Many wishes card making kit

 This is one of the National Scrapbooking Day projects.  It used the Distress Oxide inks and stencils.  CTMH has developed the stencils in 2 stages so you don't need to mask.  One is the flower and the other the leaves. The Many Wishes Card making Kit makes gorgeous cards with the colors they chose but if you have more Distress Oxide colors, the world is your limit.  Challenge yourself to do the kids and then play with other colors.  This is a kit that has the littlest cutting I have ever seen.  The stencil is placed on the card itself but you can use a smaller than card size and mat it for variation. See what you can do.

All Kinds of Awesome and Postage Frame Thin cuts

 In the May-June catalog there are some things that just go together.  If you look at page 36-37, you will see the All Kinds of Awesome A1268 double stamp and the Postage frame Thin cuts Z4437.  You can use them separately but they really are cut together.  

May times you need to mask the stamps to get different colors but this set is made to go together. 

The thin cut frames are great with other stamps and the other stamps can be used in a variety of ways as will.  It is fun to try and do what is in the catalog and then branch off on your own.  

Little Penguins Album Workshop Kit

 There were 2 scrapbook projects, 2 card projects and 1 album for CTMH National scrapbooking day May 2022.

The little Penguins stamp set is quite delightful for many projects.  Below is the Album which is still available on my website. They will be available until gone. There are 9- 2 page layouts and a front and back.  It is a cute little book.  If you want more pictures, remember the flip flaps come in different sizes and give you lots of room for more photos and for journaling.

Isn't that Puny?

 Close To My Heart over the years has put out different stamps that are great for puns.  For National Scrapbooking Day they came out with a card set still available called "A Toast To You". 

You can make 16 cards of these 4 designs.  

I have some from specials and Stamp of the Month.  Not all of them are puny but there are cute sayings with critters.  Some have the Distress Oxide Inks in what I have labeled the stamps like that as "blotches".  I didn't use the stamps but did sponging.  Ones that are still available are under "Essentials" with titles like brush strokes. 

Here are some of the stamps you can use if you come to my card class.

Challenge yourself to use a type of stamp - like puns or critters and comments.  See how many different ways you can use them. 

Some of the stamps still available are: Pretty little ponies Z4425, Animal Party Z4396, Meowgical Z4408 and Take it Easy D2069.  Note when the stamp set begins with a Z there are thin cuts with it.  It really best to usually get the thin cuts as if you are making many cards or scrapbook pages using them, it is much easier with the thin cuts.  The stamps marked D do not have the thin cuts available at this time.

Same cards different techniques

 I love how you can get different styles using the same stamp set but doing different techniques.

Distress Oxide inks: You use a sponge or blending brush to get the colors onto the paper.  Because they stay wet for a while you can just keep blending and blending until you get the look you want. The color are vibrant and just seem to pop off the paper.

Water color Pencils: These can be used with or without water. The water will blend and make the pencil lines almost disappear.  This look is more subtle and give a softer look.

Alcohol Markers: Alcohol markers will blend if you do small sections at a time so that the marker is still wet.  You can use the Shimmer brush over it but you need to remember that the marker color will pick up on the brush and transfer. 

From left to right; water color pencils with shimmer brush. Alcohol marker, Distress oxide ink, Alcohol marker.

From left to right: Distress Oxide, distress oxide, water color pencil, alcohol marker

I used distress oxide inks with texture paste for backgrounds on the cards. I used the CTMH stencils. The distress oxide inks do not stamp as well but you can do it for accent.  

Challenge yourself by taking a stamp set and doing it in a variety of mediums.  What do you like for what occasions? I usually don't stamp a sentiment inside my cards but I am starting to gather some together to use.  I am also going to back to stamping the envelopes from time to time.  I find that variety is a spice of life.  Keep pushing your techniques and projects to the next level and have fun.

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.