Today is the Last Day to Get These Favorites!

(Information pulled from Close To My Hear'ts Blog.) 

It’s the end of July, which means that our current Annual Inspirations Idea Book is about to retire—along with a bunch of amazing products featured inside of it!

We’ve rounded up some of our favorites that will be bidding us adieu. Make sure to snatch up these goodies before they’re gone for good!

State & Province Stamp Sets

With a mini stamp set for each US state, Canadian province and territory, as well as the countries of Australia and New Zealand, these stamps are great for a wide variety of crafting projects. (I just got all of them to track my traveling fun!)

We love the idea of using them to document vacations, road trips, engagements, and to send love from one state to another. 

And the best time to get these stamps is right now because for every two stamp sets you purchase during the month of July, you get one stamp set of equal or lesser value for free as part of Stampaganza! So get the whole collection (and save!) before it’s gone!

Thin Cuts

All of the Thin Cuts metal dies in Annual Inspirations are retiring! This includes the star shapes, as well as some timeless sentiments for both scrapbooking and cardmaking.

Sea Glass

Our Color of the Year, Sea Glass, is going to be replaced August 1 with a new Color of the Year. Though you’ll still be able to get both the D-ring and post-bound My Legacy™ albums in Sea Glass, the Sea Glass mini Everyday Life™ album, cardstock, as well as Fundamental Complements that feature this color, will be gone in just a few days! (The ink pad and reinker are already sold out.)

Get these items before they are gone for good (and while supplies last). You can find a list and visual of all retiring products by clicking here. Happy Monday!

Open House/Crop - Join me Saturday, August 5, 2017!

Location: Stacy Furniture, 1900 S. Main St., Grapevine, TX 76051 

NEW products, from Close To My Heart, will be released on August 1st and believe me...you'll want to see them up close and personal! You have the opportunity to do so by joining me for prizes, food, fun, goodies, a copy of the NEW Idea Book, and make 'n takes! 

OPEN HOUSE - 11 am to 2 pm - $5 to reserve your spot* ($5 credit given upon your arrival at the event towards a purchase made that day) - Stop by for a beef hot dog, your choice of mustard (of course!), all the fixin's, chips, dips and a yummy dessert. More details about this will be shared soon. You'll receive more than a $5 value when you attend!

CROP (to include the Open House) - 11 am to 7 pm - $10 to reserve your spot ($10 credit given upon your arrival at the event towards purchase made that day)* - Besides enjoying the Open House goodies and events, you'll get to participate in additional fun and games and have another extra creative project or two to complete. More details will be shared soon. You'll get more than a $10 value when you attend!

SAVE THE DATE! *An amount is being charged to reserve your spot as a commitment to the RSVP which will guide the amount of time and effort spent on all the goodies and fun to be had that day. (To receive a full refund, you are required to cancel by August 1st.) Contact me if you have any questions.

RSVP Deadline - August 1st.
CROP: paypal.me/mlisrobinson/5
OPEN HOUSE& CROP: paypal.me/mlisrobinson/10

The following items will be available for your use if you want to leave yours at home:

• A Cricut Explore Air (with access to Design Space)
• Cuttlebug (embossing folders and die cuts)
• Heat tool
• Close To My Heart Stamp Pads

Some items you might consider bringing:

• Cricut mat
• Trash receptacle for your creative space
• Cushion for your chair - there are padded folding chairs but if you prefer something more cozy…
• Extension cord (a LONG ONE) and/or "drop" - there are outlets provided only along the walls of the room which can be a distance from your crafting spot
• Covered drink holder - so you don't ruin your crafts or those of others

Things to know:

• We will be on the 3rd floor of the building, accessible through an elevator. Keep that in mind as you pack. Rolling things up there is easiest. :)
• The lighting is of quality at this location. If you prefer a table light, consider what I wrote above regarding the outlets and cords.
• There is free internet available although I'm not sure of the speed. (We have never had many people on it so just keep this in mind as you consider what you will work on.)

Heart 2 Heart Challenge: Fabulous Fonts

Thank you so much for joining us for this week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge, "Fabulous Fonts". Please consider joining us and be sure to use Close To My Heart products in your artwork. Then, link up to us at H2H! We love seeing what you have to share.

I chose to use this month's fabulous font Stamp of the Month stamp set, "Storybook Alphabet", and kept my card pretty simple. (This D-size stamp set can be your for just $5 this month, with a qualifying order!)

Using some of our soon-to-retire Fundamentals paper patterns, this card came together quickly. I added some White Shimmer Trim, White Gems, and then stamped "hi" and colored in the letters with our ShinHan markers.

With my busy life these days, a cute and quick card is right up my alley! What do you think about it?

I hope you have a blessed and enjoyable and don't forget to...Make It From Your Heart!

So Hard to Say Goodbye Blog Hop

Close To My Heart is retiring quite a few new products to make new for the new ones that will debut on August 1st. In this hop, participants are highlighting their favorites so get out your wish list so you are sure to order them before they are no longer available. Stamp sets are eligible for the Buy Two, Get One Free special through Stampaganza. You can find a list of "going soon" products here.

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

I am still enjoying the fun colors and images associated with the Little Dreamer product line. I love how vibrant they are - the floral and striped patterns are my favorite - with the very popular unicorns as part of the design. 

The top row of cards were designed by the Close To My Heart Art Department. I varied the designs, in the bottom row, simply by reversing the patterned paper. I love the simplicity of being able to reproduce artwork that has been provided me, while putting a new twist on it with little effort. 

 Be sure to get this paper pack before it's gone!

And the stamp set...it's perfect for coordinating and can be purchased with Thin Cuts so you can run those images through your Cuttlebug and quickly stamp those outlined here in blue. 

It's soon out with the old and in with the new, but until then...GET WHAT YOU WANT NOW! You'll be sorry to miss something, especially when it's no loner available. 

Now head on over to Melinda's Blog to see what she and the other Blog Hop Participants have in store for you. Have a blessed week!

CTMH Technique Blog Hop - Fun with Stencils

Welcome to this month's Technique Blog Hop where we are featuring the technique of "stenciling" with the use of Close To My Heart products.

If you are coming from Kirsten's Blog, you are on the right track. You can find a complete list of participants at the end of this post.

For my card creation, I used the Thin Cuts - Basic Stars to create a stencil.

By placing the stars on the Cuttlebug plates like this, I created my template.

Then I used sponge daubers to apply Poppy and Lagoon ink to the stars. When I removed the stencil, I added a sentiment, embellishments and doodles around the edge of the piece of White Daisy cardstock.

By using the Thin Cuts to create the stencil, it allowed me the opportunity to create a very fun but simple card.

I am sure you are about to see other fun variations on creating your own stencils for unique and enjoyable artwork. Please head over to Annemarie's Blog to see what she has designed to share with you.

Thank you for joining us today!

Participants:
1. Melissa Robinson *YOU ARE HERE*
2. Annemarie Julian
3. Michelle Loncar
4. Cat Nowak
5. Judy Faye Garner
6. Darlys Recker
7. Danielle Wagner
8. Janna Gray
9. Kirsten Desorcy

Stampaganza: Blast From the Past Blog Hop

Welcome to today's Blog Hop where we are featuring stamp sets that are part of STAMPAGANZA - buy two stamp sets, get one FREE! It's a big sale going on this month and you don't want to miss out!

I know this hop is bound to be a blast as we see fabulous artwork created with current and throwback stamp sets! To read more about this month's special, click here or contact me for details. (Through the link, you will also be able to view stamp sets that were brought back exclusively for this special.)

If you are coming from Priscilla's Blog, you are on the right track. To view a list of participants, you can click here.

Below you will find four cards I hand-created using a few of my fave stamp sets from the past. The names of the stamp sets are links that take you to the original post for that artwork, should you want to read more details on how they were created. Note: These cards were designed using retired product. 

Better with a Friend

Paper Bird

Tagged with Love

Be Jolly

Thanks so much for stopping by! Head on over to Cat's Blog to make your way around the hop and see what fun things the participants have in store for you!

Have fun and let me know which is your favorite stamp set from those listed on this area of my website by commenting below.

Heart 2 Heart Challenge: Oh The Places You'll Go

Welcome to our Heart 2 Heart Challenge for this week, "Oh the Places You'll Go!" You can base it on Dr. Seuss, travel, or in any other way you can connect your artwork to this theme. Go ahead...get creative!

Having just returned from our annual Close To My Heart Convention, I decided to use this layout for this challenge. 

The layout was created as a team gift, based around the theme, "Who Tells Your Story?" It reminds me of Dr. Seuss books - a story - and will also highlight some of my favorite moments from last weekend, spent in Salt Lake City - a trip!

The circles, which make for a fun and whimsical design, were incorporated based on the logo and I worked to incorporate the same color scheme.

While I would have loved to have already placed some photos on this layout, that will have to come next weekend when I have an opportunity to catch my breath. :) The last two weeks have been fast, furious and FANTASTIC but I'm still going a mile a minute and just have not had an opportunity to get them printed...but I will! Please check back next week when I will show you the completed layout, with Flip Flaps included.

Consider linking up to us for this week's challenge, at Heart 2 Heart. Be sure to use Close To My Heart products on your creations. I cannot wait to see what you create.

Have a blessed and enjoyable week!

Stamp of the Month Blog Hop: Storybook Alphabet

Welcome to our Blog Hop where we are featuring this month's Stamp of the Month, "Storybook Alphabet." 

This fabulous alphabet stamp set contains letters with fun, whimsical designs. You can purchase it at the retail price of $17.95 or can get it for just $5 with a qualifying purchase. Find those details here. I am sure you will see different ways to color in these fun images as you check out all of the participant's artwork.

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

I used the stamp set to create some handmade pendants made with Close To My Heart's Base & Bling product line, which is soon to retire. In fact, my artwork doubled up as team gifts for those members who attended our National Convention in Salt Lake City this weekend.

To create them, I stamped the image in Black Ink, covered it with clear packing tape - so the ink wouldn't bleed, and then applied Liquid Glass to adhere the glass cover on top. Twine was added so the recipients could tie them easily onto their bags.

Here is a sample of one attached to one our exclusive Convention bags. (A full photo of the bag will be shown very soon.)

Head on over to Michelle Loncar's Blog to see what she has designed with the stamp set. I appreciate you stopping by and am always appreciative of your comments!

Happy hoppin'!