Sympathy Card

And once again, someone else's sad occasion has given me the chance to be creative.

Here is a sympathy card I created for a coworker whose MIL passed away:

Mojo Monday #95

Another fantastic Mojo Monday sketch! This one must have inspired me because I finished it in half the time I normally do.

Here is the sketch:



And here is my creation:



This card features a the CTMH My Acrylix Stamp Set called Be Yourself. It was the Stamp of the Month in May, and I miss it terribly! I hope it shows up in the Autumn/Winter Idea Book. Other supplies used were (all CTMH):
Cardstock: Desert Sand card base and accent mats, White Daisy, Tulip, Clover Meadow
Exclusive Ink Pads: Desert Sand, Tulip, Clover Meadow
Patterned paper: from Creative Basics, Animal House collection
White Daisy Grosgrain Ribbon

Photo Editing: Frame-Ups & Special Effects Day 1

At work, I have been super busy with proofing and editing all the copy for the magazine. I was hoping to use my lunch hours to do the Photo Editing: Frame-Ups & Special Effects class from jessicasprague.com. Luckily I had some time this morning to do Project 1: Frame Up and Word-i-fy. Here is what I created:



So much fun! This photo was taken last weekend in Dubuque right next to the Mississippi River. See the bridge in the background? I didn't want to cover the bridge with the word art, so I put the word art in the top left corner instead of the bottom left like Jessica did. I like it this way. Plus I love that this lesson included a word so appropriate for my daughter.

Now I'm off to try Day 2!

Mojo Monday #94

I wish I could live a cheerful life with only four hours of sleep per night. I would have three hours more to take an online class in photo editing, or do some laundry.

So, here I am, taking a break from editing magazine articles to create a card. I know it's Thursday. Um, please don't judge me. At least I do have some mojo. Anyway, first I present the Week 94:



And, the card I created that is based on the sketch:



Supplies used (all CTMH):
Cardstock: Colonial White, Juniper, Sorbet, Black
Exclusive Inks: Creme Brulee, Juniper, Sorbet, Tulip, Black
Patterned Paper: Key to my Heart (former Constant Campaign)
My Acrylix Stamp Set: You've Got Flair (July 09 Stamp of the Month)
Embellies: Juniper coin accent, Juniper metal corner accent

Feel Better Soon

The emergency appendectomy of a coworker definitely is not a happy occasion. However, it does provide me the opportunity to make a card. So that's how I spent my lunch hour.



Supplies (All CTMH, except as noted):
Textured Carstock: Desert Sand (embossed with the Cuttlebug and the Swirls folder)
Cardstock: Olive, Smokey Plum, Colonial White
Patterned Paper: My Reflections Level 2 Paper Packet in Bella
Ribbon: Hollyhock Twill
Edge Anchors and Brads: Colonial White
Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads: Smokey Plum, Olive, Creme Brulee
3-D Foam Tape
Other: Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper (1/2" setting)

Lovely Blog Award

Thanks to Cheryl for bestowing upon me my first blog award!



The rules for this one are: 1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. 2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.Here are my picks for this award (in no particular order):

Jami
Erin
Kimberly
Sharon
Clerissa
Sheila
Kandi

Here are the first seven. I will nominate eight more very soon!

These blogs are fellow CTMH sisters who create marvelous things and show me what can be done with our products. If you need some inspiration, these gals will provide it. Thanks, ladies!

Mojo Monday, Week 91

I hadn't played along with a Mojo Monday sketch challenge in a while, so I decided to jump back in that pool. Turns out the water was warm and welcoming. Here is the sketch:



And here is my creation:





Supplies (All CTMH):
Colors: Smokey Plum, Creme Brulee, Hollyhock, Olive
Patterned Paper: Bella B&T Duos from Level 2 My Reflections Paper Packet
Ribbon: Hollyhock Twill
My Acrylix Stamp Set: TLC
Rhinestone Frames (Exclusively for Connections Club members)
Pewter Brads and Mini Brads
Cardstock
Exclusive Inks

Changes

Captain Obvious is here to tell you that changes are happening.

Here is a flower from outside my dwelling three weeks ago:



And here is a flower from outside my dwelling a couple hours ago:



Yes, we moved from New Mexico to Iowa (note new blog title). I accepted a full-time job at my alma mater doing what I love. The daughter is making friends, which is definitely good. The husband is still back in New Mexico preparing the house to be sold. So, now things have settled down, which means I have time to make pretty things and blog.

Most recently I have been using Wishes for inspiration. In this excellent how-to book, there is a section called Celebration Card Workshop which gives instructions on how to make 12 cards , two each of six designs. So, that became my weekend project.

I displayed the cards on my new Umbra Fotofalls. I have wanted one since I saw one at Christmas, and I finally stumbled across one at Archivers at the Mall of America (only 3 hours away!).
B&T Duos
Supplies (All CTMH)
Colors: White Daisy, Tulip, Sunflower, Clover Meadow, Dutch Blue and Desert Sand
Patterned Paper: Animal Crackers Creative Basics
Cardstock
Exclusive Inks
Designer Ribbon Rounds
Liquid Glass
3-D Foam Tape
My Acrylix Stamp Sets: Treetops (C1368), Thank You (D1361)

And the blog candy winner is...

Mama Erin! Congratulations on winning the blog candy, Erin!

I know you already have the With Love set, so I will let you select a different set. Email me at rhwcrafts at yahoo dot com and we will discuss it. Thanks, Erin!

Mojo Monday, 365 Cards

I'm not usually a fan of combining two challenges into one project, but I couldn't resist doing it this time. The Mojo Monday Sketch looks so fun, and the 365 Cards Wacky Wednesday challenge looks fun too. That challenge is to use Orange, Green, and Purple -- three of my favorite colors!!!

Here is the Mojo Monday sketch #81



And here is what I created:




And a slideshow:

All Supplies CTMH:
Colors: Goldrush, Petal, and Garden Green
My Acrylix Stamps: Dream Team
Patterned Paper from Boom-Di-Ada covering a star, circle, and dot Dimensional Element
Embellishments: Garden green grosgrain ribbon, corduroy brad, mini safety pins, arrow photo clip; Petal brads; Sparkles

Thanks for looking, and have a great day!

Truly Scrumptious #4

While checking out different crafty blogs, I came upon a new and exciting sketch challenge site, Truly Scrumptious. So, I checked out the week 4 sketch:



and knew immediately what I wanted to create. Earlier yesterday I saw Laurel Seabrook's card on the CTMH bulletin board and was inspired to make something similar in Ocean and Orange. I love the way these colors look together, and I knew I could use my new orange Prima embossed flowers I got from my secret sister, since the Truly Scrumptious theme was "flower power". Here is what I created:

Supplies (CTMH unless noted)-
Cardstock: Ocean and White Daisy
Exclusive Inks: Orange and Black
Stamps: a new set I'll show you more of over the next few weeks
Glitter: Prisma Glitter
Flowers: Prima
Ribbon: from stash

Follow me; win BLOG CANDY!

For the last year I have been stashing away potential blog candy in a drawer in my craft space. I stashed a much-coveted CTMH stamp of the month from last summer as well as some cute things and duplicates I received as gifts. My intention was to award the stash o' blog candy when my counter hit 5,000. That it did not too long ago!

Also, I need more followers! At this moment, Naomi is my lone follower. So, click the "follow" button on the right column of this page. Everyone who does so in the next week (by the end of the day on Friday, April 10, 2009) will be entered to win this stash o' blog candy worth more than $50:

In addition, if you post a link to this on your blog, you will be entered 2 more times, tripling your chance of winning! Just leave a comment here with a link to your post that has a link back my post (confusing, eh?).

Thanks in advance for entering!

Recent Swaps

I have been busy working on swaps, and I'm having a blast! The most recent cards I finished are for an internal CTMH swap among us consultants. This particular swap is a business builder swap that will allow us to show off our Solos My Acrylix Stamps sets, 36 matching sets which each contain one letter or single digit. I hadn't planned on joining this swap, but the hostess asked me to fill in for a couple consultants who dropped out.

The first card I created features the letter "Q". I was inspired by a card I received in a previous Solos swap. I would love to give credit to the creator of that card, but there was no contact information on it. I love the interactive front! I bent the rules a bit and added the word "pull" from the Confidential My Acrylix Stamps set since most consultants will keep the cards in a clear protector, and someone might not know at first glance that the cards have an interactive component.

Here is my "Q" creation:

The second card I made featured the number 7. Again, I was inspired by a card from a previous Solos swap. Fortunately, this card did have contact information on the back. It was created by M. Tina Christesen.

Here is my "7" creation:

Alphabet Swap - Sanding Embossed Cardstock

I have spent the weekend creating 27 cards for an alphabet swap. The alphabet I used was Sans Alphabet. The swap guidelines were that the cards must be 4" x 6", use all CTMH products, and include at least one embellishment. Here is what I created:



First, I cut Black Textured Cardstock into 4" x 6" rectangles; then I ran each of those through my Cuttlebug in the D'Vine Swirl embossing folder. This created the raised pattern on the card base. Next I lightly sanded the surface to expose the white core in the cardstock. To color the white core, I rubbed my Baby Pink stamp pad across the swirls.

I used my Cricut to create the layered, cut swirl to display the focal point, the Sans Alphabet My Acrylix stamp set. With the Storybook cartridge, I cut the base swirl from the Lilac Mist swirled (noticing a theme?) patterned paper from the Daydream Level 2 My Reflections Paper Packet, and I cut the top layer swirl from Blush Cardstock. With the Blush swirls still on the Cricut cutting mat, I stamped them with the Sans Alphabet stamps which spelled the words "Sans Alphabet". Leaving the swirls on the mat allowed me to stamp them quite easily. Plus, since CTMH's My Acrylix stamp sets are clear (and so are the acrylic blocks), I could easily place the stamp on the swirl. No craning my neck like I would have needed to do with rubber stamps!

For the accent strip on the right, I used Lilac Mist cardstock and the striped patterned paper from the Daydream packet. The embellishments I used are swirl paper clips, Spring Green grosgrain ribbon, and eyelets in Hollyhock and Spring Green.

I can't wait to see what the other 25 alphabet cards have been created by the other CTMH ladies in the swap!

Mojo Monday

Long time, no blog. I have been consumed by my online class (Stacy Julian's A Library of Memories at Big Picture Scrapbooking, and have been a bit under the weather.

I wanted to make something pretty and nearly effortless. So, I turned to a sketch for inspiration. Here is this week's Mojo Monday Sketch:



And here is my creation:



Supplies (All CTMH):
Patterned Paper: Unforgettable B&T Duos
Rub-ons: Love Story
Cardstock: Sorbet, Cocoa, Vanilla Cream
Ribbon: Cocoa Grosgrain
Brads: Sorbet
Adhesives: 3-D Foam Squares, Tombow Mono (Permanent)

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

This is the first year in 9 years that my daughter didn't exchange Valentine's with her class. I couldn't bear the thought of no Valentine's, so I created a few for her gym team. The idea was taken from Jeanette Lynton's blog. These lollipops looked so cute, I just couldn't resist!



On Thursday I started the Library of Memories class on Big Picture Scrapbooking. This online class involves not only learning about Stacy Julian's system of storing and scrapping photos, it involves relearning and changing my thinking, habits, and attitude towards photos and scrapbooking. Our pre-class assignment was to decorate our portable desktop, a clipboard. Here's mine:



And now the tough part begins. I'm still listening to the first lesson. In fact, I should be doing that instead of blogging!

Sketch Saturday, February

I apologize for my blog vacation. We have been sick, out of town, and otherwise occupied. However, papercrafts are never far from my mind.

At first glance, this week's Sketch Saturday didn't appeal to me. It seemed to balance, both horizontally and vertically. Then I looked at it a little while longer, and I was inspired.

Here is the original sketch by Jeanette:



And here is my take on Jeanette's sketch:

Supplies (All CTMH):
Patterned paper: My Reflections Paper Packet - That's Amore
Cardstock: Garden Green, Chocolate
My Acrylix Stamps: Ms. Sweetheart
Exclusive Inks Markers: Vanilla Cream, Chocolate, Garden Green, Cranberry, Hollyhock
Buttons
Sparkles

Sketch Saturday

I loved the adorable sketch for this week's Sketch Saturday Challenge. I actually created it on Sunday, but I haven't posted it until now. Anyway, here it is!



Supplies (all CTMH, except as noted):
Patterned paper: Daydream
My Acrylix Stamps: Happy Endings
Pink Bloom flower
Colors: Hollyhock, Sweet Leaf, Lilac Mist, Buttercup, Creme Brulee
Silver and Gold Metallic Gel Pens: Pentel

Papertake Weekly Challenge

And another challenge card...

I needed to make a fantastic card for my boss. She put up with me being out the past two days due to my daughter's sickness. But, my mind is so full of junk that I couldn't conjur up a sketch in my head, so I turned to Papertake Weekly.

Clearly Cupcakes and Sketch Saturday

My daughter laughs at me because I am obsessed with cupcakes lately. Her friend has Converse tennis shoes with sparkly cupcakes on them, and I am positively covetous! What can I do about it? Glad you asked. I can make my own (inedible) cupcakes!

Clearly Cupcake Pail


CTMH supplies:
Patterned paper: Daydream B&T Duos
Stamps: Cupcake Sprinkles My Acrylix
Colors: Blush, Hollyhock, White Daisy, Black, Spring Iris, Lilac Mist
Heart: Dimensional Elements, Dazzling Die Cuts
Liquid Applique (white), Prisma Glitter, assorted ribbons
Other brands:
Faerie Glass (Rose)
Pail from stash
Adhesive: Xyron 5" Creation Station
Ink: StazOn Opaque White


Clearly Cupcake Card (for Sketch Saturday)


CTMH supplies:
Patterned paper: Daydream B&T Duos
Stamps: Cupcake Sprinkles My Acrylix
Colors: Blush, Hollyhock, White Daisy, Black, Spring Iris, Lilac Mist
Other supplies:
Ink: StazOn Opaque White
Acetate sheet from stash
Glue Dots

Small card, big impact

Would you believe this card is only 2.5" by 3.5"? It is standard ATC size and is the perfect size to hold a business card!

(CTMH consultants, if you are interested in a swap for Business Builder cards in this size, head on over to the main Consultant Bulletin Board in the Swaps section.)

I'm a slow poke

In craft classes, I'm usually the last to leave because I'm a few steps behind. I've always been a slow reader, too. But now I realize that I need to step up the pace in order to create more projects.

I used to to consider it cheating to create one card that fits several different challenge criteria. I let go of that. I want to participate in so many challenges, but I don't have all the time and supplies. So, I'm cutting corners, so to speak.

Here is my card for Sketch Saturday and Papertake Weekly.




All supplies CTMH:
Stamp Set: Happy Endings
Patterned Paper: Daydream B&T Duos
Colors: Sweet Leaf, Creme Brulee, Hollyhock, Blush, White, Black, Lilac Mist

Business Builder Swap

I have been a busy bee working on 32 cards for a swap in my Motion to Promotion group. These cards are made from Close to my Heart My Acrylix stamps sets exclusively for consultants. They are so versatile! I can't wait to see what the other ladies have made.

All supplies from Close to my Heart


Stamp Set: Celebrate Relationships
Colors: Tulip, Sorbet, Juniper, Creme Brulee, Cocoa, Colonial White
Patterned Paper: Key to my Heart B&T Duos



Stamp Set: Just a Reminder
Colors: Cocoa, Indian Corn Blue, Sunflower, Hollyhock, Colonial White
Patterned Paper: Magic Moments B&T Duos
Embellishments: Spiral Clips (Pewter), Twill Ribbon (Hollyhock), Eyelets (Sweet Leaf)



Stamp Set: Celebrate Relationships
Colors: Sweet Leaf, Blush, Black, White, Hollyhock, Lilac Mist
Patterned Paper: Daydream B&T Duos
Embellishments: Hemp string (Black)



Stamp Set: A Huge Thanks
Colors: Hollyhock, Chocolate, Cocoa, Crystal Blue, Twilight, Bamboo
Patterned Paper: Notebook B&T Duos