Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Why I Became a CTMH Consultant

"Baby, I'm Worth It!" is the Close To My Heart special for the month of April.  For only $75 you can sign up as a Consultant, join the CTMH family, and possibly earn a free Cricut collection.  Because of this great opportunity, the ladies who participate in the monthly Stamp-of-the-Month Blog Hop thought it would be a good idea for each of us to share "Why I Became a CTMH Consultant."               

If you arrived here from Chris' Creative Life, you are hopping through our circle of Close To My Heart consultants sharing their projects showing why they became a CTMH Consultant. 


Basically, my "why" is because I cannot draw anything.  To give you an example, here is a person that I drew.  Nothing great, very simple, and that is about the best that I can do.  

Since I cannot draw, using stamp images to create something is perfect for me.  When I was first invited to a CTMH party, I was amazed and impressed by what I could create with stamps and ink.  What really appealed to me specifically about CTMH is that they have coordinating cardstock for each of their ink colors.  The patterned papers and embellishments also coordinate perfectly with the ink/cardstock colors, so it is easy to create something fabulous. 

Another great thing for a non-drawer like me is Base & Shade, or 2-step stamping.  For this technique, there are two stamp images which are designed to work together.  The "base" of this large flower from the Blossoming Expressions set was stamped using Gypsy ink, and then the detailed "shade" image was stamped on top of that using Eggplant.  The result is a flower with some depth and character.  Using CTMH clear stamps and blocks makes it very easy to position the second image perfectly on top of the first one.  The same process was used to stamp the leaves with Pear and Topiary inks.  Patterned papers from the Kaleidoscope kit contain the colors Gypsy and Pear, so adding them to the Gypsy cardstock base of the card along with some coordinating embellishments creates a harmonious card.  CTMH also offers great tools to help you create.  This card design is Pattern #22 in Make It From Your Heart Volume 2.


Signing up as a new Consultant with Close To My Heart during April is more rewarding than ever.  When you sign up as a new Consultant, you already get:  

  • New Consultant Kit with essential supplies for only $75
  • $50 in Select Product Credit to spend on additional supplies
  • The chance to earn fantastic Straight To The Top start-up rewards.

And only during April, you can also earn your choice of a FREE Cricut collection or an additional $100 in Select Product Credit when you submit $350 in personal sales within your first 30 days. 




Please visit Crafty Happy to continue along our Blog Hop. 

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).
#ctmh #cardmaking #ctmhKaleidoscope  
Sheila Bennett
Close To My Heart Independent Consultant
(913) 485-4355
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Friday, April 1, 2016

Life In Pictures (April SOTM Blog Hop)

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.  Cameras galore - there are six different styles of camera images included with the Life In Pictures stamp set, along with several sentiments to make you "smile."     

If you have come here from Snips, Snaps, and Scraps, 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!  

Seeing that huge old-fashioned flash just makes my eyes want to blink to get rid of the spots.  This camera image from the Life In Pictures stamp set reminds me of a news reporter in an old black-&-white movie.  A brightly-colored chevron stripe from the Sangria paper kit is used for the background of the card, and a silver Sequin adds some dimension to the flash.  Appropriately, the card design is First Impression from the Originals Card Confidence Program.         

Place a $50 minimum order this month (April 2016) and you are eligible to purchase the Life In Pictures stamp set for only $5. It is also available for $17.95 without a qualifying purchase.  





Now "Hop" on over to Maureen's Let's Give 'em Something to Scrap About 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 #ctmhSangria 
Sheila Bennett
Close To My Heart Independent Consultant
(913) 485-4355
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Thursday, March 17, 2016

Triple Duty Card!

Triple duty for this card:




Using only the colors Fern and White, this card has 3 strips of background & texture paper, and uses a spunky sentiment from the Birthday Funnies stamp set for Jeanette's birthday card (#cards4jeanette). 

So this card is wishing Jeanette her most wonderful year yet!!  Her company has definitely changed the lives of thousands of women around the world, and we all appreciate Jeanette's creativity and business sense!  Here's hoping for many more birthdays to come.  

The Fern textured paper is actually slightly embossed and is found in our Paper Fundamentals collection.  To continue the rounded pattern look of the Fern Paper Fundamentals, the Scallop edge punch was used on the top and bottom of the sentiment image, as well as the edges of the white decorative strip with a Fern Thick Twine bow.  The basic design for the card is in Make It From Your Heart Volume 2, #28. 

http://blog.closetomyheart.com/2016/03/04/shhhhh-its-a-birthday-surprise/


http://heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com


All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).
#ctmh #cardmaking #birthdaycard 
Sheila Bennett
Close To My Heart Independent Consultant
(913) 485-4355
My Email My Facebook My CTMH OBA My Pinterest My Blog My Shopping Cart My Twitter
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Sunday, March 6, 2016

Watercolor!

Welcome to our Watercolor Blog Hop, brought to you by the same ladies who participate in the monthly Stamp-of-the-Month Blog Hop.  All projects will be created using Close To My Heart watercolor paints or watercolor pencils.  Both of these products are a great way to add some soft color to your stamped work.        

If you arrived here from Show and Tell, with Michelle, you are hopping through our circle of Close To My Heart consultants sharing their projects spotlighting watercolor.  


After selecting the Pretty Simple design from the Originals Card Confidence Program, this card took very little time to create. After stamping a bird image from the Sunshine Birdies onto Watercolor paper, the paints added some soft color to the bird. Then the Watercolor was also used to "ground" the bird, and to add a bit of color to the edges of the stamped image pieces.  Papers from the Charlotte kit were used as color inspiration, and to accent the card. The sentiment is from the For Family stamp set, and works well with the sweet bird.  Just a bit of sparkle is found on the bird's head feathers, and with a butterfly from the Playful Puffies embellishments. 

Please visit jd designs to continue along our Blog Hop featuring watercolors. 

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).
#ctmh #cardmaking #ctmhCharlotte #watercolor #birthdaycard 
Sheila Bennett
Close To My Heart Independent Consultant
(913) 485-4355
My Email My Facebook My CTMH OBA My Pinterest My Blog My Shopping Cart My Twitter
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Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Sunshine Birdies (March SOTM Blog Hop)

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.  For the month of March, cute little song birds and butterflies can be stamped using the Sunshine Birdies stamp set.     

If you have come here from CTMH Craftings, 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!  

Spring and the songs of birds will be here soon!  Stamps from the Sunshine Birdies set were colored using several of the ShinHan Touch Twin markers, and the black & white patterned papers are found in the La Vie En Rose paper kit.  For the card design, the Center Charms sketch from Originals Card Confidence Program was used.         

Place a $50 minimum order this month (March 2016) and you are eligible to purchase the Sunshine Birdies stamp set for only $5. It is also available for $17.95 without a qualifying purchase.  


Now "Hop" on over to the Crafty Carol 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 #ctmhLaVieEnRose 
Sheila Bennett
Close To My Heart Independent Consultant
(913) 485-4355
My Email My Facebook My CTMH OBA My Pinterest My Blog My Shopping Cart My Twitter
Follow on Bloglovin