April CTMH SOTM Blog Hop - My Sunshine

Welcome to the April Stamp of the Month (SOTM) blog hop!  Whether you arrived from Adeline's blog or you are starting here, you're right on track.  Just follow the links at the end of the posts to "hop" through all the participating blogs.

This month we are featuring S1304 My Sunshine (set of 8).

My customers often ask "how do you come up with ideas?"  Well, sometimes I wonder the same thing. haha!  But seriously, I wasn't sure what to do with this set and as soon as I started playing with it, I fell in love!!  So here are a few things that I did to get me started.

• Pick a paper pack or color scheme to work with.
• Pull out the inks and embellishments that will match.
• Stamp each image on a piece of scratch paper just to see how it stamps and what it looks like.
• Cut corresponding cricut shapes, if available and stamp a couple.
• Flip through the Idea book and look for card styles or scrapbook pages that might work.
• And don't be afraid....to copy someone else!  Yep, I said it!!  Give credit of course, but sometimes you just need to sit down and copy something in order to get your creative juices flowing.

After I stamped a couple of images and tried to figure out how to use the balloon stamp, I discovered that it kind of looked like a flower petal so I stamped and cut out a bunch and created a flower.

One of the things I love about this set is the separate stamp for the bird wings. It makes it so easy to add a second color to the bird.

Here's a little video with more info, tips and ideas


Now that you have seen what I dreamed up, it's time to hop on over to Pam's blog to see what she has come up with. 

CTMH Love Your Layout - March Studio J Tutorial

Have you been following the Love Your Layout videos?  I love these.  They highlight different techniques in Studio J and they are quick and easy to follow.  You could even watch the video on your ipad and play along on your computer at the same time!

Step 1 - Login or create your Studio J account on my website

Step 2 - Watch this video. :-)

I'm in Love... with TUBES...again....

I am loving the new My Creations Kraft Container (Z1833 $3.95) in our current idea book because it is like a blast from the past for me.  Many years ago (geez, I don't even remember how long ago it was....), my buddy Candace got a ton of mailing tubes for an incredible deal.  So we went a little tube crazy... and then we sent a bunch of samples to CTMH and not only did they publish our artwork... they published the "article" I sent to them too!!

I still have a copy somewhere and I believe I still have a couple of decorated tubes too... I'll try to post them tomorrow.  That will be fun!!

Ok, back to business... We are calling these "tubes", Kraft Containers (but really...it's a tube, you know!)

You can decorate these to go with any theme or occasion.  Use them to store little odds and ends on your desk or dresser or....create a fun gift!

Birthday - put a balloon, candle, some goodies, etc and give it as a birthday gift
Easter - I'm sure this thing will hold lots of yummy Easter goodies!!!
Mother's Day - pamper your Mama and put some lotion, bath salts and a gift card inside
Father's Day - Yep, a tie will fit in there.  But I'm sure you could be a little more imaginative than that.

The ideas are ENDLESS!!!

Let's build a list.  Leave a comment with an idea of what you would stuff inside.  They are about 3 inches wide and 6 inches tall....

I found the Leprechaun's Gold....

I found the Leprechaun's Gold ....and it's all chocolate!  haha!  What could be better, right?

This project goes together so fast when you cut your images with the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.  I used Circle 1 and Circle 3.

Put a few chocolates in a cello bag, add a bow and you are done!  Now it's time to spread a little Leprechaun luck by sharing it with your friends.

CTMH Hoppy Easter Card

Sometimes its fun to channel the inner child and color!  I have been having fun playing with B1423 Hoppy Easter and B1422 Easter Wishes because it has given me an opportunity to experiment with different coloring mediums.  

On the Easter basket I featured here -  I used the waterbrush and my stamp pads.

This week I used colored pencils.  

Grab your favorite coloring medium (markers, colored pencils, water colors, water brush, chalks...) and come to my workshop on April 13th to channel your inner child.  I will post a picture of the workshop kits this weekend.  This card is included and you can flip the paper over to use the beautiful pink print on the opposite side for a completely different look! As always, my kits are available via the mail if you're out of town!

CTMH Project Inspirations: Mini Album

Happy Saturday - Are you crafting this weekend?  Need an idea to get you started?  Here's a fun little mini album you can create using your CTMH Cricut Artiste and Art Philosophy cartridges.  Mix and match your favorite shapes to create an album to highlight a fun part of your life or to give as a gift to someone special.




Need any of the supplies featured:

• Glitter paper
• Liquid Glass
• Piercing Tool
• Baker's Twine
• Artiste Cricut Cartridge
• Paper Packs

They are all available on my website!  Be sure to check out the "While Supplies Last" section to get some GREAT deals!!

CTMH Chantilly Workshop on the Go Kit

I love kits!  It's so great to get a package that has all the things you need to make fabulous projects.  As fabulous as kits are, they don't always suit our taste.  Sometimes we like part of the projects, but we aren't too thrilled with other parts.

Well here's a fun little video that shows what you get in the  Chantilly Workshop on the Go Card Kit and some little adaptations that I made to the cards.




You can get started on your own cards right away.  Just hop over to my website to order your own kit.