September SOTM Blog Hop

Are you ready for some thrills and chills? The calendar may read September, but it is never too early to start thinking about Halloween! And if you're thinking about Halloween, you'll want to be sure to get your hands on the September Stamp of the Month set.

Welcome to the monthly Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! We have lots of talented consultants participating once again. If you have arrived here from Tammy Lea's blog, you are on the right track. If this is your first stop, grab a cup of your favorite witch's brew, sit back and enjoy the spine-tingling inspiration! Simply follow the links provided at the bottom of each post until you arrive back here. If you get lost along you way, or find links not working, head over to Helen's blog for a complete list of hoppers.

This month's set is perfect for some hair-raising fun! Thriller (D1442) is a set of 9 stamps complete with sentiments and hauntingly spooky images!


As I showed you a few days ago on the New Product Blog Hop (see post below), I LOVE the versatility of the new Hooligans My Reflections kit. Who doesn't love those traditional Halloween colors?

This standard sized card (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") uses Hooligans B&T papers. I sanded the edges of the striped paper to give it that distressed, antiqued look. Additional distressing was added using the Direct-to-Paper method of ink distressing - so easy! My favorite touch on this card is the Liquid Glass added to the eye patch.

Well, it's time to hop on over to another talented consultant's haunting grounds to see what she has created to share.Head on over to Shirley's blog, http://momnmescrap.blogspot.com/2010/08/ctmh-september-stamp-of-month-blog-hop.html for more tricks and treats!

Don't forget, Thriller is only available in September...get your set today!

September 1st also marks the live date for the Autumn/Winter Idea Book. Contact me for your copy and be sure to check back here often as I have lots more fun artwork to share with you!

Autumn/Winter 2010 New Product Blog Hop!

September 1st is just around the corner and that means it's time for the Autumn/Winter Idea Book! Thanks for joining us on the "New Product" blog hop where you are sure to get some amazing sneak peeks at the new goodies that fill the pages of the Autumn/Winter 2010 Idea Book!

If you've arrived here from Helen's Blog, you're on the right track. If this is your first stop on the hop, just follow the link provided at the end of each post until you get back here. We have over 50 talented consultant participating this time around!

As many of you know, once again this year I had the honor of teaching at Extravaganza at CTMH's Convention in Washington DC. As part of my teaching duties, I was given some new product to create with back in the Spring. One of the kits I received was the brand new Hooligans My Reflections kit! Honestly, I think I let out a little squeal when I saw it - it is just too stinkin' CUTE!

Hooligans is a traditional Halloween-themed kit featuring bright, cheery NEW colors (Gypsy, Lagoon, Pear and Sunset) and some adorable little monsters (call me strange, but I'm thinking I want to name some of these little guys!)!! Here are a few of the cards I created with the Hooligans set!

This fun and simple card uses the new Clear Cards, and the Hooligans My Stickease. I added a little Liquid Glass to the pumpkins for a little extra kick!

This little My Stickease guy is just too silly to not love! The 3 buttons are actually button brads found in the new Mini-Medley Accents in Sunset!

A trio of cuteness with these little Stickease monsters! I added a little Prisma Glitter because isn't everything better when it sparkles?!?!

Staz-On ink is the perfect companion to our Clear Cards. This card was so fun to create - and really simple! This one uses an existing stamp set, Beware!


Just in case you think this paper is JUST for Halloween, I made several cards that are not at all Halloween themed!

The sentiment on this one is a My Stickease image! I wanted this one to sparkle a bit more, so I covered the black polka-dots on the Gypsy B&T with Prisma glitter.

More My Stickease and Prisma Glitter - sparkle, sparkle!


The fun colors lend themselves perfectly to any festive celebration. This card uses an existing stamp set, It's Your Day, along with the new Clear Cards and a little Prisma Glitter!

How about this one...nothing Halloween about it! I simply LOVE the versatility of our My Reflections kits!

And finally, this super quick 3x3 card using mere scraps! Again...no Halloween here! And don't you just LOVE that Pear color?!?!

I will have a lot more to share from the NEW Autumn/Winter Idea Book over the next few weeks, so be sure to check back often, or sign up to "Follow" my blog so you don't miss a thing!

Time to move on to the next blog in the hop! Head on over to LaJeania's blog to see what she has created for us to enjoy! Happy Hopping! :-)

Simply Splendid!

Well, it seems FINALLY, summer has decided to make its appearance here in Southern California! And what a SPLENDID appearance it is...sunny days, warm skies, and best of all NO marine layer!!

Speaking of splendid things...have you ordered your August Stamp of the Month, Something Splendid? Today I have a few more gorgeous cards to share with you.

I always love my upline Sue Laufer's creations and this is certainly no exception. Sue used the Splendor papers, a little Colonial White Ribbon and a few metal accents to create this perfectly splendid card. I love the Edge Anchor holding the ribbon in place.

Fellow consultant Janice Hodgkin also used the Splendor papers to make this sweet 6x6 card. Don't you just love that CTMH's Background and Texture papers are double-sided? Janice uses them so well on this card!

And finally, if you haven't played with our Clear Cards yet, you MUST get some! The possibilities are endless. Linda Taylor used one of the scalloped cards from the pack of Circle Clear Cards. Her use of Stardust Glitz glitter gel add just a touch of sparkle to those scallops.

The inside view of Linda's card...cool, huh?!?!

If you haven't ordered your Something Splendid set, call, email or simply head on over to my website - http://beth.MyCTMH.com and get yours today! The Stamp of the Month set is only available through August 31st.

Time for MORE Splendid Things!

I just LOVE the large flower in the August Stamp of the Month, Something Splendid, don't you?

I've already shared a couple of my own creations using the Something Splendid set and that beautiful large flower, but today I'd like to share the work of some other talented CTMH Consultants! It's always fun to see how given the same stamp set, we all come up with such different creation. The possibilities truly are endless!

This first card, a fun tri-fold design, was created by Gayle Luker, a member of my team. Of course, I LOVE the Cherry-O paper with the big pink flower, but the design is so cool! I can't wait to create some tri-fold cards on my own.



This next card, was created by Consultant Amy Raimy using the Passages paper. Amy is so clever - who would have thought to use a pretty flower with the rich and earthy tones of Passages. Amy's card is a 6x6 design. Gorgeous, don't you think?


Karen Barber's card using the Splendor papers is just cheery and fun - a great card for summer! Did you notice the Splendor Designer Brad in the corner? These fabric covered brads are quite cute!


Finally, don't have enough of the B&T you want to make a card? Look at what Donna was able to create with just a little cardstock, stamps and ink! Simply GORGEOUS! Donna added a touch of Liquid Glass to the center of the flower.

I hope you've loved these cards as much as I do! Head on over to my website to order your Something Splendid set TODAY. Remember, it's only available through August!

More Something Splendid cards to share next week. Have a SPLENDID weekend!

Zippidee is Something Splendid

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm not much of an outside the box thinker! I tend to look at a paper packet and see the featured colors and how they work well together. Thus, it has been my personal challenge lately to try to step outside the box a little more and see the many, many possibilities for our amazing kits!

This is one of the cards we created last night at my Zippidee Card Night. Yes, that's right, the Zippidee papers that are so fun and so "Disney-esque" can have so many looks. We used the Honey and Black cardstocks and the Bamboo B&T paper found in the Level 2 paper packet.

At first glance, I wouldn't have thought to pair Zippidee papers with our GORGEOUS August Stamp of the Month set, Something Splendid, but when I found a similar card on super crafty consultant Karen Pedersen's blog, I had a feeling it would work!

The large flower is stamped "tone-on-tone" on the Honey card base and the Bamboo B&T is matted onto the scalloped black cardstock (TIP: Did you know you can use the nifty Corner Rounder from CTMH to make a pretty scalloped border?). A little ribbon and a small flower stamped on a 1" circle of the Bamboo B&T and you have a super simple card!

My card ladies LOVED this one and I can't wait to reproduce it in many colors and kits!

I will be sharing more gorgeous cards using the Something Splendid set over the next few days, but don't wait...head over to my website and get your set today! It is only available through August 31st. The stamp of the month is $22.95, but you can earn it at a great discount or even free with the rest of your order.

RETIRING!!!

No, no, I'm not "retiring"! I love my job way to much to hang it up! However, Close To My Heart is retiring many, many stamping and scrapbooking products and the list is out! Click HERE to view the list.

As many of you know, once CTMH releases the annual Retiring List, all products found on the list are available while supplies last. With our amazing $2, $4, $6 for 8 Customer Appreciation sale, many items are already sold out. You'll notice some items marked in green. Those items are no longer available. I will try to update the list weekly, but don't wait! If something you've been wishing for is on the Retiring List, get your order in today before it's too late! Head on over to my Close To My Heart website and get those goodies today.

Those of you who have been around and seen a few of these lists might notice this list is longer than usual...yes, it is! And it basically means that CTMH is making way for even MORE new products in 2011 - I simply can't wait!