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Magic in Orlando
By Helen | July 30, 2008
I am here in sunny Orlando, FL for the Close To My Heart consultant convention. Today, I attended the leadership day where we played with the new September Word Puzzle and learned different ways to use the sanding kit. We received some new products!!! New chipboard, new tools, new papers…how exciting!!!!
Tomorrow brings the first day of convention and the unveiling of the Autumn/Winter 2008 Idea Book. I can’t wait to see what’s in store.
I’m staying at the Gaylord Palms Resort - what an incredible facility. The center of the facility is a large atrium, complete with a waterfall, stream,and mini ponds. There are meandering walkways lines with trees and bushes. Within the resort, there are different themed areas. My room is in the St. Augustine section.
Topics: Notes from Helen | 4 Comments »
Maximize Paper Usage
By Helen | June 13, 2008
As a Close To My Heart Consultant, I am often planning workshops. I designed and created a handy Paper Planner. When I sit down to create a workshop, I start using half of a CTMH paper pack - this includes 6 sheets of patterned paper (1 each of the 6 different patterns), plus 3 colors of solid cardstock (1 each of the 3 colors) for a total of 9 sheets of paper…thus, the Paper Planner has 9 individual grids to represent each of the pieces of paper.
Each of the large grid boxes represent a 12″ x 12″ piece of paper. Within each large grid box are smaller grids - each of these represents a 1″ x 1″ square.
Whether I’m scrapbooking on my own or designing a workshop, I use the same method…sketch & plan…this enables me to maximize the use of my papers. I use the back of the Paper Planner to sketch my designs or the blueprint/page map that I’m going to follow. This enables me to plan positioning of the various paper patterns. Once I have the design down, I mark all of the paper cuts on the Paper Planner.
If there is going to be any extra paper left, I want to make sure that the sizes of these pieces are “usable” sizes. This means I either want pieces that can be used across a 12″ x 12″ scrapbook page or that can be used on cards. This can be a juggling act with the positioning of the cuts on the grids.
Topics: Cards, Scrapbooking, Templates | 1 Comment »
Scrapbooking Tips
By Helen | June 5, 2008
During the month of May, Close To My Heart posted a daily scrapbooking tip on CTMH Consultant’s myCTMH websites and the main CTMH website. I compiled all of those into ONE easy to print and use file.
Note: the printed file is 12 pages long.
Topics: Scrapbooking, Technique Club | 4 Comments »
Bargello Card Tutorial
By Helen | April 21, 2008
In my post Put Scraps To Good Use, I mentioned making a Bargello style card. Here is an example of a card made with scraps!
This project was made using:
- CTMH Good Times Paper Pack scraps
- CTMH Bonding MemoriesTMGlue
- CTMH Chocolate Designer Ribbon Rounds
- CTMH Chocolate Mini-Medley My Accents
I happened to have these scraps (shown on the left) which were roughly the same length as a base piece (shown on the right). For my card, I’m not worried about the width of the strips, as this is going to use the zig-zag bargello pattern.
Apply CTMH’s Bonding MemoriesTM glue to base piece, attach the strips in a pleasing order and trim the piece so it’s squared up. Now I have this…
At this point, you’re going to think I’m nuts…you’re going to CUT up this piece into strips of various widths, like this…
Now, using the zig-zag bargello style, I played with the pieces moving them up and down to come up with a pattern that I liked.
To prevent my card from becoming too heavy, I found a scrap of a thinner patterned paper and used the reverse side for building the zig-zag bargello pattern.
Position the first strip aligned with the end of the base. Now, position the next strip from the pattern. I choose the thin Twilight Strips to match up the pattern. The part of the strip that overhangs to the left, will be cut off and go to the far right (as indicated by the arrows).
Here’s what it looks like after the piece has been cut and moved. Tip: Always keep the orientation of the cut piece the same (do not rotate it…otherwise, weird things can happen to your pattern).
Finish building the zig-zag bargello pattern. I then matted the bargello piece on cardstock & mounted to a card base.
Adding the final finishing touches…which were SCRAPS! The Happy Birthday just worked out, it was part of a scrap of paper from the CTMH Good Times paper pack.
Topics: Cards, Good Times PP, Tutorials | 3 Comments »
Log Cabin Card Tutorial
By Helen | April 21, 2008
In my post Put Scraps To Good Use, I mentioned making a paper quilt style card. Here is an example of a card made with scraps!
This project was made using:
- CTMH Good Times Paper Pack scraps
- CTMH Bonding MemoriesTMGlue
- CTMH Chocolate Designer Ribbon Rounds
- CTMH Chocolate Mini-Medley My Accents
Start with the center design. Determine the placement on the card base and attach it. Now, apply CTMH’s Bonding MemoriesTM glue around the center design.
Choose one of the paper strip scraps. The paper strips can vary in width or can all be the same width - the choice is yours! Temporarily position the strip along the center design. This allows you to see where to cut the paper. TIP: It’s okay if the strip ends up being slightly longer than needed, as the next strip will cover up the longer end.
When you get to the point where the strips hang off the end, just trim off any excess.
As I was creating this card, I found a thicker strip of Sweet Leaf Cardstock that I decided I’d use across the bottom of the card. There was no reason to have the quilt strips go all the way to the bottom of the card. I temporarily held the Sweet Leaf Cardstock strip across the card to get a visual idea of where to end the strips. Then…I was able to cut these shorter as shown.
It’s amazing how handy the itty-bitty scraps can be. Since I was making this card after doing a few other projects, I still had some odd size scraps (that normally would have been tossed) hanging out on the craft table. It’s almost like doing a puzzle - will this piece fit? Yes!
After adding the Sweet Leaf Cardstock strip across the bottom, I added a very thin strip that looks like ribbon. Adding a few embellishments (CTMH Chocolate Organza Ribbon and CTMH Chocolate Mini-Medley Accents - small flower & brad) add the finishing touches.
Topics: Cards, Express Postage, Good Times PP, Tutorials | No Comments »
CTMH Good Times
By Helen | April 13, 2008
These are the pages my Scrapbook Clubs will be making this month.
What do you need to recreate these pages? Here’s the list of everything I used:
Item # Description
X7092B Good Times PP
X7092C Good Times MS - used on pages 3 & 4 (borders, star accents, large star and title)
Z1019 Fresh Shapes Dimensional Elements
Z1035 Cottage Edge Anchors - used on pages 1, 2 and 4
Z1037 Mini-Medley Accents Shades of Chocolate
Z280 Natural Hemp - used on pages 1 & 2
Z1053 Clear Inspirations Acrylic Tags - these are NEW for the Summer! How fun!
Z1294 Sanding Kit (used on pages 1 & 2)
Z2210 Buttercup Ink Pad (chipboard)
Z2211 Chocolate Ink Pad (chipboard & stamping)
Z2253 Sweet Leaf Ink Pad (sueding)
Z2260 Twilight Ink Pad (sueding & stamping)
Z726 Sponge Daubers
Stamp Sets
D1264 Angel Whispers
D1258 Friendship Word Puzzle
I offer scrapbook workshops every month. I figure, this gives you the flexibility to attend the workshop if it’s something you’re interested in. For my workshops, I create cutting diagrams, written instructions and samples of the art for you to follow. Of course, I’m there to help!
If you’re part of a Scrapbook Club, then you enjoy added benefits, such as getting the Hostess Rewards when it’s your month.
Topics: Angel Whispers D1264, Chipboard, Friendship WP D1258, Good Times PP, Scrapbook Club | 1 Comment »
Seven Weird or Interesting Facts About Me
By Helen | April 12, 2008
Before I share the seven weird or interesting facts about me…let me explain a bit about “tagging.” Just like the game of tag that we played as children, when you are “tagged” by a fellow blogger, you are given rules to follow. In this game, you share seven weird or interesting facts about yourself and then randomly tag seven other people and share links to their blogs.
Thank you to Chris at houseofstamps for tagging me.
Here are 7 weird or interesting facts about me:
- I’m named after my paternal grandmother.
- I rode in an elevator with a famous person. I was on the elevator facing the back of the car, when someone got on behind me. My friend, MC, was there and was mouthing words. I said, “I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me.” A voice from behind me said, “He’s trying to tell you that I’m George Foreman.”
- I was on TV…okay…it was a bit part…a broadcast of the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City. I played marching band xylophone and when they got to our band, they roled the credits over us.
- I love playing video games with my boys. Our current favorite - the new Smash Bros. Brawl where my favorite character is Yoshi.
- I carry a deck of cards in my purse so that when my family goes out to dinner, we play a game called Fours while waiting for our food.
- I’ve lived in five different states: New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Colorado and Massachusettes.
- I designed and drew the first draft of plans for our house on the hill in Loveland, Colorado.
Tag…You’re It!
Wendy, Allie, …have to hunt for some others to tag who haven’t already been tagged! So…if you’ve never been tagged before…You’re It! Leave a comment here and I’ll add a link to your blog.
Topics: Notes from Helen | 1 Comment »
Put Scraps To Good Use
By Helen | April 7, 2008
Do you have lots of “scraps”? Do you hang onto those scraps thinking…I’ll be able to use this? Let me share some of my tips for what I do with my scraps.
First, evaluate. If the piece is large enough to be used as a photo mat, or as part of a scrapbook layout, then it goes back into either:
- the CTMH paper pack that it came out of - this way, it stays with the coordinating papers or,
- the appropriate paper section in my folders - these are sorted by color, theme, pattern type, etc.
Medium size pieces, decorate! Since I most likely have out the coordinating ink pads, embellishments, and stamp sets, I take a few extra minutes to make “Paper Candy.” What is Paper Candy? These are pre-made accents that can be added to a scrapbook layout or greeting card. Here’s an example of some Paper Candy.
Small to medium size pieces are great for sentiments! I’ll pull out a sentiment stamp set or two and stamp a variety of sayings on the scraps. Things like “Happy Birthday,” “Thank You,” and so forth. Then, using other small scraps, mat the sayings. I store these in a 4″ x 6″ mini photo album (the kind with sewn in page protectors). I use different pockets for different sentiment categories (birthday, thank you, get well and so on).
Thin paper strips - paper quilt! I’ll use a stamped image as the center of a Log Cabin style paper quilt. Put the stamped image in the center of the card (it doesn’t have to be a square and it could be slightly askew). Then…grab all those thin strips you have (1/4-inch, 1/2-inch, or larger). Then, start adding the strips. You can follow the standard Log Cabin light/dark placement for pieces, or change it up and have something totally unique. Here’s a great websitew ith an animation link showing how the Log Cabin block is built: http://www.nmia.com/~mgdesign/qor/styles/logcabin/logcabin.htm
Some other ways to use scraps:
- Serendipity Squares - take a variety of scraps and adhere them to another piece of cardstock or patterned paper. Leave space between the scraps. Stamp images over the scraps and onto the base. Cut out in squares, or use punches to get fun shapes. Use to back title letters, as mini accents on your cards or layouts and more. You’ll find directions on HGTV here.
- Bargello Designs - this is another great use for thin paper strips. Adhere them side by side to a base cardstock or patterned paper (great way to use up a patterned paper you’re not thrilled with, or something that didn’t turn out the way you like). After you have all the strips adhered, cut perpendicular to the strips in various widths. Now stagger the design to create the Bargello pattern. I could see this used on a card, or as a accent strip along the side of a scrapbook page. You’ll find directions on HGTV here.
- Cover Chipboard Pieces
- Get out the shape punches - you can make so many different things with a variety of punch shapes. I have the Punch Your Art Out 2 book which shows how to take hearts and flowers to create fish! It’s amazing what you can create with little bitty scraps.
How do YOU use your scraps?
Topics: Papers | 3 Comments »
We’ve expanded by four feet!
By Helen | March 29, 2008
Dax
Born in South Easton, Massachusetts
at Clover Valley Beagles
on January 19, 2008.
Joined her family on March 21, 2008.
Welcomed by her fur siblings Kira, Odo & Taz.
Where does Dax’s name come from? There’s some history behind it…let me explain. My husband, Ken, is a Trekkie. As such, we’ve watched all the iterations of Star Trek. The tradition of using Star Trek names started with a little orange kitty. We were having the hardest time coming up with a name that everyone liked…then…we watched an episode of Voyager and the character Neelix came on. That’s it! We’ll call him Neelix! The name stuck.
The tradition continued when a little grey kitty joined our household. This little grey kitty loved to sleep inside something. We talked about how he loved to sleep in Andrew’s bucket hat. Then it dawned on us…when Odo, the changeling on Star Trek: Deep Space Nineneeded to rest, he would return to his gelatinous form and be contained in a bucket. The name stuck and so did Odo’s tendancy to sleep in things, such as he is here in the bowl on the table.
Occasionally traditions are meant to be broken. Although we tried, and tried to come up with a Trekkie name for this adorable black Manx kitty who Ken flew via Delta Airlines from Denver, Colorado to Orlando, Florida and back, we just couldn’t find a Trekkie name that fit. We tried Delta (for the Delta Flyer), Tuvok just didn’t work, neither did Worf…none of these fit his personality. He’s a mini tornado. Then…seeing him standing on the chair looking out at the birds, we were inspired - he looked like Taz - the Tazmanian Devil.
When we decided to get a puppy to help keep our older dog Brookie active, we found this adorable Beagle. We went to the list of female Star Trek characters. Kira Nerys is a Bajoran. Bajorans have very distinctive noses…as does our Beagle - and thus, Kira got her name.
When our beloved Brookie left us a few weeks ago after 15 1/2 years of living a wonderful life, as queen of the hill, Ken’s garden companion, our protector and friend, Kira was heartbroken. I think it was harder on us to see Kira constantly looking for Brookie than it was for us. At that time, we decided that Kira needed a playmate and the search began. I found a website that showed Beagle puppies for sale. I narrowed it down to a few and showed the boys.
Going with tradition, and since we had two pets named from Star Trek: Deep Sapce Nine we chose Jadzia Dax and shortened it to Dax. Although now, Ken is wondering if her name should be Houdini as Dax miraculously gets out of her crate in the middle of the night and ends up on the bed with us…LOL. Andrew has nicknamed her “Daxini.”
Topics: Notes from Helen | 4 Comments »
CTMH Distressing Kit
By Helen | March 11, 2008
The Close To My Heart (CTMH) Distressing Kit is filled with LOTS of fun tools! I played with all of them and put together this layout showing all the various tools and how to use them.
Topics: CTMH Product Highlight | No Comments »