Cards for my Ladies

I am continuing to lead card classes at the assisted living home.  While all of the ladies love the cards we make, several of them refuse to send them out because they like them too much.  One lady told me she has a large box full of them. I honestly can't tell you how long I have done this, maybe 4 or more years, but that's got to be about 150 cards she has accumulated. WOW!  Anyway here are the 3 from September's class.  I guess I was in a diecut kind of mood as they each use a different one of Close To My Heart's new Thin Cut dies. A Thin Cut is a metal die that is meant to be used in the Cuddlebug, Big Shot, Big Kick or some other die-cutting machine.CTMH is a great source for these dies and many are matched to stamps sets. Using a die-cut instead of hand cutting images is a timesaver and gives a certain amount of uniformity when making multiple cards.

 

This Halloween card uses the Cats & Bats Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts set (Z4040.)  It is easy to see the cat, but there is also a bat towards the upper left. I did cut the bat by hand but the black shadow is the die cut. The large background stamp is retired CTMH and the green Halloween paper is from my (non-CTMH) stash.

 

This fall card uses one of my favorite Thin Cuts from the current Seasonal Expressions mini catalog, Leaf (Z4035.)  It is 2 dies, one for the background leaf and one for the veins and outline. This card pattern was inspired by a fellow consultant. I found a 6x6 paper pad with lovely fall colors in my stash for the two big strips, the sentiment stamp, brown strip, and banner are retired CTMH.

 

 I used the Beary Christmas Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts (Z4046) for this Christmas card and copied the card pattern from the Beary Christmas Workshops Your Way instructions. The patterned paper, including the green backgound paper, is from my stash, but the gold stripe is Gold Shimmer Trim (Z1985) and is a current CTMH product.

I will try to get the August cards posted some time soon.  I think you will like them.

 

There is a challenge going on at heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com to share our organization hints and I thought I would share 2 items I have found very useful.


The first is my rolling file cart, bought at Office Depot. It will hold either letter or legal size hanging files . I use legal sized hanging file folders to file all my CTMH cardstock in alphabetical order with the exception of putting White Daisy and Colonial White at the front. I have 3 of these files for the 60 current colors (61 if you count the new Kraft colored cardstock that will be available for purchase Feb 1st) and a few retired colors as well. Plus the box is heavy duty with a locking type of top with a handle. It comes in handy for transporting stuff when I vendor at crops.



The second item is a little wire rack I found at Walmart in the bathroom section. It is just the right size to hold 20 CTMH re-inker bottles on each shelf. Since I don't currently have enough to fill it, I use the top shelf to hold the recently retired ink pads and a cup organizer. It looks white in the photo (I don't have that great a camera) but is really metallic.

Studio J

Today, April 27th, Studio J is ready to go live to customers. I have had the most fun playing with this online scrapbooking program. You can decide on your papers and layout sketch before or after uploading your photos. You can then just drag your photos into preplaced spots - the program has the uncanny ability to pick just the right focus but you can easily resize or shift them around. Ribbon with or without bows or ribbon slides, brads, other metal embellishments like hinges, photo clips, and photo hangers, and buttons as well as all sorts of stickers including the alphabet, quotes, and tags are all there for your use at the click of a mouse. You CAN'T run out of any of the embellishments. There are several fonts in your choice of sizes to write your comments in the pre-planned journaling blocks. Your pages will be saved for you until you have them just right and are ready to order (you will be sent several e-mail reminders if they are in danger of being deleted.) A couple of clicks of the mouse and your scrapbooking pages can be printed and mailed to you. Even if you are a die-hard paper scrapper, you owe it to yourself to check out this wonderful exclusive on-line digital program - it doesn't cost anything to try it out.

You can access Studio J through my website http://janiceschmidt.myctmh.com/

National Scrapbooking Month Campaign

The current Constant Campaign for National Scrapbooking Month is the Miracle kit. This very versatile kit features two diecut pieces, 2 full sheets of double sided patterned paper, and 5 sheets of cardstock, a Stickease sheet, an embellishment kit with buttons, ribbon, and metal tags and brads, a sheet of chipboard diecuts, AND 4 Flip Flap photo holders. It includes instructions for 2 double layouts but my wonderful fellow consultants have come up with alternate projects and cards. I used my kit to make a beautiful 6x6 accordian album designed by Vicki W. and still had enough scraps to make 9 cards AND a little album using the Flip Flaps. This kit is priced at $19.95, but can be purchased for $10 with a $40 order, or for $5 with a $60 order. It is a value at the full price and a steal at the reduced prices. Remember you can order 24/7 using my CTMH website http://janiceschmidt.myctmh.com/

I think its about time for a new post!

I can't believe it has been so long. I have been so busy being creative. I decided I had better get some cross-stitching done, so moved my favorite Dazor magnifying lamp back to the living room and took one project (out of MANY - hundreds, probably) to work on. I haven't finished it and have hit a significant snag but am hoping to be able to plow my way through. I have also been trying my hand at long arm quilting. Since the LA quilter is at my sister's, I haven't made much progress at getting my dozen or so quilting projects done but now that the weather isn't keeping me off the streets maybe I can get over there more.

Here is a manually quilted feather wreath that I did while in Houston learning how to work on the Innova 26 Long Arm Quilter that my sister bought. Definitely a beginner, but not too terrible.

However, it is a good thing that this is a computerized machine that stitches out perfect quilting designs so I don't have to rely on my freehand attempts.

And there is my Close To My Heart papercrafting. It gets done, often late at night and at the last minute, but it gets done. When I look at all the scrapbook layouts, cards and other projects I have been able to create in the year I have been with CTMH, I am rather impressed with myself. Let me show you some of my latest creations:

This is the calendar topper for April. I teach these little 3.5 inch square monthly projects to the gals at the Our Lady of Lourdes school fundraising crop. They look forward to seeing what I come up with for each month (so do I! LOL) The umbrella and the adorable little ducks are from the Springtime stamp set (D1415). It is such a cute set and also includes several rainboot stamps. Adding some Liquid Glass over the raindrops really makes them pop.

This second project is either a card or one fourth of a scrapbook page, depending on how it is finished. Should I not mention that the little boy in the photo is my now 30 year old son? The little ducks from the Springtime stamp set are used again here. This saying (and "Happy Spring") is included in the set.

And last, but not least, for this post, is a paper-crafted votive candle holder. The ladies and girls just loved making the paper flowers. They were so surprised that they weren't purchased premade. I am always so happy when I can show them something so simple but so spectacular. Nobody was displeased with how their's turned out. This project used last summer's limited edition stamp set Framed Moments (D1394) plus a leaf from C1397, Smiles, plus a dot (available in many different flower sets, in this case D1369, Delightful Things.)

As always, it is my intention to post more frequently, but you know, sometimes life just gets in the way of my best intentions.

Oh So Busy

I have been so behind on updating this blog and I am sorry. There has been so much going on. The day after my last post was my DGS Kyle's brthday. This is a picture of the card I made for him using papers from the Everyday Celebration kit and stamps from the August SOTM, It's Your Day. I had some medical things to attend to, nothing too extra- ordinary, but still time-consuming. Then my father had carpal tunnel surgery and needed to rehab at a local nursing home. I took him to the hospital for his surgery and then to the nursing home. I got him settled in his room, had supper with him and then he dismissed me to go home for the night. I quickly packed my suitcase and rolling scrap tote and after visiting him briefly the next morning left for the Regional Conference for Close To My Heart in Minneapolis. I came home from there absolutely exhausted and stiff and sore from driving, darn arthritis! I had only had a chance to barely catch my breath when I got a call asking me if I would like have a vendor's table at a 12 hour crop taking place on Oct. 24th. If you are in the Omaha area, it is a very good deal - $15 for a table all to yourself, and at least for this first monthly crop, includes lunch AND supper. Email me at MotherG1@aol.com if you would like the contact number to reserve a spot. I have been trying to finish up my swaps (Christmas gift tags) so that I could concentrate on some displays, kits, and make-and-takes for that crop. Dad came home from the nursing home two days ago, declaring that it had been FUN. He so enjoyed being waited on, and joking around with the staff and other rehab'ing patients, not to mention being fed 3 squares a day. He gained 3 pounds in 10 days! But he is glad to be home with his cats again. All of us kids are just so thankful that he seemed to breeze through the surgery and nursing home visit so well. He has come so far since last year at this time. Soon I will post some of the projects from Minneapolis and some of the swaps I have made. In the meantime, back to my scrap desk to my many waiting projects.