A Little Thanks - November's Stamp of the Month

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! We will be featuring November's SOTM, which is "A Little Thanks", a set of 16 stamps. If you have come here from Cindy's Blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants here .


This month we have several Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!


Here we go!

The card I created this month is a 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 circle card. The card design came from the Close To My Heart Card Confidence book, Wishes. I used the CTMH level 2 My Reflections paper pack, Olivia, along with Colonial White organdy ribbon and a gold shimmer brad. I LOVE the fall colors in this paper pack and can't wait to make some more Thanksgiving cards!

Now "Hop" on over to Angela's 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 November SOTM is only available until November 30th! Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount or even free!

SPOOK-tacular Birthday

What a weekend we had - LOTS of family activity!

One of the fun things we did included going to John's brother's house for my niece's birthday party.
Coral is officially TWELVE years old! The theme of her party was fun and scary...we enjoyed a dinner of "guts, blood and eyeballs" (spaghetti & meatballs) and a scary movie. How exciting it was to be in a house full of pre-teen girls - that may have been the scary part! :0)

To help her celebrate I created this cute accordian-fold card (inspired by a fellow SOTM swapper & consultant, Judy Faye). I used the Hooligans paper pack and September's SOTM, Thriller.
>

I thought she might also like a special place to keep and display her party pictures. This mini-album was so fun to make, and it was a huge hit with all the girls.

Hope you enjoy a spooky, safe and FUN Halloween! :0)

Creative Corner - Purse Driven Life

How many of you have a purse for every outfit?! I have so many friends that are meticulous at coordinating shoes, clothes and purses...I am usually just proud to have clothes that are not wrinkled and am extremely proud if I can find my wallet when walking out of the house! :0)

The creative inspiration I am sharing this week is a super cute accordion purse that is filled with coordinating greeting cards. Isn't it adorable, and it totally matches! It created using the new papers from the CTMH Magnifique kit and uses chocolate ribbon to finish it off.

I hope you will join me for a November workshop, 12 Days of Christmas, where we will be creating this project along with 11 others. Each project will make a darling Christmas gift or a sweet stocking stuffer. Stay tuned for more details...I can't wait for you to come play!

Happy Fall

Isn't this a beautiful card?! I received this with a sweet gift from my Secret Sister at our school co-op. It was tucked inside a wicker basket that had the contents for creating a Hearty Ministrone Soup. What a SPECTACULAR way to usher in the lovely fall weather we have been experiencing, plus, the soup was DELICIOUS!

When I pulled this card out, it was just breath-taking to me. The white paper on the front is white glossy photo paper that has been sponges with various colors of ink. The trees were embossed with gold embossing powder. It is all matted onto a "pocket" card and tied together with gold ribbon. The tag inside is matted with coordinating paper and the edges of the white cardstock is inked with coordinating inks. This tag make the perfect spot to write your message.

Hope you all like this and find it as inspiring as I did.

Happy Creating!

Share the Magic - October Stamp of the Month

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! We will be featuring October's SOTM, which is Share the Magic, a set of 12 stamps.

If you have come here from Doreen's Blog, you are on the right path! If this is your first stop, you may want to go back to Helen's Blog and start from the beginning!

This month we have 71 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

This 6x6 card was created using the Orginals Card Confidence program. The papers come from the Mistletoe Level 2 MyReflections kit, and is embellished using Cranberry grosgrain ribbon, colonial white button and Tulip brads. The cute tag adds a fun dimension to the card and the large space provided the perfect setting to create a focal point. This was accomplished by adding several identical images and embellishing only one.

Now "Hop" on over to Wendy's 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 SOTM is only available until October 31st! Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount or even free!

Retreatin' Bugs

This summer I hosted a small scrapbook retreat in Blanco, TX. The retreat house is one of my favorite places! I was blessed to have my cousin, Sandy, and her friend, Jan, come down from Ft. Worth to spend the weekend with me. To make it even MORE special, my mom came out for the day on Saturday to visit.

Over the course of the weekend, we encountered SEVERAL insects and bugs - I couldn't resist including them in the layout - they were SPECTACULAR!

I created this layout last week...LOVED it! It is from the new CTMH Magic book. Other product I used was the Splendor paper pack, Pizzazz Irresistibles, Splendor Designer Brads, and Colonial White grosgrain ribbon.

Enjoy!

September Blog Hop

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! We will be featuring September's SOTM, which is, Thriller, a set of 9 stamps.

If you have come here from Jenna's Blog, you are on the right path! If this is your first stop, you may want to go to Helen's Blog and start from the beginning.

This month we have 67 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!



This is a 6x6 card - the mat is a 3 x 2.5 piece of Gypsy B&T from the NEW CTMH Hooligans paper pack. I then cut a piece of transparency paper at 2.5 x 2 and used the black STAZ-ON ink to stamp the skull stamp. On the back side of the transparency, I used my CTMH paint brush set, (I chose the sponge brush) and brushed a light coat of our white ceramacoat paint. After drying, I punched holes for my ribbon and tied on the transparency.

Other products used included white organdy ribbon (3/8"), Stars Dimensional Elements and the new licorice opaque beads.

Now "Hop" on over to Katherine's 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 SOTM is only available until the end of September! Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount or even free!

Creative Corner - Happy Birthday!

Hello Friends!

I have missed our Creative Corner the last couple of weeks! Life became a tad crazy, and I have been away from the computer!

I just had to share this piece of art with you...Recently, my friend, Colette Jensen, celebrated her birthday. Her dear long-time friend, Vicki Gossard, created a fun card and topped her gift with this adorable birthday cake. Vicki created this using a small tealight candle that is operated by a watch battery. Isn't is just the cutest thing?!

Hope you enjoy and find some creative inspiration from this precious gift.

Loving Hearts 2010 Stamp Camp

Recently, I hosted our team Stamp Camp. This is where we celebrated the fun new products that are coming in the new CTMH Autumn/Winter 2010 catalog.

It was a day full of fun, fellowship and creating. We even had a visit from our newest team member, Leighla, who was 1 week old...the proud new Grandma, Wendi Klupenger, is holding her in the picture.

I am so appreciative of each one who came and shared the day with us - it was so uplifting and inspiring to my spirit!

Also, I want to share a HUGE thanks to Danon Hassall who created and shared a WONDERFUL Hooligans workshop with us - I can't wait to create this with my customers!!!

Keep an eye out for more fun artwork created at Stamp Camp!

The August Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! We will be featuring the August SOTM, "Something Splendid", a set of 13 stamps.

If you have come here from Shelly's blog, you are on the right path! If this is your first stop, just keep clicking on the next person's blog link, and you will complete the circle of blogs.

We have over 60 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Let's get started...

This beautiful stamp set incorporates the technique of "two-step stamping". This is when you use 2 stamps and multiple ink colors to create depth and texture to an image. The center of the flower is a stamped image that has been "pop-dotted".

The colors of this card are from the Splendor paper pack (X7124B). Other embellishments used were the Antique Copper brads (Z1275) and Colonial White satin-trimmed organdy ribbon (Z1126).

Remember, this stamp set is only available through the month of August. Be sure to visit my website, or give me a call to insure your order has been placed.

I hope you enjoyed this creation, and I appreciate you stopping by! For more inspiration, hop on over to Jean's blog to continue your journey.

Happy Stamping!

Christmas in July - Blog Candy

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...."





LOL - that's the way it felt at my house yesterday...

The mailman had left a delivery notice on Wednesday, and I had to wait until yesterday to pick up my package from the post office. Well, the package was from my friend Tiffany at the CTMH corporate office, and it was FILLED with goodies from the new upcoming Autumn/Winter catalog! Wouldn't you just LOVE to jump right and and start tearing into the new papers, stamps and embellishments?! Just thought I would tease you a little...

The whole reason Tiffany sent the box was as a "thank you" gift...Don't you LOVE it?! At our National Convention in Washington, DC a few weeks ago, I had the honor of co-teaching a business class with Tiffany and my long-time friend, Teri Baxter, who is a Director from Las Vegas. It was a wonderful experience, and the pay was AWESOME!


Now, here is my question...What are some of your family, business, and personal time management strategies? This was the topic that Teri and I co-taught with Tiffany.

Post your answers by Sunday evening at 6pm, and I will place your name in a drawing for one of the NEW Autumn/Winter level 2 paper packs. (Blog Candy)

Can't wait to hear from you!

Creative Corner 7.22.10

Hello Friends - Happy Thursday!

Today's Creative Corner is inspired by an Extravaganza class I attended while at the Close To My Heart Convention. The class focused on using our scrapping products outside of scrapping...so...I used paper and embellishments to created this adorable necklace. (Please note that all product used is from Close To My Heart - contact me to place your order.)

Making paper beads were so simple...here is what I did:
1. Cut strips of 1x2 background paper (I used the Sweet Home paper.), then cut those diagonally to form triangles.
2. Apply adhesive to the point of the triangle (I used Tombow.), rolled the triangle from the large end to the point.
3. Dipped the rolls into Modge Podge and layed them on wax paper to dry.

Here is how I created the charm:

1. I cut a background paper and adhered it to a cardstock piece that fit onto a Antiqued Copper Mini-Medley frame.
2. Then, adhere the cardstock/background paper to the back of the frame using liquid glass.
3. Filled the frame with liquid glass, and placed the mini-button in the middle of the liquid.
4. Allow to dry.

After these steps, I used Chocolate waxy flax to string the bead and charm. Viola`!

This was simple and fun - I can't wait to do more!!!

Mocha Moms

Hello Friends!

It's mid-week - how are you?!

I thought I would share a couple of fun pages I created this weekend, and also some inspiration that may help us all as we continue our week.

On Saturday, I participated in a new Bible study with some friends. It is called "Mocha Moms". We gather to share our experiences as mothers (with children of ANY age) and encourage each other through the scriptures. On top of that, we share some WONDERFUL fellowship and yummy coffee. It was such an inspiration to me, that I decided to begin a journaling collection of my experience.

My scriptures of focus for this week were from Philippians chapter 4, verses 6 & 8. Verse 6 assured me that my anxiety over my children and life can be reduced my sharing my needs with God and thanking Him for the life He has provided. Then as I moved to verse 8, I was reminded that by placing my thoughts on the positive and beautiful things of life, and my children, I don't have room for the ugly negative things that try to crowd my mind.

I hope you will take a moment today and look these verses up...they will bring such peace and comfort!

Enjoy the pages...don't judge my appearance - it was a Saturday morning! :0)

Mojo Monday Inspiration

Hello Everyone!
Just wanted to share a little piece of art for today...I took the Color Me Monday colors from Jeanette's blog (Brown Bag, Lilac Mist, Outdoor Denim, Olive) and used the July SOTM (Happy Forever) to creative this fun card using the Mojo Monday sketch for this week.

Here's the sketch:













Here's the card I created:

Hope you enjoy and have a HAPPY MONDAY! :0)

Creative Corner

Good Morning Friends!

Here is something fun...Each Thursday, I will post a fun and simple project or technique for all of my stamping and scrapping friends. I am calling it Creative Corner. I hope you enjoy - I would love some feedback!

Here's today's goody info:

Using scraps of paper, you can create a simple topper for the 1x8 clear bag. It is filled with M&Ms. How cute is that?! This was given to me at Convention by a sweet lady who was in the Extravaganza group I was leading. It was her way of thanking me.

Wouldn't these make cute party favors, or fun place settings for a get-together?

Happy Thursday!

Clear Card Fun

Aren't these just adorable?! I had a super time creating these with my wonderful friends, Colette, Vicki and Bonnie.

These are new Clear Cards from CTMH. We used the Splendor paper and the new Splendor designer brads. Thanks to my good friend and fellow team member, Shirley Ross, for her inspiration.

Hope you enjoy!

BTW - I am working on my photo taking - trying to create a mini portrait spot to take photos, so PLEASE forgive my rough shots! :0)

Happy Creating!

My Kids Are Home

Just had to share...It's been a roller coaster of a day...I woke up early this morning with EXTREME pain in my back, and the pain worsened as the day went. I was sooo bummed! I had been anticipating today - my kids came home from church camp, and I had not seen them in almost TWO weeks!

Well, we had a happy reunion at the church - it was so sweet! Noah squeezed me and wrapped his legs around me - told me cried everyday because he missed me. Am I a warped mom?! It actually made me happy that my son cried! :0)

Mary Frances seems so grown up! Is it possible for her to have grown and matured so much in just a few days?! I am not sure I am ready for the teen years...

BTW - after picking up the kids, I headed to the med clinic. By this point, the pain was so intense. Left awhile later learning that I had kidney stones...GO FIGURE!

Oh well! All-in-all, it is a good day! The Lord is so good to bless my life and I find such joy in my children! Thanks for letting me share!

Miracle Card Class

How many of you purchased the Miracle kit in May? Did you purchase more than one? Guess what?! On Thursday evening, I am teaching a class that will use the Miracle kit to create 14 BEAUTIFUL cards. I would love for you to come play!

If you already have a kit, the cost is only $10 - just bring the kit with you.

If you do not have an extra kit, or missed purchasing one - NO WORRIES! I have extras. The workshop cost will be $25.

Make plans to come play - there is plenty of room!

Hello!

Good Morning Friends!

I am so excited to start this new adventure! I have been contemplating a blog for over a year now, and I finally decided to take the plunge!

I hope you will be patient with me as I learn the blogging world and work to update and enhance my space.

Feel free to send recommendations and requests...I just ask that you be friendly! :0)

Love you all and hope you enjoy sharing in the joy of my family and business.