10th Anniversary Challenge- a 10th Birthday!

Heart 2 Heart Challenges is celebrating it's 10th anniversary of creating fun challenges- and so this week we want to see your TEN themed or anniversary themed challenges!

My eldest son turned ten a week before Christmas, and so of course I had to create a birthday layout for him. He was lucky enough to celebrate over two days and so I did a two page layout.



This layout is from the old dinosaur themed birthday kit that CTMH had out, but there isn't a dinosaur in sight here,  just balloons, stars and triangles for a great tween layout. I also created my own rainbow journalling box with watercolours and this layout came together so quickly and easily.

Thanks for stopping by today and remember to link up your own ten or anniversary themed projects!

Buddies Scrapbook Layout

I've been participating in a 30 page challenge this year, and so it has really motivated me to get my photos off my computer and into albums!

My youngest son has a real bond with our cat Chester- they are nearly the same size and quite inseparable. I love the sweet ways that Chester will curl up to him no matter what he is doing.

I had to make a scrapbook layout to show their special bond, using various hues of blues and some cute embellishments.



I like the subtle texture of the white background paper, and the cute Besties tab that was part of a cut out sheet. I also added some navy enamel dots.



I cut the title from my Cricut, and embellished with a small crown sticker, some more enamel dots and a stamped line of hearts.



I must remember how much I love monochromatic pages and do them more often in the future!

I'm linking this page up with the Scrap The Boys challenge.

Something Fierce Deluxe Scrapbooking Kit

Have you seen the new Deluxe options for the CTMH Workshops Your Way?

They give you some additional options for layouts with things like stamping, embossing and Flip Flaps, which are great for more experienced scrapbookers or those who want to play with new options.

I put together one of the layouts from this Deluxe kit using the suggested alphabet stamp set, celebrating my son's 9th birthday party. I love the blues and reds together, as well as the layering and funky triangle elements that were cut from the patterned paper.

Here is the front of the double page layout, with the Flip Flap overlay showing the photo of my son with his Fortnite photo booth props.



Then we turn the Flip Flap over, we have the 9th birthday feast on display as well as some more fun embellishments and another page using the Pocket Memory protectors.



Everything you need to create this layout, plus two more double page layouts and a single page layout, is included in this kit.

I'm linking this layout up with the Super Friends Scrap Our Stash Challenge, as well as the Use Your Stuff Numbers challenge for the 9th birthday layout.

Something Fierce Make and Take

I'm very excited to have my first Open House of the year this weekend, and I wanted to come up with a simple yet effective card to showcase the new Something Fierce range from CTMH.



This card uses two of the patterned papers as well as two coordinating cardstock colours for the strips at the back, and then the focal point is the balloon stamp from the Something Fierce cardmaking stamp set. The sentiment is from the January Stamp of the Month, Card Captions, which added a perfect birthday sentiment.

Everyone who comes along to my event this Friday or Saturday can create their own version of this card! For more information, please visit my Facebook Event.

I'm linking this up to the Seize The Birthday stamping only challenge.

Creative Cards

The Heart 2 Heart prompt for this week is Creative Cards -ANY size or shape except NOT a standard (A2; 4.25”x5.5”) card.



I don't want to toot my own horn, but I happen to think I have made the most adorable card of my crafting years yet!

I looked through my Cricut images for a shaped card, and found this starburst shape from the Art Philosophy cartridge. I then created a slightly smaller version to get the layer of patterned paper over the cardstock base.



I fussy cut the pink dinosaur from the new cut out sheet in the Something Fierce paper packet, and then stamped the balloon from the matching stamp set onto white cardstock and fussy cut it as well. I stamped the balloon string in Pewter ink, as well as the Happy Birthday sentiment that is from the January Stamp of the Month.

 I'm so pleased with how this card turned out! I hope you will join us with your own Creative Cards at Heart 2 Heart challenges.

Products used:
Cardstock: Carolina, White Daisy
Cricut cartridge: Art Philosophy
Ink: Pewter, Willow
Paper Packet: Something Fierce
Stamp sets: Card Captions, Something Fierce-Cardmaking 

Something Fierce CTMH Australasian Blog Hop

Hello and welcome aboard our Something Fierce Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop.

If you have arrived here from Maz then you are in the right place.

If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post.

Today I would like to share with you a creation which features Close To My Heart’s January Featured collection, Something Fierce.

I wanted to showcase how to use these pieces in a Picture My Life layout- and my son's triathalon was a great way to use some of the cute cycling themed pieces from this kit- it's not just about dinosaurs!



I loved the dinos on bicycles so I used the paper as a feature mat, as well as using some of the blue paper as a background for the Something Fierce Complements.



Even the graffiti style paper had bikes and Ready, Set, Go on it, which was the central theme of my page.



I love this page with the bikes, dinosaurs and blue- it's such a fitting page for my son!

I'd love for you to leave a comment before heading to the next blog, Creating with Kara Davies.

Seasonal Expressions 1 New Product Blog Hop

Welcome to our Seasonal Expressions New Product Blog Hop!  We will be featuring lots of new goodies from the catalogue, so grab a cuppa and see what beautiful new items are available.

If you have come here from Sandy's Blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog. 

This month we have 17 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using the new products on their blogs. 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!

I have just started to make a mini album of a trip I did with my boys over the October school holidays here in New Zealand, and luckily it contains a lot of the new products on the pages!

The title page features an adorable little plane, which is from the new Cruisin' to Adventure stamp set and also comes with matching Thin Cuts! The adventure awaits sentiment is also from this stamp set.




The star, cloud and plane stickers are form the new Something Fierce collection, as is the strip of patterned paper. The journal box is also from that collection.

Lastly, the title and the clouds were cut from my trusty Cricut. I sponged the clouds to make them stand out more.

On to the second and third pages!

This double page layout is of Rainbow's End, the local amusement park. This was a great opportunity to use some of the rainbow paper and embellishments from the I Heart Us Paper Packet. The washi and crosses stickers are also from that range.



I stamped the 'sunshine and rainbows' title from the January SOTM as it worked so well with the theme of this page.

Lastly, I cut another title from my Cricut and this page was completed in a matter of minutes.

Now "Hop" on over to Katy's Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas!

Products used:
Album: Everyday Life Album- Black
Cardstock: Carolina, Sapphire, White Daisy
Cricut: Artbooking, You Are Here
Embellishments: I Heart Us Complements, Something Fierce Complements
Ink: Emerald, Sapphire, Pewter
Paper Packets: I Heart Us, Something Fierce 
Stamp sets: Crusin' to Adventure

Confetti Birthday Wishes

The polka dot paper from the new Something Fierce Paper Packet reminds me of confetti, and so I was inspired to make a birthday card, which worked perfectly for the Seize The Birthday confetti challenge this week.



A simple sentiment and a fussy cut star make this card great for making in bulk or for using this sketch and a variety of sentiments and embellishments instead of the star... in fact I think I may just have inspired myself to make more options!

Products used:
Cardstock: Bluebird, White Daisy
Ink: Bluebird
Paper Packet: Something Fierce 
Stamp set: Card Captions