I'm Back!

It has been a several months since I posted but I do want everyone to know that I have been busy and doing very well!

In May my first granddaughter arrived and I have been spending most of my free time making little 'girlie' things and working on her photo albums. It started as one album and now the number has grown to three!

I have retired as a consultant with Close to My Heart but the good news is that I have enough supplies to last me a lifetime! :)

My part time job has kept me busy and I am enjoying being able to sew, stamp and scrap often!

My project earlier this month was to create a flamingo stamp for the upcoming "Flamingo on the Fly" Tampa Bay area Shop Hop.

I have had my Pazzles machine since I retired in 2011 and it is my go-to machine when I am working on a paper project.  Last year I purchased the "Red Queen" and I have been learning the InVue software over the last few months. I quickly jumped in and created a flamingo stamp for the Shop Hop passport!

I love the "Daily Art Hub"  site and joined as a club member so I have full access to all of the their designs.  This design is from the Flamingo set and I used the first design in the set.

I followed the tutorial on the Pazzles web site to finally use the stamp kit that I purchased a few years ago!  If you would like to give this a try, check out the article posted on Scrapbooking.com here.

I followed a few steps to load the SVG into the software and converted it to a line drawing.  I made a duplicate of the basic design and then re-sized it to fit the passport space.

My ideas seldom turn out exactly as I imagine, but many times they are close enough!  

If you haven't found Frankie yet, he hangs out in the 'hood' here.

I designed and painted the T shirt using the Paintworks module of the Bernina DesignWorks software.  Here is a close up of the design.

I hope you have been inspired today and if you are in the Tampa Bay area there are only a few more days to participate in this shop hop.

Happy Stamping!

Welcome to the May Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

Life sure has been busy around here!!  My son and DIL bought a house and moved in on Sunday!  YES, I took plenty of pictures but I am not even close to printing them, let alone get them onto a page.  But this stamp set is perfect for this momentous occasion!

This month's stamp set is a very happy yet versatile stamp set.  S1505 Just Sayin'  is perfect for both layouts and cards- something little to accent your artwork!

                                      
If you have been hopping with us, then you have arrived from Melinda's blog here.  Isn't her design FAB-u-lous??  Here is a sample layout from  Close to My Heart.  Notice how they used the banners to add accents to the page.

                             

                    Plus a card to feature a image from this stamp set!

                             



I decided to create the PML cards on page 114 of the Annual Inspirations book. I am currently working on my trip from last year to Alaska and it is so hard to create a page for each photo so these PML cards are perfect!  Our last day of the trip was a one day visit in Seattle so we decided to tour the Space Needle and the Chihuly museum.   The day was absolutely picture perfect!

I was able to scrap 6 photos in one page protector! Woohoo!  Paper, complements and washi tape are from the Wanderful WOTG.  A perfect complement to my photos.


Now it is on to Sheila's blog here where I am sure you will be inspired!  If you get lost along the way you can always hop back to Melinda's blog here to find the link you may be missing....

Are you scrappin' your memories?  If not, then it is time to start!

Welcome to the April Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

Happy Spring!  Welcome to April Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  If you have been hopping along with us, then you have arrived from Sheila's blog here.

Don't worry if you get lost you can always find the list of participants on Melinda's blog here.

This month's stamp set is so 'retro' - I love it!  It is S1504 Typed Note  and is perfect for your card sentiments.

Since I am not typically a card maker, I always try to think outside the box for a scrapbook layout.  The first step I take is to look for ideas from others.  These are the two creations from Close to My Heart.  The first one is a card

The second one is a pack of playing cards.

But I was unable to be inspired by anything else besides a card!  So I dug into my Basics collection of paper and created this 'manly' look Father's Day card. My husband collects vintage audio items and this old radio was a perfect backdrop for my picture.  Two strips of shimmer trim for an added accent and it is done!

Now it is off to Michelle's blog here to check out her awesome artwork.

Brushed WOTG For April

Life has sure been crazy around here!  I am finding it very difficult to manage two different hobbies/jobs!  But soon it will be time for the April Women Out for The Goodtimes meetin'!

This month's Close to My heart paper pack is X7190 Brushed.  It is perfect your your Easter or spring pictures!

Here is the layout from the Workshop to Go

Option I - G1087  includes the following:

Workshops on the Go® Brushed Scrapbooking Kit Contents
1 – My Reflections™ Brushed Paper Packet (X7190B)
1 – My Acrylix® Brushed Workshop Stamp Set (D-size)
4 – Cardstock Sheets (1 Pear, 1 Slate, 2 White Daisy)
1 – Brushed Assortment (Z3013)
1 – Topiary Striped Washi Tape (Z2002)
1 – Instructional Brochure
Featured Colors: Black, Canary, Juniper, Pixie, Pear, White Daisy, Slate

Option II - G1087  PLUS X7190

The stamp of the month is S1504 Typed Note

Hope to see you there!

March Stamp of the Month

Welcome to the March Stamp of the Month Blog hop.  If you have been hopping with us, then you have arrived from Wendy's blog here.  Isn't her layout cute? Don't worry if you get lost along the way, you can always find your way back by checking Melinda's post here.

                                 

This month's stamp set is S1503 Choose Happy.  It is a collection of funky frames and swirls to accent your cards or layouts.

Here is a mini album from Close to My Heart in which they used the frames to accent the photos in the album.

Here are the supplies used to make this mini album.

7" Wedding Details Mini Album 

S1503 My Acrylix® Choose Happy 

X7190B Brushed Paper Packet 

X5764 Pear Cardstock 

X5930 Slate Cardstock 

X5772 Canary Cardstock 

1385 White Daisy Cardstock

Z1829 Black & Grey Glitter Paper 

Z1847 Green Glitter Paper 

Z2197 Pear Exclusive Inks™ Pad 

Z2173 Slate Exclusive Inks™ Pad 

Z2643 Canary Exclusive Inks™ Pad 

Z2172 Whisper Exclusive Inks™ Pad 

Z1989 Slate Diagonal Striped Ribbon 

Z1932 Silver Geometric Washi Tape 

Z2013 Sequins Silver Assortment 

Z1754 Sparkles Black & Grey Assortment 

Z1263 Bitty Sparkles 

Z1921 Baker’s Twine Neutral Metallic Assortment 

3174 Blending Pen 

Z679 Liquid Glass 

Z1852 Stitch Guide 

Z1859 Foam Mat 

Z1912 Corner Rounder 

Z1906 Cricut® Artbooking Collection 

Z1790 Cricut® Artiste Collection

Cricut® Shapes: 

Artbooking 6" Shift+Overlay (p. 62) 

7" Shift+Photo Mat 1 <9> (p. 46) 

7" Photo Mat 2 <0> (p. 47) 

7" Shift+Photo Mat 2 <[> (p. 47) 

Artiste 2½" and 2¾" Accent 2 <3> (p. 33) 

2¼" Card (p. 62)

Perhaps you envision the stamp sets as an accent to your scrapbook page.

I created a quick card using the Confetti paper pack and the colors canary and thistle.  I created a plaid effect with the swirly lines included in this set.  I used a ShinHan marker to color the white shimmer trim and added some bling to this simple design.

Now it is off to Michelle's blog here to view her beautiful layout.

February Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the February SOTM Blog Hop.  Over 65 consultants are participating in this month's blog hop.   If you have been hopping with us, then you have arrived from Brenda's blog here and viewed her beautiful artwork.

The stamp set this month is S1502 A Happy Hello

The artwork from corp is very cheery and cutesy.

Try as I might to use this stamp in a layout, I just couldn't come up with anything cutesy about my life!  Really... So my design is a card.  I needed a quick card to send off and this one will fit the bill!  A few leftover cut files from a "Cricut Fail" and the card is done!

The inks I used are Pear, Pixie and Thistle.  The greeting is with Slate.  I wanted a dark color but not black.  This worked perfectly!  Now I can write my message and send off my card.

Now it is off to Michelle's blog here where I am sure you will find some uber creative work!