You and Me, Me and You

Even though there's a fresh, new Idea Book (check it out on my website), I have been on a mission to use my stash. I love Workshop on the Go kits because they contain coordinated products that make putting pages together, and using your stash, a snap. Once I've made the two layouts in the kit, I store all the supplies together until they're used up. That way I don't have to go searching for the little bits that match.

For this layout, I used the extra supplies from my Sarita Workshops on the Go kit. Note: Sarita is also one of the paper lines that has been carried over to the new Idea Book. You can get Sarita Paper Packet, Sarita Assortment, (both seen on my layout) and Sarita My Stickease Assortment right now!

I created a large title with my Silhouette--also using my stash as this was a cut file that had been in my collection for a whle--and added some Dimensional Elements Hearts as accents.

Turning to my stamp stash, I added a chicken wire background with the Distressed Backgrounds stamp set and the subtitle with the Framework Alphabet stamp set. (If you get one alphabet stamp this month, get this one! It includes an upper case and lower case alphabet with numbers all in one 6"x6" package. It will quickly become your go-to alphabet stamp.)

You know how much I love sketches, and so often when I'm planning a page, I spend time surfing Pagemaps or Pinterest looking for interesting sketches. But for this layout, I turned to my stash again and found this perfect sketch in Imagine. The sketch for Three-Part Harmony is found on page 44. It's a versatile sketch that accomodates lots of photos in different sizes. To make it my own, I used an extra large focal photo and flipped the right side of the sketch on its side. I also used fewer papers than was called for, letting the Goldrush cardstock set off the busy paper.

Here's a tip: When you have a layout that calls for a 1/2" x 12" piece, use a Zip Strip (that extra strip of pattern you trim off the patterned papers) or washi tape. A quick and easy way to use up scraps!

I love this layout and now I've got some room in my stash for new product!

Circle Journal: Mandy and Heather

Here are the next two pages for the Circle Journal project.

Based on a sketch from Make It From Your Heart Volume 2

Mandy's scrapbook centres on her children's school days. I had the honour of making her daughter's Grade 1 page. This was a real treat for me as I don't often have the opportunity to do girl pages!

This page is an example of how you can use off-theme products on a page. I did use a stamp set from the Scholastic Workshops on the Go kit and Varsity Alphabet stamps, which are both school themed. But the paper line is La Belle Vie and I also  used additional off theme stamps: the chicken wire stamp from the Distressed Backgrounds set and a sentiment from Sweet Moments.

The lined paper from La Belle Vie gives the page a notebook feel and provides a spot for journaling.

Instead of using primary colours, which are a mainstay on pages I make about school days, I made La Belle Vie Pink, Outdoor Denim the stars against the neutral backdrop of Saddle cardstock.

With the help of a little bling, because it is a girly page after all, and Tiny Type Epoxy alphabet, the page was finished off with those small details that bring memories to life.

Sketch from Even More Scrapping!

The theme for Heather's book is places to visit in Durham. She asked for a page about an interesting place with spots for photos to be added later. Her intention is to visit all the places and add her own photos. What a great idea for this project!

The place I selected was the Bowmanville Valley. It's one of my favourite places in the autumn when the salmon are running.

The first think you'll likely notice about this page is that it doesn't feature CTMH papers. The papers are from Crate Paper and the cardstock for the photo mats is Bazzil. But the background cardstock is Desert Sand and the yellow cardstock is Crème Brulee. This is a perfect example of how CTMH colours coordinate with paper lines from other companies.

I've been waiting for a special page to use my Arbour Wooden Shapes and was so happy to finally open the package. I found the wooden shapes took the inks very easily--I just swiped them with my ink pads (Barn Red and Autumn Terracotta)--and dried fairly quickly. To create a two-tone effect on the maple leaf, I first swiped the entire leaf with Autumn Terracotta and while it was still wet, swiped the edges with Barn Red. The red bled into the orange a bit and gave a nice look to the leaf. I finished it off by colouring the stem with a New England Ivy marker.

Here's a tip: When adhering wooden shapes to each other or to your layout, use a strong adhesive like Liquid Glass.

Keyboard Uppercase is one of my favourite letter stamps and is excellent for creating subtitles, like the one on the edge of the small journaling spot. The main title was created with Old World Alphabet.

Again a little bling and a Canvas Badge Button (stamped with an image from the Honeycomb stamp set) finish off the page.

My scrapbook club is about halfway done the Circle Journal project and we're having so much fun with it, we're already looking ahead to the next one!

Watch for the next Circle Journal blog post--it will be on Scrapbooking Tips and Techniques!

Sneak Peek Days 6 & 7

Sorry for dropping the ball there...life gets in the way of blogging sometimes....

But here's a double-dose of what you can expect from the new Idea Book: THE PAPERS!!

I know this is one of the first things people rush to once the Idea Book is in their hands. They must see what new colours, patterns and  combinations CTMH has come up with. The wait is over.

Laughing Lola is a fun, energetic mix of Black, Gypsy, White Daisy and three exclusive new colours: Laughing Lola Blue, Laughing Lola  Gold and Laughing Lola Purple.

Complementing the Laughing Lola paper packet are the Laughing Lola Assortment (four satin paper clip bows and nine printed gems in three sizes) and Laughing Lola Complements Dimensional Elements (two 12" x 6" chipboard sheets).

Laughing Lola can be described as  "a touch of class and a lot of sass!"--to quote the coordinating Paisley Perfect stamp set.

Sarita is a collection of striking patterns and colours including Colonial White, Cotton Candy, Goldrush, Gypsy, Lagoon and Outdoor Denim. For those of us who love bright colours and striking patterns, this is a must have.

The Sarita Assortment includes 10 etched wooden shapes and four embossed metal icons. The Sarita My Stickease Assortment has the same bold colours and patterns seen in the papers with two titles, journaling spots, borders and also includes pennants, flowers, arrows, feathers and more.

Pro Player is the paper packet I've been waiting for to document the techno-love in my home. The video game inspired papers feature Black, Outdoor Denim, Pacifica, Ruby, Slate and Whisper. With fun digitised patterns, Pro Player is excellent for documenting boys and their toys.

The Pro Player Assortment has 10 corrugated cardboard shapes and six metal-rimmed enamel badge buttons. The Pro Player My Stickease Assortment touches on all things digital--whether your techno-geek is a Guitar Hero,attached to their cell phone, or if you're an X Box widow, there's a fun sticker to tell your story.

Babycakes says it all. These papers are sweet and adorable, just like the new arrivals in your life. Cute giraffes, fun alphabets, soothing stripes and dots are perfect for pages, cards and mini albums about babies. The Buttercup, Chocolate, Colonial White, Slate and Sunset colour scheme is gender-neutral and great for childhood themes.

Babycakes Complements Canvas Shapes add texture to your projects along with cute animals, borders and popular titles. The Babycakes Assortment coordinates perfectly with the papers, but will find it's way into non-baby themed project too! You'll love them so much you'll want to use them on everything! These 12 wood-rimmed badge buttons are adhesive backed and come in three sizes.

Huntington embodies everything I like about autumn-themed papers: heritage, vibrancy and fall colours. The colours, Autumn Terracotta, Barn Red, Cashmere, Champagne, Cocoa, Desert Sand, Olive, and Slate, are the ones I go to again and again for all my pages. My favourite, pattern looks like a large damask, but has an unexpected, large, vibrant flower. It adds fun and whimsy to traditional patterns.

The Huntington Assortment includes four printed canvas shapes and six printed wooden spool tops. Texture and unique ephemera in one package.

The Huntington My Stickease Assortment plays up the vibrant reds and oranges of the colour palette along with the cooling green. Banners, pennants, flowers and leaves are all perfect for your autumn pages and cards.

Frosted isn't your typical Winter/Christmas paper. With cool tones and hot patterns, Frosted strikes and interesting balance of traditional and fashion forward. Champagne and Colonial White combine with two new colours, Frosted Grey and Frosted Turquoise in geometric circles, chevrons, diamonds and, of course, snowflakes.

The Frosted Assortment isn't theme specific, but combines with the papers beautifully. Six felt flowers in three colours (pink, dark grey, and cream) will add elegance and beauty whether you're doing a page about a December Rose or a Spring Bloom.

The Frosted My Stickease Assortment is what you'll turn to for Christmas cards and winter pages. Snowflakes, snowmen and winter images abound in this set of two sticker sheets.

In addition to the My Reflections products described above, each line comes with new My Acrylix stamp sets designed to coordinate with the paper themes. And of course, each has a Workshop on the Go, which includes the paper packets, exclusive stamp sets, embellishments and an instructional brochure all at a discounted price.

There's your first taste of the colours and themes in the new Idea Book. Keep visiting my blog this week for more glimpses at great new products and The Big Reveal on August 1st!

Circle Journal: Lori

Lori's idea was to have a scrapbook filled with places for the armchair traveller to go. Places the contributors have visited and loved. As soon as Lori revealed her theme, I knew exactly what I wanted to create. A page about the place my family came from: Terceira, Azores, Portugal.

For me the page is special, because it documents a place I dearly love.

It's just a simple layout, but the embellishments give it interest. The clip at the top pulls out an 8.5" x 11" sheet, hidden in a pocket behind the layout, containing extensive journaling. The colour scheme is also simple: Blue (Pacifica and Indian Corn Blue), white (Colonial White) and red (Cranberry). These colours are evocative of Portuguese culture and are perfect for a layout about an island.

Except for the patterned paper (which could easily be created with stamps!), all products are from Close To My Heart. Many of them are now on the While Supplies Last area of my website, so get them while you can!

The title was stamped with Old World Alphabet which is one of the E-size stamp sets being discontinued. You have until July 31st to order it!

Ink-sprayed flower

To create the three embellishment clusters, I used paper flowers, Milepost Shapes and Canvas Badge Buttons.

The large blue flower was originally white. I sprayed it using a CTMH spray pen, Indian Corn Blue ink and a little Pearl Paint for shimmer.

To add a little more colour to the layout, the Cranberry ink used in the title is repeated on the Milepost Shapes.

Cranberry ink on Milepost Shapes

Canvas Badge Buttons are perfect for stamping! The heart stamps are from the Whoo's Your Valentine stamp set. (Get it out of your stash! It's not just good for Valentine's!)

I had a bit of trouble with the hydrangea. I knew I wanted one on the layout--they are an iconic flower of the Azores--but I didn't  have a hydrangea stamp nor could I find one anywhere.

Finally, the night I was putting the layout together, I tried clustering the tiniest paper flowers on a cardstock circle. I spray-inked it with the same Indian Corn Blue ink as the large flower. When it was dry, I fluffed up the flower edges a bit and finished it off by stamping leaves in Pear.

Cluster small flowers to create a hydrangea

The result was much nicer than a flat hydrangea stamp!

I'm partial to simple layouts to being with, but I'm really happy with the way this one turned out! It has inspired me to create layouts for myself about this special place.

I hope Lori likes it and gets the chance to travel to the Azores some day.

Out with the Old to make Room for the New!

Buzz & Bumble WOTG artwork.

I've been aware of the Spring 2013 Retiring List for a while. This is a list CTMH publishes to let Consultants know what products will no longer be available. But it wasn't until today that I examined it in detail.

Now, I know products are retired to make room for new and exciting things, and I really am looking forward to the unveiling of new products with the Fall/Winter 2013 Idea Book which comes out in August...BUT...I'm sad to see some of my favourite products go.

Claire WOTG artwork.

Of course, there are always paper packs that are not carried over to the next Idea Book. The papers not being carried over this time are Buzz and Bumble, Later Sk8r and Claire. Of course, the accessories that accompany them will not be carried over either.

Also, after July 31st, you will no longer be able to order Avonlea, Dakota, Clementine or Scholastic paper packs.

Later Sk8r WOTG artwork.

If you need brads, now is the time to stock up. It looks like CTMH won't be carrying them anymore--at least not the assortments they have now. The same goes for all the button assortments, Mini-Medley Accents and the Pewter and Wooden Badge Buttons.

If you enjoy making mini-albums and 3D items, you may want to stock up on  the My Creations Bookmark Album, Milk Carton, Canvas Journal and Paper Pouches.

Cardmakers will be saying goodbye to the 6" x 6" Kraft Die-Cut Cards and Envelopes and Kraft envelopes in all sizes.

Under tools and storage, the Accessories Organizer, Exclusive Inks Organizer Carrying Case, 2" scallop circle punch and corner rounder are also retiring.

By way of stamp sets, all E-size stamp sets (the big alphabets) and personalized stamps (single name stamps, address stamps and custom stamps) will no longer be available. There is also a long list of individual stamp sets that are retiring (such as School Rocks, Tea Time, Love Blooms, Christmas Love and many more). If you've had your eye on a stamp set, now may be the best time to get it. Remember, all stamp sets from the current Idea Book (with the exceptions noted above) will be available when the new Idea Book comes out. Also, any stamp sets that are marked as a Cricut Art Philosophy or Artiste set will continue to be available.

 So it's out with the old to make room for the new! There will be lots to look forward to with the next Idea Book and some exciting rumours are flying about what the new products are. Make sure to follow my blog so you don't miss the 10 day countdown to the new Idea Book in July. I'll be blogging about the new products at the top of my shopping list.

In the mean time, send me an email with your wish list items and I can let you know if they're being retired.

Remember, you can shop for all your favourite products on my website 24/7. You don't have to wait for a Gathering or invitation. Shop anytime!