Style, Organization and Relaxation

How do these words all fit together? 

2017 CTMH Planner

That's how!  Yes, the long awaited planners have arrived and CTMH has combined the current craze for coloring AND planning into one stylish product. 

You can choose from 3 different bundles.  

 Planner with the Black Stripe Everyday Life cover.  Same inserts, just an awesome stylish pattern.   CC1178  $31.90

Planner with the Seaglass Everday Life cover.  CTMH color of the year goes with so many different themes and is oh so cool and classy!  CC1177  $31.90

 Do you love the Black and Gold Everyday planner you got last year?  Then you just need the inserts.  Each bundle includes monthly and weekly calendars, designs you can color, pages for notes, a clear pencil bag, and three gold paperclips.  And of course you get to color your pages to your personal taste.

These items are available while supplies last so don't delay!  If they are on your Christmas wish list, share this with your Elf so (s)he can order in time! 

Shop here for your planner selection. 

Let the planning begin!

Michele

City Sidewalks: Digital Cricut Collection Blog Hop

There's a hidden gem tucked in the Holiday Expressions and you will find it here!  Welcome to the City Sidewalks Digital Cricut Blog Hop.

Did you find it?  It is on page 43.  If you came here from Corinna's Blog, you are continuing on a loop to see the wonderful artwork created with this Cricut collection.  After enjoying the artwork here, you will move on to Darlys' Blog.    What happens if you get lost along the way?  Take a look at the list of hoppers and find where you left off here on Melinda's page. 

You can dress up your artwork in holiday style with the festive images from the mini digital Cricut collection.  It coordinates with our City Sidewalks paper packet so you can complete your Christmas projects in less time. 

My artwork features a set of 6 gift tags using City Sidewalks. 

The first three tags include Cricut cuts from our City Sidewalks collection.  One of my favorite images is the swirling wreath on tag number three.

In addition to the Cricut cartridge and the paper packet, I used Z3090 Red enamel gems, M1152 Mini Christmas, and D1697 Perfect Presents stamp sets. 

Now that you have been introduced to this gem, move on over to your consultants website and add the digital collection to your cart!  If you don't have a consultant, you are welcome to shop on my website. 

And also remember it is time to move on to Darlys' blog to see what she has created! 

Enjoy crafting for the holidays with Close to My Heart products.

Michele

Flower Market Cricut Cartridge Key 15

In this video, we walk you through all the shapes you can create with the “15” key on our Cricut® Flower Market cartridge, which is designed to help you create a beautiful themed scrapbook layout, card, or 3-D project. The artwork featured in this video shows a masculine scrapbook page that’s perfect for a boy, father, husband, or grandfather.



Enjoy,

Michele

Operation Smile: Spread the Love Blog Hop

Did you know that when you purchase a stamp from Close to My Heart it benefits the charity Operation Smile? 

Welcome to the True Love for Operation Smile blog hop.  We are featuring the special stamp set created just for Operation Smile.  When you purchase this set, $7 goes directly to Operation Smile. 

What does Operation Smile do?  As a non-profit organization that provides surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates in children around the world.  Though you may not see their smiles, these children will remember the difference you have made in their lives. 

If you have arrived here from Michelle's blog, you are continuing through the hop.  When you are finished here, you will move on to Nina's blog where she will share her artwork. 

I have been using this stamp set in my coloring club because it is so much fun to give them a personality and "match" them to any paper packet.  This month, it was Jeepers Creepers but not for Halloween. 

Do you ever "run out" of letters in your embellishments?  I do all the time.  It calls creativity to use what you have!  For the word "Happy", I had several letters left from the Jeepers Creepers complements, two "R"'s in fact.  As I spread out the black glitter chipboard letters of mixed fonts, I was looking for a word that I could spell.  (It's kind of a game.)  Nothing very appropriate came up until I realized I could cut the "legs" off the "R"'s and spell "Happy."  So, Have a Happy Day it was! 


How did you color that? 
Create this card by stamping the boy in Memento ink and color with our Shin Han marker selection.  Use Marigold for the shirt and large balloon, Marine Blue for the pants, and Turquoise Blue for the small balloon.  Now for the face, start with a layer of Pastel Peach, then add Barely Beige around the hairline and cheeks for a shadow.  By the name, it seems opposite but Barely Beige is a tad darker than Pastel Peach.  Then use just a dot of Lt. Orange on the cheek and use the Barely Beige to blend it in for a light blush.  For his hair, color first with the Barely Beige, then a layer of Mahogany (or any other brown), leaving the highlighted area open.  Then go back and blend with Barely Beige, add more Mahogany on the edge and part, back and forth between the two until you get the color you like.

Now remember, you are following along in a blog hop so from here you will move on to Nina's Blog. 

You can order this stamp set and markers from your Close to My Heart consultant or visit my website. 

Hope this has brought a smile to your face and that you will help bring a smile to someone today!

Michele

Can you color too much?

I started a new coloring group this past weekend.  It is so relaxing to sit around with a group of ladies and just color! 

Because of the season, we started with leaves and fall colors.  The trick is, CTMH doesn't carry a lot of fall colors in the Shin Han set but what they did do, was provide a color recipe for all 40 exclusive colors. 

I choose Poppy, Goldrush, Desert Sand and Canary for my fall color selection (and to coordinate with Swan Lake paper packet).  Creating those 4 colors required layering of different colors to create the desired color.

• Poppy= clay, lt orange, carmine, and pastel green
• Goldrush= clay and marigold yellow
• Desert Sand= pastel green and clay
• Canary= Lt. orange and Pastel green 3x's

When you layer the inks in the order above, you do get the colors you are looking for!  It really is magic!  If you would like the "recipe" for the CTMH colors made from our 25 Shin Han markers, contact me and I will email you the file. 

Another technique I shared with my coloring groups is creating your own coloring pages (which you can then turn into beautiful cards).

For this month I used the Lovely Leaves stamp set. 

One of the benefits of My Acrylix stamps is that multiple stamps can be added to a single block to create "one" stamp.  I arranged the leaves on the block below, using a "triangle" pattern to use for random stamping.  You can see the idea of "triangle" random stamp here. 

Then using Memento Black ink, which, when dry, resists bleeding with alcohol markers, I stamped on White Daisy cardstock, nesting the leaves together.  When you look closely, you can see a pattern but when colored and then cut up for cards, the pattern becomes random.  (My sheet of paper is 5.5 x 12, easy to cut into 5.5 x 3 pieces to create 4 cards.)

Finally, after coloring my leaves and cutting, I added a touch of Swan Lake paper and coordinating cardstock to create this card. 

"Happy Fall" is from the Woodland Critters stamp set.  

If you are local and would like to join my coloring club, we meet the first Saturday of the month.  Each month, for 6 months, you receive 4 Shin Han markers and supplies to create 3 cards.  If you are not local, but would like a kit, these are also available. 

Enjoy the fall colors,
Michele

Yuletide Joy - October Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to another Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.  Each month I look forward to the challenge of creating with a new stamp set and even more seeing the ideas shared by all the participating consultants.  If you have arrived here from Nancy's Blog, welcome!  After you have taken a moment to see what I have created, you will be moving on to Marie's Blog. 

Do you ever bake from scratch?  I mean truly scratch.  Add a bit of this, oh and this might be good too and well that would be a great to add.  Well this is how this page came along. 

I added a bit of Oh Deer paper, some wonderful White Glitter paper, and yes, some Sea Glass ink and Perfectly Pine stamping.  I put it all on a mat in Design Space and with Flower Market Cricut cartridge and well, here you have it.  

I also have the perfect photo on order of my daughter blowing snow from her hands to put on this pages.   Can't wait to add it and do some journaling. 

As I "hung" the stars from the branches on the page, I also thought that these images would make great gift tags.  Going to try that next. 

Remember, this stamp set is available for the month of October.  You can purchase it from your CTMH consultant for $5 with a qualifying order OR if you don't have a consultant, you are welcome to shop on my website. 

Don't forget to hop on over to Marie's and see what fun, crafty idea she has with this stamp set. 

Happy hopping,
Michele