Some awesome Texas sized photographs

 

Can we say adorable???  Oh, yes, we can!

I know these are a little late, but I just received these pictures in my mailbox this week!  Love, love, love that Close to My Heart takes the time to take professional photographs at the annual Awards Reception and then that they send them to us!  This year the Texas Tenors were the special guests at the reception and posed for pictures with each of the award recipients!

And, even more special, is my photograph with our corporate team!  Such a wonderful support system!  Love all three of you!

Convention Album Contest - Final Layout

This is my final layout that I submitted into Close To My Heart's Album Contest last month.  This one was the cause of many sleepless nights as I knew what I wanted the result to look like in my head...it just took awhile to get there.  And, as my ideas grew larger, my "stash" of the Red and Pink Sparkle Assortments grew thinner!  LOl!  Thank goodness for my friends Linda, John, Janice and Barb for aiding my desperate need of those bitty light pink sparkles at the last minute!

So I have to share the story behind these pictures...

My children wanted to be Tinkerbell, Peter Pan and Captain Hook for Halloween a few years ago.  There sizes were perfect for the costumes they had chosen and they looked so adorable in them.  A few days before Halloween I started feeling that motherly guilt that comes when I remember doing something for one child that I didn't follow suit and do for the others.  Previous to this, I had always had the boys pictures professionally taken in their Halloween costumes; but with three children that just began to get too pricey.  I decided that I took pretty OK pictures and wanted to try to take them myself.  I debated where to take the pictures and finally decided on a little creek near our home...which to me I could visualize Tinkerbell fluttering through.  I was very excited with the pictures that I took and have been vary anxious to scrapbook them.  My struggle however was that CTMH didn't have a pink in their color palette that matched the flowers in my daughters hairpiece which was the splash of color that I wanted to highlight.  Then, I discovered, if I colored the ribbon with Cotton Candy, it just might work and wallah I was successful...almost a perfect match! 

Full Spread

This layout has a flip flap journey!  Above is the layout with the flap closed and below is the same layout with the flap open.  The seams are divided by the Seam Binding Color Ready Ribbon inked in Cotton Candy.  I also used the ribbon to tie little knots to help carry the pink over. 

The journaling is typed on Cardstock and then spritzed with the Spray Pen and the Create A Shade Pearl Paint to create an iridescent look.

Right page.  A photograph printed with Studio J to the 12" x 12" size.  I know I am biased, but to me the photo was as close to perfect as possible and I didn't want to do much artistically to take away from that.  So, what I decided to do, is add the Dimensional Element Flourish.  This was sanded down, painted with the Create a Shade Paint, allowed time to dry, then embellished with MANY sparkles and some of my ribbon.  I was delighted with how it turned out. 

The other Dimensional Element stars, and the title letters are also painted with the Create A Shade Pearl Paint.

Supplies used:

Z1325 12" Flip Flap Assortment

Z1732 Seam Binding Color Ready Ribbon

Sweet Leaf, White Daisy and Chocolate Cardstock

Z1326 Red, Purple and Pink Sparkle Assortment (lots of them!)

Z1327 Green and Blue Sparkle Assortment

Color Ready Alphabet (retired)

Z1380 Spray Pens

Z1681 Dimensional Element Numbers

Z1680 Dimensional Element Stars

Z1039 Create a Shade Pearl Paint

Z2193 Cotton Candy Exclusive Ink Pad

All Out Adventure Rub-Ons (retired)

Dimensional Element Flourishes (retired)

I was delighted that I was able to use these pictures for the themed contest.  This is what my journaling reads:

"Abby, Gabey and Nicholas: my three little star gazers whose grandest wish for awhile was to follow the stars and fly to Never land!   How adorable you were dressed as Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and Captain Hook: you make believed your own little storybook fantasy that was all yours. And although the dress up play began as just Halloween costumes, you created your own Never Land in your hearts and imaginations.  I loved witnessing your dramatic play over and over again.   I wish as your Mommy I could protect your childhood and keep it safe just as Peter Pan did, but I cannot.  What I can do is promise you that I will do everything in my ability to give you the most amazing, loving and magical childhood that a mother can give her child.  I promise to give you the ability to reach those stars…to dream…just like Peter Pan! "

Convention Album Contest Layout Four

This is my fourth of five layouts from Close To My Heart's Album Contest, "Star Spangled Hero".  The layout uses the Superhero paper collection but I used it more for the Americana theme.  I wanted to embrace the colors and papers together so when choosing the paper pack, the "hero" theme jumped out and what better paper style than Americana for my photos of Gabe with the Firetruck.  I also am not typically a "grudge" gal so I had to step outside of my creative box with this layout but I was delighted with how the layout turned out.  The pattered paper has some black edgings, shadings etc so I chose to use black for my accents.

Left Side.

For this layout, I used Dimensional Elements for the titles and then inked them slightly with black ink.  The word "spangled" was stamped with a rugged stamp set and then each letter was separated by the Bitty Licorice Opaques.  For continuity, I also added the bitty Licorice Opaques to accent the Dimensional Element letters.  To create the stars, I cut to fit the shapes out with the Art Philosophy cartridge and then attach them to the Dimension element stars. 

For the right side, I added hand stitching to again bring out that Black color. 

I also used the tabs from the paper as an accent.

The journaling was typed on vellum and reads:

"Going to see the fireworks at Hawksbill Greenway has become a tradition with our children and my parents for the past few years.  We all dress in our patriotic best, carry our flags proudly and spend the afternoon and evening together as a family. Of course, we love the firework display—they are always fantastic; but our family delights in the town festival that the Fire Department holds before the fireworks.  There is the excitement of the ducks racing down the “rapids” through town, lots of the inflatable jumping mazes and for Gabriel—the MOST important part of the festival—the FIRE TRUCKS!  Gabriel has proclaimed that he plans on being a Fire Fighter when he grows up so visiting the fire truck has become his favorite part of the festival.  The “real life”, as Gabriel calls them, firefighters are gracious enough to allow the children to climb on the fire trucks and patient enough to let the scrapbooking mom take picture upon picture of the children on the trucks.  This year, while standing on the back of the truck, Gabriel proclaimed that he was a “fire-hero”.  We thank our local firemen for their dedication to our community: for being “real life” stars and heroes not just to Gabriel but to all the children: what a positive example and true inspiration."

Supplies used:  Superhero Paper Pack.  (retired as of 7/31/2012)

Z1335 Opaques Licorice Adhesive Gems

Z1680 Dimensional Element Stars

Z1682 Dimensional Element Notable Alphabet

 Z1096 Neutral Embroidery Floss

Z1686 Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge

Z2105 Exclusive Black Ink Pad

Convention Album Layout Contest - Layout Three

This is one of the layouts that I made for the Album contest and a layout that I adore.  Why?  This series of pictures are some of my most precious possessions: in fact the larger photograph is probably my all time favorite picture of my children.  I have wanted to scrapbook it since it was taken but could never find the papers and embellishments that I felt did the pictures justice.  After hours, and hours of debating, I am happy with what I came up with. 

Full Spread

Left Page

Right Page

The Flourish here was gently laid down to overlap the layers of the papers, photo mats and photos some of which were raised up with 3-d foam tape.  At the intricate places where the flourish would move from one layer to the next, I gently snipped the flourish and adhered the flourish section on each layer so that it continues across the mats. 

For the other flourish accents, I simply cut apart the Sparkle Flourishes in places that it made sense and added them to my layout.  I love the flourish around the ribbon above.  It just "fit" what the space needed.  And below, the flourish helped to secretly adhere the vellum that contained the journaling. 

For the flourish that embellishes the title piece, the flourish is placed so that it went underneath the Cricut Cut letters that are raised with 3-d foam.  In a few select spaces, I clipped the flourish so that it would keep it's position.  For the letters themselves, the "star" words are Dimensional elements covered with B&T paper.  The words "light" and "bright" are also cut from Art Philosophy but are just cardstock.

Supplies used: 

Z1708 Sparkle Flourishes

Z1110 Cranberry Grosgrain Ribbon

Z1686 Art Philosophy Cricut Collection

1272 Cranberry Cardstock

New England Cardstock

Z1151 3-d foam tape

Evensong Creative Basics (retired)

Vellum (retired)

The journaling reads:

“…first star I see tonight.  Wish I may, wish I might have this wish I wish tonight.”  Our first “wish” of this Christmas night was for one, JUST ONE, photograph of my three children where they were all cooperating, no tears, smiling and looking at the camera. Apparently, that was a little too much to ask of a six month old, one and half year old and three year old.   After about an hour of trying, and unable to get that perfect picture, Mommy resolved that our Christmas picture would just have to look candid.   But then about an hour later, there was a sparkle: the children fell asleep under the tree still in their celebration best.  When I looked down at the three of them sleeping so peaceful, I couldn’t help but make a “real” Christmas wish on the stars for my children.  I wished for them to have true happiness in their lives, to have friendships, and love; for their safe keeping and protection and for their good health; for them to have self confidence and adventure; to know the Lord; and for them to grow up knowing how very much they have changed and brightened my life and made me complete.  "

Convention Album Layout Contest - Layout Two

Layout two. "You Shine So Brightly"

Layout design is Final Act from Magic.

 This layout, I do believe, was the layout that I stressed the most about.  It was one of the first to develop into an idea, but my idea was 3-d and creating my layout in 3-d wasn't quite as easy as I originally had thought.  My inspiration came from my children.  They do shine so brightly!  And I wanted to create a layout that spoke that to them.  To preface the layout, I must share that we made these little lighthouses at Bible School and the kids were just so excited about them!  While they were making them they were deciding who each one was going to give them to.  And that is where my idea began.  My children love to make cards, presents etc and give them to their loved ones..so much that Mama Hill doesn't have room left for yet one more piece of artwork (although she always seems to find a place)!  So now, let me talk you through my layout.

Full Spread

Left Side:  When creating the left side, I had envisioned a Lighthouse standing tall in the layout with a beach down below.  So to create the beach, I used the sand side of the Footloose Paper Pack.  I tore the edges to create depth, then inked the edges with a combination of Bamboo and Desert Sand Exclusive inks.  I layered this paper with the top piece being up on 3-d foam pieces.  Next I wanted a symbolism of the water, so I added a piece of Pacifica Designer Ribbon across the bottom. I continued the ribbon across to the right page as well. I stamped the little crab with Cranberry Ink and cut him out.  I then attached him to the sand and drew his eyes with a Sharpie.  I thought he added a little comic to the layout.  To suggest the horizon, I added three lines of back stitching in White Daisy Embroidery Floss to the left of the Lighthouse. 

Creating the Lighthouse.  Remembering that one of the judging points was creative or unique uses for CTMH product--using the ribbon to create an object was definitely my creative use!  This was the biggest challenge of the layout.  I had a vision in my head, but it was hard to get my vision to work.  After several trials, I found a picture (thanks mom!) of a lighthouse, traced it onto vellum and then cut it out.  I then traced the vellum Lighthouse onto White Daisy cardstock and cut out the structure.  I free-handed the top of the lighthouse again with a Sharpie marker.  For the stripes of the Lighthouse, I used the Cranberry Grosgrain ribbon and wide White Daisy Grosgrain Ribbon that we were able to buy in bulk a few years ago.  I adhered each piece of ribbon piece by piece with Red-Lined tape which is a serious adhesive!  I wrapped the edges to the backside of the Lighthouse and then secured with additional tape and sealed with Scotch Tape.  I repeated this process until my stripes went all the way to the top of the Lighthouse.  Once complete, I free handed the base and drew on bricks then cut out the base and attached it to my ribbon Lighthouse.  I added a ton, literally, of 3-d tape to the back to offer additional support, then attached my Lighthouse to my layout.  Mission accomplished. 

Once the Lighthouse was complete, I added a photo that had a double mat of Black and Cranberry to the right of the layout and added the word "You" that would become part of the title.  Even though the letters were Color-ready, I left them white and choose to add bitty red sparkles from the Red and Pink Sparkle Collection to accent points on the letters.

To complete the embellishment to the left of the lighthouse, I used the backside of one of the Elemental Color Dimensional Element as an accent.  I used rub-on letters for the date and surrounded it with buttons from the Blue Button Collection.  This entire piece was adhered to the layout with glue dots.

When creating the right side of the layout, I added the Blue ribbon as previously stated to carry on the theme of the water.   I chose to add the Bible Verse that the entire experience was built upon with All Out Adventure Black rub-ons underneath this ribbon.  I used a Popsicle stick as my tool, but I am super excited that Close To My Heart is introducing their own Rub-on tool in Sept. I believe!  Next I added the cardstock and photo mats. Then to continue the ribbon element, I made one of the patterened paper pieces into all ribbon by just completely covering the cardstock with the ribbon, and again as in before, securing the ribbon to the back side.  I again used the Red-Line tape for added strength in securing to the paper.  For the white border, I used the backside of the Elemental Dimensional Elements and then repeated the elements used in the title on the left page for the right page as well.  The journaling is hand written on small strips of White Daisy cardstock.

The little flip book was created with the Mini-Banner Dimensional Elements and Cranberry Ribbon.  I sponged the pieces with Cranberry and Pacifica ink and daubers then attached the photographs.  On the front, I also added three buttons in complimenting colors for depth.  Although not shown in the photograph because of glare issues, this component was attached to the top of the page protector.

For those who want to recreate this layout, or elements of this layout, here is my supply list:

Z2118 Desert Sand Exclusive Ink Pad

Z2103 Bamboo Exclusive Ink Pad

Z2105 Black Exclusive Ink Pad

Z2192 Pacifica Exclusive Ink Pad

Z2116 Cranberry Exclusive Ink Pad

Z1385 Designer Ribbon Collection - Blue

Z1326 Sparkle Collection - red and Pink Collection

Z1371 Blue Button Assortment

X7141C Elemental Dimensional Elements

X5749 Color Ready Alphabets - retired

All Out Adventure Rub-ons - Black - retired

Z1103 Cranberry Grosgrain Ribbon

White Daisy Wide Grosgrain ribbon - retired

Z1996 Neutral Embroidery Floss

Z1311 1 1/4" Circle Punch

Sky, Black, White Daisy, Pacifica and Cranberry Cardstock

If you have questions along the way, feel free to e-mail me!

You can order these items through myself directly, or on my website at:  www.ctmh.com/tonyasheridan

Convention Album Contest Layout One

I have had several requests to share my album that I entered in Close To My Heart's Album Contest last week at Convention.  I was honored and humbled to receive 3rd place and in doing so, the memories of a lifetime.  My many thanks go out to Close To My Heart, Jeanette, the corporate team, my own team and all of my many friends and colleagues for their support in my efforts. 

The contest consisted of each consultant submitting a total of five 2 page layouts that embraced the Convention theme "Stars Shine Brightly".  We could incorporate the theme as desired but it needed to be intertwined in the title, journaling and elements of the layouts.  The areas of focus were journaling, photography and creative use of Close To My Heart products.

That being said, I am going to try to post one of my layouts each day for the next five days.  To see any of the pictures larger, simply click the picture and it will open in a larger window.

This is my first layout:  "Our Star Ballerina".

The layout design is loosely based off of "Juggling Act" in Magic.

Full spread.

Left side.

Right side.

Star accents.  These accents were created by cutting a 1" circle out of scrap paper with the 1" Circle Punch.  I then adhered the circle to one of our Acrylic Cards and used this as a template to cut a 1" circle from the acrylic.  Next, I pulled the template and the film off the acrylic circle.  I then cut stars our of the Background and Texture paper and adhered one to the center each of 5 circles.  I attached the circles to the layout in a semi-circle pattern and adhered them using 3-d foam under the stars so the tape would not be visible.  I then completed each star by adding a Mocha Bitty Pearl to the center of each star. 

For the photo mat of the little ballerinas dancing in the circle, I wrapped two pieces of ribbon around an acrylic card.  I then added a slightly smalled piece of vellum for a double mat followed by the photo itself.  Once this was complete, I popped up the entire acrylic mat on 3-d foam.  By using the vellum and the acrylic cards for mats, the mats were softer and allowed more of the Background and Texture paper to show through. 

For the Flip-Flap hidden journaling, I first printed the photographs in a collage format to maximize the space and incorporate more of the photos.  In addition, since these photographs were taken from a distance this allowed me to use the pieces that I loved without taking over the full layout.   The photo collage was matted on vellum and then the vellum was matted onto a cut-to-size acrylic card.  The journaling was attached to the inside of the acrylic card.  The card was then inserted into a pre-cut flip flap for added protection and the flip flap was adhered to the top of the page protector in the space that was reserved for the journaling.  **a side note, CTMH introduced new smaller flip flaps at  Convention that would work great for this element!**

You will note that some of the Seam Binding ribbon was inked Creme Brulee', some Goldrush and others were left at the original colors.  This added a different flair to the layout I thought.

Since the journaling was one of the key elements in the criteria of the layouts, I thought I would share  my journaling with you. It reads:

" My dearest Abby: you are our family’s sweetheart!  You were our little star in your ballet recital.  You love every thing girly and your tutu was no exception. You were so excited to show it off -- you twirled what seemed like non-stopped in the days leading up to your recital just to “feel pretty”. And what better to compliment your beautiful tutu than your heartwarming smile that shone brighter than ever.  This was your shining moment…you knew it and you embraced it! We are all so proud of you!"   

For those who would like to re-create this layout, here is a shopping list:

XC7153 Florentine Level 2 $9.95

Z1323 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" Acrylic Cards $8.95

Z1333 Mocha Pearls Opaques ( 2 sets needed) $2.95

Z1732 Color Ready Seam Binding Ribbon  $6.95

Vellum

Z4114 4" x 6" Flip Flaps $3.95

Z2123 Goldrush Exclusive Ink Pad $ 5.25

Z2167 Creme Brulee Exclusive Ink Pad $5.25

You can order these products directly through myself at: inallsassiness@gmail.com or through my website at:  www.ctmh.com/tonyasheridan