Welcome September- SOTM Blog Hop

Hi everyone!  Welcome to my blog and to the September edition of the Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month blog hop!

This month many creative CTMH consultants from Canada, the US and Australia and New Zealand have created some amazing artwork with the Paper Garden stamp set!

If you have come from LORI'S blog, you are in the right place.  The hop is a big circle, but if you get lost, please head back to MELINDA'S BLOG, and you will find a list of all the hoppers!

This beautiful set with nine stamps is perfect for cards, pages and mixed media like art journals!

I opted to create a Bokeh effect sympathy card using this lovely set:

I used the colour palette and papers from the Zoe paper pack - so versatile for many uses!  There are many more creative uses of this stamp set ahead!  If you would like to purchase this set, it is available in the month of September only for $6.00 CAD with your purchase of $50.  Please contact your CTMH consultant or go here for more information.

Now please hop on to NANCY'S blog for more ideas on how to use this beautiful set!  And thanks for joining us for the September Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

A New Month and TWO New Idea Books!

Welcome September!  For me it is the season of crafting - I love the autumn holidays - Thanksgiving, Halloween and Christmas just around the corner!  And Close to My Heart has released TWO brand new idea books filled to the brim with crafty goodness!

The Annual Inspirations Idea Book is our yearly catalogue - so many great products to choose from and so many wonderful new paper lines and even a new Instalife line that is completely adorable!!

Our Holiday Expressions book is full of seasonal offerings that are ready for all of your fall and winter paper crafting!  I LOVE everything!  Please check out both catalogues online HERE!

If you are in Victoria area, please come and check out my Open House on September 19 - lots of  opportunity to see all the new products, enter my giveaways, and book your own in person or online gathering!  Let me show you and your friends how to make the most of these great new products!!

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #120

I am on vacation from work, and sticking close to home this year.  That means time to play in  my scrap room and do some challenges that I don't often have time to do when I am at work full time!

Today's challenge is the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #120 - here is the sketch:

It is a great sketch - clean and simple, and although I initially was thinking a card, I thought I would use it for a layout instead!  Here is my finished project - I am slowly (very slowly) working my way through all of my New York adventure photos!

Still loving the Zoe paper and embellishments!  Check out the challenge HERE, and try it out!

Zoe Love

There is a new girl in town and her name is Zoe!  Well, not exactly a girl, but a great new line from CTMH called Zoe!  Brand new and available now, I am having a great time using it on layouts, cards and more!

I created a double layout with some photos of my eating adventures in Harlem, from our New York trip last May:

I love the versatility and I also loved using the newest Cricut cartridge, called Artistry!  It is also available now!

I also did a single layout with some photo booth photos taken in Seattle with my girls!

Check out the newest releases on my website and watch for a few more sneak peeks before the launch of the Annual Inspirations Idea Book and Holiday Expressions books on September 1st!  

August Stamp of the Month Blog Hop is here!

Happy August and welcome to this edition of the Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! 

If you have come from  DONNA'S BLOG, then you are in the right place!  The hop is a big circle, but if you get lost along the way, simply head to MELINDA'S BLOG to find a list of all of this month's participants!

This month we are featuring the "Framed" stamp set:

This awesome set is great for all your cardmaking needs, and as a bonus, it is compatible with the newly available Cricut Artistry cartridge!

I decided to go sweet and simple with this set - making four different cards out of four of our retiring paper collections (get them only until the end of August)!  The card pattern is the same, but with different sentiments and paper selections they are similar, yet different!

Here they are on their own:

Blossom collection

Confetti Wishes

Jackson

Snowhaven

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Now head on over to LAUREN'S BLOG to see what she has created for you!  The Framed SOTM is only available during the month of August for just $5.00 with your $50 purchase, so check with your CTMH consultant, or go HERE to purchase yours!

Happy August!

I am so happy to welcome August - because along with some vacation time, there are a whole host of sneak peeks to share, and some brand new products to get my creativity flowing!

First - a new Cricut cartridge called Artistry! Perfect for scrapbooks and cards, it comes with the newest colours of cardstock and 3 great coordinating stamp sets! See it here and order yours today!

Also available is a new collection called Zoe:

Love this versatile collection - watch for a blog post later this week to see some layouts I have done with this!

Check back later today for a fresh post that features the August Stamp of the Month called Framed - I used some of the collections that are still available, but only for a few  more short weeks!  A new Annual Inspirations and Holiday Expressions will be available beginning September 1!  So stay tuned for all the details on some great new products!!

Waiting and Creating!

With just 12 short days before the August reveal of the newest CTMH paper pack and accessories AND the newest Cricut cartridge, I am waiting not so patiently for my order of the the new products! 

Also being delivered will be my new Annual Inspirations Idea Book for 2015-16 PLUS the new Holiday Expressions Idea Book!!!  I love new products, but I also love the many wonderful things still available ( but only for a limited time!!).  So while I am waiting, I am getting busy creating some layouts with what I have on hand!  (Imagine that!! Using up the stash!)

Here is layout number 1- using Confetti Wishes and some leftovers from the May special (Taste of Summer):

I love how Emily can change her hair colour and look amazing every time!!!  Her individuality 

really shines through in this collection of selfies!!

Next layout is from an older photo of Josh and I - the colours were perfect for the 

Taste of Summer papers from May's special!

I love the stamp set I used in these two layouts - it is called Documenting Moments, 

and is available for just $19.75.

Finally, I used the Jackson Paper Pack to make some 3x4 cards and then used them on the

 double layout below:

It's always good to use up my stash!!  And now I won't feel guilty when the new catalogues are full of all kinds of paper goodness that I will be ordering!!  Stay tuned for some sneaks and reveals over the next little while - so many great things coming our way from Close to My Heart!!