It's been quite a year!

It's been awhile since I've devoted any time to my scrapbooking, or anything creative really. It's been a wild ride this last year and my free time evaporated overnight.

I was able to sneak away for two weekends over the winter but all my tools & scrapbooks just sat where I left them when I came home. In fact, they're still there now.

But I do have plans to get back into my (brand new) scrap room soon and when I do I will share with you the layouts I created while I was at my weekend crops as well the as start up to my summer classes and workshops. I have some plans to start up a card class and scrapbooking workshops soon.

I wanted to share with you the June specials this month because they are super cute.

My Crush books are a quick and easy way to preserve your summer memories while you make them. Simply add your ticket stubs, park maps or memorbilia into the pages then add your photos when you get them developed. Easy!

The Stamp of the Month is perfect for all the ice cream parties, root beer floats and melted goodness that are sure to show up in your summer photos. They also make a super cute party invitation!

I am really excited because Convention is right around the corner! After the chaos of the last year, I am looking forward to spending some time with my sister consultants playing and learning together. This is also my first year I am able to attend the Leadership Day which is an extra free day from Corp where we learn some great business building information. 

The best part of convention this year is that it's in Disney Land - simply my favorite place to be! 

Check out the tabs above to see what's new. I'll talk to you again in a few days! 'Bye!

August Stamp of the Month

With the introduction of the new Annual Inspirations, CTMH has changed how they do the Stamp of the Month program, which mostly affects consultants but you the customer get to benefit from it too.

In the past, consultants could only purchase the stamp of the months ahead of time with a large prepaid order of Idea Books. Not always easy for the little guys (like me) to be able to work ahead. Used to be, we could order a SOTM one month prior but we'd have to pay full retail price for it. Still not something a little guy (like me) could do. These are the two reasons you rarely saw SOTM projects from me - because I was purchasing them, like you, with my orders, usually at the end of the month.

However, that is in the past!!! Did you see the first few pages of the Annual Inspirations? All 12 SOTM sets are shown!!!!! That's right - you can see what the next twelve special stamp sets are going to be and plan your purchases accordingly! And - they are only $5 with a qualifying order! Seriously - this is a game changer for me! And here's the proof:

An August Stamp of the Month Card!!

Chalk It Up paper pack with August SOTM & ShinHan alcohol markers

I used Chalk It Up paper pack for the background and mat then stamped the images on White Daisy cardstock using the Archival Black stamp pad and let it dry overnight. I used the new ShinHan alcohol markers in Marigold, Golden Yellow and Barely Beige on the belly of the owl and the pumpkin (top) and Carmine for the mask that was stamped in Ruby ink. The feathers of the owl, I used Warm Gray 7, Warm Gray 4 and Clay.

Chalk It Up paper pack with August SOTM & ShinHan alcohol markers

 I wanted to compare the new ShinHan alcohol markers to the water-based markers of the past and you can tell the difference in the photo above. I used the same marking technique on both pumpkins but you can tell how much better the alcohol markers blend together as you color.

Chalk It Up paper pack with August SOTM & ShinHan alcohol markers

 I wanted to see what else I could color with the new markers, so I did the white enamel stars and the puffy prints from the Chalk It Up accessories. Cute!

This was a super fun project as I was able to experiment (successfully) with new products to show you how cute the Stamp of the Month is and how versatile the Chalk It Up paper pack is.

Check back on August 10th as I will be participating in the Joyful Stars Blog Hop with another Chalk It Up scrapbook layout I created.

When Creativity Flows

Sometimes creativity just flows. When it does, it can be hard to keep up! Here are a few cards I made recently. First, you'll recognize this one from my last post:

I really liked the flourish (February 2011 Stamp of the Month) so I decided to see what else I could do. Here's what I came up with:

This is a very simple card with just chocolate ink to decorate the card. Simple and straight forward.

This is a fast card to welcome a little girl. The sentiment is from Card Word Puzzle and the little feet are from a retired set from many years ago.

Same stamp, different cards and still very fast and impressive. What's easier?

Christmas Gift Tags

I am loving how easy the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge is making my holiday gift giving this year! I am able to make some really easy gifts that look like a million bucks! Below are some of the gift tags I made to attach to the kids' gifts. I went a little more dramatic for the tags that will go on the adult gifts but for the kids' I kept it simple.

I cut 14 of the tag from the Art Philosophy cartridge in Olive cardstock and 14 of the rectangle from White Daisy cardstock. Using the December 25th stamp set, I used Cranberry ink to stamp the image onto the white cardstock. Super easy!

This the tag I am using for the adults' tags. I cut Barn Red cardstock to 4"x 6", White Daisy cardstock to 3.5" x 5.5". I used Olive ink with an image from the June Stamp of the Month stamp set and some of the gingham ribbon from the red collection. Since the adults actually care who the gift is from, I made it bigger to accommodate all the extra sentiments adults like.

August Specials

Close to My Heart is celebration National Scrapbooking Month (September) and it's spilling over into August! Starting August 15th, celebrate our new Stamp of the Month (SOTM) program with an extra stamp set with your SOTM purchase. You can now get the SOTM for $5 with a $50 order -- so from August 15 - the end of September you get two stamp sets for $5! That's an Extra! Extra! deal!

Extra! Extra! stamp set with SOTM purchase

Also during August 15 - the end of September, you get our first ever double-sized stamp set for free with a $75 order. Combine the two deals and get 4 stamp sets for $5 with a $75 order -- that's a savings of over $65!!

Jubilation: June Stamp of the Month

The June Stamp of the Month is extremely versatile - I love using this set for calendars, gift tags, 3 x 3 cards and more! I will be posting pictures as I make stuff (check out Wednesday's post) but make sure to check out the details on my website (stephaniehuber.myctmh.com) or email me for more information.