Simple Birthday Card

I am in charge of making all the birthday cards for my co-workers. This month we have three birthdays. I made the first one for Glenna and forgot to take a picture of it. This one is for Kelli and is just a simple birthday card, blank on the inside so everyone in the office could sign it.

The supplies that I used are B&T paper from retired paper pack Magnifique, bitty sparkles, colonial white ribbon, crystal blue button and colonial white waxy flax to thread through the button. The stamped image is from a very old set called Say It In Style, but is still currently available (Thats how popular and awesome that set is).

I have to give credit to Vicki Wizniuk for showing me on her blog (http://www.wizardshangout.blogspot.com/ ) how to thread the button and then slide your ribbon through the  thread or waxy flax and then pull it tight and tie it. It has really made my cards and bows look so much better. I encourage you to check out her blog, it is my go to source for all things unique, she is VERY talented.

December and January Customer Special

With a qualifying purchase of just $25 dollars in ANY CTMH product from the Autumn/Winter Idea Book you can take advantage of new Spring 2012 products and be the first to buy them and show them off!

After your $25 dollar purchase you can spend $15 more dollars and get the newest My Creations Collage cubes and an "E" size stamp set that is sure to make any project "Rock" for sure! Best of all that ends up being a savings of $30 when purchased thru this limited time offer.

This deal is available Dec 19th, 2011 thru January 31st 2012 ONLY, so be sure and plan your party with me and get all of this AND your hostess rewards exclusively from CTMH today!!!

November Customer Special

Purchase $25 in stamps during November 1-30th and you are able to take advantage of this Holiday Wishes stamp for just $5

CTMH now has a contract with Cricut and has come out with an exclusive cartridge with over 700 different designs and this stamp set coordinates with many of those images.

CTMH makes it easier than every before to take advantage of a customer special without breaking your budget!!

November Stamp Of The Month~ Cherish The Day

November is a time for celebration and friends and family. This is the perfect stamp set for just those types of occassions. November's SOTM is called Cherish The Day and is available only in the month of November from your CTMH comsultant.

Any $50 purchase allows you to take advantage of this stamp for just $5 And of course you can purchase the stamp without a purchase for retail cost $17.95 Either way, it is worth it.

Join me for the April Crop!

If you are in the Middle Tennessee area or would like to order a kit to be mailed to you (complete instructions included) just give me a shout and we will get you hooked up!

For April I will be showing you how to create the layout above along with three different cards. The kit price is just 29.95 and it comes with EVERYTHING you need to complete what you see here and still have extra paper and embellishments left over.

This month the crop will be held on Saturday April 23rd at my house from 1pm-4pm. You are more than welcome to bring a friend and if they are new and unsure to CTMH I can offer them a $5 layout kit so they can get their fingers inky and see if they like it.

I hope to see you there!!!

Wings Workshop January 28th 2011

 If you are in the Middle Tennessee area I would like to invite you to join me for my January Workshop on the 28th. This is the first of many new paper packs that CTMH is revealing this year. The paper is called Wings and you truly will soar with this project. We will make everything you see here....two 12x12 layouts and three cards. You will have plenty of paper and supplies left over for other projects!

 This is the first of two pages we will make. I love the paper in this pack. The flourishes and the scrolls are phenomenal! I liked using just plain black ink, that isn't always the case with scrapbooking. We always feel like we have to use the latest and greatest colors.

 These pictures were taken of my family back in May when I was a bridesmaid at my best friends wedding. I was 6 months pregnant with my son at the time! Hard to believe he is 4 months old now....and Janna has almost been married a year...where does the time go? I turned my layout sideways for this page because my pictures were vertical instead of horizontal. I was worried it wouldn't look as good, but I think it came out perfect! That's another beauty of CTMH you can rotate anything 90 degrees and it looks just as good!

 This is the first card I made . You cant see it good but the big brad in the center of the flower is corduroy...such a cool texture. The stamped image is stamped in the technique of second generation and then uses the technique of rolling. To do 2nd generation stamping you ink the image and then stamp it on a scrap piece of paper and then without reinking the image you will stamp it on the paper. However, to complete this technique you need to roll the image edges in the same color ink. Then you stamp the image on the paper and this is what it looks like.

 This is the same card layout just rotated 90 degrees! It gives a whole new look to the card and you wouldn't really notice that it was the same design unless you really looked. I recently just learned how to tie pretty little bows like this. If you do not know how to tie ribbon like this it is quite easy: You make two long bunny ears with your ribbon and then take each bunny loop and tie them in a knot like you would when you tie your shoes. Then just snip your ends and it will look this awesome!! I then added the stamped flower image with the brad on top of the ribbon with a glue dot.

 This is the last card we will make. Once again it is the same card design just rotated again 90 degrees. For this card I have sponged some ink on the bottom right hand corner. I was going to use my new CTMH spray pen but realized too late that I needed reinker in Vineyard Berry and I didn't have it. The spray pen is a really cool new tool that we have this year. For just 3.95 you get 3 of them and can use them with reinker and water or reinker, water and pearl paint to make a really cool iridescent mixture that splatters quite nicely. If you purchase the workshop kit you will get a spray pen.

 This is the stamp set that comes with your workshop kit. As you can see I used almost every stamp on the sheet this time. Most of my stamps turn red or light pink but this is only because I used black ink and a red tinted ink on them. This does not effect the outcome of another stamped image in another color. It just shows that they are loved and actually used and this to me is part of the journey with scrapbooking. This set is normally 13.95 and is only available with this workshop kit.

 This is the Mini Medley Accessories in Black that you will get with your workshop kit. This is what was left over after I was done making the above layouts and cards. I love that each time I purchase a kit I ALWAYS have extra product to use for other things. It really helps build my collection of CTMH products.

And this beautiful stamp set is the January Stamp Of The Month. It is a beautiful one too! I can see myself using this for so many occasions: Sympathy (butterfly), Love (bird), Teenagers birthday (high heel or the dress form) and then the wording is great for friendship etc...it is a VERY versatile set that will stay in my stash forever!

So, there you have it! I hope you have made it through this post. I know it was a long one, but there is just so much to share with you. If you would like to come to the crop please let me know so i can order you a kit. If you would like to purchase the kit you can do so from my website at www.inkyfingerz.myctmh.com and it comes with complete instructions for you to do it in the comfort of your own home. I hope to see you on Friday night the 28th for food, friends and fun!

Happy Scrappin!

Feelin Kind Of Crafty!

Dearest Followers,
I know I have not been the best blogger in the world lately. Please forgive me. I had the BEST intentions of being a stay at home Mommy after Cian was born and getting everything in order with my business and having the best blog out there....alas, I took on more than I could chew and my blog paid the price.

I appologize and have spent the night coming up with a new template. Not sure if I like it, but it will do for now. I plan on 2011 being a stellar year for me and my love affair with Close To My Heart. I have had to go back to work, so there is not as much time to be crafty...but it is still there inside of me.

Cian is almost 4 months old now and I really have started having time to myself again. I take him upstairs with me and have him in his bouncy seat and let him watch me work. He usually enjoys it for about 20-30 minutes at a time and then he is done. I am able to get a lot of things done when he takes naps though...he tends to be a 3-4 hour long map taker! WooHoo!!

So, I promise to show you more things this year. I promise to have more pictures, better pictures. I promise to not let this blog get behind. Thank you for continuing to come back here time after time. I noticed tonight I have had page views as far away as New Zealand, Russia and France...even Romania! So very cool...I'm not worthy....

I leave you with a picture of a little sneak peak into the artwork of January. The paper is called Wings and it is breathtaking!!

January New Release called: Wings! Available January 2011 only from your CTMH Consultant

Mommy's Baby!

 Well, I know I have not been the best at posting on this blog lately. But have no fear!! This next week I will have new pictures to post of my upcoming card/layout workshop. It will be all Christmassy too!! In the meantime you will have to feast your eyes on my baby boy.

Cian is growing so fast I dont know how to handle it. He is two and half months old now and he is all smiles for me. He "talks" to me and is on the verge of laughing out loud. Babies are a precious gift from God and can make your day just by a simple smile.

These two pictures were taken about 1 week ago. In the first one I finally captured Cians grin. and in the second one I snapped one of him while he was sleeping. Sometimes there is nothing like a sleeping baby huh? Oh how I love this little guy.

Thanks for looking and I will be showing some new craft stuff asap!!!

My Next Workshop Idea

 Recently I went to my uplines house and we made a clear card. It is an acrylic card that comes with a clear envelope and it allows you to really layer your design so one thing shows on top of another and creates a really cool final image. I amm going to teach this technique at my next workshop in November.

 The paper is called Olivia and is perfect for Fall. It showcases two of our new colors called Pear and Sunset. The cards come in packs and you can get round ones, square ones or scalloped. I recoomend using Tombow adhesive so that glue or other adhesive doesnt show through the clear part as you layer the card.

The workshop is going to be fun. I will post more details such as cost in another week or so. If you will be in the Murfreesboro area or would like to be just to come see me and the baby...ha ha ha... let me know and we will hook you up with all the supplies!!

Sympathy Card For A Friend

 One of my friends father passed away yesterday after an extended illness. I wanted to send her a sympathy card. Since I am a new Mommy again, I am a little short on time and resources. I made this today while my baby was napping. It was very quick and requires little paper and just a few cuts. But I like the way it came out. During times of grief I think simple works the best.

 The butterfly is from a stamp set called Celebrate Life...very fitting I feel. I used the CTMH blending pen and used three different color inks to color the image after I stamped it. The colors I used were: Brown Bag (main image color), Autumn Terracota, Garden Green and Barn Red. This is the first time I have used our blending pen and I thought it was neat...might need a little more training on technique but it was fun and is an inexpensive tool to add to your scrapbag.

I pop dotted the butterfly to add some dimension and then stamped the "thinking of you" image underneath. That stamp is in the color Garden Green and comes from the classic set called Say It In Style. I hope you enjoy the card. I am glad to be back and it was nice to create something again!!

It's A Boy!!!

Well, I have had my baby!!! Little Cian Grant was born on Sept. 8th 2010 at 4:37pm and weighed in at 8lbs and 8oz. and was 21.5 inches long.

It is hard to believe 9 months of carrying him has come to an end. I am glad to have a little bit of my body back!! It will still take some work to get the rest back, but the fluid retention is gone and the heartburn and the sore hips and the breathlessness. Now I just have to work on the flab!! Breastfeeding is really helping the weight come off, but I am sure you get to a point where it stalls. I will have to work through that and try not to get disappointed. I cant wear my pants so thats annoying.

But he is so worth every bit of the pain and the hard times and I would not trade him for anything. I love watching my other kids talk to him and hold him and love on him. I love seeing my husband as a new Dad again. Having another baby changes your marriage and makes you fall in love more deeply than ever before, or at least thats how it goes for me.

I will try and get back into my craft groove as soon as I figure out my new family groove. So hang in there, there is more to come!!

The Time Is Near

I know I have not been the best blogger lately. I think that is due to sitting at work all day and having very HUGE ankles by the time I get home. It discourages me from sitting at my computer at my desk and blogging away. I am sorry about that.

I officially have 10 days until my due date of Sept 10th. I am very excited about meeting this little baby and finding out whether it is a boy or a girl. I won't be blogging or scrapbooking much during the month of Sept. I plan to come back in October full force....we'll see about that....and bring you some new and exciting things.

I do plan on updating the blog tonight to reflect all of the new products that start with CTMH tomorrow Sept. 1st. There will be a new catalog you can browse, or buy a copy from me. There are amazing new projects and products. Even though I will be a new Mommy again I am still here for my customers. I may just be a little slower responding. So check in tomorrow to see all of the new stuff!!!!! I love every bit of it!!!!!

I will blog again when the baby is born and show you some pictures. I will also be starting a new scrapbook!! How exciting it is to document my kids lives and preserve the things they would never otherwise remember and I would forget over time.

Just so you know we finally chose baby names.....the winners are: Grace Elizabeth or Cian (kee-in) Grant. Let me know what you think!!!

Love to all!!!!

You're A Deer Thank You Card

Thank You Card for my shower gifts!

Here it is.... the card I created in bulk for my Thank You's to all of my coworkers and friends for my baby shower gifts. I chose the CTMH paper called Topstitch because it is both pink and blue and since this baby is a surprise I thought it went well.

The stamp that I chose was actually a dollar bin stamp at Michael's several months ago. I have really been wanting to use it but have not had to make any Thank You cards for quite some time. I inked the image in chocolate ink and then stamped it right on the Colonial White cardstock. I then distressed the edges with the edge of the Blush ink pad just swiping it all the way around.

The layout for the card came from the CTMH How To book called Wishes. I am serious when I say if you do not have these How To books you really, really should. I was able to make 21 cards in just under an hour all while getting my kids ready for bed, saying prayers and getting up to get popsicles....that is my current craving of the month!

It only used about 4 sheets of paper and then about 7 sheets of cardstock, but I like to cut my own cards. You can buy them premade and folded and save a lot of money. I hope you enjoy this card. August 27th is my crop night. I will be posting a picture of the layout and card we make from that as well as what my next workshop will be on. I am pretty sure we will be making clear acrylic cards....they are very dimensional and easy to do. So stay tuned!!! Thanks for checking this out!!

The Time Is Near!!

I just wanted to share a picture of the cake that my friend Kim made for me. My co-workers threw me a baby shower last week at work and it was wonderful. Kim is so talented!! She makes cakes and does photography. We were going to take maternity pictures today but the weather isnt cooperating with us. It has been 112 degrees here every day for several months with hardly any rain and then as soon as I plan outdoor pictures here comes the monsoon. So we'll try again in 2 weeks, but I will be ready to bust by then. if it doesnt work out she will come and take pictures of the baby for me when it is born.

This is the perfect cake for either gender. I have found that by not knowing what gender the baby is one tends to rack up on all the essentials as far as baby gifts go. Not that anything froo-froo and cutsie isnt wanted or appreciated, it is just that when it comes down to it diapers, wipes and breast feeding supplies are way more practical. I have another shower in October (an after the baby shower) and I am going to have to update my registry for that one, because my current registry is pretty much taken care of.

I am going out with two of my best friends today and finishing up shopping for this little one. I need baby socks and a couple of gender neutral outfits and then I need to pack my hospital bag with the new mommy essentials and get some comfy black yoga pants for my hospital stay. I am so not staying in those open back gowns with the fishnet panties they give you in one size fits all....yeah right....have they seen the junk in my trunk lately?

Anyway, stay tuned for pictures of the baby shower gift Thank You cards that I mass prodcued the other night. My feet were as swollen as grapefruits but I used CTMH's card book and cut, glued and embellished 21 cards in just under an hour. It was so easy!! I also have a CTMH team meeting tomorrow at my Uplines house. I know I will be bringing back some awesome information for you guys. So stay tuned!! I may be 9 months pregnant but I am still at it!!!

Here we are in the breakroom at work. These are just a few of the awesome ladies I work with at the clinic here in town. You can't see the rest of them but everyone came and oohed and ahhed over me and this little one. I am so very blessed!! It seemed like I opened presents for hours. All of the food was homemade and my friend in the back beside me, Rebekah was able to make it with her daughter Ashley and her new baby, 2 week old Allie Grace. It was a lot of fun.

Delightful Things

This is a layout that I did in June for a friends show. The paper collection is from CTMH and is called Grace. It shows subtle flowers and matching texture patterns. I also love how my sons pictures look good even on a flower paper. The stamp set used is called Delightful Things and matches perfectly! The colors I used are Barn Red and Twilight. I tied it all together with a piece of natural twill ribbon held on with a brad at either end.

This layout took no time because it only uses three pieces of paper and three cardstock photo mat pieces. I think it took me five minutes to cut and glue this all together. Thats CTMH, always making things faster and easier!!

Happy Birthday Shae!

Sweet Little Shae! We made you this card for your third birthday. We can't believe how much you have grown and how quickly time flies. You are a beautiful little girl and we enjoy the time we get to spend with you. That blond curly hair and your sweet little voice, almost like a whisper, and those endless hugs are just some of the things we love about you. We wish you a very happy birthday this week and have fun riding the horses and seeing the dinosaurs at your birthday party!

I made this card using an older paper pack called That's Amore'. I think it is perfect for little girls scrapbooks and cards as well as for Valentine's Day, Anniversaries, Weddings and Just Because.

I used the July Stamp Of The Month called Happy Forever with this adorable little hedgehog. I made her into a girl by simply adding a hairbow, but the hedgehog can just as easily be a boy.

For the sentiment on the front I used one of the stamps from the July Stamp Of The Month that says, "You deserve to have a great day!" On the inside, which you can't see I used a stamp from an old set, although still available called Say It In Style and the inside reads... Happy Birthday!

This card was made using a template in the Wishes Card Confidence Program that CTMH carries. It does make cardmaking easier and faster and I have really been branching out by alternating just a few dimensions or embellishments on my cards and making them even more original!

If you are interested in any of the products I have shown you today please drop me a comment or an email and I will get with you asap!!

My Favorite Card EVER!

When I signed up to be a CTMH consultant I couldn't wait to get my kit. Well, that was 2 years ago and this is the scraps of the paper I got in my consultant kit. the paper is called Silhouette and it is beautiful paper. I like it because it is neutral colors and can be mixed with another main color and have a totally different look. For this card I used Hollyhock as my accent color and then used Desert Sand for my stamp color. This is my all time favorite card that I have ever made.

I followed a pattern out of the CTMH card book called Originals. It is on page 90 and is called Button Trio. I just simply cut according to the directions and then stamped my images using the stamp sets called Blossom Blocks and Say It In Style. The nest step was gluing it all together and then adding my buttons. I threaded them with Hollyhock embroidery floss and then glue dotted them to the card.

I like the way the colors are balanced and the symmetry of the card's layout. I don't think as of right now I could give this card away. It may always just stay in my show off pile. If you would like to make cards like these just send me a message and I can get you started. It has saved me a lot of money over the last 2 years!!

Scrappy Cards!!

When this CTMH paper came out I fell in love. I bought everything that came with this paper during that Idea Book release. It is called Twitterpated and came out last fall. It is still available and makes me smile each time I use it. I made this card last night from some of my scraps left over from my Twitterpated workshop.

The image was stamped using a stamp set called Inspiration. It has several small words such as dream, hope and creative and has 4 of the large medalion style stamps. I have used those medalions before as a magnet. I stamped the image and then covered it with a circle window sticker (very thick clear plastic charm) and then added a strong circle magnet to the back. It was a hit!! Twitterpated shows the colors of Sorbet, Choclate, Sweet Leaf and Crystal Blue.

This is a tiny little card! It is 2.5 x 3. I like this size when I am making several thank you's for my hostesses and guests after a show. they are easy to make in bulk and look really cute and dont cost you much because it doesnt require a lot of consumable product.

This cars uses the paper called Emporium. I added the buttercup strip in the middle with my stamped image in Vineyard Berry. The stamp set comes from a CTMH special celebrating 25 years and it was called Good Times. I then inked around the edges in Vineyard Berry and called it done!

Bookmarks

These pretty much speak for themselves. I enjoy reading and so does my daughter. I like to make bookmarks for teachers and for my book club members. Last year I did an entire CTMH show on how to make book marks and use things like pop dots, ribbon, edge anchors, stamping and strips of paper as ribbon markers. It was cool when the customers saw how well these hold up after lots of use. The two in this picture have been in use now for over a year.

This one is made from a great paper called Good Times. It was the first paper pack I ever bought with CTMH and it is still available. I LOVE stars and this stamp set called Invitation has several to choose from. We made this one at a show and it showcases the use of edge anchors, ribbon, strips of paper for the tie at the top and stamped inage off to the side. It was a big hit.

This one is made from the Animal Cookies paper pack that I love and features the technique of using pop dots to raise your text. It is hard to see in this picture, but the quote is raised up off the bookmark with the pop dots. I used ric rac ribbon in white daisy for the tie at the top. We made this in January at my open house.

Thanks for looking!!