A FUN NEW CRAFT PROJECT

Swapping With a New Friend

The latest craze on YouTube is the Pocket Letter. You simply take a baseball card sleeve and fill each pocket with crafty goodies. You then send your pocket letter to a swap partner, and receive one in return. 

My first pocket letter had a Christmas theme. I love Christmas, so this made my first exchange even more fun. I pulled out everything in my Christmas stash, including my favorite Close to My Heart papers from the Yuletide Carol collection.

Yuletide Carol Paper

The pocket letter I received from my pal, Lolis, is beautiful. I hope she enjoys her pocket letter as much as I'm enjoying mine.

I am planning on doing more of these exchanges in the future. I will be putting all of the pocket letters I receive in a three ring binder, so that I can enjoy them for a long time.

I filmed videos of the letter I sent to my pocket pal, and also of the one I received. Pictures can't really show everything clearly.

Here are links to the Close to My Heart products I used, in case you would like to order them for yourself.

Close to My Heart Supplies

Workshop on the Go - Snowhaven 

Workshop on the Go - Yuletide Carol 

Would you like to exchange a pocket letter? If so email me at dedraclutz@hotmail.com, and I will be happy to exchange letters with you.

JANUARY IS FULL OF SPECIAL DEALS!

Four Special Offers this Month

There is a special Studio J collection to help you preserve all of those Christmas photos. Studio J is a fun, digital scrapbook program that is quick, easy, and economical to use. From January 1st until the end of February, this special express collection will be available using the festive Yuletide Carol paper collection. You can find more about this special HERE on my website. 

During the month of January, all Gatherings that reach $350 or higher will be eligible to receive up to 50% more Hostess Rewards! This means an additional $30, giving you the opportunity to earn up to $230 or more in select free products. This offer is only available during January and can be used for on-line gatherings also.

 

 There are two Year>>Noted kits available in January. You can see all of the products in each kit in this great video that Close to My Heart has put together.

Visit my Close to my Heart  WEBSITE ,place an order of $50 or more, and either of these kits can be yours for $5 or $10. 

Of course there is an adorable Stamp of the Month, available for just $5 with any $50 purchase.

 Once you have a qualifying order in your shopping cart on my WEBSITE these special offers will pop up, and you simply add them to your cart.

As always, your orders are greatly appreciated, as they help me donate funds to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. If you would like to know more about the LLS follow this LINK to their website. 

I hope everyone has had a  fantastic start to their new year. If you have any questions, or comments, please leave them in the comments below.

DECEMBER DAILY ~ A FEW MORE PAGES

Documenting our December

This has been a busy week  but I was able to take a few pictures. Thanks to my mother's new Selphy printer (thanks for letting me borrow Mom) I quickly printed those pictures while sitting in my own craft room. This does help with my printing procrastination problem.

I am trying to keep up as the month progresses and truly have something to document daily. This is a little easier with photos of my grandchildren.  Message to my eldest  daughter: "Send more pictures!"

  

Several YouTubers are also documenting their December Dailies, and some are offering challenges and prompts, for inspiration. I think I would have some pictures, and an empty book, staring at both, hoping for some ideas, if it weren't for all of their great ideas.

I have really enjoyed seeing how different each December Daily is. I hope after you watch my video, you will check out a few other videos, and be motivated to Document your December.

Close to My Heart Supplies Featured

Holiday Happenings Crush Book 

Holiday Happenings Assortment 

Yuletide Paper Pack 

Snowhaven Workshop on the Go 

The Snowhaven WOTG also contains the silver shimmer trim.

 

ADVENT CALENDAR

Completed Just in Time!

2014 Advent Calendar for grandchildren

I had a lot of projects going on in November, but this advent calendar had to be finished before December 1st! Each box was cut using the Close to My Heart Artiste Cricut Cartridge which helped speed things up. My mother also decorated the majority of the boxes while I cut, folded, and glued. 

How long did this take? Let's just say that I am happy for the little box that streams Netflix in my craftroom. We are now on season 1, episode 8 of "Once Upon a Time." Neither of us had ever watched it before, and now we are hooked.  

We delivered the box last night shortly before A and F's bedtime so that they wouldn't drive their parents crazy all day wanting to open all the boxes. 

Each box contains a little note with a clue to the present it represents. The presents are all wrapped and numbered, hidden in my daughter and son-in-law's room. 

Last night the comments were: "We can only open one each day??", "Can we just peek at the presents in mom and dad's room?", and my favorite "I hope one of those boxes is extra computer turns." 

They look very innocent, don't they?

The little angels woke up at 5 am to open their first box this morning. The note in the box said "You're in Trouble, play a game." They found one of their board games and began to play. Of course there was a gift that my daughter gave them - a Trouble game. 

If they wake up every morning at 5 am for the next 24 days, I may be in a little bit of trouble myself.

 

CYBER MONDAY SPECIAL

20% Off All  Cricut Collections

Artbooking Collection

If you own a Cricut, or you have one on your Christmas list, now is the time to invest in one of these great collections. There are currently four different collections, and I'm afraid I can't pick a favorite. 

If you want to see what comes in each collection, check them out on my CTMH WEBSITE .

This special is only good Monday, December 1st. I am adding a free C size stamp set to the special. Once you order your Cricut Collection, contact me @ dedraclutz@hotmail.com with the stamp set of your choice, and I will mail it to you along with one of the new Seasonal Expresions catalog. 

Treat yourself to a post Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas treat, or order for the crafter on your Christmas list. 

 

 

CHRISTMAS 2014 ~ HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS CHRISTMAS PLANNER

Make a Beautiful Holiday Keepsake

Holiday Happenings Extras

Holiday Happening Crush Book

I am in love with my new Crush book. I can't wait to start using it to plan and document this year's Christmas. The video below will show you the plans I have for my crush book.

If you would like a Holiday Happenings Crush book or assortment package you can find them here and here.

There are four other Crush Books so that you can have a photo journal of any event or time period in your life. Each of the Crush Books has a different theme. The In the Pink, Wildwood, Modville, and Bluebird  Crush Books can be viewed here.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Do you have a Crush or Smash book that you enjoy using? Please comment below.

MONTHLY GIVE A WAY REMINDER

It's Almost Time to Select the October Winner!

Home for the Holidays Stamp Set

Each month I randomly select one of my newsletter subscribers to receive a free gift. Next week someone will win this adorable stamp set. This set is perfect for Christmas Cards and gift tags. If you have already purchased this stamp set, you can simply choose a different set.

My email subscribers receive weekly updates about current specials, and upcoming events. If you want to stay in the loop, and have a chance to win free products, simply fill in the newsletter subscription box at the upper right of this page.

I hope to have a video or two posted next week showcasing this great stamp set, so keep an eye on this blog, or my YouTube Channel. 

 I hope everyone is enjoying some cooler weather, and looking forward to all of the upcoming holidays. 

 

CHRISTMAS 2014 ~ GETTING THINGS DONE

A Simple Holiday Layout and Matching Cards

There were a few projects that I didn't complete during the Close to My Heart Waco, TX incentive trip. Actually, I didn't even start most of them. I'm finally getting around to making a few things, so I thought I would share. I hope you enjoy the video below. It is the first of my Christmas videos. The videos are getting a little easier to make, so hopefully I can post a few each week. I need the incentive to get my Christmas Cards finished. After the video I will have links to all of the products used.

Products Used

Yuletide Carol Paper Pack
My Crush Holiday Happenings Assortment
Gold Sequins Assortment


Thank you for your support. I hope the rest of you have gotten a start on your holiday planning. I am behind as usual. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I would love to hear all about your holiday plans.