Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Cedar and Pine Cross Canada Blog Hop

Welcome to our December Blog Hop featuring Cedar and Pine Creations. To purchase any of the items seen in our blog hop today, contact your local consultant to place an order. This is the second of our new catalog, with the new 2 month model. If  you like these (or last month's Holly Jolly) and haven't purchased enough yet, they are only available until the end of the month!

We hope that you will take the time to leave comments on our posts, as we love to get feedback from our viewers....whether it was something that you really liked or some new technique that was used that you would like to learn how to do....by leaving us comments, we get to hear what you like, and what you want to see. Thank you… now on to our hop


If you have just hopped onto my blog, you can start here as this is a circular hop, but if you want to follow us across Canada then please start at the beginning .... OH WAIT... We miss Michelle already.. too much pressure! So if you get lost along the way, go check in with Brandi, or keep clicking until you are back here again.

I definitely wanted to have some great layouts done since both holiday packs are phenomenal. However, I have been looking for jobs, ran a bunch of card and tag classes and well, actually want to get Christmas cards out to family and friends... I didn't get them mailed last year, so since they were all blank I donated them to the Sea Cadet unit I grew up in and there are bidding wars going on, which is a nice feeling.

Long story short, you get to see the window card I did for my "Fancy Card" Class for my more advanced (and patient) customers. There are too many amazing holiday stamp sets this year, so I combined 2: the Cedar and Pine Cardmaking with the amazeballs nutcracker, and Merry Christmas Tree. I have used both for several types of cards this year, with a ton of different colour combinations. I think the favorite trick I used was colouring with shimmer brushes, especially the black. It just adds a really subtle bit of shimmer, with such deep colour. I am a glitter fiend, but am working on "less is more" since no one wants a glitter lap when they open cards. I did add some bling around the window to bring focus to the tree. This card is 5 by 7 which is a little bigger than normal, but the space was needed.

Some tips and tricks for window and stamping placement.

  • Put the paper on the front of your card first (you will have to add more glue around the window most likely, but trust the process). Don't put anything else on the front yet. 
  • Stamp.the inside of the window, and then position your oval thin cut (with the cut part facing up) over top. I had people use some washi to grab the front of the card when it closed up, then added some more. If you are a craftaholic and have a magnetic plate, that would be super easy too. 
  • Run it through your die cutting machine with the card open, depending on how thick the front is, you may have to do a few passes.
  • Now you can finish adding to the rest of your card
  • If you are better at erasing pencil than I am, you could definitely just cut the oval window, mark the widest points inside, then stamp but I tend to be too heavy handed. The stamp is just a tiny little bit bigger than the window, so you can't just stamp through it in this case. 


Your next stop on the Cross Canada Hop is the lovely Rosalynd at My Stamping Room

If you get lost along the way, you can head to Brandi's blog, as she has the complete blog list.


Thanks for hopping along with us - we hope we were able to inspire you to get creative using some of the designs, products and techniques seen along the way. We hope you will join us again next month when we will be featuring projects created using the coming soon "Spruced Up" Collection. So mark January 10th on your calendars and hop along with us.

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

September Cross Canada Blog Hop- Every Little Thing

Welcome to our September Blog Hop featuring Every Little Thing Creations. To purchase any of the items seen in our blog hop today, contact your local consultant to place an order. This is the first of our new catalog, with the new 2 month model.

We hope that you will take the time to leave comments on our posts, as we love to get feedback from our viewers....whether it was something that you really liked or some new technique that was used that you would like to learn how to do....by leaving us comments, we get to hear what you like, and what you want to see. Thank you… now on to our hop


If you have just hopped onto my blog, you can start here as this is a circular hop, but if you want to follow us across Canada then please start at the beginning and join Michelle Stewart at her blog . If you came from there, you are on the right track

I haven't gotten a lot of scrapping or creating in general done over the summer, so it was nice to finally get back into it. Hopefully I will now have more time to dedicate to my customers! Oh except for that pesky "I don't have a job yet" thing... well I have a part time one, but need to work on something more long term. I thought if I was getting in the craft room, I should go big and do a double page layout (look I almost even have watermarks working!).

This pattern is from Make it from Your Heart Volume 3, and is layout 9. I didn't actually move too much around, but I really liked the accents across the whole left of the page, so I copied it using butterflies!! There are 3 types; the plastic ones that come with the workshop kit (coloured with purple alcohol marker, yeah it totally stays on plastic!), the paper die cut ones from the workshop kit which I accented with some bitty bling and of course the die cut ones from the card kit. To mellow and not have the overpower the pictures, they are layered with the lighter tone of the cardstock, with silver heat embossed vellum. Be really careful when heating vellum, have your heat gun hot and move on and off so that there isn't any warping.


Left Page (how cute are they?!?!)

Right Page, I used some stickers from the kit (optional now BTW), and the floral border is cut with the border die set.

Just a little closeup of the right side cluster, with a few pearls (which you can also colour with alcohol marker if you wanted to).


Thank you so much for stopping by. Hopefully I will be able to participate in more hops now that I have finished my PhD... Your next stop on the Cross Canada Hop is Sheena at KanataNewf Papercrafts


If you get lost along the way, you can head to Michelle S blog, as she has the complete blog list.


Thanks for hopping along with us - we hope we were able to inspire you to get creative using some of the designs, products and techniques seen along the way. We hope you will join us again next month when we will be featuring projects created using the "Hawthorne" Collection. So mark October 10th on your calendars and hop along with us.

Friday, May 10, 2019

May Cross Canada Blog Hop- Sweet Girl

Welcome to our May Blog Hop featuring Sweet Girl Creations. To purchase any of the items seen in our blog hop today, contact your local consultant to place an order. This collection isn't just for little girls, it can be very versatile.

We hope that you will take the time to leave comments on our posts, as we love to get feedback from our viewers....whether it was something that you really liked or some new technique that was used that you would like to learn how to do....by leaving us comments, we get to hear what you like, and what you want to see. Thank you… now on to our hop


If you have just hopped onto my blog, you can start here as this is a circular hop, but if you want to follow us across Canada then please start at the beginning and join Michelle Stewart at her blog . If you came from there, you are on the right track


As per normal, there is a huge mess on my desk, but that is how I roll. Man I am having trouble getting started packing for a crop this weekend... I am also hoping that by the time this posts I will have successfully defended my PhD... so yeah.


So I wanted to bring out more of the ways you could use this paper pack for the whole family, so I started with the green bases. I used the lighter side as the front as it worked with the pictures better (Hubby and my godbabies making faces while they impatiently wait for supper). I also used the beautiful new lace thin cut border die, because I am a sucker for lace. I really liked how the ballerina cardstock matched my goddaughter's dress, so I used it as a border on the photos. If you like the way this layout looks, it is pattern 3 from "Make it From Your Heart Vol 2". I really like how the animals complement the ears in the pictures. Notice how I have created a visual triangle with them?


I made the above layout using what was left after 2 other double page layouts, and 5 cards, so I didn't have a ton of patterned paper left, but felt like it needed a little something. I decided to try cutting my own stencil using stencil paper (it isn't really paper, it is really sturdy so you can use it a bunch of times.) and cut out a background pattern from "Artbooking" on the Cricut. Then I smooshed in some of the transparent matte texture paste with the scraper tool. It is subtle but I like it.




Reasons why there is always so much on my desk.... because I am a scrap hoarder. I got 1 more single page layout and probably can get a ton more cards out of what is left!


Your next stop on the Cross Canada Hop is Sheena at KanataNewf Papercrafts


If you get lost along the way, you can head to Michelle S blog, as she has the complete blog list.


Thanks for hopping along with us - we hope we were able to inspire you to get creative using some of the designs, products and techniques seen along the way. We hope you will join us again next month when we will be featuring projects created using the "True Love" Collection. So mark June 10th on your calendars and hop along with us.

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

April Cross Canada Blog Hop- Feels Like Home



Welcome to our April Blog Hop featuring artwork created using Feels Like Home collection. To purchase any of the items seen in our blog hop today, contact your local consultant to place an order.


We hope that you will take the time to leave comments on our posts, as we love to get feedback from our viewers....whether it was something that you really liked or some new technique that was used that you would like to learn how to do....by leaving us comments, we get to hear what you like, and what you want to see. Thank you… now on to our hop!


If you have just hopped onto my blog, you can start here as this is a circular hop, but if you want to follow us across Canada then please start at the beginning and join Michelle at Creations by Michelle. If you came from there, you are in the right place!

This month I needed a card that was worthy of the 91st Birthday of my amazing grandmother. I decided I wanted a pop up inside, and off to pinterest I went. This inside was pretty straight forward once you did a little playing, and can be found here  The base of my card is sugarplum cardstock, with the inside simple white daisy. I used the scallop embossing folder on mink cardstock, then used the Love in Bloom Layering stamp set with layers in archival black, sugarplum, sapphire (1st and 2nd generation), fern and new england ivy. This was cut out using oval die cuts, and I tucked some water coloured die cuts behind.

On the inside, I used the large scallop from the Border thin cuts to spice up the edges. The stamps are fussy cut out, and I shaded in the leaves and such using a water brush and ink pads. To make the sentiments pop up, I stamped them, and then on the back there are 2 scraps of paper that are glued down each side of the fold. I didn't take a proper picture of how I did that, apologies. It was not the best solution, as it does allow everything to fold up, but it doesn't pop up perfectly when the card is opened. You have to help them a little.






My grandmother seemed to like the card, so that is the main thing! Hope you like it too.

Your next stop on the Cross Canada Hop is Sheena at KanataNewf.

If you get lost along the way, you can head to Michelle S Blog, http://mycreationswithmichelle.blogspot.ca, as she has the complete blog list. (Please link this to my Deep URL)


Thanks for hopping along with us - we hope we were able to inspire you to get creative using some of the designs, products and techniques seen along the way. We hope you will join us again next month when we will be featuring artwork using the (BRAND SPANKING NEW) Sweet Girl collection. So mark May 10th on your calendars and hop along with us.

Sunday, March 10, 2019

March Cross Canada Blog Hop: So Much Happy

Welcome to our March Blog Hop featuring artwork created using So Much Happy collection. To purchase any of the items seen in our blog hop today, contact your local consultant to place an order.
We hope that you will take the time to leave comments on our posts, as we love to get feedback from our viewers....whether it was something that you really liked or some new technique that was used that you would like to learn how to do....by leaving us comments, we get to hear what you like, and what you want to see. Thank you… now on to our hop!


If you have just hopped onto my blog, you can start here as this is a circular hop, but if you want to follow us across Canada then please start at the beginning and join Michelle Stewart at Michelle's Creations. If you came from there, then you are in the right place! 

I totally bummed all my supplies for this card from Michelle Stewart, because I was not on the ball enough to get the deluxe workshop kit with the butterflies before they sold out the first time. I have them now though! For my card I used the butterflies with the die cuts and they are stamped on vellum using the archival black (I did heat set before colouring). I then coloured on the back with the Shin Han Markers. I didn't want the colours on them to overwhelm which is why I did it on the back. I also left some white daisy cardstock on the back so they didn't have too much transparency. They are curved a little, but you can't really tell from the pictures.



This card shape is quick and easy to make, it is a 12"x 5.5"  piece of paper that I scored, then measured down equal distances to get the angles. The little blossoms are in ballerina, and cut with  the border thin cuts. I layered up some paper, and hid one of the butterflies inside. 



Your next stop on the Cross Canada Hop is Dominique of Fun2cre8
If you get lost along the way, you can head to Michelle S Blog, as she has the complete blog list.

Thanks for hopping along with us - we hope we were able to inspire you to get creative using some of the designs, products and techniques seen along the way. We hope you will join us again next month when we will be featuring artwork using Feels Like Home collection. So mark April 10th on your calendars and hop along with us.

Thursday, January 10, 2019

January 2019 Cross Canada Blog Hop- Something Fierce

Welcome to our January Blog Hop featuring artwork created using SOMETHING FIERCE collection. To purchase any of the items seen in our blog hop today, contact your local consultant to place an order.

We hope that you will take the time to leave comments on our posts, as we love to get feedback from our viewers....whether it was something that you really liked or some new technique that was used that you would like to learn how to do....by leaving us comments, we get to hear what you like, and what you want to see. Thank you… now on to our hop! If you have just hopped onto my blog, you can start here as this is a circular hop, but if you want to follow us across Canada then please start at the beginning and join Michelle. If you came from Michelle  then you are in the right place! Stop #2!!

I am learning to use watermarks, so please bear with me and feel free to use leave some constructive criticism! I LOVE the fantastic dinosaur paper, and had pictures needing to be scrapped from the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta. So off I went with the Something Fierce Paper and Compliments. I have also starred out the face of the sweet baby with my that day since she is not mine to flaunt. I started with pattern 27 from Make it From Your Heart Vol 3. My pictures didn't totally fit with that, so I rotated the larger picture, and added the picture of the museum sign as a main title. I then layered up some of the fun stickers, chipboard shapes and some of the new pieces from the cut apart sheets.



 Did you know that instead of Picture my life cards (which I did use 1 of that I had out...) we now have cut apart accent sheets. It adds a little more versatility, and they have a nice border on them so are super forgiving to cut. You know my hate of fussy cutting, but they were ok. There is also a pattern on the opposite side, so if you don't want to cut, no problem. Odds are this is going to lead to some super strange franken-pages from me later, so please stay tuned for that!

I am loving the colours in this pack, and the little dots are so great as a background. I don't know if you can see the dino foot prints on the vertical piece under the picture below, but I hope you can, they are adorable.

I kept pretty tight to the theme of dino's, but this paper pack is so cute it could be used for so many things. I am sure the other people you are about to visit are going to show you some great ideas to help with this. Your next stop on the Cross Canada Hop is the fabulous Nicky at Simply Artistic,. If you get lost along the way, you can head to Michelle S Blog,  as she has the complete blog list.


Thanks for hopping along with us - we hope we were able to inspire you to get creative using some of the designs, products and techniques seen along the way. We hope you will join us again next month when we will be featuring artwork using the "I Heart US!"collection. So mark February 10th on your calendars and hop along with us.