Mojo Monday Card

It's time for another card using the Mojo Monday weekly sketch! While everyone else is probably busy creating Christmas cards, I used the sketch this week to make a birthday card. My mother, my younger brother and my son all have birthdays in the month of December. Mom's birthday is first, so I made her card using this week's sketch:

I used some retired Close To My Heart paper out of my overflowing paper stash. The paper and sentiment are from the Floral Tapestry kit. I used Twilight and Cranberry cardstocks, and twilight ribbon. I think it's a little hard to see in the photo, I sponged the edges of the vanilla cream cardstock with twilight ink. I'm anxious to see next week's sketch, to get a card ready for my son, he's the next in line to celebrate a birthday, and it's his 21st, so we'll celebrate big this year! I'm off to the post office now, gotta get this card to Texas before the weekend, thanks for stopping by!

CTMH Avonlea Bracket Frame

Even though it doesn't look like it outside, and the temps don't exactly show it, it's beginning to look and feel like Christmas around here! It took me a while to get the tree put up and finished, but that is done, and the stockings are hung. And I've been busy making Christmas cards and a few Christmas presents. I have one gift that I am extremely excited about completing, and I have been anxiously trying to share it on here! When I went to Close To My Heart's annual convention in July, I won a bag full of new products, including the display tray, My Creations star, and the My Creations bracket frame. It has taken me until now to finally assemble the bracket frame, but I think it was worth the wait.

This was created with the Avonlea paper pack from CTMH. I love the way the brown on the outside of the frame, brings out the little bit of brown on the interior paper! This frame was created at the St Louis training this fall, but Colonial White paper was used on the outside, instead of the Chocolate paper. I think I prefer my version a little bit more. The rosettes on the bottom corner were created with the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge. The alphabet at the bottom is the Houndstooth alphabet, sponged with Slate ink to bring out the pattern. I wish this wasn't being retired in the spring, but maybe that means something even better is in the new idea book! Bakers twine and sparkles complete the look. With the "Together" sentiment, I envision adding a family picture, a newly married couple, or even 3 generations of family that get together every Christmas. I can't wait to see what picture my friend puts in this frame! I have another one of these dimensional frames that I'm going to finish as a gift, and I'm thinking I'm going to use paper from the Stella paper pack. I have it all worked out in my head, just need to squeeze in the time to complete it. I need to finish the wooden crosses I am embellishing with the Roxie paper pack, then I'll get back to these frames. Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

Got my mojo back!

It feels so good to be back into my craft room! I think it has been weeks since I've been able to dedicate the time that I needed to create. Between my schoolwork, my son's schoolwork, and our travels, I really couldn't fit crafting in. I spent yesterday playing with paper, and created a beautiful Christmas layout that I'm anxious to share. So far this morning, I was able to quickly pull together a Christmas card using this week's Mojo Monday sketch. Boy, it feels good to cut and stamp again! Here is the card I created using Mojo Monday sketch #269:

 I used the Pear and Partridge paper pack from Close To My Heart to create my card. Cranberry cardstock was used on the background, with a small piece of Desert Sand cardstock also. The circle images were cut using Close To My Heart's Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge. I also accented with the Almond Glitz Glitter gel. This card came together so quickly, it may be the card that my group will create when we get together this Friday night.  My customers will also be making this two page layout that I created yesterday, using the Pear and Partridge pack. I have a couple of customers that don't have little children at home for the typical Christmas photos, so I tried to create a layout that is not so specific to Santa. I can see pictures of  a Christmas tree, or favorite ornaments added to this layout. Sometimes it's hard to see in the photos, but a few of these photo mats are popped up with foam tape for dimension. All three of the rectangles that have ribbon on them were added to the layout with the foam tape.

I have really enjoyed having the time this week to play, maybe I can get all of my layouts created before Christmas gets here! I hope you've enjoyed seeing my creations, thanks for stopping by!

Our Thanksgiving

We have finally made it home from our travels. We arrived home yesterday morning, about 3am. And today, I am truly, truly, thankful for my own bed! That sounds like such a selfish thing, but after 10 days in hotels, my body is feeling very old and worn out, it's good to be home. I was so happy to be home, doing my own thing. My guys cleaned all the suitcases out of the vehicle before I was even out of bed yesterday. I didn't even touch laundry or any cleaning, I went straight to work putting up our Christmas tree! I had taken all of the fall decor down and packed it away before leaving, and the house looked so empty. I rearranged my living room, and have most of the decorations up. Hope to finish them tonight, and get pictures posted this week.
I didn't get very many pictures of our Thanksgiving this year. This is the second year in a row that we have spent the holiday at Gatorback Cycle Park in Florida. I am blessed that I was able to be there with my husband and son again this year. It's a strange feeling, to not be cooking the feast for our families, but it was relaxing. Again this year, after a day of watching this:

(that's my little boy on the blue bike) it felt good to let somebody else do the work of cooking and serving. We were able to get in the chow line early, and had our turkey sitting at a picnic table. Unfortunately, it was too dark to get any pictures. I'm not sure where we'll be next Thanksgiving, but maybe I'll get more pictures then!
I've got a lot of catching up to do here on the homefront. We managed to get through yesterday without my running to the grocery store, but it's on my list of "gotta do" things for today. That, and picking up the mail that was held at the post office, and sorting through all the bills. It's a good thing yesterday was a relaxing sort of day, today's going to be busy! Thanks for stopping by, have a great day.

On the road again

Good afternoon my blogging friends! As you can see by my title, we're traveling again today. We arrived in Alabama much later than we hoped to Friday night, but it worked out ok. The weather was perfect motorcycle weather, mid 60's. My son got a lot of great riding in at Monster Mountain MX park. There were several families there over the weekend. yesterday, he pretty much had the track to himself.
Today, we packed up early, like on the road at 6:30 early! Making our way to Florida. We'll get in early enough today to watch some of the Supercross racing at Mini-o's. Tomorrow my son starts racing, yeah!
With all this traveling, I started and finished a book, Confessions of a Shopahaulic. This was funny, a good traveling book.
I have also had a lot of cross stitch time. I finished my Little House piece, and started another. I would love to post pictures, but can't from this phone. I'll post pictures next week.
I think I'll hang my head out the window with the dog, the fresh air feels so good! Have a great day!

Taking another trip

Sometimes it feels like all I do is drive, drive, drive. Already this week, I've been to Tennessee and back, and today we are leaving for Alabama. The trip to TN was bittersweet. I'm so glad my family and  I were able to be there, to help our dear daughter in law Lindsey move the last of the furniture out of the house into storage. And at the same time, sad that we had to be there to help Lindsey move, because it means my son has deployed for a while. I am so proud of my son for the choices he's made, and I pray for his safe return home.
Today, we are packing up the van and heading south. The weather in Indiana is finally turning too cold for my son to ride his dirtbike, so we are headed to greener pastures. We'll spend a few days in Alabama, and from there head to Florida for a week. I traveled this same route with my son last year and I cherish the time together. It is impossible however, to tote my scrapping and card making supplies across the US with me. For a couple of weeks, I will not have paper creations to share, only my cross stitching and motocross pictures to share until I return home, and then I'll have to make up for lost time!
Thankfully, I have another son to keep an eye on the homestead for us. I did such a silly thing yesterday. I knew it needed to be done, and had to do it while I had the money. I took my two kittens in to be spayed and neutered! This morning, they seem to have recovered very well, jumping around and playing as if nothing happened. I hope they don't pull a stitch while I'm gone!
Suitcases waiting to be packed. It looks like it's going to be a long day, but the sun's coming up and it's going to be a pretty one! Have a great day, thanks for stopping by.

Technical Difficulties

Anyone in my family will openly agree, I am "electronically challenged". This applies to watches, smartphones, and yes, to computers. My husband works with computers and phone systems every day, so after all these years, one would think I had picked up a few tips. Instead, I think I became more dependent on him. So sad, but true. I admit my weakness here, because today is the first time this week that I have been successful getting into my blogger account! For some reason, every time I tried to log in, I received an error message that the administrator would not allow access. Hmm, since it's my laptop, I assume I am the administrator, why would I change my access all of a sudden, and how did I do that? Maybe I have the issue solved, and can get back to sharing more next week. I'm not even going to pretend that I'll get a Mojo card posted this weekend. My youngest son will be racing this weekend, probably the last motocross race in central Indiana, since the weather has turned cold all of a sudden. But, it is November already, it is to be expected! The weather is exactly why we are planning a great escape. Hopefully in the next week, after my stitches are removed, my son and I will be headed south, so he can ride where it's warm. I'm looking forward to sitting in the sun to do my schoolwork for a few weeks, hopefully weather will cooperate. Hope you're having a great day, time for me to get some assignments done!

Mojo Monday 265

I am on a creative roll today! I didn't even get started on the fall banner I was considering, but I did manage a card with this week's Mojo Monday sketch instead, yeah! When I was digging through old wooden stamps for my Halloween banner this morning, I found an old Close To My heart set with a scarecrow, a crow, and the saying "Hay there".  Here's the card I came up with:

Digging through my stash of papers, I found this striped paper from a pack called Cocoa Cafe from Close To My Heart. I added Cocoa and Cranberry cardstocks to complete this square card.  To finish the fall feeling, a sunflower with a button in the center, tied with a bit of raffia. I can't wait to put this in the mail this week, I think he's so cute! Thanks for stopping by!

Halloween Banner Finished

I started making a Halloween banner back in September, thinking I could add it to my mantle this year. I just finished it this morning, a little late to enjoy it this year. At least I'm a step ahead for next Halloween! I cut all of the banner pieces with the Cricut Artiste cartridge. I actually had a scarecrow in the center panel of this, may be why I never finished it. I knew the scarecrow wasn't what I was going for, just couldn't quite pull it all together. Check out my little witch in the center

I added pop dots under the bat and the stars around the witch to add some dimension.  I masked the moon, and sponged yellow and orange around it.

I added an image with pop dots on every section of the banner for a little depth. I did all of my coloring with watercolor pencils and blending pen. Once I got going, I was so anxious to get this little project onto my finished list! All products are Close To My Heart, some this year's, some from days gone by. I even pulled out some old wooden blocks for this! Let me know what you think. I'm so happy to have a rainy day today, and happy to be playing. Maybe I'll start on a fall banner! Have a great day

A Little Under the Weather

Feeling a little guilty this week for not posting, and yet not feeling up to much productivity either. Went to the dr the other day just to have some cysts looked at. I kinda joked with my hubby before I went, that maybe the doc would just cut these things out, and I could get on with my life. To my surprise, that's exactly what he did! I wasn't really prepared for an outpatient surgery that morning, but my painful cysts are gone! I had some removed years ago, and I had forgotten how painful the lidocaine shots were, four of them into my head! I wasn't feeling the pain of the incision or the stitches when I left the office, so I never thought about the pain that would hit me after lidocaine wore off. I have been a very unhappy person these last couple of days!  With stitches in the back of my head, the side of my head, and a couple spots on the top, I'm finding it hard to get comfortable. I'm thinking another day or two, I'll feel a little more like myself, and be back in my craftroom. Come back and visit, I'm hoping to have something to share this weekend!

Fall is Here

I haven't had as many posts on here lately, I've been taking advantage of the gorgeous Fall weather here in central Indiana. I've spent a couple of days working in the yard, trying to get ahead of the leaves that are falling so quickly from our trees. We have ten acres of property, with a lot of mature trees to enjoy. Here are a couple of pics

 This is my favorite time of year. I love the crunching of the leaves underfoot, and the beautiful colors in my yard. Even though it's a little chilly today, I think I'll pull out the rake, and do a little yardwork, that'll keep me warm! Enjoy the beautiful day, I know I will!

Mojo Monday

Even though it is far from Monday, I have finally completed a card for the sketch for Mojo Monday! Maybe I need to title my posts Mojo Thursday, as that is usually the day I can finally get around to creating. This week, I see there are a a lot of participants with this sketch:

I didn't follow exactly, but pretty close, which I think is the whole idea behind a sketch!

Once again, digging into my stash of old papers. These papers are from a Close To My Heart special years ago, called Cocoa Cafe. I gave a handful of these sheets away last night, and still have quite a bit left over. I love the little bit of Amethyst on the stripe. I offset the square intentionally to be able to see the Amethyst below. The stamp set is also from CTMH, called Fashionista. This card came together so quickly, I just love it! If you have any questions, please let me know, thanks for visiting!

Little House Progress

We've had a couple of rainy, wanna stay inside kind of days here in central Indiana. These are my favorite days, when I can sit with some needlework. My youngest son and I have found a tv series on Netflix that we have been watching obsessively, and I have taken the opportunity to put a few cross stitches in my Little House project, while we sit. Here is the newest version of the house:

I re-stitched the tree and house that I had pulled out last week, and added quite a bit more. At this point, it's more than halfway done, and I love the way it's turning out. I have a homeowner's association meeting to attend tonight, or I'd probably be stitching away the evening. Maybe I can make some progress throughout the week. Thanks for stopping by!

Halloween Decorations

The other day, I mentioned that I love to put out some decorations for fall and Halloween.  I haven't put as much out this year as I usually do, but I wanted to share my mantle. I have a big stone fireplace in my living room, and when you walk in, that is the first thing you see. This is probably my favorite place to display a hodgepodge of items! Because I have very high ceilings in the living room, anything I put up on the mantle has to have some height to it, or it gets lost in the room. The three black candlesticks, with the glittery orange candles are probably my favorite items I put up here. Now that I think about it, maybe I should add a couple of little black spiders, and maybe some raffia on them......

Until next time, have a great day!

Pear & Partridge Card, Mojo Monday Style

Welcome to another version of my Mojo Monday! This week, sketch #263 was probably one of my favorite ones. I really like the addition of the little tab on the right side.  Here's this week's Mojo Monday sketch:

See what I mean, isn't this cute! I used double sided Pear and Partridge paper from Close To My Heart. This is the Christmas paper pack this year:

I used cocoa cardstock for my base, and cranberry cardstock behind the printed paper. I used a CTMH Dimensional Elements Booksmart for my tab, which I had to cut off on the right side.  The beige ribbon is from the Pear and Partridge Workshops on the Go card kit. I used the CTMH October Stamp of the Month, Very Merry Christmas for my stamped words. I'm excited to have another Christmas card already made! Thanks for stopping by!

Halloween's Coming!

For some reason, I always love decorating for Halloween. I don't do a lot of scary decorations, but I love anything with witches, ghosts and most definitely pumpkins. Maybe it's because I know that with Halloween, comes with colder temperatures. And unlike many people, I love it when it's cold outside! Last year, to add to my Halloween decor, I made a 12x12 shadowbox with Halloween images. This year, I used My Creations cubes from Close To My Heart, to make a perpetual calendar. Every side of the cube has a different number, and they can be turned to change the date.

I used stamps and paper from the Moonlight Workshops on the Go. Since I had little pieces left from an old Close To My Heart paper kit, I added those in too. I sponged the numbers with Goldrush ink. I also embellished these cubes with black and gray sparkles. These will look great with my other Halloween creations! Here's another side of the cubes:

These were very simple to create. If you have any questions on them, or would like to order the supplies, let me know. Thanks for stopping by!

Feeling Flirty!

Today is the first time I've had a chance to sit and play with Close To My Heart's new Flirty paper pack. I've had it for a while, but I've been completing so many layouts lately, and the colors and prints in this paper pack are not ones that usually fit with the pictures of the men in my family, so I haven't really dug in. I see myself using this pack mostly for cards. I finally created a card with the Mojo Monday sketch this week. Here's the sketch:

 I love the little banners on this. Once I sat down, my card came together so quickly:

I don't think my lighting was optimal for this shot, but I really liked the card. I added New England Ivy cardstock, as well as a retired CTMH color, Golden Ember for the banners. A little hint of burlap ribbon and a button tied with hemp completed the look. Maybe I'll stick this in the mail to my son and his new wife, I can relate to the situation they are in, as history has  a way of repeating itself. I can remember what it was like for me as a newlywed, unable to be with my husband because I was in college in one city, while the Army had him serving somewhere else. My son is currently stationed in one city, while his new bride finishes law school in another.  They have learned to make the most of their time together, and I am so happy for them.
Thanks for stopping by to see what I've created, have a great day!

Getting things done!

Well, my family all left me alone in the house last night. Of course, I could have spent my time doing a lot of studying, which I feel like I have neglected lately. But, instead, I took advantage of uninterrupted time at my scrapbook table! I have had a pile of layouts started, and last night I actually completed 5 layouts! This is such an accomplishment for me, I was thrilled! I also worked on a Halloween project that I will show later this week, using new CTMH supplies. Check out these layouts-

These photos are all from 2008, my boys look so young! It feels so good just to be able to finish these. I am loving the LOAD Challenge over at Let's Scrap, I am getting so much done! The goal is to complete 31 projects this month. With the pages I completed last night, I am already at 18, I think that's already a record for me in one month! I will attempt to get the others posted later today. Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

Simply Stitchin

I'm going to switch gears around a little bit today. I've been participating in the Mojo Monday card sketches for the last couple of weeks, and I love doing those! I've also participated in the LOAD challenges over at Let's Scrap. For a change of pace this weekend, I picked up one of my favorite hobbies, a little bit of cross stitch. My college roommate taught me to stitch, way back in the '80's, and I was immediately hooked. At the moment, I probably have at least a dozen cross stitch projects started, and I don't always work on the same one. Here is a peek at the one I worked on recently:

This chart was in a copy of For the Love of Cross Stitch magazine from 2000. I have always wanted to complete this, and I finally started it this summer. It was stitching up fast and easy, until I realized I had miscounted. As you can see in the picture, I had to remove the tree to the right of my letters, as well as a little bit of the house. It gets frustrating having to pull out stitches, but I've waited a long time to do this, so I wanted it done right! As the days are getting colder, I'll probably get more stitching done. I love curling up with a light quilt and my needle and floss. Dinner's been sitting in the slow cooker all day, so maybe I'll put in a few stitches tonight. Thanks for stopping by!

Off to a Wedding!

I don't think I'm going to have the time to create my layout for the LOAD challenge today. I'm headed down to Tennessee this morning, my oldest son, the soldier in my recent layouts, is getting married tomorrow! I'm so excited for him and Lindsey! They are forecasting rain for Nashville this weekend, say a prayer for us that it holds off until after their outdoor ceremony. I'll be back on Monday with pictures to share, have a great weekend!

CTMH Florentine, LOAD Challenge Day 4

I'm on a roll, still keeping up with the Layout A Day Challenge from Let's Scrap! As a Close To My Heart consultant, I have a big stack of layouts that I prepare for my customer workshops, most of which I never quite got around to adding photos to. That stack of layouts is quickly shrinking, as I am making the time this month to add the pictures, a little bit of journaling, and move them to albums of pages completed. I am loving this! For today's post, I have pages using CTMH Florentine. These pages were directly out of the Workshops On The Go kit. They were so quick to assemble, using the directions provided. The colors on these pages were perfect for the very few Army pictures I have.

The handsome soldier on these pages is my oldest son. It's such a great feeling to see your children find their passion in life. For Chris, the Army is his passion, so much like his father. Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

Mojo Monday 261

I had to reach way back into a drawer to get this old paper out! I used the retired Close To My Heart paper, At The Game for this card. Here is the Mojo Monday sketch for this week, and the card that I made with it. Again, a masculine card from me, I just can't help it!

CTMH Florentine, LOAD Challenge

Over at Let's Scrap, there is currently a LOAD (Layout A Day) Challenge going on. I decided to join in, hoping to catch up a little bit on my scrapping. I assembled a layout on day one, but only had one of the pictures handy to put on the page, so I didn't get it posted yesterday.  However, today, I did complete my layout, I'm so happy! I've wanted to scrap these pictures for two years now, it's a relief to get them done.

I used paper from the retired CTMH Florentine paper pack, with the addition of Twilight and Garden Green cardstocks. I've got a layout started for tomorrow, and was picking out papers for my Mojo Monday card this week. Check back for some new artwork!

CTMH Dakota Barn Star

It's been a great week here. My oldest son Chris, from the photo in my last post, has been home for a visit. I didn't get very much crafting done while he was here, but we got some fun family photos, that I will probably share at some point! In the meantime, I am excited to share the barn star that I created using the CTMH Dakota paper pack!

I used the new Whisper cardstock for the background behind the paisley print. The rosette and the banner were created with cuts from the new Cricut Artiste cartridge. In the center, I added a pewter embellishment. I love the way this turned out, it even matches the colors in my house! Thanks for looking, have a great day!

Mojo Monday 260

It's the middle of the week, but I finally got my Mojo Monday challenge completed! This week was different for me, being able to choose between a round or a square card. Here is the sketch:

I love the versatility of creating a round card! So here is my card for this week:

I used the new Moonlight paper from Close To My Heart, with the addition of Black, Goldrush, and Olive cardstocks.  I tied some hemp through the button, and added paper leaves.  All embellishments are from CTMH. I love this little owl, he is from a retired stamp set from CTMH. I added a saying on the inside, "Believe in Whoooo you are." This would be so appropriate for a teenager, who might sometimes struggle with the pressures of being a teenager. Thanks for looking at my creation, have a great day!

Family Time

This is not my ordinary creative post, but I wanted to share a little more personal side of me today! My oldest son Chris is in the Army. This past weekend, he and his fiance Lindsey went to a military ball, the first one they've attended. I was so sad they live so far away that we couldn't be there to take pictures that night. But the awesome Family Readiness Group took pictures of the attendees that night. This morning, I received a copy of the picture of my kids, and I just wanted to share!

 Aren't they a handsome couple! This really made me happy today. Hope you're having a happy day today too!

Mojo Monday 259

Well, I don't know what it's like at your house, but it sure is cold here in Indiana! I'm so glad we remembered to close the windows last night, because it's just now getting up to 45 degrees! Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. Fall is my favorite time of year, but for my son who went to run a 5K at 8am, I think it was a little chilly, good running weather I think.
I obviously didn't get my post done yesterday. Along with the cold weather comes flu season, and it has already hit our house. My poor hubby has been home for 2 days now, I'm anxious to see if he'll make it through today. I did squeeze in a few minutes this morning to put together my Mojo Monday card for this week, yeah!
In case you haven't seen it, here is the sketch for the the week:

I dug way back into a drawer and pulled out some retired Close To My Heart papers for my card. I heard last night that my soon-to-be-daugher-in-law is a little under the weather. She's a girly girl who likes the color pink, so I thought this card might cheer her up a little:

I used Sophia paper pack, with Pear, Hollyhock and Blush cardstocks. A paper blooms flower in Goldrush completed the look. I love how quickly I can assemble a card using the Mojo Monday sketches. I have a goal to get my decorated barn star posted this week, so check back to see it. Have a great day!

Avonlea 3D

I love it when it's all quiet in my house in the mornings! Since I have two boys home with me all day, sometimes I have a hard time finding a little quiet time for the computer.  Maybe it'll be calm enough today, I can take a look at Mojo Monday, and put together a quick card. This morning, I'm excited to share the 3D item I made from Close To My Heart's Avonlea paper pack:

This is a flower petal box made using the new Cricut Artiste cartridge. I used Avonlea paper on the outside, and Smokey Plum solid cardstock for the inside. I attached the stamped image on top with velcro dots, so that it could easily be removed, to open and see the inside.  A single pewter brad finishes the top. This 3D item lays flat enough to be used for a card, or dimensional enough to include a gift card, or small item. The Artiste cartridge makes papercrafting so easy.  Not only did it cut this entire image out, it also created the score lines for folding.  I love this new cartridge! Check back tomorrow, I'll have either a Mojo Monday card to show, if not, I have a Close To My Heart barn star that I have decorated with the new Dakota paper pack that I'm anxious to share, have a great day!

Avonlea Projects Continue

Since the swap I recently participated in was a bulletin board swap, I have a few projects still to post from it. We each made a one page layout, three cards and a 3D item. Today I'm sharing another one of the cards I made.  This was made with the Close To My Heart precut 3x8 cards:

I used Chocolate cardstock with the Avonlea paper. I embellished with Close To My Heart brown striped ribbon, and a brown button. Another simple, yet pretty card! Tomorrow, I will post my 3D project, so come back and check it out!

CTMH Avonlea Card

Ok, the chores are done for today, dinner's in the works, now a few minutes for me! As promised, I have a card I created for my Close To My Heart consultant swap, made with the Avonlea paper pack.  I loved the way this card turned out (please excuse the fact that I can't seem to take a straight picture)

With the Avonlea paper pack, I used the stamp sets from Avonlea Workshops on the go Cardmaking and Scrapbooking kits. The mats around the flower were cut with the Cricut Artiste cartridge, using Avonlea Teal and Slate.  I embellished with Close To My Heart's Slate Satin Polka Dot ribbon, and Licorice opaque adhesive gems. This is a very simple, yet elegant card. If you have any questions, let me know. Thanks for stopping to look!

Mojo Monday 258

What a great day this has been, I was actually able to complete my Mojo Monday card like I hoped, yeah! This is only the second Mojo I've been able to complete, but I am really enjoying these. Here's the sketch for this week:

I thought this was a pretty easy one. I used the Close To My Heart Dakota paper pack for my card:

Since I have all guys in my family, I tend to make more masculine cards. I'm happy with the way this turned out! Tomorrow, I'll be adding another of my Avonlea creations, so come back and check it out.

CTMH Avonlea Page 2

Well, I just wasn't satisfied with having only one page of my Avonlea! Since I plan to use these for family pictures, and I hope to have more than one picture, a one page layout just isn't enough. To me, it looks better when I open my album, and I see two coordinating pages. So, last night, I created page two, take a look:

This layout came from the new Close To My Heart Make It From Your Heart book. I think the two pages together turned out pretty good, here there are together:

Today, I think I'll work on a Mojo Monday sketch for this week. Check back later, I hope to have it done.
Thanks for stopping by
Cindy

CTMH Avonlea

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted! At least I can say I've got some new artwork to post, good excuse for my absence! I recently participated in a swap with some other talented Close To My Heart Consultants, and I was assigned the new Avonlea paper pack to use for my samples. Today, I'm posting the 12x12 scrapbook layout that I created using Avonlea:

I used CTMH Slate cardstock for my base. Chocolate and Avonlea Teal are the other solid cardstocks used. The word 'Family' was cut out using the new Cricut Artiste cartridge. I used the Avonlea Workshops On The Go stamp set, as well as CTMH Brown & Tan sparkles assortment for embellishment.  A little faux stitching on the 3 tags adds a little bit of interest. I'm excited I've already got a layout ready for the family pictures I plan on having taken, when my oldest son comes home to visit in a couple of weeks. If you have any questions on this layout, or any other Close To My Heart products, let me know.  I'll be posting more Avonlea artwork this week, so be sure to check back!
Cindy

Perfect Pair

This week,  July 26-29, if you place an order of $75 or more through my website, www.stampinwithheart.ctmh.com, you will receive for free, a Sophia Paper Packet, (item X7131B) and the matching Sophia My Stickease Assortment (item X7131C). This has a retail value of $17.90.  Don't miss out on this opportunity to stock up on your favorite papers, stamps or exclusive inks before they're gone.  Products from the new Idea Book will be available August 1, including the new, exclusive Cricut Artiste Cartridge!

Heart 2 Heart Challenge

I love looking at the different ways people interpret the challenges on the Heart 2 Heart Challenges blog.  If you haven't checked out the site yet, be sure you do, www.heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com!  The latest challenge is water fun. I really wanted to participate, but this really was hard for me.  We don't go to the beach, and my kids are getting too old to let mom take pictures in the pool, so I had to compromise for this challenge. I used pictures of my husband playing with turtles at a turtle farm. That's as close to water as we've been with a camera!

For this two page layout, I used all Close To My Heart products. The paper pack used is Footloose, with matching Footloose embellishments. This was a lot of fun to create. I can't wait to play along with the next challenge!