In Any CASE...with Melinda & Melissa

Welcome to this episode of...

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 showcasing beautiful Christmas cards made with the  Workshop Your Way Mistletoe Wishes Cardmaking Kit. This is how they are showcased in the Idea Book on page 52. Don't they look festive and beautiful?

Did you know you get an exclusive stamp set in the kit, as well as full-color directions for assembling 12 cards, 6 each of 2 designs? You do!

The Gold Tinsel Embossing Powder makes all the difference on these greeting cards. It adds the perfect touch to these Christmas cards that are guaranteed to bring some sparkle to the holidays. 

It is not included in the main kit, so be sure to review the Additional Supplies Needed list provided through the link. 

This card was simple to create, yet draws great attention. The holly was embossed and some simple stamped images, plus Gold Glitter Gems, provided a finishing touch. 

I love the ornament on this card, stamped in Candy Apple Ink. Both the "Merry Moments" and upper portion of the ornament were embossed.

TIP: To determine where the string and bow were to be stamped, so it connected perfectly with the ornament, I used the ornament image to see how far I was going to place it from the left edge of the banner. Then, I stamped it accordingly and the rest followed.

I love the design of this card, with the "wishing you" banner going through the ornament.

Here is a close-up of the embossed image. The "tinsel" provides that glittery effect that is perfect. 

You can see the contents of this kit, including the images contained in the exclusive stamp set. 

Do you have anyone on your Christmas card list who would enjoy receiving one in their mailbox? I would!

Melinda is teaching you how to make this beautiful card using a wonderful and popular new product. You'll want to head over to Melinda's Blog to see her awesome creation!

Wishing you a great end to your week!

Have FUN with the Holiday Sparkle Shaker Cards!

Shake things up this holiday season with the Holiday Sparkle Cut Above® card kit! 

This kit contains materials for creating 12 festive shaker cards, including printed card bases, die-cut pieces, stickers, sparkly sequins, and simple assembly instructions. 

Get a 20% discount when you get the Holiday Sparkle Bundle, which pairs the card kit with the My Acrylix® Love with All the Trimmings stamp set, specially designed to further customize the insides of your cards.

These are the first two Shaker Cards I have made with the kit and new CTMH product offerings. They were super fun and super easy - a great combination, I think! 

After finishing the first card, I wish I would have stamped a sentiment in the middle of the circle. It needs a little something more, in my opinion. The one on the right is fine as is, since there are sentiments printed on the circle. I love that!

I did stamp the insides - with two separate sentiments - a bigger and a smaller one. I'll showcase that on the how-to video I do in my VIP Group in a few days! I'll demonstrate the process for assembling them and a few tips for doing so with ease. 

Wanna join me there? You can do so by clicking on this link or contact me directly. 

Hostess Bonus: Hostess Bonus: When an October party order total reaches at least the third level of Hostess Rewards, the hostess of that party qualifies for a FREE Holiday Sparkle Cut Above® Card Kit! The party must have an October Gathering date and be submitted no later than November 5, 2018. You can find those details by clicking here or I'm happy to tell you more! 

New Consultants: Anyone who signs up as a new Consultant in October will receive a Holiday Sparkle Cut Above® Card Kit ($29.95 value) in their New Consultant Kit FREE! Find details about the KIT by clicking here! I would love to have you on my team and have an extra special offer if you sign up with me this month! 

There's something special about making someone's mailbox sparkle with a handmade shaker card...from YOU! Find details about the Holiday Sparkle Card Kit/Bundle by following this link which also provides you the opportunity to place it on your order this month! 

Celebrate Nat'l Stamping Month with Us! (September Special)

Happy National Stamping Month! To celebrate, Close To My Heart has create an awesome special that results in beautiful layouts, created with ease.

Use this kit to create 13 single-page layouts! With just a few extra products, transform these beautiful pages into a functional calendar! Arrange and adhere your finished layouts to blank calendar pages, ready for you to personalize with stamping and the memories you are making.

Aren't they beautiful?! I bet they would look even better with YOUR photos!

The exclusive Memories in the Making Cut Above layout kit contains die-cut pieces and stickers for creating 13 single 12" x 12" pages you can add to a scrapbook album or use to adorn the pages of a calendar for the coming year!

The base pages are pre-printed and the additional paper pieces are pre-cut for ease of assembly. All you need is adhesive to assemble your pages!

You save the most - 30% - when you purchase a bundle that pairs the kit with this month's exclusive My Acrylix Memories in the Making stamp set and a My Creations Calendar!

As always, you can elect to buy some of these products separately, saving up to 20% when you buy them in a bundle. 

Here is a close-up of the stamp sets.

You can also receive both of the My Acrylix Memories in the Making stamp sets FREE when you sign up as a Consultant or host a qualifying party.

This kit is only available September 1-30, while supplies last.

CTMH Technique Blog Hop - Thin Cuts Craze

Welcome to our Technique Blog Hop where we are featuring artwork aligned with the theme, "Thin Cuts Craze". We are focused on incorporating Close To My Heart's Thin Cuts which are metal dies that can be used with a Cuttlebug or other diecut machines. (They come packaged on their own magnetic sheet.) We have quite a variety of Thin Cuts to choose from. You can find them all by clicking HERE. 

If you are coming from Annemarie's Blog, you are on the right track. Be sure to continue to follow the links on each blog, so you can see a variety of creations made using Thin Cuts. You can find a complete list of participants at the bottom of this post. 

I used the Silver & Gold Cardmaking Stamp Set and Thin Cuts to create my card. I love the festive ornaments and sentiments. I hope you do too!

I tend to enjoy creating Christmas cards with non-traditional colors and here is another one of those instances. Inks used: Blossom (pink), Lagoon (blue) and Willow (green). 

The three ornaments were cut using the Thin Cuts and then adhered directly to the background or applied with 3-D with Thin Foam Tape. A few Black Dots were added. 

And, while challenging to photograph, I added the Clear Shimmer Brush to the ornaments. It provides a little sparkle to them, adding a finishing touch. I love the Shimmer Brush. It is easy to work with and dries quickly.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. Be sure to continue checking out the other artwork items, leaving me a comment - if you'd like - before you do. I always enjoy hearing from you!

Head on over to Darlys Recker's Blog.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

List of Participants:
1. Melissa Robinson *YOU ARE HERE*
2. Darlys Recker
3. Debi McBain
4. Sarah Devendorf
5. Cat Nowak
6. Annemarie Julian

Disney World, Here I Come!

I am headed to Disney World today for Close To My Heart's Convention! I am looking forward to sharing in this special event with quite a few of my dear friends.

Convention officially kicks off on Thursday morning, but I am blessed to get a jump-start Wednesday when I get to spend Leadership Day with quite a few leaders on my team. I am also honored to share that I have been asked to be a presenter on Leadership Day and will take the stage for 15 minutes that day. Eek! I am so excited!

Breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen at last year's Convention in Anaheim.

I have been busy creating fun artwork for the past few weeks that will serve as team gifts so have been a little on the quiet side as far as posting new artwork is concerned. But, watch my blog over the next few days to see the fun gifts I created using our products!

Team Breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen last year during Convention at Disneyland.

Interested in joining the Close To My Heart fun?! It will be a fabulous time do so as we will get to review the newest products while in Orlando which go live to the public on August 1st. I love having that sneak peek as a Consultant. 

Feel free to ask me Consultant questions any time. I am constantly working to build my team and love how much Close To My Heart Heart has blessed and enriched my life over the almost 18 years I have been a Consultant! (I joined in October 1998.) I know you will experience the same.

Have a blessed week!

Melissa

Heart 2 Heart - Sketch

We start our first week in October with a fun sketch with Heart 2 Heart Challenges.  I love this sketch and had fun playing with it.  As always, I am looking forward to seeing everyone's interpretation of it.  It is fun to see how everyone starts in the same place but a variety of creativity is the result.

You can't help but love the new Sangria paper pack.  It is gorgeous, reminds me of Fall (for sure) an offers so much color.  I used Poppy, one of the new colors in our Enchantment Color Palette, for the card front.  The chevron pattern was used and layered on a piece of Eggplant cardstock (another new color).  Embellishments are from the Sangria Complements and Fundamental Stickers Enchantment Pack.  I couldn't leave it alone without adding Gold Sequins and Gold Shimmer Trim, of course!

Consider creating a card using this sketch and link up to Heart 2 Heart this week!  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Make It From the Heart,

Heart 2 Heart - Doodling

I am excited about this week's challenge at Heart 2 Heart, "Doodling".  I took the easy way out and headed straight for the "Doodled Designs" stamp set from Close To My Heart.  Then I needed to decide what I was going to do with it and came up with this.

The La Vie En Rose paper pack was used for the B&T and the adorable polka dot strip...yeah...it's one of the zip strips included with this paper pack.  Isn't it too fun?!  How much would you pay to have a full sheet of that beauty?!  Black and the beautiful and new cardstock, Pomegranate, were added as were some floral images stamped with Pomegranate, Pixie and Sweet Leaf.  I doodled around the floral images and "happy" using our Journaling Pen.

Images stamped are from the Hello, Life stamp sets that are part of this month's National Stamping Month promotion.  There's only 9 more days left in the month to celebrate it and get these exclusive stamp sets.

Be sure to link up to this challenge and showcase your fun creation!  It's always fun to see everyone's spin on the topic.  Thank you for joining us at Heart 2 Heart!

Have one awesome week!