Kaboom! June Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Are you ready to celebrate?  The June CTMH stamp of the month, Kaboom, is just what you need for all your patriotic celebrations!  (If you're already hopping, then you should have arrived here from Kathleen's blog.  You'll go to Maria's blog next.)

My first project is a fun "squash book" AKA an explosion mini album.  We had a blast making these at a recent class!  We started with three 8" squares of card stock to match the Jubilee paper pack: Cranberry, White Daisy, and Indian Corn Blue.  (Here's a link to directions to make your own.)

We used many of the stamps from the Kaboom stamp of the month with Cranberry, Honey, Indian Corn Blue, and Desert Sand.  I taught the ladies how to random stamp and the first and second generation stamping techniques.  Every stamper needs those in her toolbox!

The Art Philosophy CTMH Cricut cartridge coordinates with several of the stamped images in this set.

Check out Maria's Kaboom project next!  I have several more projects with this set that I'll be sharing this month, so come back often.  Thanks!  (If you happen to get lost along the way, come back here and click on the Blog Hop image, above, to go to a list of all the participants and their sites.  Thanks!)

H2H Challenges: So Very Nauti{Cool}!

The final May Heart 2 Heart Challenge is "so very nauti{cool}!"  I decide to keep it cool with the Surf's Up Picture My Life cards and turn a pair of them into a 4"x6" card.

The base is a piece of Bamboo card stock.  I stamped the clouds in Crystal Blue from the Lifting Spirits stamp set.  To jazz up the WYWH card, I first stamped the thinking of you sentiment in Sorbet from the same stamp set.  I added the Teal shimmer trim pennant, the Lagoon washi tape piece, and the Durables triangle stud.  Before I adhered that card to the card front, I swiped the edges in Chocolate ink.  Finally, I wrapped some hemp baker's twine around the card front.  Very nautiCOOL indeed!

Please be sure to check out all of the H2H DT inspiration.  This is the last challenge of the month, and you have until Saturday to join us with any of the May challenges.  I hope to see you there!

The Last Day of School

Today is our last day of school, and I cannot believe how fast this year has flown by!  I know that time seems to speed up as we age, but it still doesn't seem possible that it is time for this year to end.  It's been such a great year that I I am working on a Studio J layout to commemorate it.  Here are a few fun pictures from the year:

the first day of school

 book character day

Champs graduation

the best 5th grade class ever (with my awesome Scottish student teacher too)

field day

 yesterday's water slide reward

We got our state test scores Tuesday, and my kids ROCKED!  Twenty of them exceeded in every single subject, four exceeded in a few but not all, and only one passed without exceeding.  I am so proud of them!  Four students actually earned a perfect scores on at least one subject's test; two of the four earned two perfect scores!  Can you tell it's been a great year?

I wish my students a great summer.  I hope that I have left a mark on their hearts like they've left on mine!  I expect them to keep in touch!

Fab Five Collections

CTMH has launched something new: the Fab Five collections that save! You can view the complete PDF flyer HERE.  Here are pictures of each collection.

You save $5-$10 on each collection!

H2H Challenges: In the Garden

When I thought about the Heart 2 Heart Challenges "in the garden" theme challenge, I couldn't help but think about the birds in my backyard.  I decided to create an 8"x8" mini album using the CTMH/Cricut Artbooking cartridge and our Kraft mini album.  I grabbed my Skylark paper pack and got my Cricut chirping and cutting.  (I also used the coordinating Artbooking stamp sets.)

The front cover is accented with Gold polka dot washi tape, Lagoon shimmer trim, and the Skylark mini medley assortment.

The first page is a pocket page to hold journaling tags and Cricut embellishments that I made but haven't yet used in the album.

I also used Aqua Dots to embellish the album.

My other embellishments are the Skylark chipboard compliments.

 I threw in a piece of Ariana paper here.

My family gave me a beautiful (squirrel proof) bird feeder for Mother's Day, and here are a few of the visitors who are going to go into this album (and a few of the wildflowers blooming right now):

trillium

pink lady slippers

brown thrasher

Eastern trowhee

Be sure to see what the entire H2H design team has created for you in their crafty gardens!

Mother's Day Recap

Mother's Day weekend was really special this year!  We took my mother-in-law to lunch on Saturday and then gathered all of my family for grilling out at my sister's Saturday night.  Did I think to take any pictures then?  Of course not! :(  At least I did get a few after church Sunday.

My sweet younger daughter surprised me with this pretty card that she made using the Laughing Lola paper pack.  Isn't she great?

I have to link it up to Heart 2 Heart Challenges' It's a Banner Day theme challenge, because it was indeed a banner day for me (and don't you like her cute stamped and handwritten banner?).  Here's a close up of that adorable owl:

Don't you love the clear epoxy eyes?  I am so proud of this girl and her sister for so many, many reasons!  They keep me on my toes and bring such joy to our lives.  Please make today a banner day!

H2H Challenges: It's a Banner Day

This week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge is a theme challenge called It's a Banner Day!  My new Camper Crazy stamp set just arrived, so I had to use the camper with the pennants already on it.

After stamping it in Cocoa (to go with more of my Free To Be Me scraps), I colored it with Juniper and Cranberry inks and my blending pen and then colored the pennants with Cranberry, Juniper, and Sunset markers.  If you look closely, you can see the feather vellum on the background.

This cute card pattern is a sketch from Originals.  I still have lots of Free To Be Me paper left, so who knows what I'll make next.  Be sure to check out all the H2H inspiration and share your banner day with us.

Free To Be Me + Olive & Honey

If you're not a CTMH fan, then that title probably sounds particularly odd!

I really wanted to see what other colors you could add to the Free To Be Me National Scrapbooking Month paper pack (as if it didn't have enough color already!).  For my You're a Star card, I added pops of Sunset.  Although the Sunset is a great match, it was overpowering on the arrow B&T.  I tried the pencil first in Creme Brulee (too light), and then Honey (just right).  For the word bubble, I tried Bamboo first, but it just didn't pop.  I didn't want to use the Juniper in the kit, so I decided to try Olive.  I liked it, but it maybe stood out too much, so I sponged some Olive ink onto the Lagoon UV embossed panel.  I think it turned out pretty cool!  I tucked a piece of the feather vellum behind the arrow B&T, pop dotted the word balloon, and added a triangle durables stud.  Now I think this card is just right.

Can you believe that this card was made from scraps (except for the card base)?  I think that's pretty cool!  What other colors have you paired with this fun paper pack?  (Be sure to check out the Free To Be Me blog hop if you need some inspiration!)

H2H Challenges: Take 5!

This week at Heart 2 Heart Challenges, we're not asking you to take a break, but rather to use five in your crafting.  You might...

• 5 of the same item such as 5 flowers, 5 bling, 5 flourishes...
• 5 completely different things, but 5 design elements....
• or the number 5. Is someone celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or anything in a year with a 5 in it? Some how just work that number in there. 

To begin, I found the 5"x7" card sketch, Fancy Five, from the Originals how-to guide.  I was having a blast playing with my Free To Be Me National Scrapbooking Month special paper pack, so I cut five pieces according to the sketch directions.  (I did resize my sentiment panel and its mat a bit to better fit the May stamp of the month.)  The arrow stamp is from the CTMH/Cricut Artbooking collection.

To create the sentiment mat, I sponged Cocoa ink all over the edges of the Lagoon UV embossed card stock from the Free To Be My paper pack.

Once the ink is as dark as you like, give it a moment or two to dry, then rub off any excess with a kleenex.  (IMPORTANT: Do not forget this step or you will get inky!)

Don't you like how the embossed design pops through?  Very fun and very easy!

Now be sure to take five and go check out the Design Team inspiration for you this week.  You have the entire fifth month to play along with this challenge.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!