Awesome

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Using Fonts in Unique Ways with CTMH


Using Fonts in Unique Ways
I found this card on jeanettelynton.com and how cute is this!

The apple in this card uses the letter “A” from multiple alphabet sets as purely visual elements. To get this alphabet soup look, make a template of an apple by finding and printing out an image. Cut out the image using your craft knife, making sure to leave the outside edges of the paper you are cutting intact. Take the resulting piece of paper with the apple shape cut from it and place it over the piece you are stamping on. Stamp A’s from multiple stamp sets to fill the space – easy as A, A, A!
Go and try it for yourself today!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Weeks of Wonder Masking

So you think you are getting the hang of scrapbooking yet? It's always so much fun to use new techniques when you are crafting. Cause who wants all their projects to look exactly the same? One great technique is called masking. It is super easy and gives such a great finished look to your project!
Close to my Heart has several websites that have some great techniques detailed in a step by step tutorial. They make it so easy to learn new stuff! Check out this CTMH website to see the great technique for masking.

http://www.jeanettelynton.com/2011/08/weeks-of-wonder-return-of-mask.html

After you see this blog go out and  try it for yourself!
Happy Scrapping!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Studio J blog Manmade Paper - Online only!

Studio J® membership has its perks, and one of them is access to exclusive Studio J digital scrapbooking kits like Manmade. This distressed, industrial kit contains Background & Texture paper featuring plywood, paint spatters, crackled paint, rivets, steel, and more. The coordinating My Stickease® images include plenty of masculine quotes and titles, plus construction-themed images such as tools, hardware, denim, and tape measures. Manmade perfectly complements photos of do-it-yourself projects, daddy’s little helpers, and hard workers of all kinds. Go into Studio J now to build layouts that capture memories of the down-and-dirty gettin’, demolition-derby-attendin’, sawin’ and hammerin’, dreamin’ and schemin’ folks in your life.
This paper is super cute and pretty perfect for any man or little boy! Or even a rough and tumble little girl! Studio J is so easy to use; you just upload your photos, pick the layout you like, drop your photos in and even put a few stickers or embellishments on and you are done! You can do more work tweaking papers, text boxes, picture matting if you want, but you can be done at that too! 
If you still love the feel of texture and dimension you can add embellishments after you get it home. No more printing tons of photos that you can't use because they are the wrong size. No more wasting ink with your printer at home.  It is so easy it's nearly criminal! 
Try it soon!




Studio J blog | New Studio J® Digi Kit Spotlight: Build Memories with Manmade

Friday, August 19, 2011

Studio J blog | Sonoma Paper


Studio J blog | Art Gallery : Studio J Online Design Software : Close To My Heart

Whether you’re scrapbooking heritage photos, family portraits, wedding pictures, or everyday moments, you’ll fall in love with the sophisticated Sonoma digital scrapbooking kit in Studio J®. Use the papers in their original colors of Smokey Plum, Amethyst, Petal, Cocoa, and Olive, or choose your own colors to match your pictures. The classic diamonds, stripes, damasks, and paisleys of this kit will complement all sorts of photos beautifully. Enter Studio J to see how Sonoma sets off your digital photos in a beautiful scrapbook layout.

I am quickly falling in love with this paper! Isn't it so beautiful? Close to my Heart has come out with some awesome new papers. Sonoma is pretty and classic and multi-seasonal. I can see it being used for generational layouts, music photos, cute cards... the list goes on! Really goes on because of the wonderful versatility of the paper and the new Cricut cartridge you can make dimensional projects, boxes, flowers, even little purses! But I digress. Studio J has made this paper available to even the most basic scrapbooker. The most technological scrapbooker. The most fearful scrapbooker! Well fear not. It is easier than ever to do up a scrapbook page with this awesome online program. Stay tuned for more paper selections!
Happy Scrapping!

Storage for Embellishments


Three are so many different options out there for embellishments now. There are buttons, brads, gems, stickers, die cuts, and so much more!

I have seen lots of ideas for storing embellishments like stickers and die cuts… ranting from three ring binders with basic page protectors that you just drop in the sticker genera (christmas, baby, etc.), to drawers, to baskets that you pile everything into, to hanging file folders. There is also something called the ScrapRack… it’s kinda like a three ring binder on crack! :)
It all depends on how you organize and how you scrap! If you love to look through everything all at once while digging and searching, then drawers or baskets are for you; but if you are really organized you can get things filed into a binder or folder with subcategories and everything! I have seen some pretty crazy organized systems. Three is even a filing system that you just clip up your stickers and spin the rack around to see all you have. It looks a bit like a tie rack to me…
I personally use the basket system. I am not organized enough to have seperate folders for each category and I don’t like the folders what you have to cut your stickers up to get them in the slots. I tried the Creative Memories that has a clear folder you put stickers into. I really like seeing everything all at once!
Close to my Heart has organizers for brads and buttons that I love. It is a case with like 50 little spots for round clear craft jars. They just pop right in and you can see what you have and what you need to go out and buy! They also have ribbon organizers but they are hard to find now that they have been retired. They sell their ribbon differently than they used to... 
Speaking of ribbon, I couldn't really find a good product so I just made some with cardboard display boxes I got free from stores and 1/4" dowels from the craft store. You could use new unsharpened pencils too if you want. Just insert the rolls of ribbon onto the dowel and voila! you have organized your stash!
There are lots of different kinds of embellishment storage… what kind do you like?

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Creative Chaos

I find that there are several ways to create. A person can be precise and organized and have everything so handy at their fingertips, or a person can just go out and buy the card or craft project already completed because they don’t want to spend the time and energy. And then there is the person who wants to be organized but it never seems to happen. That’s me! My craft room is in a constant state of chaos and disorganization. But great creative things happen here! My room is filled with scrapbook and cardmaking things, my computer is here along with my sewing machine and fabric. Shelves filled with papers and stamps and embellishments (ie. brads, ribbon, eyelets, rubons, etc.) and so much more.
Every now and then I go through everything and organize my stuff and I feel so virtuous. But as soon as I start another project and get consumed with the sheer fun of “creating” things get chaotic again! Oh well, I have better things to do with my creativity than worrying about the state of my room!
May all you others out there who live in  creative chaos… enjoy the process!
Happy Scrapping!

Monday, August 15, 2011

A Little About Me

Welcome to my blog! With my love of scrapbooking and crafting, I hope to create some wonderful cards and scrapbook pages that you will love too! I have been scraping for many years but only became a serious fan in the last couple of years. And I became a CTMH consultant in May to get a great deal on scrap stuff!

In addition to crafting, I love to garden almost everything and I am really quite good at making jam. We have not had to buy any jam for several years! I enjoy going out and picking my own berries and eating lots and lots.
I have many ideas for cards and scrap pages so I will make them as super cute as I can! Thanks for checking out my site and enjoy!

Getting Started

It's time to get to work planning my next Card Workshop. It is next Friday and I have only one card done! Eeek!

It’s almost time now for going back to school and time to think about the next holidays! How time flies! Since my husband is a schoolteacher, I get to spend the summers with him and the kids.
I have been playing with some fun cards that embody carefree days and a bit of whimsy.  I used a stamp set from Close to My Heart called Treasure Life that has the cutest little flowers and sentiments! This stamp set is lots of fun and they are super easy too. I used a Cuddlebug to emboss the edges and I think they are super cute! Check out the tags and get scrappy!
Have a great August!