CTMH Kids Crafts - Facebook Live - Born to Shine Album

Introducing…CTMH Kids Crafts!

CTMH Kids Crafts–Born To Shine

This Facebook Live Event, scheduled for August 21, is geared for a younger audience (or the young-at-heart) and will be hosted by Maya Wihongi—Monica’s 9-year-old daughter. You may have seen Maya on National Scrapbooking Day when she shared her technique for inking the flowers on the Home Wreath during Segment #2 of the National Scrapbooking Day Facebook Live Events.

During the CTMH Kids Crafts event participants will be walked through each step of creating a fun mini album, just for them! Kids (and adults) will love crafting along with Maya, honing their own creative skills. This event has a dedicated bundle of products to help everyone get the most out of this fun crafting experience! In order to participate fully in the CTMH Kids Crafts event, you will want to order the Born to Shine Album Bundle (CC72013).

Born to Shine Album Bundle (CC72013)

The Born to Shine Album Kit Bundle (CC72013) includes:

• 1 – My Acrylix® Born to Shine Stamp Set – exclusive to this bundle
  
• 24 – 4" × 4" White Daisy cardstock sheets
  
• 1 – Summer Vibes Picture My Life™ Cards (X7258D)
  
• 1 – 4" × 4" Story by Stacy™ Album (you will randomly receive one of the three designs shown)
  
• 1 – 2" × 3½" stamping block (¼" thick) – this is thinner than the typical CTMH My Acrylix® Block
  

A few additional supplies will be required in order to fully complete this album. The additional supplies—many of which you probably already have—needed are:

• Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad (Z4189)
  
• Black Journaling Pen (.01) (Z3515)
• adhesives – you probably want a mix of Adhesive Runner (Z3372) or Tombow® Permanent Adhesive (Z3326), Thin 3-D Foam Tape (Z2060) and 3-D Foam Tape (Z1151) or Thin 3-D Foam Dots (Z3341) and 3-D Foam Dots (Z3342)

The supply list will also posted on the Close To My Heart (Official) Facebook Page. The workshop guide will be posted on the Facebook Page the day prior to the event.

This event will take place on August 21 on the Close To My Heart (Official) Facebook Page. When you see the Event listed, but sure to mark yourself as going at least 48 hours prior to the event so your kids can be entered to win prizes! This will also set a reminder for you in your Facebook notifications.

As I learn more about the Facebook Events on the Close To My Heart (Official) Facebook Page, I will share them here.

Just For You Owl with For My Beautiful Friend

I am back today with another card I created with the SOTM and mailed a couple of week ago. I am really fond of the July 2020 SOTM, For My Beautiful Friend, from CTMH. I am going to be sad when the month is over.

For My Beautiful Friend with You Make Me Happy

This time I created a border with For My Beautiful Friend and stamped the owl and sentiment from You Make Me Happy (D1920), the stamp set that benefits Operation Smile™.

I used Watercolor Pencils (without water) to color the images. My color inspiration for the flowers is from a pair of earrings I purchased while on vacation in Alaska; their state flower is the Forget-me-not.

For My Beautiful Friend and You Make Me Happy - close up

I stamped the owl twice, fussy cut both and layered them using Thin 3-D Foam Tape. I stamped some extra flowers and leaves for the corners and also popped the flowers with Thin 3-D Foam Tape.

If you have a few moments, I would love to hear what you think of my recent cards using For My Beautiful Friend. Unfortunately it is getting time to put it away and start creating with the August 2020 SOTM. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Just For You card using For My Beautiful Friend (July 2020 SOTM)

There is only one week remaining in July. That also means there is only one more week to order the Close To My Heart Stamp Of The Month for July 2020: For My Beautiful Friend.

I mailed this card to someone a couple of weeks ago and now that I am very comfortable that it arrived, I am able to share here.

For My Beautiful Friend Just For You card

The border is similar to the card I shared on the July SOTM Blog Hop except I created it just a bit wider and used Intense Black ink. Rather than markers, I used Watercolor Pencils (without water) to color the images.

The sentiment is from You Make Me Happy (D1920); with every purchase of You Make Me Happy $7.00 are donated to the life saving mission of Operation Smile™, a non-profit organization that provides surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates in children around the world.

For My Beautiful Friend Just For You card - close up

As you can see, I did a lot of fussy cutting. I also varied the height of the flowers and leaves by mixing Thin 3-D Foam Tape and 3-D Foam Tape.

For My Beautiful Friend is available for $18.95, or for only $5 when placing an order of $50 or more. Tip – from your cart look for the Promotional Items area before Check Out and add the SOTM there so be certain you receive the discounted price.

Thanks for visiting today. I hope you like the card. Have a fantastic weekend.

Happiest Place Blog Hop

Welcome to the Happiest Place Blog Hop. This hop is brought to you by the same group of CTMH Independent Consultans who bring you the Stamp Of The Month Blog Hop.

We have just shy of 15 CTMH Independent Consultants sharing their creations on this hop. If you just happened upon my post, clicking the link to the next blog (often found near the bottom of the page) will take you full circle.

Happiest Place Blog Hop

You should have arrived here from ***Katy Taylor's An Inside to My Heart...one scrap at a time***. If you get lost along the way, Melinda also keeps a list of all blog hop participants on her blog at If You Bling It.

For this hop I created a mini album. I started by uploading the Camera SVG from the Happiest Place Digital Art Designs and ungrouping the design. I welded a rectangle with four evenly spaced holes to be the spine. If you have any questions about the process, let me know via the comments below or the contact form to the right and I'll do my best to help.

Happiest Place Blog Hop - Mini Album Cover

Happiest Place Blog Hop - Mini Album Inside Cover

Happiest Place Blog Hop - Mini Album Page 1

Happiest Place Blog Hop - Mini Album Page 2

Happiest Place Blog Hop - Mini Album Page 3

Happiest Place Blog Hop - Mini Album Page 4

Happiest Place Blog Hop - Mini Album Page 5

Happiest Place Blog Hop - Mini Album Page 8

Happiest Place Blog Hop - Mini Album Inside Back Cover

I have to apologize that I do not have my album complete. We have been having a terrible Internet connection at home and I am still working on mastering Cricut Design Space Offline. I am finishing up this post in the 11th hour while sitting outside an office building at my employer (due to coronavirus we are not allowed to go inside without permission from a supervisor and then, only after we complete a health check). I long for the good old days - I hope you and yours are doing well during the pandemic.

Before you head to ***Krista's Crafty Corner by Krista Hershberger***, the supplies I used to create my project are listed below.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:

• Digital Art: Happiest Place Digital Art Titles (CC7207), Happiest Place Digital Art Designs (CC72010)
• Cardstock: Happiest Place Coordinating Cardstock (CC7203) or White Daisy (1385), Black (X6047), Lemonade, (X6035), Candy Apple (X6038), Glacier (X5978), Pewter (X5954)
• Speciality Paper: Silver Foil Paper (Z3366)
• Embellishments & Tools: Clear Shimmer Brush (Z3293), Clear Sparkles (Z3274)
  
• Cricut® Maker™ (available at the first level of Hostess Rewards; see Party with Us! or page 4 of Core Products) Idea Book & Catalog
• Cricut® Collections: Artiste (font to cut titles) - if you do not have a Consultant, please shop via my Cricut® Affiliate Link, otherwise ask your Consultant for their affiliate link
• Supplies not from Close To My Heart: Cricut® Design Space, glass mat, craft knife

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant, you may purchase the supplies I used at my Consultant website.

If you have a few moments, please let me know what you think of my mini album. I am curious the impression people have of my cards and I enjoy reading the comments. I hope you are enjoying the projects created with the new products from CTMH. Thank you for hopping with us!

So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***Krista's Crafty Corner by Krista Hershberger***.

Upcoming CTMH Facebook Live Events

Close To My Heart has some Virtual Crafting Events scheduled on the Close To My Heart (Official) Facebook Page. The events are a great way to get inspired and learn some tips and tricks to use when you are creating.

Here is a list of scheduled future events:

Event Date	Product Link (purchase optional)	Event Link	Workshop Guide
Tue, Aug 11 at 4pm EDT	Summer Vibes Cardmaking Workshop Kit (G1209)	Facebook Event	Workshop Guide
Tue, Aug 18 at 4pm EDT	Summer Vibes Scrapbooking Workshop Kit (G1207)	Facebook Event	Workshop Guide
Wed, Aug 26 at 6pm EDT	Happiest Place Cut Above® Layout Kit (without Memory Protectors™) (CC7208NP)	Facebook Event	Workshop Guide**
Thu, Aug 27 at 6pm EDT	Happiest Place Cardmaking Workshop (CC7209)*	Facebook Event	Workshop Guide**
Fri, Aug 28 at 6pm EDT	Happiest Place Scrapbooking Workshop (CC7209)*	Facebook Event	Workshop Guide**

*The Happiest Place Product Bundle (CC7209) includes the papers and accessories you’ll need for both the cardmaking and scrapbooking workshops on August 27 and August 28; there are some additional supplies needed listed on the Facebook Event page.

**Link coming soon.

Attending the Virtual Crafting Events is free, but to get the most from the event, order the bundles listed above so you can create along with us. When ordering your product bundle, be sure to look under the Kit contents to see if there are any additional supplies that you might need to create the workshops as shown; the additional supplies needed are also listed on the Facebook Event Page under Details.

CTMH will also be doing some awesome giveaways. To be entered be sure to visit the Close To My Heart (Official) Facebook page and visit the Events tab. Find the Event you plan to attend and mark yourself as "Going" so you can be entered to win! Marking yourself as going will also cause you to get a Notification in Facebook to remind you closer to the event.

I hope you will join us. I look forward to crafting with your virtually.

Christmas In July - CTMH Weekend Sale

I was just thinking a day or two ago that Close To My Heart had not announced a flash sale and here we are.

Christmas in July

This is a weekend long Christmas In July sale on my Consultant website. It starts Friday, July 17 at 5:00pm EDT (3:00pm MDT) and ends at 1:59am EDT on Monday, July 20 (11:59pm MDT on Sunday, July 19)! The items featured in this sale will only be available while supplies last, so be sure to visit the sale early!

This will be similar to past sales where...

• Sale prices are only available on orders placed on my Consultant website.
• The sale features a selection of current products as well as retired items. To avoid product shortages after the sale, a limited number of the current items were set aside for the sale. Once that allowed amount is gone, those items will no longer be available at the sale price.
• Any current items that sell out during the sale will return to availability at normal price once the sale has ended.
• All discounted items count towards Stamp of the Month and Hostess Rewards qualifying order totals.
• Shipping and handling is based on the full retail value of the sale items.
• There is no grace period for ordering sale items.
  

At 5pm EDT today, please visit my Consultant website to see what items are included in this sale. Thank you for dropping by today.

The Pretty of Paper-Piecing Blog Hop

Welcome to The Pretty of Paper-Piecing Technique Blog Hop brought to you by several Close To My Heart Independent Consultants. Today we are featuring paper piecing which, as I was cutting papers for this hop, I began to wonder if everyone defines this the same way. I searched for paper piecing and 99% of the results were for quilting, so I guess we will find out on this hop. [insert grin]

We have about 10 CTMH Independent Consultants sharing fabulous items they created by paper piecing. If you just happened upon my post, clicking the link to the next blog (often found near the bottom of the page) will take you full circle.

The Pretty of Paper-Piecing Technique Blog Hop

You should have arrived here from ***aMAZing Creations from Maz Wood***. If you get lost along the way, Melissa keeps a list of all blog hop participants near the bottom of her post at Melissa Robinson's My Heartfelt Sentiments.

As I mentioned earlier, while cutting the blossoms for this card I started to doubt myself, wondering if people would consider this paper piecing or fussy cutting, and what is the difference? Whether you think this technique is one or the other, or they are one in the same, I hope you like the cards I created.

card created for The Pretty of Paper-Piecing Blog Hop

This card was inspired by a Corporate image created to promote the May 2020 SOTM For My Beautiful Friend. I started by stamping on Julep cardstock using Intense Black then fussing cut the entire bouquet. Then I used Watercolor Pencils dry to add color to some of the leaves. Then I stamped the flowers on scraps of Lemonade, Wisteria and the dark and light side of Sangria then fussy cut all of the flowers. I attached some flowers flat and others with Thin 3-D Foam Tape. The largest, and centrally located blossom, was attached with 3-D Foam Tape. I considered adding some shading to the flowers with white, gray, brown or black Watercolor Pencils, but decided that should have been done before attaching the flowers plus the stamp has some shading “built-in”. I have not decided who I will be sending this card to, or for what occasion, so I have not added a sentiment to the front or inside of the card yet.

card created for The Pretty of Paper-Piecing Blog Hop

I cut the vase from Glacier cardstock (light side) using an image from the Cricut® Flower Market Collection and applied Clear Shimmer Brush trying to create the illusion of light on glass and color from the Watercolor Pencils to define the edges. I took this photo in direct sunlight to try to show off the Stickles™ Glitter Gel in the flower centers, the color on the leaves and the color and Shimmer on the vase.

Here’s another card that is probably considered to be paper-pieced more than the first card? The pattern was inspired by a card in the Core Products catalog on page 29.

card created for The Pretty of Paper-Piecing Blog Hop

For this card I stamped with Intense Black on Fern, Julep, French Vanilla, Smoothie (dark and light side), Glacier and Espresso cardstock. I also stamped on the striped paper from Summer Vibes (three times to change the angle of the stripes). Then I fussy cut everything out and layered them using a combination of a flat adhesive, Thin 3-D Foam Tape and 3-D Foam Tape.

The background was created by lightly drawing pencil lines on the French Vanilla rectangle then repeat stamping with Way To Go! from Say It in Style using Glacier, Smoothie, Julep and Lemonade inks.

card created for The Pretty of Paper-Piecing Blog Hop

The sun is from the Cricut® Summer Vibes Collection; I used both the light and dark side of Lemonade cardstock. I added Clear Shimmer Brush to the sun and the drink umbrella and Liquid Glass to the inside (beverage) of the coconut. The Silver Embellishing Thread was added with a Glue Dot.

Before you head to ***Melissa Robinson's My Heartfelt Sentiments***, the supplies I used to create my card are listed below.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:

• My Acrylix™ Stamp Sets: For My Beautiful Friend — July Stamp of the Month (S2007), Summer Vibes—Cardmaking Stamp (C1857) or Summer Vibes—Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts (Z3742), Say It in Style (D1283)
  
• Cardstock: White Daisy (1385), Julep (X6029), Lemonade (X6035), Sangria (X6034), Wisteria (X6032), French Vanilla (X6046), Espresso (X5951), Fern (X5960), Smoothie (X5985), Glacier (X5978)
  
• Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pads: Intense Black (Z4189), Julep (Z6511), Smoothie (Z2896), Glacier (Z2841), Lemonade (Z6517)
  
• Watercolor Pencils (Z3630)
  
• White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack (X254)
• Stickles™ Glitter Gel: Glisten (Z3558), Black Diamond (Z3561), Diamond (Z3563)
• Silver Embellishing Thread (Z4213), Julep Shimmer Trim (Z3609), Clear Shimmer Brush (Z3293), Liquid Glass (Z679)
  
• Thin 3-D Foam Tape (Z2060), 3-D Foam Tape (Z1151), Glue Dots® Ultra-thin Dots (1772)
  
• Cricut® Maker™ (available at the first level of Hostess Rewards; see Party with Us! or page 4 of Core Products) Idea Book & Catalog
• Cricut® Collections: Flower Market and Summer Vibes - if you do not have a Consultant, please shop via my Cricut® Affiliate Link, otherwise ask your Consultant for their affiliate link
• Supplies not from Close To My Heart: Cricut® Design Space, glass mat, craft knife

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant, you may purchase the supplies I used at my Consultant website.

If you have a few moments, please leave a comment letting me know you think of my cards/techniques. I hope you are enjoying our hop featuring Paper Piecing. Thank you for taking some time to hop with us!

So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***Melissa Robinson's My Heartfelt Sentiments***.

July–August 2020 New Product Blog Hop

Welcome to the Close to My Heart New Product Blog Hop brought to you from same the group who bring you the SOTM Blog Hop. Today we are featuring items created with products from the new CTMH Idea Book July–August 2020 catalog.

We have about 15 CTMH Independent Consultants sharing their creations on this hop. If you just happened upon my post, clicking the link to the next blog (often found near the bottom of the page) will take you full circle.

Cover July–August 2020 Catalog

You should have arrived here from ***Katy Taylor's An Inside to My Heart...one scrap at a time***. If you get lost along the way, Melinda also keeps a list of all blog hop participants on her blog at If You Bling It.

For this hop I created a card. I was inspired by the water and any thoughts that would help my mind think of cooler things during this heat wave. I am looking forward to the promise of temperatures lower than 90° and the possibility of rain. I hope Tropical Storm Fay is not impacting those on the East Coast too much.

card created for Jul-Aug 2020 New Product Blog Hop

I used White Daisy Pigment Ink and White Super Fine Embossing Powder to stamp and emboss the water bubbles. The fish was stamped with Intense Black and colored with the Watercolor Pencils, but I did not use a Water Brush. Unfortunately I was not able to capture this in a photo, but I used the Clear Shimmer Brush only on the fish's head, fins and tail. I also used the Clear Shimmer Brush on the water bubbles and where I colored the word "Chill".

Before you head to ***Lauren Moore's CTMH Craftings***, the supplies I used to create my project are listed below.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:

• My Acrylix™ Stamp Sets: Summer Vibes—Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts (Z3742); you could use Summer Vibes—Cardmaking Stamp (C1857) and fussy cut
  
• Patterned Paper: Summer Vibes Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet (X7258S) or Summer Vibes Paper Packet (X7258B)
• Cardstock: Summer Vibes Coordinating Cardstock (X7258C) or White Daisy (1385), Smoothie (X5985) and Glacier (X5978)
  
• Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pads:Intense Black (Z4189)
• Heat Embossing: Anti-static Pouch (Z4220), White Daisy Exclusive Inks™ Pigment Pad (Z3863), White Super Fine Embossing Powder (Z2068), Heat Tool (Z4252)
• White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack (X254)
• Embellishments & Tools: Watercolor Pencils (Z3630), Clear Shimmer Brush (Z3293), Clear Sparkles (Z3274)
  
• Die-cutting & Embossing Machine (HB1080, available with Hostess Rewards, see page 4 of Close To My Heart Core Products or Party with Us!)

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant, you may purchase the supplies I used at my Consultant website.

If you have a few moments, please let me know what you think of my card. I am curious the impression people have of my cards and I enjoy reading the comments. I hope you are enjoying the projects created with the new products from CTMH. Thank you for hopping with us!

So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***Lauren Moore's CTMH Craftings***.

Core Products 2019-2020 Retiring List with Product Images

I have to admit it. Even though I have been a Consultant since March 2012 there were two items on the Core Products retiring list that, if asked, I would not have been able to provide a good description for.

Cover of Core Products Idea Book

I recently looked up those products, finding it a little more difficult since some are sold out, but that lead me to think a visual list of the retiring products might help others too. I re-arranged the items a bit from the printed list. I grouped all Color of the Year products together at the end. If one was available, I also shared artwork using the stamp and/or Thin Cut.

As I mentioned, some items are already sold out and there are a few with low quantity. Products are available while supplies last. If there are any products that are still on you wish list I encourage you to order sooner rather than later.

There will likely be additional colors retiring, but we will not learn the colors that will be leaving the CTMH color palette until later in July. As soon as CTMH releases that list I will post it on my blog; please visit later in the month.

Story by Stacy™ Story Starter Workshop Kit—Candy Apple (Z4208) Core Catalog page 20	Story by Stacy™ Story Starter Workshop Kit Bundle (Z4273) Core Catalog page 20
Say It in Style (D1283) Core Catalog page 29	Say It in Style (D1283) sample artwork Core Catalog page 29
Paper Pal Bundle (Z4269) Core Catalog page 30	Paper Pal Bundle (Z4269) product ideas Core Catalog page 30
Build-a-Plaid (D1886) Core Catalog page 32	Build-a-Plaid (D1886) sample artwork Core Catalog page 32
Strokes of an Artist (D1887) Core Catalog page 33	Strokes of an Artist (D1887) sample artwork Core Catalog page 33
Stitched Circles Thin Cuts (Z4181) Core Catalog page 41	Stitched Hearts Thin Cuts (Z4182) Core Catalog page 41
Stitched Ovals Thin Cuts (Z4187) Core Catalog page 41	space intentionally blank
Chipboard Frame + Overlay (Z3580) Core Catalog page 43	White Alphabet Foam Stickers (Z4088) Core Catalog page 43
White Pearls (Z3370) Core Catalog page 45	space intentionally blank
Wooden Arrows (Z3552) Core Catalog page 45	Acrylic Hearts (Z3553) Core Catalog page 45
SOLD OUT - Red Shimmer Trim (Z1848) Core Catalog page 46	White & Gold Skinny Ribbon (Z4194) Core Catalog page 46
SOLD OUT - White Ribbon (Z4196) Core Catalog page 46	Gold Sequin Ribbon (Z4198) Core Catalog page 46
Mink Twine (Z4221) Core Catalog page 46	SOLD OUT - Water Brush—Medium Flat (Z3226) Core Catalog page 48
Silver Tinsel Embossing Powder (Z4248) Core Catalog page 52	Gold Tinsel Embossing Powder (Z4249) Core Catalog page 52
Copper Tinsel Embossing Powder (Z4250) Core Catalog page 52	Red Tinsel Embossing Powder (Z4251) Core Catalog page 52
Mini Stapler (Z2027) Core Catalog page 53	SOLD OUT - Mini Staples (Z2097) Core Catalog page 53
Broad Tip Glue Pen (1512) Core Catalog page 55	SOLD OUT - Tabbed Dividers (Z1839) Core Catalog page 58
SOLD OUT - Craft Boxes (Z4137) Core Catalog page 58	space intentionally blank
Wood Mini Album Cover—Heart (Z3534) Core Catalog page 67	Wood Mini Album Cover—Square (Z3564) Core Catalog page 67
Color of the Year—Julep
Julep Glitter Paper (Z3506) Core Catalog page 43	Julep Cardstock (X6029) Core Catalog page 75
Julep Glitter Gems (Z3507) Core Catalog page 45	Julep Loose Sequins (Z3566) Core Catalog page 45
Julep Velvet Ribbon (Z3567) Core Catalog page 46	Julep Shimmer Brush (Z3508) Core Catalog page 50
Julep Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad (Z6511) Core Catalog page 74	Reinker Julep (Z7511) Core Catalog page 75
Julep Exclusive Inks™ Pigment Pad (Z8007) Core Catalog page 75	space intentionally blank

A list of retiring products is also available on the CTMH Idea Books page which you will find in the green bar above. I hope seeing product images helps you with your inventory/wish list.