CTMH Blog Hop: November SOTM

Welcome to another Stamp-of-the-Month blog hop!  If you came from Sarita's blog, you're on the right path.

October has just flown by.  I've had two weekend crops, preparations for our next medical mission trip to El Salvador, Halloween costumes to make (which as I type this are STILL not done!), school board meetings to attend and minutes to type up, along with all the ordinary day to day things.  Oh, and I celebrated my birthday, too.  It's just been busy.  Anyone else feeling the same way?  Okay, enough ... on to the artwork!

Here is the stamp set we're using this month:

I had grand plans to make a scrapbook layout about my son with this stamp set, using it in what I hoped would be neat ways, but other things took precedence.  Instead, I sat down yesterday afternoon and made a quick card that I hope still uses the stamps in a neat way.  Here is my card, using a White Daisy card base:

I put all the month words on one block and stamped it twice in Champagne ink.  The 365 was stamped in Ruby and the 24 and 7 in Cranberry.  I added some washi tape, from a Simon Says card kit.  I LOVE washi tape, so fun!  Then I hand-wrote the sentiment.  I hope it inspires you to try something different.  A lot of what I did was outside what I would normally do, especially writing my own sentiment!  My challenge to you is to try something new.  You never know how it'll turn out.

Now you can hop on over to Pamela's blog and drool over her fabulous artwork!

Happy Creating!

Cross Canada Blog Hop: Canvas Journal

Welcome to another month of hopping across Canada!  This month we are creating with the My Creations Canvas Journal.  You can click on the link to see it, or just open your Idea Book to page 132.  The journal sells for $8.95.

If you came from Joanne's blog, you're on the right track.  If you're starting here, just keep on clicking the links at the bottom of each post and when you get back here, you've seen all the wonderful ideas.  Or you have the option to start out east with Michelle and literally "hop across Canada"!  This month we've got 9 consultants participating.

Here is what I did with the journal:

I loved the gorgeous texture of the canvas and didn't want to cover it, so I inked it up with our fabulous pigment inks.  I chose pigment inks because I know that the colours won't fade and it will stand up to being handled and shoved in my purse each week.  All the colours I used are from the Enchantment palette.  I was going for a sort of sunset look, so using Sponge Daubers, I started with Goldrush, then Autumn Terracotta, Ruby, Barn Red, a little Smokey Plum and Outdoor Denim on the top.  I started light and then went back and added more colour, going over the darker colours with Barn Red and really working on blending them.  Then I used both Chocolate and Cocoa inks from the Basics palette to stamp flourishes from Playful Flourishes (a long-retired-but-I-just-can't-part-with set) as well as the Scroll Album WOTG stamp set, although you can't see that one very well.  I added the mesh-looking stamp from that same set.  Then, I stamped the word in Black using Old World Alphabet.

I'm a visual learner, so while listening to a sermon at church I sometimes find my thoughts wandering.  It makes a heap of difference when I take notes while I listen, so since my current journal is almost full, I thought this one would be perfect. It's filled with 80 pages of lined paper and has a lovely ribbon bookmark so I don't have to go searching for my place anymore.  Can't wait to use it!

Now hop on over to Carrie's blog to check out what she did with the journal.

Artiste Goody Bags

I've probably mentioned before that my kids are crazy about dinosaurs.  My son, Nathaniel, had his birthday on the 20th and we celebrated with his classmates last Sunday afternoon.  I had wanted to use the fun key on the Artiste with all the outer space-themed party decorations and such, buuuuut, Nathaniel wanted dinosaurs, so I pulled out the Roar! stamp set.  When this set came out last year, both my kids had lots of fun playing with it and I must admit, I LOVED playing with it this time, too.  :)

It took a bunch of tries to find a box that would fit the items I bought for the goody bags.  This carton, on page 37, worked perfectly!  I used Cricut Craft Room to stretch it as large as it would go so I'm really not sure what size I cut it.

First, I cut it out of 4 different colours.  Then I stamped images from Roar! in Cocoa and Chocolate on both sides. (I took these photos with my iPhone so they're not like my usual ones, but they're all gone, so I can't do re-takes.)

I assembled them, no adhesive needed (yay!), and filled it with dollar store dinos and "egg" candy. (Isn't that bigger dino so cute?)

Then I cut a tag with the Art Philosophy cartridge from bamboo cardstock and stamped the T-rex on it, leaving a space to write names.  I tied it onto the box with some natural hemp and all done!  Here they are:

The kids liked them, at least I think they did.  4 and 5-year-olds don't really "exclaim" over things like this.  But I think they turned out super cute.

I completely forgot to take a photo of the invites.  They were just a postcard cut from Bamboo and printed with the info, then stamped with these same images.

Supplies Used:
Artiste Cricut Cartridge
Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge
Cardstock: Olive, Garden Green (retired), New England Ivy, Sweet Leaf, Bamboo
Ink: Chocolate, Cocoa
Roar!
Natural Hemp

I just have to take a sec to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian readers!  I'm looking forward to spending time with family, eating lots of yummy turkey and, for the first time, attending the Norwood Fair!

Happy Creating!