Pocket Power! Technique Blog Hop

Welcome once again to our monthly Technique Blog Hop. You may have arrived from Lauren's CTMH Craftings. Be sure to check out all the post by hopping to the next blogger until you get back to where you started. I'm sure you'll be inspired by the creativity, amazed by the artwork and/or learn something new.

I'm using Into the Wild paper to scrap the outdoor adventures of our youngest son and his girl friend. This month I'm showing layouts from both the Workshop Your Way and Deluxe Scrapbooking Kit.

Sometime people have trouble with layout designs because they want to showcase more pictures than are shown on the page. I think it's faster, simpler and easier to copy a pre-designed layout design. I'd rather make fewer pages and add photos with flip flaps, pocket style memory protectors or pocket plus pages. I focus on the photo shapes and sizes and match those to the layout. With such a large variety of Memory Protectors, it's easy to add more photos, whether it's one or a dozen.

When I was laying out the pieces for these WYW pages, I realized the right side could easily be divided into 6" halves. That meant I could add a 6" x 12" flip flap, and more photos! It's like, make two pages, get one free! I used a third piece of the mountain paper cut down to 6" x 12" then I added the journaling space as directed in the instructions. I left the back 6" side as is since the arrow print was already used in this layout. The layering idea for those pictures is from last month's National Scrapbooking Month special, The World is Yours. I will also be adding a 4x4 flip flap to the bottom left square on the right page when I get the prints. And, I'm planning to have my son hand-write in the journaling space (we'll see if that actually happens). If you only have one photo to add, fill the other side of your flip flap with journaling or artwork. You can trim down a Picture My Life card to fit, or design your own.

We carry two types of 12x12 flip flaps for post-bound or D-ring albums: top load and side load. Which one you use is really a personal preference, but sometimes one is more practical for the situation.  A 6x12 flip flap is "stitched" around the top, bottom and one side. Because it is stitched in the same way, I used a side-load protector. I wanted the top and bottom seams to match and I didn't want to deal with the flip flap when I inserted the 12x12 page. Flip Flap adhesive is not very forgiving, so it's a good idea to figure out your placement and then use washi tape to keep everything together while you remove the protective strip.

You can print you photos in the sizes needed for layout designs, or try NOT to zoom in too much when taking pictures. Usually, it's easy to crop the image tighter before printing. Backing up after the picture has been taken, is very hard!.  I prefer to print after I select the layout, but if I already have a stack of 4x6 pictures, they can be trimmed down to smaller sizes, especially 4x4, if they haven't been "pre-cropped" by the photographer. Does your printer charge more for 4x4 than 4x6 prints? I don't know why, it's actually less, or the same, amount of paper! I even found one commonly used printer that doesn't offer 4x4 prints... Save money, back up a step or two and cut off the extra 2".

For the above layout from the Deluxe Kit, I had five vertical 4x6s that weren't easy to cut down, but I had three others that could be. Rather than pick just one of the 4x6 photos, I used flip flaps to add them all. You can stack multiple flip flaps like a book. In fact, they make great mini-albums! This time I put the flip flaps in a line for a fold-out.

Tip: Attach your photos back to back before sliding them into the flip flap. Fussing with them inside the pocket is annoying.


I prefer to cut my page protectors and attach the smaller flip flaps behind the base page photo. You can read my previous post about Installing Flip Flaps for more information.  I also like to add a "handle" to draw attention to the interactive element. I used some different stamps on these pages, including some from the You Are Here Cricut Cartridge Collection. These are perfect with In The Wild! To make the flip flap handle, I cut and stamped two identical pieces and attached them back to back over the flip flap using liquid glass.

A design space file is available for the Deluxe Workshop featuring Artbooking Cricut Cartridge. Tip: the triangle pages is adorable, but I had trouble with the triangle placement. I suggest a temporary adhesive to start, then you can stick them down better after they're in place. The directions recommend laying everything out, but the pieces really need to be attached so they don't shift or get brushed out of place while you're arranging them. Did you know?? If you apply our Bonding Memories glue and let it dry from blue to clear, the bond will be temporary, like a sticky note!!

What else can you do with flip flaps?
Here's a little video.

Please, leave a comment below before you hop off to see what Melissa has to share this month. She also has a list of all the participants in case you get lost going "Into the Wild."

Ready to shop? Here are the products I used:
Into the Wild Workshop Your Way Scrapbooking Kit
Into the Wild Deluxe Scrapbooking Kit (w/o stamp)
Z679 Liquid Glass
Z4089 Liquid Glass Fine Tip Applicator
Z3268 Flip Flaps Memory Protectors 6" x 12"
Z3231 Flip Flaps Memory Protectors 4" x 6"
Z1977 Memory Protectors Side Load Value Pack
Z3503 Cricut Artbooking Digital Collection
Z3502 Cricut You Are Here Digital Collection

Make the Cut!

WELCOME to the May edition of the Technique Blog Hop!!  This month we're featuring Thin Cuts and/or Cricut Collection cuts. Either one works for me because I do NOT like fussy cutting! If you ever receive a card from me with a hand cut-out image, consider yourself very special!

You may have arrived here after seeing Amazing Creations by Maz. 
After you're finished my post, click the link at the bottom to hop to the next consultant's page. If you get lost, there is a complete list on Melissa's blog. 

Don't forget to leave a comment below!

Do you remember??

I recently received a shipment with the adorable Wild & Punny stamp set and thin cuts bundle. When I first saw it in the catalog, it reminded me of my favorite cartoon clip. 

I wanted a "busy" paper and chose one from the new Craft On paper pack.

The blue strip is one of the zip strips. 

The pattern is #21 from Make It From Your Heart, Volume 4. 

To highlight the reptile shape, I embossed the image on vellum. It is attached to the paper with our Bonding Memories glue. This is my go-to product for vellum if I can't otherwise hide the adhesive.

Double Duty Tools

Don't forget, the All-Purpose mat works for both heat embossing and when gluing. The "sticky" side keeps embossing powder from contaminating everything nearby. It is also heat resistant! The shiny side cleans up easily and protects your work space.


Washi Tape not only makes for a fun embellishment, it is also a great crafting tool. Usually I use the Thin Cuts first and then stamp my image on the shape, but for this card, all the die cutting needed to be done on the "finished" papers instead of extra pieces.

For embossing the vellum I needed the extra margin around the image to  prevent smudging the lines before they were heat set. For cutting the shape from piece A and the Decorative Border on piece B, the die needed to stay straight and centered.

The Anti-Static Pouch is another one of those great tools you never knew you needed. It makes a huge difference when heat embossing. Swipe it across the paper before stamping to make sure all the embossing power sticks to the ink, not the paper. Throw it in the bag of new sequins to prevent them from displaying magnetic powers. And there's one more thing I use it for frequently...if you know, post in the comment section!






After I got started, I realized this is an eclipse card. 

Hopefully there is a traditional one on the hop this month. If not, I may come back and add one. They are fun, and addictive. 

FYI:  On my card, the popped up piece really needed the regular thickness of 3-D foam tape instead of the thin type. 

Sooo many choices!

I wasn't sure what to use for an embellishment on this card. While going through my supplies, I saw the Crafty Sequins. The Crafty Sequins include a large assortment of colors, finishes, and sizes, plus black flowers. I've used loose sequins as bling before and was excited to spend more time with the new Fine Tip Applicator for Liquid Glass! This tool is AWESOME! 

Tip: wipe the end off after each use. 

Animal shapes always bring googly eyes to mind. After quickly ruling it out in this case, I briefly considered adding a glimmer gem or similar item to the chameleon's eyes. Then I had one of my infrequent great ideas...


The eyes are the two smallest sequins sizes, used upside down and adhered with Liquid Glass. I just love this little guy and hope you do too!!



If you're ready to go shopping, the product links are below. Otherwise, leave a comment then hop over to see the creations of Miss Carrie!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Craft On paper pack
Wild & Punny stamp set and Thin Cuts
Lemon Cardstock
Vellum
White Embossing Powder
White Pigment Ink
Black EI (dye) Stamp Pad
Heat Tool
All-Purpose Mat
Anti-Static Pouch 
Cards & Envelopes
3-D Foam Tape
Make It From Your Heart, Volume 4
Decorative Borders Thin Cuts
Bonding Memories glue
Crafty Sequins
Craft Boxes are perfect for storing sequins!
Fine Tip Applicator for Liquid Glass
Liquid Glass
Tombow Permanent Adhesive

Lovely Layers - CTMH Technique Blog Hop

If you've arrived from Terry's blog, you're right on track!

This month the Technique Blog Hop is focusing on "Lovely Layers." No, that's not what the fashionable people wear in Chicago when it's 50 degrees below! Here we're talking about layers of paper, ink, or even...Liquid Glass.

You'll find Liquid Glass under the tools section when shopping on my website. You may have used it for one of our National Papercrafting Month specials to secure flowers. For years, CTMH Consultants have been using it's adhesive super powers for even more, like repairing the sole on your shoe during convention! If you haven't seen my favorite example, just ask! It works great for securing ribbons on mini-albums. The opening allows you to place a fine line for attaching twine, or a dot to keep a sequin in place.

However, this amazing product is more than an adhesive,  Did you ever use it as an EMBELLISHMENT? As the name implies, you can use it to replicate glass on your projects. It forms a clear covering over an image. A few months ago, you may have seen snow globes with Liquid Glass. You can cover the entire image or highlight selected parts. It can be LAYERED on paper and complements. Above, I used it on the lens of the glasses from the Heart Happy complements.

You can also make a sheen on water surfaces. These pictures show an old pool layout where I used the  Liquid Glass on stamped water drops.

I mentioned using this amazing product with 3-D flowers. On this year's special, it was suggested to add a thin LAYER of Liquid Glass to the leaves, to give them a sheen similar to real Magnolia leaves.







For my blog hop artwork, I made a card using the Egg-stra Special bundle and Decorative Borders thin cuts. The color combination came from the So Much Happy collection.

I used two Easter Eggs on the card, but in preparation I LAYERED the Liquid Glass several ways:

1. I colored some areas with Shin Han markers and used Liquid Glass to accent them.
2. I covered the entire image. 
3. I highlighted stamped spots. 
4. I colored some areas with Shin Han markers and used Liquid Glass to accent them.
5. I suggest using Intense Black ink with Liquid Glass. Some ink and marker colors may run, usually the darker shades. By working with one section at a time, this is easily avoided. 

I like to cut my die shapes before I stamp them, but I did save one egg and cut the shape after it was covered with Liquid Glass. I had to use washi tape to hold the die in place, but there didn't seem to be any other issues. One more FYI:  Liquid Glass may change the color of dye ink. I didn't notice this with any of the colors I used, but I remember it being an issue with some of the retired reds (they looked orange).

When working with Liquid Glass, use the All-Purpose Mat. Not only will it protect your work surface, but your project won't accidentally become glued to anything else. And, any spillage will pop right off after it dries!

You may have noticed that the eggs curled a bit from the Liquid Glass. This didn't cause any problems, in fact, one of my "failures" may give someone else an idea for a new technique. This is another nice feature of Liquid Glass, it stays flexible, not brittle, after drying. The piece to the right has MANY individual LAYERS of Liquid Glass and was purposefully bent, it didn't become this deformed from the application of the product.

Don't you just love our two-toned cardstock?! I used both shades of Clover for the LAYERS of "grass" and the lighter side for both egg shapes. I used the Peach ink on the lighter side of the Peach cardstock to give the tone-on-tone stamping more contrast.

Did you see the bunny's paws? I made these using the ears stamp and thin cuts, then I added little lines with a journaling pen. I also used the egg die and put them through the Cuttlebug to trim them to size.


Thank you for stopping by! Please leave some love in the comments below before continuing to  Melissa's page. (She also has the list of all participants in case you get lost hopping around.)



Products used on Easter card:

• Z697 Liquid Glass
• Z4262 Egg-stra Special stamp and thin cuts
• Z4241 Thin Cuts-Decorative Borders
• X6027 White Daisy Cardstock
• X5986 Mint Cardstock
• X5995 Clover Cardstock
• X5988 Peach Cardstock 
• X6008 Lemon Cardstock
• X254 Value Pack card bases and envelopes
• Z2461 ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Peacock Green Marker BG61
• Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ stamp pad
• Z6502 Peach  Exclusive Inks™ stamp pad
• Z2895 Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ stamp pad
• Z1979 Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen