February SOTM Blog Hop

Oh my - here we go again - another month just flew by!  It is already time for the Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  How can it be???  It seems like I just took down my Christmas decorations!  If you are hopping with us then you have arrived from Erin's blog and checked out her little muslin bag.

This month's stamp set is S1302 Home Sweet Home.  It is truly a unique stamp set designed for both cards and layouts.  

Isn't it amazing how many different ideas the ladies have come up with this month?  Here are some other designs from Close to My Heart.

I thought the Avonlea paper pack would be perfect for my layout and it is one of the paper packs that will be in the Spring/Summer Idea book!  I have a dedicated scrapbook for pictures of my House(s) and Gardens ( I scrapbook by themes and not chronologically).

Once again I went back to Studio J and used the program as my design tool.  Here is my rough sketch of the layout - I changed the papers around (much cheaper than cutting up the paper pack!) until I was satisfied with the results.

 

This is my finished layout - I have not moved as many times as some of you but since I grew up in the same house that my dad still lives in - he is 89!! - it was very traumatic for me to move from my hometown to Florida!  I have lived the longest time in my home in Florida - every time my husband starts talking about moving - I tell him "You can move- I am NOT moving again!"

Supplies:

S1302 Home Sweet Home stamp set

X7155 Avonlea paper pack

X7155C  Avonlea Complements Canvas Shapes

Cricut cartridges- Art Philosophy and Artiste

Z1365 - Basic Assortment Brads- Chocolate -retired

I wished I had the time to take more photos of our first house - but I had a baby and a new teaching job - who had TIME back then?.....

Now it is time to continue on with the hop - so hop on over to  Joy's blog

for a look at her fabulous card project.

How to Use Studio J!

The title is my teaser!  It should read "How to Use Studio J to design your layouts!"  

Last month when I was designing the layout for the January workshop, I needed a jump start for my creativity.  So I went into Studio J and selected the La Belle Vie paper pack and played around with the design layouts until I found one that I thought would work.   

Here is my first design -

 

I was trying to figure out how I could incorporate stamping into this layout and I decided that is was not going to work for me.

The next design I was trying to add Cricut designs and stamping and I designed this layout.  I could cut the lamppost and Eiffel tower but I would not be able to duplicate enough to satisfy me!( the biggest critic of my work!)

So BACK to the drawing board and I came up with this layout!  I was trying to use BULK products that CTMH offers to consultants to make the workshop affordable.  I then decided  instead of the scalloped trim, that I would use the zip strips to the bulk paper.  If you look at the layout above you will see how I added the zip strips to the layout.

Some of you may have seen the finished layout already but here it is again and now you can compare the differences  between the two.  ( Kinda like the Highlights picture game!)

The workshop was a big success and I also printed out the original layouts for each table  as a guide rather than making additional layouts.  I must admit I basically came up with the cutting directions but I did make it work!

The best news is that February's  Constant Campaign is Studio J layouts for only $5.00!!

You can purchase all of the La Belle Vie paper that you want!  All of the CTMH paper packs are included (even when they are retired in the Idea Books!) and specialty ones like 'Wishes and Fishes' in the photo above.  I must admit that I was skeptical about digital scrapbooking but Studio J is "user friendly" even for a novice!  So click on my website - http://ctmh.com/sweetaline and start playing around with it now.  It costs you absolutely nothing to play!  Look for more inspiration through out the entire month and give Studio J a try in February!

Enjoy!

"Sneak Peek" Wednesday

A few days ago you saw a 'sneak peek' of the new Chantilly paper pack.  Isn't it beautiful?!  I think many of you are thinking 'girl' paper and it would work perfectly with your little girl's photos or your best friend's photos.  But I thought "Spring"!  It is so bright and beautiful and matches many of the colors in my flower garden.

Today you are going to get a 'sneak peek'  of the Make It From YOUR Heart workshop in March!  Here it is!

 

This is the flower accent in the corner of the layout - want to see more??

This is the other corner accent of the layout and you can view the entire page at my Spring/Summer Open House on February 3rd!  Several of you have RSVP before the 1st - so you will receive a FREE Spring/Summer Idea Book!  There is still more time to let me know, so just send me an email at Sweetaline@verizon.net

Enjoy your first sneak peek of spring!

Sneak Peek Tuesday!!

Time for another "Sneak Peek" of the NEW product with Close to My Heart.  WASHI tape - woohoo!!  But right now we only have one color.... (insert sad face here)

I created this Wedding card using the For Always paper pack and one of the new stamps sets.  It is also doing 'double duty' because I am participating in the Color My Heart Color Dare #26 - Black and white with a "pop" of one other color.  You can find the link here if you would like to see more designs.  My color choice is Honey and you will find several NEW items on this card.

I was wondering why Close to My Heart selected this paper as their wedding paper this time until I saw the photos of the trends posted by Michaels.  SO I wondered no more after I saw the colors they were using in the black and white
paper pack. (The other colors are listed on their website here)  I hope to have a wedding this year in my family and I am waiting for the color selection choices so I can BUY MORE PAPER!!

So don't forget you will be able to see my all of my samples at my Spring/Summer Open House on February 3rd!  My husband informed me that it was Super Bowl Sunday - I had no idea!!  So give yourself a treat to some scrapbooking and forget the football!

Is it Summer yet?

Gosh - I hope not!  Because for me that is HOT and muggy temperatures!  AND I do not like that feeling at all!  But I do want to share with you the theme of my Open House!

February 3rd - 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

"Fun in the Sun" theme

This card is from the NEW paper pack X7168 Surfs Up!  Can you imagine all of the layouts and cards you can make from this terrific paper pack?  Here is a card to help you get into the mood....  I hope you can join me in this absolutely FUN event!  More information coming....

Happy Sunday!

Happy Spring to you, as well!  Today starts the Close to My Heart "Sneak Peek" for the Spring and Summer Idea book!  Many of you are still in the throes of winter but here in Florida  we can expect temperatures in the 70's!  Actually if you look outside you can see our Florida winter.  The trees have lost their leaves and this morning it is a chilly 59 degrees!

Here are two pictures of my back yard - very dismal and drab for Florida- don't you think?  This IS winter in Florida!

I will be celebrating the NEW Spring and Summer Idea book at my Open House on February 3rd! So SAVE the DATE!  Here is the first "Sneak Peek" - the cover of the New Spring and Summer Idea Book!

 Don't the colors make you think of spring?!  The paper pack is the new Chantilly paper.  Here is a photo frame using the paper pack and the NEW matching fabric!

The frame is adorned with flowers cut from the Cricut Art Philosophy and Artiste cartridge and the fabric bow is made with the pear colored matching fabric.  Wouldn't that make a beautiful addition to any wall in your home?

Are you ready for a Chantilly card?

 Woohoo!  New Product!!!

Supplies:
X7163 Chantilly paper pack - LOVE this paper pack!
D1545 - Wheel of Life stamp set
Z1832 - Spinner
Z1826 - Zipper Lace
Inks- Buttercup, Twilight and Pear

Make sure you stop by every day for a new sneak peek!  If you live in the Tampa, FL area, you can RSVP for my Spring Open House and you will get to see the samples IRL! (in real life!)

01/18 Getting ready for Valentine's Day!

I subscribed to the Cutting Edge SVG magazine recently and the idea for the project came from Joanna!  Thank you for the inspiration!

I love LOVE Valentine's Day - my second favorite holiday!  As a little girl, I loved picking out my valentines at the store and decorating the box for my desk and of course, the classroom Valentine box!  I just wished my mother hadn't thrown them out - needless to say - I saved all of my children's valentines....

Here is the cracker box from the Pazzles Craft Room library - an investment worth the money.  I followed Joanna's direction and I had to cut a few of them out until I was happy with the results.

 

I also used the Whoo's Your Valentine stamp set - the special this month with Close to My Heart to add the tags to the cracker box.  If you are interested in purchasing this set you can shop online here.

Supplies:

K & Company - Valentine paper pack 

Whoo's Your Valentine stamp set

Ruby inks and White Daisy paper by CTMH

Valentine ribbon from my 'stash'

You can this purchase this set for $10 when you purchase $35.00 in CTMH product - a great deal!

Now that I have the time (broken ankle - boohoo!) I have been reviewing Klo's Classroom - you can find a listing of them here.  I am convinced the more you use the software, the easier it seems to be!  You do not need to be a member of  the Pazzles Craft Room to access the classroom videos.

This weekend is the Marathon of classes with Klo.  It begins January 18th at 6:00 p.m. CST and ends on Monday January 21 at 1:00 p.m. CST.  I hope to be able to participate but if I miss any of them, Klo with post the recorded classes on the archives page!  I love the educational support Pazzles offers with their product - kudos to Christine, Klo  and the company!

So it is now back to school...:)

It is now time to brighten up the blog a bit...

I know it is not spring anywhere in this country - BUT January is a blah month...so I thought I would do some spring cleaning and change my blog background and my focus on my crafting!  

Some of you may already know that I fell and broke my ankle the other day and to make it short and sweet- I AM losing my mind!  I am a very active person but not now.....  I have WAY too much time on my hands! ( I even watched T.V. last night!)

So today I took on a few challenges......

Here is the first one of the day!  The Color My Heart web site has a challenge every week and this is Color Dare #25 - Ruby and Indian Corn Blue!  You can view it here!

I was working on a Cricut Craft  Room file when I fell.  I was planning on sharing the design and I had already cut it out in Ruby ( rather fortunate- I must say!)  So I glue my box together and found my retired Indian Corn Blue rick-rack - (did I tell you I was watching Hoarders last night????)   I finished my first Whoo's Your Valentine? treat tube today!

The special this month is still on....

So if you would like to purchase the set for only $10  - just let me know!

So here is the pic of my treat tube- enjoy!! ( I think I may start eating the chocolate NOW!)

You can find the CCR file for this box and the stamp set cut outs  here.

(Hopefully the link has been fixed - let me know if it does not!)

Remember you will need a box account to log in.  Enjoy!

Load #9 - Christmas dinner

Last one for the night - time to quit- really!!  But since I broke my ankle I am SOOOO bored but I am very productive!  I still have more photos but I may save them for Studio J because I can print them out LARGE and pay less for a 2 page layout than I do at Walgreens!...just sayin'

Enjoy!  I still have more Pear and Partridge paper left but that's O.K. - there is always next year....

LOAD #8 - Family Holiday Photo

This year we started some new traditions at the Brill House.  We are going to celebrate Christmas Eve at our home and then off to our son's for Christmas Day.  We also decided to start a tradition of driving around our neighborhood to look at the holiday lights.

This layout was quick to put together with the Pear and Partridge paper by Close to My Heart.  The chipboard compliments and rub-ons were a snap to add to the layout and finished it off perfectly!

The accents at the bottom of the page are from the 'zip strip' found on the end of the B & T paper.

Enjoy!

My little Snow Angel!

Robbie loved to play in the first snowfall of the year and all of these photos are snippets of what my husband and I remember most about it!  I have used up the last of the Aspen paper pack and there are only a few pieces left!  So it is NOW time to move onto the NEW Close to My Heart Spring and Summer paper packs!  Look for sneak 'previews' coming your way this week!

 

A HUGE thank you to the H2H challenge "Snow Much Fun" here for the inspiration I needed to scrap these winter photos and finally use up the two paper packs and embellishments!

Snowball Fight -1989!

I have been saving these pictures and the stamp set since 2005 when I joined CTMH!  I finally started AND finished the layout.  LOAD #6

I used several different resources:

Layout - Sketches for Scrapbooking by Scrapbook Generation - Volume 7

Papers - Aspen by CTMH (R) and DCWV - Winter papers

Stamps - Snowball Fight by CTMH (R)
Pazzles - files from the Pazzles Craft Room - Snowfort and Snowball Fight

I wish I could turn back the clock and take my pictures with the awesome camera that I have today!  My layouts would look FAB-u-lous....oh well...

enjoy!

Another LOAD layout

This is LOAD #5 - Layout a Day (January 5th) !  Still working through the scraps of the Wonderland paper pack, stickers and Top Coats.  It is a good thing that the papers are almost gone as I am quickly running out of SNOW photos!  This is our last winter in WNY - 1993!  (Not bad - only 20 years behind )

This is a version of a Scrapbook Generation layout CASED from Vicki Wizniuk here.The blue paper is actually from the Aspen paper pack - which you will see in the next posts - LOAD 6, 7 and 8.

So sit back and sip some Hot Cocoa and my Florida 'peeps' - dream of winter!

LOAD #4 - Another wintry scene - a 'blast from the past'!

LOAD #4 - I am trying to catch up on my photos so I can say that I actually accomplished something!  The H2H challenge this week is "Snow Much Fun"  and I have several photos to scrapbook before I move onto Spring and Summer!

Here are some of the photos from the home we built in WNY- I loved that home but the weather was awful!  Ok - maybe not so bad now that I live in Florida.  BUT I do not function very well in COLD weather!  I know that many of my hometown friends are enjoying the balmy weather in WNY but it it supposed to SNOW in January!

So I am adding LOAD #4 - (I know - a little behind) but at least they are scrapped!.,...20 years later....

enjoy!

Not A Very Good start!

But again- it could be worse!!!...  I fell yesterday and broke my ankle and so I am now trying to amuse myself during the day....  a very tough job indeed - for someone who is so active!

So I dragged out a few layouts that I had created in 2012 and started adding photos to them!  The layout that I worked on today was a Studio J layout that I added some stickers and embellishments to complete the layout!  Isn't it fabulous how you can add some stickers and embellishments?..... and viola!  -it is completed!

(click on photo for a larger view)

The layout is "Picture Perfect" from Studio J and I added the stickers and embellishments to complete it! The paper pack is from Wonderland and I added the stickers to the design.  Viola- it done!

So I am trying to 'challenge' myself this year and enter a few challenges!  redundant, I know....  :) This is for the "Snow Much Fun"  Heart 2 Heart challenge for the week and the "LOAD" layout for the month  at the Let's Scrap blog.  2 for 1 - what a deal!!

Happy January!

January used to be my least favorite month when I lived in WNY, but now that I live in Florida, I LOVE January!

Why? - you ask - it was either too warm for snow or too cold to do anything IN the snow!  It was dull and dreary BUT no more!

No, it is time for sun and cool weather (OK - 80 degrees may not be cool...) but it is NOT 90+ degrees!  So with that being said, it is time to move onto the January "Make It From YOUR Heart " workshop!

This month I will be featuring the La Belle Vie paper pack....

 

This paper pack will be retiring at the end of this month so NOW is the time to buy it, if you love it!

Now I am sooo excited to share with you  my good news!  My youngest son is engaged to a very bright and wonderful girl named Elizabeth!  She has her English degree from Berkeley and we always check with her when I have a question about movies or books!

So here is the layout that I started with their engagement photos...so obliviously there has to be more journaling on this layout. ( all about the story...)

You will make this exact layout and instead of "Love" you can select "Family" - either one- it is your choice!  

Plus we are making the SOTM Valentine gift box as well... a  perfect gift for the perfect person!  So if you are ready to be creative then join me!

P.S.  I will have a surprise project for the ladies who have been attending these workshops since they started in the fall.  (No pictures yet - remember it is a surprise!!)

LOAD #1

So I decided to take on a new challenge for January!  Layout A Day a.k.a LOAD! -A layout for every day in January... what was I thinking?!!!!

 (Click on photo for a larger view)

So here is my first "Let's Scrap" layout - Christmas Eve dinner AND by the way -it was delicious!!!

Layout is .....the "Let's Scrap"  ..... 12-8-10 layout

Paper - Pear and Partridge paper pack, embellishments et. al.