Halloween or Harvest? Jeepers Creepers Does Both!

Watch this video from Close To My Heart to see the versatility that the Jeepers Creepers paper collection has. There are also several projects included in this video using the beautiful Blessed Beyond Measure Stamp of the Month.

Thankful Fox

Time for a little thanks from another Woodland Critter. This time its a cute little fox! Again I've used the Swan Lake papers and stamped a few of the leaf images from the Stamp of the Month, Blessed Beyond Measure.

All of these products are available to order now. Some are limited though so don't wait too long!

A Taste of Fall

Recently I attended the annual Harvest Festival where I found lots of mixes for soups, stews and cobblers. Our weather briefly cooled down enough to open up the windows at night and I'm already pouring pumpkin creamer in my coffee. It was just a little taste of Fall, because sadly its still summer around here. However, that doesn't mean I can't wish for Fall to come soon!

I gave you a little look at the Woodland Critters stamp set and some of the Autumn themed Swan Lake papers earlier this week. Today I have another look for you of the cute owl and some random stamped acorn paper. The focus of this card is actually a Swan Lake PML card.

All of these lovely Fall products are available now. You can shop online here. Thanks for stopping by!

Thanks Little Critter

Heart 2 Heart Challenges Blog {and any stamping enthusiast} is celebrating Stamping Month all of September. With the newest Annual and Holiday Idea Books just having been released, there are all sorts of new My Acrylix stamp sets to play with this month. One of the stamp sets that caught my interest in the Holiday Expressions book was the Woodland Critters. The animals are adorable and the sentiment bubbles are cute for any occasion. It was really that raccoon that stole my heart though!

I am entering this card in the H2H challenge for that stamped raccoon. I did choose to use the "thanks" thin cut instead of one of the sentiments on the stamp set. {Don't worry I'll be showing more of these critters with the talk bubbles soon!} I chose the Swan Lake papers in a variety of colors and patterns to be the backdrop for Mr. raccoon.

Get more details on these products or order online here.

Stay tuned for more fall inspired cards featuring some more of these adorable critters!

Blessed Beyond Measure

Today I am sharing a card created with this month's beautiful stamp set Blessed Beyond Measure. I used the sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches. It was the perfect design to showcase that layered pumpkin front and center. The sentiment stands out nicely in the water color splashes and stamped leaves.

The Rustic Home and Swan Lake papers blend so nicely for this card. You can get all of these products now online or through me directly, however the stamp of the month will only be available until September 30th.

Welcome to September

September is National Stamping Month. Close To My Heart is celebrating with a special Create Kindness Stamp Kit.

 Find more details on the Current Specials tab.

You can also find more details about the Stamp of the Month on the Current Specials tab. The Stamp of the Month is a beautiful set that will allow you to show gratitude as well. It's called Blessed Beyond Measure and features some autumn images and sweet sentiments.

Lastly, the newest Holiday Expressions Idea Book goes live today! In this book you will find all those familiar paper collections in various holiday themes. You can view the book online or contact me if you would like one for yourself. All products are available to order now!

Take a look at the four paper collections being offered in this new book.

 Jeepers Creepers

City Sidewalks

 Oh Deer!

Swan Lake 

I've heard the month of September referred to as "Stamptember"! That seems fitting for this month considering all of the new Holiday products and specials happening this month. Happy creating friends!

 

Crazy Cat Card Kit

Okay you crazy cat lovers! August is almost over, that means you can only get the Stamp of the Month for just $5 if you order right now! I have an idea for this stamp set that will make you think of other occasions, not just for Halloween. I've created a Crazy Cat Card Kit using a variety of papers, colors and various images from the stamp set, pre-stamped and cut out. It's fun in a box, ready to be assembled any way the recipient wishes.

I used a Birchbox to contain all the fun! I simply decorated the top with one of the cat images, a title frame and some fun accessories that scream party!

Just look at all those cats purring for attention! All of the stamped and cut images are on the top of the decorated card bases.

Here is just a sample of how the cards can be decorated. You will see that there are some Halloween themed cards, but there is also other fun occasions too.

The Purr-fect Halloween Stamp of the Month goes away tomorrow night. Place your order online here.

Happy at Home

With the launch of the new Annual Inspirations Idea Book this summer I was excited to order new products and play with them all! One of the first projects I wanted to create was a single page layout that immediately caught my eye on page 29. In the midst of these fantastic new items arriving and waiting to be opened up, my husband and I were diving into a big flooring makeover in our home. While waiting for mortar to set for a day, I took that opportunity to play with some of the new Rustic Home papers and the "happy" thin cuts. I figured that once our home renovation was complete this would be a great page to record the memories of our labor intensive, yet rewarding work. Here is what I came up with.

You can see that the inspiration from the Idea Book was simply a jumping off point, not an exact copy. I flipped the page to create horizontal photo wells instead of vertical. I kept most of the embellishments and the paper of course. I changed up the ribbon a bit and kept a more neutral palette rather than using the new Sea Glass as it would not blend with the colors of the photographs to come.

I am entering this page in the "Copy That" challenge on Heart 2 Heart Challenges Blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

Showing Sympathy with Flower Market

The newest Cricut Cartridge, Flower Market, has been very useful lately. I've had to make a few sympathy cards in the last couple of weeks and the detailed flowers and sentiments on this cartridge have worked beautifully. Take a look at two of the designs I've created.

I've used a similar color scheme on both as well as the same sentiment cut. However with some different patterned/embossed papers and two very different layered flowers they are uniquely not identical!

The Flower Market Cricut cartridge is available to order now in the traditional physical cartridge or a digital version. Get more details on my website here.

Hello with Whimsy and Rustic Home

My card today showcases some of the new beautiful prints in the Whimsy Fundamentals paper and some earthy Rustic Home kraft paper. The finishing touches to this card are definitely the Hello Thin Cut, Rustic twine looking ribbon and those itty bitty staples in the center of the heart.

Not visible in the photo is a piece of vellum over the top of the diagonal striped flaxen paper. It just lightly mutes the color and gives the entire card some softness. I originally made this card as a congrats/welcome card to my nephew and his wife who just had their third baby, but you could use this style card for many more occasions.

All of these new products are available now in the 2016-17 Annual Inspiration Idea Book. Find all of these goodies online here and don't forget that you can get that Rustic Home paper free this month with a qualifying order.

Flowers in a Boot

Hello! I have a sweet card to share with you today! I held an Open House this morning to celebrate the new 2016-17 Annual Inspirations Idea Book. We looked at some fabulous new products and flipped through the pages of inspiration. Then we really had some fun by playing with a few of the new items. My card design was inspired by the Freshly Made Sketches this week, however the flowers and colors were inspired by some Sea Glass iced cupcakes and Ikea napkins! {what?}

Here is one of the cupcakes on a napkin, do you see my inspiration?

Here is the sketch on FMS~

Curious about the new products we got to work with? We had fun trying out some flower cuts from the newest Cricut cartridge Flower Market. They looked adorable in that Sea Glass rain boot also from the Flower Market cartridge. We used some older, almost retired Calypso paper and some new Rustic Home Fundamentals paper. For our sentiment we quickly and easily added a Thin Cuts thanks and simple stamped sentiment from one of the stamps included in the Cricut Flower Market collection.

Remember that you can get the Rustic Home collection for free with the Basically the Best promotion going on this month only. More details can be found in the Current Specials tab at the top.

Thanks for stopping by!

I Love You to the Moon

Have you ever overlooked a stamp set in the Idea Book thinking that you don't need it? On a second look I realized that I had to have a stamp set and I was lucky that it was a set that will continue in the new Idea Book! It's called Charming Cascades and its a fun and versatile stamp set. Take a look at the card I made using it.

This stamp set has cascading stars, hearts and dots. On this card the stars are simply floating down through the sky with the "I love you to the moon and back" sentiment. You will see later how I used this same stamp set on a 12x12 layout, making it perfect for cards and scrapbooking. I'll share that page soon!

Be sure not to overlook some of the stamps and products in the Idea Book, especially when they have the potential to retire!

 

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.

Oh Hello!

With only 2 days until the newest Annual Inspiration book release, this card is a little sneaky! A sneak peek that is! Feast you eyes on some new items coming very, very soon as I play along with the sketch on Freshly Made Sketches this week!

I can't tell you about all the new stuff yet, but get ready for some crafty goodness coming to my updated website on Monday morning. Log on at www.amysart.closetomyheart.com

Center Step Giraffe Birthday Card

I have a happy card for you today! Its a center step card featuring a dapper giraffe.

The giraffe is from a birthday card kit so he was super easy to add to the center of the card. Isn't he so cute! Who wouldn't love a Birthday wish from this guy?

New Home Calypso Cards

I love making card ensembles and packaging them up in a coordinating box. This ensemble is a gift for some friends that recently moved into a new home. I decided to use the Calypso paper with the pineapple image as it is a symbol of hospitality and welcoming. The couple can use these cards to send their new address to friends and family.

The pineapple on the front of the box is a Stickease from the Calypso collection, but the pineapples on the cards were cut from the Cricut Artistry collection. The sentiments are from an older stamp set no longer available.

Pop Art Birthday Card

Some time ago the Make It from Your Heart Blog posted some beautiful cards with matching envelopes. One of the cards really caught my eye and I wanted to recreate it with just some slight differences. I discovered that this card is a great design for using up some older scrap pieces of paper and to use those bits of embellishments that are left over from precious projects.

Isn't that fun! I used my paper trimmer to cut the triangles, but you could easily use a Cricut machine for mass production. Thanks for stopping by.

Hello with Feathers and Wood Grain

The sketch on Freshly Made Sketches is very clean and simple this week. I immediately saw a space on this card to use some leftover Charlotte feather stickers I had in my stash. I also wanted to add some wood grain texture for interest. It all came together in a very trendy, beautiful card.

Jumping into July

This month has some fun specials for you, plus you get a sneak peek of what's to come for Close To My Heart!

First up, become a consultant this month and get some brand new free stuff! {Are you ready for that sneak peek?}

Join the Close To My Heart family of Consultants this month to get your choice of a FREE Fundamentals* paper packet bundled together with its coordinating Complements. These brand new products won’t be released to the public until August, so joining today is your chance to get them first! When you sign up, you also get $50 in Select Product Credit to spend on more new products, including the newest stamps, paper packs, and cardstock colors.

Join Today!

*Choose from Whimsy, Adventure, and Enchantment Fundamentals. No tax is charged for free items. Standard New Consultant Kit shipping rates will apply. No additional shipping/handling will be charged for this promotion. Offer valid July 1, 2016 (9:00 am MDT) – July 31, 2016 (11:59 pm MDT).

 New Consultant Kit

Contents of the New Consultant Kit Include:

• Medium Organizer (Z4139, qty 1)
• My Acrylix^® Block 2" × 6½" (Y1010, qty 1)
• My Acrylix^® Block 1" × 3½" (Y1002, qty 1)
• My Acrylix^® Block 2" × 2" (Y1003, qty 1)
• Non-Stick Microtip Scissors (Z1836, qty 1)
• My Acrylix^® Stamp Scrubber (Z1782, qty 1)
• My Acrylix^® Spritz Cleaner (1778, qty 1)
• Bonding Memories™ Glue (1512, qty 1)
• 3-D Foam Tape (Z1151, qty 1)
• Sponge (Z697, qty 1)
• Customer Order Forms (W101, qty 1 pack of 25)
• Annual Inspirations Idea Book (WC1171, qty 5)
• Seasonal Expressions 2 (WCS1163, qty 5)
• Cardstock Sampler (W1167, qty1)
• Fundamentals Sampler (W1170, qty 1)
• Seasonal Expressions 2 B&T Duos™ Sampler (W1144, qty 1)
• A Little Love – Petite Perks Incentive Stamp Set (W2035, qty 3)
• Gathering Invitations (W1129, qty 1 pack of 25)
• Desk Pad (W1140, qty 1 pack of 50)

Items shown represent contents of New Consultant Kits ordered between July 1, 2016 and July 31, 2016. Some items may not be shown. Contents are subject to change without notice, and change regularly based on product and collateral availability. Shipping and handling and applicable taxes apply.

*Choose from Whimsy, Adventure, and Enchantment Fundamentals. No tax is charged for free items. Standard New Consultant Kit shipping rates will apply. No additional shipping/handling will be charged for this promotion.

 From the Notebook

The July Stamp of the Month will be perfect for adding journaling to your scrapbook pages, notebooks or Everyday Life Planners. How cute are those little icons for reminders, ideas or shopping lists!

Beautiful Stamps, Amazing Discounts

Each month you can purchase a new D-size stamp set, available for one month only, for just $5. When you place an order of $50 or more in Close To My Heart products, you qualify for this special Stamp of the Month pricing.