CTMH Blessed April Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! We will be featuring April's SOTM called Blessed. If you have come here from Shannon's Blog, you are on the right path! This month we have over 50 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. To visit the whole hop,  just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!

This card has been kicking around in my head for a little while now and finally came to the light of day when I saw the cute little butterfly in this month's set.

I added a strip of 1x1" colored cardstock squares mounted on a strip of black cardstock and a bow out of our fabulous new Sweet Leaft bulk ribbon (a spool of 10 yards is just $7.95).  The colored cardstock circles are made with our 1.25" punch and the butterflies are each pop-dotted onto their white 1" circles.  Its kind of hard to see but there is a wee dollop of Glitz on the head of each butterfly.  The word smile comes from another stamp set called Take a Picture and has been coated with Liquid Glass for some pop and shine.

If you'd like to make this card, get these supplies:
Stamps:  Blessed (April SOTM),  Take a Picture
Paper:  Tulip CS, Sunset CS, Sunflower CS, Pear CS, Sky CS, Moonstruck CS, Gypsy CS, Black CS, White Daisy CS
Ink:  Tulip, Sunset, Sunflower, Pear, Sky, Moonstruck, Gypsy, Black
Other:  Sweet Leaf Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, 1.25" Punch, Glitz Glitter Gel, Liquid Glass

Now "Hop" on over to Jean's Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the SOTM is only available until April 30th! Visit my CTMH website at Paige.MyCTMH.com to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount or even free!

Video on 3-D Flowers done the easy way with CTMH Springin' Up stamp set

Here is a great video by CTMH showing how very easy it is to make fabby polka-dot 3-D flowers using our new Springin' Up stamp set! 

Okay, last time I saw one of their videos I HAD to buy the Miracle kit so I could make pinwheels.  So worth it - I just finished the pinwheel cards and 4 of the 7 layouts from that set!  Now I think the Springin' Up stamp set is going to have to go into my next order.  I think I may need to relabel these as "enabler videos"!




To get started making your own 3-D flowers, order the Springin' Up stamp set HERE!

Customized Journal with hand-tinted flowers using CTMH rubons

One of the requirements for getting your Black Belt at our martial arts school is to keep a journal to show your development and progress in several areas - physical, mental, leadership, etc.  Well, if I'm going to lug something around for a year or more documenting all that I'm doing then it might as well be something cute!  This is what I came up with for my Black Belt journal...

I went to the local business supply store and picked up a lavender colored 3 ring binder - the kind with the clear pocket on the front that you can slip paper behind to decorate.  I pulled out a sheet of our clearanced Love Story Rubons (you can get them for just $2 for a set of 3 here) and put the big branches on a sheet of blue patterned paper.  Then I went to town putting the flower rubons on white daisy cardstock and hand tinting using our Waterbrush and ink pads in oranges, pinks and purples.  The leaves I tinted by applying Topiary ink directly to the B&T paper (patterned paper) inside the rubon shapes.

I added a name plate using our Old World Alphabet.  Don't you love that font?  It looks like caligraphy!  And then I added a sentiment that really rings true for me - Life isn't about finding yourself, its about creating yourself.  I think that has been central to my personal journey for the last couple of years.

Here's a close up of some more flowers - love our pink and purple sparkles for the bling centers on these!

If you'd like to make a journal like this, get these supplies:

Paper:  Gypsy Cardstock, Sophia (orange paper mat), Twitterpated (blue paper)

Stamps:  Old World Alphabet, Life's Creation (retired), January SOTM (butterfly)

Inks:  Gypsy, Pansy Purple, Sunset, Cotton Candy, Topiary, Brown Stazon (butterfly)

Other:  Love Story Rubons (get them while they are still available - and CHEAP!), Red, Pink, Purple Sparkles, Waterbrush, Sizzix Tim Holtz die cut (for name plate)

Happy Birthday Boy Dragon Card with CTMH Birthday Blast and Magic Moments

When I saw the dragon birthday stamp set called Birthday Blast in the new Idea Book I fell in love - these little guys are just SOOO cute and perfect for making boy cards. 

Here's a close up of the dragon - he was stamped in cocoa ink and then I came in with both Brown Bag and Sunflower watercolor pencils to color in the rest of his image and give him more character.

Here's a picture with the stamp set so you can see the three dragons and the great castle that comes with the set.  I thought the sayings were perfect to blend with some of my older space ship stamps as well - love it when a set does double duty!

If you'd like to make this card, get these supplies:

Paper:  Magic Moments (our new Lucky papers are a good boy substitute), Star Spangle Blue (retired - using up the last of it)

Stamps:  Birthday Blast

Inks:  Cocoa, Brown Bag, Star Spangle Blue

Other:  Watercolor Pencils, Sunflower Yellow Button, Kraft Ready Borders, ), Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, 3" Circle Punch, Ribbon (very old non-CTMH ribbon)

A couple of things to check off my bucket list...

As many of you know, my kids and I have been involved with Tae-Kwon-Do for the last several years.  My kids started about 5 years ago and I started 2.5 years ago.  When I first started it was HARD - no seriously, I mean H-A-R-D.  I had never done anything athletic in my entire life prior to turning 37 years of age not to mention a life long battle with my weight.  I joined because my then-7 year old, who battles his own medical conditions and does it anyways, asked me to join for his 7th birthday.  I can honestly say I would do anything thing for love.  I swear to you, my entire body was sore for the first 6 months.  My kids thought it was hilarious because they could make me say "ouch" by touching any part of me.

Well, 2.5 years later I can check two things off my bucket list.  After much hard work, I earned my Bo-Dan last week.  This is the belt that is one below a black belt and allows me to officially begin my own black belt journey.  It will take at least a year of hard work (forms, fitness, sparring, weapons and teaching) to earn my black belt and I'm scared but excited.

The other bucket list item was entering into a sparring tournament today and winning second place in the women's division.  Sparring isn't my favorite part of Tae-Kwon-Do but my mentor told me the more I do it, the more comfortable I'll be with it so I just needed to suck it up and DO it.  My foot is pretty bruised up but I'm very proud of myself for overcoming my fear and getting in the ring.

Here's to our bucket lists!  They keep us growing and getting stronger.  They keep us facing new challenges and going beyond where we thought we could go.  The funny thing is the more you check off, the more things you add because you realize YOU CAN do more than you thought you could. 

Video - How to make pinwheels using the CTMH Miracle Kit

If you'd like to take a "spin" at making these pinwheels, click HERE to order the Miracle kit ($29.95 for Level 2 paper, stamp set, accessory and full workshop guide with cutting instructions). This kit comes with a set of our Kraft Ready Borders - one of my favorite new products!

Video - How to make a broach or accent with our new rosette ribbon

If you'd like to get your crafty on with this gorgeous Designer Pink Ribbon Collection, CLICK HERE to order it today!  Use it to make a project and e-mail me the picture and I'll post it here to showcase your creation!

CTMH Mayberry 12 Layouts Plus 6 Cards Workshop Kit

I just adore the Mayberry Workshop on the Go kit we are doing this month at the March 25th Crop!  Not only is the paper just darling - the stamp set that comes with the kit is just too cute and one of my favorite new sets!  Using the Workshop Guide, one package of Stickease, a couple extra sheets of cardstock and a few stamps, I've created all 6 workshop cards PLUS 12 layouts.  You can create just the Workshop projects or you can expand it out for all these projects - its up to you!

If you aren't local or can't make the March 25th workshop, I can e-mail you the complete multi-page cutting diagram I created to make cutting these layouts a snap (its a Word Document) when you purchase the Mayberry Workshop on the Go kit through my website!

To make these projects for yourself, purchase these items:
Mayberry Workshop on the Go Kit ($29.95)
Mayberry Level 2 Stickease ($4.95)

Optional:
Magic (Scrapbooking How-to Book) ($29.95)
Token Alphabet ($34.95)

Workshop Cards - make 6 total, 2 of each design

Main Workshop Layout

Bonus Workshop Layout

Layout with Stickease

Layout #2 with Stickease

Easter Layout

Outdoor Fun Layout

Here comes Peter Cottontail with CTMH Mayberry and A Hop!

Okay, how cute is this bunny?  He comes from one of our new A size ($7.95) stamp sets called "A Hop".   Did you see the new pink ribbon collection in the Spring Idea book with the pom-pom ribbon?  How fun does it look on this card - I even used one pom-pom as the center of the flower.  Once again I couldn't resist adding a piece of our Kraft self-adhesive borders to a project - these things are da bomb!

If you'd like to make this card, get these supplies:

Paper:  Mayberry

Stamps:  A Hop

Ink:  Chocolate, Olive, Cotton Candy

Other:  Designer Pink Ribbon Collection, Kraft Ready Borders, Tim Holtz Die-Cut for white shaped piece, Black Sharpie to accent bunny eye

20 Years and counting...

My husband and I just celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary.  It doesn't seem possible to have such a big number but there it is - 20 years of marriage to my best friend.  We've definitely had our challenges over the years but we've always weathered each crisis by holding on to eachother.  The advice I give my children when they ask about love is to find someone with a great sense of humor.  I can honestly say we laugh together every day over some silly pun, a corny joke, something one of the kids says or just from poking at eachother.  Here's to you babe - I'm looking forward to the next 20 years of laughter and love.

Outerspace Revolving Door Card with CTMH Merry Monsters and Reach for the Stars

This is my last revolving door Valentine (promise - my next post has a different holiday!) but I wanted to share what a three section revolving door card looks like.  This one is fairly big at 6x6" and space themed for my little NASA worker-wanna-be.

I put a bit of liquid glass on the space ships, the alien's eye and teeth and lots of Glitz on the background paper's stars - LOVE that stuff!  Once again, all my coloring was done with my new Waterbrush and our inkpads.

If you'd like to make this card, get these supplies:

Paper:  Stardust Level 2, Black Cardstock

Stamps:  Merry Monsters, Reach for the Stars

Ink:  Topiary, Sunny Yellow, Black, Moonstruck, Black marker for faux stitching

Other:  Magic (How-to scrapping book with revolving door template), Liquid Glass, Glitz,  Green Bigger Brad, Waterbrush

Turtle Hugs and Fishy Kisses Revolving Door Boy Card with CTMH Family Ties Pets

For Valentine's Day this year I made each of my kids a "revolving door" card (I showed my daughter's girlie one earlier in the Valentine's Day hop).  They are based on a pattern out of CTMH's Magic scrapbooking how-to book.  These cards are SO much fun to make and my kids all loved playing with the spinners on the cards.

The images were colored in using our Waterbrush and inkpads and I liberally used liquid glass for water bubbles on this card as well as over the fishbowl.

If you'd like to make a revolving door card like this one, get these supplies:

Paper:  Tinkerin', Black Cardstock

Stamps:  Family Ties - Pets

Inks:  Sunny Yellow, Twilight, Topiary, Black

Other:  Magic (How-to Scrapping Book for pattern), Liquid Glass, Waterbrush, Green Bigger Brad, Sharpie marker for writing (I could have used alphabet stamps but I was feeling too lazy to go upstairs and get them - LOL!)