Can you believe it? It is nearly 2012! New Year’s Eve is tomorrow-Yikes! I have to keep pinching myself because I just can’t believe 2011 is over! Where did it go?  You got me! There are a few things that I am anxiously waiting for in 2012. The most exciting things are the births of Dustin’s baby girl and my grandson in the first few months of the new year and January CHA!

I can not wait to head off to sunny California and see again the wonderful people I met in July and all of the exciting new products they have brought to introduce! It is just like Christmas all over again except that I don’t have to cook or pick up the mess! Make sure to keep an eye on our Blog in January as we will start posting sneak peaks as it gets closer to CHA! I hope you are excited, ’cause I sure am!

We will be closed for the next 3 days in celebration of the New Year’s holiday, but will be back in the office on Tuesday January 3, 2012! Have a safe and Happy New Year!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

Okay, so now that we have received these wonderful new Die Cutting Machines for Christmas, do we have the right tools that will enable us to use them to their best capacity? I’m not talking dies or image cards, because we all know that we have to have those. I’m talking about the tools that will enable us to pick up and place tiny images once they are cut out, or scrap them off of our cutting mat without tearing them up!

Yes, I am talking about Accessory tools! Did you receive a Letterpress Combo or Starter Kit? Then the L-LP-ACC-TOOLS Accessory Tool Kit will help make the letterpress process easier and more efficient!

For the Silhouette Cameo you will love having TOOL-01 Hook, TOOL-03 Spatula and TOOL-04-IND Pick Me Up tool to help you remove your die cuts from your cutting mat!

The 0949 Slice Tool Kit is a must have for all of you Slice users -Fits perfectly in the SLICE Signature Series Handbag!
-Tool kit includes – 15 pieces:
-reusable storage case, spatula, craft knife, paper piercer, scissors, 5 replacement blades with replacement tool, 6″ metal ruler, bone folder, tweezers and scraper.

This just gives you an idea of some of the tools we carry to help make things a bit easier for you in your projects. We have other handy tools with other manufacturers. Just click on Accessories under the Brand/Category and look for the tools! Easy!

I hope that you are enjoying your new machines and dies! I can’t wait to set up my new Silhouette Cameo! Once all my kids go home from the holidays I will have time to play! That is my New Year’s resolution!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas holiday! I know I did. It was hard to come back to work today with my family still there, especially since my grand daughter wanted to go with Grandma! It’s okay, they can stay home and find a place for everything while I’m gone! Have you organized your newly acquired items yet? Quickutz has the perfect storage solution for your new dies!

Quickutz Magnetic Storage Books are ideal for storing your Quickutz  Nesting dies, alphabets, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Shapeabilities, Edgeabilities  and/or Sizzix Framelits! The magnet keeps even the smallest shapes neatly in place and they fit fabulously in a bookshelf!

The interior and exterior of this slim book are solid black with a glossy QuicKutz logo on the front. Raised inner edges and a fold-over magnetic design add extra security for your dies. Dimensions when closed: 8″x10″. You can even customize the exterior with patterned paper and you favorite embellishments to complement your style or decor!

I absolutely love mine, and I have quite a few!

For the last blog post before we break for the Christmas holiday, I want to show you my take of the Gratitude Journal that Spellbinders designer Holly Simoni made a while back. Thank you Holly for your inspiration! Instead of a gratitude journal, I decided to make a notebook that my great uncle could jot down stories from his life to pass on to our posterity, since he has no posterity of his own.  Out came my Spellbinders Edgeabilities and Grand Nestabilities dies to help me!

Product recipe:

E8-002 Classic Bracket

LF-168 Grand Large Labels

LF-190 Grand Labels Four

S5-074 Retro Mod Clocks

Quickutz DA0235 Lemon Drop Alphabet (pretty nice that all of the letters are on one 4×4″ die!)

cardstock

composition notebook

Metal photo corners

I am officially finished with all my Christmas gifts! This was one of those last minute, I should do this, projects. Now, let’s just hope that he will cooperate and write in it! With that done I can now breath easy and enjoy the rest of today, do a little baking tomorrow, then enjoy my time with my family as I hope you can do! Note to self-Charge camera batteries!

Merry Christmas and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

Only a few short days left until Christmas, and everyone here is as ready for the holidays as we will ever be! All of us would  like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

You have helped make our holiday season wonderful! Your support and patience has been outstanding and we thank you for that! It gets a little crazy around here this time of year, so having such great customers is a huge blessing! I am always saying that we have the best customers! It is so true!

My Christmas wish to all of  you is that you may have joy in everything you do! You are unique and special! Enjoy each moment, for some of the best memories are from unexpected moments. Keep your camera handy to capture those moments so you can treasure them forever in a scrapbook!

May you have a wonderful Chistmas!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

I’m telling you all right now that I have had more fun making mini albums with the Want2Scrap Grand Albums! I finished my great uncles gift last night (cheer!) and I think he will be pretty pleased with it. I know I am!

I used 9513-Grand Album Scalloped Rectangles for this one. It was big enough to accommodate the 4×6 photos that I had.

Product list:

Spellbinders -LF-133 Grand Scalloped Rectangles

S5-042 Fleur de Lis Accents

S4-324 Ribbon Banners

S5-058 Ironwork Accents

E8-002 Classic Bracket

Graphic 45-4500329 Curtain Call 12×12

QuicKutz- DA0237 Oh Happy Day Alphabet

DA0236 High Rise Alphabet

DA0235 Lemon Drop Alphabet

4×8-BANANA-S Banana split 4×8 Alphabet

DA0221 Splendid Alphabet

DC0155 Nesting Lace Circles

Martha Stewart Punch

Robin’s Nest Dew Drops

1/4″ and 1/8″ Scor-Tape

This was a lot of fun because I got the pictures from my mom and I had not seen some of them before! My sweet, spunky grandmother is the brunette sister and my mom is the blond niece on the left, so it was even more special for me to have 3 generations of my family tree in this project!

**I would like to include a note about shipping today. For those who are waiting for packages to arrive, this may help answer some of your questions! This was a notice sent to me this morning and I would like to share it with all of you!

USA ORDERS. You should see your item soon…..but please understand that we do not “control” the US Postal Service. I wish we could!! LOL!!! Once we ship your order, you and I have to rely on the Postal Service to deliver the package in a timely manner, and they can be rather erratic at times to say the least as I’m sure you know. We have seen tremendous differences in package travel times for some reason. You could receive your package in 2 days, or it could take 2 weeks. I really don’t understand why this happens, but again, it is something we have no control over. Average travel time runs 4-8 days, but from time to time, a package might take 2 weeks. I thank you for understanding.

****** INTERNATIONAL ORDERS ******
****** VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!! ******

Travel time on International orders can take up to 6 WEEKS to arrive. It averages 20-30 days, with some packages arriving faster than that, but 35+ day travel time is VERY common and quite normal, and can even be a bit longer if the package is held up in the Customs Department in your country waiting to be cleared for delivery.

The countries that take the longest are….

BRAZIL (30-40 days)

ITALY (35-45 days)

GERMANY (25-35 days)

AUSTRALIA (30-40 days of late. The reason why is because there was a major software crash at the Australian Customs Department. In the words of the Customs Department there, it has created “10 weeks of chaos” and is causing HUGE delays in travel time)

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

The clock is ticking and we are left with 5 shopping days until Christmas. Of course, our time for mailing gifts is  now! My sons have done all of their shopping online and having the items shipped directly to my house so all they have to do is wrap the gifts when they come home for Christmas! Brilliant!

They don’t have to be bothered with transporting the gifts, but how do they know that we won’t peak? Probably because I have WAY to much left to do to bother with snooping! (I am also a bit old for that now) They will also save more money that way because they will, of course, use my wrapping paper, tape, tags and bows! What can I say? I raised smart boys! If only I could shop for a wife for each of them for Christmas! Then their wives can make sure they have their own wrapping supplies.  Alas, it doesn’t seem to work that way.

I had some fun with making some of my own bows this year with Sizzix Create-a-Bow and Create-a-Flower dies. If you have ever wanted to make your own, these are a great investment for future gift giving!

For those of you who made all of your Christmas cards and have them sent off, my hat’s off to you! I haven’t even got my pre-made cards filled out and sent yet! Yikes! That is tonight’s project. Technically we have until New Year’s for them to arrive, right?

I did get all of my neighbor gifts out last night. I only have a few presents left to wrap (that is if I am remembering them all) and only one gift to finish, so I am not feeling panicked anymore. I hope that you to are wrapping up your check lists so you can enjoy the last few days before the holidays!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

2012 is right around the corner! What are your plans? For my family, our kids are grown and usually go off to do their own thing on New Year’s Eve. My husband usually has to get on the road early the next day to beat New Year traffic,  so we don’t usually make it until 12:00, although we are usually awakened by our neighbor’s celebration fireworks (but only for a minute).

I usually spend New Year’s Day with our kids playing board games, eating simple finger foods, and lounging around.  This year my hubby thinks he will actually be home so he will be able to join in the fun.

Most of us remember the camera on Thanksgiving and Christmas, but don’t forget to pull it out to document the beginning of the new year!  Take pictures of some resolutions you may want to try. This will help you remember what they are! It is also fun to look back down the road and see how far you have come. If you didn’t get that family picture taken before Christmas, why not take one now to start the year out?

We have lots of fun dies to help you scrapbook those New Year memories! I have pretty much given up the idea that I will ever get caught up on my scrapbooks, but every year I resolve to do better than the year before. I do fairly good while it is cold weather!

Have a great weekend! Only 9 shopping days left until Christmas!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

A while back I mentioned my great idea of giving my mother-in-law and great uncle mini albums made from Want2Scrap Grand Albums for Christmas. Well, I actually have my mother-in law’s finished (finally) and I wanted to show it to you! My great uncle’s is still in the works. I don’t have to have his done as soon.

I used the following supplies for this album:

9501-Grand Album Big Scalloped Ovals

DCWV-Madmoselle

S4-290-Spellbinders Labels Fourteen

9051-W2S Nestabling Fourteen HotPinkR

9311-W2S Nestaboard Labels Fourteen

s4-317-Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Rectangles

9304-W2S Nestaboard Fleur de Lis Rectangles

9018-W2S Nestabling Fleur de Lis Rectangles WhiteP/BlackP

S5-073-Spellbinders Orchard Harvest Tags

S5-071-Spellbinders Twisted Metal Tags and Accents

DC0189-Quickutz Nesting Ghosts

DC0190-Quickutz Web Border

DA0238-Quickutz Manhattan Alphabet

DG0241-Quickutz Edge It Kit

HCD 717-Heartfelt Creations Layered Scalloped Posy

I also have a few other miscellaneous items scattered in there.

This was so much fun to do! I know my mother-in-law will love it. She lives several hours away and we don’t get to see her as much as we would like to, so she really appreciates the pictures. She especially appreciates them already organized since she does not scrapbook what so ever!

I hope that you are all wrapping up your Christmas gifts as we only have 10 shopping days left including today!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

Just in time for the New Year, Quickutz introduces their Countdown Collection which features everything you need for your party scene!

Not only are these dies great for bringing in the New Year, but for any party celebration. Complete with Party Hat, Streamers, Confetti, Drink Labels and more, you will not only have fun at your party, but you will have a blast creating these items in advance with your own unique twist! Everyone will want to know where you got all of the cute favors! They may all want to hire you to do their parties. Just don’t tell anyone how easy they were!

Don’t forget the Celebrate Alphabet to help you memorialize your festivities in your scrapbook!

Hint-If you have an over abundance of scrap paper, make cute confetti! Believe it or not, I used my scrap paper for all of this!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

Hooray! The day we have all been waiting for has arrived! Our Silhouette America shipment arrived and we are shipping the Silhouette Cameo machines!

If you have not ordered yours yet, we do have some available to ship right away! These are a hot item for Christmas this year and going fast!

I wasn’t quick enough to get mine ordered with our first shipment, so I made sure to get mine ordered with this shipment and I can’t wait to try it out! I will be sure to tell you all about it once I get the hang of it. I just hope my sweet hubby doesn’t mind sharing his computer space with my new toy, because my laptop is just to decrepid and slow to handle such a sleek new machine!

Gotta go play now!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

The excitement is building around here! Our Silhouette Cameo shipment is on its way from Silhouette America and we expect it any time! Those of you who currently have  a Cameo order pending,  your order will be  shipped next week! Hooray!

We still have some available to purchase!  Please note that orders are filled in a first come, first serve basis!

It is getting closer to Christmas and we are trying our best to get orders out quickly, but please keep in mind that we are also at the mercy of the manufacturers, and we can not control the speed in which we receive our shipments. We appreciate your patience and understanding!

Only 14 shopping days left! Have a super weekend!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

They don’t get any larger than this! Sizzix Bigz Pro dies, are the largest dies ever and can cut hundreds of materials including cardstock, chipboard, fabric, foam, magnet, leather, metallic foil, paper and sandpaper (in limited use). The biggest shapes include full-size bags, boxes, cards, envelopes and album covers.

This year I am using the Bigz Pro Die Box Candy Shaped die for my neighbor gifts! The assembled measurement of this die-cut shape is approximately 9 3/8 x 2 3/8 x 2 3/8″. I have filled mine with candy mints, but you could fill with popcorn, pretzels, chex mix or anything else you can think of that would fit.

This die would also be cute for showers, birthday parties, office parties, etc. All you need is one piece of 12 x 12″ paper, adhesive,  and ribbon or other material to tie the ends. Very simple! Of course you can add tags or other embellishments if you like, but I have kept mine simple since I have so many to deliver! Now I just can’t wait to get them all delivered!

Please note that as it gets closer to Christmas we are at the mercy of the manufacturer availability and we can not guarantee delivery for Christmas as we fill orders in the order in which we receive them. We try our very best to keep items in stock, but unfortunately it is very difficult to make projections on product popularity!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

I love making tags and cards and have always thought it would be fun to make my own matching bows, but never had enough ambition to actually try to come up with a pattern myself (okay, once but it was a disaster!).  Now, Sizzix has come out with these fabulous dies that allow me to make perfect bows in minutes! 657374 Bow, Create-a-Flower and 656544 Bow, Create-a-Bow.

I can’t tell you how thrilled I am! Needless to say, we have done a video for each one to show you just how easy  and fun it really is to make your own handmade bows! Have fun watching!
Bow – Create a Flower

Bow – Create a Bow

Thanks and Happy Scrappin!

Carrie

This is not a fun post today, but we really want to try to keep the communication going with as many of our customers as possible!

We regret to inform you that due to the increased demand of the S5-055 Layered Poinsettia, Spellbinders was caught unaware and is completely sold out of this die. Their next shipment is due to arrive the end of December and will not arrive before Christmas.

We also have back order notifications on items S4-282 2010 Heirloom Ornaments and S4-334 2011 Heirloom Ornaments. We have been told not to expect these in until the end of December also.

We apologize for any inconvenience this has cause many of you, as we know that  you have been waiting for these items to complete projects for Christmas.  Please know that this is frustrating to everyone, but their popularity was impossible to predict and Spellbinders is doing their very best to get them manufactured as quickly as possible!

You may want to consider substituting with the s5-050 Rose Creations for a Christmas rose instead of a Poinsettia, or maybe even try LF-005 Grand Peony Creations for a unique Christmas flower.

We have tried to send out emails to those who have orders pending for those items, so please check your emails if you are one of those waiting. You can also contact us to check on the status of your order!

We very much appreciate your understanding!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

I am having a ball with the latest dies from Quickutz! What are It Kits you ask? It Kits are great for beginning and lifetime crafters alike. Their versatile designs allow you to used them in every season and for every kind of project. Use them to create tags, cards, party and wedding details, scrapbook pages, school projects, journals, home decor, and so much more! It Kits also include digital cutting files, so you can cut out the same shapes with a digital cutting machine!

For the following projects I mainly used the Edge It Kit, but I included a piece from the Tag It Kit on my candle.

My first project uses the Edge it Kit on a couple of my letters in my Family wood letter set.  Cut out of paper and adhere it to the letter with Mod Podge!

For my candle I used My Minds Eye Lost and Found 6 x6 Paper Pad as well as Quickutz Nesting Lace Circles for the base.

It Kits are very versatile and allow the beginner as well as the advanced paper crafter endless creative pleasure! These would  make wonderful gifts for the scrapbooker or card maker on your list! Will work will most die cutting machines!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

Although many of you have your Christmas cards made and waiting to be sent, have you thought ahead to archiving the seasons photos, additional gifts or  party invitations and favors? My Minds Eye  has a variety of Christmas paper that is perfect for your holiday needs!

Lost and Found Christmas 6 x 6″ paper pad includes 24 sheets of 6×6 doublesided cardstock paper in 12 different floral designs in red, brown, and tan adds a vintage look to your holiday projects. Also available in 12 x 12″.

12 Days of Christmas includes 24 sheets of 6×6 doublesided cardstock paper in 12 different designs in the whimsical design and colors of Christmas. Also available in 12 x 12″.

I Believe Paper & Accessories Kit includes nine sheets of 12 x 12 doublesided cardstock paper and a coordinating accessory sheet in Christmas colors of red, brown, aqua and green with whimsical reindeers, Christmas trees, poinsettias and much more!

You really can’t go wrong when using quality My Minds Eye double sided paper for your holiday crafting!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

Christmas is right around the corner now and I want to tell you about all of the exciting products that we offer to use with the new Sihouette Cameo Machine! Grab your notepad to make your list for Santa!

Of course we offer Adhesive Vinyl in all of the available colors! It comes in two sizes; 9″ x 10′ and 12″ x 10′! There is even Flocked Adhesive Vinyl! Can you believe it?

Think of all of the creative possibilities using the Heat Transfer Starter Kit, Rhinestone Starter Kit, Vinyl Starter Kit and Fabric Ink Starter Kit!

Once you’ve started you won’t want to quit! Therefore, we offer a variety of  Heat Transfer colors as well as Glitter Heat Transfer! Wow!

There are Sketch Pens, Transfer Tape, Fabric Interfacing, tools- you name it! Just think of all the fun you can have!

These products from Silhouette America are high quality which will allow you to create high caliber items for gifts, shows, or just for fun!

I know that you will enjoy using these products with your new Silhouette Cameo!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

Our office will be closed Nov. 24-27. Watch for our Black Friday Sale Nov. 25th!

The turkey is almost thawed in the refrigerator, pies are getting made, the best dishes are being brought out because tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day! I am almost as excited as my boys for the home made rolls (almost because I’m the one that has to do the work)! It is a special holiday and I am grateful that I have such a wonderful family to spend it with! I want to get lots of pictures!

Some of the other things I am grateful for:

Home

Religion

Prayer

Good Health

Friends

Talents

Scrapbooking & family history

A great job that enables me to do what I love!

Music

Nature

Art

Goodness, the list could go on and on!  I don’t want to bore you with the things I am grateful for. I’m sure that you have your own long list of things that you are grateful for. Even on bad days where I don’t  think things are going the way I would like, if I stop to contemplate all of the blessings that I have been given I realize that I am truly blessed in my life! I need to be better at expressing my gratitude not only in word, but my actions. I would like to make that my Thanksgiving resolution-Show more gratitude!

I would like to share with you what awesome people the Cut@Home Team are! I am grateful to my bosses, Cut@Home owners Marcie and Dustin who are the best employers ever! I can not think of anyone I would rather work for. They make us feel like family. They are honest, patient, caring, supportive and uplifting.  They are really awesome and I very much appreciate the opportunities that they give me to grow here!

I also am grateful to my sweet co-worker Tauna who is our Shipping/Inventory Manager and is also my neighbor. We work closely to make sure that your orders are taken care of as quickly as possible! When I say close, I mean it. Our desks are right next to each other so we can communicate easily about orders and product. She is very tolerant of my frequent outbursts of excitement over new products and ideas. She is a great listener and very good at her job! We are lucky to have her!

I am also grateful to you! Without you we wouldn’t be where we are today! I love our customers and I love getting to know many of you over the phone and emails. I just wish that I could see a face to go with the name! Maybe someday!

We all would like to wish those of you in the US a Happy Thanksgiving! If you are elsewhere, we would like to wish you a wonderful weekend!

If you have any questions or concerns while we are out of the office, please feel free to leave a phone message or email us and we will get back with you as soon as possible on Monday!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

On your mark, get set, GO! Are you one of those crazed Black Friday Shoppers? Well then, you won’t want to miss this one! We are so excited for our Black Friday sale! Wanna know a secret?  I don’t even know yet what will be on sale and I am itching to find out!

My oldest son didn’t sleep at all  last night. He was to wound up about flying home for Thanksgiving (mom’s home made rolls-yumm!) and shopping the Black Friday sales! I don’t thing the Dr. Pepper just before bed helped either!

My daughter loves the sales! She is spending Thanksgiving in Ohio this year and is anxious to hit the outlet stores on Black Friday with her mother-in-law who loves to shop.

I don’t know where they get it. I am actually not one who likes to fight the crowd. I am not a great shopper (except when it comes to scrapbooking supplies), so I get absolutely claustrophobic and can’t think when I see hoards of people. Shopping the online sales suites me to the T! No lines, no crowds, no make-up….yep, perfect!

We will be closed Thursday-Monday for our Thanksgiving holiday, but if you have any questions, please either email us or leave a phone message and we will get back with you as soon as possible on Monday!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie