Sparkle & Shine! Blog Hop

Posted on August 15, 2019

Welcome to our “Sparkle & Shine” blog hop! There are many ways to add some sparkle and shine to your crafty projects, and we’ve gathered 16 talented Close To My Heart Consultants to provide you with some inspiration. If you are joining me from Judy Faye Garner’s blog, you are on the right track. Remember, a blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way around.

Adding Sparkle & Shine to turn a plain card into a “WOW” card!

What’s Missing?

The August Stamp of the Month (S1908 From Me to You) pairs perfectly with the cute critters from Wild & Punny (D1865). I made this cute card featuring the Craft On paper. It’s fine, but it just didn’t feel complete.

Adding Some Bling!

This is where I started adding some Sparkle & Shine in the form of the Crafty Loose Sequins! Again, it’s a cute card, but I wasn’t quite satisfied. I decided to start over and add even more bling.

Shh…Sneak Peek!

This time around, I colored my cute critter with the new alcohol markers we will be launching next month! I love how they blend and can’t wait to share more with you on September 1. Until then…mums the word. To add a little more bling to this little guy, I covered the stripes with Liquid Glass using the Fine Tip Applicator (Z4089). When it dries, it creates a shiny embossed area.

Putting It All Together

For this card, I used Lilac cardstock and ink. Since it is a fairly pale purple, I wanted to make it pop by adding a little more Sparkle & Shine in the form of Black Glitter Paper (Z3236)!

Notice how the added layers make the card feel more finished. I also added some Sparkle & Shine to the sequins by putting Clear and Bitty Sparkles into the centers.

I’m now happy with this card thanks to some Sparkle & Shine and am ready to move on to my next project! I hope you enjoyed the walk through my process. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions on ways to improve the card in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

Now it’s time to head on over to Wendy Kessler’s blog!

March 2019 SOTM Blog Hop — This Happened

Posted on March 1, 2019

in Cards, CTMH, SOTM

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Welcome to the March 2019 SOTM Blog Hop!

Welcome to the March 2019 Stamp of the Month Blog Hop. This month, 22 Close To My Heart consultants are featuring This Happened (S1903), which is a fantastic set of 26 stamps perfectly suited for scrapbooking. If you are coming here from Michelle Johns’ blog, you are on the right track. The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way around. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s blog.

This Happened SOTM Card?

“Amy,” you may be saying, “you just said this set is perfectly suited for scrapbooking. Why are you showing us a card?” Well, my crafty friends, I like to think outside-of-the-box and try to create something unexpected. In this case, I cut up the “Love This” sentiment and the “Take Note” banner to create my own “Love Note” sentiment. I also stamped my own background using one of the small icons from the SOTM. I hope you will never feel boxed in by the “theme” of a stamp set or paper collection.

Get Your SOTM Today

Remember that the This Happened (S1903) SOTM is only available until March 31, 2019. Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!

Keeping Hopping Along the SOTM Blog Hop

Now hop on over to Megan Lawrence’s blog to see her artwork! Be sure to visit all the blogs and leave some love along the way in the form of comments.

I’m back with loads of CTMH goodness to share!

Posted on September 10, 2017

in Cards, Cricut, CTMH, SOTM

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I’ve been missing in action since April and have so much to share! Since then, I submitted my National Boards, finished my first year of teaching AP Computer Science Principles, attended the CTMH Convention, saw a total solar eclipse, walked over 150 miles with my husband, worked on several online Web Design courses, took a tap dancing class, and made a lot of swap cards. I probably should have taken some time to document all these adventures along the way, but I didn’t really come up for air. Now the new school year has started and I’m really feeling the time crunch. Even so, I got off to a great start blogging this year, and I really do want to continue that, so here goes.

September 2017 Stamp of the Month

I’m a fan of the September SOTM, Feel So Blessed. Here is the first card I created with it. I used the new color of the year, Bashful, along with the new Rose embossing folder. I have to admit that it has been awhile since I’ve done heat embossing, and I managed to run my finger through the letters before they were dry. I’m sure I’ll do better next time. LOL!

I can’t wait to see what you create with this awesome stamp set. It will be perfect for my November gratitude journal!

New Cricut Collections

Calling all Cricut fans…CTMH knocked it out of the park with 4 new Cricut collections. That’s right, four! The You Are Here Cricut Collection contains everything from travel to staycation images. It is really fun…and the stamp sets are fantastic! Here are a couple swap cards I created with them.

The other three digital-only country collections are Hello USA, Hello Canada, and Hello AU/NZ!

Wow! It is really late and I have so much to share. Looks like I’ll have to make another post, so be sure to subscribe to my feed so you receive an email when I make the next post.

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April 2017 Stamp of the Month

Posted on April 2, 2017

in Cards, CTMH, SOTM

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April is here and that means a new Stamp of the Month! This one is a throw back to growing up with the Partridge Family reruns. In fact, I saw another consultant create an adorable card using the blocks from the bus. I need to find it again, because it was totally scraplift worthy! 🙂

SOTM Card Folio

I was inspired by another consultant, Cassie Ingersoll, who created a really cute card folio last month. I recently taught it at a workshop in my home. Here is the folio that I created with papers from Some Kinda Wonderful. I did some paper piecing on the front cover, but everything else was stamped and colored with ShinHan Markers.

In addition to using the SOTM, I used a couple sentiments from the Flower Market stamp set. I kept the cards simple and easy for mailing, so only embellished with the Black & White Dots since they are nice and flat.

I’ll link the rest of the cards below. I also took a photo during the construction of the pouches for the cards. I used the Base & Bling Adhesive Strips which are currently on sale in the Clearance section of my website! That adhesive is really strong and is perfect for 3D projects like this.

Don’t forget that you can get this stamp set for $5 with a $50 purchase or for $17.95, but it is only available in April. If you purchase the set from me, I’ll send you the instructions for creating this folio with 6 cards!

Join My Team and Get a Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book

The new Idea Book doesn’t go live to customers until May 1st, but, if you join my team today, not only will I send you a copy of the Seasonal Expressions 2, you’ll also be able to order from it immediately! Contact me for more details.

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There’s Nobunny Like You

Posted on February 3, 2017

in Cards, Cricut, CTMH, SOTM

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February 2017 Stamp of the Month

I’m having such a fun time creating cards using little critter stamp sets lately. As soon as I saw the new Seasonal Expressions Idea Book at the launch event for consultants back in December, I knew that I had to get this stamp of the month. I feel equally excited about the April SOTM, as well! Okay, I admit to already purchasing the March SOTM, too…it isn’t critters, but it is adorable!

I designed this card in Cricut Design Space. Yes, I seriously miss Studio J, but Design Space has quickly become my go to design tool for both cards and scrapbook pages. I like the opportunity it provides for creativity and outside-the-box thinking. For instance, I knew I wanted my little bunny to be standing in grass. The stamp set comes with a cute stamp for grass, but I decided to use the grass from the Artbooking Cricut Collection. Since it only comes in a small strip, I welded it to a square and then sliced the whole thing so that it would fit on the background cardstock.

The Whimsy Fundamentals paper collection is so perfect for this card. Here is a list of all the products I used on this card. As of the writing of this blog post, some of the inks are listed as out of stock, but they should be available mid-February.

Cricut Design Space File (my GIFT to you!)
S1702 Easter Bunny SOTM
Whimsy Fundamentals
Canary Cardstock & Ink
Glacier Cardstock & Ink
Sweet Leaf Ink
Memento Tuxedo Black Ink
Watercolor Pencils
Blending Pen

February Tool Tip–Blending Pen

Have you ever used the Blending Pen? If not, I highly recommend it. On this card, I stamped the bunny onto White Daisy cardstock in Memento Black and colored the image with the Watercolor Pencils. The Blending Pen blends the colors together to allow for shading and smooth colors. It makes the coloring process really easy, because I don’t have to worry about covering the entire surface with the pencils or try to hide pencil lines. The Blending Pen will smooth it all out!

Painting with Ink

It gets even better…you can use the blending pen with your inks, as well. Regardless if you have the new or old pads, you can simply squeeze the lid to transfer ink onto the inside cover. Then use a variety of tools to paint with the ink. The Blending Pen and Shimmer Brush don’t need water, but the Waterbrush and Paintbrush Set may depending on the look you are going for. You can also add drops of Re-inker into the lid!

Let me know when you have used this tool tip! I would love to see whatever you create.

Join My Team in February!

So, here I’ve been going on and on about the wonderful Stamps of the Month, so I figured I better let you in on how you can get your own sets for FREE! Join my team in February and you will earn all three sets for FREE (that’s $53.85 in retail value)! Did you know that you now can host a party (in person or online) and use your hostess rewards to pay for your new consultant kit? Ask me for more information.

Also, former consultants can sign up for only $50 this month with a no kit option. You will still receive the $50 in SPC and the FREE Stamps of the Month! Talk about a great deal. I can’t wait to have you on my team!

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Earn 4 Free SOTM!

Posted on April 8, 2013

in CTMH, SOTM

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If you have been thinking about joining my team, April is the month to do it. As a new consultant, you will receive all of the remaining stamps of the month for this Idea Book for FREE! That’s a $71.80 value plus shipping and tax are FREE! So, a $49 kit will get you over $200 in product…plus, you can order anything else you want at a 22% discount. Can you see why I love this company?!