Get your paint on! Practical Scrappers magnetic board project!

Our challenge this week over at Frosted Designs was to create a project using acrylic paint. What fun! I love getting my paint on - particularly when my six year old daughter isn't there to "help" me! LOL!

Here's a pretty cute and relatively easy holiday gift idea.

I picked up a magnetic sign from Target's dollar spot a few months back - not because I liked the sign particularly, but because I thought I'd one day, eventually, alter it.

I used the Perfect Day papers from CTMH, as well as CTMH Just Blooms, Create-A-Shade Pearl Paint, CTMH Rub-Ons, a little bling & Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip Ribbon. I love how it turned out!

I painted one of the huge Just Blooms flowers with the pearl paint, then ink distressed another in matching ink and painted over that, too. I thought about making it as a gift, but it's another of those projects that I'm not sure I'll part with.

Die Cut Mini Album - Challenge Blog Hop

My! this has been such a busy weekend! I've been cropping away at the Fall into Scrapping on-line crop at AC Bailey Designs' forum, plus there's been an exciting challenge blog hop that I'm participating for with Practical Scrappers.

There are lots of prizes out there in cyber land to be won, my friends! Be sure to visit the fun sites to get a little mojo moving and a chance to win!

The hop is hosted by Scrapsketch - if you haven't checked it out yet, definitely do it soon! Each of the 10 or so sites is hosting their own challenge and giving away TONS of sweet prizes!

The challenge over at Practical Scrappers is to use die cuts, so I broke out my Journaling Spots from Close To My Heart to create a fun and quick little album. I've had this project in mind ever since I got these spots, but it wasn't until I got back the pictures from my kiddos old-time photo shoot this summer that everything fell into place.

The journaling spots I used varied in sizes and shapes ovals, circles and squares ranging in size from 2"x2", 2-1/2"x3", 3"x4" and everywhere in between.


I traced some fun chipboard shapes onto regular transparency sheets (I purchased 100 8-1/2"x11"sheets at Office Depot for something like $25) and trimmed them out for a few accent pieces as the cover and on the inside of my album.

The first transparency was cut into a heart shape for my cover page. I adorned this with rub-ons for my title, a tiny flower and a little bit of bling.

Next, I trimmed the edge of the oval journal spot so it was easier to bind together cleanly in the finished project:

Next I left one of the journaling spots plain because it was just too cute - it worked great just as it was left open for journaling. I added another little flower and bling to jazz it up a bit:

I had a few clear acrylic shapes lying around, including a little photo clip that I tied to the front, and this little flower that I used on the inside. Again, I used some rub-ons and bling.

The last transparency I cut into a brackety shape and added a bling circle, rub-on word and flower.

The album ends with a picture of old-timey Sophia.

Once everything was complete, I punched holes to the album using my Crop-o-Dile and added 3/4" binder rings to hold it all together, then added scraps of ribbon around the rings to add a little pizazz.

Thanks for visiting!

Fun with vellum & a crazy day!

Hi Friends,

Sorry this is so late. Today was crazy! I sent my baby girl off to kindergarten and my sunshine of a boy off to 4th grade! I can't believe how time flies. But I think that this was the first year I didn't cry sending them off.

Here are my layouts for this week's challenge for Practical Scrappers. We had to use vellum in our projects - which, I have to admit, is one of the most challenging products for me to use creatively. And, since things have been positively hectic getting ready for the new year, I was running low on creativity. Here's what I came up with:


This first one is an additional layout that didn't get submitted to Practical Scrappers. I stamped on my vellum - and, to set the titles in each of my stamped images, I used a heat gun (held several inches away so I wouldn't burn a hole through it!). I made sure to set the vellum aside, even after heat-setting the ink, for a while to allow the ink to fully dry and prevent smudges.

For this first layout, I attached the vellum a few different ways. I used a hinge with brads for the first part of the title and a beaded spiral-clip for the second part of the title.


For the Riverwalk layout, I hand-wrote my journaling on vellum. I also added a velum overlay to the left-hand side of the layout, covering it with thread and pretty beads to dress it up:


Here's a better picture of the vellum overlay. For this, I folded the edges (top and bottom) of my vellum to fit over my paper panel. That way, I could adhere the vellum on the back side of the paper panel and didn't run the risk of having my adhesive show through.

For the last layout, I used vellum as both a title overlay and a journaling block. Both were attached to the layout with brads.

All supplies in all of these layouts are from Close to My Heart.

Big Tex

Today is my blast from the past day, I've decided. The last two projects are ones that I created a while ago (and one a really long while ago), and this one is no different.



In 2007, we took a nine day gigantic journey of a road trip from Western Colorado to all over the state of Texas. Looking back on these photos, I see how little my babies were - Soph was still in diapers and Andrew was still in kindergarten. To this day, it was the best vacation I've ever been on. I would do it every year, if I could. Great company, of course, but who could pass up a week and a half of insanely delicious, mouth-watering, smoky, rich, authentic Texas barbecue. Yum! My stomach is rumbling just thinking about it!

Over that period, we visited several museums, rode on the Riverwalk in San Antonio, went to Sea World, and collected tons of memorabilia. The dilemma came when I went to start this portion of my vacation album. If I scrapped ever single event, my Texas album would become of epic proportions. At the same time, I didn't want to leave anything out, either.

I decided to add a pocket to the page to hold everything we found - but I didn't want anything lost, so I made the pocket out of a 6x6 page protector. That way, you still were able to tell that there were some interesting things behind the scenes, but also provided an interesting starting point to that album.

I trimmed the hole-punched edge of the cover off and attached it to my page with glue dots. I adhered the main attraction points - one each of our tickets to Sea World, the Riverboat and the JFK Memorial/Dealy Plaza Museum

Everything else got pushed back into the pocket so one day, when the kids are grown up, they can see where we went and marvel at how cheap everything was back in the old days. LOL!

All supplies here are Close To My Heart. The pictures of the Alamo and the space ship taking off are mini-postcards I picked up from our trip.

Scrap Happy pt. 2

I was going through my vacation scrapbook yesterday and came across one of my favorite layouts when I realized that it fit this week's Practical Scrappers challenge perfectly, so I thought I'd share with all of you. =)

This picture is of our trip to Disneyland in 2007 and one of the best pics we took the whole vacation. If I remember correctly, Andrew was the one who actually took it with his little disposable camera that we gave him to keep track of his favorite moments. Sophia's eyes just lit up once she finally saw the Princesses - after being there all day long through a torrential rain storm and sweltering temperatures. It's one of those moments that I'll never forget!

I taught this page for one of our Girl's Night Out crops last spring - it uses just a bunch of random scraps of paper for faux ribbons. I colored in some of the details of the swirly stamp, highlighted key words in my journaling and distressed the whole bit. Everything, minus a few of the pink flowers are Close To My Heart. Those other two pink flowers are from Prima.

Scrap Happy

Hello out in cyberspace! I hope this finds you well!
After a crazy weekend and a long day, I decided the perfect "gift" to myself was to take a little time out for creating and jumped on the chance to participate in this week's Practical Scrappers challenge. (This was my week off, so I got to do mine totally for fun!)
PS Design Team B had a challenge to create a layout using scraps. This was a great challenge for me - after being a demonstrator and doing tons of workshops and create & takes over the last 5 years, I have tons and tons of scraps.
I pulled supplies from one of my all-time favorite scrap sets - the Life Delights collection from Close To My Heart. These particular papers and stickers were leftovers from a mini-album workshop I did a year ago. I had some great pictures of my daughter and my niece being their typical silly selves and the pinks and browns were great for their pics. I also used some scalloped-circle card bases I bought from Stampin' Up a few years ago. All of the papers were lightly ink distressed to tie in the worn-down siding Sophia & Kaelee are standing against.
I also used my left over Doodlebug Design rub-ons (letters) which are great because since the letters are so whimsical, a lot of them can be used as different letters. All of the "e"s in the title are actually upside down numbers - a 3 in make and a 2 in Me. I used a flower as the o in You. Don't you just love that versatility?
Laugh was stamped with Close To My Heart's Friendship alphabet set and the swirly rub-on is also from Close To My Heart.
The felt flowers are from Stampin' Up and the brads are from Bazzil (I think).



I had some extra scraps left over in my bag of goodies, including little 1" strips that fit perfectly onto the mini card bases I had scored for a different project and forgotten about. I even had the cute little piggy already stamped on a scrap piece of card stock - so half of my work was done for me. Woohoo!
I distressed the edges of the card and strips lightly in Chocolate ink. I trimmed my piggy down to one little guy (the original image is this guy standing piggy backed onto another pig, ha ha ha). I used my Watercolor Wonder crayons from Stampin' Up, added a little flower and bling, and a left over strip of wide ribbon that fit the width of this card like it was meant to be. All that was left was room for a little saying I made with my Doodlebug rub-ons (of course!)

Thanks for looking! Off to create the project for this Friday's Girl's Night Out crop in Silt. (There's still room to join us if you haven't already RSVP'd!)

Fun & Funky Cards

For some reason I have been on such a huge card kick lately. I always forget to send them out, but at least I'll have a stash ready next time I remember to send one! I've also been exploring my stash of stuff and have found the most amazing things that I have never used. I bet you know how that goes, though!

Here are two fun cards that I've put together recently. I'm really excited about how they've turned out!

This one is my "Use That Stash" card because most of the things I used I've had for AGES! It uses the Butterfly Wings stamp set and Whoops-A-Daisy papers from Close To My Heart. The Black & Breeze Cardstocks, Hydrangea and Sweet Leaf inks are also Close To My Heart. I think the ribbon is from a wedding gift I received 10 years ago or something equally strange like that. The Bling is Colorbok. The pop dots & saying is from a Stampin' Up set - not sure if it's currently available because I stamped that forever ago! The fun little purple clip I had from a Target Dollar Spot set a while back.

This is my Pretty In Pink monochromatic self-challenge. The papers and stamps and ink are from Close To My Heart (Notebook papers, Nursery Bash stamp set, blush ink). The white flowers and stitching is hand-doodled with a Gelly Roll pen. I layered a fat and funky button with a Target Dollar Spot brad I got a long time ago, and tied it all together with some pretty frilly girl ribbon I got at JoAnn's several years ago.

Do you recognize the look to these two cards? They're also from the 2Sketches4You sketch I did for my last card. Don't you just love the many looks you can get from one sketch? So much fun!

Thanks for looking - now I'm off to finish my project for our Girls Night Out Crop - tomorrow night. I'll try to share that when I get done too!

2 Sketches 4 You Anniversary Card Challenge Entry

Hi all,

I was blog hopping again recently and came across a fun challenge on the 2 Sketches 4 You blog with awesome prizes. I'm not one to enter challenges very often because I don't usually remember until the last minute, but since the kiddos were spending time and Nana & Poppa's and Michael and I had a date night, I figured it was a perfect chance to enter!

Here's the original sketch - Laura's Sketch 27 from the 2 Sketches 4 You blog:

Here's my take on it:

The popped-out letters were inspired by Amy B's "Hi" card. I loved how she gave the Stickease letters more dimension by putting them on coordinating cardstock and cutting them out with her MicroTip scissors, so I gave it a try here, too.

I love how this card turned out! It was so easy and there was absolutely NO STAMPING! It's all made with Close To My Heart Stickease (cardstock stickers) and coordinating papers from their Emporium line. The ribbon is stuff I've had forever, and the pretty pin is from Stampin' Up's Pretties Kit.

Thanks for looking! I hope you have a great day!

Hip to be square (cards!)

I've been on a square card kick lately. Here are two that I created for the busy week last week.


This was the thank you for the kid's teachers. On the inside it said "Thanks for helping me grow" and had a pocket filled with seed packets. It was a pretty simple card, using only embellies and one stamp set from CTMH. The flowers were off of a silk flower set from Wal-Mart (a great way to get tons of inexpensive flowers for cards & such!), a layered button and brad for the center and a little rickrack for the stem - all from Making Memories.

This card was inspired by, of all things, a plate I saw as a wall hanging in someone's photo on Facebook. Kind of strange, I know, but inspiration can come from many different areas, so why not? =)

This was going to be for a graduation card, but I think it turned out more frou frou than I expected, so I'll be using this as a wedding card instead. All stamps are CTMH, papers and inks are Stampin' Up, but only because I made this at the Girl's Night Crop and had to borrow all of Candice's stuff. Since they are Stampin' Up colors, I couldn't tell you what they are, but I do know that the closest CTMH colors would be Buttercup, Breeze and Sweet Leaf. I also used the Stampin' Up Scallop Border punch and added little holes with their stitch guide-thingy. I added double-sided satin ribbon from A Touch of Ribbon, and a Petaloo flower with a little bling brad.

Thanks for looking!

Say it with Love Accordion Album

I just finished the accordion album that I'll be teaching at a private workshop this weekend. This is the display album, but each guest has chosen her own paper packet, so everyone's completed album will be a little bit different.

For this I used my favorite CTMH paper packet, Emporium, and CTMH's 9x9 My Creations Memory Showcase Album. I sponge distressed the edges of all of the pages and the covers with Crystal Blue Ink, and the edges of all of the papers with Chocolate ink from Stampin' Up.


This album was pretty easy to complete. It uses minimal stamping - primarily with CTMH stamps, except for the short, fat swirl, which is Autumn Leaves. The album uses the coordinating Stickease set for most of the accents, plus a few Just Blooms and Prima paper flowers, some CTMH & SU ribbon, a CTMH Pretty Pin and a couple of CTMH Designer Brads and regular brads here and there.

Oh - I also used a scalloped circle card base from Stampin' Up, too, (page 3, above), but a regular solid circle would work great here too.

Notice anything familiar about these layouts? These are the finished product from my sketch post from last week. I'm pretty jazzed with how they turned out!

Sneak peek at March projects

Spring is sneaking up on us and it's the perfect time to use the fun new Emporium papers. They're my favorite line in the latest Close To My Heart catalog and I've used them a bunch already. I'm not usually the girl who creates workshop projects until nearly the last minute so the fact that these are not only done, but cut out and ready for my crops next week says a lot!

This first spring layout is what we'll be doing as the CTMH project for the Girls' Night Out Crop next Friday, March 13. It uses a lot of glitter and bling and the cute Bunny Love stamps, so it's perfect for girls night. I hope you'll be able to join us!

Girls Night Out Crop - Friday, March 13 from 6-10 p.m. at the Rifle Fire Station. Join Candice (Stampin' Up) and I for a night filled with cute projects, good food and fabulous friends! Enjoy two create-n-takes, plus plenty of time and space to work on your own stuff too. Just $10 for a great night out! Please RSVP by March 12.

This is our Glenwood Springs Crop Club layout.

Glenwood Springs Crop Club - Sunday, March 14 from 12:30-5 p.m. at my Glenwood Springs home. We'll create a beautiful 2-page layout just in time for spring celebrations. JUST $7 FOR DROP INS or FREE for club members. Wear something green for a chance to win a free CTMH stamp set! Please RSVP by March 13 - address details given at time of registration.


Also, if you were interested in our Close To Home Retreat in May, we only have FIVE SPOTS left! SPACES ARE FILLING FAST for the Close to Home Retreat/Crop for a Cause! Friday, May 1st-Sunday May 3rd at the Silt Fire Station. Celebrate National Scrapbooking Month in style with create & takes from Close To My Heart and Stampin' Up. This event is a fundraiser for the Rifle Relay for Life. $100 includes all meals, create & takes, door prizes & more! There are only a few spots left & spaces are going VERY fast! If you're interested, please let me know ASAP! Check out this posting for further details: Retreat Info


I hope you'll be able to join us this month for lots of scrapping fun!

February club fun!

Here's the Unforgettable layout we completed at our monthly club meeting yesterday. It was inspired by another CTMH crafty chick - Heather Gerard. {Almost} everything here is Close To My Heart.

I used my fancy new Boho Blossoms punch from Stampin' Up for the little orange flowers - much easier than having to cut out stamped images. I added pewter brads to the centers and popped them up with pop dots.

I slip-knotted the satin ribbon through one of our new Foundry Bookplates and did a little ink distressing to finish it off.

If you enjoy projects like this, join us for our next Club meeting, Sunday, March 15th from 12:30-5 p.m. at my home in Glenwood. We'll be creating cute Easter pages using the Emporium paper packet.

Dreamy color combos

Brown, pink and blue are my favorite color combos so I was really excited when I saw the new Unforgettable paper packet from Close To My Heart!

This card was relatively easy to make - I used the Aspiration set from Close To My Heart. To get the dual colors for the branches and leaves, I stamped the image first in second-generation Desert Sand ink. I used Cocoa for the main branch color, but first, since the leaves are on the same stamp, I gently swiped the brown off of the leaves with my finger (though, if you don't like getting messy, you could use a slightly damp Q-tip or the tip of a twisted paper towel to wipe the ink from the area you want to miss). I stamped my image slightly off-set to create more of a 3-D feel on the card. Then, I used Juniper for the leaves, doing the opposite as I did with the Cocoa (swiping the green off of the branches).

Once all the stamping was done, I used my trusty Water Color Wonder crayons from Stampin' Up to create a water-colored looking blue sky. I added pewter brads and White Daisy Just Blooms to the branches and we were done with the image. I also direct-to paper distressed the cream base using Blush ink, then once it was matted, added a pretty satin ribbon to tie it all together.

Now that it's all done, I think I'm going to save it for a graduation card for my cousin (yeah - one card ready!)

More baby gifts!

Here's a little layout I did for yet another girl who's having a baby. Since she & her husband don't want to find out what she's having, I'm going with a gender-neutral album filled with pages for first holidays instead.

This layout uses almost all Close To My Heart products.

They've got a jungle theme going on in the nursery, so I figured the first and last page of the album would feature my all-time favorite image stamps - these animals are from the stamps sets Life's A Jungle and the giraffe is from Nursery Bash. I used the monochromatic-side of the plaid paper from the Aspen paper packet, and the green striped paper is from the Emporium Creative Basics kit. The scalloped circle frame is from last November's special - Dazzling Die Cuts. Baby is spelled out using the Large Friendship Alphabet set and covered in Liquid Glass - be careful when you use the Liquid Glass, because it makes your paper curl! I had to go back and re-glue my letters down. The words on the journaling block are from Tiny Typewriter and the dotted journal lines are from the Priceless Love set (another really fun one!)

I water colored the animals in with Stampin' Up water color wonder crayons and a blending pen.

Yeehaw!

A cowgirl, to me, embodies the spirit of the true American woman. It celebrates her spunk, bravery and compassion - someone who isn't afraid to take a few risks in life. I know a lot of "cowgirls" - women who should be celebrated everyday. Here's a little card in honor of the cowgirl in you all!

This card features the Yeehaw stamp set and Sasparilla papers from Close To My Heart. I also added a little depth with a Dimensional Elements chipboard circle (from the CTMH Dazzling Die Cuts promotion last November). I colored her in with Stampin' Up Watercolor Wonder crayons and blending pens. I distressed it with the edge distresser, but you can get the same look with scissor distressing (running your paper along the sharp edge of your scissors - but be careful not to poke yourself!) The little black Bitty Brad (CTMH) pulls it together (although looking at it on screen right now, I think I'm going to sand the brad to let it match the rest of the card.)

Little Prince card

It seems like half of my friends have baby news this month - either they're about ready to give birth; they're finidng out the sex of their baby-to-be; or they're hoping for quick adoption processes. If we didn't already have that little situation taken care of, I think my hubby would be getting a little worried about my getting baby fever. You know, the, "oh, honey, look how cute, are you sure you don't want another one" look? I tease him a bit, but really, I'm good with our two. By all of our friends having new babies, it's the best way because I can snuggle them and love, them then give them back when they start to cry or poop!

Anyhow, I thought I'd get a jump start on the card making with this cute little one using last July's Stamp of the Month - In the Jungle and the Tiny Typewriter alphabet sets from Close to My Heart. For the crown I modified the one from the You Rock stamp set (also CTMH) - I had to trim off two dealy-bops to get it to fit the lion's head. I also added some tiny bling to the top of the crown for that little royal touch. For the mane, I used a white Just Blooms autumn sunflower (CTMH) and direct-to-ink pad distressed him with Chocolate. I glued the flower down then put the lion's head on a pop dot.

That totally-cute paper is fron the Notebook paper packet from last fall's catalog. It was one of the first CTMH lines that featured the double-designed papers (a full-color design on the front, the same design in monochromatic color scheme on the back). This particular paper was pink on one side and blue on the other - perfect for cutesy baby cards.

I picked up the pretty chocoloate-colored ribbon for a screamin' deal at Target in their wedding isle of all things - it was onlyu $1.48 for 15 yards.

January 2009 Classes & Workshops

Girls Night Out Crop - Friday, Jan. 9th from 6-10 p.m. in Rifle

Learn new techniques and create cute projects with me and my friend Candice from Stampin’ Up. Only $10 for projects, snacks and extra time and space to work on your own projects too. Please RSVP by Jan. 8th.

Glenwood Springs Crop Club - Saturday, Jan. 17th from 11-3

Create a 2-page, 12x12 Valentine themed layout using the new Creative Basics Emporium Collection. New members will receive a FREE new embellishment pack of their choice (Pewter Designer Brads, Foundry Bookplates, Love Always Journaling Spots, Pretty Pins or Stardust Flexi Labels) with their first order in their 6-month commitment. Drop ins welcome! $10 or FREE for club members. Please RSVP no later than Jan. 15th.

Clearly Yours Valentine Clear Album Workshop - Saturday, Jan. 31st in Glenwood Springs starting at 1 p.m.

Learn how to utelize StazOn inks, rub-ons, double-designed papers and more to create a unique gift and keepsake. You’ll have everything you need to complete one album, with PLENTY of extras to take home for other projects. Pricing options to fit every budget:

Good - Includes any paper packet of your choice (not including Key To My Heart January special kit), My Creations Clear Acrylic Mini-Album (approx. 6x6) and assorted ribbons & accent embellishments - $40
Better - Includes above, plus coordinating Stickease and Mini-Medley Accent Collection - $55
Best - Includes above, plus choice of rub-ons (set of 3 sheets) and clear sparkles - $70

***Additional albums available for $17.50 inc. tax, shipping & handling.***

Pricing levels for albums using the Key To My Heart special kit (pictured):

January Kit Special - “Good” album kit - includes the exclusive Key To My Heart paper packet, Key To My Heart e-sized stamp set and acrylic album - $79
January Kit Special - “Better” album kit - Includes above, plus FREE Spring Blossom Collection Mini Medley Accents, and $60 in CTMH products of your choice! - $111
January Kit Special - “Best” album kit - Includes Key To My Heart paper packet & stamp set, plus FREE Spring Blossom Collection Mini Medley Accents, FREE “Moments in Time “ January Stamp of the Month & FREE rub-ons of your choice PLUS AN ADDITIONAL $130 in CTMH products of your choice FOR ONLY $150! (Retail value over $240!!!)

RSVP & class fee due no later than Jan. 19th. Class size is limited, so hurry and hold your spot today!



To reserve your spot or for further details on any of my upcoming workshops, please contact me at jasafras98@yahoo.com.

New Year brings new Idea Book!

A new year can bring many new and exciting reasons to celebrate. On January 1st, Close To My Heart released their newest catalog & idea book - full of wonderful new paper packets (including Emporium & Stardust - two great collections for boys!), rockin’ stamp sets and fun and affordable embellishments, like 12- ½” Pewter Designer Brads for just $3.95 or 5- Stardust Flexi Labels for $3.95. There are also four new hostess collections - ½ price product bundles available when your party reaches $350+ in orders (including yours!)

I know I say this a lot, but really, I think this might be my all-time favorite catalog we've had in my five years with Close To My Heart!

View the entire new idea book online here: http://www.closetomyheart.com/Ideabooks/Spring09US.aspx

Snowman Soup

Here's another fun gift idea.

Since it's Thanksgiving and all, some of you may have some of the glass jars that gravy come in. I ran mine through a sanitizing wash with my dishwasher, then filled with bulk hot chocolate mix and mini marshmallows.

I painted the lid with CTMH's Create-A-Shade Pearl Paint, covered the edges in fine glitter, and added a big CTMH snowflake rub on and bling to the top once it was done.

For the front, I used CTMH's All Decked Out to make the snowman and added two brads for buttons. I attached the little guy with strong double-stick tape adhesive that I picked up at Wally World. though you can't see it, I added some of the snowflake swirlies from the stamp set along the top and bottom edge of the jar using Cotton White StazOn. The ribbon is some that I picked up on super-cheap clearance a few months ago at Target. I also added some bling as snowflakes to tie in the decorations on the lid.

More Clear Items!

I'm on a big clear kick lately. (Not that you could tell, right?)

Here are some gift tags that I made with re-used packaging from something or another, plus CTMH rub-ons, the Aspen cTMHpapers and stamps.

My favorite is the giraffe - he's so stinkin cute!