Chocolate Lovers Unite! August Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to our first blog hop with the new Autumn/Winter catalog! In addition to Chocolate Affair, our fun stamp of the month set, you're sure to see lots of other new things today along the way. If you're here from Mary Eisen's blog, or if you're just starting out, you're in the right place.  When we're done here, you can hop along to Traci Godbee's blog and see what awesome project she made for us this month.

If you love chocolate (and who doesn't?!), then this set of 16 stamps is for you! And this month, it's yours for just the cost of tax & shipping when you spend $50 - awesome, right? And of course, as always, you can purchase it on it's own at full price ($17.95).

I decided to make this fun title page for our 2004 scrapbook (yes, I DO have pictures that old unscrapped). These were the perfect stamps to use with these cute pics of our little girlies enjoying some chocolate cake together. The papers were leftovers from the Laughing Lola card kit (see it here tomorrow), except the extra sheet of Crystal Blue I used as a base.

I made these little embellishments, cutting out the stamped goodies and popping them up on circles with the coordinating saying. I then also popped the circles up off the page.

I stamped on several strips of leftover cardstock from the card kit, using the hostess exclusive stamp set Washi Wonder, with the inks used to make the card kit cards, plus Cotton Candy.  I also added strips of real Washi Tape and silver Shimmer Trim.  I also used the cardstock leftovers to journal, and stamped & cut out the title year, using the new Framework alphabet stamps.

I hope you enjoyed today's project! I'd love to hear your comments, then let's head over and see what Traci Godbee made to inspire us this month.

Mojo Monday: Circle AND Square!

This week is circle or square over at Mojo Monday, but I couldn't decide so I made both!

I like both versions, but I think I like the larger size of the square better. Here are the closeup shots of both cards:

I'm planning to make several similar cards with one of my volunteer organizations as a service project. I thought they might make a nice to addition to the boxes sent to troops from Operation Care Package.

The papers for both cards are from Echo Park Paper. The round one is from This & That Charming, and the square is from the 4th of July mini.  The stamps & inks are from Close To My Heart: the larger Thank You is one of the $2.95 stamps, and the other stamps are all from the limited time military support campaign stamp set Courage.

NOTE: If you're interested in any of the military support sets, including Courage, Home of the Brave, or Strong and Free, TODAY (7/31) IS THE LAST DAY TO ORDER THEM! Each stamp set purchased sees a portion of the proceeds donated to either the USO or the Canadian Hero Fund.

It's MY Turn!

You may recall that earlier this month I made a home decor piece featuring my hubby and his love of hockey. And my kids each have a photo tray for their school pictures. FINALLY, it's my turn to have a piece of my own!

I used the same kit that I used for hubby's canvas to make mine, just choosing different colors to highlight from the chipboard sheets. I also chose to not use the letter stamps that came with the kit as "love" and "home" didn't seem to fit my theme. Since it was my class reunion photos I used, I chose to stamp the word "time" using the new Framework alphabet (available Aug. 1).

I chose to use the red & blue chipboard elements, and still stamped with Cocoa ink. I stuck to the same design, following the sample layout in the kit.

I also used the Congrats Graduate stamp set for my top two pieces of chipboard since I wanted to point the arrow left, and none of the stamps in the kit were really right anyway.

Want to make one of your own? Don't forget that this awesome kit comes with everything except ink & adhesive (I used foam tape & Liquid Glass), and the canvas is pre-finished -- no painting required! Plus, it's half-price ($19.95), but only until July 31, so if you want one make sure to get it now!

Last Minute Mojo Monday

I actually made this card several days ago and forgot to post it! So here I am today, sneaking in to Mojo Monday 303 under the wire. If you don't have time to play along this week, be sure to check out the new sketch tomorrow.  I made this sympathy card:

This is a sneak peek of Close to My Heart's new Huntington papers, one of my favorites from the new catalog!

Here's the sketch from this week:

I stuck to the sketch this time - sometimes simple is better! Here are the details on mine:

I stamped July's stamp of the month, Sweet Life, using cashmere ink, and colored it with dry watercolor pencils. (I think I may go back with a bit of water and blend things a little; I'm not as pleased with that apple as I'd like!) The sentiment from Words of Comfort is stamped in Barn Red ink, with an inside sentiment in the same color.

The two pattern strips here are not paper from the Huntington line, they are stamped with the new Hostess Exclusive - Washi Wonder stamp set (it can only be purchased with Hostess Rewards). The embellishment is a simple wooden badge button from the Wooden Mini-Medley set, and I added a Mocha Opaques gem in the middle. Simple and elegant! I think this whole card would work well with a different sentiment for a man's birthday.

Also, just a reminder, don't forget to "sign your artwork" and let people know their cards are made with care!

I used a pretty stamp and added my initials with a colored pencil, but even a quick signature on the back is a great way to let people know you care enough to make it yourself (or buy handmade!).

That's it for today! Be sure to stop by again - I promise this week I have more projects to post. The crazy of summer has not wound down yet, but I have found some time to craft on a couple of cool days we had when the kids were happy to stay home and play video games!  Some great new product posts are on their way, so beware a little enabling!!

Introducing Cricut Artbooking!

Have you seen the fabulous new Cricut Artbooking cartridge yet?! This cartridge is another beutiful Close To My Heart exclusive, and as the title hints, it is all about the art of scrapbooking.  Use it make beautiful things like these:

And many more! Several more are shown in the Autumn/Winter 2013 Idea (ask me for your copy!), and you can see ALL 700 images in the handbook pages below! The themed images work together so all you have to do is is set the dial size ONCE and the pieces cut proportionally for your layout or mini book! With Artbooking, you can also create 10 unique mini books for easy sharing with friends & family.

And don't forget, the cartridge comes as part of a collection containing three exclusive D-size stamp sets and three 12" x 9" sheets of coordinating Dimensional Elements chipboard shapes. Here's a photo of the entire collection:

Aren't those some great looking stamp sets?! I can't wait to get my cartridge (very impatient girl here!) and start creating some awesome artbooks.  And if you pre-order now, I'll pay for your tax & shipping and place the order first thing on August 1! I'll even give you the option to throw in the $5 stamp of the month and I'll pay the tax & shipping on that too! I might even throw in a little something extra (hint, hint)...

Now, on to the handbook! If you've already seen it and know you want it, just scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to order! (Click any of these pics to enlarge.)

I am not including images of each "button page", because I personally find it a lot to wade through! If you really want to see them, let me know and I'll add it on its own page for everyone to see!

So, on to the deal... If you order this by July 31, I will pay your tax & shipping for you, and I will place the order first thing on August 1 so you are among the first to receive it! And you can add the stamp of the month for another $5.  So, cost of the entire collection is $99, and cost of the collection plus stamp of the month is $104.  Plus, there's a very good chance I will send you a little something else as well (hint, hint).

Here's some artwork created with "A Chocolate Affair", the August stamp of the month:

Here are your two choices:

Cricut Artbooking Pre-orders

Pre-order Artbooking by 7/31 - ships Aug 1 $99.00 USD Pre-order Artbooking PLUS stamp of the month - ships Aug 1 $104.00 USD