Workshop MONDAY October 6th

I am having my first EVER workshop next Monday. I will be demonstrating basic stamping and Origami box folding. I am an art teacher so you would think that I would be used to this sort of thing, but I am a little bit nervous.....I am sure it will be fine...I am really excited to teach people how to make something so simple that will make such a great inexpensive gift! Can you believe that it is already October!! I have started my Christmas planning....a bit of shopping and card designing are helping to get me in the spirit already!




The basic box is just black and white using the Adorable stamp set from CTMH. Check out this version of the box using snowflake stamps:


Ooh, here is a sneak peak at my next workshop in November. I am still working on the prototypes, but this one includes stamping on transparencies and using holographic embossing powder!



Finally, I thought I would give you a peek at my most recent hostess gift. I have been playing around with my new coluzzle cutting system and my scallop punch. I found these great 'Chinese takeout' style gift boxes at Big Lots for just 75 cents!! So I made a tag for the front and a few simple note cards for the inside. I threw in some hand made envelopes and sticker seals and VIOLA!! A cheap, handmade, super cute gift for my hostesses. I had a home gathering last week and I have 5 more between now and Christmas!!! Business is really growing and my Hostess of the Month Club is hopping!!

National Stamping Month, A tribute

Saturday night, I had a whole group of friends and family over to celebrate National Stamping Month...I provided snacks, setting and supplies for this fun night. I took a few pics before it got started, but I totally forgot about my camera once everyone got here as I was busy being the hostess with the mostess.







I love stamping, scrapping, and card making. I want to get my friends involved and active....most of them do not do this on their own time, and they claim that they are not creative, but they do love to do the 'crafty' type stuff. Here are the cards that I created for the event. I pre-cut the supplies for each one and had everything they would need placed in a box. I also had a station for embossing and a scrap box in case anyone wanted to play around with my new supplies and Christmas stamp sets or learn something new. I had drawings for free giveaways throughout the night. All of the supplies used are from Close to My Heart.






In addition to the free drawings, I had a box with a stamp set, ribbon, paper and buttons. My guests were challenged to make a card using only the supplies in that box. The stamp set is Shining Star....Like I said, I forgot all about my camera so I did not get a shot of their attempts...but here is mine:

Color Throwdown 11

Whoa! It has been a while since I made my last post. I decided to try out a new color challenge. Color Throwdown 11 has given me the inspiration to use my new stamp set from CTMH Whoo Loves You. The colors that I have substituted are Twilight, Sweet Pea and Chocolate...they match pretty well...except for the twilight...its a little off....All well...Ooh, for the leaf I used the September stamp of the month!




Here is a mini card with similar colors from the same stamp set.


And couple of mini-Just Because cards :

Color Inspiration # 21 and SKITTLES BEADS

Here is my card for the KWernerDesign Blog Color Inspiration Challenge! I have recently been experimenting with stamping on acetate using StazOn ink and coloring it with permanent markers. It is really fun!! I used skittle beads for the background.











My friend Bonnie surprised me last week at work with a really cool new find. She calls these 'skittles'....they are like beads, but they don't have a hole in the center.




They are the perfect accent for cards and she brought me a whole stash...all sorts of beautiful colors!! These little beads are cheap and super versatile. You could buy a pack of clear and use permanent markers to change them to any color you need for a project....(metallic markers look cool too!) Check out these bugs created with the 'skittle' beads!

Design Challenge #20

Here is my card for the KWerner Color Challenge. I don't have any SU paper. I just make up own colors to match them as closely as I can. The big pink flower is from Close to My Heart, the stamp in the background is Elsie, and the pearl and chipboard letters are from Basic Grey. I used a marker to color the flower and 'precious' shape, I softened the color with a bit of CTMH chalk. I know the green ribbon isn't an exact match, but it just looks soo pretty! Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting, you are Close to My Heart!

I am having my first big Close to My Heart event since I signed up to be a consultant. It is a Sneak Peek at the new September Idea Book. I have had several Home Gatherings, but my last one was in June! I have been stamping and blogging like crazy this summer I have been working furiously the past few weeks getting ready for this event.

This is the kick off for a Hostess of the Month Club, a stamping party September 20th in honor of National Stamping Month, and monthly workshops starting in October. I also hope to generate some home gatherings and card making nights in preparation for the holidays. Whew....I am going to be so busy and I can't wait!

I am offering an opportunity for everyone who attends the event to win free shipping on their next order just for visiting my blog! They have to post a comment to be eligible.

If this is your first time to my blog, and you heard about it at the Sneak Peak or from a friend who referred you, here is what I want to know.....Explain why a person would be happier/healthier/more satisfied if they made time every week to indulge in a hobby?Do you have a hobby that you are faithful to? Why or why not?




Here is a card that I made for fun. All of the stamps and the big bloom are from close to my heart. The } symbol is stamped on a transparency with Versamark Everywhere Ink and then colored...reverse glass style....with permanent markers. Watch my blog for up and coming designs in this technique.

My First Owl Stamp....

But I am sure it will not be my last. I love owls!! I know that some people think they are kinda creepy, but I was loving owls before they ever came on the design scene....it was sort of a coincidence when they became popular and my friends were shocked that there could be so many owl accessories, purses, and stamps that were all tailored to me! Now, they are just as freaked about owl stuff as I am when they hit antique malls! Anyway, I attended a birthday party this weekend for my cousin's daughter. She is also one of my students and she really loves art. I decided that she needed her own set of chalk pastels and oil pastels and fancy art paper like we use at school. Here is the card and gift bag that I made for her. She knows that I love owls too!! When I arrived at the birthday party, (late) she was so excited to make me jealous with her new OWL t-shirt....and I was so excited to finally show off my owl stamp!

A Mini-Freak-Out

This semester I have a student teacher. She has had some really great ideas that we are using in the classroom. This week we began a new unit. We requested that the 3rd and 4th grade students bring in a shoe that they have out grown, or to bring in anyone's old shoe to use for an art project. This is a great way to reuse something that they might have around the house and turn it into an artwork.The main goal of the lesson is to use the shoe to tell a story and today they were challenged to come up with ideas.

One boy got his shoe from the pile and came over to me. "Mrs. Mitchell, there is a black widow in my shoe." Now this boy is a really fun student, but I sort of just assumed that he had seen a spider and wanted to scare me. I took his shoe over to the trash, reached my hand inside and started pulling out the cobwebs, shoe liner, and crunched up leaves. I shook the shoe out and gave it back, "I don't see any spiders. I am sure it is fine," I told him.

A few minutes later as students were finishing their sketches, he came to get me again. "Mrs. Mitchell, there really is a black widow in my shoe." I had him bring the shoe to me and as soon as I looked inside, I almost freaked out in front of the entire class!! There REALLY was a black widow spider inside his shoe! My entire body gave way to some sort of scared, freaked out spasm as I tried to keep every one calm, I was secretly freaking out inside. Trying to control my breathing, I decided to use this as a teaching moment.

I would catch the spider in a jar so everyone could get a closer look and they would know to kill a spider if they ever saw one in their shoe or crawling around a baseboard. I quickly found a jar with a lid and went back over to the shoe. As I looked inside, I realized that the spider wasn't where he had been a few minutes before. I started to peak into the shoe and of course all of the students were curious now. "I am going to catch the spider and you can all look at it," I told them. "Eeek...I can't see it right now..." A girl nearby piped up, "Mrs. Mitchell, the black widow is crawling on your back!" AAAAAAAHHH!!! My composed, calm teaching moment was ruined as I literally had a mini freak out with dozens of kids watching me shiver and convulse!!! "Get it off!! Get it off!! Get it off!!" I rushed over to her as she giggled. "Not really, I was kidding." She said. Ugh!! My insides were shaken and I was really scared at this point. I have heard that black widows can be poisonous and even deadly. (To read the real facts that I read up on later, click here.) Everyone broke into giggles at seeing the teacher have a mini-freak-out.

Whew, no spider on my back. But I still managed to catch him, and another little baby one in this jar. I am sure this is a moment that my students will never forget.




You can see that he/she has already made a mini web in the jar.