jeanette-lynton

This Christmas season, my heart has been filled with overwhelming gratitude for each and every one of you.

I love this company more than words can describe, and I love what you have helped me create: a warm, compassionate community where anyone who wants to preserve their memories and discover their creativity can find friendship, confidence, and inspiration.

I feel incredibly blessed and grateful to God for the opportunity to start this company and connect with amazing people around the world. You inspire me, and I treasure every moment I get to spend in your company.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday alongside family and friends as you celebrate He who makes it all possible. Know that you are loved.

Merry Christmas,

Jeanette

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December 8, 2016Memory Keeping

Another Free Christmas Scrapbook Pattern!

Close To My Heartchristmas, deer, free, oh, pattern, scrapbook, scrapbooking 1 Comment

‘Tis the season for gift-giving, and as our gift to you, we’re sharing yet another free scrapbook pattern!

This pattern originally debuted with our Surf’s Up papers, but you can see that it works beautifully for creating a winter-themed layout as well! That’s the beauty of our patterns: When you switch out the papers, you can get an entirely different look!

Download Pattern

Download the pattern above, and then treat yourself to some warm hot cocoa and a little Christmas scrappin’!

For even more timeless patterns, check out our collection of affordable how-to pattern books. We know you’ll love them!
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December 1, 2016Celebrate, Memory Keeping

15 Photos You MUST Take This Holiday Season

Close To My Heartchristmas, hack, help, Holiday, how, keeping, memories, memory, photo, photographer, photography, scrapbook, scrapbooking, tip, trick, tutorial, winter 5 Comments

It’s officially the holiday season! This magical time of year always has us pulling out our cameras and taking photos, but there are some special holiday moments you might not normally think to photograph! Here is a list of 15 things to be sure to capture with your camera this winter:

1. Picking out the perfect tree

2. Opening your daily advent calendar3. Little ones eating sticky candy canes

4. Kiddos writing letters to Santa

5. Decorating the Christmas tree (and putting on the star!)

6. Each kid’s favorite Christmas ornament (after all, your photo can last forever, though the ornament may not!)

7. Family story or Bible time

8. Fur babies in their Christmas gear

9. Christmas shopping

10. Little hands helping with holiday baking

11. Kids wrapping presents all by themselves

12. Setting out Santa’s cookies

13. Blowing or throwing snow in the air

14. Warming up by the fire

15. Hot chocolate mustaches

Also, be sure to check out our video on how to take high-quality photos with renowned photographer, Wendy Whitacre, of Blue Lily Photography.

What unique Christmas photos do YOU like to take? Tell us in the comments below!

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November 29, 2016Celebrate, Create

Tags, Cards, and Advent Calendars—Oh My!

Close To My Heartabove, advent, bottle, calendar, christmas, cut, Holiday, inspiration, kit, soda Leave a comment

Gift-giving is about more than just getting the perfect gift for someone. It’s about showing someone you care. That’s why we’re big fans of pairing gifts with handmade cards or tags—they show those you love that you took time to make their gift extra special.

We know the holiday season can get busy, so we’ve made handmade easy with our Cut Above™ card and tag kits. These kits require no measuring or cutting. You simply stamp on a holiday sentiment of your choice and then follow instructions for attaching the pieces together.

Of course, like any of our kits, you can also take the artwork in any direction you like! Here we typed a “punny” message to play off of our gift. We also added some grey stars and sparkles to personalize it even more!

And since our Art Studio is just brimming with creativity, they had a lot of fun creating this advent calendar using some leftover card and tag pieces.

To create the calendar, the artists added the card and tag pieces to envelopes that were cut using our Cricut® Artbooking collection.

Using our My Acrylix® Inked Alphabet stamp set, they added numbers to the gold foil accent pieces. Isn’t it amazing what some scraps of paper and a little creativity can create? This advent calendar really shows how truly beautiful the patterns, shapes, and textures of the Cut Above™ holiday kits are, but of course you could create it with any holiday paper scraps you have.

Make this holiday special by adding your own personal touch with our Cut Above™ holiday card and tag kits. We know you’ll love giving something handmade!

Recipes

Soda Gift Tag
D1701 My Acrylix® Plan On It Stamp Set, Z4025 Cut Above™ ‘Tis the Season Tag Kit, Z2872 Whisper Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4014 White & Gold Twine, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles

Advent Calendar
E1033 My Acrylix® Inked Alphabet Stamp Set, Z4018 Cut Above™ ‘Tis the Season Card Kit (qty. 2), Z4025 ‘Tis the Season Tag Kit, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3090 Red Enamel Gems, Z3169 Cricut® Artbooking Collection, Hole Punch, Cork Board

Cricut® Shapes:
Artbooking
6″ Shift+Photo Mat 2 (cut 12, p. 43)
6″ Shift+Photo Mat 2 (cut 12, p. 44)

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November 22, 2016Memory Keeping

A Free Christmas Scrapbook Pattern!

Close To My Heartchristmas, free, pattern, scrapbook, scrapbooking Leave a comment

We take pride in being the “let me show you how” memory-keeping company, and in providing the most comprehensive patterns for scrapbook layouts. When you download this pattern, it also comes with cutting diagrams to make it even easier to create these pages!

These patterns lend themselves to any memories that are special enough for you to preserve. Just choose your favorite papers and follow the guide for beautiful scrapbook pages, like these:

Notice that you don’t have to follow the pattern strictly—we’ve moved our title so we could use our “Most wonderful time of the year” stamp, and we moved our journaling, too, to mirror our square title. The patterns give you all the structure you need to set up your page, but then you get complete freedom in how your page turns out!

Download this free scrapbooking pattern, and let us show you just how easy scrapbooking can be!

Download pattern

For even more timeless patterns, check out our collection of affordable how-to pattern books. We know you’ll love them!

Recipe
Z4008 Cozy Christmas Thin Cuts Bundle, X7213B City Sidewalks Paper Packet, 1272 Cranberry Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2849 Peacock Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2816 Cranberry Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2807 Willow Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7213D City Sidewalks Complements, Z4013 City Sidewalks Washi Tape, Z3090 Red Enamel Gems

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November 1, 2016Celebrate, Create, Memory Keeping

Make It a Happy, Happy Christmas!

Close To My Heartalbum, bundle, christmas, happy, Holiday, november, scrapbook, workshop 2 Comments

It’s already November? Oh how time flies!

With the holiday season quickly approaching, we’re offering a one-of-a-kind workshop to help you get ahead on your Christmas scrapbooking, gift making, and decorating. It’s called the Happy, Happy Christmas workshop.

How does it work? Simply purchase the Happy, Happy Christmas album bundle, which comes with a red My Legacy™ scrapbooking album of your choice (post-bound or D-ring), Memory Protectors, and supplies to make five 2-page layouts—all of which you get at over a 10% discount! Then download the instructions online to complete your five layouts. It’s all right at your fingertips!

Now here’s what makes this workshop extra special. The instructions for these layouts also include instructions for four additional Christmas projects. Purchase one or more of the products linked below, and then follow the workshop instructions to use your leftover paper and embellishments to make these Christmas crafts!

Red Chalkboard—Purchase this deeply discounted chalkboard, and then use your leftover paper and embellishments to make this adorable work of art!12″ x 12″ Display Tray—Just like the chalkboard, this display tray is deeply discounted. Adding leftover pocket scrapbooking cards and 3-D foam tape makes this wall accent really pop!

5″ x 7″ Hinged Display Tray—This hinged frame, which is perfect for a side table, mantle, or shelf, is also available at a great discount. Multiple layers with 3-D foam tape bring this artwork to life!

Everyday Life™ Sea Glass Album Bundle—This convenient bundle makes it easy to get everything you need to create a mini Christmas album with one click. It includes the Everyday Life™ Sea Glass album, as well as 6″ × 8″, 4″ × 6″, and 3″ × 4″ Memory Protectors™. Use your leftover My Crush® pages and Picture My Life™ pocket scrapbooking cards to make a no-hassle mini Christmas album!

All of these additional projects would make beautiful additions to your home—or the homes of loved ones. This unique workshop is a great way to really get your bang for your buck. It’s only available for the month of November, so make sure to talk to your Consultant to learn more about this workshop before it’s gone!

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October 28, 2016Celebrate, Learn

Embossing with Two Powders

Close To My Heartcard, christmas, embossing, how, powders, stamping, technique, tip, to, trick, two 7 Comments

If you’re a big fan of embossing, we’ve got a fun idea to share with you today: using TWO different embossing powders on the same stamped image!

We decided to use this technique on our My Acrylix® Yuletide Joy stamp set because it has so many intricate designs—and maybe we wanted an excuse to start making Christmas cards. 🙂

So let’s dive in to the technique. The star and stocking cards above both use the same basic technique. We simply stamped the image with VersaMark™ ink, added the two embossing powders, and then set the images. This was easy enough because of where we wanted to put the powder and the look we were going for, but the present card required a little more precision, so we decided to use masking!

We taped off everything but the ribbon, inked the image, removed the tape, stamped, added silver embossing powder, and then heat set the powder. We repeated this same technique for the gold wrapping and ended up with a wowie finished product.

What fun embossing ideas do YOU have? Tell us in the comments below! And be sure to share your artwork using the hashtag #ctmhembossing.

Recipes

4 ½” x 4 ½” Star Card
S1610 My Acyrlix® Yuletide Joy, X7212B Swan Lake Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5929 Whisper Cardstock, Z891 VersaMark™ Ink Pad, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z2066 Ranger™ Princess Gold Embossing Powder, Z2067 Ranger™ Silver Super Fine Embossing Powder, Z555 Craft Heater

4 ¼” x 5 ½” Noel Card
S1610 My Acyrlix® Yuletide Joy, X7212B Swan Lake Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z891 VersaMark™ Ink Pad, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z4014 White & Gold Twine, Z2066 Ranger™ Princess Gold Embossing Powder, Z2067 Ranger™ Silver Super Fine Embossing Powder, Z555 Craft Heater

4 ¼” x 5 ½” Stocking Card
S1610 My Acyrlix® Yuletide Joy, X7212B Swan Lake Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z891 VersaMark™ Ink Pad, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z3289 Uptown Ribbon Pack, Z2066 Ranger™ Princess Gold Embossing Powder, Z2067 Ranger™ Silver Super Fine Embossing Powder, Z555 Craft Heater
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December 24, 2015Community

From Jeanette: My Christmas Tree

Close To My Heartchristmas, decorations, Holiday, Jeanette, tree 18 Comments

Everything about Christmas fills me with wonder—its sparkling decorations, cheery music, and gift giving. The most wonderful part though is spending time with my loved ones, and I wish I could spend time with each one of you this Christmas, too!

Though we are apart, I’d still like to invite you into my home by showing you something special—my Christmas tree! Here are two pictures, one before it was decorated and one with all the trimmings:
Celebrate Christmas with us at Close To My Heart! #Christmas #ctmh #CloseToMyHeart #merrychristmas #christmastree
I think Christmas trees are simply beautiful, and it’s magical watching a plain tree transform into a handcrafted work of art. Which decoration is your favorite? I can never decide between the gold striped ribbon, the pearl strands, the glittery red leaves, and the delicate glass ornaments. And of course there’s the golden star on top!
Celebrate Christmas with us at Close To My Heart! #Christmas #ctmh #CloseToMyHeart #merrychristmas #christmastree
This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. When I look at my tree, it fills me with joy and reminds me of the beauty in this world. All the troubles of life fade away with the glistening of those Christmas tree lights.

I hope these photographs light a smile on your face, and I hope your own holiday traditions bring you and your family closer together. Most of all, I hope you feel peace, happiness, and love this holiday season.

Merry Christmas, my dear friends.

Love,

Jeanette

December 18, 2015Celebrate, Create

4 Last-Minute Christmas Gift Ideas

Close To My Heartbase & bling, christmas, display tray, easy, gifts, jewelry, keychain, kit, Papercrafting, quick, shadow box, spa 3 Comments

You’ve accomplished a lot in the past few weeks. You’ve cooked, cleaned, decorated, shopped, wrapped, and brought smiles to a lot of faces! With such a long “to-do” list, it’s no wonder that you still need a few more Christmas gifts for some loved ones.

Well, we’ve got you covered! These four gifts are adorable and easy to make at the last minute. Check them out!

1. Quick N’ Easy Shadow Box

Spice up your friend or family member’s wall with a beautiful shadow box! Creating a unique page to place inside can be as simple as choosing a Cricut® shape you like, and cutting it at a size that fills the entire page. Adding a mini banner inside also adds a fun touch.

2. Base & Bling Necklace or Key Chain

With Base & Bling, you can create personalized jewelry in a jiffy! We also recently showed how these can be put to great use as Christmas tree ornaments. But did you ever think of using the Base & Bling to create key chains? Personalize it with a family photo to make a fashionable accessory for important gals or guys in your life! You can even add cute charms like these to add some extra sweetness.

3. Mini Spa Kit

Everyone loves a little pampering, especially after the holidays. Decorate a My Creations™ pint-sized container, and then fill it with some spa essentials. For a special touch, add some White Pines confetti and this cute penguin tag!

4. Family Display Tray

Everyone loves home décor that celebrates family, so get a Designed Décor hinged display tray, and fill it with their family photos. Create your own decorative cards, or use our Picture My Life™ cards for an even quicker finished product. We especially love the personalized monogram here made with leftover embellishments. It’s beautiful!

Wanting to create some of these yourself? Go for it! With the recipes below, your creativity, and a little Christmas spirit, you’ll be giving the cutest gifts of the season!

Be sure to tell us which one is your favorite in the comments below!

Recipes

Life Is Sweet Shadow Box
B1484 My Acrylix^® Jennifer’s Hand, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5769 Thistle Cardstock, X5777 Fern Cardstock, X5770 Glacier Cardstock, X5775 Sapphire Cardstock, Z1829 Black & Grey Glitter Paper, Z2648 Sapphire Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z891 VersaMark™ Ink Pad, Z2016 Designed Décor Colonial White Shadow Box, Z3102 Fundamental Assortment Glacier, Z3039 Glacier Extra Thick Twine, Z1752 Sparkles Clear Assortment, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z2068 Ranger™ White Super Fine Embossing Powder, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z555 Craft Heater, Z3167 Cricut^® Artistry Collection

Cricut^® Shapes:
Artistry
10″ Background <Mother> (cut 2, p. 39)

Base & Bling Keychain
Z3174 Base & Bling Lovely Blooms Style Sheet, Z3151 Base & Bling Square Pendant—Faux Silver, Z3153 Base & Bling Circle Pendant—Faux Silver, Z1967 Base & Bling Square Glass Covers, Z1966 Base & Bling Circle Glass Covers, Z3133 Base & Bling Bow Charm—Faux Silver, Z3143 Base & Bling Teal Bead Charm—Faux Silver, Z3161 Base & Bling Rhinestones—Faux Silver, Z679 Liquid Glass, Z1903 Base & Bling Adhesive Dots, Key Ring

Base & Bling Necklace
Z3173 Base & Bling Affirmations Style Sheet, Z3159 Base & Bling Chain—Faux Gold, Z3152 Base & Bling Square Pendant—Faux Gold, Z1967 Base & Bling Square Glass Covers, Z3109 Base & Bling Heart Charm—Faux Gold, Z3140 Base & Bling Black Bead Charm—Faux Gold, Z3162 Base & Bling Rhinestones—Faux Gold, Z679 Liquid Glass

Spa Pint-Sized Container
D1666 My Acrylix^® Believe In Christmas, C1627 My Acrylix^® Reindeer Bells, B1483 My Acrylix^® Season’s Greetings, X7200B White Pines Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2650 Fern Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2652 Poppy Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2123 Goldrush Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, 44751 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3137 My Creations™ Pint-Sized Container, X7200C White Pines Complements, Z3104 Fundamental Assortment—Black, Z3093 Fern Thick Twine, Z1809 Black Shimmer Trim, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z3188 Paintbrush Set

Family Display Tray
B1482 My Acrylix^® My Story, Z3180 Picture My Life™ Going Places Scrapbooking Program, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5762 Lagoon Cardstock, Z2195 Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2649 Peacock Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2641 Glacier Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z1838 5″ x 7″ Hinged Display Tray, Z2013 Sequins Silver Assortment, Z3122 Enamel & Glitter Duos Blue Dots, Z1853 Aqua Dots, Z1752 Sparkles Clear Assortment, Z2010 White Enamel Stars, Z3089 Grey Enamel Gems, Z726 Sponge Daubers, Z1979 Marvy^® Uchida^® LePen™ Journaling Pen

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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Make It from Your Heart

Tag Archives: christmas

From Jeanette: Merry Christmas

Another Free Christmas Scrapbook Pattern!