I am sharing with you these Christmas Kraft containers- perfect for homemade baked goodies or other yummy treats! Our kraft containers are easy to decorate and for these I used some of our sparkle and shine paper, sparkle and shine washi tape, sparkles and the stamp set from the Frosted Cardmaking Workshop on the Go.  I finished them off with some ribbon from my stash.  AND each container is adorned on top as well- look below to see what I made for the lid!

These were both cut using our CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge- easy and a very cute addition!  

Now if you would like to HOP along with my team please click here to go to Sheri's blog.  The complete list of blogs are below as well just in case you get lost along your way- have a great time and Happy Holidays!!!

1. Brae Montgomery- http://thebrae-er.blogspot.com/2013/11/25-days-of-handmade-gifts-day-17.html

2. Sheri Ballantyne   http://sherisays-justscrapit.blogspot.com/2013/11/brae-ers-blog-hop-holiday-slider-cards.html

3. Corina Mayo Thorne http://craftycorina.blogspot.ca/2013/11/ctmh-team-brae-er-november-blog-hop.html

4. Lucy Imrie  http://lucyscreativeexpressions.blogspot.com/2013/11/creating-for-christmas-brae-ers-team.html

5. Tamara Lisowski http://geermara.blogspot.com/2013/11/november-2013-ctmh-happy-holidays-blog.html

6. Arlene Bonsma http://arlenescreativespace.blogspot.com/2013/11/holidays-blog-hop.html

7. Michelle Hughes http://therighthugh.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-brea-ers-team-christmas-blog-hop.html

8. Krista Ritskes  http://simplycreatingtogether.blogspot.com/2013/11/creative-christmas-cards-with-sparkle.html

9. Carol Taggio  http://craftycarol55.blogspot.com/2013/11/november-brae-er-team-blog-hop.html

10. Janette Mainey- http://papersentimentsbyjan.blogspot.ca/2013/11/my-advent-calendar.html

11. Heather Dawson  http://pagesbyheatherd.blogspot.com/2013/11/holiday-blog-hop.html

25 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 16, Cards in a Card Holder

Every year I gift my husband's Grandmother with handmade cards- they are here fav! She loves to see what I have created and uses them to send cards to her friends (who always compliment me on them when they see me).  This year is no different and these cute cards will make up a small portion of what she receives.  

The two card samples are made from an older paper kit that we no longer sell (but I needed to use up my stash!)  The patterns for these cards can be found in our 'Make it from the Heart- Volume 2' book (full of great recipes for layouts and cards).  I used two of our M-sized stamps for the sentiments on the cards and then added some sparkle and shine with sparkles, shimmer trim and buttons.  My ballon is cut using the CTMH Artiste cartridge.

Now no gift is complete without some cute packaging and our CTMH Artiste cartridge also cuts out the cutest file folder! I cut mine out at 51/2 inches- there are two pieces to cut (one for the base and one for the sides)- they fold and attach easily.

I finished it off with some baker's twine and a tag! 

braemontgomery.ctmh.com

25 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 15, Rosette Christmas Tree

This beauty of a project was almost the straw that broke the camel's back! I planned to reveal this much earlier in this process but it took a LONG time to create even this small tree. So, if you decide to create this (and it is beautiful) then buy a small foam tree and buy LOTs of paper and be sure you have lots of time :) 

I cut my rosette's using the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge- they are cut at various sizes as I filled the tree  - the bottom ones are at 3 1/2, the middle at 3 and the top at 2 1/2.  I also used a variety of flower types and tried to stick to the same papers for a more uniform look.  For this tree I used papers from the Sparkle and Shine paper pack.  As I rolled my flowers I used glue dots to hold them together and then to hold them onto the tree itself- I then added liquid glass to give it some real hold!  I topped off my tree with two snowflakes cut out on our glitter paper and glued to a pin back to back.  It really is a cute tree and even my 9 year old son was impressed!

25 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 14, Hip Pic Album

So you know those gifts that start out as gifts and by the end you just want to keep them for yourself?! This is totally one of them!!!!

I created this mini book using our CTMH Hip Pic Album kit- it comes with the album, four sheets of die-cut shapes and an exclusive stamp set.  I also added in some sparkles and washi tape (you can never use your washi tape enough!).  

Look on for a page by page view of this book and if you want your own kit be sure to visit my webpage at braemontgomery.ctmh.com 

Oh and did I mention this was only $12.95!!!! Seriously! 

braemontgomery.ctmh.com

25 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 13, Pillow Box

Have you seen our cute clear pillow boxes? They are so sleek and make the perfect thing to wrap smaller gifts in- jewellery or homemade treats, so many ideas!  I made this pillow box up in a few seconds!  I added a large piece of our grey satin ribbon and cut two images on the CTMH art philosophy cartridge- one in silver glitter paper and one in colonial while card stock. I then stamped on the image with a stamp from the Sparkle and Shine Workshop on the Go kit- easy and gorgeous!

What's that? You didn't realize you can use our glitter paper in your cricut machine? You sure can! Just place the paper on the mat (I do glitter side up) and cut like usual- if I am doing an delicate cut then I use the mulitcut function to ensure it cuts out the first time.

braemontgomery.ctmh.com

25 Days of Christmas: Day 12, JOY blocks

I really enjoy it when I find a new use for my scrapbooking supplies- when what was just paper and accessories becomes home decor that my whole family can enjoy! 

For my block I used the following items:

my creations cube (3 of them)

Frosted paper

Kraft paper

glitter paper (both a brown and a silver piece)

Rosewood mini-medley

Frosted assortment

To glue my pieces of paper onto the blocks I used liquid glass (and if you wanted ultimate durability you could coat the blocks in mod podge before you add the letters and pieces).  I then used liquid glass to adhere all the accents and letters. My letters, and the snowflake that replaces the letter O, are all cut from the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge.

braemontgomery.ctmh.com

25 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 11, Muslin Drawstring Bags

I know... I love this bags that we have. There are sooooooo many things that you can fill them with!

• gift card
• money
• cookies or other baked goods
• jewelry
• keys to a new car
• coal (ha ha)

Seriously thought there are so many different uses for gift bags- these ones in particular are really fun because of the thinner material- to decorate these you can simply stamp right on them (as I did in this picture). For these images I used the exclusive stamp that comes in the Frosted Cardmaking Workshop on the go Kit.  I also used a flower accent from our red mini medley collection to adorn the bag on the far left.  

braemontgomery.ctmh.com

25 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 10, Santa and Rudolph Treat Tubes

Okay I have BIG plans for this cute creation- here I used the Close to my Heart treat tubes and a mix of cricut images, stamps and accessories to make Santa and his most famous of reindeers!  

The reindeer is off the CTMH Artbooking cartridge- I used the real dial size and cut him at 6 inches.  I used our foam tape to stick him to the treat tube and a red glitter gem for his nose- easy and cute!

Santa is a mix of cricut and stamp- the base is cut from the CTMH artiste cartridge.  I added some of our black glitter paper around the middle for Santa's belt and a metal accent from an older mini-medley set for his buckle.  Santa's face is from the new Santa Claus stamp set (featured in the Holiday Gift Guide and only available for a few more weeks).  

Can anyone guess my big plans? I only had two treat tubes in my stash when i made this.... and our Elf on the Shelf arrives soon!  I think I feel some fun antics in the works! Last year our Elf got into all sorts of trouble- you can see much of it here on my blog!

to order any of these materials please visit 

braemontgomery.ctmh.com

25 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 9, Frosted Handmade Cards

Welcome back to Day 9! I hope you have been enjoying all the inspiration on my blog the last few days (and I am pretty sure I have some VERY exciting stuff in store for you the next few days!)

Today I am featuring some handmade cards- these cards actually come from a workshop on the go kit that I see through Close to my Heart- for 24.95 (plus ship/tax) you will receive the card bases, envelopes, stamp set, paper, accessories and workshop directions.  It is a great deal and people LOVE to receive handmade cards during the holiday season- they just mean a little bit more than one that was simply bought in a store!

as usual if you would like to purchase any of these supplies please order at braemontgomery.ctmh.com and it will ship directly to you!

Be sure to come back tomorrow!

25 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 8, Baby Pocket Album

Welcome! I am so excited to share with today's project- a Baby Pocket Album!

I adore how this album turned out and, as this is a very real gift, I am equally excited to see the reaction of the gift recipient this holiday season!

Below I have featured a few of the pages in my album but at the end of the post is the video I created that outlines more of the steps involved.  A list of supplies used is also below- imagine giving this sweet book as a gift! 

Supplies used:

CTMH artbooking cartridge

CTMH art philosophy cartridge

Babycakes paper

Babycakes stickease

Bronze shimmer trim

Babycakes assortment

lagoon cardstock

Kraft Pocket Album

Stamp set from the Babycakes WOTG

Lagoon Houndstooth Washi tape

And now for my video! Enjoy!!  And remember to come back tomorrow for more fun inspiration!