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Altered Mini Composition Book

This little journal is the perfect size to tuck into your bag and was literally a 15-minute project. And now that I’ve made one, I could probably make a dozen in that amount of time. Great gift idea!

The composition book (4.5″ x 3.25″) came in a 3-pack at the dollar store and I used left over scraps to cover. So the investment is almost nothing! You can’t go wrong.

Materials:

4.5″ x 3.25″ Composition Book

2 – 4.5″ x 3″ pieces of paper (2 more if you want to cover the inside covers)

1 – 1″ x 3″ piece of paper

Large corduroy black brad

8″ crochet thread

Smaller pieces or paper or other embellishments for the front

I used the xyron to adhere the papers to the book to make sure entire surfaces were stuck down tight. The larger pieces go on the front and back of the book. Note that I did not cover the spine since the original black coordinated well with my paper. 

For brad closure: Fold thread in half and tie a knot about 1″ from the fold. Place the knot against the open side of the book at the approximate height that you want the brad. Run the tail of the thread across the back of the book and cover with smaller piece of paper. (See picture below) Trim off ends. Put a touch of Liquid Glass on the thread just under the paper to help make sure that it would not slip out. Attach brad to the front at the same level as the thread loop.

One thing I may change on the next one is to use stretchy thread instead of crochet thread. If you make one or have suggestions, please share by commenting on this post.

Recipe:

Wings B&T Duos paper

Corduroy brad from black Mini-Medley

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H2H Challenge

I’ve now entered the world of competitive scrapbooking/cardmaking. It’s an intense sport and I’m going for the black belt!

Here’s the deal: a “challenge” is posted on the Heart 2 Heart blog. Maybe it is a color scheme, a layout sketch, or other technique. You make a piece of artwork that meets the challenge requirements and post a picture on your blog, then link it back to the Heart 2 Heart before the deadline. Winners are picked, yada, yada, yada… or something like that…I am new at this and still figuring it out…

So the current challenge is to create artwork using these colors:

My entry is this altered composition book:

I had paper in the right colors, but was at somewhat of a disadvantage by not having any ink pads or embellishments officially Sky or Pear. Fortunately, the ladies at H2H don’t require everything to be made by Close to my Heart. However I may have pushed the limit just a smidgen. I found some chipboard words by K&Company in my stash that match Pear perfectly. The Tinkerbell chipboard has shades very close to both Sky and Pear.  It was left over from my daughters birthday and I don’t know the maker.

I thought this book would be a fun place for my daughter to record her dreams for the future. (Say ahhhh….)

Click on this link to the Heart 2 Heart blog to see other entries. Looks like I’ve got some stiff competition. Who would have thought that nice sweet crafty ladies could get so competitive?

Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

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A couple cards

Until the last few months, I did not make cards. First of all, I’m not very good at actually sending cards. Second, I typically realize I’d like to send a card about the time it needs to be sent. At that point, a trip to the local Hallmark store (or Hallmark aisle of a department store) is all there is time for.

A goal of mine for 2011 is to send at least two handcrafted cards per month. They are so much fun to make, this is one resolution I’m looking forward to keeping.  Here’s a couple cards I made last weekend while chatting with my sister-in-law, Penny. (Her cards were much cuter!)

from Originals by Jeanette Lynton, “Overview”

Recipe:

Daydream B&T Duos paper (retired)

“A Little Thanks” My Acrylix stamp set(Nov 2011 Stamp of the Month)

Black Exclusive Ink

Hollyhock courduroy brad (Autumn Garden Mini-Medley)

Blush square brad (Winter Cozy Mini-Medley)

Hollyhock Ribbon Rounds

from Originals by Jeanette Lynton, “Triple the Fun”

Recipe:

Olivia B&T Duos paper

Colonial White cardstock

“The Present” My Acrylix stamp set

Goldrush brads (Autumn Garden Mini-Medley)

Creme Brulee Ribbon Rounds

A shout out and appology to my brother-in-law, Andy, whose birthday I have already missed in 2011!

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Gift Wrapping Money

Who doesn’t like a gift of money? No matter how you wrap it, cash is always appreciated. However, it is fun to dress it up a bit. This week, I made two money gift wraps based on designs in Jeanette Lynton’s book Originals. These would be perfect for bills, checks or gift certificates.

The pattern and instructions in the book were easy to follow, and I enjoyed selecting the paper, stamps and accessories. I love how they turned out.

For the “Beautiful Friend” money holder, I used the brand new Wings paper and the Find Your Style stamp set. These are brand new for January. You can purchase these items as well as all of Jeanette Lynton’s books on my website.

Since Find Your Style is January’s Stamp of the Month, you can get it discounted or even free with a qualifying order. Click on the Stamp of the Month link at the top of this page for details.

Recipe for Mistletoe Scalloped Money Holder

Originals by Jeanette Lynton p. 58

Mistletoe Level 2 Paper Packet

Tag the Occasion Stamp Set

Recipe for Wings Money Purse

Originals by Jeanette Lynton p. 69

Wings Level 2 Paper Packet

Find Your Style Stamp Set

Mini-Medley Accents Black Collection

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Find Your Style!

Tonight while waiting for the new year to come, I played around with the January Stamp of the Month Find Your Style and items from the Wings Workshop on the Go. I couldn’t wait to share the results with you.The design for the two larger cards are “Colors & Cubes” and “First Impressions” from Jeanette Lynton’s book Originals.

I also used the Find Your Style stamps to finished this fun Mini Album. It started as a 12 x 12 True Fit Folio folder, but it is anything but simple now. An instruction video for a variety of mini albums is on my website via CTMH TV. To view, click here.

Front of album

The expanded album
The flip side of the expanded album

I had so much fun playing with this stamp set and I think you will too. Follow the link at the top of this page for information on how you can get this stamp set discounted or FREE.

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Just a little Note on Mistletoe

As a follow up to my earlier post on the versatility of Close To My Heart paper packs, I wanted to share with you this small note card. I made this very non-Christmas card with the musical score and design papers from the Mistletoe paper pack! I love this paper and am glad to find ways to keep using it after holidays wind down.

Recipe:

Mistletoe Level 2 Paper Pack

A Little Thanks stamp set

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Magnificant Magnifique!

The purpose of this post is to show the versatility of a single My Reflections paper packet from Close To My Heart. I’ve chosen the Magnifique Level 2 Paper Packet. The cards in this picture demonstrate the variety of papers included in the pack and how the papers can take on completely different looks by matching with different card stock and embellishments. We will be making the last two cards at an upcoming workshop, Cards by the Dozen (details to come).

This nontraditional baby page was also made with Magnifique papers. Don’t I have the cutest nephews and niece?

I created the last 2-page layout for the Friday, January 14 crop night at my house. You are invited to come and make one for yourself. The cost is $6 which includes all materials, plus use of my stamps and other tools required to complete the layout. You will also learn to use generational stamping to make the layered embellishments on the layout.

The class is FREE if you preorder the Magnifique Workshop On the Go kit shown below. The kit includes a Level 2 paper pack (22 sheets), stamp set, mini-medley collection and guide. All of this plus the workshop is a great value at $29.95, plus tax and shipping. Preorder deadline is January 5.

Workshop starts at 6:30 pm. You can come for the workshop and stay to crop until 11:30 for 5 hours of uninterrupted scrapbooking! Bring your own cutting tools and adhesives of choice.

Please email me to RSVP for this fun evening by Friday, January 7.

Recipes (combined):

Magnifique Level 2 Paper Packet

Heart to Heart Stamp Set

Mini-Medley Shades of Chocolate

A Sip Stamp Set

A Little Thanks Stamp Set

Unity Stamp Set

Giggle Caps Stamp Set

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Studio J – My Happy Place!

My first “real” blog is about one of my new favorite scrapbook products, Studio J. When I heard that Close To My Heart had an online scrapbooking product, I was not very interested. I’ve done some digital scrapbooking (using Paint Shop Pro) and created bound books on photo websites. I was not expecting this to be any different than what I have seen elsewhere.

After becoming a consultant, I thought I should at least try out Studio J — just in case someone asks me about it. Since this is a “try before you buy” product, so I logged on one morning when I had an extra half hour to burn. In less than 30 minutes, I created these two complete layouts!

The intuitive step-by-step process makes it so much fun! I simply chose from many beautiful paper kits and layout patterns. Then I personalized my layouts with embellishments and Stickease. There are many choices, but the presets make it easy to decide what will work the best for my pictures.

Here are a few more layouts I’ve made in Studio J:

If this makes you want to try your hand, just click on the Studio J link on the left. You can create as many layouts as you want with no stings attached. If you like what you create, you can purchase 12×12 prints.  There are several options for purchasing and I’d be happy to help you determine which is the right one for you.

Have fun!

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My First Blog!

Look at me — I’m blogging! Not bad for someone who is much more comfortable taking a math test than writing an essay. Blank sheets of writing paper were major stresses throughout my academic career. But here I am embarking on a voluntary journal.

One thing I’ve learned in my working life is that an interesting topic can make writing flow easily and naturally, even for a math geek like me! As a life-long crafter, I am very excited about this blog topic. I can’t wait to share with you some of the fun I’ve been having since signing up as a consultant with Close To My Heart in November.