August 2012 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!!!

Welcome to the Close To My Heart Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

This month we are featuring the August SOTM from the *NEW* 2012 Autumn/Winter Idea Book, which is S1208 Baroque Borders…a set of 5 My Acrylix Stamps! 

Click Here is view the Stamp of the Month images.

If you have come here from Beth Naumann’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.

This month we have almost 60 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. To join in the fun just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

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This month I chose to create a card using the *NEW* La Belle Vie collection and *NEW* My Acrylix ‘Words of Comfort’ & ‘Frame It Up’ stamp sets along with the August Stamp of the Month.

The colors in this collection are classic! This collection includes two kit exclusive colors, La Belle Vie Mauve & La Belle Vie Pink along with Black & Bamboo and a hint of Desert Sand & Sweet Leaf.

You will also see that I used CTMH’s *NEW* Colonial White Rosette Ribbon & the fabulous *NEW* Cricut Artiste Collection to make the paper rosettes on the message plate. I did some hand-stitching around the La Belle Vie Mauve B&T Duo too.

You will not believe how easy it is to make these rosette’s using the Cricut collections by CTMH and the *NEW* Quilling Tool!

To purchase your August Stamp of the Month (only available August 1-31, 2012) and other *NEW* CTMH products like our beautiful My Acrylix Stamps & Cricut Artiste Collection…

Visit My Website to shop now!

or click here to contact me to place your order.

Well, that’s it for now…I hope you enjoyed your visit!

Now "Hop" on over to Nancy Brown's blog to see her fabulous works of art! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas using this month’s stamp of the month!

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Click here to find out how you can get THIS stylish & functional tote for FREE!

(Supplies are Limited…so Act Fast!)

Thank you for stopping by and have a blessed day,

CTMH Dotty for You Meets Up with Mojo Monday 237

I came across an inspiring card sketch some time last week on Debbie Carriere’s blog and knew it would work wonderfully with the CTMH Dotty for You Paper Packet! It took me some time to get the right combination, but I knew I wanted to use the Lagoon & Sweet Leaf Flourishes B&T Duo from the paper packet. With inspiration from Debbie’s sample, this is what I came up with…

Using the Cricut Craft Room and my handy-dandy Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge, I welded together two <Square5> + Font + Shift shapes for the zig zag border. I believe I used 1/2” width of Chocolate cardstock which made the length once welded together almost 6”. I trimmed the length down to 5-1/4” to accommodate my 5-1/2” width card. I also cut the polka dot banner shapes & the title using my AP Cartridge.

I created the yo-yo’s behind the paper flowers with 1/2” White Daisy cardstock strips and scoring at 1/4” increments using my Euro Personal Paper Trimmer and a Bone Folder. To finish the yo-yo’s off, I added some brown Mocha Opaque Adhesive Gems to the center of each.

The ‘You Are Beautiful’ sentiment was stamped in Lagoon using CTMH’s My Acrylix Card Word Puzzle stamp set.

Here is the Mojo Monday #237 Sketch I used…

I hope you enjoyed my inspiration today and may you have an inspiring day yourself!

Deconstructed Sketch No. 36 Meets Up with CTMH Florentine

I have been having so much fun with all my new 2012 Spring/Summer CTMH products! It feels so good to be in my scrapbook studio creating to my heart’s content!

Here is the card I made using this week’s sketch from the Deconstructing Jen blog…

I absolutely <3 the way this card turned out! What a great sketch!

I used CTMH’s new Florentine Level Paper Packet along with the February 2012 Stamp of the Month, the Florentine Workshops on the Go stamp set & Florentine My Stickease Assortment.

I added a little bling with some Sparkles too.

Here is the Deconstructed Sketch No. 36 I used…

To get your hands on these new amazing products…visit my website beginning February 1st~

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need help placing your order.

Mojo Monday 225 Meets Up with CTMH Superhero

I wasn’t too sure about the Mojo Monday sketch this week and wondered if I could pull something off with it, but I tried anyway & I’m quite pleased with what I came up with…

I’ve been itching to create a birthday card for my nephew who will be turning 4 in March, ever since I saw the new CTMH Paper Packet, Superhero!

Here is the Mojo Monday sketch for this week…

I’ve decided I need to step my creations up a bit this year, so I dug out some embellishments and had at it…

I used some ribbon from CTMH’s Black Mini-Medley Accents, Bitty Sparkles and CTMH’s new Baker’s Twine. I love to add ink distressing to my paper to add depth…you never can go wrong with that technique!

The new CTMH Superhero Paper Packet & Baker’s Twine will be available for purchase beginning February 1st, so stop by my website then to place your order or contact me now to start your wish list.

Thanks for stopping by & have a blessed day!

Mojo Monday 224 Meets Up with CTMH Pemberley

I’ve been wondering what I will do this year to challenge myself since my time with the Heart 2 Heart Challenges Design Team has come to an end. There are many challenge blogs out there today, but it can get overwhelming sometimes and that is one thing I do my best to avoid these days.

So for now, I am choosing to participate in the Mojo Monday weekly card sketch challenges along with the weekly Heart 2 Heart challenges…when I can.

First up is this week’s Mojo Monday card sketch #224…

(Click on the sketch to visit this week’s challenge post)

I’ve been itching to play with some of my NEW CTMH products from the upcoming 2012 Spring/Summer Idea Book available to customers February 1, 2012. Let me know if you’d like a copy (you only pay shipping) or you can view it online beginning February 1, 2012.

I’m already seeing some stunning artwork from fellow consultants and one of the new kits that seems to be a favorite is called Pemberley. So, I decided to use it for my creation today.

Isn’t it just lovely? The color combination consists of Indian Corn Blue, Outdoor Denim, Honey, Desert Sand, Bamboo & Colonial White. The paper flower was created using CTMH’s exclusive Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge <Flower8> featured on pg 50 of the Cricut AP booklet. I cut two flowers in sizes of 2-1/4” & 2”. All papers were sponged with Desert Sand ink. The center embellishment are CTMH’s new Pewter Badge Buttons…just peel the backing off and stick.

To achieve the dimension on the flower, I used 3D Foam tape between each petal and also underneath the flower to pop it off the card.

I’m looking forward to my next challenge and playing with more new products!

Thank you for stopping by!

Faith-Filled Friday

Welcome to Faith-Filled Friday!

I hope it’s been a good one for you so far! I’m a little late in the day posting this, but I wanted to be sure to share with you another challenge I’m going to attempt this year. It’s called the P31 Challenge and is headed up by Sara Horn, author of My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife.

From the back cover…

Author Sara Horn always admired the Proverbs 31 wife, but when she became a busy writer and mother, she deemed this model to be dated and impossible. Or is it? Join Sara as she heads into a one-year domestic experiment and offers full access to see if this biblical model can be embraced by a modern woman—even one who can’t sew.

With humility and humor, Sara sets out to pursue the Proverbs 31 characteristics through immersing herself in all things domestic, but when her family's situation changes and she must return to a full-time job, she's forced to look at the Proverbs 31 woman with a whole new viewpoint. Through it all, she and readers discover:

what it means to be a godly woman and a wife

how investing in family and faith refines priorities as a spouse and a parent

how mistakes are opportunities for growth

This thought-provoking, surprising, and entertaining personal account will inspire women to try their own experiments in living out God’s purpose for their lives.

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I’ve been intrigued with her book so far and I’m always up for a good challenge! Won’t you join me…

Sara has posted the first challenge on her blog this week and it’s the perfect place to start…check it out here.

I’ve actually done really well this week with this challenge! I found a great new Bible reading plan for the year called The Bible Program for Shirkers and Slackers. You can find more information about it here.

I came across a blog post about the reading plan on Pinterest and learned a new technique to go along with my quiet time called S.O.A.P. Here is a little more information about how that works. I have really enjoyed my quiet time this week using this new method and would encourage you to try it out!

{perfection not required}

So, don’t forget to check out the P31 Challenge! I’m sure Sara is going to have some really fun challenges for us to do together and I love that I’ll have some accountability through her Facebook Page.

Until next week…I’ll be sharing more about Beth Moore’s latest Bible study, James.

May you have a blessed weekend!

H2H–From Our Hearts to Yours…Merry Christmas!!!

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

This week over at the Heart 2 Heart Challenge blog, we are hosting a virtual Christmas card exchange with YOU and wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Here’s my Christmas card to share with you…

(All products are Close To My Heart unless otherwise noted)

With much sadness, it’s time to announce that this will be my final challenge post as an H2H Design Team member as our term has sadly come to an end. It has been a great privilege to serve with the other fabulous and talented women on this team for the past six months. It has also been wonderful to connect with so many wonderful and talented women in the blogging world that love to create with CTMH products as much as I do. Thank you all for an amazing time!!!

Now it is time for YOU to step up and submit your application to be part of the NEW H2H Design Team! I know all the amazing talent that is out there now, so go ahead, take the plunge and do it! Visit the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog for more details on how to submit your application. I can’t wait to follow along with YOU in the new year!

With that said…I’d love to see what you create with this week’s fun challenge! Check out the details below…

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The Heart 2 Heart Design Team for July – Dec 2011…

Cheryl Even, Debi Barber, Haley Dyer, Jody Gustafson, Mary Vogel (owner), Michelle Auten and Pamela O'Connor (me!).

Please be sure to create a project using MOSTLY Close To My Heart products and then head on over to the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog and post your creation under the appropriate challenge.

I look forward to seeing all your wonderful creations! 

H2H Challenge–Inspiration Photo

This week over at the H2H Challenge blog, we are getting our inspiration from a funky & colorful Christmas photo (see the inspiration photo below my project).

Lucky me, my December Daily album I had already started working on had a lot of the same colors that were in the inspiration photo. So, I chose to work with the colors from the inspiration photo. The black ribbon & glitter also caught my eye so I added some black gingham ribbon and glitter to add some pop of color & sparkle.

What inspiration do you get from this photo?

Now…it’s your turn! I’d love to see what you create with this week’s fun challenge! Check out the details below…

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The Heart 2 Heart Design Team for July – Dec 2011…

Cheryl Even, Debi Barber, Haley Dyer, Jody Gustafson, Mary Vogel (owner), Michelle Auten and Pamela O'Connor (me!).

Please be sure to create a project using MOSTLY Close To My Heart products and then head on over to the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog and post your creation under the appropriate challenge.

I look forward to seeing all your wonderful creations! 

H2H Challenge–From Your Hearts to Ours

This week’s challenge over at the Heart 2 Heart Challenge blog is to create something for someone you are grateful for. Tell us what is special about that person and why you created this particular item for them.

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There are several significant reasons why I am grateful for my Uncle James (who is like an older brother to me) and why I chose to create my project this week for him.

I got a picture message on my phone back on September 2nd from him of the back of a car with a message that read…’The Princess is Getting Married’. I was totally clueless to who it was referencing and after several text messages back and forth, I learned my Uncle was getting MARRIED…THAT DAY!?! My mom had forgotten to pass the message on to my brother & I. I guess because we wouldn’t be able to attend because they flew to Florida to get married on a beach {2nd marriage for them both}.

So, reason #1 for creating my project for my Uncle today…I needed to send a wedding gift to commemorate the event.

Another reason is because in October, my Uncle James was admitted to the hospital for some breathing issues and possible heart problems. He was hospitalized for a full week with much of it in ICU.

Here is a photo of him I believe the night of the 6th game of the World Series.

Well, because the game was so intense, James got ‘a bit wound up’ and he was sent back to ICU!?!

I thank the Lord that He watched over my Uncle James and healed him of any major issues. He got a good report on his heart, but learned he had some issues with high blood pressure which in turn has damaged his kidneys some. We are grateful that all can be managed with proper diet and medication.

I could tell you so much more about why I am grateful for my Uncle James, but I think I will save that for a future scrapbook layout I have in mind. It will include a lot of special memories from my childhood.

Until then, here are few close up photos of my project for you to enjoy…

I used a 5” x 7” picture frame along with Close To My Heart’s Roxie Level 2 Paper Packet and Pearl Opaque Adhesive Gems. I used images from my Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge (flowers, alphabet & numbers) and the Cricut Spring Fling cartridge (couple silhouette) I received with my new Cricut Expressions 2.

Now…it’s your turn! I’d love to see what you create with this week’s fun challenge! Check out the details below…

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The Heart 2 Heart Design Team for July – Dec 2011…

Cheryl Even, Debi Barber, Haley Dyer, Jody Gustafson, Mary Vogel (owner), Michelle Auten and Pamela O'Connor (me!).

Please be sure to create a project using MOSTLY Close To My Heart products and then head on over to the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog and post your creation under the appropriate challenge. Your project may be one of ten chosen for the Top Ten at the end of September and you may even win a prize at the end of the month and an opportunity to be a future Guest Design Team member!

I look forward to seeing all your wonderful creations!

H2H Challenge–Metal Mania

Welcome to another fun week at the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog. This week we are playing with ‘metal’. There are a variety of ways to accomplish this, such as, using brads, mini-medley accents or how about creating your project out of something metal, like Michelle Auten did…she made an Advent Calendar out of a cookie sheet. It’s time to use your imagination!

This week, I opted for the simpler side of this challenge as I was running short on time and needed to create a birthday card. I have some fun ideas floating around in my head for this challenge and hopefully I’ll be able to share those later in the week.

Here’s my challenge project…

I had some fun with the Roxie Level 2 Paper Packet, My Acrylix ‘10 Things’ stamp set, Bitty Sparkles, Silver Glitz™ Glitter Gel, Bling Assortment.

The inside of my card…

Now…it’s your turn! I’d love to see what you create with this week’s fun challenge! Check out the details below…

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The Heart 2 Heart Design Team for July – Dec 2011…

Cheryl Even, Debi Barber, Haley Dyer, Jody Gustafson, Mary Vogel (owner), Michelle Auten and Pamela O'Connor (me!).

Please be sure to create a project using MOSTLY Close To My Heart products and then head on over to the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog and post your creation under the appropriate challenge. Your project may be one of ten chosen for the Top Ten at the end of September and you may even win a prize at the end of the month and an opportunity to be a future Guest Design Team member!

I look forward to seeing all your wonderful creations!

H2H Challenge–Sentiment Only

Today’s Heart 2 Heart Challenge is all about sentiments! The challenge is to use only ONE sentiment stamp on your creation…no other stamps are allowed.

I’m using a ‘sweet’ sentiment from the Close To My Heart My Acrylix ‘Pair-a-Phrase’ stamp set that is only available until September 30th in celebration of National Stamping Month.

I cut my card base and flower using the Close To My Heart Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge along with the Dreamin’ Level 2 Paper Packet. I embellished the center of the flower with an Antiqued Copper Designer Brad. Add a little ink distressing and sanding and viola!

Now…it’s your turn! I’d love to see what you create with this week’s fun challenge! Check out the details below…

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The Heart 2 Heart Design Team for July – Dec 2011…

Brenda Rose, Cheryl Even, Debi Barber, Haley Dyer, Jody Gustafson, Mary Vogel (owner), Michelle Auten and Pamela O'Connor (me!).

Our September Guest Designer is…

Jane Haas

Our September Sponsors are…

Heather Hunt and Kelly Jo Ratcliff

Please be sure to create a project using mostly Close To My Heart products and then head on over to the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog and post your creation under the appropriate challenge. Your project may be one of ten chosen for the Top Ten at the end of September and you may even win a prize at the end of the month and an opportunity to be a future Guest Design Team member!

I look forward to seeing all your wonderful creations!

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DO NOT FORGET…

To celebrate National Stamping Month in September, we are offering our first-ever double stamp set! You can get the exclusive My Acrylix® Pair-a-Phrase double stamp set FREE when you place an order of $75.00 US/$82.00 CAN from August 15 through September 30, 2011. You’ll love this double set—two D-size sets in one envelope—which includes lots of clever phrases and coordinating images you’ll use in your handmade cards all year. And with a retail value of $35.90/$39.90, this set drastically increases the value of your qualifying purchase! Have double the fun stamping during National Stamping Month with our new Pair-a-Phrase double stamp set!

Visit MyCTMH Website to shop now…

or click here to contact me to place your order.

Thank you for stopping by and have a blessed day,