Clearly the Best: Create the Date

Did you know that Close to my Heart has some GREAT how to videos on You Tube called "Clearly the Best"?  The videos cover topics from stamping techniques to creating fun projects using their AMAZING Cricut cartridges!

The video that I am sharing today shows you how to create a SUPER CUTE 6" desktop calendar.  I don't know about you, but after watching this video, I now NEED to make me one!!  SO cute and SO simple to customize for a last minute gift for your friends and family.  You could make it masculine to sit on your hubby's desk, or by using the school functions, you could give it as a teacher's gift.  Are you a consultant looking for workshop ideas?  How about a calendar workshop in January??

On to the video....

Thanks for stopping by!!  

Hope this has inspired you to create your own calendar using the Artbooking Cricut Cartridge!  As always, if you do not have one and would like to order one, you can order it here, OR contact your favorite CTMH consultant to find out how to order from them!  

Happy Scrapping and Stamping!!

Jen

Artiste "Thanks" Cards

I was starting this post to show you my team swap card, but decided to instead show you the card that I re-created for my Humble Artists swap.  Not only am I going to share October's swap card, I am going to show you the cards that inspired this card.  

If you have not purchased the Artiste Cricut Cartridge from CTMH, you really should look into investing in one.  Especially if you are a big Cricut fan.  This is a cartridge that is a MUST for EVERY scrapbooker/cardmaker out there!!  There are SO many different things that you can do with this ONE cartridge that it hurts my head just thinking about it!

One of my FAVORITE cuts on this cartridge is the "Thanks" card.  It really is the PERFECT thank you card because it says "Thanks" on it so you don't really need to stamp a sentiment on it.  You can stick some paper and a few embellishments on it and call it good!  Check out the different ways I used it...

The first card is the one that I created for the Humble Artists Swap in October.  It really does look better in person!  After I sent off the 5 other cards that I made for the swap, I found some black flourish sparkles and added it to the right side of the card.  I will try to take a pic next time I am thinking of it and post it here for you all to see.

This was using Avonlea which is now retired.

This card used Scholastic, which is also retired.  SORRY!

OH and Claire!  Oh how I LOVED Claire!  It too is retired...darn it!  Don't you just love how I used the SAME pattern on EVERY one of these cards??  LOL 

Do you remember the fun papers from Dream Pop??  CUTE CUTE!!

I just LOVED the bright colors from this pack!  One would think that I could at least have come up with a different pattern...maybe I will have to work on that this next week!

Oh how I wish that the "special" papers that come out for only a short time would stay LONGER!  I KNOW, I don't have to stop playing with them after they are gone...but I do like to move on to the NEW stuff more than I like to hang on to the old!  lol

Thanks SO SO much for stopping by!!

I hope that this has inspired you to get out your Cricut Artiste Cartridge and PLAY with it!!  Even if it is to cut out the "Thanks" card over and over again!  lol  If you do NOT have this cartridge yet...what are you waiting for???  You can either order it online from your's truly....OR contact your favorite CTMH consultant and order it from them!!  

Happy Scrapping and Stamping!!

Jen

Washi Tape Wonder!!

Who invented Washi Tape??  What was it originally purposed for?  Well, I searched the internet and this is what I found on Omiyage:

A Short History of Washi Tape

The whole washi tape phenomenon started in 2006. A group of artists approached a Japanese masking tape manufacturer - Kamoi Kakoshi - and presented them with a book of art they had created using the company's industrial masking tapes. The artists requested that Kamoi Kakoshi manufacture colourful masking tapes for artists.

This was the start of mt masking tape. In the beginning, there were 20 colours, colours designed to bring out the beauty of the rice paper (or washi) used to make the tape. The tapes were a hit - with artists, crafters, and design lovers - both in Japan and, gradually, internationally. With success came new colours, patterns and sizes.

But What Is Washi Tape?

To put it simply, washi tape is a high quality masking tape made of rice paper.

But more than that, washi tape is a material which is beautiful yet useful at the same time. You can tear it, stick it, reposition it, write on it... The low tack adhesive makes it extremely easy to use (and reuse). I think it is so popular because it is so easy to use - and looks good while doing it!

What's The Difference Between Washi Tape and Japanese Masking Tape?

Nothing. They're the same thing! Originally marketed as Japanese Masking Tape, at some point the accepted international term for the tape became "washi tape". In Japan, it's known as masking tape (マスキングテープ) and the most renowned brand of washi tape is simply called mt - which stands for "masking tape". The term "washi tape" refers to the fact that the tapes are made from Japanese rice paper and differentiates it from typical masking tape you might find in the hardware store.  

Having said that, last week I was browsing Pinterest for ideas on my upcoming card class.  I was crunched for time and needed ideas FAST!!  LOL Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find a SUPER CUTE card created by Gina Brandstetter using the Sparkle and Shine Washi Tape.  You can find her card HERE!  I knew right then that I needed to recreate her card, not only for card class, but just for fun using ALL of CTMH's washi tapes!!  

I won't bore you with ALL of the cards that I created over the past couple of days...but I will highlight a few here for ya!  Keep in mind that the Sparkle and Shine Washi Tape 3 pack and the Party Washi Tape 3 Pack are both only available till December 31st.  SO if you like these...you need to contact your favorite CTMH consultant and order yours TODAY!!  

This one is similar to the one that Gina posted, just using the Party Washi Tape combo.  

And LAST but NOT least..I combined the Lagoon Washi Tape with the Honey and Cotton Candy Washi Tape from the 3 pack.  

As you can tell, I had EMENSE fun playing with the different colors of Washi Tape that CTMH has available.  I even added some dry embossing folders in there for a bit more dimension.  Some of the cards, I embossed AFTER adding the washi tape, some I embossed before.  Either way they turned out pretty cute!  

Thanks SO much for stopping by!!  I hope this has inspired you to get your washi tape out and PLAY with it!!  I GUARANTEE that you will have SO much fun, you won't want to stop!!

Happy Scrapping and Stamping!!

Jen

6 Days Since Last Post...WHAT??

So much for New Year's resolutions!  LOL  It has been 6 days since I posted here last.  At least it has not been 6 months??  I guess this COULD be a good thing.  After all, I did not promise to post here EVERY single day, now did I?  HA!  That may have come across a bit snotty....sorry for that!  lol

Well, as you all have noticed by now, I love whimsical images and papers.  SO when I saw the Candyland stamp set in the Autumn/Winter 2013 Idea Book...I KNEW I needed to play with it!!  So I bought it and it sat in my stamp stash for at least a month or more while I figured out what the heck I was going to do with it!

Has that happened to you??  Have you ever purchased a stamp/stamp set that you just LOVED, could not wait to get your hands dirty while playing with the different inks and possibilities that this one stamp set had in store for you?  YET when you actually get it home, it just sits there among all the other sets that you could not live without?  This was one of those sets!  Until I was planning for my monthly card class using the Sparkle and Shine papers...which SCREAMED "GET OUT THE CANDYLAND STAMP SET!!  IT WILL BE PERFECT ON THESE PAPERS!!"  So, I did!!

This was the card that we created for card class.  Couldn't you just eat those little gumdrops and take a nice big lick of that ice cream cone chimney?  I just LOVE how nicely Close to my Heart's alcohol markers color in our images!  Even I can make it look good!  lol  I used Slate for the roof and door of the house and Whisper (light) for the main part of the house.

In case you forgot from previous posts, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Liquid Applique!!  I LOVE it SO much, I just might marry it!  LOL Not only do I LOVE Liquid Applique, but I LOVE adding my 2nd favorite embellishment Prisma Glitter to the Liquid Applique before I heat it.  Especially when I am TRYING to make it look like freshly fallen snow!  

Why am I showing you a 2nd card that looks pretty darn close to the first one?  Well, that is because I re-purposed this card to use for my Humble Artist submission for December.  As I was getting ready to mail this month's swap off, I went back through the guidelines for the swap and realized that I needed a cricut cut somewhere on the card!  CRAP!!  How can I add a cricut cut to a card that was already finished with really no room to add a cricut image?  I make the card BASE the cricut cut!  WHEW!!!  That was easy peasy!  lol

If you look closely at the card, you will noticed that I COMPLETELY forgot to color in one of the windows!  Hope the consultant who receives THIS card has a Creme Brûlée marker to color it in!  SORRY!  

Thanks SO much for stopping by to visit my blog!  

I hope that this has inspired you to not be afraid of that stamp set that you could not wait to get your hands on, but have not pulled out of your stash for months, even years!  Go dig through your stash and relive the moment that you first set eyes on the set that you could not live without!  lol

Happy Scrapping and Stamping!!

Jen

Is it too early for New Year's resolutions?

I have been busy keeping up with my Facebook page, but keep neglecting to stop over here to post as well!  SO I am making my New Year's resolution a bit early...or is it a bit late?  Either way, each time I post to my Facebook Page Jen's Scrappy Pages, I will post here as well!!  I may not have a LONG LENGTHY post each time, but I know what you really want to see....ART!!  lol

Each month I participate in 2 different swaps.  The Humble Artist's Swap, as I had posted last time.  But I also hold a monthly swap with consultants from my team and also a few fellow consultants that are not on my team.  I LOVE participating in swaps because it forces me to sit down and challenge myself to create something with a specific color scheme or paper pack.

For our team swap in November, we used the papers/colors from the Frosted papers and I chose to created something from one of Close to my Heart's Cricut cartridges.  Art Philosophy was the first cartridge that CTMH introduced in 2011 and I hate to admit it, but with the introduction of Artiste in 2012 and Artbooking this summer, I forgot how stinking cool Art Philosophy is!!!

 Having said that, I created this sweet stocking card using the Card function on the cartridge.  What is SUPER COOL about it is that not only does it cut out the little stockings from the center of the card, you can also cut out each stocking separately.  In addition to cutting out each stocking, you can cut out the toes, heals and top of the stocking for added dimension!

I chose to cut out each stocking and adhere it to the inside of the card.  You can also use paper to back the front of the card, which would be less time consuming and still make a cute card!

After I made the stocking card for my team swap, I decided that this would be a GREAT project for our team meeting!!  SO I went through the different images in the Card function of the cartridge and came up with the tree card below.  

I still used the paper from Frosted...just changed up the color for a more Christmas feel!  The tree in the center was cut from Close to my Heart's gold glitter paper.  LOVE this stuff!!!

Thanks SO much for taking the time to stop by my neglected blog!!  

Hope this has inspired you to get out your "old" favorite CTMH Cricut cartridge and find some NEW fun projects to make with it!!

Happy Scrapping and Stamping!

Jen