Love is in the Details

Lately, I've been moving away from simple, sleek pages towards pages with a lot more detail. I won't lie: they take A LOT longer to make, but for those extra-special pages--the ones where you want to commemorate something of deep significance--it's well worth the effort.

The layout above celebrates my son's First Communion, a spiritual milestone and something I hope he remembers all his life.

When I looked at my stash for just the right papers, I was a little vexed. Lately, CTMH has been offering a beautiful array of shabby chic and quirky papers--not quite right for these photos. The solution? Cardstock! It's easy to alter the tone of patterned papers with cardstock.

I decided on a monochromatic blue colour scheme (because of the dark blue vest and lighter blue shirt, of course) and used CTMH cardstock and ink colours Outdoor Denim, Indian Corn Blue and Lagoon. The pops of colour come from Ruby ink and Skylark Yellow (from the Skylark Paper Packet). There are only two patterned papers on this layout: Skylark (the one with the bird) and Wanderful (blue dots). This is a great example of how well CTMH papers from different paper packets co-ordinate.

Once the page was assembled, I opened the flood gates on my embellishment stash. Even though this is a "boy page", I turned to shiny gems to bring sparkle to the page. (Yes, "This Little Light of Mine" was stuck in my head as I made this page.) From the current Annual Inspirations Idea Book, I used Bling Gems Gold Assortment, Sparkles Clear Assortment and Bitty Sparkles. All the other gems are no longer available, but if you've got them in your stash, use them!!

To add a bit of a masculine touch, I stamped some of the banners in  the Houndstooth pattern from the Distress Backgrounds stamp set. I also used pewter badge buttons and embellishments--metals go a long way to relieving the softness of the patterned papers.

I added in a die cut title and some bling flourishes to finish off the page. I'm really happy how this page turned out. The little details, like the letter for his name, the die cuts and twine give the page a lot of texture and interest. This is one of my all-time favourite pages!

Free To Be Me

This month, CTMH celebrates National Scrapbooking Month with a brand-new paper packet! Free To Be Me is a beautiful collection of 6 sheets of 12" x 12" double-sided patterned papers, 6 sheets of cardstock with a glossy resist pattern on one side and 2 sheets of patterned vellum. It's gorgeous!

Best of all, Free To Be Me is only $5 with qualifying purchase!

Check out this layout I made with Free To Be Me patterned papers and cardstock as well as the stamp sets from Ivy Lane Workshop on the Go Kit and Designed Decor Frame Kit.

This layout was inspired by one I saw on Pinterest by Sherri Funk for My Mind's Eye.I loved the circles and the white space really lets the papers pop!

With a little help from my Cricut and a couple of fun stamps, this page came together quickly and easily.

A fun stamping technique used on this page is over-stamping. To create the canvas texture on the stamped ribbons, first I stamped the ribbons (or pennants or banners--whatever you like to call them) from the Ivy Lane WOTG stamp set in Whisper Ink. I stamped all three close together on a single scrap of Colonial White Cardstock. Then I stamped directly over all three ribbons with Slate Ink using the canvass stamp from the Distressed Backgrounds stamp set. From there, I just trimmed out the ribbons and added them to the page. Over-stamping is a quick and easy way to add a little extra interest to solid stamped images.

I also used the same canvas stamp to create the large photo mat. I simply cut a piece of Colonial White cardstock to size and stamped around the edges of the cardstock in Whisper Ink. The little bit of distressed texture it adds to the page is a great contrast to the sleek design.

Love this layout? I'll be offering it as a free make-and-take at the upcoming Saturday Scrappers, or if you would like to host your own Gathering, I can show you and your guests how to make this layout. Contact me today to book your Gathering before May 31st!

Be Inspired!

I love flipping through the Idea Book because it is full of beautiful pictures with ideas to take inspiration from. (Because it's an Idea Book, right!)

CTMH artwork pg. 126 of
Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book

The layout on page 126 is one of my favourites and I'd been day-dreaming for a while as to what I could do along similar lines. There's lots to take inspiration from! The bright colours against a black background. The stitching. The shapes. The different uses of washi tape. The trims and dots. It's a simple page, but so crafty!

This page uses what I see as the best-kept secret in the Idea Book: the Paper Fundamentals Basics Assortments. This collection of 20 double-sided 12" x 12" sheets (2 each of 10 designs) have the same design on both sides, but one side has a glossy, resist pattern. It's great to use in smaller pieces as patterned paper, or a whole sheet as a background piece. The patterns are great too! Chevrons, hearts, houndstooth, stripes, quatrefoil--they're all right on trend.

The page I made uses the same black chevron background and bright colours (from the Dotty For You paper packet). I also stitched circles using the very handy Stitch Guide and brightly coloured embroidery floss. The banners are Dimensional Elements Banners dressed up with Lagoon Houndstooth and Gold Polka-Dot Washi Tape. Some Teal and Silver Shimmer Trim add sparkle to the page along with Durables Triangle Studs. The title picks up the bright colours. I used Lagoon and Hollyhock inks, stamping the title with Marquee Uppercase as well as a smaller alphabet.

I'm so pleased with the results! The colour contrasts really make the page pop!

Have you been inspired by something you saw in an Idea Book? Share it! Just head over to my Facebook page and post it on the time line. Remember to mention which Idea Book the inspiration came from and what you liked about it.

Celebrate the New Year!

A new year means looking ahead and setting goals for future accomplishments. But it's also a good thing to be like Janus--the god who lends his name to January--and take a look back at the past year and take a moment to recognise and celebrate what you have accomplished.

Did you set goals and meet them? Did you make  2013 the best it could be?

Take some time today to look through your scrapbooks and remember what you've been up to the past few years. Celebrate those moments with family and friends you've so lovingly documented.

Birthdays are a celebration that always make their way into my scrapbooks. And I'm celebrating the creation of this page, because in it, I see the influence of my scrapping goal last year: to think outside the box and stretch my skills and supplies.

How did I do it on this page? Here are four ways:

1. Use more stamps: Though I did use four different stamp sets on this page, what I mean by "use more stamps" is to get the most out of each stamp set. To look at what can be done with the stamps beyond just the obvious. In this layout, I took the small "Let's Celebrate" stamp from the May 2013 Stamp of the Month set and stamped it several times to create a large title.

Dimensional Elements Heart stamped
with Washi Wonder

2. Mix and match: It's really easy for me to fall into the habit of using the coordinated papers and embellishments by themselves--Close To My Heart takes all the fuss out! But by adding a little more fuss in, such as by using the Gold Polka Dot Washi Tape from the upcoming Idea Book and dressing up Dimensional Elements Hearts with stamping, the visual interest skyrockets!

3. Use non-themed or off-themed papers: For this layout, I wanted to use the vibrant colours of the Sarita papers even though this is essentially a masculine page. The bright colours are temped by the Dark Denim which acts as a neutral on the page. By broadening beyond traditionally themed papers, my scrapbooks take on a unique, eclectic edge.

Dress up embellishments with
a little bling!

4. Bling it up: More and more in the past year I have embraced my inner sparkle and have been using shiny things on my pages. This is a big leap for me, but after much trial and error, I think I'm striking a balance between beautifying my pages and bedazzling them. And certainly for celebration pages, a little sparkle is just the thing!

My scrapping goal this year is to complete my 2011 yearly album. (I know...I'm so far behind!). Whatever your goals are, I wish you the best in achieving them! And remember, CTMH has lots of amazing scrapping products to help you reach your scrapping goals. Let me show you how!

Sweet and Simple

If you're like me, in the autumn you like decorating with pumpkins, cornstalks, chrysanthemums and sunflowers. Take your usual seasonal displays up a notch with simple embellishments from your stash.

Dress up pumpkins with some Burlap Ribbon. Add a stamped tag with Baker's Twine. This pumpkin looks adorable sitting on a mantle or as part of a table centrepiece.

Create a spooky pumpkin with Moonlight Felt Shapes and Bitty Sparkles. A little bit of Black Tulle Ribbon and pins from the Bling Assortment finish off this pumpkin. For a little more ambiance, display with a chipboard sentiment.

Most of these items are no longer available, but if they're not in your stash, stock up on some current items to create the same look. Try Opaque Licorice Gems, Black Shimmer Trim, Black Striped Grossgrain Ribbon, Mini-Medley Accents Black Collection, or Base & Bling elements like Base & Bling Floral Accents and Base & Bling Black Jewels.

These mini pumpkin projects only take minutes to make and add a lot of impact to your display!

If you have a little more time, get out your My Creations Mini-Banner (you know, the one you received for free a few months ago and haven't gotten around to using yet), the new Huntington Workshops on the Go kit and some more of your favourite stamps and embellishments to create a Give Thanks banner.

To create this banner, I began by inking the entire surface of the mini-banners with Cashmere ink then stamping with the chicken wire stamp from the Distressed Backgrounds Stamp set in Cocoa ink. Next, I added a scalloped circle punched from Huntington papers to each banner. I dressed up each circle with assorted stamps, rub ons and corrugated shapes from my stash. The sentiment, Give Thanks, was stamped in Goldrush, Autumn Terracotta and Cocoa inks with the Token Alphabet stamp set. To make the letters look like epoxy buttons, I covered each with a thick layer of Liquid Glass. I tied the banners together with White Hemp Twine and Burlap Ribbon.

This easy project only took a couple of hours to make and I'll have this beautiful banner on display for Thanksgiving for many years to come.

Visit my website for more ideas on Home Decor and project items you can create easily and quickly. The Project Inspiration area has videos to inspire you to create special, personal projects for yourself.