Starbreeze Designs

Little Yellow Bicycle Winter Twig Layout

2012-02-13T06:00:00.023-05:00

I hope you've had a chance to pick up your Little Yellow Bicycle papers and embellishments this month at Scrapbooks Plus. Winter Twig is such a great line! I blogged about using the premade embellishments that were available with this kit on Feb. 5th. I used a combination of premade and punched embellishments on this layout. I love the accordian folds for flowers but used them here in layers to add a border that has subtle texture with the scoring and zigzag edges. I highlighted them by adding a Martha Stewart snowflake border punch and popped up Glimmer Misted Snowflake punches (also Martha Stewart) across the layout. This photo was during the blizzard we had in February 2010. I hope we aren't in for that again this year!

Below is a close up of the border. Stop in today to get your Winter Twig!

Snow Days

2012-02-05T06:00:00.042-05:00

How crazy is this 60-70 degree weather we've been having lately!? What happened to Winter? Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining because I love the cold weather but I do love snowflake designs of all kinds and this Little Yellow Bicycle Winter Twigs paper is just perfect for wintery, snowy days! I was able to make good use of this beautiful paper and fit 9 photos on a two page spread of my children during our brief October 29th snow storm. Do you remember that?-- yes, snow for Halloween! Crazy, crazy weather I tell ya!

When you pick up this paper at Scrapbooks Plus, but sure and grab a few of the matching embellishments. LYB has some great embellishments that you can use as is or bling up a bit if you so choose. I've used them on all my Design Team projects this month. I'll show you more later in the month but this layout came together so quickly because of these pre-made embellishments!

Here's a close up so you can see the fun embellishments! The accordian flowers are already precut and prescored-- super easy- and give such great dimension to your projects.

I added another fun element to my layout with the premade embellishments- I stitched lines down from the top of my layout at various lengths placing a snowflake at the bottom to symbolize fallling snow. As you can see this paper really inspired me to be creative with my layout. I hope it will inspire you to do the same!

Scrapbooks Plus Design Team Layout

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! I am designing this week's Scrapbooks Plus make and take. It features Bo Bunny's beautiful Garden Girl line. This amazing line features Art Deco style flowers and flourishes. The colors are vibrant and fun-- and hopefully will cheer up your scrap space in the middle of January! There is matching chipboard, stickers and beautifully designed papers in a rainbow of colors!

I have included a yard of sheer champagne colored ribbon for your layout as your free element. I made a simple triplet of 2 inch loops and stapled to hold in place using my Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher. The staple is hidden under the chipboard flower. I then stretched the same ribbon across the rest of the page and part of the matching page with swirl stickers on top.

I had a enough scraps of my Bo Bunny stash left over to create these cards. They use paper, stickers and chipboard. I also added a few sparkle rhinestones to the chipboard pieces for a bling-y touch and my corner rounder to soften the edges of the papers! Feel free to click on the cards for a close up. The card fronts are all 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" (the card base is half of an 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock sheet).

Hurry in today to pick up this fun layout- with 3 bonus card designs. Supplies are limited!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

2012-01-17T06:00:00.005-05:00

I had a great time making this card. I layed out my paper scraps from my Scrapbooks-Plus Design Team papers for January to create my card background and used the beautiful trim to come up with this simple card design. What makes it special is the textured elements I added. First, I embossed Tim Holtz Grungboard with a Sizzix snowflake embossing folder, pulled out my mini pinking edging scissors and then inked it to show off the embossing and edge. I love pulling out these old tools I've had since I started scrapbooking many years ago and using them in fun ways, don't you!? I punched the tag and used an old stamp from my stash to stamp 'let it snow...'. The other unique textured element on my card is the chipboard snowflakes. Here's how I gave them a snowy texture...

I simply covered them with slow-drying pigment ink (or you could use Versamark) by directly rubbing them on my ink pad. I then covered them heavily with white embossing powder and heated with my heat gun. I let it cool completely and repeated. This gave it a thick, textured white surface... just like snow! Pull out your scrap and stamping tools and have fun!

Project Life Organization and Week 1

2012-01-13T06:05:00.190-05:00

Yes, two posts in one day... and this one is long-- they won't all be like this, but this one is pretty long so grab a cup of coffee and I'll start by telling you about my photos for Project Life. I use an Olympus VR-310 that I purchased from Costco last year for my everyday photos. It has a 10x Optical Zoom and will slip into my pocket or purse easily on most days. For big photo events, I have a Nikon DSLR that I use- but, definitely too big and bulky for me to carry every day. Many Project Lifers use their iPhones for photos. I do not have an iPhone but find that my Olympus camera works great- even after my daughter dropped it and bent the bezel around the lens (an entirely different story!) and it is very portable.

I have a Mac so I use iPhoto to organize, edit and print my photos. I organize by date- and always have- which makes it super easy for Project Life. I wish I could say that I'm a pro when it comes to my Mac but nothing could be further from the truth! We've had it for 2 years and I still expect it to be a PC and be complicated-- making it harder than it really is! However, one thing I did find in iPhoto by just clicking around a bit was a way to print a contact sheet. This is a sample of 3/4 of a contact sheet that I printed for last week's photos (I used the top 3 in my layout). It allows me to see all my photos that I selected and- BONUS!- they happen to be the perfect size to fit multiple ones into my Project Life sleeve layouts!

So here are a few ways I used these contact photos in with my normal 4x6" photos as shown in the first page of my week 1 Project Life layout:

On the upper Right, I used 4 photos of our dog that we adopted on New Year's Eve, Kody. On the middle Left section, I used a large photo of Kody running full speed (Love this photo!) and inset two contact photos of him. On the middle Right section, I used a contact photo and added journaling in the same block. You'll notice that I used 4x6" horizontal pages for my layout. These are from Close To My Heart. You can find out more about how I set up my Project Life album in this post. Much of the Project Life product that I wanted was out of stock and won't be in until February. I did purchase the Amber kit from Becky Higgins but right now I'm pretty happy with the layouts I've created so far using only Close To My Heart products.

Here is the second half of my week 1 layout:

I've used a vertical page protector for this layout. The paper packet featured this week is Typeset. I love how the words in the paper can be used to highlight my photos- "smile, family, stories- and even 'mem-uh-rees'!". I had a lot of fun creating these and they are pretty detailed. I don't know that every week will be this way but I had the luxury of spending some quality time in my scrap room over the weekend!

As far as organization, I'm always shifting things around to try to make them as efficient as possible. I have been scrapping away from home more recently so I like to have my things mobile so packing and unpacking from a crop is not much of an issue.

I found this fun giraffe print tote at Michael's on clearance after Christmas for a steal and thought it would be perfect for all my 4x6, 3x4, post its, flip flaps, tags, letters and other things I'll use for Project Life. As you can see, it is pretty full just from gathering things from my craft room I thought I could use with my new Project Life program and I haven't yet added my Amber Becky Higgins kit to it yet!

That is here, still in the box. I haven't yet decided how I want to incorporate these journaling cards into my kit. I have only pulled off the lid to the box and filled it with pertinent CTMH stamp sets!! I love Becky's philosophy on the entire Project Life program... basically, it is what you want it to be. Project Life can be super simple or very detailed and artistic. In other words, you can use the pre-done kit as is or you can mix it up and use what you have with the kit... or as you can see with my first few pages, I haven't yet touched the kit! I have found that I have a lot of left over pieces of paper and embellishments from prior projects and design team kits that I can use for Project Life. Talk about 'scrap' booking! I have many paper packs that have pieces just sitting in them waiting to be used-- certainly enough paper to create a few 4x6 journaling cards! I typically store my paper packs in the ziploc type top plastic bags that CTMH paper packs come in and purchased additional ones for my non-CTMH paper kits so it is all kept together.

I also have a small Snapware bin (originally designed for ribbon) that I have a lot of my CTMH accessories in. It contains designer brads, metal embellishments, sparkles, pearls, flowers, buttons, etc. I keep this close by when I'm working on any project so I can just reach in and grab what I need. It has a top section that I store my Acrylic blocks in for stamping and a lid. Again, easily portable for a crop and easy to use at home.

I have used this very large Snapware container with 3 levels for crops in the past. I have bought Snapware at Joann's or Target but I'm sure you can find it other places as well. It is very large and I like that I can see what is in it without necessarily having to take the lid off the top. I has dividers so I may be moving all of my Project Life stuff into this and using only this. I haven't yet decided as the downside is that if you load it too heavily, the 'snaps' on the side give way and you can spill your load. The last time I took it to a crop, I dropped it down into an XL canvas tote from Lands End and it did just fine. As I said above, I'm always looking for the most efficient way to organize. As I get more into Project Life, I'll let you know how my organization changes. I'll continue to post ideas and layouts here as well so become a Follower and add me to your Reader for updates!

Good luck with your Project Life if you are tackling it this year and comment if you are also doing it and have a blog- I'd love to see how you are using it 'your way'!

Winter Survival Kit

2012-01-13T06:00:00.003-05:00

I had fun making this cute little project with our Scrapbooks Plus DT kit this month. It is a "Winter Survival Kit". Now that the temperatures are starting to drop, it seems timely! It was really quite simple to put together. I used my Cricut to cut a 'fry box' with my Close To My Heart Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.

Here's a close up of the front with the layered medallion with vintage book print and a large snowflake (punched with a Martha Stewart punch) and topped off with a button, then accented with burgundy crinkle ribbon. I also used a Martha border punch to create a snowflake border around the box (under the medallion and layered with more crinkle ribbon.

The contents were also decorated with the same punches, vintage book print and ribbon. I measured a small tissue pack and created a box with a flap to cover it. Also included a chap stick lip balm and gourmet hot cocoa mix. This would also be a fun little 'pick me up gift' for a good friend with a cold- it is that time of year! I also plan to use this same method for party favors this year for my kids' birthday parties-- create a few themed goodies (not tissues and lip balm!) and put them in a fry box. Super cute, quick and easy!! I hope this inspires you to create a fun project with your scrapbook supplies!

New Year- tackling Project Life CTMH style! Project Life Title Page

2012-01-12T09:47:00.000-05:00

This year I am determined to capture more of our family's memories and in a timely manner. You may be familiar with Becky Higgin's Project Life method of scrapbooking. If not, it is basically a way to stay 'caught up' (dare I use those words!?) and scrapbook on your own terms. Much of Becky Higgins products were sold out and given that I LOVE Close To My Heart's products, I scoured the CTMH Idea Book and found some great solutions!

I purchased a 12" x 12" Work in Progress Album- which has a 3 ring binder- and several packets of 12" x 12" Memory Protectors Photo Storage Pages- both vertical and horizontal. I also plan to utilize Memory Protectors Flip Flaps as well. They come in a 12" assortment or 4" x 6" size. Above I used a 6" x 12" flip flap and my title page uses the Dreamin' line of paper and accessories.

When you flip open the Flip Flap, you see this on the backside of the flap:

I used the Cricut CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge to cut these and all of the 'non-straight' cuts on my layouts. In case you are wondering, you can only get this cartridge from a CTMH consultant. It is jam packed with over 600 amazing images- including 3D flowers! The cartridge comes with matching stamp sets and white chipboard to coordinate with some of the images on the cartridge. Many of the stamp sets now come with at least a few images that can easily be cut from this cartridge and then detailed with a stamped image. Amazing! But I digress... here is the opened first page:

So that's our title page. I have completed the first week's page and am on track to upload that to my blog in the next few days so check back. The second week is still in progress but is looking good to be completed timely as well.

In case you are wondering, my plan is definitely NOT to stop traditional scrapbooking. This is the reason I'm using a Work in Progress Album. It opens and closes super easy so I can easily add in other pages of all sizes (12x12, 8 1/2x11, 8x8, 6x6) with layouts, school papers and other important things to our family. When I do a traditional 12x12 layout, I feel that I need a group of very clear, nicely composed photos to go on the layout. I just don't always have that. Sometimes the photos are blurry, sometimes I just have 1 photo of the event and there are other times that I don't have any photos but still want to capture the memory. I believe this weekly method of scrapbooking will allow me to easily capture the highlights of our family's week and I can still add in traditional pages for the larger events.

I will be back tomorrow with a post about how I'm keeping track of our daily activities and how I plan to fit in photos of everything that happens in a week around here!

Snow Much To Do Layout

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

I promise I didn't plan for this to be so timely with the snowflakes falling on Monday afternoon, but what would January be without a snowy layout! This week, hurry in Scrapbooks Plus to pick up this fun layout I designed for the store to showcase your fun snow photos! The layout is titled "Snow Much To Do" but the letters are from a sticker sheet that matches the papers used from Echo Park Paper Company's Winter Park collection so you could easily change the title to fit your photos.

The white boxes shown on the layout are not mats- they are to show where the photos will be on your completed layout. As you can see, you can fit a lot of photos on this layout- a total of 6! (3 - 3x3", 2- 4x5" and 1- 4x6"- plus two places for journaling). The free elements this week are the die cut snowflakes- one large and three smaller ones, sprayed with Tattered Angels' Glimmer Mist in "Bell Bottom Jeans". Supplies are limited so hurry in today!

Scrapbooks Plus Design Team Layout

2012-01-09T20:59:00.000-05:00

I am happy to announce that I have been selected to continue on the Scrapbooks-Plus Design Team for another year. It has been really fun to work with the different paper lines and expand my scrapbooking experience and techniques. If you follow the S-P Design Team each month, there are a few changes this year. One is that the Page Map is being retired and replaced with more layouts around the store by Design Team members. This is a fun change this year that will give you many more layouts to 'scraplift' from around the store with a variety of paper lines each month. Here is my version of the last Page Map:

I love the music paper with perforations! It was really fun to work with and I split it up and used on several projects! I also played with die cutting and embossing the red suede paper. It cut like butter with my Cricut and embosses beautifully! Here's a close up of the embossing- it was tough to photograph- but it really looks cool in person!

I also added some Liquid Applique' to my Santa hat cut from the suede paper. This is an old product that I've had in my drawer for years but I pull it out for at least one project at this time of the year. It is made by Marvy and Scrapbooks Plus can easily order this for you if it is out of stock when you need it. You simply squeeze it on your project in a thick layer and then heat with your embossing gun until it puffs. Just be careful not to over-puff as it will burn. Have fun with your own creation using this fun pagemap!

Wednesday Make & Take at Scrapbooks Plus

2011-12-28T06:00:00.001-05:00

I had the pleasure of putting together this week's Wednesday Make & Take at Scrapbooks-Plus. It is blingy and sparkly and is perfect for displaying your New Year's evening photos!

The layout features fun Teresa Collins embossed colored core papers as the background, glitter cardstock as the photo mats and fun suede paper! The free element is the glitter clock featured above the vellum journaling tag. It is available black on blue as shown in the photo or blue on black- your choice, while supplies last! The double scallop edge (from Martha Stewart) on the bottom of the blue suede border can be punched at the store this week if you have a few minutes or cut with any other border punch you choose- or left straight. The suede behind the vellum journaling tag is embossed which you can also borrow while at the store if you don't have it (Cuttlebug swirls embossing folder)- or leave it un-embossed for a classic look. This layout has some great papers that give great texture, depth and fun to your layout! It is finished by adding random mulit-sized rhinestones along the border scallops and swirls.

Have more than 3 photos? No problem- you can easily add one in the space above the journaling tag as well as placing two smaller photos in the large black photo mat. Hurry in today to purchase the supplies for this layout! Remember, supplies are limited!!

I'm also honored to announce that I have been selected for a second term on the Scrapbooks Plus Design Team. It was a lot of fun this year- hard work and deadlines to meet- but a lot of great ideas and talented team members that really inspired me and my work! So, watch for more posts with DT posts as well as more CTMH posts next year!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

2011-12-26T07:28:00.020-05:00

I seemed to be further behind in my holiday preparations this year than in past years. I finally snapped a decent photo of my kids on Dec. 23rd, loaded it into the computer and zinged a card off to Costco that evening to pick up at the store on Dec. 24th. I was up until well past midnight on Dec. 22nd wrapping presents. My daughter and I picked up the cards and Costco and a few last minute gifts on Dec. 24 but were back home by 11am and even found time to bake some cookies together for Santa. Everything seemed to slow down after noon on Dec. 24th for me so I could fit in the really important things-- like spending time with my family! Somehow almost everything was done in time for the big day... except posting on my blog!

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas! I know we did and we took time to thank God for sending Jesus Christ to us on Dec. 25th, Christ's birthday-- we even sang happy birthday at our church! I love the warmth and love we feel at this time of the year and whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or another religion. I hope you can catch the true spirit of this amazing season and keep it with you all year long!

And, I also have to add in-- Happy Birthday to Mary! I ate some frosting in your honor!

Folded Tree Christmas Card

2011-12-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

This card has a few different elements that make it look complicated but it really is very simple! The tree is made from half of a 5 1/2" circle. Simply cut out a circle then cut it in half. The sample below shows approximately where the folds are made on the circle but it doesn't have to be perfect to look great! The first fold is the one on the left in the photo. This becomes the bottom of your tree. Note that the point is at about 2/3 of the straight side of the half circle- not the center. The next fold is folded in the opposite direction and the final is folded the same direction as the first. The tree is completed with Stickles as ornaments and a star brad on top.

The other really fun element on this is Grunge Board by Tim Holtz. I used a Sizzix embossing folder on raw Grunge Board and then rubbed my distressing ink over it. Grunge Board is really fun to work with. It is really strong- much better than chipboard because it doesn't crack and break- but could be used in the very same manner. It is also pliable so you could use it as a hinge. It comes in a pack of sheets where you could use all or just a piece. Such fun stuff!

I completed my card with the beautiful braided trim and a sneak peek at some perforated music paper from next month's Design Team kit! Happy Holidays!!

The Year In Review

2011-12-13T06:00:00.002-05:00

This month's Scrapbooks-Plus Design Team paper kit inspired me to scrapbook 'the year in review' for 2011. I scrapped July and May but I hope to finish all of the months over the next month. This paper kit really makes it a snap to scrapbook the months and with all of the coordinating paper, stickers and other embellishments. The paper itself has great 6 x 4 blocks with the months on them such as the one below for May. I also used one for my July layout above. The pages come together in no time so I'll easily be able to complete a quick album for 2011 in review to hit the highlights each month. What a great gift it would make to put together an album like this for that special person this year!

Stop by Scrapbooks-Plus to pick up your kit today!

Birthday Reminder Album

2011-12-05T06:00:00.003-05:00

I have really enjoyed being a member of the Scrapbooks Plus Design Team this year. It has really helped me stay on top of the new paper lines and encouraged me to step outside my creative box a bit. I love seeing all the awesome art work my fellow team members create. They are all so talented!! Thanks, Scrapbooks-Plus, for letting me be a part of this great team!!

This month's kit was really fun to work with! I was expecting to scrapbook my pictures from last Christmas with holiday themed papers but Lisa surprised me with this cool kit! It inspired me to look back at the different months of 2011 and also think ahead about one of my goals for 2012. I confess that I am terrible about remembering birthdays. Not my immediate families' birthdays thankfully, but others that I really care about that I am also close to. I really want to get organized in 2012 to help me overcome this fault and put together a perpetual calendar where I can jot down all the important birthdays. This paper was perfect for this! The kit has some pages that you can easily cut into 4 x 6" pieces for the pages.

I alternated my colored pages and used the super cute coordinating stickers to embellish my pages. On the unlined pages, I used a 'journaling' stamp for my lines but you could easily draw the lines in with a ruler or go with the freehand method without lines! I used a punch for my month tabs and the letter stickers that came with the kit for the month titles on each. Below is a photo of the tabs and the page for June.

Stop by the store and take a look at this super quick book. I used my Bind it All to put it all together and tied ribbons on the outside for added cuteness! These would also make super cute gifts for friends and family. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Placecards and Ribbon Pumpkin tutorial

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

I thought these little placecards would add a whimsical touch to our Thanksgiving table this year. I used the DT kit, Hello Fall papers from LYB and added some ribbon from my stash and some Cricut cuts. These were really simple and fun to make!

Here's how I made the pumpkins...

Cut an 8 inch piece of ribbon. Mine was 1 1/2" width but you could use wider for larger pumpkins. This technique would be tough with a smaller width ribbon. I used satin ribbon but you could use other types or a strip of fabric or felt for this project. Run a line of adhesive along one inside edge of the ribbon. Fold the sides together evenly as shown in the photo. I used Scotch ATG tape but you could use any strong adhesive you have on hand.

After the ribbon is fully adhered together on the long edge, snip the non-adhesive side of the ribbon every 1/8" or so about 2/3 of the way through the width of the ribbon. Then run another adhesive line along the edge opposite your snips. Start at one end and begin to tightly roll the adhesive edge, leaving the loops on the outside, careful not to catch them in the roll. Once fully rolled up you will be able to squish out your loops to form the pumpkin. The more you smoosh it, the more frayed the ribbon becomes so smoosh away depending on the look you want!

The leaves were cut on my Cricut as were the letters. The pumpkin stem is a piece of brown mini ric rac. Have a great Thanksgiving!!

Hello Fall with a touch of Tim Holtz

2011-11-13T06:00:00.004-05:00

Today I want to share with you my Scrapbooks-Plus Design Team card project for this month with the Hello Fall line from LYB. I combined the papers with Tim Holtz Alterations embossing folders for the Fall- sold in a 4 pack with a full sized one with words that I used on one of my layouts this month and 3 different borders-- I'm using 2 of the 3 in this project. You can pick these up at Scrapbooks Plus along with the Limited Edition highly sought after 3 pack of Distress Inks which I'm also using on this project.

My card this month is a pocket card that I made using this tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers. I used the embossing folders on my two tag inserts. The first is above. I cut my tag to size and ran it and the embossing folder through my Cuttlebug. Then I sanded the raised edges. I then got to work with my Distress Inks. Lightly swirling my limited edition Distress Inks over the raised image.

I repeated with a different paper from the kit and another embossing folder from the set, with more sanding and ink. I then added cardstock sentiments from the Hello Fall kit to my tags and embellished with ribbon and buttons.

Here is my completed card... hope you check out all the fun embellishments available this Fall!!

Hello Fall and Accordian Flower tutorial

2011-11-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

I was so excited to be able to choose this month's Design Team kit! This is such fun paper and the colors are amazing. While the line is 'Hello Fall' from LYB, it is easy to use for so much more than Fall layouts and projects! I scrapped a photo of my daughter from this Summer. The paper matched her her shirt almost perfectly and the yellow matches her sunny personality making it the perfect choice.

I used two of the canvas borders and layered them to help balance the large photo. The brown and white flower is from the chipboard pack that is available from LYB that matches this kit. It came out of the package as a rich dark brown and I used a white gellato from Faber Castell (also available at Scrapbooks-Plus) to enhance it and give it some shine.

The yellow print flower I made with a strip of yellow flowered paper from the kit. The directions for making the accordion flower are below. They are really simple and can be plain like this one with a simple scalloped edge or you can cut with a fancy edge using a border punch-- think of the fun possibilities!

Decide how large you want your flower and cut the strip at 1/2 the size of the completed flower by 12". Use your scoring board-- if you don't have one, stop by the store and pick one up! They are awesome for all kinds of techniques! The Martha Stewart version- which the store sells-comes with its own scoring tool and an envelope template-- all stored in the board itself!!). Place at the top of your scoring board and score every 1/4". If you don't have a scoring board, you can still do this but it will take much longer!

Once you have scored all the way across the 12" strip, accordion fold the strip. Then trim off the very last fold. Use a super sticky tape to adhere one end of the strip to the other.

You will then have a 'cupcake liner' (hmm... another project!?!) which you'll need to adhere to something to get it to lie flat-- it doesn't stay easily!! I used Quick Dry Adhesive from Helmar-- great stuff that you can get at S-Plus and use for just about anything you need to glue! (In retrospect, I should have punched a larger circle given the size of my rather large accordian flower to give it more support. I would recommend using a circle that is about 1/2 the size of your completed flower or larger. It is hidden so it doesn't matter if it is exactly a circle- I just grabbed the closest circle punch!)

Here's the completed flower on my layout! I edged the outside and top with a teal colored Copic marker for contrast. I love using Copics for this type of thing because they 'bleed' some if you touch them in one spot for more than a second and give a fuzzy look... great for flowers!

Are you ready for some football??

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

Head into Scrapbooks-Plus today to claim your football layout! I had the pleasure of designing this week's Wednesday make and take! It features Little Yellow Bicycle's Game On football papers which were really fun to work with and I can't wait to get some ULYFL Trojans photos on the layout! The store has this same design in baseball and soccer so you could easily replace the paper on the layout for another sport!! The free element included with the kit this week is the library card pocket which could be used with any of the sports' papers!

There are a limited quantity of kits available so hurry in today to claim yours!

November Scrapbooks Plus Design Team Kit

2011-11-01T06:00:00.004-04:00

As you know, I am on the Design Team at our local scrapbook store, Scrapbooks-Plus. In fact, all of my posts the past few months have been DT posts-- sorry, with all our family activites this fall it seems that's all I've had time for! As part of the design team benefits we all get one month to choose the kit we all will use for that month's projects. November was my month and it was a lot of fun choosing from all the fabulous paper companies. One of my favorites is Little Yellow Bicycle. Their paper is nice and thick and the designs are really fun! Here's my post on the DT website announcing 'Hello Fall!'...

There's a chill in the air in the evenings now and we know Fall is here... but the weather isn't the only thing ushering in the Autumn season! The Scrapbooks-Plus Design Team kit this month features Little Yellow Bicycle's 'Hello Fall' line. This line features beautiful papers with great Fall colors that are so bright and cheery you may forget the dropping temperatures- not to mention the early snowfall! The shades are perfect for just about any photos or projects you have in mind-- not just your pumpkin picking photos! The papers are complimented by many fun embellishments that are must haves and will make your projects come together with ease! There are lacey crepe paper adhesive borders, fun cardstock stickers, canvas banners and borders, fabric stickers, journaling tags and one of my favorites- corrugated shapes... and so much more. This is really fun line of paper and embellishments that will compliment just about anything you have in mind. So hurry in today to check out what our super creative Design Team has put together with this kit and get your Hello Fall products to welcome this beautiful season!

Check back all month for projects using this kit and a few other fun things I'm working on!

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-18T06:00:00.028-04:00

My Scrapbooks Plus Design Team two page layout this month is above. The Oct. 31 paper was perfect for my pumpkin carving photos!
This page was fun to create because all of the photos are square! I used my scoring board to create the lines around some of my square and rectangle cardstock elements. Then I sanded the debossed lines (bumps up, not down into the paper like embossed) to reveal the white paper core. I wanted the white look but you could also ink the score lines to give added definition. Here's a close up of my title block using the Oct. 31 letter stickers (which are so cool!) and the border I created.

I also used a chipboard spooky cat and spritzed him with an ink spray in black. It is hard to tell in the photo but he's almost irridescent. Very spooky in black!!

Hope you have an awesome Halloween and get some great photos to scrap!

Let your paper do the talking for you!

2011-10-13T06:00:00.000-04:00

Let your paper do the talking for you! That's what I did with this fabulous paper from Fancy Pants... appropriately named, October 31st! All of the Scrapbooks Plus Design Team paper kits have been so fun to work with and this kit is no exception!

I usually start my layouts with relatively plain paper and then build from there. In this case, the frame on the bottom right corner with the Oct. 31 date is part of the paper and saved me a lot of 'building'. I let the paper do the talking for me. I only needed to enhance the paper base with my photos and a few embellishments. This layout came together super quickly! I used black paint to darken my corners opposite the paper design, added a few strips of striped paper, ribbon and a few embellishments to go with my photos.

Super fast, fun and so rewarding when the paper lays it all out for you!!

Copic Club - Join us!!

2011-10-07T06:00:00.004-04:00

We'd love to have you join us to learn more about how Copic Markers can enhance your art! The class is hands on and all about FALL COLORS!! We are building a reference journal and two of the pages we are adding to our book are above. If you don't have a book, we'll make one in class!

If you've taken the Copic Basic class, have a few markers and want to learn more techniques or have only heard of Copics and want to know more, please call the store today to sign up for our class on Wednesday, October 12 from 6:30-8:30.

Altered frame- bland to wow!

2011-10-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

Isn't it amazing how easy it is to use scrapbook paper to transform plain objects and make them extra special? I found this frame at Target on the clearance rack. A nice frame, but definitely won't win any
design contests and isn't 'giftable' as is.

I measured the 4 sides and cut my scrapbook paper with my paper trimmer. I cut angles on the corners to miter my corners but you could easily keep the edges straight. Then I added a plaque I cut on my Cricut and used my Oct. 31 letter stickers to spell out 'Family'.

I had some ivory colored rose ribbon on hand and used a spray ink to color my flowers. After some drying time, I adhered them and some matching tulle to my frame. Above is the before and after-- I love the fact that I can easily change colors on ribbon to match my project!

I wanted to make my frame extra special as a gift but once I finished it, I decided that it was perfect for the photo of our family at Mickey's Halloween Party in Disney World last year. I guess I'll be headed back to Target to see if they have any frames left to make another for my gift!!

CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge Set

2011-10-02T13:43:00.000-04:00

The new CTMH Art Philospophy Cricut Cartridge has created a buzz in the papercrafting world! Have you heard the 'chirps' of the happy Cricuts? It is an amazing cartridge that offers over 600 images you can cut on any size Cricut... including 3-D flowers and boxes!

Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge only available at www.closetomyheart.com/starbreezedesigns

The cartridge has received rave reviews as it coordinates with many stamp sets and chipboard shapes. The stamp sets have the size to cut for the stamped image right on the stamp carrier sheet making it super quick and easy! The cartridge comes with 3 amazing stamp sets and 3 sheets of chipboard shapes that coordinate with the Cricut shapes.

Click on the above link to order yours today or contact me to place your order!

S-P DT Page map and Fiskars crimper...

2011-09-17T06:00:00.004-04:00

Using the Scrapbooks-Plus Design Team page map this month I crated this layout. I had some really great photos from my daughter's school trip that I also wanted to use, so I created a second layout to go with the given page map!

One of the fun things I've pulled out of my scrapbooking tool stash recently is my Fiskars crimper. I haven't used it in years but have been having a fun time making patterned paper look like corrugated cardboard- which is so hot right now!

The crimper adds fun texture and dimension to any project. It is great to distress the ridges or leave as it. I used it on my card set as well!

Pull out your old crimper and give it a try!

Bueller, Bueller...

2011-09-13T06:00:00.000-04:00

I was inspired to frame and embellish this quote from the Basic Grey Oxford collection because it is so true and because it is from one of my favorite movies growing up, Ferris Bueller's Day Off!

"Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop to look around once in a while you could miss it."

I used fringe brown ribbon, pleated green satin ribbon, pink pom pom trim and Prima flower ribbon to embellish with the Live Laugh Love quote.

I just love it when I see something in my scrapbooking supplies that inspires me to create artwork for my home. I have the perfect place picked out and ready for this!

Scrapbooks Plus Make and Take

2011-09-07T06:00:00.002-04:00

I created the make and take layout this week for Scrapbooks Plus. I think it is really something to bark about! This really fun paper and stickers will make your layout come together really quickly to showcase photos of your favorite canine! The free element is the 'Good Dog' journaling tag at the bottom left of the layout. Come in today to get your instructions, free journaling tag element, papers and stickers to create this fun layout today! Supplies are limited so hurry in!

Basic Grey

2011-09-05T15:10:00.001-04:00

I just love Basic Grey! It has been really fun working with the Oxford papers this month and they inspired me to start thinking about back to school a little early! So I pulled out some old photos of my son when he went to 2nd grade. Boy, does time fly!!

I had a fun time working with the stickers, chipboard, and embellishments that match this fun paper! The quote I used is from the Basic Grey paper and is a quote from "Calvin and Hobbes" one of our family's favorite comic strips! Very appropriate!

I also used photos in a series at the bottom of the page. The apple is a piece of chipboard covered with perfectly colored paper for an apple! The pencils are stickers from Basic Grey that match the papers. Now that we have the kids back in school, I hope this fun paper and the Design Team's layouts inspire you to scrapbook your photos soon!

Easy Embellishment for your papers!

2011-08-17T06:00:00.005-04:00

I was excited to see this paper in the Design Team kit! It was black and white and had this great scroll design on it! I knew right away I would be pulling out my Copic markers. I used a caribbean blue green sea color Bazzill cardstock which matches one of the borders from another paper in the DT kit (used on the second page of this layout) as my inspiration and chose a similar Copic color and a pale blue to blend. For those of you that use Copic markers, this is surprisingly great paper for blending!! --An added bonus!!

Here's a close up of the completed coloring above and below is the completed two page layout. You could really use your Copic markers to embellish any scrapbook paper. The markers are transparent so you can slightly alter (or significantly alter by layering your color) any paper of any color! I hope you find something creative to do with this fun paper! Pick up a few sheets today at Scrapbooks-Plus.

Pair a Phrase Bloghop

2011-08-14T21:00:00.002-04:00

Welcome to my stop on the Pair a Phrase Bloghop. We are celebrating National Stamping Month with an exclusive limited edition stamp set! From Aug. 15- Sept. 30, purchase $75 in CTMH products and get this stamp set absolutely free! Also, don't forget the great new price of our Stamp of the Month-- only $5 with a $50 purchase! The Pair a Phrase stamp set is a D sized stamp set times 2!!

I'm so glad you are here! If you are coming here from Lori Brown's awesome blog, you are on the right path. I LOVE this stamp set! You could use this for a million different projects so deciding what project to use this for was really tough. With school starting soon here in Virginia, I decided to make little treats for my kids' lunchboxes for the first day of school. I took a single Reese Cup and made a box for it out of CTMH's Typeset paper pack. Here is the backside which is colored with CTMH's Watercolor pencils and blender pen, punched with CTMH's scallop punch, then inked around the edges and mounted on a sunburst shape cut with the new CTMH Cricut Cartridge, Art Philosophy.

Here is the front side of my box which features a flap covered with the same scallop punch and an Antique Copper Designer Brad. The sentiment is the second part of the one on the photo above. For both sentiments, I curved my stamp on my block to make it fit my design. That is one of the cool things about using Acrylic stamps!!

If this little lunchbox treat inspires you to create something special for your loved ones as a fun surprise- or teacher gifts- for the first day of school, the template I created for this project is below. The red lines are score lines.

Now hop on over to Nancy Brown's blog to see what great creation she has for you today!

Laura

S-P Design Team project using up scraps

2011-08-13T06:00:00.005-04:00

I created this card file box with this month's Scrapbooks Plus Design Team kit. It was a lot of fun to create! The kit this month is really fun! It has lots of images, stickers and 'card blocks' (my term for a cardstock page that is broken into individual blocks that you can use as one or cut into blocks). I created dividers for each month so I could note the birthdays, anniversaries and other occasions I needed to remember. This was the last project I created from my Design Team kit this month and I started looking at all the cool things I still had left and decided to make a set of cards. One of my goals is to try to avoid having left overs of a kit once I've created my main projects so I typically make cards from the leftovers. That helps me use what I have and create cards to have on hand at a moment's notice-- or add to my new box!

I had a friend give me a card that stands up on its own. It is really simple but so unique. Here's how you make them. I created smaller scale cards for this but you could adjust the size quite easily. Essentially this is a card with a diagonal line scored in the front. Here's what my blank card looks like after I scored it.

I used a 3 1/2" by 8" piece of cardstock for each card. Then I scored a center line at 4" and then a line diagonally on one side of the card- which will become the front. Then fold on each line. I decorated only the bottom right triangle of my front. It makes it easier to fold the front and work only on the folded triangle so you don't adhere your decorative paper to the other triangle. Then create a 1 to a 1 1/2" strip (this doesn't have to be exact- whatever scraps you have) and adhere it on the inside right side of the card, lengthwise. I used foam tape to pop up my sentiment which makes the 'stand up' part easier but thicker cardstock would make the stand up effect work as well.

Here's a photo of a few of my finished cards. I'd encourage you to use up your scraps when you complete your layouts with some simple cards!

Enjoy!
Laura

CTMH Convention Swaps

2011-08-12T08:00:00.004-04:00

I was fortunate enough to attend the Close To My Heart Convention in Disneyland last month. It was a blast! The best thing about attending is that you get a first hand-on look at the Autumn/Winter Idea Book and let me tell you it is AWESOME! Not only does CTMH have an incredible new Cricut cartridge with over 700 designs (including 2 alphabets) but the new papers are incredible. New cardstock weight designer B&T papers with a "Zip Strip" on the top that gives an added bonus design element!! So amazing!!

As if that weren't enough, the second best thing about convention is the tradition of Swaps. You can choose to participate in trading cards with other consultants. I created two different designs to swap. I created about 20 of each. The nice thing is there is no requirement for number-- however many you make is how many you get back! I swapped and got so many neat cards. I just love all the ideas... I've even used a few already!!

Here's an up close with my 'Mickey' card. The Mickey head was created on the Cricut and I embossed the Honey cardstock with a Cuttlebug embossing folder and sponged with Tulip ink to show the detail. I used Zippidee paper and Kraft paper for my card base. The star stamp is from the July stamp of the month. The ricrac is from my stash.

This was the favorite so I thought I'd give you a close up. I'll show you the other card close up in the next few weeks. I'll be back tomorrow with a post for the Scrapbooks-Plus Design Team!

Have a great weekend!!

CTMH Fun Gifts

2011-08-07T21:55:00.001-04:00

I made these fun necklaces for my Close To My Heart friends. I bought the bottle caps and ribbon necklaces online. I punched a hole for jump rings to be able to use as a necklace. I then cut up Making Memories tags that had words embossed on them so they'd fit and punched out circle sections of paper from the Wings paper pack. I added a few sparkles and then squeezed in CTMH's liquid glass. It took overnight to dry and almost all of them turned out just as I wanted!

I did learn a tip I will pass along. Be sure and use adhesive to glue down everything before you add the liquid glass unless you want it floating to the surface. I had a few of my embossed words float up a little and I caught it too late (the liquid glass had already set up)!

These turned out to be really cute. I love the scalloped petals on the bottlecap, don't you!

Scenes from Curacao

2011-08-05T06:00:00.004-04:00

This is a layout I did for the Scrapbooks Plus Design Team this month. I had a lot of photos I wanted to crop from our trip to Curacao. I cropped 6 of my photos in 3x3 squares and layered my papers to create this somewhat geometric layout. I like using smaller photos on my layouts when I have a lot of images I want to include. I typically do this by doing a 'border' on one side of my two page layout and use larger photos to balance them. I liked using them on this one page layout as I could fit a lot in without being too overwhelming... great for travel photos!!

I used a variety of the Design Team kit items on this layout- stickers, chipboard and paper. I also used my Copic markers. I have been using them more and more on my layouts where previously I had used them for images for cards. I used them in several ways on this layout...

This is a chipboard shield that I covered with paper. You can just see at the top a thin black line around the edge of the shield. I used my 100 Black Copic marker to 'finish' my edges. I do this by using the chisel edge of the marker and holding the flat end perpendicular to the item I'm coloring, moving the paper, not the marker to create a solid line. Remember to practice before doing this on your finished project as Copic markers will bleed on many papers so you may get some uneven lines if it touches one spot longer than another.

Another way I used my Copic markers was to enhance the depth on this sticker flower. I used W-3, Warm Grey No. 3 around the edges of the flower and leaves and in the center. It is a little hard to see but you can take a closer look in the store at the actual layout. Again, the marker will bleed into the edge if you let it sit too long-- I actually used this to my advantage in some spots on this piece. The sticker has a 'slick' finish on it so working in slow, short strokes works much better than long quick ones.

If you haven't used Copic markers before- or even if you have and want to join in on the fun, I'd encourage you to join us for Copic Club on Wednesday, August 17th at 6:30 to learn more about these fun tools!!

More Copic Marker Uses!

2011-08-03T21:48:00.000-04:00

If you have not used Copic Markers before, you really should give them a try! I believe they are the most flexible markers on the market! They are refillable, they are guaranteed not to dry out (if the cap is on) for 3 years and the nibs can be replaced so you never need to buy the same marker twice! I just love them as they are so versatile and come in hundreds of colors! They can write on practically anything. Let me show you a few items that i used my Copic markers for with this month's Design Team projects:

First, I used a Multiliner pen with the brushstroke tip to write on my photos. There are lots of different sized nibs for Multiliners. I like the brushstroke but it is easiest to start with a harder nib if you aren't used to working with a brush. The brush is fun because you can vary the width of your stroke very easily with more or less pressure. All Copic markers can be used to write on photos. They dry almost instantly and do not smear. They are great for adding text or for coloring.

I also used them to color the edges of my wood frame. I didn't want to cover the frame with paint, but I didn't want to leave the 'raw' wood on the edges. Copic markers color is transparent. You can 'build' the depth of the color when you use it by layering more color in the same place for a darker color. The reason I chose these for this project was so that I could take advantage of this transparent quality and be able to still see that it is a wood frame with the grain showing through. I covered the front of my frame with paper and embellishments from the Design Team kit this month but the edges were quickly and easily finished with Copic Markers. I used a shade of red for the outer edge and a shade of dark blue for the inner edge by the photo.

If you are interested in learning more about these markers, join us on August 17th at 6:30 for our upcoming Copic Club class at the store! Here's the completed photo frame.

Single Page Layouts

2011-08-01T22:04:00.000-04:00

Hi! I thought I'd share a few more one page layouts with you from some of the past months' Design Team projects at Scrapbooks Plus. I haven't posted these on my own blog so I thought I'd share some inspiration with you! I tend to create two page layouts because I usually take a lot of pictures and then can't decide how to elimate enough to get down to just a single page layout! However, what do you do when you set up your scrapbook and there is a blank first or last page of the book staring at you- BLANK! As an artist, I just can't have that!

I love that Scrapbooks Plus incorporates several single page layouts into the routine each month! It helps me step out of the box and either use my single photos or choose just that one special one to tell my story. I also think it makes my journaling more meaningful which tends to be an afterthought for me. GASP! Yes, I know. I admit it! But I am improving. I hope these layouts inspire you to create a few one pagers of your own!

Scrapbooks Plus Design Team layouts

2011-07-31T21:42:00.003-04:00

I hope you are having a great summer! At the Petruso house, we've been having a blast. It is amazing how time just flies and before you know it, your 2 year old is now a 4 year old and your 9 year old is now 11 and getting ready to start middle school! Just amazing!! So I am making a concerted effort to really focus on my family this summer and just enjoy being a family. Part of that fun has been fitting in time for crafting, scrapbooking, travel and time with friends. Blogging has been a little lax-- it was one of the things that just got pushed down the totem pole in the last few months.

The good news is that I have been crafting and creating and have some fun things to share. I am scheduling a few posts for you in the coming month with these items so check back often to see all that I've been creating in my studio! I have two single page scrapbook layouts for you today that were created for Scrapbooks-Plus' Design Team for July. They were really fun to create and scream summer to me! I guess it is all the red, white and blue!! Enjoy! You can two elements up close on my post on the Design Team blog here and here.

Circle flowers and Webster's Pages

2011-06-10T20:56:00.000-04:00

Wow! Time really flies by and before I know it, it has been more than a month since I last blogged here! A a member of the Scrapbooks-Plus design team I have been blogging on their site a minimum of 3 times each month. I have been really into making ribbon flowers for the past few months. Each month I try to find another type of flower to make. This month, I made a few simple circle flowers- the pink ones on this layout using our Design Team kit this month from Webster's Pages:

I'll give you a quick tutorial showing how I made these. I took two similar colors of pink 1 1/2 inch wide ribbon- one in satin and the other sheer.

I freehand cut circle shapes in slightly different sizes. Don't worry about making them perfect. Just cut basic shapes. Then I melted the edges slightly to keep them from fraying.

I used a tea light because I was doing quite a few circles. You need to be careful not to burn your edges- just to melt them slightly. The better quality your ribbon the less likely you are to burn the edges. Also, different types of ribbon burn faster- such as the sheer ribbon which burns very quickly.

Once I cut my circles and sealed all my edges, I alternated sheer and satin circles to create my flowers. I layered them until I was happy with the look and then used my Crop-a-dile to punch a hole in the center for my rhinestone brad. These are super easy and I like the fact that the less than perfect circles that I cut freehand are perfect for this flower! Here's a close up of the completed flowers on the layout:

Give these easy flowers a try today!!

Every day with you is a treat

2011-04-18T06:00:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter! (a little early!) I used an acrylic box filled with jellybeans, our fun Design Team paper this month, and the upcoming Easter holiday as my inspiration for my project. I wanted to make a little Easter basket to go with my box. It is tall and narrow, about 1 1/4" square on the bottom of the box. I designed my basket as follows:

I decided how far up the side of my acrylic box I wanted the sides to come (about 4" in this case), I added in my 1 1/4" box base and cut my paper in a square. I traced the box base in the center of my square. I then cut myself a corner template out of cardboard and traced it on to my paper on all 4 corners.

I cut on the lines but left a little tab on each of the side pieces so I could easily glue the basket together. I then erased all my pencil marks just in case they would show on the finished project. I then used extra strong tape to hold the sides together, applying to my tabs I left on the sides. I used a scallop border punch on the edges while it was still flat so the edges of my basket would be scalloped.

I added a handle covered with ribbon, a few bows on the side, orange Easter grass and a Happy Easter scalloped circle to the front to complete my basket. Hope you have some fun projects lined up for the upcoming holiday!

More Ribbon Techniques

2011-04-13T06:00:00.003-04:00

Hi! Here with a few more ribbon techniques for you to try that I used on this month's Scrapbooks Plus Design Team projects! I'm using 1" Satin ribbon for on my project but you could use these techniques with any width or type of ribbon. The first technique is quick and easy...ribbon pleating with my secret weapon... a stapler!

Here's a photo so you can see my ribbon pleating in progress. I added pleated ribbon to the bottom of my layout by using a sturdy piece of cardstock because I wanted to hide my staples-- although you could easily staple right on your project for a different look. I folded the ribbon over on itself to create the first pleat, adding a staple with my Tim Holtz Mini Attacher (love, love, love the tiny staples!). If you don't have this tool, you must add it to your stash! They are located in the store in the tool area near the other Tim Holtz tools. Then I created another pleat, stapled and kept repeating until my pleats were well, com-pleat (sorry, I couldn't resist the pun!). I then glued my cardstock to the back of my project so the pleats peeked out from the bottom. Super easy! See bottom of post for a photo of the completed (I resisted the pun here) look!

On this same project, I used the same 1" Satin ribbon and made a gathered ribbon flower. This is easy also but to create you'll have to dig out a needle and thread. I chose a matching color thread, tied a knot at one end of my thread and stitched a running stitch along one side of my ribbon. I know, I can't sew straight or even stitches-- I'm a little embarrassed to show you my terrible stitching but this just demonstrates that anyone that can thread a needle can do this!

Once you've stitched all the way through your ribbon piece (mine was about 14 inches), hold the end of the thread opposite your knot and start pushing your ribbon down to gather it by the knot.

Then I held it in place and stitched a few stitches through the center of the flower to hold it together and then knotted my ribbon to tie it off. You can then move it around to shape it how you want it. You might also try taking a short cut and use wired ribbon. This saves you from stitching-- just secure the wire on one end of your ribbon so you don't pull it out of the ribbon and start scrunching your ribbon down the ribbon on one side. Once fully scrunched you can twist the two ends of the wire together to secure.

And here's my completed layout with both ribbon techniques...

Get out your ribbon and have some fun!

CTMH April Promotion is Free!

2011-04-12T08:00:00.001-04:00

This is such an exciting promotion! Leave it to Close to My Heart to give you a choice of a free Level 1 kit . Purchase $100 in products and get your choice of a Level 1 kit! You can email me your order online at my website. Don't have a current Idea Book? Check it online on my website or I'll be happy to send you one.

If you are new to CTMH and are wondering what you can do with a Level 1 kit, check out my friend Melissa's board book she created with a Level 1 kit here on her blog. I was lucky enough to attend her class at a weekend crop she co-hosted. I was amazed how fast it went together! It is so easy, super fast and makes a really quick album... and a perfect gift (think Mother's Day!!)! It is so easy you don't even need directions! It will work perfectly with any CTMH Level 1 kit- you cut each of the 12 x 12 pages into 4 equal 6 x 6 squares. Lay them out and decide which order you want them to show in your book-- it works well when you match the facing pages but you certainly don't have to. The Level 1 kit comes with two sheets of cardstock 'Stickease'-- one with individual letters so you can customize your pages with names, phrases and titles and the other with coordinating stickers to match the paper that are themed.

Level 1 kits in their purest form make scrapbooking super quick and easy. Get your kit free today!

Rolled Ribbon Roses

2011-04-11T20:30:00.000-04:00

I have been having fun lately with ribbon and creating flowers of all kinds. On my two page Design Team layout this month I used several rolled ribbon roses. They are super simple to make and you can use any kind of ribbon that you have handy! I used 1" width grosgrain for mine but you could use anything you choose.

I first punched out a circle about the size of my completed flower. The Scrapbooks Plus DT paper this month is Stella & Rose by My Mind's Eye. It is really nice thick paper so I didn't need to use cardstock but you would want to choose something with a nice weight to it as your base. (I used a scallop but you could easily use a plain circle punch or even hand cut a circle as it won't be seen). Then cover your circle with a super sticky tape.

I used my Tim Holtz Mini-Attacher to staple my ribbon to the center of my circle which is where we'll start our rose. (I folded my ribbon over but if you are using narrower ribbon you may not need to do this). Now the fun starts! Use one hand to slowly turn the circle and the other to twist your ribbon and lay it down on your sticky circle as shown below:

You can make this as tight or as loose as you want. Whichever you choose will give you a different look for your flower. I loosely twisted mine. This takes more ribbon. The amount of ribbon will vary depending on how tightly you twist and how large your completed rose is.

When you get to the outside of your circle, trim your ribbon and tape the loose end to the back of the circle. I used a small piece of green ribbon folded loosely, stapled and then taped to the back of the circle for a leaf. Here's how my roses look on my layout:

Have fun making your own roses! I haven't tried it yet but you could take two ribbons and twist them together to create a really unique flower. Give it a try!

Rolled Ribbon Roses

2011-04-05T19:31:00.000-04:00

I'm blogging over at the Scrapbooks-Plus Design Team blog today.

Check it out to see how to create these fun rolled ribbon roses!

2011-03-15T23:41:00.000-04:00

Have you tried Copic Markers yet? What's all the fuss about these markers you ask. Why do I need to take a class to learn how to color (I learned that in Kindergarten, didn't I?!?)? Copic Markers are alcohol based markers which gives them some unique characteristics. Just a few of these are: bright, vibrant color that you can apply to virtually any surface, the ability to blend colors, and no paper pilling no matter how many times you color in the same spot. If you are curious about how these markers can make your projects POP, join me on Sunday, March 27th at 12:30pm for our Copic Basic class where you'll learn the basics and we'll complete the three projects above- 2 cards and a cute bookmark.

If you've used Copic markers before or if you are taking the Basic class, stay for our Copic Club at 2:30. We'll be working with yellows. This class fee includes 3 markers and new pages for the technique and color book that we create in this class and add to monthly.

I hope you'll join us on Sunday, March 27th for one or both of these classes. Call Scrapbooks-Plus to register today!

2011-03-07T20:51:00.000-05:00

If you've been waiting to buy a few new stamp sets from the new Idea Book, March is the time to do it! When you purchase just $25 in stamp sets, you can get a free acrylic block! Choose from two of our most versatile sizes: 3" x 3" (Y1006) or 2" x 6 1/2" (Y1010). You can order directly from my website or feel free to send me your order and I'll place it for you!

And don't forget to get the super, super cute Stamp of the Month at a discount or even FREE! It is only available during the month of March- when the month ends, the stamp set is gone! I absolutely love this stamp set... it makes me hum...'Here comes Peter Cottontail'...

2011-03-06T07:00:00.008-05:00

I had the pleasure of creating the Wednesday Make & Take this week. It is a super cute and fun layout with flowers and banners! So Spring-y! The paper I used was from the Chloe collection from 3 Bugs in a Rug. I added a few fun embellishments with ribbon flowers and buttons. Scrapbooks Plus has some beautiful ruffled ribbon that makes flowers so easy!

I used a Tim Holtz Mini Attacher to make mine but you could use glue dots if you wanted to. I have to say, I L-O-V-E my Mini Attacher! It has the coolest little staples that are great for securing ribbon, vellum and other things that can be challenging to attach to your pages.

Here is the step by step:

Cut a 4-5" piece of the ruffled ribbon. Form a circle with the ruffle on the outside, overlapping about 1/2". Staple on the elastic part of the ribbon (not the ruffle part).

Then scrunch (yes, that's a technical term) the elastic together and add a few staples. I stapled the one above with nothing behind it- when I created them for the layout, it was easier to staple directly to the layout (you could also staple to a small circle shape on the backside). It is easiest to staple opposite sides together until it is the shape you want. I then topped it with a button to cover the staples as shown in the layout.

And there you have it- simple and so cute! Pick up your ruffle ribbon by the yard in a variety of colors at Scrapbooks Plus today!

Laura

Wednesday Make and Take at Scrapbooks Plus

2011-03-01T21:00:00.002-05:00

I had the pleasure of working with this super cute paper, Chloe, from 3 Bugs in a Rug for the Scrapbooks-Plus Wednesday make and take. You can purchase the materials and instructions at the store this week starting tomorrow-- while supplies last. I'll be posting a tutorial on Sunday about how to do the easy ruffle flowers so check back!

Oh- and if you are into Copics, or just want to learn more about them, call the store to register for the Basic class or the Copic Club- or both on Sunday, March 27th.

Page Map from Scrapbooks Plus this month

2011-02-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

I'm blogging over at the Scrapbooks Plus Design Team Blog today. Check out my layout using the provided Pagemap this month! The DT paper kit this month is by Kaisercraft.

CTMH February Stamp of the Month

2011-02-15T19:19:00.002-05:00

Do you have your February stamp of the month yet? It is so cool this month- and did you know you can get it for FREE??!! Just purchase $100 of other products on my website and you will be prompted to add this for free! (Smaller purchases may qualify you to purchase the stamp at a discounted rate). And best of all, we do this Every Single Month with a different set! I love the phrases and the images are perfect for random stamping or use them by themselves for a beautifully elegant project. Here are a few samples made with this stamp set...

Get it now before it is GONE at the end of February!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T06:00:00.001-05:00

Need a last minute Valentine's Day gift or decoration? I have a fun project for you that is really quick to make! I grabbed a wire coathanger from my closet (the kind you get from the dry cleaner). I left the top hook as is and bent the rest into a heart shape. (I pulled the center of the bottom down to a point, smoothed out the sides and pushed the hook down to form a point at the top of the heart). I took 1 1/2 inch wide grosgrain ribbon in pink and red polka dot and cut approximate 6 inch pieces. I tied each piece individually on the wire alternating colors. I then wrapped a narrow ribbon around the hook at the top and secured the end with a little glue. Here's the result...

Have a very Happy Valentine's Day!!

Brown paper packages tied up with string...

2011-02-13T06:00:00.057-05:00

... Happy Valentine's Day- almost! I am posting over at the Scrapbooks-Plus Design Team blog today. My family gave me some fun scrapbooking goodies in my Christmas stocking- one of which was an I-Rock. I'm posting more info over at the DT blog on this. The project I have today is here also-- my packaging for my family's Valentine gifts this year...

I needed something quick and easy this year because we've been so busy with other activities so I pulled out some large paper lunch sacks, some twine, a few doilies from my stash, a stamp from the CTMH Happy Holidays set and picked up some K&Company die cut photo mats and glitter stickers from the Valentine section at Michael's... added some ribbon and bling with my I-Rock and voila! For more information on the I-Rock, check out my post on the Scrapbooks-Plus DT blog! I'll be back here tomorrow morning with another quick Valentine project!

Easy Monogram Bracelet Charm

2011-02-11T21:52:00.001-05:00

My good friend Melissa (aka FancyMelissa) and my CTMH upline just had a big birthday. Her husband threw her an awesome party at a Casino that isn't too far from us. It was so fun! I had to make her something special for her birthday (esp. since it was a big one) so I pulled out my Bali Sterling Silver from when I was really making a lot of jewelry and made her this bracelet. I used my favorite beads and added a stamped monogram charm with an M for Melissa. The charm was so simple to make!

I used the CTMH stamp set, Baroque Alphabet, stamped with StazOn ink on shrink plastic for the charm. I shrunk it using my heat embossing gun and while still hot I sandwiched it between my glass mat make and an acrylic block to be sure it was flat. I also decorated the packaging with the same monogram.

I love how this turned out... I may have to make one for myself!

Scrapbooks Plus Design Team!

2011-02-04T11:11:00.000-05:00

Hi! I have been selected to be on the Scrapbooks Plus Design Team! I'm so excited! Hop over to their blog starting tomorrow morning to check out my introduction and my post there. Here's a preview of my project...

CTMH New Spring/Summer Idea Book Trend Watch

2011-02-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

Finally! It's here! CTMH has just introduced its newest Idea Book! This is even more exciting than the past few Idea Books (if that's even possible!) because this the first semi-annual Idea Book. Almost all of the products that aren't listed in the new Idea Book from previous books have been retired. So the brand new products in this book are extensive- and SO awesome... here is a sneak peek at just a few of the brand new products!

There are also really super cool ideas in the new Idea Book. I have assembled a 'Trend Watch' guide here for you. Use this with your new Idea Book as inspiration for your latest and greatest projects. Email me for your copy today or check it out online on my website.

Tips & Techniques are spots in the Idea Book that offer step by step instructions for techniques:

Layered Flowers -p. 6-9
'Curled' paper edges -p.10-13 (also example on p.44)
Customized Canvas Badge Buttons -p. 14-17 (also examples on p. 44, 64-65)
'Spritzing' paper -p. 19-21
Embossing -p. 30-33 (also example on p. 23)
Paper piecing - p.27

Other Hot Techniques:

Pleats:

Hand pleated ribbon- p.73, 78, 85

Don't want to pleat your own? Try out the new pleated ribbon on p.117

Hand pleated paper- p. 1, 3, 44

Crumpled roses- p. 55
Brads on ribbon - front cover, p. 26
Banners- p. 35, 98 - check out the stamp set on p.37
'Tucked in' tags, journaling spots, tickets- p. 30, 104
Accordian fold flowers- p. 99, 112
Layered paper flowers with hand stitching in the middle- p. 107
Paint/emboss edges of cut out shapes- p. 109
Narrow ribbon stitched in flower shape- p. 120
Layering ribbon; ribbon flower- p. 97
Kraft borders (sold on p.120)

Additional fun techniques throughout the Idea Book:

hand stitching
flowers
scallops
borders
ribbon
shaped buttons

Also very cool- check out the "Fill in the Blank" stamp set. Use this set to cut out shapes from our beautiful new B&T papers to make custom matching embellishments for your pages!

Make sure you have add our new Idea Book to your resource library today for great inspiration! I'll have new projects with all the new papers in the coming weeks so add me to your reader or sign up to be a follower today!

Stock up Sale!

2011-01-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

Discounted Products are yours at a GREAT DEAL- While supplies last!

There are some great deals that have just been added to my Close To My Heart website (http://starbreezedesigns.myctmh.com/) under "Discounted Products". As you know, CTMH is going to a semi-annual Idea Book and is bringing out all new products for the upcoming Idea Book that launches in February (which has amazing new papers, stamps and accessories!!)
These are deals on these discontinued products from the current Idea Book that are being retired. So, come and get them while you can as once they are sold out, they are GONE! And with deals like ink at $2, card kits at $4, paper packs at $4 and $5, you do NOT want to miss out!! Get inspired by these great products to get some scrapbook layouts completed or do a quick and easy card kit for a gift for a special friend, relative or teacher! Check it out TODAY before they are SOLD OUT!!
And, watch this area of my website as new products are added by CTMH corporate frequently!

Copic Club for February - Cool Grays and Black

2011-01-11T20:15:00.000-05:00

Join me on February 16th at 6:30 at Scrapbooks-Plus for a really 'cool' Copic class! We are exploring Cool Grays and Black. We'll challenge your skills and teach you a few new ones with this class. Call Scrapbooks Plus at 703-263-9503 to register today. Here's a sample of what we'll color. If you can't attend but want a class kit and instructions, register and request the class kit. I'll have one for you on the day of the class!

Copic Club featuring Cool Grays and Black
February 16th 6:30-8:30

We've also made the class available to those who do not want 3 markers included. The class is $25 without markers and $30 with 3 Copic Ciao markers. Hope to see you there!

Merry Christmas Tags with homemade Glimmer Mist

2010-12-28T20:00:00.028-05:00

As promised, here is my homemade 'Glimmer Mist'. I am a little late to the party with this product and am really just learning how to best utilize it. I actually have a real Glimmer Mist bottle but it wasn't in the color I needed when I was working on a couple of projects lately so I got to thinking that I should make my own. I also found that the color I have (Sea Glass) is very, very light and I was looking for more color and sparkle for my holiday projects-- it could be that it is old but I did shake it before using. Here's what I used...

Rubbing Alcohol, CTMH Re-inker, CTMH Create a Shade paint and a spray bottle (mine are from Container Store). A little bit of re-inker and paint go a LONG way so they are an awesome value (Re-inkers are $4.25 and Create-a-Shade is only $2.95)!! I used a quick squeeze of paint (enough to cover the bottom of my spray bottle which is about the size of my re-inker bottle) and 10 or so drops of Re-inker. I even mixed colors to get my desired color for another project-- I mixed Tulip and Chocolate for a dark brownish red. For my tags, I used about 15 drops Sweet Leaf because I wanted a darker shade of green than just 10 drops gave me. I'd suggest starting with about 10 drops and then add more to get the shade you want- you can keep adding until you get it as you want it. After adding Re-inker and the paint, I filled the spray bottle with rubbing alcohol. I shook it until there wasn't any more paint showing in the bottom. (Note- I also labeled my bottles since I was making a few different shades at a time and didn't want to mix them up).

I used a cardboard box as my spray booth and then started working on my tags. I wanted a variegated look of light red and green. I used Tulip and then Sweet Leaf as my colors. The Create-a-Shade paint is a special translucent opalescent acrylic paint. I let my tags dry. I know some people use water when creating their homemade solutions instead of alcohol. I prefer the alcohol because I think you get a little different effect and it dries very quickly.

I had an annual tag swap early in December with my fellow local Close to My Heart consultants and wanted to do something different. This 'CTMH Mist' was perfect for something special! I used premade tags from Staples, sprayed them and once dry, stamped them. I used "Father Christmas" stamp set for the window and sentiment and added the holly stamp from the "Saint Nick" stamp set. I colored with my Copic markers very carefully as Acrylic paint can easily get stuck in the nibs of Copics. I then used a white paint pen from Ink Essentials (which works great- I tried several before finding this one!) to color the snow on my window stamped image.

I topped my tags off with gold tulle and two jingle bells. You can see the pretty sheen on the tags created by my homemade "CTMH Mist"-- I just love it! The sheen is prettier in person... you have to try this technique!

Gypsy Project: Family Plaque featuring Subway Art Style

2010-12-25T21:48:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas! I hope you and your family enjoyed a wonderful Christmas day today and that Santa was as good to you as he was to me!

I couldn't post this yesterday evening because I just couldn't spoil the surprise! I made this for my Mom for Christmas. I planned to use a 12 x 12 canvas however Michael's was sold out but I found a premade plaque at JoAnn's on sale which definitely saved me some time (I could have gone to Home Depot, bought a piece of MDF, routered the edges and painted it, but if you can take a time-saving short cut to focus on the creative side, wouldn't you especially at this crazy busy time of the year?). Here's the final result... the picture doesn't really do it justice but I was in a hurry and quickly snapped the photo before I wrapped it!

Here's what I started with...

I chose Veranda paper because the colors look great in my parent's family room. I used Mod Podge for paper. It dries really fast so covering a 12 x 12 board quickly is important. I used a foam brush and coated the existing plaque. I pressed my paper into place and used my rubber brayer (a must have tool!) to make sure there weren't any air bubbles. I let it dry overnight to make sure it was completely dry.

For the words I used my Gypsy to lay out the words. This was my first real project with my Gypsy and I think I've finally figured it out! This is it (as I laid it out on my Gypsy) after my Cricut cut it out but with most of the excess paper removed leaving just the words. I used a couple of different fonts that I had- Plantin Schoolbook, Storybook and the Gypsy font that came with my Gypsy.

I laid out all of the lettering (Subway art style) and my embellishments to make sure everything fit and had the appearance I wanted. I then removed the embellishments and glued my letters in place so I could position them and then mod podged over all the letters. I then added in my embellishments. The metal embellishments are Foundry Flourishes and the 'pearls' are Opaques in 'Mocha', both from Close to My Heart. I told you how much I like CTMH's new Opaques in my last post- they just add a classic touch to your projects but I love the Foundry Flourishes. They are so easy to use- they have an easy peel adhesive backing and you just press them in place. They are a great antique copper color which just gives it that added something special.

I hope you liked my few projects I've posted over the past few days. I have a few more I will post in the next week-- including a homemade 'Glimmer Mist' solution!

Gifts for Friends

2010-12-23T20:09:00.003-05:00

I found this great "Friends" plaque at JoAnns (on clearance- score!). I quickly snatched it up. I didn't yet have a plan but I knew it would make a great Christmas present- after some embellishments and jazzing up, of course. (I have already gifted this one to my CTMH upline, Fancy Melissa, so I am okay posting this!)

I used Close to My Heart goodies to embellish. I used the new "Magnifique" paper which I cut and created a border for the bottom. I used "Lots of Dots"- really cool cardstock adhesive-backed alphabet letters with a polka-dot resist. I simply rubbed Pacifica ink to match the Magnifique paper and stuck them on! I used ribbons, crocheted flowers, ric rac, sparkles and "Opaques" (adhesive pearl gems in different colors and sizes)-- oh, and a chipboard heart... because Friends really are close to my heart!!

I am really excited that this turned out like I wanted it to- and was really pretty easy since I bought the pre-done letters already mounted on a board. I always check out the sale asile at JoAnns for things like this that I can 'pretty up' or completely change! Wait until you see tomorrow's project!

Reindeer and Play-Doh?

2010-12-22T22:06:00.001-05:00

Ella wanted to do something special for her preschool class this year. I found a 'treat bag' of mini Play-Doh containers. They came with little to/from sticker labels, but of course, I couldn't just use those-even though they were pretty cute! Rudolf is Ella's favorite. I punched a 1 3/8" circle out of brown cardstock. I cut a slit halfway through and folded it into a dome with a point on top and glued it. I punched two holes and folded a 6" pipecleaner in half and pushed the two ends through so the bend was underneath. I bent them into antlers. I punched small hearts for the ears and bent them lengthwise and glued one side down to form ears. We glued on eyes and used Stickles (Xmas Red) for the nose.

Here's a close up of our herd. I am pretty sure you'll see something similar again because I found a pack of Halloween ones on clearance at Kohl's and snatched them up!!

We mad pretzel/hershey kiss/M&M treats for the kids teachers. The kids love making these and we can make a bunch at one time for all their teachers. They are so colorful with the M&Ms and the clear container that decorating the outside really isn't necessary. Of course, I couldn't let it go without any decoration so I used my Cricut for the snowflake. I used a scallop circle punch in red for the mount for my stamped Merry Christmas image. The stamp is from the CTMH set Just for the Holidays. This is a great stamp set for holiday goodies, ornaments, quick cards and tags and just about anything holiday related! Quick and easy and something the kids can be involved with as well! FUN!

Check back tomorrow for my 'Friends' gift.

Christmas crafting countdown

2010-12-21T21:54:00.000-05:00

The countdown to the big day has been ticking for a few weeks now in my craft studio. Actually a few months if you count planning time. I've kept some things very simple and some a little more detailed but taking "short cuts" where I can has been the key to maximize my crafting time so I'm really focusing my creative energies on being, well, creative!

I have several posts for you from now until Christmas with some of my projects. I hope you'll check back tomorrow for a few projects with "deliverables" of tomorrow... the last day of school here.

Clearly Christmas

2010-12-05T21:44:00.002-05:00

Acrylic clear cards are all the rage! They take a little getting used to if you want to hide as much adhesive as possible. Also, you have to make sure your card front and interior work together to show what you want and hide what you want! I typically do this by laying out the card front and inside on grid paper or a mat with a grid on it (I love my Versamat from CTMH). This allows me to place them side by side and line it up. A side note, the Versamat is 'versa'tile because it has a spongy side for stamping and a self healing side with a grid for cutting and laying things on a grid. It is 12 x 12 so great for scrapbook pages too-- especially 2 page layouts where you need to line up elements across the 2 page layout!

Sorry the photo is a little dark. I haven't stamped the sentiment as I may use these as my "New Years" cards if I don't get them done in time for Christmas! (Don't laugh, you know you are there too starting to mark off things on your to do list that just may not get done as you originally planned!) I'll post another clear card soon. Also look for a posting on a new flower technique I leared this past weekend from my friend Melissa!

I used the following on this card (all from CTMH): Mistletoe paper, 'Unity' stamp set, 'Circle of Love' stamp set, Clear cards, brads, Chocolate ink and ATG adhesive.

Happy Turkey Hair Clip

2010-11-23T21:03:00.004-05:00

Before Thanksgiving, turkeys are happy. That's what my daughter says. I don't believe that she knows any turkeys but that is 3 year old logic for you! (And, no, we didn't get into whether they were unhappy on or after Thanksgiving!).

We have been making hair clips for her with some really great clips I bought from The Ribbon Retreat. I purchased a few kinds and so far we've used alligator clips. I purchased the steel ones because they are a little more heavy duty. They are so reasonable and easy to cover with ribbon. Their website has great ideas too. And, of course, I bought multiple spools of ribbon which are great quality! I would highly recommend them!

I can't tell you how much more economical it is to make hair clips- fancy ones or super simple versions where you just cover with one layer of ribbon- versus buying them in the store. The clips are so cheaply made that they don't keep their spring and slip out of my daughter's hair within a few minutes of putting them in. It is very disappointing!

The alligator clips from The Ribbon Retreat hold even my daughter's thick hair. Check them out and they even have 'patterns' for fancy clips on their website! I'm sure we'll be posting more soon!

Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!!

American Express Small Business Saturday

2010-11-18T20:13:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note about supporting your local, privately owned small businesses this holiday season while saving money! While most of you know I love Costco, I am still a huge fan of supporting our locally owned businesses. Being in the insurance industry, there are many locally owned agents who provide amazing service and share their knowledge with their customers that can't be replaced by a computer and 'tech support' chats. The same goes for a small retail store. I am always sad when a local owner has to close their store and always want to support them as much as I can to ensure the stores I love don't close. There is nothing like the personal service and support of a local businessowner. They support our community and many small business owners are our friends and neighbors.

American Express is doing something very cool this year! If you spend $25 or more at a locally owned, privately held (Target, Best Buy, Costco do not count) store and pay with your American Express card you can get $25 credited to your account!

It is really simple but you can read the guidelines for details which can be found here. Very simply summarized:

Register your American Express card for the program no later than 11/27. You can register at the Amex website they set up for this promotion.
Go shopping on the Saturday after Thanksgiving (11/27) and purchase at least $25 at a local, indpendently owned small business with your American Express card.

The only thing that I found was a bummer is that my Corporate card wasn't eligible but my one issued through Costco was! Very cool way to support your local businesses and save a little money this season as well!

Happy Shopping! (I'll be back with a Thanksgiving treat later this weekend!)

Copic Classes in the next two weeks

2010-11-04T21:07:00.000-04:00

I will be teaching a Basic Copic class (intro. to Copic Markers) class at Scrapbooks-Plus in Chantilly on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 6:30. Call the store to register today to learn how to use these awesome markers to their fullest extent! You have lots of practice time during our two hour class and receive a color wheel and color chart and lots of tips during the class. These are two of the three projects we will create during the class. They are simple cards so you can spend as much time as possible practicing your blending techniques during class and be able to easily complete the cards at home.

I am also teaching a techniques class that we hold every month called 'Copic Club' on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 6:30pm. This month we'll be adding to our journal and skills with skin tones of all shades. Three skin tone markers of your choice are included in the class kit. Based on past attendee's suggestions and requests, I am making a 'class kit' available for the Copic Club if you are unable to attend the session on the given date. The kit includes 3 Copic Ciao markers, stamped pages of our images that we color during the club class as well as any bonus items I provide in the class and a color copy of my sample journal pages for your reference. You also can feel free to contact me by email for additional help with your images if desired.

I hope you can join us for one or both of these fun classes and learn how easy it is to use these markers to enhance your artwork!

MIA from my blog with a good excuse...

2010-11-02T21:41:00.002-04:00

My family and I were fortunate enough to be able to go back to Disney World this year. We were there just after Thanksgiving last year and were able to go for the week of Halloween this year. We had a wonderful time! At least I have a great excuse for not blogging, right?!

Check out my little princess. She was so thrilled to see the Princesses!

This was one of my personal favorite parts of the entire trip (oh, and the Rockin Aerosmith Rollercoaster)! In Hollywood Studios, they have something called Animation Studio where not only do you see how they create the drawings, create animation and see old drawings of classic characters but you can learn to quickly draw a character like a real animator! I'll have to take a picture of my creations and post them!

We had lots of together time and were able to see lots of characters. Boy was it a rude awakening to leave the quite steamy 95 degree weather of Orlando and come home to frosty mornings around 40 degrees! However I love Fall and the leaves are just beautiful outside our house! I am starting to plan my Christmas projects so stay tuned to my blog for some great ideas!

And I just couldn't talk about Disney without posting a picture of the pink (yes, it had to be the pink one-notice the pink t-shirt and barrettes!) Dumbo just before I hopped in with my little princess to take our flight. Dumbo is a family favorite of ours! (My son even likes it because you can control the height of each Dumbo independently- his is always diving like a fighter ~~jet~~ Dumbo!). I took over 500 photos so I need to get busy scrapbooking! I think I'll be headed to my website to get in some quick Studio J layouts. Have you tried this yet? Go to my website and create one free!

I am teaching two Copic marker classes this month at Scrapbooks Plus. The basic or intro to Copic class is on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 6:30pm and the more advanced or Copic Club is being held the following Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 6:30pm. Call Scrapbooks Plus to register today. I'll post more tomorrow about these upcoming classes.

Business Travel Blues

2010-10-06T22:25:00.000-04:00

I'm traveling on business this week.  It is always tough for me to leave home and take off on a business trip. I used to do it all the time and enjoyed the change of pace. Maybe I will again when my kids are older but it is tough now. It throws our whole family's life into a little chaos.

I took my daughter to preschool this morning and explained again that I would be gone for a few days and would miss her. The conversation went something like this...
Me: Mommy's taking a trip for work and will be gone a few days. I'll miss you.
Ella: When will you be home? Tomorrow?
Me: Not tomorrow.  I'll be back late Friday night after you are asleep so I'll see you Saturday morning.
Ella: Oh.   ...Will I go to school Friday?
Me: Yes, Daddy is taking Thursday and Friday off to spend with you. You'll have fun with Dad.
Ella: Okay.

Silence for a minute. I was watching her in my rearview mirror. There's no baby left in her- she's all ~~3 year old going on 12~~ preschooler. It makes me sad to see her growing up so fast.

Ella: Will you be home for dinner tonight? (She'd been thinking about this for a few minutes while I was thinking of how old she looks and acts now)
Me: No. Day after the day after tomorrow. (Friday, late)
Ella:  Oh.

There was only a smile and off to preschool as we normally do and happy like always. I love that every time I think she's getting old, she says or does something that makes me realize she is still just a preschooler! They are so resilient and take everything at face value.

I'm looking forward to being back at home and posting a few fun projects for you. Enjoy the rest of the week!

Copic Class - Copic Club Wednesday, Oct. 13 6:30pm

2010-10-02T16:55:00.000-04:00

Join us for Copic Club on Wednesday, October 13th where we'll be playing with Oranges- the color, not the fruit! We continue to build our journal and practice our Copic techniques. If you missed prior classes or don't have much experience with Copics- no problem. We are all still learning and practicing. I won't be teaching basic techniques but we will discuss a few techniques and you'll receive a shadowing guide to help you place shadows on your images for a realistic look if you missed the last Copic Club in September.

Remember, you'll receive 3 Ciao markers during the class which are part of the class fee (YR02, YR04, YR07). If you already have these, just let me know at the beginning of the class and we'll swap out the markers you have for another in-stock marker.

Call Scrapbooks-Plus to register today!

Cute and Easy Bookmark Tutorial

2010-09-19T22:14:00.000-04:00

As promised, following a quick tutorial to make the bookmark I posted here and that I've used as a project for my Basic Copic Marker classes at Scrapbooks Plus. You will need the following to make this bookmark: A punch (I used 1 1/4" scallop but you could use a circle or other shape), heavy cardstock (the heaviest you can find), Jumbo clips (mine are from Staples) and CTMH Liquid Glass. You'll need an extra strong adhesive that is 'paper friendly' for this project because the clips are pretty thick and you want it all to hold together in the end as bookmarks typically get a fair amount of abuse when used.

Take your Liquid Glass and make a thin line where your clip will sit on one of your punched pieces. Lay your clip on the liquid glass and then put a thin line of more liquid glass on top of your clip. Place the other punched piece on top. You'll need to apply pressure for awhile to make sure it sets up properly. Allow a few hours for this to dry fully. I typically make a bunch at once and then set something heavy on top until they dry. These cute bookmarks are then easy to whip up quickly!

The reason to use the heaviest cardstock you can find for the backing is so that the top of your jumbo clip (or its impression) doesn't show through on your completed project.

Now for the fun part- decorating! I either use my large Marvy punches (I used the pink scalloped circle) or my Cricut Storybook cartridge (shadow of a flower) to cut my scallop circles- depending on how many I'm cutting at one time. It is amazing how tired your hand can get when you have to punch 36 of these! Of course, you don't have to have a scallop circle-- I just like them! (Think squares, triangles, something fun that fits your stamped image). I use my ATG gun for this part because it is extra strong adhesive and since I've already used my Liquid Glass on the base of the clip, I don't really need to use that again and wait during the drying time. I put my tape right up to the edges on the sides and top so it all sticks together nicely on my finished project because now I'm adding top layer/scalloped circle.

This particular paper has blue on one side and green on the other. It is from the CTMH Stardust paper pack (now discontinued). I punched a slightly smaller circle to go inside and adhered my stamped image- which I cut out- to the center. The stamp is from Imaginese and I believe it may also be discontinued (sorry!). Here's the finished project:

Hope you enjoyed my quick tutorial on this simple project. If you want to see this with another design and paper, click here. I think I will make up a bunch for teacher gifts this year for the holidays! I don't think we are supposed to give gifts anymore (it keeps changing!!) but a little something like this slipped into a card shouldn't cause trouble with the gift police at our school!

Birthday Tweets for Denami Blog Hop

2010-09-15T11:00:00.001-04:00

I'm so excited to be participating in the Denami Design Blog Hop today! If you are joining me from Laurel Beard 's blog, you are on the right path! She has an amazing blog and is a very talented paper crafter. I just know she had something incredible for you!

I have for you today birthday "tweets"! I love these little chicks!! I fell in love with them when I discovered Denami at the local scrapbook convention.

I created this card first. I used Large Chickie as my focal image on the front and cut out the top to reveal his little buddie chickies on the inside! The inside image is Happy "Bird"day Chickies. I used Close to My Heart paper pack Daydream (has been newly retired retired) and the Happy Birthday sentiment stamp from the CTMH Party Pennants set. The stamps are colored with Copics. Here's a close of my big chick so you can see the dimension of his feathers.

Here's a close up of the inside. I used my Spica atyou glitter pens from Copic to give them some sparkle but you cannot see it in the photo.

I realized that my card was a little too feminine so I created a similar card with primary colors using Tinkerin' paper pack (which is also newly retired). Here's the result...

I couldn't stop there. I created a bookmark to go inside the card.

These are super easy to make but I'll post a quick tutorial this weekend about how to make this. So check back! Here's the bookmark in a standard book so you can get an idea as to the size. This also uses the Large Chickie stamp.

Be sure and hop on over to the super talented Audrey Goff's blog to see what she has in store for you! If you get lost along the way or want to start at the beginning, be sure and go to Denami Designs blog to get the list.

CTMH Clear Acrylic Cards

2010-09-11T20:42:00.047-04:00

Check out the awesome new clear cards from Close To My Heart! They make such quick, easy and impressive cards! The second photo is the inside and the first photo is the front woth the card closed. This was a card we made at CTMH Convention using the new Olivia paper pack-- which is gorgeous for Fall!

We also used the stamp sets Unity (which forms the two layer flower on the front of the card and inside sentiment and border-- it also coordinates with Magnifique paper) and The Present which is a beautiful stamp set. Check it out here. You will definitely see more of these clear cards- I love working with them!!

Denami Challenge

2010-09-04T13:48:00.001-04:00

I was inspired by the new color challenge at Denami Design. I love high contrast color combos and this one is really cool with black, white and magenta! At the Scrapbook Expo in Chantilly this Summer I bought a slew of Denami stamps! I just love their style and Nami herself was so super nice-- in fact her whole family was there working the incredibly organized and inspiring booth! (She has such sweet and helpful boys!!) I love supporting family businesses and want to do whatever I can to help them. So, selflessly, I bought stamps- yes, a sacrifice on my part but someone had to do it!! (can you just hear the loud snickers coming from my house as I write this?!)

This is the 'Holly Cluster' stamp, colored with Copics and Spica glitter pens (although this sparkle doesn't show in the photo). The Merry Christmas stamp, ribbon and brads are all from my stash. Look for more projects with Denami Designs stamps soon. I hope to be able selected to participate in their blog hop on September 15th and have a super cute project ready for it! Check out their website and blog here for more information about this great company!

Register for Copic Classes in September

2010-09-02T21:57:00.000-04:00

Copic Basic Class - Sunday, Sept. 19 12:30-2:30

The September Copic classes are now open for registration at Scrapbooks-Plus. Call to register today! If you haven't taken my Basic class yet, this is an introduction to blending techniques and how to get some special effects with your Copic Markers. You'll get a basic education as to what makes these markers so special and how to use them to further enhance your artwork!

Copic Club - Sunday, Sept. 19 3:00-5:00

We are also hosting a monthly Copic Club. There's no membership fee and you don't have to attend monthly. We are creating a journal of colors with the images we color in class. This is for your personal reference about how the colors interact with each other. We'll also discuss advanced techniques that you can try out. During this month's class, we will be discussing lighting and shadows and you'll receive a special guide to help you in your coloring. The Copic club this month includes R00, R02 and R05 Ciao markers.

So come for the Basic class and stay for the Club! Call Scrapbooks-Plus and reserve your space today!

Autumn/Winter Idea Book is HERE!

2010-09-01T06:00:00.002-04:00

Check it out!! The much anticipated Autumn/Winter Idea Book is now available! I am so excited to be able to finally share this with you! I attended the CTMH convention in July and got an advance copy of the book and many of the products. Typically consultants get a month to preview before it goes 'live' to the rest of the world. This was particularly hard since we had 2 months to keep it quiet until the launch September 1st!
There are so many beautiful new papers, stamp sets and even a new color palette with yummy new colors! Check it out here on my website or email me for a paper copy of your very own!

The stamp of the month is particularly cool this month. It is such a departure from the normal CTMH look and I think it is really neat to see something different. This is a card designed by my friend and fellow consultant Cori Rovang. Cori is actually pictured on the flyer for the stamp of the month-- check it out at right! Cori is the one on the right! How cool is that to have your picture on the stamp of the month flyer! The paper used is from the Hooligans set. It is so awesome! Check it out on pages 16-19! And be sure not to miss the coordinating felt Hooligans on page 91! My kids wanted to play with them immediately when they arrived at my house!
Have fun checking out all the latest and greatest! And be sure to check out the Workshops on the Go on page 24. These are great kits to have on hand when you want everything in one kit so you can 'grab and go' when heading out to a crop or when you are low on ideas! They come with an exclusive stamp set that coordinates with the paper but cannot be purchased separately, a Level 2 paper pack, a coordinating embellishment kit and step by step instructions. The instructions show you a 2 page layout and 6 cards. You can get a bonus 2 page layout on my website. There is enough paper and embellishments to create them all-- and best of all, the kit is sold at a discounted price because it is all bundled together!

New Pink ATG Gun Love

2010-08-31T21:29:00.000-04:00

I love my yellow ATG gun. I've been using it for a few years now and find that it saves me a TON of money on tape! I have Scotch Acid Free 1/2" loaded in it right now. It is super sticky and I know my scrapbook pages and cards won't fall apart when I use my trusty ATG. I have been considering purchasing another ATG gun to have 1/4" tape in it for some time now but something else has always taken priority in my purchasing habits (shocking, I know-- my list is LONG!).

I was at Michaels the other day to buy a Primsacolor pencil replacement (mine had been sharpened all I could sharpen it!) and I wandered through the scrapbooking and stamping asiles checking to see if they have anything new-- which I find they rarely do. That's probably why I don't shop there that often anymore. They just seem to move stuff around so it looks like they have new stuff but they really don't. But I digress, they did have something new this time! On the end of one of the asiles, down at the very bottom, they had these tape guns hanging there- calling my name!

I was so excited! It seems to be just like my yellow ATG but in pink and already is set up for 1/4" tape (the yellow ATG needs an adapter to use 1/4" tape)-- and even comes with 2 rolls!! I was just thrilled with my find so I had to share it with you. I can't find the receipt right now but with my 40% off coupon, it came to $22 (approximately)-- quite the steal over what I would have paid for another yellow one with the adapter or the red one they make just for 1/4" tape.

Another Elisabeth Bell Stamp and Copics

2010-08-23T20:11:00.015-04:00

Here's my latest Elisabeth Bell image. I colored with Copics. Her skin is E51, E21, her hair is Y21, Y06, E33 and her raft is B00, B02, YG11, Y06, and Y21. There is a sheen in the photo on her raft because I coated it with Liquid Glass. The paper is Close To My Heart and the ribbon May Arts. The image is a stamp purchased from Bells 'n Whistles.

CTMH Scrapbooking Inspiration

2010-08-22T20:55:00.000-04:00

I know I promised to post images from the CTMH Convention a few weeks ago but I had a snafu (is that really a word?- I've been saying it forever, but now that I type it, I'm not sure!) with my camera and photos. I finally resolved and found my photos! The following are images of some of my favorite ideas. You will get a sneak peek in a few of these at some of the cool things in our new Idea Book that comes out September 1st- including ou r new extra large flip flaps (expand your scrapbook page by 50% or more using these!), clear acrylic cards and great new papers!

The awesome thing about convention was seeing the actual pieces of artwork that are created by the CTMH Art Studio that are photographed for the Idea Books. We were treated to all of the items from the Summer Idea Book for 2010 and those for the new Fall/Winter Idea Book 2010 (available on September 1st). Some of these photos are also creations by other CTMH consultants.

I'm off to finish coloring an Elisabeth Bell image for a cute card for my son's best friend's Mom. I'll post it tomorrow for you so check back- or subscribe/be a follower on the right column!

CTMH TV... right on my website!

2010-08-18T21:31:00.000-04:00

Check out this awesome resource on my website, CTMH TV by clicking here- http://www.starbreezedesigns.myctmh.com/ . It has great ideas to get your creative juices flowing! There are about a dozen 5 - 10 minute video clips that show you fun ideas for using your scrapbooking supplies, techniques and many other great ideas. The newest ones are how to use your ribbon scraps and creating great mini albums-- a terrific Holiday gift for friends and family!

I've created a mini album out of 1/3 of a Close To My Heart card kit! What a great, inexpensive gift this will make-- not to mention easy! (Hi Mom- yes, you'll be getting one so don't peek too hard!) These kits are only $12.95 and you can get 3 albums out of them! I've added cardstock tags to mine and a few embellishments (cardstock coordinating stickers are included in the kit making this project so simple!). Instead of using binder rings, I've used a Japanese binding method (which I'd be happy to teach you!).

Also new on our website are layouts with instructions for the additional pages and cards for our workshops! You can also get a peek at some of our new papers that debut in the new Idea Book on September 1! The workshops use 1 Level 2 paper kit and a few accessories. Just look how many projects you can make with just one kit-- the 2 pages at a workshop (not pictured on the website), 4 pages pictures on the website and multiple cards! Our paper kits are such a great value for only $12.95 with all the projects you can make from just one kit! Check out "Workshops On The Go" on my website and let me know which workshop you'd like to attend or order the kit and do it on your own!

Last night's Copic Club Class at Scrapbooks Plus

2010-08-18T19:04:00.002-04:00

Hello! Thanks to our Copic Club members who attended last night's session! We had fun exploring skin basic skin tones with E00, E02 and E51, E21 combinations. Per your request, I have scanned the class samples from my journal with the colors used for each. (Click on the image to enlarge it). If you have any questions or need any help, feel free to email me!

If you missed last night's club meeting, we are having our September club meeting on Sunday, September 19th at Scrapbooks Plus. The class is not yet up on the website but will be within a week or so. There will be a Copic Basics class from 12:30-2:30 where we'll complete 3 really cute projects and the Copic Club will meet from 3:00-5:00. The Copic Club will be focusing on Reds- R00, R02 and R05. We will also explore shadowing and shading during the class- with a special surprise to help you easily determine shading areas!

Hope you can join in the fun!!

National Stamping Month Promotion

2010-08-16T19:53:00.000-04:00

Check out the cool promotion from Close To My Heart for National Stamping Month- The Triple Play. This is a kit that creates 3 mini scrapbooks- each in 3 different color schemes! It comes with a 9- 4" x12" precut panels for the books (3 each), a super cute exclusive stamp set, 4 mini ink pads in coordinating colors (Desert Sand, Hollyhock, Indian Corn Blue, and Sunset), ribbon, die cut sheets and a how to brochure.

You can buy the Triple Plan kit for $29.95 or do one of the following to get it at a discount:

Purchase $25 in My Acrylix stamps and get the Triple Play kit for just $15.
Spend $40 on My Acrylix stamps and get the Triple Plan for only $5!
You can host a Gathering with sales of $300 or more and get the Triple Play Free!
Join Close To My Heart as a Consultant and get the kit for Free!

These mini scrapbooks go together quick and easy and make great gifts! Check out my online catalog today and place your stamp order to get your super cute kit at a discount! Get it soon before it's gone- available today through Sept. 30th- or while supplies last.

Elisabeth Bell Design Team Call

2010-08-12T21:35:00.000-04:00

What a crazy busy week! I have managed to eek out some time to be creative and was really inspired by one of Elisabeth Bell's new images. If you have taken any of my Copic classes or follow my blog, you know she is my favorite artist! I just love her images- and they are incredible with Copics or Prismacolors (or a combination of the two!)- and she has a few new ones that she's added that are ultra-cute!

I'm a touch-y feel-y kind of person when it comes to craft stuff. I can't go to a fabric store without touching everything! I don't know if it is the texture or what- I've always been that way. I have tried a little digital scrapbooking but I just can't get over not having the papers, dimension, textures and stuff. So when I saw Elisabeth's newest designs I loved them so much I had to try a digital stamp. WOW! What fun that is! I have dozens of her stamps-- the touch-y feel-y kind-- but how cool is it just to see an image and be able to get it. While I love the touch-y feel-y stuff I think I love instant gratification even more!! The image I downloaded is "I love you this much!"- which is SO PERFECT for my daughter! There is a childrens book that you may be familiar with that has two bunnies- a daddy and a baby- talking about how much they love each other. It is one of our very favorite books to read together. My 3 year old knows all the words! So when I saw the image, I thought of the book with the little girls arms outstretched-- and I was so excited to see that Elisabeth had actually titled her image "I love you this much!". It was like she drew it just for us! So very cool! I was instantly inspired to create this...

It is an 11" x 14" framed project for my daughter's room. I thought it would be cool to work on more of Elisabeth Bell's images-- not to mention hopefully be able to meet her-- and I am entering this in her design team call. Wish me luck! Even if I am not lucky enough to be selected, my daughter is super excited about having this in her room to reminder her how much I love her!

CTMH Sneak Peek Fall/Winter Idea Book

2010-08-10T22:00:00.000-04:00

Check out the cover of the new Idea Book for Fall/Winter! You will LOVE the new stamps and papers-- there are even new colors added to the palette! The Fall/Winter Idea Book is available starting September 1! You can view it on my website starting Sept. 1 or contact me for your copy.
Close to My Heart is retiring almost all of the papers and stamps at the end of the year. They are bringing in all new, exciting papers and stamps for the next year to take their place. So if you want something from any of the recent Idea Books go ahead and order it now as most are 'while supplies last'.
Tomorrow's the last day to save on our great paper sale! If you haven't already checked it out- August 11th is the last day! The selection is still pretty good- so check it out! On August 12, the prices go back to regular price!
Happy Shopping!

Join in the fun - Copic Club!

2010-08-05T20:00:00.002-04:00

Have you joined in the fun of our monthly Copic Club at Scrapbooks-Plus? This is a great club- no monthly commitment, just sign up in advance of the monthly club date for those months you are able to attend. We have a 'study' in a color group including stamped images and we add them to our journal/idea book that we create in class.

The class fee includes 3 markers of my choice which I will give you at the beginning of class. If you already have them, you can swap them out during the class for replacement in-stock markers that you don't already have in your stash! It is a great way to build your collection and practice your technique at the same time. We go over new techniques and color blending.

Come join in the fun! This month we are exploring skin tones on Tuesday, August 17th from 6:30-8:30. Call Scrapbooks-Plus to register today at 703-263-9503.

$2 $4 $6- 8 Who Do We Appreciate? YOU! The CTMH Paper Sale is on NOW!

2010-08-04T19:48:00.000-04:00

Don't miss out! In case you aren't on my email list to receive the advance notice of this AWESOME sale, Close To My Heart is having a great paper sale until August 11th. Check it out today by going to my website! There is a great selection of papers- level1, level 2 and Stickease- up to 78% off retail!!

This is a great way to stock up on some great scrapbooking kits. If you've never used a Level 1 kit before, I highly encourage you to try it out with one of the sale kits-- the Level 1 kits are $4 and Stickease that coordinates with many of the papers are only $2! Where else can you get enough to create 6 layouts for only $6-- A truly great deal! Finish up those Summer layouts today- but hurry, the sale ends on August 11th!!

You can also order other products online and get the Stamp of the Month discounted or even free with your Sale and/or regular purchases! SO pretty!!

If you want to receive advance notices of these sales, feel free to email me and I can add you to my list. I don't send out many emails- never more than 1 per month so you don't have to worry about being spammed! :)

Inspiration

2010-07-15T21:56:00.001-04:00

Where do you get your inspiration? I love fabric. I'm not much of a seamstress. I can sew but I'm too impatient to make anything really complicated. I need instant gratification which must be why I love stamping so much! It is quick and easy and I get all the instant gratifcation I need! One of my favorite fabric designers is Amy Butler. I love nature inspired designs or organic shapes. Amy Butler is amazing. She even knows that her work is inspiring as she has a section on her website call "Inspiration".

My Mother is an excellent seamstress. She can make anything! I so admire this- it is one of her amazing qualities! I have visited fabric stores since I was born. Everything from simple Joann's type stores to high end, trendy fabric stores. I fell in love with a store called Clearbrook Woolen Shop (which is no longer there) in Clearbrook, VA, when I was a child- not far from where I grew up. Not only did they stock beautiful wool fabrics like Pendelton and Woolrich, they carried Liberty of London! Oh, the color combinations and textures! I was excited to see that Target had teamed up with them. But I have yet to buy anything at Target. Their website has a ton of products but I go straight to the fabric section-- it is a feast for the eyes! Check out the 60s fabric!

Amazing, isn't it!? So if you need some inspiration- run, don't walk to you local fabric store!

Accordion Fold Flower and CTMH Convention Swaps

2010-07-14T20:33:00.008-04:00

Sorry for the dim lighting on the photo but you can see the dimension in these 3x3 cards that I created for Convention Swaps. What a fun tradition! I made 60 of these cards and swapped them one at a time with my fellow consultants at Convention this past weekend. It was so fun to see all the fabulous ideas that 60 of my newest friends came up with! So fun!

The flower fold is made with a scoring board (such as the Martha Stewart one from Mike's). Since I was making 60 of these, I scored an entire 12x12 piece of CTMH Twitterpated paper. I scored at every 1/4 inch. Then I cut into 3/4" wide strips. I accordion folded the entire 12 inch strip. I then glued the ends together to create a circle. Then I pressed the inside of the circle inward to create the pinwheel flower. A little hint- I found that it was best to keep the accordion fold as tight as possible working with only one strip at a time to make it easier to keep the folded flower flat. I used a squirt of Liquid Glass to adhere the flower to the paper. I then used Glitz to fill the center and give it some sparkle. If you haven't used Glitz- it is really cool stuff- it is like glitter glue or Stickles.

CTMH Convention

2010-07-13T20:55:00.000-04:00

I attended the Close To My Heart convention held at National Harbor over the past weekend. It was UNBELIEVABLE!! I learned so many new techniques, saw fabulous projects by very talented artists, met many people from corporate, met wonderful consultants and saw (DRUMROLL) the NEW Fall/Winter Idea Book! You will LOVE it! I have so many great things to show you from convention! I'm setting up a few posts for the next few days so keep checking back!

I was so very honored to have one of my cards (the only one I've submitted to Corporate) on the Idea Wall at Convention. It was amazing. Here's a photo of my card on the wall.And here is a close up of my card. You may have seen this before I submitted it. The stamp set was a former stamp of the month set (but is in the new upcoming Fall/Winter Idea Book). It is a stamp set that looks nothing like this.

It is house parts that you can assemple in any way you choose and looks very sweet on the carrier sheet in the envelope-- but I turned it into a haunted house last Halloween. Look closely at your stamp sets and remember you can bend them on an acrylic block, turn them upside down and mix and match. Be creative! I have some great inspiration to show you in the coming days...

New dates for Copic Classes at Scrapbooks Plus

2010-07-03T17:00:00.001-04:00

For all you Copic fans-- or even if you are a 'wanna be' fan and don't yet know what to do with Copic markers-- I hope you'll join us for one or both of our Copic Markers classes at Scrapbooks Plus in Chantilly, VA. The first class is scheduled is a "Basics" class where we discuss the basics and have hands on activities in prestamped images to help you master the techniques we discuss. You'll be amazed what your Copic markers will do for you! We'll also complete the three finished projects shown below. This class is scheduled for Wednesday, July 14th from 6:30-8:30. Please call Scrapbooks Plus to register today!

I hope you'll explore Copics further in our 'color study' that we are holding monthly called "Copic Club". We are focusing on Violet this month. The cost of the class includes 3 Copic Ciao markers that we will be using in class. If you don't already have them, do not purchase them as we've ordered them in specially for this class. If you happen to already have the markers selected for any given month, arrive a few minutes early to class and we'll swap them out for another in stock marker. This is a great way to perfect your technique, learn new techniques, share your love of Copics with others who share your passion and grow your collection! Please call Scrapbooks Plus to register today! The next two Copic Clubs have been scheduled- Wednesday, July 21 from 6:30-8:30 and Tuesday, August 17 from 6:30-8:30. Those who attend multiple Copic Clubs will be making a technique book from our practice sheets. An example of this month's club is below.

If you have any questions, feel free to post them here or email me with Copic Class in the description heading (so if it goes into my Spam I'll be able to easily pull it out)!

Quick Thank You Gift

2010-07-03T12:16:00.002-04:00

It seems to me that school just ended- so how is it that we are celebrating July 4th this weekend? Loudoun County didn't finish school unil June 18... I guess I always remember school ending at least a week earlier so we were in full Summer swing by the time the July 4th holiday. It just doesn't seem like it is Summer to me yet. Possibly that's because I work full time so my daytime life doesn't change during the summer. Kid just don't have enough time to be kids anymore- they are expected to grow up way too fast! But our kids get to relax and enjoy being kids in the summer. I like that.

I thought I'd share the thank you gift that I made for Zack's teachers before school ended along with the step by step of how to make it. I have a nice scallop blade I can use on my Cutterpede. I love it. It's quick and easy. I wish they'd come up with more to cut my border pieces instead of the border punches that I have to be coordinated to use and line everything up just so! I used Stardust CTMH paper and cut it on both sides with my scallop to create the green border piece. I then lined up the blue piece to cut like ric rac. I love ric rac! Incidentally the paper is blue on one side and green on the other-- I love that about Close To My Heart papers!

I only used one stamp set for this entire project. I selected the stamp 'thank you' in the circle and punched it and a coordinating scalloped back piece. I used the Thank You stamp set from Close To My Heart. This is a great set. I use it all the time. I used it differently this time however- using most of the stamps all at one time! I'll show you that in a minute.

I purchased these acrylic boxes from Clear Bags and had used them at Valentines Day in a similar way if you want to check back you can find it here and a different size clear bags box a little differently here. I assembled my pieces and put a band around the box.I took my largest block that would fit on my Glassine bags and assembled a word puzzle of thank yous from this great stamp set in random order to form a square shape.

The great thing about acrylic stamps is that you can shape them to fit your project. Try curving your next phrase you stamp- it is so much fun!! I then used StazOn to stamp the Glassine bag. I used Azure (blue) to coordinate with my CTMH paper I chose for my box. Below is the finished stamped image on my bag.

I then filled the bag with M&Ms and sealed it and tucked it into my box. Pretty simple, cute and I could make one for every one of Zack's teachers... and it is filled with something almost everyone loves--M&M's!

I hope you are enjoying the Summer. At least here in Virginia, we now have a brief break from the heat and humidity which has been great. I can finally get out on in my yard and get rid of some weeds in my flower beds without having to break every 1/2 hour due to the heat!! ENJOY and have a GREAT 4th of July!!

A tribute to Alex

2010-06-27T14:14:00.002-04:00

June has been a particularly busy month for us. My son turned 10, my birthday was sandwiched in there and school ended. In between all the craziness this month, our beloved dog, Alex became sick. I don't know about your relationship with your pets, but making the decision to have our dog put to sleep was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Alex was truly a great dog. Mark and I adopted him from lab rescue when he was very young. He was found as a stray and was probably taken from his mother a little too early. He may have been purebred but they weren't sure. Lab Rescue picked him up from the shelter that had him and put him in foster care in a home in Alexandria near Mount Vernon.

I grew up with dogs but Alex was the first dog for my husband. Alex was our first baby and went everywhere with us when he was young. We had a convertible and he loved to ride in the back seat with the top down (leash tightly held by the passenger of the car- typically me!). He was happy and sweet. He was smart and funny. We loved him with all our hearts.

When we had Zack 10 years ago, he was great with him! He grew with him and they played like best friends. When we had Ella 3 years ago, Alex again, was great- never grumpy even though he was getting old! We found out last year that Ella is allergic to dogs- amoung many, many other things. The allergist suggested we keep her away from Alex. Ella LOVES dogs. He was really too old to climb steps anyway so it wasn't an issue keeping him out of her room. We vaccuumed often and kept him clean. Ella did just fine-- thankfully it isn't a severe allergy.

Alex was 14 years old. He had been very healthy other than his heartworm incident when he was 1 year old and until the last few months. We just couldn't bear to watch him suffer or put him through painful surgery that he'd never really recover from due to his age.

He was the best dog and we will always love him.

Jackpot June - Close To My Heart Bargains!

2010-06-04T21:32:00.004-04:00

Have you heard the news!? Check out my website for daily deals on great Close To My Heart items! Hit the jackpot and win free products! Grab loaded Goodie Boxes at 50% or more off retail value! Save money on favorite scrapbooking and stamping supplies by grabbing a different deal each day in June. Deals include discounted shipping/handling, too!

New deals are posted each day at 11:00 am daily until June 30- available while supplies last only. So check it out today!

Teacher Gift Stamped Memo Cube

2010-06-02T22:00:00.002-04:00

Can you believe it? Teacher gifts already! My daughter finished preschool on Thursday. She and I sat down one evening and stamped together on these memo cubes. I used Memento black ink and Ella colored them in her 3 year old way with my help using my Copic markers. These were perfect for the job since the ink is transparent. This allowed the stamped image to show through without the color overwhelming the overall image. We even added marks for grass at the bottom on each side and used Spica pens to add some glitz-which she was really into! Her teachers were so impressed that she helped make this project!

My son (who is almost 10) opted for us not to make anything this year for his teacher but for us to pitch in to the class gift of a gift card to a candy store. He still has a few more weeks of school. That leaves only the bus driver- who I always try to do something small but thoughtful for-- she is very special and takes extra good care of the kids on her route. She always receives a handmade card from us thanking her and usually a Target gift card. However Loudoun County is no longer allowing this type of gift for their employees any longer so I have to come up with something else. I'm thinking candy or some other kind of treat. I'll have to spend some time surfing my cookbooks or the internet for a few good ideas.

Feel free to share if you have an idea of a quick and easy to make treat-- it is so amazing how time just flies in June!! Enjoy the rest of your week!

Which Digital SLR to Purchase??

2010-05-24T20:21:00.007-04:00

My Mother's Day present this year was extra extravagant. Typically Mother's Day and Father's Day at our house consists of handmade cards by our children and handmade flowers or other gifts. Ocassionally my husband takes the kids for something special like earrings or something similar but this time they went all out. I can't actually tell you which camera because as we normally do with a big purchase like this, we research it like crazy before we buy. What did we do before the internet?!? It definitely makes research easy!

So I know it has been several weeks since Mothers Day but I'm still researching. I want an entry level because I don't know how many features I'll use. If I start using all the features the entry level camera has and find I'm addicted to it, I'll upgrade then. So I've narrowed it down to the Nikon D3000 (I don't need video capabilities or I'd move up to the D5000) and the Canon EOS Rebel XS. Both are essentially the same entry level cameras. I have searched all over and have held both camera and played with each of their features (Best Buy is the best place to do this locally). My go to camera now is a a Canon Powershot- which I love- however, I am leaning towards the Nikon. It just feels better to me. Several of my friends have the D3000's predecessor, the D60 and love it.

So who out there has either camera and let me know what you think. Leave a comment or send me an email. Don't forget to call Scrapbooks-Plus and sign up for the new Copic Club class!

New Copic Marker Club Class at Scrapbooks Plus, Chantilly, VA

2010-05-20T20:40:00.006-04:00

I am really excited about the new "Copic Club" we are starting at Scrapbooks Plus. We are starting a monthly club to help you build your skills and your marker collection. The monthly class will focus on three coordinating markers from a specific color family. This month we are starting with Yellow Green and have some really cool stamped images to color. I have some cool techniques we will learn and shading techniques. We aren't completing cards or projects however we are completing technique and color cards with our stamped images that we will collect and make into a techique journal that you can use as a reference.

I hope you will join us for this fun class on Tuesday, June 7 at 6:30! Call Scrapbooks Plus today to register. The class is $30 and includes 3 Ciao markers. If you already have the colors we are using, you can swap them out for another at the store!

Paper Flowers Resources

2010-05-19T20:16:00.007-04:00

As promised, I have a few links to paper flower how-tos that I found helpful. Fancy Pants blog featured this album by Jolene Pienaar. It is really cool. A beautifully handy and fun way to keep track of your techniques.

Of course, Martha also has great how tos for paper flowers. Martha has a great slide show of paper flower designs with how to instructions for each. You can find this by clicking here.

And check out this awesome new flower that Jeanette Lynton, the founder of CTMH, just posted on her blog that was featured in Art & Soul- which you can find on my website.

That should be enough flowers to keep you busy with your paper for quite awhile! Enjoy!!

Homemade Flowers Picture Frame

2010-05-14T20:30:00.002-04:00

If you've read the last few posts, you'll find I've been into homemade flowers recently. I made this picture frame for my Mom for Mother's Day (you'll recognize the matching card from my last post). She really liked it and the colors match her family room perfectly. I always like to do something special for my parents on Mother's Day and Father's Day to thank them for being such great parents-- I was and am very lucky to have them in my life! It is hard to come up with cool things to make and give them. I don't know about you, but my parents really don't have anything they need so buying them something is very difficult. They very much appreciate handmade gifts so I try to go that route whenever I can. But again, it is hard to come up with something. SO, this is what I came up with this year and I'm pleased to say, it was a success!! In fact, I'm planning to make one for myself to match my home one of these days because I am so pleased with how it came out.

I took a simple store-bought picture frame. Mine was made for a picture that is 8 x 10 but I think you could use any size frame you have. I took out the glass and mat that came with it and will use them for another project. I cut the base paper the same size as the back of the frame. I decided how many flowers I thought I could fit on the back and then used my sewing machine and stitched a zig zag for the flower stems. I would recommend actually waiting to do this step. Make the flower heads first so you can lay them out and then go in and make the stems, varying the heights for interest. (I had to work my leaves and flowers in because I didn't lay everything out first!) I then cut leaves and stitched a straight line down the middle of each right onto the stem and backing paper. They are folded down the middle so they stick out, adding dimension.

My flower on the right side is acordian style, which you can find simple instructions in my last post. It is actually two, layered together. The one on the left and the one next to the acordian style flower are fringed flowers. I simply took a 3" strip of 12" double sided scrapbook paper (all of the papers are from the Veranda CTMH paper pack- CTMH paper is perfect for this type of project because they all coordinate, taking the guesswork part out of the project!) and folded it in half lengthwise. Then I fringed the folded edge leaving the open edges in tact to hold it together. Then I rolled it into a tight circle. It doesn't roll easily so you have to work with it a little to get it to do what you want. Once it is all rolled up, use a strong adhesive and glue to outside edges (where you didn't fringe) down. This will keep it all rolled up tight. Once you are sure the glue has set up, then you can fold down your fringes to make it a flower shape.

The remaining flower (second from the left) is a flower in the new CTMH Summer Idea Book. Instructions are found on page 13 for this cool and easy flower made from a bunch of circles. Once you have all your stitching done, but before you glue down your flowers, use a strong glue (I used Modpodge for paper) and glue your backing paper to the back board of your frame. Then glue your flowers down. You'll need something like Liquid Glass from CTMH which is a strong, clear, liquid gel-like adhesive to glue these down so they stay. Let them dry completely. Then I used the same Liquid Glass glue to adhere circles of coordinating paper to the back of clear buttons. To give them a finished look, I then glued CTMH Filigree Charms to the clear buttons. I used my Cricut to cut out my letters and glued them on at the end.

I hope you like this- leave me a comment and let me know! Don't forget to leave a comment on this blog entry (click here) by Sunday where I'm giving away blog candy! I have found a few good sources for ideas when making homemade flowers. They are a great way to use up scraps of paper. I'll post a few of my sources in the next day or so.

New Copic Card with Elisabeth Bell stamp

2010-05-13T20:39:00.002-04:00

I just love Elisabeth Bell's designs- she is so talented! I have just ordered a few to play with. I am not a cutesy, cutesy person by nature. I find I have become a little more cutesy now that I have a daughter who at 3 is a nice mix of girly and tomboy (thanks to her older brother's influence). I have whims where I occassionally like more cutesy stuff but usually I gravitate toward more classic designs. I think Elisabeth Bell's designs bridge the gap between cute and classic and there's just something about them that really appeals to me. I think it is that they remind me of a refined Holly Hobbie from when I was young.

I have been dying to use the first Elisabeth Bell stamp that I purchased. I thought Mother's Day would be perfect. I used a variety of Copics and experimented with colors of skin and hair and ended up coloring about 8 of them! It was a fun evening! I colored her dress to match the papers and accompanying gift that I'll post soon. (I couldn't post prior to Mother's Day as it was a gift for my Mom!)

Mom loved the card. The sentiment is Close To My Heart from this set- which is also beautiful when colored with Copics. The flower was fun to make. Here's the 'how to'- it is really easy:

I cut a strip of coordinating paper about 2 inches wide and 12 " long, then I punched it with a Martha border punch. (The wider the strip, the larger the flower). I scored every 1/4" using my new scoring board also by Martha which made it really easy and quick. Then I acordian folded the entire strip. I used glue to adhere the ends together to create a circle. It doesn't naturally want to stay in a flat circle so I knew I'd use strong adhesive. Because there isn't much of the surface of the flower touching the card surface, I used Liquid Glass by CTMH. (This is such a great adhesive- it works for almost everything! It also can be used to create 'epoxy' like buttons). I just set a bar eraser on top of it to let it set up for a few minutes. I also added a predone crocheted flower with brad in the middle, also from CTMH to top it off-- but you could use just about anything like a button or large brad as the flower center.

And there you have it! Nice and easy acordian flower! Tomorrow I'll post more flowers in a home decor project I made for my Mom that coordinates with this card!

cupcake flowers & new Copic Color Class

2010-05-12T20:35:00.000-04:00

We had fun classes on April 25th at Scrapbooks-Plus. If you joined one or both of the classes that day or previously, thanks for joining me there and now on my blog- Welcome! I have some great posts coming soon. I also have a new monthly class coming soon to Scrapbooks-Plus where I've arranged to start a marker club to help you build your collection and you'll learn some techniques as well! We are really excited to have a color theory class focusing on a different color family each month. The colors selected will be ones we have not used before and if you already have the selected colors, that's no problem- just swap it out for an in-stock marker the day of the class. Debbie will be keeping the marker bins fully stocked for you! I'll post the date soon or you can also check Scrapbooks-Plus' website calendar.

I've been playing with handmade flowers lately and I have some of mine to show you in the next few days. I was thrilled to see the one that my daughter's preschool friends gave her this adorable handmade flower card. They made it out of cupcake wrappers. Isn't it cute?

Of course, Ella insisted I take a picture of her holding the card (along with her doggie- she always has a stuffed dog in her hands!) Check back tomorrow for more homemade flowers!

Exciting Close To My Heart Happenings!

2010-05-11T22:07:00.009-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have the same old excuse- work and life. I've been so busy with work, travel and all the other crazy stuff that goes on in my life. You know exactly what I'm saying- I know you do! But I have found some time to do some crafting, coloring with Copics and fun crafty stuff which I really need to get posted for you- so check back in a day or two- or subscribe or become a follower of my blog and you'll know when I post!

There is so much is going on with Close To My Heart that I really must write about today! We have a great new Summer Idea Book which you can check out here on my website. You will LOVE it! I have special blog candy for you if you post a comment on this blog entry and tell me what your favorite item in the new Idea Book is by Sunday, May 16th. I'll draw a comment randomly.

We also have a very exciting new digital scrapbooking program called Studio J that is available online at my website here. It is so cool! You can set up an account and play around with the papers, embellishments and your photos for FREE! My favorite thing about using Studio J is that my photos are instantly cropped and adjusted for me... and that I can choose any paper and embellishments. It is fun- give it a try today!

Also don't forget to celebrate National Scrapbooking Month with the Miracle paper and embellishment kit! It is here just until the end of May and then will be gone! You don't want to miss it as the papers are beautiful! You can purchase it for $19.95 or get it for only $10 with your $40 purchase of CTMH products or $5 with your $60 purchase of CTMH products or host a Scrapbook Workshop this month and get it for free!
I have so much exciting new stuff to show you in the next few days so check back soon!!

Copics Classes April 25 Chantilly, VA

2010-04-16T20:51:00.003-04:00

Have you registered for the upcoming Copic Marker Classes at Scrapbooks-Plus yet? I'll be teaching another Beginner class (above are our completed projects) at 12:30 on Sunday, April 25 and an Advanced Techniques class (brand new techniques!) called Advanced Techniques II at 3:00. Come for Basic and stay for the Advanced! The Advanced class projects are below- all are must know techniques using the Colorless Blender pen. Call Scrapbooks-Plus today to register! See you there!