Critter Week at H2H!

Pin It
Welcome to this week's challenge at Heart 2 Heart Challenges.   Our challenge this week is artwork that features an animal, insect or critter of any sort.

I have been working on a mini album since last year.  I just love our retired Footloose paper pack and the complements that went with it.  I had seen a super cute album that Vicki Wizniuk put together last year using the Dotty for You Paper Pack and I just had to make my own summer album using that mini album design and the Footloose paper pack.  I am going to just  feature the critter pages in my book and then in the next few days I will reveal the rest of my album.  Hope you enjoy!

So now it is your turn!  Pick your favorite critter and show us your artwork.  Please go to  heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com and post a link to your project.  I cannot wait to see what you make!

Here are a few rules:  

*Our challenges are open to everyone!
*To enter, follow the challenge of the week and post your results to your personal blog or other online gallery.
*Be sure to go here and direct link to your challenge post so we can see your artwork! 
*In order to enter a challenge, you must use Close To My Heart products but your project does not have to be 100% CTMH.
*If you use something from another company, please consider including details in your project's description.
* You MUST mention H2H challenges in your blog post (and a link back to us would be appreciated).
*Spread the word about our challenge blog by including our badge on your blog.

* I love to leave comments on our participants' blog posts, but word verification slows me down, so please turn yours off so that I can leave you some love on your blog!
*Most importantly, have fun creating - the Close To My Heart way!
Note: Any entries not following the above rules are subject to having their link removed.

Like my artwork?  You can make it too.  Take advantage of the Dream Pop Promotion during the Month of May on my Close to My Heart Website.  All you have to do is make a $35 qualifying order on my website and you can get this paper pack for only $10.  What a deal!

Tweet

How do you print your odd-sized photos for Scrapbooking?

Pin It When you scrapbook, do you only scrapbook 4" x 6", 5" x 7", or 8" x 10" photos?  Or do you do as I do and try and print larger photos than I need so that I can cut them down to remove a lot of the background?

Most of the time I use Walgreen's Photo Department because they are down the street.  But I find that sometimes I get the wrong size developed or I cut the picture wrong so I have to make a return trip or worse, more than one return trip to get the picture printed again so I can re-crop it.  Very frustrating and not so fun!  Also very expensive!

Close to My Heart has just come up with a solution to this dilemma:  Studio J!

You ask, how can a digital scrapbooking program solve this problem?  Check out this video and see some of the latest updates for Studio J.  Start the video at the 3:45 mark if you want to skip to the photo developing feature.




Wasn't that incredible?  And so economical as well.  A 2 page Studio J layout only costs $6.95 (plus shipping and handling and tax).  Do you know how many pictures you can place on a 2 page layout and get developed?  It depends on the photo size.  I am thrilled because now I won't have to keep resizing my photos and possible missing parts of the picture that I wanted to keep!

Are you curious?  It is free to try.  You only pay when you purchase. Click here and go see our new and enhanced Studio J!

Tweet

Jeanette Lynton and Close to My Heart

Pin It

With all of the upheaval in the Scrapbooking Industry, I was delighted that the CEO of Close to My Heart posted this on her blog last Friday.  I love this company and am grateful that, as an Independent Consultant, that they are thriving in this Industry where others are not.

Creativity Now and Always

by Jeanette Lynton

Within the past month, paper crafters have heard and seen some hard news—well-known industry names have announced bankruptcy or removed their scrapbooking lines. It may leave many wondering what the future is for our beloved pursuit of memory keeping and creativity. As the CEO and Founder of Close To My Heart, I have many thoughts on the topic and wanted to share a few with you. 

First off, preserving our memories is NOT a fad. It's one of the most important things we do in our journey here on earth, and it's as key as breathing and as sustainable as family. In the past few years, we have seen scrapbooking come into the spotlight and many flocked to set up shop and design products to capitalize on it. While we at Close To My Heart have welcomed the focus on scrapbooking over the past few years, we know that even when the hubbub fades, the core and relevance underneath the hype remains. I have been in the industry for nearly 30 years—LONG before it was "trendy"—and plan to be in this essential industry for decades to come. 

Because Close To My Heart will be here for the long-term, we have run our business differently than many others. We are not leveraged to the hilt or financed by outside investors. I have always believed in organic, cash-based growth, and the simple provident rule of spending less than I earn. It's a principle I've applied to business and it's ensured that Close To My Heart operates profitably. We have been profitable month after month, year after year. Our credit rating is excellent, and this protects our commitment to delivering a wealth of diverse, beautiful products at competitive prices while providing secure commission checks for our Consultants, employees, and vendors. 

Second, yes, the industry is changing. I welcome and embrace that! In my 30 years in business, I have seen many changes and they almost always yield fresh directions, new products, and a new crop of crafters. Change always brings opportunity! I have long said that as long as little girls are born with hands, they will want to create. I am grateful to be a part of such an important contribution to society and know that this will continue. 

Ultimately, I invite everyone—whether you are an existing Consultant or customer, a past purchaser, or even if you have never purchased a Close To My Heart product—to get to know us again for the first time. Close To My Heart is strong. Papercrafting, memory keeping, and creativity are more important than ever before and we provide unique, diverse products for every style and ability of crafter.  Close To My Heart is committed to scrapbooking, and if it's a passion you share, then YOU ARE WELCOME HERE. 

I would love to talk with you about your opportunities in this incredible company.  You can find more information about becoming an Independent Consultant here or even hostessing your own gathering.  I love papercrafting and I agree that "as long as little girls are born with hands, they will want to create."

Tweet

It's Teacher Appreciation Week at H2H!

Pin It Welcome to this week's challenge at Heart 2 Heart Challenges.   Our challenge this week is Teacher Appreciation artwork.

We have 2 new additions to our house - two of my grandkids!  First let me tell you that the baby of my family is 26 years old and he left home 8 years ago.  My husband and I each have 5 kids for a total of 10 kids.  We have more grandkids that I can count on 2 hands and 2 feet, but we have enjoyed being Grandma and Grandpa.  Now two of our little ones, ages 7 and 10, have joined our household and we are now getting back into the swing of school, homework, and soccer.  So, Teacher Appreciation week is much appreciated.

I decided to make a cute little canister that I can fill with pencils and pens for the two teachers in our lives.  I stamped directly on our Kraft Canister with our black pigment ink.  I was so surprised about how easy that was to do.

I bet you don't recognize the black paper with the red dots.  It is our Dream Pop red embossed cardstock.  Because it is embossed, I took my black pigment ink pad and rubbed it onto the paper.  Then I took a paper towel and cleaned off the dots.

Here is my canister:

I had to add some silver glimmer trim.  The THANKS was cut out with the Cricut Artiste.

I used 3 different Close to My Heart stamp sets:  School Rocks (B1396), School is Here (B1407), and Casual Expressions (D1525).

So now it is your turn!  Show us what you can do with our Teacher Appreciation challenge.  Please go to  heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com and post a link to your project.  I cannot wait to see what you make!

Here are a few rules:  

*Our challenges are open to everyone!
*To enter, follow the challenge of the week and post your results to your personal blog or other online gallery.
*Be sure to go here and direct link to your challenge post so we can see your artwork! 
*In order to enter a challenge, you must use Close To My Heart products but your project does not have to be 100% CTMH.
*If you use something from another company, please consider including details in your project's description.
* You MUST mention H2H challenges in your blog post (and a link back to us would be appreciated).
*Spread the word about our challenge blog by including our badge on your blog.

* I love to leave comments on our participants' blog posts, but word verification slows me down, so please turn yours off so that I can leave you some love on your blog!
*Most importantly, have fun creating - the Close To My Heart way!
Note: Any entries not following the above rules are subject to having their link removed.

Like my artwork?  You can make it too.  Take advantage of the Dream Pop Promotion during the Month of May on my Close to My Heart Website.  All you have to do is make a $35 qualifying order on my website and you can get this paper pack for only $10.  What a deal!

Tweet

Hopping With The Stampers With an Attitude!

Pin It

Welcome to the Stampers with an Attitude Blog Hop.  The very artistic, Amber La Mons, is the Blogger right ahead of me.  I am sure that you have been WOWED by her artwork!

The Close to My heart team that I belong to, The Stampers with an Attitude, are all excited to show you a little Art with an Attitude, so here we go!

I made a slider card.  I found the pattern on Michelle Bowley's Blog and just had to try it.  I changed the measurements a bit to my favorite 5" x 7" card size.  So here it is!

 I used the Claire paper pack and Complements plus our adorable Hollyhock ribbon!

Sorry for the bad picture.  Tomorrow when the sun comes up I will take a better one! (Next day - Hah!  And I thought the sun would come up!  This one is a little bit better)

This card is a slider card that opens up to reveal the sentiment.  Loving it!

Now, hop on over to our next Blog hopper, the fabulous Cat Nowak!

See something you like?  Well I would love it if you would head on over to my website and see what Close to My Heart has to offer!

Tweet

The Close to My Heart May Blog Hop Features Pinwheels

Pin It
Welcome to the May Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.  This month I am following Teresa Scriven's Blog.   We have over 60 Close to My Heart Consultants participating in this month’s Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.  I want to sincerely thank you for visiting my Blog and hope that you come back soon!  
                                                                                                                
The May Stamp of the Month is entitled Pinwheels (Set of 10). Here is a picture of this stamp set:

What a happy stamp set this is.  I don't know if it makes me happy because it reminds me of a child's laughter when playing with one of these toys, but I chuckle when I see it.

I wanted to do something different with this stamped image.  At first I wanted to make an interactive card with the pinwheel moving.  I may go back and do that before the month is over.  I stamped this image repeatedly with many different colors, intending to go back and cut them out.  Then I thought about creating a background with my Close to My Heart alcohol markers and stamping the pinwheel in black.  

So last night, while watching the craziness of Gary Busey on The Celebrity Apprentice, I played with my alcohol markers and made this gorgeous background on my card:

Can you believe that you can make this purely by layering color on your cardstock?  I used the White Daisy cardstock and just laid down a block of color with one marker, picked up the next marker and laid down another block of color.  Then I picked up the first marker and went back over where the two colors met so that they would transition well.  It was SO much fun and very soothing after a long day.  I got to color and did not have to stay within the lines.  LOL

This technique uses a lot of ink so you need to have juicy markers.  I added a bit of Copics to make the transition a bit more gradual.  They worked well with our alcohol markers.

Here is another view of my card;

I finished off my card with a Black Sparkle Flourish after adhering it to more White Daisy Cardstock with a slight pop of Banana Cardstock from our National Scrapbooking Promotion, Dream Pop Collection.  This card is so cheery that it makes me HAPPY!

Supplies Used

Pinwheels Stamp Set (S1305)

Black Pigment Ink 

Black Sparkles Flourishes (Z1745)

Markers Used (From Bottom to Top):

Creme Brulee Alcohol Marker

Autumn Terracotta (Light) Alcohol Marker

Copics Y21, Y3, YR00

Honey (Light) Alcohol Marker

Sorbet (Light) Alcohol Marker

Copics YR02, R20

Cotton Candy (Light) Alcohol Marker

Cotton Candy Alcohol Marker

Sorbet Alcohol Marker

The next stop on the blog hop is the Fabulous Angel Sawyer's Blog.

The Pinwheels stamp set can be purchased for $17.95 or you can even get it for only $5 between May 1 – May 31, 2013. You can purchase this stamp set as well as any of the above supplies here:  on my website.  

Tweet

One More

Pin It

I only need one more person to take advantage of this offer and I will keep my title of Director!  If you are even considering this a little, please call me and we can talk about it.  There is absolutely NO obligation to purchase or sell anything else.   How would you like to get $260 worth of Close to My Heart products for only $49? (plus shipping and tax)   You will get all of this: Workshops on the Go Chantilly Scrapbooking Kit Chantilly Complements Dimensional Elements Petite Perks™ Critter Expressions Incentive Stamp Set Reflections® Scrapbook Program Originals Card Confidence Program® Buttercup Exclusive Inks® Pad Cotton Candy Exclusive Inks® Pad 2 Exclusive Ink Pads of Your Choice of Colors* Spinner My Acrylix® Wheel of Life Stamp Set My Acrylix® For a Friend Stamp Set 4" × 5" My Acrylix® Block 2" x 2" Acrylic Block* My Acrylix My Sunshine Stamp Set My Acrylix Pinwheel Stamp Set My Acrlix A Flowering Bunch Stamp Set My Acrylix Sweet Life Stamp Set Now are you getting interested?  We just want you to try our product and see the quality for yourself!  So, if you have any interest in this at all, please call me at(901) 218-1847 or email me at mkgmt@aol.com.   *This deal is only good until April 30th and the EXTRA ink pads and block are only good with Melinda Everitt, CTMH Independent Consultant.

Tweet

Dream Pop Blog Hop

Pin It Welcome to a blog hop celebrating  the National Scrapbooking Month Promotion from Close to My Heart. Our promotion this year is called Dream Pop.  It is the coolest paper pack I have ever seen.  It has tons of bright colors and embossed papers that you can do so much with.  I know that you will love it as much as I do.  During the month of May, you can get this paper pack for only $10 if you spend $35.  What a deal!  You can also get it for FREE if you join Close to My Heart as a Consultant or if you are a hostess of a $400 gathering (Online, Home or Catalog).

The blog hopper in front of me is Joy McHargue.  I have made a cute little box that I am going to fill up with cards.  I used the Cricut Artiste to make this box.  Here is my box:

This is made entirely with paper.  I love the way that this paper is so bright and cheery that it doesn't need any extra embellishing.  I made this box in about 10 minutes.  So cool since I am preparing for a big Team Crop tomorrow.

You can purchase the Dream Pop paper from May 1 - May 31, while supplies last.  Make a purchase of $35 and you can add this paper pack for only $10 more.  Make your purchase on my website and it will be sent directly to you.  But you have to wait until May 1st!

The next blogger on the hop is Krista Hershberger.  Come back and visit again!

Tweet

Close to My Heart Creating with Canvas

Pin It I have had many questions about how to add photos to our canvases.  I am delighted that Close to My Heart decided to make a video on how to do exactly this.  Now I have to order another one of our delightful little canvases so that I can make this myself!  I see a workshop in my future.  This is a must see video!




Like what you see?  You can order it here.

Tweet

Let Them Eat Cake with H2H!

Pin It
Welcome to this week's challenge at Heart 2 Heart Challenges.   I have been super busy the past couple of weeks.  The kids have soccer and my grandson and I are incredibly allergic to Memphis.  I love the blooms but if I spend any time outside in the beautiful, warm sun my eyes swell up and I get a huge headache.  So what is there to do but craft?

I am loving the challenge this week and decided to make it even more challenging for me.  Our challenge is to create artwork with a cake or cupcake - and for a little more of a challenge, add some Baker's Twine.  My challenge was to make a card with a different kind of fold.

Close to My Heart has tons of different stamp sets with cakes or cupcakes on them.  We even have cupcakes on our Cricut Cartridges.  So I had lots to choose from.  I decided on the stamp set called The Happy Couple (D1539).  And I just had to include the Bride and Groom on top of my cake.  It was just too adorable!

My card is called a Z fold card.  I have also seen it called an S fold card.  Here is my card:

I paired the For Always patterned paper with Gypsy cardstock and then I added a pop of Creme Brulee.  The shape that my cake is on is cut from the Cricut Art Philosophy.  The cake layers are stamped on Gypsy cardstock and Creme Brulee cardstock that has been sanded first to give it a little texture and to lighten the color a bit.  I needed a bit of embellishment so I cut the flag and the bells from our gray Glitter paper.  Did you know that you can stamp on our gray Glitter paper?  I stamped on it and then went over the stamped image with a black fine sharpie to make it dark enough to see so that I could cut the bells out.

Here is my card when opened:

The inside page is made by masking the center of the page with a replica of the front image panel.  I stamped around the mask with the floral background stamp from In the Background (D1540) inked up with Black Pigment Ink.

The front panels are made by scoring the front page in half and bending the front half back.  I attached the stamped image by adhering half of the stamped image to the front panel.  I completed the card by adding 3 grey sparkles at the top and at the bottom.

So now it is your turn!  Show us what you can do with our Cake/Cupcake challenge.  Please go to  heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com and post a link to your project.  I cannot wait to see what you make!

Here are a few rules:  

*Our challenges are open to everyone!
*To enter, follow the challenge of the week and post your results to your personal blog or other online gallery.
*Be sure to go here and direct link to your challenge post so we can see your artwork! 
*In order to enter a challenge, you must use Close To My Heart products but your project does not have to be 100% CTMH.
*If you use something from another company, please consider including details in your project's description.
* You MUST mention H2H challenges in your blog post (and a link back to us would be appreciated).
*Spread the word about our challenge blog by including our badge on your blog.

* I love to leave comments on our participants' blog posts, but word verification slows me down, so please turn yours off so that I can leave you some love on your blog!
*Most importantly, have fun creating - the Close To My Heart way!
Note: Any entries not following the above rules are subject to having their link removed.

Like my artwork?  You can make it too.  I have included all of the products used to make ordering easy on my Close to My Heart website.

Tweet

Check Out My Waterfall Card on the Use Your Stash Blog Hop!

Pin It If you are joining us for the "Use Your Stash Blog Hop" you are right on track. I cannot wait to show you my card! You should be coming from Joy McHargue's Blog.

There are 8 participants this month.

Today I am showcasing a waterfall card. I have never made a waterfall card before and to tell you the truth, I don't know why I joined this blog hop except that I wanted to challenge myself to make something different. This is easily the cutest card that I have EVER made!
I am loving the Close to My Heart Later Sk8r Paper pack and paired up with the new stamp set, Fast and Furiours (D1541), this card was just over the top. Love it, love it, LOVE IT!!!

A waterfall card is a card that when you pull the string at the bottom, the 4 flaps change position and a different image appears. Isn't that cool? Most of the cards that I found instructions for were 4.25" x 5.5". I wanted more room to work with so I changed the dimension of the card to 5" x 7".
So, let me show you my card in the closed position:

Now I pull the string down and the first flap pulls up:

I pull the string again and another flap opens up:

And again. See the words on the underside of the flaps? Those are cut from the zip strip that comes at the top of each piece of patterned paper from Close to My Heart.

And I have to show you the inside of the card. It is decorated as well. The AWeSOME comes from one of the patterned papers in this paper pack.

I am also including a mini video on how the card works. Go ahead and laugh at the first part where I was holding the part of the card that is supposed to move, so it doesn't. I know that I did! LOL

Now hop on over to Shirley Ross' Blog for another example of a beautiful waterfall card.

Like what you see? I am a Close to My Heart Consultant and I would love you to visit my store and see what Close to My Heart has to offer.

Tweet

For Always Card Set

Pin It This gorgeous card set was designed by another Close to My Heart Consultant, Amie Kiger,  I have made a few tweaks and received permission from Amie to bring this workshop to Memphis.  You will make 8 cards and the beautiful Card Holder in this workshop and the cost is only $7.

Thank you Amie!  When you have time, go check out her beautiful artwork.  She is truly talented!

My card workshop is this weekend.  Here is the picture of what we will be making:

I will be offering this workshop twice and you can sign up for both or either one.  Everyone who attends will receive a special gift.  All workshop attendees can shop early at my "Craft Garage Sale" as well.  You will be able to shop an entire week early and get first dibs at my gently used and new stamp sets and retired items!

Date:  Saturday, April 20th from 1 pm - 3 pm 

                                     OR 

           Sunday, April 21st from 2 pm - 4 pm

Please RSVP to me at (901) 218-1847 or mkgmt@aol.com by April 18th.

Tweet

CTMH Technique Challenge - My Stickease

Pin It Welcome to the Close to My Heart Technique Blog Hop.  We are a small hop so it will only take you a little while to see all of the dazzling artwork that this group of talented Consultants has put together.  The hopper in front of me is Tabbi Fritz.  This month's challenge is to use My Stickease or stickers in your artwork.  I have SO been waiting for this Challenge Blog Hop!  I have been saving the most gorgeous butterfly found on the Claire Complements for this artwork.  And here is my card:

I cut the Sunset cardstock into a heart shape using the Cricut Artiste cartridge, pg 51.  Using the same shape, the smaller heart was cut out of Colonial White cardstock.  With Outdoor Denim ink, I second generation stamped the sentiment, "A butterfly goes wherever it pleases and it pleases wherever it goes." from the stamp set, Bugs & Hugs (D1535) onto the Colonial White heart.  Then I placed the Claire Complements butterfly over the Colonial White heart.

I found a scrap of chevron patterned paper from the Claire paper pack and placed it at the bottom of the card and then adhered a piece of the zip strip above the patterned paper.  The Friendship sentiment is also from the Claire Complements.  I never realized how much I love these colors together.  So vibrant and fresh!  The "F" is also from the Claire Complements.  I added the little Artisan Studs on the left bottom corner when I saw that I was actually following the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches:

Isn't that funny?  I will be linking this card up to their Freshly Made Sketch #81.  

I am trying to decorate the inside of my cards when I make them as well instead of waiting until I want to send the card out.  The sentiment comes from Card Chatter - Sympathy (D1476).

Once again, thank you for visiting my blog.  The next blog on this hop belongs to Judy Faye Garner.  Click on her link and go check out what she has done with this fun technique.  See you soon!
Oh, and by the way, I am a Close to My Heart Consultant.  See something you like?  Well, I would love you to click here and place a purchase on my website!

Tweet

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head with Heart 2 Heart Challenges

Pin It
Welcome to this week's challenge at Heart 2 Heart Challenges.   Spring is finally coming to Memphis.  The beautiful trees are blooming as well as the daffodils and tulips.  So what is our challenge?  How about Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head?  

I don't know about you, but I would like a little warm sunshine!  LOL  But, to play along we would like to see your artwork with  rain, umbrellas, rainbows, or something that reminds you of Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.

I just couldn't bear the thought of more rain so I did include the umbrella, but I also included a nice warm sun!  Here is the card I made for this challenge:

I am so proud of the coloring I did on this card with a combination of Close to My Heart markers and my Copics.  I used 2 stamp sets:  Paper Doll (D1547) and A Bowwow (A1126).  I screamed with delight when I saw Paper Doll in our new catalog. I knew that I would have to really learn how to use alcohol markers to do it justice.  I think that I have the blue jeans down.  They are colored with the two Outdoor Denim markers and the Indian Corn Blue Light marker.  Amazing what you can do with our markers!

The little girl's hair and skin are done with my Copics, but all of the rest is Close to My Heart's alcohol markers.  I am learning how to color hair and certainly have not mastered it yet, but am getting better at it.  My little dog is colored with CTMH Slate markers.

Once again I am using the Claire Paper Pack and a bit of the My Stickease that goes with it.  The sun was cut with the CTMH Cricut Artiste cartridge.  The umbrella comes from the Chantilly Dimensional Elements.

So now it is your turn!  Show us what you can do with our Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head challenge.  Please go to  heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com and post a link to your project.  I cannot wait to see what you make!

Here are a few rules:  

*Our challenges are open to everyone!
*To enter, follow the challenge of the week and post your results to your personal blog or other online gallery.
*Be sure to go here and direct link to your challenge post so we can see your artwork! 
*In order to enter a challenge, you must use Close To My Heart products but your project does not have to be 100% CTMH.
*If you use something from another company, please consider including details in your project's description.
* You MUST mention H2H challenges in your blog post (and a link back to us would be appreciated).
*Spread the word about our challenge blog by including our badge on your blog.

* I love to leave comments on our participants' blog posts, but word verification slows me down, so please turn yours off so that I can leave you some love on your blog!
*Most importantly, have fun creating - the Close To My Heart way!
Note: Any entries not following the above rules are subject to having their link removed.

Like my artwork?  You can make it too.  I have included all of the products used to make ordering easy on my Close to My Heart website.

Tweet