Project Life Week 4

Week 4 was all about snow...or lack thereof! I wanted this week to convey a wintery theme so I pulled out my winter stamps, an older MyStickease set (Wonderland), and some fun silver glitter stickers.

Week 4 - left page

 It might be hard to tell in the photo but the journal card has a beautiful snow angel image stamped in the center. I wish I could take credit for that but it was part of the MyStickease set. I did add some additional snowflake stamping to the bottom though!

Week 4 - right page

I did something a little different and stamped directly on my photo using Colonial White Ink. If you stamp directly on your photo with pigment ink (like Colonial White) make sure to give it enough time to dry (like overnight). Otherwise, the image will smear.

The Home sentiment was heat embossed with silver embossing powder directly on my B&T paper. The image is from the February Stamp of the Month and is only available for a few more days. I love that the sentiment fits perfectly with our house photo as well as the photo of my daughter who was feeling a little blue that day.

Project Life Weeks 2 & 3

The last couple of weeks at our house have been full of ear infections and some form of the flu so I've been a little behind in completing and sharing my Project Life layouts.

Week 2

Week 2's layout was pretty basic. I kept the stamping on my journal cards to a minimum and added more photos to the 3" x 4" journal slots. I also cut a sheet of banners strips with the help of my Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge and Cricut Craft Room to aid in my journaling.

Week 2 - Left Page

 I dug through my stash and found some great dimensional elements to add to a filler card. It already had a resist pattern stamped on it so all I had to do was sponge some color on it to match my paper!

Week 2 - Right Page

Week 3

Week 3

For Week 3 I changed things up a bit. I had a lot of photos to share so instead of daily journal cards I created a week in a review card. I also ventured into adding text on my photos. I don't have Photoshop so I used Picassa, a free software editing program, to add journaling directly to my photo.

Week 3 - Left Page

Week 3 - right page

We celebrated my son's 3rd birthday (kind of cool that week 3 including a 3rd birthday!) twice...once with friends and once with just us on his actual birthday so I had A LOT of photos. I wanted to include my favorites so I added a little mini-album insert with 4 x 6 flip flaps. Cool right?!

Mini Insert - Top

Mini Insert - 2nd page

Mini Insert - 3rd Page

Mini Insert - last page

I love that I can include an additional 6 photos without much bulk! The mini insert is kept closed with a stamped embellishment popped up with 3D foam tape.

I'm truly enjoying this Project Life Experience! Thanks for taking the time to look through all my photos. Would love to hear what you think!

Freshly Made Sketch #74

Allisa had a fabulous simple sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week! I wanted something bright and fun so I combined the stamps from the Chantilly Cardmaking Workshop with Pear, Lagoon, and Cotton Candy paper.

The background paper was embossed with a Darice Embossing folder I picked up on sale at my local craft store. The bracket shapes were cut with my Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge. One was cut at 4" and the other at 4 1/2".

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper: Cotton Candy Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock, Pear Cardstock

Stamps: Chantilly Cardmaking WOTG

Ink: Black, Pear, Lagoon

Other: Embossing Folder (Darice), Big Shot (Sizzix), Cricut Art Philosophy, Clear Sparkles, 3D Foam Tape, Small Flower Punch

Here's the sketch for reference:

3 x 3 Card Set & FMS #73

Here are some recent customer thank you cards I made using Jenn B's sketch from Freshly Made Sketches. The pattern paper is from a retired set, Wings. It was cut at 1" x 3". The banner was cut with the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge and re-sized in Cricut Craft Room (I didn't save the file and forgot to write my measurement down).

The Thank You sentiment is one of the many you will find on the Card Word Puzzle stamp set. The background image came from the fantastic set Simple Memories. It's retired now but the sets Beautiful Friendship or Love Doily would make great substitutes. It's been in my inventory for awhile but barely used (crazy I know).

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted): 

Paper: Colonial White Cardstock, Wings (retired)

Stamps: Simple Memories (retired), Card Word Puzzle (C1494)

Ink: Vineyard Berry, Juniper

Other: Blue Assortment Buttons, Just Blooms Flowers, Colonial White Waxy Flax, Glue Dots, Adhesive Gems - Pearls, Cricut Art Philosophy

Here's the fantastic sketch:

Move More Eat Well - January

Last July I started Cathy Zielske's Move More Eat Well class. This year I decided to follow in her footsteps and post my monthly entries. Cathy is so honest when she writes and has no fear when it comes to posting her numbers. It's inspiring me to do the same! I will admit I'm shaking a little bit knowing I'm putting this much about myself "out there." I'm still hesitant to post all my numbers (notice the weight is missing!!!). But, I feel like this is my time to get real and share my journey. It's my way for keeping myself accountable and maybe inspire you to get out there and try something new!

Cathy isn't a nutritionist or a fitness instructor  She's a real person documenting her journey which is why I like it so much! The class is a way to document my journey on being the healthiest I can be. It's about keeping myself accountable for my actions. And, through the documentation process, perhaps even learn a little more about myself. Cathy's made the process really easy with templates and journaling prompts. She also posts monthly video messages with a theme to consider and focus on each month. I find it very inspiring!

To learn more about it please go HERE! Please note I don't receive any benefit from anyone joining  other than the satisfaction of knowing that one more person is taking a step in becoming healthier!

Chantilly & My Creations 3D Star

I've been working on some items for my vendor table I'm attending this weekend and made this adorable 3D star from the My Creations products.

 

 

The paper is from the new Chantilly pack. Gorgeous right?! To create this star I used the template provided by CTMH to trim my papers. You can get the template HERE.

 

The banner was cut at 1 1/2" from the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge on White Daisy Cardstock. The pink scallop pieces were also cut with the Art Philosophy Cartridge. I re-sized them in Cricut Craft room for a perfect fit on top of my banner.

 

I decorated the end pieces with two different rolled flowers (also from Art Philosophy). Each flower was cut at 2 1/2" from the same pink pattern paper as the scallop. I rolled the flowers with the pink to the inside so that the opposing pattern was highlighted.

The letters on the banners are from the Lots of Dots Color-Ready Alphabet (retired) set and colored with the Twilight alcohol markers. I strung my banner with the coordinating Paradise Assortment Baker's Twine and finished it off with pink glitter gems. It's hard to tell in the photo but I also added a pearl flourish to both the top and bottom of my star.

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper: Chantilly Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock

Stamps: none

Ink: Buttercup, Twilight Alcohol Marker

Other: My Creations Star, Pink Glitter Gems, Paradise Assortment Baker's Twine, Color-Ready Alphabet, Cricut Art Philosophy

 

This woud make a perfect personalized gift for a special friend or loved one! If you'd like to purchase any of these items please visit my website.

It's Digi Sale Time!!

February is sure to be a month of digital delights because you can purchase any Studio J layout for only $5*-that's a savings of $1.95 per layout! This is a great opportunity to try Studio J for the first time. Create adorable baby layouts with the Wishes and Fishes kit (shown) or use the new Express Collections with the collections of 10 ready made layouts plus a front and back cover that are easy to use and professionaly designed. Preserve your memories at a low price for a truly digital delight!

*Shipping/handling applies. Studio J credts must be redeemed before this promotion can be applied. Offer valid February 1-28, 2013.

As you create your fantastic digital layouts don't forget about the adorable Stamp of the Month, Home Sweet Home. This 4 stamp set is available Feb 1 - Feb 28, 2013. You can get the Stamp of the Month set for just $5 (S1302A) when you place an order of $50 or more. Jump-start the fun by ordering the items from the list below to create this artwork! You'll find helpful assembly tips here.

It's Giveaway Time!!

I'm so excited about the fabulous new Spring/Summer Idea Book I thought I'd offer my first Facebook giveaway! By entering you'll have a chance to pick of one of the seven brand new paper packs from Close To My Heart.

To enter the giveaway please go HERE or visit the Giveaway page on my blog. The giveway is open until Feb 15. No purhcase is necessary. Good luck!!

Spring/Summer Idea Book

If you still need a copy of the Spring/Summer Idea Book let me know in the comments. I have a few left and they are going fast! They are $5 each and in return you will receive a voucher for a $5 coupon off your first order.