"Family Gathering" - Blog with Friends

Thank you for stopping by my blog today where I join a few blogging friends to share some fun topics around the theme of "Family Gathering".

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and with that brings many family gatherings and hopefully, some special moments. While the photos are great, scrapbooking those memories is what is most important.



I have created this layout to share with you; perfect for this occasion.

The fall colors and elements allow you to reflect on what you are most grateful for, with space to document the details of the photos you choose to include. I will be adding some photos to this layout once Thanksgiving arrives.

And...surely you can appreciate some handmade greeting cards you can sent to a family member who is on your mind this time of the year.

This card, with the colors used, is perfect for Fall. I especially love the three words used. I am thankful, grateful and blessed for many things in my life!

There are many needs for thank you cards. Do you sent them anymore? I know that effort has gone by the wayside for many, but I'm thankful I continue to send them out, providing some hand-created happy in someone's mailbox.

If you are interested in virtual scrapbook or card classes, contact me directly or post a comment. I would be happy to help you, whether you're an expert or novice.

Preserving your memories or making handmade cards is fun; let me show you how! Have questions? Let me know!

(The two individual card photos are not mine. I will be replacing them with my own when I return home later in the week. Those in the top image are those I created by hand.)

Keep reading below, and follow the links, to some friends who have some great content to share! 

Karen of Baking in a Tornado
Use holiday leftovers (or start from scratch), Thanksgiving Croquettes are an easy and delicious meal incorporating all of the flavors of the holiday.

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade

Turkey soup - Holiday leftovers and memories of family gatherings 

Lydia of Cluttered Genius

Over the holiday season, we travel to family gatherings a lot! That leads to sleepy kids. This travel pillow will keep them comfy while they snooze.

Jules of the Bergham Chronicles

Some advice to Gigi about family gatherings

Have a blessed week!

In Any CASE...with Melinda & Melissa

Join us twice a month as we CASE, “Copy And Selectively Edit”, artwork created by the Art Department of Close To My Heart as showcased in the current Idea Books and our Make It From Your Heart How-To Books.

On the 2^nd and 4^th Thursday of each month, at 7 pm CST, we will direct you towards a piece of art and recreate it using the exact products or others that compliment its initial design. Tips, techniques and assembly directions will be shared in detail to help you recreate them on your own.

As you reproduce the items we have shared, post them on social media using the hashtag #ctmhinanycase. We will randomly search that hashtag and reward those who CASE our items. Winners will be announced on our blogs so be sure to follow us!

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I have been eyeing this card and finally took the plunge to create it and I'm so glad I did! It's quick and simple to put together but has great visual appeal! Better yet, it takes small pieces of paper so you can easily use your scraps!

Here is the sketch that provides the dimension of the paper pieces, for easy recreation.

I used just the Fern ink pad - first and second generation - to get the two hues of green. Saffron is the yellow color used.

For the butterfly, I stamped it, in Archival Black ink, on White Daisy cardstock. Then, I colored it with one shade of orange from our Watercolor Pencils. To blend the pencil coloring, I used the Clear Shimmer Brush Pen.

I tried to reflect that shimmer in the photo. I love the subtle but added touch it provides.

This is a video that shows you, in quick-time, how I created this card. ENJOY!

This is the wonderful stamp set, Grateful Heart - Cardmaking, I used. I love it. It is one of my favorites and truly could be used for many greeting cards.

Go check out this cute card Melinda has created to share with you this week! She is my partner in CASEing and there is no doubt you'll love what she has to tell you!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Be sure to tag your CASEd artwork with #ctmhinanycase. We search social media to see if you are joining the fun, plus, we have prizes to give!

Enjoy the end to your week!

Thanks & Giving - October SOTM Blog Hop

Welcome to this month's Stamp of the Month Blog Hop where we are highlighting this fun and seasonal stamp set, "Thanks & Giving".

This set comes with 17 images, perfect for this time of the year. While it is a D-size stamp set, valued at $18.95, you can get it for $5, in October only, when you place an order of $50 or more. You can find those details here.

If you are coming from Amy's Blog, you are on the right track. You can find a complete list of participants through this link, if you were to get lost along the way.

This card. I love it and hope you do as well. To me it's simple and soothing; perfect for the Fall. Thankfully we have experienced a touch of cooler weather, and rain, over the last week or so.

I did fussy-cut the heart and leaf images. The leaves were stamped with Fern Ink and then I used the waterbrush pen to obtain ink from the ink pad to color them in.

The heart pattern is the Zip Strip from one of the sheets of patterned paper contained within the Grateful Heart paper pack. I love the accent that it provides for finishing off this card, along with the White & Gold Skinny Ribbon and Gold Glitter Gems. The Fern polka dot paper is from the pack.

Circle Stitched Thin Cuts were used, on Ballerina cardstock, underneath the focal point. Thin 3-D foam tape was added for dimension.  

Cardstock colors used are Pomegranate and Ballerina, one of our new colors.

I know I have many things to be thankful for, even when life may throw a curve ball my way. I pray the same is true for you and that when life gets tough, you can take a moment to reflect on the positives.

Head on over to Cat's Blog. She is sure to inspire you. She always does so for me.

Wishing you a season of blessings and papercrafting!

In Any CASE...with Melinda & Melissa

Join us twice a month as we CASE, “Copy And Selectively Edit”, artwork created by the Art Department of Close To My Heart as showcased in the current Idea Books and our Make It From Your Heart How-To Books.

On the 2^nd and 4^th Thursday of each month, at 7 pm CST, we will direct you towards a piece of art and recreate it using the exact products or others that compliment its initial design. Tips, techniques and assembly directions will be shared in detail to help you recreate them on your own.

As you reproduce the items we have shared, post them on social media using the hashtag #ctmhinanycase. We will randomly search that hashtag and reward those who CASE our items. Winners will be announced on our blogs so be sure to follow us!

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Today I am CASEing this beautiful card from page 45 of the Holiday Expressions Idea Book. Don't have a hard copy? You can view a digital copy online or you can get one FREE with an order! Contact me with questions. 

Do you see the stitching?! Yes I did include it and love how it turned out! Did I use a sewing machine? Nope, I sure didn’t! I used our Stitch Guide – IN THE CLEARANCE SECTION, while supplies last – and a PiercingTool to make the holes in the cardstock. Then I took a needle and some of our Silver Embellishing Thread to stitch through them as shown. Pretty fun, right?!

To add some texture to that top gray strip, I stamped the arrow image repeatedly in Charcoal ink from the related stamp set shown here. The butterfly image came from the stickers included with the Grateful Heart Complements. While I don’t have the new Cork Images just yet, I included some hearts that are from a retired package (and also available in the Clearance Section). 

As you can see, on the original artwork, there is a little bit of color behind the sentiment. They used the Mint Shimmer Brush to add it. I don’t own that color yet but it’s on my next order! I chose, at this time, to use the Watercolor Paints to add the splash of color. 

I love the simplicity of this card design which allows you to use scraps of paper, besides the main patterned piece in the background. I can see great potential for it!

My partner in CASEing, Melinda, is taking this week off but will back with us next week! You are always welcome to check out the artwork she shares on her blog.

When you CASE artwork from us or CTMH, please be sure to tag it with #ctmhinanycase, on social media. We would love to send you a goodie for doing so! 

Wishing you a great end to your work week! 

South of the Border: Heart 2 Heart Challenge

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge where our theme is "South of the Border".
You can feature borders or create artwork with a south-of-the-border flair.

To join us in the fun, simply head to the Heart 2 Heart Blog and link up on the bottom of the related challenge. We love to see your artwork and hope you'll participate! Be sure to incorporate Close To My Heart products in your creation.

With Close To My Heart having just released new products - which you can view here - I was excited to incorporate a few of them to include:

➡ The Stiched Borders stamp set! I stamped it in Espresso ink and can't wait to show you more fun stuff to create with it!

➡ The gorgeous Grateful Heart paper pack! Isn't that pattern paper beautiful?

➡ And what about that adorable sentiment? You'll not find it on my website as it's only obtained by Consultants. However, if you are a member of one of my Hostess Clubs, or host a party with me (in-person or virtual/catalog), I will happily send you one as a thank you. It will include a handmade item made with the stamp.

The image was stamped in Archival Black Ink so I could add some watercolor to the image. (It's what doesn't allow the ink to bleed.) I also added a little bit of Liquid Glass to the heart.

Join our Heart 2 Heart Challenge and inspire us with your creativity! I can't wait to see what you have to share!