SOTM Blog Hop - April 2010

Hello again! We are Blog Hopping again for the stamp of the month. This month the stamp set is Flower Pot - you can get if free with an order!

If you are hopping you should have come from Misty's blog. If not, just keep hopping and you will come full circle.

I started this card and then relized that I forgot one of my best friend's birthday - by one day! What a stinker I am! So I decided to do this as a birthday card for one of my best friends Patti!

Sorry if the pictures are dark. I stamped the flower pots and window in Chocolate Ink on Colonial Cream cardstock. I used Moon Doggie paper with the wood beams to make it look like the side of a house. I stamped the window on the wood beam B&T and on the back side of the wood beam B&T (it's red on the back and I cut out the shutters) and cut out all the different parts. I cut out the window all the way thru the front of the card and put a piece of clear acetate for the glass.

I was playing with my blending brush - it gave a texture (that was by accident - over use of the brush) and it blended the shadow on the pots. Maybe next time I'll use Stazon Ink for the image so that the edges don't get lost.

The inside - and yes, that's my daughter's signature! She's 4!

I used a piece of left over material from another project (soon to be posted) for the window shade, can you see the shine of the "glass" from the window??!! No way could I cut out really close around those flowers! I used Sunflower Marker, Citrus Leaf Marker and Bamboo Marker for coloring in all the images.

The material was fringed already - it looks like a shade (in my mind) :)

Ok, now hop on over to Shannon's blog to see more great work using this stamp set!

Thanks for Looking!

CTMH Product Highlight Blog Hop - March

You should have hopped over from Kimberly's site. If not, keep hopping and you will do a complete circle!

This month we are featuring Liquid Glass! You can use it like glue or the way I did - to add a shine to everything it touches!

I did the rain drops in Heavenly Blue ink and then went back over them with Liquid Glass so that they were shiny and they stand up off the page. The umbrells comes with prints or just the outline. I stamped the outline onto our Daydream Paper and cut out the top of the umbrella. I stamped the handle right onto the white cardstock.

I love this stamp set a lot because it has the umbrella and the BOOTS - so for the inside on the left I stamped a boot in black, colored it in with Sunny Yellow Marker and then coated it with Liquid Glass.

I cut it out and glued it on the card. I then put another chicky on the botton right and I'll be using this like a note card to send to a friend. This stamp set is called Springtime D1415.

Hope you like it!

Now jump over to Carol's site to see what she created with the Liquid Glass!

Child's Playroom Quote

My friend Kayla FINALLY (hee hee) got me a photo of the vinyl I cut out for her little girl's playroom! She's been busy so I figured worst case I'd bring my camera over to her house next Oak Creek Club Meeting and take it myself.

I love the saying: You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation (Plato). I used the Brady Bunch fonts and cut it using my Cricut! (I think I need to name my machine. When I do classes I refer to it as She.) So 2 months ago at our last Oak Creek Club I actually got to put it on the wall for her!

You can click on the photo to see it larger - in case you can't read it.

Thanks for looking - I'll have more vinyl shortly - next a beer logo!

Window Cling & Vinyl!

I recently had a friend's daughter call me regarding window clings for a University. Since I only have been playing with vinyl for cars, I was intrigued by the idea of working with window cling material. I emailed my distributor and long story/short - I received a roll of window cling last week and have been playing with it!

Side Note: My hubby likes to buy and sell cars so I can't put vinyl on my car to advertise because as soon as I put it on, it'll have to come off - so window cling just opened a flood gate for me - my head is spinning with ideas!

Here is the first attempt at it with vinyl: I teach Cricut Classes at 4 Hobby Lobby Stores in Southeastern Wisconsin (just added the Racine store!) I created these for the glass entrance doors - peel and stick without the mess. I layered the vinyl - you can stick it to the front of the door, or to the back with the vinyl touching the glass - works both sides.

I cut the cling while it is still on the white paper backing. By leaving it on the backing it transports easily and stays stiff. The area that looks white around the black is actually clear - the white is the backing showing thru the clear cling. This cling is 4 x 6. My distributor was afraid the vinyl would be too heavy and prevent the cling from sticking, but as we were talking about it, we realized that the cling material was 2 to 3 times thicker than the vinyl - I stuck one on my front door for 2 days and it still hasn't moved! I made six of these and so far all the stores I showed them to loved them! (P.S. the white circles are from my camera flash. I even turned off the flash and it is just too shiny!)

SOTM Blog Hop - March 2010

Hopping around this month we are showing off the March Stamp called A Little Everything!

You should have come from Kim O'Rear's blog, if not, just keep hopping and you will go all the way around and see all the ideas for this stamp set.

The great thing about this stamp set is the many different occasions it covers - Father's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Hanukkah, Halloween, New Year's, Valentine's, Thanksgiving, Passover, Thanks, Birthday - plus other words, like kindness, day, week, year, for all you do and more!!!

This month I did a card and focused on birthday. Using our Wishes Card Confidence Program (Book) I picked page 118 - Sentiment Wave - This hardcover book comes with a CD filled with templates that you can print out and create tons of unique cards!

With a Unit Meeting Swap coming up this month, I decided to made 6 of these to share.

The daisy stamp worked great centered on the Dimensional Element. I thought the Vanilla Cream was lacking so I stamped the leaves behind and up the side of the card to keep your eye moving. The card measures 8 x 3.5.

Supplies:

Cardstock: White, Vanilla Cream, Key Lime, Textured Dutch Blue, (the light blue is the back side of the Dutch Blue)

Bling: Dimensional Elements - Perennials; Craft Button - Winter; Brad - Spring Harmony;

Additional Stamp: Endless Friendship D1354

Ink: Key Lime, Dutch Blue,

Sponge on edge of Dimensional Element, Vanilla Cream & White cardstock

Now you need to head over to Judy Burger's blog to enjoy more great ideas for this stamp set!

Crafty Clean Up Tip #1

I'm all for getting my work area organized and finding new ways to make the most of my supplies. Now this idea isn't an original idea, but when I saw this I had to come up with a way to make it my own.

So, does your sponges look like this? 5 colors on each sponge?

Mine did up to today!

I hate opening up my drawer with all the dozen or so sponge pieces in it and trying to find a few sponges with a clean spot on them so I can still recycle them. I keep thinking I can still hold on to them because this one looks red, and that one could be blue - but no more! Another crafty lady took a Round Tab Punch (contraband item - another company's punch) and punched out tabs for her sponges (zoom down to last photos to understand that last sentence). So I searched "their" site to see prices of punches and shipping costs, all the while trying to justify spending money on another punch - then it hit me - MAKE IT MYSELF!

So I opened up one of my software programs for my Cricut and hand drew the shape above. (actual screen shot above) As you can see that little piece on the far left will be added to the rest to create the correct shape as shown below:

Looks just like "their" punch - but I didn't have to wait or pay for it!!!
Now, when I imported it into the program for cutting - it looked like this:

I assumed it wasn't going to cut right because of where the "green" is - that's suppose to be the end shape - the green is what it should look like when it's done cutting, (after trying to adjust the image a dozen times via software) I thought I'd try it anyways .

AND IT WORKED!!!
And when you fold it in half - a perfect Round Tab!

(Why yes, those are my real finger nails!)

Then staple it to the sponge, write the color of the ink on the tab and I'll never have to search for a clean spot on a sponge again!!

Now, we have 60 different colors for CTMH, I don't usually sponge every color, mainly browns & black, so I'll add as I need to. I don't plan on making 60 of them right away. I'll order a cardstock swatch sample pack (our company has 3x3 swatches on a metal ring we can purchase for around $2) and cut each tab out of the coordinating cardstock so that it's easy to see in the drawer.
Hope you liked this idea - I figured I just saved myself $15+ and 10 days of waiting!

Do you want to know the best part about this?? I can stretch the image on the screen and I can make these any size!! I don't have to buy one in all the different sizes!! I think that's priceless!!!

The Nugget Box Stands Alone

My title sounds like a kids song - "the cheese stands alone" does anyone know that one - It's in my head now. Anyway, my daughter was circling my table all day when I was creating the 4 Drawer Box that I posted a few days ago and she kept saying "is that for me?" I told her if she let me finish without circling like a hungry shark, I'd make her one and fill it with a surprise! I used a Pewter Decorative Brad for the handle, and she does have a hard time opening it by pulling the brad, can't grip it under the brad. The heart is another chipboard one I cut out using my Cricut. In fact, this whole box was done on my Cricut. I designed it so I didn't have to pick up a cutter. In the picture below you can see just right of the heart, on the fold is a cut line. I put that in so that it will fold without having to score it! So my little peanut disappeared into the living room long enough for me to make one for her and even decorate it and as promised, I filled it with candy - just in time for Valentine's Day!

Treat Box Times 4.

I was reading the many emails that I get from signing up on tons of other people's blogs and I stumbled across this adorable gift box. The person wanted me to pay $3 for the pattern and if I wanted to use it for a workshop they wanted me to buy a pattern for each person at $3 per person. So I stared at the screen, blew up the photos of her artwork and figured out what it was and made it myself without needing to purchase anything. Plus, I figured out a pattern on my Cricut so I can cut the drawers, sleeves for the drawers, tops, & bottoms of the project! Now I can mass produce them! (If I really wanted to.) This cute project has 4 drawers, one on each side. The handles were the hardest. I know I wanted to use an eyelet for around the hole so that it would not rip from pulling on it. I wanted it to look like a handle, but didn't have anything to make a large brad stand away from the drawer front. So, I created handles by taking our Pretty Pins and pulled off all but the top beads. I re-threaded the pink bead back on and fed it through the eyelet and put a white little bead back on in the inside for a stopper. I then clipped off the end of the pin and bent the end over to form a little loop. The handle falls down, but it is super strong. To do this I was lucky I've played with wire in the past and had several wire cutting and shaping tools in my collection of toys. :)
I cut the top out of chipboard using the George and basic shapes cartridge - it has a rounded corner box on the cartridge. I cut the heart out of chipboard and then I cut the papers for the squares and the hearts to cover the chipboard - giving it a nicer look. I sponged the edges of the heart with Chocolate ink to make it defined. I'll be adding a decorative top to it later, I just couldn't wait to post it. The paper pack I used is the new Veranda Level 2 Paper Kit.

So are you dieing to know how to make these??? Here's a clue - nugget box! Now, go click on my photos and see if you can figure it out and make your own. I've also seen these with 2 drawers up - stacked like a little dresser. This would make a great candy box or put small presents inside. Now it's your turn to make one - or attend my class for it! (dates not decided)

My 3D Valentine Card

Here is another great card that I'll be doing for a workshop. It comes in it's own mini box! I can get a few cards into that box! Now I did Valentine's day cards, but you can do any paper pack you would like and create a different theme - Birthday, Everyday, Thank Yous - anything!

The box is the picture above, looks like a pizza or mini shirt box. I stamped the heart twice and cut it out and layered it with foam squares to give it dimension.

Box open

Card opened up and from the front view.
Below is the side view

I used our Heartfelt Felt piece to embellish the card.

Here is a second one from the same paper pack. When you cut up a whole pack, you will have a couple of styles you can make depending on which papers you put together.

Here's the card inside the box all folded up.

All you need is to purchase a level 2 paper kit and sign up for the workshop. Again, I'll be supplying cutting guides so we can make as many cards as the kit will allow. Let me know if you would be interested in making these!

Email me for date and time - it will be on a Saturday if all goes well.

Waterfall Card - Workshop

I'm starting a new workshop this will be the first month. We will be doing different projects each month. You can come to as many or as few as you want. The only things you are required to purchase is the supplies for the project. Orders must be place by Feb 26th so that we get everything in time for the March 13th class!

This first month is this waterfall card. Purchase a Level 2 Paper Kit and attend my workshop to learn how to make this card. We will be cutting up the whole pack to create as many cards as we can with the whole kit! You will need to bring glue, a cutter, bone folder (or the scoring tool for your cutter) and any stamps or embellishments you would like to add to your project. Stamps, inks and markers will be available. Glue available for purchase. I also have a few cutters that can be borrowed.

This workshop will be on March 13th, 2010 at 9am - call or email me for location

(the Lake House)

Email me for details.

CTMH Product Highlight Blog Hop

Once again we are doing a Product Hightlight Hop! This month it's You Rock Stamp Set D1346. You should be coming from Sylvia Jacquot's blog, if not, just keep hopping and you will go back around.

I saw the layout on the right in our Reflections book and I then took another layout that works with it (left page) and added the same little blue strips around the edges.I didn't have time for the photos but I'll add them soon.

I even used the new paper pack called YOU ROCK X7122B! I didn't have a need for the guitar so I just used the swirl.I took Daisy White Ink and stamped the swirl on several of the squares and corners. I just love the colors in this paper kit! I anchored them down with white star brads from the Mini Melody Collection.

Thanks for looking, now click here to go to Carol Loftus' blog!

CTMH SOTM Blog Hop

Hello again! This month is a Piece Of Cake - Really - that's its name! You should be coming from Laurie Newton's blog, if not just keep jumping and it will come back around and you be able to see all the blogs.

I had a card swap so I made 8 of these cards. Cocoa cardstock for the base, Juniper cardstock, Colonial cardstock and a piece of B&T from the Veranda Level 2 Paper Kit (backside) are the main pieces.

The image I stamped with black Stazon ink and colored the tops with Creme Brulee marker. I took Create-A-Shade paint and gently brushed over the tops to give them a "glazed" look.

I used Juniper ribbon to make the photo corners. I covered the dish part of the stamp with Liquid glass to give it a high shine. A sparkle dots the "i".

Now head over to Sarita Schraeder's blog to see more!

Eisen Retreat

Just launched a new blog for Eisen Retreat - join us for a weekend of fun, freebies and plenty of time for scrapbooking! Spa Day Saturday, all food and drinks included!

See Details at my website - http://eisen-retreat.blogspot.com