Feb. Stamp of the Month Blog Hop: Thoughtful Tidings

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! We will be featuring February's SOTM, which is Thoughtful Tidings, a set of 11 stamps. If you have come here from Shirley's Blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants here .

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!

I decided to use this Stamp of the Month to make some simple little gifts.  I made a gift card holder and a box of Hershey's hugs.

Supplies used (all CTMH unless noted):

Level 2 Stella Paper Pack

Thoughtful Tidings Stamp Set

Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge

(for gift tag, hearts, ovals, ticket tags)

Paradise Assortment  Baker's Twine

Neutral Assortment Baker's Twine

Cocoa ink

Sponge (for inking edges)

Soft Set Eyelets (retired)

Clear Box from Clear Bags

Hershey's Hugs

Barnes and Noble Gift Card

I did make the gift card tag bigger than I needed for the gift card so that I could highlight more of the stamps of this terrific set.  I cut that at 5.75" for the back and 5.5" for the lining and pocket.  All other cuts were made based on the carrier sheet recommendations for sizes. Paper behind each were cut .25" larger.  Hearts were cut at 1.25", backed with cocoa cardstock cut at 1.5".

Now "Hop" on over to Melinda'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 February SOTM is only available until Feb. 29! Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount or even free!

~Amy

Spring/Summer 2012 New Product Blog Hop

Welcome to our New Product Blog Hop.  There are over 20 very creative Close to My Heart Consultants on this hop ready to showcase their fabulous artwork with new product from the Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book.  If you have come from Karen's Blog, Enriching Memories, you are on the right path.

For my projects, I did a simple card and a layout of my husband and myself that I created for my family's Walt Disney World album.

First up, the simple card highlighting the new Card Word Puzzle Stamp Set.  This stamp set has 63 stamps, including the words to form many phrases and sentiments.  I also love the flower stamp on it. 

I stamped on a Grey Wool Card Base (cut out with the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge) and then stamped the flower and sentiment in versamark.

I then embossed with our outdoor denim embossing powder.

My final touch was using the grey opaques to the center of my flower.

Supplies used (all CTMH):

CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge

Card Word Puzzle Stamp Set {NEW}

Grey Wool Cardstock

Versamark

Outdoor Denim Embossing Powder

Licorice Opaques

Next up is my layout, based on a layout that I found on Pinterest.

I used the {NEW} Stella Paper Pack and cut out all the shapes on the Art Philosophy cartridge (can you tell how much I love that cartridge?)

I did pop all the smaller circles using our 3D Foam Tape.

Supplies used (all CTMH):

CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge

Stella Paper Pack {NEW}

Love Life Stamp Set

Metal Assortment Bitty Brads

3D Foam Tape

Cocoa Ink

Sponge

I hope you enjoyed my projects.

Be sure to check out the fabulous artwork on Nikka's Blog next.

All the fabulous new product will be available on Feb. 1.

Be sure to check with your consultant or if you don't have a consultant, feel free to check it out here.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Amy



CAS Card: Rock the Block

This card is definitely a CAS card based off the fabulous Tresa Black.  You can find her beautiful version of this card here.  Thanks for the inspiration Tresa!  You're artwork is so inspiring and well, fabulous!

Still inspired by the Stella paper pack, I decided to use a color combo of tulip, sunset and cocoa.  To make it into a valentine, I used the Love stamp found on the Rock the Block set.

Inside (sorry about picture quality on this one)

I also used the paper piercer for my faux stitching, but instead of sanding it like Tresa did, I used a white gel pen.

The Love stamped is heat embossed in white and looks much whiter in person.

Supplies used:

Rock the Block stamp set

Tulip/Sunset/Cocoa/White Daisy Cardstock

Tulip/Sunset/Cocoa Ink

Versamark Ink

White Daisy Embossing Powder

Ruler (love that this has the holes so I can make perfectly spaced "stitching" with my piercer)

Paper Piercer

White gel pen (non-CTMH)

Hope you enjoyed my version of Tresa's wonderful card.

~Amy

Rock the Block: A Few More Days

                         There's a few more days to take advantage of this awesome promotion. 

                                          Here's a card that I made from the stamp set.

Supplies Used (All CTMH):

Rock the Block Stamp Set

Black/Lagoon/Sunset/White Daisy Cardstock

Archival Black Ink

Lagoon/Sunset Ink

Blending Pen

Clear Sparkles

I made the card is 4 1/2" square.

For the diagonal pattern, I stamped the diagonal stamp in archival black ink.

I used my blending brush to add the lagoon and sunset ink to this stamped image.

For the saying, I masked the border that comes around the saying.

Since I had been working with the {new} Stella paper pack and already had these colors on my table, I decided to carry them over to this card.

Hope you enjoyed seeing another project created from the Rock the Block promotion.

Get your own Rock the Block set here by purchasing $25 worth of product from the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book.  You then qualify to purchase the Rock the Block set for only $15

(a savings of almost $30!)

~Amy



New Product Preview: More Stella WOTG kit

This is one of the five cards that you can create with the NEW Stella Workshop on the Go (WOTG) kit, the NEW Colonial White Die Cut Cards and Clear Sparkles.

This and the four other cards can be previewed in the NEW Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book under the Stella Workshop on the Go Bonus Project.

I am loving this kit and these new cards!

Hope you enjoyed another preview of new product, available on Feb. 1.

New Product Preview: Stella WOTG

                                 Here is the Workshop on the Go scheduled for Feb. 9: Stella

I am really loving this paper pack.  Lots of versatility with the colors in it.

And I did turn over one of my two-sided papers to go better with the colors in my pictures.

The colonial white box will be my journaling box.

There is still space open for this wonderful workshop.

Contact me to RSVP your spot and pre-order your paper today.

Can't make it on the 9th?

No problem, contact me and we will set up another time.

Hope you enjoyed this peek at a wonderful new workshop kit!

~Amy

Make A Miracle Challenge

Just another reason I love this fantastic company!

Heart Garland Inspired by Pinterest

I found a wonderful tutorial for a paper heart wreath on Pinterest the other day.

Instead of making the wreath, my daughter and I created heart garland out of the Roxie paper pack.

We just cut a piece of the paper into 1x12 strips.  We folded each strip in half and then put adhesive on one end.  We brought the two ends together to form a heart.  We alternated which side of the Roxie paper would be on the outside. To put the hearts together, we just put a strip of adhesive between them.  I used my ATG gun for adhesive, but any strong adhesive would do. 

A simple craft project that was fun to do.  I hope you have a wonderful and crafty day!

~Amy

Love Your Layout: January 2012

Another beautiful Studio J layout! Don't forget about the Perfect 10 campaign, going on now for Studio J members. For every 9 layouts that you purchase, you get the 10th for free. There's never been a better time to be a Studio J member!

Retiring Products

With every new Idea Book comes a list of Retiring Products.  The new book comes out Feb. 1. 
I wanted to show you the items that are retiring as of Jan. 31. 

Tamytha from The Paper HeArtist was kind enough to share a slideshow of retiring products.

Thanks Tamytha!

These products will be retiring Jan. 31, so if there is something you want, be sure to contact me or go to my website and shop now.