Card kit

 The Close to My Heart January 2014 "National Paper-crafting Month" special is a Cloud Nine card kit valued at $46 of products.  It is deeply discounted to just $15 with a minimum $35 purchase.  Here are my slight variations of the 10 cards.

 Aggg, sorry this is sideways, I don't know how to rotate it for you.  This is my second time trying to fix it today so I have to concede to the computer gremlins.  The silly part is that both picture attempts were not taken sideways.  Gotta love it when technology is so smart it goes boink.

Tip #1:   Despite seasoning the stamp by pre-stamping a bunch of times on scrap paper and  using proper technique, some images stamped poorly.  Smart bloggers call that the "distressed look" and call it done.  The right hand side of the mustache is fixed, the left is just okay.  Please click on any pictures to enlarge and you will better see what I am showing you.  The fix is as simple as colouring.  Before opening the ink pad, squish the lid, open it and then pick up ink with the tip of the blending pen item # 3174.  Touch up the faded areas from the lid ink pool.  I think I had trouble because the pre-cut kit shapes were from lesser quality paper?   Thats how it seemed compared to the scraps of CTMH white cardstock scrap I was pre-stamping on anyways.  I used my snowflake waste paper (January 1 post) for stamping off ink and the images were far better.
Tip #2: If the stamp images and your technique are good, but the results are not, try a different paper.
Tip #3:  Save bigger pieces of waste paper to stamp off on before they hit the recycle.  I figured I paid good money for good paper, may as well get all the use of it I can.  If you are inclined, it can be collaged or made into handmade papers too.

Here the card on the right is fixed, the left is still blotchy  distressed looking.  This kit was easy to do. I hope to try it again with different papers just for fun.  Baby nap timer allowing of course.  That's another advantage of a kit, once you have the cutting/assembly instructions, it is yours to make more.  Happy January!

Happy 2014!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a fabulous healthy and fun New Year!

Christmas blew up in our living room.  My poor old dog doesn't know what to think, she's almost 16 years old now.  I just wanted to show you my snowflakes and clock today.  The snowflakes were various Cricut cuts at 11.5" on white CTMH cardstock, or 4" from holographic papers from the dollar store.  I used my Gypsy & picked out a bunch of snowflakes from assorted cartridges, and in about 20 minutes had them all cut.  It took about 15 minutes to hang them with sparkle thread & pushpins.  I was inspired by Jamie Oliver Christmas cooking specials on the Food Network.  In his kitchen he has humongous fluffy accordion/waffle paper snowflakes.  It was crowded looking but very dramatic and pretty.  I just had to make these, the idea would not leave until it was completed.

My big round clock is an old project.  I used a bamboo bowl from Ikea and put vinyl numbers on it (I forget which cricut cartridge) .  My husband drilled the hole and put in the clock mechanism for me.  I used a black Sharpie marker to darken the gold hands because they were hard to see against the light bamboo colour.  The formal mantle  clock was made by my talented teenager for his grade 9 woodwork project. 

Happy New Year, be kind to yourself and to others.  And never forget blessings are everywhere to carry us through the rough bits.  When life isn't easy, its never boring.