Saturday, March 10, 2018

March is Die-Namite!

I never thought I would love dies.  My Cricut machine tends to get a lot of use, so I wasn't sure I wanted to bite the bullet on the Thin Cuts dies introduced by Close To My Heart.  However, since many of the dies are compatible with our stamps, I inevitably gave them a try.  And of course, I fell in love!  The wonderful thing about dies is the versatile ways you can use them.  I am a technique junkie and love to play in my craft room.  And dies are now a go to item for trying something new.

This first card uses the Thin Cuts-Block Alphabet set.  I did some stamping using the Beautiful You stamp set, first on a sheet of White Daisy cardstock, then on a "burlap-style" piece of the Basics Fundamentals Paper Packet.  (Note that I used a stamp positioning tool to ensure the stamping was done on the paper in exactly the same spots.).  After placing the two pieces of paper directly on top of each other, I taped down the dies for letters in "HUGS" and ran them through my die cut machine.  While I had my die cut machine ready, I cut three more sets of "HUGS" in White Daisy cardstock.  Next I adhered the negative portion of the "burlap-style" paper to a white card base.  I then took the three extra sets of non-stamped, "HUGS" letters and adhered them on top of each other.  The last layer, i.e., stamped White Daisy letters, was then adhered to the top of the stack.  Taking these stacked letters, I then adhered them to the negative "burlap-style" paper, so that it gives a fun illusion to the eye.  I then finished it up with a stamped sentiment from the stamp set and some of the white dots from the Black & White Dots embellishments.


This next card starts with using the Sweet Baby Stamp + Thin Cuts.  Using a piece of White Daisy cardstock, I cut out three balloons as shown to use the paper as negative space.  I then re-cut the balloons from three different colors from the Whimsy Fundamental Paper Packet.  Next I used the tail end of the Thin Cuts-Ribbon Border die to cut the strings from the negative space of the paper with the balloons.  Using foam tape, I adhered this white cardstock to a Black Cardstock mat.  I then popped the colored balloons down through the negative balloons.  Finally I finished the card with a sentiment from the Many Congratulations stamp set and added a ribbon from the Whimsy Ribbon Pack.

Here is a photo of the card from the side to show the layers resulting from the dies and added foam tape.
 

The good news is that Close To My Heart is having a 25% off sale on many of the Thin Cuts dies and 30% off Thin Cuts bundles.  For more information on the sale, please see this promotion on my Close To My Heart website.  Note that this sale is while supplies last and through March 30, so please act now to get your favorites!

Saturday, January 13, 2018

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

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:






Monday, September 11, 2017

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!

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

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!

Friday, June 16, 2017

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!




Saturday, June 10, 2017

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.

https://joycegough.closetomyheart.com/Retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=10005&ci=8393

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

https://joycegough.closetomyheart.com/Retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=10005&ci=8393

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.