Cardstock Carnival #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcardstockcarnival #cardstockcarnival #exclusivecolorpalette #exclusivecolourpalette #scrapbooking #cardmaking #papercrafting #memorykeeping

Cardstock is a crafting essential for any avid crafter, and at Close To My Heart, we’re pretty proud of the cardstock selection we have to offer! Join us as we show you all the ways our cardstock stands apart and share some exciting offers from our new Cardstock Carnival sale!

Whether you’re making a scrapbook layout, a card, or another papercrafting project, cardstock is likely one of the first things you’ll reach for to make sure your artwork not only looks beautiful but stands the test of time. With a higher weight (or thickness) than paper, cardstock is often more durable than regular paper and can add a more professional and expert look to your crafts.

Our cardstock is designed along the exclusive Close To My Heart color palette, which means that each and every sheet coordinates precisely with all our inks, patterned paper collections, and quite a few of our embellishments as well! With this perfect coordination, you never have to spend time fussing over color matches, and you can count on our cardstock to integrate seamlessly into any project, as you can see with this card!

Along with perfect color coordination, each sheet of our cardstock also has a unique white core. This core allows for greater color saturation and more accurate matches. It also provides a striking contrast when you artistically tear or distress your cardstock!

(Tip: To distress cardstock, you can run a pair of scissors along the edges or gently rub the surface with some sandpaper. Make sure to start out with a light hand so you don’t rub away too much color all at once!)

For greater versatility, each sheet is also two-toned, with the true exclusive color on one side and a lighter version on the other, as you can see here with this two-tone scrapbook page.

This dual-tone effect allows you to maximize your cardstock usage while also expanding your range of colors. When you craft with two-toned cardstock, it’s like having two sheets in one!

There’s a TON to love about Close To My Heart cardstock, and during the month of March we are sharing that love through our Cardstock Carnival sale.

During this awesome month-long sale, save 15% on all individual color cardstock packs, 20% on exclusive color combo packs (shown above), and 30% on the exclusive Cardstock Carnival Bundle, made up of one each of the cardstock color bundles—that’s 288 cardstock sheets of white core, two-toned goodness!

This Cardstock Carnival is only available until the the end of March. Get in on the savings and don’t miss the opportunity to stock up on this essential crafting staple at a great deal!

Recipes:

12″ x 12″ Memories Made Here Page
X8016S Party Time Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6053 Avocado Cardstock, X6036 Ballerina Cardstock, X6047 Black Cardstock, X6037 Bluebird Cardstock, X6050 Flamingo Cardstock, X6054 Grape Cardstock, X5968 Lagoon Cardstock, X6035 Lemonade Cardstock, X6043 Nectarine Cardstock, X5974 Raspberry Cardstock, X5957 Sapphire Cardstock, X6051 Sundance Cardstock, Z3800 Blue Belle Shimmer Trim, Z3801 Flamingo Shimmer Trim, Z3803 Lemonade Shimmer Trim, Z4304 Silver Loose Sequins, Z3686 Stitched Fancy Brackets Thin Cuts, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z2089 Glue Dots^® Micro Dots, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

3½” x 8½” Love You Slimline Card (Vertical)
X8016S Party Time Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6050 Flamingo Cardstock, X6043 Nectarine Cardstock, X5974 Raspberry Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z3825 Abandoned Coral Distress Oxide™ Ink Pad, Z3830 Mustard Seed Distress Oxide™ Ink Pad, Z3827 Picked Raspberry Distress Oxide™ Ink Pad, Z4304 Silver Loose Sequins, Z3683 My Whole Heart Thin Cuts, Z3886 Mini Ink Blending Tool, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z2089 Glue Dots^® Micro Dots, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” Happy Birthday Card (Vertical)
D1974 My Acrylix^® Par-tay Stamp Set, X6053 Avocado Cardstock, X5968 Lagoon Cardstock, X6035 Lemonade Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6523 Avocado Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2895 Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6517 Lemonade Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4304 Silver Loose Sequins, Z3800 Blue Belle Shimmer Trim, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z2089 Glue Dots^® Micro Dots

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February 24, 2021Create, Inspiration, Learn

Slimline Cards with a New Thin Cuts Die and Shaker Windows!

Close To My HeartArt Philosophy, card, cardmaking, congrats card, Design Space, diagonal stripe, free file, hugs card, idea, penguin, shaker, slimline, sweet safari, technique, tiger card, window 6 Comments

Slimline Cards #closetomyheart #ctmh #slimlinecards #shakecard #shakerwindowcard #distressoxideinks #thincuts #myacrylix #ctmhsweetsafari #penguincard #hugscard #congratscard #pinkacrylichearts

We are getting crafty with slimline cards today!

Slimline cards are a fun change from the standard, 4¼” x 5½”, size cards. They’re long and narrow, typically measuring 3½” x 8½”, providing a much larger surface area on which to create a design.

One of our favorite Thin Cuts currently available from our January–February Catalog is the Diagonal Stripe Slimline die that cuts a beautiful diagonal stripe pattern, sized especially for the front of a slimline card. Paired with a few simple techniques, it’s easy to create a wide variety of looks with this eye-catching pattern.

We hope that once you’re done visiting with us today, you will leave here feeling inspired and ready to create some of these beauties of your own!

Slimline Cards #closetomyheart #ctmh #slimlinecards #distressoxideinks #thincuts #myacrylix #hugscard #pinkacrylichearts

This first card has a gorgeous, somewhat fantastical galaxy, look to its background.

Slimline Cards #closetomyheart #ctmh #slimlinecards #distressoxideinks #thincuts #hugscard

The card base was sponged with Distress Oxide™ inks and a Mini Ink Blending Tool, creating an exaggerated version of the colors that are most often associated with the northern lights (pink, green, yellow, blue, and violet). The small, star-like spots are the oxidizing effect of the ink when we splattered it with water. When we finally layered the die-cut made using the Diagonal Stripe Slimline Thin Cuts, our out-of-this-world look was complete! The White Daisy lines from the die-cut look like a meteor shower!

These next two cards take two additional approaches to using the Diagonal Stripe Slimline die.

The top card, even though it is more adorable than most store-bought cards, came together in a matter of minutes! We first covered the front of the card base with a solid piece of patterned paper, then layered the diagonal stripe die-cut, also cut from patterned paper, on top. From there, it was a simple matter of weaving in stickers (from our Sweet Safari collection) through the diagonal paper strips. Complete the card with a stamped sentiment on a solid color cardstock and embellish with more cardstock, gems, or stickers.

Slimline Cards #closetomyheart #ctmh #slimlinecards #thincuts #myacrylix #ctmhsweetsafari #hugscard #congratscard #pinkacrylichearts

The background of this third, Congrats, card is a little more involved than the first two we’ve shown you so far, but it is still not difficult to achieve!

Slimline Cards #closetomyheart #ctmh #slimlinecards #thincuts #congratscard

We decided to back 10 of the open spaces of the die-cut with patterned pieces of paper, leaving the remaining spaces free for stamping later. You know those scraps you just can’t seem to throw away? Well, pull them out because this is a great way to use them! All you need are strips of paper that are large enough to cover the gaps. We used 5″ long strips of patterned papers, between ¼” to a smidgen over a ½” wide, and attached them to the die-cut using adhesive only along the top and bottom border. Then, we just trimmed any excess that was hanging over and attached the prepared die-cut, front side up, to a blank card base.

This last card we are sharing with you today is a show-stopping, slimline shaker window card!

Follow along with our Creative Arts Manager, Karen Pedersen, in the video below to see how this endearing card comes together.

Several of the pieces, including the two top frames, were cut using our Cricut^® Art Philosophy collection and Design Space’s Basic Shapes. If you do not have access to our Art Philosophy collection, contact your Close To My Heart Maker or find one near you, here, by clicking on “Find a Maker.”

Click here for the free Cricut Design Space™ file

If you’d like to duplicate our example card exactly, you will need the following materials:

1 – slimline card base
1 – 8½” x 3½” Party Time pattern paper
1 – 8½” x 2″ Flamingo cardstock
1 – 7¾” x 2¾” Distress Watercolor Cardstock (on Design Space file)
1 – 8¼” x 3¼” scalloped Ballerina cardstock rectangle with cutout squares (on Design Space file)
1 – 8″ x 3″ scalloped Flamingo cardstock rectangle (on Design Space file)
1 – 2″ White Daisy cardstock circle (on Design Space file)
Additional White Daisy cardstock for penguins
Winter Penguins Stamp + Thin Cuts
My Acrylix^® Little Miss Message Stamp Set
My Acrylix^® Doodled Borders Stamp Set
Flamingo Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad
Nectarine Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad
Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad
Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide™ Ink Pad
Sweet Safari Puffy Stickers
Pink Acrylic Hearts
Iridescent Flower Confetti
Silver Embellishing Thread
Aqua Blue TriBlend™ Marker
Orange TriBlend™ Marker
Ice Grey TriBlend™ Marker
Dull Green TriBlend™ Marker
Black Journaling Pen (.01)
Square Shaker Window Foam + Acetate
Mini Ink Blending Tool
3-D Foam Tape
Thin 3-D Foam Tape
Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

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February 17, 2021Inspiration, Memory Keeping

A New Months of the Year Stamp Set Series!

Close To My Heartback to school, bbq, calendar, february, january, Months of the Year, perpetual, series, snow, valentine 3 Comments

Months of the Year Stamp Sets #closetomyheart #ctmh #monthsoftheyear #calendar #perpetualcalendar #diy #scrapbooking #january #february #march #april #monthlystampsets

There’s something to love about each month and season, so we’re rolling out an entire years’ worth of stamping fun with a Months of the Year stamp series! With sentiments, icons, and borders for a variety of crafting projects, the stamp sets in the Months of the Year series provide a way to create beautiful artwork for any time of year. Today, we’re going to show off a few of the ways that the January and February sets can be used, and we have a feeling that once you’ve seen these two, you won’t be able to wait for the rest!

With every new set comes new opportunities to craft calendar pages, layouts, and so much more! Each Months of the Year set comes with a variety of different stamps to aid you as you create seasonally specific artwork all though the year. Throughout 2021, these stamps sets will be released, two at a time, with each of our bi-monthly catalogs, so you can look forward to the release of new sets through the end of the year!

Because Close To My Heart serves a global market, we’ve created two stamp sets for each month—one for crafters in the northern hemisphere, and another for artists in the southern hemisphere!

(🤓Fun Fact: Seasons are reversed between the northern and southern hemispheres! When someone in the US might be sledding or skiing, it would be a great time to hit the beach in Australia!)

These stamp sets are not only great to use individually but can also be used to create your own series of artwork along a theme! One of the most challenging parts of memory keeping can trying to decide which stories to tell, and where they should be placed. With a separate set designed for each month of the year, it’s easy to put together monthly scrapbook pages and in no time, you’ll have an entire album telling the story of the past year! This adorable Valentine layout is a wonderful example of how the stamps from the February stamp set can be used as perfect accents for the page design.

In this example, it’s easy to see how well the stamps and the paper we used complement each other, even though they weren’t specifically designed to coordinate with each other. Each Months of the Year set is easy to integrate into your artwork and includes enough variety to mix well with all our paper collections!

In addition to scrapbook layouts, the Months of the Year stamp sets are also a great tool to use when creating calendar pages! As you can see here, we’ve used these stamps to add decoration to full-size calendars and smaller perpetual calendars as well!

The Months of the Year stamp sets will all be available through the end of 2021, so you can order them at a time that works for you, pick and choose your favorites from the series, or get them regularly as they’re released. No matter when or where you use these stamps, we know you’ll love the beautiful designs and gorgeous artwork you can create with them! Did you have a favorite stamp or an idea of how you’d use the Months of the Year stamp sets? Leave a comment below and let us know!

6¼” x 11¼” February Perpetual Calendar
D1997 My Acrylix^® Months of the Year—February Stamp Set, X6038 Candy Apple Cardstock, X6055 Desert Rose Cardstock, X6044 Peach Cardstock, X5985 Smoothie Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6525 Desert Rose Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6502 Peach Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2896 Smoothie Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3888 Perpetual Calendar, Z3680 Hearts Background Thin Cuts, Z2089 Glue Dots^® Micro Dots, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

12″ x 12″ Be My Valentine Page
D1997 My Acrylix^® Months of the Year—February Stamp Set, X7265B Sweet Safari Paper Packet, X9023 Mix-in Paper Packet, X6047 Black Cardstock, X6038 Candy Apple Cardstock, X6055 Desert Rose Cardstock, X6044 Peach Cardstock, X5985 Smoothie Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6525 Desert Rose Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3825 Abandoned Coral Distress Oxide™ Ink Pad™, Z3826 Candied Apple Distress Oxide™ Ink Pad, Z3828 Tattered Rose Distress Oxide™ Ink Pad™, Z4213 Silver Embellishing Thread, Z4304 Silver Loose Sequins, Z3886 Mini Ink Blending Tool, Z2089 Glue Dots^® Micro Dots

12″ x 12″ February Calendar Page
D1997E My Acrylix^® Months of the Year—February Stamp Set, X7265S Sweet Safari Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X9023 Mix-in Paper Packet, X5946 Linen Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6523 Avocado Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6509 Candy Apple Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2829 Espresso Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3846 Wood Stars, X7265E Sweet Safari Puffy Stickers, Z3581 Base Calendar, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Z2089 Glue Dots^® Micro Dots, ½” Hole Punch

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February 10, 2021Celebrate, Create

A FREE Card Pattern for Valentine’s Day and Beyond!

Close To My Heartcard, cardmaking, DIY, free, Love of Color, pattern, perfect match, valentine 12 Comments

We have an early Valentine for all our loyal readers—a free card pattern! Celebrate along with us and share the love this Valentine’s Day, and anytime, with a personalized handmade card!

Making its original debut in our Blossom Workshops on the Go^® cardmaking guide years ago, we paired this timeless pattern with our lovely Perfect Match collection to create four cards, two that are romantic themed and two that are not.

This classic pattern can be used for every celebration and occasion with the right combination of papers, embellishments, and sentiments. If you’re not sure how to mix and match these products, we’ve taken the guesswork out of the equation for you! For effortless coordination, simply choose any one of our creative collections and stick to just those products within the suite. Another option is to pick a color combination from either of our Love of Color volumes, and to strictly work with products within that color palette. (Making cards can be that easy! 🥳)

The flower card above was made using one of the Ballerina color combinations: Ballerina, Pewter, Carolina, and Sugarplum. If you look closely, you’ll notice that even though we picked this combination, we left Sugarplum (one of our retired colors) off and added White Daisy. It still works!

The Hello card on the right was made from one of the Candy Apple combination options: Candy Apple, White Daisy, Lagoon, Sapphire, and Black.

Download the free pattern below and share some love this Valentine’s Day, and beyond, with a handmade card from the heart. ❤️

Free Card Pattern Download

**The Perfect Match collection is available now and through the end of the month (February 28), while supplies last!

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February 2, 2021Community, Inspiration

In This Together

Close To My Heartalbum workshop, corona, covid, in this together, mask, pandemic, quarantine, roll with it, social distance, social distancing, stay home, toilet paper, virtual hug, virus, workshop 3 Comments

Let’s celebrate the happy moments from the past several months with a new paper collection!

The vibrant In This Together collection features a delightful paper packet, sticker sheet, and stamp set, all packed with designs, icons, and sayings that pretty much describe exactly what we’ve all been experiencing on the regular over the last year. The bright, happy colors and whimsical designs that make up these products provide a beautiful foundation for the scrapbook layouts and fun cards that are begging to be made from our current circumstances.

The In This Together paper packet comes with 12 12″ x 12″ patterned papers, that’s double the usual amount found in our paper packets.

To complement the color palette of the patterned papers and sticker sheet, we’ve also put together a coordinating cardstock pack that coordinates perfectly with the shades and hues featured in the rest of the suite.

The lighthearted sentiments and icons in the In This Together stamp set are the perfect companion to your favorite quarantine photos!

Rounding out the In This Together paper collection are the In This Together Dots. With their shiny finish and coordinated colors, the In This Together Dots are just the thing to tie your artwork together!

We love each and every component of the In This Together collection, but there’s even more to love about it when you take a look at the exciting bundle and workshop options available through the In This Together special! With three discounted bundle options, it’s easier than ever to create beautiful artwork with this high-spirited collection!

For a guided approach to crafting with the In This Together collection, check out the In This Together workshop kit. This kit includes the paper, stamp set, embellishments, and a few additional components you need to create three 12″ x 12″ layouts and eight cards!

For a slightly different experience, you can turn to the In This Together album workshop kit, which includes materials and instructions to walk you through the creation of an entire 6″ x 8″ album!

If you want to get the benefit of a curated bundle at a great price but want to express your own creative vision, the In This Together product bundle is another excellent choice, as it includes the majority of the In This Together collection but doesn’t come with pre-designed project instructions.

One way or another, the current pandemic is affecting all of us. We hope that you enjoy crafting and creating beautiful things with the new In This Together collection, and, above all, stay safe and be kind—we’re all in this together! ❤️

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January 27, 2021Community, Inspiration

Making Gift Boxes with and without a Cutting Machine!

Close To My Heartbox, DIY, gift box, how-to, love, perfect match, treat, valentine, video 6 Comments

DIY Gift Boxes #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhperfectmatch #perfectmatch #valentine #giftboxes #diygift #diygiftboxes #diyvalentine #papercrafting #cricut #cricutartiste #cricutartphilosophy

It’s no secret that we love getting crafty around these parts, and Valentine’s day gives us an excellent ~~excuse~~ reason to spend a little extra time and energy creating pretty things because we’re doing it for other people!

Spreading kindness, especially during a time where we feel more disconnected and distant than usual, is contagious! Throughout this season of love, we challenge you to find ways to safely lift someone else’s spirit and let them know that you care.

One simple way to make someone’s day is with a small handmade gift from the heart. Since getting together isn’t an option for everyone right now, we thought we’d show you a few small gift boxes we created that can be dropped off in a mailbox or on a doorstep.

These first examples are made by pairing a couple of our Cricut^® collections with the papers, stickers, and stamp set in our Perfect Match collection.

If you don’t have access to a Cricut^® machine, don’t worry! You can still participate in the challenge of putting a little love into the world, as well. We’ve asked our Creative Arts Manager, Karen Pedersen, to show us how to make a box and small pocket envelope by hand. As always, she delivered! Take a look.

We hope you found some creative inspiration as you took a peek at these artwork examples today, and that you were able to see just how simple it is to make something beautiful with your own two hands! Let’s take care of each other this Valentine’s season and spread kindness and positivity. As you do, you’ll not only bring happiness to others, but you might just see a little added joy in your own life, too!

Recipes

3¾” x 3¼” I Love You Square Box
CC12204 My Acrylix^® Perfect Match Stamp Set, CC12202 Perfect Match Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, Z3367 Vellum Paper, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, CC12206 Perfect Match Mini Hearts, Z2089 Glue Dots^® Micro Dots, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Cricut^® Artiste Collection

Cricut^® Shape:
#M46846

5½” x 3¼” XOXO Loving You Hexagon Box
CC12202 Perfect match Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, CC12203 Perfect Match Coordinating Cardstock, CC12206 Mini Hearts, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z2089 Glue Dots^® Micro Dots, Cricut^® Artiste Collection

Cricut^® Shape:
#M3B6FD

3½” x 5¼” x 2¼” We’re the Perfect Match Gift Bag
CC12204 My Acrylix^® Perfect Match Stamp Set, CC12202 Perfect Match Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6509 Candy Apple Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6520 Flamingo Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4213 Silver Embellishing Thread, Z2481 Coral TriBlend™ Marker, Z2512 Muted Brown TriBlend™ Marker, Z341 Glue Dots^® Mini Dots, Cricut^® Art Philosophy Collection

Cricut^® Shape:
#M3F94E

4″ x 1½” XOXO Square Box
CC12202 Perfect Match paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, CC12206 Perfect Match Mini Hearts, Z3790 Onyx Pearl Liquid Pearls™, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

4″ x 2″ Love Is in the Air Square Box
CC12204 My Acrylix^® Perfect Match Stamp Set, CC12202 Perfect Match Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6520 Flamingo Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, CC12206 Perfect Match Mini Hearts, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

2½” x 3″ Crazy for You Pocket/Envelope
CC12202 Perfect Match Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, CC12206 Perfect Match Mini Hearts, Z3678 Stitched Hexagons Thin Cuts, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

2½” x 3″ Happy Day Pocket/Envelope
CC12202 Perfect match Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, Z3678 Stitched Hexagons Thin Cuts

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January 19, 2021Create, Inspiration

Home Sweet Home: Thinking Outside the Frame!

Close To My Heartcardmaking, home sweet home, scrapbooking, slimline, sweet bouquet 3 Comments

Home Sweet Home #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhhomesweethome #cardmaking #scrapbooking #memorykeeping

As we continue to celebrate National Papercrafting Month with our adorable Home Sweet Home frames, we want to share a few more ideas of how you can use elements of this versatile kit in other crafting projects! A top-notch accent or background can be the crowning jewel in a scrapbook page, card, or 3-D art piece, and we know you’ll love creating projects of your own with the beautiful pieces from our Home Sweet Home special!

Home Sweet Home #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhhomesweethome #scrapbooking #memorykeeping

The Home Sweet Home special features the Home Sweet Home Frame Kit, which includes a wide variety of exclusive patterned papers and die-cuts, along with large wood circles. These elements are not only beautiful when used to create a Home Sweet Home frame but make charming additions to other projects as well!

Adding a pre-cut accent or background to a scrapbook page or card is an excellent way to simplify your crafts, while still yielding beautiful results. As you can see with this gorgeous layout, the inclusion of these vibrant floral die-cuts placed over the corner of a photo add dimension and pops of color, and when paired with other small embellishments, tie the whole thing together with a stylish flourish!

The Home Sweet Home die-cuts can also be placed partially behind photos to add some flare to your backgrounds. These sunflower and silver sprig accents are the perfect touch to not only complement the bright colors in the photograph, but also serve to dress up the background of the page.

It doesn’t matter which die-cut shape you decide to use—each one can produce fantastic results. Just look at how these rainbow and silver glitter die-cuts are placed over a piece of grey polka dot patterned paper for a simple, yet stunning card!

Home Sweet Home #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhhomesweethome #cardmaking #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #youaremysunshine #rainbowcard

For this adorable get-well card, the scalloped piece at the center makes a perfect backdrop for the simple sentiment piece and is offset beautifully by the die-cut bow.

Home Sweet Home #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhhomesweethome #cardmaking #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #getwellsooncard

To help round out your inclusion of Home Sweet Home pieces in your own cards or layouts, you can include them alongside other embellishments, as you can see with this adorable slimline card. The cupcake die-cut and silver glitter stars are offset beautifully by the large, iridescent sequins and Thin Cuts border at the top!

Home Sweet Home #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhhomesweethome #cardmaking #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #slimlinecard #birthday

Along with the die-cuts, the Home Sweet Home wood circles can also be used in scrapbook layouts. While the circles themselves are relatively flat, they can be used to add dimension and blend well into backgrounds, lending additional texture. Here, you can see how a wood circle has been covered with pinstripe patterned paper and offers an ideal platform for the journaling on this page!

As you can see, there’s a wealth of creative opportunity included in the Home Sweet Home special, far beyond the creation of a Home Sweet Home frame! Each piece is full of possibility and can be used to boost the aesthetic of any art project, from scrapbook pages, to cards, to 3-D pieces. No matter how you choose to repurpose these gorgeous pieces, they’re sure to dazzle wherever they’re placed. Have you used any of the Home Sweet Home die-cuts and wood circles for other art projects, or do you have some ideas? Leave a comment below to tell us what you’ve used them for, or how you’d like to!

8½” x 11″ Family Layout
CC2104 Home Sweet Home Papers & Die-cuts, CC2103 Wood Circles & Magnets, X9023 Mix-in Paper Packet, X6047 Black Cardstock, X5985 Smoothie Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z3847 Black Acrylic Arrows, Z4191 Silver Glitter Gems, Z3874 Springtime Flower Sequins, Z3845 Love This Wood Titles, Z2498 True Black Marker, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Z2089 Glue Dots^® Micro Dots

12″ x 12″ Hello Page
CC2104 Home Sweet Home Papers & Die-cuts, CC2103 Wood Circles & Magnets, X7264S Happiness Lives Here Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6052 Cinnamon Cardstock, X5951 Espresso Cardstock, X6033 Paprika Cardstock, X6045 Sage Cardstock, Z4304 Silver Loose Sequins, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Z2089 Glue Dots^® Micro Dots

4¼” x 5½” Get Well Soon Card (Horizontal)
C1882 My Acrylix^® Heart Full of Love Stamp Set, CC2104 Home Sweet Home Papers & Die-cuts, X6055 Desert Rose Cardstock, Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2831 Charcoal Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6525 Desert Rose Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4191 Silver Glitter Gems

4¼” x 5½” You Are My Sunshine Card (Vertical)
D1993 My Acrylix® Sweet Bouquet Stamp Set, CC2104 Home Sweet Home Papers & Die-cuts, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, Z6508 Bluebird Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4304 Silver Loose Sequins, Z2089 Glue Dots^® Micro Dots

3½” x 8½” It’s Your Birthday Card (Vertical)
CC2104 Home Sweet Home Papers & Die-cuts, X8016S Party Time Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, X5957 Sapphire Cardstock, Z4304 Silver Loose Sequins, Z3682 Fancy Borders Thin Cuts, Z2089 Glue Dots^® Micro Dots, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

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January 13, 2021Create, Inspiration

Vision Boards for Intentional Living

Close To My Heartframe, goal, home sweet home, idea, inspiration, make it happen, New Year, vision board, wood frame 3 Comments

We have the perfect project to help inspire and motivate us this new year as we strive to live intentionally—vision boards!

Our Maker community recently created 12″ × 12″ vision boards using our custom wood frames and we’re loving how each turned out so uniquely beautiful!

A vision board helps you clarify and stay focused on what truly matters to you. What inspires us most about this concept is that everyone chooses different images, photos, ephemera, etc., to help represent their goals. When you mix in beautiful patterned papers, stamps that provide inspiration, and photos you can print in any size, you have no limits to the creative expression of your vision.

Here are a few examples of what our team created. Each person was given the same collection of basic supplies, yet their boards are all so different, just like their creators.

This 12″ × 12″ framed vision was created using half of one of our scrapbook patterns (Make It from Your Heart Vol. 1, pattern 4) with a mix of stamping, handwriting, and, of course, bling—achieving that perfect blend of clean images and personal touches! The outer frame was stained using a stamp pad and sponge, adding color while still showing the wood grain.

This layout uses SVG cut files mixed with stamping and stickers to create a large title. Tags and polaroid-like frames help bring emphasis to the elements on the page. Remember, if you don’t have a photo of your aspirations, the internet is your friend! You can find any image and print them just as you would a photo to help you document your vision. This frame was covered with a light color of Distress Oxide™ ink to give a more solid coverage to the wood.

This board uses the awesome collage template found at Persnickety Prints. Paired with our Multi Circle Windows Thin Cuts, you can create a template of your photos and frame it with this versatile die-cut shape. Use the negative space circles from the die to create a banner for added detail. This concept lets you put small images as one focal point in your frame and create a reference list to support it. We colored the wood frame and a few wood embellishments with Gloss Spray, which added intense color as well as a little shimmer.

This next idea makes the pattern paper really shine! We love using the retro polaroid style to make photos pop off the page. This was done with an SVG file, but you can easily print from Pernsickety’s 3″ × 4″ retro prints for the perfect uniform display of your photos and goals. Mix in some stamped sentiments for inspiration, and make things happen!

This last idea uses four 12″ x 12″ frames to create one large wall display. This multi-frame approach allows you to focus each quadrant on a different subject. Here, we’ve set goals for family history, creativity, home, travel and fitness. Look at all the ways the various photo print sizes can be used to help you visualize your goals. These frames were painted with black acrylic paint.

We hope these creative displays we shared for our 2021 visions will inspire you to create one for yourself. Manifesting your vision through photos paired with written words truly help realize what is possible. Putting a beautiful collection together will undoubtedly inspire you to create the life you desire for the new year!

Wood Frame:

My Acrylix^® Make It Happen Stamp Set:

Check out our very own Jill Broadbent talking about these beautiful boards with out friends in Studio 5!

The Reinvented Vision Board: Here are 8 ways to get even more creative with this medium

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January 5, 2021Celebrate, Create

Celebrate National Papercrafting Month with a DIY Frame and a Giveaway!

Close To My HeartCelebrate, Decor, frame, giveaway, home sweet home, kit, national papercrafting month, seasonal, sports 359 Comments

DIY Home Decor #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhhomesweethome #nationalpapercraftingmonth #papercrafting #diyhomedecor #framekit #homesweethome

Happy 2021 and National Papercrafting Month! At the start of this new year, many of us find ourselves with a burst of creative energy and are looking for ways to make some positive changes in our lives and homes. For an easy way to fulfill this need, celebrate all month long with us and our Home Sweet Home special!

Our Home Sweet Home special features a frame kit that comes with everything you need to make a gorgeous 13¾” x 13¾” framed “HOME” with a wide variety of interchangeable accents for year-round celebration!

Each Home Sweet Home frame kit includes a wood frame, a large wood “Home” piece for the middle of the frame, a selection of papers and die-cuts to easily decorate your frame and create the interchangeable accents we’ve mentioned before, and 14 4″ wood circles and magnets to hold each accent in place on the frame.

The seasonal accents fit perfectly over the “O” in “HOME” and are made using the punch-out die-cuts included in the frame kit. Many of the accents have multiple layers for a beautiful, three-dimensional look, and each one features bright, vibrant colors to really make them stand out.

Altogether, this kit includes 27 different accent options! The Home Sweet Home frame kit comes with 14 wood circles, but each component of the kit is also available individually, including additional circles and magnets if you’d like to make all 27!

As you can see, there are accent options for every season to keep your frame updated throughout the year!

There are also options for many different holidays, incorporating a touch of festive décor for every occasion!

Is there an athlete in your life? Celebrate game day with a personalized accent just for them!

If you want to add a little more personalization to your Home Sweet Home frame, design your own accents using the wood circles and parts of the provided die-cuts. Whether you want to create an accent for a special holiday, family tradition, or any other accent with personal meaning, it’s easy to do with the various components in the Home Sweet Home frame kit!

Along with the easy punch-out die-cuts for the interchangeable accents, each kit comes with beautiful overlays and backgrounds for the frame itself. These can be easily applied to the wood frame to create a polished, classic look. If you favor the natural wood, however, you can easily add color to the wood itself using a TriBlend™ marker, an Exclusive Inks™ stamp pad or re-inker, or even embossing powder!

There’s so much to love about the Home Sweet Home special, and for five lucky readers this week, there will be even more to love! We are ringing in the new year today by giving away FIVE Home Sweet Home frame kits!

For a chance to win one of these beautiful kits, you must be subscribed to this blog AND leave a comment below letting us know what your creative aspirations are for 2021. All entries must be submitted by 3 p.m. tomorrow, January 6 (MST) (that’s 8 a.m. January 7 AEST for our Aussies). The five lucky winners will be notified via e-mail later this week. (We use the e-mail address you are subscribed with, so make sure it is up to date in order to not miss out!)

We have so many exciting things lined up for 2021! Keep up with all of our projects, designs, products, ideas, and more by continuing to follow us here, as well as on Facebook and Instagram (@cmthofficial).

Now it’s your turn: what creative things are you up to this year? Tell us below!

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