CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

The last day of every month signals the time for a special event....the Close To My Heart Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  This month it is a stamp set that celebrates the summer season...I say that because here in the United States our set is called "Celebrate America" and the Canadian Consultants have a special set just for Canada.  You can see a picture of the set on my previous post along with the full list of participants.

So without further ado, I bring you my little portion of the blog hop.  If you've arrived here from Susan's blog, you're on the right track.  I wanted to do something fun this month so here is my first project.

I stamped two of the large star images and the fireworks.  Then I triple heat embossed them with clear embossing powder.  To do this, stamp your image.  After you are sure that the ink is dry, swipe your VersaMark pad over the image and cover with the clear embossing powder.  After it has cooled, repeat the process as many times as you like.  This process will make your image appear as if it has been enameled.  Each image was then cut out.  I set eyelets in the stars and attached a pipe cleaner to the fireworks.  The jar is an antique blue Mason Jar that I had in my garage.  I filled it with shredded paper and battery operated lights.  PLEASE if you try this, do not leave the jar unattended.  The lights might get hot and they are resting on paper.  Anyway, I tied the bow with "country" ribbon using my Bowdabra and added the stars and fireworks as I was making the bow.  I attached the bow to the jar and the project was done!  BTW - I tried several different ways to photograph the jar and this is the best I could do to get the lights to show.

My next project is a Christmas Card....yes a Christmas Card.  I wanted to show that just because the stamp set is for July, doesn't mean that you can't use it for other occasions!

The flourish and sentiment are from one of my all time favorite CTMH sets...Snow Flurries.  The star is from this month's stamp of the month!

It's now time to hop on over to Angel's Blog and see what she has created.  For Now, Happy Crafting!