Sneak Peek - Oak Creek Club Layouts

Ok, no peeking if you are in my Oak Creek Club - We are doing some different types of layouts this month. Instead of just paper, I've incorporated our plastic photo storage pages and created little books! I think it turned out pretty good.
I know the photos are not the greatest but you'll get the idea (I hope) photos on the fly is what I'm doing lately. I'm running to the store to make a big picture to go inside. I'm blowing one up big enough to cover all three inserts - so when you flip open the pages, one large photo covers all. I have the front and the back decorated and I did left and right pages so that you get use out of all sides of the plastic photo storage page.

Here is one page flipped open (above) and all three open below - the large photo will extend over all three blue areas on the right. And with the neat trick of cutting up one of the photo protectors you can cover the flaps so little fingers don't wreck the page and makes it really sturdy!

Here is the backside and the next layout so that you use all sides of the photo protector. We made 12 layouts (6 - two page sets). This is just a base page workshop. The ladies will put photos and embellish later.

And I bet you thought all I did was cards. This technique was featured on CTMH TV - if you go to my website you can see this and many other projects on CTMH TV. The current project supplies can be purchased for 20%!

Unit Meeting Swap Card

Monocrome Card - same color family was the theme and we used a card layout from the Orignials book. So all the cards were pretty much the same layout, but the stamps and colors were your choice. Here is my card. I used Daisy White and Colonial White. The stamped flowers is the Colonial White pigment ink we have - loved how it turned out. I used foam squares to give it height. I sewed down the middle of the ribbon and pulled one of the strings to pucker it and glued it down with liquid glass. I think it would be great for a wedding card - what do you think? Too plain?

Over the Weekend - Training

So, I'm trying to get a ton of things made for my Craft Fair coming up in April - I have only 30+ cards made, and a few 3D projects. So expected to work the weekend away when Friday night I got a call from one of my downline asking me to come with a project for her to do for her club. I came up with a mini album (I've done these in the past a year or so ago) that can stand up or lay flat on a table. I did a few for the craft fair. This photo is the album opened and laying flat.

This is opened and standing up - it is like a criss cross pattern with the pages!

So I was able to come up with a project and supply her with all the product she needs to make ten of them. Can you say SMALL STORE in my office!

Panic! Their Discontinued!!!

We had our Unit Meeting today and we dicussed the fact that the Coluzzle Cutting System was discontinued and you can't even get replacement blades!!! So this evening I went to the local craft store to see if they had blades - they had something better - a new knife from The Paper Studio that swivels 360 degrees like the Coluzzle knife. So I picked one up and tried and it works great! I'll continue to use my Coluzzles until the blades are no longer useable and then change to this new knife. Completely apart. The black thing is the blade - it's got some weight to it!
Looks just like the tip on a Coluzzle and works the same!

The new one is heavier and has a green rubber grip - making it easier to work with and comes with 2 extra blades. It has a cap like a pen cap. Maybe CTMH will pick these up and sell them!?!?

The KiKis Are GONE!

It was black Friday at our house last week Friday. My 3 year old went to her denist appointment with daddy and found out that her half dozen pacifiers were wrecking her teeth (and yes, Mom you were right - we should have lisened to you) I took her 6 months ago and they weren't that bad - I was told to get rid of them prior to her big teeth coming in (a year or 2 from now) but that all changed Friday! She looked like she was going to implode when I told her she couldn't have them at bedtime. She turned white and then red - I felt terrible for her. But, it's been a week and she's sleeping thru the night. I know Friday night she woke up looking for one and then relized she didn't have any and I heard a little crying. Breaks my heart. I promised her every toy at the store and I would have given her a car if she'd just go to bed that first night!

Wedding Shower Card

This is for an upcoming wedding shower. I did the wedding invites on my Cricut machine. We used some expensive purple paper that shimmers for the invites and this is leftovers for the shower card. I used Garden Green and Vanilla Cream cardstock. There's a heart shape punch in the corner.

Here's a better picture to show off the shimmer of the purple paper. We ordered the paper special from a Mill. The edges are sponged with Pansy Purple ink and it matches really well.

The stamps are Thoughts of You and You're Invited (retired). I'll post the wedding invite soon.

More for the Fair

Modified Weeds!

When this stamp set came out I called it my set of weed stamps (Treasure Life - Stamp of the month last year - I have extras if interested in purchasing a set!) now try and tell me they didn't look like weeds - well, I saw someone adjusted this flower by adding hearts to make it a great valentine's day card. So I scraplifted the idea too. I put the holiday red cardstock onto foam squares and raised it - looked better than just flat on the card.

The hearts are from the Solo O stamp set. There is 2 sizes on that set! Also, I used holiday red ink and baby pink.

I Love Markers!

Coloring once again!

What can I say, I love playing with my CTMH Markers. Here I used Baby Pink for the little roses and outlined the edges with Watermelon. The center flower is filled in with Sunny Yellow and then outlined in Sunflower to give it an orange tint. Leaves are colored with Clover Meadow.

I have Baby Pink ribbon, Watermelon cardstock. The green B&T is from SweetPea paper kit. The stamp set is from Solo Y stamp set.

Craft Fair Cards

Some things I'm working on for a craft fair in April:

Here is a card I did 3 of them for my craft fair. I used Cranberry cardstock, crystal blue cardstock, daisy white cardstock, clover meadow ink and our buttons for the flowers. The hardest part was threading all the buttons (I made 3 cards = 15 buttons). The stamp set for the stems is Dainty (which is a discontinued set) there is several other stamp sets that have stems and easy to substitute. I sewed around the cranberry base on two of them and then decided I like it better plain.

Future Blogger

We were cleaning out Jeanie's closet and I came across this hat and I put it on her to see if it still fits. She was so wrapped into PBSKIDS.com that she didn't mind wearing it half the day. At 3 years old she's pretty darn good at clicking the mouse and playing the games!

And yes, those are pacifiers in both hands and in her mouth. She holds as many as she can find. We need to loose more of them. (this is the corner in my new craft room - a tiny sneak peek - I'll post more when it's cleaner....)

Purse of Cards

Sorry, haven't posted in a few days - had lots of work to do and a food allergy I didn't know I had reared it's ugly head! I missed work Friday and Monday because I was completely covered in red spots and itching - I could barely do scrappbooking because my fingers were swollen and sore. I'm back to almost normal - still don't know what I'm not suppose to be eating... Here is a purse with 4 cards and envelopes. There was no stamping just Love Letters Rub-Ons! Love these (there isn't much I don't love - I'll stop saying it) I used Emporium paper (Disclaimer: totally scraplifted this from another consultant - because I said that - it's ok to scraplift.)

Here's the purse, I have to decorate the front, but I really wanted to show you. It's really easy to make - that is a 6.5 x 11 piece of cardstock - I'll post the diagram for cutting. It's scored length wise at the 1 inch and the 5.5 inch. Then Widthwise at the 5.5inch and the 6.5 inch. You snip in the little box it forms and fold up everything. The purse holds standard 4.25 x 5.5 cards and their envelopes.Just a few of the cards - again all done with Rub-Ons - we just came out with an new pack of Rub-Ons called Love Story - coming in my mail soon.

The directions for cutting were off so I had to recut and redesign (I'll do the correct score directions on mine). The hardest part was figuring what I wanted on the front and just working with the Rub-Ons.

Just an update….

Just wanted to let you know my Close To My Heart website is having a little bit of a problem. When you link to it by clicking on links I have in my posts here you get an error message regarding the certificate – Close To My Heart is working on that – it's not a real problem, it's just a new website and of course there is a bug like with any new computerized thing. Please disregard it. Thanks and I'll post more soon. Also, if you have my Close To My Heart Website saved and it's not coming up – please resave it – we are on a new server. Please type in www.mary.eisen.myctmh.com to get the new location and save that one in your favorites.

Happy Valentines Day!

Cards for Work

So yesterday I woke up as early as I could and created 2 cards to take to work with me - one for the boss and one for my co-worker (small office) and this is what I came up with in a pinch.

I had these cards from a 30 cards workshop (I've done enough that I can pull one for just about any occasion and make it work!) Sorry the paper is from at least 2 years ago and discontinued, but the stamps are brand new and one of my MUST HAVES - there is two stamp sets Family Ties - Children (what I used) and Family Ties - Adults!

The little girl is holding a cell phone and I took a foam square, cut in half and punched a heart and put it over the cell phone! (It's a great feeling to open up your drawer of punches and there's a heart punch just waiting for you!)

The little boy was running and I just stuck the heart over his hand. I then used CTMH markers to color in their clothes and shoes! I love coloring with our markers. (I just noticed I must have been moving with the camera - I didn't stamp a double image of him hmmm...saving for new camera.

Coaster Calendars!

Desk Toys!

Here's some coasters that I turned into calendars with the January Stamp of the Month (which I have a few extras if you need a set!) I used The new Creative Basics Emporium paper pack that comes with ribbon for the Red and blue. The Orange/Green one is with Unforgetable Paper Kit. I used copy paper for the calendars so that the sheets will easily tear off and fit nice on a little brad. I used our hinges hold them together.

My Sleeping Pee Wee

Two days ago when I went in to wake my baby that just turned 3, this is how I found her.



That's a pacifier falling out of her mouth and her butt in the air! I let her stay up a little later than normal watching TV in my bed with me. :)