October Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  We will be featuring October's SOTM, which is called Very Merry Christmas, a festive set of 11 stamps.  If you have come here from JUDY'S BLOG, you are on the right path! 

This month we have 60+ 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 month I used a cute sketch from Freshly Made to create my card. The paper that I used is the  Moonlight paper pack - I know it's supposed to be Halloween, but I love the purple and black for elegant Christmas! The Ornament and sentiment are cut from Cricut Artiste, and embellished my ornament with a corrugated star form Milepost Shapes and a Bling button!

I heat embossed the Ornament using a mix of Silver Pearl and Clear detail embossing powder with a pinch of Prisma Glitter tossed in. I love to mix my own embossing powder combos! I also wanted some finer details on the ornament, but I did not want to use my entire stash of Bitty Sparkles on one card...so I placed tiny dots of Liquid Glass onto the ornament. when the Liquid Glass dried  I colored the dots with my Silver Metallic Marker - DIY silver "bitties"!

I'm linking this to Card Caravan's Seven Things Challenge - the idea is to have at least seven things on your card! I chose two patterned papers, two cricut diecuts, and 3 blingy embellies (my button, my sparkles, and my blinged out corrugated star)!

If you're ready to "Hop" on, the next fabulous stop is MARIA'S BLOG! Or you can keep on scrolling for more of my October SOTM cards, next month's projects, and this week's Friday Favorite Things! Just don't forget to keep on hoppin'! 

Here are some more projects I have made using this Stamp of the Month...

Heart 2 Heart Pearl Paint Embossing Card

Retro Sketches/PlayDate Cafe Mitten Card

Color Throwdown NON-HOLIDAY SOTM Card (my fav!)

And For this Week's Friday Favorite Thing I'll be giving away a super versatile Moonlight Paper Pack! Check out the many ways to enter below! More Moonlight artwork will be on the blog later this week - this is a super paper pack!

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Finally, be sure to visit ALL the Consultants Blogs to soak in the great crafting and SOTM ideas! The next hop is MARIA'S BLOG! Remember, this SOTM will melt away at the end of October!  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set for just $5!

P.S. - Quick reminder! The RSVPs for my October Workshop and Consultant Kit orders are closing on Friday October 5th. I have something new coming (!!), so if you have these on your wish list, you'll want to RSVP or order right away!

Friday Favorite Things Winner!

Hooray! The winner of this week's Friday Favorite Things Metallic Marker giveaway is

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I'll be back later this weekend with the October SOTM blog hop (yippee!) and don't forget there's only a couple fo days left to nab your National Stamping Month special stamp set for just $5!

Have a fab weekend!

10 things sitting on my stamp table

Stasha over at Northwest Mommy has a new Listicles up, Ten Things in my Home. Since I spend most of my middle of the night "free" time up in my Stamp Pad, I choose... 

Ten Random Things in my Stamp Pad right now.

1. Three pink glittery mittens left over from last weekend's card making (because I apparently can't count to twenty reliably).

2. Two mismatched boys sneakers which have neither partners nor boys who fit that size.

3. My brand new blinged out rhinestone encrusted stapler scored at Target after back to school!

4. My new mini fridge (also scored at Target - $30!!)...but that's still in the box so far...

5. An empty bag of Kettle chips...hmmm..wonder who ate those?

6. A display of most of the stuff I've made all summer left over from Open House...much nicer than the usual piles of stuff on my counter waiting to be put away.

7. Don't look that way...don't...stink...fine, the usual piles of stuff still waiting to be put away that I shoved over in that corner after deciding that would be good enough for Open House.

8. A picture frame made by Gabe in Kindergarten covered in aqua glitter and random gemstones because my sweet boy loves bling almost more than I do.

 9. Six half empty bottles of Liquid Glass... because I'm always positive I am almost out and need another bottle, which I then have to use right away because the tip is so nice and clean.

10. One tired mommy who should be sleeping but is instead blogging because Stasha writes super funny lists that make me want to play Listicles even when I should be in my snug cozy bed!

See y'all Friday for Friday Favorite Things - nighty night!

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Pearl Paint and Cuttlebug

This is the card that my team made at our meeting Monday night. I just love the new Avonlea papers - so elegant! We used the October SOTM along with a bit of Grey Baker's Twine and a fabulous Bling button. I'm linking this post up to the Heart 2 Heart Christmas Time Part 1 Challenge.

For this team meeting project I taught some fun techniques using Pearl Paint. The polka dot background is done using a dotty Cuttlebug embossing folder, Pearl Paint, and a brayer. Every embossing folder has two sides - one is bumpy and the other is indented. For this technique you brayer a small amount of pearl paint over the indented side of your embossing folder. Then when you emboss your image, the background gets coated in the Pearl Paint while the embossed or raised pattern remains paint free!

Here's a closer look at the background with just the embossing/paint applied. Can you see how the background is pearly and the dots are not? 

And here I tilted the card to pick up all the sheen I could off the Pearl Paint. I distressed the embossed/painted CS with Slate Ink to bring out the dots even more. I painted the ornament with the Pearl Paint as well - never can have too much sparkle and shine, right?

I'm probably going to be missing in action until announcing the winner of the fab Metallic Markers giveaway on Friday Favorite Things. I just found the link again for entering the World Card Making Day contest, so I'm thinking it might be time to hole up and see what shakes out! Anyone else game for entering? 

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Retro Sketches meets Play Date Cafe!

Monday night I hosted my monthly Stamping Rules team meeting called Monday Motivations. I just love these team nights when my stamping peeps gather round! This is my card for our fun team swap, based on this week's sketch from Retro Sketches with color inspiration from Playdate Cafe.

I embossed the background with a snowflake cuttlebug folder, then swiped over the surface with CTMH's new Cashmere ink to bring out the snowy texture. The mittens are rolled in Blush and Baby Pink inks. This stamp set is the October Stamp of the Month (SOTM) and it coordinates with the new Artiste Cricut Cartridge. I found with the mittens that I actually preferred to cut the mittens 1/4" smaller than recommended for the image so I didn't have to even try to line it up. A bit of Stardust Glitz Gel finished off my toasty warm mittens! And yes, I did cut that sentiment in half very, very carefully with my microtip scissors.

And here's the line up of adorable swap cards from my fabulous team (plus some fun team friends!">): Theo, LeighAnne, Linnea, Elaine, Cathy, Carolyn, Kelly, and Amanda. Thanks for a  super fun night, ladies!

Only a couple more days to enter to win that fab set of our new Metallic Markers for Friday's Favorite Things! Check out how LeighAnne used them to outline her cute bat card above!

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I've got some fun Pearl Paint techniques coming your way this week from the hands-on that my team did tonight at our meeting. Until then, WARMEST WISHES!

Color Throwdown!

I'm back! I know I've been a little out of the loop the past couple weeks, getting my family settled  into new school routines, and canning tons of tomatoes and applesauce! It felt so good to get back into my Stamp Pad this weekend. I needed that infusion of girl time, ink, and chocolate...I just LOVE my stamping friends!

To jump back into the inky pool, I grabbed a color challenge from Color Throwdown. I got out next month's Stamp of the Month, which is my favorite SOTM of this whole catalog! It's so adorable and it works with the Cricut. I've got a card for that later this week, but today I'm sharing a non-Holiday theme for this card! I took the big December 25th Sentiment stamp and inked just the top in Sweet Leaf and Lagoon ink. Then I made my own "Damask" pattern in each little square of my card. I added dots of shimmer to the damask pattern with the new Metallic Markers, which are a felt tipped wonder - I love them so much, I'm going to be giving away a set on Friday Favorite Things this week!

And the burlap. Oh! What can I say about the burlap? I didn't even know I NEEDED it until it was here in my inky paws. For this flower I cut the edging off the burlap ribbon...and used that edging to create my flower instead of the actual ribbon!  I wrapped the border edging back and forth in a figure eight, then secured it with a bit of wire. I peeled off a few individual strands to mix in behind with the wider ribbon border and topped it off with a Rhinestone Designer Brad. 

Ooh - you can see the tip of my nail in the pic - have you seen Jamberry yet? I almost never get a manicure, because I mess it up before I leave the salon unless it's shellac. This is like vinyl stickers that you heat up and apply - it's lasted through canning, cooking, bathing the boys, and cleaning reinker out of my spray pens with no staining. So fab! 

Here's the Rafflecopter to enter for Friday's Metallic Marker Giveaway. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And don't forget you can RSVP for next month's Fabulous Frame Workshop (or get the Consultant Kit) now! I revamped the Consultant Kit page to make it easier to read, too, thanks, to some help from my Stamping Peeps. You won't want to miss this workshop - 6 kinds of layered flowers and LOTs of glitter! 

I hope y'all have a wonderful week full of family, friends, and lots of stamps...

'cause that's what I'm planning to do!

Avonlea Family Tree Frame

I'm so excited for next month's workshop kit! I swear the second I first caught a glimpse of Avonlea in the big general session at Convention I was already planning this project. The colors, the patterns are just so in my wheelhouse. And this new 3-D frame - gorgeous!

The tree looks super complicated, but my workshop breaks it down into of 6 different kinds of 3-D flowers. I used both the Art Philosophy and Artiste cartridges to make these pretty 3-D layered flowers. Once each type of flower is made, the whole project will come together faster, simpler, and easier! I can't wait to hang this pretty piece up in my home!

I'm linking this project to the Paper Issues My Favorite Linky Party as my favorite home decor item from 2012!

Local friends, you can come see this in person at my Open House & Annual New to You Clearance sale on Saturday. We'll be making this fabulous project on October 20th (To Go kits will be mailed the week of the workshop). RSVP today to reserve your pre-cut Fabulous Frame workshop kit today!

Consultant Friends, click here to check out my new Consultant Kits!

Workshop and TO GO Kits

(1) Avonlea Frame Kit $25.00 USD (2) Avonlea Frame Kits $50.00 USD TO GO Avonlea Frame Kit (shipped to you) $30.00 USD (2) TO GO Avonlea Frame Kits (shipped to you) $60.00 USD

I'm linking my project up to and because they are super fabulous - go check out the Pinspiration and hope you are having a bloomin' good day!!

10 songs that make me smile...

Hi, Scrapping Friends! I apologize - back to school/starting coop preschool/kung fu disasters/lerning to can have kept me far from the Stamp Pad, so I don't have anything to share this week. We finally seem to be settling into the school routines, and I dropped Kung Fu (hip hip hooray!!) so next week should be better. In the meantime, here's a little sneak peek of the next workshop that I'll post in a few days...glitter! Only two days left to RSVP for the Pun Fun Cards workshop (or get a consultant kit)!

Plus I wanted to get back to playing Monday Listicles with Stasha, and it only took me until Thursday to get there - woo! This week's listicle is 10 songs. I'm making a list of ten songs that always make me smile, my own personal mix tape of goofy happiness. My singular criteria was that a smile must emerge on my face when I her the first opening notes - scientific eh? I needed a little extra happiness this week...oh coffee, why thou hast forsaken me!

Be forewarned...much cheese and sugar is forthcoming...and I could do way more than ten...

10 Songs that Always Make Me Smile - Youtube version

1. Steal My sunshine by Len...I want a butter tart!

2. Closer to Fine by the Indigo Girls

3. Scrappin' Ladies by the CTMH staff...so much fun!

4. Silly Love Songs as sung by the Warblers...yes, I'm a Gleek! But I'm also cheap frugal and I love Darren Criss, so our only Glee Cd is the Warblers version.

5. Somewhere Only We Know by Keane... maybe not the happiest song, but I sing it every time...with feeling...when I'm alone...somewhere only we know...

6. Hey Ya by Outkast

7. Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley...dontcha wish you had his groovy dance moves?

8. Float on by Modest Mouse

9. Life Is a Highway by Tom Cochrane, not the version from Cars. When Gabe heard this one in the car he said "Who's singing this Cars song? It's WAY better!"

10. Birdhouse in Your Soul by They Might Be Giants.

May y'all be keeping the nightlight on inside that birdhouse in your soul...

Friday Favorite Things!

I'm so pleased to announce that the winner of this week's Friday Favorite Things Alcohol Marker giveaway is Selina! I've already emailed her for her color choice of our 40 fabulous Alcohol Marker colors. Congrats!!

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Today I have a variation of my Pun Fun workshop created for you by one of my fabulous team members, Cathy Lambert. She took my Flirty Pun Fun instructions and created these cards using the sweet new Clementine papers! How stinkin' cute are these? 

You can find more info on the Pun Fun workshop HERE, and on my Consultant Teaching kits HERE. I'll announce the next giveaway this weekend - Happy Friday to all!

P.S. - I've got a fun NEW Mystery Hostess Party open on my website. When you visit, just click on the Mystery Hostess party in the bottom right corner of my front page. Shop for the latest super fun CTMH goodness which will be shipped to you right away, then right before the party closes I'll draw a winner for $25 in FREE Products from our party participants! And everyone who joins the party gets a fun hand-stamped goodie from me in addition to the fab CTMH supplies. 

Join my party today!

Now, back to your Happy Friday, Stamping Peeps!!

Dakota Pages for Scrapbook Club!

Good afternoon, ladies! I meant to post this yesterday for my Monthly Memories Club gals, but was feeling a little under the weather. So no pics got added (sad!) but I'm feeling much better (glad!) and I'm posting as is (phew!) On the first two pages I used the Foil My StickEase to make the faux "bows". I also used a Twilight Alcohol marker to tint the resist pattern on my Houndstooth Irresistibles Alphabet, making my letters Blue and Black! 

I used patterns from the new Make It From Your Heart book for all the pages, which I am so LOVING!!  One of our favorite things to say around my boy-infested home is, "There's no extra charge for awesomeness." Make It From Your Heart sure proves that! So much awesome tucked into one $7.95 book! For this second set of pages I embossed stars in the background (which is black distressed with Black ink, but I pumped up the contrast to bring out the shiny stars). 

Finally, I stamplifted one of the actual samples from the Make It From Your Heart book but twisting it to fit my Dakota papers. The original had rainbow colored banners and  hand stitched clouds - as in every cloud was stitched all the way around the edges. We just went to the State Fair (ONE FAIR DAY, lol) and this year for the first time the boys rode this suspended chair ride that s...l...o...w...l...y... drifts across the fairgrounds. Of course, my train obsessed boys insisted on calling it the air tram. I'm planning an 8x6 Photo Collage of all the random fair pics (including tractors, an actual tiger, and a great big pickle) on the left and the awesome "air tram" pics for the right page. 

My clouds are not stitched...yet...I'm holding back for now! I did stamp them with third generation Slate ink using the swirly flourish in the Dakota Stamp set and added a glitter glitz "silver lining" to each cloud. I felt that the Dakota colors (and the Whisper Grey CS color) were a better fit for our typical Oregon weather. 

Although Gabe did say to me, completely earnestly just a couple of days ago, that something must be wrong with the sky. when we asked him why he explained, " 'Cause there aren't any clouds. The sky is supposed to have clouds!"  So John and I may be transplants, but our boys are Oregonian through and through!

Catch ya back here tomorrow to post the Friday Favorite Things Alcohol Marker Give-away. Good luck, and may your sunny summer skies be full of clouds. Just the way they should be!

Pun Fun Card Workshop!

How much do you LOVE this fab NEW Pun Fun Stamp set!?  When I got this at convention I was  so excited. I just love all the clever punny sayings and adorable little images. It's the perfect set for learning how to use our new alcohol Markers too!  

Pick your style of purse!

Make this fab set of twelve 3x3 cards with a cute Artiste purse to hold them, all pre-cut and ready for you to stamp with the adorable Pun Fun stamp set - which is included in your kit! You'll create 2 of each design so you'll come out a Pro on using our new Alcohol Ink Markers. We'll be learning to shade, remove color, and stamp background blocks, all using these fantastic new markers!

Kit includes one purse and TWELVE cards!

Date: Saturday, September 22th (New To You Sale and Open House from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

Location: Wendy's Stamp Pad (or precut To Go kits are available to be shipped right to you!)

Cost: $25 includes your own Pun Fun stamp set!

Included: Pre-cut, ready-to-assemble cards, Pun Fun Stamp set, and fabulous scrappy company!

PLEASE RSVP by September 15 to get your Pun Fun Cards workshop kit! Only 8 spaces available in person!

Workshop and TO GO Kits

(1) Pun Fun Cards Kit $25.00 USD  (2) Pun FunCards Kits $50.00 USD  TO GO Pun Fun Cards Kit (shipped to you) $30.00 USD  (2) TO GO Pun Fun Cards Kits (shipped to you) $60.00 USD

 

Want to teach my workshop? Consultant Instructions Kits are available HERE!

I'm linking this project up to the Heart 2 Heart mini cards challenge.

And don't forget - just one more day to enter this week's Alcohol Marker giveaway!

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You are the heart of my business - thanks for stopping by!