Create with Traci

Spring is here!

2012-02-12T20:30:00.000-05:00

well... the Spring/ Summer Idea book is anyway.

Want a copy of your very own?

Click they "buy now" button. For $5 total (it will show as a $0.01 cost for the book and $4.99 cost for shipping. Shipping on these Idea Books is actually the cost of a flat rate envelope which I believe is over $5 now since the shipping change- at the very least it is $4.95 as the books are too heavy for First Class Mail.

HOWEVER- When you pay $5 to have your Idea book mailed- you will receive a coupon for $5 off your first order of $25 or more from the Idea Book.
So order yours today to see all of the great new products, tips/ techniques and project ideas shown throughout the Idea Book.

Along with a new Idea Book is a new Consultant Kit- For $99 (about $120 after shipping and tax)
you get this:

The stamp sets alone are worth over $60... plus there's an album, paper, inks, tools, and plenty of business supplies to get you going.

CTMH is pretty awesome- not only do you earn commission from ALL of your sales but you have the opportunity to earn FREE PRODUCT ... every single month- and bonus commissions at certain sales targets. There is also a great program called Straight To The Top for new consultants to earn even more free product for sales targets during the first 3 months. I would love to tell you more about the CTMH opportunity - just shoot me an e-mail with any questions/ concerns etc- and I'll be happy to share all the information you need (like how our quarterly minimums are only $300!)

Just e-mail me here

And in the meantime... how about a little card.

I made this card at a crop yesterday and took the photo with my cell phone... so it's not great- If I get a better photo I will replace this one this week.

{supplies: Lucy Level 2 paper pack, My Peeps stamp set, Milepost shapes, silver glitz, paradise baker's twine and Chocolate stamp pad}

Cuttlebug sandwich info

2012-02-05T09:34:00.000-05:00

I have several friends/ customers asking about how to set up cuttlebug sandwiches.

1st- I did NOT make these charts- If you google "cuttlebug sandwiches" many sites come up and this info was taken from Splitcoast Stampers... so I do not take credit for any of this information.

A new month...

2012-01-31T21:06:00.000-05:00

means a great new Stamp of the Month set from Close To My Heart!

February also means a BRAND NEW IDEA BOOK... woohooo!

If you have arrived from Jen's blog... you are headed in the right direction... but if you are just joining the hop here at my blog- no problem!!! The hop should circle around so you can see all of the great artwork.

First up- here is the stamp set itself... see those red lines around some of the shapes... that means those shapes can be cut using our Cricut Art Philosopy cartridge which you can purchase here.

I have to admit I cheated a bit on my project. I have fallen head over heals in love with our new card kit and I just had to use it!..

This card kit is the: My Originals Sweet Surprises card kit. It comes with pre-cut Kraft card bases, Kraft envelopes, My Stickease, chipboard, treat cups and ribbon. It comes with all of the sentiments also as stickease or chipboard... but I substituted those for stamped images using the stamp of the month set. Instead of filling my treat cup with treats- I filled it with paper flowers. That way- if the recipient thinks it's too pretty to tear apart... they dont' have to worry about sugary candy sitting in there (if my kids saw candy in a card it would be torn apart in 2 seconds flat!

The great thing about this card kit as that the inside looks just as cute as the outside!!! Wasn't that fun?

Now you can head on over to Adeline's blog to continue on the hop!

NOTE**** tonight is your LAST chance to order from the Autumn/Winter catalog!!!! Shop on-line here.

Winter Wonderland....

2012-01-27T20:31:00.000-05:00

wow... sorry for the nearly 2 weeks of being MIA...

I have been busy completing projects/ kits and planning new kits and classes and...lots of stuff.
I hit a deer with my car last week... totaled it. Spent this whole week carting my family from place to place (including my husband) in his truck while trying to work full time as well... wasn't easy.

So here... finally... is something new to look at:

This layout uses Wonderland Level 2 paper, Wonderland Stickease, shimmer brads, snowflake flurry chipboard, and the spray mister with white paint. This layout is for my February clubs... The wonderland products expire Jan 31- so if you want to make this layout- order your kit by the 29th. If you are not local- simply order here at my website.
Order the Wonderland Level 2 paper pack and stickease (use search term "wonderland") add the shimmer brads (either $4.95 or $5.95 -can't remember) search term "shimmer". Add the spray mister - search term "mister" and I will send you the cutting guide for this project. Please note that the paper pack comes with 2 sheets of Crystal Blue and one Twilight- I used 2- Twilight and one Crystal blue- so you will just want to swap those colors around when making the layout.
Optional: For $1.50 I will send you a liquid appliqued snowflake to add to your page (might be slightly different design than what is on my right page. I take paypal or check for that payment.

a bridal affair

2012-01-16T08:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I vendored a bridal show at a huge hockey arena in our area. I had a blast and met lots of people that scrapbook and plan to make as much of their wedding decor as possible.

This is one of my display pieces. I saw something similar on the CTMH consultant boards using this Sonoma paper and it was so beautiful I wanted to make my own. I'd already planned to create a topiary but wasn't sure what paper I wanted to use till I saw that other one.

I used a 5" styrofoam ball with 3.5 inch flowers cut from the Art Philosophy cricut cartridge.

The white pins are just boutinierre pins from Michaels wedding section. Paper is the Sonoma Level 2 paper pack. Purple ribbon is the NEW color ready seam binding ribbon in the CTMH Spring catalog. I used a sponge to die it with our Smokey Plum ink pad. LOVE IT!

The leaves are olive cardstock also cut with our Art Philosophy cricut cartridge... at about 5 inches. Used a regular clay pot, some raffia and a wooden dowel from Michaels. The wooden dowel is stained with Desert Sand reinker. Just dripped a bunch onto a sponge and rubbed along the dowel to stain. The woodgrain shows through- it turned out really nice.

Enjoy!

Sweet as honey...

2012-01-08T17:00:00.000-05:00

I'm knee deep in designing projects for upcoming events and requested kits.

Here's a quick peek at a card I created today for my February clubs. My first club of January meets next weekend so I needed to finish all of my February projects before then.

Since I don't have new product yet... I designed my February projects with stamps that aren't new but ARE in the new Spring/Summer Idea Book. I love the new spring book so much that I sort of stole this card design from it. I switched stamp sets as I don't yet have the set they used to make this card- but I think it turned out cute anyway!

{Recipe List: Chocolate, Desert Sand, Juniper and Colonial White cardstock, B1374 Bee Happy Stamp set, Cocoa, Sorbet, Creme Brulee and Juniper Ink pads, Blending pen, Col. White button , Natural hemp and Z1617 Dark Chocolate Striped Grosgrain and liquid glass.}

How To: I scored the Desert Sand cardstock roughly every 1/4 inch and then went over top with the cocoa Stamp pad to enhance and bring out the scoring. I squeezed each stamp pad before opening, to press ink into the lid. I used my blending pen to pick the ink up and color in my design. It gives it a nice soft look. All paper edges were inked with cocoa. The Dark chocolate striped grosgrain is too wide for my taste- so I cut it in half lengthwise and sealed the edges from fraying with a little liquid glass. I adhered the ribbon with tombow adhesive and then lifted sections up slightly with a piercing tool to slide hemp underneath to adhere the button. The rest of the hemp knots were just tied around the hemp going verticle over top the chocolate striped ribbon.

I've had this stamp set for almost a year and this was actually the first time I've used it!

Studio J- layouts and a deal!

2012-01-02T08:25:00.000-05:00

In a couple of weeks- I'll be vendoring at a Bridal Expo (Live in or around SW Michigan? The Bridal show is at Wings Stadium on Sunday Jan. 15 from 11:30-3pm... click here for the website)

Anyway... My good friend Tammy let me use some of her daughter's wedding photos to create some layouts for a Studio J scrapbooking display. Here are the 4 I created- I used 4 different paper packs and altered the colors to match.

This one uses Bella... with the colors from the kit.

This one uses the Silhouette Paper Pack

This one uses the Bliss Paper Pack... Which I was not totally fond of as a traditional paper pack but LOVE that you can change colors in Studio J.. the Smokey Plum makes it so pretty!

This is the Sonoma Paper Pack... Which I do love and is currently available as a Traditional paper kit for $9.95. You can click here to see Sonoma products available.

Now ... what is this deal I mentioned in my post title?

In January- Studio J members that buy 9 layouts will get one FREE! Yep- Purchase 9 2-page layouts for $6.50 each and get the 10th free.

{The deal multiplies... so buy 18 get 2 free... buy 27 and get 3 free...and so on!}

Not a member? No problem! A 3-month membership runs just $30 and gives you complete access to all Studio J capabilities, templates and paper packs. Or go for the 1-year membership for only $99.

Not even sure if Studio J is for you? TRY IT FOR FREE! Yep... free. Nothing to download to your computer- no upgrades to buy. Studio J is completely on-line. Try it free by clicking here. Just keep in mind that the free trial doesn't show all available options that members have access to. It does at least give you an idea of how easy it is to use!

AND did I mention? Members get FREE shipping on one order per month that contains 4-20 layouts! All of our layouts are 2 page spreads which means... you can get 40 pages in that free shipping box!

oh... and Free page protectors - one for every layout ordered... not kidding!

Why wait- Join Today! I offer Studio J points. Earn them for your membership purchase, all layouts purchased, attending Studio J classes (if you're local to me) and more! Spend your points on gift certificates/ free product/ discounted memberships and more!

Want to join now? Click here. or e-mail me to order direct.

January SOTM blog hop- Little Reminders

2011-12-31T20:44:00.001-05:00

Wowsers... this month flew right by.
That means it's time for a new SOTM Blog Hop...woohooo!

first.... Happy New Year!!!

If you've come from Krista's blog- you are headed in the right direction... if you are starting here at my blog- that is fine too! The next blog in the hop will be listed at the bottom of this post :)

This month's set is called Little Reminders.

(*** a little reminder FOR YOU: all of our stamp of the month sets retail for only $17.95. BUT when you purchase $50 in other product, you can purchase the SOTM for only $5!)

First: The set

And now for my project... I LOVE decorating baked goods for parties...so fun! **sorry my pics are so-so. I'm in Michigan and I didn't have any natural lighting for these photos...Our lighting is naturally bad this time of year...lol!

Don't those cupcakes look yummy! Trust me... they look better than they taste...lol. Will not be buying that brand again!

Now up next- head on over to Shannon's blog to see what she's done with this here set. If you are loving what you see and want to pick up this set for your own- click here to go to my website and then shop on-line.

Thanks for stopping by!

A new boss...

2011-12-31T07:14:00.000-05:00

I have a new boss at my "real job" starting next week... because mine retired. Bummer. Yesterday was his last day and he has been grinning like you would not believe.

His first goal... is to buy a fishing boat. His second- is to travel out west this spring/summer and visit Yosemite, Mt. Rushmore etc. So our group tasked me with designing his retirement card and this is what I came up with.

At this point... the front wasn't even attached to the inside. With it being the holidays there was a "skeleton crew" at work and I needed to have people sign the card before Christmas since they were all taking off at different times. I passed around the inside of the card and finally finished the front the day before his retirement lunch....oops. Good thing they all trusted me..lol

Retirement announcement and reduced pricing

2011-12-20T07:27:00.000-05:00

Hello!!

I added a "retiring Jan 31" page to the blog- look in the list above- at the far right. While I don't know which stamps and embellishments are retiring yet- I DO know about papers, stickease and some odds and ends. Check back in a week or two as I will be updating the list soon. You have until Jan. 31 to pick up everything EXCEPT I think the eyelet supplies are while supplies last.

Second- The clearance section of my website had a ton of price reductions this week- Twinkle brads for 80 cents anyone?
Keep in mind that shipping is a minimum $7.95 so if you are going to buy a few clearance items- you might also spend $25 on current product to get the Rock the Block Special for $15... and make the shipping cost worth your money.

Happy Stamping!

Traci

In December you can ROCK THE BLOCK!

2011-12-18T19:34:00.003-05:00

Edited 12/20 to add deep urls for links.
This month- along with over 30 other consultants- I am previewing a BRAND NEW PRODUCT from the Spring/Summer Idea Book- some fun looking My Creations blocks. From Dec. 19, 2011-Jan 31, 2012- you too can purchase this awesome new product. During this preview period - when you purchase $25 of product from the Autumn/ winter Idea Book you can add this special new product to your order for only $15. The most incredible part? Dec. 19-Jan 31 that $15 purchase INCLUDES a Limited Edition E size stamp set (which means the stamps alone are valued at $29.95!!)

When the new Spring/Summer catalog goes live February 1st- the stamp set will NOT be in there... it is strictly available with the Rock the Block special till Jan. 31st. The My Creations blocks will retail for $14.95 all by their lonesome!

So... myself and over 30 other consultants are here to show you why you NEED this set!

If you've come from Kathleen's blog- you are headed in the right direction.. if not- no worries- click the link at the bottom of this post to visit the next stop on the hop and you should circle clear around the hop.

So... after all of that rambling- here's what you care about... photos!

**I designed these projects to display at an upcoming bridal show in mid-January. I wish I was still this skinny! LOL... 9.5 years and 2 kids later.... ahhhh.

Shadow box:

Tray from My Creations Blocks set

Roxie Level 2 paper pack

Bling Asst.

Mocha Opaques

Pearl Opaques

Red Designer Ribbon Collection

I used the Cricit Art Philosophy cartridge to cut my roses... LOVE that cartridge.

I decided to use my blocks for a "countdown calendar" It's generic enough to use for birthdays, holidays and any other special occassion you just can't wait for. The diamond and polka dot paper patterns are stamped with stamps from the exclusive stamp set that comes with the Rock The Block promotion.

The set comes with 9 blocks in all. Because the blocks only have 6 sides... I used the last two to stamp 7,8,9 and 0. You can see some blank sides... I am still finishing them up but check out the last photo.

I will be using "LOVE" "families are building blocks of love", and You +Me= Love Squared. to finish off the last two blocks. The letters and numbers were also cut using the Art Philosophy cartridge. I didn't add any embellishments... which was really hard... but they need to lay flat and that way they have extended use beyond just one "countdown event"

I hope you'll join me in hopping around to check out the other projects... I am really excited to see what others have done with this set.

Head over to Georgia's blog to see the next idea posted!

In the meantime... if you see something you'd like to order- send me an e-mail or order from my website. Either way- you won't be sorry!

Last Chance!

2011-12-12T12:42:00.000-05:00

Planning to give Close To My Heart Scrapbooking and Stamping supplies for Christmas gifts this year? Have some time to do a little papercrafting between Christmas and New Year's and need some supplies for yourself?

You will need to order TODAY to ensure you have your items before Christmas... you can order from my website by clicking here. While you are there- check out the clearance items!!! Great supplies for as low as $1!

Want to save a little cash?

I have 2 Cricut Collections in stock! Regular price $99 plus $7.95 shipping plus your state sales tax.
From now till Friday Dec. 16th I will offer these two at $99 each plus $7 shipping (includes insurance). That is IT! $106. So... discounted shipping and no sales tax.

{in case you are unaware of the specifics... our Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge comes with 3 coordinating stamps sets and 3 sets of chipboard. Stamp carrier sheets have a size printed next to each stamp that coordinates with the cartridge- which tells you what size to cut the image on your cricut so that you can stamp your image directly on your die-cut. Our single cricut cartridge carries 700 images and when you consider all the sizes it could be cut on the c. Expressions- you are left with about 32,000 cut options from one cartridge! This cartridge works with all Cricut machines}

Also- If you are local to me(SW Michigan)- I have an ink organizer:

BRAND NEW! With the box.
Regular $69.95 plus shipping and tax. I will sell that ONE ink organizer (local only- I really don't want to ship this) for only $59! No additional shipping or tax. I am located in SW Michigan. Pick-up only. Holds all 60 colors of ink pads and markers! We also carry a zip up carry case so you can take your ink organizer to retreats and crops with you- unfortunately I don't have one in stock but it can be ordered here.

I also have gift certificates available. Purchase $50 or more in gift certificates to be redeemed after Dec. 25th- and receive a free $5 gift certificate for you!!!

To place any catalog orders or inquire about the products above- please click here to e-mail me.

Want these items but need to save some cash? Why not host a catalog or home party in January? If your party reaches $250 or more in sales- you can select any one item in the catalog for half off! This makes the Cricut Collection ONLY $49.50 before tax.

Catalog and on-line parties can be held anywhere with a US or APO address! contact me now and I'll get all of the information to you!

Two kits...

2011-12-07T22:32:00.001-05:00

(Edited to add a photo of the Save The Date stamp set)

I have two new kits that I am currently taking orders for:

1) This layout kit... It is obviously the same layout as my page header... but it wasn't officially completed when I was ready to change out my page header. I finally got the rest of my supplies in last week and here's the finished product:

Kit cost: $12 total including Michigan sales tax since the supplies are first shipped to me.

If you are not local to me please add $5 for me to ship your kit to you. If you are located in SW Michigan- you are welcome to pick your kit up, host a class where I teach you and your friends to make this layout OR attend class in my home Friday Jan 13th or Monday Jan 16th- 6:30pm either day.

What is included: All pre-cut papers (if you pay the $5 extra for shipping- I will also pre-stamp, pre-ink all of your papers); 4 milepost stars, Antique copper brads (qty. 5), one randomly selected Holiday pocket (there are 3 different pockets and you will recieve one of them); full Red glitz Glitter Gel, one sheet Color-Ready Cork alphabet letter stickers. Also includes the brown ribbon shown.

Add ons: z1486 Holiday Pockets - full package $4.95

Z1450 Full package Cork letters $5.95

X7145C Believe Stickease $4.95

----- Place order no later than Dec. 20th. shipping for this kit will begin Jan. 2, 2012-----

---- To host a class with this project- e-mail me here--------

2) Calendar Kit (Note: this calendar starts out BLANK... so you can use it for 2012... or if you dont' have time to make it in the next few weeks... work on it throughout 2012 and fill with 2013 dates!)

Here are a few of the months...

As you can tell- they are fairly simple to assemble. There are NO embellishments other than the Liquid Applique I used. This is a monthly kit and space for the month is down below on the portion not shown. The kit is blank- you add dates/ month etc.

Cost: $23 total includes the calendar and all pre-cut die-cuts/ photo mats etc. Does NOT include liquid applique to keep costs down. Use your stash of supplies to "bling" the calendar up if you wish.

You can choose to add:

Liquid Applique for $3.95 (why? When liquid applique is allowed to dry and then heated with a heat gun... it expands to look like snow, the fuzzy cuff of a stocking, etc. I used liquid applique for these purposes... I also used it unheated to decorate flower centers)

Save the Date stamp set $17.95

Local customers may pick up this calendar kit. Long distance customers can have this kit shipped for $5 extra.

Sale: Spend $50 or more before shipping and tax- pay only $12 for this kit. Spend $100 or more before shipping and tax- receive this kit FREE ($5 shipping for long distance orders still applies for free or discounted kit) Sale ends December 31, 2011

---- This kit will begin shipping Monday December 12th------

---Strict limit of 10 kits available total-----

**** Save on shipping- order both kits and shipping is only $7 (savings of $3 when purchased seperately) Kits will both ship together Jan. 2, 2012****

Clearance Sale...restocked!

2011-12-06T07:08:00.000-05:00

Have you visited my website lately? CTMH added tons of new paper to the clearance sale section of my website. You can click here to peruse the sale yourself.

What was listed? TONS of 8 1/2 x 11 combo packs of cardstock... a few individual packs, some 12x12 combos.

Also- LEVEL 1 KITS... many of you miss those-

How about my single best selling kit in the entire spring/summer 2011 Idea Book:
Wings Level 2

The Wings Level 1 and My Stickease are also available on clearance.

How about the winter cheer Glitter Rub-ons for only $3:

How about the super popular Opaques Cherry-O pearl gems for only $2

There are TONS more options on my website... so click here to see for yourself.

Have a question? e-mail me here.

Mad About You... December SOTM Blog Hop

2011-11-30T21:00:00.002-05:00

Hello and welcome back to another month of great artwork using our newest Stamp of the Month: Mad About You.

This fun set of stamps is great for Valentine's Day but also works well for anniversaries and just everyday love notes :)

If you've come from Carla's blog- you are headed in the right direction. If you are just starting at my blog- no problem! At the end of this post you will find a link to the next blog and you can just circle around.

So- first things first- the stamp set: This set retails for only $17.95- but get an even BETTER deal than that! Spend $50 or more (before tax and shipping) on any other products and you can add this set to your order for only $5!

And now: My card. I used some neutral colors with Chocolate, Bamboo, and Colonial white. I added a splash of color with Tulip. I used the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection to cut all of my shapes out. I used the Red Designer Ribbon Collection which has this perfectly matched striped ribbon.. LOVE IT! The ribbon slide is from the Foundry Ribbon Slides . If you are interested in purchasing any of these items - feel free to contact me here.

Now you can check out Annette's artwork by visiting her blog!

Tis the season...for Cake Pops!

2011-11-28T20:15:00.000-05:00

A little detour from the papercrafting posts of late for a peek into my second favorite hobby: Baking!
Cake pops have gained in popularity and I decided to give them a try for an upcoming cookie exchange... well... that means I need to make 120 of these babies... by Friday. Yep- THIS FRIDAY. I started them over Thanksgiving weekend but I am not ready for Friday and hope it takes it's sweet little time getting here.
The idea of reindeer cake pops is not new- in fact I saw the idea on pinterest.

If you've tried to make them yourself... and failed... read on for my hints and tips!

Cake pops:

You need:

box cake mix

store bought frosting (16oz)

meltable chocolate ( I always use the melting chocolate wafers from Michaels. Old wafers turn out yucky looking but Michaels sells these all the time and have good turnover with new stock all the time so I stick to purchasing from them or Hobby Lobby)

Wilton candy eyes and red hots.

1) Bake a cake as directed on the box with water, oil and eggs as called for. When done- cool completely...even overnight if needed.

2) use a fork to completely rip the cake apart. Stir in one jar (or a little less than one jar) of frosting. I added a few spoonfuls of frosting at a time till the cake started sticking together. It did take most of the 16 oz. jar.

3) Mix THOROUGHLY. Roll into balls. If your cake has cracks when rolled into balls... it is not mixed thoroughly.

4) Refridgerate overnight.

5) melt wafers ( I use a double boiler but you can use the microwave. I think there are directions on the package for that.

6) Take ONE cake ball from the fridge at a time... dip end of a lollipop stick into melted chocolate and insert about halfway into cake pop. DO NOT roll your cake pop into the chocolate- use a spoon to pour the chocolate over. This will prevent the cake from falling apart in the chocolate.

7) Immediately insert your eyes/ red hots. You only have about 30 seconds from when you set the cake pop down to cool until your chocolate is too hard to add your face. This is a good thing but be ready to work quick. If your chocolate hardens BEFORE your face is done... simply put melted chocolate on the back of your "face parts" and stick them onto the cake pop.

8) let your chocolate set up over night so it's completely ready for packaging. Insert the cake pop into a treat bag and use brown pipe cleaners to add antlers...

Your reindeer pops are now ready for gift giving :)

I had a very busy weekend of crafting... so stay tuned for more this week! Wed. night brings the December Stamp of the Month blog hop and later this week I will show off a brand new kit!

Black Friday Sale on your Favorite Stamping and Scrapbooking products!

2011-11-23T17:28:00.000-05:00

How do I possibly know what your favorites are? I DON'T- So - You pick your purchase!

From NOW Through Midnight Friday- Buy ANY 2 items- get the 3rd (of equal or lesser value) for HALF OFF!

That's right! 50% off one item when you purchase the first two at full price.... and it can be ANYTHING currently available in the Autumn/Winter Idea Book.

Don't know what is available... click here to browse our product line. Anything in the list is available EXCEPT "While Supplies Last" Items.

This special is only available through me- so you will need to e-mail your order to me by clicking here.

I will reply to your e-mail within a few hours (unless you are shopping at midnight... then I will reply the next morning...lol)

Don't need 3 items? Just want the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge? On MONDAY November 28th- when you e-mail me your order for the Cricut Art Philosohpy Collection- you can EITHER take 15% off the collection (Savings of $14.85) OR select a FREE 12x12 Faux Leather Album (valued at $24.95)!

I am also offering FREE Gift Wrapping and local delivery on orders placed by December 8, 2011. Out of town orders can still receive Free Gift Wrapping, but additional shipping charges may apply.

Tax and shipping charges will apply to all orders. I accept check, paypal, visa, MC and Discover payments. All payments should be finalized by December 1st so orders can be placed and delivered in plenty of time.

In your e-mail- please include the method you would like to use for payment (do NOT include credit card #'s- just tell me that you'd like to pay by credit, check or paypal) and a phone number to contact you with. I may do initial contact through e-mail but to collect credit card payments I will call you.

Thanks- and happy shopping!

Typeset School Layout

2011-11-21T07:13:00.000-05:00

These photos are not so great... sorry about that! In Michigan- good lighting this time of year is hard to come by some days... and usually all the good lighting is while I'm at work.

BUT... the layout was a hit with my customers at crops this fall.

There is a close up of the "super star" part down below... since that section is all "washed out" in this photo. This layout will hold a few verticle photos in a row. One on the left page with a smaller photo above the "winner" accent- and a few more on the right page.

This photo shows that I used a circle die cut as a guide to add a bronze glitz glitter gel dotted circle to my page.
If you look at the photo of the second page of the layout- there is another, larger circle in the lower right corner... so I had 2 different sized cardstock circles and strictly used them to get my spacing correct so they looked like circles.

And here it is finished... at an angle so you can sort of see the dimension left by the dried glitter gel.
I LOVE THAT STUFF!!! I am always pulling out one of my Glitz colors for something.

Want to make this project yourself?

You will need:
Typeset Level 2 Paper pack
Typeset complement Canvas Shapes
Bronze Glitz Glitter Gel

Note: My layout used about 3-4 sheets of Desert Sand Cardstock but the Level 2 paper pack comes with 2 sheets. You can either choose another color from the paper pack for your photo mat areas or you could purchase a package of 24 sheets of Desert Sand Cardstock.

I did not use any stamps on this project.... but if you decide to purchase the above supplies- keep in mind that through the end of this month- if you purchase $25 or more in Stamps- you can select this stamp set for only $25!! These are clear stamps so if you don't have any clear blocks- you'll want one of those as well.

If you make a purchase of these supplies from my website- let me know and I'll e-mail you the cutting guides within 48 hours.

If you are on my mailing list... stay tuned for a special sale this week!

Clear pail paired with Art Philosophy

2011-11-13T17:21:00.000-05:00

This pail was sooo much fun to create!
I found these cute little pails in the Dollar Spot at Target!

Then- I cut a few fun designs with my Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge.

Instructions:

1. Cut Crystal Blue cardstock using the snowflake border (see page 64 of your Art Philosophy handbook) Set your cricut at "fit to length" and then 11 inches. Select Font Layer with the button shown in the handbook (bottom row 4th from the left)

2. From Crystal Blue cardstock you will also cut approx. 1 1/4-1 1/2 inch snowflake (page 22 from the handbook). It is
Cover that snowflake in Silver Glitz Glitter Gel and set aside to dry.

3. Using white cardstock- cut approx. 3 inch snowflake... also on page 22 of the handbook. Select "shift" and "layer" using the same button as step 2. (second button from the left in the top row of the keypad)

4. I used glue dots to attach the snowflake border and white snowflake. Once dry- the glittered snowflake was attached with foam tape.

5. I used some retired Crystal Blue sassy strands to attach the little paint can "opener" that came attached on a plastic string.

6. Although not shown: I cut two circles for the top. One Crystal Blue (approx. 3 inches) and one white (2.5 inches.) and stamped a winter sentiment. Silver glitz was also added to decorate. My photos of the top didn't turn out that clear - and I sold these so until I make a few more- I can't take a photo of the top.

Want to make one for a gift- simply fill with candy, a gift card, socks, lotions.... anything!

Christmas Card Class- Register soon

2011-11-04T19:27:00.000-04:00

Hello!
Just popping in for a friendly reminder that my Christmas Card class is coming up Saturday November 26th at 10:00am till you finish!

Cost: $25.00 TOTAL to create 4 each of the following 5 cards! Yes it's true- 20 HANDMADE cards for only $25... Your papers will be pre-cut- ready for you to stamp and assemble.

This class takes place at my home near Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, MI. E-mail me here with "Christmas Card Class" in the subject and I will send you my address when you are registered.
Do you like ONE of the cards better than another? Let me know and I can customize your card kit for you- the price may vary a little depending on which card you choose.

REGISTRATION DUE no later than November 10th. I take cash, check, paypal , Visa, MC or Discover.

These cards were created relatively "flat" specifically so you don't have problems mailing them. That is why there are few embellishments. Your fee includes a full bottle of Silver Glitz so you can make them sparkle as much as you want!

Several cards use images cut from the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge.

November SOTM Blog Hop!

2011-10-31T21:00:00.002-04:00

First- A suber big Happy Halloween to those of you that celebrate! We do and my kids are super excited to show off their costumes. Kaden will be a dinosaur and Addison is Super Girl. I'll show pictures after the festivities are over :)

Now- on to this month's Stamp of the Month Blog Hop where we kick off November with some great ideas using " Cherish the Day" which has 44 stamps! I noticed that all of the examples in the book used the set on cards or gift packaging... so I wanted to whip up a layout to show you!

Before I forget the technicalities... If you've arrived here from Pamela's blog- you are in the right direction- but if you are starting the hop here at my blog- it's NO PROBLEM... just click the next blog in the hop at the bottom of this post and circle around that way.

First... Let's look at my project! I used the little month stamps to mark some of the photos in the layout. The photos progress month by month going across and then down. I originally planned to mark each photo but wanted to add in some workding as well. There isn't much by way of embellishments on this layout- just the cork letters and milepost arrow... but I didn't want to detract from all of the photos! Obviously I'm missing a few- I just need to get them printed. The rest were already printed out and ready for a page - so not too shabby!

Here's a couple close up photos from this left page of the layout... to show the stamp images a little better. I could put the date the photo was taken in the little circle... if I feel like it! I do not delete photos from my camera card until all the photos have been scrapped (and yes I have them all saved elsewhere as well.)

So on my camera card is the date every photo was taken... but I don't think I NEED that information- since I'm not including it for every single photo.

Hope you like this little showcase of the November stamp set (and the cute photos of my little guy!)

Next up is Gina's blog- go see what she has cooked up for you!

Also- if you are wanting to place an order and don't have a consultant of your own (or I am your consultant) you can click here to place an order. There are lots of clearance sale items too!

Halloween Treat Bag and blog comments.

2011-10-29T23:18:00.000-04:00

I love receiving comments from people and appreciate them all- If you ever wonder why I don't do the same- it's because I CAN'T! I don't know why all of a sudden - blogger will not let me post comments. It's been happening since I purchased my domain name. It is telling me that I do not have access to view your comment pages when I try. So until I have time to figure it out- please know that if you leave comments for me- I DO visit your blogs but at the moment I can't post my own comment to your blog.

Thanks so much for visiting me :)
Traci

P.s. How about if I share some artwork by someone else today... Kristin Wessel is a very talented consultant from my area. I met her at Disneyland for the CTMH convention in July and she gave me this cute treat bag at the Detroit Regionals this month. She taught a great class on accessories.

Handmade holiday gift card holders

2011-10-28T22:20:00.000-04:00

Hello!!!
I am back to show you my design for some handmade holiday gift card holders I'll be selling at some upcoming holiday marts.

I designed these using the Kraft Scallop Edge cards.

I trimmed them and glued them until they were in this fun pocket shape. I used Liquid glass to stick the card edges together to form the pockets.

I used the Believe Level 2 paper packet, our striped ribbon (which was way too wide- I cut it down the middle line and sealed the edges with liquid glass... yes this was tedious and way more work than a sane person would attempt... but I wanted thinner ribbon...lol) I sprayed the entire project with our spray pens filled with desert sand ink and water, plus edged my papers with chocolate, giving it more of a "distressed" look so that if some of my ribbon unravels... it looks like it's supposed to be like that.
I also used some of our pins to hold the "christmas cheer" sentiment. some cranberry waxy flax tied through a bling button from our Bling Assortment pack ties it all together. I cut the tag using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.
I have about 11-12 of these put together.
Thanks for looking!

A little Celebration!

2011-10-25T23:04:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I attended the Close To My Heart Regional Celebration in Livonia, MI. I truly love every CTMH event I've ever attended... but really- this WAS the best event outside of Convention that I've ever attended!!
I got to spend some time with some awesome friends, create beautiful projects, and learn some fun techniques.

I'm going to start by showing you a very pretty card box we created...I love the glitz and sparkle on this project. Due to the crummy weather in MI right now... I had to photograph under a lamp... and not a good one...lol! So I apologize for the lighting.

We used the My Creations Card Box (item Z1647 $4.95), Dreamin Level 2 paper pack (Item X7142B $9.95), Bronze glitz Glitter Gel (item z1483 $ 2.75), Milepost chipboard shapes (Item z1464 $3.95), Pewter mini medley (Item Z1487 $4.95), Red Designer Ribbon (Item Z1615 $5.95), Color ready cork alphabet (Item Z1450 $5.95)

Some of the designs were cut with the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge from our collection (item Z1686 $99)

I am loving this box- I'd like to do some up for the holidays so stay tuned for that (but not too tuned... I have to order the boxes :)

If you would like to order any of these supplies for your own projects- please click here.

Sonoma Fun!

2011-10-16T07:15:00.000-04:00

Today my club meets to create their Sonoma projects.
I think I've posted one of the cards and that is it... if I've posted more- sorry! I didn't see it anywhere.

All projects use the Sonoma level 2 paper pack. The Layout also uses the stickease. The cards use a variety of stamp sets.

more on-line scrapbooking fun!!

2011-10-11T21:13:00.001-04:00

Ok... I really wanted to post these AFTER my class next week... but I can't help myself...lol!
Here's another Studio J layout that CTMH had consultants attending Regionals in Detroit create ahead of time.

I am soooo happy to be catching up on some of my photos... this little guy is 2.5 years old now!!

Like this layout? Pin It

Stuio J FUN!

2011-10-10T21:30:00.000-04:00

I just HAD to show this layout..it is so super cute!!
I got step by step instructions from Close To My Heart to create 5 layouts in Studio J. It's part of some training I'll be attending next week. So... I mostly followed their instructions but switched out the paper designs with what worked best for my photos...

Paper Kit: Typeset

These are some of the fun photos I took of my son this summer.

October Stamp of the Month- Holiday Magic

2011-09-30T21:00:00.003-04:00

Edited October 4th to add direct links to the Blog Hop posts :)

Welcome to another Stamp of the Month Blog Hop- where each month approximately 60 consultants showcase the next Stamp of the Month available through Close To My Heart. From October 1-31, 2011- you have the opportunity to purchase this set at full price for only $17.95 OR get a great discounted price of only $5 when you make an additional purchase of $50 or more.

So... If you are coming from Lori's site- you are headed in the right direction BUT if you are just joining us- that is fine too as the hop (if all goes well) is in a circle loop and you can start right here and continue until you end up back at my blog.

So- on to the show:
The set has 18 stamps including stockings, a sled and several sayings. There are two different stockings (and 2 different toppers) plus 2 different trees and a few little snowflakes.

I decided to create a little gift holder using those wooden handled "bags" from Hobby Lobby.

I started by mixing some smokey plum reinker and water in one of the CTMH spray pens, and spritzing ink all over my wooden container. Because it is "raw" wood- it only took a few minutes to dry as the ink soaked in pretty quickly.

I finished it off by stamping the sleigh and it's runners in smokey plum ink on paper from the Wonderland Level 2 paper pack. I inked up a snowflake in the same color and stamped off one time on scrap- then on the paper. I repeated that for 3 total snowflakes. I adhered my piece onto the wooden box and outlined the outside and runner, along with the centers of each snowflake with Silver Glitz Glitter Gel.

The photo really does not do this project justice- it looks very brown when really- it is purple. Purple with grey and silver is very pretty- brown with silver and grey... not so much. I will try to get a picture with natural light this week and re-post.

Until then- head on over to Pamela's blog to see what she's cooked up for you!!

quick update!

2011-09-23T22:30:00.000-04:00

Hello! I have a fun card to show today... and after this weekend is over I'll show some more! It has been a very busy month- business wise and my 5th close To My Heart event in 8 days... is tomorrow. Then I can relax for a day and get ready for a crop next weekend.

That reminds me- if you are in the Battle Creek/ Kalamazoo, Mi area- you are invited to an

All Day crop October 1st benefitting my daughter's school.

Place: Climax-Scotts Jr/Sr Hight School

Send me a message here and I'll e-mail you the flyer. $25 for the day includes meals, goodie bags, drinks, make and takes and more!!

Ok- now for a card:

It's a pretty simple card but I wanted to make one of our fun 3-D flowers from the Art Philosophy cartridge.

That thing has been selling like hot cakes! If you want one of your own... contact me. I'd be happy to get one ordered for you in time to create some fun fall projects!

A big sale... and some fun art!

2011-09-16T23:05:00.000-04:00

Ahh... the weekend at last! It was a busy week, and the weekend is just as crazy. Thought I'd pop on for two reasons...1) some fun art!

How about this cute little card that is part of my Christmas card class coming up October 8th in Avoca, MI. If you are in the area- send me an e-mail and I will forward the full flyer to you.

Another fun card from my class...

And now... How about a Clearance Sale:

How about this fun 3-ring binder...only $2!! It is a great little item for mini recipe books, mini scrapbooks and more!

Or: What about these cute little Twinkle brads for only $1.00!!! what a great deal!

To cash in on these specials... Visit my website by clicking here.

Don't forget... if you spend $50 or more you can choose to purchase the Stamp of the month for $5. Spend $75 or more and you can select the National Stamping Month set "Pair-a-phrase" set FREE*

Want to save some cash? Order with a friend and split shipping- because these deals are so good! You will want to share them with a friend :)

*Shipping and tax are collected on free items. They are not added automatically so you can choose to receive them or not.

At last...a layout with photos.

2011-09-10T12:16:00.000-04:00

yep... that's right... I'm actually showing a layout that is FINISHED...with photos...and journaling. Don't pass out! I've even surprised myself...lol.

A little tip...

2011-09-08T09:02:00.000-04:00

The major benefit to My Acrylix stamps over rubber... of course...is that you can see through them and know exactly where you are stamping your image.
The other FUN benefit... is that you can easily manipulate them.

For instance... I made this card:

The entire word/holly piece was one single stamp. I could have stamped it all in one color- but don't you think the multi-color look is much nicer?

Since you can see through our stamps- I could have easily inked the words and holly in different colors- but the berries would have been a little trickier since they are right in the middle of everything...sooooo...

I took my stamp...

And cut it apart.

I was able to ink the holly and berries seperately from the words.

Here is the finished panel. I added some Red Glitz Glitter Gel over the red berries. I like that I stamped the berries in red first so that wherever the glitz doesn't cover... still looks red.

Hope you enjoyed this little tip... I'll have more fun tips coming up soon!

{Supplies: Believe Paper Pack; Red Glitz Glitter Gel; Silver Glitz Glitter Gel, Chocolate, Tulip and Topiary inks, White Cardstock; D1492 Christmas Love Stamp Set}

Newest page kit...

2011-09-05T14:53:00.001-04:00

I have a fundraising crop coming up October 1st. It is a luau themed crop... so i designed this kit to sell to help raise money for my daughter's school. We are raising money for new technology.
If you are interested in purchasing this kit for $11 plus shipping (shipping will be anywhere from $3-7 depending on your location and whether you want delivery conf or insurance)- please e-mail me here. Kits need to be ordered by September 10th with shipping by Sept. 24. ( I have a few made up so the first few ordered will ship quicker). The kits come with a printout including a full color photo of the completed layout and instructions to slice your page protector to view the mini album without removing the page from your protector. I will donate $3 from every kit sold through my website to my daughter's school towards new technology.

I used:
Cardstock: Bamboo, Colonial White, Chocolate, Topiary, Lagoon and Cotton Candy
Cricut cartridges: Art Philosophy, Dinoroar (or something like that) and Luau
Other: mocha pearls, white flowers died with hollyhock ink and flip flaps

My sample layout will be used in one month... my daughter wanted a luau themed birthday party this year and I am hosting a luau themed crop ( helps me get more mileage from all the decorations purchased for her birthday!)

for sale...

2011-09-02T21:39:00.001-04:00

Ok... I have so much stuff... really I do.
I'm going to periodically offer something up for sale here on my blog to help clear space in my crafty basement.
I have 2 of these Hooligans felt sticker sets. $5 each but that includes shipping to any address in the U.S. If you are outside the U.S. and want these- please e-mail me by clicking here.
I have paypal set to only accept 2 sales. If you have any problems with paypal (and it doesn't say "sold out" ) then please e-mail me instead and we will handle payment that way.

September Blog Hop- Limited Edition

2011-08-31T21:00:00.002-04:00

Welcome to this month's Stamp of the Month Blog Hop where we are featuring the September set called: Limited Edition. If you came from Debra's blog- you are headed in the right direction.... but if you are just stopping in- that is fine too- just follow the blog around and you'll end up right back here. You'll find the next blog in the loop at the end of this post.

Now- a look at the stamp set. I'll be honest... there are other sets I LOVE...and then there's this set... I don't love it. I stamped it many times in different arrangements on scrap paper to see if anything caught my eye. I would probobly use it on a layout and love the results, but I was not in a scrapbooking mood and didn't want to scrapbook my precious photos when I'm not in the mood to do so.

So, after much stamping and debating... I came up with a combo that I LOVE!

.Since I was not in a scrapbooking mood... I decided to pull out one of the MANY containers I have stashed away for future projects. Now... I have not done a lot to this container... Some simple ribbon and tag. The "Little Moments Big Memories" is not actually from the stamp of the month- But is was the perfect sentiment for this over all project. That sentiment came from the new C1468 Winter Joy set.

All other images are from the Stamp of the Month.

Over the years I've seen a lot of projects similar to this- where you record memories of things that happen during your children's younger years... their first tooth, first haircut etc. I never really worried about writing those things down because I was so caught up in my scrapbooking that I just scrapbooked the events as they happened. Now that I have a school aged child and a 2 year old... I've suddenly fallen way behind!! I'm afraid that by the time I'm ready to scrapbook certain events- I won't remember the memorable moments quite as well. And what about the really important memories that you don't have photos for- the things that are funny enough that you want to remember-even if they don't land a page in your album?

So... in comes my use for this stamp... a memory bucket! I used my Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge to cut a stack of journal blocks (2" rectangles to fit this stamped image) and stamped the lines in black and words in Tulip. Here are the first few memories... just from the last few weeks that I really wanted to record.

Such as: This one shown- My husband filled my daughter's soccer ball with air Sunday night since it was totally flat. And guess what- it exploded the next night...literally in shreds! So funny!!!

Or what about last week when I told my 2 year old that I loved him... and he told me he loves his shoes!

Those are the fun times that I want to remember...the stories I want to share with my kids when they are older.

I have some more of these buckets in my stash and will be making up some "baby memory" kits for an upcoming craft show.

Hope you are inspired to record your memories using the Limited Edition stamp set.

Next on the hop- Leanne! Go visit her blog for more ideas.

If you are wanting to purchase this set - visit my site here- You can choose to purchase for $17.95, or for only $5 with a purchase of $50 or more. The free Pair a phrase set is still available for orders of $75 or more.

Cricut...it's a wonderful thing.

2011-08-30T09:13:00.000-04:00

I've been working on a display board using my cricut cartridge...it's not done yet but let me show you a few of my favorite "cuts" and a fun fall layout.

Ok... How about the layout first..lol. I designed this fun but simple layout for a group that won a free scrapbook layout class. They requested a fall theme and this paper is so pretty. It's from the Dreaming paper pack. I used the cricut Art Philosophy cartridge by CTMH to cut my leaves and stamped two of them with the Harvest Happiness stamp set. I also cut the blue tag in the upper left with the cartridge. here's a close-up:

Now... on to a couple fun cuts: This funky little spiral serves a super fun purpose... it's a rose!! yes folks- 3-d flowers await when you use the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge.

The glue was still wet when I took this photo so the bottom piece hadn't been trimmed yet. I sponged ink on the spiral before rolling it up. I glued it with liquid glass at first and had to go back and add a little more later- since the petal I photographed isn't completely glued at the bottom...oops. But not too shabby for my first try!!

This here heart doily shape- is my daughter's favorite. She asked me to cut enough out to start her Valentines...for next year. She is so funny! I can't possibly think about Valentine's Day when I'm knee deep in fall projects... but soon.

That's it for today.

If you are in love with the Art Philosophy cartridge- click here to e-mail your order to me. It is currently on backorder so please note that it could be several weeks before you receive it... but I'll throw in an extra goodie for the trouble to anyone who orders it by September 3rd. Plus you will qualify for the free Pair a Phrase stamp set. The $99 cricut bundle includes the cartridge, 3 stamp sets and 3 sets of chipboard- which all coorespond to designs on the cartridge- making your papercrafting faster, simpler and easier.

September club layout...

2011-08-25T21:42:00.000-04:00

I have been a busy little beaver planning a bazillion projects for clubs, parties, crops, vendor shows etc... literally- sooo much fun!
Here's the layout I designed for my September club... I won't be pre-cutting any titles... my customers can choose what theme they want as this one is pretty generic- one of the benefits of the Elementals kit for sure! I used a pawprint stamp from a very old set... can't think of the name right now but it's a retired CTMH set.

I also used the Milepost Shapes asst (corrugated chipboard shapes for $3.95) One of my goals with my projects is to design layouts for my club that I already have photos for... Which is why this has a very specific title... I need to get my pictures from the zoo developed soon and then they are going straight on this layout!

10 days left...

2011-08-20T23:23:00.000-04:00

to take advantage of a FABULOUS super sale going on NOW!!

DEAL of the YEAR!

Receive $55.80 in FREE PRODUCTS with a $75 order.
**Receive the August Stamp of the Month (click here) for only $5.00(Value of $17.95)

**Receive the Typeface Alphabet set for FREE (click here to view)! (Valued @ $6.95)
**Receive the Pair a Phrases Stamp SETS for FREE! (click here to view)! (valued @ $35.90)
It's $55.80 in FREE PRODUCT!

Order your Cricut ART Philosophy Cartridge (click Here to learn more about it) for $99 and receive everything listed above!

Visit my website to place an order... or e-mail me and I would be glad to help.

How about a quick photo of some upcoming projects... not the greatest photo- but it works. You've seen the Halloween card before- it uses the Wicked stamp you can earn for $5... The other two cards use different designs from the Art Philosophy cricut cartridge (the flowers on the left and the ticket stubs on the right... so much fun!!)

Roxie cards

2011-08-18T07:56:00.001-04:00

I am loving this Roxie paper pack! These are the cards my club members are making this weekend.

Something spooky coming your way!

2011-08-11T23:41:00.000-04:00

This is a SNEAK PEEK of something under construction... A brand new kit!! These FUN Halloween Banner kits will be for sale here on my blog once the supplies come in to assemble the kits. {there will be limited quantities available! So keep an eye out here.}

At that time... I'll post the rest :)

So Proud...

2011-08-09T22:22:00.000-04:00

This is one of my favorite sets from the new book. Yes I do LOVE the new holiday stamps but seriously- how wonderful to have a stamp that lets someone know we are PROUD of them. I will be using this a lot as my kids grow. (If you live in the Kalamazoo or St. Clair County areas of Michigan- this is one of my fall project options for Home Party guests to make FREE!)

To see the rest of this set- click here. The images shown in the link that have a red outline around them- can be cut using our cricut cartridge. click here to see details about our cricut bundle.

I used the fun new Typeset paper pack to create this card.

I also used our spray pen filled with Desert Sand re-inker and water, a metal brad, Desert Sand and Juniper ink pads and a start from the Milepost assortment.

If you are interested in ordering any of these items- please feel free to place an order at any of the product links above or e-mail me directly. Anyone placing an order of $100 or more will receive a FREE Idea Book and thank you gift from me. If your order is $150 or more- please place directly through me by e-mail so that you can also earn FREE hostess rewards of $25 or more!

Studio J fun!

2011-08-03T21:58:00.000-04:00

Oh my gosh!!! I love Studio J and the new stitching option. I also love that while I haven't printed any photos from 2011- I have a lot in my albums thanks to Studio J!! It's helping me keep from falling behind and my "real scrapbooking" can focus on my photos that are printed from previous years... woohoo!

Since this is a screen shot of a layout that I haven't yet purchased (waiting to get a few more done so I can get free shipping on my order!) I added the "Studio J" to the bottom of the layout. That is also the reason for the arrows at the top. I just wanted to have something to show before receiving my free web ready jpg.

I used the "Game On" pack for my son's first Detroit Tiger's Baseball game!

enjoy!

It's a "Wicked" blog hop!

2011-07-31T21:00:00.003-04:00

{edited to update blog hop links on 8/7}

Wowsers! I am sooo excited about this months Stamp of the Month set- "Wicked"- and so excited we have it in August so that you have plenty of time to design your Halloween projects ahead of time!

If you are coming from Nancy's blog- you are heading in the right direction. If you are just joining the hop- no problem- just follow the link at the end of the post to continue on your way :)

Here is the set:

Here's my card: I used the new 6x6 Kraft scallop cards, Mischief Level 2 paper pack, Black and Creme Brulee inks, Honey Mini Medley and the "Wicked" stamp set.

A view with the ribbon off and partly open. I love these new Kraft cards- I can't wait to pull out the rest of my new supplies!

Hope you enjoyed this little peek at how I used this stamp set.

Now hop on over to Melissa's blog and see what she has cooked up for you!

August Club Kit- Roxie!

2011-07-24T12:47:00.000-04:00

Hello!!! The best part about going to convention is having early access to supplies!!! I have been busy prepping my August projects- and it is soooo much fun working with new products!

This is the layout my Scrap your Stash club can create in August!

Sorry for the white space on the side of this page... Forgot to get rid of it before posting.

this uses the new Roxie Level 2 paper pack, 10 things stamp set, natural hemp(not new) and the FUN NEW Bling Assortment pack... LOVE IT!!!

I cut the hearts and circle with my Cricut (I don't have my new cartridge yet so I used Accents Essentials)

Club members that choose to make this will be receiving a list of supplies they may have at home with will match (hence... the Scrap your stash club name!) The Tulip and Black Mini medleys, Licorice pearls, pink designer ribbom collection for instance, all coordinate.

The secret to this layout- the pink floral paper is the back side of the red/black/pink plaid paper- SO FUN!! The border on the side of my photo mats- that pink scallop- is the top "zip strip" of the SAME paper.

Close To My Heart is awesome!!!

For my club members that don't like 10 strips of paper stuck on their layout- they can purchase the 10 things pocket instead which is a fun pocket full of strips labeled 1-10. They could stick that pocket next to the photo mat instead of 10 little strips...

Game Cube from Convention

2011-07-20T09:02:00.000-04:00

Hello!!! I finally took a photo of one of the projects we created at convention.

This is one of our new Match Game Cube alterable items. It comes with chipboard pieces inside and you can create a children's game, mini themed "scrap box" , or a variety of other fun things- whatever you can imagine really. This is the fun new Elementals paper pack- very geometric in design and coordinates with many of our other paper packs to mix and match.

The cube is white but was sponged with Desert Sand ink.

Love the new Blue ribbon stamp set- it has a great sentime "I'm so proud of you" which I wanted from the first moment I laid eyes on it- I was super happy to get this stamp set as part of our convention goodies!

Did you hear the news?

2011-07-18T19:37:00.000-04:00

I am back from the Close To My Heart 2011 Annual Convention and it was a blast!!! We got some GREAT product announcements- seriously fun stuff coming out starting August 1, 2011!!

What? Well- how about a BRAND NEW Cricut cartridge... yep- I'll be selling it. Not just any cartridge though- the CTMH exclusive Art Philosophy cartridge. Close To My Heart is dedicated to their stamping line- and so- our cartridge comes with 3 exclusive stamp sets- designed to coordinate with a few of the 700 images/letters on the cartridge. Our cartridge ALSO comes with 3 packs of dimensional elements (i.e. chipboard). The BEST part is that our products come with a size guide that tell you how big to cut that shape to work with a particular stamp set etc.

The best part is the price!! For a mere $99 you will receive this FULL cartridge of 700+ designs (there are 2 fonts, bags, tags, 3-d flowers and tons more shapes to choose from- I'll start showing artwork as soon as mine arrives on my doorstep) PLUS 3 stamp sets PLUS 3 sets of chipboard.... Now- if you like to get the best deal possible on your cartridges- you can host a party. Part hosts that have parties reaching a minimum of $250 in sales can choose the cartridge at half price. yep... $49.50- for all of that FUN goodness!!

Not local to me? No problem- we can do an on-line party too! I'll set up your on-line party- you invite your friends to order on-line... and once the party closes you select all your free goodies and half price items. E-mail me here for more details.

There are LOTS of great new products available in the new book so watch for upcoming posts of artwork using new product!!!

If you would like your very own copy of the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book- click the link in the right hand column. The $5 fee covers shipping so the book is practically free for you!

Almost ready... for California!!

2011-07-11T19:23:00.001-04:00

Yes!!! In two short days I'll be in sunny California- Disneyland to be exact- to celebrate the 2011 Close To My Heart Convention!! I can NOT wait to see the brand new, totally awesome products coming out in our Autumn/Winter Idea Book... first hand. I'm always a bystander in the release but this year I will be there myself...so excited!!!

While I don't know EVERYTHING that is retiring... I do know about the following items. As of July 31st these items are no longer orderable so you might want to order now- before they are gone!

Hooligans (halloween/monster)
Magnifique (peacock feathers and more)
Mistletoe (Christmas)
Olivia (fall)
Bliss( wedding/ vintage)
Sweetheart (perfect for Valentines/ sweetheart/daddy-daughter dances)
Wings (butterflies)
Miracle (blues/greens/ florals etc)

All Level 1 kits

As of August 31 the current workshop kits will no longer be available either.

did you know about our More Bang for your Buck special? Spend $50 in July and add any one of 5 items for only $1!

click here to see the Bang for your Buck flyer.

Click any of the product lings (i.e... the mistletoe, hooligans etc) links above to see the retiring papers and place an order... I will post the retiring stamps and embellishments later this week!

New Fundraiser layouts!

2011-07-09T09:43:00.000-04:00

I accidentally ordered 8 packs of the Splendor My Stickease that are on clearance on my website...oops!! I thought I'd use some up by creating some page kits with them.

These page kits will be for sale at upcoming Fundraising events- to raise extra money for the host organization. Since the patterned papers and stickease are all retired... I won't be selling these kits EXCEPT at the fundraising events.

new class... Fanfare Display Album

2011-07-07T08:50:00.000-04:00

I designed this very simple but cute display album for summer photos that I've been taking. My class info is under the "upcoming classes" tab. My directions/ cutting info is not 100% complete but will be by next Monday. If you are interested in purchasing this class kit- let me know!
These are just a few of the pages... I'll post more when i have time. At a minimum... you should purchase the Display calendar, Fanfare Level 2 paper pack and matching "stickease". If you order those 3 items from my website- I will e-mail you the cutting guides and a photo of each page with close-ups of the embellished areas after July 17th. I will be at the Close To My Heart convention from the 13-17 and not sure I'll be able to do it during that time period, so I will as soon as I'm back!

I also used 3-d Foam tape and blue/Green sparkle pack on this album... just FYI.

American Celebration- SOTM Blog Hop!

2011-06-30T21:00:00.005-04:00

{edited to update the links}

We are heading into a new month, which means a new Stamp of the Month blog hop!! Woohoo!

This month's set has 2 versions, American Celebration- sold in the U.S. and Canadian Celebration sold only in Canada. The only real difference is some of the wording.

I had fun with this set. I decided on a party theme. You won't have it in time for a 4th of July Celebration... but what about a "welcome home" party for a soldier coming off deployment... or even a "send off" party for one heading to boot camp.
This set will also make fantastic scrapbook pages - which I will work on this weekend. I have some photos I took on an Air Force base last year while visiting my friend's family in England.

Now... if you've just stopped by from Shannon's blog- welcome! But if you are just joining in here on my blog- the next link is at the bottom of the post and if all goes well you should be able to follow the hop in a circle, ending up back here when you are done.
So enjoy the art on 60+ consultant sites- I know I will!

This first photo shows everything I made. A simple card, a drink label and some cupcake picks. (If you are sick of seeing cupcakes on my blog- don't worry because I'm sick of making them! You won't see them again for a while!

colors: cranberry, pacifica and crystal blue. All stamping was done on white cardstock.

This is the card up close. I also did this card as a quick make and take at my clearance sale this week. I used 3d foam tape to "pop" my star up.

I first inked my star in the Crystal Blue ink and rolled the very middle of the stamp through Cranberry and immediately rolled the tips in Pacifica and stamped to give it this colorful image!

This is a little closer view of the cupcake picks. I actually used bamboo skewers so they would sit up higher than toothpicks. One of the picks has a multi-colored star which matches the card. The other has the word America situated between 2 cupcakes.

My drink wrapper. Love this! The rocket "trail" was stamped with Crystal Blue on the wrapper and then in all 3 colors on scrap. I cut out the star from the different colored images and the rocket in cranberry and again used my 3-d foam tape for dimension. The back side of the label is blank to leave an "easy to hold" surface. You need some red line sticky tape or liquid glass to keep the cardstock from popping off the bottle.

A very fun, quick project to set the stage for your party!

To continue on the hop- head over to Tamytha's blog!

Hope you enjoyed your visit! If you do not have a consultant and would like to order this stamp set- please send me an e-mail or visit my website to shop!

Tropical Island Paradise

2011-06-23T07:42:00.000-04:00

Another cupcake post... but I promise real artwork is coming soon! I have several events coming up that I've been working on projects soon... it's been a busy couple of weeks and I should be caught up soon!
These are for Tropical Island Paradise at daycare today!

who wants a cupcake?

2011-06-16T22:52:00.000-04:00

I have a new office mate- she's really nice and I enjoy sharing my office with her. Her birthday is tomorrow so I made a batch of Raspberry-filled lemon cupcakes.

Well.. there's not a lot of raspberry filling because it told me to not fill them so much that it comes out the top... so instead I underfilled... and personally- I will be bumping up the amount of lemon in these next time around as it's not super lemony... BUT - they taste really good none-the-less. The fun cupcake liners are from Hobby Lobby

Teacher Gift

2011-06-15T07:16:00.000-04:00

I found this fun idea in the Family Fun magazine... using a plastic compartment case to fill with fun teacher/ office supplies. I used our school colors to decorate the top of the case.

The Peace, Love and Pawprint magnet was too cute! Our school mascot is the panthers and we use a lot of "pawprint" stuff so the magnet was perfect!. Hope you like it!

My second favorite hobby...

2011-06-12T21:01:00.000-04:00

... is baking. Since I have several really fun food/ party related posts coming up over the next couple months as I prep for a few fun events- I thought I'd pull all my "baking/ food" related photos into one spot and tag them such that they can be found in the future.

Awe... I know I'm missing some photos... so I only have 6 to show- but if I find more I'll add them later.
This one I just posted a few weeks ago:

Addie's 6th birthday cake- from last fall.

Kaden's first birthday- Barnyard themed.

A very fun, easy treat for little ones. I used my mini-muffin pan to make a bazillion mummies for the daycare kids for Halloween.

I so did not make this platter of yummy food- but thought it was super cute! Another mom from Addie's Kindergarten class made this for the Halloween party last fall. the fingers are string cheese!

The taste of these cookies was hardly worth the effort it took to make them... they weren't that good but they were super cute!

Studio J JPG- FREE for all!

2011-06-05T12:40:00.000-04:00

I have really been talking up the Studio J program becausse I really do love it! And while using the program is always free- in June you can actually recieve one free JPG of a Studio J 2-page layout.

What's the big deal with a free JPG... WELL... let me tell you:
1) it's not really ONE free JPG but 3... a free web based version of the 2-page spread which is perfectly sized for showing off on facebook, your blog etc. AND 2 high res. images for printing full sized 12x12 versions of your pages. You have the full rights to your jpg and can have them printed at any photo place that will print 12x12.

2) YOU can save these jpg copies to your computer... external hard drive- any on-line storage etc. You'll have them forever if stored in the right location...

3) you can print them ANY size you want. While CTMH only prints 12x12 (so far... maybe we'll see some updated capabilities at the CTMH convention this summer?) YOU can actually take the JPG and have it printed any size you want!
How about taking your JPGs and having one 4x8 printed of the pages side by side... that would be the perfect size for a Christmas card design!!! Take a couple of your children's or pet photos from the first half of 2011 and use the Mistletoe paper pack in Studio J... design a 2-page layout (you might want to stick to patterns with larger photo blocks since the final size will be smaller) and poof... you can use that JPG at Christmas time to print out your photo cards... you'll be the first one ready for the holidays!

Here's a link to try Studio J yourself... You'll want to open an account to save your work in progress.

Here's a Studio J video to watch... I'll post more throughout the month.

If you try Studio J out and decide you want a 3 month ($30) or 1 year ($99) membership (which gives you access to a LOT more paper patterns and layout designs plus cheaper pages etc) please e-mail me! I am offering a few specials for new members this month!

June Stamp of the Month blog hop...

2011-05-31T21:00:00.001-04:00

Well... it's the start of another month... which means it's blog hop time!! If you came from Debra's blog you are headed in the right direction- but if you are just starting out- that is fine too... the next blog in the circle is posted at the bottom of this post.

This month's set is fun to work with... and I think it would be perfect to use on an event calendar... unfortunately I didn't have that kind of time when working on my project so I made a card instead... but If I can fit an event calendar into my crafting schedule this month- I'll post it here!!

For now... this card will have to do. I used the green patterned paper from the Wings Level 2 kit and the floral paper from the Sweetheart Level 2 pack.

I stamped the flower from the Jubillee set (June Stamp of the Month) in hollyhock ink.

Not sure if you can tell but the white paper flower is totally covered in glitz glitter gel (a great deal at $2.75!) and used a retired Twinkle brad.

The "Celebrate" is also random stamped around the flowers- in desert Sand ink to match the background paper.

I have a birthday coming up that I will use this card for... so it's just in time!

The next blog in the hop is: Michelle.

Thanks for looking- now go check out the rest of the great artwork!

Newsprint rub-ons... try them today!

2011-05-29T09:58:00.000-04:00

I'll be honest... while I love rub-ons- I rarely use them. They seem like such a pain- either trying to cut the design you want from the middle of the sheet... or hoping you rub just right so you don't get any other designs on your project. So honestly, I've avoided purchasing the new Close To My Heart Newsprint rub-ons just for those reasons.

Lucky for me, I sell supplies for an awesome company! They've made this video of those Newsprint rub-ons and I HAVE to have them! Placing my order this weekend- and I can order them for you !! Just watch this video and see for yourself why you HAVE to have them too!

Studio J fun!!!

2011-05-27T19:28:00.000-04:00

Every time I scrapbook with Studio J... I wish I had more time to play! It is so much fun!

Here are the newest layouts I created... took me an hour tops for the 4 of them! The best part is that I paid less than $22 total!!!

Because I am a member... my layouts are about $6.50 for a 2-page 12x12 spread. Because I am a consultant for Close To My Heart and Studio J - my cost drops to just over $5!!!

Another major benefit of membership- FREE page protector for every 2-page layout purchased AND when you purchase 4+ 2-page layouts... FREE shipping!! This is not a one time deal... this is every month that you are a member!! You get one free shipping deal per month with 4+ layouts purchased... and that is how I paid under $22 TOTAL for 4- 2 page layouts.

By the way- through next Tuesday (May 31) the new Consultant Kit is HALF PRICE ( about $65 plus shipping and tax) and you can select a one year Studio J membership as part of your kit (regular retail of the membership is $99!!! huge savings!!)

To Join Close To My Heart as a consultant on my team- click here. Don't forget to select the "choose me Option 2" to make sure the one year Studio J membership is included in your new consultant kit.

If the consultant kit isn't for you- but you are interested in trying Studio J on-line scrapbooking for yourself- click here. Keep in mind that as a "non-member" you won't see all the available options for members... but the selection is still great! The best part- NO FEES, no software to download, no upgrades to purchase... simply upload some photos and play... decide if you like it or not. You don't pay ANYTHING until you create something you love and want to have it printed. (Members are able to purchase JPEG files without printed pages... AND members receive free JPEG of every printed layout they purchase!!!! )

If you have ANY questions about the Close To My Heart consultant or Studio J programs- PLEASE e-mail me here!!

May Club 2011

2011-05-24T07:53:00.000-04:00

Here are the club projects I taught this past weekend... nothing spectacular tecnique wise.. used up some retired paper that I had tons of which is a good thing for me!

This first card uses current paper- the Wings Creative Basics which is really pretty and comes with the Juniper loop ribbon used under the heart image. The stamps though are retired- Togetherness- is the set and we have a very similar set in the Spring/summer book called "Stitched Together". I originally stamped my sentiment directly on the card... crooked! And since the entire rest of the card was finished- I re-stamped on a little scrap and stuck it down... not perfect but I didn't want to re-do the entire thing. I may lift that piece off though and back it with Juniper cardstock, or Chocolate, so it doesn't look like an accident...lol!

The second card uses the retired Topstitch paper with the May Stamp of the Month "Chairs to You" which is so fun! I paper pieced the cushions with another pattern from the same paper pack.

The layout uses the retired "Cherry-o" paper pack and retired Blush designer ribbon. I loved this paper so much- wish we still had it! Did some heat embossing on the title with this one.

A little more Fanfare...

2011-05-20T20:11:00.000-04:00

Well... I finally have some photos of the last few layouts from my Fanfare Class:

What a fun set of layouts... I can't wait to find photos to add to all of them!

a whole month!

2011-05-17T07:59:00.000-04:00

wow... it's been a long time since I've gone this long with out posting!! All I can say is it has been a busy month!

Since My last post- I organized and set up an Art Appreciation Week at my daughter's school...

her Kindergarten class studied a Russian painter- Wassily Kandindsky. Here is her interpretation of his Concentric Circles :

We had soccer:

We had an egg hunt on Easter:

I hosted a scrapbooking crop 3 hours away on April 30th

I helped organize a Fun Run over the course of several months that finally took place May 6th at my daughter's school.

I co-hosted a fundraiser crop on National Scrapbooking Day (May 7th) at my church.

We had more soccer:

My daffodils bloomed- I planted them in the new circle flower bed I created around my flagpole last fall.

I got a cute little Toad House for Mother's Day:

My son turned 2- I made his cake:

The new flowering plum tree we planted last year...flowered :)

I had a birthday... ate leftever cake from Kaden's b-day since his is the day before mine.

My hubby has a milestone birthday this month... his parents threw a surprise party for him... it was so much fun to see all of his buddies from high school. We used to go camping with them every year- till we had kids!

so... now that all the craziness is over... I hope to be posting more often again!!

For those that were interested in ordering my Fanfare kit by mail... the official flyer is completed so I've been e-mailing it this morning.

Thanks for your patience this past month!

a new class- with Fanfare!

2011-04-18T08:23:00.000-04:00

sorry for my absence... I have been terribly busy planning several events that will all take place on or before May 7th... so once that is over I should be back to regular posting. In my "spare time" ...between the hours of 10-12 pm...lol... I have been designing a new class using Fanfare.

Here are 3 of the 6 2-page layouts.

This last layout is a little blurry- I didn't realize it when I took the photo- sorry!

The close up though is a little better.

If you live in the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek area of MI- and are interested in this class- e-mail me for the flyer. It is in June, 2011.

Sophia in April...

2011-04-06T08:11:00.000-04:00

Back in March I commented on how much I loved the Sophia paper pack and how I'd created tons of great projects with it... but I never did post the rest of my projects. I just found these photos on my computer and thought I'd show you some more of what I did with it.

The pattern from this layout was from...hmmm... probobly Magic as I had that one out quite a bit in March.

This is one of the page kits I designed for upcoming crops.

At first glance... it might look sorta funny...lol. In all- it holds 5-3x3 photos and one 6x6. I plan to use mine for several of the shots I took of my flowers last summer. 3x3 is the perfect size for most of those. And I have a few good ones that would blow up to 6x6 quite nicely. I pre-printed the title for each kit and also included a title that says "Spring Blooms" just in case they want to switch it out.

I've also got a couple close ups to show you. There's a lot of dimension on this layout. Each kit includes plenty of foam tape to create the same look. I have 3 of these kits (I only make 3-4 of any kit that I design... I get bored with more than that! )

This kit includes some fun red and clear sparkles in a variety of sizes- as well as some Blush ricrac I had left over from a previous project.

The Sophia Stickease are so much fun to work with! I really enjoyed designing projects from these supplies.

Blessed Blog Hop

2011-03-31T21:02:00.000-04:00

A new month = a new stamp set!

The Blessed set is available April 1-30 and this hop will showcase a variety of ways to use it. If you came from Adeline's blog... you are headed in the right direction- but if you are just joining in- that is fine too! The link to the next blog is at the end of this post...

Here is the set:

Here is my card. I used the Mayberry paper pack with the new Pink Designer Ribbon collection and some clear sparkles. I used Chocolate and Garden Green ink pads. If you don't have a consultant of your own- you can purchase these items at my website. Now head on over to Melissa's blog to see what she's created.

Hope for Japan

2011-03-29T08:22:00.000-04:00

I work for the best company ever!! From now through the end of April, Close To My Heart is selling an exclusive stamp set to raise money for the American Red Cross Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Fund.
100% of the profits (including all consultant commissions!) will be donated. The nice thing is that this set WILL count towards your total order and will help earn a free block in March (Spend $25 on stamps in March and receive a 3x3 or 2x 6.5 block FREE) and a discounted stamp set in either March or April.

This set has a retail value of $7.95 but is only $5! You can place your order on-line at http://www.tracigodbee.myctmh.com/

or e-mail me here .

sponging templates and new artwork!

2011-03-28T07:23:00.000-04:00

I had a few of my friends asking about my card in my previous post... the pretty bunny card. Here is essentially how I colored her in: It's hard to see in this photo but she has a little pink on her cheek and the inner part of her ear...

And lastly- here is one of the Sophia layouts hinted at last week. I prepped 3 page kits of this one to sell at my fundraiser crops to raise money for my daughter's school. I used the Sophia Level 2 paper, Sophia stickease, Sweet Baby stamps, my cricut for the title, Scallop punch and circle punch, Spring Blossom paper flower and butterfly, and pink brads. Hard to see but many flowers are pop dotted with foam tape.

This layout could hold a huge variety of photos but I think it would be cutest with an 8x10 on the left and 3- 4x6 photos on the right.

March club card #1

2011-03-24T08:40:00.000-04:00

Oh my gosh... I have a HUGE backlog of artwork to photograph and post... but I am so busy- Promise to get to it all soon. Hopefully I can begin regular posting again soon.

For now- here's one card from my stamp club last week. I have two more to post but need another photo to go along with one of the projects. Will post those ASAP! This project is also one that I've designed for Spring parties... So if you are in Southwest Michigan or St. Clair County area of Michigan and would like you and your friends to create this card... send me an e-mail! I would be happy to schedule a Home Gathering or class at your home!

Sophia in March...

2011-03-18T07:01:00.000-04:00

I have to say... I picked up a couple packs of Sophia to design projects in March... and I am having a ball with that paper! It is one of my favorites now!
Here is a simple layout I created for my club this month:

It holds 2- verticle 4x6 photos on the left

It will hold 3- photos on the right- across the white panel... I think 3x5 in size- or 2 4x6 horizontals plus you could add a few smaller photos along the bottom if you have extras.

my pretty rosette.

Check back this weekend for more Sophia artwork!

Blessed card

2011-03-12T08:50:00.000-05:00

Hello! sorry for the MIA lately but lucky for me - I have been very busy with my Close To My Heart business... the good thing is I have tons of new art to share... I took a few pictures today so here's something new. Back in February I posted a video by Close To My Heart (find video here) using the new pink designer ribbon.

So this card uses that ribbon as well as Grey Wool, Hollyhock, white daisy and blush cardstock along with Grey Wool ink and the April Stamp of the Month: Blessed. I also used a silver shimmer brad in the center of my rosette ribbon and our corner rounder to make my scallops. These items can be purchased on my website .

Have a great day!

Sensational Season... a blog hop

2011-02-28T21:00:00.003-05:00

Oh how I love this Stamp of the Month set ... Sensational Season.

To get started... this month over 60 consultants are featuring the beautiful stamps we have for the month of March. If you are coming from Nancy Brown's blog, you are headed in the right direction. If you are just starting out- no problem- just peruse my post and find the next blog link at the end.

If you are unfamiliar with the Close To My Heart Stamp of the Month program- you are missing out! Each set can be purchased for $22.95 or you can earn discounts (even a FREE set!) ask your consultant or e-mail me for details.

Today I'm showing off a card I designed for an upcoming class.

{supplies: Wings level 2 Paper pack, Crystal Blue Cardstock, Colonial White Designer Ribbon, Sensational Season stamps, In the Month of April Stamps (for the "Easter"), water brush, Brown Bag, Chocolate, Crystal Blue and Blush ink pads, Clear bitty sparkles, 3-d foam tape}

I am loving the "softness" of the colored image. I hope you do too!

The next stop on the {bunny} hop is Krista Ritskes blog

A little more England...

2011-02-27T08:46:00.000-05:00

This layout is actually the start of our trip... the left side is at the airports and the right at my best friend's home in England. The kids had a "sleep over" every night and became great friends that week. They talked and giggled for hours every night and had so much fun together! The photo isn't great but you get the idea.

don't let it fool you...

2011-02-22T19:45:00.000-05:00

The ice might look pretty - but it is now Tuesday at 7:30 pm and my power has been out since just before midnight Sunday night. This pretty little ice is rather annoying.

Wowsers... more art!

2011-02-20T19:42:00.000-05:00

I went on a weekend scrapbooking retreat with friends recently and was finally able to start scrapbooking photos from our trip to England last August. I still have a long ways to go but it was nice to get started. This layout shows photos from our first "sightseeing" trip to Ely, home of the Ely Cathedral and Oliver Cromwell's house. Here are photos from Cromwell's house as well as some photos from a walk around town. I did scrapbook the cathedral but haven't taken a photo of those pages yet. The adorable boy looking at the camera on the left page is my friend's son Carter. He is my godson and is cute as can be! I just love his sweet personality.

I used the Grace paper pack on this layout as well as some Bamboo cardstock (don't think that was part of the paper pack) and I cut my title out with the cricut.

Club Projects for February

2011-02-20T07:55:00.000-05:00

My stamp club meets today and tomorrow. I have been trying all week to get my projects ready, prepped and posted- obviously the posting part is happening at the last minute and I just realized I missed taking a photo of the 3rd card. That will have to wait as I'm still getting my house in order and have to go teach catechism this morning to my daughter's Kindergarten class.

For now... here are a few photos:
The layout is a zoo theme BUT by changing the title it would work on so much more. The big grown square on the left page is meant for an 8x10, or 4- 4x5 or 2- 5x7 etc. The long blue strip on the right page would hold 3 4x6 without any blue showing OR 3 4x5 leaving a one inch blue stripe down either side of the photos depending on where they were placed. I like layouts where you have a choice on the number of photos you add... if you only have a few then you can blow one up to fill the left page... if you have a bunch- keep them smaller and fit them in.

A close up of the journalling space

My card makers are making 3 cards...all birthday. Here is the first- the "Make a Wish" panel is popped with foam tape.

This card is "lifted" in theory from Lisa Stenz- I loved her idea of creating a cupcake from our new scallop punch. I changed things up a bit by using our new pom pom ribbon as frosting and I also used some leftover Cherry-O paper on this one to try to use it up.

The 3rd card is missing... forgot to take a photo. I'll post it later this week but it uses the February Stamp of the Month "Friendship" to create the 3rd b-day card. Also uses the spray pen that is new this month.

Thank you cards

2011-02-17T15:10:00.000-05:00

I needed to make 4 thank you cards today for the school principal and 3 teachers who made our Family Valentine's Dance such a success. The PTA board members all work full time and several of us were busy picking up pizzas, balloons and flowers- so these school staff members set up and decorated for our dance. One teacher was even the DJ for the night and they all did a great job!

It was just a quick card as we decided to do this only this morning and I'll be in the school tomorrow so I wanted to have them ready to take then.

I used the new Fanfare paper pack, chipoard stars, the Thank You set from November '10 and pacifica ink.

another video...

2011-02-14T09:18:00.000-05:00

Fortunately for me - I've been sooo busy with my Close To My Heart business that... unfortunately for you there is no Kid's treats part 2 photo... Nope- I had to buy all of my kids treats and Valentine's cards for school and daycare because I ran out of time...oops!

Anyway, I thought that I'd show you this video from Close To My Heart instead. I'll tell you that I was a little sceptical when it came to our new pink designer ribbon. Now that I've watched the video I'm sold!!! I'll be buying some this week to play with.

While Supplies Last...

2011-02-09T19:02:00.000-05:00

If you haven't checked out my website lately... you are missing out on some awesome discounts on "while supplies last" items!! You can find the current selection by clicking here.

You'll find Rub Ons for $2
Kraft mini-albums for $1
Ribbon Round Collections for $4
Bulk ribbon for $2-3

and lots more including the Perfect Day Level 2 paper pack for only $5!!

Budget Club members- your website orders WILL count towards your Budget Club monthly requirements :)

Valentine's Treats part 1

2011-02-06T20:20:00.000-05:00

Well... it's about that time to get in high gear and get all the Valentine's made for school and daycare parties. First though- I'll show you the treats that my club made last month as one of their "card" projects (even though it's not a card ;)
These little matchbox treat holders hold a Valentine's heart shaped York peppermint patty! this is a quick and simple kid's Valentine idea.

February Stamp of the Month and Valentine's Blog hops

2011-01-31T21:00:00.001-05:00

Here's a quick post using the February Stamp of the Month. If you're hopping through from Jill's blog- welcome! If you are just starting here- you can find the next post link at the bottom of this post.

This card uses the brand new Sweetheart paper pack, Friendship stamp set, epoxy stickers and black ink... a few red sparkles to finish it off.

I LOVE this new paper pack... it is so pretty! The new epoxy stickers are also pretty cool to play with.

Next up is Lori's blog... hope you enjoy the rest of the projects along the hop!!

If you haven't seen all of the awesome new Close To My Heart products yet- visit your consultant's site on February 1st! If you don't have a local consultant- visit my site here.

Page Kits for January

2011-01-25T07:23:00.000-05:00

Here are the most recent sample layouts I designed and prepped page kits for. I sell these at fundraiser crops that I am invited to vendor... and then donate a certain amount back to the fundraiser... they have been pretty popular.

It's hard to tell but on the first layout the butterfly is "popped " up for dimension... there are some pink sparkles (rhinestones" on a few of the circle shapes as well as on the butterfly.

On the second layout: The butterfly and one flower sticker are popped up on the lower left page. There are clear sparkles on the large "Express Yourself" sticker title. the "spread Your Wings and Fly is also popped up. The kits contain several long 3-D foam tape pieces that can be trimmed to fit.

This one also includes some Antique copper elements that are fun as well.

Most of my kits include a few extra things that I didn't use... so If you have a kit and have something that you are not sure where to put it- It can go wherever you like... or save for another project. I just try to keep the cost of all the kits the same and sometimes that means including a little "extra" product.

How to Video... Color Ready Kraft Borders!

2011-01-23T09:21:00.000-05:00

You are going to be anxiously awaiting February 1st when you see this video!! That's when these SUPER FUN Color Ready Kraft Borders will be available for your to order and use on your own projects!!
At only $5.95 for 50 (2 each of 25 designs) this is a very affordable addition to your supply stash!

To pre-order these now... you can e-mail me here. The order will be placed on Feb. 1st and direct shipped to your home!!

New Class for February... and discounts on my website!!!

2011-01-16T18:33:00.000-05:00

Ok... I'll start with the discounts- Close To My Heart just added some more awesome items at GREAT discounts to the shopping section of my website. Click here to check them out and order quickly if there's something you want- things tend to sell fast.

And... since I've been in a crafting frenzy the last week or so... Here are the layouts for my February Workshop on the Go class with full details:

*** Note*** I made changes to the design originally created by CTMH. I am showing MY designs FIRST and the companies layout design second.
Depending on how you create yours... you may or may not have appropriate supplies to also create the cards. For this class- I really wanted to have two nice layouts to use with our Family Valentine's Dance photos for this year's event at Addie's school... Your kit includes the company's cutting guide for the first layout and mine for the second... all I REALLY changed in the first layout was paper selection-I wanted something a little "darker" and not so girly so I could use it on my son's layout (yes, it has pink AND hearts... he's My Valentine" after all :) My second layout is similar to the company's design, except I did not use their suggested patterns... I just eyeballed it and made my cutting guide from my layout.

And now for the companies layout and card samples as shown in the cutting guide included with your kit:

This class has Several options to fit your style and budget!!

Kit of the Month: Sweetheart

• Beginner Kit: $18.95 (No Stamping)
Level 2 Paper pack
Level 2 “Stickease”
Full Color Guide for one 2-page layout and 2 each of 3 cards plus my own additional guide for a second layout and second set of cards.

• Better Kit: $23.95 (No Stamping)
Level 2 paper pack
Level 2 “Stickease”
Full color guide (see Beginner Kit for details)
Sweetheart Level 2 Embellishment Assortment

• Basic Kit: $29.95( savings of $2.90) This kit includes the stamps and embellishments shown in the full color guide that is included with all options
Level 2 Paper Pack
My Acrylix Sweetheart Workshop Stamp Set
Sweetheart Level 2 Embellishment Assortment
Full Color Guides (see Beginner kit)

• Best Kit $ 34.90
Level 2 Paper pack
My Arylix Sweetheart Workshop Stamp Set
Sweetheart Level 2 Embellishment Assortment
Full Color Guides (see Beginner Kit)
PLUS a mini medley of your choice in Black or Tulip

Additional tool and A la carte items:

Z2193 Cotton Candy Ink Pad $5.25
Z2105 Black Ink Pad $5.25
E1018 Pennant Alphabet $34.95
Z308 Liquid Applique (used to "string" the pennant together)

All prices subject to shipping (7.95%) and sales tax

This class will be held Feb. 5, 2011 at my home near Kalamazoo/Battle Creek MI. Please register by e-mailing me with your kit choice (click here) before Jan 23, 2011. If you are unable to attend due to locating or timing, the kit by mail is available for no additional charges. Your products will ship from CTMH and the additional cutting guide I designed will ship from me. Kits by mail will begin shipping within a week after class is held. They can be ordered anytime between now and July 31st... but don't risk forgetting- order now.

a How To video for you!

2011-01-15T09:57:00.000-05:00

Check out this video from CTMH showing how you can use the new spray pen being released in our Spring/Summer 2011 catalog on February 1st. A set of 3 will sell for only $3.95!

Find Your Style- Club card

2011-01-11T08:57:00.000-05:00

I have one club card for January to show today... the second is a Valentine's card and I'm saving it for the Valentine's Blog hop starting Feb. 1st... the 3rd card is still under construction so I'll show that one tomorrow.

Today's card uses the "puddle pad" technique... basically you use a pile of baby wipes (I use 4-5 stacked together) and you drip reinker on the pad... I used Vineyard Berry and Juniper. You want to drip enough reinker that 1) the drops touch and 2) you have a large enough area that you can ink your image once with out picking it up and moving it to another spot (this will mix your colors and give a "muddy" appearance. you want to touch the image to the puddle pad and know that ink is touching the entire image...
Then... stamp! You can re-ink the image without cleaning it first, as the majority of the ink will be used up- or you can choose to wash before re-inking in the puddle pad- your choice. I used some Sweet Leaf sparkles for my butterfly "trail"
Hope you are enjoying projects with new product as much as I enjoy playing with that new product!! lol... so much fun and I haven't shown you HALF of what I've made yet...yippeee for crafting :)

p.s. Supply List:; Wings Level 2 paper pack, January stamp of the month "Find Your Style", Juniper and V. berry reinkers; Colonial White designer ribbon, blue/green Sparkles.

To place your order for these items- click here

January club layout... Snow Day

2011-01-10T07:25:00.000-05:00

This month my club members are wanting a winter themed layout...I couldn't resist using a few new products. They won't be able to buy them till next month but they can start their wish list now...

The layout uses Sky and Pacifica and Kraft paper (only because I forgot to grab my Desert Sand paper when I was packing for a crop on Saturday)... Pacifica and Desert Sand Ink, Holiday Trinkets and the new Penant Alphabet Stamps. The snowflake diecut is covered with a new patterned paper from the new Fanfare Level 2 paper pack. The snowflake has white ink sponged around. I used the new scallop punch to cut the white snowflake center... stamped with an image from the "Just for the Holidays" stamp set in Desert Sand. Then a pretty shimmer brad finishes it off.

Tomorrow I'll be back with the cards for this month. My club group can always choose between the layout or cards and non-members are always welcome... If you live in the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek area and would like more information on attending-please e-mail me here. Layout is $5 and cards $3.50 or either FREE with a $25 order. My club members always make their choice free with a minimum $15 order.

If you are not local, but wish to purchase a kit... the layout kit is $7 for pre-stamped kit and $5 for pre-stamped kit. Shipping for either is $4.50. Deadline for ordering is Sunday January 16th.

On a side note... remember the "Silent Night" kit I posted a few posts down...Completely sold every last one this weekend... even my pre-made sample! Also sold the last of my Halloween kits and a Dress up kit... I have a lot of Kit making to do before the next crop on jan 22!!

Raffle Prize Layout

2011-01-06T06:26:00.000-05:00

I have two crops this month and needed a raffle prize for each... I created this layout and cut enough paper for 8 people. At each crop I'll raffle a free class for 4 people and the winner can choose a date from my calendar.

I think that when my order of Colonial White cardstock comes in...I will add something to my black strip besides the title and flower... It is a lot of black!

One thing I LOVE about being a consultant is the ability to buy some papers in bulk... this pretty Butterfly paper and the green polk dot paper on the right are both available that way which makes this project pretty affordable. Thinking of becoming a consultant... Please e-mail me here for questions, or click here to join my team!

I can't wait to add my own photos to this layout!

New Fundraiser Layout... Silent Night

2011-01-02T09:24:00.001-05:00

I mentioned a while back in this post that I started to create some scrapbooking page kits to take to the crops I'm asked to vendor... to help raise funds for the group that invites me. My goal is to create at least one new kit each month so that when I see "repeat" croppers at the events... I have at least one new page kit to offer them that they haven't seen. I never re-make any kits that sell out because I get too bored by that.

Here is the kit I created in December with the new Cricut cartridge hubby bought me : Winter Frolic
I went with the Christmas theme because I sold all of the Chrismas page kits I created back in November.

This layout uses Cocoa, Bamboo, Tulip, Desert Sand, Sweet Leaf, Buttercup, Baby Pink , Blush, and Colonial white Cardstock

Pattern paper from Perfect Day and Back Country and natural hemp

It was a LOT of work paper piecing the die cuts so along with my finished layout, there are only 3 kits available to croppers... but it is sooo cute!! The tag on the righ tpage can be used for the year or a small spot of journaling. This layout is great for photos of kids in their church's Christmas program. I am hoping to do a winter themed layout in the next week as my first crop of 2011 is the 8th!

Jan 2011 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

2010-12-31T21:00:00.002-05:00

Welcome! and Happy New Year! Hard to believe isn't it... a whole new year.

Let's get it started off with a brand new Stamp of the Month... and a great one at that!!

The January stamp of the month is called Find Your Style and it is seriously one of my favorites in a long time. So- If you've come from Dawn's Blog you are headed in the right direction... but if you're just joining in... no worries! Keep hopping through by using the link a tthe bottom and you'll hop around the circle and end back here!

First up... the stamps themselves:

Did I not tell you they were super cute!

I've seen a LOT of spectacular artwork with this set... and really I just wanted to copy them. But since I'm supposed to come up with original artwork for this post... I decided not to go the card or layout route. I went to my super big stash of "stuff" and found this picture frame. I sprayed the frame with shallac but left it neutral in color so that my Sweet Leaf sparkles would show up fairly well on the frame itself. I used the Wings Level 2 paper pack available to customers January 1st. The sentiment and butterfly were both stamped using Vineyard Berry ink.

well- hope you like this little project I whipped up for this month...

now go check out Dawn Heuft's blog to see what she cooked up!

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-26T14:32:00.000-05:00

ok... I may be a day late- but it's the thought that counts...right!

So sorry for my disappearance during December... In all reality- I just didn't even have time to create any gifts this year - which means I have NOTHING to show...or at least I didn't till now.

Having a few days off work means I finally had time to use some of the new spring products I ordered December 2nd or so... yes- I have had new products all month and no time to use them.

I did pull out some workshop supplies and put them together so that I could finalize class plans for January 9th.

Here are the 2- 2page layouts and 6 cards (my guests can make 2 of each card with their kit supplies)

This workshop is designed (for the most part) by Close to my Heart. It is called the Wings Workshop Kit for $29.95. The cutting guides for the first layout and first set of cards are pre-printed and in full color. The company provides photos of the second layout and second set of cards... as well as info to locate the cutting guides within their How to books... but the second layout and second set of cards I actually decided to "wing" and make up my own cutting guides. There were 2 basic reasons why I chose to do this : 1) i'm lazy and didn't want to dig out my books... 2) I didn't have the number/ sizes of photos that the 2nd layout called for... Instead of about a 4x6 photo... I had an 8x10 which I trimmed slightly... so I just decided to follow the basic design concept on that one and cut my paper however I chose...and designed my cutting guide based on my final layout. In fact... I think I changed SOMETHING on every project... based on what looked best with my photos :) I need to complete my journalling on the second layout... but otherwise it's done.

The first set of cards are standard 4.25 x 5.5 in size. The layouts and cards all use the new Spray Pen that will be available beginning Feb. 1st- although those attending this class (or purchasing the kit) will receive one as part of the class materials!! It is awesome and for these projects you'll mix Vineyard Berry Reinker, Create a Shade Pearl Paint and water in the mister pen to create a great effect on the paper. Many stores sell these pre-mixed sprayers- but the beauty of this is that you can create your own mix to match all 60 of our exclusive colors!

The second set of cards are 4x4 and I used a few less embellishments than the CTMH pictures showed that the company used... I like the simplicity of these.
To simplify my cutting guide... all of my black and colonial white squares are the same size for all 3 cards. To get the sentiment on the first card to fit, I angled the square to create a "diamond" shaper- I love the way this one looks in real life... added just a little "something"

If you live in the Kalamazoo/ Battle Creek area of Michigan and are available to take this class on January 9th... send me an e-mail here Or if you live in that area or St. Clair County MI and would like to host this class for your friends in January or February- let me know by e-mailing at the link above! You may be eligible to earn Free Product on the order for your class!! For anyone outside of the area- you can order a class kit by mail. For the $29.95 class kit- plus shipping and sales tax, you will receive the kit and an additional package containing the pre-cut additional paper to create all products and the cutting guide for additional products. (your kit comes with papers and supplies for either 2 layouts, or 2 sets of cards or 1 layout and 1 set of cards... the additional paper will allow you to create both layouts and both sets of cards... only the additional paper is pre-cut. You will follow the enclosed guide to cut your paper..

The following items are needed to create the projects exactly as shown (those attending class will be able to use mine- those purchasing the kit will either need to already have, purchase or improvise with items on hand)
E1019 Bohemian Alphabet (brand new)
Vineyard Berry Stamp Pad
Black Stamp Pad
Vineyard Berry reinker
create a shade pearl paint
blocks
scissors
paper trimmer
piercing tool/needle etc to poke holes for brads
adhesive

Your kit DOES INCLUDE:
Full Wings Paper Pack
spray pen
stamp set
Black mini-medley embellishment pack
color instruction guide.

Class kits will ship within 1 week of order date if ordered before Jan 9th and within 3 days if ordered after Jan 9th

Holiday card

2010-12-07T07:08:00.000-05:00

You know... some years I am so on top of things... and other years, like this year, I am so NOT ready for the holidays.
I have been working more nights this year (along with days!) to make sure I get all of my projects at work completed on time. It means way less time at home with my kids and I haven't fully finished decorating for the holidays. I am however, trying to catch up on my crafting to make sure I finish the projects I wanted to create- in time for the holidays.

Today I am showing a card I created for a card swap with friends.

The image is from a Stampin Up set in the 2010/2011 SU Idea Book... I love vintage little kid style pictures so this set caught my eye.

Supplies: Cardstock: Bamboo, white, Cocoa, Topiary and Cranberry- all Close To My Heart
lace ribbon- SU
Ink: Cocoa and Black- CTMH
pearl opaques: CTMH
markers: Copics.
punch; bought at Michaels

I was inspired by this tag on Andrea Walford's blog back in November.

Hope you have a great day!

December Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

2010-11-30T21:00:00.002-05:00

Updated to add the correct links:
Welcome to the hop!! If you are coming from Angela's blog- you're headed in the right direction... the link to the next blog is at the bottom of this post....

Wow... I haven't even completed half my Christmas crafting... and I had to take a quick break to create a project with the December Stamp of the Month - Amore! When February rolls around though, I'll be happy I did! I wasn't super thrilled when I first saw this set... but I love the way this card turned out!!

To start off... here is the stamp set- it does have some fun images and I love the script lettering.

Here is my card... I think the patterned paper is the back side of a pattern from the Jingle Level 2 paper pack from last year. I paired it with Tulip and blush cardstock, Tulip stamped images and words, Twill and Blush ric rac. It's a pretty simple card but I love the rounded words.

In fact- I loved the rounded words so much that I wanted to show a close-up.... when I alterred this photo- I decided that I LOVE this scaled down version even better-This would be a super cute valentine to give your kids!!

I sure hope you are enjoying the blog hop- you can continue on by visiting Melinda's blog next!

Kid's handmade Christmas Gifts

2010-11-26T23:02:00.000-05:00

Hello!!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday! I know I did...

I thought I'd hop on and show you my "pencil pockets" that I've been making by the dozens!!

These little guys are something I made up for some crop make and takes recently. I then took them on the road to a holiday bazaar type setting and got orders to make 54 of them! I really wanted to use my sewing machine to stitch up the sides... although when I sat down to use it... it was on the floor (upright though) with the foot missing...no thread, no bobbin, the bobbin holder was sitting on the floor..

I'm guessing that when my hubby and dad were building walls down there- they knocked it on the floor and didn't realize half the parts were missing and just set it upright. I think that means I deserve a new sewing machine, and since they broke it... i don't think it should count as a Christmas gift- do you?

So, I switched to using up the hoards of waxy flax and ribbon I have on hand...which actually does not take as long as you would think. Ok, maybe not as fast as a sewing machine- but not bad either!

I found the pencils in the Target dollar spot, and the suckers at Michaels. Fortunately for me I had an awesome Michaels coupon and got all the suckers (ALL 100+ of them) discounted.

These little pockets were a great way to use up cardstock and paper. I'm currently working on a "winter" version in blues and whites as it fits one of the orders I received at the bazaar.

Have a great rest of the weekend- I'll be back soon with more art!

November club layout/ workshop class

2010-11-24T08:41:00.000-05:00

wow... I have something to post!! Actually- I have lots to post and finally have the time! November has been a super busy month for me. 3 crops, 1 Holiday vendor show, 2 club nights plus school conferences, PTA activities, teaching catechism... it's been a busy one!

Today I'm showing the layout that I did as a class at one crop and free to my club members! The photo colors are a little wonky but I'm in Michigan and it's too cold and frosty outside so we are back to indoor photos.

I used the Olivia Level 2 pack to create this layout. I used a gold shimmer brad on the left page. My pie diecut was made with the Cricut Seasonal Thanksgiving cartridge. also added mocha pearls on both pages.

The layout uses the November Stamp of the Month which I love!!! It is great for cards AND layouts- which is always a bonus when you create both!

The stamp set is only available through November 30th... so don't miss out.
It is $22.95 OR earn a discount with additional purchase.
A $25 purchase = 25% off
A $50 purchase = 50% off
A $75 purchase = 75% off
A $100 purchase = FREE

Also- through the end of the month- a $100 purchase earns you a SECOND free stamp set of your choice valued at $22.95 or less. To check out our product line and place your order- visit my site and go to "shop online"

"Joy" layout

2010-11-11T07:02:00.000-05:00

This weekend I'm vendoring a crop in Comstock MI from 8am-about noonish. Crop goes 8-5 and they still have spaces so If you are in the area- send me a quick note and I'll get the info to you!

I have put together 3 different page kits to sell for $11 and proceeds from each goes to the fundraiser.

This is one of the 3 kits (others are dress up and Halloween)

All in all I think I have 4 of this kit, 3 Halloween and 3 Dress up kits. I plan to make several more over the holidays for upcoming crops in January and February.

United Way Auction Cards

2010-11-08T09:15:00.000-05:00

I work for an animal health company and this year we had an auction to help raise money for United Way. I decided to create a set of 24 Christmas Cards that could be auctioned off... I made the mistake of creating ONE card in advance with plans to create the rest within 2 weeks of the auction close... Holy cow (no pun intended...) these took me 3 weeks of work!! The cutting and stamping went fast... it was the coloring... next year- solid images only!! I am quite happy with how they turned out though and the winner was thrilled!! This image is one of my favorite "non-CTMH" stamps that I own and it was quite fitting for an animal health company auction...

The image is from La La Land Crafts and all the supplies are CTMH. The paper is from this year's Creative Basics set which is super cute!!

Don't forget the "A Little More Thanks" special running this month! When you spend $100 you not only recieve the November Stamp of the Month FREE- but you can also select one more stamp set valued at $22.95 or less for FREE!

You can place your order on my website or by e-mailing me here.

November SOTM Blog Hop!

2010-10-31T20:54:00.003-04:00

Welcome back for another fun month of Stamp of the Month artwork. I am so excited to see everyone's ideas for this months cool Thank You set. If you are coming from Kim's blog- you're headed in the right direction... if you are stopping here first- no worries... just follow the link at the bottom to head to the next blog and circle around the hop!

I decided to showcase something other than a card- which is what I normally do... I thought some of the stamps were perfectly suited for Thanksgiving and I've come up with some items you can use to decorate the table!

To the left is the set of fun Thank You stamps we are showcasing.

Our Stamp of the Month sets are always only $22.95 or discounted/ free with additional purchases.

In November- when you order $100 worth of product you not only get this set FREE- but another set of your choice (retail value up to $22.95). Check with your consultant for full details... Need a consultant- e-mail me here.

And here our my projects- look- I even pulled out my good china for these photos!! I think it's the first time I've "used" them in the 8 years we 've been married! Lol... ok...maybe the 2nd or 3rd!

I used a small glassine bag and filled it with candy corn. I adhered a 1/2" strip of Barn Red cardstock. I stamped my image in chocolate on Olivia paper and cut around the shape and adhered it to the cardstock band- SO SIMPLE!!

My place setting marker was simple too! You could easily recreate these for a beautiful family get together. The background is Barn Red cardstock. I used Olivia paper here again for my stamping. The flower was inked in Sunset, rolled in Chocolate and stamped onto the paper. I inked up the stamp that says "I am so Thankful for you" in chocolate and used a baby wipe to remove all the ink except that which was on "thankful" and then stamped onto my project. I added my daughter's name to finish it off.

Hope you enjoy this little peak - Head to Kim's blog now!

final Christmas Card class card... and my october Club cards

2010-10-31T13:53:00.000-04:00

Ahh.... finally able to finish posting all of these projects.. I've been working hard to finish getting all the kits put together for people that missed classes in october and I'm nearly done! Yippeee....
I'm posting these real quick but come back tonight or tomorrow because I'm also working on my November Stamp of the Month Blog Hop post which goes live tonight at 9pm... once in a while a few glitches need to be worked out since we have 60+ people participating- so you may want to just wait and visit later at night- or even tomorrow.

This is the final Christmas Card from my class... at last- they're all posted! I have a feeling that I borrowed this design but I don't have any print out or file on my computer so I'm not exactly sure where this idea came from. It uses the I Believe stamp set (one of my favorites this year), along with Mistletoe Creative Basics, Mistletoe Level 2 embellishment assortment, Chocolate and Cranberry inks.

This little indian girl card was an October stamp club project. I'm going ahead and posting them late for those that missed class and are receiving the kit. This way they can put their projects together by viewing mine.
Used: Olivia Level 2 paper pack, Thanksgiving stamps and an assortment of markers, and Shimmer Designer brads

This is another idea I borrowed from another consultant. I had originally printed the card from the web so I had the consultant info... but with an 18 month old that colors on everything in sight- and a hubby who's idea of cleaning is throwing out anything that doesn't look like a bill...I'm not sure what happened to it! So if you know who created the original version of this- pleast post a comment or e-mail me! Stamp set = Harmony

This card uses the Share the Magic set - October stamp of the month. The sentiment is from Holiday Trinkets. colors: holiday Red and Pear with a mix of sparkles from the red/pink/purple pack AND the blue/green pack.

So did you notice that all THREE club cards use the Olivia paper pack? This Christmas card uses the pear dotted paper which is the back side of the sunset colored dotted paper.

That's it for now- come back later to see my creation using the November Stamp of the Month!

Christmas card class card post 4

2010-10-30T09:07:00.000-04:00

Hello! I have two more photos from my class cards. I have one more card to post but I have to find it first. Before I post my cards I wanted to point out that I've added some tabs to the top of my blog so I can share more information without clogging things up a bit.
Check the specials tab! It explains the company November special and mine too!

Ok- here are the two cards for today as well as some Halloween treat photos I made for school and daycare yesterday :)

It's very hard to see but there's lots of Glitz on this card!! The hat and scarf are colored with copic markers BG72 and G21 which are very similar to Twilight and Sweet Leaf CTMH colors. I did this because I really wanted to use the CTMH Glitz which has a natural tendency to alter the color of our markers and inks. Typically I love this look and when i don't want it I use a glue pen with prisma... but I really- REALLY wanted to use glitz so I pulled out my copic markers instead. The lights are also colored with those two markers to coordinate. I did forget to color my little snowman nose - I'll have to do that before i use this card! I stamped the snowman and lights with Black and the snowflakes with Twilight. The stamps are from Sharing the Magic- the October Stamp of the Month

The second card uses the cute little set called "A Timber" which retails for only $7.95! You can view it here. We used the following techniques: masking and stamp rolling.

Stamp Rolling: Ink up in the lightest color (the Pear green) then roll the edges in the darker color (Chocolate) stamp your image (the middle image first) Then stamp the same image on light weight copy paper- cut out.

Masking: Place your second image from the copy paper over the first image. Re ink your stamp in a similar fashion and stamp to the left. Re ink again and stamp to the right with your "mask" still over the first image... now it looks like your first tree is in the front and the others are behind. so fun! This little tree is embellished with just a few little blue and green sparkles.

And now for some yummy Halloween treats! These little mummy cupcakes were for daycare. My son is only 18 months old and I didn't want him overloaded on sugar- so I mixed up a batch of white cake batter and poured it into my mini muffin pan instead of my cupcake pan.. I used white icing to draw some lines across and two little chocolate chips for eyes... aren't they cute!

These little pumpkins are the cookies for my daughter's Kindergarten class. I'll post this recipe soon. It's my most favorite sugar cookie recipe. I mixed the ingredients and rolled the dough. Addie cut out the cookies. I iced them and she did the purple sugar... she loves purple so there you go..I added some icing dots and she added the eyes. It was truly a joint effort!.I wrapped them in halloween treat bags tied with little spider rings on the outside- so cute!

As for this last little number- i totally did not make this! Another mom brought this in and it was so awesome! Not sure where the idea came from but the "brain" is watermelon... the fingers are cheese sticks with carrot nails and the mouths (I think that is what they are?) are apples with walnuts inside.