12/27 I am a "Florida Gramma" again!

Yippee!! Peyton Elizabeth was born on December 26th at 11:55 p.m. She has a beautiful face as well as a full head of hair! I can not wait to take pictures of her! I am so blessed to be able to be "Gramma" to all of these little ones. So in honor of Peyton I am adding a new 'sneak peek' of a paper pack called "Daydream". I have the project already picked out - wait until you see it!

12/21 Getting ready for Christmas

We made it to Marietta, GA yesterday to spend the week with our son and my two "grand dogs." I brought with me three of the new Spring papers and I am looking forward to playing with them this week. My first project today is to finish my swap cards for the standing SOM swap that I participate in. Unfortunately Nanci Hatcher had to give it up so Jen Rubio has taken over the swap. I hope to have my samples up live by the first week in January. Here is a SNEAK PEEK of the set we are using -

11/14 Experience FOUR seasons in less than a week!

Can you believe it? I arrived on Friday in western NY to a beautiful FALL day. So I took advantage of it and played in the leaves! My favorite season is Fall, so I was thrilled!

Then I woke up Monday morning to SNOW! I had not seen snow in 15 years and it was fun BUT only for a day! Here I am cleaning off the car - hey at least I got to wear the season's hottest fashion trend - a scarf!


Wednesday looked just like Spring - snow along the side of the road and green grass peeking through - remember? I left Buffalo, NY on Thursday and it was a cold, dark and rainy day. Yuk- this is the November I remember!

Back home to Tampa - a beautiful sunny, warm day - 80 degrees. Yeah - it's good to be back home!

11/05 It's time for the next holiday!

The end of the year has so many holiday opportunities to take pictures and create cards and pages. My first event of this Holiday season is my Scrapbook Club on November 14th at 6:30. We will be using CTMH's paper pack called Evensong for the page layout. I am so excited to say that I am finished with my 2007 Christmas photos before this Christmas holiday arrives!

This two page layout is from the Cherish book:


This two page layout is from the Imagine book:



Can join us for an evening of fun and frivolity!

11/02 Last Halloween layout

I am a lucky girl! I have many "adopted" grandchildren! The mom on the right is a former student of mine and I taught her how to sew! She made her children's costume and I was very proud of her for being so creative! Emma and Logan are BamBam and Pebbles and Rachel dyed Emma's hair red to complete the outfit! Addison is my most recent grandchild and she is now living in Buffalo with her mom and dad's family. Her Florida grandma - ME! - will get to see her next week! I can't wait!

Only the solid paper is CTMH - the rest is from Target $$ Spot!!! Coming soon - Christmas cards and layouts. Stay tuned......

10/31 What a fun day!

I told you I love this holiday and here are a few reasons why! Today in Child Development class we made some creative yet educational projects for small children. We even had a guest - 6 year old Rebecca was visiting and added the 'real life" experience some of my students needed! I was dressed like my favorite chocolate candy and posing with Dani - one of my favorites! (I know teachers aren't supposed to have favorites!) We made ghosts, spiders, bats and pumpkins out of a round paper plate and we made "Magic Slime" with my magic potion!- so much fun!



Rebecca and I posed for our Halloween picture - she spent all week with me in 1st and 2nd period before she went off to her classroom.


Then she made a new friend - this is so cute! A 1st grader and 9th grader - Sarai was so thrilled!


I am exhausted but I hope all of my 'kids' had fun!

More to come......

10/31/08 Happy Halloween!!

One of my most favorite holidays! Why? Because it is all about candy!! Especially M & M's! If you REALLY know me - you know that I am an M & M fan/freak! My classroom is decorated in m & m's - my high school kids think I am crazy! (So I guess I am!) Tomorrow I am going to dress up like an M & M - that will add to the craziness! Since I have no grandchildren yet I am sending out a picture of my baby Harley! My husband will not let me dress him up so I guess a scarf will have to be his costume this year! Tonight I am working on the 'dog treats" for all of Harley's friends in the neighborhood - see, I really am crazy!!!

Anyhow, Happy Halloween!

10/04 Adding the embellishments

The card needed a few extra touches and it seemed as if buttons were the answer! I used the Autumn Craft Buttons (Z1283), embroidery floss and Liquid Glass (Z679) as the adhesive. The ribbon in the Heartfelt Collection (Z1306) was perfect! "Sit and take time to watch the leaves turn" Isn't that perfect for this card?



I hope you get a chance to try one of these cards. I enjoyed teaching you a few techniques today! Thanks for 'tuning' in!

Adeline

10/04 Stitching the accent piece

Using the bamboo ink and the 1/4" corner placement guide (C1303) stamp, stamp the opposite corners of the 2" x 3" accent piece.



Pierce the dots using the piercing tool and pad. Then using a backstitch and Olive embroidery floss, stitch the corner sections. Optional: Use the Edge Distresser (Z1297) from the Distressing tool kit to 'rough up' the edges of the cardstock. Then use the 'direct to paper" technique to accent the roughed up edges.

You are almost done!

01/04 Step 1 Fun with Floss

Stamp the card front with Barn Red ink and the leaf stamp and acorn from the set. Using the NEW Piercing tool and pad, stamp 1/4" holes around the leaf design.



Thread your needle (found in the piercing tool set) with THREE strands of embroidery floss and stitch a running stitch around the stamp leaves with chocolate embroidery threads. I then used the backstitch to stitch with the orange and autumn terracotta embroidery floss. I became quickly frustrated with the rather 'cheap' needle threader and so I dug out my trusty dental floss threader that I used when threading my serger! It worked like a charm!

This step may take a few minutes to complete - I'll be back!!!

Adeline B

10/04 Winning Combination Card Design

This card design is found on page 99 of the NEW Originals book. The cardstock colors I used were Barn red, Olive and Bamboo. The stamp set is D1181 Autumn Splendor. The embroidery floss sets are Z1096 Neutral assortment, Z1094 Green assortment and Z1095 Yellow and Orange assortment. I pierced the paper with our NEW Piercing Tool Set (Z1114) and I added a few buttons and other embellishments.

Are you ready?

10/04 Fall Fun with Floss!

Sewing by hand is a four letter word to me! However our NEW Embroidery Floss has challenged me to take it up again! This FALL card design using our new embroidery floss along with stamping. I hope this card inspires you to take up sewing by hand again! (or maybe for some of you -it's your first try!)



Lesson begins in one minute!

Adeline

Fall Gift Card Box

I made these cute little gift cards for my son's girlfriends' parents. They were such gracious hosts when we were in California this summer. I would earn demerit points from Emily Post for being so late in sending the gift box, but I know Mary will love them! (she has already labeld me as the "Crafty one" in the family! :)

Check out the directions on Splitcoast stampers site and use the Originals book to create the quick and esay 3 x 3 cards for any holiday occasion!

Enjoy!!

10/14 Scoring the Card Accent

Are your colonial white squares dry yet? Great - then it is time to assemble the card and add the final card accents.

Use the track in the paper scorer and the CTMH scoring stylus to score random diagonal lines on the 2 1/4" x 2 1/2" piece. Roughly sand the raised lines to expose the white core. Doesn't it look great?



Complete the card with CTMH embroidery floss (Z1095)ang Fall Leaves. Add a sentiment of your choice and you are done!



Wasn't that fun? Not sure how to use the embroidery floss on cards? Stay tune for the next lesson!

Want to earn an A in Techniques 101? Now comes the extra credit or Bonus points for the class. Order any of the CTMH products used on the cards today and your name will be entered in a drawing for a FREE Distressing kit (Z1299).

$5.00 - $9.99 = 1 ticket
$10.00 - $19.99 = 2 tickets
$20.00 - $29.99 = 3 tickets
$30.00 - $39.99 = 4 tickets
$40.00 - $49.99 = 5 tickets
$50.00 and more = 7 tickets

Shop online with www.SweetAline.myctmh.com and WIN!!!

Adeline

10/04 Paint "Puddles"

To apply the rub-ons, place the 1" squares (5/8" size was too small) of colonial white UNDER the rub-on and rub only the leaf design. Try not to apply pressure to the other surrounding designs.

Mix the Magnolia White paint with a few drops of re-inkers to achieve the colors you would like to match your cardstock. Swipe the paint over the rub-ons.



After applying the paint, remove most of the paint by rubbing a paper towel over the squares. Let the paper dry completely before assembling your card.

10/04 "Puddles of Paint!"

Our first step is to assemble our materials.



In additon to the paper pack, you will also need:

Z1097 Nature's Ambiance rub-ons - the three small leaf designs
Z1304 Autumn Leaves paper blossoms
1" flat paint brush
Z1293 Magnolia White Paint
Re-inkers - Z2237 Olive, Z2262 Honey and Z2201 Autumn Terracotta
Paint tray and mixing sticks (from Z1299)distressing kit

10/04 NEW Originals Card Confidence Program

In September, Close to My Heart released the newly revised card confidence book, Originals . The cards are updated with the newest trends in card making and the photos are large and very colorful! Included in the book are 99 patterns with step-by-step directions to inspire you. I have included in each card the name of the pattern and the page for all of the directions.

The first card I will be making today is called "Cubes and Colors" and it is found on page 11. Here are the directions for the card and they list all of the paper dimensions. (Just click on the directions for easier reading!)



I used the X7088B Free Spirit Paper Pack - a perfect background for my Fall-themed card.

10/04 World Card Making Day event!

Good Morning!

Welcome to my very first blog tutorial event! In honor of World Card Making Day, I have put together a few technique lessons and I hope you enjoy them! The first lesson is using our new Rub-Ons! I have used rub ons in the past and these rub ons are much better than any of the others on the market today - seriously!

I am settled in with my morning coffee in my Fall mug to celebrate FALL in Tampa, Fl. Cool mornings and warm beautiful days have returned to my town but the leaves will not change colors until January! Oh well - I have plenty of FALL Ideas to get you into the mood!

Here is the first card!
Enjoy!

09/28 It is the end of September!

Another - Oh my goodness! Where did September go? I swear, the older I get the faster the years slip by. The last few weeks have been so busy, but I do want to share some exciting news coming the month of October. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter as I am hosting my first "Techniques" class on my blog on Saturday. To celebrate World Card Making Day on October 4th, you will be able to log onto my blog and follow along with my pictoral tutorial to create the beautiful NEW Cards from the Close to My Heart new "Originals" card confidence program. The techniques will be a variety of new and 'not so new' techniques. Since FALL is my favorite season, you will find a bevy of fall-themed cards with some of our brand new products as well as the "tried-n-true" products. More to come but here is a sneak peek!

09/02 September SOM D1306 Treasure Life

OMG - where did August go? Actually what happened to summer? Everyone should be back to school and back into a routine.

Today the NEW Close to My Heart Idea Book went 'live' on my website. Check it out here and you can view the entire book online. Today also started the September Stamp of the Month D1306 Treasure Life. You can select this stamp ONLY for the month of September and it is a beautiful design for both cards and scrapbook pages. Ask me how you can earn this stamp set FREE! Check it out!

Fall is coming - I just wish it would come to Florida - it is my favorite season!

08/24 Just Because card kits going, going, GONE!

I can not believe how quickly these card kits are disappearing! They are the special promotion for National Stamping Month scheduled by Close to My Heart for September. They are available now WHILE SUPPLIES LAST! If you would like to have this super, special deal come to your home - just log onto my website site select CC1000 and purchase this card kit for $34.95 (plus tax and S & H). If you purchase $125.00 or more, you'll receive a card kit FREE (CC1000B) or if you pruchase $75.00 the Just because card kit is only $15.00 (plus S & H).

The kit includes enough supplies to make 16 cards (2 of each design) including the card blanks and envelopes, B & T precut paper, step-by-step directions, sparkles, mini ink pads, chocolate grosgrain ribbon, sponge and a D-Size stamp set (Retail value $22.95). All housed in this cute card box - perfect for gift giving!

Here are two cards made from this set.





If you have any questions, send me an email!
Happy Stamping!
Adeline

07/28 Preview of August SOM D1286 Today's Date

When I received this stamp set, I wasn't really crazy about it. But after all of these cards, it is growing on me! Check out the slide show below for the rest of the designs. I am off to the Close to My Heart Convention on Wednesday for some fun and frivolity! I promise I won't be singing to anyone while I am there!

07/27 Mamma Mia trio!

Ok - this is the reason I LOVED Mamma Mia! This is me and my best friends at my goddaughter's wedding - OK a few years later than the 80's but oh well! Can you guess which character I am in the movie?!!!



Great memories of my youth!!
Adeline (making a fool of myself!)

07/22 I LOVED Mamma Mia!

Ok, ladies. No idiotic car chases, blood and no brains blowing apart! Just plain
F-U-N. You must see Mamma Mia! Not to mention my favorite - Remington Steele a.k.a Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep.

What a great movie! Of course I was listening to ABBA when they recorded the music the FIRST time - Life is good!

07/22 What cha' doin' Ma?

Harley just had to see what I was doing this morning - taking a picture of my layout, of course! He decided to pop his head in at the exact moment I snapped the photo. Did I tell you he loves paper? He eats all of the scraps while I am scrappin'. No need to vacuum!

Enjoy!

07/21 Level 1 Flip Book

I found this great project from Stacy and purchased the directions for only $10.00! The cd includes 59 step-by-step photos to make this EASY flip book! I used a Level 1 paper pack from Close to My Heart called Good Times (X7092A) but any Level 1 paper pack will do. It doesn't matter how old Robbie is - he is always the funny guy!

The cover with lettering from the paper pack.


The inside pages of the book.




Top view of book when opened.


Enjoy!
Adeline B

07/15 NEWS FLASH!!! Batman Returns!

Check out the latest sneak peak of the NEW BATMAN!



Ian't he cute?!

07/13 All Day Club Scrap Challenge!

Afer spending some time weeding my flower bed, I decided to put a dent in my Greeting Cards challenge for Club Scrap. I was inspired by some greeting card photos in the Scrap Rap and went right to work. I LOVE how they turned out!

The only flower pic NOT from my California trip is the sunflower. That beauitul gem is from my husband's sunflower plant.

Club Scrap Bistro papers and Embellishments
CTMH - D1283 Say It in Style May SOM



Enjoy!
Adeline B

07/140/09 Still goin' with the Watermelon theme!

I decided this post needed to be brought back simply to match my new blog design. Isn't it awesome?!! Huge thanks goes to


This card is for the CTMH Friends Card Sketch Challenge - I am so lucky to have to time to be creative! It should really be "You are ONE in A Melon!" but my mind was somewhere else!




Stamp and ink colors are CTMH Holiday Red, Clover Meadow and Black. I used the waterbrush to color the watermelon wedges.

Enjoy!