My First Club Layout!

Here it is, the first layout we'll be doing on my First Fridays club night, which also happens to be my first club.  I'm totally excited about getting together with my customers on a regular basis.  You can click here to go to my website's calendar and get more details.  Even though the sign-up deadline is past, I have a few spaces left so you can still be a part of this.

So here's the layout.  I got the idea from Denise Panhorst, just changed it up to use Twitterpated Paper.  The technique we'll be doing is called stamp rolling.

The absolute deadline for attending this club night, on Oct. 2, is this Friday.  So don't delay!

All-Sorts: Christmas 2007, I know I'm really behind!

I had so much fun making this little album.  It's our new All-Sorts Chipboard album.  It's the same size as our clear acrylic album so you can mix and match pages.  I didn't do that with this one, but I just might later.  A lot of the ideas for these pages came from albums made by consultants who attended the Leadership Convention in July.  I'm grateful for those who posted their work on our consultant artwork bulletin board.

I've used Sweet Home paper, Level 2, some Chocolate ribbon and waxy flax, lots of felt from both sets (The new one is full of adorable images!), Top Coats photo overlays, rub-ons, including the new glitter ones, and some images from the exclusive stamp set with the Sweet Home workshop kit and Grow with Love.  I think that's it.

Here are the rest of the pages:

My nephew, Ben, on the left and my son, Nathaniel on the right.  Ben had open-heart surgery a year ago in June, so this photo is before that.  Actually this was just days after they found out about the holes in his heart.  I made an album for his parents about the whole experience.  If you'd like to see it, you'll have to ask!

My crazy nephews, Ben's older brothers.

Nathaniel with his Oma, my mom.



My kids with Opa.



My daughter, Arianna, with my sister, and the two cousins side by side.




Back page. If you want to read the journaling, just click on the image to see it larger.

Congratulations to our Challenge Winner!

Thank you to everyone who participated in my last challenge, which was to create a piece of work using only the base and stamped images.  I randomly chose a winner and that person is Leisa!  We didn't get any layouts created, but stay tuned because I'm still planning to do one for you.  I've even chosen a photo.  Leisa, you'll need to send me your address so I can mail you a prize.  I've decided to give you a couple of cards I made recently, but they are a part of my September SOTM display, so you will have to wait until October to get them.

I guess you're ready and waiting for this month's challenge.  This one may not be as difficult or challenging, but then again, it might be.  I want you to create a project with one colour.  You may use multiple shades, but there should only be one colour.  I'll make up a card to show you what I mean as soon I can.

Now that September is here, my dear daughter will be starting JK on Wednesday!  She's very excited and I can hardly believe that the day is almost here.  The neat thing is she will be attending the school I taught at before she was born.  It's a bit like going home for me, except that there are lots of new teachers.  It's been very interesting seeing the school from a parent's perspective now. 

My sweetie is really starting to get curious about Mommy's job and the creating I do.  She decided one day that it was her toy monkey's birthday, her Little People monkey.  Since she had been talking about making a card with me, I offered to help her make a birthday card for her monkey.  She was over-the-moon!  She chose her stamp, inked it up and stamped it herself.  Then she chose the paper, which is just some old stuff I let her play with.  The ribbon came from the Michaels dollar bin.  I bought it for her long ago.  We had lots of fun putting it together and she has had fun using it to celebrate Monkey's birthday over and over.

The monkey images and inside sentiment are from Life's a Jungle.  The Happy Birthday is from Say It In Style.  I look forward to many more cards and layouts made with her.

And did you know that our new Idea Book is live?  Yup, you can now click on the image in my sidebar and go see the entire Idea Book on my website.  Check it out; it's beautiful!

Happy Creating!

Time Together

I love this layout.  It's the new Grace paper kit with the workshop layout and exclusive stamp set.  The example in the workshop brochure is all about a wedding, but I found the colours in these photos of Arianna and Nathaniel fit really well.

 

Some details.

 

 

What you see here is what you will make if you purchase the basic workshop kit, there's nothing else added to it!  If you'd like to see this layout at a workshop, you will need to let me know.  Right now I don't have room for it, but I can shuffle some things around and make it work.

Products used: Grace Level 2 (included in kit), Beautiful Flourish stamp set (included in kit), Small Chocolate alpha stamp set, Rustic Edge Anchors (included in kit), Cocoa and Twilight ink.

Stay tuned to find out who wins a prize for the card part of the challenge.  The new Idea Book goes live tomorrow!  I'll try to get a new challenge up as soon as I can.

Happy Creating!

Scrapbooking For Me.

On Sunday I decided to do some scrapbooking just for me.  Helen Onulak runs a scrapbooking challenge layout each week and the new one posted on Sunday was perfect for me to use.  I did some switching around, but the layout is the same.

I'm trying to use up my older paper and Life Delights was perfect for these photos of my daughter "nursing" her baby Rachel.  I used Friendship Alphabet, but stamped them backwards, using the back of the stamp and then cut them out.  I also used the Butterfly Kiss stamp set, retired slide frames sponged with Chocolate ink, Chocolate grosgrain ribbon and Chocolate and Lilac Mist brads.  I printed the journaling on vellum so that the pattern on the paper would still show through.  Maybe I'll enter this layout in the Practical Scrappers Challenge.

Click on the photos to see them larger and to read the journaling.  It's a fun story.

Happy Creating!

You are definitely going to want this stamp set!

I absolutely love September's stamp-of-the-month. It's so fun to work with! It has beautiful sentiments and images. Did I say that I love it?

Here is the first card:

This card uses Sorbet cardstock and a Colonial White base with Chocolate ink and Ribbon Rounds. I got the inspiration for this card from Aaron Brown. The pattern is from Wishes, called Open Outline. It's a 6x6 card.

The next card uses Twitterpated paper and an awesome new technique to me. I clear embossed the top part and then sponged Crystal Blue ink over the images. Click on the image and you can see the detail. Again, Chocolate ink, with Sorbet as well as the Crystal Blue along with the same Ribbon Rounds. Both this card and the next are both inspired by Katrina Sikora.


I love this last one. It's got some colour in the main image. I also embossed some little fly-away guys and then put some Prisma Glitter on them. You can see those in the second photo. Again, there's a bit of Twitterpated paper. I added some Sorbet brads in the corner and Chocolate brads on the sentiment.

You ask, "How do I get this stamp set?" Great question! You can order it at the full retail value of $28.50, but why do that when you could get it for free! Depending on what else you order, you could get it for $21.38, $14.25, $7.13 or free. In fact an order of just $31.25 already gives you 25% off.
Now since this is September's SOTM, you won't be able to get it until September. But start making your wish list now and go online to see the new Idea Book on September 1st. Then call or email me with your order. Make sure you get a paper copy of the Idea Book. Let me know if you'd like one.

In the meantime, work on this month's challenge and you might win a prize. I haven't seen any layouts yet.

Happy Creating!

Drum roll, please...

Now, as promised, some artwork using brand new, not yet available products!

First up is a layout using a paper pack called Jingle. This pack is so perfect for Christmas, but it also useful for any kind of celebration, especially birthdays. CTMH is right on trend, adding pink to a Christmas paper. The stamp set I've used is only available in a workshop kit. If you're interested, I'll be teaching this layout at a workshop in December. The other great new product on this layout is the new Twinkle brads. I also added some cranberry grosgrain ribbon. The title is stamped with Rustic Alphabet. If you want to see the details better, just click on the photo to see it larger.

Next up are some cards made from my favourite new paper pack, Twitterpated. Yup, we're going back to the fun of Bambi. This pack is all about trees, acorns, leaves, with gorgeous colours! Again the stamp set is exclusive to the workshop kit. We'll be using this kit to make a 2-page layout at my workshop on September 26th. I'm waiting to get some photos printed before I post that layout. On to the cards. They also use some of the new Dimensional Elements in Colour, Organic Buttons. They are oh-so-cute! I cut one in half to create the mushroom and on the second card they're actually covered with paper. You'll be able to see them better on the layout. I've also used Chocolate Ribbon Rounds, a few brads and Liquid Glass to add to the pattern and hedgehog (Isn't he just adorable?) on the second card.

I have one more card made with this paper and stamp set. But I'm waiting for my new brads, totally repackaged into multi-size packages. You'll be able to get standard size, bigger brads and bitty brads all in the same package, in lots of amazing colours! They're coming on Monday and then I'll post a photo of that last card.

Next post: September Stamp-of-the-Month with Twitterpated paper.
In the meantime, Happy Creating!