A Little Thanks (November SOTM Blog Hop)

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop which features A Little Thanks stamp set from Close To My Heart.  This is definitely my favorite "thank you" stamp set, as the sentiments are more unique than just a simple 'thanks.'  


If you have come here from 'Jen's Jewel Box' blog, you are on the right path! With over 60 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! 

 

Using paper from the Passages My Reflections kit, this 5"x7" card features the Pinwheel technique from the August/September 2010 issue of the Technique Junkies newsletter.  Since I have used them on the last three SOTM Blog Hop cards, it is obvious that one of my favorite new embellishments are the Shimmer Designer Brads.  These large brads are beautiful and appear to have a coating of very fine glitter.  They really sparkle and shine, and you can buy 27 brads in bronze, gold, and silver (9 of each color) for only $4.95. 

If you would to view a tutorial on creating the pinwheel design, I taught the technique during Creative University - Online in August.  You can still watch the class, it was recorded and can be viewed on the Fabulously Artsy Ustream channel.  When you go to the channel, there are two videos for the Pinwheel Technique, a Part 1 and a Part 2.  Evidently, there was a bit of a malfunction that caused the recording to be split into two parts. 

Now "Hop" on over to Misty's 'Creative Minds Are Rarely Tidy' 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, A Little Thanks stamp set is only available until the end of November.  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.

During the month of November, Close To My Heart is expressing their gratitude to you by helping you earn two fabulous My Acrylix® stamp sets for FREE!  When you place a minimum order of $100, you will not only receive the November Stamp-of-the-Month set, A Little Thanks, for FREE, you will also receive one stamp set of your choosing from the 2010 Autumn/Winter Idea Book for FREE*!  This means you can increase the value of your purchase by up to $45.90—that’s almost 50 percent more in value! It’s just their way of imparting "A Little MORE Thanks" to you for being a great customer.

*Free stamp sets include A-D size sets. Stamps that are not available as the free set include Workshops
on the Go,™ Stamp of the Month retail, E-size, and customizable K-size. Tax and shipping/handling may apply. Offer good November 1–30, 2010.

Be Yourself - With Some Glitz!

Used one of my favorite new colors - Lagoon, and combined it with Black cardstock and a patterned paper from the Magnifique kit.  The images in the Be Yourself stamp set are so fun, and just perfect to 'glitz' the dress with a little colored glitter.  The 'celebrate' sentiment is from the versatile Happy Birthday stamp set.

You may notice that the card is designed using the same Mojo Monday card sketch that I used for the little reindeer card posted for the Share the Magic Blog Hop.  I really like this card sketch and it is interesting to see how cards using different stamps and papers look similar, yet unique.      

Wordless Wednesday (Fair Isle knitting)

A Trio of Cards with Cuttlebug Embossing

Yesterday, I had a full 13-hour day of stamping with a friend and created a total of 15 cards!  It was a fun day to just play with my stamps as I did not have anything specific that I needed to create.  Since some of the cards included embossing with Cuttlebug folders, they qualify for the Heart 2 Heart Challenge this week.  Embossing with Cuttlebug folders is a great way to add some detail.     

This card is very simple using the Stylized Flowers Cuttlebug folder along with Gracious Greetings and The Present stamp sets.  The pink is the newly-introduced Cotton Candy from CTMH.

My birthday was last week, and Michelle brought me a gift to our stamping day yesterday which included some beautiful colored, extra fine glitter from A La Mode. It was a lot of fun playing with the glitter, and this is just one of the cards that I made using it.  This green glitter goes great with the new Pear color.  Unfortunately, the scanned image looks a bit messy because it shows little stray specks of glitter that are not really visible 'in real life.'  The D'vine Swirl Cuttlebug embossing folder was used along with the Tannenbaum stamp set, and cardstock in Pear, Gray Wool, and Gray Flannel.

A simple card which really highlights the Houndstooth Cuttlebug embossing folder.  After embossing the White Daisy cardstock, the raised portion was brayered with Black ink so that the pattern is clearly visible.  Some strips of cardstock and ribbon were added with a simple birthday greeting from the Happy Birthday stamp set.

All stamps and papers used are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).    

Studio J - Unique Online Design Software

Close To My Heart has updated and improved their Studio J unique online design software.  All you need is a computer with online access, and your digital photos on your computer - and you can create beautiful scrapbook pages in just a few minutes.  

To find out more, click on the image so that a full-size photo opens for you.  Then you should be able to 'zoom in' so that you can to read the information. 

Using Studio J is a wonderful way to quickly create a scrapbook.  And with the discounted Membership options, each 2-page layout is only $7.95 - that includes full color processing and delivery to your front door.

A New 'Spin' on the Pinwheel Technique

My mother created a birthday card for me using the Pinwheel Technique that I taught recently for Creative University-Online on the Fabulously Artsy UStream channel.  For her version, she used a decorative corner punch on the 'spokes' of the pinwheel.  It is such a great variation of the technique and I really like how the additional detail resembles a flower.  A birthday sentiment from the Gracious Greetings stamp set is used along with papers from the retired Simple Pleasures kit.

Whimsical Treetops

Since it is now officially the Fall season, the Heart 2 Heart Challenge for this week is to create something using trees and/or leaves.  Once again, I was able to combine the H2H challenge with the Mojo Monday sketch (MOJO160).    

The card combines the Treetops stamp set with patterned paper from the Moon Doggie kit  Even though it is a bit difficult to see in the scan, there are two different colors of green used on the trees - Garden Green and Olive.  And the tree trunks are actually Cocoa, even though they seem to have a green tint in the scanned image.  This was a fun card to create as I really like the cute, whimsical trees in this stamp set. 

All stamps and papers used are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

Christmas in October - card workshop

It's that time of year - the weather is getting a little cooler, and it is time to start thinking about Christmas cards!  You can get a headstart on creating your cards by attending this month's "Christmas in October" card workshop.  Classes will be offered on Friday evening, October 29 and also on Saturday afternoon, October 30.  Note that none of the cards use traditional Christmas paper or colors, and only two stamp sets are used for the front of all four cards. 

A cute prancing reindeer from the I Believe stamp set, with a shiny red Sparkle for a nose, appears to be ready to fly away into the night.  Cardstock used is Gray Flannel and Gray Wool, and the snowflake stamps are from the same stamp set.

Another monochromatic card using the Santa image from the same I Believe stamp set.  The green patterned paper is from the Passages paper kit, and is used with Olive ink and New England Ivy cardstock.   

A third card using the same I Believe stamp set.  This card is definitely more colorful, using papers from the Hooligans paper packet.  A small amount of Liquid Applique is added to the 'cuff' of the stockings, and a Bitty Sparkle is in the center of a snowflake on each stocking.

The inside of the stocking card is completed using a sentiment from the Peace On Earth stamp set.     
      

Finally, an adorable little tree from A Timber stamp set, paired with paper from Magnifique paper packet.  .    

The "Christmas in October" card workshop will be offered on Friday evening, October 29 (starting at 7 pm), and also on  Saturday afternoon, October 30 (starting at 1 pm).  You will create three of each of the four projects (total 12 cards) for a workshop fee of $10.  Allow two or three hours to complete your projects.  Please be sure to bring your favorite adhesive.  All other supplies are provided with the workshop fee.  All stamps and papers used are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

As an added bonus, place a $50+ order from the Close To My Heart  Spring, Summer, or Autumn/Winter 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 October" card workshops.  Feel free to leave me a comment on this blog, send an email to sheilabennett@comcast.net, or call 913-485-4355.

Wordless Wednesday (leg warmers)

Happy "Cherry" Birthday

The Heart 2 Heart Challenge this week is a simple one - create a birthday card.  Using the Mojo Monday sketch (MOJO159) for the week, I was able to create this card very quickly to combine the two blog challenges.  

Instead of stamping on the large center piece, I chose to use a patterned paper from the Cherry-O paper packet.  The sentiment is from the Happy Birthday stamp set, which is probably my most used set.  It has 14 different birthday sentiments in a variety of sizes and fonts.  

These sketch challenges are fun to complete.  This card only took about 20 minutes to complete - and that included the time deciding what stamp, ink colors, and papers to use.  All stamps and papers used are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).