CTMH October Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month Blog Hop for October! We have 3 groups of 20+ ladies participating this time around - - which means tons of fabulous artwork ideas to inspire you! This month we are showcasing the "Holiday Warmth" stamp set! This is a set of 11 images perfect for holiday cards and gift tags & for your layouts featuring all your family Christmas memories! Enjoy!

This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

My project this month is a traditional Christmas card. The finished card measures 6x6 inches. The card design is "Pieced Together" from the Close to My Heart Wishes Card Confidence Program.

Inside the card:

Some super simple techniques for you to try: I sponged ink on the edges of all of my paper pieces to give them a distressed look. To create the 'stripes' on the red cardstock, I dry embossed the paper using my scoring/embossing stylus and the blade track on my paper trimmer as a guide for the lines. I then used a sponge and more ink to go over the raised edges of the paper. I used the masking technique on the corner flourishes to create an elaborate flourish using just a portion of one of my stamped images. I also paper pieced the star on the top of the Christmas tree.

Materials Used (all Close to My Heart):

• October 2009 Stamp of the Month - "Holiday Warmth"
• Cardstock: Cranberry, Olive, New England Ivy, Textured Colonial White and Textured Desert Sand
• Inks: New England Ivy, Desert Sand, Cranberry
• Brads Essential Assortment
• Foam Tape

Now "Hop" on over to Nona's Blog to see her ALWAYS FABULOUS artwork!

If you get lost on the hop or find links that aren't working, click Here for a complete list of participating blogs.