Just for Fun Blog Hop

Hello and Welcome to our special blog hop featuring this month's Just for Fun promotion.  This is such an awesome promotion - saving 30 to 40% off on some of Close to My Heart's most versatile products.  This hop features Close to My Heart consultants sharing their ideas on how you can use CTMH's Fundamentals line in your own creative work.

This is a circular hop - so if you have come from Kathy Burrows' blog, then you are headed in the right direction.  Click on the link at the bottom of this page to continue onto the next blog.

I have made SO many gorgeous layouts using the Fundamentals Basics set. The frame layer is the NEW Charcoal cardstock from the Basics Cardstock Combo Pack. I love the Pebble floral paper from the Fundamentals paper pack, which I used in the background.  I used a strip from the reverse side on the layout as well.  The silver embellishments and scalloped trim are from the Better Together Complements set. The pretty floral die cuts come from Falling for You Scrapbooking Stamp and Die Cut set, and coloured with the Shin Han Touch Twin Alcohol Markers.

Now, hop on over to Cat Nowak's blog and check out what she has made to inspire you!

Until we scrap again,

Emily

Holidays - Cross Canada Blog Hop

WELCOME to our November Cross Canada Blog Hop - featuring products that we have made for the holidays. We hope that you will take the time to leave comments on our posts, as we love to get feedback from our viewers....whether it was something that you really liked or some new technique that was used that you would like to learn how to do....by leaving us comments, we get to hear what you like, and what you want to see. Thank you… now on to our hop!

If you have just hopped onto my blog, you can start here as this is a circular hop, but if you want to follow us across Canada then please start at the beginning at Michelle's blog . If you came from Nicky's blog, then you are in the right place! 

For my club this month, we made gift tags - using a variety of current and retired CTMH products.  Some of these tags were cut using the fantastic Thin Cuts - Basic Tags set. Others were cut using the Cricut using a variety of cartridges.

The following current stamp sets were used: 

D1746 Christmas Borders

D1744 Season of Sweetness

C1692 The Thought that Counts
Z3378 Gingerbread Friends

M1182 Mistletoe Kisses

Your next stop on the Cross Canada Hop is Janet's blog. 

Thanks for hopping along with us - we hope we were able to inspire you to get creative using some of the designs, products and techniques seen along the way. We hope you will join us again next month when we will be featuring our Holiday Celebrations. So mark December 15th on your calendars and hop along with us.

Until we scrap again,

Emily

Holiday Card Blog Hop

Hello and Welcome to a special Holiday Card blog hop this month! 

In this hop, Close to My Heart consultants will be sharing their holiday card ideas with you, using products currently available from CTMH.  This is a circular blog hop, so click on the link at the end of this page to 'hop' along and see what the next consultant has in store for you:)  If you've come from Michele Rowley's blog, then you are headed in the right direction.

This was a very simple card, and in real life it is quite pretty!  I love the sparkle in the shimmer trim and embossing powder.  I started by running Cranberry cardstock through the Buffalo Plaid embossing folder - which is just one of my current favourite products - and only available until December 31st!  For the sentiment, I used the very pretty Frosted Christmas stamp set.  It was hard to photograph, but I actually used a blend of white and gold embossing powders, which created a really neat effect. I just trimmed the card out with white and gold baker's twine and black shimmer trim.  

Now, hop on over and see what Brenda Lapp has in store for you.

Until we scrap again,

Emily

More Watercolour Roses

OK - so I REALLY liked making that pretty little watercolour card with the embossed roses... and so I couldn't help but make another one...

I channelled my inner Jennifer McGuire in creating the white embossed sentiment on the black cardstock.  Again, this card uses Close to My Heart's Rose Embossing Folder and Watercolour Paint set.

Until we scrap again:)

Emily

November Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to our November Stamp of the Month Blog Hop for 'Through the Year'.  This blog hop features Close to My Heart Consultants sharing projects that they have made with this stamp set.  This is a circular hop, so just follow the link at the end of each blog post to 'hop' along and see what the next consultant has in store for you on their blog. If you have come here from Corinna Murphy's blog, then you are headed in the right direction.  This month, we have 21 consultants participating in the hop, so lots of inspiration!

I actually just wanted to recreate the cute layout in our blog badge above - isn't that a fantastic layout!?!  However, I did come up with my own creation - even though, if I am honest, I wasn't quite sure how I would use this stamp set in a layout at first.  This is was a rare layout for me, in that I totally just designed it as I went, and didn't really have a solid plan when I started.  In the end, I decided that it would be perfect for creating a background.  I was really keen to use some of the cute images and papers that I had leftover from the Beary Christmas Workshop Your Way Kit, along with the PML cards.  I started by stamping the 'December' word on our new Pebble cardstock with Pebble Ink for a tone on tone look.  I added the stars with Glacier Ink.  I really liked how soft this background was. 

Then to pick a layout, and for that, I headed over to Pinterest and found a cute layout that I had pinned by ScrapwithSue.  I wanted to use the "Oh Dear, Christmas is Coming" PML card with the little deer as my title, as we always have lots of pre-Christmas preparation photos - and this layout will be perfect for that.  The 'Cranberry' strip of paper was embossed using the Buffalo Plaid embossing folder.  I polished it off with some of the Beary Christmas complements.

It's time to hop on over and see what Michele Rowley has created for you.

Until we scrap again,

Emily

Share a Smile Blog Hop

Welcome to our Share a Smile Blog Hop!  We will be featuring the special Punny Pals Stamp Set, which is sold to raise funds for Operation Smile - a charitable organization which provides cleft palate repairs for children in need.   To further support this charitable project, in October, there are special Thin Cuts and Cardmaking Bundles available only this month!   If you have come here from Priscilla's blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  

This month we have 20 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this special Operation Smile Stamp Set and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

Since I mostly scrapbook, I could imagine all kinds of fun ways to use this cute set, but I chose a simple design that really highlighted the cute little critters.  I designed this layout on Cricut Design Space, cutting out the heart template on my Cricut Explore, and then tracing it onto my layout.  From there, I stamped my kids' favourite little Punny Pals into the heart, and coloured them using my Shin Han Touch Twin alcohol markers.  Of course I added some shimmer to each critter too with the Shimmer Brush. The title "You are my Sunshine" is from the Falling for You Stamp and Thin Cuts bundle.  

Now "Hop" on over to Krista Hershberger's blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the special Share a Smile bundles are only available until October 31st!  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!

Until we scrap again :)

Emily

Watercolour card

Hello fellow creators:)

I made a fun little project today that I wanted to share with you.  It was a little time consuming (took me about 45 minutes), but it was relaxing and fun, and I just love how it turned out.

This card was actually very easy to do - and now that I have practiced this technique once, I think I am going to have to follow up with a layout using the same technique.

I used the new rose embossing folder and watercolour paints.   The sentiment was made using the retired Z3301 Hello Lovely Cardmaking Stamp and Thin Cuts set.

Until we scrap again:)
Emily