Christmas Cards

Good Morning!  I decided to take a couple minutes while I sit by my beautifully lit Christmas tree with my puppy (and before the kiddos are up) to put together a blog about some fun Christmas cards.

These are using the Deck the Halls Cut Above card kit.  What I really like about Cut Above is you get the card bases and supplies to make 10 cards in one handy dandy little kit.  All you will need to purchase additionally is the sentiment.  There are a couple sentiments to choose from (I would recommend also taking a look at your own stash of ones on hand!)

I used the Merry Christmas M size stamp.  At $2.95 this is a great bargain and I know it will be used over and over!  I added the silver shimmer trim to each card to make the string stay at the top and I felt like it gave me a cleaner edge.

This card is the more traditional one that came as an example with the card kit:

This one is me mixing it up a little bit:

Have a great day!  Thank you for stopping by!

News Alert! Don't Forget CTMH Cyber Sale through Dec 4th!!

For five days only, a selection of items from Close To My Heart’s current product inventory can be yours for 25% off retail price! Get supplies you’ll need to make handcrafted gifts and cards for the holidays, including our Cricut^® Artfully Sent Collection, at an amazing discount! 

Visit my website right away!  

White Pines Advent Calendar

I'm super excited to share this advent calendar with you. It was so much fun to make and I'm very excited with how it turned out.

The My Creations Cubby is absolutely perfect!  It's on sale right now for $10.20! That's more than $6 off the regular price.

I'm using the White Pines paper packet.  The little boxes are made using the Cricut Artiste Collection - page 80 - 3D Objects and cut at 2 1/2 inches.  Once you make the first couple boxes you will be able to bust through the rest.

The snowflakes were cut from the Cricut Artistry Collection - page 49 at 2 inches.

I used Cranberry and Chocolate Exclusive Inks because I liked the way they stood out against the Colonial White cardstock. 

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Close To My Heart Cyber Sale!!

For five days only, a selection of items from Close To My Heart’s current product inventory can be yours for 25% off retail price! Get supplies you’ll need to make handcrafted gifts and cards for the holidays!

Your eyes do not deceive you!  That is the Cricut^® Artfully Sent Collection!!

Dates: Offer valid Monday, November 30, 2015 (9:00 am MST) through Friday, December 4, 2015 (4:00 pm MST).

Visit my website starting tomorrow!!

Another Card to Celebrate Turkey Day

Hello there!  I hope you're having a wonderful weekend.  I have a CAS thanksgiving card to share today using Pathfinding paper and the Thankful Heart stamp set again.  I really like the background paper and wanted to let the colors speak for themselves.  Visit my website for these and all the other fun products that Close To My Heart has to share.

Close To My Heart November Fundamentals Promotion

Purchase the album bundle and you get:

• Album of your choice (D-ring or Post-bound)
• Paper Fundamentals Enchantment (1 pack)
• Fundamental Stickers Enchantment Pack (1 pack)
• Fundamental Assortment Peacock (1 pack)
• White Daisy Cardstock (3 sheets)
• Memory Protectors™ Value Pack (1 pack Side Load or 1 pack Top Load)

Experience the beautiful Simply Fundamental Scrapbooking workshop—available only during November! This workshop has been created using all the items featured in our campaign exclusive My Legacy™ album bundles, available during November for $71.80 USD / $85.25 CAD each! When you purchase the album bundle, you will also qualify to receive a value pack of side load or top load Memory Protectors™ FREE—a savings of $19.95 USD / $23.75 CAD! Along with the album style and design of your choice, each bundle includes one Paper Fundamentals Enchantment pack, one Fundamental stickers Enchantment pack, one Peacock Fundamental assortment, and three sheets of White Daisy cardstock. You will then be set to turn these beautiful products into fabulous layouts using the new Simply Fundamental Scrapbooking workshop featuring five layouts you can make using all the supplies in your bundle.

This is available only in November!  Visit my website to place your order on this awesome deal.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just two weeks away.  I have another easy Thanksgiving card for you today using the Pathfinding paper packet and Thankful Heart CTMH stamp set.

Happy Crafting!

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.  I had a few minutes to sneak away during a naptime to try and put together a thanksgiving card.  I'm using the Pathfinding paper packet with some gold shimmer trim.

The sentiment is from the Close To My Heart Thankful Heart stamp set using the Chocolate exclusive ink.  This stamp set is a great price - 7 fall stamps for $9.95.  

Thanks for stopping by!

HoHoHo 5x7 Card

Thank you for stopping by!  This card started out to be something totally different than what it ended up being.  I was crazy for CTMH Cricut Cartridges on this day and actually used 3 of our 5 to create this card.  I'm using the White Pines paper packet from our Holiday Expressions.

Something fun to mention about how our Cricut Collections have changed is that you now get our fabulous cardstock included in each collection instead of the dimensional shapes we used to get.  Each of our Cricut Collections are $99.  It includes the cricut cartridge, 3 (yes, 3!) full sized stamp sets and 1 of our combo packs of paper (that is 20 sheets of paper! 10 colors with 2 pages of each color!) 

Details on the Cuts:
Ho Ho Ho - Artiste pg 79 at 2 inches
Flag frame - Artbooking pg 76  at 11 inches (photo mat 2)
Gift Packages - Art Philosophy pg 60 at 1 1/2 inches

Bronco Birthday Card

Thank you for stopping by to look at a technique I’m trying for the first time.  I wanted to make a birthday card for a Bronco Fan and decided to keep the colors simple playing on the classic orange and blue.  I added a little coral shimmer trim to finish up the card.

To stamp the pattern on the card - I wrapped thick twine around my 2x2 stamping block (I used the color flaxen because I don't really like it and thought this would be a way to put it to good use but I think you could use any color you have handy.)  I needed to press it into the poppy ink pad several times to get the color to show up.  It's funny that poppy by itself looks pinkish to me but this looked awesome as an orange with the dark blue sapphire cardstock and ink. The sentiment is stamped using the Joyful Birthday stamp set.  One of my favorite "go to" sets.

I would like to try the thick twine stamping again, but I think I would use more twine or maybe a bigger block so there aren't the little sections without ink.  I did flip my block around to point different directions as I was making the card.  My hope was that it would look a little haphazard and I like how that turned out.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have a great day!

CTMH Artistry Cartridge

Thank you so much for stopping by today!  I'm excited to share this birthday card I made using the Zoe paperpack and the brand spanking new Close To My Heart Artistry Cricut Cartridge!

The flowers in the vase were cut from Artistry at 3 inches.  I used a small piece of white paper to back the vase with flowers so the stems could be seen.

As you know... I love being able to incorporate zip strips into a lot of my projects and this one is no exception.  The Happy Day sentiment across the top could really be used for tons of different occasions.  I made this card to use it for a birthday and added a Happy Birthday sentiment stamped inside the card with Hollyhock exclusive ink.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope to be getting back into a routine of posting my projects more regularly.

White Pines with October SOTM

Thank you for stopping by! Today I have a card using the October 2015 Stamp of the Month called Twinkle.  Some of you may be thinking it's too early to be posting Christmas crafting... but I love Christmas time.  I love the colors and the feelings of love and family that come from this time of year.  Plus... the colors and layout of this card don't have to be just Christmas.  You can definitely mix it up to suit your fancy.

This patchwork was so fun to make!  I'm looking forward to trying it with different patterned paper. This picture below shows how I initially laid it out.  Each piece is 3/4 inch wide and is attached to the traditional sized card.  I then flipped the card over so I could see where to cut the extra paper off using my trimmer.  The scraps from those cuts were used to finish the areas that are still the colonial card and then I trimmed the excess off.  For some added texture - the colonial white cardstock pieces were ran through the cuttlebug using the CTMH Chevron Embossing Folder.  

Here is the full stamp set that can be all yours for $5 with a $50 order from my website during the month of October.

Warmest Wishes

Hello Everyone!  Today I have a winter "thinking of you" card.  It is using all Close To My Heart products from our new Annual Inspirations 2015-2016 catalog.

I'm using the brand new White Pines paper packet on a colonial white cardbase.

The sentiment is stamped in cranberry using the Warmest Wishes stamp from the Make it Merry stamp set D1617.  The border is stamped in chocolate (my favorite!) using the Perfect Picture stamp set included with our brand new cricut cartridge collected called Artistry.

These cute little mittens were cut also using the Artistry Cricut Collection.  The love the extra layer of color with using the blue for the mittens.

3 of the sparkles from the CTMH Sparkles Assortment Z1752 were colored with our Turquoise Blue shin han marker to help pull the card together.

Visit my website to see the fun new catalog!

Halloween Cards Take 2

Whoohoo!  More fun with the Close To My Heart retired paperpacket Scaredy Cat and retired stamp set Creepy Critter.

These are so CAS that I almost didn't post them, but I changed my mind because I absolutely love how they turned out and can't wait to get them in the mail for Halloween.  One of the many things I love about CTMH paperpackets is how they coordinate together.  Each paperpacket includes 6 - B&T (background and texture) 12x12 sheets and 6 - 12x12 solid cardstock sheets.  Both of the cards below are using only a tiny fraction of the paperpacket described above and a cardbase.

For the top card - I really like the way the diagonal stripes are in colors to make the haunted house "pop".  I'm not a huge fussy cutting fan but i think those little owls make a nice addition to the card.

Sorry for the bad lighting on this card.  I have to admit that it is my favorite.  I love using the Thistle ink on the grey cardstock and I think this vampire is adorable.

To add a little something extra to the inside of the card there are stamped mice running across the bottom of the Haunted House card and stamped bats across the bottom of the vampire card.  It's super cute.

Visit my Close To My Heart website to see what the fun new catalog has to offer!

Halloween Cards

Hello there!  It has been awhile since I was able to sit down and play in my scrapbook room.  I'm super excited to share a couple Halloween cards.

Both cards are very clean and simple.  I love the paper and the stamp set and they are doing a great job speaking for themselves.  These cards are using up my prior catalog Halloween paper stash from Close To My Heart - the Scardy Cat paperpacket and the Creepy Critter stamp set.

To see our new Halloween paper - visit my website!  It awesome and I can't wait to play with it.

Confetti Wishes Happy Birthday

You may recognize this card from one I posted at the end of July.  It is nearly identical!  For this card I did a change up and I'm using the sentiment from the August Stamp of the Month.

 

 I really love the sentiments in this SOTM and the sentiment borders that use the cricut to cut them out. 



Happy Birthday with Confetti Wishes

I have a clean and simple birthday card for you today.  I'm using some items that will be expiring the end of this month and using the sentiment from what just might be my favorite hostess stamp set.

The paper is from the Confetti Wishes paper packet that will be expiring July 31st!  So if you love it - buy it now. 

There are a couple different stamp sets being used here.  The banner was created using the All the Details stamp set along with the Art Philosophy Cricut Collection to cut out the shapes.  I love the way the stamp set includes the size and page number for the shape.  The banner is "strung" using one of our ShinHan markers.  This stamp set is also expiring the end of July.  The sentiment is stamped with Lagoon exclusive ink using the Tagged with Love hostess stamp set!

For the whole month of July we are running an awesome promotion.  Spend $25 in stamps and get the July SOTM FREE or any of the exclusive hostess stamp sets for only $5! 

To see if full list of what will be retiring the end of this month go to My Website and choose the "Retiring Items" link on the left hand side of the page. 

Below is the full Tagged with Love hostess stamp set.  The tag sizes in this set also go so well with many of our other stamp sets including sentiments.  It would be super cute to throw together a quick tag to add to a birthday gift in a bag!

Jump on It July

During the month of July, when you purchase $25 in current, retail priced stamps, you qualify to receive either the July Stamp of the Month, My Acrylix^® Life Is Wonderful, FREE or any one of the Hostess Rewards stamp sets featured in Annual Inspirations 2014–2015 or Seasonal Expressions 2 for only $5! That is a savings of up to $17.95! The July Stamp of the Month is a lovely, versatile stamp set that is a great match for your cards and layouts that celebrate all the wonderful things—big and small—that life has to offer.

Additionally, the Hostess Rewards stamp sets have previously only been available as part of the Hostess Rewards program, which means now is the perfect opportunity to get those special stamp sets you’ve had your eye on! To get your FREE stamp set or your $5 Hostess Rewards stamp set, simply place an order for $25 of any current, retail priced stamps. This offer is available only during the month of July and applies only to the July Stamp of the Month and current Hostess rewards stamp sets, so spring into action and jump on this deal before it’s gone!

Contact me for more details or questions.

July Stamp of the Month

 

Just a Couple of the Hostess Stamp Sets

 

 

 

 

 

Decorated Card Box

Happy Sunday Funday!  I have been wanting to play with one of the Close To My Heart Journaling Boxes for a while now and finally found a time to get it done!  I was actually sitting at the Eaton Days craft fair last weekend and took the supplies with me to put it together during the slow time.  It was fun. 

I'm thinking about making a couple more boxes for Christmas gifts and putting cards in them.  They fit the 5 1/2 by 4 1/4 cards just perfectly.  I can see these boxes looking super cute in Halloween colors or Christmas colors. 

 

I love the way the lid on the box is magnetic.

Orange You Sweet

This was a thank you card for a very fun person!  She sent a bag full of fun treats to the Monkey Man with a card saying Orange You Glad It's Summer!!  Close To My Heart just so happened to have a fun stamp set that we could use for the Thank You card.  The Taste of Sumer paper packet and stamp set were a limited time offer and aren't available any longer... but I couldn't help but share.

Visit my website to see what other fun products you can use for summer fun!

I like you a latte!

OH MY GOODNESS!  I absolutely love the Close To My Heart stamp set called Treats of Friendship.  This set isn't in our Annual Inspiration but you can find it in the Seasonal Expressions 2.

Please excuse the darkness of the pictures.  I made these and tried to take pictures when there was only rain and no sunshine in Colorado for almost a month!  On these cards I was challenging myself to use another Picture My Life Scrapbooking system.  I chose Balloon Ride.  Keep in mind that what they have pictured online is only a sampling of the cards included in the purchase and they are all front and back too! 

 

 

 

Teacher Appreciation

I'm excited to have had a chance to play with the Chalk it Up Picture My Life cards.  I made these for teacher appreciation in May... so I'm a little behind in posting them... but I really wanted to share how they turned out.

I'm definitely a rookie in using the Picture My Life cards from Close To My Heart.  Last summer at convention in California there was a presentation from someone using the Picture My Life Scrapbooking Programs from CTMH but the challenge was that they couldn't scrapbook with them!  That was a neat idea to me because I hadn't thought of using them for cards before that.

I'm also using the Teacher Appreciation stamp set that I have had laying around begging to be used. 

I'm really happy with how quickly these came together and I hope the teachers liked them too.  Have a great weekend!

 

 

Does Ice Cream Make You Happy?

I wanted to have fun with the Taste of Summer paper packet one more time and give a preview of the June Stamp of the Month.  It is yours for $5 with a $50 purchase from my website during the month of June. 

I'm using Chocolate ink for the sentiment and some Purple glitter gems for fun.

Pucker Up!

The vibrant colors of the Taste of Summer paper from Close To My Heart is so fun!  It really puts me in the mood for summer.  If you love it too, be sure to get it ordered from my website before the end of the month. 

Today I'm using the paper packet and the coordinating stamp set to stamp the sentiment in Topiary ink and Canary ink for the lemons.

Angels Among Us

Today I have a banner created for my Mom's Catholic Daughters annual conference.  The banner and letter were cut using the Close To My Heart Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.  This is CTMH's first cricut collection.  I seem to find myself going back to it time and time again.

The paper of the day is Confetti Wishes.  My Mom requested there be a lot of purple and this paper packet felt perfect.  Confetti Wishes would be also perfect for birthday cards or birthday scrapbook layouts.

Other fun CTMH goodies I used to add embellishments:
Purple Shimmer Trim
Purple Glitter Gems
Sparkles Clear Flourishes

 

 

Happy Mother's Day!

Here is a fun Mother's Day card using the Flowers For Mom stamp set that coordinates with the Artfully Sent Cricut Cartridge.  (A quick tip! Be sure to use the Real Dial Size when cutting the coordinating image for the sentiment.)  The sentiment is stamped using the Pear exclusive ink pad and some of the small sparkles from the Sparkles Assortment were added to the center of a few of the flowers.

I cut a 4 inch square using the Background and Textured paper in the Brushed Paperpacket from Close To My Heart.  I then cut eat of those at a diagonal two times to get a triangle for each corner.  One of the many things I love about the B&T paper from CTMH is that it's double sided and their colors coordinate.  The sentiment fit perfectly in the middle.  I'm so happy with how with card turned out.

Taste of Summer Signs

May is National Scrapbooking Month and Close To My Heart has a special paper pack to celebrate!  I'm using Taste of Summer for the next couple signs for my little lady.  It's so hard for me to believe she already needed her 7 month sign!  I loved the Taste of Summer paper packet so much that I went ahead and put together the 8 month sign at the same time.

I'm using the CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge for the 7 and 8.  The ruby clothespin is from the Ruby Mini Medleys embellishment packet.  I also used some red shimmer trip and our 3-D foam tape to pop up the red and strawberry paper to add some dimension.

I love the color diversity with the papers in Taste of Summer!  The clip on the top left is from the Smoothie Mini Medley and the washi tape is called smoothie as well.  A few flamingo dots were added to give a little extra embellishment. 

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

Thanks So Much

This is a card from the Cut Above Birthday Kit.  These were so fun and easy to throw together.  I really like the way the envelopes included in the kit coordinate with the card and have the same yellow patterned triangles. I also really like the way the woodgrain is included on both the front and back of the card.

Each kit includes:

10 – 5½" × 4¼" Printed Card Bases
10 – Green Printed Strips
10 – Black Printed Strips
10 – Printed Brackets
20 – Silver Triangle Studs
12 – 3-D Foam Squares
10 – Coordinating Envelopes

 

The recommended stamp set is You Mean the World to Me.  Each of these stamps fits nicely in the sentiment box for the card.

 

 

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

One of the Big Boys!

My Close To My Heart Deal of the Day for $150 arrived in the mail.  This means I received $325 of goodies for $150.  To quality for the Deal of the Day you just need to place an order on my website for a regular priced item.  The first picture below is one where I tried to get everything in one picture.

There are truly embellishments galore!  I'm excited to put the 5x7 Hinged Display Tray to use.  I'm also really excited for the Rosewood Mini-Medley accents this next weekend.  I'll be working on our wedding scrapbook and they will coordinate beautifully with our colors.

The two pictures below are zoomed in a couple different angles to see some more detail.