New Heights Abound

Sometimes it’s the details of a page that makes it really shine. But adding some glitter paper, Shimmer Trim, and glitter gems doesn’t hurt, either! Learn how to make a sparkly bouquet of balloons by combining embellishments, Cricut^® cutouts, and specialty paper.

Artbooking Made Easy: Trailblazing Travel Albums

Need a fun way to document that unforgettable vacation, getaway, or outing? The travel keys on the Cricut^® Artbooking cartridge are ideal for decorating albums, pages, or 3–D artwork with your most memorable moments. From artsy airplanes to ticket-like tabs, there are cutouts to accompany any of your travel-themed projects.

Be Still Card

This is a card I made for a friend who was going through a difficult time.  Sometimes all we can do for someone is to let them know that we do care and that we are praying for them.  It is a small gesture that can bring a lot of comfort to someone - which makes me love the art of card making even more :-)

These are the basics that were used to create this card:

• Smoky Plum and White Daisy Cardstock
• Smoky Plum Exclusive Ink Pad
• Washi Wonder My Acrylix Stamps, D1558 (retired)
• Be Still My Acrylix Stamp, A1141
• Frame Flair My Acrylix Stamps, D1546
• Look to the Light My Acrylix Stamps, B1428
• Ivy Lane Paper Pack
• Gold Polka-Dot Washi Tape
• Purple Glitter Gems
• CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge

Pure Joy of Washi Tape

I must confess that I have been slow to arrive at the washi tape party.  However, I have dabbled with it and I do like it.  It is quite easy to work with and since it is low tack, it is quite forgiving.  In this video, Carlee gives us some tips and provides some inspiration on how to use this wonderful product.

Ivy Lane - Pure Joy

Ivy Lane, like all of the CTMH paper packs, offers a lot of versatility when you start working on your projects.  I chose to highlight two of the B&T papers on this layout celebrating my daughter's birthday. Using 5 Memory Protector Flip Flaps I was able to fit 16 photos on this two page layout.  Since my photos are the stars of this layout, I needed minimal embellishments to complete it :-)  I am truly a fan of clean and simple pages.  No fuss, but beautiful results!

Left- hand page of a two page layout with Flip Flaps closed.

Left-hand page of 2 page layout with Flip Flaps Open

Right-hand page of 2 page layout with Flip Flaps closed

Right-hand page of 2 page layout with Flip Flaps open

Close up shot of the stamped title

Close up shot of the embellishment cluster

Artbooking Made Easy: Fab Frames

Decorate your walls, tables, mantles, and more with these picture-perfect pennant frames, adorned with shapes and cutouts from the Cricut^® Artbooking cartridge. From flowers to snowflakes to titles, you will love the versatility, ease, and look of these artistic embellishments.

Artbooking Made Easy: Happy Springtime

Jen introduces the Springtime keys on pages 62 and 63 of the CTMH Artiste Cricut Cartridge Handbook.  There are a lot of overlays and frames that can be used on layouts that don't shout spring and of course the flower, butterfly and pinwheel are great cuts for a variety of pages.  I also loved how she took the word "happy" and added the word birthday cut using the font keys...infinite possibilities exist when you start cutting words using the font keys.  And I certainly prefer to weld the letters of my words together using my Gypsy, which can also easily be done using the Cricut Craft Room.  This cartridges brings so much wonderful potential to the scrapbook page.

Ivy Lane Display Tray - Post 3 of 3 Post Series

Today, I will wrap up my series on my Ivy Lane Display Tray by showing the final three design elements that I used on the tray.  On the first one I stamped the sentiment and two flourishes from The Best Things, C1503, stamp set using Colonial White Exclusive Ink onto Hollyhock cardstock and then I sprinkled the still wet ink with Embossing Powder (a retired product) and heated it with a craft heater until the powder melted.  Once it cooled down I added Opaque Adhesive Pearls (also a retired product.)  The result is a very rich, shiny image that really stands out on the paper.

The second design image is stamped using the Home Sweet Home stamp set, which was previously available as a Stamp of the Month.  I embossed it following the steps described above and added a couple of Opaque Pearls.  I added a row of the Colonial White Rosette Ribbon and embellished each rosette with an Opaque Pearl.  

The final design element in my Display Tray used the faux chipboard technique again.   I used my Gypsy to weld the letters/numbers together, but this can be accomplished using the Cricut Design Studio.  I also added a bow that I made with off white tulle and put a colonial white rosette on top. 

March CTMH Specials - Revisited

The March Stamp of the Month is called Happy Place and consists of 4 images and 3 sentiments.  It is a D-size stamp and can be purchased for $17.95, or with a qualifying $50 purchase it can be bought for just $5.  My favorite sentiment from this set is "what I love most about my home is who I share it with." 

CTMH also has a great special for anyone who enjoys designing layouts using computer based software.  During the month of March, you can purchase each Studio J layout as the reduced price of $5 - they are regularly $6.95 each.  Studio J orders do have a minimum order of 4 layouts and include a free JPEG of each layout.  For additional information about StudioJ please click HERE.
.

Ivy Lane Display Tray - Post 2 of 3 Post Series

Today, I will briefly discuss three additional design elements that are on my Display Tray.  For the first one, I cut the word family from page 60 in the Artiste handbook five times from Colonial White cardstock and followed the technique described in my previous post to achieve a chipboard look.  I then covered the top with glue and sprinkled it with Prisma Glitter.  The two medal elements are from the Mini-Medley Pewter (which is currently available in the While Supplies Last section of the CTMH webpage.

The second element also uses the faux chipboard technique.   The butterfly is found on page 55 of the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge and is also cut from Colonial White cardstock and covered with Prisma Glitter.  I embellished the final product with Opaques for a final finishing touch.

This third element features one of the pieces from the Mini-Medley Pewter collection.  I cut a piece of the green B&T paper to fit the open space and stamped the word love from the Love/Joy/Hope/Fun, D1497, stamp set that is available exclusively with the purchase of the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.  I also cut 3 flowers from the Artiste Cricut Cartridge, found on page 54 of the handbook using cardstock and B&T paper and inked the edges of one of them. 

 Join me for my next post where I will show the final three design elements.

Project Inspiration: Transform Your Stamps

Watch as Jill shows us how to transform icon stamps into borders, embellishments, and backgrounds that create subtle patterned paper.  She helps us think outside the box when using our stamp sets – expanding their purpose and therefore getting the most from our crafting dollar.  The Do Your Best stamp set is a C size set which has sentiments, small words, animal icons and some animal tracks.  It is great for camping/outdoor themes but she also reminds us that it would be perfect to use as a mascot on a school page or to include on a scouting page.  She shows an example of using the animal footprints on a hiking page and also gave tips about using random stamping to create your own B&T paper.   And did you know that you can stamp directly onto a photo?  This was news to me and something I certainly want to incorporate into my scrapbooks.   Lots of good stuff in this video

The Whole Kit and Caboodle

Whether your style is outdoorsy, sweet, bold, or shabby chic, you are sure to find something to love in the newest lines of paper from CTMH...

Ivy Lane Display Tray - Post 1 of 3 Post Series

Close To My Heart has quite a few options available for those who'd like to pull some of their pictures out of their scrapbook pages and display them throughout their home.  The Designed Decor line offers several styles and formats which provide a large spectrum of creative options  - so there is something to suit all design tastes.

I have certainly used the Display Tray to create wall art for baby rooms on multiple occasions, but I decided that it was time to put some of my pictures into one and display it in my home.  I chose to work with the Ivy Lane papers and only had to add a few sheets of Colonial White cardstock to complete this project.

These are the basics that were used to complete this home decor project:

• Ivy Lane Paper Pack
• Colonial White Cardstock
• VersaMark Embossing Pad, retired
• Embossing Powder - Clear Detail, retired
• Prisma Glitter, retired
• Pweter Mini Medley Accents, retired but currently available as a While Supplies Last Item
• Colonial White Rosette Ribbon, retired
• Colonial White Exclusive Ink Stamp Pad
• CTMH Artiste Cricut Cartridge
• CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge
• Opaques Adhesive Gems - Pearl, retired

I did use a bit of retired products for this project.  CTMH no longer sells these items, but many of them are readily available in the scrapbooking section of most retail craft stores, such as the embossing powder, embossing pad, pearls, etc.  So if you like the look, it can still be achieved, even though CTMH no longer carries some of the products that I used. 

I had a blast being creative with all of the 3x4 slots!  Since there are seven of them, I will briefly describe one on this post and address the other six over the course of two subsequent posts.

For this embellishment I cut two rosette pieces, the <card> shift feature on page 50 in the Artiste Cricut cartridge handbook, at 1.25 inches from the Ivy Lane floral B&T.  I assembled it following the directions in the instruction handbook that accompanies the Artiste cartridge.

I also cut the letter K 5 times from Colonial White cardstock at 3.95 inches. This is where having access to the Cricut makes it easy to create embellishments with depth and texture, with the result looking somewhat like chipboard.  It is the same effect you would get using the Dimensional Elements, found on page 128 of the SS 2014 Idea Book.  However, with this technique, you can make a "dimensional element" using only cardstock and glue from any of the 700 cuts available of each of the 3 Cricut cartridges - that is 2100 "dimensional elements" possiblities, any one of which can be made in just minutes. 

To complete the K embellishment, I just glued each of the 5 layers together using the Bonding Memories Glue.  Once they were assembled, I added a layer of this Bonding Memories Glue to the top of the K and then sprinkled with the Prisma Glitter and shook off the excess.  Viola - my very own chipboard style embellishment!  Gotta love it! 

One final note,  I adhered the K to the rosette and the rosette to the Hollyhock cardstock using Liquid Glass - my preferred glue when I want a lasting, strong bond and when there is minimal surface on which to adhere my pieces (as in the case of the rosette, the surface area at the top of each fold is the only surface area on which to secure my K.)

Ivy Lane - This is so Lovely

On the somewhat rare occasion that I receive flowers from my husband, I do like to scrapbook them.  It is not that he doesn't make an effort to make Valentine's Day special, it is more that we both feel there are better ways to express love than flowers.  But I do still very much enjoy receiving them and never knowing when I may receive them, makes it even more special.  I also very rarely dedicate an entire scrapbook page to one picture, but I am capable of doing it, even though it doesn't come naturally :-)

These are the basics that were used to complete this page:

• Ivy Lane WOTG
• Sparkle Flourish - Small, Z1812
• Hollyhock and Bamboo cardstock
• EK Tools Black Journaling Pen
• Hollyhock Exclusive Ink Stamp Pad
•  CTMH Artbooking Cricut Cartridge
• Sweet and Lovely Stamp Set, D1571 (bundled with CTMH Artbooking Cricut Cartridge)

Close To My Heart Artbooking Cricut Cut used on this layout:

• Photo Mat 1 at 11.5 inches, page 59, from Bambook cardstock

Here is a close up photo of the embellishment cluster...

Ivy Lane - Happy Valentine's

When I look at the Ivy Lane paper pack, I immediately think of love, love, love.  Maybe it is the beautiful flower B&T paper that triggers these thoughts, but no matter, it was my choice for this layout featuring two of my daughters on Valentine's Day.

These are the basics that were used to complete this page:

• Ivy Lane WOTG
• Hemp - Natural, retired
• Hollyhock and Bamboo cardstock
• Happy Valentine My Acrylics Stamp set, S1301 (previous Stamp of the Month)
• Hollyhock Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

I stamp the Pure, Simple, Wonderful You image and the Happy Valentine's Day image using Hollyhock ink onto Bamboo cardstock and then just carefully cut the images out using my Non-Stick Micro-tip Scissors. Yes, I do actually have layouts that do not include Cricut cuts - but they are rare :-)  Here is a close up of some of the embellishments...

Picture My Life™ Scrapbooking Program

Christine and Monica introduce us to the new Picture My Life Scrapbooking Program  This system is designed to get scrapbookers to finished pages more quickly.  Although I have yet to try this new system, I am intrigued by it.  My initial impulse was to just scatter these pages throughout my traditional scrapbook pages. However, after input from fellow CTMH consultants, I believe that this is not a good idea.  The Picture My Life memory protectors are designed to work with the new My Legacy D-Ring and My-Legacy Post-Bound Albums that are on page 134 of the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book.

March CTMH Specials (SOTM and Studio Savings)

The March Stamp of the Month is called Happy Place and consists of 4 images and 3 sentiments.  It is a D-size stamp and can be purchased for $17.95, or with a qualifying $50 purchase it can be bought for just $5.  My favorite sentiment from this set is "what I love most about my home is who I share it with." 

CTMH also has a great special for anyone who enjoys designing layouts using computer based software.  During the month of March, you can purchase each Studio J layout at the reduced price of $5 - they are regularly $6.95 each.  Studio J orders do have a minimum order of 4 layouts and include a free JPEG of each layout.  For additional information about StudioJ please click HERE.

.