Happy, Happy Christmas Blog Hop

Have you seen this month's Close To My Heart special offer, Happy, Happy Christmas?  You get your choice of red album and all the materials you need to create five layouts and some bonus projects (minus your basic tools like scissors and glue)!  My blog hop group wanted to share other ways you can use this kit, so enjoy hopping along.  {If you're already hopping then you've arrived from Jennifer D.'s blog and will visit Darlys next.}

Here is a title page that I made to open my album.  It uses leftover pieces of the kit after the five layouts have been made.  I used four My Crush album pages pages, one Picture My Life card, and a few of the sparkly embellishments to create this Quartet - Pinwheel sketch (from Reflections).  The black "washi" tape is the back side of the red page, cut in 1/2" strips.  I can't wait to add this year's holiday pictures!  I am going to try to create a December Daily album, so we will see how it goes.  (I already enjoy taking and posting a photo each day on Instagram.)

Thanks for checking out my project.  Make it a Happy, Happy Christmas!  See what DARLYS created next!

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

H2H Challenges: Monogram

If you follow my blog, then you'll notice that I haven't been posting as much as I normally do.  Things are fine here but super busy.  (I know that we all are!)  I am working on my last course of my specialist (EDS) degree in addition to all of my other duties and responsibilities, so I just haven't had the crafty time that I would like (and need).  That will change before we know it though, because graduation is 4/30!  (HOORAY!!!)

I'm not the only one graduating this year.  (Again, if you're a fan then you already know this.)  Our oldest graduates from high school in May, and I have decided to make a small album of our family and friends for her to take with her to college so that she won't feel that she is journeying away from home alone.  I am using the CTMH Everyday Life album for this project and decided to use this week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge, Monogram, for the dedication page of her going away present.  (Shh!  She won't get this for quite a while, and I will post updates from time to time.)

The pretty floral background is page from the My Crush Everyday Life pages.  I used my CTMH/Cricut Artfully Sent cartridge to cut her initials on a piece of Charlotte B&T and then adhered them onto White Daisy card stock.  I added strips of pink shimmer trim and then the Whisper arrows B&T (also from Charlotte).

The flowers in Cotton Candy and Black and the sentiments are from the Blossoming Expressions stamp set that I further embellished with gray epoxy gems.

I will be sharing more as I create this album.  Won't you visit the H2H blog and link up a favorite monogram project?

My Crush Bluebird Cards

You've heard about this month's My Crush promotion, right?  If you buy a My Crush book and its assortment, you'll get the coordinating stamp set FREE.  At my recent Summer Card Class, I wanted to show how you could use the pieces beyond the book.  I pulled out pieces of the Bluebird Assortments that I thought would look nice on a card front.  Then I made card bases, mats, and strips from Indian Corn Blue, Thistle, and Sweet Leaf card stocks.  I also liked how the Crystal Blue polka dot paper from the Wanderful pack matched.  Each lady had a different selection of pieces to use on a card.  They were all lovely!  (Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of all their creations.)

For the top card, I used two different My Crush squares layered onto an Indian Corn Blue mat with a piece of the polka dot paper embellished with shimmer trim.  I added the four purple glitter gems.  The arrow is a sticker from the Assortment.

The second card uses the same basic materials (minus the shimmer trim) but with the addition of the Love This stamp set (stamped on the Indian Corn Blue strip and on the sticker).

Don't be afraid to take your products beyond their intended use!  I started out as a scrapbooker and quickly realized that I use my supplies to make cards too.  The sky's the limit on what you can create!

My Crush Blog Hop

Are you totally crushing on Close To My Heart's June My Crush collection special offer?  If not, then you will be after you hop through this blog hop!  You are not going to believe all of the creative ways you can use these adorable little books and/or the coordinating accessories and stamp sets.  To see all the great ideas, just hop through this cool Crush hop.  (If you're already hopping then you've arrived from Gina's blog, and you'll go to Brenda's blog next.)

Can you guess which My Crush collection I used to make this Welcome Baby card?  (Your choices are In the Pink, Modville, Bluebird, Holiday Happenings, and Wildwood.)

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

If you guessed the Christmas-themed Holiday Happenings Assortment, you're spot on!  I wanted to try to use this collection in a non-Christmas manner, and I think that I succeeded.  This sweet little cherub made me think of making a baby girl card, so I ran with it.

After picking out the cherub card and a coordinating envelope to use as a mat, I selected the Ruby 4"x6" card with the quotation area and roses.  I stamped Congratulations from the CTMH/Artfully Sent sentiments stamp set in Desert Sand ink and then stamped the vines from the Love This stamp set (part of the My Crush collection and special offer this month) in New England Ivy in first and second generation.

The flower is also from the Love This stamp set.  I stamped it in Desert Sand onto a pretty, square piece from the Holiday Happenings Assortment and then cut it out.  To finish the card, I used gold polka dot washi tape, ruby washi tape, gold shimmer trim, gold sequins, and metallic baker's twine.  I mounted the 4"x6" Holiday Assortment onto a 4.5"x6.5" piece of Basics embossed card stock and then onto 5"x7" Colonial White card embellished with gold polka dot and ruby washi tape and stamped vines.

Be sure to check out the Close To My Heart My Crush special offer this month after you've been inspired by everyone's artwork.

Please leave me a quick comment to let me know what you think of the non-holiday card with the My Crush Holiday Happenings Assortment and the Love This stamp set.  Then, go check out Brenda's My Crush creation!