Blog Hop: Share the Love

During this month, CTMH is Sharing the Love!  That is the love of a sweet smile!  Close To My Heart will also donate $7 USD of the proceeds from The Share the Love stamp set to Operation Smile™, an amazing organization that provides surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates for children all over the world!  And you are here to see the fine talents of many different consultants who have created with this special stamp set.

If you have arrived here from Haley's Blog then you are on the right track.  When you have finished here, you are welcome to hop on over to Priscilla's Blog to see her creative work.  

Isn't this set adorable?  Am I the only one who starts singing the Adele song when I see that cute little "hello" speech bubble?

So I created a really fun project, inspired by Tina Lovell.  These 10 cards, 2 each of 5 designs fit perfectly in the Designer Creations cupcake box, with 10 3x3 envelopes and the cards peek out the window with a sweet peek.

As you can see I added a bit of the Cranberry Fundamental assortment to give them a little sparkle. 

Remember, this month, you can "Share the Love" and help create a smile!  Order the stamp set from your CTMH consultant or visit my website here. 

Hop on over to Priscilla's Blog now and see what sweet thing she has created. 

Smiles,
Michele

You could give someone a SMILE and change their life!

This month, by purchasing the "Share the Love" stamp set, filled with adorable icons and lovable sentiments, you will be supporting the mission of the Operation Smile.  Not only are you getting a high-quality, swoon-worthy stamp set but Close To My Heart will be donating $7 of the proceeds from this set to Operation Smile.  (Learn more about Operation Smile here.)

Thank you to: Tatiana, Stacey, Jan, Barb, Cindy, Shawn, Shelley, Linda, Jen, Christina and Karen for joining me for Bingo on Feb 1st. I had a great time crafting and calling numbers! "R-13"? And the purpose was to kick off my goal of raising enough money for one "SMILE" surgery for Operation Smile.

• Q: What is the cost of one surgery?
  A: $240.
  Q: How much did we raise?
  A: $100

What a kick off!

Now you too can participate!  During this month, the Share the Love stamp set is available BUT you can also purchase the Animal Greetings stamp set (all year round) and CTMH will donate $7 of the proceeds of this set to Operation Smile as well.  

Or, you can also participate by rounding up your order total.  Your additional pennies will add up with others' pennies and together help bring a new smile to this world. 

To see artwork with the Share the Love stamp set, type #ctmhsharethelove into Instagram or Facebook.  If you create and post artwork, add this hashtag to your artwork to share with others. 

You can also donate directly to Operation Smile here.  

And you can shop for these stamp sets here. 

Finally, on February 7th, come right back here to see the Operation Smile Share the Love blog hop where consultants from all over will be posting their artwork and celebrating the work of Operation Smile. 

And here's a sneak peek for you! 

Thank you! 

Michele

February Stamp of the Month: Balloon Animal

Welcome to the stamp of the month blog hop.  Can you believe it is already February and we have a fun new stamp set to play with? 

You are going to love all the creative ideas you will see with these sweet stamps, Balloon Animals.  When I saw them, I knew they would be so much fun to play with.

If you have arrived here from Jacquelin's Blog, you are on the right track.  When you are finished here, you will hop right along to Jean's blog.  Now this is a great big circle so just keep on moving through and you will have at least 40 great ideas on what you can create with this stamp set. 

I thought these stamps went great with the Penelope paper packet featured in the Spring Expressions mini catalog that went live in January.  And they fit great with the cards that are created in the Workshops Your Way kit using the Little Critters stamp set.  So, I used the same card patterns, did a little rotating on some of the designs and created another set of cards with this set.  Here they are!

Now remember, hop on over to Jean's Blog and see what she has created with these Balloon Animals.  Remember, this set is only available through the month of February.  You can purchase this set from your Close to My Heart Consultant or, if you do not have a consultant, you can visit my website to purchase yours.  And when you have a $50 order, you get this set for just $5. 

Enjoy your creative time!
Michele

Valentine, Techniques and Tutorials OH MY!

I have started thinking of Valentine treat and have been posting some on Instagram (follow me @ Evergreenmemories).  Here's a great video tutorial from Close to My Heart on creating a more masculine Valentine.  And Jill shares so many techniques using watercolors, watercolor pencils, sparkles, and stars. 

Enjoy! 

Michele

Seasonal Expressions 1 Blog Hop!

Did you know that CTMH has a new mini catalog full of wonderful, refreshing product?  If you missed that announcement, then you are in the right place to get an artwork preview!

Filled with fresh new paper and stamps bringing a bit of spring to your winter!  If you have arrived here from Kirsten's Blog then you are on the right track to hop through the consultant artwork from this featured catalog.  From here, you will hop on over to Jeanie's Blog.

I love everything about this book but I am choosing to share with you my paper pieced Spring Critters.

This technique is easy to do with our new thin cuts.  I stamped first on white paper and then again on the patterned paper.  I then used the thin cuts to cut out both images and used scissors to hand cut off the extra paper that I would use in the image.  So fun and easy.

I am new to thin cuts but I love that the CTMH cuts are packaged like our stamp sets; held on a magnetic sheet so they are easy to store and manage. 

To see more products from the Spring Seasonal Expressions, visit your consultants website.  If you do not have a consultant, you are welcome to shop with me. 

Now remember you will be hopping on over to visit Jeanie's Blog. 

Happy Stamping,
Michele

More than just one way to Live Your Day!

The Live Your Day Picture My Life deck of cards is only available during the month of January.  I used mine to create this fun birthday book... (can be seen in its entirety here)

 
 but watch this video from our home office and you can even more ideas on how to use this wonderful stack of cards. 



What will you do with your sets?  Order yours from my website today. 

Happy scrapping,
Michele

Introducing Charlotte

With the new year comes three new paper packs in the Close to My Heart selection.  Today you are getting a look at the paper packet possibly named after a princess, Charlotte.

The colors featured in this paper packet include black, champagne, slate, sorbet, whisper, and white daisy.  I also added some smoothie for a little vibrancy.  And something you should know about these new paper packets is they have new features.  All the papers in the kit are double sided patterned paper.  With some prints that are more subdued than other so they create a perfect combination for your artwork.  If you feel you need to add some solid cardstock, it is available from our Annual Inspiration idea book.

You will also notice that the paper packets have a new name for the workshops, Workshops Your Way.  These are set up for scrapbookers AND card makers.

In addition to all this product, Close to My Heart includes online access to a cutting and creative guide for scrapbook pages and cards.  As an example, you can see the guide for the Charlotte Workshop HERE. 

Finally, here are the cards that you can create when you add the Springtime Wishes stamp set.

Join the fun today!  Order your workshop your way and create at home or visit my Calendar of Events and attend one of my workshops.

Happy Stamping,
Michele

Products used:
G1104  Charlotte Workshop Your Way
C1641  Springtime Wishes Stamp set
Z3201  Springtime Wishes Thin Cuts
Z2164  Sorbet Ink Pad
Z2196  Smoothie Ink Pad (I substituted for the Sorbet for a little more vibrant color)
Z899  Momento Ink Pad
Z3132  Watercolor Paints
X254 White Cards and Envelopes
Z3188 Watercolor Brushes
Z2060 Thin Foam Tape

National Paper Crafting Month Blog Hop: Live Your Day

January is National Paper Crafting month and Close to My Heart is offering a wonderful special to celebrate.

Live Your Day is a collection of Picture My Life cards designed to coordinate perfectly with the sensational Everyday Life 2016 Planner Pages and My Crush Everyday Life Pages.   You can seamlessly integrate pocket scrapbooking into your 2016 planner or on their own, these cards make it easy to preserve your everyday moments all year long.

As you travel through this blog hop, you will see a variety of unique ideas on how you can use these cards to create fun artwork!  If you have arrived here from Jaquelin's Blog, you are hopping right along.  When you are ready to move along, you will be visiting Traci's Blog.

Now here is what I created with these cards.  I find the need to keep birthdays on a perpetual calendar to refer to each month and plan to create and send cards.  So, I used this set, the Artistry Cricut Cartridge, My Creations Mini Book and some fun white glitter paper to create My Birthday Book with birthday icons.

This set includes 20 4x6 cards and 20 4x3 cards. I used the 4x3 "month" cards and "birthday list and then decorated the 4x6 cards in between to make it fun! 

Each month of the year is represented like this January page.  

And in the final page, I made a pocket to keep stamps!

You can purchase the Live Your Day card set from your consultant or if you would like to create this book and are local, please see my Calendar of Events and sign up for the workshop.  If you are not local and do not have a consultant, contact me about getting a kit to go with instructions to create your own Birthday Book.   

Now remember to hop on over to Traci's Blog to see what she has created with the Live Your Day card set.  

Happy Creating,

Michele

January Stamp of the Month Blog Hop: Beloved Bouquet

Happy New Year and welcome to the January stamp of the month blog hop!  I hope you will find the artwork you see inspirational and urge you to begin creating regularly in the new year. 

If you have arrived here from Lauren's Blog, then you are following right along.  When you have completed your visit here, you will hop on over to Michelle's Blog to see what she has created. Now to see the Beloved Bouquet stamp set!

The stamp set this month is a great set to try two step stamping technique.  The solid stamp is stamped with a lighter ink and placed first on your paper and then the lined stamp is inked in a darker color and then stamped over top the first stamp.  This is an especially great result for flowers. 

So here is the card I created using this technique.  You can see the two step stamping technique on the flower and leaves. 

To create this card, I used the La Vie En Rose paper and the Beautiful You Picture My Life cards.  This combination of products creates a great back drop for the designs in this stamp set. 

 This card is the same layout with just a switch of the focal point from the left to the right.  And the image I stamped using the "baby's breath" stamp was first, second and third generation stamped in the pomegranate color to provide more depth of the image. 

As a reminder, each month, CTMH offers a stamp of the month.  This stamp set can only be purchased during that month.  With a $50 order, the stamp set is only $5.  You can also purchase it for $17.95...but who doesn't like a good deal.  Contact your consultant to purchase yours or if you do not have a consultant, I am happy to help you. 

Remember to hop on over to Michelle's Blog and enjoy her creations! 

Happy New Year,
Michele

Beautiful You!

Yes that's right!  You are beautiful!  I often have a hard time believing that about myself but every day I make an effort to celebrate who I am even if it is just for a moment. 

With this thought in mind, I was inspired by Beckie Lehman's use of the Picture My Life card set to create a display board that I can add photos to that celebrate me! 

I love the gold foil accents on the cards and adding Pomegranate Fundamental Assortment, Gold Shimmer Trim and Gold Foil tape to highlight them even more.  The new Pomegranate color is such a great color for the rolled roses cut from the Artiste Cricut cartridge and I added a little Cotton Candy as well. 

And then, what do you do with the leftover cards?   Why you use them to create more of course!

So I took the leftover cards and the La Vie En Rose paper packet and made three double page layouts.  Sticking with the same gold shimmer trim and pink enamel gems, I added some flowers cut from the Artistry Cricut cartridge to add whimsy to the design.  (This was inspired by Chris Lothian) Ahhh, love how it turned out. 

And guess what, I still had Picture My Life cards left so I started creating cards!  More La Vie En Rose, gold shimmer trim, pink enamel gems and a few card bases.  Easy to create greeting cards were made in a flash!  Here are just three of the cards out of the 12 I created.  I repeated the card design and will have more cards to share later!

Finally, yes, I had saved out some special cards.  They were so pretty and I tend to hoard the pretty ones.  But I decided to create a banner with them!  The projects seem endless and fun! 

Treat yourself to a celebration of YOU and create with these Beautiful You cards as well.  I am hosting a workshop in my home on Sunday January 9th.  You can choose the project or set of projects you would like to complete from just this one set of Picture My Life Cards.  Whether you order a kit to go or sign up for the class by Dec 30th, I will supply the Cricut cuts and ribbon for you to create the banner for FREE!  Contact me today!