Remembering Dad - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

We lost my dad five years ago last week.  It seems like it was yesterday, and it seems like a lifetime ago. 

I created this layout featuring my favorite photo of him from when he was a baby in the Navy.  How handsome, right?

This layout was for a design team contest (I was not selected), but I love the layout, and that's what counts.  I hope you enjoy it!

Free Spellbinders? You heard it here!

I want to let you in on a GRAND announcement!

Mark you calendar for January 10-18: when I will be participating in Spellbinders(TM) Paper Arts "To Die For!!" Winter Release Blog Frenzy!  WooHOOO!!!  You will seriously DIE when you see this new release - it is absolutely the best ever! 

You will not believe the awesome die templates in this release!  It's my favorite so far - and you can win them all!  Join me and 15 other designers starting January 10 for a sneak peek and your chance to enter the contest to win!  I cannot wait to show you the projects I have been working on!


If I sound just a tad excited, it's because I truly am!  Oh, I can't wait for you to see!  My post is the 13th, but the hop starts here Monday morning.  Make sure you enter every day for your chance to win!

Good luck, friends!

Spellbinders(TM) International Guest Blogger Call! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Good morning, all!  Or good evening, good night, ciao to our international Spellbinders users....it's your time to shine!

We are excited to announce the Spellbinders International Guest Blogger Contest. wooHOOO!  Spellbinders is looking for one fabulous International Guest Blogger to appear on the Spellbinders Paper Arts Blog during the month of June! This contest is for Spellbinders Paper Arts enthusiasts currently living outside of the United States. We will select one International Guest Blogger to create four projects with instructions, for publication on the Spellbinders Paper Arts Blog.


How cool is that!  This is a fab opportunity for our international fans, who were not eligible for the DT call, to showcase their talents! 

The contest is open to submissions from April 6, 2010, until 11:59 MST, April 20, 2010. The Winner will be announced on April 29, 2010, and completed blog posts with images are due by May 24, 2010.


Contest details and prizes are posted on the Spellbinders Paper Arts Blog.

Good luck to all!

The last of the three cards CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Here's the last of the three 'loser' cards that I made for the Leadership conference contest. I used the chalk popping technique, which I had never before done. It was fun! I used Colonial White cardstock for the stars stamped with Versamark, then added the purple and pink chalks. Now, if I took better photos, you could tell that I stamped the background with polkie dots, plus a cute scalloped border. White CTMH rub-ons on a little transparency trip. Fun, fun, fun!

Alan is leaving tonight to go home for college so we are both morose. There is also a tropical storm heading this way, which I am trying to ignore. I'm convinced that if I ignore this one, it will go away. tee hee

Meanwhile, the wheels are turning and packages are arriving for my September Open House. I just can't WAIT!!!!!

Sweet dreams,

Deb

Another Loser Card and a Sneak Peek CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Hey hey hey! My antibiotics are kicking in and I only feel half-dead now. tee hee hee. Here's the second of the three cards that I submitted for the Leadership contest.

I didn't take a very good photo - sorry!!! The "trim" on the right is actually inside the card. The two hearts at the bottom are clear 'ghost' shapes backed with stamped cardstock. The sentiment is topped with a window charm. It's very pretty IRL!

Now.....remember my announcement last month about being selected to the AI (Artful Inkables ) Design Team? Well, well, well! We are having a blog hop this Saturday, August 15! Three new stamp sets will be introduced. Here's a sneak peek from Kristin, our fantastic artist, creator and owner! She is also a much better color-er than I am, a fact that will become apparent as we hop along this weekend. Ha!!! Is this sneak peek tiny enough for ya? tee hee.

Enjoy your evening. It looks like it's about to pour here in Florida. What's new for an August evening in Florida....you know what I mean?

Sweet dreams,

Deb

Top Five Place at Leadership CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Hey y'all!!! I'd like to say that I'm back in the saddle again, but ugh. Still feel and sound a bit crappy. But better than my poor sweet mom...she went in the hospital this morning!!! She has bronchitis (no, I did not give it to her...tee hee) and is getting IV antibiotics. God love. When it rains it pours. I just hope she bounces back quickly and gets to come home tomorrow!

So......remember my non-winning cards from Leadership Conference? Well, here are my non-winning placecards and napkin rings - ha! We were challenged to make a gift item for less than a dollar. So I bought some super-cheap ponytail holders (yes, I have a ponytail), CTMH's rockin' stamp set "Extreme Happiness: (hibiscus and border) and some pretty, pretty cardstock. I was selected to be in the top 5, so that rocked, right???? "It's an honor to be selected" (in my best beauty-queen voice.

No stories tonight (although I am saving up some)....gotta call my mommy ;-)

Sweet dreams,

Deb

Not every card is a winner!!!! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Greetings! No, I am not dead. tee hee. But Alan and I have been sick ever since I came home from Long Beach. I attribute it to the croopy elderly lady in the wheelchair who was sitting at the gate coughing up a lung. The other passengers were giving each other scary glances (including me). Sure enough, I have the worst sore throat and crappy heat....well, you know what I mean. And my poor baby does not feel well, either. Even Target (kitty kitty) is sneezing! Good grief.

Well, here is one of the three cards that I submitted for the card contest at Leadership. We had to use the same pattern ('Top Band' from Wishes) for all three cards. I wish you could see the cards that were selected for the top five. They were incredible!!! Some of them were the most creative, cute cards I had ever seen. And I have seen a lot of cards on the www!

I will save you from my nonsensical ramblings since my brain and fingers are not in sync.

Cheers,

Verve Stamps Two-Year Anniversary Blog Hop! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Welcome to the first ever official Anni-VERVE-sary Blog Hop. woooHOOO!!! Verve turns two today and we’re celebrating with a hop, hop, hop! If you have not yet seen Julee's incredible stamps and artwork, check her out here!

If you're here for Close To My Heart's August Stamp of the Month blog, scroll down to the next post after you finish this one!

The party kicked off over on the Verve blog, so if you started here, be sure to hop on over there to start from the beginning! And guess what! There’s a mystery jackpot hidden at one of the stops along the hop. One lucky commenter on that blog (it could be you!) will win Verve’s entire August release! You can be sure I'll be commenting!!! But of course, it wouldn’t be a mystery if you knew which blog, would it? So if you’re feeling the love, give a little shout out to each of bloggers in the hop and you just might have a reason to jump for joy!

Now, grab a Diet Dr. Pepper and some chocolate and settle in for the ride!

Here's a card I made with Verve's stamp set "Beautiful You". There are several lovely sentiments here that you can use either inside or on the outside of cards. They are also nice to use on scrapbook layouts! It also includes the flower that I 'colored' on my MojoMonday97 card.

RECIPE:

Stamps: Beautiful You (Verve)

Ink: Twilight (CTMH)

Paper: Emporium B&T, Cocoa Cardstock, Buttercup Cardstock (CTMH), K&Company

Other: Big Pinks Just Blooms, Sparkles, Organdy Ribbon (CTMH), Button (Foo la la)

Then, 'cause I just had to, I made an anniversary card for Verve! It's pretty dorky, relaly it is, but I had to lay it out so that I could include both the woodchuck (groundhog? cute little animal) and the birdie! This is a really cute DCWV paper pack. Of course, I cannot remember the name and I am at CTMH Leadership in Long Beach, so leave me a note if you want and I'll find it when I get home. I could call Alan and ask him, but a guy in a scrapbook room......ugh.

Well, thanks for stopping by! Now it’s time to hop on over to Lisabee’s blog, for a little more Verve-y goodness!

Have a great day!

Cuttlebug Challenge - doing the inside! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Happy Hump Day! WooHOO!!!

There's a challenge over at The Cuttlebug Spot this week and I thought I'd jump in. I've been neglecting my little green bug lately and it needed some well-deserved lovin'!

The challenge was "all about the inside". The goal was to focus on the inside of the card. So I cut a window in the front of my card with my bug and my Nestibilities. Then embossed the front with the Cuttlebug sticks embossing folder. It was the first time I had used it, and I like the look! I sponged a little Cocoa ink on the 'sticks'.

Then I stamped this awesome owl (you saw him a couple of weeks ago on my favorite card ever - at that point - tee hee) in Cocoa, along with some of the branches and sentiments. The cute little nest on the front is from the same set, as is the inked sentiment on the twill.

What do you think? Did I put enough emphasis on the inside? I tend to do at least a little sumpin' sumpin' on the inside of my cards. Otherwise if looks like I ran out of steam! What about you? Do you give much thought to your cards' innards?

RECIPE:

Stamps: Take Flight (CTMH)

Paper: Colonial White, Desert Sand and Cocoa Cardstock (CTMH)

Ink: Cocoa (CTMH)

Other: Nestibilities (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug Sticks Embossing Folder (Provocraft), Antique Copper Photo Hanger (CTMH), Twill (CTMH)

I missed the shuttle launch tonight! Did I ever tell you about my Dad working at the Cape? I think I talked about it a bit. Well, he always, without fail, called us to remind us about a launch. We live about 15 miles from the space center and my Dad worked there for over 30 years. I really miss his little reminder calls. This is the first one I've missed. Well, I know he would have forgiven me.

Now, off to visit blog land!!!

Sweet dreams,

Super Sparkly Card, but no more weekend - boo hoo Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Where does the time fly? I have been making cards all weekend long. What super fun! Alan and I have been staying up so late. I went to bed at 4:00 Saturday and Sunday mornings. Can you believe it???? I just did not want to stop playing! I decided to make cards for the CTMH Card Contest at Leadership, so I can't show those to you, but I'll take photos for later. I love them!!!

I also made cards for the Verve July challenge. Here is my favorite! We had a specific sketch, plus we had to use scoring. I used the Perfect Day papers. I love the Sorbet Damask pattern! It's double-sided; you can see where I used the darker and the lighter side of the same paper. I went overboard on the Sparkles, but I wanted it to look like tufting.

Did you have a good weekend? It was cloudy here most of the weekend, but we took my mom to lunch today. She is a hoot. We hear the same stories over and over again, but that's probably good - will help us remember them later on ;-)

RECIPE:
Paper: Perfect Day, Tulip and Sorbet CS (CTMH)
Stamps: Kindred Spirits (Verve)
Ink: Tulip (CTMH)
Other: Sparkles, Sorbet Ribbon Round (CTMH)

Sweet dreams,

Flocked Paper, Pastel Popping and staying up late Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Good morning! Yes, it is 1:00 a.m. here in Florida. I am a nightowl. If I had my druthers, I'd stay up till 3 or 4 every night (morning?) and sleep late, late, late! But I have a day job that pays the bills. But Friday night.....well, that's my night to stay up late and create!!!

This is a card that I made for a Verve sketch challenge. This is one of those DCWV paper pads that I bought last weekend....like I need more paper....hell-OOOOO!!! It's called "La Creme" and about half of the papers are flocked! The strips along the top and bottom are flocked, as is the matching tri-color strip in the center.

This card uses a technique called pastel popping, I think. You stamp an image with Versamark, then go over the image with chalk. Gorgeous!!! I have a new favorite technique!!! It was super easy, too. Wherever you see blue or green, that is the popping.

RECIPE:

Paper: La Creme (DCWV), White Daisy Cardstock (CTMH)

Stamps: Verve

Inks: Versamark, Black (CTMH)

Other: Organdy Ribbon, Pearl (Kaisercraft), Nestibilities (Spellbinders), Chalk (CTMH)

What are you doing this weekend? I am hoping we will have some sunshine so I can get some exercise in the pool. We have had nothing but clouds and rain for a couple of weeks. It looked sunny for about a minute last weekend. Oh well. I have more stamping to do, anyway...tee hee! Enjoy your weekend!

Don't forget me when you're rich and famous Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

I think I have yet one more Basic Grey paper pad to crack open besides this one. This is "Ambrosia" - yum!!! This is also the last of my five contest cards.

When I received my first stamps from Verve (woohooo!), I saw this sentiment and thought it would coordinate perfectly with CTMH's "You Rock" guitar image. The coordinating chipboard, brads and fibers were on clearance, so of course I bought those as well! So glad I did! This card ROCKS!

RECIPE:
Paper: BG Ambrosia, CTMH Cardstock
Ink: CTMH Grey Wool, Sunflower
Stamps: CTMH You Rock, Verve sentiment
Other: BG Ambrosia Brads, Fibers, Chipboard; CTMH Sparkles

Today is the last day of CTMH's Deal-a-Day promotion! You can get over $300 dollars worth of loot for $125!!!! Can you say enabler alert? Good grief, what are they trying to do to me? Well, if you are as weak and goofy as I am, log on to your CTMH's website and check it out. If you don't have a consultant, pick me! Pick me! Ha. Just click on the corresponding area on the homepage.

Remember - tomorrow's the July Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! Links will be up early...enjoy!

Cute Little Tuxedo Birdy ;-) Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Howdy! This is the fourth of five cards that I made for the Verve June Release challenge. It's the tweety bird darling? He is one of a pair of "Black Tie Birdies" from Verve stamps. His mate has the bowtie in her hair, rather than around the neck. I dipped into another of those Basic Grey paper packs I've been collecting. This one is "Eva". The baby brad on his bow, as well as the bigger, patterned one on the ribbon, are from the same collection. CTMH's Vineyard Berry Cardstock and inks matched perfectly! The cute sentiment is part of a set from Flourishes. And lastly, I used oval and scalloped Nestbilities to cut the center elements. Are you a paper collector as well? Duh. If you're reading this blog, I imagine there's a pretty good chance that you are! I just drool over the designs and colors. I want it all!

Tomorrow is the last day of CTMH's June Deal-A-Day promotion. If I've counted correctly, there should be a pretty awesome goody box up for grabs. It will be available after 11:00 tomorrow EST - till then, free flowers are the deal.....shop on my website here!

Hasta manana,

We're goin' hoppin'! Starts Wednesday CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Woohoooo! So many of my customers are waiting for the July Stamp of the Month from CTMH - "You've Got Flair". It's gor-geee-ous! Can't show you now - nope! But Wednesday morning at 12:01 MT (2:01 EST), we have 44 CTMH consultants participating in this month's blog hop. Good grief!!!! It will take all month to get through it! tee hee. I'll include a link to all the blogs, in case someone's link gets broken perchance.

So today I'll do a little test. You'll be coming to my blog from Karen's blog, and after mine you'll be hopping over to Adeline's. Got it? Good! ;-)

Here's one of the cards that I made for the Verve June Release challenge. Don't you love these papers? I used that MM "Black Tie' paper pack with buttons that match. The white flower was in a bunch that I bought from OTC when I first started scrapbooking. It is not paper ;-(. This was before I knew about CTMH's paper flowers. Oh well. It works, though. The images and sentiment are from "Treasure Life", a wonderful silhouette set. Grey Wool and Bamboo inks and cardstock by CTMH. Cheap ribbon from Michael's.

I am watching "Farrah's Story" right now. How sad, but how brave this woman was! To have someone record all of the pain and, well, every emotion that she went through....I know for a fact I would not be able to do that. Poor Ryan O'Neal is just heartbroken in this movie. Can you just imagine how her son feels? And her father lost his other daughter (her sister) to cancer in 2001, so now he is alone. How terrible. Don't you just wish there was some way that you could take their pain away?

Our Cancer Center (I work for a medical group) treats cancer aggressively; we have been the first center in the country with many technologies, and in fact train physicians from other countries. But I, myself, just could not be involved in that. My job is non-clinical (administrative), and I can deal with that. But not with the illness. I would not be able to treat patients without becoming emotionally involved with each and every one. I commend all of you who are able to give this part of yourselves.

Well. On to happier things. My BABY is coming home today! WOOHOO!!! I am finally going to post a photo of him. Do not tell him; we will not be pleased.

Today it will be a 'baby' photo. Isn't he a living doll??? I just love this photo. Look at that little belly peekin through! tee hee. He is now a handsome young man. I'm so lucky!

I took this photo in Charleston, SC, where he was born. I'm sure that Spanky, our little beagle (remind me to tell you the story some day - he is gone now) was ripping around the yard with his little tail

wagging up a storm.

Those were the days!!!

Sweet dreams,

TGIF! My favorite card yet! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Happy Friday!!!! Dontcha just love Fridays? Yum, yum, yum!!!!

I made this card last night. It is my favorite card that I have ever made! I bought this set "Take Flight" by CTMH for the cardinal image, but I thought this owl would be perfect with this paper.

I started collecting these Basic Grey 6x6 paper pads this year and have four different designs, along with some coordinating brads. This paper is called "Granola". Isn't it yummy? I love blues, browns and greys! I also used a Martha Stewart branch punch, as well as a CTMH blending pen on the eggs. I made this card as one of five for the Verve June Release Challenge. My Mojo Monday card was one of the five as well; I'll post the others in the next few days. I just love this card. It is even nicer IRL (in real life - tee hee!)!

Are you ready for the weekend? Yippeeee!!!!! My baby is coming home tomorrow! That means I have to get groceries and actually cook for a change. I suppose he is worth the sacrifice ;-).

Sweet dreams,

Can't believe I made five cards tonight! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Good grief! I had a long, happy evening of creating!

A dear friend and co-worker lost her father last Friday. Two days before Father's Day. How very sad. It is one of the hardest things we will go through, truly.

So tonight I made this sympathy card for her. I used the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday sketch challenge. This is my first challenge and my first card with Flourishes stamps. They are gorgeous! I received my first (few - tee hee) sets last week and can't wait to show you all that I've made with them already!

I used the Flourishes set "Thinking of You" for the image and the sentiment. Paper is the beautiful "That's Amore" paper pack from Close To My Heart, with coordinating accessories and inks in Vineyard Berry and Colonial White.

As I've been so chatty lately, I'll leave you with nothing more than a simple good night!

Sweet Dreams,