Quick Holiday Favors for a Party, the Office, or School Class!

Close To My HeartArt Philosophy, artiste, box, candy, christmas, cricut, Design Space, easy, fast, gift, gingerbread house, hat, Holiday, mouse, party favor, present, quick, Santa, school treat 7 Comments

Christmas time is officially here, and in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, most of us still have some last-minute holiday prep to take care of. Everyone wants to have the perfect Christmas; whether you’re still trying to find a gift for your neighbors, come up with favors for a Christmas party, or searching for the perfect stocking stuffer, we want to help out with a few last-minute Christmas treat ideas!

To create these fun projects, we used shapes from our Cricut^® Art Philosophy and Artiste collections. These collections include a wide variety of shapes for any project and are available for purchase through your local Consultant.

Before you start on these projects, make sure you have all the tools you need to complete them. A few of the Cricut^® shapes will require a scoring tool. If you don’t have a scoring tool, you can add your own scoring lines with a bone folder after the shape has been cut.

The first treat idea we’ll be showing you today is an adorable Christmas mouse. This treat idea is great for all ages! After all, who wouldn’t love a cute little mouse with a candy tail?

To make your very own Christmas mice, cut out an egg shape (#M4462D) for the body and two droplet shapes (#M462B8) for the ear pieces, both from our Art Philosophy Cricut^® collection. When cutting the body, be sure to include two small slits in the middle of each body piece. This allows you to easily attach and remove the candy cane tail. To form these slits, insert two small lines (#M369889) from the Basic Shapes tab to your design before cutting. (If you’re going to cut these pieces by hand, use a crafting knife to make these two cuts.)

Once you’ve got all your pieces cut, gently thread a candy cane through the slits on each mouse and attach the ears. For the finishing touch, add some black and white dots to create a nose and eyes. We colored our noses red with an alcohol marker.

With a few of these mice, you’ll have a gift or party favor that is sure to delight!

The next treat idea we have for you today is a mini gingerbread house treat box, made to hold all kinds of yummy surprises.

With white embossed “icing” on the roof and tiny stamped candies flanking the door, this gingerbread house looks good enough to eat, right along with the tasty treats inside!

Before you start making your gingerbread house, note that this particular cut includes score lines. You will need to adjust the cutting tools on your machine accordingly.

To create this too-cute gingerbread house, cut a pyramid box (#M440E0) from our Artiste collection using Kraft paper. Fold along the score lines included in the Cricut® shape and then, attach the sides of the box together with adhesive. Tie the top with some of your favorite ribbon and embellish it with layers of embossed icing and some stamped images from the My Acrylix^® From Candyland stamp set.

The last treat we have for you today is a Santa-hat inspired box. This little box packs a whole lot of cheer and makes a fun and festive party favor or stocking stuffer. Just like the gingerbread house, this treat box includes a few score lines and will require you to adjust your cutting tools to create them.

To make your own Santa hat treat box, cut out a pinwheel (#M38DAA) from our Artiste Cricut^® collection and fold along the score lines provided in the shape. Once you’ve made your folds, tuck the pinwheel arms behind each other to form the box.

Once you’ve got your treats inside and the box is fully formed, stick a pom-pom on top for a festive finishing touch. This treat box is the perfect size to slip into a stocking and cute enough to give out all on its own. No matter how you gift it, or to whom, it’s sure to be a hit! 🙂

We hope you’ve enjoyed these quick Christmas treat ideas and wish you the sweetest holidays!

Recipes:

Candy Cane Mouse
X7251B Cedar & Pine Paper Packet, X6036 Ballerina Cardstock, X6031 Green Apple Cardstock, X6044 Peach Cardstock, Z3314 Black & White Dots, Z2497 Dark Red TriBlend™ Marker, Cricut^® Art Philosophy Collection

Cricut^® Shapes:
Art Philosophy
#M4462D
#M462B8

Basic Shapes
#M369889

Gingerbread House Box
D1884 My Acrylix^® From Candyland Stamp Set, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5974 Raspberry Cardstock, Z1375 Kraft Paper, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4194 White & Gold Skinny Ribbon, Z2495 Bright Pink TriBlend™ Marker, Z2497 Dark Red TriBlend™ Marker, Z2487 Jade Green TriBlend™ Marker, Z2485 Light Green TriBlend™ Marker, Z2496 Pale Pink TriBlend™ Marker, Z3555 Christmas Red Stickles™ Glitter Gel, Z3563 Diamond Stickles™ Glitter Gel, Z3556 Green Stickles™ Glitter Gel, Cricut^® Artiste Collection

Cricut^® Shape:
Artiste Collection
#M440E0

Santa Hat Box
X6038 Candy Apple Cardstock, Z679 Liquid Glass, Cricut^® Artiste Collection, Pom-pom

Cricut^® Shape:
Artiste Collection
#M38DAA

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July 7, 2016Celebrate

Easy As Pie

Close To My Heartartiste, box, chocolate, container, cricut, day, easy, gift, pie Leave a comment

Today is Chocolate Day, so why not treat yourself to, say, a triple chocolate cream pie? 😀

The only thing sweeter than indulging in some decadent chocolate is sharing it with someone you care about, and thanks to our Cricut® Artiste collection, you can do it in style! With some simple assembly, you can make an adorable container like this one that’s perfect for transporting a delicious piece of pie!

Just like chocolate, crafting makes everything better, so why not combine the two? Grab yourself a delicious chocolate pie (cake will do the trick, too!), try your hand at making this cute container by following the recipe below, and then share some chocolatey and papercrafty goodness with a friend.

If that’s not a recipe for a perfect day, we don’t know what is!

Recipe

Pie Container
D1647 My Acylix® Document Moments, X7209B Magical Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, 44751 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2013 Sequins Silver Assortment, Z3216 White Twine, Z3090 Red Faceted Gems, Z3130 Silver Foil Tape, Z3170 Cricut® Artiste Collection

Cricut® Shapes:
Artiste
8″ 3-D Object <HppyBday> (p. 70)
8″ Shift + 3-D Object <YearOld> (p. 70)

All these products are available through one of our Independent Consultants. To find a Consultant near you, visit closetomyheart.com and click on “Find a Consultant” in the top right corner of the page.
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June 28, 2016Celebrate, Memory Keeping

Fourth of July

Close To My Heartbox, firework, Fourth, Holiday, July, layout, magical, of, page, scrapbook, shadow 1 Comment

Here at the Home Office, we love the Fourth of July. It’s a holiday dedicated to spending time with family, creating lasting memories, and most of all, remembering the men and women who have served this country.

Since this holiday is only a week away, we wanted to share with you a beautiful Fourth of July shadow box you can create for your home. We hope that as you make this page, you take a moment to feel gratitude for all those who have fought for our freedoms.

For this page, we took inspiration from none other than Old Glory herself. Strips of fringed paper form the stripes, and some 3-D stars in the top left corner allude to the 50 states.

Quick tip—To create each star, simply cut four identical star shapes. Then fold them in half and attached the halves together to create a sort of accordion.

In addition to this shadow box, we want to share with you some classic Fourth of July layouts.

Creating a faded watercolor title, which looks distressed, is perfect for a holiday all about tradition and history. We also made sure some fireworks found their way onto the page, compliments of the My Acrylix® Fireworks Fun stamp set—again, it’s all about the tradition!

If there was ever a perfect paper packet for the Fourth of July, it’s the Magical paper packet. The colors, the star and stripe designs—they’re just the thing for evoking feelings of July and preserving these warm summer memories.

Any of these layout pages would look wonderful in one of our shadow boxes too, and now is the perfect time to get your hands on some shadow boxes because you can purchase a 2-pack and save through our Flash Sale. The sale has been extended through June 30, so make sure to get in on the action before it’s over!

We want to hear about your Fourth of July traditions. Share your plans with us in the comments below!

Recipes

12″ × 12″ Celebrate Shadow Box
X7209B Magical Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, 1272 Cranberry Cardstock,Z1829 Black & Grey Glitter Paper, Z1799 Silver Shimmer Trim, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z3167 Cricut® Artistry Collection

Cricut® Shapes*:
Artistry
1 ¼”, 1 ¾”, ¾” <NewYears> (p. 50)
1 ½” Title <k> (p. 65)

12″ × 12″ Liberty Layout
D1689 My Acrylix® Firework Fun, X7209B Magical Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, 1272 Cranberry Cardstock, 44751 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2013 Sequins Silver Assortment, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z3188 Paintbrush Set, Z1979 Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen, Z3169 Cricut® Artbooking Collection, Z3167 Cricut® Artistry Collection

Cricut® Shapes*:
Artbooking
2 ½” Title <j> (p. 64)
2″, 2 ¼” Shift+Border <J> (p. 64)

Artistry
1″ “July 4”

12″ × 12″ Liberty Layout
Make It from Your Heart™ Vol. 2: Pattern 3 (with alterations)
X7209B Magical Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z1829 Black & Grey Glitter Paper, Z3075 Red Glitter Paper, X7209C Magical Complements, Z3214 Magical Sequins, Z3169 Cricut® Artbooking Collection

Cricut® Shapes*:
Artbooking
1 ¼” Happy th of July”
1 ½” “4”

*Real Dial Size

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June 3, 2016Create, Memory Keeping

Two Ideas for Making Your Vacation Memories Last!

Close To My Heartbox, chalkboard, flash, sale, shadow, two, vacation, ways 3 Comments

What would make your summer vacations even better? How about coming home and having a crafting staycation to make those memories last?

We’ve got a couple of ideas to help make this dream a reality!

First up is this fun chalkboard:

Arranging your photos on a magnetic chalkboard is such a quick and easy way for you and your family to remember all the good memories from your trip, and you can easily change out the pictures all year long. We used the Cricut® Artbooking collection to cut out the “family” and “vacation” sentiments—and just think, you can easily transfer the pictures and accents from this chalkboard onto a scrapbook page when you’re ready for something new.

One cute idea we want to point out is that you can decorate magnets with embellishments. Here, we attached gold embellishments to magnets for a customized look.

If you want to create an actual scrapbook page about your vacation, you can still put it up for display using our Colonial White shadow box.

Simply open up the back of the shadow box (and we MEAN simply—it has a magnetic closure!), and slide in your scrapbook page. Then, when you want to display a different page, it’s a cinch to take it out and add it to your scrapbook.

And since no project is complete without a little stamping, we put our fun roller stamps to work on this artwork, too.

Ready to prep for your crafting staycation? Well it gets even better because during the month of June, we’ll be having flash sales EVERY weekend! Simply go to your Consultant’s online business address (aka OBA) each Friday at 3:00 pm (MDT), and check out the discounted bundles of Close To My Heart product under the Flash Sale menu.

Today’s samples were made using a few Flash Sale bundles that are available right now—check these bundles out to save on the products we featured:

CC1137 Chalkboard & Gold Embellishments Bundle
CC1133 Colonial White Shadow Box Bundle (2-pack)
CC1119 Roller Stamp Bundle (2-pack)

You’ll need to snatch these bundles up quick because they’re only available through 3:00 pm (MDT) on Monday, while supplies last!

Recipes

Vacation Chalkboard
CC1137 Chalkboard & Gold Embellishments Bundle, CC1119 Roller Stamp Bundle (2-pack), 1272 Cranberry Cardstock, Z3076 Gold Glitter Paper, Z2648 Sapphire Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2012 Sequins Gold Assortment, Z3169 Cricut® Artbooking Collection, Magnets

Cricut® Shapes*:
Artbooking
1 ¾” <Family> (p. 67)
1 ½” <Vacation> (p. 67)

Colonial White Shadow Box
CC1133 Colonial White Shadow Box Bundle (2-pack), CC1119 Roller Stamp Bundle (2-pack), 1272 Cranberry Cardstock, 1388 Colonial White Cardstock, Z2648 Sapphire Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3105 Gold Fundamental Assortment, Z2012 Sequins Gold Assortment, Z3169 Cricut® Artbooking Collections

Cricut® Shape*:
Artbooking
1 ¼” <Vacation> (p. 67)

*Real Dial Size
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April 21, 2016Create

Here Comes the Sun!

Close To My Heartbox, comes, gift, here, idea, of, sending, sun, sunshine, the, way, your 4 Comments

When you’re having a gloomy day, a great way to cheer yourself up is to do something nice for someone else—but sometimes it’s hard to know what to do! How about mailing someone a box of sunshine? 🙂

Papers from Penelope, Kaleidoscope, and our Fundamentals transform this ordinary box into something really special, as does the gold glitter paper—you can never go wrong with glitter! We’ve filled our sunshine box with all things bright and yellow—including fun accordion-folded strips of Honey cardstock as filler—but you could certainly put any goodies you’d like inside.

Thanks to our handy-dandy Cricut® collections, making this box is really easy. Simply follow the recipes below to cut your sentiment, sun, and card!

We used our Cricut® Artfully Sent collection to cut this lyrical card. There’s nothing that brightens someone’s day quite like a handmade card with a handwritten message.

J.M. Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan, said, “Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” Remember that each time you create something with paper, you are spreading sunshine to others and filling your own life with sunshine—so keep on crafting! 🙂

What do you like to do to brighten someone’s day? Tell us in the comments below!

Recipes

Sunshine Box
X7202B Kaleidoscope Paper Packet, X7207B Penelope Paper Packet, Z3125 Paper Fundamentals Adventure, X5668 Honey Cardstock, Z1375 Kraft Cardstock, Z3076 Gold Glitter Paper, Z3169 Cricut® Artbooking Collection, Thread

Cricut® Shapes*:
Artbooking
2 ½” Shift+Title <T> (p. 52)
11 ½” Shift+Overlay <T> (p. 52)
¾” “Sending your way”

5 ½” x 4″ Here Comes the Sun Card
1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z3076 Gold Glitter Paper, X5668 Honey Cardstock, Z3168 Cricut® Artfully Sent Collection

Cricut® Shape*:
Artfully Sent
5 ½” Sentiment (p. 17)

*Real Dial Size

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December 9, 2015Celebrate, Create

3 Handmade Gifts from the Heart

Close To My Heart3, box, calendar, christmas, fishing, gifts, Holiday, masculine, shadow, stationary, three 4 Comments

Handmade gifts, crafted with tender love and care, can be the most meaningful gifts to give—you can customize them specifically for the individuals you are giving them to, while also adding unique touches that can only come from you. With some time to spare before Christmas, make your loved ones something that’s one of a kind—just like them! We’ve got three amazing gift ideas you can try out this holiday season. You’ll definitely want to check this list twice!

1. Masculine Shadow Box

We sure love feminine artwork (the hearts, the flowers, THE GLITTER!), but papercrafting can certainly cater to the men in your life, too! And is it just us, or are they also some of the hardest people to shop for? Look at this shadow box that’s “reel” perfect for your husband, father, son, or brother to hang in their favorite space. ☺The Urban paper packet and its coordinating Complements make “masculine” papercrafting a breeze. If your guy is the outdoorsy type, try using fun accents, like this deer head, from the Cricut® Artistry collection.

2. Calendar

With a new year right around the corner, Christmas is the perfect time to give someone a handmade calendar—and everyone needs a calendar, right? Our My Creations™ calendar gives you the chance to create a gift that is useful, personalized, and absolutely stunning!

In our example above, we filled the top section with a beautiful quote (stamped with the My Acrylix® Handwritten Print stamp set), and surrounded it with some beautiful stamped flowers. You could also fill this 12″ x 12″ space with photos, papers, embellishments, and any artistic decorations you want in order to give a gift with a truly personal touch. Stamping definitely comes in handy when filling out the calendar portion, both for creating monthly titles and for stamping the numbers in the boxes. That’s what’s great about this calendar—it’s a blank canvas, and you’re the artist extraordinaire!

3. Monogram Stationery

We all know someone—a mother, grandmother, or friend—who doesn’t need a special occasion to send thoughtful letters to others. Wouldn’t this person love to have beautiful personalized stationery to do just that? With some simple stamping, gold glitter paper, and our My Creations™ journaling cards box, you can create a beautiful stash of stationary for the letter writer in your life.

Which gift idea are you most excited about? Tell us below! Your loved ones deserve the best, so turn on the Christmas music, and put on your Santa hat: It’s time to become a crafting elf!

Recipes

12″ x 12″ You Are A Great Catch Shadow Box
Reflections: Main Frame—Tied Together™
C1584 My Acrylix® Feathers, B1482 My Acrylix® My Story, X7204B Urban Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5642 Cocoa Cardstock, X5775 Sapphire Cardstock, Z1375 Kraft Cardstock, Z2123 Goldrush Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2651 Saffron Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2114 Cocoa Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7204C Urban Complements, Z3164 Fundamental Stickers Enchantment Pack, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z1979 Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen

Cricut® Shapes:
Artistry
1″ Shift “Great Catch”
3½”Shift+Icon-1 (p. 45)
3¼” (p. 45)
3¼” Shift (p. 45)

April Calendar Spread
B1484 My Acrylix® Jennifer’s Hand, D1663 My Acrylix® Floral Banners, D1665 My Acrylix® Blossoming Expressions, E1030 My Acrylix® Handwritten Print, Z2105 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2650 Fern Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2653 Pomegranate Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2652 Poppy Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2505 Enchantment Exclusive Inks™ Mini Pigment Pads Set, Z3184 My Creations™ Calendar, Z2463 ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Sap Green

Monogram Stationery
E1033 My Acrylix® Inked Alphabet, D1636 My Acrylix® I Do, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5780 Pomegranate Cardstock, Z3076 Gold Glitter Paper, Z2648 Sapphire Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2653 Pomegranate Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2170 Ruby Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2650 Fern Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z1752 Sparkles Clear Assortment, Z1953 My Creations™ Journaling Cards Box, X254 White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack

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December 3, 2015Celebrate, Create

How To: Michelle Snyder’s Shadow Box

Close To My Heartbox, christmas, Holiday, Michelle, pines, shadow, Snyder, tree, white 7 Comments

Don’t you love this festive time of year? Christmas seems to give us the most beautiful creations in every category, and papercrafting is no exception. For example, check out this adorable shadow box!

Wouldn’t you love to decorate your home with something like this? We can’t decide what we like best about it: the holly berry gems, glittery lettering, or dainty snowflakes. And you’re probably dying to put your favorite family picture inside the frame!

We have the lovely Michelle Snyder to thank for this beautiful piece of artwork—some of our readers will recognize it from Convention, where she donated it to our Operation Smile™ auction.

It’s no surprise that Michelle’s shadow box sold for a generous price. What did surprise Michelle was how many people asked her how she’d made it. In response to all these requests, Michelle graciously put together some instructions for the project and shared them on our Convention Facebook page. Many of our Consultants have since taken advantage of this and created shadow boxes of their own. Here are just a few of them:

View this post on Instagram

Such a fun night last night creating Christmas decor! #ctmh #lovemyjob #happyholidays

A post shared by Amy McGrew (@stamperamy) on Oct 28, 2015 at 3:39am PDT

Look how great they turned out! Don’t you want your own now? Well, you’re in luck—Michelle wants as many people as possible to have access to her instructions, so with her permission and blessing, we’re sharing them right here on the blog! This will give all of you the chance to make this Christmas masterpiece in time for the holiday season.

We’re so grateful for Michelle’s inspiring artwork and giving spirit. Thank you, Michelle! 🙂 Now check out her instructions at the link below, and merry crafting!

Michelle Snyder’s Shadow Box Instructions

P.S. Before you start work on your shadow box, you’ll also need the White Pines paper packet. It’s only available for another month, so make sure to order it right away! For more White Pines artwork inspiration, search #ctmhwhitepines on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook.

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February 5, 2015Celebrate, Create

Crafting with Kids: Valentine Boxes

Close To My Heartbox, card, craft, designer creations, holder, Holiday, kids, note, valentine Leave a comment

Help the kids get ready for the downpour of warm fuzzies from their friends this Valentine’s Day with a trendy valentine box! Every piece of this adorable box is simple enough for a child to recreate it. Of course, with the creativity of the kids on board, the two of you will probably be able to come up with something uniquely your own. Put your heads together to build your note catcher.

First, pull out a Designer Creations cupcake box. It’s made of designed kraft paper and has a clear plastic window for quick and easy monitoring of the love note stash. Make your box even more irresistible by trying a few of these artistic techniques:

• Cut a 3″ long slot in the top panel of the box, making it just the right size for receiving notes from other kids.
• Use your Cricut® machine to cut out hearts to stamp on. Many of your heart stamps will coordinate with shapes on your Close To My Heart Cricut® cartridges. See the stamp carrier sheet to find info on which cartridge to use and at what size to cut out your heart in order to match your stamp.
• Get creative when decorating your hearts. Check out the look we achieved using the Brushstrokes stamp set for a background and the XOXO stamp set for a sentiment on one of our large hearts! Those small hearts you see were stamped on scrap cardstock and trimmed out.
• Draw fun borders on your hearts with a journaling pen.
• Use Shimmer Trim to create glimmering bows to top off your project.

These 3″ x 3″ cards are also a lot of fun to make with the kids—and so very simple. The little ones will love to help with the stamping, and they’ll end up with cute valentines to share with their friends. It’s also a great way to use up your extra supplies!

Once you’re feelin’ the love, it’s time to turn your thoughts to teacher. This same cupcake box is also ideal for tucking away treats, so you could place a mouthwatering cupcake in the round base insert and let your child deliver the sweet!

Deck out your box to match the sugary delight inside by using some of these ideas:

• Trim cardstock pieces on which to stamp sentiments. You could use your Cricut® machine for this step, but it also provides a great opportunity for your young helpers who are good with scissors!
• Make the trimming even easier by finding a printed heart shape you can trim out and stamp on. This one came from a Picture My Life™ Heartstrings scrapbooking program card.
• Stamp sentiments on your cardstock shapes. Here we’ve used the alphabet stamp set from the Cricut® Artfully Sent collection to spell the word “Teacher.”
• Add a few embellishments of your choice. We love the look of the Heartstrings Complements combined with the pink glitter gems!
• Once again, use your journaling pen to create unique borders on your heart.
• Use Shimmer Trim to complete your look

You’re sure to melt a few hearts this Valentine’s Day with these lovely creations. We hope you have a heartwarming time making papercrafts and memories together!

Recipes
3-D Valentine Card Box
C1608 My Acrylix® Brushstrokes, C1604 My Acrylix® Forever in My Heart, M1054 My Acrylix® XOXO, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5773 Pixie Cardstock, X5927 Ruby Cardstock, Z2105 Black Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2170 Ruby Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2644 Pixie Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2049 Designer Creations Cupcake Box, Z1848 Red Shimmer Trim, Z1979 Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen, Z1686 Cricut® Art Philosophy Collection

Cricut® Shapes:
Art Philosophy
1 ½”, 2″ Shift (p. 26)

3″ x 3″ White Daisy Happy Valentine’s Day Card
C1608 My Acrylix® Brushstrokes, M1052 My Acrylix® Mini Valentine, C1604 My Acrylix® Forever in My Heart, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2193 Cotton Candy Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2105 Black Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2170 Ruby Exclusive Inks™ Pad

3″ x 3″ Pixie Happy Valentine’s Day Card
C1604 My Acrylix® Forever in My Heart, C1608 My Acrylix® Brushstrokes, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5927 Ruby Cardstock, X5773 Pixie Cardstock, Z2193 Cotton Candy Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2170 Ruby Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2105 Black Exclusive Inks™ Pad

3-D Valentine Teacher Box
M1052 My Acrylix® Mini Valentine, C1608 My Acrylix® Brushstrokes, B1476 My Acrylix® My Fave, Z3046 Picture My Life™ Heartstrings Scrapbooking Program, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2105 Black Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2193 Cotton Candy Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2049 Designer Creations Cupcake Box, X7193C Heartstrings Complements, Z1807 Pink Glitter Gems, Z3024 White Shimmer Trim, Z3017 Cricut® Artfully Sent Collection (stamp set)

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December 19, 2014Celebrate, Create

Personalized Packaging

Close To My Heartbag, box, christmas, gift, giftwrap, Holiday, paper, present, stamp, wrap 4 Comments

A wise Grinch once observed that the greatest gifts come outside of packages, boxes, and bags—and that’s the truth! The best gifts you give are your time and your love, neither of which can be caught and wrapped. But a tangible gift is an attempt at expressing your feelings, and once you’ve put your heart into planning, saving for, and preparing special presents, you want to make sure they draw the attention of the intended recipients. You need something unique and heartfelt for the special people in your life. How do you achieve that? Pull out your stamps and inks, of course! What better presentation can there be than one of handmade love?

To take your packaging from bland to becoming:

Stamp it. Add elegance to your brown paper-wrapped gifts with a few stamps! Dancing images on a neutral surface will give wrapping color and class. This advent bag was decorated with the My Acrylix^® Magical Days stamp set in Topiary, Cranberry, and White Daisy inks. You can even add stamping to plain tissue paper for a colorful addition.

Put a bow on it. Bows from the store are a dime a dozen—and they look it, too! So get creative with yours. Back your washi tape with paper and then shape it into a bow. With the help of a little Liquid Glass, the entire piece stays put. Or, for a bolder look, loop some Cranberry striped twill ribbon into a plump bow to top off your gift.

Tag it. Tags are not an afterthought—they’re your chance at saying it just how you mean it. Don’t depend on a store-bought sentiment to do the trick. Cut a fitting tag from the Cricut^® Art Philosophy or Artiste collection, then stamp it with a fitting heartfelt sentiment. Add hand drawn borders for a cozy touch.

Transform it. A box shape is what they expect, so step away from traditional and draw some attention. Small gifts are especially conducive to unique packaging. A My Creations™ muslin drawstring bag makes an excellent home for smaller items, and it is 100% ready for decoration. You can stamp on the bag without the ink running, and your sentiments will stand out nicely on the neutral background. It’s unpretentious and very attractive. (Such a good combination should go down in history.) Another great option: the triangle box! Cut one from the Cricut^® Artiste cartridge, then add golden embossed stamping for a truly unique presentation.

The wrapping you use shouldn’t come from a store; let the wrapping you use mean a little bit more! We wish you a very merry time playing with your favorite Close To My Heart products to create new and charming ways to present your treasures.

Recipes:
4 ½” Merry & Bright Box
1386 Black Cardstock, Z2163 White Daisy Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z1920 Gold Polka-Dot Washi Tape, Z1686 Cricut^® Art Philosophy Collection, Z3017 Cricut^® Artfully Sent Collection (stamp set), Box, Paper

Cricut^® Shapes:
Art Philosophy
1¾” <Rctngle 8> (p. 65)

4″ Wise Men Still Seek Him Triangle Box
D1614 My Acrylix^®Reason for the Season, 1386 Black Cardstock, 1388 Colonial White Cardstock, Z2118 Desert Sand Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z891 VersaMark™ Ink Pad, Z1921 Baker’s Twine Neutral Metallic Assortment, Z2066 Ranger™ Princess Gold Embossing Powder, Z1790 Cricut^® Artiste Collection

Cricut^®Shapes:
Artiste
5¼” 3D Object (p. 50)

Merry Christmas Muslin Bag
B1456 My Acrylix^® Born to Roam, C1591 My Acrylix^® Merry, Merry, Z2501 Adventure Exclusive Inks™ Mini Pigment Pads Set, Z2503 Basics Exclusive Inks™ Mini Pigment Pads Set, Z1822 My Creations™ Muslin Drawstring Bag, Z1861 Mini-Medley Accents Ruby Collection, Z1807 Pink Glitter Gems, Shredded Paper

Advent Bag
D1552 My Acrylix^®Magical Days, C1591 My Acrylix^®Merry, Merry, 1388 Colonial White Cardstock, Z2155 Topiary Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2116 Cranberry Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2163 White Daisy Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z1987 Cranberry Striped Twill Ribbon, Z1979 Marvy^® Uchida^®LePen™ Journaling Pen, Z1686 Cricut^® Art Philosophy Collection, Z3017 Cricut^® Artfully Sent Collection (stamp set), Paper Bag

Cricut^® Shapes:
Art Philosophy
2¾” <Tag2> (p. 40)

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