CTMH Paper Focus Blog Hop - Wanderful

If you are coming from Marianne's Blog, you are on the right track.  I happen to be the start of this Wanderful showcase.  A list of participants is provided at the bottom of the list should you want to hop around.

This month, several team members and I are showcasing the Wanderful paper packet.  I am anxious to see what the other girls created with it.  I think it is ideal for vacation layouts but I choose to use it for a card!

I love this polka dot pattern that is included as one of the B&Ts.  Actually, I think I just love most anything that is polka dot.  LOL  I kept this card rather simple, cutting three strips of equal length and layering them on some Kraft cardstock, placing them towards the top of the card.

I stamped two of the butterfly images from this, "You're Own Kind of Wonderful", stamp set and used Cocoa ink.  Using three of our ShinHan markers, I colored them in.  (You can only see two different colors but in order for me to get the Smoothie color out of the markers, I used two different colors and layered them on top of each other.  Explore with your markers when you think you don't have the right tone!)

You know I love me some dimension on my artwork, so I took some 3-D Foam Tape and placed it under the wings of both butterflies.  I also used the markers to color this heart from the Chalk It Up Assortment, also in attempt to make it coordinate with the rest of the card.  And, of course, I always have to use some bling so included it on the body of the butterfly and then after one of my favorite sayings, "Dream Big".  

I hope you like it.

Now, go check out Melissa David's artistic talent!  She is sure to impress!  We truly appreciate you stopping by!

Happy hoppin'!

This month's participants:

1. Melissa Robinson *YOU ARE HERE
2. Melissa David
3. Debi Barber
4. Aggie Peters
5. Tonya Whitehurst
6. Judy Faye Garner
7. Terry Morrow
8. Marianne Hancock

Happy Birthday!

Saturday was my hubby's birthday and we had fun celebrating over the last few days.  Of course, being an avid football fan, his birthday always falls right around the Super Bowl so that just adds to the fun!  And...my niece, Alyzae, celebrated her birthday yesterday.  Hard to believe how much time has passed since she was born.  Love that little girl!

At one of our favorites, LaHacienda Ranch.  YUM on their fajitas!

This is a fun birthday card I made using the Brushstrokes stamp set.  I loved it when I saw it in the catalog but really wondered how it would look when stamped.  Well, now I know and I love it!  It comes out so nice that one of my customers thought I had done them by hand.  Um...I'm not THAT good!  LOL

Attempting to make this more masculine, I stamped in the following colors:  Topiary, Smokey Plum, Cranberry, Dutch Blue and Outdoor Denim.  This card design would be great with any sentiment and with many combinations of colors.  I'm thinking this stamp set is going to get some good use from me.  I hope you love it as much as I do!  (The design idea came from Close To My Heart's, Make It from Your Heart Blog.)

Make it a great week!

BOGO on our Albums in February!

During the month of February (and only while supplies last), when you purchase one of our canvas albums you will be eligible to purchase a second album of your choice at half price.  That is a savings of over $17!  These albums are gorgeous and have a great feel, in both post-bound and D-ring styles.  Check out your options by clicking here.

Make sure to get your order in early to be sure you do not miss out on this fabulous offer!  You can place your order through my website. (Feel free to join one of the party's already established to contribute to that person's party total.  If you are purchasing at least $150, contact me directly so I can assign you to your own party to collect on FREE hostess rewards.)  Let me know if you have any questions regarding these albums.

Enjoy the Super Bowl!  Cheering on the Seahawks today!

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'!