My Scrapbooking Blog

With the New Consultant Special this month, I thought it would be a good time to highlight the Art Philosophy Collection.

One of the things I love about the cartridge (besides the fact that it has just about everything on it a person could need!) is that it is actually organized!  Take a look at the chart below:

I love things organized and with 700 images on this cartridge, I am SO glad that they made it easier to find what you are looking for.

And I can’t forget that this collection also comes with 3 coordinating stamp sets and 3 coordinating sets of dimensional elements, making this a wonderful savings at only $99 (or earn for half price with a qualifying gathering or earn for free by signing up as a new consultant during the month of March).  Browse through the 2012 Spring/Summer Idea Book and you will find many stamp sets with red outlines.  This indicates that there is a coordinating image on the Art Philosophy cartridge and dimensions for the size to cut will be included on the carrier sheet of the stamp set.  It doesn’t get any easier than this!  I cannot say enough good things about this collection.  It is one of my all-time favorite products ever!

For a current list if all the stamp sets and embellishments that coordinate with the Art Philosophy Collection, you can download this document made by Lucy Kelleher.

Acrylic stamps are one of Close to My Hearts most popular products and understandably so.  Each clear stamp set comes in an envelope that is great for storage, a foam sheet that is used under your paper when stamping, and instructions.  To use the stamps carefully remove from the carrier sheet and stick it to an acrylic block. Acrylic stamps are easy to position because you can clearly see exactly where you are placing your image.  Close to My Heart offers a wide variety of stamp sets.  You can check them out on My CTMH Website.  I have tried many different brands of acrylic stamps and have found CTMH to be the best.  They don’t lose their stickiness and fall off the block and they are high quality.  If any of your stamps due seem less sticky (due to dust and oil from your hands) simply wash in warm soapy water and let air dry.  They will be good as new.

For stamping ideas, visit my blog every Sunday this year for Stamp Sunday featuring a different set each week.

Welcome to the March 2010 Close to My Heart Product Spotlight Blog Hop. This month we are featuring one of my favorite products – Liquid Glass! I feel this is a must-have for everyone and you will see why in this post and throughout the blog hop.  This is a circle hop so if you started here just follow along until you make your way back to the blog you started on.  Enjoy!

There are really limitless ways to use Liquid Glass.  One of it’s great uses is to add dimension to paper or stamping.  The bottle’s fine tip makes it very easy to trace lines. You can also fill in tags for an epoxy look similar to page pebbles.  Now I would say the most common use for Liquid Glass is as an adhesive but I hear over and over from customers that they do not realize this.  It works great to adhere buttons, metals, ribbon, chipboard, and other ‘hard to stick’ items.  One of my favorite uses for it is to apply glitter!  It is so easy now to turn some of my older (less loved) paper into something new and sparkly and lovable once again.

Here are some examples of my use of Liquid Glass:

This is a layout I made for a swap and I’ve now added the pictures, title, and journaling.  I “dotted” Liquid Glass on the circle paper in the middle of a few of the snowflakes, then sprinkled with Prisma Glitter – bingo I’ve got my own bling paper!  BTW, I just love that snowflake stamp!Products used are all CTMH: Creative Basics Jingle Collection, Color Ready Alphabet – Hodge Podge, Sparkles, White Daisy Cardstock, White Daisy Embossing Powder, Versamark ink, Liquid Glass, Prisma Glitter, White Daisy brads, and New Fallen Snow Stamp Set.

To make my title letters I used a Color Ready Alphabet.  First I pulled off the outside leaving the letters on the backing.  As I went I cut it off so I wasn’t working with a large piece towards the end.
Then I added the liquid glass to the letters I wanted to use and added the glitter.  This is the first time that I’ve used this technique on letter stickers before adding them to my layout.  What I learned was that but doing them this way (and being sloppy with the Liquid Glass) it also made the letters sloppy in a way – but it was perfect for this layout.  You can see what I mean by looking at a closeup of the title (it is especially noticeable on the W).  Where I went overboard (out of the lines so to speak) when I added the Liquid Glass – that part stayed with the letter once it was dried and I pulled it off the sheet.  I really love the result but it was an accident.  I probably couldn’t have made it work if I had been trying!

This next one is a Workshop on the Go layout.  Notice how Liquid Glass was added to the dots on the polka dot paper for added dimension and a unique look.
Products used are all CTMH: Dimensional Elements in Color – Organic, Twitterpated Level 2 Paper Pack, Designer Ribbon Rounds Chocolate Collection, Natural Hemp, Brads Basic Assortment, Liquid Glass, Chocolate ink, Friendship Alphabet Large Stamp Set and Hello There Stamp Set.

In addition to the many ways to use Liquid Glass for scrapbooking and cards you can also use it around the house.  I have used mine to repair my shower curtain, to fix toys and Christmas ornaments, and it works great to keep those feet pads on the bottom of my dining room chairs!

Preventing clogs: As with any adhesive in a bottle there is a chance that the tip can get clogged.  First of all that is easy to fix by poking a pin down the bottle to clear it.  Personally I find this step rather annoying so here are some things that you can do to prevent the clog in the first place.  When you are finished using it, hold upright and let the glue settle to the bottom, then squeeze the bottle a couple times to make sure that air flows through the tip and it is clear of glue.  Another option is to store the bottle upside down (an empty ribbon round container works perfect for this).  I’ve used both of these methods and they both work well.  I’ve heard you can also keep a push pin in the tip but that’s too messy for me.

One thing is certain – I just love this stuff!  I encourage you to give it a try if you haven’t yet.  It is an inexpensive, versatile product and a little goes a long way!

Additional tips:
* Drying time varies depending on how much you use.
* Do not shake the bottle!  Shaking will cause bubbles.
* When applying try to keep a continual flow – avoid starting and stopping which also causes bubbles.
* You can tint your Liquid Glass by mixing with re-inker.
* Liquid Glass may alter the color of some of the CTMH inks so make sure you test your stamped image before applying it to your final project.
* Use Liquid Glass on the ends of your ribbon to prevent fraying.

To see more projects using Liquid Glass click here.

To purchase Liquid Glass online click here.

To continue the blog hop – visit Mary’s Blog!

For a complete list of participants, go to the previous post.

2010 Layout Challenge: #25 & 26 of 210.

Well, it’s a new week and I haven’t had much time to scrapbook so I’ll give you another review since it’s been awhile.  Pictured above is the Magnetic Precision Mat by Basic Grey.  I purchased mine at Hobby Lobby with a coupon.  The package will include the mat, a magnetic metal ruler and eight small magnets.  You can use the small magnets to position things on your page before adhering them.  Liquid glass (from CTMH) is my favorite adhesive for chipboard and I love using this mat to hold the chipboard in place while it dries.  The magnets are very strong.  It has a 12×12 grid printed on the mat which is great for positioning things and to use in combination with the ruler when aligning pieces across a page.  I consider this a basic tool that I use every time I scrapbook.

I can’t say that I use this a lot but I would not want to be without it.  I simply don’t use a lot of circles or ovals, however when I need them this is the perfect tool.  There are other shapes that you can purchase to go with the system.  I primarily use the circles.  The template allows you to place over a photo and find the correct size you want to crop.  The color of the blades correspond with the colored lines on the template.  Tips for use: make sure you remove the template before cutting so you don’t cut through it.  I find it easiest to use if I am standing up.