CTMH Color Challenge Baby Card

The Color Chef Challenge #16 over at KJ's Stamp Pad this week is Moonstruck, Crystal Blue, Grey Wool & White Daisy. I dry embossed the stripes on the grey cardstock. The sentiment circle piece is popped up with foam squares.

Card Pattern is "Bullseye" from the Wishes Card Confidence Program.
Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

• Sweet Baby Acrylic Stamp Set
• Cardstock: Moonstruck, Crystal Blue, Grey Wool, White Daisy
• White Buttons from Holiday Craft Button Collection
• Crystal Blue Brads from Winter Cozy Assortment of Brads
• White Daisy Grosgrain Ribbon
• Inks: Crystal Blue and Moonstruck

CTMH Bella & Mojo Monday #97

Another week of Mojo Monday. I've been wanting to try these paper flowers for a while now -- love how they turned out. I also used my Piercing Tools and Edge Distresser making this card.



Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

• Bella Level 2 Paper Pack
• Flourish from Fancy Cuts Botanicals Die Cuts
• Happy Birthday Acrylic Stamp Set
• Clear Craft Buttons
• Embroidery Floss Neutral Assortment
• Cardstock: Desert Sand, Vanilla Creme, Smokey Plum
• Inks: Smokey Plum, Desert Sand

CTMH August Blog Hop Countdown

Only a few more days until the Close to My Heart Blog Hop featuring the August Stamp of the Month, "It's Your Day"! We have 64 consultants taking part this month!!! So check back here on August 1st to see some great artwork created using this great birthday themed stampset!!

To ensure the hop goes smoothly - I'm testing the links to Kristie's Blog,where you will arrive from, and Deb's Blog, where you will hop to after visiting me!

You'll love these stamps - perfect for all of your celebration layouts, cards, invites, tags and gifting!! So mark the calendar & come back to visit on August 1st for the big consultant artwork reveal! See you then!

More CTMH Aspen - Let it Snow!

I'm not done with my Aspen scraps yet . . . trying to clear them out before the new Christmas papers come available in the Fall/Winter Idea Book. (Did you know that consultants can order from the new Idea Books a whole month ahead of their official release? That means I can order all those new Christmas papers to start playing with on August 1st!!!!! Can't wait!!)

A quick & easy card for Sparkle's Christmas Card Challenge #34. This week's challenge is to use a sticker somewhere on your card.

The card design is "Oval Solitaire" from the Close to My Heart Originals Card Confidence Program.

It is hard to tell in the photo - but the snowman image, as well as the "O" in Snow are both popped up with Foam Squares. And for some reason my oval image looks like it is on colonial white - - but is actually white daisy (bright white) . . . still working on my photo skills!!

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

• Aspen Level 2 Paper Pack
• Snow Friends Acrylic Stamp Set
• December Word Puzzle Acrylic Stamp Set
• Color Ready Alphabet Stickers - Hodge Podge
• Color Ready Alphabet Stickers - Bold
• White Daisy Grosgrain Ribbon
• Cardstock: White Daisy & Bamboo
• Inks: Outdoor Denim & Bamboo

Thanks for stopping by!!

CTMH Back Country Level 1 Cards

Close to My Heart's Level 1 Scrapbooking Kits are obviously a great tool for your scrapbooking pages - QUICK, EASY and BEAUTIFUL pages every time! But have you tried using your Level 1 preprinted layouts for something other than a scrapbook page? Some amazingly talented CTMH consultants have done some amazing things with Level 1 kits - check out Lisa's Creative Corner for some great ideas!

Another consultant who has also done some amazing work with Level 1 kits is Lori Miller. I absolutely loved a set of 16 cards Lori did a while back using the Level 1 Backcountry kit - and I just had to recreate it for myself!

I changed up a few stamps and sentiments - but the card designs, etc. are almost exactly as Lori did them. Thanks Lori!!

I love how these turned out - - I'm always in need of more masculine cards and these are just perfect!! And by using a Level 1 kit - you save time and paper - but still get fantastic results!

Give it a try - - challenge yourself to see what you can do with a Level 1 Kit - - and if you do, be sure to post a link here to your creations - I'd love to see them!!

CTMH Caprice Grade 5 Layout

One of the many scrapbooking projects I have on the go right now is an album of my husband. Steve's mom has given us many loose pictures over the years - so I'm trying to get all of that organized into a scrapbook. (I hop from scrapbook to scrapbook - I think so that I don't get bored with doing one project all at once - - so this album will likely take me years to complete amidst all of the other projects I'm also working on right now!)
I sat down and did a layout for Steve's book last night with the VERY first Close to My Heart paper pack I ever bought! The paper is Caprice - - and it is actually still available - - hopefuly we'll have it for one more year before it is retired! When I took a look at this photo last night and saw Steve's 1970's brown VELOUR shirt - I knew the chocolate in Caprice would go perfectly!! (P.S. for my Regina followers - this was Marion McVeety School 1979/80, just in case you spot anyone you know in the photo!)
(Click on photos to enlarge):

Layout Designs are both from the Close to My Heart Reflections Scrapbook Program. Left side is "Front & Center Basic" and the right side is "Quartet - Offset".
Materials Used (all Close to My Heart except as noted):

• Caprice Level 2 Paper Pack
• Caprice Stickease Assortment
• September Word Puzzle Acrylic Stamp Set
• Classmate Alphabet Acrylic Stamp Set
• Crystal Blue buttons from the Winter Craft Button Assortment
• Chocolate Embroidery Floss from the Embroidery Floss Neutral Assortment
• Chocolate Ribbon from the Designer Ribbon Rounds Chocolate Collection
• Chocolate Distressing Ink
• Ink: Chocolate
• Cardstock: Crystal Blue and Chocolate (both included in Caprice Level 2 kit) and Colonial White
• Tag from my stash . . . not sure where it was purchased.

CTMH Evensong - All is Bright

Just a quick post - -we are having a beautiful week here - - so the kids and I are enjoying all of Calgary's summer activities!

Here is my Christmas card for Challenge #33 at Sparkle Creations, which was to use strips of paper.

Card design is "Lucky Layers" from the Close to My Heart Wishes Card Confidence Program.
Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

• Evensong Level 2 Paper Pack
• Striped paper is from the Evensong Creative Basics Pack which is no longer available.
• December Word Puzzle Acrylic Stamp Set
• Jingle Borders Acrylic Stamp Set
• Clear Sparkles
• Gold Bigger Brads from the Bigger Brads Basic Collection
• Cranberry Brads
• Colonial White Brads
• Sorbet Brads from the Spring Blossom Brad Assortment
• Ink: New England Ivy
• Cardstocks: Colonial White, New England Ivy and Olive (all included in Evensong Level 2 Pack)

Thanks for stopping by! Hope it is bright & sunny where you are too!

CTMH That's Amore & Mojo Monday #96

Here is my card for this week's Mojo Monday Sketch.

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart, except as noted)

• That's Amore Level 2 Paper Pack
• Love Always Acrylic Stamp Set
• Ink: Chocolate
• Cardstock: Vanilla Creme, Chocolate, and Blush (all included in the That's Amore Level 2 pack) and Tulip
• Blush Ribbon Slide from the Mini-Medley Accents Winter Cozy Collection
• Foam Squares
• Brown velvet ribbon from Michaels

I usually leave the inside of my cards blank, but for this one I stamped a simple sentiment.

Hope you enjoyed my take on this week's Mojo, thanks for stopping by!!

CTMH Notebook Baby Card

Happy Monday to all! Hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was busy & fun & REALLY hot!! My Mom, sister, neice & nephew were here to visit us this weekend. The weather was amazing (relatively speaking - - this is Calgary, after all!) We spent Saturday at a local amusement park - the kids had a blast! When we got home - we turned on the sprinklers in the back yard, filled the mini-pool and just tried to stay cool!! Love those kind of days!!

I did manage to sneak in a little crafting time -- my sister needed a baby shower card for a friend at work. This is what we came up with (don't you love doing matching envelopes!??!):

The card design is "Center Charms" from Originals Card Confidence Program.
We actually lifted the artwork idea from a girl version done in the Summer 2009 Idea Book, Page 71. Love how the 'boy' version turned out!!

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart, except as noted):

• Notebook Level 2 Paper Pack
• Baby Steps Acrylic Stamp Set
• Inks: Crystal Blue, Desert Sand, Chocolate
• Cardstock: Colonial White, Desert Sand, Chocolate
• Chocolate Brads
• Crystal Blue buttons from the Winter Collection Craft Buttons
• Chocolate Embroidery Floss from the Embroidery Floss Neutral Assortment
• Chipboard Tag from Dimensional Elements Framed Fun
• Ribbon from Michaels

Thanks for stopping by!! Have a great week!

CTMH Aspen - Christmas Wishes

Certainly not the most elaborate card I've ever made - - but it's Friday and the mojo just isn't happening today!! Still, happy to have another Christmas card done!

It was a double Christmas card challenge this week over at Sparkle Creations. We had a sketch to work with, but also had the challenge of: one color of cardstock (other than the white your image is stamped on), 5 pieces of paper, 2 stamps, and 2 embellishments. I think I managed to accomplish this - - My border is Outdoor Denim Cardstock, I used 5 pieces of paper, there are the 2 Christmas tree stamps and my two embellishments were the ribbon and the rub-ons. I deviated from the sketch a little as my sentiment piece just didn't look right - so I moved it!

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

• Aspen Level 2 Paper Pack
• Evergreen Acrylic Stamp Set
• Inks: Bamboo, Outdoor Denim
• Cardstock: Outdoor Denim, White Daisy
• Other: White Daisy Nature's Ambience Rub-Ons, Twill Ribbon from the Designer Ribbon Rounds Outdoor Denim Collection.

More of CTMH Color Challenge #14

Here is my second card using the Color Chef Challenge over at KJ's Stamp Pad. For those who need a refresher - the challenge was brown, orange and turquoise!

Design is "Top it Off" from the Wishes Card Confidence Program

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

White Flowers from White Daisy Variety Pack of Just Blooms

Spot On Backgrounds Acrylic Stamp Set

Happy Birthday Acrylic Stamp Set

Cocoa Grosgrain Ribbon

White Embroidery Floss from Neutral Embroidery Floss Collection

Cocoa Brads

Tag from Dazzling Die-Cuts (promo item last fall)

Inks: Ocean, Cocoa

Cardstock: White Daisy, Cocoa, Orange, Ocean

CTMH TV - Have you seen the new episode?

If you haven't seen the new episode of Art & Soul on CTMH TV yet, now is a great time to take 15 minutes from your day to have a look. The new episode is called Sensational Simplicity and it has some great scrapbooking tips including:

• how to random stamp to create your own background paper
• how to coordinate your paper and photos
• uses for the CTMH line of adhesives

And there is a great inspirational reminder at the end of the show from Jeanette Lynton about remembering the REASON we scrapbook!!

Visit CTMH TV on my website to view Sensational Simplicity today!

Not familiar with CTMH TV? After you watch this episode, be sure to go back and view the archived episodes from previous months which can also be found on my website. Each episode contains great tips and techniques for your scrapbooking, cardmaking and papercrafting projects. It is like having your own mini-workshop or tutorial in the comfort of your home!!

CTMH Color Chef Challenge #14 meets CPS #124

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the colour challenge over at KJ's Stamp Pad this week!
The challenge is to use Brown, Orange and Turquoise! And I managed to combine this with another challenge - Sketch #124 from Card Positioning Systems. (So many challenges, so little time - I need to start getting more efficient!!)

My card:

The sketch:

Materials Used (All Close to My Heart):

• Boutique Borders Acrylic Stamp Set
• Rustic Flowers Acrylic Stamp Set
• Cardstock: Cocoa, Ocean, White Daisy
• Inks: Cocoa, Ocean, Orange
• Other: Cocoa Grosgrain Ribbon, White Daisy Butterfly Rub-On from Nature's Ambience Rub-Ons

I am loving this colour combo so much - - you'll be seeing more of it later in the week!!

CTMH Animal Cookies & Mojo Monday #95

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you had a great weekend!
As always - had to start my creativity going this week with the Mojo Monday sketch!

Here is my take on Sketch #95:

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

• Creative Basics Animal Cookies Collection
• In the Wild Acrylic Stamp Set
• Classmate Alphabet Acrylic Stamp Set
• White Grosgrain Ribbon from the Creative Basics Animal Cookies Collection
• Foam Die-Cuts Numbers
• Cardstock: Tulip, Dutch Blue, White Daisy
• Inks: Sunflower, Desert Sand, Clover Meadow, Dutch Blue, Tulip

CTMH Evensong (Again) - Isn't it July??

I missed a week of challenges when we were away last week. I really want to build my stash of Christmas cards so I went back to see what Sparkle's Christmas Card Challenge was last week! And I'm so glad I did because sketches are my favourite kind of challenge! So I played along - just a week late!

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

• Evensong Level 2 Paper Pack
• December Word Puzzle Acrylic Stamp Set (I have to mention again - I LOVE THIS STAMP SET!!)
• Gratitude Acrylic Stamp Set
• Inks: New England Ivy, Cranberry, Sorbet
• Other: Sorbet Brad from the Spring Blossom Brad Assortment, Foam Squares, Sorbet RicRac from the Sorbet Designer Ribbon Rounds Collection

CTMH Evensong Christmas Wish Card

I played along with Sparkle's Christmas Card Challenge again this week! Loving this challenge . . . wish I had known about it months ago!!

This week's challenge was another sketch and it must have been my 'style' because this card came together really quickly for me.

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart except as noted):

• Evensong Level 2 Paper Pack
• December Word Puzzle Acrylic Stamp Set
• Evergreen Acrylic Stamp Set
• Inks: New England Ivy, Cranberry, Olive
• Other: Foam Squares, Silver Bigger Brads, Star Brad (from Michaels)

CTMH Color Me Monday Challenge

It has been a while since I played along with the Color Me Monday Challenge on Jeanette Lynton's Blog, but the colours in this week's challenge really appealed to me!

The color challenge for this week is:

Here is the card I came up with:

The card design is from a sketch I saw a few weeks ago on C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #5.

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

• Childhood Acrylic Stamp Set
• Family Ties - Children Acrylic Stamp Set
• True Happiness Acrylic Stamp Set
• Cardstock: Heavenly Blue, Colonial White, Bamboo
• Inks: Bamboo, Heavenly Blue, Clover Meadow
• Other: Natural Hemp, Foam Squares, Liquid Glass

Thanks for stopping by!

And the Winner Is . . .

I had a prize draw for anyone who purchased on my website during the month of June . . . and the lucky winner is Clare H!!!
Clare's prize (retail value $27.50 - $37.50 Cdn) is her choice of one of the CTMH How-To Program Books!

For scrapbooking, she could choose from Imagine, Cherish or Reflections!

Or for cardmaking, she could choose from Originals or Wishes!

If you haven't tried our books - Take a Look!! They are fantastic and take all the hard work out of your papercrafting projects! They include artwork examples in full colour, cutting guides, assembly instructions as well as amazing technique tips! Once you've tried them - you won't be able to craft without them!

Congrats Clare!! Thanks for shopping with me! Enjoy your new book!

It's the Perfect Time to Become a CTMH Consultant

Are you a hobbyist who simply wants to get CTMH scrapbooking supplies at a discount? Or are you interested in building your own CTMH business? Either way - now is the perfect time to sign up!

Join my team as a new CTMH Consultant before July 31st and you'll receive 5 of our "Favourites" for FREE!! In addition to your New Consultant Kit - you can choose 5 of the following products at NO ADDITIONAL COST to you (no fees, no taxes, no shipping)!

• My Acrylix® Thank You Stamp Set (D1361; retail value $28.50 CAN)
• Magic Moments Scrapbook Kit (Z9071; retail value $43.50)
• Basic Textured Cardstock Combo Pack (X5747; retail value $18.50)
• Life Delights Memory Showcase (Z1199; retail value $15.95)
• My Originals® Hello Birdie Card Kit (X8621; retail value $15.95)
• Creative Basics™ Silhouette Collection (X5803; retail value $10.95)
• HeartFelt™ Whimsy Die-Cuts (Z1145; retail value $12.50)
• All-Out Adventure Rub-Ons (Z1153; retail value $12.50)
• Window Charms™ Squares (Z820; retail value $12.50)

You really have nothing to lose! There are no sales requirements - you simply increase your discount/commission when you sell more! And as a consultant you'll have access to an amazing pool of resources including an online training program, and exclusive consultant website. And of course some added perks including access to bulk product pricing, corporate events and the opportunity to earn great incentives (this year's reward trips are to the Western Caribbean and New Zealand)!

And if you need any more convincing - let me crunch the numbers for you:

• The New Consultant Kit is $115CDN
• The Scrapbooking Bonus Kit is $75CDN (OPTIONAL)
• The Cardmaking Bonus Kit is $62.50CDN (OPTIONAL)
• Your FAVOURITE FIVE Products are FREE!

So - if you sign up in July, and choose to add both Bonus Kits, as well as your product picks from our Favourite Five list - you'll pay a total of $252.50* and receive products valued up to $907.40 (depending on which 5 additional products you choose)! THAT IS TOTAL SAVINGS OF OVER 72% OFF RETAIL VALUE!!

I'd be happy to provide more details or answer your questions - Email Me anytime! A full list of contents of the New Consultant Kit and Scrapbooking & Cardmaking Bonus Kits is available in the Summer 2009 Idea Book on Pages 4 and 5 which you can view Online Here. Or visit the Opportunities section of My Website to Sign Up today!

*Tax and shipping apply on New Consultant Kit and Bonus Kits but not on Favourite Five Products.

CTMH Silhouette & Mojo Monday #94

So glad to be back! The family and I have been camping and visiting my in-laws over the past 10 days or so! We had a really great trip! I LOVE camping with the kids - it is a lot of work, but so worth it to see how much fun they have! However - being away from my craft room for 10 whole days was brutal - I was starting to go through symptoms of withdrawl! So as soon as the kids were tucked into bed tonight - I was off to create!

I thought Mojo Monday would be a good way to get back into the swing of things!

This week's sketch:

And my card:

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

• Silhouette Level 2 Paper Pack
• Love Always Acrylic Stamp Set
• Cranberry Grosgrain Ribbon
• Cranberry Brads
• Inks: Cranberry, Black, Black Distressing
• Other: Foam Squares

Have a great week!

CTMH Perfect Day 3x3 Thank You Cards

I love to use 3x3 cards as a quick note of thanks or as an attachment on gift bags.

I sat down a few weeks back to make a bunch of thank you's with my Perfect Day paper scraps & came up with these:

All designs came from the Close to My Heart Originals Card Confidence Program Book.

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

• Perfect Day Level 2 Paper Pack
• Fancy Cuts Botanicals Die-Cut flowers.
• Other: Cocoa Ink, Antique Copper Bigger Brads

Thanks for stopping by!

CTMH July Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! We will be featuring July's SOTM, which is You've Got Flair, a set of 8 stamps. If you have come here from Jennifer's Blog, you are on the right path! If this is your first stop, you may want to go back to Jena's Blog and start from the beginning!
***
This month we have 43 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

***

Both of my cards feature the "Emboss Resist" technique. On this first card, the "You've Got Flair" floral pattern was stamped in Versamark on White Daisy Cardstock and then heat embossed with Clear Embossing Powder. I then went over the images with Bamboo ink using a rubber brayer.

The card layout is "Medallion" from the Close to My Heart Card Confidence Program book Wishes.

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

• Simple Pleasures Level 2 Paper Pack
• Bella Level 2 Paper Pack
• July Stamp of the Month "You've Got Flair"
• Thank You Acrylic Stamp Set
• Inks: Versamark, Cocoa
• Other: Chipboard Flower from the Dimensional Elements Perennials Collection, Hollyhock Twill Ribbon from the Hollyhock Designer Ribbon Rounds Collection, Hollyhock Buttons from the Autumn Craft Button Collection, White Daisy Button from the Holiday Craft Button Collection, Cocoa Thread from a shredded piece of Cocoa Grosgrain Ribbon, Clear Embossing Powder, Glue Dots, Foam Squares.

On this second card - the "You've Got Flair" images were stamped in Versamark on the Bamboo Cardstock card base. I then heat embossed the images using Clear Embossing Powder. Next I sponged over the images using cocoa and juniper inks.

The card Layout is "Cubed Collage" from the Close to My Heart Card Confidence Program book Wishes.

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

• Perfect Day Level 2 Paper Pack
• July Stamp of the Month "You've Got Flair"
• For Every Occasion Acrylic Stamp Set
• Simple Stitches Acrylic Stamp Set
• Inks: Cocoa, Juniper, Versamark
• Cardstock not included in Level 2 kit: Bamboo
• Other: Cocoa Grosgrain Ribbon, Clear Embossing Powder

***

Now "Hop" on over to Jody's Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the July SOTM is only available until July 31st! Contact your CTMH Consultant or visit My Website to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount or even free!

And before you go - here is one more project I've done with "You've Got Flair":

My family and I travelled Europe back in 2006 and Amsterdam was one of my favourite stops! Here I used the stamps to help embellish my layout. The images were stamped, then cut out and then coloured using my blending pen and ink from my stamp pads.

The layout design is"Double Take" from the Close to My Heart Scrapbooking Layout book Imagine.

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

• Simple Pleasures Level 2 Paper Pack
• July Stamp of the Month "You've Got Flair"
• Inks: Desert Sand, Bamboo, Twilight
• Other: Pewter Brads, Basic Assortment Bigger Brads, Liquid Glass, Hodge Podge Color Ready Alphabets, Dimensional Elements Framed Fun
• And: Dazzling Die-Cuts Basic and Winter Assortments (no longer available to order)

***

If you happen to get lost along your way during the hop or if you find a link that isn't working - you can refer to this complete list of participants and their blog addresses to get back on your way!

Jena Devries
Wendy Kessler
Sherry Thompson
Dawn Heuft
Brae Montgomery
Melissa Laverty
Karen Norman
Deb Young
Adeline E Brill
Tammy Lea Pinchard
Jen Rubio
Cibele Glazer
Laurie R Newton
Kami Welter
Helen Onulak
Sarita Schraeder
Chris Shouse
Paige Dolecki
Dawn Ross
Jamia Bankhead
Nona Davenport
Haley Dyer
Misty Jackson
Jennifer Patrick
Carla Ironside
Jody Gustafson
Heather Painchaud
Julia Menssen
Lori Miller
Pamela O'Connor
Reba Poquette
Anne Beck
Shallon Pelletier
Caren Goldsein
Jan Moxey
Kristie Horness-Herdener
Alanna Moses
Leslie Markland
Barbara Otten
Traci Godbee
Jill Lucas
Amy McVey
Laurie Levnik