Fanfare & Sophia Scrapbook Art

Hello, again!

I have been a busy girl today. Not only did I finish up my make-and-take card projects, but I made a door prize scrapbook page. I also completed a scrapbook make-and-take project.

I love Fanfare and Sophia papers; so glad that CTMH will be carrying them forward into the new book.

Here is the "Sophia" Door Prize for Diana's party.

 And here is the "Fanfare" scrapbook make-and-take project. I have enough for 5 guests to complete this project. :)

Supplies:

Sophia L2 Paper

You & Me Stamp Set

Token Alphabet Stamp Set

Pear, Hollyhock & Goldrush Inks

Scallop Border Punch

White Embroidery Floss

Paper Piercing Kit

Pearl Opaques

Reflections How-To-Program

Fanfare L2 Paper

Posterboard Alphabet Stamp Set

Cranberry Ribbon

White Embroidery Floss

Blue Button Assortment

Scallop Border Punch

Paper Piercing Kit

Reflections How-To-Program

I would love to hear what you think. I love to sew, and was happy to finally get the chance to do a little more sewing on these 2 projects. Of course, if someone doesn't want to sew on their project, they will not be required to do so. This layout looks just as nice without the sewing.

Have a happy night!

Casandra

Upcoming Home Gathering Projects

Good afternoon!

It is a gorgeous day outside. I have a little bit more housework completed, and I can even checkmark off this weekend's weed pulling duty. It's not done by a long shot, but I refuse to spend my beautiful Saturday working that hard. LOL

So, I have a few make-and-take projects to share with you. You may even notice a sneak peek at one of the new paper packs we will begin selling August 1st.

Without further adieu....

Supplies:

First Card

Mayberry L2 Paper

Colonial White Card Base

Olive & Colonial White Cardstock

The Present Stamp Set

Cocoa, Olive & Smoothie Inks

Antique Copper Bitty Brads

Edge Distresser

Second Card

Dreamin' L2 Paper

Cranberry & White Daisy Cardstock

Party Pennants Stamp Set

Cranberry & Pacifica Inks

Cranberry Ribbon

3-D Foam Squares

Just by adding a different color cardstock to Dreamin', you're able to get a completely different look with it.

Now, it's time for me to get started on a scrapbook page that will be the 3rd make-and-take project for Diana's party. If you see this post, Diana, thank you for graciously agreeing to be my first hostess for the new idea book. I am looking forward to visiting with you, your friends and family. :)

Have a terrific day.

Casandra

Thank You Cards

Good Friday morning to you!

Today, is my day off. After dreaming all week of how I am going to be creative on Friday, what do I find myself doing? Cleaning house....

Thought I'd share a picture of my 2 little urchins from this morning. They ensure that I never run out of things to do. LOL

Aren't they precious? Izzy even thanked me after I took her picture. She really does have good manners. :)

So...I did find a little time mixed in with all of that to work on a few thank you cards. I wasn't happy with the middle cards I made that had the white bow on them. So I used a different template from Wishes, added some stitching and brads and now I feel better. I think the Twilight ink with the chocolate distressing adds just the right finish. What do you think?

This is the final set of cards that we will make for the thank you/birthday card workshop on August 7th.

We have 4 spots filled right now, with 6 spots still available. Hope to see you there!

Have a terrific weekend!

Casandra



August Card Workshop Part 2

Good evening! After hitting that creative road block, this past weekend, I finally finished up the thank you card portion of our next card workshop.

I opened up my Emporium Creative Basics kit because it seemed like the perfect transition from Summer to Fall.... And now I finally know what all the buzz was about over the Kraft borders. They're awesome!

Supplies:

The Present Stamp Set
A Little Thanks Stamp Set
Creative Basics Emporium Paper
Vineyard Berry Ribbon
White Ribbon
Kraft Borders
Brads
Desert Sand, Sky, Blush, Garden Green & White Cardstock
Desert Sand, Chocolate, Sweet Leaf & Vineyard Berry Inks
Chocolate Embroidery Floss
Cocoa Embossing Powder
VersaMark Ink
Craft Heater
Paper Piercing Kit
Wishes How-To-Program

The first 4 cards are made using Wishes templates. The last 2 are my own design. These cards represent a great way to use up even the tiniest of scraps. I throw very little away. So you don't have to squint, I cut (15) 1" squares and spaced them out as evenly as possible.

So, I will be teaching sewing and embossing techniques at this workshop. If you have a paper piercing tool, please bring it along with your adhesive and micro-tip scissors.

Hope you can join in on the cardmaking fun on August 7th. If you are unable to attend, but would like prestamped, precut materials sent to you, please contact me so I can get them to you. Thanks so much.

Casandra

Cricut News

Sunday night, my husband handed me a check to deposit and said "Happy early Birthday! Now you can go buy your Cricut." Do you see why I love that man? :)

I spent a little time Sunday evening debating on buying one off eBay to save some money, or even buying one from HSN on a payment plan just to feel better about this purchase. There were pro's and con's to both idea's. I decided that I just couldn't wait and knew that if I had any problems, buying it from the local craft store really would be my best option.

Yesterday, I drove to Joann's and picked it up. $229.00 for a Cricut Expression with 2 cartridges seems like a pretty good deal. I then went over to Wal-Mart, where I found one without the cartridges for $187.00. :( I told myself not to open the other one yet, just in case I decide I should return it.

Well, good news! My Mother-in-Law called me at work today to tell me she got a Joann's flyer in the mail today and starting on Sunday the Cricut Expression bundle will be $199.00. So I called the store and talked to the friendly manager and she said all I need to do is bring my receipt in on Sunday and they will credit me back the difference. Yay! Win, win! I can play with my Cricut now and not feel so guilty about the huge price difference.

If anyone has any advice on using the Cricut (I'm new to Cricut Land), I would love to hear it.

Have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by to read my story.

Casandra

August 7th Card Workshop

Good morning!

My next card workshop is coming right up. It is set for Sunday, August 7th, at 1pm. We will be creating 12 cards for just $18.00. Please sign up today, as space may become limited. I have 2 people confirmed, which leaves 8 more spots. This is my most popular workshop.

We will be making 6 masculine birthday cards and 6 thank you cards. Birthday cards are pictured below. Will add more pictures to this post soon, so please stay tuned. :)

Supplies:

Fanfare L2 Paper

Lucky L2 Paper

Caboodle L2 Paper (Retired)

Twitterpated L2 Paper (Retired)

Colonial White Ribbon

White Grosgrain Ribbon

Chocolate Stitch Ribbon

Desert Sand, Pacifica, Chocolate and Buttercup Inks

Mocha Pearls

Brads

Watercolor Pencils

Blending Pen

Cocoa Embossing Powder

VersaMark Ink

Craft Heater

Wishes How-To-Program

Cherish The Moment Stamp Set (Retired)

Makin' Waves Stamp Set

Beary Busy Stamp Set

Splendid Day Stamp Set

Card Chatter - Birthday Stamp Set

Don't you just love how that curved paper looks like a water slide on the ducky card? And how about the stitched ribbon under the truck (looking like a road)?

I will be teaching you 2 new techniques at this workshop: Embossing and Stitching. Hope to see you there!

Casandra

All Bundled Up for Christmas...in July?

Yes, you read that title correctly. LOL

I figured with this heatwave, the only snowmen I'd be making would be the stamped kind. I am part of a Christmas Card swap group. You may remember the Santa card I made a few weeks ago.

Well, tonight (after tucking my children into bed), I sat down and started working on my second set of swap cards. I had an idea already in mind based on the stamp set I had.

Here is my card:

Supplies Used:

Mistletoe Creative Basics Paper

Mistletoe Level 2 Paper

In the Month of December Stamp Set

All Bundled Up Stamp Set (Retired)

Cocoa Ribbon

Cocoa Embossing Powder

Versa Mark Ink & Cranberry Ink

Liquid Applique Pen

Prisma Glitter

Craft Heater

Colonial White Embroidery Floss

Wishes How-To-Program (adapted)

I don't know if it's because it's a 5x7 sized card, but it seems like it's missing something. If you can think of something that I could add to it, or change up, please comment below. This is my rough draft, so to speak. The only thing I can think off hand to change up would be the sentiment, maybe adding a patterned paper, or making the sentiment box smaller.

Have a great night!

Lucky Workshop Part 2

Good afternoon!

I have a treat for you. I finished my Lucky workshop pages and wanted to share them with you. This is Part 2 in my Lucky photo series.

Workshop Layout #1

 Workshop Layout #2

 Stickease Layout #3

 Stickease Layout #4

Embossed Layout #5

{ Notice the embossed details of the bicycle}

 Beary Best Layout #6

Supplies Used:

Lucky WOTG Kit

Magic How-To-Program

Additional Outdoor Denim, Desert Sand, Colonial White and Sunset Cardstock

Sunset Mini-Medley Accents

Lucky Level 2 My Stickease

Lucky Level 2 Assortment

Lucky Level 2 Journaling Spots

Designer Wooden Buttons

Natural Hemp

White Embroidery Floss

Pewter Brads

Beary Best Stamp Set

Bingo Alphabet Stamp Set

Rustic Alphabet Stamp Set

Enjoy Life Stamp Set

Outdoor Denim Embossing Powder

Versa Mark Ink

Craft Heater & Craft Tray

Outdoor Denim, Desert Sand, Olive and Chocolate Inks

Watercolor Pencils

Blending Pen

I believe that about covers it for the supplies used. You may notice that a few details were changed up on the "In The Moment" stickease layout. Let's just say that a person shouldn't be trimming papers at 11:30 at night. LOL Because of this, I chose to change up the embellishments a little so they didn't blend in with the paper.

Now, for another confession.... This is the first time I've ever embossed, and I was really nervous to try it. The verdict? I LOVE EMBOSSING! It's so much easier than it looks. If you can use a glue pen with our prisma glitter, you can emboss. My only recommendation is making sure that you have cardboard or a big pile of newspaper down under your paper that you are embossing. Stamp it like normal on your hard surface so you get that clean, crisp image. Then hold the paper over your craft tray and sprinkle the embossing powder on it. Once you've done that, tap off the excess powder into your craft tray. Transfer the paper over to your covered surface and use the craft heater to "weld" the embossing powder to the versa mark ink. It took about a minute of heating the image (above) to dry it with that beautiful raised edge.

If you try it, you will love it, too. I have been scrapbooking for a few years, and it took me that long to work up the courage to try it. And now I am wondering why I waited so long. LOL

This goes without saying, if you have small children around, be careful to keep them at a distance when using your embossing powder and craft heater. My 5-year-old son is very curious and watched me from a distance as I worked on this project. His reaction? "Cool!"

Hope you've enjoyed my little tour of Lucky and embossing. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below or contact me at casandrab1976@yahoo.com.

Have a happy day!

Casandra

The New Idea Book

Hello, friends!

Well, I have been patiently waiting for my new idea books to arrive. My tracking number indicates that I should receive them on Thursday. If you find that you can't wait to see this new book, please contact me so I can make arrangements to get it to you.

In the meantime, I can give you a little more information as to some of the changes in the new book.

For starters, Close To My Heart's B&T Duo's (patterned paper) will be changing to cardstock weight, like the paper in the You & Me kit. Although it is a little heavier than the "old" patterned paper, it seems to be a little lighter than the actual cardstock we carry, which remains the same. Also, you will find that the patterns are completely different on each side of the new B&T's...no more monochromatic side.

We have a cute selection of Fall, School, Halloween, Christmas and Winter paper, as well as a couple of fun feminine paper packs (one features a zebra print).

The artwork is amazing in this new idea book. Close To My Heart really outdid themselves. I can't wait to get my new paper packs to play with! There are so many fun projects that were made using the new Cricut cartridge that is exclusive to CTMH. I really, really, really want a Cricut now.

Before I forget to mention this, I will be placing one last order this month on July 31st. This is the last day that I will be able to order discontinuing products from the current idea book. If you want to purchase Wings, Bliss, Miracle, Sweetheart, Hooligans, Olivia, Mistletoe or Magnifique papers, you will need to do so by July 31st. Current stamp sets will still be available for purchase from the current book, but any accessories not shown in the new book will no longer be available for purchase. So, if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'm happy to assist you.

Have a wonderful day!

Casandra

Lucky Workshop

"Do you feel lucky....?"

Tonight, I want to show you Part 1 of my Lucky scrapbook pages.

As you can see, these are just the basic pages without pictures, stamping, stickease, embellishments, titles, etc. I figured this would be a good way to show you how you can go from basic to best with one workshop kit.

Please stay tuned for Part 2 of my Lucky workshop photo's, later this week.

Have a great night!

Casandra

Hooligans Altered Artwork

Good evening! I have been busy today cleaning house, following some more convention updates, cutting papers for my Lucky workshop coming up, and chatting with my lovely friends. It has been a very productive day.

I want to take a moment to wish Aunt Jo and Uncle Ernie a Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary! The kids and I attended their party, this evening, and all I can say is "Wow" about that cake! I was wishing I'd brought my camera with me. It looked like a wedding cake with luscious yellow roses and baby's breath on it. Gorgeous! And the lovely bride decorated it, herself. Amazing!

Well, I have been trying to think up an artwork post for alterable items, this week, over at Diana's Stamping Challenges. It just dawned on me that I made an alterable item back in April for my niece's 17th birthday. Marie lost her mom to breast cancer when she was 9-years-old. Karon was my best friend (and cousin), and is the very reason that I got into scrapbooking in the first place. There isn't a doubt in my mind that she is so happy for me starting my own scrapbooking business. She would've been my biggest cheerleader. So when I tried to think up a birthday present that a hip teenager would like, scrapbook pages didn't really fit the bill. I remembered seeing this cute project in the Fall/Winter 2010 idea book, and what you see below is the result of that.



This is front and back, and Marie will be able to hang it to show whatever side she wants to view at anytime. Kind of a chronicle of her life so far. By the way, Marie loved this.

So in memory of Karon, beloved and gone too soon, this post is for you. Love you, girl.

Casandra

Latest Happenings

Good morning, Saturday!

I think I am finally somewhat over all the craziness of updating myself on the Convention tweets, facebook, consultant boards, etc. So much new information to absorb....

Well, a few weeks ago, we found out that our son, Jack, is no longer allergic to eggs. This has been a major allergy we've had to cook and bake around since he was 2 years old. Although the test was rather traumatic (maybe more so for Jack's Mommy & Daddy), we are so happy to finally be able to serve this little guy Mama's freshed baked cookies, a favorite among the Bennett Clan.

Here is a picture of Jack taking his first bite of my special chocolate chip cookies.

Jack has pronounced them his "new favorite!" LOL

Chocolate Chip Cookie Nirvana.... LOL I don't know what it is about babies of the family, but Izzy, just like her Uncle Bennie, sneaks the most treats all the time. She loves anything chocolate, and has stolen Mama's secret stash more times than I care to count. I can laugh about it now...well, until the next time she does it again. :)

One more thing to share before I get started working on my Lucky scrapbook pages; Here is a picture of Miss Brianna creating her version of a sympathy card at my workshop last Sunday.

Brianna likes to make birthday cards, and so I gave her free reign over a few stamp sets to play around with and see what she could come up with. I always love to see fresh new designs, and this talented friend always comes up with something wonderful. Thanks, Brianna, for letting me share your lovely card on my blog.

Hopefully, I will have some Lucky artwork to share with you soon. Have a wonderful Saturday!

Casandra

Close To My Heart & Cricut = Match Made in Heaven!

Good morning! I have been so excited to share with you the biggest news that Close To My Heart has to offer since their debut of clear acrylix stamps....

Close To My Heart has partnered with Cricut to bring us the Art Philosophy Cartridge with over 700 shapes and fonts. Looks like Casandra will be buying a Cricut now. LOL

So please check out this video for more details. Yay!!!!

Lots of other exciting details to share, but not until I have that book in my hands! LOL

Have a wonderful day! Enjoy the video! No popcorn required. ;)

Casandra

CTMH Convention Starts Today!

Good morning, ladies. For those of you who do not know this, today marks the first official day of Convention 2011 for Close To My Heart. It is being held at the "Happiest Place on Earth", also known as Disneyland! How exciting is that?!!!

I so wish I could be there. I will be updating my friends on Facebook with some fun info. as it is revealed to me through Twitter. If you would like to catch your own updates on Twitter, just type in hashtag #ctmh2011, and you can follow along with all my CTMH sisters that will be posting sneak peeks. Someone stated that you don't even need a Twitter account to follow along, so if you have the time and internet access handy, check it out!

For the rest of you, the book premiers on-line August 1st. As soon as I have the new books in my hands, I will let you know.

Have a wonderful day in blog/Twitter/Facebook land. LOL You can bet my eyes will be glued to the computer. I'm so giddy with excitement. :)

*Hugs*

Casandra

Psst. Before I forget to mention this, today is my nephew's (James) Golden Birthday. He is 14 years young today. Happy Birthday to you, James! Love you bunches.

I Love Card Workshops!

Hope you're all having a fabulous Monday!

This morning, I woke up to my baby girl cuddled up next to me. When I opened my eyes, her face was pressed so close, that I could only see her pretty green eyes, and little beauty mole. She greeted me with a sleepy smile and a "Good morning, Mommy" hello. Awe....

Yesterday, I held my 2nd card workshop, and we had such a blast. I thank all 7 of my participants for making it such fun, and for dealing with the humid weather so graciously. I am so blessed to have such amazing ladies for my friends.

My next card workshop is being planned for mid-August. We will create 6 birthday cards, and 6 thank you cards. I have some fun idea's planned for this workshop, so please make plans to sign up by early August so I can prepare accordingly in advance.

I will be featuring Miracle and Lucky papers, among others for this workshop. Suggestions are welcome, and encouraged.

Thank you to everyone who helped make yesterday's workshop a success. Have a wonderful day!

Casandra

Bliss Swap Spoiler

Good morning, Saturday!

Last night, I completed one layout from start to finish for my Bliss April scrapbook swap. I have 6 more layouts to assemble, but precuts are finished so it should go together pretty quickly now.

I thought I would share this layout with you (below).

I used the following products to create this layout:

Bliss Level 2 Paper Packet
Miracle Level 2 Paper Packet
Chocolate, Colonial White, Sweet Leaf, Vanilla Cream, and White Daisy Cardstock
A Hop Stamp Set
Splendid Day Stamp Set
Around the Block Stamp Set
Antique Copper Brads
Chocolate Watercolor Pencil
Chocolate, Garden Green, Buttercup, Sweet Leaf, and Crystal Blue ink pads
Scallop and Picket Fence Border Punches
Magic How-To-Program: Secret template

This is the first time that I've used that Around the Block stamp set. I'm glad I decided to keep it. :)

Casandra

Fanfare Spoiler Swap

Hellooooooooooooo, Friday!

It has been a very busy day in the Bennett household. Friday's are my day off from work, and I try to make the most of them. I was able to get caught up on a lot of my household chores, which I forced myself to do first. LOL

Then, it was time to get busy finishing up my last Fanfare layout needed for a "Pick A Month" layout swap I signed up for. I originally signed up for just Fanfare, but there must have been some trouble filling up some of the extra spots, so the swap host asked us if we could switch our original plans from making 13, to get 12 back. The new plan was to create 7 layouts per the 2 suggested months picked by the swap host. So I ended up getting Bliss for my second set of layouts, and will be using an Easter theme, since that month is April.

As you will see from the pictures below, Fanfare was set up with July in mind. Hope you like my adaptations of Fanfare. :)

I'm especially proud of the first layout, which incidentally, is the last layout I created from this pack. I spent somewhere around 3 hours on this layout, but it is such a happy layout, that it was totally worth it to me.

Now, I had better get crackin' on my April Bliss layouts. They need to be in the swap host's hands by the 20th. Eek. :)

Casandra

Lucky Workshop

Here are the details on my next scrapbook workshop, LUCKY. I'm so excited to learn how to emboss, and will be teaching you how to emboss, as well.     My place Sunday, July 31st 12:30 pm to 6:00 pm We will be creating 8 PAGES using the LUCKY Paper. Payment and sign-up for workshop, is due by Monday, July 18th. Call me at 231-537-2900, or e-mail me at casandrab1976@yahoo.com for further details. I am offering 3 different options for purchasing this kit. Basic: Lucky Level 2 Paper Packet $12.95 Designer Wood Buttons $5.95 Natural Hemp $2.25 = $21.15 (Plus Shipping & Tax) Better:Basic Kit (above items) + Z1359 Lucky Level 2 Journaling Spots $3.95 Z1338 Sunset Mini-Medley Accents $4.95 = $30.05 (+ S & T) Best: (If time allows, we will create 12 pages with this option.) Better Kit (above items) + Z1356 Lucky Level 2 Assortment $4.95 X7137C Lucky Stickease $4.95 = $39.95 (+ S & T) I will provide snacks, alphabet stamps, inks, stamp cleaner, glue dots, and I do have two pairs of trimmer scissors that would have to be shared. Items to bring: Beverage(s) 12x12 Paper Trimmer with sharp blade Tape Runner Adhesive (I do have Tombows for sale) Optional: Micro-Tip Scissors Paper Piercing Kit Versa Mat

I also wanted to mention that if you want just basic pages, purchasing just the L2 paper kit for $12.95 plus shipping and tax, is another option. You could always embellish them later. :)

Another option to you would be bringing embroidery floss, instead of buying the natural hemp (neutral colors work best). Or even buying just the sunset mini-medley's instead of buying the extra wooden buttons. Lots of possibilities. Make it uniquely you! :)

Photo's coming soon, so please stay tuned....

One more quick note to pass along, the votes are in and we have decided that Miracle will be August's scrapbook workshop. Once I have settled on a date for that workshop, I will post it.

Hope you have a wonderful Thursday!

Casandra

Christmas in July Swap Spoiler

Good evening! God has blessed us with another beautiful day in Northern Michigan.

Well, from my earlier post this week, you already know that I have been busy working on Christmas cards for a swap I signed up for a few months ago. At the time that I signed up, I truly had no idea just how busy I would become. LOL

I guess, because it is sunny and a high of 85 degrees outside, it was harder for me to channel my Christmas spirit. Hehe. Anyways, I will now share my cards with you.

Here is my first card. Pattern is from Originals How-To-Program.

 My second card is adapted from a Mojo Monday Sketch. (A lot of sewing!)

 Another adaptation of the Mojo Monday Sketch.

 A Heartfelt Classic Pattern from Originals How-To-Program.

 This last card was recreated several times.

 This last photo is just me being artsy. :)



So...what do you think? Would you be happy to receive these cards if you were signed up in a swap? No pressure here, but I can tell you that I spent almost an entire day making 11 cards total.

I used a retired CTMH paper packet called Jingle, as well as Jingle Creative Basics paper. Baker's twine is Martha Stewart brand, and I am hoping to see something like that carried in our new idea book premiering next month. I have done some hand-sewing and embossing, paper-piecing and coloring. Hope you like!

Have a great night!

Casandra