Convention Swap Items Part #2

A few more cards I received at Convention from fellow swappers:

Love this gorgeous card using the now retired Notebook paper by Kerri Wint:

And a gorgeous Thank You card using Perfect Day and some amazing stamping, as well as glitter mist from the very talented Haley Dyer:

A gorgeous easel card using Veranda made by Sheri Johnson:

A very creative envelope card from Brenda Rutt using the recently retired Unforgettable paper pack:

And a cute little random stamped card using Topstitch from my fellow Canadian and blogging friend Krista Ritskes:

CTMH Convention & my Roomie Gifts

Well - Convention is coming to a close - we have the Closing Dinner & Banquet tonight & then it will be time to head home tomorrow!! We've had so much fun & have had so much packed into the last 4 days that it has gone soooo fast!!    Can't wait to come home & share with my customers and team and blog readers . . . SO MANY IDEAS!!

In the meantime - a little artwork to share - these are notebooks I made for my roomies here at Convention! 

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart, except for the notebooks themselves, which I purchased at a dollar store):

Perfect Day Level 2 Paper Pack

Unforgettable Level 2 Paper Pack

Antiqued Copper Mini Medley Accents

Dimensional Elements Monograms - A

Dimensional Elements Monograms - B

Cardstock: Cocoa, Sorbet, Juniper and Tulip

Organdy Ribbon with Satin Edges

Cocoa ink (for distressing all edges)

Liquid Glass (to attach the monograms to ensure they will NOT fall off!)

I'm off now to get ready for dinner!!  Will post more soon!!

CTMH Perfect Day & My Perfect Day

Still working on my wedding album  . . . these were some pics my Mom took of my sister helping me get ready. 
I used this week's sketch from Inspired Blueprints and the color inspiration came from the Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger. 

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

Perfect Day Level 2 Paper Pack

Lace Border Stickers from the Perfect Day Level 2 Stickease

Alphabet & Tag & Journalling Stickers from the Perfect Day Level 1 Scrapbooking Kit

Basic Craft Buttons

Colonial White Waxy Flax

Cardstock: Colonial White, Tulip

Ink: Cocoa

Other: Thickers Alphabet Stickers from AC

CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop for March

Glad you could join us for this month's Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! We have dozens of talented consulants who are sharing their creations with the March Stamp of the Month set "A Little Everything", a set of 26 acrylic stamps.

To continue along the hop, just follow the link at the end of each post to go to the next site. We hope that following the hop will give you lots of inspiration and ideas for using your "A Little Everything" stamp set, as well as the many other great CTMH products you'll see in each post.

My creation today is a 12 x12 layout.  This stamp set is a definite MUST HAVE for any cardmaker, but I also wanted to show the versatility of this set by using it on a scrapbook page.  The title, as well as the scalloped border on my layout are both stamps from this set.   I added a little extra dimension to the title by rolling the edges of the stamp in a darker ink prior to stamping the image.

The clean and simple style of this layout (look at all that white space!!) is inspired by the great Cathy Zielske . . . I love her work.  The layout design is sketch #92 from Creative Scrappers.

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

Perfect Day Level 2 Paper Pack (red patterned paper)

Grace Level 2 Paper Pack (brown patterned paper)

Magic Moments Level 2 Paper Pack (blue polka dot paper)

A Little Everything Acrylic Stamp Set - March 2010 Stamp of the Month

Frame of Mind Acrylic Stamp Set

Sans Alphabet Acrylic Stamp Set

Big Pinks Paper Flower

Cocoa Button from the Basic Craft Buttons Collection

Colonial White Waxy Flax

Foam Tape

Inks: Tulip, Cocoa

Cardstock: Colonial White, Textured Colonial White, Textured Cocoa

Ready to see more?  Keep hopping to Jen's Blog to see what she's sharing today!!

If you get lost along the hopping trail, or come across a broken link, please feel free to refer to the entire list of this month's hop participants Here.

CTMH Perfect Day & Mojo Monday #108

Here is my card for this week's sketch over at Mojo Monday.

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

• Perfect Day Level 2 Paper Pack
• Treasure Life Acrylic Stamp Set
• Simple Blossoms Acrylic Stamp Set
• Designer Ribbon Rounds Colonial White Collection
• Mini Medley Accents Spring Blossom Collection
• Cardstock: Juniper, Cocoa, Colonial White
• Inks: Juniper, Cocoa

CTMH Perfect Day & A Couple of Challenges

This is my card for the sketch this week at Card Patterns. And I also incorporated this week's challenge from a brand new site called Practical Scrappers. I absolutely LOVE the concept of this new blog - which is basically to use up your stuff. Because, really, what papercrafter doesn't have a HUGE stash of STUFF!?!?! Each week the challenge will be to use a particular supply or tool! So much fun!! This week's challenge was to use 5 eyelets - - which was a BIG challenge for me because I'm not a fan of eyelets!! But I made it work!

This is my attempt at a close-up shot of the flowers - wanted to show you the "liquid glass" centers!! Not the best shot - but you get the idea!

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart)

• Perfect Day Level 2 Paper Pack
• Perfect Day My Stickease Assortment
• Liquid Glass
• Happy Birthday Acrylic Stamp Set
• Cardstock: Colonial White, Juniper, Cocoa
• Ink: Cocoa
• Other: Foam Squares and, of course, the Gold Eyelets!

CTMH Perfect Day & Mojo Monday #98

My card for this week's Mojo Monday sketch!

Materials Used (All Close to My Heart):

• Perfect Day Level 2 Paper Pack
• Treasure Life Acrylic Stamp Set (September 2008 Stamp of the Month - will be available for purchase in the Fall/Winter 2009 Catalogue - coming September 1st!)
• Cardstock: Colonial White (for card base) and Cocoa
• Inks: Juniper & Cocoa
• Cocoa Grosgrain Ribbon
• Colonial White Ric Rac from the Designer Ribbon Rounds Colonial White Collection
• Clear Sparkles

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!
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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!

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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

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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)

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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

CTMH - More Tender Tags

Hard to believe - but it SNOWED in Calgary today! Seriously!! Isn't it June?!?!

I've been working hard over the last few days on a gift for my daughter's kindergarten teacher. It is a compilation of thoughts from all of the students in the class on why they love their teacher! I hope to have it done by next week sometime & will post the finished product!

In the meantime - I'll post some other things I've created in the last little while.

Here are a few cards featuring the June Stamp of the Month - "Tender Tags". Both designs are from our How-To Program book Originals. (This blogging thing has made me realize what a terrible photographer I am - - so I'm working on taking better pics of my art . . . bear with me!!)




Materials Used (all CTMH):

• Perfect Day Level 2 Paper Pack
• That's Amore Level 2 Paper Pack
• June Stamp of the Month Tender Tags
• Cardstock: Colonial White
• Inks: Creme Brulee, Tulip
• Other: Colonial White Crocheted Ribbon from the Designer Ribbon Rounds Colonial White Collection, Foam Squares

Materials Used (all CTMH):
More to Adore Level 2 Paper Pack
June Stamp of the Month Tender Tags
Inks: Chocolate, Hollyhock
Other: Chocolate Brad, White Daisy Just Blooms paper flowers (can be found in Just Blooms Autumn Daisy collection or White Daisy collection), ribbon (retired).
The edges of the papers were sponged in chocolate ink. The top flower was sponged in hollyhock ink and the bottom one in chocolate ink.

CTMH Perfect Day & Mojo Monday #89

I played along with Mojo Monday again this week.

Here is Sketch #89:

And here is my card:
Materials used (all Close to My Heart):

• Perfect Day Level 2 Paper Pack
• It's Your Day Stamp Set (August Stamp of the Month)
• Cardstock: Colonial White (for card base)
• Inks: Cocoa, Juniper, Tulip
• Other: Fancy Cuts Botanicals die-cut flowers, Cocoa Grosgrain Ribbon, Liquid Glass, Foam Squares, Cocoa Brads

It might be difficult to see the details in my photo, but I used the "Rock & Roll" stamping technique to stamp the Happy Birthday sentiment by inking my stamp in my desired colour first, then rolling the edges of the stamp in the cocoa ink before stamping the image on my cardstock. I also adhered the flower using foam squares for added dimension and highlighted the center of the flower by coating it with a layer of liquid glass. I also distressed the edges of the card base and all of my paper pieces using a sponge and cocoa ink.