November SOTM Blog Hop - You Warm My Heart

If you have come here from Gina'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 22 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. 

I've been playing with some scraps left from my Woodgrain paper pack, mix-in paper pack and the Comfort & Joy paper collection...

We are starting to move along with our home renovation, permits have been approved and our builders are starting full steam ahead now! Upgrading the electric service from the street to the house and we decided to trench and bury the wires instead of overhead...inspection approved so that means I got to back fill the dirt...so much work!

I LOVE all our new wood shapes and of course our Story By Stacy alphabet stickers which work for almost all my projects!

I have only touched on this month's Stamp of the Month, You Warm My Heart S2011, with the coffee cup and Nordic Star. It has such a winter feel to it but it worked even in this layout.

I used our new Stitched Fancy Brackets Z3686 to create the journaling spot from patterned paper.

I've used our Spectrum Noir markers to colour in the flowers from the Positive Thoughts D1951 stamp set which is an exclusive set by Melissa Esplin. I used the Black marker to colour the top of the White Foam Alphabet Stickers, so versatile!

Small detail with these little Nordic stars and the coffee cup in this set but very effective. I was happy with how this layout came together with leftover papers and stamping some great images. 

I am very new at colouring and shading and these markers make if very easy to play with, three shades in one marker! Seriously, how cool is that...and economical too!

Thanks for hopping along with us today, I hope you are inspired by all the creative Makers so far?!! 

Now you need to head on over to Pam’s Blog! 

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Products Used:

S2011 You Warm My Heart November SOTM

X7261S Comfort & Joy paper pack & sticker sheet

X9019 Mix-Ins

X8017 Woodgrain paper pack

Z3866 Wood Arrow 

Z3787 Platinum Stickles 

Z4088 White Alphabet Foam Stickers

Z4080 Story By Stacy Storytelling Pack

Z3686 Stitched Fancy Brackets Thin Cuts

D1951 Positive Thoughts Stamp Set

Spectrum Noir Markers; Coral Shades, Citrus Green Blend

April News and April Showers...

Hello and Happy April Showers...not sure where you are but in my neck of the woods we've been blessed with glorious warm sunshine, spring flowers blooming and of course April rain showers...while you have to be someone who loves or at least tolerates some rain to live on the WestCoast in British Columbia...I do love it! Strange I'm sure you're thinking but with rain comes the smell of wet pavement, green grass, brightened yard colours and packed down mulch! Yup! I've been busy cleaning my yard of leaves and trimming/edging the grass along the flower beds, lightly pruning old growth off my shrubs...AND spreading half a dump truck load of Organic Bark Mulch!!! Fun stuff...sore back, but the yard is starting to look great :)

Last week was also a terribly sad week. One of my daughter Marissa's close friends decided to end her own life...just tragic. My heart has been heavy for many days and Marissa was away on her school trip to Thailand when she found out, so I was also sad to not be able to be there with her when she found out...dealing with death is very hard...dealing with the death of a young person is very hard...dealing with teen suicide is terrible...as a parent, trying to talk to your own children about this is difficult and it's also hard not to be angry. I've been feeling it all over the past couple of weeks but last weekend was the memorial service for Marissa's friend and to say that was tough would be an understatement. I was very proud of Marissa though as she was able to go infront of everyone and read a speech she wrote about her friend.  I am glad she was able to share her special moments, I'm sure it is a way of coping and dealing with the loss of a precious friend.

Marissa giving her friend a ride! One of her favourite photos even though its blurry and taken with her phone.

Now...lets move on as we all need to...right?!

With the current April showers here I have been kicked out of the backyard and I'm into the house! Which for those of you that know me means Scrapbooking!!!

I've created a 'numbers' challenge over at Scrapbook Challenges for this month. April is all about 'everyday moments' at SBC and with the coming of the fourth month I thought I'd challenge all of you to work with the number FOUR :) Head on over to my Blog post there to see what's involved and hopefully you'll have a moment to play along with any one of the great challenges we'll be featuring this month!

This is my challenge layout featuring FOUR photos, FOUR patterned papers, at least FOUR embellies and a couple sheets of cardstock, easy peasy right?!! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!