May Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the CTMH May Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

May's Stamp of the Month is called.....

****Chairs to You****

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 Sarita Schraeder's blog, "Blessed Scrapper", then you are on the right track. (Wasn't her sentiment clever?)

I believe it was December (maybe January) when I first saw this stamp set, therefore, CTMH may have had plans for this set in late 2009 or early 2010.  When I purchase craft magazines, it's usually for scrapbooking, but lately, I've been purchasing card making magazines instead.  A month or two ago, I purchased a Paper Crafts magazine.  The cover of the January/February 2011 issue displayed a card with a chair and their March/April issue had several cards inside their magazine that used chairs.  I'm always amazed at how CTMH always knows what the trends are going to be nearly a year out (not to mention the magazines...as they plan their magazines around 6+ months out).

At any rate, I was inspired by ideas in those magazines for two of my cards and my third card was inspired by Katy Donaldson.  I really love her simplistic design and I love it even more that the cards take very little time to make.  Especially lately....there just seems to be so little time to make cards for gifts and such.  However, with so many supplies on hand, I just can't bring myself to purchase a store card, so a couple of these designs are perfect for quick, but meaningful cards.

So here's a look at my cards...

This card was inspired by Katy's cards.

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper: White CS, Sophia Level 2

Stamps Used: Chairs to You, For Every Occasion

Inks: Smoothie, Black
Pens:  Black Marker

Other: Micro-tip scissors, Tombow Mono Adhesive

This card was inspired from a card made by Tina Gloer on page 76 of Paper Crafts March/April 2011 issue.

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper: Colonial White CS

Stamps Used: Chairs to You

Inks: Cocoa, Vineyard Berry

Embellishments: Cocoa Grosgrain Ribbon, Mocha Opaque Gems
Other: Micro-tip scissors, Tombow Mono Adhesive

This card was inspired by the card made by Diana Slaughter, which was featured on the front cover of the January/February issue of Paper Crafts, as well as page 70.

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper: White Daisy CS, Smoothie CS, Cocoa CS, Mayberry Level 2

Stamps Used: Chairs to You, Friendship (February SOTM - NLA)

Inks: Cocoa, Honey, Smoothie

Embellishments: Pewter Brad, Natural Hemp, Cocoa Grosgrain Ribbon, Mocha Opaque Gems
Other: Micro-tip scissors, 3D Foam Tape, Sponge, Scoring Board (Martha Stewart), White Embossing Powder, Tombow Mono Adhesive

Remember, if you love what you've seen so far along your SOTM Blog Hop journey, and you want your own "Chairs To You" stamp set at a discount or for FREE, 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" here on my blog, or by clicking on the "Stamp of the Month" tab at the top of the page or by clicking on the "Shop with Me" link near the top right.  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" 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  Mary Eisen's blog, "MeStamp2" and check out her creation.

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 Helen's Onulak's blog.

Happy hopping!

April's CTMH Spotlight Blog Hop - My Creations

Welcome to the CTMH Product Spotlight Blog Hop for April!

This month we are highlighting.....

****My Creations****

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 Haley Dyer's blog, "The Inky Scrapper", then you are on the right track.

I was really excited when CTMH released the new My Creations Banner this past January.  Of course, I created the special Wings Workshop that included the "Family is Love" instructions, but my mind got to thinking about other ways I could use these chipboard pennants.  

One of the projects I wanted to make was a brag book.  I don't make too many mini-albums, but I am a sucker for mini-album kits.  Probably because they're perfect to do at crops. ;)  Anyway, over 10 years ago, I purchased an adorable mini-album kit at a Scrapbook Expo and I've had it on my shelves for almost as many years...completed, but I never did put photos in it...(note to self: put photos in it! LOL).   I instantly thought about using the theme of this mini-album kit for my pennant album.  The theme is "Things I learned from my mother..." and it has really cute, adorable and all-to-familiar "motherly" sayings but with a little twist.  So what I've decided to do is to show you the cover and the first page...so you can get the gist of the theme.  But then, I'm going to reveal each of the other pages (and sayings) a day at a time (that's my goal anyway).  So be sure to come back tomorrow to see what the next bit of advice from mom is. 

If you have any questions about the products used in this project, just shoot me an email or post it in the comments.

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" and/or leave a comment (we all love comments...the nice ones anyway), then be sure to continue along on the hop by heading over to  Wendy Kessler's blog, "My Scrapbooking Blog" and check out her creation.  You can also find a list of all this month's CTMH Spotlight Blog Hop participants on Wendy's blog.

Happy hoppin'!

Mojo Monday Entry

School resumed again today.  After a week off, the kids came back a little like zombies.  Too many late nights and late mornings to get up this morning for school. Me included. :)  Spring Break was nice and relaxing and I spent a lot of time creating and blogging, but I still felt the need to create when I got home from work.  So here is the card I created...

I was trying to channel my inner Andrea Ewen.  LOL

 

using this sketch from Mojo Monday Blog.

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper: Sophia Level 2, Kraft CS, Colonial White CS

Stamps Used: Heartfelt Treasures, Unity

Inks: Bamboo, Desert Sand, Blush, Hollyhock

Embellishments:  Kraft Color-ready Borders, Mocha Opaque Gems, Embroidery Floss, Brads, Sparkles, Sheer Ribbon, Stick Pin (NLA), Lace Trim (unknown)
Other: Sand Paper, Micro-tip scissors, Sponge, Piercing Tool, 3D Foam Tape

Thanks for looking!

Studio J: Step-by-Step Basics Video

A couple of months ago, I purchased a membership to Close To My Heart's online, digital scrapbooking program, Studio J.  I can personally tell you that I had very few issues using the program as I made my first digital layout and those that I had were easily overcome.  There is a learning curve, as there is with any new program.  And sure, if you have very little experience with using a computer, the learning curve will be greater.  So some questions you may have bouncing around in your head might include, "How can I know if Studio J is something for me?  How big will my "learning curve" be?  Well, my first suggestion would be to just try it.  You can try it for free with no obligation to purchase anything and nothing to download to your computer.  After all, seeing a layout with YOUR pictures, your loved ones, the places you've visited, etc., will really help you to appreciate what Studio J can do for you.  My other suggestion would be to check out the video that Close To My Heart added to YouTube yesterday.  It shows you some of the basic, beginning steps of Studio J.  If you're looking to start digital scrapbooking, or you're just curious as to how it works, take a few moments to check out the video.  Afterwards, head on over to Studio J and try it for yourself.  Of course, if you have any questions, just leave a comment or shoot me an email.
Happy scrapping!