Last summer, when the new fundamental lines were introduced, Brenda Rose, a fellow consultant, shared her designs with us. I knew that I would eventually use them, and when I was approached recently to do a baby boy album for my Aunt's great-grandbaby, I knew this workshop would be perfect.
I did not use much of the whimsy patterns, but instead chose to use up a long-retired kit that was actually in my sell pile. The blue and champagne colors were perfect for baby boy, and didn't necessarily scream "Winter" and "Snow". Of the few patterns that do, they were specifically alotted to the months where winter reigns in Northern Michigan. I added Canary cardstock, and even some other retired papers, such as Twitterpated. I mixed stamping and cricut cuts for my embellishments. And my favorite of them all is Month 10 and 11. Foxes and teepees are super trendy right now. Goldrush cardstock was the perfect color for my fox.
I am so pleased with this album. It was THE fastest one I've ever put together, with project completion under 24 hours. I started this on a Friday night at 9pm when kids were in bed, and finished it up at 5pm the next day. And that was with sleep, too.
Hope I've inspired you to look at those papers in your stash in a new light. Just because it was purchased for one theme, doesn't mean it wouldn't work for something else. And don't be afraid to mix and match your collections.
I would like to enter the fox layout into the H2H challenge for this week "What a Wonderful World". Babies do make this world a wonderful place.
Happy crafting!
Casandra
Here is another odd ball layout that I never pictured on my blog. I actually created all 3 of the layouts that Karen Pederson, a fellow Close To My Heart consultant, shared with us.
That large photo was cropped down from an 8x10. I had to crop out some of the kids to make it fit, but it worked out well for me in the end. A couple of the kids (on the end) were moving when the picture snapped and they were blurry.
My daughter picked the Dorothy costume because of the red, sparkly shoes. A girl can never have enough glitter. Especially that one!
I really liked this paper collection and the complements were wonderful to work with, as well. And due to Ms. Pedersen's inspiration, I finally cut glitter paper on my cricut. And I have to tell you something about that. Close To My Heart glitter paper does a much better job of holding together when "under the knife" than off-brand glitter cardstock. You get what you pay for. Just sayin'.
Happy crafting!
Casandra
If you own a Make It From Your Heart pattern book, you may have recognized this layout.
I should have taken a close-up of the title and stars; I used our clear shimmer brush to add sparkle to both. It is quite subtle, but adds just the right touch of sparkle, almost a pearl-like finish.
We are only on Month 7 here, so we still have a ways to go. Thanks for following along.
Happy Crafting!
Casandra
I'm back again today with layout #2 from Baby Lauren's album. It's actually the last layout I created for my niece's book.
Recipe:
Paper: Hello Lovely, Whimsy Fundamentals, Charlotte, Juniper CS, Sea Glass CS, Whisper CS, White Daisy CS (CTMH), DCWV patterned paper
Stamp: Baby Zoo
Ink: Slate (CTMH)
Tools: Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors, Glue Pen, Art Philosophy, Artiste, Artistry (CTMH), Cricut Explore Air
Other: Gold Fundamental Assortment, Whimsy Fundamental Stickers, 3d Foam Tape, White Embroidery Floss (CTMH)
I used an Allison Davis sketch from the Simple Stories blog. The idea for this layout is for all those pictures taken with visitors and family within the first days of birth. With 9 photo spots, it should be plenty. I stamped name, date, height, weight, and parents on the journal lines. Easy peasy for mama.
This layout also has lots of texture and dimension. My sister-in-law uses the phrase "Our Miracle" whenever she talks about Lauren. I knew it needed to have a place in her baby book.
Come back tomorrow for another layout using the Hello Lovely paper collection.
Casandra
