Christmas Trees

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

I hope that you are looking forward to lots of turkey and fixings tomorrow, and that you are lucky like me and someone else likes to do the cooking.  I have several things for you today.

First, I have updated my classes for December, please check them out on the Classes tab.

Second is a reminder to order your goodies out of the holiday catalog soon because you can only order through the end of December.

And Third, I have a quick rundown on how I made this fabulous tree featured on the front of the new catalog.  Warning:  this isn't an in depth tutorial!

 



Basically I followed the tutorial here with minor changes.  I used my Cricut Craft Room to cut down the width of all the pieces instead of doing it by hand.  I have the CCR file if you would like it.  Then I used the CTMH sparkle paper to do the snowflakes, and I made the star with washi tape and some stamping.  A foundry pin clip is holding the star on.  Here is a close up of the star. 

It takes a full 3 sheets of the sparkle and shine paper and 1/3 sheet of the sparkly paper and a sheet of white daisy.

I hope that your Thanksgiving is full of food and Family and time for Crafting!!!

New Constant Campaign

Hello!

It has been a busy month!  And I have done a lot towards the album I am working on but I haven't had time to get pictures taken so you will just have to imagine the fabulousness of the layouts  :)

I also found time to make the invites for Son's 4th birthday and I did take pictures, but my New (less than 1 year old) computer had to go on a trip to get a new motherboard.   So I will post them later when I have access to the pictures.  Oops!

I have posted new classes for November.  Please let me know ASAP if you would like to join me.  Lots of Holiday joy in the making!

Close to My Heart has a new incentive for anyone willing to join my team.  Sign up to be a new consultant this month (until December 15) and you get a great new product for free that is not even available to ME! until January. 

 

 

Lastly,  I wanted to share the news with you now that we are 1/2 way there.  The family and I are expecting a new addition in March.  I am 20 weeks this week and we have just found out that it will be a boy!  We are very excited.  So if you have been wondering why I have been out of the loop it isn't just school work that is keeping me busy, I have been really tired with this one!  I view it as another excuse to scrap baby pictures.  :)

 

Happy Crafting!!!



Halloween Mini-book

Hello All!

I just completed my first Artbooking project and I am impressed by the results.  I created a Halloween Mini-book!  I used the two mini-book keys and some titles and photo frames from the scrapbooking layout.  I really like the way that I do not have to search for images, it is all right there on one key.  Here is how it turned out!

The cover

Page 1 and 2.  I left the frame open on two side so that I could slip in a picture later.

 

Pages 3 and 4.  I really like the way that the layered grave stones came out.  Found out that glue pen glue does not like to stick to the glitter paper.  :)

Pages 5 and 6.  Again left the frame open to add pictures.

The back.

All ready for this year's photos!  I may add more pages but it will depend on how many pictures I end up taking while sneaking candy from the kids stash.  If you would like to make your own contact me for the materials list or you can join me for the workshop on Tuesday!  Just let me know you are interested in coming ASAP!

Happy Crafting!

ps check out Google+ for Sarita layouts.

October Classes and more layouts from the past.

Hello Everyone!!

I have posted new classes for October.  Check out my classes page for more details.

Also I am still working through my stash and have finished the WOTG for the Pear and Partridge paper pack from last year.  Here are my layouts.

Also the new Holiday guide is here and My Oh My am I excited!!!!  November is going to feature some great projects using the materials to be found in this wonderful guide.  Keep on the lookout for classes coming soon!

Sarita Layouts coming soon!

Happy Crafting!!

National Stamping Month

Sorry that it has been so long but it was a buy end to the summer and school has officially started!

I am working on some layouts to show you but they are not quite ready, so to tide you over let me tell you about this month's Constant Campaign.  This month you can get a set of three fabulous stamps (including an alphabet stamp) for $10 when you spend $50.  Normal retail value is over $40! 

 

 

And if you are also interested in this month's Stamp of the Month then you can get 4 great stamps for only $15 (with a $50 purchase).

 

 

Finally, if you would like to join us for some workshops this month you can find new class information under the Classes tab above.

 

Happy Crafting!!



Laughing Lola

It is August!  Only a few weeks left until school starts and the new catalog is available for ordering.  I still have several classes in August including an open house explaining all the new and wonderful things in the new catalog.  Please check out the classes tab and then email me or comment to let me know you are coming.

Speaking of classes I am ahead of schedule and have completed the Lola Layouts that we will be doing in the workshop.

 

Sorry the color is a little off for the first two!  I need to remember to change my white balance before I finalize the pictures.

 

This last one I think is my favorite!

 

Also CTMH is running an extra special promotion this month.  Usually when you want the stamp of the month you can pay $17.95, or order $50 worth of stuff and buy it for $5;  but this month you order $50 worth of stuff and you get it for FREE, yep $0!

 

 

Happy Crafting!

 

Emily

Mini-Album

Wonderful Wednesday!

Hello everyone!  This week the kiddos have been in camp so I have accomplished much in my craft room.  The first project that I want to share with you is my very first Mini-album.  I am usually a double page spread girl, however I thought that I would give the mini version a try.  I went into this not knowing what I wanted to put into the mini but decided to do the time I spent in the hospital with daughter right after she was born.

 

I used the Dream Pop paper that I had left over from our May Constant campaign.  I first set up a project in Craft Room and decided on a size for the album.  I then made 9 layers and in each layer I had a variety of shapes that I wanted to be part of my album.  If you would like a copy of the Craft Room file just email me and let me know.

 

Then I cut out all my layers, each layer in a different B&T or cardstock sheet from Dream Pop.  Then I scored each piece that was going to become a page where I wanted it folded, not necessarily in the middle.  Layer 1 and 2 are the cover they need to be in the middle.  To get the ribbon secure, I used liquid glass and sandwiched one length of ribbon in between the two layers.  Then I layered my pages in the order that I wanted making sure the I assembled the envelope for the middle of the album first. 

 

Next, I clothes pined the layers together to help them from shifting as I sewed the album together.  Then using my stylus and pad and a tapestry needle and grey bakers twine I sewed it together.  The trick is to punch the hole and then take the stitch, then punch the next hole - next stitch;  you get the idea.  See below!

 

 

 Once I was all the way across I tied it off and left a short tail.  Then I glued in some of the other shapes and put the whole thing closed under some heavy books overnight to fully dry.

The next day, I picked my pictures and placed them in the album embellishing as I went.  I also went back to Craft Room and designed the title and some letters and dates for the inside.  Done!

 



I really like the result and it will be nice to look at with Daughter.

 

Here is the middle with the envelope closed, I used hook and loop dots.  Inside is a larger picture and some journaling.

 

For my workshop and if I decide to do another in the future I think that I will use either narrower ribbon or cut the ribbon I used in half so that the bow is not so overwhelming.

 



If you would like to make your own let me know and I will show you how!

There are also new classes posted here.

Happy Crafting!

Emily

Canvas Art Workshop

Hello,

I hope you are in a part of the country that is starting to cool down.  The kids were actually able to play outside for a little while this morning.  After the rough last week, I/we are doing much better.  I got some time this week to complete another older WOTG layout and the art canvas workshop that is on special for July only.  Check out the post here.  First the layout:

 

This is the main layout from the Clementine WTOG.  I didn't really like the alternative layout so I am looking for suggestions, just comment below with a link.

 

I also had time to complete the Art Canvas workshop, mostly because it only took me about 15 minutes to do.  The directions were great and what took the longest was picking out the pictures and fighting with my liquid glass that seems to always clog when I need it.

 

Just a couple of notes:  The direction say to use the pigment ink, I didn't have any and so I used the regular chocolate ink pad and really like the result.  I also used only liquid glass although the directions do say that you can also use foam tape too.  Finally, it is easier if you have your pictures picked out because of the way that it goes together, but if you wanted to have interchangeable pictures I would use the foam tape on the frames and slip the pictures in behind after the fact.

 

If you would like to make your own just click here, and join the monthly workshop to order your own kit for $19.95 plus S&T.

 

Happy Crafting,

Emily

Welcome Home!

Here we are half way through July, half way through the summer, and with almost nothing to show for it.  :)

Well, not nothing, we have been on two vacations.  I have cleaned the house top to bottom (although it needs it again).  But we haven't been to the pool yet and more importantly I have not finished one layout for Son's baby book!  And today was not a good day, so instead of working on a layout I read through the longest nap time ever!

Here is a synapsis of the past horribly busy week.  On Tuesdays I try to recapture my youth and love of horses by taking riding lessons at a local barn.  Last Tuesday I fell off.  Not that this is NOT un-common, in fact for a while there it has been very common place for me to come home covered in sand from taking a fall in the arena.  I usually ride a very nice sweet guy that is young and slightly green!  Meaning that we are scared of everything.  He is also stubborn so we lock heads a lot.  Anyway.... Last Tuesday I came off again and landed on my elbow.... it hurt!  On Wednesday I found out the I cracked my humorous and have to be in a sling for 3 weeks.  Then we headed off to visit my parents and I dealt with the disappointment with lots of Advil and naps. We drove back yesterday and got home just in time for a pizza dinner.  Then Husband who had to work early this morning goes to take a shower and ..... NO HOT Water and the water heater is leaking!!!  Oh No!

So today I have waited around for the "Men" to take out the old broken one and install a new one.  Then I took Daughter to her 5 year check up and the big dog to her annual check up and then finally got to get the food shopping done and started the laundry.  What a welcome home!

On a better note, my preview order from the new catalog arrives tomorrow and I am extremely excited!!!!  Want to know more... Contact me!  Until then here is a great video about the state of CTMH from headquarters.

 

Happy Crafting!!!  Hopefully the rest of the week will find me more creative!

Emily

Working through my stash!

Happy Monday!

First off I have posted new classes on the classes page so please stop by!

Second I have been working through the older WOTG that I have lying around and I thought I would share with you the ones that I have completed so far.

The first two are from Buzz and Bumble:

And then Dakota.  I didn't like the additional layout so I am looking for a replacement or two if anyone has any ideas.

 

I know you are probably thinking:  Where are the pictures?  Well I have found that when I only have a hour or so to work that I am much better creating from a template like the WOTG or adding pictures to a layout that is practically finished.  However, I will create my own originals if I have more time in a single sitting or over many shorter sitting all in a row.  However until next week neither one of those is going to happen!  :)

 

Emily

New Catalog and July Constant Campaign!

  I know two posts in one day, *GASP*!  The Fall / Winter Catalogs showed this morning while I was out getting fabric for the other post of the day.  I have already gone through and am really excited to share some great projects with you.  However you will have to wait until August 1st to order, but keep checking back in the next couple of weeks for some great new crafting ideas.  And keep reading for a sneak peak into the new catalog!  But first, during the month of July you can get the Canvas Art WOTG for 50% off!  That's only $19.95!

   

Now the new Idea Book/ Catalog! 

There are so many new things to talk about!  Six great new paper packs!  Chantilly, For Always, Tommy, and Surfs up are the carry over packs.  But there is no "school" themed pack this year so if you need some get your scholastic while you can!  There are fabulous new WTOG kits, along with two great card kits, and one Décor kit (shown below).

    

There are also some new stamps, new accessories, and new textiles.  And the new jewelry!  Yep now you can use sparkles and the textiles to make your own jewelry. There is also a new cricut cartridge, Artbooking!  And if you like to SMASH!  you will love the new My Crush collection.
There is so much more!

 

Keep a look out in the next week for a post about an open house to go over all the new stuff in the Idea Book.  Please let me know if you are interested.  Or you can shop online after 8/1/13 here.

Emily

Window Seat! DONE!

Ok so I made a major milestone today:  I finished the pillows for the window seat (learn more here and here).  I picked up some coordinating fabric this morning and finished sewing them this afternoon (I love Summer).  I still need to get books out of the basement and onto the shelves but that is going to take me forever!  So here is the final (?) touch to the seat:

Here are the pillows that I did today!  I meant for the squares to be the same fabric and the long on to be the other but I had issues with my fabric cutting, see below.

Here is the lovely seat (at least I think so) with the pillows.

Close up of the fabrics all together.



I used the directions here for the square pillows, it was really easy to follow and came out looking great.  However, this is where my measurements were off.  She says to make the length 1.5 times the length of the pillow, well I had an 18 in pillow so I figured 27 inches.  So I got 1 yard of the floral fabric for 2 square pillows (27x2=54 width of the décor fabric bolts), and 1/2 yard of the paisley for the long pillow.  Well I started to cut out my fabric and I realized that the 36 inches barely provided for any overlap, and I was lucky because she cut the paisley at 19 1/2 inches instead of 18.  So if you try this at home I would do 2.5 times the width of the pillow form, which is what I ended up doing.  On a side note until 7/7/13 Joanne Fabrics has the 54 in décor fabrics on sale for 50% off.

For the long pillow I used the general directions found here.  However, I made my own piping following the techniques that I used on the cushion not on the bias.

I hope that you are enjoying this rainy day.  There will be another post today so stay tuned!!!!!

Emily

Project Pantry

A while back, March!, I had goals about organizing my life and house.  Hubby had some projects and I did too.  We revisited our garage entry, the household command center was created, and the kids got their very own gallery wall

Well then I got really busy at school and I put a lot of things on hold.  But now that Summer Vaca. is here I have had some time to finish a couple projects.  I am going to talk today about the Pantry!

I didn't get a good before picture, but about half way through emptying the pantry I snapped these:

 In the picture below you can see that we have tried to organize before.  The racks on the inside of the door are all our spices and then below are the boxes of wraps.

 This is what I had taken out already. 

So my first step was to clean out the entire pantry.  It was a lot.  Every available surface in my kitchen was covered!

Here is a better angle of the spice racks on the inside of the door.  We got these several years ago at the container store.  I would love a shopping spree in that store.  :)

 Here is everything removed!

And Tadaaa! The new and improved pantry!

OK!  So I went through all the bottles and boxes and threw out everything that was old and expired.  I put the few cans that we had onto a new 2 layer lazy susan.  Then I organzed according to type: snacks, oil and vinager, bulk items, breakfast items and breads.  Our pantry also holds the everyday linens for the table such as napkins and placemats.  I moved these down to a lower level so that my pint sized helpers could actually reach them.

I also moved the kids snacks down to a reachable level and the dog gear and medications up out of reach.  Then I installed some sink baskets and command hooks to either side of the door to hold lunch boxes as shown below and seasoning packets (didn't get a picture).

Overall I am really impressed with the new pantry, It definitely looks better.  Now if only I can get Hubs to use it.  :)

 

Emily

Father's Day Cards!

This is a little late but there are people who received these cards that read my blog.  I had a workshop in late May to make Father's day cards and this is what we created:

This first one is from the CTMH Artiste Cricut cartridge.  I cut the shirt out of the Chantilly B&T Duos and the tie from Honey.  I stamped the sentiment in Hollyhock ink. 

 

This second one was inspired by Pinterest taken from the CTMH boards and Jeanette Lynton's Blog (here).  I took a white daisy card, and layered with lagoon, ruby, and white daisy.  Plane is stamped in outdoor denim, the banner is surrounded by hollyhock and sentiment is in desert sand.  "dad" was cut from the Artiste out of craft cardstock.  Clouds stamped in sky.

The third was also inspired by Pinterest, a fellow consultant at Playing with Paper (here).  I made a template and cut out the shape from a white daisy card. Then using another template, cut out the patterned paper.  The spatula was made from a 0.25" Art Philosophy tag on the shimmer paper and the glove is actually a mitten from one of the two CTMH cartridges but I can't remember which one, in craft.  The tag in the pocket is black and ruby and stamped in black.

 

I hope that these inspire your creativity!

 

Emily

More sewing

Happy Friday!

I am so glad that it is summer!  Well here it is the end of the first week of my summer vacation and I have accomplished much. 

First, Daughter had her birthday party at the local community pool and it was great!  Afterwards we opened her presents.  One of which is the sewing project that I wanted to share with you today.  Warning, these were completed from a vague idea in my head and I couldn't find a tutorial online with directions.  I also just used scrap fabric and Velcro that I had laying around, and whatever thread was already threaded in the machine. 

Bandages!!!

 For her birthday, Daughter wanted a play doctors kit.  She had one a long time ago but it has been missing pieces for years.  Anyway, she got a Doc McStuffins doctor bag complete with magical stethoscope.  If you do not know who Doc McStuffins is you should check her out on the Disney Channel, she is cool!  But we have always had the issue of using baby wipes and tissues for bandages because everything feels better with a band-aid!  So these were included in her doctor kit.

I found some white muslin in my fabric stash ripped them into various sizes and then sewed Velcro at key points and then zig-zag stich around the outside to keep the layers together.

Here is one of Daughter's new toys with a bandage on her leg.  Must have been rough in that box!

 

 

Second, I have been busy cleaning and organizing and planning above party.  But I feel like this is enough for one post so I will talk about those next week.

 

Emily