Oct Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop highlighting this month's stamp set, Holiday Magic.  We are thrilled to showcase some fun uses for this gorgeous stamp set!

This hop is one big circle so feel free to start here and move through the entire loop.  You can also find a complete listing of all 13 participants by visiting this blog.

If you have arrived here from Kim's blog, you are on the right track!  So... let's get started!

This month I created this adorable gift bag. It's perfect for small neighborhood, teacher or hostess gifts and super easy to make with CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge (stay tuned for step-by-step instructions)!

Supply List:

Paper - Believe (X7145B), Colonial White Cardstock (1388), Holiday Red Cardstock, Topiary Cardstock, Chocolate Cardstock (X5643)

Stamp - Holiday Magic

Ink - Topiary, Chocolate

Other - Cricut AP Cartridge, Red Sparkles (Z1326) 

Thank you for taking the time to stop by.  I would appreciate a comment or two, if you so feel led.  Now hop on over to Etta's blog where you will find another inspirational use of this stamp set!

Happy hoppin'!

Blog Hop - Multicolor Motif

Welcome to our Technique Blog Hop!  This month there are 14 of us highlighting the Multicolor Motif Technique as shown on page 110 in the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book!  This blog hop is a great big circle so you can start wherever you want and continue through to see all the fabulous artwork incorporating this technique.  If you would like to start from the beginning, please visit this link. While there you will also find a listing of all participants and their blog addresses if you should get lost or want to reference a blog along the way.  Let’s get started!



If you are coming from Rachel's Blog, you are on the right track! 

Today I'm making a 3 x 3 birthday card for my daughter, Sofia. She is just turning 5 and LOVES rainbows (pretty much every picture she draws has a rainbow on it!). I'm using the limited edition Pair-a-Phrase stamp set (only available until Sept 30) and the adorable Roxie paper pack.

If you'd like to see the finished project and how I made it then grab your My Exclusive Inks Markers and follow my instructions below. Or, hop on over to Wendy's Blog to keep checking out all the fab projects from my CTMH friends!

1. You will need the following paper and supplies:
• Score a 6" x 3" piece of cardstock at 3". Fold to create your card base (fold on top).
• 3" x 3" B&T (i.e., pattern paper); sponge with Smoothie ink adhere to card front.
• 1 1/2" x 3" piece of cardstock. Sand edges and adhere about 1/4" from top of card.
• A 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" piece of cardstock. Sponge edges with ink if desired.
• Exclusive Ink Markers, stamp, block

2. Use the brush tip of your Exclusive Inks Markers to selectively ink parts of your stamp with different colors. (Tip: Use the brush tip of your marker for this). Do a quick little huff on your stamp imaged to re-moisten your ink. Stamp on a scratch piece of paper.

3. Gently color in rainbow with watercolor pencils and use your waterbrush to smooth and soften!

4. Trim around image and attach to your card using small bits of 3D Foam Tape.

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):
Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Smoothie Cardstock (, Roxie B&T (X7140B),
Stamps: Pair-A-Phrase (CC1014), Card Chatter - Birthday (D1475)
Ink: Smoothie (Z2196), Chocolate (Z2111)
Markers: Black (Z2305), Grey Flannel (Z2324), Pear (Z2397), Hollyhock (Z2328), Goldrush (Z2323), Dutch Blue (Z2319), Pansy Purple (Z2341) 
Other: Watercolor pencils, Waterbrush, 3D Foam Tape, Sanding Block



Thanks for stopping by!  Please continue onto Wendy's Blog where you will find some additional artwork highlighting this technique!  Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you thought of my variation and happy hopping!

Distress with Stipple Brush & Reinker

Distressing your projects is a fun way to add extra dimension and depth to your project. It can take what may look like a very simple project and turn it into something spectacular. And, if you are like me and tend to make the occasional stamping boo-boo or messy finger splotch mark on your clean papers, distressing can help you cover it up!

There are many ways to distress your cardstock: direct to paper method, sponge ink, paper tearing, sanding, etc. Today I'm going to show you how I distressed this month's card club project using a stipple brush and re-inker.

To complete this method you will need the following supplies:

• Craft jar
• Re-inker
• Stipple Brush
• Paper or Accent piece

1. Start by adding approximately 10 drops of re-inker to your craft jar.

2. Dip tip of stipple brush in ink.

3. Use an inward-pulling motion to distress edges of papers and accent pieces.

4. Set aside to dry.

5. Remove excess ink by gently rinsing brush and craft jar with warm water and allow to dry.

That's it! A super quick way to add extra dimension and a little grunge to your card. I like using this method with teen and masculine cards. Here's the finished project:

It's hard to tell in the photo but I also used a tiny bit of Create-a-Shade Pearl Paint to the card base and Milepost Accent. In person it gives the card a really pretty distressed shimmer.

I'd love to see how you've used re-inker to distress your projects. Leave a link to your project in the comment section!

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper: Brown Bag Cardstock, Vineyard Berry Cardstock, Colonial White Cardstock, Typeset B&T

Stamps: Typeset WOTG

Ink: Black

Other: Milepost Shapes, Cocoa Reinker, Stipple Brush, Craft Jar, Create-a-Shade Pearl Paint

Sept Card Club - Reinker & Paint

**Sorry about the poor photo quality. My Nikon is not working at the moment and I'm forced to use my ipod to take pictures! I may need to buy a new camera this weekend :(

This month's Card Club is this Friday, September 9 at 7 pm. We will make 3 fun shaped cards using CTMH's Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge. Plus, I will show you how easy and fun it is to distress with reinker and Create-a-Shade paint.

I have a couple spots left so if you are interested in attending please email me at handmadefromtheheart@gmail.com! If you aren't local but would like a club kit I will gladly send one to you pre-stamped with detailed, color instructions!

The cost of the kit is $5 (plus shipping costs for long distance members).

The kit includes:

• 1 - 12 x 12 sheet Typeset B&T paper
• 4 - 6 x 6 sheets of cardstock
• 3 envelopes
• 3 cards pre-cut from the Cricut
• 2 Milepost shapes
• 3 Wood Grain Buttons and Waxy Flax
• Step-by-step printed directions so you can replicate at home

Contact me or go here for more information on joining my monthly hostess club or budget clubs! You do not need to be local!

September Stamp of the Month Mini Blog Hop

Welcome to our inspirational blog hop, where we are sharing creative ideas with you showcasing this month's Stamp of the Month.  This month's Stamp of the Month is called "Limited Edition".  It contains 21 images and is available for just $5 with a $50 purchase!

Sept SOTM - Limited Edition

I have some wonderful Consultants joining me in this hop which works as a circle. So begin "hopping" and feel free to leave comments along the way.

You should have arrived here from Melissa's blog.

The project I made is a mini "love ya" card to tuck into my daughter's lunchbox on her first day of kindergarten. She's a little nervous so I hope seeing this little surprise will help settle those nerves and remind her that mommy, daddy and her brothers are thinking of her. Since she can't read yet I chose to use a small picture of us from our summer vacation instead of writing on the inside of the card.

Continue reading for my instructions and supply list or scroll down to hop on to Neely's blog  Cut tag card out of Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge. Fold on score marks so that the tag is in front.

1. Stamp tag in Desert Sand Ink. (Hint: if you are stamping a shaped image it helps to back the cardstock onto something dark)

2. Trim out inner tag on card front with x-acto knife. Hint: If you are like me and can't cut a straight line freehand, use a metal tip ruler to help guide your hand.)
3. Mask a portion of the Library Card image and stamp a small corner of acetate with Archival Black Ink or Staz On Ink. Line inside card front with acetate sheet. (Hint: For the acetate sheet, adhere to the inside of the card front and then trim around the shape.)
4. Cut a 3" x 2" piece of B&T paper to line the inside of the card. Add photo and decorate card as desired using the coordinating Roxie MyStickease sheets or other embellishments!

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Roxie (X7140B), White Daisy Cardstock 
Stamps: Limited Edition SOTM (S1109),Adorn-able (D1446)
Ink: Desert Sand Ink (Z2118), Tulip (Z2166)
Other: Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge (Card Layer 4th row, image 10), x-acto knife, acetate sheet, Roxie My Stickease (X7140C)

Thank you for stopping by. Now hop on over to Neely's blog where she will show you her creative use of this stamp set! Happy Hoppin'!

~Michelle