Tag Archives: Close To My Heart

Apr 26 2013

Blog Hop ~ Letter I

Posted on by

Everything ABC's Blog Hop

 Welcome to the Everything ABC’s Blog Hop!

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

If you have just hopped onto my blog, please start at the beginning  at Amber’s  blog ~ Scrapper’s Therapy

If you came from Alicia at Serene Scrapping With Alicia, then you’re on the right track!

 

I was recently commissioned to make 30 bridal shower invitations for a friend’s daughter….so my “I” word is INVITATION.

I used the Avonlea papers to go with her wedding colors and went for a “shabby chic” look which is the bride’s style. I absolutely love the Love Doily stamp set! This was my first time using it, and I am so impressed with the beautiful intricacy of the doily. I embossed it with Versamark ink and white embossing powder, cut the image out by hand….sadly, there is not a coordinating Cricut cut for this shape….. and popped it up with 3D foam tape. It doesn’t show in the photos, but the background gray card stock is spritzed with a combination of  grey flannel re-inker (retired), Create a Shade pearl paint and water using a spray pen. The resulting shimmer adds a beautiful romantic touch. The faux stitching was done with the CTMH ruler and piercing tool and a white gel pen…..  I wasn’t about to hand stitch 30 invitations :-) ! I printed the inside information on velum and stamped the doily on the card under the velum for a soft look. A matching doily on the envelope adds the finishing touch.

 

 

Your next stop on our Everything ABC’S blog Hop is Amber of  Scrapper’s Therapy.

Happy Crafting!

Kathy

 

Here is the complete lineup in case you get lost along the way:)

1.  Amber La Mons ~ Scrapper’s Therapy

3.  Shelly ~ Just One Piece

4. Theo~ Celebrate Crafts

5. Alicia ~ Serene Scrapping with Alicia

5.  Kathy ~ Kathy’s Creative Corner <—————————You Are Here

Apr 12 2013

Blog Hop ~ Letter H

Posted on by

Everything ABC's Blog Hop

 

Welcome to the Everything ABC’s Blog Hop!

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

If you have just hopped onto my blog, please start at the beginning  at Amber’s  blog ~ Scrapper’s Therapy

If you came from Alicia at Serene Scrapping then you’re on the right track!

For my H submission I have chosen to highlight another layout from the Studio J album that I am making for my Mom of our trip to Alaska. This is Homer Alaska. Once again I used an express collection layout….so easy to drop photos into place, customize the title and add journaling! This time I used the “All About Me” collection. The top photo is a screen shot of the layout in Studio J before I added anything. As you can see, I didn’t change much. I copy/pasted the numbers on the photos and resized them to add to my journaling and changed the title…..other than that, I used the layout as is……easy peasy!

Try Studio J for yourself by clicking Here or on the Studio J icon to the right  ———————–>

Untitled-1

homer_spit

Here are a couple more Homer layouts from Mom’s album…….

majestic_view moose_on_the_loose

 

Your next stop on our Everything ABC’S blog Hop is  Amber La Mons ~ Scrapper’s Therapy

Happy Crafting!

Kathy

Here is the complete lineup in case you get lost along the way:

1.  Amber La Mons ~ Scrapper’s Therapy

2.  Lucy ~ Love 2 Create

3.  Shelly ~ Just One Piece

4. Theo~ Celebrate Crafts

5. Shalana ~ Scrappin with Shalana

6. Linda-Scrappy Therapy

7. Alicia – Serene Scrapping

8. Kathy Johnson – Kathy’s Creative Corner <———You are Here

 

Mar 29 2013

Blog Hop ~ Letter G

Posted on by

Everything ABC's Blog Hop

 

Welcome to the Everything ABC’s Blog Hop!

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

If you have just hopped onto my blog, please start at the beginning  at Amber’s  blog ~ Scrapper’s Therapy

If you came fromLinda Norman at Scrappy Therapy  then you’re on the right track!

This week I want to feature one of my favorite cuts on the Ariste Cricut cartridge, this awesome gift card holder. There are 2 different designs of gift card holders on Artiste and they are super simple to assemble.

I don’t know about you but I never have liked giving gift cards. They just seem impersonal to me. I like to give a gift that has cost me something more than just money. I like to give something of myself with each gift. I like to put some thought into what my loved one would like to have, and then spend some of my precious time choosing just the right gift. Unfortunately, I am often clueless about what would be most appreciated, so gift cards are a practical solution, but the giving of them has always left me feeling…….empty. Then I discovered these fabulous little cards on Artiste! Now I can give a practical gift card and still pour myself into the choice of papers and embellishments to make the presentation extra special…….The best of both worlds! :-)

 DSC07537DSC07538

I made this one with the Dotty for You paper from last year’s National Scrapbooking Month kit…..love these fun papers! The rosette is also from Artiste, there are several different designs of them on the cartridge. Artiste makes all that accordian folding super fast and easy! The flower in the center is from the For Always assortment. The sentiment is from the Remarkable Wreath (retired) stamp set, and I tied it all together with Paradise Assortment Baker’s Twine.

 

Your next stop on our Everything ABC’S blog Hop is  Amber La Mons ~ Scrapper’s Therapy

 

Happy Crafting!

Kathy

 

Here is the complete lineup in case you get lost along the way:

 

1.  Amber La Mons ~ Scrapper’s Therapy

2. Theodora Diamantopoulos-Stacey~ Celebrate Crafts

3. Shelly Nemitz ~ Just One Piece

4. Lucy Kelleher ~ Love 2 Create

5. Linda Norman ~ Scrappy Therapy

6. Kathy Johnson ~ Kathy’s Creative Corner <——————————-YOU ARE HERE!

Mar 6 2013

Hurry, don’t miss it!

Posted on by

Threre are only a few days left to get in on this great Studio J special!

Feb-CC-ImageGallery-v2

Through March 15th, each 2 page Studio J layout purchased is only $5. That’s nearly 30% off the regular low price of $6.95/layout and there are no limits! You can purchase as many as you want at this amazing price, but you must act quickly! Log in to Studio J today and get started creating beautiful scrapbook layouts the fast and easy way. Contact me if you would like to schedule a one on one Studio J consultation. I’ll walk you through the basics and help you get started.

Here’s a great Love Your Layout episode to inspire you

Feb 2 2013

Everything ABC’s Blog Hop ~ Letter C

Posted on by

Everything ABC's Blog Hop

Welcome to the Everything ABC’s Blog Hop!

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

If you came from  Linda Norman at Scrappy Therapy then you’re on the right track!

My project for today’s hop is related to what I am calling the “crafter’s curse”. There’s my letter C tie in ;-) . I recently discovered this curse while cleaning my craft room…..again, can you relate? It seemed that in each cupboard, drawer and basket I found some little “treasure” that I had squirreled away. You know what I mean, those packaging items and left over things that most people would throw in the trash or recycling bin, (I’ve actually had to force myself to throw away the cute little ”envelopes” that tea bags sometimes come in). We crafters keep these things…..why? Because they might come in handy to make something wonderful!……someday. Here are a few examples of what I found while cleaning:

crafter's curse

Remember those cd’s that AOL used to send in the mail to get you to try their internet service? (This shows just how long I’ve been cursed!) Well, they come in this great little box with a magnetic flap closure. For today’s project (I really did create something for the Blog Hop :-) ) I used the box from Vonage, because it’s orange and would work with the new Buzz & Bumble paper, and it’s a little smaller so it will fit in my purse more easily. I made this cute little accordion album to keep photos of my grands in. The photos I used are already out of date (they grow so fast!)…..I’d better get out the camera and take some new ones!

Products Used:

New Buzz & Bumble paper pack

New Surf’s Up paper pack

Burlap Ribbon

New small Sparkles flourishes

Antiqued Gold Mini-Medley

Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge

Durables Square Studs

Sparkles Brown/Tan asst.

Hooray Bouquet stamp set

I’ll be posting more projects made from my hoarded items so be sure to become a follower of my blog so you won’t miss a thing.

Your next stop on our Everything ABC’s blog Hop is   Joanne Barnes at Josie’s Joy

Happy Crafting!

Kathy

Here is the complete lineup in case you get lost along the way:

1.  Amber La Mons ~  Scrapper’s Therapy

2. Lucy ~ Love 2 Create

3. Linda Norman - Scrappy Therapy

4. Kathy Johnson ~ Kathy’s Creative Corner ~ You Are Here

5. Joanne Barnes – Josie’s Joy

6. Kelly Lane ~ Paper Petal Memories

7. Shalana Glass ~ Scrappin with Shalana

8. Theodora~ Celebrate Crafts

9. Shelly Nemitz ~ Just One Piece

10. Alicia Petitt – Serene Scrapping with Alicia

11. Alicia Hill Olson ~ Love Stamping

Jan 20 2013

Today is a 2fer!

Posted on by

In today’s post I’d like to share not only a Studio J Sunday video, but also a little sneak peek at Chantilly, one of our new paper packs for Spring/Summer 2013 (available Feb.1st) Chantilly is featured on the coveer of the new Idea Book.

Pretty and whimsical, Chantilliy has a soft and fun color pallette of Buttercup, Champagne, Cotton Candy, Pear, Ruby, Sunset and Twilight. It’s perfect for scrapbook layouts and cards for so many occasions. I plan to use it for Easter, but it will be great for birthdays, weddings, mother’s day, garden photos, anniversarys…..well, you get the picture! The card that I made for today uses this week’s Mojo Monday sketch. Yes, I know that it’s almost Monday again ;-)

Chantilly Mojo Monday

I cut the doily from the Cricut Artiste cartridge, and used the zip strip from the paper as a border along with the Color Ready Seam Binding ribbon. I sponged the ribbon with cotton candy ink and tied the bow using a fork! I’ve heard of this method and decided to “google” it and give it a try. Here’s the tutorial that I used. My serving fork only has 3 tines, so I used a dinner fork instead. It worked great for this project since I wanted a tiny bow, but I need to hit the thrift stores in search of a larger fork to use. The hearts on the doily are also cut from Artiste and stamped with the stamp set from the ”Whooo’s Your Valentine” kit which is available for only $10 with a $35 order through the end of January. Click here or on the shopping cart at the right to place your order and get this great kit today! The small hearts are also from the kit and stamped in Smoothie and Outdoor Denim ink. A few Pearl Opaques finish it off. I haven’t added a sentiment yet, I originally planned this as a valentine, but I may send it to my Sister who has a birthday this week.

And now for this week’s Studio J video on personalizing your layout……

Jan 19 2013

Everything ABC’s Blog Hop ~ Letter B

Posted on by

Everything ABC's Blog Hop

  Welcome to the Everything ABC’s Blog Hop!

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

If you came from Joanne Barnes at “Josies Joy“ then you’re on the right track

For the letter B, I thought that I would re-visit a project that I posted a few months ago. I like this bracket frame so much that I have it on display in my craft room. The Bracket Frame from Close To My Heart comes plain white and ready to customize any way that you would like. I used the now retired, La Belle Vie paper on this one. The shape that fits the frame is on the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. Using Cricut Craft room to add a square to the center makes it super fast and easy to cut a perfect fit. The bracket shape is cut at 11″ with a 6.75″ square centered in it. Use Bonding Memories glue or Mod Podge to adhere it to the frame and finished it with our Finishing Files. I trimmed the cut out square down a little and used the pattern on the other side of the paper as a background for the photo. The black scroll “frame” and the 3-D flowers were also cut with the A.P. cartridge. The CTMH Quilling Tool really simplifies rolling the spiral flowers!  I added Pearl Flourishes, a little Black Tulle Ribbon (which is awesome BTW) and a couple of stick pins from the Bling Assortment, which retires on Jan. 31st, so be sure to get it while you still can. The flower centers are embellished with a “secret” item shared by the Fabulously Artsy Tressa Black (see #10 on her post) at convention this past July……silica gel pearls! That’s right, those little packets with the warning not to eat them contain these little “pearls”. (They also make great butterfly bodies).

Each time my daughter sees this frame she hints, not so subtly, that she would like to have it. The photo is of her little one who turns 1-year-old at the end of the month. What do you think, should I give it to her or keep it for myself?…….

 

Your next stop on our Everything ABC’S blog Hop is Alicia Olsen  at “Love Stamping”

Happy Crafting!

Kathy

Here is the complete lineup in case you get lost along the way:

1.  Amber La Mons ~ http://scrapperstherapy.blogspot.com

2.  Lucy Kelleher ~ http://www.love2createitall.com

3. Theodora~ http://www.celebratecrafts.com/

4. Linda ~ http://www.scrappytherapy.com

5. Shalana Glass ~ http://scrappinwithshalana.blogspot.com/

6. Joanne Barnes ~ http://josiesjoy.blogspot.com

7. Kathy Johnson ~ kathyscreativecorner.com

8. Alicia Olson ~ http://lovestamping.com/

9. Kelly Lane ~ http://paperpetalmemories.blogspot.com

10. Jen Patrick ~ http://roxybonds-scrappin.blogspot.com

11. Shelly Nemitz ~ http://just1piece-shelly.blogspot.com

Jan 14 2013
DSC07430

Scroll Album

Posted on by

At the Close To My Heart convention this past July in Dallas, I received the Scroll Album Workshop On The Go, one of the first home decor WOTG that CTMH introduced in the Fall/Winter 2012 idea book. Well, the Spring/Summer 2013 book is about to be unveiled on Feb. 1st, and I have finally put my scroll album together. I don’t know why I waited so long….it went together very easily and I love how it turned out. The colors of the canvas stickers suited these photos of my son and his family perfectly.

The WOTG kit includes a My Acrylix® Scroll Album Workshop Stamp Set (C-size), the 7½” Wooden Spool with 4 feet of Kraft Paper, 10 buttons (3 Twilight, 3 Chocolate, 4 Sunset), Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon (1 yard), 2 – 12″ × 6″ Printed Canvas Sticker Sheets and an instructional Brochure.

Some basic tools you may already have, such as inks, stamp blocks, or tools are needed to complete this project.

This project displays perfectly on a fireplace mantle or shelf and is great way to highlight several treasured photos, and it makes a perfect gift. Can you guess who’s getting this one? ;-)

With the introduction of the new Idea Book on February 1st, this item will no longer be available…..so get yours today! Click here to order and join January’s gathering before checking out.

 

Jan 13 2013

Studio J Basics

Posted on by

It’s time for another Studio J video. I hope that you are enjoying them and that they are helpful as you learn to navigate Studio J. This one walks you through the basics of creating a custom layout. Please remember, if you’d like to schedule your own free Studio J consultation you can contact me. I’d be happy to meet with you.