October 2010 CTMH Spotlight Blog Hop

Welcome to the October 2010 CTMH Spotlight Blog Hop.  This month we are featuring Christmas Projects.  If you've just arrived from {Nikka's} blog, you are on the right path.  If you are just starting here, simply click on the link at the end of the post to go to the next blog on our circular hop.

My project is a My Creations Memory Keeper inspired by the talented Lisa Stenz.   You could make a box like this to keep the holiday cards and pictures you receive from family and friends this year, or make dividers from cardstock and use it to house special ornaments or decorations, or you can do like me and use it to store the Christmas cards that you make throughout the year (because we have all been so diligently working on our Christmas cards since January).  This box was decorated with cardstock and the lovely Evensong Creative Basics paper (which, I'm sad to say, is retired).  For the top of the box, I covered some chipboard letters in Evensong papers, and then used the Finishing Files to clean up the edges before using white paint along the edges of the letters (because unlike the wonderful CTMH Dimensional Elements letters, which are white, the chipboard I used was that oh-so-attractive blah gray-brown color).  For the letters that were stacked, I used 3-D Foam Squares (which I cut in half through the height so they wouldn't pop up too much).  I added snowflake brads to the corners, and now I have a great place to keep the Christmas cards I make throughout the year.  (No, really.  I really DO start my Christmas cards in January.  Last year I even had them finished by early December.  Mailing them, however, was a different story.)  I've had a box like this for a while, and one thing I would do different is use glue instead of adhesive runners to attach the papers, especially to the top of the box.  After some time, the papers on the top of the box that I used adhesive runners on isn't as smooth as I would like.  This is a project that you can make multiples of:  one for Christmas cards, one for Birthday cards, one for Thank You cards, one for gift card holders, the possibilities are limitless.  These would also make great memory boxes for newlyweds, new parents, or grandparents.  Heck, you can make one to give as a gift and one to keep for yourself.  Those are the BEST kind of projects!

Now hop on over to {Traci's} blog for some more Christmas project inspiration.

Let your paper do the work

These cards are from my scrap weekend a little while back.  These are for me to send out to the guys in Afghanistan so they will have some cards to send home to family and friends.  I decided to let my paper do the work.  The papers are from the DCWV Holiday Collection The Christmas Stack.  I used the patterned papers, adorned with sparkles or Stickles, a big decorative brad here or there, and minimal stamping. 

October 2010 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the October 2010 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop, featuring Share the Magic, a set of 12 Stamps.  If you've just arrived here from {Georgia's} blog, you are on the right track.  If you are just starting here, just jump in and enjoy our circular hop, which has over 60 participants this month.  When you reach the end of a post, click on the link at the end to go to the next post, easy peasy!!

My project is a set of 12 gift tags.  I thought it would be fun to do some heat embossing, so I chose a few different colors of paper with plans to use different embossing powders on them.  My first step was to punch out the tags, and then put in eyelets at the top for the ribbon/waxy flax.  Next, I put the "To:" and "From:" stamps on the block.  **Hint:  to put multiple stamps on the block exactly the way you want them, place the stamps on your work surface or on a piece of paper with the flat side up and in the positions that you want them in.  Then, set the block on top of the stamps and press gently.  Voila!  Perfectly positioned stamps for your project.  This is extremely useful when making words from alphabet stamps.**  The stamps were inked with Versamark, and then stamped on the tags.  Embossing powder was applied, making sure to brush away the excess powder before using the heat gun.  **Hint:  when heat embossing on both sides of an item, make sure that you remove the excess powder from the first side before embossing the second side.  Trust me, even if you don't intentionally put powder on the first side when you powder the second side, it WILL end up there.**  The snowman was colored in using markers, and ribbon and Waxy Flax were used for the hanging loop.

Papers: CTMH cardstock in Cranberry, Olive, Tulip, and White Daisy
Inks: CTMH Markers in Black, Chocolate, Cranberry, Goldrush, and Olive, Versamark
Tools and Techniques: Heat embossing, CTMH embossing powder in Black, Gold, and White, CTMH eyelets (old style) in Cranberry and Olive, CTMH Eyelet Kit (old style), CTMH ribbon, Waxy Flax, Marvy Uchida punch
Stamp Sets: CTMH Share the Magic


Remember, Share the Magic is only available during the month of October 2010.  Ask your consultant, or click here, to find out how to get this stamp for a discount or possibly even FREE!

Now hop on over to {Dawn's} blog to share in her magic. 
If you find any broken links along the way, Helen has the complete list of participants {here}.

September 2010 CTMH Spotlight Blog Hop

Welcome to the September 2010 CTMH Spotlight Blog Hop.  This month we are featuring Dimensional Elements.  If you've just arrived from Chris' blog, you are on the right path.  If you are just starting here, simply click on the link at the end of the post to go to the next blog on our circular hop. One of the purposes of our Spotlight Blog Hop is to give you ideas to use up those items in your stash.  That is definitely something I need to work on (and, as I posted at the beginning of the year, is one of my scrapping goals for the year).  Hopefully you will find some great ideas to inspire you to use up some of YOUR stash!

My project is a My Creations Display Album (yep, in my stash!).  I covered the chipboard cover with CTMH Expedition paper (now retired).  The Dimensional Elements used are from Classic Alphabet (retired) and On Target.  Before adhering the paper to the DE, I used the CTMH Finishing Files to clean up the edges (particularly where they had been connected to the DE sheet).  I used Mod Podge as my glue, and after it dried I trimmed with my Cutting Knife.  I once again put the Finishing Files to use to clean up the edges.  I then did direct-to-paper ink distressing with Chocolate ink, using a Sponge Dauber (which, by the way, my *frugal* butt washes and re-uses!) to ink the inner part of the circle.  I cut a piece of Chocolate cardstock to back the letter (to help it stand out better against the green background), and attached with Liquid Glass.  I cut out the picture using my (now retired) Coluzzle Circle, and adhered that to the DE circle with Liquid Glass as well.  Just a few Basic Craft Buttons (also from my stash), and my cute little display album is complete.

I hope you enjoyed my project, and were inspired to use up some of your own stash!  Now hop on over to {Tracey's} blog for more inspiration.

September 2010 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the September 2010 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  If you have just arrived from Antoinette's blog, you're on the right path.  If not, no worries.   Our blog hop is a round-robin, so you can jump in anywhere and enjoy the whole experience.  Just click on the link at the end of each blog to take you to the next blog on the hop.  This month we have over 60 CTMH consultants participating in our hop.  We are featuring the September Stamp of the Month Thriller, a set of nine stamps.

Although this seems to be a Halloween-themed set, when I saw the cute skulls with heart-shaped eye sockets, I thought of pink and black.  My project is a covered composition book.  I random stamped several of the images in versamark and heat embossed with black powder.  The main image on the front was stamped in Versamark, heat embossed in black, and then I colored in the skull with Create-a-Shade Pearl Paint.  For the distressing, I used black ink and Create-a-Shade Pearl Paint, and the techniques used were the stubble tool and fan brush from the Distressing Kit, and direct-to-paper edge distressing and cross-hatching.  For the spine, I cut multiple strips of ribbon, which I adhered to another piece of cardstock, and then attached to the composition book.  Photo was taken before coating with Mod Podge to protect it (I didn't want to have a glare when I took the photo).

Papers: CTMH Blush cardstock
Inks: CTMH Black, Versamark
Tools and Techniques: Heat embossing, crosshatching, direct-to-paper edge distressing, stubble tool, fan brush, Create-a-Shade Pearl Paint, CTMH ribbon
Stamp Sets: CTMH Thriller

Remember, the September Stamp of the Month is only available 1-30 September 2010.  Contact your CTMH consultant, or click here to get yours for a discount or even for FREE!!!

Now hop on over to {Amy's blog} to see what she's created. 

If you find any broken links along the way, Helen has the complete list of participants here.

Thank You Cards from my Scrap Weekend

My plan for my scrap weekend was to make greeting cards for my guys in Afghanistan (where I would be now if I weren't in Okinawa), and to try to finish off some paper packs.  I sent them a greeting card organizer from The Container Store a few months back, and I wanted to keep them stocked with cards to send to their family and friends.

I would LOVE to tell you the name of this paper pack, but I threw out the label over the scrap weekend.  I can tell you that I got this CTMH paper pack at my very first scrap weekend in October 2006, and I used a good portion of it on a layout I did shortly thereafter of the annual Naha Tsunahiki.  I didn't quite finish off the pack yet, but I will soon.  All I can remember is the word "Country" is in the name of it...

Papers: CTMH, CTMH Cardstock in Autumn Terracotta and Dutch Blue

Inks: CTMH Autumn Terracotta and Dutch Blue

Tools and Techniques: Crosshatching, direct-to-paper edge distressing, CTMH  Brads, CTMH flowers, Prima flowers
Stamp Sets: CTMH Thank You, CTMH A Little Everything, CTMH Card Chatter-Thank You, CTMH  From Me to You, CTMH For Every Occasion

Perfect 10

This is the card I made for my son for his tenth birthday.  Of course, me and my postal issues didn't get it in the mail in time to arrive for his birthday.   This card used two previous Stamps of the Month (March and July 2010).

Papers: CTMH Stardust

Inks: CTMH Chocolate, Moonstruck, and Topiary, CTMH markers in Black, Chocolate (accents in hedgie's scruff), Crystal Blue, and Topiary, Versamark

Tools and Techniques: Heat embossing, CTMH gold embossing powder, crosshatching, direct-to-paper edge distressing, CTMH Watercolor Pencils, Waterbrush, 3-D Mounting Foam, Bella's Baubles
Stamp Sets: CTMH Happy Forever, CTMH A Little Everything