January Hearts of the West Blog Hop

Welcome to the January Hearts of the West team blog hop!  If this is your first time joining us, I know you are going to love it. 

This hop features Close to my Heart consultants from all over Canada.  The Hearts of the West team was founded by Nancy Klein.

If you came from Anna's blog then you're in the right place!  

This is a circular blog hop so you can start anywhere! Just in case you should get lost - the full list can be found at the bottom of this post. 

SO, as always ... grab your coffee, tea, or water ... relax ... and hop around with us! 

This month's paperpack that we are showcasing is the BEAUTIFUL "Heartstrings"!

Sooooo, if you thought I was going to use this paper for a Valentine's card ..... you were mistaken!  ;)  I do monthly classes with a fun group of ladies and this year we were struggling to get our Christmas cards done between bouts of flu, etc, etc.  So I decided that starting immediately, I am going to design one of the cards that we make each month, to be a Christmas card.  This way, by December, 2015 they will already have several cards made and ready to go! 

Coming up with a Christmas card from "Heartstrings" wasn't really that hard, as I love the rich red of one of its papers, so I used that as my beginning point.  For inspiration I turned to one of my favorite Challenge blogs - Die-Namites - and started with their sketch.

The Die-Namites die that I chose to use is "Nativity Scene".  It went beautifully with the sentiment from the retired CTMH stamp set "Snowflurries".  Those of you who have been using the "Snowhaven" paper pack over Christmas, will recognize the black paper I cut the nativity scene from!

The dare for the challenge was to add something metallic.  I used a Delicata ink pad in a beautiful silver to give a metallic sheen behind the nativity scene, and then used a light molding paste through a stencil over top of it.  Hope you can see its lovely glimmer in this photo.  

If you'd like to enter the Die-Namites challenge, you have until tomorrow evening to get your entry in and then there will be a new challenge in January.

Final embellishments were a snowflake cut from white glitter paper, CTMH Sparkles Assortment, and a piece of CTMH Cranberry Striped Twill Ribbon.

Thank you for stopping by today.  Now it's time to hop on over to Sonia's blog for a project that is sure to tug on your "Heartstrings"!  :)

Linda

1. Nancy Klein
2. Chantal Pearson
3. Heather Myers
4. Donna Thomson-Digby
5. Anna Miller
6. Linda Pekrul 
7. Sonia Parent St Jean
8. Chelsey Vorosmarty
9. Kerry Hammel

December Hearts of the West Blog Hop

Welcome to the December Hearts of the West team blog hop!  If this is your first time joining us, I know you are going to love it. 

This hop features Close to my Heart consultants from all over Canada.  The Hearts of the West team was founded by Nancy Klein.

If you came from Corrina's blog then you're in the right place!  

This is a circular blog hop so you can start anywhere! Just in case you should get lost - the full list can be found at the bottom of this post. 

SO, as always ... grab your coffee, tea, or water ... relax ... and hop around with us! 

This month we're showcasing the Snowhaven paper packet.  I love the Scandinavian feel to this paper and the red gives it such a warm feeling. 

I collect a lot of Christmas images from Pinterest, and decided to try making a card with one of them this month.  I looked for one that had similar reds and blacks that Snowhaven has and came up with this sweet little girl giving gifts to the animals.

I cut one of the borders from the piece of paper that has all the different borders; and then die cut coordinating papers to make a snowflake and pine boughs.  The dies are not CTMH, but the cute pointsettia is.  It is from a retired Christmas embellishment pack that I have always loved, and bought extra of to have on hand.

I think this would be a great way to use up old Christmas cards as well!  Recycling at its best!!

Thanks for stopping by again, I hope you enjoy the rest of the hop.  I know everyone has been working hard to come up with something that will get your creative juices flowing! 

Linda

The next place you will be hopping to is, Heather's blog.

If you should get lost, here is a complete list of all the blogs on the Hop: 

1. Nancy Klein

2. Chantal Pearson
3. Freya Hall Dunbar
4. Holly Young-Bowers
5. Kerry Hammel
6. Kathy Skipper 
7. Donna Thomson-Digby 
8. Sonia Parent St Jean 
9. Terry Ann Diack 
10. Corinna Murphy
11. Linda Pekrul  - That's me!
12.Heather Myers 

November Hearts of the West Blog Hop

Welcome to the October Hearts of the West team blog hop!  If this is your first time joining us, I know you are going to love it. 

This hop features Close to my Heart consultants from all over Canada.  The Hearts of the West team was founded by Nancy Klein.

If you came from Freya's blog then you're in the right place!  

This is a circular blog hop so you can start anywhere! Just in case you should get lost - the full list can be found at the bottom of this post. 

SO, as always ... grab your coffee, tea, or water ... relax ... and hop around with us! 

This month we are featuring the beautiful Christmas paper pack "Yuletide".  I am planning on making a Christmas mini album and I used Yuletide to create a box to store it in.  The basic box that I started with, is the My Creations Journaling Cards Box .

The hinge, top plate, and corners are brass metal pieces that I had in my stash.  I embellished the top with a retired CTMH canvas button, and a piece of brass from the Yuletide Carol Assortment pack.

I also used some canvas buttons for the feet.

The Santa postcard is from the Yuletide Carol Complements pack.

Thank you for joining us on the Hop today!  Be sure and check back to see the coordinating mini album that I will be creating to go in this box!

Linda

The next place you will be hopping to is, Justine's Blog.

If you should get lost, here is a complete list of all the blogs on the Hop:

1. Nancy Klein's - 

2. Chantal Pearson's - http://www.itsahoot.ca/2014/10/novembers-hwbh.html
3. Donna Digby's - http://datsmystyledj.blogspot.ca/2014/10/hearts-of-west-7th-blog-hop-yuletide.html
4. Freya Hall Dunbar's -http://freyassimplecreations.blogspot.ca/2014/10/november-hearts-of-west-blog-hop.html
5. Linda Pekrul's - http://blueskyscrapping.blogspot.ca/2014/10/november-hearts-of-west-blog-hop.html
6. Justine Hovey's - http://www.justinehovey.com/2014/10/hearts-of-west-yuletide-blog-hop.html
7. Julie Kerr's - http://jewelspapergems.blogspot.ca/2014/10/hearts-of-west-blog-hop-yultide-carol.html
8. Kerry Hammel's -http://scrapbookfunbykerry.blogspot.ca/2014/10/hearts-of-west-november-blog-hop.html
9. Corinna Murphy's -http://corinnacraftfun.blogspot.ca/2014/10/november-hearts-of-west-blog-hop.html
10. Sonia Parent St Jean -http://www.scrappingsonia.blogspot.ca/2014/10/hearts-of-west-november-yuletide-blog.html
11. Terry Ann Diack - http://terryanndiack.blogspot.ca/2014/10/yuletide-hwbh-mini-album.html
12. Anna Miller - http://annasscraps.blogspot.ca/2014/10/november-hotw-blog-hop.html
13. Janet McCormick's -http://worksofheart2011.blogspot.ca/2014/10/yuletide-carol-hw-blog-hop.html
14. Holly Young-Bowers -http://heartfeltmemories2.blogspot.ca/2014/10/yuletidecarol-hotw-blog-hop.html
15. Heather Myers - http://hlmyers.blogspot.ca/2014/10/hearts-of-west-november-blog-hop.html

Lovin' the Sun

Please go HERE to see the complete post on the Swirlydoos October Kit Club Reveal!!

This project was made for Swirlydoos' October Kit Reveal.  

To see more about the reveal, go here.

This layout is all about the warmth of the sun and good times with family.  In Alberta, our summers are short and our winters are long, so we have to enjoy the outdoors while we can!  I love this photo of my son with HIS son, and just had to scrap it!

For this layout I made use of the Finnibair Honeycomb Resist Canvas sheet that is included in the main kit.  I sprayed it randomly with Color Bloom "Gold Foil" and "Glistening Waves" mist.  Then I stamped it with a texture stamp from my stash and distressed and inked all the edges.  A final step was to mix some of the black Chalk paint from the Mediums Add On, with a little bit of water and splatter it along the bottom.  Then the canvas was glued to a piece of the Blue Fern paper that had also been sprayed with the Color Bloom mists.

Here you can see a piece of corrugated cardboard that I sprayed with the "Gold Foil" mist, glued on some black lace from the Embellishment Add On, and then glued the "Gold Leaf" Mica Flakes over top of that.  The edges of the photo were "pounced" with a small stencil brush, using the black Chalk Paint.

One of my favorite things from the Embellishment Add On, was the Ephemera Pack.  It was just loaded with cute little note cards and die cuts, that I used as background mats for the photo, as well as to create some interest up in the corner..

The flower came from the Flower Add On.  It was too light for this layout, so I sprayed it with the "Gold Foil" mist, and inked it lightly with "Black Soot" distress ink.  The leaves were die cut from the Cardstock Add On using Die-Namites "Leafy Flowers" and sprayed with a combination of "Gold Foil" and "Pressed Petal" mists.  

Memory Box

Please go HERE to see the complete post on the Swirlydoos October Kit Club Reveal!!

This project was made for Swirlydoos' October Kit Reveal.  

To see more about the reveal, go here.

This box that I made to hold my Father-in-law's watch, began life

as this:

I used the black Chalk Paint in the Mediums Add On to paint all the exposed surfaces.  I really like this paint.  It goes on smoothly, dries quickly, and is easy to clean up with warm water and soap.

I covered the hole in the bottom, by gluing a piece of silky fabric over some quilt batting that was attached to a piece of chipboard and laying it over top.

Hello

Please go HERE to see the complete post on the Swirlydoos October Kit Club Reveal!!

This project was made for Swirlydoos' October Kit Reveal.  

To see more about the reveal, go here.

My husband's father passed away last week, and so I have been making some things to place upon the Memorial Table at his funeral.  This is one of the last photos of him that we have.  It was a happy moment, watching as he met his youngest Great Grandson for the first time.  I love how they're both checking each other out with smiles!  :)

When you start with such a beautiful piece of paper, the layout practically makes itself!  Throw in the beautiful Prima Winthrop flowers and Epiphany embellishments, Blue Fern chippies, a pretty Wild Rose Lace die-cut, and you have a match made in heaven!

The pretty chipboard swirls, as well as the wooden Prima birdcage above them, were both painted with "Golden Sleigh Bells" Magical Micas (which came with the September Mediums Add On).  I painted the chipboard with white gesso, before adding the Magical Micas.

This stencil for the masking above, also came in the September Mediums Add On.  It's one of my favorite stencils - it's so pretty.

Swirlydoos Kit Club October Reveal!

It has been such a thrill this month to be a Guest Designer with Swirlydoos and get to play with the wonderful kit and Add On's that are being released today!

The October collection is full of beautiful pieces to enjoy and create with.  Keys and birdcages, ribbon and bling... you will be in scrappy heaven!!  PLUS this month's kit has a mixture of Prima's Epiphany patterned papers, and Blue Fern's Montage.... does it get any better than that???

Welcome to:

Swirlydoos Kit Club 

October Scrapbook Kit Reveal!

We are not having a blog hop this month, but there will still be ways to win some prizes and, of course, beautiful projects to see from our talented design team!  Go to the Swirlydoos blog to find out how you can win some fabulous prizes just by being a part of our NEW Facebook gallery! Make sure you have LIKED & FOLLOWED 

Swirlydoos on Facebook!!!

Swirlydoos is proud to bring you our beautiful October collection:

Treasured Yesterdays

And check out these coordinating add ons that perfectly compliment our October scrapbook kit!

These "add ons" sell out very quickly, so don't delay ordering!  If you want to be sure and get one (or more!!)  every month, send a request to Krissy (krissy@swirlydoos.com) asking to be permanent for such-and-such Add On and it will be included with your monthly kit.

Are you a subscriber? If so, your kit is on it's way! If not, check out the Swirlydoos store to see if there are any September kits or add ons in the store!

***All of our monthly scrapbook kits are available in our store while supplies last!***

Has it sold out? - become a subscriber and not only will you never miss a kit again, but you'll also pay less for your monthly scrapbook kits!
*Mention this blog hop and save 10% on your first kit*

We have some absolutely beautiful scrapbook projects for you to see today !!  

Look at the fun I've had with this kit!  (I have posted each one of these separately, so you can see more pictures, as well as explanations on how I made them, if you want to.  Just click on the link that I provide.)

You can see how I created the background for this, and how I altered the chipboard frame here.

This month's kit includes a piece of Finnibair's beautiful Honeycomb Resist Canvas paper.  Oh boy did I have fun misting and inking this one!  Check it out here.

Some beautiful Blue Fern "Montage" papers are also included, and they are SO gorgeous that embellishing is quick and easy.  See how here.

This was a very meaningful project for me.  I altered a re-cycled box to store my father-in-law's wrist watch in.  He passed away this week and bequeathed it to my husband, so I wanted something special  to keep it in.  See more pictures here.

Be sure to check out projects from the rest of the Swirlydoos Design Team here:

Linda (Guest Designer!) That's me - doing the "happy dance"!!!  :)

Angelica  http://angelicascrappenings.blogspot.com/

Debbie  http://debbie-lovescrappin.blogspot.com/

Helena  http://willeascrappar.blogspot.com

 Jamie  http://jamiedoughertydesigns.blogspot.com/

Kim  www.droopidog.typepad.com

Limor  http://www.limorwebber.com/blog/

Maggi  http://scraptravelbark.blogspot.com/\

Maja  http://stokk-eyovine.blogspot.se/

Paulien  http://paulienvandenbosch.blogspot.com/

Rae  http://scrappingfancy.blogspot.com/

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I appreciate the time that everyone takes to "travel around"!

 It is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, 

and I wish you many blessings!

Linda

Beautiful

Please go HERE to see the complete post on the Swirlydoos October Kit Club Reveal!!

This project was made for Swirlydoos' October Kit Reveal.  

To see more about the reveal, go here.

A sketch by Beggahuna, is always included in a Swirlydoos kit, and this layout is my interpretation of this month's sketch.

The collage below shows how I picked the background paper, distressed the top layer in places where I wanted the background to show through, cut a hole to save some of that beautiful pink paper for other projects, and finished by gluing the top layer over the background.  We have a couple tutorials on the Swirlydoos forum that teach you how to deep distress here and here.

This is a close up of the texture I created using Prima's "Netting" stencil and glass bead gel.  This stencil was included in the Mediums Add On, and I really love the effect you get with it.

I misted the stenciling with LSG "Cosmopolitan Pink" Starburst mist, and then painted here and there with Art Anthology "Cotton Candy" dimensional paint.  I also used the "Cosmopolitan Pink" to paint here and there on the sweet little wooden bow and birdcage embellishments that are included in the kit. 

Below is a close up of how I altered the stunning Blue Fern "Jeweled Frame" that can be found in the "Embellishment" Add On.  I painted it with the Prima black Chalk Paint from the Mediums Add On, and then glued Prima "Plum" glass beads here and there, so it dripped with yumminess.  (And yes... you guessed it... the glass beads are ALSO included in the kit!)

And finally, a close up of the flower cluster I created with tiny flowers from the Flower 

Add On, and more beautiful pieces, such as the black ribbon, the delicate butterfly note card,the large rose, and the beautiful stick pins.  (I painted the butterfly note card with some more of the "Cosmopolitan Pink" mist to tie it into the rest of the layout, and also trimmed it down to fit into the scale of the sketch.)

Swirlydoos Card Round Robin

Hi everyone,

If you check out my blog tomorrow, you will see that I am a Guest Designer at Swirlydoos this month and I have been busy, busy, busy creating with the new kit that will be revealed.

Since my table is still covered in a glorious mess from all the fun stuff I have been doing, I decided to use a tip that Paulien van den Bosch, told us awhile back.  She suggested that before we clean up our tables, we look through the scraps and pull various pieces together to make a card.  So that is what I did and I'm really happy with how it turned out!  

Do go here to check out the other teams' entries... from the sneak peeks I've seen this week... there are going to be some beautiful cards on display tomorrow!

Consider this a peek at just SOME of the goodies you will find in this month's kit.  Trust me... it is FULL of wondrous stuff to play with!!

Now you all know I LOVE to play over at the Die-namites' blog, so I made my round robin card by following the challenge sketch that is posted there this month.  I used Die-Namites "Leafy Flowers" and "Pretty Blooms" to create a base for my bloom to sit on and followed the sketch pretty closely.

So that's all for now, but DO drop by tomorrow and see what I've been up to!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Linda