More Surf's Up

There were three cards created at my Cards, Etc. class this past Monday.  Participants made the card from my June Stamp of the Month Blog Hop post (here) and the following two cards.  These two cards used papers from Close To My Heart's Surf's Up paper line.

This card was inspired by this sketch at Retro Sketches.

After stamping the linen image in crystal blue, I distressed the card face with a sanding block. This card was inspired by this sketch at 365 Cards.

I created the fringed burlap by cutting about 1/4 of the ribbon off and then pulling out the threads until I was about 4 or so threads from the opposite edge.  

Do you ever have those moments where you're so proud of yourself and think, "I'm so clever!"  LOL  After playing around with the banner...using buttons, twine, artisan studs, etc., I ended up taking one of the strings that I had pulled out of the burlap ribbon and tying it several knots in order to create a big knot.  I then glued the knot between two of the banner panels and voila!  I fell in love!  It was exactly what the card needed to pull it together nicely.

I used direct-to-paper to ink the edges of the insert.

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper: Surf's Up B&T,  White Daisy, Bamboo, Crystal Blue, Sorbet

Stamp Used: Tropical Paradise, Bright Sunshiny Day 
Inks: Honey, Desert Sand, Lagoon, Sorbet, Ponderosa Pine, Crystal Blue, Chocolate
Alcohol Markers: Honey, Lagoon, Sorbet, Creme Brulee

Embellishments: Durables Artisan Studs, Burlap Ribbon

Other: Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, Sanding Block, Edge Distresser, Sponge, Micro-tip Scissors, Paper Trimmer, 3D Foam Tape, ATG Adhesive (Scotch)

Until next time....

Surf's Up!

Here are the layouts that we will be making at June's Scrapbooking Workshop using the Surf's Up Workshop-on-the-Go.  The workshop is actually tonight, so unfortunately I can't take any more participants at this time.  However, if you and a couple of friends would like to have your own class, I'm more than happy to bring the workshop to you.  If that sounds like something you would like to do, just email me or give me a call.  I'm going to try and have July's workshop (Tommy paper) pics up before the end of the weekend, so be on the lookout for information about that workshop soon.

Last month, I received a couple of requests from my workshop ladies asking to use stickers on one of the layouts.  So we're actually going to be making three layouts this month...one using the workshop stamps and the other two using stickers.

Layout #1 - Surf's Up "You Make Me Happy" - Created using the Workshop stamp set and embellishments. (Layout photo provided by Close To My Heart)

Layout #2 - Surf's Up "Paradise Found" - Created using the Surf's Up MyStickease, WOTG paper and embellishments, plus base cardstock and some pre-cut extra papers.

My layout is based on this layout from Scrapbook Generations.

Layout #3 - Surf's Up "Fun In The Sun" - Created using the Surf's Up MyStickease, WOTG paper and embellishments plus some pre-cut extra papers and baker's twine.

 I used the sketch on page 63 of "Sketches for Scrapbooking" e-book.

Want your own workshop-on-the-go kit, just go here.  Want the stickers? Go here. (Note: The baker's twine, lagoon, sky and champagne cardstock are not included in the wotg kit and must be purchased separately.)

Until next time...

Ripper, you little!

You may be wondering what the title of my post means.  It's actually a clue.

According to the Australian Slang Dictionary, it's an "exclamation of delight or as a reaction to good news".  So any guesses?

Picture Source

Well, yesterday, Close To My Heart put out a press release making it official!  CTMH is going "down under"!  How exciting is that?!  It doesn't really affect me on a direct personal level, but I think it's great for CTMH and I know it's great for my fellow crafters living in Australia and New Zealand.

Besides, I have a fondness for anything Australian, so it tickles me pink to see CTMH make this move. One of my top three dream vacations is to Australia.  My first concert ever was Rick Springfield.  My childhood female idol was Olivia Newton-John (wore that record slap out).  One of my all time favorite bands back-in-the-day was INXS.  I named one of my snakes "Steve" after Steve Irwin. One of my favorite country singers today is Keith Urban.  One of my favorite actors is Russell Crowe and my favorite thing about Australia?  Hugh Jackman...need I say more?

Picture Source

Now I know it may be hard to keep reading with handsome Hugh staring at you (hypnotizing, isn't he?) LOL ...but here's the announcement.

If you'd like to access the official press release and read more about how awesome CTMH is with regards to helping all the former Australian and New Zealand Creative Memories consultants who are were out of business, you can click here.  Makes me wonder if there are any plans for the U.S.....hhmmmmm.

So, tell me.  What do you think about this news?

Until next time...

Good day, mate!

Tool Time at H2H

This week we're having a "tool" challenge this week at Heart 2 Heart.  It may sound like a straight forward challenge, but it's not really.  The first time I read the challenge title, I thought that we were to create something using our favorite CTMH tool, but I learned that it was also okay to make tools the focus of the project (like a stamped image or die cut, for example).  Finally, since "tools" usually bring masculinity to mind, it's even cool to interpret the theme in that way, too.  So in essence, this challenge is a pretty broad one, so it should be fun to see what everyone else creates. ;)

After some consideration as to how I would choose to interpret it, I remembered some photos of my kids that I've never scrapped...from nearly 10 years ago. (Stop laughing! If you had any idea how long I spend on a layout, you'd understand. I wasn't lying when I said in a previous post that I was the slowest scrapper ever!)  At any rate, after deciding that I would make a layout, I used the sketch on page 80 my "Sketches for Scrapbooking" e-book as a jump start.  This was the easy part, as deciding on how to "embellish" the layout was a struggle, as I really didn't have any stamp sets that worked with the construction theme and I also came up short on my Cricut collection.  I printed some clip art and tried some old school paper piecing, but when you've had a Cricut as long as I have, hand cutting everything out...well, I just couldn't do it and quit less than half way through. 

So what did I do? Well, I guess this is the time to share a small confession with you first.  A few weeks ago...maybe a month or so...I was watching HSN during a scrapbooking show.  Dangerous, I know.  Well, they demonstrated a Silhouette and I gave in to temptation (darn flexpay).  I just managed to pull it out of it's box about a week ago, but had not played with it at all...until I needed construction "stuff" for my layout.  My purchase came with $35 gift card, so I downloaded a cute construction dude, a few signs, tools, and various arrows.  I didn't end up using a lot of it, but here's what I came up with...

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Cardstock:  White Daisy, Outdoor Denim, Cranberry, Honey, Black, Pacifica, Sunset, Desert Sand, Cashmere, Chocolate, Whisper
Pattern Paper: Tommy, Dakota

Stamp Used: In Gear, Tiny Typewriter Alphabet (retired)
Inks: Outdoor Denim, Cranberry, Honey, Black, Desert Sand, Whisper, Sunset, Cashmere, Chocolate, Baby Pink (retired)

Embellishments: Durables Round Studs, Dimensional Elements, Keyboard Kraft Alphabet

Other: Artiste Cricut Cartridge, Sponge, Chalk Marker, Water brush, Bonding Memories, Micro-tip Scissors, Paper Trimmer, 3D Foam Tape, ATG Adhesive (Scotch), 05 & 08 Zig Millennium Pens (EK Success), Signo White Pen (Uniball), Die Cutting Machine (Silhouette & Cricut)

So here's what you need to know to play along with the Heart 2 Heart challenge this week...and every week.

1. Use mostly CTMH products.
2. Incorporate the current challenge...tool time (see above for details).
3. Link your project back to Heart 2 Heart Challenges from your blog post or online gallery.  If you are linking from a blog, you must link directly to the actual post, not your entire blog.
4. You also need to mention Heart 2 Heart in your blog post. (Please don't make us guess.)
5. Finally, please, please, please, we ask that you consider turning off word verification, as it does make it easier (and less time consuming) for the design team to leave comments, as well as other visitors to your blog. ;)

Don't have any CTMH products?  That's an easy fix!  Simply contact your local Close To My Heart consultant (or go here to find one near you) or you can place an order by going to my website.  If you'd like an Idea Book of your own, you can either email me (if you're local) or simply use the Paypal button in the side bar.

Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Until next time...

June's Stamp of the Month..."A Flowering Bunch"

Welcome to the CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

June 2013's Stamp of the Month is called.....

****A Flowering Bunch****

The blog hop makes a circle so if you are starting here just continue until you make your way back and you will have made it through them all.  If you have already started and are coming from Melinda Everitt's blog, "If You Bling It...", then you are on the right track.

I knew in my head what technique I wanted to use with this stamp set, as well as knowing that I wanted to create a CAS (clean and simple) card, so I used a sketch from "CAS(e) this sketch!" for my design.  I essentially stamped my image with black ink in the center of my white daisy card.  I then stamped the same image two other times (on separate strips of white daisy cardstock) and colored the flowers using alcohol markers.  Next, I used my paper trimmer to cut three different sized squares and then two rectangles to fill in the "spaces", running the edges along the black ink pad and adhering them to the base card with foam tape. Finally, I added two strips of black glitter paper and the sentiment.  I'm really pleased at how it turned out. :) 

 Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Papers: White Daisy CS, Black Glitter

Stamps Used: A Flowering Bunch
Inks: Black

Markers: Sweet Leaf, Olive, Gypsy, Whisper, Cotton Candy (light), Creme Brulee Set, Sorbet Set, Blush Set, Blending Marker
Other: 3D Foam Tape, Microtip Scissors, Bone Folder, Paper Trimmer (Fiskars), Scoring Board (Martha Stewart)

Here's a look at the entire stamp set...

Remember, if you love what you've seen so far along your SOTM Blog Hop journey, and you want your own "A Flowering Bunch" stamp set or want to get it for the amazingly low price of $5, be sure to contact your Close To My Heart Independent Consultant.  If you don't already have a consultant, I'd love to be yours.  You can find details on the "Stamp of the Month" by clicking on the "Promotions" tab at the top of the page or purchase your SOTM here.  Of course, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

If you have time, take a moment or two to check out the rest of my blog.  If you enjoy your visit, then please consider "Following Me", signing up to receive blog updates, and/or leaving a comment (we all love comments...the nice ones anyway), then be sure to continue along on the hop by heading over to Adeline Brill's blog, "Welcome to My Creative Space" and check out her project.

If for some reason you get lost along the way, you can always find a list of all this month's CTMH SOTM Blog Hop participants on Kathleen's blog.

Happy hopping!

Nip & Tuck at Heart 2 Heart

It's a stitching challenge this week at Heart 2 Heart.  Do you remember the blood, I mean drama that I had two weeks ago when I tried to sew for the last Heart 2 Heart challenge?  Of course, I could have avoided this problem if I had paid attention and looked ahead at the challenges two weeks ago and saved the sewing attempt for this week.  ;) 

However, I'm not one to give up easily, so I scoured the internet to find some "sewing" inspiration.  After some searching, I found this tutorial on creating french knots.  Since back-in-the-day, I used to cross stitch (I wasn't always terrible with a needle) and played around with a crewel project, I thought this could be a "sewing" technique that even I could handle...and hopefully with minimal blood. lol  I also drew inspiration from this week's CASE study and by the photo at Inspired By (shown below).

In addition to the french knots that I used for the center of the flowers, I also used the CTMH ruler to first pierce some holes and then hand-stitched the lines with black embroidery floss.

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Papers:  White Daisy CS, Outdoor Denim CS

Stamp Used: Hooray Bouquet, In the Background, For My Friend
Inks: Sky, Outdoor Denim, Cranberry

Embellishments: Neutral Embroidery Floss

Other: Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, Sponge, Micro-tip Scissors, Paper Trimmer, 3D Foam Tape, Piercing Kit, Bone Folder, ATG Adhesive (Scotch)

So here's what you need to know to play along with the Heart 2 Heart challenge this week...and every week.

1. Use mostly CTMH products.
2. Incorporate the current challenge...stitching (real or faux).
3. Link your project back to Heart 2 Heart Challenges from your blog post or online gallery.  If you are linking from a blog, you must link directly to the actual post, not your entire blog.
4. You also need to mention Heart 2 Heart in your blog post. (Please don't make us guess.)
5. Finally, please, please, please, we ask that you consider turning off word verification, as it does make it easier (and less time consuming) for the design team to leave comments, as well as other visitors to your blog. ;)

Don't have any CTMH products?  That's an easy fix!  Simply contact your local Close To My Heart consultant (or go here to find one near you) or you can place an order by going to my website.  If you'd like an Idea Book of your own, you can either email me (if you're local) or simply use the Paypal button in the side bar.

Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Until next time...

May Flowers with Textiles

It's a floral challenge this week at Heart 2 Heart.  Easy peasy, right?  I thought so.  Until I tried to use a needle and thread to create textile flowers.  Let's just say, one broken needle and several puncture wounds later, that sewing isn't my thing. ;) 

So after hours of trying...literally hours...something in the range of 6 or 7 hours, I had to change my plans and go with a "no sew" flower.  Even though I was highly frustrated, mostly due to the hours spent trying, yet still failing AND the fact, that this challenge should have been an easy one, I'm pleased with the direction the failure took me.

I cut a piece of chipboard to 4" x 5 1/4" and wrapped it with one of the patterns in the Close To My Heart For Always textiles.  I then cut a strip of the polka dot fabric (also in the For Always textile collection) and frayed the edges, wrapping it around and securing the edges to the back of the chipboard.  I mounted the chipboard to the card base with foam tape.

Finally, I cut (free-hand) the circles and leaves for the flowers out of the CTMH Chantilly textiles.  After cutting out the circles, I intentionally wrinkled them...mostly because I was too lazy to pull out the iron. :)  Besides, I thought it gave it a more shabby look.

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Papers:  White Daisy CS

Stamp Used: Casual Expressions
Inks: Black

Embellishments: Black and Grey Sparkles Assortment, Clear Sparkles Assortment

Other: Chantilly Texties, For Always Textiles, Micro-tip Scissors, Paper Trimmer, 3D Foam Tape, Fabri-Tac (Beacon Adhesives), Scoring Board (Martha Stewart), ATG Adhesive (Scotch)

So here's what you need to know to play along with the Heart 2 Heart challenge this week...and every week.

1. Use mostly CTMH products.
2. Incorporate the current challenge...flowers.
3. Link your project back to Heart 2 Heart Challenges from your blog post or online gallery.  If you are linking from a blog, you must link directly to the actual post, not your entire blog.
4. You also need to mention Heart 2 Heart in your blog post. (Please don't make us guess.)
5. Finally, please, please, please, we ask that you consider turning off word verification, as it does make it easier (and less time consuming) for the design team to leave comments, as well as other visitors to your blog. ;)

Don't have any CTMH products?  That's an easy fix!  Simply contact your local Close To My Heart consultant (or go here to find one near you) or you can place an order by going to my website.  If you'd like an Idea Book of your own, you can either email me (if you're local) or simply use the Paypal button in the side bar.

Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Until next time...