Notice The Details (December SOTM Blog Hop)

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! December's stamp-of-the-month (SOTM) from Close To My Heart is Notice The Details. It is a collection of 41 images of different items you may find in an office, or for use with school work. If you have come here from Mary's 'MeStamp2' blog, you are on the right path!

There are over 60 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. Blog Hopping is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!


This simple card is a "gate fold" which means that the two sides each turn in to meet in the middle. Papers from the Notebook paper packet are split on the card. Notice the 'torn spiral edge' on the left side, that is made using a stamp from the Notice The Details set. The patterned paper had the notebook paper lines on it, and the stamp with the spiral edge just finished the paper.


This view shows how the gate-fold card opens. When closed, the photo clip to the lower right of the stamped image holds the card flat. In order to open the card simply pull the stamped image from behind the photo clip.

Now "Hop" on over to Lori's 'PinkCloud Scrappers' blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the Notice The Details stamp set is only available until December 31! Let me know if you would like to find out how you can get this stamp set at a discount or even free.


If you get lost on the hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of all participating blogs on Jena's 'Live, Love, Laugh, Scrapbook!' blog.

Wordless Wednesday

Cake Wrecks: The Book

Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong by Jen Yates


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
For some real laugh-out-loud humor, this book is a must. I look forward to Jen's Cake Wrecks blog everyday, and now there are even more great "wrecks" in book form! There are a few "classics" from the blog, but most of the material is new. And, of course, what makes the pictures so entertaining is Jen's witty commentary. This is a book that EVERYONE can enjoy - would make a great gift for that 'hard-to-buy-for' person.

Wicked The Musical

Wicked is such an incredible show! Samantha and I attended the performance last Wednesday, and just love everything about the show. The songs are wonderful, and the production is simply amazing. If you have an opportunity to see Wicked, I highly recommend that you attend.

The story is based on Gregory Maguire's Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which is a novel he wrote to to parallel L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Wicked, the musical, explains the 'back story' of Elphaba (Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda (Good Witch of the South). There are some references to the well-known Wizard of Oz movie, but this is a completely different story. It really makes you think about how perspective and propaganda influence public opinion. It is difficult to explain, and something that you need to experience yourself.


We've seen the show twice now, and love it more the second time than the first. Of course, we've been listening to the soundtrack and loving all the songs.


My frivolous purchase - a pair of emerald colored glasses!



And Samantha really likes her new jacket. :)

Delightful Things ... a "delightfully" versatile stamp set

This "delightful" tree was made using the Delightful Things stamp set from Close To My Heart. To create the branches, a 'corner' image was stamped three times at an angle and then cut out to form the tree. To give added dimension, some of the red bulbs decorating the tree are stamped and some of them are glittery red brads.


Another card using the same stamp set and the same Jingle papers. The flower image was stamped multiple times, each time slight off-set, to form the multiple petals. Notice the 'frame' around the flowers - it is a double line corner stamp which has been stamped on opposing corners of the cardstock. I really like how the lines intersect and form a unique design on the two corners where the images overlap.


Using papers from the Grace paper packet with this stamp sets results in a very different look. This is a My Creations Journal that will be available with the new Spring Idea Book in January. The journal has approximately 70 unlined, blank pages which can be used for notes, daily thoughts, or anything else you would like to keep track of. To decorate, simply create a 5"x7" piece of cardstock and slide it into the front plastic pocket which helps to protect your artwork.


This card using a piece of striped paper from the That's Amore packet is one of my favorites - I really like the all the details in the corner image. A simple and fun card to create.

All of these projects were designed by CTMH for consultants to create at the Regional Celebration held in October in Minneapolis. It was a fun weekend of sharing, learning, and visiting with fellow consultants.

Wordless Wednesday

Congratulations - in Purple!

Actually, the purple is Hydrangea cardstock and ink from Close To My Heart. Per special request, the card was designed for an event with Kansas State University. And K-State is just crazy about their purple! So, the 'purple' idea was the start of the card - added a decorate corner image from the Legendary Moments stamp set, and an elegant script from the Gracious Greetings stamp set. For multilinguals, CTMH also offers this set in both French and Spanish.

The card needed to be professional and I was concerned about making it too feminine, but am really pleased with the final result.

The 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month

Thank you to all military personnel who serve and protect our country.


It's the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I in 1918. Until the mid-1950's, this holiday was known as Armistice Day, but the name was changed to Veterans Day in order to honor all United States veterans, not just those who served in World War I.

The ribbon image in the Always Remember stamp set from Close To My Heart can be stamped using colors representing many different causes; i.e. pink for breast cancer awareness, green for environmental awareness, blue for a traditional 'blue ribbon' winner, or any other color with a special meaning. The striped paper used for this card is from the CTMH Free Spirit paper packet.

Christmas Card Workshop - It's Snowing!

It's time for the final CTMH Christmas Card Workshop of the season - and the theme of the cards seems to be SNOW. In addition to creating 12 fun cards (3 each of 4 different designs), everyone who attends will also create one of these adorable little snowman Tic Tac candy holders. These are really simple to make using the Snow Friends stamp set, and are a great little gift to give.



This card made using the Snow Flurries stamp set is one of my favorites. The 'snow flurry' is simply embossed in white, and several small pearls are added as a finishing touch. Each class participant will receive a package of 48 self-adhesive pearls in a variety of sizes. You will have plenty of pearls to decorate your cards, and still have left-overs to use on other projects.


A tree from the versatile Four Seasons stamp set is used with plaid paper from the Aspen packet and the Cuttlebug Snowflakes embossing folder to create a simple, yet very pretty winter card.


Close To My Heart's new Christmas paper this year is Jingle, and has fun colors and patterns which are a bit more whimsical than traditional. The Jingle papers are used along with the Holiday Trinkets stamp set and some Prisma Glitter to create a quick and easy Christmas card.

The November workshop will be offered on Friday evening, November 20 (starting at 7 pm) and also Saturday afternoon, November 21 (at 1 pm). Whichever day you choose to attend, the cards will be the same. You will create 4 cards each of 3 different designs - a total of 12 cards and matching envelopes for $15. You will also create the Snowman Tic Tac 'bonus project' and receive a package of 48 self-adhesive pearls. All supplies are included and pre-cut for you. You just need to bring your own favorite adhesive, stamp your images, and assemble your cards.

Please let me know if you would like to attend one of the Christmas Card workshops in November. Feel free to leave me a comment on this blog, send an email to sheilabennett@comcat.net, or call 913-485-4355. Even if you can't attend, I would love to read any comments you may have for the blog. :)

And remember to visit the Retiring Stamp Sets section of MyCTMH site to see the list of stamp sets that will be retiring on December 31. You may want to stock up on some of the retiring stamps and take advantage of the Stampaganza Buy 2 - Get 1 free stamp set special through the end of November.

It's A Stampaganza! (Buy 2 - Get 1 Free)

Everyone loves a special - and for the month of November, Close To My Heart is offering their Stampaganza! To take advantage of this great special, simply purchase any two stamp sets at regular price and you will receive a third stamp set of your choice FREE - a savings of up to $22.95. Choose from any stamp set offered in any 2009 Idea Book (Spring, Summer, Autumn/Winter) or the current Product Review. Or visit MyCTMH website for a complete selection of available stamps.
Each year, CTMH retires some older stamp sets to make room for new sets the following year. Stampaganza is the perfect time to purchase some of those stamps that you have been debating on - before they are retired on December 31. There is a complete list of retiring stamp sets (with pictures) in the Retiring Stamp Sets section of MyCTMH site.

Around the Block (November SOTM Blog Hop)

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! November's stamp-of-the-month (SOTM) from Close To My Heart is Around the Block. It is a collection of 26 images that you can use to "build" your own house. There are different rooflines, windows, shutters, doors, bricks, wood planking, and much more - for you to create a dream cottage. The stamp set is perfect to use for a "welcome to the neighborhood" or "we've moved" card. If you have come here from Tanya's 'Scramper's Corner' blog, you are on the right path!

There are over 60 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. Blog Hopping is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!


Instead of using the entire house, I chose to just use the rooftops to create the illusion of a neighborhood of homes. The fencing is created using a single wooden "plank" stamp and varying the height of each 'fence post' slightly as it was stamped, then cutting out the entire fence row to use on the card. For some reason, the little bricks used in the background of the card and the wooden plank are some of my favorite stamps in the set.

Now "Hop" on over to Melissa's 'Fancy Melissa' blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the Around the Block stamp set is only available until November 30! Let me know if you would like to find out how you can get this stamp set at a discount or even free.

If you get lost on the hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of all participating blogs on Jena's 'Live, Love, Laugh, Scrapbook!' blog.