BLOG HOP ~November Stamp of the Month

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

We will be featuring November's SOTM, which is Cherish the Day, a set of 44 stamps.
If you have come here from Nikka'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.
This month we have over 55 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This Blog Hop is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!
Here we go!J

I did get a chance to work on TWO projects using the Nov SOTM– YAY!!!  BUT since we are STILL out of electric from Saturday’s snow storm (snow storm in eastern PA in Oct?!?!?)…I didn’t get a chance to completely finish the tag booklet.  
The FIRST item I created using this ADORABLE November SOTM set is this card!

Thank you to fellow consultant Aaron Brown for her inspiration in creating this! J  As you can see I used the November SOTM tickets to create a background!  What FUN!
I used our WONDERFUL fall paper pack called Dreamin’ to create this card…I did add a piece of Colonial White Cardstock for stamping the ticket images too. 

For the beautiful scalloped square, I used our AMAZING Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge!!  I cut a 2 3/4” <square2> shown on page 33 of the Cricut booklet. 

I used chocolate ink to stamp the ticket images and I also used chocolate to sponge the edges of the colonial white square AND the goldrush colored scalloped square.

For the words “cherish the day”, I thought it might be nice to use our Cocoa embossing powder and heat embossed the image. 

As a finishing touch, I used the FABULOUS Glitz Glitter Gel!! (as most of you know, I can’t get ENOUGH of this glitz! LOL!!J )
My 2nd Project is still in the creation process J, BUT I will share with you a few pages that are almost complete.

When I first saw this November stamp set – a coupon booklet came to mind. J  So…here is the front cover of this book.  What A PERFECT gift for the upcoming holiday season! J

An inside page…
If you would like to see some more pictures of the inside pages, please feel free to scroll down towards the bottom of this post….

BUT if you would like to continue on this Close To My Heart, November SOTM blog hop - "Hop" on over to Kristine’s Blog to see her work!

Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the November SOTM is only available until November 30th!!! Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount or even free!
***
I thought this ticket coupon booklet would be something that the children and I could create for Dad.  So…we have an EARLY Christmas gift in the works! J

I still haven’t decided on what each coupon will say – I wanted each of our children to think of something that they can give to Dad too…so we will work on this over the next month or so. 

Here is the inside cover of the booklet.  On the left side, I will place the wording for the coupon that he can use for January.  As you scroll down through the pictures, you will notice a pocket page with smaller tickets in them.  These are the “reimbursement tickets” that Dad can use to cash in his ticket.  Silly me, I didn't want him to pull the coupon book apart! J

As I was creating the wording for the tickets, I decided I would print them using my computer.  As I printed them out, I thought about how nice it would like if they were cut in a ticket shape….hmmm, how will I do THAT? J

Never fear – the Cricut Expression 2 is here!!!  Did you ever notice the “Center Point” button on your Cricut Expression machine?  I didn’t notice this "special" button until about a month ago.  This button is FABULOUS!!!!!  The Cricut, once again, has made my creating easier!!!

I moved my Cricut blade into the middle of the wording…so the knife was in the blank white area under the “e” in “chose”…maybe a bit to the right. J  I set my ticket size to 2 1/2”, made sure the ticket shape was the image I was going to cut. (pg. 64 – <rctngle3>) and hit the cut button! 
It turned out BEAUTIFUL!! The wording was aligned PERFECTLY in the middle of my 2 1/2” ticket!



At the back of this little book, I made a pocket where Dad will be able to pick his ticket and “cash it in”!  I can’t wait to see what coupons the children will be giving him. J
The items I used to create this coupon booklet are as follows…
Z1686 Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge
E1021 Trinity Alphabet
D1481 Vintage Type stamp set
C1464 Blue Ribbon stamp set
Z1364 Green asst. brads
Z1464 Milepost Shapes
Z1393 Mini Medley Black
Z1266 Just Blooms – Spring Blossom
 
Ink colors that I used…
Z2118 Desert Sand
Z2165 Juniper
Z2167 Crème Brulee
Z2105 Black
Z2157 Vineyard Berry
 
I hope this inspired YOU to get your own copy of the November SOTM!!!!  Have a wonderful day!!!
 
Blessings to you! J
 

3 Simple Christmas Cards

Good Morning!J

It is near the end of October, and I am a little sad.  Not quite sure if I am ready for winter to arrive quite yet – HOWEVER…right now, here in Pennsylvania – it is SNOWING….yes, I DID say SNOWING!!!  What Crazy weather we are having and in OCTOBER!!!  And the AMAZING part is – they say we are getting 6-10 inches of this SNOW today!!!!  Oh my!J

With that in mind, I thought I’d post 3 cards that I created recently that have the “winter” theme. 

This past week, I went to a Ladies Day group at a local church where we did some card making.  I had 45min – 1 hour for them to create 3 cards, so I knew the cards had to be simple, but beautiful. 

I went to my wonderful CTMH Sisters for some inspiration, and came away creating these 3 cards!

The first card on the left has been a favorite card that many of you may already recognize.  This is a card that we have been creating at a lot of my gatherings this fall season. 

This is a FUN card that I created using our Wishes how to book.  The design did not stay the same as the original pattern shown on page 40 “Simple Expressions”, but I did start the card from there. J

I used the beautiful WONDERLAND level 2 paper pack.  I also used our FUN new “Snowflakes” stamp set!!!  This is a favorite of mine because it is a stamp set that coordinates with our Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge!!  I did not have to cut the snowflake out – the CRICUT does it for me!J  The Merry Christmas came from the stamp set called “A Holiday” – a GREAT Cricut compatible stamp set as well.

If you click on the picture to see more detail, you will notice we also used sandpaper to sand the chocolate cardstock.  The ladies loved each technique that was taught with each card. 

Our chocolate striped ribbon is so beautiful, for this card I cut the 1” ribbon in half, so we could have the frayed look.  We then used Glitz Glitter Gel for the finishing touch. (I know I been using the glitz a lot lately – LOL!!  I just LOVE adding the glitz to add that extra sparkle and shine! LOL!!! J)

The next card we used a NEW stamp set…believe it or not, this was the FIRST time I stamped with this set!!!  “Remarkable Wreath” is one of the most popular selling stamp sets this year!  I was inspired by my friend and fellow consultant Audrey Key for this card. 

This card was quite simple…but nice.  I used the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge to create the beautiful bracket (3 1/4”, <square4>, pg. 53) from Sweet Leaf cardstock.  We then used the corner rounder to round our 2 3/4” white daisy square. 

Stamp sets used were “Remarkable Wreath” and “Holiday Commentary”.  We also used the Believe level 2 paper pack.  And of course…I had to use some of the beautiful RED Glitz Glitter Gel to add some berries to the branches. LOL!  (I promise, the next card does not have glitz!)  Ink colors that were used are CRANBERRY and DESERT SAND.

The final card we created was using one of my favorite stamp sets this Idea Book season.  The “Glory to God” stamp set. 

This card was inspired by  Jean Johnson’s artwork I saw on our consultant bulletin board – I LOVE our CTMH family!!  We truly ARE sisters at CTMH and share ideas, advice, artwork, etc. with each other. J

To create this card, we used two items…the Glory to God stamp set and the Sonoma Paper pack.  Can ANYONE tell me where the diamond strip at the bottom of the card came from?  Hmmm…I LOVE this extra that CTMH has tucked into each of our new LEVEL 2 paper packs!  Did you guess where it came from?  If you haven’t, take a look at this picture below…

Do you see it now?  YES – the diamond strip is called a “Zip Strip”!!!  There is a strip at the top of all of our designer papers!  Each zip strip has the paper kit name, item # and colors used in the kit printed on one side of this 1/2” strip.  The OTHER side of this “zip strip” is a BEAUTIFUL border design that you can use as part of your creations!!!  How COOL is that?!?!?!!!! J

I hope these cards get your “creative juices” flowing. J and that you are able to start creating for the upcoming holiday season! 

If you would like to get an early Christmas present , check out this October special that runs for another 3 days!!!


It DOES feel like Christmas when this consultant kit arrives!!J  What a GREAT way to get items at a discount for all of your holiday creating needs!!!

I’d love to talk with you about how becoming apart of my CTMH team can be what YOU want it to be!! 
It is wonderful to be your own boss, and YOU get to decide if this is will be a business for you OR if you'd like to be a Hobbyist - getting Close To My Heart's quality products at a discount price!

Contact me today so that YOU can receive this AMAZING consultant kit for $99 (+shipping & tax) You will receive items in this kit that retail over $280, PLUS when you sign up,(for 3 more days) you will get an ADD-ON kit (retail of up to $130) for FREE!!!!

Enjoy your day – whatever type of weather you are havingJ and take time to CREATE today!!!

Blessings to each of you!
 Krista Hershberger

610-587-9116

fun2stampnscrap@dejazzd.com

www.ctmh.com/kristah

~~~3 more days to receive this GREAT gift tag making stamp set~~~

and the WINNER is….

drum roll PLEASE…


the winner of the October Stamp of the Month stamp set is

Dawn A.!!

Congratulations Dawn!  I believe I know Dawn A. J  but if you could please send me an email letting me know your address – I’ll get this stamp set mailed to your house in a jiffy!!

Thanks to EACH one of you for playing along in this contest!!!  It’s so fun to read and see the comments that each one of you leave on my posts.  Thanks for sharing!


I do want to remind you that October is quickly coming to an end!   What does this mean???


Close To My Heart’s TWO specials during October will only be available for 5 more days!!!  You won’t want to MISS out on these opportunities!!

I have a few questions for you...J

1.Do you LOVE CTMH’s products and would like to get them at an even BETTER price? 

2. Or…would you like to be your own boss, setting your own hours, and deciding when and how much you’d like to work? 

3. Earn some extra cash- especially as the holidays are approaching?

If you said “YES” to any of these questions, please check out the WONDERFUL special that CTMH has during the month of October when you join my team!!! 

When you Join my TEAM before the end of October …

pay just $99 for consultant kit and get an ADD-ON kit (retail up to $130) for FREE!!!
You will be receiving $380- $400 of  CTMH product (according to which add-on kit you chose) for just the $99 enrollment fee!!!   An AMAZING DEAL!!!!

It's an incredible deal!   If you would like some more information, CLICK HERE to go to my previous post with all of the details OR PLEASE get in touch with me! J  I'd love to chat with you if you about any questions you may have!
 
CTMH’s 2nd special – would be this ADORABLE Stamp of the Month that DAWN just won! J

 
You can receive this adorable stamp set TWO different ways!

1. Purchase this stamp set at the retail price of $17.95
2. Order $50 worth of CTMH product and get this stamp set for ONLY $5.00 – a 77% savings!

Click HERE to place your order for this EXCLUSIVE October Stamp of the Month stamp set!!!

 I thought you may want to see another BEAUTIFUL card using this stamp set! (ok - we'll make it two :) )

My fellow consultant, Nancy Brown is an amazing creator and does BEAUTIFUL detailed work on ALL of her items…just gorgeous!!!  Here is a link to her blog to view her other artwork!!  Click Here to see more of her artwork!!

*****Make sure you come check out my blog on Tuesday morning, November 1st!  I will be participating in my 1st Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  J 

When you click on my blog that day – you will see another link to click on to take you to the next blog!!  This is called Blog Hopping. J (I’m learning so much!)

Come check it out and you will be able to hop to over 55 different blogs showing you ways to use the upcoming November Stamp of the Month! J

I look forward to seeing you soon!!!

 
 
 

TODAY is the last DAY to win an October Stamp of the Month on my BLOG!

 TONIGHT at 10pm...I will be DRAWING A NAME from the list of followers that have followed me since last week AND those that left a comment on the Oct SOTM post  for a CHANCE to win an October SOTM stamp set!!! 

It's QUITE EASY to enter this contest...here are the details! :) 

Please LEAVE A COMMENT (on the previous post CLICK HERE) on how YOU would use this stamp set!  Your idea can be holiday related OR if you like to “think outside the box” and use this stamp set in a NON holiday way – that would be GREAT too!!! 

If you'd like a DOUBLE chance to win this set - make sure you become a FOLLOWER of my blog and your NAME will be entered twice!!!! (if you are already a follower of mine - your name will be entered twice as well when  you post a comment)

I will RANDOMLY pull a winner from those people who commented on Wednesday, October 26th after 10pm.  I will announce the winner on Thursday morning!

This card was created by my friend and consultant Audrey Key!!
Isn't this BEAUTIFUL?!? I LOVE how she used the October SOTM stamp set!!
 Make sure to check out her NEW blog!! 
She has lots of ideas and BEAUTIFUL creations on her BLOG - http://stampingaudrey.blogspot.com/

BEST WISHES and I'll announce the winner tomorrow morning! :)

 Krista

Have you tried the FABULOUS online scrapooking program, STUDIO J?

I LOVE Close to my Heart’s Online Scrapbooking program called Studio J!  As some of you know, I wasn’t too sure if I was going to enjoy online scrapbooking because I LOVE the hands on when I do Classic Scrapbooking.  Well, I’ll have you know…I have changed my mind. J 

I am SOOO excited about how Studio J is so FAST… so SIMPLE…it’s so EASY!!!   I am getting more layouts created in the past couple of months than I have in a LONG while! 

There are many other reasons that I ADORE Studio J too! J

        **you can crop your photos with ease and the photo editing tools are FABULOUS! (red-eye, wrinkle remover, blemish remover, teeth whitener, just to name a FEW!)

Here is a very EASY layout that I created of my family...

First off, I chose a paper pack and I picked the Bliss paper pack (now retired).  Next, I chose the layout design I'd like...I went up to the tab on the right size and chose to pick a layout with 5 picture wells.  I used a "Member's Only" layout called Designer's Eye. CTMH than shows me 6 different "Kit Mixes".  I used the Kit Mix #3.  Next, I dropped in my photos - moved them to how I wanted them, colored my embellishments, added in a few stickease and wa-la - COMPLETED!
 I literally created this 2 page spread in about 15 minutes! 
What a TIME SAVER!

There are 5 easy STEPS to get your Studio J 12x12 (2) page layout mailed to you! J  First off, I suggest you create an account...

          CLICK HERE to create an account with Studio J,
then log in to Studio J and start designing layouts!

PLEASE NOTE...Creating an account doesn’t obligate you in any way to purchase anything BUT…IF you do choose to use Studio J for scrapbooking some pages– by creating an account, your layout that you “played” with will now be SAVED for 90 days! J 

What a GREAT asset to Studio J!!!

Studio J is intuitive and easy to use; 1. Upload photos.
2. Choose the desired themed kit.
3. Select an exclusive layout pattern.
4. Add photos, embellishments, title, and journaling.
5. Purchase custom-printed layouts ready for a cherished album.

That’s it…your pages come mailed to your door step, READY to put into your scrapbook album! Yayy! J

Now – don’t get me wrong…I still LOVE classic scrapbooking and plan to do that a lot!!! (My Colorado and New Zealand trips are waiting for me!) BUT Studio J is a way I can catch up on the “everyday” pictures and events!!!  Most of my Studio J pages are created in memory of our youth group at church.  This is a quick way I can make FABULOUS pages and take the book in to youth group for everyone to enjoy and remember our many activities together. 

Another PLUS for Studio J is the VARIETY of paper packs that you chooseyou’re your layouts!!  There are some FAVORITE retired packs – no longer available hands on BUT we can use them in Studio J!!!  Studio J ALSO has the most current papers from our Idea Book as well!! 

One more PLUS for Studio J – it’s VERY cost efficient!!! 
Close to my Heart offers memberships with Studio J that allow you to get MORE than what you are paying for J 

A Studio J Membership Includes…

- Unlimited layouts at just $3.25/page ($6.50 for the double layout)
- FREE Shipping (4- 20 layouts) once per month (extras are up to 20 in a box for $5.95 shipping)

- FREE Page Protectors
- FREE High Resolution (get your own reprints – if you can find a cheaper price J) and Low Resolution JPEGS (to email to your family, friends or post on Facebook)
- Member Only paper packs AND layout patterns

What do memberships cost, you ask? J  The BIG question!!!

        A THREE month membership is only $30 (can you believe it??? Only $10 a month!) and a 12 month membership is $99 (this takes it down to $8.25 a month!).  You will definitely break even with your YEAR membership with just 15 layouts!  (I’ve already completed 6 layouts in one month! J)

Well, let’s take a look at the Studio J layouts I created of the CTMH event – Leadershare, that was held here in King of Prussia, PA this past April.  Guess what, I'm using my FREE Low Resolution JPEG file to share these pages with you now – isn’t that AMAZING?!? 

In these 2 layouts...I did some FUN "extras" that you can CHOOSE to do when you use Studio J!! 

Studio J can be and is QUICK & EASY - BUT if you want to "play" some more, Studio J has MANY ways for you to do advanced options on your layouts!!! 

I will not explain everything I did in these layouts - I was trying new things :) - ...but I encourage you to watch the videos regarding Studio J at the tab at the top of the Studio J page.  EACH month, CTMH creates another video giving you another GREAT tip with StudioJ!

In these layouts I used the paper pack called "Hippity Hop".  Here is a picture of Hippity Hop as you see it in Studio J. 

Does this look like the same paper pack I used? :)  Nope, but IT IS!!! If you look closely, you will see the same design is on my paper, BUT I was able to change the colors to what I wanted!!! FUN!!!

Also, take notice of my YELLOW flower.  Guess how this was created?  I watched a Studio J video...and Kristine showed us a GREAT tip on creating these flowers!!!  This flower was created with the Ribbon Tabs on the embellishment section of Studio J!!!

There are SOOO MANY more FUN things I did on these pages...but these were just a FEW to help you understand how FUN, QUICK and EASY it is to use Studio J!!!

 

Here are the basics for you to remember when trying Studio J...

It's TOTALLY FREE to play with Studio J!!!!

Just go to my website (http://ctmh.com/kristah), click on Studio J,

create an account and PLAY!

• You don't have to pay for anything unless you decide to order. So log on and play around. Check out all of the awesome features, upload some of your own photos and check out how fast and easy it is to make GORGEOUS Studio J layouts.

       Studio J boasts great photo editing options, in addition to all kinds of great kits, layout patterns, embellishments, distressing tools and MORE!

• With Studio J there is no need to pay for kits, embellishments, papers, etc, etc. It's all part of Studio J. You just pay the same low membership or per layout price no matter what embellishments you add.

OCTOBER is the PERFECT month to get your Studio J layouts at an even BETTER price!

I am here to help YOU!!!  I want to answer your questions for you and would LOVE to walk you through the steps when using Studio J!!!


Did you know, I offer ONE on ONE times where we can either make an appointment by phone, Skype OR in person to teach you MORE about Studio J?

When you join my team in October...your layout cost for a 2 page layout can be as low as $5.46 for the 2 pages!!! 

Purchase the Consultant Kit for ONLY $99 and get an ADD-ON kit for FREE!!!! A Studio J year membership (retail $99) & a Studio J 5 pack ($55 retail) is one of the ADD-ON kits you can choose for FREE during the month of October!!!

CLICK HERE to see all the details! :)

I am just a phone call, email, text away! :)  Have a great night!!!

Krista Hershberger

610-587-9116 * fun2stampnscrap@dejazzd.com * www.ctmh.com/kristah

WIN an October Stamp of the Month stamp set!

I wanted to share a few items I’ve created using the EXCLUSIVE stamp set from Close To My Heart that is ONLY available during the month of October!

I LOVE this stamp set called “Holiday Magic” and I have many ideas running through my head of ENDLESS Ways to use this set! Here is a picture of the actual stamp set. 

Are the ideas RUNNING through your head as they did in mine? LOL!!!  Would you like to WIN this Holiday Magic stamp set?J  OF COURSE – you say!!!  Who doesn’t like to Win????J 
It’s quite easy to enter this contest and make this HOLIDAY MAGIC stamp set arrive at your home!

 To enter this contest, please LEAVE A COMMENT (on this post) on how YOU will use this stamp set!  Your idea can be holiday related OR if you like to “think outside the box” and use this stamp set in a NON holiday way – that would be GREAT too!!! 

If you'd like a DOUBLE chance to win this set - make sure you become a FOLLOWER of my blog and your NAME will be entered twice!!!! (if you are already a follower of mine - your name will be entered twice as well when  you post a comment)

I will RANDOMLY pull a winner from those people who commented on Wednesday, October 26th after 10pm.  I will announce the winner on Thursday morning!

I did want to share TWO items I’ve created with this October SOTM stamp set. 

I LOVE the soft colors of this first card!  My inspiration for this card came from fellow consultant Karen Pedersen!! (check out her BLOG HERE!!!)  What a talented woman, a caring person and I was privileged to meet her at Convention this past summer.  I LOVE the arwork she creates! Absolutely AMAZING!!!

I used the basic design of the card that Karen used, but switched up the colors a bit from her original card. J I was dreaming for a couple days of putting together the colors sweet leaf, grey flannel and twilight…the color combo continued to stay in my head! LOL!! I was really happy with the results and LOVE the fact how EASY this card was to create!!! 

The Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge (again) helped make this card an easy card to create!  I used the shape on page 47 of the AP manual called <Shape 8>.  Other items used to create this card…

D1283 Say It In Style stamp set
D1477 Universal Backgrounds
Z1383 Sweet Leaf Stitched Grosgrain ribbon
Z1104 Clear Sparkles       ….and of course
Z1151 3D foam  (I’m using this foam ALL the time recently!)

One more item I created with this set…I created a Post It note holder with my bind-it-all machine!

I made this for a 2nd time hostess…along with a few other goodies too!  I LOVE the cheerfulness of the Believe paper pack and thought it was perfect to make a post it note holder for the upcoming holiday season!!! Of course I needed to add some glitz...silver glitz glitter gel was the charm!

That is all the artwork I have to share for now (I’ll be sharing about Studio J next!)  So, POST your COMMENTS now so that you will have a chance to win this WONDERFUL stamp set J!!!  I can’t WAIT to see all of your ideas!!

Even if you are not the winner this time, you will want to make sure that this stamp is added to your collection PRIOR to October 31st!!!

“Holiday Magic” stamp set will ONLY be available until October 31st.  You may receive it TWO different ways – your choice! 

Your first option is to purchase it at the full retail price of $17.95.  Remember, this stamp set is NOT available in our current Idea Book – it’s only available during this month. 

SECOND – when you place a $50 order (prior to shipping & tax), you may purchase this stamp set for just $5.00 ~ a 77% savings!!!  To order this set, you may send an email my way OR go to my website by clicking here.  This set is a GREAT set to build onto your collection OR to give as a gift! J Christmas is approaching quickly!!! 

If you'd like to receive over $400 of Close To My Heart items for only $99 - please click here to see all the details!!!  You WON'T want to miss out on this deal!!!

Blessings to you for a wonderful evening!