National Stamping Month Video

New Web-TV show about CTMH Stamping

 Below is from Mycraftchannel.com, I am excited to see the premiere next week.  You can sign up to have the new episodes email notifications.

Clearly the Best, Stamping with Close To My Heart The new Web-tv show on Mycraftchannel.com  Its free to watch and is going to be amazing.

Preview Clip: If seeing is believing, then you’ll quickly see that when it comes to stamping, clear stamps are the best. Close To My Heart’s see-through My Acrylix® stamps and blocks ensure full ink coverage and perfect placement every time. Whether you are new to stamping or a seasoned pro, you can achieve unmatched precision and detail in your stamping with Close To My Heart’s stamps and blocks. Let us show you how! Combine the stamping techniques featured in this video series with the flexibility of clear stamps, and you’ll soon discover why Close To My Heart’s stamps are clearly the best! SHOW BEGINS AIRING SEPT. 4, 2012. 

Studio J Jewelry

As a follow up to yesterday's post I wanted to show you the jewelry that I quickly and best yet inexpensively made!  I bought these blank jewelry pieces for 2 for $6-ish at a local craft store.  After printing my Studio J .jpgs at a size of 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" I simply glued the photo into the bottom of the jewelry well with Liquid Glass.  Once that dried I filled the rest of the well with Liquid Glass to completely cover and in-case the piece.  At this point if you see air bubbles in your Liquid Glass you can use a needle (I use a quilting pin) to pop/remove them. Let that sit for over 24 hrs to completely dry and harden. If after drying the Liquid Glass no longer comes up to the top of the jewelry edge you can apply another layer right over top.  It will harden and dry without anyone knowing there was ever more than one piece to it.

When picking Studio J layouts to use with Jewelry (or cards and other crafts) I try to find layouts with large photo wells so when you reduce the image size you can still see the pictures.  I have made these charms with family photos as well!  My Mom loves her ring I made using this method.

Studio J Gifts

I can't believe I never blogged these for you all since I was so proud of them at the time I made them for Convention.

I quickly designed this Studio J layout to as two separate but coordinating pages instead of as a layout intentionally to use the .jpgs for gift making.  Remember for $2.95 through Studio J you can purchase just the JPG's files of your layout.  You always get 3 images, 1 image (pictured here perfect for web use) in low resolution and 2 images (1 of each page alone) in high resolution which is best for printing with.

I printed the pages at 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" on fabric transfer printer paper (bought at any Walmart, Staples, etc) for around $5 for 24 sheets.  Remember if there are words on your layout that you have to print "mirror" or "reverse" image for it be the right direction when you iron on.  After a few minutes of letting the ink set, really takes less than a minute, I ironed the images onto pillow cases.  We had instant chair covers, which at a conference with over 1,200 women at it helps to be able to save your seat!  I ordered the pillow cases online by googling "bulk pillow cases" and paid around $1 each for them. 

I plan on making my kids special pillow cases with photos of them and their Dad.  This would also work super easy on T-shirts etc!

Halloween Party in a bag! Cricut Artiste Spellbound Workshop On The Go

Decorating for your Halloween season has never been easy with this complete step by step Spellbound workshop on the go that is specifically designed to go along with your Cricut Artiste. 

School Night Studio J style

With school starting yesterday I thought I'd share my layout last year from my Daughter's year end open house.  Here here are a couple tricks I used:

• On the left page note how I journalled right onto the ribbon.
• On right page you can see that I actually took pictures of her artwork.  This is a really important idea that I think we forget about.  We can't save all of their creations, but by including pictures of those special projects right in their scrapbooks they will be saved forever.

Six stamp sets PLUS your Cricut set for $109

I can't believe what a great deal you can get on your Cricut Artiste this month.  For $109 you will get SIX stamp sets.  Let me show you how:

• Cricut Artiste (or Art Philosophy your choice) =$99 (and there are 3 stamp sets with it)
• When you spend more than $35 this month you qualify to buy the National Stamping month DOUBLE Stamp set = $5 (2 stamp sets)
• Now that you are over $50 in purchase you qualify for the Stamp of the Month set = $5 for 1 set
• Total = $109 for six sets.  What a great value!

What are you crafting today?

All over the country our little ones are heading back to school YEAH this week.  For a lot of us this will give us so much needed ME time, which I don't know about you but for me that equals craft time

So I wanted to find out what has your creative juices flowing right now.  Make sure you leave me a comment. 

Design your OWN paper using Studio J

One of my favorite things about Studio J, is how you can change the coloring of each and every paper into one of the 40 colors CTMH's palette holds.

Another thing you can do is create your OWN papers.  Look at the purple B&T papers on this layout (I have a close up below).  This really plain cardstock with 12 separate journal blocks layered over top and rotated over the square.  In order to duplicate this "paper" click on the journal blocks one by one holding down the shift key while you do this until they are all highlighted.  You can now Copy & Paste as on whole unit.  In this case I used words to double as journalling.  It would be just as easy to you multiple My Stickease, or buttons, or brads to create your papers.

Click over to my website heatherplotzke.ctmh.com and get started now. 

August's Studio J Love Your Layout video

Here is this month's installment of Studio J's Love Your Layout video tutorial and project.  It is featuring Avonlea paper pack; remember those this is just a starting point you can customize your project

Papercupcake's "It's Your Day" Double Stamp set Blog Hop

I want to welcome you to the 1st Paper Cupcake Team Blog Hop.  Our Inaugural Hop is in honor of CTMH's celebration of National Stamping Month special Double (yeah you heard me correctly) DOUBLE stamp set, "It's Your Day" that will be yours with qualifying purchase for just $5!

If you have come here via our blog hop and my fellow paper cupcake Dawn Heuft, then you are on the right track.

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In my showcase of this super cool stamp set, I choose the new 3"x3" My Creations Block (Z1746) as the perfect platform.  I wanted to show that this sets many uses, from calendar pages to quirkiness (as I shown here).  I also choose new paper pack Flirty to brighten this already fun and cute project.  I used one of each paper in the pack for this project.

Adhesive Spring $2.95

 I love how the adhesive springs make my flower pop.  I also used liquid glass to add shine to all my stamped images.   

When I stamped the images in 2 different shades of colors to get a blended look (sorry doesn't show well in photos).  To do this apply 1 color ink to the stamp and then sponge on darker color ink  onto the image before stamping.

Notice the edges of the box.  Before adhering pages to box (which I did with bonding memories glue for best results) I sponged ink directly to the boxes around all edges.

Notice how I layered my bling badge on top of the bottom with liquid glass.  I love the extra depth that gives to elements.  I also applied glue only to center of the butterfly body so when dry you can make butterfly "flutter" off the box.

Now hop on over to the amazing Kay Pekin's blog kpekin.blogspot.com/ to see what she has created!

Enjoy the rest of the hop, and stop back soon.

National Stamping Month Double Stamp set

How cute are these TWO stamp sets!?!?!  AND REALLY two sets, that's FORTY EIGHT IMAGES for $5!!!!!!!!!!!!!  NOW through September.  Check back tomorrow for our blog hop to showcase art using this stamp set.

Kick up your Studio J layouts a notch...

Okay, we all know I love Studio J Scrapping.  Here is the thing though, I still love Stickers and embellishments too.  So some people thing, oh can't have both; as my Grandmother would say pish-posh you can do whatever you want.  Say it with me "THIS IS MY SCRAPBOOK AND I WILL DO WHATEVER I WANT!!!"

Here is the layout I made for my son, oh didn't you know Buzz Lightyear is my youngest son!
  Look first at how it was done with Studio J AND then look at the finished layouts.

Fun 6x6 cardstock album out of TWO sheets of paper and my Cricut Artiste

So I went to a team meeting a few months ago where Kay Pekin showed us the template to make little mini 6x6 flip albums with Victory papers.  I decided to put a Halloween spin on the template for my August workshop.

Take a 6 x 12 pc of cardstock paper (here used black Card stock). Score that paper at 5 7/8 and 6 1/8.  Fold at the score lines, you now have the outside of your book and believe it or not we are almost half way assembled.

Next grab your pretty B&T (background & textured) paper and cut it down to a 11 x 11 pc. (save those scraps for decorating later).  Now fold your 11 x 11 in half; turn the paper and then fold in half again.  You at this point will have a 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inch square.  If your fold lines aren't perfect no worries (mine never are lol) trim up your edges while folded.  This project leaves lots of room for forgiveness.

Unfold your B&T back out, and on ONE fold line, and ONE fold line only cut on the fold to the center point.  See the pictures, because its really easier than I've written lol.

Refold the B&T pc, with the fold towards the inside book spine and the halfway cut line placed horizontal and near the top simply glue that to the inside album back cover centered.  WHAM, you're done constructing and can now decorate.

I took a pc of 28" ribbon and glued that (with Liquid glass for strength) to the outside of the book with the center ribbon at the spine.  After that dried, I took a 6 x 4 pc of paper (I used B&T) and covered the spine.  Next glued a 1 x 6 (remember those scraps) at the end of each sides of the 4 x 6 B&T, added a 6 inch pc of Zipstrip on the edge of those pcs; and embellished with ink distressed Cricut Artiste die cuts and accessories.

A fun thing people some times don't think of doing to die cuts, is cutting them up to have them edge off the pages.  In this case I put half on cover, and half on an inside page.

Let me know what you think.  I can't wait to make these as little gift albums for teachers, grandparents, for friends after a fun night out, etc.  What will you make with it????

August's Stamp of the month for Close To My Heart (CTMH)

So this month's stamp of the month has such a wide variety of uses.  See some samples above, it makes borders, background papers, and easily embellishes cards.  Best of all it can be yours for only $5, when you order it along with $50 in other products.

Cricut Artiste Puzzle time fun

So I am loving playing with my New Cricut Artiste Collection!  I cut this really cute heart puzzle to fit the whole page of a 12 x 12 sheet.  While it was still on the mat, this part is important, while its still on the mat I let my kids color, write, and decorate it.  I then removed it from the mat and instant playtime fun.  This one they decorated as a secret card for Grandma to mail my Mom in Michigan.  I love that idea!. 

Happy Birthday Mom!

Convention Contest Winner

For our team meeting at the Dallas convention our team leader Bren Yule came up with a contest to make paperbag vests with all CTMH products.  Here's what I came up with, tell me how you think I did.

My room-mate Tasha and I took home the tiaras and prizes!  What a fun time. 

Stamping tricks video featuring fall/winter 2012 Idea Book Stamps

Look at all the awesome things you can do with your stamps.  Let's get stamping!  I would love to hear what your favorite Stamping Technique is.

Get Your Fall/Winter Close To My Heart Idea Book Free today--online today

My super fun new products, including my Cricut Artiste, and Home Decor WOTG's are in these boxes and there are 2 more boxes on the ground--shhhhh don't tell my darling husband, 1 thing about deployments at night there is plenty of crafting time.

So today is the day, the NEW IDEA BOOK is up and ready to be ordered from.  Get your copy today call (760-712-7033) or email me (hrkinney@hotmail.com) today to get yours.  Or faster yet, head to my website to see the book NOW online.