No More Teens!

Back in early March a thought came into my mind as I was working. The following day would be my daughter's birthday. My youngest child was turning 20! I no longer have young children, no more teenagers, my kids aren't kids anymore! I'll remind you that I work at an elementary school and as I had these thoughts I happened to be working with a kindergarten student. Where did the time go? I suppose I know the answer, but how does it happen so fast?

Moments like this make me grateful that I kept scrapbooks throughout all the years. I can fondly look back at all the memories and see how much everyone has changed. I certainly don't want to stop preserving the memories as new moments are on the horizon. I look forward to the new adventures!

My now 20 year old daughter seeks her own adventures as well! Away at college we were not able to spend the day with her, but she made the most of it with a close friend taking photo's to capture the milestone. I printed the pictures she sent me and created some beautiful pages of my beautiful daughter on her special day!

This single page was inspired by a couple of similar designs on Instagram and the Internet. I knew that I had to incorporate a rounded floral design and the bold "Beautiful" title from the So Much Happy collection!

Here is the page with the photo's added. These were my two favorite pics.

I chose to print these in black and white so they did not distract from the pretty colors of the page. I added in some more chipboard and sticker flowers from the complements.

Here is the complimenting page with some more photos from the day. These I left in color as the location has such gorgeous scenery!

The So Much Happy paper collection and coordinating embellishments will be available until the end of this month.

Be sure to preserve those magical milestones. The precious moments in our lives are fleeting fast!

Christmas Blessings

Sending Christmas Blessings

 

We are rapidly approaching the most wonderful time of the year, and we know how crafters like to plan ahead. That's why Close To My Heart has posted the new Christmas Blessings card workshop, featuring an exclusive My Acrylix® stamp set designed especially for the Christmas season. Create the set of 12 cards shown above using the materials in the discounted Christmas Blessings bundle plus a few additional supplies.

Get more details online here.

No Tricks Just Treats

Halloween will be here before we know it! Be sure to get the Stamp of the Month for September as it has a great sentiment that you can use on your Halloween cards. The Hello Pumpkin Paper collection works really well with the stamp set and can be combined with other spooky colors as you will see on these cards.

I used the same pattern for all 3 cards. {Make It from Your Heart Vol. 4, Pattern 10, page 24} You can simply leave your card colors as the traditional orange and black, or mix in some Lagoon and a purple (pansy or thistle works well) and you really get a pop!

Aren't those fun! Come back soon and I'll show you more cards I created with this special stamp set that you can get this month only at a discounted price of only $5!

Boutique Cardmaking

I held a class Friday making a couple of cards using the Boutique Cardmaking stamp set and papers. In my post featuring those cards I promised that I would have more cards to show you using that stamp set. My ladies got the first look and I think they really liked all the ideas I presented them. To think that one stamp set can be used in so many variations is really nice and makes you feel that you are truly stretching your dollars. Here are the other cards I made using this stamp.

On these cards you will find how I have used this stamp set with the Boutique papers, some Boutique PML cards, complements from this collection and lots of new embellishments that can be found within the pages of this new Idea Book.

I hope that you have found some inspiration here today and wish to use this stamp set in your future projects. You can order this new stamp, papers and all the other new items shown on these cards online here.

Boutique Card Class

This Friday I will be hosting a Boutique card class using the Boutique papers and the Boutique Cardmaking stamp set. I love the scripty sentiments, simple images and the thin border stamps contained in this set.

The cards we will be making have a clean design and will allow the participants to explore just enough of the sentiments and images that this set has to offer.

I will have more cards to show using this stamp set, but my class attendees will get the first look! Come back to see them here on my blog soon!

September Celebrations!

I told you earlier this week about the September special to celebrate National Stamping Month. I even made a video so that you can see how the Cut Above kits come packaged to you and how easily they can be created. You can find that video here.

This kit can be added to a 12x12 calendar or they can simply be a scrapbook layout. I even showed you how some pages coordinate well with one another and can be combined to form a two-page layout. Each page assembled as shown in the workshop guide can literally be assembled in under 15 minutes.

For some of you the pages may not have as much dimension or stamping as you wish and you can always embellish more as you see fit. For myself I found that one page in particular just was not appealing to me. I did not care for the background of the base page,so I found an easy fix and made it work for another picture....another celebration!

September is when my husband and I celebrate our wedding anniversary and this page would work wonderfully for the "Together" title. I pulled out some older whimsy fundamentals paper that had the word love all over it and that made the rest of the colors and picture come together.

If you are thinking about ordering the Making Memories special in September, keep in mind that you have multiple possibilities for each of these pages and you can make changes however you like. Most of the work is done for you, yet you have the option to pull in your own creative choices.

You can see all of the ordering options online here. Don't let this incredible offer pass you by!

Tasty Treats ~ Stamp of the Month

Who doesn't love a great deal, especially when its such an adorable one! The Stamp of the Month for September is called Just Treats and it has a sentiment for each of the upcoming seasons. For my project I did not only want to create a themed card, but I also wanted to make a cute, little container to hold something yummy! After all the stamp is named Just Treats! 😉 {I titled this post as Tasty Treats thinking that was the name of the stamp set, it is called Just Treats! Regardless of the name, it's still the cutest stamp set ever!}

All of my cards were either inspired by those in the Holiday Expressions Idea Book or the design template was found in the Make it From the Heart Volume 4 book. All of the petite containers were made on my Cricut using the Artiste cartridge.

For my first card I used the Halloween paper collection called Hello Pumpkin.

This Fall themed card uses the Grateful Heart paper collection. I love how the grey and blue paired with the traditional fall orange color was just enough to give it that Autumn feeling!

The 'Tis the Season paper collection has some traditional red and greens, but if you bring in some of those blacks it really compliments the cocoa images. Won't this purse look adorable with some marshmallows and mini candy canes inside?!

Finally, the Oh What Fun paper collection offers a bright and cheery, tiding of comfort and joy!

All of this cuteness can be yours for only $5 with a qualifying purchase! Shop for this stamp set, new paper collections and so much more online here.

Craft with Heart {All plans available now!}

A Subscription with Heart!

Creativity is more than something you do — it’s who you are. Keep your creativity flowing with Close To My Heart’s Craft with Heart™ club, where you receive regular deliveries of project kits that will keep you connected with your passion.

Available now are the monthly, 4-month and 12-month subscriptions.

Select from these payment and delivery options:

Monthly

^$17.95^/Kit
 

• $4.95 S&H, monthly

• Billed and shipped monthly
• Receive 1 kit each month

4-Month

^$16.15^/Kit
10% discount!

• $4.95 S&H, every 4 months

• Billed and shipped every 4 months
• Receive 4 kits every 4 months

12-Month

^$14.36^/Kit
20% discount!

• FREE S&H

• Pay once, create all year long!
• Billed annually, shipped every 4 months
• Receive 4 kits, every 4 months
• 30 free prints from Persnickety Prints, every 4 months

 You can subscribe on my website anytime here. You will have so much fun crafting your layouts each month or throughout the entire year!

Diamonds are a Scrapbooks Best Friend!

Creating a background to your scrapbook pages can be as easy as a repeating shape! Close To My Heart featured a gorgeous single page layout on their Instagram at the beginning of August. {You should follow them, there is always new inspiration!} It was simply a diamond shape that was repeated across the entire background of the base page. They repeated a few papers from various paper collections in our current Idea Book. Feeling inspired I gave it a try with some new papers that you will see in the new Idea Book launching on September 1st.

I distressed all the edges before lining them in the center of my layout. I them worked towards the outside being sure to mix the colors and patterns in an appealing manner.

I finished my layout with a photo mat, some chipboard title and hearts, shimmer thread and finally some sparkly bling gems. This paper collection is called Boutique and is such a subtle, beautiful blend of greys, blues, pink and yellow. You are going to see many projects using this collection come September! Stay tuned!

Beautiful Friendship Going Away

Just the paper collection is going away soon! Beautiful Friendship was the first paper collection featured in the Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book. It had a lovely color scheme of pinks, light yellow and a bold Sapphire Blue. I loved all the floral patterns and the tea cups were a fun addition. I'm sharing a layout I did some time ago and a new layout I created recently revisiting those "Tea-riffic" images from the coordinating complements.

These papers are still so gorgeous to me...I may need to get another pack before they are retired! Be sure to get products from this collection before August 31st. Thanks for stopping by!

For the Love of Crafting

I knew that I would want the August Stamp of the Month from the moment I saw it in the Seasonal Expressions Idea Book. It has some really fun catch phrases and timeless images. These work great for both your crafty cards and your scrapbook layouts! Here are a few cards I made to display for my customers.

I chose just a few of the images and sentiments. I also pulled in some papers from current collections and also some sneak peeks of papers coming in September! You will find some pml cards and zip strips too!

You can get this stamp in the month of August for only $5 with a qualifying purchase. For that price I'm certain you will find all sorts of projects that these would work great for!

Here's to You

Create a collection of beautiful artwork for all kinds of special occasions using the exclusive stamp sets featured in the Here’s to You special. Only available July 15 - August 31st or while supplies last.

 

 

Save 25% by purchasing the stamps bundled with a collection of products that you can use to recreate the artwork shown here. Find all the options on my website here for purchasing. You can also get complete instructions to assemble the cards and layout so you can be prepared for the next happy event on your calendar! 

Colors Retiring Soon

At convention they announced that some of our colors will be retiring at the end of August before the launch of the new Holiday Expressions Idea Book. Not only are 10 new colors arriving, but so is a new way of looking at how color works. There will no longer be color "families" like in the past with the Whimsy, Enchantment, etc. It is a new and different concept I've been focusing on to familiarize myself with these past couple of weeks. I've reorganized my cardstocks and inks already and anxiously awaiting for the new arrivals!

Until then you'll want to know which colors will be departing as you may want to stock up on some beloved classics. {Remember you have until the end of August.}

Flaxen

Tangerine

Sorbet

Blossom

Poppy

Cranberry

Juniper

Crystal Blue

Pacifica

Nutmeg

 

I made this happy retirement display for the colors leaving. Some have been around for awhile now, but a few were just recently introduced. There were some surprises, however I have complete faith in the company that they are following the trends and will guide us to amazing creations using a rainbow color!

You can shop for all products in these colors online here. Happy colorful, crafting my friends!

Scrapbooking Convention 2018

Now that I'm home, relaxed, and some what organized; I had a chance to preserve my memories from the exciting experience of Close To My Heart Convention. I just so happened to receive an exclusive stamp set as an attendee that was my motivator to scrapbooking this layout!

I chose some fun coordinating colors to match all the vivid colors from the presentation as well as some more chill pictures of me and my husband enjoying the resort. As I mentioned I used a stamp set that is only available to those that attended convention, however I did use a small heart from a stamp set that you can order still from the annual catalog.

It's called Happy Heart and is available in French and Spanish too!

Some other current stamps that are similar that I can recommend so that you can take advantage of Stampaganza Sale are~

Created to Create

We are Makers

Be sure to check out all the stamps that are Buy 2 Get 1 Free online here.

Convention 2018

I have just recently attended a most unforgettable event. As a consultant for over 11 years, I have never attended an annual corporate convention. This year it was held so close to home that I could not pass up the opportunity!

I knew that I was in for a treat, but still was caught up in such a whirlwind of excitement, entertainment, information, and inspiration! I think that now almost a week after completion I am finally digesting it all.

The opening entertainment was all set to a Greatest Showman theme, which happened to be my favorite movie of 2017! Our Founder and CEO Jeanette Lynton welcomed us all and boy what a fantastic kick off to this party it was! I can't quite share everything from this extraordinary event yet, you will have to wait unfortunately. I can, however share with you the cards I created to trade with other attendees. I made a total of 7 different designs.

For these first three cards I felt they were a good representation of who I am and where I'm from. The card on the left is a cricut cut of some mountains with a sun burst pattern of Fresh Air papers. This is to represent that convention was held at Red Rock Hotel and Casino. If attendees were lucky there hotel room had a view of the gorgeous Red Rock mountains in the distance. One of our favorite nearby places to hike. The cards in the center feature a succulent flower, some of my favorites and a chalkboard technique as my "normal" job is instructing in a classroom. There are two versions only because I ran out of ribbon! Finally, the card on the right is a darling bicycle. I enjoy riding my cruiser with the family on vacations or for a more grueling ride my husband and I venture out on various trails on our mountain bikes.

These next cards are all about my passion for Close To My Heart. I love creating with my own hands, making beautiful art and preserving my family memories. Some cards were just a standard card, some contained a bookmark, one of them was a holder for the bookmark and the last card at first look appears normal, but fold up like an easel to display the best sentiment ever! {Look for that stamp in August!}

The theme of this entire convention was CREATE! I love the meaning of it too, check it out~

C~ community
R~ renew
E~ elevate
A~ achieve
T~ tell your story
E~ empower

Good reminders of why I chose to represent this company 11 years ago and hope to continue for many more!