Welcome to the May Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

Life sure has been busy around here!!  My son and DIL bought a house and moved in on Sunday!  YES, I took plenty of pictures but I am not even close to printing them, let alone get them onto a page.  But this stamp set is perfect for this momentous occasion!

This month's stamp set is a very happy yet versatile stamp set.  S1505 Just Sayin'  is perfect for both layouts and cards- something little to accent your artwork!

                                      
If you have been hopping with us, then you have arrived from Melinda's blog here.  Isn't her design FAB-u-lous??  Here is a sample layout from  Close to My Heart.  Notice how they used the banners to add accents to the page.

                             

                    Plus a card to feature a image from this stamp set!

                             



I decided to create the PML cards on page 114 of the Annual Inspirations book. I am currently working on my trip from last year to Alaska and it is so hard to create a page for each photo so these PML cards are perfect!  Our last day of the trip was a one day visit in Seattle so we decided to tour the Space Needle and the Chihuly museum.   The day was absolutely picture perfect!

I was able to scrap 6 photos in one page protector! Woohoo!  Paper, complements and washi tape are from the Wanderful WOTG.  A perfect complement to my photos.


Now it is on to Sheila's blog here where I am sure you will be inspired!  If you get lost along the way you can always hop back to Melinda's blog here to find the link you may be missing....

Are you scrappin' your memories?  If not, then it is time to start!

Welcome to the April Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

Happy Spring!  Welcome to April Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  If you have been hopping along with us, then you have arrived from Sheila's blog here.

Don't worry if you get lost you can always find the list of participants on Melinda's blog here.

This month's stamp set is so 'retro' - I love it!  It is S1504 Typed Note  and is perfect for your card sentiments.

Since I am not typically a card maker, I always try to think outside the box for a scrapbook layout.  The first step I take is to look for ideas from others.  These are the two creations from Close to My Heart.  The first one is a card

The second one is a pack of playing cards.

But I was unable to be inspired by anything else besides a card!  So I dug into my Basics collection of paper and created this 'manly' look Father's Day card. My husband collects vintage audio items and this old radio was a perfect backdrop for my picture.  Two strips of shimmer trim for an added accent and it is done!

Now it is off to Michelle's blog here to check out her awesome artwork.

March Stamp of the Month

Welcome to the March Stamp of the Month Blog hop.  If you have been hopping with us, then you have arrived from Wendy's blog here.  Isn't her layout cute? Don't worry if you get lost along the way, you can always find your way back by checking Melinda's post here.

                                 

This month's stamp set is S1503 Choose Happy.  It is a collection of funky frames and swirls to accent your cards or layouts.

Here is a mini album from Close to My Heart in which they used the frames to accent the photos in the album.

Here are the supplies used to make this mini album.

7" Wedding Details Mini Album 

S1503 My Acrylix® Choose Happy 

X7190B Brushed Paper Packet 

X5764 Pear Cardstock 

X5930 Slate Cardstock 

X5772 Canary Cardstock 

1385 White Daisy Cardstock

Z1829 Black & Grey Glitter Paper 

Z1847 Green Glitter Paper 

Z2197 Pear Exclusive Inks™ Pad 

Z2173 Slate Exclusive Inks™ Pad 

Z2643 Canary Exclusive Inks™ Pad 

Z2172 Whisper Exclusive Inks™ Pad 

Z1989 Slate Diagonal Striped Ribbon 

Z1932 Silver Geometric Washi Tape 

Z2013 Sequins Silver Assortment 

Z1754 Sparkles Black & Grey Assortment 

Z1263 Bitty Sparkles 

Z1921 Baker’s Twine Neutral Metallic Assortment 

3174 Blending Pen 

Z679 Liquid Glass 

Z1852 Stitch Guide 

Z1859 Foam Mat 

Z1912 Corner Rounder 

Z1906 Cricut® Artbooking Collection 

Z1790 Cricut® Artiste Collection

Cricut® Shapes: 

Artbooking 6" Shift+Overlay (p. 62) 

7" Shift+Photo Mat 1 <9> (p. 46) 

7" Photo Mat 2 <0> (p. 47) 

7" Shift+Photo Mat 2 <[> (p. 47) 

Artiste 2½" and 2¾" Accent 2 <3> (p. 33) 

2¼" Card (p. 62)

Perhaps you envision the stamp sets as an accent to your scrapbook page.

I created a quick card using the Confetti paper pack and the colors canary and thistle.  I created a plaid effect with the swirly lines included in this set.  I used a ShinHan marker to color the white shimmer trim and added some bling to this simple design.

Now it is off to Michelle's blog here to view her beautiful layout.

Happy New Year! Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

How exciting!  A new year to celebrate with both a stamp set and more new Close to My Heart products!

If you have been hopping with us, then you have arrived from Tamytha's blog here and view her beautiful layout.  We have many consultants participating each month in this SOTM blog hop and you can certainly find inspiration for this stamp set by hopping along with us!  Do not worry, if you get lost along the way, then you can always find your way back to Melinda's  list here.

I love Valentine's Day!  I love candy and anything that has 'love' attached to it. SO it is no surprise that I love this new stamp set!

The best part is we also have a colorful paper packet designed especially for Valentine's Day called Heartstrings.  But if you are not a HUGE Valentine fan, then you can also use this stamp set in many other ways.

How about a mini-album for your favorite girl?

Or gift bags for your co-workers?

I created a layout for my upcoming workshop and I knew it would be perfect to add additional images from the stamp set.  The paper pack is from the NEW Seasonal Expressions I and is called Heartstrings.  You can find all of the information for this set in the Seasonal Expressions Blog Hop post here.

Now it is time to hop off to Melissa's blog here and check out her beautiful artwork.

Welcome another new year of Close to My Heart!

December Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Oh my, OH my!  How did this year fly by so fast?!  It may be because my family had so many big events scheduled for this year, that we didn't have time to stop and think about each and every day.

Well this is the last SOTM Blog Hop for 2014.  We have over 60 consultants participating this month.  If you have been hopping with us, then you have arrived from Chris Lothian's blog here.

Don't worry - if you get lost along the way, you can always get back on track at Melinda's blog here.

This month's stamp set is S1412 Cutie Pie!  Look at all of those yummy cupcakes. I can only imagine what our talented group of consultants is going to come up with this month!

With all of the craziness of the Thanksgiving Holiday, I decided I was going to need to look elsewhere for some inspiration!

I found this great sketch for November at Stuck?!Sketches  here

                                         

I used some of my retired Sparkle and Shine paper because I was going for more of the whimsical holiday than the traditional one.  This sketch is a great use of scraps and my cutie pies are of the canine variety!

As you can see I mixed up the sketch to make it my own which is what many of us do...just sayin'. I did add a few items from my stash - the silver ribbon from Michaels and the plastic snowflake strip from Fancy Pants.  But the rest are all from the Sparkle and Shine paper pack.

If you would like to create your own layout you can find the Cricut Design Space file here.  if you have any problems, just let me know!

Now it is off to Melinda's blog here where I am positive you will find her outstanding artwork for this hop.

August Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Yeah - August 1st!  Many of us have been waiting all month for today!  There are so many new Close to My Heart products and more that I have to share with you but FIRST up is the August stamp of the month.  This month we have 67 consultants hopping with us and I am excited to see everyone's artwork!  If you have been blogging with us, then you have arrived from Julia's blog here and checked out her totally creative card!  I love the flowers - really?  "wings= flowers"... who knew?


Since this is a huge list, do not worry if you get lost, you can find the entire list on Melinda's blog here.

I love this month's stamp set S1408 What A Hoot!  Can you imagine the possibilities with this stamp set?

I decided to create a single scrapbook layout using my great nephews' pictures from last year.  You are getting a sneak peek of the NEW Halloween paper pack, Complements and new markers! 

Here are the details...

S1408 What A Hoot.

X7185B Scaredy Cat paper pack

X7185C Scaredy Cat Complements

E1029 Marquee Upper case

Z2453  P83 Lavender

Z2467 WG4 Warm Grey

6" x 4" Frames were cut using Cricut Design Space and the Artbooking cartridge.

Colors are  Sunset, Black, Whisper and NEW Thistle

Now it is off to see Melinda's artwork here...  You are not going to believe her awesome artwork is all in just ONE card!

July Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome everyone to the heat and humidity of summer!  At least that is what July brings to Tampa, FL.  This month we have over 40 consultants participating and you can find the list on Melinda's blog here.

If you have been hopping with us, then you have arrived from Sarah's blog here . This month's stamp set is S1407 Circus Alphabet. It contains a combination of 68 capital letters, lower case letter and punctuation.  Perfect for your whimsical layouts, 3D projects and cards.

Here is a video where Monica features this month's stamp set!

The beginning of summer also brings the end of the school year.  I always looked forward to the summer months because there are plenty of opportunities for taking pictures.  I created this layout to celebrate the end of the school year for my great niece Cambria.  When I was a child I loved Midway Park in WNY but I now realize as an adult, that it wasn't that great of an amusement park!  Here is a vintage picture of the park as it once was..

Here is the layout I created from Make It from Your Heart Volume 2 - Pattern 12.

Supplies:

Make It From Your Heart 2 - pattern 12

X7181B Jubilee paper pack

S1407 Circus Alphabet

C1580 Big Top

Colors: Honey, Cranberry, Pacifica, Outdoor Denim

You can find the Cricut Design Space file here.. As with all artists you may change or adapt the layout to suit your needs.

Now it is off to Sheila's blog here to see her terrific card.

May Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the May SOTM Blog Hop! 

I think this month's stamp set will be a very popular one, especially paired with the Close to My Heart National Scrapbooking Month paper pack "Free to Be Me"!  If you have been hopping with us, then you have arrived from Jamie's blog here.

There are 54 consultants participating in this month's hop, but not to worry, if you get lost along the way, you can always hop over to Melinda's blog here and find all of the links for the SOTM participants.

The stamp set S1405 You've Got a Friend includes 5 fun images that are ideal for a card or a scrapbook page!

I try to feature the next month's stamp set in my workshop - "Mini Book Magic", which is always the last Friday of the month!  That is the reason you see so many of my mini books using the stamp set.  This month is no exception!  This month's paper pack is X 7179B Ariana and we again used a previous project from CTMH as a springboard!

This is the second album that I cut with my new Cricut Explore.  I am getting the hang of the software and I have included the file for the cuts at the end of this post.  Check it out!

Here is the cover to the book...

Included in this workshop was the X7179C Ariana My Complements.  A little faux stitching adding some punch to the Outdoor Denim paper cut.

On the inside of the cover, I used the SOTM set to accent the two photo mats. I used the pen feature on the Explore to outline the shape.  Here is a close-up!

I was able to create the tag shape using the Contour feature of the shape and eliminate the inside of the cut.  Look for a post coming soon in how to do this! The stamp set I used is A1158 Doodle Signs and can be purchased here along with the NEW Z1961 White Marquee Enamel Shapes.

"Front of the Chat Bubble"

"Back of the Chat Bubble"

"Postage Stamp Page"

This is the file that I used in the tag - I just shrunk it down and took out the photo opening!

Inside of the Postage Stamp Page

This is my favorite page!

Next page...

Back Cover...

Lots of pages and embellishments BUT my ladies finished it in 1 1/2  hours!  They are getting good at this!

Here is a picture of the Explore file...

Here is the link for the file...

Thanks for hanging in with me through this LONG post but I think you now have a clear picture of how versatile this stamp set is!

Now it is time to hop on over to Melinda's blog here! and check out her fabulous artwork.

April SOTM Blog Hop

It is April already!!  Seriously??? There is a saying that I remember from my childhood..... "April Showers Bring May Flowers"  BUT it has been raining like crazy here in Florida the entire month of March!  So I am looking forward to some pleasant spring weather!

Welcome to the April SOTM Blog Hop.  This month we are featuring, S1404 Balloon Talk.  If you have been hopping with everyone else, then you have arrived from Pam J's blog here. We have 54 consultants participating in this month's blog hop!  If you get lost, the hop is one big circle and you can find the entire list on Melinda's site here.

This stamp set is chock full of conversation bits and pieces .....

Here is the artwork that corp has for us as inspiration!

I had my mini-book workshop last week and I always try to use the next month's stamp set as inspiration.  It is always the last Friday of the month and so it is a perfect segue into the next SOTM set!

This mini-book was inspired by Monica's baby book video but I mixed it up alittle bit and did not add all of the baby embellishments.  I used White Daisy cardstock as the base and then embellished it with cardstock and B & T paper to coordinate with the colors I used.

Cover of the book...

Second and third pages.....

Fourth page.....

Just a few glimpses of the book for now...  Time to add photos, more phrases and some ribbon for the binder rings!

Supplies:

X7183 Lollydoodle paper pack

S1404 Balloon Art

B1450 Owls

C1584 Feathers

WOTG Lollydoodle stamp set

Z1934 Flamingo Dots

Z1906 CTMH Artbooking cartridge - pg. 50 and 51

Colors- Slate, Whisper, Blush, Cotton Candy, Pear, Sorbet and Lagoon

Now it is off to Melinda's blog here  to check out terrific card!