Technique of the Week - How to programs and Workshop on the Go

Where do you get ideas from?  You can get them from looking at the Close To My Heart Catalogs or from what someone has done.  You may see things on Pinterest or other places.  The problem is that you might like what you see but you have to figure out how to cut the paper.  I do enjoy making my own designs but I have learned through using Close To My Heart how to plan and design before I cut so that there is little waste of paper.

There are new ideas all the time from the Annual Catalogs and Seasonal Expressions 1 with 2 coming out April 1.  In the catalogs it will tell you where the designs are in the "How To" books.  You can also get from your consultant, the recipes - that is the exact things that were used - no guessing. 

I love the way Close To My Heart has give us so many ways of making cards and scrapbook pages.  There are a number of "How To" programs.  For making cards there are the following books:

 In each catalog are programs called Workshop on the Go. Some are for cards and some are for pages. Here you will get the paper, bling, stamp and instructions for "how to" make either cards or pages.

This is a card Workshop on the Go that will be available April 1, 2015 from the paper packet Blossom.  The instructions tell you what to cut from what paper to make 15 cards - 3 designs 5 times. 

What you would need in addition to the Workshop on the Go is the appropriate ink pads and Acrylic blocks for the stamps as well as stamp cleaner.  You can get more paper of the same kind and cardstock and continue to make cards or get different paper and other stamps to get an other look.

There are also "How To" books for scrapbook pages:

In the front of each book, you can see the layouts with the number of photos it supports.  You then find in the book the number of sheets of paper needed for the design and how to cut it out.  What is so neat about these books is that you have a layout but each page can be rotated 1/4 turn several times for an all together different look and then flip it over! Each page can have 8 variations.  The Workshop on the Go's sometimes are for pages:

This is all that comes with Hopscotch.  You get the paper, stamp, bling and directions to complete a 2 page layout with the option to make a different 2 page layout.  Again you would need ink and blocks and cleaner to actually get the project done. 

Jeanette Lynton is very creative in designing both cards and scrapbook pages. I can't give praise enough for all of these books.   Sometimes people like to do only cards.  Sometimes people only like to do pages.  I have always like to do both.  There are some smaller instruction books called Make It from Your Heart Vol. 1 and 2 that have both pages and cards.

You see this beautiful paper, you have these wonderful photos and often you can just sit there and say "Now what do I do?".  All of these "How To" programs help you be creative and make the most of the gorgeous things you have purchased. They give you options and show how you can create your own pages and cards.   It is easy.  It is fun.  It is creative.  Even if you have the same design as someone else, each person's personality shows through.  This is a fun way to have designs and know just how to put things together.