Wow!! Join the CTMH Team in May and Save!

As part of this campaign, CTMH is also offering new Consultants who join Close To My Heart in May one FREE You & Me scrapbooking kit plus 50% off their New Consultant Kit! It's an incredible value just for May!  Visit my website for more info createwithdanielle.myctmh.com  Don't miss this awesome opportunity!  Email me valentino.danielle@yahoo.com for more information on how being a CTMH can benefit you!

Springin' Up Flowers

Check out this great video-compliment of CTMH-to see how you can add dimension to your artwork....

Creativity Passed On

My nine year old little girl, Caterina, is exceptionally creative.  She always has been.  She loves to color, draw, paint, sculpt, design, you name it!!!  She is very quiet and focused and loves music.  Such a super kid and I am blessed to be her mommy. 
She has been attending art classes for 5 weeks now and really enjoys it.  She loves the instruction from an art teacher, using all kinds of medium, and being with other kids her age.  Tonight was the gallery opening and art show where her hard work was displayed for all to enjoy.  What a great time!  You could see just how proud she was to explain her work.  Of course, being her mommy (and daddy too), I am her biggest fan and think anything she creates in beautiful…:).
Here she is showing off one of her first creations using cool velvet paper and oil pastels:  Fish in the Ocean…

I  did however have some favorites.  Here are two of them:  An oil pastel of a poppy flower and a sunset she created using a scratch method and some added texture using the corrugated side of cardboard.

Off course, I will be framing this artwork and preserving these moments by scrapping and journaling.  I sure hope she carries this passion with her through life.

Kids & Scrapbooking

Yesterday I began my first of six (6) one hour scrapbook classes for my girls’ elementary school’s After School Activities program.  Let me preface by saying “what a great group of girls”!  It is so easy to want to go above and beyond-especially since there is so much to learn.  I decided to go a different route this time.  Instead of taking on a big group of kids, stressing out over the prep, struggling to complete the planned project in the one hour window, and charging parents a boat load of money, here is it what I did:

• Offered the class to a small group of girls in 2nd and 3rd grade
• Designed a project using 6”x6” papers instead of the big 12”x12” (which can become overwhelming to young ones just starting out)
• Designed a project using some fun yet easy techniques that will add something special to their work 
• Focus is on journaling and “telling” the story behind the pictures
• Offered the opportunity for the girls to open up and talk about their experiences and share ideas with the other girls. 

We had a SUPER class yesterday!  Our completed project will be a 6”x6” Display Album.  Here is the cover that we worked on……

The back cover had B&T Duo from CTMH “Sophia” bulk paper pack and a piece of 5”x1 1/2” white daisy cardstock where the girls each stamped their name using the “Bohemian Alphabet” stamp set from CTMH.  Cannot wait for next week to begin our inside pages!