Newsprint Rub-Ons from Close To My Heart

Another You and Me Grad Card

Here's another graduation card made with our school colors (Orange and Black) and the You and Me Stamp Set, exclusive to the National Scrapbooking Month Kit, You & Me (available through May 31).

Supplies Used (all Close to My Heart):

Paper: Black Textured CS (retired), White Daisy CS

Inks: (All 2nd Generation stamping except sentiment) Black, Grey Flannel, Sunburst

Stamp Sets: You & Me

Other: Black Ribbon, Pencil Eraser

You and Me Stamp Set: Graduation Card

Lots of graduation parties coming up this weekend, so I had to get busy on cards for the grads.  Our school colors are orange and black, so I used this color scheme and added grey to it also.

Front of the card:

Inside of the card: 

Supplies used: All Close to My Heart

Papers: Black Textured CS (retired), Grey Flannel CS, White Daisy CS

Inks: Grey Flannel (2nd Generation Stamping), Sunset (2nd Generation Stamping), Black

Stamps: You and Me (Exclusive to National Scrapbooking Month Kit, available through the end of May)

Other: Bitty Sparkles

2nd Generation Stamping is a great technique and one I use often to stamp an image in a more subtle way.

It is a simple technique that I find myself using often.

You simply ink your stamp like you would for normal stamping.

Stamp off on a scrap paper.

Do NOT reink your stamp.

Stamp a second time where you want to place your image on your project.

That is 2nd Generation Stamping.

I would love to see what you create with this wonderful technique.

Chairs to You and Workshop Tonight

Just a reminder of tonight's workshop at 6:15 pm.  I will be highlighting the Mayberry Workshop Kit on the Go. 

This weekend I got a chance to make a simple card with the stamp of the month, Chairs to You.  This one includes a black base (which is hard to see with the black background...sorry), grey wool and sweet leaf.  I did it based on the Color Throwdown #142.

Inside of card:

Supplies Used (all CTMH):

Stamps: Chairs to You (May Stamp of the Month)

Paper: Black, White Daisy, Grey Wool

Inks: Grey Wool, Sweet Leaf

Other: Blending Pen

More Mayberry for Monday Workshop

Here's a couple more layouts that I created from Mayberry and Magic, with Stickease added.  Both these layouts are suggested layouts found on the back of the stickease. 

Magic: Performance

 I added the Stickease, Pink Assortment of Buttons and Neutral Embroidery Floss.  All the rest was part of my Mayberry Workshop on the Go Kit.

Next up is Magic: Shuffled Deck

I only added the Stickease, Pink Ribbon, Pink Button Assortment and Neutral Embroidery Floss.  You could easily do this layout with just the stickease only.  Again, the paper is from my Mayberry Workshop on the Go kit.  And I still have a ton of paper left.  I made 5 two page layouts and 2 cards so far with the paper in that kit.  I only added the Stickease, a few pieces of cardstock and a couple of embellishments.  I hope this gives you an idea of how far one Workshop on the Go Kit can go.

Let's see you use up some of your scraps from a Workshop on the Go Kit.  Trust me, it can go farther than you can imagine.

Remember to RSVP for your workshop spot for tomorrow night.

Workshop Reminder and Mayberry Highlighted

This is a reminder that our next workshop is scheduled for Monday, May 23 at 6:15 in my studio.  I will highlight the Mayberry Workshop on the Go and working with the circle punch to make scallops, as well as working with the canvas badge buttons.  Here a couple of the layouts that I made with my workshop kit and Magic.

WOTG Layout:  Life is Good

Magic-Raising the Curtain

Berry Sweet 

I added chocolate buttons on this page.

Both of the layouts use the Token Alphabet.

Magic-Levitate

Also based on layout in the Idea Book on page 26.

I still need to add my title.

I added Kraft Borders on this on.  I also used the Splendid Day Stamp Set.

And the pages do line up.  It's the way I need to sit the pages to photograph them.

I hope you enjoyed a sneak peek at the layouts that will be highlighted on Monday evening.

I hope to have time to do a few more with the kit before the weekend is over, including one found on the back of the stickease.

Happy to Get Mail

I love recieving cards in the mail. (Who doesn't?)  I was lucky enough to receive one from Leisa of Big Red Scraps in the mail to thank me for a donation in her ning site.  I'm just glad she has the site for me to get lots of CTMH inspiration from.  Thanks Leisa, for the card, as well as the site!  Check out the link on the sidebar to learn more about Big Red Scraps.

Supplies Needed:

Mayberry Paper Pack

Mayberry Stamp Set (workshop on the go kit)

Cocoa Ribbon

Join My Team for Only $64.50!

You heard right.  Now, until the end of May is a terrific time to sign up as a Close to My Heart Independent Consultant.  You will recieve your New Consultant Kit at 50% off the normal kit price of $129 plus recieve the beautiful You & Me Kit absolutely free.  See above for more details.  This a great opportunity to do what you love to do! Contact me for details or sign up today on my website.  I would love for you to join my team!

Studio J®: Focus on the Photos

Here's another how-to video for Studio J. Interested in trying Studio J? You can try it out for
free on my website at www.amymcvey.myctmh.com

Studio J on Creating Keepsakes Blog

Check this out....Kristine Widtfeldt, Close to My Heart Vice President of Marketing, on Creating Keepsakes Blog (and a chance to win a 5-pack in Studio J)

Weekly Warm-Up: Time-Saving Solution For Your Scrapbooks


May 16, 2011 on 1:35 am
In General Inspiration, guest blogger
26 Comments
Tags: Close To My Heart, guest blogger, Kristine Widtfeldt, Studio J

Raise your hand if you are a busy scrapbooker.

Wow, that’s a lot of hands! I know I raised mine.

I’m Kristine Widtfeldt, Close To My Heart’s Vice President of Marketing, and I’m going to tell you the secret to creating four scrapbook pages, start-to-finish, in just 30 minutes!

I love scrapbooking, but as a working mom of three, my life can get kind of hectic. That’s why I love Studio J®, Close To My Heart’s online design software.

Studio J lets me upload my photos, choose a layout and themed paper kit, and embellish my layout—all in just a few minutes. Then I place my order, and in a few days my 12″ x 12″ layouts are delivered to my door, all ready for my albums. I can do a month’s worth of scrapbooking in just a few hours, and I don’t even have to bother getting my photos printed beforehand! That means I can scrapbook my life as it happens, without falling behind.

I want to share Studio J with you, so at the end of this post I’ll tell you how you can win a free Studio J 5-pack.

Now I have to let you in on a little secret: Even though I absolutely love Studio J, I never want to give up my paper and scissors. I totally dig measuring and cutting and gluing and all that good stuff.

So guess what? I do both. For me, it’s not a question of digital versus classic scrapbooking. I do some of my scrapbooking online in Studio J and some with paper and scissors. And sometimes I create my layouts online, but then add classic embellishments once I receive my layouts in the mail.

That’s what I’ve done with this layout of my friend and fellow Close To My Heart VP, Monica Wihongi. I spent some extra time on this layout—it took me about 30 minutes to create online, instead of the 10 or 15 minutes I take when I’m in a hurry—and then when I got the printed version, I added some ribbon and Close To My Heart Sparkles accents and pretty silver mesh flowers. My albums are a mix of studio and classic layouts, with a few embellished studio layouts like this one sprinkled in for good measure. It’s great!

Let me take you into the studio so you can get a feel for Studio J. It’s simple for newbies to use, but offers enough creative options to keep advanced scrapbookers happy and excited! We have a Step-by-Step Basics video you can watch online, but I’ll walk you through the steps here as well.

The first step is Photos, where you upload the digital pictures you’re going to use.

Next is Kits. You select one of the 70 or so paper kits offered. Later on you’ll have a chance to change the colors of the paper, giving you tons of flexibility.

Then comes Patterns, where you choose a layout. I love how I can fit as many as 16 photos in a single layout, or I can choose to have an enormous focal photo if I really want to make it pop.

The fourth step is Personalize. This step is definitely the fun part, because this is where you can let your creativity shine. You can change the preset paper selections, rotate your pages, type in a title and journaling, and add My Stickease® images or ribbons, brads, etc. There are default accents that are pre-placed and all you have to do is colorize them, or you can toggle them off and add custom embellishments to your heart’s content. Spend as much or little time here as you like.

And the final step is Buy. Once you’ve purchased your layouts, they’re custom-printed on 100+ year, archival-quality paper and shipped to your door. And if you’re a Studio J member, you get 50% off custom prints plus free JPG versions of your layout to share online or print at home.

Ready to give Studio J a try? I bet you are! Just go to your Close To My Heart Independent Consultant’s MyCTMH® website, or hop onto StudioJ.com and start playing. We’re sponsoring a great giveaway, too. All you have to do is go to Studio J and try it out.

Come back here and leave a comment letting us know what kit and pattern you chose for a chance to win a free Studio J 5-pack (a $55 US value)! A 5-pack includes 5 two-page layouts, 5 Memory Protectors®, and free shipping. It’s a great gift, and a great way to get started with Studio J scrapbooking!

Kristine Widtfeldt, Close To My Heart Vice President of Marketing





And here's the link so that you can comment and have a chance to win!

http://www.creatingkeepsakesblog.com/blog/2011/05/weekly-warm-up-time-saving-solution-for-your-scrapbooks/

Try Studio J out today on my website at http://www.amymcvey.myctmh.com/

My Acrylix® Dreams Come True Stamp Set

Be You Card and Two Cased Cards

I made a few cards the other day.  The first uses the Love Birds and the SOTM: Chairs to You stamp sets.

Supplies used:

Paper: Kraft CS

Stamps: Love Birds, Chairs to You (sentiment)

Inks: Brown Bag, Cranberry, Sweet Leaf

Markers: Cranberry, Sorbet (beaks), Sweet Leaf

I used the color combo from this challenge over at ColourQ.

I substituted our closest colors (which ended up being Kraft, Cranberry, Sweet Leaf and Sorbet).

I also cased a few cards from the very talented Lisa Stenz and Angela Tutton.

Lisa's card is the simple thank you card made from the stamp set in the NSD kit: You & Me.

I added the bitty sparkles to it.

Supplies used:

Paper: White Daisy CS

Stamps: You and Me, Card Chatter-Sympathy (sentiment)

Inks: Chocolate, Cotton Candy

Other: Bitty Sparkles

This card was created by Angela Tutton.

Supplies used:

Paper:  Bliss Paper Pack, Chocolate, Colonial White

Stamps: Rosy Regards, Card Chatter-Sympathy

Inks: Grey Flannel, Chocolate

Other: Licorice Opaques

I used up some of my stash for these cards.  Remember, that's the challenge for this week.

Use up some of your stash.  

Scallop Borders with Mayberry Workshops on the Go™ Stamp Set

Enjoy this video that shows how to use the stamp set and your circle punch to make these
wonderful scallops that you see in this Mayberry workshop on the go kit.

NSD Wrap Up

Hope you got some creating done for National Scrapbooking Day yesterday.  I got our project for our next technique workshop done and will share it as soon as I get some photos on it.  I also got some Studio J layouts sorted, as well as some photos that were in need of being sorted.  I revisited an old paper pack too, remember Cocoa Cafe?  I still have a pack of it and hope to use it on some layouts and cards in the upcoming weeks.  So I challenge you to use of some of your stash...Use up some older stash and send me a picture of what you create.  You will be entered to win a prize for every project you create and send a picture of.  Your deadline is Saturday night at 11:59 pm. 

National Scrapbooking Month Crop and Lucky Highlighted

What are you doing for National Scrapbooking Month?  I'm hosting a crop tonight and will try  to post to the blog/FB as I do different projects throughout the night...check back...there may be a contest or two also...

Also, here is the layout highlighted in this month's Workshop on the Go Kit: Lucky.  (I had to edit out my father-in-law's face since I didn't know if he would mind if I posted his picture).

Just a reminder that club meets on Monday evening to work on the Workshop on the Go Kits...remember to rsvp your spot and I will see you there!

Love Your Layout: May 2011

Are you interested in trying Studio J?
This video helps make it easy to recreate this beautiful layout on Studio J. It will walk you through all the steps. Be sure to go to my website and try Studio J today.

Remember to RSVP for Upcoming Crop

Don't forget to RSVP your spot at my upcoming crop for National Scrapbooking Day.

Date:  Sat., May 7 from 4pm-12am

Cost: $15
(includes dinner, goodie bag, prizes, use of all my stamps and inks, as well as my cricut and cartridges)

Limited spots available.

National Scrapbooking Month Promotion

April Challenge Winner & New Color Challenge Posted

Happy May Day!

Congrats to Angie, who won my raffle for April with her wonderful challenge submissions!  We start a new month of challenges.  Participate in a challenge this month and send my a jpeg image of the challenge.  Every submission enters you into the drawing at the end of the month.  All entries must be recieved by May 31, 2011 at 11:59pm to be eligible.  All challenges can be found under the Challenge tab at the top of my blog.

We are going to start May out with a color challenge: Creme Brulee, Tulip, Garden Green and Cocoa.
I can't wait to see what you come up with for this challenge.  Remember, it can be on any papercrafting project that you make.  Thanks for playing along.