Winter Play!

Here is a layout I made for my album. It is of me and my two sisters taking pictures of the igloo we built for my two kids. I absolutely love this colour combination and how this layout turned out! I also love these photo's, they capture the essence of winter and sisterhood beautifully.

I paper pieced the 'love this' and 'captured moments' stamps for multi-toned images. To created the green snowflake paper I first sanded the paper and then random stamped the snowflakes on the olive cardstock. I then inked a sponge and swiped it around the edge of my pieces for a soft distressed finish. The punched out olive and sorbet snowflakes were made by a Martha Stewart punch. Everything else used is CTMH product.

Featured Colours:

Olive

Twilight

Sorbet

Colonial White

New Idea book!

The New Fall/ Winter 2009 Idea Book is out! It has many wonderful new products to check out. You'll love all the new inspirational artwork and I know you will want to pull out your supplies and get creating! Click on the idea book on the left hand side of my blog to view it right away online. To receive your free hard copy of the idea book contact me today at sharonluff@hotmail.com. Happy shopping :)

Everyday Celebration card kit using Twitterpated!

Last night I wanted to make the cards in the promotional card kit 'Everyday Celebration'. I love the argyle paper in the kit and wanted to save it to make some layouts with, as I do love argyle and we do wear a lot of it. Since I wanted to save that paper, I substituted it with the new Twitterpated paper from the upcoming CTMH fall/winter catalogue. I think these turned out great! I loved how simple they were to throw together and now I have 16 cards for all different occasions.

Card onecard one again (on a few I didn't follow the directions correctly and so there are a few different versions of the smae card)card twocard threecard fourcard fivecard sixcard sevencard eight

Later Alligator!

Here is a card I made a few weeks ago for my friend Jason. He left on a round the world trip and will be gone awhile, so I decided to make him a card. The inside of the card reads 'See ya later Alligator!'. All products are CTMH.

Celebrate the Everyday!

CTMH has another wonderful promotion going on right now to celebrate National Stamping Month from August 18th - September 30th. You may purchase the Everyday Celebration card kit outright for $49.95 or you may get one card kit for FREE with a minimum purchase of $75 in stamp sets. There's also an exciting daily drawing for a FREE card kit! If you host a home gathering with a gathering total of $500 you also will earn the kit for FREE! This is an adorable and versitile kit. It comes with full size 12x12 exclusive patterned paper. Even if you do not make cards, you can take the paper and uses it for layouts! Everything you need is included in this kit including mini ink pads and an exclusive stamp set! It is a great deal and makes beautiful cards! Contact me for more info or to order you set today.

Thanks-a-bration

Close to My Heart has wonderful promotion on right now to receive a free paper pack with your qualifying purchase. Get your free CTMH Level 2 paper pack when you purchase $124.95 worth of CTMH product. You also will get the Stamp of the month Free and will not have to pay the tax and shipping/ handling on these two items! Close to my Heart will hand select your free paper pack and ship it with your order. Act fast as this promotion only lasts until August 17th!!!
Contact me with your order today, at sharonluff@hotmail.com

A Camping We Will Go

Well we are of to go camping for 10 days, tomorrow morning. It will be great to be outdoors enjoying the fresh air. I can't wait to sit on a beach all afternoon, soaking in the rays and watching the kids play and splash in the water, and sitting around the campfire every night singing silly songs, basking in the fires heat and roasting marshmallows and eating junk food. My kids absolutely love 'mish-meh-woe' time. Last year was the kids first year going camping and they still talk about it, they are very excited to get going. My parents, one sister, aunt, uncle and one cousin are coming as well so it will be great fun. My Dad will have his birthday while we are there, so I thought it was appropriate to make him a camping birthday card. I got the inspiration for this card from a card that Yvette West made.

One of a Kind Sister

Today is my younger sister Jacqueline's Birthday. So in honour of her birthday here is the card I created for her last night. I really like that the black gives it a bit of punch and flair. The pink paper flower was stamped in hollyhock to add some fun texture and dimension.

Featured Colours:

Blush

Hollyhock

Heavenly Blue

White Daisy

Buttercup

Sweetleaf

Black

Stamps Used: Spotted Backgrounds, Intrinsic backgrounds, Happy Birthday, Be Yourself, and Natures vein

Thanks a Latte

Coffee is the super hero of drinks. It perks us up when we feel drowsy, warms us up when we are cold, brings together old friends, creates new relationships, allows us to take a break and relax, and that is just to name a few. Who doesn't like a good cup of steaming coffee resting in their hands? I know I enjoy mine every morning! I am definitely not a morning person, I am sluggish and grouchy and my one cup in the morning starts to clear the haze. I usually sip it while perusing the Internet, on Sundays however there isn't enough time to do this. I am usually running around getting me and the kids ready for church. I usually get my coffee at church. I find I especially need the coffee when I am in the nursery looking after the babies. I am my church's nursery coordinator, so every year I make the workers a thanks you card for helping out. This year I thought about my morning coffee or lack there of on Sundays and decided that I would make the workers a coffee inspired card, so that they could have their dose of perking up that morning.

I used the paper pack Animal Cookies, since its bright colours are usually associated with young children and are delightful to look at. I wanted the cards to be adult geared, yet still have a hint of childhood in them. I also wanted them to be a unisex card, since we have two boys in our group of volunteers. I think I was able to accomplish this in a simple cute card that everyone can enjoy.

Inside of card

Featured colours:

Sunflower

Tulip

Dutch Blue

Clover meadow

White Daisy

Stamps sets used: Coffee Shop, Storytime Lower case alphabet, and Thank You

Gear up to Party!

I made this card for my cousin who is turning 3 years old. I LOVE the Robot stamp set the CTMH came out with in the current catalogue! The gear based patterned paper was stamped and sponged to get the affect I wanted. I paper pieced the robot together and impressed a pattern into the foam '3'. To finish off the look I added a few buttons for interest.

Here is a up close look at the 3. To create an impression in the foam, you need a heat gun, a paper piercer, and a stamp image. First you take your foam shape and hold it in place with the paper piercer while you go over the foam shape with your heat gun. When your foam piece turns a bit duller in sheen immediately press the stamp directly onto the foam and hold for a few seconds until the image is held in the foam.

Here is the inside of the card.

Featured Colours:

Holiday Red

Sunflower

Sunny Yellow

Clover Meadow

Twilight

White Daisy

Stamp Sets used: Robot Power, Gear Up, Spot on backgrounds (used on the 3)