Nugget Tins & the Mystery of the "Missing" Nugget

These cute little tins with a clear front window were 'left overs' from a Stamp Club project a couple of years ago, and I finally remembered about them. So, I bought a package of Hershey's Nuggets to make some quick and easy gifts.
Simply cut some patterned paper to 1"x3", wrap the paper strip around a Nugget, and secure with a bit of adhesive. Place a dozen Nuggets inside the tin, decorate some cardstock to wrap around the tin along with a small tag, and you have a nice gift - complete with chocolate!

There is not much stamping for these projects. The cute papers are from the Daydream paper packet from Close To My Heart. The words on the tags are found in the CTMH Say It In Style sentiment set.


These pictures were taken quickly before placing the nuggets into padded envelopes and mailing off a 'thank you' gift to a friend, and a 'get well' to another. It was several days before I downloaded the pictures from the camera to my computer. When I looked at the pictures, I was so embarrassed to see that there is a nugget missing from the 'get well' tin. Obviously, I did not notice this while taking the pictures.


I have no idea what happened, because there were 12 nuggets in place when I completed the tin at my 13-hour stamping day. The tin then sit on the kitchen counter for a couple of days before the pictures were taken. Evidently, there is a chocolate thief in our house!

'Better Than Anything' Cake!

Yes, this cake is just as 'yummy' as it looks! It is an absolutely delicious cake - and very easy to make. Simply bake a German Chocolate cake according to the package directions. After baking, add sweetened condensed milk, caramel topping, whipped topping, and toffee bits. For the complete recipe, refer to page 33 of the Autumn/Winter Idea Book from Close To My Heart. Yes, you read right - find a cooking recipe while browsing through the Idea Book with the stamps, inks and paper.


Each year, CTMH releases three Idea Books and they are full of fun and creative ideas to use your stamps and inks. And in the most recent Autumn/Winter book, there is also a great recipe. Give it a try, the cake is very moist and delicious!

Dainty Thoughts - Origami Box

This cute little origami box is very easy to create. Simply stamp, score, and fold - super quick and easy. The most difficult part is tying the bow!


Actually, what took the longest time was deciding what stamps to use. I was away from home and only had a few stamp sets with me, and most of them had large images. Since this box is only 2" across, the stamp images needed to be small. I finally realized that the flowers in the Dainty Thoughts set were just the perfect size.


This 6"x6" piece has been scored and is ready for folding. One thing I really like about the little box is that the sides on the inside of the box are a continuation of the outside, so the box is decorated on the inside too. A piece of acetate is scored and cut to form the clear lid. For complete instructions, Tresa has a great video on her Fabulously Artsy blog.

Four Seasons - a tree for any season or occasion

UPDATE-October 13, 2010:  The Heart 2 Heart Challenge for this week is to create using 'leaves and trees.'  These cards created using the Four Seasons stamp set are some of my favorites.    

One of my favorite stamp sets is the Four Seasons set from Close To My Heart. The set contains four trees - one for each of the seasons of the year. The Spring tree has small buds, Summer is very full of leaves, Fall has fewer leaves with some falling to the ground, and Winter is a bare tree with falling snowflakes around it.

To create this card, each season's tree was stamped using a 'seasonal' color. The sentiment - which complements the images so well - is from the Make It Count set and is stamped on a piece of Vellum which is attached over the trees, giving a muted look. This lovely card was inspired by one shared on the CTMH Artwork bulletin board where consultants share their creations with each other. It is a fabulous place to get creative ideas.

Using an open circle 'mask' to sponge different ink colors to create a moon is much easier than it looks. Then, simply stamp the Fall tree in front of your "harvest moon" for a gorgeous card that can be used for many different occasions.

If you would prefer something a bit more 'light hearted', use a heart stamp to create leaves on the Spring tree.

This simple Christmas card was made using the Winter tree and a piece of patterned paper from the Aspen paper packet, along with the Cuttlebug Snowflakes embossing folder for the background.

The simplicity of this stamp set is what adds to its versatility.

13 Hours Worth of Stamping!

Yesterday, a friend and I were able to spend 13 hours straight playing with all of our great Close To My Heart stamps and inks. Looks at how many projects I completed. A few of the cards were started last weekend at the CTMH Regional Celebration in Minneapolis, and some of the others are "stamp lifted" from cards that have been shared by other CTMH consultants. There are some nugget tins in the back that are a bit difficult to see. But I promise a "close up" of them in a later post.


One of my favorite cards from the day is this adorable silhouette card using the Childhood Portrait stamp set. The little girl stamp is embossed using Cocoa embossing powder, so the image has a bit of sheen and texture to it. This is a very simple card to create, no layers except a strip of Cocoa cardstock on the lower inside as a background for the great border punch used along the bottom.


The Childhood Portait stamp set has several other adorable images, and they are perfect to use for creating quick and simple cards. This little boy on a rocking horse is a simple black & white card, with the Swiss Dots embossing folder used for the background. Looks like the scanner added a bit of a blue 'haze' to the card - but it is really just white cardstock.

Tresa's Blogtoberfest!

If you're looking for some fabulous creative tips for using your Close To My Heart stamps and inks, be sure to visit Blogtoberfest on Tresa's Fabulously Artsy blog. Tresa is a sister CTMH Consultant, an amazingly creative artist, and I'm so glad that I've gotten to know her. Her step-by-step videos are very informative - as well as entertaining! While you're there checking out her Blogtoberfest tips this month, be sure to view some of her Tutorials listed on the right-side bar of her blog. Her 'opening credits' are sure to make you smile. :)

Around the Holidays - card kit

These round cards using the Around the Holidays card kit are so cute. Normally, I like to use stamps and ink to create cards. But at the CTMH Regional Celebration last weekend, we were given some of the card kit for a project. Instead of following directions and creating the project, I chose to use the kit as intended and assemble four of the cards.

These were very quick and easy to create. The card bases are pre-printed and the kit also comes with sheets of "stickease" which are cardstock-weight stickers. All the inking, coloring, and cutting were already completed. Yes, even the ink 'distressing' on the edge of the card is part of the pre-printed bases. I simply peeled the "stickease" pieces off their backing sheet and adhered them to the card bases. Some of the images are adhered using 3-D foam squares and this gives some really nice depth to the cards. Sparkles are the only item used that are not part of the card kit. The Around the Holidays Card Kit includes 12 circle card bases, envelopes, stickease, 3-D foam squares, and even the ribbon. You just need some adhesive and about an hour of your time to complete the 12 cards!

Holiday Warmth (October SOTM Blog Hop)

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! October's stamp-of-the-month (SOTM) from Close To My Heart is Holiday Warmth. There are 11 images in the stamp set that can be used for holiday greeting cards or scrapbook pages. If you have come here from Kristie's 'Scrappin, Stampin or Scrampin' Blog, you are on the right path!

This month we have over 60 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. Blog Hopping is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

The tree image for this 6x6 card was embossed on New England Ivy cardstock using Clear Detail Embossing Powder. A darker green ink, Ponderosa Pine, was then sponged on the embossed image to enhance the detail. This technique results in a soft, subtle look. The plaid paper is my favorite from the Everlasting paper packet. Adding Sparkles to the tree really gives it a nice little bit of bling.

For a more whimsical card using the Holiday Warmth SOTM stamp set, take a look at my Christmas Card Workshop post. It's surprising to see the different looks - elegant, whimsical, etc - you can achieve with the same stamp, just using different techniques, colors, and papers.

Now "Hop" on over to Cibele's 'Flower Foot Designs' Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the Holiday Warmth stamp set is only available until October 31! Let me know if you would like to find out how you can get this stamp set at a discount or even free.

There are actually three 'rounds' of Blog Hop lists this month, each with about 20 links, so you don't feel that you have to visit over 60 blogs at one sitting. If you get lost on the hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of all three rounds of participating blogs on Jena's 'Live, Love, Laugh, Scrapbook!' blog.