Perfect Paper Pumpkins

These gorgeous pumpkins are from a 2009 "Color Me Monday" post by Jeanette Lynton. Their designs are beautiful and worthy of a re-post.

"My favorite of the bunch is a do-it-yourself pumpkin patch, created simply and easily in less time than it takes to carve a jack o' lantern. Start with some inexpensive terracotta pots-I used 4", 5" and 6" to give my patch some variety. For the 4" pot, I used one sheet of B&T paper cut into 24 strips measuring 1/2" x 7". You can use either cardstock or B&T paper, and distress or stamp on the strips as you please. For larger pots, simply adjust the width of the strips and lengths to suit-for example, the 5" pot uses 24 strips cut to 3/4" x 12" (2 sheets of paper). The longer the strip length the plumper the pumpkin!"

"For an open pumpkin, attach one end of each strip about 1” inside the lip of the pot using a glue dot, and attach the other end to the underside of the pot. You’ll want to slightly overlap each strip, and puff them slightly to give the finished project that plump pumpkin look. After working all the strips around the pot, garnish your pumpkin with a stamped tag or some curly vines or even a rolled-paper stem. You can even close the pumpkin by attaching the strips to each other instead of the base pot. The choice is yours!

And here’s a handy candy tip: if you plan to pack your pumpkin with treats, just line your terracotta pot with an appropriate size clear plastic baggie before you begin glue dotting the strips down. The plastic will protect the pot from staining and help keep your treats fresh, too. It’s a fun and festive way to transform a summer pot into a fabulous fall treat!"

Jeanette Lynton

Manifique ~ Workshop On The Go

I purchased a CTMH Manifique Workshop On The Go kit and can't wait to put together these "magnificent" layouts. The discounted kit (about 10%) includes a full Manifique Level 2 paper pack, a My Arcylix Heart To Heart stamp set, a Mini-Medley Shades of Chocolate collection and a full-instruction color workshop guide. Click here to see full details on this kit and here for information on all the Workshops On The Go available through CTMH.

Color Me Monday with Jeanette Lynton

Simple Stamping Joys

"Many of you have heard the story about how I became a stamper—I knew right from the moment I held that first stamp in my hand that it was something I was going to do for the rest of my life. I loved the weight of the stamp, the ease of stamping, the amazing versatility, and of course the beautiful results.I think the thing I love most about stamping is that each one is a blank slate: just add color and it can become anything you dream!

Today, I’m featuring more artwork created by the awesome CTMH art studio that combine more fabulous new color combinations grounded in our new Summer palette with our great stamps. Clear stamps are the best for titles and journaling! Unlike stickers or chipboard letters, you never ever “run out” of a particular, well-used letter. And because My Acrylix are clear, it’s so easy to spell out even long words and keep each letter perfectly aligned.

Stamping doesn’t have to be detailed to be beautiful. You can select simple images from even the smallest stamp set. On the flip side, if you already own several stamp sets, feel emboldened to pull them out and mix and match images from totally different sets/looks/feels on the same piece. It’s amazing how unifying color is to pulling disparate stamp sets together. I absolutely love the challenge and fun of pulling out several stamp sets and mixing and matching elements to get a truly unique look.

With the other projects, I just love how the artists used color so boldly—for example, as a pop of color on an otherwise neutral card and unconventional colors (like a burst of Pear) together. It’s a day (like every day) that I’m so happy to be a stamper!"

Jeanette Lynton

Halloween Amigurumi

I have got to learn how to crochet. Aren't these the cutest things?! You can check them out over at The Itsy Bitsy Spider, or order through her Etsy shop. I have no affiliation, just admiration for her work.

Cupcake Mittlets by Shantha Ramachandra

Love this design! This is a FREE pattern offered by Shantha over on her blog. I discovered her work while looking through fingerless mitten patterns on Ravelry and was thrilled to find this one. I will be making these for my girls, and maybe even a pair for me.

This will be my first project using doubled pointed needles. I'm tired off seaming mittens, so I'm attempting my first pattern knitting in the round. And since I don't have the correct size needles, I get to place an order at Knit Picks for a few of the items on my wish list. ;)

Crochet Pumpkins

Aren't these adorable? Anita over at ASE Knits 'n Crochets created these from a pattern found on The Itsy Bitsy Spider blog. I'm fascinated by amigurumi, but I don't how to crochet ... yet.

Anita is having a giveaway for the crochet pumpkins shown above. Pop-on over to her blog, check out her amazing work and enter for the chance to win one of these gorgeous creations.

Art & Soul - Color and Cutting Confidence

The latest CTMH Art & Soul webisode has been released and it's full of great cutting ideas.

The Color & Cutting Confidence episode features a technique that is simply, yet provides a distinct "pop" to your images, giving your layouts or cards a unique look.

"Learn how to skillfully use your cutting knife to create cute pop-up images and to transform your Memory Protectors® to accommodate your interactive layouts. Then get ready for a special introduction to our new summer colors and see how to mix, match, and pair them for eye-catching pizzazz."

Jeanette Lynton's new design book, Magic, is also featured in this episode. Learn how to make your layouts interactive and engaging with just a few simple cuts in your Memory Protectors. Your scrapbook viewers will be drawn into your memories as they flip, turn, pull or spin elements that are an integrated part of your layouts.