Home For The Holidays Blog Hop

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  This month's stamp is called "Home For The Holidays", and most of the images from this set can even be cut with our Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge.  It is available until October 31st.  I am your last stop on this blog hop.  You should have arrived from Melissa Robinson's blog.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants at Melinda Everitt's blog.

This month, we have seventy+ Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great Close To My Heart products.  A blog hop 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!

Tonight, as I was putting the finishing touches on this layout, I accidentally dropped one of the "I" letters into my tool basket. When I went to retrieve it, my micro-tip scissors fell out onto the floor. They stuck micro-tip into my hardwood floor, about 6" from my foot. Eek...that was scary. What crazy misadventures have you had while trying to scrap?

I used some snippets of ruby chevron ribbon to accent this layout. I thought it would be fun to incorporate it since it is part of our October special "Ribbon Revelry". If you didn't buy it, now's your chance to get it FREE during the month of October. If you place a qualifying order of $50+, you will receive one of two chevron ribbons (ruby or outdoor denim) with your order. Awesome, right?

This layout is one of many that I am creating for my cousin's baby album. I just had to use that cute polar bear since her baby boy's middle name is "Bear". Awe....

Recipe: 

Paper: Snowhaven, Whisper CS, White Daisy CS, Crystal Blue CS (CTMH)

Stamps: Home For The Holidays, Marquee Alphabet, Keyboard Uppercase Alphabet (CTMH)

Inks: Cranberry, Glacier, Black (CTMH)

Tools: Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors, Watercolor Pencils, Glue Pen (CTMH)

Other: Ruby Chevron Ribbon (retired), Bitty Sparkles, Aqua Dots, Foam Tape (CTMH)

Now "Hop" on over to Adeline Brill's blog to see her work!  Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting tips and fun ideas!   Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!  Thank you for stopping by.

*Designed by Close To My Heart

FREE with $50 order in October!

Use Your Ribbon UYSBH

Do you have tons of ribbon hiding in your craft stash? I do. I have a hard time parting with it. Our mission with this blog hop is to inspire you to use it.

If you have come here from Wendy's blog, you are on the right track. 

I am trying to use up as many Chalk It Up scraps as possible. I love this paper. The lagoon paper made me think of bubbles so I decided to create a bath/water fun layout with it. I love the dramatic pop of black mixed with the lagoon, white and glacier. For the second layout, I picked the largest scrap I had left, and mixed in some Flaxen Paper Fundamentals paper.

Our cousin just had a baby boy. When time allows, I try to create baby albums for my relatives. Between my husband and I, we have many cousins. I think I've created at least 3 albums so far. 

This first layout uses some American Crafts ribbon I had laying around forever. I thought it matched pretty close. The second layout uses retired sorbet ribbon. I tend to hoard my ribbon, so it's good to have blog hops like this one to use it. 

Products Used:

Paper: Chalk It Up, Free To Be Me, Whimsy Paper Fundamentals, Black CS, White Daisy CS, Sorbet CS, Lagoon CS (CTMH)

Stamps: What A Day, Under The Sea (retired), Chantilly WOTG (retired), New Arrival, Mini Calendar, Rustic Alphabet (retired), Marquee Alphabet (CTMH)

Inks: Black, Flaxen, Lagoon, Sorbet, Glacier (CTMH)

Tools: Embossing Powder, Craft Tray, Craft Heater, Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors, Cricut Art Philosophy, Glue Pen, Alcohol Markers, Watercolor Pencils, Prisma Glitter (retired), Journal Pen, Dots Embossing Folder (CTMH), Gel Pen (Other)

Other: Chalk It Up Assortment, White Enamel Stars, Brads (retired), Lagoon Washi Tape (retired), Sorbet Ribbon (retired), Glue Dots (CTMH), Blue Ribbon (American Crafts)

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below.  

Your next stop on the hop will be Theresa Morrow's blog. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Casandra

Happy Birds Artiste Card

It is time to face reality. Our furnace kicked on during the night for the first time, this season. Of course, little girl leaving her window ajar probably didn't help matters. When I went in to wake her up this morning, Izzy yawned, stretched, and snuggled into me with a sleepy smile and a "I'm cold". Well, duh. 

The other day, this same little girl was caught sneaking off to her room with nail polish, after I told her no. When I asked for the nail polish back, she denied taking it (at first). After another round of questioning, she caved. "No, I didn't take it...okay; I did. I was testing my limits." I couldn't help myself; a giggle, followed quickly by another, escaped. Before I knew it, Izzy was laughing, too. 

Here's what you really stopped by for:

I made a card a few weeks ago and forgot to post it here to my blog. (Oops.) 

I found inspiration from one of our old idea books, Autumn/Winter 2012. I wanted to highlight some of the pretty patterns from Brushed. Is it just me or does anyone else see retired Veranda in that green paper? I cut the sentiment from our Artiste cricut cartridge. 

Recipe:

Paper: Brushed, Canary CS, White Daisy CS, Desert Sand CS (CTMH)

Stamps: Happy Birds, Art Philosophy (CTMH)

Inks: Chocolate (CTMH)

Tools: Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors, Clear Detail Embossing Powder, Alcohol Markers, Craft Heater, Glue Pen, Artiste Cartridge (CTMH)

Other: Sparkle Flourish, Bitty Sparkles, Chocolate Embroidery Floss (CTMH)

One of the patterns from Brushed paper has this cool ombre effect; it really makes the sentiment pop. 

Casandra

Wanderful Card

Good morning to you. I woke up this morning feeling crafty. Our work and school schedules don't always leave me with the free time I crave to create, but I'm always dreaming and wishing for that time.

As part of the Close To My Heart family, I am also part of the Northern Stars team. Dana Swadling posted a card sketch challenge to us, and the following card is my take on it.

I used the new Wanderful paper pack, Slate/Flaxen/Canary/Crystal Blue/White Daisy Cardstocks, #30yearsofhappy and Distressed Backgrounds stamp sets, Scallop and Chevron Border Punches. Ironically, as I was looking for scraps of cardstock to use with my border punches, I already had the perfect cut-to-size scraps. It was the same with the sentiment pieces. At least hoarding all my scraps pays off once in a while. Haha. 

I hope your day is awesome.

Casandra

30 Years of Happy NSM Blog Hop

Welcome to our 30 Years of Happy Blog Hop!  I always look forward to the month of September. Not only is it National Stamping Month, but it is also the month that my kids go back to school. 

When you spend $30 on any current retail-priced stamps during the month of September, you qualify to receive the exclusive C-size stamp set #30yearsofhappy for FREE! This exclusive stamp set features 30 adorable mini images and sentiments. 

You should have arrived from Peachy Lamb's blog. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants at Melinda Everitt's blog.

For this blog hop, we have forty Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using #30yearsofhappy stamp set and other great Close To My Heart products on their blogs. A blog hop 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!

While these mini stamps are certainly small, I think they add the right size embellishment when coordinated with other like-size pieces. I was recently looking back through some of my albums and realized that somewhere along the way, I sort of stopped really telling the story behind the pictures. So today's layout is all about journaling...both my take on the event, as well as my son's. Scrapbooking is a journey, and it's important to me to preserve memories for my family. What are some of the reasons you scrapbook?

Recipe: 

Paper: Chalk It Up, Chalk It Up PML Cards, White Daisy CS, Black CS, Lagoon CS (CTMH)

Stamps: What A Day (convention exclusive), #30yearsofhappy, Friendship Alphabet - Large & Small (retired)  (CTMH)

Inks: Black, Glacier, Flaxen, Sorbet, Lagoon (CTMH)

Tools: Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors (CTMH)

Other: Black Embroidery Floss (retired), Chalk It Up Assortment, White Enamel Stars (CTMH)

Now "Hop" on over to Nikka Geers' blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting tips and fun ideas!   Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount! Thank you for stopping by today.

Designs by Close To My Heart

Chalk It Up Preschool Layout

My kids went back to school today. I asked them on the way to school if they had butterflies, and they both got confused. My very logical third grader said "It's almost Fall, Mom. Why would we see butterflies?" My first grader kept looking around, asking "Where are the butterflies?" LOL 

I have to remind myself that said first grader takes everything literally. When she was two, she liked to color on herself and the walls, tables...everything. One day, I saw her running across the floor with some markers and quickly stopped her to make sure they were the washable kind. "These markers are washable; you can play with them." I went on about my chores and after a few minutes realized I was hearing the water run in the bathroom. Any mother will tell you that with a two year old, you need to investigate. Turns out that Izzy took me literally; I DID say "washable".

Anyways, after that story, I have another Chalk It Up school layout to share with you. 

Ironically, these pictures showcase Izzy at the exact age she was during the "washable marker" incident. Jack was four years old in these pictures, just starting preschool. 

I used Picture My Life cards, the Chalk It Up Workshop On The Go kit and also used the convention stamp and chevron border punch that my friend Celina sent me. This is a nod to Celina and her husband Greg...it's desert sand cardstock, not kraft (wink, wink).

I spent more hours on this layout than I meant to. Every time I felt stuck, I walked away and then came back to it. I think it has the right balance now, but what was bugging me was all the "white space". However, the desert sand cardstock really pulls out the colors my son was wearing in the photos, and after all, that's the point.

Have a great night!

Casandra

Chalk It Up Back To School Layout

Last month, I finally found time to play with my Chalk It Up workshop kit. 

I only made a few small variations to it because it worked perfectly for my photos. I added some journal pen lines to the title for more definition, and stamped it in different colored inks. This title worked perfectly with my pictures and the story I was trying to tell. If I had any complaints, it would be the composition journal pieces, while cute, are so small, you can't really add much detail to them. Otherwise, they are an adorable detail in their own right. I even like the flaxen cardstock for bases. (Surprised myself with that one!)

Recipe:
Paper: Chalk It Up, Flaxen CS, White Daisy CS, Lagoon CS (CTMH)
Stamp: Chalk It Up WOTG (CTMH)
Inks: Flaxen, Sorbet, Lagoon, Black (CTMH)
Tools: Paper-Piercer, Micro-Tip Scissors, Artbooking Cartridge, Journal Pen (CTMH)
Other: Chalk It Up Assortment, Black & White Stripe Twill Ribbon, Glue Dots (CTMH)

I love this layout so much. It's really much nicer in person than the photograph conveys.

I think we are pretty much ready for back to school here. Kids start on Wednesday. Have a great week!

Casandra