MCT Tutorial Thursday: Gift Box Card Holder

Well, hello there! As you probably know, I love finding new ways to package gift cards. We give quite a few of them out nowadays because our nieces and nephews are getting older and they'd prefer gift cards for Christmas and birthdays and really, it's just easier on us!

A bit ago, a Facebook friend of mine shared this awesome video on how to turn one half of a shirt box into a smaller, folded box and I thought it was genius! Keeping that in mind, I decided to try my hand at making a much smaller version for gift cards and voila!

It's really simple to make and is held closed by a cute little belly band. You can decorate the belly band to match whatever holiday or theme you're gifting for!

MCT Products Used
Holiday Tags Stamp & Die Set (sentiment, candy canes)
Stitched Belly Band Dies (layered shapes)

Click on above diagram for larger view

To make the box:

1. Cut your cardstock to 5" x 4.5".
2. Score 1/2" around all edges.
3. Score on the long side at 2.25" from both ends (leaving 1/2" in the middle).
4. Cut on the scored lines as shown in the diagram to the right (white marks).
5. Fold on remaining scored lines, tape as needed.

This little box fits a gift card perfectly! The same concept can be applied to different sized pieces of cardstock (making the score lines wider as needed) for many size boxes.

Thanks for stopping by today to see my quick little tutorial. Be sure to check out Emma's blog to see what the other designers have in store for you!

I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica

MCT 47th Release Blog Hop: Masked Christmas Tag

Hello, hello!

It's a beautiful day for a Blog Hop, isn't it? If you've arrived here from Ruthie's blog, you're on the right track. If not, you can start this Hop from the beginning at Emma's blog. You WON'T want to miss a thing!

Today, I'm showcasing the new Holidays Tags stamps & dies set (available for pre-order NOW). I love to add special tags to my Christmas packages. Some years, I make them myself. Other years, I find something super cute in the store and just pick those up. Let me tell you: there's no shame in that! In the end, the pretty package is the main goal. With this new set, though, I'll definitely be making my tags this year.

This sweet little tag was dreamed up and put together in about four minutes. Really. To achieve the white 'block' for the "to:, from:", I simply masked that area before stamping the Grainy Wood Background onto my white layer. Here's a simple step-by-step on that process:

1. Die cut white tag layer.
2. Cut rectangle from sticky part of Post-It note. This is your 'mask'.
3. Stick mask to center of white tag layer.
4. Stamp Grainy Wood Background onto masked white tag layer.
5. Remove mask.

It's that easy! I think that just stamping the "to:, from:" on the wood pattern would have been a bit too busy/messy looking. This gives a very clean look.

To accent my little tree, I used a white gel pen to add snow markings.

***Freebie Stamp & Die***

The first 150 shoppers will receive this
die FREE with their orders!

For our freebie this release, we are giving away this super cute dec25th die to the FIRST 150 shoppers! You do NOT have to add it in your cart. If you are one of the first 150 shoppers, Emma and her shipping crew will automatically include it in your package! If you order AFTER the 150th shopper, this stamp set will be available for purchase! If you see this set available in the store, that means that 150 shoppers have already come through. No exceptions will be made. Also, this freebie is not a part of the 47th Edition Bundle and is only sold separately.

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***Blog Hop Giveaway***

One lucky winner of today's Blog Hop Giveaway will receive a $50 gift card to the MCT online shop! To enter, simply leave a comment on each of the designers' blogs! You are NOT required to comment on every blog, but the more you comment on, the better chance you have for winning!

Very important: please leave a way for us to contact you with your comment should you be the lucky winner!

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***Sale Alert***

Don't forget that our sale starts right now! Use the code: SEPT2015 to receive a 15% discount off your entire in-stock purchase! This sale applies to in-stock items only. The sale will end on Friday, September 25th at 11:59pm PST.

*Please note that the 47th Release is available for PRE-ORDER only and will begin shipping on Friday, September 25th.

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Thank you for hopping with us today. You have one more stop. Please visit our guest designer, Audrey, on her blog for another great project!

I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica

MCT 47th Edition Sneak Peek: Dec 25th Gift Card Holder

Hello and welcome to another Sneak Peek of the MCT New Release! Today we are showcasing the brand new Stitched Treat Sleeve Die and dec25th Die (our freebie for this month!).

I don't have a lot of reasons for treats, really, so I love to use MCT dies as gift card holders! Since this die gives a little extra room for treats, I've added some shredded filler paper and it works perfectly!

I also used the new Belly Band Dies to dress up my sleeve. It's a simple design that only uses dies, so it would be perfect to make several of these for little Christmas thank you gifts (hairdresser, mail person, etc.) or for those teenagers in your life that you have NO idea what to get!

***Sneak Peek Giveaway!***
We will be giving away the sets we are showcasing each day to ONE lucky winner! Today's winner will be announced tomorrow in Emma's video on her blog.

For a chance to win, simply leave a comment on each of our blogs! You are NOT required to comment on every blog, but the more you comment on, the better chance you have for winning!

Very important: Please leave a way for us to contact you with your comment should you be the lucky winner!

For extra entries, you can spread the word about this release on Facebook, tweet about it OR even instagram it! #mycreativetime!

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That's it for me today. Please swing by Emma's blog to see what the other designers have made for today's Sneak Peek.

I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica

MCT 5 Days of Christmas: Reindeer Invitations

My Creative Time is wrapping up the 5 Days of Christmas today. If you haven't been following along on the MCT blog, check it out! Emma and the designers have created some fabulous Christmas projects for you to see this week!

Today I'm sharing with you our annual Christmas Eve Eve invitation. Each year, The Hubs and I get to celebrated Christmas for three full days beginning with two days before Christmas. On December 23rd, we host my side of the family in our home for dinner, presents and quality family time.

This year, I've used the super classy leaping reindeer die from Oh Deer as the focus of our invitations. The "believe" die from Boughs of Holly works perfectly beneath it. I also used a Stitched Rectangle Die and a circle die from Bunch of Fun Circles to keep the card simple, but interesting.

Thank You cards from Mara-mi

My card fronts are actually built on a pre-existing thank you card that I found for a STEAL from Target. These card/envelope sets sell for $10.99 online. I picked up three packs for less than $3 each. With 30 sets in the pack, that's less than $.10 per set! The cards are embossed in wood grain and the envelopes feature printed wood grain, too.

I originally purchased them to use as bases for my sister-in-law's upcoming baby shower thank you notes. Of course, I loved them so much myself that I made sure to pick up one extra box for me!

***5 Days of Christmas Giveaway***
Emma has had awesome giveaways all week and today is no different!

To qualify for a chance to win today's giveaway, simply leave your comments on the designers' blogs. Please remember also to leave an email address for us to contact you if you are a LUCKY winner! You still have the weekend to leave your comments. Emma will announce ALL five days of winners on her blog Monday, December 8, 2014! Good luck!

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Thank you so much for stopping by to share some Christmas cheer with me today! You can check out Emma's blog to see what the other designers have up their sleeves for you.

I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica

MCT 37th Release Blog Hop: Santa Paws Card

It's another Release Day with My Creative Time! If you've hopped here from Kim's blog, you're on the right path. If not, head on over to Emma's blog if you'd like to start from the beginning.

I'm supposed to be showcasing just one set today, but this entire release is so cute that I couldn't help but use a bunch of different sets together.

MCT Products Used
NEW! Boughs of Holly (holly leaves, "Fa La..." sentiment, "believe" die)
NEW! Oh Deer (music notes)
NEW! Christmas Doggy (Get this set for FREE - details below)
Bunch of Fun Circle Die
Classy Girl Accessories Dies  (Santa hat)

First 150 orders receive
this stamp set FREE!

***FREEBIE STAMP***
This release, Emma is giving away the Christmas Doggy stamp set to the first 150 shopper for FREE! No need to add it to your cart, it will automatically be added to the first 150 orders. If you order after the first 150 shoppers, this stamp will be available for purchase with the rest of the release items.

UPDATE: The first 150 shoppers have ordered! If you've ordered and your invoice is between #13533 - #13683, you'll receive the Christmas Doggy stamp set for FREE! If not, you can purchase this stamp with the rest of the new release.
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***BLOG HOP GIVEAWAY***
For today's Blog Hop Giveaway, Emma is giving away a $50 gift card to the My Creative Time online store to ONE LUCKY winner! To be entered in the random drawing, simply leave a comment on each of the Design Team members' blogs. You are not required to comment on every blog, but the more you comment on, the better the more entries you receive.

Very important: Please leave a way for us to contact you with your comment so we can notify the winner.
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***SALE ALERT***
Our sale starts right now! Use the code: OCT2014 to receive 20% off your entire purchase! This sale applies to IN-STOCK items ONLY and ends on October 31st at 11:59pm PST!
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Phew! That's a LOT of info! (But it's all good stuff, right?)

Thanks so much for hopping by today. You've got one more stop. Head on over to our Guest Designer, Brigit's, blog to see what she's created.

I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica

MCT 5 Days of Christmas: Gift Card Sandwiches

Welcome to the My Creative Time 5 Days of Christmas. Today is day 3 and the designers have some great Christmas projects to show you! For each of the five days, we will have a giveaway. You can check out Emma's blog for information on today's giveaway.

As I've shared before, The Hubs and I have a TON of gift cards to give for Christmas this year. Two of our nieces (Jenna, age 8 + Mariah, age 7) are very girly and love to shop. They've asked for gift cards to Justice for Girls this year. Ask and ye shall receive!

It's usually a no-brainer to wrap gift cards: throw them in a box or an envelope and you're all set. With so many to give this year, I wanted to switch it up a bit. So the girls are getting Gift Card Sandwiches. Who doesn't love a sandwich?

Disclaimer: This is a totally made-up name that I'm hoping will go viral in the crafting/blogging world. Spread the news. :o)

These 'sandwiches' are simply made by 'smooshing' two chipboard coasters together with a gift card glue-dotted inside. I then tied a bow around the sandwich to keep it together.

By the way, have you seen the wonderful bow-tying technique that doesn't leave any knots or bumps? Check this out. Totally worth it.

I decorated my Sandwiches using fabulous stamps + dies from MCT (recipe below).

MCT Products Used
A Day In December Stamp Set ("Believe" Star)
From Our Family To Yours Stamp Set (Bell + Tree)
Warm Holiday Fun Stamp Set (Stocking + Ornament Tag Dies)
Just Tags Stamp Set ("To:")

Thanks for stopping by today!

I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica

MCT Black Friday Mini Release Blog Hop: No Peeking!

Happy Black Friday! Welcome to the MCT Black Friday Mini Release Blog Hop. You probably came here from Shar's blog, but if not, head on over to Emma's blog to start from the beginning.

I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving with your families yesterday. After our 10K Turkey Trot, The Hubs and I went to his parents' house for a HUGE feast with family. We always have such a great time with them! Today, I'll head down there again to meet The Hubs for leftover lunch and I'll be sure to bring my Tupperware to bring some yummy food home. Who's not cooking for the next few days? THIS GIRL!

For today's project, I create this sweet little tag for one of my Gift Exchange presents this year. I used the Just Tags dies for the base and some new products to decorate it. The turquoise sparkly stars, yellow star and "No Peeking" present are from the brand new set, A Day In December. The grid background is from today's newly released, Get Schooled.

I thought it would be fun to 'dress up' my star, so I added the hat and mittens from Classy Girl Accessories. How fun is that?!?!

The new stamps and dies are available for PRE-ORDER right now and will start shipping out on Tuesday, 12/3. Not only are these stamps perfect for your "December Dailies", but they will work great for your Christmas cards, layouts, Smashbooks and 3D projects!

FREEBIE ALERT: Everyone who places an order this weekend will receive this NEW set called, Shine Bright.

BLACK FRIDAY DISCOUNT: Use the coupon code BLACKFRI2013 this weekend ONLY at the My Creative Time online store and you'll receive 25% off your ENTIRE order (new items included). The sale starts NOW and ends on Sunday, 12/1 at 11:59pm PST. What are you waiting for? Start shopping!
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That's all for me, but you still have ONE more stop! Click on over to TeriBeri's blog for more fabulous ideas!

I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica

MCT 28th Release Blog Hop: Classy Gift Card Holder

Hey there! Are you hopping along with the My Creative Time team today? If so, you've probably arrived here from Tracy's blog. If you haven't already seen all the designers' fabulous projects today, head on over to Emma's blog to start this Hop from the beginning.

I've said before that I have A LOT of gift cards to give for Christmas this year. This classy gift card box is going to my mother-in-law.

I used all new products on my project. The Fun Stitched Edges Dies made the perfect little snow drifts in my scene. I decked my girl all out using Classy Girl & Furbaby Dies + Classy Girl Accessories Dies. There are a lot of really cute accessories to go with this classy girl!

The red satin bow adds some more Christmas spirit and the glitter on the snow banks and hat/mitten trim is so festive!

****BLOG HOP GIVEAWAY****
We will have TWO winners for our Blog Hop Giveaway:

Winner #1 ~  $50 gift card to the My Creative Time Online Store
Winner #2 ~  $25 gift card to the My Creative Time Online Store

To enter to win, just leave your comments on the Design Team blogs! You are NOT required to comment on ALL blogs, but the more you comment, the more chances you have to win! GOOD LUCK!

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***FREE STAMP WITH PURCHASE***
Emma is offering this adorable Angel Policy Stamp for FREE with all orders from now until Sunday, 11/24/13 at 11:59pm PST! No need to add it to your cart; the stamp will automatically be sent with your order! Learn more about this stamp here. If you miss out on this freebie this weekend, it WILL be available for purchase starting on Monday 11/25! If you are interested in the digital version of this stamp, you can download it for FREE here.

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Thanks so much for hopping along with us today! I'm your last stop.

I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica

PS: Don't forget that today through next Wednesday, you can save 20% on your entire order (including this new release) by using code: NOV2013 at the My Creative Time Online Store! Sale ends 11/27 @ 11:59pm PST.

MCT 28th Edition Sneak Peek: 26.2 Ornament

The Hubs and I have had quite a year! We spent 28 weeks training to run our first full marathon - that's longer than it took to plan our wedding!

Each year, we like to add a new ornament to our Christmas tree that celebrates something special that year. So for this year's ornament, I made our own personal 26.2 Christmas bulb. And it was super easy!

Using a clear glass bulb, I simply squirted a bit of Glitter-It! by Beacon inside. I swished it around to fully coat the inside of the bulb and set the bulb upside-down in a plastic cup to let the extra Glitter-It! drip out. Then I poured some glitter (I used Martha Stewart Turquoise Fine Glitter) into the bulb, shook it up to coat the sides and poured the extra back into the jar. Once the glitter and 'glue' set, I put the top of my bulb back on. The "26.2" are simple white stickers from Recollections.

Did you see the super-cute bow on the top of my ornament? That's MCT's newest Fun Size Scallop Stitched Bow Die (available to order on Friday). If you have the Small + Medium Bow Dies, this would be a great addition to your collection!

Mosey on over to Emma's blog to see all the other fabulous sneaks for today. I'll see you back here Friday for the Release Blog Hop!

I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica

MCT Totally Treats Tuesday: Gift Card Letter

This year, so many of our nieces and nephews have requested gift cards for Christmas. They may not be as exciting for me to buy, but they don't have to be boring to wrap!

Our nephew, Chris, turned 16 this year and bought his first car. Since he doesn't yet have a job, gas money can be a touchy situation. Enter the BP gas card!

Now, let's be honest: a 16-year-old boy isn't going to be impressed with my crafty wrapping of his gift card. So I kept it simple and used the Scallop Stitched Envelope as 'real mail' and decorated it using the Build A Postcard + Postcard Add-Ons stamp sets.

Did you know that the 3x4 Journal Die fits PERFECTLY inside the Scallop Stitched Envelope?!?!?! 

Awesome.

Check out Emma's blog today to see what the other designers created for Totally Treats Tuesday! And meet me back here tomorrow for the first day of SNEAKS for the 28th Edition!

I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica

MCT 3D Wednesday: Christmas Planner

Can you believe it? Christmas is coming! I am so stinkin' excited, I can hardly contain myself.

But as you probably know, Christmas doesn't always travel alone. Sometimes, it brings stress with it. One of the ways I've found to be less stressed during the Christmas season is to be organized. Having lists and notes really helps to clear my head so I don't get so overwhelmed.

Last year, I shared my 2012 Christmas List with you. It was so handy to have - everything in its place! This year, I've gone a different route - a reusable planner that will be with me for a few seasons.

I found this "Believe" book in the dollar bin at Michaels and it really caught my eye. I knew that with a few tabs, it would be PERFECT for my Christmas planner.

The front of the book was so sweet and simple. Since I've decided that my theme for this year's Christmas season is pretty & simple, I decided to just leave it.

I used the Stitched Tab Die to separate my sections: To Do, Presents, Christmas Eve Eve. By adhering the tabs onto pages in the book and leaving LOTS of pages behind each tab, each year I can just rip out the pages from the previous year and keep on keepin' on!

On the inside, I kept it simple and added a little pocket on the cover for gift receipts using the Scallop Stitched Envelope Die. So that I didn't have a blank first page (since I didn't put anything on the tabbed pages), I printed out some Christmas Subway Art (same art I used in 2011, just re-colored to match my book) and cut it out with the 4x6 Stitched Journal Die.

I can't wait to start filling this baby out! Bring on the jingle bells!

Stop on over at Emma's blog to see what the other designer's have for you today.

I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica

MCT 12 Days of Christmas - Day 8: Hey, That's MY Stocking!

Welcome to Day 8 of the My Creative Time 12 Days of Christmas!

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Looking around at all of the Christmas decorations I have up in my home, I noticed something was missing: our stockings didn't have any names on them! Of course, Santa knows which stocking belongs to each of us. But how will we know on Christmas morning which one is ours?

I suppose I could just look inside to see which one has coal in it. That would be The Hubs' stocking. *giggle*

Since my handwriting is not very pretty and the style of our stockings doesn't really lend itself to glitter glue letters, I made these sweet little tags (in our Christmas colors, of course) to hang on our Christmas socks.

Click image for larger view

The tag base is made with MCT's XL Label Die and new Stitched XL Label Die. I also used the Curly Label and Stitched Curly Label Dies for some added dimension. After die cutting our names with the Lowercase Fun Dies (Speaking of FUN, here's a fun fact: I actually go by "Ronnie" in real life), I popped them up onto the banner die from Vintage Stitched Label Dies and popped that up on my tag. Of course, it just wasn't sparkly enough as-is, so I dotted the letters with my Star Dust Stickles.

Click image for larger view

For a more polished look, I added jumbo eyelets to the tags before threading my ribbon through to tie to the stockings.


HUGE GIVEAWAY ALERT!
Okay, since it's Christmas, Emma decided to give away TWELVE of her FAVORITE things to ONE LUCKY person! She will announce one of the prizes for each day in her video! So by the 12th day, you will see ALL 12 items that ONE lucky person will be receiving! All you have to do is leave your comments each day! It's that simple!

**VERY IMPORTANT** 
Please leave your contact information so we can contact you IF YOU are the lucky winner!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica

MCT 12 Days of Christmas - Day 4: Gift Card Package

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!

Today is Day 4 of My Creative Time's 12 Days of Christmas. So far ALL of the projects have been fabulous, right?

This Christmas, The Hubs and I are giving several gift cards as presents. I just love gift cards! They say, I have no idea what you really want, but I'm pretty sure I know where you want it from. But then I have to figure out how to wrap the gift card. Of course, the MCT Embossed Gift Card Holder Die is a great option! But with so many gift cards to give, I like to have variety.

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Today's project is a gift card holder made out of a cassette tape case.

Note to anyone under the age of 21 reading: Cassette tapes are like .mp3s on strips of really thin brown plastic-y ribbon. If you ever try to use one, I recommend having a pencil nearby. *giggle*

My Mom has a whole box of these plastic cases and gave me two last week to figure out what we could use them for. Hey, Mom! Check this out! *giggle*

First I cut my patterned paper to fit and adhered it inside the case. I used a double-sided patterned paper so it would look pretty when shut and opened.

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The belly band was made out of a strip of green card stock. I then used several MCT dies (listed below) to create the label. The sentiment was stamped from It's a Magical Season and the bell (colored with my Copics) is in the From Our Family To Yours stamp set. All layers were popped up (surprise!) and the bell was glittered with my Star Dust Stickles.


HUGE GIVEAWAY ALERT!
Okay, since it's Christmas, Emma decided to give away TWELVE of her FAVORITE things to ONE LUCKY person! She will announce one of the prizes for each day in her video! So by the 12th day, you will see ALL 12 items that ONE lucky person will be receiving! All you have to do is leave your comments each day! It's that simple!

**VERY IMPORTANT** 
Please leave your contact information so we can contact you IF YOU are the lucky winner!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I'll see you again on Day 8!

I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica

Dies used for label: Vintage Stitched Label Die (and banner die from same set), Curly Label Die (cut twice, placed two together to create a 'taller' shape), Stitched Circle Die.

MCT Black Friday Blog Hop: Christmas List

Happy Delicious Leftovers Day! Well, that's what day it is around here, anyway. I'll be meeting family at my in-laws' house today for a yummy lunch filled with all of the Turkey Day trimmings! Mmm..mmm...

With Thanksgiving over, the Christmas Season has officially begun! Now that we've spent time being thankful for everything we have, we can start shopping for more! *giggle*

Thanks for joining the MCT Design Team for today's Black Friday Blog Hop. Hopefully, this little Hop gives you a break from the hustle and bustle (aka trampling and biting) that's taking place in malls around the country. I've you've come here from Tracy's blog, you're headed in the right direction. If not, take a trip over to Emma's blog to start this Hop from the beginning.

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To keep my Christmas budget on track and my gift-giving organized, I created this handy Christmas List that I can keep in my purse to know exactly who is getting what and how much I've spent. Won't The Hubs be so proud of me?

This little organizer features the brand new Stitched XL Label Die on the front cover (layered on top of the original XL Label Die).

The year was stamped using the Circle Font stamp set that was just released last week. After stamping the year, I punched it out with a 3/4" Circle Punch and layered it on top of a 1" circle. The whole year is then popped up onto the banner die that came in last week's new die set: Vintage Stitched Label Dies. 

I stamped "Christmas" from Warm Holiday Fun (I isolated the word "Christmas" by covering the rest of the sentiment on my stamp with a post-it, inking it up, removing the post-it, and stamping onto my die). "LIST" was stamped using the new Label Font stamp set.

I also used Warm Holiday Fun to stamp my scroll (shaded with Copics), scroll sentiment, and white sparkly stars in the background (which were embossed in white). After adhering my ribbon to the front and back of the organizer, I popped up and layered my pieces onto the front.

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The inside of my organizer has two pockets: one for my gift list (which I created in Photoshop and printed myself) and one for gift receipts. I've added a little diagram below on how I created the folder for this simple organizer.

And now a word from Emma:

Thank you for joining us for our very FIRST "MCT Black Friday Blog Hop"! Okay, not only are we having a SALE, but we are ALSO releasing 2 new stitched dies that YOU ALL have been requesting for a LOOOONG time! IF you own the "Curly Label Die" & the "XL Label Die", we now have Stitched dies that will layer on top of those! Are you as excited as we all are??? 

click on diagram for larger view

Wait, we are NOT stopping there, I have ALSO had several requests to sell my "Teeny Tag Dies" by themselves (for mass producing purposes) GUESS WHAT???? We now have them selling in my store by themselves! Sit back & please enjoy this hop as we all showcase the BRAND NEW "Stitched Curly Label Die" & the "Stitched XL Label Die" along with many other MCT products!

Please use the code: BLACKFRI (all caps) to get a 20% discount off your purchase! Sale will end Sunday, Nov 25th @ Midnight!

**GIVE AWAY ALERT**

Well, this wouldn't be a party with out a giveaway.....right??? Well, we are keeping this simple! Just leave your comments along with a way to contact you, should you win! Random.org will be picking TWO lucky winners to win $25 worth of MCT product of YOUR choice! GOOD LUCK!

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Thanks so much for stopping by for today's Black Friday Hop. I'm your last stop.

Have a great weekend! I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica

MCT Designer Challenge: Ugly Sweater Party

Now that Halloween is over, I'm in full-blown Holiday Mode. This time of year is my absolute favorite! I've even started listening to Christmas music! *giggle*

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It can be difficult getting the whole family together around the holidays. It's easy to forget that relatives have in-laws and other family to visit with during Christmas along with church obligations and other schedule conflicts. To make things easier on everyone, three years ago, my family decided to stretch Christmas one more day and celebrate together at my house on December 23rd - Christmas Eve Eve.

This year, we've decided to spice things up a bit and have an Ugly Sweater Christmas Eve Eve Celebration.

For my Designer Challenge invitation, I used several patterned papers to get the 'feel' of the occasion. The sweater was cut using the Everyday Paper Dolls Cricut Cartridge. Since the sweater cut doesn't have layers, I just cut it out in two patterns, snipped the edges of one pattern and glued it to the other.

Each of the invitations has a different saying for the sweater. The "98% Nice, 2% Naughty" sentiment is from MCT's Warm Holiday Fun stamp set. The scallop cut is from the Elegant Edges Cricut Cartridge.

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Since today's challenge (brought to us by Rosy) is to have fabric and stitching on our projects, I paper pierced around the edges of the card base and drew dot-to-dot to make it look like stitching. I also added a piece of felt behind the scallop for some sweater texture.

I stamped the invitation sentiment using the From Our Family To Yours stamp set. I cut that into a flag and popped it up on my card.

The inside of my invitation was designed by yours truly in Photoshop.

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to check out Emma's blog to see what the other designers came up with for today's challenge!

I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica

MCT 20th Edition Sneak Peek: Cookie Exchange

It's time to talk Cookies.

The Hubs and I have our differences of opinion on many things:

• He believes that vegetables are nothing but 'rabbit food', while I enjoy a fresh Caesar salad. 
• He believes that a televised sporting event can only be enjoyed to it fullest potential if I'm not talking. And well... I talk.
• He believes ONLY in real Christmas trees. I'm coming around to that one...

But if there's ONE thing we can definitely, without-a-doubt agree on it's this:

There is truly only one kind of cookie: Chocolate Chip.

Of course, I love my Girl Scout Thin Mints. And he's a big fan of Tagalongs. But when it really comes down to it - Chocolate Chip is the way to go for us.

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Today's project would be PERFECT for a Christmas Cookie Exchange with friends and family. Perhaps such an exchange would broaden our 'cookie horizons'... *giggle*

I put six cookies into a 4"x9" treat bag (made by Darice - found at my local Debbie's Dollar Store). The topper base is a 4.25" x 3" piece of kraft card stock that I scored and folded in half. After random stamping the cute chocolate cookie stamp (from MCT's newest set, All Around Goodies - due out on Friday), I paper pierced the top and bottom edges of the front of the base.

The lighter brown strip was stamped with the argyle stamp from MCT's Coffee Break stamp set in dark brown. I cut the edge of a white strip of card stock into a flag and stamped "A Little Chocolate" using only part of one of the sentiment stamps from Do the Cocoa Motion.

After cutting out a white circle and brown scalloped circle (Scallop & Stitched Circle Dies), I stamped the "Cookie Exchange" sentiment from the new All Around Goodies set onto the white stitched circle. The cookie was then stamped on a separate piece of white card stock, colored with my Copics and then punched out with a 3/4" circle punch. I popped it up inside the circle sentiment.

After securing my bag closed (topper in place) with staples, I adhered the circles to the topper base with pop dots.

So the only remaining question is...

Which one of us will open the cookies first?

Sneak Peek Giveaway Time!

With all of our Sneak Peek weeks, Emma likes to do some FUN giveaways!

 ***All you have to do is leave comments on our blogs! You do NOT have to comment on every blog, BUT if you do, you will just have more chances to win!

 ***SPREAD THE WORD TO THE WORLD ON FACEBOOK about this release & whatever connections you may have! Let us know on My Creative Time's Facebook page that you did so! OR you can just tag My Creative Time in your post!

Emma will randomly pick & announce all winners on Friday, September 21st during the blog hop release happening @ 12:01am PST in her video! GOOD LUCK!

 Log onto to your Facebook now and let's start spreading word!

****************************************************************

Thanks for stopping by today to preview the 20th Edition of My Creative Time stamps.

I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica

MCT 19th Edition Sneak Peek: Tree-mendous Wishes!

This week, Emma and the My Creative Time Design Team are celebrating the upcoming 19th Edition Release with great Sneak Peeks!

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Today, I'm showcasing It's A Magical Season. I've seen beautiful ribbon trees in retail stores during the holiday season and wanted to try one of my own - on a much smaller scale.

The tree itself is only about four inches tall. Its 'pot' is the little bucket that they serve the desserts in at Logan's Roadhouse (I knew I kept those little pails for a reason...). Since I didn't have any Styrofoam trees in the right size, I simply cut a triangle out of card stock, wrapped it into a cone shape and used sticky tape to secure it.

Each little piece of ribbon was cut at about two inches long and hot glued into a little tab. I then used my hot glue gun to adhere each tab individually to the tree. After I finished attaching the ribbon tabs, I topped the tree with a big green bow.

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The "Tree-mendous Wishes" sentiment from It's A Magical Season was stamped onto the largest tag die from Teeny Tag Greetings.


Sneak Peek Giveaway Time!

With all of our Sneak Peek weeks, Emma likes to do some FUN giveaways!

***All you have to do is leave comments on our blogs! You do NOT have to comment on every blog, BUT if you do, you will just have more chances to win!

***SPREAD THE WORD TO THE WORLD ON FACEBOOK about this release & whatever connections you may have! Let us know on My Creative Time's Facebook page that you did so! OR you can just tag MCT in your post!

Emma will randomly pick & announce all winners on Friday, August 17th during the blog hop release happening @ 12:01am PST in her video! GOOD LUCK!

Log onto to your Facebook now & let start spreading word!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I'll be back again later this week for another Sneak Peek!

I hope you were inspired!

- Veronica

MCT 12 Days of Christmas: On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...

My, oh my! We've made it to day twelve on our "12 Days of Christmas" blog hop with My Creative Time. If you've come here from Trell's blog, you're headed in the right direction. If not, swing by Emma's blog so you don't miss ANY of the awesome projects featured today! Oh, and while you're there, check out her awesome new blog design (created by yours truly).

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You've probably seen a lot of "Subway Art" around lately. It's very trendy right now and is SO FUN! There are lots of tutorials on the web on how to create your own Subway Art if you feel inclined to do so. But as I see it, there's no need to re-invent the wheel.

I went 'a-Googling' to look for a fun, vibrant Subway Art print for Christmas and found quite a few really nice ones. But one definitely stood out for me! (free download for this print here) It was almost perfect! I re-colored the sage-y green letters to a more lime(ish) green and re-sized it to 8x10. The red frame was a Salvation Army find ($2). It was originally a dreadful brassy gold color, but I knew just how to change that! Enter: spray paint!

After spraying my frame with a couple coats of red spray paint, I adhered my freshly printed art onto my aqua striped background paper, slid it in the frame and called it done.

That was until I looked at it a bit longer.

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It was cute. I liked it. But it was missing something. What was that something? A big ol' floofy bow and accent piece! I stamped the sentiment and snowman (MCT All Around Christmas), colored it with my Copics and punched it out with my 1-3/8" circle punch. I popped that up onto my red card stock (cut with the Stitched Circle Die) and popped that up again onto my scallop circle (Scallop Circle Die). After threading my new 'medallion' with linen thread, I tied it into my big bow. The bow is hot-glued onto the frame. Easy peasy focal point for my foyer table!

***12 Days of Christmas Give Away Alert***

To qualify for ALL the AMAZING giveaways for the next 12 days, you must comment on every blog in this hop! You will have until Tuesday, December 13th @ midnight to have all of your comments in! VERY IMPORTANT: PLEASE LEAVE A WAY FOR US TO CONTACT YOU IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE WINNERS! There are some AMAZING giveaways for this special 12 day event and some SURPRISES to help celebrate My Creative Time's One Year Anniversary! Yep, Emma released her FIRST set of stamps one year ago! So make sure you are tuned in because this is ONE hop you do NOT want to miss!

Thank you so much for stopping by for our "12 Days of Christmas". I know I can speak for the entire MCT Design Team when I say that we are SO happy you joined us for this hop and can't wait to share more fabulous projects with you! There's ONE MORE stop on this fabulous hop - Miss Kelley!

I hope you were inspired!

-Veronica

MCT 12 Days of Christmas: On the Eleventh Day of Christmas...

Hello and welcome again to another installment of My Creative Time's "12 Days of Christmas"! If you've come here from Trell's blog, you're on the right track! If not, check back at Emma's blog to start from the very beginning.

We've got a bit of snow here in Michigan. Not too much - just a dusting over our yard - nothing sticking in the roads (yet). I'm not much of an outdoor gal. I like to stay inside where it's comfortable and warm. Even as a little girl, I wasn't too fond of playing in the snow. It's cold! But there was ONE thing that got me to go outside to play: my big brother, Dan.

I'm blessed to be the youngest of four kids. My oldest brother, Donal, is 14 years older than me. My sister, Stacey, is 11 years older. And Dan is just 3 and a half years older than me. When I was 6 or 7, I had a beautiful pink wooden playhouse in our backyard. During the summer, it was a fun spot to play with my friends when the family was barbecuing. But in the winter... it turned into a safe house where I would wait - alone in the 'woods' - for my big brother, Dan, to come and rescue me. We'd play for hours in that little pink house - coming in only for bathroom breaks and hot chocolate refills.

When we weren't playing "Rescue", Dan and I would have snowball fights. Since we only had one proper 'fort' (my pink playhouse), we had to decide who was the lucky snowball fighter to use it as his or her battle station. Naturally, age before beauty prevailed in this discussion and I was stuck hiding behind a mound of snow for safety. As Dan started whipping snowballs at me, I was feverishly packing snow to make little bullets of my own (And they sure were little! Tiny hands = tiny snowballs). Once I'd start throwing my little hand fulls of snow, Dan called a 'time out' in the action. He told me that he wanted to be sure that I didn't accidentally throw snowballs that had ice in them, so I should throw the snowballs at the fort itself, and not directly at him. If the snowballs proved to be safe, I could then throw them at him. It took quite a while for my little brain to figure out that if I threw these so-called "Snowballs of Doom" at the fort first, I'd NEVER be able to throw them at him - they weren't snowballs anymore! Of course, Dan continued slinging snowballs at me without any concern for MY safety regarding the 'iceballs'. What are big brothers for, right?

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In honor of my snowball fights with my big brother, I've created these (totally safe, non-icy) Snowball Pops! They were so easy to make and are YUM-MY! To add a bit of pizzazz, I wrapped them up in clear treat baggies and tied them shut with silver twist ties. Hanging on the twist ties are my cute little tags that I cut out with one of the dies from MCT's Build a Banner Kit and stamped with Mixed Holiday Sentiments. I punched a hole in the point of the tag with the small hole punch of my Crop-a-Dile and slid it on the twist tie before I tied them closed. These delicious treats would be perfect for sending over to neighbors to spread some Christmas cheer or could be put out at your Christmas celebration as a dessert for your guests!

I discovered a great winter decorating tip this year, and just HAVE to share! It's difficult to see in the picture (click the picture for a larger view), but the Snowball Pops are sitting in a bed of 'snow' in the dish. You might be able to get a better view of the 'snow' in the ornament-filled vase in the background of the photo. How did I bring the outdoors in (where it's nice and warm)? Epsom salt! It makes for a GREAT accent to your winter decor and really looks like snow! The best part? It's cheap! I purchased a quart of Epsom salt at my local dollar store!

***12 Days of Christmas Give Away Alert***

To qualify for ALL the AMAZING giveaways for the next 12 days, you must comment on every blog in this hop! You will have until Tuesday, December 13th @ midnight to have all of your comments in! VERY IMPORTANT: PLEASE LEAVE A WAY FOR US TO CONTACT YOU IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE WINNERS! There are some AMAZING giveaways for this special 12 day event and some SURPRISES to help celebrate My Creative Time's One Year Anniversary! Yep, Emma released her FIRST set of stamps one year ago! So make sure you are tuned in because this is ONE hop you do NOT want to miss!

Thanks so much for joining us on our hop today - I'm your last stop! Drop by again tomorrow for our LAST day of the "12 Days of Christmas" hop. I hope you were inspired!

-Veronica

MCT 12 Days of Christmas: On the Tenth Day of Christmas...

Wow! I can't believe we're already on Day 10 of our "12 Days of Christmas" with My Creative Time! If you've come here from Trell's blog, you're on the right track! If not, mosey on over to Emma's blog to start this hop from the beginning!

For the last eight years, I've sent out handmade Christmas cards to my friends and family. Every year, I start the design process with the intention of making a simple card with a bit of pizzazz! And every year, I'm glued to my craft room table for DAYS as I painstakingly hand-glitter hundreds of paper circles (2009) or meticulously color a kitty wrapped in hand-drawn Christmas lights (2010). Sometimes my creativity gets away from me.

But this year, I opted to order my Christmas cards. *pause for gasp* After creating my photo guest book for our June wedding, I had credits left over with Picaboo and needed to use them ASAP after the wedding (they expired at the beginning of July). With no real idea of what I wanted to do with my leftover credits, I bit the bullet and designed/ordered printed Christmas cards with one of our wedding photos. They've been sitting in my craft room closet for months now - waiting to be addressed.

But here's my dilemma: what WILL our friends and family think when they open up our card to find that it's been... PRINTED?!?!?! I can only imagine the SHOCK they will feel and all the dirty looks I'll get at our Christmas gatherings! *giggle* Of course, I'm just teasing. But I really got to thinking about how I could spice up our printed cards and give them a handmade flair...

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Adding a few embellishments to our Christmas card was just what it needed for some extra personality! I set two silver jumbo eyelets to string my red satin ribbon through. Linen thread ties the sentiment (Mixed Holiday Sentiments, MCT) and felt heart (Heart Die included in the 100% Sweetness stamp set, White Felt from Papertrey Ink) to the bow. The sentiment was cut out using MCT's Curly Label Die and I hand-cut the green layer behind it. I added a couple of blue rhinestones to the heart to finish it off.

It looks like this year I've finally followed through with my plan to NOT spend the entire holiday season working on our Christmas cards. But with my added embellishments, I can rest easy knowing that our friends and family will receive a hand-crafted Christmas card from us - a tradition they've come to know and love.

***12 Days of Christmas Give Away Alert***

To qualify for ALL the AMAZING giveaways for the next 12 days, you must comment on every blog in this hop! You will have until Tuesday, December 13th @ midnight to have all of your comments in! VERY IMPORTANT: PLEASE LEAVE A WAY FOR US TO CONTACT YOU IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE WINNERS! There are some AMAZING giveaways for this special 12 day event and some SURPRISES to help celebrate My Creative Time's One Year Anniversary! Yep, Emma released her FIRST set of stamps one year ago! So make sure you are tuned in because this is ONE hop you do NOT want to miss!

Thanks for stopping by on our hop today. I'm your last stop. Come back again tomorrow for more fun Christmas ideas! I hope you were inspired!

-Veronica