Pumpkin Spice Everything...

'Tis the season for Pumpkin Spice... in and on everything. After so many years, it's sort of annoying.
but I digress. I just wanted to use it as a title. lol

Pardon my late posting, I was in Florida at the beginning of the month, visiting family on the east coast. They are all safe, as are their neighbors. I was delayed getting home to my northern climes by a couple days, but it gave me the chance to help put the house shutters up before Matthew came to visit. Being an area watching all the hurricane prep was an interesting experience, and I continue to keep all of you who live in the hurricane belt in my thoughts.

Meanwhile, the month moved on and I neglected getting things updated here. eep. October has brought a new Stamp of the Month, Yuletide Joy (see the SoTM page and pic to the side), and a thrilling option for hostesses interested in signing on as a consultant.

For October - you can apply your Hostess Rewards to your consultant kit! See all the details here!  And I would love to have you on my team.

A sampling from the consultant kit.

Of course, being a hostess has always been a fabulous way to earn free products from Close to my Heart. Look at all the rewards you can get.... FREE! Being a hostess is easy, you can even have a gathering online, rather than in-home. Leave me a comment below

Big news! ALL - yes ALL the ink colors are now available in the New ink pad design! If you have been holding off buying ink-pads waiting for that great new magnetic inkpad... wait no more! At least pick up the Black. You will love it, I promise!

AND... I almost forgot this... The Happy Happy Christmas Album Bundle (say that five times fast, I dare you!). As if an album, protectors, cardstock, complements, Picture My Life cards, and My Crush pages... plus instructions on how to create five 2-page layouts for the album weren't enough. On top of that, there are instructions on how to create extra projects using the leftover materials. There are two album kits, one for post bound, and one for D-ring. links below, as well as the list of items for the extra projects.

Happy, Happy Christmas Album Bundle (Post Bound) - CC1180 - $69.95

Happy, Happy Christmas Album Bundle (D-Ring) - CC1179 - $69.95

Purchase one or more of the products below, and then follow the instructions to use your leftover supplies from the layouts to create even more Christmas crafts! 

• Designed Décor Red Magnetic Chalkboard (Z2006) • Display Tray (Z1750)• 5" × 7" Hinged Display Tray (Z1838)• Everyday Life™ Sea Glass Album Bundle (CC1181)

That's it for now, still trying to dig out of luggage (I hate unpacking as much as I hate packing), I always overpack! I'll create something to post this weekend....

Just Crazy Blessed Team Blog Hop - Uptown & All About the Gold Fundamentals

Welcome to the Just Crazy Blessed Team Blog Hop!!! Thanks for joining us today! All of August and September, we are showing products from the new Close to My Heart Annual Inspirations catalog. I hope you enjoy this little peek at our creations.

This blog hop is a great big circle so you can start wherever you want and continue through to see all the wonderful artwork incorporating the week's theme, by clicking the next or previous buttons at the end of this post. If you are coming from XXX's Blog, you are on the right track!

This week we are highlighting  the "Uptown" and "All about the Gold" Fundamentals. 

The "All About the Gold" Fundamentals is an amazing set of 6 see-through overlays with gold foil designs. They make a great contrast to the black and white of the Uptown set. When you turn them over, they show silver through the plastic, and that makes a nice complement to either the black or the whisper side of the Uptown papers. 

The "Uptown" Fundamentals are some great basics to have in your stash. Three in black and white on one side, and Whisper and white on the other, and one in gold foil and white stripe. There are also two vellums in the pack; one with a subtle white diagonal, and the other with a gold confetti pattern (when you turn it over, it looks silver). You get two of each pattern for 12 sheets in the pack.

 I created a simple Thank You card with the Uptown paper pack using the My Acrylix "All the Thanks" stamp set. Another great basic to have on hand. Four different, simple Thank Yous, perfect for any occasion, from gifts, to thanking someone for house-sitting.

I made this card as an idea for use as a thank you after a long visit. I used the whisper side of the word background paper, then used the journaling pen to fill in two of the words, to make them stand out. It took a steady hand, and patience. :)

The products used to make this card:

White Cards and Envelopes, value pack (50) - X254 - $14.95

Black cardstock - 24 sheet pack - 1386 - $14.50

Uptown Fundamentals - Z3263 - $14.95

All the Thanks My Acrylix stamps - B1536 - $9.95

Journaling Pen - Z1979 - $3.25

Thank you for joining us on the blog hop!

If you would like to know more about the special this month at Close to My Heart, please continue to scroll down. If you would like to continue on, please use the buttons below to continue on the Just Crazy Blessed Blog Hop. I hope you enjoy what Janna has to share next!

There's only a few more days to get the Basically the Best Deal on Close to My Heart's New Fundamentals Paper Packs - 

If you take advantage of the above deal, you qualify for the Stamp of the Month, Purrfect Halloween, for only $5

Happy New Year! (Close to My Heart Style)

I can't believe it's AUGUST already! 

On one hand, I have been looking forward to it, because I have family visiting in a couple weeks (YAY!), and this is a relatively slow time at work. AND, the new Close to My Heart Annual Inspirations catalog is released! (squeals of joy are heard around the world!)

The new Fundamentals Paper packs are wonderful, the colors (look at the Adventure Combo) are so vibrant, well, I run out of superlatives when I try to describe the changes. I'll be showing these things in posts to come.

On the other hand... summer is practically over, back to school sales have already started, the last of the summer tourists have poured into Maine, and there's only one month left to the Spring/Summer Seasonal Expressions mini catalog.

This little booklet is filled with some amazing paper packs and stamp sets. I will be sorry to see them go (and glad I have them in my stash to use later - might be hoarding the paper for a while though, lol).

I've been itching to create with the Florence paper pack. This is a vibrant, boho sort of theme. Floral, rich tones, I just love it! So far, I have created 6 scrapbook pages, and 5 cards. I still have TONS of paper and most of the PML cards left, and still not sure what all I will do with it. Probably more cards, I love cards. So here are the pictures:

I experimented with wavy line doodles around my photo place holders. I don't think I will do that again. :) They do not seem to photograph well. (The straight line doodles look nicer in general and more consistent.)

The "Brilliant" and the little rose gold embossed heart (hard to see the metallic embossing in this photo), are from the Florence Complements Assortment. It's also hard to see in this photo the pretty Rose Gold foil tape. All the embellishments I used come in the Florence Workshops Your Way Kit.

"Genuine", another word from the Complements Assortment. You can also see a couple of the Florence Sequins up in the corner, they are in really rich tones for sequins!

More of the Complements package, Little flowers, and word pointers, There are those sequins again!

I hear you - Enough with the peeks already! Let's see the full pages!

The picture does not do the color justice - I have GOT to get a better spot to take photos, I apologize. But at least you get a look at the layout scheme. The layout itself is from one of Close to My Heart's wonderful pattern books. "Make if From Your Heart" Volumes 1 & 2 offer some great scrapbook layout and card patterns guide you into using their papers and embellishments. With all the measurements, and photos of finished page options as well.

Another layout from one of the Make it From Your Heart books. On both of the above layouts, I have altered the original layout pattern to add more photos, more journaling boxes. I haven't finished adding embellishments from the Florence Complements Assortment,sometimes I find that hard to do without the photos in place first.

I'll post the cards and third layout in a week or two. We are smack in the middle of repainting/reflooring part of our house, and doing all the furniture moving and DIY work while working full time etc, etc... well - we put it off only due to a humidity wave, but with family visit impending, it can no longer wait (the guest room is filled with furnishings).

The Products I used in my layouts (some not shown yet):
Workshops Your Way Florence Scrapbooking Kit - G1107 - $26.95
Whisper Cardstock, 2 sheets - X5929 - $14.50 (24 sheets) (always good to have on hand)
                                            - or X5933 Basics Combo $14.50  (2 sheets each color)


Future projects will also include:
White Daisy Cards & Envelopes Value Pack - X254 - $14.50 (50 Cards/Envelopes)

If you would like to order these or other products, please visit my Close to My Heart Online Business Address (OBA). Be sure you log in, or create an account, your shopping will be much easier, and you can save your shopping cart if you need to come back later and finish your order. You will also get the monthly email newsletter from Close to My Heart (if you choose to).

Lastly for today, the Stamp of the Month! Can't forget that. August's SoTM is SO cute! It's aimed at Halloween, but I'm already seeing other ways to use it. It's called "Purr-fect Halloween." And yes, it's cat themed.

The Stamp of the Month is an Exclusive D-sized set, available Only this month. You can purchase it for $17.95 (usd), or you can get it for $5 with a purchase of $50 in other Close to My Heart products.

If you've read this far, thank you for your time and support! I appreciate it and am blessed by you.

It's StampaGanza-tastic!

Ok, so that title is a little over the top. I blame it on the beginnings of Spring Fever! It's been such a strange winter here in the north-east, I'm ready to be done with it. Bring on the budding trees and flowers!

But... It really is StampaGanza... from Close to My Heart anyway. For the whole month of March, when you buy two stamp sets, you can get a third one for FREE! Yes, I dared to say the "F" word - FREE! (disclaimer, lowest price stamp set will be the free one).
So, pull out that wish list you've had tucked in your journal, by the computer, or in your catalog, and go here, and bulk up your stamp stash!

~~

So I haven't been terribly creative lately; though I DID manage to put together a massive 36-card workshop designed my my wonderful upline Susan Williams (shout out, fist bump, she's awesome!).
I haven't "quite" finished it yet, because, silly me, I had forgotten to order the embellishments on my last order. Which causes me to point out... it's a great idea to ALWAYS have some extra embellishments on hand. I always order the new paper packs, because I never know what project I might be inspired to do, but I sometimes slack on ordering the embellishments. And this is where it leads. To not having them when I want them for a project. So, no pictures of it yet, though you can see it on her site if you are interested (she takes Much better pictures than I do - I'm learning).

However, I DO have a photo of the Adorable card I made with March's Stamp of the Month set "Sunshine Birdies" (yes, I think it's a touch out of focus). I just LOVE this set. This was for a set of baby shower thank you notes. It was just too perfect. (And they were appreciated). My materials list for this card is below the stamp set image. The "Thank you" stamp is from the 'Candlelight Garden' set, a past SOTM.

This stamp set is fabulous for coloring with our Shin-Han Twin Touch markers, Watercolor Paints, or Watercolor Pencils. 

For the card, I used; CTMH Exclusive Cardstock in Pixie, Pear and White Daisy, paper from the Kaleidoscope paper pack,  CTMH Exclusive Inks in Pixie, Pear and Gypsy, and a non-CTMH white card base with a deco edge.

The Stamp of the Month is only available in March, for $17.95 USD. Or, with a $50 (or more) purchase, you can buy this sweet set for only $5. If you'd like this or any other stamp set, or materials, please visit my OBA (Online Business Address), to make a secure purchase. If you have any questions or comments, please drop me a note, I'll answer as soon as possible.

Happy Spring and Happy Stamping!

October Already?

Oh my, where did September go? I had so many plans of things to make and share... and then I got hit with a cold. The cough from that cold lingered for most of the month, and if you've ever tried to stamp or craft when you are having random coughing fits, you know it's nearly impossible. So the month just slid by and here it is October! I am SO not ready for Halloween! And it is pretty much my favorite holilday!

But, I will share a couple of quick updates from Close to My Heart; the Stamp of the Month (called Twinkle) this month is Christmas themed (because if you make your own cards, or are thinking about scrap book pages, NOW is the time to work on them.. December will be too late!).

And if you've been considering signing up with Close to My Heart, this is a Great month to do so! This month, in addition to the new consultant kit that just started going out, CTMH is giving all newly signed consultants the bag that consultants got when they attended convention!! I am jealous! I couldn't attend convention, and that is one cute bag! If you'd like more information, drop me an email at marion.strauser@gmail.com and I will be happy to tell you more about the opportunity. I'd love to have you on our team!

I've been crafting some recently, mostly for a craft show I participated in last weekend. It was the first time I put my cards up for sale en masse. Let's just say,  it was either too early in the season, or that venue wasn't the right audience. I had a few last minute hiccups with my printer that meant I couldn't promote Close to My Heart the way I planned. But I learned a LOT, and will be much better prepared for the next one, whenever that may be. :)

I saved my new papers though, and all that manic card-making did fuel my imaginative juices, so be prepared to see some fun stuff in the weeks ahead. I need a week to recover, and then I am sure my brain will start to see Cricut cuts and card patterns again. :)

Until next time, I hope you are paper-crafting too!

Hello June!

Wow, June already!
This year is just speeding by! I hope you are getting to do, and create everything you want to do and create.
I'm certainly creating, though not as much as I would wish to. There just never seems to be enough time. So my focus is turning to quick projects, cards mostly. One can never seem to have enough cards on hand for all sorts of occasions. Watch this space for some ideas for quick to make cards, and quick to make batches of cards, using paper packs.

Meanwhile, this morning, before I head off to work, I wanted to make a quick post to let you know about the new June Stamp of the Month, Ice Cream Dream, and the June promotion, Summer Crush.

Ice Cream Dream is such a cute stamp set! I have been so looking forward to it! It's great for coloring in with the Shin Han Twin Touch alcohol markers, or with Watercolor Pencils. And that saying... Love it! I'm looking forward to sharing the cards I am making with this and the Blossom paper. 

The Summer Crush promotion is a great way to preserve those summer travels. When you purchase any My Crush® book and its accompanying assortment, you'll get the coordinating stamp set, FREE! My Crush books are great for capturing memories in a more casual way, or for taking them along with you.

As always, you can order these items through your Close to My Heart consultant. And if you do not have a consultant, then just follow this link to my OBA. If you have any questions, leave a comment below and I will get right back to you.

May is National Scrapbooking Month!

May is National Scrap-booking Month.

As you know, I haven't been actively scrapping. This month’s Stamp Of The Month (Just Sayin') is designed for scrap-booking, so I felt I should create a photo layout.

 
I needed some inspiration, so I took a Blog Hop tour. If you've never been on a blog hop, they are a great way to be inspired! (the way it works is you start with one blog, and it will link you to the next one in the hop. And they are all using the same stamp or papers for that "hop"). Here’s where I usually start: If you Bling It.   

I also love to blog hop to see how others are using the stamp set. They’ll look at the same stamps in TOTALLY different ways! For example; I had never thought of flipping the stamp over and sticking it ‘design side’ to the acrylic block. (though it was a totally “duh” moment as soon as I read it). You’ll get the same shape as a stamp, without the design… a couple of the bloggers did that in their designs. BRILLIANT! And not something you can do with wood-block stamps. And of course, it only works with symmetrical stamps (like many of the shapes in this stamp set). I love new techniques!

This month's stamp set: These are not only great images for photo layouts. They are great on cards, adding a little extra to a set of pocket pages, gift bags, all those little things that we paper crafters come up with. As every month, the Stamp of the Month set is $17.95 or $5 with a $50 purchase. 

Anyway, you're probably wanting to see the full pictures of my project... and here I have been keeping you waiting. Well, I got SO much inspiration, I created a photo layout page with leftover Blossom paper from the pages I worked on before. Then I made a card, definitely getting inspiration from several of the cards I saw along the blog hop (thank you ladies!). I used my Cricut to cut out a slew of 1 inch triangles and 1 inch circles, and then stamped them up using Pear, Honey, and Smoothie Exclusive Inks. I ended up using some of the circles on the photo layout, and the triangles on the card. (I have a bunch of each left, still un-stamped, for other projects).

Once I started stamping elements to use on this layout, I really went crazy, I stamped all of them in several colors and then chose the one that I liked best. I have lots left that I can use on other projects.

Something I saw done on one layout (by Angela White of www.luvz2scrapbook.com) was to use the Liquid Glass over the stamped elements to make your own enamel look pieces for your layouts. Angela had made quite a few for her page, and it was really stunning. The other idea I saw was on jd designs blog, to use the 1 inch clear epoxy done stickers (that are meant for finishing off DIY bottlecap embellishments) on the circles to make your own "flair". Either way it's done, they look great! I recommend a to visit their blogs!

After I was done with my photo layout, I was still full of ideas from the Blog Hop, so I went ahead and made this card:

I purposely left the exact sentiment of the card blank. It could be a birthday, baby congrats, thank you, promotion, graduation, anything. I used the "This Day" stamp from the February SOTM "Choose Happy", but there are many small sayings in the catalog that would fit.

Here's a complete list of the materials used in the projects above:

Both:

May SoTM  - Just Sayin' S1505 - $17.95 (or $5 with a $50 order)

Exclusive Inks, Pear, Honey, Smoothie - $5.95 each

Daisy White Cardstock 1388 - $9.50 (24 sheet pack)

Sequin embellishments - Coral Reef- Z3042 - $3.95

Marvey Uchida Journaling Pen Z1979 - $3.25

'You & Me' Scrap-book Layout:

Blossom Paper pack - X7196 - $9.95

Kraft Cardstock Z1375 - $9.50 (24 sheet pack)

Han Shin Touch Alcohol Marker - Sap Green - Z2463 - $5.95

'This Day' Card:

Pear Cardstock - X5935 $14.50 (Adventure Paper pack - 2 ea of 10 colors)

Gold Shimmer Trim - Z1985 - $4.95

Pick up your own Stamp of the Month for only $17.95 OR get it for only $5 with a $50 purchase! Be sure to contact your Close To My Heart Independent Consultant before the end of May.  If you don't already have a consultant, I'd love to be yours.  You can find details on the "Stamp of the Month" by clicking on the "Stamp of the Month" at top of the page on the right or purchase your SOTM here. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Coming up next will be The Taste of Summer papers - a very Special Paper pack only being offered by CTMH this month! They are perfect for creating layouts to memorialize those sweet summer memories. Or to create some bright and cheerful cards to send off to make someone's day!



Please take a moment or two to check out the rest of my blog.  If you enjoy your visit, then please consider "following" me by email, and/or leaving a comment.

You really don't want to miss this Deal!!

Ok, I mentioned in a previous post about the April "Deal of the Day" wherein you can order ANY regular priced item and then qualify to buy the day's grab bag of current and retired items. The grab bags so far have ranged in price from $35 (the most common mentioned in my team's Facebook group) up to $150. The value is listed (by the company) as worth twice as much or more. (The $150 was reputed to be a $325 value). Below is a picture of a $35 Deal of the Day package that was ordered the first day (not by me).

There are two items in that package alone that cover the $35 cost. So well worth the value if you are wanting to build up your stash of goodies. It's hard to see there, but everything is laid out on top of the Display Tray, which is a current item. There are also some Picture My Life cards, and several cute sets of accessories. Now, not every Deal of the Day will include these items, this is just an Example of what might be in the one you order. So far, every one that has been received has had rave reviews on the boards.
This is only for April, so take advantage, we have no idea when Close To My Heart will ever do this again!

Spring time and the crafting is easy.

One of the things I love about Close to My Heart is that they offer so many options. And one of the first options I fell for when I first came to know the company was their Workshops On The Go (or WOTGs in CTMH parlance). Almost every paper pack in every catalog has a WOTG associated with it. For either card-making or scrapbook pages. Sometimes both. And even if the WOTG is geared towards one, that doesn't mean that you can't switch it up and use it for the other (or both, by buying an extra set of the paper).
They come with paper, embellishments, a stamp set, a detailed cutting guide and full color instructions. What could be easier?


The new Seasonal Expressions 2 mini-catalog has an adorable card-making WOTG using their new Blossom paper. It will make 15 cards.Look at everything that comes in the workshop. And after you make the cards, you'll still have the instructions and the stamp set, so you can always order more supplies and make more cards (well, as long as there is Blossom paper).

I'll be making up these cards soon, and I will post the results soon after.

Just My Type....

Stamp of the Month... I love playing with the new stamp sets every month. April's set is great for cards. It's very vintage, isn't it? You can get all this for only $5 with a qualifying purchase ($50 minimum) Or you can buy it at the retail price of $17.95. But with all the fantastic new papers and stamps and embellishments that just came out in the Seasonal Expressions 2 mini-catalog... you can get this stamp set for $5... trust me on this.

As you can see by the picture below, I stepped beyond a card as well. Now I know most of you probably keep all your phone numbers in your cell phones, and honestly, when I set out to make this, my intention was to make a cover for a datebook. The card with the phone cut out is from the Artfully Sent Cricut Cartridge. I had cut another one that said "Hello Today" for the front of the datebook, and the telephone one was an extra to use up the paper...
I just wasn't thinking very well about the sizing when I was setting things up in the Cricut Craft Room, lol. Much to my surprise when I pulled the cards off the mat, they were all bigger than I was expecting. The Hello Today card was horizontal and wouldn't fit. So I made a phone book cover instead.

We call people for all these occasions don't we? Personally, I do have a regular address book. There are some people I would never call from my cell phone, but I do need their information. 

Anyway... there it is. On to what I used. In addition to the Typed Note stamp set, I used the numbers from the alphabet stamps that come with the Artfully Sent Cricut Collection, Colonial White Cardstock, Black Cardstock, paper from the Yuletide Carol pack, Exclusive Inks in Black, Gold Shimmer Trim, and Gold Sequins.

For the card on the left, I used some of the paper from the new Jackson pack. Isn't it nice? Would be great for a guy's card. The red piece is the zip strip from the same piece. I embossed the typewriter (with clear embossing powder) to give it an old fashioned feel. You can't really tell from the picture. Trust me, the glossy look really did the trick. I used Colonial White Cardstock, Exclusive Inks in Black and Chocolate, Black Shimmer trim, Black Sequins, and Thin 3D Foam Tape.

I hope you like this little taste of the new Seasonal Expressions 2 mini-catalog (the Jackson paper). I'll be back with more in a couple days! And don't forget... Deal of the Day - every day in April!

It's March! Time to "Choose Happy"!

March first! And we’re still up to our eyeballs in snow! (ok, not really that much, but some days it feels like it.) Today, in the Close to My Heart year, marks the day that the new Stamp of the Month becomes available! This month’s offering is called “Choose Happy” and it’s spring-y and precious. 

See how you can get this stamp set for only $5!

At first glance it looks a bit girly, with several curlicue frames, but don’t be fooled! There’s a great all-around useful wood-tone squared one as well for the less frilly folk in your lives. I did my best to show them up in playful, "everybody" ways. I've only played with it with cards so far, as you can see below. I have been helping my daughter get some work done by hanging out and being a helpful grandma while dad is at work in the evenings. Yeah, like hanging out with my only grandchild is Such a hardship… not… lol. Anyway… I do plan to do more with this set soon, in the meantime, check out what I did so far:

The one on the right uses the Hopscotch papers, the Choose Happy Stamp of the Month set, and the Cuddly Salutations hostess stamp set. I used a Shin Han Touch marker to fill in the cutie pie chick to coordinate with the B&T paper. I finished it off with some Gold Shimmer Trim and a couple of Gold Sequins. (Materials used: Exclusive inks in Black and Desert Sand, Shin Han Touch alcohol marker in Light Orange; Hopscotch paper pack, Colonial Whitecardstock, Gold Shimmer Trim, Gold Sequins.)

The card on the left uses the two borders from the Choose Happy set, along with one of the frames and two of the sayings. I also used a saying from the Just to Say stamp set that comes with the Artfully Sent CricutCollection. I finished it off very simply with just a couple pieces of Teal Shimmer Trim. I thought this would make a simple anniversary card. If you look closely, you can see that I used the doodle stamps to border the inside. The next picture shows how the inside looks. (Materials used: Exclusive inks in Black,Lagoon and Sorbet, Black and Daisy White cardstock, Teal Shimmer Trim.)*

*(The white and black shapes I had on hand and just happened to fit nicely. They are cut from the Art Philosophy Cricut Collection. The square frames from the Choose Happy set will fit comfortably on a 2.25 inch square.) 

I have to confess, I am a paper hoarder. Yep, I just love the pretty patterns and when I see it, I imagine all the ways I am going to create with it; but once I get my hands on it, I just can't bear to cut into it. Or if I have more than one sheet of it, I can't bear to cut into the last sheet of it. But I was forever stumbling with coordinating patterns, and ended up using only one pattern per card, and sometimes I felt the colors didn't quite go together. Plus card-stock, and paper are different thicknesses... urgh.

When I joined Close to My Heart, I found to my delight that the company had put together packs with coordinating colors, taking the guesswork out of what went with what. Then they added coordinating additional elements like stickers, gems, ribbon and twine, sequins etc.

But back to my paper hoarding.... I was looking through my stash today, and realized that I have bought several paper packs that CTMH took out of the catalog at the end of last summer. lol And I want to cut into them. But I also really want to play with the new ones and post cards for you all to see. There is not enough time in my days to do all that. So the older stuff is going to have to wait, at least until my next vacation.

I finished up my 15 cards out of the Hopscotch paper pack. I have lots of Hopscotch paper left, I could make at least 15 more cards.

Here are a few of the variations that I came up with as I played with the 15 I did finish:

I did a little paper piecing on the birthday card in the middle back. The little speech bubble on the elephant card is also cut out and pieced over the frame, slightly popped out for just a hint of dimension. It's hard to tell in these photos, I might have to take some close ups and add them later. I did get a little too crazy with the background stamping in one of the foreground cards, that one didn't quite turn out as I'd imagined, but it's a good example of what can go awry. I should have turned over the B&T paper, but I'd already put adhesive on it before I realized it. So I just made the best of it. I'll probably keep that one as an example (of what not to do).

In addition to using the same supplies I listed below, I also used the stamp set Lifting Spirits and the Hostess reward set Cuddly Salutations.

A Happy Hello with Hopscotch Papers

So, welcome to my blog. This is my first post, so please bear with me as I muddle my way through this whole thing. For those curious about the blog name, it is because my craft space is heated with a wood stove.

I've been playing around with some of the lovely new papers from Close to my Heart; the Hopscotch paper pack, and the February Stamp-of the-Month set. I've also been playing with creating my own cutting guide for creating a set of cards. new territory for me for certain.

Here are a couple of cards I have created so far:

The one on the right is CASEd from Greetings from Gail, with a couple modifications.

I toyed with adding a few more sparklies to the Make a Wish card, but I am sort of liking the simple look now. Here's an image of the February Stamp of the Month. It's called A Happy Hello. You can get it for $5 with any $50 order, or $17.95 on it's own.

I also found as I was working that I was out of gold shimmer trim, so I used a little trick I just recently learned from a Facebook group, and colored some of the silver shimmer trim with one of CTMH's Shin-Han Touch alcohol markers (Golden Yellow color). I used the wide end gently along the trim and it worked so well!

I have one more card I am working on for my card set, but as I was working on it, one of the card colors didn't make sense any more and I am re-cutting some of the pieces.

Used in the above cards: Hopscotch paper pack, A Happy Hello Stamp of the Month set (February 2015 only), Wish stamp, Silver shimmer trim (colored), Flaxen cardstock*, Glacier Blue cardstock* White Daisy cardstock, Flaxen, Glacier Blue, Pixie, Sorbet, Smoothie Exclusive ink colors. Gold sequin embellishment. (*these cardstock colors come in the Hopscotch paper pack).