Stamp Of The Month - April "Love So Sweet"

There are only a few more days left were you are able to order this really cute Stamp Of The Month. "Love So Sweet" (S1904) is a really great set. Besides butterflies, flowers and leaves you also get a few extra phrases and words. With just these few items you can create so many beautiful cards and layouts or you can use it for all other 3-D items you work on.

How can you get this special set?

Well you have only until April 31st to place your order. After that the set will be gone and I mean gone. No grace period or second chances. Like all Stamps Of The Month, you can get this set in two ways:

1. You can order it just by itself for $18.95 plus tax,SH

OR

2. You place an order worth $50 of anything from the Idea Book and you are able to add this set for just $5 extra. Yes, $5 only!!!!!

Don't miss out on this one. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me.

Scrapbook Friday - Layout 7

I am continuing scrapping pictures we took during our trip to Canada and so far I was able to create 6 different layout by using 5 sheets of design paper. This is how much paper I still have left:

Plenty paper left for a couple more layouts right? But this layout I am going to make today will use a different paper series... just to change thing up a bit ;-)

Material used for this layout:

- 2 sheets of "fern" cardstock from Close To My Heart
- 4 strips of grey design paper cut at 1/2"x12" from CTMH "Feels Like Home"
- 4 strips of dotted design paper cut at 1/2"x12" from CTMH "Feels Like Home"
- 2 squares of rose design paper cut at 3" from CTMH "Feels Like Home"

I used another sketch from the Close To My Heart design books/ workshop kits for this layout. Here is the sketch:

Let's start with the right side of this layout. My photos were just perfect for this sketch. They are cut true to the sketch at 3"x3" (2x), 3"x4" and 6"x4". I arranged them just like you see on the sketch.
For the left side I did a little change.
I swapped on "title" square for an extra photo. The top row of my photos is cut at 3" square, 3"x5" and 3"x4". The lower row pictures are both cut at 3" square.

I placed one of the rose design paper squares on each page instead of a journaling or embellishment square. But again even on this page I pretty much copied the sketch completely.

The original sketch called for one strip on each page on the bottom and top, but I felt it needed a little more, so I doubled the strips on either side.

I really like this layout a lot. It doesn't us a lot of special papers and it uses quite a few photos. It is also very easy to add extra pictures if you need to. Overall a simple but so versatile sketch. Try it yourself and see how many different versions you can make out of this one sketch. More layout ideas are on the way so stay tuned...

Card Class Project April - 1/4

Wouldn't you know, I skipped a week of Wednesday Card Making Class Projects, yep!!! I love that I can write my blog post in advance. I can pick a day and pre-write all of them, but it would be a good thing to remember to convert them from "draft" to "publish" right? LOL well I will try my best so here we go back on schedule:

Do you know that Close To My Heart has these wonderful books for scrapbook makers as well as card makers? If you like to find out more about them...Click Here
I used a pattern from the "Make it from your Heart Book -  Volume 4" (9044) for this card.

Materials needed:
- 1 cardbase 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" and envelope
- 1 piece of Lagoon Cardstock 5"x
- 1 piece of design paper
- 1 piece of Lemon Cardstock
- 1 piece of white cardstock
- 3 coral sequins

First we stamped the ice cream cone on the white cardstock in "Pebble" ink from Close to My Heart. We used the same stamp and ink for the inside too.
The "Happy Birthday" phrase was stamped in Lagoon Ink. Color pencils were used to color the ice cream part of the cone. Not much, just a little color to make it stand out. We also used a glitter brush to go over the ice cream.

Place the lagoon paper about 1/4" from the left side of the base. Next adhere the design paper about a 1/4" from the right side. Adhere the Lemon and white cardstock together and raise with foam dots. Sprinkle the sequins on the front and don't forget a little doodling on the inside of this card.

Scrapbook Friday - Layout 6

Can you believe it? We are already looking at layout No.6 and I still have plenty of design paper left to create more layouts. This time I thought we mix it up a bit and use a sketch for a change. What is a sketch you might ask?

Well it is a design page for a specific amount and size of pictures including measurements for the photos used and all papers and embellishments. You can find them all over the internet or check out some of the awesome books Close To My Heart offers for all kind of page layouts... CLICK HERE

Sketch Pros and Cons:

I love that the complete layout is done for you and all you have to do is pick your colors and papers and start cutting. They include all measurements and placements.

On the con side you might say "what if my pictures are in the wrong orientation or I have more than the sketch shows?" Yes, that is a common problem but one that can easily be fixed. First off remember from my previous posts, you can always flip and turn your sketch around. This might fix the issue right there. If this will not work, see if you can arrange them in a different way so you stay in the perimeter of the intended photos but change the size to your pictures. Last, if you have more pictures than the sketch calls for, use journaling spots to add extra photos. There are other options to add extra pictures but this will be another tutorial on different Friday.

So let's see what we can make with this sketch here:

I started out with the right side of the sketch because my pictures almost worked perfectly with this design. I cut four of them to 3" x 4". (Variation: if you pictures happen to be vertical shots, try three pictures cut at 4" x 3" and place them in the same spot shown on the sketch). For the big photo: mine was going vertically and I already had cut it to 5 3/4" x 3 3/4" (because I intended to mat it, which I ended up not doing). 

Sticking with my design papers I was going to use the dotted paper. A bit busy and therefore I decided to change the sizes a little bit from the original sketch.

So the original sketch calls for design paper 6"x12" and then 3"x12".... I changed mine to 5"x12" and 3"x12".

I tried a couple of variations with both design paper pieces until I found the original sketch was the best way to go. So first my 5" width dotted paper and the my 3" width light blue paper. It looked pretty good so far but I felt I need one extra piece. I used one of the lagoon cardstock strips that I cut off on the previous layout. Both strips are cut at 1/2" x 12". I placed them on both pages on the seam where the two design papers meet.

While the sketch calls for some extra paper horizontally I decided not to use it. I mirrored the left page with the same papers but cut my photos in a different way.

Again, the sketch calls for a 5"x7" photo, but I had three to go in the same spot. I cut mine to 3"x6" and adhered them together. This created a "photo" measuring 9"x6". I also had two extra photos I wanted to add to this side. One was cut at 4"x 4" and was placed in the lower left corner. The final photo used is a 2" square and I placed it just towards the bottom. You see, even so my pictures didn't quite fit the sketch and even so I didn't use all the design paper elements, I made it work.

Materials used in this layout:

- 2 sheets of "thistle" cardstock 12"x12" from Close To My Heart

- 2 strips of design paper with dots each cut at 5"x12" CTMH "I Heart Us"

- 2 strips of design paper in light blue with + signs on it each cut at 3"x12" CTMH "I Heart Us"

- 2 strips of "lagoon" cardstock 1/2"x12" from CTMH

Stay tuned ….

Wild About You Mini Book Special

Celebrate 35 years of creativity with Close To My Heart this month with the irresistible "Wild About You Mini Book Workshop Kit". Save 35% on a project kit that includes the My Creations™ Black Mini Book and all the papers and accessories you’ll need to fill it up!

You can find this kit right HERE .

The My Creations™ Black Mini Book featured in this project includes 10 spiral bound mini page protectors sized to fit either one 4" x 6" or two 3" x 4" pocket cards or photos. They have paired this classic mini book with the Something Fierce pocket cards and embellishments to create a fun and easy project that you are sure to adore.

Offer available through April 30, 2019, while supplies last. Shipping & handling based on full retail price of all items.

Update April 28th:  Sorry but this cute set has SOLD OUT !

Scrapbook Friday - Layout 5

Today we make it a really easy layout. I picked the next set of pictures from our trip to Ottawa and kind off placed them on the cardstock I wanted to use. Remember last Friday's pages? I used the Close to My Heart cardstock "Bluebird" as my base. Today I picked "Lagoon" cardstock and I think they both work perfectly with the picture colors.
(So sorry about the picture quality today but my camera didn't pick up the color Lagoon quite right. I will try to get a better shot later.)

But back to the pictures: The left side of my layout came together pretty easy, 4 photos, 2 vertical and 2 horizontal but the right side was a bit tricky. Too many pictures but then, when I took a closer look at them, I had two that were almost identical and one that didn't really was a good shot.

Picture Size:
My pictures on the left side measure: 4" x 5 1/2" (2x) and 5 1/2" x 4" (2x)
My pictures on the right side measure: 3 1/2" x 5" , 4"x4" , 4"x4" and 4 1/2" x 3 1/2"




Placing the pictures on the "Lagoon" cardstock looked ok, but something was missing. One trick I often use when the page doesn't seem to come together, I use a neutral color as my page base (here white) and cut the colored cardstock (here Lagoon) down to 11"x11".
Instant framing and the pictures seem to be more centered. To give it a little extra pop I used a few stirpes of the design paper.

Papers used for this layout:
(2x)  White cardstock 12"x12"
(2x)  Lagoon cardstock 11"x11"
(2x)  Design Paper 1/2"x4"
(1x)  Design Paper 1/2"x8"
(1x)  Design Paper 3 1/2"x1/2"
(1x)  Design Paper 4"x1/2"

Now here is my final result for this double page layout. I told you it would be simple and easy. Like a friend of mine always points out, "Not every layout has to be a masterpiece" ;-) and she is right. To finish the sides off I need to do my journaling and this will be done later in making process. So stay tuned for more layouts and ideas ...

Card Class Project March - 4/4

This is the last card we made in March class. One more time I used the Swiss Dot Embossing folder, but this time I embossed each side just a bit and left the middle part open.

The stamps I used are "Bunny Basket" (M1211) and a Easter egg basket which is a retired stamp.

The white cardstock is cut at 2 1/2"x2 1/2" and the pink one is cut at 2 3/4"x2 3/4".
The basket is stamped in black ink. Color pencils were used to give the basket a little more color.

The "Happy Easter" phrase is stamp in black as well as the bunny basket. A few doodles and a bit more color and this card is done. Simple but super cute if I might say so :-)

Made with Love Mini Album Special

Made with Love Mini Album Workshop

Whether you are creating a keepsake for a mother, grandmother, or any of the special women in your life, the Made with Love workshop gives you everything you need for a heartfelt, handmade mini album. Use the Mix-in paper packet and coordinating cardstock to cut unique shapes from the Cricut® Artbooking collection for your pages and put it all together inside a wood mini album.

If you don't own the CTMH Cricut Artbooking cartridge ( well you might want to think about getting this one ;-) ), but you still would like to create the album, contact me and I will see how I can help you with this.

The Made with Love mini album workshop kit includes the Mix-in paper packet, Mix-in coordinating cardstock, white ribbon, and wood mini album cover needed to create this workshop. The wood cover features a die-cut heart shape that is used inside the album and comes with three rings for assembly.
You can purchase the workshop kit with the "For My Mother" stamp set at 25% discount, or you can choose a kit option without the stamp set.

For more information about the individual sets CLICK HERE.

This workshop is available from April until the end of May or while supplies last. So don't wait to long to get your set for the special woman in your life.
Dates: April 8, 2019 (12:01 am MDT) – May 31, 2019 (11:59 pm MDT)

Scrapbook Friday - Layout 4

Still working with my original 5 design paper sheets and some cardstock. Today we will explore a little how much a cardstock color can enhance your pictures. We will also have a closer look at what difference matting and positioning of photos can do to your layout.

So these were my pictures for this double page layout. All uncut and just bunched together. Looking good right? So just adhere them down and move on....well we could do that, but how much fun is this? First I started to sort them so I could get a better idea of how many photos would end up on each page.

I used CTMH "Bluebird" cardstock for my page base. I did pick the lighter side of the cardstock which came pretty close to the sky color of my photos. In the second closeup picture you can actually see how much the pictures are being absorbed by the cardstock. It is actually a pretty cool effect. 

I ended up using 5 pictures per page and tossed two which were just to similar to the ones I am going to use. Next, well I needed to cut them to a more manageable size.

My pictures on the left are cut at:

5 3/4" x 3 3/4" (2x), 4"x4", 3 1/2"x3 1/2" and 3"x3"

My pictures on the right are cut at:

5 3/4"x3 3/4", 4"x4" and 3"x3" (3x)

Here you can see the pictures cut and arranged on the cardstock. On the left side I arranged the square ones from smallest to biggest. Flush with the left side which off-sets them to the right. The square pictures on the right page are just spaced in a row.

The positioning of the middle pictures on each side is still up in the air.

Papers needed for this layout:

- 2 sheets of 12"x12" cardstock in "Bluebird" (Close to My Heart)

- 1 piece of 9"x12" design paper cut in an angle (see cutting guide)

- 1 strip of 1/2"x12" design paper cut in half 

- 1 strip of 1/2"x12" design paper cut in 3" pieces (4x)

- 1 sheet of white cardstock

I used for the two strips of 1/2"x12" the border strips of our Close to My Heart design papers. Love these strips. One side has the paper pack information on it and the other side is a design element matching the papers from this package.

First I placed the design paper on the pages and added the photos back on it. Remember to move your pieces around. Try placing the design paper on the inside or the top or bottom of your page. Move the pictures too and see what works best for you.

I often get asked when to use mats under pictures and when to use the pictures without them. I think I have here a good example to show you the difference. So far this layout looks good and yes, we could leave the pictures without a mat. The pictures positioned on the design paper pop out, but for my taste the middle ones seem to blend in too much. While three pictures have clouds to lift them up from the page color, the bottom left one is getting absorbed. 

So what would be the solution here? Yes, let's try some matting...simple white cardstock works perfectly. I cut my mats at 6"x4" (3x) and 4 1/4"x4 1/4". 

If I cut the mats at 6"x4" I can get 6 mats per sheet of paper. 

If you leave your picture at 6"x4" (which by the way my prints often not exactly match) you can only get 4 mats per sheet...so I rather cut 1/4" or less of my pictures ;-)

Now what do you think? Compare the two pictures, which one looks better? Pictures without the white mats or with the white mats? I like the white matting the best. The page looks more finished and the pictures are standing out.

But before I can get started adhering the photos to the page I like to play a bit more with my composition. While the pictures on the sides are pretty well set, I move the middle ones around. How do they look on the bottom or maybe set apart? Or maybe offset? I need to leave room for journaling and maybe a title too. 

After playing around for a while I decided that placing the pictures offset is the best for my taste. To further connect my pictures on the sidelines I placed a few small pieces of paper between them before I adhered my photos to the page.Two small stipes of paper on the top and bottom of the pages and I think this layout is done.

Here is the final layout:

Yes, like with the rest of the layouts so far, we will be coming back to them to add journaling and other embellishments. But this will be at the end when I have used up my 5 sheets of design paper.

Attention:

If you decide to create this page, please change the following measurement on the cutting guide. The design paper should be cut at 9" x 12". When cutting the angle, the 12" is vertical and the 9" horizontal. 

Card Class Project March - 3/4

Here is another use of the cute "Swiss Dot Embossing Folder" which sadly is sold out. If you like to know how to create a similar impression, check back on the Card Class Project March - 1/4.

Here we used Pixie cardstock and embossed the top part of the piece. The cardstock is cut at 5 1/4"x4" and the matching strip is cut at 2"x4". The big piece is adhered with the lighter side up while the small piece is showing the darker side on top.

The Charcoal cardstock is cut at 3 1/2"x4 3/4". The white cardstock is cut at 3 1/4"x4 1/2". We stamped the second flower from the "Love Blossoms" set on the top using Charcoal ink. The "thinking of you" and the inside phrases are stamp in Thistle ink.

Before we adhered the white pieces to the grey we wrapped a piece of "Silver Embellishing Thread" (Z4213) twice around. Both ends of the thread are secured on the back. Next we adhered the white onto the grey and then raised the piece with foam dots.

Like with all my cards, you can't leave the inside blank. A little phrase, another flower and some doodling and this card is done.

Bring Back My Pack - Zoe Paper Special

Bring Back My Pack - Zoe
Zoe is back in a new, slimmed down paper packet! This paper packet features 6 paper sheet and a full 12" x 12" sticker sheet, giving you paper and stickers in the same pack!
Close to My Heart refreshed a few of the colors to create this updated pack and paired it with a coordinating cardstock pack and stamp set. Save 25% on a workshop kit that includes all of these items, and use it to create all of the beautiful and sunny artworks shown here! This collection will only be available through May 31, 2019, while supplies last, so order yours right away before it is gone!