Rock the BLOCK Blog Hop!

Welcome to our Rock the Block Blog Hop!

We will be featuring December and January’s Constant Campaign!!!  This special starts TODAY – December 19th and it includes an E-size stamp set AND a PREVIEW of a new item in our Spring Idea Book – My Creations Collage Cubes!!!! The stamp set includes 22 ADORABLE stamps!! 

This EXCLUSIVE stamp set & collage cubes can be YOURS when you purchase $25 in product from the current Fall/Winter Idea Book. The RETAIL VALUE of these two items are $44.90 – but you will pay just $15.00!!!  Yes- you will be getting the E-size (retail value $29.95) for FREE!!!!



If you have come here from Gina’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.

Today we have over 30 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this Rock the Block special!! Yayy!!!  So sit back and enjoy each creation as you venture through this blog hop and get GREAT ideas to create on your own!!

This 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!

I had a LOT of fun using these Collage blocks.  I wanted to create a set of travel games, but time got away from me, so I chose to create an picture album puzzle using our current Christmas pictures. 

There are SIX sides to these collage cubes PLUS it comes with a tray to store the cubes in too!!!  There were a LOT of items to decorate….and the ideas kept coming as I was creating! J I tried to do a different technique on each side of the cube so that you can see a VARIETY of ways to use your stamps and inks!

It was VERY hard for me to not embellish these blocks J– as you notice, I did use 3D foam tape (which I would NOT recommend using J) and some of my blocks are a bit tight in the tray and do not flip very easily. 

 Products I used to create these collage cubes puzzle…

Z1686 Cricut Art Philosophy Collection

X7143B Sonoma level 2 paper
Z1635 Heirloom Assortment

Ink colors I used…

Smokey Plum, Petal, Olive, Bamboo and Cocoa

Now "Hop" on over to Jen’s Blog to see her amazing artwork!
Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas!

If you would like to see more details (and pictures) of the rest of my projects, please feel free to scroll down for the details! J

Remember, the Rock the Block special is only available until January 31st!!! Place your qualifying order of $25 in CTMH product and receive these TWO items (retailed at $44.90) for ONLY $15.00!!!! Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at this amazing discount!
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Here are the rest of the details for the collage blocks I created...
I wanted to use some of the BEAUTIFUL Sonoma paper…and decided to use the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge to create some letters…nothing fancy, but nice and simple.









We had gotten our pictures taken the other week and I thought this was the PERFECT opportunity to use them!

Take notice of how a 4x6 picture will fit on these cubes PERFECTLY!!!!  That is a 4x6 picture cut into 2” squares.

Do you see the frames stamped at the bottom?  If you look at the stamp set, you’ll see there is NOT just a frame shown as a stamp.  What I did was masking…I stamped the framed image “it’s hip to be square”  and cut out the middle of the frame.  When I wanted to stamp just the frame, I put the cut out words over my inked words on the stamp,  and by doing that, I only stamped the frame image that I wanted!   



This next side was a picture of just our three precious children. 

I took the stamp “FUN” and stamped it on bamboo cardstock, and then cut out the letters separately.  If you look closely, you will notice they are not cut perfect…that’s why I put a flower behind each letter so it would hide the imperfection. J It’s also fun to stamp flourishes on top of B&T paper.

This is one side of my cube where I used the 3D foam tape…I would suggest not doing that as it makes your blocks larger and therefore they do not fit back into the tray like they should. J





I chose to decorate the bottom tray that comes along with the Collage Cubes.  I did not have the pictures printed that I’d like to put on here, but thought you might like to see the stamped part of the project. J
I LOVE this HUGE flourish that comes in this Rock the Block stamp set!!!  So many things you can do with this stamp!!! 

Take notice that I used one of the background stamps in this set to add a bit of texture between the two stamped images.  I think I may use my cutting knife to cut away some of the flourish design, and then tuck my picture behind the flourishes…


Here is the outside of the tray…I used our Sonoma paper pack and THEN I used our handy-dandy “zip strips” as my border! (these quick "zip strips" come in EACH of our NEW paper packs as a little extra!)  The zip strips are 12” long…but this tray measured 6 1/2” x 6 1/2”.  Uh oh- what to do?!? The zip strip will not be long enought!!!!  Well…this is where I can use EMELLLISHMENTS!!! J I pulled out my coordinating Heirloom Assortment and used those ADORABLE flowers to cover up the ends of my zip strips!  So clever! J

Then I used the leaves stamp from the Rock the Block pack to make the flower look more real!!! J






I did not have pictures to finish my collage blocks BUT I did complete all 6 sides!!!




Check out how each one is created a bit differently! J

I used the circle border stamp to create a background!!!
Take a look at the “chip off the old block” image.  Can you see I stamped TWO different frames and then just layered them on top of each other? J  I wanted a different look and decided to try this!







This side of the blocks will be for a picture of our daughter.  I stamped the entire 6x6 cocoa cardstock with the one of the texture stamps.  Then I created some flowers by using the “Stamp kissing” method to create a design in my flower!!!  This gives my flowers texture and a different appearance from the original stamp! 

I also cut a shape on the Art Philosophy cartridge for the “It’s Hip to be Square” stamp.  It did not line up perfectly with the precut shape, so I colored the edges that it didn’t line up in smokey plum! 
Also, I used my CTMH markers on this side.  I colored in a few words  on this stamped image and I colored the dotted line around the inside of the bracket line with the olive colored marker too!







My final side of the collage blocks are a random stamped side.  I will be putting one of our sons pictures on this side…so I didn’t want too girly, but decided to pull out that paisley stamp and do some 2 color stamping.  I first inked my stamp in the lighter color – petal, then I rolled the outer edges of the stamp in a darker color – in this case smokey plum.  I then get a two toned stamped image!!!

Now "Hop" on over to Jen’s Blog to see her amazing artwork!

I hope you enjoyed these details! J  Feel free to leave a comment!  I enjoy reading each one of them! 

Have a very Merry Christmas!!!
Blessings!
 Krista