H2H Challenges: Scrapbooking Red & White Daisy

Today is not only the first of July but it is also the first day of our new Design Team at Heart 2 Heart Challenges!  These amazing ladies haven't even been introduced yet and they're already crafting up a storm!  Our monthly scrapbook challenge is posted on the first, and July's is Red and White Daisy with the option of Blue.  At first I struggled with what to make, but then I remember that I needed a title page layout for my Cranberry "friends" album.  Voila!

Everything that you see on this layout was cut with the CTMH/Cricut Artbooking cartridge (on p. 78 & p. 79).  I remembered the BFF circle, so I found it and loved all the elements to make this page.  This is actually the right side layout featured on p. 79, but I did add the "friends forever" brackets from p. 78.  The Artbooking cartridge is so easy to use!  I decided on my color palette of Cranberry, Sky, and Whisper with a pop of Black and then cut away.

First I cut the two photo mats from Sky card stock.  (Do you see my two little arrow accents from the negatives?)  I added the Friends Forever brackets (cut from Whisper card stock), some Slate washi tape, and a Slate twist tie.

I used two of the stamp sets from the Artbooking collection to for all the stamped pieces.  I decided to use red shimmer trim behind the Whisper arrow border to make those arrows pop.  I added several red glitter gems to finish off the layout.

This corner also shows my faux stitching with a Sky marker.

Now to find a pair of friend pictures to finish this layout!  That shouldn't be too challenge.

BTW, I have been working on getting all my finished layouts into albums and here is my progress so far:
(Before: piles of layouts in the floor)

(Before: albums on the shelf)

NOW: the layouts on the floor still need to be sorted, but look how full that bookshelf is getting!

Be sure to visit the H2H blog for Red & White Daisy scrapbooking inspiration!  We hope you'll join us this month.

My Brother's Wedding & H2H Lace Challenge

My brother got married Saturday, and we couldn't be happier for him and his bride!  I am still in the process of making a scrapbook for them so that they can just add their photos when they return from their "mini moon" honeymoon this week.  Here are a few of the pages.  Don't they coordinate well with the Heart 2 Heart Challenges lace challenge this week?  First up is the title page:

 Notice the braiding on the banner.  My brother, his wife (I love saying that!), and her daughter braided a cord in a shadow box in lieu of a unity candle.  I was glad that I hadn't finished the album so that I could add a braided piece to it.

 Here is the closing page, but I'll be back in a few days with more pages of their album and more info on how I made them.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the wedding:

 The four of us:

Can you believe that Ansley caught the bouquet?  I'm not ready for her to grow up, but this is a great picture anyway!

Hopefully the professional photos of the entire family have turned out well so that I can have some to scrap and share.

Thanks for sharing this special moment with my family and me!

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes! (August Stamp of the Month)

Though August has come and is (long) gone, I had to wait to share this project with you because I entered it into a Close To My Heart consultant contest (but didn't win), so I'm sharing it here and linking it up to the Make It Monday blog too. Once again, I wanted to use the August stamp of the month set, Wicked, beyond its obvious Halloween intentions.

I searched online for shoe templates, and found several, like THIS ONE from Creating Keepsakes (click to download a copy for yourself). I used this slightly different version from Stacey Cohen, for my paper shoes. If you're in a shoe mood, what about these witch shoes from Skip To My Lou? They would be perfect for this time of year! Finally, why not create a pair of baby shoes?

As they say, if the shoe fits, buy a pair in every color! My pink-loving daughter has claimed these for herself, and my blue-loving daughter is hinting at the need for her own pair...

Stamp of the Month Blog Hop: Limited Edition (September 2011)

Welcome to the Close To My Heart Stamp of the Month blog hop featuring September's Limited Edition stamp set! (If you've already started the hop, then you should be coming from my friend Pamela O'Connor's blog and heading next to Judy Burger's blog, after you stay here a moment or two.) This set of 21 stamps is only available for a limited time, so be sure to contact your CTMH consultant to get yours!

The vintage images inspired me to create two different cards with the Sonoma paper pack. The first (8"x3.5") uses a glove template that you can find HERE (and that I modified for my card). I used up some of my stash of retired Passages paper for the Cocoa "leather." Isn't that Heirloom Assortment "button" divine? I can just picture a fancy lady in her fancy gloves!

The addition of the Colonial White "lace" (from a Martha Steward punch) also added a lovely finishing touch.

For my second card, I wanted to try a masculine look using the same papers and stamp set. I chose the "Far-Sided Focus" 6"x6" card sketch from Wishes because I really like the tag element. The only "bad" think about this sketch was that the tag needed to be much longer than the actual stamp. Never fear, CTMH clear stamps are here! I inked up the entire stamp except the end (or bottom) of the tag. I stamped it on the strip of Colonial White card stock, cleaned the stamp, and inked up the end and sides of the stamp (not inking the triangle end). Then I lined up the stamp and stamped it again, making a long tag.

Even though the Foundry Pin Clips can be jazzed up, leaving it plain with a wooden button seemed pretty manly to me.

Thanks for hopping by! If you have any questions about my creations, leave me a comment and I'll get back to you ASAP. Now, be sure to visit Judy's blog next!

Stamp of the Month Blog Hop: Wicked (August 2011)

Welcome to the "Wicked" Close To My Heart August Stamp of the Month blog hop! If you're already hoppping, then you should have arrived from Tammy Lea's blog. Why don't you kick back, stay awhile (I have lots to share!), and then hop on to Tamytha's blog?

As much as I love Halloween and this amazing stamp set, I wanted to see how I could use it beyond its obvious intention. (You'll have to come back later this month to see me pull out the stops for Halloween and more! I promise something Wicked-ly good is coming!)



I love the two sentiments with this set, "Put your best foot forward" and "Hats off to you," so I decided to create the following cards with the feminine Sophia paper pack. I searched online until I found a shoe image that I liked, then I traced it on the back of Hollyhock card stock. A piece of B&T paper works as the toe strap, pinned down with a few pink sparkles. White seemed like the best backdrop for the gorgeous shoe. Do you think the sentiment medallion looks kind of like a buckle for the shoe? I cut it freehand after stamping the sentiment.

Guests at my card class on Sunday, 8/7, will be making this next shoe card for themselves. (Contact me if you'd like to attend or would like to order a kit.)


Next, I moved on to creating a hat card. It was so much fun that I made two different versions! (Guests at my Open House/Idea Book Unveiling on 8/5 will be making one of these cards.) In case you're interested in trying one yourself, the hat brim measures 3/4"x5-1/2", the top of the hat measures 1-3/4"x3-1/2", and the band measures 3/4"x3-1/2". I think the possibilities for trimming the hat are endless, don't you? I'd love to know which card you like best.

If you've already heard about the great NEW stamp of the month program, then hop on over to Tamytha's blog. First, the prices on ALL stamp sets have DROPPED! Isn't that fabulous, especially in this day and age? You can purchase any D-size stamp set, including the stamp of the month, for only $17.95. With the new stamp of the month program, when you spend $50 (before S&H/tax), you are eligibile to purchase the Stamp of the Month for only $5! Isn't that great?!?

Did you also know that Close To My Heart is offering an EXTRA! EXTRA! Special this month when you purchase the August stamp of the month? Check out this image!
Click HERE for the PDF file with the complete info. Contact me or your CTMH consultant to take advantage of this great offer!





If you'd like to come to my Open House on 8/5 or my card class on 8/7, just let me know. If you'd like to get your own Wicked stamp set (and possibly the A Type stamp set FREE), contact me ASAP!

Thanks for visiting! Now hop on over to see Tamytha's "Wicked" creation!

H2H Challenge: From Our Heart to Yours- Creating Backgrounds for Father's Day

This week's Heart to Heart Challenge is from our heart to yours, just in time for your Father's Day projects: creating backgrounds especially for dads! Please go to the H2H blog to check out all the fabulous creations of the other design team members, and be sure to link up your creation there too!

My faux postage background was fun to make. I started with the Postcard- Travel Series stamp set, which is perfect for my travel-loving Dad. (My parents' blog is the Traveling Bells!) You wouldn't necessarily have to use a postage stamp set to recreate this look. You could use any square or rectangular stamped stamps, or you could pierce your grid first and then stamp inside the squares.

My color combo came from CTMH founder and president, Jeanette Lynton, and her fabulous blog (that you can access HERE). She ran a "Color Me Monday" series for a long, long time, and I went back through her Color Me Monday posts until I found a combo that I liked for my Dad. (You can see her post about this combo HERE.) Aren't Cocoa, Twilight, Garden Green, and Smokey Plum a great combo?


To create the card background, I placed the un-inked stamps on my cardstock piece. Four across fit perfectly! I chose a stamp for each color and then stamped them. Since CTMH's stamps are clear, it was easy to line them up. I chose four different stamps for the next row and mixed the colors around a bit. The third row used the horizontal stamps, and then I finished with the first row repeated in a different order. My main piece was a little long, so I just trimmed it off at the bottom. To continue the look of postage, I used my paper piercer to prick holes between all the stamps. I love how that turned out!





To finish the card, I stamped the circle tag and sentiments from the Tag the Occasion stamp set. I had to pierce the tag "stitches" to coordinate with my background. A piece of jute finished off the bottom. Dad seemed to appreciate his card last night at our early Father's Day dinner. I sure do appreciate my Dad! He's the best!





Remember, you can see more artwork and learn a few new techniques at the H2H blog. If you link up your creation, you might win a prize! We've got two great sponsors this month, Michelle and Romaine, so go say hi (and tell them I sent you)! Happy (early) Father's Day!

More March Card Class "Stamples"

Here are the other two cards we made at my card class today. They both measure 3"x6". It was extra fun welcoming two new stampers! Thanks for coming, Lynn and Nancy B.!

This pinwheel card just screams fun to me, no matter what your age. We turned it as a side-fold/vertical card, but it would also be cute horizontally. Here's a pattern to follow to create your own pinwheel. Do NOT cut all the way to the center! We used the Caboodle paper pack and embellished the card base with the stamp set that comes with the Caboodle Workshop on the Go.

What technique do you have to use with the You Rock paper pack? The Rock 'N Roll technique, of course! This technique and a 3-D foam square really help the star on this card POP.

It's not too late to get your own "A Little Everything" stamp set. Let me know if you haven't gotten one yet and I can hook you up. Thanks for looking!