August 2013 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the August (!) 2013 Stamp of the Month blog hop featuring A Chocolate Affair, a set of 16 stamps.  This month we have over 50 consultants participating in the hop.  Whether you've arrived here from {Gina's} blog or this is your starting point, simply click on the link at the end of each post to be taken to the next blog in the hop.

This stamp set is perfect for making tags for sweet little gifts (or should that be little sweet gifts) that you might give to someone.  I had planned to put my tags on little cellophane-wrapped packages of gluten-free cookies, but I haven't been able to get off of work before the bakery closes (sidebar:  WHY does the bakery have to close so early?  WHY do I have to work so late?).  Since I didn't make it to the bakery, NO COOKIES FOR YOU!!!

My tags were made using a 2 inch circle punch and a 2 1/2 inch scalloped circle punch.  The images were inked first with Versamark and then with the colored ink, then stamped on the cardstock.  I used clear embossing powder and my heat gun to get a bit of texture and sheen to the images.  Inking the stamp with Versamark and then the colored ink allows the colored ink to be applied to the paper and the Versamark ink over top in one step.  You could add a hole with a hole punch and use ribbon or twine to wrap around a bundle, or you could adhere these to something flat (like a giant dark chocolate bar).  What a stamp set to use when there is NO chocolate in the house!

The heat embossing is a bit more evident in the second picture.

Remember, A Chocolate Affair is only available August 1-31, 2013.  Contact your consultant, or click here, to find out how to get one for yourself.

Now hop on over to {Wendy's} blog to see her sweet project!

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

January 2013 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the January 2013 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.  If you just arrived from {Sarita's} blog, you are on the right path.  This month there are nearly 50 Close To My Heart consultants participating in our blog hop.  We are featuring the January 2013 Stamp of the Month Happy Valentine's, a set of 7 stamps.  

For my project, I broke out my Cricut and the Artiste cartridge.  The little square box measures 2.5" on each side, and has a cutout window on the top.  I cut the box body from Sweet Leaf cardstock, and the lid from La Belle Vie.  I stamped the rose on the reverse side of the window cutout from the box lid in StazOn black ink.  I cut out the rose and then used Liquid Glass to attach it to the underside of a 2.5" square of acetate (I just use those overhead transparency sheets you can buy at the office supply store).  I also used Liquid Glass to attach the acetate to the underside of the lid.  Once the LG was dry, I attached black Opaques from the Licorice package, and made a bow from black grosgrain ribbon which was attached with Zots glue dots.  For the box body, I mixed black Re-inker with Create-a-Shade Pearl Paint and dry-brushed it over the box, allowing some of the cardstock color to show through.  If you wanted to make the  box sturdier, you could coat it with a product like Mod Podge.  Now you have a cute box that you can put a small gift or treasure into.  

Remember, Happy Valentine's is only available January 1-31, 2013.  Contact your consultant or click here to find out how to get your own.

Now hop on over to {Michelle'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.

May 2012 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the May 2012 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop featuring Friendship Bouquet, a set of 8 stamps.  If you have just arrived from {Lori'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.

Well, this was definitely cutting it close.  My shipment from Okinawa took the full 60 days to get here (technically, they didn't call me until the 61st day), which has NEVER happened to me before.  So, two short days ago the movers were here.  This was my scrap room Friday afternoon, before the movers were finished.

And this is what it looked like Sunday night.

 And I still have scrap stuff in two other rooms.  Luckily, I was able to "dig up" the supplies I needed to make this cute gift, which would be perfect for introducing yourself to a new neighbor.  I took some seed packets and tied them together with Tan Hemp.  Using a Dimensional Element from the Art Philosophy Collection, I stamped the sentiment in Hollyhock and the leaf in Bamboo.  Had I been able to locate my hole punch, I would have tied on the Dimensional Element, but I just used adhesive to attach it to the seed packet.  The hemp was threaded through the buttons and tied off, leaving the flower-shaped buttons to dangle.

Papers: CTMH Dimensional Elements

Inks: CTMH Bamboo and Hollyhock

Tools and Techniques: CTMH Hemp, CTMH Pink Assortment Buttons, CTMH Blue Assortment Buttons
Stamp Sets: CTMH Friendship Bouqet

Remember, Friendship Bouquet is only available May 1-31, 2012.  Contact your consultant or click {here} to find out how to get your own.

Now hop on over to {Nancy'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.

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.

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.

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.  

 

 

At last!!!

In December of 2008, I began working on a scrapbook for my father-in-law.  It should have been easy, as I was using the (now retired) Magic Moments Scrapbook kit.  Pre-printed layout pages, embellishments, directions, suggested photo sizes, really designed to make it easy.  Well, I kept getting hung up on selecting photos, so it went untouched for a long time.  But FINALLY, I completed the last page (which is actually the first page of the book) today [Note:  "today" was actually January 6th 2010.  It took me six more weeks to actually get the photos uploaded and the slideshow made, hence the mid-February post].   In addition to the Magic Moments kit, I put my Silhouette to use, cutting titles for several pages, and the bracketed square for the title page.  I put some extra empty page protectors in the book, so that I can make and send layouts that he can simply slide in (always a good idea to keep things simple for those who aren't scrapbookers).

Semper Fi

For the last several months, I have been secretly (well, not really secretly, just secretly for the friend we were making it for) working on a scrapbook with a friend. This was truly a world-wide project, as we had to send pieces of layouts to Okinawa, Afghanistan, Iraq, Hawaii, and all around the continental U.S. for this project. This album was to be a retirement gift for someone who has had a tremendous impact on many lives. Today we presented the album to MSgt Pearson, who will retire December 31st after 20 years of faithful service in the Marine Corps. Her influence will be felt for years to come, and she will be terribly missed.

Papers: CTMH, and miscellaneous cardstocks and patterned papers
Inks: CTMH, and my inkjet printer
Stamps: CTMH, and some stamps I purchased at Shuri-jo Castle
Embellishments: tons. MM brads, Prima flowers, others.
Titles were cut with my Silhouette
Interactive pages: Foto Flaps. Also, matted pictures were laminated in Xyron, and a piece of a transparency was cut, scored to make a "tent", and adhered to the layout and the matted photo using Terrifically Tacky tape (normal adhesives would not keep the transparency and lamination stuck together). Page protectors were cut with Xacto knife to allow the flap to stick through and be interactive.

She calibrates. She shoots. She runs. She...

...crochets. This is the second baby blanket I made this year. I made it for my friend Chris, whose adorable son was born in January (yes, I'm a little slow). I FINALLY got it finished, and in the mail. Okay, I finished it several weeks ago, but that whole getting to the post office, and knowing WHICH post office I am going to ship from (I regularly deal with post offices in four different zip codes) thing tends to be a problem. I actually bought the yarn back in November, then decided to wait to start the blanket until after the baby was born (since she chose to be surprised instead of finding out the gender ahead of time). I was worried that it might be too much blue for a girl. I realize that brown in a baby blanket is somewhat odd, but she liked the most adorable bedding set, and I was hoping that this would coordinate well with it. I'm not sure if you can make it out, but the pattern has raised lines crocheted, running the opposite direction of the solid blue stripes.

Yet to be

This baby congrats card was made following this week's Mojo Monday sketch (which I took minor liberties with). This card will be accompanying a late baby gift (which I will post at a later time). I really love the blues and yellow together. I would have liked to have had (wait for it Sue) orange flowers that matched the thin orange stripes to add a bit of contrast, but I think it turned out well. The patterned papers and textured (darker blue) cardstock are DCWV. I also used CTMH cardstock in Crystal Blue and Sunkiss Yellow, CTMH inks in Crystal Blue and Buttercup, CTMH buttons, Imaginisce flowers, and Karen Foster Design floss. Stamp sets used were CTMH Reminisce (sentiment in the box)and Moments (flourish).

Thank you neighbor!

My neighbor spent most of February at their condo in the Caribbean, and I was keeping an eye on things for them...you know, take in any packages, make sure the trash cans were taken out, keep an eye out for dead animals left by the hawk or the cats who love their yard, turn off the sprinklers when it rained. Normal neighbor stuff. Well, Catherine brought back from the Caribbean this lovely silver hook bracelet, which she gave to me yesterday. She even got the perfect size for my tiny wrist. So today I made her a thank you card (since we went out for a fabulous dinner last night, after which I was too stuffed to scrap). While bloghopping today, I found a new (to me) weekly challenge at Mojo Monday. This is made from the week 78 challenge (tomorrow will be week 80). I made this in standard A2 size, using the CTMH Perfect Day paper pack, Tulip cardstock which was ink distressed with Tulip ink, Colonial White cardstock which was ink distressed with Bamboo ink, and Cocoa cardstock. The stamps used were CTMH Butterfly Wings (March Stamp of the Month) for the flourish, which was second-generation stamped in Juniper ink and Say it in Style (which was a SOTM last year, and I'm hoping that it will be brought back in the Summer Idea Book). I also used CTMH Cocoa ribbon.

Gifts in a jar

I decided to make cookie mixes in a jar for Christmas gifts for teachers, daycare providers and neighbors. I found a lot of recipes, but the two that sounded the best I found on Organized Christmas. I chose Oatmeal Scotchies and Cranberry Hootycreeks. I don't know what a hootycreek is, but how could I pass up a cookie with a name like that? Plus, it has cranberries AND white chocolate chips, it must be delicious.

These are the completed jars for my son's teacher and teacher's aide, and the three daycare ladies. I made gift tags by folding a 3" X 6" piece of cardstock in half and then cutting a circle with my Nestabilities (making sure to leave a part of the fold intact). I stamped the image (from the December Word Puzzle), then embossed with clear detail embossing powder. The inside was stamped using the now-retired Christmas Tags stamp set).



I bought the fabric at Wal-Mart, and printed out a 7 inch circle to use as my template. I then cut it on on my Versamat using a rotary cutter. Super simple.



The first batch I didn't think to use rubber bands to secure the fabric to the jar, I simply tied on the ribbon. The subsequent batches have rubber bands keeping the fabric on, and the Cranberry Grosgrain ribbon is simply decorative.




The recipes on the Organized Christmas website each have a PDF file with the directions so you can easily print the decorative label to attach to your jar. I was going to make my own labels, but time always seems to slip away. I found that a lot of the recipes for gifts in a jar have more ingredients than the jar has volume, so you have to work REALLY hard to get everything in the jar (which is why I didn't make as many Oatmeal Scotchie jars, it is VERY hard to get everything to fit-however, the Cranberry Hootycreeks were a perfect fit and the colors are nicer). I still have a few more to make before I am finished, and I will definitely make these again. I am already planning for next year, I think I will make a soup in a jar.