Capture the Date (November SOTM Blog Shop)

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop which features the Capture the Date stamp set from Close To My Heart.   This stamp set is perfect for journaling your scrapbook pages.  It includes all of the months of the year, both full names and abbreviations, as well as four different styles of numbers and a journaling box.

Also this month, CTMH is having a "Capture the Savings" special where you can get 50% off your favorite stamp set in the Idea Book.  When you purchase the exclusive Capture the Date SOTM, you get an additional bonus of 50% off any other stamp set in the Idea Book!  This deal excludes those sets sold as part of Workshops on the Go kits or our Cricut collections, but that still leaves you over one hundred options to choose from.   

If you have come here from 'Scrapi Traci' blog, you are on the right path!  With over 60 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations, you will see many different uses for this stamp set.  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!

For my daughter's 20th birthday, this stamp set was perfect for creating a personalized card for her.  Using paper from the Clementine kit along with a few embellishments, the card was quick and easy to create.  From the Capture the Date stamp set, the journaling box was stamped and then the month name and date were added.  The 'Birthday Wishes' stamp is included in the Artiste collection.  And that Cricut cartridge was used to cut the images for both the journaling box and the banner.  The numbers 20 are from the Cork Alphabet and Sorbet ink was sponged on the cork to add a bit of color. 

Now "Hop" on over to the 'Fancy Melissa' blog to see her work!  Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas!  Remember, the Capture the Date stamp set is only available during the month of November 2012.  The regular price is $17.95, or you can purchase it for only $5 with a minimum order of $50 in other CTMH products.  Remember, with the purchase of this month's SOTM, you are able to purchase another stamp set for 50% off.

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.

Felted Market Bag

Finally finished my most intensive knitting project to date.  It is a very brightly colored bag and I love using it!

Our local knitting shop had a class for a Felted Farmer's Market Bag designed by Kristin Nicholas.  I just loved it, so had to take the class.  My mother, who is an expert seamstress, was kind enough to sew linings for the bags with a fun dotted material I found that coordinates with the wool beautifully.  She included interior pockets all the way around, so the bag is very handy to use.

Even though it has been several months, I have finally completed not just ONE bag, but TWO bags!  For my project, I selected very bright colors complemented with black.  When I realized that I would use less than half of each skein for the project, I decided to just knit two bags.  The second bag is a gift for a dear friend who is also a knitter, so I know she will appreciate the work. 

To start the project, seven colors of wool are knit into triangle shapes and then connected to complete a circle for the base of the bag.

Then stitches are picked up around the outside of the circle and 80 rows are knitted, alternating colors of wool.  When the knitting is complete, the project is very large.  These are the two bags after the knitting was finished.  For a size comparison, those are yardsticks in the photo.

Just to be silly, this is one of the bags covering my head, shoulders, and upper arms.  The knitted project was very large before felting!

To felt, each bag was put into a pillow case and then washed in hot water to shrink the wool and create the felted fabric.  Wool dries very slowly.  So, I placed a dinner plate into the bottom to shape the wool and then placed each plate on top of a bottle of wine.  These had to sit on the counter for a couple of days to dry completely.  My family was very puzzled when they saw the strange objects in the kitchen.

Leather straps, purchased from Homestead Heirlooms were used to complete the bags.  

Halloween Diorama

The Heart 2 Heart Challenge this week is to create something with a Halloween or Pumpkin theme.  This past weekend, I had the pleasure of joining fellow Close To My Heart consultants in a Stamp Camp to share ideas.  One of the funnest projects we made was a Halloween diorama shared by Janice Hodgkin.  Even though it looks a bit complicated, it actually took very little time to create as all of the pieces are pre-printed dimensional elements from the Moonlight kit.  

For a very unique use of the My Creations Card Box, it was first sprayed with a mixture of water and a few drops of reinker for the CTMH Black ink pad.  By diluting the Black ink with water, the result was a fun shade of purple for the Card Box.  

The box is then positioned with the intended top flap on the bottom so that the box can be opened up into a free-standing position to display the adorable Halloween scene inside.  

The bottom of the box (which is the 'top' when placed upside down) is also decorated so that it can be displayed closed too.  

Even though the project looks a bit complicated, it is very easy.  There is absolutely no stamping involved.  All of the pieces are from the Moonlight Complements Dimensional Elements package, and the papers used are from the Moonlight kit.  Even though it is difficult to see in the photos, there is also Liquid Glass used to highlight the eyes and other elements of the different pieces.  Green Glitter Gel was used to give some sparkle to the little Frankenstein, who actually 'jiggles' around a bit as he is attached to the back of the box using an Adhesive Spring.  The bats swing around a bit as they are dangling from the top using some Black Embroidery Floss.

Operation Smile donation

Close To My Heart is proud to partner with Operation Smile, an organization that provides free, life-changing surgery that repairs smiles and reshapes lives, one child at a time.  

At each CTMH event, a silent auction is held to raise money to provide facial surgeries for children.  For the Regional Celebration held last weekend in St Louis, I was honored to be asked to donate some artwork for the Operation Smile Silent Auction. 

Using papers from the Stella kit, I created a dry erase board, a clock, and a nightlight.  The sentiment and flowers on the clock are from the stamp set which is included in the Scroll Album WOTG kit.  Remember, the stamp sets included in the WOTG kits can be used for many different projects.  

When I decided to create a clock, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Artiste cartridge includes two different clock faces.  Using the Cricut machine to cut the clock face with the roman numerals was great, as I did not have to worry about getting the numbers lined up correctly and I love the way the face looks layered on a patterned piece of paper from the Stella kit.  The sign post and sign were also cut using the Artiste cartridge, and the flourishes on the dry erase board were cut using the Art Philosophy cartridge.  

In total, over $800 was raised in St Louis - that is more than enough to pay for three complete surgeries with Operation Smile. 

Pear & Partridge ~ Christmas Card Workshop

It's that time of year - time to start thinking about and creating your Holiday cards.  Next weekend will be the first Christmas Card Workshop of the season.  Join us to create nine fabulous cards - three each of three designs. 

UPDATED: two extra workshops added, so you have four opportunities to create your own Christmas cards!  Choose to attend Friday evening (7 pm) or Saturday afternoon (1 pm) either of the next two weekends - October 5 & 6 or October 12 & 13.  

All three cards use classic Holiday colors and are featured in the new Pear & Partridge Cardmaking Kit available in the Autumn/Winter Idea Book from Close To My Heart.  After the workshop, you can purchase you own WOTG Pear & Partridge Cardmaking Kit to complete 15 more cards.  The WOTG kit comes complete with all the card bases, envelopes, paper, embellishments, stamp set, and an instructional brochure.    

My favorite card of the trio.  The detailed sentiment stamp is fun with different fonts and scrolls.

    The second card for the workshop uses stamps from the Pear & Partridge WOTG kit to create a nice branch with different ornaments hanging from it.  .       

For this card, the "Merry Christmas" stamp is used repeatedly to create an do-it-yourself background.  The elegant sentiment along with some gift images complete the card.     

The Christmas Card workshop will be offered two weekends - October 5 & 6 and October 12 & 13.  On Friday at 7 pm, and on Saturday afternoon at 1 pm.  You will create three of each of the three cards for a workshop fee of $10.  Allow approximately two hours to complete your project.  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).

Everyone who attends will also receive a FREE copy of the Close To My Heart Autumn/Winter Idea Book & Catalog which features some fabulous new stamp sets, papers, and other great items.  As an added bonus, if you place a $30+ order, your workshop fee is waived. 

Please let me know if you would like to attend.  Contact me by sending an email to sheilabennett@comcast.net, or calling 913-485-4355.