We’ve been celebrating Christmas Cards this week at HOTP with guest artist (and former HOTP employee) Teresa Welch. We thought you might like a tiny sneak peek at one of our new paper packs called Christmas Splendor. We hope this card inspires ideas for making your own holiday cards this year. Christmas will be here before you know it!

Instructions: 1. For the card front: Turn the card with the fold on the left. Cut ivory ornaments paper to cover the front, but don’t glue yet. Ink the edges. Cut a 2¼"x6" teal ornaments paper and a 1 7/8"x6" brown ornaments paper. Ink the edges and glue to the ivory piece, positioned as shown. 2. Cut a 5"x1 1/8" section of the stripes paper and glue across the constructed front, 1" from the lower edge. Glue green grosgrain ribbon across the stripe, securing the ends on the back. Tie a 3" ribbon to it, 1½" from the left side. 3. Punch an ivory ornaments oval and mat on red tapestry paper, trimming the mat edges close to the oval with the scallop-edged scissors. Stamp a “Merry Christmas” tree in the center, add a star brad at the top, and use the pencils to color the ornaments. Glue as shown. Stack a small red flower onto a large ivory flower and insert a red brad to secure just above the ribbon. Glue the constructed front to the card. 4. For the inside: Cut a 4 1/8"x4" brown ornaments paper. Print the sentiment in dark teal on white paper and cut to 4"x2½". Glue centered on the brown paper, then glue to the inside, aligning the right edges. Cut a 1 1/8"x6½" section of the stripes paper and glue next to the fold.

Supplies: Christmas Words Stamps, Christmas Creative Kit, Christmas Splendor Paper Set, white paper, StazOn® Timber Brown ink pad, Oval 3" Giga punch, Scallop-edged scissors, colored pencils, dark green grosgrain ribbon, adhesive and 5"x6½" blank white card.

We love this bright and cheery birthday card by HOTP designer Laura Nicholas for summer birthdays! Plus you can even change up the colors to create a winter birthday card or even Christmas card by using the snowflakes on the template instead. Who does love that kind of versatility! Keep reading for complete instructions and supply list.

Supplies: Fold-Back Swirls Template, Snowflakes & Stars Template, Bright Brad Pack, Blue Stripe Foil , Tiny Flowers Foil, White Cards & Envelopes, 3-D Foam Squares, Variety Pack, medium size adhesive dots, StazOn Ink Pad, Timber Brown, navy and white cardstock, light blue paper, red grosgrain ribbon, brown pen. Computer font: Century Gothic

Instructions: 1. Cut the navy cardstock to 5"x6 1/2". Cut the light blue paper to 4"x6 1/4", ink the edges and glue to cardstock. Cut a 1 1/2"x6 1/4" strip of the striped foil paper and glue to the bottom of the blue. Add pen stitching to the blue paper. 2. Cover the seam of the papers with ribbon and tuck the ends behind the blue. Tie a bow and glue dot to the ribbon. Add mini brads to the corners of the papers and glue to the front of the card. 3. Trace and cut out 3 snowflakes using the small flower foil paper and fold into the snowflake shape. Trace and cut out 3 flowers from the Fold-Back Swirls template using red paper. Fold and ink the edges. Add pen stitching and attach to the foil snowflakes with a mini brad. 4. Cut out a snowflake shape using green paper. Cut apart to use for leaves and add pen stitching. Foam tape 2 flowers to the front of the card. 5. Trace and cut out 4 small flowers using the Fold-Back Swirls template and yellow paper. Ink the edges and add pen stitching. Add red brads and foam tape 3 to the front of the card. 6. Print a greeting onto white cardstock and trim. Ink the edges and mat with navy cardstock. Add pen stitching and glue tucked under the flowers. 7. Inside the card: Cut the light blue paper to 2 3/4"x4 3/4" and add 1 1/2" strip of striped foil to the end. Wrap with ribbon and mat with navy cardstock. Add pen stitching around the edge of the light blue paper. 8. Mat a greeting with navy cardstock and glue to the light blue paper. Add the folded foil flower and small yellow flower to the ribbon. Add mini brads to the corners and glue inside the card.

This Saturday is our annual Retailer Training Day in Canby, Oregon. We invite all our retailers to come to our warehouse to attend a daylong class taught by Paulette. It's a fun-filled day where retailers make project samples for their stores, learn new tips and techniques, laugh, network with other retailers and best of all they can shop in our warehouse. Yup, they get to browse the aisles checking out all our fabulous products and even pick their own orders. How lucky are they! It's a mad frenzy but we all love it! (The picture is from our last RTD in February with everyone holding up the project they made.)

We have a similar event for consumers called Girlfriends Getaway in October. Sorry ladies, it's not at our warehouse so you can't pick your own orders but we do set-up a mini store filled with all our newest products. Plus we have tons of giveaways throughout the day so in that regard it's much better. :)

Have a fabulous week and we will be back next Friday with a new project idea.

No matter where you might live, summer BBQ’s are a universal tradition. Scrap your next summer BBQ using this cute layout by HOTP designer Susan Cobb. Keep reading for complete instructions and supply list. Happy grilling!

Designer Tip: I embellished some of the Summer Scrapbooking Dazzles stickers with colored paper or holographic paper to add bright color and sparkle to this page. I cut the cherry for the ice cream cone from pink holographic paper and punched the dragonflies from teal holographic paper. I punched a pink holographic butterfly, then trimmed away the wings and add the holographic body to the center of a bright pink paper butterfly for variety. For the hot dog with bun, I strategically placed the sticker over striped paper to get the colors I wanted in the right places on the sticker.

Instructions: 1. Turn the lime with striped border background paper so the border is at the bottom. Mat photos on bright pink or blue paper and arrange as shown on the background, then glue in place. Glue blue rick-rack over the edges of two photos as shown. 2. Use the template as directed to create the ice cream cone from striped paper. Line the ice cream portion with purple/white dotted paper. Trace and cut out an extra ice cream scoop from light pink paper, then mat on bright pink paper. Glue together. Embellish the cone with bright pink rick-rack and lime gingham bow. 3. Mat a small photo with blue paper and tuck into the pocket as shown. Glue to the left side of the page, overlapping edges of the photos. Trace and cut out a cherry from pink holographic paper, and a stem and leaf from bright green paper. Ink edges of leaf and stem, Glue cherry, stem and leaf to top of the pink ice cream scoop. 4. Computer journal on light pink paper, or write by hand with the black pen. Trim to a rectangle and mat on black. Glue to the right side of the page as shown. Add Dazzle™ stickers to paper or holographic sheets as shown, and trim around them, then add to the page. Punch dragonflies and butterfly and glue to the page as shown. Add ant stickers along the border and around the page.

Supplies: Sweet Treat Pockets Template, Summer Scrapbooking Dazzles™, Pretty & Playful Papers, Pretty & Playful Ribbons, Butterfly Lever Punch, Dragonfly Lever Punch, Holographic Sticker Papers, StazOn Ink Pad in Jet Black, medium adhesive dots and black pen. Font: Gasoline Alley

The weather has finally warmed up enough that it feels like summer, at least by midday anyway. It’s Friday afternoon and we have going to the coast and frolicking in the sand and water on the mind. We hope you enjoy this fun “beachy” summer layout by HOTP designer Laura Nicholas. Keep reading for complete instructions and supply list.

Instructions: 1. Cut a 5" strip of blue paper and glue ½" from the right edge of the right page. Cut a 9 ½" square of yellow paper and overlap the blue strip. Wrap aqua ribbon over the papers and tuck the ends behind the page. Secure the ends with mini brads. 2. Mat photos with white cardstock and orange paper. Overlap the photos and glue to the yellow mat. Add bracket punch-outs to frame to the smaller photo. Glue dot a bow to one of the brackets. Add pen detail around the edges of the papers. 3. Embellish the punch-outs by tearing a piece of tan paper and gluing across the bottom of sand and tucking the shovel Dazzles™ into the sand. Add a sun shaped brad to the sun punch-out. Back a section of the wave border Dazzles™ with blue paper and cut flush to the sticker. Glue across the bottom of the ocean punch-out and foam tape overlapping the photos. 4. Create a title with the Dazzles™, umbrella, bucket Brad Buddies™ and sunglasses shaped brad. Back the umbrella with orange paper and a small shell Dazzles™ with tan. Cut out and glue with the bucket around the words to the bottom corner of the yellow mat. 5. Add a journaling block overlapping with the photos.

Supplies: Finished in a Flash, Beach, Beach Scrapbooking Dazzles™, foam tape, adhesive dots, craft knife, white cardstock and brown pen. Computer font, Arial.

Grow Your Wings layout by HOTP designer LeNae Gerig allows parents to record their feelings and wishes for their children. Customize the layout for each children or include wishes you have for all the children. It would be fun to have mom's wishes on one side and dad's on the other to create a cherished family double-page layout. Keep reading for complete instructions, supply list and cool techniques using Dazzles.

Instructions: 1. Place the striped paper horizontally. Cut a 7"x9" piece of dot paper and ink the edges black. Glue 3/8" from the left side of the striped paper. 2. Mat a 4"x6" photo on white cardstock with 1/8" borders, then mat on green floral paper leaving a 1/2" edge. Ink the edges and glue angled (as shown) to dot paper. 3. Mat two 2 1/2"x3" photos on white cardstock with 1/8" borders, then glue on the bottom right as shown. 4. Write "Grow Your Wings" on the large green tag and glue 1 1/2" from top and right edge. Use an adhesive dot to attach a sheer ribbon bow on one end. 5. Journal on white cardstock, trim into strips and ink the edges. Glue as shown. (Font: Lucinda Calligraphy)

Techniques:

Coloring the Dazzles with a pen: It's easy to add color to Dazzles by using a permanent pen, like a Slick Writer or Sharpie. Apply two coats letting the ink dry between them. Add color to the blossoms on the flowers and dots on the border stickers, while still on the backing sheet. Place borders across the bottom of your photos and blossoms on large tag and under smaller photos as shown.

Creating Two-Toned Dazzles: Use two similar butterflies. Color one butterfly, both the sticker and "innies", before removing Dazzles from the backing. Lift the colored butterfly and place on the right side of the page, then use the transfer sheet to place the "innies" from the silver butterfly. Now you have a two-toned butterfly! Create another with a silver butterfly and colored "innies".

We love those clever techniques! Thanks LeNae.

Supply list: Silver Butterfly Dazzles, Floral Background Papers,Pretty Creative Kit, white cardstock, black ink, adhesive dots and glue, blue permanent pen (either Slick Writer or Sharpie) and sheer white polka dot ribbon.

Dude is a very popular greeting here at HOTP and a bit of a running joke. This page is in honor of our HOTP Dude Scott who does an amazing job with making all our projects and images look amazing. Thanks Dude! keep reading for complete instructions, supply list and a tip from HOTP designer LeNae Gerig who created this fun summer layout.

Supplies: Citrus Use 'Em for Anything papers, Citrus Monograms, Citrus Flowers, Citrus Brad Pack, Dated & Noted Stamps, Acrylic Block, white and teal cardstock, black pen, black and blue ink pads, foam tape and adhesive.

Designer Tip: Perfect for outdoor boys, LeNae's citrus-inspired page is just right for scrapbooking your special dude in bright, summery style.

Instructions 1. Use a sheet of aqua “mesh” paper as the background. Mat an 8"x10 1/2" piece of lime circles paper on white cardstock, trimming the mat to 1/16". Glue the matted paper centered on the background. 2. Double-mat a 2"x3" photo on white, then teal cardstock, trimming each mat to 1/16". Glue the photo in the top left corner of the page, overlapping the left edge of the lime paper. 3. Punch out teal monograms to spell “dude”, plus a lime green exclamation mark and bracket. Mat each punch-out on white cardstock, leaving about a 1/16" border. Glue the word “dude” plus the exclamation mark across the top of the page, just right of the photo. 4. Mat a 7"x5" photo on teal cardstock and trim to 1/4". Glue the photo centered below the word “dude!”. Fold a large blue flower in half and use three lime brads to attach the flat edge next to the left edge of the photo. 5. Stamp the month and journaling lines in black ink on white cardstock. Stamp the year in blue ink, then write on the journaling lines. Mat the journaling on teal cardstock and trim to 1/16". Foam tape the journaling in the bottom right corner of the page, overlapping the bottom of the larger photo. Glue the lime bracket to the right of the journaling.