My Anchor

The Regatta papers in the Seasonal Expressions Idea Book are so good and the coordinating stamp sets are fantastic! I've combined several patterns of the Regatta paper with the adorable anchor image for this card. I added some kraft cardstock and stamped the little boat image for interest.

I love the sentiment, "You are my anchor"! These papers and stamps from the SE Idea Book will only be available until the end of April. Place your order soon so you don't miss the boat!

Smile for FMS

So far I've been using the Stamp of the Month, Life in Pictures with either the camera images adorning the project or the cool polaroid frame as the focal point. On this card I created for Freshly Made Sketches, I've used one of the camera images to create a background paper. Once it was all stamped tone-on-tone I left the additional elements very simple. A pairing of soft colors with a simple sentiment and a few sequins are the center of attention. Does it make you smile?

The Life in Pictures SOTM is available until the end of April! Have a great weekend!

Hello H2H Sketch Challenge

It's been awhile that I've played along with Heart 2 Heart Challenges. Its a sketch challenge this week. I was able to use up some Cricut cuts I did some time ago and added the pretty Springtime Wishes flowers that were pre-cut with the thin cuts. Just a bit of white & gold ribbon and some bling in the corner and this card is complete!

Make me Smile with SOTM

You will be smiling too when you get to play with April's Stamp of the Month! I shared with you a photo booth perfect layout using the stamp set and a card with the polaroid picture frame. Today I'd like to share a card that uses one of the cool camera's on it. I can't honestly say that I've never seen one of these camera's in person, but I find it to be unique!

I'll let you in on a little secret...this stamp set goes really well with some of the new papers in the Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book! Be sure to get it this month so you are ready to use it next month with the new products! ;)

Order online here.

Keep my boat afloat!

I love those moments of instant inspiration! I recently got a sneak peek at the new Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book that goes live on May 1st. Inside the pages was a fabulous 12x12 layout that inspired me to create a smaller version in a card. I have combined the awesome overlay from the Artbooking cartridge with the Regatta papers, My Anchor stamp set and the Life in Pictures Stamp of the Month.

Isn't that overlay the best background! It can be cut to any size you want. Then just create smaller triangles in background paper and fill in wherever you like. I used the polaroid looking frame from the stamp of the month to create a fake photo. The cute sailboat image sits inside the frame perfectly!

The Regatta papers and the following stamp sets are only available until the end of April. Don't miss out on these gorgeous products, order online or contact me to place an order.

Are you curious about the layout that inspired this card or the SE2 Idea Book coming out in May? Contact me to get more information or ask me about my Spring/Summer celebration and Open House to see the newest products!

Photo Booth Fun with the SOTM

I was so proud of my teenage daughter for making all the plans and doing all the work to put together her Birthday party this year. One of her ideas was to create a photo booth with props for her and some friends to play, laugh and get that perfect picture!

I knew that these photo's would be fun to scrapbook later, but it was even more fun using the Stamp of the Month; Life in Pictures. This is a great stamp set that will work for scrapbooking pages, mini albums and cards. This month you can get it for just $5 with qualifying purchase!

I just love those vintage cameras! The polaroid frame is a great base for several small pictures on a layout. See more artwork ideas and details of the Stamp of the Month offer on the Current Specials tab at the top. You can also find more ideas on Pinterest!

Happy Easter

Easter cards with Penelope and Spring Critters are fun and easy to create....just in case you need some last minute ideas!

I simply grabbed the Penelope paper pack, some inks, a waterbrush pen and thin cut Spring Critter bunnies and chicks and started playing! I used all sorts of designs and mixed up the papers for each card. The bunnies and chicks were colored in with inks and a waterbrush pen. Now everyone will get a unique card, not a single one is the same!

Some Favorite Spring Stamps

There are only a few days left to take advantage of the Stampaganza sale! I just recently shared a few of my favorite stamp sets at a Spring Card Class. Here are the cards we made and the stamps I used. You can find all of these in the current Seasonal Expression 1 Idea Book.

This first card was inspired by another consultant Chris Lothian who posted on Instagram. I loved the combination of stamps to create an adorable scene. I used the Spring Critters stamp and the Stuck on You cactus set. These are both compatible with Thin Cuts which makes them even easier to stamp and color!

This card shows what you can do with just one stamp set. Woodland Romance is a beautiful stamp that allows all sorts of images to come together in a lovely romantic design. It especially looks amazing with the Charlotte papers and some diffused embossing!

Even though I called this a Spring class this card will get you in the mood for summer. I just love this octopus, he is so cute and ready to make a splash! Like the Woodland Romance stamp set several of these images can be cut on the Cricut. The crab is equally as cute and the banner with the sentiments are perfect for cards and scrapbooking pages.

Now you have a few more ideas for these awesome stamp sets. Which one will you choose to get for free?! Order online here.

Matters of the Heart

A very good friend and customer of mine recently went through a life changing event. She had a stroke back in January and ended up having a triple bypass heart surgery.

I've been keeping in contact with her as much as possible, allowing her lots of time to recover. When I asked her how she felt a couple weeks after surgery, she mentioned that she really misses our craft classes and is way behind on her scrapbooking. I got to work right away creating a two-page layout for her to record this big event in her life.

 I apologize for the glare on the photo. I hope you'll understand the reason for it is that I decided to use a Picture My Life format on the right side. This way she only needs to pull out the cards to journal and can add any photo's she may have from the hospital or post surgery.

When I arrived to deliver the pages to her I held up a box of cheerios in front of them and joked that I brought a box of cereal to her, because they're heart healthy. Then I revealed the layout and I think she was much more pleased with that then the breakfast in a box! I'm certain she will enjoy the pages more and take time to journal when she fully regains her strength!

Take time to record all the memories of your life, you'll be glad you did!

A Few of my Favorite Stamps!

It's like Christmas in March! The My Acrylix stamp sets are always one of my favorite products and I get so excited to see what new designs will be in the Idea Book. To make them even better is to get some FREE!

During March, order two stamp sets and get a third set of equal or lesser value free. You can qualify for multiple free stamp sets on a single order, but the free stamp sets will always be the lowest-priced sets on the order. Stamp of the Month sets, Hostess Rewards sets, and the Animal Greetings stamp set are excluded from this special offer.
  
Buy 2, get 1 free. Buy 4, get 2 free. Buy 6, get 3 free...and so on!  This sale only comes around every few years so don't miss out!

Please contact me if you would like to place an order or you can shop online here.

Wedding Diamond Layout

I attended my cousins wedding last weekend and was just scrapbooking some of the photo's I took. There are just a few really good pictures from within the reception. Let's face it, sometimes your just having too much fun and forget to take pictures! I did get three that really captured the feeling in the room and includes a photo of the couple at their first dance. I am also entering this layout in the Three Challenge at Heart 2 Heart Blog.

I decided to layout the three photo's on this diamond design inspired from the Close To My Heart homepage and a layout that Jody Gustafson did here on her Cre8'n Memories Blog. Along with the gorgeous soft Charlotte papers I pulled in some yellow Georgie papers to match the theme of the reception.

I used a combination of stamps and embellishments from the Charlotte collection to finish the layout. Even with just three pictures I am able to still capture our memories from this special day.

A Skull Onesie

What do you do when your attending a baby shower and the theme is gray, teal and skulls? You create a totally awesome baby shower card!

I knew that the Artfully Sent cartridge had a baby onesie swing card, it would just need a little tweaking. I used some chevron gray Geogie paper on the inside and backed it with some lagoon paper to meet the colors of the theme. Then I cut the onesie piece out of some red textured paper so it would stand out on the card. I used the skull image from the Cricut cartridge, but was really uncertain if it would cut so small and intricate. Luckily the Cricut Explore machine is the bomb and got the job done perfectly!

We gifted the soon to be parents a gift card for where they were registered. Placing the gift card inside of the card was not an option as the swing design does not really hold it securely. So instead I cut a chevron sleeve from the same cartridge and dressed it up with another onesie and a welcome baby sentiment. However, instead of another skull I placed the letter 'A' on the front because the babies name will begin with that letter.

I recently created another chevron sleeve card for school this week as we celebrate Dr. Seuss' Birthday! Be sure to follow me on Instagram so you don't miss fun projects like this one!

Stampaganza is Back! Happy March!

I'm so excited to tell you that this month's special is one of my favorite! Close To My Heart has beautiful paper collections, innovative products and embellishments that are always ahead of the trends. However, the best product that gets me excited about this company are their My Acrylix®  stamp sets.

My Acrylix® stamp sets are premium-quality decorative stamps that offer crisp, precise stamping at a fraction of the cost of rubber. They’re easy to use, simple to store, and most importantly, offer creative control and artistic precision every time you use them. The images offered are always amazing, lending themselves to all sorts of crafting projects and always current with the trends.

 

During March, order two stamp sets and get a third set of equal or lesser value free. You can qualify for multiple free stamp sets on a single order, but the free stamp sets will always be the lowest-priced sets on the order. Stamp of the Month sets, Hostess Rewards sets, and the Animal Greetings stamp set are excluded from this special offer. 
  
Buy 2, get 1 free. Buy 4, get 2 free. Buy 6, get 3 free...and so on!  This sale only comes around every few years so don't miss out!

Don't miss out on the adorable Stamp of the Month either! Sunshine Birdies is so cute for your Spring crafts and you can get it for only $5! See the Current Specials tab at the top for more details.