Holiday Magic is all around us!

Welcome to the October Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! 

This month's featured stamp of the month is "Holiday Magic" S1110. 

If you are coming here from Debbie Little's Blog

you're on the right path.

I hope you've enjoyed all the inspiration so far from 
all these talented Close To My Heart Consultants!

Products Used:
CS: Grey Flannel, Colonial White, Smokey Plum
PP: Wonderland
inks: Smokey Plum, Petal, Grey Flannel
Colonial White Organdy ribbon
Licorice Opaques

Products Used:
CS: Colonial White
PP: Wonderland
inks: Twilight
Colonial White Twill ribbon
Mocha Opaques

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've enjoyed your visit and that you enjoy the rest of the hop! Now head on over to Helen Onulak's Blog so you can continue on through our October Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

Here's a complete list of all the hoppers in case you get lost along the way :)

Helen Onulak http://www.hookedonstamping.com

Kathleen Androlewicz http://BowlOfStamps.blogspot.com

Beth Naumann http://www.bethscreativeblock.blogspot.com

Gina Brandstetter http://gmbscrapper.blogspot.com/

Shannon Beck http://www.cardsfromthefarm.blogspot.com

Judy Burger http://www.makingtimeformemories.blogspot.com

Cindy Leek http://www.paperspadsandpictures.blogspot.com

Michelle Loncar http://michelleloncar.blogspot.com

Amy McVey http://www.clearlystamping.blogspot.com

Debra Van Patten http://memoriesoftheheartbydeb.blogspot.com

Doreen Guilfoyle http://whereisyourhappyplace.blogspot.com

Dawn Ross http://iamahappystamper.blogspot.com

Nancy Brown http://creativelyartsygallery.blogspot.com/

Wanda Riley http://Creatingwithwanda.blogspot.com

Georgia Hauglid http://inkygeorgia.blogspot.com/

Melissa Laverty http://www.fancymelissa.com

Carla Ironside http://carlacreates.blogspot.com

Adeline Brill http://www.adeline-brill.blogspot.com

Krista Ritskes http://kristaritskes-simplycreating.blogspot.com

Sheila Bennett http://sheila-bennett.blogspot.com

Jen Patrick http://roxybonds-scrappin.blogspot.com

Brae Montgomery http://thebrae-er.blogspot.com

Kami Welter http://www.scrappin4memories.blogspot.com/

Lori Brown http://www.savingmine.blogspot.com

Traci Godbee http://createwithtraci.blogspot.com

Pamela O'Connor http://cherishyourmemories.blogspot.com

Mary Eisen http://mestamp2.blogspot.com

Sarita Schraeder http://www.blessedscrapper.com

Susan Brooks http://stampingintheopen.blogspot.com

Melinda Everitt http://ifyoublingittheywillcome.blogspot.com/

Haley Dyer http://inkyscrapper.blogspot.com

Jen Rubio http://JenRubio.blogspot.com

Teresa Scrivens http://www.creatingwithinkypaw.com

Jill Lucas http://scrapwench.blogspot.com

Wendy Coffman http://www.stampingrules.blogspot.com/

Katy Donaldson http://www.scrappinkaty.blogspot.com

Tamytha Jenkins http://www.paperheartist.com/

Paige Dolecki http://PaigesPaperParadise.blogspot.com

Dawn Heuft http://stamptildawn.blogspot.com

Angel Sawyer http://RunningwithScissorsDesignCo.blogspot.com

Nicole Griggs http://www.nicolescreativezone.blogspot.com

Lisa Sargent http://www.lisasargent.net

Elizabeth Mindemann http://www.ejoym.blogspot.com

Traci Pasqualone http://ScrapiTraci.blogspot.com

Angela Tutton http://www.tuttonstreasures.blogspot.com

LeAnne Dudley http://www.dudleychickdesigns.blogspot.com

Shirley Ross http://www.momnmescrap.blogspot.com

Deanne Jacobs http://deannestamps.blogspot.com

Nikka Geers http://nikkageers.blogspot.com

Casandra Bennett http://casandra-scrappinbliss.blogspot.com/

Heather Schmuckal http://heatherjanedesign.blogspot.com/

Jean McNulty http://stampinmaui.blogspot.com/

Diana Soling http://mystampingspot.blogspot.com

Judy Faye Garner http://judyfaye.blogspot.com

Debbie Little http://www.makinglittlememories.blogspot.com/

Kristine Ponte http://kponte.blogspot.com

October's Challenge!

Hello my scrappy friends :) 

Over at the Let's Scrap site this month we are encouraging you to join and upload some of your creations! Click on this link to find out more but the 'Coles Notes' version is this:

Rules to Play Along:

1)Use any sketch except the October 2011 sketches and upload your take on it in to the gallery.

(Card or Layout)

2)Tag the layout OCT11 comma space and the sketch number {OCT11, 11-23-11}

3)In the description, put the name of the person that helped you or encouraged you to upload {if you do it all on your own no need to put a name down}

4)Upload your layout between Oct 1 and midnight Oct 31 (clock on the main page)

November 1 we will draw ONE winner from the names that encouraged you and ONE winner from the first timers.  EACH will receive 5 stacks of DCWV!! Good luck and happy scrapping!!

The prize pack for being chosen is awesome so play along!

Wednesday's Let's Scrap Sketch!

Good Morning...it's Wednesday again! Boy these weeks have been speeding by! 

I have got another Let's Scrap sketch for you...this one was great for getting those multi-photos scrapped...I was looking through my kids' books to see what is left to do...( I don't scrap in order & I am not up to date)...so I look for gaps!

Matthew still had his Grade 4 school 'tour de France' photos sitting in his album and this sketch worked perfectly for it!

I happened to have a photo of the globe in his classroom and thought that would be the perfect size for my embellishment!

My scalloped border and the scalloped circles were cut with my new Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge from Close to My Heart...love it!

and yes...this is how Matthew's teacher smiles!

I inked my corrugated kraft dimensional star with a brush and some re-inker...easy peasy! and all the stickers are from the piles I have had for years...not sure how I will ever use all my school sticker sheets...

Thanks!

I created this card for a special lady that was hosting a home gathering a couple weeks ago and thought I'd share it with all of you! I really enjoy meeting new ladies and showing them the great products Close To My Heart has to offer in scrapbooking and cardmaking...and we get to make a card or two, eat delicious treats and socialize! my favourite part of home gatherings;)

I've used the new stamp set called 'Remarkable Wreath' (C1473) as well as some Sorbet and Colonial White card stock AND our clear cards! the cardstock pieces were cut from my Cricut cartridge 'Art Philosophy' exclusive to CTMH and available through me...

Every time their is a new catalogue release with Close To My Heart, I seem to instantly gravitate to one stamp set, Remarkable Wreath was it for me :) I like that there are different sentiments included and that you can add berries, leaves or flowers to your wreath to work it through the different seasons, very versatile:)

Contact me if you would like one of your own:)

Wednesday's Let's Scrap Card Sketch!

Good morning! 

It's the third Wednesday of September, so that means I've got a card sketch from Debby over at Let's Scrap for you to play along with! 

This card was inspired from Jeanette Lynton's blog post featuring our September National Stamping Month's promotion, the double stamp set Pair-A-Phrase...she stamped the butterflies just as I have but I used different colours and the card design of course is from Let's Scrap...as soon as I saw her card, I wanted to try my hand at colouring these stamped images with my blending pen and some CTMH inks!

products used:

CC1014 Pair-A-Phrase

Dreamin' paper pack

Colonial White card base

Pacifica ink

Crystal Blue ink

Goldrush ink

Creme Brulee ink
Cocoa ink

blending pen

Here's what images are included in our September' National Stamping Month's special 'double' stamp set, Pair-A-Phrase:

Click on this month's Bonus in the left side column for more information on how you can get this set

I apologize for my absence...I feel like I've been cutting classes at school! Busy times with the return of kids to school and my monthly Workshops...first group was last night and it was busy!


We were playing with new product from CTMH and using the new Cricut cartridge 'Art Philosophy',  which if you don't already know...it's AWESOME!!!


Stay tuned for my Typeset layouts and cards and tfsb!

September's Sharing From the Heart BlogHop!

Good Morning!

I hope you've got your coffee or Tea and are sitting comfortably so you can enjoy our Close To My Heart BlogHop! and Remember to click on any of the images you see here for a more 'close up' view~

If you've arrived from Amy McVey's blog then you are on the right track!

This month I want to show you several different projects that I hope you'll enjoy as much as I enjoyed making them!

Let's start with Fall!

products used:

Originals Card program pg. 29

Mischief paper pack

C1463 Harvest Happiness

Sunset ink

Red Barn ink

Cocoa ink

Desert Sand ink

I love to add more stamping to the inside of my cards and the envelopes...

products used:

Original Card program pg.29

Mischief paper pack

C1462 All Hallows Eve

D1437 Party Animal

Black ink

Grey Wool ink

bitty sparkles

I have been using the Stamp of the Month, Limited Edition (S1109), since I first got it...It will have many purposes I can tell but this is how I used some of the stamps in this set this time:

I've stamped the journalling spot and added the little floral wisps from the Dreamin WOTG kit's exclusive stamp set...I've also used the new Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge to cut out the paper on the chipboard title! Yeah!!! no more fussy cutting and sanding and time consuming work! 


Now this is the sketch I used for this layout and it happens to be the new Let's Scrap sketch for this week!

I have to say that I love this sketch...if you have some favourite paper collections that you only have a tiny bit of...this sketch is perfect for it! I've used a little paper and it's created a big effect with this sketch...give it a try yourself!

I used our new Trinity Alphabet set to stamp the 'let the' words and then I used the 'goodtimes' from the Stamp of the Month set...

products used:
(all CTMH unless otherwised noted)

Dreamin paper pack
Dreamin WOTG stamp set
S1109 Limited Edition stamp set
Brown Bag ink
Pacifica ink
Goldrush ink
Cocoa ink
Cocoa re-inker with CTMH Spray Pen (love this!)
E1021 Trinity Alphabet stamp set
C1446 Retro Tech stamp set
Notable Alphabet (chipboard)

Thanks so much for visiting! If you are interested in becoming a regular follower, just click on the Networked Followers or Google Followers in the upper right column...I love making new friends!


Now head on over to Nicole Schuette's site to see all of her wonderful creations :)

An Let's Scrap exclusive sketch from Julie Bonner!

It's September and along with the start of a new month, Let's Scrap  likes to offer an exclusive sketch challenge for a chance to win some awesome loot! 

This month is no exception because Julie Bonner has created this fantastic sketch for us to play along with all this month!

Click on the above link to see the loot up for grabs and have fun creating! 
Here's what I came up with...

Just one small (4.5X4.5) piece of paper here that I cut into a circle...that's it...the rest is ribbon and embellies! Oh and the tags I love to hide my handwriting :)

I am lovin' the corrugated Kraft shapes and these ones I just rubbed with some Cocoa ink...

These stars were stamped with Cranberry ink and distressed with Cocoa and Brown Bag...two of my all time favourite distressing colours...I've used the new Dark Chocolate stripped ribbon from CTMH and some from the new Red Collection...

These are the stamp sets I used for all the stamped images you see here:

C1464 Blue Ribbon

D1482 Love Life

Typeset WOTG stamp set

Elemental WOTG stamp set

E1021 Trinity Alphabet

After stamping the upper star, I made score lines on the front of it along the lines, then folded the length up and the shorter parts down like an accordion to get the 3D effect!

Let's Scrap Sketch for Wednesday!

Good Morning Scrappers!

It's Wednesday again and with the new day, comes a new sketch from Let's Scrap!

Here's the Sketch from Cheri O'Neill @ Let's Scrap:

Now there's a reason I love Let's Scrap...there's a lot in the name...when they say Let's Scrap...they mean let's scrap! Since finding this site and actively playing along with the sketches starting from May...I've completed some 30+ double page layouts! 

Because I haven't journaled on this layout yet I thought I'd give you the background on it! For years I've been taking my girls to a great little Historic Town in BC called Fort Langley. It is about a 20 minute drive from our home and is loaded with fantastic little diners and restaurants, antique stores and other cute little shops...my daughters LOVE it there and I love to take pictures there :) The Planet Java diner is totally Retro 50's style diner and the retired old CN Railway Station, that my Grandparents used to arrive from Manitoba on, is a must visit every time we go there!

The journaling circle was cut from my CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge 

and I played with our new stamp set, (D1482) Love Life...

Here's a picture of the images included in this

 fabulous new 'Love Life' stamp set:

If you'd like more information about some of Close To My Hearts products and how you can get your hands on them...
send me some mail and I'll help you out!

It's OK...you're normal!???

Good Morning!


I was chit chatting this morning on the forum at Let's Scrap and Cheri, the site creator, had mentioned how funny it would be to see your scrap space right now...so I snapped away and here you go!

  My one table surface...photos are laid out for a

 Heart 2 Heart sketch layout challenge...

 No room on the table, so my photos are laid out in sketch formation on my floor! This one is for the Let's Scrap DT layout...so you can't see this one yet! Can you see my pretty blue toes! Oh and how I pull out embellies and then leave them on the floor! I usually clean it up when someone gets hurt! teehee

 This area is for my Sharing from the Heart BlogHop projects, luckily I have a couple table surfaces so I can spread out! Working on some cards for a gathering next week and my BlogHop stuff to be posted Sept.14th...my stamping section ;)

I'm currently drinking a very large cup of Java, surfing some Blog and sketch sites this morning...charging my phone and posting Blog entries and forum comments! Fun stuff! 
What does your space look like today? Are you normal like me?

I've got my Weave on!

Yes I do! Paper Weaving that is!

One of my fellow Design Team members at Let's Scrap has come up with a challenge this past week to create a layout using good old fashioned 'paper weaving' and I thought I'd give it a try!

So to start with, she has given us a tutorial on how she used two different colours of cardstock and then showed us how she did it! Looked easy enough...not as easy as it looks I must say!

Instead of having both strips loose, I decided to have my base colour, Cocoa, cut into 1/2" strips from 12x12 cardstock but instead of cutting them all the way through, I decided to cut them near the end...this way, all my 1/2" strips were still attached to one another...then I decided to add two different alternate colours of cardstock (cause why make it simple on myself!) AND one strip of patterned paper...and to make it even trickier, why not make them all different sizes!

The Creme Brulee cardstock was 1/4", the Juniper cardstock was 1/2" and the new Typeset patterned strips were 3/4"...all woven into the Cocoa 1/2" strips...in the end this is what I created:

Now the instructions for the base frames in Cocoa and Kraft cardstock can be found HERE under the Forum section in 'Design Team Challenge 110' if you want to give it a try for yourself...it was actually challenging and super fun...kicking it Old School with paper weaving!

Here's the finished layout...I almost didn't want to cover it all up...felt bad actually, but in the end I'm happy I finally used these photos that I've looked at several times over the past 8 years! Yes, old photos of my boy Matthew and his pal Payton when they were 5 years old! Just didn't have the right place for them until this challenge! So cute...thanks for stopping by :)

Everything you see is Close To My Heart! I love the changes they have made to their products...

Products Used:

(X7139B) Typeset Level 2 paper pack

(Z1464) Milepost Shapes

(Z1450) Colour-Ready Cork Alphabet

(X7139C) Typeset Complements Canvas Shapes

(Z1461) Decor Journalling Spots

Juniper, Creme Brulle, Colonial White, Kraft and Cocoa Cardstock

Check the Design Team Challenge link again tomorrow for this next week's newest challenge from Rene!