School Days Photo Tray - Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to September's Stamp of the Month blog hop!  If you are just starting out, or have arrived here from Annette's Creative Journey, you are in the right place.  When you're done here, you can hop along to Paper Creations by Wendy and see what she has made for us this month.  Just don't forget to read all the way to the bottom of my post today for a great giveaway!

This month's featured stamp set is Limited Edition, an awesome set of 21 stamps with an office-type feel and tons of possibilities!  With back-to-school upon us, I decided to make photo trays of my three kids' school pictures over the years.  I chose one with 12 spots, perfect for Preschool through 8th grade with one or two left over for decorating.  Two of my three went to 2 years of church preschool, so I am working with one spot left over (I added a birthday shot of my oldest here so they all look similar in the end.)

Only four more years to go!

~To see how I made the frame on the front, make sure you check out my video below!~

I used the Typeset paper pack and Complements, so I used matching ink colors for my stamps.  First, I cut the tag using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge at the size indicated on the stamp set carrier sheet.  Then I stamped the tag image in Vineyard Berry, the hand in Juniper, and the phrase in Black.  I added black ribbon through the hole in the tag, and popped up my canvas Complement sticker on foam adhesive tape.  (Remember to powder the back of stickers after applying the adhesive foam to eliminate the adhesive on the rest of the sticker.)

I added additional Complements and stamped phrases and images to enhance the smaller photos.

If you'd like to know how to make the decorative frame front, here's a video you can watch:

All products, except the photo tray, are from Close To My Heart.  You can shop for any of them at the following links (links will open my website in a new window so you can continue the hop):

• Art Philosophy Cricut collection
• Typeset Paper Pack and Complements
• Stamping Inks in Vineyard Berry, Juniper, and Black
• Black Mini-Medley Accents (note: my ribbon is an older version, but the kind that comes in this pack is similar)
• 3-D Foam Adhesive Tape

The photo tray is from 7Gypsies.

 Now, for some blog candy!  I thought we could all use a prize to celebrate the new Cricut cartridge from Close To My Heart.  So, I am giving away a Cricut Tool Kit!!  MSRP on this is $24.99, so it would be great not to have to buy one, LOL.  In order to win, there are just a few simple rules: 1)US residents only please. 2)You must be a follower or subscriber of Saving My... and 3)Leave a comment.  That's it!  I will leave the contest open over the long weekend, so you have until 11:59PM Central Time on Monday, September 5 to enter.  I will announce and try to contact the winner on Tuesday.  You have 24 hours to respond or I will select a new winner.

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope to see you again soon!  Don't forget to hop along now over to Paper Creations by Wendy - I'm sure she has an awesome project for us!

Graphic 45 Wedding Layout

Just a quick post to share a LO I made at the last minute for a Graphic 45 contest that ends today.

The colors are a little washed out in the picture - in person they're beautiful pastel peachy-pink and greenish-blue, on a light neutral background.  The metal flower layers from G45 are super easy to manipulate with needle-nose pliers and I love the dimension they give!  This layout will be going in a shadowbox frame, since those flowers are too thick for my album.

I started with a sketch from PageMaps, simply rotating it.  In addition to the flowers, I also added machine stitching around all of the squares for a quilt-like feel, and across the strip. My title is cut with my Cricut and the Nursery Rhymes cartridge.  The cardstock is from Close To My Heart.

Michael's Open House

I am now a scrapbooking and paper crafting instructor at Michael's in Tinley Park, Illinois. If you happen to live in the Chicago area, this is a great store, conveniently located right off I-80 at Harlem Avenue (Rte 43).  The actual address is 7310 191st Street in Tinley Park if you want to Google Map it!

Anyway, I am starting to offer classes at the store in September.  If you come in during our Open House on Saturday September 10, 1-3PM, there will be a special offer I can't share yet!

If you have a group of at least 4 people, we can schedule any class you'd like at a time that's convenient for your group.  I am hoping to have classes for October scheduled  by the 10th as well, so you can receive the discount on those classes too!  Here are the classes I have scheduled for September:

Spotted Canary School:

Learn to scrapbook, or improve your game, with four 2-hour classes.  You will learn Scrapbook Basics, The Building Blocks of Design, The Power of the Pen, and The Final Touch.
Thursdays 10AM - 12PM, September 8, 15, 22, 29                  $24 plus supplies (no further discounts apply)

Sketched Out:

Sneak Peek of my sample LO

Don’t let your scrapbook hobby stress you out!  Make it easier with a sketch.  Spend your time choosing your beautiful supplies, not struggling with designs.  In this class, you will learn to use a sketch when creating a scrapbook layout, then repeat elements from the sketch to make two cards.  Just measure, cut, and adhere! 

Sunday September 11, 2PM-4PM        $25 plus supplies 

Texture WOW!:

Sneak peek of my canvas!

If you’re ready to take your skills up a notch and you’re not afraid to get a little dirty, this is the class for you!  Create a unique art piece for display while we apply eight different techniques for adding texture to your paper projects.  Who says paper has to be flat? 

Sunday September 18, 2PM - 4PM      $25 plus supplies

Cricut Workshop - Winter Frolic:

My friend Mandie's canvas sample!

Make three super cute Christmas gift items while you learn the many functions of your Cricut machine!  Make more at home for loads of economical gifts.  Use the ideas with different cartridges for other special occasions as well.

Wednesday September 21, 12:30PM - 2:30PM     $25 plus supplies

If you think you might be interested in this class, I will also be conducting a demo on Wednesday September 14, 1PM - 2PM where you can see a little more detail!

I'll be creating a separate schedule page for my Michael's classes, so you can stay updated on new offerings.  Be sure to check back for new classes, and be sure to let me know if there's a day/time that works better for you and what class(es) you're interested in.

Uncommon Layout with Authentique, Sketch Support, and Close To My Heart Cricut Cartridge

My 8-year-old daughter Holly is a very unique girl.  Being the middle child, she gets in a lot less trouble than her older sister and younger brother.  But she is by no means a wall flower.  She dresses in crazy outfits, dances and jumps around the room, sings at the top of her lungs (regardless of her sister's opinion of her singing), is a champion litter box scooper, and a frequent hugger.  I came across these pictures that I think her 6-year-old brother took, because I sure don't remember doing it, and I just had to document her unique style & personality.

Be sure to click on the picture to see it in better detail!

I started with a sketch from Sketch Support and papers from the Uncommon line by Authentique.  The script font in the title is from Gypsy Font.  The scrolls, rolled roses, and rest of the title are all from the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge from Close To My Heart.  The pink letters in the title were edged using a black marker to better define the edges.  The pom-pom ribbon is also from Close To My Heart, as are all of the stamping inks (and sponge daubers) that I used to sponge the edges of all of my papers, and the tools I used to create the roses.  Cardstocks are all from Bazzill, the leaves are from my stash, and the sparkly gems are all I-rock gems from Imaginisce.   

Quick tip: I used the cuts on the Art Philosophy font as marks to tell me where to adhere the I-rock gems.  In this small 1" size, the cuts themselves are pretty tiny, but I liked the design element.  Also, I used Scor Tape to adhere the lumpy bumpy ribbon, and dimensional Glue Dots to adhere the roses so I could angle them better.

If you'd like to see details on how to make the rolled roses, here's a video you can check out.

Thanks for stopping by today!  I would love to know what you think of my layout and/or video.  I would of course also love to have you as my follower or subscriber if you're so inclined.  Hope to see you back here again soon!

Upcycle with Echo Park Paper

Wow, seems like forever since I've posted a project here!  I have been busy, but can't share everything right now.  I do have a fun and easy upcycle project for you today, though.

So, you know those little 4-packs of single serve wine bottles?  I decided to turn one into a mini charging station for my kitchen island, just for my phone and camera.  I can leave the cords right in it and pop the whole thing into the cupboard if I need it out of sight, but it looks pretty when it sits out.  Here's what I did:

(Pardon the mess behind it - school has started an this is where the lunchboxes reside!)  So, using the For The Record collection from Echo Park Paper, I just cut strips of the floral paper to fit around the box.  I then cut pieces to size for the top, traced through the handle on the back side, and cut it out.  I used my Crop-a-dile Big Bite to punch the holes, then enlarged them with the lid of my Flower Soft Glue bottle!  I enjoy puns, so I used the phrase from the collection that says "It's down to the wire", and added typewriter key letters "D" and "C" (direct current, get it?).  Yes, I know, I AM a dork!  I topped all of the stickers with Liquid Glass for dimension and to protect them a little.

Here's the view of the inside.  I cut out the divider on one side so my camera would fit better.  OK, that's it for today, folks!  I promise I'll be back soon with some more projects, as well as some sneak peeks of some classes I will be teaching at Michael's during September.  Thanks for stopping by, and hope to see you back again soon!

WINNER Post

Just dropping in with a quick Winner post!  Sorry it's taken so long (I was sick all weekend & been playing catchup all week).  So, without further ado, the winner of the two titles from Northridge Publishing is...

Babe O'Mara - congratulations!


I'm off to email her now... better luck next time to everyone else.

Pair-A-Phrase Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our special Pair-A-Phrase blog hop!  In case you didn't know, Close To My Heart is offering an awesome special for National Stamping Month, and that's what we're featuring.  If you're just starting out, or are arriving here from Mary Eisen's blog, you're in the right place.  When you're done here, you'll move along to Laura Petruso's blog and see what she has made for us.

"TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL STAMPING MONTH IN September, we are offering our first-ever double stamp set! You can get the exclusive My Acrylix® Pair-a-Phrase double stamp set FREE when you place an order of $75 from August 15 through September 30, 2011. You’ll love this double set—two D-size sets in one envelope—which includes lots of clever phrases and coordinating images you’ll use in your handmade cards all year. And with a retail value of $35.90, this set drastically increases the value of your qualifying purchase! Have double the fun stamping during National Stamping Month with our new Pair-a-Phrase double stamp set!"

There are lots of possibilities with this fun set, and I chose to make some favors for Thanksgiving using the stamp set with the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.

 

I heat embossed the silverware with silver embossing powder on a round tag cut at 2" from Art Philosophy, then colored them in with a Grey Wool marker.  I curved the sentiment stamp on the block to follow the curve of the circle, and stamped it in Olive.

I cut the take out box from a Mayberry paper at Fit to Page size, and two lengths of the border at 3/4".  My Gypsy is currently down & almost out, or I would have welded them into a single piece.  I added Cocoa ribbon through the tag and along the center of the border and adhered everything down.  Finally, to make it look a little more authentic, I pierced holed in either side of the box and added a craft wire handle.

As a quick reminder, through the end of August, you also get an additional stamp set, A Typeface, free once you make a $50 purchase PLUS order the stamp of the month for $5.  This means you can get both free stamp sets at once if you meet the requirements of both offers, an even better deal!

Now, if you're ready, you can hop along to Laura's blog.  If you don't currently have a consultant, I would love it if you would visit my website and take a look at all of the fabulous products available!