June 19, 2018Create, Learn, Memory Keeping

Making Title and Created By Cards in Story Starter

Close To My HeartAuthor, Author Card, Colorful Texture, Created By Card, mini album, Quoteable Words, Stacy Julian, Story by Stacy, Story Starter, storytelling, title, Title Card 1 Comment

Even though every story is unique, there are some important parts that each one includes. For example, every story has a title and an author. This is why you’ll find specific cards in the Story by Stacy™—Story Starter workshop kits just for adding those two essential pieces. Story Starter helps you access a collection of memories that you can write as small stories in an album. Each workshop kit includes one title card and one created by card for you to add those story elements to every album you make and share.

Title Card

Story by Stacy—Story Starter #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhstorybystacy #ctmhxstorybystacy #ctmhxstacyjulian #stacyjulian #storystarter #titlecard #album #minialbum #storytelling

Story by Stacy™—Story Starter is perfect for documenting the people, places, and things that you love, and by sliding a title card in right at the front, that subject is clear at the very beginning. These examples from Story Starter albums we’ve made show a few ways you can personalize the title card to fit whatever it is you are documenting.

Use the coordinating stamp sets, Colorful Texture and Quotable Words, to add stamped images in colors that match the rest of your album. You could also combine stamping with a small photo, or fill the title card with a larger square photo that has written words on the edges. The title card is yours to customize however you want.

Created By Card

Story by Stacy—Story Starter #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhstorybystacy #ctmhxstorybystacy #ctmhxstacyjulian #stacyjulian #storystarter #createdbycard #authorcard #minialbum #album #storytelling

Part of what makes the stories you tell in Story Starter albums special is you! The words you write and the photos you use to illustrate them are yours, and that is why each Story Starter kit comes with a created by card. You, as the storyteller, should also be documented because these memories come from your perspective.

Just like your title card, you get to choose how you add the finishing touch as the author of this album. It might be a simple black and white photo with your signature. This is another place where you can add a little something extra with stamped images from Colorful Texture or Quotable Words. You could even go one step further with personalizing your created by card by flipping it over and using the back. This gives you a blank card to arrange a photo and stamped images in any way you like.

Another reason why we love having a created by card is that it gives you a place to write a small note when you give a Story Starter album as a gift. These small albums are both an easy and incredibly fun way to celebrate the people and moments that you cherish. You can use the created by card to include your name as the author of the story and add a note to that special someone.

As you make your own Story Starter albums, don’t skip the title or created by cards. These little additions highlight your album’s subject and the storyteller (that’s you!). You bring something exceptional to every story you tell, and it’s an important piece of the memories you include both inside your Story by Stacy™—Story Starter album and in any memory keeping project that you make. Keep telling those stories!

Leave a comment

June 14, 2018Learn

A Thing or Two About Re-inkers

Close To My Heartink, re-inkers, techniques 6 Comments

When creativity strikes, you can be sure to find a full spectrum of color-coordinated products within any Close To My Heart catalog, including our most often unsung hero—the re-inker.

Available in every exclusive color, these awesome little ink bottles can be used for so much more than to re-fresh its stamp pad counterpart (although they are pretty great at that, too!). The ink is an acid free, water-based dye that can also be splattered using a paintbrush, misted using a spray pen, mixed with water and painted on for a watercolor look, and applied in as many other creative ways as you can come up with. Whether you’re a novice or a pro, re-inkers make color coordination easy and effortless for any crafter!

Can you spot the ways we used re-inkers in this layout? (Hint, we used them three times.)

1. There’s the Almond “watercolor” wash behind the journaling on the right page. It’s a perfect color match with the Almond cardstock used in the background, tying the journaling aspect of this layout with the visual elements quite nicely.

About Re-inkers #ctmh #closetomyheart #cmthraddad #ctmhreinkers #reinkers #ink #exclusiveinks™ #ExclusiveInks™ #ctmnexclusiveinks #colorcoordination #color #colour #colourcoodination #colorcoordinating #colourcoordinating #coordinating #matching #dyedribbon #dye #ribbon #inkwash #watercolorwash #watercolor

To achieve this look, mix some ink from a re-inker bottle with a bit of water and then paint away!

If you’re using a paintbrush, add a few drops of ink to the inside of a stamp pad lid along with a few drops of water. Keep in mind that the more water you use, the lighter the color will end up. Pick up the ink with your brush and you’re set! (To avoid water-warped paper, use watercolor paper.) With a waterbrush, you have the option of mixing the ink and water directly in the brush, where you squeeze the diluted ink right onto the bristles.

You are going to love painting with our inks!

2. The second place we used a re-inker was to make the Toffee ink splatters on both pages of this layout.

Again, add a little bit of water to your ink (to dilute the tone as much as you want and so that it will splatter easier than straight ink) and then, with the ink on your brush bristles, gently tap the brush a few inches above where you hope the splatter will land on the artwork.

Were you able to find where we used a re-inker the third time?

…

3. It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…white ribbon dyed Crystal Blue! Dye white ribbons and twines with any of our re-inkers to get just the right color match you need for those finishing touches we all love.

To dye your ribbon, place the cut piece inside a small bag and then add ink. Seal the bag and mix it until you are satisfied with the color. Add more ink, if necessary, either to ensure the entire ribbon gets covered or to darken the tone. When you’re ready to pull the ribbon out, use gloves to avoid getting ink all over your fingers (this can get messy fast). The ribbon will need to dry before you can use it in your artwork. For a faster drying time, use a craft heater (or even a blow dryer could work in this instance).

No matter what, you can always have a ribbon or twine to match your art!

Let’s continue the game….

This card illustrates two additional fun ways to use re-inkers in your artwork. What are they?

(We left off at 3 so let’s just continue the list, shall we?)

4. More splatters, this time with a stencil and a spray pen.

Create a white space inside your “splatter zone” with the use of a stencil. We kept things simple in our example and used a circle, but really you can do this with any shape you want—consider all of the Cricut^® shapes you have at your disposal and get creative!

To use the spray pen, simply fill it with some water and add a bit of ink from a re-inker bottle, shake, and then spritz. Raise the spray pen higher for a subtler splatter and closer to the paper for a more concentrated splatter. If you want the ink to dry faster, try using rubbing alcohol instead of water.

5. How do you like the ink effect used in the stamped sentiment of this card? With very little effort, you can make your very own multi-color stamp pad.

Fold a few baby wipes in half and stack them on top of each other. (We used four here, but really it depends on how much ink you are using for your project, so consider this number on a case-by-case basis.) Using your trusty re-inker bottles, add different ink colors in a random pattern to the top of your stack of wipes. Allow your ink to spread into each other and then use this “pad” to ink your stamp.

There you have it folks! Effortless color coordination for all of your crafting brought to you by your friendly neighborhood Exclusive Inks™ re-inkers! Available in every exclusive color and formulated from scratch, use these mighty ink bottles along with the ideas we shared today to make your own, one-of-a-kind, designs.

And, of course, if your stamp pad is ever getting dry….

…use the coordinating re-inker to freshen it up! 🙂

Recipes:

12″ x 12″ Rad Dad Layout
Make It from Your Heart™ Vol. 3—Pattern 27 (p. 58)
D1811 My Acrylix^® Rad Dad Stamp Set, X7232B Fresh Air Paper Packet, X7233B Beautiful Friendship Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5949 Almond Cardstock, X5979 Juniper Cardstock, Z3146 Watercolor Paper, Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2727 Almond Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker, Z2217 Crystal Blue Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker, Z2728 Toffee Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker, Z4185 Fresh Air Shapes, Z4196 White Ribbon, Z4029 Bronze Sequins

4¼” x 5½” So Glad You’re My Dad Card (Vertical)
D1811 My Acrylix^® Rad Dad Stamp Set, X7232B Fresh Air Paper Packet, X7233B Beautiful Friendship Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5979 Juniper Cardstock, Z2217 Crystal Blue Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker, Z2265 Juniper Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker, Z2748 Sapphire Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker, Z3325 Blue Burlap Ribbon, Z3167 Cricut^® Artistry Collection

Cricut^® Shape:
Artistry
4″ Icon-1 <Travel> (p. 30, #M41036A)

Leave a comment

June 12, 2018Create, Learn, Memory Keeping

Millennial-style Scrapbooking

Close To My Heartdesign, millenial, minimalism, neutrals, scrapbooking, simplicity, white space 3 Comments

There are many, many ways you can preserve your story in a scrapbook and how we do that has changed over time. What hasn’t changed is how much we like remembering our story. People enjoy looking back, sometimes with nostalgia, other times just as a reminder of where they’ve been. People also like sharing their memories, talking about their experiences and the things that have shaped them.

We get lots of questions about how to encourage a younger generation to take up this mantle and preserve their story by creating something that will last like a scrapbook, and today we are showing you some examples of scrapbooking from a Millennial point of view. Anyone can scrapbook this way. The principles featured in this style of scrapbooking can appeal to all memory keepers, but we are specifically focusing on style aspects that Millennials gravitate toward.

1. Create intentional white space.

Are you familiar with the term minimalism? It’s actually an idea that’s been around for quite a while, but today, minimalism is a trend that resonates with many Millennials. It focuses on eliminating clutter and avoiding excess and distractions. People apply this idea to spending, décor, design, fashion, and more. When thinking about minimalism and memory keeping, focus on clearing the clutter by intentionally leaving lots of white space, like you see in the page above. This page is primarily White Daisy cardstock, but you don’t get lost in the white space. Adding a thin Linen cardstock border on the top and bottom of the page helps to ground your eye and pulls you in to the center.

2. Use only one or two photos.

With minimalism in mind, a single photo is the focus of this page. It’s easy to get lost in the thousands of photos on our phones or computers, but you don’t have to scrapbook all of them. That’s probably not even possible, but you can pick your favorites. Start with scrapbooking one or two photos that are truly meaningful to you and tell other people something about who you are and what you enjoy. Even just one photo on a page can tell a story in a creative, yet clean and uncomplicated way. The neutral color scheme keeps the spotlight on the photo. Just add a few embellishments and a couple stamped images to round out this look.

3. Focus on the story.

We don’t always remember details about our lives, even from the most important moments. Details from events like family vacations, weddings, or even day-to-day life can get lost. Scrapbooking gives us a place to record them, so we can remember the little things that made them special later. Instead of thinking about your page as one that’s primarily photos, why not think about your page as one that’s primarily words?

Describing the story can be the point of your page. Scrapbooking allows you to be reflective, to be grateful, and to document change. Those are ideas that matter to Millennials, and they often are thinking about ways to reflect and document their lives on social media or through other venues like a gratitude journal. These are all ways to tell your story. What makes scrapbooking unique is that it is preserved and available to continue to share and learn from over time. You can do this, plus exercise your creativity, through memory keeping.

This page also incorporates elements from the minimalist perspective, using lots of white space and just one photo to complement the real treasure, the words. Keep in mind, your photos don’t have to have faces in them. It could be the perspective of your feet hanging out the window, like you see on this page, or maybe it’s the food you ate or the places you visited. Photos don’t have to be just of people. It can be whatever best illustrates the words on your page.

4. Make something simple, yet Instagram-worthy.

Millennials, and many of the rest of us, are already sharing their story on social media. These photos deserve a home, but it’s equally important to Millennials to be creating in ways that are Instagram-worthy. This means that what they make should be easy to share and aesthetically pleasing with a touch of simplicity.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Leonardo da Vinci

The beauty found in simplicity is something even Leonardo da Vinci recognized as important, and it continues to resonate with Millennials. Using an Everyday Life™ format can mimic the popular look of photo books, and these albums can be just as simple to create. Even in a smaller size, this type of scrapbooking can still emphasize white space with photos, similar to a photo book. Photos could be square, making it easy to scrapbook things directly from places like Instagram. Millennials are already sharing their story on social media, but it is so easy, and affordable, to take those stories and photos and slip them into an Everyday Life™ album. With little extra effort, you can preserve your memories in a simple, sophisticated way.

Scrapbooks come in all shapes and sizes. They allow us to creatively express who we are, the time we live in, and the things that matter to us. You don’t have to be a Millennial to appreciate the trendy looks in the artwork you see in this post. Like da Vinci’s thoughts about simplicity, some of these ideas have been around a very, very long time. Millennials just happen to be the ones taking inspiration from them today, and that can encourage us all to both try something new in our memory keeping and help others to tell their story in whatever way speaks to them. So next time you pull our your scrapbooking supplies, think about how you can add some extra white space, focus on the story, or keep simplicity in mind as you create beautiful pages for your memories, and as always, we hope you share those memories with others.

Recipes:

12″ × 12″ Happy Place Page
D1772 My Acrilyx^® Documented—Scrapbooking Stamp Set, X5946 Linen Cardstock, X5955 Pebble Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7234C Documented Complements, Z3357 Better Together Complements, Z4181 Thin Cuts—Stitched Circles, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Sewing Machine

12″ × 12″ And Then Page
D1772 My Acrilyx^® Documented—Scrapbooking Stamp Set, X7234B Documented Paper Packet, 1386 Black Cardstock, X5946 Linen Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z3271 Archival Black Exlusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7232C Fresh Air Complements, Z3386 Thin Cuts—Block Alphabet, Z4181 Thin Cuts—Stitched Circles, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Die-cutting Machine, Sewing Machine

6″ x 8″ Love Everyday Life™ Layout
X5946 Linen Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z4185 Fresh Air Shapes, Z4171 Documented Titles, Z4181 Thin Cuts—Stitched Circles, Z3252 Everyday Life™ Memory Protectors™ 6″ x 8″, Z3191 Everyday Life™ Memory Protectors™ 3″ x 4″, Die-cutting Machine

Leave a comment

June 7, 2018Create

Fun with Ribbon

Close To My Heartcampaign, Create the Rainbow, june, Ribbon, ribbons, sale, special 8 Comments

It’s a new month and with it we have a spectrum of colorful goodies at our crafting disposal! Just for the month of June, we’ve put together custom color coordinated cardstock bundles, are offering individual spools of ribbon from our Fundamentals collections, discounted select accessories, and even created a brand new stamp set, the My Acrylix® Be a Rainbow. For complete details, visit our Create the Rainbow page here.

There are so many different ways to use ribbon in crafting. We put together a few fun samples of projects featuring several of the ribbons included in our Create the Rainbow special to get those creative wheels turning, if they aren’t already 🙂 . Take a look and then share with us, in the comments below, how you are using ribbon in your crafts.

Ribbons make perfect little pennant banners

Fun with Ribbon #ctmh #closetomyheart #cthmcreatetherainbow #createtherainbow #ribbon #funwithribbon #craftingwithribbon #ribboncrafts #ribbonbanner #pennantbanner #cakebanner

Fun with Ribbon #ctmh #closetomyheart #cthmcreatetherainbow #createtherainbow #ribbon #funwithribbon #craftingwithribbon #ribboncrafts #ribbonbanner #pennantbanner #cardbanner #cardmaking

These little banners are easy, cute, and can dress up all sorts of celebrations. Simply double up the ribbon around a piece of twine, adhere with a glue dot, and dovetail the ends!

Embellish other embellishments

Fun with Ribbon #ctmh #closetomyheart #cthmcreatetherainbow #createtherainbow #ribbon #funwithribbon #craftingwithribbon #ribboncrafts #clips #ribbonclips #embellishment

Add ribbons to clips and other embellishments. This can be a great way to tie metallic embellishments into the color palette of your projects! (These cute clips, and others, are part of our Create the Rainbow sale, so get them while they’re hot!)

Use your imagination!

Fun with Ribbon #ctmh #closetomyheart #cthmcreatetherainbow #createtherainbow #ribbon #funwithribbon #craftingwithribbon #ribboncrafts #embellishment #ribbonfish #fish #fishies #ribbonfishies #scrapbooking #aquariumscrapbook #aquarium

How fun are these fishies? To create them, we wove two different colors of shimmery ribbon around a square of cardstock—even their eyes are fashioned from our adhesive Black & White Dots (also part of our Create the Rainbow sale) !

If you’re getting crafty with ribbon, tell us all about it below! We’d love to hear where your creativity is taking you!

Recipes

Cake Banner
CC61826 Gold Shimmer Ribbon, CC61816 Lagoon Shimmer Ribbon, CC61813 Pansy Shimmer Ribbon, Z3216 White Twine, 8″ Skewers

4¼” x 5½” Many Beautiful Reasons Card
X7232B Fresh Air Paper Packet, Z2895 Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3313 Blush Shimmer Ribbon, CC61826 Gold Shimmer Ribbon, CC61816 Lagoon Shimmer Ribbon, Z3216 White Twine, Z3274 Clear Sparkles

12″ x 12″ Happy Place Layout
D1780 My Acrylix® Aloha Spirit Stamp Set, D1774 My Acrylix® Build-a-Picnic Stamp Set, D1784 My Acrylix® Colorful Texture Stamp Set, D1772 My Acrylix® Documented—Scrapbooking Stamp Set, D1725 My Acrylix® For All Seasons Stamp Set, D1786 My Acrylix® Quotable Words Stamp Set, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5968 Lagoon Cardstock, Z2823 Goldrush Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2865 Juniper Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2828 Toffee Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, CC61826 Gold Shimmer Ribbon, CC61811 Juniper Twine, Z3189White & Gold Ribbon, Z4014 White & Gold Twine, Z3379 Gold Arrow Clips, Z2027 Mini Stapler, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Sewing Machine

12″ x 12″ Wonders Page
A1182 My Acrylix® Etched Alphabet Stamp Set, X7232B Fresh Air Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5946 Linen Cardstock, X5968 Lagoon Cardstock, Z2895 Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, CC61826 Gold Shimmer Ribbon, CC61816 Lagoon Shimmer Ribbon, CC61813 Pansy Shimmer Ribbon, Z3314 Black & White Dots, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z3386 Thin Cuts—Block Alphabet, Z4181 Thin Cuts—Stitched Circles, Z3290 Cricut® Flower Market Digital Collection

Cricut® Shapes:
Flower Market
1½”, 2″, 2½” Shift + Background <Succelnt> (p. 40, #MD71FB0)

Leave a comment

June 5, 2018Create, Learn, Memory Keeping

A Message from Stacy Julian

Close To My Heartmini album, Stacy Julian, stories, Story by Stacy, storytelling 290 Comments

Our memory keeping and storytelling enthusiast friend, Stacy Julian, dropped by with a special message about Story by Stacy™ and Story Starter. Take a look and leave a comment below! 😉

Leave a comment

May 31, 2018Create, Learn

25 Scrapbooking Hacks

Close To My Heartdesign tips, hacks, national scrapbooking month, scrapbooking, tips, tricks 12 Comments

We talked to the pros in our art studio and came up with a list of easy, yet very effective, tips and tricks to take your scrapbooking artwork from good to great! (A few of these tips were shared in previous blog posts, but a lot of them are new. We’ve put them all together for you to have as a resource in one great list!)

Ready to step up your scrapbooking game? Take a look!

1. Try attaching embellishments with mini staples. Mini staples can give your page a different feel without any extra work.

2. Use a ruler and pencil to draw in journaling lines. Write your journaling and then either erase the lines or go over them with a black journaling pen.

Scrapbooking Hacks #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrappingtips #scrapbookingtips ##scrapping #scrapbooking #hacks #ideas #25scrapbookinghacks

3. To change up the look of your title, cut letters from patterned paper or even the background of extra photos using Block Alphabet Thin Cuts.

4. Place embellishments in odd numbers on your layouts. Odd numbers are visually more appealing.

5. Cut shimmer trim into smaller strips by lightly attaching it to your paper trimmer. This will keep it in place while you trim, giving you a nice straight cut. Plus, it pulls off easily when you’re done!

Scrapbooking Hacks #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrappingtips #scrapbookingtips ##scrapping #scrapbooking #hacks #ideas #25scrapbookinghacks

6. Stamp outline shapes on patterned paper. Then, you don’t have to color the shapes in yourself.

7. Don’t be afraid to mix and match the patterned paper from several paper collections to have more options for your layouts. We spy three different paper collections on this page. Can you find them all, too?

Scrapbooking Hacks #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrappingtips #scrapbookingtips ##scrapping #scrapbooking #hacks #ideas #25scrapbookinghacks

8. Missing a photo for your layout? You can put wax paper under a Complement sticker that might go over a photo. This lets you finish assembling your layout and add the missing photo later.

9. Stamp words with alphabet stamp sets to create personalized backgrounds.

Scrapbooking Hacks #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrappingtips #scrapbookingtips ##scrapping #scrapbooking #hacks #ideas #25scrapbookinghacks

10. Before you throw your paper scraps away, see if you have pieces that you can use to cut small shapes like circles, squares, or rectangles. Even these little pieces can be used for layering, backgrounds, or as journaling strips. You can even tear the edges to use as washi tape.

11. When adding paint splatters after your page is put together, make sure to mask the layout and photos with scratch paper.

12. Didn’t get your title perfectly straight? Use a small tool like a Cricut^® spatula to gently move something already attached to your page.

Scrapbooking Hacks #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrappingtips #scrapbookingtips ##scrapping #scrapbooking #hacks #ideas #25scrapbookinghacks

13. Bend up the edges of layers to add dimension. This could be a simple banner or photo mat, just to give an extra touch of depth.

14. When sewing on your layouts, avoid putting adhesive where you plan to sew. The adhesive will get stuck on the needle. Use adhesive to attach paper in the center and then sew the edges like we did below.

15. Experiment with a ⅛” photo mat on your layouts. This gives you slight definition around your photo without distracting from other elements on your page.

16. Trim Complements from the 6″ x 6″ sheet and lay them on your artwork to preview their placement before attaching them. It’s much easier to find the perfect spot and see how they will look on your page.

17. When layering several patterned papers, staple them together first, then cover with a photo. This will keep your layers arranged how you’d like them while you are gluing down your page. Here is an example. A small staple holds the three layers in place behind the photo.

Scrapbooking Hacks #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrappingtips #scrapbookingtips ##scrapping #scrapbooking #hacks #ideas #25scrapbookinghacks

18. Before attaching your paper, embellishments, and photos, lay everything out on your page and snap a quick photo with your phone. This gives you something to reference as you attach each piece, making sure you get it exactly how you want it.

19. Use the smallest possible My Acrylix^® block when stamping on a layout. A smaller block can help you avoid rocking your stamp back and forth and ending up with a wobbly image.

20. Mix patterned paper with small, medium, and large patterns. Here you can see how we used a tiny floral pattern combined with the medium-sized triangle pattern, and finally the large polka dots.

Scrapbooking Hacks #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrappingtips #scrapbookingtips ##scrapping #scrapbooking #hacks #ideas #25scrapbookinghacks

21. Move the paper not the scissors when hand trimming embellishments, stamped images, and other shapes.

22. If a color feels too bright for a layout, use vellum to tone it down. We added a small strip of vellum, sewn over the Charcoal cardstock, to create a softer edge.

23. Hold on to extra Thin Cuts or Cricut^® shapes to use for other projects. You never know when an extra tag, banner, or circle could come in handy while you’re crafting!

Scrapbooking Hacks #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrappingtips #scrapbookingtips ##scrapping #scrapbooking #hacks #ideas #25scrapbookinghacks

24. Need a different color or patterned paper for your layout? Remember your pocket cards! Pocket cards from paper packets or from Picture My Life™ cards can be trimmed and used as accents or titles.

25. Use tweezers, a piercing tool, or even the tip of your micro-tip scissors to help you gently place small embellishments like bitty sparkles.

Scrapbooking Hacks #ctmh #closetomyheart #scrappingtips #scrapbookingtips ##scrapping #scrapbooking #hacks #ideas #25scrapbookinghacks

Now it’s your turn! Do you have any tips or tricks that you use while you’re scrapbooking? Share in the comments.

Leave a comment

May 29, 2018Create, Learn

Color Theory: Double Complementary Color Schemes

Close To My Heartcolor, color combination, color theory, colour, colour theory, combination, complementary, double complementary, tetradic 2 Comments

This is it, the last of our color theory posts! In our final installment of this series, we’re going to highlight tetradic (or double complementary) color schemes and show you how to create them on your own.

In a double complementary scheme, we use a combination of four colors that, as the name implies, is made up of two complementary color pairs. (Remember, two colors are complementary if they are opposite each other on the color wheel.) To make it even easier, this kind of color combination is also known as rectangular colors because when the four colors are connected on the color wheel they form a rectangle.

Because the four colors have to form a rectangle to fit this scheme, there are really only so many combinations that you can form. Six, to be exact:

orange, yellow, blue, violet
yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-violet, red-violet
yellow, green, violet, red
yellow-green, blue-green, red-violet, red-orange
green, blue, red, orange
blue-green, blue-violet, red-orange, yellow-orange

Once you’ve chosen one of these combinations, jump on the Close To My Heart color wheel and pick from the exclusive colors that fall into each category.

Download here.

Another way to approach color choice, like in previous color schemes we’ve discussed, is by starting out with a color you want to use, like Eggplant, and then drawing the rectangle from it to determine what the other three colors could be.

This card uses Close To My Heart exclusive colors that fall within the orange, yellow, blue, and violet combination—Goldrush, Canary, Sapphire, and Eggplant.

The page above makes use of the yellow-green, blue-green, red-violet, and red-orange combination—Sweet Leaf, Crystal Blue, Thistle, and Poppy.

Tetradic colors tend to be quite vibrant and can even be jarring if used in equal amounts. To avoid creating artwork that is hard to look at when using this type of color scheme, choose one dominant color and use the other three to accent. Including neutrals in your designs, like we did with white in both of our examples, is an easy way to subdue the effects of this bold combination.

After reading, reviewing, and applying the color principles that we’ve been discussing these past few months, it’s easy to see that making harmonious color combinations isn’t so hard. Keep that trusty color wheel close by and pick your colors with confidence!

Recipes

12″ x 12″ Summer Page
X7233B Beautiful Friendship Paper Packet, X5977 Crystal Blue Cardstock, X5963 Poppy Cardstock, X5980 Sweet Leaf Cardstock, X5976 Thistle Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X7231C Central Park Complements, Z4177 Documented Dots, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles

4¼” x 5½” Life with Friends Card (Horizontal)
D1779 My Acrylix^® Beautiful Friendship—Scrapbooking Stamp Set, X7233B Beautiful Friendship Paper Packet, X5962 Goldrush Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2843 Canary Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2847 Eggplant Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2823 Goldrush Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4177 Documented Dots, Z4196 White Ribbon

Leave a comment

May 24, 2018Create

Postcard Perfect Cardmaking!

Close To My Heartcardmaking, cards, national scrapbooking month, Postcard Perfect 8 Comments

This post was written and photographed by our talented friend, Mayline Jung, whose love for the arts, design, and papercrafting (especially cardmaking!) has resulted in praise, admiration, and professional recognition from her fellow crafters. Check out her beautiful creations below and show her some love in the comments!

Postcard Perfect Cards #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhpostcardperfect #ctmhxmaylinjung #postcardperfectxmaylinejung #maylinejung #diy #cardmaking #nationalscrapbookingmonth #nsm #scrapbookingmonth #diy #card #cardmaking

Hello everyone! I am so happy and honored to be here with you. My name is Mayline and I love cardmaking! It was by chance in 2012 that I watched a cardmaking tutorial on Youtube. I immediately fell in love with the craft so I watched tutorials for an entire year when finally, at the end of 2013, I decided to try to make my own cards. I love clean and simple cards which are based on my unique creative ideas and layouts.

Today I am sharing six cards I created using the Postcard Perfect paper packet and stamp set. Each card comes with a video showing my cardmaking process from start to finish.

For this card, I used the tropical paper. I fussy cut all the images, arranged them on the card base, and mounted them with adhesive and 3-D foam tape. I also decorated the inside of an envelope using the same tropical paper, resulting in a very special set.

Supplies:

Here is my second card using the Postcard Perfect stamp set and Postcard Perfect paper packet. I stamped hibiscus images using various color inks on white cardstock and then fussy cut them. It’s so fun to stamp on paper! (Sometime I do it just for the fun of it!) If you are like me, you will enjoy making this card.

Supplies:

My Acrylix^® Postcard Perfect Stamp Set (CC5184)
Postcard Perfect Paper Packet (CC5181)
Exclusive Inks™ stamp pads: Pacifica (Z2892), Emerald (Z2806), Willow (Z2807),Tangerine (Z2809), Lagoon (Z2895), Nutmeg (Z2830), Smoothie (Z2896), and Toffee (Z2828)
3-D Foam Tape (Z1151)
Adhesive Runner (Z3372)
Scissors

Here is my next card, where I used the Postcard Perfect Cut Above^® layout kit. After using the kit to make my scrapbook layouts, I had a lot of stickers and die-cuts left over. So, I used the stickers to make this card. And I love how it turned out!

Supplies:

In this next card, I used the tropical leaves patterned vellum paper with stamps and markers.

This is a fun technique. I just used markers to color the vellum and the results are amazing! I colored the leaves with grey and light peach color markers—you can try this with any markers you may have—by gently coloring over the leaves, making sure to go slowly and with little pressure, so the pigment transfers to the leaves only. Don’t forget to color on the back of the vellum!! It turned out amazing! In this video tutorial, I walk you through exactly how I made this card.

Supplies:

Postcard Perfect Cards #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhpostcardperfect #ctmhxmaylinjung #postcardperfectxmaylinejung #maylinejung #diy #cardmaking #nationalscrapbookingmonth #nsm #scrapbookingmonth #diy #card #cardmaking

This next card takes less than 10 minutes to make. I used blending tools to blend the bottom of the paper. I then fussy cut the images and adhered them on the paper. That’s all. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!!

Supplies:

For my last card, I used all my leftover stickers and die-cut pieces with vellum paper. This is perfect combination for a fun and unique card!

Supplies:

I hope you’ve enjoyed these projects. Thanks for stopping by!

Leave a comment

May 22, 2018Memory Keeping

Stamping with Story Starter

Close To My HeartColorful Textures, journaling, Journalling, kit, Memory Keeping, mini album, Quoteable Words, Stacy Julian, Story by Stacy, Story Starter, storytelling, workshop 2 Comments

Telling stories is what Story Starter is all about. This first workshop kit in the Story by Stacy™ product line walks you through the process of recalling detailed memories, writing them down, and then organizing them into small stories to pair with photos.

Story Starter albums get even better when you add stamping to your story cards with the Colorful Textures and Quotable Words stamp sets. These stamp sets are designed especially to work with the stories you tell in these albums, and today we are giving you some ideas for how you can use the Story Starter workshop kit with its coordinating stamp sets to personalize your written memories.

Stamping Story Starter #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhstacyjulian #ctmhxstacyjulian #ctmhstorystarter #stamping #quoteablewords #ctmhquoteablewords #colorfultextures #ctmhcolorfultextures #MyAcrylix #stamping #stampset #journaling #journalling #stacyjulian #minialbum #album #stories

My Acrylix® Colorful Texture Stamp Set

My Acrylix® Quoteable Words Stamp Set

Using Colorful Textures

There are so many ways you can include splashes of color on your story cards. With the Colorful Textures stamp set, you can stamp simple images to match each story and photo in your Story Starter album. Shapes like hearts and stars fit perfectly next to words on your story card.

Stamping Story Starter #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhstacyjulian #ctmhxstacyjulian #ctmhstorystarter #stamping #quoteablewords #ctmhquoteablewords #colorfultextures #ctmhcolorfultextures #MyAcrylix #stamping #stampset #journaling #journalling #stacyjulian #minialbum #album #stories #dolewhip #pineapple

These shapes can also be used to decorate your quote cards. With one solid and one outline circle, small touches of color make your quote cards more interesting and unique to you.

Colorful Textures includes a few words that can be used to make short phrases. You can see we arranged the words to stamp the phrase “I LOVE the way YOU” on our story card. Build your phrase on a My Acrylix^® block, like we did. Leave one word out. Stamp the phrase with Black ink, and then stamp the missing word in a different color.

Using Quotable Words

The Quotable Words stamp set gives you many options for stamping phrases or quotes on your story cards. You can use these images to personalize your story, or you can even incorporate them into how you write your memories on the story cards.

This story card makes use of the checklist image and “the BEST things:” sentiment to create a repeatable format for each story card in the album. Stamp your images in a different color on each story card, like you see here, and then write your memories from your Story Starter workbook in a list on each story card.

Using the Stamp Sets Together

Not only are these stamp sets designed specifically for Story Starter, they are also meant to work together. You can combine words and textures to create story cards that coordinate with your story and photos. Every card could be different, or you could use a repeatable element on each card.

Mix the solid shapes from Colorful Textures with a sentiment from Quotable Words to create borders on your story cards. You can use longer shapes along the edges of your card and stamp a phrase in the middle.

As you write your stories, don’t forget you can use the lined or blank side of your story card. The story doesn’t have to fill the entire card. If you have extra space, fill it with a combination of images from Colorful Textures and Quotable Words, or you can intentionally leave some white space as you write your memories down.

Stamping on your story cards can happen before or after you complete your writing. In the video, you can see that stamping first lets you organize your memories in creative ways, and it took no time at all! If you choose to write your story first, then stamp with a light color of ink over your words to highlight a particular phrase, or use smaller shapes to stamp around the edges.

Your written words and the photos that go with them are the most important part of your Story Starter album. You can see above that the story is complete with or without stamped images. By including stamping, you can make your album your own, add fun pops of color, and highlight the parts that are the most significant to you.

Your style is unique, just like your story! Story Starter helps you uncover those stories stuck in your memory bank, write them down, and share them in fun, easy ways. With the Colorful Textures and Quotable Words stamp sets, you use your own creativity to add personalization and color to your Story Starter album.

Leave a comment

Title Card

Created By Card

Share this:

Share this:

1. Create intentional white space.

2. Use only one or two photos.

3. Focus on the story.

4. Make something simple, yet Instagram-worthy.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Leonardo da Vinci

Share this:

Ribbons make perfect little pennant banners

Embellish other embellishments

Use your imagination!

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Supplies:

Supplies:

Supplies:

Supplies:

Supplies:

Supplies:

Share this:

Using Colorful Textures

Using Quotable Words

Using the Stamp Sets Together

Share this: