March 2012 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 Potential, a set of 8 stamps.  If you arrived from {Angela's} blog, you are on the right path.  If not, no worries.  Our hop is a round-robin, so you can jump in anywhere and enjoy the artwork.

Part of my moving adventure has been the mail.  I mailed some items that I had planned to use for this month's project to my stateside address before leaving Okinawa.  I waited as long as I possibly could before conceding that the package wasn't going to arrive on time.  Luckily, I'd brought the stamp and inks in  my luggage, and had some other paper at home.  I don't want to have to move again for a VERY long time.  But anyway, about my card.  It was inspired by this week's sketch at Mojo Monday (but as I'm lacking all of my supplies while they make there way back on the slow boat from China Japan, I wasn't able to do the scallop or the flower.  I was just glad to have papers that matched the three inkpads I brought back with me).   The card went together simply, I did second-generation stamping for the flourish (ink your stamp, stamp once on scrap paper then without re-inking stamp it on your project), and direct-to-paper and crosshatch edge distressing.   The sentiment was stamped over the flourish, and then the card was ready to assemble.

Papers: CTMH White Daisy cardstock, Scribble Scrabble Sweet & Sour Fruit Medley

Inks: CTMH Desert Sand and Tulip

Tools and Techniques: Second-generation stamping, direct-to-paper edge distressing, crosshatching
Stamp Sets: CTMH Potential

 Remember, Potential is only available March 1-31, 2012.  Contact your consultant or click {here} to find out how to get your own.

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

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

February 2012 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the February 2012 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop, featuring Thoughtful Tidings, a set of 11 Stamps.  If you've just arrived here from {Katy's} blog, you are on the right track.  If you are just starting here, just jump in and enjoy our circular hop, which has 60 participants this month.  When you reach the end of a post, click on the link at the end to hop to the next post.

I'll be leaving Okinawa in a few weeks, so planning ahead is even more important yhan usual (because once the movers pick up my stuff, I won't see it again for probably two months).  This June, two of my Dragons cheerleaders will be graduating from high school, so I wanted to make cards for them.   The graduation cap card was cut with my Silhouette (I know, what's wrong with me???  I received a Cricut for Christmas and here I am using my Silhouette!).  Some paper piecing, heat embossing, and a sentiment from this month's SOTM, and I have a couple of cute graduation cards.  (Forgive the quality of the photos, my battery charger remains MIA)

Papers: CTMH Black, Topiary, and White Daisy
Inks: CTMH Black, Versamark
Tools and Techniques: Silhouette machine, CTMH Gold Embossing Powder, heat embossing
Stamp Sets: CTMH Thoughtful Tidings and Friendship Small Alphabet

Remember, Thoughtful Tidings is only available February 1-29, 2012.  Contact your consultant, or click here, to find out how to get your own.

Now hop on over to {Shirley'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.

Free Studio J Layouts in January

Are you a Studio J^® member?  If not, now is the perfect time to join!  In addition to the great member benefits (50% off retail price, JPG files available free with each purchased layout or for standalone purchase, free Memory Protectors^® with every order, free shipping*, and exclusive kits and patterns), until January 31st for every 9 custom-printed Studio J layouts you buy, you’ll receive the 10th layout free.  The best part is that there is NO LIMIT to the number of free layouts you can receive.  Buying 90 layouts?  You'll get 10 for free.  What's that you say??  You aren't a Studio J^® member?  Well, head on over to my website and create your account today!

Here are a few of my recent Studio J^® creations.

 

 

 

Don't forget to download the Studio J^® app for your iPhone so you can keep all of your layouts right at your fingertips!

2011 Scrappin' Totals

Well, I came nowhere near accomplishing my scrapping goals for the year.  However, I did manage to take as many college classes as a full-time student (and earned a 4.0 GPA), volunteered as a cheerleading coach for a good portion of the year, completed some professional education training for work, and managed to put in TONS of hours at work (too bad I don't get paid overtime).

Pages complete: 2
Cards complete: 11
Altered Items: 15
Digital Pages complete: 24
Sewing Items: 7
Crochet Items: 1

My 2012 goals will be mostly a repeat of my 2011 goals:  100 pages (including digital), 200 cards, use my Silhouette and Cricut more often, get cards done the month before they are needed AND actually get them in the mail (I'm a notorious postal failure), and try to get some of that old scrapping caught up. What are your scrapping goals for 2012???

January 2012 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the January 2012 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.  If you just arrived from {Wanda's} blog, you are on the right path.  This month there are over 50 Close To My Heart consultants participating in our blog hop.  We are featuring the January 2012 Stamp of the Month Little Reminder, a set of 25 stamps.

This is definitely countdown time.  A friend is counting down to the birth of baby number three, any day now.  I received a Cricut for Christmas, so I am counting down until I receive my Art Philosophy Collection.  The Spring/Summer Idea book goes live in a month.  I'll be leaving Okinawa and headed back to my family in less than two months.  So a countdown card seemed like the perfect item to make with this versatile stamp set.

Papers: CTMH Grey Wool cardstock, CTMH You Rock
Inks: CTMH Goldrush and  Outdoor Denim
Tools and Techniques: CTMH Rhinestone Flower, CTMH Bitty Sparkles, Direct-to-paper ink distressing
Stamp Sets: CTMH Little Reminder

Remember, Little Reminder is only available January 1-31, 2012.  Contact your consultant or click here to find out how to get your own.

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

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

December 2011 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the December 2011 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop featuring Mad About You, a set of 14 stamps.  If you have just arrived from {Kami's} blog, you are on the right path.  If you are just starting here, you can join in our circular hop by simply clicking the link to the next blog at the end of each post.

The great thing about the December SOTM (that is, for those of you who aren't procrastinators) is that it is perfect for making your Valentine's Day cards and gifts.  I used the set to decorate a cover for a box of candy.  I started with a sheet of Blush cardstock, and then random stamped four images in Blush ink.  I then laid the cardstock face down, and used my Embossing Stylus to trace around the box, and creased the lines and made cuts where necessary.

Next I adhered the cardstock to the candy box.  I cut a strip of Pear cardstock, which was random stamped in Pear ink.  Once again, the stylus was used to mark the edges, the creases were made and the coordinating strip attached to the box.  The large heart image was stamped in Blush on Blush cardstock, and mounted using 3-D Mounting Foam.  (I apologize for the poor quality of the  photos.  I seem to have lost my camera battery charger when I moved barracks six weeks ago, so I had to resort to using my phone for pictures.)


Remember, Mad About You is only available December 1-31, 2011.  Contact your consultant or click here to find out how to get your own.

Now hop on over to {Melissa's} blog to see a project you're sure to be mad about.

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

November 2011 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the November 2011 CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop, featuring Cherish the Day, a set of 44 Stamps.  If you've just arrived here from {Nicole'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 project is a birthday card for a December birthday.  I used the super-cute Roxie paper pack, which is even better in person than it appears in the Idea Book!  My card was loosely patterned after one of the cards on page 143 in the Idea Book.  And I'm LOVIN' the layers!  Six layers of scrumptious colors and patterns!  These papers are so great, and I can see them being used for all sorts of occasions (even Christmas).

The Filagree Charm was sponged with Timber Brown Staz-on ink, and the Desert Sand cardstock was sponged with Smoothie ink.  The Smoothie cardstock was cut with the Nestabilities Labels One and sponged with Smoothie ink while still in the die.  The tag was stamped in Tulip ink on Vanilla Cream cardstock and cut with a slight border.  The sentiment was then stamped on the tag in Cocoa ink.  The December tag was stamped in Tulip ink on Vanilla Cream cardstock and trimmed with a slight border.  The pieces were all mounted, and the shaped portion was mounted using 3-D Mounting Foam. 

Papers: CTMH Desert Sand, Smoothie, and Vanilla Cream cardstock, CTMH Roxie
Inks: CTMH Cocoa, Smoothie, and Tulip, Staz-on Timber Brown

Tools and Techniques: Nestabilities Labels One, CTMH Opaques Mocha, CTMH Filagree Charms, 3-D Mounting Foam, sponging
Stamp Sets: CTMH Cherish the Day, Happy Birthday, and Tender Tags


Remember, Cherish the Day is only available November 1-30, 2011.  Contact your consultant, or click here, to find out how to get yours.

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

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