CTMH Products Retiring December 2012

Here is a list of products that are planned to retire.  They are currently on a 'While Supplies Last' status and will not be restocked as they run out.  Looks like there will be lots of new products planned for the Spring/Summer 2013 Idea Book!

Check out my Online Store to shop for these and other great products.  Be sure to click 'JOIN' next to December Mystery Hostess Gathering when you place your order for a chance to win $20 in FREE CTMH PRODUCTS!

Computery Issues/Upcoming Events

Hello Everyone!  I just wanted you to know that my issues with my laptop continue on... It is simply too frustrating to attempt to edit and post photos of artwork for my blog on this ancient laptop.  BUT - I've asked for a new laptop from hubby for my Christmas present, so hopefully I'll be back up and running soon!  I appreciate everyone who stops by to check out my blog and I'm really hoping to be back posting on a somewhat regular basis soon.  Thanks for hanging in there!

Upcoming Events:  Check out my Online Store for the December Mystery Hostess Gathering.  When you shop online anytime between December 1st and December 30th and click JOIN next to "Mystery Hostess Gathering", you will have a chance to win $20 in FREE CTMH Products!

January Valentine Workshop:  Come make three Valentine cards for $5!  Date and time to be announced soon.  I'll also be previewing new Spring/Summer 2013 products.

February Crop at Debbie's house:  Date and time to be announced

I hope you have a happy and crafty holiday season and I'll be back blogging soon! 

Dawn

Hawaii Book - the last of the bunch

Okay, there are three pages left to show you and I'm just going to get them posted now before my laptop decides to start acting up again:

 So after our big day at the Hawaii plantation and touring the North Shore, hubby and I scoped out a restaurant that was within walking distance of the Hilton that we could go have dinner at.  I needed a good walk anyway!  Then we invited everyone up to our room for some games (Farkel is an easy packable game for trips), and then the dreaded packing up to go home...

I used another new pattern from the Make It From Your Heart book (available HERE for $7.95)
Pattern:  MIFYH #12
Papers & My Stickease:  Moon Doggie
Cardstock & Ink:  Cranberry, Desert Sand, Cocoa
Dimensional Elements Framed Fun
My Acrylix:  Triple Play, Surf's Up, Friendship Alpha

And the last page of my album:

I used another post card on this page since it was a good shot of our hotel and surroundings.  Why is it that all the flights from Honolulu to the mainland leave in the evenings, and the hotels want you to check out in the morning?  That was a pain.  At least some of the people in our group didn't mind watching our stuff for awhile so we could go walk around a do something for a bit.  Next time we visit the islands, I think maybe we'll look into renting a place from a private owner instead of staying in a hotel.  I have a friend who did that and it sounds like it is the way to go.  First, we finish those home renovations, then we can start saving our pennies for the next trip!

Supplies used:
Pattern:  Reflections Bottom Border - portrait, alt photo suggestion
Papers:  Moon Doggie
Cardstock & Ink:  Colonial White, Cocoa, Bamboo, Indian Corn Blue
Posh Journaling Spots
Irristibles:  Persnickety, Eclectic
Cricut:  Destinations
Tattered Angels pearl glimmer mist
Natural Twill
Edge Anchors Indian corn blue

I've been working hard on some new projects - mostly Christmas cards and some other home decor items, and I'll get them posted as soon as I am able!

Thanks for your patience with my absence, and thanks for stopping by!

Gah! Computery issues

Hey everyone!  Apologies for not blogging lately...My laptop is finally feeling its old age.  Tons of problems  have just kept me from making any posts.  BUT - I've asked for a brand spankin new laptop for Christmas, so it won't be long before I am up and running again on a regular basis.

I've been super-busy working on Christmas Cards, and I just recently organized a fun retreat weekend in Keystone (thanks, Tami!).  The few photos I managed to take are still on my iPhone.  Someday I'll get them downloaded!

Next on my list is giving this house a good scrub before we have a bunch of friends over for a Halloween Party.  I still have to dig out all of my Halloween decorations and put them up.  We never seem to have enough time, do we?

After that, I'm planning a Christmas Tag-Making Party/Workshop at my house for November 10th.  You can make 10 tags along with a 3D box to store them in for $10.  Contact me for invite details if you are interested.

I'm going to attempt to make another post today to finish out my Hawaii book pages, but don't hold your breath if nothing appears...!

CTMH Organizers

Check out this video about our new Craft Organizers.  I love this new product!  I just got done packing up for a scrapbooking retreat I'll be attending soon and I can't believe how much stuff I managed to cram into these boxes.  Now all my Mini Medleys and Sparkle packs and rolls of ribbon have a home, along with all the ink pads I want to take with me.  I packed 27 in my organizer, with plenty of space for glitz gel, embossing powders, and tons of other embellies.  You can get yours here: www.ctmh.com/dmhaight

Surf's Up

Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted any artwork.  Sorry about being MIA, life just gets in the way of blogging sometimes...

So here's the next layout from my Hawaii book to show you:

I love these colors and they go so well with my photos.  I'm itching to go back to the Islands - it's been a year and a half since we've taken a vacation...boo.  House renovations have to take priority.  Sucks being a grown-up!

To make this layout I used one of the patterns from the new How-To book, Make It From Your Heart.  This is a great book packed with both layout patterns and card patterns for only $7.95.  Get it here: www.ctmh.com/dmhaight

Pattern:  MIFYH #09
Papers & My Stickease:  Magnifique
Cardstock & Ink:  Pacifica, Lagoon
Sparkles flourishes
Glitz stardust
My Acrylix:  It's Your Day, Catching Waves, Unity
Just Blooms paradise
Mini Medley pacifica
Seashell Chipboard from my stash

I'll try not to take so long before my next post!  Thanks for stopping by!

CTMH Sale

Check out my online store for lots of new items added to the While Supplies Last section: Shop Here Now
(These items can only be purchased online - I won't be able to order them for you)  Tons of great new markdowns, hurry, they won't last long!
Happy Shopping!

Sand Surf Sun

Another page from my Hawaii book:

I was happy to be able to use different colors for these pages!  I love the Moon Doggie papers, but anything can get tiring after working with the same colors continuously.  I combined a couple of patterns to make this one work, but the main pattern I used was Magic Disappearing Act.  I also lifted the 'Sand Surf Sun' part from a complete page, but it was so long ago, I'm afraid I can't remember where I found it!  I'd printed it and tucked it away with my Hawaii stuff because I knew I wanted to use a version of that design...

Anyway, here is a list of the supplies I used:
Pattern:  Magic Disappearing Act (modified)
Papers & My Stickease:  Magnifique
Ink, Cardstock:  Pacifica, Lagoon, Chocolate
Dimensional Elements - Footloose
Seaside Wood Shapes (painted with Create-a-Shade pearl and then colored with markers)
Hemp - natural
Alcohol markers Creme Brule
Blending Pen/Desert Sand ink
Durables round
My Acrylix - You & Me, Friendship alpha large, Cruisin'

Working with these photos make me want to go back to Hawaii...Next time we won't spend so much time stuck on a tour bus though!

Thanks for checking out my blog... I'll post more pages soon! 

Party Planning Made Easy

The CTMH Cricut Artiste cartridge can be used to create all kinds of cute goodies for your next party:

Contact me or shop my Online Store to purchase the new Artiste cartridge!

Scrapbooking Order

I've been reading some posts about the order in which scrapbookers assemble their pages:
Photos First - assembling the page around the photos
Photos Last - create the page leaving 'photo wells' and add photos later
Which way do you choose?

I'm definitely the 'Photo First' type - most of the time I find myself customizing my page design to accommodate the photos I want to use.  Telling the story with the right photos is most important to me.

I haven't really tried doing it the other way around, so I can't really comment on it, but I'm trying to wrap my brain around how that would work for me!  I think I'd stress about finding photos to fit after working on a page.

I'd be interested to hear what everyone else thinks about this - leave me a comment!

Thanks for stopping by!

Garden Paradise

Another page to show you!

I embossed the flower image and colored with our new markers and also using a blending pen.  Still getting used to using the new markers - I might need to get a few more colors so I can practice more.

Pattern:  Magic Spellbound
Papers & My Stickease:  Moon Doggie
Cardstock & Ink:  Honey, Garden Green, Indian Corn Blue, Bamboo, Desert Sand, Cocoa
My Acrylix:  You & Me, Surf's Up, Unity, Catching Waves
Sparkles
Cricut Artiste
Markers, Blending Pen
Cocoa Embossing Powder
Cork Alphas

A few more pages to show you - I'll post them soon!
Thanks for stopping by...

La Belle Vie Wreath

Here is another project I finished recently:

I rolled a gazillion - well, probably more like 150 or so - flowers using the La Belle Vie papers.  I cut the flowers using the Artiste cartridge at a variety of sizes 3", 3 1/4", and 3 1/2".  I used the 'fill page' key and cut 9 flowers per piece of 12 x 12 paper.  I attached them to a styrofoam wreath that I bought from Michaels, and pinned them using corsage pins, also found in the jewelry section of Michaels.  And finished it off with a black satin ribbon.  I love the colors, they coordinate perfectly with the pinky-mauvy walls in my craft room.

Now I'm thinking about making another one using the Flirty papers - it would look great on my front door this Fall!

Hawaii Book Completed!

Yes!  I finished my Hawaii book - yippee!  I'll post photos of my completed pages over the next few days.  Apologies for not posting last week - I stayed busy in my craft room instead of on my computer, and then had a little computer issue for a couple of days.  Thanks to my brilliant computery hubby, I'm back online.

Pineapple Plantation layout:

I started working on this one at a crop I went to on August 25th, but as usual, spent more time talking than working on my layout.  I came home and finished it the next day.  I struggled a little bit with this one because all of the photos I used were of scenery.  I like to have a few photos of people mixed in with the scenery ones, it makes the layout more interesting to look at.  Given that we were on a train tour, I was only able to snap pix of what was coming at me!

Supplies used:
Pattern:  Magic - Deck of Cards
Papers & My Stickease:  Moon Doggie
Cardstock & Ink:  Desert Sand, Cocoa, Bamboo, Garden Green
Kraft Borders
Cricut Artiste
Opaques Mocha
My Acrylix - Fall Harvest, Surf's Up
Journal Spots Journey

Now I'm off to edit more photos of layouts so I can post more in the next few days!

Thanks for stopping by!

Dole Plantation layout

Here's another page for my Hawaii book:

I struggled a bit with this one because instead of using a recipe from one of the 'How To' books, I just copied the design from Studio J and estimated the sizes.  I also altered the design because I wanted to use larger photos.  That, and I was trying to conserve paper because I want to make a few more layouts with my Moon Doggie papers and I'm getting down to having only a few whole pieces left.  I'm sure I could make a layout with my scraps, but it's just easier to start with whole sheets.  Getting the bracket shapes adhered was a total pain!  I decided to leave off a title because there was enough going on and the photos contain their own titles.  Ever scrapbook your postcards?  As long as they aren't placed touching your photos, they are okay to add to your pages.    I've also strategically placed the sticker over the corner of the large photo, because in the photo is a trash can and it is distracting.  I couldn't crop it out when I printed because I wanted to keep as much of the Dole sign in the photo as I could.  When all else fails, slap a sticker on it!

Pattern: stole from Studio J
Papers & My Stickease:  Moon Doggie
Cardstock & Ink:  Indian Corn Blue, Desert Sand, Cocoa, Cranberry
Edge Anchors: Indian Corn Blue
Journal Spots: journey
Hemp: natural
Cricut: AP
Jolee's - pineapple
Eyelet - from my stash

I should have more to post after this weekend - I'm going to a crop tomorrow!
Thanks for stopping by....

Hooked on Studio J

Okay, I must admit that I am 99% a crafty-inky fingers-hands on scrapbooker and haven't been interested in the least in digital scrapbooking.  So I wasn't interested in joining Studio J as a member.

BUT - after CTMH changed the program effective August 1st and lowered prices and did away with the membership program, I decided to give it a try.  Why not?  The only price to try out the program was my time.

So I gave it a go, using the new Express Collections.  I had a few frustrations, but after about 2 1/2 hours, I came up with 2 two-page layouts:

I created these last month and yesterday I received a reminder email that my projects were going to expire in 30 days.

SO - since my scrapbook for my dog is an 8 x 8 album, I decided to purchase only the JPGs for $2.95 each instead of the full 12 x 12 pages.  That, and a minimum order for 12 x 12 pages is 4 layouts and I only had two done.  I made my purchase, and my downloads were ready for me in less than 10 minutes!  A few clicks later, and they were on my computer.  If I can do this, anyone can - it was really easy!

Then since I want something tangible to show for my work, I hunted for a coupon code for Shutterfly.  I found one that expires 8/20/12:  $10 off a purchase of $10 or more:  coupon code 10off10  (I never make a Shutterfly purchase without a coupon!)  Downloaded my projects to Shutterfly,  dropped them in my shopping cart to make 8 x 10 sized prints, edited my prints to make them square, and bam!  Purchase made, final cost $3.29 per print - Studio J price/Shutterfly price/shipping/tax all combined.  My 8 x 8 layouts will be in my album by the end of next week.

And now my project will be saved in Studio J for one year, so if I decide to make 12 x 12 prints, I can order them from CTMH.

Yeah, now I'm hooked.

Check out my website at www.ctmh.com/dmhaight for more information on Studio J, along with video tutorials on how to do digital scrapbooking!

Thanks for stopping by!

Huge Sale Going On NOW!

Hop on over to my website and check out the While Supplies Last sale:  Shop CTMH Sale !

You'll find some awesome deals and huge discounts:  Albums for $2, embellies, papers, etc.  Hurry though, supplies are running out fast!

Direct ship only thru my website - I cannot order for you.  Also keep in mind that shipping is calculated on full price, not sale price of the items you buy.

You can also add items from the new Idea Book in with your order, and if you purchase $50, you will be eligible for the August Stamp of the Month for $5 more.

Happy Shopping!

Hawaii Museum Layout

So I just had to step away from the scanner and create something yesterday.  I'm so happy I finished another page for my Hawaii scrapbook!  Here it is:

This page came together quickly because what better papers are there to use for an Army-themed layout than Victory?  Really, the thing that took me the longest was editing my photos.  I'd printed the first bunch a long time ago, but they came out really dark.  So I tinkered with them and reprinted.  They're still dark, but that kind of comes with the territory of taking photos in a museum...

I'm getting better at planning out what is happening underneath my photos before I start adhering everything - usually I'm anxious to keep everything in place once I've decided on my design.  Only after the fact I think, 'that would've looked cool with something underneath'.  So this time I was sure to stamp on my B&T papers first and put the zip strip under my photo.

Supplies Used:
Design:  Magic Top Hat (Victory WOTG bonus project - you can get this pattern off my website at www.ctmh.com/dmhaight under Workshop on the Go project inspiration)
Papers & My Stickease:  Victory
Cardstock & Ink:  Chocolate, Olive, Desert Sand
My Acrylix:  Victory WOTG, Notice the Details
Cricut:  AP
Durables round antiqued gold
Dimensional Elements Stars
Mini Medley holiday

And here's another photo I have to share:

Because nothin's better than scrapbookin' with a puppy dog layin' at your feet!



Thanks for stopping by!

Ancestry Project

Okay, I've started working on my next GIHUGIC project:  Organizing and scanning Haight Family Photos.  Back in March, my hubby and I went out to Nebraska to help clean out a storage locker belonging to hubby's aunt.  She wound up with a good amount of the family's photos and other memorabilia spanning the last 75 years or so, and was downsizing to a smaller living arrangement.  These photos and papers wound up being packed in about 15 cartons, most still in developer's photo envelopes (yikes!).  I've volunteered to organize everything and make sure the photos find their way into a photo-safe environment.

-The first of many cartons of photos-

So - I've spent about 8 hours so far scanning photos and have only made a slight dent in the project.  My goal is to get everything scanned and organized, then to choose a selection of special photos and put together a Studio J album.  My Father in Law is one of 5 siblings, and there are lots and lots of cousins who have an interest in this collection of photos.  So Studio J is the perfect medium to share everything with everyone.

My deadline?  Next summer for the Haight Family Reunion.  My hubby's grandfather was a rather well-known quilter and there will be an exhibit at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln showcasing his works opening Summer of 2013.  The reunion will be held at the same time and I'm hoping to have this project completed by then!

There's not a lot to show right now, but what I've done is begin to separate photos into categories based on each sibling, and two other categories based on my husband's grandparents, and then anything connected to their quilting.  From there I will subdivide into years and other types of documents (hubby's grandmother wrote a lot of poetry, so I'll scan her works into a folder of 'writings').  The project evolves and changes as I'm going along, but hopefully I'll be able to organize everything into something the whole family can enjoy!

This won't be the only project I'm working on, of course, like most crafters I have several projects going on at the same time and I'll post those photos as I go.  Back to scanning for now!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamp Special starts Aug 15th

CTMH 'It's Your Day' campaign begins August 15th.  Get this awesome Double D-sized stamp set for $5 with a $35 purchase: 

Go to my website at www.ctmh.com/dmhaight for more information and to place your order beginning 8/15/12.

Here are a few cards I made using this stamp set:

 I cut this card with the Cricut Artiste, and used Pacifica, Lagoon, Pear and Gypsy ink.  Finished it off with Smoothie Baker's Twine and sparkles.

 I cut this card with the Artiste cartridge and used the new Avonlea papers along with Smokey Plum cardstock & ink.

This one was made using the new La Belle Vie papers with Black, Blush and Ruby inks. The sentiment is part of the La Belle zip strip, and the embellies are the Opaques licorice and Opaques pearl.

And finally, this card was made using the Scholastic papers with Saddle, Ruby, Cocoa,and Indian Corn Blue inks.  I cut the shape with the Artiste and adhered it to the coordinating dimensional element.

Tomorrow I'll post a bit about the latest project I'm working on.  It's huge.

Thanks for stopping by!

Workshop photos

I've FINALLY had a chance to upload and edit the snaps I took last weekend at the workshop I had at my house.  Six wonderful friends joined me for an afternoon of craftiness.  Here are a few photos of everyone working on the Create & Takes:

 I did an instructional talk that I titled 'Stamping 101':  we had a few people who were new to Close to My Heart supplies, and some just wanted a refresher.  I went over the basics of stamping and showed a few techniques.  I made a board showing the techniques that I demonstrated.  I hope everyone came away with a few new ideas!

And OF COURSE, everyone who comes to my workshops gets a goodie bag - they contained a copy of the new Autumn/Winter Idea Book, a set of 'inchie' stamps, a treat cup filled with a variety of embellishments from Mini Medleys and a few other items:

And a second goodie bag - I also sell Avon, so I gave new catties and a couple of full-sized products:

And here are some photos of the projects we made:  two using products from the Spring/Summer book, and one project using new products from the Autumn/Winter book!

Thanks to everyone who came, I had tons of fun and I hope you did too!  Next workshop will be at Debbie's house on August 25th.  Contact me if you need invite details!