December Stamp of the Month BLOG HOP!!!

Welcome to our

Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

This month we will be featuring Close To My Heart December SOTM, which is called “Year-Round Cheer” a set of 12 stamps, that are GREAT to use all year long!! J

Take a look at the variety of images!!

If you have come here from Brae Montgomery'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 60 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM!!

Wahoo- 60 DIFFERENT ideas in using this stamp set!!

This Blog Hop is simple to do…just CLICK on the link at the end of the post on each blog and move along to the next one!!!

Have FUN and happy hopping!!!

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Here are the 3 cards I created using a few images in this stamp set! There are SO many options and ways to use this set!!!

When I first saw this stamp set…I knew I had to “cut apart” my stamps right away!

Make sure to use a SHARP tool when cutting apart your stamps, I took my Micro-tip scissors, and cut the wording off of each individual stamp.

Now, when I place my stamp image on a block, I can butt the stamps together, making them look as one (no one will know the difference) OR I can use my words separately on another part of my creation!

The card I am going to focus on today, is the card pictured on the right…”Hello Sunshine!”

If you would like to continue on this hop, you can hop on over to Tamra Pope’s BLOG …

OR

If you would like to learn more about how I created the “Hello Sunshine” card, scroll down for all the DETAILS!

I used the mesh image from my FAVORITE background stamp set, Universal Backgrounds, to stamp the base of my card.

Paper products I used…Colonial White cardstock, Crème Brulee Cardstock and the “zip strip” from a designer paper in the Clementine paper pack.

I wanted to create a flower to add to my card and thought of our GREAT Paradise Paper flowers, So, I used this for my smallest center flower J…

I wanted to try some NEW flower shapes because the color flower I needed – had been already used from the pack! So, off I went to explore the Artiste booklet!!!

(check out the 700 images on this ARTISTE cartridge! I’m STILL AMAZED that so many images can be on ONE cartridge! It’s WONDERFUL!!)

Check out the “r” key in the Artiste book…

I FOUND my flowers!!! I cut out the two different shaped flowers on the Accent 2 button.

After cutting out the flowers..I took my bone folder and scored a line down the center of my 1 3/4” lagoon colored flower.

Next, I layered the sunset 1 1/4” flower on top of it. Then, I added the yellow paper flower next.

I finished this flower by adding an adhesive backed BLING from the boutique assortment.

I also thought it would be nice to add something to my “lemonade” to give it a special look…

Look carefully J…

I stamped the top part of the lemonade stamp in SUNSET ink

Next, I stamped the bottom “liquid” in Crème Brulee ink.

To finish the lemonade – I used some stardust Glitz Glitter Gel! I was very excited at how it turned out!!!

Now that CTMH has 7 different glitz colors…I have a colored glitz for ALL of my embellishing needs!!!

I hope you enjoyed the details of this creation but MOST OF ALL…

I hope it has INSPIRED you to create something of your own! J

Next stop is Tamra Pope’s BLOG!!! Hop on over to check out what she has created with this beautiful stamp set!! J

Be sure to visit ALL the Consultants at their Blogs…and feel free to leave comments as you go through the Hop! We all enjoy reading your comments about each piece of artwork!

This stamp set “Year-Round Cheer”

is ONLY available from

December 1st- 31st

…so contact your CTMH Consultant (or feel free to shop with me at my website J) to see how YOU can get this EXCLUSIVE stamp set for an AMAZING discount!!

Happy Creating,

Krista J

SUPER DEALS on my website…

December 1st @ 12 am MST (2am EST) there will be NEW items added to the “While Supplies Last” section of my WEBSITE!!!

www.kristah.ctmh.com

All orders placed on my website from Dec 1-31 that reach or exceed $50 will also include a FREE Bonding Memories® glue pen (Z553)—a $4.50 value!

***Join my TEAM BEFORE Dec 13th***

and YOU will RECEIVE TWO EXTRA items for FREE!!!

Choose between the $49 or $99 Consultant Start up kit…

and I WILL personally include a

Dotty for you Paper pack (retail value $19.95)

AND It’s Your Day stamp set (retail value $35.90)

for FREE!!!

I’d LOVE to have you join our “Create 4 Him” family!!!

CLICK HERE to learn the MANY different ways to be a part of our family!

Footloose Hawaiian 2 page layouts :)

I would like to share a layout I created for our Hawaiian swap! 

After we arrived home from my CTMH Hawaii cruise in March, I created a two page layout using the Footloose Paper Pack…

an Exclusive Hawaiian Stamp set…

and any embellishments that coordinated with this paper kit.

WHAT FUN!!!!

I used the Magic how-to-book pattern “Enchantment” for my layout design and then filled in the layout with our coordinating papers!

After creating my 2 page layout – I created 8 more 2 page layouts of the exact same thing! J

I sent all the layouts to one particular consultant  (thanks Sara!J )and she grouped me with 8 other Hawaiian Cruisers and sorted out the 2 page layouts and mailed me back 9 DIFFERENT 2 page layouts !! 

What a GREAT way to get ideas, techniques and scrapbook pages completed for my Hawaii Cruise 2012 Album! J

Here is the layout I created…

The flowers were cut with the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge.  I used Smoothie cardstock and White Daisy.

The center of my flowers, are a paper flower from the Paradise Paper Flower collection.  I inked the edges of these paper flowers in Smoothie ink.  I am finding myself using these flowers for SOOO many  things!!!

Notice the leaves for my flowers…they are actually a stamp that is supposed to be a clam image!!!  I stamped those “leaves” in sweet leaf ink, tucked them behind the flowers and you never know they are clams!

I used a “zip strip”- the 1/2” strip at the top of all of our paper packs (LOVE that little extra J) and finished it off with Durables, Baker’s Twine and Wooden Shapes. 

Did you notice my base pages?  See the two toned color???  This is called the suede method and it’s very QUICK and EASY to do!!!

Take your open ink pad, turn upside down like you are going to “stamp” the ink pad on the 12x12 piece of cardstock.  Instead, start making your ink pad go in circles, and eventually touch down on your 12x12 paper – still swirling or making your ink pad go in circles!  This will create a swirl/suede design on your base pages!!!  I used Bamboo ink on Bamboo cardstock and it really shows a nice contrast. 

I added a frame to my title, by dry embossing around the outside.  I then took my Bamboo ink pad and “distressed” the raised lines with ink. 

Something else I hadn’t done in awhile – I created a shadow on my title.  I used Lagoon ink for the “Aloha” , stamped it and after stamping, just moved the stamp over 1/8th (without re-inking) and stamped again to give it the shadow effect!!

I hope you were inspired and are ready to create your OWN artwork! J

Don’t forget about JUNE’S special…..

STAMPAGANZA!!!

If you are a “regular” CTMH friend, you know what this is all about and look forward to stocking up on your favorite stamps sets during this special!! If you are NEW to CTMH, you will LOVE this special deal on our already AMAZINGLY priced stamp sets!!

CLICK HERE to check out the online Idea Book and browse for the stamp sets that have been on your wish list, or maybe you have a gift list that needs to be completed too!

CLICK HERE to go to my website and be one of the FIRST to get the Stampaganza Special - Buy TWO get ONE FREE stamp sets!!!

Blessings to you and may you have a wonderful week!!!

Krista J

June SOTM Blog Hop!! :)

Welcome to our

Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

We will be featuring June's SOTM, which is called “Life is Tweet”, a set of 15 stamps.

If you have come here from Nancy Brown’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 55 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM!!

This Blog Hop is simple to do…just CLICK on the link at the end of the post on each blog and move along to the next one!!! Have FUN and happy hopping!!!

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Here are the two cards I created with this month’s stamp set.  I thought the Lucy paper pack fit these cards well…and it was FUN to create them! 

Did you notice the size of these cards?  I was in the mood to be “different” and wanted to do odd sized cards – hence the 4 3/4” x 3” card sizes.  A perfect size to add to a gift, or mail off to a friend!!!

Supplies Used:

X7149B Lucy paper pack

X5918- Summer Combo Cardstock (cotton candy)

1388 – Colonial White Cardstock

Z1686- Cricut Art Philosophy Collection

Red, Pink & Purple Asst Sparkles

Paradise Paper Flowers

Pink Asst. Brads

Pink Collection Designer Ribbon

Glitz Glitter Gel – Stardust

Sponge Daubers

3D foam tape

Sanding Kit

Ink colors: Crème Brulee, Grey Wool, Cotton Candy, Sweet Leaf

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Feel free to “Hop” on over to Susan Brook’s BLOG to see what she has created with this EXCLUSIVE Stamp set!!

If you’d like to see some more details concerning my two cards and details on how they were created, keep scrolling down and I will share that with you.

Be sure to visit ALL the Consultants at their Blogs…and we love reading your comments on what YOU liked about each piece of artwork!

This set “Life is Tweet” is ONLY available from June 1-30…so contact your CTMH Consultant (or feel free to shop with me at my website J) to see how YOU can get this stamp set for an AMAZING discount!!

My First Card…

I created the sentiment “tweet, wonderful you” by using the sponge daubers to blend the colors together!  This is a QUICK, EASY way to add a bit of texture & design to any created item.
I stamped the wording in Crème Brulee ink, and then took a sponge dauber inked in Cotton Candy ink and daubed the inside square with the pink color.  When stamped, the colors look blended together!





Another way that I will often use SPONGE DAUBERS…
I use them to color things that are white.  In this case, the smallest flower  was a white flower and I inked up my dauber in Sweet Leaf green and created a flower to coordinate with my card! J



If you look real close at this picture, you will notice that I “popped” the border, my bird and the sentiment.
  I encourage you to “pop” something on your next item you create.  It’s amazing how a little bit of “pop” will create a WOW factor out of a “normal” creation.


The Second Card…

Another GREAT perk to this stamp set…it’s CRICUT Compatible to our Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge!!!  I cut out the flower image in Colonial White and then matted it in Grey Wool.

I added some pom-pom ribbon from our pink ribbon collection and popped (once again – LOL!) the bird and sentiment. 

I thought it needed “something else” on the card- so out came the Stardust Glitz Glitter Gel. J

****If you haven’t already,  feel free to “Hop” on over to Susan Brook’s BLOG and see her June SOTM artwork!! J

In case you haven’t heard…

June 1st an AMAZING special begins at

Close To My Heart...……

STAMPAGANZA!!! 

If you are a “regular” CTMH friend, you know what this is all about and look forward to stocking up on your favorite stamps sets during this special!!  If you are NEW to CTMH, you will LOVE this special deal on our already AMAZINGLY priced stamp sets!! 

CLICK HERE to check out the online Idea Book and browse for the stamp sets that have been on your wish list, or maybe you have a gift list that needs to be completed too!

CLICK HERE to go to my website and be one of the FIRST to get the Stampaganza Special - Buy TWO get ONE FREE  stamp sets!!!

Blessings to you and may you have a wonderful week!!!

Krista  J

Dotty for You layout–Vote for me! :)

I am so excited to enter the Dotty for You contest on Facebook that is sponsored by Close To My Heart!!! 

If you’d like J, feel free to  vote for my Dotty for You layout by clicking here!!! 

My Entry is called “Flowers & Swirls w/Dotty for You!” and HERE is the layout I created! J

I am REALLY enjoying the Dotty for You paper pack!  I believe this layout shows my favorite designed papers from this pack. 





This paper pack, that was created by CTMH to honor National Scrapbooking Month, is GOING fast – there is only 10% of this paper pack left – so HURRY and order yours today!!!




I will share the DETAILS and TIPS I used in creating this layout…but first

Here are the supplies I used to create this layout…

Dotty for You Paper Pack

Colonial White Cardstock

Grey Flannel Cardstock

Cricut Art Philosophy Collection

Magic Book

Petals Paper Flowers

Paradise Paper Flowers

Sparkles Flourishes

Green Brad Assortment

Garden Wooden Shapes

Lagoon Mini-Medley (retired)

Sponge Daubers

Inks used…Grey Flannel and Sweet Leaf

Now DETAILS…
I LOVE when any embellishment is just “plain” white.  Why, you ask?  That means I can COLOR it to whatever color I need to coordinate with my creation!!!

Take a look at the Large Green flower and the Gray flowers…yup, you guessed it!  These flowers came from our Petals Paper Flower collection.  I used my wonderful, handy sponge daubers and inked the flowers to be the colors I needed!!!


Notice the Lagoon (turquoise/blue) flowers – they are from our Paradise Paper Flower Collection – already colored for you!!!  I am using these flowers sooo much!!!  With a variety of four colors, Crème Brulee, Smoothie, Lagoon & Sunset, they add a splash of color to any creation!



When you purchase the Paradise Paper Flowers you will receive …
*68 different flowers, (make sure you pull them ALL apart! J ) 
*in 4 styles
*and 4 colors!!!




One of the NEW items I used in this layout was our Sparkle Flourishes!!! Believe it or not – I haven’t used these before!




Love, LOVE these flourishes and how EASY they are to add to anything! 
I chose to cut the flourishes apart J…and then I did add a few more bitty sparkles to create my own flourishes as well!






The Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge (once again) came to my rescue as I added this bracket AND the scalloped border on the left side of the page! 

You’ll want to stay tuned to my Blog starting on Monday, May 28th!!!

I will be having a COUNT down with Dotty for You!!!  I will post a NEW CARD each day,  that was created with this FUN paper pack!!! 

Stay TUNED!!!

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A Reminder J…

My MYSTERY HOSTESS Contest is still taking place!!!

For every Dotty for You paper pack, or May Stamp of the Month that you purchase on a special link on my home page…

you will be eligible to be a MYSTERY HOSTESS and earn $40-$100 in CTMH product!!!

If you'd like YOUR CHANCE to WIN some WONDERFUL, QUALITY Close To My Heart Product....

Click on the “May Orders w/Krista…” link on my website and when you make a qualifying purchase and add the Dotty for You paper pack ($5 with a $35 purchase) OR the May Stamp of the Month ($5 with a $50 purchase) you will EARN tickets!

These tickets will be entered into the Mystery Hostess drawing and earning YOU a chance to WIN $40-$100 in Hostess items!!!

CLICK HERE for all the details and find out who was my April Mystery hostess!!!

Enjoy the LONG weekend!! J

Krista J

Close To My Heart Independent Consultant

610-587-9116

Email: fun2stampnscrap@dejazzd.com

Website: www.kristah.ctmh.com