November SOTM Blog Hop

Welcome to our NovemberStamp of the Month Blog Hop!

We will be featuring September's SOTM, which is "Cherish the Day" a set of 44 stamps. If you have come here from Corina's Blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.

I really had a lot of fun with this stamp set!  It's such a versatile set, I can't wait to start some more projects with it.  It's perfect for journaling on scrapbook pages too!

I used some of our Kraft Paper to start with, then cut out this cute pillow box with the Art Philosophy cartridge.  Using New England Ivy and Cranberry, I made a nice background for the box.  Then I used the Art Philosophy cartridge again to cut out some tickets, I used the layer and decorative layers as well to add some dimmension.  Shadowed the edges using sponge daubers (my favorite small item).  and tied it all together with some cranberry velvet ribbon.  Sweet and simple.  Perfect for a gift card, or some jewelry.  We all know the best things come in small boxes!

Now "Hop" on over to Nikka's Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the November SOTM, "Cherish the Day," is only available until November 30! Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set for only $5 with your $50 order!

Journaling for Scrapbooks-life

Enjoy the little things in life,

for one day you will look back and

realize they were the big things.

~~Unknown

31 Days in October! day 14

On the 14th day of this challenge, I've made a cute little Christmas Mini-Album, and of course I used the "Holiday Magic" stamp set.  I used the stocking from this set on Daisy White cardstock.  I inked him with Topiary and Sweet Leafe and added some Green Sparkles for a little extra bling to him.  The Holly leaves on the other page are from the "A Holiday" set,  I cut them out thoug with the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.  The whole album actually folds back in on itself and gets tucked into this sweet box, also made with the Art Philosophy cartridge on Believe cardstock.  This will make an adorable little Christmas Mini-Album for a dear friend of mine.

Journaling for Scrapbooks-love

Love is the master key, which opens the gates of happiness.
~~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

31 Days in October! day 13

Day 13!  Make sure you get your Holiday Magic stampset this month for only $5 and keep checking my blog for lots of fun ideas for your Christmas cards!  For the tree on this one I stamped the tree 3 times in New England Ivy, then cut them out and used my Bone Folder on them to get a nice crisp line down the middle.  I did a direct pad to paper technique with Ponderosa Pine  on the edges of them all, and then glued them together to make a nice 3-D Christmas tree.  The card itself is done on Roxie paper, the card and the cute little border were both cut with the Art Philosophy cartridge on the cricut....Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this cartridge.  I have never used my cricut as much as I've been using it this week!  FUN!

31 Days in October! day 12

Day 12 of the 31 days in October!  This is a cute card made with the Stamp of the Month, Holiday Magic.  We will be making this one this weekend at Amanda's.  The stockings were cut out with the cricut cartridge-Art Philosophy...loving this cartridge btw.  They were inked with Topiary and Gray Flannel.  I used the Believe paper pack for the background and ribbon-like strip.  The cardstock for the sentiment was also cut out with the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.  I sponge daubed everything with the Gray Flannel too.  I added some Cranberry brads for a little zing too.  I can't wait to share this one with everyone on Friday!

Journaling for Scrapbooks-memories

These little thoughts are the rustle of leaves;
they leave their whisper of joy in my mind.
~~Rabindranath Tagore

Journaling for Scrapbooks-baby sitting up

Today I looked away.

I turned back...you have grown.

Things you couldn't do before,

Now you're doing on your own.

I'm sure it was only yesterday

That you depended on my help.

My, what a smart baby-

Sitting by yourself!

~~Crystal Dawn Perry

31 Days in October! day 11

Ok everyone, here goes for Day 11 of our 31 Days in October Holiday Magic Challenge.  I used my Cricut and the Art Philosophy cartridge again to make the card using the Believe Paper Pack.  I did the trees in Sweet Leaf and Sky to coordinate with the paper.  Then I added some Clear Sparkles for some bling.  I added the sentiment in Black ink.  Another sweet and simple card ready for Christmas.  Hope you enjoy.

Journaling for Scrapbooks-sister

For there is no friend like a sister,

in calm or stormy weather.

~~Christina Rosetti

31 Days in October! day 10

I got to play with my new Cricut cartridge from CTMH this weekend.  WOW!  I could tell from all the comments I've been reading that it was a fantastic cartridge, but this blew me away.  All the cute little boxes, and flower, and cards, and tags....OH MY!  One of the first things I put together was today's Holiday Magic card.

This was one of the easiest creations yet!  Most of it was done by my Cricut with the Art Philosophy cartridge!  I cut the card out of the Roxie paper using the card (oval 4) at 5 1/2"  added a Pondersa Pine (oval4) and a Black (oval4).  I then embossed the sleigh and runner using VersaMark and Gold embossing powder.  I heated the powder with my Craft Heater, then I Sponge Daubed the edges with Black ink.  I glued everything together with my Bonding Memories Glue Pen, and all done!

Be sure to get your Holiday Magic stampset before October is gone.  And make sure to get your Art Philosophy Cartridge exclusively available through Close To My Heart and available here at my website.

Journaling for Scrapbooks-friendship

Hold a true friend with both your hands.

~~Nigerian Proverb

31 Days in October! day 9

These cute Christmas tree tags are made with the other Christmas tree stamp.  The main difference between these and the ones from the other day is instead of using the Designer Wooden Buttons, I used the Red Assortment Buttons.  I still used the New England Ivy and Desert Sand, and Sunflower ink pads on the Colonial White cardstock.  I added some Stardust Glitz Glitter Gel to the star to make it "Shine"  I attached the Black Waxy Flax to the tree with Memory Book Glue Dots, and then used them again to attach the star. (After I let the glitter gel dry).  I attached the buttons with the Memory Book Glue Dots as well.

Well I've gotten a chance to play with the new Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, and I LOVE IT!!!  I haven't gotten to do any real projects yet, but hopefully that will change tomorrow so I can add a picture here to share with you.

Journaling for Scrapbooks-homeschool

For the mother is and must be,

whether she knows it or not,

the greatest, strongest and most lasting

teacher her children have.

~~Hannah Whitall Smith

31 Days in October! day 8

This is another  little Christmas tag using Holiday Magic.  We are on day 8 now, and still have so many ideas that I can't wait to show you.  These stockings were done on Colonial White cardstock with Cranberry and New England Ivy inks.  I added the Black Waxy Flax with a simple cranberry brad from the Red Brad Assortment.  The only other thing I added to this was Bitty Sparkles to the center of each snowflake, for a little added bling.  Another sweet and simple gift tag.  Very easy to whip up.  Make sure you place your order today to get your set for $5.

31 Days in October! day 7

These adorable little Christmas tree tags are made with the Holiday Magic stampset.  Remember you can get your set this month for only $5 when you spend $50.  So get some holiday shopping done and and get a steal on this set now to get started on all your Christmas projects.  I used New England Ivy and Desert Sand for the trees, and Sunflower on Colonial White cardstock for the star.  I used Memory Book Glue Dots for to adhere the Black Waxy Flax to the tree, and the star on top of the waxy flax.  The Wooden Designer Buttons were also added with the Memory Book Glue Dots.   I added the Stardust Glitz Glitter Gel to the star for a little bling.  That makes three more simple tags done and waiting for Christmas morning.  Very simple, yet sweet.  I am really loving this Stamp of the Month set.  It's so versatile, and I haven't even gotten to play with it with my new Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge yet.  That will be coming this weekend, keeping an anxious eye out for the FedEx guy, and I can't wait to start playing with it.  I'll be sure to put up some posts of my creations soon.

Journaling for Scrapbooks-flower

A single rose can be my garden
...a single friend, my world.
~~Leo Buscaglia

31 Days in October! day 6

So it's day 6 for Holiday Magic.  For the next few days we'll be making some tags!  Here's a couple of stocking tags done on Colonial White cardstock with Cranberry and New England Ivy ink.  I tied some Black Waxy Flax onto some Red Assortment Buttons, and then used our Memory Book Glue Dots to attach them to the front of the tag.  So simple, yet so cute.  I can't wait to use them on Christmas gifts this year. 

Journaling for Scrapbooks-friendship

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch,

a smile, a kind work, a listening ear,

an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring:

all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

~~Leo Buscaglia

Journaling for Scrapbooks-football

Football is like life; it requires perseverance,

self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication,

and respect for authority.

~~Vince Lombardi

31 Days in October! day 5

Day 5 and still enjoying my Holiday Magic stampset.  Today I decided to do some embossing, another simple technique that adds alot of glitz to your card, without alot of expense.  I used the Holiday Magic stampset and Versamark stamp pad to add lots of little snowflakes and the runner to the Pacifica cardstock.  I added some Silver Embossing Powder and let the Craft Heater do its magic.  I love watching the powder go from dull to shiny when its heated up.  Next I added the sleigh in Cranberry ink on Colonial White cardstock, and framed the card with Cranberry cardstock as well.  Then I got out the Versamark again and added the word "Greetings" with Black Embossing Powder, and my simple, yet elegant card is done.

31 Days in October! day 4

Day 4 of our Holiday Magic Marathon!  I hope your enjoying seeing these creations as much as I'm enjoying making them!  Today is another beautiful card, using the Holiday Magic stampset.  I stamped the trees in New England Ivy, onto Colonial White cardstock and cut them out with my MicroTip Scissors.  The lighter tree is still New England Ivy, but it's a second generation stamp--basically after I made one of the trees, I stamped a second tree without reinking in between it's a nice way to get different tones of the same color.  I used Desert Sand ink for the stumps, and Kraft paper for the frame.  I stamped the snowflakes onto Pacifica cardstock with White Daisy pigment ink.  After the ink had dried, I added a little touch of bling by highlighting them with Stardust Glitz Glitter Gel.  I added a few Mocha and Pearl Opaques Adhesive Gems to highlight the front tree and add a little dimension.

Journaling for Scrapbooks-baby

"When the first baby laughed for the first time,

the laugh broke into thousands of pieces

and they all went skipping about,

and that was the beginning of fairies."

~~from Peter Pan

Buttoned Up Card Set Video

31 Days in October! day 3

Day 3, and still on a roll...loving this Holiday Magic stamp set. It's so much fun to work with!  If you've been following along, you'll know what I made the snowflakes with...that's right, Liquid Applique again.  I stamped snowflakes onto my Sky cardstock with the Holiday Magic stampset, and then highlighted them with the liquid applique.  I love watching them puff up as I heat them up.  I then stamped the sleigh with New England Ivy and Cocoa inks, as well as the sentiment.  Cocoa is also the cardstock I used to frame the card with, as well as the brads I used, which kind of brings everything together to add a little rustic charm to the card.  I also want to share a great tip to line up the brads.  One of my favorite new items in the catalog this time is the Ruler.  You just line up the ruler where you want your brands, then use the Piercing Tool to punch through the holes in the ruler, and you've got beautifully lined up brads!  I love any tool that makes my life easier, and this one is great!

This is the stampset we are using all month long, Holiday Magic and because it's the Stamp of the Month, you can get it for only $5 when you spend $50.  So check out the cards I've made here and decide what you need to get your Christmas Cards completed.  Then go to my website, and make an order  www.karenfullam.myctmh.com

31 Days in October! day 2

So on day 2, I am sharing one of my FAVORITE techniques, embossing!  I absolutely love embossing, it is so easy, and looks so elegant.  On this card, I stamped with versamark, added some gold embossing powder.  I used my craft heater to set it, on cocoa paper, with a cranberry frame.  To make the gold distressed edge, I used swiped the versamark pad directly onto the cocoa paper, added some more emossing powder, and heated it up.  I do have to warn you, embossing is quite addictive!  Once you try it, you'll want to add a touch of gold or silver to all your projects, but that's okay, because one little jar of embossing powder lasts a long, long time.

31 Days in October! day 1

I am absolutely loving the Stamp of the Month from Close to My Heart this month, Holiday Magic.  It is perfect for cards, and layouts both...
To show you all how versatile it is I am going to be showing a different project made with this stamp set each day in October.   I am starting with a simple, basic Christmas card.  This is actually an easy card to make.  Although it looks like it may be a little difficult due to the "fur" on the stockings.  I simply used Liquid Applique ($3.95 for a tube).  You add it to your project, wait for it to dry, and when you heat it up it becomes a puffy paint.  I love the look on many different projects.  I used the Roxie paper pack for the primary paper, Kraft paper for the background and sentiment, and a Tulip ink pad.  Pretty reasonable ingredients for an eye popping, easy-to-make Christmas card.

If you enjoyed this project, make sure you come back tomorrow to check out the next project.