Thanks & Giving Anniversary Card

‘Tis the season for fall colors, fall stamp sets, and, this week, an anniversary.  Since I believe in “using what you have”, I decided to create this gorgeous card using a few of our fall paper collections and the Thanks & Giving stamp of the month.

I ♥adore♥ the simplicity of this card using the combination of papers from both the Grateful Heart and Hello Pumpkin collections. The colors are classic, simple, and clean. By creating a stitched scallop border and some stitching under the diagonal striped paper, I added just a little bit of texture with our Decorative Border Thin Cuts. The embellishments were kept simple with a few loops of Silver Embellishing Thread and two Silver Glitter Gems.

All the the stamped images are from our Thanks & Giving stamp of the month. I love how classy these images are and how they can be used for just about any project. You can get this stamp set for only $5.00 during the month of October with any qualifying $50.00 purchase from my website.  The Thanks & Giving stamp set is only available during the month of October, so make sure you grab it before it’s gone.  I can’t wait to see what you create!

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Thanks & Giving Blog Hop

Welcome to the Thanks & Giving Stamp of the Month Blog Hop where we will be featuring the October Thanks & Giving stamp set.  This stamp set is full of sentiments,  icons, and images designed for all your autumn paper crafting projects. If you have come here from Debi McBains’ blog, you are on the right path! When you are finished reading my post, you can click on the link at the end to move to the next blog. This blog hop is simple, fun, and full of ideas using the Thanks & Giving stamp set. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog.

Fall is all about snuggling at home, preparing for cold weather, and taking time for family. The busyness of summer is ending and it’s time to remember, once again, how blessed we are. The Thanks & Giving stamp set reminds me of all those fall feelings – home, full hearts, gatherings, and togetherness. This week, to express my thankfulness, I decided to create a lovely Sunflower Thank You card using Texture Paste, Watercolors, and our Thanks & Giving Stamp of the Month.

I really enjoy how this card turned out – something outside of my “normal” designs. Recently, I have been experimenting with our Texture Paste products, and I have been surprised at how easy they are to use and I am blown-away by the results.

To create the Sunflower, I used an image from Flower Market and cut out the stencil from our Stencil Sheets.  When creating stencils in Design Space™,  you have to be able to think ahead at the negative space you are using for the image. It takes a little bit of practice, but the results are always worth it.  I applied the Texture Paste image directly to our Cold Pressed Watercolor Paper, then, after it dried, I added color with Watercolor Paints.

I used the Thanks & Giving stamp set to stamp foliage along the base and to create the sentiment which was heat embossed with White Embossing Powder.  I added some New England Ivy Burlap Ribbon, which I separated, then assembled the card.  Do you like it? Do you want to give it a go?

Now ‘Hop” on over to Ronda La Duke’s blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crating tips and other fun ideas. Remember, the Thanks & Giving stamp set is only available until October 31st! Contact your CTMH Consultant, or visit the Promotions tab of my website to see how you can get this stamp set for only $5.00.  I can’t wait to see what you create!

Last Chance for September Savings

As September nears it’s end, the weather is finally cooling off, I am unpacking my flannel, and the pumpkin decorations are getting unpacked.  Before we move into October, I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss out on all of the More Magical, You’ve Got Class, Memories in the Making, and Just Treats September Specials.

One of my favorites was our More Magical Products which I used to create some mini-albums, scrapbook pages, and cards. The products in this workshop include the patterned paper, cardstock, embellishments, and stamp set needed to create four 12″ x 12″ layouts and eight cards. We have even provided you with a simple, easy-to-follow workshop guide for you to download and use with these exclusive products.

 

I have also enjoyed our You’ve Got Class products which have been designed to help you create an amazing album full of memories. Even though this was designed for your children’s school years, I plan on creating one for my daughter-in-law as she records her memories of teaching. I still have room in my School Album workshops, and would love to see you there.  You are welcome to purchase your own supplies on my website, and come join the fun.

 

This month, Close to My Heart created a gorgeous Memories in the Making Cut Above Kit and Calendar. It was so popular, that the kits have sold out, but you can still purchase the stamp sets on my website through September 30th.

Last, but defiantly not least, our delightful Just Treats stamp of the month is one that I will be holding onto for future projects. If you haven’t had a chance to purchase this stamp set yet, make sure you grab before September 30th. Remember, ALL stamp of the month sets are available for ONLY $5.00 with a $50.00 purchase from my website.

 

All of these specials are available, while supplies last, through September 30th. I would hate for you to miss out on getting a few of these products that you have been wanting to purchase.  As the month nears it’s end, supplies will dwindle, so make sure you take advantage of these sales while you can.  I can’t wait to see what you create with More Magical, You’ve Got Class, Memories in the Making, and Just Treats September Specials!

Spinning Coffee Treats Card

Sometimes the coffee lover in me needs to create an amusing little card like this one, and, while I was designing it, I decided that it should have a spinning cup of coffee.  Life is fun, crazy, and sometimes requires a lot of coffee.☕  I truly enjoyed making this  delightful little card using our Just Treat stamp set along with some of our Hello Pumpkin products. You can see a list of all the products I used to create this card at the very bottom of this post.

If you have never made a spinning card, it is actually much simpler that you think. I searched on Pinterest, and found that two Pennies with a few Foam Dots worked perfectly behind the cup of coffee. Since, my blog page doesn’t allow me to upload videos, I will be showing how this card works on my Instagram and Facebook page later today, so that you can see how sweet that little spinning cup looks.

Don’t forget that the Just Treats stamp set is only available through September 30th. You can purchase it for only $5.00 with any $50 purchase. If you don’t have $50.00 worth of crafty goodness to purchase, you can buy it for $18.95 on my website and use it to create this card and many others for the upcoming holidays.  I can’t wait to see what you create!

 

Just Treats Stamp Set	Hello Pumpkin Paper Packet	Hello Pumpkin Complements	12″ x 12″ White Daisy Cardstock	12″ x 12″ Black Cardstock
Decorative Borders Thin Cuts	White Burlap Ribbon	Watercolor Pencils	Hello Pumpkin Shapes	Shaker Window & Confetti Thin Cuts
Basic Circle Thin Cuts	Intense Black Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad	Clear Shimmer Brush	Saffron Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad	Stitched Circle Thin Cuts
Thin 3D Foam Tape	3D Foam Dots	My Acrylix Block Starter Set	Thin 3D Foam Dots	3D Foam Tape
	Tombow Adhesive	Paper Trimmer	Micro-Tip Scissors

 

Sweet Treats Shaker Card

I am loving our new Shaker Card products so much that I just had to create a card for this week’s heARTfully stamping challenge.  I know that it is not winter yet, nor will is be coming anytime soon where I live, but I couldn’t resist using our Just Treats stamp of the month to create an adorable winter card.

If you have had a chance to look at the new Holiday Expressions, then you probably haven’t seen all of the new Shaker Card products available, OR maybe you saw them and just had no idea what they were.  Today, I am going to give you a quick run down of the new products we carry, along with a few tips that will help you when you make your next shaker card.

Shaker Window Foam & Acetate – How many times have you attempted to make a card only to get frustrated cutting and gluing the acetate to foam tape? Too many for me to count. That is why I ♥LOVE♥ this product.  One quick tip – it has a clear film on one side of the acetate that needs peeled off before adhering it to the foam tape.

 

Shaker Thin Cuts – These are AWESOME! They are designed to cut frames out to fit the Foam & Acetate perfectly plus you can use them to create your own confetti. HOW COOL IS THAT! Since my shaker was behind the Tag I cut, I didn’t need to use these this time.

 

Loose Sequins – These come in a bag of Silver Shapes or a bag of Gold Shapes which match just about any project you are working on.  Quick Tip: Tap your Anti-Static Pouch over the Sequins before sealing them up. The powder won’t show and it will prevent them from clinging to the acetate.

 

So are you ready to try out our new Shaker Card products?! I know you will be tickled how simple and fun they are to use. I can’t wait to see the shaker cards you create!

Just Treats Blog Hop

Welcome to the Just Treats Stamp of the Month Blog Hop where we will be featuring the September Just Treats stamp set.  I am so excited by this stamp set! I ♥LOVE♥ all the little icons and images designed perfectly for the upcoming holidays. If you have come here from Kathy Burrows’ blog, you are on the right path! When you are finished reading my post, you can click on the link at the end to move to the next blog. This blog hop is simple, fun, and full of ideas using the Just Treats stamp set. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog.

Christmas came to mind when I first glanced at our Just Treats stamps set, and then I thought “Nope! I am not ready for Christmas no matter what the retail stores think“. After taking a second look at the stamp set, and really studying the images and sentiments, I realized that this set is intended for so much more than Christmas.  Take a minute to really study this stamp set and think about all the backgrounds you could make, and borders, and embellishments, and cards and…..your imagination is your only limit.

Well, with the fall air rolling in and the mix of spices rising from my coffee, I decided to use this stamp set to create a Fall Thank You card for my ☕coffee☕ loving friends.  This card not only uses the Just Treats stamps set, but it used quite a few other products from our New Holiday Expressions. How many can you spot?

I am sure you noticed that beautiful Boutique paper right away.  I adore all the patterns and textures of this paper pack. Most people only notice the pales tones in this collection, but I found that Saffron Pattern paper right away and knew that it would make some wonderful fall projects.  To keep with the fall color scheme, I decided that the Charcoal and Linen pattern papers would complement the Saffron and Candy Apple. Yes, that is a “true” red ink you see there in my sentiment and I added more red to the images with a Red Shimmer Brush. I’m not sure how well you can see it, but I brushed some Clear Shimmer on that Whipped Cream topping. ♥LOVE♥ that sparkle.

I’ve only mentioned a few of the new products I used on this card, but I am sure you saw many more that you can’t wait to play with. You can continue through the blog hop and see more ideas from twenty-one other Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month’s Just Treats stamp set and other great Close to My Heart products on their blogs. I will be creating more projects throughout the month using this stamp set and our Holiday Expresions products, so make sure to visit often.

Now ‘Hop” on over to Lauren Moore’s blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crating tips and other fun ideas. Remember, the Just Treats stamp set is only available until September 30th! Contact your CTMH Consultant, or visit the Promotions tab of my website to see how you can get this stamp set for only $5.00.  I can’t wait to see what you create!

Love of Crafting Treats

Can you believe that August is almost over? I have been working away in my craft room trying to prepare for upcoming events, when I realized that this adorable stamp set will be gone in a few days. 😢 Honestly, the For the Love of Crafting stamp set is one set I wish was available throughout the year.  I have been able to create so many projects with these sentiments and images.

Before the month ends, I had to show you one more project I have been working on for a special group of ladies.  These fabulous little treat bags were simple to create using the For the Love of Crafting stamp set and our Close to My Heart products.

I simply cut out the two tags from White Daisy & Poppy cardstock using images from our You Are Here Cricut™ collection. I brushed light blue watercolor onto both tag backgrounds to match the gift bags.  I then splattered red watercolor and shimmer onto the larger tag.  Once both tags were dry, I stamped each image in Memento Ink and shaded in the word “Glitter” using a Journaling Pen. I then added some more shimmer (of course) to the word “Glitter” to make it really stand out.

 

Add a few Black Dots, some leftover ribbon and twine, with, of course, chocolate, and these treats are all set to give away to some very deserving women.

If you haven’t had a chance to purchase the For the Love of Crafting stamp set, make sure to get a hold of one before August 31st.  Many of our products, like the Poppy Cardstock & Memento Ink, are retiring at the end of the month. You can visit the GOING SOON section of my website to see a full list of the retiring products AND if your order totals $50.00 or more*, you can get the For the Love of Crafting stamp set for ONLY $5.00. 😁 I can’t wait to see what you create with this set!

*$50.00 in qualifying purchase before tax & shipping

 

Craftiness Documented

As many of you know, we have been in the process of a full home renovation which includes moving fifteen years worth of crafty goodness into a new space.  I have slowly been documenting this adventure through photos and plan on using this layout below as a way of displaying these memories.

The patterns of our Documented Paper Packet fit my crafty area well.  My new space is full of found items of metal, wood, and wire, so the distressed doors and brick patterns will complement my photos.   The images and sentiments from our For the Love of Crafting stamp set was used to explain my craftiness to a tee and that “If you can’t stand the mess” is my current attitude.  If you could only see the of paper, cardstock, old product, new product, and the “why did I keep this” piles that are currently invading the old and new spaces right now, my friends.

If you look closely at this layout, you will see that I added some embellishments from Documented Complements. The complements were originally Kraft colored, but I wanted them to be black to match the wire and pipes in my new space, so I shaded them. This is a simple way to make our Complements fit your project. Our markers, shimmer brushes, and watercolors can be easily used to change an embellishment to fit your needs.

 

My new craft area is still in process and full of mess, so the photos I have taken for this layout have not been printed nor organized.  In fact, my own personal scrapbooking has taken a backseat until I have an organized space to craft. My goal is to have it completed by Christmas and then you will be able to see my beautiful, crazy,  work space.

Both the Documented products and the For the Love to Crafting stamp set are only available for another week.  If these are items you have had on your wishlist, make sure that you go to my website and grab them before they are gone for good.  You can visit the GOING SOON section and see all of the items that are (sadly) retiring on August 31st. I would hate for you to miss out on those papers, cardstock, or stamps you have been wanting. I can’t wait to see what you create!

Small Stuff Spinning Card

Our August For the Love of Crafting stamp of the month is a must have for all crafters.  I personally enjoy all the crafty sayings especially “Enjoy the small Stuff”.  It’s the “small stuff” that makes us realize how blessed we are each day. Like when you come up with a cool card idea and it actually turns out the way you envisioned it or when you end up with an extra peanut in your M&M.  It’s those little things that you make you feel all happy inside.

This card was actually rather simple to create using the “Camera” image from the stamp set, our Thin Cuts, and some of our Documented products. I honestly wasn’t expecting the combination of Bashful and Peacock to go so well together, and am gratefully surprised by the outcome.

I will be creating more projects throughout the month using the For the Love of Crafting stamp set, so make sure to visit my blog, Instagram, and Facebook for more inspiration.  (I might even throw in a live class or two showing you how to make a few of them.)

 

Don’t forget, our For the Love of Crafting stamp set as well as the Documented products and Bashful Glitter Paper I used on this project are only available through August 31st.   In fact, almost all of our products Seasonal Expressions 2 and Annual Idea Book will be gone at the end of the month.  Make sure you grab them before they are gone. I can’t wait to see what you create!

 

 

For the Love of Crafting Blog Hop

Welcome to the For Love of Crafting Stamp of the Month Blog Hop where we will be featuring the August For the Love of Crafting stamp set.  It’s has been over two months since I have last participated in a blog hop and I am so glad I was able to sign-up for this one. I ♥LOVE♥ this stamp set and I know you will too. If you have come here from Priscilla Gotham’s blog, you are on the right path! When you are finished reading my post, you can click on the link at the end to move to the next blog. This blog hop is designed to allow you to start here and work your way around. It’s simple, fun, and full of ideas using the For the Love of Crafting stamp set. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog.

The project you see below is similar to one I made for the NA Convention this year. I had quite a few people ask me how to make this little ditty, so I decided it would be the perfect project for this blog hop.  As an added bonus, I am including the instructions in a PDF file FREE for you to download and use.

The Mini-Stamp Holder I created for the Extravaganza used products from our upcoming Holiday Expressions catalog, however, since I couldn’t show those off yet, I chose to use our lovely Documented papers to create another one.  (I know – you were hoping for a sneak peek.) These Mini-Stamp Holders would make a wonderful gift to give to your paper-crafting friends with an M-Size stamp set of your choice, but they also wonderfully designed to hold individual bags of candy. Those individual M&Ms and Skittles that come out in the fall fit perfectly in these. Hmmm..stamps or chocolate? Hard decision. 

If you would like to recreate this Mini-Stamp Holder, you can access the instructions HERE. I only ask that you do not alter or sell these instructions without prior permission. Please feel free to link people to my blog if they wish to also make this fun project. 🙂

I can’t wait to create more projects with this amazing stamp set! You can continue through the blog hop and see more ideas from twenty-eight other Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month’s For the Love of Crafting stamp set and other great Close to My Heart products on their blogs. I will be creating more projects throughout the month using this stamp set and our Expressions Two products, so make sure to visit often.

Now ‘Hop” on over to Michele Rowley’s blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crating tips and other fun ideas. Remember, the For the Love of Crating stamp set is only available until August 31st! Contact your CTMH Consultant, or visit the Promotions tab of my website to see how you can get this stamp set for only $5.00.  I can’t wait to see what you create!