A little tour of my Studio

Hello everyone it has been a while. Life has been well simple and hectic all at the same time. I have been working on getting my studio back in order for a couple of months and I think it is finished for now. I still want to get some craft cubes and I think I have some more stuff in the basement to go through and find a home for. I thought it might be nice to show you around while it is still picked up and looking all fresh and bright!

Here is my main space I am standing at the doorway taking this photo.

A close up of my side table. I was so happy when I saw that my cricut carts fit here as before I would just shuffle them around. I also just finished organizing my pocket cards. I still need to sort them into portrait, landscape, and journaling. For right now they are sorted by color and I think I will be able to use them a lot more now. I plan on trying to do some pocket scrapbooking in the near future since that is packed full.

Here it is open I just have some planner supplies there as well as extra cuts from when I use the cricut or die cut machine. You can also see I have embellishments in the first and last drawer and washi tape in the middle. I still am not sure how I ended up with so much washi...I never buy it somehow it just appears.

Here is what I keep my cricut on. I love it because I can move it around and the paper just comes out the back and back through the front and it doesn't need a lot of room. I also have gems and tools in the handy little rolling card it sits on.

 Here is the file cabinet on the other side of my desk I keep my sticker packs, accessories, and chipboard letters in this. On the bottom I just have files with ideas and sketches.

Here is my handy expedite I have some albums, unfinished pages, my December Daily from last year, some wedding stuff, books and tools inside. Up above I have all of my colors as well as my ribbons, brads and buttons. 

 Here is a close up of the rainbow goodies.

Oh and here is the "mess" all the other stuff I need but don't need out. Lots of stamps and all of the things I plan on putting in the cubes i mentioned up above. I also have a whole bunch of color pencils, watercolors, and chalk in the dresser that my binge TV sits on. I also have unused albums and unused page protectors in there.

Well there you have it my latest studio tour. It will be a while before I get all the cubes that I want to but once that happens I will give you an updated tour. Have a great day and look for some art work soon. Now that I have the playhouse all clean and organized I have been spending some quality time in here.

Happy Times...or something like it- BTF Challenge 21A

Hello everyone

Our Challenge for the next two weeks is using Close To My Heart's Happy Times Paper Packet or its Colour Palette which includes the following Close To My Heart colours: Fern, Juniper, Glacier, Cotton Candy, Hollyhock, Canary, Goldrush, White Daisy & Gold.

We are featuring a beautiful paper pack from CTMH that features Canary, Fern, White Daisy, Pink, Magenta, Mint & Gold. This paper was exclusive to consultants in April and to customers starting in May but since I am just a customer I tried to get a feel for this paper pack using what I had on hand. I hope you like it, I hope you will try and play along as well.

Love love love

I love love but then again who doesn't? It always makes me happy when I make cards to have on hand to give to my sweetie maybe for an anniversary, for a lunchbox surprise or a just because.

Recently I was putting some scraps away and had a pile that was perfect for cards or for pocket scrapbooking. I cute apart the papers and came up with this adorable little card. I have to say it ended up being one of my favorites. I just love how the colors came together.

These papers are from a scrapbook generation kit that I recently got. I also used some Juniper paper from CTMH and stamped that You & Me. Then I fussy cut some flowers and made a little bow out of waxy flax.

Here is a little close up. I popped up the stamped image and just added a glue dot to the middle of the flowers and pushed the petals up.

 

I did something a little different on the inside of the card. They had this little strip cut apart and I thought it was something fun and a little different. I also added another little fussy cut flower there.

 

One last look.

Flip Flops or Fancy Folds - BTF Challenge 20A

Our Challenge for the next two weeks is using Flip Flaps or Fancy Folds.

 

You don't have to use CTMH Flip Flaps to participate, you may choose to use some sort of Fancy Fold and there has to be some CTMH product on your project.

 

Hello Fancy Folds. I really love Easel Cards so when I saw this was an upcoming challenge I got busy and put my thinking cap on.

 

I wanted to do something really special for my boyfriends daughter. She turned 18 recently. I thought it would be a lot of fun to do a birthday cake. For this card I used an older kit from CTMH called Brushed. It is just gorgeous and super girly. I added a little bronze glitter tape to mimic the cake stand.

 

 

Here is a side view. I added a little bling on the inside so that the card had something to hang on to and stay open. While I was working on that I decided I also wanted a banner to go along with it. The sticker sheet that came with this kit had those cute little banners 10 of them. I stuck them back to back and added some waxy flax...oh how I miss being able to get ahold of waxy flax...I made the ends a little knot and then twilled them around so that they hang nicely. I had some chipboard laying around and found two long banners punched a hole in them and made them into the cake sticks to hold the banner.

 

 

I was super excited to find some foam letters in my stash that were also bronze it is literally a perfect match!  I also added some vellum flowers and some more bling so you couldn't tell that the bling was the stand for the easel.

 

 

Here is one last look at the outside. I also added some cute little metal flowers that went along with Brushed and some more bling.

 I got the cake from a cricut cartridge called sweet treats. To do the Easel Card you just cut cardstock 4 1/4 x 11 and fold at 5 1/2 and again at 2 3/4. Then you attach a card front to the Easel and wala a work of art.

We hope you are able to carve out some time in your scrap space to play along with us. We would love to see your projects using Flip Flaps or Fancy Folds.

All submissions must have some Close To My Heart product on it and if the CTMH product you used isn't obvious, please let us know what you used. Please see the right side bar to read all the rules for submitting to our challenges.

You have until Monday, May 9, 2016 at 11:55 p.m. Eastern Standard Time to participate in this challenge.

Have a great day!

 

 

 

 

Hello

A friend of mine recently had to put down a beloved pet and so I wanted to send her a little card to cheer her up. She loves vintage phones...you know the kind we used to talk on when we met 30 years ago...yikes when did the 80s become vintage.

I used to be on the Sketch N Scrap team and am always saving the sketches to play along and never seem to actually follow through. I am trying to participate in more challenges these days to get me into the studio using my products and pretty fun things. Well I finally followed through and I am pretty happy with how it all came together.

For this card I used the Penelope Paper Pack from CTMH and one the Nifty Fifty's Cricut cartridge. Those purple hearts are one of my favorite little embellishments. Adorable!!

I changed the placement of the sentiment a little but I just couldn't make it work next to the phone. I also always finish the insides of my cards with a little something something. Usually something simple.

Here is the original sketch #71 the challenge runs until the end of April if you would like to play along.





Limitless

A long long time ago I was planning on doing the Scripture Challenges over at Triple the Scraps. I did a couple and forgot all about it. Then I cam across Bible Journaling. I made some Pinterest board but just thought about it and then I made a page this past winter. I loved it but again set it aside. Well Triple the Scraps is still doing scripture Challenges and I thought that would be a great way to combine my desire to do some Bible Journaling and play along with the Scripture Challenges. They are on challenge #4 but I am starting a the beginning with challenge #1 Limitless.

Patter has a lovely little study and then she shares her art work. It isn't always the same it is just whatever has inspired her. Here is what I came up with

 

As I read through the study and read through my Bible that I journal in and my NIV Life Application Bible I decided that I wanted to express myself using a well and just how limitless the bottom of the well is. When I looked up wishing well photos I mostly found decorative ones and a few that had a different perspective of looking up. Well I wanted to look down into a well and do you know what...I couldn't find anything with that angle out there.

 

Then I stumbled upon this album cover from Jennifer Knapp. I really enjoy her music so I was even more excited at how that was coming together. I missed the perspective a little in my version but it has been a long time since I have drawn freehand.

 

I added some words from the bible study that kept repeating in my own study into the well and repeating at the bottom as well. sort of running off and down the page.

 

 

For this challenge I just used my colored pencils, some alphabet stickers, and a cute little Illustrated Faith sticker that I recently got.

Regatta Paper Packet - BTF Challenge 19A

Hi everyone! Our Challenge for the next two weeks is using Close To My Heart's Regatta Paper Packet.

Now if you don't have this paper packet, but you still want to play along, you may use the Regatta Color Palette instead. The Regatta Color Palette is CTMH Colors Flaxen, Glacier, Pomegranate, Sapphire and White Daisy.

 

More super flattering photos of me LOL sometimes the story is more important than the not so great photo. A few years ago I had to have back surgery. It came out of nowhere but before I had it I was trying therapy because I couldn't sit down so I made a makeshift standing desk with a little box that I keep greeting cards in and a tissue box. haha! From there I would go into the break room and lay on the floor and do my stretches. I was optimistic but I have to say the surgery went so well so I am glad the exercise was not working otherwise I would probably still be messing with an aching back.

 

I also came across a fun scrapbook challenge (I am working on scrapbooking more) I printed photos and everything! I came across this challenge Liftapalooza 2016 Ali and I lifted the layout. I could have also done the colors which I might to later because they were just super cute but here is what I came up with.

 

 

Here are some close ups of my journaling tab. I did some hidden journaling because my inspiration page didn't have a lot of room for a story on it.  Did you see the tearing though...wow have not done that in years!

 

 

I love how versatile the CTMH papers are as you would never know that this paper Regatta is very sea worthy. Perfect for beach or sailing photos. That little blue and white striped paper is actually a cut apart that has a fence on it. I also finally used my new CTMH Cricut Cartridge Artistry. I am loving that font and that cartridge well I adore all of the CTMH Cartridges and seriously cannot craft without them. If you don't have any of them call your gal and get one ASAP you won't regret it.

 

 

We hope you are able to carve out some time in your scrap space to play along with us. We would love to see your projects using CTMH's Regatta Paper Packet or it's color palette.

All submissions must have some Close To My Heart product on it and if the CTMH product you used isn't obvious, please let us know what you used. Please see the right side bar to read all the rules for submitting to our challenges.

You have until Monday, April 26, 2016 at 11:55 p.m. Eastern Standard Time to participate in this challenge.

Have a great day!



BTF 18A - Using CTMH Embellishments

Our Challenge for the next two weeks is using Close To My Heart Embellishments.

I love CTMH Embellishments and have a lot of examples simply because I could not pin down just one type that I wanted to show you. I will start with this page that I made for my daughters school album. This kit was actually meant for a baby album but I thought the alphabet would be perfect for preschool as well. I love these wooden gems. I also love that I can make my own embellishments by using a stamp or on of the cricut cartridges.

 

I am really in love with the new way CTMH is packaging their accessory packets. They are perfect for the clustering trend.

 

 

Here are some more details of pages where I have made embellishments with stamps and used some premade ones

 

What is your current favorite embellishment? I think mine must be sequins. I also love how they have a sticky back. Makes them so easy to place.

 

I hope you can join us for this round at Between the Folds. We would love to see your projects using CTMH Embellishments.

All submissions must have some Close To My Heart product on it and if the CTMH product you used isn't obvious, please let us know what you used. Please see the right side bar to read all the rules for submitting to our challenges.

You have until Monday, April 11, 2016 at 11:55 p.m. Eastern Standard Time to participate in this challenge.

 

 

 

17a Embossing Folders

It is Between the Folds challenge time!!

You don't have to use CTMH Embossing Folders to participate, but there has to be some CTMH product on your project.

Here is what I came up with. I like to sand the top as well showing off our white inner core paper. Always a fun little extra. 

 

 

We hope you are able to carve out some time in your scrap space to play along with us. We would love to see your projects using Embossing Folders.

All submissions must have some Close To My Heart product on it and if the CTMH product you used isn't obvious, please let us know what you used. Please see the right side bar to read all the rules for submitting to our challenges.

You have until Monday, March 28, 2016 at 11:55 p.m. Eastern Standard Time to participate in this challenge.

Have a great day!

BTF 16A - Penelope Paper Pack

Hi our Betweent the Folds challenge for  the next couple weeks is going to be using the Penelope Paper Pack it is perfect for spring.

If you have not been lucky enough to get this adorable paper pack yet then you can still play along using the colors featured in the Penelope Paper. Those colors: Crystal Blue, Honey, Pear, Pixie, Thistle & White Daisy.

I decided to make a card, I am in the process or getting my photos organized for scrapbooking and I am a little behind in my cards on hand stash. I saw a really cute sketch in an old issue of Create Magazine and thought this might be a super fun way to feature the zip strips that come in our paper packs.

I always use them for little banners or tags but this was a great idea! I love how it turned out.  I also used the cut apart PML cards and cut it down even further for the cute little birdies. Then I stamped the little saying using Finding the Words.

I found this heart in the Penelope Complements and popped it up with a pop dot. I also added all these adorable little enamel and glitter purple hearts...love those.

I hope you are able to find some time to play along. All submissions must be current (no back dating) and use Close to my Heart products. If it isn't obvious what you used please let us know when you enter your project. You have until Monday, March 14, 2016 at 11:55 p.m. Eastern Standard Time to participate in this challenge.

Organize me...

So I feel like I am pretty organized but sometimes I fall off the wagon. Well this weekend I tacked the dragon and started getting my photos ready to print. I started with 2013. I should have started with 2012 cause that is where I left off but I was not really feeling it. I printed off 900 photos! Wow I am so excited though because now I can start regularly scrapbooking again. I mean I have scrapbooked a lot in the past year but I have been all over the place. I have photos here and then from 2013, 2014, and 2015 but I usually scrapbook chronologically so it will be nice to have a years worth to work on.

I mentioned that I printed them out on Facebook and that started a whole conversation about how I organize my stuff so I thought I would do a blog post about it.

First I try to upload my photos on a regular basis but that almost never happens so the first thing that usually I need to do is take all of my photos from the upload file that says for example 1/12/15 and sort by month.  I will them make a folder for the year so lets to 2014 I then add 12 new folders and call them 01 January, 02, February, 03 March. I do this because if I just did 1,2 3, it would sort it like 1, 10, 11, 2, 3.

Once my folders are named I open the upload folder (1/12/15) in a new window and have them sort of side by side. I then drag all of the January into the January folder. I do this for each month. Something new I just did this past weekend was add a print folder to each year. We will get to that in a moment. This one is still empty because I have not gotten to organize 2014 yet really.

After I get them into folders I try to then put sub folders in each month. Now I will be honest I have not done that in a long time. Even this past weekend when I did 2013 I just opened the main January folder and decided what to print. However, my life is easier if I look through the photos and get a general feel of what we did that month and then toss photos into each folder. From there I can decide what to print and copy (I copy so that I don't lose photos in a folder) into the print folder. I just put the whole year in there. 

I also make a outline of what I want to scrapbook on the computer or by hand. That way as I am off to a crop or working in my studio I have an idea of what I have coming up scrapbook wise.

Lastly I print out my photos and organize them in little file boxes. I again separate them out by month or event and then as I scrap them I just check them off. I have not been a good scrapper since 2011 which is why I don't have something more current. However you can see that I don't always scrap everything. If I don't use the photos I just put them along with the index card at the back of the file box until the end of the year. After that I put them in a photo box and store them in the closet. My kids can use these photos to scrapbook or sometimes I make gifts with them.

Well that is that. I know it sounds like a lot of work but it makes it easy to grab and go. How do you organize your photos? Do you have a similar system or something else. I am always looking for ways to find tune things.

Challenge 15A: Technique using Liquid Glass

 

Hello there!! Welcome to another challenge at Between The Folds!! We hope that you will participate in the challenges!  We love seeing the different takes on each project!   Now, let's get started on the fun!  

This week's challenge at Between The Folds Bi-Weekly Challenge Blog is using Close to my Heart's Liquid Glass.

I decided to make a PML card using the cut aparts from Charlotte Paper Pack. Here is a close up before I added Liquid Glass.
 

 

Added some banners and layers and then picked an element to add liquid glass to. I wanted that to pop and liquid glass is perfect for that.

 

 

Here is the liquid glass all dry. You can see if is all glossy and clear. When you first add it sometimes it looks a little cloudy.

 



 

 

Here is my finished card. I will be printing up some black and white photos and making some 3" x 4" cards as well. This is the first time I have beefed up my PML cards and I have to say...I loved it!

 

We would love to see your interpretation of this challenge, so please play along with us. All submissions must have some Close To My Heart product on it and if the CTMH product you used isn't obvious, please let us know what you used. You have until Monday, February 29, 2016 at 11:55 pm. Eastern Time to participate in this challenge.

Between the Folds Challenge 14A: Feturing Charlotte

Hello there!! Here is my first challenge at Between The Folds!! I am so excited to be on the Design Team and hope that you will participate in the challenges!  This week's challenge at Between the Folds Bi-Weekly Challenge Block is Close to  my Heart's Charlotte Paper Packet.

 

Here is what I came up with

 

This paper packet is really lovely and there are so many different ways to use it! I decided to make up a scrapbook page. I just love the soft colors in this paper pack and really enjoyed working with it.

I also enjoyed making little layered bits all around

We would love to see your interpretation of this challenge, so please play along with us. All submissions must have some Close To My Heart product on it and if the CTMH product you used isn't obvious, please let us know what you used. If you do not have the Charlotte paper packet, you can use the following color scheme from the paper packet which are Close To My Heart colors: Black, Champagne, Slate, Sorbet, Whisper and White Daisy.

You have until Monday, February 15, 2016 at 11:55 p.m. Eastern Time to participate in this challenge.

For more information, please visit our blog at: http://btfchallenges.blogspot.ca/