Showing posts with label Cardstock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cardstock. Show all posts

Thursday, May 17, 2018

May... National Scrapbooking Month, Dads, Vacations, Here Comes Summer!

We all pretty much see May as the herald of Summer. For many of us the weather has already turned warm, though here in the northeast, it feels more like spring. I'm a little behind in presenting the offerings from Close to My Heart, and I apologize. Family stuff.

But speaking of family, and upcoming vacations, get ready to show off those photos in the most flattering light! CTMH has got a set up for you! Just for National Scrapbooking Month; Postcard Perfect! And it IS perfectly summery. The Postcard Perfect Bundle includes a paper pack, stamp set, complements, coordinating paper, vellum, and 12" x 12" memory protectors. 


Just look at those tropical patterns, the colors, the flowers. I am so looking forward to working with this set!

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For those special scrapbook pages and cards to honor your dad, granddad, or father to be, there is the "Dad is Rad" workshop. The workshop kit contains a special stamp set, cardstock, embellishments and instructions to create three scrapbook pages and four cards.



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And as always, don't forget our Stamp of the Month! May's SotM is called Classic Summer Bash  and features all the refreshment that a jar of citrus punch or lemonade can offer. Ink up your next BBQ invites with this tasty set. Click the link above for all the details.

If you are interested in any of these sets, please click a link to order, or click here to visit my website to contact me for more information about becoming a consultant or hosting a gathering (not to order, I cannot accept direct orders). Thank you for visiting, you are a blessing to me.

Saturday, September 9, 2017

Falling for Fall

OK... yeah, I know, the title souns a bit cliche... but Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I love the colors changing in the trees, the crispness in the air, changing over the wardrobe. I love the seasons of change in general. It feels like an opportunity to make changes. Clean out rooms, closets, drawers.

This year will be a little different, there won't be as many leaves in our backyard to watch change and fall... we had most of our "woods" cleared out behind our house this summer. It was always very mushy back there, and a few larger trees were uncomfortably close to the house. We felt this would give an opportunity for the ground to dry out and us to let a few of the smaller trees fill out, plus clear off the big ones that were hanging over the deck. Downside, not as much color this fall.

I'll have to make my own color with my lovely inks. On the upside, I won't have to rake all that up and burn, mulch, or bag it.

September also brings Back to School, kids starting new schools, plans for upcoming holidays and the new Close to My Heart Holiday Expressions mini catalog.


Inside you will find all beautiful papers and stamps and embellishments to help make your holiday crafting easy and amazing!


Falling for you
Cats and Bats

Beary Christm
Silver and Gold

It's also National Stamping Month and there's a very special Stamp and Card making kit you can buy just this month. The kit creates twelve foil framed, interactive cards, that are stamped with multi layered stamps. You can also buy the stamp set and the card bases separately, but if you buy the kit, you will save 20%, and you can buy more card bases to make more cards when you finish your first kit. Don't be fooled, there are a LOT of stamps in this set!



You can order this lovely kit, or any of the papers above, along with complementary stamps and embellishments, on my Personal Business Site. You can also use this site to contact me and leave me a message with any questions or comments you have.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Pumpkin Spice Everything...

'Tis the season for Pumpkin Spice... in and on everything. After so many years, it's sort of annoying.
but I digress. I just wanted to use it as a title. lol

Pardon my late posting, I was in Florida at the beginning of the month, visiting family on the east coast. They are all safe, as are their neighbors. I was delayed getting home to my northern climes by a couple days, but it gave me the chance to help put the house shutters up before Matthew came to visit. Being an area watching all the hurricane prep was an interesting experience, and I continue to keep all of you who live in the hurricane belt in my thoughts.

Meanwhile, the month moved on and I neglected getting things updated here. eep. October has brought a new Stamp of the Month, Yuletide Joy (see the SoTM page and pic to the side), and a thrilling option for hostesses interested in signing on as a consultant.

For October - you can apply your Hostess Rewards to your consultant kit! See all the details here!  And I would love to have you on my team.



A sampling from the consultant kit.


Of course, being a hostess has always been a fabulous way to earn free products from Close to my Heart. Look at all the rewards you can get.... FREE! Being a hostess is easy, you can even have a gathering online, rather than in-home. Leave me a comment below



Big news! ALL - yes ALL the ink colors are now available in the New ink pad design! If you have been holding off buying ink-pads waiting for that great new magnetic inkpad... wait no more! At least pick up the Black. You will love it, I promise!



AND... I almost forgot this... The Happy Happy Christmas Album Bundle (say that five times fast, I dare you!). As if an album, protectors, cardstock, complements, Picture My Life cards, and My Crush pages... plus instructions on how to create five 2-page layouts for the album weren't enough. On top of that, there are instructions on how to create extra projects using the leftover materials. There are two album kits, one for post bound, and one for D-ring. links below, as well as the list of items for the extra projects.





Purchase one or more of the products below, and then follow the instructions to use your leftover supplies from the layouts to create even more Christmas crafts! 

• Designed Décor Red Magnetic Chalkboard (Z2006) • Display Tray (Z1750)• 5" × 7" Hinged Display Tray (Z1838)• Everyday Life™ Sea Glass Album Bundle (CC1181)



That's it for now, still trying to dig out of luggage (I hate unpacking as much as I hate packing), I always overpack! I'll create something to post this weekend....




Saturday, July 2, 2016

Summer Time, Lemonade and Retiring Stamps... not your usual combo...

For a lot of us, July =  middle of Summer Time. The kids are out of school (well, mine are all grown, but the kids where I work are gone), the weather may have finally settled into a summery pattern of warmth for most days, and cooking outside is more usual than not. Iced tea and lemonade are drinks of choice around my house.

It's also the last month for the Close to My Heart 2015-2016 Annual Inspirations catalog. And... This time around almost all the stamps are being retired. To put it another way, it was shorter for me to post a list of the stamp sets that were Not retiring, than the ones that were, LOL.



In addition to the stamps going buh-bye, all the paper sets, except for the solid colors, are also going to be changing. So if you like the Fundamentals sets, I recommend picking some up before the end of July. 
Also, the following Close To My Heart Exclusive inks and re-inkers will be retiring: Gypsy, Topiary, Pear, Honey, Sunset, Cotton Candy, Hollyhock.

Along with most of the decor, albums, a couple of shimmer trim colors, and 3 of the Cricut cartridge sets. But I can promise, the things that are coming in August - will wow you! I can't reveal yet, but oh my, so much lovely!

Anyway, in the meantime - happy shopping the retiring items and here's the Stamp of the Month!



It's called "From the Notebook" and is available July only, for $17.95. OR, for $5.00 with a $50 or more purchase. Stop by my online page and check out the entire catalog



One last thing. For the Month of July, if you sign up to be a consultant, you'll have the Early Bird opportunity to get some of the incoming products free with your New-Consultant kit. For more information, click here, or contact me. I'd love to have you on my team.




Thursday, March 3, 2016

It's StampaGanza-tastic!

Ok, so that title is a little over the top. I blame it on the beginnings of Spring Fever! It's been such a strange winter here in the north-east, I'm ready to be done with it. Bring on the budding trees and flowers!

But... It really is StampaGanza... from Close to My Heart anyway. For the whole month of March, when you buy two stamp sets, you can get a third one for FREE! Yes, I dared to say the "F" word - FREE! (disclaimer, lowest price stamp set will be the free one).
So, pull out that wish list you've had tucked in your journal, by the computer, or in your catalog, and go here, and bulk up your stamp stash!




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So I haven't been terribly creative lately; though I DID manage to put together a massive 36-card workshop designed my my wonderful upline Susan Williams (shout out, fist bump, she's awesome!).
I haven't "quite" finished it yet, because, silly me, I had forgotten to order the embellishments on my last order. Which causes me to point out... it's a great idea to ALWAYS have some extra embellishments on hand. I always order the new paper packs, because I never know what project I might be inspired to do, but I sometimes slack on ordering the embellishments. And this is where it leads. To not having them when I want them for a project. So, no pictures of it yet, though you can see it on her site if you are interested (she takes Much better pictures than I do - I'm learning).

However, I DO have a photo of the Adorable card I made with March's Stamp of the Month set "Sunshine Birdies" (yes, I think it's a touch out of focus). I just LOVE this set. This was for a set of baby shower thank you notes. It was just too perfect. (And they were appreciated). My materials list for this card is below the stamp set image. The "Thank you" stamp is from the 'Candlelight Garden' set, a past SOTM.




This stamp set is fabulous for coloring with our Shin-Han Twin Touch markers, Watercolor Paints, or Watercolor Pencils
For the card, I used; CTMH Exclusive Cardstock in Pixie, Pear and White Daisy, paper from the Kaleidoscope paper pack,  CTMH Exclusive Inks in Pixie, Pear and Gypsy, and a non-CTMH white card base with a deco edge.

The Stamp of the Month is only available in March, for $17.95 USD. Or, with a $50 (or more) purchase, you can buy this sweet set for only $5. If you'd like this or any other stamp set, or materials, please visit my OBA (Online Business Address), to make a secure purchase. If you have any questions or comments, please drop me a note, I'll answer as soon as possible.

Happy Spring and Happy Stamping!



Sunday, November 8, 2015

Get Ready, It's Coming!

Before you know it, the new year will be here! The November Stamp of the Month, Cheers - 2016! is all about celebrating the incoming New Year. It's great for scrapbook pages, as well as for making cards for those who don't (or didn't get around to) sending out December Holiday cards. My sister has been sending New Year cards for years now. I keep saying I am going to adopt the idea, but I just love Christmas stamps... anyway... Cheers!

Some images from the Close to My Heart website:

This stamp set just screams for using some glitter paper or shimmer trim, lots of sparkle and sequins.
What a great way to send off some holiday photos to family and friends, or remember the New Year's Day Dreams you plan with your family.

Speaking of PLANNING... Stay tuned... in the next week or two, definitely before the end of the month... Close to My Heart is introducing a Planner! I'm really excited about this. I'm a little late spreading the news (it was on the CTMH Blog on November 2, 2015), but I will surely not be when it's available! It was previewed at the AustralAsia convention to rave reviews, and has been the buzz of the CTMH Facebook groups ever since. There will be a package deal to start with, so definitely mark it in your current planner to be ready to jump on this opportunity!

This month there is a fabulous special going on for scrapbookers! The Simply Fundamental Scrapbooking Bundles are available only the month of November, and will give you a great jump start on your holiday and 2016 scrapbooking. Here's all you get in a bundle ($71.80 USD):
  • 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) 

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Today I finally opened my White Pines paper pack and made some Christmas cards. 

I recently got the "Believe in Christmas" My Acrylix Stamp Set, available in the Holiday Expressions catalog. I love all the sayings. After much staring at the paper pack, and Pinterest, I finally came up with this - which was inspired by... nothing I saw, lol. 




I laid all 3 sentiments on one block and stamped them at an angle in Chocolate ink on one edge of Colonial White cardstock, then again down the other side, offsetting them so they were next to a different saying. I used a small pine branch from another set in Fern ink to add a little color to that piece of cardstock, then I layered it onto a piece of Cranberry cardstock
I stamped the banner in gold pigment ink on a cut out banner and heat embossed it with antique gold embossing powder (it looks chocolate in this photo). 
I used the "Seasons" stamp set that comes with the Art Philosophy Cricut Collection to stamp the tree. I topped off one tree with a small wooden partridge (or maybe it's a dove?), and the other with a star, just for variation. And I gave one of the trees and the banner some dimension with foam tape. The banner and trees were cut out of Colonial White cardstock using my Cricut Expression and Art Philosophy and Artistry cartridges.
Finally, I doodled around the edge in black (I wish I had used brown), and added some gold sequins for ornaments on the tree.

There are other really pretty papers in this pack, and I plan to create some scrapbook pages soon. The complements that are available are so cute! White Pines set.


Friday, July 3, 2015

Jumping July

Happy July!

The busiest part of my work year is behind me… yayyyyy (Can you picture me flailing around like a happy Kermit the Frog? Lol) Now I can enjoy a little of summer.

In my crafting world… a lot of my Close to My Heart team mates are getting ready to head off to Convention in a week out in Anaheim. I am envious. Not because they are going to California, though I would love the chance to go to Disney, but because they are going to get to see the new catalog line first!!!! I’ll get to see it soon enough, but I can’t share it with you until September…

But, meanwhile, in the present time, July, there’s a new Stamp of the Month, and of course, a new promotion. And it’s really good, I have to say. The stamp of the month is called “Life is Wonderful”. It’s kind of geared towards scrapbooking, but when I played with it, I made cards. Lol. I just didn’t feel the scrapping vibe today.

The Month-long promotion is called “Jump on it July”. And you might really want to jump on it! During the month of July, when you purchase $25 (USD & CAD) in current, retail priced stamps, you qualify to receive either the July Stamp of the Month, Life is Wonderful, FREE, or any of the Hostess Rewards stamp sets featured in the Annual Inspirations 2014-2015 or Seasonal Expressions 2 for only $5 (USD & CAD)!

This is such a great time to build up your stamp library, and get hold of one of those hostess sets that you may have been longing for, but felt were out of reach.



So, on to the cards:

The first two I used the SoTM primarily, then I started branching off with the hostess stamps. I will list the supplies of each. Some things are not available however, as they were from the Deal of the Day box I got a couple months ago.




I decided to try the chalkboard look with the SotM, since I hadn't used my White Daisy Ink pad much. I chose to use a dark blue card stock that came to hand, I don’t think it’s CTMH (I recently came across a pile of office supply cardstock samples in my cupboard), but Outdoor Denim would work beautifully, I used a White Daisy card base. I used Outdoor Denim Exclusive Ink for the Wonderful, on White Daisy cardstock, and popped that out with foam dots. I had some of this curly-cue shimmer trim from some dollar-store haul that I thought would go well with the ‘Wonderful’, so I used that along the side (it did not peel off the plastic easily, I do not recommend it). Finished with three silver sequins to balance the bling on the other side. I thought this might be a good announcement card.



I made the next card using papers from the Jackson paper pack, Lagoon and Colonial White cardstock, and Lagoon, Black and Desert Sand Exclusive Inks. This is a more masculine card, so I kept embellishment to a minimum, using a metal badge button that came in my Deal of the Day. I used the Hostess set ‘A Thing Well Done’ as well as the SotM ‘Life is Wonderful’. Inside, I used the Congratulations stamp from the hostess set. A great Graduation, promotion, or even retirement card.



For this card I used the Hostess stamp, 'Exotic Flower', I just love this stamp. When I got it, I was inspired to pull out some old kaleidoscope ink pads that I had tucked away in my cupboard forever. I played around with them every which way I could think of with this stamp, creating some lovely effects (as shown by the assorted examples included in the picture).
For this card, I pulled out one of the pre-stamped ones that coordinated with Lagoon cardstock. Because of the size of the stamp, I felt it should go on a square card.  I used the curlicue corners from the SotM ‘Life is Wonderful’ as accents, and grabbed the saying from the Hostess set ‘Tagged With Love’. I popped that up with foam tape. Finally I added a crystal flower to the middle (another embellishment from the Deal of the Day box). There’s no sentiment inside, but I repeated a couple of the corner curlicues.

I hope you like these cards, please leave me a comment. You can get most of the supplies to make these cards by following the links listed, or this link to my OBA. If you have any questions, leave me a comment or send me an email and I will answer as soon as possible.


I’ll be making more cards and layouts using other Hostess sets soon, so check back again, or follow me to get notifications. Thanks for reading!

Friday, May 29, 2015

Summer’s Sweet Taste…

May has flyown by, and I had promised photo layouts with the wonderful Taste of Summer papers (which are only available for a couple more days).

Inspiration came hard. I just had the toughest time cutting into these pretty papers! I recently bought another one of Close to My Heart's wonderful How-To books, called CherishOh, am I happy that I got it! It has lots of lovely layouts and includes the exact cutting guides and measurements for each page. Of course, you can change them up and rotate them and make them your own, and I did. I found a couple of layouts I liked and here are the results.

The first one uses the pretty Lemon print, the one with the purple on the other side. To coordinate, I picked Juniper cardstock from the Whimsy Combo collection.


I was in such a hurry to get this blogged, I forgot to doodle around the white cardstock photo/journal spots! I'm also pretty sure I will do a little more embellishing when I get around to finally adding photos, and a title and putting them into an album. But you get the idea.If you look closely, you can just see the shine on the lemon that I used Liquid Glass on, on the right hand page. I used it on the lemons in the upper left hand page too, but the camera didn't catch the shine as well. The lemons were stamped using the coordinating stamp set, Taste of Summer. It's also only available for a couple more days. (There's a picture of it in my last post)

I really, really, love this paper pack. I could spend all summer playing with it (if only I didn't have things like a job and housework interrupting my days). 

Here's the other set of pages I created, using the luscious strawberry and orange blossom papers from the set. I added a sheet of Sweet Leaf cardstock, also from the Whimsy Combo pack. I used Liquid Glass again, on the strawberries, which were stamped using the Taste of Summer stamp set. Again, I was rushing, so I didn't take the time to get a title on this page, but I am thinking of using my Cricut to make a "So Berry Sweet" that will stretch across the upper left page. Most of the Sweet Leaf spots are mats for photos or journal cards that I will add later, along with some other stamping and a few more embellishments.


I know these are pretty simple, and they were pretty quick to put together once I decided which layouts to use. The Cherish How To book really made it simple to follow. 

If you have been thinking of this paper, there's no more time to be on the fence about it. The promotion ends in just a couple of days and then the bright, summery paper is gone, along with the summery stamp set that was made just for it. My last post has some cute cards I made with some of the other patterns, along with a picture of the stamp set, as well as the stamp of the month.


You can order any of these items on my OBA by clicking here. If you have any questions about the above layouts, please leave me a comment. I'll answer as soon as I can. 

(Remember the Just Sayin' Stamp of the Month is only available for May. You can pick up your own for only $5 with a $50 purchase! (Or for $17.95 on it's own) Be sure to contact your Close To My Heart Independent Consultant before the end of May.  If you don't already have a consultant, I'd love to be yours.

As for the reason this is so late in getting done and posted; my younger daughter (who lives half the country away) surprised us by showing up to visit for a week! A fun time was had by all, and chaos ensued!

Sunday, May 3, 2015

May is National Scrapbooking Month!





May is National Scrap-booking Month.
As you know, I haven't been actively scrapping. This month’s Stamp Of The Month (Just Sayin') is designed for scrap-booking, so I felt I should create a photo layout.
 
I needed some inspiration, so I took a Blog Hop tour. If you've never been on a blog hop, they are a great way to be inspired! 
(the way it works is you start with one blog, and it will link you to the next one in the hop. And they are all using the same stamp or papers for that "hop"). Here’s where I usually start: If you Bling It.   

I also love to blog hop to see how others are using the stamp set. They’ll look at the same stamps in TOTALLY different ways! For example; I had never thought of flipping the stamp over and sticking it ‘design side’ to the acrylic block. (though it was a totally “duh” moment as soon as I read it). You’ll get the same shape as a stamp, without the design… a couple of the bloggers did that in their designs. BRILLIANT! And not something you can do with wood-block stamps. And of course, it only works with symmetrical stamps (like many of the shapes in this stamp set). I love new techniques!

This month's stamp set: These are not only great images for photo layouts. They are great on cards, adding a little extra to a set of pocket pages, gift bags, all those little things that we paper crafters come up with. As every month, the Stamp of the Month set is $17.95 or $5 with a $50 purchase. 


Anyway, you're probably wanting to see the full pictures of my project... and here I have been keeping you waiting. Well, I got SO much inspiration, I created a photo layout page with leftover Blossom paper from the pages I worked on before. Then I made a card, definitely getting inspiration from several of the cards I saw along the blog hop (thank you ladies!). I used my Cricut to cut out a slew of 1 inch triangles and 1 inch circles, and then stamped them up using Pear, Honey, and Smoothie Exclusive Inks. I ended up using some of the circles on the photo layout, and the triangles on the card. (I have a bunch of each left, still un-stamped, for other projects).

Once I started stamping elements to use on this layout, I really went crazy, I stamped all of them in several colors and then chose the one that I liked best. I have lots left that I can use on other projects.
Something I saw done on one layout (by Angela White of www.luvz2scrapbook.com) was to use the Liquid Glass over the stamped elements to make your own enamel look pieces for your layouts. Angela had made quite a few for her page, and it was really stunning. The other idea I saw was on jd designs blog, to use the 1 inch clear epoxy done stickers (that are meant for finishing off DIY bottlecap embellishments) on the circles to make your own "flair". Either way it's done, they look great! I recommend a to visit their blogs!


After I was done with my photo layout, I was still full of ideas from the Blog Hop, so I went ahead and made this card:


I purposely left the exact sentiment of the card blank. It could be a birthday, baby congrats, thank you, promotion, graduation, anything. I used the "This Day" stamp from the February SOTM "Choose Happy", but there are many small sayings in the catalog that would fit.

Here's a complete list of the materials used in the projects above:

Both:
May SoTM  - Just Sayin' S1505 - $17.95 (or $5 with a $50 order)
Daisy White Cardstock 1388 - $9.50 (24 sheet pack)

'You & Me' Scrap-book Layout:
Kraft Cardstock Z1375 - $9.50 (24 sheet pack)

'This Day' Card:
Pear Cardstock - X5935 $14.50 (Adventure Paper pack - 2 ea of 10 colors)

Pick up your own Stamp of the Month for only $17.95 OR get it for only $5 with a $50 purchase! Be sure to contact your Close To My Heart Independent Consultant before the end of May.  If you don't already have a consultant, I'd love to be yours.  You can find details on the "Stamp of the Month" by clicking on the "Stamp of the Month" at top of the page on the right or purchase your SOTM here. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Coming up next will be The Taste of Summer papers - a very Special Paper pack only being offered by CTMH this month! They are perfect for creating layouts to memorialize those sweet summer memories. Or to create some bright and cheerful cards to send off to make someone's day!



Please take a moment or two to check out the rest of my blog.  If you enjoy your visit, then please consider "following" me by email, and/or leaving a comment.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

My First Scrap-booking Workshop.... Blossom!

I have to say, I had forgotten how tough it can be to work on scrap-book layouts. I haven't worked on my scrap-books in... years. Yep, my photos are piling up, badly. I'm grateful for my digital camera, because now they can pile up on my external hard drive. Let's put it this way, the last time I worked diligently on my scrap-book... that popular company... you know the one I mean... was still under it's original ownership... Yeah... it's been a Lonnnnng time.

So, I've been sort of putting off doing any layouts since I joined Close to My Heart. Just working on cards, loving the My Acrylix stamps and all the gorgeous papers.  And maybe I could have bought one of the scrap-booking Workshops on the Go and dipped my toe in the water that way, or I could have tried out someone else's layout packages. But noooo, I decided to dive into the deep end, grab a paper packet, the complements for said paper pack, some coordinating sequins, my pencil, graph paper.. and go for it. And finally, I am done. I have a bit of paper left, and will probably create two more bonus pages, and maybe some cards. Soon. But here's are the three two-page layouts I have done. I'm really pleased with the way this Workshop turned out. I hope you are too.




While the white mats are meant for photos, obviously, one or more of them could also be used for journaling the story. And you could leave them off and just put the photos there if you didn't want to mat them. It was a very new concept for me to be creating a page with the paper instead of photos as my inspiration. Please leave me a comment and tell me what you think.

Here's a list of the supplies needed, all from Close to My Heart (not including adhesive.)

Gold Shimmer Trim #Z1985 $4.95
I also used a couple extra sheets of White Daisy cardstock. 24 sheets #1385 $9.50
If you don't already have a stash of this, it's well worth it to grab a pack. I promise you, you will use 
it.

I will send the instruction files and cutting guide via email to anyone who orders the workshop supplies (or any $25 order) via my CTMH Shopping site. The files include ta Welcome letter/Cover sheet, the color guide, photo suggestions, additional notes and tips to assist with the workshop completion, Color photos of each page, and the bonus layout and card instructions (that I haven't finished yet, but will photograph and include ASAP.)