March Parent & Me Workshop - Easter Bunny Bag & Card

It's hard to think that Easter will be here soon since we can't seem to get past winter here in Virginia!  Every time we think we may have seen the last of the snow for this season, the weathermen show more snow in the forecast! 

In an effort to wish Spring to come sooner, I started thinking about Easter and bunnies!  At the March Parent & Me workshop, the kids will be creating an adorable Easter Bunny treat bag and card. 

Here is a close-up of the elusive Easter Bunny escaping into the "bunny hole."  Children will have several options of spring-themed paper to choose for their background.  If you are planning to mail this card, a small scalloped circle can be exchanged for the pom-pom.

The back of the Bunny Bag is also decorated with a large white pom-pom tail.  At the conclusion of the workshop, each child will be given a little treat to put in his/her Bunny Bag.

The workshop will be held on Sunday, March 23rd at 2:00 pm.  Light refreshments will be provided. Space is limited, so purchase your kit today to reserve your spot!  The RSVP and payment deadline is March 16th.

The cost of the workshop is $6 for one bag and one card and is designed for children ages 5 & up along with their caregiver. Additional cards can be made for $2 each.

Easter Bunny Bag & Card

Bunny Bag & Card $6.00 USD Bunny Bag & 2 Cards $8.50 USD Bunny Bag & 3 Cards $11.00 USD

Not local to the area, contact me to purchase the kit (with an added fee for S & H) so you can create your own version at home!  I am happy to help you out via e-mail or phone with any questions you may have.

ABC Blog Hop - Letter "D" for Door Hanger

Welcome to the Everything ABC's Blog Hop!

For this hop we are featuring the letter D. This may be the name of a paper, a stamp set or an embellishment. Whatever the crafter has chosen as their "D" element will be featured in their post.

If you have just hopped onto my blog, please start at the beginning at Linda's blog ~ Scrappy Therapy.

If you came from Jenny Gilbert at Jen's Creative Classroom then you're on the right track!

"D" is for Doorknob Hanger!  For Valentine's Day, I made these cute little doorknob hangers to hold a couple goodies for my kids.  They enjoyed waking up to a special treat hanging on their door.

I started by cutting out the doorknob hanger shape from page 25 of the CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.  I used a 12x12 piece of Cotton Candy Cardstock, so I selected the fit to page option on my Cricut.  This allows the image to cut as large as possible within your paper size. 

The cricut cuts little slits (score lines) into the image so you know where to fold.  Once folded up, I secured the flaps with my Tombow adhesive. 

Once all sides were secured, the hangers were ready to be decorated!  Just to give you an idea of size, the hanger is 3 3/8" wide by 7 5/8" tall.  The opening is just over 3/4" deep and is just over 3" tall. 

I decorated the back part of the doorknob hanger by stamping hearts randomly (both hearts are included in February's Stamp of the Month - only available until the end of February!!!).  I used ink to match the cardstock to give it the tone on tone look.  I also cut an extra heart out using Cricut just to enhance the strength of the doorknob cutout (after all, I am planning to stuff these with Valentine's goodies). 

The lower part was decorated by placing a piece of silver shimmer trim (this is essentially glitter tape - self-adhesive!) around the top of the opening.  I cut out a shape from my CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge (p. 47) in contrasting color (pink for the red hanger, and red for the pink color) to serve as a backdrop for the fox image (also from the Stamp of the Month Set).  The foxes and hearts were stamped on White Daisy cardstock and matted using Slate cardstock. The entire image was adhered using 3-D foam tape onto the front of the hanger.  I also used my blending pen to color in the flower on the girl fox, and the nose on the boy fox (using the cotton candy ink pad). 

Here is the completed project - ready to be stuffed and hung on my children's doors.  While I decorated mine with a Valentine's theme, this image can be cut on any color paper and can therefore be made to fit any theme you can imagine!

I also created a little mini card to go into each doorknob hanger.  The card is the heart cutout card image from p. 26 of the CTMH Art Philosophy Cartridge (cut at 2 3/4").  I outlined the cutout with a Ruby heart cut from the same page.  The middle heart is popped up on 3-D foam tape so that it actually comes through the opening. 

Close To My Heart Supplies Used for Doorknob Hangers:
S1402 - February Stamp of the Month: Wild About Love
Z1799 - Sliver Shimmer Trim
3174 - Blending Pen
Z2173 - Slate Exclusive Ink Pad
Z2193 - Cotton Candy Exclusive Ink Pad
Z2170 - Ruby Exclusive Ink Pad
Z1151 - 3-D Foam Tape
1514 - Tombow Adhesive
Z1686 - Cricut Art Philosophy Collection
CTMH Cardstock in Ruby, Cotton Candy, Slate and White Daisy

Additional CTMH supplies used for Mini Cards:
B1416 - Keyboard Uppercase Stamp Set
Z1911 - Stamp Set from Designed Décor Frame Kit (for arrow)
Z2105 - Black Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Retired Washi Wonders Hostess Stamp Set

All items can be purchased by visiting my CTMH website!

Thank you for stopping by to check out my "D" project.  Your next stop on our Everything ABC'S blog Hop is Cary Magnani at My Heart's Design.

Here is the complete lineup in case you get lost along the way :)
1. Linda Norman- Scrappy Therapy
2. Lauren Moore- CTMH Craftings
3. Michelle Battitori - Michelle's Handmade World
4. Catherine Nowak ~ Catscrapbooking
5. Jenny Gilbert - Jen's Creative Classroom
6.  Lisa Plummer - Flaunt Your Creativity
7. Cary Magnani - My Heart's Design
8. Shalana Glass - Scrappin with Shalana
9. Pam Trostle - Pam's Crafty Creations
10. Michele Pryor - Michele's Ink It Stamp It
11. Sharon Chapman - PaperFiesta
12 Anita Autore Cards and Coffee

Studio J Digital Scrapbooking - Stop and Smell the Tulips

Here in Virginia, we have had TOO much winter!  It has been too cold and too snowy for us, and we're ready for Spring!  One of the things I can't wait for is the Festival of Spring at Burnside Farms.  Last year, they had a field of thousands of tulips!  Not only is it beautiful to look at, but the kids had such a great time and were able to pick their own bouquets.

 

I threw together this quick digital page to get the family prepared for Spring!  Studio J On-line Software makes digital scrapbooking so quick and easy!  The colors in the Sophia kit seemed to go nicely with the Tulip field pictures.  My favorite detail about this page is the "Delight in Everything" embellishment in the center of the right-hand page.  It fits perfectly with these pictures, especially the one of my daughter smelling the tulip!

If you're interested in trying out Studio J, it is free to use.  You only pay for what you have created, try it out by visiting the Studio J site! Feel free to contact me with any questions!

CTMH Technique Blog Hop - Washi Tape

Welcome to Flaunt Your Creativity!  I am participating in my first ever blog hop.  If you are unfamiliar with how these hops work, we are given a theme, and have to create something using that theme.  Everyone who participates is linked up so that you can hop from one to the next and see all the different creations people have come up with for the theme. 

 

There are 12 participants in this Technique Blog Hop highlighting Washi Tape.  This blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start wherever you want and continue through to see all the fabulous artwork incorporating this technique.  If you are coming from Terry Morrow at Tomorrow's Treasure, you are on the right track. 

 

Ever since I started this adventure in crafting back in November, I have wanted to create a set of signs to hang above my crafting space.  I could envision "Flaunt Your Creativity" above my desk, but hadn't gotten around to making the signs yet.  As soon as I pulled out my 3 favorite washi tapes, Smoothie Striped, Lagoon Houndstooth and Slate Polka-Dot, I decided these colors would be the focus of my new sign!  Here is one of the three signs I have created for my work area (the other two are still works in progress). 

The technique I am highlighting is how to use Washi Tape to make decorative medallions.  First, cut out your basic medallion shape.  This can be accomplished via Cricut (I used CTMH's Cricut Artiste Cartridge for the one with Lagoon Houndstooth shown in the first picture below) or you can just cut a strip of plain paper if you prefer the flat edge medallion (see the Smoothie Stripe Medallion farther below) and score it yourself. 

 

This one is from page 55 of the Artiste Book, and was cut at 1 1/2" on white daisy cardstock.  I then adhered a strip of Lagoon Houndstooth washi tape close to the outer edge.  The Cricut cuts fold lines in the paper so you know where to make the accordion folds.  Make sure to cut 2 of each design to make a complete circular medallion.

Once both pieces were folded, I used my Tombow adhesive to connect the two strips to make a complete circle.  I covered a 1" circle with Liquid Glass, then slowly pushed down the top of the medallion so that the center rested on the 1" circle.   

I added a little more Liquid Glass to the center to make sure it was nice and sturdy!  The hole in the center of this was just a little too big for the large gem from the Clear Sparkles Assortment, so I added a 1/2" circle cut from Smoothie cardstock first, then topped it with a gem.

I repeated the steps above for my remaining medallions, using different patterns from the Artiste Cartridge. The white medallion with Smoothie Stripe Washi tape is just two 12" x 2 1/2" pieces of daisy white cardstock.  I used my Score Pal to score it at 1/4" increments.

For my title, I used CTMH's Artbooking Cricut Cartridge to cut out "Creativity" using Smoothie cardstock.  I used my Cricut Gypsy to weld the letters together as much as possible. 

I also used the Washi Tape to make the strips underneath the title. Smoothie Striped Washi Tape was adhered onto a 1 1/2" strip of Daisy White Cardstock.  Two pieces of Slate Polka-Dot Washi Tape were adhered onto a 1" strip of Daisy White Cardstock.  The medium gems from the Clear Assorted Sparkle pack were added on the end of the Lagoon strip.

The frame holds an 11" x 17" picture, so was too big for one piece of 12" x 12" cardstock. I trimmed two pieces of Slate cardstock to 11" x 8 1/2" so they would meet in the middle of the frame.  Using my Slate Exculsive Ink,  I stamped the flourish from the Love Life stamp set into the two left corners of the sign, and also across the middle to appear as it was coming out of the medallions.  I used the adhesive-backed sparkle flourishes to add a little bling to the sign.  One I placed along the "C" and the other coming out of the medallions.

The slate polka-dot medallion and the solid Lagoon medallion are both popped up with 3-D Foam Tape.

Close-ups of the completed medallions:

Now I have a beautiful sign to hang in my Creative Space!  Once I finish the "Flaunt" and "Your" signs, I will share the whole creation.  Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you thought of my variation!

Close To My Heart Materials Used:
Z1812 - Sparkles Clear Flourishes - Small
Z1752 - Sparkles Clear Assortment
Z1923 - Smoothie Striped Washi Tape
Z1850 - Lagoon Houndstooth Washi Tape
Z1817 - Slate Polka-Dot Washi Tape
Z1151 - 3-D Foam Tape
D1482 - Love Life - My Acrylix Stamp Set
Z2173 - Slate Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z1790 - Cricut Artiste Collection
Z1906 - Cricut Artbooking Collection
CTMH Cardstock in Daisy White, Lagoon, Slate and Smoothie

***CTMH offers washi tape in 8 different patterns.  Two are 1" wide and the other six are 1/2" wide.  Visit my Close To My Heart website to purchase your own washi tape!

If you have been following the whole tour, you have reached the end!  Thanks for taking the time to check out all of our Washi Tape projects!  If you are just starting with my blog, click on Debi's blog below to start over at the beginning.  Here is the complete list of participants in case you get lost along the way:

1.  Debi Barber 

2. Shirley Ross

3. Sheila Bennett

4. Joy McHargue

5. Wendy Kessler

6. Michelle Loncar

7. Haley Dyer

8. Michelle Battitori

9. Judy Faye Garner

10. Terry Morrow

 



March Workshop - Base & Bling Jewelry Bar

I'm excited to share CTMH's new jewelry line with you!  The Base & Bling chains, pendants, charms and style sheets can be mixed and matched to make a unique piece of jewelry that represents you.  Here are a couple examples that CTMH put together for the new Spring/Summer Catalog. 

These pendants are super simple to make!  My daughter and I had fun creating a couple for our own necklaces.  I loved the dream one with the bird charm from the catalog (shown above), so I had to make that for myself. 

I also selected this white lace rose and paired it with the gold rose and key charms. 

Though my daughter has never been, she loves Paris! For her first pendant, she instantly picked the Eiffel Tower and paired it with.....the Eiffel Tower and a silver rose! 

She also paired the peacock feathers with the long feather charm.

The last pendant, she made to give as a gift to her Grandma (so no peaking Grandma!).  She selected a pastel rose design for her pendant and added the Rose and Heart charms. 

If you're interested in making custom jewelry, please join me on March 10th from 8-10 pm!  Don't be intimidated by the word "make," it really is very simple!  Not only are these fun to make for yourself, but they make great gifts as well. 

For $25, you will receive one 30" chain (with 2" extender and lobster claw clasp), 3 pendants that you will create that evening, 3 charms and 1 rhinestone.  Additional items (chains, charms, etc.) can be purchased by contacting me.

Once you have RSVPed for the event, I will contact you to select your desired jewelry making supplies.  Your choices include:

• Color - faux antiqued silver or faux antiqued gold (chain, pendants and charms)
• Pendants - circular or square
• Charms - All pendants will be in your selected color. 
• Dreamer - bird, feathers (shown below)
• Free Thinker - owl, rose, key (shown below)
• Craft Queen - bow, camera, scissors (shown below)
• Storyteller - Eiffel Tower, heart, crown (can be viewed by clicking name)  
• Insert sheets - these are the actual paper pieces that go inside your pendant and can be viewed by clicking on the name
• Storyteller (Muted colors/vintage/family-themed)
• Free Thinker (Bright colors/Quirky/hip)
• Craft Queen (Bright Primary Patterns/craft-themed)
• Dreamer (Pastel Patterns/feathers/birds).

Light refreshments will be provided.  Space is limited, so purchase your kit today to reserve your space!  The RSVP and payment deadline is February 24th to ensure timely arrival of all materials.  You will receive a confirmation e-mail within 48 hours of your payment.

Not local to the area, visit my website to have your jewelry selections delivered directly to your home!  I am happy to help you out via e-mail or phone with any questions you may have. 

February Parent & Me Workshop - Bookmarks

February is "I Love to Read" Month.  But in this house, we don't need a special month to love to read!  My daughter is a voracious reader and has to be told to "put the book down and go to sleep" most nights.  My son doesn't read on his own, but he loves being read to.  It's amazing how a kid with seemingly endless energy will cuddle up next to me in our big reading chair and listen to me read book after book after book!

Because of our love for reading, and the theme for the month, I thought it'd be a great idea for kids to make their own bookmarks.  Kids who already love to read will enjoy having their very own handmade bookmarks to mark their spots as they read.  This would also be a great option for kids who don't enjoy reading quite as much.  They might be more likely to pick up a book and start to read so that they can use their new handmade bookmark!  These bookmarks would also make great handmade gifts to friends or family who love to read.

Attendees will make 2 monogrammed bookmarks each, but have the option to make additional sets.  There are three sets to pick from. 

The first set uses the new Timberline paper and is a masculine mix of brown, gold and blue-green.  I made this set for my 4 year old son. 

The second set uses the retired Chantilly paper and is a feminine mix of pastel pinks, greens and yellows.  This set I made for myself!

The third set uses the new Lollydoodle paper and is a fun and bright mix of pink and turquoise.  My daughter made this set for herself.

The workshop will be held on Sunday, February 23rd at 2:00 pm.  Light refreshments will be provided. Space is limited, so purchase your kit today to reserve your spot!  The RSVP and payment deadline is February 16th.

The cost of the workshop is $8 for one set of bookmarks, and is designed for children ages 5 & up along with their caregiver.  If you and your child would like to make more than one set, additional sets may be purchased for $5 per add on set (up to 3 total sets).  Please specify in the comment section which kit(s) you and your child would like to make.  Your choices are Timberline, Chantilly or Lollydoodle.

Workshop Kits

1 set of 2 bookmarks $8.00 USD 2 sets of 2 bookmarks $13.00 USD 3 sets of 2 bookmarks $18.00 USD

Not local to the area, contact me to purchase the kit (with an added fee for S & H) so you can create your own version at home!  I am happy to help you out via e-mail or phone with any questions you may have

Studio J Digital Scrapbooking - Swinging Around

Last spring, the kids were dressed in adorable outfits (somewhat matching by chance), my daughter's hair was perfectly curly (not something that happens very often), they were both out having fun on the playground, and the lighting outside was PERFECT - every detail screamed for me to grab my camera and capture these moments!  I obeyed and took lots :o) 

 

The pictures turned out great, and I didn't think I could love them even more.  That is where scrapbooking comes in - taking your beautiful pictures, and allowing you to flaunt them in an even more amazing way!  Imagine my surprise when I logged into CTMH's Studio J On-Line Digital Scrapbooking software and discovered the Magic Moments kit - I couldn't have asked for a more perfect match for my daughter's dress!  My favorite detail is the stitched yellow flower along the right edge!

If you're interested in trying out Studio J, it is free to use.  You only pay for what you have created, so it is free to try out by visiting my page!

February Specials - What Does The Fox Say?

 In case you aren't aware, foxes are all the rage right now.  It's the chicken or the egg dilemma for me - is the fox popular because of the "What Does The Fox Say?" song, or was the song made because foxes were becoming popular?  Either way, other than my kids singing the song....repeatedly, I haven't been too much into the fox craze.  Then I received my new CTMH catalog and saw the melt-your-heart February Stamp of the Month Set - all about foxes!  I may just be a fox fan after all! 

If you aren't familiar with the Stamp of the Month program, CTMH releases a new stamp that is only available for one month!  You can purchase the set at full price ($17.95) OR, if you place a $50 qualifying order, you can purchase the set for only $5.

The other CTMH February special is for the new embossing folders.  I've mentioned before that these are one of my favorites from the new catalog. Embossing adds dimension and texture to an otherwise plain piece of paper!  For every 2 packs of cardstock that you purchase, you receive one embossing folder for free!  There are 5 different folders - so now seems like a great time to stock up on cardstock!!!!

Visit my site to get your fox stamp set and or embossing folders today!

A Day of Firsts!

Today is a day of very exciting firsts.  February 1st marks the release of the new Close To My Heart Spring/Summer Catalog!  This is my FIRST catalog release since I began this new venture of working as a CTMH representative.  I have had the privilege of previewing the catalog for the past month, and am overflowing with ideas of how to use all the new products!  I can't wait to share them all with you!  Contact me to receive your new catalog or you can view it on my CTMH site!

While it's very hard to pick just one, my favorite scrapbooking line is Skylark.  It's a mix of yummy blues, greens, yellows and tans that can go either feminine or masculine depending on your embellishments and design.  I always love products that can be used to scrapbook my son or my daughter!

I'm also very excited about the new embossing folders.  There are 5 different designs - though my favorite is the Quatrefoil folder shown below.  This is a great way to add texture and dimension to pages and cards.  With CTMH's white core cardstock, a little sandpaper on the raised surface adds even more uniqueness!

My other FIRST on February 1st is that I'm hosting my first large scrapbooking crop.  I am on the board of the Discovery Junction Children's Museum.  We are a non-profit organizatio that is working to bring a much needed children's museum to Prince William County, Virginia.  The proceeds for this crop have been donated to the museum to help make our dream a reality! I'm very excited for this day of fun!  To welcome each attendee to their crafting nook for the day, I created these little place cards.  

The base is Lagoon cardstock and the Colonial White piece was cut using CTMH's Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.  The flair is from the Swirls Around stamp set and was stamped in Slate ink.  I stamped the names using the A Typeface stamp set and Gypsy ink.  This stamp set is great for two reasons (other than it is super cute) - 1) it is only $6.95 and you get 43 stamps and 2) there are multiples of the more frequently used letters.  With all of these name cards, I never once ran out of letters!  I was able to stamp each name by spelling the entire name out on the acrylic block and stamping at once (as opposed to having to stamp individual letters).  Granted, if I ever have to stamp my niece's name, I will run into a problem since it has 4 E's!

This adorable butterfly was also cut from CTMH's Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.  I scored her down the middle so that I could easily fold her wings up for a 3-D effect, then used a glue dot to adhere her to the card.  I added a few clear Bitty Sparkles down the middle to give her a little extra pop.  I love how these turned out and hope the attendees enjoy them too!

CTMH supplies used:

• Cardstock - Lagoon, Gypsy and Colonial White
• Inks - Gypsy and Slate
• CTMH's Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge
• Bitty Sparkles
• Glue Dots
• Tombow Adhesive
• A Typeface My Acrylix Stamp Set
• Swirls Around My Acrylix Stamp Set