Baby's First Birthday Layout

Today, I am showcasing the final layout I created for Baby Sawyer's album. 

Eek! Isn't it cute?! I have been saving those monkey die-cuts for probably 10 years or better. The price tag on the back of the package is to a store that is no longer in our area. 

Recipe:
Paper: Skylark (retired), Footloose (retired), Sweet Leaf CS, Kraft CS, White Daisy CS (CTMH)
Stamps: Perfect Fit Birthday, Friendship Alphabet-small (retired) (CTMH)
Inks: Flaxen, Lagoon (CTMH)
Tools: Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors, Stitch Guide Ruler (CTMH)
Other: Lagoon, Antique Copper, White Daisy Brads (retired), Chocolate Embroidery Floss (retired), Chocolate Washi Tape (retired), Cork Alphabet (retired), Monkey Die-Cuts (Jolene's)

I was talking with a friend about this layout and, more to the point, this entire baby album and how I am having trouble parting with it. My son's first year album is no where near this cute, but it also showcases a time when I scrapbooked without sketches. I didn't even know there was such a thing. So Jack's album shows how I have evolved in my scrapbooking. 

Let's discuss WASHI: Washi tape is something that leaves me baffled. How do I use it? Do I place it on cardstock or not? Do I make the ends even, or do I make it look like I ripped it on a tape dispenser? Ack! I overthink washi. I deliberately made myself just cut random pieces (no measuring, breathe, Casandra, breathe) and place it down willy-nilly. Have you guessed yet that I am a perfectionist? Yup...with a touch of OCD thrown in for good measure (great pun, eh?). My dad is this way, and guess what? I passed these traits along to my son Jack. Poor kid. 

Well, this is the end of my baby album postings for Baby Sawyer. Hope he loves it as much as I do.

Casandra.

Mixed Media Blitz UYSB Hop

What is mixed media, you ask? 

noun

1. 1.

   the use of a variety of media in an entertainment or work of art.

I chose to interpret it as different combinations of embellishments. 

If you have come here from Shirley's blog, you are on the right track. 

Last month, I held my Skylark Workshop. I showcased the following two layouts along with the three that you may have seen previously posted on my blog. It was a perfect time to play around with mixing different left over embellishments I had accumulated since I was in the process of reorganizing my craft room anyway. 

Imagine Timeline Sketch

Scrapbook Generation Sketch

As you can see, I used retired Skylark paper, along with retired Footloose and Free To Be Me papers. I added in various buttons, lagoon mini medley, new chalk it up assortment, milepost shapes, and aqua dots. Great way to use up your stash!

My goal with these two layouts was to show a variety of uses for our Picture My Life cards. They can be used for more than just pocket pages. You may even notice that I cut the "good stuff" pml card down to 2x3. The sketch called for a journal piece of that size and I thought it would be a great teaching tool to showcase for you. I have previously fussy cut them to use as embellishments, too.

Another thing I want to point out is that I used liquid glass to completely cover the "vacation" title piece. I thought it looked a little flat, and since my pictures were water-themed, I immediately thought of my liquid glass. You could use a background stamp before applying liquid glass to give it yet another cool effect. Liquid glass is more than just a great adhesive!

One more thing: I use my glue pen when adhering small or skinny paper pieces to help give it extra hold. Seems to be less messy than my tombow, and provides a sturdy bond.

Products Used:

Paper: Skylark, Footloose, Free To Be Me, Kraft CS, White Daisy CS, Skylark PML Cards (CTMH)

Stamps: Skylark WOTG, Hello Summer (CTMH)

Inks: Black, Creme Brulee, Lagoon (CTMH)

Tools: Embossing Powder, Craft Tray, Craft Heater, Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors, Cricut Artbooking, Corner Rounder, Liquid Glass, Glue Pen (CTMH)

Other: White Embroidery Floss, Chalk It Up, Lagoon Mini-Medley, Milepost Shapes, Aqua Dots, White Daisy Brad, Foam Tape, Glue Dots (CTMH), Misc. Buttons (Other)

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below.  

Your next stop on the hop will be Theresa Morrow's blog. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Casandra

STS#18 Footloose Card

I love when I find sketches that use an oval shape. Gives me the perfect excuse to get my Spellbinder oval dies out and play. 

Seize the Sketch Challenge hit it out of the park with another great sketch.

Recipe:

Paper: Footloose (retired), Lagoon CS, White Daisy CS (CTMH)

Stamps: Footloose (retired), Hello Summer (CTMH)

Inks: Creme Brulee, Pigments - Creme Brulee, Sorbet, Lagoon, Topiary (CTMH)

Tools: Sponge Daubers, Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors (CTMH), Oval Die (Spellbinders)

Other: Cocoa Bitty Brads (retired), Sorbet Ribbon (retired)

For the seahorse image, I sponge-daubed 4 different pigment inks onto my stamp before stamping onto the paper. I fussy cut that cute sun image. 

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend. Thanks for stopping by.

Casandra

RS#109 Hi Card

Good morning and Happy Friday to you! I have been enjoying warmer temperatures and watching the snow disappear. The kids are getting outside more and already looking forward to the moment they get their trampoline back.

Last night, in the midst of watching a shocking episode of "Scandal", I created my next card.

Recipe:
Paper: Footloose (retired), White Daisy CS (CTMH)
Stamp: Hi (CTMH)
Ink: Black (VersaFine)
Tools: Clear Detail Embossing Powder, Craft Heater, Crystal Blue Alcohol Marker, Honey Alcohol Marker, Paper-Piercer (CTMH)
Other: White Daisy Brads (retired), White Daisy Grosgrain Ribbon (retired) (CTMH), White Twine, Blue Button (Jo-Ann's)

The colors, as much as the photo itself, inspired the papers I chose.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:
1) Retro Sketches RS#109 Challenge
2) Colour Me CMCC#15 Challenge

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend. Happy crafting!

Casandra

Footloose Layout #4

Footloose has been one of my favorite kits from this book. I love the fun colors and patterns, and I can't think of any patterns in it that I didn't truly like. 

My last layout is actually complete with pictures and journaling. I just knew what I wanted to do with it the minute I saw the template in our brand new How-To-Program titled "Make It From Your Heart: Volume I".

The new templates are so cute! I can't wait for you to see them. If you are not able to attend my Footloose workshop on July 29th, but will be in the area in the next week, give me a call or e-mail me and we can set a time for you to stop by and see some of the new goodies, or pick up a new Idea Book.

This layout was rather timely, since it fits in with this week's challenge over at H2H! This week's challenge is "Water Fun"! Perfect, eh?

Recipe:

Paper: Footloose, Sweet Leaf CS, Bamboo CS, White Daisy CS (CTMH); Stamp: Footloose WOTG (CTMH); Inks: Chocolate, Sorbet, Creme Brulee, Lagoon, New England Ivy (CTMH); Tools: Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors, Sponge, Sponge Daubers (CTMH); Other: Pearl Paint, Wooden Badges, Footloose Dimensional Elements, Make It From Your Heart: Volume I (CTMH)

I saw a technique that Annette Green did with her wooden badges. She mixed together some Lagoon Re-Inker with our pearl paint. Since I did not have any Lagoon Re-Inker, I first sponged on the Lagoon ink from my ink pad, and then after a few minutes of drying time, I sponged some pearl paint on to give it a shimmer. Please note: You will want to do this at the beginning of your project to allow it enough time to dry.

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you will come back soon for a tour of artwork created with new products.

Casandra 

Footloose Layout #3

I just love our Idea Books. They are chalk full of ideas and inspiration.

This layout was inspired by page #12 of the Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book. I used a template from Magic to create both.

Recipe:

Paper: Footloose, Creme Brulee CS, White Daisy CS, Sunset CS (CTMH); Stamp: Cricut Art Philosophy (CTMH); Inks: Creme Brulee, Sunset, Chocolate (CTMH); Tools: Cricut Art Philosophy, Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors, Glue Pen, Craft Tray, Sanding Kit, Magic How-To-Program (CTMH); Other: Prisma Glitter, White Embroidery Floss, Bitty Pearls, Sunset Mini-Medley Accents, Dimensional Elements (CTMH), Glue Dots, Foam Tape

Tomorrow, I will share my final Footloose layout with you. Thanks for stopping by.

Casandra

Footloose Layout #2

Good morning! I am at work today, but I'd much rather be home playing with my new supplies that just arrived on Saturday.

Here is Footloose layout #2:

I found this recipe at Scrapbook Generation.

Recipe:

Paper: Footloose, Bamboo CS, White Daisy CS (CTMH); Ink: Chocolate Re-Inker (CTMH); Tools: Corner Rounder, Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors, Spray Pen (CTMH); Other: Footloose Dimensional Elements, Clear Sparkles, Paradise Baker's Twine (CTMH), Glue Dots, Foam Tape

Check back tomorrow for layout #3.

Casandra

Footloose Layout #1

I have been working on my Footloose layouts for a few weeks now. There are good and bad things about Pinterest. The good news is that you have lots of inspiration. The bad news...is that you have lots of inspiration. LOL I really had a hard time narrowing down just how I wanted to make my Footloose layouts.

Over the next few days I will share with you all 4 layouts I was able to make with this kit. The unbelievable part is that I still have paper left over! Amazing!

Recipe:

Paper: Footloose, Lagoon CS, Bamboo CS, Sweet Leaf CS (CTMH); Stamp: Footloose WOTG (CTMH); Inks: New England Ivy, Lagoon, Creme Brulee, Chocolate, Chocolate Re-Inker (CTMH); Tools: Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors, Spray Pen (CTMH); Other: Footloose Dimensional Elements, Durables Round Studs, Neutral & Paradise Baker's Twine, Reflections How-To-Program (CTMH), Glue Dots, Foam Tape

Remember to come back tomorrow to check out layout #2. I'm getting ready to watch the Bachelorette season finale and I'm hoping she doesn't send both guys home broken-hearted. :)

Casandra

Mojo Monday 247 Sketch

Good evening! In case you haven't noticed, I've been going card crazy lately. There are so many fun challenges out there to participate in, but the tried and true (if you will) challenge is Mojo Monday. They never disappoint in their fantastic sketches!

I have been wanting to try out the scallop card base with my Cricut AP cartridge forever, and this challenge provided the perfect opportunity. All Close To My Heart products includes our fabulous Footloose paper pack, Life Is Tweet stamp set, bitty sparkles and chocolate embroidery floss. I was able to cut 5 of the shapes with the Art Philosophy cartridge. 

Of course, I couldn't make just one card...so I made 2 with this sketch. The first one is a little note card that I intend to send to a dear friend that has recently moved. The second one is an anniversary card with the words "A little birdie told me...it's your anniversary."


Please Note: This adorable stamp set is only available for 3 more days, so don't postpone any longer if you have been wanting it. :)


If you would like to participate in this week's Mojo Monday challenge, here is the link for more information.


It is so blissful here tonight. I can hear my husband using the weed whip to clean out those pesky weeds so I have more time to create. Love that man! :) Thanks for stopping by today!


Casandra

This is the last set of cards that we will be creating at the next Card Workshop on July 1st. I finally decided to try watercoloring. It is a really fun technique.

I decided to leave off the hemp and the wooden shapes to keep my customers' costs down. But after putting the rectangular sentiment piece on, it felt like it was missing something. So I pulled out my Kick Back stamp set and decided to add a few other stamped images in place of the missing embellishments (inspired by page 41 of current Spring/Summer 2012 IB). I stamped "Thinking of You" on the inside, but you could use this card for anything, really.

If you would like to join us for this card workshop (creating 12 cards, 2 of each design) on July 1st. Please RSVP by Wednesday, June 27th so I can be sure to have enough snacks on hand.

Thanks for stopping by.

Casandra

Best Fishes Workshop Cards

I spent a little time tweaking this next card to get it just right. It could be used for Best Wishes, Get Well Soon, Congrats, or simply Thinking of You themes.

I kept looking at the inspiration card on page 41 of our current Spring/Summer 2012 IB. I liked the spray pen part, but the bamboo paper just needed something more. That's when I remembered I had purchased a new Cuttlebug embossing folder called "Spots and Dots" just for these cards. So after I used chocolate spray ink on the cardstock, I embossed it. It really does work best embossing after spraying so that the white core of our cardstock is more visible.


Then, I pulled out this cute $1 ribbon I found at Jo-Ann's and played around with it until I found the best spot for it. Still being unsure as to whether the ribbon would take it too far, I asked my husband what he thought. If you remember from my last post, he considers artwork advice to be too much pressure. LOL So I asked my 6yo son what he thought. His response was "Mama, I like whatever you make." Okay, stop overthinking it, Casandra. LOL


So, I hope you like my dolled up version of the card shown on page 41 in the current IB. I am very happy with it, and I adore our spray pens! So much fun!


This card is also being entered into the Spatter Technique Challenge in the Moxie Fab World. I am busy thinking up new ways to incorporate spray pen techniques into some future card designs.


Casandra