Hi again!

I finished up the challenge at Scrap That! with one final tag.  I think it is my favorite!

This is it until after Christmas.  I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Linda

Day 11 of the Scrap That! challenge is:  Gold

I found glittered cardstock very difficult to photograph.  I hope this picture gives you a sense of the beautiful sparkle to this card.  I made it for my parents.  They gave me an ice-cream pail full of my grandma's buttons this summer and I was so thrilled.  I wanted to give them back something that I had used the buttons on.  I kept this layout simple on purpose in order that the buttons would be the total focus. 

Thanks for taking the time to come to my site and view my art.

Linda

Another day closer to Christmas.  I'm sure the excitement is building for children in many homes right now!  Here's another tag using Pion's "Waiting for Santa II" paper.  (Love that stuff!)

The tree is a chippie from Want2Scrap.  I painted it with Tattered Angels "Rustic" glimmer glaze, put light weight molding compound on the branches, and used Viva Decor's pearl pen to make the pearls.  The pointsettia and brads come from Close to my Heart and the rest is just stuff I had in my stash.

Don't forget to take time for yourself during these busy times!

Linda

I managed to get another card finished for Scrap That!'s holiday challenge tonight.  This was entered in the Santa category.  I love this stamp set and was glad for a chance to use it.  I embossed the cardstock with a Sizzix embossing folder.

Stamp set used is Close to my Heart "Father Christmas" and the bling is also all from CTMH.

Oh my.  Isn't time going by quickly?  I've been having a blast over at Scrap That! doing the 12 days of Holiday Challenges. I have to admit I missed one though...was just too busy on Monday to get it in. :(

This is the tag I entered in the Chipboard challenge.

I cut the shape out of cream colored paper with my CTMH Arts Philosophy cartridge and then inked it with Tim Holtz distress inks Festive Berries and Evergreen Bough.  Over top of that I sprayed Perfect Pearls Mist Heirloom Gold.  It gave it a beautiful golden sheen.  To finish it off I went around the outer edge with a dark colored marker to define it a bit.

As I was doing all this, I cut a piece of seam binding and kept dipping it in the leftover ink and mist and ended up with a lovely piece that co-ordinates with the tag.  The Santa is from that beautiful Pion line "Waiting for Santa II".  All I did to it was a little bit of inking with Vintage Photo Distress ink and distressing along the edges.

The chipboard is from Dusty Attic.  I also inked it with Vintage Photo Distress ink and then applied a little Paprika Stickles here and there to give it a rustic look.  Then it was just a matter of adding some flowers and I was done. 

Thanks for taking a peek!

Hi Everyone,

I'm still working away at completing the 12 days of challenges over at Scrap That!  Today was challenge #4.  You had to do some stamping on a card/tag.  I was inspired by the sketch that was released at Cardabilities today and decided to make a pink card for my granddaughter who is 4.  That is her most favorite color in the world right now.  Think:  Disney princesses.  LOL

The snowflake flowers were inspired by Shona Keehn's tutorial this month.  I just did a simpler version.

Here is a picture of the card sketch:

Just think...10 more days till Christmas!  I hope you are all enjoying this wonderful season of parties and concerts and good times with friends and family.

Here is a card I made for Scrap That!'s Holiday Challenge Day 2.  The theme was anything to do with a snowman.

Supplies used:
CTMH paper:  Believe
CTMH stamp:  Winter Joy
Spellbinders circle and scallop dies
Martha Stewart Aspen punch for the snowflakes.  (These were left-overs from using the border punch on another project!)

A Winter Wonderland in Alberta

Wowzers!  We woke up to a beautiful day in Alberta today!  A Winter Wonderland for sure.  You gotta LOVE the hoar frost!  This is the view from my back door.  Unfortunately the beautiful, bright sunshine is melting the frost away very quickly.

Good morning. We had a lovely snowfall in Alberta yesterday and everything is covered in a blanket of white. Very "Christmassy" and beautiful!

Here is a tag I made for a Holiday Challenge "Day 1" over at Scrap That! The challenge is a lot of fun. Over 12 days there is a different theme. Day 1 was "Red and Green". Just make a card/tag and enter for a chance to win daily prizes! Anyone can enter, you do not have to be a Scrap That! subscriber. There's lots of time yet to enter so check it out!

This was pretty quick and simple. Paper & ribbon embellishment used was CTMH "Believe". The pointsetta was cut with the Spellbinders die and the tag, letters, etc were cut with CTMH Arts Philosophy Cricut cartridge. Bling is Martha Stewart and Michael's "Recollections".

Hi Everyone,

Happy Thanksgiving to my friends in the U.S.!  Enjoy your turkey and stuffing and all the wonderful celebration that goes with it.

Remember how in an earlier post I was stating that this year I was going to enjoy the Christmas preparations more and not allow myself to get so frazzled?  Well this project is part of my plan.  It is a Christmas Planning Box!  It can sit on my table and look pretty, all the while holding my receipts as well as my book of to-do lists.

Be forewarned, there are several pictures!  This next one shows the top in detail.

I used my new Spellbinders Pointsettia Die to make the pointsettias and then stamped them with the Heartfelt Creations Petite Pointsettia stamp that coordinates with it.  Worked like a charm.  The beautiful, delicate snowflakes were cut with a Memor Box die, Frosty Border, which I then cut up into smaller pieces to fit the Close to My Heart box.  The pine needles are a Martha Stewart punch, and the pinecones (which are my personal favorite) are hand-made after watching this wonderful tutorial.  They're unbelievably easy - with the main tool being a scallop circle!  Then I coated everything with lots of CTMH Stardust Glitter Gel because I love lots of sparkle.

Here's the notebook tucked away ready to use at a moment's notice.

The notebook itself is just a little book I picked up at Walmart called "Fat Little Notebook".

There wasn't room in the box to put tags on the notebook so I made corner bookmarks to mark it off in sections.  You know...gifts to purchase...things to do....grocery list...

And a little note to remind me not to lose sight of the magic.  :)

Papers used were Close to My Heart - "Believe" and the stamp set was also

CTMH - "Christmas Love".  The labels were cut with the CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.  So easy to use and so many labels to choose from.

In the coming days, may your Christmas have never ending magic!

Linda

November CTMH Stamp of the Month: "Cherish the Day"

This great stamp is available this month for $5.50 with a $55 purchase!  It can be used to feature any special day that you want to acknowledge.  It also coordinates with an image from the Arts Philosophy Cricut cartridge so the cutting's done for you. 

Stamp away!!

To get your stamp while it's available (November only) click on my shopping cart or send your order to me: gpekrul@telusplanet.net

This is a fabulous example of a masculine birthday card which was done using this set  as well as another set, Card Chatter D1475 $19.95.  This card was created by Allie, a Close to my Heart independent consultant.  She has a great blog with lots of art displayed, as well as some cool tutorials.  You can access her blog here. 

Be sure to check it out and become a follower!!

Preparations for Christmas Begin

Hi Everyone,

We're just about half way into November and preparations for Christmas have begun in a big way.  Cards are being crafted, gifts created, lists made, and baking begun.  As I sat thinking about the weekends left before Christmas and how they are rapidly filling up, I decided that this year I want to enjoy the process more and not worry so much about all the details.  As we enter into the busy holiday season, I hope that you too will have a calm, yet joyous November and December ... 

"As Christmas comes, soft and still,

May the spirit of peace gently fill

Your heart and home with love and goodwill."

Linda

This card was created by the design team at Close to my Heart.  The title is from the stamp set "Everlasting Life"  D1440 $19.95,

while the picture is from "Glory to God" D1483 $19.95.

Did you know that a $25 purchase of CTMH stamps this month 

will qualify you to add this beautiful

D-size set called "Holiday Wishes" for only $5. 

That's a savings of $14.95!

As a creative bonus, all of the images outlined in red coordinate with the CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge for added cutting and stamping fun!

Get yours by clicking on my shopping cart and start creating!!

Scrapbooking Workshops for Sept and Oct

Workshop Newsletter for Sept 2011

General Workshop Information:

·         All dates and times are flexible.  Just give me a call if something doesn't work for you and we'll set something up that does!  (I'm also available most weekends.)

·         Classes must be paid for by registration date in order to have the supplies here on time.  If you have paid for a class and can't make it on the scheduled night, I will be happy to re-schedule a time with you to finish your project. 

·         Standard supplies to bring to all workshops are:  Scissors,  acrylic blocks to attach stamps to, 12" cutter,  adhesive, glue dots and 3d foam tape.

·         Payment can be made by Visa, Mastercard,  Paypal.com to gpekrul@telusplanet.net, or good old-fashioned cash!

·         To register:  Phone Linda Pekrul at 403-901-0017 or email me:   gpekrul@telusplanet.net

·         Classes will be held at 120 Lakeside Views, Strathmore, AB

Sept 21st - 7 PM: Thanksgiving Easel Card and Treat Box  $FREE  You must register by Sept 19th!  (Class size is limited.) 

I don't have a picture of the project that we're making but here is an example of an easel card from Split Coast Stampers:

 

We will do something similar, except that we will do a Thanksgiving (or Halloween, if you prefer) theme.  I have several Thanksgiving and Halloween stamps you can experiment with.  As well, my cricut will be available to use the new Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge to make embellishments for our card, as well as the treat box.  You will be astounded at how many beautiful things can be made with that cartridge!   All stamps and ink pads will be on hand.

Oct 5th - 7 PM:  Dreamin' Workshop  $33.50 (plus S&H and GST)  You must register & pay for kit by Sept 15th!

You will receive one Workshop on the Go "Dreamin'" kit which includes the following:

Dreamin’ Level 2 Paper Packet
My Acrylix^® Dreamin’ Workshop Stamp Set
Shimmer Designer Brads
Bronze Glitz™ Glitter Gel                                                                                                           Workshop Guide    

I will have on hand extra stamps, all inks required, as well as a distressing kit for you to use.  

As a bonus, I will also include (at no charge):  2 sheets of Bamboo cardstock, 1 sheet of Colonial White Cardstock, five 4-12" circle cards and envelopes, 1 yard of Dark Chocolate Striped Grosgrain Ribbon.                                                                                                                

These extra supplies will allow you to complete the following additional layouts and cards:

Oct 19 - 7 PM:  "Mischief" workshop $33.50 (plus S&H and GST).   You must register and pay for the kit by Oct 1st!

You will receive one Workshop on the Go "Mischief" kit which includes the following:

Mischief Level 2 Paper Packet
My Acrylix^® Mischief Workshop stamp set                                                                                    Midnight Felt Shapes
Workshop Guide

I will have on hand extra stamps, all inks required, and a craft heater  for you to use. 

As a bonus I will also include (at no charge):  A banner kit and die cut alphabet letters to allow you to make the Halloween banner out of your left over scraps!   

Pictures from August 31st "Make and Take"

I held my very first Open House yesterday and thought I would share a few pictures.  It's a little challenging when you're holding something like this in your house, but I cleaned the tops off of all my furniture and ended up with enough small areas to display everything.

Here is the work table at the beginning...

and here it is at the end.  LOL

A few centers where I displayed the WOTG kits, the Art Philosphy Cricut cartridge, etc:

We had a great time playing with the Cricut and creating our "Make and Take".  It is always so fun to see how you can start with the same project and everyone who makes it turns it into a whole new creation!  The "Liquid Glass" turned out to be a real hit (and the Art Philosphy cartridge of course!)

Everyone went home with a small stamp in a craft jar, that was packaged in one of the little boxes created by the Cricut cartridge and topped with a beautiful rose.  (Also created with the cartridge .... boy that thing made preparation a whole lot easier!)  There were also several happy winners of the SOTM kit "Wicked".  Happy stamping to all!

If you missed the "Make and Take" and would like to get together and do some scrapbooking with me, give me a call.  I'm very flexible and there are tons of projects we can do.  We could even do some "open" workshops where we just get caught up on projects that we're working on!  Hope to hear from you soon.

Everyone have a great day!

 

Here's a peek at the "Make and Take" album we will be making tonight!

We will also do more embellishing of the inside with stamps, punches, etc.

Scrap That! September kit sneak peek

Can't wait to get my hands on this kit.  It looks absolutely gorgeous.   Check out the reveal on Friday, Aug 26th at Scrap That!

"Sonoma" Thank You Card

I made a thank you card for a friend who sent me the most beautiful bouquet of flowers when I was in the hospital earlier this summer.  Such caring gestures mean so much when you're feeling pretty low like I was!

Used:

CTMH "Sonoma" paper

Prima paper flowers

CTMH resin flowers, bauble and metal grommets

Couldn't seem to get the best picture of this, but it was really pretty in real life. 

Just can't get the colors to show up true, but hope you get the idea.

Thanks for looking and hope you had a great Sunday!

Enter for a chance to win a grand prize during the month of September!

Ok, I promised some more details on the grand prize draw and here they are:

To celebrate my new endeavour as a Close to my Heart consultant, I decide to have a special draw in my first month.  A ticket with your name on it will be put in the draw every time you make a purchase from my online store, come to the "Make and Take on August 31st", sign up for a workshop, or host a gathering!  The prize worth $150 of Close to my Heart products, will be drawn for on Oct 1st.  That gives you a whole month to get your name entered!!

Ink Stamp Pad Organizer - stores 60 pads and 76 markers, includes swivel base and carrying handle -  $77.50

Snowflake stamps - set of 11 -  (2 of these stamps coordinate with the new Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge) - $19.95

Wonderland My Stickease Assortment - adhesive stickers - $5.50

6 Ink pads - Colonial White, White Daisy, Grey Flannel, Chocolate, Crystal Blue and Twilight 

$5.75@ - $34.50

Top Coats Icing Overlays - these are beautiful transparencies with silver foil accents - $5.50

Rhinestone Designer Brads - $6.50

Stardust Glitz Glitter Gel - $2.95

You'll be ready to start scrapping your winter memories!

Wishing everybody luck.