Quick and Easy Father's Day Gift

I made this project last year and realize I forgot to post it on my blog. If you are looking for a quick and easy Father's Day/Grandfather's day gift this one is it! It's simple. It was quick. It's meaningful!

This project uses the 5" x 7" Hinged Display and leftover Picture My Life cards (PML). If you don't have any PML cards just use scraps of your favorite pattern paper!

A few simple embellishments and my dad had an awesome gift to display on his desk at work! 

Happy crafting!

~Michelle

Father's Day Gift Idea

On Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely group of women and show them how easy it is to create with our CTMH How-To Books!

Our hostess wanted a family themed layout to use as a Father's Day gift so I turned to the Make-It From Your Heart Volume 1 book  and the new Jackson paper to create this beauty of a page! We paired the layout with the Family Love Stamp set and used shapes from the Art Philosophy Cartridge.

We showcased the layout in our gorgeous Designed Decor Black Shadow Box. I love that the hinged, magnetic door makes changing the layouts so easy! And, the 1 1/4" frame depth means we can load up on our dimensional embellishments!

Thanks Jennifer for hosting a lovely evening!

If you would like to book a workshop or gathering with your friends please contact me to reserve your date! I'm more than happy to create a custom project perfect for you and your friends to enjoy. Summer dates are filling up quickly so make sure to book sooner rather than later.

Have a wonderful, and scrappy week!

~Michelle Battitori

April SOTM Blog Hop - Typed Note

Welcome to the April SOTM blog hop! This month CTMH consultants will be featuring the 19 stamp set called, Typed Note. If you are coming from Beth's blog you are on the right track.

For my project I made a masculine 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" card using the Curtain Call sketch from our Wishes How To Program. I wanted something with a vintage feel so I made my background paper by random stamping the hand image and the "Did you hear the news" sentiment in Flaxen and Whisper Inks. 

I stamped the typewriter twice; once with the full image and once just the sheet portion. Each layer was popped up with Thin 3D foam tape (I love this stuff).

I always need a hint of bling on my cards so I used the Paper Fundamentals Basic collection for the tag. The hint of shimmer from the embossed paper is perfect!I finished my card with a few small embellishments and now my card is ready to go! I can't decide which sentiment to use on the inside just yet so I left it blank for the time being. 

Supplies Used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

12" X 12" Colonial White Cardstock	12" X 12" Black Cardstock	Paper Fundamentals Basics Assortment	April 2015: Typed Note
Black Exclusive Inks & Stamp Pad	Flaxen Exclusive Inks & Stamp Pad	Whisper Exclusive Inks & Stamp Pad	Non-stick Micro-tip Scissors
Thin 3-D Foam Tape	Flaxen Extra Thick Twine

Thank you so much for viewing my project! Now, please hop to Judy's blog to see what fabulous item she's created!

~Michelle

P.S. If you find yourself lost along this wonderful hop please visit Melinda's blog for a complete list of participants.

Card-A-Thon Kits Available for Purchase

Last Saturday I hosted a Card-A-Thon event with the theme "A Year of Cards." It turned out great and everyone had a good time creating! Each attendee had 2 hours to create an unlimited amount of cards in whatever theme and quantity they wanted!

I created cards for one holiday a month using a variety of stamps and papers. I kept some of the cards pretty general, like July, making a birthday card instead of 4th of July.  Here's a closer look at each card (click on photo to see a larger version):

Most of the card ideas were based on CTMH's How-To-Books and on-line sketches but February's card was a total CASE of THIS one by Vicki W. 

For those that are interested I have 4 kits available for purchase! Each kit contains 12 cards, all pre-cut and pre-stamped for you! All you have to do is assemble them based on the included color photo and you're done! The cost of each kit is $15, or $20 if shipped out of state. 

If you'd like to order a set (or two) please choose one of the options below:

Northern VA Pick-Up  - $15:

Out of State Shipped - $20:

Happy Creating!

~Michelle

February Card-A-Thon Class

On Saturday, Feb 7 at 10 am I will be hosting another Card-A-Thon class! I love these classes and hope you'll be able to join me! This month's Card-A-Thon theme is A Year of Cards. I've designed 12 different cards for you to choose from all based on a holiday for each month of the year. I'll be sharing all the cards throughout the week but here's a sampling of what's available to choose from:

Here's how it works...you'll have two hours to make as many cards as you can! Everything will be pre-cut and ready to make. Simply take each card box to your station and create! If you like a particular card feel free to make more of it (just be mindful of others who may want to make it as well). The only "rule" is that you must completely finish the card before moving on to the next one. The only supplies you'll need are your adhesive and VersaMat. The cost for this class is $15 or free with any $50 CTMH order!

I have a few spots open so if you'd like to RSVP here's the link: February Card-A-Thon Class

Hope to see you next Saturday!

~Michelle Battitori

June 2013 Creative Club

Father's Day is just around the corner and I've got a special workshop to celebrate!

This month I will show you how to create the shirt card found on your Cricut Artiste as well as the new Clear Pillow Boxes. Oh, and we can't forget the fun mustache card! Can you believe all of this is only $5??!!

We'll be using the Perfect Fit-Dad's stamp set but if you prefer to make birthday cards I will have the Perfect Fit-Birthday stamp set available too!

If you are in the Northern VA area and want to attend please let me know in the comments or via email. If you are unable to attend I have kits available for purchase. They are ready to go and will shop as soon as payment is received!

Here's what's included with your kit:

• Tommy B&T paper 
• White Daisy Cardstock
• Honey Cardstock
• all paper and Artiste shapes pre-cut and pre-stamped
• (1) Clear Pillow Box
• 9" Chevron Ribbon
• (2) Antique Copper Brads
• Full color printed instructions!

Please make sure to include whether you prefer the Father's Day or Birthday option with your kit. Want the stamp set too? Then make sure to select that option with your kit. Please note that stamp sets will ship separately from your kit order!

Kit Options

Kit with Father's Day Stamp $25.00 USD Kit with Birthday Stamp $20.00 USD Kit - No Stamp Set (shipped) $10.00 USD

Birthday or Father's Day

QT With My Dad

A few weeks ago I had the absolute pleasure of going to the Caps vs. Rangers playoff game with my dad. It was an amazing experience...and not just because the caps won, or because we were seated next to the players families. It was because I was with my dad.

I'm lucky that my parents live about 20 minutes away and I see them pretty regularly. They are both there when we need help with the kids and they almost always come to our kids events. But, I rarely get to do one-on-one things with my dad. He's working...I'm working. It just never seems to work out.

My dad has taught me so much about life. He made sure I understood very early on that the word "can't" is not part of my vocabulary...when things seem tough you just have to stay determined and finish it through or find an alternate way to do it. I'm sure all the times growing up when my persistance was somewhat of an annoyance I bet he was secretly patting himself on the back. And he very well should. After 20+ years in the Air Force, almost 40 years of marriage, and raising two happy daughters he deserves one! Thanks dad for all you do! I love you!!

Happy Father's Day to you and to all the amazing dad's out there...especially my husband, Dan!

Father's Day Card

I found this great sketch at the Freshly Made Sketches blog and used it to make my husband's Father's Day Card this year.

Isn't the stamp set adorable? It's from the new Superhero line at CTMH. At first when I saw it I thought it would only work for kids playing dress-up but now that I have it I see summer photos, 4th of July layouts and fun masculine and boy cards like this.

If you'd like to make a card similar here are my measuremens for a standard A2 card:

• Base Card: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" scored at 4 1/4"
• Cranberry Cardstock: 3 1/2" x  2" (shortened by scallop border punch)
• Black Mats: 4 1/2" x 3" and 3 7/16" x 2 1/2"
• Pattern Paper: 4 3/8" x 2 13/16"
• White Cardstock: 2 3/8" x 3 3/8"

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):
Paper:Superhero Level 2, White Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Cranberry Cardstock
Stamps: Super Powers
Ink: Archival Black, Cranberry
Other: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Watercolor Pencils, Watercolor Pen, Bakers Twine - Neutral Assortment

Here's the fabulous sketch: