February Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - Thoughtful Tidings

Welcome to the Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! This time around we're featuring the February set Thoughtful Tidings (S1202) which includes 10 stamps. If you have come here from Kristine'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 around. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find a complete list of participating consultants here.

There are over 50 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using the February Stamp of the Month and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This month is especially exciting because all of the projects include new product! The Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book became available February 1^st!

Here is the Stamp of the Month. Such a versatile set!

I hadn't made a swap card with Elemental yet so it was the perfect choice for this month's card. (As part of my swap group assignment I had to choose a paper pack that carried over from the Fall/Winter Idea Book, so that’s why I didn’t use new paper.) I wanted to cut my card base using the Art Philosophy cartridge and decided to go with the same shape as the stamp image I wanted to use. I thought the little pop of blue (Pacifica) was a nice finishing touch.

The photo didn’t really capture how I did the sentiment very well. I actually stamped it in Olive on the coordinating shape, and then I stamped just the “thank” in Chocolate on a 1/2” x 1 1/2” piece. I used a piece of 3-D Foam Tape to pop it up.

Supply list:

X7141B Elemental Level 2 Paper Packet

S1202 Thoughtful Tidings

1388 Colonial White Cardstock (card base)

1245 Olive Cardstock

X5754 Creme Brulee Cardstock

Z2118 Desert Sand Exclusives Inks stamp pad

Z2111 Chocolate Exclusives Inks stamp pad

Z2137 Olive Exclusives Inks stamp pad

Z2192 Pacifica Cardstock

Z1705 Durables Studs (Square)

Z1464 Milestone Shapes

Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

Z697 Sponge

Z1686 Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge

The first weekend in February was a very snowy one here in Colorado, so we were unable to have our monthly unit meeting. We all mailed our cards to each other, and I took photos, but then I forgot to add them to my post until now. Sorry for the delay!

We have two separate groups participating in our Stamp of the Month swap, but the cards are all so great that we want to share them all.

Now "Hop" on over to Kathleen's blog to see her work, and be sure to visit each consultant's blog to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas! Don't forget, this exclusive stamp set is only available until February 29th! Contact me to get yours today!

New Product Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to the New Product Blog Hop for Spring/Summer 2012! If you have come here from Gina's blog you are in the right place!

The Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book will be available for customers on February 1st, but in the meantime, take a look through our Blog Hop to get a sneak peek at some of the fabulous things in store for you!

I am crazy about fleur-de-lis, so I decided to make a masculine card for my project.

Supply list:

X7150B Victory paper packet

X7151B Footloose paper packet

A1127 A Journey stamp set

1188 Colonial White cardstock

Z2104 Barn Red Exclusive Inks

Z2140 Outdoor Denim Exclusive Inks

Z2135 New England Ivy Exclusive Inks

Z1096 Neutral Embroidery Floss (Chocolate)

Z1366 Metal Brads Assorment (Pewter)

Z1294 Sanding Kit

Z1297 Edge Distresser

Now hop on over to Susan's blog to see the great project she created!

Going, going, gone!

In anticipation of the upcoming 2012 Spring/Summer Idea Book, Close to My Heart has released the list of products that will retire on January 31st. (The new Idea Book will be available on February 1st.) Don't count on something you want being put on the While Supplies Last section of my website at a later date, get it now!

Fellow consultant Tammy Jenkins graciously created a slideshow showing all of the products that will be retired. Here is that slideshow:

Click here to visit my website and get your favorite products before they're gone!

Productivity

I follow Positively Positive on Facebook, and this afternoon they shared this story on How to Be Productive from their blog. I know that I run into creative blocks and lack of motivation, and the next time I do, I'm going to try some of this gal's tips. The article is short and worth the read. I hope you find it useful too!

January SOTM Blog Hop - Little Reminder

Welcome to the Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! This time around we're featuring the January set Little Reminder, a set of 25 stamps. If you have come here from Dawn'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 around. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find a complete list of participating consultants here.

There are over 50 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using the January Stamp of the Month and other great CTMH products on their blogs. 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. Here we go!

This time my assigned paper packet from my swap group was Roxie, which features Black, Tulip, Smoothie, and Desert Sand. I decided I didn't want my card to be for anything specific, so I didn't choose a date. I left the options open so that when I or my fellow swappers are ready to use the card, we can customize it for the occasion.

  

Here is my supply list:

X7140B Roxie Level 2 Paper Packet
S1201 Little Reminder
1388 Colonial White Cardstock (card base)
Z2105 Black Exclusives Inks stamp pad
Z1366 Metal Brad Assortment (Pewter)
Z1615 Designer Ribbon Red Collection
Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

Here are all the cards the members of our swap groups made. What a great assortment of designs!

Now "Hop" on over to Krista's blog to see her work, and be sure to visit each consultant's blog to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas! Don't forget, this exclusive stamp set is only available until January 31st! Contact me to get yours today!

Rock the Block Hop

Welcome to the Rock the Block Blog Hop! 


This fun hop features the fabulous Rock the Block promotion that runs from December 19, 2011 through January 31, 2012. It includes an exclusive E-size stamp set, as well as the My Creations Collage Cubes that can be yours for just $15 with qualifying purchase*. If you have come here from Angel'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 around. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find a complete list of participating consultants here.

There are over 25 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using the Rock the Block stamp set and the Collage Cubes. 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. Here we go!

I am crazy about the Sonoma papers because I love purple! I'm also crazy about my son and the photos I had taken of him over the summer, so I decided to use them for this project. This is the top:

Side 2:

Side 3:

Side 4:

Tray inside:

Side view:

Supply List:

X7143B Sonoma Level 2 paper packet
Rock the Block stamp set
My Creations Collage Cubes
1388 Colonial White Cardstock
Z2137 Olive Exclusives Inks stamp pad
Z2141 Smokey Plum Exclusives Inks stamp pad
Z2114 Cocoa Exclusives Inks stamp pad
Z2118 Desert Sand Exclusives Inks stamp pad
Cricut® Close to My Heart Art Philosophy cartridge

Now "Hop" on over to Rachel's blog to see her work, and be sure to visit each consultant's blog to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas! Remember, this amazing deal is only available until January 31st!


*Make a minimum purchase of $25 from the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book and get the two NEW products for just $15: the My Creations® Collage Cubes (a Spring/Summer 2012 sneak-peek product!) and the exclusive My Acrylix® Rock the Block E-size stamp set. That’s a retail savings of almost $30! You're going to love the Collage Cubes and the Rock the Block stamp set, which work together for interactive, 3-D fun.

Teacher Gifts

As we all know, it's that time of year again. Time to figure out what you're going to give your children's teachers for Christmas. I just about always make monogrammed note cards. They're fairly fast, simple, and easy, and considering how many gifts teachers receive, they should also come in handy.

Once I found out that my son's teacher likes purple, I decided to make it even easier on myself by making the same monogrammed cards I'd made for myself with the My Creations Card Box and Sonoma papers. I made a few simple modifications (I used the zip-strip border instead of plain Olive cardstock, I added a little more color by leaving a border around the patterned paper, and I made the monogram the center of a flower rather than just layering it on a scalloped circle).

I also stamped the monogram on the envelope flap to make the set more complete.

While all of my son's teachers are important, I wanted to give gifts to his homeroom teacher, as well as his math and reading teachers. The note cards were for the homeroom teacher, but I wanted to make her something else that I could also give the others. I decided to go with using the Typeset papers to create a door hanger pouch that I could put Post-It Notes in.

I have made these before, but it was so much easier with the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge and our new double-sided paper! I didn't have to take the time to cut paper to fit and glue it down, I just hit "cut" and my door hanger was ready to go! Even though Close to My Heart's new patterned papers are a heavier weight, I thought it would be wise to sturdy the back up a bit. I did this by cutting another door hanger from Juniper cardstock and cutting it off where it just covered the back. I also cut out the piece for the front of the pocket and put it on the inside of the pouch for a little support. The zip-strip was the perfect accent for the pouch edge, and with just a few embellishments I had a great gift!

Maid Service

I received one of these magnets from my cousin many years ago, and I still get a kick out of it. It's such a cute and simple idea, and I have duplicated it several times to give as gifts to friends. I made a new batch to sell at a recent craft fair and managed to sell quite a few.

Here's how to make some of your own:

• Magnetic sheets (I actually just recycled the magnets that come on the front of the phone book!)
• Patterned paper
• White or Colonial White cardstock
• Buttons
• Adhesive (i.e., Tombow, Xyron Sticker Maker, Glue Dots)

Using your favorite word processing or layout program, type up the text so that it fits inside a 2 1/4" x 2" rectangle. Print and then cut out the rectangles. Trim both the magnets and patterned paper to 2 3/4" x 2 1/4". Adhere the patterned paper to the magnet, and then the text piece on top of that. Use a Glue Dot to stick a button in the middle, and you're done!

The text reads: (top) Press Button for Maid Service

                  (bottom) If No One Answers Wait a Moment Then Do It Yourself!

Happy crafting!