CTMH Thoughtful Flowers Stamp of the Month for the Joyful Stars Blog Hop

Welcome to the Joyful Stars Blog Hop for December 2016!  If you have arrived here from Joyce's Joyful Creations blog, you are on the right track! 

Today, I would like to share a card design that I made with the December Stamp of the Month, Thoughtful Flowers.  I used the stamp set to create the background flowers by stamping with White Daisy ink onto Kraft Cardstock.  I allowed the ink to dry completely, and then traced around the flowers with our Warm Grey and Clay ShinHan markers, to create the shadowing.

I decided the card needed a punch of color, so I used my Thin Cuts with Peacock cardstock to create the sentiment.  I also decided a big flower was in order, so I cut a succulent from the CTMH Flower Market Cartridge.  I really like how my cards turned out.  They were for a swap with a group of really talented CTMH gals, so I wanted something different that would showcase a technique as well as many products.

I hope you enjoyed my stop along the hop.  Now, please travel on to Debi's blog, That Might Look Good on a Card to see what special work of art she has in store for you!

CTMH Oh Deer Winter Wonderland Layout

Last weekend, we woke up to our first snow in Northern NJ.  My youngest decided to rush right out and play.  She was so excited to make snowmen!  I fell so in love with the photos that I had them printed right away.  I knew that I wanted to use the CTMH Oh Deer paper (use the link if you need this paper pack, it won't be here very much longer and it's a beauty!), the sheet with the pinecones, because of the snow covered pines in the background of my photos.  I turned to the newest Cricut cartridge, CTMH Flower Market, for most of my cuts.  I also added a snowman from CTMH Artistry.  I felt the Desert Sand background pages needed something, so I splatted with my Watercolor Paints and Paintbrush Set.   

A little bow from the Rustic Home Ribbon Pack on top of some pine sprigs added a perfect touch. 

And notice the snowflakes...they were cut from White Glitter paper.  I think the photograph below captures the glitter a little better.  Oh, and I ran the tree through the new CTMH Snowflakes Embossing Folder and lightly sanded with a nail file.

Did you happen to notice the tiny snowflakes?  They are sequins that I found at Target's Dollar Spot.

And for reading all of the way to the bottom of this post, here is the Cricut Design Space file for you to use.  Please be sure to "save as" with a new file name before using it.  This will keep the integrity of the original file for others to use, and you will be working with your own copy instead of competing with others at the same time.

https://us.cricut.com/design/#/canvas/49107493

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas Card for the November 2016 Joyful Stars Blog Hop

Welcome to my entry in the Joyful Stars blog hop for November 2016.  If you have arrived here from my friend Krista's blog, you are on the right track.

I can't believe that it has already been a month, and that I haven't posted a project in between.  Yikes!  I have been dealing with broken growth plates and infected spider bites, as well as holding another wonderfully productive crop this past weekend in my hometown of Vernon, NJ.  So, I apologize for the wait.

Today, I will be sharing a card that I made with cuts from our Close To My Heart Digital Cricut cartridge, City Sidewalks. It is a cute little cartridge, and I haven't seen all that much created with it.  I used some leftover pieces from CTMH's Swan Lake paper packet, along with our beautiful Sea Glass Glitter Paper.  I ran the Kraft Cardstock through our Snowflake Embossing Folder, which I can't link to at the moment because it has been so popular that it has sold out!  A little bit of twine from our CTMH Enchantment Ribbon Pack and some snowflakes cut from City Sidewalks provide some much needed embellishments.

I hope that you have enjoyed my City Sidewalks Merry Christmas Card.  Please hop along to see the very talented Debi's blog hop project.  Thanks for visiting!

CTMH Swan Lake Purse for the Joyful Stars October Blog Hop

Welcome to the Joyful Stars blog hop for October!  If you have arrived here from my sweet friend Krista's blog, Krista's Crafty Corner, you are on the right track. 

 

This month, I would like to share a Swan Lake purse that I made after seeing one made by the very talented Tina Law.  Tina ever so sweetly helped me create my version by posting a step by step video of her Jeepers Creepers purse.  You should visit her website some time and check it out.  My purse is made with a sheet of Peacock Cardstock for the base and handles, and a sheet of Swan lake for the body, tag and edging of my purse.  I used up some scraps of cardstock to create my cute little flower using our CTMH Flower Market cartridge.  I love that cartridge, and I love using up scraps!

 

Thank you for visiting me for this month's blog hop.  Please hop along to the blog of my fellow Jersey girl, Marie Flayer.



CTMH Swan Lake Layout

Just sharing a quick and easy layout today.  It was designed by CTMH, but I added my own touches.  I started with CTMH Swan Lake paper, and working with two sheets of White Daisy and one Glacier sheet of cardstock, I began building my layout.  I stamped the flowers and sentiments from our With You stamp set.  Using Gold Glitter Paper and one of the new CTMH Thin Cuts, I made the word "hello".  A few Gold Sequins, and voila, a cute, quick layout!  Want to pin this layout?  Click on the title of this post, scroll to the bottom and you should see the Pinterest button!

 

CTMH Create Kindness Stamps with Swan Lake

This month, Close To My Heart has a special promotion called "Create Kindness".  It comes as a bundle with 8 little stamp sets and 24 little 3"x3" pastel cards and envelopes (along with ink, a block and a great organizer.  I made those little cards, but decided to put the stamp sets to use with our CTMH Swan Lake paper package.  I love how they turned out!  I colored the images using our CTMH ShinHan markers, they are amazing, and I feel I have more control than I do with my Copics.  I cut out shimmery little scalloped circles from our Sea Glass Glitter paper, a favorite of mine.  Each little stamp set is available for only $2.95 by clicking HERE!  That is a steal in my opinion!!!

 

September 2016 Joyful Stars Blog Hop

Hi everyone!  I am running just a little short on time this month with just having made it home from a trip to get the four kids back to school within a day.  Yikes!  And I am very busy preparing for my crop that I am hosting tomorrow.  I promise to get a project up here instead of this placeholder as soon as I can.  In the meantime, please hop along to the very talented Creatively Artsy Card Gallery belonging to Nancy.

CTMH Thin Cuts Celebrate Card for the Joyful Stars August 2016 Blog Hop

Welcome to my entry for the Joyful Stars August 2016 blog hop.  If you have arrived here from my dear friend Lori's blog, you are on the correct path.

 I had such big plans for a project that I was going to have for you today featuring our new CTMH Flower Market cartridge, BUT, my poor littlest girl has been feeling so sick with a summer virus.  And when your baby is in pain, crafting gets delayed!  I have been able to share several other projects before the sickness took over our home, so be sure to look at the past three or more posts here before moving on to Joyce's blog.

Anyway, I am sharing a card that I made with our now retired CTMH Georgie paper pack.  It is a 6"x6" card, and was made just with a spare piece of cardstock.  The celebrate and heart were actually just the negative of one of my layouts.  They were cut from one of my very favorite new products, our CTMH Thin Cuts.  See, even the scraps can make something beautiful!

Thank you for stopping by to visit me.  I hope that you enjoyed my simple scrappy card.  I promise to have something better to share next month!  Now, please hop along back to Joyce's blog.

 

CTMH Flower Market Crazy Daisy Happy Wishes Cards

Back with 3 more CTMH Flower Market cards today!  I decided to see how the same card would look in three different colors out of the CTMH Whimsy Fundamentals paper package.  I also used some CTMH White Glitter Paper for that crazy daisy overlay, and Gold Glitter Paper for the centers.  And the sentiment...it is one of 28 (yep, 28!!!) sentiments on one of the three stamp set that come along with the CTMH Flower Market Cricut Bundle.  This set is called Sending Smiles.

Now, here comes a bribe!  If you would be so kind as to follow my blog, and maybe pin some of my projects from time to time, I will share my Cricut Design Space files from time to time! 

Have you hit that follow button up in the upper left corner yet?  Well, go ahead!  Just do it! 

Done???

Good!!!

Here is the link: 

https://us.cricut.com/design/#/canvas/43669771

Let's hope this works.  Of course, you will need the CTMH Flower Market purchased and linked to your own CDS account before you can cut it out.

It is not available for purchase through Cricut, but you can purchase it here, from me, by clicking either of these links:

CTMH Flower Market Physical Cartridge Bundle

CTMH Flower Market Digital Bundle

Would you like to create this card for yourself?  Please become a follower of my blog, and if you do, you are more than welcome to use my Cricut Design Space file.  The flower has been perfectly sized to match mine:  https://us.cricut.com/design/#/canvas/43669771

CTMH Flower Market Friends Card featuring Rustic HomeFundamentals Paper

It is the third day of August, so I wanted to share my third card from the CTMH Flower Market.  This card came together so easily!  I love the 'Friends' banner from my new CTMH Flower Market Cricut cartridge so much that I decided to use some of my coveted Sea Glass Glitter Paper ($5.95 for three sheets).  I even used a little punched piece of it for the center of my flower.

 I decided that the Sea Glass Glitter Paper would go beautifully with a piece out of the Rustic Home Fundamentals Paper Pack ($13.95).  The card itself is made with a Seaglass Cardstock base.  A pretty crocheted lace double bow from our CTMH Rustic Home Ribbon Pack ($9.95) completes this shabby chic little card!

Did you know there are two options when it comes to purchasing this new cartridge?  A physical CTMH Flower Market Cartridge bundle for $99 or a digital CTMH Flower Market Cartridge bundle for $79.  And you can earn either for half price if you would like me to do a facebook CTMH party or an on-line EZ Invite gathering for you.  Just leave me a message! 

CTMH Flower Market and Florence Card for Mojo Monday 459 Challenge

When I saw this week's Mojo Monday 459 Sketch Challenge, I knew that I would need to use my new CTMH Flower Market Cricut Cartridge on my card.  After all, it featured a flower in the sketch, so it was the perfect excuse to use CTMH Flower Market, right? 

I decided that the CTMH Florence paper pack ($9.95) would be perfect paired with the Flower Market flower that I had in mind.  I also used some Florence Sequins ($3.95) and the Beyond Awesome stamp set ($13.95) for the sentiment.

I used the flower image found on page 46 of my CTMH Flower Market handbook.  I did not use the very center piece, and opted for the bling of a Florence Sequin instead.  The bitty flowers were hand cut out of some scraps of paper and added just the finishing touches that I hoped for.

I am loving my CTMH Flower Market cartridge already, and I haven't even begun to scratch the surface.  I try to sneak a cut in between loads of laundry...don't tell!  Don't have the CTMH Flower Market yet?  It is available in two formats, a physical cartridge for $99 as well as a digital format for $79, and it is only available through CTMH Consultants such as myself.  Click on the links if you would like to order yours!

Flower Market Bicycle Card

I couldn't wait to create with my brand new Close To My Heart Flower Market Cricut cartridge.  I saw this adorable little retro bicycle image and new that it would look incredible with our brand new CTMH Seaglass Glitter paper.  I love the way it looks against the yellow and white Calypso paper.  I finished the card off with some cute little flowers also cut from the cartridge.

CTMH Calypso Cards

The summery, cheerful Calypso paper suite will only be here for a few more days.  And since I will be leaving tomorrow for CKC in Lancaster, PA, I wanted to share quite a few Calypso cards with you.  I won't run through every single product with you, but I do want to mention the Art Philosophy, Artfully Sent, and even the Artiste Cricut cartridges.  They will be leaving us in just four days, and I used AP and AS in my cards below. 

 

 

 

 

 

CTMH Calypso Flower Lei

I decided to create something totally out of the box for my display at the Creativity Gallery at CTMH's annual convention. Cards and layouts are expected, right?  A flower lei, now, that is different.  The CTMH Calypso paper pack is front and center in this project.  The three layers of the flowers, as well as the leaves, were cut from one of my favorite cartridges ever...CTMH Artiste.  Can you believe it will be gone forever at the end of July, along with the Calypso paper?  You do not want to miss out, trust me!  And that's if the supply makes it to the end of July :(

 

Here is a close up of one of the flowers.  I strung them together from behind.  I have a few flowers left over, and I am planning on making my dear downline, Cindy, a corsage to wear at my Flamingle crop here in NJ on July 23rd.  I hope she likes it, and I hope she doesn't view this post before then lol!

CTMH Calypso Hello Relax & Enjoy Summer Layout for the Joyful Stars July 2016 Blog Hop

 

Welcome to my stop on the Joyful Stars Blog Hop for July 2016.  If you have arrived here from Joyce's blog, you are on the right track.  Continuing on with my Calypso themed projects for this month, I would like to share my "hello RELAX & enjoy summer" layout with you.

 Although the Calypso paper pack has lots of opportunity for projects with the color pink, I set out to create a layout that I could use for photos of my son as well as my girls.  In other words, I tried to stay away from the pink!  In addition to the Calypso paper pack, I incorporated the Calypso Complements heavily when making the title for this layout. 

And what kind of a layout would it be without using my CTMH Cricut Artbooking cartridge.  I just LOVE those wave frames, cut out both big and small.  Oh, and I almost forgot the green overlay in the background of the left page.  Some Calypso Sequins scattered here and there and some Calypso Washi Tape just up the fun level. 

I hope that you enjoyed my layout!  Feel free to come back and browse the other Calypso projects that I will be sharing throughout the month of July and maybe even beyond.  Next up on the Joyful Stars blog hop is the very talented Debi's blog.  See you soon!

 

CTMH Calypso Card with Ornate Blossoms

This year during the CTMH Annual Convention, I had the privilege of presenting some of my artwork.  I decided to feature projects that I had made with happy CTMH Calypso paper pack.  I love the soft pastel pink and blue papers featured on this card, and I thought they would be the perfect background for a stamped image from our CTMH Ornate Blossoms and colored with our ShinHan alcohol markers.  I love relaxing by coloring images with those markers.  I created the blue scalloped border using our Scalloped Punch.  The card was finished with a Gold Bling Gem.  What an easy card, but I really like the look that I got with the colored image.



Close To My Heart Magical Convention Contest Layout 2016

I am just back from the Close To My Heart annual convention for 2016, and I have so very much to share.  So, first up is my layout contest entry.  I designed a page that centered around a core memory, my husband's return home after a very long deployment to Iraq.  We were supposed to create a layout around a core memory, like in the movie Inside Out.  Deployment can bring you through all of those emotions that come into play in the movie, including sadness and joy just to name a few.  Do you see the celebrate flip flap in the upper right corner?  That contained our deployment story. 

 

To complete my layout, I began with a pattern from the CTMH Magic pattern Book.  It served as my jumping off point.  As I mentioned before, I used the CTMH Magical paper packet, black cardstock for the circle overlay, and Red Glitter Paper for the streaming stars and the word "complete".  The stamped words were all from stamps that can be earned by new CTMH consultants.  All of my Cricut cuts were created with my beloved CTMH Artbooking cartridge, which can only be purchased through a consultant like me!

And that Celebrate overlay...that was a series of 3 - 3"x4" flip flaps layered together to hold my journaling.

 

I hope that you like my layout.  It was fun to create using my Magic book and Artbooking cartridge.  Although I did not win the contest, I am so very proud of how it turned out, and most of all that our journey was captured in the journaling for my children to look back on in the future.

 

Magical Minnie Layout for the Joyful Stars June 2016 Blog Hop

Welcome to my post for the Joyful Stars June 2016 Blog Hop.  If you have arrived here from Marie's blog, you are on the right track! 

 

If you didn't already know this about me, I am just a little bit obsessed with Disney.  Alright, make that a lot obsessed.  CTMH has recently made me very happy with the release of their Magical line.  It is very geared towards a Disney themed layout (and so much more too!).  When I saw this adorable svg set offered by Miss Kate Cuttables, I new I needed to create a layout with it and the Magical paper line.  I imported the images into my Cricut Design Studio, sized them how I wanted, and sent them off to the Explore to cut. 

 

I can't wait to add my photos to the layout.  Maybe photos that I take at the CTMH Convention that starts in just over a week at the beautiful Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World.  I am just a little excited to see all of my creative friends again and see all of the new goodies that CTMH has in store for us!  So, here is the layout...

Here is a close up of some of the detail.

I hope that you have enjoyed my layout!  Thank you for visiting me.  Next up on the hop is my friend, Lori's blog.  Please stop back to visit me next month.

 

CTMH Happy Times Layout #1 for the Joyful Stars Blog Hop May 2016

Welcome to my entry in the Joyful Stars Blog Hop for May of 2016.  If you have arrived here from Debi's blog, you are on the right track!

 

 

Today I would like to share my first of three layouts that I have designed with Happy Times, a most amazing paper pack  and stamp set that Close To My Heart introduced for National Scrapbooking Month, and they will only be available until the end of this month, or until supplies run out.  Here is my layout...

To create the flowers, I stamped my flower with VersaMark ink, sprinkled on some Gold Embossing Powder, and used our CTMH Craft Heater to melt the powder until it was shiny.  I also fan folded half of a larger flower to create the little blue piece underneath the embossed flower. A Gold Bling Gem colored with a CTMH blue ShinHan Marker added the perfect touch. 

I hope you like my layout.  I will be back with my remaining two layouts soon, so be sure to check back with me!  Now, hop along to Krista's Crafty Corner, and I hope to have you visit me soon.

 



Happy Times when you Celebrate With Cake!

I love the CTMH Happy Times paper pack so much!!!  I decided to pair it with the fabulous Stamp of the Month, Celebrate With Cake.  I used a Versamark stamp pad along with Gold Embossing Powder for the image, and colored the whole thing in with my ShinHan markers.  I added some Pink Flamingo Dots and I had the perfect card for a wedding, birthday or shower.