August SOTM Blog Hop!

OMG where has the summer gone--almost time for the kids to go back to school!  This month the featured stamp of the month is S1208 Baroque Borders, a set of 6 bold images!  Below are the images in this stamp set that is available only thru August 31st. 

If you have come here from Cecilia Marsh's blog, you are on the right path!  I am the first stop for this month's hop! You can find a list of all the participants (in case you get lost) here: http://bowlofstamps.blogspot.com/p/sotm-blog-hop-list.html  This month we have almost 60 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this set. The hop is simple to follow - just click on the link provided in the post to move to the next blog!

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My item is a 5" x 7" card made with the new Avonlea Workshop on the Go (WOTG) Papers which features some exclusive cardstock colors only available in the kit. Below is my card:

And here is a closer look at the dimensional element of it:

Papers: Avonlea WOTG papers; Colonial White, Smokey Plum, True Teal cardstocks

Stamps:  S1208 Baroque Borders
Ink:   Smokey Plum, Colonial White, True Teal (retired) Exclusive Inks

Embellishments:  Clear Sparkles; Dimensional Elements

Time to hop on over to Helen Onulak's Blog to see her beautiful eye candy! Be sure to visit all the Consultants' Blogs to get some great crafting and other fun ideas! Remember, the SOTM is only available thru August 31st! Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set for $5!

Happy hopping!

Unavailable List

The Unavailable List provides a comprehensive record of all items that are out of stock and permanently unavailable.

Item #     Description          Date Added

5571 12" x 12" GREY WOOL CARDSTOCK 7/23/2012

9029 Cherish ® Scrapbooking Program 5/8/2012
9031 Reflections® Scrapook Program 3/23/2012
9032 Originals® Card Confidence Program 3/23/2012
9033 Wishes Card Confidence Program™ 4/17/2012
9034 Magic® Scrapbooking Program 7/2/2012

B1402 My Peeps stamp set 7/2/2012

X5908 Bright Red & Pink Cardstock Shade Pack 7/19/2012
X5912 12" x 12" DARK NEUTRAL CARDSTOCK SHADE PACK 7/23/2012
X5916 12" x 12" PURPLE CARDSTOCK SHADE PACK 7/25/2012

X7143B Sonoma Paper Packet 7/23/2012

Z1299 Distressing Kit 3/23/2012

Z1693 Seaside Wooden Shapes 7/24/2012

Z2119 DUTCH BLUE EXCLUSIVE INKS® STAMP PAD 7/25/2012
Z2126 HEAVENLY BLUE EXCLUSIVE INKS® STAMP PAD 7/24/2012
Z2127 HOLIDAY RED EXCLUSIVE INKS® STAMP PAD 7/24/2012

Z2200 Amethyst Exclusive Inks® Re-Inker 7/20/2012
Z2202 BABY PINK EXCLUSIVE INKS® RE-INKER 7/23/2012
Z2208 BROWN BAG EXCLUSIVE INKS® RE-INKER 7/23/2012
Z2219 Dutch Blue Exclusive Inks® Re-Inker 7/20/2012
Z2220 Garden Green Exclusive Inks® Re-Inker 7/20/2012
Z2221 Garnet Exclusive Inks® Re-Inker 7/20/2012
Z2224 GREY FLANNEL EXCLUSIVE INKS® RE-INKER 7/23/2012
Z2225 Grey Wool Exclusive Inks® Re-Inker 7/20/2012
Z2226 HEAVENLY BLUE EXCLUSIVE INKS® RE-INKER 7/23/2012
Z2227 HOLIDAY RED EXCLUSIVE INKS® RE-INKER 7/23/2012
Z2231 KEY LIME EXCLUSIVE INKS® RE-INKER 7/23/2012
Z2233 Lilac Mist Exclusive Inks® Re-Inker 7/20/2012
Z2234 MOONSTRUCK EXCLUSIVE INKS® RE-INKER 7/23/2012
Z2241 PANSY PURPLE EXCLUSIVE INKS® RE-INKER 7/23/2012
Z2242 PARCHMENT EXCLUSIVE INKS® RE-INKER 7/23/2012
Z2248 Spring Iris Exclusive Inks® Re-Inker 7/20/2012
Z2250 SUNFLOWER EXCLUSIVE INKS® RE-INKER 7/23/2012
Z2251 Sunkiss Yellow Exclusive Inks® Re-Inker 7/20/2012
Z2252 Sunny Yellow Exclusive Inks® Re-Inker 7/20/2012
Z2254 TAFFY EXCLUSIVE INKS® RE-INKER 7/23/2012
Z2257 Vineyard Berry Exclusive Inks® Re-Inker 7/20/2012
Z2261 PETAL EXCLUSIVE INKS® RE-INKER 7/23/2012
Z2266 Tulip Exclusive Inks® Re-Inker 7/20/2012

Z4204 Shoulder Tote 7/2/2012

2012 Retiring List

With the new Idea Book going live August 1, where's the 2012 retiring list?  CTMH no longer releases an official Retired List. After going through the new book, here is a list of products that I believe will be retiring as of July 31, 2012. Some of these will be while supplies last as they are not manufactured in house. You should be able to click on the little print to PDF button at the bottom of this post if you would like to print this list off.

Disclaimer: I am NOT guarantee-ing that this is 100% accurate as CTMH may have some other changes in mind; however it's probably 99.9% accurate.

I have made it easy for you by providing you with direct links to all the products. The links are meant to open in a new window each time so you won't lose your spot. You are welcome to purchase directly from my website.  Be sure you take advantage of the Perfect Pairs special going on right now as well! And let's not forget the Stamp of the Month!

Retiring Colors

CTMH announced we will be going to a 40 + 2 Color Palette, with select seasonal colors only available in the new My Reflections Paper Packets. The following colors are NOT listed in the Autumn/Winter 2012 Idea Book. We're also getting SIX NEW COLORS!

Combo Packs will be retiring, as well as the Shade Packs. Already many of the papers, ink pads and re-inkers are gone. These do have a tendency to sell out FAST!  Here is where you can find the Cardstocks, Ink Pads, Re-inkers, and Markers still available

Amethyst
Baby Pink
Brown Bag
Dutch Blue
Garden Green
Garnet
Grey Flannel
Grey Wool
Heavenly Blue
Holiday Red
Key Lime
Lilac Mist
Moonstruct
Pansy Purple
Parchment
Petal
Spring Iris
Sunflower
Sunkiss Yellow
Sunny Yellow
Taffy
Tulip
Vanilla Cream
Vineyard Berry

Retiring Stamps

CTMH has said that our My Acrylix Stamp Sets are available for a period of one year - the current Idea Book and the one previous. These are the sets that are NOT in the new book (from the A/W 2011) and should be available through July 31, 2012.

A1095 Always Remember
A1099 Angel Sent
A1107 A Twinkle
A1108 A Flitter
A1109 A Sip
A1110 A Timber
A1113 A Game
A1115 A Holiday

B1356 St. Nick
B1359 Fright Night
B1361 Tannenbaum
B1362 Tag The Occasion
B1381 Holiday Cheer
B1393 Joyful Jar
B1394 John 3:16

C1379 Holiday Commentary
C1382 Holiday Commentary - Spanish
C1383 Holiday Commentary - French
C1401 Friendship Alphabet Small
C1408 Live Inspired
C1419 Harvest Home
C1420 Snow Days
C1423 Captured Moments
C1424 Nature's Gift
C1425 Month By Month
C1426 Thanksgiving
C1427 I Believe
C1429 Party Pennants
C1465 Unscripted
C1468 Winter Joy
C1470 Gnome Garden
C1471 Happy Clusters
C1472 Bundled Buddies

D1136 Giggle Caps
D1137 Giggle Lowercase
D1267 Rustic Numbers
D1283 Say It In Style
D1306 Treasure Life
D1308 All Decked Out
D1373 Childhood Portrait
D1384 Snow Flurries
D1386 Save The Date
D1387 Made With Love
D1397 Save The Date - French
D1398 Save The Date - Spanish
D1401 Authentic
D1436 The Present
D1437 Party Animal
D1446 Adorn-able
D1449 Father Christmas
D1493 Fill In The Blank - Holiday
D1499 Live Your Style

E1002 Rustic Alphabet
E1006 Baroque Alphabet
E1011 Headline Alphabet Large
E1016 Friendship Alphabet Large

Retiring Accessories

CTMH stated that accessories are only guaranteed for the life of the current Idea Book. These will be retired as of July 31, 2012. As we’ve already found out with some of them, I would also venture to guess they are going to be while supplies last.

Z1163 Double Scrubber (Note: Being replaced with a new version.)
Z1006 Microfiber Cloth

Z1404 Quick Pic 12x12 Album - Dark Cranberry
Z1405 Quick Pic 12x12 Album - Outdoor Denim
Z1406 Quick Pic 12x12 Album - Dark Chocolate
Z4110 Snapease Album System

Z1323 Clear Cards - 4 1/4" x 5 ½" Asst.
Z1309 Clear Cards - 4 ½” Asst.

Z1383 Sweet Leaf Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon
Z1384 Designer Ribbon - Pink Collection

Z1397 Canvas Badge Buttons
Z1367 Bitty Brads Basic Asst
Z1368 Bitty Brads Metal Asst

Z1104 Clear Sparkles (Note: Being replaced with all round sparkles)
Z1698 Mini-Medley Accents - Pacifica
Z1320 Mini-Medley Accents - Tulip
Z1338 Mini-Medley Accents - Sunset
Z1488 Mini-Medley Accents - Honey

Z1403 Photo Hangers
Z1402 Hinges

Z1690 Bitty Buds Asst
Z1691 Bottle Caps
Z1693 Seaside Wooden Shapes (SOLD OUT)
Z1688 Comic Badge Buttons (SOLD OUT)
Z1635 Heirloom Asst

Z1337 Dimensional Elements Ornaments (Note: Updated to coordinate with Cricut Artiste)
Z1224 My Creations All Sorts Mini Album
Z1334 My Creations Mix & Mingle Mini Album
Z1321 My Creations A-Door-Ables
Z1152 My Creations Cube

4275 My Legacy Writers

Z338 Euro Personal Trimmer (Note: Being replaced with Fiskars SureCut Deluxe Craft Trimmer)
Z339 Euro Trimmer Replacement Blades
Z340 Euro Trimmer Replacement Blade/Scoring

1766 Dotto Dots Dispenser
1767 Dotto Dots Refill (SOLD OUT)

Retiring Workshops on the Go & My Reflections Kits

The Workshops on the Go (WOTG) are available for the current Idea Book, plus one month after. The following WOTG Kits will be retired as of August 31, 2012 (while supplies last).

G1032 Stella
G1033 Pemberley
G1034 Lucy
G1035 Victory
G1036 Footloose
G1037 Superhero
G1038 Florentine
G1039 Cruisin'

The following My Reflections Kits will be retiring as of July 31, 2012.

X7139B Typeset Level 2 Paper Packet
X7139C Typeset Complements Canvas Shapes
X7140B Roxie Level 2 Paper Packet
X7140C Roxie My Stickease Assortment
X7141B Elemental Level 2 Paper Packet
X7141C Elemental Complements Dimensional Elements
X7143B Sonoma Level 2 Paper Packet (SOLD OUT)
X7143C Sonoma My Stickease Assortment
X7149B Lucy Level 2 Paper Packet
X7149C Lucy Complements Glittery Rub-ons
X7151B Footloose Level 2 Paper Packet
X7151C Footloose Complements Dimensional Elements
X7152B Superhero Level 2 Paper Packet
X7152C Superhero Complements Rub-ons
X7154B Cruisin' Level 2 Paper Packet
X7154C Cruisin' Complements Silver Foil Images

Feel free to place your order through my website: http://kattisch.ctmh.com/ or you can email me your order.

Later today I will post the UNAVAILABLE list of product that has already been sold out.

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July SOTM Blog Hop - Live Out Loud

Welcome to our July Stamp of the Month Blog Hop featuring S1207 Live Out Loud, a set of 8 beautiful stamps that speak out!  The images are below and you can click to see details:

If you have come here from Helen Onulak's Blog, you are on the right path!  You can find a list of all the participant's in case you get lost here: http://bowlofstamps.blogspot.com/p/sotm-blog-hop-list.html

This month we have almost 60 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. Blog hopping 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!

Now "Hop" on over to Beth Naumann's blog to see her beautiful eye candy! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the SOTM is only available until July 31st!  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set for $5!

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Below is one of the ways I decided to use this stamp set by making a Standard size card (4.5 x 5.25).  You can click photo to see better detail:

Below are pictures of more detail showing the greeting piece and butterfly cut from the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge:

Supplies:

Papers: Florentine WOTG papers;  Cocoa, Colonial White and Twilight cardstock

Stamps: S1207 Live Out Loud
Ink:  Cocoa, Twilight Exclusive Ink

Embellishments:  z1333 Mocha Opaques Adhesive Gems; Prisma Glitter; Colonial White Designer Ribbons Collection (ret.)

Other:  Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge by CTMH; Sizzix embossing folder

Now hop on over to Beth's Blog by clicking the block below:

Elegant sponged cards

I really love some of the beautiful bulky cards I see people make but I always wonder how they are going to mail those cards.  Today, I am presenting some elegant single layer sponged cards.  The first time I saw these all I could say was WOW!  I saw them on Melinda Everette's blog and she saw them on Heather Telford's blog.  My rendition of those cards are below.  I did 8 card combinations (because this was my monthly workshop).  I wanted everyone to have colors to choose from and wanted to give everyone a variety of images to work from.  If you are like me, I always want to make what I see!  Attendees got to make 6 of the 8 cards.  It was a customer appreciation workshop!

CTMH colors used:  Sunflower, Sunset and Cranberry

CTMH colors used:  Blush, Petal and Gypsy

CTMH colors used:  Creme Brulee, Desert Sand, Chocolate

CTMH colors used:  Sweet Leaf, Topiary, Moonstruck

CTMH colors used:  Heavenly Blue, Sky, Dutch Blue

CTMH colors used:  Sunny Yellow, Sunflower, Orange (retired)

CTMH colors used:  Grey Flannel, Grey Wool, Black

CTMH colors used:  Sunny Yellow, Pear, Lagoon

Every time I finished one of these cards, I kept thinking "This is my favorite color combo."  "No, this is my favorite color combo."  But I just love all of them for two reasons:  they look elegant and can be easily mailed!

2012 Teacher Gifts

My two granddaughters, Mikayla and Hannah, have been blessed with some amazing teachers. So, we decided that some teacher gifts were in order to tell them how much they are/were appreciated!  The first photo shows the gift bag, bottled water (says "Thank You for quenching my thirst for knowledge" with crystal light holder, box of 9 Hershey chocolate nuggets and a thank you card:

Next photo is a close up of the Thank You card which was featured here before for the February Stamp of the Month:

Below the inside of the card where my granddaughter's wrote their own heartfelt message to their teachers.  Oh and also shown is the pen that goes with the gift set:

Next, not shown previously in any of the pictures is the popcorn package with poem:

Next is a close up of the bottled water displaying the Crystal Light holder:

Here is a close up of the Nugget Box containing 9 Hershey Nuggets in a 3x3 configuration:

Last is a photo close up of the gift bag:

All instructions for everything except the bag (because it all depends on the size you select) can be found on an earlier post here.  I added a pen.  The see-thru pen is by Pentel RSVP.  I used a piece of decorative paper 1/2" x 3 and rolled it tightly around the ink well and then pushed it into the pen (not an easy task).

The featured papers were from the Lucy Workshop on the Go (WOTG) using Grey Wool, Hollyhock, and colonial white cardstocks.