2019 Spring CLS Blog Hop

Welcome to Creative Life Scrapbooking's (CLS) 2019 Spring Blog Hop! 

If you’re hopping in order, you came from Stefani's Blog.  At the end of my post I’ll send you on your way to Fran’s blog. Be sure to visit each stop – there are lots of  wonderful ideas being shared!  (More info, including the complete list of Blog Hop stops, is at the bottom of this post.)
Today I’m sharing layouts using products from Creative Memories and featuring the Travel Log and Great Excape Collection. The photos are from one of our stops during our Alaska Cruise when we visited Carcross.  Where is Carcross?  I'm glad you asked!

Papers from the CM Great Escape Collection

 

Embellishment from the CM Travel Log Collection

To make the globe I used the Custom Cutting System and the Jumbo Circle Pattern. This is now retired but if you would like to use one (or other retired tools) contact your CM Advisor.

Chances are they have one you can borrow!

The paper I used for this globe layout is from the Great Escape Collection and I thought it was perfect for these photos!  Don't worry if you love the colors in this collection but don't have Canadian themed photos - the designers at CM have wisely designed the printed paper packs so that one side of the paper is generic. 

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope these ideas have inspired you and I can't wait to see your take on them!  Please feel free to share what you've created in my Lisa's Workshop Facebook Group Here is the complete line up for today’s
Creative Life Scrapbooking’s 2019 Spring Blog Hop: 
Noreen Smith
Karyn McDermaid-Rolfe
Julie Tambrini
Diana Miller Brinsley
Stefani Jones
Lisa Brown Graham (you are here!)
Fran Allen Smitherman
Please contact your Creative Memories Advisor to purchase any Creative Memories products.
If you don't already have a Creative Memories Advisor, I’m happy to help! 
You can find more information about the Creative Memories products used in this project on my CM Advisor site at:
http://www.creativememories.com/user/lisagraham
or if you’d like to contact me directly you can do that by clicking on the “Email me” link at the top of this page.

Spring Blog Hop

Welcome to Creative Life Scrapbooking's (CLS)  Spring Blog Hop!

At CLS, we are a circle of photo lovers, memory keepers, scrapbooking and paper crafting enthusiasts, and bloggers. Our mission is to provide inspiration and education that will encourage people everywhere to celebrate their memories, exercise their crafty talents, and engage in a truly Creative Life!
Be sure to “Like” and follow our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CreativeLifeScrapbooking/ for information about upcoming blog hops and more.

If you’re hopping in order, you’ve arrived from Karyn’s blog.  At the end of my post I’ll send you on your way to Diana’s blog. Be sure to visit each stop – there are lots of  wonderful ideas being shared!  (More info, including the complete list of Blog Hop stops, is at the bottom of this post.)

Today I’m sharing some fun Punch Art Pals for your spring pages. 

For the project I created for this Blog Hop I used products from 3 of my favorite companies; Creative Memories, Fun Stampers Journey and Kiwi Lane.  Most of the papers I used are from CM’s Woodland Whimsy Girl Collection.

Here’s how I made the fun Punch Art Pals
Bunny
~Body  Punch out a circle using the CM Shape Maker System with the Circle Cartridge from white cardstock
~Ears and Feet 
Using your Custom Cutting System and Oval Patterns Make the following cuts:
White cardstock - 4IG x4
Pink Plaid paper from CMs Woodland Whimsy Girl Paper Pack - 4IB x2 for the inside of the ears 
(If you are not familiar with the system used to label the CCS see this post.)
~Punch the following shapes using CMs Border Maker System:
~Lace Flower Chain Cartridge punch one flower from white cardstock and use for tail.
~Heart Chain Cartridge – punch once from the pink plaid paper from CM’s Woodland Whimsy Girl paper pack, saving the “leftover” hearts.  Use these hearts on the paws and for the nose.
~Using the Bubble Maker Cartridge punch several times out of black and white cardstock.  Use “leftovers” to make eyes. 
~Using the Bubble Maker Cartridge punch several times out of the pink plaid paper and use the “leftovers” on the top of the feet.
~Add detail with the fine tip end of CMs Black Dual Tip Pen.
~Assemble as shown below using your CM Tape Runner and the Repositionable Refill for intricate parts.

Chick

~Body  Punch out a circle using the CM Shape Maker System with the Circle Cartridge from yellow cardstock (I used the yellow plaid from CM’s Hello Baby Girl paper pack in the layout shown below).
~Wings Use CMs Blossom Place N Punch to punch out one blossom from the same yellow used for the body.  Cut this in half and round of the pointy edges.
Punch the following shapes using CMs Border Maker System
~Feet Using the Lace Scallop Cartridge, punch once from orange paper (I used the orange striped paper from the WSL Year to Remember Part 2 paper pack by CM in the layout shown below).
~Comb Use the Blossom Place N Punch to punch one shape out of the orange paper. Trim this to make the shape shown.
Eyes Using the Bubble Maker Cartridge punch several times out of black and white cardstock.  Use “leftovers” to make eyes. 
~Beak From the leftover piece from the orange blossom, trim a small pointy piece from between two petals. 
~Assemble as shown below using your CM Tape Runner and the Repositionable Refill for intricate parts.

Sheep

~Using the CM Shape Maker System and the 2” Scalloped Circle Punch from Fun Stampers Journey, Punch out one shape from white cardstock
(FSJ punches really do work in the CM Shape Maker System! Check out this blog post for more info!!)

~Using the CM Cherry Blossom Punch and black cardstock, punch one shape.  Place it as shown in the CM Shape Maker System with the Circle Cartridge and punch to get the sheep's face/ears.
Punch the following shapes using CMs Border Maker System:
~Legs Using the Filmstrip cartridge, punch once from white cardstock.  Cut one of the leftover rectangles in half and use for the legs.
~Eyes Using the Bubble Cartridge punch several times out of black and white cardstock.  Use “leftovers” to make eyes. 
~Using the Medallion Frame Chain Cartridge punch once out of white and black cardstock.  Cut in half one of the leftover black shapes to use for the hooves and use 3 of the white shapes for hair.

~Assemble as shown below using your CM Tape Runner and the Repositionable Refill for intricate parts.

Kiwi Lane Templates
Kiwi Lane Designs (KLD) has a scrapbooking system that is simple, inspirational, and fun called Play-to-Create.

I use this system and Kiwi Lane Designer Templates often to plan out my pages, including the one shown below.  You are able to see through the templates so I was able to choose templates and place them so they cover up the deer design on the paper – it’s cute but I didn’t want it to show in this layout.  Once I was satisfied with the layout I traced these shapes on to my paper, cut them out and then inked the edges before assembling.
You can learn more about the “Play-to-Create” system here.
I used KLD Designer Templates from the following sets:
Tiny Brackets, Scallops, Large Bracket, Photo Mats and Mini Photo Set.

Here is the finished layout!

 I love the way inking the edges brings the elements on the page together and adds just a little extra touch.
Thanks for stopping by!
I hope these ideas have inspired you and I can’t wait to see your take on them! Please feel free to share what you’ve created in my Lisa’s Workshop Facebook group.

Here is the complete line up for today’s
Creative Life Scrapbooking’s Spring Blog Hop:

• Stefani Jones at Crop With Stef
• Fran Smitherman at Celebrating Your Beautiful Life
• Noreen Smith at Organized and Creative Mom
• Candace Bouldin at Scrappin’ JPEGs 
• Karyn McDermaid-Rolfe at Karyn Crops
• Lisa Graham at Lisa’s Workshop <---You are here!
• Diana Brinsley at D. Brinsley’s Memory Keeping Blog
  

You can find more information about the products I used in this project from CM, FSJ and KLD on my affiliate websites. I love the products these companies offer so much, and how they all work together so well, that I decided to sell and promote them!  Find more information about the products I’ve used and more on the following sites:
Creative Memories:
http://www.creativememories.com/user/lisagraham
Fun Stampers Journey: http://www.funstampersjourney.com/LisaGraham Kiwi Lane Designs: https://lisagraham.kiwilaneinstructor.com/

 You’re also welcome to contact me directly by clicking on the “Email me” link at the top of this page.

Happy Spring!

Sweet Treats– Fun to Make & Give!

Here are some quick ideas for stocking stuffers, classroom treats or a little something for someone special.  Each project only takes a few minutes with the help of some great timesaving tools by Creative Memories!  

Elf Legs






























 

Pants: Double up a piece of the red striped paper from the Christmas Joy paper pack about four inches.  Using the Shape Maker System and the Square Cartridge punch out a square leaving the folded edge intact (shown below).  Cut a small triangle (from both layers) on the edge opposite the fold as shown in the photo above.  Add stitching detail using the fine tip of the Black Dual Tip Pen.  
 

Buttons:  Leftovers from the Border Maker System and the Bubbles Cartridge.  Add dots with the fine tip of the Black Dual Tip Pen.  
Shoes:  Using the Circle Cartridge from the Shape Maker System punch out a circle from black cardstock then place the paper back into the Shape Maker System and punch out a crescent shape.

Make 2 of these crescent shapes.  Fold each crescent in half and trim a little bit off the bottom.  
Apply a good amount of Tape Runner adhesive to the inside of the pants and shoes, making sure to get both sponts on the paper where the Sixlets will be placed. Assemble as Shown.
Bell/Ball on the shoes:  Leftover circles from the Border Maker System and the Bubbles Cartridge.
Buckle:  use the Filmstrip Cartridge with the Border Maker System and punch out a small border from white cardstock.  Trim down one of the hollow squares on the edge of the border. (I found the Sixlet candies at my local Dollar Tree store.)

Candy Pinwheel

Using the Shape Maker System and the Square Cartridge punch one square from double sided paper.  Cut from each corner to almost the center.  Place a good amount of adhesive in the center of the square using your Tape Runner.  Fold every other point to the center and press down.  Place more adhesive in the center and adhere a Hershey's Kiss candy.  Adhere a tube of Sixlet candies to the back of the pinwheel as shown. 

Candy Cane Mouse 

 
Note:  See this blog post for info about the system below to identify Circles & Ovals with the Custom Cutting System.
Body & Ears:  From the grey patterned paper in the Christmas Joy paper pack cut the following using the Custom Cutting System & Oval Patterns:
7IR
5IG(2)
Cut from light red/pink designer cardstock:
5IB(2)
Gently fold the large oval in half lengthwise and make two cuts just a little off center as shown below.

Eyes & Nose: Leftover circles from the Border Maker System and the Bubbles Cartridge. 
Adhere ears, eyes and nose as shown.
Add whiskers using the fine tip of the Black Dual Tip Pen.  Slide on a candy cane for the tail. 

Hot Cocoa Kit
 
Supplies Needed: 

• Sandwich bag
• Instant hot cocoa packet
• Cocoa mix-ins.  I used Hershey’s Kisses and cute peppermint marshmallows I found at Target but you can have a lot of fun with this!  Other things you could add: a candy cane, plastic spoon dipped in chocolate or caramel with sprinkles/salt/peppermint added before it hardens; caramel squares…lots of possibilities!

Put the goodies in the plastic bag & close it up.  Measure the width of your plastic bag and also how far down you want the topper to go. Double this last measurement.  If you want the topper to come down an inch & a half, cut the paper 3” x the width of your plastic bag.  Fold this in half and decorate as shown.  I used the new Lace Flower Chain cartridge with the Border Maker System and punched out a border from both red and green cardstock.  I trimmed several flowers from the red border and adhered those to the green border. Once the topper is decorated you can add a quick note or To: / From: on the back and adhere it over the plastic bag. 

Candy Cane Rudolph

Wrap a piece of brown cardstock around 2 candy canes placed side by side.  The piece I used measures 3 1/2” x 2 1/2”. You may need to adjust yours depending on the size of the candy canes you use. Put a line of adhesive on one of the shorter ends of the cardstock.  Place the adhesive lined side of the cardstock facing up on the back of the candy canes & wrap cardstock around the candy canes until it overlaps and adheres in place.

Add eyes & nose made from leftover circles from the Border Maker System and the Bubbles Cartridge.  

I hope these treats help to sweeten the holiday season!

Merry Christmas!! 

CM Circles and Ovals Blog Hop!

Seasons Greetings! 

You have reached the fourth stop on the CM Circles and Ovals Blog Hop.  My fellow CM Advisors and I are sharing some ideas and inspiration featuring some old friends – the Custom Cutting System (CCS) Circle & Oval patterns!

These will be added to the CM core line but there is no telling how long this first shipment will last. Fair warning - if these go quickly there could be a bit of lag time until the next shipment arrives. 

Instructions for these CCS cuties are soon to follow but first I’d like to share a system I learned a long time ago in my early years as a CM Consultant.

Labeling Your CCS Circles & Ovals
This method saves a lot of time & effort when following directions for a project.  By using this system you can easily know exactly what size oval or circle to cut when following instructions at a class, workshop or online.  It also makes sharing instructions a breeze!

Here is how to label your templates:

Using a permanent marker, label the sizing chart and patterns 1 through 7 using the following system:

Circles (1-3) - 1 is the smallest circle, 3 is the largest

Ovals (4-7) - 4 is the smallest oval, 7 is the largest

While you’re at it – you might want to label your patterns & cutting guides with your initials, too.  Lots of people have the same tools & labeling them with your name or initials makes it a snap to see what is yours when cleaning up at a crop.

The following abbreviations are used in projects:

I = Inside Track O = Outside Track

R =Red Blade     G = Green Blade     B = Blue Blade
If a layout calls for the following:  1 I R (2) then you would use the smallest circle pattern (#1), cut on the Inside of the pattern with the Red blade and cut 2 circles.

Let’s give it a whirl!

Gingerbread Boy
Using the dark brown Designer Cardstock from the Shades of Neutral paper pack cut the following shapes using the Custom Cutting System:
Head:  1IR
Body: 5IR
Arms:  4IG(4)

Buttons, Eyes, Nose & Cheeks: leftover circles from the Border Maker System and the Bubbles Cartridge using the following papers:

Christmas Joy paper pack
Red striped paper for the nose and cheeks
Christmas Countdown Days for the buttons
Black & white Designer Cardstock from the Shades of Neutral paper pack for the eyes.
Icing: Punch several short borders using the Medallion Frame Chain Cartridge and the Border Maker System.  Cut chains lengthwise in half and then trim pieces as shown.
Adhere everything with your Regular & Mini Tape Runners.

Gingerbread Girl
Use the same method we did to make the Gingerbread boy but punch only one button and add the following: 

Dress:  5IR - cut from the red striped paper from the Christmas Joy pack.  Cut a small notch from one shorter end of the oval and trim the opposite end.
Punch one shape using the Blossom Place n Punch and trim as shown.

Flower:  From the red striped paper use one leftover shape punched using the Medallion Frame Chain Cartridge and the Border Maker System.

I like to showcase a special photo by using the CCS to cut it into a circle or oval shape – matting it for even more emphasis.

Thank you for stopping by!  Be sure to visit all of the fantastic blogs for more ideas!!  Your next stop is Celebrating Your Beautiful Life by Fran Smitherman.

Here’s a complete list of all the stops on this CM Blog Hop in case you lose your way:

Stop 1 - Julie Tambrini
Stop 2 - Diana Brinsley
Stop 3 - Stefani Jones
Stop 4 - Lisa Graham <=== You Are Here
Stop 5 - Fran Smitherman
Stop 6 - Noreen Smith
Stop 7 - Candace Bouldin

After you’ve visited all the Blog Hop stops head on over to the CM blog!  CM is giving away a CCS bundle - including the hexagon bundle (with the jumbo hexagon CCS template, all 3 blades and the self-healing mat) plus the circles and ovals!  Leave a comment after the blog hop post on the CM blog for a chance to win this fantastic prize pack!!

• Cut out 6 rings. In the example above I cut 2 sets of rings from 3 different papers.
• Determine what size and shape rings you want.  The wreath above was created by cutting 5OG & 5OR..
• If cutting on the outside track of the pattern cut the larger shape first, then the smaller one.  Do the opposite when cutting on the inside of the pattern (cut smaller shape first).
• Be careful not to move your paper or the CCS pattern until you are completely done.
• Layer the rings and adhere stickers or other embellishments. 
• To make the wreath shown above I used items from the Christmas Joy Paper and Sticker packs.
  Inspired by an idea borrowed from Donna Bobbie, R.I.P.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to take a moment to thank YOU!  I am so blessed to be able to help support my family while doing something I love & I couldn’t do it with you.  Consultants, customers, family & friends - thank you for your business and support!

Here is a little turkey I made in SBC+   Feel free to use him with your digital projects.

You should be able to right click on it & save to your computer. 

Not sure how to add outside content to SBC+?  Here is a quick tutorial.

Importing Freebies into Storybook Creator Plus 4.0

Thanks to my talented sister CMCs for sharing these ideas:

Shawna Bartimoccia made this cute gobbler using the Circle Maker, Heart Pocket Punch, Starburst Pocket Punch & Ribbon Maker

This shows all the supplies needed

Brenda Wilkinson made this little guy – using the Circle Maker, Leaf Maker and Border Maker System & Picket Fence cartridge.

You could easily make a holiday pie (at least a paper version) using the Scallop Circle Maker as the crust and the Circle Maker as the filling – cut into wedges for individual slices.

I hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!!