November Stamp of the Month Side Stair Step Card

This card was a lot of fun to make!  You definitely want to have a paper trimmer to make it.  (I taught this side stair step card to my VIP Facebook group.)

I used the November stamp of the month, You Warm My Heart, paired with the Serenity paper collection.  I used the color of the year, Blue Belle, with Sapphire and Toffee inks and cardstock, plus gold shimmer trim, Blue Belle glitter paper, and a gold glitter gem.

Here's a side view so you can see the different angles and layers.

I'm adding this card to the Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge #422 Tic-Tac-Toe Serenity color palette, column 1.

Heart2Heart Challenges: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!

This final November Heart2Heart Challenge, Eat, Drink, and Be Merry, can be interpreted in so many different ways!  I decided to showcase a few little treat holders for some fun little gift-giving inspiration.

My first project was totally CASEd from my talented DT member Katy Taylor's hot chocolate card/treat holder.  I used the Serenity paper pack with the November stamp of the month, You Warm My Heart, plus a little Cricut Blue Belle glitter snowflake.

I stamped the cup in Sapphire and the "hot cocoa" in Espresso.  I added a little gold shimmer trim (cut in half to make it skinny) and a gold glitter gem in the center of the snowflake to match the Serenity paper.

My second treat holder starts with a  6"x6" square that is folded into this fun little "cup."  (You can find more details/instructions HERE.)  I used the retired (but available while supplies last on my website) Comfort & Joy paper for the cups plus the candy cane stamp from the November stamp of the month.

Please check out all of the DT inspiration and consider joining us for any of our November challenges before the month ends at H2H Challenges!

November/December New Product Blog Hop

 Close To My Heart just gets better and better!  I've been a Maker now for 20 years, and I am so impressed with our November/December Idea Book!  For this hop, I am focusing on the Jingle Joy paper and scrapbooking stamp set (and Thin Cuts).  If you're already hopping, then you've probably arrived from Michelle's blog.  From here, you'll visit the talented Brandi next.

Hopefully this card looks like a Christmas tree complete with ornaments and lots of Stickles sparkles!  I even flicked Evergreen shimmer brush onto my Evergreen "tree."  I cut the tree pieces with the incredible Fancy Borders Thin Cuts.

Here are more cards that I've made to get a jump start on the holiday season:

I also had fun teaching this pretty layout:

Thanks for letting me share some Jingle Joy with you!  Please leave a comment before hopping on over to Brandi's blog.

{Click HERE for all the hop participants and their blogs.}

H2H Challenges: Card Creations

 This week we've got a challenge that most papercrafters should be able to make: cards!

These adorably pun-ny stamps are only available to CTMH Makers, and I am giving each of my new VIP customers one as a thank you.  (If you don't already have a Maker and would like to know more, please contact me.)  I used the same techniques as I did on yesterday's post, so click HERE if you'd like to learn a little more about the distress oxide ink technique I used.  The cards measure 3"x3".

I stamped the "romaine calm" stamp in black on my card front and then again on scrap of the Mowed Lawn oxide piece and then fussy cut that cute little guy.  I also added a little bit of shading with my Dull Green Spectrum Noir Tri-Blend marker.  I used my paper trimmer to trim down the gold shimmer trim to a sliver.

I used the same stamping/cutting technique for the radish leaves.  I also fussy cut the radish "face" and then added both Scarlett and Raspberry shimmer brush to color her.  I also added more Raspberry shimmer brush (little blobs that I painted on rather than flicked) to add more of the pink to the red panel.

Be sure to check out the H2H Design Team's inspiration and join us before the end of the month.  We would love to see your cards, too!

Inky Fingers Technique Blog Hop

This month's technique blog hop is all about getting inky, which you know that I love, so I decided it was time to try the (new to CTMH) distress oxide inks.  They are really cool!  (If you're already hopping, then you've probably arrived from Michelle's blog.  From here, you'll visit Lauren next.)  Both card sets use the only two distress oxide inks that I have (for now), Candied Apple and Mowed Lawn, with a splattering technique.

Here's what you need to get started:

All-purpose craft mat, distressed oxide ink, mini sponging tool, cardstock, water spritzer, waterbrush, and shimmer brushes of choice (Candy Apple and Gold here).

This ink is so creamy and sits so well on top of your cardstock!  I did not want my piece to be a smooth, solid green for my project (but for other projects you might want even coverage).  Here are both my Mowed Lawn and Candied Apple sponged strips.

 Next, I spritzed them both with water, let the ink react for a minute, and placed a paper towel on top to absorb the excess water droplets. 

Isn't that cool?  I splashed shimmer brushes on last and then heat set.

The first card features the November stamp of the month, You Warm My Heart, and lots of fussy cutting.

For my second card, the spritz of mister only made little droplets, so I used my waterbrush to drop water in bigger splatters, then flicked Scarlet, Charcoal, and Black shimmer brushes on the distressed oxide panel.

The textured effect and sparkle in real life turned our well (if I do say so myself!).

Here's another cool look I got with Candied Apple on black cardstock (above our selfie and to the right of the journaling).

Thanks for letting me share my first tries with the cool distressed oxide inks with you!  I'd love a comment before you continue the hop by clicking on her name to visit Lauren's blog next!

H2H Challenges: Blue Belle

 Have you seen Close To My Heart's new color of the year, Blue Belle?  It such a pretty blue!  This week's Heart2Heart Challenge is to use this pretty new color on your project.  

My card uses a Blue Belle cardstock base and then a piece of our gorgeous Woodgrain paper (from the Core Catalog so available all the way through August 2021!) that I sponged with Blue Belle ink.  I also flicked some Charcoal shimmer brush onto the corners to add more sparkle.  The snowflakes were cut on Blue Belle glitter paper with my CTMH/Cricut You Are Here collection.  (The large one is 2" and the smaller one is 1.25".  NOTE: Set "multi-cut" and cut those snowflakes twice!  Trust me!)  The sentiment, from the November stamp of the month, You Warm My Heart, was stamped onto a piece of Mink cardstock with Blue Bell ink, and I had to add a few Blue Belle glitter gems.

Thanks for letting me share my card with you!  You can watch my card class video where I taught this card plus three more on my Facebook page.  Join me if you don't already have a CTMH Maker (consultant). 

Please leave a comment, and be sure to check out all of the H2H Blue Belle DT projects and our participants' submissions.

Holiday Cards Blog Hop

 Are you ready for the festivities of the holiday season?  I for one am glad to have something to look forward to in this crazy year.  You'll get lots of holiday card ideas along this special blog hop.  (If you're already hopping you should have arrived from Michelle's blog, and from here you'll visit Brandi's blog next.)

For my cards, I used the NEW Jingle Joy collection with the Jingle Joy Scrapbooking stamp set & coordinating Thin Cuts.  I used Clover, Raspberry, Black, and NEW Flamingo inks on my cards.

One of the many cool things about being a CTMH Maker (formerly known as consultant) is that you get products and workshops in advance, and these cards are all from the preview of this new collection.  CTMH makes it so easy now to make fabulous artwork.  Of course I always have to add my own little twist, but I have learned over the years that their ideas really work!

For this card, the center Flamingo tree was stamped on its Thin Cut and then added to the card front.  I trimmed down a piece of zip strip to mimic washi tape at the top, and then decided to add Black Liquid Pearl "stitches" to further enhance this simple card.

Do you love how the "Just Believe" stamped Thin Cut extends beyond the sentiment band as much as I do?  In the spirit of the Polar Express, I had to add the bell to this pretty card!

For my final card of this post (but not my final of the collection- more to come!), I added the "all is bright" to the original card idea.  As I was putting it together, I manged to smear some black onto the stamped focal panel.  Don't let a mistake ruin your project!  (I had already glued the piece down so I couldn't turn it over and try again.)  My CTMH's team t-shirt reads "It's not a mistake; it's an opportunity to embellish."  In that spirit, I just randomly smudged more black onto the sentiment panel.  It wasn't quite the look I was going for, but it no longer looked like a mistake. 

Also, in case you missed it, here is a sweet little treat that I made using the November stamp of the month.  (You can learn more HERE.)

Thanks for letting me share a little holiday cheer.  Please leave a comment before hopping on to visit the talented Brandi next to continue the Holiday Cards Blog Hop!

{Click HERE for all the hop participants and their blogs.}

November Stamp of the Month Blog Hop: You Warm My Heart

Welcome to the November stamp of the month blog hop, featuring the cozy You Warm My Heart stamp set!  (If you're already hopping, then you've probably arrived from Pam's blog.  From here, you'll visit Michelle's blog next.)  I decided to create a little holiday gift card that I could tuck a tea bag into because I love a good cup of tea.

My card is a 3.5" square of Espresso cardstock (with dimensions and cutting guide to follow).  I used the Woodgrain paper collection from the core Idea Book along with Scarlet glitter paper and Lagoon cardstock/ink.  Don't you love the Turquoise gloss spray on the background?!?  After stamping the cup in Scarlet and the "tea" in Espresso and fussy-cutting, I cut a small tea bag paper on which I stamped the little dots in Lagoon.  I fussy cut the corresponding floral image after stamping in Scarlet.  I colored the sparkle with my Blue Turquoise Blend Spectrum Noir Triblend Marker.

I used my heart Thin Cuts to cut the heart and then stamped with Scarlet and sprayed with Turquoise gloss spray on the edges.  I fussy cut both the candy cane and the floral stamp.  (Next time I will add a strip of the woodgrain also to better balance the left and right sides of my card.)

Here's the center of my card with the tea bag tucked into the pocket.

Because I wanted a 3.5" square base, I multiplied by 3 to get the width of my card base (10.5").  I scored at 3.5" from both short ends, folded, and then cut the far left panel (on the inside; on the far right here) on the diagonal to create the pocket for my card.

Here's what I used (minus the Lagoon cardstock and ink and Blue Turquoise marker).

From top to bottom: two woodgrain 3"x3" squares; one die cut heart; three 3.25" squares of Scarlet glitter paper; and one 3.5"x10.5" piece of Espresso cardstock (plus extra White Daisy cardstock and Lagoon strips).

Won't you have fun playing with this festive stamp set?  VIPs can earn it for FREE, and regular customers can earn it for $5 (either with a $50 minimum purchase).

Thanks for letting me share my little gift card with you!  You could easily adjust the card base measurements to incorporate an actual gift card instead.  Please leave a comment before clicking on her name to continue on to Michelle's blog for more great ideas with the November stamp of the month, You Warm My Heart!

{Click HERE for all the hop participants and their blogs.}

Comfort & Joy Isn't Just for Christmas

When I saw the beautiful Comfort & Joy collection, I hoped that I could use it beyond Christmas.  Here's a layout I just made from my very first University of Georgia football game (last year).  Before you bash my team, just know that our daughter started her undergrad degree there last year and is now a member of the Redcoats marching band (and my dad went to Georgia Tech).  Go, Dawgs!

What do you think?  Not just for Christmas?

I added Scarlet glitter paper and tried out some cool techniques.  Can you see red stripe above my photo?  I played with our new Candy Apple distress oxide inks.  As you can see in the photo below, I applied ink directly to my Black cardstock then flicked black, red, and clear shimmer brushes onto the base page.  Here's what it looked like after it dried:

When I started building my pages, I realized that I needed some of this same technique on the right page.  Look at how bright the distress oxide ink is on the black cardstock before it dries!

Here's the completed right page.  My title and football were cut with my CTMH/Cricut Artbooking and Artistry cartridges.

Here's another tip: use 1/2" strips of cardstock as journaling strips that you adhere directly on your photos.  You can add to your story without detracting from photos!

Bloom with Grace Scrapbooking Workshop

 The Bloom with Grace scrapbooking workshop is absolutely beautiful, and I am so pleased with how my Thanksgiving 2019 pictures look with this collection!  (There is no shame in being a year- or more- behind in your scrapbooking!  Scrapbook what YOU love!)

Close To My Heart corporate offered this workshop as a Facebook Live event, and I am so glad that I got to participate with the replay!  This first layout is the hardest, so definitely follow along with the experts.

For my title, I added a French Vanilla banner that I stamped with Espresso ink (retired alphabet set) and then distressed the edges.

Thankfully the workshop kit included the pretty leaf die cut!

{Blogger isn't liking my photo of my next layout as a two-page spread, so here are the individual pages.}

This layout was really easy to create with strips of paper and the gorgeous flower die cuts included in the workshop kit.  (This time, I wrote my own title.)

The first two layouts from the workshop will be going in my 2019 album, but this last one will go in our Family album.

I love how these pictures of my family and with my beautiful sister and cousins (who are sisters) turned out from Thanksgiving last year and how pretty they look with Bloom and Grace.

The embellishments are from the wooden Bloom with Grace embellishments plus stickers from the Bloom with Grace collection.

If you want to get yours, be sure to order before the end of the month!