Bokeh Technique

Well, it has been quite a while since I posted. I am still very active in Close To My Heart. But mostly I am posting daily on my Facebook page. Have you checked out my Facebook page yet? Go to www.facebook.com/cathrynCTMH and be sure to like my page.  Here's one of the techniques I have been playing with lately.

The Bokeh technique is a lot of fun.

I used Pacifica, Lagoon, and Saddle ink using a sponge to ink up the colonial white paper. Some people like to use a dauber instead of a sponge. When I use a dauber, it tends to look more like a dot of the ink instead of the blended inks.

When sponging, keep the sponge moving in a circular pattern. You don't want it to look like a sponge mark. It takes a bit of patience. I put the three colors on lightly then add more color where I want it darker or where I want it blended more.

Once your background colors are ready, add the white circles.

I simply punched a few sizes of circles from a piece of scrap paper to use as a template. Then I sponge colonial white pigment ink to form the circles.

The circles need to be  a pigment ink so that they don't blend with the other inks. Pigment inks sit on top of the paper. The pigment ink takes a few minutes to dry before stamping your image on top.

I used the Seaside Greetings stamp set and mounted it on Saddle paper. I used CTMH's value pack card in Colonial White as the card base.

Here's another card using the same technique:

I used Gypsy, Sky, and Pixie inks for this card. The dots are in Daisy White pigment ink. The sentiment is stamped in black archival ink using the Happy To Be Friends stamp set.

Give this technique a try. You do end up with inky fingers but that is part of the fun. 

Join Close To My Heart

Thinking about joining Close To My Heart? March is the month to do it! During the month of March*, new Consultants who enroll will receive a FREE shoulder tote (a retail value of over $26 USD / $29 CAD with their New Consultant Kit. Our New Consultant Kit is just $99 USD / $109 CAD and includes nearly triple the retail value in products and supplies. Including your FREE shoulder tote, that is a savings of over $290 USD / $320 CAD! Additionally, new Consultants who remit $300 (USD & CAD) worth of commissionable sales in their first 40 days after their New Consultant Kit ships will receive the rolling tote (a retail value of $149.95 USD / $164.95 CAD) as a FREE bonus (not including shipping/handling)! These organization pieces are designed to help you get your business rolling, but they are only available while supplies last, so hurry on over and join today!

Contact me for more details.

*Offer valid while supplies last March 1–31, 2015. No tax will be charged on the free item. The shoulder tote will ship with the New Consultant Kit. For more information on shipping/handling options for the New Consultant Kit, please contact your Independent Consultant. Shipping will not be charged if a shoulder tote is shipped separately from a kit checked out from a sponsoring Director. Shipping will be charged on the bonus free rolling tote if earned based upon normal shipping rates.

Thank You Card Featuring Hopscotch

I really love the Hopscotch paper pack. I made a few cards with them last week and had a great time doing it.  Here's one:

This card is on a white value pack card. The blue piece is not part of the Hopscotch paper pack. It is part of the whimsy fundamentals pack.

I love these fundamentals. Look at the texture on that paper. Lovely!

Supplies:

Hopscotch Paper Pack    

Paper Fundamentals Whimsy Assortment    

You Mean The World To Me stamp set

Flaxen Extra Thick Twine

Value pack cards

3-D Foam Tape

Outdoor Denim Ink

My Crush Albums

Yesterday, my girls and I spent the afternoon working on our albums. It was a great afternoon! We each are using a My Crush album which makes scrapbooking really easy.

Cait is working on an album documenting her first year of college. She is using the My Crush Wildwood Book .

As in all the My Crush books, the pages are set and printed. You just add your pictures, notes, and any embellishments. Cait finished quite a few pages but she hasn't written about the pictures yet. She does have journalling blocks on her pages ready. Plus she added sticky notes to remind her about what she wants to write. 

Elyse is working with the My Crush Bluebird Book to put all her concert tickets in one spot. Elyse loves seeing bands live and has quite a big stack of tickets starting from when she was a pre-teen! She is putting them all together in one album with a few pictures. 

One concert, one page is her album plan. It is coming together very nicely!

I was working on my December Daily album with the My Crush Holiday Happenings Book. Well, it started as a December Daily but it ended up just a December album. I ended up pretty sick for most of December. Pictures did not get taken. But I did document my illness and trip to the ER. Christmas Week is very full and will take up most of the album.  

Sometimes I add more paper. Sometimes I just write right over the printed paper.

One thing I like about the My Crush Books is that it is more of a journal than a traditional scrapbook. I don't have to follow the usual rules. I tend to put the pictures in any old way I want. Sometimes I leave a border. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I mat them. I can do what ever I want. It's my book.

I added a piece of the program from a church service. The song really inspired me that night so I added it to the book. 

I think how funny it is that we all decided to work on a My Crush Book at the same time. It worked out perfectly. I am looking forward to another day of cropping with my girls soon. 

December Daily Album-- The Beginning

I have a new goal! This month, I will be documenting our lives daily. I want to show our Advent preparations and our daily lives.

So... to begin I need an album.

I have chosen the My Crush Holiday Happenings Book.

There are 30 pages in this book which isn't enough for a page a day. I am starting on November 30, the first Sunday of Advent, which is when our celebrations begin, and I plan on ending on January 1, when our family celebrates new beginnings with a New Year's Adventure. Some days might need more than one page. Some days will need a half of a page. I will supplement this book with flip flaps and adding fold out pages made of card stock. I have high hopes for this album.

Now to begin!

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent. I took many pictures yesterday and have a couple ready to be printed as wallet sizes. Here are a few that I am printing. Not all can make it to the December Daily Album but I do want to have my options ready.

The Advent candles I think are a must to be in the album.

My daughter's dorm room window. She hung her lights before she came home for Thanksgiving so they would be ready. When I dropped her off Sunday night, she turned them on so I could see. Love it!

Then I have a couple pictures of the kids hanging up the lights around our house. Not great pictures. I might skip these pictures and just describe it in words. 

           

Lastly, I have a several pictures of my monsters. I was trying to get a good shot of the three of them together for our Christmas card. I think they are getting too old for me to have a formal shot. This casual shot shows them as the happy teens they are. But the messy hair and sweatshirts are driving me crazy. This is them though. It is best to show who they are and not a staged shot. I'm still thinking about it.

I will have the pictures printed today and pick them up while I am out running errands. Then I will be ready to start with Day 1!

A Thankful Heart Mini Album

In September, I decided I wanted to make a Thanksgiving album that my whole family would contribute to at Thanksgiving dinner. I worked up a few ideas and ended up teaching a class at our annual Holiday Extravaganza on this album.

I cut out 6 4 inch tags for each person and had a bunch of embellishments on the table. Everyone had a great time putting it together and creating the base of the album in a way they liked. I loved how it came out!

Now, to try this on a larger scale!

I decided that I wanted a picture on each tag as well as my family writing. I thought about using the printer but decided that would be too time consuming.  A dear friend has an instant camera so I decided to try that out.

 I always loved the old Polaroids even though the quality was so poor. Sometimes they were great for quick projects. This new instant camera by Fuji worked great. Again, the quality is not as good as a digital camera. But it was quick and easy (and a bit pricey- don't waste these shots!).

My craft room was cleared out to make a large dining area so I had to set up a crafting area in my bedroom. My daughter and I set up the tags (cut from the Art Philosophy cricut cartridge at 6 inches), paper, ink, and embellishments on my dresser ready to go. As people arrived, one of us would take a quick picture then go into the bedroom and put it on the tag.  We embellished the tag quickly, leaving a space at the bottom to write. Just before we served dinner, Cait and I handed out the tags and asked each person to write what they are thankful for.

My daughter, Elyse, writing her tag

My daughter, Cait, handing out the tags.

I was surprised that I only had a few grumbles (from my brothers, of course!) but everyone wrote on their tag. My big mistake was not having enough quality pens. I didn't think about gathering them up beforehand. I found 2 archival quality black pens right when we started the writing portion of the project. I must have a dozen in various bags and places around the house. I should have grabbed them before guests came.

I put each card on a binder clip and ended up with a completed album before our celebration was over. 23 tags in all.

I will switch my binder clip to a larger size and add some ribbon on the clip. But other than that, it is perfect!

Items used:

Thankful Heart stamp set

Pathfinding Paper Pack

Gold Sequins

Gold Shimmer Trim

Chocolate Ink

Art Philosophy Cricut Collection

Flip Flaps

Have you used Flip Flaps? They are wonderful! Really. Everyone should have a set. Add extra pictures or memorabilia to any page.  I love the 4x6 size. They are perfect for pictures or postcards. But all the sizes have their uses. Pick up a pack and give it a try. You'll be hooked.