Random Stamping

I haven't random stamped on cards in awhile and I had forgotten how it can make such beautiful, personalized artwork! I ran across some gorgeous cards while browsing my fellow CTMH consultant Vicki's blog here. She inspired me to use the same color combination and stamp set to create some cards for gifts to give to my daughter Ava's teachers at church as a thank you gift.

This is another wonderful way to use the stamps from the wonderful National Scrapbooking Day special that CTMH has going on right now - Tickled Pink! I love this stamp set! I used it, along with Spot On Backgrounds and Dainty Thoughts stamps for the sentiments. First, I stamped the background stamp in Bamboo ink, right on the card bases. Then, I used the Tickled Pink flower stamps to "randomly" create an all-over floral pattern, beginning with the largest flower stamp first and working my way down to the smallest. I used Lilac Mist, Spring Iris, Creme Brulee, Sorbet, and Sweet Leaf inks for the flowers and black for the sentiments. I also used some brads and crocheted flowers from the White Daisy Mini-Medley and regular White Daisy brads along with 3-D adhesive on the sentiments. I also used my Cricut to cut some of the scalloped borders from White Daisy cardstock.

Gears, Gears, Gears!

I'm loving the gears in this new Summer Idea Book! These are my scrap club layouts for May, and I'm so excited about how well these work for stamping accents, backgrounds and titles as well! My good friend and fellow scrapbooker Kirsten and I were having a discussion one day about the need for some type of shape that would work for boys like flowers work so easily for girls, and I do believe I've found them - gears!

For these layouts, I used the Tinkerin' paper pack from the new book. I used Robot Power, Gear Up and Today's Date stamp sets. I also used twill ribbon, silver brads, Holiday Red craft buttons, Holiday Red and Sunny Yellow bigger brads, and Twilight, Clover Meadow, Sunny Yellow and Goldrush cardstock. Technically, the color of orange for this kit is Sunflower in the catalog, but I liked how Goldrush went with the orange in the striped papers and I think it tones the brightness of the pages down as well. I took a close up photo on the second layout so you could see the details on the robots that I stamped. I used the "paper piecing" technique to add dimension and variety in color to the robots.

Fun and Easy Layout

This layout was so easy and fun to put together. It is using the Tinkerin' paper pack from the brand new Summer Idea Book - available May 1st! These photos are from Alex's fifth birthday dinner last month. I thought they went perfect with these papers and stamps. I used Gear Up stamps, Tinkerin' papers, Sunny Yellow, Twilight and White Daisy cardstock, Summer Carnival craft buttons in Holiday Red, Clover Meadow and Twilight inks, Tinkerin' My Stickease and Badge Buttons.

This is the feature layout for the May Allison's Challenge. This challenge provides a fabulous opportunity for you to get more scrapbooking and card-making done at home, and rewards you for doing just that! Here are some of the details on how the challenge works:

- Challenge includes a beautiful, full-color workshop guide with photos, cutting guide and step by step instructions for a new 12x12 double-page scrapbook layout. These layouts are not in any of our "how-to" books - they are BRAND NEW!
- Challenge begins on the 10th of each month and ends on the 10th of the following month.
- Challenge bundle includes a complimentary accessory packet prepared for you at no extra charge.
- Three product purchase levels - you can choose what you want to buy for each challenge. These levels consist of Basic (around $20), Better (around $40) and Best (around $55).
- Challenge product bundle includes products needed to complete the challenge projects and have some left over afterward!
- On or before the 10th of the month, let me know you want to participate in the challenge for that month. At that point, I will order your product bundle. I will deliver the guide and your products to you when they arrive (one week-ten days later) and you'll have the remaining time to complete the 12x12 layout at home by the end of the challenge.
- Complete the challenge layout by the end of the challenge and you'll receive a $5.00 gift certificate good for any order from the CTMH Idea Book.
- That's not all! On my website, there are cutting guides and photos for two additional 12x12 double-page scrapbook layouts and cards to make using our Cherish, Imagine, Reflections and Originals books. If you complete the original two layouts in the flyer, and all of the online projects at home by the end of the challenge, you'll get a $15.00 gift certificate good for any order from the CTMH Idea Book.

Another Fun Interactive Card

Here's another version of my interactive card I posted earlier. This is a fun, baby congratulations card. Hope I'm not spoiling the surprise, I just couldn't wait to post it! I used Sorbet and Vanilla Cream cardstock, Aspiration, Family Ties - Adult and Family Ties-Children stamp sets, Staz-on brown ink, Juniper, Sorbet, Creme Brulee, Cocoa and Blush exclusive inks, and the blending pen to color in the images. The link to the tutorial video on how to make this card is listed below. My son Alex was kind and patient enough to be my finger model :)

Hannah Sue is here!

I am an Auntie - yay! My sister had her baby this morning. Hannah Sue Stevens was born April 16th at 9:23am. She was 7 lbs, 3 oz and 19 3/4 inches long. Mama and baby are both doing just fine! I can't wait to meet you little Hannah! I'll be visiting Colorado in three weeks! So happy for you Karen and Rusty!

Thank You Card and Envelope

Here's a card I made with the new, fabulous Tickled Pink kit - CTMH's current special for National Scrapbooking Month! I used the Tickled Pink glitter stripe paper, reverse side of the Tickled Pink floral paper, Crystal Blue Textured cardstock, White Daisy cardstock, Foundry Bookplates, and floral die-cuts from the Tickled Pink kit in White Daisy. I stamped the "thank you" with A Huge Thanks stamps and the floral and leaf stamps are from the Tickled Pink kit as well. I raised the floral and leaf die-cuts up off the card by using foam squares to add dimension. To find out all the details on this special kit - only available now through May 31st - click on the icon to the right on this blog, or here.

T-Ball Time

Part of the reason my posting has been less than frequent is all of the spring activities we have going on right now! My husband Tony coaches JV baseball at McNary HS and we are right in the thick of the season right now. And, this spring is a huge milestone for my son Alex - his first year for T-Ball! Alex has been so excited to play T-Ball for a very long time. For at least two years, he's always said, "when I turn five, I get to play T-Ball!" Well, his time has finally arrived. He is on the Rangers team for Keizer Little League and has had three practices now. He just can't stop talking about hitting, catching, running, fielding, his coach, his friends on the team, his uniform - you name it, if it's about T-Ball, he's excited about it! Here are some photos from his first couple of practices. Lots of fun!

Gift Frames

These are frames we'll be making at my upcoming workshop later this month. I made a bunch of them for gifts for our family last Christmas and I thought it would make a fun workshop! They are really easy to make, and workshop attendees get to make two for just $15.00. Click here to check out more details on the upcoming workshop.

For my frames, I used the Emporium paper packet and the Emporium Creative Basics papers, Vineyard Berry ribbon found in the Creative Basics packet, die-cut shapes using Twilight and Cocoa cardstocks, Sweet Leaf craft buttons and some Colonial White Waxy Flax. I used Mod Podge to adhere the papers to the frames and seal the front to make the paper smooth to the touch. I found the frames at Craft Warehouse.

They make great gifts and are a wonderful addition to any home decor!

No Foolin'

Today is April Fool's Day, but these layouts are no joke! They are from CTMH's brand new promotion - Tickled Pink. It begins on April 15 and continues for the entire month of May - National Scrapbooking Month! It is hard to see it on the photos, but the flower and striped papers have glitter, right on the paper! I love them. I thought I'd give you a sneak peek of these gorgeous layouts, featuring my sweet daughter Ava. Stay tuned for more info about the promotion - coming soon!