Cake Day and April ending

 Cake day cards and scrapbooking are both really great.  Here is the scrapbook pages.  You need to know April is ending soon.  Check out the catalog in this last week and don't loose out on the projects you want to do.

15 cards - 5 designs of 3 each

 I am usually looking to create individual cards that I need to make up to 10 each so the pattern of 15 cards of  designs 3 each didn't seem to fit the bill.

I was asked to make a number of cards for 1 person and then another set and then I looked and thought I could make the gifts - birthday and thank you's that were coming up.  I share the process with you as well as the finished products.

You are to take 2 patterned papers (they did the same) and a colored cardstock and 1 white.  I had lots of Mix-in papers that CTMH sells but not 2 of each.  I put some together and then I as I was cutting decided I needed to add a second different colored cardstock to make it work.  I also cut some of the pieces smaller and didn't use all the pieces.  I really liked this process.  I did it 5 times 15 and I am still willing to make more!

Here are the papers I chose for the 3 sets of cards.

I first chose these top set but changed to the bottom set after cutting the cards and seeing how they would work out in the 5 designs.

Likewise I chose the top set and then changed to the bottom set.

I forgot to take a picture of the set with the added clover cards stock paper.

First I laid out the pieces and decided which stamps I would use and where I would put the pieces.

You do have many options.

Below is what I chose with this stamp set.

Here are the set of cards

Here is a another set.  The first set I tried to do a different stamp set on each of the cards.  It took a little while.  So on the next 2 sets, I did 1 stamp on 3 cards and one can still make it different for each card but it is a little easier that you don't have to find a different stamp set for each card.

Here is the last set with 1 stamp set for each of the 5 designs.  You can still use different saying that are not on the stamp set you choose.

I really enjoy this 15 card design with 3 each of 5 designs.  It is really a fun challenge to see what you can do.  

Unending questions and no real good answers

 There are some things that never seem to change.

1. What size scrap of paper do you save? If you save it, how do you put it away so that when you need it you can find it?  Ad what do you do with extra thin cuts?  I put them in with the thin cut and stamp set but what about extra Cricut cuts? I started to put them in one box but didn't always think about looking there when I started a project. 

2. Do you only buy kits that you can make that month or maybe this year or some other year?  I have some kits that I have stamps for - kits used to come with stamps (they are integrated in my boxes and do you think I can find them?) and some did pages and cards and some had PLM cards on one side and just patterned paper on the other. I have been going through my "stash" and making up the kits.  I know I bought some just for the paper but the kits are so cute!

The problem is that when I finally get to doing them, I want more paper and it isn't available any more.  There is paper that I know I want to make for albums - I was married in 1983 and still haven't made my wedding album nor my kids.  I saw the paper I wanted and got probably too much so that I would have enough to finish it because I bought it so long ago it isn't available now.

3. I used to save the pages with the scraps in their packet so that if I wanted more pages or 3x4 or 4x6 page protectors, I would have everything together.  Problem: I didn't what pages I had done nor where they were when I needed them.   I would need paper for other projects and I didn't know if I had enough paper for cards or other pages when I separated them.  Some I put the name on the packet and some I didn't.  I don't even remember some of the names.  People have said they just make up cards with the extra paper but I make cards for my classes and can have up to 10 - 12 people.  Scraps are never enough and people like to make the sample so if there isn't more paper to match the sample, they are not thrilled.

4. I love watching YouTube videos from CTMH and other people - Creative Design Team from CTMH and other CTMH makers.  I have been watching Facebook Live events.  I did a Technique Tuesday and had trouble with my ipad falling off the stand when I turned it down to show people things.  I wanted to start again but there are so many really well produced things, I am not sure where to start or what my goal is. I have learned a lot over the years.  I started in 1979. The companies I used have come and gone and I still have those things.  Styles have come and gone.  I was getting ready to purge some of the old stuff and low and behold, the techniques and things are coming back!  How long to do keep things and how do you store them so you can find them?

5. How do you respond to a sale? The Flash sales are great but I really got things from the Boxing day sales.  They were kits that I had looked and and liked but got busy and didn't order them and then they were gone.  Below is one such kit.  Hillside Cottage had the most fantastic embellishments of wood and black.  I loved the card kits but our group didn't do the kit.  I saw it in the sale and fell in love with it again.  As I was looking for Valentine's paper for the cards, I came across it.  Now that the cards are done I am going back to some of the kits. I really love these pages.  

6. Is there a limit on stamps? I went to a buy and sell sight and I had all the stamps that people were selling.  The thing is that I do really use them from time to time.  I am learning from watching others, how to mix and match different sets and get a whole new look on them.  This happened with the Valentine's Day cards.  I am a year behind in putting the stamps in the excel file I had set up.  I used to put them in the categories that CTMH.  They had color coded the envelopes.  Then I realized that I might find some of them better under different themes.  I now do both the category and label what other ones are in there.  I have "critters", "blotches", "Rain/umbrellas", "gnomes" and well you get the point.  

If you are struggling with any of these questions, please comment.  Maybe together we can solve the world problems of crafting!!

CTMH die cutting machine

 I love the Close To My Heart Die cutting machine.  I have used it almost every day.  You can keep your metal die cuts  on with washi tape but it seemed to take up the paper with it.  I found out instead that I can use The Yellow Delicate Frog painters tape with better results. 

In one of the Facebook Live CTMH events someone commented that if your mat gets warped, you need to replace it.  I found that the Big Shot clear plastics did "unbend" in very hot water but the CTMH mat is made of different material.  

I did what I was supposed to do with the mat.  You choose different parts of the mat to cut on.  You turn if over and use both sides equally.  I think it eventually will need replacement. 

I call corporate and asked how far a bend is too much. Mine measured under 1/2 inch.  I was told that if it took too much to roll, that force could hurt the rollers.  As I keep ahead on things, I had a new mat that I could start using immediately.  There is a tug even when the mat is flat but it is doesn't take huge effort like it did before.

I love the CTMH die cutting machine because you can dial up or down on pressure for embossing and die cuts.  

Today I got new mats in the mail.  I got the magnetic cutting mat - supposedly you don't need tape for the metal die cuts to stay in place.  Before I used any tape, I had them move and almost cut some of the neighboring dies because things moved.  I will keep you updated on how this works out.  

I haven't used the adapter yet.  It is for other brands of dies so that they cut right.  

Let me know how you are doing with your die cutting machine or if you have any questions about the CTMH one.  

Facebook Live

 Close To My Heart offers great workshop on Facebook Live.  It is a chance to scrap together as well as if you have already done the project or don't have it yet, you can get great tips and techniques!  You can go back and listen to other great ideas.

 Here is the schedule of upcoming events 

February 8, 2:00 pm (MST): Sweet as Honey Cardmaking Workshop (G1246)

Tuesday, February 15, 2:00 pm (MST): True Story Album Kit (CC12215)

Tuesday, February 22, 2:00 pm (MST): Sweet as Honey Scrapbooking Workshop (G1245)

Tuesday, March 8, 2:00 pm (MST): Sawyer Cardmaking Workshop (G1248)

Tuesday, March 15, 2:00 pm (MDT): Sawyer Scrapbooking Workshop (G1247)

 

To fully participate in these exciting events, make sure to order the bundles listed above. Close To My Heart also will be doing some awesome giveaways during these events for those in attendance. Be sure to visit the Close To My Heart (Official) Facebook page, click on the Events tab, and mark yourself as “Going”! I can’t wait to connect and craft with you!

The Sawyer Paper is great for many projects. 

Sweet Honey can do pages and cards. 

Check out all the wonderful things going on. 

Valentine's Day cards

 Here are the cards you can choose 4 from.  Please make your selections either by phone or email and I want to try and deliver the kits you choose before the snow storm on Wednesday.  

Daisy Meadows Cards workshop

 Lessons learned from the Daisy Meadows Cardmaking workshop: Some cards are better NOT done in a large group.  They are wonderful and I will still make them but if I can't find an easy way to do it, I will make them as gifts that I give. 

Last night I finished this card workshop which was the last workshop I brought along.  This workshop looks really wonderful.  After finishing it, I still love it.  When it came out, I couldn't wait until I got it so that I could share it with my card classes. Back then, I mentioned this to a friend who had also gotten the workshop.  She shared that I might do the workshop but it might be too hard to get it ready for a class.  When I got the workshop, I looked at the directions and saw she was right. Close to My Heart thought about making this easier by giving you 4 thin cuts (circle about 1/4 inch) for 1 stamp.  You know when you see that, there is some steep thin cutting to do.   There were about 50 of those little things that you need to make.  I don't know a parallel term for fussy cutting in thin cut speak but there should be one.  I work very fast but this took me over 4 hours to get 16 cards from start to finish. 

There have been several stamp sets that were great to look at but there were all these tiny pieces to cut or there were small versatile stamps but small pieces had to be stamped in a variety of ways.  When things get complicated it can make them time consuming to make. Over the years I have had cards that were really neat for my card cutting classes but were on the more advanced end or time consuming for them.  Even this past year I had a card that took extra long. The class loved the resulting card but they only got 3 of the 4 cards finished. We also went 1 hour over the time that was allotted.  They liked the card but I used their suggestions to make it easier for the next class to get done in a shorter time period.  Sometimes you need to adjust a card or just not do it with a larger group.  

I love the stamp set and thin cut and will make the cards with other papers and in different ways but I don't think I will do it with a large class group.  It is good to get to know a stamp set before you begin to design or use it with a group.  I love getting a stamp set and playing with it and designing a card that can be fun to make and looks spectacular.  

Share some of your finished products that were time consuming but were really wonderful in the end.