H2H Challenges: Something NEW!

For 2012, we're shaking things up at Heart 2 Heart Challenges! First, we have not one, but TWO design teams! Each team will play every other week, but we're also welcome to play on our "off" weeks. My team starts next week, but I couldn't resist playing along with this week's SOMETHING NEW challenge! Be sure to go check out all of our new DT members and their great NEW creations.

My "something new" is the new Close To My Heart "Rock the Block" special offer (available until the end of the month). You get the cool HUGE (E-size) stamp set featured here plus an awesome tray with nine 3-D cubes. (See my sidebar for more info.) I also used a NEW color combo from the NEW CTMH Spring/Summer Idea Book (available to customers 2/1/12): Lagoon, Sunset, Tulip, Olive, and Cocoa.

I first made a square (4.25") card using the flowers from the stamp set. Those square sparkles are definitely hip!

Here's another square card to "rock the block." I used the two different background pattern stamps for the four blocks. For the center sentiment, I first stamped it in Cocoa on Colonial White and then on Lagoon. I cut out the center panel of the Lagoon piece and adhered it to the Colonial White one. Again, gotta love those square Sparkles!

For the third card, no, your eyes aren't deceiving you. The focal stamp (originally) says "Love," but I cut it out and reworked it to spell "Velo" which is French for bicycle. I made this card in honor of my brother, who has a "velo" t-shirt, and gave it to him to send to one of his cycling friends.

Now, it's your turn to break out something NEW and get crafting! Link up your project to the H2H Challenge blog so that we can all enjoy. Try something new!

Begin Anywhere

"It doesn't matter who you are, or what you do, it's never too late to start documenting the beauty of everyday life."

This Month's CTMH Specials

Close To My Heart has three great offers for you this month! First, be sure to check out the "Rock the Block" special offer. (I've got some fun "stamples" coming soon!) For only $15, you get the cool Rock the Block E-size stamp set (retail value $34.95) plus a tray filled with nine 3-D chipboard cubes. To be eligible for this special offer, you need to make a minimum $25 purchase.

Next up is the January stamp of the month, Little Reminders. This stamp set gives you 25 ways to start the new year (and can carry you throughout). You can purchase this set for $17.95, or for only $5 with a $50 minimum purchase. Yes, your Rock the Block purchase can help you reach that $50 goal too!

Finally, for you Studio J fans, purchase nine layouts this month and get the 10th free! This offer is available in any multiples of 9 & 10: Buy 18 and get two free, etc. I am so loving Studio J to get more scrapping done. Give it a try if you haven't already!

For any of these offers, go straight to my CTMH website. I will be posting my January class info soo!

Project 12: Monthly Ideas and More

Here are some ideas that might inspire you as you begin this year's "12 for 2012" project (scrapbooking each month's highlights).

Weekly Challenge #52 (from Memory Minder for 2011 Memory Logbook from Log Your Memory)
Reflection Challenge: Reflect on the past year.
Summarize the past year by choosing a central theme and then documenting month-to-month how that theme played out in your life.

Ideas to Explore...
What were you thankful for each month?
What was your biggest challenge each month?
What did you accomplish each month?
What did you learn?
What were the highlights?
Who were the important people in your life?
What are your regrets?
Consider creating a similar layout sharing your monthly hopes, plans, dreams or goals for the upcoming year.

Here's another (similar) idea:
This idea comes via the Write. Click. Scrapbook blog, quoting Tina Aszmus, who does something on her blog called, "Currents." She blogs the following things (with a bit of creative license and variation) every week or so:
•enjoying
•thinking
•eating
•drinking
•wearing
•listening to
•wanting
•weather
•feeling
•wondering

Other links to check out:
Marcy P.'s DIY "Project Life"
2011 Year-in-Review layout
Printable end-of-year time capsule (PDF to fill out)

Out with the Old (To Bring in the New)!

Out with the old and in with the new! January is the last month that the current Close To My Heart Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book is available, and here is a list of the items that will be retiring and no longer available as of 1/31/12. (Some items may sell out early, so if you see something you can't live without, grab them from my website!) You can find the complete list on the linked tab, above.

This announcement also means that a NEW- and of course EVEN BETTER- Idea Book will be available next month! I can't wait to share it with you on 2/1!

Happy New Year! CTMH January 2012 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Happy 2012! Let's ring in the new year with a Close To My Heart January stamp of the month blog hop! Check out all the great artwork with this versatile set, Little Reminders. (If you're hopping already, you should have arrived from Scrapi Traci's blog. Your next stop will be the talented Sarita Schraeder's blog.)

I'm really excited about what 2012 will be bringing, so be sure to come back often or even consider following my blog.

I have two projects for the Little Reminders stamp set. The first is a New Year's card using the Believe paper pack. I think Sky & Holiday Red look great together! (The "Happy" sentiment is from the stamp set.) Everything else is from the January stamp of the month. I created the little pinwheel with a 3/4"x12" scrap and then adhered the rhinestone button to the center with Liquid Glass. Of course I had to use some Red Glitter Glitz on this festive card!

My second project is one I've already shown, but for those who missed it, here is the title page for my 2011 highlights album. I am so excited about this project that I have created a "12 for 2012" tab at the top of my blog and a Facebook group by the same name to get scrapping in 2012! (Please check it out if you'd like to learn more!) My 2011 title page uses the Sophia paper pack and My Stickease. The center year date is from the Little Reminders stamp set. I just love these numbers!

My family and I wish you the very best in 2012. Feel free to leave a comment about any of my projects, etc., before hopping along to Sarita's blog. Happy 2012!

Visits with Santa

Do you have those annual photos of your child (or yourself!) visiting with Santa? I always thought that I wanted to make a mini album of my girls' photos with Santa, but I never seemed to find the time. Last year, I placed all the photos (most of which came in a handy cardboard display holder) in our dining room on display, and they were a HUGE hit!

This year, I've worked to create a table top display of all those darling Santa photos. (Wasn't our older daughter just the sweetest? She was only 6 months old her first Christmas!)

(Isn't this one-year-old photo funny? Too cute!)

I began with two My Creations All Sorts Mini Albums, but rather use them as albums, I turned them so that (for the most part) the edges with the holes were on the bottom. I created a layout for each year on one of the pages using the (retired) Mistletoe and Evergreen paper packs, plus assorted favorite Christmas stamps.

In kindergarten, the students took a field trip to see Santa, and they got this pretty card with their photo on the front. See her sweet message on the inside?

I used pieces of ribbon adhered with Liquid Glass to hold all the pieces together to make an accordian side table display. Here is the finished product:

Everyone who has visited has loved ot look at this, and I sure love reliving my baby's special moments! (How in the world did she get to be 13 already?!?)

Our younger daughter has already forgiven me for not getting her photos finished in the same manner before Christmas. They WILL be done by next Christmas! Until then, happy scrapbooking! ;)

2011 Gift Layouts

These layouts were so much fun to make and suprise my mom with (as part of her Christmas present)! I had the whole family involved without her knowing it. My Dad sent his favorite pictures of the year, as did my sister and me. (I'm still waiting on my brother's, but he's had computer trouble. His will get done!)

All the layouts were made in Studio J (which is going to be easy to make a copy of my sister's family's layout to give to her for her birthday).

12 for 2012

Have you heard of Project 12? Basically, you scrapbook the highlights of each month to create a yearly scrapbook. There is actually a website dedicated to Project 12, complete with sketches to try each month.

I decided in November that this was exactly what I needed for random photos from 2011 that didn't necessarily fit on a scrapbook page all their own. Since most of my photos are on my computer rather than printed, I decided to create my 2011 layouts in Studio J and have worked on them off and on for the last few weeks as time allows (and I am almost done!).

For 2012, rather than playing catch up at the end of the year (and losing some of those precious memories in the process), my sister and I are committed to creating our own project: "12 for '12." We are not going to follow any strict sketches but do plan to get together each month to scrapbook the preceding month.

We are really excited to get started! Won't you join us? I'll be posting updates and reminders right here and on Facebook to keep us going and motivated. There is absolutely no cost to participate! You can be a digital or classic scrapper, or like me, somewhere in between. CTMH products are not required. Of course, if you need materials, I'll be happy to help! Leave a comment to let me know if you're "in," and we'll be sure to include you too! (If you're local, I'm working on a convenient location for a get-together crop each month.) The important thing is to get motivated and to follow through each month. Together, we can do it!

{All artwork courtsey of the CTMH Art Studio.}

Calling All CTMH Fanatics! (H2H Design Team Call!)

Do you love creating with Close To My Heart products? If so, why don't you help share and spread that love? Right now, at Heart 2 Heart Challenges, we're looking for new Design Team members for January-June 2012! We're also changing up our format a bit, so you only have to participate every other week. It is a very doable- and fun- commitment!
Here are all the details (from our fearless leader, Mary):
* Email Mary (address at the bottom) with your Name, Address, Blog Address, Email Address and a little bio about you. Be sure to tell me how long you have been a consultant (you MUST be a CTMH consultant to be considered for the team but you can be in Junior status) and why you want to be a part of the team.
* You MUST know how to write and publish a post on Blogger. Each DT member will have a couple of weeks in which they will be responsible for creating the Monday challenge post. Don't worry - I (and another team leader) will be around to help out with this as well but please only apply if you are comfortable blogging.
* You must send photos of three of your pieces of artwork. DO NOT send me a link to your blog to look at your artwork there - I want you to pick what you consider three of your best and include them with the application.
ALL applications must be received by December 30th. I will make the selection of the new team members by January 1st and the new team will start on January 9th.
Here are some more things to keep in mind about a position on the DT:
* You must be willing to join a Yahoo Group set up specifically for team members.
* You must be able to participate in every challenge for your team's week (posted by 6:00 am on Monday mornings) and have your artwork for each challenge posted to the DT Yahoo Group the Saturday before the challenge begins.
* You must be willing to post your artwork on any other boards/galleries you belong to and advertise our challenge blog whenever and where ever you can so we can continually grow in numbers of participants. We currently have a group at Paper Craft Planet and on Facebook that I would like DT members to join but this is optional.
* You will be expected to participate in any extra programs that we may decide upon as a team. You are also expected to weigh in on your choices of winners in monthly awards (Top Ten).
* You will be expected to visit the blogs of the challenge participants and leave comments.
What you get in return:
* Committment to producing artwork once every 2 weeks gives you an opportunity to create on a regular basis!
* Increased blog traffic which will hopefully lead to an increase in your business!
* Fun and fellowship with the entire team and a chance to meet new consultants and CTMH fans!
What are you waiting for? Send in your application today!! (Any questions can be directed to me at mbryt1@bex.net).

Merry Christmas!

From my family to yours, have a very merry Christmas! Wishing you all the best in 2012!

Union County Courthouse (Layout Share)

We celebrated my Mom's birthday in style yesterday!!! {More on that later!}

Now, onto my post:

Here's another Studio J layout that was in the works for a while and that I finally finished. These photos of our "old" county courthouse span several years- and angles.

A feature of Studio J that I love is that it makes gift-giving so easy! I am able to order multiple copies of a layout, OR copy the layout, personalize it, and order individualized copies. I ordered one of these for myself and one for my parents' scrapbook. (Last year I started the tradition of giving them finished layouts for Christmas. They don't necessarily need more "stuff," and this way we can all enjoy our family's photos and memories.)
Merry birthday and happy Christmas, Mom!

{Layout 2011 #90-91}