Express The Moment - A Year In Review!

I have to confess, I am one of those crazy people who loves to fill out those Facebook and e-mail games about all of the things that you did or remember best about the last year. I love New Years!!! Last week, when I picked up my December Expressions kit from Kim over at Express the Moment I had a fun thought, why not think back about the year and revisit some of my favorite cards from the 2010 kits???

I also thought that this would be a really fun reference for those who are new to Express the Moment or who might want to snag one of these kits - I will also link to all of this years' posts so if you pick up any of those past kits you can see some ideas of what to do with them. I love to pick up extras of my favorite kits, and I am sure that this December kit is going to be one of those!! The December kit features papers and embellishments by Fancy Pants Design - it's a line called Christmas Magic and I love the rich browns, reds, greens and blues. There are TWO acrylic stamps inside, and an entire book of journaling papers that make great card liners! So here is what I accomplished with the December kit, and a little year in review for you too.

In January we used adorable bird paper and there was a video about things to do with chipboard.

Febuary kits were Valentines, and I made a video about making pocket cards.

March kits were full of flowery, butterfly goodness and there is a video for stair-step cards.

For April kits I made the slider card tutorial.

May's google-eyed birds still have me giggling. I loved that paper!

June kits were a favorite of mine, and I made a video about what to do with letter stickers. You don't want to miss this one!

July was worthy of two posts, here and here and featured the awesome Close to My Heart 3-paper 16-card trick. . . and lots of reference to Operation Write Home!

August cards were also done using this template and there are also instructions for making money holding pocket cards.

My September post includes a lot of fun altered projects like a pencil holder, a notebook and even some cute quick bookmarks. This one was also a very fun kit!

October was another fun month for cards and more altered projects, a boo  bucket, candy bar wrappers, tubes, candles and of course fun spooky cards!

November was fun with the owl paper. . . I think that Kim had a thing for birds this year, don't you? What a hoot!



I have had more fun this year being on the design team for ETM. . . I can't call it work because all I do is create cards. . . so a big thank-you to Kim for the awesome kits this year!!!  Now would be a great time to pick up some of those older kits or sign up for the kit club if you are interested. . . isn't a $15 a month kit a fantastic Christmas present to yourself? And just think of all of the leftovers you will have for making those cards for the troops  (go Operation Write Home!!!) . . . not all of the kits are glitter free, but all of them have something inside that can be used, and all of them are such a great value! Merry Christmas Express the Moment, and Happy New Year too! 

In 2011 I would like to make the following resolutions. . .to work on my software and editing so that I can provide even more fun video tutorials and templates and to organize things so that they are easier to find rather than searching the archives!!!

Brew Holders Revisited - Cocoa Style!

One week later, we are still shovelling out from at least a foot of new fallen snow. I shouldn't complain, areas nearby got several feet, and "it doesn't show signs of stopping. . . . "  lalalala....

So maybe back in September you got to see the Brew Holder template that I originally designed for Halloween treats. . . I put apple cider in them and mentioned at the time that this would be fun to do for Christmas with hot cocoa instead. . . well this morning I gave it a go and other than a slight difference in size of the cocoa packets, it was a success!!

This packet was made on a red cardstock base and I used a couple of different Imaginisce patterned papers and my cricut cartridge called "Joys of the Season" to cut the mug and snowflake. As you can see I also added a candy cane (because candy cane in your cocoa is just YUM) and here are a few other tips and tricks if you want to try this yourself. Again, what a fun little inexpensive suprise for a friend, teacher or maybe a secret pal.

Tip number one is that cocoa packets (especially the kind with marshmellows) are thicker than the packets with cider. So make sure that you glue the envelope shut AFTER adding the packet inside. Also, use a lot of good quality high-tack glue or scrapbooking tape.

You could design the front of your brew packet with whatever kind of stamp, die cut or other embelishment that you want. . . I just loved the look of this mug. Other ideas for things to put inside include tea, cider or any other Christmas drinks. . . I'm not really sure what Wassail is, and I'm not sure that there is a drink mix for Hot Buttered Rum, but there you go. Have fun with it!

Here are links to the video and the template again if you would like to watch and print again.

To print the template - left click on the template above. It should open in a new window as a larger size. Right click on the template and select "print". If you need me to email this template to you, the best way to reach me is at nancykeller at myctmh dot com.