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Close To My Heart August News!

Happy August!  The Summer is flying by. Just wanted to let you know what is going 

on with CTMH this month.

First- we have a new idea book!  

Click HERE to see the catalog on line.  

    New Cricut Cartridge - Flower Market

    New Paper Fundamental packs - Whimsy, Adventure, Enchantment and Basics

    New Die Cuts

    New Colors in the Adventure Color Family - Pansy, Emerald, Willow, Lemon, Tangerine, Blossom, Raspberry

    New Ink Pad Design - EASIER TO OPEN!!!

    New Organizer - Workplace Wonder - for storing inks, pads, markers and paper

AND MUCH MUCH MORE!

Want to get your hands on some of this new stuff FREE?  During the month of August, when you order our Whimsy, Adventure, and Enchantment Fundamental papers, you can choose to get either the Rustic Home or Uptown Fundamentals for FREE! Both of these Basics packs feature foil designs and specialty materials for making your artwork unique. Yep, this deal is basically the best!

Second - Upcoming Events - Save the Date!

    August 21st - New Product Launch Party and Card Class

        Come and see all the new product and make some cards with the new colors.

    September 17th - National Stamping Day - Card Kit with exclusive stamp - details coming soon.

    October 2nd - Halloween Themed Class - details coming

August Stamp of the Month - Perr-fect Halloween - You guys know I'm a cat person so I just love this stamp set.

 My Heart August News!

Mojo Monday and Penelope

Just playing along with Mojo Monday this week. I'm using up some of my soon to be retired Penelope paper. If you want to get yours too just click HERE to see all the goodies that will retire at the end of August.

#MOJO455

And if you've ever thought about getting all the Close To My Heart goodies at a discount you can join my team and get all the new items before anyone else.  Click HERE for more info!

Happy Fourth of July!

https://instagram.com/p/BHLeIrGjEp7/

National Scrapbooking Month "Happy Times" Blog Hop

Welcome to our Happy Times Blog Hop!  On this hop we are showcasing artwork with Close To My Hear's National Scrapbook Month's exclusive paper packet called "Happy Times".  If you've come here from KRISTEN'S BLOG then you are on the right path.  The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  

I decided to do a one page, one picture layout of my beautiful step mom.  She looks so pretty next to the flowers we brought her last Mother's Day.  And these floral designs and pastel colored papers with a little hint of gold foil were perfect.  The coordinating stamp set works perfectly too.  I stamped the flower image and title and fussy cut them to add to the page.  

Before you hop on over to MICHELLE'S BLOG  to see her artwork I hope you'll check out my tips below and more details on how you can get this beautiful paper pack and stamp set for yourself.
  
Tip 1 - To fussy cut the title, I first stamped the sentiment then cleaned my stamp.  Then I put the clean stamp over the image and lightly traced the outline with a pencil.  I used the pencil line to fussy cut the title out.
Tip 2 - to save some of this beautiful paper I cut away some of it that was going to be layered over.  See the below picture.

Here is how you can get your own Happy Times paper packet: 
With a qualifying purchase of $60 you can get the paper packet for FREE!  
You can also purchase this exclusive paper pack at full retail of $14.95 with no purchase requirement.  

The coordinating D-Size stamp set is $17.95.  There's never been a better time to treat yourself to some beautiful paper! 

Click HERE to order yours now.

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May Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! 

This month we will be featuring  the May SOTM, called Celebrate Cake.  Who doesn't like a little cake?  If you have come here from NANCY'S BLOG , you are on the right path!

 

Here is what this cute stamp set looks like.  Everything you need to make a cake for any special occasion. Here is the cake - err. . . I mean card  .  . I made using the new Florence papers.  I did a little paper piecing - that's when you stamp on some patterned paper, cut it out and place it over the stamped image - to give it a little pop. I colored the cake topper with my ShinHan markers and added some new Florence sequins.  Who wouldn't want to get a little birthday cake in the mail?  What is your favorite kind of cake?

Thanks for looking at my cake - err card!  

Did you know each month you can purchase a new D-Size stamp set for only $5 when you place and order of $50 or more?  Remember, the SOTM is only available until May 31st!  You can shop HERE to get your SOTM now or contact your CTMH Consultant.

Now "Hop" on over to DONNA'S BLOG  because I'm sure she has something awesome to show you.   Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog:  http://ifyoublingit.blogspot.com/p/stamp-of-month-blog-hop-list.html.

 

 

Here are some additional ideas on how to use this stamp set:

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Watercolor Blog Hop

Welcome to our Watercolor Blog Hop!  On this hop we will be featuring all watercolor artwork.  If you have come here from HAYLEY'S BLOG, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog.

This month we have a bunch of very talented Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using our watercolor paints and pencils.  This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

Watercolor is a big trend now and it's soo easy.  Don't be afraid to try it.  CTMH makes it easy and inexpensive to try this fun technique.  And there are tons of ideas on Pinterest to inspire you.  In fact my cards were inspired by this card I saw there.  I used our watercolor paper and did a wash of water over the top third of the card.  Then I just picked out some pretty pastel colors I thought looked good together and using my widest paint brush I just dabbed the color in four squarish areas of the card blending the edges.  After my card dried (you can speed it up by hitting it with a craft heater) I stamped the sentiment in Memento Ink.  I cut a butterfly with my Cricut and heat embossed it in gold and added that and some gold sequins to finish it off.  I got a little carried away with how easy this card was and ended up making four cards.  One was for my niece's birthday and you'll see below what happened when I tried to take a picture of it to post here.

Thanks for looking!  If you want to try this yourself please click HERE to get your supplies.  

 Now "Hop" on over to HELEN'S BLOG  to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! 


And this is what happens when you want to take a picture of your card in front of the window and your cat won't move!

Sunshine Birdies Blog Hop

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  This month we are featuring the Stamp called Sunshine Birdies.  If you have come here from HELEN'S BLOG , you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog:  http://ifyoublingit.blogspot.com/p/stamp-of-month-blog-hop-list.html.

This month we have over 30 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

This cute stamp set is perfect for coloring, either with our watecolor paints or with our Shin-han markers.  I used both!  I was inspired by this card I found on Pinterest.  I made this 5 x 7 card first by random stamping the butterflies in Memento Ink and then using our watercolors to paint them.  Then I used the happy birthday stamp that comes with the Art Philosophy Cartridge. I used Thistle cardstock matted with Eggplant and added some bitty sparkles.

And here is a 4.25 x 5.5 card version. On this one I use our Shin-han markers to color the butterflies.

Now "Hop" on over to JENNIFER'S BLOG to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the SOTM is only available in March!  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!

Share The Love Blog Hop

Welcome to our Share the Love Blog Hop!  If you've come here from MARIE'S BLOG  you are on the right path.  

This month we are featuring artwork using this exclusive stamp called "Share the love".  

This February only, when you purchase this stamp set for $17.95 Close To My Heart will donate $7 of the proceeds from this stamp set to Operation Smile™, an amazing organization that provides surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates for children all over the world! 

Whenever I need a little inspiration for my cards I just look in our Annual Inspiration catalog.  I looked at pages 88 and 89 and picked out some of the colors that go with the Urban paper pack. Then I looked in our Wishes pattern book for a card pattern.  And this is what I came up with - two 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 cards.  I did some random stamping using the masking technique to add a little interest and a few gold sequences to add some bling.

What do you use for inspiration? 

Now for further inspiration hop on over to Catherine's Blog.  

Remember this stamp set is only available in February.  Order yours HERE.  Also, you can check out all of CMTH's social media channels all month long to see this stamp set in action, and remember to post your own artwork using the hashtag #ctmhsharethelove to help bring attention to a wonderful and worthy cause.

Thank you watercolor card

Just a fun watercolor card I forgot to post.  I used December's Stamp of the Month and my watercolors to make this 5 x 7 card.

Seasonal Expressions New Items Blog Hop

Welcome to our Blog Hop!  This month we are featuring items from our new Seasonal Expressions catalog. If you have come here from MICHELLE'S BLOG  , you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog:  http://ifyoublingit.blogspot.com/p/stamp-of-month-blog-hop-list.html.

 

This month we have over 30 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using items available now. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!


I just love the new Work Shop Your Way program featured in our Seasonal Expressions.  I made 3 - 2 page layouts out of the kit and 9 cards by just adding a few more supplies.  When I was done this is all I had left over:

Yep, that's it - just a few pieces of paper, some zip strips, some stickers, gold puffies, some ribbon and some chipboard die cuts  I wanted to challenge my self to see how many more cards I could make from these scraps. 


And just by adding some card bases and a little more card stock this is what I made - 4 more cards!.

Do you recognize some of the card patterns?  They are from CTMH How To Books and I use them over and over.  I still have just a few scraps left but I'm so happy not to horde my paper and use it all up!  So, I challenge you to get some great ideas from all the talented consultants on the hop and use up your scraps. 

Now "Hop" on over to JEN'S BLOG to see her work!

If you would like to shop the new Seasonal Expressions please click HERE to start shopping.

December Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - Candlelight Garden

Welcome to our December Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!   If you have come here from MICHELE'S BLOG, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog:  http://ifyoublingit.blogspot.com/p/stamp-of-month-blog-hop-list.html.

This month we have over 30 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

I thought this stamp set just begged to be used with our watercolors.  I stamped the image with our Memento Ink on watercolor paper then used my watercolors to color everything in.  I mounted on a piece of Slate cardstock and matted it with some Georgie paper and Sunset cardstock.  A little bit of Glacier twine adds a little somethin' somethin'.  I did not add a sentiment to the front of the card.  I wanted to artwork to stand out.  I'll add something inside when I send it to someone.  

Thanks for looking!  

Now "Hop" on over to MAUREEN'S BLOG to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the December SOTM is only available until the 31st!  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!

Cricut Snowman Ornament

                         

I pinned this idea some time last year.  Since then I've seen variation of the idea including mounted on a card.  Thanks to original inspiration from Chelsea's Creative Corner . 

Here is how I made this Snowman ornament:

Face – Artiste – Page 50, 2”, white daisy card stock.  Cut 2, used double sided sticky tape to adhere the ends together.  You can get 6 to a page if you cut 5 first and then unload the paper and use the scrap for the 6^th.

Nose – Artistry – Page 17, Icon 2, 1 ½” . Yes, it is the ice cream cone icon.  I trimmed the edges of the ice cream off. 

Holly Leaf – Artistry – Page 48, Icon 1, 1 ¾”, discard the berries.  I used New England Ivy card stock.

Berries – Art Philosphy – Page 46, 1 ¾”, red glitter paper. You could also use red gems.

Hat – 2 ½ “ by 1 1/2 ", brim is 4" by 1/2 " – black card stock.  Overlap and tuck in some silver shimmer trim.

Eyes – ½ “ circle from black card stock. You could also use googley eyes, buttons, black gems or pearls.

2 inch circle punch – or any 2” circle for back to hold rosette together

Make rosette by folding on the score lines and using double sided sticky tape to adhere the two ends.  Use the 2 inch circle with lots of Liquid Glass to glue the rosette together. This will be the back of the ornament.   If you want to stamp a “to and from” on the circle, do this before gluing.  Add nose to front with liquid glass.  Assemble hat using shimmer trim, holly and berries and then glue to face at an angle with liquid Glass.  Punch hole at top in one of the rosette folds and thread string to make an ornament.  Thanks for looking!

Artistry Hello watercolor card

Watercolor card using our new watercolors.  I did a gradient wash over the water color paper with some bold colors.  I masked off the edges of the paper with some washi tape to get the crisp edges and then mounted on sapphire card base. The Hello cut from our new Artistry cartridge just sets off the card. 

Fundamental Scrapbooking

Christmas Card Workshop

Hello!  I wanted to give you the information on my Christmas Card workshop.  This class is Thursday, November 12th at 6:30 pm.  Always remember if this date does not work for you I would be happy to schedule this class at  a convenient time for you.  Just gather a few friends together and you can come to my house or I can come to yours. This year we'll be using the White Pines paper packet and coordinating embellishments.  We'll make 15 cards (5 each of 3 designs).  I'll also show you some variations using this month's Stamp of the Month "Twinkle".  You can also add on 4 of our super simple Cut Above cards for only $6 more. 

Below are the details.  Please let me know if you are interested or have any questions.

What – Christmas Card Workshop – 15 cards – (5 each of 3 designs)

When – Thursday, November 12^th 6:30 PM

Where – My house

RSVP and pay before Wednesday, October, 21st

Cost :   

Option 1  - $29.00 (Includes Shipping & Handling and tax) – Includes all contents of the Workshop on the Go (Stamp Set – D Size, 2 sheets of White Pines paper, 5 sheets Cardstock – 2 Fern, 2 White Daisy, 1 Cranberry, 15 White Daisy Cards and Envelopes, 1 pkg Bitty Sparkles, 1 pkg Fern Thick Twine, Instruction Brochure). 

Option 2 – $23.00 - NO STAMP - Includes all the above but no stamp set included

               ADD ONS – Add on a set of 4 Cut Above Cards (2 of each design) for only $6.00 more for a total of 19 cards

You’ll have use of all my inks and blocks, assembly instructions and helpful tips.  We will also be using the October Stamp of the Month – Twinkle – to make some variations on the cards. 

Bring basic tools to class  – Paper Trimmer, Sharp scissors, adhesive, Glue Dots or Liquid Glass, 3D Foam Tape.

 

Nevermore Fun Fold Card and Blog Hop

Welcome to our Holiday Expressions Blog Hop!  We will be featuring items that can be found in our Holiday Expressions mini catalog.  If you have come here from Michelle's Blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around. 

I decided to feature the Nevermore paper pack.  I got the idea for this fun fold card from the Autumn 2015 CardMaker Magazine on page 83.  I have some instructions below on how you can make your own card.

 Here are some different views of the card.  You can see how the card folds.  

Now "Hop" on over to Jen's Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the papers featured in the Holiday Expression book are only available until December 31st.  You can see the whole catalog here.  

Here is how to make this fun fold card:

Cut an 11 3/4" x 6" out of B&T paper.  

With the long edge horizontal, score at 3 1/4" and 5" on the CTMH score board. Turn the paper and score at 3 1/4" and 5" again.  Fold panel along score lines, creating valley folds at first and last scorelines and mountain folds at the center score lines.

Cut a zip strip to 11 3/4" and score the same way.  Attach to the bottom of the card.

Cut 3 Spider Webs from Black CS at 4 1/2" (Artbooking, pg 54, Real Dial Size)

Cut Boo from Black CS at 1 1/4" (Artbooking, pg 54, Real Dial Size)

Cut 2 circles at 3 1/4" and 1 circle at 4" from the grey B&T.

Cut 1 circle from Whisper CS at 2 1/2" to stamp your Little Monster on.

Cut shape for Spooky Cute stamp from Eggplant at 1 1/2" (Artfully Sent, pg 29)

Layer the 4" B&T grey circle behind one spider web for the front of the card.  Attach the stamped Whisper circle to the front.  Stamp Happy Halloween on the 3 1/4" B&T circle and attach Boo to the other 3 1/4" circle. Attach these to the front of the spider webs.  

Adhere layered spider webs to card as shown lining them up so they match, creasing along score lines of left and right panel.

Tip:  Make sure your spider webs are all lined up before you adhere anything to them or adhere them to the card.  They are not symmetrical and you'll want them to "disappear" when the card is closed.