Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey...stuff

Oh how cool is this!! My copy of the Artfully Sent Cricut cartridge (exclusive to CTMH) came today.  I sat down to look through the booklet and had to stop looking to make the card on page 1.  PAGE 1!  So much good stuff on this cartridge.

Hurricane is a Whovian and loved this card.

The telephone booth is cut from Indian Corn Blue Fundamental paper pack, page 1, size 7".  The white paper is cut from page 3, also at 7".  Behind the clouds I put a square of silver glitter paper that I colored with ShinHan markers - going for the galaxy feel, as the time machine travels through space.  Adhere the white paper to the glitter paper with Liquid Glass - tapes don't stick to the glitter well.  Words are stamped with the Handwritten Print stamp set.  For all  you non-Whovian's, Fantastic! is one of the Doctor's famous phrases.

Handmade cards in a snap

Do you like the idea of homemade cards but don't have the time?  Close to My Heart has two make it yourself Christmas card kits!  How cute is the snowman!  Everything is cut out for you - no scissors required.  Just add a little of your own adhesive and you have creative sparkling cards to send to family and friends.  When you finish the simple assembly, you will have 10 cards from each kit, with no leftovers to take up space in your craft area.  Just what you need, when you need it! 



Cut Above; Holiday Card Z2065  $12.95   <--Click to order.




Cut Above; Christmas Card  Z2064  $11.95  <---Click to order.



Merriest Christmas  B1468  $9.95  <--- Click to order.

Four page wedding layout

I like the simplicity of the pocket page layouts when I have lots of photos that I want to keep, but they are very similar to each other.  I found this happening a lot with my trip to Vegas.  Here are four pages I did of us at the gown and tux rental place.

This page is just traditional scrapbooking, except I used the cover page from the Balloon Ride PML program.  I took my exacto knife and cut around the lacy doily print on the left, to tuck my picture behind instead of covering it up.

This is the other side of the layout, which I used cards from the Balloon Ride PML.  I used a zip strip across the bottom of the photo showing the rows and rows of dresses.

There was a lot of empty space in the photo, so I cut it out to show the pretty card behind it, and added as strip of gold glitter paper as an accent.

Now for his side, this one, pocket page style.  The blank space in the middle is for a Artfully Sent Cricut cut card (my cartridge arrives tomorrow!  Did you know it makes pocket page cards?)  If you are using the pocket page protectors, consider cutting a quarter inch off the top and side of your photos to mat them, done here on the upper left and bottom right photos.

and the final page.  Traditional scrapbooking, but I used PML cards tucked in behind his photo.  The paper is leftovers from the retired Balloon ride paper pack, with a strip of silver shimmer trim.

A close up of the cluster next to his photo.  The balloons are cut from the Artiste cartridge, page 70, and the little bows are on page 55.

Chalk it up and Pigment Ink

With the Chalk it up Kit, I've prepared a double layout for Hurricane's senior year pictures. I added stamps from the Good Job stamp set using White Daisy pigment ink.  The White Daisy pigment ink works on all black paper to give you a chalk board look. 

 

 

 

There are several stamp sets that mimic the French chalkboard look so popular right now. 

Great Job C1588 $13.95

A1153 Hope $6.95

A1152 Joyful Wishes $6.95

M1046 Guiding Heart $2.95

B1467 You Mean the World to Me $9.95

As well as the Hostess only stamp set Be Jolly, $6.00 on page 7 of the catalog and the upcoming July 2015 Stamp of the Month.

Gift Certifcates

In case you are ever interested, I do offer gift certificates.  Thanks, Valerie for giving me the chance to print and embellish my first one!

The slate bag is from CTMH's new Designer Creations, page 176 of your catalog.  This one has a belly band, made using the Scallop punch and washi tape, a couple circles cut from the Art Philosophy cartridge and a stamp!

Color Dare #110 - Second post

This is my second entry for the Color Dare this week.  I really like these colors and this stamp set!

For the multicolored look, I just rolled the stamp over the 3 inks, only partially inking each section with the colors.

Inside of the card.

 

Order your stamp set - click here!

 

Going for the Gold

So I happen to have a lot more beach pictures than I do school pictures.  I liked the colors of the Chalk it up papers for these pictures of my silly family.

Title from the ArtBooking Cartridge, RDS 3.75", page 78.

Haven't decided on the right pictures for this side.  They layouts are the extra suggested layout in your kit instructions.

And while the Chalk it up paper is great - that's not what I'm so excited about on these pages.  See the hexagon embellishments?  I did that!  And so can you. I covered one with Lagoon Heart washi tape.  The small ones are retired resist chipboard that you just sponge regular ink on, then wipe with a paper towel.

But that plain white chipboard you have stashed away can be turned into a great embellishment with the pigment inks and even greater now that the gold embossing powder is back.  Just a few simple steps and you can color co-ordinate your chipboard to match whatever paper you are using!

First select your chipboard, your colored pigment ink, along with gold (or silver) and clear embossing powder. I stamped the little heart with black ink.

 

So many colors to choose from!  The small organizer and pigment inks foam insert are a great way to store them.

I just took the little pigment squares and dabbed them on the chipboard until I got the coverage I wanted.

I did get some Lagoon on the Sorbet, and wiped most of it off with a paper towel.

Then I took a pinch of the gold and sprinkled it on the wet pigment ink.  I shook clear embossing powder over the whole thing - all of this is done on the new All-Purpose mat.  Let the powder set for just a minute, then pick up the chipboard and bump the extra embossing powder off.  Wipe the excess off your mat and into the garbage or back into your jars.  Use your paper piercing tool to hold the chipboard down while you blow dry it with the Craft Heater.  Much better than getting your fingers in the way or blowing the little piece across the table (she says rolling her eyes, like that would never happen to her).

Such an easy way to add a lot of color and shine to a plain little piece of chipboard.  Give it a try!

 

Feel Better

This card is using the Seaside paper pack and a tri-fold card.

The blue and blue-green stars started as white enamel stars (Z2010; $3.95) that I colored with a ShinHan marker.  I dried it with the Craft Heater.  Two things about that - the heat will curl the plastic sheet the stars reside on, and it also separates the glue from the star.  These I attached with a little Liquid Glass. The markers are alcohol markers and will air dry without the unwanted side effects. The stamp set is a hostess rewards set - Cuddly Salutations, $6.00. Scallop border punch on the bottom - for waves.

Inside the card I wrote - Whaley soon!

Get it?  LOL.

 

To see the entire set, see page 10 of your catalog!

Color Dare #110

I like the color combo for this weeks challenge at Color My Heart Dare. 

 

The plan is for the page to house some beach pictures, or just a summer activity.  The background is Sunset from the Adventure Fundamentals paper pack (Z2032).  The Some Like it Hot sentiment is from the Surf's up Kit (retired).  The mosaic lizards are from another Australian themed stamp set and stamped in Barn Red, Sunset and Honey. 

 

Some ideas for using this stamp in everyday situations:

Outback adventures for a page where the kids are playing in the back yard

The sea turtle for any beach and water layout.

Those who lose dreaming would work on a graduation card or layout - Go realize your dreams.

Kangaroo - zoo layout, Hoppy Birthday,  puddle jumping, trampoline

Lizard - Leapin' Lizards, it's _____ - your birthday; Aunt Laura; the last day of school, etc.

National Stamping Month Freebie!

To celebrate National Stamping month and 30 years of business, Close to My Heart is offering a free stamp set with every $30 stamp purchase.  When you buy $30 worth of regular priced stamps (stamp of the month and those included in kits do not qualify), this stamp set is yours! Exclusively offered during the month of September.

Check into my Facebook page for ideas on using this stamp set. 

New Arrival!

The Artfully Sent Cricut cartridge from Close to My Heart is now available to order!



The cartridge is loaded with over 700 images, and comes with 3 stamp sets and a pack of Daisy White cardstock to get you started.  Order yours to get started cutting in less than a week (delivery time) for $99, contact me about hosting a gathering to get the cartridge for half price, and stay tuned for private lessons on how to get the most from the cartridge!

This cartridge is designed for the card maker, with wonderful 5X7 cards with just a few cuts but is a great addition to any crafters tool box.

More samples to come as soon as I get mine.  Shop today and get yours!

Color Dare #109

I got some new goodies just yesterday, including the Confetti Workshop on the Go!  This is a quick card before my time limit is up - again, rushing to the finish line!

This uses a stamp set designed for our Aussie friends, but I love how cute it is!  D1597, $17.95 available!  I colored it in with the new ShinHan markers.

Click it!

Another DLO from Hurricane's summer camp. She takes photography and loves the teacher.  She got creative with the development and used the cardboard cutouts of her hands on some of them this year.  These papers are retired (Wings) but the Click it and camera are from the Artbooking cartridge.

Tip:  If you are adding a personal memento, like that hands or maybe a certificate, with a lot of empty space, don't be afraid to decorate it up a bit with a stamp. For these prints, I used the Classy Doily stamp because it went with the design of the paper.

More than a catalog...

Did you know... that stamp sets with a Cricut cut in the set don't ever retire?  Too see the older sets, go on the shopping website, Shop/My Acrylix Stamp Sets/ Circuit Compatible Stamp Sets  or click here to see all the different sets available.  Below are just a few that are no longer shown in the catalog but are still available. 






D1515 Play Day

C1531 Tropical Paradise

B1400 Beautiful Friendships

A1115 A Holiday


B1392 - Key Moments

Color Dare #108

This week's colors showcase the Chalk it Up papers.  As luck would have it - I just order that pack and it hasn't arrived yet.  So, with no real plan, I came up with this.

The owl is from the Artiste cartridge.  I used flaxen ink and a sponge dauber on the chipboard and some of the feathers.  The kraft paper has been run through the new Woodgrain embossing folder (Z1996),