Faux Quilting

I knew I wanted the Stitched Quilt Thin Cut Shapes the moment I saw them in the new book. Evidently, so did everyone else as they sold out and may not be available until the end of March! However, my ladies will get the chance to still play with these dies and make a few cute cards that are quilted with love!

Here is a close-up of the dies and a couple of cards I made. You can see that there are a few shapes that you get on one magnetic sheet. The possiblities are vast, not only for cardmaking, but for your scrapbook pages too! I will be back soon to show a layout I created using the die cuts.

Please check back on my website late March for the availability of these dies. You will want these in your stash!

August Specials Galore

This month you will find several specials that will spark your creativity and keep you crafting all month long, or possibly all year long!

Craft with Heart

I posted about the newest subscription program a few days ago. Starting today you can subscribe to this awesome club! The 12 month plan is available now. {The monthly and 4 month plan will be available starting September 1st.}

Here are some details:

         12-month subscription~ $172.32 USD/249.60 CAD

Total savings:Save 20% on twelve layout kits! 

You pay $14.36 USD/$20.80 CAD per kit

Plus:

FREE shipping! Save $59.40 USD/$120 CAD on shipping over the entire year

And:

Receive a code from Persnickety Prints in every box for 30 free 4" x 6" prints!

   What is included in a Craft with Heart™ layout kit?

The Craft with Heart™ subscription sends you a Cut Above® layout kit

for every month. Each kit comes with pre-printed base pages, paper pieces, 

die-cuts, and stickers to make two scrapbook layouts, plus three 12" x 12" Memory Protectors™. 

 You can get more details and sign up for your first amazing box by visiting my website and clicking on the "Craft with Heart" link under the "Products Tab". 

Close to My Heart is bringing back the popular Magical paper packet for an August special! This paper packet has been updated with new colors and will be available during August and September along with an exclusive pack of cardstock in coordinating colors and an exclusive stamp set! We’ll also be offering a workshop kit that includes the paper packet, stamp set, and other materials you’ll need for creating four two-page layouts and eight cards (four each of two designs).

As part of the More Magical special, anyone who signs up to be a Consultant during August or who hosts a qualifying party will receive a FREE More Magical paper packet! You can see all the details and that exclusive stamp set on my website!

August will also see the introduction of the You’ve Got Class special, which features an exclusive paper packet, made up of selected papers from the Seasonal Expressions 2 paper collections. These papers have been selected and grouped together with a coordinating cardstock pack, an exclusive new stamp set, and a set of True Fit Folios to create an exclusive workshop kit that will provide you with the materials to create an album of 14 single page layouts to preserve photos and memorabilia from a child's K-12 school years.

Whether you have children just starting out on their educational journey or a senior on the verge of graduating this kit will help you to preserve the memories that are fleeting or will fleet so very fast! Find more details online. This kit will be available until September 30th.

The Here's to You special is still available until the end of this month and of course there is a fun Stamp of the Month!You can get the For the Love of Crafting stamp set for just $5 with a qualifying purchase until August 31st.

I will have more artwork of this stamp set and other specials coming soon, stay tuned!

Rainbow of Ice Cream

Have you ordered a rainbow of crafting goodness yet? May I tempt you with some ice cream?

I used some older papers and stamps to create these delicious cards, but you can easily create these cards with an array of colorful cardstocks. Paper bundles are all on sale this month.

I had a lot of fun coloring these images with the Shinhan Touch markers. Why not add a ton of color to all of your summer projects!

See all of the sale offers online here. Happy crafting!

Magical Universal Studios

I had a post before on my Blog about how the Magical papers are great for more than just your Disney vacations. Here is a layout I finally got around to creating with the iconic Universal Studios globe and some pics from the entry gate. As you will see, these papers and complements worked perfectly for this theme park, no mouse required! {Check out my post with more Universal Studios pictures and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter here.}

On the left side of the layout I chose some nice big block letters for my title. I used the globe from the new Smarty Pants stamp set to replicate the photo background. I decided to emboss it in a little bit of silver and gold like the big one. It also complemented the arrow from the Magical accessories. You will see I added lots of the little embellishments from that collection with the banners, arrows, hearts, stars and camera. However, the blue picks with the Universal Studios emblem on it came from some sandwiches we had at lunch! ;)

A closer look at the embossed globe and the hint of color in the block letters of the title.

On the right side of the layout I showcased some great pictures of my kids at the entry gates. I wanted to focus on our passes to get in the front of the line. The journaling at the bottom tells the story of how we were treated like celebrities with our passes and never had to wait in line all day! I also kept the passes and displayed them in a 4x6 flip flap.

Under the flip flap of passes is a fun Magical PML card dressed up with some embellishments and under that is a photo of my daughter trying out a director's chair. *ACTION* Those flip flaps are such a magical surprise on any layout!

You can order the Magical papers and complements online here. Don't wait too long, they will be magically disappearing at the end of July!

Enjoy the Ride {in a cute two-toned van!}

Today I have a card using the stamp of the month and the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches. I just can't get enough of this stamp set. I have done some random stamping in colors, but fell in love with just the gray tones. A neutral background really let my two-toned van stand out on this card. I used some fun star paper from Magical and some yellow twine looks like the lines on the road.

I used some liquid glass on the blue portion of the van to make it look like a nice new paint job!

Get The Long Way Home stamp of the month before the end of June. You can order online here.

For the Fellas

Recently I held a card class with the focus on masculine cards. I made sure to keep them manly, but colorful still! The Magical and Urban papers were perfect for achieving this as well as the Stamp of the Month, The Long Way Home. I am also entering the last card pictured in Heart 2 Heart challenges this week for their theme, "the ties that bind", you'll see why. Take a look~

Some other stamp sets that were really handy for these cards were A Day for Dad and Beyond Awesome. Father's Day is coming fast, I hope some of these cards inspired you to create the perfect "manly" card!

Congrats Smarty Pants!

The theme last week on Heart 2 Heart Challenges is a "congratulations" theme! Perfect timing for all those High School and college grads! I just celebrated my nephew's graduation this past weekend. While celebrating with him and his family, we came to the realization that several of the cousins were going to be graduating back to back for at least the next 4 years! So why not make a few graduation cards to prepare and since my own daughter will be one of the graduates next year, she was my inspiration for these cards. I like to call them the Smarty Pants Series!

I made a total of 4 cards that all vary in size, but carry the same theme by using the papers from the Magical collection, the eye glasses cut on the Cricut Artistry cartridge and images stamped from the new Smarty Pants MyAcrylix stamp set.

Pretty cute collection of cards to celebrate that super smart graduate on their success! Be sure to visit the Heart 2 Heart Blog to see how others celebrated this theme!

You can order the Cricut cartridges, Magical papers and the Smarty Pants stamp set online here.

Best Pop Ever!

Today I am playing along with Freshly Made Sketches. I am already preparing for Father's Day which will be here before we know it! I don't normally have many masculine cards in my stock, so this was a start to creating a few cards for use in the near future. I used the new Day for Dad stamp set that is available in the latest Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book. I love the images and quirky sentiments on this stamp.

On this sketch I used some Magical papers and popped the super cute bottle image in the center focus of my card. I did a little fussy cutting and stamping on the bottle to get the final look I wanted. I also found that if I placed my cardstock in the right spot of the confetti embossing folder, it would look just like the sparkling fizz in a soda bottle.

You can find this stamp set and all the new papers online or in the newest Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book.

Make it Magical

I introduced you to the bright and colorful Calypso through a layout made for summer! You also said "Hello!" to the gorgeous Florence papers. Today I am making some magic with the fun and playful paper collection called Magical.

If you are a theme park enthusiast like me you are going to love this collection. In the Idea Book many of the layouts featured photo's with those famous mouse ears indicating that they were perfect for Disneyland theme park vacations. From the stamps available and the accessories that coordinate with this paper it definitely speaks the magic known to Disney.

However, our family recently ventured to a theme park full of a different kind of magic! For the first time ever we visited Universal Studios Hollywood in California where they recently opened the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter. As you will see the Magical papers complimented this theme park just as well as Disneyland.

Take a closer look at how I showcased a couple of postcards purchased at the Owl Post in Hogsmeade.

I used some very old metal hinges that I broke in half and fastened them tightly on the top and bottom of the cards with a couple of brads. It was just enough to hold them in place, yet I can remove them easily to see the front of the cards and the special Hogsmeade postmark stamp on the back!

The Magical papers were also a lot of fun for scrapbooking some of the other lands and attractions at Universal Studios.

From Wizards to Minions this paper truly is Magical and will make your fun family vacations more memorable!

For more artwork ideas look online at my website, Pinterest or you can search #ctmhmagical on Instagram.

Introducing...Magical, Calypso & Florence!

Have you met the new paper collections? You can view the new paper collections in the Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book now online. Here are the stars featured in this newest book~

Magical

 Featured Colors: Black, Cranberry, Crystal Blue, Honey, Sapphire, Whisper, White Daisy

Calypso

Featured Colors: Black, Cotton Candy, Honey, Lagoon, Pear

Florence

Featured Colors: Flaxen, Peacock, Poppy, Ruby, Saffron, Whisper

All of the paper collections come with 2 double sided sheets with 6 designs in a 12x12 size, plus one sheet that can be cut apart to create Picture My Life cards in 4x6 and 3x4 sizes. Stay tuned as I will show some projects using paper from all of these collections!

See more details of these papers and complements online or get the Idea Book for yourself!

Beyond Awesome!

In the new Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book you will find some very cool stamp sets. One in particular is Beyond Awesome! I love the sentiments in this set. They will be perfect for all sorts of occasions. Here is a card I made for the Freshly Made Sketches using this stamp set with some new Magical paper and complements.

See more of these brand new products in the SE2 Idea Book. You can click on the image of the book in the right side column to view online.