"Friendship" SOTM Blog Hop and Valentine's Day Countdown - Day 1!

Welcome to our February Stamp of the Month blog hop featuring this month's new SOTM - Friendship D1453! If you've just joined me from Tammy's blog then you are on the right path! This blog post is also my first post for Day 1 of the Valentine's Day Countdown blog hop that I am participating in for the next 14 days also! Please continue to come back and visit my blog each day for the next two weeks as I will be sharing a new creative idea for Valentine's Day each and every afternoon!

I created this 6x6 Valentine card using the February Stamp of the Month (Friendship D1453) and our new Sweetheart papers X7134B. My card design is inspired by Originals - The Main Idea (p. 96). The heart shape I used is the largest heart from our Hearts Dimensional Elements chipboard shapes (Z1278 $3.25). I simply adhered the heart shape to the front side of the Sweetheart flower B&T paper (so the back side of pink b&t paper would show on the front of the heart) and then used my micro-tip scissors to cut off the excess paper until I had a nice heart shape of paper covering the Dimensional Element. I then used a sponge dauber and black ink to ink distress the edges all around the heart. Then I used the "embossing resist" technique to create the flourish design that covers the heart. To do this, I simply stamped the image on the heart with our clear Versamark ink (Z891 $9.95) and then heat embossed it with our clear detail embossing powder (Z821 $3.95). Then I used a sponge dauber (Z726 $3.95) with Tulip ink to rub the ink over and around the embossed image in a light circular motion. The clear embossing resists the ink, yet allows the color to show all around the image. I recommend using a tissue to then wipe the embossed area and remove the excess ink that beads up on top of the shiney embossed area. Because the embossing powder I used is clear, you can see the beautiful patterned paper images underneath it - so cool!

Please come back tomorrow and every day for the next two weeks to see more of my creations for the Valentine's Day Countdown blog hop (as well as more ideas using the February Stamp of the Month)! Now you can continue on the SOTM blog hop by visiting Melinda's blog next! Enjoy!!

Layouts 3 and 4 - using the Sweetheart WOTG kit!

Sweetheart Workshop-on-the-Go layout - Left side (below)

Sweetheart Workshop-on-the-Go layout - Right side (below)

Sweetheart Workshop-on-the-Go layout - pull-out tag with journaling (below)

Sweetheart Workshop-on-the-Go layout - full view (below)

I just finished up layouts #3 and #4 this past week, which means that I met my goal of a layout every week this month already and the month's barely even half over (yeaay for me)!! I know that this looks like just one scrapbook layout (and it is), BUT I also created a duplicate copy of this layout this week because I am giving one of them to my downline consultant team member Starr Nelson (who is the "Rising Starr") featured on my pages! Three years ago Starr received the very prestigious annual "Rising Star" award at our corporate-sponsored Leadership Conference and I was so thrilled to be able to be there to celebrate it with her and Close to my Heart. What an amazing event it was and I am so grateful for the photos and memories I have from that week. I promised Starr then that I would make her a layout of her big achievement, and even though it took me quite a while (blush), I finally have it done and ready to give to her (if you are reading this Starr, then "Surprise!!" It's about time right?! lol. I will give you your layout next week at our upcoming team meeting or get it mailed to you if you aren't able to attend!!) This layout was created using the new Sweetheart Workshop-on-the-Go kit that is featured on page 41 of the NEW Spring/Summer Idea Book! If you haven't received the beautiful new idea book from me yet, then you'll want to attend one of my upcoming events or contact me soon to get your very own free copy from me!

Layouts #1 and #2 (for my "ONE DONE every seven in two-thousand and eleven" scrapbooking challenge!!)

Layout #2 (below) - left side - featuring Wings Workshops-on-the-Go Layout #2 (below) - right side - featuring Wings Workshops-on-the-Go
Layout #2 (below) - full view - featuring Wings Workshops-on-the-Go

Layout #1 (below) - left side - using Wings Level 2 papers

and My Stickease

Layout #1 (below) - right side - using Wings Level 2 papers

and My Stickease
Layout #1 (below) - full view - using Wings Level 2 papers
and My Stickease
I'm already two layouts down with just two more to go this month to meet my NEW scrapbooking goal of getting (on average) at least one layout completed every week this year - yaay me!!
I hope you will set aside some time very soon to get some of your scrapbooking accomplished also! Join me in my stamp room tomorrow (Saturday 1/8) anytime from 4pm to 10pm and I will help inspire you get even more done! Scroll down to see the next post (before this one) for more details about the $5 scrapbooking class I'm also offering tomorrow at 6pm (just a few spots left)!

Saturday Night Scrappers - Get the NEW Idea Book from me this Saturday 1/8!

I just wanted to quickly remind you all that the first ever meeting of our "Saturday Night Scrappers Club" is coming up this Saturday 1/8 here in my stamp room! We will meet from 4pm to 10pm and you are welcome to come by whenever it is convenient for you to visit, shop, and/or scrapbook with me! I also still have a few spots left in my $5 Scrapbooking Class that starts at 6pm (details are here). Everyone who stops by will be given an exclusive "sneak peek" copy of the NEW Spring/Summer 2011 Idea Book from me a few weeks before it is officially released (only available from me in person at my January events)! We will meet again on Saturday 1/22 from 4pm to 10pm (so that is an extra opportunity for you to come get a new idea book and scrapbook some more with me again this month!) Please contact me to RSVP ASAP so I can have enough table space set up for everyone - Thanks!

More January SOTM Artwork!