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.

Fast and Easy...Digital Scrapbooking with StudioJ

Do you...

Think you don't have time to scrapbook?

Not have space or money for tons of scrapbooking supplies?

Have a computer full of photo memories just waiting to be shared?

Then check out StudioJ, Close To My Heart's digital scrapbooking program.

I made these three cute layouts  in under an hour!

This fun layout uses Giggles and Grins, a retired paper line only 

available through StudioJ. Even when your favorites 

retire you can still find them in their digital form when using StudioJ.

For the layout above I changed some of the paper colors to

better match my photos. It as easy as a click in StudioJ.

This one uses Mischief, one of the brand new lines.
The embellishments are available digitally too making beautiful layouts so quick and easy.

Access StudioJ free from my website and play around. If you like what you create you can order prints shipped directly to your door. If you want to do more then consider a membership which gives you access to exclusive papers and layouts as well as half off your print orders.

Preserving the memories that matter most has never been easier!

Pair-A-Phrase Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to the Pair-A-Phrase blog hop. Thanks for stopping by! If you have arrived here from Carla Ironside's blog then you are on the right track. Take a peek at what I have done with this fun set and then keep on hoppin'!


I first saw this set at convention and the ohhs and ahhs in a room full of consultants were priceless. Then they told us that this stamp set was priceless too! We could hardly believe our (Minnie Mouse) ears! But it's true you can get this special double set that has been created especially for National Stamping Month by CTMH absolutely FREE with any $75 purchase between August 15th and September 30th!!

Here are all of the images on this "double D" set.

Can you see the possibilities like I can? I can definitely see myself pulling out this adorable set for lots and lots of occasions throughout the entire year! When I heard we were going to do this blog hop I could barely contain myself because I was just waiting for an excuse to play with this fun set. I had a weekend retreat last weekend so I spent some of my time creating mini cards. At first I thought I would just make a set of six 3"x3" cards, not too difficult I thought. But as I finished each one I saw several more of the images that were speaking to me. In the end I ended up making a set of 12 mini cards using all of the images and many of the sentiments as well. I also used my new Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge for some of the fun shapes as well as the butterfly card itself (love those cut out butterflies). I had a blast with this set and I am sure you will love it too.

 I created this display for my open house on Friday night to display all of my cards. 

And here are some closer pics of all of my cards.

 Basket: 

Sweetheart Paper and Pink Ribbon Collection

Bag:

Mayberry Paper, Pink Button Asst., Pink Ribbon Collection

 Rocket: 

Fanfare Papers, Holiday Mini Medley, Silver Glitter Gel

Ribbon:

Fanfare Papers, Blue Brad Pack

 Gift:

Wonderland Papers, Chocolate Waxy Flax, Opaque Pearls, Bling Asst.

Silverware:

Mischief papers, Licorice Opaques

 

 Snowman:

Wonderland Papers, Stardust Glitter Gel, Clear Sparkles, Ribbon from my stash

Compass:

Mischief Papers, Colonial White Twill Ribbon, Liquid Glass, Pin Clips

 

 Owl:

Typeset Papers,  Dimensional Elements Mixed Shapes

Butterflies: 

Card Cut using Art Philosophy Cartridge, Crystal Blue and Goldrush inks

 

 Bicycle:

Roxy Papers, Art Philosophy Cartridge, Opaque Pearls

Pot-O-Gold:

Wings creative Basics papers, Juniper Brads

Thanks for looking! Now hop on over to Terrie Dodd's blog to see what she has created.

Remember this set is FREE with any $75 order but only through September 30th. So if you have been drooling over the new Art Philosophy Cartridge then why not treat yourself and get this fun set as a reward. To order online go to my website.

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.

Mayberry Mom

What mom doesn't dream of having the perfect family, 

and what family doesn't dream of having the coolest mom? 

Well since most of us are no June Cleaver, Claire Huxstable, Carol Brady, or even Mrs. Cunningham we have to live with our own reality. Our families are not perfect and there is no such thing as a mom who is cool ALL the time. Last month I offered the Mayberry Mom workshop in hopes that some of my customers would score some points with the wonderful moms in their lives. 

 This is my version of a workshop that was created at Christmas time by fellow consultant Chris Green. I just reworked it for Mother's Day.  It uses the Mix and Mingle Mini Album to create a four piece gift set. I added a washer necklace to make it a five piece doozy!

Here are some closer pics of each piece

This sweet gift box uses the clear acrylic scalloped pieces as the top and bottom. 

 Stand up display, great for a mantle or desk.

Desktop photo frame. Add your favorite picture or quote. 

The last piece is a cute sticky note holder that could go on a desk or add a magnet and stick on the fridge. 

Products Used:

E1014 Posterboard Alphabet (for MOM) and B1322 Believe in Your Dreams (for flourish)

G1022 Mayberry WOTG Kit

Z1334 My Creations Mix & Mingle Album

Z1367 Bitty Brads Basic Assortment

Z1102 Colonial White Grosgrain 

Z1333 Mocha Opaques

Cocoa, Honey, Olive & Smoothie inks

Liquid Glass or other strong adhesive

Cutting Knife & Mat and/or Finishing Files

Post-It Sticky Notes (3x3)