Random Ramblings of a Scramping Addict

Your Rock! My Creations Memory Keeper

So I'm still playing with the You Rock papers and the stamps and embellishments included in the You Rock Workshop on the Go and it is too fun!

This weekend, I finished up my very first My Creations Memory Keeper - and suffice it to say there will definitely be more of these projects in my future!  The My Creations Memory Keeper boxes measure 10" x 9 1/2" x 3" and are made of a sturdy chipboard material.  You can paint them, stamp of them or like I did, cover them with paper.  They are folded flat for shipping and storage and are only $8.25 (Cdn.).  These are pretty impressive actually - in fact even my husband thought they were pretty cool!

Here's a look at the top of the box.  The photo was a professional shot taken in the fall of my son in his hockey gear.  I absolutely loved the photo and knew I just needed to find a fabulous way to display it.

Photo credit: Michael Zajczenko (www.mzphotos.com)

I used a whole bunch of embellishments on this one - buttons, chipboard, the new 'Rockin' Top Coats, ribbon, stamps and ink.  I just love the fact that I could add a ton of dimension to the layout on the top of the box since I didn't have to worry about it getting squashed in an album, or in a frame.  I painted the chipboard swirl and letter with CTMH Creat-a-Shade Pearl paint which unfortunately doesn't photograph well but is tinted with a combination of Crystal Blue and Outdoor Denim reinkers.  I brushed the paint on the 'J' and got a reasonable smooth result, but decided to stipple on the swirl to give it some texture!  Here is a better look at the embellishment bundle.  The circle chips are sponged with Plum Mist ink (I swear they're not pink!  LOL!)

As I said, I will definitely be doing more of these Memory Keeper boxes and in fact my daughter has decided that this is the craft we'll be doing at her birthday party in a couple of weeks - so that should be loads fun to see what the kids can come up with!

You Rock!

I finally got some time to play with some things from the Close To My Heart Spring Idea Book -- it just arrived today, as I ordered waaaay later than I normally do, and I got to playing right away!

Here is the first layout I did using the new You Rock Workshop on the Go kit!  I used the BEST option for the kit which included a few extra accessories on top of the kit cost and assembled the pages pretty much exactly the way the instruction booklet described ~ only a bit of minor tweaking!  I was so thrilled with the way this turned out and it just proves that while it's not girlie in the least at first glance -- you can use the You Rock papers to celebrate the girls in your life!  After all, girls ROCK too!

What do ya think?

You can get your own You Rock Workshop on the Go kit by contacting me or by following this link to my online store.  When you're there, click on 'Shop Online' and drop item G1006 in your cart.  The Workshop on the Go kit is just $35.50 and comes with complete instructions to create the pages you see above, plus complete instructions for 3 cards.  In addition, you'll find an additional 2 page layout suggestions, and an additional 3 cards.  There is more than enough paper in this kit to create all of this!

In addition to the basic workshop kit, I added the following accessories to my layout.

• Z1272 Top Coats 'Rockin' ($4.75)
• Z281 White Hemp ($2.75)
• Z1263 Bitty Sparkles ($3.50)

and I've still got lots of this stuff left over, so watch here for more art coming soon!

P.S.  I'm extending my blog candy deadline all the way to the end of this month!  All you need to do is leave a comment here or anywhere on my blog for a chance to win the CTMH Pure Love stamp set.

Celebrating Change with Blog Candy

{updated: January 13, 2010 - new contest close date is
January 31, 2010}

Quite some time ago, I installed a Haloscan commenting system on my blog.  Well, today, I removed it.  I just wasn't happy with how the system worked, and it was tricky to manage.  So I've reverted back to the original Blogger style comments for now.

There is only one problem with this --> and it's a biggie!  All of my Haloscan comments have DISAPPEARED! That's right, they're gone, and I have no way (as far as I know) to get them back  :(

So in order to stay positive, and to hopefully get some comments happening, I'm offering up some BLOG CANDY!  To win, it's simple, just leave a comment on either this post, or one of my past posts, and you'll be entered in a random draw to win!

So what's up for grabs?  It's the recently retired CTMH Pure Love stamp set (C1270) that I used to create this card.  For some reason I have an extra - so the blog candy winner will receive a brand new set!

Are you ready to win?  Comment away......and multiple comments increase your chances of winning - so surf through my blog and leave as many comments as you like!

The winner will be determined on January 31, 2010 and ALL comments made between now and then will be entered in the draw.  Thanks for stopping by!

Labels: blog candy

CTMH Caboodle Workshop on the Go!

While the snow is flying, and the days are cold, rest assured Spring is never far away!  So why not think Spring, and get crafting with the soft calm colors and whimsical designs found in Close To My Heart's Caboodle Workshop on the Go kit!  The Caboodle Workshop on the Go is available for a limited time (only until April 30).

Workshops On The Go contain all the materials you need plus step-by-step instructions to create both scrapbook pages and cards!  If you're not familiar with CTMH Workshop on the Go kits, click here to find out more.

With the Caboodle Workshop on the Go kit here is what you can create:

{note all prices in Canadian dollars}

For a limited time only (only until April 30, remember) for only $35.50 (plus tax and shipping) you can purchase the Caboodle Basic Kit which includes the following:

• My Acrylix This Way Stamp Set
• My Reflections Caboodle Level 2 Paper Pack
• Dimensional Elements Booksmart
• Workshop Guide

The retail value of the Caboodle Basic Kit is $39 - but is available through April 30 for the discounted price of $35.50!

And....if you want to add even more coordinating products to take your project to the next level (the BEST option), think about

• Z1271 Tiny Tabs ($4.75)
• Z1125 Designer Ribbon Rounds Sweet Leaf Collection ($9.25)

Want to see more?

Click on these links to see exactly what the Caboodle Basic Workshop on the Go kit contains (including the limited edition My Acrylix This Way stamp set)

• Scrapbook Flyer
• Card Workshop Flyer

To order your Caboodle Workshop on the Go kit, you may either Contact Me or visit my Online Store and add item G1004 to your shopping cart --have everything you need delivered right to your door!

If you have any other questions, just holler!

Some Oldies: Endless Love and Soul Mates

I don't have anything new for you today, I'm actually reposting some art from 2 years ago -- gasp!

Whilst flipping through the new CTMH Spring Idea Book and drooling over all of the new stuff, I happened to notice that they have brought back to catalog several items that I don't think we've seen in a while.  These items were never retired, have still been available for order both online and from your consultant, but they have not been "showcased" in an Idea Book.  With 3 'seasonal' Idea Books per year,  this is understandable since Flowers and Hearts definitely say 'Spring'.

This first one was originally released in February 2008 and was a Stamp of the Month.  It is called Endless Love (D1260).  The set consists of 3 scrolly medallions (the medium one was used here), a border stamp, a sentiment and a flourish accent.  If you read my block back then, you will recall that when I set out to create this card I was going for 'simplicity', however working with this image was much fussier than I had originally imagined.  I really liked the way it turned out though with all the 'white' space really forcing you to focus on the stamped/coloured image, the ribbon and the tag.

The second card uses a couple of images from the Soul Mates Word Puzzle (D1254).  If I recall correctly, I lifted this design in it's entirety from somewhere, although I can't recall where.  I still love the soft non-traditional colours and all of the distressing.

With any luck I'll be able to share some 'new' artwork soon.  I'm placing an order for some new Spring product today, and I can't wait to start playing.  There are just so many new items that I want, it has taken me a very long time to pare back my list to something that my checkbook can manage.

And don't forget to stop by http://www.nationalpapercraftingmonth.blogspot.com/ today and leave your comment to be entered to win the National Paper Crafting Month Felicity Collection!!

Labels: CTMH, Endless Love, Soul Mates, Spring 2010

Celebrate National Paper Crafting Month with Felicity & A Giveaway

Did you know that January is National Papercrafting Month?  Yup, that's right.  3 years ago, Close To My Heart inaugurated the event to celebrate stamping, scrapbooking, cardmaking, home decor creation, and anything else crafted with paper.

To celebrate in 2010, CTMH is presenting to you the Felicity Collection, filled with regular and die-cut B&T Duos paper and a darling alphabet stamp set!  The Felicity Collection is filled with flowers, flourishes, argyle and birds, and is presented in the ever popular Autumn Terracotta--Sorbet--Twilight colour combo.

The versatile 12" x 12" Felicity Collection includes  12 B&T Duos, 6 new B&T die-cut papers, an exclusive D-size stamp set, and an artwork brochure filled with ideas to rev your creative engines!

There are 6 ways to get your hands on this awesome collection!

1. Purchase Felicity at regular price from your CTMH Consultant, or in Canada - you can follow this link to my online store.
2. Place an order of $70 or more in full-retail priced stamp sets (A,B,C,D, and/or E size) and get the Felicity Collection Free!
3. Place an order of $145 or more in full-retail priced Close To My Heart products (with or without stamp sets included in this total) and get the Felicity Collection Free!
4. Host a home gathering with cumulative sales total of $470 and Felicity is yours Free!
5. Become a Close To My Heart Consultant in January and the Felicity Collection will be included in your new consultant kit - absolutely Free!
   
   and,
   
   
6. Each day in January, one lucky person will receive the Felicity Collection absolutely free just by commenting on the daily question posed by Close to My Heart over on this blog http://www.nationalpapercraftingmonth.blogspot.com/

Isn't that exciting?

Today, for January 4th you need to simply tell CTMH about your favourite crafting hobby!  How easy is that?  All those who leave comments will be entered into a random draw and winner will be chosen and posted the following day.  Again, what could be easier?

So pop on over to http://www.nationalpapercraftingmonth.blogspot.com/ and leave your comment, but remember to check back each and every day this month to increase your chances of winning.

If you're not lucky enough to win and would like more information on how you can get your hands on the Felicity Collection, give me a shout and I'll see what I can do to hook you up.

True Friends CTMH January Stamp of the Month

So it's been what seems like eons since I sat down to make cards - but over the New Year's holiday, I did just that.  Now I have to admit that I didn't quite know where to start, so I figured I would keep it simple.

I grabbed my leftovers from the recently retired CTMH Life Delights paper pack, coordinating My Stickease, one colour of ink (Chocolate), the brand new True Friends stamp set, some Just Blooms paper flowers and a handful of brads and got to work.

I must say that overall I'm pretty pleased with what I came up with.  True Friends was really fun to work with.  It's a collection of four decorative frames, 3 curly brackets and a few 'friendship' sentiments that make for some pretty nice card elements I must say.  Don't forget though that they would work equally well as a journaling spot or embellishment bases on a scrapbook page also, and I can't wait to put them to use there.

Here are my cards.  The first 2 are 8 x 3.5 inches - a size I just love because they fit in a standard envelope.  They utilize the same basic design structure, but one is rotated 90 degrees.

The next 2 are 4.5 inches square - again using the same basic design with a simple rotation.

And finally, the last 2 cards which are standard 4.25 x 5.5 inches.

Aren't they sweet?

If you are interested, you can purchase True Friends (D1406) for $26.95 through January 31 from your CTMH Consultant, or if you're in Canada, you can pop on over to my CTMH store and pick one up for yourself.  You can also get this stamp set at a discount by adding it to a cart-ful of other CTMH products, or even earn it for free by placing a $117.50 order.

If you'd like to see more artwork with True Friends before you decide - follow this link and you'll see the Spring 2010 Idea Book artwork all the details for discounted Stamp of the Month ordering.

Don't forget - this set is only available in January 2010 - so get your orders in so you don't miss out!