Father's Day Card

Happy June every one!  It's finally summer! 

I don't know about you, but I'm in TEXAS and it's stinkin' hot around here! 

So, it's the perfect time to be inside and get crafty! 

I found the cutest card in a Hobby Lobby Magazine and had to scraplift!  

I LOVED the little charms, but since I didn't have them and didn't want to go looking for them, I had to improvise.... I did have fun trying to figure out a way to do it with what I had!

Here's my card:

Supplies: 

CTMH cardstock, Desert Sand, Grey Wool, Black
Cuttlebug, Diamond Plate embossing folder
Cricut, Everyday Paper Dolls Cartridge
CTMH My Acrylix Stamp: Say it in Style
CTMH My Exclusives Ink: Desert Sand
Sewing Machine
Mini Craft Iron
Bitty Brads

Since I didn't have the cute charms, I found a few tools from Everyday Paper Dolls Cricut Cartridge.  I cut the hammer and wrench.  (I think it's a wrench ;0)  using black cardstock. 
I then took my VersaMarker Watermark pen and "colored" the top part of the tools.  ***I LOVE the embossing pen, because it's great for little jobs like this!***  After I put the embossing ink on the top of my tools, I covered them with Platinum Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel.  Heat it and got the great shine for the top of my tools!  I was very happy with the results, especially since I didn't have to go purchase anything! 

I embossed the Grey Wool cardstock using the Diamond Plate Embossing Folder & my Cuttlebug.  Perfect for a "tool" themed card! 

I then took the Desert Sand cardstock and crinkled it up, opened it and crinkled it again.  Being very careful not to tear it...It was already cut down to the sizes I needed.  (I didn't really measure anything, just kind of "eye-balled" it from the magazine).

Once I had them wrinkled, I added some Desert Sand ink and ironed out the pieces using a Mini Craft Iron (any iron will work). 

Then I stitched the edges using my sewing machine.  Once that was done, I stamped the "Happy Father's Day" using Desert Sand and Say it in Style stamp set. 

I took the bitty brads and once they were in place I took a mini hammer (one to set eyelets) and hammered the brads down.  They look like little nails! 

After that, I just used my adhesive to glue everything down and voila!  Finshed card!  

I know, it may seem a little much, but really, it didn't take too long! 

The example in the magazine looks like stamped stitching, so if you don't want to actually stitch on your paper, you can just stamp....

I'm working on a few more Father's Day cards, I'd love to see yours too!  Post a link to yours in the comments!  Hope you're having a great summer so far! 
Happy Scrappin'
Michelle

Why Close to my Heart?

There are a lot of Scrapbooking & Stamping companies to choose from...why choose CTMH? 
As an avid scrapbooker & paper crafter, I decided to start doing some research on scrapbooking companies.  I wanted to make a little extra money to help support my crafty habit.  So, I went on-line, called some friends and looked at the different companies and what each had to offer.  Here is what I found:

1.  Close to my Heart had the best consultant compensation plan. They pay 22% base, and as your sales grow, so does your compensation. 

2.  I LOVE that they have clear acrylic stamps!  Ok.  That might not be a big selling point for you, but it was a VERY big deal to me!  I didn't have my own scrap space at the time, so my space was extremely limited.  I didn't have the space to store boxes and boxes of stamps.  And let's face it, part of the reason most of us become consultants is to get the great discount on great products...I knew my stash was about to grow tremendously....I needed to make sure I had the space :0)

3. The consultant kit was way less expensive (about $100 less) than the competitors!  That made a HUGE difference for me! 

4.  I loved that everything was coordinated in "KITS" -because that meant less work for me!

Now that I've been a consultant for over 2 years, I can absolutely say, without a doubt that it was the perfect decision for me!  I LOVE my "job"!!!!

*******50% off Consultant Kit in May! *******

CTMH is offering their new consultant kit for $64.50!
AND-
You will also receive the You and Me kit ($34.95 value) FREE along with your new consultant kit!

It's an UNBELIEVABLE deal....So, if you are thinking about it, give me a call and I can answer any questions you might have....I know that starting your own business can be scary, but where else can you do it for $64.50?  You get all of the business materials and plenty of great product to get you started.  Now is the BEST time to join CTMH!

Happy Scrappin'
Michelle Owen
281-687-3686

Close to my Heart Cardstock, How do I love Thee? Let me count the ways...

I'm a cardstock junkie!  I love the colors, I love the weight. I love the versatility. I have purchased more cardstock than I care to admit. I spent a lot of time (and money) matching it up with my pattern paper and getting frustrated because me and my crazy self won't settle for almost matching...Lucky for me, (and you) CTMH Level 2 packs have the pattern paper AND MATCHING CARDSTOCK!  I am now a die-hard, honest to goodness, for-life, fan! I absolutely LOVE Close to my Heart Cardstock!   Now, let me  show you some examples of why I love this cardstock so much...

1.  It's a great weight and is the BEST I've found to cut with my CRICUT!  It's smooth and sturdy. And I promise, I'm NOT just saying that :0)

2.  IT HAS A WHITE CORE!!!  Some people don't like white core paper, but I am a distressing FREAK-and white core is perfect for distressing!  I did this with my Cuttlebug and my CTMH sanding kit.  It adds the perfect amount of oomph!

3. It has matching ink, so you can do tone-on-tone inking....Notice the subtle difference? I used Goldrush paper and Goldrush ink...It makes the embossed image POP!

Of course, different color paper and inks can give a totally different effect:  Below I used White Daisy Cardstock with Bamboo ink and then Lagoon ink. 

bamboo

Lagoon

4.It takes ink exceptionally well- it was made for stamping!  It's so smooth, so your images won't "bleed"-  That means that you can ink 'till your hearts content! 

The above examples are using my Cuttlebug.  What if I don't have a Cuttlebug? You ask...Well, try this fun and easy embossing technique-No Cuttlebug required!

You will need a stylus, a paper trimmer with the blade removed and CTMH cardstock.

Line your paper up with the blade track, from point to point.  Emboss using

your stylus along the trimmer's blade track. 

Move the paper over and line it up with at a width that you want.  Continue embossing your paper until you have diagonal lines on the entire paper at equal widths.  Turn it over to the opposite end and do the same thing, crossing over your first set of lines.



You will end up with a lattuce pattern that can then be lightly sanded using your sanding kit....

What would I use that for, you ask?

Here is an example of a page that I made using this technique:

This is for my Heritage Album.  I made a pocket to hold special documents.

You could use this technique for great backgrounds, to add texture to border strips or just to add interest to letters.  Remember: you don't HAVE to do this diagonally-you can make straight lines and vary the widths for visual texture.

Here are some more examples of how I distressed/embossed using my CTMH cardstock:

I really could go on and on, but I only have so much space :0)  

So, if you love CTMH cardstock too, I'd love to hear from YOU!

Happy Scrappin'

Michelle

So Blessed

This is a project that I did with the Close to my Heart My Creations Banner. I wasn't really sure what to do with the plain white chipboard banner, but once I picked the paper, everything fell into place pretty quicky.    I  used the Bliss L2 paper pack and Crystal Blue/Heavently Blue as an accent color. Here is a complete list of supplies that I used for this project. It was so fun! and I will definitley be doing a workshop soon.

X7132B Bliss Level 2 Paper Pack
Z1378 My Creations Banner
Z647 Heavenly Blue Embossing Powder
Z1392 2" Scallop Punch
Z1371 Blue Assortment Buttons
Z1354 Miracle Irresistables Chipboard
Z1377 Kraft Color Ready borders
Z1294 Sanding Kit
Z2111 Chocolate Ink
Z1333 Opaques Adhesive Gems (Mocha)
D1418 Stamp Set

Happy Scrappin'

Michelle