A few weeks ago, some of us gathered to make some cards to donate to SickKids Hospital.  Since Halloween is just one sleep away, now's a perfect time to post the work we did!

Great thanks to Barb, Morgan, Sue, Sarah, Katie, Lisa, Linda, Annette, Sam and Charlie for helping out!  All in all, the Kards for Kids team donated over 200 cards.



Next challenge: Snowman cards!!!  If you have time to make even one card and send it to me, featuring a snowman (and no brads, buttons, or other "dangerous" embellies), you could really put a smile on a sick kids' face!  Visit Kards for Kids for more details.

Most days, I'm okay with having two boys.  In fact, if the truth be told, I prefer it that way.  No hair to brush and braid and fuss with every morning, no wardrobe dramas, no battles over too little clothing or too much makeup.

But sometimes, just sometimes, I'm envious of my friends with daughters.  I will never be Mother of the Bride (so I watch lots and lots of TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress").  And I don't have a built-in scrapping buddy.

Well, until now.  My youngest son Charlie, has really taken to cardmaking and colouring stamped images.  As you may have read in an earlier blog post, we like to make cards to donate to the Hospital for Sick Children here in Toronto.  And now, Charlie is asking to learn how to do scrapbooking pages too.  I LOVE IT!!  It may not last, but I'm going to enjoy it while it does.

Here's a picture of Charlie colouring some Magnolia images.  He's even keeping track of the colours he's using, like I do with my Copic markers.  What a sweetie.

I volunteered to make the loot bags for my son Sam's Youth Group Halloween party.  I love how these little bags are so simple and yet so adorable.  And they are so easy, thanks to my Cricut and CTMH cartridges.  Making 40 of these little bags just took a few hours.


The loot bags themselves are cut from the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge.

The pumpkin bag is made using Sunset cardstock and the face is stamped from a retired set "Frighten' Fun" using Black ink.

The ghost uses White Daisy cardstock and basic shapes cut from Art Philosophy in Black cardstock.

And Frankie Frankenstein uses a pointed border from Art Philosophy and the face is from the Artiste cartridge.  Pear and Black cardstock are used.

So cute, so simple ... I know the kids will love them.

It's a simple card, because for SickKids, we can't use a lot of embellishments -- they are choking hazards for the kids.  But sometimes simple is good.  The witch boot paper, the Kraftin' Kimmie witchy stamp, and the spiders and sentiment by Close to my Heart all work together perfectly.

Happy Halloween!

Hello everyone!  I'm very excited to be a part of a great group of girls who have come together to showcase some amazing artwork across our country.  This month, we're featuring the Bracket Frame.  This is a great product and once you dress it up, it would make for a wonderful gift this holiday season!  And all you have to do is spend some time hopping from blog to blog and being inspired!

So please join us TOMORROW, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15TH and hop across Canada to see what we've all created.  Just come here to my blog to get started.  Here's a sneak peek of my frame to whet your creative appetite!





See you tomorrow!

Tonight was Charlie's last soccer game of the season.  Which means it was the perfect opportunity to use my new "Game On" stamp set.  His team colours are black, red and white, so that's what I used for the cards to thank his coaches.  This card is clean and simple, but it looks great.


This stamp set has some great sporty stamps for soccer, baseball, football, tennis and basketball, so I know I'll get a lot of use out of it.  And I love how the soccer ball in Cranberry pigment ink pops off the black background!






Thanks Coach Scott and Coach Lawrence for a great season!

One of my favourite parts of our team PowWows is the card swap.  I send out a sketch, taken or inspired by Close To My Heart's how-to books, like Originals or Wishes, and the gals create.  They can use any paper pack, stamp set and embellishments they want, it just has to be from the current Idea Book.  So take a look at these gorgeous cards and see what they came up with:

Cards created by the Designing Divas

It's so amazing to me how each person can start with the same sketch and come up with something so different.  Keep looking ...

Clementine papers and a cute bottle cap, by Leigh Ann.

Sweet cupcake, Clementine and burlap ribbon, by Krista.

Pemberley birthday and Nov. SOTM, by Shannon.

Pear & Partridge and some great embellishments, by Joanne.

Dakota Valentine using Jan. SOTM, by Heather.

Dakota Thanks, with a pop of black, by our other Heather.

Sparkly Avonlea with sanding, by Tara.

Clementine and Florentine with cameos, pearls and butterflies, by Sheri.

Do you know what one of the best things is about being a Close to my Heart consultants?  It's the friendships I've made and the wonderful people I've met over the years.  I am very blessed by the connections I have made.

Yesterday, the Designing Divas, my CTMH team, met for our PowWow (it's not a meeting, it's more fun than that -- but costumes aren't required!).  We meet twice a year to talk about the new Idea Book, to learn from each other, to create a fun project and to get to know each other.  And it was awesome!  Tara and Joanne spoke about their Convention experience -- it was a first time for both of them.  Krista, Shannon (via Skype) and I shared tips about e-tools that are at our disposal.  And Heather, Heather, Leigh Ann, Kathy and Laurie all joined in, asking questions, sharing experiences and really coming together.  I was so happy to see it.

I am really quite proud of the team we are all building together.  They are wonderful ladies who are willing to help each other out.  They are willing to share and teach.  They are comfortable enough to ask and learn.  While we each have our own businesses to run, we're not so selfish not to help a sister out.

Have you ever thought about becoming a CTMH consultant, but were afraid you'd be left on your own to figure it all out?  Not with the Designing Divas to help you out.  And there is no better time to join that RIGHT NOW!  If you sign up in August, you'll not only receive a GREAT starter kit of crafting and business goodies valued at $130 for only $49, you'll also get this gorgeous tote, absolutely free!



Simply email me at justscrapit@sympatico.ca and let's talk about having you join the Designing Divas!

We all like to create something beautiful. And it doesn't hurt to have a little help.  That's what the "Make It from Your Heart" how-to book is all about.  It's about giving you a little help, a little inspiration, a little nudge to make something beautiful, from YOUR heart.

This useful, versatile and beautiful book, designed from the same inspiration of Jeanette Lynton's books Cherish, Imagine, Magic, Originals and Wishes, is a fabulous guide for creating stunning layouts and cards. 

Yes, I've used a lot of strong adjectives here -- and I mean every one.  I just know you're going to want one for yourself.

Why?  Because it has sketches for 18 layouts and 12 cards to inspire you.  It not only gives you the sketch, the measurements and the cutting guides to create the layout shown, it has gorgeous artwork to inspire you and give you ideas.

Why?  Because it's got great value!  At an affordable price of only $7.95, it's less expensive than most scrapbooking magazines out there.  And even though, throughout the year, each of these layouts will be showcased in the Workshops on the Go.  So you could get these layout sketches without buying this book.  But it would cost you almost $450.  That makes $7.95 sound like a great deal.

Why?  Because while we all like to think we have great creativity and can come up with designs on our own, we all need a little help now and then.  All you have to do is add the love that comes with making something from your heart.

All Close to my Heart papers come with a little something extra that you can add you to your artwork:  a patterned zip strip on the top of the paper.  Trim it off and use it in so many different ways.

Here is one card where I used the zip strip as a border.  It adds a punch of colour and creates a great pattern for the card.


Thanks Haley Dyer, for the inspiration to use generational stamping with the bike!

And here's one that I used in a striped card and pleated it like a ribbon and anchored it with some bling.  I love how it turned out.

Top view, with butterflies and more!

Front view -- maybe Olivia will save a few giggles inside when she's older.

Stamped some love right on the ends.

The inside is special too!

The stamp originally said "This is our story" -- I modified it slightly to make it right for Olivia.

Ever wanted to stamp on dark cardstock, like Black or Outdoor Denim and just couldn't get the punch in your colour that you wanted?  Now CTMH has these ADORABLE mini pigment pads in each of our 40 shades.  They are great for stamping on dark cardstock, or using with clear embossing powder to add dimension when you stamp.  I'm looking forward to using them in my Halloween and Christmas projects!





Plus, with our new stamp scrubber, they are so easy to clean.  Spritz, scrub, store it away.  So easy!