Sketch time!

Are you ready for a new challenge this week? It's a sketch challenge - one of my favorites! Unfortunately, I didn't get to play along this week as having a ginormous section of tree fall into your roof kinda kills the mojo for the evening! But the rest of the DT has some awesome artwork to share - wait till you see~

But before we get to that, here are the two participants who won May's sponsored prizes - both from the Button challenge week - #11 Karen Fullam and #28 Connie MacFarlane! Congrats ladies!! Please send your mailing info to me at mbryt1@bex.net and I will pass it along to the sponsor. Another BIG thank you to Angel Shifflett and Sharon Holmes for sponsoring our prizes!!

This coming month of challenges brings 2 new sponsors and 2 new prizes - take a look:

From Michelle Owen of Cutezie Creations:

And from Romaine Rancier of Bumbles n Bees:

Great prizes ladies!  Thanks so much for sponsoring us!! Be sure to stop by and leave these ladies a little note of thanks.

Ok, on to our challenge. First, I present the sketch:

And now for some beautiful artwork based on the sketch, starting with our May Guest DT, Joelle  -

Wow! Joelle chose to fill in all 4 sections of the sketch with images. You rocked the sketch, Joelle, and it was fun having you play along with the team. Thank you~

Haley

Debbie

Melinda

Jessica

Jody

Karen

So many different looks from one simple sketch!! Fabulous work, gang!!

Now it's your turn to show us what you can do with this sketch. Just create your artwork (you MUST use some CTMH products in your artwork) post to your blog or other online public gallery and then come back here and leave us a link below. Remember you have all month to play along with the challenges to be eligible for the prizes for the month. Happy crafting!

A new month is almost here!

Can you believe it is almost June? Before we get to our next challenge, I have a few intros and announcements so let's get to it.

Our outgoing Guest DT, Joelle, will be playing along with us Monday and then we welcome a new Guest DT, Jena DeVries!

Here is a little about Jena in her own words:

"My name is Jena DeVries and I am a Stay At Home Mom to 4 awesome kiddos (ages 2, 4, 7, and 9).  I love preserving my family's memories by scrapbooking, and I also enjoy card making, and any kind of crafting - you name it, I've probably tried it!  My kids and I do lots of projects together - it's fun to teach them what I know and create gifts and memories like I did with my mom growing up.  I started scrapbooking in high school more than a dozen years ago thanks to an aunt who got me hooked and my grandparents who bought me my first scrapbooking kit.  Once I got married and started having kids I got a little overwhelmed about scrapbooking - I finally got back into it in 2005 and that's when I was introduced to Close To My Heart.  I signed up to be a Consultant before I had even seen the products and I've been hooked ever since! The coordinating products and endless ideas make creating so much easier and funner. I probably won't ever be caught up on my scrapbooking, but I'm okay with that and I love what I do!  Thanks for a chance to be a Guest DT here at the H2H Challenges Blog - I'm looking forward to playing along!"

Welcome Jena! We look forward to having you with us in June! You can visit Jena at her blog Live, Love, Laugh, Scrapbook or check out her website here.


We also will be saying goodbye to our May sponsors, Angel Shifflett and Sharon Holmes and welcoming new sponsors, Michelle Owen and Romaine Rancier. Thank you to our outgoing gals and welcome new sponsors!

You will see what the new prizes up for grabs will be on Monday so be sure to check it out then!
Our May prize winners will also be announced on Monday and it might just be you!!
________________________________________________________________________

Last but not least, June will be our current Design Team members' last month. This has been a wonderful group of ladies who I feel honored to consider my friends and I will hate to see them go! But it's time to give others a chance to have some fun on the team so if you think it might be something you would like to apply for, here are the details:

* You must be a current Close To My Heart consultant (Junior consultants are welcome).

* You agree to be a member of the Design Team for a term of 6 months.
* You must have a blog and be willing to join a Yahoo Group set up specifically for team members.
* You must be able to participate in every week's challenge (posted by 6:00 am on Monday mornings) and have your artwork for each challenge posted to the DT Yahoo Group the Saturday before the challenge begins.
* You must be willing to post your artwork on any other boards/galleries you belong to and advertise our challenge blog whenever and where ever you can so we can continually grow in numbers of participants. We currently have a group at Paper Craft Planet and on Facebook that I would like DT members to join but this is optional.
* You will be expected to participate in any extra programs that we may decide upon as a team (for example, the past 4 for 40 program). You are also expected to weigh in on your choices of winners in monthly awards (Top Ten).
* You will be expected to visit the blogs of the challenge participants and leave comments.

What will you get in return?

* Committment to producing artwork once a week gives you an opportunity to create on a regular basis!
* Increased blog traffic which will hopefully lead to an increase in your business!
* Fun and fellowship with the entire team and a chance to meet new consultants and CTMH fans!


Now who couldn't use a little of that?

To apply, please send an email to me at mbryt1@bex.net .
You must include the following:

* Name, address, phone number, email address, blog address, website address (if you have a website).
* A brief bio telling me how long you have been with CTMH, a little about your stamping/scrapbooking background, and anything you would like to share about your family or hobbies, for instance.
* Please tell me if you have ever had any experience on any other Design Teams
* Tell me why you would like to be on this team.
* Tell me what your favorite type of challenges are.
* You MUST send 3 samples of your best CTMH artwork. These do not have to be elaborate but they must be well done, attractive and clean.


The deadline to apply is June 20th and new members will be notified June 25th and announced on the blog on June 29th. The first challenge for the new team will be July 4th.

Ok that wraps it up for me - see you on Monday! And Happy Memorial Day to those in the states!!

ABC time

No, school is not back in session but we do have an ABC challenge for you this week! But before I get to that, a word of thanks to all who shared their favorite technique with us last week - awesome ideas!

Also, a reminder that in order to participate in our challenges, you MUST use at least some Close To My Heart products. Otherwise, your link will be removed.

This is also the last challenge of the month so in order to be eligible for one of the great prizes from our sponsors, Angel Shifflett and Sharon Holmes, you must have your entries linked up no later than 10 pm EST this Saturday, May 28th. You can still participate in any of the challenges posted in May to be eligible for the prizes.

Ok so here is your next challenge, should you choose to accept it:
ABC = Anything But a Card.

It can be a layout, gift item, packaging - anything that is not a card.

Let's see what the Design Team created, starting with a returning Guest DT - Shari Maclaskey! Shari missed out on one of the challenges in her month as Guest DT due to us taking a week off so I invited her to join us for one challenge this month.

Adorable! You can read more about Shari's ABC project on her blog Shari's Paper Trail. Thanks for joining us, Shari!

Debbie

Melinda

Haley

Karen

Lorrinda

Jody

Jessica

Mary

Such a great variety! Awesome work, team! 

Now it's your turn. Let's see what you can create that isn't a card. Remember to link your project up here by 10 pm EST Saturday~ happy creating!

From Your Heart to Ours - Techniques

It's time for another challenge but before we get to that, it was just brought to my attention that I forgot something very important - I forgot to draw two winners from the April challenges for the prizes from our awesome sponsors!!! So I let Random.org pick two winners and they are:

#3 Carla I. from the Showers/Flowers week
and
#17 Shelly D. from the Recycle week

Congrats ladies! Please email me with your mailing address so I can forward the information to the prize sponsors and they can get your prize in the mail.

Now on to this week's challenge. It's another From Your Heart to Ours week which means we want you to share not only your artwork with us, but also some details and this time it is all about your favorite technique. We not only want you to share your artwork using that technique but also tell us how it's done. We might just find OUR next favorite technique from YOUR post!

Here is what the DT created - be sure to go to each gal's blog to read about the technique they used:

Debbie

Lorrinda

Jody

Karen

Haley

Jessica

Mary

Now it's your turn to show us your favorite technique! Create your artwork - be sure to use CTMH products - and link up here. We can't wait to learn from you!

Need sponsors

For the summer months, I only have one sponsor per month for prizes scheduled. If anyone would like to sponsor H2H, please contact me so we can continue to have 2 per month. Thank you!!

All buttoned up!

It's time for a new challenge but before we get to that, did you see the Top Ten from April? If you haven't had a chance to check out the post, it is right below this one so be sure to take a look.

Now on to this week's challenge. REMINDER: You MUST include Close To My Heart products to enter our challenges. Thank you.

This wee we are working with buttons. We want to see how you incorporate buttons into your cards, layouts and other projects. One of our sponsors for the month is joining us today so let's start off with a look at Angel's button creation:

Fabulous use of buttons, Angel! Thanks for joining us this week and for sponsoring H2H this month!

Don't forget, our other fantastic sponsor is Sharon. You can visit both of these gals by clicking their names and leaving them some love at their blogs. Thanks ladies!

Now for the rest of the button creations from the DT:

Lorrinda

Haley

Debbie

Melinda

Mary

Jessica

Jody

Karen

What great ways to use buttons! Now it's your turn. Add some buttons to your project and then link up here. We can't wait to see how you button-up your artwork this week!

Top Ten for April

Without further ado, let's see who made the Top Ten for April -

Sketch week:

April showers bring May flowers week:

Recycle week:

Bunny Hop week:

Congratulations to all our Top Ten inductees! To see their entire project, click the photo.

And a big YEAH to the Top chick of our Top Ten - Jena! Jena will be our Guest DT in June and we're looking forward to working with her! Here is her winning artwork:

See you all tomorrow for another new challenge!

It's all about Mom

We're back in action and hope you're ready for a new challenge! But before we get to that, a little recap -

This is Lisa and Corina's last challenge with us and we will be so sorry to see them go! But they leave for good reason - to teach at Extravaganza! Congrats ladies - we will miss you!!

New to the team is the talented Haley Dyer and Jody Gustafson - welcome! If you missed their intro, be sure to scroll down and check it out. We are all looking forward to seeing what these new team members create - we know it will be great!

Also new this month is our Guest DT, Joelle Hiller but our April Guest DT isn't gone for good - watch for Shari to join us in a challenge later this month.

And finally, we have two new sponsors - say hello to Angel Shifflett and Sharon Holmes! Here are the prizes these ladies have up for grabs to two lucky participants from the May challenges:

From Angel....be sure to stop by her blog and say hello!!  Angel's Moments

And from Sharon is this great goody package! Visit Sharon at Tucker Lover.

Thanks ladies for sponsoring our challenge blog!

And now it's time for a new challenge. This Sunday is Mother's Day so it's time to create something for Mom. Cause who deserves it more? No one!!  Let's see what the DT created, starting with our Guest DT, Joelle:

Gorgeous! Thanks for joining us this week Joelle!

From our departing gals:

Corina

Lisa

From our new team members:

Haley

Jody

And the rest of the team:

Debbie

Jessica

Karen

Lorrinda

Mary

Melinda isn't with us this week, taking care of family at the present time but she will be back with us next week.

I think that is a pretty awesome display of love for Mom, don't you?? Now it's your turn. Create something for Mom - be sure to use CTMH products in your artwork - and then post to your blog or other online gallery and come back here and link up below so we can see what you created. I will be back later this week with the announcement of April's Top Ten so be sure to check back then - it might just be you!