Happy Forever (July SOTM Blog Hop)

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop which features the Happy Forever stamp set from Close To My Heart.  There are four absolutely adorable hedgehogs - one flying a kite, one with balloons, another with butterflies, and one just standing - along with three great sentiments.   
 

This 5"x7" card has a Chocolate cardstock base and uses a nice swirl patterned paper from the Topstitch paper packet along with some Heavenly Blue cardstock.  The image was stamped using Chocolate ink and color was added with colored pencils, with just a touch of pink in the hedgehog ears and on his belly, and a Bitty Sparkle on his nose.


If you have come here from Teri's 'The Midnight Artist' blog, you are on the right path! With almost 70 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs, 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 Melissa's 'Stamp*Crop*Create' 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 Happy Forever stamp set is only available until the end of July.  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 Kathleen's 'Life's Like a Bowl of Stamps' blog.

"Christmas in July" card workshop

Join us for a Christmas in July card making workshop,and get a head-start on this year's Holiday cards.   Classes will be offered on Friday evening, July 23 at 7:00 and also Saturday afternoon, July 24 at 1:00. Each workshop should take two to three hours to complete. 

Traditional holiday card using the Holiday Trinkets stamp set along with Cherry-O papers introduced in the Close To My Heart Summer Idea Book. Some Bitty Sparkles are used to add some 'bling' to the sentiment and to the ornament.   

Using the same Holiday Trinkets stamp set again along with the Gracious Greetings sentiment stamp creates an elegant card in traditional Christmas colors. The stars on the tops of the trees and the detail on one of threes has been enhanced using the new Glitz Stardust Glitter Glue.  It is very easy to apply, and adds a nice shimmer to a project.

Use the All Decked Out stamp set to create a cute little snowman.  The 'flurries' are added using Snow Flurries stamp set.  The background is Taffy cardstock, which is a color that I do not use very often.  It is a nice non-traditional Christmas color scheme. 

 

The "Christmas in July" workshop will be offered on Friday evening, July 23 (starting at 7 pm), and also on  Saturday (July 24) at 1:00 pm.  You will create 4 cards each of 3 different designs - a total of 12 cards and matching envelopes for a reduced price of $10.  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.

As an added bonus, place a $50+ order from the Close To My Heart  Spring or Summer Idea Book - and your workshop fee is waived.  Depending on total orders received, there will be a drawing for Hostess Rewards - so you could earn $25 or more in FREE product from CTMH.

Please let me know if you would like to attend one of the "Christmas in July" card workshops.  Feel free to leave me a comment on this blog, send an email to sheilabennett@comcast.net, or call 913-485-4355.

Springtime - Galoshes & Umbrellas

Rain - rain - rain - we have had a lot of rain and storms this spring. If you know someone who is feeling a bit too wet, send them a card with their own galoshes and umbrellas using the Springtime stamp set.  

Both cards use papers from the new Zippidee paper packet along with Cranberry and Honey inks.  The 'happy birthday' sentiment is from the Candlelight stamp set.  

Ripple Scarf

Finally finished another knitting project, and this one took about four weeks to complete.  It is actually a bit longer than the pattern specified, as I thought I would simply finish two complete skeins of yarn.  So, with about 1/3 of the second skein left, I finally decided to measure.  It was at 72" long and I decided that was LONG enough!  A friend shared the pattern for this Ripple Scarf, and it was a nice "big" project.  Such a simple pattern - the stitches are all either knit, yarn-over, or knit 2 together.  Great for a beginner like me, as I am still awkward doing purl stitches.  


The yarn is a Patons Classic Wool from Michaels, and I really like the deep rich colors (even though they look a bit washed out from the camera flash).  

And it intrigues me how the yarn 'ripples' with the simple stitches.  Of course, each row of stitches is straight when on the knitting needle, but as the stitched rows move farther away from the needle the yarn 'gathers' at the point where there are two K2tog stitches.  

Jackpot June

Close To My Heart is offering Jackpot June this month as a special for shopping at MyCTMH web site.  Hit the "Jackpot" and win free products OR grab loaded 'goodie boxes' at 50% off or more.  

On goodie box days… you can purchase one box filled with popular products at 50% or more off retail value! Each goodie box day will feature different surprise items, so you can score a wide variety of current and recently retired products.

On jackpot days… 5 products will be offered for sale at discounted prices. One of the 5 products is the mystery jackpot item for that day, but we’re not telling which - exciting, isn’t it! If you happen to order the mystery jackpot item, we’ll reward you with one or more FREE Close To My Heart products, with shipping included on the free items! If you purchase all 5 products, you’re guaranteed to hit the jackpot! There’s no purchase limit—if you order multiple secret jackpot items, we’ll send you the same number of free items.

These special offers include discounted shipping/handling and are only available on a
Consultant’s MyCTMH® website. Check back every day for the latest offer.

* Offer valid June 1–July 1 at 8:00 am (MDT), on MyCTMH websites only. New deals are posted each day at 9:00 am (MDT). To be eligible for discounted prices, your order must contain only Jackpot June items. Visit facebook.com/closetomyheart or closetomyheart.com to see what the mystery Jackpot item was for the previous day. Offers are while supplies last.