May Flowers with Textiles

It's a floral challenge this week at Heart 2 Heart.  Easy peasy, right?  I thought so.  Until I tried to use a needle and thread to create textile flowers.  Let's just say, one broken needle and several puncture wounds later, that sewing isn't my thing. ;) 

So after hours of trying...literally hours...something in the range of 6 or 7 hours, I had to change my plans and go with a "no sew" flower.  Even though I was highly frustrated, mostly due to the hours spent trying, yet still failing AND the fact, that this challenge should have been an easy one, I'm pleased with the direction the failure took me.

I cut a piece of chipboard to 4" x 5 1/4" and wrapped it with one of the patterns in the Close To My Heart For Always textiles.  I then cut a strip of the polka dot fabric (also in the For Always textile collection) and frayed the edges, wrapping it around and securing the edges to the back of the chipboard.  I mounted the chipboard to the card base with foam tape.

Finally, I cut (free-hand) the circles and leaves for the flowers out of the CTMH Chantilly textiles.  After cutting out the circles, I intentionally wrinkled them...mostly because I was too lazy to pull out the iron. :)  Besides, I thought it gave it a more shabby look.

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Papers:  White Daisy CS

Stamp Used: Casual Expressions
Inks: Black

Embellishments: Black and Grey Sparkles Assortment, Clear Sparkles Assortment

Other: Chantilly Texties, For Always Textiles, Micro-tip Scissors, Paper Trimmer, 3D Foam Tape, Fabri-Tac (Beacon Adhesives), Scoring Board (Martha Stewart), ATG Adhesive (Scotch)

So here's what you need to know to play along with the Heart 2 Heart challenge this week...and every week.

1. Use mostly CTMH products.
2. Incorporate the current challenge...flowers.
3. Link your project back to Heart 2 Heart Challenges from your blog post or online gallery.  If you are linking from a blog, you must link directly to the actual post, not your entire blog.
4. You also need to mention Heart 2 Heart in your blog post. (Please don't make us guess.)
5. Finally, please, please, please, we ask that you consider turning off word verification, as it does make it easier (and less time consuming) for the design team to leave comments, as well as other visitors to your blog. ;)

Don't have any CTMH products?  That's an easy fix!  Simply contact your local Close To My Heart consultant (or go here to find one near you) or you can place an order by going to my website.  If you'd like an Idea Book of your own, you can either email me (if you're local) or simply use the Paypal button in the side bar.

Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Until next time...

A Little H2H Inspiration for National Scrapbooking Day

In case you're not a scrapper, or you've been living under a blinged-out rock, today is National Scrapbooking Day!  What better way to spend the day than at the Scrapbook Expo in Orlando with a friend?  That's where I'll be today.  

What are you doing for National Scrapbooking Day?  Anything special?  Catching up on some layouts?  Playing along with all the various challenges out there?  What about a crop?  How about checking out the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog today to see some special layout inspiration? 

Below is my contribution to Heart 2 Heart...the layout that I gave a sneak peak of two weeks ago and promised to share "soon".  "Soon" is so relative. ;) By the way, this layout won the layout contest at the weekend retreat I attended. I so love how it turned out!

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper:  Later Sk8r, Outdoor Denim CS, White Daisy CS

Stamps Used: Later Sk8r WOTG, In Gear, Wheel of Life, Pennant Alphabet
Inks: Outdoor Denim, Lagoon, Slate, Pear, Outdoor Denim Pigment

Embellishments: Baker's Twine Natural Assortment, Spinner, Green & Blue Epoxy Bubbles

Other: Cricut Artiste, Sponge, Micro-tip Scissors, Paper Trimmer, 3D Foam Tape, ATG Adhesive (Scotch), Black 0.3 Millennium Writer (Zig-EK Success)

Until next time...

May's Stamp of the Month...."Pinwheel"

Welcome to the CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

May 2013's Stamp of the Month is called.....

****Pinwheel****

The blog hop makes a circle so if you are starting here just continue until you make your way back and you will have made it through them all.  If you have already started and are coming from Sheila Bennett's blog, "Sheila's Stamping Stuff", then you are on the right track.

Last year, I worked a vendor event with my friend and sister CTMH consultant and we created cute little fry boxes using Dotty for You papers for our "hostess packets". Since I have a vendor event coming up this month, I thought I would essentially recreate the idea using May's (National Scrapbooking Month) promotional paper pack, Dream Pop and this month's stamp of the month. 

The pinwheels are hand-cut, but the banner and fry box are cut using Close to My Heart's Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. 

For the coral/orange colored pinwheel, I stamped two pinwheels and then cut the solid part of the image out of one and used foam tape to adhere to the top of the other.

 Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Papers:  Dream Pop, White Daisy CS

Stamps Used: Pinwheel, Glamour Lowercase Alphabet
Inks: Whisper, Sunset, Honey

Embellishments: Natural Baker's Twine Assortment, Paradise Baker's Twine Assortment, Rhinestone Brad (retired)

Other: Art Philosophy, Sponge Dauber, Piercing Tool, Micro-tip Scissors, Non-stick Microtip Scissors, Paper Trimmer, Bone Folder, 3D Foam Tape, ATG Adhesive (Scotch)

Here's a look at the entire stamp set...

Remember, if you love what you've seen so far along your SOTM Blog Hop journey, and you want your own "Pinwheel" stamp set or want to get it for the amazingly low price of $5, be sure to contact your Close To My Heart Independent Consultant.  If you don't already have a consultant, I'd love to be yours.  You can find details on the "Stamp of the Month" by clicking on the "Promotions" tab at the top of the page or purchase your SOTM here.  Of course, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

If you have time, take a moment or two to check out the rest of my blog.  If you enjoy your visit, then please consider "Following Me", signing up to receive blog updates, and/or leaving a comment (we all love comments...the nice ones anyway), then be sure to continue along on the hop by heading over to Vicki Price's blog, "The Price of Paper" and check out her project.

If for some reason you get lost along the way, you can always find a list of all this month's CTMH SOTM Blog Hop participants on Kathleen's blog.

Happy hopping!

Blog Candy Winner Announced....Finally

You know, I really don't mean to promise things and then fail to follow through.  But two weeks ago I posted some blog candy with the intent of posting the winner a week ago, but as it seems to go lately, life got in the way and it slipped my mind.  So I'm posting the winner of the drawing now.  Using a great little free program called "The Hat" (donations are accepted), I entered the names of those that entered the drawing and then pulled one name from the "hat".

And the winner was......

Marilyn Jo, I sent you an email.  So be sure to get back with me within the next week.  If I don't hear from you by next Monday, I'll draw another name.

Be sure to return tomorrow for the Stamp of the Month Blog hop.

Until next time...

A Note for You

This week at Heart 2 Heart the challenges is to "Tuck It In".  In other words, use envelopes in some form or fashion or some kind of tuck. My card was inspired by some envelope advent calendars on Pinterest.  

I used Dream Pop papers which will be available on May 1st for only $10 with a $35 purchase.  (See the cool resist pattern chevron paper in the background and the zip strips on the inside of the card? They're from the Dream Pop pack, too.) 

I also used my Artiste Cricut cartridge to cut each of the envelopes (pg. 35) at 1/2".  

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Papers:  White Daisy CS, Whisper CS, Slate CS, Dream Pop

Stamp Used: Chantilly WOTG, Sightseer, Just for You
Inks: Whisper, Juniper

Embellishments: Neutral Baker's Twine

Other: Cricut Artiste, Sponge Dauber, Micro-tip Scissors, Paper Trimmer, 3D Foam Tape, Mini Glue Dots, Scoring Board (Martha Stewart), ATG Adhesive (Scotch)

So here's what you need to know to play along with the Heart 2 Heart challenge this week...and every week.

1. Use mostly CTMH products.
2. Incorporate the current challenge.  In this case, envelopes and/or a tuck.
3. Link your project back to Heart 2 Heart Challenges from your blog post or online gallery.  If you are linking from a blog, you must link directly to the actual post, not your entire blog.
4. You also need to mention Heart 2 Heart in your blog post. (Please don't make us guess.)
5. Finally, please, please, please, we ask that you consider turning off word verification, as it does make it easier (and less time consuming) for the design team to leave comments, as well as other visitors to your blog. ;)

Don't have any CTMH products?  That's an easy fix!  Simply contact your local Close To My Heart consultant (or go here to find one near you) or you can place an order by going to my website.  If you'd like an Idea Book of your own, you can either email me (if you're local) or simply use the Paypal button in the side bar.

(Note: The last few weeks have been insane, and this past week has been no exception and I completely forgot to post the winner for my blog candy.  I promise, I will be posting that on the 30th.  So if you entered, I'm so sorry and I hope you'll forgive me.)

Until next time...

Later Sk8r Sneak Peak & Blog Candy

I'm spending the weekend with a few friends at a scrapbook retreat in Port. St. Lucie.  It's been great to have some uninterrupted time to create (and get caught up).  Apparently, though, I'm the slowest scrapper in the history of the craft, as I've really only completed one layout (May's workshop layout), while my friends are cranking them out.  However, that one layout is so stinkin' cool, it's been worth the time.  I'll take more pictures when I get home and post all the workshop information, but these sneak peak pics will wet your appetite for now. :)

As you can see in the layout, we'll be using the Close To My Heart spinner on this layout.  So fun!

Don't forget about the blog candy that I'm giving away this weekend!  You can read about the details near the bottom of this post.  A winner will be announced this Monday evening, so be sure to follow and comment before then. ;)

Until next time...

Button Challenge at Heart 2 Heart

This week at Heart 2 Heart the challenges is to use buttons. How hard is that?  Easy, right?  It's probably safe to say that we all have a "supply" somewhere.  A jar, a drawer, whatever.  We have enough buttons in our arsenal to easily replace every button, on every piece of clothing we own, for the rest of our lives! 

This SHOULD have been an easy challenge, but it wasn't.  I actually had lots of ideas, but I really struggled with settling on one.  I think my creative mojo is, well...not absent...but rather being choked?  Yeah, that's it.  Choked.  Life is pretty crazy around here and it's getting to me.  Without going into all the "drama"...you don't come here for the drama, after all...I've got some pretty big, life decisions to make here soon and as much as I like to think I'm easy going and ready for anything...it's not really true.  If I'm honest with myself, I don't like change and it scares me.   With this looming life change and with our state standardized tests this week, grades due at the end of the week, a card class Monday evening, and a weekend trip to prepare for, I think I'm just feeling a bit...okay...a lot...overwhelmed.  

With all that being said, all my thoughts of trying to do something unexpected with buttons, just didn't happen.  Who knows maybe I can come up with something else before the week ends?  But just to be on the safe side...don't hold your breath. I wouldn't want you to pass out. ;) At any rate, I went with a clean and simple sketcch design from Retro Sketches for my card, as well as inspiration from both Play Date Cafe and an CAS-ual Fridays.

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Papers:  White Daisy CS, Pacifica CS, Sunset CS, Sky CS, Silver Glitter Paper

Stamp Used: Word Puzzle
Inks: Black, Sky, Sunset, Pacifica

Embellishments: Black button assortment, Silver Glitz Glitter Gel, Millennium Pen (EK Success)

Other: Cricut Art Philosophy, Sponge, Micro-tip Scissors, Paper Trimmer, 3D Foam Tape, Liquid Glass, Scoring Board (Martha Stewart), ATG Adhesive (Scotch)

So here's what you need to know to play along with the Heart 2 Heart challenge this week...and every week.

1. Use mostly CTMH products.
2. Incorporate the current challenge.  In this case, buttons.
3. Link your project back to Heart 2 Heart Challenges from your blog post or online gallery.  If you are linking from a blog, you must link directly to the actual post, not your entire blog.
4. You also need to mention Heart 2 Heart in your blog post. (Please don't make us guess.)
5. Finally, please, please, please, we ask that you consider turning off word verification, as it does make it easier (and less time consuming) for the design team to leave comments, as well as other visitors to your blog. ;)

Don't have any CTMH products?  That's an easy fix!  Simply contact your local Close To My Heart consultant (or go here to find one near you) or you can place an order by going to my website.  If you'd like an Idea Book of your own, you can either email me (if you're local) or simply use the Paypal button in the side bar.

BLOG CANDY ALERT!!!
To encourage you to follow Heart 2 Heart (and me...hee hee), I'm going to give away a little blog candy this week...a paper pack of your choice.  

Here's what you need to do to enter to win the blog candy.  

1. Follow the Heart 2 Heart Challenge blog.  Leave a comment on this post that you are now following (or are already a follower), and you will receive an entry for the blog candy.
2. Follow my blog.  Leave a comment on this post that you are now following (or already following) my blog and you will receive another entry for the blog candy.

I'll announce the winner in a week, Monday, April 22nd.  Unfortunately, I'm only shipping to US addresses.  I will do my best to contact the winner via their blog and/or email address, but sometimes that's not as simple as it sounds, so be sure to come back and see if the winner is you and feel free to contact me.  Either way, once I have your prize selection and mailing address, I will ship it out to you.

If you are the winner, you will chose from one of the following paper packs.

Before I go, I'm also going to link my card above up to these other fitting challenges: Catered Crop and Paper Pretties.

Until next time...