Artbooking Made Easy: Togetherness

Stitching Gone Wild

I think my need for thread as gone a bit crazy.  I have spent the last couple of days working on a layout and while I think it will be beautiful when I am done it is taking a bit of time to complete.

  Granted “a couple of days” is really about 4 hours in reality because I have been doing chores around the house too. 

I am using a design from  Make It From Your Heart™ Volume 2

Page 24 Pattern Number 10.

 

Make It From Your Heart™ Volume 2

Item Number: 9042  $7.95

Ready to see now much is done?

The stitches are hard to see because I am using a tone on tone technique using Juniper DMC thread ( DMC 503) and the paper pack is from:

Lollydoodle Paper Packet

Item Number: X7183B  $9.95

Stitch Guide

Item Number: Z1852  $12.95

As soon as I get this layout finished I will post pictures but for now I am going to go back to listening to my book and playing with my paper.

See you soon.

Close To My Heart Online Security

During the last couple of days I am sure you have heard about “Heartbleed” and online security.  CTMH just released this statement during our weekly email and I thought you might like to know the status of our website and your online security when ordering from CTMH.

Close To My Heart Online Security
On April 8, 2014, security researchers announced a flaw in the OpenSSL encryption software library used by many websites to protect customer data transmitted over the Internet.

The vulnerability, known as “Heartbleed,” could potentially allow a cyber attacker to access a website’s customer data including credit card information transmitted over the Internet.

Close To My Heart’s e-commerce systems are built upon Microsoft Windows Server platform encryption and not OpenSSL encryption.

Microsoft has confirmed that our Windows-based server systems are not vulnerable to the HeartBleed bug and that you and your customers’ private data submitted through Online Office, Order Entry, and your OBA was encrypted properly.

IT will continue to stay vigilant and ensure the secure operation and reliability of our systems that you have come to depend on.

Packing Up

I have been invited to a 7 hour crop with my local CTMH team in May.  I am so excited!  Since I am not going to convention this year because we are having a family reunion so this will be like a mini convention for me.

I have spent the last couple of days making “kits” to take with me so that I do not need a U-Haul to get my stuff there.

  I have about 8 kits so far to different card designs I want to work on with each kit containing the supplies to make 10 cards.

Here is the list of items I do not want to forget:

Crop Packing Supplies

Inks Bamboo
Twilight
Cocoa
Cotton Candy
Crème Brule
Stale
Pacifica
Whisper
Black
Ruby
Cranberry
Chocolate

****************

Blocks
Ruby dauber
Bamboo Dauber
Thread
Foam Tape
stitching supplies
stitching line ruler
Cardstock
light
extension cord
trimmer
adhesives
distresser

******************

Now are you asking yourself why would I need an extension cord?  Janene said the hall is on the dim side and if we wanted to bring a small lamp that we would need to bring our own extension cord.   

I picked cards to work on so that if I spend more time gabbing and do not get as much done as I wanted then I am still in good shape for our crop nights.

Speaking of which – Crop Night is THIS SATURDAY!   April 19th

Are you going to come and play?

Layout Challenge

I was given a challenge this week of making a two page layout with a matching card using supplies only found on the

CTMH website

&

“How To” books. 

I normally do not do challenges but I will try it once just to see.  I am pretty happy with the way the projects turned out but I did not like being limited on the products I could use.

  I guess this means I will never be on a design team. 

I will list the products used after the photos. All of the colors used are listed in the Balloon Ride paper pack.

This page is from Reflections page 19

This is a close up of the detail in the top left corner.

The accessories on the heart are retired but I just could not help myself. They are pretty and the layout needed them.

This page is from Reflections page 21

The card is from Wishes page 22

Supplies Used:

Reflections™ Scrapbook Program (Soft Cover)

Item Number: 9037  $14.95

Wishes™ (Softcover)

Item Number: 9041   $14.95

Balloon Ride Paper Packet

Item Number: X7180B  $9.95

 

Mother's Day

Item Number: C1577  $13.95

 

 

Inspiration Flourishes

Item Number: C1581  $13.95

Mini-Medley Accents Rosewood Collection

Item Number: Z1857  $5.95

Bitty Sparkles

Item Number: Z1263  $2.95

 

Ruler

Item Number: Z1471  $9.95

Stitch Guide

Item Number: Z1852  $12.95

 

Whisper Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad

Item Number: Z2172  $5.25

Saddle Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad

Item Number: Z2171  $5.25

Chocolate Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad

Item Number: Z2111  $5.25

The thread is DMC Ecru.  It matches the Colonial White perfectly.

There is one thing that this challenge helped me do… I am finished making the mother’s day cards for all of the mother’s in my life. 

Mission Accomplished!

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Scraproom 2014

I have a friend that lives out of state and she wants to see photos of my scraproom. I have done a little re-arranging so I am calling this post Scraproom 2014

 

I also have these photos posted on Facebook but since I do not know who follows the blog and who follows FB so  I will post the photos here too.

First up is the Crop Area.  If you come to crop night this is where we play. I have all of the CTMH “how to” books and a Cricut for everyone to play with.

This is my scraproom as you walk in from the hallway.  I have my albums, and cutting station directly in front of the door.  My Big Shot stays out and ready to go at a moments notice.  

(The pug is having a hard time finding a place to lay down)

This is my stamp pad storage along with a neat little place to keep my shimmer trim.  Below these rack are my ribbon storage but they are a mess right now so no photos of that. 

Directly across from the ink pad storage in the closet is the basket that I keep my embossing folders in.  I keep them in a basket so I can just “grab and go” and I have what I need in one spot when I am in the mood for dry embossing.

In this photo I am standing in the closet looking out into the room.  You can see part of my desk, my tall stamp set tower, my cardstock, and the rolling cart that I keep all of Kaela’s high school memorabilia that I am currently scrapbooking.

This is just a close up of the cardstock storage.  (sorry about Radar photo bombing – he is still looking for a napping spot.)

Under my Big Shot is the little drawers that I keep even more CTMH stamps sets in,  Lowes stopped carrying the tall unit so I had to find alternates when I ran out of space.  You will also notice a fridge.    a girl needs her beverages while she works.

This is the unit that I keep the “Family” memorabilia for each year that I need to scrap.  I keep photos, embellies, and other items for each year in one bin.  I am already on the second row for storage so I need to get back to work on the family stuff.  I am just a little behind.   

On the other side of my black storage bins are where I keep my reference materials, and pattern papers from past catalogs.   I keep the current papers closer to my desk and within arms reach.

I keep re-inkers and DMC thread that matches all of the CTMH colors on the corner of my desk.  If I can see it I will use it.  My Stamp blocks are also kept right here for easy pickings.

I keep all of my embellishments in these drawers and sorted out by color.  It is so much easier to find what I need now.

This is where I play – all day! 

My sponge dauber storage.  I started using my inks more once I put these one the wall.  Once again – if I see it I will use it.

We are rounding out the room now.  This is looking at my desk from just inside the door – standing beside the cardstock.  As you can see I have a long “L” shaped desk.

This is my scrap cardstock storage.  I have one hanging file for each CTMH color cardstock.  I put scraps in the folder they belong in – then before reaching for a new sheet I check in here first.  This one cart saves me so much money.  As you can see it lives under my desk right beside me. 

So easy to access.

Well I am done taking the photos and as you can see Radar found a place to lay down.  This is his usual spot.  He loves being in here while I work. In fact that is what I tell him each morning… “let’s go work” and he comes in here and stays with me all day. 

I love my room or should I say two rooms. 

The next Crop Night is April 19th… come play!

A Little Gift Take 2

I loved the card “ A little gift” so much that I wanted to make a “girl” version.  Here it is:

I am using Grey Wool (retired) and Hollyhock cardstock along with White Daisy.  The stamps are one of the few that I have that are not CTMH but I wanted to show that you can mix CTMH and non-CTMH items to make  beautiful artwork. 

So simple – yet so pretty

Artbooking Made Easy: Artbooking My Life

A Little Gift

I have been having more fun today.

  I started the day at the dealership (Kaela’s car)  they did not have the right part but that was my fault because I told them the wrong part.  So they will order the correct one for us and we will try again.  BUT while I was there I asked them to check her tire pressure because the bug was riding rough.  I am so glad I did because she had a nail in one of her tires and it was going flat.  So this trip we have a new tire and the car is riding much better then when they get the tail light in I will go back and have that done along with an oil change. 

I came back home and had an idea rolling around in my head but it was vague so I consulted  some card books and the idea formed. 

Here is another tween birthday card.

Supplies used:

Black cardstock & ink

Cranberry Cardstock & ink

White Daisy Cardstock

Brads (retired)

A Little Gift

Item Number: M1030  $2.95

Perfect Fit—Birthday

Item Number: B1417  $9.95

D1352 It’s you Day (retired)

I have trouble with “boy” and “tween” cards but I think I nailed it with this one.  I am so happy with the way it turned out.