Carrie’s Inspiration

Christmas Cookies

2011-12-18T13:33:00.000-08:00

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

Ingredients

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tbsp softened butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar (maybe more)

3/4 cup brown sugar (maybe more)

Pretzels

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions Combine peanut butter and softened butter in a large bowl with a fork or whisk, or in a stand mixer. Add the sugars and mix to combine. At this point if the filling will roll easily into balls without sticking to your hands you’re ready to go. If not, add a little more of each sugar until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll (I used about 3/4 cup of each sugar).Use a teaspoon measure to scoop the filling. Roll each portion into a small ball, then sandwich them between two whole pretzels. When all the balls are rolled and successfully sandwiched, stick the whole tray in the freezer for about half an hour.Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and heat at 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally until completely melted. Remove the pretzel sandwiches from the freezer and quickly dip each half-way into the melted chocolate. Return to the tray and repeat with remaining sandwiches. When all are dipped, return the tray to the freezer to set up completely. Store the sandwiches in the refrigerator until serving time.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

For the recipe check out here:

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/mint-chocolate-chip-cookies/22bebeda-ea36-441a-9909-ae78409d6da6

Swirled Chocolate Mint Layer Bars

2 cups finely ground creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts

1 cup flaked coconut

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 cup chocolate mint chips

1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in 13x9 pan in oven; remove from oven. Sprinkle cookie crumbs over butter, press. Sprinkl with nuts and coconut. Pour sweetened condensed milk over top. Sprinkle chips, press down slightly. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely.

Birthday Girl

2011-05-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

Wings

2011-04-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

A great thing about acrylic stamps is you can shape them. I used a border stamp from Wings which is straight but placed my block on top of the shape I wanted to stamp on. Then I formed my stamp to fit that shape, then ink and stamp.

Here is where I saved paper. My feelings are if you can not see it then you can use it for somewhere else.

Backside of the layout. This layout is from Close To My Heart's Magic found on page 28 and the paper, stickies and stamped images are from the Wings Collection. I would like to thank Myra Grodzuik for the idea of paper and stamp choices. The ribbon is new to CTMH it comes pleated but I ripped out the stitching and scrunched it, holding it in place with staples. I like to save paper wherever I can so these pictures show how I was able to save some paper.

National Scrapbooking Month Promotion

2011-04-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

Check out what CTMH has for you for National Scrapbooking May 1 to May 31, 2011. During May, when you place a minimum order of $50 US / $55 CAN for any Close To My Heart products*, you can grab an exclusive You & Me scrapbooking kit for just $15 / $16.50—that’s more than half off the retail value of the kit! You can also purchase the kit outright for $34.95 / $38.95 with or without a minimum purchase.

Crafting Life's Pieces Blog Candy

2011-03-28T13:28:00.000-07:00

Check out Crafting Life's Pieces for some great blog candy. Chelsea will pick a winner on April 5th.

Cranberry Orange Muffins Anyone??

2011-03-23T06:22:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for a really good recipe for cranberry orange muffins then try this one here.

I did make one change I substituted the 1/4 cup of oil with applesauce, a great way to make them even healthier.

Blog Candy over at Created by Katie

2011-03-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

Check out this blog candy over at Created by Katie offer is only good until Friday, March 18th at Noon MST time.

Mojo Monday 181

2011-03-13T16:41:00.000-07:00

Here is my Mojo Monday interpretation. I used paper from My Mind's Eye new collection Stella and Rose, Gertie. The stamp image is one I have had for a long time from Stampabilities, called phonograph.

I Won!!

2011-03-08T22:46:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to find out last week that I won all of these goodies from Love My Paper. Emily already claimed some items for herself. I can not wait to use my new Cricut cartridge for Emily's dance recital pictures. Thank you La-kesha for this wonderful gift of goodies.

Triplets

2011-03-07T06:24:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to post this for awhile. I made Emily's Christmas dress along with one for Rebecca her American Girl doll. For Christmas she got a My Twinn and a dress to match also. I know enough about sewing that when you make more then one item and add up the amount of fabric you need for each to purchase you will have some extra, since you can move the pattern pieces around to fit better and save fabric, but more then three yards extra was a lot. With all of the extra fabric I decided to make myself a skirt to match, I still could of made something else out of what was then left.

The Last of A Delightful Waste of Time Blog Challenges

2011-03-06T19:20:00.000-08:00

First I am sorry for the quality of my picture, but I had to use my point and shoot to take the picture. This was for a color challange over at A Delightful Waste of Time.

Sketch Challenge

2011-03-06T18:07:00.000-08:00

Here was the sketch challenge from A Delightful Waste of Time.

I used Wings workshop stamp set from CTMH. Stamped and then embossed with CTMH red embossing powder.

Gift Packaging Challenge

2011-03-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

I decided to post this for A Delightful Waste of Time's blog challenge on gift packaging. I just used a plain brown bag for this with white tissue. The papers are Close to My Heart from the Creative Basics Mistletoe Collection along with the Adorn-able stamp set to create the ornaments. The Merry Christmas came from the St Nick set. I embossed most of the stamping on this. The bottom picture I am showing you how the bag covers look from the front and back side. To make the bag topper cut it the width of your bag and then decide how far you want it to come down and then double that length. Fold your paper in half and cut a slit a quarter of an inch wide and for the length cut it a quarter of an inch longer on each side then the width of your handles. The bottom border I used a Martha Stewart boarder punch. For the tissue paper I random stamped using CTMH All the Best stamp set in cranberry, cocoa, and new england ivy.

2011-03-06T15:10:00.000-08:00

Photo Courtesy of Martha Stewart

This was the inspiration photo for Meredith's blog birthday challange over at A Delightful Waste of Time.

The paper I used was Brenda Walton from K and Co. which I have had for a long time, the Rose sticker is also from Brenda Walton. I ruffled my own ribbon using my sewing machine.

A Birthday Blog Challenge

2011-03-06T06:20:00.000-08:00

Meredith' s Birthday Blog Bash first blog challenge over at A Delightful Waste of Time

was to create something for a birthday. I used an empty Ovaltine jar for this, the stamp set is Waltzing Mouse Rescue Remedies which goes with Spellbinders Labels 4 dies. Papers are Close To My Heart Veranda.

Sweet Little Ones

2011-02-24T12:23:00.000-08:00

I pulled some paper out I have had for awhile from Collage Press line Knave of Hearts. Used an Anna Griffin stamp and some K and Company ephemera.

My Girl

2011-02-15T00:16:00.000-08:00

The base paper is CTMH Colonial White and the pattern paper is all Anna Griffin. The two stamps used on the left side are Anna Griffin and the on the right is from CTMH. I used Tsukineko glue pad to adhere the glitter, it works wonderfully.

Daddy Read to Me

2011-02-14T12:12:00.000-08:00

I used Brenda Walton papers from K and Company for this layout. I do not remember the font name but I used SCAL to cut it out with my Cricut. The heart boarder is Martha Stewart.

Weapons of Mass Percussion

2011-02-02T08:18:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share a video of my son Alec playing the drums at his schools talent show, Jeff and I are so proud of him. He has had so many struggles, multiple heart surgeries, ADHD and Aspergers, and for me to hear him play gives me so much joy, even being woken up at 6:30 a.m. by him playing. It is a gift God has given him and we can't wait to see how he uses it. Alec is only 9 years old, but has been playing since he was only two. He started taking lessons about two years ago and we are so thankful for Jonathan, who has been giving Alec lessons, he has been so understanding. On another note if you notice the front of his bass drum, I used my cricut to cut Alec out of vinyl with the font from the Nifty Fifty cartridge.

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #31

2011-01-26T13:22:00.000-08:00

This is what I created for Waltzingmouse sketch challenge. I decided to keep it simple and used kraft paper and gingham ribbon, which was two white so I used Tim Holtz antique photo ink to darken it up. Stamp sets I used were Waltzingmouse Seasons of Love and Stampin Up Wheel, stamped in CTMH Tulip.

Circle Of Love

2011-01-25T16:47:00.000-08:00

I used Magnifique paper collection and the Circle Of Love stamp set from CTMH. Both cards I embossed with Cuttlebug embossing folder Moroccan Screen. The top card I used glitter called none other then peacock.

Find Your Style

2011-01-24T11:44:00.000-08:00

I used CTMH stamp of the month Find Your Style for both of these. The top card I used paper from the new Wings collection and misted it with black. For the bottom card I used half of a Spellbinders scalloped circle and pleated it for the skirt.

Universal Backgrounds

2011-01-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

I used Close To My Heart's new stamp set Universal Backgrounds (for sale in Feb.). The image above I stamped in Moments Tuxedo Black and then placed the heart doilie down and sprayed a mixture of alcohol and tulip re-inker. If you wanted it more red then just add more re-inker. I then used the doilie on the card on the bottom. The bird is from this months stamp of the month Find Your Style, stamped in chocolate and tulip.

Win a Tim Holtz Core'dinations Paper Pick FREE!!!

2011-01-22T16:03:00.000-08:00

Heres a chance to WIN a Core'dinations Paper Pack. They have now teamed up with Tim Holtz,
from Ranger Industries! All you have to do is click on the link below.

http://pages.email.darice.com/core2/p?eKey=Sr1gb0g7RBFdtElF0XSgE

Sewing for My Girls

2011-01-22T08:40:00.000-08:00

I was just going through my posts and saw I uploaded this picture but never did anything with it. I made these for Emily and Rebecca for Halloween. Yes, Jeff and I have two daughters, since Rebecca goes many places with us. We tell Emily and Alec, that Rebecca is our good child, since she never talks back to us, we do not need to feed here, do her laundry, pick-up after her, nor does she grow out of her clothes. Though her clothes can still be costly, even for being so small. Soon I will post pictures of their Christmas dresses, with our new addition to the family.

Check Out How You Could Win This

2011-01-14T08:34:00.000-08:00

If you head over to http://sweetmagnoliarose.blogspot.com/2010/12/cricit-expression-give-away.html before February 14, you can find out how you can enter to win this prize package.

Rebecca's Ice Skating Outfits

2010-12-22T12:20:00.000-08:00

I made these ice skating outfits for my daughters America Girl doll Rebecca. I was on a roll so a made a few as gifts for my niece and two of my daughters friends.

Santa Ornament

2010-12-22T12:16:00.000-08:00

I used Close to My Heart St. Nick stamp set along with Spellbinders Ovals and Fancy Tags dies.

Santa's beard was done with Liquid Applique and his hat was paper pieced. Merry Christmas was embossed with Olive and then colored in with markers. You probably can not tell but the ornament is three sided with the same on each side. The one on the bottom was what I had my club ladies make and thanks to Debbie who suggested adding the scalloped behind it, so the top one is my second one and I like it so much more.

Mistletoe

2010-12-22T12:15:00.000-08:00

I used Close to My Heart paper from the Mistletoe collection and Creative Basics. The layout came from Magic and is called Secret. You can place a cd in the pocket, a great place to put your Christmas video. The stamp sets I used where CTMH: All the Best, Adorn-able, Picture Perfect, and Shinning Star. The font used for Christmas was called Christmas Card and I used SCAL to cut it out.

12 Days of Cookies and Candies

2010-12-14T12:46:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is to bake cookies for family, friends. and those who touch our lives throughout the year. I can fondly remember making cookies with my mom and now I make them with my children, though Alec at the age of 9 is not into making cookies anymore, but he still enjoys eating them. I hope as he gets older he will want to start this tradition again. I still have Emily who is great big help to me. I decided this year to post the recipes and pictures for those who received cookies from us, so they would know what each kind was and if they liked them they could make them for themselves. I have a few tried and true ones which I make every year and others come and go.

Peanut butter Bon Bons

Makes about 5 dozen 1 inch balls

1 1/2 sticks of butter or margarine melted
2 cups regular peanut butter
3 cups crushed rice krispies
2 2/3 cup of powdered sugar

Heat top two ingredients together and mix next two ingredients together then mix all ingredients together.

In a double boiler, melt 1 package chocolate chips with 1/2 bar of paraffin. Form balls from peanut butter mixture. Dip balls in chocolate. Place on cookie sheet lined with tin foil. Chill in fridge.

Triple Delicious Cookie Bars

Makes 24 to 36

1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 0z.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup of peanut butter chips
3/4 cup of butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 (325 for glass dish). In 13x9 inch pan, melt margarine in oven. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over margarine; pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumbs. Top with chips, press down firmly. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until light brown. Cool then cut into bars. store covered at room temperature.

Simply Sensational Mint Truffles

Makes about 2 dozen

1 box (8oz) semi sweet bakers chocolate 8 squares
1 package cream cheese (8oz)
1 package mint chocolate chips ( I used Andes)

Melt semi sweet chocolate. Beat cream cheese until creamy then blend in melted chocolate. Refrigerate until firm. Shape into 1 inch balls then dip into mint chips which are melted in a double boiler. Place on a cookie sheet covered with tin foil, then place in frig til firm.

I double the recipe but did not need to double the mint chips, I also added a fourth of a bar of paraffin to the mint chips.

Chocolate Cherry Khris Kringles

Makes about 2 dozen

1/2 Cups margarine or butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 T. juice from cherries
1 1/2 Cup flour
20-25 cherries pitted patted dry
40-50 chocolate chips and 1 cup chips

Cream sugar and margarine, add vanilla, juice and flour then mix well. Chill 1 hour.
Stuff each cherry with 2 chocolate chips, wrap in 1 tbsp. of dough, and bake at 350 on un-greased sheet for 12-15 minutes. Cool then melt on cup of chocolate chips in double boiler, dip top of cookies.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Makes about 3 dozen

1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients then chill for 30 minutes. Make 1 inch balls bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Then push kisses on top then return to oven for about 1 minute then remove and cool.

KOLACHKI

Makes about 5 dozen

2 cups flour
1/2 lb. margarine (do not use butter)
9 oz of cream cheese

Mix and chill overnight.

This is my grandmothers recipe and the first time I made them I could not understand how my grandmother got the dough to be so thin, so the cookies would be nice and light and not real thick. My grandmothers tip is to roll on a cold marble stone with a mixture of half powder sugar and flour to roll out on (pictured down below). I do not have a marble board so I use my large Pampered Chef cutting board. Which I place in the freezer for about an hour before. Cut rolled dough into squares about 2x2 size. Place a dollop of filling, I use Solo's apricot and raspberry filling. I also like to have a lot of filling in mine, the turn up two corners and pinch together. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes. On a side note I make a recipe and a half and use two cans of filling for this amount. You can also use preserves as filling. I also call this recipe my mixer killer. See I have killed more than one mixer making this dough since it is very sticky. To no avail I killed one this year though it was not on this one, it is not Christmas if I do not have a hand mixer go out on me making cookies.

White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge and
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

For this recipe I used Martha Stewarts Foolproof Holiday Fudge.

The white chocolate fudge I changed on thing, I let the fudge set for about an hour then I put the crushed peppermint candy on top then pushed it in so it would stay on top.

To make the chocolate peanut butter fudge I used 1 1/2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips and 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter chips. After the mixture has been heated I placed half of it in a bowl with the peanut butter chips and the chocolate chips in the pot. Then in the pan placed the chocolate then the peanut butter fudge on top.

M and M Cookies

1 cup of butter flavor Crisco
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cup flour

mix first 5 ingredients together first then remaining. Add M & M's. Bake at 375 for 9 to 11 minutes.

Russian Teacakes

Makes about 4 dozen

1 cup margarine or butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts
1/4 tsp. salt
powdered sugar

Heat oven to 400. Mix margarine, powdered sugar and vanilla. Then add remaining ingredients. Shape into 1 inch balls. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes should not be brown. Roll in powdered sugar while warm, cool. May want to roll in powdered sugar again when cool.

Reese Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

These are real simple I use a brownie mix which I fill a tassie cup 3/4 the way full the stick in a small Reese's peanut butter in the middle. I baked at the temperature the brownies called for and cooked for about 12 minutes.

Peppermint Meltaways

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen

Cookies:
1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter softened
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cornstarch

Glaze:
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp. butter softened
1 to 2 tbsp. milk
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
2 to 3 drops red food coloring
Hard peppermint candies crushed

Mix sugar, butter and extract. add remaining ingredients. Cover, refrigerate until firm ( 30 to 60 minutes). Heat oven to 350. Make 1 inch balls and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, cool.
For glaze, combine powdered sugar, butter, and extract. Gradually add mild until desired consistency. Stir in food coloring until desired color is reached. Drizzle over cookies, then immediately sprinkle with crushed candy.

Plenty for Twenty

2010-12-01T15:13:00.000-08:00

From December 1st - 31st, when you place a $20 order on a MyCTMH website, you'll be rewarded with a popular, retired D-size stamp set for FREE! That's a $22.95 value, plus there is FREE shipping/handling and no tax on your free stamp set. Head on over to www.carriez.myctmh.com for your free set.

Here is Decembers stamp of the month.

Warm Winter Wishes Challenge

2010-11-12T11:41:00.000-08:00

Flourishes is having a challenge to create something with shades of blue. The first card I used Close to My Heart Sky color and No Greater Love stamp set. I used Spellbinders dies and Martha Stewarts punch. The next two cards I used CTMH Aspen paper and Twilight cardstock and ink. The stamp set was All Decked Out by CTMH the sentiment on the first snowman card was from an old SU set called snowflakes.

Christmas Tags

2010-11-05T08:38:00.000-07:00

I decided to participate in Waltzing Mouse's Tag Your It challenge. All of the stamps I used were Waltzing Mouse's Seasons Of Love. The papers were used were from scraps and for the top two tags I used Versa Mark with Pearls colors Blue Russet and Spring Green from Jacquard Products. The bottom tag was Taffy from Close to My Heart. The top medallion was made from Martha Stewarts Iron Gate corner punch. The rosette at the bottom was from Martha Stewarts infinite loops trim punch which I ran through my paper crimper then did a quick accordion fold from the crimped lines. Much faster then scoring but it does not give you as clean of lines but with the punched image it did not matter.

Birthday Gift

2010-10-18T00:38:00.000-07:00

My son a few months ago was invited to a birthday party, and I wanted to make her something, this is what I came up with and I put it in a black frame. I used the Storybook Cricut cartridge for the lettering. The paper is CTMH Cotton Candy and I used Royal Birth stamp set in black for the pattern. For the image I used the crown and stamped a mirror image to get this look. When I put her name on the paper it just did not standout so I added velum underneath it and it did the trick. In the bow is a Pretty Pin also from CTMH and the feather is from my daughters boa.

A Touch of Fall

2010-10-17T01:00:00.000-07:00

This is what I made for October Friends of Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog Waltz. I used Waltzingmouse Very Vintage Labels No.2 stamp set and the sentiment was from Clear Dollar Stamps. The paper is Barn Red and Sunset from Close to My Heart as well as the leaves. Martha Stewart boarder punch was used as well.

Monsters Anyone?

2010-10-16T00:37:00.000-07:00

I love this Merry Monsters set by CTMH. Googly eyes just add that little extra touch to them. I used Pear ink with the waterbrush and the sentiment is stamped in Sunset. The paper is from the Hooligans paper pack.

Flourishes the Details are Sketchy Challenge

2010-10-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

I made this card for Flourishes the Details are Sketchy Challenge, check it out here.
I used Flourishes Drummer Boy stamp set and Colorbok paper and ribbon. The border was a Martha Stewert punch and I used Memento's Tuxedo Black ink with Copic Sketch markers: y17, t1, e02, r39, g28, and e37 to color in the image.

Thriller

2010-09-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

I used CTMH Septembers stamp of the month Thriller on White Dasiy with CTMH new color Sunset.

To get the two different colors for dracula I first inked it all in sunset then I used a sponge dauber just to apply the black ink.

I drew a grid in pencil, my image was two and a half inches wide so I drew my line every 1.25 inches and the horizontal lines are exact hafth of my image. The first image was started at the edge and the next row started at the 1.25 line. After stamping this image I then used another image to fill in the white space.

When finished I ereased the lines using a white eraser it will not leave marks. Make sure your ink is dry before doing this. Make sure when doing a design like this you pay close attention to deatail. My third and forth lines are lined up the same way instead of off center for the fourth. This did not make a difference since I cut the paper in half.

Here I sponged on some black ink.

Triple Play

2010-09-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

I used Close to My Heart's Triple Play which is a special for this month. The kit contains everything to make three mini albums including the stamps and stamp pads. Now I am not one for mini albums so I used them to create this card and layout. The only things I needed to add was a 12x12 piece of Colonial White cardstock and the two pieces I matted my picture with which was Bamboo and Outdoor Denim.

Hats Off

2010-09-04T16:48:00.001-07:00

I used CTMH papers for both hat boxes. The paper flower is from the Triple Play stamp set which comes with this months National Stamping month promotion from CTMH. I would like to thank Penny Duncan for the hat cut file which you can download here. Check out Penny's blog she has great ideas and many SVG files for free along with Digi stamps.

Cherries, Cherries, and more Cherries!

2010-09-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

If you can not tell I love cherries, Emily has had several outfits with cherries on them and I have found a lot of paper with them on it. The layouts above I used Cosmo Crickets Cherry Pie and below I used Nikki Sivils My Sweet Cherry Pie along with Cosmo Cricket.

After I did these layouts Close to My Heart came out with Cherry O which I just love, but I am sad they have already put it on the retired list so if you like the paper used for the items below order it now because it is while supplies last.

National Stamping Month

2010-09-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

Chack out here Close to My Hearts promotion for National Stamping Month and the new Idea Book which I love the new Magnifique paper pack.

Here is the new stamp of the month

My Not So Little Girl

2010-08-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

Berries and Cherries

2010-05-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Taylored Expressions is having a customer blog hop. We were to make a card using one of their stamp sets realesed in 2008 or 2009. I used Berries and Cherries to create this card along with the sketch they provided. Come follow along the blast from the past hop.

Howdy

2010-04-27T03:25:00.000-07:00

I used Close to My Heart new stamp set called Howdy, the chicken wire background stamp is from Prima. The colors are Barn Red and Sunflower. I used the waterbrush to color with.

A Tweet

2010-04-26T00:17:00.000-07:00

This was a crad my club made a couple of months ago, I used CTMH That's Amore paper and Perfect Day, along with Chocolate cardstock. The stamp sets used were A Tweet and Struck by Love. Both boarder punches were Martha Stewart.

My New Scrap Area

2010-04-23T15:59:00.000-07:00

Pegboard suspended from the floor joist to divide the room.

The ribbon is on a doll rod which Jeff cut into the studs to

hold it. The buckets hold my copic markers.

This is the kids craft area.

Part of the reason I have not posted in awhile was my scrap area was totally re-done. If you want to see the before check out this post. It was moved from one area of the basement to another to give me more space and to make it more functional. I just love my new space. I must thank my wonderful husband for helping and not grumbling while doing it. As usual while helping me with a project of mine he hurt himself and he still did not grumble. The space is almost done, the ceiling is not done but it is not in the budget anytime soon. I want to have corrugated galvanized steel put up for the ceiling. I now have great under the self lighting and some empty storage space. I already had the purple and green motif going on but was excited to find boxes and baskets in purple and green patterns at Michaels at half off so I snatched up more then I needed, so later I do not kick myself for not getting more. I painted the cement wall and the backside of the drywall from our finished side of the basement, purple. I even stained the floor a brown color, doing this in the winter was not a good idea the house smelled like stain for days but it was do it now or probably never since the area was partially cleared out.

Dirty Snowballs

2010-04-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a dirty snowball??? Well if your asking what they are, I will tell you they are a little taste of heaven. They are very easy to make: take a package of Oreos an 8 oz package of cream cheese and mix together with a blender (I like mine a little lumpy). Then make a one inch size ball and dip into melted white chocolate or almond bark, place in frig to chill. This was a gift for a friend. The container was decorated with paper from CTMH by the name of Caprice which has unfortunately been discontinued. I also used some spellbinders.

I Am So Excited

2010-04-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

I love when the man in brown comes to my door. I received my goodies today from CTMH, these are all items which be available next month to customers. My favorite would be the Cherry O line of paper. CTMH has outdone themselves again.

Here is a sneak peek of the Cherry O papers.

Flower Pot

2010-04-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the shadow, but I had a difficult time with the awning on the card. I used CTMH April stamp of the month Flower Pot along with paper from the Veranda pack. I used the waterbrush with chocolate ink to color in the shudders and markers to make the drapes. To give the glass look for the window I again used the waterbrush with grey flannel ink. The flowers have been raised with foam tape.

Doll House for My Doll

2010-02-03T13:56:00.000-08:00

This was a Christmas gift for my daughter, it was my doll house from when I was a child. Though when I had it the house was not finished on the inside. So I decided I wanted it to be all finished when we gave it to Emily. Well that was a big undertaking, and I have to admit it was not totally done when she got it. The stair cases are not in nor the doors and there is some trim work to finish. This was the third year in a row I was still working on a gift for Emily on Christmas Eve, I promise myself I will not due that again. Of course I brought Jeff into this project, he was in charge of putting the house back together. Since it had never been finished on the inside or outside it had been taken apart when my parents moved after I graduated from high school. He also was to put the siding, doors, windows, trim and staircase, yes most of the items not finished. I also placed a guilt trip on my parents so they ended up helping on Christmas Eve. My comment to my Dad was if you had finished it over thirty years ago I would not be in this predicament. My Dad sided the house while my Mom helped me single the roof. If it was not for their help Jeff would of been up all night working on it. It was worth the months of work which was put into the house. Emily just loves playing with her house and so do her Polly Pockets love their new home. For all of you avid Close to My Heart users you may recognize the paper on the third floor, though most of the wall paper was printed from http://www.jennifersprintables.com/ which worked out wonderfully. I printed it on cardstock and then sprayed the front with a matte finish and used dollhouse wallpaper glue applied all over the back. I would like to thank my friend Audrey for the idea for the wood floor it was done with veneer tape which was ironed on. I do hope to also get around to making drapes, hopefully before it would go to my granddaughter.

Piece of Cake

2010-02-03T12:26:00.000-08:00

I used Close to My Hearts Piece of Cake February stamp of the month to make these cards. Papers used were from the Creative Basics Veranda Collection and Animal Cookies.

And The Winner Is

2010-01-17T15:55:00.000-08:00

The winner for the free Felicity kit is Angi. You have seven days to e-mail me at carriez@myctmh.com with your shipping information. I hope you enjoy this beautiful kit and I would like to thank all of my followers.

She Rocks

2010-01-10T14:05:00.001-08:00

I used CTMH You Rock paper, along with Star Power and Rock Star stamp sets. Over the picture I used a transparency from the Rockin top coats set.

More Felicity

2010-01-10T14:04:00.001-08:00

Here is my take on the Close to My Hearts version of this layout. I just love the argyle stamp it worked so well with my sweater I had on.

My First Anniversary and Give Away

2010-01-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

I thought for my first anniversary I would celebrate by having a give away of Close To My Heart new Felicity collection, shown above, which includes the stamp set shown and six die cut sheets with twelve coordinating papers. You can enter two ways first become one of my followers and if you already are one and want to be entered just leave a comment on this post and the second way is to add me as a link on your blog for a second chance to win. Due to postage this is only for continental United States and the contest will end on January 16 and check back on the evening of January 17 for the winner will be posted.

Money Saving Tip

2010-01-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

I thought for my club ladies I would show them some money saving tips, since I always loved the cards which lots of layers of paper, but always felt like I was wasting paper. For these two cards I used Close to my Hearts Veranda and Creative Basics Veranda Collection papers. The stamp sets were True Friends January's stamp of the month and the stamp set from the Felicity collection which is only available this month. The bottom picture show how I took the bottom layer of cardstock and cut out the portion which was hidden by the pattern paper. From this piece I used it to mount three other pieces of pattern paper on the card and even had a piece leftover. To save on ribbon, I did not use a whole piece, all I used was enough to tuck under the paper, great way to use those scrap pieces of ribbon. The pattern came from Mojo Monday week 94.

Felicity

2009-12-30T14:03:00.000-08:00

January is National Paper Crafting Month and Close to My Heart has a great deal for you with their Felicity collection. To find out more go to http://carriez.myctmh.com/.

Jingle

2009-12-30T13:51:00.000-08:00

This layout design came from CTMH Imagine book and the layout is called Powerful Trio. The papers are from Jingle and Creative Basic Jingle collection all CTMH. For the ornaments I used CTMH Holiday Trinkets and Ornate Ornaments stamp sets. Each ornaments is raised with foam dots and has a touch of Prisma Glitter. For the top I used Petite Perks Cheerful Season stamp set in Creme Brulee, Juniper, Olive and Tulip inks. To create the tree branches I just used an Olive color marker and in a swiping motion. The Fa La La was cut out using my Cricut.

Teachers Gifts

2009-12-19T17:08:00.001-08:00

I needed to make 6 teacher gift between my two children so I made card boxes with 8 cards in each. I used all Close to my Heart paper and stamp sets to create these. Some of the card designs came from CTMH Wishes book. If you would like to make these boxes then check out Tresa Black's site for detailed instuction http://www.fabulouslyartsy.com/2009/05/card-box-tutorial.html.

Our Families Christmas Card

2009-12-19T16:53:00.000-08:00

This is my families Christmas Card for this year. The Peace on Earth stamp is from CTMH 's Just for the Holidays stamp set. I have learned to go simple. My first year I made a double four panel door with die cut wreaths on each door including bows and die cut doorknob plates. I figured it had taken me about 30 minutes to make each card and I had made 50 of them. Though I had started in the summer, but never again, since most are probably long gone in to the garbage dump. I do know of a few friends who still have their card since they knew how much time went in to them. This was last years card which did not take as long but longer then this year. Let it go on the record I do enjoy making them regardless of how much time. This card I used a Cuttle bug embossing folder with CTMH Holiday Red paper and sanded it. The elf is from CTMH Merry Pursuits stamp set.

Ms. Holiday Cheer

2009-12-19T16:49:00.000-08:00

I used CTMH Jingle paper and Ms. Holiday Cheer stamp set to create this funky card. The tree was constructed usinga Martha Stewart punch which I layered. The ornaments were made from glue dots with glitter on them and I covered the dress with Liquid Glass and then glitter and for the hat I used Liquid Applique.

Gift Card Box

2009-12-19T16:29:00.000-08:00

I first must apologize the the Close to My Heart Consultant who I had gotten the direction from, I can no longer find the paper with her name on it. Thank you so much, this came in handy my club ladies made this last month. I hope you are able to understand my directions, it is fairly simple to construct. First make sure you are using cardstock for the outside piece that would be the diagram on the left. Second the inner piece is not made to lie flat on the inside you will be folding it so when opened it stands up, those are the directions on the right. For my snowflake I used a CTMH snowflake Dimensional Element placed on top of white cardstock then misted with twilight re-inker which was added to rubbing alcohol. The alcohol dries faster than water and will not warp your paper as water would. Then remove the snowflake

2009-12-19T16:23:00.000-08:00

This snowman was made from painting a clay pot white and adding textured snow paint around the rim. The top is the saucer to the pot with a wooden nob glued to the top. And the ear muffs are two pompoms with Velcro on to the sides for easy opening with ribbon attaching the the two. I used this to give cookies in a few years ago to my son's teacher.

It's Snowing

2009-12-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

We are finally getting some measurable snow here in Northwest Indiana, I pray it stays for Christmas. Snow is just an added bonus for me on Christmas. FYI this was not pictures from this year, not enough yet to make a snowman. I used all Close to My Heart products on this layout. The paper is Aspen and the snowman stamp set is All Decked Out, one of my favorite. The Dimensional Elements simple alphabet (chipboard) was inked with Twilight then I covered the tops with Liquid applique and sprinkled on Prisma Glitter before I heated it to give it the snow capped look. And by the picture you may not be able to tell but the white paper on the bottom is torn layers to make it look like snow hills. For the earmuffs I used corduroy brads.

I am making up for lost time

2009-12-19T16:02:00.000-08:00

Since I have not posted in along time I am going to make up for it tonight. Here are some more pages from the wedding album I had made this fall. The frames below I used a cut file from Sure Cuts A Lot with my Cricut. I just love all of the amazing artist who share their files with those of us who are computer and or time challenged to make these wonderful files.

Disney

2009-10-19T08:50:00.001-07:00

It is hard to believe it has been two weeks since we have been home from Disney. We had such a wonderful time. Though Jeff did compare me to Hitler with the pace I kept them on, one week is just not enough time, though we were exhausted and ready to come home, though I would be more then willing to leave tomorrow to go back., but I must come back to reality. We would not of been able to of gone if it was not for my Mother-in-law, which I can not thank enough for her gift. You may not be able to tell but in the Power Ranger picture there are two Red Power Rangers one is Alec. Thanks to dad who did his research before we went had read on a blog where a kid dressed in his Power Ranger costume and was asked to go in the car with them. So since, Alec already had owned a costume for Halloween we brought it along and he two was asked, the highlight of the day.

Now and Forever

2009-10-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

For more than a month I have been working on a wedding album here are couple of pages from that album. The album is done the wedding was last weekend, this album was a challenge for me since I did not know the bride or groom and all I knew was the colors where brown and white. For those of you who are familiar with the products out there, finding patterned paper in brown and white (not off-white) is not easy. I did find a few in a Christmas Slab I had which thankfully did not look like Christmas paper to use and I had to get creative. These layouts I used CTMH Now and Forever stamp set. The first page I stamped the wedding cake in Chocolate ink on white cardstock. The frame and wording was cut from my Cricut using my Sure Cuts A lot software, the frame cut file came from Penny Duncan http://www.pennyduncancreations.com/PDC%20SVG%20Cut%20Files%20Page%20Frames.htm . The bottom scalloped boarder came from a Martha Stewart boarder punch. The other layout I used the rings from the stamp set and embossed them with white embossing powder on Chocolate cardstock. I will post more pictures later from this album.

Holiday Warmth

2009-10-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

CTMH October's Stamp of the Month Holiday Warmth was used with paper from the Jingle pack. To color in the tree I used the waterbrush with ink from the Olive stamp pad. The ornaments were done with the Tulip marker then Liquid Glass was applied with Prisima Glitter for a little added touch. The scalloped oval was cut from a Spellbinders nestibilitie and the white boarder was from a Fiskers punch.

Spellbound

2009-10-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

This was a card my club made this month, to create the card I used CTMH Spellbound stamp set. First with a brayer I applied Creme Brulee ink all over a piece of white cardstock. Next I placed a cut out of a moon shape with temporary adhesive along with a scrap piece of paper along the bottom third of the card so I would not accidentally ink over this part. The next step is to use the brayer and apply Lilac Mist over the parts not covered. Now remove your paper pieces and sponge on more Lilac Mist where the Creme Brulee and Lilac Mist meet so you will not have a hard line between the two colors. I then sponges on black around the edges, bottom and throughout to look like clouds. Lastly I stamped the images in Black.

Everyday Celebration

2009-09-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

It's National Stamping Month and Close to My Heart is celebrating with their Everyday Celebration set. For more details click on the Close to My Heart picture on the right of the screen.

I would like to thank Dana Kessler for her idea of using this set to make two great layouts which I recreated myself with a few minor changes. I did need to add three sheets of Colonial White cardstock otherwise everything else came from the set including the ink. I also had scraps left over which I made four cards with. Even though this set is marketed as a card set the possibilities are endless.

Layout designs from Cherish- Simple Pleasures and Asymetric.

This is what was left after the layouts where made, including 11 cards.

Just with the small scraps I made these four and still had cards and paper left.

Sure Cuts Alot

2009-08-31T20:09:00.000-07:00

I just have to say how much I love my Sure Cuts Alot. For those of you who do not know what I am talking about and own a Cricut you need to learn more. It is software which allows you to create your own cut files with your computer and cut with your Cricut by connecting it with a cable. You also can cut any true type font you have on your computer, which basically means almost any font you have your Cricut can cut it, no more cartridges to buy. I have not tried to make any of my own cut files (SVG) but there are many out there which are very talented and post their files on their blog for you to download for free. Which leads me to why I am posting this, I have added a blog list of some great sites which have free SVG files. If I have peaked your interest please look into to this more, I would go into more detail but I am still very new at this, but I have played with it enough to know I love it and it was worth the sixty eight dollars I spent.

Merry Monsters and Jingle

2009-08-26T11:29:00.001-07:00

The paper is a new paper called Jingle from Close to My Heart, you will be able to order it starting September 1st. I also used a new stamp set called Merry Monsters from CTMH. The stamp set is marketed as a Halloween set of four monsters though as soon as I say this monster I knew I had to turn his head into a Santa hat. I used olive ink for him and a water brush to apply the ink, I really like the variation it gives him. The fur on the hat is done with Liquid Applique, and I followed the directions on the bottle and let the Liquid Applique dry over night before I heat set it. What this does is give it a more solid puff instead of a bunch of bubbly puffs when you heat it right away. Just all depends on the look you are wanting. Another suggestion might be to use fun flock for the fur. I also covered his eyes in liquid glass, a tip from experience is to due this after you have heated the Liquid Applique. I thought about using this monster on a card with my children's pictures with a caption saying Merry Christmas from our little Monsters, though my kids are always angels LOL.

Look what you get when you play, Shimmer Paper

2009-08-17T11:00:00.001-07:00

I wish you could tell what I did to the pictures, but you will have to take my word for it. I was playing with CTMH Create-a-Shade Pearl paint a couple of weeks ago, see I had shimmery and metallic paper and I wanted another plain piece of cardstock to match so I decided to play around and painted on a coat of Create-a-Shade to see how it would look. Well, it did not show enough of the navy color under it so I decided to add some rubbing alcohol to see if it would make it more translucent and it did but still not quiet enough. I used rubbing alcohol because it dries quicker and will not cause your paper to warp much. My next step went to a mister bottle almost filled with alcohol and a good squirt of Create-a-Shade and shake well then mist it on to your paper and wa la I now had shimmery paper and you could still see the design. The layout above I used it on all of the paper but the stripe since it already was purchased with that look, and you can barely tell the difference. A tip though is to practice misting to get the idea of how far you want to hold the mister from the paper and you may have to let it dry and reapply more. You can add a few drops of reinker to give a different sheen. I made gold with Creme
Brulee. The stamp set I used for the card was CTMH October stamp of the month Holiday Warmth along with Baby Pink and White Daisy cardstock, silver embossing powder. A money saving tip instead of using Ranger ink mister bottles I used empty hand sanitizer misting bottles which I found near the check out at Wal-Mart, a way to go green.

Christmas Already!

2009-08-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have started making Christmas Cards. A week ago I received all of the stamp of the months sets for the next four months and when I saw Novembers called Around the Block the first thing I thought of was a house covered in snow. If you like this set you will have to wait until November to purchase it. The background paper is CTMH Aspen and I used Barn Red and Crystal blue to color the house. I like to mix Prisma Glitter and Fun Flock together to achieve sparkly snow, it is adhered with Liquid Glass. The saying I printed out on the computer but I changed the RGB code so it would print out in the Crystal Blue color. I hope this inspires you to start thinking about your Christmas Cards, next month Close to My Heart's new idea book comes out and it has some wonderful new Christmas sets.

Our Little Princess

2009-08-13T20:00:00.001-07:00

It is hard to believe another year has almost come and gone, my baby is going to be Four. Last year was a princess party and I spent some time making that cake, not quiet how I wanted it to look but not bad for my first time building a castle all by myself in a day. I mean how many people can build a castle in one day, Home Improvement takes a week with hundreds helping. This year I am going simple, it is going to be My Little Pony and it will have a boarder with a little pony toy on top, and by request from the birthday girl it will be pink. If anyone is wanting to challenge themselves and make one I will be glad to give you do and don't do tips.

It's Your Day Stamp of the Month

2009-08-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

First I must apologize for the blurry photo, when I have sun light I may try to take another. I made this last month but forgot to post it. I used CTMH August stamp of the month called It's Your Day. The colors used are Holiday Red, Clover Meadow, and Dutch Blue, in the photo you can not tell that I used red embossing powder on the happy and birthday stamp and while the embossing powder was still tacking I added Prisma Glitter then heated it a little bit more so it would stick. I thought it came out great, though I found if you heat it too long then the glitter will have more of a holographic look then sparkly. On the cake I painted on a thin coat of Create-a - Shade paint to give it a little shimmer, though you will have to take my word for it. Lastly I was doing my part on being green the pieces of paper a glitter pieces which came from the cover of a slab I purchased and I did not want to waste any thing glitter so why not use it on a card, wa la.

Coupons

2009-08-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

If you are ever looking for Michael's or Jo Ann Coupons then check out this site http://mycricutscrapbooking.com/, she posts her coupons there for you to print out. She currently has a coupon for 50% off at Michael's, which I have already used twice this week and whats cool is this one is good until the 17 of August. If you have Sure Cuts Alot this is also a great cite for free SVG files.

More than one way

2009-07-31T12:32:00.000-07:00

Here I am showing more than one way to use an embossing plate or you can also use an embossing folder these ways. For both of these cards I used the Sizzix embossing plates from the Christmas collection or known as Kit #13. The card above I used the printing press technique, where I used CTMH Juniper in and a brayer to apply the ink to the plate then put it through my Cuttle Bug putting the paper on the top instead of on the bottom so it does not emboss. I finished this card with sponging on chocolate ink and using the CTMH stamp set Make It Count. The clock was stamped on plastic from the box of a child toy using StazOn Timber Brown. For the saying I cut it out with Spellbinders Nestibilities and an EK Sucess boarder punch. For the other card I embossed it on chocolate paper then sanded it showing CTMH white core. The stamp set is this months stamp of the month You've Got Flair (only available through today). I added Prisma glitter and cut out additional flowers and raised them with foam squares for added dimension. Fiskars boarder punch was also used.

More More to Adore

2009-07-31T12:20:00.000-07:00

I used CTMH More to Adore paper for these the both cards I used Butterfly Wings which was a past stamp of the month which currently it is not available for sale. I also used Intrinsic Background stamp on the top card. For the bottom card I also used May's stamp of the month Be Yourself, I added Prisma Glitter to the wings and the dress. To color the wings I used blush in with a watercolor brush. The border punch was from Fiskers.

My Scraproom

2009-07-27T12:06:00.001-07:00

This is my scrapbook area, if you can not tell it is located in the unfinished part of our basement. I share the room with my children's craft area which I made behind the bookshelves and also the rest of the area is for storage. I did not set out at first to do the area in purple and green it just kind of evolved over the past couple of years. Lately I have found a lot of purple and green storage containers, or I have made my own. The most obvious one is the picture above this is the CTMH stamp pad Exclusive Inks Organizer which only comes in black. I used Rustoliums spray plastic primer then sprayed on the purple. The primer helps keep the paint on so it does not flake off. The little green cabinets which set on my counter space these where from the hardware section at Menards and I did the same as the ink organizer just used green instead. I also sprayed the peg board. On the peg board I have plastic jars which hold my flowers, these also came from Menards, they have special tops which hook into the board and I sprayed them purple.

I am still here

2009-07-22T11:05:00.001-07:00

I must apologize for not posting in awhile, I have just been busy with summer stuff. Here is the pages I finished awhile ago which I promised. They are from various company papers.

The layout below was done with CTMH Sonata paper.

For this layout I used K & Co. Blue Awning, this one took me way back. It is difficult to believe it was twenty years ago when I was an exchange student in the Netherlands. I am slowly starting to redo my scrapbook which I did in 1989 and I know my paper nor my adhesive was acid free, since the pages are already changing colors. I did take pictures of the scrapbook before I started to tare it apart, it was my first scrapbook I ever made.

For this layout I used Brenda Walton paper from K & Co., I have to admit I love her papers and have most of them, thankfully God blessed us with a daughter or I do not know what I would do with all of the paper since I had bought quiet a bit before Emily was born.

Flip Flaps Tutorial

2009-07-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

I am sorry I have not posted in awhile but I have been finishing a lot of layouts, which were in my almost done stack which I post them within a few days. But for the time being, here is a great video done by Tresa Black.

Tender Tags

2009-06-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

Stamp set is CTMH June stamp of the month, done in Clover Meadow, Dutch Blue, Sunflower, and Tulip. To hide the circle which is left when stamping the image I placed an eyelet in each one then used cranberry waxy flax to make the x. The paper is from the Creative Basics Animal Cookies and the ribbon is white grosgrain with a line drawn with a Tulip marker. FYI the maker does bleed a bit, but this gives it more dimension. I would like to thank a fellow CTMH consultant for the inspiration on this. Remember to think out of the box with this stamp set. I have seen where others have taken the tags and folded them over the edge of paper or photos to give it a tab look or some can be used for the petals of flowers, what about Christmas ornaments.

Start Your Engines

2009-06-17T10:53:00.001-07:00

For Alec's birthday last year he wanted a race car theme, so this is what I came up with. It was called the Zrodlowski 700, since it was his 7th birthday. Each child received a pit crew pass with their picture on it for the invitation, the info for the party was on the back. I used CTMH Finish Line stamp set, to create the goody bags, layout, thank yous and pit pass as well as the flags for the cupcakes and on the cake. To make the flags I just stamp and cut them out then using a toothpick I adhered the flags back to back with glue dots. I also used one of these as an embellishment next to his picture on the layout. The ribbon is also CTMH, I stamped Burnin' Rubber on Cranberry Grosgrain ribbon in black and the black and white ribbon is from the black collection, I like how it looked like a road. For the Zrodlowski 700, Tiny Typewriter Alphabet, which is so nice CTMH gives you more than one of each letter in their small alphabet sets. Next time you are trying to think of a party theme look to CTMH stamp sets, they are so versatile.

Hilton Head Island

2009-06-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have not posted in over a week, we were on vacation. We met my parents and my one brother and his family for a week at Hilton Head Island. We had a wonderful week with great (hot) weather. There is a lot to do there even if you do not golf, which is us. Though the trip was overshadowed with our return home. About an hour into our 16 hour drive home our traction control was starting to give us problems and then the transmission light goes on. Jeff found a dealership and to check out the problem, which I do not remember what the exact name was for the problem see it was about five names long, but I can say they thought it might be fine for us to make it home. We decided to take the risk, or else we would have to wait three days to get our car fixed, it was like out of a movie, sorry we do not have the part we will have to wait to get it from Charleston either tomorrow or Monday. So we prayed often to get home safely and by that night, thank you God we did and it cost less then 300.00 to fix. And to top it off Jeff's crown fell off, so the tension was high for the first few hours of trip. Here are a few pictures, since I know it will take awhile before I get to scrapbooking them.

Alec's favorite place to be.

An evening flying kites with Grandpa and Grandma.

My First Blog Award

2009-06-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank Liz and Janelle for giving me this award I am so honored. Part of this award is I am to pass the award on to 15 more bloggers which I hope to be able to do in the future but time is not on my side. I will be posting what I have been up to soon, but please do check out Liz and Janelle's blogs at http://lizfrydavies.blogspot.com/ and http://www.jaksscraps.blogspot.com/.

Mojo Monday

2009-06-05T08:11:00.000-07:00

I have decided to start participating in Mojo Monday's at least a couple of times a month, here was my first try. If you are not familiar with Mojo Monday check out their blog. I used CTMH That's Amore paper along with Celebrate Life, Moments, and the saying is retired.

Flower Pot

2009-05-26T12:07:00.000-07:00

If you are one who goes on Split Coast Stampers web site then you have probably seen this one done many ways, this is my version. It was easy to make just time consuming to cut the flowers, this was also what we did in club this month. I used the stamp set which comes with CTMH promotion for this month called Tickled Pink. The flowers are stamped in blush, buttercup and sorbet. I have used pop dots to give them dimension and also used a little Prisma glitter.

Background and Texture Challenge

2009-05-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

I challenged my club to create their own background and texture paper using a stamp set, they could create anything with it, they all chose to do a layout. Here is the artwork of those who took me up on the challenge. Please comment as they will be checking to see what everyone thinks, I feel they all did a wonderful job. All stamp set used where CTMH.

Stamp sets Connections and Cupcake Sprinkles

stamp set Friendship's Flight

Stamp set Life's a Jungle

Stamp set Genuine Country and paper pack Sarsaparilla

stamp set Legendary Moments and paper pack Free Spirit

2009-05-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

Garage Sale

2009-05-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

Two weeks from this Friday was our neighborhood garage sale which I so look forward to. As I mentioned awhile ago God blessed us with our sale but Emily was blessed with her wardrobe for the next year as she always is. I am so thankful for Erica who like to buy her daughter really cute Gymboree and Gap clothes which I then buy for Emily. Here is Emily with her new stash.

If you notice in this picture is an outfit with an owl on it because of this I now need to order CTMH You're a Hoot stamp set. Oh yes I do admit I have a problem but one I do not want to do anything about and Jeff is wonderful he never questions. So sometime this winter you will see a layout with her in the outfit with You're a Hoot used on it.

It is more blessed to give then to receive

2009-05-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

I was reading today's verse Acts 20:35 and how true it is when you really give of yourself. Reflecting on the times I have really given of myself freely how it has filled me up. It is a feeling no money can buy. The times I have been filled up the most were when I did things for complete stranges, no greater feeling then when someone calls you their angel. If you have never experienced this take a moment and ask God to put someone in your path but do not forget to then listen, nor question who he chooses or how he chooses. Do not ask if you are not prepared for what he may ask of you. Because you never know what God will ask of you, maybe it will be to send someone money, or mow the neighbors yard, or even buy food for the person standing on the corner holding up the sign saying will work for food. I would love to here your stories.

More to Adore Altered

2009-05-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

For all of these items I have used CTMH More to Adore paper. For the frappuccino carton I used Coffee Shop stamps (sorry they are retired) along with dying CTMH flowers for the top. The candle I just pushed brads into it after I had wrapped paper around and ribbon, of course if burning it I would remove the paper. For the last item an altered notebook, CTMH Just Blooms Big Pinks flower with the center done with a clear button which I used Liquid Glass to adhere the paper to the back and then cut around it, finishing with some chocolate colored Waxy Flax through the holes. For the acrylic tag I stamped over the image already on it and then embossed with white embossing powder.

Praises

2009-05-10T05:43:00.000-07:00

Before I post what I created with my tease items I posted from the other day, I want to praise God for answering my prayers with our garage sale we did wonderful. I again got some great outfits for Emily, it was our neighborhood garage sale, later this week I will post a picture of everything.

I used CTMH new Makin' Waves stamp set, when I saw this I new I had to have it and I remembered I had not yet scrapbooked Emily's first bathing suit pictures. I started with a piece of White Daisy card stock and stamped with black ink the images randomly. I then colored them in with summer Soft Chalks, after this step I covered each image with Liquid Glass. I noticed after covering with the Liquid Glass some of the colors lightened so keep that in mind. Also remember when using a lot of Liquid Glass it will warp your paper, which means I had to use a lot of adhesive to adhere the paper. After the Liquid glass was dry I sponge on Crystal Blue ink, this is what you see here.

For the layout I used an adaption of Add an Element from Cherish. The base pages are Watermelon textured card stock with a bit of sanding done to them. The teal paper is not CTMH but I did sponge on Dutch blue to it. The ribbon is also not CTMH I had picked it up from Target awhile ago. The lighter pink for the matting was the flip side of the textured card stock. For the wording I used the large and small Chocolate stamp sets done in Dutch blue. To create the wave effect I used the Block Buddy set. For those of you not familiar with it, what it is are window clings to go on your blocks there are waves, hearts, circles and graphs. The I's are dotted with CTMH's Sparkles. CTMH's buttons and White Daisy Flowers are also used. I used every stamp from the set to create by background paper. To due the scalloped circle I used Nestibilities with my Cuttle Bug.

Here is a very simple I card I made with some of the scraps.

Happy Mothers Day

2009-05-10T05:35:00.000-07:00

I would like to wish all of you mothers out there a Happy Mothers Day. I hope you will have a more relaxing day then what I will have today. We had a garage sale the past couple of days and so my house is a mess and I still have to pack up what is left before my mother-in-law comes for dinner this evening. No I do not have to have it cleaned up for her she would be understanding, I need it cleaned up for my sanity. Does a relaxing mothers day exist, anyone, anyone???

I used the CTMH promotional item for this month Tickled Pink to create the card.

Just a Tease

2009-05-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

Come back Sunday to see what I created with these items. When I saw the set Makin' Waves I just fell in love with this cute little duckie. I was glad I had not scrapbooked Emily 1st bathing suit poses.

Welcome to the Blog Hop

2009-04-29T22:23:00.000-07:00

Get ready for some Blog Hopping fun. There are over 40 Close to my Heart consultants celebrating the upcoming release of the Summer 2009 Idea Book by sharing their wonderful creations using new products via their blogs. So here is how this works: just click on the link at the bottom of this post then each blog will have a link to another blog until you are back to mine.

I just love these Flip Flaps, I was able to put seven pictures in the space of one with these. They are attached on top of the page protector with hinges. A slit was made to insert the adhesive strip under the base picture and is attached to the layout. The brads are attached the hinges go all the way trough to the back of the layout. Therefor the page cannot come out of the page protector.

Back Country paper pack and Campin' Fever stamp set were used along with the new Memory Protectors Flip Flaps which debuted in CTMH Summer 2009 Idea Book. Other items used were Rustic and Chocolate Alphabet sets, twill, edge anchors (colonial white used then embossed with outdoor denim embossing powder and then sanded),white hemp,dimensional elements in color adventure chipboard pieces, hinges, edge distresser, sandpaper, piercing tool, liquid glass and the inks used were chocolate, barn red, and crystal blue.

Happy blog hopping, now off to http://www.tazzygirl2000.blogspot.com/

You Scream I Scream We all Scream for Ice Cream

2009-04-29T07:32:00.000-07:00

For those of you who do not know my daughter I just have to let you know she takes after me and loves ice cream. This was the first of many times I caught her helping herself to ice cream at the age of two. See our freezer is on the bottom so it is very easy for her to get to it.

I used CTMH notebook paper for this layout and the tags are done with June's stamp of the month Tender Tags. The ribbon was died with CTMH Crystal blue re-inker and the ice cream cone was made from Desert Sand. I used my paper trimmer, dry embossing stylus and sandpaper. To make the lines you will line up your paper with the grove in your paper trimmer and run you stylus down the grove keep repeating this until you have all of your lines. You will do this vertically and horizontally, I did this at a diagonal on the paper. Once finished turn the paper over to the side with the raised lines and lightly sand, this technique will only work with paper with a white core.

Join me tomorrow for a Blog Hop of artwork using products from the new Close to My Heart Idea book.

Notebook

2009-04-27T19:03:00.001-07:00

For both of these I used CTMH Notebook line of papers. The layout Coffee Stain, Code It, and Classmate Alphabet stamp sets were used. For the card I used Shining Star with the chalk popping technique. To due this stamp the image with Versa Mark then color your areas with chalk, just that simple.