Artbooking Made Easy: Fun In the Sun

Season Finale of Artbooking.  Hope you have enjoyed and learned lots from this series!



Products used in this video are available on my website.  Click the item number to shop!
Z1906 - Cricut Artbooking Collection
Z2274 - Champagne Exclusive Inks Re-inker
Z2295 - Lagoon Exclusive Inks Re-inker 
Z1886 - My Crush Besties Assortment

Follow Up Friday: Ariana Gets a Boost!

I posted photos of my Ariana layout for the Paper Trail blog hop on April first.  You can find that post here.  

Now there are two trains of thought for those of us who create layouts for classes.  One thought is that it should always include photos.  The other, of course is that it doesn't need to or actually should not.  I follow the second train of thought for two reasons.  First is that I don't want to put an idea in anyone's head as to what type of photos should go on any page.  Sometimes when I see something I tend to think that's the way it should be.  The second reason I don't put photos on my classroom pages is even more basic.  I really don't take that many photos.  

But today I thought I would revisit my Ariana pages with photos and include the second layout as well. 

Here is the original layout:

And here is my second layout using more of the same Ariana paper pack and complements:

 

 

  

I still don't take enough photos.  These are photos I "stole" off my daughters' Facebook pages.  I've come to find out that with the popularity of Instagram there are not as many photos accessible right from FB.  This caused me to download the Instagram app.  I immediately became frustrated and confused and feel like a sitcom Mom who has to ask her kids all about technology. 

And I used to feel so smart...

Artbooking Made Easy: Togetherness

Enjoy this new Artbooking video from Close To My Heart.  


Find the products used in this video on my website:
Z1906 - Artbooking Cricut Collection
Z1812 - Sparkles Clear Flourishes, Small
Z3002 - Ariana Assortment 
Z1934 - Flamingo Dots
Z1935 - Black & Gray Epoxy Bubbles
Z1795 - Quilling Tool

Throw Back Thursday: Swapping Pins!

If you have been stamping as long as I have (and I know a lot of you have!) you might remember that many years ago stampers were swapping pins at conventions all around the country.  I think I only made pins to swap once at one of those big commercial conventions.  But pin swapping at a Close To My Heart convention wasn't to be passed up as far as I was concerned.  

You still see pins of all sorts attached to consultants sweaters or lanyards, but only a few and usually only provided for a special reason.  In the past, though, many of us brought multitudes of pins to swap and proudly wore as many as we could fit on our clothing.  Here are a few of my favorites that have survived my moves and purging over the years.

First is my "AOL Pin."  

Back in the earlier days of the internet Social Media was limited pretty much to chat rooms owned by your service provider.  A bunch of *DOTS consultants had a chat room in AOL. Which is entirely the sole reason I insisted we get AOL when we got our first dial up internet connection.  There were many limitations to using the internet in those days.  One limitation being that a screen name could only be nine or ten letters long.  And it had to be unique to the person using it.  I came up with CUStampin which became how I was known in the DOTS chat room. Very few people used their actual name.  

It was decided by a group of ladies that we would all make the exact same pin personalized with our screen names in order to help us find each other at our Close To My Heart convention.  It was a lot of fun and a great ice breaker.  This tradition carried on, with new designs for several years.  This pin is about 4" tall.

Next, my button pin: 

I borrowed my in-laws button maker for this pin.  Rather than write the words multiple times, I photocopied them and then stamped the image inside.  Legally, the CTMH images can only be reproduced by hand stamping each one, but I wasn't willing to risk severe cramps or carpal tunnel syndrome by writing the words over and over and over.  The thin paper I used to stamp on was the primary reason for making this a button. It's just under 2-1/2".

I believe if you've stamped and glittered very long at all you most likely have been asked, "Do you know you have glitter on your face?"

Next is my CTMH Kin pin: 

This is an example of the kind of pin you might still see on a consultant at convention today.  It's very personal and wouldn't be used for swapping.  This pin was all done with shrink plastic and is about 3" long.  Two of my CTMH friends and I had started growing our teams.  The three of us were not "related" by uplines but decided to support each other in our business efforts and decided to call ourselves "kin."  Each little doll represents one of us or our downline and is colored accordingly to who it is. I made one for each of the eight of us who was at convention. It's still one of my favorite pins and brings back memories of our ice cream socials.  Yum! Everything on this pin but the "name tag" on each doll was stamped with CTMH - including the old logo. 

Last pin for today - one of my all time favorites:

This pin is actually three dimensional so that it appears you really could break the glass.  The words were done on clear label paper and all else hand stamped with DOTS stamps.  It doesn't show in the photo, but there is glitter behind the stamp. The pin is about 2" square. I think this was the year that they announced at convention that we would no longer be known as DOTS, but as Close To My Heart.  I didn't know whether to be sad that my pin was obsolete or to be happy that it would now be so rare. Unfortunately the red and pink of the frame have faded almost completely away.

Most pins were laminated for durability as were my CUStampin pin and this one.  

I hope you've enjoyed this little trip in time.  See you again soon, or as I used to say, C U Stampin!


*DOTS was the birth mother of  CTMH.

Artbooking Made Easy: Capturing Snapshots

 I love all the information and ideas that I'm getting from these videos.  I hope you are getting lots of ideas, too!

If you've missed any of the videos you can view them by clicking on the Artbooking Made Easy tab above.

Artbooking Made Easy: Capturing Snapshots

You can get your Artbooking Cricut Collection here.

Other products featured:
Z1818 - My Creations 6x6 Canvas Display
Various - Exclusive Inks Mini Pigment Pads Set
Z726 - Sponge Daubers

The Card Maker in Me

Just thought I'd share some cards with you that I've either copied, tweaked or designed for an upcoming class.  Hope you enjoy them!

This is one of the card designs in the Ivy Lane Card Making Kit.  The kit includes all the stamps, papers & embellishments.  You provide the ink and the Cricut cuts.  But really, if you don't have the Cricut cartridge yet, it's an easy hand cut. 

G1079 - Workshops on the Go Ivy Lane Card Making Kit (page 74 in the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book)

This design is also in the Ivy Lane Card Making Kit, but I decided to change up the papers and the colors but use the Ivy Lane design & stamps.  Love it with the Lollydoodle Papers!

X7183B - Lollydoodle Paper Pack
 

 A "double door" or "gate" card.  Papers are from the Skylark Paper Pack (my favorite!) using Washi Tape and Aqua Dots for embellishments.

X7177B - Skylark Paper Pack
Z1850 - Lagoon Houndstooth Washi Tape
Z1853 - Aqua Dots
A1142 - Friend My Acrylix Stamp Set (available as hostess rewards only)
Z2195 - Lagoon Exclusive Inks Pad

This card features our Stamp of the Month, Balloon Talk, and our Circle Spin cards.  

Z1866 - White Daisy Circle Spin Cards & Envelopes
S1404 - Balloon Talk My Acrylix Stamp of the Month (available April 2014 only)
Z2197 - Pear Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z2194 - Sky Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
X5761 - Sky Card Stock

Artbooking My Life

Using Artbooking and Picture My Life you can so easily make quick albums that are so personal. 



For yourself or for a gift, it's so pretty & perfect!

Find and purchase supplies used in this video here: http://betsy.ctmh.com/
Z1906 - Cricut Artbooking Collection
Various - Picture My Life Programs
Z1953 - Journaling Cards Box

Hip Pics Album

Some inspiration for a Mother's Day project?  Or any other occasion!
Purchase your Hip Pic Album here.

Ariana Brings Spring Time to the Paper Trail

On the paper trail this month we bring you Ariana. 
You might just be getting started or you may have arrived from Mary's blog, Road to Peace of Mind or Escape.  Just keep following the links and you'll visit us all and be inspired! 

Ariana's bold floral print feels retro but also has some very modern elements of design to it that makes me like it more and more each time I see it.  The complementing patterns are classy and fun for a great mix.  I didn't quite use them all, but I did my best!

I really enjoyed using the complements with this paper, they are fun and a little unexpected in my opinion.  I can't wait to add my photos!

Now hop on over to Tracey's blog, Papercrafting Princess and enjoy the rest of the hop.  I'm adding the supply list below that I used for this layout. If you want to shop for these items please click on the item numbers. 

Supplies:
X7179B - Ariana Paper Pack
X7179C - Ariana Complements
Z1935 - Black Grey Epoxy Bubbles
9042 - Make It From Your Heart vol. 2 (Pattern #3)