Watercolor Blog Hop

Welcome to our Watercolor Blog Hop!  On this hop we will be featuring all watercolor artwork.  If you have come here from HAYLEY'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 on Melinda’s Blog.

This month we have a bunch of very talented Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using our watercolor paints and pencils.  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!

Watercolor is a big trend now and it's soo easy.  Don't be afraid to try it.  CTMH makes it easy and inexpensive to try this fun technique.  And there are tons of ideas on Pinterest to inspire you.  In fact my cards were inspired by this card I saw there.  I used our watercolor paper and did a wash of water over the top third of the card.  Then I just picked out some pretty pastel colors I thought looked good together and using my widest paint brush I just dabbed the color in four squarish areas of the card blending the edges.  After my card dried (you can speed it up by hitting it with a craft heater) I stamped the sentiment in Memento Ink.  I cut a butterfly with my Cricut and heat embossed it in gold and added that and some gold sequins to finish it off.  I got a little carried away with how easy this card was and ended up making four cards.  One was for my niece's birthday and you'll see below what happened when I tried to take a picture of it to post here.

Thanks for looking!  If you want to try this yourself please click HERE to get your supplies.  

 Now "Hop" on over to HELEN'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! 


And this is what happens when you want to take a picture of your card in front of the window and your cat won't move!

Sunshine Birdies Blog Hop

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  This month we are featuring the Stamp called Sunshine Birdies.  If you have come here from HELEN'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 on Melinda’s Blog:  http://ifyoublingit.blogspot.com/p/stamp-of-month-blog-hop-list.html.

This month we have over 30 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!

This cute stamp set is perfect for coloring, either with our watecolor paints or with our Shin-han markers.  I used both!  I was inspired by this card I found on Pinterest.  I made this 5 x 7 card first by random stamping the butterflies in Memento Ink and then using our watercolors to paint them.  Then I used the happy birthday stamp that comes with the Art Philosophy Cartridge. I used Thistle cardstock matted with Eggplant and added some bitty sparkles.

And here is a 4.25 x 5.5 card version. On this one I use our Shin-han markers to color the butterflies.

Now "Hop" on over to JENNIFER'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 in March!  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!

Share The Love Blog Hop

Welcome to our Share the Love Blog Hop!  If you've come here from MARIE'S BLOG  you are on the right path.  

This month we are featuring artwork using this exclusive stamp called "Share the love".  

This February only, when you purchase this stamp set for $17.95 Close To My Heart will donate $7 of the proceeds from this stamp set to Operation Smile™, an amazing organization that provides surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates for children all over the world! 

Whenever I need a little inspiration for my cards I just look in our Annual Inspiration catalog.  I looked at pages 88 and 89 and picked out some of the colors that go with the Urban paper pack. Then I looked in our Wishes pattern book for a card pattern.  And this is what I came up with - two 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 cards.  I did some random stamping using the masking technique to add a little interest and a few gold sequences to add some bling.

What do you use for inspiration? 

Now for further inspiration hop on over to Catherine's Blog.  

Remember this stamp set is only available in February.  Order yours HERE.  Also, you can check out all of CMTH's social media channels all month long to see this stamp set in action, and remember to post your own artwork using the hashtag #ctmhsharethelove to help bring attention to a wonderful and worthy cause.

Thank you watercolor card

Just a fun watercolor card I forgot to post.  I used December's Stamp of the Month and my watercolors to make this 5 x 7 card.

Seasonal Expressions New Items Blog Hop

Welcome to our Blog Hop!  This month we are featuring items from our new Seasonal Expressions catalog. If you have come here from MICHELLE'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 on Melinda’s Blog:  http://ifyoublingit.blogspot.com/p/stamp-of-month-blog-hop-list.html.

 

This month we have over 30 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using items available now. 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 just love the new Work Shop Your Way program featured in our Seasonal Expressions.  I made 3 - 2 page layouts out of the kit and 9 cards by just adding a few more supplies.  When I was done this is all I had left over:

Yep, that's it - just a few pieces of paper, some zip strips, some stickers, gold puffies, some ribbon and some chipboard die cuts  I wanted to challenge my self to see how many more cards I could make from these scraps. 


And just by adding some card bases and a little more card stock this is what I made - 4 more cards!.

Do you recognize some of the card patterns?  They are from CTMH How To Books and I use them over and over.  I still have just a few scraps left but I'm so happy not to horde my paper and use it all up!  So, I challenge you to get some great ideas from all the talented consultants on the hop and use up your scraps. 

Now "Hop" on over to JEN'S BLOG to see her work!

If you would like to shop the new Seasonal Expressions please click HERE to start shopping.

December Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - Candlelight Garden

Welcome to our December Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!   If you have come here from MICHELE'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 on Melinda’s Blog:  http://ifyoublingit.blogspot.com/p/stamp-of-month-blog-hop-list.html.

This month we have over 30 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 thought this stamp set just begged to be used with our watercolors.  I stamped the image with our Memento Ink on watercolor paper then used my watercolors to color everything in.  I mounted on a piece of Slate cardstock and matted it with some Georgie paper and Sunset cardstock.  A little bit of Glacier twine adds a little somethin' somethin'.  I did not add a sentiment to the front of the card.  I wanted to artwork to stand out.  I'll add something inside when I send it to someone.  

Thanks for looking!  

Now "Hop" on over to MAUREEN'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 December SOTM is only available until the 31st!  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!

Cricut Snowman Ornament

                         

I pinned this idea some time last year.  Since then I've seen variation of the idea including mounted on a card.  Thanks to original inspiration from Chelsea's Creative Corner . 

Here is how I made this Snowman ornament:

Face – Artiste – Page 50, 2”, white daisy card stock.  Cut 2, used double sided sticky tape to adhere the ends together.  You can get 6 to a page if you cut 5 first and then unload the paper and use the scrap for the 6^th.

Nose – Artistry – Page 17, Icon 2, 1 ½” . Yes, it is the ice cream cone icon.  I trimmed the edges of the ice cream off. 

Holly Leaf – Artistry – Page 48, Icon 1, 1 ¾”, discard the berries.  I used New England Ivy card stock.

Berries – Art Philosphy – Page 46, 1 ¾”, red glitter paper. You could also use red gems.

Hat – 2 ½ “ by 1 1/2 ", brim is 4" by 1/2 " – black card stock.  Overlap and tuck in some silver shimmer trim.

Eyes – ½ “ circle from black card stock. You could also use googley eyes, buttons, black gems or pearls.

2 inch circle punch – or any 2” circle for back to hold rosette together

Make rosette by folding on the score lines and using double sided sticky tape to adhere the two ends.  Use the 2 inch circle with lots of Liquid Glass to glue the rosette together. This will be the back of the ornament.   If you want to stamp a “to and from” on the circle, do this before gluing.  Add nose to front with liquid glass.  Assemble hat using shimmer trim, holly and berries and then glue to face at an angle with liquid Glass.  Punch hole at top in one of the rosette folds and thread string to make an ornament.  Thanks for looking!