Cherish the Moment (May SOTM Blog Hop)

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop which features the Cherish the Moment stamp set from Close To My Heart.  The set includes 8 tags that are perfect to use as a quick way to document scrapbook pages.   

This 4 1/2" x 4 1/2"  card uses a gorgeous paper from the Creative Basics Cherry-O collection.   In the Creative Basics collection, there are 6 pieces of this plaid paper, 6 pieces of a coordinating dotted paper, and 4 yards of the Cranberry Velvet ribbon that is used on the card - all for only $7.95.   Following the "Corner Shop" card template in the Wishes Card Confidence Program made this a very quick and easy card to create.

If you have come here from Debra's 'Memories of the Heart' blog, you are on the right path! There are more than 60 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs.  So you should be able to find lots of great creative ideas to use for your own projects.  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! 

Now "Hop" on over to Kim's 'Imagine the Possibilities' 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 Cherish the Moment stamp set is only available until the end of May.  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 Blog Hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of all participating blogs on Helen's 'Hooked On Stamping' blog.

Summer Idea Book - New Product Sneak Peak

Welcome to our Close To My Heart New Product Sneak Peak Blog Hop! Over 40 fabulous CTMH Consultants are celebrating the upcoming release of the Summer 2010 Idea Book by giving you a 'Sneak Peek' of some of the great products available in the new Idea Book starting May 1st.

If you have come here from Sherrie's 'Impressionable Art' Blog, you are on the right path! It is simple to 'blog hop' - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one.

An adorable new stamp set is the Family Ties - Pets, with an assortment of dogs, cats, birds, fish, a turtle, and even a hamster.  The set includes cute, 'punny' sayings to go along with the pets. The "Just Because Card Workshop" from the Wishes Card Confidence Program was used to create these cards.  The workshop has cutting diagrams for four sheets of cardstock and two coordinating sheets of background and texture paper, which will create a total of 20 cards.  Detailed templates are included for 10 different cards and, following the cutting diagrams and assembling each card on a card base, you can create 2 of each of the cards, for a total of 20 cards. 

A floppy-eared puppy.

A slow-moving turtle.

A frisky cat.

A birthday wish.

A pair of bluebirds.

These are just five of the cards made following the card templates included in the "Just Because Card Workshop."  The versatile Happy Birthday stamp set was also used along with papers from the new Zippidee My Reflections kit.

Now "Hop" on over to Terrie's 'My Life in Real Time' Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great ideas for using the new products available from Close To My Heart!

If you get lost on the hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of participating blogs on Erin's 'Tazzygirl2000' blog.

Studio J Online Scrapbooking!

Today is the launch date for the much anticipated Studio J Online Scrapbooking from Close To My Heart.  Be sure to visit MyCTMH site and click on the Studio J link on the left side of the screen.   

Studio J uses the same great papers, patterns, colors, and embellishments as classic Close To My Heart scrapbooking, making studio scrapbooking extremely intuitive and super fun!  Timeless patterns and artistically placed default accents allow you to finish a page in minutes, while customization options give you the flexibility to make your layouts unique.  All the layout patterns are created by Jeanette Lynton, founder and CEO of Close To My Heart - you may recognize some of them from her classic how-to books, such as Cherish and Imagine. These patterns make scrapbooking faster, simpler, and easier than ever before.  You’ll be amazed how effortlessly and beautifully you preserve your memories with Studio J!

During a 'beta test' period when consultants were able to use the Studio J software, I prepared a scrapbook of a trip to New York City.  It was fun to be able to sit down at a computer and quickly create the pages.  The best part is that you do not have to develop your photos before preparing a scrapbook page.  The photos are re-sized as you drag them onto a page, and the entire 12x12 page is printed and shipped directly to you - ready to slip into page protectors and your scrapbook album.  

These are just a few of the pages that I created.  Note that there are some arrows and lines at the top corners of the pages, but these do not print.  They are areas that can be clicked to automatically rotate a page, or to swap the position of the pages.  These are simply 'screen shots' of the completed pages from the computer screen. 

Wordless Wednesday (Prom Night)

50 Years Old!

Last weekend, my husband and my brother both turned 50 years old.  So naturally, I had to make each of them a card.  The cards seem a bit plain, but since they were made for men, I did not think sparkles and glitter and ribbons would be appropriate. 

Both cards came together quickly using the Rustic Numbers stamp set and templates from the Wishes Card Confidence Program.  This 5x7 card uses the extremely versatile Emporium paper packet and the 'Medallion' template. 

 The plaid paper from the Sarsaparilla pack is one of my favorites, and is a great paper for creating a masculine card.  Using the 'Gallery' template from the Wishes book, it only took 15 minutes to create this card.

Even though it is not shown in the photos, both cards were finished on the inside with a lighter color of cardstock and a 'Happy Birthday' stamp.   

Miracle kit (National Scrapbooking Month)

Close To My Heart is celebrating "National Scrapbooking Month" with the beautiful Miracle kit!   View more details and finished layouts can be seen on the CTMH National Scrapbooking Month site.  The special is available April 15 through May 31, but only while supplies last.
 
This charming scrapbooking kit featuring spring-inspired colors and floral patterns is miraculously easy to assemble with no stamping required.  Included are new, coordinating B&T Duos® die-cut papers, B&T Duos, Irresistibles™ chipboard die-cuts, My Stickease® adhesive images, Flip Flaps™, plus more favorite accessories and papers. The brochure will guide you through easily creating two beautiful 2-page layouts.

There are several ways to snatch this fashionable Miracle kit at a great discount or even FREE:
• Purchase the kit outright for $19.95
• Place a minimum order of $40 and purchase the kit for only $10
• Place a minimum order of $60 and purchase the kit for only $5
• Sign up as a new Consultant between May 1-31 and receive a kit FREE
• Host a Home Gathering between April 15-May 31 with minimum sales of $300 and receive a kit FREE

Wordless Wednesday (tulips)

A Cherry from A Posy

Wanted to work with some bright colors, and this card definitely turned out to be bright.  Close To My Heart lowered the price on their A-size stamp sets last fall and that means this cute A Posy stamp set is only $7.95.  It includes five stamps, and I used all the stamps except the actual posy flower.  The 'swiss dotted' cherries were made by stamping the flower 'center' using red ink and then cutting it to fit inside the clear buttons.   

Knitting Projects - First Month

This picture was taken on March 31 - that is one month after I learned to knit.  I was really surprised to see that I had completed so many projects in the first month.  Also, there were four additional dishcloths that I made and already gave away.  And yes, there are two projects 'on the needles' that had been started.  Since the picture was taken, one of the items has been unraveled because I did not like working with the yarn, and the other is now a completed kitchen towel with a tab to hang it from a drawer pull.

Two of my favorite projects are this Garter Baby Bib using a pattern from Nona, who is the one responsible for teaching me to knit.  This means that I have not been stamping and creating cards to share on my blog.

The yarn is a nice, soft cotton and it was really easy to make.  The button is actually from my Close To My Heart embellishment supply - so at least I used some of my stamping supplies this month.  

And this drawstring bag is the Super Summer Backpack on the Lion Brand yarn website.

The stitch pattern was more difficult than I expected since the pattern was listed as 'Easy +' skill level, but I really like the way it turned out.  Used a self-striping yarn and am pleased with the stripes on the bag.  The I-cord for the drawstring was quite a challenge and required double-pointed knitting needles.  I must have viewed at least four different You Tube videos for knitting an I-cord and re-watched a couple of them several times trying to figure out how to do this.  If you look closely, the knitting is not very smooth and even.  After starting, unraveling, and re-starting about eight times, I finally decided that it would just be a good example of 'beginner' work and kept going until there was 48" of the cord.