Friday 29 June 2012

The Perfect Pair

During July, get a free paper packet and coordinating accessory--a Perfect Pair--with every qualifying online purchase.


Place an online order of $75 or more in July and you'll receive a popular paper packet and coordinating accessory--a Perfect Pair--for FREE! That's a retail value of up to $17.90!

Different Perfect Pairs are available on different dates throughout the month so you'll want to place more than one qualifying order to snatch several Perfect Pairs. Place your order early in the availability period, as the promotion is while supplies last.

Perfect Pairs are available as below:

July 1-5: Mischief Paper Packet and Midnight Felt Shapes (retail value: $15.90)
July 6-10: Dreamin' Paper Packet and Harvest Charms (retail value $ 14.90)
July 11-15: Fanfare Paper Packet and Fanfare Level 2 Assortment (retail value $17.90)
July 16-20: Lucy Paper Packet and Lucy My Stickease Assortment ( retail value $17.90)
July 21-25: Mayberry Paper Packet and Mayberry My Stickease Assortment (retail value $17.90)
July 26-29: Sophia Paper Packet and Sophia My Stickease Assortment (retail value $17.90)
July 30-31: Believe Paper Packet and Holiday Pockets OR Wonderland Paper Packet and My Stickease Assortment (retail value $14.90)

To make it easy for you to order and remember what's available when, I've created an Online Gathering for each Perfect Pair. Just go to my website and place your order through your desired Online Gathering. The Gatherings end on the last day that Perfect Pair is available.

To view these amazing paper packets and accessories, visit my website for the 2011/2012 Winter Idea Book.

Please note the following:
* The Believe and Wonderland Pefect Pairs are at CTMH's choice. If you order this Perfect Pair, you will recieve one of those two--you will not be able to select which one.
* Perfect Pairs are valid July 1-31, 2012. While supplies last. Additional shipping/handling and tax may apply. Discounted products do not count towards qualifying purchase.

Sunday 24 June 2012

Great Wolf Mini-Album

I was really excited to make this mini-album ever since I received my Footloose Workshop-on-the-Go Kit. But, I wasn't sure I had a summery-themed series of photos that was worthy of its own mini-album. Fortunately, a few weeks ago, my children and I took a little mini-break at Great Wolf Lodge and I have a perfect album commemorating our special trip!

Front Cover
In addition to the Footloose Kit (which includes the paper, cardstock, stamps and wooden badge buttons), I used the Footloose Dimensional Elements (chipboard shapes), Rustic Alphabet stamp set and CTMH Exclusive inks in Creme Brulee, New England Ivy, Sorbet and Lagoon. A perfect colour palate for water park pictures.

The album itself is the My Creations Memory Showcase: a 6" x 6" album in white with 2 chipboard covers and 4 interior pages. There are a total of 8 pages to decorate.

Inside Front Cover & Page 1
To achieve the multi-colour effect on the stamped images (the sea turtle and sea horse), I simply inked the stamp then added additional colours directly to the stamp using a piece of sponge. Starting with the lightest colour and progressing to the darkest colour works best.




Pages 2 & Inside Back Cover

The large chipboard sun on page 1 overhangs the page. To avoid displaying the back of the chipboard on the next page, I covered it with patterned paper. It looks like a tab and adds a little more interest to the page. This technique was repeated on the back of the pink chipboard piece that peeks over the top of the inside back cover (green tab on back cover).


On the last pages, I layered various elements. On the back cover, 2 "ribbons" (I snipped a chevron end on 2 strips of patterned paper) were set behind the chipboard title which was then adhered with adhesive foam to pop it up. On page 3, the star was added over the chipboard flower and both of these were layered on top if the scalloped title strip.

Back Cover & Pages 3 & 4
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It was trickier to cluster the chipboard shapes and wooden badge button on page 4--the thickness of the chipboard left very little surface for the button and star to be adhered to. I used pop dots to even out the heights of the button and the star, both of which are layered over the sand dollar and wave chipboard, but are actually adhered to the pattered papers.

Throughout the album, I stamped whimsical clams and sand dollars on the wooden badge buttons.

I'm really delighted with this album. The colours, paper and images fit the album theme perfectly.

Do you have some special vacation photos that deserve special treatment? Are you taking a holiday this summer and want to whip up a keepsake quickly afterwards (or even beforehand to add photos to once you're home)? Whether you're taking a cruise in the Caribbean or relaxing at the local beach, check out the Footloose Workshop-on-the-Go to preserve your summer memories.

Sunday 17 June 2012

How To: Studio J

Hi Studio J scrappers! Check out this video for detailed instructions on how to use some of Studio J's features to personalise your layouts. Learn how to change papers, colour like and individual items and make the most of My Stickease embellishments.

Studio J Tutorial

Happy Scrapping!

Friday 15 June 2012

A Little Stamp Goes a Long Way

All it takes is one little element to add a special spark to a page. If you have a simple style, like I tend to use on my pages, that little element can make a huge impact on your page.

For this class photo page, I followed a sketch from PageMaps 2 by Becky Fleck. It's a pretty simple page, only two patterned papers used, but the stamping really adds a flair to it.

The title is stamped using the middle sized letters from the Trinity Alphabet stamp set, and the other stamps are from the Blue Ribbon set. The Exclusive Inks colours used are Lagoon, Bamboo and Cocoa. (And even though these are not CTMH papers, notice how well the colours co-ordinate!)

To create that special element, I used the ribbon stamp and layered the pinked-edged circle over it. I stamped the "You're My Shining Star" sentiment over top and popped up the circle with adhesive foam.

I also stamped the "Happy Day" sentiment next to the journaling.

Next time you're wondering how to dress up a page, take a look at your stamps. You don't need to use every stamp in the set on the page. Find those one or two stamps that work together or on their own to take you page to the next level.

Saturday 2 June 2012

Studio J Layout: Feathered Friends

One of my favourite things about Studio J is the wide selection of papers and embellishments. Papers in colours I would admire, but never buy knowing they would sit in my stash never to be used. Most of my scrapbooks are filled with pages about my boys. There are very few with feminine subjects.

So when I get an idea for a page that can take on a feminine feel, Studio J offers a great range of digital papers unlike anything I'd find in my stash.

For this page, documenting my favourite back yard visitors, a family of goldfinches, I used the new Lucy line of papers and embellishments. Perfect for girly and baby pages, I thought the beautiful florals and co-ordinating green (Pear) papers were just right for a garden layout.

I used a Studio J template, but I personalized the papers and embellishments to make this page uniquely mine.

I began by replacing the cardstock background with a floral patterned paper.(The same pink floral paper on the left side of the photo row.) Then I altered the floral paper by switching from full colour to grey (Grey Wool). This gives the background paper a lovely, subtle patterns but doesn't detract from the photos or full colour papers.

After selecting the patterned papers and distressing the edges, I embellished the page with stickers from the Lucy My Stickease assortment. There was a lot to chose from! I also resized several of the stickers to fit with the scale of the layout.

Finally, I added stitching in several spots. Stitching is one of my favourite embellishments in traditional scrapbooking and even more so in Studio J scrapbooking where a half hour of piercing holes and threading is replaced with a click of the mouse! I used several different stitches in different sizes. The large cross-stitch across the top of the page grounds the title and unified the two halves of the layout. The smaller running stitch on the large floral paper creates a frame for the photos. And the adorable stitches flowers add a bit of whimsy.

Go ahead and try Studio J to break out of your usual scrapping themes and try something you might not even consider with traditional scrapbooking. With four convenient online options, there's a Studio J package suited to you. Click on the link to my online store on the right to learn more about s
Studio J.

Happy Scrapping!
Susana