The WHY....

Hi All! Welcome to our mid-month Rose Blossom Blog Hop featuring layouts about our experience with Close To My Heart. If you just hopped over from the amazing blog of Barbara Smith, you're in the right spot! This month, CTMH is running special offer to folks wanting to join up as consultants. Not only do you receive one of these incredible consultant kits (full of yet to be released product, I might add).....

Cardmakers Consultant Kit

Scrapbookers Consultant Kit

But you also will receive the new CTMH tote bag...

AND have an opportunity to earn the rolling tote when you sell $300 worth of product in your first 40 days of becoming a consultant!

So let's talk WHY. In business (and in life really) it is very important to articulate your purpose, or to use the short-hand, your "why." A few months ago, I blogged about some the benefits of being a CTMH consultant. (You can read that post here.) Today, I wanted to showcase my absolute number one reason for being a consultant. My WHY....

I made my life easier on this project by using our Studio J program to create a fun two-page layout. (I love Hopscotch and I have used up almost all of my Hopscotch stickers and what-not, so I went digital...never runs out, never wears out! Plus, this layout took me about 15 minutes to put together...the journalling took a bit longer with all my perfectionist tweaking....)

Here's a look at each page (you should be able to read them if you zoom in just a bit):

At the end of the day, I'm a Close To My Heart consultant because of the relationships. I'm part of three fabulous teams (the Kraft-y Hearts, Rose Blossoms, and my own Kraft, Paper, Scissors YOU). We are teams of business owners, yes, but we are first and foremost friends. We enjoy hanging out with each other online and in person. We share who we are and what we're doing (right and wrong) in our businesses, and we help each other out. There's no sense of competition among team members, just a sense of camaraderie that lets us enjoy everyone's successes and encourage each other when we fail. It truly is inspiring both creatively and personally. I've met fantastic women in this organization and particularly on these teams who I aspire to be like in many ways.

So if the tote bags and gorgeous products aren't enough to entice you to become a CTMH consultant, let me add a little extra incentive: join for the people and community. I promise, you will not regret it whether you're a hobbyist or want a part- or full-time business! If you want to chat with me about it or need more information, just shoot me an email and I'll be happy to answer questions and/or sign you up!

Now hop on over to see what the awesomely creative Cathy Arbuckle has to share with you.

BLOG HOP TIME!

Hi All! Welcome to the Rose Blossoms Spring/Summer Idea Book Blog Hop! I am so glad that you have stopped by my blog along the way! You should have come to me from the incredibly talented Cindy Dale's blog, It's All In the Details. The rules for the hop are simple, but first let's take a look at this little Welcome Sign I created using the new Buzz & Bumble line.

For this project, I used a CTMH My Creations Bracket Frame, and covered it with Buzz & Bumble patterned paper. This can be done in a snap using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. Just cut the bracket image at fit-to-page, and you're pretty much there. I added a little zest using strips of our new Glitter Paper! For the banner, it's Art Philosophy once again. These are cut at 1 1/2 inches. "Welcome" is from the Irresistibles Houndstooth alphabet, which I sponged with Sweet Leaf Exclusive Ink. The flowers are from our Just Blooms collection. While the Florets would go nicely, I chose to use Paradise. I fussy cut the bee and leaves from the Buzz & Bumble My Stickease Assortment. The "friends" pin was made using a sticker from the Buzz & Bumble Assortmentand a paperclip (you gotta use what you have, right?). The wooden flowers and bees are also from the Assortment. I used Dark Chocolate Striped Grosgrain Ribbon and a little Burlap Ribbon to make the bow and add a little accent to highlight the sentiment. Some Brown and Tan Sparkles, small Sparkle Flourishes, and retired Sparkle Brads add a little whimsical bling. The sentiment is from Home Sweet Home, the February Stamp Of The Month, and is stamped in Goldrush and Sweet Leaf Exclusive Inks.
Here are some close-ups:

I hope you enjoyed a little Spring Buzz.... Now on with the blog hop!

Now, here are the blog hop rules:

**Collect one word at each blog stop
**My word is "the". 
**Brenda is at the end of the hop, and you will write your completed sentence there. Don't worry that your comment doesn't show! Brenda has the comments hidden for the blog hop!
**The winner of the grand prize will be randomly selected from the completed sentences!

And what is that grand prize you ask? A Buzz & Bumble paper pack and Honeycomb Stamp Set!! With it, you could create a project like this:

Isn't this FANTASTIC? So be sure to get those sentences done!

If you are inspired here today, I would love for you to follow me and comment on my blog! Your next stop on the hop is the über-talented Kim Richardson's blog. Should you get lost along the way, here is the order:

Lynn
Kristine
Marg
Sara
Tammie
Cindy
Kim H (YOU ARE HERE...in the blogosphere anyway....)
Kim R
Crystal
Brenda

Blog Hop Sneak Peek....

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

I can't believe February is half over and it's been two weeks since my last post! Folks, it's been that kind of year already. I was trying to decide what to give up for Lent, and was reminded that actually, at this point, my life is one big Lenten season. So I'm adding in a break rather than giving things up. (Or I suppose I'm giving up chaos for a couple of hours a week.)

It's been so crazy around here that I haven't had time to let everyone know another Rose Blossom Blog Hop is coming your way! TOMORROW!!! The new Close To My Heart Spring Idea Book is in and so we thought we would share a little inspiration from all its awesomeness!

Here's a sneak peek of what you'll find here. I can't wait for the full reveal!

This hop has a full little twist to it. Each participant has a secret word. When you get to Brenda Rose's site, which is the last on the list, you can leave the sentence in her comments section. (The comments will be hidden for this hop, so no peeking!) At the end of the hop, Brenda will draw a
random winner from the correct entries.

Wanna see what you could win?....

So it's not a layout with the photos of complete strangers. It's the components you need to make it yourself! To the winner goes a Buzz & Bumble  paper pack (that's what my project is made from) and the Honeycomb Stamp Set! (All those cute little hexagons are made using these stamps. You're gonna love it!)

Be sure to hop along with us tomorrow. If you can't make it through the list in one sitting, that's okay. The hop goes through Sunday, 17 February!

Look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Just Call Me MRS Clause! (part 2)

So we're back with the second part of the Secret Santa gift. We'll be looking at the inside of the stationery box, and there's a lot there. Let's get started.

Here's the outside, once again:

This is what it looks like when you open it up:

The pockets hold standard, A2 cards and envelopes, along with gift enclosures and/or tags. The panel that lays flat has a little journal that could be used as an address book, a pocket for stamps (I used it for seals instead) and a matching pen.  Here's a close-up of the panel:

The journal is made from a sheet of 4x6 La Belle Vie pattern paper. I scored it at 2 1/2 and 3 inches, folded it in half and added some lined paper cut at 3 3/4 x 2 3/4 inches.  (The 2 1/2-inch score mark lets it to open easier.) I then used my Crop-A-Dile to punch 3 holes and added brads for binding. I used Liquid Glass to add gems to the brads. I attached it to the panel with extremely strong tape. (You could use a thin layer of Liquid Glass for this.) For the pocket, top layer on the journal, and the pen loop, I used Blush cardstock that I distressed and used the layered stamping technique on. I used stamps from La Belle Vie Workshop On The Go, Jardin, and Bonjour stamp sets. I stamped the background script in Blush Exclusive Ink, and then layered on elements using Bamboo, Cashmere and Smokey Plum Exclusive Inks. For the little seals, I used Colonial White cardstock and stamped the background with Bamboo Exclusive Ink. I then stamped the "S" in Blush Exclusive Ink using the second generation stamping technique and the Token Alphabet stamp set. I cut them out using the 1 1/4-inch circle punch. (I made them into stickers using my Xyron 1 1/2-inch sticker maker.) For the inside of the pen, I added pink patterned paper cut at 1/2 x 3 1/4 inches.

Next, the cards:

I added six A2 cards and envelopes. The initialed notes do not fold over. I layered Bamboo cardstock cut at 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches with Blush and Colonial White cardstock that were cut at 4 x 5 1/4 inches and 3 3/4 x 5 inches, respectively. I ran the Colonial White layer through my Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots edge folder. The initials are stamped in Cashmere Exclusive Ink on Blush cardstock and layered on scallops cut from pattern paper. Using the corner rounder, I rounded the corners of each layer for a little added interest.

For the fold-over cards, I cut Colonial white cardstock at 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches and scored at 4 1/4 inches for the horizontal cards, and at 4 1/4 x 11 inches and 11 inches, scored at 5 1/2 inches for the vertical card. I trimmed the edges of the front of the cards using the Deco Scallop Edger punch by e.k. success and used the same punch to to trim the strip of pattern paper, which measures 2 x 5 1/2 or 4 1/4, depending on the card. I added a strip of pattern paper at the bottom of the inside of the card for contrast. I stamped the greetings in Bamboo Exclusive Ink using the Bonjour stamp set, and "fussy cut" around them. They are layered using dimensional adhesive on little tags I cut using a punch and. (A similar shape can be found on the Artiste and Art Philosophy Cricut cartridges. The shape measures 1 x 2 inches.) I then added Silver Shimmer Trim and Bitty Pearls to complete the cards.

Here's a look at the small pockets and the gift enclosures:

The small pockets are decorated with strips of the Bush cardstock I used on the earlier elements. I added a little flower from a punch from my collection and layered that with a small faceted gem from the Boutique Assortment.

The square cards are 3 x 3 inches. I layered them with La Belle Vie pattern paper and decorated them with layered stamped images from the Jardin stamp set and the Avonlea Cardmaking Workshop On The Go stamp set. The "box fold" card actually measure 3 1/4 x 3 1/4 inches because it layers on a square piece of cardstock cut to those measurements.

The rectangular cards are cut from Colonial White cardstock at 3 x 4 1/2 inches and, and scored and folded at 2 1/4 inches. I stamped the backgrounds in Bamboo and Cashmere Exclusive Inks using the same stamp sets I used for the square cards. The monogram on all the cards is stamped in Blush Exclusive Ink with Token Alphabet using the second generation stamping technique, and layered on 1/2-inch strips of pattern paper. I added some Pearl Opaque Adhesive gems for a little flare.

I created envelopes for these little cards out of Colonial White cardstock.

And that's it!

I hope you enjoyed my little box. Please let me know if you have question.

Have a wonderful holiday!

And the WINNER is....

Hi Folks! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. If you hopped along with the Rose Blossoms, I know it was an inspirational weekend! The ladies really made some OUTSTANDING projects. If you missed it, just scroll on down and you'll find the links to hop to at your leisure. 

I wanted to give away a little something to let you, my readers, commenters and followers, know how much I really appreciate you. (This little gift really doesn't come close to expressing my thanks, but you gotta start somewhere, right?) ;) So I entered everyone into a drawing and with the help of random.org (my own little electronic Vanna White), the winner is...... [off-stage drum roll here]

Mary Flayer 

a.k.a. 

NJ Stamping Queen

Congratulations, Mary! I'll be sending you an email for you address and particulars, or please send an email to me at krmhill@gmail.com.

Thanks, everyone, for all you sweet comments! I really enjoyed reading them!

Have a wonderful day!

Rose Blossom Christmas Blog Hop 2012

Welcome to the Rose Blossom Christmas Blog Hop! If you just hopped in from Lynn Darda's Bungalow, you're on the right track. If you want to start from the beginning (and there are prizes if you do), there's a list of participating blogs at the end of this post.

Now on with the show!

The display is made from an unfinished frame I purchased at my local craft store for $1. (These are great little things to have on hand!) I covered it in the barn red houndstooth paper from the Dakota paper pack. For the insert, I covered a piece of metal flashing (cut to fit) with weathered wood paper--the back side of the houndstooth. (The whole project was made from one sheet of Dakota paper and scraps of other papers.) I then stamped around the edges of the frame in Olive Exclusive ink using the August Stamp Of The Month. The insert is stamped in Olive and Barn Red Exclusive inks using the Trinity and Token alphabet stamps and the October Stamp Of The Month. The numbers are from the November Stamp Of The Month, stamped in Olive on Avonlea off-white cardstock. (If you don't have the Avonlea cardstock, I recommend it highly. However, you could probably substitute Whisper though it's a bit darker.) "Merry Christmas" is cut at 3 inches using the Artiste Cricut cartridge. I cut one in Avonlea off-white and one from a scrap of Pear & Partridge paper. I then layered them slightly off center for an extra pop. The star dotting the "i" on "Christmas" is a center from one of the snowflakes at the top, which are cut at 2 inches from Avonlea off-white card stock using Artiste. The mittens are cut at 2 inches using Artist  and Pear & Partridge Paper. I flipped the cut to get both a right and left mitten. I used Avonlea off-white scraps for the cuffs and stamped them in Barn Red Exclusive ink using a stamp from the Flirty Workshop On The Go set. I added a little Almond Glitz Glitter Gel for some extra sparkle, and voilà!

Here are some close-ups:

I also covered a little box to hold the extra numbers in. The edge of the lid is covered with the zip-strip from the Pear & Partridge paper.

Don't forget to leave a comment and follow to qualify for the grand prize, as well as for a prize from Violets & Sunshine. What prize you ask? A brand new Baroque Borders Stamps Set (the August Stamp Of The Month) and a Slate Exclusive (dye) ink ink pad! 

Now hop on over to be inspired the show-stoppingly talented (that's why she's last!) ;) Brenda Rose (the eponymous leader of the Rose Blossoms)!

If you want to start back at the beginning, here's the list:

Marg Van Patten: I Didn't Have Potatoes

Tammie Chelberg: I Love to Craft

Chrystal Heavrin: All Things Crafty

Kim Richardson: Just A Small Town Girl & Her Stamps

Lynn Darda: From My Bungalow

Kim Hill: Violets & Sunshine (You're Here!)

Brenda Rose: Rose Blossom Legacies

Hoppin' Your Way

Coming to your computer tomorrow! WOO HOO!

Here's a sneak peek of what I'll be sharing here at V&S:

I'll also be giving away a little blog candy to one lucky winner who comments on the blog. If you'd like an extra chance to win, become a follower of Violets & Sunshine. Winners will be drawn and announced on Monday, 26 November.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi All!
Welcome to my first ever blog hop with the Rose Blossoms! I'm so excited to be participating!

You've probably just hopped over from Sara's Kreative Korner. (Is she loaded with talent or what?!) I'm so glad you've hopped by. I have a couple of projects to share with you, along with a little give-away goodness. All the projects I'm featuring were made with the new CTMH Artiste Cricut cartridge. Folks, this cartridge is AWESOME! So much creative material here! Let me show you just a fraction of what this little cartridge can do.

First up is a birthday card and box combo that I made for my niece who turned 18 this month.

The card and envelope are found on page 52 of the Artiste handbook. I cut both at 5 1/2-inches. The motif on this particular card is found on page 33.  (By the way, this is just 1 of 9 s-fold cards on this cartridge!) I used cocoa card stock for the base layer of the card and covered that with B&T paper from Stella. The flower accent is from the Bohemian assortment, the button is from the pink assortment, and the twine is from the neutral assortment. The envelope and accent pieces are cut from colonial white card stock. (I lined the envelope with Stella B&T paper to match the card.) The sentiment and accent flower are from the Card Word Puzzle stamp set, and stamped in smoothie pigment ink and bamboo exclusive ink. I inked around the edges of everything in either chocolate exclusive ink or the smoothie pigment ink. Finally, the "18" on the inside is made with our new irresistibles houndstooth alphabet inked with smoothie pigment.

The box is found on page 74. It is cut at 1-inch, which is the height of the sides, from cocoa card stock and Stella papers. The flower embellishment and leaves are found on page 54. The flower is cut from Stella B&T and the leaves are cut from olive card stock. The flower button is from the basic assortment. I used tan pearls from the opaques mocha adhesive gems in the center of the button and then in graduating sizes on each side. The button on the front of the box is from the pink assortment, and the bakers twine is from the paradise assortment.

The next project will go to a lucky follower. I'll be doing a random drawing on Monday morning and will announce the winner on Tuesday. (I'm kinda excited because I've never done a give away before!)

This is a cute little note set that I made using the magazine box on page 47 and the card and envelope on page 73. (This idea was inspired by fellow CTMH Independent Consultant Mandy Leahy.) I cut the box at 4 1/2-inches from kraft card stock, and the cards were cut at 4 inches from the saddle and cashmere card stocks in the Clementine paper pack. The envelopes were cut at 4 inches from kraft card stock.

I decorated the box with Clementine paper using a template I made from scrap card stock. The chocolate twine is from the neutral assortment, and the wooden flower is from my stash. It's inked with twilight, sorbet and crème brulee pigment inks from the Whimsy Exclusive Inks mini pigment pad set. The canvas and button sticker is from the Clementine Workshop On The Go kit. The flags were made using the Card Word Puzzle stamp set, and were stamped in chocolate ink on sorbet card stock. Tucked in behind them is a little bit of frayed burlap ribbon.

Here are the cards that are included:

And here are a couple shown close up:

The lucky winner will also receive the new Autumn/Winter Idea Book packed with creative inspiration!

I hope you enjoyed my little smidgen of what the Artiste cartridge can do. Don't forget to post a comment and become a follower. Now hop on over to see what the über-creative Marg Van Patten has in store for you.

If you find yourself hopping off track, here's a list of the participants:

1) Brenda - http://roseblossomlegacies.blogspot.com

2) Sara - http://saraskreativekorner.blogspot.com

3) Kim - http://violetsandsunshine.blogspot.com (YOU ARE HERE)

4) Marg - http://ididnthavepotatoes.blogspot.com

5) Crystal - http://craftinginlove.blogspot.com

6) Lynn - http://frommybungalow.blogspot.com

7) Tammie -  http://tchelberg.blogspot.com