April 2014 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the April 2014 Stamp of the Month blog hop, featuring artwork from over 50 Close To My Heart consultants using Balloon Talk, a set of 24 stamps.  Whether you've arrived here from {Sarita's} blog or are just getting started, simply click on the link at the end of each post to go to the next blog in the hop.

So I know what you're thinking.  A bubble text stamp set is PERFECT for creating scrapbook layouts.  It absolutely is.  But, I found another cool use.  I LOVE to read, and between fun reading, school reading, and work reading, I often find myself looking for another bookmark.  Sometimes, I'll grab a Post-it note when I can't find a bookmark, and those things are boring and expensive.  This bookmark makes perfect use of the "START HERE" bubble, providing a perfect little pointer right to the line you want.  By using magnets, this bookmark will stay on the page and can be placed wherever it needs to be in order to point at your next sentence (photos were taken before laminating in order to reduce glare).  I did the 'emboss resist" technique of loading the stamp with Versamark and then my color of choice, then covered with Clear Detail embossing powder and heated with my heat gun.  Then I sponged the white text with Pear ink.  This allowed me to get two colors, and to keep them both true.  I cut a patterned piece of paper to the width of the text balloon and scored the middle, and then cut Blush cardstock to allow a 1/8th inch border.  I mixed Blush Re-inker with Create-a-Shade Pearl Paint, and brushed it onto the Blush cardstock.  After everything was dry, I assembled the pieces, adding magnets to the inside to allow the bookmark to grip the page, though it would also work without the magnets.  Laminating the bookmark after applying the magnets will ensure they stay attached to your bookmark.

Papers: CTMH Blush cardstock, CTMH Chantilly

Inks: CTMH Pear and Twilight, Versamark Watermark

Tools and Techniques: CTMH Clear Detail embossing Powder, sponging, CTMH Create-a-Shade Pearl Paint, CTMH Blush Re-inker, Basic Grey Magnets
Stamp Sets: CTMH Balloon Talk

Remember, Balloon Talk is only available April 1-30, 2014.  Contact your consultant, or click here to get one for yourself.  Now hop on over to {Lucy's} blog to see what she is talking about!

December 2013 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the December 2013 Close To My Heart Stamp of the Month blog hop featuring Special Care, a set of 6 stamps.  Whether you've just arrived from {Michelle's blog} or this is your starting point, just click on the link at the end of each post to go to the next blog in the hop.

This month's SOTM is a great set of tags that have potential for so many different projects:  gift tags, cards, layouts, or a wide variety of altered items.  I chose to make a small shadow box that would be perfect for a child's bathroom.  The image was cut out using the Art Philosophy cartridge, stamped in Pacifica, and mounted using several layers of 3D mounting foam to give it depth (the deep shadow box allows for lots of variation in layers).  The box was painted with Create-a-Shade paint in Pearl, and lightly brushed with Pacifica while the paint was still tacky.  Buttons and ribbon add a little bit of bling to the inside without detracting from the adorable kiddo or the overall project.

Remember, Special Care  is only available December 1-31, 2013.  Contact your consultant, or click here, to get this set for yourself.

Now hop on over to {Shirley's blog} to see her special creation.

If you find any broken links along the way, Melinda has the complete list here.

October 2013 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

It's OCTOBER, and that means a Christmas-themed stamp set for the Close To My Heart stamp of the month!  Whether you arrived from {Krista's} blog or are just starting here, simply click on the link at the end of each post to go to the next blog in the hop.  This month we have over 50 consultants participating in the hop which features Scandinavian Wishes, a set of 12 stamps.

This stamp set has coordinating shapes that can be cut from the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge, so I decided to make some ornaments or gift tags.

I used the Art Philosphy cartridge to cut out a few of the ornaments.  One great thing about the stamps that coordinate with the various Cricut cartridges is that the cartridge name, image size and page are listed on the stamp carrier right next to the image, making it virtually fool-proof.

I cut out the images, then stamped them with Versamark ink.  For two of them I used a colored embossing powder, but for two of them I used clear.  After allowing them to cool, I used a sponge to color the two that were heat embossed with clear powder (which allows the paper color to show through).  You could do a bunch of different things with these:  use ribbon or twine and hang them as ornaments or gift tags, add them as a dimensional element to a layout or card, put a bunch of them on a length of twine to create a garland (you could even use one alone to be a simple bookmark).

Remember, the October Stamp of the Month is only available from October 1st through 31st. Contact your Close To My Heart consultant, or click here to find out how to get this stamp set for yourself.

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

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

June 2013 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the CTMH Stamp of the Month blog hop.  If you just arrived from {Shirley's} blog, you are on the right path.  This month there are over 50 Close To My Heart consultants participating in our round-robin blog hop.  This month we are featuring A Flowering Bunch, a set of 10 stamps.

Summer means a new class for me, which means new books, which means NEW BOOKMARKS!!  Which is perfect, because when I looked at this stamp set, the big flower just screamed "bookmark" to me.  I chose colors from the Later Sk8r paper pack.

The first step was to cut out the shape from the Cricut Artiste cartridge, once in White Daisy and once in Pear.  Then the image was stamped on the White Daisy cardstock, sprinkled with black embossing powder and heated with the heat gun.  To do the watercolor, squeeze the lid of your stamp pad.  When you open the pad, there will be a bit of ink on the underside of the lid, which you will run the waterbrush through to load with color.  After coloring, the magnet disks were attached to the inside of each piece and then they were laminated.  Laminating after attaching the magnet disks gives an extra layer of protection to keep the magnets attached to the bookmark.  The bad thing about lamination is that regular adhesives don't adhere to it very well.

A few years ago I learned about Terrifically Tacky tape, which is AMAZING when you are working with surfaces that don't take adhesive well.  I applied the Terrifically Tacky tape to the underside of the front piece and trimmed to fit, then attached the two pieces of the bookmark together.  I squeezed them together, then decided to give the bond a little extra holding power by using my heat gun to warm the bookmark and squeezing some more.  And here is the final product in action.

Papers: CTMH Pear and White Daisy cardstock
Inks: CTMH Lagoon, Outdoor Denim, and Pear; Versamark
Tools and Techniques: CTMH Black Embossing Powder, Waterbrush, Cricut Artiste cartridge, Basic Grey magnets, Xyron lamination, Terrifically Tacky Tape  

Remember, A Flowering Bunch is only available June 1-30, 2013.  Ask your consultant, or click here, to find out how to get this stamp for yourself!

Now hop on over to {Angel's blog} to see her creation.

If you find any broken links along the way, Helen has the complete list on her blog. 

February 2013 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the February 2013 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop featuring Home Sweet Home, a set of 4 stamps.  If you've just arrived here from{Laurie's} blog, you are on the right path.   But, if you're just starting here you won't miss a thing.  Our hop is one big circle, so jump right on in and enjoy the artwork!

It's a funny coincidence that this month's Stamp of the Month is called Home Sweet Home and this month I will celebrate one year back from being stationed in Okinawa.  I'd had a project idea in mind for this set, but once I sat at my craft table I changed my mind and decided to play with my Cricut.

Papers: CTMH cardstock in Kraft, 
Inks: CTMH Pacifica
Tools and Techniques: Cricut, Cricut Artiste Cartridge, CTMH Buttons, Glue Dots
Stamp Sets: CTMH Home Sweet Home

Remember, Home Sweet Home is only available February 1-28, 2013.  Contact your consultant, or click here, to find out how to get one for yourself.

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

If you find any broken links along the way,  Helen has the complete list of hoppers listed on her blog.

September 2012 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the September Stamp of the Month blog hop featuring Fall Favorites, a set of 11 stamps.  If you have just arrived from {Georgia's} blog, you are on the right path.  Just starting here?  Simply click on the link at the end of each post to go to the next post in the hop.

When I saw this stamp set, it immediately made me think of an autumn table setting.  I thought the scarecrow would make a perfect place card holder.  The image was stamped on White Daisy cardstock, colored with watercolor pencils, and then cut out with a border using scissors.

 

I cut rectangles of Creme Brulee cardstock, and hand-wrote the names in Dutch Blue marker, adding a few accent doodles.

To make my scarecrows stand, I cut a strip of cardstock, and scored it in three places to make a triangle to attach to the back.  Vary the angles of the triangle to vary how far back it leans.

Remember, Fall Favorites is only available September 1-30, 2012.  Contact your consultant, or click {here}, to find out how to get your own.

Now hop on over to {Melinda's} blog to find some more favorites.

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

December 2011 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the December 2011 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop featuring Mad About You, a set of 14 stamps.  If you have just arrived from {Kami's} blog, you are on the right path.  If you are just starting here, you can join in our circular hop by simply clicking the link to the next blog at the end of each post.

The great thing about the December SOTM (that is, for those of you who aren't procrastinators) is that it is perfect for making your Valentine's Day cards and gifts.  I used the set to decorate a cover for a box of candy.  I started with a sheet of Blush cardstock, and then random stamped four images in Blush ink.  I then laid the cardstock face down, and used my Embossing Stylus to trace around the box, and creased the lines and made cuts where necessary.

Next I adhered the cardstock to the candy box.  I cut a strip of Pear cardstock, which was random stamped in Pear ink.  Once again, the stylus was used to mark the edges, the creases were made and the coordinating strip attached to the box.  The large heart image was stamped in Blush on Blush cardstock, and mounted using 3-D Mounting Foam.  (I apologize for the poor quality of the  photos.  I seem to have lost my camera battery charger when I moved barracks six weeks ago, so I had to resort to using my phone for pictures.)


Remember, Mad About You is only available December 1-31, 2011.  Contact your consultant or click here to find out how to get your own.

Now hop on over to {Melissa's} blog to see a project you're sure to be mad about.

If you find any broken links along the way, Helen has the complete list of hoppers listed on her blog.

October 2011 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the October 2011 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop featuring Holiday Magic, a set of 18 stamps.  If you are just arriving from {Teresa's} blog, you are on the right path.  If you are starting here, just click on the link at the end of each post to go to the next blog in the hop.

The October Stamp of the Month is always a Christmas stamp (well, at least "always" since 2007 that I can vouch for), so it is the perfect stamp to jump start your holiday crafting.  I decided to make gift tags, which I like to do every year.

Some ideas for attaching your gift tags are Embroidery Floss, Waxy Flax, and Hemp.  One thing I like to do with ribbon is punch a very small hole in the item (smaller than the width of the ribbon), and then run the ribbon through it.  The small size of the hole will hold the ribbon in place, so it isn't necessary to tie a knot.

Remember, Holiday Magic is only available October 1-31, 2011.  Contact your CTMH consultant, or click here, to find out how to get yours.

Now hop on over to {Wendy's} blog to see her magical creation.

If you find any broken links along the way, {Helen} has the complete list on her blog.

September 2011 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to our Close To My Heart consultant Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! We will be featuring the September SOTM, which is Limited Edition, a set of 21 stamps. If you have come here from {Teresa's} blog, you are on the right path!  If this is your starting point, hop on in and enjoy the fun.  Just click the link at the end of the post to take you to the next blog in our hop.

This is one of many CTMH stamp sets that coordinates with the new Cricut© Art Philosophy Collection, which is exclusive to Close To My Heart and includes the Art Philosophy cartridge, 3 My Acrylix® D-sized stamp sets, and 3 9" X 12" Dimensional Elements (Item number for the collection is Z1686).  I look at this stamp set and had inspiration for book marks, gift tags, and the project that I made, magnets.

I stamped the images on cardstock, and used some of our (now retired) Window Charms.  I simply applied the Window Charms over the stamp image, cut out with my cutting knife and glued a magnet on the back (you can use magnetic sheets, which are usually self adhesive, as well).   Since my barracks room has a metal door, I now have a cute magnet to hang my "don't forget" list (so maybe I'll stop forgetting my coffee, or workout clothes, or mp3 player...) when I leave for work or school.  The other two will go to work for my board; the clock is for anything time-sensitive, and the hand is for my "to do" items.  I love when I get to have something cute and useful at work!

Remember, Limited Edition is only available September 1-30, 2011.  Contact your consultant, or click here, to find out how to get yours.

Now hop on over to {Angel's} blog to see her enchanting creation. 

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

CTMH Spotlight Blog Hop Featuring Color Combos

Welcome to the February 2011 CTMH Spotlight Blog Hop featuring color combos.  If you've just arrive from {Adeline's} blog, you're on the right path.  If you are just starting here, you are in for a treat.  Our hop is a circular hop, so just click on the link at the end of each post to take you to the next stop on the hop.

The CTMH Idea Books are much more than just a catalog.  They are full of great layouts, cards, and projects that you can look back on for inspiration.  I have all of my Idea Books going back to the first CTMH gathering I attended in 2006.  One of the great inspirations to be found in our Idea Books are the color combos.  I always love getting to the My Acrylix stamp section to see the artwork created using interesting color combos.  The color combo I'm using comes from the Autumn/Winter 2007 IB and features three colors that debuted in my first IB (A/W 2006).  The colors are Cocoa, Honey, Petal, and Twilight.  And since (with the exception of Cocoa) I'm pretty sure none of those colors has been with another in any CTMH paper pack, that left me to my cardstock and embellishments.  But never fear!!!  CTMH colors are easy to match with our Exclusive Inks and Re-Inkers.

This is just a "Fat Lil' Notebook" that I'm embellishing so there is no confusion as to whom it belongs.  First I took out the spiral, and then covered the front and back cover with cardstock.  One thing I love doing with my cardstock is ink distressing with the matching ink.  That gives the oomph of the technique without making it too busy.

But then I realized that there is no ribbon in Twilight, Honey, or Petal.  Never fear, there are several ways to get a perfectly-matched ribbon.  For the Twilight organza ribbon, I cut a length of White Daisy organza and put it in a sandwich bag (the zipper type), making sure to push it toward the bottom.  With the bag lying on its side, I dripped about 15 drops of Twilight Re-Inker into the bag near the top.  Then I carefully closed and zipped the bag, and smooshed the Re-Inker across the width of the bag.  After it seemed to be fairly evenly distributed, I pushed the ribbon up into the ink and rubbed the bag around.  Once it appeared to have good coverage, I unzipped the bag and pulled the ribbon out to dry.  There were a few spots with too much ink, so I patted the ribbon with a paper towel.  And since I did this inside a zipped baggie, no inky smudges on my fingers (I removed the ribbon from the baggie using tweezers to keep my fingers clean)!

The Honey ricrac was colored in a different way, since I don't own Honey Re-Inker.  I simply opened up my Honey ink pad and set it on a plastic grocery bag.  Next, I took my length of ribbon, and starting at one end laid it on the surface of the ink pad. Then I used an edge of the plastic bag around my fingers while I pressed the ribbon into the ink pad, making sure to get both sides of the ribbon.  After the first pass, there was a pretty cool pattern showing white through the Honey, but I decided to go for a solid color.  So, second pass entailed pressing the ribbon into the surface of the ink pad while pulling it through for full coverage.  A few spots looked a bit more color-saturated than the rest, so I blotted them with a paper towel.  Voila!  MORE perfectly-matched ribbon!!!

So, I challenge you to find some color inspiration, and don't let your options be limited by how things are.  Use inks, Re-Inkers, and markers to get things just the color you want!

Now hop on over to {Wendy's} blog for some more color inspiration!

A New Bookmark

My ninja progressed to his most recent belt a few months back.  While I was home at Christmas, he mentioned that he needed a new bookmark (as he was still using his blue belt bookmark).

I definitely need to practice my hair coloring techniques.  I just gave up and went with what I ended up with, rather than start over.  He's a boy, he won't care.  LOL.  You can view the last one I made for him (with much better hair) here. 

Ian's skin was colored with E00 and E02, his pants with 110, hair was E33, Y21, Y06, and Y00 (and who knows what else, I was trying to salvage it after all!!), belt was CTMH Watercolor Pencil and shadowing was Prismacolor Premier Cool Grey 10%.

Papers: CTMH cardstock in Hydrangea and White Daisy
Inks: Brilliance Graphite Black, Copic Markers
Tools and Techniques: CTMH Watercolor Pencils, Basic Grey Small Magnetic Disks, Xyron Lamination, Cuttlebug, Nestabilities Large Labels, CTMH Liquid Glass
Stamp Sets: CTMH Tiny Typewriter, TGF Karate Ian (digital)

The magnets are self-adhesive, but I used some Liquid Glass to ensure a good long-term bond.  The lamination will also serve to keep the magnet disks in place.  The lamination wasn't applied until after I took the picture, as it tends to cause a glare and make it a challenge to get a decent shot.

January 2011 CTMH Spotlight Blog Hop

Welcome to the January 2011 CTMH Spotlight Blog Hop!  This month our hop is featuring Valentine's ideas.  If you have just arrived from {Debbie's} blog, you are on the right path.  If you are just beginning here, you won't miss any of the action, as our hop is a full circle.  Just click on the link at the end of each post to take you to the next blog in the hop.

My project is a Valentine's box.  This box actually has multiple uses.  It could be placed on the desk to receive Valentines in, it could be given full of chocolate kisses, or it could even be used to hide a jewelry box.  The box came from the dollar bin at Target, and all other items are CTMH (unless noted).

  

 

Papers: CTMH cardstock in Blush and Garden Green, CTMH That's Amore
Inks: CTMH Chocolate and Tulip, StazOn Timber Brown (to color the Colonial White Bigger Brads), CTMH Re-inker in Blush and Tulip
Tools and Techniques: CTMH ribbon(Cocoa Collection), CTMH Bigger Brads (Colonial White), Sponging (to color the Colonial White Bigger Brad and the cardstock on the flag), White Daisy Crochet Flowers (from Mini Medley Accents Collection), Mod Podge
Stamp Sets: CTMH Amore

Two outside of the ordinary things I did for this project:  I used alcohol mixed with Re-inker to color the crochet flowers, and I coated the completed box with Mod Podge to give it extra durability.

I hope you're inspired to create a fun Valentine project of your own.  Now hop on over to {Vicki's} blog to see her creation.

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.

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.

August 2010 Stamp of the Month

Wow, July flew by.  I just realized that I didn't post any of my creations this month.  I remember waiting so I wouldn't spoil anything, but here we are at the cusp of August (and I still have the unmailed items in my possession), and it's time for another Stamp of the Month blog hop.  This month we have over 60 Close To My Heart consultants participating in our hop, featuring the August Stamp of the Month Something Splendid.  If you just arrived from Angela's blog, you are on the right path.  If you are just starting here, our round-robin hop can still be enjoyed in it's entirety.  Just follow the links at the end of each post, and eventually you'll end up right back here!

My creation is an altered wood frame for a 4X6 photo.  I think I may have picked this up from the dollar bins at Michael's.  I mixed Delta Ceramcoat paint (available in the Distressing Kit Z1299) and Chocolate Re-Inker (Z2211) to achieve my desired shade to coordinate with the Cherry-O papers.

After painting the frame with a sponge brush (also in the Distressing Kit) and allowing it to dry, I mixed my second custom paint.  This one was made using the Create-a-Shade Pearl paint (Z1039) and Chocolate Re-Inker, mixing to a darker shade than my first custom color.

I then used the fan-shaped brush from the Distressing Kit and dry brushed the mixture on the frame.  The result is almost like a shimmery wood grain.  After allowing that to dry, it was on to the stamping.

The coolest (I think) thing about Something Splendid is the two versions of the large flower, which allow you to get lots of definition without lots of work.  I stamped the more solid image first in Blush, then followed up with the outline image using Tulip ink.  The image was stamped on the Crystal Blue side of the striped paper from Cherry-O.  The center of the flower was stamped with the second generation (in Chocolate ink) and rock and roll techniques (ink the image, stamp once on a piece of scrap paper, then roll the edge of the stamp on the ink pad to give more dimension and definition to the image, then stamp.  I used Tulip ink for this part.).  Of course, it wouldn't be me if I didn't use 3-D Mounting Foam, so the center of the flower has been mounted using it.  I added five Adhesive-backed Pearls (an old Connections Club reward) to the corner opposite the flower, and used a piece of Cherry-O paper so that the frame is decorative even without a picture.  If you love the Adhesive-backed Pearls like I do, just WAIT for the new Autumn Idea Book (***HINT HINT***), which will be available September 1st.

Remember, the August Stamp of the Month is only available 1-31 August 2010.  Contact your CTMH consultant, or click here to get yours. 

Now, hop on over to Traci's blog to see what she has created!

For the teacher...

My friend B is at the end of her first year as a teacher, and her birthday is also this week.  So, my first scrapping project in Okinawa (this time) is a name placard shadow box for her classroom.  She loves butterflies, and the colors pink and green, so I wanted to incorporate all of those into the shadow box.  The box is 8X10, and I got it at JoAnn.

Papers: CTMH Blush cardstock, CTMH Emporium

Inks: CTMH Blush

Tools and Techniques: Sponge edge distressing, Silhouette Machine (words and butterflies), CTMH Big Pinks flower, CTMH adhesive pearls, Zva Creative crystal flourish, Karen Foster Scrapper's Floss, Making Memories button, 3-D Mounting Foam, Xyron Adhesive


The butterflies were cut out with my Silhouette machine.  I adhered one completely onto the base, and the second one was mounted using 3-D mounting foam only on the center.  The edges of the wings were rolled slightly to give it dimension.  A row of adhesive pearls defines the butterfly's body, and a piece of floss attached to the underside are his antenna.  The crystal flourish was applied before the top butterfly. 

A piece of floss was tied through the button, which was then attached to the flower with glue dots.  The flower was attached to the background using glue dots as well.  Letters and mats were cut with the Silhouette.  The mats were sponged with Blush ink around the edges.  Letters were run through the Xyron to attach to the mats, then the mats were run through the Xyron to attach to background.  The "W" was instead mounted using a double stack of 3-D Mounting Foam (two pieces stacked on top of each other--remember to remove the paper backing before sticking the pieces together) in order to raise it up enough to clear the flower.  

 

 

Karate Ian Bookmark

A few weeks ago, I made myself a magnetic bookmark.  My son wanted me to make one for him also (he has been working his way through the Harry Potter books, and he frequently is reading more than one book at a time).  So last night I bought Karate Anya and Karate Ian from The Greeting Farm (looks like Sparkle has enabled me to another line of stamps-she was one of the first to get me interested in Bellas also).  I was a little worried about using digital "stamps", and I wondered if I would be able to use my Copic markers to color images printed on an inkjet printer.  The great thing about these images is that you can re-size them without worry because they are really high resolution.  So I printed 9 images on one sheet of paper, and let the ink dry while I made another card.  I was quite pleased that the image didn't bleed when I colored it.  It looks like I might be hooked.  At least these won't require any storage space in my already-cramped stamp storage boxes. :)  Obviously, I need lots of practice coloring hair.

February 2010 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

The first month of 2010 has FLOWN by!  Time for the February Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.  If you just arrived from Lori's blog, you are on the right path.  This month there are over 70 Close To My Heart consultants participating in our blog hop.  We are featuring the February 2010 Stamp of the Month Piece of Cake, a set of 10 stamps.  This set consists of adorable cakes on platters along with some sentiments that will work great for cards and other projects.  And with so many participants, there are bound to be lots of adorable projects that you ( and I!!!!) will want to do for ourselves.

My project is a rather simple (but useful) one.  I've been reading a lot lately, both pleasure reading and professional reading.  On more than one occasion my bookmark has slipped out of my book, causing me to have a spend a few minutes searching for my place.  So I decided to make a magnetic book mark.  The first step was to cut a piece of cardstock slightly more than twice my desired finished size.  I then scored it across the middle (just like you would score to fold a card).  I then took the folded cardstock and cut it using a Nestabilities die (make sure that you place it in the die so that the fold doesn't get cut by the die).

I put the two magnetic disks together, and adhered to the back of one side of the cardstock (what would be the inside of the "card").  Then I closed the card to adhere the second disk to other side, which helped to make sure that the disks were properly lined up.

 
The cake image was stamped twice, once on white, and once on patterned paper.  Both images were cut out, the patterned paper was adhered over the white paper, and I colored in parts of the image.  The paper-pieced image was then adhered to the "front" of the bookmark, and I ran the whole thing (in the open position) through my Xyron with dual-sided lamination cartridge to laminate the bookmark (this will not only help it to last longer than bare cardstock, but will also ensure that your magnetic disks don't come unattached).  Trim away the excess lamination, and your bookmark is ready for lots of use.  I have found that if you intend to laminate something with a fold, it seems to work better to create the fold before you laminate the item.

 

Papers: CTMH Garden Green cardstock, CTMH That's Amore
Inks: CTMH Chocolate, CTMH markers Garden Green and Tulip

Tools and Techniques: Paper piecing, Nestabilities Labels Eight, Cuttlebug, Xyron lamination, Basic Grey magnetic disks
Stamp Set: Piece of Cake

I have to say, I find it highly amusing that I am using this really *cute* bookmark in a book about a Parachute Infantry Regiment company in World War II.

Remember, Piece of Cake is only available February 1-28, 2010.  Contact your Close To My Heart consultant, or click here, to order one for yourself.

Now hop on over to Laura's blog to see what she has created!

If you find any broken links along the way, Helen has the complete list on her blog.

Recycle (and break in some new stuff)

The challenge at Our Creative Corner this week is to create a card or project using recycled items. The timing couldn't be more perfect. I was cleaning out the pantry the other day and came across this tin. My husband's company had been giving them out at some convention-type thing, and it came filled with chocolate chip cookies. There were still 1 1/2 of the little cookies in the tin, and I know he's had it for ages. I tossed the cookies (haha, tossed my cookies ;) ) and decided to keep the tin to alter. I didn't think I'd get to it so soon, but this week's challenge was the perfect excuse.



I used CTMH Silhouette paper, as well as Bamboo and Tulip cardstock. Stamp set used was CTMH Friendship Small. Flowers are Prima, I sewed with my machine on the two strips of Bamboo cardstock (only one is visible in the picture). Ribbon is CTMH Colonial White Ricrac, and brads are CTMH Tulip. I got to break in my new Cuttlebug (I broke my old one last month by trying to go from memory instead of using the cheat sheet for the cut/emboss stacks), as well as my new Nestabilities Labels One (which arrived two days after I broke my Cuttlebug and has been teasing me for weeks now, begging to be used). After embossing the labels, I sponged them (while still in the die) with the matching ink. I'm glad I did that, because all of the pressure necessary to keep the label in place while the Mod Podge dried pretty much removed the embossing. I didn't really have an intended purpose for this, but I think I am going to use it as my secret candy stash in the scrap room. I need to go see if I have some sugar free Werther's Originals to fill it with...