World Card Making Day and October Stamp of the Month - Thanks & Giving!

Today is World Cardmaking Day, so I thought I would take the opportunity to make a card with the cute October Stamp of the Month, Thanks & Giving!  The images are so cute, I had so much fun making this card!

First I stamped the garland image on a piece of White Daisy cardstock and colored with Shinhan markers.  Next I stamped the house image on a piece of polka-dot background paper from the Oh What Fun Paper Packet and cut it out.  I stamped just the chimney of the house on a scrap of Pixie cardstock and adhered it to the stamped house.  Using a punch to cut a heart from a scrap of Raspberry cardstock and Cricut to cut a small circle from Black cardstock, I adhered both pieces to the stamped house, placing a Bitty Sparkle on the tiny heart.  The Silver Embellishing Thread was just the right touch to turn the house into a "birdhouse" by "hanging" it from the garland "branch".

To wrap up the card, I attached another piece of the background paper to the left of the images.  Then I adhered the stamped cardstock to a piece of Black cardstock, and again to a cardbase made from Raspberry cardstock.  Finally, I stamped just the "Thanks" sentiment from the "Thanks & Giving" image with Versamark ink on a piece of Black cardstock and embossed it with Ranger White Super Fine embossing powder.  This was adhered with Thin Foam Tape to the card.

Don't you just love the polka-dot paper from the Oh What Fun Paper Packet?  Here is a closeup of 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 $18.95.

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Operation Smile Crop Autumn 2018!

Operation Smile is a cause that is near and dear to my heart.  To see and hear about children, and yes, even adults, who have their lives changed for the better brings so much joy to my heart!  Close To My Heart is 100% committed to helping in the effort to make a difference.   My fellow consultants and I have joined in the cause by holding a semiannual crop solely to raise money for smiles.  This has been a fun day crop that we've been holding for the last year.

Our next crop is scheduled for Saturday, October 13, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm at the Hampton Inn in Dumfries, Virginia.  Here are the details:

• Location:  Hampton Inn Dumfries Quantico, 16959 Old Stage Road, Dumfries, VA  22025.
• Cost is $40 which includes lunch and snacks, 4' of crop space, and one raffle ticket.  Additional raffle tickets can be purchased for prizes awarded throughout the day.
• Space is limited, so please register at www.paypal.me/LindaTaylor to guarantee your seat. 
• We will have a tool table available with a Cricut Expression and Cuttlebug for your use.
• Due to fire regulations and limited space, please be mindful when packing.  Please, no side tables or wagons.
• If you cannot attend but would still like to donate to Operation Smile, you can still help!
• Purchase the Operation Smile stamp set (sample card shown below).
• Purchase an Operation Smile T-shirt.
• Make a donation to Operation Smile by going to my website, clicking on the shopping cart icon in the upper right-hand corner, and entering your donation.

Please consider helping us for this great cause!

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September 2018 Stamp of the Month - Just Treats!

The September 2018 Stamp of the Month, Just Treats, features a multitude of very cute images and sentiments.  It is a great set to have for the upcoming holidays and seasons!

For the card I made, the "Warm Winter Wishes" sentiment became the focal point, which I stamped in Ranger Silver Super Fine Embossing Powder and layered on a square piece of Silver Foil Paper.  I wanted to play off of the winter sentiment, so used our new Stencil Sheets to make a snowflake stencil using the Cricut Artbooking Collection.  I then took the stencil, placed it on a white cardbase and smeared the new Ranger Opaque Matte Texture Paste over the stencil.  After letting it dry, I finished up the card with strips of the new Sugarplum Glitter Paper and Sugarplum Cardstock, and the new Sugarplum Glitter Gems.

Here is a closeup of the card.  What do you think of the new Close To My Heart Color of the Year, Sugarplum?

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 $18.95.

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September 2018 - Joyful Stars Blog Hop!

Thanks for joining us this month for the Joyful Stars CTMH Blog Hop!  If you came here from the talented Betty's blog, you came from the right place!

This month, I'm focusing on the maiden month of the new 2018 Holiday Expressions Idea Book!  I've used a bunch of the new products from this book, so I hope you enjoy!  For the card shown below, I made the background on our new watercolor paper.  First, I inked up a CTMH acrylic block with the new Bluebird, Carolina, and Lilac ink pads.  Next I spritzed the block with a spray pen and pressed it onto a piece of pre-cut watercolor paper.  Then after placing something heavy on the block, I let it sit for about five minutes before lifting up the block.

To finish the card, I stamped the sentiment and garland from the Boutique - Scrapbooking stamp set with Charcoal ink onto the watercolored piece.  This was then placed on a piece of the new Sugarplum cardstock.  Next, I attached the Sugarplum matted piece on a card base with a piece of the new Boutique patterned paper adhered to the top of the base.  Finally, I used some simple Clear and Bitty Sparkles to finish the card to keep it simple and the focus on the watercolored area.

Now please head over to Krista's blog!  I promise you won't be disappointed!

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August 2018 - Joyful Stars Blog Hop!

Thank you for joining us on the Joyful Stars August 2018 Blog Hop!  If you've come here from the talented Betty's blog, you've come to the right place! 

Next month Close To My Heart is revealing some beautiful new products, including many for the holiday season.  That means that we will have to say goodbye to some of our favorites.  I decided to focus this month's blog hop card on some of my own personal favorites before they're gone.


 First, I stamped the beautiful background stamp from the retiring Heartfelt Thanks stamp set using VersaMark ink on Black cardstock, then embossed it in White Detail embossing powder.

Next, I pulled out my Blossom cardstock, which is also sadly retiring, to add a pop of color to the stamped background above.  The frame was cut from the Cricut Artbooking Collection, while the oval was cut from the Stitched Ovals Thin Cuts.

Then I grabbed my Punny Pals stamp set and Thin Cuts.  (Note that there will be a new stamp set to support Operation Smile in the new 2018 Holiday Expressions Idea Book.)  Punny Pals has definitely been a favorite stamp set of mine!  I stamped the cat with Memento ink (also retiring), colored with Shinhan alcohol markers, and embossed with VersaMark ink and Clear Detail embossing powder.  The corresponding Thin Cut was then used to cut out the image.

Finally, I pulled all the pieces together on a Black cardstock card base, putting Foam Tape under the stamped background and framed piece, and Thin Foam Tape under the stamped cat and sentiment.  A Clear Bitty Sparkle was added to the collar of the cat, and Clear Sparkles were put on the corners of the frame.  Here is the finished card:

Here is a closer look at all the embossing:

Questions?  Please ask in your comments!  Now please continue on to the talented Krista's blog!

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Floral Embossed Resist

Embossed resist is a favorite technique of mine and one of the first techniques I learned to do.  I recently took advantage of the Stampaganza special to get the Aloha Spirit stamp set.    This stamp set screamed embossed resist to me!

To make this card, first I stamped the flowers and leaves with VersaMark ink on a piece of White Daisy cardstock, then heat embossed with Clear Detail embossing powder.

Next, I used sponge daubers to blend ink onto each of the images.  I used Blossom and Raspberry inks on the large flowers, Lemon and Tangerine inks on the small flowers, and Willow and Emerald inks on the leaves.

After fussy cutting each of the stamped images, I prepared the card base.  Using a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of patterned paper from the Central Park paper pack, I used a large round object to trace and further trim down the paper and adhere onto a white card base.

Next I layered my cut images on the card base and after placing them in a pattern I was happy with, used Glad Press 'n Seal to pick up the pieces to retain their placement.

I then used adhesive and both thin and regular foam tape to provide varying levels of dimensions on the images.

After peeling off the release paper on the foam tape, I picked up the whole works on the Press 'n Seal and placed it back on the card base.  I added a few additional pieces of foam tape under the large flower images that were covered by the leaves when they were flipped to the back side.  The "Thank You" sentiment from the Shell Sentiments stamp set was stamped with VersaMark ink and heat embossed with White Detail embossing powder on a scrap of Pacifica cardstock, then placed on the card with foam tape.  Finally, a few yellow Central Park sequins were used to provide the finishing touches.

Questions?  Please ask in your comments!

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July 2018 Stamp of the Month - Highlight Reel!

Highlight Reel is a versatile stamp set that has some very cute images of varying sizes.  I really thought the "First Home" sentiment the most unique so had some fun creating a couple of cards with those stamps.

The first card was made by stamping the house image multiple times in Memento Black ink with one stamped in Poppy ink.  I then used a journaling pen to outline the Poppy colored house.  Next I stamped the airplane and car with the Memento Black ink, colored them with alcohol markers, and cut them out.  I then used a Chalk Marker and ruler to draw the dashed lines through the center of a piece of Black cardstock to make the "road".  The "First Home" sentiment was stamped in VersaMark ink on Black cardstock and embossed with white embossing powder.  (Note that I needed to mask the word "First" since it is part of the banner image.)  The sentiment, airplane, and car were applied onto the Poppy-matted card with foam tape.  Finally, I added some sparkle with a Clear Shimmer Brush onto the airplane, car, and Poppy colored house.

Here are a couple of close-up photos of this card:

The Circle Thin Cuts helped to highlight the elements of the second card.  Using a pencil I sketched in some light pencil lines on a piece of Black cardstock to ensure my circles would cut evenly across the card.  I then used the cut cardstock as a guide to stamp my house images on a white card base in Cranberry, Tangerine, Lemon, Willow, Pacifica, and Pansy.  The cut cardstock was then attached to the card base using foam tape.  The banner and sentiment was stamped in Memento Black ink, fussy cut, and attached with foam tape to the card.  The card was finished off with some Clear Sparkles.

Here is a couple of close-up photos of the finished 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.

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