How to Make Quick Banners and Chevrons!

Okay, here's the how-to for the quick banners and chevrons that I posted a bit ago. I'm starting with the quick banners. I pulled a few more scraps and created another card with banners. These papers are so old, that I don't even remember what the name of the paper pack was. :-) A large square punch is all you need to create these super fast banners.

 

I like to punch it upside down, so I can see where I am punching.  I'll just be using a corner of the punch, to create the indent on the banner strip.



A quick punch, then you have a quick and easy banner.  After punching the other two strips, I put together another card with some more scraps.  Can't be any easier than that!



Making the chevrons has a few more steps, but it is still a lot easier than you'd think.  I did get the inspiration from this site, which was showing how to quilt with chevrons.  The card I shared in the previous link, I cut 12 pieces of different patterns (just leftover scraps again) into 1/2"x6"strips.  After creating the chevron pattern, it almost covered an entire 5"x7" card (there were small margins on the left and right sides), and I had some leftover too.  I hated to not use them, so I used the leftover pieces on another card:



So you can easily just use some chevrons as a partial design, it doesn't necessarily have to cover the entire background.

But since these chevrons almost filled up an entire 5"x7" card, as well as leaving enough to decorate another card... this time I wanted to make the chevrons a bit smaller.  I'll try to walk you through step by step what I did here with the smaller chevrons.

This time, I cut the pieces (from leftover scraps again) into 1/4"x6" strips.  I was using all the patterns from an older packet and cut two complete sets (so two each of all six patterns into 1/4"x6" strips).  Then I cut one more of the first pattern used to finish up the design.  I attached each strip onto cardstock, using a 1/4" spacer, so I offset each strip the same amount each time.



When you get through your strips, here's what they all look like glued down.



So I started in the corner with one pattern from the pack, then offset each subsequent piece 1/4" and went through the other 5 patterns.  Then started again and went through all six patterns, and finished off with the beginning pattern for the ending.  Make any sense?  :-)  Then I did the whole thing again on the other side of the cardstock, creating two sets of strips.  (Sorry this picture is a bit fuzzy, but for some reason all of my pics of both sets were.)



Now we need to trim these off at a 45 degree angle, and since I don't have the handy-dandy quilting tool that she had in her blog... I had to make my own guide.  I simply took an 8"x8" square, and cut it on the diagonal from opposite corner to the other to create my own 45 degree guide.



The resulting triangle, will have a 45 degree angle on each end.  I simply lined it up along the edge of my stripes and gently drew a pencil mark where to trim.



When finished, you'll end up with two pieces that look like this:



Now you simply slice each piece into equal strips, I decided to use the lip of my cutter as a guide.  I ended up with four equal strips from each piece (with a bit leftover that I simply threw away).



Now you just need to alternate your strips from each piece and glue them together on your card!  Again at this size, it still almost filled up an entire 5"x7" card.  I'll have to keep messing around to find the right dimensions to fill up a regular sized card.



I know it can seem a bit much, but with some simple cutting and gluing -- you can create perfectly aligned chevrons that is way easier than trying to glue all those little pieces yourself!!!  Just try it!  If you figure out the perfect size and number of strips to fill out a regular size card, please share.  :-)

So go ahead, make some banners and chevrons out of your scraps and create some gorgeous cards.  If you do, please share.  I'd love to see them!

Dani
 

Use Up Your Scraps!

We all have tons of those scraps of papers that you have hanging around, so let's use them up! I'm going to start with sharing a couple of great cards that you can easily make with just leftover scraps. The first one has three banners, which are perfect for varying sizes of patterned paper you have left.  Add a sentiment and a small embellishments, and it's finished! 



The second card is showing a big trend right now: chevrons!  I used a variety of coordinating patterned papers and was able to use several small leftover strips of patterned paper.  Again, adding a sentiment with some small embellishments and it's good to go.



I'll share more detailed instructions on how I made each card in another post.  A quick hint, the first card used a square punch for quick banners and the second card utilized some quilting tricks to easily make the chevron pattern.  More to come!

~Dani
 

March Stamp of the Month: Floral Happiness

I finally got to play around with March's Stamp of the Month set, Floral Happiness.  I wasn't sure how I felt about this set initially, but I have to say I really love it now.  It's so easy to use, and I love the two-step stamping.  The finished flowers and leaves look absolutely gorgeous, with hardly any effort on my part.  Love that!  HA!  I also decided to play around with some of the pretty color schemes that I've pinned on Pinterest, so I'll share the scheme I used first then the card.

Color Scheme #1:



With this color scheme, I selected the CTMH colors of Whisper, Black, Barn Red, Cranberry, and Sweet Leaf.  I used the second generation stamping technique to stamp both the flowers and leaves.  I also used the awesome chevron print from the For Always kit for the background.
  


Color Scheme #2:
 


This color scheme led me to the CTMH colors of Slate, Goldrush, Blush and Smoothie (I skipped the bluish color).  I used the detail stamps for the flowers to create textured backgrounds on the colored strips.  Then, I used some stamp rolling along with second generation stamping to create the flower accent.

   

Color Scheme #3:
 


For this color scheme, I went with the CTMH colors of Twilight, Blush, Whisper, Chocolate and Sweet Leaf.  Instead of second generation stamping, this time I went with tone-on-tone stamping.  So I stamped the base floral stamp with the same ink on the same color of cardstock.  Then for the detailed floral and leaf stamps, I stamped them all in Chocolate.



Color Scheme #4:
 
With this last color scheme, I just went the trendy and always pretty grey and yellow.  I did second generation stamping with Creme Brulee and Whisper.  I also yet another print from the Love Always kit for the background, with just a hint of our Slate Satin Polka-Dot Ribbon.
    


Almost too pretty to send out, right?  If you don't have your March Stamp of the Month set, make sure to get in touch with me before the month is over.  :-)  Enjoy!

Dani
 

Artwork with my BFF!

A couple of weeks ago, my BFF RuthAnn was able to come visit with her daughter Gracie and niece Sara. We have had a lot of scheduling issues (sick kiddos, uncooperative vehicles, etc.) in trying to get together before, so this was quite an achievement! We decided to just have a fun weekend. We played games, watched movies, and did some crafty projects. Then after she left, I got pulled in tons of other directions. I never had the chance to go back and finish up a few final details and post anything. So... drum roll please... I FINALLY got back to a couple of the projects, did some last minute tweaking, and took pictures!

The first project is using our brand new Chantilly Textiles along with the coordinating Chantilly paper packet with an inexpensive 7" embroidery hoop. The sentiment was from the stamp set C1503 The Best Things.



RuthAnn started the project and did most of the work; I just did a few final touches at the end. Didn't she do a great job?  She also taught me a new fabric trick: yo yo's.  If you are like me, and have no idea what or how to make one, I found a nice tutorial online on Sewing Fabric Yo Yo's.  There are several yo yo's on our project, along with buttons, embellishments and some pieces from the Cricut Artiste and Art Philosophy collections.  She even did some stitching along the edge with the Smoothie color from the Baker's Twine Paradise Assortment.

Here's a close up of some of the embellishments, including a closer look at some of the yo yo's:



And the other project I am sharing today is a non-CTMH project.  It is just something that I saw on Pinterest and wanted to try, and I had even picked up some stuff on clearance to make it after the holidays.  Here is the Pinterest posting that I wanted to try -- an ornament wreath:



Delaney and I did some after-holiday shopping at Target, and I had quite a lot of ornaments.  So while I was starting on another project, RuthAnn went to work on this one too.  The directions in the original posting said to hot glue the ornament metal cap to the ball.  The ones that I had didn't seem to want to come apart, so we skipped this step.  In the long run, probably not a good idea.  After a lot of ornaments were on the hanger, there was more and more pressure pushing on them.  And yep, some started popping off.  UGH!  Then we had a little incident with a small little four year old, and some more popped (and broke) off.  So, I kind of had to go back to the drawing board with this one.

I ended up taking off all the broken bulbs and all the metal caps without ornament bulbs off of the hanger and starting over.  I used my piercing tool and flipped off each and every metal cap and hot glued them back to the ornament; then I started stringing everything back on the wire.    By the time I was done, I had glitter ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE... but it is finished!





Now, I have a wreath all ready for the next holiday season!  We did yet one more project that I can't share, as they will end up being gifts for the next holiday season too.  (Now, if I can just remember that I made them and where I put them.)  And I still have several ornaments left!  I have a few more projects that I would like to try, so I'll share when I get to them.

Dani
 

Pinterest board showcasing all my CTMH blog art!

I just created a Pinterest board, which showcases all my art I've ever shared on my CTMH blog. I thought it would be a lot of fun to be able to see all the art in a glance in one place. If you are a Pinterest addict (like me), you can find the board here, if this link works.  Or if you'd like to follow all my Pinterest wanderings, you can find me under Ken Benich.  If you aren't addicted to Pinterest yet, make sure you check it out.  It's a great place for inspiration -- for crafts, cooking, decorating, and much more!

~Dani


 

April's Workshop!!!

I was so excited about our new Washi Tape that I knew I was going to want to include it in a workshop.  Since the Washi Tape is a lovely neutral Slate Polka-Dot, I thought how fun it would be to let you guys personalize your workshop this time with your own highlight color.  I selected Juniper for my samples, but you can select whatever highlight color you want!  This workshop will be set up like normal -- with either a scrapbooking project, cards or both.




This class will be held on Friday, April 19th at 6:00pm.  Again for scheduling ease, they'll be held on the third Friday of the month so we can all plan ahead.  You can decide to do either scrapbooking or cards for the $25 fee, and it comes with the C1539 Scrapbook Statements - Poets stamp set as well as the new Slate Polka-Dot Washi Tape and a Black & Grey Sparkles Assortment.  If you'd like, you can make both the scrapbooking and cards for an additional $10.  Everything is pre-cut and ready for you to assemble.

Here are a few other color possibilities for your personalized highlight color: 




 
For those of you who would prefer, I'm also offering To Go kits with every workshop.  This will allow you to create the projects at your own convenience, directions will be included.  I'll also have a list of supplies needed for each project that aren't included, most of which you may already have or have something close you can substitute.

Supplies Needed for To Go Kit: Z2173 Slate Ink Pad, 2"x3-1/2" acrylic block (minimum), adhesives
 
I'm even offering a club option with the workshop, providing even more benefits!  Club Members will commit to a 6 month rotation workshops, which will make them eligible for hostess goodies, prizes, members-only specials, etc.  To see all the nitty-gritty details about the workshop and club option, check out the flyer.

If you are interested in attending the workshop, I'll need your RSVP (including payment) by Friday, March 29th.  This will allow me time to order the necessary supplies and get all the packets prepared and ready to go.

Now you can easily pay online via PayPal, if you'd like!  Check out the chart to see the payment required, and you are good to go (and let me know what your highlight color request is):

$25.00 - To make either the scrapbook or cards (please let me know which one you select)
$10.00 - Add this to make BOTH the scrapbook and cards   
$  5.00 - Add this for shipping costs, if you aren't local for the To Go kit  
$  ?      - Please contact me if you need some extra supplies for the project, and I'll give you a total
 
If you are a CTMH consultant, interested in giving this class yourself, please contact me for special pricing.

Workshop Costs Scrapbook, Cards, or To Go (local)$25.00 USD Scrapbook & Cards$35.00 USD To Go - Scrapbooking or Cards (w/shipping)$30.00 USD To Go - Scrapbook & Cards$40.00 USD

I'm still working on those projects to share with our fun new Chantilly and For Always Textiles!  :-)

Dani
 

A Favorite New Set: Patterned Pennants!

One of my favorite new stamp sets is D1534 Patterned Pennants.  It has so many possibilities with the simple shapes: sun rays, geometric patterns, trees and much more.  Or maybe it is just because I am so tired of winter, that the sun ray shapes are just appealing right now.  :-)  Who knows?  HA!  Here's some fun art I made with this set.

With this card, I used the polka dot pennant and created sun rays, with the sun and clouds from the Cricut Artiste collection.   My colors were Crystal Blue, Creme Brulee and Goldrush.  The sentiment was from the Card Chatter - Sympathy set.  I also used the 3-D Foam Tape to add some dimension with the sun and clouds.  Just a happy little card, perfect for someone like me with the winter blues!



Then I just wanted to use the pennants to create a geometric design.  I alternated the blue and gold colors, making a colorful zig zag-like design.  Using Kraft cardstock as the background, I used a variety of cardstock and ink colors for all the colorful pennants.  From top to bottom, Goldrush with Autumn Terracotta ink, Crystal Blue with Twilight ink, Champagne with Creme Brulee ink, Sky with Crystal Blue ink, and Creme Brulee with Goldrush ink.  Stamping the sentiment 'hello' from the same set, with a few sparkles and it is finished!



The other sentiment in the set, 'You're a ray of sunshine,' gave me an idea for a lively scrapbook page highlighting my son's crazy antics.  He's always ready to entertain and amuse everyone.  :-)  I had just the pictures that I wanted to use too, from our New Year's Eve game night.  Since the pictures were just snapshots in our house, with some iffy color combinations in the backgrounds, I went ahead and just used grayscale for the photos.  I used some coordinating prints from the Clementine paper packet and cropped the main photograph into a circle shape.  Then I stamped several pennants (Goldrush and Creme Brulee tone-on-tone), creating a sun highlighting the main image.  I added some Antiqued Copper accents with our Designer Brads and Metal Brads assortment.  He's so silly!  He is definitely our ray of sunshine.  LOL



And I don't know if it was because it had been doing nothing but snowing the last few days (at least it seems like it) or what, but I had the idea to turn the pennants into trees.  Yes, I know.  It is clearly ruining my keep it warm and sunny theme, but I had to try it.  I even used some Liquid Applique to make snow accents.  Ugh!  I made snow, can you believe it?!?  The 'Winter Wishes' sentiment was from the To You and Yours set.



I have so many other ideas for these: sailboats, stars, quilt pieces, flowers... but I unfortunately have too much to do to keep playing with this stamp set now.  :-)  I'd love to see what you make with this stamp set - please share!

Dani

 

March's Workshop!!!

I don't know about all of you guys, but I needed to think of Spring and have some happy colors.   Which is definitely what inspired me for March's workshop. This workshop will be set up like normal -- with either a scrapbooking project, cards or both.



This class will be held on Friday, March 15th at 6:00pm.  Again for scheduling ease, they'll be held on the third Friday of the month so we can all plan ahead.  You can decide to do either scrapbooking or cards for the $25 fee, and it comes with the B1420 Hello Tweety stamp set as well as the new Pink Glitter Gems and one Spray Pen.  If you'd like, you can make both the scrapbooking and cards for an additional $10.  Everything is pre-cut and ready for you to assemble.

Another new product we're using is the beautiful new Chantilly paper packet.  The colors in this kit are simply delightful. 



For those of you who would prefer, I'm also offering To Go kits with every workshop.  This will allow you to create the projects at your own convenience, directions will be included.  I'll also have a list of supplies needed for each project that aren't included, most of which you may already have or have something close you can substitute.

Supplies Needed for To Go Kit: Z2105 Black Ink Pad, Z2497 Pear Ink Pad, Z2128 Hollyhock Ink Pad, Z2297 Pear Re-Inker, 1"x3-1/2" & 2"x3-1/2" acrylic blocks (minimum), adhesives
 
I'm even offering a club option with the workshop, providing even more benefits!  Club Members will commit to a 6 month rotation workshops, which will make them eligible for hostess goodies, prizes, members-only specials, etc.  To see all the nitty-gritty details about the workshop and club option, check out the flyer.

If you are interested in attending the workshop, I'll need your RSVP (including payment) by Friday, March 1st.  This will allow me time to order the necessary supplies and get all the packets prepared and ready to go.

Now you can easily pay online via PayPal, if you'd like!  Check out the chart to see the payment required, and you are good to go:

$25.00 - To make either the scrapbook or cards (please let me know which one you select)
$10.00 - Add this to make BOTH the scrapbook and cards   
$  5.00 - Add this for shipping costs, if you aren't local for the To Go kit  
$  ?      - Please contact me if you need some extra supplies for the project, and I'll give you a total
 
If you are a CTMH consultant, interested in giving this class yourself, please contact me for special pricing.

Workshop Costs Scrapbook, Cards, or To Go (local)$25.00 USD Scrapbook & Cards$35.00 USD To Go - Scrapbooking or Cards (w/shipping)$30.00 USD To Go - Scrapbook & Cards$40.00 USD

Hopefully I'll have some more projects to share soon with our fun new Chantilly and For Always Textiles!

Dani
 

More New Art to Share and the Open House Grand Prize Winner!

It was great seeing everyone at the Open House; although, I think the first real snowy weather we've had kept a few of you away. To those of you who were brave enough to withstand the elements, it was very nice to visit with you again. Our 2013 Spring/Summer Idea Book is jam packed with wonderful new products, so there was a lot of great art, projects and ideas to share.  I wanted to go ahead and share some more art that was on display at the Open House.

I created this card with the lovely and oh-so-versatile For Always papers.  Adding a pop of color with some Honey and layering up some gorgeous flowers from the new set Hello Blooms, and this card is finished!



Since we always need birthday cards, I used the awesome tiered cake from the set included with the Workshops on the Go Chantilly Cardmaking Kit for this card.  Stamping with Chocolate, I paper pieced the cake to create a fun, colorful card.  It all comes together with just a bit of the burlap ribbon, sparkles and some banners from the same stamp set.
  


This little 3"x3" card was whipped out in no time, using a brand new set Fabulous You.  Nothing simpler than starting with some Whisper cardstock and stamping in Slate, then adding a little bit of coloring and a few buttons.



This one is using a couple of fun new sets, Honeycomb and the set included in the Workshops on the Go Buzz and Bumble Scrapbooking Kit.  First, I stamped some of the delicious honeycomb designs for the background of the card.  Then I stamped the seed packet sign with a few flowers and sparkles to pull everything together.



For a punch of color, I used a vibrant print from the Chantilly papers with the cheerful new set Puns of Praise.  Paper piecing the sewing machine with another print from the same packet, a few sparkles and voila, all done.



I'm so excited with the new Buzz and Bumble papers; I am pretty sure I bought every bumble bee thing that I could.  Kyle's elementary school is the Solon Stingers, so I know that I'll have tons of ways to use everything.  I'm also using the new Quick Cards - Bumble Bee set.   So cute!!!



For an entirely different look, I used a couple different Chantilly paper papers with this card and the Puns of Praise set again.

   

The new Surf's Up papers are perfect for the warmer weather that I just know will eventually get here (right?).  Using the new Patterned Pennants set with the set included in the Workshops on the Go Surf's Up Scrapbooking Kit, I created this card -- sure to make someone's day when they receive it.



Celebrating those phenomenal days where everything is just sublime, I created this card using the set included in the Workshops on the Go Buzz and Bumble set again.  Using a fresh color scheme with the new Outdoor Denim chevron ribbon, and I have a great card to thank someone for a special day.



And sorry, one more bumble bee card!!!  LOL  I told you I am going to get a lot of good out of all these.  Again using the new Honeycomb set with several papers from the Buzz and Bumble packet, set on the background of the new Brown & Tan Glitter paper.  The main accent is part of the Buzz and Bumble assortment, a gorgeous faux wax seal.



And finally, it's that time again to unveil the grand prize winner of the 2013 Spring/Summer Open House:



(* drum roll *) And the winner is... Anne S! Congratulations, Anne!  Anne hardly ever misses an Open House, and she always has tickets in for the grand prize.  I do believe, that she has won the most Grand Prizes ever -- so such loyalty definitely has its rewards.  :-)  Anne, enjoy all your grand prize goodies, and everyone who won a door prize AFTER you left... your prize is in with your order!

Dani
 

February Stamp of the Month: Home Sweet Home

I found some time to make some art with February's stamp of the month set.  I had a couple of them at the Open House, but the rest are brand new.  This month's set is Home Sweet Home, and I simply love each and every one of the sentiments.

First, I'll share the two cards that were at the Open House.  This first one is using the brand new For Always patterned paper and our beautiful new Black & Gray glitter paper.  It has a touch of Ruby and Lagoon for just the right pop of color.



This next card is using a print from the new Chantilly patterned paper.  The colors in this pack are so pretty and the patterns are so eclectic, but somehow go together perfectly.  A few strategic punches with the Corner Rounder and add some finishing touches with embellishments - a clean and simple card.



This next card I just finished, so it wasn't shared at the Open House.  I played around with the house shape on CTMH's first Cricut cartridge Art Philosophy.  Using another new patterned paper, Surf's Up, I decorated up a fun house card.  I thought it turned out just adorable!





And last, but not least, I created something with our awesome new 5"x7" Hinged Display Tray.  I absolutely love it!!!  I gave it to Kenny as an early Valentine's gift.  :-)  I used the For Always paper again with Hollyhock as my accent color this time.  I also pulled the Hollyhock colored print from the Chantilly paper packet.



I turned the photos to black and white, and I am so happy with the finished product.  I need to get another one of these to play with.  Here are close-ups of each side:





He's already got it packed up to take to work tomorrow!  Quick, simple and beautiful!  I made it in a couple of hours, and that was with homework and who-knows-what-else interruptions.  :-)

If you haven't yet received your new Spring/Summer 2013 Idea Book, make sure to get in touch with me to get your free copy.  You can also view it online now!

Enjoy!

Dani