Category Archives: CTMH

15 years of Close to my Heart goodness!

Paste-fully Creative – CTMH Technique Blog Hop

Welcome to this month’s Technique blog hop! We are featuring the new Texture Paste! You should have come from Haley’s blog, however, if you didn’t, it’s a circle, and you will get back to her!

Today, I have this fun card for you! It was really fun to make, even if it wasn’t what I was originally going to do!

I cut a fun stencil from the Artbooking cartridge. I just used a bit of cardstock for it, but I would surely next time go with the stencil sheets, as you can see a bit where it smooshed under.

I put some saffron and goldrush inks onto the All Purpose mat, then put a little dab of the Transparant Matte paste into each. Mixed them slightly, and then spread onto the card in different spots with the palette knives, and then slightly overlapped them. I peeled off my stencil and allowed the paste to dry.

I stamped and cut the flowers and sentiment from the bunches of love stamp set, using archival black, mink, saffron, and goldrush colors. Popped them on a scrap of vellum, to help them pop off the card a bit more, and viola! You have a fantastic card! Oh, and let’s not forget the bling, shall we? I used a few clear sparkles and bitty sparkles do draw a bit more attention to the flowers!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you liked my card! Let me know what you think! Then, hop on over to Michelle’s blog to see what she has for you!

Thankful

If you joined me Sunday morning, you got a chance to see me make this fun card, and even the oops that I had! If you didn’t join me, you should add me to your Sunday morning schedule, so you can watch live next Sunday, 9am Pacific time!

This card is fairly simple, and is completely and totally inspired by Amy Ulen’s card. When I made my sample, I couldn’t find my package of Kraft, so I had to figure out what I had that I could use to make my sample and then make another during my live video, so it’s amended from her card, but you can totally tell that it is inspired by hers!

Would you believe that the bright pops of color on this card are from the new water color pencils? It totally is! I LOVE the look that this gives the card, especially on the kraft cardstock!

This card was SUPER easy to make! It doesn’t take very long, and looks fantastic! You should TOTALLY give it a try! While you are at it, link it up to the Heart 2 Heart Challenge this week, which is to use ANYTHING from the new Holiday Expressions book!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you liked my project, and I hope that you will leave a comment letting me know what you think, and also join in on the challenge at H2H, that I linked above! You have through the end of the month to play along!

Until next time!
~ Michelle

Supplies Used:

These items are linked to my store to make it easier for you to find!
Kraft Cardstock
Value Card base and envelope
Watercolor Pencils
Charcoal Ink
October Stamp of the Month
2 x 3 1/2 block
1 x 3 1/2 block
Bunches of Love Stamp set
Decorative Borders Thin Cuts
Tis the Season Paper Pack
Liquid Glass
Thin 3-D foam tape
Bone Folder

Did you enjoy what I had to share today? If so, please . . .

Subscribe to my monthly newsletter & daily blog updates in the sidebar.
Join My Craft with Heart Club.
Earn FREE products by joining my Princess Club.
Check out the clearance rack and save up to 70%.
The $75 New Consultant Kit is the best deal of ALL! Discounts & benefits here.
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Join my Facebook Group. Prizes and fun interaction!
Follow me on Pinterest.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel with video tutorials.

Thanks & Giving SOTM Blog Hop

Welcome to this month’s SOTM blog hop! I know you will get a lot of inspiration from everyone! Today you should have arrived from Ronda’s blog. If not, thats ok, its a circle, and you will get back to her!

I try to find things to do with the stamp sets that are a bit different than what other people might do. Today I have this fun wreath type look for my card.

It turned out so fun!! I colored in the flower centers and buds with bonding memories glue, and then added the gold embossing powder and heat set it. I added color to the flowers and leaves with the shinhan markers.

I used one of the stitched thin cuts for the center and added the gather greeting that I had heat embossed with the gold powder o to some of our vellum, and cut out withthe micro tip scissors.

I couldn’t leave the inside blank, so I added some more of the same image, and did a bit more embossing and coloring.

I think it turned out great! What do you think? Let me know, and then hop on over to Krista’s blog!

Thanks so much for hopping by!!

Oh, and lest I forget, I am linking this up to this week’s challenge over at Heart 2 Heart challenges! It’s a photo and color inspiration challenge! You should hop over there and check it out, too!

Supplies Used:
White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack
Black Cardstock
White Daisy Cardstock
Seasonals Mix In Paper Pack
October Stamp of the Month
Archival Black Ink
Carmine Shinhan Touch Twin Marker
Vivid Green Shinhan Touch Twin Marker
Gold Embossing powder
Versamark Embossing Ink
Anti-static pouch
Bonding Memories Glue
Mink Ink
Sponge
Embossing Stylus
Stitched Circles Thin Cuts
Vellum
3-D Foam Tape
2 x 3 1/2 Acryllic Block
Fiskars Trimmer
Liquid Glass
Non Stick Micro tip Scissors
Bone Folder
Martha Stewart Scoring Board
Cuttlebug

Did you enjoy what I had to share today? If so, please . . .

Subscribe to my monthly newsletter & daily blog updates in the sidebar.
Join My Craft with Heart Club.
Earn FREE products by joining my Princess Club.
Check out the clearance rack and save up to 70%.
The $75 New Consultant Kit is the best deal of ALL! Discounts & benefits here.
Find me on Facebook Page where I share videos and specials
Join my Facebook Group. Prizes and fun interaction!
Follow me on Pinterest.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel with video tutorials.

Sweet Treats

Welcome to another week, and another challenge at H2H! (Heart 2 Heart Challenges) This week, we are focusing on Sweet Treats. Now, this could mean so very many things, but I think you will agree with me, in that it ‘should’ be candies or cookies or maybe even cupcakes or brownies! (or maybe even kek, as a friend and I joke!)

So, this week, I have a fun little box, using the September SOTM, of course, because that thing is my favorite SOTM, like EVAH!!

Now, from the top, it doesn’t look like much, I know. But from the side, it’s super cute! I didn’t get a photo of it open, but I can assure you, that it includes candy!! And while this little box is little, it can sure hold a LOT of candy!!

If you didn’t know, I do a facebook live every Sunday morning (well, morning for me, anyway!). During my last FB live, I made this adorable box! So, go on over to my fb page and take a look at the video! You can even watch a few of my past videos too! If you like what you see, I would love for you to like my page too!

Let me know what you think of my little box! Did you go and watch the how to video? I’d love to see your little box, too!

Supplies Used:
White Daisy Cardstock
Seasonals Mix In Paper Pack
Black Cardstock
September Stamp of the Month
Archival Black Ink
3×3 Acryllic Block
Fiskars Trimmer
Liquid Glass
Non Stick Micro tip Scissors
Bone Folder
Embossing Stylus
Martha Stewart Scoring Board

Did you enjoy what I had to share today? If so, please . . .

Subscribe to my monthly newsletter & daily blog updates in the sidebar.
Join My Craft with Heart Club.
Earn FREE products by joining my Princess Club.
Check out the clearance rack and save up to 70%.
The $75 New Consultant Kit is the best deal of ALL! Discounts & benefits here.
Find me on Facebook Page where I share videos and specials
Join my Facebook Group. Prizes and fun interaction!
Follow me on Pinterest.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel with video tutorials.

Sew What?! – CTMH Technique Blog Hop

Welcome to the CTMH Technique blog hop! Today we are showcasing sewing (as if you couldn’t figure that one out already, right?) Today you should have arrived from Wendy’s blog. If not, that’s ok, it’s a circle and you will get back to her! Let’s jump right in, shall we?

Today I am back with another “only White Daisy Cardstock” card. Now, this one was actually inspired by this card that I found on Pinterest when I was trying to figure out what to do for this hop, since I don’t have the new decorative borders thin cuts (which I cannot wait to get!)

I used three different stamp sets on this card! This is not something that I normally do, but I wanted to make something that came close to the inspiration card, and I had all of these sets, so I thought it was perfect!

I used the Lavender, Peony Purple, and Golden Yellow Shin-han markers as well as the journal pen to color these flowers and the tiny purple border that you see. The images and sentiment are stamped in archival black ink. I used the new Embellishing thread to stitch the holes from my largest circle stitched thin cut. The little bit that I had extra, I created the messy loops for a bit more interest. And, last, but not least, I added some silver glitter gems to the centers of a couple of the flowers.

Can you name the three stamp sets that I used? I will have a drawing next weekend to give away this card to those that guess correctly*! Leave your guesses here or over on my Facebook page! I will draw on 9/23 during my FB live!

I hope you like my card! I think it came out pretty close to the inspiration, with my own little twist. Let me know what YOU think!

After you leave your comment, hop on over to Michelle’s blog (yup, there’s lots of us out there!) to see her fantastic creation!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you liked what I have, and what the other ladies have, and will leave everyone some love!

Until next time!

~ Michelle

*Winner must be in the US and must not be a Close to my Heart Consultant.

Holiday Expressions New Product Optional Hop

It’s September! This means that it is time for new product! Waaaahoooooo!! I don’t know about you, but I am always excited for new product! Not that I don’t love the old product, believe me, I do, and like you, am sad when some of it goes away! But, there is always something nice about nice new stuff to play with, wouldn’t you agree? So, today we have a small hop for you to travel along on, to see some fantastic products from the new book! Today, you should have arrived from Darlys’ blog, if not, that’s ok, it’s a circle and you will get back to her!

I have another self closing bag for you today, and a video to show you how to do it!

This fun little box uses the Hello Pumpkin papers, white glitter paper, and the September Stamp of the Month.

After stamping the sentiment in Archival Black Ink, I used the Marigold Shinhan marker to add a smidge of color to the sentiment. I popped the sentiment on with thin foam dots.

At the beginning of the post, I mentioned that I had a video for you so that you can make your own little box! I had a Facebook live video on Sunday to show you how to do that! Just hop on over to my Facebook page and check it out!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I would love to know what you think of my little box! Let me know if you try your own, I would LOVE to see! Now, hop on over to Jean’s blog to see what fun new stuff she has for you!

Make sure to enjoy some crafty time each week!

See you next time, friends!

It’s a Banner Day!

Over at Heart 2 Heart Challenges, I am the hostess! Today we are having a banner day! I know you will enjoy all of the beautiful projects!

I made this adorable little self closing box, and I am just in love with it! The only thing that could make it better is some White Daisy cardstock instead of the retired colonial white!

Isn’t it just adorable??

I used the Seasons Mix In paper pack for the papers, plus a little bit of vellum paper and white glitter paper to give it a bit of sparkle! I stamped the cup and dots from the September SOTM and cut them out with our miccro-tip scissors. They make it so easy!

I would love for you to hop on over and play along with us at H2H! You have until the end of this month to play along with this challenge!

Until next time!

Be crafty, my friends!

~ Michelle

September SOTM – Just Treats

Welcome to the September Stamp of the Month Blog hop! This month we have more than 20 consultants sharing their fun projects with you! Today you should have arrived from Katy’s blog. If not, that’s ok, it’s a large circle, and you will get back there! This month’s stamp set is called “Just Treats“. It has 22 images on it, and is just fantastic! Just take a look!

You will be able to do so much with this set! It covers treats for each of the seasons and holidays for the remainder of the year! I will be showing so many options with this set! I can’t wait for you to see them and tell me what you think!

Let’s get to showing you what I came up with for this fun hop, now shall we?

This card is a little ‘extra’, because I had the thought of what I wanted on the inside, before I designed the rest of the outside. While I know it isn’t fall just yet, (I know, Erin, I know!) but there is pumpkin spice everything around me already, so I just had to go with a fall theme for my first card! (at least it doesn’t actually mention pumpkin in it . . . )

I used the newly available Grateful For You paper pack on the front of this card. I thought these colors went together so well! The design for the front is from the MIFYH Volume 2, pattern 23. (These books are so very handy!) Popped up the sentiment with foam tape and the cup with some thin foam dots. Add a bit of burlap ribbon, and you have a beautiful card!

Some things that I used that you may not notice or not see include the Golden Yellow, Warm Grey, Mahogany, and colorless blender ShinHan Markers, Shimmer brush, Archival black ink, Non Stick Microtip Scissors, Piercing tool, Journal pen, tweezers, and liquid glass. Scroll down further to hear how I put this fun card together! But, before you do that, check out the inside of this card!

My daughter was gifted a 4 pack of these coffee cards (not naming, since that might be a no-no). And I thought that it would be really fun to make something to be able to gift something like this in the future! (these ones are used, but I will replace them with new ones (or reload these ones) when I gift the card. This card works (and will sit like this) because of the number of layers that this card has, and the strength of the liquid glass.

The inside has two layers on top of the card base. The front also has two full layers (plus a few extra pieces) on top of the card base. This makes sure that the front and back both stay flat when you are opening the card, and don’t bend, making it harder to get the card open.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Next up is Melissa! Check out her blog! If you would like more details on how I made my card, just keep reading below!

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So, I am needing to replace some of my cardstock . . . specifically saffron and sapphire! LOL Those are the two colors that match the papers that I chose for this card. So, what to do? I knew I needed that layer on there, so I could have the stiffness that this card needed for that fun fold on the inside of the card. So, I went to my shinhan markers, to see what would work. I don’t have any dark blue markers (I could mix colors to get the right blue, but didn’t want to) so I was looking at the yellows. The Golden Yellow matches decently enough! So, I cut the layer from white daisy cardstock and used the Golden Yellow marker along the edges. No need to color the center of the cardstock, as it won’t be seen. If I had done fewer layers of color, it would have matched a bit more closely. I did this for both the outside and inside of the card.

I also used that same yellow to color in the letters on the stamp. I used the Mahogany to color in the little drops on the sentiment to look like coffee or cocoa. The Warm grey I used to create a bit of a shadow under the cup, however, because it was so dark, I used the colorless blender to soften it and move some of the color a bit further down. I used the shimmer brush on the whipped cream, just to give it a little pizzazz! Now, to get your cup to look like this, you will need to create a mask of the whipped cream, and stamp it first, cover with the mask, and then stamp the cup. That way the back of the cup isn’t seen in the whipped cream.

If you notice, my cup is ‘backwards’. I did this on purpose too! One of the benefits of cutting out your element, is that you can make some changes to it. So, after I stamped the whipped cream and the cup, I cut it out, chopping off the handle in the process (it makes a cute bowl, btw!). Then I stamped it again on a scrap of white daisy cardstock, and cut that out. Before I glued it all together, I went over the edges with the journaling pen, it gives the stamped image just that much more omph. Then I used the liquid glass to attach the handle to the other side of the mug.

This card is a “Pop and Twist” card. I modified mine from a few different videos (and would probably do a few more modifications for the next one). It will be one of the fun cards I offer in my card workshop that will happen a bit later this month! So you will want to watch for that info, coming soon!

Thanks again for stopping by! I hope you liked my card! Let me know what you think!

~Michelle

Central Park Happy Birthday!

Last weekend I did a FB live video, and made this fun card. I was cutting pieces for the 2nd card as well, but didn’t put it together during the FB live video. I really like how they both turned out! They were such a fun way to use some Thin Cuts that wouldn’t necessarily be how you think of them! Today I am linking up to the H2H Challenge, “For the love of crafting”. You should join in too! You have until the end of the month to join us!

This is the card that I made during the video. Do you know which thin cuts I used? (if you didn’t watch the video) Would you believe that I used the diamond in the Fresh Air thin cuts? (which, looks like they have sold out, that is so sad!)

I just lined them up so that there was about the same amount of space between the diamonds on the whole card. Just trimmed off the excess from around the edges of the card. I used a zip strip for the middle, and a scrap of White Daisy cardstock to stamp the Happy Birthday sentiment from the Birthday Key stamp set (which you won’t find in the book, but you will find online!). I love the font that they used for this stamp!

This card uses one of the other shapes in the same thin cut set. This time I decided to add a layer of bashful cardstock (retiring at the end of this month) to add a bit more interest to the card. I popped up each of the die cut pieces onto some foam tape to add more dimension.

I cut down one of the zip strips so it was less than 1/2 an inch, and wrapped some white twine around it. I used the same happy birthday sentiment on some scrap white daisy cardstock with archival black ink.

On both cards I added a few of the sequins from the central park sequin pack.

I hope you like my cards today! Come play along with us at H2H, and get your crafting on!

See you next time!
~ Michelle

Purposeful Plastic – CTMH Technique Blog Hop

Welcome to the CTMH Technique Blog hop! Today we are working with Plastic! This can be page protectors, flip flaps, or any number of other fun things! You should have arrived here from Darlys’ blog, but if not, that’s ok, it’s a big circle, and you will get back to her!

Today I wanted to make a little mini album brag book type of thing. My first attempt went waaaay wrong, as I was trying to hurry, and kept gluing things upside down and backwards and such. So, I will have to attempt to try again, with another paper pack (as I have ruined a good chunk of the one I was using!)

So, I am using the 3×4 flip flaps in my little mini album! I made a piece of ‘chipboard’ out of our white daisy cardstock and liquid glass. I’ve done this many times in the past for mini albums, and it works fantastically!! Then I covered it using papers from Beautiful Friendship.

I used PML cards to decorate the front of this little mini album, and because they are vertical on one side and horizintal on the other side, this album could easily have been made in the opposite direction! (so it lays instead of stands)

This little album would be perfect for a grandmother’s purse! Tell me what YOU think!

Next up is Marciava, so hop on over to her blog and see what fantastic-ness she has to offer you!