Always the rule-breaker ;)

I went to my pal & SU! Demo (excuse me, Supervisor) extraordinaire Judy's house to get inky on World Card Making Day. Of course, I had a hefty bag of tools and basics and card bases...but no paper. I had my CTMH How-To books with me and created this card using SU! products. Yes, I know...so much for a CTMH posting. Those How-To books work with ALL products, not just CTMH's. They're great for using up your stash. Or in this case, Judy's stash.

I did manage to make a couple of cards that night, which is a real feat for me. I have no creativity, I'm a CASEr for sure. Good thing I have those books...

As always, thanks for looking! (Please leave me your blog address so I can check out your work, too!!)

Christmas already?

Tomorrow evening I have a few friends coming over for my last Monthly Holiday Card Workshop of 2010. While I was unable to keep up with my 5 cards at each workshop, I do have way more now than I did this time last year...and the pieces ready to go of all those I didn't get to do. A request was made for 2 cards this month to cover November as well (we make 5 identical cards, so this would be 5 cards of 2 different designs.) I am half way done with the second card, but here is the first:

Here is a better view of the insert:

Supplies: CTMH Mistletoe Creative Basics kit, St. Nick stamp set, Colonial White ribbon, New England Ivy cardstock, New England Ivy ink, Cranberry Marker, Liquid Glass, Texture Tools, Edge Distresser; circle punch, Sizzix Big Shot, SU! Top Note die.

I used Liquid Glass on the berries both on the outisde of the card and on the insert. I'm not very good at getting it perfect, but I thought it needed a little something and this is what I came up with.

I'm considering changing that circle to Cranberry CS...what do you think?

As always, thanks for looking!

As promised...

...here is the folder I made for the cards I posted last week. My SCS Misfit pal Nikki gets the credit for this inspiration - and huge thanks for the directions!

Here it is closed:

and opened:

Supplies: CTMH: Colonial White CS, Whisper White CS, Tulip CS, Liquid Glass, Tulip marker, Creme Brulee marker, Staz-On Jet Black ink pad; Velcro, Sizzix embossing folder, SU! corner punch, pop dot.

I liked the Velcro better than ribbon because the folders stayed shut. No ribbon to come untied or get all wrinkled. Everyone seemed to like them (or at least told me they did, lol!), so I was glad I spent the time & effort making them.

In case you were wondering, I am happy to report everyone in my new building has been really great - helpful, nice, supportive...and it is my pleasure to be with them.

What do you think?

As always, thanks for looking!

Being the "new girl" again

I unexpectedly started this school year in "the other building." The HS I teach in is one "complex" but really is two high schools connected by a central lobby area. For most teachers, there is little interaction with those on the other side during the day. That meant I was leaving behind the building in which I started my teaching career more than a decade ago and not seeing old friends daily. Literally, I could take nothing with me unless I personally owned & paid for 100% of the item. It also meant making friends all over again, getting to know where eveything is, and getting comfortable in my new surroundings. While not new to the HS, I was the new girl in this building all over again.

I set my mind on making a small token gesture for each of the secretaries and a few others. I decided on a few cards (because who doesn't need an "any occassion" card at work from time to time?), and put them in a folder inspired by a gift from my SCS pal Nikki last year.

Here are the cards:

Supplies: CTMH: Perfect Day Level 2 Kit, From Me To You stamp set, Authentic stamp set, Tulip ink, Tulip & Creme Brulee markers, Tulip cardstock, sanding block, Liquid Glass, Staz-On Jet Black; Other: stitches stamp, pop dots, Sizzix embossing folder.

I stamped the flowers on White Daisy with Staz-On, colored the center "dots" with Creme Brulee, the petals in Tulip, and cut out with microtip scissors. Once cut, I covered the centers with a thick layer of Liquid Glass and let it set for many hours. Once dry, I lightly bent the petals up & pop-dotted it onto the card. One the right, I ran Tulip CS through a Sizzix folder (similar to but larger than CB Swiss Dots) and lightly gave it a swipe with my sanding block. I could fit 4 cards with envelopes into the folders I made.

"Where are the folders?" you ask? Ahhh...tune in next week to see them!! Mean, I know. But I need to pace my posts since I'm not getting too much "me" time to create something to post so need to be a little miserly with what I've got! Next Thursday...promise!

As always, thanks for looking!

Christmas Card Holder

This was one of the first CTMH projects I attempted after beoming a Consultant. It's hte CTMH Memory Keeper. I wanted a box to store my finished Christmas cards in each month, determined that this box would keep me on track with the 5 per month (it has.) It wasn't by greatest achievement but it didn't turn out too badly...did it?

Here's a little tip if you ever order the Memory Keeper. It's apparently a big fat secret, so lean in closer. I have to whisper it. The corners have adhesive under the wax paper. Pry the paper off to reveal, then stick the box together, literally. This would have been wonderful and useful information when I constructed the above masterpiece. There are no directions, I looked online to see how others glued the back panel to the flaps - there was nothing. For the record, I did try peeling off what I thought might be paper, but it wouldn't budge and I didn't want to ruin the box before getting started. I took out some CTMH bonding glue, added some Club Scrap glue, glued the &*^% out of it, and put it in a makeshift vice for a couple of hours. Since it worked, I repeated it on the other side. I mentioned it in passing to my upline, which is when I found out that paper did, indeed, come off and there was adhesive under there to keep the box together.

I may not be creative, but I do tend to be resourceful. Mike would say it comes from being devious. He could be right . ; )

As always, thanks for looking!

A little overdue

The garage sale was a HUGE success, thank you to everyone who showed up and gave my neglected stuff a new & (hopefully) loving home!

I made this card as a "Bonus card" for my monthly Christmas Card workshop. I try have one of these per workshop, not Christmas related, but I have noticed that unless I can copy something I just can't make it. No creativity. Not good when you're a crafter. Thank God for those CTMH books!! Here was the bonus card for August:



Supplies: CTMH products - Twilight CS, Whispter White CS, Cocoa CS, Enjoy Every Moment stamp set, Twilight ink, watercolor pencils, blender pen, stipple brush.

What do you think?

School has started so I'll be busy getting lessons together for the class I haven't taught in 9 years. I did make some little gifts for the secretaries in my new building (I was moved out of my classroom and original building as of this year) - I'll post those creations soon! I'm half way there since I already took photos!

As always, thanks for looking!

Scrap & Stamp Yard Sale!

No joke people - I have to move stuff out of my busting office. Every year, right around this time, that back-to-school bug bites me and it fuels a massive office clean out. It amazes me that for the 3rd year I still have bin upon bin of stuff I don't use. Since becoming a CTMH Consultant I tend to use mainly their products. I'm not giving up my SU! stuff, but did I really need to buy every Studio G release? No, it turns out, I did not.

Like a good sale? Enjoy the thrill of the hunt? Want to see if Mike really did call the Intervention AND Hoarder show people he continues to threaten me with or...much worse...Clean Sweep? Come by my place on Saturday, 8/28, from 10 am - 4 pm to find out. If it rains we'll be in the basement. (There are 2-3 of us total doing this together.)

Leave me a comment with your email if you need my address (or email me directly.) FYI - I'm on Long Island.

Products for sale include: paper, embossing plates, totes, stickers, hundreds of stamps, ink pads, glitter, Glimmer Mist, I could go on and on. Companies include SU!, CTMH, MM, CM, DCWV, Basic Grey...you get the point I think.