Flock Together (April SOTM Blog Hop)

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.  For the month of April, Close To My Heart created this adorable Flock Together stamp set with some sassy little birds.          

If you have come here from If You Bling It, you are on the right path!  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!  

Used the Flock Together stamp set to create a fun card to send to a "birds of a feather" friend.  These cute little birds were stamped using Saffron, Goldrush, and Poppy ink, along with a 'thanks' from the Friendly Wishes stamp set.  A floral and some woodgrain paper from the Dreamin' Big kit give the card a Springtime look.  The Overview card sketch is one of my favorites from the Wishes Card Confidence Program.             

Place a $50 minimum order this month (April 2017) and you are eligible to purchase the Flock Together stamp set for only $5. It is also available for $17.95 without a qualifying purchase.  

Now "Hop" on over to the Crafting For Sanity? 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. 

  

If you get lost along the way, the complete list of participants is available on Melinda's 'If You Bling It' blog.   

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).
#ctmh #cardmaking #ctmhDreaminBig

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

Chocolate Birthday Cake [CTMH Blog Boosters]

The new Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book from Close to My Heart is now available.   In order to introduce some of the new products, a select group of Close To My Heart consultants will be sharing their creations in this CTMH Blog Boosters Blog Hop.  A thumbnail of each participant's creation is shown in the Linky list below.  Simply click on a thumbnail to go to their blog post with detailed information. 

And we all LOVE to read comments about our work, please 'give us some love' by leaving a quick comment telling the artist your favorite part of their project.

The fun striped paper on the background is from the new Paper Fundamentals Basics Assortment.  These double-sided sheets have the same design on both sides, one side with glossy resist pattern.  The card sketch is 'City Scape' from the Wishes Card Confidence Program.  Several images from the Belated Birthday stamp set are used, with the cake stamped three times so that two different colored layers could be cut and placed on the base image for a colorful frosted cake.  A strip of Washi Tape adhered to White Daisy cardstock and then placed on the card provides a pop of texture and color.  

Be sure to visit all the blogs to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas! 

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

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

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.

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.   

Don't Throw That Away!

A pile of these cute little plastic boxes were going to be thrown away at our office, so I rescued them. They are approximately 4" square, and are the perfect size for holding some little goodies. My 'roomies' last month for the Close To My Heart Leadership Conference each received one filled with Riesen chocolates. These candies are just the perfect thing for a chocolate craving!

Papers are from the Moon Doggie paper packet, and the flower is stamped using the Cottage Floral set. Even though this is not a card, a 4 1/2"x4 1/2" template from the Wishes Card Confidence Program was used to decorate the top of the box.

Three Takes on One Pattern

Just spent five wonderful days in Long Beach, California for the Close To My Heart Leadership Conference, and had a fabulous time with my roommates and other fellow CTMH consultants. For the event, CTMH held a "Three Takes on One Pattern" contest. The idea for the contest was to show the versatility of the card patterns in the Wishes Card Confidence Program by creating three different and unique cards using the 'Top Band' pattern.

Even though my card entries were not selected for the top five, I had fun choosing the stamps and papers to use while maintaining the integrity of the card pattern. This first card uses the Thank You and Dainty Thoughts stamp sets with the fun Daydream papers. The crocheted flower is from the Mini-Medleys Accents Collection.

All of the animals in the Life's A Jungle stamp set are so cute. Stamping them on patterned paper gives them so much character. The papers used for this card are from the Animal Cookies kit. The card pattern was turned 'upside down' to create this card. Hopefully you can see the similarity with the first card.

The third card has a landscape orientation, and a much softer look using That's Amore papers with the Aspiration stamp set. Each of the flower centers has a Clear Sparkle, which really adds a nice finishing touch.

One pattern - three cards!

"On The Edge" cards

At a recent stamping/crop day, I finally got the chance to use the new Wishes Card Confidence Program book from Close To My Heart (CTMH). Both of these cards use papers from the Bella paper packet, following the 'On The Edge' template from page 53 of the Wishes book. The idea of using a large circle for one of the patterned paper pieces really appealed to me as it is something that I have not done before. The Coluzzle circle template was used to create the large circle, then it was placed on the card, and scissors were used to trim the overhanging edges even with the straight edge. I think this gives a 'fun' and unique dimension to the card.

This first card uses the With Love stamp set with Hollyhock and Olive ink, and is a very quick card to complete. The Just Blooms paper flowers from the Autumn Daisy collection work perfectly with the Bella papers.
This large 'smile' sentiment is my favorite image from the September Word Puzzle. As you can see, this card uses the same papers, colors, and Wishes template - only change is the orientation, stamped image, and embellishment. Another very quick card to complete.

Heartfelt card - Fringed Phrases

This card was made specifically for a challenge to use the new Heartfelt Whimsy Die-Cuts from Close To My Heart (CTMH). It was a fun card to make, and only took about 20 minutes to create. It is a little larger than a standard card - this card is 7" tall and 5" wide.


Papers used are from the Moon Doggie paper packet, and stamps used - both the 'Happy Day' sentiment and the scalloped lines - are from the new Fringed Phrases stamp set. The Heartfelt Whimsy Die-Cuts package comes with 3 sheets of die-cuts - each of them are 12"x12" - one in each of the three colors shown on the flower - Buttercup, Garden Green, Tulip. To make the stem of the flower, the felt was atually cut off a longer swirl element.

The basic template for the card is from the Bullseye design on page 33 in the new Wishes Card Confidence Program.