Hello and welcome to the Australasian Operation Smile Blog Hop. If you have come here from Mandy’s blog Hall of Indulgence you are in the right place. If you have landed here by accident no problem, please join in by clicking on the link below. Operation Smile is a private, not for profit organisation providing reconstructive … Continue reading Australasian Operation Smile Blog Hop

Close To My Heart is proud to support Operation Smile, a charitable organization that provides cleft palate surgeries for children in need. (You can learn more HERE.) Did you know that you could round up your order and give your change to Operation Smile? It only takes $240 to change a child's life! This year, the Operation Smile stamp set is Every Bit of Wonderful, and $7 from its sales go to Operation Smile. Join me on this blog hop to show off this pretty set. (If you're already hopping, then you've probably arrived from Michelle's blog. From here, you'll visit Becca's blog next. My first card features the Lovely papers and palette (Blue Belle, Ballerina, Canary, and Sage). I used my Hexagon Thin Cuts to cut each piece and played around with the colors and patterns until I liked the arrangement. Notice that I used a piece of Blue Belle glitter paper, plus I stamped (tone-on-tone) on the Sage and Blue Belle cardstock. This close up shows the fussy cutting and layering I did after stamping the floral image on the card directly with Sage, on Sage cardstock, and on Ballerina cardstock. I grabbed my watercolor pencils (sans eau) to quickly shade in the bud. It didn't photograph well, but I dotted the little sprig of "berries" with clear shimmer brush. I used 3D foam tape to pop the flower and then added a Blue Belle glitter gem. For my second card, I played with a monochromatic color scheme of Blue Belle and Sapphire. On a 3.75"x5" White Daisy cardstock panel, I random stamped floral images in Sapphire to cover the cardstock. I cut the sentiment brackets with my new Simple Brackets Thin Cuts and both the Blue Belle glitter paper and Sapphire cardstock layers with the Fancy Borders die cuts. The sentiment is stamped in Sapphire. Thanks for letting me share these two card ideas with you. Every CTMH fan needs this stamp set in their collection! Please leave a comment before you hop to the next blog. You won't want to miss the beautiful project that BECCA has on her blog for you! {Click HERE for all the hop participants and their blogs.}

I made a bunch of super cute cards using the adorable Punny Pals stamp set, making sure I used each animal image at least once. I had a lot of fun colouring each of them with my ShinHan markers and/or waterbrush. So I will be sharing my cards with you a couple at a time, over the next week. Here's the first two... Punny Pals is this year's CTMH Operation Smile stamp set. $7 USD is donated from each purchase to Operation Smile. You can also get the matching Punny Pals Thin Cuts dies to go with this fun stamp set! Happy creating! :)

A few weeks ago, I participated in a life-changing Operation Smile™ mission. The opportunity arose at the last second, and even though it meant some schedule swapping, Brian Holman suggested that I…

I made a bunch of super cute cards using the adorable Punny Pals stamp set, making sure I used each animal image at least once. I had a lot of fun colouring each of them with my ShinHan markers and/o

Here are a couple of more cards using the CTMH Punny Pals stamp set. (This card was completely inspired by Dawn's adorable card HERE.) I will be back tomorrow with some more cards... Happy creating! :)

Here are the next two Punny Pals cards I created. I will be back tomorrow with some more cards... Happy creating! :)

Welcome to our Australasian Operation Smile Blog Hop. Welcome to those that arrived from Lauren Moore- CTMH Craftings or those that came from another place, please continue to follow along to see all the blogs in the loop until you get back to where you started. Close To My Heart is partnered with Operation Smile®, a private, Not-for-profit organization that provides free, life-changing surgery that repairs smiles and reshapes lives, one child at a time. Today we will be sharing some inspiration using the C sized stamp set which is featured on the back page of our Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book called Happy Everything. By purchasing this set at full retail price of $27 you can help change the life of a child as CTMH will donate $US3 from your purchase to Operation smile from now until 31st August 2015. I absolutely LOVE this stamp set. I've made a selection of cards because I just got so many ideas with this set. I couldn't stop, its the perfect card making stamp set (although its a perfect scrapbooking stamp set too). To start with I made the card on the back of the Catalogue. You can see on the back page of the catalogue that its slightly different because I didn't have the Stitch Guide but I loved how this turned out with the Blossom Paper Packet, 12" X 12" Flaxen Cardstock Flaxen Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, 12" X 12" White Daisy Cardstock, 12" X 12" Sunset Cardstock, 3-D Foam Tape, & Chalk It Up Assortment, I used a Sponge Dauber to colour in the balloon with Lagoon Ink and my Non-stick Micro-tip Scissors to cut out the balloon. Next I made the 2 cute cards using some small scraps from a retired paper packet. This Happy Everything card turned out really well, I thought. I took some 12" X 12" Hollyhock Cardstock and stamped the long arrows on it from the Happy Everything set with the generational stamping technique. Then I used Hollyhock Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad to stamp the "Happy Every thing". The Green square is from the retired Heartstrings paper packet but you can still order the paper in Picture My Life™ Heartstrings Scrapbooking Program. Then I finished the card with Black Shimmer Trim and Bubbly Enamel Shapes and put it on the 5 1/2" X 4 1/4" Colonial White Cards & Envelopes, from the Value Pack. Next I made this "Happy as a Bee in A Hive Card". I had some scraps of half inch strips and I put them onto the bottom of the card to make like a wall. I had strips of Pixie Cardstock and Heartstrings paper (Picture My Life™ Heartstrings Scrapbooking Program). I stamped the sentiments, the bees and the buzzy line for the bee in Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad and then coloured in their little buzzy behinds with the ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Golden Yellow Marker. So quick, so simple and it uses half inch scraps. The last thing I made was for my consultant Fun Day for my swap day. We make a ten fold swap each month, we make 10 (I made 12 this time) of each item and then swap with others who make 10 items so we come home with hopefully 10 different items, so we get a variety of cards. I made this card using the June Stamp of the Month Ice Cream Dream – June 2015 Stamp of the Month (available this month only!) with the cute little doggy with the Happy Birthday from the Happy Everything stamp set. I coloured in the dogs a variety of colours using the Watercolor Pencils. The paper pack was the Blossom Paper Packet and I ran the edges over the Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad to distress the edges in a rustic manner. I did that to the squares of 12" X 12" White Daisy Cardstock, with the doggies on them too. To finish it off I put the bows using the Glacier Extra Thick Twine and glued them on using small dobs of Liquid Glass. Recently our VP Monica Wihongi went on a mission with Operation Smile to support the children with live changing operations. On the same trip with Monica was Kate Walsh (from Private Practice and Greys Anatomy) and I think thats cool. Check out the CTMH Blog with photos of Monica's trip. http://blog.closetomyheart.com/2015/05/04/mission-to-mexico-monicas-journey-with-operation-smile/ It only takes $275 (AUS dollars) to pay for 1 child to have their surgery. Go to the Operation Smile Australia website for further details. The difference in the lives of these children and their families is amazing. I am happy to support this charity through my Close to My Heart Business and I am very happy that we can all give a small part by buying and using this Happy Everything stamp set. The stamp set "Happy Everything" is available from your CTMH consultant and $3USD from every purchase will go directly to Operation Smile until the end of August. You can also choose to make a donation of any size directly to your consultant, donations over $2 are tax deductable. Make sure you leave a comment and then continue your journey, hop over to see what Shaunna at Passionate about Page has created.

Here are a couple of more cards I made with the Punny Pals stamp set. I will be back tomorrow with even more... Happy creating! :)

A while back, I had mentioned that I was asked to teach at Regionals, which I sadly had to decline due to my inability to speak in front of large groups of people. I think it is mostly due to my shyness that I've struggled with all of my life. Even though I declined, I was still asked if I wanted to participate in the silent Auction. Close To My Heart is partnered with Operation Smile, which provides free surgeries to children to repair their smiles, and all the monies received from the silent auction goes directly to Operation Smile. :) This was something I could do, and I was honoured to be asked! Here is my creation I donated to the Auction: Don't ya love it? ♥ I sure do! ♥ And the funny thing is that the gal who took it home lives in my home town. ;) Happy creating! :) 

I have a goal to sale 20 Animal Greeting Operation Smile stamp sets by the end of September. I am 3/20. Will you help me reach my goal?! For those of you who don't know Operation Smile provide free life changing surgery that repairs smiles for children!! This stamp set is $17.95 and $7.00 is donated to Operation Smile. Here is a cute card I made using this stamp set. Shop with me to get your Animal Greeting Operation Smile stamp set by clicking HERE! Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!!

During February, I am raising awareness and much need $$ for Operation Smile™. If you can assist me, it would truly be appreciated Operation Smile™ is a not for profit organisation providing reconstructive surgery to children and young adults born in developing countries with facial deformities. Every three minutes a child is born somewhere in the world with a cleft lip or palate with one in ten of these dying before their first birthday. A cleft lip operation costs as little as $300. To help me raise money for this worthy cause, all you need to do is contact me to organise a crafty get together with your friends. We can make cards or a scrapbooking page. Cost per person to attend is $10 with half this fee being donated directly to Operation Smile™. I will supply all the materials and tools needed to complete the project. If you are unable to host a get together, but would love to make a donation?... then this fun little stamp (available only in February) is just for you! Filled with adorable icons and loveable sentiments, this stamp set will be a wonderful addition to your collection Not only will you be getting a high-quality stamp set by taking part in this promotion, but Close To My Heart will also donate $7 USD of the proceeds from the sale of this stamp set to Operation Smile™ This is a whimsical little card I whipped up using this stamp set...it features Kraft Cardstock and black & white papers from the La Vie En Rose and Basic Fundamentals packs. The telephone and speech bubbles images were stamped in Cranberry and Black ink, then fussy cut and adhered to a circle shape cut from the Cricut® Art Philosophy Cartridge. The circle was outlined with the Black Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen to co-ordinate with the stamped outline of the speech bubbles - it worked a treat! At the "heart" of Close To My Heart is the desire to help others—whether that’s showing you how to preserve your favourite memories and create beautiful artwork or giving back to those in need. That’s why you will find a line of Operation Smile™ goodies in my Online Store where we donate a portion of each purchase to Operation Smile™ - simply click here to see what is on offer and how you can help. ... and did you know donations can be made every time you purchase from my Online Store?? - all you have to do is round up your purchase. For example; if your purchase totals $98.50? - you can round your total to $100 and $1.50 will be donated to Operation Smile™...easy peasy! In my previous career as a Dental Nurse I have assisted both Oral Surgeons and Orthodontists with treatments associated with a cleft condition and seen first hand how these surgeries improve a child's way of life - things we take for granted, eating, hearing, speech and teeth. If you would like to know more about Operation Smile™ follow this link: http://australia.operationsmile.org/ Since 1982, Operation Smile has provided hundreds of thousands of free surgeries for children from more than 60 countries, please consider joining me to help even more children in need.

Margi Gilbertson ~ Artsy Margi ~ decorating life...one creative adventure at a time.

Okay, so this is the last of my many cards that I made with the CTMH Punny Pals (Operation Smile) stamp set. This is the CTMH Punny Pals (Operation Smile) stamp set. And $7 USD from each purchase goes to Operation Smile. Plus, there are even Punny Pals Thin Cuts dies available! Happy creating! :)

Finally, I had a chance to spend time making some cards this weekend after coming back for a mission conference and catching up with some works 🙂 Today, I would love to share with you a simple and clean card I made with CTMH Operation Smile™ Stamp Set, You’re the Bomb stamp set. Operation Smile® […]

Hello and welcome to the Australasian Operation Smile Blog Hop. If you have come here from Mandy’s blog Hall of Indulgence you are in the right place. If you have landed here by accident no problem, please join in by clicking on the link below. Operation Smile is a private, not for profit organisation providing reconstructive … Continue reading Australasian Operation Smile Blog Hop

Welcome to the Operation Smile Blog Hop! We are featuring the current Operation Smile stamp set for this blog hop. It is such an awesome stamp set with four sentiments that can be used for so many occasions plus medium and small size floral and leaf clusters. It is one of my favourite stamp sets. You should have arrived here from Gina Brandstetter's blog. If you get lost, there is a list of all participants on Melinda Everitt's blog. I have done a lot of fussy cutting with this stamp set and I really didn't want to do that again. I chose to use the Multi-Square Window Thin Cut and create a partial shaker card using some of the images. I stamped three of the images using Intense Black and then coloured them. The sentiment was masked so I could stamp it in two colours. Some of the papers from the Jingle Joy paper pack are useable for any occasion and I chose two of those patterns (checkerboard and hearts) for the backings of the shaker sections. The stamped sections are raised but there is no acetate in front of them. I added a few Gold Glitter Gems to the centres of the flowers and brushed some of the lines with the Gold Shimmer Brush. In the shaker sections, I added some Gold Confetti Stars. The window front was mounted on Lagoon cardstock and then on Black cardstock to complete the card. I also created this card a few months ago using this stamp set and distress oxide inks... just added here for interest (supplies not listed). I hope you enjoyed my projects. Your next stop is Darlys Recker's blog. I'm sure she will have something terrific to share. Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: Paper: Jingle Joy Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Mint Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock Stamps: Every Bit of Wonderful Inks: Intense Black, Lagoon, Black Accessories: Multi-Square Window Thin Cut, Foam Tape, Gold Confetti Stars, Acetate (not CTMH), Gold Glitter Gems, Gold Shimmer Brush, Tri-Blend Markers Enjoy, Alyson

Hello and welcome aboard our Close To My Heart November 2015 Stamp of the Month Australasian Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Lauren Moore's CTMH Craftings, you are in the right place. If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. Today, I would like to share with you three cards I have made that feature the November Stamp of the Month, Cheers, 2016!. This stamp set is available only in November 2015 for $27, or for just $7.50 when you spend $75 or more. When I first saw the Cheers, 2016! stamp set in the Holiday Expressions Idea Book, I instantly thought of all of the page layouts on which I could use this stamp set. It's going to be perfect for this year's New Year's Eve layouts no matter what we get up to. But as I don't usually give cards for New Year's Eve (although I may have to start), I wasn't sure if this stamp set would get cardmakers excited. Well colour me corrected! I chose just one of the stamps from the Cheers, 2106! stamp set and challenged myself to create cards using that stamp. The stamp was the "Dream Big" stamp and I have used it on three fun card designs. As you can see, these cards don't have anything to do with New Year's Eve, so this stamp set just became really versatile!! This card features Zoe and Georgie B&T Paper; Glacier and White Daisy Cardstock; Glacier Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad and CTMH Watercolour Pencils. It also includes the cute giraffe stamp from the gorgeous new Operation Smile stamp set, Animal Greetings. This 4" x 4" card features Zoe and and Georgie B&T Paper; Glacier, Pear, Slate and White Daisy Cardstock; Glacier and Pear Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad; Bitty Sparkles, Enamel & Glitter Duos- Green Triangles and CTMH Watercolour Pencils. It also includes the cute puppy stamp from the Operation Smile stamp set, Animal Greetings. The two-toned sentiment was created by inking the stamp firstly in Glacier ink and then "rocking and rolling" the outside of the stamp in Pear ink. The final card features Georgie B&T Paper; Slate, Glacier and White Daisy Cardstock; Glacier and Slate Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Silver Sequins, Whisper Thick Twine and CTMH Watercolour Pencils. It also includes the cute elephant stamp from the Operation Smile stamp set, Animal Greetings. The two-toned sentiment was created by inking the stamp firstly in Glacier ink and then pressing the top and bottom of the sentiment onto the Slate stamp pad. Thank you for visiting my Blog to check out my special card projects featuring the November Stamp of the Month, Cheers, 2016!. I would love it if you could leave a comment below before you hop to the next stop on our Australasian Blog Hop, Katrina Gabriel's All Things Papercrafty Remember, the November Stamp of the Month, Cheers, 2016! is only available throughout November 2015 from your Close To My Heart Independent Consultant for $27, or for just $7.50 when you spend $75 or more. Warmest crafting wishes, Denise :)

THANK YOU for stopping by to enjoy our Spread the Love Operation Smile Blog Hop! Today, 15 consultant artists are sharing artwork they've created using this stamp set available NOW through the end of July 2017 only from Close to my Heart! When you purchase this stamp set (True Love - D1711) for $17.95, a $7.00 donation will be given to Operation Smile, our affiliated charity! (Learn more at OperationSmile.org). If you've just arrived here from SHEILA's BLOG then you are on the correct path. I just adore this stamp set! It inspires so many creative possibilities, but I'll start by sharing just one card I've designed with it for now. This Standard-size card features the Swan Lake papers (X7212B). All images are stamped with a Black memento ink pad (Z899) and colored in with Shin Han Touch Twin Markers (Barely Beige for skin, Golden Yellow girls hair, Marigold boys hair, Turquoise Blue dress, Warm Grey 4 on the heart & boys shirt). SPECIAL TIP: To achieve the "Peacock" color on the small balloon & boys shorts I simply colored them in with a Marine Blue marker first, then colored a second layer on top of that color with Peacock Green!...Super easy!! Finally, I couldn't decide which side of the Poppy B&T duos paper I liked the best, so here's a view of the card (below) shown both ways. I love that it's so easy to simply flip our patterned papers over for another option whenever we want to change the design up just a little bit. The top card is perfect for giving in the Summer/Fall, while the bottom card looks more appropriate for Valentine's Day. Now you can continue on with hop... and be inspired by more creativity using this stamp set by visiting GINA's BLOG next! Enjoy the hop!!

Here are a couple of more cards I made with the Punny Pals stamp set. I will be back tomorrow with even more... Happy creating! :)

A Happy Hello and welcome aboard our Time to Celebrate – May Stamp of the Month Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Doris Taylor – Creative Inspi…

Okay, so this is the last of my many cards that I made with the CTMH Punny Pals (Operation Smile) stamp set. This is the CTMH Punny Pals (Operation Smile) stamp set. And $7 USD from each purchase goes to Operation Smile. Plus, there are even Punny Pals Thin Cuts dies available! Happy creating! :)

It is My Favorite Stamp Set Monday (on a Tuesday) where I am sharing a great card sentiment stamp set with a coordinating die set full of f...

This style of fancy fold card has been "popping up" lately on Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube. I've enjoyed the many variations I've seen, but I was looking for directions to make a standard size card (4.25" x 5.50") with the simplest steps and technique to use. I liked Joy Tracey's YouTube video the best (thanks Joy!) I changed the sizing a bit to create mine as the standard size I was looking for. See instruction photos at the end of this post. I used the bright and cheerful colored papers from Little Dreamer, plus a sheet of Thistle and Lagoon cardstock. The "HUG" letters are from the word Laugh in the May Stamp of the Month Set ~ Live, Laugh, Love. I just used the last three letters and spelled HUG. "HUG" Flowers colored with Peony Purple, Pastel Green, Turquoise, Light Orange ShinHan Touch Twin markers. Leaves stamped on Lagoon cardstock, shade with Turquoise Blue marker. For a touch of sparkle, add some Clear Shimmer Brush and a Little Dreamer Glitter Gem or two! Isn't she the cutest? I colored her hair with the Clay marker and heart with Peony Purple marker. Skin is with a flesh colored pencil. Dress and cheeks are with a Bubble Gum CTMH Watercolor pencil. I added touches of shimmer to everything on the card with the Clear Shimmer Brush. LOVE it! D1711 True Love - Operation Smile Stamp Set $7 of every purchased stamp goes to Operation Smile! This set retires July 31, 2017. S1705 Live, Laugh, Love ~ May 2017 Stamp of the Month set Cut and score the pieces as shown. You can skip the scoring on the 2nd piece by folding it in half, then opening it and folding each end in to meet the your first fold in the center. Does the trick without the scoring time! Use a bone folder to get good crisp folds. This will help the Twist and Pop mechanism to work smoothly. NOTE: Adhere two patterned pieces 4" x 5 1/4" to the inside of your card base before attaching the pop out mechanism (house). See my card opened up at the top of page. Lay the 3" x 10" piece flat on top of the attached mechanism, lining up the center fold with the 2 1/8" markings. Fold back the two ends and add adhesive as shown. Carefully close the card and rub over the top to reinforce the folds. Open and close it a few times to ensure it works properly. Add 2 1/4" x 2 3/4" pieces of patterned paper to the 3" x 10" pop out piece. Decorate as desired. Other CTMH supplies used: Oval Thin Cuts Hearts Thin Cuts Bone Folder

Welcome to our July Blog Hop featuring the current Operation Smile Stamp Set, Happy Everything. When you purchase this stamp set , Close To My Heart will donate $3 to Operation Smile, a non-profit organization that performs life-altering surgeries what will give children confidence for a lifetime. They have performed over 220,000 surgeries since being founded in 1982. To purchase any of the items seen in our blog hop today, contact your local consultant to place an order. We hope that you will take the time to leave comments on our posts, as we love to get feedback from our viewers....whether it was something that you really liked or some new technique that was used that you would like to learn how to do....by leaving us comments, we get to hear what you like, and what you want to see. Thank you… now on to our hop! If you have just hopped onto my blog, you can start here as this is a circular hop, but if you want to follow us across Canada then please start at the beginning and join Michelle at My Creations with \Michelle. If you came from Sheri's blog then you are in the right place! I started with this very quick card using Seaside paper and the Seaside Greetings stamp set (D1609) for the boat and the clouds. The Happy Birthday comes from the Happy Everything Operation Smile stamp set (D1563). This card was finished off by using some Glacier Extra Thick Twine(Z3039) and some sequins from the Oceanside Sequins pack (Z3041) This card took a little more time but I love how it turned out. Again I used the Seaside paper and used the Happy Everything Operation Smile stamp set for the sentiment. I used the Treasured Friendship stamp set ( C1594) for the shells on the bottom portion of the card. This card is made using the Jackson PML cards and it was a lot of fun altering it to fit what I wanted it. The stamping on this card is all from the Happy Everything Operation Smile stamp set (D1653) Close Up of the message...masking of a sentiment in order to make it look like it was typed . The bee is coming in to agree that you are a one-of-a-kind, fabulous peron! The message inside the card. Ordinarily I would put this on the outside of the card but it just did not fit on the typewriter paper so I got creative and with a couple of extra little dots on the front message this fit well as a sentiment for the inside. This last card is my favourite one that I made for this post. I used the Have a Happy Day stamp set (D1616) for the flowers and the circle, The sentiment is from the operation smile stamp set. I am just so pleased with how this turned out. This card screams HAPPY to me. I did not have any canary cardstock so I made my own by direct inking to the paper. The variations in the color are there on purpose, imitating the dappled light of sunshine. I stamped the sentiment onto the glacier stamped circle and then fussy cut the whole thing and popped it off the card with pop dots. Let me know which one is your favourite one! I would be HAPPY to know! Your next stop on the Cross Canada Hop is Heather Myers of Inky Hugs If you get lost along the way, you can head to Michelle Stewart's blog as she has the complete blog list. Thanks for hopping along with us - we hope we were able to inspire you to get creative using some of the designs, products and techniques seen along the way. We hope you will join us again next month when we will be featuring the Projects full of Summer Fun. So mark August 15th on your calendars and hop along with us.

It’s been almost a year since I went to Chiapas, Mexico with Operation Smile™, but it has been on my mind a great deal this month. As you are most likely aware, this month we are promoting a specia…

Hello and welcome aboard our Close To My Heart Share the Love Australasian Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Shaunna Ricahrds' Passionate About Pages, then you are in the right place. If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. You can share the love this February by purchasing the exclusive My Acrylix® Share the Love D-size stamp set (CC1060). Filled with adorable icons and loveable sentiments, this stamp set will be a beautiful addition to your collection—but there is more to this stamp set than meets the eye! Not only will you be getting a high-quality, swoon-worthy stamp set by taking part in this promotion, but Close To My Heart will also donate $7 USD of the proceeds from this stamp set to Operation Smile™, an amazing organisation that provides life-saving surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates for children all over the world! This week, I have used this adorable stamp set to create three super-quick cards! For this first card, I adhered a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of La Vie En Rose B&T Paper (black and white side) to a White Card. I then created an Ombré Wash on Watercolour Paper using my CTMH Watercolour Paints. This technique is currently all-the-rage in paper crafting. According to Wikipedia, 'Ombré describes the gradual blending of one color hue to another, usually moving tints and shades from light to dark' but in this case I went from a dark red, to a lighter red by adding more water to my paint as I moved down the paper. I'm still perfecting this technique, but I think it creates quite an interesting background for the stamped image of the typewriter. I stamped the typewriter in Black Memento Ink and the sentiment in Ruby, before cutting it out and adhering it to the Ombré washed paper (when it was dry), adhering it with 3-D Foam Tape. The sentiment at the bottom right of the card has been cut from a Zip Strip at the top of the La Vie En Rose B&T Paper and dovetailed on either end. If you'd like to find out more about how to create this effective Ombré watercolour technique, i suggest that you watch a great video called Watercolour Cards: Ombré Technique by CTMH Consultant Katherine Skipper. I used up some leftover strips of Kaleidoscope B&T Paper and Cardstock to create the second card. The telephone icon and the sentiments have been stamped on White Daisy Cardstock before being cut out with my Non-stick Micro-tip Scissors, clustered together and adhered using 3-D and Thin 3-D Foam Tape. I used ink colours Gypsy, Sunset and Pacifica for the sentiments as they are part of the Kaleidoscope colour palette. This was certainly a very quick and easy card to create. For my final card, I used a simple background stamping technique, stamping the cute camera icon over and over again on a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of White Daisy Cardstock using Black Memento Ink. Don't you just love how the stamped images nestle so beautifully together to create this striking background? I then mounted the White Daisy Cardstock onto a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Sunset Fundamentals Paper and adhered it to a White Card Base. After stamping the "you make me smile" sentiment in Sunset ink (to coordinate with the mat), I cut it out with my Non-stick Micro-tip Scissors and adhered it to the card front using 3-D Foam Tape. This is literally a five-minute card that is so fun to create. I can imagine a whole set of these in rainbow colours! Thank you for visiting my Blog to check out my card projects featuring the exclusive stamp set Share The Love. I would love it if you would leave a comment below before you hop to the next stop on our Australasian Blog Hop, Mez's Craft Room, to see how Meryl has used this stamp set to create her own special project. Remember, the Share the Love stamp set is only available throughout February 2016 from your Close To My Heart Independent Consultant, so get yours today for only $27.00 before this adorable stamp set is gone! Warmest crafting wishes, Denise :)

Here are two more contributions I made for the Operation Smile Silent Auction being held at Close To My Heart's covention this weekend in Washington, DC. (You can read more by scrolling down to yesterday's post.) The first is a pendant using of all things a washer you can find at the hardware store. I adhered a piece from the Silhouette paper pack and then covered it with Liquid Glass. Before it dried, I added the tiny Just Blooms paper flower and Sparkle. After it dried, I added a few more layers of Liquid Glass. (Allow drying time between each layer!) Finally, I strung it on (non-CTMH) hemp. My second project uses CTMH buttons and hemp. It was so fun to make! You need about three times the hemp as you want for your finished bracelet if you tie a knot between each button. (You have to tie a knot between the two-hole buttons to keep them in place, so I decided to knot between each button.) The cool part is that the button on the right slides into the loop on the left to fasten the bracelet. Three of the buttons are clear, but I adhered some Unforgettable paper to them to match the Basic craft buttons. Now I need to make some of these projects for myself... If you're interested in learning how, consider hosting a CTMH jewelry workshop with me!

I am moving in the right direction to reach my goal! Sale 20 Animal Greeting stamps sets to help change a child's smile through Operation Smile. How cute is this card I created using the masking technique! I paired this stamp set with the Zoe paper pack. I cut the bow out using the Artiste cricut cart. The sentiment is from the So Many Smiles stamp set and the heart is from the For Family stamp set. The images were colored using the ShinHan markers. Don't delay help me reach my goal by purchasing this stamp set! Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting! Shop HERE.

Hi. I wanted to share another card I made for a recent swap and my latest card class. I fell in love with the new Close to My Heart stamp set called "True Love", which benefits CTMH's favorite charity, Operation Smile. Isn't that little guy adorable? I used a little piece of polka dotted paper from the Rustic Home Fundamentals paper pack and paired it with one of the new Rustic Home coordinating ribbons. I also wanted to add a pop of color (like on my last card) so I used the new Color of the Year - "Sea Glass". I paper pieced the two balloons, one with another piece from Rustic Home and the other is Sea Glass cardstock. What you can't see in my photo is that I used our new Shimmer Pen on the Sea Glass balloon, so in person, it's fun and sparkly. I also paper pieced his shirt. I stamped it in Slate Grey and cut it out. I also love this set because I love to color. I used a few of my Shin-Han markers for his skin, hair and shorts. Don't mind my coloring out of the lines, I made this card in the middle of the night and my eyes were a wee bit tired, lol. Here's a closer look at the stamp set. Isn't this adorable? I love it! The little girl is so cute too. So many possibilities. This set is available for the life of this catalog, so thru July 2017. It retails for $17.95 and CTMH donates $7 of that to Operation Smile. Operation Smile is a non-profit organization which provides surgeries for children to repair cleft lips and palates. Such a worthy cause. As always, thank you for stopping by. Please check back soon. ** I have entered my card in the "Show us your Sea Glass" challenge over at Heart 2 Heart Challenges. ** SUPPLIES USED: Paper: Rustic Home Fundamentals, Sea Glass & White Daisy cardstock Stamps: D1711 True Love (Operation Smile set) Inks: Sea Glass Mini Pigment Pad, Black Memento Ink Pad, Slate Shin-Han Markers: YR29 Barely Beige, BR99 Bronze, BR116 Clay Embellishments: Shimmer Brush - Clear, Rustic Home Ribbon Pack, Bitty Sparkles, White Twine Other: White Cards & Envelopes, Corner Rounder, Micro Tip Scissors

Here are a couple of more cards using the CTMH Punny Pals stamp set. (This card was completely inspired by Dawn's adorable card HERE.) I will be back tomorrow with some more cards... Happy creating! :)

Hello and welcome aboard our You’re the Bomb Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Maz’s blog Inky Fingers, then you are in the right place. If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. Operation Smile is a … Continue reading You’re the Bomb Operation Smile Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Australasian Operation Smile Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Maz Wood's Inky Fingers Blog , ...

Where there’s a will and a whole lot of people willing to help, there’s a way. And, boy, has there ever been a whole lot of people willing to help Consultant Katy Carlson with her dream to support …

Welcome to the CTMH Operation Smile Blog Hop For this hop we have 31 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations featuring CTMH 's exclusive Operation Smile Stamp Set, Happy Everything, a set of 13 stamps. You can change the life of a child with just one stamp set. When you purchase the D-size Happy Everything stamp set at full retail price from now through August 2015, Close to My Heart will donate $3* of the proceeds to Operation Smile. Since it's founding in 1982, Operation Smile has performed over 220,000 surgical procedures to correct facial deformities in children. It only take an hour for volunteer medical teams to perform these life-altering surgeries that will give children confidence for a lifetime. * Donation is $3USD. Stamps purchased in US states AL and MA excluded from donation due to legal requirements. If you came here from Paige Dolecki 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. 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! Here we go! If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog. Card in a Box They take time, but I'm getting the hang of it and it's getting easier. I used the tutorial from Splitcoaststampers http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/popupboxcard/ Card closes for mailing Open views front and side. Brushed paper pack X7190B Hollyhock ink Z2128 Black ink Z2105 Carmine ShinHan marker Z2448 Clear Assortment Sparkles Z1752 Pink Glitter Gems Z1807 Brown and Tan Glitter Paper Z1830 Artiste Cricut Cartridge Pg.71 Z1790 Card in a Box created for a combination Retirement/75th Birthday Celebration Using the Stamps from Happy Everything I love this stamp set! Box Closed for mailing Front and side views Another card I made using this stamp set was posted in the June Technique Blog hop Blossom Paper Packet Now "Hop" on over to Lisa Plummer 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, this stamp set is only available until August 31.