Monogram Cards

I have the best customers!  I enjoy and appreciate each of the women who I get to scrapbook with each month and truly look forward to my time with them.  So, at my Open House today, I gave each of them a little "thank you" for supporting my business in 2012.  It's a set of monogrammed cards with the coordinating monogram stamp.

Below is a closer look at the card.  You've probably seen it all over Pinterest.  It was designed by the amazing Lisa Stenz and just about every CTMH consultant I know has "scraplifted" it!  If you haven't been to her website, Lisa's Creative Corner, you've got to check out her gorgeous, clean and simple designs.

Thanks so much to my wonderful scrappers!  I look forward to making even more fun memories with you, and some new friends, in 2013!

"Met You" Heart Picture

Give your valentine a canvas of how he freed your heart this February 14th!  Just use a little blue painters' tape to create lines along a 5x7 canvas and use black acrylic paint to create stripes.  Then, I used Ruby cardstock and CTMH's new glitter paper to create the hearts on the canvas.  The sentiment, "Met You," tells him that HIS love set you free!

Pinterest is one of my favorite places to find inspiration.  I found this basic design pinned from www.uncommondesignsonline.com.  They have some adorable ideas.  Go check them out!

Come to My Open House!

Join me this Friday, January 25th from 10 AM to noon or 7-10 PM to view the latest CTMH goodies!  You'll get your copy of the 2013 Spring/Summer Idea Book, view lots of upcoming home decor, card and scrapbooking workshops and have the ability to purchase retired product at a great discount!

I'll also have snacks, drinks and an adorable creative item for you to make and take home.  Come at your convenience and stay as long as you'd like!

Chantilly Card Workshop

Heart Candles

I love the LED candles you can find lately at local home stores.  They still have a waxy outside that smells faintly of vanilla, but there's none of that wax mess and waste you get from regular candles.  However, they're just so plain and screaming for some color.  So, I answered by dressing some up and giving them a little "love."

For a little Valentine's Day flair, I added a red vinyl heart, a strip of Black Striped Grosgrain Ribbon and some cranberry twine from the Baker's Twine Harvest Assortment to my LED candle.  I found the glass candle holder at a local craft store and spray painted it in a black gloss.  I love how the project turned out!

You can find these candles and holders at On a Whim Boutique in Lucketts, Virginia, where I'm selling a few pieces in a friend's booth.  

Love is in the Air!

I'm always a bit depressed taking down Christmas decorations.  But, this year, I've decided to focus on creating some new Valentine's Day decor to fill the empty corners and doors.

This photo really doesn't do this little wall hanging justice due to the bright white door.  But, here's how I created it:

1. I bought an 8x10 canvas from my local craft store and "painted" it with Red Glitz Glitter Glue.  Then, I set it aside to dry for about an hour.
2. While it was drying, I cut out several hearts and the word Love with my CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge, using a retired CTMH paper pack, Roxie.
3. I used some Bonding Memories Glue to adhere the hearts and letters to the glittered canvas.
4. Then, I "painted" Mod Podge over the entire surface of the canvas.  At first, your art will look very dull and cloudy.  After the Mod Podge dries, you have a beautiful, protected piece of art!
5. Finally, I used my CTMH Stapler to attach two pieces of Black Tulle Ribbon to the back of the canvas frame and tied a sweet little bow to hang the picture.

How are you decorating for Valentine's Day?

Dakota, It's Not Just Country

I have two boys but am not even a little bit country, despite living in Virginia.  So, while I was thrilled with the  colors and some patterns in Dakota, I was a little unsure how to make it work for my typical photos.

Sorry there are no photos on these layouts, but I'm excited for this week's workshop featuring Dakota.  Thanks to my good friend, Scrapi Traci, for the layout designs.  Again, I created grid cutting guides to complete all the paper trimming before layout assembly.

What would I do without my Artiste Cricut Cartridge from Close To My Heart?  The flower images, shapes and letters are so quick and easy to cut out.  They give my layouts such a finished look for just the price of a bit of paper.  Do you have yours yet?  What are your favorite images to cut out?

La Belle Vie

The Beautiful Life...isn't that a great name for a paper pack?  Especially when it's in fancy French!  I'm teaching two workshops this week with La Belle Vie scrapbook layouts...six layouts altogether.  (Note:  I actually taught these last week, but wasn't able to finish this post because Explorer wasn't playing nicely with Blogger..a big shout out now to Google Chrome!).  What do you think?

I created a cutting guideline so we cut everything out first, each cut piece of cardstock or B&T Duo was placed on top of the base it would be adhered to.  So, all six layouts were completed in about three hours.  I was thrilled with the results!