Fun on Fridays

Can you believe tomorrow is October? 

As we all stand amazed that 2011 is quickly passing right by let me show you what fabulous things October has in store for you if you are a Close to My Heart Customer or if you have been waiting for the right deal to sign up as a consultant! 

First let me show you some things made with this show stopping set!

This set has 18 fantastic holiday images and will only be available in October.

 Contact me to book a party so you and your friends can earn this stamp set!

Second if you have been giving some thought to signing up as a Consultant with me Close To My Heart just sweetened the deal for October.

Come to my Open house tonight so we can get everything in place for you to take advantage of all the Fabulous October specials!

Tips for Thursdays

Since you are now all experts on removing, seasoning and cleaning your stamps,

let's chat about caring for them after lots of use. 

As you know we all have oils on our hands and over multiple uses the oils on our hands will transfer onto our acrylic stamp images.  This happens more quickly with small images that are covered by most of your finger when handling them

Fortunately there is a very simple solution to reviving the stickiness of your stamps so they stay right where you want them both on your carrier sheet and also your block. 

Step 1:  Get your trusty Dawn dish soap (same gentle stuff they use to wash off wildlife after an oil spill) - choose the one with no "extras".

Step 2:  Make sure your drain is closed or you have a colander set up to keep stamps from escaping down the drain, then get some soap on your finger and

your stamp in your hand.

Step 3: Scrub the stamp between your finger until it is "squeaky" clean.

Step 4:  Place your wet stamp back on the carrier sheet and allow it to air dry for several hours.  Once it is dry it will be stuck to your sheet just like it was brand new!

Don't forget tomorrow is my Fall Idea Book Open House!   Leave a comment on one of my blog posts and come to the open house and you will get a special reward!

Words for Wednesdays

"Anyone who stops learning is old,

whether at twenty or eighty."

Henry Ford                    

Technique Tuesdays

Are you wondering what everyday item I used to finish off

my super cute chipboard squares? 

Well we all have one or two lying around - tucked in drawers, our purses and in our medicine cabinets!

Any guesses?

An emery board!  Sure they are great for filing shaping nails but they are also great for shaping/sanding paper to fit an unusual or hard to trim edge!

The chipboard coasters in the My Creations Memory Game have lovely rounded corners.  I tried using the corner rounder punch but it did not match up perfectly to the shape of the coasters so I go out my trusty old emery board and went to town.

In a just a few quick minutes I had gotten all of the corners shaped perfectly to match the chipboard without having to try and make the cut with my scissors.

This technique also works great when covering alphabet letters, swirls or other chipboard pieces with hard to reach angles or middles.

Don't forget Friday is my Fall Idea Book Open House!   Leave a comment on one of my blog posts and come to the open house and you will get a special reward!

 

Mojo Mondays

Close To My Heart never ceases to amaze me

with the new and wonderful products they come up with

for each new Idea Book. 

This next project is made with one of my favorite new products.

It's called "My Creations Memory Game".

It is a small box with a magnetic closure flap and

it has twenty four 3" x 3" chipboard coaster squares inside.

Here is what I did with it!

I made my friend Faith a box of 24 Psalms of Praise for her birthday.

Let's get a closer look shall we?

I printed different Scriptures on card stock, rounded the corners and stamped and distressed the edges to give it a finished look.

Then I placed it on the chipboard coaster which I had already covered in a

coordinating background and texture paper and inked up as well. 

This is how the completed coasters looked.

My friend Faith is a Realtor so I wanted to include a fun key pendant

since I made it to coordinate with her office at work. 

I found this key in the jewelry section at a local craft store.

This fantastic product is a blank slate and I can think of so many fun things you can make with it ..... a memory game for a child, a countdown to Christmas decoration, a photo puzzle (cut a 12" x 18" photo into 3" X 3" squares), a box of encouragement, a blessing box for a baby or wedding shower .... the possibilities are endless.

Keep your eyes open for an upcoming

"My Creations Memory Game" box class from me this Fall!

Come back tomorrow for Technique Tuesday

where I show you how I completed this project using an everyday staple

you have lying around the house!

Fun on Fridays

How about and "Oldie but Goodie" today?

Take a peek at a "Scrapbook in a Box"

If you want to make a stunning gift that WOWS the crowd this is it!

Contact me to book a "Scrapbook in a Box" workshop for 5 or more.

Don't forget a week from tonight is my

Fall Open House!

Tips for Thursdays

We all want our stamps to last a nice long time

so let's chat a little about cleaning your stamps after use.

Once you have finished stamping your images you want to clean your stamps and remove them from the blocks within a short period of time. 

Your stamps and blocks will last longer if you do this.

To clean your stamps simply spray a small amount of

the CTMH stamp cleaner on the thicker side of our scrubber.

Scrub your stamp while it is still on the block gently on the wet side

and then dry it on the thinner side.  

(I know my scrubber is the old style but it still works just fine after 6 years!)

Remove your stamps from the block and return to the carrier sheet.

Then clean you empty block the same way on the thicker and thinner sides

of the scrubber.

If you use any type of liquid other than standard ink for your stamping such as bleach, glue and the likes.  You will want to clean your stamp off on a damp paper towel and then wash them with Dawn dishsoap before using your scrubber.

When your scrubber gets full of removed ink simply pop the thick side out

 run both the thick and thin sides under water, handwash

with a little Dawn dish soap to clean both sides and let it air dry. 

 It will be like brand new again in a few hours.

Words for Wednesdays

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. 

There is no cure for curiosity."

Ellen Parr

Technique Tuesdays

I want to show you a very fun way to liven up your stamped images. 

We will be using the Rock and Roll technique.

*********Come see and try this technique in person*********

Come to my Fall Open House

Friday September 30th

7:00 - 9:00 PM

In a few simple steps you can have a fantastic two tone image like this one.

Here is how to create the look.

1.  Find the two coordinating ink colors you want to use.

(I used Sorbet and Tulip)

2.  Ink your image in the lighter color.

3.  If your ink colors are in similar color families and you want to create a more

dramatic contrast.  Use scratch paper to stamp the first generation of ink. 

4.  Without reinking the lighter color "rock and roll" the edges of your stamp in the darker color.   It is important to make sure your image is a very close fit to the block so you can "rock and roll" easily.  Look through your block to ensure you like the look. 

5.  Give your inked image a huff of air from your mouth to remoisten the ink

and stamp it where desired.

If your ink colors are already contrast well (i.e. light yellow and deep red) you can eliminate step 3 and use both colors first generation.

Mojo Mondays

Check out this pretty little card made with the Roxie paper pack

and the Love Life stamp set. 

The Love Life stamp set has lots of pretty swirls, flowers and

 the "Live Love Laugh" phrase seen everywhere. 

I used our new paper butterflies

and some sparkles to add a little bit of feminine bling to to the card.

Tomorrow I am going to show you how to use the rock and roll technique

to make the two tone flower.

Would you like to make one of these gorgeous cards for yourself?

Mark your calendar for my Fall Open House

Friday September 30th 7:00-9:00 PM

Look for more details in upcoming posts!

Fun on Fridays

How many of you have digital photos that have never ever been printed?

(hands in the air please!)

Well I have a fantastic solution for you! 

Its called Studio J and just like everything else Close To My Heart does it is top notch.   It is faster simpler and easier and

allows you to create stunning layouts in a matter of minutes.

Check out the adorable layout called Barntime I made in about 45 minutes

(and that includes the time it took to download my photos!)

(Click on photos below to view larger)

Contact me to find out more about how you can rescue your photos from electronic prison and start making your own fantastic layouts.

Tips for Thursdays

Last week we talked about transfering stamps from your carrier sheet

to your block and back.  

This week let's talk about "seasoning" your stamps so you get a fantastic image.

You have two options in "seasoning" your stamps.

 

The first option is the one I use most often. 

You simply ink up your brand new image and stamp it off onto

a scratch paper while gently twisting it on  the paper.

You will want to keep stamping and twisting until no more ink comes off off the image.  Then load it up with ink again and go through the same process. 

Doing this 3 - 4 times with a new stamp will remove any residue that might have

been left behind in the manufacturing process.

Your second  "seasoning" option is particulary helpful with large solid images. 

Simply get a good old pencil eraser

(those fab back to school sales always have them)

and rub the image to remove and residue. 

After seasoning your stamps you should get a nice crisp image when you stamp it

(remember to use your foam pad under your paper!)

If you find that ink is pooling on a solid image stamp it needs more seasoning.

Once your stamps are ready to roll you can create beautiful projects like this.

Words for Wednesdays

"If you have knowledge, let others light their candle by it."

Margaret Fuller

Technique Tuesdays

Are you ready to find out what a "Zip Strip" is?

One of the many things I love about being a Close To My Heart Consultant is that the company truly thinks of EVERYTHING!    

Their latest amazing idea is zip strips. At the top of every new 12"x12" background and texture paper is a zip strip. 

On one side of the zip strip you see the CTMH logo and copyrightm the name and item number of the paper and for your conveneince a list of the featured colors of the paperpack.  Talk about making it easy to coordinate your stamping! 

Here's a close up of the info side of the zip strip.

It gets even better - on the flip side of the paper your zip strip is a 12" border

you can use in your projects.

Check out a close up of the border with words.

So let's head back to the "Dreams Journal" project from yesterday.

My final touch was a portion of the zip strip to cover my paper seam.

What will Close To My Heart think of next? 

Mojo Mondays

Ready to see an unbelievable easy project. 

Made with simply a paperpack, coordinating stickers and a composition book that cost me 10 cents (gotta love those back to school sales!!)

Take a look at this "Dreams Journal"

I took a standard sized composition book.  Got my "Dreamin" Level 2 paper pack,

 my "Dreamin" stickease, my paper trimmer and some tombow adhesive

and set to work on this baby.

I copied the general makeup of the comp book using chocolate cardstock to cover the black strip around the binding.  Then went to work on the hardest part by far - deciding which patterns of this gorgeous paper packet to showcase. 

I used a 1/3rd to 2/3rds ratio of the 2 patterns to keep it visually balanced and then dressed it up with the stickease.

Here are a few more close ups of the details!

One of the things I love about using the stickease on these types of projects is the practicality.  I love the look they give of dimension without adding any bulk.  Check out these cute buttons below.  They look real but since they are a flat sticker you can write on both sides of the paper inside the journal without a "button bump!"

Come back tomorrow for Technique Tuesdays to find out about the final touch to my darling journal - want a hint?   It's called a "Zip Strip."



National Stamping Month

TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL STAMPING MONTH IN September,

we are offering our first-ever double stamp set!

You can get the exclusive My Acrylix® Pair-a-Phrase double stamp set FREE when you place an order of $75 through September 30, 2011.

You’ll love this double set

— two D-size sets in one envelope —

which includes lots of clever phrases and coordinating images

you’ll use in your handmade cards all year.

And with a retail value of $35.90, this set drastically increases

the value of your qualifying purchase!

Have double the fun stamping during National Stamping Month

with our new Pair-a-Phrase double stamp set!

Plan on attending my Open House in September to see this set

and find out how to earn it for free!

Tips for Thursdays

This month we will focus on basic stamp care. 

Tip #1

When you remove your stamp from the carrier sheet or the block

always grab at a thicker part of the stamp versus a thin line or end. 

This reduces any chance of accidentally tearing the stamp.