Close To My Heart Stamp of the month Blog Hop

 Well here we are on the eve of July 1st!  I don't know about you but my June just flew by - perhaps that is because I spent all of June (that is right the entire month!!) on my sofa with a broken ankle :(  Well enough about that, even with all the pain I am super excited about July!  I get to go to Dallas for the CTMH convention (first time in Dallas, first time to convention, and first time traveling alone without the kids or hubby since my youngest was born), we are going as a family to Harvey Cedars for a week with our youth group and I have a new stamp of the month to show you!  Not to mention the fireworks and picnics - yeah July is a good month :)   If you are coming from Jen's blog you are in the right spot.  This is a round robin style hop so you can just follow along and view a ton of terrific projects using this month's stamp set.  If you want to start at the beginning or get lost along the way you can find the complete list here at Helen's Blog   This month's stamp set is Live Out Loud (set of 8) and  only available from July 1 through July 31st 

  You can get this set in the month of July by . . .  1. Purchasing it for $17.95 or 2.  Placing a purchase of $50 or more and getting this set for $5   So contact your Close To My Heart consultant today or shop here   This month I made this card (I'm sorry about the photos - I'm having camera issues so these are taken with my husband's phone)  

    I used the Art Philosophy Cartridge to cut the boarder images.  You'll find this boarder by selecting "font" and "shift".  The bottom row and first key on the left is the boarder I used.  I cut out the border image at 1" and placed them with space between to give the chevron look.      

Here is another view of the card.

  Thanks for stopping by - I read your comments and love each one :)  Keep reading for CTMH other special this month or hop right on over to Debra's Blog   In July CTMH is also offering a FREE paper and extra "kits" with purchases placed on-line through consultant's websites.  Here are the Facts  

1. What are the campaign details?
   Dates: July 1 (9:00 am MDT) – July 31 (11:59 pm MDT)
   Featured Products: Paper packets and coordinating embellishments
   Details: Place an online shopping order of $75 or more during July and receive a paper packet and coordinating embellishment FREE—it’s a Perfect Pair!
   
   Note: This campaign applies to online shopping orders on CTMH websites (mine or your CTMH consultant) only. When you place a qualifying order online, you will be prompted at checkout to add a free paper packet and embellishment. The specific paper packet and embellishment you receive is based on the date you place their order, as follows:
   
   

   Order Dates	Perfect Pair	Original Retail Value
   July 1–5	Mischief Paper Packet (X7144B) and Midnight Felt Shapes (Z1462)	$15.90
   July 6–10	Dreamin’ Paper Packet (X7142B) and Harvest Charms (Z1633)	$14.90
   July 11–15	Fanfare Paper Packet (X7138B) and Fanfare Level 2 Assortment (Z1400)	$17.90
   July 16–20	Lucky Paper Packet (X7137B) and Lucky My Stickease® Assortment (X7137C)	$17.90
   July 21–25	Mayberry Paper Packet (X7136B) and Mayberry My Stickease® Assortment (X7136C)	$17.90
   July 26–29	Sophia Paper Packet (X7131B) and Sophia My Stickease® Assortment (X7131C)	$17.90
   July 30–31	Believe Paper Packet (X7145B) and Holiday Pockets (Z1486) OR Wonderland Paper Packet (X7146B) and Wonderland My Stickease® Assortment (X7146C)	$14.90

So place your orders of $75 or more with your CTMH consultant or  here on my site 

and get Free paper and extras :)

Now hop on over to Debra's blog and see what she made with the Live Out Loud set!  Have a great July and to all my US readers a beautiful July 4th celebrating with family and friends the costly freedoms we enjoy!  Thanks for stopping by :) 

 

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Last day

  Today is the last day to take advantage of the Close To My Heart Stampaganza!   

It's also the last day to get this super sweet stamp set Life Is Tweet!  

 

I know several of you have been wanting to get some FREE stamps and I just wanted to remind you that today is the last day!  Buy two stamps sets and get one FREE.
Start Shopping Here. 

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Feature a Friend {on Friday}

Welcome back to Feature a Friend {on Friday}.  Today's guest is Danee from It's Raining JellyBeans blog

with a fabulous July 4th project for us all :)

Hi, I'm Danée from It's Raining JellyBeans .  My blog is filled with my favorite craft and home decor projects.  While I dabble in all sorts of crafts, you will find I usually create paper crafts or mixed media items.  My weakness is sparkles so I tend to add rhinestones, Swarovski crystals, and/or glitter to everything I create.  

With the 4th of July right around the corner I created some patriotic home decor .  You will find more projects at It's Raining JellyBeans including more about the completed Patriotic garland.

 Right now I am in love with rosettes and prize ribbons of any kind. They look terrific strung together to make a garland.   The inspiration for this garland is the red, white and blue Air Mail Divine Twine that I bought from Whisker Graphics.   As soon as I saw the Twine I knew I had to make a red, white and blue garland. 

For this garland I made 8 prize ribbons.  You can make 8 different prize ribbons or stick to one design and make 8 copies.  I used Tim Holtz Alterations Rosette and Mini Rosette dies but you can use a scoring tool or if you are careful you can just fan fold the paper.   The rosette die is fabulous but sometimes it leaves the score lines very fragile and they tear easily.  Tim Holtz recommends using Tissue Tape on the BACK of the die cut to help keep the score lines from ripping though.

While I thought the idea was great, I decided to use the Washi or Tissue Tape as a design element and keep it on the FRONT of the die. 

 Sometimes it doesn't show by the time I add the embellishments but other times it really adds a fun look to the rosette.

Here you can see (from left to right) the red and light blue polka dot paper with a blue and white striped Washi; red paper with blue and white polka dot Washi; and blue and white striped paper and red and white striped Washi.

To decorate each rosette I add glitter, rhinestones, tinsel, and/or pearls.  Really anything goes; use your imagination.  To add even more detail use a hole punch for an eyelet effect or an edge punch for even more design.

I hot glued the prize ribbons to the Twine then I used a 2-inch circle punch and scrap paper to punch 8 circles that were then hot glued over the back of each rosette. Happy 4th of July! Laters Baby…. Danée.  

Thanks so much Danee.  Stop on over to her blog and say "hi".  Have a Happy 4th everyone!  If you are interested in doing a guest post for Feature a Friend please e-mail me at alwaysdeeper at hotmail dot com.  Happy Friday!!



    

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Feature A Friend {on Friday}

  I've been a scrapbook artist for a long long time.  Back when Simple Scrapbook Magazine was still in publication it was my absolute favorite "go to" magazine for ideas from color pallets to sketches and everything in between!  I loved finding all the trends in scrapbooking but still in my Clean & Simple style!
 For this, and many other reasons, I'm honored to introduce to your our guest today.  Former contributing editor of Simple Scrapbooks Lain Ehmann!   

Lain blogs at Layout A Day, and hosts a membership site, ScrapHappy. Three times a year, she hosts a monthlong scrapbooking challenge, Layout a Day (LOAD). Through her challenges, classes, blogs, books, articles, podcasts and videos, Lain helps women make their scrapbooking fun, fast, and fabulous (which sounds a lot like Close To My Heart's scrapbook goals as well)!
Welcome Lain!  Thanks so much for being here and sharing this fun project with us :) 

The A to Z of Me

Tag Album

Designed by Lain Ehmann of layoutaday.com
 

A lot of what I encourage my readers to do is to document THEIR stories – not just the details about their families, but about themselves. This might seem intimidating because you don't know what to say, you feel self-conscious, or you're just plain camera-shy!

I designed this simple project as a way to start capturing your story in a fun and easy manner. You likely have all the products you need on-hand (can anyone say STASHBUSTING?!):

-26 manila tags, any size or color

-1 large binder ring

-Rub-ons, letter stickers, and/or alphabet stamps

-Embellishments – washi tape, border stickers, ink, etc.

Here's what you need to do:

1. 
   Write down the letters A to Z on a sheet of paper. Next to each letter, write a noun or adjective that fits you. It may take a bit of time to figure some of the letters out, but stick with it! And think outside the box... For instance, I used “X-Californian” for the letter X, and “VW Driver” for V.
   
   
   Note: By adhering to this structure, you'll create some fun connections and give a more complete and rich picture of yourself. I have “Debater,” “Francophile,” “Germophobe,” “Target Lover” for several of my tags. These are words that wouldn't necessarily first come to mind if I was asked to describe myself. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2.  Once you have your words done, you can start working on your tags! I chose to ink the edges of each of my tags, using a variety of Distress Inks from Tim Holtz. After that was done, I lettered my A to Z words, one on each tag. I used rub-ons, letter stickers, and stamps – this should be fun! Don't worry about making them match or creating any kind of pattern.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. After you've labeled each tag, get to it with embellishing! Add borders, rub-ons, stickers, stamps... it's a great way to use up all those little cute goodies you've had around forever but haven't been able to use.
   
   
   
   
4. After each tag is finished, add them to your binder ring. Then you can do a number of things: Add journaling to the back, add little photos, continue to embellish over time... You can also create MORE tags and add them to the binder ring. (If you're going to do that, you might want to date the back of each tag so you can see how your description of yourself is changing over time). 
   
   
   
   
   It's amazing how a simple project like this can really breathe life into your scrapbooking. If you enjoy these easy and fun approaches to scrapbooking your story, I've got an offer for you! From June 24-31, I'm leading several hundred scrapbookers of all levels on a journey of self-discovery through my Your Story Matters online class. We'd love to have you join us! Get more information here: http://www.layoutaday.com/ysm2012

About Lain: Scrapbooking superhero, margarita lover, and all-around fun person, Lain inspires women worldwide to document their stories in a simple, fast, and fun manner. For podcasts, videos, project ideas, and classes, visit Lain at http://www.layoutaday.com.

Thanks again Lain!  I think I might have to just check out that class!  And thanks to all of you who stop by :)  Don't forget I'm guest posting over at Wee-Share blog today so head on over and take a look for a tutorial on how to make your own chevron :)  

 Happy Friday!!

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