Sonoma "Reflections" Mainframe Tied Up

Well, this is the photo that started it all! isn't it a beautiful layout? I would love to say I was the one who created this, but I didn't the design team at Close To My Heart did. I just replicated it from the Idea Book. I think it is a great layout to showcase my father's parents, people I never met, but I have heard were wonderful. I never heard a bad thing about them. But my faith tells me that when I get to heaven, they will be there too as they believe in Jesus so they'll be there waiting for me with my mom and dad. (For my beliefs on this matter, please see the notes below Products Used.)

Products Used

X7143B Sonoma Paper Pack

E1019 Bohemian Alphabet

C1467 Sweet Moments
Z1686 CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge

Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads: Z2100 Amethyst, Z2103 Bamboo, Z2111 Chocolate, Z2114 Cocoa, Z2137 Olive and Z2147 Smokey Plum

Z1612 Pin Clips
Z1316 CTMH Designer Ribbon Rounds Cocoa Collection
Z1326 Sparkles--Red, Pink, and Purple Assortment

Z1297 Edge Distresser
Z697 Sponge
Z534 Microtip Scissors
Z1471 CTMH Ruler
Z1151 3-D Foam Tape
1772 Glue Dots
9031 Reflections (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 Textured Cardstock: Bamboo

Stampin Up Designer Frames Textured Embossing Frame for my journaling box
 

Thank you Lord that this isn't all life offers; there is so much more through You, and much better too!

The following is what I believe and from the New Living Translation of the Bible.

John 3:16"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,

so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

17God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it."

1 Thessalonians 4:13"And now, dear brothers and sisters,

we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died

so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.

14For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again,

we also believe that when Jesus returns,

God will bring back with him the believers who have died."

15"We tell you this directly from the Lord:

We who are still living when the Lord returns

will not meet him ahead of those who have died.

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout,

with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God.

First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves.

17Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth

will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

Then we will be with the Lord forever.

18So encourage each other with these words."



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 "Reflections" Triple Play Tagline

When I make a layout, I rarely pick it out with pictures in mind. I usually do so because I like the paper and layout. I add my pictures afterwards, or pick pictures out after I have decided what to make and then figure out a way to make it work. I have wanted to create this layout from the first time I saw it when Reflections first arrived at my house. So, when I was getting to the end of my layouts and had lots of scraps left, but not many full sheets of paper, I decided, I was gong to make it. I never once considered the photos. I knew I had a lot of little pictures of my dad, but never dreamed that when I made 16 small squares I would have 16 small pictures of my dad. SURPRISE!!! I was so happy that the two worked together.

The Crop-A-Dial made this so much faster than the old way of pounding in eyelets with a hammer and the setting tool, quieter too. Just remember 3-C for standard eyelets. To punch your holes, it's real scientific. I eyeballed where I wanted my holes to be, drew a dot on my cardstock, grabbed 4 pieces stacked together, punched the hole, and then with my Crop-A-Dial still squeezed together, set the guide on the hole punching side so each other hole would be punched at the same depth. No more measureing. To set the eyelet, it's as easy as unlocking your front door. You need to put your key in the hole in your door to unlock your house. So with your Crop-A-Dial, you need to put the "stem" of the crop-a-dial or "KEY" in the hole of your eyelet, and the eyelet in the hole of your paper, before you squeeze and "unlock" the magic of the tool, by setting your eyelet. SIMPLE!

At the top of each piece of Close To My Heart's Background and Texture paper, are Zip Strips. One side of the Zip Strip contains identification information on the paper pack that the paper is from, such as colors used in that paper pack and the product name and number. The other side is useable with a printed border, alphabet, or words. When my layout was complete, it needed something else, I added the Zip Strips to the far left and right edges of each side and purple Sparkles to the Zip Strips.

Something else I have decided to do, thanks to my friend Candice is start using some of my old letter stickers. WOW were they a waste of money. I have gotten so used to using My Acrylix clear Stamps, Quickutz, Sizzix, and even Sandy's Accucut, that I just quit using the gazillion stickers I had bought over the years before these great machines and my clear stamps. This layout used five letters and I would have had to buy one alphabet just to get those 5 letters. Those days are over. PLUS with CTMH's My Acrylix and our blocks, they're super-simple to align. Our blocks have a laser cut line etched into the block. It is going to be hard using the stickers, but I'm determined to use some of the things I spent money on and get rid of them--creating more space in my craft room. We'll see how long that lasts! 

Products Used

X7143B Sonoma Paper Pack
C1465 Unscripted
Z1686 CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge (For the little title tag on the right page.)
Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads: Z2100 Amethyst, Z2114 Cocoa, Z2137 Olive and Z2147 Smokey Plum
Z1326 Sparkles--Red, Pink, and Purple Assortment
Z1360 Designer Brads
Z697 Sponge
Z534 Microtip Scissors
Z1471 CTMH Ruler
Z1151 3-D Foam Tape
1772 Glue Dots (sometimes old photos have a hard time sticking to a page and I use a Glue Dot to keep them down.)
9031 Reflections (Check my website for availabilty. These books are being discontinued and are only available while supplies last. They are FANTASTIC resources!)

Discontinued CTMH Embroidery Floss Green Assortment
Discontinued CTMH Eyelets
Crop-A-Dile (The ONLY way to set alot of eyelets!)
Assorted Cardstocks used on other layouts
K and Co stickers

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

Scrapbook and Papercrafting Kit of the Month Club and FREE Online Workshop Directions

The Workshop On The Go (WOTG) is our version of a Kit of the Month and includes other projects with FREE Online directions. Each month a group of ladies purchase a WOTG kit for $29.95 come to my house and make two layouts and at least a card. They leave with a new stamp set, embellishments, plenty of leftover papers and other products from their kits and a beautiful, detailed color brochure that can be used to make future layouts. When they get home, they can go online and create MORE projects following online instructions for bonus projects. Or pick other projects posted and follow them using their left over papers and instructions from another kit. The instructions and pictures are so great that you don't have to do them here, you can order it through me or go order online and you can select a different kit each month. In addition to containing a coordinating, exclusive C-sized stamp set that is valued at $13.95, the WOTG kits are hold extra value in that Close To My Heart offers a small discount on the these kits. Once the catalogs expire, so do the WOTG kits and the stamp sets are gone for good. If you like them, get the while they're available.

I like to give the ladies who come to my house surprises and try to sneak some in for my long-distance pals too! If you like surprises, I can order you a WOTG kit each month and mail it to you--you don't even have to tell me which one it is.  All you have to do is prepay for you kit and I will mail it off. Plus if you add just a little more to your order and bump it up to $50, you can also purchase the Stamp of the Month. for an additional $5. These stamps are always D-sized stamps, worth $17.95, and only available during their designated month.

Here is my version of one of the cards from Sonoma Workshop on the Go Brochure Bonus Project. Like the layout shown below, the kits are no longer available, but the Paper Packs are and you can still make the projects using different stamp sets. To access the Bonus Project directions, just go to my website, select the Work Shop On The Go button on the left, and then whichever book the project you are looking for is from. In this case, it was the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book and then I would have selected Sonoma Bonus Project then you get all the project cutting diagrams and directions. There you have it--you stamp class online!

Products Used

X7143B Sonoma Paper Packet

Z1473 Kraft Die Cut Cards (6x6 with Envies)

D1475 Card Chatter--Birthday

Exclusive Inks: Z2137 Olive and Z2147 Smokey Plum

Z534 Micro-Tip Scissors

Z1114 Piercing Tool Kit

1772 Glue Dots

Z341 Mini Glue Dots

Z697 Sponge

Other: Old CTMH Green Buttons, Old CTMH photo clip, Lasting Impressions purple brad.

Sonoma

I LOVE these pictures. They bring back a wonderful Thanksgiving at we spent at my dear friend Karine's house with Samantha, Karine and her family. We all had a blast! Well, I'm not so sure about Ray and Ken. Ray painted and Ken got to listen to his 2 daughters and Samantha--lots of estrogen in the house!

I used the Sonoma Workshop On The Go kit, and wanted to use the CTMH layout provided, but it was for 3x4 photos. My photos are 4x6 and the one on the right is 5x7. I took two of our desk pads, layed out my photos, and "drew" my papers around them, following the official layout guide, with colored markers. I think it worked well. I changed the right page because I wanted to leave the space open for my workshop guests to add more photos or use the Tim Holtz sign die-cut journaling block if they wanted. Everyone opted for the journaling block. I was pleased with the results.

PRODUCTS USED

X7143B Sonoma Paper Pack

Exclusive Stamps came in the Sonoma Workshop On The Go From Fall/Winter Idea Book

     (WOTG packs are only available while Idea Books are live--get them while you can!)

Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads: Z2114 Cocoa     Z2137 Olive    Z2147 Smokey Plum

Z1487 Pewter Mini-MedleyAccents Collections

Z697 Sponge

Z1114 Piercing Tool Kit

Tim Holtz Sign Die

Stampin' Up Tasteful Trims Die (for scalloped Edge)

EK Success Corner Adorner Punch

Fancy Pants Paper scraps for jounaling