December is Rockin'!

It's December 1st and the excitement has just begun!  Not only does the new Seasonal Expressions mini idea book start today but so does the Deal of the Decade special to go along with it!  And just for today, Monday, all Cricut cartridges are on sale for 20% off!  Wow!  Check out my website to get all the details on those.

In line with the holiday, I am showcasing the Yuletide Carol PDQ workshop.  It's perfect for your layouts!  Take a look!  If you'd like to schedule a PDQ for you and a few friends, just let me know!  It's only $20 for two full layouts and you keep any leftover papers, complements and accessories.

Smiles, Caron

Holiday Workshop 2014!

I can't believe it's already time for this year's holiday workshop!  It will be November 8th from 11am to 3pm at my house.  The card designs offered this year are below (click on the picture to see it larger).  Deadline to place your order is October 19th.  Don't miss out!
Smiles, Caron

 Snowman - $1.50

 Cardinal - $1.50

 Peace - $1.50

 Wreath - $1.50

 Snowflakes - $1.50

Reindeer (Cut Above kit) - $2.00 (5x7, comes with coordinating envelope)

Merry (Cut Above kit) - $2.00 (5x7, comes with coordinating envelope)

Pathfinding

Today's featured paper pack is Pathfinding.  This one's perfect for Autumn, of course, but can be used in so many other ways as well.  Check out this card (part of this month's card class so you're getting a sneak peek!).

I used two stamp sets here: Lifetime of Happiness and Distressed Backgrounds.  It's a very simple card, isn't it?!  I just love that little bit of glacier blue in among all the normal fall colors.

Here's another little card using the same paper and stamps.

 

This one has one of our little printed cork circles on it (from the Pathfinding Assortment).  Just the right touch!

Here's a close up of the patterns that come in this collection.

Like I said, quite versatile :)

Finally, here's the PDQ workshop available for this paper pack!

Autumn is my favorite time of year so it's no surprise that I'm in love with this set!
Smiles, Caron

Little dog lost...and found.

I hadn't posted this before now because I like to keep my blog upbeat but for the last five days, things at our house have been pretty bleak.  Our little dog Bailey got out of the fence late Saturday night and we couldn't find him.  All sorts of bad thoughts went through my head - the worst being that he would be hit by a car.  Five long days passed as we searched the streets, put out FB posts, checked with shelters and wondered what else we could do.  Well, today turned completely around when a lady called us saying that she thought Bailey was at the preschool where she works.  We jumped in our car and sped our way there...and it was our little guy!  He's a little bit worse for the wear as he's lost weight and had a cut on his paw that required stitches (bye bye $250) but he's home where he belongs.  We are so happy to have him back with us and now that the stress is gone, we can laugh at his attempts to walk with a bandaged paw.  Welcome home, pup!

Smiles, Caron

Ah September!

September is here and with it comes the promise of a nip in the air, the colors of Autumn and all that I love about the season. Sure, I don't get that here in FL but I had it growing up and just the memories alone are enough to make me happy.  This is National Stamping Month and Close To My Heart has a wonderful special to celebrate that and the company's 30th anniversary.  Any time during this month, place an order of $30 or more and you will receive this special stamp set absolutely free!  Thirty little images just right for making backgrounds, highlighting a sentiment, personalizing an envelope or anything else you can think of!  Get crafting!
Smiles, Caron

Confetti Wishes!

Today's feature is Confetti Wishes - the go-to paper pack for celebrations of all kinds.  This is a pretty straight-forward card using just one stamp, A Little Gift.  I stamped it on the white base piece and then once on the back of the patterned paper (the stamp has quite a bit of detail that I didn't want to show) and once on canary cardstock (just to get that little strip in the middle!).  Then I cut the pieces out and glued them to the white base pieces.  Top it off with some of the green and blue epoxy bubbles and it's done.  Super simple!

And here's a cute little gift tag!  This stamp is from Sweet Salutations and the embellishment is a Durables triangle stud.  Quick and easy :)

Here's an up close look at the patterns in this pack.  Bright and fun, you can mix and match with other paper packs to get the most use out of every inch!

Last on the list, is the Confetti Wishes PDQ workshop.  Here are the layouts.  This workshop is being held on Monday, October 13.  Class size is limited so reserve your spot early.  Class fee of $20 is due no later than September 15th.

Smiles, Caron

Chalk It Up!

Today I'm showcasing the Chalk It Up paper pack.  Sure, it's great for all those school themed occasions but there's so much more you can do with this paper!  Take this card, for example:

 

I noticed the words Nice and Epic and decided to go with a thank you card.  The sentiment is actually two stamps that I thought complemented each other, You Mean The World To Me and Shooting Star.  A touch of Teal Shimmer Trim and a little star from the Scaredy Cat assortment and voila! Don't let a theme limit you!  Here's a picture of all the patterns in this pack.

Chalk It Up

Most of these patterns have limitless possibilities!  Mix and match with other paper packs (yes, that is not only allowed but highly encouraged!).  

Finally, here are two layouts that I'm offering as a PDQ Workshop (pretty darn quick).  With different layouts than the kit in the idea book, this one is ideal for scrappers who want to save even more money and time!  There is no stamping involved at all.  For only $20 you will receive a half pack of Chalk It Up paper, one coordinating Complements, one coordinating Assortment of embellishments and a handy cutting guide.  You keep whatever is left over!  Bring your favorite adhesive. If you'd like to create these, let me know!

Smiles, Caron

Open House!

If you aren't able to make it to my house to see everything in person, here are a few pictures of it all!  These display boards showcase all nine new paper packs in the Annual Inspirations idea book.  I'll be posting each one by itself in the upcoming days.  There's still time to stop by so give me a call!

Smiles, Caron

Where to begin?!

Ack!  I do this to myself every time - plan an event and then have so many ideas that I want to incorporate that I don't know where to begin.  Does this happen to you?  My open houses are coming up quickly and I'm busy getting everything ready.  I know I can't display EVERYthing in the new idea book but that doesn't mean I don't want to.  New paper kits, new color lines, new stamps, new accessories, new...oh, you get the idea!  I sure hope a lot of friends drop by.  Okay, back to creating.  I just had to share my excitement with someone.

Smiles, Caron

Almost Time!

The new idea book,  Annual Inspirations, will be live on August 1st!  It's 192 pages and loaded with amazing and wonderful things to inspire your creativity!  Want a closer look at what's inside?  Come to my open house and see for yourself!  Choose a date:

Monday, 8/18, 6pm
Wed, 8/20, 6pm
Monday, 8/25, 6pm
Wed, 8/27, 6pm

This is a combination open house and card class for August.  You will make 9 (yup, NINE!) little projects for only $5.

Please RSVP as soon as possible.  Special gifts if you bring a friend!

Smiles, Caron

Skylark Workshop!

(My sincerest thanks to Vicki Wizniuk for the card designs!)

Scraps of time...

Sometimes, all I have for creative time is a few minutes but what can you really get done in short little bits like five minutes or ten?  As it turns out, quite a lot!  I love spending my little bits of free time on Studio J, mainly because the project is right there in front of me, everything I need is at my fingertips and I don't have to put anything away when my time is up.  Here are a few of the layouts I recently did.  Click the picture to see it larger.

From an express collection.  All the difficult stuff was already done for me!

I'm using these as the front and back pages of my album :)

I thought this was a great way to combine several years' worth of pictures without creating layouts for each.

Another express collection - I just added pictures and words!

Smiles, Caron

Howdy!

Whenever consultants attend the Close To My Heart annual convention, we usually get an exclusive stamp set designed for the theme of that event - one that isn't sold, ever.  This cute stamp set was from when we went to Texas and I couldn't resist using it on this card.  I was trying to get a masculine feel and I think I succeeded but I think it really would work for anyone.

That great tan and white patterned cardstock is from our Paper Fundamentals assortment.  One side has a regular pattern like you see here and the other side has the pattern in tone on tone embossing.  All of the colors in the assortment are in the neutral basics colors so they go with everything!  I added some Durables Triangle studs for that "studly" touch :)

Smiles, Caron

Pinspiration

I admit it.  I'm a Pinterest lover.  It's amazing to me how many ideas are out there just waiting to inspire someone.  I think what keeps my hooked is finding so many other people who like the same things I do.  Since I've been suffering from a severe creative block, I often go to Pinterest to get ideas for my workshops.  Here's a card that I found so pretty that I had to try to recreate it myself.

This one was created by someone named 1StampingNightOwl:

I think it was the color combination and style that drew me to it.  So...I decided to try making it with products I had on hand and this is what I came up with (I obviously need better lighting for my photography):

Here's a close up of the flowers:

I had fun using our spray pen filled with water and a few drops of re-inker.  The diamond pattern came from Fabulous You, the sentiment and the swirl pattern on the flowers are from Hooray Bouquet and then I used both the Cricut Art Philosophy and Artiste cartridges for the shapes.

Thanks for the inspiration 1stampingnightowl!

Smiles, Caron

Me and my bud...

A co-worker of mine recently gave me a unique insight to my life with Adam.  She said she was jealous of me.  When I asked why, she recalled something that happened back in December.  The police department where we work brings Santa Claus to the station for the employees' families.  She was standing in line with her two young sons while Adam and I were right behind them, all waiting for our turn with the big guy.  She went on to say that as she looked at her boys, she wondered how many more years she had left before they knew the truth - not only about Santa but all the other experiences parents with little ones have. Hers are nearing that age when innocence and trust give way to skepticism and reality.  Adam never went through that and probably never will. He will stay "little" forever. With tears in her eyes, she told me that she wanted what I had.  Imagine that!

Smiles, Caron

Rockin' Ink Stars Blog Hop!

Hi everyone!  I'm so excited to be part of my very first blog hop!  If you haven't "done" one yet, it's simple - just start here and follow the link at the end of my post to go to the next one.  It's like a round robin so it doesn't matter where you start but if you came here from Terri's blog, you're on the right track!  Here's a list of all the participants just in case a link gets broken or something:

1. Melissa Robsinon, mlisrobinson.blogspot.com
2. Joy McHargue, studiowowjoy.com
3. Jennifer Kramer, 4heartsscrapbooking.blogspot.com
4. Michelle Brooks, michellebrooksink.blogspot.com
5. Marianne Hancock, thescrapbookchick.blogspot.com
6.  Terrie Dodd, my-life-in-real-time.blogspot.com
7. Caron Barnard, cbdots.blogspot.com
8. Alexandria Duran, papercraftsbyali.blogspot.com

The Rockin' Ink Stars is the name of the team I am in.  We have a wonderful upline, Michelle Brooks and countless team members.  This is our first team blog hop!  The theme is Spring so pretty much anything goes.  Check out the card I chose:

It's very simple and flat (something I'm not used to doing).  I used the Ariana papers and the lattice overlay design from the Cricut Artbooking cartridge.  The sentiment is from Joyful Birthday (one of my favorites!).

I also did a bonus card just because.  I'm not sure it shouts Spring but I really liked it so I decided to share it as well.

This one was also created from the Ariana paper pack!  Isn't it amazing how different the two are?  I used two stamp sets here, Perfect Fit-Birthday and  Perfect Fit-Frames.   These are both so easy to use when paired with the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge.

Here's a close-up shot of the paper rosette.  They're really fun to make and add just the right pop of interest to a card.  

Well, that's it for my first entry!  Hop on over to Alexandria's blog to see what she whipped up for you!

Smiles, Caron

Simply Hi!

Here's a quick little card to say hi!  I used the chevron embossing folder, Lollydoodle papers, and the Hi mini stamp.  I stamped the image on cardstock and cut it out, then added an acrylic flower to dot the I.  So simple!

Smiles, Caron

Out Like a Lamb?

You know that saying about March - in like a lion, out like a lamb?  Well, here in SE FL, not so much!  We've had a pretty good month weather-wise and these last few evenings have been slightly cool and breezy - in fact, almost perfect!  Too bad our Spring is so short lived and the searing heat is rushing toward us...

Anyway, I'm ready for the season to change in whatever way it will and just had to create a new wreath for the door.  What do you think?

There is only one more day left to take advantage of the Studio J special - $5 for a two page layout.  Super easy and super affordable.  Try it out today!

Smiles, Caron

Time is running out!

There's only one more week left to the awesome special going on at Studio J!  Through March 31st, you can get 2page layouts for only $5!  That's right, just $5.  Hop on over there today and see what the fuss is all about.  I just ordered some new layouts last night and already have my free jpegs to share with you.  I have gotten so much of my scrapbooking done even I can't believe it.  I'm actually up to date on the current stuff (it's the non-digital photos from years back that still need attention).  It's so easy and it's free to play and experiment.  Give it a try!  You can see any of these close up just by clicking on the picture.

Smiles, Caron

Express Collection layout - no creativity needed!  Just drop in your pictures, add your journaling and you're done!

Another Express collection layout.

Interesting to note:  this layout is the same as the Halloween layout above.  I just rotated the pages for a different look!