Flashback Friday

1995 - Leslie, Kevin, David, and Jeff - 4 Brothers, 4 Eagle Scouts!

I think these are the first pages I have ever done of David from when he was younger. I completed these pages on Sunday - it was a fun project to do, and perfect timing as this year is the Boy Scout's Centennial year. This was in 1995 when he and 3 of his brothers all got their Eagle Scout award at the same time - an extremely rare feat, as it says in the newspaper article. I still need to see if I can get a new copy of the article as this is all my MIL gave me and it's missing the second page. The right page is a pocket page with a letter from our U.S. Senator congratulating them on their accomplishment. I used some fun 3-D Scout stickers that I purchased years ago from Hobby Lobby and they matched this Rowdy paper just perfectly.

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You can click on the picture to view it larger.

CTMH Products Used: Rowdy paper pack (retired), Building Blocks alphabet stamp set, Friendship Alpha - small (retired), Solo 4, Outdoor Denim ribbon, Natural Hemp, 3-D Foam Squares

Other Products Used: 3-D Eagle Scout stickers from Hobby Lobby
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Thanks for looking!

Cousins

Here is a quick layout I did earlier this week using Sketch #37 from 52 Sketches. This is an older picture, from more than 5 years ago - but it's always been a favorite of mine. I just love the look on Hunter's face as Kaylee is trying to give him a kiss ;-) When I first got my Treasures stamp set I went looking for this picture and any others that I took that day because I remember lots of dandelions/wishes from that day. Unfortunately, this is the only picture I still have, but it still worked with this stamp set!

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Click on the picture to view it larger.

CTMH Products Used: Tinkerin' paper pack, Twilight Textured CS, Green staples, Treasures stamp set, Save the Date stamp set, Holiday Red buttons, White Hemp, White Daisy pigment ink, Holiday Red ink, Twilight ink, Clover Meadow ink

Other Products Used: Zig Marker, White Thickers

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Thanks for looking!

Wordless Wednesday

Birthday Wallet

Here is the birthday card I made for my FIL last month - thanks to Dannie Graves for her tutorial with measurements and instructions found HERE. This was super fun and easy and I can't wait to make more now!

The girls created their artwork pieces on gift card sized pieces of CS so they fit right in the wallet.

And instead of cash, there were coupons for hugs and kisses and fun quotes and thoughts about grandpas.

Products Used (all CTMH): Desert Sand CS, Cocoa stamp pad, It's Your Day stamp set, Piercing Tool, Cocoa Marker, Pewter Brads, Corner Rounder.

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Thanks for looking!

October Word Puzzle

Here is this month's workshop - I used the *NEW* Grace paper pack along with the October Word Puzzle, September SOTM Treasures, Fabric Finishes stamp set, and the Everyday Celebration stamp set - available only in the National Stamping Month card kit. Click here to see more on this kit. My workshop is going to be on Friday, September 25th, but if you're not able to come, don't worry - you can still complete the projects! If you purchase the Grace Workshop Kit that I am featuring this month, it includes the products needed plus the cutting guides and instructions for both the layouts AND the cards so you can create them on your own - how cool is that!

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Click HERE for complete workshop details. The Grace Exclusive Workshop Kit that I am featuring this month is only $29.95 (retail value $33.85) and includes the Grace Level 2 paper pack, Beautiful Flourish stamp set, Rustic Edge Anchors, and a Workshop Guide. What a great deal! But there are also other pricing options for the workshop - ranging from $5 to $40.

Anyway, here are my creations - you can click on the pictures to view them larger.

12x12 Option - Those who select the Basic Option will only create one page - choose from the right or left page. Anyone who selects the Deluxe, Super Deluxe, Exclusive, or Exclusive Plus will also get the option to create both pages with paper left over!

Card Option - Those who select the Exclusive Workshop Options will get to make at least 6 cards - with lots of paper left over!

6x6 Option

Here are the layouts and cards exactly as they are created in the Workshop Guide - you can see that I changed mine a bit. I didn't get the Exclusive Workshop Kit this month, so I didn't use the Beautiful Flourish stamp set that comes in the kit on my samples. You can click HERE to request more information on this month's featured kit.

Thanks for looking!

Beauty...

...is in the eye of the beholder. I thought that title went perfect with this picture - I just love how excited Brailee gets every time she finds a 'wish' - and I let her spread her wishes all around my yard because I love to see her so full of joy ;-P

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I used the following PageMaps sketch for their Studio Calico sketch contest.

I love this picture, even though it's not the best - Brailee looks fine but the flower was hard to see because of the shadow and its soft/light look so I tried to enhance it with a Dimensional Element circle and a little vellum - I stamped the vellum to create another flower overlay - I don't think you can see it in this picture or not. So then I decided, to go with the sketch, and continue the vellum look, I stamped more flowers on vellum and adhered them up the side. That's where this layout loses it for me - now I look back and wonder if vellum is the way to go or if I should have used a transparency again like I did with THIS layout. What do you think? After I added the vellum I just kinda stopped with this layout as I'm just not thrilled with it - I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions!

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Click on the picture to view it larger.

CTMH Products Used: Twitterpated paper pack, Friendship Alphabet (embossed with Clear EP), Embossing Stylus, Sanding Block, Treasures stamp set, White Daisy stamp pad, Dimensional Elements On Target, Vellum, Crystal Blue and Sweet Leaf stamp pads
Other Products Used: Photo Corner punch (SU!), computer font (Missy)

Flashback Friday

This is Brianna (in the middle) with cousins Isaac and Meghan - woodcutting trip - Green Mountain - September 2004.

Wordless Wednesday

Lunchtime Conversation

Brailee and T were just full of topics on Friday - this is what was discussed while I fixed lunch that day...

B: We don't like insects.

M: We like some insects.

B: I don't like grasshoppers

T: Grasshoppers have yuckies on them.

B: I don't like them on my head. But I like ladybugs - they tickle me!

I love it!

Morning Conversation

I got a kick out of this conversation between Brailee and T this morning and just had to get it down before I forgot it. T (he's the boy I babysit during school) said something about his grandma and grandpa's farm - here is the conversation that followed...

B:Do you have animals on the farm?
T:Yep, we do.
B:Do you take water to the animals?
T:Yeah, we have pigs.
B:Oh, I like pigs.
T:We have sheep - they say "maaa!"
B:I like sheep. *pause* Mom, do you think I like sheep? I not 'fraid of them.
Then they continued to talk about farm animals and the different sounds they make - too cute ;-)

On the Move...part two

I posted this about Trysten on the move a few weeks ago - well I'm proud to announce he started crawling last week!

Here is a quick layout I did earlier this week. I took these pictures a couple weeks ago, before he started crawling, and then when he started crawling last week, I was inspired to do these pages. This is what I was saving my Everyday Celebration paper for - it just matches his jammies perfectly!


I used the Aspen WOTG guide for these pages - I just changed the widths of the strips to fit my pictures - I really LOVE how this layout turned out, especially the right page. You can click on the pictures to view them larger.
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Products Used (all CTMH):Everyday Celebration paper, Dutch Blue and Chocolate Distressing Inks, Chocolate Ribbon, Chocolate Brads (Bigger, Basic, and Bitty), Dutch Blue button (from the Summer Craft Buttons), Chocolate and Colonial White buttons (from the Basic Craft Buttons), Field Trip Alphabet, Little Boys stamp set (for the dinosaur), Chocolate, Dutch Blue, and Sweet Leaf stamp pads.
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Thanks for looking!

September SOTM Blog Hop!

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! We will be featuring September's SOTM, which is called Treasures, a fun set of 13 stamps.
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This month we have almost 70 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Don't forget the new CTMH Autumn/Winter Idea Book goes live today - you can view it online at this link. And don't forget to check out the Sneak Peek Hop to see the new products in action!


I have SO many pictures of my girls and Wishes (as they call them) so it just came down to picking which one to use! I have a few more pictures that I printed off to use with this stamp set, but this one of Brailee last May is the only one I have used so far - I have a feeling I will be playing with this stamp set a lot more in the future! For this layout I played around with some transparencies - first I embossed the "flower" with White Daisy EP, but it seemed to bold - KWIM? So then I stamped it in White Daisy pigment ink and it gave me more of the soft look that I was going for on the transparency. Then I cut it out and layered it over the corner of the picture. I also embossed the title on a transparency with White Daisy EP using the Boutique Alphabet. The stem was embossed using Olive EP. The loose "wishes" were stamped directly on the Garden Green CS using the pigment ink.
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CTMH Products Used: Promise of Spring paper (no longer available ), Garden Green CS, White Daisy grosgrain ribbon, *new* Wonder Heartfelt Die-Cuts (Olive bracket and circles), Amethyst Waxy Flax, White Daisy Pigment Ink, Smoky Plum stamp pad, Olive Marker, Piercing Tool.
Other Products Used: Stampin Up! Scalloped Border punch, transparencies, plastic canvas circle. I used the following PageMaps sketch for my inspiration.



Now "Hop" on over to Nona's Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the September SOTM is only available until September 30th! Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount or even free!
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If you get lost on the hop or find links that aren't working, click here for a complete list of participating blogs.
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Here is one more small/quick project that I created using this stamp set. This is a fun scalloped box made from envelopes - I got the idea from here. I used my Coluzzle envelope template and I can't wait to make more using all of the different sizes. I used Twitterpated paper and I also stamped the tissue paper - I will fill this with goodies for a friend.

Thanks for looking - enjoy the hop!

September SOTM Blog Hop List

Here is a list of blog hop participants for our SOTM Blog Hop in case you get lost along the way - have fun hopping!

Jena DeVries
Nona Davenport
Katy Donaldson
Cibele Glazer
Laura Dame
Lori Leng
Jamia Bankhead
Melissa Laverty
Pamela OConnor
Sheila Bennett
Adeline E. Brill
Wendy Kessler
Beth Naumann
Barbra Otten

Terrie Dodd
Judy Burger
Jessica Booth
Leisa Hubley
Helen Onulak
Debra Van Patten
Juli Clark
Sarita Schraeder
Michelle Robinson
Maricar Harris
Antoinette Herrin
Kathleen Androlewicz
Cindy Leek
Dawn Heuft
Barbara Harris
Alanna Moses
Laurie Levnik
Tanya David
Karen Norman
Jan Moxey
Tammy Lea Pinchard
Paige Dolecki
Kelly Triggs
Sherry Thompson
Deb Young
Nancy Ball
Chris Shouse
Dawn Ross
Brae Montgomery
Laurie R Newton
Haley Dyer
Carol Taggio
Amy McVey
Carla Ironside
Jen Rubio
Kristie Horness-Herdener
Jill Lucas
Wanda Riley
Miranda Kurz
Jody Gustafson
Susan Brooks
Kami Welter
Jennifer Patrick
Julia Menssen
Shannon Pelletier
Linda Shewchuk
Brenda Harmless
Donni Alvarenga
Nancy Brown

Traci Godbee
Pam Klassen
Lori Miller
Kimberly Smith
Caren Goldsein

Misty Jackson

CTMH Blog Hop!

Welcome to our Close to my Heart New Product Sneak Peak Blog Hop! We have about 30 Close To My Heart Consultants celebrating the upcoming release of the Autumn/Winter 2009 Idea Book by giving you a Sneak Peak of some of the great products available in the new Idea Book starting September 1st! If you don't have your own copy of the newest Idea Book, on the 1st you will be able to view the online catalog at THIS LINK.

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If you have come here from Lisa's blog, you are on the right path! Don't forget to come back on September 1st to check out our SOTM Blog Hop to see even more fabulous creations! This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one - here we go!

I just love the new Jingle papers, but I think they can be used for more than just Christmas themed projects and here is an example - I used the fun striped paper from the Jingle Creative Basics pack, along with some of the dot paper from the Jingle Level 2 pack to create this fun birthday card for my friend Nicole. The Juniper Grosgrain Ribbon also came from the Creative Basics pack and I finished that off with a White Daisy Photo Hanger. The pattern used is Sunrise from the Wishes How-To Book.
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I hand-stitched this Tulip Felt Butterfly (from the Whimsy Heartfelt Die-Cuts) with White Embroidery Floss - for the antenna I took a Juniper paper clip from the Spring Blossom Mini Medleys, pulled it apart slightly, cut (with wire cutters) and attached using Liquid Glass. While the Whimsy felt that I used here is not new, you can check out the *new* Wonder Heartfelt Die-Cuts in the new Autumn/Winter Idea Book - lots of fun new shapes!

Now "Hop" on over to Jen's Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and see the great new Paper Packs, My Acrylix Stamp Sets, and other fun new products! Remember, the Autumn/Winter 2009 Idea Book goes LIVE on September 1st!

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Link not working? Missed a Blog? Lost on the hop? Just click here to view a list of all the participants in the New Product Sneak Peak Blog Hop.

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Want to see what else I've been playing with from the new Idea Book? Just click the following links to see!

Twitterpated and Celebrate the Everyday

Twitterpated & *new* Basic Buttons

More Twitterpated!

Can you tell which is one of my favorite new paper packets!

Blog Hop List

Here is the list of blog hop participants for our New Product Blog Hop in case you get lost along the way - have fun hopping!

Erin Herring
Terrie Dodd
Jessica
Leisa Hubley
Karen Norman
Sherry Thompson
Adeline Brill
Miranda
Brae Montgomery
Wendy Kessler
Dawn Heuft
Carla Ironside
Dawn Ross
Julie Banzon
Jody Gustafson
Helen Onulak
Sheila Bennett
Haley Dyer
Lisa Stenz
Jena DeVries
Jen Patrick
Amy Schultz
Lori Scott
Tresa Black
Jennifer Kraynak
Sharesa Larsen
Amy Edwards
Jean McNulty
Emma Hubert
Antoinette Herrin

Celebrate the Everyday

I had a chance last week to put together my 'Celebrate the Everyday' card kit - it's Close To My Heart's special for National Stamping Month, and let me tell you, it is my FAVORITE card kit that they have released yet! In the past couple of years, the card kits that they have had for NSM have come with the pre-cut pieces and I am ashamed to say that I have still not put those together ;-P But this kit came with full sheets of paper, which I LOVE! I especially love this paper and already have the pictures to go with it, so I saved one of each pattern and I'm going to create a page, so I'm not limited to just the cards!

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With the kit you can create 16 cards - 2 each of 8 designs. In order to save some of this patterned paper for my page, I only cut enough pieces for one of each design. So I used the *NEW* Twitterpated paper to create my other 8 cards. I love that I'll be able to use this cutting guide over and over with any paper and any stamps that I want! The card bases come pre-cut and since I love the design so much, I traced it on the label insert (KWIM?) that came in the bag. These cards came in handy last week as I had 2 nephew birthdays and the 3 gals in my ward at church who all share my birthday, plus a couple of thank you cards I needed to send.

Anyway, enough jabber - here are the cards! Sorry I did get very good pictures of them - I was in a hurry before I mailed half of them off! This is a great kit and you can buy it for $39.95 OR you can get it for free if you purchase just $60 in stamp sets! Click here to see complete kit details and to find out how else you can get this kit for free!

Thanks for looking!

Back to school...

...where did this summer go - it just flew by! The girls started school yesterday and they were SO excited - they love their teachers and are glad to be back with friends. Yesterday as Kaylee left, she said, "I'm going to make a new friend today" and she did! Brianna has two of her cousins in her class and Kaylee has one of her cousins in her class, so that should be fun! The girls couldn't wait to go back today, they woke up at least 1/2 an hour before their alarm clocks and were ready to head to school by 7:30. Brailee and Trysten were both awake, and since we had extra time before T got here, we all took a little bike ride this morning as the girls headed to school. It worked to clear my head and relieve some of the stress I've been under the last couple days, and it turned Brailee's morning around as she had already had a rough morning. So we all came back refreshed and ready for the day. Anyway, here are some pictures from yesterday...

Brailee has wanted to be like her sisters since they started school - so when they got out their lunchboxes, we had to go downstairs and find a small cooler bag that she can pack in the mornings along with her sisters. I have also started doing 'pre-school' for her and T. Yesterday we started our alphabet coloring pages and today we talked about colors. This is all stuff that Brailee already knows, but she is loving it and she enjoyed telling her daddy what she learned that day at school, along with her sisters.

August MMB Give-Away

Another MMB give-away for this month - check it out here!

Same papers - totally different look!

So, do you remember this page that I posted yesterday for my Word Puzzle Workshop?

Well, I haven't had a chance to add pictures to the originals yet, but I did do something a little different. I took the exact same papers and used the BACK side of them to create this totally different look - I just used Cocoa instead of Chocolate since it matched his jammies better ;-) Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this feature of CTMH paper! It just gives you so many more possibilities. I did a little different stamping - in addition to the September Word Puzzle that I used on the original, I used Picture Perfect, Baby Steps, Save the Date, and You're a Hoot. On the *new* Basic Buttons I added a bit of Moonstruck Waxy Flax to coordinate with Trysten's jammies in these pictures. I love these pictures of Trysten when he first started smiling - and he hasn't stopped smiling!

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I was going to add some ribbon along the left side like there is in the original, but I forgot to find some that would go with the new layout. Now that I look at it, I don't really think it needs it. What do you think - any suggestions?

Remember - you can click on the picture to view it larger. Thanks for looking!

September Word Puzzle

Here is this month's workshop - I used the *NEW* Twitterpated paper pack along with the September Word Puzzle, August SOTM It's Your Day, and EXCLUSIVE Hello There stamp set - available only in the Workshop Kit. I have included a picture below of the Workshop Kit - they are such a great deal!

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You can click on the pictures to view them larger.

12x12 Option - Those who select the Basic Option will only create the right page, but anyone who selects the Deluxe, Super Deluxe, or Exclusive will also get the option to create the left page.

6x6 Option

Card Option - Those who select the Exclusive Workshop Options will get to make at least 6 of these cards - with lots of paper left over!

Workshop Kit:

These kits are amazing - this kit includes a B-size stamp set that is not available for purchase separately! In the Twitterpated Kit that I am featuring this month, you’ll get the following:

***Twitterpated Level 2 Paper Pack

***Exclusive B-size Stamp Set - Hello There

***Chocolate Designer Ribbon Rounds

***Full-color brochure with a new scrapbook layout pattern designed by CTMH’s founder & CEO Jeanette Lynton. This brochure is amazing! It contains the cutting diagrams and instructions for creating the featured layout plus cutting diagrams and instructions for creating cards as well. Even after you've created the layouts and/or cards, there are still more papers left over to do more!

The kit's retail value is $35.85 but you pay only $29.95 (plus tax and shipping) - but if you sign up for my Word Puzzle Workshop and choose the Exclusive Option to get this kit, I'll pay your tax and shipping!

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There are 3 other kits available and I will be featuring them in the next three months, but you are allowed to purchase them at any time. Please contact me if you would like info on the rest of the kits.