Wednesday, January 6, 2016

National Papercrafting Month - Live Your Day Blog Hop

Welcome to the National Papercrafting Month - Live Your Day Blog Hop. There are almost 20 bloggers sharing projects using the Live Your Day PML cards. If you are new to blog hopping, it is easy, just click on the link (typically near the bottom of the post) to visit the next blog on the hop. Ultimately you will be taken full circle back to the blog where you started.


You should have arrived here from ***Katie Skiff's Created by Katie***. If you get lost along the way, Melinda Everitt keeps a list of participants on her blog at If You Bling It.

When I received the Live Your Day cards I immediately had several different ideas for using them. The first is "long term" birthday and event reminders. My cards do not look like much since I have a small family compared to some, but I think the pages will be perfect to move from one year's planner to another (assuming the colors are compatible).


I prepared some of the PML cards from Artfully Sent and they are ready to cut and add to the Memory Protectors, but time got away from me and I did not finish all of them cut. Here is a screen shot of the cards I planned for the year (not in any order); some had to be converted from horizontal to vertical orientation using the slice feature. If you would like to use my Design Space file, you will find it here. I set the size to 4" height x 3" width, but when I cut the rest I think I might set the height to approximately 3.94" (3 15/16") so they are a bit easier to slide into the pockets. Three layers of cardstock does get a bit thick. The top layer of the PML cards are from My Crush® Everyday Life Pages and the bottom layer is Pixie and Glacier respectively. I love how the My Crush® Everyday Life Pages cut on the Cricut® and it is like having another paper pack in the Idea Book.


My second idea was for this card. I cut the focal from one of the PML cards and used some of the remaining card for the base under my stamping. I cut a My Crush® Everyday Life Page to the first layer applied to the card.


Since I found many of the cards motivational, I also have an idea for a book of encouragement, but a series of events the past week, e.g., a failed refrigerator and frozen locks on the two doors, prevented me from completing it for this hop. After I meet a couple of deadlines - hopefully no more unexpected things happen - I plan to get one completed before the month ends.

Before you head to ***Scrapbooking with Kirsten Jade***, the supplies I used to create my project are listed below.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:
If you are not already working with a CTMH Independent Consultant, you may purchase all of the supplies I used at my Online Business Address.

I love to hear what people think of my creations; if you have a moment please leave a comment.

I hope you are finding many ideas for using the Live Your Day PML cards. Thank you for visiting today. So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***Scrapbooking with Kirsten Jade***.
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Tuesday, January 5, 2016

National Papercrafting Month - Live Your Day

As I mentioned on January 1, to celebrate National Papercrafting Month CTMH has created an exclusive Picture My Life™ Live Your Day scrapbooking program.


The Live Your Day collection was designed to coordinate perfectly with the Everyday Life™ 2016 Planner Pages and My Crush® Everyday Life Pages.

Everyday Life™ 2016 Planner Pages (Z3209)
My Crush® Everyday Life Pages (Z3210)

[Speaking of the Everyday Life™ 2016 Planner Pages...you still have time to get organized for 2016 as the Planner Pages are now 50%. I believe this offer is for the remainder of the month or while supplies last.]

I edited this post to add the video CC: Picture My Life™ - Live Your Day that shows several ideas for using the Picture My Life™ Live Your Day cards:



Items featured in the video are:


Coordination of the Live Your Day collection, Everyday Life™ 2016 Planner Pages and My Crush® Everyday Life Pages allows you to seamlessly integrate pocket scrapbooking into your 2016 planner.

The Picture My Life™ Live Your Day scrapbooking program offer is while supplies last or January 31. No qualifying purchase is required and there is no limit on how many Live Your Day collections you may order for $8.95 (before tax and shipping). Get this deal before January 31, 2016 or supplies run out.

Because I know some people like to see all of the designs in a collection, I took some photos of the cards.


There are three each of the white, pink, green and light purple "Birthdays" cards and the blank lined cards for a total of 12 "Birthdays" and 12 blank lined cards.


This close up of the "Birthdays" cards to show that there is a space in the line. My interpretation: the left side is for the date and the right side is for the name of the person celebrating on that day.


It is hard to see in the photos, but there is a slight, but not overdone, chalkboard effect on many the cards. If you are not a fan of chalkboard, do not worry as it is very slight (I keep looking at the cards under my Ott light so I am can be as sure as possible that I am giving you an accurate description).


I love the wording on these cards. They are so motivational. I think the cards would work wonderfully in a graduation or off-to-college album or a book created for someone who is trying to find their direction in life. I photographed some of the cards on the Versamat™ (Z1279) so you could be sure to see the card sizes.


I love the soft colors on the black background of these cards.


Some of the cards do not having wording on them. I think they would be great for journaling, for being a mat behind a photo or a layer on a card.

The subtle chalkboard shows better in this photo from CTMH Corporate:


I hope you found photos of all of the cards helpful. I am participating in a blog hop featuring the Live Your Day scrapbooking program. You will find my post here on January 7.
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Friday, January 1, 2016

Beloved Bouquet January 2016 SOTM Blog Hop

Welcome to the January 2016 SOTM Blog Hop featuring the stamp set Beloved Bouquet. This month there are almost 35 bloggers sharing projects they created with Beloved Bouquet. If blog hopping is new to you, keep clicking on the link to the next blog (typically near the bottom of the post) to visit the next stop. Blog hops are circular so visiting the next blog will take you back to where you started.


The SOTM for January 2016, Beloved Bouquet, is a D-size set of 14 stamps that is $5 with a qualifying purchase. Alternatively you may purchase it for $17.95. Recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks for this stamp set are: 1" x 3½" (Y1002), 2" x 2" (Y1003), 3" x 3" (Y1006) and 2" x 3½" (Y1009). The stamps in the Beloved Bouquet set are:


You should have arrived here from ***Paper Goodness: Creating from the Heart by Jacquelin Green***. If you get lost along the way, Melinda Everitt keeps a list of participants on her blog at If You Bling It.

I created two cards for this hop. I originally planned to create one, but the oval that remained after I created the first card kept calling out to me. I used first and second generation stamping and masking on both cards.


I also decorated the inside of this card.


On my second card I also used tone-on-tone stamping which makes it a little difficult to see the second generation stamping, but I am still pleased with the resulting card.


I have not decided if I will also stamp inside or just add the note I have planned.

Before you head to ***Snips, Snaps, and Scraps by Kathy Burrows***, the supplies I used to create my project are listed below.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:
If you are not working with a CTMH Independent Consultant yet, you may purchase all of the supplies I used at my Online Business Address.

I love to hear what people think of my crafts, so if you have a moment I would be delighted if you leave a comment. So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***Snips, Snaps, and Scraps by Kathy Burrows***.

Thank you for visiting today. I hope you are enjoying the hop.
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January 2016 CTMH News

Thank you for stopping by today to see what the CTMH specials are during the month of January.

The January 2016 Stamp of the Month is Beloved Bouquet


Beloved Bouquet (S1601) is an exclusive D-size set of 14 stamps that is only available for purchase during the month of January 2016. The stamp set can be yours for $5 when you place an order of $50 or more in qualifying Close To My Heart products. Alternatively it is available at $17.95. Recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks for this stamp set are: 1" x 3½" (Y1002), 2" x 2" (Y1003), 3" x 3" (Y1006) and 2" x 3½" (Y1009).

I love this stamp set. I love that while it has a Valentine's Day sentiment the flowers can be used for many other occasions too.

Items created with the stamp set by CTMH Corporate artists are these cards:



If you would like a list of the products used to create the above items, you will find the information in the Recipes for Seasonal Expressions 1, a PDF file that lists the products used to make the samples in the Seasonal Expressions 1 so you may re-create projects at home. I am participating in a Beloved Bouquet blog hop this month; you will find my post tomorrow. Please visit my Pinterest Board CTMH 2016 01 Jan SOTM Beloved Bouquet for additional ideas using this stamp set.

January 2016 is National Papercrafting Month


To celebrate National Papercrafting Month CTMH has created an exclusive Picture My Life™ Live Your Day scrapbooking program. The Live Your Day collection was designed to coordinate perfectly with the Everyday Life™ 2016 Planner Pages and My Crush® Everyday Life Pages. This allows you to seamlessly integrate pocket scrapbooking into your 2016 planner. This offer is while supplies last, but there is no qualifying purchase and there is no limit on how many you may order for $8.95 (before tax and shipping). Get this deal before January 31, 2016 or supplies run out.


There are 20 4" x 6" cards and 36 2" x 3" cards. Each card has the same design on both sides. One side features the design vertically and the other side features it horizontally.

I am participating in a blog hop featuring the Live Your Day scrapbooking program. You will find my post here on January 7.

Seasonal Expressions 1

January 2016 also brings us a new mini Idea Book, Seasonal Expressions 1.


In Seasonal Expressions 1 we have three new papers: Charlotte, Penelope and Regatta. We also have a new way of offering workshops called Workshops Your Way (WYW). If you do not typically stamp on your layouts, the WYW may be what you are looking for as there is not a stamp set included nor do any of the suggested layouts use stamps. Of course if you like stamping on your layouts there are many stamp sets that will look lovely with the papers.

On January 21 I am participating in a blog hop that features new products from Seasonal Expressions 1. If you would like to hop with us then you will find my post here.

If you are ready to place an order or would like to research any product, the Shop Now button will take you there.


If you have any product or promotion questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts. Thank you for visiting today.
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Friday, December 25, 2015

December 25

I recently received an email from an organization and it started "Whether it's Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, Pancha Ganapati or one of the myriad other celebrations that take place this time of year, I'd like to wish you a Happy Holidays..."

To be honest there are a couple of celebrations listed there that I was unaware of until now. Once the activities of my holiday celebrations slow down I will have to do some searching to learn more about Bodhi Day and Pancha Ganapati.

No matter which of the above holidays you celebrate, or maybe your celebration is not listed, I hope you get the opportunity to spend time with family and friends and enjoy your favorite foods and traditions with them. In case you have not seen previous posts to know, my family celebrates Christmas, so in closing, Merry Christmas!
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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Delivery Truck Gift Boxes

Today's project are gift boxes I created for the folks that deliver packages to my house. I am fairly certain they do not follow my blog so I can post this without spoiling any surprises.

First let me say this is not my original idea and unfortunately I do not know who to credit. I saw a post by ‎Shina Saechao in the Facebook group Cricut Design Space (it's a closed group, but you could request to join). Shina posted a link to her CDS file and the blog post For the Drivers by Christi's Creative Crew (where you will find cutting/scoring information if you do not have a Cricut® Explore and assembly instructions). Christi posted she saw delivery trucks created by Jill Hilliard on a SU consultant-only board so I dug a little deeper (searched the Internet) and found several variations, but I also found posts by Jill Hilliard on her blog Jill's Card Creations: The Getting My Gift on Day 1 - the mailman version and the Getting my Gift on Day 2 - the UPS man version. If you visit Jill's blog you will learn she "cased [this] from the score pal website". Despite not being able to credit the person that originated this idea I am happy someone came up with this idea and people shared it along the way.

Here are how some of my finished trucks turned out:

Delivery Truck Gift Box - door closed

Delivery Truck Gift Box - door open
While I liked that Shina shared a file, after seeing how the back door closed on Jill's blog I wanted to do the same on my trucks. I also wanted the bottom of the back door and box of the truck to be even with the bottom of the truck chassis. Having a flap from the windshield under the hood also makes the truck a bit sturdier for heavier candy. In addition, I was doing something wrong because my roof was not fitting like it seemed it should. After seeing how the truck back opened on Jill's blog (I really liked the finished look) and making the assembly mistake from what I initially cut, I created my own CDS file for a little change to how the finished truck looks and is assembled.

If you would like to use my imperfect (there are a couple of places that the line did not cut completely, e.g., like pop out paper dolls if you played with those as a child), but usable CDS file for the delivery truck, you will find it here.


The above image shows what the file will look like on screen (with some labels so it hopefully makes a little more sense). I used the white pieces from left to right then added the embellishments shown near the bottom.

To save myself some time writing, here are some photos I took while assembling the truck. Clicking on any photo will make it larger. If after looking at the photos and notes on them, you have questions about assembling the truck, please leave a comment below and I will try to update this post/reply in the comments with a better description.

delivery truck assembly 01

delivery truck assembly 02

delivery truck assembly 03

delivery truck assembly 04

delivery truck assembly 05

delivery truck assembly 06
Once the trucks were finished, we added a "created by" note on the bottom, candy to the box and an envelope with something I hope each person will like.

Thank you for visiting my blog during this busy holiday season. I hope you enjoyed what I created and will come back soon. No matter what you celebrate in your household this time of year, there are too many to list and some that I only know by name, may you spend your time with those you hold dear and your celebration be festive. Happy Holidays!
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Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Techniques for Adding Texture

In the video Texturizing Techniques Jill gives us several great ideas for adding texture to our projects.



The CTMH description of the video Texturizing Techniques is "Learn some new techniques to spice up your scrapbooking pages and cards. Jill shows you how to do fun things like embossing the non-traditional way, dynamic journaling, and plastic sponging. "

A few things from the video I would like to highlight:
  • swipe Versamark ink then heat emboss to create unique paper
  • use an embossing folder to dry emboss, ink the raised edges then heat emboss
  • use a Cricut® cut to stencil and Versamark ink and clear embossing powder to make a resist, outline the letters with the journaling pen
  • use some shiny plastic packaging, apply ink to it and then apply the Spritz Cleaner to it, then apply it to cardstock to create a unique pattern
Items featured in the video are:
Send me an email if you have questions about the techniques presenting in the video or any CTMH product. When you are ready to place an order, the Shop Now button will take you there.


Please follow me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts for additional updates.
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Monday, December 14, 2015

Someone Special Thank You Card

Welcome. Thank you for visiting today. Recently I have been creating more cards. This is one that will be in today's outgoing mail.


I used the same base and shade technique from page 54 of Annual Inspirations 2015-2016 that I used during last week's Focus on Stamping Techniques Blog Hop.

I used the pattern in the paper to determine how I would cut it. I really like the movement it created. Since I stamped the flower several days ago I do not remember what stamp pads I used (my stack of ink pads got moved before I wrote it down). I completed the card recently so I am certain I stamped the sentiment using Saffron.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:
If you are not already working with a CTMH Independent Consultant, you may purchase all of the supplies I used at my Online Business Address.

If you like my card or have constructive criticism and have a moment, please leave a comment. I like to read what people think about my projects.
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Sunday, December 6, 2015

Focus on Stamping Techniques Blog Hop

Welcome to the Focus on Stamping Techniques Blog Hop. There are about 18 bloggers sharing projects they created with different stamping techniques. If blog hopping is new to you, click on the link (typically near the bottom of the post) to visit the next blog on the hop and you will be taken full circle back to the blog where you started.


You should have arrived here from ***Show and Tell, with Michelle by Michelle Loncar***. If you get lost along the way, Melinda Everitt keeps a list of participants on her blog at If You Bling It.

I used the base and shade technique shown on page 54 of Annual Inspirations 2015-2016.


Additional ideas for using the base and shade technique and stamp sets are shown on page 52 of Annual Inspirations. My card was inspired by the one on page 54.


Before you head to ***Evergreen Memories by Michele Rowley***, the supplies I used to create my project are listed below.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:
If you are not already working with a CTMH Independent Consultant, you may purchase all of the supplies I used at my Online Business Address.

I love to hear what people think of my creations; if you have a moment please leave a comment.

I hope you are finding new-to-you stamping techniques, or are reminded of techniques you have not used lately, on this hop. Thank you for visiting today. So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***Evergreen Memories by Michele Rowley***.

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Friday, December 4, 2015

Travel Memories with Picture My Life

There are only a few more hours remaining in the CTMH Cyberweek Sale. Cyberweek Sale items are 25% off until 6:00 pm EST today, Friday, December 4, 2015, or while supplies last.


I was hoping I would get a chance to finish, or at least have a few pages completed in, a Picture My Life™ album I am creating, but some other obligations (the job that pays the mortgage, replacing the microwave that decided to die on Thanksgiving, you know, the same things that shortens your crafty time) had to come first. I am using the Picture My Life™ Going Places Scrapbooking Program (Z3180) to scrap photos from a trip we took to Canada on the Rocky Mountaineer (highly recommended).

Picture My Life™ Going Places Scrapbooking Program (Z3180)
Picture My Life™ Scrapbooking Programs are a simple and fun way to document your life without a big investment of time and supplies.

I printed my photos using Studio J® and have them cut apart and ready to put in the pages. Here are some photos and PML cards out on my table ready to be put in page protectors:


In addition to the Picture My Life™ Going Places Scrapbooking Program (Z3180) and Studio J®, I will use the following CTMH products to complete my album:
If you have not tried Studio J® to print your photos, you should give it a try. I have several posts about using Studio J®. Just click on the Studio J® tag at the bottom of this post to filter those posts to the "top of the stack". Send me an email, if you have any product or promotion questions. If you are ready to place an order or would like to research any product, the Shop Now button will take you there. Please hurry if you plan to take advantage of the Cyberweek Sale. The sale ends at 6pm today.


Please follow me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts. Thank you for visiting today.
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