You’re Invited to a Cardstock Carnival!

Close To My Heartcardmaking, cardstock, cardstock carnival, color combination, crafting, custom cardstock, paper, scrapbooking, UV Coating, white core 4 Comments

The foundation of every great scrapbooking or cardmaking project is great paper. Here at Close To My Heart, we’ve got a full-blown cardstock celebration going on, and we want to share these amazing papers with the world! In addition to our incredible selection of cardstock colors, this Cardstock Carnival also features an incredible selection of specialty UV-coated cardstock. Let’s check it out!

To create this specialized cardstock pack, we selected a rainbow of twelve cardstock colors and flooded one entire side of each sheet with shiny UV coating. We’ve never offered this feature on cardstock before, and we are loving the way it enhances the artwork we’ve been creating with it! The extra bit of shine from this cardstock makes it easy to create unique, stand-out artwork.

Here, you can really see the UV shine as it creates an eye-catching focal point for this scrapbook page. This cardstock can be used in small pieces for accent work, or in larger pieces for glossy titles, backdrops, or even base pages!

Of course, if you’ve ever used our cardstock before, you know that it’s already amazing, even without UV coating or other special treatments. Each of our 41 exclusive colors of cardstock comes with the true color on one side and a lighter version on the other. Looking to match other products in our color palette exactly? There’s an option for that! Looking for subtle color variations throughout your projects? Well, there’s an option for that, too! It’s like having two cardstock sheets in one!

Another standout feature of our cardstock is the central white core. This feature allows for greater color saturation and a more vibrant finish. It also provides a dramatic contrast effect when you use artistic tearing or distressing techniques in your artwork! Because our cardstock also has a heavier weight than most papers of its type, it stands up better to tearing and distressing techniques, and also results in projects with greater longevity.

With so much to love about our top-notch cardstock, it’s no wonder that our annual Cardstock Carnival is cause for celebration! Hop on our website today and join the festivities! Be sure to check out the exclusive color match bundles, as well as a special, comprehensive bundle that includes several sheets of every color of cardstock we carry!* That’s over 275 sheets of cardstock, all at a bargain! (*Our White Daisy cardstock is not available in this super bundle but is available at a discounted price as part of the Cardstock Carnival offers.)

Be sure to let us know what you think of our new UV-coated cardstock in the comments below!

Recipes

12″ x 12″ Happy Birthday Page
Z4318 As You Grow Stamp + Thin Cuts, D2052 My Acrylix® For All Occasions Stamp Set, CC32217 Cardstock Carnival Coated Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6509 Candy Apple Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6520 Flamingo Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6510 Nectarine Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Z3785 Icicle Stickles™ Glitter Glue, Z3793 Rose Gold Liquid Pearls™, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Cricut® Home for the Holidays—Spring & Summer Collection, Cricut Design Space™

Cricut^® Shape:
Home for the Holidays—Spring & Summer Collection
#M54A66

Cricut Design Space^™
#M30885F99

4¼” x 5½” Happy Valentine’s Day Card (Vertical)
Z3995 Rustic Sign Sentiments Stamp + Thin Cuts, D2052 My Acrylix® For All Occasions Stamp Set, X6036 Ballerina Cardstock, X6038 Candy Apple Cardstock, X6055 Desert Rose Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6501 Ballerina Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6509 Candy Apple Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6525 Desert Rose Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z7518 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4191 Silver Glitter Gems, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” Just Because Card (Vertical)
D2052 My Acrylix® For All Occasions Stamp Set, X6040 Clover Cardstock, X6030 Evergreen Cardstock, X6058 Rosemary Cardstock, X6045 Sage Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6507 Clover Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6529 Rosemary Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6504 Sage Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3556 Green Stickles™ Glitter Glue, Z3787 Platinum Stickles™ Glitter Glue, Z4054 Gold Embellishing Thread, Z6025 White Acrylic Flowers, Z3906 Iridescent Flower Confetti, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

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February 25, 2020Create, Learn

Color Combinations with an Updated CTMH Color Wheel!

Close To My HeartCelebrate Today, color combination, color theory, color wheel, colour combination, colour theory, Colour Wheel, Love of Color, love of colour, Oh My Heart, wheel 3 Comments

As we kick off March, our color and design ideas naturally shift from Valentine pinks and reds to springy greens and yellows. If you purchased our Oh My Heart suite earlier this year, you may find yourself with leftover papers covered in lovey-dovey hues and themes. With the help of our zip strips and our newly updated Close To My Heart color wheel (find it below!), let’s explore a few ideas of how to use up those pink papers outside of Valentine’s day.

Oh My Heart Paper Packet

Have you noticed that each of our pattern papers come with an additional ½” accent paper strip along the top? On one side we provide a bonus design that coordinates effortlessly with the rest of the paper collection and on the other side there’s a bunch of fine print that most people ignore and tend not to read. 😉

On the informational side of these zip strips you will find the name of the collection along with a list of the featured colors from our exclusive palette that were used in the designs of that collection. As you can see from above, the Oh My Heart pattern papers (and stickers) are designed with Ballerina, Candy Apple, Glacier, Lemonade, Pixie, Raspberry, Smoothie, and White Daisy.

If you struggle with creating color combinations, a zip strip is a great place to start, especially if you’re looking to combine papers from different collections.

For example, the cards below were created using four patterns from the Oh My Heart paper packet. These were paired with the Celebrate Today paper packet + sticker sheet and the new Mix-in paper packet (which is specifically designed to coordinate seamlessly with other paper collections).

Comparing the zip strips of all three paper packets, you can see that they have several colors in common.

Ballerina, Lemonade, and White Daisy can be found in all three paper suites. Oh My Heart and Celebrate Today also share Pixie and Raspberry, and, as designed, Celebrate Today and the Mix-in papers have several other colors in common (Black, Evergreen, Lagoon, and Nectarine).

When you look at the zip strips on your papers, you will find color combinations that have already been created for you! All you have to do is pull a pattern paper from one collection and combine it with the pattern paper from another featuring matching colors, as listed on the zip strip.

When you cross collections, you can easily change themes like love and Valentine’s day to something completely different.

For more color combination ideas, flip through the pages of our Love of Color book. It contains hundreds of artwork examples illustrating how to create perfectly balanced color combinations using the colors in our exclusive palette. This beautiful guide is organized by color, each shown in combinations of three, four, and five colors.

We’ve also talked about color theory before, on this blog. If you’re interested in creating your own color combination, we encourage you to revisit those posts for a quick refresher on techniques for pairing colors. (Find links below.) Once you’ve got those basic rules down, we also encourage you to break them as you see fit!

To help you on this colorful journey we all find ourselves on, we’ve updated our Close To My Heart color wheel by removing the colors that retired from our palette just a few short months ago and adding the new colors that were introduced.

Download the updated Close To My Heart color wheel, here.
(Here for Australia/New Zealand.)

***Keep in mind that our exclusive colors are made up of much more complex tones, shades, and hues than how they are categorized on the simplified color wheel offered above. As you reference and use this source, know that it is not 100% confining. Especially as you become more familiar with what makes colors work together visually, you’ll find that this color wheel is very flexible.***

Monochromatic and Analogous Colors

Complementary Colors and How to Use Them

Using Split-complementary Colors

Triadic Color Combinations

Double Complementary Color Schemes

Recipes:

4¼” x 5½” Happy Birthday Card (Vertical)
D1887 My Acrylix^® Strokes of an Artist Stamp Set, C1819 My Acrylix^® Celebrate Today—Cardmaking Stamp Set, CC12011 Oh My Heart Paper Packet, X7252S Celebrate Today Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X9011 Mix-in Paper Packet, X5968 Lagoon Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2843 Canary Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2812 Raspberry Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4235 Gold Loose Sequins, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

4¼” x 5½” Cheers Card (Horizontal)
D1903 My Acrylix^® Celebrate Today—Scrapbooking Stamp Set, C1819 My Acrylix^® Celebrate Today—Cardmaking Stamp Set, C12011 Oh My Heart Paper Packet, X7252S Celebrate Today Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X9011 Mix-in Paper Packet, X6029 Julep Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2843 Canary Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6511 Julep Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z3547 Piercing Tool

4¼” x 5½” Hey You Card (Vertical)
D1907 My Acrylix^® Shared Happiness Stamp Set, D1887 My Acrylix^®Strokes of an Artist Stamp Set, CC12011 Oh My Heart Paper Packet, X7252S Celebrate Today Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X9011 Mix-in Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6501 Ballerina Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2895 Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4191 Silver Glitter Gems, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

12″ x 12″ Hello Summer Page
CC12011 Oh My Heart Paper Packet, X7252S Celebrate Today Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6047 Black Cardstock, X6040 Clover Cardstock, X6029 Julep Cardstock, X5974 Raspberry Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z3314 Black & White Dots, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Cricut^® You Are Here Collection, Cricut^® Basic Shapes, Sewing Machine

Cricut^® Shapes:
You Are Here Collection
#M282C782
#M282CCBC

Basic Shapes
#M369879

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February 14, 2019Celebrate, Create, Learn

For the Love of Color: A New Color Wheel!

Close To My Heartcolor, color combination, color theory, colour, colour theory, DIY, how-to, Love of Color, theory, Valentine's Day 21 Comments

It is officially love day, and we couldn’t be more excited! Valentine’s Day is a time designated to focus on and celebrate the relationships that matter most, and, in case you didn’t know, you are at the top of our significant others list as part of our beloved crafting community! We simply couldn’t let this special relationship go unnoticed, so we made you a one-of-a-kind Valentine that we hope you’ll enjoy!

Download your new CTMH color wheel, here! <3

We updated the color wheel we shared with you last year to include this year’s new colors from our exclusive color palette!

Since we’re celebrating relationships today, we thought it would be fun (and practical) to talk about relationships between colors and what makes certain pairings work. We’ve summarized color theory principles from previous blog posts and compiled them, below, to have them conveniently available for review all in one place.

Once you’ve chosen basic colors using any one of these combination options, jump on the Close To My Heart color wheel and take your pick from the exclusive colors that fall into each category. If you’d like to learn more about any of the individual principles or would like to see more artwork examples, click on the provided links at the end of each section. Lastly, if you don’t have the time or would simply rather not read through color theory (we get it 😉 ), skip to the end of this post to see how we make using a full spectrum of color even easier!

Monochromatic and Analogous Colors:

Monochromatic color designs make use of a single color that varies in lightness and saturation. Sometimes, a piece of artwork that we may think is monochromatic is actually following an analogous scheme, which is just a fancy way of saying that the featured colors are next to each other on the color wheel. One color is typically dominant while neighboring colors are used to enhance the design. (Monochromatic and Analogous Colors)

Complementary Colors:

Complementary colors are two colors opposite each other on the color wheel, such as Candy Apple and Clover (red and green), and Goldrush and Bluebird (orange and blue). If you notice, one side of the color wheel is made up of warm colors while the other is made up of cool colors. Complementary colors, since they are across from one another, will have one of each. They create a vibrant contrast, making each other pop without being jarring to the eye. (Complementary Colors and How to Use Them)

Split-Complementary Colors:

Split-complementary colors are pretty much what the name implies. When you are using two complementary colors, split one of them into its two adjacent colors on the wheel to end up with three colors that will visually work. Take red-orange and blue-green, for example. They are opposite each other on the color wheel and therefore complementary. Add a third color using the split-complementary scheme by splitting red-orange into two and use red and orange with the blue-green instead. (Using Split-complementary Colors)

Triadic Colors:

A triadic color scheme is a lot easier to understand than it may sound. Just like some of the other theories, triadic color combinations make use of three colors. This time, instead of being next to or opposite each other, triadic colors are three colors that are equally spaced around the color wheel, and when connected by lines create an equal sided triangle.

There are only four triadic color combinations on your basic color wheel:

Red, Yellow, Blue
Red-orange, Yellow-green, Blue-violet
Orange, Green, Violet
Yellow-orange, Blue-green, Red-violet.

(Triadic Color Combinations)

Double Complementary Colors:

Tetradic Colors #ctmh #closetomyheart #colortheory #colourtheory #color #colour #theory #tetradic #double #complementary #doublecomplementary #rectanglecolors #rectangularcolors #colorwheel #colourwheel #wheel #redorange #redviolet #bluegreen #yellowgreen #sweetleaf #thistle #pansy #crystalblue

In a double complementary scheme, we use a combination of four colors that, as the name implies, is made up of two complementary color pairs. (Remember, two colors are complementary if they are opposite each other on the color wheel.) To make it even easier, this kind of color combination is also known as rectangular colors because, when the four colors are connected on the color wheel, they form a rectangle. (Triadic Color Combinations)

After reading, reviewing, and applying these color principles it’s easy to see that making harmonious color combinations isn’t so hard. Keep that trusty color wheel close by and pick your colors with confidence!

We also know that color theory isn’t for everyone. If you fall into this category or would like to see pages and pages of artwork examples that we’ve come up with using these principles, then Love of Color is for you.

Love of Color

Love of Color is our latest how-to book, and through its pages the exclusive Close To My Heart color palette comes to life! In it, breathtaking artwork illustrates how to create beautiful and perfectly balanced color combinations without any guesswork. Each spread in this book starts out with one exclusive color that is then combined with two, three, and four other exclusive colors, shown in beautifully crafted inspirational artwork.

This layout was created using one of the three Smoothie color combination options offered in Love of Color. In this example, Smoothie was paired with Ballerina, Eggplant, New England Ivy, and Heather. Smoothie is the dominant color and the others were used to create accents throughout.

For the Love of Color #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhloveofcolor #loveofcolor #ctmhexclusivecolorpalette #colorwheel #ctmhcolorwheel #colortheory #colorcombinations #diy #color #colour #papercrafting #scrapbooking #cardmaking

Thank you for being our Valentine today and joining us through this celebration of color! We hope that you are always living your life in full color and that you are moved to do something creative today!

Recipe:

12″ x 12″ Sunshine Layout
D1817 My Acrylix® So Much Happy—Scrapbooking Stamp Set, X7240B Something Fierce Paper Packet, X6036 Ballerina Cardstock, X6000 Eggplant Cardstock, X6006 Heather Cardstock, X5959 New England Ivy Cardstock, X5985 Smoothie Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z4244 Stencil Sheets, Z6501 Ballerina Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2847 Eggplant Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2826 Heather Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2896 Smoothie Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4270 I Heart Us Sequins, Z4245 Opaque Matte Texture Paste, Z4520 Palette Knives, Z4575 Black LePen™, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Cricut® Artbooking Collection, Cricut® Flower Market Collection

Cricut Shapes:
Artbooking
#M3F0A2

Flower Market
#MD38CC3
#MFAD3B7
#MFAD3B7
#MFAD8CB

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May 29, 2018Create, Learn

Color Theory: Double Complementary Color Schemes

Close To My Heartcolor, color combination, color theory, colour, colour theory, combination, complementary, double complementary, tetradic 10 Comments

This is it, the last of our color theory posts! In our final installment of this series, we’re going to highlight tetradic (or double complementary) color schemes and show you how to create them on your own.

In a double complementary scheme, we use a combination of four colors that, as the name implies, is made up of two complementary color pairs. (Remember, two colors are complementary if they are opposite each other on the color wheel.) To make it even easier, this kind of color combination is also known as rectangular colors because when the four colors are connected on the color wheel they form a rectangle.

Because the four colors have to form a rectangle to fit this scheme, there are really only so many combinations that you can form. Six, to be exact:

orange, yellow, blue, violet
yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-violet, red-violet
yellow, green, violet, red
yellow-green, blue-green, red-violet, red-orange
green, blue, red, orange
blue-green, blue-violet, red-orange, yellow-orange

Once you’ve chosen one of these combinations, jump on the Close To My Heart color wheel and pick from the exclusive colors that fall into each category.

Download here.

Another way to approach color choice, like in previous color schemes we’ve discussed, is by starting out with a color you want to use, like Eggplant, and then drawing the rectangle from it to determine what the other three colors could be.

This card uses Close To My Heart exclusive colors that fall within the orange, yellow, blue, and violet combination—Goldrush, Canary, Sapphire, and Eggplant.

The page above makes use of the yellow-green, blue-green, red-violet, and red-orange combination—Sweet Leaf, Crystal Blue, Thistle, and Poppy.

Tetradic colors tend to be quite vibrant and can even be jarring if used in equal amounts. To avoid creating artwork that is hard to look at when using this type of color scheme, choose one dominant color and use the other three to accent. Including neutrals in your designs, like we did with white in both of our examples, is an easy way to subdue the effects of this bold combination.

After reading, reviewing, and applying the color principles that we’ve been discussing these past few months, it’s easy to see that making harmonious color combinations isn’t so hard. Keep that trusty color wheel close by and pick your colors with confidence!

Recipes

12″ x 12″ Summer Page
X7233B Beautiful Friendship Paper Packet, X5977 Crystal Blue Cardstock, X5963 Poppy Cardstock, X5980 Sweet Leaf Cardstock, X5976 Thistle Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X7231C Central Park Complements, Z4177 Documented Dots, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles

4¼” x 5½” Life with Friends Card (Horizontal)
D1779 My Acrylix^® Beautiful Friendship—Scrapbooking Stamp Set, X7233B Beautiful Friendship Paper Packet, X5962 Goldrush Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2843 Canary Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2847 Eggplant Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2823 Goldrush Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4177 Documented Dots, Z4196 White Ribbon

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March 15, 2018Create, Learn

Color Theory: Using Split-Complementary Colors

Close To My Heartcolor combination, color scheme, color theory, color wheel, complementary, coordination, split-complementary 13 Comments

The first time we talked color on the blog, back in January, we reviewed complementary color schemes and how to use them. We defined complementary colors as two colors opposite the color wheel, such as Cranberry and Willow (red and green), and Goldrush and Pacifica (orange and blue).

Today we want to expand on this scheme. Split complementary colors are pretty much what the name implies. You take two colors opposite each other on the color wheel, like red and green, and split one of them into its two adjacent colors on the wheel.

Take for example red-orange and blue-green. They are opposite each other on the color wheel and therefore complementary. To add a third color using the split complementary scheme, split red-orange into two and use red and orange with the blue-green instead.

How does that translate into our exclusive colors? Take a look:

This card was made using Pomegranate (red), Goldrush (orange), and Lagoon (blue-green) patterned papers and cardstock.

As you know, our exclusive color palette is made up of more hues than the 12 basic colors you see in a color wheel. You can easily add a fourth (maybe dare a fifth and sixth!) color and still be in a split complementary scheme. If you look back at the card, we also incorporated Glacier cardstock, which works well since it also fits into the blue-green family.

In the page above, we used Canary (yellow). Since Canary fits into the yellow category, its complementary color would be violet. Instead of going with the complementary color, we split the complementary and went with hues that fell to either side: Pansy (blue-violet), and Bashful and Pixie (both in the red-violet). Adding different hues in the same color is an easy way to enhance an already winning color combination. Our two-toned cardstock, makes it especially easy to get more variety of the same color when you use both sides.

In case you’re wondering how to classify our exclusive colors in the range of blue-green or red-violet, use this color wheel to simplify your color selection process:

Download color wheel here.

Are you enjoying learning about color? Let us know what you think and what you want to know in the comments below!

Recipes

4¼” x 5½” You Make My Heart Happy Card (Horizontal)
Make It from Your Heart Vol. 1: Pattern 22
A1192 My Acrylix^® Happy Heart Stamp Set, Z3351 Adventure Fundamental Paper Packet, Z3352 Enchantment Fundamental Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, Z2826 Heather Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2854 Pomegranate Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3189 White & Gold Ribbon, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Sewing Machine

12″ x 12″ Shine Page
Make It from Your Heart Vol. 1: Pattern 18
D1757 My Acrylix^® Stargazer—Scrapbooking Stamp Set, X7230B Chelsea Gardens Paper Packet, Z3350 Whimsy Fundamental Paper Packet, X7227B Make Waves Paper Packet, X7229B Stargazer Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5984 Pixie Cardstock, Z2844 Pixie Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2843 Canary Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7227C Make Waves Complements, X7229C Stargazer Complements, Z4142 Make Waves Sequins & Gems, Z1297 Edge Distresser, Z4575 Black LePen™, Sewing Machine

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Make It from Your Heart

Tag Archives: color combination

You’re Invited to a Cardstock Carnival!

Color Combinations with an Updated CTMH Color Wheel!