Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday! Swing, swing!

This little swing card is for our granddaughter's 8th baptismal birthday anniversary. Doves and pearls are extra special because of biblical references.

I'll add a little handwritten note in cursive (yay, she's learning cursive this school year!) to remind her that God has made her His own dear child, and that He is ALWAYS with her!

I'm feeling like a Rumplestiltskin who has awakened after a long, long, non-creative nap (though I guarantee you I haven't been sleeping or napping). My life these past few years has been FULL of roadtrips and caregivings, grandchild care, and friend-care days. Now that school has begun full-time for a couple grands and childcare has become part-time, along with elder-care part-time, I am truly hoping and praying I can get back to using all the wonderful Close To My Heart and other paper stash products in my studio for awesome causes and events!

Thank you for stopping by and renewing your hellos and comments. I hope to stay back in the mojo and share more as time goes by!

The papers are inks are sweet leaf and crystal blue from CTMH packets. The Happy Birthday stamp is from the Party Banners set, and the bird stamp is from VERVE.

Remember to make your envelope pretty by stamping it too!

Blessings,

Jane

Base & Bling Bird & Believe Necklace

For my mom's "half-birthday" I made her a "bird and believe" themed necklace using the Close To My Heart Base & Bling chain and square pendant (page 80 of the Spring/Summer Idea Book).

In addition to the rhinestone gem, I added the Believe and the little wren birdhouse charm (both from from Hobby Lobby). Mom loves to feed and watch the birds and hear them sing in their yard. Her favorite is the little brown wren who sings so pretty. She loves blue too -- the bird under the square glass cover is from the Skylark CTMH paper packet.

Using the Skylark paper, I covered a dollar-store jewelry box to coordinate with the necklace. I paper pieced the dragonfly and "wings" to add to the top of the box.

The finished necklace! With many thanks to my DH for attaching the charms with his micro-pliers!

Tip: If you paper-piece something into your square or circle pendant under the window, use the Base & Bling Adhesive dots (cut to fit). Don't use Liquid Glass on the paper--it will ruin it. Liquid Glass works well if you use the Base & Bling Style Sheet stickers since they're sturdier material. On this necklace, I used small glue dots in each corner, which happen to show more in the photos than they do in real life.

Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment while you're here!

Easter Journaling with PML Cards

 When I began to design this two-page layout of our granddaughters,

I wanted to hide my journaling

so that someday each of them could read my thoughts

about this very special Easter Day in 2011

when they were 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 years old.

I decided to use two cards from the Picture My Life Chantilly Scrapbook Program

to serve as the hidden journaling cards behind their photos.

A loop of shimmer tape provides a pull for each card.

I'll write on the pullout cards in my printing for Ella and Beatrice.

I think it's special to showcase our handwriting, don't you?

Here's a closer view:

I used CTMH products (except for the background papers, from my stash.
I chose them because the floral and chevron colors coordinated so well
with the Easter photos):

Dimensional elements banner shapes

Irresistables Letters inked in Pear Ink

Pink Sequins

Chantilly paper packet pink paper

CTMH ribbon

Other:  PaperStudio background papers

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Happy Spring!

A Lollydoodle Birthday Layout

One of CTMH's new Spring/Summer paper packets is "Lollydoodle"

and it's full of pretty pink, teal, pear green, and gray designs.

Because birthday girl B had yellow in her dress,

I added the sunshine yellow-inked die cut arrows

to help coordinate papers with her fourth birthday photos.

Other CTMH items I used include:
Base pages--White Cardstock

Lollydoodle Complements (NEW!)

Irresistable Alphabet (not inked)

Sequins (NEW!)

Shimmer Tape (NEW!)

Grey Colored Pencil for journaling

Thanks for visiting my blog and

if you took time to leave a short comment,

double thanks!

Sunshine in My Life--Skylark Layout

"You are the sunshine in my life!"

I cherish the time we get to spend with these two little munchkins!
They are definitely bright spots in our lives. 
We thank God for each one of these precious girls and all the joy they bring to us!

Last September, E (6 years old) had lost another bottom tooth, and her top permanent teeth were starting to come in, making her smile so different from her "baby teeth face"!  

B (almost 4 years old) just happened to look up with her blue eyes as we ate in a family restaurant,
and I caught her great natural grin.

It's unusual for me to create a one-page layout (rather than a two-page layout). 

Here I wanted to focus on the two closeup photos of the girls.

My page base is the Kraft paper from CTMH.
Layered on that,I used the new CTMH paper packet called "Skylark"
along with the Skylark Complements (sturdy die cut quotes and tags and embellishments),
and the new washi tape in teal houndstooth.

I used a colored pencil to add teal color to the sentiment embellishment.

The patterned paper had just the right amount of color and design,

making this a fun and easy page to create.

The teal Shimmer Trim adds a little eye-candy to the page.

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!

Blessed!

Blessed Thanksgiving!

O, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!

We thank God for all of our blessings -- too many to list!

 

The "BLESSED" banner dressed up the fireplace

for this Autumn season.

I used Huntington Papers along with the Glitter Paper

from CTMH,

and Sparkles, AND the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge 

for the letters and the leaf and acorn shapes.

Here's a peek at the paper turkeys (Hershey Nugget for the body)

that will flock to our Thanksgiving table

at each person's place setting.

I used a variety of retired fall-colored papers to make them.

The feathers are cut by using a Marvy punch,

and trimming the middle to 3/4

and the front to 1/2 the circle.

 

 Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

 

Sparkle & Shine Christmas Cubes

This trio of cubes was fun to make

using the CTMH Sparkle & Shine papers

and the CTMH Cricut cartridges too!

Turn the cubes and have a different message and scene each turn!

Merry & Bright Christmas Card Duo

Card 1 from the Merry & Bright Christmas Card Workshop at Rebecca's house...

I adapted the design to include my favorite Christmas stamps
on the front and in the inside.

Inside of card 1:

 Card 2 and the stamped envelope:

(The inside is blank for note-writing)

It's a countdown! 30 days until Christmas!

Sparkle & Shine Rejoice Christmas Banner

Here's one of my Sparkle & Shine banners

using that pretty new CTMH paper packet

and also one of the patterned papers from the retired Jingle packet

(behind the J and the I).

The CTMH Artbooking Cricut cartridge was used to cut the

trees and letters.

I used the Art Philosophy to cut the circles and circle frames.

I cut the pennant bases from poster board.

Additional items I used are the silver glitter paper,

Shimmer trim, Sparkles, and the Metallic flowers.

A closer view:

This banner is going into the mail 

to surprise two very special people,

with hopes that it brightens their living room with Christmas-y colors

and cheer.

"Faith"-Booking Layouts

Here are a few samples of "faith"-booking layouts I've created with the purpose of sharing my Christian faith and values with family members and friends who enjoy seeing my memory albums.

After being hit by a tractor-trailer on Interstate 69 near Indianapolis, I decided to journal about the happening, and share not only what happened, but also how the accident was a BLESSING in our lives. God's angels protected us from something so much worse that happened two miles further on the snowy, ice-covered road! Remember to add the negative life-happenings to your albums, not just the positive, and write how God brought you through them, provided care or protection, and how He worked in your life.

(Click on the photos to enlarge them.)

Ella and I love to giggle and sing and make up songs. Since she was a baby, I've sung "Jesus songs" to her and she has a large repertoire of favorites. She also loves musicals and memorizes all those favorite songs. I just had to document this photo from us at a Fox Theater musical. Someday, Ella may be IN a musical!

Sometimes it works well to hide journaling, as in the layout below. The title and the 8x 10 inch photo are enough to catch the eye on this page. So instead of cluttering the layout with writing, I measured the space to the right of the photo where I wanted to insert a pull-out journaling card (see the flower sticking out), and then cut the Memory Page Protector with an x-acto knife to that specific length.

I tucked the journaled card through the memory page protector, behind Ella's photo, and now, whenever we want to read my thoughts about her and my message to her, we simply pull it out.

More about faithbooking ... 

Recently a few friends came over for a faith-booking workshop. 

I pre-cut papers in a variety of colors and patterns to keep this a simple activity.

My Giggles & Grins layout was the sample with the simple elements--
title, photo mat, and journaling space.

Each one brought a totally different style of photo to feature on a one-page layout. 

One was a simple silhouette someone had cut of her from looking at a photo. 

Each person's layout turned out so unique and different. 

Each chose special Scripture verses and/or a hymn verse to emphasize the Christian witness she wanted to add to her page. 

It was a truly blessed afternoon together, and we plan to continue this! 

(I had cut "Truly blessed" from the Artbooking Cricut Cartridge 

for each person to use as a title if she wished.)

Here are a few of the works in progress below.

1)  This friend wants to use her layout as a 12 x 12 inch framed wall art, and may use her extra decor items that are placed off the page in a second layout.

Update: She used her decorative elements and finished her wall art! See the beautiful finished product below. 

Now for the next layout ...

2) This friend jotted quite a few notes and Scripture verses, and wanted to finish her journaling at home in a quiet place. I can relate to that! It's hard to focus and write while the rest of us are chatting! I know she'll finish this page in a great way as she tells about being twin sisters and the blessings that come with that!

And another ...

3) This friend is completely new to scrap-booking, and I was so happy she joined us and dived right in with her family photo and Scripture verses that convey her message of being so truly blessed by the Lord. I hope she continues to create, because she has great ideas and I love being with her too!

Have you tried faith-booking?

As I get older, interjecting my faith statements into memory albums becomes more and more intentional and important to me. I want those who read the pages to know what I believe and what my values are. I want to tell my story, but even more important, HIS story and how God is present in my life.

Use the key word "faithbooking" (all one word) in the search bar at the top of my blog to see a few more posts about this subject. 

If you faith-book, or if you want more information and resources about faith-booking, leave a comment or send me an email. I'm compiling resources to share with others. I'll be happy to include you on the list!

Blessings, and happy faith-booking/scrap-booking!

Noel Sparkle & Shine Christmas Card

Noel!

Today I made my second Christmas card for this year.

I used the papers from the Sparkle & Shine paper packet

featured in the Close To My Heart

mini catalog, "Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide."
(To see the Holidays catalog, click here.)

It doesn't look anything like my first Christmas card

I made last week with Sparkle & Shine!
(You can see it here.)

That's the fun of these CTMH papers and embellishments --

each creation looks different!

The card's base is a 6 x 6 inch Kraft card from CTMH.

For the dimensional poinsettia, I used the Artiste Cricut cartridge

to cut the flower die cuts and also the Noel title.

I layered four flower die cuts, and attached them with a sparkle brad.

I free-hand cut the leaves and tucked them underneath.

The white poinsettia is from a retired Mistletoe embellishment packet.

The burlap strip is cut from a length of CTMH's burlap ribbon.

I scanned a Christmas carol book page 
and then printed "The First Noel" onto colonial white cardstock

and trimmed the music to fit the card front.

Inside the card, I layered the Merry Christmas stamped sentiment

on a strip of Sparkle & Shine patterned paper,

and added a small pointsettia and sparkle brad

to the corner.

My inspiration in making this card came from 

a card (see below) created by CTMH Consultant, Sandy Trammel,

which she shared on the Scattered Hearts facebook group page.

Thank you for inspiring me, Sandy!

Happy scrapping, everyone!

A Frosted I Love You

"Frosted" -- one of my all-time favorite paper packets

from Close To My Heart!

I think it made a beautiful "I Love You" card,

don't you?

The doily stamp in these three layers reminds me of a precious quilt pattern--

a mixture of a Scandinavian and Pennsylvania Dutch design.

The tri-fold shutter card pattern is one of my favorites

to make and to give too!

I used:

CTMH Frosted papers

Classy Doily Flair stamp

Pearl stick pin from Bling Assortment

Small sparkle flower from Floral Accents

Sparkles Flourishes

Artiste Cricut Cartridge for "I Love You"

Opaque pearls

Itty Bitty Sparkles

Colored pencils

Sheer ribbon

Thanks for stopping by my blog and looking at my paper art!

Please leave a comment -- each one is so appreciated.

Happy scrapping!

It's Time to Sparkle & Shine!

The new Sparkle & Shine papers

from Close To My Heart's "Holidays from the Heart" gift guide

are so pretty and versatile!

I added strips of shimmer trim between the die cut ornament layers

for extra sparkle ...

Remember to add a surprise INSIDE your cards too!  

More sparkle is layered here on top of a strip of the patterned paper.

I left the inside empty to attach a family photo.

How many of these will I be able to finish before December 10,

the date circled on my calendar to "get cards mailed at the P.O.!" ?

Now--just a reminder--here's the new mini catalog that went live October 15

and you can order from it through December 31st.

When you order $100 or more in retail items from

this new Holidays from the Heart mini catalog,

you'll be able to choose a free "starred item" in the booklet.

Click HERE to see the catalog!

Click HERE to order!

Have fun making beautiful Christmas cards, layouts, 

and dimensional home art projects too!

Autumn Harvest with Apple Pickers

Faithbooking Layout:  Psalm 145 selected verses

The Artbooking Cricut Cartridge, an exclusive product from Close To My Heart,

made this layout a simple task and a pretty autumn-themed story.

I cut the 10 inch tree overlay so I would have extra room 

for the additional gold strip across the top of page 2,

where the words of selected verses of Psalm 145 continue from page 1.

A variety of Fall colored cardstock

along with the die cut leaves, apples, and pumpkins

made this clean and simple layout perfect

for showcasing the grandgirls while apple picking and giggling together.

Because I have more vertical and horizontal photos,

I'll add a few layers of Flip Flaps

once the Memory Protectors are on these pages.

I like to "faithbook" these special times together,

and add Scripture verses to remind us all

how good God is, how abundantly He blesses us,

and how He is always with us, day in and day out,

even as we pick apples and make apple crisps--

gifts from His beautiful world.

We can simply give Him our praise and thanks 

from morning until night!

from summer sunrise to sunset

I love summers, and wish that summer would BE endless!

Though we're in the dog days of summer now with 

the thermometer reading near 100 degrees F each day,

I'd much rather be warm than cold!

And we always find a pool or a clean Missouri lake

where we can be refreshed.

I'm going to have to do a layout just showing our little "Goggles Girl."

She does everything in her hot pink goggles--eat breakfast, ride in the van,

play with her dolls, and even color and craft with me.

(I combined Surf's Up with Dream Pop papers

because of the great pops of color in the pinks and sorbets!)

These are my first attempts using the NEW CTMH Cricut Artbooking cartridge

for the layout title and overlays.

This new product provides 700 different patterns for titles, page overlays,

memory book page patterns, borders, and icons!

You can find it in the new Autumn/Winter Idea Book HERE.

 Journaling across the top in black marker reads:

"from summer sunrise to sunset, 

we're so happy to be playing in the lake or pool water together" 

I like to write memories by hand so that those browsing memory books in the future

will see my handwriting and read my impromptu thoughts.

Layout Left Side

Layout Right Side

I used:

Surf's Up! paper packet

Surf's Up wooden button embellishments

Dream Pop paper packet

CTMH Cricut Artbooking cartridge for title & overlays

"My Sunshine" -- April Stamp of the Month 
(for the sunshine words on the sun overlay and for the sunset)
Sorbet Ink

Hahahahahaha! My Laughing Lola Layout!

What's purple, green, turquoise, and paisley,

and makes you feel happy?

Laughing Lola!

(It's one of the NEW paper packets from Close To My Heart!)

Hahahahahahahahaha!  

You truly have to see these papers in person 

to appreciate the gorgeous colors and patterns.

The laugh is on me!  Until I saw them IRL,

I didn't think they'd be for me.

Hahahahahahahahaha!

Look how great they look with my photos!

Is this little satin bow clip cute, or what?!

Just a little girly touch for the photo corner.

Hahahahahahaha!

Can you tell where my pull-out journaling is on this second page?

Look closely!

I like to hide journaling to keep the layout very simple,

and then cut a slit into the memory page protector

to be able to pull out a piece of cardstock

on which I've written something special.

On this page, I've written how much I love these grand-girls,

and also how much Jesus loves them--

so much that He died on the cross to take away all our sins--

so much that He came alive on the first Easter,

so that someday we who believe in Him can live with Him in heaven!

This journaling is part of my "faithbooking" habit--

to share my faith, Scripture verses, inspirations,

encouraging words from The Word,

and to tell generations after me what I believe and why.

Telling HIS-story is vitally important to me!

How do you tell your story?

I used:

Close To My Heart's NEW My Reflections Laughing Lola paper packet

Laughing Lola Assortment of Embellishments (satin bow clip; multicolor gems)

Sparkles

Shimmer Trim
Washi tape

Dazzling Die Cuts in Spring Harmony & White

The "Backstage" pattern from the book Magic by Jeanette Lynton (CTMH CEO)

Have some GREAT laughs and get yourself creating with Laughing Lola!

A Huntington Sweet Treat

Sweet!

Almond Nuggets inside a My Creations Kraft Container = 

a sweet thank-you gift for a friend's help with making all the wedding bouquets!

Who doesn't like to get chocolate?! 

I used:
Close To My Heart MyCreations Kraft Container
Huntington Paper Packet (NEW!)
Huntington Workshop On The Go Stamp Set: Sweet (NEW!)
Burlap Ribbon
Barn Red Ink
Brown & Tan Sparkles (NEW!)
(I used the B&T paper border on top of the burlap ribbon. Love those borders!) 

Want to see all the new Close To My Heart products?
Click HERE! 

A Mix of Old and New

The more I use CTMH's new Glitter papers, the more I LOVE them

and the way they make a project POP!

Here's a strip on the front and on the inside of a birthday card

combined with some retired Roxie papers

to give this some glitz and glam

for a special lady.

I like how the Glitz Glitter Gel in Almond

perfectly coordinates with the glitter paper too!

Now go and put some glitz into your scrapping soon!

Getting Our Ombré On!

Six Close To My Heart friends & neighbors got together yesterday afternoon

to see the recent Extravaganza Art CD from Convention,

thanks to Rebecca Brown of Show Me Scrapping!

She showed us the Cricut Craft Room and we each cut

a cute Halloween album using the new Artbooking cartridge.
Oh, what a product that is! I can't wait to make more mini albums!

(I'll post later this week more about that project.)

Everyone got to show and tell some items we've been working on

using some of the new products from the Autumn/Winter Idea Book.

AND

We tried the Ombré technique showcased in CTMH's video

using Liquid Glass, drops of re-inker, the bone folder, and chipboard shapes.

It was a good learning experience,

and we found that by adding Create A Shade paint to the mixture,

and by using a small paint brush,

it was so much easier to apply and it looked great on our third attempt.

Which reinforces the saying, "Practice does make perfect!"

We'll definitely be trying this again with different color hues.

We began with these materials. 

From left to right: Our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd attempts

with Outdoor Denim, Twilight, and Pacifica.

(Colors in the Caribbean!)

Then I showed the group a sample "ombré" card I made using paper strips:

 The "Claire" paper packet

(Claire card inside)

And a third "ombré" technique

using the Houndstooth alphabet, finger daubers,

and inks: Clover Meadow, Pear, and Key Lime.

(If you do this on small pieces, hold your finger dauber at an angle

and sponge "in thirds" visually. I did it from dark to light, left to right.
Larger chipboard shapes are much easier to ink with this method!
I do love a challenge!
And I planned to use this word PEAR on a future layout, so
there IS a method to my madness...)

I can't wait to see some of the projects you've made

after getting YOUR ombré on!

So glad you stopped by!