Random Ramblings of a Scramping Addict

Summer 2010 Idea Book Sneak Peak Blog Hop

Welcome to our Close To My Heart New Product Blog Hop!  Over 40 Fabulous Close To My Heart consultants are celebrating the upcoming release of the Summer 2010 Idea Book by giving you a sneak peak of some of the great products available in the new Idea Book which goes live May 1st!

If you have come here from Emma Hubert's blog you are on the right path!  You can also find a complete list of participants here.  To participate in the blog hop is simple.  To see the next sneak peak, you need simply follow the link at the end of this post to move on to the next one and so on.

Are you ready to be inspired?  Here we go!

This cute gift card holder was made with the new (X7126B) Passages Level 2 paper pack and the coordinating stamp set (C1408) Live Inspired.  This is my absolute favorite new stamp set released for Summer 2010 and the paper is so earthy that it was a must-have for me.  The patterns and colors in this collection have a masculine appeal, and would work great for showcasing travel photos (especially European I think) or heritage photos.

On the front of the card I used the Chalk popping technique as described on page 21 of the Summer Idea Book.  The technique is super simple and gives your finished piece a unique look.  To chalk pop you need simply.

1. Ink your stamp with Versamark Ink
2. Stamp the image onto the paper and,
3. Brush chalk with the applicator over the Versamark ink.

The chalk 'sticks' to the Versamark.  It's that easy!

While I used the technique with dark chalk on dark paper, you get some really great effects using a dark ink on a light paper too!  Due to the nature of the medium, some of the chalk will automatically stick to the background paper almost 'clouding your image', but the areas that are stamped with Versamark will stick more - making your image 'pop' off the page.  You can even use more than one colour of chalk to make a multi-colored image.  Click here to view a card in my gallery that employs this technique.

Here are some alternate views of my gift enclosure card - first the back which is the card opening, held shut with an arrow shaped photo turn.  And next the inside which is only modestly decorated and holds the gift card.  I designed this card with a graduation in mind, but the cover sentiment could easily be used to celebrate a promotion, a new job, or quite simply 'just because'.

   

Artwork Recipe

Card Stock: (1245) Olive, (X5637) Barn Red, (X5642) Cocoa (Barn Red & Cocoa are included in the Passages Paper pack - I just added the Olive)
Patterened Paper (B&T Duos): (X7126B) Passages My Reflections Paper pack 
Ink: (Z891) Versamark, (Z2114) Cocoa
Stamp Set: (C1408) Live Inspired, (D1187) For Every Occasion
Other:  (Z904) Autumn Soft Chalks, (Z668) Gold Embossing Powder, (Z555) Craft Heater, (Z1275) Mini-Medley Accents Antiqued Copped Collection
Finished Size: 4.25" x 3"

Now, hop on over to Amanda's Blog to see what she created with the new Summer 2010 products!  Be sure to visit all the consultants participating in the hop to get some great crafting ideas and inspiration - and of course get a sneak peak at more new paper packs and My Acrylix stamp sets at the same time!

Remember, the Summer Idea Book goes live on May 1st, and that's just 3 days away! Contact me to find out how to get your copy today.

**Link to working? Missed a Blog? Click here to find a complete list of the Summer 2010 New Product Sneak Peak Bog Hop participants.

Thanks Coach! Gift Card Holder

As Hockey season came to an end with the official team party yesterday, I volunteered to make gift card holders to present to the coaches on behalf of the parents and kids.  We purchased some restaurant gift cards so that they could enjoy some time with their families after having given us a great deal of their time throughout the season.  This is what I came up with.  The team is the "Bruins" - so the Black/Yellow combo came easily.  While I used it for a thank-you, this particular card could easily be a adapted to a Birthday or other Best Wishes card for the hockey buff on your greeting card list!

The card is held closed by the removable band.

And here is a picture of the inside.

While the card is small (only 3" x 4.25") there is enough room on the inside panels to house a personalized message and signatures - and I just love how the card fits neatly inside.

The focal image I used is from the retired CTMH Power Play stamp set, one of my personal faves! Hockey is a huge part of our lives, and unfortunately in my experience hockey stamps and scrapbooking supplies are truly hard to come.  I'm not sure why that is, but it's true.  Baseball tends to be everywhere, but ice hockey, not so much.  If you do need to add some hockey stamps to your collection though, you might check out In the Game - Hockey which is currently available from Close To My Heart.  It has some cute images, and some really great hockey phrases that would come in handy for sure.

Artwork Recipe
Card Stock: (1386) Black, (X5681) Textured Cardstock Combo - Sunkiss Yellow, (1273) Bamboo, (1225) Sunny Yellow
Patterened Paper (B&T Duos): stars from (X7097B) Game On My Reflections Paper pack 
Ink: (44751) Archival Black Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Stamp Set: (D1233 - retired) Power Play, (D1361) Thank You
Other:  Embossed Zig Zag Punch - Martha Stewart
Finished Size: 4.25" x 3"

This style of card takes very little supplies, and yet feels really substantial once it's all together.  I was super pleased with the end result.  I am in the process of putting together a photo tutorial, so check back (hopefully Wednesday) to find out exactly how this came together.

Bird Basics

For today's share I drew inspiration from CTMH founder Jeanette Lynton's "A Little Birdie Told Me" blog post from yesterday.  Not only was I inspired by the colour palette she used {Lilac Mist, Outdoor Denim, Garden Green & Desert Sand}, but she also encouraged me to pull out a stamp set that I haven't used in a while while and show it some ink.

Using CTMH "Bird Basics" and Jeanette's colour combination, here is what I came up with.

The navy panel was embossed on the Cuttlebug using an Embossing Folder called "Daisies" by Crafts-Too.  This was one of my finds at Scrapfest this past weekend.  I have never used any Crafts-Too products, but I immediately fell in love with the daisy background when I saw it on display.  Price-wise, the folder compared well with similar offerings by Provocraft so I thought I would give it a try.  Once I put it to work, I found that the embossed image was as deep and crisp as any PC folder I had ever worked with and the quality of the folder itself was identical.  So I definitely won't hesitate to purchase more Crafts-Too embossing folders in the future now that I've used one.  They have some really cute designs!

I also really love the way that CTMH cardstock embosses these tight designs.  Although it's not totally even, the embossed areas tend to 'crack' a bit, revealing the white core of the cardstock.  I think this gives the background even more depth and interest than the embossing alone.  If you want to even it out a bit, a light sanding usually does the trick, but you need to be careful not to over do it.

Artwork Recipe
Card Stock: (1273) Desert Sand, (1275) Outdoor Denim, (1295) Lilac Mist, (1244) Garden Green
Ink: (Z2118) Desert Sand, (Z2133) Lilac Mist
Stamp Set: (D1338) Bird Basics, (D1283) Say it in Style
Other:  "Daisies" Embossing Folder (Crafts-Too), Ribbon (unknown)
Finished Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

A Monochromatic Approach & A Challenge

For today's share I chose a monochromatic design which is not something I have a whole lot of experience with.  Typically when I sit down to make a card I have at least 2 colours plus a basic that I work with - but as I got creative on this one that all changed.  I found that no matter what I tried colours seemed to be fighting and I couldn't get any combination of patterns to work quite right.  So I gave in and kept it simple.

The stamp set on the focal panel is from the CTMH retired Blossom Blocks set which I haven't used in eons!!  I stamped it then cut it out with my Nestabilities Scalloped Circle and the Cuttlebug.  It's funny, I think we all have a tendency to use what's new and forget about some of the older items in our stash - so it's nice once in a while to go a little bit old school and breathe some new life into those older images.

So I leave you with a challenge - go to your craft cupboard and find a stamp set that you haven't used in a long time and show it some ink, like I did!  Remember, whatever you choose to use, you bought it back then because you loved it and you still can!

Let me know how you make out - post your card online and pop back here to send me the link - I'd love to check it out!

Cardmaking on the Veranda

...well, not really, but I have been doing loads of work lately with the CTMH Veranda Collection from the Spring 2010 Idea Book.

For the first time ever I think I've decided to get a big jump start on some of my holiday gifts.  Yes, I know it's only April, but time and time again I find that I come up with all kinds of fabulously crafty ideas for handmade gifts but the epiphany happens far too late in the year for me to even consider getting them all complete.  So last year I started to keep some notes, and I'm starting now to get some of these handmade projects out of the way.

When I saw the Veranda Collection, I just knew that I had to make up a stationary set.  I won't give you all the details just in case the intended recipient is reading this, but over time I will give you a peak at a few of the cards I've come up with so far.

The stamps I used on this one (both the sentiment and the bird) are from the CTMH Follow Your Heart stamp set which is not a catalogue item but instead a set sold exclusively as part of the Veranda Workshop On The Go.  I just love it - and I've used this bird over and over again already.  In fact, the card design is based on the cardmaking instructions included in the workshop kit.  If you're interested in getting one of these sets for yourself, your time is running short since the Veranda Workshop on the Go kit will only be available until the end of April and then it'll be gone.

To order, you can visit my online store and add item G1007 to your cart.  If you like the Just Blooms® Spring Blossom Paper Flowers like I have used, you might also wish to add item Z1266.

More You Rock!

I've been absent from the blogosphere for a bit, so thought I would post a quick share.

This is yet another creation from the CTMH You Rock Collection!  This is definately one of my favourites from the Spring 2010 Idea Book and the sentiment is a Glitter Rub-On.  How fun is that?  Enjoy!

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

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!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

I've had this stamp set in my stash for a while now and oddly haven't used it that all that much. So.....since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and since October is quickly approaching I thought that I would pull it out and get creative. {I have to give a little credit here to Melanie over at Scrappindipity who shared a card with me recently that she had made with the same stamp} and add this to the fact that promos are out looking for supporters to "Run For the Cure" on October 4th so it just seemed fitting.

I love this card design, it's from the card pattern book 'Wishes' by Jeanette Lynton - It is 3" x 6" in size and so is not too big and not too small, but there is ample room on the inside panel for a personal message of support or thanks. The inside of the card is actually an insert, designed to be separate from the card itself, but as an alternative it could be glued in. Here's a better look at how it all fits together.

It's nice to actually have had some time to craft recently and some things to share -sometimes crafty time is so rare. So thanks again for stopping by!

Girlie Birthday

Yesterday I posted a couple of 'man' cards -- so today I thought I would share something girlie. As luck would have it, I recently had ocassion to create a birthday card for my cousin's 10 year old daughter....and it wound up being totally fun. Because I hadn't had a chance yet to play with them, I chose to use the Be Yourself stamp set by CTMH which unfortunately is no longer available (it was a May 2009 Stamp of the Month). Here's the finished product:

Inside the cards reads.....'everyone else is taken'. I stamped the silhouette twice, once in black and once in pink and then trimmed out the pink dress and glued it on top. I just love the way it turned out!