Welcome to another Brae-er Team blog hop! This month we are sharing art created using the CTMH featured paper packs Zoe and Nevermore (What is a featured paper pack you ask? Just as it sounds- it is a paper that CTMH recommends we feature in social media. These papers are timely and available so get them while you can!)
For my project I decided to take the Zoe paper (one that if you look back in my posts I have used a LOT in August and September) and do something unexpected with it. I paired it with some of our White Pines Compliments and some teal shimmer trim (and a splash of Cranberry cardstock) and got the PERFECT Christmas layout!
If you look closely you can see that the snowflakes and some of the other complements are a clear plastic- they add such a nice touch to the layout. I also added in some sticker stars from the complements and a few bitty sparkles (cause you can never have too many sparkles!) My title was created using our new CTMH cricut Artisty.
Now hop on over to Christine’s blog to see what she is sharing! If you get lost along the way the full list of participating blogs is below.
So we have released this super adorable product line called InstaLife. This line is perfect for the young and hip and all their fun instagram pics OR it can be used in a variety of other ways. The line features cute 4×4 mini albums with page protectors that come in two varieties. You can also purchase Instalife cards and even fun roller stamps!
I love the little books and the cards that go in them are so adorable, fun and hip! I made some of mine into cards – some required a bit of stamping, some I embellished and some were perfect just the way they came!
If you live in Canada you know that it is getting difficult to find an affordable place to print photos, especially if you also want qualify in the prints and a decent price!
Until recently I was an avid fan of Black’s… then they closed their stores across Canada and I was forced to look elsewhere (and yes I know they are back online but I hesitate to jump on board as they were bought out and I worry about quality).
Years ago I was a fan of the Walmart photo lab…then they changed their photo quality and required me to pay up front (something that would not have been a problem if I was not paying for photos with strange glowing blobs and lines).
Costco is another favourite among Canadians… but my town does not have one and the nearest one does not make it worth the cost to drive there and deal with the INSANE parking lot.
I quickly realized that the answer to my need was right at my fingertips… literally!
Studio J
I can and now DO use a product that I already had available to me and have found my photo qualify to be perfect, the cost to be comparable (and often times cheaper) AND I can print whatever size I want and make all the editing changes I could in other places.
So, how do you print photos in a product that was designed for digital scrapbooking?
Easy!
Step 1: go to my website at braemontgomery.ctmh.com and click on ‘Products’ and ‘Studio J’ in the drop down menu.
Step 2: Login (or create an account if it is the first time you have visited my site).
Step 3: Click on ‘Create a new Project’ and assign your project a title. I usually just type in photos when I am only printing.
Step 4: Upload your photos. Just click on ‘Start uploading photos now’ and pick the file where your photos are stored. Select all the photos you would like to upload. NOTE: While they are uploading you can move on in the program- no need to wait!
Step 5: Click on the ‘Express Collection’ option (we do have an alternate way to print photos but for now I am going to show you the simplest way).
Step 6: You have two options here. Select the one right for you and your project. You can go back and select another if you want and can select more than one page. You are not committed to any one style for all of your photos.
Step 7: Now select the layout you want and once in your layout simply drag and drop your photos where you want them! You will be able to do basic edits to your photos as well (just click on the photo tab on the left of your screen).
Now what about the price??
A layout in Studio J costs $7.75 (that is two 12×12 pages full of photos). Due to shipping costs Studio J has a minimum of four layouts and a maximum of 50 in shipping. Shipping itself is $13.95 (no matter how many layouts you have between 4-50). If you are like me this is a piece of cake because you go a long time between photo developing! Try to optimize your shipping cost on every order.
Let’s look at the cost for 4×6 prints (most common photo size).
One layout will fit 12 4×6 photos which costs $0.65 per photo. That is the basic cost and does not include shipping.
If you order 25 layouts (300 photos) you end up paying $207.70 (shipping included in this price) and that means you paid…$0.69 per photo!
Max out to the 50 pages (600 photos)= 401.54 = $0.66 per photo!
That is a great price for great quality AND I didn’t have to leave the comfort of my home! It all came to my door in about a week!
What about oversized prints??
You can print any size you want in Studio J and going big (and small) is where you can really see some savings AND there is not waste! An oversized print at many stores is upward of $5.00 for anything larger than an 8×10. In Studio J you can get two, 12×12 prints for $7.75! A great deal!
If I haven’t convinced you yet I challenge you to get in there and play around- you will LOVE what you see!
I know you might think this seems early but if you think about it Halloween is really just around the corner- only a few more weeks before our little ghosts and goblins search the neighborhood for yummy treats!
I plan to be prepared for the cute photos that are sure to follow (not like the last three years which you can see I am just getting caught up on LOL). Our new Nevermore paper is so perfect and the complements add the perfect touch! Our new complements come with a mix of items- in Nevermore you get stickers, kraft paper elements and overlays. Look how great they look added to my page!
And if you are wondering how to adhere these overlays to your page- I used our Duck adhesive (it doesn’t show through the overlays or the vellum- LOVE!) OR you could use our liquid glass with the overlays as well.
If you have followed my blog for any time you know that I enjoy throwing a good birthday party for my kids. Now, my son is older (11) and has evaded the birthday fun the last few years- opting for hockey games with friends and a trip south. My daughter thought is still young and LOVES a good party!
This year Ellery turned four and we decided to have a Sunshine themed party- outside games, beach visit if it is hot and lots of yellow! Of course I use as much Close to my Heart product as possible in throwing my parties!
Treat bags- we used the CTMH treat bags to create our little bags of sunshine for our friends. They included the sunny treats of bubbles and a ring pop! The front of the bags were decorated with cuts from the CTMH Artbooking cartridge and some of our new orange shimmer trim!
Our ‘Happy Birthday Sunshine’ banner was made with more yellow treat bags. The sun was cut out on the Artbooking cartridge and the alphabet was cut using our new CTMH Artistry cartridge (and I LOVE the font!)
This fun birthday decoration was created using tissue paper- cheap and easy but it took a long time! We took polaroids of all our guests and I added the pictures to this bunting with clothespins- a fun little addition but one that I forgot to snap a pic of in all the excitement.
We also had lots of yellow food- fresh corn on the cob, lots of lemonade and other sunny treats. I baked a cake and my sister decorated it- the cake was out ‘shone’ by the banana split bar (HUGE HIT!!) My big girl is now four and off to school- boo!
Have you seen our September Stamp of the Month yet? Paper Garden is perfect for fall cards and layouts (and can be used in many other ways!). The stamp set also coordinates with our Cricut Artistry cartridge which allows you to cut your flowers out and stamp faster, simpler and easier!
Here I paired the stamp set with our Nevermore paper- that’s right, the halloween themed paper can be used for more than just halloween! Both cards feature some of the patterned paper and cardstock from the Nevermore paper pack. Sticking with the purples and greys allows for a pretty card that is not overly feminine (even with the flowers added).
If you are interested in purchasing this stamp set you can do it in one of two ways:
Fall is always a busy time and although it does not ‘technically’ become fall until the end of September, the start of school usually gets us moving into the next season. That means it is time for a return to workshops, home parties and home workshops and weekend retreats! Whoot!!!
Here are some upcoming dates you need to know about:
Watercolour Wonders: I think I am more excited about this class than any other! This class will teach you how to use watercolours in your cardmaking and scrapooking. We will complete one page or card (your choice) and learn over 15 techniques! Class fee is $45.00 and includes all you will need to get started in this fun medium.
In my home on September 27th at 2pm (Brechin, ON)
OR
Book a workshop for you and a few friends!
Weekend Retreat: I cannot wait! A whole weekend in comfy clothes and doing what I love the most with the people I love! Most of the details are in the picture below but it surely is an event not to be missed. We will have goody bags, yummy meals, a gorgeous location and so much more! The retreat is located right off the 400 in Barrie (convenient location no matter where you live).
Be sure to pay by September 11th if you want a chance to win the NEW CTMH Cricut Artistry collection!
Welcome to the Brae-er team blog hop featuring some of the fabulous new arrivals we have had this month! If you have not seen these yet then you are missing out – they are soooooo good!
August saw the early release of some fabulous new products from our upcoming Annual Inspirations Book (out September 1st). So, what did I make with our new arrivals:
I made the most adorable layout featuring the most adorable little girl! In a few weeks this sweetheart turns 4 and the theme for this year’s party is ‘My little sunshine’- this layout was just the perfect piece to inspire more party decor! I used Zoe paper, accessories and complements as well as cuts from the CTMH Artistry and Artbooking cartridges with a mix of stamps to create my title!
What are the new arrivals you can purchase in my SHOP?
Cricut® Artistry Collection (Z3167)
My Reflections™ Zoe Paper Packet (X7197B)
Zoe Complements (X7197C)
Zoe Assortment (Z3082)
Coral Shimmer Trim (Z3088)
Enamel & Glitter Duos Green Triangles (Z3123)
Workshops on the Go® Zoe Scrapbooking Kit (G1096)
Framed – August Stamp of the Month (S1508)
Zoe Studio J® Kit
Zoe Studio J® Limited Edition Express Collection (Live until September 30, 2015)
Marker Roll-Up (Z3120) and Accessory Roll-Up (Z3121) as part of the August Get Organized Campaign
You will probably see a lot of these featured in our blog hop today! Now hop on over to Ashley’s blog to see what she has to share with you about the new product!
And if you get lost, here is our complete list of hoppers!
