My Love Affair With Paper

My love affair with pretty paper began back in 2001. My cousin introduced me to scrapbooking and I was hooked. With the release of each new Idea Book from Close To My Heart, I find at least one new paper pack that becomes my new favorite. The funny thing about the papers that I chose for this blog hop is that they were actually my least favorite from the 2013 Spring/Summer Idea Book. BUT, my fellow Close To My Heart consultants kept displaying artwork with it that made me fall for it, and I snatched up a kit shortly before they sold out. My daughter's Hello Kitty dress pairs perfectly with this paper. Love happy coincidences like that.

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

I created two layouts from the Claire paper pack, and a friend loaned me her wotg stamp set. 

Products Used:

Paper: Claire (retired), Outdoor Denim CS, Colonial White CS, Hollyhock CS, Sunset CS, Blush CS (retired) (CTMH)

Stamps: Claire WOTG (retired), Keyboard Uppercase Alphabet, Trinity Alphabet (retired) (CTMH)

Inks: Hollyhock, Outdoor Denim, Desert Sand, Champagne, Cotton Candy (CTMH)

Tools: Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors, Glue Pen, Watercolor Pencils, Corner Rounder, Sanding Kit (CTMH)

Other:Bitty Sparkles (CTMH)

Your next stop on the hop will be Priscilla Gotham's blog. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

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

May Flowers Blog Hop

I have several other Ariana layouts to share with you, but they will have to wait until after the holiday weekend, I'm afraid. 

I am part of a "Use Your Stash" blog hop this month, and the theme is "May Flowers". If you have arrived here from Janet's blog, you are on the right path.

This is one of those layouts where I started with the basic sketch, but then stalled out. I can't count the number of hours I spent looking through old idea books for inspiration, and even Jeanette Lynton's blog to see how the CTMH artists would have clustered these Ariana complements. I will admit that dimensional elements are not my favorite. But I was determined to give this particular kit a try since a fellow consultant sent it to me as a "gift". So I stepped away from it for a couple of days, and when I came back to it, everything clicked.

Recipe:
Paper: Ariana, Ariana Coral CS, Ariana Green CS, Outdoor Denim CS, White Daisy CS (CTMH)
Stamp: Ivy Lane WOTG (CTMH)
Ink: VersaMark
Tools: Gold Embossing Powder (retired), Heat Gun, Craft Tray, Micro-Tip Scissors, Scallop Border Punch, Paper-Piercer (CTMH)
Other: Olive Mini-Medley Assortment (retired), Smoothie Brads (retired), Antique Copper Brads (retired), Ariana Complements, Bohemian Assortment (retired), Paradise Paper Flowers (retired) (CTMH)

I am waiting to add pictures until I figure out which ones I want to print. I am happy with how this layout turned out. Did you notice all the different retired embellishments I used?

Thanks for stopping by. Please be sure to visit Theresa's blog next. If you get lost along the way, please check out Katy's blog for a complete list of hoppers.

I wish you all a safe and happy Memorial weekend. God bless.

Casandra Bennett