Sophia Birthday... {new Card Style #5}

This is the newest card in my selection of cards for purchase (card style #5). 

When you purchase a handmade card (which I will mail out to you), you also get the sketch/cutting instructions for the card emailed to you, as well as one of my box templates as a bonus.

You can see all the details on how to purchase a card here.

This card uses a new paper pack called Sophia.  The butterfly is from the Sweetheart Workshop Kit, and the sentiment is from a stamp set called Happy Birthday.

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):
Paper:  Sophia B&Ts; Pear, White Daisy CS
Inks:  Black, Hollyhock, Pear
Stamps:  Sweetheart, Happy Birthday
Embellishments:  Adhesive pearl, Glitz glitter glue, White Daisy grosgrain
Other:  Double Scallop border punch (Martha Stewart), Micro-tip scissors, 3D foam tape

Email is working again...{oh, happy day!}

Gosh, what in the world would we do if we didn't have email anymore???  lol

I'm happy to say that it's up and running again.  I've caught up on my emails with everyone now.  ;)

My email is down...

Just thought I should put a little note here on my blog in case anyone is trying to reach me by email, or has purchased a handmade card and has had no reply from me...

The last time I was able to check my email was Saturday morning and I haven't been able to get into it since then.  So please be patient if you are waiting on me.  I'll be calling our provider as soon as they open for business this morning to see what's up.  :)

Find Your Style Friend Card... H2H Challenge

It's sketch week at the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog!

Here's the sketch...

I decided to turn the sketch on it's side to create my 5x7 card.

For the skirt, I simply added a pleated piece of Topstitch Chocolate B&T paper, then added some sparkles and ricrac.

For the pleated circles, I cut 2 strips (1 for each circle) of Topstitch Baby Pink B&T paper at 3/4" x 12" and scored each strip at 1/4", folding the score lines accordion style.  I glued a punched circle to the backs to keep their shapes, before adhereing them onto my card.

I have thoroughly enjoyed being a Guest DT this month at the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog.

Won't you play along?

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Topstitch B&Ts; Colonial White, Chocolate, Baby Pink CS

Stamp:  Find Your Style (January SOTM)

Inks:  Chocolate, Baby Pink

Embellishments:  Clear sparkles, Blush ricrac, Chocolate polka dot organdy ribbon, Chocolate button, Colonial White buttons, Chocolate brads, Chocolate waxy flax

Punches:  Corner rounder; File Tab (McGill)

Other:  3D foam tape, Sponge, Piercing tool; Scor-Buddy & Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal)

Chairs To You!

I was playing with my new CTMH Spring/Summer products after my box of goodies arrived, and using one of my card sketches I came up with this "chair-y" card.  LOL, yes, I'm corny! 

It's a sneak peek at a couple of things: 

1. the Mayberry paper pack (available starting February 1st)
2. the May SOTM - Chairs To You (available only in the month of May)

I like how it turned out.  That chair looks so comfy!  ;)

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Mayberry B&T; Smoothie, Cocoa, Colonial White CS

Stamp:  Chairs To You - May Stamp of the Month, Mayberry

Inks:  Cocoa, Smoothie

Embellishment:  Colonial White crochet ribbon

Punches:  Scallop border (SU), 2 1/4" circle (EK), 2 1/2" scallop circle (Marvy Uchida)

Other item:  3D foam tape

Perfect Pear!

I made this card earlier this month while I was waiting for my box of new goodies to arrive.

It's simple, but cute and cheery!

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Olivia B&Ts; Colonial White, Black, Pear CS

Stamps:  You're Sweet, Friendship Alphabet Small, Checklist

Inks:  Pear, Black

Embellishment:  Black button brads

Punch:  Scallop border (SU)

Other item:  3D foam tape

So Sweet Owls... a CASE

Aren't these just the cutest?  I CASEd these adorable ones created by Lynn Put.  I changed them up a bit by using new paper packs CTMH that will be available for purchase starting February 1st, and changed her card shape from square to a standard A2 size.

The one I made in pinks uses the Sweetheart Level 2 Paper Pack, while the one I created in blues (below) uses the Fanfare Level 2 Paper Pack.

The pillow boxes are great for putting little treats inside.

Hope you love them as much as I do!

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Cole stayed home from school for a "sick" day today.  He's got a deep barky cough and was seriously wheezing this morning, so I opted to stay home with him, meaning no priming/painting today.  But I'll be back at it tomorrow.

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Pink card and pillow box:

Paper:  Sweetheart B&Ts; White Daisy, Cotton Candy, Tulip, Black, Sunset CS

Stamp:  Sweetheart

Inks:  Cotton Candy, Black

Punches/Dies:  2 step Owl XL (SU), Lg Oval (SU), Heart-to-heart XL (SU), 5 Petal Flower XL (SU), 1 1/8" circle (EK), 1/2" circle (SU), 2 1/4" and 2 1/2" circle (EK), 3" scallop circle (Marvy Uchida), Scallop border (SU), Pillow Box die (SU)

Other items:  Uniball White Gel pen (SU), Pink Sorbet twine (the Twinery), 3D foam tape

Blue card and pillow box:

Paper:  Fanfare B&Ts; White Daisy, Sky, Pacifica, Black, Sorbet CS

Stamps:  Sweetheart, Fanfare

Inks:  Sky, Black

Punches/Dies:   2 step Owl XL (SU), Lg Oval (SU), Heart-to-heart XL (SU), 5 Petal Flower XL (SU), 1 1/8" circle (EK), 1/2" circle (SU), 2 1/4" and 2 1/2" circle (EK), 3" scallop circle (Marvy Uchida), Upper Crest border (Fiskars), Pillow Box die (SU)

Other items:  Black grosgrain (Walmart), 3D foam tape

A Snow Day... Really?!

Okay, so living in Canada, it's not often that we take a snow day, or even call it a snow day.  I had a call this morning from the school district that all the school buses aren't running today.  I definitely know that my car won't make it into the more than 1 ft. of snow in the driveway at the new house, at least not until we get it plowed out.  So with Cole not going to school, I'm taking a snow day.  The hubs has to go out into the "field" today for work, so he can't be our taxi driver.  The joys of living out of town...

I got only one day in on priming the walls, and don't even have all of the living room done yet... that tall wall is just too tall for me to tackle (it's a fear of heights thing... I figure I must have died in a previous life from a terrible fall or something... lol.  Which also must mean that I must have died from being attacked by bees too then, because of my irrational fear of bees... or maybe I was being attacked by killer bees and ran to the edge of a cliff and fell...  haha... okay, back to reality!).  So anyways, we gotta bring in the big guns for that one.  ;)  Our main builder/framer is slow for work right at this moment, so he's offered to do the work of painting those scary-to-paint spaces.  Thank goodness!  I think we'll be taking him up on that...

So a day stuck at home... what to do, what to do?  I think I'll have to fit some crafty time in. :)

~~~~~~~

On a side note, I won't be to the post office until Wednesday morning and will do all my mail-outs then.

Happy creating!  :)

Taking a break from the blogging world... but just for a while. ;)

Hi all!  I just wanted to post a quick blurb as I'll be busy for the next while tackling the big job of the clean-up of all the drywall dust, then priming and painting all of the interior walls of our new home.  Lee will be able to help me on the weekends, but otherwise it'll just be lil' ol' me painting away every day.  (Yikes, what a girl will do to try to save a little moola!)  I can't do framing or plumbing or electrical or hang dry-wall, but cleaning and painting I CAN do...  ;)

I have at least one post scheduled for late in the month and I will attempt to get a couple of other projects posted here and there (that I've already created and just haven't had the time to post yet).  Overall, I won't have time to create for awhile, so please excuse my absence for a while.  Quoting Schwarzenegger's Terminator, "I'll be back".

Also, I will not be able to get to the post office every day (we live out of town), but will likely do mail-outs 2-3 times a week for the next while.  So for anyone who purchases a handmade card, I will get them out in the mail ASAP.  :)

January CTMH Spotlight Blog Hop

Welcome to the Close To My Heart January Spotlight Blog Hop! You should have arrived from Jill's blog.  But this is a circular hop, so it doesn't matter where you begin. ;)

This month we are spotlighting Valentine's.

For my card I used December's SOTM called Amore, and for the damask background, I used the Wings Workshop stamp set.

Before I stamped the Amore sentiment, I sanded my Vineyard Berry cardstock so it would show up a little better and to also give it a soft, more vintage-y look.

~~~~~~~

I also created a more masculine type of Valentine card, a little more suitable for the guy in your life than the first card.  I used the same two stamp sets for this card, and paired it with a patterned B&T from Wings.

When stamping my damask background, I just masked off the scalloped edge to keep the scallop part free of ink.

Thanks for visiting! Your next stop along the blog hop is over at Jenifer's blog.

Happy creating! :)

Supplies used all CTMH:

Amore card:

Paper:  Vineyard Berry, Colonial White, Black CS

Stamps:  Amore, Wings Workshop

Ink:  Black

Embellishments:  Colonial White crochet ribbon, Colonial White button, Black buttons, Adhesive pearl, Naturals floss

Other items:  Corner rounder, Paper piercer, Needle, Sanding kit

Love You card:

Paper:  Wings B&T; Twilight, Colonial White, Black CS

Stamps:  Amore, Wings Workshop

Ink:  Black, Twilight, Vineyard Berry

Embellishments:  Black striped grosgrain, Black button, Crystal Blue waxy flax

Other items:  Corner rounder, Micro-tip scissors, Paper piercer, Sponge, 3D foam tape

2 New Card Box Tutorials Are Now Available...

I always forget how much time it takes to get these tutorials ready, but the great news is that they are now done!

I get the question very often from people asking if they can purchase my templates, but as an Independent Consultant with Close To My Heart, it would be infringing on Policy to do so.  So as long as I am a Consultant, I cannot.

But what I can do is offer my templates as a bonus with the purchase of a handmade item - in this case, I create handmade cards specificially to sell to you.

You can read all the details and view the currently available cards HERE.

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These are the 2 new templates available now:

3x3 Slant Top Card Box and Card Set Tutorial

(This box tutorial also includes instructions to create a matching 4 card set, and how to create envelopes for this hard-to-find size.)

Click here to view more pictures.

A2 Slant Top Box Tutorial

(Tutorial for box to hold 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" cards.)

Click to view more pictures.

Happy creating!  :)

Make A Wish

I've been busy getting my newest card box templates ready for you (which you can get for free with the purchase of a handmade card), so hopefully I can have them available before the weekend.  I'll let you know as soon as I have them ready!  ;)

I have also started creating some new cards for purchase.  Here's the first new one that will be available as card style #1, using my latest fave colour combo.

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH):

Paper:  Olivia polka dot B&T; Black, Lagoon, Sunset, Colonial White CS

Stamps:  Party Pennants, Royal Birth, Damask Tiles

Inks:  Black, Sunset

Embellishments:  Black brads, Clear bitty sparkles

Other:  Blending pen, 3D foam tape, Paper piercer

You Are In My Thoughts... (H2H Challenge)

I am honoured to be invited as a Guest DT member in January at the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog!

This week is a color challenge -- Pear, Sky & Colonial White (and you even have the option to add a splash of Sorbet if you wish).

I created my background by stamping with the stamp set from the Wings Workshop On the Go kit and Sky ink onto Sky cardstock.

My focal image is all from a new set called Rosy Regards.  I added Prisma Glitter onto each flower, and pop-dotted the one for added dimension.  (Click on the picture to get a better look...) 

Please join us this week!

And Happy Creating!  :)

~~~~~~~

I have the perfect person in mind for this card... the ever sweet & fabulous Katie Renz, who I had "met" on the CTMH Consultant Bulletin Boards when she was a CTMH Consultant.  Please visit her blog and send her some love as she faces her battle with cancer. 

It will be going out in the mail hopefully today.  :)

If you wish to do so, (and with her permission to share her mailing address with you) you can send Katie a card, too:

Katie Renz
2305 Williams Street
Bellingham, WA 98225

Edited to add:  I just stumbled across this post while blurfing this morning...  It's a fundraiser to help Katie by purchasing a great digital design bundle created by many different artists.  You can check it out on Jak Heath's blog.  Katie, you are loved around the world!  HUGS, sweetie!

Supplies used (all CTMH):
Paper:  Colonial White, Pear, Sky CS
Stamps:  Wings Workshop, Rosy Regards
Inks:  Black, Pear, Sky
Embellishments:  Pear button, Colonial White 5/8" Organdy with Satin Edge ribbon, Colonial White waxy flax
Other items:  Glue pen, Prisma Glitter, 3D foam tape, Corner Rounder, Micro-tip scissors

CTMH Spray Pen Unplugged (video) & Jeanette Lynton's Weeks of Wonder

Watch this video to see how easy it is to use CTMHs new spray pens!  (Available in a 3 pack starting February 1st, or you can get one now included in the Wings Workshop On the Go kit.)

What a great tool!  And so affordable.  Love that!

~~~~~~~

Also, be sure to check CTMH Founder and CEO Jeanette Lynton's blog to see her first of 52 Weeks of Wonder.  She will be showcasing a stamping technique of varying skill levels each week on her blog.

Can't wait to see what else she creates and techniques she will share!

Photo from Week 1 of "52 Weeks of Wonder" - by Jeanette Lynton



A2 Slanted Top Card Box Set

Here's another A2 sized (5 1/2" x 4 1/4") card box, once again inspired by a square one done by the fabulous Sandi MacIver.  You can see the first box I made like this with a slanted top, but for 3x3 sized cards here. 

I made this A2 slanted top card box a while before Christmas, but I finally found some time today to make my cards, completing my set.  And again I would like to thank Sandi for her graciousness in allowing me to run with her idea of the slanted top box to create templates of my own.  She's a sweetheart!  Be sure to visit her inspiring blog and leave her some love!

Eventually I will have this box template available as a bonus with purchase of a handmade card.  I'll let you all know when it is ready (as well as when the 3x3 Slant Top Box template is ready, too).

If I don't get these templates completed before the middle of the month, it might be awhile before I can tackle them, as I will have to begin the huge task of priming and painting the interior of our new home.  So please be patient.  It will get done... ;)

I love the bright colours in this set!  They're just so cheery!  Actually, they are very familiar, too.  I just realized that I used these very colours in my last Humble Artists Swap cards...  ;)

Until next time...

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Olivia B&T; Colonial White, Black, Lagoon CS

Stamps:  Damask Tiles, Bohemian Alphabet, Party Pennants, A Love, Find Your Style, For Every Occasion, Amore Lowercase Alpha, The Present

Inks:  Black, Lagoon, Sunset

Embellishments:  Black stitched grosgrain, Sunset striped grosgrain, Colonial White flowers, Lagoon Buttons, Black waxy flax, Clear sparkles, Black/Colonial White decorative brad

Punches:  1/2" circle and Scallop Border (SU)

Other items:  3D foam tape, Sponge, Paper piercer, Glue Dots, Micro-tip scissors, Velcro Dot (other)

Lorrinda is celebrating her 1st blogaversary!

Check this out... 

Fellow CTMH Consultant Lorrinda is offering you some awesome blog candy to celebrate her 1st blogaversary!!!  You really should go celebrate with her!  ;)

Wishing you many more years, Lorrinda!

Happy Anniversary!!!

11 years ago today... we were married.

We were married in our home by Ella Frazer, Justice of the Peace.

It was cold, and blizzard-like conditions outside.

Not many people were able to travel to be there.

But it was perfect, anyways.  :)

Here's to the next 11!

Love you.

(Photo was taken at the annual company Christmas party, Banff, AB, Nov. 2010)

Friends4Ever...

Hmmmm... it's been a little too quiet on my blog lately, creatively speaking!  I do have stuff I've been working on, it just seems that they are all for challenges and such that are scheduled to post on different dates throughout January.  So I haven't created anything that I can share lately.

BUT...

I made a card a while ago and submitted it to a magazine, but I haven't heard a peep...

SO...

I think it's time to share it with you.

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Magnifique B&Ts; Black, Lagoon, Colonial White CS

Stamp:  Heart To Heart - Magnifique Workshop Kit

Inks:  Black, Olive, Sky, Lagoon, Pacifica

Embellishments:  Clear sparkles, Lagoon brads, Gingham ribbon

Other items:  Corner rounder, Micro-tip scissors, 3D foam tape, Sponge; Large circle cutter (Martha Stewart), Scallop Circle Nestabilities die (Spellbinders), Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal)

CTMH Inspiration for January

January is full of Inspiration!!!

From January 1st – January 31st, when you purchase a new Close To My Heart Wings Workshops on the Go kit for $33.50, it opens the door for you to participate in three exciting promotions. With the purchase of the Wings Workshops on the Go (WOTG) kit you can choose any or all of the following:

 

1. Purchase new Spring/Summer Idea Book My Acrylix® stamp sets at a super discount:

 

• My Acrylix® Stamp Set     Discount Price    Full Retail 
• A Game (A1113)                    $5.50           $8.75 CAN 
• Rosy Regards (B1369)            $10.95          $15.50 
• Take a Picture (C1440)           $16.50          $20.95 
• Dreams Come True (D1470)    $19.95          $25.50
• Bohemian Alphabet (E1019)    $27.95          $38.95

 

2. Get the January Stamp of the Month set, Find Your Style, at a discount or free by purchasing new Spring/Summer 2011 Idea Book products as follows:

 

Purchase a Wings Workshops on the Go™ kit and... Get the Stamp of the Month for:

• 1 item from the Inspiration brochure = SOTM at 25% off 
• 2 different items from the Inspiration brochure = SOTM at 50% off 
• 3 different items from the Inspiration brochure = SOTM at 75% off 
• 4+ different items from the Inspiration brochure = SOTM for FREE!

You can also earn the January Stamp of the Month with your purchases from the Autumn/Winter 2010 Idea Book following the standard Stamp of the Month program based on dollar totals rather than item totals. Mix and match new products from the Inspirations brochure and products from the Autumn/Winter 2010 Idea Book, and we will automatically calculate the greatest savings between the standard program and this promotion for you to get the best deal possible!

 

3. Celebrate National Papercrafting Month in January with a My Creations® banner project. Simply purchase a My Creations® Banner (Z1378) and you will be able to make the project with the remaining supplies from the Wings Workshops on the Go™ kit and the E-size Bohemian Alphabet stamp set. The how-to instructions are included with the Wings Workshop kit exclusively through the month of January.

You can view the Inspirations Brochure to see all the wonderful items you can get at a discount with purchase of the Wings WOTG kit.

 

Contact me or your Close To My Heart Consultant to order today!

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Find Your Style January Stamp of the Month 

 

Wings Layout from Workshop On the Go kit

 

 

My Top 10 Picks of 2010...

I thought I'd look through my creations over the past year, and share my top 10 faves, though I found it a little hard, to be honest.  I felt like I was cheating on the ones that didn't make the cut... lol

I picked a little of this and that, and I have really noticed a decrease in my scrapbooking of layouts this past year.  Perhaps that should be my New Year's resolution... to do more pages than I did last year!!! 

So in no particular order, here's my picks...

8x8 Layout - You Are Loved

12x12 Two page layout - Rock Star

October Humble Artists Swap card - Queen For A Day

Cherry-O card - You Are So Sweet with 3D Cherries

Damask stamped background card - Royal Birth

Birthday card - Candlelight

Thanks card - Heart To Heart

Birthday card for Lee - Tee Time with suspended golf ball

Asian Tea Holder

Slanted Lid Box & 3x3 Card Set

~~~~~~~

Perhaps next week, after Lee goes back to work on Monday and Cole goes back to school on Tuesday, I'll get a chance to create.

So until next time...  Happy Creating!!!  :)

Pictures of the house... it's coming along.

I guess it's time for some updates on our home, as I've been getting bugged by the husband to do so.  lol

The exterior hasn't really changed, except maybe for the garage doors.  (I can't recall if I have already shared a picture of them installed...)

This is a picture of what the spray-foam insulation looks like.  Wonderful stuff.

~~~~~~~

The following pics were taken on Christmas Eve, so the house already has changed in looks inside since then.  (The drywall is mostly up now and they've already began the taping and mudding process.)

Lee and I took a day to insulate with Roxul for sound barrier for the media room, bathrooms, laundry room and master bedroom.  It's that greenish looking stuff you can see in the above picture.

This is looking up from the living room towards the media room, bathroom and Cole's bedroom.

You can see the loft area above and the kitchen and dining room below, in the above photo.

This is up in the loft looking towards the media room.

This is in the bonus room above the garage... aka my scrappin' room.

Above are a couple of pics of the media room.

This is the view of the living room when looking out from the doorway of the media room.

And lastly, a couple of pictures of the garage.

~~~~~~~

Happy New Year, everyone!

Wishing you all the best in 2011!