Little Gift Box

This is the little gift box I wrote about last week. Isn't it so cute? My sister, Connie, sent me the site where you can print off the boxes in different colors. Here it is for you to try. Now, I am going to want to see the ones your do.

I added cocoa ribbon, a paper flower with brad and a stamped image to the front. The image is from SU. Ssssh! Don't tell Chris! LOL! She knows I use other companies products. She might not like it, but she knows. If I see something I like, I buy it. Oh, don't tell my hubby that one.

The pink color went well with CTMH's blush ink, so I colored the little box with a blush marker. The image is stamped in cocoa ink.

Here is the top of the gift box.

Okay! This is it! I am going to finish packing and get the kids to bed. I think I am going to hit the hay early tonight too. I have to get up at 5 am and that is early for me. I like to stay up and watch CSI at 11 pm. Not tonight though...I want to be fresh as a daisy for my trip.

I wanted to answer a couple of questions about the clear cards. 1) The puffy stuff on the cards is ribbon. The ribbon has little fuzzy pom poms on them. They came in different colors for the class. 2) The cards were Clear Craft Plastic from Grafix. They had 8 1/2 x 11 sheets and 12 x 12 sheets. Of course, I had to buy a 8 1/2 x 11 pack for the cards I want to make. It is the perfect weight for cards and punching out shapes for your cards and layouts. I will have to try that too.

Happy Stamping!

Cards from Chris

These are the cards I received the last couple of weeks from my upline, Chris. These are awesome!

For this one, Chris used the Expedition paper pack and the July stamp of the month, Life's a Jungle. The eyes on the lion are bitty brads that CTMH sells. I have them and didn't even think about using them this way. Awesome, idea! She topped the card off with autumn sunflower paper flowers and another regular sized brad. Oh, I almost forgot...Chris stamped the lion two times. Once on the sunflower paper and once on autumn terracotta paper. She cut the main out of the autumn terracotta paper and put it on the lion. That is so cute!


Chris used the Boom-Di-Ada paper pack, Cottage Floral and Be True stamp sets. She stamped one of the flowers two times, cut them out and put them together on the card. Then she put a button in the middle. Very cute!


Okay, I have to admit I don't know all the stamp sets she used on this one. I know she used Playful Flourishes and red sparkles. If you know the other ones, please feel free to let me know in the comments section. Another wonderful surprise I got in the mail.


It is always fun to get a handmade card in the mail. Send someone special a card soon.

Happy Stamping!

Thanks to You

I wanted to make sure I thanked all of you, who have nominated me for bloggin' awards over the last couple of weeks. In addition, I would like to thank those of you who visited Janis' blog to vote for my blog as one of your favs. That means a lot to me.

Bloggin ' has become a big part of my life. I have met so many nice and talented people through this form of media. It is fun connecting with people I wouldn't normally meet due to distance.

Thanks to all of you who visit my blog to see what I am doing, make comments, and nominate my blog as one to stop by see. Barb W has nominated me for this award and I am passing it to those of you who were kind enough to mention me on your blog over the last few weeks. Here's to you:


Barb
Jane
Sanela
Amanda
Kathi
Tracy

Please take the time to visit these talented ladies' blogs.

I will try to keep you updated about what is going on at convention...but no promises. I hear we are very busy while we are there. Have a great week!

Take time to create!

Clear Card Class

Clearly, you think these cards are as cool as I do...LOL! Get it...clearly! I crack myself up....hee hee :-)

These are the cards I made at the clear card class I took at Archivers. I wanted to take a class, so I would be comfortable designing some clear cards with CTMH products for a class in the fall. Well, I am comfortable now..baby! After convention, I will be so pumped with new ideas and products that I will have to sit down and design. Watch out!

Nuts About You

Thanks

Sending Love Your Way

Inside of Sending Love Your Way

Owl card

Inside of owl card

I really had fun with the last poll I did on the crayon resist cards. BTW, the blue and green card won at 63%. Yes, Connie...your favorite won!

Since I had fun with that poll, I am asking you to vote again on the right side bar. Let me know which one of these cards you like the best. I won't tell you my favorite until the poll is closed. Have fun!

Happy Stamping!

From Your Side of the Table

I have done a whole lot of nothing this weekend and I loved every minute of it! I took a nap with my youngest son, Tanner. Nothing is better than falling asleep with one of my sons in my arms. Then I just hung out with the family. I didn't create anything this weekend. I am glad I was busy creating last week. I think I am saving all of my creativity for this coming week,when I will be at CONVENTION! YAY! If you have been watching my countdown, you see it is only a couple days away. I leave on Wednesday morning at 5:45 am. Yes, that is early for me, especially because I am not a morning person. I am going to be so pumped, I don't think I will care. I am flying with a good friend and fellow consultant, Brenda. We are going to have so much fun! She is a blast!

I do have a few things to show you before I leave on Wednesday. I went to a clear card class at Archivers on Friday morning, so I will show you what I made there. The best part of the class was another friend and fellow consultant, Sandy was there. We didn't even know we signed up for the same class. That is one of the best things about being an Independent Consultant for CTMH. I have met so many wonderful people that I can call friends and are full of creativity and fun!

I will also show you the cards my upline, Chris, sent me last week for my sales over the last few months. They are good ones. I learned something new from each one. Thanks, Chris!

Lastly, I made a little hostess box for goodies. My sister, Connie, sent me a website that has templates for these little boxes. They even print with a colored pattern. Cute and easy to use.

Now, for sharing what you have done from your side of the table:

Here is another no waste criss cross card from Barb W. This is so pretty! She used the new Boom-Di-Ada paper from the 2008 CTMH summer idea book. Barb is a very talented lady. I enjoy visiting her blog every day to see what you has created. Awesome work, Barb!

Happy Stamping!

Tutorial Time - Grid Technique

Hello!

I had a couple of requests this week to make a video on how I made the Memories cards with the grid technique. This one is for you Connie and Barb W. ENJOY!

Measurements:

New England Ivy cardstock 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 scored at 4 1/4
White Daisy textured cardstock 3 x 4 and 3 3/8 x 4 3/8
Cocoa cardstock 3 1/4 x 4 1/4






I will not be posting a video tutorial next week (bummer), because I will be either getting ready for CONVENTION or I will BE THERE! I leave Wednesay, July 30th at 6 am. I am so excited! I will have so much to show you when I return.

I will have a couple of posts before I leave, so don't count me out all next week. Stop back over the weekend for From Your Side of the Table. Don't forget to send me projects you make that have been inspired by my blog and I will post it. Have a great weekend!

Happy Stamping!

My Card Organzier

I got this idea from Patty at Patty's Stamping Spot. Once I saw her card organizer, I knew I needed to make one. In addition, it was a good excuse to buy the Zutter Bind-It-All. YAY, another toy! I plan on holding a workshop this fall for this great book.


Supplies: All products CTMH unless noted. Life Delights Level 2 paper, The Works Alphabet stamp set, white daisy cs, spring iris cs, sweet leaf cs, chocolate ink and marker, Just Blooms paper flowers, key lime bigger brad, flower punch (SU), Zutter Owire 1 1/4"

Happy Stamping!

Seven Facts Tag

I have been tagged by Sanela from Sanela's Secret Spot.

Here is what I am supposed to do:

Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.* Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.* Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I cannot have red licorice in my house or I will eat the bag (family size too) in one day.

2. I like to run on my treadmill, not outside. However, I like to walk outside and not on my treadmill. Go figure!

3. I am allergic to tart foods (i.e. citrus foods, even tart candy). They make me sweat. Once I thought I was going to faint driving on the interstate drinking an orange juice. I don't do that anymore...LOL!

4. My favorite flower is a lilac.

5. I never bake cookies. We just eat the dough.

6. I don't like to snorkel. That goes with my fear of sharks.

7. My favorite actor was Heath Ledger. I want to see the new Batman movie really bad!

For tagging, I am at a loss! There are so many good blogs I read each day. Look at my right sidebar for more CTMH Inspiration, because I watch what these talented ladies do every day.

Happy Stamping!

NOTES

I am getting so excited about convention that I even packed my clothes today just to make sure I would have enough room for all of my scrapbooking supplies I need to take for creating...YAY!

Ever since I saw Angie's video tutorial on covering a composition notebook, I have been wanting to make one. I decided to make one today for the notes I will be taking at convention. Of course, I used my favorite color....ORANGE! Really the color is autumn terracotta, but I don't care what orange it is....I love it!

I used my xyron cheetah and my ATG gun to cover the back of the paper for this book. You really want the paper to stick.

Some of you have asked where I got my "big glue gun". Here is where I got mine:

Armel's phone number is 800-637-3720 and speak to Lynn. Tell them it is for scrapbooking and they will make sure you get the "gold" refills. If you don't care about acid free, you can get different refills.

Supplies: All supplies are CTMH unless noted. Large composition notebook (unknown), Homestead Alphabet stamp set, Free Spirit pattern paper, Dutch Blue cardstock and ink, Colonial White cardstock, Autumn Terracotta ink and bigger brad, Star Spangled Blue bigger brads, Orange organdy ribbon Large flower punch (Paper Studio), Three Flowers punch (SU)

Those of you who are in my stamp clubs......You can expect a composition notebook (uncovered) in your next order for ordering early. I want to see what you do with your notebook.

Happy Stamping!

Memories

I decided to play along with the Try a New Technique challenge on SplitCoast...Got Grid! The instructions are very simple to follow and I have a Scor-Pal, so I decided to dust it off and use it. I have so many gadgets and so little time...LOL! I wanted to stay with the nature theme that Beate used on her written tutorial, so I used my Cattails by Penny Black Co. This is the first time I got to play with it. I used it as the background also. The supply list I used to make these cards is pretty long, so I posted it at the end. I sponged a lot of different colors on the New England Ivy base card until I was happy with it.

I made these with the intention of using them for sympathy cards; however, my sympathy stamp was too big for the hardware, so I had to choose another word. Memories goes perfectly with the sentiment inside, so I am still be able to save them for that occasion.

The first card, I used the grid lines pushed in and the second card I used the side with them raised. Cool, huh? A different look just by using the opposite side. Notice the big eyelets on the side? I have been keeping a secret....

I purchased the Big Bite Crop-a-dile a couple of weeks ago on HSN when they had scrapbooking items for sale. Woo Hoo! I really like it! I didn't use my other one that much, because I always line up more than one embellishment. This rocks! It is easy to use and you can line your eyelets, grommets, etc. up in a row even in the middle of a scrapbook page. Holy Moly! I haven't tried it scrapbooking yet, but I certainly will.

Another thing I want to point out is the fantastic CTMH New England Ivy ribbon. It matches the pattern in the grid perfectly. Unfortunately, it is retired. I looked through a lot of ribbon before I found it in my stash. A girl can never have enough ribbon or stamps or gadgets or paper...LOL!



This is the inside of my card. I just love the sentiment from the Best Wishes stamp set. I added the Inkadinkado stamp to the bottom corner. Normally, I don't decorate the inside of my cards, but I felt like continuing the nature theme on the inside too.


This is the first grid I made and sponged it too dark for what I wanted to do. I was going to toss it, then I decided to make it black and brown. This color combo is definitely out of the box for me. As a stamper, I just don't like to throw anything away. If I can salvage it, I try to. I stamped the same image on the black paper in Versamark for the background.

Which grid do you like the best? The lines going in or raised? Just make a comment to let me know. Thanks!

Supplies: All supplies are CTMH unless noted. Best Wishes stamp set; Memory Labels stamp set; Cattails stamp (Penny Black Co.); Inkadinkado stamp; Cocoa ink, marker and paper; Black ink and paper; Desert Sand ink, New England Ivy ink, maker, ribbon and paper; Sunny Yellow ink; Honey ink; Crystal Blue ink; White Daisy textured cardstock; Black cord (unknown); Antique gold hardware (Paper Studio); Antique Silver hardware (Paper Studio); Big Eyelets (unknown); Versamark

Happy Stamping!

From Your Side of the Table

Isn't this card so stinkin' cute? I love it! After I posted the baby cards I made with Life's A Jungle in pattern paper, Tara emailed me this adorable card she had made a while ago. Her blog is really good. You should check it out, because she has more pattern animals on layouts and much, much more. Tara's artwork is fantastic. Here's her blog Creative Heart & Hand.


In addition, Melissa at Stampin With MJ nominated me for the Brilliante Weblog, so I need to nominate another blog. I would like to nominate Tara Kenyon, Creative Heart & Hand, because I love her work and she just introduced me to her blog lately. You Rock, Tara! Now, you really need to work on letting us subscribe to your blog, so we can see what you are creating. Is that a big enough push? LOL! Let me know if you need help.



Happy Stamping!

Tutorial Time - Crayon Resist

Boy, I had a time crunch this morning. I had to make my card for this video, create the video and edit it before my in-laws arrived. I wasn't sure when they were coming. Luckily, it wasn't until noon...whew!

I decided to show a technique this time and this is a good one. It is simple, easy and fast...have you heard that before? That is in CTMH's mission statement. You can use this technique for solid stamps or outline stamps. It is up to you. ENJOY the tutorial!

Measurements:

Card base - 8 1/2 x 5 1/2, score at 4 1/4
White Daisy cs - 4 1/4 x 5 1/2, 2 x 2 3/4
Black cs - 2 5/8 x 3 3/8
Holiday Red cs - 2 1/2 x 3 1/4
Orange cs - 2 1/4 x 3






Which color combo do you like the best? Go to the right sidebar and vote.

Happy Stamping!

Kim

Rustic Flowers & BLING

I love all the challenges that are out there on the web to partake in on a daily basis. I was stumped on what to create, so I checked SplitCoast's Wednesday sketch challenge. This is this week's challenge:

Then I checked Majories' color challenge on her blog Mommy Scraps (Her blog is listed on the left sidebar until other CTMH). The colors this week are bubblegum, kiwi, sunny yellow and watermelon. Wow! These are some bright colors that I am not used to working with, so when in doubt use black as a neutral color. I learned that from Colette. Hi, Colette!

I decided to combine both challenges and this is what I came up with:


I didn't put a sentiment on it, so I can use it for any occasion that I need. In addition, I can turn it portrait and use it that way too. Both sets of flowers stamp on the black cardstock were stamped in white daisy dye-based ink. Then I rubbed over the flowers with bright pink and green chalk to match the bubblegum and kiwi colors. Of course, you can see I went bling crazy! I used bling brads I got from HL. I think they are Paper Studio. Then I used these great little stickers I got from Archivers that are from Stampendous. These little stickers are flat, but give the look of rhinestones. Cool, huh?

The rest of the products are from CTMH: Rustic Flowers stamp set, black cs, watermelon cs, kiwi cs, bubblegum cs, sunny yellow cs, white daisy ink.

I am planning on creating my video tutorial tomorrow, Thursday. I think I am going to show a technique next.

Happy Stamping!

Scatter Joy

Sorry I didn't have time to create today. Boy, what a busy day! I can't believe I woke up at 5:30 am and went for a walk with my friend Heather. I used to run in the mornings with her, but I couldn't get my body used to running that early. When I run, it is usually between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm. I passed her to my friend Terese and they have been running ever since at 5 am. Crazy! Terese is on vacation, so I told Heather I would walk, NOT run,with her until Terese returned. So I am waking up again on Wednesday and walking with her. The rest of the morning I spent cleaning the house. During the afternoon, the boys and I spent out by the pool with Heather and her kids. Wow! It was a hot day, which was perfect for swimming. Summer vacation seems to be flying by and I have so much I want to get done. I have heard so many people say this, so I know I am not alone. Well, I wanted to show you more beautiful artwork I saw on my trip to Sioux Falls, SD.

This time I am showing you a card I saw at Scatter Joy. This was another stamp/scrapbook store I visited and shopped at while we were in Sioux Falls, SD this last spring. I could have looked forever; however, I had two boys who wanted to run around and play. They ended up winning, so we left. I did get a chance to take a few pics and this was one of my favorites. You know how I love orange!


On Wednesday, my boys have invited friends over to swim in th afternoon. Hopefully, I will get some time to create in the morning.

Oh, I almost forgot. Janis nominated me for the 2008 Weblog Award on her site and I am supposed to send you there to vote for me. Here is the comment she left: ...By the way, I am nominating you for the 2008 Weblog Award! Send all of your viewers to my site to vote for you! If you want to...check it out! THANKS!

Happy Stamping!

Today's Date

Many of you know that CTMH has a stamp of the month program where you can only order a certain stamp set during each month. The stamp sets are always "D" sized stamp sets meaning they are valued at $22.95; however, depending upon how much you purchase during that month you can get the stamp set 25%, 50%, 75% off or even FREE!

When I get my new Idea Books, the first thing I do is flip to the back two pages and check out the stamps of the month. There are times I am not completely happy with each set. Then there are other times, I love each set. Well, the summer Idea Book is one of those times. I have really liked each set and August is no exception. This set is good for making cards and layouts. I like to put the date somewhere on my layouts, especially if I know the month I took the pictures. This set allows me to do that in fun, creative ways. Check out the FALL layout and you will see what I mean.

I wanted to use the August stamp of the month for our stamp club meeting in August, so the club members get to play with it. Sally suggested I make a front flip card next month, so that is what we are making. Check it out! Each club member will be able to specialize this card to fit the person's birthday they are making it for.





If you want to see how to make one of these cards or refresh you memory on the measurements, here is the tutorial.

Supplies: Boom-Di-Ada paper, Today's Date (August stamp of the month), buttercup cs, olive cs, sweet leaf cs, hollyhock cs, hollyhock ink, olive ink, olive marker, hollyhock marker, white gel pen, scallop punch, 1 3/8" punch, 1 1/2" punch, 1 1/4" punch, bubblegum organdy ribbon, buttercup bigger brads.


Happy Stamping!

From Your Side of the Table

Remember the big buckle card tutorial? Well, JeanieBeanie at Another Day In Paradise made the cutest big buckle bella card. Say that 3 times fast...LOL! Love the colors! Great job! Her blog is filled with awesome projects. Check it out!

Happy Stamping!

Cold Stone Creamery

Every year after the last day of school, I take the boys to have ice cream. They picked Cold Stone Creamery this year and I couldn't have been happier. I love that place! Of course, we go to celebrate school's out for the summer...and my sweet tooth habit...LOL! I have great ideas when it comes to treats. My friend, Heather, introduced me to Cold Stone and I have loved cake batter ice cream with Health Bar ever since.

I told my sister of our plans for the last day of school and she told me I needed to take my camera. That was a great idea, Connie! I will be doing this every year.

This layout is from the Magic Moments Scrapbooking Kit that CTMH offered during April and May this year. I just love this kit! I have found the perfect pictures for these layouts and they are so easy to put together.

Look at my boys haming it up for the camera in front of the wonderful selection of ice cream. YUMMY!


The ice cream cone at the top of the second page is a picture of a sign at Cold Stone. I took a close-up picture of it and printed it. After cutting it out, I added dimensionals to the back and used it as an embellishment. Perfect fit! If you want to read my journaling and see the embellishments up close, click on the pics to enlarge.



Happy Stamping!

Tutorial Time - Shaker Card

Okay, don't laugh too much during this one. I made numerous mistakes and just kept taping and to show you how to fix them. I had fun making this one, because I laughed at myself. ENJOY!

Meaurements:

Card base 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 score at 4 1/4
Good Times pattern paper 4 1/4 x 5 1/2
Shaker Box 3 3/4 x 3 3/4 outside square, 2 1/2 x 2 1/4 inside square
Colonial White cs 3 1/2 x 3 1/2
Transparency 3 x 3







Happy Stamping!

Baby Pattern Animals

I saw this technique on someone's blog and I can't remember whose, so if you know...let me know. I always want to give credit to the person, who gives me the inspiration. If you haven't purchased the July stamp of the month, you still have time. I have found so many uses for it...cute cards, zoo layouts, baby cards and baby layouts....the possibilities are endless.

Here are two baby cards I made last week. I really like stamping on the pattern paper and then cutting the images out. Gives the images a stuffed animal quality for a baby card.



Supplies: Life's a Jungle stamp set, Happy Day stamp set (retired), Sensational Seals, Sweet Pea paper (front and back side), Baby Pink cs, Breeze cs, Baby Pink ink, Breeze ink, dimensional elements bookplates, white daisy organdy ribbon, swiss dots cuttlebug folder, pearl brads (unknown).

Happy Stamping!