Last Chance for Holiday Expressions 2017!

I hope that everyone is enjoying some time off for the holidays.  I know I am!  After what has been a crazy few months in my world, I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight some of the beautiful products we'll be saying goodbye to at the end of the year.  Note that they are only available while supplies last.  Please enjoy these photos of some of the things I've been able to make throughout this season.  And may 2018 bring you happiness and peace!

Cats and Bats:

Falling For You:

 Beary Christmas:

Silver and Gold:

Continue reading →

September 2017 Stamp of the Month - Feel So Blessed

The Feel So Blessed Stamp of the Month is a beautiful collection of multi-size and multi-font sentiments.  The addition of the feather and some other images makes for a very versatile set!  The feather in particular seemed to cry for white embossing.  I white embossed the image multiple times on the new vellum paper and then colored in several marker combinations using the Shinhan Touch markers.  These were adhered on a dry embossed background using the Alphabet embossing folder.  I also white embossed the "thanks" sentiment on black cardstock to add some pop to the mostly white card.

Here is a closeup of the embossing:

And here is the card:

Each month you can purchase a new D-size stamp set, available for one month only, for just $5 - that's over 70% off retail!  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.  Otherwise, you can purchase this set outright for $17.95.

This is only available through September 30, so get it while you can!

Continue reading →

Stampaganza 2017!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  No, I'm not talking about Christmas.  I'm talking about Stampaganza!  It doesn't come every year, but when it does, it feels like Christmas.  Because during Stampaganza, you can buy two stamp sets and get one for FREE!   If you've been holding back on getting your favorites, now is the time!  Not sure what you want?  How about a cute and trendy Emojis stamp set?   I made this little 3x3 gift card which would be perfect for a child's lunch box, sweet reminder to a spouse, or impromptu gesture to a friend.

It was so easy to make with a variety of emojis to choose from and a solid stamp to fill in with yellow ink.  Although the heart eyes were on the emoji stamp I used, I opted to cut little hearts from Poppy Cardstock using an old heart punch I had.  The sentiments were stamped using stamps from the same set.  The tic-tac-toe "board" was quickly drawn with a sharpie and a ruler.  It was super simple to make this and make someone's day.  Stampaganza makes this a bargain!  The special will be gone before the end of the month of July so take advantage before it's over!

Continue reading →

Father's Day 2017

Did you remember Father's Day is this Sunday, June 18?  If you haven't made a card already, I highly recommend the Jack - Cardmaking Stamp Set + Thin Cuts bundle.  The combination of the stamps and Thin Cuts make for such a quick and easy card!

I stamped all the elements separately, lined them up with the Thin Cuts, and cut them with my Cuttlebug all in one shot.  Using alcohol markers, I did some simple coloring of the bear.  The card base is made from Juniper cardstock, which I then layered with Black cardstock and Jack B&T paper.  I simply used the Black and White Dots for the finishing touch.  Easy peasy!

Continue reading →

Hello Foxy - June 2017 Stamp of the Month!

I'm just loving the new trend of critters to color!  The June 2017 Stamp of the Month, Hello Foxy, brings some very cute, new fox critters to practice your coloring and experiment with different coloring mediums.  I chose to make a "Thank You" card using this adorable set and combined it with my favorite new paper pack, Jack.  Using alcohol markers I colored in the fox and wreath after stamping in Memento black ink.  I popped the fox and the black mat with foam tape to add some dimension.  For finishing touches, I used the Black & White Dots and the Whisper Thick Twine.  Finally, to add just a little pop, I used a white gel pen to add a few dots to the middle of the flowers.

Take a look at all the cute images in this set!  What can you make with these?

Each month you can purchase a new D-size stamp set, available for one month only, for just $5 - that's over 70% off retail!  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.  Otherwise, you can purchase this set outright for $17.95.

Continue reading →

Birthday Bear

My father had a birthday recently, turning the sophisticated age of 87!  In considering a birthday card for him, it wasn't a stretch to immediately think of the Jack - Cardmaking stamp set. I knew I wanted to pair it with the Jack paper pack.  My father lives in plaid flannel, even in the summertime.  And of course covers his head many times with a wool cap. So imagine my surprise to find that the hat from one of the papers from the Jack paper pack fit nicely on the bear's head!  I simply cut it from the paper and adhered it to the bear.  I then added some liquid glass to the hat (and heart) to give it a little pop.

Here is a closeup of the bear:

And here is the full card:

This won't be the last time you'll see this cute bear or paper! 😉

Continue reading →

It's a Prickly Pear Birthday!

Although I love the obvious cute stamp images inspired by the Prickly Pear paper pack, my favorite thing is that it uses my absolute favorite color - Emerald!  Pictures do not do this color justice.  If you pull out a sheet of cardstock, it positively glows a beautiful deep emerald green!  I hope it never retires.  😊

As my nephew's birthday approached, I knew I wanted to use one of the more vibrant, fun new paper packs that were in the latest Idea Book.  The Prickly Pear paper pack fit right in.  Love the colors and cacti!

I also knew my nephew would love the cutesy llama and cactus images from the Prickly Pear - Cardmaking Stampset and Thin Cuts, despite the fact that he turned 32.

He totally loved the card I made for him.  That was quite the compliment since he is a very talented artist!

Continue reading →

Bear Hugs and Flash Sale

I admit it, I have a fondness for bear related things. I used to love the old Yogi Bear cartoons. Remember the people coming to Jellystone Park saying "Look at the bears! Look at the bears! Look at the bears!" when seeing Yogi and Booboo? In fact I have called my son "Bear" ever since he was an infant and continue to call him that to this day at 27 years old.

So when I saw the Jack - Cardmaking stamp set in the 2017 Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book, I knew that would be my first purchase. I have now made a number of bear cards. Here is the first, and one that I made for my son:

I colored the bear using alcohol markers.  Using the Wood Slats Embossing Folder, I made an easy but effective background for the bear.  I also heat embossed both the sentiment and the heart to add some pop.  The White Dots were just the ticket to put the final finishes on the card.

Moving on to the Flash Sale, Close To My Heart has a 24-hour Flash Sale going on right now!  The sale is while supplies last at 30% off and includes a variety of crafting items and bundles.  Check it out here before everything is gone!

Continue reading →

May 2017 Stamp of the Month - Live, Laugh, Love

I've been doing a lot of embossing lately.  I'm not sure why other than embossing was what pulled me into card making from the beginning.  There is something about science and particularly chemistry that I find enjoyable.  And watching the powder melt by applying heat just lights me up!

So when I saw the Live, Laugh, Love stamp set, I knew I was going to emboss the letters.  In lieu of coloring the floral design on the sapphire embossed letters, I opted to use the new gold shimmer brush to apply a hint of golden sparkle.  Here is a close up of the letters in the "Love" image:

 

Since I went with the gold shimmer, I decided to emboss one of the flowers in gold and add to the embossed sapphire flowers.  The No Worries paper seemed to marry well with the images, and I thought the addition of the Gold Glitter Gems and White Burlap Ribbon pulled the whole thing together.  Here is a look at the full card:

Each month you can purchase a new D-size stamp set, available for one month only, for just $5 - that's over 70% off retail!  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.  Otherwise, you can purchase this set outright for $17.95.

Live, Laugh, Love - May 2017 Stamp of the Month

Continue reading →

National Scrapbooking Month 2017 and Live Beautifully!

Due to unforeseen circumstances with work and a flood in my basement (thanks, hon!), I haven't posted in awhile.  However, now that things are starting to get back to normal, I wanted to post about all the lovely products available now for National Scrapbooking Month.

First, I wanted to show this beautiful stamp set that I was so excited to finally get to play with last weekend.  The flowers are simply gorgeous and the large font on the sentiments are perfect for scrapbooking!

The coordinating papers are eye catching, some with beautiful foil accents, and would make gorgeous cards and pages for your memory keeping!

And for those of you with little time on your hands, you can take advantage of the Live Beautifully Cut Above kit, with or without the album bundle.  All papers are pre-cut with easy instructions!

Here is a card I made with the stamp set and one of the papers from the paper pack.  I tried my hand at stamping the image in CTMH Eggplant and adding some color with a white colored pencil and a darker purple pencil.  Hope you enjoy!

 

Interested in taking advantage of any of all of the products for CTMH National Scrapbooking Month?  Then you better hurry because this special will only last through the month of June while supplies last.  Visit my webpage for more details on this special!

Continue reading →