Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Clean and Simple Monogram Cards

Need a quick gift? How about a monogram card?

Today's cards are simple gifts I made for two friends using the retired monogram and Eclectic Edges boarder stamps from CTMH.  Luckily, they have the same initial as I do! Don't have a monogram or Eclectic Edges-no worries! YOU can easily use any 1 to 1 1/2 inch Alpha stamp and any boarder set you already have to do this! Check out the cards!

Like I said, these cards are so easy to make! I made 4 card bases out of Daisy White card stock cutting it down 12"x12" sheets into 8.5"x11" and then cutting them in half. The extra white pieces were used to stamp with the edge stamp in our Black Exclusive Ink and then I sprinkled on our Clear Detail Embossing Powder and heat set it. I love how it came out! Clear, crisp and shiny. The black card stock behind the stamped image is 1"x5.5. These were glued together with our very own Bonding Memories Glue

Artiste Cricut Fancy Frame

The monogram was stamped on a fancy frame I found on our CTMH Artiste Cricut Cartridge. While this cartridge has lots of 3-d items that are super cool, don't forget it has trendy shapes to add to your layouts and cards! In this case the original image has a circle cut out of the middle. But I use Cricut Craft Room and hid the contour which took out the whole in the center and gave me a perfect place to stamp my monogram. You can find the cut on p.74 Accent 3 of Mother's Day projects. It is so lacy and beautiful. I thought it worked perfectly with the 
style of the stamps. This one is cut at 2".  It is popped up with some foam tape to add dimension.

Add an extra touch!

Don't forget to add an extra touch by stamping the envelopes. Some I stamped with the same edges and others (see top picture) I used the monogram stamp. I also created a nice card box to hold the cards decorating it identically. I found the tutorial video for the box at Frenchie Stamps. She has some awesome tutorials available. 

I can't wait to give these gifts to my friends! If you would like any CTMH products, shop here!
If you would like support or classes both are available online or in person! Just email me!

Blessings!

Sharon







Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Bend 'em, Curve 'em, Get the MOST out of CTMH stamps!

One really cool thing about the CTMH Acrylic Stamp sets is that they are soooo flexible! You can bend, curve or easily mask part of the stamp using several different techniques!

So Easy to Mask by Bending

In this Cozy Cat design I took the purrr from the entire sentiment you see at the bottom of the circle and used only the purr by wrapping the left side of the stamp with the word You're around my acrylic block and since the block/stamp is see through, I only inked up the letters p-u-r-r-r. If I did get a bit of ink on the dash or 'fect' part of the stamp I simply covered the pear paper with a Post-It ensuring that the ink would go on it instead of the card stock!




















This card's sentiment Treasured Friend was also curved on the block. I did it by putting the pre-cut banner (cut using one of our great Cricut Cartridges!) down on my VersaMat and then laying my stamp right on top. Since the acrylic stamps have a bit of stickiness to them, with some pressure they will stay. Then I placed the acrylic block on top, pushing lightly to get it to stick to the block but making sure the stamp didn't shift as I pushed. This sounds so much more complicated than it actually is! Then I just inked up the stamp and created this great curvy image!









Even more Curves

This picture shows how much the stamps can be super curved! The slate rope image at the top of this card from the Avonlea Card Workshop On the Go kit is actually a straight boarder image. The card has 2 of the images being stamped so that they meet just left of the middle of the card. This one I did a bit different. Instead of curving the stamp set on the paper, I curved the stamp right on the block and practiced a few times on my grid paper until I got the curve I liked best. And again, because our stamps are 'Clearly the BEST' you can see right where to stamp and so overlapping the design was a snap!

Design your own

Not enough versatility? Well, then try this: Make your own designer paper! Simply random stamp with 1, 2 or a whole set of stamps on your card stock. I use this often when I know someone's favorite color or I need to use colors not in our current paper packs for a project. This card is made with the Love Blooms stamp set. The top is just random stamping on the card base. The flowers and leaves on the bottom 3rd of the card were stamped and cut out using our amazing micro-tipped scissors. We now have them available in regular and non-stick! I loved the regular ones so much, I bought 2 so I could use them during classes. The new non-stick ones are at the top of my wish list!

Interested in CTMH products?

There are so many great ways to use our clear acrylic stamp sets! I'd love to introduce you to our line of products. Know what you want already? Then please place an order at my online store. If you would like to host your own gathering and earn hostess gifts, please contact me! Even if you live across the country, you can hold an on-line party and invite your friends via email. They make online purchases and YOU reap the rewards!  

Live in South Texas and need a Girls' Night Out?

If you live in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas I'd love to be your consultant! I have a small studio in my home where I hold gatherings, crops and classes. Any of the Workshops on the Go or projects on my blog can be made! Cost depends on the projects you want to do but usually ends up much less than a movie and snacks! Get a group of girls together or even mother-daughter teams and we can have lots of fun scrapping or card making in my studio! 

You may order products on line at www.sharon.ctmh.com or clicking here. You may contact me to host a party or gathering by leaving a comment here or on my FaceBook page!