I have been in a crafty mood and getting things done. 

Thought I would share two new projects made with some great products from Close To My Heart.

This finished product makes me so happy. It is like Close To My Heart made the "Avonlea" paper pack  just for this retro family photo that I love! Don't you love it when things work out like that? Besides the paper I also used a My Creations Star as the base, Avonlea compliments canvas shapes, chocolate waxy flax, green & blue buttons, & Foundry binder clips.  All can be found @ my online store craftymrst.ctmh.com

Project number two is something I have been itching to do. So when my daughter's eighth grade photos arrived I was so excited:) Close To My Heart's display tray is such a good quality. I have used trays from other companies and I find the size depth to this well built tray superior.  The best thing about this project was that I made it with the scraps and stamps from the Scholastic Workshop On The Go and other extras that matched this paper line!  Again you can find everything at craftymrst.ctmh.com and if you have any questions or comments feel free to share.  

Happy Crafting!

Organizing Your Supplies

If you are like me, you are always looking for a better way to organizer your supplies. More specifically , organizing while attending a crop! Close To My Heart came out with a wonderful organizer that fits the bill. Watch this video to get a better look at the items.



If you have a question send me a message. Or head over to my store and get these awesome organizers now!

Bonus This Month Only! If you order either Cricut set from me I will give you a paper pack of your choice for free!

If you don't have a Gathering you are attending please purchase at my online store by joining the "Cricut Special Party" at the bottom of the home page. Within a few days of your order I will email you to find out which paper pack you would like from the current Idea Book.  (This special is available only through myself and not a Close To My Heart company special.)

Check out the new Idea Book @ my online store. Happy to answer any question you might have.

New Cricut Artiste Cartridge Set 

Available only through Close To My Heart

In the new Fall/Winter 2012 Idea Book you will find this amazing $99. It includes versatile cartridge for any craft need you can have: card, decorations, scrapbooking, gift giving, & so much more. Along with 3 coordinating stamp sets and 3 coordinating chipboard sheet. These are great on there own but combined with the cartridge lift your ordinary items to extraordinary! If you follow this link you will be able to go through the complete cricut handbook showing you all the cuts with this cartridge.cricut artiste handbook

You can purchase on my site starting August 1st or have a Gathering and earn it for half price!

New Workshops to go, can't wait!

I'll be planning craft nights soon for these cute projects!

Summer Crop & 10 Page Footloose Kit

 August 4th, 2012 10am-10pm
Workshop & Crop 
Location - My Place Bradley, IL

        As with any all day crop I have your lunch, drinks, & dinner is provided. But this time you have a choice of including this amazing 10 page kit to your all day crop. The kit costs $45 and you don't have any extra cost for the crop day, if you are interested only in the crop (without the kit)there is a $25 fee for the day.

Materials and Instruction Included 

You’ll receive three paper packs and 5 full packages of embellishments, plus a full-color cutting and instruction guide to create 10 pages for your 12”x12” scrapbook. 
Featuring the Footloose paper pack, the color scheme is suitable for baby or summertime photos. Create a perfect baby shower gift for boys or girls, or scrapbook your favorite summertime memories. When you pay for the kit I will email you a PDF of your step step color guide. You will also want to print this out to bring to the workshop.

        In the morning I will start a walk through with everyone doing the kit so you can get your cutting and embellishments going on the right track. I will be able to help out as you go along, however you can opt to work on whatever you like and take home the kit, the directions you are emailed are very thorough and easy to follow. 

Please sign up and pay by July21st so I can have all kits made and ready for you. 

Before and after this date you can purchase the 10 page kit for $45 without attending the crop day.

Please email with any questions JnRenee@comcast.net. You will get a confirmation from me within 3 days of purchase. Please allow 2 weeks for kits that will be shipped and not picked up @ workshop.

Stella Workshop Update

     Here is a sneak peek of one of the layouts I finished for the Stella Workshop I am having June 21st. (Follow the blog page down for full information.)
If you attend you will get a chance to see the 10 page layout workshop I am having in August. Perfect for a summer scrapbook or even a baby book.

Second Grade Projects

So much has been going on in the last few weeks of the school year! My girls have been putting me to the test lately with all the projects. You know that is just an excuse to leave the laundry until later:)
     I have three things to add today, first is a project I did for Lily's teacher. Mrs. Porter taught both of my girls second grade and we just love her so much. Honestly I don't think they come any better than her. She inspires the children everyday and with that much wonderful energy I couldn't help but be inspired also. Each year she takes her children on a virtual walk to a city along the eastern coast, alternating between four different destinations. The kids keep track of real miles walked throughout the year and add them together to reach their goal.
    I ran across this idea on Martha Stewart that stitched a line on a map and thought I could make this work on a bigger scale for a gift to Mrs. Porter. This was such a pleasure to make and give to such a wonderful person, we have been truly lucky enough to have her teach our children and call her a friend.

I added a banner with the teachers name along the top of the map to make it hers. 

Personalized message printed on vellum

Home sweet home and each destination is marked with a gem and the four routes are stitched in different colors.

 Since I am talking about second grade I will add today's event. Lily and her class did research and presentation boards on American historical characters. Lily picked Abigail Adams and I enjoyed helping her research such a fine American woman. Along with this project they each needed to dress in character and pose as if they where statues in a wax museum. (Remember when I said what a great teacher she has? Such great ideas!) Here was the test for me and might I say "Thank goodness for historical pattern.". Now that Lily has this costume I think I'll be insisting on a historical halloween. 

Stella Workshop

Stella Workshop CTMH- Thursday June 21st 6-8pm

(signup & pay by June 7th)

         In two hours you you will have created two - two page layouts. 

second layout

If you choose to add the bonus items you can also get started on get started on your card set.

Bonus Project

Your level of experience does not effect your ability to produce these great pages! Whether you have been scrap booking for years or interested in starting completely new this will be a great night.

          This lovely workshop can be used for many themes with its gender neutral color palate.  I will have the items on display that I completed for you to get an up close view and  will help walk you through the steps to completing these pages.  

        You will have access to the token alphabet used in the layouts at the workshop. Refreshment will be served. 

In your kit you will receive: 

                                 1- Stella paper pack (x7q47b)

                                 1- My Acrylix Stella workshop stamp set (c-size)

                                 2- Colonial White Cardstock sheets

                                 1- Bohemian Assortment (z1687)

                                 1-Dimensional Elements Hearts (z1735)

                                 1- Instructional Brochure

a $34.08 value / you pay $29.95 (plus tax & shipping)

Bonus Project Items are($9.90 extra):

                                 1- Clear Sparkles (z1104)

                                 1- Colonial White Die Cut Cards (z1738)   

When attending the workshop you need to bring a kit of your basic tools:

    Paper Trimmer

    scissors

    adhesive

    3-d Foam tape (pop-dots)

              If you have your own inks or ink chalks for edging paper and stamp blocks please bring them. I do have a some of these that can be borrowed but if you bring what you have the class goes smoother. 

        

Take a look at my Close to My Heart website to get a good look at the Idea Book to see all items mentioned above. 

Contact me with your questions 

  To celebrate National Scrapbooking Month I am jumping into the fun as a Close to My Heart Independent Consultant. The company is also offering a limited time paper pack "Dotty for you", I can't wait to create with this. It has one of my all time favorite paper designs; Clouds. Check out this information and place an order online or book a Gathering to receive this paper pack at a discount or free!

I have been dying to post pictures of my daughters birthday cake and sleepover party! Pinterest has been such an inspiration for me over the past year. I adore finding ideas and making them my own. On her actual birthday I made a kit kat cake found on pinterest easy-cake-for-aspiring-cake-decorators. Here is my version with a banner and rainbow cake inside.

        The idea was adorable and easy to pull off which made it a perfect cake. You can use any cake mix you like (even from scratch) as long as you get 2 8in round cakes from the mix & any frosting. Just prepare like any other cake. Make sure you have enough kit kats, 9 to 10 seem to work. I have seen this cake with spaces between the candy bars and it isn't as impressive. The frosting will hold the candy for only a short time to the ribbon was necessary.  Then you add a thin layer of M & M's and you're done.

        I cut the banner and letters on my Cricut and attached them to baker's twine then tied those to large bamboo skewers. I saved them to make a scrapbook page(to follow). 

Now the party! A week later she invited a few classmates to a sleepover and I had a ball getting it together. More Pinterest ideas made to fit our plans. 

This Pin for the table was sadly just a picture, no link.sleepover tables But it was enough to inspire this. 

I used my daughters bedding to "make" the table.  You'll see I covered cans with matching scrapbook paper to hold utensils, napkins, & straws (I added paper flowers to the straws)found here:party cans. 

All so cute and so cheap!

Later that night we even made tutus from this Pin: tutus

Here they are dancing after they were done.

My group of girls were 8 so I thought they'd be perfect for this. Well they loved the outcome but they hated sitting still for the process. In fact I could have made them ahead of time and just let them dance all night and they would have loved it. Here they are with some DJ lights set up later.

So overall I have to thank Pinterest for giving this creative person extra inspiration when my I am running low. This party was a smash! I just need to get working on the Thank You mini books, always have a project going in this house:)

Spring banner

So antsy to hang my SPRING banner! The back is decorated for SUMMER and after summer was over I was so busy doing other things I never made AUTUMN of WINTER so my mantle has been bare.

This is the 1st page inside the album. Mismatched paper states with the stops marked by brads & destination markers @ each place we stayed.

This page included some hand sewn accents and a great muted palette of colors. 

The background for this layout was a Cricut accent cut @ full page size . The dashed line around the boarder adds some movement to the map inspired paper.

This page has a title added to the photo using my publishing program.  Mixing this  process with layers of embellishment gives you and endless amount of fonts and colors.

Glimmer mist can take a plain white paper (used on Bingo card) and coordinate it with any layout. 

With one great picture you don't want to lose it with the wrong colored paper.  These worn and muted papers complement the colors in the photo and let the eye take in the background and the people in the foreground. Anchoring the photo with the vertical & horizontal lace lines and adding soft tone accents i the corner also help establish the focus without overpowering it.

I added this photo awhile ago but this was a very detailed page that was fun to make. I sewed a few layers, punched a few more and was really happy with the outcome. 

DETAILS!!! This page used layers of paper. I made the title with my Cricut along with the kites. Along with brads, chipboard, flowers, & other embellishments I connected the photo of my daughter flying a kite to a Cricut kite using bakers twine.  

I've been working on a great vacation album on and off for months and the end is near. Just need to make a couple more pages for the return home & I'll be done! I have been fitting in a page here and there, when ever I get a moment between other projects(& Life). I am going to share a few pages,  some I even submitted to a scrapbook magazines.