Hope for Japan Charitable Fundraiser

The following are direct words from Jeanette Lynton, CEO of Close To My Heart:

"We've all been reeling with the images of tragedy and devastation in Japan. If you're looking for an easy, real, practical way to help relief efforts, then I invite you to contact your Close To My Heart Consultant!

Typically, our A-sized sets retail for $7.95/$8.95 CAN, but the "Hope for Japan" set will be available through April 30 for just $5--and Close To My Heart will be donating 100% of the profits to the American Red Cross to benefit relief efforts in Japan.

If we all do a little, together we can do a lot. Let's show our support and together, provide real HOPE for Japan!"

Let me know if you would like to place an order.  :)



A friend... touches your heart

I made this card around mid-January and realized I hadn't posted it yet.  Yikes!

It's fairly simple, but I like it.  :)

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Bliss B&Ts; Chocolate, Colonial White CS

Stamps:  Friendship - Feb SOTM, Blessed - April SOTM

Inks:  Chocolate, Grey Flannel

Embellishments:  Chocolate polka-dot organdy, Chocolate flower button, Cappuccino twine (The Twinery)

Punch:  Scallop border (SU)

Other:  Sponge, 3D foam tape

On my list of wants...

This is the chandelier I want to get for my scrapbooking room, to hang above the main work tables. 

Not exactly what I'm looking for, as I didn't really want any colour on it, I just wanted white or a creamy white, but definitley feminine and around 5-6 lights on it.

For some reason these are really hard to find, and this one is pretty, even tho the pink is not "matchy" with my blue scheme.  I'm ok with that.

But if by chance you should come across one in your travels, please let this girl know...

:)

Baby Boy card... an H2H Challenge

It's baby week over at the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog!

This is what I made for the challenge.  I think the longest amount of time I spent on this card was in looking for my Prisma colouring pencils that were packed away.  Of course they were in the last box I looked at.  {I've been busy packing, getting ready to move.}  Thankfully I had written down on the tops each box what is packed inside each one.

I had a lot of fun with this one!  I love the colour combo.  The bunny image is from the March SOTM Sensational Season.  It's full of adorable, Beatrix Potter type of images.  To colour the bunny, I used a combination of inks with my blender pen, and my Prisma colouring pencils with odourless mineral spirits and a blending stump.  I also random stamped the bunny image in Sunset ink onto the Sunset cardstock.

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Colonial White, Sunset, Chocolate, Lagoon CS

Stamps:  Sensational Season, Party Pennants, Birthday Boy, Tag the Occasion, Universal Backgrounds, Hit the Spot

Inks/Pencils:  Brown Staz-On, Grey Wool, Chocolate, Lagoon, Sunset; Prisma Colouring Pencils

Embellishments:  Chocolate grosgrain, Wooden button, Carribean Twine (The Twinery), Paper Doily (Michaels)

Punches:  1 1/4" circle, 2 1/4" and 2 1/2" circle (EK Success), Scallop border (SU)

Other:  Blending pen, Odourless Mineral Spirits (Michaels), Blending stumps (Michaels), 3D foam tape

Finally using a paper doily...!

These seem to be everywhere on the blogosphere lately... paper doilies used on cards, layouts, projects.  I picked some up over a month ago at Michaels and brought them with me to the weekend retreat a couple of weeks ago.

I am doing my best to buy with intention, so here's my intent... to use them!  lol

So on my first card, I pulled out the Wings Level 2 Paper Pack and the January SOTM Find Your Style for the butterfly and Tea Time for the sentiment.  {The white lace ribbon is from Walmart.} 

Using the same card layout, I made a second card.  I used B&T paper from the Sweetheart and Miracle Level 2 paper packs.  The tea pot and cup is from Tea Time and the sentiment from a must-have set called Card Chatter - Birthday.

So, with me being me, I only used 1 doily so far -- I cut the one I used in half.  Why can't I just use it up???  I guess that comes from growing up with very little.  I learned how to stretch stuff for as long as I could.  And that's a really hard habit to break!  ;)

~~~~~~~

Which takes me to another topic...  after I move, I am planning to do a huge scrapbooking garage sale in my new crafty space.  There will be a bunch of tables set up, and I'm hoping that my sidelines and my upline will join me.  I'll spill the details once I have it all figured out.  It will likely be in May.   :)

~~~~~~~

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Butterfly card:

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

Stamps:  Find Your Style, Tea Time

Inks:  Black, Juniper

Embellishments:  Black grosgrain, White lace ribbon (Walmart), Black button, Juniper waxy flax, Paper Doily (Michaels), Prisma Glitter

Punches:  2 1/4" and 2 1/2" circle punches (EK Success)

Other:  Micro-tip scissors, glue pen, 3D foam tape, 1/4" ScorTape (ScorPal)

Tea Pot card:

Paper:  Sweetheart B&T, Miracle B&T; Cotton Candy, White Daisy CS

Stamps:  Tea Time, Card Chatter - Happy Birthday

Inks:  Black, Sweet Leaf, Cotton Candy

Embellishments:  Cotton Candy Pom-pom ribbon, Paper Doily (Michaels)

Punch:  Dotted scallop border (EK Success)

Other:  Micro-tip scissors, 3D foam tape, 1/8" ScorTape (ScorPal)

Okay, We've Had Enough Winter Already! ;)

Photo by Unknown

Gosh, how can you tell I'm soooo ready for winter to be over?  We are finally having our first real warming (at least that I recall) where it was above zero and the sun actually had real heat to it since winter began, which just makes me wish Spring would arrive that much sooner.  ;)

...thought the picture was too funny not to share. 

:)

Latest pictures of the new house...

There's lots of changes since the last time I posted pictures of the progress.

• I've finished painting.  Whew!  That was a huge job and I'm so happy to be done.  {I'll just have to go in and fix the dings and marks on the walls after all the trades are done.}
• The hardwood maple floors have been installed in the living room, hallway and kitchen, and stained and oiled.  There was enough wood floor planks left over to do our master bedroom walk-in closet, too.
• The window trim has been installed throughout the house.
• The rails have been put up around the loft/hallway area in the upper floor.
• The firplace rock has been completed and the mantle built.  The area around the mantle will be grouted today and then the rock will be able to be sealed right away.
• The laminate flooring has been installed in Cole's bedroom and will be completed in my scrapbooking room today.
• Lino was installed in the laundry room and mudroom.
• The kitchen install has begun.  Lee will be picking up the rest of our appliances this weekend from cold storage at his sister's place.

Next week the carpet and the rest of the linoleum will be installed.  We will just have the tiling in the main entryway into the main floor bathroom, and the tiling in the master bathroom to do for flooring - and the tiling in the master shower and around the tub will need to get done, too. 

Once the flooring is done, they can start installing all the doors, and then the door trim and baseboards.  As well as some trim work around the beams, where the gyprock doesn't quite meet the beams perfectly and there are gaps. 

And the stairs need to be finished with hardwood and rails. 

The plumbing/ductwork is still a work in progress, too.  I think he should be done soon and then we can start up the geothermal heating system.  Right now the house is being heated by two little heaters.

Still lots to do... but on to the photos. 

I re-painted Cole's room in a warmer, kinda muddy grey called Graceful Grey - Behr.  I like it much better.

Plus his laminate flooring he requested is installed now.  {He didn't want carpet, I think so he can build lego's and stuff easier on the floor.}

It's hard to get a picture of "Cole's" little bathroom, but I painted the walls in the same Toasted Marshmallow colour as the majority of the house.

These pictures were taken last night before the sun set.

The kitchen cabinets are going in... these pictures will take you around the room.

Here's pics of the rails on the upper floor.

Here's what the fireplace looks like from the loft.

This is my scrapbooking room.  They started installing the same laminate as what's in Cole's bedroom and will have it completed today.  The cool thing about this laminate is that it has a built-in rubber backing, so they don't have to lay anything under it before installing it.  It's a nice, thick 15.3 mm laminate in a hand-scraped style that we found at Costco.

Looking down to the end on the left side in the picture below... that's where some upper and lower cabinets will eventually be installed, with a little sink and mini-fridge.  And the doorway beyond that is the main entrance for people to come through from the garage below for my future workshops/classes.

And one last picture is of Lee, getting the lighting ready.  He's up on a 10' ladder in the living room, just to give you a feeling of height in this room.  {He's 6'3".}

That's it for now.  Gotta continue with my packing!

:)

BFFs layout

Yes, it's been quite a while since I've created a layout to share.  I made this one for my friend who gave up her spot to me at the recent scrapbooking retreat I attended.   Please excuse the rushed, not-so-great photos of the pages.  I had to take the pics quickly before I rushed out of the house the morning after I got home from retreat to give it to her.

I used the Sweetheart Workshop On The Go kit for the majority of the layout.  The puffy button shapes and metal girlfriends title were given to me to use on this layout from another friend who was with me at the retreat, so I don't know which company makes those.

~~~~~~~

Don't forget to check out my blog candy before you leave.

~~~~~~~

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Sweetheart WOTG kit

Ink:  Black, Cotton Candy

Stamps:  Posterboard Alphabet, Cocktail Alphabet, Classmate Alphabet

Embellishments:  Pom-pom ribbon, Black waxy flax, girlfriends metal title (unknown), puffy buttons (unknown), heart brad (Making Memories)

Dies/Punch:  Top Note Bigz Die (SU), Island Floral Bigz Die (SU), Heart to Heart XL punch (SU), 1/2" circle punch (EK Success)

Other:  3D foam tape

Ribbon Carousel Giveaway

Check out and enter to win Katie Skiff's awesome Ribbon Carousel giveaway HERE. 

Fellow CTMH Consultant Corinna McGregor sells these handy-dandy storage tools. 

You can find Corinna's online store HERE.

It's My Blog Anniversary.... you know what that means, don't ya???

This giveaway is now closed...

Time for some blog candy! 

I started my blog 3 years ago... how is that even possible?  Hmmm... doesn't feel that long ago.

Of course I have to give something away to celebrate.  I've been busy packing up my scrapbooking room in preparation for our move to our new home.  That room seriously has the most stuff in it {well, besides my kitchen that is -- actually thinking about it, it might beat out the kitchen afterall!}, and I knew it would take me the longest to do, which is why I started there.  While packing, I came across some items that are new that I had set aside and hadn't packed up yet.  So I created a little package of goodies to give away.

The Blog Candy consists of the following:

• 3 Cocoa & 3 Cotton Candy CS card bases, scored and folded {4" x 2 3/4"}
• 6 clear plastic envelopes {4 1/8" x 3 1/8"}
• 6 pre-cut Sweetheart B&T
• 6 punched 2" scallop circles, 3 Cocoa & 3 Cotton Candy CS
• 6 punched 1 3/4" White Daisy CS circles
• 6 punched Cotton Candy CS hearts
• 24" Cotton Candy pom-pom ribbon
• 3 Blush buttons & 3 Chocolate flower buttons
• 6 White Daisy brads
• 1 Cocoa Exclusive Inks Pad
• 1 Petite Perks - Affectionate stamp set
• 1 - 1" x 1" Acrylic block (not shown in photo)

Here's a little sample of cards I put together using these same supplies, just for inspiration so whomever wins please feel free to be creative!

How to enter:

1. Simply leave me a comment
2. For an additional entry, become a follower - then leave another comment telling me that you did or that you already are
3. For another chance, blog about it and post a link to this blog post - then leave another comment telling me that you did, along with your blog address (if you don't, I won't have a way to verify this)

I'll keep this open until the end of the month, and using Random.org, I'll announce the winner on April 1st, yes, even though it's April Fools day... ;)

Good luck & happy creating!  :)

Believe in Yourself...

I.love.this.card.

{Completely inspired by THIS one done by Teneale Williams.}

I borrowed a Martha Stewart butterfly punch that comes with 3 matching stamps while at the retreat this past weekend, since I didn't bring my own butterfly punch with me.  It worked perfectly.

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Sophia B&T; Chocolate, White Daisy CS

Stamps:  Tea Time, Butterfly punch/stamp (Martha Stewart)

Inks:  Chocolate, Blush

Embellishments:  White grosgrain & White scallop satin ribbon (Walmart), Blush button, Blush waxy flax

Die/Embossing folder:  Nestabilities Lg. Labels (Spellbinders), A2 Victoria Cutttlebug EF (Provo Craft)

Other items:  Sponge, 3D foam tape, Micro-tip Scissors, Bonding Memories Glue Pen, Prisma Glitter, Cuttlebug (Provo Craft)

Good Luck...

I CASEd this card design from Nichole Heady (of Papertrey Ink), but switched it up to use CTMH products. {You can view her version done in red on her blog HERE - just scroll down... }

Please keep Japan in your thoughts and prayers...

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper: Colonial White, Grey Wool and Clover Meadow (retired) CS

Stamps: Jubilation, Tasty Treats, Hit the Spot, Universal Backgrounds

Inks: Clover Meadow (retired), Grey Wool, Black

Punches: 1 1/4" circle, 1 1/2" circle (EK), Real Estate Sign (EK)

Other: 3D foam tape, Micro-tip scissors, Sponge

Bold & Beautiful Dreams Come True

I have to admit that the brightness of the colours in this card are a little out of my comfort zone.  Not sure why really, but in the end I love how it turned out.

I used B&Ts from the Sophia paper pack and pulled out the Dreams Come True stamp set again and paired it with the sentiment from the Wings WOTG stamp set.

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Sophia B&Ts; White Daisy, Black, Smoothie CS

Stamps:  Dreams Come True, Wings WOTG

Inks:  Black, Pear, Smoothie, Tulip

Embellishments:  Adhesive licorice pearl, Black grosgrain (Walmart)

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

Birthday card for my friend...

My friend just celebrated her birthday on Monday and I made this card for her.  I have to say that it pales in comparison to the homemade cheesecake she baked for us for her birthday!  lol  Simply the best I've ever had!

I'll also share the link on how to make the flower.  The flower video tutorial is by Connie MacFarlane.  I left out the middle flower and just added an adhesive pearl in the center.

Also I want to note that inspiration for my card came from this one done by Andrea Walford shown below. 

{I couldn't find the photo on her blog to do a link, so I hope it's okay that I posted her picture of her card here - I just really want to give her credit.}

Photo credit:  Andrea Walford

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

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

Stamp:  Tea Time

Inks:  Chocolate, Olive

Embellishments:  Adhesive pearl, Brown paper flowers (Prima)

Die/Embossing Folder/Cartridge:  Top Note die (SU), Square Lattice EF (SU), Storytime - Cricut (Provo Craft)

Other items:  Sponge, Cricut & Cuttlebug (Provo Craft)

Happiness is Celebrating the Little Things...

Guess what I got to do last weekend???  I went to a weekend scrapbooking retreat!  It was bittersweet, tho.  My BFF couldn't go due to sick kids, so she gave up her spot to me.  It was really last minute, so it felt weird all weekend to be there.  I guess I need time to wrap my brain around stuff like that.  ;)

Anyways, I was able to create some stuff while away.  I'll share tidbits over the next little while, starting with this gem.  I love this card.  ;)

I pulled out the Mayberry paper pack and the Dreams Come True and Paper Lantern stamp sets.

I'd been wanting to create a card with Sky cardstock and this Mayberry B&T after seeing THIS creation by Lorrinda Holman.

~~~~~~~

Well, I'm almost done painting at the new place.  Whew!  That's a lot of work.  All I have left to do is a little storage closet, some {scary} upper work around the beams in the upstairs hallway area, touch ups where my paint lines bled a little in my scrap room, and then just the fixing of the dings after all the trades are done.

My kitchen cabinet guy started bringing our custom cabinets yesterday.  He's bringing a load at a time each day, getting ready for install on Monday.  It's coming along.

I'll have to start packing our current home, and then get started with whatever painting and such that needs to be done around here so we can get it listed for sale ASAP.

~~~~~~~

That's it for today!

Happy creating!  :)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Mayberry B&T; Sky, Chocolate, Colonial White CS

Stamps:  Dreams Come True, Paper Lantern

Inks:  Sky, Pacifica, Smoothie, Tulip, Chocolate, Honey, Olive

Embellishments:  Chocolate brads, Adhesive pearl

Other items:  Micro-tip scissors, Scallop border punch (SU), 3D foam tape

Sensational Season... March SOTM

Artwork/Photo credit:  Karen Pedersen

Just look at this stunning display of talent!  Fellow CTMH Consultant, Karen Pedersen, created the artwork in the above photo using the March Stamp Of The Month - Sensational Season.  I've been too busy to play with my set yet, so with her permission, I'm sharing her photo with you.  It totally reminds me of Beatrix Potter from my childhood days!  Beautiful work, Karen!  :)

Get your Sensational Season stamp set today at a great discount or even FREE!  Ask me how...

Happy creating!  :)

The Original Scrapbox Canadian Giveaway!

Just take a look at this Canada Workbox Giveaway!!!

Simply. Amazing.  

{The giveaway is open only to people in Canada.  Wha???  That never happens... lol}

You can check out The Original Scrapbox to see all their wonderful products!  Wouldn't you love to have one of these???  Of course you would!  ;)

To enter, please visit the Sunny Stampin' blog to get all the details. 

Close To My Heart is offering FREE My Acrylix® blocks!!!

Throughout March, when you buy $30 in My Acrylix® stamps from Close To My Heart, you will receive

a free My Acrylix® block. 

{Your choice of either 3" x 3" (Y1006)

or 2" x 6 1/2" (Y1010).}

Limit one free My Acrylix® block per order per customer. Qualifying stamp purchases include A-, B-, C-, D-, E-size stamp sets, and Stamp of the Month sets purchased at full retail or at a discount. K-size stamp sets, Stamp of the Months earned for free, and Workshops on the Go™ are excluded. Tax and shipping/handling may apply.