Close to My Heart Blog Hop

Welcome to our Close to my Heart New Product Sneak Peak Blog Hop! Thirty fabulous Close to my Heart Consultants are celebrating the upcoming release of the Autumn/Winter 2009 Idea Book by giving you a Sneak Peak of some of the great products available in the new Idea Book starting September 1st.

If you have come here from Lori's blog, you are on the right path! If this is your first stop, you may want to go back to Erin's blog and start from the beginning. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one.



I love making mini albums, like this new My Creations All-Sorts Mini Album. The white chipboard pages can be stamped or inked, or you can cover them, as I did here. I used a new paper pack, Grace, with its beautiful autumn colors. The tree stamp is from the new set, Grown with Love. So many options to decorate the tree... I chose hearts, but there are leaves, flowers, circles, apples. So versatile! And check out the edges of the album pages. See how each one has a different edge, making it ever so slightly funky? Scallops and brackets and cut-outs, oh my!



My Scrap & Stamp classes will be making this adorable book in September (lucky them!). I've kept the book simple enough to put together quickly, but added a few fun embellishments, like this paper flower cut from the patterned paper, distressed and layered for texture. And talk about using up your supplies... notice the center of the flower? It's the punched out chipboard hole from one of the pages, inked and attached with liquid glass. Kinda like a brad, but not!

Now "Hop" on over to Jennifer's Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and see the great new Paper Packs and My Acrylix Stamp Sets!

Remember, the Autumn/Winter 2009 Idea Book goes LIVE on September 1st!

Link not working? Missed a Blog? Here is a list of all the participants in the New Product Sneak Peak Blog Hop!
Erin Herring http://tazzygirl2000.blogspot.com
Terrie Dodd http://my-life-in-real-time.blogspot.com
Jessica http://jessicaspaperpetals.blogspot.com
Leisa Hubley http://bigredscraps.blogspot.com
Karen Norman http://gettinscrappywithit.blogspot.com
Sherry Thompson http://picturespatternsandpaper.blogspot.com
Adeline Brill http://adeline-brill.blogspot.com
Miranda www.scrampinwithmiranda.com
Brae Montgomery http://thebrae-er.blogspot.com
Wendy Kessler www.myscrapbookingblog.com
Dawn Heuft http://stamptildawn .blogspot.com
Carla Ironside http://carlacreates.blogspot.com
Dawn Ross http://iamahappystamper.blogspot.com
Julie Banzon http://www.scrapbookiejulie.blogspot.com
Jody Gustafson www.cre8nmemories.blogspot.com
Helen Onulak http://www.hookedonstamping.com
Sheila Bennett http://sheila-bennett.blogspot.com
Haley Dyer http://inkyscrapper.blogspot.com
Lisa Stenz http://www.lisascreativecorner.blogspot.com
Jena DeVries www.livelovelaughscrapbook.blogspot.com
Jen Patrick http://www.roxybonds-scrappin.blogspot.com
Amy Schultz http://amylizschultz.com
Lori Scott http://scrapinglori.blogspot.com
Tresa Black www.fabulouslyartsy.blogspot.com
Jennifer Kraynak http://whatchadoin-jennifer.blogspot.com
Sharesa Larsen http://creedandsharesa.blogspot.com
Amy Edwards http://PaisleysPlayhouse.blogspot.com
Jean McNulty http://stampinmaui.blogspot.com
Emma Hubert http://paperaddictsanonymous.blogspot.com
Antoinette Herrin www.GodblessyourART.blogspot.com

How Exciting!

Tomorrow's the big day! It's a blog hop!

Check back here tomorrow to see new product artwork on my blog, then hop over to the next blog, and the next, for more fabulous artwork using products featured in the brand spankin' new Close to My Heart Autumn/Winter Idea book, releasing on September 1.

Oh, Deer!

How adorable can an embellishment be? Take a look at this felt deer from Close To My Heart. Oh, be still my heart. I've added a few knots of hemp for his spots, and a couple of brads for his nose and eye, and now I can't keep my hands off this fuzzy little guy. You'll have to be patient for the CTMH Autumn Idea Book release on September 1 before you can purchase these felt die-cuts, along with all the other fabulous brand new products in the idea book. I'll have an active link to the book online, after September 1.

It's about time for a tutorial on my fabulously artsy blog. So, would you like to know how to make the paper ruffles on this card?

A Girl Can Never Have Too Much Bling

I soooo wish you could see how truly sparkly this card is in person! I managed to catch a bit of the bling by photographing in natural light, but it just doesn't do it justice. To create those super glam "Sassy" stickers, I used Close To My Heart's Color Ready Alpha stickers. I painted the stickers with a thin layer of Mod Podge, then sprinkled liberally with Prisma Glitter. The background is created with lots and lots of layered stamping, plus some strategic direct-to-paper ink dragging.

Here's a close up, so you can inspect the glamour of it all. And yes, I will be coated with glitter for days. My husband really loves going to work with glitter in his eyebrows.

Acrylic Album... For a Good Cause

First the sneak peak, now the entire project! Last week I posted a little teaser of this album...

Isn't it darling? I love how it turned out, with the bright colors and black distressing.

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Joanne for Close to My Heart. She was arranging a silent auction to benefit Operation Smile and I was honored to be asked to submit something. I could create anything, it just had to be "fabulous". Well, how could I turn down that offer? I was heading out for the annual family vacation, but luckily I'm within driving distance and I have a supportive husband. After we'd arrived at our vacation house, I turned back around and drove home for a 24 hour creative blitz, leaving hubby and kiddos behind (okay, I did take the dog, but he mostly just sleeps anyway.) I barely had time to take the photos you see here, before heading back to our vacation destination. Last week was the big Leadership convention for Close to My Heart and the silent auction was part of the event. There were more than 50 beautiful pieces of artwork from consultants (like me!) and the CTMH art department. The auction raised over $5,000 for Operation Smile, meaning that approximately 20 children will be receiving a life-changing operation courtesy of the generous bids of the attending Close to My Heart consultants.

All products are Close to My Heart, with the exception of the sheet music. I used an old Disney songbook to create these "musical" flowers. To view the entire album, you can click on the arrow to start the slideshow, or double click on the image so you can view each photo separately.