For the Dogs

As this posts, I'm setting up for my weekend retreat, so I scheduled some things to post while I'm gone to keep you company.  I found this picture and remembered I did a few things I forgot to post prior to Christmas.  I did 11 vinyl projects with my friend Teri and her daughter Melissa and forgot to take pictures!

Patti came over and needed a picture frame dressed up for a Christmas present.  I took out some Silver and Black vinyl and added the puppies names and HAPPY TAILS to the frame. Quick and easy but turned out pretty good.

Organized the Paper

I used to have labels that were taped onto the front of these so I decided to dress them up and update the names with our new colors!

 Each Group has its own container and they are in order like we have them in our catalogs.

 Here's the other half of the seasons - I didn't photograph the Basic Collection, but it's done too.

I went on to reorganize my stamps.  I had 3 of these three drawer plastic shelving units that the hubby took apart and created wood shelves to slide the drawers into.  The plastic unit couldn't hold the weight of anything so the wood works wonderfully! 5 of the drawers are for stamps, they are grouped by color and in alphabetical order!  Some day I'll put photos of the whole room on here.

Being Watched on the Internet!







Head



tail





 



That's my laptop that I work on for everything and that's my kitty Fluffy Jr. (daughter named her) staring at me from behind.  She hides back there and sleeps because it warm.  My computer is furry!

Jeanie saw the pictures and asked if I put her in a box and sawed her in half - what kids think of.

CTMH Inspiration for January

Need Inspiration?  You've come to the right place!

From January 1st – January 31st, when you purchase a new Close To My Heart Wings Workshops on the Go kit for $29.95, it opens the door for you to participate in three exciting promotions. With the purchase of the Wings Workshops on the Go (WOTG) kit you can choose any or all of the following:

  

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

My Acrylix® Stamp Set Discount Price / Full Retail

• A Game (A1113) $5.00 / $7.95
• Rosy Regards (B1369) $10.00 / $13.95
• Take a Picture (C1440) $15.00 / $18.95
• Dreams Come True (D1470) $18.00 / $22.95
• Bohemian Alphabet (E1019) $25.00 / $34.95

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

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

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

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

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

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

Contact me to order today or click here!

Awsome Start in 2011!

I'm messy, unorganized and usually living dangerously close to my deadlines!

Doesn't sound like me???  Well, lots of times I leave things go to the last possible minute and then end up scrambling and stressing out me, the family and everyone around me because I just don't plan things like I should - BUT NOT TODAY!

My 4 year old decided to paint in the kitchen for 1/2 the day, Daddy watched the game and started a great dinner - giving me HOURS of uninterrupted free time to get some very necessary things done.

Both projects for my weekend Retreat are all cut, bagged and packed; (pictures coming later)

All the goody bags are stuffed and waiting for candy and a ribbon closure; (pictures coming later)

Projects for me to do over the weekend are packed;

BUT MOST OF ALL:

12 BASEPAGE WORKSHOPS ARE PLANNED, PRINTED AND BAGGED - that means for 12 months of I'M READY!!!

 Each grouping above is a set of layouts (samples) and cutting guides all ready to go for each class!

 Above is a sample of one class and all the layouts that we do in one night! (This is 5 sets or 10 pages)

 Here is one set of pages - we do 5 or 6 sets per night (that's 10 of 12 pages) I love the tabs and how this paper turned out - with our papers being two sided - it's hard to make a bad layout!

 My classes are around $15 and I usually throw in a little something extra.  Also, I show you how to add True Fit Folios, Flip Flaps and other moving items into your pages!

 Love this paper too - too bad it's discontinued   :(

Now to work on a few months of Card Workshops - one is done :)

January 2011 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Again we are stamping through to the new year with our stamp of the month blog hop!

You should be coming from Jen Patrick's blog - if not, keep hopping and you'll do a complete circle - check out what others have came up with for this new stamp set. and please leave a comment - we love comments!

This month it's Find Your Style D1452 - I love the Shoe and the Dress Form and well, ALL of these stamps!

I'm giving you a sneak peek at one of the projects that I'll be teaching at my weekend retreat NEXT WEEKEND!!! (still room - come along!)  Using our new Flip Flaps I created extra panels making two pages super sized!

Above is when the panels are closed.

 Left Side Close Up above

 Right Side Close Up above

 

 8 x 12 Flip Flap Panel opened up on Left Side - these Flip Flaps attach to the sheet protectors!  They add more room while still protecting your photos from fingers!

 Right Side Opened Up - 4 x 12 Flip Flap

 This stamp is also part of the set - love the phrase.

 You really can't see the color too much - I used a blending pen to color the words in so that each word stands out. You rub the pen onto the ink pad and it picks up some color and then you color the paper with it - it's a very lite/soft process - almost like water coloring.  I also bent the wings up and these are glued on the outside of the sheet protectors for dimension.

The paper is Wings - January/Febrary's (new catty) paper - so another sneak peek you are getting!

Thanks for looking and now check out Melinda Everitt's Blog to see more!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

I just wanted to wish you a happy holiday, I'm going to be tied up until after Jan 9th - when my weekend retreat is over!  I can't wait for it to start because I just put the finishing touches on the projects and am looking forward to seeing everyone!

Hope you are all safe and having fun.  Santa brought me everything I wanted, picture frames for my desk at work, REALLY warm socks, peppermint bark, and Jeanie's health restored (she's been sick for 2 weeks). Hope Santa was really good to you too!

I'll post when I have some time!

Sticky Boy Stowing Away!

Sticky Boy Stowing Away in Random MyCTMH® Orders!

During the month of December, when a you place a minimum order of $20 (excluding tax and shipping/handling) on my MyCTMH® site, you will receive a popular, retired D-size stamp set absolutely FREE! We will send one automatically out to them with each qualifying order without any additional shipping, handling, or tax charges.

We have decided to up the ante—Sticky Boy may be coming to your house for the holidays! In random Plenty for Twenty-qualifying MyCTMH orders throughout December, we’ll be adding in a special stowaway absolutely FREE: Sticky Boy! He’ll be available in different sizes and in his own packaging, so check your box closely to see if you’ve won him as a bonus prize this December! Go to my website: :www.maryeisen.myctmh.com to see if your $20 gets you a Sticky Boy!

December Stamp Of The Month Blog Hop

It's here again - the hop and can you believe it's December!  Santa's on his way!  You should be coming from Adeline Brill's blog, if not just keep hopping and you will make a complete circle.

This month stamp set is Amore D1445 - Close To My Heart is always 2 months ahead with their stamp of the month's so even though it's Christmas time, this stamp set is geared towards Valentine's day - Aren't they smart at Corporate!

I made two simple cards, again using a stash that I had pre created from a workshop months ago but I just felt the colors were perfect for Valentine's Day cards. 

I did a second generation stamp for the heart and then stamped the LOVE over it - using the same color, the heart just looks lighter. I also, love the boarder stamp of hearts - I used that along the edge on the darker pink.  The ink I used is Hollyhock.

The card below I added tiny hearts to the B&T paper to match the words.

I just felt that these cards weren't enough so I started playing with the large heart stamp.  

I bent the top in more before stamping the image so that it was more like a heart then how it sat on the sheet.  I stamped it in Hollyhock ink and then took the Tulip Marker and traced some of the lines. 

I added extra dots everywhere. (I call this doodling!  I LOVE TO DOODLE!) Using a White gel pen I added some highlights down the center of the leaves, under edges and a few white dots here and there.  To finish it off I took Liquid Glass and dotted all the dots with it to give it a shine.  I don't think my camera caught the shine.  I sponged around the torn edges with Hollyhock. 

I mounted it on Chocolate cardstock that I got wet and crunched in my hand to create a quick pleat.  Let me know what you think!

Now, hop over to Chris Shouse's blog and see what she created with this great stamp set!

Storage for Paper

 These Cropper Hoppers are great for paper.  It hold like 200 sheets of cardstock.  I have 2 boxes for each season.  I have a tab for each color.  Then I save the ziplock bags that our Paper Packs come in and put a label on the outside corner for scraps.

 This way I know which box they go in and what paper is in the bag.  With 60 colors to work with, there is no way one can remember is which blue is which (without a swatch book in hand).

I also label the front of the box showing what order the colors are in the box so that finding them are easy too.

Christmas Vinyl Part 2

 Yesterday I posted the deer artwork, here is the ornament artwork and another with words and a bow.

I used vinyl on the outside of the glass and added real bows to each ornament.

Here is one with a ribbon.  I wish I knew how to make a fuller bow - next time!

Thanks for looking!

Vinyl Christmas Art

 I created these two deer using MTC and tracing the clipart.

 This is what one looked like prior to sponging mountains and grass.  I tore paper to create the mask for the mountains.

 You can't see the grass on the one above very well.

This one is a little better. I used brown vinyl and put it right on the front of the picture frame.

This is what it looks like on the mat with a little transfer tape.

Thanks for looking.

Princess Invite - Heart 2 Heart Challenge

Heart 2 Heart is having a challenge for anything Princess and Pink.  So I dug out this oldie but goodie - my daughter's 1st birthday invite!

The princess part is the castle that is heat embossed on the bottom of the vellum top sheet.  I printed the words off my laser printer.

 Here is a close up of the white embossing powder castle.

 I stamped pink hearts onto the white cardstock that is behind the white vellum.

Here is how the hearts show threw the vellum.  A little pink knot bow at the top to finish her off - and a close up of the words.  The stamp set that I used is retired Princess Set.  Thanks for looking!

Spider Cupcakes

 An Army Of Spiders! At least they look friendly! We made these cupcakes with strawberry cake batter so they were red when you bit into them! They smelled awesome!

 Jeanie and I made these for her class last week. Didn't have time to post prior to the holiday.  We took licorice and pulled the strands apart and I came up with the great idea of putting them into the microwave to make them soft and bubbly.

 The bubbles were unexpected but nice.

As the cooled they got harder and they kept the bent leg shape!

Here is what they looked like without mouths and frosting on their eyes.  The eyes are white chocolate chips.  That was a lot of microwaving for 8 legs per cupcake!

I took a zip lock bag and put frosting in it, cut off the corner and put a decorating tip in the corner to decorate the eyes.  Thanks for looking.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

We celebrated my Dad's birthday yesterday when we could get the whole family together and just before trick or treat.  Here is the card I made for him:

 The car is old and on wood (I know bad word) but my Dad is into cars. His initials are on the license plate. I used large Sparkles to give the headlights a 3D effect.  I used Liquid Glass to make the windshield shiny. My Dad even has a convertible that he takes my daughter out in during the summer - she loves it and passes out in the back seat from all the fresh air! I think I have a picture of that!

 Here is what it looks like before the car is added with foam squares.  The tree is from Grown With Love stamp set.  I love all the different style leaves you can do with this set.  I choose fall colors to go with the times.

 Again, I'm Bad - these are our OLD stamps but I knew I could find a Grandpa stamp in the set super fast!  These were a set of ours that were on foam - I wish they would do this set again in clear!

The front of the envelope.

Thanks for looking!