Road Trip

 My latest kit is a double with an extra flap, perfect for any road trip adventure.  

Closed

Open

The detail work is in the Road Trip sign cut from the Cricut, You are Here cartridge, page 4, 9 1/4".   The Sundance background has been stamped using an arrow stamp set in tone on tone, (Sundance on Sundance) and the Road Trip has been stamped the same (tone on tone, sapphire) using all the stamps from the Cruising Workshop stamp set (long retired).  I have 14 photos on this layout, but there is a lot of room to play with the photo layout.  The 6"x12" flap is included in the kit.

Solid! as a Petrified Rock

 Happy Tuesday!

These layouts are using the Dream Maker paper pack - and once again - my posts come after the paper pack has sold out.  But if you just couldn't resist all the pretty colors and ordered it before it became unavailable (or you have something in your stash you can substitute) I hope these can inspire you.

I had trouble deciding on a title for the Petrified Forest but ended up pretty pleased with this one.  The layout itself is pretty simple, with the background pieces being 5 3/4" x 10 3/4" with a 6" x 11" mat.

After my photos were stuck down, I found the trail guide.  I pulled up the mat on the left page, powdered the tape, then added more tape just along the bottom and left side to make a pocket to hold the folio.  Hopefully, you can make the pocket before you stick it all down!

This layout holds the rest of my Petrified Forest photos.  I like the overlapping of the photos in this one.  The stamp set is from the Change of Scenery kit (again, gone before you could blink, or at least before I could design anything using the papers!).  For the trees, I cut a bunch of different designs and sizes (ranging from 3/4" to 2 1/2") using the Cricut and my older CTMH cartridges.  I stamped one of the colorful swirled pages with the background stamp before cutting the trees.  I like that distressed look of print on color. I also sprinkled in some cardstock trees that match my matting.  

PS Cinnamon (retired) was a great color for matching the Petrified Forest and the Grand Canyon, but Desert Rose and Paprika aren't too shabby either.

Metal Monument

Hello!

This layout uses the quickly unavailable Hey Handsome papers, but if you like the layout, hopefully there is something in your stash you can substitute for it.  It's just some strips - 3", 1 1/2, " 1/2" and 1/4" with a strip of ribbon at the bottom.  I switched up my strips on the two pages on purpose, but for all you engineer minded scrappers, you can make both sides the same.  Before placing any strips, I drew a pencil mark 3 1/2" from the top and bottom, then using stamps, I added the paint details.  

Make sure to throw in some tiny print detail after you add the ink blots to add even more distressed detail.  Pick an old stamp that makes your heart happy.  Mine is just some fine lines from a very old Father's day stamp set. 

Float

 Here's another layout using the Hey Handsome papers. I used some old stamps to decorate the white base pages.  I didn't know if I would like the title in a printed paper or in cardstock, so I cut out both - then ended up layering them.

And if you haven't ever tried a hot air balloon ride - I totally recommend it!

Baseball

 This kit uses the Hello Darlin papers.  And some now retired Carolina Blue that I had in my stash.  This kit is now available.  And who doesn't have some Trash Panda photos they need to scrap?

Explore

 I am really loving the Hey Handsome papers for my travel pages.  The oranges go so well with my Antelope Canyon photos!

Soup-er Gnome

 After I tried and tested a recipe, and know I'm going to be making it on a regular basis, I like to make a 6X6 recipe card.  The Kitchen Gnomes work great for this.

Hey Handsome Card Workshop

This card workshop is now available!  If you love it, you can buy the kit from CTMH for $39 and make 4 of each card and keep the stamp set and dies.  Or you can attend a workshop and make 1 set of 4 cards for $5.

Tracking Mud - Hiking pages

 These hiking pages use the As You Grow paper suite from the September 2021-August 2022 catalog.  The paper kit was designed with growing babies in mind, but I was attracted to the mushrooms and ferns.  It also used the Are We There Yet set as a border stamp.

I wanted to keep the receipt for the park, but not include it as part of the layout.  I taped it to the back.  It can be interesting to look back at what things used to cost.

I also wanted to include the large map we picked up while visiting the park.  I added a matching tab to the top of the map and slid it in between the two layouts.  The tab peeks out enough you can pull it out for easy viewing.

National Scrapbooking Day

 CTMH is offering 5 exclusive kits for National Scrapbooking Day.  They will be holding Face Book events on May 5-6 if you would like to craft with the CTMH corporate team.   The kits are available through May 31 or while supplies last.  Kits include a stamp set.  Paper packs are not available separately.  Check it out!

Easter cards

Easter and Halloween tend to have some really cute stamps.  They are not holidays you would typically send cards for, but some years, I just have fun making them and sending them out to my niece and nephews.

Markers for the chick - true blue blend, antique pink blend and yellow gold blend.

I still like using up the last of the kit by making this type of card base.  It works well for the gnome, or for any type character.

Birthday Gnome Card Workshop

 

Hello!

I still like the gnomes!  This birthday gnome workshop is now available.  You can make 3 cards for $5 on any workshop day.  If you are outside of my workshop range, I've listed the marker colors I used.  Sometimes deciding which colors is the hardest part.  

For the papers, I pulled from my old stash of CTMH birthday suites.  I like that I managed to use cute gnomes but created masculine cards.

#CTMH party gnomes

blower gnome

cake gnome

balloon gnome

School Days Layout with Storybook

Good morning!

This kit is available at any workshop day.  I am including detailed instructions on this post, in case you would like to recreate the page from your own stash.  At the bottom of blog, there is a list of needed supplies.

Steps:

Trim your base cardstock (2) so you are left with a 1" frame.  I have used Mist in my example.

Trim your white cardstock 1/2" on one side, rotate 90 degrees and trim 1/4".  Your end product will be 2 sheets of 11 1/2" x 11 3/4". 

Place the white sheets on the cut base sheets.  The white paper is flush in the center, leaving an even border around the edges.  Using a corner rounder, clip the far corners on the left page and the far corners on the right page, but leave the center corners square.

Cut (4) 1/4" x 11 3/4" strips from a stripe pattern.

Cut an 11" circle.  I used the Cricut.  You can trick the machine into cutting an 11" circle by telling it you have inserted a 24" mat.  Cut the circle by placing the edge on the 8" mark of your trimmer. 

Cut the center pieces of your base pages to 6 3/8" tall.  Trim one of the remaining scraps to 3 1/4" x 8 1/2". From the other leftover piece, stamp the bib-li-o-phile stamp several times in Versamark, and clear emboss.  Using an alphabet die set, cut out some letters.  Wrap several with string.

From a 3rd piece of matching cardstock, cut a 6" x 8 1/2" mat.

Draw a light pencil line 3" from the top on each of the white pages.  Stamp the row of books (I used Sage) starting at the right side on both papers.  Stamp 3 times on the left page and 4 times on the right page.

Stamp the open book, the stack of books and the certified tab on white card stock in the same-colored ink (Sage in the example). Then stamp on top of the image with Versamark and clear emboss.  

On a 4"x6" piece of white card stock, cut using the notebook die on each long edge.  Slide the die from edge to edge, do not turn it around.   (Just try to cut it straighter than I did in the video.)

Adhere everything down, sprinkle in a few wooden letters, and add a few dots with liquid pearl (black in the example).  You could also use old alphabet stickers to make your ABC clusters, if that works better for you.  There is sufficient space on the left page, top or bottom, to stamp an appropriate title - just use different font to keep with the mix and match ABC theme!

Supply list:

• 3 sheets Mist cardstock
• 2 1/2 sheets white cardstock
• 1 sheet printed paper (I used papers from Storybook)
• 1"x12"striped paper (cut into 1/4"strips - or you can use glitter trim here)
• String, yarn or twine
• Versamark
• Clear embossing powder
• heat embosser
• Sage ink
• In a Book stamp set and dies
• True to Life stamp set (retired)
• Black liquid pearl
• Notebook edge die (retired)
• Adhesives & blocks

Something new...

 If you haven't already subscribed, the Close to My Heart Blog Site has great tips and information about the latest products.  Like the Valentine's special paper pack Now & Forever.

Or - if you are a bunny fan, it's the year of the Rabbit, complete with a super cute bunny stamp by CTMH.   Also available in 2023 is the 2022 year of the Tiger stamp.

Thanks for hopping by!

Are We There Yet? Scrapbook Workshop

 With the help of Casey Blake and Christine Robertson, we are offering the following scrapbook workshop. It's an 8-page workshop using the Are We There Yet? papers. The cost is $30.

If you don't need the full set of 4 double layouts, we will be breaking up two of the sets for sale by layout, at $10 each.

Cherish Card Workshop

Hello!

 If you missed out on purchasing this card workshop last year, now is your chance to make some with my tools.

Make these 4 cards for $5 on any workshop Thursday, while supplies last.  

(P.S. What looks like a woman's face on the bottom right card is just light reflecting off the clear covers I have on the cards.)