September 28, 2022Create, Inspiration, Learn

Scrapbooking + Stencils = Sensational!

Close To My Heart2022–2023 Core Products Catalog, acetate, acrylic shapes, aspen, blending, blending brushes, borders, cardstock, continents, distress oxide ink, Distress Oxide™, Explore, floral, forest, ink pads, layered, layered stencils, live, love, love you, Memory Keeping, mountains, nature, photo mats, scrapbooking, sparkles, sponge, stencil, stencil pack 1, stencil pack 2, stenciling, stencils, sunrise, sunshine, texture paste, travel, treeline, trees, Urban 4 Comments

Your artwork is one-of-a-kind, and that makes it priceless. Each of your creations represents a part of your own vision and an expression of your artistic self, and this is something to be celebrated! With this in mind, we’re here to show you how you can use one of our favorite stencil packs in your own artwork pieces, and how these seemingly static tools can be utilized for superb customization as you put your creative identity on the page! The stencils used in our showcased art today are from Stencil Pack 1, available in our 2022–2023 Core Products Catalog. Each of these stencils is used to great effect with an array of Distress Oxide^™ ink pads, which can be applied in a variety of ways to beautify your artwork!

For those of you who may not be familiar with our stencils, let’s take a moment to go over some of the basics of what makes them great! To accommodate a wide variety of crafting interests, we create stencils in a variety of sizes, ranging from sizes to fit a standard card all the way up to 12” x 12” scrapbooking stencils! We manufacture all our stencils out of clear acetate material to ensure maximum visibility and control as you use them to apply colors and patterns to your artwork. With no guesswork involved, our transparent stencils are precise and easy to use, too! Stencils can be used not only to apply patterns, colors, or words over a large area, but they can be used to create smaller borders as well, which is a standout feature of our showcase artwork today.

We love to see all the amazing ways stencils can be used, and we’re excited to share a few of the incredible things stencils can do! One very specific detail we’ll be focused on today is how to layer stencils to achieve unbelievable effects! Let’s jump in and check it out!

Our first piece is a single 12” x 12” scrapbook page with a woodsy, exploration theme. One very unique aspect of this page is that all the details added to the background, borders, accents, and photo mats were done using stencils and Distress Oxide^™and Exclusive Inks^™ ink pads. This page doesn’t use any stamps, stickers, and with the exception of one small tab at the top left corner of the page, there are no die-cuts, either! Each detail is unique and can easily be achieved with just a few applications of color through a couple of layered stencils.

To start off, we’ll take a look at the simpler elements of this “Explore” page. At either side, you’ll see a row of bold stacked arrows forming strong borders on either side. These borders help to frame the page and create a great foundation to build the page on. Moving in, we see that two photos form a major focal point of the page. One thing that really helps these photos stand out prominently from the background is the detailing on the photo mats behind the pictures.

These photos are mounted on Mink cardstock, and a wood grain pattern has been applied using one of the single layer stencils in Stencil Pack 1. This detail is subtle enough to not overwhelm the photos, but it still catches the eye and draws attention to the pictures. Just below the photos is a small section of stars applied using Salvaged Patina and Speckled Egg Distress Oxide^™ ink pads. We love how this small and simple inclusion has helped to further offset our photos and round out this page.

In addition to these more simple elements, our “Explore” page plays host to a variety of more involved stenciling techniques; the first one we’ll pick apart is the line of aspen trees behind our main title (more on the title in just a minute!).

To create this incredibly lifelike background element, we applied our base layer of color with a Pewter Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad and our selection of Blending Brushes. Once this layer has dried, we’ve taken our secondary layering stencil and applied additional detailing with Charcoal ink. With this element, the transparent quality of our stencils comes in clutch, as the ability to see where the base layer is in relation to our secondary detailing layer allows for more precise alignment and a more polished end result!

Just in front of our treeline, we’ve got a gorgeous color-tiered “Explore” title, which is another primary focal point of the page! To create this title, we used a total of four layering stencils and ink pads to create this awesome effect! To start off, we applied the treeline you see along the bottom of the title, then layered in the rest of the title, using first the full letter stencil, then the half letter one, and finally the quarter letter stencil. Each layer was applied using a slightly darker color of ink to achieve the ultimate tiered look! To avoid smudging your artwork in progress, make sure to wait until each individual color layer has fully dried before applying your next layer.

The final standout feature we want to zero in on from the “Explore” page is the sunrise accent positioned along the right edge of the page. This piece was created using a single stencil, but rather than layering stenciled images, we’ve layered our colors using the masking technique. For this particular example, we used our 1” Masking Tape to block of ½” sections of color to prevent ink colors from bleeding into each other. Using this technique allows for a striped effect and a standout accent to finish this scrapbook page off! By combining so many beautiful stenciled elements, our “Explore” page is a great example of how a simple tool can be used to stunning effect!

Our second piece to review today is another travel-themed two-page layout, though this one is for more urban adventures!

Like our previous page, the photo mats on these pages have been detailed with stencil work, this time with a city-grid map pattern.

These photo mats were initially cut from Shortbread cardstock, with the pink coloration added by sponging Abandoned Coral Distress Oxide^™ ink across the cardstock through the stencil. This stencil allows for a great deal of color to be applied through it, leaving thin lines of the original color to peek through. Once again, this unique appearance is a wonderful way to help draw attention to the photos without overpowering them.

As with our “Explore” page discussed above, this layout also incorporates a layered stencil border at the bottom edge of the pages, this time adding a city skyline to the page! To create this effect, we applied a light layer of Sapphire ink, and then used the two layers of the cityscape stencil with a combination of Pewter and Charcoal Exclusive Inks^™ stamp pads. With this combination, we are left with a well-defined, dimensional skyline border to tie the pages together.

In the spaces above and around the photos, we applied a handful of stenciled stars and bursts, along with a few dots of Silver Liquid Pearls^™ to break up the open space. (While the Liquid Pearls were not applied with the stencils, they still add a cool dimensional effect to the page!)

The final stand-out features of this layout are the suitcase accent, the ”Live, Love, Travel” title, and the 3-D continent feature, all of which were created using various stencils.

For our well-traveled suitcase, we applied a base layer of color with our grid stencil, then added our tags and corner-pin accents with other layered pieces of our stencil set. Once we finished applying our color and accents, we carefully trimmed the suitcase from the larger White Daisy cardstock piece to create an accent we could add wherever it suited us! The presence of this piece is a great way to reinforce the theme of the layout and provides a playful touch to these pages.

For our 3-D continent feature, we selected the corresponding stencil and placed it over our base page, attaching it temporarily with washi tape to keep it in place. Once we secured our stencil, we turned to an old friend, Opaque Matte Texture Paste.

To apply the paste to our base page, we picked up small amounts with a palette knife and applied it to the base page, through the continents section of our stencil, which leaves us with a section of raised continents. We left the stencil in place until the paste had dried, after which we revisited it to add color over the top with a Shortbread ink pad and a sponge. This technique allows you to easily build and vary the color throughout for an even more unique experience!

The “Live, Love, Travel” title was created with a combination of texture paste and cardstock, with the addition of black ink sponged over the texture paste, and Shortbread ink applied to the cardstock lettering. Just like the continent feature, we applied our texture paste lettering through our selected title stencil, allowed it to dry, and then applied color with a Black Soot Distress Oxide™ ink pad to help it stand out. For additional flair, we then used our stencil and a pencil to lightly trace “TRAVEL” onto a piece of White Daisy cardstock, cut out the letters, and sponged Shortbread ink over them for a light color. (You could also trim the letters out of Shortbread cardstock for a similar effect.)

Once we had finished preparations for our cardstock letters, we placed them over the texture paste letters, placing them just off-center to give them a drop shadow effect. With all of these effects combined, the “Live, Love, Travel” layout becomes an unforgettable addition to this art piece!
Hungry for even more artwork examples featuring stencils? Check out another stencil technique on page 87 of our Core Products Catalog, with this vibrant 2-page “Love You” layout:

The bulk of this layout was detailed using a floral stencil option from Stencil Pack 2. By sponging and blending color from multiple Distress Oxide™ ink pads, we achieved a delicate ombre effect across both pages. Thanks to this ornate background, we were able to keep the remainder of this layout fairly simple, with just a few other pieces of layered cardstock and a handful of acrylic shapes, die-cuts, and clear sparkles making up the rest of this layout’s design. With the stenciled section covering such a large area, the “Love You” layout is another beautiful and unique example of what stenciling can do.

Whether you layer them, apply them to large areas, or use them to create small accents, stencils are a truly sensational way to add out-of-this-world detail to your artwork. We’re always excited to see all the amazing things crafters do with our stencils! Which stencil detail from today’s post was your favorite? Leave a comment below and tell us all about it!

Recipes:

12″ x 12″ Explore Page
X5968 Lagoon Cardstock, X5946 Linen Cardstock, X5947 Mink Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2831 Charcoal Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z2832 Pewter Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z3834 Chipped Sapphire Distress Oxide^™ Ink Pad, Z3833 Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide^™ Ink Pad, Z4598 Salvaged Patina Distress Oxide^™ Ink Pad, Z8014 Speckled Egg Distress Oxide^™ Ink Pad, Z3726 Tags & Tabs Thin Cuts, Z4575 Black LePen^™, Z4673 Journaling Strip Stickers, Z6091 Stencil Pack 1, Z4572 Blending Brushes, Z534 Micro-tip Scissors, Z4606 1″ Masking Tape, Z3372 Adhesive Runner, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

12″ x 12″ Live, Love, Travel Layout
B1813 My Acrylix^® Shooting Stars Stamp Set, X6046 French Vanilla Cardstock, X6062 Harbour Cardstock, X6063 Papaya Cardstock, Z2831 Charcoal Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6531 Mocha Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6537 Periwinkle Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z2832 Pewter Exclusive Inks^™Stamp Pad, Z2848 Sapphire Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6530 Shortbread Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z3825 Abandoned Coral Distress Oxide^™ Ink Pad, Z3838 Black Soot Distress Oxide^™ Ink Pad, Z8018 Silver Pearl Liquid Pearls^™, Z4245 Opaque Matte Texture Paste, Z4575 Black LePen^™, Z4578 Metallic Gel Pens, Z6091 Stencil Pack 1, Z4520 Palette Knives, Z4572 Blending Brushes, Z534 Micro-tip Scissors, Z3372 Adhesive Runner, Z3440 Dual-tip Permanent Glue Pen

12″ x 12″ Love You Layout
X6036 Ballerina Cardstock, X6047 Black Cardstock, X6038 Candy Apple Cardstock, X6063 Papaya Cardstock, X6044 Peach Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z3825 Abandoned Coral Distress Oxide^™ Ink Pad, Z3826 Candied Apple Distress Oxide^™ Ink Pad, Z4599 Kitsch Flamingo Distress Oxide^™ Ink Pad, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z6035 White Acrylic Flowers, Z6042 Black Die-cut Hearts, Z4572 Blending Brushes, Z6092 Stencil Pack 2, Z341 Glue Dots^® Micro Dots

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September 21, 2022Create, Inspiration, Learn

Irresistible Pattern Papers and Stickers, and How to Use Them!

Close To My Heartalphabet stickers, blending brushes, butterflies, Butterfly Layers Thin Cuts, card, embossed cardstock, embossed patterns, gloss spray, Happy Day, Hi, ink pads, irresistible, Irresistibles Cardstock, Irresistibles Stickers, Karen, metallic markers, patterned paper, scrapbook page, shimmer brush, TriBlend™ markers, video 2 Comments

Irresistible Patterned Papers and Stickers, and How to Use Them! #irresistible #patternedpaper #cardstock #stickers #closetomyheart #ctmh #distressoxide #shimmerbrush #watercolor #marker #embossed patterns #glossspray #scrapbook #cards

One of our favorite new additions to our crafting arsenal are the Irresistibles cardstock and alphabet stickers! These are white heavyweight papers and stickers with clear embossed patterns that dramatically reveal when you color over them!

(We’re showing you grey digital renditions of these products because the patterns are hard to see in a photo, since they are clear on white! 🙂)

The white patterns shown in these images are embossed on 12″ x 12″ cardstock and sticker sheets, making them slightly raised and slick. When you apply color on them, the embossed designs resist the color and the paper parts that are not embossed absorb the color, as it normally would.As you can imagine, the possibilities for coloring these Irresistibles and make their patterns pop are endless! With the help of our Creative Arts Manager, Karen Pedersen, let’s explore a few practical and fun ways to make these resist pattern cardstocks and stickers work for our cardmaking and scrapbooking projects! (Note that the embossed designs are also reflective, which means they catch light as you move them. This effect is difficult to catch in a photo, so watch for it as Karen shares her tips!)

Here’s a closer look at the card and scrapbook page Karen shows us in the video, labeled with how the Irresistibles were colored:

In this example, the ink from a shimmer brush or stamp pad is brushed on, over the whole paper. You don’t have to pick out the non-embossed areas. Because the pattern resists media, the water-based inks don’t get absorbed in the embossed areas. Instead, the ink will bead, sitting on top of them. When you’re done applying the ink, wipe off the excess that didn’t absorb, to reveal the clean white pattern on the freshly colored paper. Your stamp shammy, or even a tissue, should do the trick!

Some color media work differently than the water-based inks. TriBlend™ markers, for example, are alcohol-based ink markers. Because alcohol ink is made to stick to glossy surfaces, the ink will not wipe off clean, like our shimmer brushes, Exclusive Inks™, or Distress Oxide™ inks do. The resist pattern does absorb the alcohol ink more than the water-based inks, but there is still contrast with the paper around it.

Also, the cardstock and stickers that these patterns are embossed on are very absorbent. If you want to use alcohol markers, be aware that a lot of ink goes into coloring just a small square. And, because it is so absorbent, as soon as you place the marker’s nib on the paper, the ink will start going in, making it very difficult to avoid streaks like you see here.

Another medium that creates a different effect than what you see with water-based colors, are oil-based paints. Our metallic paint markers are oil-based, and they produce a very unique effect on these Irresistible products!

(Like we said above, light reflections are difficult to capture in a photo because it requires movement. Karen briefly shows a swatch like this in the video, so make sure to revisit it there for the full effect.)

We colored this checkered square sample with the chisel tip Quicksilver Metallic Paint marker. What’s interesting to note here is that the darker squares are the embossed areas of the resist pattern. Also, because those parts of the pattern are slick and reflective, they create a more metallic look than the parts that are not. If you’re using oil-based inks, remember that you need to allow them time to dry. If you want those dark, metallic looking designs you need to give the paint time to set. (If you look carefully, you may be able to spot a couple of fingerprints in this sample, where we learned that we needed to wait!)

In her demonstration, Karen showed us how to apply inks with a blending brush. With this tool, the ink goes on so smoothly and evenly! If you’re looking for a slightly less even look, consider using a dauber or a round sponge. (We like cutting out a wedge from the round sponge and then using the rounded edge to apply the ink.) Below we have samples of Irresistibles cardstock sponged with Exclusive Inks™ and gloss spray inks.

As Karen demonstrates in the video, we recommend applying the gloss spray first to a piece of sponge and then use the sponge to apply the color to your Irresistibles cardstock or stickers.

Be sure to watch the video to the end to see some other neat techniques using watercolor paints and watercolor pencils together with these fun Irresistibles items.

The Irresistibles cardstock are a really fun and creative way to make your own patterned papers, and, just like any patterned paper, you can cut them to any shape you like! Take a look at these beautiful butterflies die cut out of Irresistibles cardstock with our Butterfly Layers Thin Cuts and colored with our shimmer brushes!

There truly are so many different ways to color and use these new Irresistibles cardstock and alphabet stickers! How are you using them in your artwork? Share with all of us, in the comments below!

Recipes:

4¼” x 5½” Hi Card (Vertical)
X6063 Papaya Cardstock, X6044 Peach Cardstock, X6059 Shortbread Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z4675 Irresistibles Cardstock, X7283D Backyard Bliss Picture My Life™ Cards, X7282D Beach Party Picture My Life Cards, Z6525 Desert Rose Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3661 Peach Shimmer Brush, Z4293 Shortbread Shimmer Brush, Z4674 Irresistibles Alphabet Stickers, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z697 Round Sponge

12″ x 12″ Happy Day Page
X6067 Periwinkle Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z4675 Irresistibles Cardstock, Z2841 Glacier Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6536 Honey Butter Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6537 Periwinkle Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6514 Wisteria Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3825 Abandoned Coral Distress Oxide™ Ink Pad, Z3814 Flamingo Shimmer Brush, Z3820 Lime Gloss Spray, Z4674 Irresistibles Alphabet Stickers, Z4629 Blue Dots, Z4632 Orange & Yellow Dots, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z697 Round Sponge

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September 14, 2022Celebrate, Community, Create

Create To Your Heart’s Content with Card Creativity!

Close To My Heartanimals, background thin cuts, balloons, bugs, Card Creativity, cardmaking, cards, cardstock, Circle Lattice Background, clear sparkles, Cloud Background, D.O.T.S., distress oxide, Dragonfly Wishes, Floating By, guide, Hello Fabulous, Jeanette, National Stamping Month, party, sentiments, sponge, sponging, Stamp + Thin Cuts, stamping, stencils, stitched, Stitched Swirl Background, techniques, Thin Cuts, TriBlend™ markers 1 Comment

It’s time to celebrate, because National Stamping Month is officially underway! Around here, September is all about stamping! The art of stamping is one that is extremely close to our hearts. (Yes, pun INTENDED!) When Founder & CEO Jeanette Lynton first started this business under the name D.O.T.S. (Dozens of Terrific Stamps), the entire business was based on this wonderful art form. A lot has changed over the years; we’ve expanded our stamp offering, pioneered the use of transparent stamps and clear, interchangeable stamping blocks, and diversified our interests to include materials for memory keeping, cardmaking, and papercrafting projects. While we have become known as one of the premier providers of top-quality papers, cardstock, and embellishments, stamps will always be at the center of what we do. To this day, we continue to innovate and push the boundaries of stamping, whether it be in memory keeping, cardmaking, or papercrafting projects, while also building a strong presence within the worldwide crafting community.

With this in mind, it’s no wonder that National Stamping Month is one our favorite months and reasons to celebrate over the course of each year. To help us get into the stamping festivities, we have designed a brand-new selection of stamps and stamping-related projects, allowing everyone from our long-time crafting buddies to our newest friends the option to celebrate this amazing artistic medium and create along with us! You are going to love what we have to show you today, as we take you on a journey through this year’s National Stamping Month exclusive offer, Card Creativity. Let’s dive straight in!

Card Creativity is all about expressing your artistic vision through the cardmaking medium, which allows you to more readily share your creations with friends and family! With this central purpose at the heart of Card Creativity, we’ve created three stamp sets with coordinating Thin Cuts metal dies and stencils, and one set made up entirely of sentiments for the interior of your cards.

Each stamp set has its own unique feel and can be incorporated into countless designs for maximum creative output, and with so many interior sentiments to choose from, your cards are always sure to be a delight, not only for the recipients, but for you as you make them, as well!

Today, we’ll be focusing on the ins and outs of six particular designs, pictured below; all of these cards can be created by following the instructions in the Card Creativity Cardmaking Workshop Kit. (To download these instructions, click here! For our friends in Australia and New Zealand, click here!)

A hallmark of the Card Creativity cardmaking experience is the inclusion of coordinating background stencils, a method which can be seen in all six of the cards we’ll look at today. As crafters familiar with Close To My Heart will know, many of our stamp sets come with coordinating Thin Cuts metal dies, designed to cut die-cuts from plain paper that can then accommodate a stamped image from its coordinating set. Incorporating Thin Cuts into your stamp-based crafts can be a great way to bring additional dimension into your project. For Card Creativity, we’ve created three coordinating stamps and Thin Cuts, but we’ve also designed special stencils to layer in with the stamps and Thin Cuts. As you will see later on, these stencils can be used to create background patterns or to add color to accent elements more at the forefront.

Another standout feature of this cardmaking extravaganza is the inclusion of the Cloud, Stitched Swirl, and Circle Lattice Background Thin Cuts metal dies. These metal dies are each designed to fit a standard 4¼” x 5½” card, and they are a great way to create engaging backgrounds, card bases, or decorative overlays. These die-cuts are designed specifically to coordinate with our Card Creativity stamps, Thin Cuts, and stencils—to achieve some pretty impressive effects!—but they can be used as standalone Thin Cuts in a variety of other projects. The only limit is your imagination! Each one of these metal dies has been used to create the cards we’ll be looking at today, and we can’t wait to show them off!

The first two cards we’ll examine today are an adorable and light-hearted pair of birthday and greeting cards. Both cards were made using the Floating By Stamp + Thin Cuts + Stencil set (CC9225) and are a delightful blend of whimsy and good old-fashioned animal cuteness. (After all, what’s cuter than animals and colorful balloons? 🥰)

In our sweet little mouse birthday card, you can see the Cloud Background Thin Cuts (CC9228) used to great effect; not only has the main component of the metal die been used to create a simple, yet beautiful base, but the interior shapes from the initial cut have been incorporated as well. This inclusion gives the card an additional level of dimension befitting an expansive, cloudy sky for our mouse to float in. The mouse and its balloons top everything off, along with a hand-trimmed pennant for our sentiment, and a few Clear Sparkles!

For our “Floating By to Say Hi” greeting card, we begin to see how the stencils and Thin Cuts can work together for seamless coordination and application. Rather than using the Cloud Background Thin Cuts die as a base, we used the cloud stencil, Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide™ ink, and a sponge to apply light blue clouds to a plain white cardstock base. Over that, we layered a few of the interior cloud cut-outs, some strategically ripped cardstock, and of course, our animal friend and balloon! (For a fun twist, we stamped our sentiment on the balloon die-cut itself!) We’ve also added a few Clear Sparkles for a fun bit of shine, and with that, our “Floating By to Say Hi” greeting card is complete!

Our next set of cards was created with our Hello Fabulous Stamp + Thin Cuts + Stencil grouping, and we are loving the way the stencils came into play with our first card!

The “Hello Fabulous” motivational card showcases the use of not one pass with the stencil, but two! To create our multi-colored base, we sponged one color of ink with the stencil on one side, then flipped the stencil around and sponged a different color of ink onto the card base, perpendicular to the first round of color! This technique allows you to enjoy the dual-color effect while also enjoying the convenience of only needing one tool! (Just make sure to wipe the stencil off before going in for your second round of color to avoid smudging your card!)

After applying our stenciled colors to the card base, we cut an overlay piece using the Circle Lattice Background Thin Cuts metal die, and then sponged it with coordinating colors to match the stencil work we did on the card base. Once our colors were applied, we finished this card off with our stamped, die-cut sentiment, a few pieces of black and white cardstock to accent it, and a handful of our trusty clear sparkles for some subtle shine. When it all comes together, this vibrant card is a beautiful way to not only express and exercise your creativity, but is a great way to show someone special that you care!

Our other Hello Fabulous card doesn’t incorporate our background stencil, but does sport some pretty snazzy colors with blended Distress Oxide™ ink on the Circle Lattice Background die-cut piece. We love adding all sorts of bright coloring with Distress Oxide, and it’s always a treat to see what can be done with it!

For this card in particular, we used a Mini Ink Blending Tool to blend our selected ink colors into an awesome ombre effect. (For more inspiration on how to incorporate Distress Oxide inks into your own creations, check out our “Distress Oxide™ Ink Techniques and Ideas” blog post!)

The last two cards we’ll be looking at today were created with our Dragonfly Wishes Stamp + Thin Cuts + Stencil set, and we love the way these gorgeous cards came together!

With our “Thank You” card, we’ve gone for a more minimalistic approach when it comes to the base design, selecting a clean White Daisy base. To give it some extra pop, we’ve taken the Stitched Swirl Background Thin Cuts and used it to cut the distinctive stitched swirl patterns into our base. Once the base is in place, we added a 3¼” x 4″ piece of black cardstock, topped with an additional 3″ x 3¾” White Daisy piece, which has also been treated with the Stitched Swirl Background Thin Cuts die. This die is a great tool for adding subtle pattern and texture that contributes visual interest to your background without becoming too distracting. Once the base has been created, we get to the more involved, colorful parts of this creation process!

To add hues to our stamped die-cut flower patch, we went in with Blue Turquoise and Alpine Green TriBlend™ Markers and used the trio of shades in each to add some delicate color. However, it’s in our dragonfly’s wings where we really get into some coloring fun! For this elegant insect, we used our coordinating Dragonfly Wishes stencil to add color to the wings sections. This delicate blend of colors not only makes the dragonfly stand out but brings a more realistic touch to the overall aesthetic of the card. With the addition of our sentiment and a neat row of sparkles, this gorgeous dragonfly “Thank You” card is complete!

Our last piece we have to show you today is a fun dragonfly birthday card, complete with another stitched swirl background and a fun twist on the blended Distress Oxide™ ink blending techniques we’ve showcased in a few of our previous cards. Our “Wishing You a Wonderful Birthday” card starts off by running our base piece through our Die-cutting & Embossing Machine with the Stitched Swirl Background Thin Cuts. Next, we applied a pink and blue ink blend, adding a few water splatters for a watercolor effect.

Once the ink colors have been applied to our card base, we layered a small stamped image of cattails, matted with black cardstock, over the colored section and also popped our sentiment onto the card base, trimmed to a pennant shape for some additional flair. We’ve topped everything off with a pair of beautiful, iridescent dragonflies with delicately colored wings. Once again, we’ve used Distress Oxide™ ink pads and the Dragonfly Wishes stencil to achieve this appearance, and added a few Clear Sparkles to finish the look. (It’s amazing to see what a difference even a small embellishment can make!)

With so much crafting potential packed in, Card Creativity is the ultimate cardmaking experience and a great way to express your own love for stamping! We’ve loved showing you these incredible cards to give you an idea of the artwork that can be made with this amazing collection of products, and we’re looking forward to seeing all the awesome things you create with it, both for Card Creativity and beyond!

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September 7, 2022Create, Inspiration

If Your Favorite Color is “Fall”…

Close To My Heartautumn, beautiful day, cardmaking, Crisp Air, distressed cardstock, Exclusive Inks™, fall, featured colors, July–September catalog, leaves, Memory Keeping, nature, patterned paper, scrapbooking, seasonal, second-generation stamping, sponged ink, stamping, what a beautiful day, zip strip 5 Comments

It’s finally September and the highly anticipated transition of summer to autumn is under way! The splendor of nature’s colorful schemes, paired with the promise of cooler weather, inspires us to celebrate this new season and gets us in the craftiest mood!

(For those of our friends who live in a part of the world about to enter spring rather than autumn, the following information is for you, too! Let’s have an honest moment… most of us who scrapbook are not up to date in scrapbooking our memories. Whether you’re looking to future or past moments, there is a lot to be found here in the way of inspiration and technique, regardless of your geographic location! 😉)

From colors to shapes and textures, the gorgeous themes in our Crisp Air paper collection are in every way inspired by this time of year. Let us show you how we paired the Crisp Air patterned papers and the Crisp Air—Scrapbooking stamp and Thin Cuts with just the right Exclusive Inks™ and cardstock colors to create some of the artwork in our current catalog.

One thing we really enjoy being able to say is that something is a lot easier to make than it looks. That is absolutely true about this 12″ x 12″ Fall scrapbook page! For starters, the intricate patchwork base seen here is a 12″ x 12″ paper designed with this quilt-like pattern. No cutting was required! This quilt inspired paper was turned into a frame by simply layering and centering an 8½” square cut from the Paprika plaid patterned paper found in the same paper packet. The center White Daisy cardstock square is 8″. White is not only a neutral color but, in this case, it is also one of the collection’s featured colors.

Finding a list of our collections’ featured colors is quite simple. In our catalogs, it is listed at the bottom of a collection’s opening page.

The Crisp Air collection’s featured colors are:

If you don’t have access to the catalog but have a paper packet handy, you can find the featured colors listed on the back side of the zip strip (the extra ½” accent paper along the top of each patterned paper).

Looks like this:

Check these featured colors lists if you’re ever unsure of what color inks, cardstocks, or embellishments to use when you’re creating with any of our papers. Our products are designed to match, so all of the current exclusive Close To My Heart colors are available in inks, cardstock, and a variety of embellishments for seamless coordination.The ink colors that were used for the stamped elements on the Fall page we’ve been talking about are the featured colors Papaya, Peach, Pine, Sapphire, and Sundance.

These photo mats were created by stamping one of the larger flowers on White Daisy cardstock with Sundance ink. (It’s so easy to create your very own coordinating patterned papers when you know exactly what colors to use!)

With the exception of three stickers, all of the flowers and leaves on this page were stamped and die cut using the Crisp Air—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts. We even added some extra detail to the leaf stems by outlining their shape and drawing the leaves’ veins by hand using a black journaling pen.

The title banner was also stamped and die-cut! For our friends who prefer the word “autumn” over “fall,” we keep you in mind as we design our product. The Crisp Air—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts is available in two versions, one with the option to stamp “AUTUMN” as the banner instead. 😃

In this next layout, you can see how the trendy distressed texture that is often found in autumnal designs inspired our art.

Here, we’ve ripped some of our papers, exposing their white cores and edge distressed the photo mats.

We approached the “distressed” look of our photo mats in two ways. The bottom pattern paper layers are all distressed with a pair of scissors. This is when you run the blade of our scissors (very carefully!) along the edge of the paper to alter the original texture of the paper’s edge, creating a more rugged quality. The light Peach cardstock layer was sponged along the edges with Peach ink. The technique here is to cut a wedge from a round sponge, gently rub the rounded edge on the ink pad, and then rub it along the edges of the cardstock until the desired effect is achieved.

As we know, one of the most beautiful things to witness during the fall season is the changing of colors in the foliage. This is something that happens gradually, and often results in leaves and flowers of multiple colors. Fall is the perfect season to implement the second-generation and rock-and-roll stamping techniques!

The second-generation stamping technique is when you stamp an image twice, the second image being what you will use on your project. (The first image you can stamp on a piece of scratch paper, or use it elsewhere on a project.) For the rock-and-roll stamping technique you would ink your stamp in one color, then roll the edges in another color. In this layout, we combined the two techniques to create the stamped flowers you see here!

We inked our flower stamps in Paprika, then stamped them on a scratch piece of paper, and then rolled the edges of the mounted flower stamps back in the Paprika ink pad! All three flowers shown here are stamped with Paprika, but the difference in the color cardstock (Peach and Sundance, both featured colors) gives them an additional pop of color that resembles something that can be spotted in nature during this colorful time!

If you look closely, you can also see that we even cut some leaves straight out of patterned paper without stamping the coordinating stamp images on them. When you are inspired by nature, it’s fun to use that inspiration to create things that you wish existed, too!

We are going to wrap things up with a beautiful card that we created from the Crisp Air patterned papers and the scrapbooking stamp set.

Here not only can you see how we’ve paired colors together, but also that we can take what is given to us and think outside of the box! A stamp set or die that is labeled “cardmaking” or “scrapbooking” may have been designed with a specific purpose in mind, but don’t let that stop you from using them in a different and creative way!

The gorgeous color combinations nature gifts us on a regular basis are simply breathtaking! We encourage everyone to take this beautiful world in, to always keep your eyes and minds open, allowing all of its moments and themes—people, colors, shapes, textures, and everything in between—to inspire new art and ideas. We can only capture the world around us in an effective way when we are really experiencing it. 🍂

Recipes:

12″ x 12″ Fall Page
Z8028 Crisp Air—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7284S Crisp Air Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6534 Papaya Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6502 Peach Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6540 Pine Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2848 Sapphire Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4575 Black LePen™, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems, Z4054 Gold Embellishing Thread, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

12″ x 12″ What a Beautiful Day Layout
Z8028 Crisp Air—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7284S Crisp Air Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6043 Nectarine Cardstock, X6044 Peach Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6522 Cinnamon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6531 Mocha Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6515 Paprika Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6502 Peach Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6540 Pine Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2828 Toffee Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3792 Bisque Liquid Pearls™, X7284E Crisp Air Dots, Z3943 Circles Thin Cuts, Z697 Round Sponge, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” What a Beautiful Day Card (Vertical)
Z8028 Crisp Air—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7284B Crisp Air Paper Packet, X6033 Paprika Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6540 Pine Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems, Z4054 Gold Embellishing Thread, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

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August 31, 2022Celebrate, Create, Memory Keeping

Get Into the Halloween Spirit with Fa-BOO-lous Crafting!

Close To My Heartbat, candy, cat, coordinating cardstock, die-cuts, Fa-BOO-lous, Fa-BOO-lous Workshop Kit, ghost, Halloween, halloween 2022, Melon Dots, Memory Keeping, Papercrafting, patterned paper, scrapbooking, skeleton, spider, spiderweb, spirit, spooky, Thin Cuts, treat holders, trick-or-treat, workshop kit Leave a comment

From the sweet to the spooky, Halloween is hands down one of our favorite times of year! And what’s not to love!? Free candy, imaginative costumes, and some good old-fashioned scares to get our hearts racing are a winning combination and create some prime subjects for memory keeping and papercrafting magic!

When wonderful memories and adorable photos come together, you need a selection of top-notch materials to create your scrapbook pages, and this year we’ve got a real treat in store with the Fa-BOO-lous paper suite! To show it off, we’ll be having some fun with a handful of scrapbook pages and an adorable selection of treat holders even sweeter than the candy inside!To start off, though, let’s take a closer look at the Fa-BOO-lous collection itself. This whimsically spooky suite lives up to its name with a variety of fun patterns, Halloween characters, and icons to bring more than a little spirit to your artwork. Right at the heart of this collection is the Fa-BOO-lous Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet.

The distinguishing patterns, characters, and icons that set Fa-BOO-lous apart are all reflected in the papers, while the sticker sheet brings some additional options and titles to the crafting table. The individual icons and images present in the patterned papers can even be snipped from the pages to create standalone accents if you like. When taken all together, the Fa-BOO-lous Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet creates a one-of-a-kind foundation for your Halloween scrapbook pages and crafts!
To help maximize your crafting ability when using Fa-BOO-lous, this collection also has a coordinating cardstock pack, with six colors to help you create beautiful designs and smooth transitions between patterned papers and solid colors. For the Fa-BOO-lous Coordinating Cardstock pack, we’ve included our Color of the Year, Melon, accompanied by Black, Linen, Paprika, Peach, and Seabrook cardstock sheets; these same colors can also be seen in the Fa-BOO-lous Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, so coordination between the cardstock and Fa-BOO-lous patterned papers is flawless every time! It is this whimsical color scheme that helps the Fa-BOO-lous collection capture just the right amount of playfulness for the Halloween holiday.

Cardstock is a staple in any sort of memory keeping or papercrafting project, and it not only makes an appearance in the scrapbook pages we’ll show you today, but is also used in the selection of treat holders we’ll be looking at later in the post. Whenever you craft with Fa-BOO-lous, it’s always a good idea to make sure you’ve got the Fa-BOO-lous Coordinating Cardstock pack close at hand! Along with the exclusive papers and stickers, Fa-BOO-lous also includes its own selection of Melon Dots! These dots are a great way to add a touch of pizazz to your pieces.

They have a slight shine on their finish to attract the eye, and each dot comes with adhesive already applied to the back, making it a simple matter to apply them to your artwork for an eye-catching accent every time! Whether you’re placing a single dot, or creating a cluster using varying sizes, the Fa-BOO-lous Melon Dots are an incredible addition to this collection!
Rounding out the Fa-BOO-lous collection is the exclusive Stamp + Thin Cuts set! These stamps and Thin Cuts metal dies are designed specifically to coordinate with the patterns and themes included in the sticker sheet and patterned papers. With an adorable cadre of ghosts, cats, skeletons, spiders, and bats, the Fa-BOO-lous Stamp + Thin Cuts set is a must-have for your 2022 Halloween crafting projects! This too-cute troop is joined by a jack-o-lantern with options for three different faces, a spider web corner accent, and a couple of title and accent options. As with all our Stamp + Thin Cuts sets, the Fa-BOO-lous stamps are accompanied by coordinating metal dies to effortlessly cut out your stamped images!

These stamps can also be used to create cute background accents, which you will see in a few places on the Fa-BOO-lous scrapbook pages. You’ll also notice that the Fa-BOO-lous Thin Cuts have been used to create central accent pieces for the treat holders. Regardless of where they are used, the stamps and metal dies of the Fa-BOO-lous Stamp + Thin Cuts sets are an invaluable asset as you craft with Fa-BOO-lous!

Now that we’ve given you a better introduction to the Fa-BOO-lous collection, it’s time to get a better view of what can be done with this incredible suite! Along with the awesome array of new Fa-BOO-lous products, the Fa-BOO-lous special includes an exclusive workshop with instructions for scrapbook pages and Halloween treat holders! These projects are a great way to get into the Halloween spirit and have some great crafting fun while you’re at it! (As an added perk, this workshop kit is available at a discount during the Fa-BOO-lous special, allowing crafters to save 20% on this bundle of exclusive Fa-BOO-lous products!)

The Fa-BOO-lous Workshop Kit includes instructions and materials to help you create a single 12” x 12” scrapbook page, two 2-page scrapbook layouts, and a dozen treat holders. Each scrapbook page includes multiple options for photos and journaling. Having a good balance between photos and journaling is a key aspect to consider when creating or designing your own scrapbook pages, and the pre-designed pages featured in the Fa-BOO-lous Workshop Kit do this well.

For example, let’s look at this single “Halloween Cutie” scrapbook page. It includes spots for seven photos and a central journaling section, putting your stories right at the center of this crafting project and allowing you to surround it with your favorite pictures to complement the experiences and memories you record.

By placing the journaling piece in the center and clustering photos around it, it not only draws the viewer’s eyes to the written story but allows for photos close at hand to fill in the context of your story. This page is an excellent example of an effective storytelling device, and with so much memory keeping potential in just one page, it’s easy to see that big things are in store with Fa-BOO-lous!

Like the single page, our other scrapbook layouts also have excellent options for showcasing your treasured photos and favorite fun moments. Another great example of this potential in action is this 2-page “Spooky” layout, with spaces for eight photos and another ample journaling section! Along with the fun photos displayed on this layout, the pages were designed to incorporate many of the stickers, Thin Cuts die-cuts, and stamps, layered onto the already vibrant patterned papers used for this pair of pages. Many of these accent pieces were attached with Thin 3-D Foam Tape for added dimension. This step is an easy one and can be incorporated into almost any project!

In this scrapbook layout, we see a more linear design at play, with the photos arranged more in rows than in the clusters we saw in the previous page. This approach allows for plenty of photos to still be used, but also presents a more straightforward design and places a greater emphasis on your pictures, as the journaling section sits at the bottom left corner. With the journaling in this area, the story flows naturally from left to right in both words and pictures. A design like this allows you to maximize your storytelling capacity while still incorporating a variety of fun stickers, die-cuts, stamps, and patterned papers for eye-catching embellishments and background accents.

The last scrapbook layout we’ll be looking at today focuses more on the photo inclusion, but still gives place for journaling. With four 3” x 4” photo spaces, and two 4” x 6” ones, this “Boo-tiful” layout is a great way to make your pictures the focus of the pages, and after all, a picture is worth 1,000 words! Another aspect of note when considering this layout is the relative simplicity of the base page design. The foundation of this layout begins with two Black cardstock pages, and additional patterns and colors are layered on with seven vertical strips of patterned paper. To cap things off at the top and bottom edges, zip strips from the edges of the Fa-BOO-lous Paper Packet have been added as tidy borders.

Once the patterned paper and zip strips have been adhered to the base pages, you’ve got a wonderful canvas ready to complete with additional stickers, Fa-BOO-lous Melon Dots, photo mats, and, of course, your selection of photos! With all these elements combined, your “Boo-tiful” layout, along with the “Spooky” layout and “Halloween Cutie” single page, are sure to be pieces you will look back on fondly for years to come!
We’ve loved showing off these Fa-BOO-lous scrapbook pages, but we’re not done yet! As we mentioned at the beginning of this post, the Fa-BOO-lous Workshop Kit also includes instructions and materials to create a selection of adorable treat holders for even more crafting fun! These treat holders are created with a few simple folds and a touch of adhesive to form a pocket, and are embellished with a handful of stickers and stamped die-cuts from the Fa-BOO-lous Stamp + Thin Cuts set.

A few of these treat holder designs even include simple inserts, allowing die-cut Halloween characters to peek out over the edge of the pocket. Each treat holder measures 2” x 3” when complete, allowing enough space for a fun size candy bar, or a handful of smaller goodies.

The pre-designed Fa-BOO-lous Workshop Kit contents supply you with the materials to create twelve treat holders—3 each of 4 designs. Thanks to their simple design and the step-by-step instructions in the workshop guide, it’s quick and easy to create these treat holders en masse for Halloween parties, small and festive gifts for friends, or to add a unique touch to your trick-or-treat offering!

We are in love with the Fa-BOO-lous collection and all the crafting potential it offers! This incredible suite and its accompanying workshop kit are available through October 31, so you can craft with it right up to the Halloween holiday itself! The instruction guide for the Fa-BOO-lous Workshop Kit is available for download on our website; click here to access it!

No matter how you choose to utilize the Fa-BOO-lous paper suite and workshop kit, this whimsical collection is the perfect way both to celebrate Halloween 2022 and commemorate those celebrations with stunning scrapbook pages and papercrafts. It’s an all-around winner of a collection, and we’re excited to see how the members of our amazing crafting community put it to use this autumn! What’s your favorite part of this collection, and how do you plan to use it in your own Halloween crafts? Leave a comment below and let us know! We can’t wait to hear from you!

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August 24, 2022Create, Learn

A New Approach to Shaker Cards, Step-by-Step

Close To My Heartbirthday, birthday cards, core products catalog, It's Your Birthday, Let's Celebrate, Love Grows Here, Love Laughter & Memories, new shaker windows, Oh Happy Day, Queen of My Heart, Round Ballon Thin Cuts, shaker window cards, shaker windows, Small Circle Shaker Window Thin Cuts, tutti frutti scrapbook page, You Brighten My Day 1 Comment

We are so excited to share this shaker birthday card with you! Not only does it use the new Round Balloon Thin Cuts, but, if you look closely, you can see that we shook things up with how we created the window!

Unlike the shaker cards we’ve shown you on this blog, so far, all of the shaker cards pictured in our new Core Products Catalog have the window mechanism built from behind a large framing project piece, rather than on top of it!

Let us show you what we mean!

If you recall, in May we shared how to recreate the shaker window on the Tutti Frutti: Here’s the Scoop scrapbook page. On that page, and up until then, we built a shaker window on top of a base and then attached it to the project.

On this birthday card, we are still building the shaker element separately and then attaching it to the art. However, the top “frame” that attaches to the acetate window is a larger piece of the final project, which helps to seamlessly integrate the shaker element into the artwork.

Another thing that we did differently with this card was to create the window’s shape using a die that is not specifically designed as a “shaker window” Thin Cuts. The round balloon, as you can see in this very same card, is part of a standalone Thin Cuts set that can be used to create paper balloon shaped accents and does not have to be used for creating windows. (How fun that it can be, though!!)

Let’s take a closer look at this card and assemble the front shaker part of it, together!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Round Balloon Thin Cuts
Small Circle Shaker Window Thin Cuts (optional)
Small Circle Shaker Window Foam + Acetate
Clear Loose Gems
Pink Mini Hearts
2½” x 2½” Light Ballerina Cardstock (optional)
3″ x 4″ Light Seabrook Cardstock
Adhesive Runner

Assembling a shaker window from behind:

1. From the Seabrook cardstock, die cut the balloon and keep the resulting negative space portion to use on your card. (Keep the balloon, too, for another project!😉)

Tip: When you are cutting the balloon, remember which side of the cardstock you want facing up, toward the front. One side of the cardstock is the true Seabrook color, and the other side is a lighter tone of the color. On our card, we wanted to use the lighter side as the front and kept that in mind as we positioned our die.

2. From the Ballerina cardstock, die cut a 2″ circle. (The circle in our Small Circle Shaker Window Thin Cuts is 2″.)

Tip: We also wanted to use the lighter side of the Ballerina cardstock. Because a circle is a symmetrical shape no matter how you turn it, it didn’t really matter which way we cut it.

3. Flip the prepared Seabrook cardstock over and attach the circle acetate. Only use adhesive along the edges of the cut-out balloon shape on the cardstock.

4. Carefully pull the circle foam tape off the backing sheet it comes on and attach it to the perimeter of the acetate.

5. Add gems and hearts, or your choice of filling, to the center of the frame. Do not add too much, so there is enough room for movement once the shaker is complete.

6. Expose the adhesive on the top of the circle foam tape and attach the cardstock circle.

7. Attach the shaker window to your project!

As you can see on this project, the back of our window is light Ballerina and the cardstock that it was attached to is light Flamingo. We did this intentionally to make the window more visually interesting, especially since a few of the mini heart colors are on the darker side. With the lighter center, you can see all the pieces and nothing gets lost in the background.

If you do want your shaker window’s background to match the piece you are attaching it to on your project, you can simply skip the step of cutting out the backing circle and attach another part of your project to the shaker instead. This may be a little bit trickier, depending on what your project is. If it gets too complicated, just cut out a circle in the same patterned paper or cardstock color as the piece your shaker will be attached to on your project and use that to back your window before attaching it. No one will know!

This cute card is just one of the many shaker window cards pictured in our Core Products Catalog using this new approach for the window! We’ve collected them all for you below, along with their recipes, so you can continue to get inspired and shake things up!

4¼” x 5½” Oh Happy Day Card (Vertical)
D2124 My Acrylix^® Greeting Girl Stamp Set, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, X6066 Honey Butter Cardstock, X6065 Melon Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z3238 Gold Glitter Paper, Z6535 Melon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z3677 Gold Star Confetti, Z4644 Melon Loose Sequins, Z3224 Small Round Waterbrush, Z4569 Small Circle Shaker Window Foam + Acetate, Z4618 Round Balloon Thin Cuts, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” Queen of My Heart (Horizontal)
B1814 My Acrylix^® In My Heart Stamp Set, X8033B Flower Shoppe Paper Packet, X6053 Avocado Cardstock, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, X6066 Honey Butter Cardstock, X6065 Melon Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2841 Glacier Exclusive Inks^™Stamp Pad, Z6536 Honey Butter Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6535 Melon Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z3816 Avocado Shimmer Brush, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z4644 Melon Loose Sequins, Z4617 Stitched Heart Thin Cuts, Z4569 Small Circle Shaker Window Foam + Acetate, Z6093 Card Front Stencil Pack 1, Z697 Round Sponge, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” You Brighten My Day Card (Vertical)
B1813 My Acrylix^® Shooting Stars Stamp Set, X6053 Avocado Cardstock, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, X6066 Honey Butter Cardstock, X6065 Melon Cardstock, X6043 Nectarine Cardstock, X6068 Seabrook Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6523 Avocado Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z2841 Glacier Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6536 Honey Butter Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6535 Melon Exclusive Inks^™Stamp Pad, Z6510 Nectarine Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z4627 Pink Dots, Z4631 Green Dots, Z4632 Orange & Yellow Dots, Z4629 Blue Dots, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z4644 Melon Loose Sequins, Z3224 Small Round Waterbrush, Z4616 Stitched Star Thin Cuts, Z4569 Small Circle Shaker Window Foam + Acetate, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

3½” x 8½” Love, Laughter, & Memories Card (Horizontal)
A1285 My Acrylix^® More than Imagined Stamp Set, X8033S Flower Shoppe Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6068 Seabrook Cardstock, X257 Slimline Cards & Envelopes, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z2530 Pale Pink Shades TriBlend^™ Marker, Z4191 Silver Glitter Gems, Z5026 Clear Loose Gems, Z6035 White Acrylic Flowers, Z4103 Slimline Shaker Window Thin Cuts, Z5019 Slimline Shaker Window Foam + Acetate, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” Love Grows Here Card (Vertical)
X8033S Flower Shoppe Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X8037B Four Seasons—Winter Paper Packet, X6065 Melon Cardstock, Z1513 White Gel Pens, Z4635 Melon Dots, Z2900 Silver Star Confetti, Z4523 Pink Mini Hearts, Z4524 Pastel Mini Circles, Z4636 Scalloped Circle Frame Thin Cuts, Z4569 Small Circle Shaker Window Foam + Acetate, Z2089 Glue Dots^® Micro Dots, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine, String

4¼” x 5½” Let’s Celebrate Card (Vertical)
A1289 My Acrylix^® Celebrate Summer Stamp Set, X8033S Flower Shoppe Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X8037B Four Seasons—Winter Paper Packet, X6036 Ballerina Cardstock, X6066 Honey Butter Cardstock, X6045 Sage Cardstock, X6068 Seabrook Cardstock, X6051 Sundance Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks^™Stamp Pad, Z1513 White Gel Pens, Z4632 Orange & Yellow Dots, Z5026 Clear Loose Gems, Z4524 Pastel Mini Circles, Z4620 Small Circle Shaker Window Thin Cuts, Z4569 Small Circle Shaker Window Foam + Acetate, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

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August 17, 2022Celebrate, Create

Creating Interactive Pull Tab Cards the Easy Way!

Close To My Heartbirthday, cardmaking, Celebrating You, core products catalog, interactive cards, jill, Memory Keeping, party, Pull Tabs Thin Cuts, scrapbooking, video, workshop guides, Workshop Wow, Workshop Wow—Celebrating You 3 Comments

There are so many new and exciting things happening around these parts! For starters, we launched our new Core Products Catalog just a couple of weeks ago, in which you will find SIX new paper collections, including the festive Celebrating You!

As soon as this collection was available, we knew we had to “party” with it, and that means getting crafty and creating scrapbook pages and cards! We designed both a scrapbooking workshop and a cardmaking workshop featuring these beautiful paper designs paired with a variety of coordinating products from the new Core Products Catalog, including unique, stand-alone stamp sets and Thin Cuts dies.

With the Celebrating You cardmaking workshop, you can create 12 interactive cards, four each of three designs, using the You Deserve It All Stamp + Thin Cuts paired with the Pull Tab Thin Cuts.

Download the step-by-step guide, here! (Here for AU/NZ)

The pull tab element adds to the already fun experience of receiving a card and, thanks to the Pull Tab Thin Cuts, they are easier to put together than you might think!

Follow along with the video below as Jill Broadbent from the Home Office demonstrates how to build a pull tab card using the Pull Tab Thin Cuts!

The instructional image below is also included with every Pull Tab Thin Cuts set and as part of the Celebrating You cardmaking workshop guide for a quick and easy reference.

(Once you build the mechanism yourself the first time, chances are you won’t need this guide for the next one—it really is that intuitive!)

As if that Cardmaking workshop wasn’t fun enough, the party keeps going with the Celebrating You scrapbooking workshop. With this workshop, you can create three coordinating 12″ x 12″ two-page layouts and one single-page layout using the new Background Elements stamp set and Square Patterns Thin Cuts, which are used to add a wide variety of geometric patterns and effects to these layouts.

Download the guide, here! (Here if you’re in AU/NZ🙂)

Workshop kits to support these projects are available through September 30 through our Workshop Wow—Celebrating You special, offering a great opportunity to try out this pull-tab technique as well as the Square Patterns Thin Cuts in some truly remarkable artwork.

Don’t delay, join the party today and Celebrate You!!

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August 10, 2022Create, Inspiration, Learn

Papercrafting Autumn Leaves We Know You’ll Fall For!

Close To My Heartautumn, card, die-cuts, July–September catalog, leaf accents, leaf clusters, leaf embellishments, leaf overlay, leaf pile, leaf vein, leaves, page, Papercrafting, Simple Leaves Stamp + Thin Cuts, technique 1 Comment

Among all the wonderful things we love and look forward to with the autumn season, a standout favorite has to be the glorious display of colored leaves! As we draw closer to this magical time of year here at Close To My Heart, we are excited to showcase some artwork featuring beautiful leaf accents made with the Simple Leaves Stamp + Thin Cuts!

Taking a look at this unique collection of stamps and metal dies gives you an idea of the amazing artwork you can achieve! This set includes options to create fully layered leaf embellishments, simple outlines, stamped images, or individual leaf vein overlays. Just take a look at these leaves to see these possibilities brought to life!

But naturally, these colorful leaves look even better when added to artwork, like the scrapbook page pictured below.

As you can see, we’ve incorporated several different types of leaf embellishments on this page. The Simple Leaves Stamp + Thin Cuts is unique in the level of versatility packed into a single set, and this versatility is on full display in this scrapbook page! Take a closer look at the bottom right leaf cluster to see examples of layered die-cuts, leaves stamped directly on the base page (using the rock-n-roll stamping technique, no less!), more rock-n-roll stamping on our Ballerina cardstock leaf, more straightforward stamping with the small Rosemary berries, leaf vein overlays combined over stamped images and leaf outline die-cuts, and even a couple instances where the leaf vein Thin Cuts have been used to cut into the solid leaf creating an inverse effect.

Now jump into our other leaf pile in the upper left corner of the page to see what other variations you can spot!

Another way to create a striking effect when layering Thin Cuts is by using contrasting colors for the different layers. This card shows leaf outlines and overlays cut using colors selected to create contrast between darker and lighter layers:

To really bring our leaves to life with this technique, we amplified the effect by using coordinating cardstock and ink colors. By stamping our leaf shapes on the lighter side of our two-toned cardstock, we get even more color variation in the leaves before finishing them off with leaf vein overlays cut from a contrasting color.

We hope today’s artwork has inspired you to mimic the incredible variety of autumn leaves in your own upcoming crafting projects. What layering or coloring techniques are you most excited to try out? Tell us about it in the comments!

Recipes:

12″ x 12″ Autumn Page
Z8036 Simple Leaves Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7284B Crisp Air Paper Packet, X9042 Mix-in Paper Packet, X6036 Ballerina Cardstock, X6055 Desert Rose Cardstock, X5946 Linen Cardstock, X5947 Mink Cardstock, X6060 Mocha Cardstock, X6058 Rosemary Cardstock, X6045 Sage Cardstock, X5950 Toffee Cardstock, Z6501 Ballerina Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6525 Desert Rose Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6529 Rosemary Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3837 Pumice Stone Distress Oxide™ Ink Pad, Z5010 White Gloss Spray, Z4304 Silver Loose Sequins, Z6027 Wood Alphabet, Z3886 Mini Ink Blending Tool, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” What a Beautiful Day Card (Horizontal)
Z8036 Simple Leaves Stamp + Thin Cuts, X9042 Mix-in Paper Packet, X6046 French Vanilla Cardstock, X6062 Harbour Cardstock, X6066 Honey Butter Cardstock, X6063 Papaya Cardstock, X6044 Peach Cardstock, X6070 Pine Cardstock, X6033 Paprika Cardstock, X6068 Seabrook Cardstock, X6045 Sage Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6533 Harbour Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6536 Honey Butter Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6534 Papaya Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6540 Pine Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6504 Sage Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6538 Seabrook Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3563 Diamond Stickles™ Glitter Glue, Z4294 Harbour Shimmer Brush, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

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August 3, 2022Create, Inspiration

Exploring the 2022–2023 Core Products Catalog—We’ve Got You Covered

Close To My Heart2022, 2022–2023 Core Products Catalog, alphabet, arrows, brackets, butterfly, buttons, Celebrating You, Chasing Sunshine, core catalog, cover, Create, dots, embellishments, Flower Shoppe, flowers, Four Seasons, Hearts, melon, numbers, pearls, sequins, Smell the Flowers, sprigs, stars 10 Comments

It’s official! We’ve just released a new Core Products catalog full of beautiful products that we are eager to share! This catalog includes a wide variety of new embellishments, stamps, Thin Cuts, and six new paper collections to facilitate endless crafting fun!

To help you dive right into the wealth of new creative possibilities this catalog has to offer, we’ll be taking a look at some of the incredible embellishments and stamps that came together to create our beautiful Core Products catalog cover!

Exploring the 2022–2023 Core Products Catalog—We've Got You Covered #ctmh #closetomyheart #crafting #diy #scrapbooking #cardmaking #makeitfromyourheart #cardstock #stamps #thincuts #embellishments #papers #stickers #seasonal #holiday #memorykeeping #papercrafting #

To start off, we want to put a spotlight on our new color of the year, Melon! This gorgeous orange-pink hue is available in cardstock, ink pads, re-inkers, sequins, pearls, dots, adhesive-backed flowers, ribbon, shimmer brushes, shimmer trim, and glitter paper; many of these new products can be seen in the collection of clusters that form the decoration of the Core Products catalog cover.

Another standout feature present in force on this catalog cover is the selection of seasonal papers from our Four Seasons paper suites, along with our Celebrating You and Flower Shoppe collections. These fun patterns add variety in textures and provide pops of color throughout the page. Our Four Seasons collections have everything from springy florals to crisp winter accents and each collection makes a stunning addition to any project. With the Flower Shoppe collection, you can bring a delicate touch to all kinds of accents, while Celebrating You is the perfect way to add celebratory flair to cards, scrapbook pages, and other papercrafts!

Our Four Seasons papers are available in Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter collections for year-round crafting, and each of the exclusive paper collections included in our 2022–2023 Core Products catalog include their very own coordinating sticker sheets and coordinating cardstock packs, making it even easier to add your favorite patterns, images, and colors from these collections to your creations!

For even more floral fun on this cover, we’ve also incorporated some stamped blossoms, specifically from the Smell the Flowers and Chasing Sunshine Stamp + Thin Cuts sets!

These classic flowers coordinate seamlessly with the aforementioned Four Seasons—Spring and —Summer collections, but they also work great to create beautiful embellishment bouquets independent of those papers! For the flowers featured here, we’ve chosen to embellish a few of them further with glitter glue accents for additional pop and shine. This element is a game-changer and really elevates the overall appearance of the artwork.

Looking for even more bright spots in this cover artwork? Look no further than our bouquet of Rainbow Acrylic Flowers! These vibrant acrylic blossoms are available in a variety of sizes, and of course, a whole spectrum of colors!

Along with our Rainbow option, these floral shapes are also available in black paperboard, white acrylic, and wood grain paperboard! If you’re looking for embellishments beyond flowers, you’ll love our new selection of alphabets letters, numbers, hearts, stars, arrows, brackets, and buttons, all of which are also available in these same materials!

Adding to our garden motif is a variety of die-cuts created with our Butterfly Layers and Sprigs & Leaves Thin Cuts sets. With a handful of fresh leaves and a kaleidoscope of beautiful butterfly die-cuts, this cover art piece practically springs to life right before our eyes!

These Thin Cuts are a delight to use and coordinate beautifully with not only our Four Seasons—Spring and —Summer paper collections, but our Flower Shoppe paper collection as well!

These are just a few of the elements that make the 2022–2023 Core Products Catalog unforgettable, and we hope this post has given you some ideas of how you can maximize your use of the new products available in this incredible catalog!

What’s your favorite new product in this catalog? Let us know in the comments below!

Recipe:

2022–2023 Core Products Catalog Cover
Z4671 The Merriest Season Stamp + Thin Cuts, Z4670 Autumn Air Stamp + Thin Cuts, Z4668 Smell the Flowers Stamp + Thin Cuts, Z4669 Chasing Sunshine Stamp + Thin Cuts, X8032S Celebrating You Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X8033S Flower Shoppe Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X8034S Four Seasons—Spring Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X8035S Four Seasons –Summer Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X8036S Four Seasons—Autumn Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X8037S Four Seasons—Winter Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6036 Ballerina Cardstock, X6030 Evergreen Cardstock, X5968 Lagoon Cardstock, X6035 Lemonade Cardstock, X6065 Melon Cardstock, X6051 Sundance Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6523 Avocado Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6528 Capri Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6520 Flamingo Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2895 Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6517 Lemonade Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6535 Melon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6510 Nectarine Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4654 Springs & Leaves Thin Cuts, Z4653 Butterfly Layers Thin Cuts, Z4641 All-purpose Tags Thin Cuts, Z3943 Circles Thin Cuts, Z4636 Scalloped Circle Frame Thin Cuts, Z4620 Small Circle Shaker Window Thin Cuts, Z4617 Stitched Heart Thin Cuts, Z4569 Small Circle Shaker Window Foam + Acetate, Z1513 White Gel Pens, Z3563 Diamond Stickles™ Glitter Glue, Z6040 Woodgrain Die-cut Arrows, Z6035 White Acrylic Flowers, Z6033 Rainbow Acrylic Flowers, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z4632 Orange & Yellow Dots, Z4626 Red Dots, Z8025 Melon Ribbon, Z4644 Melon Loose Sequins, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

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