Meet Josiah :o)

Say "Hello" to Josiah!  

Isn't he such a cutie-patootie??

My sweet friend Lindsay and her husband have been on the emotional roller-coaster of adoption for the last couple years.  Last Wednesday, they were finally able to welcome their new bundle of joy and become a Forever Family! (Lindsay has shared their adoption journey through her blog.  You can read it here.)  Yesterday, I went to visit mommy and get some baby lovin's.  Of course, you can't go visit a baby without a gift!  Here is my gift to Baby Josiah:

These name frames have become my go-to gift for new babies.  I've made three of them now (hmmm...guess I should post the other two), and all the mommies have loved them!  I got the original idea from fellow CTMH Consultant Jayma Malme.  She has graciously shared the measurements for the squares on her blog.  The letters for his name were cut on my Cricut and then covered with Martha Stewart's flocking powder (I use Martha's super sparkly glitter for girl frames).

And what gift would be complete without a card?

  
And here's me getting my baby lovin's.  I held him for about 3 hours and enjoyed every second of it!  He really is the sweetest baby ever! :o)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):


Name Frame:
Paper: Colonial White cardstock; patterned paper from local scrapbook store
Other: Buttons Clear Assortment (Z1391); Orange Poppy flocking powder (Martha Stewart)


"Welcome Baby" Card:
Paper: Twilight textured cardstock (retired), Desert Sand textured cardstock (back side, also retired); patterned paper from local scrapbook store
Ink: Cocoa
Stamps: Welcome Baby (retired)
Other: Cuttlebug embossing folder, brown thread (from stash)

Hearts!

Here's another entry for this week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge which is all about...HEARTS!  This is the card I made for my hubby for Valentine's Day.  It was inspired by one I saw in Paper Crafts magazine.  (As always, click image for a larger view) 

To get the bold black embossed hearts, I first stamped the image in black ink.  Then, I stamped over the image with Versamark (this is where CTMH clear stamps have a HUGE advantage over rubber!) and embossed with black embossing powder.  When the heart cooled a little I then stamped over it again with Versamark and embossed one more time with the black embossing powder.  The result: a gorgeous, shiny embossed heart!  Here's a close-up:

And, finally, here's the inside of the card:

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):
Paper: White Daisy cardstock
Ink: Black, Tulip; Versamark
Stamps: From My Heart (C1443), Card Chatter - Love (D1464)
Other: Black marker (Z2305), black embossing powder (Z670); Garnet glitter (Martha Stewart)

Love U!

*** I'm editing this post to include it in the Heart 2 Heart Challenge for this week...it's all about hearts!  Hop on over to check out what's on everyone's heart :o) ***

Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share this cute clipboard with you!  I used the beautiful new Sweetheart paper pack, perfect for all your love-y layouts and cards.  

I'm looking forward to a nice dinner with my hubby and some friends tomorrow night.  We're going to one of my favorite restaurants in St. Augustine, the Colombia, which serves some of the most delicious Cuban food I've ever tasted! :o)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Paper: Baby Pink, Black, Tulip cardstock; Sweetheart B&T

Ink: Baby Pink, Black, Cotton Candy, Tulip

Stamps: Affection (C1441), From My Heart (C1443)

Other: border punch (Fiskars); chipboard letters, ribbon (from stash)

Perfect Day for a Birthday Card

Don't you love birthdays?  They're always so fun and cheery and filled with friends and loved ones!  I think my favorite part of celebrating a birthday is the chance to make a special card for the Birthday Boy or Girl.  Yesterday, the Birthday Girl was my friend Jessica (she's the mommy of the little cutie on the clipboard posted here).  Here is the card I made for her to go along with her gift:

This card features Close To My Heart's beautiful new Kraft cardstock.  It's the first project I've made using Kraft, but it definitely won't be the last! I love this paper!  The polka-dot paper used for the flower is from my all time favorite paper pack, Perfect Day.  Sadly this paper is now retired, BUT WHILE SUPPLIES LAST it's available HERE for only $5.00!!  That's right, a complete Level 2 paper pack which includes 12 sheets of patterned paper and 10 sheets of coordinating cardstock for only $5.00...that's a whopping 61% off the original price! But hurry, this offer won't last long! :o)

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Cocoa, Colonial White, Kraft cardstock; Perfect Day B&T (retired)
Ink: Cocoa, Colonial White
Stamps: Party Pennants (C1429), Mayberry (exclusive to Mayberry WOTG G1022), Boutique Borders (retired)
Other: Basic Craft Buttons, Cocoa Grosgrain ribbon (Z1100), Opaque Pearls (Z1336), Embroidery Floss Green Collection (Z1094); Journal Plate punch (EK Success)

New Idea Book Blog Hop!

Welcome to our Blog Hop!  We will be featuring products currently offered in our new Spring/Summer 2011 Idea Book.  If you have come here from Rachel'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 here.

We have 11 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using products from the new Spring/Summer 2011 Idea Book and other great CTMH products on their blogs.  Hopping along is simple - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!  Here we go!

This fun nugget box (named for the Hershey's Nuggets in the middle) features our beautiful new Sophia paper packet.  With it's girly pink and green theme, I think it's my favorite of the new book!  The "Thinking of you" stamp is from the new must-have set Salutation Seals.  The box contains four 3 x 3 cards with envelopes and three Hershey's Nuggets chocolates.  So cute!

This little cutie belongs to some friends of ours and the clipboard photo frame is a birthday gift for her mommy!  The beautiful grey toile background paper is from the new Bliss paper pack.  When I first saw this pack it screamed wedding, but after playing with it I can see many uses for it!

Now, "Hop" on over to Debi's blog to see her work!  Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting and other fun ideas!  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to get these, and all the beautiful new products in the Spring/Summer 2011 Idea Book!

Supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):

Nugget Box:

Paper: White Daisy, Hollyhock, Pear cardstock; Sophia B&T

Ink: Blush, Pear

Stamps: Salutation Seals (C1461)

Other: Just Blooms White Daisy (Z1300), Craft Buttons Pink Assortment (Z1370)

"Sweet" Clipboard:

Paper: Black, Grey Wool, White Daisy cardstock; Bliss B&T

Ink: Baby Pink

Other: White Daisy ric-rac, Black grosgrain ribbon, Baby Pink organdy ribbon (retired); buttons (from stash); chipboard letters (from stash)

It's That Time Again!

That's right!  Today is the launch of the BRAND NEW Spring/Summer 2011 Idea Book from Close To My Heart!!  Not only is this a brand new Idea Book jam-packed with gorgeous papers, beautiful stamp sets, and to-die-for embellies, but it's also the beginning of our new 6 month format.  You heard that right...our Idea Books are now current for a full 6 months! Yippee!  More time to purchase all those fabulous new goodies! To check out the new Idea Book online, click on the link below the image.  If you'd like your very own copy, send me an email and I will get one to you!  Oh, and remember you can order 24/7/365 from the comfort of your home by clicking on the "Shop with Me" badge to the left! :o)

Click HERE to view online!