"Ice Cream" - Blog with Friends

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful and enjoyable weekend and are ready to join me and some of my blogging friends for some wonderful topics associated with "Ice Cream". That's our theme this month for "Blog with Friends".

Be sure to read to the bottom of this post and access my friends' content. Of course, we all appreciate blog love so please consider leaving a message when you visit.

So I decided to step outside the box a bit as you notice my creation has nothing to do with ice cream. Or does it? Okay, okay. Truth be told, I saw a little bit of rainbow ice cream in the way this chameleon is colored so I figured that worked and besides, I wanted to show you this fun creation!

This is a fun treat that is perfect for anyone! Need something to welcome a new neighbor? How 'bout a new co-worker? What about a well wish for the new school year, for a student or a teacher? No matter who they are created for, no doubt they'll put some happy on the face of the recipient. 

To easily and quickly color the images, I used Sponge Daubers. By using one Dauber for each color, I patted them in various ink colors. Then, I "smeared" them over the chameleons, repeatedly, until I had the desired look. Tip: Know that the ink takes a few minutes to soak into the paper, leaving this awesome and vibrant look, don't you just love it?

And let's talk about LOVE! I love this Wild & Punny stamp set. The images and sentiments are so adorable and always make me crack up when I read them! It is only available through the end of this month, while supplies last. That's right! They are retiring SOON! Be sure to get this stamp set, and other retiring products, before they are gone!

These are the dimensions for recreating these tasty treats, which contain four Hershey Kisses. AND, you can use the flavor you like so you can eat the leftovers. Okay, so maybe that's not the best advice. LOL (By the way, there are Cookies 'n Cream kisses, another flavor of ice cream and one of my absolute favorites!)

I did teach this in my VIP Group this past Saturday. If you would enjoy being a member of that group where I share fun stuff, contact me directly or you can request to JOIN HERE. I would love to have you!

Now it's time to move onto my "Blog with Friends" posts. Be sure to check them out for some great and tasty information. You'll be glad you did!

Make this week a great one!

Lydia of Cluttered Genius

Karen of Baking in a Tornado

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade

Kia of the Ground Beneath My Feet

Tamara of Part-time Working Hockey Mom

Color It! - Heart 2 Heart Challenge

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge, "Color It!" You can participate in this challenge by creating artwork that aligns with the theme, however you choose to interpret it. Just be sure to incorporate some Close To My Heart products in your creation!

I love using markers to color in stamped images and that's what I did here.

The Escape to Paradise stamp set, shown here, has some fabulous images, two of which I used for this card.

I also incorporated this stamp set, associated with our Craft On product line. It was designed for cards but can totally be used otherwise. Aren't the sentiments adorable?!

Both of these stamp sets will retire at the end of August so be sure to get them if you want them!

I look forward to seeing your artwork on the Heart 2 Heart Blog! Have a blessed week!

Craft On!

Jumpstart your creativity with the Craft On Everyday Life album workshop! This adorable album comes together impressively fast by using the featured 3-2-1 scrapbooking technique. This technique uses 3", 2" and 1" paper pieces, only, to decorate each of the album's base pages. Isn't that amazing?!

Whether you're a beginner or veteran scrapper, it's never been easier to create beautiful layouts for your photos!

I just got these products and can't wait to make this album. I was around my friend, Cathy, yesterday and she made it and it's ADORABLE and comes together super quick!

The Craft On Everyday Life Workshop Kit includes all the patterned paper, cardstock, complements, and page protectors you need to complete this project in one convenient bundle. You'll also love how easy it is to create the layouts in this album, and the whimsical patterns of the Craft On suite will bring smiles to your face for years to come!

Offer available through August 31. Shipping & handling based on full retail price of all items. 

For complete details about the kit options, OR to see photos of all the album pages, click HERE. While you're there, be sure to download the kit directions. They can also be used with other papers and for other memory-keeping themes!

"Into the Wild" Heart 2 Heart Challenge

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge where we are featuring artwork with the theme, "Into the Wild". Close To My Heart has a product line of that name. To participate in the Challenge, you can use it in your own creation OR interpret the theme however you would like. To participate in the H2H Challenge, please incorporate CTMH products.

Into the Wild PRODUCTS - CLICK HERE

I used one of the Layouts from the Into the Wild Workshop Your Way to preserve this portion of a day trip we took in April 2019. 

We had such a great time at this Wildlife Refuge. The sights and scenes were beautiful. 

I especially enjoyed the wildlife we were able to enjoy. 

To participate in this challenge, or any hosted by Heart 2 Heart, visit our Blog. We would love for you to join the creative fun!

Have a blessed week!

"Mix It Up!" Technique Blog Hop

Welcome to this month's Technique Blog Hop where we are Mixin' It up! That means participating Close To My Heart Consultants can use our Mix-Ins paper packet for their artwork OR they can mix and match papers from various paper packs! I can't wait to see what they have to share!

If you are coming from Tamara's Blog, you are on the right track. You will find a complete list of participants at the bottom of this post, if you were to get lost along the way.

For my card, I chose to use the Mix-Ins Paper Pack. Why do they call it that? Because it's a great selection of colors and patterns that can be MIXED IN (ha! Get it?) with other papers! I especially love this one because of the black and white patterns, which can go with anything!

Because I wanted a "fiesta" color combination for my papers, I chose to use my favorite pattern (of course) from that paper pack AND then added some Lagoon and Pixie cardstock. Can you see the GREAT potential of this product?!

Of course, the Wild & Punny stamp set helped to make this card super fun. I hope it makes you smile, like it does for me.

I colored the llama, and the White Dots, with our ShinHan markers.

Thanks so much for taking a moment to stop by. Now head to Katy's Blog. She's always got something great to share and I'm sure that's the case today!

Make it a great week!

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS:
1. Melissa Robinson *YOU ARE HERE*
2. Katy Taylor
3. Catherine Nowak
4. Terry Metzger
5. Michelle Loncar
6. Haley Dyer
7. Miss Carrie's Creations
8. Maz Wood
9. Darlys Recker
10. Tamara Sandwisch

"Tell Your Story" - Blog with Friends

Welcome to "Blog with Friends" where I join several other bloggers and we connect with one another as we highlight a theme that is up to our interpretation. This month's theme is "Tell Your Story". 

After you read my post, you'll find images and links to the other blogs. We'd love for you to visit all of them and always appreciate when you leave a comment sharing your thoughts. So...be sure to read all the way to the bottom. 

Do you tell your story? I'm sure you realize you are the best author of that book, right? We have so many daily happenings that take place in our lives - some great, some good, and some we don't want to remember. We've all been there and the fact of the matter is, they all make us who we are; even the challenging ones.

So how about another question? How many photos do you have, solely on your phone alone, that tell part of your story? I'm going to guess you have tons of them just like I do. Truth be told, however, those photos aren't stories until you document the tales behind them. 

Think about a recent and favorite photo you have on your phone. Now, go look at it. Does it make you smile? Why? What does the photo tell you about that moment you experienced?

Would someone who looked at that same photo experience the same feel-good? I'm going to guess the answer is 'no'. Wouldn't you like for others to look at that photo years in the future and know why you took it and how it made you feel even as you reflected upon that occasion after it took place? It's part of your legacy, after all.

I love documenting my stories and have done so through scrapbooking over the years. "Scrapbooking" is a scary word to some people but I work to keep it simple and enjoyable, preserving the moments that matter most. Now, don't think I'm all caught up or anything because that is far from the truth but I do enjoy telling my stories.

In fact, would you believe me if I told you that it took me less than 6 minutes to put together this layout, without the photos? It's true! It took me longer to decide which photos I wanted to print than it did to create it. I love that was the case!

Alright, so I'm no magician AND I didn't create the layout is not my original design, but does it detract from the fun moments experienced when we went to the Hawaiian Islands last month? I would imagine that would be a resounding 'no' from the audience. :)

Check out this quick video (feel free to mute the music if you would like) and you will see me assemble it. 

I LOVE that it was simple to put together and then by adding our photos and my journaling...it's a masterpiece, don't you think? It was made with the Close To My Heart scrapbook subscription kit, Craft with Heart, from June. It only requires adhesive, a journaling pen and photos. 

While these are 12" x 12" layouts, I love that I have also used a variety of sizes through a product line by Stacy Julian. 

How do you tell your story? You'll find some additional ideas on how to do so and if you want more information on doing so the paper way, let me know! I'd love to tell you more!

Now it's time for "Blog with Friends"! 

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade

Karen of Baking in a Tornado

Lydia of Cluttered Genius

Jules of the Bergham Chronicles

Tamara of Part-Time Working Hockey Mom

"Making Waves" - Heart 2 Heart Challenge

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge where we are creating artwork along the theme of "Making Waves". You, too, can link up to our challenge by visiting our blog. Be sure to use Close To My Heart products in your creation (current or retired) as that's the premise for the challenge. :)

My hubby took me away on a surprise vacation for our 21st wedding anniversary and I thought these layouts were perfect for preserving some of those memories. It was such an awesome time and I'm looking forward to scrapbooking the others.

Be sure link up to us at Heart 2 Heart. We'd love to see what you create for this topic, and the others for July.

Have a blessed week!

"Bear Hugs" - July Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Happy July! Welcome to this month's Blog Hop where our focus is the "Bear Hugs" Stamp of the Month. It's available this month only for $5, with a qualifying purchase! (All details can be found here.)

Check out the adorable images and sentiments. Isn't it super sweet? Who can you see these sentiments applying to, in your life?

If you are coming from Katy's Blog, you are on the right track. You can find a complete list of participants here. 

Using the True Love paper pack, I chose to make this different fold card for this stamp image. I know I want to continue making cards with it - and have some ideas to do so - but thought I'd start here. 

I didn't do anything fancy in the way of stamping. I inked up the bears in Espresso ink and then used a color pencil to color in the cub. A few Sugarplum Glitter Gems and that was it! 

To create this style of card, I scored the front of my base at 2 1/8" (half of 4 1/4"). Then, I bent it backwards and added the focal point. When it's closed, as seen in the top image, you'll see that some of the patterned paper, placed on the inside of the card, is exposed. In most cases, you'll want to stamp the image behind the focal point so you can't see it. I used Sapphire ink to do so.

Here's a view of it open so you have a better understanding of how it's designed.

I truly appreciate you stopping by and am excited to see what variations the other Consultants have created with this set! I know it's going to be fun!

Now head on over to Michelle's Blog to see what she has created with this stamp set! Consider leaving a comment before you move on. I love hearing from you!

Have a wonderful July!