Creative University ~ Roomie Gift

Fortunate to be enjoying my seventh year attending Creative University, which is hosted by the Fabulously Artsy Tresa Black.  Since our sleeping quarters are cabins, we have roommates and it is traditional to give each one a little "roomie gift."  

Instead of the usual lotions, chocolate, and candy, this year my four roomies received a kit so they can create 18 birthday cards. It is always nice to have some handmade cards available to send to friends and family.

Using 12" strips (cut in various widths) from both the Buzz & Bumble and Huntington paper kits, adhere them to a 12"x12" piece of paper.  Allow the adhesive to dry, and then cut 2" wide strips which you then cut into thirds, so the result is 18 pieces of unique patterned paper, each 2"x4".  This is a great way to use scraps from different paper packs.  The colors I chose are very gender-neutral and great for birthday cards.  Use this technique to create a stack of Holiday cards or party invitations, using any color combo.  

To complete each of my cards, a sentiment from the Belated Birthday stamp set was used.  The cupcakes were cut using the Artiste Cricut cartridge.  To add a bit of dimension to the 'frosting,' it was embossed using the d'vine Swirl folder.      

This wonderful idea was one of the lessons in the Create & Share Cardmaking class offered at Big Picture Classes.  

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

	Sheila Bennett Close To My Heart Independent Consultant (913) 485-4355

Outta This World Birthday

Outta This World is such a fun stamp set with an adorable robot, spaceship, rocket, and other images which can be cut using the Artiste Cricut cartridge.  

Beep, beep:  this robot was cut from Cashmere cardstock and then stamped using Saddle ink.  A patterned paper from the Huntington kit is used to complete this week's sketch from Mojo Monday (MOJO328).  Inspiration for the card came from The Friday Mashup (FM142) which is to create a project with twine and a birthday theme.  The Baker's Twine that I used is actually Chocolate and White.  Since there was no other white on the card, Desert Sand Pigment Ink was dabbed onto the Baker's Twine before attaching to the card. 

Inside of the card is finished with a the rocket and the fun "Greetings Earthling" sentiment from Outta This World.

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

	Sheila Bennett Close To My Heart Independent Consultant (913) 485-4355

Create & Share ~ Paper Flowers

Completed the fourth lesson in the Create & Share Cardmaking workshop offered at Big Picture Classes.  The challenge for this week is to create "thinking of you" or sympathy cards.  In this lesson, we also learned how to create flowers using paper scraps.     

For this card, the sentiment is from the 4 My Friend stamp set and the papers are in the Huntington kit.  Hearts were cut using the Artiste cartridge.  There are two of each heart; one is flat on the card and the other was folded in half before attaching so that there is a bit of dimension.  The 'straight stitch' image is from the Stitch Wonder stamp set.  It was used in the center of the hearts, and then placed on the clear block with a slight curve to create the flower stem.  

Love the color combo of this card using papers from the Laughing Lola kit.  The flower petals were created using a 2" scallop circle punch.  Each circle was folded into fourths and then adhered to the card, giving the flower some dimension.  A two-part sentiment from the Card Chatter-Sympathy stamp set was used with the "coming your way" finishing line on the inside of the card.  Normally I do not like 'naked' buttons and always thread some twine through the holes or cover with a Sparkle, but this button looked best just plain.  

Used papers from the Laughing Lola kit again for this card.  D'vine Swirl embossing folder was used to add texture to the bottom of the card and two bird images were cut using the Artiste cartridge and then layered on the card.  This sentiment is also included in the Card Chatter-Sympathy stamp set.  

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

	Sheila Bennett Close To My Heart Independent Consultant (913) 485-4355

Hello World!

Yesterday, I shared my 'Capture the Details' cover page created at the Close To My Heart Album Retreat last month.

All of the pages for the Album Retreat were designed by the CTMH Art Department and include multiple cuts from the Artbooking Cricut cartridge as well as papers from different CTMH kits with a mixture of embellishments and stamp sets.  Even though each page is very detailed, it was fun and challenging to create each of them.  Click on any of the photos for an enlarged view. 

Hello World layout

For the 'Hello World' layout, I chose four photos of my grandson.  As with the "Capture the Details" cover page, texture was added to the White Daisy cardstock base by spritzing a mixture of Slate reinker and water in a Spray Pen.    

Hello World (left page)

Several images from the One-Way Borders stamp set were used to create some borders and accents on the two pages.  A patterned paper from the Huntington kit was paired with Lagoon, Goldrush and Whisper cardstock.

Hello World (right page)

A variety of embellishments are used, including:  Bronze Shimmer Trim, Lagoon Houndstooth Washi Tape, Midtown Cork Shapes, Aqua Dots, Sparkles and Baker's Twine.  These same embellishments are used on almost all of the scrapbook pages designed for the Album Retreat.       

Be sure to follow my blog to see all of the completed pages.  In addition to the cover page, there are ten 2-page layouts which I will be sharing throughout the month. 

• Capture the Details (cover page)
• Hello World
• The Sweet Life
• Real Life Story
• Just Chillin'
• Today is a Good Day
• Looking for Adventure
• Hello
• 10 Things I Love
• On This Day
• My Happy Place

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

	Sheila Bennett Close To My Heart Independent Consultant (913) 485-4355

Chocolate Is Good For You

CTMH's special this month is that you can receive the stamp-of-the-month, A Chocolate Affair for FREE when you place a minimum order of $50 during August.  This stamp set includes 16 images and sentiments to add some flavor to any layout, card, or 3-D item.  Browse the new Autumn/Winter 2013 Idea Book, place a qualifying purchase of awesome products, and score a delicious Chocolate reward free!   

Huntington kit paper, stamps from A Chocolate Affair, and a card pattern from the new Make It From Your Heart-Volume 2, were all used to create this card with a cute chocolate-covered strawberry.  The scallop rectangles were easily cut using the Art Philosophy cartridge for the Cricut.  A piece of the new Jute Ribbon was used to accent the card along with a couple of pieces of Color-Ready Seam Binding Ribbon and a decorate brad.

Contact me if you would like to receive a copy of the new Autumn/Winter Idea Book.  Remember, A Chocolate Affair is available only during the month of August 2013 and it is yours FREE with a $50 order.

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

	Sheila Bennett Close To My Heart Independent Consultant (913) 485-4355

Always Grateful

This week's Heart 2 Heart challenge is to use "shadows and shades."    On Saturday, I spent the day stamping with some fellow CTMH consultants and we shared ideas with each other.  Mary Gunn taught us how to create this 'sunset' card and it fits perfectly with the H2H Shadows and Shades challenge.  

To begin the sunset, some Honey ink is sponged in a circular area with Slate ink sponged from the edges towards the middle.  Then Sunset ink was sponged to blend the colors together.  Finally, some Black ink was used on the very edges to frame it and the birds are simply V's written with a black Journaling Pen.  The beautiful trees are from the Always Grateful stamp set in the new Idea Book.  There is also a small piece of patterned paper from the Huntington kit underneath the Jute Ribbon.

Contact me if you would like to receive a copy of the new Autumn/Winter Idea Book.  I have several posts planned for this month to show some of our new products. 

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

	Sheila Bennett Close To My Heart Independent Consultant (913) 485-4355