September 29, 2020Celebrate, Community, Inspiration

Creating Smiles, One Child at a Time

Close To My HeartCharity, Every Bit of Wonderful, free, medical mission, operation smile, svg Leave a comment

Operation Smile #ctmh #closetomyheart #operationsmile #everybitofwonderful #medicalmissions

At Close To My Heart, we are passionate not only about crafting and memory keeping, but about spreading joy wherever we can. As a part of this endeavor, we’ve partnered with Operation Smile™ for over a decade to help create smiles, one kid at a time.

Sadly, there are millions of children across the world who are unable to smile, due to a cleft lip or palate. A cleft palate is an opening or split in the roof of the mouth that occurs when the tissue doesn’t fuse together during prenatal development and often includes a split (or cleft) in the upper lip. Many children affected by this condition do not have access to adequate surgical care to restore normal function to their mouths and tend to suffer from various complications, including malnourishment, speech impediments, and even social stigma.

Operation Smile™ is an international non-profit organization dedicated to helping children all over the world receive safe treatment for cleft lips and palates, allowing them to lead healthier, happier lives. By providing access to timely surgical care, dental care, and medical equipment, children in more than 30 countries are able to receive the treatment they need.

One surgery can be done for just $250 and takes minutes to perform, but the need always outweigh the resources available. Many families will travel a considerable distance—sometimes on foot—with the hope that their child can receive treatment, and often, there are so many children in need of treatment that volunteer doctors and nurses aren’t able to attend to everyone. Many families will go to multiple Operation Smile™ mission sites before they get the gift of a life changing surgery. On top of this, many children require multiple surgeries before their cleft lip or palate can be fully repaired.

Operation Smile™ relies primarily on charitable donations to acquire supplies and support medical volunteers as they provide treatment to children who desperately need it. To help raise funds for this life changing charity, we offer a special stamp set each year, where $7 USD are taken from the proceeds of each sale and donated directly to Operation Smile™. This year, the stamp set we’ve dedicated towards this effort is the Every Bit of Wonderful set.

Operation Smile #ctmh #closetomyheart #operationsmile #everybitofwonderful #medicalmissions #cardmaking

This delightful floral set includes a variety of flower images and heartwarming sentiments, perfect for any project. From cards to layouts, this special stamp set is an ideal addition to bring some extra beauty to your artwork.

Operation Smile #ctmh #closetomyheart #operationsmile #everybitofwonderful #medicalmissions #scrapbooking

Along with this beautiful stamp set, we also have two limited edition Operation Smile™ t-shirts available for purchase on the Close To My Heart website! For each t-shirt purchase, we donate $5 USD directly to Operation Smile.

Operation Smile #ctmh #closetomyheart #operationsmile #everybitofwonderful #medicalmissions #justsmile

In addition to the stamp set and t-shirts, for the next two weeks only, we’re also offering a special CTMH Kids Crafts SVG file for anyone who donates at least $1 to Operation Smile™ through our website, here. This file is compatible with most standard cutting machines and is a super cute way to add some extra flair to a layout, album, or shirt! You’ll only be able to receive this SVG for your donation through 11:59 pm (MDT) on October 6, so if you want to make a donation, now is a perfect time!

CTMH Kids Crafts #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhkidscrafts #borntoshine #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #storytelling #photoalbum #minialbum

We also offer the option of rounding up your order total to the next dollar for an Operation Smile™ donation, or you can visit our website and donate directly to Operation Smile. Even the smallest donation of a few cents can have a big impact and adds up quick!

We’re proud to announce that, so far this year, we’ve been able to raise $167,274.68 USD thanks to the incredible generosity of our customers and Consultants! We are thrilled to see the selflessness and kindness demonstrated by each donation to Operation Smile™, and we look forward to being able to offer continued support to this amazing organization as they provide treatment to children who desperately need it.

To help support this cause, you can purchase the Every Bit of Wonderful stamp set or t-shirt, round up your order, or get on our site and make a donation directly to Operation Smile.

We want to bring as much joy as possible into this world, and we’re honored to be able to partner with Operation Smile™ to be able to bring smiles to children’s faces all around the world.

12″ x 12″ Every Bit of Wonderful Page
D1977 My Acrylix® Every Bit of Wonderful Stamp Set, X8015S Lovely Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6036 Ballerina Cardstock, X6048 Blue Belle Cardstock, X6035 Lemonade Cardstock, X6045 Sage Cardstock, X6051 Sundance Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6519 Blue Belle Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6520 Flamingo Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6504 Sage Excl u sive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2848 Sapphire Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z7001 B lue Belle Glitter Gems, Z4213 Silver Embellishing Thread, Z1799 Silver Shimmer Trim, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots

3⅛” x 8″ You Are Beautiful Card
D1977 My Acrylix® Every Bit of Wonderful Stamp Set, X8015S Lovely Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6036 Ballerina Cardstock, X6051 Sundance Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6519 Blue Belle Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6520 Flamingo Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6504 Sage Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z7001 Blue Belle Glitter Gems, Z4213 Silver Embellishing Thread, Z3293 Clear Shimmer Brush, Z3784 Bright Bitty Beads, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z4259 Stitched Square Frames Thin Cuts, Z4313 Square Shaker Window Foam + Acetate, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine, Cricut® Artbooking Collection, Cricut® Basic Shapes

Cricut® Shapes:
Artbooking
#M46963

Basic Shapes
#M369896

September 23, 2020Celebrate, Create, Inspiration, Learn

Scrapbooking with Animated Stamps

Close To My Heart6 x 6, animated butterfly kisses, animated safari animals, animated scrapbooking, mini albums, national stamping day, National Stamping Month, nsm, stamping technique 1 Comment

Animated Stamps #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhcreativityinmotion #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #animatedsafari

We are continuing our National Stamping Month celebrations today by using our innovative, animated stamp sets in scrapbook layouts!

Before we show you those, we hope some of you joined us over the weekend when we went live on our Facebook page in celebration of National Stamping Day! We had a great time spending the day crafting together, making animated cards specially designed for the free event, as well as sharing stamping techniques from our very own stamping experts!

Stamping Techniques #ctmh #closetomyheart #nationalstampingmonth #nsm #stampingtechniques #youbrightenmyday — My Acrylix® You Brighten My Day Stamp Set (CC92011)

Each of the techniques in the charts below were demonstrated on camera using the exclusive National Stamping Day stamp set, You Brighten My Day, for you to follow along and add them to your personal stamping arsenal!

stamping-techniques-chart-1 Download

stamping-techniques-chart-2 Download

If you missed the live party, you are in luck! Watch the free replay by clicking on the link, here. Learn more about Close To My Heart, spend some time crafting with us, and pick up a few techniques along the way—all at your own speed!

Now, how about those scrapbook layouts we promised?!

Animated Stamps #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhcreativityinmotion #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #animatedsafari #lion #loveyousomethingfierce

For this 6″ x 6″ layout, we paired the Bright Stack, which is made up of some of our favorite 12″ x 12″ paper patterns shrunk down to 6″ x 6″ proportions, with the Animated Safari Animals stamp set. On the left page, we used the Border Tab stamp set and coordinating Thin Cuts to create a journaling tag that pulls out from behind the photo!

Similarly, in this second 6″ x 6″ layout, we paired the Bright Stack papers with the Animated Butterfly Kisses stamp set. We created a sense of cohesiveness throughout the layout by making our animated window a square to match the square photos on the opposite page, used the same patterned paper for the borders along the window and the photos, and printed the photos in black and white to match the black and white animation.

Animated Stamps #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhcreativityinmotion #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #animatedbutterflykisses #butterflykisses #butterfly

You’ll notice that both of these layouts were photographed outside of their Memory Protectors™. If you want to access the animation, or other interactive elements, of the pages without pulling them out of their protectors every time, you will need to have a plan before you assemble them.

One approach for access to the interactive parts is to attach these pieces to the outside of the Memory Protectors™. It’s fairly simple. If you’d prefer to keep everything tucked inside the protectors, however, there are a couple of other options.

Another way for access to the moving parts of an animated page, is the use of a craft knife. With your page in the protector, figure out where you would need to pull the tab from. Make two small marks on the protector where the top and the bottom of the slit will be, and remove your page. Then, put a few pieces of scratch cardstock under where these two marks will connect. Using a ruler, connect the marks with the craft knife to cut the slit. Remove the scratch cardstock and put your page back inside the protector, now with a slit. Pull the tab through the slit and have it rest on the outside of the protector, with the rest of the interactive element still inside. When you’re ready to animate the window or pull a journaling tab, then pull the tab through the slit.

This last idea comes from one of our viewers of our National Stamping Day! She used our Flip Flaps™ Memory Protectors™ and combined both of our ideas. She attached the interactive elements to the outside of the page while keeping them safely tucked inside a small attachable pocket-size protector!

We are purposefully showing you these stamp sets used in 6″ x 6″ layouts, not because you can’t create something amazing and fun in a larger format, but because we have some new 6″ x 6″ album options that we didn’t get to mention in our last post, A Look Inside the New Annual Core Catalog!

New to the Everyday Life™ line is this gorgeous Scarlet 6″ x 6″ album, featuring an o-ring closure and a soft, faux-leather cover. Also new this year, available for the first time as individual items, are the bright and beautiful Story by Stacy™ 6″ x 6″ albums!

We hope you are enjoying your September and really taking advantage of all the craftiness we have to offer now and through the end of the month! We’d love to hear what you’re up to in your craft rooms, so please leave us a message below!

September 16, 2020Create, Inspiration

A Look Inside the New Annual Core Catalog!

Close To My Heart8 x 12, acrylic sentiments, acrylic titles, antique elements, asteroid, black acrylic arrows, blue belle, bold bitty beads, calendar, catalog, Core, coty, Craft with Heart, cwh, deep blends, digital art, distress oxide, embellishment, Flip Flaps, glitter gel, gloss sprays, gold foil, gold star confetti, ink pads, lovely, markers, metallic markers, moon dust, nebula, New, party time, perpetual, pink acrylic hearts, precious metals, rare minerals, silver foil, simple serif, solar flare, springtime flower sequins, stencils, Stickles, svgs, TriBlend, waterfall, wood grain, wood shapes, wood stars 4 Comments

CTMH Core Products #ctmh #closetomyheart #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking #mixedmedia #diy #maker #bluebelle

There are so many reasons to love September. A favorite of ours is the release of our new annual Core Products Catalog! It makes us giddy just thinking about all of the new and exciting products that we’ve been preparing to share with all of you!

Unlike with our seasonal bimonthly catalogs, the contents of our Core Products Catalog are available for an entire year, from September through the following year’s August. This year’s Core Products Catalog is especially full of new products and ideas. We are as committed as ever to our promise of being there to show you how, including providing the right tools and products, whatever your crafting goals.

Let’s take a look at a few new things happening in our Core Products Catalog.

PAPER KITS

We have FIVE new paper kits themed and designed for year-round use!

CTMH Core Products #ctmh #closetomyheart #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking #mixedmedia #diy #maker #ctmhlovely #ctmhpartytime

Lovely: If you find beauty in life’s simple pleasures, then you’ll love celebrating them with the soft colors and versatile patterns of the Lovely paper collection.

Party Time: Unwrap the ultimate paper packet for any party, featuring bright colors and a patterns that will guarantee you and your quests a good time!

(Both, the Lovely and Party Time papers, come with an optional coordinating sticker sheet, as well as coordinating cardstock!)

CTMH Core Products #ctmh #closetomyheart #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking #mixedmedia #diy #maker #ctmhwoodgrain

Wood Grain: Add the natural texture of wood to your papercrafting palette with this collection of realistic patterned papers.

CTMH Core Products #ctmh #closetomyheart #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking #mixedmedia #diy #maker #ctmhgoldfoilpatterns #ctmhsilverfoilpatterns #goldfoil #silverfoil

Gold Foil Patterns: Add rich gold foil accents to any artwork using the Gold Foil Patterns paper packet, featuring six beautiful patterns in gold foil.

Silver Foil Patterns: Make your artwork shine with the Silver Foil Patterns paper packet, featuring six classic patterns in shining silver foil.

THIN CUTS

If die-cutting is your thing, then you will be pleasantly surprised by what we’ve got in store in the Core Products Catalog! We’ve got bows, leaves, dimensional flowers, card front designs, sentiments, and tons more! For space reasons, we’re only showing you two of our favorites here, but make sure to browse through the catalog to see them all.

Simple Serif:

We’ve got a Simple Serif Uppercase stamp set, a Simple Serif Uppercase coordinating Thin Cuts die set, a Simple Serif Lowercase stamp set, and a Simple Serif Lowercase coordinating Thin Cuts die set.

While the dies and stamps work perfectly as a team, they can also be used independently from one another, providing endless possibilities for titles, accents, and more!

Waterfall:

Create an interactive sliding element with the Waterfall Thin Cuts! The set comes with six dies, including several that are intended for your personal customization of the “waterfall.”

PERPETUAL CALENDAR

Keep track of all your important dates year after year with this Perpetual Calendar! It comes with 14 loose printed sheets and one wood base for you to design and create your own pages.

EMBELLISHMENTS

No crafting project is complete without a few finishing touches, like gems, ribbons, and acrylic shapes (to list but a few). Here’s a small sampling of what you’ll find in our Core Products Catalog:

CTMH Core Products #ctmh #closetomyheart #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking #mixedmedia #diy #maker #goldstarconfetti #sprintimeflowersequins #boldbittybeads #blackacrylicarrows #pinkacrylichearts #happybirthdayacrylicsentiments #lovetodayacrylictitles #hugsandhelloacrylicsentiments #woodstars #sequins #beads #acrylicshapes #acrylicsentiments #acrylictitles #woodshapes #embellishments

(Gold Star Confetti, Springtime Flower Sequins, Bold Bitty Beads, Black Acrylic Arrows, Pink Acryli c Hearts, Happy Birthday Acrylic Sentiments, Love Today Acrylic Titles, Hugs & Hello Acrylic Sentiments, Wood Stars)

MARKERS

Deep Blends TriBlend™ Markers: For those who have been with this us since last year, you’ll recall that last September we introduced the essential blends TriBlend™ markers from Spectrum Noir™. This year we are taking our color options up a notch (or three) with 24 new deep blends markers!

Metallic Markers:Also from Spectrum Noir™, we are now offering three sets of six dual-tip metallic markers with quality, archival, water-based ink: Antique Elements, Rare Minerals, and Precious Metals!

MIXED MEDIA

Stickles™ Glitter Gels: The assorted sizes and shapes of glitters in these gels make crafts truly sparkle! They spread easily and work great when applied through a stencil or directly onto a surface. (Moon Dust, Nebula, Solar Flare, Asteroid.)

CTMH Core Products #ctmh #closetomyheart #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking #mixedmedia #diy #maker #glossspray

Gloss Sprays: Available in six colors, these are an opaque acrylic spray that dry to a glossy finish. The ink is water-soluble when wet, and permanent when dry.

CTMH Core Products #ctmh #closetomyheart #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking #mixedmedia #diy #maker #distressoxideink

Distress Oxide™ Ink Pads: An exciting newcomer are the Distress Oxide™ ink pads. These pads feature a water-reactive dye and pigment ink fusion that create an oxidized effect when sprayed with water! Use with stamps, stencils, or rub the pad directly on a paper surface.

CTMH Core Products #ctmh #closetomyheart #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking #mixedmedia #diy #maker #stencils

Stencils: We couldn’t give you all those pretty art supplies to use with stencils without providing you with a few options of our own! So, we designed nine 12″ x 12″ stencils, available in three separate packs of three, for use with a variety of mixed media and art techniques! These are made from reusable clear plastic stencil sheets, each cut in a unique design.

DIGITAL ART

We’ve added 11 new digital, downloadable SVG files, to our collection as well as three new Heat Transfer vinyl colors (Red, Light Pink, and Pale Blue)! View all of these new digital art designs, here.

8″ x 12″ FLIP FLAPS™

CTMH Core Products #ctmh #closetomyheart #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking #mixedmedia #diy #maker #flipflaps

Add more photos and other pieces of memorabilia to your scrapbook pages with Flip Flaps™ Memory Protectors™! Use the adhesive strip to stick the additional pocket directly to your page or on top of the Memory Protectors. The new, 8″ x 12″ Flip Flaps™, are a great size for including certificates and other large-scale items! (Attaches vertically or horizontally.)

NEW COLORS

CTMH Core Products #ctmh #closetomyheart #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking #mixedmedia #diy #maker #bluebelle #coty #colorofttheyear #colouroftheyear

We’ve added several new colors to our exclusive color palette this month! Our favorite, and Color of the Year, is this beautiful blue hue aptly named, Blue Belle! Keep a sharp eye out for it throughout the coming year, and you’ll find hints of Blue Belle in a wide variety of our new products. (To see what other new colors we have in store, talk to your Consultant or take a look at our exclusive color palette in our Core Products Catalog.)

CRAFT WITH HEART™ CARDMAKING KIT

CTMH Core Products #ctmh #closetomyheart #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking #mixedmedia #diy #maker #craftwithheart

It’s September, and that means there’s a new Craft with Heart™ cardmaking kit available, now and through the end of December!

Each kit includes materials to create a set of 24 beautiful, handmade cards, that come together in a snap thanks to pre-printed card bases, die-cut shapes, and more. Each delivery also includes an exclusive My Acrylix® stamp set, complete with a stamping block and mini ink pad, so you’ll have the tools you need to create your cards just the way you want them. Keep up with all the occasions in your life with a Craft with Heart™ cardmaking subscription!

Dear friends, this is truly just the tip of the iceberg here. There are many, many more new products that you don’t want to miss out on. Make sure to visit with your Close to My Heart Consultant to see all that we have in store, or explore our Core Products Catalog online, here.

~~Merry Christmas!~~ Happy crafting! 😉

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September 8, 2020Create, Inspiration

Creativity Is in Motion with Animated Stamps!

Close To My Heartanimated, animated butterfly kisses, animated safari animals, animated sentiments, animation, bright stack, creativity in motion, firefly, fox, stamp 8 Comments

Now that National Stamping Month is underway, it’s time to celebrate! This year, we’ve pulled out all the stops with our Creativity in Motion special, which introduces a brand-new line of animated stamps! These animated stamps create images that literally dance on the page and provide a fun, interactive crafting experience you’ll have to see to believe!

The Creativity in Motion special includes three animated My Acrylix® stamp sets—Animated Sentiments, Animated Butterfly Kisses, and Animated Safari Animals. These stamps add a touch of magic to any project and allow you to create artwork like no other.

Check out this playful safari animal dance party! You can almost hear the music playing as these little guys show off their moves!

Looking for something a little more sophisticated? The Animated Butterfly Kisses set has just the right balance of sweet, delicate, and refined, giving you the perfect recipe for an unforgettable card.

If whimsy is what you’re after, go with the Animated Sentiments stamp set! These stamps will bring your words to life and are sure to delight!

Animated stamp sets are a ton of fun, but they need a little bit of help to really dazzle. Along with the three animated stamp sets shown above, the Creativity in Motion special also includes specialized Animation Sheets. These acetate sheets are printed with thin, black lines. These lines cover portions of the animated stamp images, but when they are pulled, the lines cover different parts of the stamp, creating the illusion of movement.

The Creativity in Motion special also includes the Border Tab stamp set and Thin Cuts metal dies. Together, they allow you create pull tabs to help guide the animated stamp experience. With simple instructive sentiments like “pull here” or “SLIDE,” and a few more fun options like “fancy,” “surprise,” “OOOH,” and “AAAH,” the Border Tab stamp set gives you plenty of options to create personalized pull tabs for your animated artwork. The Border Tab Thin Cuts metal dies allow for even more personalization with four fun shape options!

The Creativity in Motion special also includes our brand-new 6″ x 6″ Bright Stack; we’ve taken some of our favorite paper patterns from past collections and shrunk them down from their original 12″ x 12″ versions to create this adorable mini paper packet!

Creativity in Motion has a ton to offer, and all of it is designed to give you the best crafting experience possible. To help guide you through the process of creating an animated card from start to finish, we’ve developed a handy step-by-step guide, which you can download here.

Creativity-in-Motion-assembly-tips Download

We’ve also put together a short instructional video, demonstrating how each component fits together. Check it out to see this animated crafting action for yourself!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into the world of animated stamps, and we can’t wait to see how you innovate your own artwork with animated stamps. Got any ideas about how you want to use these stamps? Tell us about them in the comments below, and happy crafting!

4¼” x 5½” Hey Foxy Card (Vertical)
CC9203 My Acrylix® Animated Safari Animals Stamp Set, CC9204 My Acrylix® Border Tab Stamp Set, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, CC9207 6″ x 6″ Bright Stack, CC9205 Animation Sheets, Z2805 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6525 Desert Rose Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z1263 B i tty Sparkles, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z3813 Desert Rose Shimmer Brush, CC9206 Border Tab Thin Cuts, Z4259 Stitched Square Frames Thin Cuts, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” Thank You Card (Horizontal)
CC9201 My Acrylix® Animated Sentiments Stamp Set, CC9204 My Acrylix® Border Tab Stamp Set, X6055 Desert Rose Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, CC9207 6″ x 6″ Bright Stack, CC9205 Animation Sheets, Z2805 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6525 Desert Rose Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z4213 Silver Embellishing Thread, CC9206 Border Tab Thin Cuts, Z4260 Stitched Rectangle Frames Thin Cuts, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” For My Beautiful Friend Card (Vertical)
CC9202 My Acrylix® Animated Butterfly Kisses Stamp Set, CC9204 My Acrylix® Border Tab Stamp Set, X6034 Sangria Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, CC9207 6″ x 6″ Bright Stack, CC9205 Animation Sheets, Z2805 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6516 Sangria Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z3810 Scarlet Shimmer Brush, CC9206 Border Tab Thin Cuts, Z4259 Stitched Square Frames Thin Cuts, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

September 2, 2020Create, Inspiration, Learn, Memory Keeping

20 Pocket Scrapbooking Tips & Ideas

Close To My Heartcards, how-to, ideas, list, Picture My Life, PML, pocket, pocket scrapbooking, summer vibes, timber, tips 6 Comments

Pocket Scrapbooking #ctmh #closetomyheart #picturemylife #pocketscrapbooking #ctmhsummervibes #ctmhtimber #memorykeeping #storytelling #scrapbooking

For a lot of us, September marks the beginning of one of the busier times of the year. The “-ber” months. With the start of a new and unique school year, followed by the most celebrated family centered seasonal time, including fall festivities, then Thanksgiving, and eventually Hanukah and Christmas, during which we try to cram as much jubilee as possible into our already busy lives—we all have so much going on, and it may feel like there is just no time to dedicate to preserving all of these fond, albeit sometimes somewhat hectic, memories.

What if we told you that scrapbooking can be fast, simple, and easy! It is a perfect time to discover, or rediscover, the simplicity of scrapbooking in pockets! By using Memory Protectors™ with multiple pockets, you can quickly catch up on your scrapbooking or just add photos, art, and journaling (and any other keepsake that you can fit into a pocket) to your albums.

From how to tell a story to the creating of the artwork that goes along with it, pocket scrapbooking is a memory keeping style all its own. If you are new to this style of scrapbooking or are simply looking for inspiration for your pages, we’ve compiled a list of artwork tips and ideas for you below!

Pocket Scrapbooking Tips & Ideas:

1. Fill no more than half your pockets on a page with non-photo elements.

2. Stick to a color palette, pulling color ideas from your photos.

3. Use Picture My Life™ pocket cards (designed to coordinate with each other in theme and color).

Pocket Scrapbooking #ctmh #closetomyheart #picturemylife #pocketscrapbooking #ctmhtimber #memorykeeping #storytelling #scrapbooking

4. Design and make your own pocket cards from papers, Thin Cuts, stickers, and stamps. (This is a great way to use up some of your scraps, too!)

5. Fill pockets with other things, besides cards or photos (ticket stubs, loose Cricut^® shapes, sequins, etc.).
Tip: We sealed the sequins pocket you see in our example so the sequins wouldn’t fall out.

6. Make a statement and split large titles or photos into multiple squares.
Tip: Consider printing a large 6 x 8 photo and split it up into several pockets!

7. Use the negative space of a Cricut^® shape to create a pocket card. If the space is large enough, back it with a light color cardstock and use the space for journaling. If you are cutting several small shapes (like our 2019 below), back it with cardstock or any other paper that will add interest to your layout.

Pocket Scrapbooking #ctmh #closetomyheart #picturemylife #pocketscrapbooking #memorykeeping #storytelling #scrapbooking

8. Add a sentiment to your photos by stamping directly on them
Tip: If your photo has any sort of finish on them, we recommend you use StazOn™ ink. If it is a truly matte photo, Archival Black is a good choice.

9. Don’t want to stamp on your photos but want a similar effect? Stamp directly onto the pocket Memory Protector™ with StazOn™ ink, instead.

10. Add embellishments to the outside of the Memory Protectors™.

11. Use Flip Flaps™! If you have too many photos or things that you want to work into a page but not enough pockets (or enough to fill whole other page) add these stick on pockets that flip up (or in any direction that you attach them) to reveal whatever is underneath!

12. Similarly, if you have too many photos for a traditional scrapbook layout, and don’t want to create another layout with all of the remaining photos, use pocket pages to display these.

Pocket Scrapbooking #ctmh #closetomyheart #picturemylife #pocketscrapbooking #ctmhsummervibes #memorykeeping #storytelling #scrapbooking

13. If you have a piece of memorabilia to display that is too small for a pocket, mount it onto a piece of paper that will fit.

14. Create a window to the next page in your album by partially filling a pocket (use a smaller photo, half a pocket card, etc.).

15. Number your photos to give your page or layout a more narrative direction. Take this a step further by adding numbered journaling to a pocket card that corresponds with the numbered photos.

16. Create color visual triangles. This means to purposefully place the same color in three different places that, when connected, form a triangle.

17. Don’t have time, or care for, writing in full paragraphs? Use bullet journaling to keep track of the details of a memory!

18. If one of your pockets is holding a card that you want to remember to pull out when you revisit the page, add a tab along the edge of the card on the open side of the pocket.

19. Easily add some visual interest to your photos by trimming them down ¼” and mounting them on a piece of paper that fits the pockets exactly, creating a border around your photos.

20. Sometimes things don’t fit in pockets—like notes, journal pages, your grandma’s favorite clock—take photos of these things to include them in your stories.

21. We said 20, so this one is a bonus: plan ahead. If you know you will be going on a tropical vacation, or camping, or pumpkin picking—there are activities that you know for certain you will be participating in (playing on the beach, sitting around a camp fire, walking through a pumpkin patch, etc.). When you are scrapbooking with pockets, it’s easy to lay out some pages really quickly for these types of events without having the photos yet. Once you have them, add them. If you don’t like the way it’s laid out, rearrange! Easy-peasy!

If you just went through our list and still find yourself at a loss for how to begin, or otherwise feel that your finished pocket layouts didn’t turn out quite right, try revisiting one of our previous posts, 5 Approaches to Pocket Scrapbooking, where we share additional ideas to get you thinking about how to create a pocket page or layout, and to get you up to speed on this popular style of scrapbooking.

Whether you’re cutting things up, attaching them to a pocket card, or creating a pocket for a group of items—there is no wrong way to tell your story. In the comments below, share with all of us how you are using pocket scrapbooking in your memory keeping.

Recipes:12″ x 12″ Hooray for Today Pocket Scrapbooking Layout
D1938 My Acrylix^® Love Lives Here Stamp Set, D1926 My Acrylix^® Simple Florals Stamp Set, X9017 Mix-in Paper Packet, X6047 Black Cardstock, X6044 Peach Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6047 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2841 Glacier Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6502 Peach Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2851 Saffron Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2896 Smoothie Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7258D Summer Vibes Picture My Life™ Cards, Z4235 Gold Loose Sequins, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z1950 12″ x 12″ Memory Protectors™ Design 3, Z1951 12″ x 12″ Memory Protectors™ Design 4

6″ x 8″ On this Day Pocket Scrapbooking Layout
D1929 My Acrylix^® Paper Pal Beach Day Stamp Set, D1932 My Acrylix^® Joyful Sunflower Stamp Set, CC7203 Happiest Place Coordinating Cardstock, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, Z1375 Kraft Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2841 Glacier Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7258D Summer Vibes Picture My Life™ Cards, Z4304 Silver Loose Sequins, Z3191 6″ x 8″ Memory Protectors™ Design 2, Z3192 6″ x 8″ Memory Protectors™ Design 1

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August 25, 2020Create, Inspiration, Learn

Gnome Matter What Card & Sponging Technique

Close To My Heartgnome, Karen Pedersen, sky, sponge, sponging, technique Leave a comment

Today we are assembling this incredibly endearing Love You Gnome Matter What card! To help us get things just right, we asked our Creative Arts Manager and trusty friend, Karen Pedersen, to join us!

If you’d like to assemble your card along side Karen as you watch her in action, you will need to prepare a few things first.

Using the Gnome Matter Stamp + Thin Cuts, stamp the gnome with the pointed hat and the toadstools with flowers on white cardstock using Archival Black ink, then die-cut the shapes. For the hill, cut a half-circle out of Sage cardstock and stamp it with a few small flowers using Sage ink.

Karen talks about how to color your stamped images, and also shares some tips for using Stickles™ glitter glue. (If you’d like to duplicate our card exactly, we used Silver and Christmas Red Stickles™ glitter glue, and Dull Green, Earth Brown, Light Yellow, Pale Pink, and Fair Skin TriBlend™ markers.)

The first thing Karen will show us in the video below, is how to recreate the beautiful sky background of this card using a simple sponging technique. For this step, you will need a blank card base, Carolina and Bluebird stamp pads, a round sponge and scissors, sticky notes, and several cut-out cloud shapes. (We made our clouds using Cricut® shape #M412A0C, from our Artistry Cricut® collection.)

If you’re all set (and even if you’re not and just want to watch a video for some inspiration) here’s our friend Karen recreating the Love You Gnome Matter What card:

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August 12, 2020Community, Create, Learn, Memory Keeping

Kid Crafts with Maya!

Close To My HeartBorn to Shine, children, CTMH Kids Crafts, kids, Maya, Memory Keeping, mini album, Story Starter, storytelling 2 Comments

As any avid scrapper knows, crafting can be a great way to learn more about yourself and embrace all the things that make you special. Sharing this opportunity for self-discovery with the kids in your life is a great way to show them how much you care about them, while also introducing them to the joys of paper crafting and scrapbooking!

We’re excited to announce a new series of virtual events, specifically geared toward a younger audience. Introducing…CTMH Kids Crafts! These special virtual events will be hosted by Close To My Heart President Monica Wihongi’s nine-year-old daughter, Maya. Kids will love crafting along with Maya as she shows them how to create fun, personalized projects, just for them!

During our first CTMH Kids Crafts event, Maya will take kids through each step of creating the fun Born to Shine album! With an adorable 4″ x 4″ mini album from the Story by Stacy™ collection and some too-cute Picture My Life™ pocket cards from the Summer Vibes collection, the Born to Shine album is a perfect starting point for any kid to begin their crafting journey!

This first CTMH Kids Crafts event is taking place on August 21, starting at 4:30 p.m. (MDT). If you are planning to create along with Maya, you will need a Born to Shine album kit, which comes with one 4″ x 4″ mini album, one pack of Summer Vibes Picture My Life™ pocket cards, 4″ x 4″ sheets of white cardstock, the exclusive My Acrylix^® Born to Shine stamp set, and a 2″ x 3½” ¼” stamping block. Apart from this handy kit, all that you or your kids will need to complete the project are a paper trimmer, an ink pad, some adhesive, and a journaling pen!

This project can be a great way to introduce kids to stamping and crafting, but it’s also an excellent opportunity to introduce them to the art of memory keeping, as they’ll get to select their own photos and decide what stories they want to tell.

The Born to Shine album is simple and fun to create, with some minimal cutting. Since paper trimmers or scissors will be involved, we recommend that any child who participates be supervised by an adult. (Each page in the Born to Shine album is made from trimmed down pocket cards and 4″ x 4″ cardstock.)

Every one of the layouts in this album your kiddos will make with Maya include fun, positive sentiments from the stamp set specially designed to celebrate their best qualities. At Close To My Heart, we want every kid to realize that they are special, and we’re so excited to help them embrace the things that make them great!

Just a few days ago, Maya and Monica went live on Facebook and they eagerly shared more about this brand-new series of events and the Born to Shine album. Take a look!

The CTMH Kids Crafts: Born to Shine virtual event is free to attend (watch), and as Maya says, this project is great for “every kind of kid!” Even if your kids aren’t little anymore, you can still share this event with grandkids, cousins, nieces, nephews, friends, or any other kid in your life! To make things even more exciting, we’ll be doing some fun giveaways during the live event, with tons of opportunities to win! In order to be eligible to win any of these prizes, make sure to mark yourself as “GOING” on the Close To My Heart (Official) Facebook events page. We can’t wait for you and your kiddos to join us for our inaugural CTMH Kids Crafts event and the many more to come!

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August 4, 2020Create, Learn, Memory Keeping

Extend-a-Story Challenge from Stacy Julian

Close To My Heartchallege, Extended Story, Story by Stacy, Storyteller, storytelling 9 Comments

As you likely know, I’m in LOVE with the idea of stacking memory protectors to create the room you need to incorporate MORE photos and MORE story into (on top of really) a foundation 12″ x 12″ layout. This approach is something I call Extended Story and the Close To My Heart Storyteller products make it so EASY!

But, did you know you don’t have to start from scratch with all these layers every time?

Using an already completed layout from one of your albums, you can simply add to it! That is precisely what I’m challenging you to do today!

The Extend-a-Story Challenge

I created this layout many moons ago to document everyday fun with my little boys. I adore the simplicity of a grid design and the colorful stickers still make me happy, but there is no journaling and so much more to say!

As I flipped through my albums, I chose this page as my foundation. In the midst of this crazy pandemic, I am realizing how important it is to create FUN at home with the people you love most. I will now be able to add a fun sister to this mix of brothers and bring this story up to date!

And, I’m excited to write from my current perspective—I even have an EXTRA FUN element that I want to add to my story AND share with you. A page about FUN should be FUN to discover—right?

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Select a 12″ x 12″ page or layout from the past. Look for a topic or theme that you can build on with more experiences and detail from your current perspective.

2. Locate and print additional photos that add to your original story. I like to start by adding photos to the 3″ x 4″ and 4″ x 6″ pocket pages that come in the Memory Protectors™ Combo Pack. I also love to incorporate insert cards from the Storytelling Pack and the Story FYI stamp set.

3. Select pattern papers that coordinate with colors on your original layout—and remember, close is good enough! NOTE: I am particularly proud that I was able to use the new Happiest Place papers on this layout that is not about an amusement park, but FUN at home!

4. Think about an aspect of your topic that is different today (or one that is still the same) and design a new 8½” x 11″ or 6″ x 6″ page to highlight it. I like to ask myself questions like: When did we start doing this thing? or Who else is important to this topic? What are some specific examples or details that someone outside our family would not know? What has changed about how we do this thing today?

5. You now have plenty of room to journal, so if you didn’t have journaling—or not enough journaling—on your original page, you can add it now! Decide where and how to include these extra words.

6. Imagine how you want someone to experience this story—how do you want to introduce it? Pretend you’re building an open-face story sandwich—where the original 12″ x 12″ layout is the bread. Now, how will you stack the lunch meat, cheese, lettuce and tomato?

How My New Updated Extended Story Stacks Up!

First layer, 6″ x 6″ (front & back):

Extend a Story Challenge #ctmh #closetomyheart #storybystacy #stacyjulian #extendedstory #storytelling #memorykeeping #scrapbooking

Second layer, 8½” x 11″ (front & back):

Third layer, 3″ x 4″ pockets (front & back):

Fourth layer, 4″ x 6″ pockets (front & back):

Final layer or foundation, 12″ x 12″ (original) + 12″ x 12″ (bonus)

All these layers create a very cool and FUN extended story!

In my process video above you saw how I incorporated FUN emoji journaling in two places of my story. Feel free to borrow this emoji alphabet and the key to cracking it for your own using!

If you would like to add a secret emoji code to a page, or card, click here to download a printable PDF. If you download this PDF, you’ll be able to either screen shot the code breaker, or print the PDF and cut it out to tuck behind a photo to be discovered and used later!

IF you made it this far, you deserve a FUN 🎟🌈🍪🍓🎟 (that’s written in secret code of course!). May I suggest some FUN Storyteller products from Close To My Heart?! 😀

This is my daughter, Addie, cracking the secret emoji code.

As I was typing my journaling, I used the insert feature in my word processor and then scrolled down to Emojis & Symbols menu. From here you can select or search for the emoji you need and insert it into your document.

Be sure to print a copy of the emoji code breaker to tuck behind a photo or somewhere else in your pages. This creates a FUN and interactive way to send a special message and have more FUN!

I can’t wait to SEE what you do with this challenge. Be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook using the hashtag #storybystacy ❤️

Love,
Stacy

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July 28, 2020Create, Learn

FREE Card Pattern from the Happiest Place!

Close To My Heartcard, cardmaking, Celebrate, floral, flower, free, gnome, happiest place, koala, partridge, pattern, pear, Pear & Partridge, workshop, Workshops on the Go® 6 Comments

We’ve got a FREE card pattern for you today to get you thinking outside the theme park as you craft with our magical Happiest Place collection!

With so many unique elements and designs, the Happiest Place collection is simply bursting with creative potential. When you combine that with a versatile card pattern, it’s easier than ever to create the cards of your dreams!

The pattern we’re sharing today made its original debut years ago with the Pear & Partridge cardmaking Workshops on the Go^®. This classic pattern helps you take the Happiest Place collection to new heights and provides the perfect starting point for truly great cards.

Pattern and color combinations like the ones in this “You’re the Koalaest” card are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what can be done with the Happiest Place collection and the Pear & Partridge card pattern.

By combining the My Acrylix^® A Koala-ty Day stamp set with the fun abstract designs and eye-catching silver foil stars on the Happiest Place papers, you’re left with an absolutely adorable card! Part of this card’s charm is the simple Glacier on Glacier color scheme, relying on the variation in patterns to set them apart.

If you want to get a bit more adventurous with your color combinations, then cards like this “Gnome-body Loves You Like I Do” card are a great way to go!

This card was also made using the Pear & Partridge pattern but with a completely different effect than the Koala card. By using the same pattern and simply switching up the color combinations and stamped images, you can easily create a countless number of unique cards. For this example, we chose the delightful My Acrylix^® Gnome Matter stamp set paired with some brighter colors. Even though the Gnome Matter stamp set isn’t part of the Happiest Place collection, they fit together like two peas in a pod!

All it takes to create a card that’s all your own is a great pattern and a little imagination.

Using the exact same pattern from above, we created this sweet “Celebrating You” card. In order to get some added milage from your card patterns, consider turning them on their sides, changing the orientation from landscape to portrait.

With simple color combinations from the Happiest Place collection, the Pear & Partridge card pattern, and our Floral Celebration—August Stamp of the Month (available August 1–31), this adorable card has it all!

Proof that less is more, the timeless Pear & Partridge pattern is a great starting point for any card maker, regardless of experience. Click on the link below to download this free pattern and gear up for some serious crafting fun!

Download Free Card Pattern Here.