July SOTM Blog Hop ~ Live Out Loud

Hello and welcome back for another SOTM blog hop.

If you have arrived here from Michelle Loncar's blog then you are on the right track. 

 This is the last SOTM set in our current Spring/Summer Idea book.

 Are you as excited as I am to see the new Idea Book?

July's set is called Live Out Loud and its a fabulous set of 8 awesome sentiments. 

This month my assigned paper pack was Crusin'. And since I was making these cards just before Father's Day knew I wanted to make some "man cards". I decided to also use the car image from the Cruisin' WOTG kit. I just love that classic car and it stamps so beautifully.

So here is the card I made

I wanted the car to look like it was driving along a road so I stitched the white lines with white embroidery floss, using our awesome clear ruler to poke the holes for perfect spacing. I then stamped the image and accented it with our new durables in the corners to make it look like a billboard. Finally, I cut small triangle flags from the decorative border of one of the Cruisin' papers to make the checkered flags.

Products Used

July SOTM Set Live Out Loud

Cruisin' Paper Pack

Cruisin' WOTG Stamp Set

Exclusive Inks in Twilight and Cranberry

Durables Studs

Embroidery Floss Neutral Assortment

Clear Ruler

Piercing Tool Kit

And here are the cards made by the rest of my team. 

I think it is funny how I was the only one out of my group who did not use the

 butterfly SOAR image but all of the cards are still so different. 

Now hop on over to see what wonderful things Brae Montgomery has done with this set. 

April SOTM Blog Hop - You Are...

Happy Spring! Welcome to the April SOTM Blog Hop. if you have arrived here from

Angela Tutton's Blog

then you are on the right track. It is one big circle so you start anywhere and hop your way through some amazing artwork and awesome ideas on how to use this fantastic set,

You Are... is an awesome set of 15 stamps.

Aren't they fun? You can use these to describe a person or an  event. You can use them on scrapbook pages, cards or even home decor. As usual with our SOTM sets the possibilities are endless.

Here is what I created using this set.

 I used the Cocoa, Sunset, Tulip and Lagoon colors from the Stella paper pack and created my own stamped background. I love the way the different colors and fonts combine to create a fun background. The medallion, the tag and the banners were cut using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. I don't think there is much that I create these days that I don't use that cartridge, it lives in my Cricut full time.

Here is a close up of the medallion, its so easy to cut those intricate cuts when you use the Cricut. Can you even imagine trying to do that (multiple times) with a craft knife?

Supplies used:

Stella level 1 paper pack

Exclusive inks in Cocoa, Tulip, Sunset and Lagoon

Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge

Tulip Mini Medley (button)

Antique Copper Bitty Brads

Chocolate Waxy Flax

You Are - April SOTM Set

 

Here are some other great ways to use this set from my swap groups.

Now make like a bunny and hop on over to
 Tamytha Jenkins' blog
and see her awesome artwork!

March SOTM Blog Hop- Potential

Hello, and welcome to this month’s SOTM Blog Hop.

 If you arrived here from Gina Brandstetter's Blog

then you are on the right track, just keep on hopping 

‘cause it’s one great big circle of awesome artwork using the March SOTM set Potential. 

This gorgeous set is going to be a new favorite I am sure. 

I just love the bold flourishes and can see myself using them on both cards and scrapbook pages. 

And I just LOVE the sentiments, there is so much love and encouragement in those seven words. 

As many of you may already know,

 I do my monthly SOTM projects 

based on a paper pack assignment

 from my consultants group. 

This month my assigned paper pack was Florentine,

 which I think compliments this set beautifully.

Here is the card I made 

The card is cut using one of the card shapes available on the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge. 

The shaped window is perfectly centered and cut right out of the card, easy peasy! 

With the card closed you can only see the word Anything through the window.

But in this image I stood the card up a little more open 

so you can see the entire message stamped on the inside. 

For the front I used the back side of the paper that looks like a persian rug. I always have a hard time cutting those beautiful full page designs but I really loved this design on the back side. It is one of the reasons I usually buy two paper packs, I usually like BOTH sides of the paper!

I was working on these cards at Archivers when they were demoing a new product from We R Memory Keepers called Sew Ribbon (you can find out about it here).

 It is a fun new tool that you can use to punch slits anywhere on your paper and weave your ribbon through.

 It was so much fun and I loved the results so I just had to buy one.

 Here is a closer look at the ribbon weaving.

Supplies Used -

(All supplies are from CTMH unless otherwise noted)

S1203 -March SOTM Stamp Set - Potential

X7153B Florentine Level 2 Paper Pack

Z2111 Chocolate Exclusive Ink

Z2160 Twilight Exclusive Ink

Z1336 Pearl Opaque Adhesive Gems

Cocoa Bulk Ribbon 

Z1686 Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge

Z726 Sponge Daubers

Sew Ribbon Tool by We R Memory Keepers

Now hop on over to Sarita Shraeder's Blog

to see what beautiful creation she has come up with. 

As always remember that the Potential stamp set is only available throughout the month of March. 

Contact me to get yours now!

February SOTM- Thoughtful Tidings

Hello and welcome to the first SOTM Blog Hop from the brand new Spring/Summer Idea Book. There are so many wonderful things in the new Idea Book, I can't wait to share them all here. If you arrived here from

Judy Burger's Blog, 

Then you are on the right path. 

It's a great big loop of fantastic artwork by lots of creative consultants

so enjoy your first peeks of what's to come.

Here is my card

I used one of my favorite paper packs from the last catalog, Sonoma for this one. I am so happy that Sonoma is one of the papers that is carrying over for a second run in the new catalog. I love the color combo of Cocoa, Smokey Plum, Olive and Amethyst.

Here is what I used to create this card...

Sonoma Level 2 Paper pack

Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge

Exclusive Inks on Cocoa and Olive

Cocoa GrosgrainRibbon

Opaques Adhesive Pearls- Mocha Collection

Now hop on over to

Susan Brooks' Blog

to see her wonderful creation. As always, remember that you can only get 

Thoughtful Tidings through the end of February.

January SOTM Blog Hop ~ Little Reminder

Hello and welcome to 2012! I hope you had a lovely holiday and are getting ready for an awesome new year! I know CTMH has some great things in store for 2012. This month we are hopping to see all of the beautiful projects created by the final SOTM set in the Autumn/Winter Idea Book. 

If you have arrived here from Georgia Hauglid's blog then you are on the right track, 

keep on hopping for some amazing ideas.

 S1201 - Little Reminder

This fun set is a great way to remember dates on anything from cards to invites, to scrapbook pages.

There are just so many possibilities.

And once again some of the images coordinate with the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.

Don't you just love that?

I made this card months ago, long before my move so I would be sure I had it done. 

It ended up being for my cousin, who is expecting a baby boy in early February. I will leave the dates blank so that she can fill in the birthdate and add the card front to her scrapbook. I love how the colors in the Dreamin' paper pack are perfect for a little boy, but the designs may not be what you think of first for a baby card. The versatility of the CTMH papers and the beautiful color pallates make thinking out of the box a bit easier. 

Here is what I used for this card...

Dreamin' Level 2 Paper Pack

January 2012 SOTM- Little Reminder

B1368 Baby Love

Exclusive Inks in Chocolate and Pacifica

Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon

Blue Button Assortment

Chocolate Waxy Flax

Here are a couple more photos of some of the cards made by my swap group consultants.

Aren't they a bunch of talented ladies!

Now hop on over to Pamela O'Connor's blog,

I am sure she has created something spectacular. 

Remember, Little Reminder is only available through the month of January. 

And then we'll all be excited for the NEW IDEA BOOK that launches on February 1st!

Happy New Year and Happy Hopping!

Nov. SOTM Blog Hop - Cherish The Day

Hello and welcome to the November SOTM blog hop. If you have arrived here from Helen's blog you are on the right track. She also has a list of all the participating hoppers in case you get lost along the way. It's a great big circle so just keep on hopping to be sure you get to see all of the great ideas.

This month's set is  Cherish The Day. And there are a whopping 44 stamps in this set!

There are just so many possibilities for these little customizable tags. You can literally use them for ANY day of the year and EVERY occasion! What other stamp set can you say that about? I really think this set will be a staple in my craft tote from now on. Cards, layouts, tags...I could go on and on!

Since I am getting ready to move
I have had to limit my crafty time 

so I just made this card for my SOTM swap. 

 But, I am sure this set will get lots more use in the future.

My paper pack assignment for this month was Roxy so what better than a Valentine card? 

I know, I know, it's only November but us crafty card girls
have to stay ahead of the game so we have time to
crank out our fun holiday cards.

My Christmas cards are nearly done,

so Valentine's is the next major holiday I am thinking about. 

Here us what I used...

Roxy Level 2 paper pack

Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge

Cherish The Day Nov SOTM

Art Philosophy Seasons Stamp set

Love Life stamp set

Bling Assortment

Exclusive inks in Tulip, Desert Sand and Black

Now hop on over to Wanda's blog to see what awesome ideas she has using this set. Remember, that Cherish The Day is only available in November so get this great set while it lasts. But don't forget that if you order $25 worth of stamps in November you can also get the awesome Holiday Wishes stamp set for just $5. For more info on that deal click HERE.

October SOTM Blog Hop - Holiday magic

Hello and welcome to the CTMH October Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.

If you have arrived here from viewing Angela Tutton's fun creations then you are hopping right along.

I know it's only October but it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here,

and it's just in time to get some fantastic ideas for your holiday projects this year.

The October Stamp of the Month set Holiday Magic is so much fun.

This set includes 18 mix and match holiday images for unlimited possibilities. 

This month for my swap I was assigned the Typeset paper pack to go with this set. You may not think of the Typeset papers as being at all "Christmasy", but I actually really enjoy thinking outside the box and using papers and materials in unexpected ways. Here is what I came up with.

I wanted to create a  vignette, something like the decorated shop windows you see during the holiday season.  I used the Art Philosophy cartridge to cut the "window" as well and the trees. It makes everything so much easier. Too bad the sleigh and rudders weren't on the cartridge as well. I would never have attempted to make multiples of a card like this with so many cut pieces before Art Philosophy, but now it's possible!

Supply List:

Typeset Level 2 paper pack

Holiday Magic Oct SOTM 

Clear Sparkles

Bronze Glitz Glitter Gel
Stardust Glitter Gel

Exclusive Inks in Juniper, Creme Brulee,Vineyard  Berry

Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge
Foam Tape

Here are the cards from my entire swap group. Such talent!

From top left cards created by; LeAnne Dudley, Cathlene Burk, Julie Nilsson, Angie, Peterson
Krista Staton, Vicki Price, Randa Wacaster, Jodi Frank, Bertha MacMillan

Now keep hopping on over to Shirley Ross's Blog to see what Holiday Magic she has created and ENJOY the inspiration on the rest of the hop.

September SOTM Blog Hop ~ Limited Edition

Hi and welcome to the September SOTM blog hop.

 

If you have arrived here from Traci Godbee's blog, you are on the right track. 

This set is called Limited Edition and it is a very versatile set of 21 stamps.

 I LOVE this set, but I see many more uses for it in my scrapbooking than for cards so when I was working on my SOTM card swap I was a little bit stumped as to how to use this set on a card. I decided to add some images from another one of my favorite new sets to make a card for a special day. 

Here is what I came up with.

I just love the sweet "vintagey" look of the cameo with the flourish and the pearls.

It could be used for any type of special occasion; birthday, wedding, graduation, job promotion, engagement, or any time you need a special card to celebrate a special day. I had lots of fun making this card and playing with the new Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. I love how it came out. Here is what I used.

Materials:

Wonderland Level 2 Paper Pack

Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge

September SOTM Limited Edition

Sweet Moments Stamp Set

Opaques Pearls

Dark Chocolate Striped Grosgrain Ribbon

Just Blooms Flutter Paper Shapes

Exclusive Inks in Chocolate, Crystal Blue and Twilight

Thanks for looking, leave me a comment below and let me know what you think (blog comments make my day). Now Hop on over to Amy McVey's blog to see her wonderful artwork. But remember that this LIMITED EDITION really is a limited edition and only available in the month of September. You can also still get the Pair-A-Phrase set with any $75 order. For images and ideas on the Pair-A-Phrase set see THIS post.

August SOTM Blog Hop- Wicked

Welcome to the August Stamp Of The Month Blog Hop. If you have arrived on this hopping good time from Pamela O'Connor's blog you are on the right track. This is the first SOTM in our brand new Autumn/Winter Idea Book. They have done such a great job with the SOTMs this time, you will not be disappointed.

August's set is called Wicked

I was so excited to play with this set. Isn't it cute!

Sadly my catalog order along with my SOTMs decided to go on a little extra detour adventure without my permission and Fed-Ex had to track them down so I wasn't able to get my art work posted for the start of this hop. They finally arrived just before my weekend retreat with my consultant's group so I was finally able to ink up this little witch.

Here is my card...

 I decided that rather than using the images whole I would highlight some of the areas of each image to make a collage. I used the new Sonoma paper pack which wasn't really designed for Halloween but the colors (Smoky Plum, Olive and Bamboo) really make for some fun Halloween cards. I also used our new Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge to cut all of the fun shapes on this card. I am in love with this cartridge! There are just SOOO many possibilities.

Materials Used:

Sonoma Level 1 paper pack

Exclusive inks in Smoky Plum, Olive, Bamboo and Black

Pewter Brads

Black Grosgrain Ribbon
Sparkles Blue/Green Collection (for cat eyes)

Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge

Each month I also participate in a monthly swap with other consultants using the SOTM sets.

Here are the cards made by my group for a little extra inspiration.

Cards made by  (from top left) Randa Wacaster, Vicki Price, Julie Nilsson, Jodi Frank, Cathleen Burk and LeAnne Dudley

  Did you know that you can get this awesome set for just $5 throughout the month of August? And if that isn't a great enough deal you will get a FREE alphabet stamp set just for ordering the Stamp of The Month set in August. Head on over to my website for more details.

  

Now hop along to Angela Tutton's blog to see her awesome ideas and enjoy the rest of the hop.

July SOTM Blog Hop- American Celebration

Welcome to our July Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!   

  If you have come here from Jen Patrick's blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants here on Helen's Blog

We have bunches of Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. To keep on hoppin' just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

Here we go!

July's SOTM, is called American Celebration, and it is an awesome set of 12 stamps.

This set is pure Americana but could also be used for almost any celebration. There are just so many great bold images. 

This is my card

I made another interactive card this month.
I seem to be on an interactive card kick lately.
When flat it looks like any standard card.

But pull on the ribbon and you get a great little surprise.

Here is a view that shows what it looks like from the side so you can see the pop up mechanism.

I found the tutorial for this surprise pop up card on Splitcoast stampers here. I love the way it came out.

I was excited to get to this one because way back when this catalog came out I chose which papers I was going to use with each SOTM set. I wanted to challenge myself into thinking outside the box by using the papers in unexpected ways. I picked Sweetheart for this set. Most people see the Sweetheart paper pack for Valentine's or girly stuff but I decided to show how you could use it to make something patriotic.  just by adding Pacifica cardstock to the Cranberry and Black patterns from Sweetheart I created a whole new look.

Products Used:

July SOTM -American Celebration

Sweetheart Level 2 Paper Pack
Pacifica Cardstock

Exclusive Inks in Black, Pacifica and Cranberry
Versamark Ink
Sliver and Cranberry Embossing powders
Cranberry Ribbon
Bitty Sparkles

Thanks for looking. Now "Hop" on over to Susan Brooks' blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants' blogs to see some awesome artwork and fun ideas! Share the love and leave some comments as you go.

Remember, the July SOTM is only available through the month of July! Contact me to see how you can get yours at a discount or even FREE.

June SOTM Blog Hop - Jubilation

Welcome to our June Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!   

  If you have come here from Wendy Coffman's blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants here on Helen's Blog

We have bunches of Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. To keep on hoppin' just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

Here we go!

May's SOTM, is called Jubilation, and it is a beautiful set of 24 stamps.

This set is truly a set for all seasons. There are just so many possibilities! I decided to do a guy friendly celebration card. This could be used for a birthday, graduation, or any other celebration.

This is my card

I made this an interactive card by making the red firework image a spinner. This is such a fun technique. If you are not familiar with how to do it check out the Splitcoast Stampers tutorial HERE. All you need is some foam dots and a penny for a really fun interactive card. I also created my own emboss resist image on the star with versamark ink and clear detail embossing powder.

Products Used:

May SOTM -Jubilation
D1403 Star Power

Fanfare Level 2 Paper Pack

Exclusive Inks in Sunny Yellow, Pacifica and Cranberry
Versamark Ink a Clear Detail Embossing powder
Dimensional Elements- Stars

  Thanks for looking. Now "Hop" on over to Cindy Leek's, blog  to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants' blogs to see some awesome artwork and fun ideas! Share the love and leave some comments as you go.

Remember, the June SOTM is only available through the month of June! Contact me to see how you can get yours at a discount or even FREE.

May SOTM Blog Hop- Chairs to You

Welcome to our May Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!   

  If you have come here from Wendy Fording's blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants here on Helen's Blog.

We have bunches of Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. To keep on hoppin' just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

Here we go!

May's SOTM, is called Chairs To You , and it is a beautiful set of 14 stamps.

Each month I participate in a swap with other consultants using the SOTM sets. We are each assigned a card type and it rotates each month so we all get a nice variety of sizes and styles. This month I was assigned to do a clear card. At first I couldn't imagine how I would do a clear card using this set. I like the chairs but I just couldn't think of how it would work. Then I started thinking of the clear card as a window and my creative juices started flowin'.

I decided to create this homey scene. It makes me just want to grab my book and settle into that comfy chair next to the crackling fire.

This is the front view of my card

I created the curtains using my new Martha Stewart Scoring Board. I love this tool! I used my cropadile to punch a hole in them to thread the hemp "curtain rod" through. The tiebacks are also hemp. I love how it really looks like you are looking through a window.


This is the inside view 

Products Used:

May SOTM -Chairs To You
D1370 Welcome Home

Miracle Level 2 Paper Pack

Exclusive Inks in Chocolate, Crystal Blue, Tulip, Honey
Clear Cards - 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 assortment

Natural Hemp

  Thanks for looking. Now "Hop" on over to Nancy Brown's, blog  to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants' blogs to see some awesome artwork and fun ideas! Share the love and leave some comments as you go.

Remember, the May SOTM is only available through the month of May! Contact me to see how you can get yours at a discount or even FREE.

April SOTM Blog Hop - Blessed

Welcome to our April Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!   

  If you have come here from Angel Sawyer's blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants here on Helen's Blog.

We have bunches of Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. To keep on hoppin' just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

Here we go!

April's SOTM, is called Blessed, and it is a beautiful set of 12 stamps,
including two part images.


Perfect for spring, Easter, weddings etc.

I have to admit that when I first saw this set I wasn't in love with it. That's OK,  I don't have to LOVE every set CTMH comes out with (in fact my budget is glad when I don't). Since I participate in both a SOTM swap and this blog hop I knew I needed to play with this set anyway. 

Here is what I made using this set.

I wanted something elegant for a wedding, so I took another look at this set and decided to play around and see what I could come up with. I love the elegance that can be created with embossing so I pulled out the heat gun. The colors of the wedding were pink and silver so I thought the Bliss paper would go well too. I added a scalloped punch flower and just a little bit of bling and ta-da!

In the end I LOVE how simple and elegant this came out.

Here is a closer image of the embossed image.

Usually I would painstakingly brush away all of the extra spots of embossing powder that stuck on the bird image, but in this case I liked the "speckled" effect it gave so I left it. 

Products Used:

April SOTM - Blessed

Bliss Level 2 Paper Pack
Grey Flannel Cardstock
Silver Embossing Powder

Exclusive Inks in Blush
Versamark Ink

Craft Heater

Sparkles - Pink/Red Assortment

  Thanks for looking. Now "Hop" on over to Melissa Laverty's, blog  to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants' blogs to see some awesome artwork and fun ideas! Share the love and leave some comments as you go.

Remember, the April SOTM is only available through the month of April! Contact me to see how you can get yours at a discount or even FREE.

March SOTM Blog Hop - Sensational Season

Welcome to our February Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!   

  If you have come here fromTamytha Jenkins' blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants here on Helen's Blog.

We have bunches of Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. To keep on hoppin' just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

Here we go!

March's SOTM, which is called Sensational Season, is a beautiful set of 10 stamps. They remind me of Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit, soo cute!

 

Here is what I made using this set.

I love paper piecing, it reminds me of playing with paper dolls as a child. I also love coloring (another childhood favorite pastime) so this was a fun card for me. I used the CTMH watercolor pencils and blender pen to color the bunny faces and bodies. I used scraps of different papers to paper piece the clothing. Mama bunny's dress is from Wings and her apron is from Sophia. Bunny boy's jacket is from Magnifique. 

Here is a closer image of the paper piecing.

Products Used:

March SOTM -Sensational Season

Sophia Level 2 Paper Pack
Paper scraps from Wings, Sophia and Magnifique

Exclusive Inks in Archival Black

Watercolor Pencils

Blender Pen

Sparkles - Blue/ Green Assortment
Hollyhock stitched ribbon
White Fun Flocking (for the bunny tail)

Techniques - Paper Piecing, Watercolor pencils w/ blender pen, folded paper ruffles

  Thanks for looking. Now "Hop" on over to Dawn Heuft's blog, Stamp Til Dawn to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants' blogs to see some awesome artwork and fun ideas! Share the love and leave some comments as you go.

Remember, the March SOTM is only available through the month of March!

February SOTM Blog Hop: Friendship

Welcome to our February Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!   

  If you have come here from Jean McNulty's Blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants here on Helen's Blog.

We have bunches of Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. To keep on hoppin' just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

Here we go!

February's SOTM, which is called Friendship, is a beautiful set of  8 stamps.

 

Here is what I made using this set.

Products Used:

February SOTM - Friendship

Mayberry Level 2 Paper Pack

Exclusive Inks in Olive, Smoothie and Chocolate

Chocolate Button Assortment

Natural Hemp

Techniques - Stamp Sponging and Rock and Roll

 Now "Hop" on over to Tamytha Jenkins' blog  to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants' blogs to see some awesome artwork and fun ideas! Share the love and leave some comments as you go.

Remember, the February SOTM is only available until February 28th!