Monday, August 25, 2014

What a Hoot, Halloween Layout

It's almost the end of the month, which means that the Stamp of the Month will only be available for a few more days! I've used the What a Hoot stamp for Halloween cards and also some cards that can be used for any occasion. The owls are a nice large image so I wanted to use them on a layout.


I used the new Scaredy Cat papers and some cuts from my Artbooking Cricut cartridge. It is a nice clean layout that allows for just a few photo's to be the focus and of course those darling owls!




This has been a really fun stamp to play with all month. Be sure to check out my Pinterest page for more ideas and be sure to order before the deadline of August 3st!

Friday, August 22, 2014

Base & Bling Ideas

Base & Bling was first introduced in the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book. Close To My Heart has continued the Base & Bling fashion line and has added many more fabulous products to this collection. You can click on the Idea Book link in the right hand column or click here to see them all, but I would like to show you a few I created for my Open House.

This first item is just a necklace. I actually wore it to work today, which is what reminded me that I never posted about it!! It is fairly basic and does not require to many extra's, but I think that it still looks stunning and believe that some projects should just be easy and quick!


Your Base & Bling creations don't only have to be necklaces! I purchased a pack of these rings very inexpensively and made this key ring. No more boring keys!!


Finally, I'd like to share the new oval cuff. Simply add a style sheet image of your choice and adhere an oval glass cover. This is a stunning addition to your jewelry collection as is or you can fancy it up with charms and ribbon.


Whether you choose a necklace, key ring or bracelet; any Base & Bling creation will be "Awesome"!

If you are interested in coming to a Base & Bling Buffet let me know! You can explore the wonderful products this collection has to offer and create an entire project or two while hanging out! Not a bad way to get a head start on Christmas gifts either!! Contact me for more information!

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Picture My Life Workshop





I held my Picture My Life workshop this past Saturday. As you can see from the photo above I gave a sampling of different projects that can be created using any of these collections. The ladies enjoyed the workshop, had the freedom to create their own pages and were inspired by the ideas I shared. They had several more ideas to contribute by the end of the class. Here are a few ideas I showed them.


I started by showing the basic idea of the Picture My Life collections. I had a few sample pages using the new Pear & Partridge cards. I also had some pages from my own personal scrapbook in the Surf's Up collection. They were able to see pages with photo's and lots of my own journaling. These pages also had a few added embellishments and stamping on them so they could see how to incorporate more products and our amazing My Acrylix stamp sets.

To add even more interest and possibility to the page, I showed the ladies how you can add an accordion folded section of cardstock that can be unfolded and pulled out for more pictures or journaling. 




How about using the cards in your home decor! They can easily be added to the designer decor frame with little wooden clothespins. I like this idea, because you can change up your decor with the latest events in your family!


Mini albums are a quick and easy way to showcase pictures from a recent celebration or event, rather than a 12x12 scrapbook page. You can use the cards in a Kraft binder mini album like I did in this post of my son's graduation book or you can actually create a mini album with the cards and some Washi tape. For this mini book I used the Later Sk8r PML collection and some various Washi tape to bind them all together.



Finally, I showed them how easily the PML cards can be added to a standard greeting card. You can use them alone with just some papers or dress it up further with some stamping and embellishing. Here is one of the boxed card samples I showed them in the Laughing Lola papers. I also demonstrated this using the Pear & Partridge collection, but gave both the sample cards away before taking a picture of them! {oops!}


I think the only way I did not show the PML collection was in our Base & Bling jewelry, but I bet we can create that too! Don't forget about the special this month where you can purchase additional protector sheets for only $3 when you order one of the Picture My Life collections. See all the details in the right hand column or shop online here.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

If the broom fits...

...Ride it! This new Halloween stamp set is so sweet and funny too! I played with some fussy cutting and coloring with the new Shinhan markers to make it just how I imagined in my mind. I wanted trendy with a little bit of a vintage feel. I used the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches as my starting point. I decided to emboss the background paper in chevron to add some interest.  The ribbon I used is also a new item. It is a soft, black striped twill ribbon, I love it!


Here is the sketch~


Halloween Greetings D1605~

Chevron Embossing Folder~


Black Striped Twill Ribbon~


Thank you for stopping by! If you would like to recreate this card, you can find all the products online here.


Friday, August 15, 2014

Let Me Introduce You

Have you met the new colors of the Annual Inspirations Idea Book? There are 5 new colors and they can be found in the Whimsy collection. To introduce you to the new colors I have created mini 3x3 cards using the ink color, cardstock color and the fundamental papers which feature the color in a fun pattern.

Thistle~ This is a vibrant, fun purple. It is perfect for Halloween and similar to the purple in the Laughing Lola papers.


Glacier~ An icy blue color, not too light and just a hint of grey.


Flaxen~ This color is a little bit of a mustard and hay mixture. It is the golden color found in the Laughing Lola paper.


 Canary~ What a cheerful yellow! I was a little bummed when they were discontinuing the creme brulee, because it was my go-to yellow color. However, I'm happy with the change as this is a brighter and more vibrant yellow!


Pixie~ I don't think there could be a cuter name for a bashful pink color! It's much more pink than Blush and so girlie. 



I wrapped up all the new fun colors in this cute, decorated cello bag. One lucky guest at my workshop this Saturday will get to take them all home. Not only will they have adorable cards, but now they will have swatches of the new colors to see in person!


I used the Have a Happy Day stamp set to decorate all the cards and the bag. It is also a brand new item in the Annual Inspirations Idea Book. It has some great sentiments and cute images, making it a versatile stamp set. It was definitely one of the first stamp sets on my list! You can get this new stamp, the new ink & cardstock colors and fundamental papers on my website or can be ordered through me.




Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Picture My Life Workshop

This Saturday I will be hosting a Picture My Life Workshop. I will be showcasing some of the new collections and projects that can be completed with these wonderful new products. The ladies will be creating their very own pages in the class and then I will be showing them other possibilities like making cards, using them for home decor and creating mini albums!


Have you seen the collections in the new book? You can see all the current items here on the Picture My Life tab. If you love this style of scrapbooking you don't want to miss this month's special.

During the month of August, when you purchase any of the 13 available Picture My Life™ scrapbooking programs featured in the Annual Inspirations idea book at their full retail price of $24.95 USD / $27.50 CAD, you are eligible to add your choice of 1 of 8 qualifying Memory Protectors™ 10-packs for just $3 (USD & CAD)! Each Picture My Life scrapbooking program already includes a coordinating 10-pack of Memory Protectors, so when you add your additional 10-pack for only $3, you will be well on your way to your own picture-perfect pocket scrapbooking adventure. You’ll be able to preserve double the memories in half the time! Check out our 5 new Picture My Life scrapbooking programs in the new idea book, or choose from the 8 existing programs. There’s a theme for every season of life—find yours!

 *Offer valid August 1–31, 2014, while supplies last.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Back To School with Chalk It Up

My daughter and I are back to school today! It is earlier than usual this year, but I am looking forward to the change. As tradition I have always made a layout for the first day of school. I always had pictures of both my kids too, but this year only my daughter will star in the layout as my son graduated last year. Wow, what a change for me!

I created this layout using the new Chalk It Up papers and complements. What an awesome new paper packet and embellishments. The chalkboard look has been trending for some time, so I was excited to see it and to play with it. Here is the layout~ {pictures will be added later}




Here is a photo I will add to my layout later. One of my daughter's favorite breakfast meals are banana nut muffins. So I made a batch and baked them in these totally cute paper liners with glasses. They not only match the layout, but my daughter has similar glasses too!!






Here are the products I chose for this layout along with some artwork from the Idea book using this awesome new paper collection. You can order any of these items yourself online or through me.







Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, August 8, 2014

Owl, Just Be You!

I love when you find that stamp set that continues to inspire you to create different projects. This month's Stamp, What a Hoot, is one of those stamps! My initial projects were for Halloween, but now I'm discovering that it can be used for all sorts of occasions and just because!

I created this card for Freshly Made Sketches this week. I turned the sketch, because when I first looked at it I immediately saw a polaroid picture!




I used the Chalk It Up papers and puffy sticker assortment to embellish my card. The papers and colors allow this card to be used for a male or female recipient. You can order these items online and don't forget to add this versatile stamp of the month to your order for only $5. {after qualifying purchase}



Thursday, August 7, 2014

Where The Buffalo Roam

I am working on scrapbooking some photo's from our summer vacation before we head back to school and work. Not such a difficult task since I have several new products to use from the Annual Inspirations Idea Book!

On a recent visit to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon we had the pleasure of watching the buffalo roam. It was really awesome to just sit and watch these magnificent creatures. After printing my photo's I searched for the perfect paper collection to match them. There was not a paper packet that matched precisely, but I could mix & match a few that worked well.

So what did I come up with? Seaside meets Timberline and some buffalo!~


I used papers and the stamp set from the Seaside Workshop on the Go. It all worked well with some deeper natural colors from the older Timberline paper collection and solid cardstock colors. The stamp set although intended for the beach or ocean, captured the same feelings from watching the wildlife in the meadows. I also used the Hopscotch Alphabet for the title on the right page.




The Seaside Workshop on the Go is available for purchase now until July 31, 2015. It has lovely papers, a versatile stamp set {as you can see from my layout}, and cute embellishments with a fish, aqua dots and some sea shells.


You can place your order with me or online here.