Welcome Our November Guest Designer

We are excited to welcome Hansi Brittain BACK again as Guest Designer!  She earned a guest spot on the DT earlier this year, and if you've seen her work, you can understand why she's frequently been in the Top 10.

Here's what she has to say:
The creative process soothes my soul.  Who can think about the complications of life when you are creating?  I fell in with a group of amazing women who get together for fellowship, fun and paper crafting.   One day, a friend invited me to a monthly group to which she belonged ...just for fun.. .no need to buy anything…  Yeah, right!  I loved the Close to My Heart products and have been a very good customer ever since.  It was in monthly group that I discovered card making which has become both therapy and ministry.  After I get the pleasure of making something, I can brighten someone’s day by giving it away.  By participating in challenge blogs, I have learned so much from fellow crafters who share their work and techniques and have also been inspired to the Close To My Heart team. Because I am still in the process of setting up my business, I have not yet announced this on my blog, so other than my consultant/upline, y'all are the first to know! I am honored and humbled to be the guest designer this month.

Oh, and about the picture: There are very few pictures of me, the family photographer, so my husband snapped this one of me dressed up to give out Halloween candy. It might explain why I love the Eek and Shriek stamp set so much!

Introducing our October Guest Designer

Congratulations and welcome to our October guest designer, Becca Whitham!

I am a former D.O.T.S/CTMH consultant who still loves (and has way too much of) every scrap of paper and stamp.  In my non-crafting life, I am an aspiring author.  I've won a couple awards, finished a few novels, but am still several years away from having a publishable novel ready to sell.  I am an Army wife and mom currently living in Oklahoma, but Washington State will always be home.  My husband and I have been married almost twenty-nine years.  We have two grown children, one son-in-law, and no pets...or grandchildren...not that I'm, you know, hinting at anything. 

Thank you, Becca!  We're excited to have you join us here in October!  

Don't forget that all of our September challenges end Monday.  There's still a little time to link up!

September's Guest Designer

It's time to introduce our September Guest Designer, and this talented lady is no stranger to H2H and our fans!  Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Wendy Coffman!

Hi! My name is Wendy Coffman, and I blog over at Stamping Rules. By day I am a busy mom to three active little boys, scratch cooking gluten free food, attempting to scale Mount Washmore, and volunteering at our co-op preschool. At night, usually fueled by too much Earl Gray and dark chocolate, I escape upstairs to my "Stamp Pad", where paper crafting gives me a mental vacation while creating beautiful keepsakes to preserve memories of our family and friends. I like to joke that I scrapbook mainly so I can remember all the good reasons why I love my sweet little rascals after a long day. I've been married for 15 years to my best friend John, who supports my addiction to all things CTMH with generous amounts of babysitting, patience, and praise for completed projects. I'm so excited to be a Guest Design Team member here at Heart 2 Heart this month!

Introducing our August Guest Designer

It's time to welcome our talented August Heart 2 Heart Guest Designer, LaJeania Hicks!

My name is LaJeania Hicks and I am from Texas. I have been married to my wonderful husband, James, for 22 years. We are both Special Education teachers at our local elementary school. We also have four amazing children: Nicholas, who is 21 years old and is a college student; Ryan is 20 and is a Lance Corporal in the United States Marine Corps and is currently stationed in Washington DC; Jefferson is 17 and will be a high school senior this year; and our daughter Kendall is 6 years old and will be in first grade. As I am sure you can tell, we are very busy, but we are love our crazy, hectic life and wouldn’t change a thing! Our children and our students give us many picture-taking opportunities and I have the pleasure of preserving those memories through scrapbook pages. Almost 17 years ago, shortly after Jefferson was born, I was invited to a home gathering and asked to bring a few pictures. Well, by the time that Saturday afternoon was over, I was hooked! I knew that this would become my new hobby, but I did not realize what a big role it would play in my life. About 6 years ago, I was introduced to the Close To My Heart Scrapbooking Company and became an independent consultant. I currently teach scrapbooking and cardmaking classes monthly to an amazingly talented group of ladies. Scrapbooking not only allows me an outlet for my creativity, it has also given me the opportunity to meet some of the most amazing people.

Thank you, LaJeania, for joining us this month! We can't wait to see how you tackle the August challenges. The first one will be brought to you this Monday. See you then!

July's Guest Designer

It's no surprise that our Top Chicks each month are invited to be an upcoming guest designer, and Hansi Brittain has graciously accepted the challenge!  Haven't you loved her July contributions?

Here's what she has to say:
The creative process soothes my soul.  Who can think about the complications of life when you are creating?  I fell in with a group of amazing women who get together for fellowship, fun and paper crafting.   One day, a friend invited me to a monthly group to which she belonged ...just for fun.. .no need to buy anything…  Yeah, right!  I loved the Close to My Heart products and have been a very good customer ever since.  It was in monthly group that I discovered card making which has become both therapy and ministry.  After I get the pleasure of making something, I can brighten someone’s day by giving it away.  By participating in challenge blogs, I have learned so much from fellow crafters who share their work and techniques.  I am honored and humbled to be able to “play with the big girls” as guest designer this month.

Thanks, Hansi, for sharing your talent with us this month!

Technique Time with Team Twilight!

First, happy holidays this week to our Canadian and American readers!  Did you know that Close To My Heart is expanding once more on the international scene?  G'day, mate, to our Aussie and Kiwi friends Down Under!  That's right, CTMH is moving into Australia and New Zealand, and we can't wait until we see our new friends crafting right here with us.  Of course, we're most excited to have you, our H2H fans, right here with us each week.

Now, you might be wondering about our teams for this design term.  Today, I'm going to introduce you to "Team Twilight," and you'll find out next week which color our other team has selected.  (As you can see, our new gals bring lots of enthusiasm to the blog!)  Since we've introduced our new DT members and they've taken off their masks (so to speak), we have a technique challenge for you this week: masking.  If you're unsure about the masking technique after seeing what our designers have to inspire you, be sure to google the technique and then try it yourself.

First up is our July guest designer, Hansi Brittain.  Isn't her card pretty?

Now, here's our Team Twilight masking creations:

Carol

Brittany

Marie

Haley

Our Design Team Twilight did a great job of showing you several different styles and kinds of masking techniques.  Now it's your turn to show us what you've got.  You've got the entire month to play along, so enjoy your holiday and then get crafting!

Welcome our June Guest Designer!

Let's give our June Guest Designer, Amy Moore, a big warm welcome!

She writes:
Hi, my name is Amy Moore and I have been a consultant for Close To My Heart for a little over 6 years. I am excited to be back at Heart 2 Heart Challenges Blog as a Guest Designer for the month of June.  I love doing all things crafty like scrapbooking, card making, and creating homemade gifts and décor. My hobbies go beyond the "craft room" though! My husband and our two teenage children stay busy with tons of activities like hiking, mountain biking, water sports and camping. I work part time for the school district as a classroom aide for early learning children. In January I also started working part time at a local florist learning flower design. All of these jobs and activities lead to a variety of scrapbook pages to create and cards to make for all the various people I meet in my life! Please stop by my blog anytime for some inspiration and to say hello!

Our May Guest Designer

Won't you join me in welcoming our May Guest Designer, Kelly Brandt?  She's probably no stranger to you Heart 2 Heart fans, because not only was she our March Top Chick, but she has participated in every single challenge so far this year.  That's right, EVERY. SINGLE. CHALLENGE!

Here's what she writes:
Hi! My name is Kelly, and I live in Kamloops, BC.  My hubby and I have two great sons (19 and 22), and two great dogs. I am a Business Administrator by day and a paper-a-holic for life. I have a Doctorate in the Close to My Heart Training Academy.

 

My crafting craziness was set in motion when my friend forced me to do my first scrapbook.  Oh, it was painful and I never wanted to do it! It was of my youngest son's hockey days. Well by the time that weekend was over, I was hooked and haven't looked back!  Five years now, thank you Sharon! Next came a Cricut, a Big Shot and a room dedicated to scrapping in the house. Now it is an obsession for sure, and a way of relaxing and having the feeling of being free from everyday stuff. I have sold CTMH for two years and have two groups of awesome ladies in my monthly clubs. I love to blog so I can share what I love, and hopefully instill this great craft in others.

 

I am thrilled to be the May guest designer for H2H, as it is my favorite challenge out there, and one that I am totally dedicated too.

 

Happy crafting.

 

Kelly
Thanks, Kelly, for joining us this month!  We look forward to your creative take on our May challenges, which will begin on Monday.  

Remember, you have until Saturday to complete our final April challenge.

April's Guest Designer

You've already seen our talented guest designer's artwork (She was our February Top Chick and has shared her great work with us this month), so let's get to know Famida Ahmad a little better:

"As a scrapbooker for over 10 years I created my first album for my 1 year dating anniversary with my now-hubby. Looking back my first scrapbook was extremely simple, but taught me a valuable lesson – “You can never have too many pictures, but you can definitely have too few!” Through 5 years of dating followed by 5 years of marriage I have since scrapbooked many anniversaries, vacations, and special family memories. I have turned my passion into a business that thrives on sharing my love for paper and embellishments. As a Close To My Heart Consultant for the past two years, I have expanded my scrapbook bubble to include stamping, cricut projects, and 3-d artwork. To learn some new techniques visit my Get Scrappin’ Website for upcoming workshops and to get your hands on the latest scrapbook products visit my CTMH Website."

Thanks, Fami, for sharing your terrific artwork with us this month!  We look forward to having you play along with us year 'round.

Introducing Our March Guest Designer

We're thrilled to welcome Amie Kiger as our March Guest Designer!

"Hi! My name is Amie (with an “ie”) and I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. Now, my hubby and I are raising our three daughters here as well. I am a self-employed home child care provider with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a Doctorate in the Close to My Heart Training Academy. ;)

 

"My crafting craziness was set in high gear when my fabulous friend gave me my very first Cricut Personal Cutting Machine for Christmas one year. Once I set up a dedicated room for my scrapbooking, (thanks, honey!) I was able to finally put it to use. It didn't take long for me to realize that I was hooked on paper! I upgraded to an Expression and then the E2 so I could use the Cricut Craft Room wirelessly. My wonderful in-laws added the Imagine to my now crowded craft room and my Cricut family is now complete! I started my blog, Mimi, Myself, and I, in November of 2011 to post entries in different contests for the Cricut Circle. Soon, my obsession with all things Cricut led me to discover the Close to My Heart Art Philosophy Collection. I signed up with Close to My Heart three short months after purchasing the cartridge, and my one-year anniversary with Close to My Heart is this month! I am definitely a scrapbooker-at-heart-turned-cardmaker and never imagined I would be so amazingly blessed to be able to turn my hobby into a business. I thoroughly enjoy holding card workshops and recently had my first Scraptacular Memories Workshop for scrapbookers.
"As long as I can, I am trying to do my best to use the ability that God has given me to make people smile and add a little sparkle to their day. My theme for the year is“Never Let Anyone Dull Your Sparkle.” Wherever there is shimmer trim or glitter paper, you will be sure to find me as well!

 

"I am absolutely humbled and amazed to be the guest designer this month, and cannot wait to see all of you talented crafters get your sparkle on!"

Thanks, Amie, for joining us this month!

(Our monthly Top Chicks are offered an upcoming Guest DT spot, so play along and you could be featured here too.)

Introducing our February Guest Designer...

Rachel Loesch!  We're excited to have her share her talent with us this month.  (You, too, could become a guest designer by playing along at H2H and being selected to the Top 10 for the month.)

Hello! My name is Rachel, and I live in Sacramento, CA. I’m happily married with a very supportive husband who understands my passion for crafting. Besides paper crafting, I enjoy baking sugar cookies and cake pops. It’s not so much the baking that I enjoy, but the decorating (and the eating)!

I consider myself more of a card maker than a scrapbooker since I rarely do layouts, although I really need and want to work on my scrapbooks. I got completely hooked on paper crafting with the introduction of the Cricut. I bought the original Baby Bug as soon as it came out and remember showing it off to my scrapping friends at our monthly crop. Now, I have an Expression, Cake and Imagine machines, plus everyone in my group has a Cricut, too!

I became a CTMH consultant almost 5 years ago, mainly as a hobbyist. I was so thrilled with the introduction of the CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge that I decided to try to focus on building my hobby into a business. So last year, I attended my first CTMH convention in Dallas, Texas. WOW!! I sure had a blast and learned a lot, it was so exciting!

When the CTMH Cricut Artiste Cartridge was unveiled, I was beyond amazed at all it could do! I was rooming with my upline, Mary Thompson, during the convention and we stayed up until the wee hours of the morning chatting about how we couldn’t wait to get Artiste and play with it at home. We decided to start a blog devoted to projects made with the CTMH cartridges and products, and our “Cricut with Heart” blog was born! Our first post was on July 31, 2012. It’s still going strong today with over 160 projects posted. We’re getting new blog followers all the time and we’d love to have you join us. It’s so wonderful to get feedback from our blog readers!

I am super excited to be chosen as the guest designer this month. I’m in love with the new Spring/Summer 2013 Idea Book and all the new products, and can’t wait to see what the H2H All Star Design Team has to share. Thanks for having me, and I hope I can inspire at least one person with my creations. Happy Crafting!"

Welcome January's Guest Designer

Our New Year's first guest designer is the lovely and talented Kim Richardson!  Please join me in giving her a warm welcome this chilly January. 

Here's what she has to say:

Hi there! My name is Kim and I was born and rasied in Minneapolis MN.   I currently live near Grand Rapids MN in a town of about 300 people!  I'm a coffee drinkin' city girl in the country living the simple life!  I've been scrapping for over 10 years and making cards for around 5 years. My family is my joy and give me so many creative ideas. They are my scrapbooking victims! When my house is quiet and my kids are napping, you can most likely find me in my scrap room.
I'm so excited to be a guest DT member for the month of Jan! Thank you H2H! I can't wait to see everyone's creations!

I've gotten a sneak peek at some of her creations for our January challenges, and you are going to be so inspired!  Just click on her name, above, to go see what she's up to right now.  See you back on Monday for our first challenge of the new year!

Also, in case you're wondering, our Top Chicks each month are invited to come back as Guest DT in a future month.  YOU could be our next Guest DT!

Meet our October Guest DT!

It's almost time for a new month and with it, a new Guest DT! But first a big THANK YOU to Amy who was with us in September. It was great creating alongside you Amy!

And now, let's meet our October Guest DT, Tracy Holmes:

I am the stay-at-home-mom of two great kids and married to a wonderful man, who lovingly supports my paper crafting addiction!  I discovered paper crafts about two years ago while organizing my kids birthday parties.  It was such a blast researching and creating the invitations, decorations and loot bags, and since then, I have gotten into cards, 3D projects and the odd scrapbook page. In May 2011, I became an Independent Consultant for Close To My Heart, and more recently asked to join the My Time Made Easy Pretty Palette design team.  It has been such an inspiration and boost to my creative mojo, and I am continually amazed and awed by the wonderful talent of the paper crafting community.

Welcome Tracy - we're glad to have you on board for the month. While we wait for Tracy's first project coming this Monday, be sure to stop by her blog and say hello: Paper Craft Nut.

Welcome to our September Guest DT Amy!

Before our new month starts, I want to thank Lori for joining us in August as our Guest DT and welcome Amy as September's Guest! Let's learn a little about Amy:

"My name is Amy Edwards. I live in Northern Illinois with my family. I have 3 girls, Danielle, Savannah & Maizie. I have always loved art. I started coloring and drawing as a young girl and then my aunt taught me how to paint, Rosemalling and folk art stuff. I started my college carrer majoring in Art...and then the kids came. I switched to finger piants and crayons. I always took tons of photos and was introduced to scrapbooking right after I had my second daughter in 1995 and shortly after that I started stamping. The rest is papercrafting history! I currently try to balance my love for scrapbooking and the quick ease that I find making cards. I love to make mini-albums and have recently fallen in love with my Cricut.

 

When I am not doing papercrafts you can find me hanging out with the family. I also love to read, watch movies, and explore the world around me".

 

 

Stop by and leave a welcome for Amy at her blog, Paisleys Playhouse. We're looking forward to seeing Amy's creations! Don't forget, you have until Saturday at 10 pm EST to enter any of our August challenges and you could be our next Guest DT! See you Monday for a brand new month of inspiration and challenges!

Welcome to our August Guest DT!

A new month is here and a with that brings a new Guest DT to Heart 2 Heart Challenges! One last goodbye to July's Guest, Marg - thanks for joining us!

Now meet Lori, who will be starting with us on the next challenge coming up!

"I'm a 41-year-young mom of three, and although I live in the far reaches of Chicagoland now, I am still a small-town farm girl from Walnut, Illinois at heart! I've been crafty for as long as I can remember, with countless hours spent on my 4-H Arts & Crafts projects. I picked up my first stamp over 20 years ago, and was introduced to scrapbooking by a coworker about 17 years ago. Once I caught the scrapbooking bug, I was unstoppable. I quickly progressed beyond the simple style popular at the time, but it was difficult to find fun, attractive, and quality supplies. In my quest for the perfect scrapbook album, I found a lady on a computer bulletin board (yes, it really was THAT long ago) who sold D.O.T.S. and she told me they had new albums that sounded exactly like what I wanted. Of course I loved them, and everything else in the catalog. As luck would have it, that consultant lived only 45 minutes from me and eventually, ten years ago June, she became my upline when I joined Close To My Heart! I still get excited with every new Idea Book, and Close To My Heart still sells my favorite products. I am so excited to be a guest DT member for August, and can't wait to start sharing my creations with you all!"

You can pop over and leave a welcome for Lori at her blog Saving My...
 
Don't forget - the deadline to enter all of the July challenges is this Saturday at 10:00 pm EST!
See you again soon!

Meet our July Guest DT

We're almost ready to kick off a new month and a new DT term and today I want to introduce you to our July Guest DT - Marg Van Patten:

I hail from the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" and enjoy all that Minnesota's four seasons have to offer ... most especially the photo opts! I've been snapping photos since childhood and never did anything creative with them until I was introduced to scrapbooking in 1996. I attended my first crop in 1998, fell in love with the "sport" and never looked back! I continue to advance my skills by participating in local and online workshops. I began digital scrapbooking in 2008 and dabble with cards, party favors, and home decor projects on a regular basis. While I enjoy most forms of paper art, traditional paper scrapbooking is my first love. Some of my other interests include entertaining family and friends, reading, gardening, moderate exercise, cooking, and listening to music.

In 2010 a dear friend and fellow crafter encouraged me to start up a blog and paticipate in challenges. Even when I don't have time to enter a challenge, I hop on through some of my favorite blogs, like H2H, for inspiration. There's huge amounts of talent here at H2H and I'm both honored and excited to be the DT Guest this coming month.

You can visit Marg at her blog: I Didn't Have Potatoes. She'll be joining us starting this coming Monday and we're happy to have her! Welcome Marg!

Welcome our June Guest DT

Just a reminder - you have until this Saturday at 10:00 pm EST to enter the May challenges and be considered for a spot in our Top Ten!

Now on to an introduction - but first, a farewell. Thank you to Susie Rostad for joining us as our Guest DT in May - we enjoyed having you and your artwork here with us!!

Now say hello to our June Guest DT, Laura Charko:

Here's a little info from Laura:

" I am a crafter through and through! I just can't look at a piece of paper, a new stamp, or an embellishment and not imagine creating something with it!  More than anything, I love to share my passion for papercrafting, vinyl work, and stamping with everyone! I really do believe that EVERYONE is an artist and I strive to help others uncover their creative side.   I enjoy working on custom projects for those looking for that "perfect" gift or card, and love to pass along helpful tips, tricks, and ideas I find and learn along the way through my blog.  It is an absolute honour to be the guest designer for the month of June, here at Heart2Heart!  I look forward to sharing ideas with you all, and can't wait to see what you come up with too! "


You can pop by and say howdy to Laura at her blog KOLA Designs. Glad you're here with us this month, Laura!

And finally, June will be the last month for the current design team members so watch for details on how YOU can apply to be part of the next team to be posted soon!

See you Monday with a new challenge!

April Guest DT intro

A new month means a new Guest DT so please welcome Geri:

" I am so excited to have the opportunity to guest design for H2H. Scrapbooking and card making are both a passion and obsession for me.  I started scrapping in 2004 and have been hooked ever since taking my first whiff of StazOn! Patterned paper, rub-ons and brads are my biggest addictions, making me think that somewhere there simply has to be a 12-step program waiting for me. (more likely a 12x12 step program) HELLO, MY NAME IS GERI AND I AM A SCRAPAHOLIC.

My scrapbooks contain everything that happens in life – good and bad.  If it isn’t in the book, it didn’t happen!  Memory keeping is therapeutic for me. My grandkids are my primary source of scrappy information and the things they say provide me with a wealth of journaling opportunities. I love looking back through their books and seeing the changes as they grow up on the pages right before my eyes. " 

We are happy to have Geri joining us and want to thank Kelly for hanging out with us during the month of March.

Don't forget, you still have until Saturday at 10:00 pm EST to enter the March challenges and be eligible for a spot in our monthly Top Ten. You might be our next Guest DT!

Please welcome of March Guest DT!

First off, a great big THANK YOU to Romaine for joining us as Guest DT in February - we enjoyed having you create with us each week!

Now to meet our March Guest DT. Say hello to Kelly Brandt!

"I am 47 years old, mother to two great boys who are 18 and 20, also mother to two great dogs and I live in Kamloops, BC Canada. Married and been with my high school sweetie for 31 years.Work full time, and love to kayak, hike and be outdoors.

I started scrapbooking 4 years ago and cardmaking two years ago. I joined CTMH in July 2011.

My passion is to share my passion of papercrafts, be it through my blog or classes, and club nights. The camaraderie of the women is my favorite part.

I'm usually flying by the seat of my pants when I am designing, but it usually works out okay."

Welcome Kelly - we look forward to working with you this month! You can visit Kelly at her blog here and leave her a warm hello.

Don't forget- Saturday 10:00 pm EST is the deadline to enter our February challenges and be eligible for our Top Ten and a fun prize! See you Monday!

Meet our Feb. Guest DT

As many of you know, we did not have a Top Ten in December. So that left me without a Guest Design Team member for February. In order to come up with someone to join us this month, I looked through the entries of the last challenge of 2011 and found the perfect person! Romaine has played along with H2H most weeks, creating fun and beautiful artwork and she is a fabulous cheerleader as well, always leaving comments for the team and other players. It was an easy decision and I'm happy to introduce Romaine as our February Guest Design Team member:

"Hi, my name is Romaine Rancier. I am so excited to be a guest DT member this month! I live in a small town in the “geographical center” of British Columbia, Canada. I am mom to  2 girls ages 13 and 12 and a boy, aged 9. I have been married to my best –est friend for 18 years. I teach Kindergarten, which is one of the best outside home jobs ever! (Have you noticed how many crafters are also teachers?)

I have always had an interest in crafting, much of it due to a childhood friend whose mom did crafts. I have been paper crafting for about 12 years, but really got into it about 3 years ago when I discovered the world of blogs. I decided to sign up with Close to my Heart in January, 2010, hoping to “fund” my habit and get some fabulous product! Every book has had me excited about something! I am constantly amazed by the creativity that is out there- and have been inspired by many!"

You can stop by and visit Romaine at her blog Bumbles 'n Bees. And watch for her 1st artwork with the team on Monday!