So much more than crafting—it's about connection, community, and the friendships that blossom along the way. Yes, I offer workshops, classes, and retreats where I teach card-making, scrapbooking, and journaling techniques, but what truly matters is the sharing of stories, the support we give each other, and the laughter we share.
Do you ever get together with a group of friends and get so excited about the gathering that you forget to introduce people? Yes, that is me...and I did it again. I am so excited about the new Seasonal Expressions that launched May 1st that I didn't give it a proper introduction.
So let me introduce
Calypso
Make your own sunshine with this colorful, summer paper set and oh so much fun stamp sets!
Florence
A genuinely warm and elegant set of papers with stamps and embellishments.
Magical
Capture the excitement and memories from your magical family vacations and celebrations.
Happy Times
(only available until May 31st)
Floral designs and gold foil details will make anyone happy.
Do you have a favorite? You can order today and participate in the mystery hostess drawing. When you visit my website make sure to join Happy Times Mystery Hostess.
I hope you have enjoyed meeting the characters from the Seasonal Expressions Spring/Summer idea book. Let me know if you would like to receive your own paper copy.
Even if the skies are gray, you can bring some sunshine that won't go away. Close to My Heart featured this wreath in a YouTube video and I knew it would be fast, easy and simple to make. And a beautiful bit of sunshine in my house.
If you can follow directions, then you can make it too! I will post the video below but of course, I can follow directions but sometimes I choose not to and make it my own. Here's what I did differently.
I didn't have a wreath base so I cut a ring out of cardboard and wrapped it in 2" batting strips to give it some dimension.
I used the Happy Times paper packet: canary yellow diagonal stripe, yellow floral on white, gold foil paper and yellow from Georgie paper packet. You would have plenty of yellow in one pack of Happy Times but I started with Georgie, didn't have enough so I switched.
If I did it again, I would cut the gold paper across the stripes for more pattern.
I cut all my paper strips at 1.5".
Now, watch the video and create a wreath for yourself!
The Happy Times paper pack is available until May 31st. You can get this pack for free with a $60 order on my website or purchase for $14.95. Orders can be placed on my website.
When I first saw this paper packet, I saw pink. But not everyone is a "pink" fan so I challenged myself to work a different color angle.
I love the ombre colored paper in the packet. There is one green to blue and one in orange to red. So pretty! So I started with the green ombre paper, added the green floral print, and then some glacier blue from the Calypso paper packet. (You can click on the photo to see it larger.)
Because the photos are of my girls, I did add a bit of the floral paper and of course some bling using the white shimmer trim. I added a fun watercolor element using the clear resist cards and watercolored the blue over top. When it was almost dry, I stamped their names and they "ran" a bit to add to the effect. (Honestly, I thought they were dry enough but they need to be completely dry, like maybe a full day if you have the patience. Clearly, I do not.)
Have your ordered your Happy Times paper pack yet? Remember, it is free with a $60 order or $14.95. You can order on my website and join the Happy Times Mystery Hostess Party and June 1st I will draw for some lucky person to receive the hostess rewards!
Adult coloring has become a new trend and the relaxing benefits of coloring have found many out buying a coloring book and markers or colored pencils to partake.
What do you do with those coloring pages when you are finished? I decided that if I was going to spend time coloring, I want to use what I have colored to share joy with someone else. I also know that I have too many beautiful stamps sets to justify purchasing a coloring book.
After random stamping with my acrylic stamps, coloring with my Shin Han markers, discovering the relaxation, and creativity and then creating a card that I can send to someone else I had to share! Thus, the coloring club was born.
Our first meet up was in April and I had provided each participant a random stamped 12 x 12 sheet (using Memento Ink and the You've got a Friend stamp set from CTMH). I shared with them the benefits and care of the Shin Han markers and then we spent the evening coloring together.
We started with the following colors:
Here's a bit of what I covered.
The markers perform best when they are stored horizontally.
CTMH provides a great storage solution in the marker roll up.
The colorless blender helps remove color, blending two colors together or repairs coloring outside the lines.
Memento Black ink provides a stamped image that does not run when using alcohol markers.
Here are the cards we made during our first meeting. Fast, easy and simple. Bright colors will bring a smile to any recipient. (For some reason the exposure of this photo is not bright but trust me, it is in person!)And the time spent together was relaxing and therapeutic. We made 6 cards for the win!
The next month, we will play with shading and light source direction. I can't wait to show you how.
If you like video instruction like me, here's the video by Kathy Skipper that I watched to get me started.
If you would like to join the color club, we would love to have you join us either locally, through skype or via mail order kits. Contact me to start your coloring craze!
Our
family cabin is located just 30 minutes from Leavenworth near Lake
Wenatchee.During this getaway you will
have the opportunity to work on your own projects, complete a scrapbook
or card workshop from the new catalog, participate in technique demos, win prizes, and
enjoy time at the lake!
How do you earn it? This weekend will be offered to the first 5
people who complete one of the following
challenges:
For Evergreen Memories consultants who
signed up before April 2016:
Submit $600 in sales by May 31st, 2016.
For Evergreen Memories consultants who
signed up during April or May 2016:
Submit $350 in sales by May 31st, 2016.
For my hostesses during May 2016:
Host an in‐person or online gathering with a
minimum of $350 in sales.
This is the PERFECT month for this challenge!
New Catalog! New
Products!
New Paper! New
Stamp Sets!
FREE Happy Times paper pack
with a $60 purchase
All CTMH albums are 20% off!
Want to take on the challenge? Contact me today to get started!
Did you know that May is Nat'l Scrapbooking month? Any month that brings out a gorgeous paper packet like "Happy Times" is a friend of mine.
And of course, I want to show it off! This blog hop is a fantastic way to become inspired by all the creative ways you can use this set of patterned paper. If you have arrived here from Lauren's Blog, you are on the right track. After you have seen the artwork I am sharing, you are welcome to move along to Donna's Blog.
The detail of this paper features floral designs, gold foil details, and more! The colors are stunning and pair nicely with CTMH pomegranate, fern, smoothie, glacier and canary colors.
The special also includes an exclusive "Happy Times" stamp set which coordinates perfectly with the floral images.
I chose to create a card using the new Jubilee Cut above card bases. I love how the gold accents in the kit coordinate with the gold detail in the "Happy Times" paper as well as the white and gold ribbon.
For the cards I inked the flowers in canary ink and then touched the tips in hollyhock to get a two-toned flower.
This next 3x3 card was a create and take for my last retreat. For this card, I used juniper paper and ink in addition to pixie and hollyhock. Great combination for a floral card.
Now just a reminder, this paper packet and stamp set are available only during May 1-31, 2016 OR while supplies last. The paper pack is free with a $60 purchase which can include the Happy Times stamp set for $17.95. You can also purchase that paper packet for $14.95.
Contact your Close to My Heart Consultant to take advantage of this offer. If you do not have a consultant you currently work with, I would love to help you. Feel free to contact me or order directly from my website.
And now for this great video from our home office showing you even more artwork.
To see more artwork, don't forget to hop on over toDonna's Blog.
I hope your day is filled with Happy Times.
Michele
Yes, any kind of cake you like! This month the stamp of the month allows you to build the cake you like!
Thank you for joining me on this blog hop. If you have arrived here from Michelle's blog, you a hopping right along. When you have finished your stop here, you will be heading over to Brenda's blog.
For this artwork display, I created two cards. The first is paper pieced. I stamp on several different patterned papers from the Kaleidoscope paper packet, cut the pieces and then layered them together for a yummy spring cake.
This second card is not "cake" related but I loved the simplicity of the banner and roses for a card.
You can purchase this stamp set only during the month of May. Contact your consultant for details or if you do not have a CTMH consultant, you can order from my website here.
Now don't forget to move on to Brenda's Blog to see her artwork using this stamp set.
