New Product Blog Hop featuring Julep!

If you're joining me from Michelle's Blog, welcome to our New Product Blog Hop!!! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.

If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog

This month we have many Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using product just released from our newest Seasonal Expression Idea Book!

Welcome our newest colour JULEP to the Close To My Heart family!!! 

This quite possibly could become your new favourite colour, as it has mine!

I created this layout using some of our *new Mix-In papers, Julep cardstock and Julep Glitter paper.  (I will have a full list at the end of this post)

Time to get more trip photos scrapbooked and into albums! This was a selfie taken at the top of a tower in a heritage park in Thailand...it was a scorcher of a day, super humid AND all females had to cover their arms and legs to enter the park.

I've used a SVG cut for the stacked 'joy' title and backed the 'O's with scraps of the mix-in pack. I also cut out several leaves from Charcoal cardstock and used our *new Thin-Cuts layered Leaves, which has been added to my favourite things list as well!

We joined forces with renowned calligraphy and lettering expert Melissa Esplin...I've added the image 'today, I choose joy' from the *new Joy by Melissa Esplin exclusive stamp set! This was stamped in Charcoal ink and backed on White Daisy cardstock, cut from our Stitched Circle Thin Cut die. The Julep glitter paper matting this sentiment was cut from the inside of the Shaker Thin Cut die...I absolutely LOVE the fonts used in this set.

You may have also noticed the lovely butterfly above?...meet our Exclusive Stamp & Thin Cut included in the *new Every Little Thing Cardmaking Workshop kit! Ummmm...yes please!

Thanks so much for taking the time today to check out our Hop...I know you'll have found LOTS of new product you LOVE...most of the products you'll see are only available September 1st to October 31st...so don't delay if there's some items you must have! Contact your Consultant to place an order or head to the Consultant locator on closetomyheart.com to find one near you!

Now head on over to Lauren's Blog to continue on with the Hop!

Supplies Used:

X6029 Julep cardstock

X5953 Charcoal cardstock

1385 White Daisy cardstock

X9007 Mix-In Paper Packet 

Z3506 Julep Glitter Paper

Z3507 Julep Glitter Gems

Z3523 Thin-Cuts Layered Leaves (6 dies)

D1868 Joy by Melissa Esplin (8 stamps)

Z2831 Charcoal Ink Stamp Pad

Z2805 Black Ink Stamp Pad

Z3367 Vellum Paper

Z4181 Stitched Circles  (4 dies)

Z4309 Shaker Window & Confetti (4 dies)

Just Nick digital SVG 'joyful'

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Christmas Traditions

Merry Christmas! and many blessing for your New Year ahead!

I am here, not very present this past month to say the least but here now...does that count? I really have missed the interaction I get on my Blog...the new year promises to be charged with exciting new things and a renewed commitment to my 'Kraft' and my blogging :) 

Early in the year I was asked to be a Contributing DT for one of the Let's Scrap challenges. Now if you have followed along on my site over the years you would know that I am a HUGE fan of everyone there, have served multiple DT terms and LOVE all their sketches, challenges and events! The Administration Team there is so hard working and packed with lovely ladies from all over the globe! I would love to re-join the ranks of talented ladies for a future DT term, but for now I'd like to share my layout for today's challenge over at Let's Scrap.

Ezme is hosting today's challenge and the criteria was to use any Let's Scrap sketch, incorporate a featured technique from the site, add some stitching and scrapbook something about your Heritage, an important event or tradition...this is what I did:

This layout is highlighting our family's love of games...during the holidays we spend many hours playing various games...one of our family favourites is Monopoly...we currently own 11 different versions of this game! I thought it was fitting to refer to this as the 12 days of games as we play one game or another almost daily :)

Pink Paislee has a great Christmas line out currently called Snow Village...I picked up a handful of sheets and an Ephemera pack...makes for some quick and easy scrapbooking!

My main tag was created using some of the Ranger Distress Stains...I am loving playing with this medium and anything Tim Holtz is magical!!! 

Tags are one of my newest loves {heart}

The Ephemera pack makes short work of embellishing...consider grabbing one for your next paper purchase...these bits will work nicely with my Project Life pages as well.

Thanks so much for stopping in today! I've missed this and you, so I need to get busy playing with my paper and glue so I can get back into my bloggin' routine once again!

 

Sizzlin' Summer Sketch#1

Well I warned you that we've got some great sketches coming your way this month...

five {5} a week as a matter of fact! 

So here's our Sizzlin' Summer sketch#1

Fun huh? Now I do promise to show photos other that Hawaii this month too...but this ones of my daughter at the Luau we went to on Christmas Eve...I'll end up adding this layout to her personal album as I am trying to finish up our holiday album I'm discovering that I have a lot of photos...who'da thunk that huh? Anyways, seeing as I have lots of photos to put into the family holiday album, I've decided to put some of the solo layouts of my kids into their own albums.

I just recently picked up some of the new My Mind's Eye 'Find Your Wings and Fly' paper collection, brad assortment and sticker sheet...love these soft colours! I've dug into my stash of Washi tape as well and added it along the top.

Thanks so much for stopping by and make sure you head on over to Scrapbook Challenges and upload your creation from this sketch to the gallery! More to come tomorrow!

Up for some Challenges?

Every month over at Scrapbook Challenges we like to mix things up with different ways to inspire you or to get your creative juices flowing! Typically we, the Design Team, offer our members challenges meant to get you thinking and imagine that 'challenge' your creativity!

While I am more of a traditional scrapbooker in my style, I LOVE all the creative digital scrapbook layouts in the Gallery over at SBC too!

This month I've hosted a challenge to 'Scraplift' a digital layout from our gallery...I've already chosen the layout I want you to use, you just need to get creative using Jenny's layout as inspiration...easy right? Now seeing as I am just getting to this post on my blog here...you haven't got much time...but luckily the sketch design is so easy, all you need to do is dig into your bin of strips and scraps and start gluing them down!!!

Now here's Jenny's layout:

Click on this image to view Jenny's Gallery

Now here's my scraplift of her layout:

This one came together super easy only because I tend to keep little bits of this and that stored in this old embroidery floss storage container...all of my Project Life embellies get thrown into this container and it comes in handy when I want to add a little of this and that...

All of the little wood veneer bits fit well in here as well as those odd die cut bits and button badges...you get the idea!

Using the Echo Park Paradise Beach sticker sheet and some little bits of leftover paper strips...add in some washi tape and random stickers and embellies...

I had this 'today' cut out from my Silhouette machine for another project but didn't use it, so after coming across it in my hunt for embellies, I figured it worked well for my title :)

Something I like to do is have a bunch of pre-cut clouds in different shades of white and creme, cardstock and patterned paper as well...I toss them into a little pouch of die cut bits and have them handy when creating...I love to use the die-cut bits in my layouts and sometimes having to take the time to pull out my machines to do so is a deterrent...seeing as I'm on the road and didn't bring my machines up with me to the cabin for the month...having these bits ready to use in my pouch came in handy ;)

Did you notice that lovely bright yellow 'moments' circle? It's from Elle's Studio...haven't heard of it? Well I had the pleasure to meet her at the Crop and Create event in Burnaby a couple months ago, she is such a lovely lady and has a super line of products, be sure to click on the link above to check her line of products out! 

As you can see, having all these great little bits laying around from various companies, in an orderly fashion, make quick work of creating layouts...this page has lots to entertain you but the photo of my son is still sitting centre stage!

Thanks so much for stopping by and following me!

 

Scrap Your Story sketch

Hello! Happy to have you here :)

Just wanted to share this fun new challenge site and sketch with you this afternoon...ScrapYour Story is a new place to find challenges and last week they had a sketch for us to play with!!! While I was a dollar short and a penny late for entering this challenge I still created a layout with the sketch and wanted to share it with all of you!

 Fun photos of my son tubing on Osoyoos Lake in BC a couple summer vacations ago! Using up some of my Bo Bunny papers and embellies to whip up this layout!!!

Once again, showing the convenience of purchasing those matching sticker sheets that have embellishments and letters on them! Make the title work fast and it all looks great together :)

The chipboard bits are from my leftover Footloose pack from Close To My Heart...colours worked well together and I'm a few embellishments less in my thousand plus STASH!!!

Why don't you grab a couple photos and some papers and do a quick page? This one will be done up in no time and you are guaranteed to feel great after completing it! 

Nostalgia

Good Morning!

I have been enjoying the My Mind's Eye 'Nostalgia' collection lately and a couple of great sketches I thought I'd share with you this morning!

First up is Scrapbook Challenges sketch from Monday and some older photos from my childhood, these are slides that I have scanned and then tweaked on iPhoto and printed. There aren't that many of me as a younger child as we didn't take that many photos back in the day of 35mm film...

This paper collection is aptly named Nostalgia as it really worked well with these old photos...

I still need to journal on these layouts but I will need to talk to my parents and see if they remember where these photos were taken and the approximate year etc.

Not sure if you can make out what we are eating in this photo, but we were camping with my Dad and he figured that a cold can of pork and beans was good enough for dinner with some bread and butter!

I'm loving my Silhouette machine and these cut arrows, so cute!

Here's the single and double sketch from Scrapbook Challenges

Now moving onto today's Let's Scrap sketch I wasn't quite finished with the 'Nostalgia' papers and stickers yet and this was literally a ten minute layout, easy peasy....I just used the RHS of the sketch as it worked with my photos :)

Now the great thing about getting paper packs is that they usually include a sticker sheet and a die cut sheet, so when you are working with these paper packs, your layouts can always come together nice and quick...

I simply raised my 'memory' die cut with 3D foam tape for added dimension and found some pre-made tags from another paper collection (Pink Paislee's new 'Portfolio') and that was that! Still need to journal on this one too...gonna need to bring these over to my parents house and have a coffee and some conversation!

the pink scalloped strip was from the border sticker sheet that came with theses papers, did I say this one was fast and easy?!

This is today's sketch from Let's Scrap...

Thanks so much for stopping in today and I hope you have a chance to play along with these great sketches!

Paris in Springtime

Olivia went to Paris with her school in Grade 11 which was about 20 months ago! I haven't scrapbooked any of her photos until last weekend at all but I think I felt the desire to start working on them seeing as my Mother is currently in Paris with her girlfriend!

She decided, upon her daughter's suggestion (that's me!) to start a daily blogging journal for those of us stuck at home, so we can keep up on her adventures and see some of the sights she is seeing while she's still there! I like that my Mother is also posting photos of what they are eating and describing it all in great detail...wonderful idea to blog your trip even for your own benefit!

Anyways, this layout is using some fantastic papers and embellies from Basic Grey and odd bits from Making Memories...I love the peaceful feeling I get when I look at this photo that Olivia took on her visit to Paris,wish I was there!

Great chipboard embellies from BG, made putting this layout together fast and easy!

Here's last weeks sketch#316 from Scrapbook Challenges, I've used the single page but I've also included the double page layout below.

Now I've used the double page layout sketch#317 from this week at Scrapbook Challenges and started in theory but then went off on my own! I like that sketches are always a great starting point, but often we just get going on our own after that!

More Basic Grey papers and Bazzill cardstock

Using up the last of my Close To My Heart folded ribbon, love this stuff!

Purchasing some of the embellies that coordinate with your papers is always a great idea as it makes it short work creating a layout when you aren't hunting around for those embellies to match!

I've used up some scrap airplane ribbon from Making Memories, love that ribbon!

The double and single sketches from Scrapbook Challenges this week!

 I hope you are having a fantastic week and thanks for stopping in here :)

Remember to Always Laugh!

Words of Wisdom from me! How does the saying go again...You can't control what happens, but you can control how you react to what happens...I say the best remedy is to never forget to laugh at yourself and in life...I hope my kids always remember to laugh!

Now I've been a little MIA this week...been fighting a brutal cold/flu and I'm only just today feeling like my head isn't going to explode! I threw this layout together in less than an hour because it's this weeks sketch at Scrapbook Challenges and seeing as I've been sick...could only muster up that much to get it done!

I've been hangin onto these papers from Studio Calico for a while and even though I've used two busy papers here, I like them together...I love the road map and the globes...it kinda supports where my daughter is right now in her life...

Have I mentioned that I love to buy the matching sticker sheets to papers before? I'm sure I have several times :) here's a perfect example of why they make a layout come together quick and easy!

Our Close To My Heart Cork alphabets are the 'bomb' as they say! I love them, texture, colour and size...perfect for titles!

Check out the Gallery Gems I chose this week over at SC Blog too! I love it when I can recognize some fellow crafty peeps and their awesome work! 

3..2..1...go!

OK, this one is great...nice and easy if you are a single pager or in the mood for a single pager...also a great sketch this week if you have a stash of paper left over...

I opened my Disney Album, which I might add is a work in progress...I get bored easily and like to scrap what moves me...I found these pics printed out already and luckily printed in a 3X4 format so it was easy to crop them down to the 3X2 in this sketch...mind you I only had three mini pics printed so I used them...

I had two sheets of patterned paper in the sleeve in my album with these photos...obviously I bought them with the intention to scrap these photos, so it made short work to throw this layout together with this perfect sketch!

The reverse of the red PP was filled with these road signs...so they came in perfectly to fussy cut and create the embellishments with!

 Here's the double page sketch for this week...another great one for those photos you just can't leave behind...9 photos! Wow!!!

Have fun with this one...use up those scraps and left over bits...