What a Hoot!

Sometimes a stamp of the month just speaks to me. And this one... well, I adore him. 

Get him while you can! Because once August is over, he will fly away too! Go here for more info. 

Picture My Life: A Look Back at My Close to My Heart Career

One advantage of being a part of Close to My Heart for almost 20 years has been the friendships I have made. I have met so many wonderful people and so many of them have had a positive influence on my life. I was feeling very nostalgic recently and started going through some of my photos from various events over the last several years. It was so much fun to look back and remember.

Here is my first convention. I had only been a consultant for five months--my three lovely downline less than that. We were so overwhelmed and so excited to be starting out on this big adventure. And we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. 

This is my third convention. I don't know where pictures of my second went. That's my sister--yes, I roped her in and she's still a part of this adventure as well. 

Ahh, San Antonio, TX! We had so much fun, even if Jodi and I were both pregnant and miserable in the heat. 

My team, titled Kindred Spirits (yes, it is a play on Anne of Green Gables), was growing and the memories and friendships were multiplying. 

We've been blessed to know those who are no longer with us (love you, Cindy!). 

Lots of fun and games going on with these folks!

So much talent in our team! And so much generosity to share ideas! Many of us taught at conventions and other events. The lovely Kim, pictured above, was an album contest winner, a huge honor!

Why yes, we did have a pageant! These lovely ladies competed in creativity, artful knowledge and technique. 

So much fun with friends from far and near! I feel very blessed to know these women (and yes, a few men consultants too). 

I still have a few more years to cover and I still have to go back and journal. But honestly, this project was the result of a few hours on a Sunday afternoon and a Picture My Life Skylark kit. This month's special is all about the Picture My Life kits and the pocketed sheet protectors. Check it out here. I will need some extra sheet protectors to finish out this project so it is a timely special for me. If you're swamped for time but have pictures that need to be pulled together quickly, check out Picture My Life. It truly is fast and easy and a perfect way to pull together an album. 

And if you've ever thought about doing what I do, check it out and contact me. I wouldn't trade the last 19+ years and the friendships I've made for anything. 

CTMH Blog Boosters New Product Blog Hop

I love blog hops--so many wonderful ideas. So I've joined in another one (wow, two in a row). Been playing some more with new CTMH product from the new Close to My Heart idea book that went live yesterday.

You know, you always have to remember that just because a stamp is a holiday stamp, does not mean it has to be used for that purpose. The scooter from Make it Merry was just meant to be used with the Wanderful paper. How cute is this?

I once again used the black arrow washi tape. I so adore washi tape. I love how it looks on top of the polka dot pattern paper. And I love the new arrow embossing folder. Embossing folders give such great dimension to a card and this one is perfect with Wanderful and the scooter.
 

I hope I've inspired you all. And now on to enjoy some of the other wonderful ideas in this hop. Happy Crafting!

Simply Inspired Blog Hop - New Product Showcase

It's time for another blog hop! And this one is all about new product available in the new CTMH catalog to be released on Friday, August 1st. We want to give you a sneak peek of some of the great new stuff you can order in just a couple of days. You should have arrived here from the inspiring Krista Hershberger's blog.  If you get lost along the way, you can go here to see a full list of all the bloggers in the hop and get back on track.

Mini albums are a favorite of mine. And a mini album that can be used as a travel journal or a quick capture of a recent vacation or road trip is a great way to show off the new Wanderful paper packet to you.

I love this travel themed paper. I'm always on the look out for travel themed paper and products.

 I used the World Traveler stamp set. How cute is that suitcase? And the bike on the next page?

Check out the circle in the upper left. I covered it with the black arrow washi tape. I do love washi tape.

See that little Hello World in the corner? It's from the Wanderful assortment--such cute accents for any pages, not just travel.

And I LOVE this cute purple ribbon. Can you ever have too much ribbon as a crafter?

The album is created from an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper. However, I had a little difficulty figuring it out so I made a little video to show you how. Now, please realize I am not a videographer and I am not a hand model either. Just trying to make the world a little easier.

I hope you're excited for the new catalog. And now, on to the beautiful (inside and out) Brenda Rose's blog. Happy Hopping!

Only a few days left for retiring product!

Don't forget, the Retiring Product list (see here) is only available through the end of July. Come August 1st, the items on this list will make way for the new 2014/2015 catalog. So get them while you can.

The Proplayer paper I used on this card is already gone. And I loved it so. 

Don't miss out on other favorites. Shop while you can (do you really need an excuse?).

August Stamp of the Month: Circus Alphabet

You know what is great about alphabet stamps? Everything. You need a title quickly and your printer is out of ink? Pull out those alphabet stamps. You want letters in colors to match your paper? Alphabet stamps and matching ink are the answer. You want to mix and match letters? Alphabet stamps will do the trick. This month's stamp of the month, Circus Alphabet, is a must have if you love alphabet stamps. It's got uppercase and lowercase letters and yes, numbers too.

Today I took a few minutes to play around with this fun alphabet. Another great thing about alphabet stamps? They can be the message, the background, the embellishment... whatever you need.

 

Easy, Breezy Bookmark

Don't forget, you can only get Circus Alphabet in July. Come August 1st, it's gone! Spend $50 and get it for just $5.00 or buy it for $17.95. But with the retiring products going away August 1st as well (see this blog post for the list) you may want to stock up now and get it for $5.00.

 

Happy Stamping!

Paper, Paint and Multi-Medium

Last night, I had an opportunity to participate in a class that took me a little outside my comfort zone. I attended a class taught by the oh so talented Stephanie Ackerman in Heber, UT. It was called 52 card pickup and she gave us each a deck of cards and taught us how to turn those cards into individual works of art.

First of all, let me just say that Stephanie is a great teacher. She is generous, sincere and very encouraging. And she's pretty funny too.  I have found that some of the best artists I have met are also the most selfless and that was true of Stephanie.

I started out tentatively. I always do when I play with multi medium. But as the evening progressed and with some encouragement from Stephanie, I threw caution to the wind (well, somewhat). I had a pretty thick coating of multi-medium and various colors of paint on my fingers by the time the night was done. But you know what? I think I did pretty well. Here are a few of the 12 that I worked on.

 

I couldn't resist using the "half off her rocker" phrase. I feel that way so often.

This house card turned out to be one of my favorites. It was the last one I did because I was contemplating chucking this card in the garbage. It started out with red paint but because I was being so tentative, it looked like I had pricked my finger and bled all over it. Stephanie told me to work the paint on with my fingers so I did and then it just looked like a red mess so I set it aside. After I had done my other prepped cards, I figured I had nothing to lose so I just started layering with paint and paper and ended up with something I'm pretty proud of. I think of cards like these as happy accidents--it didn't start out the way I intended but it turned out well in the end.

You know what was easiest for me? The shading. Using a Tim Holtz distress marker, I would shade around the various shapes and then blend it with a tiny bit of multi medium and my finger. I joked that it was because it was ink so I was back in my element.

I'm not finished. I still need to add words to some of these. I still have 40 more cards in my deck to create with. But this was really fun. I can't wait to play some more.