Card Box with Wonderland B & T for Die Cuts Storage And New Product Blog Hop

You know how you think you want to use a particular image that you've already cut, stamped or colored in some way and then you Don't end up using it in your project?  Well, I have a bunch of little gems like that in piles all over my work area.  You can see some letters (in the picture below) just wanting a home.  I decided to turn the new CTMH My Creations Card Box into a pretty storage box to sit on my desk to house all those little orphan pieces until I can use them on a card or other project.

 This is what the box looked like beforehand.  Here are some of the papers and other supplies that will be used.

 Here is Spring Iris reinker waiting to be mixed with CTMH's Create a Shade Pearl Paint.

 I'm all about re-using whatever I can, so I save the plastic containers that Tombox refills come in and then use them for painting, etc.

 All the pieces of paper are cut and will be sponge distressed using Crystal Blue ink.  I label whatever I can, so that I can find what I need fairly quickly.  The card box is in the background after I painted it with the newly mixed pearl paint colors.

 I also painted some little wood blocks with white acrylic paint and glued them onto the bottom of the box.  This is the back of the box with a piece of Crystal Blue card stock stamped in White Daisy Pigment Ink and embossed with Clear Detail Powder.  The image is from the Universal Backgrounds set (D1477).

 The sides are both the same with some pewter embellishments.

 This is the front foot with a small butterfly from the Fill In the Blank Stamp set.  On the top of the box are the bird and larger butterfly stamped from the same set.

 The inside of the box is painted with the Spring Iris/Pearl Paint mixture.  It turned a different shade on the surface of the inside walls of the box which gave it a cool two-tone effect.  The box is beginning to get filled up with lots of fun things for future projects!

Here is the top of the box with a paper rosette made from the same paper pack.  The button on the bow is from the new Bling Assortment.   The Sparkles on the butterflies come from the Blue and Green Assortment.

Please join the CTMH New Product Blog Hop hosted by the lovely Ms. Tresa Black. Thanks Tresa!

Wonderland B & T with Key Moments Stamp Set

The new Wonderland paper from CTMH is a set of wintery blues with a bit of Chocolate, Grey Flannel, and Spring Iris mixed in.  I wanted to make a non-wintery card with these papers to show their versatility.  And I live in the desert, so winter themed things aren't usually very popular here.  :-)

Picture Frame Turned Bulletin Board

My dh needs reminders about simple things, so I made this to hang in the laundry room for him to see when he comes in from the garage.  The man is brilliant, but can't figure out which bowl in the refrigerator is a meal and which is cooked ground beef saved for adding to the evening's dinner.  Yep, you guessed it; one day he took a pound of meat to work for lunch and left a complete meal packed especially for him in the fridge.

The Roxie B & T papers have so many potential uses.  I love how they can be feminine or masculine based on the embellishments added to the project.  On this board, I kept it very simple but I couldn't resist blinging up some thumbtacks with the new CTMH Rhinestone Designer Brads.  They adhere easier to the tacks if the back prongs are removed.  I just snipped them off with wire cutters used for jewelry making.

The project started with a plain wood frame similar to this one.  The one I used was for a 5 x 7 photograph.  I painted the edges black, adhered the paper,  adorned some stamped images, stuck a piece of cork where the photo is supposed to go, attached the ribbon and voila, Done!  It was one of the fastest projects I've ever completed.  It was also very inexpensive. Gotta love that, too!

Magic Mirror with CTMH Mischief B & T Paper

Mirrors can't really build self-esteem, that comes from within.  But sometimes we all need a boost when we look in the mirror and aren't feeling like it is a Good Hair Day.  I made this for my older dd.  She is beautiful, no matter what her hair looks like!  It would be nice if she realizes it and sees the reflection that others see when they look at her.

This was a very plain wood mirror and easel from Ikea.  I painted the edges black on the mirror and the entire wood easel with acrylic paint.  The front of the mirror is covered in one of the new CTMH Mischief B & T papers.  After gluing, it helps to smooth it out with a rubber brayer. The mirror is outlined with Silver Glitz Glitter Gel. (CTMH Z1482)

The rosettes are made from a variety of CTMH papers.  The striped one made such a pretty design!

This one was layered with some of the new gem embellishments that come in the Heirloom Assortment (CTMH Z1635) and a 2" black card stock scallop with a stamped sentiment on top.

Grey Flannel is Such a Pretty Color

CTMH Live Inspired Stamp Set, Die-Cut Card base

This card is made with the new CTMH Mischief B & T papers and also the oftentimes forgotten (by me) Grey Flannel card stock.  The stamp set is one of my favorites and I was so glad to see that it made it into the new catalog.  The rosette on this card was layered onto a 2" scallop cut from a paper punch.

These rosettes are easy to make.  Cut a strip of paper and start accordion folding.  Glue the ends together and smoosh down to make it lay flat.  I use hot glue to hold it together.  Here I layered two rosettes made with different widths of paper and a CTMH pewter brad.

The rosette is now adorning a card for my dd1.  The Life is Good stamp is part of a beautiful new set called Remarkable Wreath (C1473).

Close To My Heart Exclusive Cricut Cartridge

This cartridge will be available on August 1, 2011.  Stay tuned for artwork created with this exclusive cartridge and corresponding stamps.  There are over 700 images on the cartridge!

Mischief is the name of my DD1's black cat

And also the name of CTMH's new Halloween themed B & T paper.  I love the heavier weight because it is perfect for projects like these!

All items are CTMH except inside is a sticky backed paper pad

 I found some cute Post-It note knockoff pads at Michael's and decided to up the oomph factor.  These are quick, easy and inexpensive to make.  And now they are looking so cute on the desk by my computer!

This is the inside of the "matchbook" type holder for the pads

To make them, measure the width of the pads and cut your paper a smidge wider.  I didn't cut the length of the paper until I figured out how much I would need to go around the back and how much of an overlap that I wanted on the front.  I scored the paper at the top and the bottom to make spines so that the paper would lay flat.  The dimensions of the paper cuts and folds are determined by the size of the pad of paper that will go inside.

The stamped images, Mischief papers, Honey colored button brads and the Complements Rub-Ons are all in the new CTMH Idea Book that goes online on August 1, 2011.

Happiness Project

I was going to make a journal for my 21 year old dd to start her own “Happiness Project” and then realized that she may not want to be committed to a “Happiness” anything or even a “Project”….. so I made a journal for her to do with it as she wished.

Of course, being her mom, I still had to offer some advice about things she May want to consider including as she stared at the blank pages.  

• Quotes
• Poems
• Goals
• Dreams
• Random Acts of Kindness, your own or from someone who has acted kindly towards you
• Lyrics
• Verses
• Pictures
• Blessings or Thanksgivings
• Things that bring you joy
• Accomplishments
• Affirmations
• Doodles
• Words; they are so very powerful.  Even when they stand alone.

Celebrate your life.  

Inspiration Journal

CTMH My Creations Journal is 7" x 5" with a clear pocket on the front

 This journal is for me to keep notes and sketches in about current and future projects.  I am always thinking of new quilts or papercrafts that I want to create.  Many times I jot a note to myself on the back of an envelope and then when I want to expand upon the idea, I can't find my original (brilliant) note!

The blank journal beforehand.  The Roxie paper on the bottom has a variety of stamps arranged prior to  stamping.

 I'm a planner and needed to know before I put any ink to paper that the layout would work.

The backside of the journal  is the reverse side of the Roxie paper on the front cover.

I love words.  The cover was designed using some of  my favorite CTMH word stamps.  They were stamped in Desert Sand, Chocolate and Cocoa CTMH inks. The big brads are stuck through the new Foundry Pin Clips. 

My Creations Memory Game CTMH Convention Make and Takes

Project using CTMH Elemental Paper 

This is what the box and coaster tiles look like beforehand. The blanks are stampable, too!

There are 24 coaster tiles included inside the Memory Game.

I modified it for my 6 year old to use for when she is bored.

We came up with fun activities and some that are not quite as fun.  Some might call them chores.

There are lots of possibilities for this fun Memory Game box.  For the "Take a Chance/I'm Bored Game" I typed 24 different activities that my dd and I decided upon.  She'll draw a tile when she is bored and she may get a fun activity or one that is of a more helpful nature.  I am working on using papers from my stash so I covered the backs of the tiles with retired CTMH B & T papers.


Because I'll be doing another variation of this game for a December Countdown to Christmas I downloaded an Avery template that is used for 2 1/2" circle labels.  This allowed me to easily type the activity and then use the 2" scallop punch to quickly punch them out.  Here is the link to the template for you to create your own.

This last picture is the other Make and Take I made at CTMH's Convention.  It is made with the gorgeous Roxie papers.

Kraft Envelope Book 6" x 6"

 The project following this post (Kraft Card Book) used the cards from inside 3 envelopes.  I don't like wasting any scrap of paper, ever.  So, I did the logical thing and made a book from the envelopes.

Inside cover

Inside pages showing envelope pockets and some of the images from the Blue Ribbon stamp set (C1464)

Each envelope has a pull out page from the CTMH Roxie Level 2 Paper Packet (X7140B)

I used one card and this is it, flipped around and open

Inside back cover, with card closed

CTMH 10 Things Stamp Set (C1474) Rhinestone Designer Brads, Bling Assortment, and Foundry Pin Clips. The ribbons are all from the new Red Collection (Z1615)

This book was made from 4 envelopes and 1 card from the CTMH Kraft Die Cut 6" x 6" Cards and Envelopes package (Z1474).  There are 10 cards/envelopes in the package and it will be available on August 1st along with all the other new items I've used in this cute one of a kind book.

Kraft Card Book Project from CTMH Convention at Disneyland

This is the finished book cover made from CTMH Kraft cards

A card and envelope beforehand

One of the inside pages

This was a fun project to make out of card bases.  We used our exclusive CTMH convention stamp set and the new Journaling Spots (Z1461) and My Reflections Complements Elemental Dimensional Elements (X7141C).  All the small shapes were die cut using the new Close To My Heart Cricut Cartridge (Z1686).

Close To My Heart Convention 2011

This was my first CTMH Convention and it was amazing!  We turned it into a family vacation, which truly combines my favorite things.... Family and Crafting!  Soon, I'll be posting some of the projects we made at convention with some of the gorgeous new papers and stamp sets.

Only a few days left for the Bang For Your Buck promotion!