My Latest News . . . Crop Chocolate June Challenge

I have submitted 4 things to magazines in the past and one to CTMH, 2 were picked up by Stampers Sampler and published. I think those are pretty good odds. It has always been my desire to participate in some of the challenges out there and submit some more entries.

There is a company that I have been buying from for some time now and I really like them: Crop Chocolate. The have great prices and excellent customer service. When they advertised for a Design Team, I saw the notice with just a few days before the deadline. I rushed to submit something (and will post my submissions later), but didn't make it. Unfortunately, I don't think they photographed well and I didn't take my time enough on the projects. Plus, our projects had to be 50% Crop Chocolate product and I really couldn't find enough of their products at the last minute to make myself happy.

So now I have organized my products all into one corner, bought some more, and surprise, surprise, they put out a call for a Focus Group. I had a few different options to go with, but the one I selected had to be a technique I never did before, and the project had to use patterned paper, buttons, and stamps. Again, it had to contain 50% CC (Crop Chocolate) product.

This was my entry and I was selected to be part of the group through the end of the year!!!

I think it is going to be fun as we already have our first challenge; and

you'll be seeing more artwork posted here.

I'm loving the challenges as they're making me think.

Those of you who know me--quit laughting. I know this could be a challenge in itself!

The Echo Park Theme kit focuses on "Mother," but I used it for my parent's wedding. What you can't see so well is on the lower right corner of the left page are two flags. These are stickers. They both had other words on them. On the top one, I just cut out some of the dotted paper, slightly smaller to leave a little border and turned it into a mini journaling box. On the next flag, I think it originally said "hello" and I covered it with a sticker that says "Missing you." I put really pretty carved buttons on each flag. On the next page, I used an actual journaling box for journaling.  Then there were 3 doily stickers onto which I put tiny, see-thru, pink buttons in the center of each.

The stamping is a thin blue scallop on the left page and next to that is a yellow border. Both were super easy to stamp and I was thrilled at how well the colors went with the layout.

My new techniuqe was that I used an Echo Park Mini Kit for the first time.

It's a different look for me, but I was pleased with the results.

Crop Chocolate Products Used:
Echo Park My Dearest Mini Theme Pack, it comes with patterned papers, journaling boxes, and
    stickers. It's a mother's day kit, but I used it for my mom and dad's wedding photos.)
Letters: Making Memories Paperrie Greenhouse Shimmier Alpha,
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Mustard Seed & Tumbled Glass.

Other products Used:
CTMH Layout pattern from "Magic"
CTMH Colonial White cardstock
CTMH D1332 Boutique Borders Stamps,
Doily and Vintage Buttons sources unknown (Thanks Candice for the Doily!)

Sonoma "Magic" Final Act (Again!)

Sorry I haven't been posting lately. I have been struggling with shoulder and elbow pain and had to rest. The elbow has definitely been tendonitis as I have felt that pain before. The shoulder, however, is a different story and after more pain inflicted by my doctor manipulating it, I see an orthopedic doctor at the end of the month. Hopefully a quick fix awaits me!

I was working on some layouts using "Victory" papers this weekend and realized how much the Magic book has become my "go-to" book! It really contains some nice layouts. Plus this Final Act has been used alot, just with the Sonoma layouts. Click on the "Sonoma" over in the right column and you will see the there are multiple variations. Then if you were to turn this page around and use different photo orientations--you have even more options for this single design. I hope those of you who enjoy our books as much as I do have been able to get your copy. For now, I'll better get back to Sonoma and another layout from Magic.

Products Used

X7143B Sonoma Paper Pack
Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads: Z2111 Chocolate, Z2114 Cocoa, Z2147 Smokey Plum
Z1316 CTMH Designer Ribbon Rounds Cocoa Collection
Z1336 Cream Pearls
Z1635 Heirloom Assortment (The large dangling gemstone is from the is part of the Heirloom Asst.
            I love how it adds to the page. It attaches with jump rings and a brad.)
Z697 Sponge
Z534 Microtip Scissors
Z1471 CTMH Ruler
Z1151 3-D Foam Tape
1772 Glue Dots
9034 Magic (Check my website for availabilty. These books are being discontinued and are only available while supplies last. They are FANTASTIC resources!)

Other Products

Discontinued CTMH C1269 Fabric Finishes
Discontinued CTMH Textured Cardstock: Amethyst and Chocolate
XL Oval and Scalloped Punches



Sonoma "Magic" Enchantment

Our Stickease, cardstock stickers make layouts SUPER easy. There are two 6x12 sheets of stickers/set, I used one sheet to create this layout and added some ribbon and brads. On the back of the sticker carrier sheets are 2 photos of layouts, I just adjusted them to fit my photos, which included trimming a few of the Stickease so they would fit my spaces better. But the layouts are impressive, fast, and easy.

Products Used

X7143B Sonoma Paper Pack
X7143C Sonoma Stickease

X5905 Bright Green Shade Cardstock Pack
Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads: Z2103 Bamboo, Z2114 Cocoa, Z2167 Creme Brulee,

Z697 Sponge
Z534 Microtip Scissors
Z1316 Designer Ribbon Rounds Cocoa Collection
Z1366 Brads--Metal Assortment
Z1471 CTMH Ruler
1772 Glue Dots
9034 Magic (Check my website for availabilty. These books are being discontinued and are only available while supplies last. They are FANTASTIC resources.



Sonoma "Magic" Magic Act and "Reflections" Visual Textures

Cherish, Imagine, Magic, and Reflections are how-to books for Scrapbooking and Wishes and Originals are how-to books for Cardmaking, written by Jeanette R. Lynton the Founder & CEO of  Close To My Heart. They're my go-to guides. They're better than just sketches because they have the cutting dimensions, diagramsm and directions to put your layouts together.  They contain hundreds of patterns, ideas, mini-tutorials and beautiful photography. I am SO thankful that I bought all of them.

All of the layouts in each book, as is the case of this layout, can be mixed and matched. Each page, below, is from a different book. Plus the layouts are designed so that you can turn them in any direction and have a different look. I have already started on a new workshop and one of the layouts I'm using was created by another consultant. I didn't even recognize it until I pulled the book out and then I realized I had created it in the Sonoma workshop, she just turned it upside down.  I have Pagemaps and Sketches but I still keep going back to these becaue of all the detailed instructions.

As noted below, some are sold out, but you can still get those still available on my website, where shipping starts at just 4.95. After CTMH is finished selling them, check amazon.com. Some are available now there and at Michaels.

Products Used

X7143B Sonoma Paper Pack
Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads: Z2114 Cocoa, Z2147 Smokey Plum
Z1316 CTMH Designer Ribbon Rounds Cocoa Collection
Z1336 Cream Pearls
Z1635 Heirloom Assortment (for flower in between the two buttons on the right page)
Z697 Sponge
Z534 Microtip Scissors
Z1471 CTMH Ruler
Z1151 3-D Foam Tape
1772 Glue Dots
Layout
9031 Reflections and 9034 Magic (Check my website for availabilty. These books are being discontinued and are only available while supplies last. They are FANTASTIC resources!)

Discontinued CTMH New England Ivy Textured Cardstock
Creative Memories Silver Pen
K and Co. Letter Stickers
Buttons

Sonoma Magic "Out of the Hat

I LOVED finding these pictures. The car was actually my grandmothers! I went and bought the Tim Holtz Sizzix Jalopy die to use on this layout. I wound up getting the Movers & Shapers Jalopy, as well as the ATC embossing folder for another car my Dad has that looks just like this one. I was going to put a picture of his car on the left page and noticed his had spoke wheels and this one didn't; that's how I realized they weren't the same cars. A good way you can identify different eras in your photos when they all look to be the same--check the little details--haircuts, clothing, belts, shoes, jewelry, toys, or in this case wheels.

Right under the car I have a note that says, "Mother's grinning like an opossom in her new car, HAHA." It was on the back of the photo in my dad's handwriting and so nice to have. I make photocopies of the backs of photos like this at Staples and then sponge the white paper with Bamboo ink and/or Creme Brulee and Cocoa, Smokey Plum, or Amethyst on the edges. Then I will add them to my pages right beside their original photo. The sponging makes it so the bright white doesn't detract from the layout and I incorporate my ancestors' writings in my layout.

Products Used

X7143B Sonoma Paper Pack
X7143C Sonoma Stickease
Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads: Z2100 Amethyst, Z2103 Bamboo, Z2114 Cocoa, Z2167 Creme Brulee, an Z2147 Smokey Plum,
Z697 Sponge
Z534 Microtip Scissors
Z1316 Designer Ribbon Rounds Cocoa Collection
Z1366 Brads--Metal Assortment
Z1471 CTMH Ruler
Z1151 3-D Foam Tape
1772 Glue Dots
9034 Magic (Check my website for availabilty. These books are being discontinued and are only available while supplies last. They are FANTASTIC resources!)

Additional Items:
Sizzix Tim Holtz Jalopy Die
Encore Copper Ink Pad
Crayola Metallic Copper colored Pencil (Their metallics are soft and contain a good amount of pigment.)
Stampin Up First Edition Special Designer Series Paper
Discontinued CTMH Pansy Purple Textured Cardstock
Discontinued CTMH Colonial White Textured Cardstock
The journaling sticker is actually two from an old CTMH Stickease pack. I save journaling stickers or blocks. For thiw layout, I cut 2 in half diagonally since I couldn't decide on which color to use and pushed the two halves together, making one block out of both colors.
Prima flowers

Sonoma, Magic "Magic Act"

This was one of the last set of pages I made and I had run out of papers to use, I was truly using scraps, with my friends bringing their own pale lavendar/purle pages since I didn't have anymore.

On the left page I learned that my love for dogs is from my dad! We always had dogs when I was growing up. It is so neat to learn about me from old photos as well as about my father. The right page has photos of him, his dad, and his brothers.

Old pictures are small and what do you do to fill in empty spaces? First I added some fern leaf punchies from the EK Success Corner Adorner. Not enough. The dog paw brads wouldn't work on the right page. I stood in the my craft room and just looked around until I saw the box containing the Making Memories Antique Glitter Deco Brads. They're a Glittery Copper and along with some of the words from Close To My Heart Background and Texture Paper Zip Strips, they filled in blank spots on the right page nicely. I also added some tiny square, clear sparkles, that may not show up online to the leaf punchies.

Products Used
X7143B Sonoma Paper Pack
Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads: Z2100 Amethyst, Z2147 Smokey Plum
Z697 Sponge
Z534 Microtip Scissors
Z1104 Clear Sparkles
Z1471 CTMH Ruler
Z1612 Pin Clips
1772 Glue Dots
9034 Magic (Check my website for availabilty. These books are being discontinued and are only available while supplies last. They are FANTASTIC resources!)

Additional Items:
Discontinued CTMH Amethyst Textured Cardstock
EK Success Corner Adorner--Fern Leaf
Making Memories paw print brad
Making Memories Antique Glitter Deco Brads
7 Gypsies D is for Dog Stickers
Bazzil cardstock (green)

Sonoma Magic "Final Act"

One day, a Monica and Teresa were looking at a Sonoma layout on page 38 of the Autumn/Winter 2011, Close To My Heart Idea Book and a new Workshop idea was born! That's where I have been and why I haven't been posting for a while. I have been busy planning, creating, cutting, and organizing pages of a mega 15-page Sonoma Workshop. Now it is time to share the results with you. My friends still aren't finished, but boy do I have some nice pages and they will too when they're finished. We also had a blast visiting, sharing stories, and will when they come back to finish their pages. I know I want to do more.

I'm starting at the back of the ones I have finished and moving forward in hopes that when you open this, you can read from front to end. I hope you enjoy it!

This is my mother's parents. These papers were perfect for my historical photos and the layout was copied from page 41 of the Idea Book. I added the Journaling Box at the bottom, Prima leaves to my Heirloom Asst. flower, mini pearl accents, in addition to changing the font and paper a little bit. The layout is from the Magic Book and is the "Final Act" design. More layouts coming soon!

Products Used
X7143B Sonoma Paper Pack
B1392 Key Moments My Acrylix Stamp Set
Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads: Z2114 Cocoa, Z2147 Smokey Plum
Z1316 Designer Ribbon Cocoa Collection
Z1336 Cream Pearls (I don't think you can see, but there are mini pearls in the big flower on the left and on the cameo frame.)
Z1635 Heirloom Assortment
Z697 Sponge
Z534 Microtip Scissors
Z1471 CTMH Ruler
Z1151 3-D Foam Tape
1772 Glue Dots
9034 Magic (Check my website for availabilty. These books are being discontinued and are only available while supplies last. They are FANTASTIC resources!)

Additional Items:
Discontinued CTMH Chocolate Textured Cardstock
Stampin Up Rich Razzleberry Cardstock and Marker
Stampin Up Designer Frames Textured Embossing Frame for my journaling box
Quickutz Marigold Classic Font

Our First Club Workshop Calendar Page

I've made one little change . . . when I signed up with Avon, they assigned my website address so it didn't have my "MKP." I wrote and begged and they changed it! My new Avon website address is http://mkp.avonrepresentative.com/.

I hold monthly club workshops. My club members commit to monthly purchases for one year, get projects, are hostess one month of the year, and get 20% off their purchases during their birthday month. For February, They purchased the Wings Workshop on the go (I will post that later) and we made the two pages, I sent them home with homework--to make the cards, and then I provided supplies, using the gorgeous Magnifique papers, to make our first calendar page. For those who don't want a calendar, it will work as a 12 x 12 page. Close To My Heart has a top, spiral-bound 12 x 12 calendar for $7.95. This is a bargain for those who want to make the calendar. For the months, we can stamp them, or us Silhouette, Cricut, or even Sizzix or Quickutz dies.

My page was inspired by CTMH's Book Magic. It is page 70, layout: "Ta-Da!" The book provides tips, layouts, ideas, cutting dimensions AND layout patterns for 35 12 x 12 kinetic layouts. BUT they have made the book so that they can be standard layouts or those that are movable, with pop-ups, slides, etc. It is really a clever book with lots of detailed, colored photos accompanying the directions.

My large bird was stamped on Sky cardstock with Lagoon Ink, then before stamping, the image was rolled in Vineyard Berry ink. Because you can't roll in all areas, I used a Sponge Dauber to ink those edges. Then it was cut out and I used a sponge to brush the edges with Vineyard Berry ink providing more depth to the image. Both Large an small images were affixed to the page with the body flat and the wings and tails popped up with foam tape. 

The little birds were punched out of some old copper colored paper I had from Hero Arts, using a Martha Stewart punch.

There was a shadow of the person taking a photo on the lower right corner of the photo--by the date. I stamped a swirl on photo twice to sort of hide it. It does a much better job of hiding in person. Just remember that you can ink edges or stamp on photos with our Exclusive Inks as long as you let them dry before handling them.

 

There is a hidden journaling tag behind the photo on the left. A few tips--my buttons are clear buttons. I ran my Background and Texture Paper through Xyron so the adhesive would be on the design side. Then we cut little squares out, put the design side next to the button and just trimmed excess off--super fast and easy. You can't even tell that the cut isn't even. Then the bracket--we've used that before. I run Background and Texture Paper through Xyron and attach it to Cardstock. I stamp the bracket on my cardstock and then trim. The stamped image just provides the cutting diagram. The cardstock provides stability so that I can pop it up on foam tape so that it looks like a cardstock image.

PRODUCTS USED

X7127B Magnifique Level 2 Paper Pack $12.95
D1438 Circle of Love My Acrylix Stamp Set $22.95 (big peacock in top left and photo swirl)
D1452 Find Your Style, January Stamp of the Month. (SOM's are available on a sliding scale--email me for more info.)
My bracket stamp is discontinued, but check out C1399 On the Edge $18.95
Z1391 Clear Button Assortment $5.95
Z697 Sponge $1.25
Z726 Sponge Dauber $3.95
Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads $5.95/ea
   Z2157 Vineyard Berry     Z2192 Pacifica     Z2195 Lagoon
The Foundry Tabs (on Journaling Tag) have been discontinued
The polka dot ribbon are old, discontinued CTMH products--see how nice even discontinued products coordinate!
Old Hero Arts Copper paper
Martha Stewart Bird Punch