April 2018 Monthly Recap Layout

Sometimes I see a sketch and immediately know what I want to scrapbook with it, what papers to use and can visualize what it will look like when completed. Other times, it's not so easy. This completed layout was done recently during a Scrapbook with me event and I am the first person to admit it took a bit of thinking and revising plans to figure out how I was going to use the sketch and what I would scrapbook. I am so happy with how this came out and am excited to share this with you.

The layout was based off this 1-page sketch from Bella Blvd Studio Blog. You can see this sketch along with others here.

This was another 1-page to 2-page sketch challenge I gave to my group. I loved seeing how everyone met this challenge - so many interesting methods for making a single page sketch into a double page layout. For mine extended the hexagons from the left page to the right and then hand them ending trailing off to the bottom right as opposed to where they started on the top left.

I based my stash for this layout in pulling out some retired So Much Happy paper to cut my hexagons from. I used the 2 1/2" die from the Stitched Hexagons Thin Cuts set for this. This is a great set of dies with many uses.

The title was cut on my Cricut and I used Sapphire and Mint cardstock to cut it twice and then slightly offset the pieces to give some added dimension.

I added some more dimension by using Thin 3-D Foam tape under some of the hexagons and also overlapping the photos with them.

I used a pencil and ruler to draw a "frame" 1 1/4" in from all sides on the left-hand page and then using the .01 Black Journaling Pen I created faux-stitching along the frame and then erased the pencil lines.

If you are interested in joining me for one of my Scrapbook with me events just Like and Follow my Facebook page to get notified of upcoming events. I do these events over Zoom so make sure to respond Going or Interested so I can send you the Zoom link!

I hope you like the layout. Thanks for stopping by.

What is Scrapbook with me?

I know I have referenced Scrapbook with me events over the past year here on my blog as well as on my Facebook and Instagram pages. If you are unfamiliar with these events, this post is for you!

My finished layout from a recent Scrapbook with me.

Sketch used as the basis for this layout.

With the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic and lockdowns happening many of my in-person scrapbooking events ended up being cancelled - day crops, retreats and vendor events. Everyone I know was stuck at home and looking for outlets to keep them "sane" during these times. I started doing twice weekly scrapbooking events through Zoom to keep myself working on my scrapbooks and to challenge my friends and customers to keep up with their scrapbooking. 

Of course, the biggest side benefit of these events has been the social interaction we have during our Zooms. We have visitors pop in to say hi as well as bark or meow a hello!

So what exactly is a Scrapbook with me? These events run on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00pm to 5:00pm (EST) and are open to my friends and customers. I set up the events on my Facebook page each week for the following week. I provide a link to a downloadable PDF that contains the sketch as well as a supply list for what papers and tools you would need to do a layout from the sketch.

I send a Zoom link out to those who respond to the Facebook event. We meet for those 2 hours, work together and enjoy the social time! I have my setup so that I have 2 panels on Zoom - one with my face and the other with my work surface so attendees can see how I create my layouts. I always love to see everyone and seeing the different takes on the sketch that people create!

Here are a few behind the scenes pictures from my most recent event.

So I am sure you have some questions. I have some answers here but if you do not see your question answered please comment below or send me a message!

1. Do I need to scrapbook using the sketch during the Zoom? No, I have people who join me and work on other scrapbook layouts, cards and paper crafting projects during the event.

2. Do you need to follow the sketch exactly during the event? No, you can adjust the sketch however you want to fit your scrapbooking.

3. Do I need to be a customer of yours to join? No, my events are always open!

4. Do you teach any techniques during your events? Yes! I try and teach something new as often as I can during these events.

5. Do you record the event? No, since there are multiple people attending the event for their privacy I do not record the Zoom.

6. How can I join one of your events? Follow my Facebook page to get the notifications of upcoming events and then just respond Going or Interested to the event so I can send you the link. 

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you at one of my upcoming events!

Lovely One Sheet Wonder Card Workshop and Operation Smile

I have been wanting to do some workshop crafting with the Lovely Collection from Close To My Heart that is in the current Core Catalog. My first workshop with this is a One Sheet Wonder Card Workshop that pairs paper from this collection along with the current Operation Smile Stamp Set - Every Bit of Wonderful. 

Each catalog from Close To My Heart has a stamp set in which proceeds from the set go to Operation Smile. If you are unfamiliar with Operation Smile it is a non-profit organization that provides surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates in children around the world. 

I found inspiration for the card designs on Pinterest to create the following cutting guide:

The cardstock used for these cards comes from the Lovely Coordinating Cardstock pack for the card bases and other elements. In addition I used White Daisy cardstock for the stamped elements. The brackets for the sentiments were die cut using the Stitched Scallop Brackets Thin Cuts set and the borders on some of the card elements were die cut using the Fancy Borders Thin Cuts set.

The sentiments and embellishments were die cut and stamped using the Every Bit of Wonderful Stamp Set. The images were stamped on White Daisy cardstock using Intense Black Exclusive Ink and then colored in using Triblend Markers.

If you are interested in creating this workshop for yourself or with your customers, there are 4 ways to get the files:

1. Follow the Buy Now link on the bottom of this post. The files are $11.50 (USD). 

2. Place a purchase on my Close To My Heart website for $35 or more (before taxes and shipping).

3. Join the VIP Program from Close To My Heart under me. All my VIPS get FREE access to my workshop files.

4. Join my Close To My Heart team, all team members have access to my workshop files.

Here is what you will receive with the workshop files:

• Welcome Page 
• Cutting Guide with color photos of the papers and directions for cutting the papers needed
• Layout Guide with supply list and color photos of the completed layouts
• Consultant Release
• Social Media image for you to use in promoting the workshop for your customers

I hope you enjoy creating these layouts just as much as I did creating them!

I hope you like the cards. Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies list:

X8015B - Lovely Paper Pack

X8015C - Lovely Coordinating Cardstock

1385 - White Daisy Cardstock

Z4260 - Stitched Rectangle Frames Thin Cuts

Z3688 - Stitched Scallop Brackets Thin Cuts

Z3682 - Fancy Borders Thin Cuts

X254 - White Cards and Envelopes

Z4189 - Intense Black Exclusive Inks

Z2496 - Pale Pink Triblend Marker

Z2525 - Vintage Blue Triblend Marker

Z2486 - Dull Green Triblend Marker

Z2519 - Gold Yellow Triblend Marker

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Celebrate Layout

I did another Zoom Scrapbook with me event today with my group and created this layout from my husband's birthday in 2019.  If you aren't familiar with my Scrapbook with me events. Twice a week I post a sketch and supply list to those attending and we work from the sketch over Zoom to create our layouts. This has been a great way for me to keep up on my scrapbooking and my group has been very supportive and helped me step outside of my comfort zone in creating my own layouts.

The inspiration for the layout came from this sketch from Dusty Attic. You can see this sketch along with others here.

I have been doing some challenges with my group recently to convert single page sketches into double page layouts. I did my version today by mirroring the sketch on the right-hand page.

I dug through my stash to pull out some paper as a starting point and pulled the patterned pieces from the Woodgrain paper pack and the March/April Mix-Ins paper pack. I used the Love of Color How-To Book to give me inspiration for the color combination I used. I used the suggested combination of Espresso, Pebble, Peacock, Toffee and Glacier paper. 

The title was cut on my Cricut and comes from the Artistry cartridge from Close To My Heart. You can see all of the images available in this cartridge through my affiliate link - here.

The embellishments came from my stash as well.

If you are interested in joining me for one of my Scrapbook with me events, make sure to like and follow my Facebook page to get notifications of the upcoming events.

I hope you liked the layout. Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies list:

X8017 - Woodgrain paper pack

X9026 - March/April Mix-In paper pack

9045 - Love of Color How-To Book

X5951 - Espresso cardstock

X5955 - Pebble cardstock

X5958 - Peacock cardstock

X5950 - Toffee cardstock

X5978 - Glacier cardstock

Artistry Cricut Cartridge

Eat Play Love Scrapbooking Workshop

I went to a retreat weekend recently and had a lot of fun crafting. One of the projects I worked on was this Eat Play Love Scrapbooking Workshop. I loved working with this collection from Close To My Heart. The bright colors and designs are so perfect for scrapbooking our family and kitchen memories along with many other occasions.

This workshop creates 10 12" x 12" scrapbook pages - 5 2-page layouts.  Here are some previews of the layouts you will be able to create with this workshop.

If you are interested in creating this workshop for yourself or with your customers, there are 4 ways to get the files:

1. Follow the Buy Now link on the bottom of this post. The files are $13.50 (USD). 

2. Place a purchase on my Close To My Heart website for $35 or more (before taxes and shipping).

3. Join the VIP Program from Close To My Heart under me. All my VIPS get FREE access to my workshop files.

4. Join my Close To My Heart team, all team members have access to my workshop files.

Supplies Needed for this Workshop:

X7267B - Eat Play Love Paper Pack

X7267C - Eat Play Love Coordinating Cardstock

X7267D - Eat Play Love Picture My Life Cards

X7267E - Eat Play Love Wood Shapes

1385 - White Daisy Cardstock

Z3826 - Candied Apple Distress Oxide Ink

Z3830 - Mustard Seed Distress Oxide Ink

Z3833 - Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide Ink

Z3866 - Mini Blending Tool

Here is what you will receive with the workshop files:

• Welcome Page 
• Cutting Guide with color photos of the papers and directions for cutting the papers needed
• Layout Guide with supply list and color photos of the completed layouts
• Consultant Release
• Social Media image for you to use in promoting the workshop for your customers

I hope you enjoy creating these layouts just as much as I did creating them!

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Eat Play Love One Sheet Wonder Card Workshop

As soon as I saw the Eat Play Love collection and the Kitchen Gnomes stamp set from Close To My Heart I could hardly wait to start creating with it. My first workshop with this collection is a 10-card One Sheet Wonder workshop featuring these products.

With this workshop you will make 10 cards. The cards use the Eat Play Love paper and coordinating cardstock from the March/April 2021 Close To My Heart catalog that is available through April 30th. I added these adorable gnomes from the Kitchen Gnomes Stamp Set + Thin Cuts. I found inspiration for the card designs on Pinterest to create the following cutting guide:

I used cardstock from the coordinating cardstock pack for the mats for various elements as well as the White Daisy for the die cut and stamped images.

The gnomes were die cut from the White Daisy cardstock, stamped with Intense Black Exclusive Inks and then colored with Triblend Markers.

If you are interested in making these for yourself there are 4 ways you can get the cutting guide and the card guide:

• You can purchase the full directions to this workshop for $11.50 at the end of this post following the Buy Now button which will take you to my shop.
• You can make a $25 purchase from my website. Email me after the purchase and I will send the files to you.
• You can join my Close To My Heart Team. My team members always have access to my workshop files for use in their own businesses.
• You can become one of my VIPs. My VIPS get FREE access to all my workshop designs. 

I hope you like the cards. Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies list:

X7267B - Eat Play Love Paper Pack

X7267C - Eat Play Love Coordinating Cardstock

Z3931 - Kitchen Gnomes Stamp Set + Thin Cuts

X254 - White Cards and Envelopes

Z4189 - Intense Black Exclusive Inks

Triblend Markers

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