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If you {heart} Close To My Heart, then this challenge blog is for you!
Each Monday, a new challenge is posted, and Close To My Heart products are required to enter.
Don't have any CTMH products? Then beg, borrow, or BUY from our fabulous roster of Consultants!

Sponsored and created by Independent Consultants for Close To My Heart, all challenges will be posted on Monday mornings with the deadline to enter on the last day of the month or on the Saturday following the month's final challenge. All challenges close at midnight EST. (Each month, the final challenge date will be announced to help you play along. You have all month to play, so join us often!) You might even be in our Top 10!

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Design Team Call for 2014 (January-June)

Do you love Heart 2 Heart Challenges?  Do you want to step up your crafty game?  Do you want to share your Close To My Heart love?  Then consider applying for our Design Team! The end 2013 will be here before we know it, and we have several openings on the design team for 2014.  It's time to apply for the January-June Design Team here at H2H.  If you’re still interested after reading through the requirements, send your application to h2hchallenges@gmail.com.  

We will continue to have TWO Design Teams! The teams will both have 6 month terms but will split the responsibilities with Team "A" inspiring us one week and Team "B" inspiring us the next. This allows the team members to get a little "break" and gives them additional time to get artwork ready for their week's challenge.

If you would like to be considered for one of the teams, here is the application process:
* Email h2hchallenges@gmail.com with your name, state/province/country, blog address, email address, and a little bio about you. Be sure to tell me why you want to be a part of the team and how long you have been a consultant. (Jr. Consultant status is acceptable.)

* You must like us on Facebook and follow us on Pinterest.

* You MUST know how to write and publish a post on Blogger. Each DT member will have a few weeks in which they will be responsible for creating the Monday challenge post.  (It works out to be about once every two months.)  Don't worry - you will have help out with this as well but please only apply if you are comfortable blogging.

* You must also be able to check the H2H DT Facebook page at least a few times a week.

* You must send photos of three of your pieces of artwork. DO NOT send me a link to your blog to look at your artwork there - I want you to pick what you consider three of your best and include them with the application.

ALL applications must be received by November 20.  We will make the selection of the new team members by December 1, and the new team will start on January 1!

Here are some more things to keep in mind about a position on the DT.  You are committing to:
*Participate in every challenge for your team's week (posted by 3:00 am on Monday mornings) and have your artwork for each challenge posted to the DT Facebook Group the Saturday before the challenge begins.
*Make an effort to post your artwork on any other boards/galleries you belong to and advertise our challenge blog whenever and wherever 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.
*Participate in any extra programs that we may decide upon as a team.  (These are minimal and FUN!)
*Send in on your choices of winners in monthly awards (Top Ten) at the end of the month.
*Join a Facebook Group set up specifically for team members.  This group is how we communicate with each other and share our projects, etc.
*Visit the blogs of the challenge participants and leave comments.
*Be a member of Pinterest to help keep our boards active there (during your hostess week).  You only have to help on Pinterest when you are hostess (about once every other month), but you can help there more often if you like.

What you get in return:
* Commitment to producing artwork once every 2 weeks 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!

I think that about wraps it up. What are you waiting for? Send in your application today!! (Any questions can be directed to me a th2hchalleges@gmail.com.)

Monday, October 28, 2013

Lots of Layers

October has been an outstanding month thanks to our fine and talented challenge participants.  We so enjoy checking out your work challenge after challenge, and this week is no exception.  It's time for our final October challenge: lots of layers!  We want you to pile on the layers on your project, with at least five layers somewhere on your creation.  You know you're up to the challenge!  Use up some of that pretty paper you've got.  You have until this Saturday to participate in this last October challenge; all the earlier October challenges end on the 31st.  Show us your stuff!

Here's lots of layers taking flight from our Guest Designer, Becca Whitham:

And Team Twilight:




Are you ready to layer it up?  If so, be sure to use some Close To My Heart product in your project, mention (or tag) Heart 2 Heart Challenges with your project, and link up here.  We can't wait to see your interpretation!  (As chilly as it is in my neck of the woods recently, I am all about sweaters, hats, scarves, and gloves!)  Let your imagination take flight and pile on those layers.  Be sure to link up by Saturday!  Thanks!


Monday, October 21, 2013

Lace

Hello everyone and thank you for joining us at H2H!  We love having you join us each week.  We have another great challenge for you this fine October morning: Lace.  Using lace literally or as your inspiration, what artwork can you create?

So are you ready to see our Design Team members' interpretations of our Lace Challenge to inspire you to join us in this challenge?  Please don't forget to click on the Design Team member's name under their creation to visit their blog and see additional photos and details and don't forget to leave them some love -- they just LOVE to read your comments:


Our Guest Design Team Member:

And Design Team Sunset:

Don't forget to read the guidelines at the top left and use the 'linky tool' below with a link that goes DIRECTLY TO YOUR H2H CHALLENGE POST!  You must use some CTMH products in your project or your link will be deleted.  Thanks for understanding!


Thanks for playing along...you'll have 'till the end of the month, October 31, to link up to ALL of the challenges this month.  Thank you for participating in our Heart 2 Heart Challenge!



Monday, October 14, 2013

You Better Shape Up

Whether you're a regular follower or just visiting for the first time, we are glad you're here!  Playing along is really easy: create something that you think fits the week's challenge theme (using some Close To My Heart products of course), post your creation online, then come back here to link up.  You have until the end of the month to play along with any of this month's challenges.  It is time to shape up, sowe challenge you to use a shaped based for your project that is neither square nor rectangular.

Are you ready to shape up?  Our design team sure is!  We're shaking things up with both of our great design teams playing this week.  First up is our guest designer, Becca Whitham:







Are you inspired and motivated to get in shape?  You can see that there are so many different ways to interpret this one, so have have fun as you work it.  Get crafting and get back here to link up your project by 10/31.  

Saturday, October 12, 2013

September's Addicts and Top 10

One of the best parts of being on the H2H Design Team is seeing YOUR interpretations of each of our challenges.  We are thankful for all of our H2H participants each and every week.  Whether you play a lot or a little (or just lurk to see what's going on), we're so glad you stop by!  Thanks for making H2H a part of your life.

We'd like to recognize our September addicts, those lovely ladies who participated in all four of the challenges.  They are:
*Katrina
*LaJeania Hicks
*Debbie Bonczek
*Jody Gustafson
*Debbie Reed
*Hansi
*Jo Armstrong
*Beth Talken

Thank you, ladies, for sharing your talent with us throughout September!  Be sure to grab our "addicts" blog badge from our sidebar.

One of the most difficult (but still fun!) aspects of being on the H2H DT is narrowing down our weekly selections to choose our Top 10 for the month.  Here are our September winners:

Sunset, Barn Red, Cashmere, and Gypsy Color Challenge:


Brown Paper Packages Tied Up with String:


Few of My Favorite Things:


Alphabet Soup:



How about a big hand for our September Top 10?  Your blog badge is also on the side bar for you to grab.  Wear it with pride!   Now it's time to announce our overall winner, our September Heart 2 Heart Challenges Top Chick...






Thanks again to ALL all of our H2H players, addicts, top 10, and top chick!






Monday, October 7, 2013

Little Black Dress

Good Monday morning everyone! I hope your weekend was tons of fun. Perhaps you were able to dress up and go out dancing or somewhere special. And maybe you got to wear that little black dress you have hanging in your closet. Do you have one? I think most women do and it's their go-to dress for just about any occasion. So think about your dress and create something that reminds you of it or just go fancy schmancy on your artwork or maybe just use the color black. Whatever comes to mind when you think of a little black dress will work!

Without further ado, here is what our guest designer, Becca Whitham, created for our challenge.


And here is what the rest of Team Twilight created.
Carol
Haley

Kelly

Marie

Brittany

Lucy

Now it's your turn to show us how you interpret our 'little black dress' challenge. Post your link here so we can check it out and be sure to use mostly Close To My Heart products or your link will be removed. Have fun creating!

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Au Naturale

The calendar still says September (and that means you have until tonight to play along with any of September's challenges), but we couldn't give you just half a day to complete this challenge.  Nor could we wait a week to inspire you, so this week's challenge is actually our first challenge for OCTOBER!  We hope everyone who stops by will create something this month and join us for any of the upcoming October challenges.

Our theme is Au Naturale: use either all neutral colors or something from nature. Are you up for the challenge?  Our guest DT, Becca Whitham, sure is!


Here are Team Sunset's Au Naturale themed projects:
Amie Kiger

Katy Taylor

Melinda Everitt

Paige Dolecki

Pam Korte

Shirley Ross