Dudleychick Designs

February SOTM- Thoughtful Tidings

2012-01-31T19:02:00.002-07:00

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.

CTMH retiring products, get them before they are gone!

2012-01-07T15:53:00.008-07:00

.

It's that time of year again, out with the old and in with the new. As CTMH gets ready to unveil the all new Spring/ Summer Idea Book on February 1st they have released the list of items that will be retiring as of January 31st. If anything you want or NEED is on the list you better act quickly, before they are gone. There are more than a FEW of my favorite things on this list...sad! BUT, there are some amazing new things to come, I promise. I can't show you anything but lets just say that there are LOTS of new boy friendly papers (camo, superheros etc. ), tons of new A sized stamp sets, a couple of great alphabets and MORE!!! If you are in Utah stay tuned for info on my OPEN HOUSE, coming soon.

Here is the list, just click on the product names to see everything on my website. Thanks so much to fellow consultant Tamytha Jenkins for sharing her clickable list and slideshow.

I will be placing an order in the next few days so let me know if you need something or you can always order directly from my website and have it shipped directly to your door.

Level 2 Paper Packs:

Workshops-on-the-Go:

MyStickease:

Mini-Medley Accents:

Brads & Eyelets:

Dimensionals:

Ribbon & Floss:

Embroidery Floss:

Waxy Flax:

Various Accessories:

Color-Ready Alphabets:

My Creations:

Top Coats:

Top Coats Icing Overlays

Supplies/Tools:

8 1/2 x 11 Cardstock:

Stamps:

And here is a slide show of the retiring products as well. Thanks again to Tamytha Jenkins.

January SOTM Blog Hop ~ Little Reminder

2011-12-31T18:55:00.016-07:00

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!

A Little More Mistletoe

2011-12-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

Last year I did a Christmas card class where each person made 20 cards using simple mix and match layouts with papers from the Mistletoe paper pack.

It was one of my best attended classes to date. However, when I was calculating how much paper I needed to order for the class I accidentally DOUBLED the order! So, this year I have LOTS of left over Mistletoe paper. It's ok because I really do love the classic Christmas colors (Cranberry, Olive and Chocolate) and the simple elegant designs of Mistletoe.

Somehow, when I moved out of state my Christmas card list grew. Not that I am complaining, I am glad so many of my friends want to stay in touch.When I got to Utah I told my friend Angie I needed to make more Christmas cards and she was game so we got out the Mistletoe papers and the Christmas stamp sets I had saved from the jumble of the storage unit and set to work. Here are just a few of the cards I created. I sent about 60 cards this year, hoping to get at least half that many in return.

I even helped Angie create this year's Christmas card

from the Dean family (although I forgot to take a pic of it).
And she happily created lots of cards on her own (I didn't take pics of those either, oh well)

I think I have converted her to my form of therapy.

December SOTM Blog Hop- Mad About You

2011-11-30T18:55:00.048-07:00

Hello, and welcome to our final blog hop of 2011.

If you have arrived here from

Debra Van Patten's blog

then you are on the right track.

Keep on hopping, it's a great big loop

of awesome artwork and ideas.

It's hard to believe that we are so close

to celebrating another new year.

Is your holiday shopping done?

Are your cards finished and ready to mail?

If you are like me, then the answer to both of those questions is "no".

I am using moving to a new state

a couple of weeks ago as my excuse, what's yours?

It's a good thing I finished my card for December BEFORE the move, since my craft supplies are still a bit scattered . In fact my entire ink tower was MIA until just a couple of days ago. Luckily a rescue dig mission into my temporary storage unit was successful and the missing ink tower and camera were located...so on with the SOTM post.

This month's set is called Mad About You and it is full of lovely images and sentiments to celebrate love and Valentine's Day. There are even three of the images that coordinate with the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge!

As soon as I saw this set I knew what I wanted to do. The "Over The Moon in Love with You" tag just begged to be used with a moonlit scene. So here is the card I created...

I used one of my favorite sets, Childhood Portrait for the sweet couple on the bench as well as the trees and the grass. I just love the silhouette images in the Childhood portrait set and have used them over and over again. The moon was masked out with a circle punched from a post-it-note while I sponged the sunset with large foam texture tools. Remove the circle and viola' a full moon! The window was cut using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge and kraft paper. I love how the scalloped edge of the card front looks kind of like an awning and finishes off the scene perfectly. This would be a sweet card for that special someone in your life, or even for a wedding or anniversary.

Supplies Used:

Elemental Level 2 Paper Pack

Kraft Die Cut Cards

Exclusive Inks in Chocolate, Sorbet and Pacifica

November SOTM - Mad About You

Childhood Portrait

Sorbet Stitched ribbon

Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge

Thanks for looking, no hop on over to

Jen Patrick's blog

to see what amazing art she has made.

Remember that you can only get the awesome set

through the month of December so be sure Santa knows if it is on your list!

Nov. SOTM Blog Hop - Cherish The Day

2011-10-31T18:55:00.016-06:00

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.

Repost - Make your own glitter ornaments using reinkers

2011-10-25T21:14:00.001-06:00

NOTE: I am in the process of a move so I may not be posting anything really new for a little while, so this is a re-post from last year. If you haven't tried these yet you should. Enjoy!

As with many of the things I create I cannot take full credit for this idea either. I saw this for the first time last year on another blog. I wish I could remember where so I could give credit but I read so many craft blogs I really have no idea where I saw it originally.

This is a fun an easy way to create custom glitter ornaments

in any color you want.

The possibilities are truly endless.

Here is what you need:

Clear Glass Ornaments
CTMH Re-Inker in your favorite colors
Prisma Glitter
Funnel
Paper Towels
Opaque White Stazon Ink
Small stamps and clear blocks
Toilet Paper Tube

Remove hanger from ornament. Fill with 30 drops of re-inker in the color of your choice. Remember that the re-inker is very concentrated so colors will be darker that when stamping with the inks. You may need more or less depending on the size of your ornament.

Roll ornament in a circular motion with your hands

to swirl the ink evenly over the entire inside.

Be sure neck of ornament is facing down and you have paper towels

over your work surface to catch any drips.

Continue rolling and swirling until ink has covered entire

inside surface including the neck. A toilet paper tube cut into thirds makes a perfect stand for your ornaments

while you are working on them.

The ornament shown has an opal type finish.

Clear ornaments are available in truly clear or with the opal finish.

Both varieties work well for this technique.

I have a couple of the non opal ones shown below.

Using a funnel, add about a teaspoon of prisma glitter.

This works best when done immediately while ink is still wet.

Hold a small piece of paper towel over the opening and shake well until glitter covers the entire inside surface.

This is what your glittered ornament will look like.

Dump any extra glitter into a small cup and save for another project. The glitter will be tinted so do not try and dump it back into the original container, but I ended up with some fun

multi colored glitter to use later.

You COULD stop here and have a plain glittered ball.

But it is even more fun to decorate the outside too.

I used Stazon Opaque White ink and a small snowflake from the Snow Flurries set. Stamping on the round surface of the ornament takes practice so have some stazon cleaner on hand to remove any smears or smudges.

It was hard to get a good picture of the stamped image with the light reflecting off the glass but you can kind of see it here.

Here are three ornaments I did in about 10 minutes time. The colors I used are from left to right Lagoon, Pacifica and Pear. The Lagoon one on the left was done with the opalized ornament and the Pacifica and Pear are plain clear, just so you can see the difference.

Allow them to dry several hours or overnight

before reattaching the hanger.

So what color will you try? There are SIXTY Close To My Heart colors to choose from so you can make these ornaments to match any decor.

To order prisma glitter or re-inkers click on the link to my website on the right sidebar.

Enjoy!

Card Club Farewell

2011-10-20T06:29:00.000-06:00

This past Friday night was my last card club meeting in Denver before I move to Utah next month. I have a great group of ladies and I am really going to miss them. I am so happy though that one of them has decided to become a consultant and continue the group, she is going to be great and they will continue to have great fun and creative times without me. I feel kine of like I did when my daughter went off to college, only this time it is me who is moving on.

Here are the projects we did at our final meeting

One of the things I love the most about the Art Philopsphy cartridge is the 3D boxes. This fry box has to be one of my favorites (at least until I make one of the other ones). I made this one as a cute little Halloween treat. I will admit that the bags used to hold the M&Ms were purchased from Stampin' Up. I know you can get them elsewhere too but I was invited to an SU party so I couldn't resist.

Supplies Used:

Art Philopsphy cartridge (fry box cut at 7")

Mischief Paper Pack

Black Ink

Black Waxy Flax

All Hallows Eve Stamp Set

1" x 8" clear cello bags (from SU)

M&M candies in fall colors

This card is based off of one I saw on fellow

consultant Vicki Wizniuk's blog.

You can see her original version HERE. I cut the scalloped card base and the circles for the wreath using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. Did you know that there are more than 100

different card shapes on the cartridge? I LOVE that!

Supplies Used:

Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge (card base cut at 4 1/2")

Dreamin' paper Pack

Remarkable Wreath Stamp Set

So Grateful Stamp Set (for the leaves)

Inks in Chocolate, Autumn Terracota, Creme Brulee and Pacifica

Chocolate Grosgrain ribbon

Colonial White Button

Chocolate Waxy Flax

The Icing on the Cards

2011-10-06T03:46:00.001-06:00

When I first saw the new catalog at convention back in July I was immediately drawn to the Wonderland paper pack. I loved the colors because it was something different from the traditional red and green of holiday papers. Plus, I am partial to the chocolate and blue combo (those are the colors of my bedroom). Another thing I loved was the snowflake patterns. Sonwflakes are perfect for holiday cards because they celebrate winter and not one particular religious holiday. I LOVE Christmas and enjoy all of the festivities, celebrations and for me remembering "the reason for the season". But, I also have friends of many other faiths on my holiday card list so I try and make some winter cards as well as traditional Christmas cards. When i really looked closely at the accessories that go with the Wonderland paper pack I was especially excited by the Icing Overlays. They are beautifully printed clear acrylic overlays that coordinate perfectly with the Wonderland papers. I knew immediately that I wanted to design a holiday card workshop using the Icing Overlays.

November was my month to teach the creative project to our consultant group so I decided to get to work on my idea. After all who better to test out a workshop idea than other consultants. Here are the cards I came up with.

I designed 10 cards using the Wonderland Papers, Icing Overlays, Rhinestone Designer Brads, and Stardust Glitter Gel as well as ribbon and clear sparkles. Here are some pictures of the individual cards.

Card 1

Card 2

Card 3

Card 4


Card 5

Card 6

Card 7

Card 8

Card 9

Card 10

I love how they came out and I had so much fun creating and teaching this workshop. Since I created a full cutting guide and full color instructions to share with my consultant group I decided to also post them on the CTMH consultants' bulletin board. The response was huge, I am so flattered that some many other consultants are enjoying these cards too. So since I am in the sharing mood here are the links to the printable cutting guide along with the supply list and directions to make these cards for yourself.

Directions and Supply list with photos

Cutting Guide

If you would like to order supplies to make your own, you can do so on my website by clicking HERE.

Dudleychick Designs is Moving On...

2011-10-05T02:07:00.001-06:00

Hi All,

I am having a hard time writing this. You see I have struggled with a BIG decision for a while now and now that it is done I have a hard time telling people the choice I made. I have lived in Colorado since I was 2 years old. It is my home. But with my layoff and a year and a half of unemployment I have had to make some tough decisions.

I will be moving to Utah next month. It just makes sense for me to go now, to make a fresh start someplace new, to be closer to Ashleigh and find my dream job with one of the major craft companies (I hope). I will miss Colorado, all my friends here and the Mile High City.

One of the hardest things for me to think about in contemplating this move was YOU, my CTMH customers and friends. You have been so incredibly supportive of my creative venture, and I have really enjoyed the friendships I have made through this business. I will miss you all. First I want to say that I am NOT leaving CTMH. I will continue creating, blogging, teaching and selling all of the wonderful CTMH products, just not in Denver.

What does this mean for all of YOU, my loyal customers and friends?

1. You can still order from me anytime. Just contact me directly by email, at 720-394-9361 or use my website www/CTMH.com/dudleychickdesigns.

2. I am looking for someone to take my place here. Now is the perfect time to sign up as a consultant for CTMH (see Oct. special below) and I can hand it to you on a silver platter. I would love to find someone or a few someones who would be willing to continue my card club, classes and workshops here. I will guide you, teach you and even share my ideas, directions and supplies when I can. It's really a win/win situation for someone who is ready and willing to take the plunge. If you are interested please contact me and we can discuss the possibilities.

3. Card Club - If you are a member of my card club there are a couple of ways this could go. We are just getting started on this round so we could just cancel it. But, I would love if one of you (or a couple of you) wanted take over and keep the club going. I will still have card club here on the 14th for anyone who wants to come. Hopefully, we can discuss more details for the future of the group then. Again, if you are interested in signing up and taking over let me know and we can discuss.

4. Classes and workshops - I will still have my Christmas card workshops this weekend. In fact I have a couple of extra kits for anyone who wants to join us. The cost for the class is $25. That class will be the last one I do here. I will be doing additional Christmas card workshops once I get to Utah so I will offer them as a "Class in a box" for anyone who wants to do them here. Pricing will include all the cut and stamped pieces for you to assemble on your own plus shipping. More details on that later.

October Special - FAB FREEBIE
Sign up as a new Consultant between October 1–31 and receive one New Consultant Kit add-on collection of your choice FREE! Add-on collections are normally priced at $40 each and have a retail value of $80 – $130, making this an incredible deal!

For just a $99 enrollment fee, you'll receive a New Consultant Kit packed with business essentials and new products valued at over $280 US/$320 CAN, plus a FREE add-on collection to enhance your kit! Then you can choose to buy one or both of the other add-on collections for just $40 (US&CAN) each. It's an incredible deal! If you have ever thought about making your paper crafting hobby a business of your own contact me or click HERE to join.

It is an exciting and somewhat scary time for me, but I like adventure. So wish me luck in Utah!

LeAnne Dudley
Close To My Heart
Independent Consultant
http://dudleychickdesigns.blogspot.com
www.dudleychickdesigns.myctmh.com
dudleychicks@gmail.com

"Blogtoberfest!"

2011-10-05T01:06:00.000-06:00

Happy BLOGTOBERFEST!

What is Blogtoberfest you might ask. Well, it is the brain child of one of my fellow CTMH consultants, Tresa Black. She is also known as The Stamp Goddess and she is known for her Fabulously Artsy Blog and her amazing creativity. I got to see her in action this year during the Extravaganza portion of convention. She is truly inspirational. But back to Blogtoberfest, Tresa created it to help all of us bloggers take our blogs up a notch, to go bigger and better. So, I am jumping on the Blogtoberfest train and making it my goal to post at least twice a week, to create more tutorials and share more of my art and of myself. So if you have a blog and you are so inclined join us for Blogtoberfest by clicking here.

October SOTM Blog Hop - Holiday magic

2011-09-30T18:55:00.020-06:00

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.

A "spooktacular" technique

2011-09-20T21:59:00.006-06:00

This is one of my favorite fall/Halloween techniques. I recently did a bunch of cards for a swap using this technique and then I pulled it out again for my card club on this month. It takes a little time but the results are spectacular don't you think.

Now here is a little tutorial to show you how to make your own spooky scene.

You'll need:

Versamark ink

Embossing powder in clear and black (and separate trays or paper plates so they don't mix)

Post It notes

1" circle punch

Sponge daubers/ foam tools

CTMH Exclusive inks in Honey, Sunset, Chocolate, Outdoor Denim, and Black

Tree Stamp set (I used Spellbound which is retired but any tree set will work)

Step 1:

Stamp tree image with Versamark ink.

Add black embossing powder and heat with heat gun.

Step 2:

Using a 1" circle punch punch out a circle that will be used to mask out the moon. Add the punched circle to the tree top where you want the moon to shine through. Be sure to punch the sticky area of the post it note so your "moon mask" stays on while you complete the scene.

Step 3:

Using sponge daubers add fall foliage colors to the top of the tree. I used three colors here, Honey, Sunset and Chocolate. Start with the lightest color and keep adding until the tree top is fully colored. Use the chocolate dauber to add the ground below the tree as well.

Step 4:

Use the heat gun to heat set the tree top colors so they

won't hold the embossing powder during the next step.

Step 5:

Using a leaf stamp (this one is from the Grown With Love set) and Versamark ink stamp leaves over the colored tree top area at the ends of all the branches. It will be hard to see where you are stamping but it doesn't have to be perfect, just start at one side and work your way across the tree.

Step 6:

Add clear embossing powder. Tap off excess (don't worry of some sticks to the already embossed tree). Heat with heat gun making sure all of the leaves turn clear.

Step 7:

Using the foam tool (or sponge dauber) go over the entire top of your card with Outdoor Denim ink creating a night sky. Be sure your "moon mask" is secure through this process. Continue until desired darkness is reached (less for a twilight look, more for a midnight sky).

Use a paper towel to rub off any excess ink from the clear embossed leaves.

Remove "moon mask" to reveal a spooky full moon.

Step 8:

Add additional spooky images like the black cat and bat shown here from the Wicked August SOTM or the fence shown in the version above which is also included in the Spellbound set.

Finish it off with a coordinating mat to make the colors pop.
I used Sunset.

Attach to a card base and wait for the oohs and aahhhs.

As seen on

First Christmas Card classes scheduled

2011-09-19T16:16:00.001-06:00

Wonderland Card Class

See the Class Schedule tab in the menu bar above for more details.

2 Year CTMH Anniversary + My Story = Blog Candy!!!

2011-09-12T17:19:00.004-06:00

Today is my two year anniversary as an Independent Consultant with Close to My Heart!

What better time to share my story. I was first introduced to scrapbooking about 20 years ago when I was invited to a Creative Memories party. I thought it was a cute idea and it looked like fun but honestly as a struggling single mom I just couldn't justify spending money on scrapbooking when I was having a hard time paying the bills.

Fast forward a couple of years and I am doing better financially and even managed to take a spring break trip to visit a friend and explore the Oregon coast. I bought a new camera for the trip and took tons of pictures! It was on that trip that my friend took me to her sister in law's house. She was a Creative Memories consultant and was having a huge clearance sale. I bought a few things and took them home to tackle my first project. My daughter Ashleigh's baby book was done in those old peel and stick albums that were so prevalent in the 80's (little did we know we were ruining our memories with those albums). I decided to take it apart and re-do it to make it better and make it all archival in the process. That project got me hooked! Here are a couple of pages from that very first album.

I look at that album now and I cringe. I did so may things "wrong" by today's scrapbooking standards. It is full of stickers and photos cut in weird shapes with fancy scissors, but I do still treasure it because it was the first scrapbook I ever made.

As the years passed I continued to scrapbook major events like birthdays and vacations and enjoyed making our memories into beautiful art filled books. I even got Ashleigh hooked and she created her first scrapbook of her trip to England in the 8th grade.

I was first introduced to stamping at a Stampin' Up party about 12 years ago. I had stamped before but never made cards or used stamping in my scrapbooks. It was lots of fun and I loved the possibilities. My cousin had joined D.O.T.S. which was the predecessor to CTMH and I enjoyed going to her house to play with her collection of stamps, papers and inks. By then I had started my own collections and before long I was scrapbooking and making cards on a fairly regular basis.

In 2006 when my daughter was heading off to college I decided that I needed something to fill my time as a "empty nester" so I took a part time job at Archivers teaching classes and hosting crops. It was at Archivers that I fell in love with clear stamps. I loved working there and made many good friends that share my passion for paper crafting. Some of those friends are my best customers today. I loved the people, seeing all of the new products and getting paid to craft but I didn't like working 16 hour days (I still had a regular full time job too) standing for hours on end and cleaning public toilets. I quit Archivers in June of 2009, but really missed my creative time.

One of the people I met at Archivers is Vicki Price. I knew she was a CTMH consultant and had always admired her work, plus we got along really well. In September 2009 I called her and asked what I needed to do to join. I think she was probably surprised because she did not recruit me at all, I sought her out because I knew she had a local group and that was important to me. I really just wanted the discount and a group of friends to craft with. What I got was so much more! Here are a couple of the cards I made at my very first CTMH consultants group meeting.

Not sure why this one is sideways, but you get the idea.

As they say, the rest is history. I am so glad I joined this wonderful company! It has kept me sane during my time of unemployment. I have made some amazing friends and I even got to go to convention in Disneyland this year. I am growing my business in hopes that someday I will be able to support myself doing what I love.

Now, if you have made it through that long winded story you deserve a prize! Post a comment here and tell me how you first started paper crafting and one week from today on September 19th I will choose a winner to receive a fun prize including a mini stamp set, embellishments and more!

I am pleased to accept this AWARD...

2011-09-11T17:53:00.005-06:00

I am not usually a fan of the "pass it on" blog awards. But I really do like this one, thanks Janice Wilson.

This one is about recognizing all of us little bloggers out there with less than 200 followers. What a great way to share the love and boost our followers. Janice has a great little blog too, so be sure to check her out!

Now it is my turn to pass the award on to 5 of my favorite blogs that have less than 200 followers. I am hoping to catch a few more followers and help others in the process. So click on the link to follow me if you haven't already and then check out these other creative bloggers and follow them too.

It was so hard for me to choose just 5, I have a bunch of favorites and there are so many great blogs out there. Here we go, if you are listed below pass this one on so we can keep boosting each others following.

The Price of Paper
Monumental Moments

Scrapping With Lori

Tammy's Crafty Paper Creations

Paper HeARTIST

Now, if you visit each blog and follow each one you like the numbers will increase dramatically and you will have made numerous new friends and contacts!

September SOTM Blog Hop ~ Limited Edition

2011-08-31T18:55:00.017-06:00

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

2011-08-17T03:49:00.001-06:00

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

2011-08-14T18:55:00.005-06:00

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

2011-07-31T18:55:00.005-06:00

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

2011-06-30T13:16:00.005-06:00

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

2011-05-31T17:20:00.007-06:00

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

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

2011-05-04T23:21:00.001-06:00

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)

May SOTM Blog Hop- Chairs to You

2011-04-30T18:53:00.005-06:00

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 .

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.

"Hop" for Japan

2011-04-09T14:45:00.001-06:00

I love the Hope for Japan stamp set, even more so because of the meaning behind it. Did you know that CTMH is donating 100% of the proceeds from this set to The American Red Cross for their efforts in Japan? They will produce as many sets as we can sell and they have put no cap on the amount they will donate.
I just think that is awesome! If you have not yet ordered this set and want one please let me know. It is available through the month of April.

Here are the cards my card club made with this set last night.

I wanted something bright "springy" so I did this color block one. The hearts are pop dotted so they stand out. Inside it says, "forever in my heart" . The sentiment is from Kanji phrases but I only used the English words because I think the characters are actually Chinese and not Japanese. The colors are Buttercup, Heavenly Blue, Sweet Leaf and Cotton Candy.

This on I created thinking it could be used for someone with breast (or any other kind of) cancer. I think the Hope sentiment and the wings fit that perfectly. Of course it needed to be pink so I used Blush and sponged around the image I stamped in black. I colored the flowers with the blush marker which is just a shade darker. The ruffle is made of paper from the Cherry-O pack and the sentiment is from Chard Chatter-Sympathy.

One of my fellow consultants has family in Japan and we are doing a card drive to send to children and seniors who have been affected by the earthquakes and tsunami. If you would like to donate cards please contact me at dudleychicks@gmail.com.

If you buy the set from me and create 5 cared to donate I will even give you your choice of one item from the catalog at my cost (that's 22% off!) on any order placed in May.

Finally, if you have made cards with this set and would like to join the blog hop to share your creative inspiration click on the Mr. Linky link below.

Hope for Japan

2011-04-06T01:28:00.000-06:00

In recent weeks we have all watched the news of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. If you are like me you have felt helpless and wanted to DO SOMETHING! Well Jeanette Lynton and CTMH as a company have come up with a beautiful stamp set to convey our Hope for Japan.

Isn't it beautufil?

You can purchase this beautiful set for just $5.00 (plus tax and shipping) and CTMH will donate 100% of the proceeds (that's right 100%) to The American Red Cross for their continuing efforts in Japan.

And once you have your set you can do even more...

One of my dear consultant friends has friends and family in Japan so we will be organizing a card drive using this set to send to people living through the crisis. More information on that to come. Stay tuned!

Contact me to get your set today. They are available through the end of April.

Wanna win this?????

2011-04-05T18:49:00.000-06:00

Would you like to win this?

Or This???

I am one of the sponsors this month for the H2H Challenges. If you are not familiar with the H2H challenges it is a great blog for lovers of CTMH products. Each week they post challenges to keep your creativity flowin'.

Check it out here

This week's challenge is April showers bring May flowers.

The challenge is to create something with showers and/or flowers. Link your creation to the challenge blog for a chance to win one of the prizes above.

Here is a card I made for a swap that fits this week's challenge.

Now lets see what you can create!

April SOTM Blog Hop - Blessed

2011-03-31T18:55:00.007-06:00

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 .

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.

Do you have ribbon chaos????

2011-03-15T18:33:00.001-06:00

I love ribbon. It seems to be one of the embellishments I tend to collect. I just love all of the colors and designs that are available. What I don't love is trying to organize my ribbon so it is

easily accessible, looks pretty and doesn't end up a knotted mess.

I have tried several systems with limited success but still haven't found the PERFECT solution.

Then I saw this

It is a brand new product created by a fellow crafter to solve our ribbon woes. And guess what, you can win one! Find out how by going to THIS POST.

March SOTM Blog Hop - Sensational Season

2011-02-28T17:55:00.004-07:00

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 .

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!

Use My Sraps Swap

2011-02-28T03:21:00.001-07:00

A while back I was browsing on The CTMH consultant site Bulletin Boards and saw a post for a "Use Up My Scraps" Swap, The hostess was cleaning out her craft room and would send everyone who participated in each group (of 4 people) a package of identical scraps. We were then to use those scraps to make up four identical cards to send back to her. She in turn will send us back four different cards using the same scraps. I thought it sounded like a fun idea so I signed up for five different groups. Somehow since the groups were small I never did the math and realized that I would be expected to make 20 cards...my bad.

When I got the package in the mail it wasn't quite what I had expected, although I have no idea what I really was expecting. Each package contained a scrap or two of patterned paper and some sort of embellishment in multiples of four. Some of the scraps were pretty small and at first I was a bit overwhelmed as to what to do with them. I set the package aside and decided I would come back to it later when I had more creative mojo. Well, life got in the way as it has a tendency to do and before I knew it the deadline was quickly approaching.

Last weekend I took out the package again and decided to get to work. The rules were pretty simple.
Use the scraps provided, do consultant quality work, use only CTMH stamps but other papers/embellishments etc are ok.

I forgot to take pictures of the first two sets of scraps before I did my cards but here is what I came up with. I can't wait to see everyone else's designs.

Get Well Soon - This one had the small striped piece of Magnifique and the larger piece the cow is stamped on along with the chocolate ribbon. I did not cut either scrap for this one. I used the Howdy stamp set and stamped the cow on the back side of the patterned paper and colored it with my copics. The background is bulk paper from Caboodle. Inside says "hope you feel butter soon" and has the spilt milk image.

Child's Birthday - The scraps for this one were the sorbet patterned paper behind the image and the circles pattern that I stamped the sentiment on, both are from Caboodle. She also included the brads. I have been wanting to use the new Birthday Blast stamp set and I thought the colors from Caboodle would make a cute dragon. I think it's a fun card.

New Baby - Here is a picture of the scraps/ embellishments I received for this one along with the card I made.

I don't remember this paper so it must be older, before my time. I decided to use the Love You Forever Stamp set on this one. I paper pieced the birds and the flower with scraps from Twitterpated (nest, birds and sky background) and Sophia (wings and flower). I colored the branch and leaves with my copics and added a blush brad, yellow pearls in the center of the flowers and yellow ribbon bows. Sweet.

Wedding - Here is a picture of the scraps for this group.

I used the Cocoa side of the large piece of paper and added some Juniper cardstock as a mat. I then embossed a cake image from the Piece of Cake stamp set using silver pearl on Colonial White cardstock. I stamped "bliss" using the chocolate alpahbet and Cocoa ink on the smaller scrap. The entire card front is embossed using my cuttlebug and a sizzix embossing folder. It was hard to get a good picture of the white on white image but it is really pretty in person.

Blank - These are the scraps I received for the "blank" group.

There were anything goes groups and blank groups and I wasn't sure what the difference was really. I decided that "blank" just meant anything goes...with no sentiment inside. Since I really have spring fever this is what I came up with.

A sweet little spring or Easter card. I love those little ducks from the Springtime stamp set. I paper pieced the umbrella and the ducks and added some paper flowers and gems.

All in all this was a fun swap to participate in once my creative mojo was flowin. I would love to do another swap like this with some of my local stampin' friends.

Birthdays...everybody's got one!

2011-02-28T02:38:00.004-07:00

Everyone has a birthday and who doesn't love a handmade birthday card to celebrate the day. I recently had a birthday card workshop where we created 10 fun cards with a little something for everybody.

Here are the cards we made.

I usually have a hard time with making cards for guys but as soon as I saw this stamp set I knew I could use it for some man friendly cards. I love the movement created by generational stamping.

Supplies Used: All supplies are CTMH unless otherwise noted
Paper -Lucky B&T , Barn Red and Outdoor Denim and Colonial White cardstock
Stamps - Enjoy Life
Inks - Chocolate, Olive, Outdoor Denim
Embellishments - Buttons in green and brown, Colonial white twill ribbon

We all love birthday foods, and what makes you more happy than cupcakes and ice cream cones?

Supplies Used:
Papers - Sweet Home and Caboodle B&T, Sorbet and Indian Corn Blue cardstock
Stamps - Cupcake Sprinkles, Fanfare WOTG
Inks - Indian Corn Blue, Garnet, Buttercup (Sweet Home), Desert Sand, Sorbet, Crystal Blue (Caboodle)
Embellishments - Sorbet stitched ribbon

How cute and easy are these cards? I first saw this idea on Vicki Wizniuk's blog at Christmas time and she apparently CASEd it from someone else. I love how CTMH consultants share their ideas, it's such creative inspiration. These cards are a great way to use up all those little scraps we all save and I love the way they look no matter what papers you use.

Supplies Used:
Papers - Sophia and Magnifique B&T, Hollyhock, White Daisy, Pacifica and Colonial White cardstock
Stamps- Card Chatter- Birthday, Party Pennants
Inks - Hollyhock, Pear (Sophia), Chocolate, Pacifica (Magnifique)
Ribbon - Hollyhock stitched and Chocolate

This one was one of my teen cards. I wanted something you could give to a teenage boy and this is what I came up with. Again I love the movement created on the rocker by stamping second generation shadows behind the main image.

Supplies Used:
Papers - Rock Star B&T, Colonial White Cardstock
Stamps - Extreme
Inks - Goldrush, Olive, Outdoor Denim
Edge Distresser
Silver Brads from my stash

This one was my teen girl card. I love this stamp set. It is my go to set for teen girls and I have used it for birthdays, graduations and congratulations cards.

Supplies Used:
Papers - Sweetheart B&T, Hollyhock, Black and Colonial White cardstock
Stamps- Be Yourself, Card Chatter - birthday
Inks - Cotton Candy and Black
Paper flowers and gems from my stash

These are two more cards that I CASEd from Vicki Wizniuk's blog. She has some awesome ideas! I decided to use the same layout to make one masculine and one feminine version. I love how you can take the same design and completely change the look by just changing the papers and colors.

Supplies Used:
Papers - Caboodle and Fanfare B&T, Crystal Blue, Colonial White, Cranberry and White Daisy cardstock
Inks - Black, Outdoor Denim, Crystal Blue
Fiskars Scalloped edge punch

I had a great turnout for this workshop and we all had a great time creating birthday cards to use throughout the year.

I'd like to thank the academy...

2011-02-23T02:27:00.007-07:00

I recently received this award from my friend Debbie over at Debbie's Inkspectations.

Although Debbie's kind of ink differs from my kind of ink I guess she finds me stylish, thanks Debbie!

I believe she left my award here since while I haven't posted here in a few weeks it has been months since I posted on my personal blog. I thought about moving it back over there since I am trying to keep the personal stuff over there and the crafty stuff here.

I have to be honest, I have mixed feelings about these things, I appreciate that someone has thought of me for the award but it always feels a bit like one of those chain letters/ emails that you have to pass on to ensure your future luck, wealth, love life etc. But since I am feeling adventurous this evening you'll get to know a little more about me, whether you want to or not.

Here is what I was supposed to do.

1. Thank the person who nominated you, but don't tag them back. (see above)
2. Share 7 things about yourself
3. Pass along this nomination to 7 recently discovered stylish and cool bloggers (it said 10 but I wanted to stick with the 7 theme)
4. Contact them and tell them about their nomination

Seven things about me:
1~ I am a night owl. You can often find me crafting, reading, cleaning, facebooking etc. until the wee hours of the morning.
2~ I dream of working on the corporate side of one of the big craft companies. THAT would be my dream job.
3~ I really want to take another cruise, maybe to Europe this time.
4~ I rarely make my bed, and after years of feeling guilty now I don't anymore. But I do love the feel of clean sheets.
5~ I love to watch the snow fall. I just don't like to have to drive in it.
6~ Someday I would love to own my own business, and not have to work a regular job too.
7~ People think my daughter and I are sisters. It makes me feel great, but I think it makes her feel awkward.

Now to award 7 very awesome people with the Stylish blogger award.

1. Debra Bonson - Postcards from Budapest
2. Natalie Doxey - Life in the Doxey Lane
3. Lori Gallegos Scott - Scrappinglori
4. Becca Morgenegg - Reb and Jeb and our Little Men
5. Brooke Summer - Brooke Summer Photography The Blog
6. Vicki Wizniuk - Wizard's Hangout
7. Ally Warner - Sister Sue's Creations

Your mission should you choose to accept it is to pass this award on to some more deserving bloggers...this message will self destruct in 387.5 seconds.

The wait is over!

2011-02-02T02:48:00.002-07:00

The wait is over and the highly anticipated bigger and better Close To My heart idea book is finally here!

There are 20 more pages of beautiful artwork, awesome new stamps sets and accessories and

8 new paper packs

Sophia - Sweet and fresh flowers and polka dots in Blush, Goldrush, Hollyhock and Pear.

Bliss - Beautiful and Sophisticated patterns in Bamboo, Chocolate, Grey Flannel and Vanilla Cream

Miracle - This one makes a return from a very popular special we had last year with a few new patterns added. Colors include Bamboo, Crystal Blue, heavenly Blue and Sweet Leaf.

Sweetheart - Fun and funky with Black, Cotton Candy, Tulip and Baby Pink. Perfect for your favorite teen.

Lucky - Great for the guys in your life or outdoorsy adventures. This paper pack

features Desert Sand, Outdoor Denim, Olive and Sunset.

Mayberry - Summer fun with retro charm in Pear, Hollyhock, Honey and Smoothie

Fanfare - All American charm with stars, spots and stripes in Cranberry, Pacifica, Sky and Sunny Yellow

Wings - Bright and beautiful butterflies in Black, Sweet Leaf, Juniper and Vineyard Berry

Check it out online or contact me for a free copy.

February SOTM Blog Hop: Friendship

2011-01-31T18:55:00.048-07:00

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.

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!

More Valentines...and a sneak peek of things to come

2011-01-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

This weekend I held three Valentine card workshops. Not sure what I was thinking when I scheduled them back to back to back. I started out on Thursday night with a bunch of lovely ladies from church. We made most of the cards from my previous post plus a couple more I didn't get pictures of.

Friday night was the first of my two CTMH Valentine workshops. We used some of the fun stuff that will be debuting in our brand new Idea Book in just a few days on February 1st.

These cards came out so cute. The stamp set is called Party Animal and it actually came out in our last catalog and as featured as a Halloween set, but I love these monsters and monsters need love too.

These papers are all new! The red and blue (Cranberry, Pacifica and sky to be exact) is from the new Fanfare paper. It's great for boys, and summer and 4th of July. The pink and green (Blush, Hollyhock and Pear) is from Sophia. Great color combos. Sooo many possibilities with both of these new lines!

This next one features a brand new stamp set called The Game and the beautiful new Sweetheart paper.

I love the black with the pinks and reds, so pretty!

Finally, I decided to get a little more sophisticated. These use the brand new Bohemian Alphabet (possibly my very favorite CTMH alphabet EVER) along with the Rosy Regards stamp set and Wings and Amore' papers.

My second CTMH workshop was this afternoon. When all was said and done I helped 24 ladies create nearly 200 Valentines this weekend. Time well spent on my book. Check back soon for more sneak peeks of what's new for 2011!

My punny Valentine...

2011-01-23T17:58:00.001-07:00

The holidays are over and I finally got my tree put away. So what's next you might ask...why Valentine's of course. As someone who is single with no prospects for a Valentine this year I often wonder why I have so much fun making Valentines. I guess it is because it gives me a chance to show my sillier side. I love making "punny" Valentines. Here are some of the ones I have created this year.

I kind of case'd this one from one Mary Gunn posted for the H2H challenge last week. Hers can be seen here, this is my version. I wanted to make it simpler because I will be doing it will a big group of ladies from church, some of which are brand new to card making. The stamp set used is from CTMH and is called Howdy. I used Pear dots from the Olivia paper pack to make grassy hills , Sky background with white daisy sponged clouds, and a fun flocked sheep.Simple but fun...Wool you be mine??

When I saw the cover of last month's Card maker magazine I knew I already had the stamp set in my stash, a remnant from my days working at Archivers.

The fish stamp set is by Hero Arts and it is one I bought because it is so stinkin' cute but I don't think it had been used more than once. When I saw the magazine I knew it was time ti dig out those fishies. I couldn't find the paper shown so I went with this fun stripe by Doodlebug. I love the bright colors. So here is my version of the Card Maker cover card. I think it came out cute, I like it even better than the original.

This next one is based on another one I saw in Card Maker. Simple and sweet.

The inside says...

I honestly have no idea who makes the stamp set with the branch and the birds. It is a leftover from a Valentine card class I taught at Archivers a couple of years ago. There are lots of tree and bird sets out there that would work. The sentiment is from the Love Birds set by CTMH.

This last one is a really easy one made with Coredinations paper (love that stuff)

and a cuttlebug folder with the owl design.

The sentiment came from a totebag my daughter found with an owl on it and I recreated it here using the Chocolate alphabet set from CTMH and a dollar stamp that says "love". This one is super simple just emboss and then sand to reveal the color underneath. As a huge Harry Potter fan I love that owls are so popular right now in the stamping and scrapbooking world.

Stay tuned I have even more Valentine creations to come but

I hope you enjoyed my "punny" Valentines.

Happy Bloggaversary Lorrinda!

2011-01-06T17:08:00.001-07:00

It is amazing the talented people you find in the bloggosphere. I have never met Lorrinda personally but I have enjoyed her creativity both on her blog and from what she posts over on the CTMH bulletin boards. She is one talented lady. To celebrate her bloggaversary she is giving away some amazing

BLOG CANDY!

Tons of beautiful stuff, for more details check it out HERE

So if you want to win check it out...but seriously I know she is gonna pick ME!

SOTM Blog Hop ~ Find your Style

2010-12-31T19:00:00.006-07:00

Welcome to our first Stamp of the Month Blog Hop of 2011!

If you have come here fromTamera Pope'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.

Here we go!

January 's SOTM, which is called Find Your Style, is a beautiful set of 9 stamps. How versatile is this set? I can see so many possibilities and I absolutely love the bird, the butterfly, the dress form, the shoe and that friendship sentiment. I can't wait to play with this one even more.

Here is what I made using this set.

This is the front of the card unopened.

But it has a surprise, it is a stand up easel card that I made into a desk calendar for 2011.

Here it is shown standing up. I got the great little calendars at Stamp On This.

The roses are made with rolled ribbon. I love these,

they are all the rage right now and they are so easy to make.

The bottom portion has a sentiment that I think is perfect for a calendar. It says,

Yesterday is history,

Tomorrow is a mystery,

Today is a gift.

That's why we call it the Present.

Products Used:

Paper: Wings Level 2 Paper Pack

Inks: Olive, Juniper and Vineyard Berry

Stamps: Find Your Style, Dreams Come True, and The Present

Accessories: Hollyhock Twill Ribbon, Pearl Opaques, Mini Medley in Black, Bitty Sparkles

Now "Hop" on over to Jean McNulty'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 January SOTM is only available until January 31st! There are two ways to get this beautiful set for free as well as get some awesome discounts on more new products. For more information on the Inspirations promotion and how you can get this beautiful set, Find Your Style free click HERE.

Card Club info and January Classes

2010-12-21T13:31:00.003-07:00

I hope that you are all enjoying the holiday season, I cant believe that Christmas is only a few days away. Since that is the case I know that January is literally just around the corner. I have some fun things planned for January so I wanted to get this out to everyone so you can plan for some fun crafty time after the hustle and bustle of the holidays are over.

First of all I will be starting a card club in January. Here is how it will work. I have a few people interested already but we need a few more to make it work so come on and join us, you won't be sorry.

Card Club Details

Card club (still looking for a better name) will meet monthly. The first meeting will be on Friday night January 22nd from 6-9 pm. We will then decide on the date for the next meeting as a group.
To join the club all you need to do is commit to spend at least $20/month on any products of you choice (that's very EASY to do). What you spend your money on is up to you but I will let you know in advance what we will be using at the next meeting so you can order your own products to go along with our projects if you want to.
At our first meeting we will draw names for each month's hostess. The hostess for each month brings snacks for the group and gets the hostess rewards products for that month's group order.Each hostess is guaranteed to at least $25 in FREE products during their month, and more if the order total is higher. Hostesses also benefit from whatever monthly campaign happens to be running during their month.
At each monthly meeting (usually at my house unless a hostess wants it at hers) we will create at least two cards at no additional charge to group members. Some months we will make other things like 3D items, gifts or home decor.
Joining the club means that you commit for the duration (8 months) so that everyone has a chance to reap the hostess rewards. At the end of the 8 months we will start a new round and members can drop or add at that time.

Let me know soon if you would like to join, I promise you it will be fun and who can't use some once a month scheduled "me" time.

Other January Classes

Saturday January 15th - 1:00pm - Calendar Class -
Create a beautiful scrapbook/calendar that you will use all year. Each month will have a calendar on one side and a scrapbook page to add your own photos to on the reverse side, all packaged up neatly in a 6" x 6" flip album. When we are finished you will have completed 24 beautiful pages in a cute calendar/album. This class will be done in three parts, meeting once a month in January, February and March. The other two dates will be on Saturday, February 12th and Saturday, March 12th. In the first class you will receive the 6" X 6" 12 page display album. We will create a cover and four double sided pages for January, February, March and April. February's class will pick up where we left off and complete May, June, July and August's pages. Then finally in March we will finish it all by doing pages for September, October, November and December. You will take your calendar home after each class and bring it back the next month to add the additional pages. Cost for this one is $20 total. $10 for the first class that includes the album and $5 for each of the next two months. Only the initial $10 needs to be paid in advance so that I can order albums for everyone. If you would like to do this but can't commit to the dates let me know and I can make you a kit to complete at home for the same price.

Valentine Class - Friday, January 28th 6:00-9:00pm OR Saturday, January 29th 1:00-4:00pm -
Cost is $12 for 8 cards (2 each of 4 designs).
In this class we will make 8 fun Valentine cards using lots of the products from the new Idea Book that comes out February 1st. Price includes cut papers, embellishments and envelopes.

New Catalog Open House - Friday Night February 4th- 5:00-9:00pm-
Stop by my house anytime from 5:00-9:00 pm for a FREE copy of the brand new bigger and better CTMH Idea Book. I will have snacks, drinks, a free make and take project and door prizes. Plus, anyone who places an order at my open house gets a free petite perks stamp set and 10% off of their next order.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

I hope to see you in 2011.

Interactive Santa

2010-12-16T02:06:00.001-07:00

I love interactive cards, ones that "do" something and I had been looking for this book by Annie's Attic unsuccessfully for a while.

When I was in Estes Park at my favorite Scrapbooking retreat this summer we took a field trip to a local scrapbooking store. Imagine my surprise when I found the book I had been looking for there.

When I got back to the retreat i looked through the pages trying to decide which card I was going to attempt first. As always seems to happen at retreats it ended all too soon and I never got a chance to try one out.

Fast forward a couple of months to October when I was working on my SOTM swap using the Share The Magic Set. I decided to try a card with a hidden pop up.

Here is the card.

I went all out on this one.
I think this card has more techniques
on one card than I have ever done before.

Santa's suit is colored with copics.

His beard is Liquid Applique.

The fur on his suit is fun flocked.

His boots are and belt are covered in Liquid Glass for that shiny touch.

His Belt buckle is embossed in silver

and his toy sack is paper pieced...

whew...and all of that is before I even get to my favorite part...the hidden surprise!

When you pull on the little tab with the snowflake

at the bottom of the card Rudolph pops up

and wishes you Happy Holidays.

This is by far my favorite Christmas card I have created this year. Thanks for looking!

More bang for your buck

2010-12-05T02:27:00.004-07:00

CTMH has a great deal for December.

Place an order of $20 or more on my WEBSITE from December 1 (9am MST) – 31, 2010, and we’ll reward you with a popular, retired D-size stamp set for FREE! Talk about getting more for your money - the free stamp set is valued at $22.95! We’re sure you’ll be thrilled with the set we pick out for you. We’re also giving you FREE shipping/handling and tax on your free stamp set. That’s a lot of Plenty for your Twenty!

*Excluding tax and shipping/handing. Qualifying purchases must include shippable products (Studio J® layout purchases excluded, Studio J memberships and 5-packs will count toward a qualifying order only if shippable items are also ordered). Limit one free stamp set per qualifying order. Please be sure to wait until at least 9am MST on 12/1 to order!

There's no need to enter a code or add anything to your cart. Your free stamp set will automatically be added to your order when it is shipped! You might even get a stow away sticky boy. He is jumpimg into random packages all month long.

If you have never heard of Sticky Boy check him out

I'm in the Friday Five!

2010-12-05T02:08:00.004-07:00

I have been trying to participate in the Heart 2 Heart Challenges found here.

They are great for a little burst of creative inspiration.

This is the second time one of my creations has made it's way into the Friday Five.

First it was for my Halloween mini album found here.

And this time for my Thanks card.

There are some really talented and creative people who participate in the challenges, I am so honored!

Take Note

2010-11-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

Here is another great idea for a cool gift this year.

I love dry erase boards. They come in very handy for

messages, reminders, shopping lists etc.

BUT

They are usually so gosh darn UGLY.

By altering a picture frame you can create your own

F~A~B~U~L~O~U~S

Dry erase note board.

Here is one I did with the Maginfique papers from CTMH.

Isn't it pretty?

For this one I used the Cherry-O papers (also from CTMH) and some

of the coordinating My Stickease stickers.

The grocery lists for both of these were printed on the computer.

Both of the frames are 11" x 14" and were found at a thrift store for $2.99 each.

Of course you could go out and buy new frames but for me this was so much more cost effective

and I love re-purposing something and making it new again.

Just remove whatever is inside and create your inside just as

you would any scrapbook page only in the 11" x 14" size.

I used a piece of poster board as my base. Be sure to use only flat

embellishments since the glass still needs to go on top.

Once you have created your note board page just replace the glass

and use any dry erase marker to write directly on the glass.

I found colorful dry erase markers at Target and attached them with velcro

so they are handy whenever you need them.

I love how you could make one of these to match any decor.

If you make one send me a link so I can checck it out.

How to make your own glitter ornaments using reinkers.

2010-11-16T02:23:00.004-07:00

As with many of the things I create I cannot take full credit for this idea either. I saw this for the first time last year on another blog. I wish I could remember where so I could give credit but I read so many craft blogs I really have no idea where I saw it originally.

This is a fun an easy way to create custom glitter ornaments

in any color you want.

The possibilities are truly endless.

Here is what you need:

Clear Glass Ornaments
CTMH Re-Inker in your favorite colors
Prisma Glitter
Funnel
Paper Towels
Opaque White Stazon Ink
Small stamps and clear blocks
Toilet Paper Tube

Roll ornament in a circular motion with your hands

to swirl the ink evenly over the entire inside.

Be sure neck of ornament is facing down and you have paper towels

over your work surface to catch any drips.

Continue rolling and swirling until ink has covered entire

inside surface including the neck. A toilet paper tube cut into thirds makes a perfect stand for your ornaments

while you are working on them.

The ornament shown has an opal type finish.

Clear ornaments are available in truly clear or with the opal finish.

Both varieties work well for this technique.

I have a couple of the non opal ones shown below.

Using a funnel, add about a teaspoon of prisma glitter.

This works best when done immediately while ink is still wet.

Hold a small piece of paper towel over the opening and shake well until glitter covers the entire inside surface.

This is what your glittered ornament will look like.

Dump any extra glitter into a small cup and save for another project. The glitter will be tinted so do not try and dump it back into the original container, but I ended up with some fun

multi colored glitter to use later.

You COULD stop here and have a plain glittered ball.

But it is even more fun to decorate the outside too.

It was hard to get a good picture of the stamped image with the light reflecting off the glass but you can kind of see it here.

Allow them to dry several hours or overnight

before reattaching the hanger.

So what color will you try? There are SIXTY Close To My Heart colors to choose from so you can make these ornaments to match any decor.

To order prisma glitter or re-inkers click on the link to my website on the right sidebar.

Enjoy!

Got Gift Cards??

2010-11-06T00:56:00.000-06:00

This is a repost of a tutorial I did on my old blog from November 2009.

I hope it comes in handy again this year.

Everyone loves a gift card. They are great to give and to receive. What I don't love is the tacky packaging most of them come in. Here is a way to dress up your gift cards and make them much more presentable and fun.

Follow my little tutorial to learn how to make your own.

Pop Up Pocket Gift Card Holder

Supplies-
Card Base- cut 2 of cardstock measuring 7” x 4 1/4"
Pattern 1 – 2 ½ “ x 4” (front), 2 ½” x 4 ¼” (pocket cover)
Pattern 2 – 2” x 4” (front), 1 ½” x 6” (reverse side for flap)
Flap – 1 ¾ “ x 6” cut from cardstock
Inside stamped image - 1 5/8” x 1 5/8”
Image frame–1 ¾” x 1 ¾” of coordinating colored cardstock
Strong adhesive – I use what I call “red line tape” but it goes by several names.
Corner rounder
Stampin Up word window punch
Circle punch

Score both card base pieces at 4 1/4”.

Fold flaps towards inside of card. Use the red line tape to hold the two flap pieces together on three sides

with the top remaining open. Attach the 2 ½” x 4” piece of patterned paper on the front side of the pocket close to the open edge. There will be a small space between the edge of the paper and the fold. Use a circle punch to punch a half circle out of the top of the pocket through the patterned paper and both layers of cardstock. This makes it easier to remove the gift card from the pocket.

Stamp desired image on the 1 ¾” x 1 ¾” white cardstock. Back with the 1 5/8” x 1 5/8” of coordinating colored cardstock and attach to pocket front. Stamp desired sentiment to the right of the gift card pocket. Add two pieces of patterned paper as background on front of card. I use the Stampin Up word window punch for the slot and punch through all layers about ¼ “ from the edge. If you don’t have the punch cut a 1 5/8” slot through all layers using a craft knife.

To make the flap closure, center the 1 ½” x 6” piece of patterned paper onto the 1 ¾” x 6” strip of cardstock and ink the edges. Round the corners of one end. Score through both layers at 4 ¼ from the straight edge. Insert the rounded corners through the slot and line up the score line with the edge of the card. Add adhesive from score line to straight edge and press firmly to back of card.
Complete the gift card holder by adding stamped images and embellishments of your choice.

I used the Ms. Holiday Cheer stamp set from CTMH. I think this is a perfect way to present a gift card to your favorite shopaholic.
All papers, inks, stamps and embellishments are from Close to My Heart. To get them visit my website.

Thanks

2010-11-02T23:38:00.011-06:00

Every year at this time I try to pause and reflect on all the things I am thankful for. And more importantly I try to remember to say Thank You to all those in my life I appreciate.

This year Close To My Heart is helping us out with this awesome Stamp of The Month, A Little Thanks.

Here is the card I created for our consultant swap using this set and Magnifique.

Here is a tutorial I found online to show you how.

And here is a close up of the rose. I used a 2" x 2" square of colonial white cardstock to make these and the inked the edges with Sky ink and added a gem from the Blue/Green sparkles. I see a lot of these little beauties in my future.

Click HERE to see a slideshow of my group's creations.

Washer Necklace Tutorial

2010-10-31T20:21:00.003-06:00

I just realized that Christmas is less than two months away! Since I am a big crafter and my budget is VERY tight this year I am always looking for easy and inexpensive gift ideas. I have seen these on several blogs and on the Splitcoast Stampers and the CTMH message boards for a while. I am not sure who to credit the original idea to but it was a good one. This weekend I decided to make some of these beauties for an upcoming craft fair and for Holiday gifts. They were quick and easy and very inexpensive to make!

This is a picture of my first batch of washer necklaces.

I found a few different tutorials online but I didn't follow any

of them exactly so here is my own little tutorial to show you what I did. Please excuse the pictures that may not be extra clear, it is hard to get good pictures with one hand inside at night.

This is what you will need ~

Washers (found at your local hardware store in different sizes for just pennies)
Scraps of Scrapbook paper
Circle punches
Scissors
Craft Knife
Finishing Files from CTMH or emery board/sanding block
Liquid Glass, Glossy Accents, Diamond Glaze or Crystal Effects (same stuff just made by different companies)
Silver Spacer bead
Cording
Clasp
Jewelry pliers

Start by punching circles using circle punches is sizes closest to the sizes of your washers. If you don't have circle punches then you can always trace the washers and cut them out by hand. For a double sided necklace use two coordinating papers.

If you are doing a double sided necklace like the one I am showing here it doesn't really matter which side of the washer you use. For a one sided necklace be sure to adhere the paper to the flat side of the washer leaving the softer beveled side to be close to the skin when worn. Using the Liquid Glass (or your brand) apply a light layer to the washer and spread evenly using a small paint brush or even your finger. Add the paper circle and set aside paper side down to dry for 5-10 minutes.

If your circle punch is not exactly the size of the washer use scissors or a
craft knife cut the circle even with the sides of the washer.

Use the round finishing file to punch through the paper covering the center hole and
file in a downward motion (not back and forth as that may tear the paper)
around the center hole to remove the paper or use a craft knife to cut out the center hole.

Repeat for second side if doing a two sided necklace. Once the paper is adhered and dry use the finishing files to sand any rough edges or excess paper around the outside or in the inside hole.
The CTMH finishing files are perfect for getting into the center holes.
Use a sanding block or emery board to sand the outside edges as well.

At this point you can add gems or pearls if you want them (see photo above). I didn't add any to this sample necklace.

Now comes the fun part. Use the Liquid Glass and apply a generous coat covering the entire washer. If you have added gems or pearls go right over the top of them. Set aside for at least 24 hours without touching until completely dry. If you are doing double sided you will need to wait the full 24 hours before applying the Liquid Glass to the second side and then set aside for an additional 24 hours until both sides are dry.

To finish off your necklace cut a 36 inch piece of cord in the color of your choice. Cording is available from most craft stores in a variety or colors, materials and thicknesses. Here I am using satin cording I found in the ribbon section of Hobby Lobby. Fold the cord in half. Put the center loop down over the front of your washer covering the hole. Pull the ends up and over the top edge and back around through the hole in the washer and the loop of cord. Pull tight.

Add silver spacer bead (or any other bead with a hole large enough) over

both cord ends and push towards washer.

Using both sections of cord together tie a simple knot above the bead to hold it in place.

To make an adjustable length overlap top of necklace by about 6 inches. Tie ends over each other making square knots, one on each side. Knots can then be slid closer together for a longer necklace or farther apart for a shorter one.

There are also clasps available that easily pinch over the edges of the cord using jewelry pliers available at most craft stores. Here is a pic of one of the styles I have used.

Here is the finished project. A double sided washer necklace!

Special Tip: After taking these pics I used my hair straightener to straighten out the cord.

Worked like a charm!

These were super simple and I love how they came out.

Try it for yourself, or if you are interested you can always buy one of mine. Special orders gladly accepted.

Christmas-Card-A -Palooza

2010-10-19T02:45:00.000-06:00

This class will be offered twice. Please let me know which class you will be attending when you RSVP.

Friday night Nov. 11th from 6:00-10:00
OR
Saturday, Nov. 12th 1:00-5:00
...
We will make 20 (yes, I said 20) Christmas Cards in this workshop. The layouts are easy and all of the Mistletoe papers used coordinate beautifully so making 20 cards is a snap I promise. I am offering several price options for this class so just let me know when you sign up which option you would like.

The Basics- $20- Includes 20 card bases, envelopes and all cut papers to complete 20 cards.

Embellished- $25 - Includes 20 card bases, envelopes, and all cut papers to complete 20 cards PLUS 2 yards of coordinating ribbon, brads, and bling to embellish your cards beautifully.

Embellished +1 - $32- Includes everything in the embellished option plus one of the size A stamp sets (your choice) used in class. A Sip, A Timber, or Saint Nick.

Embellished +2 - $38- Includes everything in the embellished option plus two of the size A stamp sets (your choice) used in class. A Sip, A Timber, or Saint Nick.

Payment MUST be made by November 1st so I have time to order all the supplies.

If you can't make the class, kits will be available (including stamped images) but please let me know that you would like a kit by November 1st as well so I can include your supplies with my class order.

Fall is in the air,

2010-10-12T08:51:00.000-06:00

This week's HTH Challenge is to create something with leaves or trees. Here are two cards I created with fall in mind using two of my very favorite sets. This first one will be used as invitations to a Back To School Soiree for my church youth group.

Here is what I used:

Childhood Portrait stamp set
Boom-Di-Ada Paper pack
Flower Soft Spring Blend
Chocolate, Hollyhock and Topiary Inks

This one uses the Love Grows stamp set. The paper is not CTMH but a leftover from a kit I bought to do my cruise album and it is called Scenic Route. I used Chocolate and Topiary inks, ribbon from my stash and a sentiment from Paper Makeup Stamps. I used the same spring mix of flowersoft on this one as the one above. I love using flowersoft on trees!

Boo to you!

2010-09-24T01:22:00.005-06:00

I love Halloween. I love the costumes, the parties, the fun of being someone else and even being scared...although I am a bit of a whimp admittedly. I also love all of the Halloween products out there in craft land. This year Close To My Heart came out with the cutest Halloween line. It's called Hooligans and it is adorable. It has all the classic Halloween colors Gypsy (purple), Pear (green), Sunset (orange), Lagoon (turquoise) and of course Black! Along with the Hooligans paper line they came out with the cutest monsters. As soon as I saw this line I knew I wanted to make a Halloween mini album (even though I don't have any pictures to put in it).

Anyway, here is what I came up with.

This is the cover. I used the Hooligans My Stickease and the Level 2 Assortment (felt monsters) throughout. I love how it all coordinates.

If you are interested in making one of these (or buying this one) shoot me an email.

Being the Queen is Magnifique!

2010-09-20T16:52:00.000-06:00

Each time we get a new Catalog the gals in my group have a shoebox swap. What is a shoebox swap you might ask? Well it is where we each design a card, in this case using only new products, and we prepare enough supplies for all of the participants and put it all in a "shoebox". then we all meet and pass the shoeboxes around the table so we can make each other's cards. It is a great way to get to use lots of the new products without having to buy everything. The ladies in my group are all so talented that I look forward to the shoebox swap every time.

This is the card I created for our shoebox swap.
And here is a close up of the tag.

Here is the recipe:

Based on Aubrey’s Invitation from pg. 81 of Wishes
4 ¼” x 5 ½” Chocolate card base
4” x 9” Colonial White (Score at 3 ½ “ for pocket)
2 ½” x 5 Colonial white tag
2 ¼ “ x 4” Magnifique Floral pattern (top of pocket)
3 ½” x 4” Magnifique Stripe (bottom of pocket)
2 ¼” x 3” Colonial White x2 for Crown (stamp crown on one and cut out, stamp sentiment on one and pop up crown)
2 ½” x 3 ¼” Pacifica for crown mat

Attach floral pattern to top of pocket
Fold up flap to create pocket
Attach Magnifique stripe to pocket front
Use clear ruler to punch holes for stitching on sides of pocket
Whip stitch using chocolate waxy flax up both sides of pocket
Attach pocket to card base
Stamp crown using lagoon ink and cut out
Stamp birthday sentiment on 2nd colonial white piece using chocolate ink towards the bottom
Mat with Pacifica
Pop up crown above sentiment and add sparkles

Tag:
Punch corners of tag using corner chomper
Stamp scepter on the left side using Pacifica for handle and Lagoon for gem
Stamp sentiment to right of scepter using Lagoon and Chocolate
Add Liquid Glass to gem
Add sparkles to scepter and sentiment

I post the cards created by the rest of the group in a later post. Thanks for looking.

SOTM Swap...It's a Thriller!

2010-09-03T17:00:00.003-06:00

I have a bunch of talented ladies in my group. Check out this slideshow of our Stamp of the Month swap cards.

Click HERE to be taken to the slideshow. For some reason Blogger is not letting me embed it here.

It's Here!!!!!!!

2010-09-01T04:25:00.000-06:00

The new Fall/Winter Catalog from Close To My Heart officially launches today. I have had it for a month and was chomping at the bit to share it with everyone. There are so many great new things in here!
First of all we have EIGHT, yes 8 beautiful new colors. May I present for your crafting and stamping pleasure.

Sky - This one says it all. Imagine the blue sky on a perfect day.

Sunset - That rich orangy red you see just before the sun fades away.

Cotton Candy - The perfect shade of pink. Not pastel and not hot pink.

Gypsy- This is a gorgeous shade of rich purple...mmmmm.

Pacifica - LOVE, this color...think electric peacock blue. Goes perfect with the beautiful new stamp set called Circle of Love...I am lovin' that peacock image.

Pear- This is an awesome crisp green.

Lagoon- Makes me want to take another cruise just to see water this color.

Smoothie- This is an orangy pink kind of half way between Cotton Candy and Sunset...yummy!

Here is a set if monogrammed cards I made using all of the new colors.

From top left...Gypsy, Sky, Pear, Sunset, Smoothie, Cotton Candy, Pacifica and Lagoon. Don't you just love them??

There are also four beautiful new paper lines. Here are brief descriptions including the featured color combos. Watch for ideas using each if the new paper lines with a Stamp of the Month set.

Hooligans - Halloween designs featuring Gypsy, Lagoon, Pear, Sunset and of course Black.

Olivia - Fantastic fall patterns featuring Barn Red, Pear, Sunset and Smoothie.

Magnifque - Rich and elegant designs featuring Chocolate, Lagoon, Pacifica and Sky.

Mistletoe- Classic holdiay papers using Cocoa, Cranberry, Garden Green and New England Ivy.

Want to see all of it?? Come to my open house this Saturday.

Saturday, September 4th

1:00-4:00pm

Stop by and see the new Fall/ Winter calatog from Close To My Heart. Make a free Halloween card, and see samples made with some of the new products...get your creative juices flowin'. Everyone who attends will get a free copy of the new catalog and will be entered to win a free stamp... set or Miracle page kit. Pick a date to host a home gathering party in September or October for an extra entry. Get some great deals at my craft room clean out sale too.

Hope to see you there!

Thriller

2010-09-01T03:17:00.011-06:00

I am not talking Michael Jackson here folks, although it may be appropriate background music for working with this month's set. I am referring to September's Stamp of the Month (SOTM).

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and this month's SOTM is great for all of your Halloween cards, favors, and scrapbook pages. pair it with the new Hooligans paper line and it is

Frightfully Delightful!

Each month I participate in a card swap with some of my fellow consultants. We each use the same paper pack, Hooligans this month, and the SOTM set to create a card. It is so much fun to see everyone else's creative ideas. Here are some of the designs for this month.

This one was my design. I pulled the tree from the Childhood Portraits set. The house and roof are from Around The Block and the spooky images are from the SOTM, Thriller. I embossed almost everything with black to give it that shiny/spooky look and sponged the background with Outdoor denim for a creepy evening feel.
This one is by Natalie Zylstra. I love the coffin with the embossed spider web. Here is the inside.

How cute is that??? This next one is by Vicki Price. The photo does not do it justice. It is a clear card so all of the layers are sandwiched with the clear acrylic in the middle and the image stamped with Stazon on the front. I love how this came out!

Next is a fun card by Angie Petersen.
It is a such fun working with such talented ladies. Stay tuned for more fun Halloween stuff using Hooligans and our cute new Monster stamp sets.

Sweet Soiree

2010-08-27T15:57:00.002-06:00

At church I get to work with 8-12 year old girls twice a month. They are all so sweet and I really enjoy my time with them. For one of our activities this month we are having a Back To School Soiree (don't you love that word, highly under used in my opinion). Anyway, we are having a Mother/ Daughter tea party of sorts (minus the tea) where we will learn about the importance of education and lifetime learning. We'll also have some yummy refreshments...who doesn't love refreshments??? I wanted to send some more formal invites for this event so this is what I came up with.

Isn't it sweet. I hope they bring a smile to the girls' faces when they get them in the mail later this week.
Recipe:
Stamps; CTMH Childhood Portrait
Paper: CTMH Boom-Di-Ada Level 2 paper pack
Ink: CTMH Chocolate, Hollyhock and Topiary
Misc: Flowersoft (I forget the name of the color blend), Mark Richards gems

What's Cookin Cherry-O?

2010-05-03T22:59:00.005-06:00

Can I tell you how much I love the new Cherry-O paper line from CTMH? When I first saw the new lines in our consultant sneak peek I noticed something else as well. They showed a decorated recipe box using Cherry-O! As soon as I got the new catalog in my hot little hands I went looking for that recipe box. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Upon further examination of the new catalog I saw that we also have a new matching recipe card kit (with 32 recipe cards and 6 dividers), how perfect.

Here is my recipe box. I haven't quite finished decorating the front flap but I wanted to show you anyway. Sorry the image isn't the best.

I love the colors, the designs and how easy this was to make. As shown this is a NO STAMP project, anyone can do this!

You know you wanna make one too! Here's your chance.

Recipe Box Class and Recipe Swap

Saturday, May 15th

1:00-3:00pm

Cost is $30 and includes

Recipe Box

Card Kit

Cherry-O Stickease

Embellishments

Please bring a one of your favorite recipes to share so we all go away with a few new recipes.

Registration and payment for this class is due by Saturday May 8th.

Life is Sweet Clear Card Class

2010-05-03T21:08:00.018-06:00

I am so excited. I have been waiting to do this class for a month since I saw these awesome clear cards in the Summer 2010 catalog. I love the look of clear cards, they are so much fun and CTMH has outdone themselves with these. they are precut in two shapes, squares with rounded corners and scalloped circles.

I couldn't wait to put them together with the new Cherry-O paper for some adorable spring cards. Here they are, I love them and hope you do too!

Here are the four cards included in this class.

And some close ups of each card. It is hard to get the pictures to do them justice but I hope you get the idea.

Since this is the first month of the new catalog I am going to do something special for this class. You can get this class FREE.

That's right I said FREE!

Just make a purchase of $40 or more from the new catalog through me before May 15th and you can come to either class for FREE.

If you just want to take the class and don't have an order right now the cost is $15.

I will be holding the

Life is Sweet Card Class

Thursday, May 20th from 6:00-9:00 PM

OR

Saturday, May 22nd from 1-4PM

Payment for qualifying orders and/or class fees must be made prior to registering for the class.

Space will be limited and I will take registrations for paid or free classes through May15th.

Out of the box

2010-04-23T00:17:00.000-06:00

These cute little boxes were my April class. I wish I could say that I designed this myself but I found the original instructions here

I offered the boxes in three paper designs.

Sillouette (Black, White Daisy, Colonial White, Bamboo and Tulip)

And here is the inside of the box. It includes 6 standard A2 size cards, four 3"x3" cards and four tags along with a noteboox, pen and pocket for a book of stamps.

Here it is using Bella (Hollyhock, Olive, Smokey Plum, Cmee Brule)
And finally this is Magic Moments (Chocolate, Hollyhock, Corn Flower Blue, Sweet Leaf). Each of these uses the same layouts but it was interesting to see how different they turned out by just changing the papers.

Spring Has ...Win a free stamp set!

2010-04-10T22:08:00.000-06:00

This is something I made for the April swap using our April Stamp of The Month, Flower Pot.

I love doing 3-D projects and this was a really fun one. The template came from Lauren Meader's My Time Made Easy site. If you haven't checked out Lauren's site you are missing out. I love her ideas and templates. The best part is that she offers all of her templates as .GSV files that I can cut on my cricut using my Sure Cuts Alot software. How awesome is that?? I would never take on making 10 of these if I had to cut them all by hand.

What is Sure Cuts Alot you might ask. Well I if you own a cricut is is a MUST have tool. I wrote a post about it on my old blog. If you want to read that post click here. If you want to learn more or want to purchase Sure Cuts Alot Click on my link to the left.

Here are some close up shots of the Wheel Barrow and one of all of them lined up for the swap.

I used the Veranda paper line from CTMH. The wheel barrow base is Cocoa cardstock, with Olive accents. I used the Flower Pot SOTM set and various CTMH colors for the flowers.

Would you like to win this stamp set for free??? Here's what you need to do.

1. Leave a comment on this post (be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you of you win)

2. Subscribe to this blog OR become a follower

I will choose a winner on May 15th. Good Luck!

Oh Baby!

2010-04-10T00:01:00.002-06:00

This is a page and a card I made for my friend Echo's baby shower.

I used the Caboodle paper line from CTMH along with the Love You Forever stamp set. That set is one of my favorites because I remember reading the book Love You Forever by Robert Munsch to my daughter when she was little. I gave the book to Echo as a part of my gift in hope that she can treasure some of the same memories of reading it to her little boy. The Silouettes are done using the Childhood Portraits stamp set, another of my favorites.

They Say It's Your Birthday

2010-02-28T23:31:00.000-07:00

If you are like me you usually remember it is someone's birthday a couple of days (sometimes weeks) after it has passed. I always have good intentions but life takes over and I just forget.

When I saw CTMH's February Stamp of The Month Set I decided to make something to help me remember.

Here is what I came up with. Presenting...

A Year of Birthdays Flip Book

This book is made with the Topstitch paper line from CTMH. I used theMy Creations Display Album and made a page for each month with space to write everyone's birthdays.

Here are the month pages

This was a class I offered in February. If you are interested in doing this project just let me know.