Retreat Cherry-O Layout by Carmela

Carmela had a cool take wither her layout, using the same pieces that everyone else got. I love the way the creative ladies at the retreats use the plans with their own ingenuity!

Carmela didn't use the cherry stamp set that was made for this page. I know, it looks like it, but it isn't - this is the ingenius part!!! She cut out some little leaf shapes by hand then crumpled them like we crumpled the base page and sanded it just a little to give the effect of veins. Close up, it looks like she just drew the stems in a dark brown color before adding the leaves with a green button at the top of them. Some lighter green thread fills the eyes of the button. She added red buttons for the cherries at the ends of the stems and filled the eyes with red thread or floss.

Her layout, like Cindy's, is totally different from mine - a further testimony of her creativity. I also like how she used black and white photos on this. I have just never done that. I need to. I know it needs to be the right type of pictures - an appropriate event. I need to find one!

Retreat Cherry-O Layout by Susan

Susan followed the design plan and added her title by the Cricut and her journaling by hand. While I'm mentioning journaling, by the way, may I suggest journaling once in a while in your own handwriting. Susan's is gorgeous, but even if you think your hand-writing is awful - even if it actually IS awful - your handwriting is something your kids and loved ones are accostomed to. It is familiar and just the sight of it can draw sweet memories in their minds. As your kids get older, (when your scrapbooks for them will be even greater appreciated) the sight of your handwriting will not be repulsive, but welcomed. Seriously! And don't even get me started about cropping yourself out of pictures. I'm just saying!

Retreat Cherry-o Layout by Cindy

This was Cindy's take on the workshop layout. While Linda followed the basic design and just danced a little creativity with the embellishment, Cindy is . . . well, more of a free spirit! (I can say that - she's also a best buddy!) To do this workshop, I cut all the pieces. Cindy added to it with some extra cardstock pieces and adjusted it all so much that the design is TRULY all her own.

I like the way she added the oval picture. It gives continuity with the circles of flower petals and the layout really gives space for her many pictures, making it perfect for this event.

Retreat Cherry-O Layout by Linda

Linda made this layout based on my sample (which I posted a couple of weeks ago for a Heart 2 Heart challenge. You can see it by searching for Cherry-o or H2H or challenge.)

Anyway, Linda extended the flower design, using a few "petals" folded in over the blue side and a few folded in over the red side. Alternating these, she created the bottom flower on the left hand page.

Also, a note, this beach activity was for a club, so Linda covered part of the title when the picture was clicked to avoid identification. The pictures were cute and appropriate, but I doubt these gals had any intention of going on the web, so for their own anonymity, I blurred the pictures a bit. Still I liked what Linda did with the layout and couldn't resist showing it off.

Cherry-o Workshop Layout #4

My FAVORITE of all of the layouts!!! I can't give out all the instructions for this one, but never fear! This is the layout that is included in the full color brochure that comes with the Cherry-o workshop! And it is just plum FULL of techniques and extras!!!

The stamp set that comes with the workshop has some great images including the little checker-board down at the lower right of the page. This looks really cool as you're looking and actually resembles a zigzag stitch. Also, the "Sweet" in the "Sweet Smile" sentiment stamp fits perfectly in the little photo tag embellishment in the Tulip Mini-Medley.
In addition to the other embellishments (shown on the flyer HERE) I added the new Cherry-o Opaques. They add a little textured bling to the pages and the two little beaded cherries on this page are examples. I had some workshop gals worried that they had to place each little bead to make the image, but it isn't necessary. They are actually on transparency film that is already covered with adhesive. One more detail here is the large button. The chocolate waxy flax was just too thin (to me) for the large button so I doubled it and tied it in a square knot along the other side.

More of the cute stamps are shown on this side of the layout along with another cool technique. The blue border is the back side of the striped B&T. The scalloped border is created with the Close to My Heart corner rounder. You slip off the corner guide (yes, it just slips right off) and, looking at the opening on the bottom of the corner rounder you line up the edge of the page with the outside metal edges of the corner guide and press. That should make one smooth cut into the edge of the paper. Repeat it, but line it up so that the near cut you just made overlaps the cut you are about to make. As you continue, you'll see the design appear. Trim any rough edges with your scissors.

"Second Generation" stamping was another technique suggested in this layout, but if I had it to do all over again, I would probably do it with the full ink. It is just a little too light to see clearly. Another change I made when I taught this layout (although it doesn't show here) is that we made this little art card a 2 1/2 x 2 1/2. That little change gave enough room for my workshop gals to add all of the leftover brads they had instead of just the 3 that are called for in the brochure.

Also, when you put buttons on a layout, use glue dots or Liquid Glass. Our Mono Adhesive is awesome, but it isn't enough to hold buttons onto the layout consistently.
I love how they go together. I'm thinking seriously of using a 5 x 7 photo for the center and cutting it in half. I really like to do this because it connects the two pages together.

Cherry-o Workshop Layout #3

This layout is going to be perfect for the Easter pictures I have from this spring! The Sweet Leaf card stock acts as a base for these pages and the striped B&T, cut to 8 x 12 is the bottom section of this page. I plan to crop some regular pictures just a little smaller than the typical 4 x 6 in order to fit 4 evenly across the bottom section of this page. The top part will be the Title area and I'll add another small picture on the right, under the photo clip. (By the way, the photo clip comes with this workshop set in the mini-medley pack and I've tied a little knot of Chocolate Waxy Flax around the thinnest part of the clip.) On the left side, I added 2 of the Cherry-o Opaques to bring a little bling in.

I actually used parts of both of the striped paper for these layouts, and the second page requires a 6 x 12 piece cut "with" the stripe to match the direction on the first page. That piece goes against the right side of the page and has a chocolate 1/2-inch strip bordering it. About 2 inches up from the lower edge, I adhered a 4 x 4 chocolate mat for a small picture. I plan to put a full 4 x 6 photo near the top right of the page and will probably go ahead and mat it in chocolate.

About 1/2 inch from the left side, I have a 3 x 12 inch chocolate piece that I might use as a journal section, but more than likely will put a thin picture near the bottom of the card. A 1 x 3 inch strip of the stripe goes 1/2 down from the top of the chocolate card as an accent. In keeping with the accent on the other page, a photo clip adorns the top left corner of the card, again with a knot of Chocolate Waxy Flax at the thinnest spot. I also stamped the sentiment from the matching stamp set along the side of the card in Tulip ink.

As a final accent, I added a partial circle of brads in the bottom right corner, with a designer brad in the center. I did something like this on the other page, but the picture cuts it off. In any case, it doesn't show up as well because it happens to fall on the polka dot stripe of the B&T. I didn't add that step to my workshop and instead added more "cherries" to the 4th layout - but you have to wait until Thursday to see that one!

Cherry-o Workshop Layout #2

I think I'll end up liking this layout more when I get the pictures on it. I love the paper, just a 3 x 12 strip of the cherry B&T at the top, but my embellishments just don't show up very well. I plan to use vellum paper, though, (the whitish, translucent paper) for the title bands on both pages, held down by the biggie brads that really are up in the corners of the cherry paper but are camouflaged by the print of the B&T.

The red print is the base of this page and I have started using the design paper (Close to My Heart's background and texture paper) as base pages more often. This page is accented with a simple cherry stamp design where I tied a piece of chocolate Waxy Flax around one of the stems. A large button, again with a Colonial White designer brad, completes the grouping at the bottom left of the page. I have some extra paper left over from this kit that I will use for photo mats.

On the second page, I used a 4 x 12 across the top, lined with a 9 x 1/2 inch card stock strip. (Incidentally, the strip will be up against a 3 inch photo.) I cut a 3 x 4 inch chocolate tag with rounded corners for a photo or journal pocket. The front of the pocket was made with a 3 x 3 square of the cherry B&T. I cut a notch out of the center-top of the square, after I rounded the corners, using the edge of a circle punch. I also made a circle punched out of the chocolate cardstock, folded over on itself for the top center of the tag. The rest of the tulip ribbon attaches this tag to the layout (CHEAT ALERT! I actually adhered, lightly, the tag to the page so it would stay in one place!) and another metel tag from the mini medley set hangs in front of the tag. The brown journaling spot near the bottom measures 3 x 5 and has the right corners rounded. Held down by the biggie brads, I plan to added my journaling to a piece of vellum attached to the card.

As a final embellishment, I added another Cherry-o Opaque to the bottom-right of the layout.

Cherry-o Workshop Layout #1

This workshop was so much fun to put together. I'm not exactly sure which pictures I'll use on here, but I have a couple of events including some picnics that I will need to scrapbook this month.

I love the embellishments that worked with this set, too. And may I just say right here, that doing these monthly workshops has REALLY helped me get over being embellishment challenged! I'm loving doing the bling thing!

On this layout, the striped paper is cut to 4 x 12 inches and laid on a tulip card stock base with an 8 x 12 piece of the cherry checkered B&T aligned at the top of the base. Two biggie brads from the Tulip mini-medley set are at the top of the cherry B&T. A 14-inch piece of Tulip grosgrain ribbon, also from the mini-medley, is knotted around a tag from the same set.

The stamp set that comes with this workshop kit is so cute, and the checkerboard stamp gives an effect of a zigzag stitch and I interupted it with the sentiment, "Happy Day."

I used 2 buttons from the Mini-medley at the bottom left of the page. The smaller one has a bow around the eyes using Chocolate Waxy Flax. The larger one is connected to the paper with a Colonial White Designer brad through the eyes.

At the top left of the page, I added a gorgeous Opaque from the set that was made especially for Cherry-o. Just so you know, the workshop kit comes with the full paper pack, the matching stamp set, a full-color brochure, and the Tulip Mini-Medley set. Along with those, I added the Opaques, the Colonial White designer brads, and the Chocolate Waxy Flax for embellishment.

For the right page, again on a Tulip card stock base, is an 8 x 4 striped B&T, set at the top right corner, and an 8 x 8 piece of cherry checkered B&T.

Like the left page, this page has the chocolate checkered stamp-print across the top of the red card stock. This time there is no interuption.




All the papers of this layout are edged-distressed in chocolate ink. To accomplish the effect, the stamp pad is scraped across the edge of the paper piece, leaving a dark edge and little scrape marks. Sometimes more scrapes, sometimes less and there is no perfect way of creating it. Even the artwork card (a Colonial White card measuring 2 x 2) has a chocolate edge.

This page features 2 different techniques: Rock and Roll, and Masking. To create the artwork, ink up the bowl stamp in Crystal Blue and stamp it on the art card. (Make sure you ink it up thoroughly or maybe even stamp it twice to get a complete image.) Then lightly "roll" just the edges in chocolate and re-stamp the image directly on top of the first. If you've never done the "Rock and Roll" technique, you might want to practice it several times on scratch paper before you do it on your page. For the second technique, you'll need a post-it note or another paper with temporary adhesive on it. Lay the post-it at the top of the bowl to protect it from other ink, then stamp the cherry stamps in Tulip ink within the top edge of the bowl. Add some chocolate stems to the cherries and leaves inked in Sweet Leaf. Do the Rock and Roll technique with the chocolate ink on the leaves, just like you did on the bowl. Add the sentiment to the top and bottom to finish the artwork and place it 1/4 inch in from the top and right edges of the page.

At the bottom right of the page, another Opaque gives a little bling effect to the layout.

Biggie Brads are added to the top of the cherry checkered paper, just like on the left page and as a final addition, another large button accents the top-left of the 4 x 4 journal box added to the bottom-left of the page (in by 1/4 inch from the bottom and the left edges, just like the artwork is at the diagonal opposite).

Workshop Opportunities

I wanted to give you a sneak peak at some of the layouts I'm planning to share with you this summer.

My Splendor workshop is scheduled for May 23 at 5 PM. I have 4 open seats at this point. We'll make 3 full layouts and a 4th is included in a full-color brochure that comes with the workshop. The basic kit is a purchase of $29.95 retail and it includes a full paper package, a stamp set, and one set of embellishments in addition to the instruction brochure. Extra embellishments that were used can also be purchased. See the flyer HERE for the "Best Option" embellishments and I also added a set of brads that was made especially for this paper design! I have to tell you, how much fun I had with these layouts! One of the embellishments is our new Irresistables Pizzazz chipboard set - Oh my gosh! These little designs have an embossed pattern on them so when you apply ink the pattern stays white. I LOVED playing with these and I used them on all of the pages in several colors!

*** I only have 4 spots left for this workshop. You will need to sign up before May 13th so I'll have enough time to order your materials. Also let me know which embellishments you want to get.***

June looks like it will be a very busy month. I still have open spots for my retreat. It is June 4-6 and is only $95 for your cropping area and a place in a bedroom. I will need your reservation and a $30 non-refundable deposit no later than May 31 if you want to attend. And did I mention that you really do deserve this! We are going to party at this retreat in a big way!

Also, I plan to use the Cherry-o paper pack for my workshop on the 27th of June at 5 PM. I have to tell you, I've gotten a LOT of interest in this workshop. I will only seat 6 at a time, but I think I may end up opening a second workshop for this set on the 20th. You can see the flyer for this one HERE, but the set up is the same. Your Basic kit comes with the paper pack, a stamp set, and 1 embellishment along with the brochure. The "Best Option" accents were both used on my pages and I also added a special embellishment that was made especially for this set. Let me know before June 10 if you wish to participate in this workshop and I'll let you know which day I have spots open.

Don't forget the Scrappin' Happy classes, too. These are free when you have your own CTMH supplies. My next 2 are on May 22 at 4 PM and June 26 at 4 PM. We'll make 4 double layouts in no time and have them ready for your pictures and embellishments. Let me know if you plan to join us for either of these no later than May 13 and June 10.