Day 82: Art Philosophy Cricut Board

So for days now I've been working on a series of Cricut demo boards to use as signage in the Heirloom Pro Booth this weekend. I wanted them to be informative and show off some of my favorite cuts from each cartridge. 

This is my board for Art Philosophy. This was the first of CTMH's Cricut cartridges, and it's still probably my favorite. I love playing with the shapes to see what I can build out of them, and I really love making flowers. 

Rolled flowers, flat flowers, 3-D flowers, big or small - I love them all. This branch with leaves is one of my all time favorite flower making pieces. I literally cut extra every time so there will always be a branch or six in my leftovers bin. The butterflies I colored with Shin Han Markers.

We'll be setting up the Heirloom Pro Booth tomorrow, and hanging out all weekend, (hopefully) selling card kits and demoing some fun techniques. If you're in the Puyallup, WA area, stop by and say hi! 

H2H You've Been Framed!

I'm honored to be helping out as a guest DT member over at Heart 2 Heart in December. The first challenge is called You've Been Framed. So I grabbed a frame from my stash and glitzed it up with some Sparkle and Shine papers, red shimmer tape, and some glittery flowers and snowflakes. I don't actually have my prints yet from our fabulous Apple Blossom Photography shoot, so this is just a printout from my computer until the prints arrive. 

I used the centers from the snowflakes I cut for this project all stacked up to create my flower centers. The swirls are Bamboo CS covered in washi tape BEFORE I cut them on the cricut - so cool! I did a liberal sprinkling of sparkles over my frame and scrappy photo background. And yes, those are some of the sparkly Rudolph noses that I made for the craft fair in our photo. Adorable!

I hope you'll pop over to Heart 2 Heart to play along!

February SOTM Blog Hop

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  We will be featuring February's SOTM, which is called Home Sweet Home, an elegantly detailed set of 4 oversized sentiment stamps.  If you have come here from ANNETTE'S BLOG, you are on the right path!

This month we have 60+ Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM (and other great CTMH products) on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

This month I used a sketch from Retro Sketches to start my project. I chose only one color of cardstock (Whisper) and two inks (Whisper and Slate) to create this card. Inspired by the Moxie Fab World Stamp with a Home-made Stamp Challenge, I created three stamps of my own to support the lovely mixed font sentiment. I created a speckled background using burlap ribbon wrapped around a block, I stamped the studded border using a self adhesive Sparkle stuck to a block, and I stamped the base for the flower cluster using the filigree edge of the IKEA wastebaskets I keep on my Stamp Pad tables!

Can you believe that pretty filigree background texture came from a garbage can? I speckled the Art Philosophy flowers with the Burlap ribbon "stamp" before distressing them with my Slate Pigment Ink pad. I like to work over the petal of flat flowers with the back, rounded end of my piercing tool on the back of my piercing mat to give them curve and dimension when creating these layered flowers. Plus I used a bit of our new Slate Washi Tape in the background - I was so excited to see that in the new book!

I popped up a few of the lines of the sentiment stamp for more texture and interest. Here you can really see the burlap texture of that "stamp" I made. I found it easier to control the texture if I trimmed off the bound edges of the burlap and only used the center strip wrapped around my block. I'm linking this to the Heart 2 Heart All That Glitters challenge because the layered glitter button flower centers, which really brings the eye to the floral focal point on this card.

Now "Hop" on over to TERESA'S BLOG to see what cuteness she's been creating with her inky paws! Be sure to visit all the Consultants' Blogs to soak in the great crafting and SOTM ideas. Remember, this SOTM will be gone at the end of February.  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set for just $5!

Here are some other projects I have made using this Stamp of the Month!
Team Meeting Sneak Peek Card
Home Is...Card
Freshly Made Sneak Peek Card

And here's our first Friday Favorite Things giveaway of the new catalog! Check out the new catalog online and let me know which new paper packet is your favorite - I might be sending it to you next week!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for hoppin' by!

You're sweet!

I was so excited to get my Jamberry Giveaway posted that I didn't get to share this adorably simple card yesterday. I made it using the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches - they always have fabulous simple sketches! I still had my neon colors out on my desk from the Moxie Fab challenge card I just did, and apparently I wasn't done with that combo.

Instead of putting the whole card on a gray background this time I marked out a rectangle with post-its and filled it with the open heart background stamp. I staggered the stamp to help the open hearts appear more random and filled them in with Silver glitz. I drew with my Cotton Candy marker around the edges of the stamped background and covered that with Silver Glitz so just a smidgen of the pink would come through. Then I added a Perfect Fit Frame with some popped up hearts in Lagoon and the sentiment in Cotton Candy. I love how easy it is to make them with the Art Philosophy cricut cuts!  

All of my adorable stamps besides the frame are from this cute Whoo's Your Valentine $10 special set. I know I'm not done stamping with this guy yet...I haven't even broken into the Treat Tubes and Glitter paper that come with this adorable set! 

Don't forget to check out my Jamberry drawing this week! I have more projects to share this week too - see ya soon!

November SOTM Blog Hop!

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  We will be featuring November's SOTM, which is called Capture the Date, a versatile set of 72 stamps including four fonts of numbers!  If you have come here from DOREEN'S BLOG, you are on the right path!

This month we have dozens of Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this fab SOTM (and other great CTMH products) on their blogs. Hopping is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

This month I created a Gratitude Journal. I created a background stamp using numbers from all four fonts of numbers from the set. I also stamped an Art Philosophy Banner Tag to create my title embellishment, combining the SOTM and A Typeface.

To stamp the background I did some creative inking, swiping the stamp I created across my Whisper pad in a side to side motion to add some texture to the numbers for a distressed look. I also added some fine point marker dots and lettering for more of a smash book feel, since I'll just be journaling and occasionally adding a photo or piece of memorabilia to this now adorable little dollar store book.

I also cut some tabs on Art Philosophy, which I stamped with the Whisper/swiped number background I made and with the month names in colors that coordinate with the pre-printed stripe running down the binding of the book. I did a lazy book cover, leaving that last 1/2" of stripe from the printed cover showing, then covering the insides with Stella B&T. Waaaaay easier than disassembling the book and reassembling!

Now "Hop" on over to MICHELLE'S BLOG to see more crafty awesomeness! Be sure to visit all the Consultants Blogs to soak in the great crafting and SOTM ideas. Remember, this SOTM is only available until the end of November, and CTMH is offering a 50% off stamp set of your choice with your SOTm purchase this month. Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this sweet special!

Here are some more projects I have made using this Stamp of the Month...

Happy Birthday Cupcake Card

Life...Make it count card

And it's not too late to check out my Friday Favorite Things for this week! See ya Friday for the winner. Happy Hopping!

Holiday Auction Wreath

Here's the first of two classes I'm auctioning at my son's preschool Auction next week. Since I wasn't sure if the folks attending would be paper crafters, I chose some Holiday decor items that I hope will be a big hit! Instead of just making items, I'm auctioning crafty class experiences. Please cross your fingers for me that my auction items sell. I've never done one before, so I'm feeling a little nervous!

The first is a wreath made from ornaments, like dozens pinned to Pinterest by crafty wiz kids! It was amazingly easy to assemble, once I remembered how to load my hot glue gun. I chose a neutral color scheme, just golds and silvers, but I think I'm going to make another in reds and greens too! 

Of course, it wouldn't be my project without SOME papercraft, so I topped it off with a shiny wired ribbon and a big paper pointsettia. I kept this very simple to assemble - just multiple layers of an Art Philosophy flower that I embossed with my fav Swiss Dots embossing folder and adhered together with layers of 3-D Foam tape. I shaped each petal with a bit of bending and edged with with Almond Glitter Glitz. The Gold flourish came from the ornament hanging threads that came in each tube of the ornaments glued to the wreath, and I added a bit of bling...Rhinestone Designer brad, plus some Sparkles and dots of glitz. 

I'm linking this up to the Heart 2 Heart Keeping it Neutral Challenge. Check back here tomorrow for the SOTM Blog Hop. Stay safe, and Happy Halloween!

Make It Monday for my friend

OK...maybe it's just me. But when I'm feeling poorly, I sometimes have a hard time getting motivated to do, well, anything. Cleaning, cooking, crafting, even sometimes sleeping become things that sound good in theory, but are not really happening. But a project for someone else...now that'll get me going every time.

Today my friend LaRonda needed a sign board for an upcoming fair. She's an amazing Usborne Books consultant, and my boys love every single book we've ever been lucky enough to buy from her. Helping LaRonda with her project was just the kick I needed to get back into the Stamp Pad and get some major use out of my Art Philosophy and Artiste Cartridges today. We (mostly) whipped this out while Max was napping, and I finished up the flower vase this evening after the boys when to bed. 

Here's a close up of her cute Pick a Date Idea.  I built the vase out of Vellum that I partially inked on the backside with Heavenly Blue ink. I sprayed the front of the vase with Krylon glitter spray. The flowers are embossed with my favorite Swiss Dott cuttlebug folder and inked with Smokey Plum ink. The dates for her upcoming available parties will be in the center of each flower - how cute is that? I so want to make one of these for my upcoming craft fair now!

I'm linking this up to Make It Monday at an Original Belle, because they have awesome ideas and I made this on Monday! 

Don't forget to check out the new Friday Favorite Things - just because my shoulder took me down does not mean I forgot this week's drawing!

Freshly Made Mojo!

Howdy, Stampin' Friends! I've been such a busy bee this weekend,cropping away with fun friends and busting out the stampy to-do list...before I take a much needed honey break, I wanted to share with you some of the sweetness I've been cooking up in the Stamp Pad this weekend.

 This card I did for the Mojo Monday Sketch using the Color My Heart Color Dare colors of Creme Brulee and Petal. I love this kind of sketch - with the panels in the background...I stamped each panel with the corner image from the upcoming August Stamp of the Month then distressed the corners with lots of Creme Brulee ink. The little bee is a sneak peek at my FAVORITE new stamp set coming out in August called Pun Fun! I colored his body with markers and also added Glitter Glitz and bitty sparkles to his wings, just beecause! 

I finally hit another flower key in my Art Philosophy Cartridge and molded a new paper flower. For this one I cut three sizes of the flower, sponged them with Petal ink, creased each petal down the center and molded the cup shape, then topped the whole she-bang, she-bang off with a rolled 3-D flower from the same AP cartridge. I swiped the edges of the completed flower with Creme Brulee Ink and  tucked some glitter glitz into the middle of each petal area. Woo!

By then I was feeling the Mojo, so I tackled the Freshly Made Sketch for this week. Those amazing ladies chose THIS card for the Queen of Clean last week, and I felt so honored - they really must not have seen my Stamp Pad before...{blushing}

Both sites always have super cute sketches, and the Freshly Made sketch for this week also fit the Geometric Challenge from Heart 2 Heart - score! H2H wanted a project made with 2 lines, a square and a circle - check, check, check, and check! Finally, I pulled my color combo from CAS-ual Friday. I know it's usually supposed to be white space, but I figured after the Back in Black challenge they might forgive me a little Pear space instead...

Again I used my fav new set, Pun Fun (sorry, I know you can't get it until August 1st, but it's just so stinkin' cute!), and my new stack of Pigment inks. I embossed the turtle using my adorable little pigment pad and clear EP, then colored him in quickly and topped him off with some glitz and a bitty sparkle on his tiny little party hat. Then I cut some (don't throw brads at me...throw the new bling gems!) 1/4" hearts from the AP cartridge and made stacks of three hearts that were creased down their tiny centers so they would fluff up and be more 3-D. Aren't they cute? Everything is better in tiny little baby sizes!

Thanks for buzzing by!

CTMH Eye Candy Badge

Happy 4th of July! Today, while John occupied the littles at the park and with many hours of bike riding and Wii, I patriotically worked all day on finishing some of the bazillion and one projects that must be done before Sunday morning when we round up our troops for our Camp-to-California adventure! 

This little pretty is a paper badge that I whipped up to identify myself as a part of the Facebook CTMH Eye Candy chat group. If you are a CTMH consultant and you aren't on Eye Candy, you are missing out on loads of fun artwork! It's a stack of 4 Cricut cut butterflies, each cut 1/4" smaller than the next. I stamped them with the Florentine WOTG stamp set in Cotton Candy ink, then did some coloring with my waterbrush plus Cotton Candy and Pear inks. Much glitter glitz gel and many sparkles were applied along with a Pear Cricut cut heart - now I'm ready to meet the fabulous Eye Candy ladies! 

One project down, only a bazillion more to go... 

We'll be doing fireworks in a bit, so I'll just say Happy 4th of July!

July Creative Club: Family Matters Album

Can you believe it's almost July? In just over a week we'll be heading out for our camp-down-to-California-Adventure, where I'll promptly abandon my three angels to their father's tender care while I scoot off to Dallas for CTMH convention!   When I get back I'll be chock full of fabulous new CTMH goodness...and ready to teach this SMASHing Family Matters album. 

I've been wanting to do something smash-book style for a while. The idea is to keep the pages simpler, with more focus on the pictures and journaling. I am so excited to get pics from our family visits into this book!

Join me at the Family Matters Album Workshop! I have a fabulous PRIZE for workshop attendees only...from the NEW, unavailable until August Fall/Winter CTMH catalog!! 

Date: Saturday, July 28th (9 a.m., or 1 p.m.)

Location: Wendy's Stamp Pad (or precut To Go kits are available to be shipped right to you!)

Included: Pre-cut, ready-to-assemble album kit, optional light lunch, fabulous scrappy company, new catalog sneak peeks!

PLEASE RSVP by July 6th - That's the last day I can order before I vamoose!

Workshop and TO GO Kits

(1) Family Matters Kit$25.00 USD (2) Family Matters Kits$50.00 USD TO GO Family Matters Kit (shipped to you)$30.00 USD (2) TO GO Family Matters Kits (shipped to you)$60.00 USD

Want to teach my workshop? Consultant Instructions Kits are available HERE.


Are you following me on Facebook? There's a link over on the left side of my blog to make it super simple to find Stamping Rules on Facebook.  That's where I'll be posting my thoughts, photos, and excitement about the new hoopla at CTMH Convention. Don't follow if you want to be surprised in August...

My CTMH Family Matters to me - thanks for stopping by! 

What's Black White and Retro Sketches all over?

Ah, Retro Sketches...how do you always have such irresistible sketches? I love, love, love making cards with a Retro Sketches sketch like this one. This was my first card of the day last Saturday...originally intended to be my team meeting create n take card. Then I go going...and going...and going....then I realized that I would not be mass producing this baby. But I do love it!

My background is embossed with a cuttlebug dots folder. I replaced the left side panel with some ribbons trimmed to size, then stitched across the top. Ad that's a bit of ric-rack peeking out the right side of the main panel.

I used the Black+White+any color challenge over at Heart 2 Heart - my extra color was just a dash of Tulip. That center flower is 4 layers of flat Art Philosophy cut flower, all 1/4" apart in size ranging from 1 1./2" to 3/4"  Each layer was sponged just a smidgen with black ink, the rolled with the back end of my piercing tool on a couple layers of fun foam to form the curvy petals. The pad that comes with my piercing tool kit would've been fabulous for this technique. Let me know if you see it 'round here, ok?

Those butterflies were fun "cricut orphans" that I sponged with black ink and a dauber before detailing with Silver Glitter Glitz. Each flower was topped with a black button brad filled with a sparkle.

Happy Wednesday Crafty Friends - halfway there... Hope you are enjoying your little corner of the world today!

P.S. Don't forget there's only three more days for Stampaganza - Buy two, get one free stamp sets!

You make the world a better place...

Welcome back, Stamping Friends! Today I'm trying out some new challenge blogs in my July SOTM Exploration.  I grabbed a fab sketch from Unscripted Sketches - there's a lot of talent hanging out over there! I combined that sketch with  the color challenge from Play Date Cafe. I'm excited about this one too - it looks like the challenges are super cute and the whole blog is coffee themed, so of course I love it!

This week's color challenge from Play Date Cafe is Black+White+Blue. I did a lot of sponging for these Cricut Art Philosophy layered flowers with Moonstruck ink, tipping each petal in Black. I also double sponged the edges of the mail sentiment. I inked that sentiment very carefully to stamp it in two colors - since it's so blocky it was easy to manipulate just the "YOU" to ink up in Moonstruck.

I broke into my stash of Star Spangled Blue Grosgrain and Gingham ribbons (yes, I've been hoarding saving full ROLLS of ribbon for a long time...) Then I wrapped a bit of black baker's twine in a bow around my gingham bow and topped it off with a bitty sparkle.  Notice I topped off my Bling button with a sparkle as well instead of threading it with twine. It's just big enough to cover the button holes!

And speaking of making the world a better place, my dearest husband John makes my world a better place. I've been really unwell this week, first with allergy issues, then because I took Prednisone for the allergy issues, and he is my rock star! Stasha over at the Good Life is up to Monday Listicles again, and this week we are to compose a list of ten memories about a man in our life. So here's to you, my dear scrubby - ten things I am so thankful for about you for me to remember when the Prednisone rage takes over!

1. Thank you for making sure I wake up to boys who are fed and dishes that are clean.

2. Thank you for having patience with said boys when I am at the end of my admittedly ridiculously short rope.

3. Thank you for cleaning my Stamp Pad for the team meeting Monday night after I spent all weekend making the biggest crafty mess know to womankind...and knowing where to store all the ink pads.

4. Thank you for embracing our crunchy new food life (and woo hoo for your Cholesterol of 149!) and becoming an advocate for our family's food idiosyncracies.

5. Thank you for checking in on me and answering my texts while at work even though you are endlessly busy with your new manager responsibilities.

6. Thank you for supporting our family financially. Big time.

7. Thank you for skipping your poker club quarterly hoopla to spend the day bowling with the boys and doing laundry because I was not feeling well. And you even vacuumed!

8. Thank you for taking the time to admire whatever crafty creation I've produced from the StampPad as though you too are excited by an excessive amount of glitter, rhinestones, and baker's twine!

9. Thank you for handling bathtime after a long day of work and making it a blast for the boys. They literally cry if I have to do bathtime when you work late. And then giving me adult conversation, often scrappy related, after that.

10. Thank you for loving our boys. And thank you for loving me.

Catch ya back here tomorrow to continue with more black+white+another color! Thanks for making the world a better place!

Imagine the Possibilities!

Back again for a whole week of July SOTM card inspiration! I am not kidding you that when I sat down on Saturday I literally turned to Karin and said that this SOTM was killing me. It's all sentiments - big ones, and I just could not wrap my brain around it. By the second cuppa Earl Grey, though, I was really getting behind this one. Since there's only sentiments, it's such a versatile set! The sentiments are big enough for scrapbooking, but designed enough to look really cool on a card. So I apologize to you, July SOTM. You are awesome - I just had to imagine the possibilities!!

So for this card I used the #40 sketch from Freshly Made Sketches. I used both Typeset and Cruisin' papers on my card base. Sometimes I struggle filling in a big shape like this oval, but in this case I knew just what I wanted there. I stamped the city skyline from the  Super Powers stamp set in Grey Flannel ink across the bottom of my Cricut cut oval. Gosh I love being able to just whip out shaped panels in a snap! Then I sponged the top with Juniper Ink, swiped all around with both Juniper and Black ink, and overstamped the whole panel with that huge SOTM Sentiment. I used a fine tipped Legacy Writer to add the dots around the edge of my oval - mostly because I didn't want to have to stitch all around the oval wanted to add some easy depth to my panel. And yes, that's a bit of Silver Glitter Glitz topped with a Bitty Sparkle dotting my "i"... because what could make a bitty sparkle better than a halo of glitter?

   I whipped up an embellishment cluster using scraps from my Cricut pile...do you have one of those? Every time I'm working on something I cut my shapes...plus one or two extra JUST IN CASE. Then I don't want to toss them because I might want them later, so I have a huge pile of orphaned Cricut cuts just waiting for me to find them a new crafty home. In this case I sponged the ticket frame with Black ink and backed it with a scrap of the Cruisin' Map paper. Silver Glitter Glitz was added to both the ticket and painted thinly onto the star.I also filled the black button brads with Silver Glitter Glitz. Fill them a bit more than you think you need - they flatten out nicely as they dry. That pretty button is leftover from my Bohemian Assortment Stella Collection...I need like 1,000,000 more of them! Shiny, silver, stitch detail - love it!

Speaking of stitch detail, I did hand stitch on the background of this card with my new favorite stitch - the running stitch! How awesome is it to get the texture of hand stitching but only have to do half the stitches?

OK - see ya back here tomorrow! Or you could sign up to follow me by email (over there in the upper left) and then you'll be sure not to miss even a bitty brad!

P.S.: I'm looking for Fabulous blog visitor Karen who commented on my Time for Something Sweet post - I have something sweet to send you in the mail if you'll email me a place to send it!

Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger: Mother's Day LO

So I'm not usually a one page kind of gal - double the pages all the way, baby! But there are just TOO many stinkin' cute one page sketches around...like THIS ONE from Bella Blvd. As soon as I saw bit I knew where I was headed....

These pictures are blurry, fuzzy, and badly lit. 2 year old Max looks like a giant compared to his 4 year old brother. The color is all wonky. And they are all I have from Mother's Day this year. In fact, these blurry sad pics are my actual sweet Mother's Day present! At 5 in the morning John and the boys made these signs and took these pictures to change up my screen saver to a rotating photo slideshow of my kiddos! The still stop weeks later to stare at their faces rotating on my screen - I love it!

This week's Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie Fab World is called Man-tastic! So I thought it was funny to use the Man-tastic theme and colors to make my Mother's Day pics warm and fuzzy...instead of just plain ol' fuzzy. Here's the trigger pic, and there's still 2 more weeks to play!

I pulled CS colors to coordinate, in this case Lagoon, Cocoa, Tulip, and some Grey Wool Textured CS I've been hoarding saving for a rainy day. I cut out this Ornaments shape using my Art Philosophy Cartridge and embossed each one with different Cuttlebug folders. I love the Herringbone pattern, but you have to run that one carefully - lots of detail there!

I distressed each ornament using different sides of the sanding block. I used the medium grit on the Grey and Tulip, since the texture was deep enough to take the grit. I used the finest side on the Swiss Dot Lagoon CS and the Cocoa Herringbone so they wouldn't get too distressed. Then I flipped the block to the coarsest side and edged all the pieces. I love the look of the distressed pattern against the crisp white background!

I laid them out in a pattern following the Bella Sketch. Instead of flowers I decided to go with my current favorite stamp - the big birdie from the June SOTM. I know - not fair I've been showing you all this fun stuff with that sweet little guy and you can't even get your inky paws on him yet...No worries! June is only a few days away!

I paper pieced him in Grey Wool textured CS distressed with a sponge and Cocoa Ink plus some of that Lagoon Dotty for You paper (only available for 2 more days...alas!!). Look at his cute beak and feet...in this case, they are petals trimmed from the new Just Blooms Paradise collection! And I just love an excuse to bring out the wiggly eyes...

I used a Tulip Marker to color my Color Ready Stickers to match, then stamped the border image from the June SOTM over top in Cocoa ink. I thought the swirly dotty border reminded me of Mendhi...along with the ornament pattern background. I loved these stickers and bought a ton recently from the While Supplies Last area...they are (sadly) gone now, but thee's a lot more goodies out there... perhaps it's time for a belated Mother's Day Shopping Spree?

I'm linking this post up to the Mother's Day Challenge over at Heart 2 Heart Challenges, too.

Thanks for stopping by - you're so TWEET!