Behind every successful team, there’s a playbook. The same thing goes for artists. Lucky for us, the brains behind the beauty of Close To My Heart, our CEO, Jeanette Lynton, wrote a collection of how-to books overflowing with patterns for cards and layouts that will march you toward crafting victory time and time again.
These books are what you should turn to when you’re not sure where to start; they’re like the supportive coach waiting back on the sidelines. They never fail to kick off our artistic ideas and lay the foundation for a triumphant artistic production!
So what play did we use to pull off the lovely page shown below? The answer is the Reflections: Main Frame—Back Drop™ pattern. But that’s not the end of it.
The true secret behind the sauce is that we added a little twist to this pattern. Let’s head into the locker room and we’ll fill you in on the technique.
Ok, listen up. This technique is simple, yet powerful: We simply chose a piece from the how-to pattern and then filled it with a repeated shape instead of a block of cardstock. We used circles on this page, but you can use any shape you want.
Repetition is one of the fundamental characteristics of excellent design and including it in your artwork is equivalent to doing your sit-ups or eating your vegetables—it’s guaranteed to bring good things.
With the help of the 1″ circle punch and the Jackson and Blossom paper packets, we were able to add variety without overwhelming the design, making this layout a graceful pileup of B&T patterns, repeated circle patterns, and how-to patterns. That’s a lot of patterns!
When you give this technique a try, you could mix it up by using a different pattern, a different shape (we think using hearts would be game-changing), or different papers. The combination potential of these pattern players is incredible!
But that’s enough talk, folks. Now let’s get out there and craft like it’s game day.
Looking to add a few key players to your team of crafting supplies? Here’s the all-star lineup of the how-to books available through Close To My Heart:
- 9035 Make It from Your Heart™ Volume 1
- 9042 Make It from Your Heart™ Volume 2
- 9038 Cherish™ Scrapbook Program
- 9039 Imagine™ Scrapbook Program
- 9040 Magic™ Scrapbook Program
- 9037 Reflections™ Scrapbook Program
- 9041 Wishes Card Confidence Program™
- 9036 Originals Card Confidence Program™
I love the How To books and have all of the original hard cover books. They really are the best! !
I use the card patterns from the Make It from Your Heart Vol 1&2 all the time! Cannot wait to see a Vol 3 or a hardcover with tons more!
What is so awesome about Close to My Heart Products is the flexibility of being able to combine patterns within paper packs and between paper paks. This not only makes creative applications easier but it also is very economical.
gorgous!
I love the page layout. The colors make you feel happy and bright. I have all of the books and love sharing them with friends and family. Thanks for all the time you spend on making us so happy!.
these books sound great
I would love to have a MIFYH 3!!!