Elegant Cards Made Easy

I have been playing with CTMH's new January paper "Wings" and I cannot believe the endless possibilities with this paper. Then again, that is what CTMH is all about, versatility. Today I created a card, in the matter of minutes, taking on that vintage parlor look.




Here, I used the monochromatic side of one of the B&T Duos and highlighted some of the pattern with stamps. The monochromatic side is more peaceful and subtle, however, it can be brightened up as much or as little as you like by using a coordinating stamp. I cut out one of the stamped images and attached it to the card using 3D foam stickers to add some depth.

Masking Makes Stamping Fun

Hi, everyone. So I got completely overwhelmed on Tuesday. I received my shipment of the new Spring/Summer Idea Books from Close To My Heart. I have no words. I am speechless! CTMH hit the nail on the head with this one. The new paper packs are amazing. There isn't one I don't like. They also unveiled some awesome new stamp sets and other fantabulous product. I almost feel compelled to order everything in the book and isolate myself in my craft nook for the next few months...:).

I will share some fun stuff a little at a time with you all and stay tuned to hear about my launch open house coming up in January. In the meantime, I wanted to share another quick tip with you. Using the same "Wings" page. I added a tag at the bottom right corner with a fun little saying about friends from the January Stamp of the Month, "Find Your Style".



I used a masking technique with this project. (CTMH's My Acrylix stamp sets make this technique super easy to do). Here is what you do:

• Find the saying/image you would like to stamp and stamp it on a scrap piece of cardstock. Then take your micro-tip scissors and trim around your saying/image. This will then be your mask.
• Now take the piece of cardstock you will be using for your page/card. Place the mask down on it and stamp your background image right over it.
  
• Take the mask off and you will see a blank spot to stamp your saying/image.

Having the My Acrylix stamps make this so easy as you can see exactly where you are placing your image. You can't get it wrong.



In lieu of enjoying my background stamps, I'd like to take this time to announce that CTMH has added some NEW background stamp sets in their Spring/Summer Idea book. Universal Backgrounds and Two-Step Backgrounds are sure to be an addition to my collection!

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Club-Reminder-January-2011.html?soid=1102554993546&aid=L0bWmlb7kbE

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Club-Reminder-January-2011.html?soid=1102554993546&aid=L0bWmlb7kbE

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Create-With-Danielle-December-2010-Newsletter.html?soid=1102554993546&aid=EBp7fKxk--A

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Create-With-Danielle-December-2010-Newsletter.html?soid=1102554993546&aid=EBp7fKxk--A

Some Creative Ideas Before The Year Ends

With Close To My Heart's new catalog coming to you all soon, I am sure you can imagine how excited I am to bring you all new, fresh ideas, and awesome new product as well. January brings us "Inspirations" which is filled with some fun new things. "Wings" is the paper being offered in January and, my goodness, is it pretty. There are some fun stamp sets as well and some great new embellishments.

So now that the fun of the holidays is behind us and I can take a deep breath, I started to dabble a little in some simple tricks to help add a little "something" to my scrapbook pages. They really are very simple and easy to do. So I will offer you all a new tip/trick each day up until the 1st if the new year. I hope these will help you with your scrap projects.



Pictured above is a page I completed in no time at all. This is the "Wings" paper. It is wonderful and it features something that I happen to love, the butterfly. One of the things that butterflies symbolize is change. Being a mom of three daughters, I sometimes feel like I am raising butterflies. They start of as caterpillars and you raise them into cocoons...then when they are ready to use all you have taught them in life, they fly off as butterflies. Another reason why butterflies are so special to me at this moment is that I have my youngest daughter receiving her First Holy Communion in May 2011. She recently received the gift of grace and it was symbolized by a butterfly. So this will be the paper that I scrap all of her Communion memories with.

Pictured here, I took one of the pieces of B&T Duo from a level 2 paper pack (Wings). I noticed that one of the images on the patterned paper was a butterfly. On this specific sheet that I picked, the images are muted. So I wanted to bring out that image a little more. I took a butterfly stamp (from CTMH Picture This stamp set that I received from the 2010 convention) and stamped a handful of them scattered around the patterned paper with Versa Mark. I went ahead and embossed the paper using Cocoa embossing powder. Now the butterflies seem to be popping out of the page.


The last thing I did was add a simple paper flower using two different patterns of B&T cut into 1 1/4" circles. So you can do this too. You can bring any pattern to life by adding stamped images to the paper. If you emboss, it adds some shine and a little texture to the paper. Something so simple can add some fun to any page.

"Wings" Scrapbook Page

Using the same design as the card on my previous post, I made this easy yet pretty page. I used the vineyard berry pleated ribbon, mocha pearl adhesives, and a butterfly image from the January stamp of the month "Find Your Style"......

Here, "Dream" was stamped using the "Bohemian Alphabet" from the Inspirations brochure....

I am so excited to show you all this great new stuff from Close To My Heart. Don't forget to stay tuned to my upcoming workshops in January 2011.....

"Inspirations" Brings Us Wings

I present to you a "sneak peak" as to what you can look forward to in January '11. Another beautiful paper kit from Close To My Heart. Look for my January 2011 Newsletter for information on how you can get this new paper for yourself as well as a list of upcoming Wings workshops. Nothing like brand new paper to start the new year!

Fun Holiday Card Using Magnifique

I am having so much fun using this paper. Magnifique from Close To My Heart is one of those versatile papers that is elegant and fun to use with almost anything. Here is a Christmas card I created for a loved one back home in New York. I just added some holographic embossing to the inside and some gold, satin ribbon and snowflake brad to the outside. The card is one of Close To My Hearts 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 clear cards. Just a few small things make such a beautiful card.

While I was at it, I decided to create a few more scrapbook pages using the same paper for our "holiday fun" photos. Here is one that I loved the most. It was fast and easy....

Cupcake Toppers

Since it is the last week before Christmas, there are many celebrations and parties going on. In lieu of all the celebrations, you are bound to see cupcakes in our home. I decided to show what CTMH's Dimensional Elements-Flurry can do aside from decorating a scrapbook page or adding a little something special to a memory box. Pictured here I embossed snowflakes using holographic embossing powder and then topped my cupcakes with them.






So with these great toppers and pearl sprinkles these are sure to make anyone happy.....:)

Gift Cards A Different Way

This is the time of year that we are all getting those last minute gifts and being sure we have all those little gifts for the teachers, employees, and clients in our lives. Gift cards are one of the common "class" gifts. What a great way to treat those special teachers in our children's lives....instead of twenty (20) little small trinkets everyone chips in and gives an extra special gift. So this year, one of my daughter's class is giving the teacher a gift card and I was asked to make the card for the children to sign. So without changing the traditional idea of a card, I added a special little pocket to hold the gift card in. I used CTMH's Mistletoe along with red sparkles and poinsetta flower brads.....

Traditions

Hello, all. I know many of you are quite busy this time of year, I know I am caught in this craziness and I started to feel like I was losing the whole "feel" for the holidays. I had to step up today and chose to "stop and smell the roses". I have to do that every now and then. Traditions are something we all have and one that my girls look forward to each year is building their gingerbread house with their daddy. So this year I cannot wait to scrap the moment.

Stay tuned to see the layout.....:)

Cupcakes In A Jar

I got this amazing idea from my sister who recently visited Washington, D.C. to see the Food Network do their demonstrations. She told me about this great idea while we were chatting about making homemade baked goods and possibly giving as little gifts to show appreciation around the holidays. So here is my version.....Cupcakes In A Jar!

Here is the fun part.....you eat the cupcakes straight from the jar using the spoon attached. Having a few workshops coming up, I thought I would give these to my hostesses as a little "thank you" for having me teach them and their families and friends how to preserve their cherished memories. For the jar lid, I used "Magnifique" paper from CTMH and I embossed a dimensional elements snowflake using silver embossing powder. To add a little something extra, I put these adorable snowflake brads to the tips of the ribbon that is holding the spoon. This was super easy to do and combined my two joys, creating with paper and baking.......Enjoy!

Happy December!

Hi......get your wish list together because this month you are going to need it. Here are just a few quick tidbits about this month so check it out:

Close To My Heart's special this month is awesome. If you shop on my website createwithdanielle.myctmh.com and spend at least $20 (without shipping and tax) you will get a FREE "D" sized, stamp set. That is a $22.95 value! So grab your cup of coffee, your wish list, and your computer and get shopping.

Now take that wish list and pass it on to your loved one....they can send me your wishes and I can be sure that they come true. I can do their Christmas shopping for them. I'll order products, wrap, and deliver as well. So have them contact me valentino.danielle@yahoo.com before December 13th (this ensures delivery by Christmas).

Stay tuned for more December fun!