Making it your own.....

For my layout this week, I headed back to my pile of "must scrap" pictures. I pulled out this adorable picture of Ruby from last Christmas. It is hard to believe she is already 16 months old. We sure do miss them, and wish they lived closer so we could see the little munchkins more often.

I wasn't sure where to start, so I grabbed the most recent "new" item on hand and went with it. The November SOTM just happened to be the newest thing in my stash, so the creative process began! I pulled out the catalog / idea book to see what example projects they had with the stamp set and knew immediately that the title was perfect for the picture I had picked out. I used the basic format of the layout for my design, but added some things to "make it my own".

Whenever I am at a creative roadblock, I go looking through blogs, idea books, sketches, etc. until something catches my eye. This gives me a great starting point. I may pull the title idea, the layout design, the color combination, or some small little part that inspires me to create something.

How can you not smile when you look at this little chunky monkey.........


I used the quote "There is always something for which to be thankful." for part of the journaling from the November SOTM set. Other products used.....
PP - My Lord from Upstairs Downstairs line by Ruby Rock-It
- Jetsetter Black Glitter Factory by Reminisce
- Colonial white, Tulip, and Sweet Leaf CTMH cardstock
Tools - Quikutz - Oatmeal font
- Cricut Storybook cartridge
- Spellbinders - Lacey squares
Embellishments - Spinich ribbon by American Crafts
- Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher
- Cherry Twist thread by Shabby Green Door
- Black buttons
- CTMH sparkles (Z1104)
Stamp Sets - Boutique Borders (D1332)
- A Little Thanks (D1444) - only available until the end of the month....
Ink - Colonial White and Black

*******WHITE INK TIP***** Because the white inks are pigment, they need some drying time after stamping. After stamping be careful not to touch until dry or ink will smear. You can also hit it for a couple seconds with the heat tool to speed up the process. I always wash my stamps with a little dish soap and water immediately after using as well because the ink tends to "stick" to the stamps more than other inks.

After finishing the Layout, I made a couple quick cards with the SOTM set and a few gift tags with the Cricut. The Thank You card was my interpretation of one of the card examples CTMH had in the idea book as well.



If you would like more information on any of the CTMH used, let me know!

NOW THE BEST PART!!!!

CTMH BLACK FRIDAY SALE.......
Since November is about giving, I wanted to give a little something extra to my customers as a Thank you for your business. This sale is offered by me, so in order to get Free items, contact me directly so I can submit order to include free items.

Spend $25, pick a FREE marker
Spend $50, pick a FREE ink pad
Spend $75, pick a FREE ink pad and marker
Spend $100, get a FREE ink pad, marker, and I will pay 1/2 the shipping costs on your entire order. This would also qualify you for the November CTMH special and you would get the SOTM set I used in the projects above for FREE and pick any other stamp set in the current idea book for FREE. This would be a savings of around $60!!!
I will be offering the sale for one day only! Black Friday of course! You can email me your order at angiehighland@myctmh.com anytime on Friday. I will call you Friday evening to set up payment arrangements, shipping, etc. Please be sure to include your phone number with emailed order.

I accept paypal, money order, check, debit / credit card.

Happy Crafting! To sign up for my monthly newletter email me at angiehighland@myctmh.com