Out of the Box with CTMH and Kaisercraft.

Welcome back.

I hope you all had a good Christmas.  I had a lovely relaxing day and I am now getting back into crafting.

I normally use only CTMH products but the local Spotlight store had a special on Kaisercraft wood kitsets so I bought a few to have a play with.  Apart from the kitset and mod podge everything else I have used in these projects is CTMH.

I love the CTMH papers and the Yuletide Carol papers are just gorgeous and I felt fitted well with this advent calendar.  I have tried to create a picture of a living room with the stockings hung by the tree and the parcels waiting to be opened.  I have sponged all the edges with Desert Sand ink and I love how the wood has turned into an antique gold colour.  I have cut out the centre from the patterned paper and lined it up so that it would be the centre of the box.  I used the red patterned paper to line the boxes (there are a number of You Tube videos that show you how) and after sponging the edges with Desert Sand ink I modpodged them all.  The numbers came with the pack and I have sponged them all with Desert Sand ink and then using Liquid Glass adhered them to the front of the little boxes.  The Christmas tree has been cut in 3 sizes from the Artbooking Cricut cartridge in the green paper from the Yuletide Carol paper pack, and I have adhered them with foam tape to try and create some dimension.  The boxes have been made from the Artiste cartridge and I have tied them up with the metallic bakers twine.  The Santa is from the Yuletide Carol Complements that I have stuck onto some White Colonial cardstock and cut out.  I used tabs of Colonial White cardstock to adhere to the box.  The Merry Christmas is from the Artiste cartridge.

Advent Calendar featuring Kaisercraft and CTMH papers.

 

Here is another kitset this time featuring a bird on a cage.

Bird on a Cage

I have sponged the entire cage with Desert Sand ink and the edges of the bird before mod podging the sorbet coloured paper from the Seaside paper pack.  The paper went really well with some paper flowers that I had purchased last year in a special bundle from CTMH.  The large flower has been cut using Art Philospohy using the pattern from Cathy Derouche (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzs8Sc-BLO4) out of Sorbet cardstock and the edges have been sponged with Sorbet ink.  The paper flowers all coordinated so well with various shades of sorbet to a deep pink with different shapes.  I have cut the leaves from Art Philosophy in Olive cardstock and inked with New England Ivy ink and then I have shaped then before placing them on the cage.  The smaller leaves are from the paper flower packet.  I have finished off with some bling with clear sparkles and the clear sparkle flourishes.

Materials used:

Cardstock – Sorbet, Colonial White, Ruby, New England Ivy, Olive

Paper – Yuletide Carol, Seaside

Yuletide Carol Complements

Inks – Sorbet, Desert Sand, New England Ivy

Cricut Cartridges, Artiste, Art Philosophy, Artbooking

Clear Sparkles

Clear Sparkles Flourishes

Liquid Glass

Foam tape

Metallic Bakers Twine

I hope that you enjoy what I have done today.  Tomorrow I will be working on something for the January 2015 SOTM blog hop.  So watch this space…

Have a good week and Happy Crafting.

Patricia

More Christmas ideas from CTMH

Welcome

This is my last post for the year featuring Christmas craft ideas seeing as it is Christmas Day on Thursday.

I have been inspired by Joy Tracey to make my version of her Artiste ornament.  For the instructions please click here for a link to her blog and the video that she has made to show how this is done.  My version has used Glacier and White Daisy cardstock and I have finished off with a silver sequin and a licorice epoxy bubble.  I bought the silver sparkle tulle from the local variety plus store to complete the ornament.
20141217_105840I have also made some more simple gift tags this time using the Art Philosophy cartridge to make boot shapes. The boots have been cut out with Ruby cardstock and the trims in White Daisy and Black cardstock.  It is hard to see on this photo but I have also put a piece of the white shimmer trim on the boot top for a bit of sparkle.2014-12-14 18.12.12

I also cut some White Daisy cardstock to back the boot so as to be able to write to and from on it.  I have used the stamps from the Holiday Tags stamp set and stamped the images in Ruby ink.

2014-12-14 18.12.25A hole and some slate bakers twine finished off these very quick and easy tags.

Materials used:

Cardstock – White daisy, Glacier, Ruby, Black

Inks – Ruby

Stamps – Holiday Tags

Cricut Cartridges – Art Philosophy, Artiste

Ribbon (NLA)

1 1/4 punch (available while supplies last)

Silver sequin

Licorice epoxy bubbles (NLA)

Slate bakers twine

Liquid glass

White Shimmer trim

These tags and other crafts that I make are available for sale at Gift Hutt in Lower Hutt, New Zealand.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and  may Santa bring you more craft supplies to keep you busy in the New Year!

Happy Crafting

Patricia

 

 

 

CTMH Studio J

Welcome back.

We are coming up to Christmas and lots of photos will be taken so this week I will be featuring the awesome Studio J from Close to My Heart.  This is great software that is FREE to use and you just pay for the layouts and/or a JPEG file.  You can use pre-designed layouts and just add journalling and photos or you can design your own layouts and add embellishments.

For those that have followed me for some time you will remember that I used to do a lot of digital scrapbooking with Creative Memories StoryBook.  Now that is no longer being supported I have switched over to Studio J.  Last month we had a very special deal where we could get a double layout for just $5 which normally  costs $12 so it was a very special deal for us.  New Zealand pays a lot more for their CTMH products but when we have the same deal as Australia, Canada and the United States we certainly win big time.  I took the opportunity to have a play with some layouts and also get some photos printed.

First up  I used a pre-designed layout using the Skylark papers from the last catalogue.  My photos of the orchids went really well with the colours of Skylark and I really didn’t need to add a lot to this layout to detract from the photos.

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Then I had some photos I had taken of my daughter a few years ago and had already scrapped them in her album but I wasn’t happy with what I had done so thought I would have another go with them online and I am very happy with the result except for a typo which I can look at fixing at a later date.  I love that there are a lot of papers and colours from past CTMH releases to choose from and here I have gone for Olivia which went well with the photos – very earthy and ethereal.

lisa-jane_-_1

 

As I said before you can also get your photos printed to then add later to layouts.  You can get all sorts of sizes – 8″ x 6″s, 7″ x 5″s, 6″x 4″s, 4″ x 4″s, 3″ x 3″s , 2″ x 2″s and a number of other different combinations.  Different size photos make for more interesting scrapbook layouts.  Even at $12 a double 12″ x 12″ getting your photos printed this way is good value for money and so much easier sorting out the photos in the comfort of home.  I bought a few of these layouts to cut out later and here is an example of one.

 

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A couple of weeks ago for the SOTM blog hop I did a layout using the Brushed B&Ts and the Cutie Pie stamps and said that I had ordered the photos from Studio J.

CTMH SOTM Dec 2014 Cutie Pie layout

 

Well here is the completed layout with the photos that I had printed.  Doesn’t it make a big difference and I like the fact that I can get specific sizes printed and organise the layouts in advance.  I have also done some journalling and will look at it for a while to see if I need to embellish it more.

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I am sure you will enjoy using Studio J and to help you get started there are also videos on YouTube here that will help you get more out of the programme.  Create an account here and then start playing…

Have a good week and happy crafting.

Patricia

CTMH Quick and Easy Masculine Cards

Welcome to my new followers and I hope that I inspire you with my creative endeavours.

Today I am taking a break from Christmas ideas and thought I would show you some very quick and easy cards using the Seaside papers, the Seaside Greetings  and the Treasure Friendship stamp set.  I love the understated colours of the Seaside papers and the rustic maritime feel to the papers and how the stamp sets coordinate so perfectly with the papers.

My first card was extremely quick and easy to do.  I just used a combination of the papers – the rustic stripe and the knot paper and then a strip of the blue spots,and then just added the square durable studs and a birthday greeting in Desert Sand ink.   The knot paper looks like a rope when using a thin strip on each end of a strip of coordinating paper.   How simple is that and I am sure any man would love to get this card!CTMH Quick and easy Seaside masculine card

My next card was another one based on my favourite pattern from Make if From Your Heart Volume 2 pattern 28.  This time I have used the blue spotted paper and for the centre strip I have used the Glacier coloured Whimsy Paper Fundamentals paper – which is a shiny and stunning patterned paper and it coordinated well with the green Pear cardstock and the stripped paper strip with the Teal shimmer trim.

CTMH Seaside masculine cardAs I finished this card I put it aside and then glanced round to find the sun shining on the card and the Paper Fundamentals paper literally gleamed in the sun.  I have tried to capture the effect but you really need to buy this paper to really get the full effect.  Straight on the paper looks just like patterned paper, but here you can see the quatrefoil pattern really glow.

CTMH Seaside and Paper Fundamentals cardMy final card I looked at doing a similar card to what I had done earlier in the year here, but this time stretching myself to use the Sorbet colour instead of the usual greens and blues.  I stamped the shells with Sorbet and Desert Sand inks and fussy cut them out and placed them on the lovely marine paper background.  Again I have used the same Paper Fundamentals paper for the top part and then placed the orange zip strip across.  I stamped the sentiment in Sorbet ink on Colonial White cardstock and then matted with Glacier and Sorbet cardstock.  I think the colours work really well together and it is good for me to challenge myself to work different colours and combinations.

CTMH Seaside seashells cardI must admit Close to My Heart make it so easy to mix and match totally different colours with their Reflections range so don’t be afraid to experiment.

Materials used:

Cardstock – Colonial White, Pear, Glacier

Papers – Seaside B&Ts, Whimsy Paper Fundamentals

Inks – Sorbet, Desert Sand, Pear

Stamps – Treasure Friendship, Seaside Greetings

Square Durables Studs

Green and Blue Epoxy Bubbles

Teal shimmer trim

As you can see the list of ingredients is very small and all materials are available on my website here.  The finished cards are available for sale at Gift Hutt.

Have a good week and Happy Crafting

Patricia

 

 

 

 

 

Great Gift Ideas from CTMH

Welcome back.

I have been really busy with making lots of cards, tags and general gift items to sell at Gift Hutt.  I have been seeing a lot on Facebook where people have gone to YouTube for inspiration to make boxes and general gift basket type items and I thought I would have a look through the CTMH Cricut cartridges and see what I can come up with. The Artiste cartridge came up trumps with a purse box and I could also coordinate cards and envelopes to match the edging.  I was able to get 5 little cards and envelopes to fit into each purse to make a fabulous Christmas or birthday gift.

CTMH Brushed flower purse.CTMH Purse with cardsCTMH - inside the purse

 

 

 

The purse, envelopes and cards are all found on page 31 of the Artiste booklet.  The purse was cut at 3.6″ and just fitted onto the 12 x 12 mat.  I cut one out with Pixie and the other out with Cotton Candy cardstock.  I then used Cricut Craftroom to size the envelopes and cards to match – unfortunately I cannot give exact measurements as it took a bit of manipulation to get the sizes to match.  I now use CCR all the time as it is easier to use the layers to check the sizes and these came out perfect on the first cut.

For the Pixie purse I have then traced the shape of the areas I wanted covered with the diamond patterned paper from the Brushed Reflections range and then cut them out and glued them onto the purse with liquid glass and trimmed any excess with sharp scissors.  I have added strips of pink and the new white shimmer trim onto the front and then placed the vellum flowers from the Brushed Complements onto a piece of scrap White Daisy cardstock and then fussy cut it out and glued it onto the front with liquid glass and topped the flowers off with silver sequins.  For the flap I have used the diamond patterned paper and this time change it the other way and cut a small trim of 3/4″ and then placed a strip of the white shimmer trim over it and placed it on the flap and then trimmed the ends to match the flap.  I have placed a flower from the Brushed Assortment pack on the front and used one of the small hook & loop dots available from CTMH to help hold the purse together.  Finally I have cut a strip of matching cardstock size 6/8″ x 10 inches and glued the edges to the inside of the purse for a small strap handle.

The Cotton Candy purse has a strip of patterned paper – 1″ wide then trimmed with Cotton Candy cardstock 3/4″ wide and then finished off with a strip of white shimmer tape and then placed along the bottom of the purse on the front and two sides.  I then used the A Budding Friendship stamp set and stamped 4 of the small flowers with Cotton Candy ink and overstamped the edges with the edge stamp in Black ink.  These are great little stamps as they end up looking like a watercolour and ink image and there is no need to be really fussy with the outcome.  I have done the same using the small leaf stamps in Pear ink.  I then arranged three flowers over the trim and coordinated the leaves around the flowers.  I have used liquid glass again as I have found that over time the glue tends to melt – particularly in my warm and sunny Gift Hutt.  For the flap I happened to have a spare envelope that I tore as I was getting it off the mat and it fitted perfectly on the flap and I trimmed it down to fit the flap, and I have just used the white shimmer trim as a strip to tie in with the rest of the purse.  I then glued another flower and set of leaves in the centre of the trim.  To finish the flowers I have place silver sequins and pink glitter gems to add a little bling.

As I said the cards and envelopes came from the same page and I have used CCR to size them.  I have kept the cards simple using the Brushed papers and the stamp from the Fabulous You stamp set and

CTMH small brushed card and envelope

 

The shapes for the sentiment have been cut out using the Art Philosophy cartridge and again I have used CCR to ensure that the White Daisy shape matches with the larger patterned paper shape as I have found that cutting two shapes only 1/4″ difference will not exactly match up on all sides.  To coordinate with both purses I have again made the trims from patterned paper, coordinating cardstock and white shimmer trim – can you tell how much I love this new trim!  This is now available from the new Seasonal Inspirations catalague just out today.

CTMH Brushed envelopes

The envelopes were very easy to assemble and I have just added a small amount of double sided tape to use when giving the card to someone.

Both these purses will be available for purchase at Gift Hutt for $15 each.

Materials used:

Cardstock – Pixie, Cotton Candy, White Daisy

Paper – Brushed B&Ts

Brushed Assortments

Brushed Complements

Stamps – Fabulous You, A Budding Friendship

Inks – Cotton Candy, Black

White Shimmer trim

Cricut Cartridges – Artiste, Art Philosophy

Liquid Glass

Hook & Loop Dots

Silver sequins

Pink Glitter gems

Happy Crafting

Patricia

 

CTMH Australasian SOTM Blog Hop – Cutie Pie

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Hello and welcome aboard our Stamp of the month Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Doris Taylor Creative Inspirations,  then you are in the right place. If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post.

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Today I would like to share with you a scrapbook layout and of course some cards which features the December SOTM Cutie Pie  which is available exclusively throughout December for $33 or for just $5 when you spend $75.

I was really looking forward to getting this stamp set as I had the perfect photos to do a scrapbook layout with them.  I have some photos from when my family went to the Sweet Pea cafe for a High Tea and was waiting for the opportunity for scrap them.  I have ordered my photos from Studio J while they were on special last month at just $5 per layout.  I was able to order a mix of sizes and then sorted out my layout to match the photo sizes.  Studio J doesn’t just do scrapbook layouts – you can also do photos and you can get them in lots of different sizes from 2 x 2, 3 x 3, 3 x 4, 4 x 4, 6 x 4 , 5 x 7 and larger photos in a 12 x 12 page and just cut them up when you get them for your layouts.

 

For this layout I have used the pattern 10 from the Make it From Your Heart Volume 2.  I love the How To books from CTMH as they make it so easy to get stunning layouts without too much effort.   After all why invent the wheel again.

CTMH SOTM Dec 2014 Cutie Pie layout

 

I have used the Brushed paper pack and I am getting low on supplies now so had to do a little juggling but I am happy with the finish.  I have gone with Juniper and Pear accents to cut down on the pinkiness of the overall layout.

The cute cupcakes screamed paper piecing so I have stamped the base image on Cotton Candy cardstock and then again on the yellow flowers on the large flower patterned paper and just cut out the cupcake wrapper and then stamped again on the pink diamond paper and cut just the frosting out and then adhered the shapes on the base cardstock.  These images were really easy to fussy cut out and because of the double layers I did not need to use foam tape to add dimension.  I have topped the cupcakes with a clear sparkle coloured in with Carmine Shinhan Touch Twin markers to coordinate and add a touch of bling to the overall layout.

CTMH SOTM Dec 2014 Cutie Pie

 

On the other side I have stamped the lace doily image from the Sweet and Lovely Artbooking Cricut Bundle, which worked in really well with the cupcakes and overall theme, with versamark ink onto a precut shape from the Artbooking cartridge in Cotton Candy cardstock and embossed in white embossing powder.  I love the effect of the lace doily and it just fitted well with the overall theme of High Tea.  The ‘sweet’ stamp has come from the same stamp set and I have stamped three images in Juniper, Canary and Cotton Candy inks and then fussy cut them out.

 

CTMH SOTM Dec 2014 close up of layout

 

I will probably tweak this a little once I get my photos and may add some of the new Pixie Extra Thick twine that has just been released with the new Seasonals Catalogue out today.

 

After finishing the layout I had to make a card using the same lace doily and this time I have cut it in half to create the effect of a lace tablecoth and then paper pieced another cupcake and the cake plate to add onto it.  I have used the Damask embossing folder to create a textured table cloth and paired the table cloth with the pink diamond paper.  I have used the zip strip as a border and placed a piece of the beautiful new white shimmer trim for some extra bling.  Again I have topped the cupcake with a coloured sparkle.  I love this little sentiment which is guaranteed to bring a smile to anyone.

 

CTMH SOTM Dec 2014 Cutie Pie card

 

 

For this card I have used my favourite pattern from the MIFYH Volume 2 pattern 28 and this time I have trimmed the yellow flower paper with Cotton Candy cardstock and some more white shimmer trim and then used my scallop edge punch on the green trim to place at the top.  It now looks like curtains in a wind0w (my imagination is working overtime).

CTMH SOTM Dec 2014 Cutie Pie card no 2

 

Finally I have used the same pattern and turned the card into a portrait card (I know the measurements off by heart now!).  This paper is gorgeous and goes from yellow to a deep pink with a bubble effect.  This time the trim has been made using Canary and Cotton Candy cardstock with the white shimmer trim.  The cake dish has been stamped directly onto the White Daisy cardstock and the cupcake has been paper pieced with the pink diamond paper.  I have popped this cupcake with the new thinner foam tape which is lovely as it is a more subtle dimension.  I have just realised that I need to put a pink sparkle on the top and will do that tomorrow.  I love putting the sequins on to lift the card a little with some bling.

 

CTMH SOTM Cutie Pie card

Cutie Pie  is only available until the 31st December from your CTMH consultant here.  I’d love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop,  Anne’s Blog, Mummy you made this?

Materials Used:

Cardstock – White Daisy, Juniper, Canary, Cotton Candy, Pear

Paper – Brushed B&T Duos

Stamps – Cutie Pie, Sweet & Lovely Cricut Bundle Artbooking

Inks – Black, Juniper, Cotton Candy, Canary, Versamark

White Shimmer Trim

Cricut Cartridge – Artbooking, Art Philosophy

Embossing Folder – Damask

Scallop edge punch

White Embossing powder

Clear Sparkles

Silver Sequins assortment

Shinhan Touch Twin marker – carmine

Have a good week and Happy Crafting

Patricia