Basketball Layout

While I was cleaning out my scraproom I came across one of my favorite CTMH paper packs, Pro-Player. It's retired now but I still love it! Its "gamer" theme was originally purchased to document my oldest boy's love of video games but when I looked at it again I realized it's perfect for a sports layout!

This one is shares the story of my little guy's first basketball team. Unfortunately, his coach gave up in the middle of the season and decided to stop coaching. Thankfully though, my hubby and another dad stepped up and finished out the season for these kids!

Enjoy!

~Michelle Battitori

Project Recipe (all CTMH unless otherwise noted)
Paper: Slate Cardstock (X5930), Pro-Player (retired), White Daisy Cardstock (1385)
Stamps: All the Details (D1555)
Ink: Honey (Z2162), Ruby (Z2170), Pacifica (Z2192)
Other: Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, Pro-Player Complements (retired), Red Enamel Gems (Z3090)

April CTMH Promotion - So Exciting!

Sign Up as a Consultant in April and earn a FREE Cricut Cartridge or $100 in Select Product Credit!!

If you've ever thought of having your own business or simply getting a discount on your favorite papercrafting supplies, now is the time! Signing up as a new Consultant with Close To My Heart during April is more rewarding than ever. Did you know the price of the New Consultant Kit has dropped to $75? Here's what's included in your kit:

• New Consultant Essential Supplies

• $50 in Select Product Credit to spend on additional supplies

• The chance to earn awesome Straight To The Top rewards

If that doesn't have you drooling what about a FREE Cricut Cartridge? That's right! When you submit $350 in personal sales within your first 30 days**, you get your choice of either a FREE Cricut® collection or $100 in Select Product Credit—and that’s in addition to the Straight To The Top start-up bonus that you’ll earn along the way!

*Offer valid April 1, 2016 (9:00 am MDT) – April 30, 2016 (11:59 pm MDT). Cricut® collections available while supplies last. No tax will be charged on the free item. Shipping/handling will be charged based on the retail value of the free Cricut® collection.

Watch this video to learn more about the perks and benefits of becomming a CTMH Consultant:

To learn more, you may also join us for one of our free upcoming Opportunity Webinars. During the webinar, CTMH will walk through the contents of the New Consultant Kit, talk about the Consultant discount, explain how new Consultants can earn free products, and answer the most frequently asked questions. Those who join the webinar will come away understanding what an incredible opportunity it is to join Close To My Heart.

So mark your calendar and attend one of these free 1-hour webinars!

Tuesday, April 5, 6:00 pm PDT

Thursday, April 14, 6:00 pm PDT

Saturday, April 23, 8:00 am PDT

Wednesday, April 27, 6:00 pm PDT

Join the Opportunity calls via phone by calling 1-201-479-4595. To join online, go tohttp://fuze.me/32464058 a few minutes before the scheduled webinar time. You can also simply go to www.fuze.com or open the Fuze app and enter the meeting ID: 32464058. If you wish to participate online, we encourage you to download the Fuze application beforehand so you can be all set up to enjoy the webinar when it’s time to join.

So if earning money—and rewards—through your love of scrapbooking and stamping sounds like a dream job, then now is the perfect time to join Close To My Heart. Believe us, it’s worth it! If you have questions about becoming a CTMH Consultant, feel free to contact me. Are you ready to sign up? Click { HERE } for the online application. 

March SOTM - Sunshine Birdies

Welcome to the March SOTM Blog Hop! Today, approximately 39 CTMH consultants will be showcasing different uses for the Stamp of the Month, Sunshine Birdies. Sunshine Birdies is a set of 11 adorable stamps and is only available for the month of March.

If you've arrived from  { Michelle Loncar's blog } you are on the right track! This blog hop is a great big circle. At the end of this post simply click on the "next blog" link to be taken to the next participant. If you would like a complete list of hoppers please visit Melinda Everitt's blog{ HERE }.

The sentiments on this set are near and dear to me. It's the song I used to sing to my first born every day when he was a little baby. Now I have three beautiful "sunshines" so I created a layout showcasing all three of them!

The layout is about the first day of school and uses the Georgie paper line and coordinating Georgie Compliments to accessorize. To create the "You are My Sunshine" title I carefully cut my stamp (yes, you can do that) to fit on the die cut shape. If you don't want to cut your stamp you could also mask it with scrap paper or post-it notes.

For the music note circles I cut a circle out of scrap paper and traced it on my paper with a pencil. Then, I simply stamped the notes around the circle.

All the birds and tree branches were stamped on White Daisy Cardstock using Archival Black Ink. Each accent was colored with our ShinHan Touch Markers. I fussy cut each one and popped up using Thin 3D Foam Tape around the page.

I hope this inspires you to try something new with your stamp set! As a reminder, this set is only available until March 31. To purchase it, or any of the products used on this layout, please contact your CTMH Consultant or visit my website, www.michellebattitori.ctmh.com. 

Please hop to  { Jean McNulty's blog } to see what she's created!

Layout Recipe (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper: Slate Cardstock (X5930), Georgie Paper (X7203B), White Daisy Cardstock (1385)

Stamp: Sunshine Birdies (S1606)

Ink: Archival Black (44751), Slate (Z2173), Poppy (Z2652)

ShinHan Touch Markers: Marigold (Z2457), Cerulean Blue (Z2449), Tender Pink (Z2464), Leaf Green (Z2454), Golden Yellow (Z2452), Barely Beige (Z2445), Cherry Pink (Z2450)

Other: Georgie Compliments (X7203C) , Grey Enamel Gems (Z3089), Journaling Pen (Z1979), Thin 3D Foam Tape (Z2060), Coral Shimmer Trim (Z3088), Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, 

Little Critters Birthday Card

I really can't get enough of these adorable little critters! And the best part is that I don't have to fussy cut them since they come with coordinating thin cuts dies that fit perfectly. 

The bunny was colored with a combination of ShinHan markers blended together. I'm certainly no coloring expert but I'm trying! The card sketch is based on Mojo Monday Sketch #434. 

Happy crafting!

~Michelle

Project Recipe (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Penelope (X7207B), White Daisy Cardstock (1385)
Stamp: Spring Critters (C1638)
Ink: Black Pigment Ink (26697)
ShinHan Markers: ShinHan Warm Grey WG4 (Z2467), ShinHan Warm Grey WG7 (Z2468), Tender Pink 198 (Z2464), Barley Beige 29 (Z2445), Golden Yellow Y222 (Z2452), Marigold 24 (Z2457)
Other: Spring Critter Thin Cuts (Z3207), Playful Puffies (Z3205), CTMH Art Philosophy (Z3171), Thin 3D Foam Tape (Z2060)

Father's Day Gift Idea

On Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely group of women and show them how easy it is to create with our CTMH How-To Books!

Our hostess wanted a family themed layout to use as a Father's Day gift so I turned to the Make-It From Your Heart Volume 1 book  and the new Jackson paper to create this beauty of a page! We paired the layout with the Family Love Stamp set and used shapes from the Art Philosophy Cartridge.

We showcased the layout in our gorgeous Designed Decor Black Shadow Box. I love that the hinged, magnetic door makes changing the layouts so easy! And, the 1 1/4" frame depth means we can load up on our dimensional embellishments!

Thanks Jennifer for hosting a lovely evening!

If you would like to book a workshop or gathering with your friends please contact me to reserve your date! I'm more than happy to create a custom project perfect for you and your friends to enjoy. Summer dates are filling up quickly so make sure to book sooner rather than later.

Have a wonderful, and scrappy week!

~Michelle Battitori

National Scrapbooking Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the National Scrapbooking Month Blog Hop! This month 37 CTMH consultants will be featuring the vibrant Taste of Summer Paper Pack and the coordinating Taste of Summer Stamp set. If you have arrived from Priscilla's blog you are on the right track. In the event you get lost along the way please visit Melinda's blog for a complete list of blog participants. Now on to the project!

This set just screams summer so I knew I wanted to make a special explosion box mini-album to record our 2014 summer adventures! The box was constructed out of Canary Cardstock with the B&T paper accenting each panel. The top of the box was made with cuts from the Cricut Artbooking & Art Philosophy Sets.

The pop-up strawberry accent on my title tag was created by stamping the strawberry six times on White Daisy Cardstock, cutting them out, folding in half and attaching together. It's a perfect accent and a great way to add dimension to your project!

Want to see the "explosion" in action? Check out my video below! (This is my 2nd video EVER so please be kind...and yes, I see I need a manicure!)



Supplies Used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Taste of Summer, Canary Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock
Stamps: Taste of Summer, Cricut Artfully Sent Alphabet Font
Ink: Ruby, Canary,
Other: Corner Rounder, Scoring Tool, 3D Foam Tape, Art Philosophy Chipbard Shapes, Artbooking Cricut Cartridge, Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge


Thank you so much for checking out my summer mini! I'd love to know what you think so please leave a comment. I won't lie...comments make me happy!! Now please visit Michelle Loncar's blog see what she's created with these delightful materials.

~Michelle Battitori

P.S. The Taste of Summer Paper Pack and Stamp sets are only available until 5/30/15 or until supplies last. To purchase your set please contact your CTMH consultant or visit my website HERE.

May SOTM Blog Hop - Just Sayin'

Welcome to the May Stamp of the Month blog hop! This month we are featuring the May SOTM, Just Sayin'. If you are coming from Jennifer's blog you are on the right track. This hop is a great big circle but if you get lost along the way simply go HERE for a list of participating CTMH consultants.

When I first saw this set I knew the stamps would be a perfect accent to document a zip lining trip my hubby and I took on a Hawaii vacation in 2012. I kept the page pretty simple. I started with the Seaside Paper pack and the Surf's Up Picture My Life cards. I love how well these two products coordinate despite being from different sets.

To decorate the page I used the circle and triangle shapes to create an accent banner in the top right of my page. With the banners and hand stitching on the bottom I wanted to keep my other embellishments simple so I finished it off by stamping the sentiments and clustering them around the page. 

I love adding interactive elements to my pages so I added the QR codes for the YouTube videos of our adventure. Hopefully this technology will be available for future generations to watch!

Supplies Used (All CTMH Unless Otherwise Noted)
Paper: Seaside, Grey Flannel (retired), White Daisy Cardstock
Stamps: Just Sayin'
Ink: Chocolate, Black, Desert Sand, Sorbet, Hollyhock
Other: Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge, Paper Piercer, Black Thread, Needle, Houndstooth Washi Tape, 3D Foam Tape, Sponge Daubers, Surf's Up Picture My Life

Thanks for checking out my project! Please hop on over to Jenny's blog to see what creative project she's made!

~Michelle Battitori

May Creative Club

The next Creative Club is scheduled for Friday, May 8th at 7 pm. We'll be making this adorable mini-album/card courtesy of my 2nd upline Janene Wawro.

This mini has an optional gift card holder and is perfect for a last minute Mother's Day, Teacher Appreciation or other special occasion gift. Or, simply keep it as a mini to document a fun activity in your life. The choice is yours!

I'll show you how to stamp the adorable floral wreath from the Happy to be Friends stamp set as well as highlight it with some faux stitching.

To RSVP please visit my Meetup Page, Manassas Area Papercrafters.

Hope to see you on the 8th!

~Michelle Battitori

P.S. Take-home kits are available for purchase. Message me for details!

March Creative Club

Saturday, March 14th at 10 am I will be hosting the next Creative Club! This month we will feature the Hopscotch paper pack to make some adorable Easter projects!

I'll show you how to transform basic shapes from the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge into a sweet treat bag anyone would love to receive!

This class is only $5 and will include everything you need to make the project AND full color instructions to make more at home. As always, any CTMH purchase of $25 or more will earn you the class for free!

As of this posting I have 3 spots open for the class. To RSVP please visit my Meetup.com group, ManassasAreaPaperCrafters.

Hope to see you there!

~Michelle

P.S. As always take home kits/shipped will be available to purchase after the class!

Happy Spring Card

Today's card is based on Freshly Made Sketches #175.

The border on the card front is courtesy of the Sunset Chevron washi tape. The clouds were cut from the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge. The hot air balloon was stamped in black ink and colored with a variety of ShinHan Touch Markers.

Supplies Used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper: Indian Blue Cardstock, Glacier Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock, Hopscotch Paper

Ink: Black

Stamp: Hopping By (D1633)

Other: Sunset Chevron Washi Tape, Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, ShinHan Touch Markers, 3D Foam Tape, Scissors

Thanks for looking!

~Michelle

December Creative Club - Joy Wall Hanging

We went green for December's Creative Club using recycled box materials to make this adorable chipboard wall hanging!

Everyone had an opportunity to try out the Cricut Explore machine and Design Space. Combined with the Art Philosophy Cartridge we were able to complete this project pretty quickly (minus the wait time for our technical difficulties).

As a thank you to my guests I raffled off the stamp set we used during class. Congrats Dianna on your win! Now you can no longer say, "I never win anything!"

I feel so very blessed to have these women in my life! We've made quite a few projects in 2014 and I look forward to creating in 2015! If you are ever free the 2nd Friday of each month I'd love to have you join me!

Have a wonderful day!

~Michelle

P.S. If you are interested in instructions for this project they are for sale on my Etsy page, MichellesPaperMagic, under the Workshop Section.

November SOTM Blog Hop - It's the Little Things

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  We will be featuring November's SOTM, which is It's the Little Things, a set of 15 stamps.  If you have come here from Justine's Blog, 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.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog:  http://ifyoublingit.blogspot.com/p/stamp-of-month-blog-hop-list.html.

This month we have 64 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. 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!

For my project I decided to use one of the many one sheet wonder templates I found online to create a set of 10 cards. The template I used was based on 8 1/2" x 11" papers but you can easily find 12 x 12 templates online. Below is a step-by-step tutorial of my process:

1. Select your color scheme (complete list of supplies can be found below) and cut coordinating cardstock to 8 1/2" x 11".

2. Random stamp images on White Daisy Cardstock. I started with my largest image and worked in a triangle pattern, filling in open areas with the smaller images.

3. Cut and separate pages based on the template (note, the template I used was purchased and I was asked not to share the template itself. You can find other templates on Pinterest or Google).

4. Create cards using whatever embellishments you see fit! I kept my cards pretty simple to focus on my custom stamped paper! 

I love how bright these cards feel and I look forward to trying this in other color schemes! These would make great gifts for family and friends don't you think?

Products Used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Pear, Buttercup, Thistle, Outdoor Denim, White Daisy
Inks: Thistle (Z2640), Whisper (Z2172), Pear (Z2197), Outdoor Denim (Z2140), Colonial White (Z2168), Pacifica (Z2192), Canary (Z2643), Smokey Plum (Z2147)
Stamps: It's the Little Things (S1411), Frame Flair (D1546)
Accessories/Other: Harvest Baker's Twine (Z1751), White Daisy Value Pack Cards & Envelopes (X254), Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge, Chevron Embossing Folder, Stripe Embossing Folder, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug), Border Punch, Scallop Circle Punch

Now "Hop" on over to Wendy's Blog 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, the November SOTM is only available until November 30!  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click HERE) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!

~Michelle Battitori

Cut Above Halloween Treat Bags

Are you throwing a Halloween party or going to one this year? If so it's not to late to create these adorable treat bags with the new Cut Above line from CTMH! (If you are attending my monthly Creative Club this Friday or have ordered a kit you'll have a chance to make one of these!)

Each kit comes pre-cut and pre-scored with all the items shown above. All you have to do is get your treats and a stapler and in a matter of minutes you'll have some fun goodie bags for the kids (or adults).

The cut above line recommends using the coordinating Sweet Salutations Stamp Set (B1466) but since I don't have it yet I decided to use the tag from the Trick or Treat Sweets (B1460) set instead. It was cut wit the Art Philosophy Cartridge and stamped in Thistle Ink (Z2640).

Halloween not your thing? I've got you covered with this fun Holiday Treat Bag Kit! They'd be perfect for little mints or other holiday goodie!

If you would like to purchase any of the Cut Above kits please contact your CTMH representative or visit my shop!

<<Start Shopping here>>

~Michelle Battitori

October Stamp Of The Month: Home for the Holidays

Each month Close to My Heart offers a D-size stamp, available for one month only, that you can purchase for just $5! For those math fans that's over 70% off retail.

This month's set, Home for the Holidays (S1410), is a set of 7 stamps that coordinates perfectly with the Art Philosophy Cartridge. Just think of all the cards and tags you can make with this set! Here's one example from the CTMH Art Department:

This set is available to purchase for $17.95. Or, when you place an order of $50 or more in Close To My Heart products, you qualify for the $5 special Stamp of the Month pricing.

To order please contact your CTMH Consultant or shop my website!

<<<<Start Shopping HERE>>>

Have a great day!

~Michelle Battitori

Baseball Scrapbook Layout

It's been awhile since I've posted traditional scrapbook layouts. Here's one I did recently to document a 2012 Washington National playoff game I was lucky enough to attend.

I used a retired paper pack called Fanfare. The design is based on a sketch from the Imagine How-To Program. The baseball accent was cut with the Cricut Artbooking Cartridge (at 2" I believe).

The banner was also cut with the Artbooking Cartridge. I accented the banner with glitter stickers and faux-stitching courtesy of Liquid Applique.

It may be hard to tell in the photo but to accent the team celebration I covered a piece of chipboard with coordinating paper and used it as a focal point on my photo. This is a great way to focus your eye on the subject without having to crop your photo!

The journaling box was also cut with my Cricut.. This time with the Art Philosophy Cartridge.

I feel a bit out of practice with traditional layouts but had a blast working on this one! Hopefully it will motivate me to keep going!

Supplies Used (All CTMH unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Fanfare B&T (retired), White Daisy Cardstock, Cranberry Cardstock, Indian Corn Blue Cardstock
Stamps: none
Ink: Indian Corn Blue (for distressing page)
Other: Cricut Artbooking, Cricut Art Philosophy, Image How-To, Liquid Applique, Glamour Alpha Stickers (retired)

Have a wonderful day,

~Michelle Battitori

The Everything ABC Blog Hop - I

Welcome to the Everything ABC's Blog Hop!

For this hop we will be featuring the letter I. This may be the name of a paper, a stamp set, or an embellishment. Whatever the crafter has chosen as their 'I' element will be featured in their post. If you have just hopped onto my blog please start at the beginning at Linda's blog, Scrappy Therapy. If you came from Angela's blog, Krafting with Kings, then you're on the right track!

 I don't know about you but the warmer weather and blue sky makes me want Ice Cream! Unfortunately though I hibernated over the winter and my pants are feeling a bit snug at the moment. So, instead of indulging in a bowl full of the sweet stuff I opted to make a card!

This card was pretty quick and easy to make. I cut the bowl from Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge (3 1/2") and ran the large circle through my embossing machine using the Stripe Embossing Folder. The bowl stand was cut with a 1 1/2" circle and the scallops "ice cream" was cut at 2". Once all my pieces were cut I assembled my card and voila...a perfectly indulgent treat with 0 calories!

Supplies Used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Balloon Ride (X7180B), Cashmere Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock, Crystal Blue Cardstock, Blush Cardstock, Chocolate Cardstock
Stamps: none 
Ink: Brown Bag
Other: Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge, 3D Foam Tape, Sponge Dauber, Button, Colonial White Waxy Flax, Stripe Embossing Folder, Sizzix Big Shot, Corner Rounder

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my post. I'd love to know what you think so please leave me a comment with your thoughts! Your next stop on our Everything ABC's blog Hop is Cary's blog, My Hearts Design.

In case you get lost along the way...go to Scrappy Therapy for a complete list of participants!

Want a FREE Cricut Cartridge?

April is a wonderful time to join my team, The Handmade Brigade, as a Close To My Heart Independent Consultant!

 

 

When you sign up this month, April 2014, you'll not only start out on your artistic journey, but you'll also be given the right "art-full" tools with a free Close To My Heart Cricut collection FREE! Our new consultant kit is just $99 and comes packed with nearly triple the retail value in products and supplies to help you succeed.

Plus, when you qualify for the Straight To The Top program, you will be refunded the price of your New Consultant Kit! If you are doing the math that's almost $400 in free products just for doing something you love!

 

Here's what's in each of the Cricut Collections:

Artbooking:

   

1. Cartridge (700 Images; Font, Mini Books, Layouts)
2. My Acrylix™ D-size Stamp Sets
3. 12" × 9" Dimensional Elements in coordinating shapes

Artiste:

 

 

1. Cartridge (700 Images: Themed Projects, Cards, Font, Shapes, and 3-D Items)
2. My Acrylix™ D-size Stamp Sets
3. 12" × 9" Dimensional Elements in coordinating shapes

Art Philosophy:

   

1. Cartridge (700 Images: Font, Basic Shapes, and 3-D Items)
2. My Acrylix™ D-size Stamp Sets
3. 12" × 9" Dimensional Elements in coordinating shapes

More information on becomming a consultant can be found HERE. If you have specific questions please contact me! This really is a great opportunity to make a little extra money or just support your crafty habit!

~Michelle