Holidays from the Heart blog Hop (and Linky Party)

Welcome to our Holidays from the Heart Blog Hop! This hop will feature products from our special guide that will be available from Oct. 15- Dec. 31, 2013. But some items are "while supplies last" so don't wait too long to shop!

I know it says this is a Holiday guide but not all products are for the holidays! There are products in this guide what give you a sneak peek at some things coming in the Spring Idea Book!  Click here to browse the Holiday From the Heart Guide now. 

Here is a card I made using some of the new Sparkle & Shine Washi Tape. The three tapes you see here come in a 3-pack! You get the Juniper, Ruby and Silver rolls and it's perfect for holiday and non-holiday crafting! The star is just one of the shape from the Sparkle Holiday Shapes pack and coordinates with the new stamp set called Trim the Tree. The message is from the Holiday Tags stamp set in the Idea Book. 

Click here to see more.

Be sure to click on the links to see more wonderful idea with products from the Holiday From the Heart Gift Guide! 

This blog hop is open for members of the CTMH Blog Boosters. Please do not enter if you are not a member of the group.

Thanks for hopping by!

Michelle

Blogtoberfest--Adapting Ideas

This layout is based on a wall hanging created by our own Jeanette Lynton! The left page is similar to the wall hanging, but I the right page was created as a companion page using the same ideas! I've adjusted some of the details based on which stamp sets and supplies I had on hand. If you like an idea but don't have all the supplies used for that project....search your stash! More than likely you'll have plenty of things that will work just as well! 

Some of the things I adjusted were the Dimensional Element letters and the stamped image on them, the B&T papers, the tree images, the mummy square. 

 Next time you find an idea you'd like to lift.....look around for things you can use first! The more you use supplies you already have the more economical they become!

Michelle

Blogtoberfest--Multiple Techniques

D1438 Circle of Love

7"x5" side fold card

Wouldn't you love to get a card like this one! I know it would make my day! This is a card inspired by a couple of others. Thanks Tresa Black for inspiring the sponged look for this peacock! She embossed and sponged her image but I chose to stamp mine in black over the sponged colors. 

I was also inspired by a card I saw and I'm sorry to say I don't have the name of the artist. It was a card using a non-CTMH stamp of a peacock with the panel sections as part of that image. I created the look by creating the peacock image on one piece of cardstock, cutting it into 3 panels and ink distressing the edges with black. Layering on white cs and then black cs helped create the illusion overall illusion I saw in the original card.

A Cuttlebug and embossing folders was used for the details along the right side of the card. This is a 5"x7" card but my embossing folders weren't long enough to fit the side length of the card. That frustrated me for a bit until I decided to try doing in two steps. I placed the folder only 1/2 way for the first pass, then flipped it around and did a second pass to make the detail the full length of the cs layer. A bit of sanding on the raised embossing makes it pop!

It's hard to see, but there are some sparkles on the peacock's head plumes and from our new Blue & Green Sparkles collection.  The tail plume as some of our clear Bitty Sparkles. Everything can use a little touch of bling!

CTMH Ink colors: Pacifica, Lagoon, Pear, Black

CTMH Cardstock: White Daisy, Black, Pacifica

Techniques: sponging, sanding, dry embossing,  ink distressing, layering,  embellishing

When used alone or a few at a time.....simple techniques like the ones I used here can really add a lot to your cards and layouts. 

Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon.

Michelle

Blogtoberfest--A SCRAPPY Background!

I hope you're are all saving your scraps! I just put mine back in the zip lock bag with the rest of the cardstock or B&T paper. I know....they do tend to build up quickly don't they. But scraps come in very handy and are a good way to make the most of your papercrafting dollars!

This card uses strips of both B&T paper and cardstock from the Magnifique kit that are only 1" x 3 1/2"! We've all got pieces like that! I added a scalloped edge for fun and just layered them in an overlapping pattern on a base piece of Cocoa cardstock. It's just a pretty background all by itself!

Next I stamped the flower from A Posy (A1102) using Lagoon ink rolled in Pacifica. The stem and leaves are stamped in Lagoon with the leaves stamped in 2nd generation then rolled in 1st generation for the darker edge. It's hard to tell in the photo but the flower is 3D'd on foam tape except for the leaf on the left which is glued directly to the background. As a finishing touch I used one of our new Shimmer Brads (Z1349) to give a bit of sparkle and texture.

Now....go look over your scraps and see what beautiful backgrounds you can create!

Michelle