I will have to say my 4 year old does not appreciate the 8-legged creatures in my artwork. I'm not a fan of spiders either but I thought they looked cute in paper form. He said in his little sweet way, "Mom, there are 3 spiders - here I will show you - and your decoration does not have to sit on this table..." (Noted: Put it up higher so it's not at his eye level.) It probably doesn't help that it looks like the jack-o-latern is also scared of the spider hanging out of the web! hahaha Oh, boy! Sorry dude, I won't put up any more spiders for Halloween!
Here's what I've been working with lately and LOVE!!
1) Hexagons!
CTMH has a couple different hexagon stamp sets (Honeycomb and Happy Hexagons) and I just went to town with them on a layout for this month! Seriously, I used the Cricut to cut 30 hexagons in 3 different sizes for a two-page layout and then stamped away in several colors and patterns. It was SO FUN!
Honeycomb has many different patterned hexagons and some itty-bitty cute ones!
2) Glitter Paper!
m'kay... who doesn't love glitter? But, glitter can sometimes be just annoying to work with because well... you end up with glitter EVERYWHERE and it doesn't seem to ever go away, months later... oh! more glitter...
I have found CTMH glitter paper to be just awesome! It does not leave glitter all over the place!! In addition to not leaving a glitter trail (like a little fairy fluttering around) it's cute, it's awesome quality and it's super easy peasy to cut on the Cricut! I usually send it through the same cut twice just to be sure it cute completely (it's a little bit thicker) and because I just don't like to have to fussy cut after I use the Cricut, that's the Cricut's job! :) I have cut both shapes and titles with glitter paper and all things have turned out beautiful! Also, my cricut mat is still usable and not full of glitter! Win, win, win! Check out all these glitter pack colors... I have added some to my wish list! :)
Black & Silver
Brown & Tan
Green
Pink
Purple
Teal
3) Non-stick Micro-Tip Scissors
I received this gem in my new consultant kit and I love it! It still pull out my big ol'Fiskars for long cuts, but when I'm doing anything else with detail or working with adhesive my new sidekick is in my hands. I love that it's non-stick, is super sharp and can cut through anything (including adhesive, i.e. pop dots/foam tape) without sticking. It's also perfect for fussy cutting.
4) Score Board
'Tis the season for football!! Well this scoreboard is used while crafting. :) This is a handy tool for making cards and envelopes but lately I've been using it for adding depth and dimension to papers in my projects, more on that later. Also, the bone folder that comes with it is a handy tool in many paper projects. I used it to fold the petals on paper flowers and to curl paper ribbon on cards. CTMH came out with a score board with the release of Annual Inspirations you can find it on page 181.
5) Artbooking Cricut Collection Artbooking has so many cuts to it! The Artbooking Collection comes with 700 images (including font, mini books and layouts), 3 My Acrylix D-Size Stamp Sets and 3 sheets of Dimensional Elements. I love that CTMH makes stamping many images easy for us crafters with all their Cricut compatible stamp sets. Almost each time I'm stamping there is a Cricut cut that I can use to make my stamping and embellishing even easier. I fine myself frequently using this cartridge while crafting. I love the background elements Artbooking offers for page layouts!
Artwork created using Artbooking:
There you have it, my five favorite crafting go-tos right now. Visit my online shopping site (ellielundstrom.ctmh.com) to grab some of your own favorite things!!
Did you sign up for the Layout Workshop this week?
Yes? Then you get to make these... plus another!!
Happy Hexagons!
Pathfinding Card Workshop on the Go elements on a two-page layout... LOVE!
No, but you wish you could have... would have... wanted to...?? Well mark your calendar for the next Layout Workshop Tuesday, November 11th from 6pm-9pm at my house! Remember, if the layout date doesn't work for your schedule I'd be happy to make you a layout kit and deliver it to you!!
I didn't skip October. October is full of fun too!!
Croptober Fest Crop & Craft at my house on Saturday, October 18th.
Christmas Card Workshop at my house on Tuesday, October 28th from 6pm-8pm.
Please enjoy this while I stamp, scrap, trim paper and make lists of projects I want to get to. Truly, I have had a super crafting-productive weekend getting things done!
I stumbled upon this little comic of Scrapbookers while on Pinterest the other day. What kind of Scrapbooker are you?? How about your friends? This seriously makes me giggle so much!!!
Keep stopping back, I'll have posts and pictures ready to go.... Halloween decor, scrapbook layouts, another Friday Fav Five, sneak peaks for upcoming workshops... Oh my, right?! :)
What a sunny morning it is here today!! Happy Sunday!
First and foremost, the Artfully Sent Cricut Collection has been released to Close to my Heart and has been available since Thursday! I know... I know... it's Sunday. I had a chance to post the exciting news on my Facebook page but not here yet, so how about now??
I am excited to get mine! I like that it can make cute cards but that it also can be used to create pocket cards for Picture My Life pages and other layouts as well! This collection is a big one just like all of Close to My Heart's collections. You can create 400 unique projects from this collection. The Artfully Sent cartridge comes with 700 images and an alphabet. The collection also includes 3 stamp sets, (sentiments, frames, and alphabets that coordinate with the alphabet on the cartridge) and a 24 pack of White Daisy cardstock to get your creativity kicked off! Be sure to "like" my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/inspirecreatecultivate) to get in on all the chatter and announcements! :)
This week I have been creating and completing projects for upcoming home parties and workshops and just getting in some good ol' paper playing! :)
At the end of the month a friend of my is hosting a workshop and one of the things we'll be making is a fall bunting. I had fun with my Cricut and got mine (the example) made! By the way, this is also the first chance I have taken to play with Close to My Heart's glitter paper and I'm impressed! It's durable, the glitter does not fall off and get all over the place when you're working with it and I put it through my Cricut and it cut with out any problems. I'll be adding more shades of glitter paper to my wish list! Here's a sneak peak. :)
Artbooking Cricut Collection, Pathfinding Paper, Brown & Tan Glitter Paper
I had a chance to go to a workshop this week hosted by my upline, Karina. She had a card workshop and ran it using the new {to us} card buffet workshop style that a CTMH Senior Director on our team, Barbra Otten, uses. It was fun to create and learn. It really was great: everyone can work at their own pace, there is variety in design and complexity of the cards and everyone is able to choose to design the cards they prefer. Here's a snapshot of a few of the cards I made. Many of the cards were designed by Barbra and some have a Karina twist. :) I know for sure the top card has a Karina twist; she added a different element on the mounted frame...check out the flower stamped using the "rock and roll" technique. This marks the first time I have quite literally rock and rolled stamping. :)
So crafting so totally rocks, right? But, what's the "rock and roll" technique you ask? I'll let Kristine and Monica demonstrate for you you! :)
My wheels are definitely in motion and I am going to give this Barbra Otten style workshop a spin, too. Mark your calendars, if you haven't already, for my Christmas Card Workshop on Tuesday, October 28th from 6pm-8pm! It will be a buffet of cards for you to choose from, stay tuned for more details...
Good morning!! Welcome back to a Sunday Paper you can count on to be full of fun and inspiration!! :)
I hope you've all had a great start to your September! Fall weather seems to be creeping in and now that the school year is in full swing I'm okay with that. Fall is a fun and busy time of the year with many birthday celebrations, family trips to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch, beautiful colors to enjoy, sweatshirt weather, football games and so much more. I'm ready!
Have you checked out September's promotions? If not, don't miss them! Check 'em out here. I'll give you some time to catch up... ... ... ... ...
Have you been playing with paper lately?? I have! I have! :) I grabbed some paper, CTMH's National Stamping Month promotion stamp set, #30yearsofhappy, some ink and snuck a little play time in this week!
So what do you think?? Did you catch all those cute lil' stamps? Let's hear it for #30yearsofhappy!! There are 30 little gems in this set.
Getting your own #30yearsofhappy stamp set FREE is super easy! During the month of September purchase $30 in current-retailed priced stamps and this #30yearsofhappy stamp set is yours FREE! That's CTMH's National Stamping Month Celebration did you read how you can celebrate Ellie-style with my piggyback promotion? It has something to do with getting a FREE Exclusive Ink Pad... I'm telling you all the September promotions are right here! :)
Remember to follow Close to My Heart's Facebook page or Instagram this month to see their daily projects using the National Stamping Month stamp set! There's some cute stuff and clever ideas!
Hey, check those cards out again... Did you notice most of the cards were from the same color palette? A color challenge was posted by one of our CTMH Directors so I gave it a try! Since I was going to be stamping in the livingroom during a movie it was actually easier to grab only the given colors I had that coordinated with the challenge, one stamp set and a couple blocks. The color parameters forced me to use only what I had. (Well, okay for the first card I just had to add a lil' something more...Hollyhock was begging to be used. hehehe) Kind of neat idea, huh? Here's the color challenge, use the colors as a starting point, see what you have and give it a try. I'd love to see what you can come up with this week using these colors! You could post a picture on my Facebook page or send me a message - for real... do it!! :)
Happy Labor Day, friends!! I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend!
Today is also the start of September and you all know what the beginning of the month means, right?! New Close to My Heart deals! September happens to be National Stamping Month so read on to find some sweet freebies!!! :)
Happy National Stamping Month!!
Are you ready to celebrate Close to My Heart style, with a FREE stamp set?? In celebration of National Stamping Month and in honor of Close to My Heart's ongoing celebration of Jeanette Lynton's 30-year anniversary in the stamping and scrapbooking industry September's promotion is an exclusive C-sized stamp set, #30yearsofhappy, FREE when you spend $30 on any current retail-priced stamps.
This exclusive stamp set features 30 mini images and sentiments perfectly suited for 30 days of happy stamping! Plus, make sure you check out Close to My Heart's Facebook page and Instagram during September to see all the ways we're celebrating #30yearsofhappy for a full 30 days!
Are you ready to celebrate National Stamping Month Ellie-style, with a FREE Exclusive Ink Stamp Pad?? You certainly cannot use those cute lil'stamps without your favorite ink! When you spend $30 on retail-priced stamps you will receive a FREE Exclusive Ink Stamp Pad of your color choice from me!
There you got it, by purchasing $30 in stamps this month you will get aFREE exclusive C-sized stamp set AND a FREE Exclusive Ink Stamp Pad of your color choice! It's a perfect time to check your wish list and get the stamps you've been waiting for!
September Stamp of the Month: Family is Forever!
This beautiful stamp set, Family is Forever, can be yours for only $5 with a purchase of $50 in product from the current Idea Book.
Remember that many of the stamp sets from CTMH are Cricut Compatible. This is probably one of my favorite things about CTMH's stamps! How do you know if a stamp set you own is Cricut Compatible? See the red outline around the heart in this stamp set? That's the ticket! Any stamp that is outlined in red when looking online or in Annual Inspirations has a compatible Cricut cut. It will also tell you which of the CTMH licensed Cricut Collections (Artiste, Art Philosophy, Artbooking, Artfully Sent) that cut comes from, the page number in the Cricut booklet to find it and the size at which to cut! When you get your stamp set all that information is printed on the plastic stamp sheet it's all the same except the outline is black.
Speaking of Artfully Sent, the brand new CTMH Cricut Collection found on page 141 of Annual Inspirations... it's on it's way!! We just got word on Thursday that Provo Craft is getting ready to finally release the cartridge to CTMH in early to mid-September! Waiting, waiting, waiting...the wait is almost over, early to mid-September that's like.... now, soon, tomorrow...! Exciting, right?!?! I'll keep you posted via my blog and Facebook - when I know, you'll know!! :)
Here's some cute artwork from CTMH using the September Stamp of the Month, Family is Forever.
Well, there you have it! Let me know if I can help you pick out the perfect piece you need to complete a project on your list! Have fun shopping and taking advantages of some stamp-tastic deals!!
