A Scrapbook Layout for Color Dare #43

I have fallen a bit behind in my goal this year to make a layout a week.  I think I have completed four, so don't bother with the math.  ;)  I decided to put my Color Dare Design Team duties to work for me this week by completing a layout towards my goal...um, yeah, lol.

Our colors for Color My Heart's Color Dare #43 are Cranberry, Honey, and Outdoor Denim.  Totally Tommy!  I headed for my craft room to see what pics I had next in my stache...um, I mean stash!  No Mustaches in this post, lol!  ;)

I love the way this one turned out, even though *gasp* there is no bling!  It just didn't fit with the layout theme, lol.  But I love it anyway.  :)  I do know the pic is a bit large, but it was way to small at another size, so I went with this...

One of the stars of my layout besides the challenge colors, are the Milepost Shapes corrugated cardboard embellishments.  They are ON SALE right now on my website!  ONLY $1 nets you 48 shapes like the ones I used!  I also used the Scholastic and Tommy Paper Packets.  I had a lot of fun with this journal box.  I layered some vellum over the B&T paper from Tommy and used my Crop-O-Dile to chomp some holes down the side to run the Cranberry Baker's Twine through.  I just don't like the way adhesive shows through vellum, so this was a nifty solution!

I sprinkled images from another of the Tommy B&T papers all over the layout.  There are many different ones to chose from, and I cut them each by hand with my Micro-Trim Scissors.  The little wooden arrows are form the Color-Ready Trinkets Wooden Shapes.

Love the faux Washi on the B&T Duos in Scholastic!  I trimmed this one out and roughed it up to add to the pic.

The Keyboard Kraft Alphabet is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.  There are so many letters included that I might never run out! 

I hope my layout has inspired you to try this color combo!  Did you happen to notice that they are the primary colors?  ;)  

I wonder if you also notice what I left OUT of this layout?  Any guesses?  If you are the first person to guess correctly in the comments, follow my blog, and follow me on FB (link is at the top right,) then you will win your very own pack of Milepost Shapes!  You must have a mailing address in the US to win, please.  Join in the fun and tell me what I left OUT of this layout!  :)

Then, it is your turn!  Use your Close to My Heart Colors Cranberry, Honey, and Outdoor Denim or some similar substitutes to craft up a project of your own to link up with the challenge this week!  Remember to stick to the color combo for the challenge only adding your choice of NEUTRALS!  You can read up on the rules HERE in the sidebar before you start!  :)  Happy Crafting!

Dream Pop Tangerine!

I have absolutely lost my mind.  Not really, but I am definitely on a roll!  Here is another card combining the bright, bold colors of the Close to My Heart Dream Pop Paper Packet with the versatile Just for You My Acrylix Stamp set.

Isn't it amazing how many different ways you can combine these two?  :)  This Tangerine color just pops right off the Kraft CS.  I love the leaves stamped in Black Ink this time on the Pear CS.  The beautiful sentiment is found on the Beautiful Friendship My Acrylix Stamp set also from Close to My Heart.

The bling sure seems to balance out the plain background nicely on these cards. Not that you would EVER need an excuse to add some sparkle!  ;)

Thanks so much again for coming by to see another creation!  Your comments are sparkle to my ears!  ;)

Dream Pop Goes Gypsy Just for You

Hi everyone!  I have been having WAYYYY too much fun with this Dream Pop paper!  It should really be outlawed at this point...or maybe I should just be banned from spending another $35 to get another pack?  NO WAY!  Lol...

Anyhow, I am over-the-top about using the Just for You My Acrylix with these papers, and here is my latest version!

I am really loving this grey chevron paper as a background, so I mixed it up with some Gypsy CS for a completely stunning look.  The leaves are done in Pear Ink Stamped on Pear CS.  Black Shimmer Trim, a black glitter button, and a large Sparkle all add to the elegant feel of the card. 

Thanks for coming in to see!  I am linking this one up to the H2H May Flowers Challenge.  Go check it out!  Also, for the first time, I am linking up to Dynamic Duos Challenge Blog for their choose an old combo challenge!  I don't have the exact colors, so chose our similar CTMH colors in the bold and sassy shades of these.  :)

Don't forget that the Dream Pop paper promotion won't last forever!  When the paper is gone, it's gone!  If it lasts for the entire month, then the last day to get yours will be May 31st! 

Pinwheel May Stamp of the Month without Artiste???

No Artiste???  Say it isn't so!  But don't panic just yet, lol! 

I wanted to show you that although I think the Cricut is a phenomenal tool to use while papercrafting, you can still make some pretty cute stuff without it while using your Close to My Heart products.  As much as I will never admit it, you can get by nicely sometimes without it.  ;)  This month's Stamp of the Month is a great example!  There are several cuts from Artiste that coordinate with this limited-time-only My Acrylix Stamp set, but if you don't have it yet, check this out. 

I made this entire adorable card without my Cricut!  Yep!  Just used my inks, stamps, and scissors.   I stamped in White Daisy Ink on Cotton Candy CS to make the middle layer, and then heat embossed with clear powder.  The bottom layer is made from the same puddle pad I used for THIS project!  My third layer to my pinwheel is inspired by fellow consultant Lucy Kelleher's pinwheel creation HERE. I love your pinwheels, Lucy!  :)

The nice thing about this set is that it has shapes that are really user-friendly to cut by hand.  No fussing cutting here...and the sentiment looks fabulous all blinged up with little Sparkles of all colors.

SO, even if you don't have a Cricut...you can still create some fabulous cards and scrapbook layouts with Close to My Heart Stamps!  :)

Remember, the May Stamp of the Month, Pinwheel, is ONLY available this month! 

Actually, this month is a FANTASTIC time to get it too!  When you spend $35 on products on my website, you can add the $19.95 value Dream Pop Paper Packet for only $10.  Spend only $5 more to qualify for the Stamp of the Month for only $5 instead of $17.95!!!  You could get almost $80 worth of products for just $55!!!!  Click HERE to start saving!

Assembling an Artiste Matchbox Gift Made with For Always

I have to admit that I should probably actually read the assembly guide that comes with the Close to My Heart Artiste Cartridge.  I came to this conclusion when I made my final version of the Matchbox Candy Box for my sister's Mother's Day gift.  I am not sure WHY I decided to look at it, but I did.  And I had assembled it WRONG in a different way than the directions showed, lol! 

First of all, here is my sister's finished gift...

The For Always Paper Packet is super-versatile.  My sister likes yellow, so added a Buttercup stamped flower that I made using my Cricut Artiste Cartridge and the Hello Blooms My Acrylix set.  The leaves are stamped on Pear cardstock using the Just for You My Acrylix.  I will be linking this gorgeous little flower up with the H2H Challenge, May Flowers.  Finally, the sentiment that I stamped in Lagoon is in the Perfect Fit--Mom My Acrylix.

Now, here is the little change I made accidentally in how I assembled the box, and how the handbook tells you to...I left these flaps UP, and the instructions show you to adhere them down...

like so...

I feel that the flaps left up kind of give the box a bit of a sturdier feel, but less of a "finished" look, so the choice it up to you!   Here are my previous two boxes with the sides left up...

What do YOU think?  Have you tried this matchbox cut yet?  Let me know!  :)  HERE is a link to my first matchbox that has all the measurements for you!  :)

More Dream Pop Fun on Mother's Day

Hi everyone!  If you are a mom in any way, then Happy Mother's Day!

I am ready to share more of the fun and colorful projects I have whipped up with the Close to My Heart National Scrapbook Month Promo Dream Pop Paper Packet.  THAT is quite the mouthful!

The next one I am going to share is a re-make of my Mother's Day slider gift box with the Hershey Nuggets inside.  This one is for my Mother in Law, so no peeking until you get it, Bev!  ;)

This pattern paper with the raspberry, tangerine, banana, and strawberry colors has got to be my FAVORITE in the CTMH Dream Pop Packet.  Can you see the zip strips I used?  I also made this flower that Cathy Derouche showed us how to make.  This one is a daisy!  :)

The pink swirly paper cut is one of my new Martha Stewart punches.  So fun!

Chocolate candies wrapped and ready!

If you want to see how I made this adorable and easy project, click HERE.

Happy Mother's Day!  Have a fantastic day!

EDIT:  I have an update to assembly of this box that will come out tomorrow...I have made a discovery since I made these, and I hope you get as big a laugh out of it as I did!  ;) 

Close to My Heart Studio J News!

Hi everyone!  I wanted to share some exciting news that is happening over at Studio J.

What's Studio J???  It is the most fantastic online digital scrapbooking in the industry!  There is nothing to download onto your computer, you simply create an account and use the program online.  Here is a little video that Close to My Heart made to introduce you to some basics in how to use Studio J for your digital scrapbooking.  Please note that there are no more memberships, so when they mention that there are some member only choices, that no longer applies.  All patterns and layouts are available to ALL users!  Also, the Studio J 5-packs no longer include the protectors so you can use whichever system you choose to store your pages.  :)

If you would like to try it out, there is no commitment required at all when you create an account.  Click on the Studio J tab up above to get started.

NOW, didn't I say that I had FANTASTICALLY exciting news???  Well, the amazing programmers at Close to My Heart have added new programming to the software that allows you to add and manipulate photo wells to any of the layouts now!  Here are the details from our corporate newsletter:

    "We have just launched an update to Studio J® which will give you more flexibility in creating your layouts. You can now resize, reposition, and rotate photo wells, and add as many new photo wells as you like. This gives you many more options for customizing the patterns to fit the photos that you have taken. Whether you are creating with one of our gorgeous Express Collections or building your own custom layout using a kit and pattern, you can personalize the layouts to make them truly your own.

     This change also opens new avenues for your classic scrapbooking, as you can now take advantage of our high quality silver halide photo processors to obtain prints of your photos in exactly the sizes and orientations that you want by using Studio J!"

The quality of the printed pages from Studio J is amazing.  I can't wait to order some custom sized pictures to use in my hand-crafted pages!  Studio J allows not only allows me to catch up on my scrapbooking, but  is also now a valuable resource in printing some of the hard-to find size pictures such as 2 x 2.  

I'll be posting up some more videos soon to help you learn new techniques in Studio J, but until then, you can watch some Studio J how-to videos at your own pace over at my website HERE.  Have fun!