Heart 2 Heart Challenges

Its time for a 1-2-3 Challenge

2012-02-13T01:41:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone, we are in the 2nd week of February and everyone has been posting such beautiful projects every week!! I can't wait to see what you come up with for this week. For this week it is time for a 1-2-3 Challenge!! For this challenge you are to create something using 1 stamp, 2 different patterned papers and 3 embellishments. The embellishments can be all 3 the same or 3 different ones, you decide. This is going to be a lot of fun.

The first project here is from our talented guest designer

Romaine

And here is our regular design team:

Ann

Jen

Allisa

Haley

Mary

Tamytha

Now its your turn to start creating!! Can't wait to see all of your beautiful creations. For all the details on all of the design teams projects, please visit their blogs.

January Top Ten!

2012-02-10T07:59:00.002-05:00

My apologies for taking so long to get the Top Ten for January posted. I really have no excuse except to say that organizing pins into boards on Pinterest takes some serious time! LOL

So on to our choices. While you all outdid yourselves this past month, we have narrowed down the field each week to the following:

Week 1 - using "new" stamps:

Cheryl

Nicole

Week 2 - color challenge:

Kelly

Joyce

Week 3 - photo inspiration:

Week 4 - 3D project:

And our Top Chick honors for the month of January go to:

Kelly Brandt!

Congratulations to everyone in the Top Ten!

We also recognize the people who played along with each and every challenge in January. They are:

Brenda Frerichs

Kelly Brandt

Cheryl Cuddie

Joyce Lau

Merri Barber

Wendy Coffman

Thanks ladies for joining us every week. Please grab the Addicted to H2H badge that we have for your blog. See the H2H Badges tab at the top.

Thanks again to everyone who played along with us in January. We have more great challenges coming your way in February - please maybe a treat on the horizon - so keep coming back every Monday for a new challenge!

NOTE: Will the following people email me so I can send out your Top Ten badge info?
Kim
Brenda
Tina
Thank you!

For the One You Love

2012-02-06T00:01:00.005-05:00

Valentine's Day is approaching and it's time to celebrate the special people in our lives! This week we are challenging you to make something for someone you love. Get creative, get crafty, and share your wonderful work with us!

In case you need some extra inspiration, the Design Team is here to help! First up is our Guest Designer, Romaine. Welcome to the team, Romaine!

Romaine

And now here are the fabulous creations of our regular DT Members:

Paige

Amy

Mary

Carla

Lucy

Joelle

You can find out more about these projects by visiting the designers' blogs. We hope you'll share your creations with us! Remember that your project must include Close To My Heart products. Be sure you use the direct link to your project.

Meet our Feb. Guest DT

2012-02-04T22:34:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, we did not have a Top Ten in December. So that left me without a Guest Design Team member for February. In order to come up with someone to join us this month, I looked through the entries of the last challenge of 2011 and found the perfect person! Romaine has played along with H2H most weeks, creating fun and beautiful artwork and she is a fabulous cheerleader as well, always leaving comments for the team and other players. It was an easy decision and I'm happy to introduce Romaine as our February Guest Design Team member:

"Hi, my name is Romaine Rancier. I am so excited to be a guest DT member this month! I live in a small town in the “geographical center” of British Columbia, Canada. I am mom to 2 girls ages 13 and 12 and a boy, aged 9. I have been married to my best –est friend for 18 years. I teach Kindergarten, which is one of the best outside home jobs ever! (Have you noticed how many crafters are also teachers?)

I have always had an interest in crafting, much of it due to a childhood friend whose mom did crafts. I have been paper crafting for about 12 years, but really got into it about 3 years ago when I discovered the world of blogs. I decided to sign up with Close to my Heart in January, 2010, hoping to “fund” my habit and get some fabulous product! Every book has had me excited about something! I am constantly amazed by the creativity that is out there- and have been inspired by many!"

You can stop by and visit Romaine at her blog Bumbles 'n Bees. And watch for her 1st artwork with the team on Monday!

3-D Projects!

2012-01-30T01:00:00.013-05:00

Thanks to everyone for joining our challenges in January. It has been a great start to 2012! This week's challenge is a little different. Make a 3-D Project! This can be anything you like, but nothing flat like a card. Please remember to include Close To My Heart products in your design.

Note: You have until this Saturday, Feb. 4th at 10:00 pm EST to play along with the January challenges and be considered for a spot in our monthly Top Ten!

Let's take a peek at the projects the Design Team has came up with this week, starting with our Guest Design Team Member, Jami.

Jami

Allisa

Ann

Haley

Jennifer

Mary

Tamytha

Thanks for the great inspiration from the Team B Design Team Members!

Now it is your turn to show everyone your 3-D projects! Remember to include Close To My Heart products in your project. Please add your link below to your actual project, not your general blog link. Thanks for joining in on the fun!

Photo Inspired Challenge

2012-01-23T03:00:00.011-05:00

As "Scrapbookers", "Card Makers" and "Crafters", we find inspiration all around us! It can be found in a magazine, a television commercial, or a photograph.

Our challenge to you this week is to be inspired by this photo. What speaks to you? Perhaps it's the design, the colors or the images.

Let's see how the Design Team was inspired, starting with our Guest Designer Jami.

Jami

Lucy

Paige

Amy

Joelle

Mary

Carla

Your artwork is so inspiring Team A!

Now it's your turn! Show us how you were inspired by this photo using your beautiful Close To My Heart products! Be sure to link your post to the artwork for this challenge rather than your general blog address. Thank you!

Scrapbooking Layout - January

2012-01-18T01:39:00.000-05:00

Sorry this is a few days late but better late than never, I always say! A new scrapbooking sketch from Cheryl has been posted at our H2H Scrapbooking page and it's fabulous! Here's her sample layout - click over for the sketch itself, see what Cheryl has to say about her sketch and layout and then play along!

Color Challenge PLUS

2012-01-16T05:47:00.023-05:00

It's time for our first color challenge of the new year (with a twist), but first, THANK YOU to everyone who has already played last week's "something new" challenge. I think we may have set a record for number of participants, and you have all month to keep linking up your submissions! Just remember to use Close To My Heart products in some way in your project.

The first part of this week's challenge is to use the beautiful CTMH colors Crystal Blue and Amethyst on your artwork. The plus part of the challenge (should you choose to accept it) is to add some glitter to your artwork. This week also introduces our second string of Heart 2 Heart designers, our Team B, so let them inspire you, beginning with this month's talented guest designer, Jami.

Now it's your turn! Let's see your creations using the Close To My Heart colors Crystal Blue and Amethyst. Take it to the next level with some sparkly glitter too!

Are you ready for a NEW year??

2012-01-09T01:01:00.000-05:00

We are definitely ready!!! We have two teams ready to show you some great artwork, and a list of fun challenges coming your way! Keep in mind, there are no longer sponsored prizes but keep playing along because you never know when a goody opportunity might pop up! And there is still chances to be in our monthly Top Ten and be one of our Guest DT members!!

Speaking of prizes though, before we get to our challenge, I wanted to mention the ad you will find in the left sidebar. This was set up to generate a little income to support this blog and any goodies that are given away. I have also added a Pay Pal "tip jar" button so if you feel so inclined to send a little donation to support the prize cause, please do so. All monies generated will be used directly for this blog! Want to win your choice of CTMH products? That is just one way that prizes will be awarded - provided we have the funds to do that. Ok enough business - let's get to the challenge!

It's a new year so we want you to find a stamp that you haven't used yet and put it to use!! Or, if you have used them all (good for you!), find one that hasn't seen any ink in awhile and get stamping with it!!

Here is what Team A created for the challenge, starting with our Guest DT, Jami:

How cute is that?? Great project, Jami! Be sure to visit her blog for more details on this sweet artwork!

Fabulous start, Team A!! Don't forget to visit these gals blogs and leave them a nice welcome. And then grab your unused stamps and get creative! We want to see what you can do with this challenge. Just to remind everyone of the rules:

* Your project MUST use products from Close To My Heart

* You must link to the blog post with the artwork, not to your whole blog

Use the link box below - we can't wait to see what you create!

Can't forget our last two DT members!

2012-01-07T18:21:00.001-05:00

Tow last members to meet and then we're on to a new challenge on Monday! Say hello to Carla Ganske from Team A:

Hi Mary, me name is Carla Ganske and I live in Elk Point Alberta. I work full time as a supervisor at a bank and I have been scrapbooking for 14 years!!!!

It all started when my son was born and my sister gave me some cardstock and deco scissors for my birthday!! I have been published in Canadian Scrapbooker several times and designed for Scrapbooking Fanatics for two years. I run a monthly 10 for 10 club out of my home and teach classes in several of the communities surrounding my town. One of my scrapbooking "highlights" was when I was able to be a class assistant for Ali Edwards at ScrapFest...what a rewarding experience!!!!!

I enjoy spending time with my family. My husband Richard, my 13 yr old son Theo and my 11 year old daughter Hannah. We love to camp and quad in the summer time. Winter is spend quadding on warm days and lots of skating.

To stop in and say Hi to Carla at her blog, go here: http://carlaganske.blogspot.com/

And last but not least, from Team B, meet Jennifer Zimmerman:

Hello, my name is Jen Zimmerman. I live in Minnesota with my husband of 17 years and our three children ages 12, 10, & 7. When I'm not crafting I enjoy reading, gardening and spending time my husband and kids.

I've been paper crafting since 1995, when my friend taught me how to stamp and heat emboss. We didn't really have the right tools just yet, so we heated the embossing powder by holding the paper over the toaster. Humble beginnings for sure! I've also been keeping "scrapbooks" since I was in grade school. When I'd go visit relatives, I would keep memorabilia like ticket stubs or brochures from places we visited and put it into the old style magnetic albums. In 1997 I learned the importance of using archival quality materials and albums to preserve my photos and memorabilia for years to come.

Throughout the years, I've used many products from lots of companies. In 2007 I found Close To My Heart and was hooked on the clear stamps, coordinating papers and the high quality of the products. Since I wanted everything in the Idea Book, I became a consultant! Teaching and sharing ideas are passions of mine. This past year through blogging, I discovered a whole new world of inspiration and a community of talented artists to learn from. I hope to be a source of inspiration to others as well. I'm really excited to be a part of the H2H Design Team!

You can see Jennifer's work at her blog here: jenzimmerman.blogspot.com

So that's the whole bunch of us! We're all looking forward to getting crafty with you this year so plan on joining in the fun every Monday! See you on the 9th!

Say hello to....

2012-01-06T01:30:00.001-05:00

We're winding down with our introductions - 4 more to go! First up today is - from Team A - Amy Moore:

Hello! My name is Amy Moore. I have been married to the love of my life for 17 years. I have two wonderful children that inspire many of my craft projects and scrapbook pages. I have been a Close To My Heart consultant for 5 years now and my business is slowly growing. My passion for crafts, baking, cooking and scrapbooking are frequently shared on my little blog! I have been participating in Heart 2 Heart challenges for some time now, so I am totally thrilled to be a Design Team Member. Hope to see you play along and share your wonderful creations and talents with us here on Heart 2 Heart!

You can check out more about Amy on her blog here: www.amysartfromtheheart.blogspot.com

We also have an intro from Allisa Chilton on Team B:

Hello, my name is Allisa Chilton. I have three boys and live in Southwestern Wyoming with my spouse of twelve years. I started scrapbooking in 1997, after my first son was born. I found DOTS around the same time through an ad in Creating Keepsakes. I signed up to be a consultant in the same year. My stamping addiction soon followed. I love to tell the story with my scrapbook pages and creating handmade cards. Crafting is my stress reliever. I look forward to being on the H2H Design team and sharing my creations with you. I feel we can all be inspired by sharing our creations and can’t wait to see your creations as well!

And Allisa is found on the web here: http://rockymtnpapercrafts.blogspot.com/

Ok 2 more for tomorrow and then we'll be ready to roll on Monday!

Two more members to meet!

2012-01-05T01:34:00.001-05:00

Next up on the introduction circuit is Lucy Kelleher on Team A:

Hello! My name is Lucy Kelleher and I am so excited to be a part of the H2H Design team. This will be my VERY first design team and I’m a little nervous but so looking forward to it!

I live in Southern California with my amazing husband of 10 years. We met while training in Aikido, a Japanese martial art almost 20 years ago. We now own our own Aikido dojo (school) where I teach our children’s classes. I became a trial paralegal right out of school but decided to change careers about 8 years ago. I went back to school and became a teacher. After 5 years of teaching 3^rd and 4^th grade students, I am now a full-time Close to My Heart consultant and LOVING it! I have traded in teaching my little guys for teaching and creating memories with my “big” kids.

I have to admit that I was never particularly craft growing up. I always wanted it to be “perfect” the first time I made something. Hardly a stress-free activity! I began crafting over 12 years ago when I saw a mother of one of my students working on cards in her car while waiting for her sons to come out. She invited me to a card workshop and I have been absolutely hooked every since. I have been with Close to My Heart for a little over 6 years now and am always amazed at all the new products they come up with every year. Every new Idea Book inspires me. I have only been in the blogging world for a couple of years but love posting projects and ideas and getting feedback from others. I am a firm believer that there are really no “mistakes” in creating. ANYTHING can be fixed! Absolutely anything!

I can’t wait to get started and get to know everybody!

My websites are:

Blog: http://love2createitall.blogspot.com/

CTMH site: http://lucyk.myctmh.com/

FB page: http://www.facebook.com/LucyK.CTMH

Thanks Lucy and welcome!

And today from Team B meet Tamytha Jenkins:

My name is Tamytha Jenkins, but I also answer to Tammy. :) I live in Merritt Island, Florida with my habit-supporting husband of 19 years. I'm also a mom to a beautiful 15 year-old daughter, an imaginative 11 year-old son, and I can't fail to mention...one chocolate lab and two rescue cats. I have been teaching middle school science for 8 years and even though I still love teaching...there's a lot about it that makes me crazy. Thankfully, paper crafting keeps me sane...at least most of the time. :) When I'm not spending time with my family, working, grading papers (yuck), or creating, I pursue spiritual activities, blog (and blog surf), and resell items on Ebay (the more old stuff I sell...the more new stuff I can buy). :)

Even though I kept photos and memorabilia as a teenager, the addiction I have today started with a friend inviting me to come over to "scrapbook" when I was pregnant with my daughter. I had never used that word as a verb before, so I had no clue what she was talking about. However, she assured me, "Don't worry. You'll love it!" Was that ever an understatement! About a year later, in the pursuit of scrapbook supplies, I also discovered stamping. Since then I've been fortunate enough to work and teach in local stamping and scrapbooking stores, and enjoyed the excitement of being published in a couple of scrapbooking magazines. However, after giving birth to my son, I suffered with postpartum depression, that I let go untreated for way too many years and I stopped crafting. After hitting bottom and finally seeking help, a dear friend of mine got me crafting again...and it felt good. At that point, I made a promise to myself to make time to craft...it was no longer an option. About a year later, I joined Close To My Heart as a way to make myself carve out creative time...and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made. I've been with CTMH almost two years now and I'm feeling great!

I have to tell you, I am so excited and honored to become part of the H2H design team. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous to follow in the footprints (or should I say ink prints) of such talented artists, not to mention all of the talented artists that participate and follow the H2H blog. However, I hope my art will not only please you all, but that it will motivate you to carve out time in your busy lives to create. I look forward to getting to know all of you over the next several months. And Mary, thanks for this wonderful opportunity!

You can all stop by and say hello to Tammy at her blog here: http://www.paperheartist.com
More to come tomorrow!

More Intros and a correction

2012-01-04T01:19:00.001-05:00

Well it seems I'm getting the year off on the wrong foot - I made an error in yesterday's post. We don't have 8 new DT members - we have 10!!! So let's get to more introductions!

First up today from Team A - Paige Dolecki!

I'm mom to three fabulous kids Eliza (16), Spencer (13) and Devin (10) and have been married to my college sweetheart Mark for 20 years. We live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains just outside of Seattle. I enjoy spending time being creative in my craft room with my new love bug, the Cricut Expression 2. When I'm not covered in glitter and adhesive I can be found at my martial arts studio training for my Black Belt in Tae-Kwon-Do. Making pretty things and kicking bags keeps me happy!

You can pop in and see Paige at her blog here: http://www.paigespaperparadise.blogspot.com.

Our next new member on Team B is Mary Gunn:

Some of my earliest memories involve loving paper, art, photographs, playing teacher, and gift shops. So, being a Close To My Heart Consultant is pretty much a perfect place for me to be!

Being on the Design Team of the Heart 2 Heart Challenge blog is an exciting place to be, as well. I am especially honored because of the previous Design Team artists who have inspired me with their projects and their encouragements over the years. Huzzah to you and thanks.

This month (January, 2012) I will be marking my 12th anniversary as a Close To My Heart Consultant and what a tremendous journey! I started as Mary Gunn, but have evolved into Mary Gunn FUNN! Not only have I been able to "play" with the best products in the industry, I have met the most fabulous customers, consultants, and corporate representatives while happily calling many of them friends. My business has gone from a few friends in my basement to online classes reaching "FUNN Fanns" from Maine to California, Japan and South Korea - who'd of thunk it?

I do plan to retire from Close To My Heart when I am 78 which is still quite a ways away - that is, of course, unless the Idea Book is just too good to give up that year! So, H2H Challenge blog followers, let's have some Mary Gunn FUNN and "make ladies happy and the world cuter!"

You can visit Mary at her blog here: http://marygunnfunn.blogspot.com/

Six more talented ladies to meet! Are you getting excited?

Meet our new DT!

2012-01-03T01:54:00.010-05:00

With 8 new DT members, it's going to take me a couple of days to post all these intros so let's get to it!

In 2012, we will have two DT Teams - Team A will be headed up by myself and Team B will be headed by the talented Haley Dyer, who was a DT member last term.

Now for our new members - on Team A, please welcome Joelle Hiller!

My name is Joelle Hiller and I live in Western New York with my husband of 13 years, our two kids, 7 and 1, and our two cats. I worked for 15 years as a high school math teacher, but recently left that position and am in the process of figuring out what I’d like to do next.

I have been a CTMH consultant since June 2009, which is when I saw paper samples for the first time and got myself hooked. I love scrapbooking and card-making, and as much as I am a tech-friendly sort of person, I can’t see myself ever switching entirely to digital scrapping. I love playing with paper, ink, and stamps; sitting in front of a computer just isn’t the same for me.

Being on the H2H design team now gives me an “excuse” to make my hobby a priority. I am excited to contribute to this creative community that has provided me with tons of inspiration. When I’m not busy creating, I like to read novels and research my family tree.

You can stop by and visit Joelle at her blog here: http://scrapbooksnippets.blogspot.com.

And from Team B, say hello to Ann Lessner:

Hello everyone my name is Ann Marie Lessner. I am so happy to be apart of H2H.

I have been scrapbooking and stamping for almost 10 years and I have been apart of Close To My Heart for 4 years. All my life I never thought of myself as crafty but when my best friend invited me to a stamping party something changed. I found I really enjoyed making cards and gifts for my friends and family. When I found Close To My Heart and saw how beautiful the stamps and scrapbook paper was, I was hooked from that point on. I have also met the kindest and sweetest people during my time with this company. Women who are willing to do anything to help you succeed.

I have been married for 17 years to my high school sweetie. We met the first day of my freshman year on the bus on the way to school. We have been together ever since. We have to wonderful kids, my daughter who is fiercely independent is 16 years old and working on picking just the right college. My son will be 13 on the 21st of this month!! He is such a hard worker and quite the good football and basketball player. He also is an animal lover and I have yet to meet an animal that doesn't love him in return. We have a mini zoo going on at my house with 3 dogs, 1 cat, 1 fish, and 1 lizard. But in the next month or so we will be getting ducks again so my kids can raise them for 4h.

I am looking forward to my time here with H2H and getting to know everyone. Thank you for the wonderful opportunity!

Check Ann out at her blog here: http://www.creativeramblings345.blogspot.com.

More to come tomorrow - stay tuned!

Welcome to a New Year and new faces!

2012-01-02T16:04:00.000-05:00

Welcome to H2H 2012! We have a lot of cool challenges coming your way with more Design Team members than ever before! This week, you will get to meet them all, starting today with our Guest DT for January, Jami Larson!

Hello, my name is Jami Larson and I'm thrilled to have this fun opportunity as the January guest designer. Thank you so much to the gals at Heart 2 Heart Challenges. I am from a town, of about 1500 people, in Northeast, South Dakota. I am a mom to three boys ages 11,15 & 17, and have been married for going on 20 years. I have only been a CTMH demonstrator since August and am loving all of the great friendships that I have come to know, through what I do. I am a complete Cricut addict, so the cartridge is what lured me in, and I am loving the Cricut/stamp combo. I am not a huge scrapbooker but do like sending homemade cards. I'm rather practical and love using my Cricut and stamp sets to make fun, yet useful gifts. I'm so excited to be here and look forward to being able to share some projects with you.

We are excited to have Jami joining us and she is going to be playing along with us every week this month! Just so you know, all Guest DT members are chosen from our monthly Top Ten and this year, they will be hanging out with the DT every week (if they choose to). So watch for Jami's artwork starting this coming Monday, Jan. 9th and stop by and visit her blog at http://thepaperfarm.blogspot.com/.

Tomorrow, I will start to introduce the 8 new DT members - be sure to stop back and say HI!

DT Call reminder and SCRAPBOOK layout!

2011-12-22T06:45:00.000-05:00

This month's scrapbook layout by Cheryl is a little late but I know you're all busy with holiday happenings so I know you'll forgive me!

Before I direct you to the sketch and sample however, I want to remind you about our Design Team call. So far, I have received very few applications so we need more people to apply!! Please consider trying out for the team and send your application to me today. Details on how to apply can be found in a post below.

Now for our next scrapbooking "challenge". You can find Cheryl's wonderful sketch and sample layout on our H2H Scrapbooking page. Check it out and play along. You know you have photos that need to go into albums!

Have a wonderful holiday!

Addicted to H2H?

2011-12-12T23:48:00.000-05:00

I keep forgetting to post the names of those who played along with every H2H challenge in November. They are:

Sheila H.

Twyla Norris
Wendy Coffman
Kelly Brandt
Amy Moore
Karen C
Donna Davis
Polly
and our Guest DT Allisa

Thank you all for hanging out with us! If you don't have one already, feel free to pop over to our Badges page and grab the Addicted to H2H badge for your blog! And if anyone was missed on this list, please contact Haley at inkyscrapper@gmail.com and she'll add you.

Have a good week everyone!

A Virtual Holiday Card Exchange

2011-12-12T01:13:00.000-05:00

Well it's our last challenge of 2011 - we hope you have enjoyed all the challenges we posed to you through out the year! Before we get to this last challenge, I just want to thank this round of the Design Team one more time for all their help these past months - you have all been beyond fabulous! Haven't they been great?

Starting Jan. 9 of 2012 we will have all new DT members and maybe YOU will be one of them. Be sure to check out the post below this one for details on how to apply. H2H wouldn't be here without talented people like yourself helping out!!

Now on to our challenge. Since it is the last challenge of the year, you can play along with this one right past New Year's Day! We're calling it a Virtual Holiday Card Exchange and here's all you have to do: post any holiday card you created using Close To My Heart products and wish everyone who stops by your blog a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate this season!!

And now for holiday wishes from our Design Team, check out their cards (and blogs) below - be sure to leave them some love, too -

From all of us to all of you - thank you for keeping H2H a fun, inspiring place to visit and may you all have the very warmest and merriest Christmas and a fabulous New Year~~

New Design Team needed and some changes

2011-12-09T23:34:00.000-05:00

It is almost the end of another year and this Monday will be our last challenge for the year as well as the last time we will be seeing our fabulous Design Team at work! A great BIG Thank YOU to my great team - they have really put in a lot of time and effort this term to bring everyone some awesome inspiration! You will all be missed!

But with their departure brings an exciting opportunity for you! It's time to apply for the next round of the Design Team here at H2H and we're changing things up a bit.

In 2012, there will no longer be any sponsored prizes. The majority (about 98%) of our players are consultants and there really is no sense in having consultants sending other consultants product. Seems kinda silly. Now that doesn't mean there won't be occasional goodies to be won but they won't be on a regular basis and they might just pop up and surprise you so you want to be sure to continue playing along with our challenges!!

Another change to the H2H blog is the formation of not one but TWO Design Teams!! The teams will both have 6 month terms but will split the responsibilities with Team A inspiring us one week and Team B inspiring us the next. This allows the teams members to get a little "break" and gives them additional time to get their artwork ready for their week's challenge.

If you would like to be considered for one of the teams, here is the application process:

* Email me with your Name, Address, Blog Address, Email Address and a little bio about you. Be sure to tell me how long you have been a consultant (you MUST be a CTMH consultant to be considered for the team but you can be in Junior status) and why you want to be a part of the team.

* You MUST know how to write and publish a post on Blogger. Each DT member will have a couple of weeks in which they will be responsible for creating the Monday challenge post. Don't worry - I (and another team leader) will be around to help out with this as well but please only apply if you are comfortable blogging.

* You must send photos of three of your pieces of artwork. DO NOT send me a link to your blog to look at your artwork there - I want you to pick what you consider three of your best and include them with the application.

ALL applications must be received by December 30th. I will make the selection of the new team members by January 1st and the new team will start on January 9th.

Here are some more things to keep in mind about a position on the DT:

* You must be willing to join a Yahoo Group set up specifically for team members.
* You must be able to participate in every challenge for your team's week (posted by 6:00 am on Monday mornings) and have your artwork for each challenge posted to the DT Yahoo Group the Saturday before the challenge begins.
* You must be willing to post your artwork on any other boards/galleries you belong to and advertise our challenge blog whenever and where ever you can so we can continually grow in numbers of participants. We currently have a group at Paper Craft Planet and on Facebook that I would like DT members to join but this is optional.
* You will be expected to participate in any extra programs that we may decide upon as a team. You are also expected to weigh in on your choices of winners in monthly awards (Top Ten).
* You will be expected to visit the blogs of the challenge participants and leave comments.
What you get in return:

* Committment to producing artwork once every 2 weeks gives you an opportunity to create on a regular basis!
* Increased blog traffic which will hopefully lead to an increase in your business!
* Fun and fellowship with the entire team and a chance to meet new consultants and CTMH fans!

I think that about wraps it up. What are you waiting for? Send in your application today!! (Any questions can be directed to me at mbryt1@bex.net).

Oh so much to talk about !!

2011-12-04T23:43:00.001-05:00

I know, I know, another week has come and gone and I am just not getting around to November's prize winners and Top Ten! Where does the time go? Our prize winners from our fabulous November sponsors are: From week 2 (metal challenge) - #18 Donna Davis and from Week 3 (gratitude challenge) - #15 Kelly Brandt! Ladies email your mailing information to me and I will forward it to the sponsors.

Our Top Ten for November are:
Week 1:

Week 2:

Week 3:

Week 4:

There is no Top Chick this month as there is no December Guest DT. But that doesn't mean there wasn't outstanding work this month! Just click each photo above to see the complete project these ladies made - awesome! Congrats to you all! Your badge info will be emailed soon.

Now on to this week's challenge. Remember, we are not playing for prizes this week but we hope that won't stop you from joining in!

This week we are working with an inspiration photo - take a look:

So much to love here! The colors, the giant letter, the ribbon, the twiggy wreath....what speaks to you? What about this photo will inspire your project this week? Let's see what the DT came up with:

Now it's your turn. Use the photo to get those creative juices going and then post your finished project below. We're looking forward to some great artwork!!

And one last thing - I will announce the DT application information in the next couple of days as well as the list of everyone who participated in every challenge in November so come back soon!

Please remember - you MUST use Close To My Heart products in your artwork or your link will be removed. Thank you.

Sketch Week and some announcements

2011-11-28T01:46:00.001-05:00

Thanks to everyone who played along with our challenges in November. I will be drawing the winners of the sponsored prizes later this week and will announce them along with our November Top Ten. A great big THANK YOU to our sponsors, Wendy and Teri - you gals rock!

We are starting a new month but will only have a couple of challenges before we take a much deserved holiday break so there will be no new Guest DT and no sponsored prizes for December. But I hope you will still play along with us!!!

As we are heading into December, this will also be the last few weeks for our current Design Team. Haven't they been awesome?? I can't thank these ladies enough for hanging out with us these past few months and wow-ing us with their artwork week after week.

But with their departure, the doors are open for YOU to apply to be in the next DT group!! Watch for the details on how to apply later this week, as well, and then send in those applications. The team will be bigger than ever so I hope you will throw your hat in the ring!

Now on to this week's challenge. A favorite - a sketch! Here's the sketch we're working with:

Now let's see what the DT has to share with you for this week's challenge, starting with our departing Guest DT for November, Allisa:

Beautiful in blue! Thank you for joining us this month, Allisa!

Also, playing along is one of our November sponsors, Wendy:

Another blue beauty! I love these colors for a holiday card - so fresh and fun! Thanks for playing along Wendy!

And there you have it - a sketch flipped every possible direction with amazing results! So let's see what you can do with it. Just be sure to include CTMH products or your link will be removed! Have fun creating!

Time ....for a new challenge!!

2011-11-21T07:47:00.000-05:00

It's Time for a new challenge so get your thinking caps on because our theme this week is Time.

We want to see what you can create using this theme - maybe you will use clocks, or the word Time...or Timeless.....got you thinking now, don't we?

Let's see what the DT came up with:

Got some ideas swirling in your brain? And some Time to play along? Then we want to see what you create with this week's theme! Link up below and be sure to include Close To My Heart products in your artwork!

A day late and a dollar....

2011-11-16T22:59:00.001-05:00

You know that saying right? A day late and a dollar short? Well, I seem to be a dollar short often but I try not to be a day late - not when it comes to posting our next fabulous scrapbooking sketch from team member Cheryl! Alas, the time got away from me this week. But fear not - the sketch and Cheryl's sample layout are now posted on our H2H Scrapbooking page! Just go to the link at the top of this page to get to it and then - well, you know what to do - play along!!

Want to leave a comment? Please leave it on this post. Happy scrapping!

From Your Heart to Ours - Gratitude

2011-11-14T07:26:00.000-05:00

November is the month when we are most inclined to think about the people and the things we are grateful for. I have a long list of blessings including my wonderful DT members, past and present, as well as all of the creative people who come to Heart 2 Heart every week and play along with our challenges. Thank you!

This week, we want you to share From Your Heart to Ours about someone who deserves some gratitude in your life. Create a card or other project for someone you are grateful for. Tell us about this special person and why you created the item for them. Then make sure you send it to your recipient so they know how you feel! Make your gratitude known and share with us along the way.

The DT has some special projects to share with you - be sure to stop by each person's blog to find out who they created their item(s) for -

Thank you for spending your time with us today and each week. We look forward to sharing your project of gratitude. Link up below and be sure to use Close To My Heart products in your project or your link will be removed!

Metal mania!

2011-11-06T23:44:00.000-05:00

Oh we have so much to get to so let's get to it!

First up, I have two prize winners to announce from last month's challenges. Those winners are:
From week one (sketch week) - #36 Melanie B
From week three (numbers week) - #10 Karen C

Congratulations ladies! Please send your mailing info to me at mbryt1@bex.net and I will pass it along to the October prize sponsors.

I also have a terrific Top Ten to announce today and here they are:

Week one - sketch:

Week two - layout with a story:

Week three - numbers:

Week four - Halloween/Fall:

And our Top Chick of the Top Ten is Jami Larson:

Congratulations to you all! You will be receiving an email soon with directions on how to add a Top Ten badge to your blog.

Last but not least, the following players completed all 4 challenges in October:

Amy Moore

Wendy Coffman
Marie with a :)
Allisa, our Guest Designer
Lisa Bzibziak
Kelly Brandt
Karen C.

Please head on over to the Badges page and grab the code for the Addicted to H2H badge for your blog. If anyone was missed, you can contact Haley at inkyscrapper@gmail.com. Thanks for playing along with us through the month of October!!

Now on to this week's challenge. We want to see how you can incorporate something metal into your project. This can be a simple embellishment on a card or it can be...well, let's take a look at what the DT came up with for more inspiration:

These gals really took the theme and ran with it - in a lot of different, gorgeous ways! Now let's see what you can do with metal. Link up below and be sure to use Close To My Heart products!!

Color Challenge

2011-10-31T07:50:00.000-04:00

It's time to say goodye - and hello - to some H2H people starting with our October sponsors - Nichole and Jena. Thanks for sponsoring us this past month - we appreciate you!!! The drawing for their prizes will be held and posted later this week so be sure to come back and see if you're a winner!

Our new sponsors are Wendy and Teri and here are their prize offerings for November:

From Teri, you could win a CTMH chair caddy filled with a few goodies as a suprise! Woot! Woot! Who doesn't like a good surprise? You can visit Teri at her blog The Midnight Artist.

Wendy has the following prize goodies up for grabs:

Included is a Caboodle WOTG, an envelope pack, a circle album and a little petite perk (autumn). You can stop by and say hello to Wendy at her blog Just Paper and Ink. These will be our last sponsors of the year so be sure to play along with our challenges all month long and increase your chances of winning one of these two great prizes!

I also want to thank Debra, our outgoing Guest DT, for playing along with us in October and welcome our new Guest DT, Allisa, who will be joining us in November. You can read a little about Allisa on this post.

And finally, we have a sad farewell to send out for DT member Brenda, who has decided to step down from her spot. All for good reason though - Brenda is just one super busy lady! Thanks for hanging with us at H2H, Brenda, and best wishes for the future from all of us!

Now on to the challenge. We have a color challenge for you this week. The colors are Autumn Terracotta, Juniper and Bamboo:

or use something close. Here is what the team came up with, starting with our Guest DT, Allisa:

Fabulous! And perfect for the Fall season! Thanks Allisa!

Beautiful work, ladies! Now it's your turn. We can't wait to see what you come up with!

ALL ENTRIES MUST INCLUDE PRODUCTS FROM CLOSE TO MY HEART OR THE LINK WILL BE REMOVED. We have had a lot of entries not follow this one rule so please be sure you have included CTMH products in your artwork.

It's almost November!

2011-10-28T08:35:00.003-04:00

Before we get started with a new month of challenges, I have an October update and an introduction. Remeber you have until Saturday night at 10 pm EST to play along with all of the October challenges to increase your chances of winning one of two sponsored prizes.

In addition to the prizes being offered at H2H, our sponsor Nichole is also offering a separate opportunity to win another prize - read on:

"I did a post on the Autumn/Halloween project and I added a give-away bonus that anyone who comments this week on your challenge (the Fall/Halloween challenge here at H2H) and on my H2H story post for this challenge (click here to comment) I will be adding a "Wicked" SOTM FREE (for this week's challenge participants) just in case anyone is interested in that stamp set and missed out".

So leave your comments for a chance at a Wicked stamp set!! Thanks Nichole!

No on to our introduction of the Guest DT for November - meet Allisa:

"Hello, my name is Allisa Chilton. I joined Close to My Heart way back in 1997 when the company was known as DOTS. I have seen a lot of changes in the company over the years and think we are just getting better and better with each new catalog. I met my original upline in an online chat room. She mailed me a DOTS catalog and I then made my first Christmas cards. I mailed her one as well. She then decided I needed to become a consultant. The rest is history. I am mostly a scrapbooker, making handmade cards comes in a close second. I just recently joined the blog world and H2H Challenges. I love participating in the challenges and seeing all of the great artwork that is submitted. I am thrilled to be a guest design team member for November. I look forward to seeing all of the great submissions".

Welcome Allisa! You can visit Allisa's blog at Rocky Mountain Paper Crafts or her website here. We look forward to seeing what Allisa shares with us in November!

See you all Monday for a new challenge!

Halloween/Autumn Challenge

2011-10-24T06:54:00.001-04:00

This is our last challenge of the month so you have until this Saturday at 10 pm EST to get your entries for all of this month's challenges posted and be eligible to win a prize from one of our fabulous sponsors!!

The challenge is Halloween or Autumn. Anything goes so make it fantastic!! Let's see what the DT whipped up starting with our Guest DT Debra:

Spook-tacular!! I love cute Halloween and Deb, you certainly got the cutest spiders ever~

Thanks for playing along with us this month!

We also have an entry this week from one of our sponsors, Nichole - take a look:

Thanks for playing along with us this week Nichole! And of course, for sponsoring us this month also!

Fang-tastic!! Be sure to visit the DT's blogs to see more on each of their submissions - and leave them some much deserved love while you're there! Then get your artwork linked up below and join in the fun! Be sure your project includes CTMH products or your link will be removed.

LIKE us on Facebook!

2011-10-17T13:21:00.000-04:00

Our newest challenge is in the post below so scroll down to see what's happening!

As Facebook has changed their site (numerous times), in the course of doing so they changed the way Pages are set up and our old Facebook page is gone. So I have a new one started but we need "like"ers!! Follow the link HERE and like us on Facebook. We will post blog updates there as well - join us!

It's all in the numbers!

2011-10-17T07:50:00.002-04:00

Thanks to everyone who played along with our challenge last week - your layouts were truly beautiful!

This week we're offering up a challenge that doesn't require words - we're looking for numbers! Create anything you want but you must include at least one number on it!

We have a number of inspiring projects from our DT to show so let's get to it!
First up, our Guest DT for October - Debra!

Beautiful - and perfect for this time of year! Thanks Debra!

Now it's your turn! Let's see those numbers this week. Remember, you must use Close To My Heart products or your link will be removed. Happy crafting!

New scrapbooking sketch posted!

2011-10-15T23:01:00.000-04:00

Did you know that our very talented team member, Cheryl, creates a scrapbook layout sketch and sample every month on the 15th to share with everyone here at H2H? Perfect timing too as we have a scrapbooking challenge currently posted! Check it out and give it a try - you know you have photos just waiting for some attention! The link is above - H2H Scrapbooking. Enjoy and a big THANK YOU to Cheryl~

Our next Challenge - From our Heart to Yours

2011-10-10T12:41:00.000-04:00

Sorry again for the delay - let's get right to the challenge!

It's From Our Heart to Yours week and the theme this time is sharing stories. The Design Team has created layouts that include journaling a story and they are passing the challenge along to you!

We want to see a scrapbook layout this week - single or double page - that includes journaling about the photos. Tell us a story! Layout can be paper crafted or created with Studio J. Here are the DT's entries - be sure to visit their blogs for further details:

Now it's your turn to share a story with us. Post your layout with journaling to your blog and then link up below. Remember, you have all month to play along with our challenges to be eligible for the prize drawing.

Also, I want to acknowledge the people who played along with all of the September challenges - they are:

Allisa
Belinda K.
Heather H. (rockingpaperscissors)
Karen C
Lisa Bzibziak
Miriam Pranther
Tammy
Sheila H
Wendy Coffman

If anyone was missed, please contact Haley at inkyscrapper@gmail.com. If you completed all the challenges of the month, you are welcome to visit our Badges page and grab the Addicted to H2H badge code for your blog. Thanks for joining us all month long!

Challenge posted soon

2011-10-10T07:02:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the delay but the new challenge will be posted later this morning......

Prize Winners and Top Ten - September

2011-10-08T10:50:00.000-04:00

Throwing in a quick post to announce the Top Ten and prize winners for September (before we get any further into October already!)

The prize winners of the goodies from our September sponsors are:

From Week 3 (Die Cuts) - #20 Elizabeth and from Week 5 (Sentiment Only) - #6 Miriam
Congratulations ladies - please contact me at mbryt1@bex.net with your mailing information!!

Now on to our Top Ten -rather, our Top ELEVEN!! I just couldn't narrow it down any further (plus we had 5 weeks to pick from so 11 is fair).

Week 1 - Color challenge:

Week 2 - Your favorite color combo:

Week 3 - Die cuts:

Week 4 - Cardstock only:

Week 5 - Sentiment focus:

And our Top Chick of the Top Eleven is...........Allisa!

Congratulations to everyone who played along this month!

Emilee and Lisa Gordon - I could not find your email address - please contact me at mbryt1@bex.net if you would like a Top Ten badge -

See you all Monday!!

Welcome to October

2011-10-03T01:35:00.000-04:00

It's a new month once again (where does the time go?) and we have some new sponsors to introduce but let's first say farewell and thank you to September's sponsors: Heather Hunt and Kelly Jo Ratcliff. Remember if you ever want to find any of our sponsors, they are listed on the Sponsors page (see the tab above).

Our new sponsors for October are Nichole Lewno and Jena DeVries - welcome ladies! Here are the prize packages these gals are offering this month -

From Nichole at Creatique Candy -

All items in the prize package are discontinued and can only be won via participating in the H2H blog challenges throughout the month. Includes:

Spring Harmony: Sassy Strands, Organdy Ribbon Rounds, and Die-Cuts
3"x3" Kraft mini album

Express Postage My Acrylix Stamp Set

Just Blooms Paper flowers assorted

Sonata L2 Paperpack

And from Jena at Live, Love, Laugh, Scrapbook -

A Miracle Scrapbooking Kit! Thanks ladies - now let's get the challenge posted so you can all get busy entering for a chance to win one of these packages of goodies!

This week is one of our favorites - a sketch!

Remember, you can rotate it to fit your design. Take a look at what the DT created with the sketch:

I am always so impressed and inspired with how many ways one little sketch can be interpreted! Beautiful work ladies!

Now it's your turn...let's see what you can create with the sketch. Link up below and you're on your way to winning one of the packages from our terrific sponsors! And be sure to check back with us later this week when I announce the Top Ten from September and the winners of the September prizes!

Finishing up the month

2011-09-30T23:40:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow (or likely today by the time you read this) is the last day to enter the September challenges in order to be eligible for a prize so why not spend World Card Making Day and make something for one of our challenges? The deadline to enter is 10:00 pm EST!

As we are heading out of one month and into another I wnated to take a minute to introduce our Guest DT for the month of October - meet Debra!

"Hi, I’m Debra Almanza, I live in the land of enchantment (New Mexico) and I have a creative blog called Enchanting Stamping and other pursuits. I’ve been a Close to My Heart/D.O.T.S consultant for 14 years now and I still totally love our products, they are the best around. So… this is how it happened. One day I was sitting in the teacher’s lounge at school where someone had strategically left a D.O.T.S. catalog on one of the tables. A staff member was hosting a gathering at her house. I couldn’t make the gathering but I took one look through the catalog and I fell in love with all the stamps and the creative potential I could imagine using those stamps. I called the person whose name was on the back of the catalog and told her “I’ve never been to a stamping event and you don’t know me, but I love the catalog, I think I want to sign up as a demonstrator”, that’s what we were called back then. I’ve been happily stamping and creating ever since.

I’ve only recently had the opportunity to play along with the Heart 2 Heart Challenges but they have really inspired me to try new things and work outside my comfort zone. I am thrilled to be a part of this month’s challenges as a Guest Design Team member and want to thank all the talented contributors who participate in each challenge. You’ve inspired me so much!"

Welcome Debra - we're happy to have you joining us!

That's all for now everyone - I will see you Monday with a new challenge and a couple of new sponsors too!

Sentiment-ally yours...

2011-09-26T01:04:00.002-04:00

This week we are focusing on sentiments but before we get to that, we have to say goodbye to our September Guest DT, Jane! We've enjoyed having her with us this month and she has another creation to share with you this week - we'll get to that in just a minute.

It is also the last week and last challenge of the month so be sure to have all your September entries in by Saturday at 10:00 pm EST to be eligible for the prize drawing and the September Top Ten.

Ok here's your new challenge. The only stamp that you can use is a sentiment stamp. You can use any papers, embellishments, etc. but no stamps unless it is a sentiment.

Let's see what the team did with this challenge:

Jane is giving us a look at the inside of her card. Be sure to visit her blog to see the beautiful outside!

Ready to show us your sentiment-al side? How about your sentiment focus creation? Link up below and be sure to use Close To My Heart products!

Are you up to the challenge?

2011-09-19T09:21:00.000-04:00

My apologies for the late start today - time just got away from me!

We have a great challenge for you this week but first off, I want to add in a photo of the prize package that Heather is offering this month - take a look:

It includes the Pair a Phrase stamp set, the new milepost shapes and blue & green sparkles. In addition there is also the prize package from Kelly Jo up for grabs so keep playing along with the September challenges and two winners will be drawn at the end of the month!

Now for this week's challenge - we want to see what you can do with cardstock only - no patterned paper! In addition, we want you to use at least 3 different colors of cardstock! Oh yeah, time to put your thinking caps on! Let's see what the DT came up with:

Beautiful work ladies! So what do you say - think you can meet the challenge?

Remember - NO patterned paper and at least 3 colors of cardstock. Ready? You know you are! We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Time for a new Scrapbook Layout!

2011-09-15T19:44:00.000-04:00

Over at our Scrapbooking page (see the link up top there?) our next layout sketch and sample from the talented Cheryl is now up for your enjoyment! We'd love to see what you can create based on the sketch!! Have a comment to leave for Cheryl? Leave it in this post, please.

Happy creating!

Die Cuts R Us this week!

2011-09-12T01:24:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who played along with our challenge last week and shared their favorite color combo! This week, we want to see how you use die cuts. With the introduction of the new Cricut package, this should be a lot of fun! Don't have the Cricut software from CTMH? That's ok - any die cuts will qualify as long as you include CTMH products in your project.

Let's start the showcase of die cut projects with our Guest DT, Jane:

Gorgeous, Jane! Be sure to pop by her blog to see more photos of this crazy cute project!

And now for the rest of the team:

Beautiful artwork, ladies! Now it's your turn - let's see what you are inspired to create using die cuts. Be sure to post your finished project to your blog or other public online gallery (doesn't need a password to access) and be sure to add the link to your blog post page, not your blog home page. Have a creative week, everyone!

Time for the Top Ten

2011-09-09T09:11:00.000-04:00

My apologies for the delay in getting this Top Ten list posted but with all the incredible artwork, it's a job! Anyhow, without any further ado, here they are:

Week 1 - Kid's Birthday:

Week 2 - HOT!

Week 3 - DT CASE:

Week 4 - Back to School:

Sorry those picture sizes are all over the place and not very uniform! That's what happens when you try to blog at work....shhhh.... Be sure to click on each photo to see the entire project at the creator's blog.

And our top chick of the Top Ten is...... Debra!

Congratulations everyone! Keep playing along with us this month for YOUR chance to be in the Top Ten!

(Badges will be sent out later this evening).

From Your Heart to Ours

2011-09-05T07:20:00.001-04:00

Last week, we challenged you to use three colors chosen by us. This week, we are turning the tables and want to see YOUR favorite color combo! But before we get to that, let's say hello to our two new sponsors for September: Heather Hunt and Kelly Jo Ratcliff.

Heather will have a photo ready of her prize soon but in the meantime, she wanted you to know that the package includes a D-size stamp set, some embellishments, and a set of cards. Sounds good!

Kelly will be offering this package of goodies:

Thanks ladies for joining us this month!

Now on to the challenge. This week in a From Your Heart to Ours challenge, we want you to share any project with us that features your favorite color combo. Be sure to tell us what colors you have used so we can all discover new combos to love!

Let's see what the DT whipped up using their favorite color combos:

Beautiful work team! Be sure to click their name under the photo to head to their blog and check out what colors they each used. And leave them a little love while you're there!

Now it's time to show off your art! Link up your post below and be sure to check back later this week when I announce the Top Ten from August!!

Happy Labor Day to all our U.S. friends!

Meet our September Guest DT!

2011-09-03T12:38:00.000-04:00

Time for the changing of the guard - and time to meet a new Guest Design Team member! But first I want to thank our outgoing Guest DT, Debi! It's been great working with you and we have enjoyed your artwork so much!

Now please welcome our new Guest DT, Jane:

" Hi! I’m Jane Haas, aka Scrappy-Gram, from St Louis, Missouri, and I’ve been a CTMH consultant for the past three years. When my hip 83-year-old mom took me to a Scrapping Buckeye Babes gathering led by Deb Butler in my hometown of Napoleon, Ohio, I got hooked! I had been scrapbooking for 20 plus years using a hodge-podge of materials, and had never before seen such a fun, fast, and simple way to do it! The MyAcrylix stamps opened my door to card-making--what a way to save money and get therapy! Now Deb is my amazing upline, and the 500-mile distance between us seems short with today’s technology.

After five years of teaching children in early childhood classes in Lutheran schools, and then having two daughters, I transitioned into writing, editing, and designing curriculum for Concordia Publishing House. After retiring recently, I took a leap of faith to begin Jane Louise Photography as an on-location, lifestyle-photojournalist. Paper-crafting and photography are a natural combo and I love what I do, and I’m living testimony that “old dogs CAN learn new tricks!”

During 41 years of marriage, we’ve visited every state except Hawaii, a sprinkling of foreign countries, and DH and I have officially given up pup-tenting for cruising, saving on Aleve. One of my newest endeavors is creating faith-booked pages, leaving my witness to my Christian faith in memory books for our family. Our grand-girls, Ella and Beatrice, are constant subjects in all my artsy efforts.

What an honor it is to be a GDT member for September! I can’t wait to see everyone’s creative efforts! Happy scrapping!"

You can find Jane’s blogs at: http://scrappy-gram.blogspot.com and http://janeellinghaasphotography.wordpress.com

We are looking forward to what Jane creates for us during the month!

See you Monday when we offer up a new challenge and a couple of new sponsors!

Color Challenge!

2011-08-29T01:16:00.003-04:00

Thanks to everyone who played along with our challenges through the month of August. Saturday was your last day to play along and be eligible for the fabulous prizes from our fabulouser sponsors! Thank you Melinda and Lisa for sponsoring us! Want to know who won those great prizes? The winners are......drumroll.......Amy White and Karen C. (BusyBusyHoneyBee)....please contact me with your mailing info at mbryt1@bex.net and I will forward it to the sponsors.

I also have a new "award" to give to a few special participants. It's our Addicted to H2H award and can be earned by anyone who plays along with every challenge during the month. For August, the winners are:

MaryGunnFUNN http://marygunnfunn.blogspot.com/
Belinda K. http://queenbeesmusings.blogspot.com/
Sheila H. http://bigredscraps.ning.com/profile/Sheila
Elizabeth http://ejoym.blogspot.com/
Mrs. Chad T http://www.mrschadt.com/

If you should be on this list and we missed you, contact Haley at inkyscrapper@gmail.com. The code for the Addicted to H2H badge can be found on our Heart 2 Heart Badge page (link at the top). Display it proudly and thanks for playing along with us all month long!

No on to the current challenge. As we just ended the August challenges and the September challenges don't start until Labor Day, this is a non-prize week. I'm sure you will all be inspired to play along, even with no prizes at stake - especially after you see the awesome artwork from the Design Team!

Here are your colors for the week: PEAR, SORBET, and COCOA

And here's the artwork you've been waiting to check out:

Are you ready to get your color challenge mojo going? We can't wait to see what you create! Just link up below - and be sure to use Close To My Heart products in your creation! And if you haven't been to our H2H Scrapbooking page, be sure to check and see what's new there, too!

Back to School!

2011-08-22T01:17:00.000-04:00

It's that time of the year when kids of all ages are heading back to the classroom. So to celebrate (if you're a Mom, you know you're celebrating!) we are creating cards and other goodies for Back to School. And we have a lot of artwork to share so let's get right to it!

First up, we have a card created by one of our sponsors this month, Lisa:

Super job Lisa! :) Thanks for playing along!

Next up is our Guest DT member, Debi:

How cool is that? Be sure to stop by Debi's blog to check this creation out more thoroughly~love it, Debi!

And now for the rest of the team:

Now that's going back to school with class! Come join the fun and get your back to school creation linked up below. And don't forget, there is still time to play along with all of this month's challenges. The deadline for ALL AUGUST challenges is this Saturday, Aug. 27th at 10:00 pm EST. You might be in our next Top Ten!

New Scrapbooking Layout Posted!

2011-08-17T15:50:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the delay - the new sketch and layout sample from Cheryl are now posted at our Scrapbooking page - take a look and play along!!

CASE challenge

2011-08-15T07:07:00.000-04:00

This week we have a different kind of challenge that we are offering From Our Heart to Yours! The Design Team is sharing cards with you this week that show what they consider their personal card-making style. You can check out what they have to say about their style (and the details about their card) at their blog and then here's your challenge:

Pick one of the DT cards to CASE. That stands for Copy And Share Everything. You do not have to copy it exactly but take the idea for your card from one of the DT cards below. Use the design of the card, the colors, the stamps - whatever you want to CASE from the card. Then create your own artwork and tell us which card you were inspired by and how you made it your own.

Make sense? Take a look at the DT cards below and check out each of their unique styles:

Now let's see your rendition of one of these cards. Remember, you are not copying the card exactly, but rather using elements that can be replicated in your own piece of artwork. CTMH products are a must! Happy CASEing~

It's been a little Hot, Hot, Hot!

2011-08-08T01:07:00.001-04:00

Are you feeling the heat this summer? Then you've come to the right place because this week at H2H, we want you to show us "HOT" in your artwork. This could be shown in colors, images, words...whatever will make us think of the word "hot". Are you ready to get cooking?

Before we get to the samples, I just wanted to tell everyone a little about a special new badge availabel at H2H. It's called the Addicted to Heart2Heart badge and will be awarded to anyone who plays along with every challenge during the month. We are starting with the new badge this month so if you played last week, and continue to play each week until the end of the month, you will earn the badge to proudly display on your blog. Want to see what it looks like? Well you'll have to wait just a little bit longer because I ran out of time this weekend to get it ready. That's what happens when housework calls!

So let's get on with our hot artwork samples! First up is our Guest DT for August, Debi:

Debi's got the idea! Great interpretation Debi!

Such cool artowrk for our HOT theme! What will you create that says "hot"? We can't wait to find out! Play along by posting your artwork to your blog (be sure you use Close To My Heart products) and then link up here. And here's wishing you a cool week!

July Top Ten, Winners and new badge!

2011-08-07T09:41:00.000-04:00

I have a few announcements today so let's get to it:

First, I have randomly drawn the two participants from July's challenges to win the prizes from our generous sponsors and those winners are:

Belinda K and Violet! Ladies, please send your mailing information to me at mbryt1@bex.net and I will send it along to the sponsors. Congratulations!

I also want to let you all know that there will be a new badge available starting tomorrow that can be "earned" by playing along with all of our challenges each month. We want to recognize those that play week after week so if you played this past week, you are eligible for the new badge if you continue to play each week in August. September will start a new month and so on. We see a lot of the same players weekly and want to be able to give them a little something special for all their continued support so keep playing along!! And thank you!

Now on to our July Top Ten:

From Inspiration, Part 1 week:

From Inspiration, Part 2 week:

From Doilies and Lace week:

And from the Sketch week:

And our Top chick of the Top Ten is.......

Jane! Congratulations to everyone in our Top Ten.

Keep playing along and maybe YOU will be in our next Top Ten!

** Jennifer, Erin and Amy - I do not have your email address. If you would like the Top Ten badge information, please contact me at mbryt1@bex.net. Thank you.

See you all tomorrow for a new challenge!

August and Birthdays!

2011-08-01T01:39:00.003-04:00

We have a lot of Birthdays in our family in August including my awesome son who turns 23 today! You can see my little bloggy tribute to him at Ridiculous Lab. Thanks for allowing me to plug my blog and my son. Now on to our next challenge!

In honor of the Birthday boy in my house, our theme is kid's birthdays. This can be cards, layouts, or other projects but it must be themed toward a child of any age (and of course it must include CTMH products).

Before we get to the samples, I do want to thank our outgoing sponsors, S'andra and Tonya. We enjoyed having you join us and I will send you your prize winners names later this week. Stay tuned for the winners to be announced later in the week. With the exit of these 2 fabulous sponsors, we welcome 2 new sponsors - Melinda Everitt and Lisa Sargent - welcome ladies and thank you for sponsoring prizes for August participants.

Here is the prize coming up from Melinda:

and the goodies from Lisa:

And all you have to do to possibly win is play along through the month with any of the challenges we post every Monday morning. You have all month to play along with one or more so we hope you'll join us!

Ok enough stalling - let's check out the samples from the DT:

Don't you wish you were a kid again? Be sure to visit the DT's blogs to find out more about each of their great contributions to this week's challenge. And then play along! Just link up below and be sure to leave the link to the specific page of your blog where your artwork appears. Happy creating~

Welcome to our August Guest DT

2011-07-30T11:39:00.000-04:00

We're getting ready to start a new month and along with that we have a new Guest Design Team member to welcome - say hello to Debi:

Here is a little about Debi, from Debi:

"Hi, my name is Debi Davis and I’m a stay at home mom of two kids ages 13 and 8. When they are not keeping me busy, I escape to my downstairs studio to work on the current Heart 2 Heart Challenge or some other fun paper crafting project. I started a blog a couple of years ago and love the H2H Challenges, it gives me a push to try something new.

I have been a Close To My Heart Consultant for 9 years now and still get giddy when each new catalog/idea book comes out. Nine years ago my friend invited me to come to one of her home gatherings and I was hooked on CTMH right away. I loved how the colors all coordinated together - cardstock, patterned paper, and accessories. I didn’t have to spend hours trying to pick out supplies for a project only to have it look “not quite right”.

I’m looking forward to being on the guest design team this month and am excited to use some of the new products from the new Fall/Winter Catalog. Thanks for inviting me to participate!"

We're excited to have Debi join us this month so watch for her artwork coming up in August! In the meantime, you can visit her at her blog Stamp N Fun or her website Here.

See you on Monday with a brand new challenge!

New week-new challenge!

2011-07-25T07:08:00.000-04:00

Time for a new challenge and it's one of our favorites! A sketch! So let's get right to it:

Here is our 10th H2H sketch - how will you interpret it? Here is what the Design Team came up with, starting with our Guest DT for July - Tracy!

Beautiful Tracy! Thanks for joining us and sharing your artwork this month!

All great examples of different ways to create gorgeous artwork from a sketch! Now let's see what you can do! This is your last challenge of the month so in order to be eligible for the prizes from our sponsors, S'andra and Tonya, you must get your entries for any of the month's challenges posted by Saturday at 10 pm EST. Good luck and happy creating!

Doilies and Lace

2011-07-18T01:34:00.003-04:00

Thanks to everyone for playing along with our challenge last week and sharing your artwork inspiration! We are ready for another challenge and this one is frilly and pretty. We want to see how you use doilies or lace in your artwork. Let's see what the DT created starting with our sponsor, S'andra, who is playing along with us:

Be sure you head to S'andra's blog for more detail shots of this beautiful layout!

Aren't they just lovely?? Now it's your turn to show us how you incorporate doilies and/or lace in your artwork. Share your creations below!

Scrapbook Sketches are BACK!

2011-07-15T08:59:00.000-04:00

Our new scrapbook sketch design team member, Cheryl Even, has her 1st sketch and layout sample posted for Heart 2 Heart on our Scrapbooking page (see the tab at the top) and I hope you will take a minute to check it out, leave a comment for Cheryl on this post, and then play along!! I know I need to get some scrapping done - how about you??

Inspiration Part 2

2011-07-11T01:55:00.000-04:00

Here we are at another week - did you see the June Top Ten (below)? Always such a hard decision to pick our favorites because everyone's artwork is always so inspirational! So we're on to a new month and new challenges and we have a good one for you this week but have a few things to wrap up first.

Two randomly drawn participants from June will be receiving the prizes from last month's awesome sponsors, Michelle and Romaine. Thanks again ladies! And our winners are:

Sarah Walms and Marg Van Patten! Congrats ladies - email me your address and I will forward to one of the sponsors and your prize will be heading your way!

There are 2 new prizes up for grabs this month from S'andra and Tonya. We are so grateful for our sponsors - a big thank you!

Now on to our challenge. This is a From Your Heart to Ours week which means we want you to share something special with us. We are continuing our theme of inspiration this week but turning the tables.

Your challenge is to find something to inspire your artwork. This can be a photo, magazine ad, a piece of fabric, a label - well, it can be anything!!! Find something that inspires your artwork with color or shape or element, etc...and post both a photo of what inspired you and your finished artwork. The DT found their sources of inspiration to create the following samples - go to their blogs to see what the source of the inspiration is they each used. First up, our sponsor Tonya is playing along with us this week and got her inspiration from the Idea Book:

Beautiful Tonya! And I think Tonya has another sample on her blog so be sure to check it out!

I am always so excited to find new sources of inspiration and we can't wait to see what inspires YOU! To play along, don't forget to post a photo of your inspiration and of your artwork.

And to everyone heading to Convention this week, have a fun and safe time!

Our Top Ten for June!

2011-07-09T23:42:00.001-04:00

It's time once again to announce our Top Ten and let me tell you, the decision gets harder every month! Want to know how to be eligible to be in our Top Ten? Just follow the challenges and participate. Play along once a month or every week - all entries are eligible. The DT looks through all the entries and send their top picks to me at the end of the month to compile and we announce the winners here. Entries are based on creativity, sticking to the challenge, using CTMH products, and clean execution of artwork. What do the winners get? A badge to add to their blog and bragging rights of being in our Top Ten.

So let's get to it!

From the Wedding challenge week we have the following: (to see the entire project, click the photo to go to the creator's blog!)

From the Father's Day/Create a Background challenge:

From Bingo week:

And from our Color challenge week:

And our Top chick on the Top Ten is............

Debi! Congratulations!

You will all be receiving an email soon with badge information. Thanks for playing and we hope to continue to see your creativity here at H2H!

New challenge coming Monday plus the names of the two randomly drawn winners of the prizes from our 2 sponsors of June! See you then!

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T01:30:00.000-04:00

We are starting July off with a bang, this 4th of July day! We have new DT members, a new Guest DT and 2 new sponsors! Woohoo!! Let the fun begin!!

First off, I want to welcome our new sponsors and show you what goodies they have in store for 2 lucky July challenge participants. From S'andra VanWoerden, this package of crafty fun:

You can stop by and see S'andra at Oh My Scraps! and leave her a little love while you're there.

Also sponsoring our blog this month is Tonya Whitehurst who has this package of goodies:

Check out Tonya's blog, Heart and Soul Scrappers and say hello (and thank you!!) Our sponsors are truly appreciated so a BIG thank you to you both!!

Are you ready for a new challenge?? It's all about inspiration - take a look at this picture:

Click the photo for a larger image!

What inspires you about the photo? The fact that there are three panels? The colors? The items? The shapes? The flowers?

Take some inspiration from the photo and turn it into artwork that you create. Want to see how the photo inspired the DT? Let's start off with our Guest DT, Tracy:

Adorable layout Tracy! It looks like flowers from the photo inspired Tracy. Visit her blog to see more!

And now for the rest of the team - the first post for our new members!!

Awesome creations ladies! And what a variety from one inspiration photo!!

So let's see what you are inspired to create. A quick review of the rules:

1. You MUST use CTMH products although it doesn't have to be 100% CTMH.
2. You have all month to play along but must link up before the last Saturday of the month to be eligible for the prizes.
3. You MUST leave a direct link to the specific blog post with your artwork, not to your blog as a whole. To do this, create your post and publish it. Then click on the title of the post on your blog. This will take you to a page that shows ONLY that one post. This is the URL you need to copy and paste into Mister Linky (below).

Ok, ready to create? We can't wait to see your "take" on the photo. Have fun!!

Our last intros

2011-07-03T01:44:00.001-04:00

I have two more people to introduce you to and then we can get this party started!

First up, another new member of the team. Please welcome Cheryl Even who will now be our new scrapbook sketch artist! I am very excited about this as I was just not able to keep up and add sketches on a regular basis. But I have so much scrapbooking to get caught up on!! Well, Cheryl offered to help out and I took one look at her work (both sketches and layouts) and asked her to join the team. And she said YES! So Cheryl will be providing a sketch once a month for all the scrapbook lovers and we hope you will play along. Look for Cheryl's first post on July 15th. But for now, let's get to know Cheryl a little bit:

"My name is Cheryl Even, and I have been married to my wonderful hubby Greg for 19 years. I’m a SAHM to two very active boys, ages 9 and 6. We live in Southern California. I’ve been scrapbooking since a friend dragged me to a scrapbooking party back in 1998, and, 41 albums later, I guess you could say I’m hooked. We recently had to move to make room for more albums! My albums are mostly chronological, and I scrap as many photos as I can on each layout, so the challenge is always to keep the page from being overwhelming. I was introduced to CTMH at a gathering in 2004, and I loved the idea of being able to see through the stamps. I now stamp on almost every layout; the versatility of stamping keeps me coming back again and again. After using CTMH’s products for several years, I decided to join this great company myself, and I became a consultant in 2008. Jeanette’s how-to books are one of my go-to tools, and I use the patterns in them all the time in my scrapbooking and card-making, but I also like to create and share sketches of my own. I love to teach scrapbooking and cardmaking at workshops and home gatherings. On National Scrapbook Day 2009, I started blogging about scrapbooking, and I really enjoy sharing my layouts with others and seeing what everyone else has posted. My other hobbies include reading, singing, and writing music. If I’m not busy with those or crafting, I’m probably working on women’s ministry events for my church or driving my kids somewhere – school, karate lessons, soccer practice, play dates, you name it! Thanks, Mary, for the opportunity to share my sketches with everyone."

You are welcome, Cheryl - thanks for joining us! You can check out Cheryl's blog at Even More Scrapping.

And last but not least, allow me to introduce our Guest DT for July, Tracy Oleksak:

"My name is Tracy Oleksak and I live in Western Massachusetts with my husband, our two children (ages 9 & 11) and our chocolate lab puppy. I count my blessings every day for the opportunity to be home with my children, and take care of our home. I hold a degree in Criminal Psychology but left the corporate world 6 years ago to be home and never looked back! Although I loved my job, I love being a mom and a wife more.

I have been scrapbooking for as long as I can remember starting with cutting out pictures and words from magazines to add to my pictures in the magnetic albums (before we knew better!). I became a CTMH Independent Consultant in January 2003 because I fell in love with their papers and the variety of products that they offer. I currently use "a little bit of everything" and my pages and cards are a mix match of designers and manufacturers. I truly enjoy the creative process of recording my families history and preserving our everyday memories for years to come.

When I am not creating you can find me reading a good historical fiction novel, running, volunteering in my children's school, spending time with my family or rehabing our house to make it a home (a long and daunting process). Oh, and I am slightly addicted to reading blogs and Pinterest. I also recently bought a sewing machine and really want to teach myself to sew (because I don't have enough on my agenda!)

Thank you so much for the opportunity to be a GDT member...it is truly an honor."

You will be seeing more from Tracy through the month but for now, drop by her blog at Mama Olie's Musings.

We have a great challenge for you coming Monday so I hope you will take a moment during your 4th of July festivities to check it out! Plus, we will be welcoming 2 new sponsors so we hope to see you then!

More DT members to meet!

2011-07-02T01:28:00.005-04:00

Let's continue getting to know the other 2 new DT members that will be joining Haley, Jody, Michelle and Brenda.

First up, Debi Barber:

"I am a single mother of two daughters. One is working on her master’s degree and the other is still at home. I am a tax accountant by trade, and have found that I need a different outlet for my creativity, since too much of it in my profession will land everyone in jail!! I've been scrapbooking for about 7 years. My daughter and sister were scrapbookers before me and since I had so many other hobbies I swore I wasn't going to get into yet another one...but as I sat at the kitchen table watching them I soon found myself making suggestions, planning photos for layouts and selecting a new house that had a room adequate for scrapbooking....hence my scrapbooking journey as well as my business - My Sister's Hobby emerged. Soon after I divorced and needed a way to meet new people I came across Close To My Heart at a local craft show. Knowing that this could be just the thing I was looking for I soon joined the company and have been a consultant for the last 6 1/2 years. I like to use our products in an "out of the box" way and have the most fun playing with the products to see what I can come up with."

Glad to have you joining us, Debi! You can take a look at Debi's blog, The Other Sister, and leave her a little note to say "hi".

Rounding out the new team members is Pamela O'Connor -

"Hello there! My name is Pamela O'Connor. My husband Mike of 20 years and I have three amazing children, Shaymus (16), Caitlyn (13) and Bevyn (almost 4). We live in Christoval, Texas which is just 20 miles south of my hometown, San Angelo. I began my adventure with Close To My Heart as a D.O.T.S. consultant in December 1998 while I was a full-time secretary for an insurance agent. It didn't take long for me to become obsessed with scrapbooking and stamping and once we made our move to our current home in Christoval, 11 years ago, we decided it was time for me to become a full-time stay-at-home mom. I love being available for my children! I also enjoy volunteering at my church and reading anything inspirational or motivational in my spare time!

Over the past 12 years, I have grown in so many ways because of Close To My Heart. I have made so many wonderful friends through home gatherings, clubs, conventions, and my blog that I never would have come in contact with otherwise. I love to teach and share the product that I love with others. I have taught at four Close To My Heart Annual Conventions and earned a Western Caribbean Cruise contest in 2003. In May 2011, I reached my long-term goal of Director!

I love sharing my creations with others, so I'm extremely excited to have this opportunity to be on the H2H Design Team and share them you. I'm looking forward to seeing what we will create together!"

Be sure to stop by Pam's blog, Reflections of My aRt & sOuL, and leave her a nice welcome!

More to come tomorrow - stay tuned!

Introducing the new Design Team!

2011-07-01T07:10:00.001-04:00

As sad as I am to see the "old" Design Team members retiring from Heart 2 Heart Challenges, I am excited to welcome the new members of the team! So let's welcome them with a *bang* this holiday weekend!!

I have 2 new faces to introduce you to today.

First up is Michelle Auten:

"Hi! My name is Michelle, and I am a paper addict.....oh, no, wait....wrong group! :-) Let's try again....Hi, My name is Michelle Auten, and I am so excited to be joining you here at Heart2Heart Challenges!

Though I was born and raised in Illinois, I've lived in the Washington, DC metro area for the past 16 years. I currently live in Northern Virginia, about an hour outside the city, in a small town named Purcellville. I am married to a wonderful (and very supportive!) man named Mike, and we have 2 children: Josh, age 14 (teenager in da house...pray for me!), and Allison, age 11. We also have a very cute, but ornery Shih Tzu named Bandit. I think he gives me more trouble than the teenager! :-)

I have been scrapbooking, stamping and making cards for about 6 years. It all started with an invitation for my son's 8th birthday. I wanted to send out a camping themed invitation, but couldn't find anything that fit the bill. While wandering the aisles at a local craft store one day, I noticed a "You're Invited" stamp, and some little paper cut-outs of tents. An idea was born, and I've never looked back.

While I am a Family Therapist by trade (I have a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology), my hobby eventually led me to work in a couple of local scrapbook stores, where I designed and taught classes. Like so many brick and mortar stores in recent years, these stores have unfortunately closed their doors for good. But one day, in March 2010, a girlfriend asked me to attend a Close To My Heart workshop with her. I was familiar with Close To My Heart, but had not seen a catalog for quite some time, so I agreed to go. As I sat watching the consultant teach the workshop, I was reminded of how much I missed teaching and sharing my passion for this craft with others. About 2 weeks later, my girlfriend called to say that she was contemplating signing up to be a Close To My Heart Consultant. As I was talking her into it, and convincing her what a great opportunity it would be, it dawned on me that this was something that I should be doing as well. And how much fun to start with a friend!! So, on April 1, 2010, we both signed up online, and the rest is history.

I am so grateful to CTMH, as it has given me the opportunity to once again share my passion for this hobby with others. I hope I can share this enthusiasm with you, and encourage you to play along with us here at Heart2Heart Challenges!!"

Please take a minute to visit Michelle at her blog, Paper, Projects and Pizazz and leave her a welcome message!!

Next up is Brenda Rose:

"Hello! I am so excited to be joining Heart 2 Heart as a design team member! My husband and I live in Minnesota in a northern suburb of the Twin Cities and will celebrate our 21^st anniversary this summer. We have one grown son, so we are empty nesters now. I really began my journey with Close To My Heart in the summer of 2005 when I signed up to be a consultant. Do you know that I had never even seen the Close To My Heart products when I signed up? It was an amazing journey from the beginning! I took a couple of years off and recently re-joined and am now growing another team. My greatest passion is teaching, and it’s not a secret to anyone that reads my blog that Close To My Heart is my very favorite product. I have been scrapping for about 21 years, so believe me, I feel like I have tried and tested it all! I love the “whole package” that is Close To My Heart. If you are working on a page, you can get paper, stickers, stamps, and inks that all coordinate. If I am not in my craft room, you’ll find me spending time with my family and pets. I am also an avid reader, so my Kindle gets very good use. I look forward to getting to know all of you through your artwork!"

You can leave a note of welcome for Brenda at her blog Rose Blossom Legacies.

Two more team members to introduce tomorrow so stay tuned!

Changing of the Guard and our Challenge

2011-06-27T00:07:00.001-04:00

We have a new challenge for you this week that is always a favorite - it's a color challenge! But before we get to that, a few announcements.

This is the last week that we will be enjoying artwork and posts from some of our Design Team members. Leaving us after this week will be Lorrinda, Debbie, Karen, Melinda and Jessica. I am sad to see these ladies go as they have been, not only creatively inspirational but I have also gotten to consider each of them as a special friend in my life. I wish them all the best and hope they will be playing with us in future challenges.

Starting July 4th, there will be 4 new team members joining Haley and Jody, who will be staying on the team until the end of the year. There will also be 2 new sponsors coming in July, a new Guest DT and a new team member for our H2H Scrapbook page! YAY!! Watch for all of their introductions throuh out the week this week and be sure to give them a warm howdy-do!

So on to our challenge. This is the last week to enter June challenges in order to be in the drawing for the prizes from this month's sponsors, Romaine and Michelle.

Our color challenge this week features the following colors:

A little patriotic but definitely can be used in a variety of ways. Let's see what the Design Team created with this color combo - first up, our Guest DT who is wrapping up her month with us, Jena:

Great layout Jena! Thanks for playing along with us this month!!

So what can you create with these colors? We can't wait to see! Be sure to have your link in place by Saturday at 10:00 pm EST (for this any any of the challenges from June) in order to be eligible to win one of the prizes from the month!

And be sure to check back through the week to meet the new team members!

B-I-N-G-O!!

2011-06-19T23:52:00.000-04:00

Welcome to another week of Heart 2 Heart Challenges. We loved seeing all of your great backgrounds! And now it's time to get to a new challenge. But before we do that, I just want to remind you that today is the last day to apply for the Design Team!

Ok so here we go. This week's challenge comes with a Bingo card. Maybe you will think it looks like a Tic-Tac-Toe board and that's ok too. Either way, the idea is the same. Take a look:

Here is the challenge. Using the board above, you will choose three things to use on your project so that, when finished and crossed off on the board, creates a Bingo (or Tic-Tac-Toe). In other words, in a straight line. For example you might choose to use Ribbon, a Border Punch and Brads. When these are crossed off you would have a straight line connecting the boxes in the middle of the board horizontally. Or you might choose Ribbon with Gems and a Doily, crossing off all of the boxes vertically in the left column. Make sense? Let's see what the DT came up with starting with our Guest DT, Jena:

Jena used Gems, Buttons and Rub-ons on her card so her crossed out Bingo card would look like this:

Ok on to the rest of the team! To find out what three items these gals used, head to their blog for the details (and leave 'em some love while you're there - they deserve it!)

So what do you think? Are you up to the challenge? OF COURSE, you are!! Be sure to tell us in your blog post what three things you used to create your Bingo! Have fun!

Last few days to apply for DT!

2011-06-16T21:39:00.000-04:00

The last day to apply for the next round of the Heart 2 Heart DT is June 20th so get your application in soon! For all the details, see this post.

From Our Heart to Yours

2011-06-13T00:51:00.001-04:00

This week, we are bringing you another From Our Heart to Yours challenge - this time, sharing various ways to create backgrounds using ink. From there, we took our creative background papers and turned them into cards for Dad! So this week's challenge is to create your own background paper (using stamping/ink) and then making a card for Father's Day.

Before we get to the sample artwork, I have a little random stamping tutorial to share with you. If you have never done random stamping, or struggle with it, this might be helpful.

If you follow a triangle stamping pattern, you will actually have a more balanced look to your random stamping. This is easiest to learn with three different stamps and three different ink colors. Try this patterned stamping on scrap paper first. Assign one stamp to one color of ink. Do the same with a second stamp/inkpad and a third stamp/inkpad. Begin by inking up the first stamp and stamping your image in the center of your cardstock piece.

Grab your second image and second color - ink up your stamp and stamp close to the first image.

Ink up your third stamp and stamp the image so you create a triangle between all three images.

(My apologies - these are old photos and not in very good focus.)

Now choose two of the three images you already have stamped. If you look at the sample above, I am going to choose the pink and the purple flower. If we want to repeat a three image triangle, the "missing" color is yellow. So we ink up the yellow and stamp so this image becomes part of a triangle with the pink and purple (see below).

Continue to repeat making "triangles" across your cardstock.

The images can be closer or father apart as you work just keep the pattern consistant and in a triangle format and you won't go wrong!

For more on random stamping, be sure to check out the post from CTMH CEO Jeanette Lynton HERE.

Now on to our fabulous samples from the always creative Design Team:

Yep, these gals know how to create a background! Now it's your turn. Create a background with stamping/ink and then transform it into a card for dear old Dad. Then post to your blog, or other public online gallery and come back to leave us a link. We are looking forward to checking out your creations and remember, we have 2 fabulous prizes up for grabs this month from our sponsors, Romaine and Michelle.

DT Call REMINDER

2011-06-09T21:50:00.000-04:00

Don't forget about our Design Team call - all of the details are HERE. Please send in your application today!!

Here comes the bride....

2011-06-06T00:11:00.001-04:00

It is time to get to this week's challenge but first, if you haven't seen May's Top Ten picks, be sure to scroll to the post below this one and check out all the goodness~~

So this week's challenge is all about weddings. We want to see what you can create with a wedding theme. One of our wonderful sponsors, Romaine, is playing along with us so let's get right to the sample artwork:

Beautiful work, Romaine! Thanks for sponsoring one of our prizes this month!

Such a wedding wonderland! Fabulous work, team!!

Now it's your turn. Maybe you want to create something old, new, borrowed or blue for our wedding week? Or something for the groom? It's up to you but we want to see it so be sure to leave a link below to your artwork! And be sure you use CTMH products or your link will be removed (sorry!)

You have all month to play along with our challenges so we hope you'll join in the fun~

Our May Top Ten!

2011-06-04T23:09:00.002-04:00

It was hard narrowing down our choices for the Top Ten for May but here we are, ready to announce our results. To see the entire project from each of these talented peeps, click the picture.

From the Mother's Day challenge:

From the Buttons challenge week:

From Technique week:

And our last week for the month, the ABC challenge:

And at the top of the heap, the top chick of the month is.........Connie!

Congratulations to you all! Your blog badge will be sent to you by email. Thanks for playing along and we hope you continue to join us every week!

See you all on Monday!

Sketch time!

2011-05-30T07:00:00.000-04:00

Are you ready for a new challenge this week? It's a sketch challenge - one of my favorites! Unfortunately, I didn't get to play along this week as having a ginormous section of tree fall into your roof kinda kills the mojo for the evening! But the rest of the DT has some awesome artwork to share - wait till you see~

But before we get to that, here are the two participants who won May's sponsored prizes - both from the Button challenge week - #11 Karen Fullam and #28 Connie MacFarlane! Congrats ladies!! Please send your mailing info to me at mbryt1@bex.net and I will pass it along to the sponsor. Another BIG thank you to Angel Shifflett and Sharon Holmes for sponsoring our prizes!!

This coming month of challenges brings 2 new sponsors and 2 new prizes - take a look:

From Michelle Owen of Cutezie Creations:

And from Romaine Rancier of Bumbles n Bees:

Great prizes ladies! Thanks so much for sponsoring us!! Be sure to stop by and leave these ladies a little note of thanks.

Ok, on to our challenge. First, I present the sketch:

And now for some beautiful artwork based on the sketch, starting with our May Guest DT, Joelle -

Wow! Joelle chose to fill in all 4 sections of the sketch with images. You rocked the sketch, Joelle, and it was fun having you play along with the team. Thank you~

So many different looks from one simple sketch!! Fabulous work, gang!!

Now it's your turn to show us what you can do with this sketch. Just create your artwork (you MUST use some CTMH products in your artwork) post to your blog or other online public gallery and then come back here and leave us a link below. Remember you have all month to play along with the challenges to be eligible for the prizes for the month. Happy crafting!

A new month is almost here!

2011-05-28T23:25:00.006-04:00

Can you believe it is almost June? Before we get to our next challenge, I have a few intros and announcements so let's get to it.

Our outgoing Guest DT, Joelle, will be playing along with us Monday and then we welcome a new Guest DT, Jena DeVries!

Here is a little about Jena in her own words:

"My name is Jena DeVries and I am a Stay At Home Mom to 4 awesome kiddos (ages 2, 4, 7, and 9). I love preserving my family's memories by scrapbooking, and I also enjoy card making, and any kind of crafting - you name it, I've probably tried it! My kids and I do lots of projects together - it's fun to teach them what I know and create gifts and memories like I did with my mom growing up. I started scrapbooking in high school more than a dozen years ago thanks to an aunt who got me hooked and my grandparents who bought me my first scrapbooking kit. Once I got married and started having kids I got a little overwhelmed about scrapbooking - I finally got back into it in 2005 and that's when I was introduced to Close To My Heart. I signed up to be a Consultant before I had even seen the products and I've been hooked ever since! The coordinating products and endless ideas make creating so much easier and funner. I probably won't ever be caught up on my scrapbooking, but I'm okay with that and I love what I do! Thanks for a chance to be a Guest DT here at the H2H Challenges Blog - I'm looking forward to playing along!"

Welcome Jena! We look forward to having you with us in June! You can visit Jena at her blog Live, Love, Laugh, Scrapbook or check out her website here.

We also will be saying goodbye to our May sponsors, Angel Shifflett and Sharon Holmes and welcoming new sponsors, Michelle Owen and Romaine Rancier. Thank you to our outgoing gals and welcome new sponsors!

You will see what the new prizes up for grabs will be on Monday so be sure to check it out then!
Our May prize winners will also be announced on Monday and it might just be you!!
________________________________________________________________________

Last but not least, June will be our current Design Team members' last month. This has been a wonderful group of ladies who I feel honored to consider my friends and I will hate to see them go! But it's time to give others a chance to have some fun on the team so if you think it might be something you would like to apply for, here are the details:

* You must be a current Close To My Heart consultant (Junior consultants are welcome).

* You agree to be a member of the Design Team for a term of 6 months.
* You must have a blog and be willing to join a Yahoo Group set up specifically for team members.
* You must be able to participate in every week's challenge (posted by 6:00 am on Monday mornings) and have your artwork for each challenge posted to the DT Yahoo Group the Saturday before the challenge begins.
* You must be willing to post your artwork on any other boards/galleries you belong to and advertise our challenge blog whenever and where ever you can so we can continually grow in numbers of participants. We currently have a group at Paper Craft Planet and on Facebook that I would like DT members to join but this is optional.
* You will be expected to participate in any extra programs that we may decide upon as a team (for example, the past 4 for 40 program). You are also expected to weigh in on your choices of winners in monthly awards (Top Ten).
* You will be expected to visit the blogs of the challenge participants and leave comments.

What will you get in return?

* Committment to producing artwork once a week gives you an opportunity to create on a regular basis!
* Increased blog traffic which will hopefully lead to an increase in your business!
* Fun and fellowship with the entire team and a chance to meet new consultants and CTMH fans!

Now who couldn't use a little of that?

To apply, please send an email to me at mbryt1@bex.net .
You must include the following:

* Name, address, phone number, email address, blog address, website address (if you have a website).
* A brief bio telling me how long you have been with CTMH, a little about your stamping/scrapbooking background, and anything you would like to share about your family or hobbies, for instance.
* Please tell me if you have ever had any experience on any other Design Teams
* Tell me why you would like to be on this team.
* Tell me what your favorite type of challenges are.
* You MUST send 3 samples of your best CTMH artwork. These do not have to be elaborate but they must be well done, attractive and clean.

The deadline to apply is June 20th and new members will be notified June 25th and announced on the blog on June 29th. The first challenge for the new team will be July 4th.

Ok that wraps it up for me - see you on Monday! And Happy Memorial Day to those in the states!!

ABC time

2011-05-22T23:50:00.001-04:00

No, school is not back in session but we do have an ABC challenge for you this week! But before I get to that, a word of thanks to all who shared their favorite technique with us last week - awesome ideas!

Also, a reminder that in order to participate in our challenges, you MUST use at least some Close To My Heart products. Otherwise, your link will be removed.

This is also the last challenge of the month so in order to be eligible for one of the great prizes from our sponsors, Angel Shifflett and Sharon Holmes, you must have your entries linked up no later than 10 pm EST this Saturday, May 28th. You can still participate in any of the challenges posted in May to be eligible for the prizes.

Ok so here is your next challenge, should you choose to accept it:
ABC = Anything But a Card.

It can be a layout, gift item, packaging - anything that is not a card.

Let's see what the Design Team created, starting with a returning Guest DT - Shari Maclaskey! Shari missed out on one of the challenges in her month as Guest DT due to us taking a week off so I invited her to join us for one challenge this month.

Adorable! You can read more about Shari's ABC project on her blog Shari's Paper Trail. Thanks for joining us, Shari!

Such a great variety! Awesome work, team!

Now it's your turn. Let's see what you can create that isn't a card. Remember to link your project up here by 10 pm EST Saturday~ happy creating!

From Your Heart to Ours - Techniques

2011-05-16T01:42:00.002-04:00

It's time for another challenge but before we get to that, it was just brought to my attention that I forgot something very important - I forgot to draw two winners from the April challenges for the prizes from our awesome sponsors!!! So I let Random.org pick two winners and they are:

#3 Carla I. from the Showers/Flowers week
and
#17 Shelly D. from the Recycle week

Congrats ladies! Please email me with your mailing address so I can forward the information to the prize sponsors and they can get your prize in the mail.

Now on to this week's challenge. It's another From Your Heart to Ours week which means we want you to share not only your artwork with us, but also some details and this time it is all about your favorite technique. We not only want you to share your artwork using that technique but also tell us how it's done. We might just find OUR next favorite technique from YOUR post!

Here is what the DT created - be sure to go to each gal's blog to read about the technique they used:

Now it's your turn to show us your favorite technique! Create your artwork - be sure to use CTMH products - and link up here. We can't wait to learn from you!

Need sponsors

2011-05-13T14:46:00.000-04:00

For the summer months, I only have one sponsor per month for prizes scheduled. If anyone would like to sponsor H2H, please contact me so we can continue to have 2 per month. Thank you!!