Gold Vellum

This is the second card I made when I went to stamp at Brenda's last Friday. It is the first time I have used the gold vellum that CTMH carries and I love it! I always think images are so pretty when I stamp them on vellum and the gold makes it even better. I thought this card needed ribbon, but I couldn't find a good place for it. I didn't want to cover up anything I stamped, so I just left it off.

Here is the recipe:

Paper: Cranberry cardstock, Colonial White cardstock, Elegant Bouquet pattern paper, GOLD VELLUM

Stamp sets: Elegant Floral, For Every Occasion

Inks: Cranberry, Barn Red, Garden Green

Accessories: Cranberry brads, EK success concave punch

Another question to answer:

Janet asked, "How long does it take you to make a card?" Since the summer, it seems like it doesn't take me as long as it used to. I make most of my cards within 30-45 minutes. It depends on the detail, if I am coloring in an image, and if I have an idea before I sit down. I try to stamp an image and color it before I sit down to make the card. I will color that image in while I am sitting in a lawn chair or picnic table watching my kids swim or play outside. I got this idea from a blog that I subscribe to and I can't tell you which one, because I subscribe to a lot of them. If you stamp some outline images and then color them in when you have a moment or two or three, when you sit down to make your card it doesn't take so long. I think I have gotten faster over the last couple of months, because I get so many ideas from blogs. It is easier to come up with designs when you have daily inspiration.

I finished buying all the supplies to start using my prismacolors and now I just need the time to play. I have heard less in more and I am going to try to remember this when I color. I am so excited to try this new technique. This will add a lot of time to my card making; however, in the long run I know my images will look better. I hope to share something with you soon after practicing, but it might be awhile. I will have to make other cards and layouts while I get used to my new pencils.

Happy Stamping!

Technique Tuesday - Kissing Technique

This is a fun way to jazz up your solid stamps with some of your pattern stamp sets. This 6 x 6 layout was made by Theresa Woolworth, CTMH consultant, using the kissing technique instructions and examples.


Kissing Technique

Ink up a background stamp making sure it is inked well. Take another stamp, a bold/solid stamp, place it on top of the background stamp...effectively using the background stamp as the ink pad. Then stamp the image on your paper. You will have a great result. Your solid stamps will have endless pattern possibilities.

I created this thank you card by using this technique on the "t" from the solo "t" stamp set. In addition, I used "THANKS" from this set too. It is harder to see the textured look here than in person. The diagonal strip of paper is White Daisy cardstock stippled with Ocean ink. I finished the card with Ocean pattern paper and Daisy White organdy ribbon.

Try this technique...you'll like it!

Create something!

Elegant Floral

Last Friday, I went to Brenda's (another CTMH consultant) and we stamped in the morning. We try to meet once a month. Our kids play while we stamp and talk about all the great new happenings in the stamping world.

I pulled out Elegant Floral and Elegant Bouquet for my trip to Brenda's. I just love this stamp set. It is so pretty, and the paper packet was made for it. I used the following inks: Cranberry, Barn Red and Garden Green. I inked the scalloped dimensional element with Garden Green and then stamp "Thanks" in Cranberry for the stamp set For Every Occasion (2007 April stamp of the month). To finish off the card, I used Ivory organdy ribbon and Cranberry brads. The card base is Colonial White, 5 1/2 x 4 1/4.

Still asking questions:

Cindy asked, "What is your favorite CTMH stamp set to color in?"

I have thought about this question for weeks too! I have come to the conclusion...I don't have a favorite. There are so many outline Halloween and Christmas stamp sets that I can't choose one. If you want to start coloring in more, pick a holiday stamp set. They seem to be the ones I pick first if I am coloring in with markers. I did purchase School Zone and haven't played with it yet, so I will let you know when I do. That one is perfect to color in with markers or prisma colors. By the way, I found a 120 prisma colors set on Ebay for $67.00 and change shipping included, so I bought them. They should arrive this week. I can't wait! I will be stalking the mailman each day, until he brings them. I will have to play a lot with those before I let you see anything I have created.

Happy Monday!

Cherish Layout

I can't believe I finished another scrapbook layout. I created five layouts using the CTMH Cherish book on May 5th and this is the second one I have totally completed with pictures. I thought I had pictures of this layout without the pictures saved on my computer, but I can't find them. I was going to show you how the pictures make a layout, but I got tired of searching through files.

I am so happy when I finish a layout and the boys love to look at them, but it seems to take me forever to go to the basement to print pictures. It takes a long time to find the ones I want to print, and then print them the sizes they need to be. It is not as much fun as playing with all of my scrapping and stamping toys, so I put it off.


Here is page one of the double page layout. I can't believe how little Tanner was, and shame on me for being this far behind on his scrapbook. He will be three in September. I don't think I will ever catch up, but I will have fun trying. The picture on the left he was just a few days old, and the picture on the right he was almost two months old. Boy, they grow up fast!

When Tate saw this layout, he said, "Mom, your hair looks funny." I tried growing it out, when I was pregnant. It didn't take long for me to cut it off. Don't you just love kids and their honesty. I guess he likes my hair now.



Of course, page two has his big brother and him as the main picture. Tate sure loves his little brother. Sometimes Tanner doesn't want that many kisses and hugs. LOL!


Saturday night I went to Archivers to scrap all by myself. I like going to scrap places and meeting new people, who share the same passion for this great hobby! My DH had a gig in his home town and the boys went to stay all night at their grandparents leaving me all alone. DARN! LOL! I usually scrap at home, since I have so many supplies, but a girl needs to get out once in awhile.

Another question:

Terese asked, "When you sit down to make a card what do you do first to come up with an idea?" Most of the time, I usually sit down and look in my scrap container and see if I have a scrap big enough for a card base, then I pick a stamp set to will work with that color. For example, if I am using hot pink, I won't do a sympathy card. If I don't get a card base from my scraps, I start with the stamp set and pick out a color combo I want to work with. I just start building and looking at my supplies to see what I can add. I love using my scraps, because I feel like I am saving money that way. Save a little here, spend a little there! LOL!

There have been times that I will like a color combo on a ribbon or pattern paper and I do start with that and build a card around it. One time for scrapbooking, I designed an entire two-page layout around a tall skinny clown that stretch down the page. Remember, Terese! LOL! For those of you who don't know, Terese is the one who turned me into this obsessed scrapbooking addict, which lead me to stamping! She would laugh at me when I would buy an embellishment just because I thought it was cute. Terese would ask me how I was going to use it, and I would tell her I can build a layout from this. She would just shake her head. Thanks, Terese!

Happy Stamping!

C O L O R

I had something totally different planned to share with you today, and then I went to the mailbox. They're here! TAGS! I participated in a tag swap with other CTMH consultants where we had to pick a CTMH color and make a tag displaying that color in a creative way. Everyone made the same size tag, so we can put them on an "O" ring and show them to people. It is an awesome way to show what colors we carry in paper, ink, etc. Each of us had to make 60 tags of one color and send them to a host, who divided them up and mailed the entire color set back to us. I am so happy with my tag collection. Click on any tag to enlarge it for the detail. Below are my favorites:

I choose the color Olive, so here is mine.


Here are my favorites with the creative consultants' names:

Rose Johnson; Unknown


Unknown; Joanne Coleman


Jennifer Szustakowski (both tags) The black looks really good in person due to the embossing.


Dawn Neal (both tags) I always like Dawn's work.


Unknown; Unknown



Unknown; Unknown - Don't you just love the magnifying glass for the bugs and the baby design for the blue is heavenly....LOL! CUTE!

I would have liked to given the consultants credit, if they would have signed the back of their artwork. That is why I put unknown.

I would like to know which one is your favorite in the comments section.

It is Friday the 13th while I am writing this, so I am going to sign off and go find a scary movie to watch...LOL! I think the Exorcist is on Bravo. I love Friday the 13th!

Have a great day and weekend!

F I R E W O R K S

I have heard...better late than never, so here it is!

My 4th of July card

I was working on this before the holiday and my sister came to stay for the week. I wanted to stamp on vellum, because I always like how it looks and I wanted the star pattern paper to show through the firecracker stamped images. When I was making this card, I found out I need some red, white and blue ribbon. I have none! I can't believe with all the ribbon I own not one spool had the colors I needed. I had to use good 'ole reliable organdy. I tied Outdoor Denim (3/8 inch) and Holiday Red (5/8 inch) together and made a bow. Here is the recipe:

All products are CTMH unless otherwise noted:

Paper: Cranberry cardstock (7 x 8 folded to make a 3 1/2 x 8 card), Independence pattern paper

Stamp Sets: Snap, Crackle, Pop and Celebrate America (retired)

Ink: Cranberry, Outdoor Denim

Accessories: Independence My Stickease level 2, Cranberry brads (Paper Studio), vellum (unknown company), Holiday Red organdy ribbon, Outdoor Denim organdy ribbon, concave punch by EK Success. I think I stated this was from Corner Adorner before. My bad! It is an EK success item and I love it!

I heard from Shannon yesterday and mailed her blog candy to her today (Friday). She was on vacation, so that is why I hadn't heard from her since the drawing. Congratulations, Shannon!

Still answering questions:

Kimberly asked, "What is your favorite color combo?"

Hmmm! This is a hard question to answer. I have been thinking about this question for days and I cannot pick just one. I didn't think I was a pink person, but I love chocolate and pink and any green and pink. Of course, since autumn colors are my favorite, all of them look good together and I can't forget about purple and green...wow! Let me know what your favorites are in the comments section and I will try to create something with that color combo.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention I have a new set-up to take pictures of my projects. I got this idea from Julie Buhler. I put two pieces of White Daisy cardstock together and set it on my desk. I put my Ott lite on the side and put my projects on the White Daisy cardstock. Viola, a little photo studio. The colors should be as true as I can get them, since I am using my Ott lite.

Thanks for stopping by!

Unexpected Visitors

Today, I knew my in-laws were coming, but no one told me they were bringing my husband's aunt and uncle. Whew! I am so glad I did all my cleaning in the morning. They came around 1 p.m. and left around 8:00 p.m., so needless to say I didn't have time to create today. That means I am pulling from my archives again.

I made this card with a Christmas stamp set, No Peeking (2006 November stamp of the month). I love these little packages. They may look familiar from my Technique Tuesday - Prisma Glitter post below. On the layout below, I used these same packages as background stamps and colored them in with CTMH markers as well as using them as embellishments.

On this card all products are CTMH:

Stamp sets: No Peeking, Celebrate (retired), Happy Day (retired)

Ink: Cranberry, Sunny Yellow

Paper: Black cardstock, Giggles & Grins pattern paper

Accessories: metal rimmed tag, Cranberry waxy flax, black beads, Sunny Yellow marker, Cranberry marker, Holiday Red grosgrain ribbon



Another question:

Cathy asked, "How did you get started with stamping?" I went to a scrapbook fair in my husband's home town. People could crop and shop. Well, I shopped. Some vendors had make-n-takes set up and I sat down at the Close To My Heart table. I never heard of them before. The consultant had a tag for us to make and I fell in love with the acrylic stamps. The rest is history. I purchased a catalog from her and bought a couple of winter sets. I joined a stamp club not long after that and then I became a consultant after getting my feet wet with the product. I have had fun ever since and have become an addict. I have over 200 stamp sets and it seems to keep growing. In the last few months, I seem to be working on more techniques and want to dive into prismacolors thanks to Ana Wahlfarht. Her blog Ink A Stamp is listed on my sidebar under Inspiration. She is one of my favorite paper artists and I have been saving my stamping money to make the 120 prismacolors purchase.

Just one more day and if I haven't heard from Shannon K, I will draw another random number to win the blog candy she never claimed.

Have a great day and take time to create!

Baby Brag Book

I decided to decorate one of the many 3 x 3 Kraft mini albums I have purchased for door prizes and gifts. I think people see these and don't know what to do with them. Since I know people having babies, I thought I would make a baby brag book. These are cute little books that have plastic photo sleeves inside and jute to tie the book closed.

All products are CTMH.

First, I covered the album in a piece of pattern paper from Laid Back paper pack and added Outdoor Denim grosgrain ribbon to the edges to finish the cover. I stamped Baby Blocks (retired) in Outdoor Denim ink and colored in the block with Dutch Blue, Bubblegum, Sunny Yellow and Citrus Leaf marker.


I covered the inside front panel in the same pattern paper from Laid Back and attached Outdoor Denim ribbon to the top. I stamped the giraffe and "sweet" saying from Sweet Occasions (retired) stamp set in Dutch Blue ink. I got the idea to stamp the giraffe upside down from another consultant, name unkown, who designed a baby card that way.







Again, I covered the inside back panel with pattern paper from Laid Back and used Tiny Feet stamp set (retired) in Dutch Blue ink.










These are easy to create and make a great gift. Hmmm! Who is going to have a boy next?

Jeanne asked, "What is your BEST time management tip?" I see you are able to sit down when the famil ywatches TV, etc. But for those of us who feel we have to "clean house" first, what does your daily routine look like that allows you to time to create daily?

I used to think I had to do it all every day, but then I heard someone say, "When you are on your death bed, you will never wish you worked more." I agree with that. I know I won't wish I cleaned more. I keep the house picked up and the laundry done by doing so much each day. I used to have a check off sheet where I cleaned certain rooms on the same day each week. Of course, the kitchen is cleaned at least three times a day. Then I found Fly Lady. If you have never heard of her, check out her website. I was religious about following her daily challenge and I have gotten away from it; however, some of the habits just got embedded in my daily routine. I guess it boils down to I don't think my house needs to be spotless all the time. Since my oldest, Tate, has been out of school for the summer, he has a check off sheet for chores. This helps me too. When the TV room is a mess, I know he is the one who has to clean it, so it doesn't upset me. After my rambling, I give you one last piece of advice...if you can keep your projects out, it helps not to waste time packing and unpacking each time you sit down to create.

Thanks for reading my lengthy explanation and HAPPY STAMPING!

Technique Tuesday - Prisma Glitter

I featured this at the crop I hosted last Saturday. It is always a good technique to show, because the adhesive sheets make it so easy to add glitter that sticks.

This 6 x 6 layout was created by another CTMH Independent Consultant, but she didn't sign her work so I can't give her credit. I think the layout is darling! Click the picture, so you can see the glitter.

A favorite technique of stampers, because this fine glitter sparkles while allowing the stamped colors to show through. Use CTMH adhesive sheets to cover an entire section of stamped image (bottom snowflake) or use the glue pen to highlight detailed sections of your design (top snowflake). For a neat approach, keep your prisma glitter in a bowl with a spoon. Hold your art over the bowl while you spoon the glitter over and off your work.

Here is a card I made with this technique Happy Birthday.

Below is a Christmas layout I made with this technique. I used it on the tag in the upper, right corner. Click on the layout to enlarge it.


Hope you enjoy this technique. I always like the results, when I use it.

Happy Stamping!