Saturday, November 5, 2016

Precious Puppy Layout

Okay, so I'm in love. Like big time in love. Like totally consumed, obsessed kind of love.

With my puppy.

My husband and I grew up without pets. And, we were fine with that. Actually, we always were grateful we married someone who understood we never wanted pets. The fur! The mess! The responsibility! No, thank you.

But then Indy. Well, actually Willett. Willett is my neighbor's Havanese and I kind of fell in love with her. And I had to have a baby, I mean, a puppy of my own. So, entered Indy.


We adopted Indy in February and he has changed our life. For the better. As the journaling above says (hard to read, I know), he's sweet, snuggly and so adorable. :)

Love this layout? It's from Pattern 8, Make It From Your Heart: Volume 2. CTMH's how-to books are so helpful. Most of the products used above are retired and I am proud of that. I'm trying to use up my stash, you too?

Indy says, "Woof!" meaning "Thanks for looking!"



Tuesday, November 1, 2016

November SOTM Blog Hop - New Year's Cheer

Welcome to the November SOTM Blog Hop, featuring New Year's Cheer, a set of 13 stamps. If you’ve come from Maureen's blog, you’re on the right path. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find a complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s blog. 


Along the hop, you'll see artwork from 29 talented consultants who can't wait to share their creativity with you using the cheerful stamps below!

I decided to use Peacock, White Daisy and Ruby for my color scheme. I added a few products I had left from other projects, like the ribbon, the overlay with the stars and the swirly silver glitter banner. Quick and easy!


Inside of Card
The following products were used (all current CTMH products):

  • Peacock Cardstock, X5776
  • Ruby Cardstock, X5927
  • White Daisy Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2863
  • Peacock Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2649
  • Picture My Life Happy, Happy Christmas Overlays, Z4016
  • Enchantment Ribbon Pack, Z3288
  • City Sidewalks Complements, X7213C

Be sure to hop on over to Krista's blog to see her work! Remember, the November SOTM is only available until November 30!  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Halloween Scrapbooking Layout

Love my little Scrappy Gals. Every Thursday afternoon, I get to spend an hour with 14 of the coolest Second-Fifth grade girls from my sons' elementary school. So, for Halloween week we obviously had to make a layout for their Halloween photos!


I used the ever so cute Jeepers Creepers paper, the EEK title and monsters cut from the Artistry Cricut Cartridge, Z3167 (p. 43) and the Halloween Greetings Stamp Set, D1605. I added a few googly eyes for fun and the girls LOVED them!

Friday, October 21, 2016

Enchantment School Layouts

Close To My Heart really changed their Annual Inspirations book this year. Instead of having a lot of themed papers, they went with color combinations in our new Fundamentals collections. I love all of the papers, but the Enchantment Fundamentals have gorgeous jewel-toned colors and are perfect for my school layouts.



I used the Cricut Artbooking cartridge to cut out First Day, the apple and the binder paper. I used the retired Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge for the penant banner. The stars were cut using our new Thin Cuts Stars in White Glitter paper and then I used our Shin Han markers to color them. So easy to personalize! I made these layouts with my Scrappy Gals after school program group and they were a big hit!

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Cricut City Sidewalks Blog Hop

Welcome to the Cricut City Sidewalks Blog Hop. Thanks for hopping over from Melissa Robinson's blog. There are 20 consultants participating in the hop, so be sure to visit all of their blogs. If you get lost along the way, you can find a complete list of participating consultants here.




Cricut City Sidewalks Digital Collection is Close To My Heart's new mini digital holiday collection. With 30 complete images, including titles, photo frames, borders, card sentiments, card overlays and more, you'll love using this collection to brighten up your holiday creativity.


Every year our family goes to Washington, D.C. to see the National Christmas Tree and all of the little state and territory trees surrounding it. It's a tradition I've had since I was a little girl going with my parents. Living in Northern Virginia makes access to D.C. convenient and while we don't take advantage of the proximity enough, we do love our visits to see the museums and national monuments. 


How gorgeous is that snowflake background? While it took forever to cut on the Cricut, I love it so so much! It's hard to tell in the photos, but I put white glitter paper under the black snowflake background.

Supplies used:


Now, hop on over to Brenda Lapp's blog to check out her use of City Sidewalks!

Monday, October 10, 2016

Oh Deer! Christmas Layout

My obsession with all things Sea Glass continues. I created these layouts as a make and take for a crop I was recently a vendor at. Despite these not being the best photos, I love how they turned out!



The only difference between these two layouts is that I used the back of the B&T papers for the bottom layout (pine cones v the deer). And, yes, I know it's hard to see the bottom one. But, I wanted you to see the shimmer I applied to the snowflakes with our new Shimmer Brush! You can also see the gold embossing on the deer, using the Ranger Princess Gold embossing powder.

Close To My Heart's how-to books are so helpful when you're looking for a well-balanced layout. I used Three-Part Harmony on p. 44 of the Imagine book. And, that adorable deer comes from the Thin Cuts Woodland Wishes Bundle. That Merry Christmas cut out is awesome and comes from the new Cricut City Sidewalks Digital Collection.

I'm never crafting Christmas this early, but I am SO loving it. When do you usually start your Christmas crafts?

Saturday, October 1, 2016

October SOTM Blog Hop - Yuletide Joy


Welcome to the October SOTM Blog Hop, featuring Yuletide Joy, a set of seven holiday themed stamps. You'll see artwork from 37 talented consultants who can't wait to spread some Yuletide Joy with you!


Thanks for hopping over from Donna Digby's blog.

How much do you love the color of the year, Sea Glass? I'm using it with everything, but am totally obsessed with the Sea Glass and gold color combo. Pair those up with our Oh Deer! paper and you have a winning combo!


Heat embossing is so fun and really details the intricacy of the star. I love adding a little bling to the inside of my card. It just gives it that extra special touch. CTMH's new Thin Cuts are so easy to use with my Cuttlebug and those stars are going to be on everything I create!


Products used (all CTMH):
  • Oh Deer! Paper Pack, X7214B, $9.95
  • Ranger Princess Gold, Z2066, $5.95
  • VersaMark Ink Pad, Z891, $9.95
  • Craft Heater, Z555, $34.95
  • Gold Shimmer Trim, Z1985, $4.95
  • Gold Assortment Sequins, Z2012, $2.95
  • Gold Glitter Paper, Z3238, $5.95
  • Cocoa Stamp Pad, Z2814, $7.95
  • Stars Thin Cuts, Z3261, $14.95
  • SOTM Yuletide Joy, S1610, $5
  • Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge
Make sure you head over to Wendy Coffman's blog to see what she's come up with. Get your own Yuletide Joy stamp set for $5 with any qualifying $50 purchase. And, don't forget it's only available until October 31, 2016 from your Independent Consultant or here.

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Create Kindness

Kindness changes everything. How powerful are those words? Until September 30, 2016, you can get this amazing card kit, filled with eight M-sized stamp sets with powerful and positive messages. 


Check out my two-minute video showing exactly what comes in this kit.




Tuesday, August 30, 2016

The NEW Complements!

I've always loved how CTMH coordinates paper and embellishments. One of my favorite products has always been their Complements. Since adding the new Fundamentals Collections, CTMH has also updated (I'd say upGRADED) their Complements, including the trendiest materials and hot new colors. You'll be able to use more coordinating stickers, printed chipboard die-cuts and kraft die-cuts with white foil accents in the School 7-12 Complements, perfectly pairing with the Enchantment Fundamentals Paper Pack.

Here's what you get in your School 7-12 Complements

Here's everything cut apart and spread out...lots of stuff!

I love that there are many great titles.
Okay, so why did I cut apart the stickers and separate everything? Well, CTMH grouped the stickers and various die-cuts in ways that would coordinate as you're designing your layouts. Certainly, you can use them however you want, but they made some great recommendations.

Ready to start organizing!
In bags and ready to use!
 As you can see, I labeled each of the sections with a number (1-12, there are more on the back side!). Then, I labeled a clear plastic bag with the numbers, too. So, the stickers and die-cuts are ready for my layouts!

Then, I put them all of my smaller organized bags inside the Complements bag. And, guess what? I happened to have an extra My Acrylix Organizer and it fits perfectly! I've added all of my new Complements to the organizer and feel ready for a Scrappy marathon!

Everything's still in one place.

And now, all my Complements are together!


I hope you found this to be a helpful explanation of Close To My Heart's new Complements. BTW, my personal favorite is the All Together Complements or maybe, it's the Good Life Complements. With the new colors, vellum, gold accents and glitter die-cuts, it's too hard to choose!

What's your favorite new Complements?


Friday, August 12, 2016

The New Annual Inspirations is HERE!





It's here! It's here! Close To My Heart's new Annual Inspirations catalog is here! And guess what, there are a TON of new products in there that you are going to LOVE!


First of all, how gorgeous is that cover? It's a sneak peak into the new Cricut Flower Market Collection! And, one of my favorite things CTMH thought of is that you can now purchase it two different ways...by physical cartridge or through an online code (saving you $20!). This brand new Cricut collections features blooms and blossoms for every season of life, two gorgeous fonts and themed shapes perfect for holidays, cardmaking and scrapbooking...a total of 700 images!


Don't you just love CTMH's themed My Reflections papers? Me, too! But, guess what, they aren't in this catalog. Now, before you go freaking out, don't worry, they'll be plenty of those themed collections in all of our supplemental Holiday and Seasonal Expressions catalogs. So, CTMH  instead created three Fundamental Creative Collections and another four Basics Fundamentals Creative Collections. Each of the Fundamental Creative Collections (Whimsy, Adventure and Enchantment...to coordinate with our exclusive color palette) contain 24 - 12x12 sheets (2 of each 12 double-sided designs). They coordinate beautifully with ribbon and themed Complements that make completing cohesive projects easier than ever. You can use these paper collections to create layouts that coordinate with all of your photos and memory keeping projects!

Adventure Fundamentals Layout


Okay, I can't give away all of the Annual Inspirations secrets in one blog post. But, there's one more I just must share. It's the new Color of the Year...SEA GLASS! You're going to want to include this trendy color in all of your layouts this year. Luckily, you can get Sea Glass in a stamp pad, re-inker, cardstock, mini pigment pad and my favorite, glitter paper!


Check back often on my blog for artwork and information on specials and more new products!

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

March Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - Sunshine Birdies

Welcome to the 2016 March Stamp of the Month Blog Hop, featuring Sunshine Birdies. a set of 11 stamps. If you've come here from Jean McNulty's blog, you're on the right path. The hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and make your way around. If you get lost along the way, you'll find a complete list of participating consultants on Melinda's blog.

 

This month we have 39 participating consultants and I know you'll find tons of inspiration. Just click on the link at the end of the blog to go to the next post. It's simple!


I was really in the mood to create a simple, monochromatic card. I used Colonial White and Desert Sand and a piece of our Paper Fundamentals in Basic which I sponged to show the emboss resist on the paper.


I cut a small piece of Colonial White Cardstock and the Dot Embossing Folder to create some texture on the card. The scalloped circles were cut with our Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge.


Now, it's time to check out what the talented Traci Godbee has to show you! Be sure to visit all the Consultants' blogs to get some great crafting and other fun ideas! Remember, Sunshine Birdies SOTM is only available until March 31st!  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Share the Love Blog Hop


Welcome to the Share the Love Blog Hop! Thanks for coming from Kirsten Jade's blog.

I have to start by saying how much I love Close To My Heart and the good work the company does. Not only do they provide the best products in the business, but they contribute so much to the world at large. This Share the Love promotion includes the swoon-worthy stamp set below with lovable sentiments and adorable icons. More importantly, $7 of each purchase of the Share the Love stamp set will go to Operation Smile, an amazing organization that provides surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates for children all over the world. That's a reason to make me smile!


Inspired by a card created by Sarah-Paige Gruber, I pulled out my CTMH embossing folders and my Cuttlebug to create the cute card below. 


Please leave me comment and "share the love" then head on over to Marie Flayer's blog to see her artwork. Lost? Click here for a complete list of all of the hoppers!

Monday, February 1, 2016

February Stamp of the Month - Balloon Animals


Welcome to the Balloon Animals Blog Hop! Thanks for hopping over from Haley Dyer's adorable blog! With 40 consultants sharing their artwork, there's sure to be some inspiration for everyone. If you get lost along the way, check here for the complete list.


Oh, how I wish my boys were little again! This is such a cute little stamp set. Who doesn't smile when they see balloon animals? Since I'm getting a puppy later this week (EEEK...I'm already in love with him!), I decided to use the dog balloon animal.


After stamping the dog in Pear Ink on White Daisy Cardstock, I fussy cut him with my Non-stick Micro-tip Scissors. Once you buy these, you'll never need another pair of craft scissors! Okay, maybe you'll want to buy a second pair for those times when you misplace the first pair, like when they're hiding under your pile of scrap paper. So I've heard anyhow.

It's hard to see in the photo, but I then applied another of my can't-live-without products, Liquid Glass, to the balloon animal. It gives the pup some dimension and shine...just like a real balloon animal! The inside needed another little sentiment, so I trimmed some scrap Kaleidoscope paper and added a few shapes cut from the Cricut Artristy Cartridge.


I really enjoyed making this card and hope you enjoy seeing it! Be sure to check out all of the hoppers and their amazing artwork!

List of the supplies I used:
  • Artistry Cricut Cartridge, Z3167
  • Balloon Animals Stamp Set, S1602
  • White Value Pack Cards & Envelopes, X254
  • Kaleidoscope Paper Packet, X7202B
  • Pixie Cardstock, X5773
  • White Daisy Cardstock, 1385
  • Sunset Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2105
  • Pear Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2197
  • Pixie Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2644
  • Canary Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2643
  • Gypsy Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2190
  • Mini Stapler, Z2027
  • Thistle Twine, Z3040
  • Liquid Glass, Z679
  • Non-stick Micro-tip Scissors, Z1836
  • 3-D Foam Tape, Z1151

Now, head over to see what the talented Alyson Mayo has in store for you!