NEW Autumn/Winter 2010 Idea Book Artwork (Slide Show)

Enjoy this slide show of fabulous artwork with all new CTMH stamp sets!

Please let me know if you have any questions about any of the artwork. If I don't know the answer, I'll find it for you!

CTMH Product Spotlight Blog Hop: Dimensional Elements

If you've visited my blog before or know me at all then you know how much I love Close To My Heart's products! This month I've joined a group of about a dozen select CTMH consultants to show off our Dimensional Elements. They are white chipboard shapes that are so much fun to decorate! Of course they'd be cute left white too. ;)

{If you've come from Tracey Jean's blog then you are hopping right along. Our next stop is Debbie's, so go check out her creation! Thanks for hopping by!}

My new favorite DEs are the Irresistibles! What are irresistibles? CTMH has a new line of alphabet stickers and chipboard shapes that have preprinted clear designs (polka dots on the alphabet, for example). It's like they've been clear embossed before coming to you. Then you can sponge color onto the Irresistibles and the white base shows through. How cute is that?


Tip: Swipe the Irresistibles with the sponge instead of pouncing. I found that I could add color more quickly and more richly by swiping or burnishing it on. (Burnishing is basically rubbing the sponge around in a circular motion.)

Now, hop on over to Debbie's blog for some real artwork! (I had to "recycle" some pieces you may have seen before since I've been under the weather with a nasty cold.)

More Swaps and Washer Pendants

These washer pendant necklaces were also part of the new catalog swap that I recently participated in. Yes, that meant that I made 40 new necklaces!

I used the new Olivia papers which are so pretty for fall. This time, I decided to decorate the backs also. Well, decorate may be too strong a word. I covered the backs with the Sunset polka dots paper and sealed them, but that was about it.

On the front I used the Primavera rub-ons and either Sparkles or Pearl Opaques.

It's a good thing these necklaces are fun to make, but I have to take a break from them (for now at least)!

Quote of the Week & Happy (Belated) Grandparents Day!

Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old.

~Mary H. Waldrip

Happy Grandparents Day (yesterday) to all the grandparents of the world! My daughters are doubly blessed with two grandmothers and a grandfather. We'll be glad to have them all home soon!!!

My brother, sister, and I were very fortunate growing up to have two wonderful grandmothers (my grandfathers had passed before I came along) and a loving step-grandfather (who I never considered a "step").

Thank you, grandparents, for all that you do for your grandchildren (and their parents, who fortunately you didn't kill during their teenage years)!

Making Pancakes Layout

First, thank you to everyone who came by yesterday for my open house! I hope you enjoy your project as much as I am enjoying mine. (Photos coming soon!)

Today's post is showing off my older daughter learning to make pancakces. (She did it for Girl Scouts, not for me!)

She is so much like me, and hopefully my journaling captured that. Here are some close ups of the details. This layout is based on the Imagine sketch, "Follow the Lead," and my scrapbook club ladies and I made this one last month.

We used the Cherry-O paper pack and Workshop on the Go stamp set (no longer available).


How do you like the apron I made?

There's no cooking for me today because my back-to-school cold has gotten the best of me. We hated having to cancel dinner with friends tonight! :( It is very weird for me to be lazing around in bed, but I figured that I had better listen to what my body was telling me. Thank goodness for a wonderful family! Hope you've had a great weekend!

{Layout 2010 #44}

Queen for a Day Birthday Card (Swap Too!)

This card was so much fun to make that I decided to make 40 of them! What was I thinking? Well, it was time for the new catalog swap I like to participate in, so I made these little lovelies and necklaces for all the swappers.

The card uses the Wishes "A Cut Above" sketch for a 3"x3" card, but I turned the sketch upside down and rotated the card to be a side-fold card. I had so much fun with our new colored sparkles and new pearl opaques to make "birthstones!" I was amazed at how well Sunset went with all the other colors. The top card uses Gypsy to make an "amethyst" birthday card. The second card is supposed to mimic diamonds for an April baby. Rather than stamp the saying in white, I used Sunset ink on the Sunset piece.

I heat-embossed the crown in gold on the card front using the Royal Birth stamp set. To give the gemstone sparkle and shine, I first stamped it using whatever color ink I chose for the "birthstone" and then quickly sprinkled on clear embossing powder. (Heat setting from the BACK will keep the powder from blowing off as you heat set it.)

The third card uses Holiday Red for rubies, and the next is supposed to be pearls for June. (Next time, I will just use a large Opaque Pearl in place of the large white brad. It doesn't look as nice as I thought it would.)

Doesn't Pear ink and sparkles make a lovely peridot card?

Here's Cranberry to celebrate a garnet birthday.

My final card uses Pacifica for sapphires. I ended up using my light blue sparkles on other projects, so I didn't make myself an aquamarine card. Don't worry, though, there are plenty more sparkles where those come from!

Finally, here are all forty cards lined up ready to get mailed out.

Ruffled Ribbon Flowers

Several people have asked how I made the beautiful (if I do say so myself) ruffled ribbon flowers on my recent layout. It was easier than you can imagine!

First, I was inspired by the latest CTMH TV Art & Soul webisode, Eclectic Elegance, where Monica hows how to make ruffles with ribbon just like this one. (You can watch it by clicking HERE.) Sorry I don't have time for a full-fledged tutorial right now!

I wasn't sure how much to start with so I just cut off a foot or more of the gorgeous Creme Brulee ribbon that has the threaded edges down both sides. (I think this larger flower used about 18" of ribbon.) I pulled one of the threads out a bit and knotted it. Then, I started pulling that thread at the other end, gathering the ribbon as I went. The tighter I pulled, the more it wanted to curl into the flower shape. (You could work with ribbon right off the spool until you got the desired size, then cut off the end, pull the thread tight at that end, and knot it to secure.)

I used a circle of cardstock as my base, and once I had the basic flower shape, I added a bunch of glue dots to the cardstock circle, then started sticking the flower down. You can definitely work with it as you go. Just be sure you're using enough glue dots to hold this baby in place. Once the front was pretty, I knotted the thread that I had been pulling out and then adhered the thread to the back of the cardstock circle. I cut off all the excess thread and threw it away. (It was pretty stringy and straggly at that point so I couldn't see saving it.) I added the Mocha Opaque Pearl to beautify the center (and hide the icky end).

Someone asked me if I had basted the ribbon. I have no idea what that means but I know you could sew a running stitch down one side of practically any ribbon and then start gathering it together to create the same effect.

If you try one of these, I would love to see your creation! Please leave me a comment to point me to yours, or of course let me know if you have any questions. It really was easier than it probably looks. I certainly impressed myself! ;)

Top Ten #4, #6, and #9: 12" Flip Flaps, Opaques, and Magic

This layout is my absolute new current favorite (even if it didn't even place in a recent Close To My Heart consultant contest)! It chronicles our visit to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens this summer. I was able to fit sixteen photos onto a two-page 12"x12" spread. The main focal image in the left is 5"x7", and all the others were photo 4"x6" though of course some were cropped down a bit. It uses my current favorite new paper pack, Olivia, and the beautiful stamp set The Present. I based my layout on the Magic sketch, "Backstage," but made it interactive with the addition of the new 12" flip flaps.

Flip flaps are like page protectors, but they also have an adhesive strip so that you can attach them directly to your layout or directly to your page protector. Very cool!

I also added some additional colors to the Olive kit (Sunset, Barn Red, and Pear are the main colors that I used): Creme Brulee and Cocoa. I love the richness these two added to an already gorgeous color scheme.

Here you can see close-ups of the Creme Brulee ribbon flower, Sunset Mini-Medley accents, Foundry Metal Flourishes accents, Opaques Mocha (self-adhesive pearls), and the stamped images.

The left page has a 6"x12" flap that opens up to reveal more photos underneath on the 12"x12" base and on the flap itself. I took advantage of the clear flip flap and didn't fill in every bit of it with card stock so that you could see through it.

Here is the right page. The top portion is another flip flap, although this one measures 8"x12."

The "ruffles" under the photo strip are actually Creme Brulee Just Blooms that I cut in half. I love the way they turned out!

Here is the flap open with more photos underneath. How do you like the ticket stub border?

The far right photo actually makes an accordian pull out to showcase four more photos: two on the front or inside of the accordian...

...and two more on the back of the accordian.

Please let me know if you have any questions about anything on this layout. You will be able to see it- and more- in person at my Customer Appreciation Open House this Saturday. Drop in anytime from 1:00 to 5:00!

I'd love to know what you think about the new 12" flip flaps. I think they're pretty amazing!

Labor Day Weekend Recap

We spend Labor Day weekend camping near Pigeon Forge, TN, with my brother and his friends (in our camper and in their borrowed camper). This was our first trip with the kitten, who did fine after he got sick (in his crate) after going over a mountain.

We hiked up to Laurel Falls in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Some of the falls closer to home are prettier, but we still enjoyed it. On the way back down, we saw a bear!!! Logan saw him first, heading down the hill toward the trail, but by the time I saw him he was heading back up. I was definitely glad to see the southbound end of a northbound bear! Unfortunately I wasn't able to get my camera out to snap his picture in time. He ambled off and so did we!

Here's Logan hanging out on a tree jutting out off the path (and off the edge).

Brian had cycled through Cades Cove that day, so we ended the evening together with s'mores around the campfire. He says this one was "s'mores perfection!" We all liked the jumbo marshmallows he found!

Sunday found us at Dollywood for an afternoon of good ole' family fun. The parking lot was packed but inside didn't seem so bad. The lines moved quickly. The girls rode Blazing Fury three times, and then believe it or not we tackled Daredevil Falls. Ansley (!) rode that one four times (Daddy once, Macey twice, and me three times). You probably can't tell, but she is in the front of the ride (on the left in the dark blue shirt). Who's the daredevil now?!?


These tired girls did NOT want to wake up Monday morning! We made it home safe & sound Monday afternoon, somehow managing to beat Brian- who had left before us! We didn't have as much mountainous travel, so all the critters were fine.

Today was school/work as usual, but the day went well. Now if I can just get caught up on laundry!

Top Ten #2: New My Reflections Paper Packs

Here is some gorgeous artwork from the Close To My Heart Corporate Art Studio featuring the new My Reflections paper packs. Did you know that each My Reflections Level 2 paper pack includes 22 sheets of 12"x12" paper for only $12.95? You get six gorgeous B&T Duos (two-sided designer patterned paper), three sheets of colored card stock, and two neutral card stock sheets TIMES TWO!

The My Reflections Level 1 kits are four preprinted scrapbook layouts plus two different B&T Duos, two different card stock sheets, and My Stickease adhesive artwork for only $9.95. You can also buy additional, themed My Stickease for only $4.95.

The first photo showcases Hooligans, a fun collection that's not just for Halloween. The collection uses Pear, Gypsy, Lagoon, Sunset, Black, and White Daisy.





Magnifique is elegant yet can also be used more casually or informally. Its main colors are Sky, Lagoon, Pacifica, and Chocolate. You can never go wrong with Chocolate!



Next up is Mistletoe. The Cranberry, Garden Green, and New England Ivy part of the palette is perfect for Christmas, but take away either the red or the green and throw in the Cocoa from this collection and you have a gorgeous, masculine combo that isn't Christmas-y at all!


The fourth beautiful paper pack is called Olivia. It is absolutely perfect for fall with its Barn Red, Pear, Smoothie, and Sunset color scheme, but you will find uses for this paper collection year round.

Which is your favorite new paper pack? Leave me a comment and let me know. Thanks!

You will be able to see samples of all four paper packs, plus most all of the new stamp sets (and so much more) at my Customer Appreciation Open House this Saturday 9/11 from 1:00-5:00. Be sure to bring a friend! (Can't make it? Place an order to win a prize but contact me first so I can send you an EZ invite. Someone will win a minimum $25 CTMH shopping spree!)

Top Ten #7: Sparkles

Close To My Heart's new COLORED SPARKLES are soooo pretty! You can add tons of bling to any project (for only pennies). In addition to our clear Sparkles, we now offer a set with reds, pinks, and purples and a set of blues and greens.

My first card uses the blue Sparkles with the Magnifique paper pack and Unity stamp set. That little bit of bling turns a plain and simple card into something extraordinary.

Here's another pair of washer pendant necklaces I made, also using some blue Sparkles and the Magnifique paper pack. You can see that I decorated both the front and the back of the necklaces.


You probably already saw the peacock card on my blog, but I had to include it again for this Sparkle post!

Here's a close up of a portion of yesterday's layout using both Sparkles and the new Pearl Opaques.

How about a little bling? The packages of gems are only $2.95!