A Brand-New Annual Inspirations 2016-2017!

There's nothing better than a brand-new catalog full of your favorite things! That's just what Close To My Heart's NEW Annual Inspirations is - chock-full of brand-new products to tease, tempt, and tantalize us!

There are so many fun things to get your create juices flowing. I am going to highlight just a few of my favorite new additions to the CTMH lineup:

Did you happen to notice the spectacular paper flower bouquet on the cover of the new book? Well, guess what - it was made with our brand-new Cricut Collection - "Flower Market"!

This cartridge comes with a packet of cardstock (featuring SEVEN NEW COLORS) and three really fun stamp sets. Two of them are background/pattern stamps (note that I used these on my cat cards from the "Purr-fect Halloween" post), and one is a set full of cute sentiments. There are SO many images, I couldn't possibly mention them all, but here is just a tiny sample:

There are a ton of 2D flower images, but as you can tell from the cover of Annual Inspirations, there are quite a few 3D flowers that you can create with this collection. I made this card for my God-daughter for her graduation using layered sunflower images and leaves:

Gorgeous, right? This card also uses patterned paper from the new Rustic Home Fundamentals Paper Pack. Love it!

Another thing I HAVE to mention are the new sizes of Memory Protectors and Flip Flaps. Check out this page from Annual Inspirations:

Now there are SO MANY fun options for adding even more photos to your pages and layouts. This is so exciting!!

The majority of the new products in the Annual Inspirations Idea Book are available NOW, so check it out in its entirety here: Annual Inspirations 2016-2017

And remember, you can place an order online on my website anytime! Have fun shopping!

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!

FLASH SALE - All Month Long!!!

Throughout the month of June, be sure to check out my website each Friday at 5:00pm EST for a huge set of SALE items!!!  The list changes every week, so set a calendar reminder! Just go to "Shop", then "Flash Sale" to view all the terrific products that will be offered that weekend - for a very limited time!! I have no idea what will be included in the bundles each week (it's a surprise!)...but here is what I do know:

"During the month of June, we’re offering great deals on bundles of discounted Close To My Heart products every weekend! Check back each Friday during June to find a new set of bundles. There will be lots to choose from at various discount levels and price points, but you’ll need to snatch them up quick, because they’re only available through the following Monday while supplies last!"

Here are the dates and times:

Friday, June 3, 2016 at 5:00 pm (EST) – Monday, June 6, 2016 at 5:00 pm (EST)
Friday, June 10, 2016 at 5:00 pm (EST) – Monday, June 13, 2016 at 5:00 pm (EST)
Friday, June 17, 2016 at 5:00 pm (EST) – Monday, June 20, 2016 at 5:00 pm (EST)
Friday, June 24, 2016 at 5:00 pm (EST) – Monday, June 27, 2016 at 5:00 pm (EST)

ALSO!  I hear that Close to My Heart will be bundling products that work well together in these Flash Sales...and there will be little sneak peeks into what they will be over on the CTMH Instagram and Make It From Your Heart Blog!!

Speaking of which, if you pop over there right now, you can see some adorable projects made with two of the home decor items on sale this weekend...if they haven't already sold out! Oooo - I can't wait to see what they'll offer next week!

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!

Happy Times!

May is already almost half over! Time is running out to pick up this Exclusive "Happy Times" Paper Pack, created especially for National Scrapbooking Month! There are two ways to get it - you can purchase it for the retail price of $14.95 OR get it for FREE with a qualifying $60 order (did you know that there was a brand-new Seasonal Expressions to drool over?! Check it out online!)! PLUS, pick up the Exclusive coordinating Stamp Set for $17.95 - but ONLY THIS MONTH and ONLY WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!! Shop online at http://funforyou.ctmh.com

Check out this Close To My Heart video to see the products up close, and some of the gorgeous artwork you can create with them!

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!