Treat Bags! Yum, yum, yum...........Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Can you find the chocolate in this photo?  It's in the little glasine bag - and I didn't eat it!  ha. 

Well, I'll let you in on a little secret.  My last nine posts, including this one, were pre-scheduled and posted a couple of weeks ago.  I am actually on my way back from the Spellbinders(TM) 2010 Design Team retreat in Peoria, Arizona!!!!  I know by this time my brain must be exploding with all kinds of smart stuff - ha!!! And my luggage will be full of all kinds of Spellbinders(TM) goodness.  Oh, what fun!

We were all told to bring each other a little gift that reflected our hometown. 

Well, Melbourne, Florida is the hometown of Ocean Potion sunscreen products.  The little decorated jar is clear zinc oxide for your face, lips, nose...you get the idea.  And we are also the home of Grimaldi handmade chocolate, specializing in chocolate-covered potato chips.  That's what's in the little bag!  Also all wrapped up in the gift bag is one of CTMH's brand new clear acrylic cards with a clear plastic envelope!!  Scalloped and square - oh my!  I hope the girls liked them.  Will tell you tomorrow and spill all the beans!!!

Thanks for sticking with me!  OH!!!!   I just remembered that yesterday was my one-year blogaversary!!!!   Did we make it to 25,000 hits?   I still need to hunt up some blog candy.  Give me a day or two to unpack and I'll see what I can find! 

Peace out,

Hey, girlfriend! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Just a quick post today!  While I had those vintage Crafty Secrets panels out yesterday, I used this one to make a card for the Splitcoaststampers Ways to Use It challenge.  All you had to do was use a diagonal element on your card.  How easy is that with the Topstitch paper, which is already on the diagonal? 

I used a scallop punch, several layers, a pretty flower and button.  I couldn't find my chocolate waxy flax to thread the button, so I threaded it with a skinny little strip of chocolate cardstock.

Off to do a bit of cleaning (groan.........)

Men are such animals!!! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

I was perusing the blogs (blurfing - blog surfing - don't you love that?  tee hee) and found a challenge that was right up my alley - use a bow on your card.  Well, hellOOOOO!!!  A bow implies ribbon.....and goodness knows I have enough ribbon to tie up central Florida! 

Now what does the title of my post have to do with a bow?  No.....nothing about a man all tied up.....get your mind out of the gutter!  "Men are such animals....Yes dear, but some make good pets!"  It's the sentiment on this cute little panel that I used on the card.  Funny, huh?  It's from one of those pages of vintage images from Crafty Secrets.  I love them!!

I ended up with this card in such a roundabout way.  It started with the bow concept.  I knew that I wanted to make a fluffy bow with May Arts' silk ribbon, but I only had green (no - not what I wanted) and this buttercup yellow.  Then I thought vintage...oh, those Crafty Secrets panels!  So I pulled them out and found this one - the gal's apron matched the ribbon, and I thought the sentiment was a hoot!  And pink is vintage, right?  So then I thought pink - let's look at the new CTMH Topstitch paper packet.  The vanilla cream flowers go nicely with the ribbon!  I used grey wool cardstock and ink for matting and stamping.  Seriously, it took less than 15 minutes, which is miraculous for me.  I stuck a Pretty Pin in the bow and called it done! Can't wait to mail it to a friend!

Thanks again, y'all, for visiting my blog.  Do you like my new header and sidebars???  My friend Amelia paid her friend Tamera to do the logo (header).  Then I paid Tamera to do the sidebar headers, signature and a watermark.  So now I'll be able to add the watermark when I get Photoshop Elements.

Phew!  So if you're still here, leave me a comment about the new look.  Anything I should change?

Back to work tomorrow (boohoo)....

Happy Spring! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Happy Spring, indeed!  We are already burning up here in Florida.  ha....remember all that complaining about the cold weather?  I knew it would come around to bite me in the behind!

It's obvious I'm working on jazzing up my blog and that I need to resize some things...tee hee....bear with me, as I thing the final product will be delightful!  I am excited!!

In the meantime, I wanted to share with you a card that I did for the JUGS challenge.  My friend Lisa from Artful Inkables DT is on the design team, as is my soon-to-be-friend Mona from Spellbinders DT. They have a different 'type' of challenge each week - this week it's a sketch challenge.

The paper is all from CTMH's "Topstitch" paper packet.  Cute, right?  It's reversible so you can use pink or blue for a baby album.  I love that!  I also love the little stamp set - it has several umbrella options, as well as little duckies to paper piece!  How precious!

Let me get back to 'fixin' my blog.......later, friends!

April SOTM Blog Hop! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Hey there!  Welcome to Close To My Heart's April "Stamp of the Month" Blog Hop!  Did you get here from Lori's blog?  If not, just keep hoppin' and you'll come around to it full circle. 

For those of you that live in the frozen tundra, you will love this stamp set, as it's a peek into spring!  When I saw this window scene, I just knew I had to make a little awning to shade the view!

The name of the April Stamp of the Month is "Flower Pot", and there are lots of little flower pots, window boxes, and different species of flowers to color!  Fun, fun, fun!  I used Topstitch papers and CTMH markers for the card.

This set also makes perfect little note cards. I used CTMH glitter rub-ons on the second card - obviously, I chose the red glitter sheet, although these rub-ons allow you to choose silver or gold as well!


Contact your CTMH independent consultant to purchase this stamp set only in April, or get it free with purchase!  If you don't have a consultant, you can get it now on my site.  Now hop on over (like a little Easter bunny!) to my friend Katy's blog for more flowery goodness!

Deb

Beach Bunny! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Here's a pretty picture of a pretty girl!  This is Emma, the daughter of my ex-husband's niece.  So I guess that makes her Alan's second cousin?  Who knows.....I just know that she is sweet and funny and absolutely beautiful.  Her parents are insanely incredible...what a lucky family!

I have to apologize for just being too darned sleepy to go back in there and take a better photo.  Aren't these Topstitch papers the best?  They flip to blue and brown, so they're great for boys too.  I also used these papers on the two cards here.

Are you watching the Olympics?  My boyfriend Apolo Anton Ohno is soooo cute, isn't he.  He wishes I was there....but alas, I must stay here and bring home the proverbial bacon.  I know that he understands.

Sigh.

Deb

Baby card and Love card CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Happy Hump Day!

I thought you might like to see a couple of cards that I made for my Open House display boards.  The layout of the top card is pretty self-explanatory.  Both cards use the super-cute "Topstitch" paper packet.  With the combination of pinks, blues and browns, it's perfect for baby albums!  The pink papers reverse to brown, so you can use the paper packet for traditional boy/girl items.

The top card also uses a great new stamp set "Togetherness" which has several images of stitches and a sentiment to match.  The images (flowers and flourishes) as well as the sentiment on the second card are from a stamp set available exclusively in  the Topstitch Workshop On The Go.

I hope you're having a good week.  I woke up with a killer sore throat, nasty chills....the works.  I literally slept most of the day.  It helped, but just getting up to shower kicked my butt tonight!  And I have a 9:00 a.m. meeting......ugghhh.....at least we don't have snow outside; I'm thankful for that!

Till next time,

Deb

My beautiful niece - AI Sketch Challenge! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Brrrr! It's a cold-stay-inside-and-play-with-paper kind of day!

Yes, I know....it's Super Bowl Sunday....whatever!  ha!  Now, you know I love my Dodgers, and I love my Gators, but it pretty much ends there.  But for Uncle Jimmy and Cousin Greg.......gooooo COLTS!

Join us in this week's sketch challenge over on the Artful Inkables blog for a chance to win a goody bag of AI goodies!  Here's Kristin's sketch for you to use.

This time I took the sketch, flipped it on its side and instead of a card....made a layout!

(You can click on the image to enlarge it and view the details)

This is my beautiful, precious niece Stephanie.  She and Alan (my baby) are the only grandkids on our side of the family.  That could have been different - 25 years ago today.

Yes, today is my sweet baby Jessica Lynn's birthday.  I have no doubt that she would have looked just like Stephanie looks in this layout.  Today,  25 years later, I imagine she would be a concert pianist......a governor......a physician.....maybe even a mom.  Who knows?  Que sera sera.


Most years I am the only one that thinks about this birthday.  Or perhaps others remember but just don't say anything to spare my feelings.  That's more likely....

So are you ready to try your hand at this fun sketch?  Distress it up like I did....or keep it clean and simple.

* You are not required to use AI stamps, but if you have them, we'd love to see you use them! **IF YOU USE AI STAMPS, YOU GET 2 ENTRIES FOR YOUR CREATION! JUST ENTER YOUR NAME/LINK TWICE ON MR. LINKY!!!

* You have until Monday, February 15, 2010, midnight Pacific Standard Time to link your creation to this post. A winner will be chosen Tuesday, February16, 2010 to win a GRAB BAG of AI STAMPS!

* When posting your link, please post the link directly to your creation- so if it's on your blog, please link it directly to the specific post with your creation.

* If uploading to SCS or PCP, please add the keyword AIC13.

Good luck!

Deb