Labor Day Special!!!

Cornish Heritage Farms is offering DOUBLE points this weekend. The promotion runs from Friday, August 29th, 2008 (12amMST) until midnight (MST) on Monday, Sept 1st, 2008.

So... if you've been thinking about getting some of that new Kim Hughes MochaChica paper or the Thomas Kinkade paper packs.... now's a perfect time to take the plunge! ;)

For those of you unfamiliar with the point program at CHF, you can find more info here.

Double Dog Dare

Earlier this summer, Becky (the marketing director for CHF) fell in love with these Mushroom Lane stamps and had Liz send each one of the designers one to play with. Well... mine has been sitting in the corner collecting dust. (woops) So... last night, Julia gave me a swift kick in the pants and double dog dared me to try it out. And.... to my amazement - I actually really liked it! It's really retro/funky and really fun to add color to. I might actually buy one of these on my own free will. ;) It's amazing how an image comes to life when it's colored.


Stamps:
- Mushroom Lane #7 by CHF
- "hello" Tag! You're It (the Kim Hughes Line) by CHF

Ink:
- Antique Linen Distress ink by Ranger
- Black Onyx Versafine inkpad by Tsukineko

Cardstock:
- Birchtone Dark; Blush Red Dark Prism

Printed Paper:
- Mr. Campy line by Cosmo Cricket

Accessories:
- Copic Markers (www.ellenhutson.com)
- Silver hardware by We R Memory Keepers

Yearbook Yourself

Oh my gosh! This is soooo hilarious! Have you ever wondered what you would have looked like if you'd been born in another era? I was on Merideth's (Lizzy Anne Designs) blog and saw the link for this website called Yearbook Yourself. You upload a picture of yourself and the program shows you what you would look like from 1950 - 2000. Check me out!

I love this 1952 pic! :) I think it looks like I need to be selling Jello, wearing a dress and heels in the kitchen.


Oh yeah. Gotta love the early 70's! :)


And, frighteningly enough... I'm pretty sure I looked like this in the 90's. LOL!

You've got to go try it out for yourself! :)

MochaChica ShadowBox

I've been working all week on this shadowbox for my friend's baby shower (which is Saturday). And... her sister just let me know that the ultrasound this week showed some extra parts! Ruh Roh! Do you think he'll still like pink? ;) Now I'm back to the drawing board!

This Friday is the release of Kim Hughes' new MochaChica paper pack for Cornish Heritage Farms. You are going to LOVE this paper!!! Seriously Wonderful Stuff. It's all 8x8... which I think is the perfect size.

So.... want to see my project? (I put a 'fake' footprint in the photo frame just to make it look more realistic.) 99% of this project was created out of the new paper line.

Stamps:
- Everyday Petites (Mona Lisa Moments Collection) by Cornish Heritage Farms

Ink:
- Espresso Adirondack inkpad by Ranger

Cardstock:
- Core'dinations CS

Printed Paper:
- MochaChica Paper Pack (Designed by Kim Hughes) by Cornish Heritage Farms

Accessories:
- Hardware by We R Memory Keepers
- Nestabilities Dies by Spellbinders (www.ellenhutson.com)
- Silver Krylon Leafing Pen
- Pink Flocked alphabet stickers by the Paper Studio
- Pink gingham ribbon
- White shadow box

Tools:
- Sewing machine

Read All About It!

I just wanted to pop in and let you know that my latest Craft Critique review is on-line! I'm reviewing T-shirt transfers and showing how to use them in unique ways. :) You can check it out by clicking HERE.

MochaChica, Baby!

I have been anxiously awaiting the release of this debut paper line by Kim Hughes for CHF!!! As you all know, I am a HUGE fan of Kim's work and this paper does NOT disappoint! I am going to have to have a LOT of this paper. It just makes me smile all over! This paper pack hits the store on Friday... and you're going to LOVE it!!! It's full of Kim's signature characters, amazing prints, & cute solids. So.... want to see some sneaks? Here's a card I made yesterday using the new MochaChica paper pack! :)

This fun layout comes from Lauren Meader's Saturday Sketch!

And... here's a close up of one of the images. I added a little glossy accents to the owl for some added texture.




Stamps:
- "Welcome Baby" Baby Love set (the Kim Hughes Line) by Cornish Heritage Farms

Ink:
- Shabby Shutters Distress Ink by Ranger

Cardstock:
- Suede Brown Dark Prismatic CS by Prism

Printed Paper:
- MochaChica Paper (Kim Hughes) by Cornish Heritage Farms

Accessories:
- XL Heart Ghost Shapes by Heidi Swapp
- Silver Hardware by We R Memory Keepers
- Scrap ribbon pieces
- Glossy Accents by Ranger
- Pink Flower accent by Heidi Swapp
- Pink baby pins

Tools: Sewing machine and white thread

*sand edges to distress

Holly-Day House is IN THE HOUSE!

This card is multi-tasking at it's best! The card sketch comes from Julee Tilman's Mojo Monday Sketch , the colors are for today's Splitcoast Stampers color challenge, AND the image celebrates today's release of a new BEAUTIFUL Friendly Kritters stamp by Cornish Heritage Farms! I love it when things turn out the way I imagine them. :)

And... below is another card using the same image. I made this one with a 3 year old hanging off of one arm --- so I think it turned out OK under the circumstances. ;)


SUPPLIES:

Top Card
------------
Rubber Stamps: (all by Cornish Heritage Farms)
- Holly-Day House (Tom Allen's Friendly Kritters line)
- sentiment: Christmas Expressions (Mona Lisa Moments line)
- Aged Sheet Music Scrapblocks™

Ink:
- Espresso Adirondack inkpad by Ranger
- Old Paper & Fired Brick Distress inkpads by Ranger
- Dark Brown ColorBox fluid chalk ink
- Versamark inkpad by Tsukineko

Cardstock:
- Suede Brown Medium Prismatic; Natural Simply Smooth by Prism
- Persimmon Memory Box CS
Printed Paper:
- October Afternoon Daydream-Garden Chair

Accessories:
- 'Coffee n Cream' Scented Embossing Powder by Cornish Heritage Farms
- Copper Precious Metal Hardware by We R Memory Keepers
- Prima Flower
- Glitter by Martha Stewart Crafts
- Copic Markers (www.ellenhutson.com)

Tools:
- sewing machine & ivory thread

Bottom Card:
----------------
Stamps:
- Holly-Day House & Family and Friends (Sentiment)
(Tom Allen's Friendly Kritters line) by CHF
- Polka Dot Backgrounder by CHF

Ink:
- Pitch Black Adirondack inkpad by Ranger
- Dark Brown ColorBox fluid chalk ink

Cardstock:
- Water Memory Box CS
- Simply Smooth White by Prism
- Suede Brown Dark Prismatic CS by Prims
Printed Paper:
- Fine Flocked Paper (Artsy.licious) by Chatter Box

Faux Soldering Technique

Happy Monday!!! Well, it's been awhile, but I'm finally able to participate in the weekly CHF Challenge Chicks challenge (tongue twister!!!). This week, all of the girls are talking about their favorite product in the CHF store. Did you know that Cornish has their shelves stocked with a lot more than rubber stamps? Make sure you check out the other girls' blogs to find out more! (click on each name on my CHF Design Team area on my side bar) Oh... and if you see something you just can't live without... shipping is always FREE for US orders over $35! :)

One of my favorite new products is UTEE. What IS UTEE, you may ask? UTEE stands for Ultra Thick Embossing Powder. It's a little bit like clear embossing powder... but, you guessed it, THICKER! And... you can do a lot of different techniques with this product! It's perfect for the 'cracked glass' technique... but I'm going to show you something new that I've discovered. (at least I think it's new! I just started playing around today and thought it was pretty cool!)

I started out by trimming one of the small images from my new Thomas Kinkade Christmas Series Paper Pack. Then, using my Ranger Melting Pot (found this at Michaels... It's great for warming up a big POT of UTEE and other things), I warmed and melted a small amount of UTEE. Then, I SLOWLY poured the UTEE over my TK image. *I placed a non-stick craft mat over my work surface first

The UTEE dries fairly quickly. Once it's cool enough to touch and mostly set, slowly peel your image off of your craft mat. I used my craft scissors to trim the excess UTEE from the edges.

Once your image is completely hardened and cooled, use a Krylon leafing pen to edge your piece and make it appear soldered. I securred a piece of hardware on the back of my image to give it the look similar to a jump ring.

This card was really fun to make! (I used the Sketch For You To Try by Jen del Muro.) I inked over the other Thomas Kinkade paper with Distress Ink to give it a warmer patina & then edged each panel with the same Krylon Leafing Pen.

Stamps:
- (noel) Heart Warmers (the Kim Hughes Collection) by CHF

Ink:
- Dark Brown ColorBox Fluid chalk ink
- Old Paper Distress Ink by Ranger

Cardstock:
- Spring Willow Medium, Suede Brown Dark & Kraft CS by Prism

Patterned Paper:
- Thomas Kinkade Christmas Paper Line by CHF

Accessories:
- Copper Krylon Pen
- UTEE by Ranger
- Sheer Organdy Ribbon
- Copper Precious Metal Hardware by We R Memory Keepers

Color Challenge

I'd love to have you join me for this week's CHF Color Challenge! I {heart} this week's colors! They're kind of "preppy" and reminds me of Mother Earth. :) Click HERE to read all about it.

- Classic Yellowgreen
- Nautical Blue Dark &
- White



Here is my sample using this week's colors. I really wanted to break in my new Basic Grey Offbeat paper and Kim Hughes Flower Vases set!



Stamps: (all by CHF)
- (vase) Flower Vases; (stem, leaf) Bloomin Beautiful; (sentiment) the Landing Pad: the Kim Hughes Line

Ink:
- Black Onyx Versafine by Tsukineko

Cardstock:
- Classic Yellowgreen, Nautical Blue Dark & White CS by Prism
Printed Paper:
- Offbeat by Basic Grey

Accessories:
- Prima flower
- Brad by Target Scrapbook line
- Silver Precious Metal Hardware by We R Memory Keepers
- Kaiser pearl (colored with Copic marker)
- Oval Punch by EK Success
- Copic multi-liner & Spica Pens

Kissable Tree

I can't believe the month is already halfway over and I haven't told you about August's Stamp of the Month at CHF!!! For those of you who don't know, each month an image (or sometimes a small set) is released at a discounted price. You can still purchase these images after the month is over... but it's going to be a little more expensive. :) You can click HERE to be directed to the store.

August's SOTM is one of my fav's! (probably b/c it's designed by Kim Hughes... and I am the President of her fan club) ;) I just think it has so many possibilities! Here are a couple of ways that I've used it so far:

I saw one of Kim's Emboss Resist projects and wanted to try one of my own. The Kissable Tree image was stamped onto Core'dination cardstock using Versamark & embossed with clear EP (embossing powder). Then, I used a brayer and inked up the entire piece. Finally, I wiped the ink off of the tree with a dry cloth. Voila!

Stamps: (all by Cornish Heritage Farms)
- Kissable Tree (August SOTM 2008)
- Pretty Birds (the Kim Hughes Collection)
- Friend Centers (Mona Lisa Moments)

Ink:
- Charcoal fluid chalk ink by ColorBox
- Pitch Black Adirondack inkpad by Ranger
- Versamark inkpad by Tsukineko
- Cotton White StazOn

Paper:
- Suede Brown Dark, Kraft CS by Prism
- Core'dination CS

Accessories:
- Copper Hardware by We R Memory Keepers
- Waxy Flax by ScrapWorks
- Archaic Rub-ons by Basic Grey
- Copic Markers
- Clear Card Sheet by Cornish Heritage Farms
- White Gel Pen by Ranger
Or... try the "kissing" techinque! Just ink the tree up along with a Backgrounder and "kiss" them by pressing them together! Now... stamp the tree and check out the cool pattern you've created! It makes such a cool image!

Stamps: (all by Cornish Heritage Farms)
- Kissable Tree
- Houndstooth Backgrounder
- (cardinal) Christmas Critters (the Kim Hughes Line)
- (thanks) Silhouette Blooms II (the Kim Hughes Line)

Ink:
- Warm Red & Yellow Citrus ColorBox fluid chalk ink
- Frayed Burlap Distress Ink by Ranger
- Black Onyx Versafine Inkpad by Tsukineko

Cardstock:
- Smooth Natural & Suede Brown Dark CS by Prism

Printed Paper:
- Mr Campy: Flannel by Cosmo Cricket (used both sides)

Accessories:
- Coppered Out Precious Metal Hardware by We R Memory Keepers
- Mustard grosgrain ribbon
- Twill by Martha Stewart
- (stars) Holiday Ornaments Chipboard by Basic Grey
- Foof-a-la buttons
- Waxy flax by Scrapworks

Tools:
- Sewing Machine
- Crop-a-dile (to set eyelets)

Gift Card Tutorial

I made a gift card holder earlier this summer and promised to get a tutorial posted.... and FINALLY have it finished! :) I'm making these cards for new members at our church to welcome them and my pastor bought little gift cards for me to include. I'm not sure who originated this style of gift card holder - but it's not my original idea. I've seen several different versions here and there and just adapted them to fit what I needed.

What you'll need:

• 1 piece of solid cardstock (4.25" x 11")
• printed paper (4" x 4" & 4" x 1.75")
• scalloped oval accessory cardstock
• ribbon
• Word Window punch by Stampin' Up! (or any punch that can make a slit)
• corner rounder punch
  

Step 1: Score cardstock at 4.25" & 9".

Step 2: Create a slot big enough to hold your gift card. Slide your punch as far as you can onto the cardstock and punch. Move across cardstock and punch a second time, widening your slot. (sounds confusing... but just look at the picture for a visual) :)


Step 3: Round the corners of your smaller piece of printed paper AND the edge of cardstock. (see above) Adhere.

Step 4: Place adhesive ONLY on the outer edges of your 4" square printed paper. If you put adhesive in the middle, your slot will no longer make a pocket because it could get glued shut. :) (ask me how I know this one!) Adhere.

Step 5: Using a tape runner, apply a line of adhesive on the back side of the gift card holder. Do NOT apply adhesive over the 4" square piece of patterned paper. (see above) Place ribbon over adhesive, giving yourself enough of a 'tail' at both ends to tie.

Step 6: Heat emboss image onto scalloped cardstock. Apply to card front.

Step 7: Stamp or embellish inside of card as you like. The gift card will slide easily into the slotted pocket that you have created (the back side of my printed paper is blue polka dotted). :)Step 8: Tie ribbon to close. And... Voila!


Stamps: (all by Cornish Heritage Farms)
- Dove With Branch
- A Welcome Hug
- A New Creation

Cardstock: Prism

Printed Paper: October Afternoon

Embellishments:
- Detail embossing powder by CHF
- Twill by Martha Stewart Crafts
- Nestabilities by Spellbinders

Tools:
- Small Corner Rounder Punch (EK Success)
- Word Window Punch (SU)

Take a Class With Kim Hughes!!!

Here is another FREE On-line class that you can sign up for taught by Kim Hughes! I think it's going to be a ton of fun! Want to sign up and join me? Click on the banner for more info. :)

I LOVE Thursdays :)

Today was a great day. :) My husband is a teacher and school started today. My oldest son transferred schools and is now going to the elementary that's right next to where my DH teaches... so they get to ride to school together. I was a little nervous about how my son would do with all of the changes... but as you can see by his smile - I think he was excited about it all. The little guy wanted to be in the picture too (he's making some kind of silly monkey face). He's starting preschool and had to be in the 'first day of school photo'. So... the house was nice and quiet and I finally had some time to myself. Ahhh! I haven't had a quiet house since May.


I was really anxious to break into my new Thomas Kinkade paper after seeing so many awesome samples by some of the other CHF DT members. I just LOVE it because it looks just like you spent hours coloring a TK stamp... when in reality, it's just paper! At CHA, customers kept ooh'ing and ahh'ing at the card samples saying how wonderfully colored the images were. Their eyes bulged out when I told them that they weren't stamped/colored at all! It was just part of the paper pack! They would pick up the card and stare at it in disbelief. LOL!

I had a plain blue gift bag that I thought would coordinate really well with some of the winter pack and wanted to try it out for myself.


I added a little fiber and satin ribbon to the top of my bag, mounted it onto shimmery golden paper, and added a little glitter to the snow (I loved how Dawn Lusk's samples turned out using this glittery idea!). The bag and the card took me about 15 minutes to complete. I'm sure it would take even less the next time! Lisa Strahl said I needed an Easy Button. ;)

For the card, I stamped a sentiment, inked the edges just a bit, and sewed it all together. Oh! And I added more glitter to match the bag. EASY! :)

Stamps:
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Thomas Kinkade line) by Cornish Heritage Farms

Ink:
- Pitch Black Adirondack (for card's sentiment)
- Antique Linen Distress Inkpad by Ranger

Paper:
- Thomas Kinkade Christmas Series Paper Pack by CHF

CardStock:
- Nautical Blue Medium, Ice Gold by Prism

Accessories:
- Gift Bag
- Martha Stewart clear glitter

Tools:
- sewing machine & white thread

On-Line Classes

Did you know that the designers from Cornish Heritage Farms are hosting FREE on-line classes each Tuesday night? It's a great way to get a jump start on those teacher/holiday gifts! Just click on each banner below to read all of the details. The supplies for each class are listed ahead of time and you just need to sign up on the forum.

So much to Share....

Well... it's late Wednesday night and I'm really enjoying a little peace & quiet right now. School starts tomorrow and I didn't let the boys nap today because I wanted to make sure they went to sleep early tonight. Let me tell you how fun that was today. (rolling eyes) I am SO looking forward to getting back to some routine! My husband teaches, so he'll be back to the grindstone tomorrow too. It's just been really hard to find time to devote to my craft lately. Life's priorities have taken over. :) So, now I finally feel like I can have a little "me" time without feeling terribly guilty.

This post is long-winded, so please hang with me. :) There's just so many things going on right now... so hopefully I can post a lot this week. First of all, tomorrow is a release day for some really versatile stamp sets in the Mona Lisa Moments collection. But... by the time you read this, it probably will already be Thursday, and you can check the sets out in their entirety. The new sets are called Everyday Petites & Train Expressions. Everyday Petites is jammed packed with nearly 50 tiny sentiments that you can use 'everyday'. ;) For those of you who have little boys, you'll love the Train Expressions set! It's a perfect companion to the Thomas the Train images... but as you'll see below, can also be used for a variety of themes.

Below is a tag I made using some of the new sentiments:


Stamps: all by Cornish Heritage Farms
- ("I {heart} you") Everyday Petites (the Mona Lisa Moments Collection)
- ("To:, From:") Train Expressions (the Mona Lisa Moments Collection)
- (heart) Primitive Christmas (the Rummage Bin Collection)

Cardstock:
- Rose Medium Prismatic CS by Prism
Printed Paper:
- Addie Die Cut Scallop by Making Memories

Ink:
- Black Onyx Versafine inkpad by Tsukineko

Accessories:
- twill
- Waxy Flax by ScrapWorks

Tools:
- sewing machine/white thread

And... this little card is so simple, but I really loved how it turned out. I had this 'beach' themed paper by K & Co that was all crackled and primitive looking. The paper is half green/half blue... so all I had to do was trim it to a square and I had my sky and grass!

Here's a close up of the card. You can see how the primitive house was stamped directly onto the card front and then stamped once again on cream paper (adhered with dimensional foam). I just cut a tiny heart and placed in on my door to emphasize the sentiment. Wouldn't this card be so cute tied onto a gift bag? :)


Stamps: (all by Cornish Heritage Farms)
- (house) Primitive Christmas (the Rummage Bin Line)
- ("live", "laugh", "love") Everyday Petites (Mona Lisa Moments Collection)

Cardstock:
- Suede Brown Dark Prismatic
- Core'dinations CS (used to cut out the tiny heart on the door)
- Simply Smooth Natural CS by Prism
Printed Paper:
- Sea Glass Weathered Wood by K & Company

Ink:
- Dark Brown fluid chalk ink by ColorBox

Accessories:
- twine

Tools:
- sewing machine & white thread

Love in Braille

Happy Monday!!! I am so THRILLED because school starts this week!!! I'm ready for a schedule again. :) Here is a fun paper pierced card that I made the other day. If you pierce from the backside of your cardstock, you get a nice pattern, full of texture.

I just LOVE this sentiment, and thought a tag with the word "LOVE" pierced in Braille would work perfectly with it. :)


Supplies:
Rubber Stamps:
- The Best by Penny Black

Ink:
- Onyx Black Versafine inkpad by Tsukineko
- Antique Linen Distress inkpad by Ranger

Cardstock:
- Eggshell CS by Memory Box
- Core'dination CS

Printed Paper:
- Jack's World by Cosmo Cricket

Accessories:
- Brad by American Crafts
- Heart XL Ghost Shapes by Heidi Swapp
- 'tags' die by Spellbinders
- Dimensional foam adhesive

Tools:
- Paper Piercing tools
- Sewing machine & white thread
- Die Cutting Machine by Spellbinders

Thomas The Tank Take-along Tin

I bought this "lunchbox" about a year ago in the Dollar Spot area at Joann's and KNEW I would have a great use for it one day! My son LOVES Thomas, and this is the perfect size of tin for him to carry a few of his favorite trains in when we go places. He LOVES it! I covered the front of the tin with UTEE (embossing enamel) to keep the images from getting smudged when he plays.

Stamps: (all by Cornish Heritage Farms)
- Thomas the Tank Engine 3/4 View
- Sir Topham Hat
- Really Useful Engine
- (word balloon) Say What? (the Kim Hughes Collection)


Ink:
- Black Onyx Versafine inkpad by Tsukineko


Accessories:
- Copic Markers
- UTEE (ultra thick embossing enamel) by Ranger
- small lunch box tin

Choo Choo! Thomas is in the HOUSE!

This card is for this week's sketch challenge at Splitcoast. Today is the first release of the Thomas the Tank Line by Cornish Heritage Farms!!! This is my first Thomas card and I am LOVING these images! My son ran into my craft room and was SOOOOO excited! He wants me to stamp Thomas on some copy paper so that he can have some coloring pages for himself. You can see all of the images HERE.


Stamps:
Thomas the Tank & Friends Collection by Cornish Heritage Farms
- Thomas Train Tracks
- Thomas the Tank Engine, Front
- Right on Time

Ink:
- Onyx Black Versafine by Tsukineko
- Charcoal & Warm Red ColorBox fluid chalk ink

Paper:
- Black, Baby Blue Dark, & Intense Yellow Prismatic Cardstock

Accessories:
- silver brads by the Paper Studio
- Rectangle Nesabilities Die by Spellbinders (www.ellenhutson.com)
- Copic Markers

Big Dreams

I made this "card" the other day... and just kept looking at it. It needed 'something' and I couldn't put my finger on it. So.... I started fishing through some of my alterable 'junk' and found this clear box left over from my Papertrey Ink packaging. And, can you believe that my card was the exact size for the front of this box?!? Yeah. It was meant to be. :)

I just love this quote! When you look at how beautiful butterflies are, sometimes it's easy to forget that they started out as a plump little worm. It's just a good reminder to me that sometimes God has a bigger plan than we realize. :)

Here is the side view:


This box is perfect for holding a set of cards or small gift -- but it also looks great standing alone as wall decor. :)

Supplies:
Rubber Stamps: all by Cornish Heritage Farms
- The Landing Pad (Kim Hughes Line)
- Motivational Centers (Mona Lisa Moments Line)

Ink:
- Onyx Black Versafine (Tsukineko)

Cardstock:
- Black Prismatic CS by Prism
- White CS by Papertrey Ink

Printed Paper:
- Hello Sunshine by Cosmo Cricket

Accessories:
- clear gift box
- Copic Markers & Spica Glitter Pens
- Wild Saffron Felt Stickers by K & Company
- Black grosgrain ribbon (Michaels)


Tools:
- Paper Piercing tools
- Crop-a-dile or hole punch for threading ribbon

Scrap Blog Part 2

So... I just finished page 2 of my scrapblog and thought I'd post on here again. To check out everything up close and personal... click HERE. :) Thanks for looking!

Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

Every week the chicks from Cornish host a color challenge featuring Prism's cardstock. This weeks colors are:

• Blush Red Dark
• Candle Glow Dark &
• Intense Teal

You can read all the details HERE.

I thought these colors would be great to use for some of my 'thank you' cards that have been on my to-do list for way too long! Here's my card:

Stamps:
- Summer Fun (Kim Hughes Line) by CHF

Paper:
- Intense Teal, Candle Glow Dark, Blush Red Dark Prismatic CS

Ink:
- Pitch Black & Juniper Adirondack inkpad by Ranger
- Versamark by Tsukineko

Accessories:
- White Detail Embossing Powder by CHF
- Ribbon by May Arts
- Circle Nestabilities Dies by Spellbinders
(www.ellenhutson.com)
- Copic Markers & Spica pens