Saturday, February 25, 2017

2017 February Session 2 Male Card Class

This week we had about 45 wonderful ladies in our Thursday and Friday classes.  We are having so much fun sharing with all our friends.  The more the merrier!  Wine was served in both classes as well as a lot of goodies!  You are always welcome to bring something to share!

If you are new to our groups, please bring a pair of good sharp paper scissors and either a good liquid glue like Tombow in the green dual tip container or a good tape runner.  Actually both will work at different times.  That's all you need to start.  As you progress, you might want to add 3-D Foam Tape, glue dots and a lot of bling!

I will be addressing the two cards I did this session.  Products can be purchased on my CTMH site. 

 scrappinvall.closetomyheart.com



My first card started with a black card base. Take a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper and cut it in half on the long side.  Fold in half to make an A2 standard size card 4.25 x 5.5.    The option for this card was to antique or distress all the pieces with black ink. The black print mat is 4 x 5.25.  I then added a grey dot strip of paper 5.25 x 1.75 about 1 inch from the left side of the black print mat.  Both of these papers were from older Close to my Heart Paper options.

Next assemble the sentiment tab.  I first cut White Daisy Cardstock 2 x 2.  I chose one of the 5 stamps from B1537 Birthday Sparkles as my sentiment.  I layered that on a 2.5 x 2.5 black sparkle paper.  Then layered that on a 2 5/8 x 2 5/8 black cardstock.  This only leaves 1/8" of black all around the black sparkle, but I just wanted a touch of black here.

Before I put that on my card, I used 3-D Foam Tape to raise it up and give in added dimension.  I finished the front by adding 3 black sparkles on the lower right corner of the card.

On the inside, I cut a 4 x 5.25 piece of White Daisy Cardstock, stamped it with the sentiment CTMH A1201 One in a Million


The inspiration for the second card came from a stamp that I originally wanted to use of a vintage truck.  Thinking about supplying 30 women with color pencils or watercolors to color the truck during class moved me in another direction.  Read on!!!

The second card I did stared with a cream base.  I chose cream for the base of the card because in California, most people will buy a light colored card to reflect the heat of the sun.  Again I used a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper and cut it in half on the long side.  Fold in half to make an A2 standard size card 4.25 x 5.5.  The options for this card was to use a corner round on all the pieces and/or use brown ink to distress all the edges.  The corner rounder reminded me of the curve of the fenders on a car and the inspiration for to distress came from the hint of dirt the car gets from driving down the road. The brown wood print mat is 4 x 5.25.  This reminds me of the wood inlay both in and outside of the vehicle.  I set this aside to assemble my embellishments.


Assemble embellishments:  First attach the 2.75 x 3.5 brown leaf print to the 3 x 3.75 cream mat.  Attach to card base, leaving 1.4" at the bottom of the brown wood mat.  Next attach the cream 2.75 x 1.75 diamond plate embossed piece to the 3 x 2 brown print paper.  Use 3-D foam tape behind this and set it on an angle in the upper left corner of the card. (See card for placement).

Take the 3 x 1.25 blue print piece (I picked blue print because when you ask a man his favorite color, 9 times out of 10 they will pick blue)  and attach to 3.25 x 2 cream mat.  Place 3-D foam tape to the right side and top only and place on an angle on the upper right side of the card crossing over the left embellishment.  The reason you only put 3-D foam tape on the right side is because the left side is place on the left embellishment which already has 3-D foam tape on it.

To finish off these two embellishments, I attached used CTMH Chocolate Ink to stamp a "mud flap" and used 3-D foam tape to secure it to the left side of the left embellishment.  I also used an older Embossed Metal Badge Button from CTMH to represent the tire and hub cap of the car.

The last embellishment is the sentiment.  I chose Make a Wish from my stamp drawer and stamped a 3.25 oval I cut using the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.  I placed my stamped oval on a 3.5 brown print scalloped oval also cut using the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.  Before placing it on the card, I took a 3.25 piece of brown ribbon (representing tying a man to his car), folded in half and stapled it to the oval sentiment.  I chose a staple to represent the metal of the car.  I trimmed the ribbon and using 3-D foam tape, attached it over the bottom edge of the 2 embellishments already placed on the car.
A1201 One in a Million
B1537 Birthday Sparkles
I hope you like these.  Please comment and let me know what you think!



Monday, February 13, 2017

Jan 13 Valentine Card Class

Hi Everyone

January came and went soooo fast...well when you're my age I guess everyday goes by quickly.  I really want to build my blog and get people to read some of my thoughts and inspiration.  Pinterest is a real help for me.  I'm an independent consultant for Close to My Heart, but I love so many other products that I tend to use what I like.

January 13 was my first class held at a nearby community center.  Another consultant from Stampin Up and I teach together.  In this session I taught 1 card and she did 2...In the next session, I'll teach 2 and she will do 1....it all works out for the month.

This time, I did a Valentine Card.  It was sooooo cute if I say so myself.  I have sooooo much paper that I couldn't begin to tell you the brand.  I did use Close to My Heart ribbon and a Close to My Heart stamp that I had on hand.  I also used a Martha Stewart punch for the pink border.  I hope you like it.  Please leave a comment and let me know what you thing.



Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Christmas in November

Well last week I did a Christmas class with a friend of mine.  I had so much fun.  We each did 5 cards and had lunch in the middle.  Here are my cards.  I'll come back later to post some directions in case you want to make them.  Right now I'm suppose to be packing to attend a Copic Class in Arizona


Taught stamping off and 2nd generation stamping.  Also taught paper flower sculpturing using the new Close to My Heart Poinsettia  Stamp....sooooo cute!  Oh the Red Bird card was made using the Art Philosophy cartridge from Close to My Heart....well anytime I need a circle or scallop I use that cartridge.

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Just joined Close to my Heart AGAIN

Hi everyone!  Just wanted you to know that I just joined Close to my Heart again...  Here is my website:   scrappinvall.closetomyheart.com   

You probably know that last year I was gone for 5 months from August through part of December.  My sister had been fighting the Big C word for several years and she was the primary care taker of my mom back in Illinois.  Well she got pretty weak and I traveled to Illinois to take care of mom.  Both my mom and sister passed in November...cry time!

Well anyway, during that time, I didn't even think about my crafting, scrapbooking  or card making.  Not placing regular orders with CTMH, caused me the lose of my status.  So I had to rejoin.  Not a bad thing mind you since the kit only cost $75 and you get $200 worth of product AND you get to pick $50 of stamps and ink that you want.  So that means you really only join or $25...not a bad deal if I say so myself.

See you get a medium size storage case...blocks...scissors...glue...foam tape...stamp cleaner and scrubber....stamp perks....all kinds of business supplies including catalogs....plus again don't forget about that $50 in credit that I will need to spend TODAY!  I really love Close to my Heart!

Well I better start building my business yet again from the ground up....let's party!

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Solera Paper Crafters January 22 Class

Well I decided to play catch up for those that have purchased scrapbook or card kits from me.  I always put directions in my kits, but I thought that if you wanted to make additional cards at home with your own paper, you could certainly do that just by looking at the finished cards or scrapbook pages.

Here is the finished card that I taught at the Solera Papercrafter Group on January 22.  WOW I did say catch up didn't I.

Well this group is in a 55 and older community.  Some of us have limited income so I decided to give them templates for folded cards.  That way they can continue to make additional cards at home.

This first card is called Double Dutch Fold.  You can find several examples on You Tube, but some of the papercrafters in the group do not do computer.

Here is the finished card!


I used an Anna Griffin Lace Die and Tim Holtz Tattered Rose die cuts.  The individual flower pieces were distressed using Daisy White Close to my Heart Ink.  And the 3-D effect of the flower was achieved by using the McGill Paper Blossom Molding Mat and either the 5MM or 6 MM Molding Tool.  After all the individual flowers are molded, they are placed on top of each other making sure you off set each petal.  The final step was to place a gem in the middle of the flower.

This fold is called Double Dutch because you have a fold coming down from the top and also two folds coming from either side.  The top fold meets the two center folds.  

I think it really turned out pretty good.  We are sold out of this kit!

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Solera Papercrafters July 10 Workshop

Well it's that time again.  Actually, it's been that time but I've been super busy.  Every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month, Patty and I get together and teach card making and scrapbooking to our fellow artists here at the Solera Community where we live.  It's fun teaching and I love to share, so I'm going to show you all what we did this last week.  On the 2nd Thursday of the month, I make 1 card and a 2-page scrapbook layout.  Patty does two cards.  My Scrapbookers come 1/2 hour earlier to complete their pages and Patty teaches the first card.  Then as soon as my Scrapbookers complete their layouts, they go over and finish making the first card.

Here are the layouts I did this week.

I found these incredible layouts on sale and picked them up for my Scrapbookers to complete.  We only charge $6.00 for the two pages, so they have to be pretty simple.  These particular layouts come completely cut and ready to go.  Just add glue, decide what embellishments you wish to pop-dot, antique your items and add photo mats. Walla!  Done.  The base page is grey with large white circles.  There is a 10 x 10 star paper centered in the middle.  A 10" x 1/2" striped paper is added across the bottom of the star paper.  Grey/White bakers twine is added to the red tag which is pop-dotted on the left.  The grey and white star is glued to the tag then pop-dotted to the page in the spot that does not go over the photo mat.  That allows room for the picture to be added.  The date banner is also pop-dotted under the 4 x 6 photo mat.  White paper was glued under the thick telephone dial which already came printed with the sentiment.  Three gems were added to the upper left corner and 1 gem was added to the "O" in the word Shot on the banner.


The base on the right side of the 2-page layout used the same grey paper with white dots.  Red bakers twine is added to the navy blue tag and glued to the top of the page.  The sentiment was first glued to the blue and white star, then both were pop-dotted to the page with the star resting on the blue tag.  Another 9" x 1/2" striped paper was added under the sentiment.  A 8 1/2" x 1/2" star stripe was added under the striped paper.  Then we added the 3 photo mats.  Blue/white bakers twine was added to the peach tag and yellow/white bakers twine was added to the green tag.  Both tags are pre-printed with the sentiments and star.  The blue banner is pop dotted over the tags.  The red/white star is placed in the center of the blue banner.  3 gems are added to the blue banner and another 3 gems were added just above the 4 x 6 photo mat.  The red arrow was placed targeting the words on the tag.  All the pieces in both layouts were inked around the edges with light blue ink.  All in all, these layouts are pretty darn cute.


The inspiration from the card I chose to do came from Pinterest.  Then I went to my scraps and paper stash to pick the pattern paper and color card stock I used here.  Some of the paper is Close to My Heart.  Some is SEI and My Mind's Eye.


 Working from the base, I chose a Robin Egg blue cardstock 81/2 x 11 and cut it in half.  The yellow base is 4 x 5 1/4.  I then trimmed red cardstock to 10 pieces of 1 1/4 x 1 1/4 square.  I corner rounded the 2 opposite edges of each piece.  I then chose 10 different pattern pieces of scrap paper and trimmed those to 1 1/8 x 1 1/8 and again corner rounded the 2 opposite edges.  Close to My Heart Star Spangled Blue Ink was used for the sentiment stamped on Close to My Heart white 2 3/8 x 1 1/8 piece of paper which is mounted on a 2 1/2 x 1 1/4 piece of red cardstock.  Last but not lease, I threaded blue and white bakers twine through a green button and tied a bow.  Then used a glue dot to adhered to one of the puzzle pieces.  It took me awhile to choose the color layout so the yellows, blues, greens and reds were distributed through out the card. But I love the final look.  My students had a choice of a green, blue or yellow button since I encourage them to make their own layout.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Solera papercrafters 02/27/14

Here we are again at Solera in Beaumont teaching our 3 card class.  I had two cards this week and I also plan for the refreshments and prizes.  All in all we have a lot of fun.

My first card was pretty simple. A blue card base with an embossed white front which was antiqued with chocolate brown ink.  Each circle is layered and the two larger layers are glued down, then ribbon was added around the card.  The Happy Birthday is a CTMH stamp and layered on the same cardstock as the base card.  All the circles are antiqued and the Happy Birthday is pop-dotted.  Then bakers twine was glue dotted to the front....Easy!

On my next card, I again used a CTMH stamp and water colored pencils to color the flower.  All the pieces were antiqued and the CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge was used to make the tag which is pop-dotted to add another layer to the finished card.