Operation Smile Card ~ Atlantic Heart Sketch Challenge #363

Today I'm featuring a stamp set that helps children with cleft palates. When you purchase the You Make Me Happy stamp set Close To My Heart donates $7 to Operation Smile to help pay for facial surgeries for children around the world. What a great feeling to help these children!

I've paired this special stamp set with our Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge for this week. It's an easy sketch to work with and would make a very nice scrapbook layout, too! I started by stamping the image in black and coloring with Watercolor Pencils. I smoothed out the colors with a water brush to finish the look. The image was then cut out using one of our Thin Cut Dies as is the sentiment oval. I then assembled the rest of the card and stamped a few flowers around the card front. I stamped the flowers in Peach ink and then used that as the guide to color with the Peach Shimmer Brush on top to give them some sparkle. Some Bitty Sparkles for the flower centers was the final touch!

Operation Smile stamp set: You Make Me Happy

Close To My Heart products used on this card

• Stamp Set: You Make Me Happy (Operation Smile)
• White Cards and Envelopes Value Packs
• Paper Packs: Seas the Day, Mix-in
• Cardstock: White Daisy, Mint
• Exclusive Inks: Intense Black, Peach
• Thin Cut Dies: Stitched Ovals, Scalloped Circle (retired from current catalog)
• Watercolor Pencils, Water Brush, Peach Shimmer Brush, Bitty Sparkles
• Thin 3D Foam Tape

Let's go shopping!
If you need a consultant I'd be happy to help.
If you'd like to BE a consultant I'd love to have you on my team!

Are you ready to give our sketch a try? It's very easy because we get you started with the sketch. Now you can go with any colors and papers you like! Link to our home page when you're ready. It's exciting to see what you create!

Have fun creating!

Michelle

#showandtellwithmichelle #ctmh #atlanticheartssketchchallenge #cardmaking

Be Yourself Layout ~ Color Dare #329

Open through Thursday Feb. 21

Here is a quick layout using Carolina, Mint and Smoothie from the colors above. It created a really pastel sort of look. Once I stamped the sentiment in the upper left corner and the ink was dry, I used the Mint Shimmer Brush to highlight it and make some sparkle. The rest of the layout is decorated with little hearts  and sparkles. The tags were cut with Thin Cut dies,  stamped and then layered for the layout. This color combination came from our new Love of Color Book. There are 3, 4 and 5 color combo's that will inspire you over and over again.

The Be Yourself set is a very special stamp set. It's our Operation Smile set and $7 from each sale goes to help children get facial surgery to correct cleft lips and palates. It's a non-profit organization doing incredible work and we're proud to be part of their mission.

Close To My Heart products

• Stamp Sets: Be Yourself, Custom Tags
• Paper Pack: Seasonal Mix-in, I Heart Us
• Cardstock: Carolina, Smoothie
• How-to Book: Love of Color
• Exclusive Inks: Mint, Black
• Gold Glitter Gems
• White and Gold Ribbon
• Thin Cuts: Decorative Borders

Let's go shopping!

If you need a consultant I'd be happy to help.

If you'd like to BE a consultant I can help with that, too.

I hope you're feeling inspired to give our color challenge a try. It's fun and easy. If you don't have the exact colors shown you can use whatever brand you have as along as the color is as close as possible. Create any paper craft you like and link to our home page. Can't wait to see what you make!

Michelle

#colormyheart #colordare #showandtellwithmichelle #loveofcolor

Valentine's with Punny Pals

It's February and that means Valentine's! I got out my Punny Pals stamp set and went to work. Funny Pals is our Operation Smile stamp set and each sale benefits children all over the world that need facial surgery. So not only do you get a fun stamp set, you also have the satisfaction knowing you're helping children in need. Win-win!

These cards were inspired by Vicki Wizniuk. I colored the images with water color pencils and gave a light wash with a water brush to smooth out the lines. The inside of the card is shown below and each card has a heart matching the accent color on the front.

All products are Close To My Heart:

• Stamp Sets: Punny Pals, Splash of Color
• Fundamental Paper Packs: Whimsy, Adventure
• Cardstock: White Daisy, Willow, Kraft, 
• Exclusive Inks: Pixie, Poppy, Toffee, Mink
• Embellishments: Make Waves Sequins & Gems, Clear Sparkles, Shimmer Trim: Red, Gold, Adventure Ribbon

Let's go shopping!

If you need a consultant I'd be happy to help.

If you'd like to BE a consultant I can help with that, too.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Michelle

#closetomyheart #cardmaking #valentines

Color Dare 269

Aren't these colors pretty? What would you make with them? That's the idea of our blog. We give you the colors to create with and you share what you make with a link to our blog. It's fun and easy and we love being inspired by your creations. Full details are listed on our blog.

I decided to use the Punny Pals stamp set today. This stamp set is also our Operation Smile stamp set. For every Punny Pals stamp set sold $7 goes to Operation Smile to help with facial surgeries for children around the world. It's a fantastic feeling to know you're helping give children a beautiful smile!

I stamped the little otter on watercolor paper in Archival Black ink. I then used a water brush and ink from the lid of the ink pad to paint the otter and add some color around him so he looks like he's floating in water. I added a bit of shimmer to the seashell he's holding and to the "water".

this set is adorable AND it helps children. What could be better!

All products are Close To My Heart:

• Stamp Set: Punny Pals
• White Cards and Envelopes Value Pack
• Cardstock: Glacier, Toffee, 
• Specialty Paper: Watercolor Paper, Bashful Glitter Paper
• Exclusive Inks: Black Archival, Bashful, Toffee, Glacier
• Tools: Water Brush, Shimmer Brush--Clear, Thin 3D Foam Tape
• Embellishments: Bashful Pearls

Let's go shopping!

If you need a consultant I'd be happy to help.

If you'd like to BE a consultant I can help with that, too!

So now it's your turn! Use ALL and ONLY the colors above to create any paper craft you like. If you don't have an exact CTMH color you may substitute something close, but don't add any brand new colors to the palette. Check out the details on our home page.

Have fun creating!

Michelle

#colordare #colormyheart #closetomyheart #cardmaking #operationsmile

October 24, 2017

Scrapbooking with Punny Pals

Our Punny Pals are at it again! This time we used the stamp set and their coordinating Thin Cuts in scrapbooking pages and layouts to show you just how versatile these furry friends can be!

Taking a trip to the zoo? Add a little artistry to your memory keeping with your own customized paper made from these wild animals! Stamp, color, repeat.

Use the Punny Pals Thin Cuts to create 3-D accents to embellish pet-themed layouts. Cut, stamp, color, and adhere with 3-D foam tape.

What makes these playful Punny Pals so adaptable is that you can really use them anywhere.

Remember, for every Punny Pals stamp set purchased Close To My Heart will donate $7 of the proceeds to Operation Smile™, a non-profit organization that provides safe surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates for children around the world. And, for this month only, we are offering a coordinating set of Thin Cuts and the Share a Smile card kit, featuring our Punny Pals stamp set!

Create a layout. Make a card. Make a difference. Share a smile.

---

Recipes:

12″ x 12″ Zoo Layout
D1751 My Acrylix® Punny Pals Stamp Set, Z3351 Adventure Fundamental Paper Packet, X7224B Cats & Bats Paper Packet, X7226B Silver & Gold Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3355 Happy Moments Complements, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z3216 White Twine, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z3224 Waterbrush—Small Round, Z1979 Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

12″ x 12″ Sweet Life Page
D1751 My Acrylix® Punny Pals Stamps Set, CC1340 Thin Cuts—Punny Pals, Z3350 Whimsy Fundamental Paper Packet, X7225B Beary Christmas Paper Packet, X7226B Silver & Gold Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5979 Juniper Cardstock, Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3355 Happy Moments Complements, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z3224 Waterbrush—Small Round, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

12″ x 12″ Dream Page
D1751 My Acrylix® Punny Pals Stamps Set, CC1340 Thin Cuts—Punny Pals, Z3350 Whimsy Fundamental Paper Packet, Z3353 Basics Fundamental Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5979 Juniper Cardstock, Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3354 Inspire Complements, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z3189 White & Gold Ribbon, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z3224 Waterbrush—Small Round, Z1979 Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

CTMH Technique Blog Hop ~ Marker Madness

Welcome to the newest Technique Blog Hop! This month we are featuring our fabulous
ShinHan Markers! They color so smooth and without lines, blending perfectly!

If you've come from Danielle Wagner's blog you're on the right path. Just keep clicking on the link in each post to continue along the path.

I used the current Operation Smile stamp set called True Love. The little kids are so cute and the sale of this stamp set will donate $7 to help with cleft lips and palates in children!

 I simply colored and shaded with the markers. It's easy to add the shading by simply coloring on top of where you've already colored to add a bit darker tone for the shadow. Another tip is to add a bit of a shadow under the images to "ground" them. Otherwise they look like they are floating in space. I used a water brush and some Whisper ink for the shadow so it would be subtle. You can see the shadow a bit better in the second photo.

All products are Close To My Heart:

• True Love - Operation Smile stamp set
• Exclusive Inks: Archival Black, Whisper
• ShinHan Markers: Pastel Green, Leaf Green, Pastel Peach, Cherry Pink, Peony Purple, Tender Pink, Marine Blue and Mahogany
• Cardstock: White Daisy, Black, Lemon
• White Cards and Envelopes Value Pack
• Water Brush
• Thin 3D Foam Tape
• Bitty Sparkles

Let's go shopping!

If you need a consultant I'd be happy to help.

If you'd like to BE a consultant I can help with that, too!

Now it's time to continue on the hop. Let's go see what Janna Gray has created to inspire us!

Have a great day!

Michelle

#bloghop  #techniquebloghop  #cardmaking  #operationsmile

Spread the Love--Operation Smile Blog Hop

Welcome to a special blog hop from the consultants that bring  you the Stamp of the Month hop! This hop features the Operation Smile stamp set called True Love.  As you may know, Operation Smile is a non-profit organization that provides surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates in children. These surgeries are life changing for the children!

If you've arrived from Terrie Shortsleeve's blog you're on the right track. Just keep clicking on the links and you'll be able to hop to the next blog for more inspiration with this special stamp set. Click here for a complete list of the hoppers.

I made a bunch of cards with this set! Lots of different color combinations and they all turned out very cute. Here is just a small sample of my cards. I used ShinHan Markers to colors the images and dry embosses the background for each card. Clear Shimmer Pen was used on each heart as well. This is a great stamp set you need in your supplies! 

All products are Close To My Heart:

--True Love stamp set

--Cardstock: White Daisy, Thistle, Lemon, Pacifica, Willow

--Exclusive Ink: Archival Black, Pacifica, Ruby

--ShinHan Markers

--Dry Embossing Folders: Chevron, Hearts (retired)

--Journal Pen

--Clear Shimmer Pen

Let's go shopping!
If you need a consultant I'd be happy to help.
If you'd like to BE a consultant I can help with that, too!

Now it's time for more inspiration over on Michele Rowley's blog.
Have fun on the hop!

#operationsmile  #blophop  #cardmaking

Thanks for hopping by!

Michelle

Share the Love Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to a special hop from the Stamp of the Month blog hop consultants! If you've come from Krista Hershberger's blog you're on the right track. Just click the link at the end of my blog to continue to the next one on the hop. You can also click here for a list of participating consultants.

The very special set for February is named Share the Love (D size set). The reason it's so special is that for each Share the Love set sold, Close To My Heart will donate $7 USD to Operation Smile. Operation Smile is an amazing organization that provides surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates for children all over the world!

I ended up making a set of cards with a holder using Share the Love and the Charlotte papers. I took one of the sheets that has PML cards and cut it up. I used various individual cards on each notecard in the set. Not only was it fast and easy, it was a lot of fun choosing and working the PML style cards into the notecard designs! Then I used the Cricut Artiste cartridge to make a quick and easy file folder for the notecards.

All products are Close To My Heart: (click for image)

--Share the Love stamp set

--Charlotte paper pack

--Charlotte Compliments

--Inks: Sorbet, Black

--White Cards and Envelopes Value Pack

--Cricut Artiste cartridge

--Embellishments: Treasured Puffies, Gold Sequins, Grey Enamel Gems

Let's go shopping!

Now it's time to hop over to Jen Rubio's blog for more inspiration!

Thanks for hopping by!

Michelle

Color Dare #177 ~ Crystal Blue, Peacock, Whisper + White Daisy

Friday means a brand new color dare from the Design Team at Color My Heart! 

This week we have a really pretty combo of colors: Crystal Blue, Peacock, Whisper with White Daisy. I love this combo but had to resist pulling out a flower stamp set. I seem to gravitate towards the flowers but need to push my boundaries a bit. LOL

So I ended up with the very cute Operation Smile stamp set called Animal Greetings. What's even better about the cuteness of this stamp set is that for every purchase of Animal Greetings, Close To My Heart will donate $7.00 to Operation Smile! Operation Smile provides surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates in children. 

What a worthy cause! 

Back to my card..... I used a blending pen to paint the sky and water using the ink in the top of the ink pads. The whale was colored with a marker. Some layers and embellishments later and it's done!

All products are Close To My Heart: (click for image)

--Animal Greetings (Operation Smile stamp set)

--Doodled Design

--Ink: Archival Black, Crystal Blue, Peacock, Whisper

--ShinHan marker WG4 Warm Grey

--Cardstock: Watercolor Paper, White Daisy, Whisper, Peacock

--Penelope paper pack

--White Cards and Envelopes Value Pack

--Embellishments: White Shimmer Trim, Blue Enamel and Glitter Gems, Bitty Sparkles

--Tools: Corner Rounder, Thumb Notch Punch, Scallop Border Punch, Blending Pen

Let's go shopping!

Now it's your turn to get your creative self going and join us! If you don't have the exact colors use something close. This color dare is open until Thursday at 9:00pm, so you have plenty of time. Details on how to join are in the sidebar on our Color My Heart home page. While you're there be sure to check out what the other Design Team members have created to inspire you. Leaving a comment is always appreciated, too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Michelle 

Operation Smile ~ Happy Everything

Welcome to a special hop by the Stamp of the Month consultant group. If you've arrived from Judy Faye Garner's blog you're on the right track. 

Just keep clicking the links to see all the great ideas!

For this hop we are featuring the Operation Smile set called  Happy Everything. This is such a cute set with really great messages. Even better...Close To My Heart will donate $3.00 of the proceeds of this C size set to Operation Smile. 

 Operation Smile performs surgeries to correct facial deformities in children. 

This is a standard top fold sized card. It's pretty basic stamping with just a couple extras. The grass was created by stamping the chevron image once, then offset and stamped again in 2nd generation ink. This gives the two tone look. The balloon was stamped to line up with the dog. Then I used a journal pen to "tie" the balloon to the dog. Finally, I colored in some of the spaces in the message to make it pop and stand out a bit. I also offset the layers a bit. I left the left edge a bit wider than the rest of the layers....just for fun. It is important to carry it through so I did it again on the message layer. The coloring was done with our ShinHan markers. You can shade easily with the markers. But you can also remove color to brighten and area, like on the balloon. It's hard to see, but there is some sponging in Glacier along the top and upper sides to give a feeling of sky.

Happy Everything is only available until August 31, 2015 when it will retire. 

If you want this set, don't delay! 

All products are Close To My Heart: (click to see image)

--Stamp Sets: Happy Everything (R), Cuddly Salutations (R)(Hostess Set)

--White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack

--Cardstock: White Daisy, Glacier, Cranberry, Black

--Inks: Black, Glacier, Topiary

--ShinHan Markers: Cherry Pink, Clay, Bronze, Warm Grey, Colorless Blender

--Shimmer Trim: Red, Black

--Topiary Mini Chevron Ribbon (R)

--Round Sponge

(R) = Retiring Aug 31, 2015

Let's go shopping!

Be sure to check out the Retired and While Supplies Last sections, too!

Now it's time to hop over to Angela White's blog for more great ideas!

Have a great day!

Michelle

Color Dare #136 ~ Pixie, Colonial White, Slate & Silver

This week the Color My Heart color dare features Pixie, Colonial White, Slate and Silver. 

I used the new Operation Smile stamp set called Happy Everything. Close To My Heart donates $3 of each purchase. Operation Smile makes possible facial surgery for children all over the world. Help change a child's life by purchasing this stamp set!

This card was a quick and easy one! All stamped images are from the Happy Everything stamp set. One balloon is cut out and popped with 3D Foam as is the top white cardstock layer.  On the bottom edge I used the Scallop Border Punch. The balloons were colored with our ShinHan markers.

All products are Close To My Heart:

--Happy Everything (Operation Smile stamp set)

--Cardstock: Colonial White, Pixie

--Colonial White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack

--Inks: Slate, Pixie

--ShinHan Markers: Tender Pink, Colorless Blender

--Scallop Border Punch

--Silver Sequins, Black & Grey Sparkles

--Silver Glitter Paper

--3D Foam

Let's Go Shopping!

I'd love to be your consultant!

Come and join us in the Color My Heart Color Dare! We get you started with the color choice and the rest is up to you. You can make whatever you like. If you don't have the exact colors just use something close.  Click here for details on how to join the color dare and to see what the other Design Team members have to show!

Have a creative day!

Michelle

Color Dare #134 ~ Cotton Candy, Olive & Lagoon + Black and White Daisy

Color My Heart color dares are a fun and easy way to get the creative ideas flowing. The colors are selected for you, so that's one big decision out of the way! After that all you need to do is choose the way you want to use those colors! Anything goes at this point.....cards, layouts, decor....it's up to you!

This was a quick and easy card that also has something special added to it. The stamp set is called You're the Bomb and it's our current Operation Smile stamp set. Operation Smile is a wonderful organization that provides surgical procedures to correct facial deformities in children. Close To My Heart will donate $3 of the proceeds to Operation Smile! You can change the life of a child with just one stamp set! You're the Bomb is only available until March 31, 2015 so order yours now!

On the card I stamped second generation images for behind the words. This image is from the Brushstrokes set. After popping the circles with 3D Foam, I wrapped some Pixie Extra Thick Twine around it and tied it to look a bit like a tassel. I added some bling to act like bullet points for the words and the card was done!

All products are Close To My Heart:
--Stamp Sets: Brushstokes, You're the Bomb (Operation Smile stamp set)
--Cardstock: Cotton Candy, Olive
--Inks: Cotton Candy, Lagoon, Olive, Black
--White Daisy Cards and Envelopes (50 ct. bulk pack)
--Pixie Extra Thick Twine
--Green Epoxy Bubbles
--3D Foam

Let's Go Shopping!

I'd love to be your consultant!

Don't forget to order your Operation Smile stamp set: 

You're the Bomb!

Also, check out what the other Design Team members at Color My Heart have to share as inspiration in this color dare. Then get out your inks and papers and start creating! Details on how to join us are in the sidebar of our home page. You have until Thursday at 9:00 pm CDT.

Have a great day!

Michelle