November SOTM Blog Hop - New Year's Cheer

Welcome to the November SOTM Blog Hop, featuring New Year's Cheer, a set of 13 stamps. If you’ve come from Maureen's blog, you’re on the right path. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find a complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s blog. 

Along the hop, you'll see artwork from 29 talented consultants who can't wait to share their creativity with you using the cheerful stamps below!

I decided to use Peacock, White Daisy and Ruby for my color scheme. I added a few products I had left from other projects, like the ribbon, the overlay with the stars and the swirly silver glitter banner. Quick and easy!

Inside of Card

The following products were used (all current CTMH products):

• Peacock Cardstock, X5776
• Ruby Cardstock, X5927
• White Daisy Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2863
• Peacock Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2649
• Picture My Life Happy, Happy Christmas Overlays, Z4016
• Enchantment Ribbon Pack, Z3288
• City Sidewalks Complements, X7213C

Be sure to hop on over to Krista's blog to see her work! Remember, the November SOTM is only available until November 30!  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!

October SOTM Blog Hop - Yuletide Joy

Welcome to the October SOTM Blog Hop, featuring Yuletide Joy, a set of seven holiday themed stamps. You'll see artwork from 37 talented consultants who can't wait to spread some Yuletide Joy with you!

Thanks for hopping over from Donna Digby's blog.

How much do you love the color of the year, Sea Glass? I'm using it with everything, but am totally obsessed with the Sea Glass and gold color combo. Pair those up with our Oh Deer! paper and you have a winning combo!

Heat embossing is so fun and really details the intricacy of the star. I love adding a little bling to the inside of my card. It just gives it that extra special touch. CTMH's new Thin Cuts are so easy to use with my Cuttlebug and those stars are going to be on everything I create!

Products used (all CTMH):

• Oh Deer! Paper Pack, X7214B, $9.95
• Ranger Princess Gold, Z2066, $5.95
• VersaMark Ink Pad, Z891, $9.95
• Craft Heater, Z555, $34.95
• Gold Shimmer Trim, Z1985, $4.95
• Gold Assortment Sequins, Z2012, $2.95
• Gold Glitter Paper, Z3238, $5.95
• Cocoa Stamp Pad, Z2814, $7.95
• Stars Thin Cuts, Z3261, $14.95
• SOTM Yuletide Joy, S1610, $5
• Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge

Make sure you head over to Wendy Coffman's blog to see what she's come up with. Get your own Yuletide Joy stamp set for $5 with any qualifying $50 purchase. And, don't forget it's only available until October 31, 2016 from your Independent Consultant or here.

Share the Love Blog Hop

Welcome to the Share the Love Blog Hop! Thanks for coming from Kirsten Jade's blog.

I have to start by saying how much I love Close To My Heart and the good work the company does. Not only do they provide the best products in the business, but they contribute so much to the world at large. This Share the Love promotion includes the swoon-worthy stamp set below with lovable sentiments and adorable icons. More importantly, $7 of each purchase of the Share the Love stamp set will go to Operation Smile, an amazing organization that provides surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates for children all over the world. That's a reason to make me smile!

Inspired by a card created by Sarah-Paige Gruber, I pulled out my CTMH embossing folders and my Cuttlebug to create the cute card below. 

Please leave me comment and "share the love" then head on over to Marie Flayer's blog to see her artwork. Lost? Click here for a complete list of all of the hoppers!

Framed - August Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the August SOTM Blog Hop. We're one big circle, so you can hop all the way around to see all 51 consultants' creative ideas. Thanks for hopping over from Jeanie's blog!

Framed is a set of 12 stamps and is only available in the month of August.

The three frames in this set can be used with Close To My Heart's new Cricut cartridge, Artistry (available to order NOW!).  The top frame can be cut at 1.75", the second at 2" and the third at 1.25".

I never have enough thank you notes, so pulled this one together rather quickly, using the new CTMH color, Peacock, and a piece of the Houndstooth B&T paper from the new Zoe Paper Packet.

Supplies used:

• Framed (August SOTM), S1508
• Cricut Artistry Collection, Z3167
• Peacock Cardstock from the Cricut Artistry Collection
• Zoe Paper Packet, X7197B
• White Daisy Cardstock, 1385
• Dot Embossing Folder, Z1924
• Ruby Exclusive Inks stamp pad, Z2170
• Goldrush Exclusive Inks stamp pad, Z2123
• Sequins Gold Assortment, Z2012
• Honey Triangles Washi Tape, Z1931
• Non-stick Micro-tip Scissors, Z1836
• 3-D Foam Tape, Z1151

Now, it's time to hop over to Jenny's blog and to see her artwork.

Remember, you can only get Framed until August 31st from your Close To My Heart Independent Consultant, or by clicking here.

January Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - This Moment

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  We will be featuring January's SOTM, This Moment, a set of 12 stamps.  If you have come here from Maria'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 on Melinda’s Blog: http://ifyoublingit.blogspot.com/p/stamp-of-month-blog-hop-list.html.

This month we have approximately 60 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

I am the worst aunt in the world. Last August, I forgot my favorite (and only) niece's birthday. I felt awful. I'm just terrible about keeping track of days and need a better reminder. Yes, I know that my iPhone has a wonderful calendar and alarm system, but that's besides the point. I decided to make a monthly "card" calendar with birthdays and anniversaries. Why didn't I think of this sooner?!?

• Crystal Blue Cardstock, 1292
• White Daisy Cardstock, 1385
• Heartstrings Paper Pack, X7193B
• Bohemian Alphabet, E1019 (retired)
• Archival Black Ink, 44751
• Cranberry Ink, Z2116
• Whisper Ink, Z2172
• Crystal Blue Ink, Z2117
• Black Arrow Washi Tape, Z2003
• Stuck on You Puffies, Z3037
• January SOTM-This Moment, S1501

Now "Hop" on over to Dana's Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting and other fun ideas! Remember, the January SOTM is only available until the 28th.  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!

October Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - Home for the Holidays

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  We will be featuring October's SOTM,  Home for the Holidays, a set of seven stamps.  If you have come here from Traci Godbee'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 on Melinda’s Blog: http://ifyoublingit.blogspot.com/p/stamp-of-month-blog-hop-list.html.

This month we have 73 (73!) Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one.

I made this simple card after seeing something similar on Pinterest. I love the combination of spray pen technique and washi tape. It creates such a simple, but fun, card. Home for the Holidays coordinates with the CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge, which makes cutting out the postage stamp so easy.

Now "Hop" on over to Krista Ritskes's Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the October SOTM is only available until the 31st!  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!

September Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  We will be featuring September's SOTM, which is Family is Forever, a set of seven stamps.  If you have come here from Mary Eisen'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 on Melinda’s Blog:  http://ifyoublingit.blogspot.com/p/stamp-of-month-blog-hop-list.html.

This month we have 80 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

I was inspired to use the new CTMH Designed Decor Shadow Box Z2015 on a collage wall my husband and I are creating. My plan is to change out the layout for each season. I love how this Fall layout turned out using the Family is Forever stamp set. A special thanks to Sarah Paige-Gruber for the inspiration for the top right corner design.

List of supplies used:

• Designed Decor Shadow Box, Z2015
• Pathfinding Paper Packet, X7186B
• Brown & Tan Sparkles, Z1753
• Exclusive Inks Chocolate Stamp Pad, Z2111
• Exclusive Inks Barn Red Stamp Pad, Z2104
• Exclusive Inks Olive Stamp Pad, Z2137
• Cricut Art Philosophy Collection, Z1686
• Colonial White Cardstock, Z2168
• Non-stick Micro-tip Scissors, Z1836
• Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z2060

Now "Hop" on over to Kami Welter's Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting and other fun ideas! Remember, the September SOTM is only available until the 30th!  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!

What A Hoot - August 2014 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

You are in for a treat! What A Hoot, the August 2014 Stamp of the Month is the cutest "build your own" stamp set I've seen in forever. And, it's a great way to kick off the new Annual Inspirations Catalog from Close To My Heart!

Thank you for hopping over from Katy's Blog.

Here is a swing card I created using the "S" key from the Artiste cartridge, the Scaredy Cat Paper Pack and the What a Hoot stamp set.

The Scaredy Cat paper is so versatile; you'll love using it on all of your Fall themed layouts and cards. I added an adhesive spring to pop the owl off of the card. Our new ShinHan marker in Peony Purple perfectly colored in my owl. You're going to love these markers!

Hop over to Traci's Blog to see what has created to share with you. If you got lost along the way, go here to see the complete list of 65+ blogs!

To get your What a Hoot set, simply place an order of $50 or more on my Shop Online Site and it's yours for only $5!

January SOTM Blog Hop - Cross-Stitch Wishes

Welcome to the first stamp of the month blog hop of the New Year! Thanks for hopping over from Brae Montgomery's Blog. There are over 50 participants this month, so if you get lost along the way, you can find a complete list at Adeline's blog.

January's Stamp of the Month from Close To My Heart features 13 stamps that look like cross stitching. Now, it's been a long time since I've done any cross stitching, so I had to reach a bit with the stamp set. But, the more I worked with it, the more I liked it. This may end up being my husband's Valentine's Day card. I cut out a little window for the LOVE stamp and sanded all of the edges to clean it up a bit. Inside, I also added some stamping for a little something extra.

Thanks for taking a peak at my creation. It's time to head over to Jill Lucas' blog to see what fabulous art she's ready to share. And, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

August 2013 SOTM Blog Hop - A Chocolate Affair

Thanks from visiting from the super talented Helen's blog!

Who doesn't love chocolate?  There may be a few out there, but no one loves it more than one of my BFFs, Jenny. She eats it after every meal and stays thin by lots of activity and portion control.  I haven't mastered either of those, but I do share her love for chocolate!

Here's a peek at the super cute Stamp of the Month for August, A Chocolate Affair:

Jenny blessed me with her two oldest kids this week.  They came to "Auntie Shell" camp for three days and we had a blast at a local farm today, are headed to the Turkey Hill Experience tomorrow and the free movies in my town the next day.  My kids are in heaven playing with their best friends and I'm enjoying the sounds of giggles and outdoor fun that I'm not directing.  Anyhow, I think I'll send this card to Jenny when her kids go home...it only seems appropriate!

I combined a few of the sentiments for the inside of the card and masked the sentiment on the front of the card to just include the top portion of the "DEATH BY CHOCOLATE" sentiment.  The Babycakes Paper Pack (X7173B) worked great with the Chocolate colors as did the Babycakes Assortment (Z1869).  I added a little of the Prisma Glitter (Z134) to the top of the chocolate cake for some added bling!

I hope you enjoyed my card.  Now, head over to Sheila's blog to see more creative uses of A Chocolate Affair!

Pinwheels SOTM Blog Hop

If you're coming from Carla's blog, welcome!  I hope you're enjoying all of the fantastic artwork on this month's hop featuring Pinwheels.  This whimsical set of ten stamps can be yours in the month of May for just $5 with any $50 CTMH order.  Click on the Shop with Me icon on the left or contact me today!

The stars and stripes patterns remind me of Fourth of July and summer. I created two cards that really brightened my day here in cloudy Northern Virginia.

Inspired by stampwithlori.com

Inspired by inkingidaho.blogspot.com

Now head over to Gina's blog to check out her pinwheels!

April Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - My Sunshine

Welcome to the April Stamp of the Month blog hop!  Thanks for visiting from Susan Brooks' blog.

There are over 60 Close To My Heart Independent Consultants on this month's hop featuring the My Sunshine stamp set.  Don't forget, with any $50 order of Close To My Heart products in April, you can get this stamp set for just $5!  Most of the images coordinate with the Artiste Cricut cartridge.  The plastic sheet that each image rests on tells you the size of the image to cut on your Cricut!

I chose the Chantilly Paper Packet to use the bird and sun images from My Sunshine.  I popped them up using some 3-D Foam Tape and added a Bitty Sparkle for the bird's eye.

I just had to use that hot air balloon image on my second card!  I stamped the balloon twice, once on the Cricut cut hot air balloon image in Outdoor Denim ink and again in Sweet Leaf on a scrap piece of cardstock.  I trimmed the Sweet Leaf balloon strips and popped them up with 3-D Foam Tape.  I used the Tiny Type Epoxy Alphabet (a new favorite!) to write "lets take off" and "TOGETHER" on the inside of the card.

I was inspired to create the dimensional clouds from Amy Koenders. To create the clouds on the Twilight cardstock, I cut out several sizes of clouds from the Artist cartridge.  I used a little adhesive to keep them in place and then used my Paper Piercer to poke holes around the clouds.  When I flipped over my cardstock, voila, little cloud shapes!

Now, hop on over to Krista Hershberger's blog to see how she's used My Sunshine.

March SOTM Blog Hop - Floral Happiness

Thanks for joining me on the awesome hop this month.  I love this stamp set, Floral Happiness, and envision myself using it a lot.  If you've come from Elizabeth's blog, you're on the right path.

This set of 16 images contains a thoughtful set of sentiments to choose from and layers of beautiful roses.  You can choose to layer the roses or to just stamp the petals.  As you can see from my example below, the small petaled rose is used to accent the scallop on the left page.  On the right page, I second generation stamped the large rose base in Honey, then used first generation stamping for the petals.  I used that same technique for the leaves, using Lagoon ink.  This layout is featured in the For Always WOTG.  I hadn't ordered the WOTG, but was anxious to complete this layout and Floral Happiness filled in beautifully!

Now, hop on over to Nancy's blog to see how she's used Floral Happiness.

February SOTM Blog Hop - Home Sweet Home

Welcome to the first blog hop of CTMH's Spring/Summer 2013 Idea Book!  I can't wait to show you all of the new artwork I've been working on with these gorgeous papers, stamps and embellies.  Don't have an Idea Book yet?  Leave me a comment below and I'll be happy to send you one, just for the cost of shipping.

Thanks for visiting from my dear friend, Scrapi Traci's blog.  She always comes up with the cutest artwork; I can't tell you how many things I've "scraplifted" from her!

Home Sweet Home is the featured Stamp of the Month for February.  It's a set of four stamps that stamp so clear and crisp, you'll just love them.

I've been doing a lot of thinking of this concept of home, and really got to thinking about how grateful I am to call the good 'ole USA my home.  I decided to take an "old" layout...a Studio J layout (more on that below) and add the "Home Sweet Home" sentiment to my layout.  What do you think?

I've been looking for an excuse to cover an "oopsie" on this Studio J layout.  I had added a button, then removed it, but forgot to remove the stitching on it!  So, I layered some Outdoor Denim, Cranberry and Champagne Cardstock and stamped Home Sweet Home in Outdoor Denim.  Then, I used my Piercing Tool Kit and my CTMH Ruler with guide holes for perfect stitching to add a little Natural Hemp to the paper.  I feel like it tied it in so nicely with the stitches in my Studio J layout.  

Speaking of Studio J...did you know that layouts are just $5 this month!?  What a steal!  Head over here to try Studio J out for yourself for free.  If you need a little direction, leave me a comment below and I'll send you a two-page tutorial to get you started on Studio J today!

Thanks to all of our brave men and women who dedicate their blood, sweat and tears to protect my family's freedom.  You are the reason I can call the USA my Home Sweet Home!

Now, it's time to hop on over to Kami Welter's blog to see how she's used this great stamp set!