Cross Canada Hop: Another of My Favourite Things

Welcome to our September Blog Hop.  Last month I participated in a team Blog Hop where we shared our favourite new products.  (I shared two projects made with the new colours.)  Today I get to join the Cross Canada Blog Hop, showcasing more favourite new products!  I'm sure you're going to see lots of great new products used in lots of creative ways.  If you see something you like contact your consultant to get it in your hot little paws.

If you arrived here from Nicky at Timeless Cottage, you're in the right spot.  If you're starting here, just keep hopping until you get back.  If you'd like to literally hop across Canada, start at Julie at 12x12 Travels.  Get lost along the way?  Michelle will have a full list of all 17 hoppers if you need it.

On with my project!

One of my favourite paper packs in the new Annual Inspirations is Pathfinding.  I love fall.  It's my favourite time of year, so I find myself gravitating to any fall products.  But this pack is also cute.  The Complements have an adorable owl and fox, along with some great sentiments and titles.  I'm excited to use this set for one of my new kit options I'll be releasing soon.

Here is one of the layouts I've created to be included:

Here are close ups of each page: 

Isn't that fox so cute?  I love the acorns and flowers; and the zip strips are such a perfect fit.  I also added in some Bling Gems for some, well, bling.  I don't have photos yet, as you can see, but I think I might go back through my past years' photos and see if I can find some that work.  I do have some catching up to do.  :)

Did you notice that there is NO stamping?  These pages came together in a snap.  Sometimes you just need that.

Time to keep on hopping.  Your next stop is Brae at The Brae-er.  Enjoy and Happy Creating!

Another Oldie But a Goodie

I'm sure if you follow lots of CTMH blogs, you've been drooling over all the gorgeous new product.  I'm drooling, too!  But I also know that you probably have lots of older product you haven't used yet.  We all hoard our paper and embellishments, saving them for just the right project.  I want to encourage you to use them up!

Here's a layout I created with a very old paper packet, Pemberly.  Anyone remember that one?

I love these photos of my daughter.  And I had fun creating this layout, full of sponging, some dry embossing with my trimmer, just a bit of stamping for the title and popping up photos and the title.  I know this is a pattern from one of our books, but I have no idea which one now.  Here are close ups of each page:

And here are some close ups of the embellishment clusters, made up mostly of Stickese.  I love the simplicity of those!

Now, I challenge you to dive into your stash of retired or old products and use them up. :)

Happy Creating!

Introducing the Simply Scrapbooks Club!

I'm so excited about a new program I have starting this month!  It's the brand new Simply Scrapbooks Club, and it's exactly what the name says ... all about simple scrapbook pages.

This club works the same as my Creative Card Club.  It will run for 5 months and here's the low down. Each month:

• You will purchase a paper pack, complements, accessories, and some sort of bling like sparkles, shimmer trim or sequins, totalling around $30 before shipping and tax.
• You will receive an exclusive set of full-colour instructions to create two 2-page layouts.
• One person will get to choose $25 in hostess rewards, think FREE product!

That's it!  You're wondering what makes this simple.  Take a look at the first two layouts using the Seaside Collection:

There is absolutely no stamping and no Cricut cuts involved in any of the layouts we'll be creating in this club!  That means that these pages will come together pretty quickly.  And, the fun part, I get to teach you a technique, too!  For the first month, you will also purchase a pack of Colonial White cardstock and later there will be a purchase of White Daisy cardstock, unless you already have some in your stash.

If club members want to get together to create these layouts, we'll work out a time.  But the beauty of this club is that these layouts can be created on your own time in your own home.

Interested in joining up?  Email me at simplycreating@hotmail.com right now so we can get started.  Want to give it a try before committing? Order this month's product and you'll receive the instructions free, for one month.

Don't wait.  Contact me today.

CTMH Stamp-of-the-Month Blog Hop: What a Hoot!

Welcome to another Stamp-of-the-Month Blog Hop!  If you've arrived here from {Lucy's blog}, you're on the right track.  If you're starting here, just keep hopping until you get back here and you will have feasted your eyes on all the wonderful artwork created with this month's set.  If you get lost along the way, just click here: http://ifyoublingit.blogspot.com/p/stamp-of-month-blog-hop-list.html for a complete list of hoppers.

On to the artwork! This stamp set is so cute!  I love it.

And here is the layout I created:

My two kiddos can be so silly and it's a hoot to watch them sometimes.  This stamp set was perfect.  Here's a close up of the two owls.  I used the new Pathfinding paper pack to create this layout.  I love it!

I coloured both owls with the new ShinHan markers.   I just love them!  You'll notice the colouring is a bit splotchy.  I chose to leave them like that because I like the added texture.  If you continue to layer the colours, it will look beautifully smooth.  And here is a close up of the bottom part.

I used the colourless blender to lighten up the top half of these letters.  And scattered around are our new Gold sequins, also love those!

Now, hop on over to {Haley's blog} and check out the two adorable cards she's created with this cute stamp set.

Another CTMH Oldie, But Goodie

Here I am, back with another Oldie, a project using long-retired items.  I did this layout as a sample for this super fun paper packet.  It's actually the Workshop-on-the-Go layout.

Isn't it fun?  Do you recognize the paper?  It's called Superhero.  There's a really silly story about this layout.  The kids had been watching episodes of one of my favourite shows when I was growing up, Fraggle Rock.  They particularly loved one episode called Goober and the Glob.  They decided to do their own story. So, we did a photo shoot.  I had to scrapbook this one!

Here are photos of each page:

Here's what the journaling says: "Watching a Fraggle Rock episode, Goober & the Glob, started this all off.  Super Doggie to the Rescue!  The glob, played by Nathaniel, was eating the doozers, played by Little People.  Arianna calls Super Doggie on his special phone.  He tells jokes to make the glob laugh & the doozers are freed!  Photo Shoot: Jan. 29/12"

Here's a close up of the fun stars I stamped and sponged and then popped up:

I was chuckling to myself the entire time I was working on this layout.  I love the characters of my kids.  They're still so full of personality even now, two and a half years later.  :)

What kinds of silly things have you had the chance to scrapbook?  I'd love to hear about it.

Oldie But a Goodie

I have a folder on my computer, titled "Photos to Post".  It's pretty full of items that I had every intention of posting here on my blog.  For whatever reason, they never made it here.  Well, I'm hoping to get them out of that file and into the light, starting with this one.

This is a layout I created using a Grace Level 1 page.  For those who are relatively new to CTMH, these were pre-printed pages that created an easy starting point for your layouts.  I had fun with this page, using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge to add some fun images and to cut my journaling and title pieces.  I love looking at these sweet photos of my girl (who is now 9 years old!), especially her face in that centre one.  Such a cute, curly-headed sweetie she was.  :)

 I know we're all gearing up for new products, which we'll get to see very soon, but don't forget about all the yummy products that are sitting in your craft spaces right now and may be begging to see the light as well.

The list of retiring items came out yesterday and these items tend to go quickly, so don't delay ordering.  I'll post the list in a separate page shortly.  Check my Facebook page for the next order date so you can snag up your favourite papers and such.

CTMH Stamp-of-the-Month Blog Hop: Balloon Talk

Hello and welcome to another SOTM Blog Hop!  I'm doing a happy dance today because Spring has FINALLY arrived here in Ontario.  The robins are hopping around, the Canadian geese are honking, the sun is warm and I put my kids in their rubber boots today!  :)  Knowing that some of my readers are still digging out of a big snow storm makes me feel that much more grateful for our weather.  I am blessed to live where I do.

On to our hop.  If you arrived from Lalia's blog, you're on the right track.  If you're starting here, just keep hopping through until you get back here.

We are highlighting the super fun Balloon Talk stamp set.

Isn't it fun?  Here's what I created:

I went really introspective with this layout.  I loved some of the wonderfully encouraging sentiments in this set, so I started there.  I also used a Sketch 'n' Scrap sketch again this month, but changed it to a 2-page layout.  

I started with some Instagram photos I had and had fun creating a layout that will encourage me.  (The text photos are excerpts from a blog I follow called Women Living Well.)  I used Balloon Ride paper and Complements because it has muted shades of the colours in my photos, and I loved the wording on the complements, too.  Here are a few close ups.

And here are photos of the balloons I used.  I sponged them with Saddle ink, like I did on every other piece, including the complements.

And I couldn't finish without showing you a couple close ups of those fabulous chipboard Complements.  They're just "lovely".

Those are grey epoxy bubbles in between my banner pieces.

Now, it's time to hop on over to Dawn's blog and check out what she's created.  Can I challenge you to scrapbook yourself?  Get thinking about how to give yourself a boost in your artwork.

Remember that this stamp set is only available for the month of April.  Talk to your consultant about how you can get your hands on one.

Happy Creating!

What's so great about Studio J?

So, I'm home with a sick little girl today.  Our family was sick-free this winter ... until last night.  It means I'm not getting crafting time in my studio today, but since I have a nice new laptop, I figured I would do a blog post while I keep an eye on my sweetie.  (Don't you hate it when your kids are sick???)

Close To My Heart has a wonderful promotion this month.  It's all about Studio J!

It's no secret that I love Studio J.  I love the simplicity of working with the program and that you can play to your heart's content before spending a penny.  I love that I can work with papers and kits that I haven't purchased, or that were sold before I heard of CTMH.  I also love that I can change the colours of the papers, something that can't be done with classic supplies.  Let me show you what I mean.  Here is a layout I created with the You Rock paper kit:

The dotted paper is actually a purple colour in the classic paper, but I was able to change it to match my photos better.  I loved this layout so much I decided to use it a second time, for photos of my daughter taken on the same day.

The only things I changed were the title and journaling, one Stickese on the bottom right, the colour of the dotted paper and of course the photos.  I did this even quicker by just copying the first layout and then making the changes.

So simple.  So quick.  And I have two layouts of some of my favourite photos of my kids!

Hop on over to my website and try out Studio J by clicking the badge below. 

Remember, the $5 layout sale is only available for the month of March and that means you need to actually purchase your layouts by March 31, at midnight MT.  I don't suggest waiting until then, though, because lots of people will be waiting until the last minutes.  I would hate to have you get caught with slow servers!

Another fun perk:  I'm celebrating 7 years with CTMH this month, so if you order Studio J layouts this month, you'll get a free gift from me as well as be entered in my draws!

CTMH Stamp-of-the-Month Blog Hop: Happy Place

Welcome to another Stamp-of-the-Month (SOTM) Blog Hop!  If you've come from Jen's blog, you're on the right track.  Just starting here?  Keep hopping by clicking the links in each post until you get back here.  I hope you're settled in with a hot cup of your favourite beverage (hot, because it's freezing here!), because there are lots of bloggers participating this month and lots of wonderful artwork to see.  Here is what this month's stamp set looks like:

Can you see the possibilities with this one?  I wasn't entirely sure how to use it at first.  But the one sentiment, "Like Mother, Like Daughter" trigged a great story for me.  I had one photo to use and went to Sketch 'n' Scrap for inspiration.  Sketch #51 was perfect, so I'm linking this project up there, for my very first time!  Here's what I created:

I love how this layout turned out!  It talks about how my daughter Arianna crafted with me one Sunday afternoon and how pleased I am that she's inherited my crafting gene.  I printed the photo on cardstock so I could stamp the sentiment directly on that white space on the photo.

I hand-drew those two hearts around it, just for fun.  Here are some more close ups of the details.  I used the leftover sequins from the Lollydoodle Card WOTG to embellish.  I thought they fit the colours well, and I happened to be working on that kit at the time the photo was taken.  Perfect!

The Lagoon patterned paper is from the retired Footloose kit.  I did all the colouring with our alcohol marker sets, after stamping the images with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.

Now, you can hop on over to Mary's blog and check out what she's created with this set.

Other Supplies used:

Paper Fundamentals Basic Assortment

Lollydoodle Paper pack

Kraft, Cocoa, Cotton Candy and White Daisy cardstock

Cocoa ink pad

Artiste and Artbooking Cricut collections

Sponge

Sharpie marker

Happy Creating!

Cross Canada Hop: These are a Few of My Favourite Things...

Welcome to another Cross Canada Hop!  It's been a while since I participated and I'm excited to be back in the line up.  To be honest, I couldn't NOT do it this month because the theme is all our favourite products!

If you arrived from Michelle's blog, you're on the right track.  If you're starting here and want to literally hop across Canada, just pop on over to Michelle's blog and you'll be at the beginning.  You'll also find a complete list of participating blogs there.

Now, on to the artwork!  There was a layout pictured in the new Idea Book that caught my eye so strongly, I immediately knew I had to create it myself.  Here is what I made:

Do you recognize it?  It VERY similar to the one in the Idea Book.  I did all the same embellishing, just had to adjust the layout to fit my three photos instead of four and I changed the title.  Why did this layout scream at me to be created?  Besides the super fun colours?  It has a TON of my favourite products.  First of all, Shimmer Trim!  I love the new teal colour:

Second, I adore using the Aqua Dots and now we have Flamingo ones!

Third, washi, washi, WASHI!  I have had a love affair with washi for quite some time and the new colours/patterns that came out in this new book are fab-u-lous!

And fourth, I am over-the-moon about our new Paper Fundamentals paper pack.  It's so fun to work with.  The entire layout is made with one of the sheets.  It's got an embossed pattern on one side and that same pattern in white on the back.

Those are my favourites.  What are your's?  I'd love to hear.

Now, you can hop on over to Brandy's blog and check out what her favourite products are.

CTMH: January Stamp-of-the-Month Blog Hop

I'm back!  I feel like it's been a while since I participated in the SOTM Blog Hop and I was so excited to work with this month's set, Cross-Stitch Wishes.  Here's what it looks like:

If you arrived from Katy's blog, you're on the right track.  If you're starting here at my blog then just keep clicking to each blog until you get back here.

Here is the project I created:

I had fun with this layout.  It goes back to my days in university and theatre and tells the story of how I got into cross stitching as a hobby.  I still do it today, working while snuggled on the couch watching TV.  Back then I stitched while house managing different shows at Redeemer University College.  My roommate, Amy, taught me and I haven't ever really stopped.

I used a full page from the Dream Pop promotion pack.  I just laid out my photos in a way I liked, attached them and then stamped the arrows and title.  I used my embroidery floss, DMC #3813 matching the Juniper on the page, to stitch one of the arrows and the heart.  Here are some close ups:

I also used our Stitch Guide to stitch a circle around Amy and I in the cast and crew photo of the play during which Amy taught me. A tip for those who might want to do this sort of treatement with this set.  Use your piercer to poke holes where you will stitch before you try to run the needle and floss through.  It really makes things easier!

Then I just added some Aqua Dots and I was finished!  I love this layout.  I've challenged myself to scrapbook some of my university stories as well as others from highschool and younger.  This is the first of many, I hope.

Now, it's time to hop on over to my friend Alyson's blog.  I'm sure she'll knock your socks off with her talent. 

Happy Creating!

New Exciting Crafting Opportunities!

I've got two new programs starting up in September, two new opportunities to get your crafting in!

First up, is a new and improved Simply Creating Scrapbook Club!  It runs for 5 months, with the first night happening the beginning of September.  Here is our first layout:

Click here for more information about the Simply Creating Scrapbook Club.

Don't wait too long, though.  The first group of 5 is already filling up, with only 3 spots left.

Secondly, you can now join the Creative Card Club, meeting the 3rd Tuesday of the month and running for 5 months as well.  Our first one will be Sept. 17 and you have two choices of time.  Here are two of the five cards you'll be making:

Click here for more information about the Creative Card Club.

This club is filling up quickly, with only one spot left.  If this group fills, I'll open up a second one, but it will have to fill before starting officially. 

Get in on the fun today!