Sneak Peek - CTMH's new Autumn/Winter Idea Book

Just enough to wet-your-whistle for the new CTMH Autumn/Winter Idea Book going live tomorrow! Eight new gorgeous paper lines, fantastic new embellishments and the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.  Check back tomorrow for the August Stamp Of The Month and two great promotions featuring FREE stamp sets.

Lego-style apartment

This is the coolest space!  But where would I store my crafting stuff?

"When Christian Schallert isn't cooking, dressing, sleeping or eating, his 24 square meter (258 square feet) apartment looks like an empty cube. To use a piece of furniture, he has to build it.

Located in Barcelona's hip Born district, the tiny apartment is a remodeled pigeon loft. Christian says its design was inspired by the space-saving furniture aboard boats, as well as the clean lines of a small Japanese home."

Find the original story here: Lego-style-apartment

Add Cricut® Flair to Any Workshop

Many CTMH scrapbook and card patterns are easy to adapt to include shapes cut using the Cricut® Art Philosophy cartridge. Find out how to incorporate Art Philosophy shapes into the Dreamin' Workshop on the Go™ project; you'll be inspired by this great way to pump up your projects and use your tools!

52 Weeks of Wonder

Back To School…So Soon?

"School may be a month off, but if you’ve got a youngster heading back to class (or a college student off to the dorms), now is a fun time to think about great room décor to get the year started off right. Check out these fun back-to-school makeover ideas complete with a banner, a few Chinese lanterns, a custom white board, a personalized journal (above) and a heartfelt note for good luck.

The wonderful flower shape found throughout the projects was easy to create using Fill in the Blank stamp set (D1465). Create a unique design by stamping a background pattern on a piece of fabric.

Turn the project over then stamp the flower outline image on the back.  Trim the flower from the canvas and use the piecing tool to fray the edges.  Last, sponge the edges and embellish."

Jeanette Lynton

The banner, a few Chinese lanterns, a custom white board and a heartfelt note can all be viewed on Jeanette's blog.  Take a minute or two and go check them out.

CTMH Convention 2011 Happy Face Video

They had way too much fun without me this year.  Maybe I can make 2012 in Dallas, Texas.

The new Silhoutte Cameo

I pulled this photo off the Beach Scrapbooks blog from their post about the new Cameo released at CHA 2011.  I never jumped on the electronic die cutter bandwagon, whether it was the Crucut, Wishblade or Slice.  And even though CTMH just released the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge, I am seriously considering the new Silhoutte Cameo.

Paying for an entire cartridge that only contained a few images of interest, never made sense to me.  And although all the images on the new CTMH cart look fabulous and coordinate with a ton of our stamps sets and Dimensional Elements chipboard shapes, I can not justify purchasing a Cricut for that reason only.  So if I'm jumping on board, I think I'll wait for the Silhoutte Cameo being released in October.

Of course, if you have an electronic die cutter, please feel free to comment and sway me one way or the other.  Maybe I haven't thought everything through, even though I'm referred to as the "queen of research" by my family.  Here's the newest info released on the Silhoutte Cameo machine.

What is the Silhouette Cameo?
Silhouette America has just announced a new larger format Silhouette called the Silhouette Cameo. While this has been announced, it will not yet be available for purchase until later this year (projected October 2011).  The Silhouette Cameo which will offer the following features:

- true 12" width cutting area (with the ability to cut an actual 12" rather than a 11.5" cutting area like other comparable machines)
- will include 13" x 13.5" mat to provide a 12" x 12" cutting area for materials that require a mat
- ability to cut longer custom lengths for materials with their own adhesive backing
- optical scanner for "Print & Cut" applications
- compatible with Silhouette Studio® allowing you to cut fonts and images from your PC or Mac®
- cuts vinyl, paper, cardstock, fabric, etc just like the Silhouette SD
- the machine uses the same size of blade and sketch pen as the Silhouette SD, so all of your current accessories are compatible
- quieter operation during cutting process

What will be the price of the Silhouette Cameo?
 The Silhouette Cameo will be offered at a suggested retail price of $299.99.

When will the Cameo be available to purchase? 
The new Silhouette Cameo will be available for purchase later this year (projected October 2011).
 
Will the Cameo be compatible with my current Silhouette Studio and Silhouette Online account purchases?
The Silhouette Cameo will be compatible with the Silhouette Studio software, though you will be required to update to a newer version once the Cameo is released. Updating to this newer version (once available) will not require you to re-download your images and all previously downloaded content from the Silhouette Online Store or other files you may have created will be compatible with the new Silhouette Cameo model.

Truth

Principles for Personal Change: Truth (by Rick Warren)

“Since you have heard all about Jesus and have learned the truth that is in him, throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must put on your new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness—righteous, holy, and true. So put away all falsehood and tell your neighbor the truth because we belong to each other. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil.”
Ephesians 4:21-27 (NLT)

Who is the truth? Jesus, and because Jesus is the truth, he will always tell you the truth.

The secret to personal change is not willpower. The secret is to know and face the truth. You must know and face the truth about yourself, your relationships, and your own nature.

Nothing will change in your life until you know and face the truth about your weaknesses, your relationships, your successes and failures, and your past and future.

Nothing changes until you know and face the truth. And that truth is found in Jesus Christ.

Why is it necessary to learn the truth before anything can change in your life? Here’s why: Behind every self-defeating habit in my life is a lie that I believe. If you get in debt, it's because you believed some lies like “I can spend and get away with it” or “I can always pay it back.” You might have overestimated how much you were going to make, or you believed the lie that you needed a much bigger house.

But do you? Are you sure it's the truth? Can you prove it's the truth? Are you absolutely certain that what you believe you've said about your finances is true? What about your relationships? What about the things you say to yourself about yourself? Is the way you think about your past or about some event the truth, or is the truth what God says about it?

The Bible teaches that personal change starts with truth. It is the truth that sets you free. The apostle Paul says, “Since you have heard all about Jesus and have learned the truth that is in him …” (Ephesians 4:21 NLT). Who is the truth? Jesus, and because Jesus is the truth, he will always tell you the truth. His word is the truth. The Bible is his word and that means the Bible is truth (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Now, what you hear on television isn't always going to help you because it's not always the truth. Have you learned that? And what you read in books isn't always the truth, but what God tells you is always going to be the truth. God's Word shows you how to get back to the life you were created to live, and then it shows you how to stay on God’s path.

This is why it is so important for you to have a daily quiet time in the Word of God: change requires learning the truth. Nothing will change until you get the truth into your heart. As long as you build your life on a foundation of lies, misconceptions, deceptions or half-truths, you will never change. But when you face the truth and respond to the truth, you will begin to see change in your life.

52 Weeks of Wonder

Secrets of Suede

"My challenge to you this week is to break out of your comfort zone and take a step in a different direction. Use an atypical color scheme. Try a new tool. Today, I’ll introduce you to both those ideas with some amazing applique ... using a mix of a re-inker/Liquid Appliqué—it delivers a cool suede surprise!

The suede look is really enhanced when you use a combination of Liquid Appliqué/re-inker to create a card base. Just spread it on, let dry, then heat, and you’ll get a gorgeous suede base (shown above) for your card!

Here’s how to do it for your own project: Start by squeezing a quarter-sized amount of Liquid Appliqué onto a flat surface like the paint tray from the Distressing Kit. Add 4-6 drops of re-inker and mix well.  Gently roll a rubber brayer through the combination, fully coating the brayer. Apply the combination to the paper with the brayer, moving it back and forth in different directions allowing for a gaps and imperfections.

Let the Liquid Appliqué air dry for a few minutes to reduce the amount of “puffy bubbling” that occurs. For the suede technique, we are looking for a uniform slight puff but no bubbles. Last, use the craft tool to heat the Liquid Appliqué thoroughly. It will puff slightly but will give a suede texture, look and feel.  Repeat the steps above to add an additional color to your faux suede."

Jeanette Lynton

Pretty cool technique!  And it utilizes one of my favorite tools, the extremely versitile rubber brayer.  Making a full 12"x12" sheet gives me extra for future projects.  Just make sure the sheet is completely dry before storing the scraps ;)

CTMH's Art Philosophy Cricut® Collection

Find out why CTMH's Art Philosophy Cricut® Collection is a must-have! With over 700 unique shapes, including rosettes, gift boxes, and lace, you'll learn how to create beautiful artwork with incredible ease.

52 Weeks of Wonder

Spray Pen Magic

"The CTMH Convention kicks off this week and we’re all SO excited to unveil an idea book full of great new products, tools, and techniques. But there are still plenty of great things about the Spring/Summer book, and one of my favorite products is the spray pen. This product is pure “magic” when it comes to filling in a little blank space.

The spray pen is also great in creating watercolor-look backgrounds.  Adding Pearl Paint to the re-inker/water mixture gives the spritz from the spray pen a soft shimmer. Use two different colors to make your image come alive. First, mix the concoctions. I like to use re-inker to about the second line from the bottom of the pen.  Then add water and two pea-sized drops of Pearl Paint. Shake to mix ingredients together.  At a slight angle, spray the stamp image with one color and then stamp on your paper. (Hint: the farther away you are from the stamp image when you spray, the finer your mist will be on the stamp.)

Next, at a slightly different angle, spray the stamp image with a second color, then stamp directly over the first stamped image or double stamp the image for a great two tone effect.  Quick, easy, and versatile, the spray pen is a great tool to have. I’m sure you’ll find plenty of uses for it, even with all the new Autumn/Winter products…you won’t have to wait much longer to find out!"

Jeanette Lynton

CTMH's spray pen is one of the easiest ways to customize your creations.  I love making coordinating chipboard pieces with the spray pen and a matching re-inker.  It's fast and simple to create texture and dimension with 2 or 3 ink tones and some Pearl Paint.  Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy!

Friendship Bracelets

I love The Purl Bee website!  And this post brings back awesome childhood memories.  Friendship bracelets were fun to make and an easy way to express your connection to that special friend.  Plus, it's now a great way to use up some of my embroidery floss that's been sitting around, unused, since I got the scrapbooking bug.

And thanks to The Purl Bee and this post, directions for the two basic knots are right here and ready to be put to use.  I know what my girls will be making this summer!

BPC's Big Idea Festival!

I received my email invitation from BPC for their Summer 2011 Big Idea Festival and wanted to pass it along to all my fellow paper crafters.  This was one of my favorite classes last year ... and it was FREE!  Check-out the link below for registration and class dates, plus a special kit for the festival.  I'm working from my personal stash, but the kit is a wonderful idea if you want to create a mini album identical to the one posted by the instructors.  

Words to Live By

"You are invited to a FREE festival packed full of big ideas at Big Picture Classes this August! Join us for 12 fun-filled days featuring 12 of our talented instructors. Each instructor will be giving you a word of the day, which we hope will inspire you, along with a downloadable template (in both printable and digital format) so that you can create a mini layout about that day's word and how you applied it in your life. Finally, each teacher will leave you with an inspirational video message and a preview of the page they created with their word.

This is a wonderful opportunity to meet some of our teachers, experience their style and personalities, and take 12 days to be inspired and create a fun mini-album project...all for free.

You won't want to miss this summer extravaganza! Registration is completely FREE, and you'll have forever access to the materials in class!"

52 Weeks of Wonder

Shadows in the Summertime

"Summer is finally in full swing in my neck of the woods. The days are longer, the weather is warm, the sun is shining and enjoying the outdoors is a way of life. In Utah the evenings cool down and it’s fun to just sit outside and watch the sun go down. The shadows grow longer until they disappear. Summer is the inspiration for the technique we will explore today: shadow stamping. Shadow stamping is the technique of creating a shadow behind the main stamp image. This can add a feeling of dimension and/or movement to stamped images.

On the “You’re a star” box, a combination of selective inking together with first and second generation inking were used to make the sentiment stand out. To get this look, start by stamping the sentiment in first generation ink. Selectively ink only the portions of the stamp that will be stamped in each color. “you’re a” was stamped in Desert Sand, “star” in Barn Red.

Shift the image slightly and immediately stamp it again without reinking in second generation to create a shadow.  This technique was used for the firework as well. The first image was stamped in Desert Sand.  The image was then rotated lightly and immediately stamped again."

Jeanette Lynton

Jeanette has graciously posted detailed instructions for creating her adorable candy box.  Her blog post has a list of supplies needed, cutting dimensions and instructions for assembling the box.  Her creativity seems endless!

Happy 4th of July

Happy Independence Day!  Be safe.

CTMH's "Bang For Your Buck" Promotion

It’s simple.  Spend $50, then choose a bonus item for $1 (five products to choose from). Because everyone loves more bang for the buck!

Eligible $1 Bonus Items:

• Creative Basics® Mistletoe Collection (original retail: $8.95)
• Creative Basics® Animal Cookies Collection (original retail: $8.95)
• My Originals® Bits & Pieces Card Kit (original retail: $12.95)
• My Originals® It’s Your Day Card Kit (original retail: $12.95)
• My Originals® Around the Holidays Card Kit (original retail: $14.95)

You can shop directly online and have your order shipped right to your doorstep.  And, with all the "while supplies last" items still available, it will be easy to hit that $50 mark! 

American Celebration: CTMH's July SOTM

Want to join an exclusive club? Every month CTMH offers you an exclusive My Acrylix® D-size stamp set FREE or at a large discount. The stamp set is available to qualifying customers for that month only. It’s our way of saying thank you, and your way of getting fantastic deals on our amazing stamps!

This set is perfect for those Fourth of July picnic invitations or firework photo!