Mom's Mini Calendar, Part 2

I just finished my mom's mini calendar, and I'm happy to announce that I cleaned up my scrapbooking desk, too. Woohoo! Now I have a clean surface to use for my next project: wrapping Christmas presents. Here are the pictures of the last 6 months' pages. A couple were inspired by Anne Chek's samples, while I found inspiration for others from cards and layouts in the CTMH catalog. Thanks to CTMH for inspiring me, too. On a sad note, all the Word Puzzle stamp sets (the ones I used for the names of the months in this project) are retiring on December 31st, so if you love them but haven't bought them all, this is your last chance. They will no longer be available after this month. CTMH will have a new collection of monthly stamps, but they will not have as many images as these, so don't miss out on getting the Word Puzzles!













Recipe:
July Word Puzzle, August Word Puzzle, September Word Puzzle, October Word Puzzle, November Word Puzzle, December Word Puzzle, Moments in Time, Spot On Backgrounds, Felicity & Just for the Holidays stamp sets
White Daisy, Moonstruck, Tulip, Desert Sand & Dutch Blue cardstock
Moonstruck, Dutch Blue, Tulip, Clover Meadow, Sunflower, Desert Sand & Versamark ink
Tulip & Sunflower markers
White Gel pen
White embossing powder
Sunflower buttons
Sunflower & White organdy ribbon
Scalloped scissors (CM)

Mom's Mini Calendar Part 1

I have been toying with the idea of making a calendar for my mom for Christmas, but every time I sat down to work on it, my inspiration flew out the window. Then I was surfing the CTMH consultant bulletin board on Friday and found a cute mini calendar by consultant Anne Chek that really looked do-able. Using her pages as a springboard, the first six pages came together really quickly for me. Thanks for the inspiration, Anne! I used the Animal Cookies Level 2 paper pack and the Animal Cookies Creative Basics on each page. I love the versatility of this pack, with colors that are perfect for a variety of holidays and themes. I'm still working on the other six months, but here's what I've completed so far.













Recipe:
January Word Puzzle, February Word Puzzle, March Word Puzzle, April Word Puzzle, May Word Puzzle, June Word Puzzle, Moments in Time, All Decked Out, Extreme Caps & Say It In Style stamp sets
White Daisy, Moonstruck, Black, Dutch Blue & Sunflower cardstock
Moonstruck, Dutch Blue, Tulip, Clover Meadow, Sunflower, Desert Sand & Black ink
Autumn Terracotta marker
Liquid Glass
Brads

Evensong Christmas Cards

After a crazy weekend of crafting (amid other activites), I finally have all my Christmas cards made and mailed. My only problem? I forgot to take a picture of the card I send out to most of my friends this year, so you'll just have to take my word for it that it was cute! I also used all the cards I created in my Jingle workshop, plus I needed some more, so I duplicated the Jingle workshop using Evensong papers. These I did remember to photograph, so here they are. I didn't do all the cards from the Jingle workshop because I didn't need that many, but here are the ones I did complete. I used all the same stamps and embellishments, but matched the ink colors to the paper pack. I know it's too late to inspire anyone this year (because you've all created and sent out your cards, right?), but maybe it will get you going for next year.

Crafts Layout

My last VBS layout for now. I'm waiting to order a stamp from the new catalog so that I can do a VBS music layout. Pop quiz: I used a discontinued set on this layout, two that are going to be discontinued, and a Constant Campaign stamp set that will be in the new idea book. Can anyone figure out which one is which?






Recipe:
Friendship Word Puzzle, Priceless Love Word Puzzle, September Word Puzzle, Precious Alphabet, Friendship Alphabet Small, Checklist,& Solos Punctuation stamp sets
Autumn Terracotta, Sunflower, Garden Green & Cocoa cardstock
Cocoa ink
Cocoa marker
Autumn Terracotta Bigger Brads
Cocoa brads
Connections Club metal charms
Cocoa grosgrain ribbon
Foam Squares

Fun & Games Layout

Wow, it's been over 2 weeks since I last posted! My family spent Thanksgiving with my parents this year, so I didn't do any scrapbooking while I was gone. I did get to work on my Christmas cards, so I will post them when I'm finished. Now I'm finally ready to get back in the groove. I'll start out with this layout from Vacation Bible School. I just purchased the Family Ties Children stamp set, so I had to use it on this layout since it's all about kids! The scrapbook magazines keep telling me that decorative scissors are making a comeback, so I thought I'd try it on the edge of my two border strips. Not sure I love the results; what do you think?



Recipe:
Celebrate the Everyday, Friendship Word Puzzle, Family Ties Children & Posterboard Alphabet stamp sets
Animal Cookies Level 2 & Creative Basics papers
Sunflower & White Daisy cardstock
Tulip, Clover Meadow & Dutch Blue ink
Tulip Brads
Tulip embroidery floss
Summer craft buttons
Paper piercer
Watercolor pencils: Prismacolor by Sanford

VBS Layout

This past summer, I helped out with the music at Vacation Bible School at church, but I ended up with lots of extra time on my hands once that was done every night, so I took a ton of pictures. Here are a few of the missions assembly. Just for fun, I pulled out an old tool when I was scrapping these. When was the last time you used your paper crimper? I couldn't remember, but it was cheaper to add strips of crimped paper to this layout than using grosgrain ribbon would have been, and I actually like the effect.



Recipe:
Life'a a Jungle & Chocolate Alphabet Small stamp sets
Magic Moments Level 2 papers
Sunflower & White Daisy cardstock
Cocoa & Hollyhock ink
Cocoa marker
DE Monograms "V", "B", "S"
DE Framed Fun
Liquid Glass
Paper crimper

Stamping Boy Layout

In a quest to solve the ongoing dilemna of what to do with my old wooden stamps now that I exclusively use CTMH's clear stamps, I allowed my son to use them to create a card for his daddy. In a departure from my usual style and in keeping with the messy nature of the pictures, I experimented with a grunge look (click on the picture to see a larger image). I even tilted the strip of photos on the right so the layout would not look too linear. I know, it's not really extreme, but you gotta give me credit for trying!



Recipe:
Extreme Caps, Just for Boys & Spot on Backgrounds stamp sets
Black, Indian Corn Blue, Heavenly Blue Brown Bag & White Daisy cardstock
Black, Indian Corn Blue & Brown Bag ink
Black brads
Edge Distressor

July 4th Pool Party Layout

What a busy weekend I've had. My older son played 2 soccer games, and he's now finished for the season (secret sigh of relief). I held my cardmaking and scrapbooking workshops, and they were received with delight. It was so exciting to hear the ladies ooh and aah as I pulled out each new card we were going to create. It all took longer than I had planned, but the ladies had fun, so that's what's important, right? Here's a layout I meant to share last Wednesday in honor of Veteran's Day, but time got away from me and I never got it posted. Oh well, better late than never. I usually struggle with patriotic layouts (the red-white-blue color scheme is hard for me to work with), so this time I went with a totally different color scheme and used stars to support the theme. I love how it came out, and I hope it inspires you, too. The pattern is Memoirs Complete from Imagine, and I combined My Stickease with stamping to create the title and embellishments.



Recipe:
July Word Puzzle stamp set
Good Times Level 2 papers
Good Times My Stickease
Sweet Leaf, Buttercup & Colonial White cardstock
Chocolate & Twilight ink
White Daisy Dazzling Die Cuts
Chocolate brad
Chocolate marker

Grateful Layout

I've been really busy preparing for 2 workshops this upcoming weekend. You've already seen the Christmas card one, and we'll be creating this scrapbook layout plus the card at my other workshop. The layout pattern is Clear Dimension from Cherish, and the card is based on the Twitterpated Workshop on the Go. My friend Lisa really wanted me to use the tree from the Grown With Love stamp set, so this is for you, friend! And of course, I had to use the darling hedgehog (he is a hedgehog, right?) on the card.





Recipe:
Grown with Love, Twitterpated WOTG, Chocolate Alphabet Large, Thoughtful Seasons & Picture Perfect stamp sets
Titterpater & Magic Moments Level 2 papers
Chocolate, Crystal Blue, Colonial White & Bamboo cardstock
Chocolate, Sorbet, Crystal Blue, Sweet Leaf & Versamark ink
White embossing powder
Chocolate Ribbon Rounds
Liquid Glass
Heart brad (unknown source)

Jingle Christmas Card Workshop

I just finished designing the cards for my Christmas workshop for next Saturday. Yay! We're going to be doing 20 cards, two each of ten designs. Each card features a white base, Creme Brulee cardstock, and papers from the Jingle Level 2 paper pack. Although the cards are simple, I tried to have something special on each one: Liquid Glass, ric-rac, embroidery floss, Prisma Glitter, etc. I'm really looking forward to this event. I'll let you know how it turns out!





Recipe:
December Word Puzzle, Jingle Borders, Just for the Holidays, Shining Star, Bethlehem, Say It In Style, Good Times stamp set
Jingle Level 2 paper pack
Creme Brulee & White Daisy cardstock
Juniper, Creme Brulee, Tulip, Olive & Blush ink
Creme Brulee, Tulip, Olive, Blush & Black markers
Liquid Glass
Round sparkles
Foam Squares
Circle window charms
White Daisy ric-rac
White Daisy embroidery floss
Prisma Glitter
Scallop border punch (Fiskars)

20 Card Set (Non-CTMH Papers)

I just finished a set of twenty cards for my mom's birthday. No, I am not giving her 20 birthday cards; I am giving her a set of cards that she can give to others. This may sound like a weird gift, but Mom loves to give cards and never has time to make any, so hopefully I am filling a need in her life. I actually made these from a template that CTMH consultant Pamela Wallace adapted from Antoinette Herrin's 20 card workshop. The whole workshop uses only 3 sheets of paper: 2 12"x12" patterned papers and 1 sheet of 12"x12" cardstock, plus 20 card bases. I plan to use this same template for a card workshop in two weeks, so I wanted to try it out first. Thanks for being my guinea pig, Mom! I didn't use CTMH papers for her set, but I will post a set using CTMH papers after I get my supplies later this week. One important thing I learned: it would be a lot easier to make 2 copies of each card design (for a total of 10 designs) rather than having to make 20 unique cards. Whew, that was a lot of work! I also doubled my appreciation of CTMH's double sided B&T papers. You can do so much more with two sheets of paper when you have a different design on each side. Feel free to let me know your favorite designs, so that I can incorporate some of these ideas into my final workshop. Thanks!

Here's the whole group of cards:


And here's a close up of them:
#1 & 2

#3 & 4

#5 & 6

#7 & 8

#9 & 10

#11 & 12

#13 & 14

#15 & 16

#17 & 18

#19 & 20

Lady Layout

October flew by, and I didn't post many layouts, but that's because I was too busy to scrapbook. Sad but true! I decided to get out my supplies early this morning (woke up way too early because of the time change) and complete this layout that's been sitting around for months. I tried a new technique - stamping on twill ribbon - and discovered that you have to use pretty dark ink for it to show up. My friend Lisa wants me to use the Grown with Love stamp at a gathering I'm doing for her later this month, so I thought I'd get it out and experiment with it. Fun stamp set, but I'm not sure what I'll have the ladies do with it yet. Creating the foilage for the tree was kinda time consuming, so I may have to get creative. After I scanned the layout, I realized that the bottom of it seemed kind of plain, so I added a rub-on, but I didn't want to re-scan it, so that's why the two pictures are different.





Recipe:
Homestead Alphabet, Grown with Love & Twitterpated WOTG stamp sets
Rustic Trails Level 2 papers
Cocoa, Desert Sand, Bamboo & Colonial White cardstock
Cocoa, Olive & Black ink
Love Letters rub-ons
Twill ribbon
Photo hanger
Olive marker
White gel pen (Sakura)
Scallop scissors (Fiskars)
Circle & Leaf punches

Pampered Chef Party Layout

Just looking at this layout makes me hungry. The dish we made when I hosted a Pampered Chef party was delicious! I'm really glad I recently purchased the Recipe Box stamp set, because it is so versatile. One stamp features long lines for writing down a recipe, or they are perfect for journaling. I can think of a million uses for the food stamps: I can't wait to use that turkey on a Thanksgiving layout this year, and the bowl of soup would be darling on a get well card. Enjoy the layout, and try not to get the munchies!



Recipe:
Recipe Box, Friendship Alphabet Small, Celebrate the Everyday, Priceless Love Word Puzzle & Friendship Word Puzzle stamp sets
White Daisy, Blush, Crystal Blue & Creme Brulee cardstock
Desert Sand, Blush, Crystal Blue, Hollyhock & Creme Brulee ink
Desert Sand & Hollyhock markers
Watercolor pencils (Prismacolor by Sanford)
Foam Squares

Elliot-isms Layout

Anyone who parents a small child knows of his or her tendency to say funny things or have little sayings that are unique to that child. I have been writing down some of my youngest son's amusing sayings and finally decided to make a layout featuring them plus some cute photos that didn't make their way onto other layouts. The "Elliot-isms" are in the file folder, but I didn't feel like taking a picture of it open, so here are the sayings:
1. It’s my favorite (in reference to food, a shirt, etc.; can change daily or even hourly).
2. I waaant it!
3. It’s good for me (usually follows #2).
4. You’re not being nice.
5. I’m so upset with you.
6. You’re not telling the truth.
7. I’m not a ________ (fill in the blank: dude, baby, honey). I’m a boy.
8. I’m hungry (usually 5 minutes after lunch is over).
9. It’s so cute (usually in reference to a bug).
10. Disguuusting!
11. I want to be snaked (pronounced snake – ed, refers to his birthday suit).
12. I don’t want to take a baf (bath).
You'll have to imagine the tone of voice on these, but I don't think it will be too difficult!



Recipe:
Hodge Podge Alphabet stamp set
Giggles and Grins Level 2 papers
Giggles and Grins My Stickease
White Daisy & Black cardstock
Cranberry ink
Cranberry grosgrain ribbon
DE Monograms "O", "B", "Y"
Brads
Staples
Photo Holder (JoAnns)
Foam Squares

My Favorite Bakers Layout

My kids love bananas, but they get really picky about eating them once the bananas have marks on them. I'd make them eat them anyway, except I love it when my hubby looks at the bananas and tells me to save them so he can make banana bread. Lately, Elliot has joined in on the fun. I'm not sure how much of a help he really is, but the two of them sure look cute as they whip up a delicious loaf of banana bread! I don't bake, but I had lots of fun using my new Recipe Box stamp set to record this yummy event.



Recipe:
Classmate Alphabet, Building Block Alphabet, Recipe Box, Rustic Flowers, Connections, Just For Boys & Starstruck stamp sets
Free Spirit Level 2 papers
Indian Corn BLue, Goldrush & Colonial White cardstock
Indian Corn Blue, Autumn Terra Cotta & Chocolate ink
Chocolate marker
Colonial White brads
Foam Squares

Summer Sliding Layout

I cannot figure out why I waited so long to get the Tinkering paper pack when it is such a perfect match for so many photos! I used it again for this layout of my boys on the Slip 'n Slide, and I am sure it will feature in many layouts to come. Thanks to CTMH consultant Aaron Brown for her idea to thread a tiny strip of cardstock through the button holes instead of ribbon or embroidery floss. I didn't have a matching shade of floss, but it was easy to cut matching cardstock. Threading it through the tiny holes was another matter, but at last it's done. Enjoy!



Recipe:
August Word Puzzle & Field Trip Alphabet stamp sets
Tinkering Level 2 papers
Clover Meadow and Twilight cardstock
Twilight, Sunflower, Sunny Yellow & Clover Meadow ink
Twilight marker
Clear buttons
Liquid Glass

Soccer Team Layout

I was so excited when my oldest son, Adrian, wanted to sign up for soccer this Spring. We were so blessed that he had a great first season, that his coach was wonderful, and that he had such a supportive team. They didn't win every game, but Adrian had a great time and wanted to sign up again in the Fall. I tried to get pictures of his whole team, and I almost succeeded. There is only one player who isn't listed on this layout, and that's because I couldn't find a clear picture of her. Sorry Katalina! The layout was created using the pattern Supporting Cast from Imagine. My favorite part (beside the photos, of course) is the title letters. I stamped Dimensional Elements Monograms with Versamark ink using the dots from Spot On Backgrounds, and I embossed the dots in white. I then used my brayer to apply Desert Sand ink to the letters, and wiped off the excess ink with a tissue. I arranged the title, substituting the soccer ball for an "O", and I love the finished look!



Recipe:
Best Shot & Spot On Backgrounds stamp sets
Animal Cookies Level 2 papers
Desert Sand, Dutch Blue & White Daisy cardstock
Desert Sand, Dutch Blue & Versamark ink
White embossing powder
Dutch Blue & Moonstruck markers
Dimensional Elements Monograms G, T, E, A, M
Embroidery Floss
Hole punch

Everyday Cards

I lost my scrapping mojo this week, so the layout I started on Tuesday is still sitting on my desk. Boohoo! But when my friend Robin came over to my house on Thursday to complete the Crazy for Cards workshop, I pulled out my Celebrate the Everyday card kit and worked on it while she did her cards. I only made half the cards (you can complete 16 using the instruction booklet, but I didn't need that many right now), and I made some exactly as instructed in the booklet, while others I changed up a bit. I loved working with this kit. Cute papers and embellishments guaranteed that my cards would turn out great. Now hopefully this week I'll get inspired to do some scrapping. I'll keep you posted!

Punchbowl Layouts

I didn't quite meet my goal of scrapping the remaining two layouts for my Hawaii album this weekend. I did finish one layout on Saturday night, and I had laid out the papers for a second one, but then on Sunday I got lazy and just read a good book after church. Ever feel like that? Today I woke up with my creative juices flowing, so I buckled down and finished the last layout. I totally changed the papers I had set out on Friday night, but I like the result much better this way. For the first layout, I created masks for certain portions of my layout, attached them temporarily to my background cardstock, and brayered over the cardstock using Dutch Blue ink. I was able to achieve a much lighter background shade than if I had used plain Dutch Blue cardstock, plus I got the look of patterned papers. I removed the masks and used the Simple Stitches stamp set to create the journaling lines, the borders around two of the pictures, and the large stars. For the second layout, I had made up my own sketch, but I kept moving things around until I got the look I wanted. In case you're wondering why I listed all those Word Puzzle stamps, I used portions of them to spell out the word "price" so it would match the font for "remember." I love how the twill ribbon I used to attach my tag is formed into a V for victory, an unintentional result that really fits the theme of the layout: the cost of freedom. I've always found the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) to be pretty impressive. Seeing all the graves and realizing that the people buried under them gave their lives to preserve our liberty is a sobering thought. I only showed a small portion of them, but the memorial contains mosaics depicting battles (mostly naval) of WWII and the Korean War. Definitely worth seeing if you are visiting Oahu.


Recipe:
Simple Stitches, July Word Puzzle, Charm Upper Alphabet, Charm Lowercase Alphabet & Classmate Alphabet stamp sets
Colonial White cardstock
Dutch Blue, Desert Sand & Outdoor Denim ink
Desert Sand marker
Foam squares
Brayer



Recipe:
Friendship Alphabet Small, Tiny Typewriter Alphabet, January Word Puzzle, July Word Puzzle, August Word Puzzle & September Word Puzzle stamp sets
Free Spirit Level 2 papers
Cocoa, Indian Corn Blue & Colonial White cardstock
Cocoa & Indian Corn Blue ink
Twill & Cocoa grosgrain ribbon
Photo hanger
Pewter brads

Waikiki Layout

I recently got a package of Perfect Day Level 2 papers as part of a CTMH promotional, and I knew the slightly ornate design on the Sorbet paper would go perfectly with the picture of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. I debated on using the Juniper that comes with the paper pack, since it is picked up in the details of the hotel awnings, but it made the ocean pictures look funny, so I settled for Crystal Blue with Creme Brulee and Chocolate accent pieces. I stamped the Crystal Blue with descriptive words using Crystal Blue ink, producing a tone-on-tone look that doesn't overwhelm the photos. The rest went together pretty easily, and now I only have 2 layouts left to scrap from our Hawaii vacation. Woohoo! If I can crank out one tonight while I'm watching t.v. with the hubby, and try to fit one in tomorrow after the kids' soccer games, I will have achieved my goal of completing my Hawaii album this week. Now bad, considering I originally though I could polish the whole thing off in July! Wish me luck.



Recipe:
Friendship Word Puzzle, August Word Puzzle, Chocolate Alphabet Large & Daydream stamp sets
Perfect Day Level 2 papers
Crystal Blue, Chocolate, Creme Brulee & White Daisy cardstock
Crystal Blue, Chocolate, Creme Brulee, Sorbet & Bamboo ink
Sorbet & Creme Brulee markers
Blender pen
Chocolate brads
Copper eyelets (Making Memories)