Pinspiration: Backyard Fun

Good morning, everyone! Welcome to Day Two of my Pinspirations blog series. I am relatively new to Pinterest. Last week was the first time I ever made something I had pinned. I mostly use Pinterest to post artwork from this blog, but I wanted to try creating artwork inspired by other's pins. All of the original pins for this series can be found on my scrapbook pages ideas board. These are all single page designs that I have turned into double page spreads using CTMH products.

For today's spread, I was inspired by a single page friends layout. I used this design to create a page from the beginning of spring time in Ohio when my husband and son were first able to play in our backyard.

What I really liked about this layout was the use of the brackets to draw the eye to the single photo. Drawing the colors from the photo, I chose the retired Later Sk8er paper pack. And, the brackets were cut from the Paper Fundamentals Basic Assortment using Cricut Art Philosophy.

For page two of the layout, I used three vertical pictures sized 5x3 to showcase the rest of the adventure.

I used Picture My Life cards from the Later Sk8er kit on both pages to work as both a title and journaling space.

On the left page, I used an adorable icon cut from the Cricut Lite B is for Boy cartridge, and a pennant banner cut from Cricut Art Philosophy and stamped using All the Details. "Today is a good day" is also stamped from All the Details.

All and all, I really love the way the color scheme coordinates so well with the photos creating a spread that captures the fun of the day!

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

This layout was submitted for this week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge: Old is new. Find more about Heart 2 Heart here: http://heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com/

Pinspirations: Easter Spread

Good morning, everyone! Today I am starting a new series on my blog called Pinspirations. I am relatively new to Pinterest. Last week was the first time I ever made something I had pinned. I mostly use Pinterest to post artwork from this blog, but I wanted to try creating artwork inspired by other's pins. All of the original pins for this series can be found on my scrapbook pages ideas board. These are all single page designs that I have turned into double page spreads using CTMH products.

For my first project, I used a page title "I Love Fall", to create a spread for Easter 2014.

I really liked how the original mixed different bold B&T papers to create a fall friendly color scheme. I used the retired Free to Be Me paper pack to draw out bold, spring colors. 

For page two of the spread, I kept the design simple using four 4x4 photos on top of an overlay from Cricut Artbooking. 

I carried the B&T paper from the left side onto the right and added the washi tape along the bottom to make the pages cohesive.

On the left page, I created a cluster embellishment using a bunny icon from the Celebrate with Flourish Cricut cartridge. This cartridge features layered titles and coordinating icons for several different holidays.

Since the left page is very graphics heavy, I kept the embellishments on the right page very simple. I stamped the little chick from the Cuddly Salutations Hostess Exclusive stamp set on a 2in circle. I colored the chic using markers and used a sponge dauber to create the sky and grass.

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

All About Mixing Paper Packs

Hello again! I have always loved mixing bold B&T papers together to create a layout. One of the best things about CTMH's exclusive color palette is that literally all of our paper packs can be mixed together to create a whole new B&T mixture.

To create these mixtures, I first choose paper packs that share at least one color. (Pro tip: The zip ties on our paper lists the featured colors of each pack. Both the retired Skylark paper pack and the current Chalk It Up paper pack share several colors. Additionally, the retired Free to Be Me paper pack contains several sheets of cardstock with a faint pattern in that same color, Lagoon.

For the layout pattern, I used the Make It From the Heart Vol. 2 guide, but I changed a few aspects of the original design to optimize my B&T mixing. The final product is a super cute layout for my son's swimming lessons.

The Sorbet mat on the left page adds a pop of color to a mostly blue hued layout. I also used a touch of flaxen B&T from the Free to Be Me paper pack. Essentially, this layout contains B&T from three different paper packs, but they all work together seamlessly!

Ingredients: Chalk It Up (G1081), White Daisy Cardstock (1385), Sorbet Cardstock (X5751), Seaside Workshop on the Go Stamp Set Only (G1089), One Way Boarders (C1561), Chalk It Up Compliments (X7184C), Aqua Dots (Z1853)

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

Fun with Artbooking

Happy New Year, Scrappers! I've been scrapping a lot this week, so be on the lookout for several new posts dedicated to scrapbooking!

For today's post, I decided to tackle a flashback to my high school marching band days with a layout that uses the Cricut Artbooking cartridge. I cannot tell you enough how much I absolutely love this cartridge! Not only does it double as a font, the cartridge features complete double page layout features. So, with the touch of a single key set to the suggested size, you can cut every piece you'll need to create some fantastic layouts. I like to mix and match the layout keys to give it a totally unique look.

For these pages, I used the Teen Layout icons found on page 81 of the guide. It looks like this:

Here is my finished layout.

My school colors were green, white, and gray, so I featured all of those colors in the spread. The green sunburst on the right page is cut on a piece of paper from the Paper Fundamentals pack in Ponderosa Pine. The rest of the icons are cut using slate cardstock.

This page also features two icons (French horn and "Marching Band") cut from the Cricut Quarter Note cartridge. This is a great cartridge for music lovers. It features a great deal of instruments, titles, and music notes, and is also a font cartridge.

This layout features very simple cuts that make a bold, cohesive statement, and celebrate my favorite part of high school!

Ingredients: Cricut Artbooking (Z1906), White Daisy Cardstock (1385), Slate Cardstock (X5930), Paper Fundamentals Enchantment Assortment (Z2031), Silver Shimmer Trim (Z1799)

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

December Color Challenge Using January SOTM

For the month of December, the Scrapping Buckeye Babes were challenged to use the colors Pear, Cranberry, and Hollyhock to create a papercraft. I decided to create a Valentine's Day card using the January Stamp of the Month, This Moment.

The Cranberry heart B&T is from Paper Fundamentals Enchantment Assortment.This paper is double sided. You can see the back of the paper at the bottom of the card. It has a glossy finish. And, all of the papers coordinate perfectly with the rest of the the CTMH collection.

The January Stamp of the Month will be available January 1st for $5 with a $50 purchase.

We are also offering double hostess rewards for the month, and a special mini album to celebrate National Paper Crafting Month. I will post more details about the specials on my FB page.

Ingredients: Paper Fundamentals Enchantment Assortment (Z2031), Hollyhock Cardstock (1246), Pear Cardstock (X5764), White Daisy Cardstock (1385), Hollyhock Ink (Z2128), Pear Ink (Z2197), Basics Pigment Ink Pads Set (Z2503), Silver Shimmer Trim (Z1799), Pink Glitter Gems (Z1807)

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

Christmas Card for the Husband

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. I have been so busy with family holiday traditions, craft fairs, and creating a great deal of Christmas cards! 

Even though I made close to 200 cards, I hadn't had the opportunity to make an extra special one for my husband. So, I sat down this evening, and did just that. 

So, for this card, I used an overlay from the Artbooking Cricut cartridge. This overlay is meant to be used for a 10x8 mini album. For this card, I set the overlay to 4.5in. (Note: I did NOT use real dial size.)

The "All I Want For Christmas" sentiment is from the My Crush Holiday Happenings Assortment (pictured above). I used a retired stamp set to create the "is you" part.

Ingredients: My Crush Holiday Happenings Assortment (Z2062), Cricut Artbooking Cartridge (Z1906), My Crush Holiday Happenings Badge Buttons (Z2051), Sparkles Clear Flourishes Clear (Z1812), Olive Cardstock (1245), Barn Red Cardstock (X5637), White Daisy Cardstock (1385), Black Ink (Z2105)

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends! And, Merry Christmas!

Welcome to December!!!

Hello December! This month is packed full of great deals from Close to My Heart!

Today ONLY, to celebrate Cyber Monday, all Cricut cartridge bundles are 20% off!!! You can get yours here.

We are also unveiling our Seasonal Expressions catalog! This catalog will run along with the Annual Inspirations until March 31st.

This month marks the 10 year anniversary of our My Acrylix stamps. To celebrate, we are offering the Deal of the Decade: with any $50 purchase, you may choose any C or D sized stamp from the Annual Expressions catalog for just $10! That's a savings of up to $7.95.

And, as always there is the Stamp of the Month for only $5 with a $50 purchase! This month's stamp is Cutie Pie, and it is adorable! It is perfect for girly pages, birthday celebrations, and even thank you cards.

So, for this stamp set, I tried a new technique called Smack Down. The basics of this technique are that you will be stamping your image once, lift the stamp, and re-stamp until all of the ink is gone. Essentially, you are stamping second and third generation. I watched this video to help me with the technique. 

Here was my final project.

I combined the Cutie Pie stamp set with the Build-a-Cake stamp set to create a delicious birthday card! 

Ingredients: Chalk It Up (G1081), White Daisy Cardstock (1385), Thistle Cardstock (X5769), Cutie Pie December SOTM (S1412), Build-a-Cake (D1618), Joyful Birthday (B1419), Silver Shimmer Trim (Z1799), Scaredy Cat Assortment (Z3011), Flaxen Ink (Z2642), Sunset Ink (Z2191), Lagoon Ink (Z2195), Thistle Ink (Z2640)

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!