H2H Challenges: For the Girls

With two daughters, this week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge, For the Girls, is an easy one!  Today I am showcasing our older daughter and her BFF with this Calypso layout and the Tickled Pink stamp set (only available until the end of the month!).

Everything you see on both pages (except ink, stamps, journaling, and photos) came with the Calypso Workshop Your Way: the paper pack, all the embellishments, and the washi tape.

Though I don't love my handwriting, it makes journaling fast and easy.  The alphabet set that I used is retired, but you can find a similar beautiful font stamp set.  Don't you love those pretty flamingos?!?

You have all month to play along with any of the August H2H challenges, so won't you join us?

CTMH Technique Blog Hop: Passionate About Pockets

It's time for "Passionate About Pockets," a blog hop featuring some cool pocket project ideas.  (If you're already hopping then you should have arrived from Wendy's blog.  From here, you'll visit Darlys next.)

With our summer trip to Europe, I have TONS of photos to scrapbook!  I decided to start at the beginning: our time in Copenhagen with my cousin Jeff.  I have so many pictures that using flip flaps helped me put 14 pictures on this one layout.  (Unfortunately the flip flaps add an unwanted glare to my pictures when I photograph the layout.  In person it is easy to avoid the glare.)  The sketch I used is a simple one from the how-to guide, Reflections.

 Here is the left page with the flaps closed...

 and open!

I used the new Memo Fundamentals paper plus some Cashemere card stock and the All Together Complements.  You will also notice a little rose gold foil tape and aqua shimmer trim.

 Above, the flaps are closed, and below all three of them are open.

Thanks for letting me share my love of flip flaps with you!  Please leave me a comment and then just click on her name to go see Darlys's pocket perfection!

New Product Blog Hop: 2016-17 CTMH Annual Inspirations Idea Book

Have you had a chance to drool over the new Close To My Heart 2016-17 Annual Inspirations Idea Book?!?  (You'll notice that we don't call this gorgeous resource a catalog because it is so much more!)  This Idea Book has a core set of supplies that are available all year, with supplements of seasons products coming each quarter.  This New Product Blog Hop is going to give you all kinds of great ideas for what you'll find for the upcoming year.  {If you're already hopping, then you've arrived from Michelle R.'s blog.  From here, you'll visit Michelle L. next.)

For my project, I chose to create a back-to-school layout of my daughter's and my first day of school (yesterday!) with the new Enchantment fundamentals paper pack and School 7-12 complements.  This layout is a sketch from Magic.

The only thing that I added in addition to the paper pack and complements is a few blue epoxy gems.

Thanks for letting me share our first day of school with you.  Please leave me a comment before going to see what Michelle L. has to share!

Click HERE for all the hop participants and their blogs.

Magical Superhero Layout

Just about all I've talked about the last few months is that our oldest just graduated from high school.  You may also remember that we threw a friends' superhero-themed graduation party.  I used the Magical Workshop Your Way collection to create this layout of that fun party.

 Both the camera and the white & Canary title piece are pieces of the Picture My Life sheet included in the collection.

 All of the embellishments except the shimmer trim come with the Workshop Your Way collection.

She is a hero to me!  We take her to college on the 19th.  I am not ready for that yet!

August Stamp of the Month Blog Hop: Purr-fect Halloween

Even though the temperatures continue to soar (and school is starting back), in the crafting (and retail!) world, our thoughts are always working ahead to upcoming holidays and events.  That's why Close To My Heart is introducing the Purr-fect Halloween stamp of the month set in August.  Along this month's blog hop, you'll see lots of creative ways to use this set (and not just for Halloween!).  {If you're already hopping, then you've probably arrived from Michelle R.'s blog.  You will visit Michelle L. next.}

Isn't this cat cute?!?  I had fun making this card with a sketch from Make It From Your Heart, Vol. 2 and the Sangria paper pack collection.  I used several techniques on this card.  You'll recognize the paper piecing on the hat and on the little banner.  (I stamped the banner on the card front with Cocoa ink and then stamped the pennant 3 times on scrap Colonial White card stock in Poppy, Pomegranate, and Eggplant then cut & attached the little pennants.)

One thing I am really excited about is having waterbrushes again for painting with our exclusive inks!  (In fact, we have 3 different sizes that you can see HERE.)  I knew that I wanted to color the cute cat with a waterbrush and Champagne ink.  You can read on for the technique, or you can skip directly to Michelle L.'s blog for the next project if you'd rather.  I stamped the cat in Cocoa so that it would have a nice dark outline.  Now for directions:

Step 1: Grab the waterbrush you prefer and your ink pad of choice.

Step 2: Squeeze the closed lid of the ink pad into itself to smoosh ink onto the inside of the lid to create your paint palette.

Step 3: Add a little water to your ink lid with the waterbrush.  (The cat is upside down because as I paint from the actual top of the paper/cat's feet to the bottom/cat's head, the ink will lighten.  I wanted the bottom of the cat to be darker than the top.)

Step 4: Begin painting!  Your paint will fade as you go, so you will need to repeat the first steps to get more ink.

Here you can see how I worked from top to bottom and left to right on the cat's body.

The finished painted cat.  (After it dried I stamped the eyes.)

Thanks for letting me share!  I hope you'll try painting with a waterbrush.  You'll have as many paint colors as ink colors, that all match perfectly.  Now go see Michelle L. next!

Click HERE for all the hop participants and their blogs.

H2H Challenges: Florence

You may or may not have noticed may lack of posts this summer, but my Heart 2 Heart Florence project will clue you in.  My family went on a month-long European adventure in June!  We had such an amazing trip!  You will probably get sick of me sharing all my pictures and stories.  First up is a layout of me parasailing in the Alps!

 I had so many pictures that I made an extra 6"x12" flip flap panel on the left page.  Above it is closed and below it is open.

 Here is the left page with the flap closed...

 ...and with it open.

 I had so much to say that I typed my journaling.  You can see the journaling "card" open below.

 And finally the right page.

I highly encourage you to purchase the Workshop Your Way collection for whichever paper packs you love.  Not only do you get the amazing paper, but you get fabulous embellishments!  I love the rose gold foil tape, the foil accents in the Complements, and the Florence sequins!  If you buy them all separately, you'll pay a little more than in the Workshop Your Way collection.

Thanks for flying with me!  Be sure to check out all of the H2H designers' Florence projects this week.  You will have until the end of August to contribute your project.