MIA

Hi all, sorry about the long time missing...I opted out for the last two blog hops since I shared my SOTM autoship with Cathy and she got those months : ( I did manage to get them both, but after the due date for the hops...

Anyhoo, I'm back now and hoping to do a little better job in keeping up....(I know you have heard that before!) I am on board for the December hop and a special hop to celebrate our newest campaign...."Rock the Block" coming in mid December. It is an awesome new product the "My Creations Puzzle Block set" and a E size stamp all for only $15. with a $25 dollar purchase of anything from the Fall/Winter Idea Book. It provides a $30 dollar savings just with that, but add a little more to get the SOTM for $5 and you could save even more! It's a great deal and I will be sure to post some sneak peaks of the deal as soon as they start showing up on the consultant web sites...

It is a so fun being a part of this company!!!

Check back soon for more updates and big news about my virtual sale site going LIVE!

September "Stamp of the Month" Blog Hop: Limited Edition

Welcome back to "My-Life-In-Real-Time"....

Join me and 60 or so of my closest friends as we show you some creative and fun way to use the awesome September Stamp of the Month, Limited Edition, to amp up your creativity now that the kids are back in school!

If you have come to my little corner of the blogosphere from Doreen's Blog, you are on the right track...just check out my items for this month and then click on the link at the end of this post to continue on the hop....Have fun!

For my project this time I created my annual calendar update using this fun set. Each year, I transition to a new calendar/planner as the new school year starts.



To create the front cover, I used Colonial White cs to mat some Typeset Designer cs, then I went to town matting and double matting the images from "Limited Edition." I also added a stamped canvas button badge and one of our new Complements canvas accessories. I distressed most of the pieces with our distressing tool and also with some chalk to make it look more antique, (although within several months it always looks a little antique anyway!)



Remember this layout from a few years back? Check out the back which I stamped with 3 of the stamps from "Limited Edition" in a little cluster to personalize my original creation. I know these will eventually make their way into my kids scrapbooks and I want them to know who did the journaling.



Ok, that's all for me this time...Head on over to Tamytha's Blog to check out what she has created this month!

See you soon, and happy autumn to you all ....

Terrie

Bonus Blog Hop!!! Pair a Phrase

Welcome back again and it's bonus time!!! Yep, to celebrate "National Stamping Month," Close to my Heart is offering a first....a set of 2 D size stamp sets called "Pair a Phrase" that has virtually every image and sentiment to complete any type of card you could ever need, really, it is that good!!!

If you have come to my blog from LeAnne's Blog, you are on the right track, just check out my card set I created and then click on the link at the bottom of my post and "hop" on over to the next blog to complete a big creative circle!

Here is what I created this month:



This cute set of 3 by 3 cards was so easy...I cut the bases out of White Daisy cs, layered a coordinating color cs, stamped the images and sentiments inside with archival black ink and then used my chalks with a pointy Q-tip to color in the images. Then I stamped the sentiment inside and another coordinating image and colored it in. I use our 3 by 3 envelope flats and stamped the matching image on the outside and also colored those in. Here are pics of the individual cards and their insides.

After they were all done, I placed them in a clear top tin and tied them up all pretty with some tulle ribbon. They will make such a cute gift for the upcoming holidays!

Well, that is my contribution this time....I can see hundreds of ideas bouncing around in my head, but if you want to see some more great idea for this awesome stamp set, head on over to Deanne's Blog and see what she came up with.

The details on this great promotion starting tomorrow include this great "double D" stamp set free with your $75 purchase and if you include the so cute SOTM "Wicked" for $5, you will also receive a free mini alphabet set in your order.....Lots of free stuff and so many new products and papers to choose from, you will be in paper heaven! Click here to order your "Pair a Phrase" set today, or give me a call to come over and see the new product first hand and get your hands on a new Idea Book and Catalog!

Let's get Wicked!!! CTMH August SOTM Blog Hop

I'm so excited to be posting my very first project with the newly released SOTM sets from the new Fall/Winter Idea Book!! I'm so looking forward to see what everyone has posted both with this stamp set and with new product....Let's get started!

If you have come to my blog from Krista's Blog, you are on the right track. Just check out my card and gifty item and then you will find the link to the next creator's blog at the end of my post.



First I created a 8 X 3 1/2 Halloween card with the August SOTM "Wicked." Loved many of the stamps and sentiments in this one, but was drawn to the cute little black cat. I carefully cut out said cat and then proceded to break out my new B & T paper in the "Mischief" paper pack and cut out swatches which I staggered on my pear CS base. Using the Wicked Halloween sentiment I triple matted it and placed it on the card. I popped up my little kitty and used some black satin ribbon for a little shine and then took some Halloweeen cobwebs and strategically placed it on the card to add dimension and mystery. I was so pleased with how it turned out and looks like I will be making more as my friend who was scrappin' with me offered to buy it after I posted!

For my gifty item, I used the old stand-by covered chocolate bar with some retired B & T and then used the "Hats off to You" sentiment and cut out a cute little mortar board so I could make gifts for my husband and his classmates who decended on my house Saturday night to celebrate finishing their Master's degrees in Education!!! I'm so proud of him and who doesn't like chocolate, right?




A little detail shot...



Ok, that's it for me, but now it is time to head on over to Wendy's Blog and see what crafting awesomeness she has to share!

See you soon.......Terrie

It's almost here!!!

Get ready for the newest of the new....Join me as I participate in the first Close to my Heart SOTM Blog Hop from the new Fall/Winter Idea Book. This fantastic book was revealed at our recent convention in Disneyland and with new products aplenty, you are sure to find something fun to spark your creativity! It goes live on August 1st, 2012!!!


Our Blog Hop also goes live on August 1st, so make sure you come back here to start "hopping" and get that wish list started!!


Here is a little sneak peak of the August Stamp of the Month Set to get those "Wicked" ideas flowing!!

Convention and California Vacation Recap!!

I sooo enjoyed convention! My friend and downline Cathy got to attend for the first time and we had so much fun, especially since we were stationed at the fabulous Disneyland Hotel. We got to play at Disney for a couple of days and then ooh and ahh over all the exciting announcements that convention brings...

Here are some highlights of Convention and Disneyland....


What a fun surprise to push a button on the night stand and hear the song "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" while the hand carved wooden headboard lights up with fireworks above the castle. We knew we were in for a fun filled week!

Off to Disney and Monsters Inc.

Here is a sample of all the different sizes our new cricut cartridge can produce of this 3-D flower. Anywhere from 1/4 inch up to 11 3/4 inch of 700 different images!!! Unbelievable versatility!

Cathy and I "on stage" at the end of convention.

On Sunday, Bryan and the kids came out to join me and we headed to Carlsbad to experience Legoland again and escape the hot weather and head to the beach!

Here are a few pictures of our trip....



Leah and Ian with Hagrid...



The kids at the new Sea Life Aquarium...

And at the new Legoland Water Park....

We bought a boogie board for the kids to try....They absolutely loved it!!!

We found a restaurant in Carlsbad called Tip Top Meats which was basically a huge European Meat Market complete with whole suckling pigs and every kind of meat and meat delicacy you could think of. We ended up eating there twice and here was Bryan's Jagerschnitzel that he ordered the second night there.....We would go back there in a heartbeat and recommend it highly!!

CTMH July SOTM Blog Hop- American Celebration

Happy July and welcome to this month's installment of the Close to my Heart Blog Hop!

I missed you all last month and am happy to be back! What a great sampling of artwork for last months SOTM "Jubilation." I'm sure this month will provide many creative "sparks" for all of us!

If you came from Pamela's Blog, you are on the right track.... just check out my card for this month and then click on the link at the bottom of my post to stay "on the hop."

Our stamp set for this month is a patriotic set of 12 stamps called "American Celebration." Available July 1st thru 31st, this set is sure to give you plenty of options for your 4th of July Celebration pages, cards or your military pages.



My card is a standard size card with B & T paper from the "Fanfare" level 2, My Reflections Kit. I embossed on black CS in "Cranberry", and gold using two images of fireworks from this month's stamp set. I cut out the smaller of the two images and popped it up in the center of the first. I then triple matted the images in "Sunny Yellow", "Pacifica", and "Cranberry" to make it pop. I stamped and cut out the celebrate banner and stamped the firecrackers in cranberry and pacifica and cut out a white one as well drawing inthe markings. Next I cut small pieces of natural hemp and frayed the ends to look like fuses. Lastly I tied the three "firecrackers" with hemp and popped them up for dimension....here is a close up:



Thanks for stopping by and now please head on over to Jill's Blog to see what she has created for you!

See you next month when we will have a brand new set of SOTM's for you along with a brand new Idea Book and Catalog.....For all my fellow consultant sisters.....look for me as I will have a button on saying I am a member of the "Blog Hop Team", hope to see you all there and meet you in person!!!

May CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop "Chairs to You"

Welcome to this month's Blog Hop...

Get ready to be blown away by over 60 awesome creations by members of the Close to my Heart consultant team. These ladies never cease to amaze me with their talent.

If you have come from Jen's Blog, you are on the right track...check out my card and then click on the link at the bottom of this post to move right on along....Here we go!

This months stamp features one of the hottest trends around...Chairs! Big fluffy chairs, ladder back chairs, arm chairs and just about any other kind of chair you can think of, this stamp set has them all.

I chose to use just one of the stamps and I used it multiple times and then colored one differently so I could use the "one of a kind friend" sentiment stamp to make a quick and easy but adorable card that could be ready at the drop of a hat should you need a card for that very special friend.

My card is pretty self expanatory, I used cocoa, cranberry and chocholate ink, colonial white cardstock, a kraft border and a bitty sparkle to bling out the tiny flower included in the set.



Now head on over to Shirley's Blog to check out what she has created for you this month.

Should you want to give this Stamp Set a try, it is available May 1-31 so click here to check out how you can get it for a discounted price or even FREE!

If you have ever toyed with the idea of running your own home based business, May is also the time to try that out with no risk! This month Close to my Heart if offering the New Consultant Kit at the unheard of price of $64.50....that's right, everything you need to get started selling one of the most sought after Scrapbooking and Stamping product lines for only $64.50! Click here to find out more or call me to schedule some one on one time to discuss joining my team. I'd love to show you how!

Till next time....

Terrie

March SOTM Blog Hop: Sensational Season

Try as I might, I just can't seem to get another blog post in during the month : ) It's not as if I'm not creating, just not getting them on the blog very quick...

Welcome to the March Close to my Heart Stamp of the Month Blog Hop featuring a "Sensational" set of 10 adorable stamps with a cute Mama and Baby bunny to get you in the mood for spring!

If you have come here from Melissa's Blog you are on the right track. Just check out what I've created this month and then click on the next blog at the end of this post.

I love, love, love the Beatrix Potter feel of these stamps and they are oh so appropriate for new baby and new mama cards, so that is what I have created!



For this first "Congratulations Mama" card, I used the mama bunny stamp and colored it in with chalks and fussy cut the image out and popped it up on foam tape. I tied some colonial white organdy ribbon at the bottom and used the sentiment from the "Love you Forever" stamp set. All of this is on the Pear side of the Wings B & T plaid paper. Super simple, but cute card.



Next I wanted to create a onsie card to mount baby bunny on. I used Crystal Blue paper for my onsie and used the "Connections" stamp set to "stitch" the arm, leg and neck holes. I faux stitched the Buttercup yellow circle, distressed it and mounted on foam tape the cute little boy bunny. Our pearl accents finish off as snaps nicely.

Now it's time to head on over to Vickies Blog and check out what she has created this month. I promise I will try hard to get a post up this month in between blog hops!

Till next time,

Terrie

February Stamp of the Month Time!! "Friendship"

Hello Friends...

Welcome to the February, Close to my Heart, Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

If you have come here from Cindy's Blog, you are on the right track. Just page down, check out my creations and then at the end of my post you will find out which blog to head to next.

I've missed you these last two months while I took a much needed break from the blog-o-sphere, but I'm back and excited as ever to share my take on this month's stamp set.

Featured this month is a set of 8 stamps celebrating friendship. I created two cards that I tried to "step out of the box" on and hope you enjoy them.



For this card, I used a B & T paper from the "Wings" Level 2 kit and the largest stamp from the "Friendship" set to stamp on some off white cotton fabric in "Vinyard Berry." Over that I stamped a sentiment in black and then I frayed the edges. I used twill ribbon with Vinyard Berry waxy flax to do the bows on the twill.



For my next card, I used another stamp from the "Friendship" set and masked off the top of the design to make a sort of "planter" for my hearts to sit in. I used B & T paper from the "Sweetheart" level 2 paper pack and "Cotton Candy" card stock along with "Cotton Candy" and "Pear" inks to stamp the pots and the hearts which are popped up with pop dots. White organdy ribbon finishes off this 6 X 6 card nicely.

Well, that's it for me this month, but make sure you head over to Haley's blog to check out her cute project this month.

If you enjoy all the fun projects and new paper's during this hop, make sure you head on over to my website and shop to your hearts content, 24/7. The Spring/Summer Idea Book and Catalog goes live Feb. 1st!!!

See you next month when some cute little bunnies will appear on the hop!

Thanks for stopping by....

Terrie

New Product Blog Hop!

Hello friends and welcome to the Spring/Summer 2011 New Product Blog Hop!


We're doing something a little different this time, a linky party hop, so either click on any of the thumbnails at the end of my post, or go to the host blog here and start at Erin's site and hop to all the great blogs displaying new product and tons of new ideas to use when the new catalog goes live on February 1st!

Here we go...




I'm loving the new "Lucky" level 2 My Reflections Paper Pack!! It is playful and very bright and usable for those little boy pages. I used the Bingo themed B&T paper and Outdoor Denium, Desert Sand and Sunset cardstock, some of the Level 2 assortment chipboard pieces and I quickly had a super cute page to add to my son's scrapbook!




Next, I switched gears completely and made a card from the Sweetheart Workshop on the Go pattern, taking a little creative license to make it my own. I didn't have any liquid applique to make the scalloped border for this card, so I used a corner rounder to make my own. I used the plaid/flower B&T from the level 2 paper pack and stamped the butterfly from the WOTG stamp set, cut it out and folded up the wings. I also used a piece from the Level 2 assortment acrylic frame to fashion my butterfly body. I stamped the antenna and hand drew the "motion." A few more acrylic pieces and I was done and so happy how this card turned out.





Hope you liked my projects this time and if you just HAVE to have anything you see in the hop, please stop by my website anytime, 24/7 and order your new product today!!!


See you next time....


Terrie

And Away I Go!!!

Where you ask? I'm off to Prescott to a scrapbooking retreat that I have been priveledged to go to for 5 years now. I love it....my friend and CM consultant Sherri Troxell does such a great job hosting each year that I wouldn't think of missing it.

Here is a picture from one fun year that is snowed the first night we got there....



The first year we went, it was just Jen and I and then Lisa joined us and this year Lori will join in on the fun. Unfortunately, Jen is sick and will have to bow out at the last minute : (
We will miss her lots, but are hoping she if feeling better soon....

More pics upon my return, hopefully of all the creations I complete while I am there!!


Thanks for sticking with me....our Christmas vacation became extended when we lost Bryan's Dad, Bill on Dec. 30th. While we miss him terribly, we feel blessed that we were there to visit with him, care for him and help out his sister who has been a rock throughout his illness. He was in so much pain that we know he is in a better place we just find his absence has been much harder to deal with than we ever thought it would be. We miss you Bill and think about you all the time...


Thanks for stopping by and check back next week for the Stamp of the Month Blog Hop and more artwork. Also, an online "Yard Sale" is in the works, so be on the look out for some awesome deals on my HUGE stash.