September SOTM Blog Hop--It's a Thriller!

Welcome to our Close To My Heart  Stamp of the Month  Blog Hop! 
If you have come here from Wendy's blog, you are on the right track! 

This month we are featuring the September SOTM which is called Thriller!  It's an awesome set of 9 stamps including this great vampire that I used on my Halloween card:

Cute, isn't he!  LOL!  For this card, I used the new Close To My Heart paper pack called Hooligans, cardstock in two of our new colors--pear and sunset, black ink and cardstock, black brads, and some of our new bling embellishments--Licorice Opaques! 

If you want to join me in learning the techniques to make this card, as well as 6 more cards OR a Halloween layout, check out my  Events Calendar Here  for my September workshops! 

Remember, this stamp set is only available until September 30th!  You can get it at a discount or even FREE with your purchase of  Close To My Heart products HERE.

Now hop on over to Angela's blog to check out her amazing artwork!  We have almost 70 consultants participating in the blog hop this month, so you're sure to get some great ideas if you keep on hopping!  And, hey--leave me a comment and let me know if you liked my card!

CTMH New Product Blog Hop--It's Magnifique!

Welcome to our Close To My Heart New Product Blog Hop!
More than 50 fabulous CTMH consultants are celebrating the upcoming release of the Autumn/Winter 2010 Idea Book by giving you a sneak peek of some of the great products available in the new Idea Book starting September 1st.  If you have come here from Lori's blog, you are on the right path!  You can also find a complete list of blog hop participants at http://www.tazzygirl2000.blogspot.com/.  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! 

I made this card using the new CTMH paper pack Magnifique and the new stamp set Circle of Love.  I am IN LOVE with this paper and the peacock stamp--aren't they gorgeous?!!!

This card is based on the template "Puzzle Backdrop" on page 91 of Originals.  I used some of our new ink colors--pear, lagoon, and pacifica--with lagoon, chocolate, and colonial white cardstock.  I also used a new favorite embellishment**Sparkles** in blue and green.  Love my bling!

If you would like to learn the technique to make this card as well as six more cards OR a scrapbook layout, check out my Events Calendar Here for my September workshops.

Now hop on over to Jean's blog to see her amazing artwork!  Be sure to visit all the consultants' blogs to get some great crafting ideas for all of the fabulous new products in the new Autumn/Winter 2010 Idea Book!  And remember it goes LIVE on September 1st!

And, hey--leave me a comment and let me know what you think of my peacock card!

CTMH Spotlight Blog Hop--Background Stamping!

Hi!  Welcome to the CTMH Spotlight Blog Hop!  If you have just come from Haley's blog, you are on the right track.  Didn't you just love her artwork?!!!  This month we are spotlighting Background Stamping, and for my project, I chose the CTMH "Star Power" stamp set to make a Rock Star card for one of my favorite teenagers.  I absolutely love the CTMH "You Rock" paper pack with its wild colors of Goldrush, Indian Corn Blue, Olive, and Outdoor Denim!  But what if your rock star is more of a pink and sparkly rock star?  With background stamping, you can create your own paper and make it whatever colors you want:

All products used are from Close To My Heart unless otherwise noted.  For this card I used White Daisy, Watermelon, and Black cardstock and ink.  I used the CTMH "Star Power" stamp set.  I stamped the star flourish diagonally on the White Daisy cardstock in black ink and colored those stars with a CTMH Watermelon marker.  Then I stamped various sizes of stars and flourishes with Black and Watermelon ink.  I stamped the guitar and sentiment with Versamark ink on Watermelon cardstock and heat embossed them with black embossing powder.  The pink, white, and black stacked star was made using punches but could also have been made by cutting out additional stamped stars from this set.  I "blinged" it up with CTMH sparkles.  The only non-CTMH product used was black diamond Stickles on the guitar and star. Here's a close-up:

As you can see, I also popped up the star with some 3-D foam tape.  Don't you just love it?  I hope my rock star does too!  Leave me a comment, and let me know what you think.  Then hop on over to Karen's blog and check out her work of art!  Thanks for stopping by!

TPE77--The Pink Elephant Sketch Challenge

I used this sketch from The Pink Elephant:

to make this birthday card for a teenager:

All products used are from Close To My Heart.  I used the You Rock paper, Star Power and Spot On Backgrounds stamp sets,  cardstock and ink in Goldrush and Smokey Plum, and gold embossing powder.  I think it's totally awesome!  What do you think?

Design Dollies Trifecta!

The Design Dollies Trifecta consists of (1)--a color challenge.  This week it was light green, dark green, kraft, and pink.  Pink?  Oh, I'm all over that!

(2)--An element challenge:  Use two or more ribbons (I have 20 shoeboxes of ribbon--yes, really!)
and/or use ribbon in an unexpected way (Me?  Unexpected?  Please!)

(3)--And a sketch:

How cute is that?!!!
So here's my combination of all three--the Design Dollies Trifecta:

Here's what I did:  My base is Close To My Heart cardstock in Desert Sand.  I sprayed it with Meadow Green Glimmer Mist using the large flourish glimmer screen from the Tattered Angels Blossom pack.  The patterned paper is Cherry-O from CTMH.  I used Martha Stewart punch around the page border punches with CTMH Baby Pink cardstock for the doily-ish pieces and Blush cardstock and ink with Marvy punches for the title and distressing.  The bling is also CTMH Cherry-O Opaques.  Other CTMH cardstock used is Colonial White, Topiary, and Sweet Leaf.  The ribbon for the ice cream cone is from my stash (probably from the dollar bin at Michael's).  What do you think?  Oh, and I'm also entering this in the Fun with Shapes and More Challenge because they too are doing the colors of pink, green, and brown.

Cupcake Craft Challenge 97

Just finishing up my last cards for the gift set I'm making for a 13-year-old boy.  Today I used the sketch by Liza Caurruthers from Cupcake Craft Challenge 97.  Here's the sketch:

And here's my version:

I'm using the Max and Whiskers paper from Basic Grey with the Miller stamp from Simply Betty Stamps.  Colored with Copics, of course!

Two Cards for Connor

When I saw this fabulous character from Simply Betty Stamps, I just knew I had to have him!  His name is Miller, but he reminds me of my BFF's 13-year-old son Connor.  PLUS--the Miller stamp comes with a lizard stamp AND the real Connor has a bearded dragon lizard for a pet, so it was meant to be!  And BTW--Simply Betty Stamps is having an amazing sale this week, so check them out!

 My first card uses a sketch from Card Positioning Systems--CPS 172.  Here's the sketch:

And here's my card:

I'm also entering this card in another challenge--Fun with Shapes and More.  Their challenge was to use anything punched--my circles--and distressing.  I scissor distressed the white cardstock and the patterned paper.  Then I used a sponge dauber and black ink to distress the edges of the brown and white cardstock.  I really like scissor distressing on cards for boys--it just adds that extra "messiness"--lol!

My second card uses Sketch 62 from The Sweet Stop: 

And here's my take on this one:

Both cards are made with the Max and Whiskers paper from Basic Grey--I LOVE the colors of this paper, and even though I'm not crazy about the pet theme, I bought it with these stamps in mind.  I thought it would work well for masculine cards AND for beach layouts.  Miller is colored with Copic markers except for his hair.  I had to use Tombow watercolor markers for his hair because I am just beginning to collect Copics, and none of my browns were dark enough!  I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Sew Many Cards--Anything Goes!

Charisma Cardz Challenge #25--For the Boys

Pixie Dust Studio Challenge #28--Seeing 2