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...)!

So Long 2016!

Wow - here it is - the last evening of 2016. It has been a CRAZY year. The holidays went by way too fast, and here we are, about to embark on a whole new year. I wanted to do one last "Christmasy" card before saying goodbye to this year:

I used a flower from this month's Stamp of the Month, "Thoughtful Flowers", as my focal point. The flower from the set may or may not be a poinsettia, but I thought it looked like one, so I colored it as such with my ShinHan Markers. I actually used brown in order to make the red darker - I love these markers! Here's the rest of the set:

I love this set because there are so many different flowers, you can color them, and there are sentiments besides. And, of course, I used my new favorite paper pack, "City Sidewalks", for the patterned paper:

I'm sad to see the holidays go, but even more sad to see these products go!! The December Stamp of the Month and the "City Sidewalks" paper pack are only available for a FEW MORE HOURS! If you want to pick them up, dash over to my website at http://funforyou.ctmh.com and order now! Seasonal Expressions and everything contained within will be gone with 2016, so don't miss out on these fantastic products!

Have a safe, healthy, and Happy New Year!

My Favorite Things - Part 2

Hello! I am having fun will all of my new product from Close To My Heart's new Annual Inspirations and Holiday Expressions catalogs! Last week I showed you one of my favorite new stamp sets - "Emojis". This week, I have just a couple of cards to show you that I made using the "Woodland Critters" stamp set from the Holiday Expressions 2016 catalog. Here is the stamp set:

I am in LOVE with foxes, so I HAD to have this stamp set! :-) See those thin, red lines around the speech bubbles? That means that those shapes can be cut with one of our exclusive Cricut cartridges! These in particular can be cut with the "Artistry" Cartridge. So without further ado, here is the first card I made using this set:

In addition to "Woodland Critters", I had fun using the "Little Leaves" M-sized stamp set for the background, then coloring in random single leaves with my Vivid Green ShinHan marker. I also used the dots embossing folder on the Saffron cardstock to add even more texture. The speech bubble allowed me to add a pop of Peacock blue to my earthy color palate.

I love how this card came out. I focused on a neutral background with a pop of Lagoon blue to perfectly compliment and offset the deep Goldrush orange of the fox. The wood-grain paper comes from the "Rustic Home Fundamentals" paper pack, and the other two grey patterns are from the "Jeepers Creepers" paper pack. The fun leafy pattern that I stamped on the strip in the background is from one of the eight background stamps that comes with the "Flower Market" Cricut Collection.

I hope you enjoyed this small sampling of "Woodland Critters". I'm not exactly sure what my next "favorite thing" will be - I have a lot to choose from! See you next time!

National Stamping Month: Create Kindness!

Celebrate National Stamping Month this month with hand-stamped cards designed to help create a little more kindness in the world. The "Create Kindness" Card Kit contains all of the supplies needed to create 24 beautiful 3" x 3" handmade cards (including the mini stamp organizer!) that you can use to brighten someone’s day. This entire kit can be yours for only $46.95—a 15% savings off the retail value!

Thanks to the pre-printed card bases, these cards come together in no time, leaving you more time to do something thoughtful for someone. Watch Close To My Heart’s blog, Instagram account, and Facebook page throughout the month of September to see what they’ve created with this card kit as well as the acts of kindness it has inspired! This exclusive kit will only be available in the month of September while supplies last, so make sure to get your order in early.

As a special bonus, the exclusive stamp sets and pre-printed card bases with envelopes are also available for separate purchase, but only in the month of September while supplies last!

I loved these stamps and cards so much, that I decided to make more of my own. The new Cricut "Flower Market" Collection just happens to come with eight fun background stamps that would be perfect for the patterns on the cards:

AND, it comes with the Adventure cardstock pack, which includes all seven NEW colors (which I used for my cards). Now I'll show you my versions of the "Create Kindness" cards. First, I gathered my materials:

Of the eight stamp sets that come in the kit, four of them are meant for the 2" white circles on the front of the cards, and four of them are sentiments for the insides of the cards. What I did differently from the kit is that I cut 2 1/4" circles from coordinating cardstock colors to back the 2" white circles with. I liked this much better, because the white circles were further offset from the backgrounds by doing this (you'll see). Next, I stamped all of the backgrounds onto the front of the cards (you can do the backs, too, if you like) using all of the seven new colors (Raspberry, Blossom, Tangerine, Lemon, Willow, Emerald, and Pansy) plus Pacifica, and stamped the four smaller images in black onto the 2" white circles (two times each for a total of eight):

Stamping the images in archival ink is better because it won't bleed or smudge when you color them with your alcohol-based ShinHan markers. However, if you color with colored pencils or are very careful with your ShinHan markers, you can stamp with your regular black dye-based ink. So, after coloring your images any way you'd like, simply adhere the white circles to the colored circles and then adhere to the front of the coordinating card. I kept like colors together, but don't be afraid to mix & match!

Adorable! And SO easy! The last step is to stamp the insides with your sentiments:

These cards are perfect for stashing in a child's lunch box/bag, in a co-worker's desk, on your spouse's computer...the list goes on and on. What a perfectly simple way to brighten someone's day! Create a little kindness and make the world a better place.

Visit my website today! http://funforyou.ctmh.com

A "Purr-fect Halloween"!

I realize that it's a little early to be talking about Halloween - I'm still trying to enjoy the last bit of summer! BUT, Close To My Heart's new Stamp of the Month for August is just too cute to not showcase. The set is "Purr-fect Halloween", and looking at the images, you can definitely see why!

What's great about this stamp set, though, is that it can be used outside of Halloween as well (notice a pair of clown eyes and a clown hat, and sentiments like "silly" and "Fun" and "You're one Crazy Cat"). In fact, just to show you the different ways in which this stamp set can be used, I made two different cards - one that is Halloween, and one that is not. Here is the Halloween-themed card:

Oh my goodness - how stinkin' cute! (I am a cat lover besides, so.....) I used the little bat image from the set to create my own really cool patterned background paper, then used one of the pattern stamps from our BRAND NEW "Flower Garden" Cricut Collection (the polka dots) on the cat to give her some pizazz! The cat, hat, and mask were all cut out and pieced together, and I used our ShinHan Markers to do the coloring and shading. Fun! Ok, now for something not-so-Halloweeny...

Adorable, right?! The patterned paper is from our BRAND NEW "Rustic Home Fundamentals" paper pack, and I again used a patterned stamp on the cat from the "Flower Garden" Cricut Collection.

I plan to have a lot more fun with this stamp set! I would love to see what cute kitties you come up with using this set. In order to get your own "Purr-fect Halloween" Stamp of the Month, simply add it to your cart on my website at http://funforyou.ctmh.com for $17.95 on it's own, or for ONLY $5 with a $50 purchase! And did I mention that the BRAND NEW 2016-2017 Annual Inspirations Idea Book is LIVE!! And it's gorgeous! Browse through the entire catalog on my website as well.

Have fun, you crazy cats!

Fun Folds!

I love getting cards in the mail, especially when they are unexpected and for no other reason than to say hello. I received one of these cards the other day from a fellow Close To My Heart Consultant, Judee Ramsey. Not only was the card unexpected, but so was the design! It had a very unique fold that I would love to show you how to do. Start with a piece of cardstock 12" x 5.5". I have written on the diagram pictured below where to score and where to cut:

Once you have scored and cut, you are going to make the folds. From left to right, and NOT including the middle piece created by the cuts, alternate mountain fold, valley fold, mountain fold, valley fold. For the two score lines through the center piece, the one on the left is a mountain fold, and the one on the right is a valley fold (see below):

Once you have all of that, you can start embellishing your card with fun patterned papers! I used the "Happy Times" paper packet that I got FREE with my $60 order. There are SO MANY fun patterns to work with in this set - 14 to be exact. If you would like your own, you'd better ACT FAST!!! It's only available through MAY! Here is how I decorated mine:

So fun, right?! Oh, but the fun didn't stop there. I also just got myself a set of one of CTMH's newest products, "Thin Cuts". I bought the "A Bunch of Love" Thin Cuts and the coordinating "A Bunch of Love" stamp set. I love this set not only because I don't have to hand-cut the stamped image, and the images are just gorgeous, but I also get to color them any color I want to match my project. Let me show you how easy it is! First, stamp your image on a piece of cardstock:

Next, put your stamped image on the bottom piece of your die-cutter's "sandwich" and position the coordinating Thin Cuts die directly on top of your image (red arrow indicates the Thin Cuts die):

Carefully place the top piece of the "sandwich" on top of the die and roll through your die-cutter:

Carefully remove the cut piece from the die:

Now you can color! I have used CTMH's ShinHan™ markers in colors to match my papers:

OK, that was fun - and easy! When I was done, I had used both of the floral bunches and the "The Best Thing..." sentiment from the "A Bunch of Love" stamp set, and a frame from the Cricut "Artistry" Collection stamp sets. Here is the front of my card when it is folded - folded size is 4.25" x 5.5" (Note: I embossed my images with black embossing powder before coloring, hence the shininess.):

And here it is open:

Gorgeous! I might embellish a little more with some bling, but I am pretty happy with the result as it stands.

I hope you have as much fun with this design as I did. And who knows....maybe YOU will be the next person to receive one in the mail!

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

"Celebrate with Cake" - Part 2

I just wanted to share another card I made using this month's Stamp of the Month, "Celebrate with Cake", and "Picture My Life™" Black Overlays - so fun! I love being able to "build" my own cake image and then color it to match my color scheme using our ShinHan markers. I can't wait to make more!

Celebrate with Cake!

There are so many occasions to celebrate with cake - birthdays, weddings, baby showers, and more. So why not a brand-new Stamp of the Month with the very same name! "Celebrate with Cake" is May's Stamp of the Month - and it's a fun one!

I absolutely LOVE being able to build and create your own images. So much to stack and color! I have been dying to use Close To My Heart's incredible "Picture My Life™" Gold & Silver Overlays on a card, so I did just that:

I began with color-blocking the base of the card with a piece of Pixie cardstock and a piece of Hollyhock cardstock. Then I cut one of the 4" x 6" Gold Overlays to size and used a spray adhesive to adhere the overlay on top of the colored cardstock. I loved it already! Then I stamped my cake, banner and sentiment. I colored the cake with CTMH's ShinHan™ markers, along with the Gold Metallic Marker. I also used the Gold Metallic Marker to outline both the card base and the piece of cardstock that the cake is stamped on. I cut out the banner and adhered it with 3D Foam Tape. So simple, yet so fun and festive! I can't wait to find other ways to use these overlays on cards - and, of course, in some pocket scrapbooking!

If you would like to create your own fun cards and scrapbooks with this month's Stamp of the Month, "Celebrate with Cake", go to my website at http://funforyou.ctmh.com to order online. It's just $17.95 or ONLY $5.00 with a $50 purchase!