Chicago Regionals Experience

Oh.My.Goodness.  WOW...ever feel like LIFE in general is moving full speed ahead and leaving you in the dust?  I'm trying to find the balance between working outside the home, working my business and keeping up with the everyday tasks.

Anyways...I've got some catching up to do!  I've got lots of artwork to share with you...it's not like the weeds have been growing under my feet...but I do feel I had to blow the dust off my blog! LOL

Last week, I had the honor to teach at the CTMH Regional Celebration in Chicago.  I do love all the places that CTMH has allowed me to visit...and one day, I will earn an incentive trip too! Seeing Chicago was a first for me, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity.  Afterwards, my friend Shari and I went to Willis Tower (YES...I did the SkyDeck!) and the Navy Pier.

Did I mention, I'm afraid of heights?  This was a daunting task for me!  The SkyDeck is 1353 feet in the air (glass floor is 1-1/2" thick), and the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel is 15 stories high...I think I conquered my fears in one day!  Yet I can't climb a ladder beyond the 4th step...go figure!  I digress...

The class I was selected to be a part of was 'Product Peeks and Geeks'.  I was a Geek! lol  

You might be a CTMH geek if...

...you know the Fed Ex man by name (mine is a woman, her name is Judy!)

...you have dressed your family (or friends) to coordinate with a Paper Packet you like (every year at the GingerBread Cottage with friends)

...the first thing you do when opening a CTMH order is smell the paper (mine is the stamp sets!)

...you've actually said these words to a painter, saleslady, etc:"Does this come in Cranberry?" or "I'm really looking for this in Sweet Leaf."(the walls in my house are Desert Sand and Chocolate)

And last, You might be a CTMH geek if...you sometimes just LOOK at your crafting stash, and it makes you happy!

I have to admit...I qualify on all points! I am a CTMH GEEK!

Onto my geek assignment:
I was assigned to create at least one piece of artwork using the new CTMH Textiles (Chantilly and For Always).  Seriously?  This was probably the ONE product in the catalog that I hadn't had any experience with! Ugh!  But I was up for the challenge to find the "cool" factor with fabric!

A fabric medallion...I will post a picture tutorial for this one tomorrrow.  Come back to see how I made it!  You can too!

(Click on any image to enlarge for more detail)

I created CUSTOM buttons using the For Always Textiles.  So easy!  Cut a circle of fabric twice the size of your button, sew a basic stitch around the diameter of the circle, place the button in the center of the circle, cinch the ends of the 2-threads as the fabric gathers around the button, tie it off tightly.  If you want padded buttons, I just used a piece of cotton ball.  *A BIG thanks goes out to fellow consultant, Peggy Hembree for this great idea!

I created a pinwheel from fabric the same you would from paper.

 And lastly, I covered cardstock with fabric on the sides of this 3-D box, and the bow on top was a Cricut image.  To use fabric with your Cricut machine, first adhere Heat-N-Bond to the reverse side of the fabric to give it stability.  Another good tip, have a Cricut blade you use only for fabric, since cardstock and paper will dull the blade easily.

YouTube Saturday Video: Cricut Fold-ables

It's Creative Time...

allow yourself some creative time this weekend, and I've got just the ticket!

(I can't wait to try these dimensional projects!  HINT: I'm thinking Easter)

Check out this FUN video:

Learn how to create foldable paper pieces cut with the Cricut® Art Philosophy and Artiste cartridges from Close To My Heart. From yo-yos to bows, Cricut®-cut embellishments add something special to any scrapbook page, card, or home décor piece.

Enjoy!

YouTube Saturday - Project Inspiration: Mini Album

Sit back and enjoy!

Learn how to create an 8" × 5" mini album from start to finish using an eclectic array of papers, stamped images, and Cricut® shapes from Close To My Heart.

Mini Album is shown on page 89 of the Spring/Summer Idea Book.

(Video is approximately 9 minutes)

I can't wait to try this one!  

It just might be an upcoming workshop...what do you think?

Dakota - Pages and Cards Workshop

I'm SO happy that the Dakota papers were carried over into the Spring/Summer Idea Book.   These are the workshops I offered my customers in February using the Dakota papers and the Dakota WOTG kit.  

I adapted one WOTG layout to include larger photos, 

this one is from the Make It From Your Heart guide (Layout 09)

My second layout is directly from the WOTG kit, using Reflections:

Fellow CTMH consultant, Vicki Price at The Price of Paper, created this 20 card (2 each of 10 designs) workshop and taught it to our team.  Masculine cards are some of the most challenging for me to create, so I was thrilled when Vicki came up with this fantastic workshop 

that I can share with my customers too!

All products are Close To My Heart:

G1047 Workshop on the Go DAKOTA Scrapbooking Kit

D1507 Urban Alphabet

9037 Reflections Scrapbook Program

Z1686 Art Philosophy Cricut Collection

X7157B Dakota Paper Packet

D1525 Casual Expressions stamp set

Z1393 Black Mini-Medley Accents

9035 Make It From Your Heart, Volume 1

Chantilly Sweet Memories

I'm loving the new papers in the Spring/Summer Idea Book!  

For our group swap, I was assigned a single 12x12 page using the 

Chantilly papers for our Display Board Swap.  

This layout is from our Make It From Your Heart guide 

(contains both layouts and cards, all for a great value of $7.95).  

I found it easier to create a two-page layout and select one page for the swap.  

Here's the companion page:

All products are Close To My Heart:

X7163B Chantilly Paper Pack

C1466 Instant Memories stamp set

D1546 Frame Flair stamp set

9035 Make It From Your Heart Guide (Layout 06)

Z1710 Paradise Paper Flowers

Assorted CTMH Buttons in Blush, Buttercup and Goldrush

I love what our groups created for our swaps all using Chantilly papers:

(click on images for more detail)

YouTube Saturday - Love Your Layout

With the Digital Delights promotion in the month of February, I knew I had to share this Studio J video.  As you watch, and if you're new to Studio J...don't be discouraged as it appears the video is "sugar rushed" through the step by step process of customizing this layout.  I am offering a free Studio J class this month and I will show you how you can preserve your holiday memories, just like in this video.

So many options are available in Studio J...give it a try!

Welcome Back to YouTube Saturday's - a DOUBLE DOSE!

Enjoy the DOUBLE DOSE of YouTube videos today...then take some time to try out these techniques for yourself.  I'd love to see what you create!

BEHIND THE SCENES:  

Generational Stamping - different ways to get the most from your stamp pads.

EMBOSSED RESIST STAMPING: 

Featuring a stamping technique to inking the areas around an embossed image. WOW!