A Very Merry Blog Hop

Even though it doesn't quite feel like Fall yet here in Southern California (temps are supposed to be close to 100 next week), it's almost time to begin thinking about the holidays and Christmas cards and gifties! Our October Stamp of the Month is just what I needed to put me in the holiday mood!

Welcome to the October Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! If you've arrived from Elizabeth Mindemann's blog, you are on the right track. If this is your first stop, simply follow the links at the bottom of each blog until you arrive back here. We have over 65 talented consultants participating this month, so I'm sure we'll all be in the holiday spirit before we finish the hop!

The October Stamp of the Month, Very Merry Christmas (S1210) is a set of 11 stamps perfect for holiday cards, gift tags, scrapbook pages and so much more! All of the images coordinate with images found on the Cricut Artiste cartridge available only from Close to My Heart.

The perfect compliment for the Very Merry Christmas set is our new Pear & Partridge My Reflections kit. Of course, you know I love a little bling, so I had to add the Shimmer Trim too...I love the contrast between the muted, almost earthy tones of the Pear & Partridge papers and the Shimmer Trim!

To create the ornament, I stamped it once in Cranberry ink on the Desert Sand cardstock. Then I stamped it once more in New England Ivy ink (also on Desert Sand cardstock) and cut the center element out to adhere over the Cranberry stamped image. I love this simple method of getting more than one color onto a stamped image. The Silver Glitz Glitter Gel gave just a bit of sparkle to the ornament.

The edges of the New England Ivy cardstock were "scissor distressed" by simply running the open blade of my scissors along the edge of the paper (use caution as you can tear the paper if you push too hard...or cut yourself!).

Lately, I'm all about dimension, so I added lots of 3-D Foam tape to really make things pop.  

Remember, the Very Merry Christmas set is only available through October 31st. Regular price is $17.95, but you can add it to your $50 order for just $5! Head on over to my website to order yours today!

Time to hop along and see what treasure Angela Tutton has created to share with all of us!

Halloween Home Decor Workshop

Join us as we use the new Moonlight papers to create this super fun Halloween Home Decor "frame" - just perfect for a picture of your little ghosts and goblins (or even your own spooky side)!

Date: Saturday, October 20th

Time 12pm or 2pm

Location: My Studio in Newbury Park

Cost: $16 pre-paid (full payment must be received no later than October 10th to allow time to order and prep supplies)

All supplies will be cut for you and you will receive a FULL package of the NEW Pixie Glitter Alphabet!

Guests will need to bring scissors and adhesives (tape runner, glue dots, 3-d Foam tape). If you need scissors or adhesives let me know and we can order them along with the workshop supplies.

See my Workshop/Events page to RSVP with your workshop fee!

Flirty Little Monograms!

I just returned from an event I look forward to each year...our annual team retreat! For the past 8 years we have spent 4 or 5 glorious days in South Lake Tahoe scrapping the days (and nights) away, learning new tips and techniques from fellow consultants, and sharing LOTS of laughs! This year we had a slight change of plans, and as much as we LOVE Tahoe, we all agree Big Bear was much easier for us Southern California girls! When I got home I asked myself how it was possible to be totally refreshed and re-energized, yet completely exhausted at the same time - I guess crafty time with friends will do that to you!

As part of the retreat, I was asked to teach a make-n-take (always so stressful as I wonder how I could possibly share anything NEW with the amazingly creative ladies who join us), AND we give little gifts to each attendee. This year I decided to combine the two and make them coordinate.

I found this fun little card on Pinterest (my newest addiction) and CTMH-ified it with some Flirty paper for my create-n-take!

Have you checked out our new Monograms? They are sold by the letter at just $2.95 each! I LOVE them and was so thrilled when my Director, Sue Laufer decided to gift one to each attendee! The banners and rosette were cut using the new Cricut Artiste Cartridge and a little Shimmer Trim gave the card just the right touch of bling!

After teaching my create-n-take, I presented each attendee with their giftie...this fun little box and set of three 3"x3" cards. They had already stamped a few extra monograms while we did the card, so they simply added their own monogram. 

The box was cut with the Cricut Artiste cartridge. The frames were cut using the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge and stamped with the Perfect Fit-Frames stamp set (I still LOVE that our stamps coordinate so perfectly with the Cricut images!). 

I have so much more to share from the retreat, so check back soon...workshops, scrapbook pages, and more!

September SOTM: Fall Favorites!

It's September and that means back-to-school, football, and (well, depending on where you live) cooler days! It also means it's time to get ready for all those fun Fall festivities...Halloween, trips to the pumpkin patch, Thanksgiving and more! This month's Stamp of the Month will definitely get you into a Fall sort of mood!

Welcome to the September Stamp of the Month blog hop! Once again we have over 60 talented Close to My Heart Consultants sharing their amazing talents with all of you. If you've arrived here from Krista's Crafty Corner, you are on the right track. Simply follow the links at the end of each blog to get to the next blog hop post. By the time you make your way back here (or where ever you may have started) you are sure to be filled with plenty of inspiration!

This month's Stamp of the Month, Fall Favorites (D1209) is perfect for celebrating everything Autumn...pumpkins, leaves and the cutest darn scarecrow ever!

CTMH's new Clementine paper packet provides a perfect color palette for Fall...Sorbet, Champagne, Saddle, Cashmere, Creme Brulee, and a little Juniper! And of course, nothing says Fall like our brand new Burlap Ribbon.

The banners were cut in a jiffy using the new Artiste Cricut cartridge, and a little 3-d Foam Tape gave lots of dimension to this card.

Remember, the September SOTM is only available through September 30th. Order it for $17.95 or just $5 when you place a $50 order. Order yours today!

Time to hop along and see what Nancy Brown has created in her Creatively Artsy Gallery!

National Stamping Month: It's Your Day (Blog Hop)

September is National Stamping Month, but you know we like to get the party started a little early, so we're kicking off the fun with an awesome blog hop featuring our National Stamping Month stamp set, It's your Day!

We have over 40 consultants sharing their creations using this fun set. If you've arrived from Julia Hammond's blog, you are on the right track. If this is your first stop, welcome! To follow the hop, simply click on the links at the end of each post to take you to the next blog. Our blog hop is one big circle, so when you arrive back here (or your starting place) you are sure to be inspired!

This year's National Stamping Month special is this fun "Double-D" stamp set called. That's right, you get not one, but TWO "D" sized stamps sets in one envelope! Fun phrases, trendy patterns and icons, butterflies and a bicycle...that's double the creative fun, if you ask me!

It's Your Day is available for just $5 with a $35 order between august 15th and September 30th - that's a savings of over $30! 

I love the fun, and well, flirty colors of our brand new My Reflections paper packet, Flirty...totally Autumn, yet sweet and sassy at the same time! I also love the trendy new banner shapes too! The banners on this card were cut from the NEW Cricut Artiste cartridge. The banner shape on Artiste is actually cut on both ends (as opposed to being cut on one end and straight on the other), so I was able to cut once and get twice the banners for my sweet cards by simply cutting them in half!

Of course, what's a card without a touch of bling? The bitty Sparkles from the Red, Pink and Purple Assortment matched the pink in the Flirty papers perfectly!

 

 After making the first card, since I had more banners from the other half of my first set, I decided to try to another version and vary the stamp color and the placement of the sentiment.

Time to hop along and see what Pamela Ellison has created to share with us!

Remember, It's Your Day is available through September 30th only. Visit my website to order your set today!

Autumn/Winter New Product Blog Hop

Have you checked out the new Idea Book from Close to My Heart yet? If you have, then you already know what wonderfulness is in store for you with this blog hop! If you haven't, I can promise that you are in for some fun surprises as you make your way through the New Product Blog Hop because we have over 50 talented consultants just waiting to share new goodies with you.

If you've arrived here from Rachel Ventura's blog, you are on the right track. Simply follow the links provided at the end of each post until you arrive back here (or to your original starting point)!

This sweet little card features the brand new Clementine papers and the Casual Expressions stamp set (D1525). I simply LOVED the Burlap Ribbon as soon as I saw it and knew it would be the perfect match for the Clementine papers!

The sentiment piece is stamped on the coordinating Cricut cut from our brand new Artiste cartridge! The Casual Expressions stamp set coordinates so well with Artiste...every one of those fancy shaped sentiments has the perfect Cricut cut to make your creating faster, simpler and easier!

Our brand new Saddle ink was used for all of the inked edges and a little 3-D Foam tape helped give the sentiment a little dimension.

The card design itself is also from a brand new product! If you love our how-to books (which are now retired), you won't want to miss our newest publication, Make It from Your Heart! This magazine features 16 two- page layout patterns, 2 single-page patterns and 12 different card patterns. That's a lot of inspiration in one conveniently bound volume!

Thanks for hopping with us...time to move on and see what the oh-so-talented Katy Taylor has in store for us. I don't think you'll be disappointed!!

August Stamp of the Month: Baroque Borders

The month of August always holds so much excitement with Close to My Heart...a brand new Idea Book chock full of amazing new goodies for stamping, scrapbooking and papercrafting, a great deal for New Consultants, a fun National Stamping Month special, and of course, an all-new Stamp of the Month set. That must mean it's time for a Blog Hop!

This month we have over 50 inspiring artists sharing their creations. If you've arrived from Doreen's blog you are on the right track. Simply click the links at the end of each blog post until you arrive back here. If you find links not working, or get lost along the way, you can find the entire list of hoppers on Helen's blog.

This month we are featuring Baroque Borders, a gorgeous set of 5 stamps that will add the perfect flair to all of your cards and scrapbook pages!

This standard sized card pairs the Baroque Borders stamp set with the gorgeous and elegant Avonlea Paper Packet (X7155B)...greens, teals and greys...so pretty! 

The sentiment is from Words of Comfort (C1524). With such a subtle and subdued color palette, I couldn't resist giving it something that would pop, and our new Silver Shimmer Trim (Z1799) was just the touch of bling I needed! 

Thanks for stopping by on our Blog Hop. It's time to see what my super talented friend, Pamela O'Connor has created - she never disappoints! 

Be sure to check in often...with a brand new Idea Book, I have lots to share (and a couple more Blog Hops this month too).

Happy Stamping! Happy Scrapping!