August 2014 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

I must have missed an important announcement or email, because I haven't received my new stamps!  Whether you started here or {Theresa} sent you this way, keep on hopping to see what {Brae} has created.

June 2014 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the June 2014 Stamp of the Month blog hop featuring Kaboom, a set of 16 stamps.  Join me and 50 other Close To My Heart consultants as we share our projects featuring this set.  Whether you've arrived from {Alyson's} blog or are just getting started, just click on the link at the end of each post to go to the next post in the hop.

This explosive set is perfect for summer festivities, and would work great for scrapbook layouts, cards, and party invitations.  Another great feature is that several of the stamps coordinate with the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge.  My card is a 3 1/2" square card which I cut using the Art Philosophy cartridge.  It would work as a standalone card, but would also be great tied to a thank you gift (like a bottle of wine), announcing to the recipient, "you're the bomb."

Remember, Kaboom is only available June 1-30, 2014.  Contact your consultant, or click here, to get one for yourself.

Now hop on over to {Joy's} blog to get blown away by her creation!

May 2014 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the May 2014 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop featuring You've Got a Friend, a set of 5 stamps.  Whether you've come here from {Wendy's} blog or are just getting started, just click on the link at the end of each post to go to the next post in the hop.  I mustache you, are you ready to see what more than 50 Close To My Heart consultants have created with this set?

I've made a card following the Mojo Monday sketch 342.  I wanted to combine the quirkiness of the moustache with the formality of the damask pattern.  This card has a quirky, formal, and sparkle all combined to make a cute "thank you" card.

Remember, You've Got a Friend is available during May 2014.  Contact your consultant, or click {here} to get one for yourself (or for a friend).  

Now hop on over to {Mary's} blog to see her creation.

April 2014 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the April 2014 Stamp of the Month blog hop, featuring artwork from over 50 Close To My Heart consultants using Balloon Talk, a set of 24 stamps.  Whether you've arrived here from {Sarita's} blog or are just getting started, simply click on the link at the end of each post to go to the next blog in the hop.

So I know what you're thinking.  A bubble text stamp set is PERFECT for creating scrapbook layouts.  It absolutely is.  But, I found another cool use.  I LOVE to read, and between fun reading, school reading, and work reading, I often find myself looking for another bookmark.  Sometimes, I'll grab a Post-it note when I can't find a bookmark, and those things are boring and expensive.  This bookmark makes perfect use of the "START HERE" bubble, providing a perfect little pointer right to the line you want.  By using magnets, this bookmark will stay on the page and can be placed wherever it needs to be in order to point at your next sentence (photos were taken before laminating in order to reduce glare).  I did the 'emboss resist" technique of loading the stamp with Versamark and then my color of choice, then covered with Clear Detail embossing powder and heated with my heat gun.  Then I sponged the white text with Pear ink.  This allowed me to get two colors, and to keep them both true.  I cut a patterned piece of paper to the width of the text balloon and scored the middle, and then cut Blush cardstock to allow a 1/8th inch border.  I mixed Blush Re-inker with Create-a-Shade Pearl Paint, and brushed it onto the Blush cardstock.  After everything was dry, I assembled the pieces, adding magnets to the inside to allow the bookmark to grip the page, though it would also work without the magnets.  Laminating the bookmark after applying the magnets will ensure they stay attached to your bookmark.

Papers: CTMH Blush cardstock, CTMH Chantilly

Inks: CTMH Pear and Twilight, Versamark Watermark

Tools and Techniques: CTMH Clear Detail embossing Powder, sponging, CTMH Create-a-Shade Pearl Paint, CTMH Blush Re-inker, Basic Grey Magnets
Stamp Sets: CTMH Balloon Talk

Remember, Balloon Talk is only available April 1-30, 2014.  Contact your consultant, or click here to get one for yourself.  Now hop on over to {Lucy's} blog to see what she is talking about!

March 2014 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the March 2014 Stamp of the Month blog hop featuring Happy Place, a set of 7 stamps.  This month there are more than 50 Close To My Heart consultants participating in the hop.  Whether this is your starting point or you've arrived here from {Nancy's blog}, just click on the link at the end of each post to hop along to the next blog.

I couldn't resist the matryoshka dolls, and I was inspired to try to replicate the nesting.  I stamped the images in different colors of ink, and then colored them in with colored pencils.  The dolls were cut out, with the largest mounted on Blush cardstock (which was sponged with Ruby ink) and then mounted on Pear cardstock.  The main paper, coordinating cardstock, ribbons, and buttons were attached to the card front, and the large doll was mounted, centered on the front of the card.

Papers: CTMH White Daisy, Blush, Crystal Blue, and Pear cardstock, CTMH Sophia
Inks: CTMH Outdoor Denim, Ruby, and Sunset
Tools and Techniques: CTMH Cotton Candy and Colonial White ribbon, CTMH buttons, sponging, 3-D Mounting Foam, CTMH colored pencils, Terrifically Tacky Tape, 3M Write-on Transparency Film

For the inside of the card, I made another card from an overhead projector transparency film, and mounted one side of it to the back of the cardstock card front using Terrifically Tacky Tape (a must-have for adhering anything to the overhead transparency film).  Now the card has a front cover, a clear middle page, and a back cover.

I put a piece of patterned paper on the inside back and mounted the smallest doll.  The medium doll was mounted on the center of the clear page (using Terrifically Tacky Tape), and another piece of patterned paper was placed on the inside of the card front to provide a clean look.  Another tip when using transparency film:  because the material is thick, it won't lie flat when folded.  When scoring for the fold I find that perforating the score line allows the fold to lie flat.

Remember, Happy Place is only available March 1-31, 2014.  Contact your consultant, or click {here} to purchase one for yourself.

Now hop on over to {Beth's blog} to see her happy creation.

If you find any broken links along the way, the complete list of blogs can be found here.

February 2014 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Whether you just started here or landed here from {Krista's} blog, I hope you're enjoying the February 2014 Stamp of the Month blog hop featuring Wild About Love.

Sorry for no new artwork, but between a major inspection at work this week and losing 25% of our crew to pre-deployment training I've been working extended hours all week.  Semper Gumby.  Hop on over to {Pamela's} blog to see her project.

January 2014 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the January 2014 Stamp of the Month blog hop featuring Cross-Stitch Wishes, a set of 13 stamps.  Whether you've arrived from {Michelle's blog} or your just starting here, simply click on the link at the end of each blog to follow the hop and see the creations of over 40 Close To My Heart consultants.

My card was made following the sketch at Mojo Monday and using the retired Magnifique paper pack.  It's been a while since I've done a Mojo Monday sketch early enough in the week to post it to their page.

Papers: CTMH Colonial White cardstock, CTMH Magnifique
Inks: CTMH Chocolate, Pacifica, and Sky
Tools and Techniques: CTMH Dark Chocolate and Colonial White ribbon, CTMH Pacifica brads, direct-to-paper ink distressing, cross-hatch edge distressing.

Remember, Cross-Stitch Wishes is only available January 1-31, 2014.  Contact your consultant, or click here to get it for yourself.

Now hop on over to {Sheila's blog} to see what she's created.

December 2013 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the December 2013 Close To My Heart Stamp of the Month blog hop featuring Special Care, a set of 6 stamps.  Whether you've just arrived from {Michelle's blog} or this is your starting point, just click on the link at the end of each post to go to the next blog in the hop.

This month's SOTM is a great set of tags that have potential for so many different projects:  gift tags, cards, layouts, or a wide variety of altered items.  I chose to make a small shadow box that would be perfect for a child's bathroom.  The image was cut out using the Art Philosophy cartridge, stamped in Pacifica, and mounted using several layers of 3D mounting foam to give it depth (the deep shadow box allows for lots of variation in layers).  The box was painted with Create-a-Shade paint in Pearl, and lightly brushed with Pacifica while the paint was still tacky.  Buttons and ribbon add a little bit of bling to the inside without detracting from the adorable kiddo or the overall project.

Remember, Special Care  is only available December 1-31, 2013.  Contact your consultant, or click here, to get this set for yourself.

Now hop on over to {Shirley's blog} to see her special creation.

If you find any broken links along the way, Melinda has the complete list here.

November 2013 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the November 2013 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop, featuring Illuminate, a set of 15 Stamps.  If you've just arrived here from {Jen's} blog, you are on the right path.  If you are just starting here, just jump in and enjoy our circular hop, which has over 50 participants this month.  When you reach the end of a post, click on the link at the end to go to the next post in the hop.

**My apologies for technical difficulties preventing the upload of my card.  Check back for image.**

Now hop on over to to {Dawn's} blog to shed some light on her project!

October 2013 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

It's OCTOBER, and that means a Christmas-themed stamp set for the Close To My Heart stamp of the month!  Whether you arrived from {Krista's} blog or are just starting here, simply click on the link at the end of each post to go to the next blog in the hop.  This month we have over 50 consultants participating in the hop which features Scandinavian Wishes, a set of 12 stamps.

This stamp set has coordinating shapes that can be cut from the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge, so I decided to make some ornaments or gift tags.

I used the Art Philosphy cartridge to cut out a few of the ornaments.  One great thing about the stamps that coordinate with the various Cricut cartridges is that the cartridge name, image size and page are listed on the stamp carrier right next to the image, making it virtually fool-proof.

I cut out the images, then stamped them with Versamark ink.  For two of them I used a colored embossing powder, but for two of them I used clear.  After allowing them to cool, I used a sponge to color the two that were heat embossed with clear powder (which allows the paper color to show through).  You could do a bunch of different things with these:  use ribbon or twine and hang them as ornaments or gift tags, add them as a dimensional element to a layout or card, put a bunch of them on a length of twine to create a garland (you could even use one alone to be a simple bookmark).

Remember, the October Stamp of the Month is only available from October 1st through 31st. Contact your Close To My Heart consultant, or click here to find out how to get this stamp set for yourself.

Now hop on over to {Kim's} blog to see what she's created.

If you find any broken links along the way, Kathleen has the complete list of hoppers here.

September 2013 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the September 2013 Stamp of the Month blog hop featuring Poster Tidings, a set of 2 stamps.   This month there are over 50 consultants participating in our hop.  Whether you've arrived here from {Sheila's} blog or are just getting started, simply click on the link at the end of each post to go to the next post in the hop.

This set has a lot of possibilities.  You could use the images to make bookmarks, gift tags, or on scrapbook pages.  I opted to use the Christmas stamp for a Christmas layout.

By stamping the image in several different colors, you can cut out the line that contains the word or words that you want to highlight.  I took it a step further by using Diamond Stickles on the highlighted words.  From this point you could mount the image on a card, mount it on another piece of cardstock and add a ribbon to make a tag or ornament, laminate it to make a bookmark...you get the idea.

Here I've added it to a Christmas layout that is ready to have photos added.

Remember, Poster Tidings is available September 1-30, 2013.  Contact your consultant, or click here, to get this stamp set for yourself.

Now hop on over to {Lori's} blog to see what she's created.

If you find any broken links along the way, Helen has the complete list of participating blogs here.

August 2013 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the August (!) 2013 Stamp of the Month blog hop featuring A Chocolate Affair, a set of 16 stamps.  This month we have over 50 consultants participating in the hop.  Whether you've arrived here from {Gina's} blog or this is your starting point, simply click on the link at the end of each post to be taken to the next blog in the hop.

This stamp set is perfect for making tags for sweet little gifts (or should that be little sweet gifts) that you might give to someone.  I had planned to put my tags on little cellophane-wrapped packages of gluten-free cookies, but I haven't been able to get off of work before the bakery closes (sidebar:  WHY does the bakery have to close so early?  WHY do I have to work so late?).  Since I didn't make it to the bakery, NO COOKIES FOR YOU!!!

My tags were made using a 2 inch circle punch and a 2 1/2 inch scalloped circle punch.  The images were inked first with Versamark and then with the colored ink, then stamped on the cardstock.  I used clear embossing powder and my heat gun to get a bit of texture and sheen to the images.  Inking the stamp with Versamark and then the colored ink allows the colored ink to be applied to the paper and the Versamark ink over top in one step.  You could add a hole with a hole punch and use ribbon or twine to wrap around a bundle, or you could adhere these to something flat (like a giant dark chocolate bar).  What a stamp set to use when there is NO chocolate in the house!

The heat embossing is a bit more evident in the second picture.

Remember, A Chocolate Affair is only available August 1-31, 2013.  Contact your consultant, or click here, to find out how to get one for yourself.

Now hop on over to {Wendy's} blog to see her sweet project!

If you find any broken links along the way, Helen has the complete list of blogs here.

July 2013 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the July 2013 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop featuring Sweet Life, a set of 9 stamps.  Whether you've already been hopping and arrived via {Angel's blog} or you're just starting here, click on the link at the end of each post to go to the next blog in the hop.

My card is inspired by Mojo Monday sketch 299.  I originally wanted to make a recipe box with the peach stamp, but my coloring skills left a lot to be desired for the peaches.  Instead, I pulled out my Cherry-O papers to make this card.

Besides using a bunch of colors, I got to use some pretty velvet-y ribbon, several items from my distressing kit, watercolor pencils with a water brush, and of course 3-D mounting foam.  And I took the picture using my new lens.

Remember, Sweet Life is only available July 1-31st 2013.  Contact your consultant, or click here, to get one for yourself.

Now hop on over to {Wendy's blog} to check out her sweet project.

If you find any broken links along the way, Helen has the complete list of hoppers here.

June 2013 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the CTMH Stamp of the Month blog hop.  If you just arrived from {Shirley's} blog, you are on the right path.  This month there are over 50 Close To My Heart consultants participating in our round-robin blog hop.  This month we are featuring A Flowering Bunch, a set of 10 stamps.

Summer means a new class for me, which means new books, which means NEW BOOKMARKS!!  Which is perfect, because when I looked at this stamp set, the big flower just screamed "bookmark" to me.  I chose colors from the Later Sk8r paper pack.

The first step was to cut out the shape from the Cricut Artiste cartridge, once in White Daisy and once in Pear.  Then the image was stamped on the White Daisy cardstock, sprinkled with black embossing powder and heated with the heat gun.  To do the watercolor, squeeze the lid of your stamp pad.  When you open the pad, there will be a bit of ink on the underside of the lid, which you will run the waterbrush through to load with color.  After coloring, the magnet disks were attached to the inside of each piece and then they were laminated.  Laminating after attaching the magnet disks gives an extra layer of protection to keep the magnets attached to the bookmark.  The bad thing about lamination is that regular adhesives don't adhere to it very well.

A few years ago I learned about Terrifically Tacky tape, which is AMAZING when you are working with surfaces that don't take adhesive well.  I applied the Terrifically Tacky tape to the underside of the front piece and trimmed to fit, then attached the two pieces of the bookmark together.  I squeezed them together, then decided to give the bond a little extra holding power by using my heat gun to warm the bookmark and squeezing some more.  And here is the final product in action.

Papers: CTMH Pear and White Daisy cardstock
Inks: CTMH Lagoon, Outdoor Denim, and Pear; Versamark
Tools and Techniques: CTMH Black Embossing Powder, Waterbrush, Cricut Artiste cartridge, Basic Grey magnets, Xyron lamination, Terrifically Tacky Tape  

Remember, A Flowering Bunch is only available June 1-30, 2013.  Ask your consultant, or click here, to find out how to get this stamp for yourself!

Now hop on over to {Angel's blog} to see her creation.

If you find any broken links along the way, Helen has the complete list on her blog. 

April 2013 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the April 2013 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop, featuring My Sunshine, a set of 8 stamps.  This month we have over 50 Close To My Heart consultants participating in our hop.  If you've just arrived here from {Wendy's} blog, you are on the right track.  If you are just starting here, our round-robin hop can still be enjoyed in it's entirety.  Just follow the links at the end of each post, and eventually you'll end up right back here!  

I made my card following the Mojo Monday sketch 286, and I went for the round option.  Since I wanted to use the bird stamp, I figured using the Magnifique papers was a good plan.  I cut out the scalloped circle card using the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge, and the bird image was cut out from the Artiste cartridge.  I wanted to use clear embossing powder to make the bird shine.  The trick to embossing in any color is to ink your stamp with Versamark and then with the color of your choice, and then stamp your image.  Sprinkle with clear embossing powder and use your heat gun to melt the powder to give a nice shiny surface.

Papers: CTMH cardstock in Chocolate, Colonial White, and Lagoon; CTMH Magnifique 
Inks: CTMH Pacific, Versamark
Tools and Techniques: CTMH ribbon, CTMH Bitty Brads in Antiqued Copper, 3-D Mounting Foam, CTMH Clear embossing powder, Cricut CTMH Artiste cartridge, Cricut CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge
Stamp Sets: CTMH My Sunshine

Remember, My Sunshine is only available April 1-30, 2013.  Contact your consultant, or click {here}, to find out how to get your own.

Now hop on over to {Lori's} blog to find some more favorites.

If you find any broken links along the way, Helen has the complete list of hoppers {here}. 

March 2013 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

 It's time for the March Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.  This month there are over 50 Close To My Heart consultants participating in our hop, featuring the March Stamp of the Month Floral Happiness, a set of 16 stamps.  If you arrived from {Mary's} blog, you are on the right path.  If not,  you can jump in anywhere and enjoy the creations!

I created my card using the Avonlea paper pack and following the Mojo Monday 282 sketch.  The dimension comes from the Parlor Velvet Rub-Ons and buttons from the Green Assortment.  The sentiment was stamped on Slate cardstock in Slate ink.  I like how stamping on the cardstock with the same color ink lets the image stand out yet be somewhat subdued at the same time.

Papers: CTMH cardstock in Slate and Colonial White, and CTMH Avonlea 
Inks: CTMH Olive and Slate
Tools and Techniques: CTMH Parlor Velvet Rub-ons, CTMH Buttons, Zots glue dots, direct-to-paper distressing
Stamp Sets: CTMH Floral Happiness

Remember, Floral Happiness is only available 1-31 March 2013.  Contact your Close To My Heart consultant, or click here, to find out how to order your own.

Now hop on over to {Angel's blog} to see her creation.

If you find any broken links along the way, Helen has the complete list on her blog.  

February 2013 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the February 2013 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop featuring Home Sweet Home, a set of 4 stamps.  If you've just arrived here from{Laurie's} blog, you are on the right path.   But, if you're just starting here you won't miss a thing.  Our hop is one big circle, so jump right on in and enjoy the artwork!

It's a funny coincidence that this month's Stamp of the Month is called Home Sweet Home and this month I will celebrate one year back from being stationed in Okinawa.  I'd had a project idea in mind for this set, but once I sat at my craft table I changed my mind and decided to play with my Cricut.

Papers: CTMH cardstock in Kraft, 
Inks: CTMH Pacifica
Tools and Techniques: Cricut, Cricut Artiste Cartridge, CTMH Buttons, Glue Dots
Stamp Sets: CTMH Home Sweet Home

Remember, Home Sweet Home is only available February 1-28, 2013.  Contact your consultant, or click here, to find out how to get one for yourself.

Now hop on over to {Sarita's} blog to see what she's created.

If you find any broken links along the way,  Helen has the complete list of hoppers listed on her blog.

January 2013 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the January 2013 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.  If you just arrived from {Sarita's} blog, you are on the right path.  This month there are nearly 50 Close To My Heart consultants participating in our blog hop.  We are featuring the January 2013 Stamp of the Month Happy Valentine's, a set of 7 stamps.  

For my project, I broke out my Cricut and the Artiste cartridge.  The little square box measures 2.5" on each side, and has a cutout window on the top.  I cut the box body from Sweet Leaf cardstock, and the lid from La Belle Vie.  I stamped the rose on the reverse side of the window cutout from the box lid in StazOn black ink.  I cut out the rose and then used Liquid Glass to attach it to the underside of a 2.5" square of acetate (I just use those overhead transparency sheets you can buy at the office supply store).  I also used Liquid Glass to attach the acetate to the underside of the lid.  Once the LG was dry, I attached black Opaques from the Licorice package, and made a bow from black grosgrain ribbon which was attached with Zots glue dots.  For the box body, I mixed black Re-inker with Create-a-Shade Pearl Paint and dry-brushed it over the box, allowing some of the cardstock color to show through.  If you wanted to make the  box sturdier, you could coat it with a product like Mod Podge.  Now you have a cute box that you can put a small gift or treasure into.  

Remember, Happy Valentine's is only available January 1-31, 2013.  Contact your consultant or click here to find out how to get your own.

Now hop on over to {Michelle's} blog to see what she's created.

If you find any broken links along the way, Helen has the complete list of hoppers listed on her blog.

December 2012 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the December 2012 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop, featuring Year-Round Cheer, a set of 12 Stamps.  If you've just arrived here from{Dawn's} blog, you are on the right path.  If you are just starting here, just jump in and enjoy our circular hop, which has over 50 participants this month.  When you reach the end of a post, click on the link to go "round" to the next post in the hop to see lots of "cheer".    

I love stamp sets like this that give you a bunch of stamps that are nearly the same size but a variety of subjects.  They are perfect for creating card sets (which make great gifts) or for building up your stash of cards.  They also work well for added sentiments to pre-made cards without sentiments (sort of "fill-in-the-blanks" card).    I decided to make some small cards using scraps from some favorite paper packs.  These square cards were made in 3" and 3.5" sizes.  I simply cut the bases, cut some scraps, and then stamped and mounted the images.  The 3" size make great gift cards to put on gift bags or bottles of your favorite adult beverages.  Use a hole punch in the corner and then tie it on using your favorite ribbon, string, tinsel...whatever you can think of.  

Remember, Year-Round Cheer is only available 1-31 December 2012.  Contact your Close To My Heart consultant, or click here, to find out how to order your own.  

Now hop on over to {Elizabeth's} blog to see her creation.


If you find any broken links along the way, Helen has the complete list on her blog.  

November 2012 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the November 2012 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop, featuring Capture the Date, a set of 72 Stamps.  This month we have over 60 Close To My Heart consultants participating in our hop.  If you've just arrived here from {DiAnn's} blog, you are on the right track.  If you are just starting here, our round-robin hop can still be enjoyed in it's entirety.  Just follow the links at the end of each post, and eventually you'll end up right back here!

This stamp set seems as though it is meant for creating some great journaling blocks, date tags, and even invitations.  But I wanted to do something a little different.  Using our wonderful Cricut Artiste cartridge, I cut out this cute two piece card from Olive cardstock for the card base and Juniper cardstock for the wrapper, at the 4" size.  I then cut two squares of patterned paper (from the retired CTMH Jingle paper pack) and cardstock, rounded the corners, and mounted on the card front.  I cut a second wrapper from patterned paper, this one at 3.75".  The scalloped circle was cut and then sponged with Olive ink.  A little bit of ink, a few Twinkle Brads (sadly, also retired), and some Zots mounting dots equal a cute Christmas card.  This would also be great for any important date.  Don't you LOVE a versatile stamp set?

Papers: CTMH cardstock inCreme Brulee, Juniper, and Olive, CTMH Jingle
Inks: CTMH Olive and Tulip
Tools and Techniques: Cricut Artiste Cartridge, Marvy Uchida punch, corner rounder, CTMH Twinkle Brads, Zots glue dots, sponging
Stamp Sets: CTMH Capture the Date

Remember, Capture the Date is only available during the month of November 2012.  Ask your consultant, or click here, to find out how to "capture" your own.

Now hop on over to {Maria's} blog to find some more inspiration. 

If you find any broken links along the way, Helen has the complete list of participants {here}.