New in May

Hello, welcome to a new month and a new quarter. Today is the start of a brand new Seasonal Expressions Idea Book. There are new collections of papers, fabulous stamps and a new Story!

I think that you will see from just the cover of the new idea book that it holds a summery surprise for your crafting needs these upcoming months. It has paper collections with flowers, balloons, outdoor scenery, tea cups, bicycles, homes and maps. I will show you more on each of the 4 new paper collections soon.

You will see a new way to preserve and document your memories called Story by Stacy. The talented Stacy Julian will share some simple, colorful, happy ways to document those stories that mean so much to you. Find starter kits with 4x4 albums, quote cards, story cards, photo trimmer and stamps that will make your documenting super easy.

A new month is not complete without a Stamp of the Month that you can get for only $5! This is called Classic Summer Bash and features a large mason jar, straw, citrus and all the sentiments you need for a summer-time BBQ or setting up a neighborhood lemonade stand! This is a cute one!

Last, but certainly not least, it's National Scrapbooking Month! You are going to love the variety of products offered this month with the Postcard Perfect papercrafting suite of products. Please check out my website for all the details and offerings for this collection. I gave you a sneak peek of this collection earlier. Just a small photo of a scrapbook layout I created with these beautiful papers. Want to see more?

I love these floral papers and the fun tropical images. My pictures don't really do it much justice.

The collection contains 4 sheets (2 patterns) of vellum papers. The dot pattern is laid on top of the floral on this layout giving it a more subtle appearance. It is so pretty!

Just think of scrapbooking your tropical or summery related photo's on these papers. Plus, if you order the bundles there is a discounted price. Come back soon and I'll show you some more projects using this collection.

Please check out all the new products and browse through the Idea Book online here.

Welcome 2018

What better way to ring in the New Year than with a brand new Seasonal Expressions Idea Book. You will find all the products to craft for your gardener, baker, stargazers and those that want to be a mermaid! This Idea Book has 4 unique, creative collections for you. It also contains some innovative tools, a new how-to program and an entire travel organization system.

You can view the new book online, by clicking the image on the right column. You won't want to miss the stamp of the month and definitely not the monthly promotion of Love Letters!

For National Papercrafting Month, we’ve designed a set of beautiful papercrafted monograms. Each comes as part of a kit containing the sturdy chipboard letter base, rose gold accents, die-cut floral embellishments, and letter stickers for customizing your final artwork piece. The finished letters are the perfect size for adorning any wall in your home.

These versatile letters can also be used together to spell out a whole name or word, which is why if you buy five letter kits, you can choose a sixth kit FREE!

Bloom & Grow

 

As always there is a beautiful stamp of the month that you can get at a discounted price with a qualifying purchase.

New Annual Inspirations Book

Its that time of year when Close To My Heart introduces you to the brand new Idea Book. This year you will find a fresh new take on products being offered that are beyond basic!

The Annual Inspirations offers fundamental paper collections for all of your crafting needs, beautifully designed stamps, a new Cricut collection filled with hundreds of images, fresh new colors including a color of the year and so much more. Look at the cover of the Idea Book~ {so pretty!}

You can browse through the pages of the new book by clicking on the book cover in the right hand column of this Blog. You can also begin placing orders today online here. Be sure to check out this months promotions and of course the stamp of the month being offered for August.

You can get all the details by clicking on the Current Specials tab at the top.

Be sure to check back here all month long for reveals of new products and project inspiration.

Spring Wreath

Inspired by the wreath on the Annual Inspirations Idea Book I created a Spring version. My customers really liked the red and white version and wanted a class. I will be teaching them how to make this wreath on Saturday from cutting all the pieces on their Cricuts to lots of hot glue assembly!

I chose some pretty colors for my flowers of pinks and yellow. The ladies will get to choose whatever colors they wish. I could see this wreath in red, white and blue perfect for the Fourth of July!

Hopefully, I will remember to take pictures of all the completed wreaths to show you the variations! Have a great week!

Happiness Is a Handmade Wreath

I've admired this wreath on the front cover of the latest Idea Book ever since seeing sneak peek's from convention. When available, I downloaded the recipe for it. It listed the Cricut collection, image, page number and sizing, but the rest of the instruction was up to me. I had no idea what the finished size would be? I thought it would be about the size of our 12x12 wooden frames. After making it I soon realized this was larger than our frames. I cut some cardboard from one of our shipping boxes as the base. {about 15" in diameter} Assembling the leaves and flowers was fun, but I'll warn you that it required lots of hot glue! The white is super hard to photograph, but I will say that the finished result is gorgeous!

If you are interested in making your own wreath you can download and print the recipe for yourself. In fact you can look up the recipe for any of the artwork in the Idea Book by clicking here then selecting "recipes". Please share with me if you make one, I'd love to know what you think about it!

It's All New!!

This month is super exciting! I'm a little overwhelmed right now composing this post, hoping that I don't leave out any important information. The month of April kicks off a brand new Seasonal Expressions 2 catalog, an adorable Stamp of the Month and a Big Deal everyday!

The first exciting news is that Seasonal Expressions 2 is live today {no fooling}! This book will ignite your summer creativity with some lovely new paper collections and fun embellishments throughout. I'm already in love with the two new paper kits and was blown away to see some of my own photographs featured in some artwork. {I will share that with you later this month!}

 You can see this book online by clicking the photo on the right side bar. You can also get the book in your own hands by placing an order online and selecting a free book when prompted!

Here is the Blossom papers with some coordinating Complements, Coral Reef Sequins, Carnival Washi tape and thick Glacier Twine. This collection is a gorgeous balance of Spring and Summer.

The Jackson paper has awesome prints in mellow earth tones. These papers are perfect for your outdoor adventures this summer or anytime. The Complements have a wide variety of images and phrases. There is more Washi tape that coordinates with the collection called Boardwalk. The sequins is called Oceanside and the Jackson Assortment includes 5 metal-rimmed, enamel filled pieces that are adorable. It will be very hard for me not to just hoard these, but to actually include them on my projects! 

 

I have been giving lots of sneak peeks of the Stamp of the Month Typed Note. Here is the artwork from the Idea Book. Stay tuned all month as I will continue to share some other projects I've made with this stamp set. Please scroll down to see the projects I already shared with this stamp. You can also see sneak peeks of new items before I post them if you follow me on Instagram! See more details on how to get this stamp set at a discounted price on the "current specials" tab.

Lastly, score a big deal everyday this month. You can purchase a grab bag at a variety of price points each day. Some grab bags contain double the retail value!! You can see more details on this month's promotions by clicking on the "current specials" tab at the top of my Blog. The Deal of the Day can only be purchased on my website. So get some new summer products and grab a bag of surprise. Happy shopping!

 

What a Hoot!

There is plenty to "hoot" about today!! It's August 1st, which means that the brand new Annual Inspirations book is available and you are now able to order new products. This book is full of amazing products and inspiring artwork. It will be available for a full year, so I am pacing myself and suggest you do the same. Throughout the coming weeks I will introduce you to just a few of the new items offered in this catalog. Be sure to check out the tabs at the top of the Blog for several new items and specials!

First up...the Stamp of the Month for August! It's never too early to prepare for your Halloween and Fall projects. This adorable stamp set will lead you in the right direction! Here are just a few cards I made with this stamp set for my Open House.

Be sure to get all the details and see more artwork using this stamp set by clicking the "current specials" tab at the top of this Blog. You can also scroll down the right side column of my Blog to see what other talented consultant's have created with this stamp set. Follow along on their SOTM Blog hop and be inspired to create with your own happy owl!

Ready to order the new stuff!! You can place an order with me personally or go here and click on the Join button for the Inspirations 2014 gathering. Happy shopping!

Spring Open House

I held my Spring Open House this past weekend where I showcased several new products and some artwork. We made a great project that featured many new items and I revealed upcoming classes. Here is just a look at the display table and a few snap shots of the items. I will have more detailed photo's later this week!