Mojo Monday 222 + Moxie Fab Trigger!

It feels great to be kicking off the new year by clearing the decks of all my unfinished projects (from last week anyhow). Off into the mail tomorrow will go these little 2012 Pocket Calendars, which I made for my team members as a holiday treat. Ok...now a new year's treat! In any case, they have been sitting on my desk waiting to be blinged up and turned into something fabulous for a few weeks now...and then the Mojo 222 sketch posted. I pondered using it for the front of the calendar...and then the Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger came with these adorable bright colors, and I was finally sparked, inspired, ready to stamp!

Since these are calendars, meant to slip back into a little plastic cover, my hands were tied so far as dimensional embellishments go - a few layers of paper maybe, but nothing too lumpy bumpy would fit! So I took that as a sign that it was time to get the stamps out and play!

I read an awesome tip on Jeanette Lynton's blog and that inspired me to stamp all over my B&T paper! The Plaid looking "ribbon" from the sketch is actually the Lagoon print from the Elemental paper packet, over stamped with the polka dot image from Rock the Block - it fits perfectly, making a sort of polka dotty plaid that I was diggin'!

I embossed the Lagoon CS strip with a big dotty Cuttlebug folder, then flipped it over to use the debossed side. I lightly painted it with Pearl Paint so that the polka dots would stay bold and Lagoon while the rest of the paper would be toned down and pearly. Then I stamped Lagoon hearts into each little debossed circle.  I also painted the Lagoon CS base of my calendar with Pearl Paint to match.

I made a little puddle pad with a scrap of felt and three reinkers: Sunflower, Pear, and Lagoon. I drew a stripe of each reinker onto the felt until I had a variegated block of inked felt big enough to ink up my "FUN" image. Just be sure you've placed your felt on something disposable or washable so you don't actually end up with a puddle of ink! Once you've inked the felt, you just use it as you would any ink pad - pounce, pounce, stamp, only now your image will be a customized rainbow!

Gosh I love this Rock the Block special stamp set! The big swirly corner image alone would be enough to make me fall in love. Don't forget the stamp set is only available through the end of this month - click here for more details or to orders yours today!  I've done a LOT of projects with this Rock the Block stamp set (click here to see more), but never with such bright colors. When that Moxie Fab trigger arrived, it literally brightened my day!

Here's the Moxie Fab Trigger image - so cute right?

January SOTM Blog Hop!

Welcome to our CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! We will be featuring January's SOTM, which is called Little Reminder, a set of 25 stamps! 


If you have come here from TAMYTHA'S BLOG, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.

This month we have almost 50 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

This month I made this adorable Mayberry Menu Planner for my kitchen! I saw something like this on Pinterest, and I thought, "That's genius!" So I changed it up a bit and made it with a few more features because I found this amazingly cheap Magnetic Board at IKEA ($12!) so I had more space to work with - it's taller than my three year old!

I put more pics and explanations below if you want to 4read more, or you can  "Hop" on over to KATY'S BLOG to see her crafty work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, this SOTM is only available until the end of January (not to mention that super Rock the Blog Special stamp set and Mayberry papers I used are also going away at the end of this month too). Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set for just $5!

Here's a close up of the title area. All the papers are 12" across, so full sized sheets of B&T paper. I cut the frames on my Cricut using my Art Philosophy Cartridge (isn't it the BEST!). I stamped the backgrounds and big title letters with the texture stamps from Rock The Block using Honey and Tulip inks. The smaller title is using Polka Dot Alphabet (my total fave). The flowers are also cut on the cricut, then I ran them through a cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder before sanding, curling, and rolling them. 

 I stamped the says of the week from the January SOTM and matted them with some of my stash of CTMH textured CS - sure wish they'd bring that back! Then I popped them up onto my menu panel with 3-D foam tape. I also stamped the corresponding numbers on Colonial white CS and fussy cut them, them popped them up down the right side. The actual menu pieces are computer generated, then stamped with the numbers background from January SOTM and mounted onto textured CS. Then I attached velcro dots to the back of each menu item. I know the board is magnetic, but my 2 year old loves to run his hands down things, so I thought velcro might be better for my kitchen right now.Less chance of Wednesday's dinner traveling to destinations unknown.

For the bottom third of the board I built a little french memo board using Red collection Ribbon and Green Assortment buttons so I can tuck in recipe cards and coupons for that week's menu. I made a little french fry box (cut with my Art Philosophy cartridge as well) to hold the rest of my menu suggestions, everything from eggs to spaghetti to eating out. I finished the bottom of the board with pleated twill ribbon combined with the stitched ribbon from that Red Collection of ribbons.

 
Now it's hanging in my kitchen - art that's functional and adorable!

Here are some other projects I have made using the January Stamp of the Month...

Team New Year's card

New Year's Ball Drop Card

Pink Scallop cricut Card

And I'm linking this to the Paper Issues We've Got Your number party!

Monday Motivations Team Card

This week (on Monday) my team made this card, using the January SOTM that will be available soon. We embossed White Daisy CS using a Cuttlebug folder, then painted it with CTMH's pearl paint. A few 1" strips of Wonderland Paper, and some Cricut scalloped circles and frames for layering, and we had an adorable card in minutes!

I love how the hemp is so skinny and delicate. Did you know you could separate the CTMH hemp just like embroidery floss? Just twist the end of your string between your fingertips until it begins to unravel, then slowly separate the layers. Works on waxy flax too!

Mojo Monday 221

Here's another January SOTM card, inspired by the Mojo Monday sketch #212.   I almost never make a round card, so it was fun to experiment out of my normal box!

I cut a scalloped card on my Cricut using my Art Philosophy Cartridge at 4 1/4" as Mojo recommended. Then I cut a scalloped circle at 3 3/4" with the Decorative Layer so it would have the holes punched in the scallops. I stamped that scallop with the number image using Blush ink, then a sponged it with Blush Ink and swiped the edges with Cocoa ink.

Onto the Big scallop I layered a simple scalloped circle cut at 2 1/2", stamped with the big Calendar image from January SOTM in Cocoa Ink. I added the numbers to the center of the calendar with Blush ink.

Then I cut a Cricut rectangle frame at 1 1/2 inches, which I stamped repeatedly with the Let's Celebrate sentiment in Blush ink. I added a Tulip 3-D flower, a bling button, and a Red Collection button to finish my card (upside down from the sketch - hope that's kosher!). Instead of ribbon across the bottom I used a Cricut ribbon tag folded in half.  Then, after I assembled the card, I filled in the big scallop layer holes with Glitter Glitz Gel. That was fun!

Linked up to Paper Issues We've Got Your Number Party - check it out!

Why do I never finish my Christmas cards on time?

Every year I teach Christmas card workshops. I design multiple cards and cut literally hundreds of Christmas cards...for everyone else. It's a classic case of the shoemaker's children going with out shoes.

Every year I vow to get my cards addressed and mailed out early. I'd settle for on time even. I think about them, plan them, cut them, stamp them, design a computer printed insert with pictures and everything...and every year they seem to be mailed out the week after Christmas. Sigh...

I should accept my fate and bow down to the wisdom of my friend Leigh Anne and her no stress New Year's greeting card/letter instead. Every year I look forward to getting her letter and enjoying the fab and funny letter inside. Does it bother me that it comes after the holidays? Nope - I love the thrill of getting actual mail (not bills or ads) ANYTIME, for any reason!

Yet something in me clings to the deluded hope that one of these years I'll get my cards addressed and mailed off on time. Yes, this is my card for 2011. The other side is a cute pic of the boys and our change of address for the new house. I cut an acrylic sentiment apart to build my Joy and Peace Sentiment (something I love about acrylic stamping - I control the image!). I sponged the edges of every two step stamped wreath (and each door panel), and glitters the wreaths with Glitter Glitz Gel. I set the door handles (Bigger Brads) and embellished the computer printed insert with a stamped swirly border and Believe Paper. And I thought I was keeping it simple!

Tonight I finish addressing the envelopes and finally mail off our cards. Does it mean less because it's a wee bit late? I hope not - because we have a lot of Love and Good Wishes for our Family and Friends. Especially since we live so far from most of our Family. Which is why last week it was way more urgent to spend time with family (visiting from out of state) then finishing my pile of 99% finished cards....It doesn't mean we don't love you, it just means that when there are actual lovely family babysitters in town, you take time to smell the roses (or mass produce homemade gluten free cheese crackers without a 2 year old monkey clinging to your hip).

Hope you had a Merry Christmas, Friends and Family! And a Happy New Year...now where did I put those stamps?

P. S. The design for my card was inspired by a photo from Heart 2 Heart challenges (twiggy wreath, red & green), lots of sparkle!