Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Pop and Twist Calendar 2017

I try to come up with a different calendar idea every year. This year a few pop & twist card ideas were trending on the internet, so it was fitting that I designed a similar concept for my calendar this year. I taught this as a class last week and it was a big success. Here are my calendar samples using the Swan Lake collection and a sneak peek at a brand new collection coming in January!


This one is already sitting at home in my freshly cleaned scrapbook room! This is a new paper collection called Dreamin' Big that you will see in the Winter/Spring Seasonal Expressions Idea Book. You can get your hands on this gorgeous paper starting January 1st.


Here are a few more of the calendars made by the ladies. Each kit was different and used various collections of paper and embellishments. Look closely as you may see a few more sneak peeks!


The total dimensions of this calendar is 5 x 7 so you can lay it down flat and place it in an envelope for easy mailing. To display you simply lift on the top piece, slightly twist and it holds in place by the post-it note pad and embellishments if desired. Here are some quick dimensions to get you started on making one of your own.

Base cardstock measures 5 x12, score at 7 inches. Then turn at a diagonal on you paper trimmer or score board and make a score line from the bottom corner to the top of the side that now measures 5x5, creating two triangles.



Place glue on the bottom triangle that gets folded and twisted up towards the base, not on both triangles! You will then place another piece of matching cardstock that measures 5x7 to the top where you placed glue, making certain to line up the top with the bottom piece.

 
All that is left is to decorate with coordinating patterned papers and embellishments. Don't forget your calendar and post-it note pad. {It is best to use red line glue to keep a secure hold as the calendar will be displayed somewhat vertically.} I get my calendars from Taylored Expressions. We also decorated a pen to match for writing down those important thoughts!

Thanks for stopping by. Let me know if you make a Pop & Twist calendar!

Monday, December 12, 2016

'Tis the Season for Homemade Mini's

I love making homemade keepsakes, especially for the Holidays. I like to look back each Christmas to see what old traditions we still celebrate or to see the new memories we created. Sometimes I don't keep my own handmade treasure, rather I pass them along as special gifts to someone I love. I shared this mini album with my customers using a combination of Artbooking album pages with the newest Cricut City Sidewalks collection.







Did you see all the fun shapes from the cartridge along with some of the City Sidewalks Complements? They all played together very well in this mini album!

Don't forget that these collection will retire at the end of the month!

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Christmas Card Buffet

I recently hosted my first ever card buffet. I created a dozen different Christmas cards with a huge variety of themes from reindeer to gingerbread men and even a VW bug!? The ladies had 2 hours to create and the more they made the more savings the earned per card. It was hit overall and everyone really had fun!

Here is a picture of the cards, minus one that was left out of the photo.~


This picture illustrates how the cards were set in crates or boxes with kits to make the card along with the materials needed to complete it. Most required a stamp set and inks, but others needed thin cuts, markers, craft heaters, embossing folders and more.


Here are the ladies having fun, but mostly getting to work....serious business you know!


One of the aspects that the ladies enjoyed the most is that all the ideas were already thought of for them. The could simply look at the master card and recreate it. I try to come up with interesting ideas and wanted to explore all sorts of stamp images as well as use a variety of papers. Sometimes the ideas came from strange items. Like the Merry VW bug card. On a recent shopping trip to Michaels I came across these adorable magnetic closing boxes for 50% off. The image of the little cars decked out for the holidays was my inspiration for this card. I think the post office should seriously make this a stamp design. I would buy it! None of these card kits were left in the box...well not many cards were left at all at the end of the night!


Happy crafting!

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Meaningful Gifts

This month, save 30% on the supplies you need to make fun and easy mini albums that make perfect gifts!



Here are three easy gifting ideas for these albums:
  • Complete an album for your bestie including some pictures of the fun times you’ve shared.
  • Give the supplies themselves as a gift, letting the recipient determine what photos and memories they will preserve.
  • Give yourself the gift of beautifully preserved photos by printing out your favorite photos from your phone and making an album for yourself!
Take a look at all the bundles you can purchase~


Blue Jean Mini Album Bundle


Blush Mini Album Bundle



Adventure Mini Album Bundle

(choose 6x8, 4x6, or 3x4 memory protectors)


Shop online for full details and pricing! Happy gifting!

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

City Sidewalks Cricut Christmas Cards

The City Sidewalks Cricut Collection has some really cute images on it. I already showed you the little neighborhood of houses in the 3D frame. I wanted to also showcase more of these images in some cards that I displayed at a recent class. Here is a close up of the cards featuring a decorated mailbox, a cute pup,  a charming Santa, and a festive wreath!





You can cut these images to any size you wish, so think outside the standard card and go big! All of these cards feature the City Sidewalks paper making everything blend perfectly.

Get this collection before its gone. Items available until the end of December!

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

City Sidewalks Christmas Frame

Recently I held a City Sidewalks Christmas inspired class. I focused on the entire City Sidewalks collection from the whimsical papers to the super fun Cricut collection! I showcased a range of projects using all of these products and our class project was a 3D frame with a snowy Christmas neighborhood scene.

Here is just one of the tables all set up for class~


No party is complete without some yummy treats to snack on while we create!


Here is the main table I had set up to show all of the projects I created. It's full of inspiring ideas; scrapbook layouts, picture my life layout, mini scrapbook, and cards using stamped images as well as Cricut cut images. All of the projects featured some embellishments to coordinate from ribbon to Washi tape to sparkly chipboard complements! I will give you a closer look at these projects in the coming days.


Here is a close-up of the frame we made. These are 5x7 shadow box frames that I found at Ikea. The snowflakes and car are popped up from the background giving the scene more dimension. The Winter Wonderland tag is from the City Sidewalks Cricut collection.


I am entering the frame in the Anything BUT a card challenge over on Heart 2 Heart Challenges this week. I think I must create a new home decor item every Christmas and this one will forever make me smile! {I just like to smile, smiling is my favorite! ~ Buddy the Elf}

Monday, November 7, 2016

Golden Pine Cones

I just returned my spooky Halloween decor to the storage boxes and yet I found myself shopping over the weekend listening to Christmas music playing throughout the store! What? I still have Halloween candy in a bowl on my kitchen counter and we haven't eaten any turkey yet! Then again, I do realize the time it takes to prepare for Christmas~ all those handmade cards, projects and scrapbook pages waiting to be filled with memories. That is why you will find Christmas papers and stamps filling every inch of my desk.

Today I'm sharing one of the cards I made with a sketch in mind from Freshly Made Sketches Blog. I wanted to submit it, but simply ran out of time to photograph and post it earlier before the deadline. I used the lovely Oh Deer papers and some of the complements. I used the Perfectly Pine stamp with those sea glass branches, but instead of just stamping the pine cones I opted for some golden kraft complements. I also used a bit of some Uptown gold embossed polka dot paper layered on some sea glass Oh Deer papers. The shiny gold is just lovely and makes me warm up to the idea of Christmas music playing in the stores already!



I hope you are inspired to use some of these paper collections and the Perfectly Pine stamp set. These products will only be available until the end of December. Thanks for visiting!

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

November will make you Happy, Happy!

Not only do you have a festive Stamp of the Month to choose in November, but you can also get a head start on your Christmas projects with a very merry bundle.


 Get into the holiday spirit with several holiday crafting projects featuring our Happy, Happy Christmas products. It all starts with one of our featured album bundles, which saves you 10% off the retail price of a collection of awesome crafting supplies. These bundles contain everything you need to create five 2-page scrapbooking layouts, with enough left over to keep your holiday crafting going! Start by choosing your album bundle:D-Ring or Post Bound

Your Price: $69.95


Here are all the layouts you can create with this bundle~


Talk about getting your entire Holiday season scrapbooked! Plus, the workshop includes all sorts of home decor projects as well. You will have the option to add the Everyday Life Album, Magnetic Chalkboard, 13x13 Display Tray and the 5x7 Hinged Display Tray. All of these items are at a discounted price to add on to your bundle. You can also download a complete guide to make all of these projects. These will make incredible Christmas gifts too!

See a sample of all these projects online here. Be sure to check out the Stamp of the Month while your there.



This Stamp of the Month is ready for any celebration you plan on throwing! Get more details on the Current Specials tab at the top.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Halloween Step Cards

I like the center and side step card design, because they are like displays of art. They are not your ordinary card and they easily set up on a shelf to become a work of art and not just a card. Here are a couple I created for Halloween.



Do you remember the Purrfect Halloween stamp of the month? I'm still putting it to good use!



Not just a card anymore, little works of art to decorate for the holiday! I hope you found some inspiration here today! Have a safe and happy Halloween!


Thursday, October 27, 2016

Twist and Pop Halloween Cards

I love interactive or moving cards. They are fun to make and I think that the recipient enjoys the surprise within them! When I first saw a Twist and Pop card on Instagram, I wanted to give it a try!

I made a few of them recently with different Halloween themes. I enjoyed mixing old papers and stamps to make each one unique.

This one has some adorable little creatures and an unexpected, non~Halloween paper mix!


Here is the card popped open~


and a close up on those silly skeletons~


This one has an old Scaredy Cat Halloween paper collection and a Spooky Night scene!


A haunted house popping out at you~


A close up~

Finally, there's nothing like a punny witch card!


Don't you just love this little witch and that sentiment is sweet!

A close up on that cuteness~


I'm done twisting and popping for now, but I'll return with a few more Halloween cards to inspire you just in time for tricks and treats!

Friday, October 21, 2016

New Items Available

Close To My Heart has some new items available now that are not in the Annual or Holiday Idea Books. I'm also happy to tell you that all of the exclusive ink colors are now available to order in the new magnetic packaging. Check out all the new products online.


Are you a planner? Brand new coloring planner pages are here! The Stripe or Sea Glass album with planner pages bundle is $31.90. You can get just get the pages for $16.95/

Bundle includes the Everyday Life™ stripes album (Z9979) and the 2017 planner pages (CC2017), which come with a clear pencil bag and three gold paperclips.

Available for a limited time, so get it while you can!

 Do you love Thin Cuts? Do you wish we had more of them? Wish granted! There are four new Thin Cuts that coordinate with stamps sets from the Annual Inspirations. Check them all out online!