WELCOME to my blog! This is the place to see what class offerings I have. I am also a consultant for Close to my Heart, a company that offers stamping and scrapbooking supplies. Take a look at the products and specials they are currently offering.

I hope you find something of interest to you.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

PATHFINDING SCRAPBOOK LAYOUT



I finally completed the scrapbook layout that I used for my October workshop.  I think this is the fastest I have ever completed a layout of an activity – done within a week of arriving home!
This layout uses the CTMH Pathfinding papers, and a sketch from the Make It From Your Heart pattern book – Volume 2, #3. 



While Phoenix doesn’t really offer a lot in the way of fall colors, it was still our fall getaway, so I added the cork and wooden pieces from the Pathfinding Assortment and some of the leftover leaves from the fall box project we did earlier in the month.   I also stamped some larger leaves and acorns to add interest to the top right corner.  

My Cricut is usually put to work for titles on my pages, but this time I decided to use a couple of my large alphabet sets instead – and then fussy-cut them before adding them to the page. 

 

I added flip-flaps to this layout.  One reason was to hide photos that weren’t the greatest (the only photos of my husband and me together were blurry, but I still wanted to use them) and to add more details.  The cork and wooden elements worked great as tabs for the flip-flaps.


I am entering this layout into the following challenges this week.  Hop over to these blogs to check out the other projects.
JustUs Girls – photo inspiration (fall)
Crazy4 Challenge – photo inspiration (fall)
SweetStampin’ – anything but a card!

YULETIDE CAROL CHRISTMAS CARD WORKSHOP



These are the 10 cards for the Christmas card workshop.  In addition to the cards, everyone will make at least 10 tags—probably more.  I’m still working on those!  The covered canister is an added option, and can be used to store the tags we will make. It also makes a great package for a small gift to a special friend.

Dates are:
Monday, November 17
Tuesday, November 18
Saturday, November 22

Head over to the Project Workshop page of this blog to see more details of what you need to complete this workshop.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

MERRY MONDAY #131 - Non-Traditional Colors




The Snowhaven Cardmaking Workshop on the Go stamp set has some really fun images – and this is one of my favorite sentiments.  I love paper piecing, and this sentiment worked very well with the technique.  



The layout of the card is the same as in the workshop, but that is where the similarities end.  I was inspired by the Merry Monday challenge to use “non-traditional colors” on a Christmas card.  Now I realize that I used the traditional red and green, but I started with the navy blue patterned paper, which actually came from the “Superhero” paper pack.  What could be further from Christmas?!  

I loved the mix of the navy with the red and green, so I am entering this card in the Merry Monday Challenge.





Here is a list of all the materials I used for this card.  All items are from CTMH.
Stamps:
Snowhaven Cardmaking WOTG stamp set G1085
Papers:
Colonial White and Outdoor Denim cardstock
Superhero Background paper (retired)
Inks:
Outdoor Denim, Cranberry and Topiary
Other:
Topiary Striped Washi Tape 2002
Ruby Chevron Washi Tape Z1933
Red Enamel Hearts Z2009
3-D Foam Tape Z1151

Be sure to check out Merry Monday’sChallenge Blog for more non-traditional colors on Christmas cards. 

Thanks for stopping by to take a look!

NOTE - I was told that this card would be featured on the 613 Avenue Creations facebook page - and I was chosen as the Color Designer of the Day for Monday, October 27!

Thursday, October 23, 2014

FULL OF THANKS - Deconstructed Sketch #173




I’ve created a second card using the stamp set from the Pathfinding Cardmaking Workshop on the Go.  I love the phrases in this set – and while it has a fall theme, the cards can be made for any time of year when you need to thank someone.  I used the Deconstructed Sketch #173 for the inspiration.  The paper I chose is from the Scaredy Cat pack – which has a Halloween theme.  But there are so many colors in this particular sheet, it was easy to pull out the thistle (purple) and black to create a whole different feel.  And the purple from the retired Laughing Lola papers coordinated perfectly with it.  

So here’s all of the materials I used for this card.  All items are from CTMH unless indicated.
Stamps:
Pathfinding Cardmaking WOTG stamp set G1083
Papers:
Colonial White, Thistle and Black cardstock
Scaredy Cat Background paper X7185B
Laughing Lola Background paper (retired)
Inks:
Thistle

Other:
Purple Shimmer Trim Z1919
Black Shimmer Trim Z1809
3-D Foam Tape Z1151
Cuttlebug embossing folder
Black gemstones from my stash!

Be sure to check out DeconstructingJen’s blog for more cards made with her sketch. 

Thanks for taking time to visit today!

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

THANKFUL FOR YOU CARD



I’ve been back in my craft room creating after several weeks of cutting for classes and workshops.  Of course, my starting point is always to check the current challenge blogs, and I wasn’t disappointed in what I found.  I used three different challenges on this card – the first is the sketch from Mojo Monday.   I found that Heart2Heart had a color challenge posted a week ago, and luckily, they are active for the entire month, so I could still participate.  Finally, the Allsorts challenge for this week is to add embossing – so that works with the woodgrain background!

The color challenge was probably the one that stretched me the most – but it is the challenge that I think really made this card special.   I would not have put these colors together, but I LOVE how it turned out.  It’s fall-y, but not necessarily a fall card.  I really like the fact that the stamp set has this great phrase as 3 separate images, making it super easy to have the various colors. 


Since this will be a card we make in my November classes, I wanted to have a special technique used.  The flower is stamped in the goldrush ink first, and then edges are rolled in the cranberry ink.  I love this technique, and think it works best when using colors with a lot of contrast, like the goldrush and cranberry.  I tried it recently with two shades of pink, and it just didn’t work.

I always like to add a little image that relates on the inside of the card – and this stamp set has a smaller version of the large flower – perfect!

So here’s all of the materials I used for this card.  All are from CTMH.
Stamps:
Pathfinding Cardmaking WOTG stamp set G1083 (sentiment and arrow images)
Happy Autumn D1550 (flower and leaves)
Cardstock:
Colonial White, Desert Sand, Goldrush and Cranberry
Inks:
Lagoon, Goldrush, Cranberry and Desert Sand
Other:
Woodgrain Embossing Folder Z1996
3-D Foam Tape Z1151

Thanks for stopping by my blog.  Be sure to check out the blogs for each of these challenges.  You will really get inspired by not only the samples made by the design teams, but by the participants as well.