Stamp of the Month Blog Hop: March's Sensational Season

Are you ready for spring? I sure am! Even if it hasn't sprung just yet, this month's Close To My Heart stamp of the month, Sensation Season, will have you thinking about this sensational season! With the sweet bunnies in this stamp set, of course we're blog hopping again. (If you've hopped on over from Carol Harris's blog, rest here a moment, and then hop on to my friend Melinda Everitt's blog.)

As adorable as these bunnies are, I just wasn't in the mood for Easter (yet), so I played with one of the sentiments, our 2" scallop punch, and the Miracle paper pack to make this card. One thing I love about this paper pack is that it is quite neutral, and it's easy to add another color to the Bamboo, Sweet Leaf, Heavenly Blue, and Crystal Blue palette. I added touches of Creme Brulee by using a marker to add more stripes, by sponging color on the Miracle Irresistibles chipboard, and by attaching a Creme Brulee butterfly. Try adding in another color to many of the beautiful CTMH paper packs. You'll love the results!

Thanks for hopping by! Visit Melinda's blog next! (Just click on her name/link.) If you get lost anywhere along the way, come back here and then click HERE for a complete list of participants. Happy hopping!

Quotation of the Week: Family

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.

~Desmond Tutu

Who Wants Some Candy?

Blog Candy that is! Go check out Melissa's blog for an amazing giveaway!!! Be sure to check out her creativity too while you're there. ;)

Friendship Swap Cards

It is hard to believe that February is almost over! (I'm looking forward to pay day on Monday though!) The February stamp of the month, Friendship, and the Studio J member special, Perfect 10, are only available for a few more days!

My swap group always offers such great inspiration with each stamp of the month!

At left, clockwise from top left:
Check out the addition of a Kraft border (artist unknown)!
Pam Beery creatively used one of the stamps to create a frame for the circular sentiment.
Taralyn added a lovely paper rosette- all the rage!- to her card.
The CAS (clean and simple) style of Chris Hill's card really suits me.

At right:
Camy created a beautiful damask pattern on her card and finished the sentiment with white embossing.
Katie Van Roekel's card is pretty in pink!
Tonya Stone stamped and cut out a beautiful border on her card, plus the gorgeous cut damask.

So lovely, ladies!

I hope you get some creative time this weekend, no matter what your passion is. Have a great weekend!

Another Wings Layout

The photos and memories on this layout are the big reason that I scrapbook. My cousins and uncle threw a surprise birthday party for my Aunt Marjie, and we traveled down for the weekend to celebrate with her and many other friends and family. She was fighting cancer (again) and tuay lost the battle, so that makes these pictures even more meaningful to me.

The left page features a fold-out flap with pictures from our trip to Manatee Springs State Park while we were down that weekend.

The only stamp set that I used is the Bohemian Alphabet, stamped in Vineyard Berry, Sweet Leaf, and Juniper. I wrote my journaling with a Vineyard Berry marker and a black journaling pen.

If you'd like to try this layout sketch yourself, just click HERE to download the PDF instructions. Happy scrapping!

{Layout 2011 #10}

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Just popping in to give a big shout out to my Dad! Today is his birthday, and even though we won't be able to spend it with him, he's always in our hearts! Enjoy the warm weather for your birthday. We love you!

Wings Workshop on the Go Kit

Recently, a few friends and I completed the Close To My Heart Wings Workshop on the Go. Each Workshop on the Go (WOTG) kit includes a 22-sheet paper pack, an exclusive stamp set, a full-color instructional brochure, and an embellishment pack (or two). Here are the contents of the Wings WOTG kit. I love the kits for their affordability ($29.95) and contents. If you like the stamp set, then you're getting a great deal! I will be offering several more of these workshops this spring and summer, but you can even put them together yourself.

We created two layouts and six cards in class. (I did throw in an extra sheet of Colonial White card stock to extend our kit.)

When I put this layout together, I didn't think of Christmas, but don't my pictures work well with this color palette of Vineyard Berry and Black with Sweet Leaf accents?

I also added in the Bohemian Alphabet set for the titles.

The second layout in the WOTG kit is based on one of Jeanette Lynton's how-to guides. This layout is called "" from Magic. (If you like this sketch, you can see another layout based on this sketch HERE.)

Again, I created the title with the Bohemian alphabet set.

Finally, here are the six cards we made following the instructions in the WOTG guide (two each of the three designs).

The Wings WOTG kit is available through July! If you like what you see here, be sure to order yours.

{Layouts 2011 #8 & 9}

Top 3 @ Lasting Memories

Woohoo! My Friendship layout was selected as one of the Top 3 from Lasting Memories! Thank you!

Now the ladies who attended my class where we made this layout have their own award-winning layout too! By the way, I have ONE KIT to create this layout for yourself. It is only $8 plus shipping to you.

CTMH Video Tutorials

The Close To My Heart Art Studio has been cranking out technique and product videos! Watch them to learn something new this weekend.

(For some reason the entire video player isn't showing here. Go to CTMH's YouTube channel to watch them there directly.)

I love our new scallop punch!


These ribbons are gorgeous!


Kool Kraft Borders- what a bargain!


If you missed the spray pen video tutorial, check it out HERE.

This weekend, in addition to keeping my nephews for a night (and a hike planned for Sunday since my scrapbook class had to be changed), I am going to be working on some Studio J layouts to take advantage of the February Studio J special, "A Perfect 10!" (or 20 or 30...). Enjoy your weekend!

Friendship Cards (in Blue)

No, I'm not feeling blue, but I am still totally loving creating with the February stamp of the month, Friendship! These cards are three of the five I designed for my recent 50 card workshop, but on these versions I used the Friendship stamp set (plus a few others I had laying around). A few blue sparkles finished off the cards. They all use the Magnifique papers in beautiful Sky, Lagoon, Pacifica, and Chocolate.

Also, I want to wish my sister and brother-in-law a very happy 10th anniversary today!!! We look forward to having the boys some this weekend while you celebrate. We love you guys!

Friendship Layout

This layout is what my Magical Memories Scrapbook Club created on Sunday. (I was excited to get mine made before class! I pieced together my sister's layout as I led the class since she couldn't be there. Win, win!)

We began with the Magic sketch, "Deck of Cards," the Sweetheart paper pack, and the February stamp of the month, Friendship. We stamped a background with the Friendship stamp set and Baby Pink ink. It doesn't show up well in the photos unless you click on them to make them larger. (It's really pretty in person!)



I also taught the Jenny's Coat technique, but I didn't use that piece on the bottom right of this page; instead I added a 4"x4" photo.

By the way, the large picture on the left is of my girls on Valentine's Day 2005. It is one of my favorites! My, how they've grown!



The other great thing about this layout was that I was able to pull several random photos from 2005 & 2006 that I had printed but never scrapbooked. I thought they worked well with this color scheme and the theme "friends."



After stamping "friends" in black with my new fave Bohemian alphabet, I stamped "sisters" above it with Tulip ink. The bracket and large flourish were both stamped in Cotton Candy on Cotton Candy card stock.





What do you think of the new Red and Pink buttons? I love all the new buttons CTMH has released!





I'm entering this layout in the Lasting Memories Red, White, and Pink challenge! Thanks for looking!

{Layout 2011 #7}

EDIT: This layout was chosen as one of the Top 3 at Lasting Memories! Woohoo!

Valentine's Love

Here are the cards I've made for my daughters for Valentine's Day. After they go to bed, I will place them at their seats on our kitchen table so they'll see them at breakfast in the morning. (DH's Valentine can be seen HERE.)

Both cards started with card bases I had in my scrap drawer and scraps of the Sweetheart paper pack. The colors are Tulip, Cotton Candy, Baby Pink, and black.

Our older daughter's card uses the current Petite Perks stamp set. I needed a little inspiration, so I turned to the recent H2H sketch.

Because our younger daughter loves to play tic-tac-toe, I knew I had to use the A Game stamp set. On the inside, I wrote that she fills my life with "Xs & Os" (and of course I stamped the X & O on the inside with the stamps I used on the card front. Her card is based on a sketch in the Wishes how-to guide.
Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours! May you spend time with the ones you love, and treasure each moment.

Here's some more Valentine inspiration:

Valentine Inspiration

Here are some links for some great Valentine projects, just in time for the weekend. Make something special for someone you love! Here is a link to some fun heart folding ideas/tutorials. Maybe you'd like to create some bonbon-filled hearts, a la Martha instead. [This photo is from Martha's site and is NOT my own. Just thought you needed to know.]

Friendship Wall Hanging

Yesterday was my friend and co-teacher's birthday! Because we were out of school for snow, I couldn't give her her present until today. Part of her gift is this friendship wall hanging that I made with the Friendship stamp set (February's stamp of the month). I just kept playing with the design until I got something I liked. I hope she likes it too!

The base is a piece of chipboard from the My Creations All-Sorts mini album. The colors I used are Sky and Outdoor Denim. I hadn't paired these two colors together before, and I really like how they look together. Obviously Traci likes blue, but I selected these two because I had embellishments that matched!

On this close up, can you see how I added a bit of Create-A-Shade pearlescent paint to the bird after I sponged it with Sky ink?

Happy birthday, Traci!

All supplies from Close To My Heart: All-Sorts mini album; Friendship stamp set; Magnifique paper pack; Outdoor Denim card stock, inky, and various ribbon (retired); Sky ink; Create-A-Shade paint; Bue button collection; Pewter Mini-Medley My Accents; Blue, Green, and Purple Sparkles; Colonial White Waxy Flax; sponge

8 New Paper Packs!

Close To My Heart has debuted eight new gorgeous paper packs with the release of the Spring/Summer 2011 Idea Book. Here they are in alphabetical order. Which one(s) do you prefer?

Bliss:

Lucky:
Mayberry:

Miracle (which you might recognize from a promotion last year):

Sophia (also featured on the cover of the Idea Book):

Sweetheart:

Wings:

Leave me a comment to tell me which one you love the most!

{Disclaimer: All artwork created by the Close To My Heart Art Studio}

One Little Word

If you're familiar with Ali Edwards then you are probably also familiar with her practice of choosing one word to give guidance and meaning to the year. In December, I pondered this idea, and one word kept reverberating in my mind and in my heart:

When I found this word art at one of our local drugstores on sale for 50% off after Christmas- and the only "Family" word art there- I know that I would indeed focus more on my family this year (and beyond).
I really didn't care for the color but knew that I could pull out my crafty supplies and make a custom piece of art for our home.

I chose the Wings paper pack for its beauty, how well it coordinates with our home, and for the butterfly theme (seems like a bit of renewal and hope and "all will be well" to me!).

Supplies from Close To My Heart: Wings paper pack; Black and Pewter Mini-Medley accents; Blue, Green, and Purple sparkles; Vineyard Berry ribbon (retired); Just Blooms paper flowers; glue dots; Liquid Glass

Other: Family word art (found at Rite-Aid Drugstore)

A Visit with the Easter Bunny

Here's a little taste of spring to remind you that it WILL come one day!



This layout is another walk down memory lane: my nephew's first visit to the Easter Bunny. I really appreciated my sister taking the girls along too!

Sketch: "Staccato" from Imagine

All supplies from Close To My Heart: Sweet Pea paper pack (retired); Old World Alphabet, Comments, and Eastertime stamp sets; Spring Iris, Lilac Mist, Baby Pink, Key Lime, Sunkiss Yellow, and Breeze (retired) inks; Baby Pink, Lilac Mist, and Heavenly Blue markers; Cottage edge anchors; Just Blooms White Daisy paper flowers; spring brads

{Layout 2011 #6}

Wear Red TODAY!

Today is the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" day. Did you know that heart disease is still the #1 killer of women in America? Get your red on, show your support, adopt a heathier lifestyle, and spread the word!

A Game Stamp Set

Have you had a chance to look at the new Close To My Heart Spring/Summer Idea Book, unveiled on 2/1? If so, I'd love to know what you can't wait to get!

I love the little "A Game" stamp set. At only $7.95, it is an afforadable stamp set for any budget. My project actually uses products featured in the January Inspirations brochure, so some of it might already look familiar to you. I created a tic-tac-toe board using the A Game stamp set and the Wings paper pack. It measures just under 6"x4" so that it could easily slip into a 4"x6" zipper-close clear plastic bag that I have (source unknown).

These adorable buttons to use as game markers are from the new Green button collection. Aren't they pretty? I can't wait to get all of the new button collections: Red, Pink, Green, Blue, Basic (Chocolate, Cocoa, Colonial White, and White Daisy) and Clear. Best of all, they're only $5.95 for 72 buttons.

My girls are already having fun playing this game. I may have to slip it into my purse for when we're waiting somewhere.