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

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!