Full Circle - H2H Challenge

This is a sad post today. The team at H2H Challenges has decided it is time to retire the challenge site. This will be our last challenge and the theme is Full Circle. I went back through my blog posts to find my first post with the H2H and it took a while, I had to go back to November of 2013 to find it!

 My First H2H Challenge entry - Dec. 2013

My Last H2H Challenge entry - Nov. 2022

It is sad to say good bye to this challenge, I have made many friends in the almost 10 years through this group and while I know we are all still connected, it is the end of an era. Thank you for playing along with us, we will miss seeing you on the H2H site. 

Now just because H2H is ending does not mean I am going anywhere! I will continue to post my projects as well as my projects for the AHSC...so until then!

Sweet Holiday Season - H2H Challenges

Hello, welcome to another challenge from H2H Challenges, this week our challenge is to create a unique background. 

For my background, I used my Honey Butter ink pad and some on my all purpose mat and then added spritz of water. I used a package from some of the CTMH Clear Sparkles and used it to pick up and smoosh the ink around and splotched it onto the White Daisy rectangle square, it is a technique I have used one other time and really enjoy the process. 

Products Used:

 

Paper:

- Freshly Baked

 

Cardstock:

- Seabrook

 

Stamps:

- G1264 Freshly Baked Cardmaking Workshop Kit

 

Ink:

- Honey Butter

- Scarlet

- Seabrook

- Black

- Toffee

- Mocha

 

Thin Cuts:

- Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts (retired)

 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I welcome any and all feedback. If you would like help with purchasing any of the products mentioned my post today, please contact your local CTMH Maker. If you do not have a CTMH Maker and are in Canada I can absolutely assist you in ordering. If you are in the United States, New Zealand or Australia, I can help you locate a Maker local to you for ordering. 

 

To play along with our challenge today at H2H Challenges, simply click here for all the information and entry requirements for this challenge. 

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

Brandi

Happy Day - Melon - H2H Challenges

Today I have a card for you from the Heart 2 Heart challenge site and our challenge this week is to use our new colour of the year...Melon. The only thing I have that is Melon was my ink pad so I got creative and I sponged the colour onto White Daisy cardstock on both the back ground and the Stitched Rectangle Frame. I added more layers of ink on the Stitched Frame to make it a bit darker. 

Products Used:

 Cardstock:

- White Daisy

 

Stamps:

- B1810 Chasing Sunshine

 

Ink:

- Melon

- Pine

- Seabrook

- Mocha

- Honey Butter

- Black

 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I welcome any and all feedback. If you would like help with purchasing any of the products mentioned my post today, please contact your local CTMH Maker. If you do not have a CTMH Maker and are in Canada I can absolutely assist you in ordering. If you are in the United States, New Zealand or Australia, I can help you locate a Maker local to you for ordering. 

 

To play along with our challenge today at H2H Challenges, simply click here for all the information and entry requirements for this challenge. 

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

Brandi

Happy Birthday Interactive - H2H

Hello and Happy Monday! Happy Labour Day to you if you are celebrating in the U.S. or Canada! I am coming to you today with an interactive card today for the H2H Challenge which is a technique challenge called I Like To Move It! so we are featuring interactive elements or images depicting movement. 

For my card I am featuring one of the new CTMH You Deserve It All Stamp + Thin Cuts

Item Number: Z4640. It creates this fun and interactive gift box that pulls up to reveal a hidden message! I paired it with the Backyard Bliss paper from our July - August 2022 Idea Book. 

For the colouring I used the Tri-blend markers in Coral and True Blue along with the intense Black ink. The Happy Birthday sentiment is stamped in Papaya ink.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I welcome any and all feedback. If you would like help with purchasing any of the products mentioned my post today, please contact your local CTMH Maker. If you do not have a CTMH Maker and are in Canada I can absolutely assist you in ordering. If you are in the United States, New Zealand or Australia, I can help you locate a Maker local to you for ordering. 

 

To play along with our challenge today at Heart2Heart, simply click here for all the information and entry requirements for this challenge. 

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

Brandi 

Love Grows Here - H2H Challenges

Hello! It is time to bring you another project featuring the Backyard Bliss papers. The theme this week is In the Backyard. It is a stretch but the paper pack is "Backyard" Bliss and the title Love Grows Here can be taken as a gardening or growing theme. 

This layout has space for 6 photos. The title Love Grows Here is created with the Backyard Bliss Die-cuts as shown below. I also used the Backyard Bliss Digital Art to create the flower basket and embellishment clusters. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I welcome any and all feedback. If you would like help with purchasing any of the products mentioned my post today, please contact your local CTMH Maker. If you do not have a CTMH Maker and are in Canada I can absolutely assist you in ordering. If you are in the United States, New Zealand or Australia, I can help you locate a Maker local to you for ordering. 

 

To play along with our challenge today at H2H Challenges, simply click here for all the information and entry requirements for this challenge. 

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

Brandi

Easter Blessings - H2H challenge

Hello! Welcome back to my blog, today I have a project for you for the Heart 2 Heart Challenges design team and this week we are all about sponging. 

For this weeks project, I did some stash busting and pulled out my retired Daisy Meadows, I need some Easter cards and I just love this paper for Easter, specifically the plaid in this collection.  For the sponging challenge I used my Mint ink and used a stencil to ink on the pattern, it looks like a water background to me. I did Mint ink on Mint paper for a subtle background. 

Products used:

Paper:

- Daisy Meadow (retired)

- Mint, Peach and White Daisy card stock

Stamp:

- A1246 Happy Easter Bunny

Ink:

- Black Memento 

Colouring:

- Milan watercolour pencils

Embellishments:

- Black and White Dots

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I welcome any and all feedback. If you would like help with purchasing any of the products mentioned my post today, please contact your local CTMH Maker. If you do not have a CTMH Maker and are in Canada I can absolutely assist you in ordering. If you are in the United States, New Zealand or Australia, I can help you locate a Maker local to you for ordering. 

 

To play along with our challenge today at H2H Challenges, simply click here for all the information and entry requirements for this challenge. 

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

Brandi

Happy Valentines Day - H2H Challenge

Hello! We are rolling right along towards spring, we survived January and are now headed towards Valentines day and then into March...I am so ready for Spring and Summer! But until then, I will keep warm while crafting my heart content! Tonight I have a project for you for the H2H Challenges design team. The challenge is sealed or stamped with a kiss. 

For my card, I "kissed" the stamp larger heart stamp with a smaller heart stamp in grape ink and put it on the stamp before stamping and then stamped the two together, I did have to touch up a few of them as the ink did not transfer as well as I had hoped but that is the great thing about the clear stamps, you can see right through them to line up them up for corrections if needed. 

Products used:

Paper:

- Sawyer

- Harbour and White Daisy card stock

Stamps:

- CC122110 Smitten

- D1997 Months of the Year - February

Ink:

- Mulberry, Grape and Harbour

Embellishments:

- Clear Sparkles

- Silver Embellishing Thread

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I welcome any and all feedback. If you would like help with purchasing any of the products mentioned my post today, please contact your local CTMH Maker. If you do not have a CTMH Maker and are in Canada I can absolutely assist you in ordering. If you are in the United States, New Zealand or Australia, I can help you locate a Maker local to you for ordering. 

 

To play along with our challenge today at H2H Challenges, simply click here for all the information and entry requirements for this challenge. 

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

Brandi

You Mean the World to Me - H2H challenges

 Hello! Welcome to another fun challenge from H2H challenges! This week we are challenging you with Watercolour. That is right watercoloring! You can use water colour paints, or distress oxide inks altered with water. You could also use water colour pencils like I did on my succulent. 

Products Used:

Paper:

- Rosemary and White Daisy cardstock

- Mix In (Jan - Feb) 

Ink / Colour:

- Mink, Intense Black

- Watercolour Pencils - Olive Green (retired)

- Water Blending Pen

Stamps:

- E1053 Can't get enough (retired)

- D2077 Succa for you

- S2201 Sweet Little Things

Embellishments:

- Black and White Dots

- Black Shimmer Brush

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I welcome any and all feedback. If you would like help with purchasing any of the products mentioned my post today, please contact your local CTMH Maker. If you do not have a CTMH Maker and are in Canada I can absolutely assist you in ordering. If you are in the United States, New Zealand or Australia, I can help you locate a Maker local to you for ordering. 

 

To play along with our challenge today at H2H Challenges, simply click here for all the information and entry requirements for this challenge. 

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

Brandi

Oh Happy Day - H2H Challenges

 Hello! It is a new year and I am rejuvenated to be crafting more this more not just for my Close to My Heart business but for me, for my personal enjoyment and memory keeping. Crafting makes me happy so I resolve to do more! Anyways, I hope your holidays were fabulous and you are refreshed and ready to tackle 2022! I am back with a project for the Heart2Heart Challenges design team.  To join us at H2H challenges, just click here to go to the blog. 

I created this card for the H2H challenge to use Wildberry or a colour similar to this. I am so in love with this stamp of the month, the images are just so sweet and adorable. If you did not see me post for the Stamp of the Month blog hop, check it out here!

Products Used:

Paper:

- Wildberry and White Daisy yardstick

- Mix In paper pack for Jan/Feb

Stamp:

- S2201 Sweet Little Things

Ink:

- Intense Black Ink

Colouring:

- Watercolor Pencils

- Water Blending Pen

Embellishments

- Mink Twine 

- Wildberry Sequins

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I welcome any and all feedback. If you would like help with purchasing any of the products mentioned my post today, please contact your local CTMH Maker. If you do not have a CTMH Maker and are in Canada I can absolutely assist you in ordering. If you are in the United States, New Zealand or Australia, I can help you locate a Maker local to you for ordering. 

 

To play along with our challenge today at H2H Challenges, simply click here for all the information and entry requirements for this challenge. To participate with us, all you need to do is upload your photo and use at least one Close to my Heart product. 

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

Brandi

Merry & Bright - Holly & Ivy - H2H

Hello! Happy fall to you! The temperatures are changing and we are seeing the leaves starting to change and I am all for it. I do love summer but I also fall (and spring, not a winter fan!)  So it is time for me to start thinking of Christmas...never time to start thinking of that, but when you make your own Christmas cards it is time to think Christmas cards!

So for our challenge at H2H this week, the theme is Sweet Treats and Christmas is all about sweet treats. I created this card for the challenge and my Holly & Ivy card workshop. This card reminds me of sweet treats you can drink around the holidays, hot cocoa and coffee shop inspired drinks. 

For the coffee mug, I masked off the pumpkin when I stamped it and then added a heart to match the larger coffee cup. I also added clear shimmer trim on the white areas that are whipped cream. 

Products used:

Paper:

- Candy Apple and White Daisy card stock

- Holly and Ivy

Stamp/Thin Cut:

- Z4322 Pumpkin Treats

- 3901 The Jubilee Crew

Tri-blend markers:

- Earth Brown

- Light Green

- Dark Red

Embellishments:

- Black and White enamel dots

- Z1926 Quatrefoil Embossing Folder

Thin Cuts:

-  Z4187 Stitched Ovals (only a few remaining)

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I welcome any and all feedback. If you would like help with purchasing any of the products mentioned my post today, please contact your local CTMH Maker. If you do not have a CTMH Maker and are in Canada I can absolutely assist you in ordering. If you are in the United States, New Zealand or Australia, I can help you locate a Maker local to you for ordering. 

 

To play along with our challenge today at H2H, simply click here for all the information and entry requirements for this challenge. 

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

Brandi

Hello - Terrific Tag H2H Challenge

Today I have a fall card I created for the H2H Challenge Design Team and our theme this week is Terrific Tags. I will be honest, I do not do a lot with tags and I just do not quite know what to do with them. I people use them all the time and their projects look fabulous and mine are always so-so....lol 

I did have a fun time creating this card today and don't think it turned out too bad. I had fun using my water colour pencils for this card. I also whipped out one of my embossing folders and again, I product that I love the look of, but never seem to remember to use them or just feel it does not work with the project I am working on. I just love the sweet treats on this card!

Products Used:

Paper:

- Papaya and Toffee card stock

- Pumpkin Spice paper pack

Embossing Folder:

- Wood Slats (retired)

Stamp/Thin Cut:

- Z4322 Pumpkin Treats

- Z4320 Autumn is Calling

Ink:

- Espresso

- Toffee

Embellishments:

- Wood Shapes - Hearts

- Pearls - Browns (retired)

- Cocoa ribbon (retired)

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I welcome any and all feedback. If you would like help with purchasing any of the products mentioned my post today, please contact your local CTMH Maker. If you do not have a CTMH Maker and are in Canada I can absolutely assist you in ordering. If you are in the United States, New Zealand or Australia, I can help you locate a Maker local to you for ordering. 

 

To play along with our challenge today at H2H Challenges, simply click here for all the information and entry requirements for this challenge. 

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

Brandi

Happy Together - Pumpkin Spice

 Hello! I have a fun fall layout for you today. I am having so much fun playing with the new Pumpkin Spice papers, I am a summer girl through and through but I do love the fall colours and love playing with them so much.  I am bring you this layout as part of the Heart 2 Heart design team today but it is one of the workshop layouts for this months workshop. Our theme with Heart 2 Heart is Glitz and Glitter. 

For those that know me, know I am far from anything glitzy or glittery at all, but I do bring out from time to time for my workshops and though it is hard to see in the picture there are two 12 inch strips of Gold Shimmer tape. On the left page it is between the two patterned paper pieces and on the right it is next to the patterned paper piece. The pictures really do not do it justice but it does add a bit of wow factor to the layout. 

Products Used:

Paper:

- Pumpkin Spice with sticker sheet

- White Daisy, Harbour, Papaya, Nectarine, Toffee, Shortbread, and Paprika card stock. 

Digital Art:

- Pumpkin Spice Digital Art collection

Embellishments:

- Gold Shimmer tape

- Gold Sparkle Sequins

Thin Cuts:

- Block Alphabet Thin Cuts (retired)

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I welcome any and all feedback. If you would like help with purchasing any of the products mentioned my post today, please contact your local CTMH Maker. If you do not have a CTMH Maker and are in Canada I can absolutely assist you in ordering. If you are in the United States, New Zealand or Australia, I can help you locate a Maker local to you for ordering. 

To play along with our challenge today at H2H Challenges, simply click here for all the information and entry requirements for this challenge. 

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

Brandi

Creative with Cardstock - H2H Challenges

Hello! It is time for some catch up for me with today being the first day of in person learning for our girls. I am a bit late in posting my H2H Challenges Design Team project for this week, eeeks! Better late than never I suppose! Our theme this week is Creative with Cardstock. 

For my card, I used all card stock, I started with Ballerina and random stamped the flower images in tone on tone with Ballerina ink. I used a flower stamp from the Isabella Scrapbooking stamp and thin cut set. Then I used some Thin Cuts, the Scallop Circle, Stitched Circle, and the Stitched Lattice Background and finished it off with a 1/4 inch strip of Ballerina shimmer paper and some white dots from the Black and White Dots. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I welcome any and all feedback. If you would like help with purchasing any of the products mentioned my post today, please contact your local CTMH Maker. If you do not have a CTMH Maker and are in Canada I can absolutely assist you in ordering. If you are in the United States, New Zealand or Australia, I can help you locate a Maker local to you for ordering. 

 

To play along with our challenge today at H2H Challenges, simply click here for all the information and entry requirements for this challenge. 

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

Brandi

I'm a Happy Camper - H2H Challenges

Hello! We are now in August...ugghhh how is summer going so fast? While I am ready for the consistency of school (online because of online learning a good chunk of last year) I am not ready to give up on summer just yet. And that has me playing with Wander which just screams summer, cottage, campfire, camping and all the good stuff of summer to me. I made this last card for my Wander workshop and had fun playing with what is left (I am down to scraps at this point!) of this paper pack.  

Products Used:

Paper:

- Wander

- Peach and White Daisy card stock

Thin Cuts:

- Z3639 Scalloped Circle

- Z4181 Stitched Circle

Stamp/Thin Cuts:

- Z3959 Wander Card making

Embellishments

- Z3314 Black and White Dots

Ink:

- Black and Paprika

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I welcome any and all feedback. If you would like help with purchasing any of the products mentioned my post today, please contact your local CTMH Maker. If you do not have a CTMH Maker and are in Canada I can absolutely assist you in ordering. If you are in the United States, New Zealand or Australia, I can help you locate a Maker local to you for ordering. 

 

To play along with our challenge today at H2H Challenges, simply click here for all the information and entry requirements for this challenge. 

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

Brandi

Feeling of Christmas - H2H Challenges

 Hello! Happy Monday to you! I come to you today with a difficult post, a Christmas Post. At H2H Challenges we are all about celebrating Christmas in July. The reason this is difficult for me is I am a summer girl through and through and while I love Christmas I am not a fan of cold Canadian winters and Christmas reminds me that the 27 months of winter will be upon us soon enough!

For my card today, I broke out my White Pines scraps, I had more than I thought of it, and created this quick and relatively painless Christmas card. I used the White Pines Scrapbooking stamp set, this is one of my all time favourite Christmas stamps. Ink colours are Fern and Cranberry and I matted the sentiment in Fern and finished it off with some gold pearls. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I welcome any and all feedback. If you would like help with purchasing any of the products mentioned my post today, please contact your local CTMH Maker. If you do not have a CTMH Maker and are in Canada I can absolutely assist you in ordering. If you are in the United States, New Zealand or Australia, I can help you locate a Maker local to you for ordering. 

 

To play along with our challenge today at H2H Challenges simply click here for all the information and entry requirements for this challenge. 

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

Brandi

Let's Hear it for the Boys - H2H Challenges

 Hello! And welcome to another week. The last week of Online learning here in Ontario so hopefully by the end of this week I will have my computer back and things will settle into a nice summer routine and I can get caught up on a few things but until that all happens, I have a project I created for the H2H challenges design team. The theme this week is Let's Hear It for the Boy so it is time to show us all the great stuff you have been creating for the men and boys in your life. 

Products Used:

Paper:

- Stars and Sparklers

- White Daisy, Toffee, Scarlett and Sapphire card stock

Stamps:

- CC52122 No Ordinary Dad

Ink:

- Toffee

Embellishments:

- X7269E Stars & Sparklers Sequins

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I welcome any and all feedback. If you would like help with purchasing any of the products mentioned my post today, please contact your local CTMH Maker. If you do not have a CTMH Maker and are in Canada I can absolutely assist you in ordering. If you are in the United States, New Zealand or Australia, I can help you locate a Maker local to you for ordering. 

 

To play along with our challenge today at H2H Challenges, simply click here for all the information and entry requirements for this challenge. 

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

Brandi

Celebrate - H2H Get Inky

 Hello and Happy Monday! Today I have a card for you for the Heart 2 Heart Challenges Design Team; our challenge this week is to get inky! Use ink on your project in any way shape of or form. 

For the challenge, I did some stencilling, stamping, and colouring on this card I made for my daughters grade 8 graduation. I used one of the CTMH Stencils to create the heart background on White Daisy card stock. I used Canary and Flamingo inks for the hearts. For the Party Girl I used our Intense Black ink to stamp her outline. I coloured her in using my Spectrum Noir Tai-blend markers. The colours I used were Tan Blend (hair), Pale Pink and Light Yellow Blend (dress and shoes), Fair skin, and black (soles of shoes). I accidentally coloured the top part of her dress with the darkest of the tri-blend but I went with it and used the lighter on the bottom portion to make it look almost like an organza type of dress. I did not think of it before I took the picture but after I did add a light coat with the clear shimmer brush to give the dress a bit of a sparkle.  I finished it off with Clear Sparkles. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I welcome any and all feedback. If you would like help with purchasing any of the products mentioned my post today, please contact your local CTMH Maker. If you do not have a CTMH Maker and are in Canada I can absolutely assist you in ordering. If you are in the United States, New Zealand or Australia, I can help you locate a Maker local to you for ordering. 
 
To play along with our challenge today at BLOG NAME, simply click here for all the information and entry requirements for this challenge. 
 
Until next time, happy crafting!
Brandi

Some Kind of Wonderful - H2H Challenge

Hello! Happy Monday morning to you! I come to you with our 2nd challenge for the month of May for the AHSC. This week our challenge is to use a sponging technique on your project. You can sponge on with a stencil, just an area, sponge onto a stamp....anything you want as long as you sponge part of the project. 

For my project I used my Distress Oxide Ink in Chipped Sapphire and sponged on the blue portion I then spritzed it with water to add some visual interest. 

Here is another project I did for another design team project that had some sponging. On this one I used my Tattered Rose Distress Oxide ink and added some sponged areas behind the title, on the lower right corner of the right page and in the top right of the left page...just to add some texture and to warm up the white a bit. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I welcome any and all feedback. If you would like help with purchasing any of the products mentioned my post today, please contact your local CTMH Maker. If you do not have a CTMH Maker and are in Canada I can absolutely assist you in ordering. If you are in the United States, New Zealand or Australia, I can help you locate a Maker local to you for ordering. 

 

To play along with our challenge today at H2H Challenges, simply click here for all the information and entry requirements for this challenge. 

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

Brandi