It's A Stampaganza! (Buy 2 - Get 1 Free)

Everyone loves a special - and for the month of November, Close To My Heart is offering their Stampaganza! To take advantage of this great special, simply purchase any two stamp sets at regular price and you will receive a third stamp set of your choice FREE - a savings of up to $22.95. Choose from any stamp set offered in any 2009 Idea Book (Spring, Summer, Autumn/Winter) or the current Product Review. Or visit MyCTMH website for a complete selection of available stamps.
Each year, CTMH retires some older stamp sets to make room for new sets the following year. Stampaganza is the perfect time to purchase some of those stamps that you have been debating on - before they are retired on December 31. There is a complete list of retiring stamp sets (with pictures) in the Retiring Stamp Sets section of MyCTMH site.

Around the Block (November SOTM Blog Hop)

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! November's stamp-of-the-month (SOTM) from Close To My Heart is Around the Block. It is a collection of 26 images that you can use to "build" your own house. There are different rooflines, windows, shutters, doors, bricks, wood planking, and much more - for you to create a dream cottage. The stamp set is perfect to use for a "welcome to the neighborhood" or "we've moved" card. If you have come here from Tanya's 'Scramper's Corner' blog, you are on the right path!

There are over 60 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. 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!


Instead of using the entire house, I chose to just use the rooftops to create the illusion of a neighborhood of homes. The fencing is created using a single wooden "plank" stamp and varying the height of each 'fence post' slightly as it was stamped, then cutting out the entire fence row to use on the card. For some reason, the little bricks used in the background of the card and the wooden plank are some of my favorite stamps in the set.

Now "Hop" on over to Melissa's 'Fancy Melissa' 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 Around the Block stamp set is only available until November 30! 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 hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of all participating blogs on Jena's 'Live, Love, Laugh, Scrapbook!' blog.

Nugget Tins & the Mystery of the "Missing" Nugget

These cute little tins with a clear front window were 'left overs' from a Stamp Club project a couple of years ago, and I finally remembered about them. So, I bought a package of Hershey's Nuggets to make some quick and easy gifts.
Simply cut some patterned paper to 1"x3", wrap the paper strip around a Nugget, and secure with a bit of adhesive. Place a dozen Nuggets inside the tin, decorate some cardstock to wrap around the tin along with a small tag, and you have a nice gift - complete with chocolate!

There is not much stamping for these projects. The cute papers are from the Daydream paper packet from Close To My Heart. The words on the tags are found in the CTMH Say It In Style sentiment set.


These pictures were taken quickly before placing the nuggets into padded envelopes and mailing off a 'thank you' gift to a friend, and a 'get well' to another. It was several days before I downloaded the pictures from the camera to my computer. When I looked at the pictures, I was so embarrassed to see that there is a nugget missing from the 'get well' tin. Obviously, I did not notice this while taking the pictures.


I have no idea what happened, because there were 12 nuggets in place when I completed the tin at my 13-hour stamping day. The tin then sit on the kitchen counter for a couple of days before the pictures were taken. Evidently, there is a chocolate thief in our house!

'Better Than Anything' Cake!

Yes, this cake is just as 'yummy' as it looks! It is an absolutely delicious cake - and very easy to make. Simply bake a German Chocolate cake according to the package directions. After baking, add sweetened condensed milk, caramel topping, whipped topping, and toffee bits. For the complete recipe, refer to page 33 of the Autumn/Winter Idea Book from Close To My Heart. Yes, you read right - find a cooking recipe while browsing through the Idea Book with the stamps, inks and paper.


Each year, CTMH releases three Idea Books and they are full of fun and creative ideas to use your stamps and inks. And in the most recent Autumn/Winter book, there is also a great recipe. Give it a try, the cake is very moist and delicious!

Dainty Thoughts - Origami Box

This cute little origami box is very easy to create. Simply stamp, score, and fold - super quick and easy. The most difficult part is tying the bow!


Actually, what took the longest time was deciding what stamps to use. I was away from home and only had a few stamp sets with me, and most of them had large images. Since this box is only 2" across, the stamp images needed to be small. I finally realized that the flowers in the Dainty Thoughts set were just the perfect size.


This 6"x6" piece has been scored and is ready for folding. One thing I really like about the little box is that the sides on the inside of the box are a continuation of the outside, so the box is decorated on the inside too. A piece of acetate is scored and cut to form the clear lid. For complete instructions, Tresa has a great video on her Fabulously Artsy blog.

Four Seasons - a tree for any season or occasion

UPDATE-October 13, 2010:  The Heart 2 Heart Challenge for this week is to create using 'leaves and trees.'  These cards created using the Four Seasons stamp set are some of my favorites.    

One of my favorite stamp sets is the Four Seasons set from Close To My Heart. The set contains four trees - one for each of the seasons of the year. The Spring tree has small buds, Summer is very full of leaves, Fall has fewer leaves with some falling to the ground, and Winter is a bare tree with falling snowflakes around it.

To create this card, each season's tree was stamped using a 'seasonal' color. The sentiment - which complements the images so well - is from the Make It Count set and is stamped on a piece of Vellum which is attached over the trees, giving a muted look. This lovely card was inspired by one shared on the CTMH Artwork bulletin board where consultants share their creations with each other. It is a fabulous place to get creative ideas.

Using an open circle 'mask' to sponge different ink colors to create a moon is much easier than it looks. Then, simply stamp the Fall tree in front of your "harvest moon" for a gorgeous card that can be used for many different occasions.

If you would prefer something a bit more 'light hearted', use a heart stamp to create leaves on the Spring tree.

This simple Christmas card was made using the Winter tree and a piece of patterned paper from the Aspen paper packet, along with the Cuttlebug Snowflakes embossing folder for the background.

The simplicity of this stamp set is what adds to its versatility.