Hooray for Seasonal Expressions 2017!

I love to create. I especially love to create with my fun Close To My Heart products from the Seasonal Expressions Idea Book and Catalog! This week I used my new "Sugar Rush" paper pack and my new "Some Kinda Wonderful - Cardmaking Thin Cuts Bundle" to make a fun card. Here were my supplies:

Notice that the "Sugar Rush" Paper Pack comes with 2 sheets of Picture My Life pocket scrapbooking cards - this is what I used for the base of my "Hooray" card (see red arrow). Also notice that you can purchase the "Some Kinda Wonderful - Cardmaking" stamp set separately, but also as a set with its coordinating Thin Cuts (which is what I did - why wouldn't you?!). This allowed me to run my cardstock through my die-cut machine prior to stamping my image, giving me a perfectly cut-out image without having to pick up the scissors.

So, I just trimmed the 4" x 6" PLM "Hooray" card to fit the front of my 4.25" x 5.5" card (backed in Pomegranate cardstock), stamped the sentiment "you did it!" and a few hearts from the "Some Kinda Wonderful" stamp set, then cut, stamped and colored the bird and the turtle images and adhered to the front of the card with 3D Foam Tape. The result?

Who wouldn't love to get this card?! I used my trusty ShinHan markers to color the animals - quick and easy! I can't wait to use the fox image next...you know I LOVE foxes! Happy stamping and have a wonderful Valentine's Day! Make someone you love a hand-made card - there's nothing better (well, maybe if it came along with a box of Godiva chocolates...)!

"Life in Pictures" - April's Stamp of the Month

It's almost GONE! Tomorrow is the LAST DAY that you will be able to order your "Life in Pictures" stamp set! This stamp set has been the most fun to play with - and there are so many card and scrapbook applications. Here are a few more cards that I created with "Life in Pictures":

This design was taken directly from a very dear CTMH Consultant friend of mine, Michelle Snyder (only she had used red for her accent color).

I don't know what it is, but I absolutely love circle cards! So I did two! This one I particularly like because the pattern of the "La Vie En Rose" paper matches the pattern on the camera exactly - and I only noticed it after I was done! How cool!

This card uses the other side of the piece of "La Vie En Rose" patterned paper that I cut off from the piece that I used in the first circle card (I just love the dual-sided patterned paper!). There is also a piece of patterned paper from the "Kaleidoscope" paper pack in the background.

For this fun card I created my own background paper with the cool stamps! My focal point is a "Picture My Life" card from the "Through the Year" set, backed with some Honey cardstock. A strip of patterned paper from the "Penelope" paper pack finishes this card off nicely.

Thought that "Picture My Life" Scrapbooking Program cards were just for scrapbooking? Well, think again! Here is another card using one of the PML cards from the "Through the Year" set backed with some Glacier cardstock and accented with a stamped image from "Life in Pictures"! The background paper is from the "Kaleidoscope" paper pack - the colors match perfectly!

Man, I have really enjoyed using this stamp set - it is very retro and vintage - which is very hip! Be sure to get yours before it's too late! You can ONLY get this set in APRIL - ONE MORE DAY! Go to http://funforyou.ctmh.com to order yours! Have fun!

Picture My Life - Live Your Day!

Pocket Scrapbooking is all the rage - and SO fast and easy! Close To My Heart has LOTS of different Picture My Life Scrapbooking programs to choose from - even whole sets of overlays - black, white or gold...gorgeous. However, in honor of National Papercrafting Month - this month - CTMH is offering a special set of PML cards called "Live Your Day!" They coordinate with all of the Everyday Life products that were introduced last month and can be found in the new Seasonal Expressions Idea Book. Monica has done a video highlighting the "Live Your Day" set which is ONLY AVAILABLE this month!!!

You can order your set on my website at funforyou.ctmh.com for just $8.95. The set features twenty 4" x 6" and thirty-six 3" x 4" cards with the same design on both sides - one side is horizontal, and the other vertical for maximum versatility.

Have fun with them!

"Planners Gonna Plan" - TWO DAYS LEFT!

I realize I have been absolutely HORRIBLE at keeping up with my blog - I apologize. Working full-time has really thrown a huge wrench into my Close To My Heart business - you and I are missing all the FUN!! I am making a New Year's resolution to try and be better about getting things posted, though - really, I am. I just hope it doesn't go the way of the "eat healthier and lose 20 pounds" resolution!

Anyway, I just HAVE to let you all know that the "Planners Gonna Plan" Campaign will be OVER in JUST TWO DAYS! This special is only good to the end of this month, so be sure to get yours. And here's a special sneak-peek spoiler for you - in January, there will be an exclusive "Live Your Day" Picture My Life Scrapbooking Program (4" x 6" and 4" x 3" cards), available in January ONLY, that not only coordinates with, but was specially designed to go with the products in the "Planners Gonna Plan" Bundle!

Need more incentive? Watch Monica in the video below to get a good look at ALL the new planner album products, then get to my website at funforyou.ctmh.com and order yours today!

Artfully Sent – Exploring the “W” Key – Part 5

Well, here it is! The last installment of "Exploring the 'W' Key". The final feature on the "Artfully Sent" Cricut cartridge is "Pocket Card".

Like the two previous features, the Pocket Card allows you to cut two different cards - one that is 4" x 6" and one that is 3" x 4". These were designed specifically for Close To My Heart's "Picture My Life" Scrapbooking Program - a pocket scrapbooking program with specially designed Memory Protectors which have 4" x 6" and 3" x 4" pockets for photos, sentiments, journaling, and embellishments. Being a card-maker at heart, though, I chose to use these two pocket cards to make cards!

Both of the cards I created use two of my favorite things - Washi tape and the "Forever in My Heart" stamp set. Let's see the 4" x 6" card first:

I cut the 4" x 6" Pocket card from Lagoon cardstock. It simply has the arrow shape cut out of it. Next, I backed the card with a piece of white cardstock stamped with the striped "In The Background" stamp in Thistle ink. Using a 5" x 7" white cardstock base, I adhered a piece of Lagoon Hearts Washi Tape through the center, then my 4" x 6" Pocket Card on top of that. The rest is simply stamping and cutting out a couple of hearts from the "Forever in My Heart" stamp set, and a sentiment from the "This Moment" stamp set (no longer available).

Now for the 3" x 4":

My finished card is 4.25" x 5.5" Hollyhock cardstock with several strips of Ruby Chevron Washi Tape run through the center. I random-stamped the 3" x 4" Pocket Card, which I cut from Cranberry cardstock, with Cranberry ink and the small hearts image from the "Forever in My Heart" stamp set. I then backed it with white cardstock and embellished it with more stamped heart cut-outs and a sentiment.

Seriously, did you ever think you could get so many different cards from just one key on this "Artfully Sent" Cricut cartridge?! This thing is truly amazing. I am going to try and do a card workshop that focuses on another one of the keys - I hope to see you there!

Thanks for joining me in my "Exploration of the 'W' Key". Hope you'll come back real soon!

Picture My Life™!

As I mentioned in last week’s blog post, I recently took part in a Craft & Vendor Fair here in Uxbridge. I did several different projects using Close To My Heart’s newest products – one of which was a “Year in Review” album using the “Picture My Life” Scrapbooking Program. In a different BLOG POST, I shared several cards that I created using the PML cards, and the “My CreationsJournaling Cards Box” I decorated to hold them. This time, I actually used the cards and the awesome pocket pages that come with them to create a fun album of the year 2013.

The “Picture My Life” program that I have is “Skylark”, but there are seven other patterns/themes to choose from! Each one comes with 122 double-sided cards (44 4” x 6” and 78 3” x 4”), one 12” x 12” Designed Cover Sheet, and ten 12” x 12” Memory Protectors in various designs. All this for just $24.95. Believe me – it’s a bargain! Check out the album I was able to create:

I love how flexible and versatile this program is. The designs of the cards allow some to be used by themselves in a pocket, while others invite journaling or even smaller photos to be mounted to them. I was able to sum up my entire year in one afternoon - fantastic. It's not fancy, or frilly, or Museum-of-Fine-Arts-worthy, but my photos and my memories are now safely recorded and visible for future generations. Mission accomplished.


Check out all eight "Picture My Life" programs on my website at funforyou.ctmh.com!

From Bland to Beautiful!

I am very excited to be one of the vendors at this year's third annual Uxbridge Women's Club Craft & Vendor Fair on April 12. There are so many things I would love to showcase, but I really have to narrow it down due to space constraints! One item I really want to share is the "My Creations™ Journaling Cards Box" because it is the perfect place to store my "Picture My Life" cards. It also has a magnetic closure, and is made from a very sturdy white chipboard:

Here it is open with my "Picture My Life" cards in it:

Nice, right? But kind of plain (who are we kidding - it's horribly plain!). But this is the beauty of this, and all, of CTMH's "My Creations" line - it is a blank canvas just waiting for you to embellish it! I decided to dress mine up with patterned paper from the "Ariana" Paper Pack, a bow from the "Ariana Assortment", and a bit of Bronze Shimmer Trim. I also used our Scallop Border Punch with some Crystal Blue cardstock to create the scalloped edge along the top of the cover. Here it is all gussied up:

Whoa! MUCH better, right? I painted the whole thing with matte Mod Podge so the paper wouldn't get worn. I love it!

I hope you will be able to come out on April 12 to the Craft & Vendor Fair! Check out the Facebook Page HERE. And to order Close To My Heart products ANYTIME, visit my website at funforyou.ctmh.com!

Win Your Own Picture My Life™ Scrapbooking Program!

Sorry this post is coming a day late. Working full-time leaves me no time for anything else! Perhaps I need a time-management class....Anyway, I wanted to be sure to let you know about a contest that Close To My Heart currently has running until the end of this month. You can win your choice of one of the eight, brand new, Picture My Life™ Scrapbooking Programs! I will let Kristine tell you all about it (because she's a lot more fun to listen to!). Be sure to enter your comment at all three places to increase your chances of winning! Good luck!

Picture My Life™ – In Cards! Part 2

This week I am showing you three more cards that I created using Close To My Heart’s newest scrapbooking program, “Picture My Life” (PML). These cards are, of course, fantastic for creating fast and easy scrapbooks, but being a card-maker at heart, I discovered that they are just as fun and easy to use for cards! So here are the second three cards I made - I’ll start by showing you the PML card that I started with (from the Skylark set), then show you the finished greeting card:

This one was easy – it’s practically a card front on its own. All I had to do was give it a background...

I absolutely love the notepaper cuts from our Cricut cartridges, so I used the one from the Cricut “Artiste” behind the card (after matting the card with Chocolate cardstock). Then I covered my card base with fun paper from the “Lollydoodle” paper pack. To add interest, I adhered the notebook paper and PML card to the card front at an angle, trimmed off the excess, and embellished with a tiny strip of Bronze Shimmer Trim, some Durables Triangle Studs, and a couple of Sparkles from the Brown & Tan Assortment. Fast and easy! 

Here’s the next PML card I pulled out:

I love the dainty scrollwork in the upper-left corner. It immediately reminded me of a stamp from the “For A Friend” stamp set. So I stamped the “Handmade Just for You” image on the card, then added a little color to the leaves with my Sweet Leaf Exclusive Inks marker.

Behind the PML card, I used a strip of patterned paper from the “Ariana” paper pack, a strip of Gold Polka Dot Washi Tape (backed with White Daisy cardstock), and some Neutrals Baker’s Twine. Once I adhered the PML card to the card front, I embellished with a swirl and stud from the “Rosewood Mini-Medley Accents Collection”, and Sparkles from the Brown & Tan Assortment. I love being able to use all of these different products on one card!

The last PML card I chose was one of the 4” x 6” ones:

I trimmed it down, rounded the corners, and backed it with a piece of Sweet Leaf cardstock:

The papers I used on the card front are from the “Lollydoodle” paper pack. A sparkly strip of Teal Shimmer Trim and some faux stitching, courtesy of my Legacy Writer pen, and another finished card! I love how easy this is!!

Well, if this post and last week’s post does not inspire you to go to MY WEBSITE right now and order yourself a “Picture My Life” Scrapbooking Program, I don’t know what would. These cards are fantastic – whether you are scrapbooking or card-making!

Picture My Life(TM) - Not Just For Scrapbooking!

OK, by now you MUST have seen, or at least heard of, Close To My Heart's Brand New Scrapbooking Program called "Picture My Life™". This system allows you to put an entire album together in a flash with only your 4" x 6" and 3" x 4" photos, a journaling pen, and a corner rounder (optional). Every "Picture My Life" kit comes with 122 double-sided cards in 3" x 4" and 4" x 6" horizontal & vertical designs, 10 Memory Protectors™ in mixed designs, and a 12" x 12" cover page to bring it all together. The programs, of which there are eight different themes/designs, are designed to pair with approximately 100 photos, but you are free to use as few or as many as you like! This is truly a fun & FAST way to scrapbook your photos.

But what about us card-makers out there? Isn't there something we can do with the "Picture My Life" kits? You bet! In fact, I can't remember having as much fun making cards as I did when I made ones using "Picture My Life" cards. I made so many the first night that I decided to show them to you in two parts. I will show you the first three cards I created using the "Picture My Life" Program this week, and next week I will show you three more. OK - let's get started!

First, I will show you the "Picture My Life" card that I started with. I used all 3" x 4" cards. The "Picture My Life" Program that I have is "Skylark" (just so you know):

My first thought when I saw this card was, "What a perfect place for a sentiment!" So I took out my "Country-Born" and "Distressed Backgrounds" stamp sets, my "Ariana" paper pack (I noticed that the colors in this paper pack matched/coordinated really nicely with the Skylark PML cards), and my Honey, Sweet Leaf, and Whisper Exclusive Inks Markers, and made this:

All of the cards I created are 4.25" x 5.5". See how perfectly the "Picture My Life" card fits right into the finished card? Oh, we're just starting to have fun! The next card I picked out was this one:

Again, I'm thinking perfect spot for a sentiment! This time I pull out my "Lollydoodle" paper pack, my "Word Balloons" stamp set (from the Cricut "Artiste" Collection), and my Juniper Sparkle & Shine Washi Tape (no longer available) to create this monochromatic masterpiece:

Look at how beautifully those colors blend together! You'd think they were made for each other. How fun! The third card I chose was this one:

I saw this card and thought the empty space in the upper left would make the perfect home for an embellishment - or focal point. I decided to create an accordion flower with paper from the "Ariana" paper pack, and give it a flashy center from the Rosewood Mini-Medley Accents Collection. I used another pattern from "Ariana" behind the card, as well as some Teal Shimmer Trim:

Nice, right? As a final touch of bling, I outlines the "Picture My Life" card with Stickles.

Well, that's it for now. But come back next week when I'll show you three more ways you can use these awesome "Picture My Life" cards in your cards!