Going Public!!

It's now official! Close To My Heart has authorized us as Consultants to use our personal blogs for promoting CTMH products and events. I'm excited because now I get to share even more about this terrific company with all of you! Granted I have "cheated" a little by advertising my Christmas card workshop. Oops! ;)

All the product I use on most of my blogs is CTMH and I must say that the quality of their awesome acrylic stamps is the best around. I admit, I have in the past bought other brands of acrylic stamps, but they don't hold the ink and stamp clear and crisp images as well as CTMH. The papers are a cut above most of the ones you can get at your local store. Especially our heavy weight cardstock. I must say, our cardstock is the BOMB!! You can do so much with it. I really love all the ways that you can distress the paper and how in holds ink. So versatile!

One of the best things about CTMH products....everything coordinates! You can purchase patterned paper and then get the EXACT matching ink, markers, cardstock, and even cool embellishments! Takes all the guess work from trying to match a random paper to some leftover embellishments. This truly makes scrapbooking and stamping, as CTMH's motto says: "Faster. Simpler. Easier."

If you are at all interested in finding out more about CTMH's great products, or would like some advice on how to make your projects pop, please contact me. And as always, please check back here often to see what new projects I've been working on and get inspired!

Christmas gifts

Every year I make gifts for my family for Christmas. Sometimes I wish that I could just give them a gift card and call it good, but dang it! I just HAD to start making gifts. Now that I'm a consultant for Close To My Heart, the handmade trinkets are even more expected. Now I can never stop. Each year I try to come up with something different and that my family will actually use. One year it was a lap blanket, another year a mini scrapbook of my brother's wedding, another year was ornaments with family photos. It goes on and on.

This year I came up the idea of doing a wall hanging that they can use for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've only completed one side. The "fall" side is obviously meant for Thanksgiving, and the other side will say "noel" and use the Aspen paper pack. The first image is of the first one I completed. I realized it was FAR too detailed to make multiple versions (everyone has to have the same so there's no fighting of which is the best) so I kept that one for myself. :) The other ones will be tied together once I complete the other side.

Materials: All CTMH. Magic Moments L2PP, dimensional elements solo letters, "Playful Flourishes" SS, cocoa and indian corn blue inks, cocoa re-inker, acrylic paint, scallop scissors, cocoa and colonial white ribbon, goldrush and sweet leaf buttons, sunflower embroidery floss, Coluzzle circle cutter, liquid glass.

Other-ribbon from Target dollar deals, EK punches,

November scrapbook club

So here they are....my examples for the Notebook Workshop-on-the-go project for our club night. This is my absolute favorite paper pack! The colors are fun, and I love the aged look. These are pretty simple layouts, so hopefully we can get all sex pages done. (hopefully) ;)

Materials: All CTMH. Notebook L2PP, Notebook MyStickease, "Shining Star" SS, "Rustic" alpha SS, "Friendship" alpha SS, "Simple Stitches" SS, "Friendship word puzzle" SS, "Delightful" alpha SS, desert sand ink, chocolate ink, black ink, colonial white brads, hollyhock twill ribbon, dimentional elements "fresh shapes", black marker.