August 4, 2021Create, Inspiration, Memory Keeping

Stories I Love

Close To My HeartChristmas stories, Christmas story, holiday stories, holiday story, julian, Memory Keeping, sbs, stacy, Stacy Julian, stories, Stories I Love, story, Story by Stacy, Story by Stacy™, storytelling, workbook, workshop 26 Comments

As memory keepers, we love telling our favorite stories and expressing all the feeling behind the happy smiles in our most beloved photos. When it comes to storytelling through scrapbooking, it’s important to be able to capture all the layers of your story, delving deeper than the basic “where,” “when,” and “what” descriptions of your photos.

With the Story by Stacy™ program, memory keepers of all experience levels can practice the art of storytelling. Today, we’re taking a closer look at the Stacy’s Stories I Love program, showing just how easy it can be to record a meaningful and in-depth account of your favorite memories!

The workshop kit built around this program comes with its very own album, story and photo pages, title and closing pages, stickers, and a Stories I Love workbook. The Stories I Love workshop is available in two different kit options, the original Story by Stacy™ Stories I Love kit, and the Story by Stacy™ Holiday Stories I Love kit! (You can even get these kits at a 15% discount when you purchase them together in the Holiday Stories Bundle, available only through August 31!)

With a Stories I Love workshop kit, you start out by gathering between 5 and 10 of your favorite photos (preferably 4″ x 6″) to work with. These photos do not have to follow a specific theme; one of the key points of this storytelling exercise is to learn how to tell individual, stand-alone stories and get into the meaningful details of those memories. The closing page of your finished Stories I Love album spells it out beautifully,“These pictures belong together only because I love them.”

Your next step is to select or take a current photo of yourself. Identifying yourself as the storyteller can be very empowering, especially if you find that you don’t always make an appearance in the photos and memories you choose to scrapbook. This photo will be added to the closing page of your finished album.

As you continue on with the Stories I Love process, you’ll turn to your workbook to help you identify and uncover the various layers of the stories you want to capture. Select one photo to start your album, and then turn to your Stories I Love workbook to see an example of how you can delve deeply into your story and tell it in a way that really brings it to life.

Once you’ve had a chance to look at the provided example and familiarize yourself with the process, you’ll be able to follow it with your own photos and stories. We recommend writing out the entire story at least once before recording it on your Stories I Love story pages, although you may want to do this multiple times as you progress through the editing process. If you’re crafting with other people, consider reading your story aloud to them, or just to yourself if you’re creating your album alone. Good writing is also good reading, so reading your story aloud can be an invaluable step as you continue to craft your story!

After you’ve finished drafting your first story, it’s time to assemble your first story and photo pages! For the story pages, you’ll want to select either a grid-lined or blank side of the provided story pages. While using your personal penmanship to record your stories can add a nice touch to your album, there’s nothing wrong with typing and printing it out, especially for longer recollections.

Each of your photo pages should feature as single photo and can be embellished with the selection of stickers included in the Stories I Love workshop kit. Your kit also includes nine 5½” x 6″ White Daisy cardstock pieces to provide a layered background for your photos. Your Stories I Love workshop gives examples of various patterns you can follow as you assemble your photo pages, although you’re free to come up with your own patterns as well! If you find that your stories require more than a single photo, one fun idea is to incorporate Flip Flaps™ Memory Protectors™ to add more pictures and additional context to your story.

The last step of a Stories I Love workshop is to assemble your entire album, putting together your story and photo pages in the provided Memory Protectors and assembling your closing page. Once you’ve completed your album, it’s time to share your stories!

A Stories I Love album is a great start for new memory keepers who are just starting to discover scrapbooking, or for more experienced veterans who want a storytelling refresher. No matter what your experience with scrapbooking and memory keeping is, the Stories I Love workshop kit as an excellent exercise to help you find your inner storyteller!

As a special treat, we will be hosting a virtual Story by Stacy™ Stories I Love crafting event on August 17 at 2:00 pm (MDT)! The event will be taught by none other than the renowned storyteller who developed this wonderful program, Stacy Julian, herself!

For even more crafting fun, we’re giving away three Story by Stacy™ Holiday Stories I Love kits to three lucky readers! To qualify as a potential winner, you must be subscribed to this blog and leave a comment below telling us about a story you’d love to document with Stories I Love by no later than 4 p.m. Thursday, August 5 (MDT) . (Winners will be contacted via email, so make sure your email address is up to date!)

We can’t wait to see all the amazing stories you have to share!

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July 22, 2021Create, Inspiration

Thinking Beyond the Lines with Unique Thin Cuts!

Close To My Heartbutterflies, butterfly, Isabella, Karen, Pedersen, Thin Cuts, unique Thin Cuts Leave a comment

Die-cutting with Thin Cuts #closetomyheart #ctmh #thincuts #diecutting #die-cuts #ctmhisabella #cardmaking #scrapbooking #papercrafting

One of the quickest and simplest ways to dress up your artwork is to add a unique Thin Cuts die-cut (or a few) to the mix! Our Thin Cuts metal dies are easy to use and produce gorgeous die-cuts time and time again. Let’s look at some of the more unique Thin Cuts from our July–August catalog and explore the various ways to use them to maximize creativity!

First up, we have our Isabella–Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts set. This Thin Cuts set includes five metal dies and features the large “Love” and “You” and banner dies.

These dies make an impression all on their own, but when you pair them with the intricate patterns in the accompanying Isabella—Cardmaking stamps, it takes them to a whole new level! Combining these stamps and the larger dies results in dimension that literally bursts off the page. When you create with these dies and stamps, you can either stamp on the die-cut after it’s been cut out of the paper, or you can stamp on paper and then use the Thin Cuts to cut your image. It’s completely up to you!

Next, let’s take a look at the Isabella—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts set. A few of the floral stamps and dies in this set have been specifically designed to layer over each other for greater dimension within these images. This results in more metal dies, but with our magnetic carrier sheets, you’ll never have to worry about losing a piece.

With these duplicated stamp images and die-cut outlines, you can easily combine them for a more dimensional image, larger image clusters, or you can use them separately for even more floral fun! To get the most out of these stamps and Thin Cuts, we recommend attaching them with 3-D foam tape.

The last die we’re looking at is the Butterfly Background Thin Cuts. This fun, stand-alone die yields an intricate image with a variety of delicate stitched butterflies and floral cut-outs. Because this die includes so many small or delicate pieces, you may find that you have a few left over at the end of your project, but don’t throw them out! You can always save the smaller pieces as accents to use in other projects whenever you’re looking for a unique embellishment.

One of our favorite ways to use this die is to cut several layers in various colors, patterns, or textures and allow them to peek through the cut-out portions, while leaving the larger stitched butterflies at the forefront. This die even allows for the butterflies to have lifted wings, bringing your artwork to life!

For a more in-depth look at how you can maximize the Thin Cuts and stamps showcased above, check out this video, where our Creative Arts manager, Karen Pedersen, takes you through her creative process with each of these dies and stamp sets!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this highlight of a few of our more unique Thin Cuts! If you like what you’ve seen here today or have some ideas of how you’d like to use the dies and stamps, leave us a comment below!

RECIPES

4¼” x 5½” Love You Card (Horizontal)
Z3969 Isabella—Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7270S Isabella Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X7270C Isabella Coordinating Cardstock, X6030 Evergreen Cardstock, Z6504 Sage Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4191 Silver Glitter Gems, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

8½” x 11″ Live Your Best Life Page
Z3963 Isabella—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7270S Isabella Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6036 Ballerina Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2825 Mink Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7270E Isabella Acrylic Shapes, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z3224 Small Round Waterbrush, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine, Pencil

4¼” x 5½” Love You Card (Vertical)
A1243 My Acrylix® Teeny Tiny Type Stamp Set, X9030 Mix-in Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X6032 Wisteria Cardstock, Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z4213 Silver Embellishing Thread, Z3961 Butterfly Background Thin Cuts, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Cricut® Basic Shapes, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

Cricut® Shape:
Basic Shapes
#M369879

4¼” x 5½” Love You Card (Vertical)
C1900 Isabella—Cardmaking Stamp Set, X6036 Ballerina Cardstock, X6037 Bluebird Cardstock, X6039 Carolina Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2805 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4304 Silver Loose Sequins, Z3559 Waterfall Stickles™ Glitter Glue, Z3961 Butterfly Background Thin Cuts, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” Thanks Card (Vertical)
A1243 My Acrylix® Teeny Tiny Type Stamp Set, X9030 Mix-in Paper Packet, X6048 Blue Belle Cardstock, X6054 Grape Cardstock, X6041 Lil a c Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X6032 Wisteria Cardstock, Z891 VersaMark™ Ink Pad, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z3961 Butterfly Background Thin Cuts, Z2068 White Super Fine Embossing Powder, Z4220 Anti-static Pouch, Z4252 Heat Tool, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

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July 14, 2021Celebrate, Create

Return to the Happiest Place with New Cardmaking and Scrapbooking Workshops!

Close To My Heartamusement park, balloons, castle, ferris wheel, happiest place, happy place, magic, mouse, party girl, return to the happiest place, roller coaster, silver foil, slimline, slimline cards, theme park 6 Comments

Return to the Happiest Place #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhreturntothehappiestplace #cmthhappiestplace #cutabove #happiestplace #amusementpart #themepark #rollercoaster #castle#scrapbooking #cardmaking #papercrafting #partygirl

We are returning to one of our happy places this month by bringing back some of our most magical products and two new workshop kits, all at 20% discounted prices!

With vibrant colors, delightfully whimsical patterns, and a wide selection of coordinating items, the Return to the Happiest Place collection is a must have, as so many of you already know! If you missed out on any of these dreamy products last summer, or wish you got more of them, now is your chance to stock up and save!

And, because no one likes a sequel that is exactly the same as the original, we are offering two new workshop kits this time around to sweeten the magic!

Let’s take a VIP tour!

1. Happiest Place Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet

Our first stop is the Happiest Place Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet. This packet comes with twice as many patterned papers than the packets in most of our other collections, with 12 sheets—two each of six double-sided 12″ x 12″ designs!

Along with this awesome paper count, the coordinating sticker sheet in this collection is full of eye-catching silver glitter foil accents!

Happiest Place Paper Collection #ctmh #closetomyheart #happiestplace #scrapbooking #cardmaking #papercrafting #magic #themepark #amusementpark #dream #cutabove #memorykeeping

2. Happiest Place Coordinating Cardstock

The Happiest Place Coordinating Cardstock also comes in a pack of 12 sheets, including six sheets with silver foil patterns on one side designed especially with the collection’s theme in mind.

3. Happiest Place Acrylic Shapes

Looking to add even more dimension to your projects? The Happiest Place Acrylic Shapes coordinate perfectly with the magical patterns in this collection and make a great addition to any card or scrapbook layout!

4. Happiest Place Stamp + Thin Cuts

They say, “a dream is a wish your heart makes, when you’re fast asleep.” Well, wake up and dream no further! Next, on our tour, we have the Happiest Place Stamp + Thin Cuts set. The dies in this set make creating your own dimensional accents from this fanciful coordinating stamp set even easier!

5. SVG Files!

Also returning for this year’s sequel are the Happiest Place Digital Art Titles and Designs!

After downloading the image files, resize them, remove layers, and much more with your chosen software, and then cut the shapes with your personal digital cutting machine. These files can be used to cut paper for your cards and layouts, and they can also be used to cut vinyl to create one-of-a-kind album covers!

6. Happiest Place Cut Above^® Kit

Use the materials in this kit to create the pages of an 8½” x 11″ album—an opening page, a closing page, and seven two-page layouts. No fussy-cutting required!

The Happiest Place Cut Above^® Layout Kit includes pre-printed base pages, exclusive die-cuts, pre-cut pieces, and instructions to guide you through every step of the way! No cutting or stamping necessary. Just pair this kit and your memories with a journaling pen, photos, and some adhesive!

7. Return to the Happiest Place Scrapbooking Workshop

Does this stop look a bit familiar? The Return to the Happiest Place Scrapbooking Workshop Kit turns the 8½” x 11″ pages from the Cut Above kit into 12″ x 12″ pages! Download the instructional guide below and take a look!

scrapbooking workshop guide (US/CA)
scrapbooking workshop guide (AU/NZ)

8. Return to the Happiest Place Cardmaking Workshop

Our final stop of this VIP tour, and newest addition to our collection, is the Return to the Happiest Place cardmaking workshop!

With the materials in this kit, you can create 20 slimline cards, two each of 10 designs!

Download the guides, below!

cardmaking guide (US/CA)
cardmaking guide (AU/NZ)

Thank you for visiting us today as we returned to one of our happiest places! In the comments below, let us know how you are using this magically beautiful collection!

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July 7, 2021Celebrate, Create, Inspiration

Christmas in July!

Close To My Heartbbmp, Bring Back My Pack, christmas, Christmas in July, cricut, pineapple, stars & sparkler, White Pines 3 Comments

It’s always a great time to celebrate all the things you love about Christmas, even in the middle of the year! The concept of a Christmas in July crafting party has been around for a while, and this year, we’re getting in on the fun! (Fun fact: Some crafters call their Christmas in July parties LEON parties—that’s NOEL spelled backward! 🤓🎄)

No matter how you choose to celebrate or what type of projects you feature at your soiree, a Christmas in July party is a fun excuse to get together with friends, family, and fellow crafters, and prepare for the upcoming holiday season, or catch up on your scrapbooking from the last year!

For our Christmas in July celebration, we’ve brought back one of our favorite paper suites from the past—White Pines—and given it a fresh look with an updated color scheme and a brand new 12″ x 12″ sticker sheet!

This gorgeous collection is accompanied by four stamp sets, two workshop kits, and a product bundle, which includes all the exclusive White Pines products! With so many adorable holiday designs and products, the refreshed White Pines suite is just what you need to get into the Christmas-in-July spirit!

To get your own Christmas in July party started off on the right foot, a few handmade decorations can be a great addition to the festivities. For a fun take on a Christmas tree, we’ve taken this awesome pineapple, given it its own pair of stylish sunglasses cut from our Cricut® Stars & Sparklers collection, and outfitted its crown with a few festive paper ornaments from our Artbooking collection! (Learn more about these Cricut® collections, here.)

You can also spruce up your backgrounds with a fun and simple garland. For this festive spread, we’ve repurposed the gnomes from our Chillin with My Gnomies Stamp + Thin Cuts for a more summery Santa Claus and fellow elves! Pair a few of these cut-outs with festive patterned stars, dress them up in red, white, and green stripes, and voila! You have a cute summer Santa garland!

With a few handmade decorations on hand, you’re all set for your very own Christmas in July, Leon party! Once you’re finished with your décor, it’s time to plan what you and your guests will make during the party itself. Popular choices for Christmas in July party crafts are scrapbook pages to document precious Christmas memories, or Christmas cards for the upcoming holiday season.

If you’re looking for project ideas to incorporate into a Christmas in July party, our White Pines scrapbooking and cardmaking workshop kits are a great way to keep your celebrations going. These workshops come with step-by-step instructions and are easy for crafters of many experience levels to complete.

The White Pines cardmaking workshop kit includes all the exclusive materials you’ll need to create 20 beautiful Christmas cards—4 each of 5 designs!

A handmade Christmas card for a close friend or family member can be the perfect addition to your holiday festivities and making these cards early on will leave you with more time for other festive traditions, all while helping you feel a little bit of Christmas magic, even when Christmas is half a year away!

Another way to keep your Christmas spirit strong year-round is to create holiday-themed scrapbooking pages! We all have treasured memories and traditions that we want to document, and many of these are centered around special occasions, like Christmas.

With our White Pines scrapbooking workshop kit, it’s a breeze to create gorgeous scrapbook pages for your favorite holiday memories! This workshop includes the White Pines materials you’ll need to create three two-page layouts and one single page.

Each of these layouts makes a beautiful background for your holiday photos and they’re sure to be pages you’ll adore for years to come!

We’re so excited to be able to provide a starting point for some Christmas in July creativity this year, and we can’t wait to see how you use the White Pines collection! Have you made your own Christmas in July crafts before? Leave a comment below and let us know about your experience!

RECIPES

Pineapple Sunglasses & Ornaments
CC72110 White Pines Paper Packet, X6047 Black Cardstock, X5950 Toffee Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z4213 Silver Embellishi n g Thread, Z3372 Adhesive Runner, Cricut® Artbooking Collection, Cricut® Stars & Sparklers Collection, Pineapple

Cricut® Shapes:
Artbooking
#M3D45C

Stars & Sparklers
#M22FC2524

Summer Santa & Elves Garland
Z3965 Chillin’ with My Gnomies Stamp + Thin Cuts, CC72110 White Pines Paper Packet, X7271B Wander Paper Packet, X6038 Candy Apple Cardstock, Z3555 Christmas Red Stickles™ Glitter Glue, Z3799 Carnation Red Liquid Pearls™, Z2475 Brown Grey TriBlend™ Marker, Z2484 Citrus Green TriBlend™ Marker, Z2497 Dark Red TriBlend™ Marker, Z2476 Fair Skin TriBlend™ Marker, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Cricut® Basic Shapes, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine, White Twine

Cricut® Shape:
Basic Shapes
#M36989A

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June 22, 2021Create, Inspiration, Learn

Mixing and Matching Cricut® and Paper Collections

Close To My Heartcone, cricut, flower truck, good times, hillside cottage, ice cream, pick-up, pick-up truck, stars & sparklers, truck 8 Comments

Cricut Shapes #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcricut #cricut #ctmhhillsidecottage #ctmhstarsandsparklers #goodtimes #scrapbooking #cardmaking #papercrafting

Great crafting from scratch is all about finding a cohesive way to incorporate various elements into a project. Adding a Cricut® shape to your artwork is a quick and simple way to elevate the aesthetic of your artwork, and to make this easier than ever, we’re going to show you a few ways to create a little mix and match Cricut action for your projects, using a handful of shapes from the Stars & Sparklers collection and the adorable papers, stickers, and shapes from the Hillside Cottage suite!

Cricut Shapes #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcricut #cricut #ctmhhillsidecottage #ctmhstarsandsparklers #fourthofjuly #july4th #independenceday #firecrafker #scrapbooking #cardmaking #papercrafting

Cricut Shapes #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcricut #cricut #ctmhhillsidecottage #scrapbooking #cardmaking #papercrafting

To supplement the paper collections in our bi-monthly catalogs, we’ve partnered with Cricut® to create a coordinating collection of shapes for each suite! These mini Cricut collections are designed to pair seamlessly with the patterns and designs in the papers, stickers, Picture My Life™ pocket cards, and stamp sets that make up the paper suite itself.

The Stars & Sparklers and Hillside Cottage paper collections are available now in our July–August catalog. Click here to check out all the amazing papers, stickers, stamps, and Cricut shapes included in these exclusive suites (along with all the other amazing products available in this catalog 😀).

Now, let’s take a look at a few fun combinations that we created through this fusion of Stars & Sparklers Cricut® shapes and various components of the Hillside Cottage suite!

To start things off, we took the “good TIMES” title and a handful of flowers from the Stars & Sparklers Cricut collection and cut them out of coordinating cardstock from the Hillside Cottage collection.

Cricut Shapes #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcricut #cricut #ctmhhillsidecottage #ctmhstarsandsparklers #goodtimes #scrapbooking

When placed over a few of the Hillside Cottage pattern papers and placed alongside a few Hillside Cottage Shapes, these Cricut shapes are just what this page needs to really stand out!

Similar to the scrapbook page above, this “We Are Family” layout also includes a few of the Stars & Sparklers flowers, and with these scattered throughout the pages alongside the Hillside Cottage patterns, stickers, and shapes, it’s easy to create beautiful artwork and make it unforgettable!

Cricut Shapes #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcricut #cricut #ctmhhillsidecottage #ctmhstarsandsparklers #scrapbooking #family

For an absolute treat of a card, we paired the ice cream cone from the Stars & Sparkles Cricut collection with the few Hillside Cottage patterned papers and coordinating cardstock. This sweet card is a great example of how an everyday Cricut shape can be paired with a few papers for a gorgeous finished effect!

Cricut Shapes #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcricut #cricut #ctmhhillsidecottage #ctmhstarsandsparklers #icecream #cardmaking #papercrafting #sosweet

Even a simple shape can be a great way to dress up your crafts—just check out the awesome texture on this cone!

Cricut Shapes #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcricut #cricut #ctmhhillsidecottage #ctmhstarsandsparklers #sosweet #icecreamcone #papercrafting #cardmaking #scrapbooking

For this last card, we took the cute pick-up truck from the Stars & Sparklers Cricut collecion, layered all the pieces on top of a few strips of Hillside Cottage paper, and finished it off by filling the truck bed with a beautiful Hillside Cottage floral sticker! We’re left with a whimsically beautiful card that can be created in minutes!

Cricut Shapes #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcricut #cricut #ctmhhillsidecottage #ctmhstarsandsparklers #cardmaking #papercrafting #flowertruck #happybirthday

With a little bit of time and some outside-the-box thinking, it’s easy to create gorgeous cards in minutes when you get creative with your Cricut® shapes! By mixing and matching the Stars & Sparklers Cricut truck shape with the Hillside Cottage suite, we ended up with a beautiful card, where the pieces pair so well, it looks like they were made for each other!

Cricut Shapes #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcricut #cricut #ctmhhillsidecottage #ctmhstarsandsparklers #happybirthday #flowercard #cardmaking #papercrafting

Even though our kit-coordinated Cricut® collections are designed with specific paper collections in mind, they’re incredibly versatile and can be used with any paper suite! As you can see, the sky’s the limit when it comes to what you can do with Cricut shapes!

Do you have a favorite Cricut® collection? Leave a comment below to tell us which one, and how you love to use it!

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June 16, 2021Celebrate, Inspiration, Memory Keeping

Photos to Take This Summer, and What to Do with Them!

Close To My Heartlist, photo, photo ideas, photo list, picture ideas, picture list, pictures, summer, summertime 9 Comments

Pictures to Take This Summer #closetomyheart #ctmh #summerphotos #photoideas #memorykeeping #scrapbooking #summer

We will be rolling out those hazy, lazy, crazy days of summer real soon, and to prep we’ve compiled a list of photo ideas so they won’t be so “hazy” come fall (how “lazy” and “crazy” these next couple of months are is up to you! 😉)

Whether you’ll be going on a huge vacation or planning on sticking around locally, there is so much life to capture during the summertime. The best part, these moments don’t require extravagant locations or fancy dress. All you need is you and your people and, of course, your camera.

Before we jump into our list of photo ideas, let’s talk about what to do with all of these photos once you have them. The worst thing you can do is take hundreds of awesome photos and then loose them to the seemingly bottomless pit of a gallery that you have saved on your phone or on social media, to never be seen again. Let’s just not do that this year. We can do better, and here’s how.

The first step is to turn digital images into printed pictures. We all take multiple photos of the same thing to get that “perfect pic.” Choose your favorites, print these off, and then delete the rest (you can do it!).

The next step is deciding what you want to do with these printed pictures—do you want to scrapbook all of them or put a few on display?

If scrapbooking is not your thing, make it your thing! It is not an archaic medium, and it certainly is not obsolete. One of the wonderful things about scrapbooking is that it combines your creativity with your photos and memories in a way that is personal and unique to you. If you already journal this way, a scrapbook is not that different. In a scrapbook, however, your memories will be better preserved through the years because your pages are in clear plastic pockets we call Memory Protectors™.

Regardless of whether scrapbooking is or isn’t something you’re into, if you’ve got a lot of summer photos that you want to put in an album, pocket scrapbooking is a great solution to quickly scrap all of your photos (even those photos that you may have multiples of because you couldn’t pick just one as your favorite). Add journaling, a few pieces of paper here and there, and you’re done!

If you’ve got a lot of pictures of one particular subject, like a trip or a person, the Short Story approach by Story by Stacy™ may be the way to go. The instructional workbook walks you through the process of visual storytelling in a 6″ × 6″ album, using a large group of photos topped off with a personal story written at the very end.

Displaying your summertime fun is definitely something we encourage! You can frame individual photos or create collages of all shapes and sizes. Add stickers, patterned papers, journaling—whatever will fit with the feelings you’re hoping to capture and the story you want to tell.

Now, as promised, here’s a list of photo ideas to take this summer. Use them all, just a few, or maybe use these as a jumping off place to new ideas of your own. Whatever you do, find and capture moments during this summertime so you’ll not only have an answer to the “so, what did you do this summer?” question, but also a keepsake for yourself and your family for years to come.

SUMMER PHOTO IDEAS

Wearing sunglasses
Lounging in the sun
Tan lines
Enjoying a cool summer treat
Summer beverage
Summer reading
Seashells
Flowers
Sunset
Working on a summer craft
Favorite summer footwear/“where I stand”
Fireworks
Summer bbq/cook-outs
Water fight
American flag/July 4^th decorations
Patriotic clothing
Fireflies
Sun flare
Road tripping/vacation
Beach landscape
Feet in the sand
Eating watermelon
Bubbles
Blue skies/summer clouds
Family time
Shopping
Kites
Summer dress/beach hat/go-to summer outfit
Ducks
Temperature (on a thermometer/screen)
Mani/Pedi
Attending a sporting event
Deck chairs
Riding bikes
Silhouettes on a bright sunny day
Fun in the yard
Fun on the water (boating/paddle boarding, etc.)
Car wash
Local carnival/fair
Enjoying the outdoors (nature walks/hiking/camping/bonfire)
Summer garden (veggies/flowers)
Sidewalk chalk
Summer love
Pets outside (on a walk/at a park)
Kids taking photos
Around the house
Colorful fruit
Golden hour lighting (about an hour before sunset or an hour after sunrise)
Your front porch
Nap time

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June 9, 2021Celebrate, Community

Calling All Crafters! Come and Celebrate with Us!

Close To My Heartconsultant, convention, fee, Maker, promotion, registration, sign up, virtual 13 Comments

2021 Virtual Convention #ctmh #closetomyheart #virtualconvention #scrapbooking #cardmaking #papercrafting #crafting #diy

One of our favorite things about our Close To My Heart family is connecting with crafters from all over the world. There’s something magical about joining together with friends to create beautiful things. This year, the magic is happening at the Close To My Heart 2021 Virtual Convention, July 27–29! Want to get your Convention registration fees waived? Learn how, below!

Over the course of our time in the crafting industry, we’ve had the chance to host some fabulous events, and we’ve put our whole heart into each and every one. While we will miss being able to meet together in person, this year’s virtual Convention is sure to be one for the record books!

Through all the experiences of the past year, we’ve all realized just how important it is to stay connected to family, friends, and of course, fellow crafters. This year’s Virtual Convention will include opportunities for crafting, education, creation, connection, and celebration with Makers from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan! The online-only format of this Convention will allow for many more Makers to join us. We’re so thrilled to have the chance to connect more fully with so many friends, whether you’ve just joined the Close To My Heart family or we’ve known you for years and years!

Convention attendees will be able to participate in business training classes, artwork workshops, giveaways, contests, and more! In addition, Close To My Heart President, Monica Wihongi, and other members of the Home Office staff will give Convention attendees an in-depth first look at TWO new catalogs: the 2021–2022 Core Products Catalog and the 2021 September–October catalog! These beautiful catalogs are full of brand-new products and eye-popping artwork, from cover to cover!

As a Convention participant, you’ll not only get the chance to see these catalogs, you’ll have the opportunity to craft with some of the new products showcased in them! This will be the only opportunity to get an early preview of these highly anticipated catalogs, and it’s worth tuning in just for that!

This event will also provide us a special opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our US Makers over the last year. We love recognizing our Makers’ exceptional efforts and accomplishments and look forward to celebrating the achievements and successes of this great community with all of you!

2021 Virtual Convention is sounding better all the time, isn’t it? And we haven’t even gotten to the part about how you can qualify for free event registration yet!

Virtual Convention will be an exciting, 3-day event for Close To My Heart Makers only. If you’re not a Maker yet, now is the perfect time to join the ranks!

That’s where this month’s Sign Up & Celebrate special comes in! Through this special offer, any new Makers who sign up during June will have their Convention registration fee waived! For our existing Makers, anyone who signs up five or more new Makers during the month of June will also have their registration fees reimbursed! This amazing offer will only be available through June 30, so be sure to take advantage of this chance to join us with no registration fees!

What are you most excited for with the 2021 Virtual Convention? Leave a comment below to let us know what you’re looking forward to! We’d also love to hear from you if you’ve already registered for Convention! Comment below to let us know you’re coming!

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June 2, 2021Celebrate, Create

Cutting Diagrams and Patterns for a Father’s Day Mini Album!

Close To My Heartdad, download, father, father's day, free, guide, keepsake, mini album, no ordinary dad, pattern, stars & sparklers, workshop 4 Comments

Can you believe we’re already in June?! It’s that time of year where we shift our focus to the dads in our lives and remind them of just how much we appreciate them! To help us do exactly that, not only have we designed three sweet and fun No Ordinary Dad stamp sets for you to make your own meaningful creations, but we also designed a 4″ x 4″ mini album using these very stamp sets, highlighting what makes fathers so special!

No Ordinary Dad

Best Dad Ever

My Dad Rocks

Mini Album:

(click on the individual images to enlarge)

Handmade Father's Day Gifts #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhnoordinarydad #noordinarydad #scrapbooking #stamping #diyphotoalbum #minialbum #father'sday #bestdadever

To make this mini album, exactly as you see here, you will need the following materials:

My Acrylix® No Ordinary Dad Stamp Set
My Acrylix® Best Dad Ever Stamp Set
My Acrylix® My Dad Rocks Stamp Set
Blue Belle 4″ x 4″ Album
Stars & Sparklers Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet
Stars & Sparklers Coordinating Cardstock
(or 1 Bluebird, 1 Carolina, 1 Sapphire, 1 Scarlet, 1 Toffee, and 2 White Daisy sheets)
Blue Belle Cardstock (1 sheet)
Bluebird Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad
Sapphire Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad
Scarlet Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad
Silver Shimmer Trim
Black Journaling Pen (.01)

Download the free cutting diagrams and patterns, below, for additional guidance to make this super cute and meaningful little keepsake!

No Ordinary Dad Mini Album guide (US/CA)Download

No Ordinary Dad Mini Album guide (AU/NZ)

Make Father’s Day a little extra special this year with meaningful, personalized handmade gifts from the heart. ❤️

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May 26, 2021Celebrate, Create, Inspiration, Learn, Memory Keeping

Create an Entire Album in Less than 2 Hours!

Close To My Heart3-2-1, 321, 6 x 8, 6" x 8", album, formula, national scrapbooking month, nsm, scrapbooking, technique, you are enough 4 Comments

Scrapbooking Made Quick #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhyouareenough #youareenough #nsmyouarenough #nationalscrapbookingmonth #nsm #scrapbooking #scrapbook #scrapbookingtechnique

If you’re looking for a quick, easy, and beautiful way to scrapbook your photos, then we’ve got just the thing to make that happen!

A little while back, we shared a speedy scrapbooking technique that we called the 3-2-1 Formula to make 10 6″ x 8″ two-page layouts. Since it’s national scrapbooking month, we decided to pair this speedy scrapbooking method with the exclusive You Are Enough collection and share with you our gorgeous results!

(Click on the individual images to enlarge.)

Now, let’s revisit the steps to making this album! As the name implies, this is a formulaic project. That means that you will follow a simple formula to cut all of your patterned paper and then assemble your layouts. As you will see, you will continue to have a lot of creative freedom to add your own flair to each of your pages. No two albums will look the same, unless you make them that way intentionally.

Here’s what you’ll need:

5 sheets of patterned paper* (in a variety of coordinating patterns)
4 cardstock sheets* in coordinating colors (coordinate with your patterned paper)
10 White Daisy cardstock sheets*
Coordinating embellishments

*If you are not familiar with Close To My Heart products, all of our cardstock and patterned papers come in a 12″ x 12″ format, and that is what we will be using to make this project.

Step 1: Creating Base Pages. The very first thing we cut are base pages, from the White Daisy cardstock. From 10 sheets, you should be able to get 20 6″ x 8″ pieces.

Step 2: Cutting Patterned Paper. Before measuring and cutting anything, trim all the zip strips from each of the patterned paper sheets. The zip strip is the extra ½” accent paper along the top of each Close To My Heart patterned paper sheet. Cut each of these in half and set them aside. Next, cut the remaining 12″ x 12″ paper in half, to 6″ x 12″. Here’s where the 3-2-1 comes into play. Cut these two half sheets of patterned paper into strips of 3″ x 6″, 2″ x 6″, and 1″ x 6″.

(Half of this example is showing what the pattern is on the back side of this sheet. Each one of our patterned papers has a double-sided coordinating design, for additional creative flexibility.)

Step 3: Creating Photo Mats from Cardstock. For a more polished look, we like to add photo mats behind most, if not all, of our photos. That is what we make with the four sheets of coordinating cardstock.

Cut each cardstock sheet into six 6″ x 4″ rectangles. You should have a total of 24 when you are done. If you’d like to have a few 3″ x 4″ mats, simply cut these in half. Please note that the photos you will be mounting on these mats will have to be trimmed down a ¼” in both height and width to fit.

Step 4: Putting It All Together. You’re going to need a bit of space for this part, so make sure to clear your table or a place on your living room rug or somewhere else you can keep your project safe. Lay out all 20 White Daisy cardstock base pages. Next, distribute the strips of patterned paper and cardstock mats. Each page should get one 4″ x 6″ photo mat, or two 3″ x 4″ mats, and one strip of each size, 3″, 2″, and 1″. If you’d like for the pages that will be facing each other in your album to match, keep that in mind as you distribute your papers. Lastly, decide how you want to attach these pieces to your pages and get to it! Move the components around until you are happy with your pages. Experiment with different arrangements and consider whether you want 3″ x 4″ or 4″ x 6″ photo mats on your layouts, or a combination of both.

Step 5: Embellish! Using coordinating embellishments, add your finishing touches!

If you like our finished album and would like to recreate it using our same papers and embellishments, make sure to get your You Are Enough papers, cardstock, and butterfly sequins while you still can! This collection is only available while supplies last and it has been flying off our shelves, fast! If you want to make an album like this using other papers and embellishments, that’s completely okay, too! The beauty of the 3-2-1 technique is that it can be used with any coordinating papers and embellishments you like.

As we begin to wrap up another National Scrapbooking month, we hope you enjoy creating scrapbook pages that you love and that best suit your photos and memories!

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