February Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - A Happy Hello

If you are coming from Melinda's Blog, you are on the right track.  She happens to be the start to this hop so it is also where you can find a complete list of participants.

We are showcasing this cute Stamp of the Month called a "Happy Hello".  Isn't it too fun?!  You can get it for just $5 with a qualifying order in February!  What a deal!

I chose to incorporate this design of B&T from the Seaside product line.  Because it is a neutral shade, I was able to incorporate these fun colors (Sorbet, Hollyhock, Lagoon).  I incorporated the Lagoon Hearts Washi Tape by cutting a Colonial White sheet of cardstock, big enough for me to place two strips of it on either end.  Fun, right?!  I stamped "Big Hug" from a fabulous stamp set called "Big Hug".  LOL

I did 3-D the sentiment and the flower pieces.  (Gotta love that dimension.)  I finished it off with a Gold Sequin.  I taught this card at my workshop a few days ago and it was a BIG HIT!

Feel free to leave a comment before heading over to Sheila's Blog.  She always has something fun in store.

Here's to a fabulous February!  Happy hoppin'!

Small Gifts Go Great in Pillow Boxes!

Ever need a fun way to package a smaller gift?  Our My Creations Pillow Boxes are perfect for just that!

I took a 3" x 4" card from the Picture My Life Heartstrings Scrapbooking Program and glued it to the front of the pillow box.  A little bit of  Clear Sparkles, colored with a Shin Han Marker, some Teal and Silver Shimmer Trim and my decorated gift container was complete!

Gotta love when something cute can come together so inexpensively and quickly!

Make it a FABULOUS Friday!

My Crush Holiday Happenings Book

The My Crush product line is totally fun and can be used for more than just intended.  (I've seen the pages torn out and used on other papercrafting creations and the coordinating embellishments, well...their uses are limitless.)

This post is about the My Crush Holiday Happenings Book that I finished, using my favorite holiday photos from this year.

I blinged up the front of the book a bit, just for some added fun!  I have no included photos of all of the pages, just for sake of time.  I also keep going back in and adding in little goodies as I see fit.

Because of the type of binding in the book, you can open it, remove the pages and replace them in the order you choose.  We did that - a fabulous idea that came from my friends Debi and Francene.  (In fact, many of the ideas for altering/decorating this book came from the two of them.  I added the pictures and a few personal touches.)

I just added some bling and some of the stickers included in the Assortment to add to my title page.

I colored in the ornament with our ShinHan markers and added bling.

This is just a fun page where we added some Marker, mini bling sparkles, and the HoHoHo image on the right was created with paper and stickers included in the Assortment.  And YES!  This right page came as is with pockets for photos, cards or whatever you were to choose.

The pocket on the right does include some additional journaling.  I wrote in "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" with our chalk marker.

A simple matte and photo is what is on the left.  On the right, is this year's Christmas card from my parents.

I see I am missing a photo from the previous page and this one but I must go on.  ;)  Just a little marker and washi tape on the right page.

FUN mini pockets on the right page.  I cut a photo of our Christmas tree and love how it came out to fit in the small windows.

The Happy Holidays design was created by cutting out the heart out of another card.  I loved the checkered pattern so much on the right card that I didn't want to do anything to it.  The 3 x 4 pages are perfect for cutting a 4 x 6 photo - as long as you don't chop someone's head off or something like that.  LOL

Just another fun page with bling, cutting apart cards, and adding some journaling in the little folder.

I so love this creation and am very proud of it!  I had fun putting it together, somewhat gradually.  The My Crush line is perfect for doing just that and filling your mini book with many memories and lots of goodies!

Crazy stuff that January is almost over BUT...I have already scrapbooked my holiday photos from this year!  YAY me!

Show Your Love - Valentine Blog Hop

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, we wanted to take a few minutes to showcase some fabulous artwork creations, using Close To My Heart products.  They'll make your gift-giving quick, easy, and inexpensive - and CUTE!

If you are coming from Aggie's Blog, you are on the right track.  A list of participants is found at the end of this post.

Picture My Life cards are so versatile.  I choose to use one as the focal point on this hand-designed gift bag, perfect for that special gift.  Paired with some Black and Lagoon cardstock, as well as some Lagoon Hearts Washi Tape, it didn't take much to cutesy up this red bag that started out plain.

 I added some Teal and Silver Shimmer Trim and Stuck On You Puffies for some added detail.  (Despite my efforts to get a great picture, it looks totally fab in person!)

The Heartstrings PML line is absolutely stunning and can be used for various artwork creations.  (I've made cards, treat items, layouts and gift bags with them.) They are too fun and you can't beat their phenomenal price!  If you have not tried them, you will definitely want to add them to your next order.

Head on over to Melissa David's Blog to see what she has up her sleeve, but feel free to leave a comment before doing so.

Here is a list of the participants and links to their sites, should you get lost along the way:

1. Melissa Robinson (*you are here)
2. Melissa David 
3. Debi Barber
4. Judy Faye Garner
5. Tonya Whitehurst
6. Aggie Peters

Happy hoppin'!

Have a Beautiful Day!

This card was fun and simple to make!  I used the Seaside paper pack and Kraft cardstock to design the card front, after placing them on a Colonial White card base.  The piece of cardstock used is Glacier.

Then I took the "Happy Birds" stamp set, in Cocoa ink, and stamped the sentiment and flower.  I used the Cherry Pink and Cerulean Blue Markers to color in the image.  But what is even more fabulous...I took the Flamingo Dots and colored them to make them match the flower!  They are sooooo pretty and bright!  I was so proud of how they came out!

Have a beautiful day and week!

Retiring List - Get Them Soon!

The following stamp designs, last featured in the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book, are being retired.  They will no longer be available to order after January 31, 2015.  These sets can be viewed in the "Retiring Items" category on my website by clicking here.  There are some great ones you may want to have before they are gone for good!

A1124 A Tree
A1139 Congrats Graduate
A1141 Be Still
A1154 Friendly Thoughts
A1156 Flower Confetti
B1418 Love Doily
B1423 Hoppy Easter
B1439 Dreamer
B1440 Fancy Fair
B1441 Buggy Love
B1444 Greatest Love
B1445 Happy Hive
B1450 Owls
C1571 You're the Best
C1573 Do Your Best
C1574 Believe in Yourself
C1577 Mother's Day
C1579 Coming Up Roses
C1583 Robot Family
D1547 Paper Doll
D1579 Windy Day
M1035 Newlyweds
M1036 Perfect Polka-Dot Day
M1037 Balloons
M1038 Shooting Star
M1039 Good Job Stencil
M1040 Parasol
M1041 Hi
M1042 Colored Egg

To place your order, visit my website and join the January Mystery Hostess event to be eligible for FREE Hostess Gifts.  If you place an order of at least $25 in product, by the end of the day January 27, 2015, I will send you this FREE stamp, called "XOXO", and a handmade card!

Have a blessed and enjoyable week!

Technique Blog Hop - Charmed, I'm Sure!

If you are coming from Michelle's Blog, you are on the right track!  12 Close To My Heart Consultants are showcasing the "Charmed, I'm Sure!" technique highlighted in our Annual Inspirations Idea Book, found on page 133.  You can find the beginning of the hop by clicking here.  

"Jewelry isn't the only thing that can be charming.  Dazzle up your papercrafts with the shine of a few small charms from the Base & Bling line!  Tie them on, adhere them, or simply let them dangle.  Go ahead, add a little charm to all of your projects!"

I have a lot of CTMH addictions (lol) and I find myself regularly finding a new one.  One of them are these fun My Creations Mini Books that come in Black and Kraft.  They are so super easy and fun to put together and simple enough for inserting your favorite photos.  I used the Avonlea Picture My Life Cards to decorate this kraft album.  A camera charm was perfect for a nice touch on the front cover and very fitting for what potential the mini book has inside.  (I used a retired "paper clip" to adhere it.)

Some of the pages, with little touches, follow.  I didn't want to do too much to take away from the cards or to limit the recipient from their intent for this book.  (I did use it as a gift at a holiday exchange.)

Thanks for stopping by and keeping moving through the hop to see what other fun creations there are.  You'll head over to Catherine's Blog next but please consider leaving a comment before you do so.

Happy Friday eve and happy hoppin'!

Card Buffet with Fun Cards!

Later this month, I'm hosting a Card Buffet Workshop where attendees will have the opportunity to choose from 10 different card designs for just $15!  With some of the cards, the participants will even have the opportunity to switch out the sentiment to suit their current needs.  Too fun, right?!

I'll be sharing individual pictures of the cards in upcoming posts so be sure to check them out.  If you live in the DFW metroplex, I'd love to have you join me in person for this fun workshop which will be held on Monday, January 26th.  (I can also prepare kits to ship if you aren't local to me but would still like to enjoy these fun cards.)

Contact me with any questions or you can sign up by clicking HERE.  Have a great day!

ESPN College Gameday in North Texas!

So...I am almost as addicted to football as my husband is.  (It's his fault.  LOL)  Even if he is not home when there are games on, our tv is tuned in.  I LOVE football and don't like the non-football part of the year so I try and soak it all in when it is in season.

College Gameday has been in Dallas/Fort Worth all week in anticipation of the National College Championship, between Oregon and Ohio State (I have yet to decide who I am cheering for but I am thinking Oregon...), that will be held on Monday night at AT&T Stadium (aka "Jerry's World).  My hubby and I finally took some time on Friday to go check out the sights and scenes.

This is us in Del Friscos' Grille - right across from the various sets.

Here is a view of the outside set, from directly behind it.

This is an angle view from where I was standing when I was on the broadcast, in the background, as shown in the next photo (below).

My parents saw me several times on tv during the the broadcast.  Too fun!  A little tv fame... :)

I knew they would zoom in on Jesse Palmer.  LOL

This was another outside set and I got shown on tv several times during this segment.

As we sat, part of the time inside - because it was COLD - we saw quite a few of the ESPN commentators.  Corey knew all the commentators - male and female - by name as we came across them.  He had several conversations with several of them which was pretty cool.  People who were around had no idea who they were so that made for a relaxing atmosphere (for them, I'm sure).

Here I am taking a photo with Lee Corso.  Kirk Herbstreit had just come down the stairs prior but they were on a mission to get somewhere so I was not able to stop him.

And...Tebow... :)  He was getting ready to get on set for the next segment so rather than asking him for a picture with him, I just asked if I could take his picture.  He turned and posed for me - and me alone, I'll have you know (LOL).  Fabulous photo, right?!  I would have given anything to be in a photo with him but I'll take this.  I was very close to him and had to take a few steps back to get a full body picture (of course ha/ha).  Cracking myself up!

This is Darren Woodson, a retired Safety with the Dallas Cowboys who retired in 2004.  I just asked him to take a photo of him and he started walking to me.  I said, "Oh!  You'll take one with me?!"  He said, "Of course!"  YAY!

It was in the low 30s all day but we had a BLAST!  It was just a nice and enjoyable outing with my hubby and I got some great photo opps!  Woohoo!

I can't leave without saying...

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COWBOYS!