Year >> Noted (National Papercrafting Month)

Welcome to our Year >> Noted Blog Hop, brought to you by the same ladies who participate in the monthly Stamp-of-the-Month Blog Hop.  In celebration of National Papercrafting Month, CTMH invites you to reflect on the thigns that make you who you are and on what you want to accomplish in the coming months.  With the help of the Year >> Noted paper kit, you can easily record your experiences and goals.      

If you arrived here from Heartfelt Sentiments, you are hopping through our circle of Close To My Heart consultants sharing their projects using the Year >> Noted kit.  

Using scraps of paper from the Year >> Noted kit, this card was created based on Pattern #28 in Make It From Your Heart Volume 2.  The sentiment is found in the You Mean the World To Me stamp set and is embossed with Gold embossing powder.  Additional touches of Gold include the Shimmer Trim behind the Zip Strip of arrows, metallic banners from the Year >> Noted kit, and a Gold Metallic Pen used to outline the mat behind the sentiment piece.  

During the month of January, with a qualifying purchase of $50, you are eligible to purchase the exclusive Year >> Noted paper kit (retail value $24+) for only $5.  Or for an additional $5, you can order the Year >> Noted paper kit with an accompanying My Creations kraft mini book.  The paper kit for both options includes a C-size stamp set, stickers, cardstocks, and patterned papers, all specially designed to coordinate with the My Creations kraft mini book so you can have a yearlong scrapbooking experience.  Included on the sticker sheet, you will find a large golden seal.  Once the year is done and all the pages are filled, seal up your book and create a mini time capsule that you can open years from now.  

Please visit Show and Tell, with Michelle to continue along our Blog Hop featuring the Year >> Noted kit. 

list of participants

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

	Sheila Bennett Close To My Heart Independent Consultant (913) 485-4355

Congrats Journal - Maroon & Gold

Recently we had an Open House celebrating my daughter's graduation from college.  She wanted a book so friends could leave her words of wisdom, so we decorated a My Creations Journal.  

Since Stephens College colors are Maroon and Gold, the polka-dot vellum in the Free To Be Me collection was perfect paired with Ruby cardstock.  The 'congrats' and medallion shapes were cut using the Artiste Cricut cartridge, and the "class of 2014" was stamped using images in the Congrats Graduate stamp set.  A gold Metallic Marker was used to add some color to the edges of the largest medallion and the cardstock behind 'Congrats.'

Proud of her Honors medal for graduating Cum Laude.   

Some of the dance shoes she used during her College performances.   

In celebration of National Scrapbooking Month, Close To My Heart has created the Free To Be Me paper collection, available during May 2014 for only $5, with a $50 qualifying purchase.    

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

	Sheila Bennett Close To My Heart Independent Consultant (913) 485-4355

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.

S'more Box

Love this little S'more goodie box made using a My Creations Card Box from CTMH.  Even though it is difficult to see in the photo, there are score lines and dots on the Desert Sand cardstock to make it resemble a graham cracker.  The letters are from the Color-Ready Alphabets Cork and have been colored using a Smoothie marker.  The adhesive-backed letters are so simple to use - just peel and stick.  Plaid paper from the Roxie paper packet cover the sides of the box.  

Inside the box are all of the ingredients necessary to make a S'more, along with a microwave recipe.  This is going to make a great gift to send to my daughter at college.