Our aptly named Cozy Up paper collection captures the familiar fondness autumn brings, including those warm, comforting colors and themes that draw us in.
Today we will be focusing on the Cozy Up cardmaking workshop and a few sponging techniques, inspired by the changing colors in the natural world around us. Be sure to visit our website, however, to see all that the Cozy Up collection has to offer. From patterned papers and cardstock to stamps, dies, svg files, and more! This comfy and intimate collection of papercrafting products is one that you will want to bundle your relationships and memories in, whether it’s through cardmaking, scrapbooking, or any other papercrafting project. So, get cozy, and take a look!
The cards made from the Cozy Up cardmaking workshop are absolutely stunning! Even though it’s not quite autumn yet, as creators and artists, we crave to witness and get inspired by these transitional months—and we certainly were! By applying a few ink sponging techniques, we were able to mimic the changing leaf colors we love.
Believe it or not, the leaves in both cards started out white! Using the coordinating set of stamps and dies only available through the workshop kit, we first die cut the shapes out of White Daisy cardstock, then stamped the leafy details with Mocha ink, and finished by sponging on Honey Butter, Paprika, and Rosemary inks.
To achieve the multicolored leaves, we applied one ink color at a time, using the round edge of a wedge cut out from a sponge, overlapping the colors where they meet. This is a technique that really can’t be messed up, and the results are very rewarding!
We used the same sponging technique in this next card.
You’ll notice that we skipped the stamping in one of the leaves on this card and drew stems in with a white gel pen.
Making this one leaf different and then placing it along the bottom, with the others stacked on top with foam tape, adds a different layer of dimension. This time, it’s a visual dimensional effect. This bottom leaf, because it lacks the same level of detail as the ones raised above it, gives the illusion that it must be further away.
Not only did we sponge the leaves, as you’ve seen us do in the other cards from this workshop, but we did so while simultaneously creating the beautiful background!
Our Creative Arts Manager, Karen Pederson, shows us in the video below exactly how to create this look!
Cozy up with this warm and familiar cardmaking workshop and its paper collection, full of autumnal aesthetic favorites, while supplies last!
For additional details on the Cozy Up cardmaking workshop, download the free guide, below!
That’s right! These universally cute, peculiar little creatures, with their whimsical and endearing qualities, are trend setters with a lot of staying power, and we have invited them into our scrapbooks and cards!
Popular since the late 18th century, gnomes have been making their way into our gardens and crops, delivering good luck and providing protection against unwanted thieves and pests (or so the folklore goes 😉).
In line with the modern farmhouse trend and Scandi movement in décor design, gnomes continue to appeal to all of us, so much so that they have moved out of our gardens and into our homes—onto bookshelves, mantles, counters and tabletops, hallways, staircases, the occasional Christmas tree, and so much more! (Let us know in the comments below where your gnomes hang out in your home!)
Just a few weeks before the beginning of every new season (autumn, winter, spring, and summer), we will release a new Gnome for All Seasons collection that correlates with the upcoming seasonal period!
We are absolutely captivated by these small pop culture icons but understand that perhaps not everyone feels the same about them.
If you look closely at our designs, you’ll notice that the gnomes are only found on one side of the six paper design options, in just two of the stickers on the 12″ x 12″ sticker sheet, and in the Gnomes for Autumn Thin Cuts set of dies. What remains outside of these exceptions, are beautiful, coordinating seasonal products. Even if you don’t like gnomes (why wouldn’t you??–no judgment), you can still enjoy these gorgeous products in your scrapbooking and cardmaking projects.
The cardmaking and scrapbooking workshops available, also feature gnomes in their designs. If you would rather not, simply flip the gnome themed paper over to the autumnal side, without any gnomes, and use that in your artwork.
If you love this collection as much as we do, remember to check back early, before the start of every season! The Gnomes for Autumn is just the beginning of a four-season collection. We will be doing a winter, spring, and summer gnome collection, too, each with a similar product offering, where gnome motifs will be sprinkled throughout but will not overwhelm the seasonal designs.
You can never have too much “autumn” in your life, and at CTMH, we can definitely help with that! To fully immerse ourselves in the spirit of the autumn season, we’ll be showing off our fantastic Four Seasons—Autumn paper suite today, along with a few stamp sets from the 2022–2023 Core Products Catalog! With so much seasonal fun in store, we can’t wait to dive into this beautiful selection of patterned papers and stickers. We’ve got an awesome selection of art pieces to show you today to demonstrate all the amazing aspects of this collection, so without further ado, let’s take a look!
To start us off, we’re going to take a peek at a few first-rate cards, all of which were made with the Four Seasons—Autumn paper collection, and a few seasonal stamp sets from our 2022–2023 Core Products catalog. (Click here to view all the beautiful paper collections, stamps, and other exciting products included in this catalog!)
For our first card, we used a fun truck from the Seasonal Haul Stamp + Thin Cuts set. Along with the truck, this set also includes several adorable images to use to fill the bed of the truck. For our “Autumn Blessings” truck card, we chose a pile of pumpkins for the cargo, while also adding a fun “Happy Day!” sign in the front window. To add a splash of delicate color to our truck, its load of gourds, and the “Happy Day!” sign, we’ve used a light touch with our Watercolor Pencils. To preserve a more rustic feel, we chose not to use a waterbrush to activate the watercolor effect, leaving the slightly coarser penciled effect instead.
On the layer behind the truck, we’ve used patterned papers from the Four Seasons—Autumn paper packet to create a festive background and base for our card; in addition, we’ve also utilized a piece of White Daisy cardstock and added some subtle detailing by adding a dashed line with a Sepia LePen™. Once your card background has been established, we created some additional detail elements with a simple leaf stamp from the Seasonal Haul Stamp + Thin Cuts set, decorated with a bit of Copper Stickles™ Glitter Glue, plus a few pieces from the Orange & Yellow Dots collection.
To finish everything off, we’ve created our title piece with the Thankful Autumn stamp set. The sentiment was stamped on a dovetailed piece of White Daisy cardstock with Black and Toffee Exclusive Inks™ stamp pads. Using two different colors of ink made it possible for us to layer the “blessings” image over the top of “Autumn,” for a unique, layered look. As a final touch, we gently sponged the edges of our dovetailed title piece with Toffee ink to increase dimension. We love our Autumn Blessings card, and it’s only the tip of the iceberg as we continue to delve into the creative possibilities available through the Four Seasons—Autumn paper packet!
Our next two cards really get into the autumnal spirit with their very own vibrant leaf piles! Both cards were constructed using our Autumn Air Stamp + Thin Cuts, and the My Acrylix® Thankful Autumn and Seasonal Haul stamp sets. Using this stellar combination, we were able to coordinate seamlessly with the Four Seasons—Autumn paper packet to create a gorgeous patchwork of patterns to form our background, clustered leaf accent in the mid-ground, and a polished title on top of our leaf pile cluster!
The leaves on these cards showcase a combination of two techniques—basic solid stamping, and rock n’ roll stamping for subtle color change within a single stamped image. This pairing allows for a nice variation between the leaves while using a relatively small number of stamps!
Moving right along, our next piece on display today is a 6” x 6” mini scrapbook page! We absolutely love this smaller memory keeping piece, and its size lends itself particularly well to the Four Seasons—Autumn paper packet and the Autumn Air Stamp + Thin Cuts set, both of which were used to create this striking mini page. For our base page, we trimmed a 6” x 6” section from a dark wood grain patterned paper. On top of that, we layered a handful of other patterned paper and coordinating cardstock pieces from the Four Seasons—Autumn collection to further build this page.
From there, we used a variety of leaves from our Autumn Air Stamp + Thin Cuts set and the Thankful Autumn stamp set to create some slight layering around the corners and bottom edge of our photo. Tucking the leaves beneath layers is a beautiful way to embellish the page with our very own leaf pile clusters without becoming too busy or cluttered.
This same layered leaf pile effect can also be seen at the bottom edge of our next piece, a 12” x 12” “Autumn Blessings” single page! This page started out with leaf patterned paper as the base, with a piece of dark wood-grain paper on top of that. We then used a few smaller pieces of patterned paper to frame the central photo. Calling back to an earlier favorite, we kicked things into gear with another fantastic fall truck! With a precious cargo of pumpkins, this classic pickup provides a colorful focal point, its rustic color coming from a light hand with our Watercolor Pencils. This truck also boasts a wood guard rail that is another fun way to customize your stamped truck accents.
Beneath our pickup harvest truck, we’ve finished things off with the leaf pile, made up of a handful of pieces from our Autumn Air Stamp + Thin Cuts. This pile forms a great embellishment cluster for our title at the bottom edge of the page. The stamped leaves fit right in with the leaf pattern on the base page, with the end result being a lush layer of leafy goodness!
Our final piece is a 2-page 12” x 12” “Autumn” layout. A standout feature of this layout is the artistically torn section of Four Seasons—Autumn papers, sweeping from the top left corner across the upper edge of the page. This element serves to draw the eye across the page, making sure that the photos, title, and journaling sections are at the forefront of the viewer’s attention. Further visual interest is generated by sponged sections behind the photo sections on both pages. This pop of color near the photo mats allows for additional emphasis to be placed on the photo in a relatively simple fashion, without overwhelming the design. For some extra fun, we’ve also added just a spritz of Gilt Gloss Spray over the sponged ink, adding a bit of shine!
These sponged accents were created using Vintage Photo and Spiced Marmalade Distress Oxide™ inks for a vibrant and seamlessly blended effect. Along with these sponged sections, we used a handful of stickers from the Four Seasons—Autumn Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, and a few stamps from the Autumn Air Stamp + Thin Cuts set to further spice up the aesthetic of these pages. One amazing thing about the leaves in this stamp set is that they look fabulous whether they’re used with the accompanying Thin Cuts dies, or stamped directly on your base page!
To keep the party going, we utilized many of the fun patterns available through the Four Seasons—Autumn paper packet to create a layered effect that further serves to break up the stark background of our White Daisy cardstock base.
A final feature of this Autumn layout is the title section, created with the Thankful Autumn stamp set, with the letters carefully trimmed from the cardstock it was stamped on. This title utilizes an ombre blend of Distress Oxide™ and Exclusive Inks™ for a beautiful gradient color effect. By gently sponging Paprika ink at the base of the stamp, and gradually layering Spiced Marmalade Distress Oxide™ ink up the length of the stamp, it’s quick and easy to achieve this polished look! As you can see, there’s a wealth of creative opportunities available when you craft with the Four Seasons—Autumn paper collection and the autumn-inspired stamps featured in our 2022–2023 Core Products Catalog! To see even more of this creative power in action, check out this video, featuring the artwork we’ve showcased in this post!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this brief look into what can be accomplished with our autumn-inspired papers and stamps, and we can’t wait to hear what you plan to create with them! Leave a comment below to tell us about your autumnal crafting vision for 2022 and beyond!
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! 😉)
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!
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. 🍂
When you want to communicate feelings of love, gratitude, excitement, joy, or sympathy, you can never go wrong with a beautiful card. Today, we’ll be focusing on techniques we used to create the gorgeous cards that grace the cover of our July–September catalog.
These autumnal-themed cards feature a refreshing combination of patterned papers, stamps, Thin Cuts, and stickers from our Crisp Air collection and represent a wonderful example of how a beautiful art piece can be easier to create than it may appear on the surface. To begin, let’s discuss the initial steps we took when creating these cards.
Every card starts with a card base and a base design layer. For these cards, we selected various options from the Crisp Air paper packet to provide a starting point for our designs. With so many beautiful colors and patterns to coordinate with, this assortment of vibrant papers offers bases that accommodate multiple design directions.
Another common element across the board is the addition of a message or opening sentiment. Our cards on display today include a variety of sentiments, with some being achieved with stamped images, one with a sticker addition, and even one embossed die-cut title accent! Each of these options for adding a card sentiment comes with its own advantages—for example, using a stamp allows you to tailor the image to your liking through the use of different stamping techniques and colors.
Incorporating a sticker into the sentiment, like we see with the “Beautiful Change” card above, is a quicker and easier way to add some polished flair to your card.
While the stamped and sticker titles are fairly straightforward, the embossed die-cut title takes a more technical approach. To create this title, we used a die from our Gratitude Thin Cuts set to create two “thankful” die-cuts and glued them together for extra dimension. After gluing, we pressed our die-cut into a VersaMark™ ink pad, placed it flat on a piece of scratch paper, coated it with Princess Gold embossing powder, and gently picked it up with tweezers to shake off the excess powder.
Once the excess embossing powder was removed, we used a Heat Tool to heat-set the remaining powder while still holding the die-cut with the tweezers. This technique offers a more 3-dimensional result with an eye-catching metallic finish, making it a beautiful accent for this already gorgeous card!
After selecting your color palette, papers, and sentiment, a great way to complete your card is to select a few accents to finish off your design. For our cards today, we’ve turned primarily to our selection of Crisp Air stickers and stamps, a handful of Thin Cuts, some ribbon, and a few coordinating cardstock colors to help tie all the design elements together and make each one unique.
One of our favorite accents for these cards is the light orange ribbon used on the “Celebrate” card, pictured above. To achieve this shade, we used an orange TriBlend™ marker to color a length of white ribbon using long, steady strokes to achieve uniform color distribution. Once the ink dried on the ribbon, we cut dovetailed the ends, tied a loose knot, and attached it to the card to finish off the tag behind the title piece.
Another standout feature of these Crisp Air cards is the use of embellishment clusters. To create these embellishment clusters, we combined several individual elements into a cohesive grouping and attached it to the card as a larger accent. One of our favorite ways to do this is to gather multiple stamped die-cuts, created with a Stamp + Thin Cuts set. By using stamps and dies from the Crisp Air—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts set, we were able to create this vibrant embellishment cluster that matched the paper designs perfectly!
Looking for a quicker option? Like the title piece discussed in the “Beautiful Change” card above, using stickers to create embellishment clusters like the one on this “Love You” card can be done in just a couple of minutes!
To create the background behind the darker outline of our pumpkin, we traced the overlay and hand trimmed a plain background to create a stable base. We then used our Thin Cuts die to cut the shape again on a piece of Nectarine cardstock, spongedPaprika ink around the edges, and carefully inlaid the pumpkin overlay with the sponged orange pieces, resulting in a dimensional accent piece!
Once you’ve found an accent method that works for your card, you may want to add a few smaller touches to finish it all off. For this selection of cards, we’ve used Crisp Air dots, glitter gems, dabs of glitter glue, gold embellishing thread, and even a couple of detail stamps like the splatter stamp from our Crisp Air—Scrapbooking stamp set. A few well-placed features like these are the perfect finishing touches as you complete your own unique cards.
No matter what your card communicates, it can be easy to create a meaningful piece of personal artwork with just a few simple techniques and a handful of coordinating products like those in our Crisp Air collection. Remember, card creation doesn’t have to be complicated to be meaningful—when you craft from the heart, you can’t go wrong! What do you dream of creating with the Crisp Air suite? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Happy first day of fall! Between the changing leaves, crisp evenings, and all the other great things about fall, one of our favorite things about this wonderful season is the Halloween celebrations and the great crafts that come with them!
This year, we’ve got some very special Halloween-themed products in store, starting with the Boo Crew collection! This spook-tacular suite includes an imaginative color scheme, bringing together the classic tones of orange and black, along with bright pink accents to tie it all together.
The Boo Crew collection features a selection of fun patterns in a paper packet, sticker sheet, stamp set, and Thin Cuts. With all kinds of cute and spooky sentiments, icons, and images, these stamps and stickers are the perfect complement to your favorite Halloween memories!
Rounding out this too-cute collection are the Boo Crew coordinating cardstock, made up of 3 sheets of Ballerina, Black, Nectarine, and Wild Berry 12″ x 12″ cardstock sheets, and the Boo Crew Sequins. These little holographic ghost sequins are a treat to include in any craft, and they’re sure to bring a little sparkle to the spooky moments you love most!
For an even sweeter treat, you can get all the Boo Crew products together in the discounted Boo Crew Product Bundle, for 20%-off!
These festive Halloween sets are all available now, through our September–October catalog, and make a bewitching addition to our Halloween products for the 2021 spooky season!
To ensure we capture as much of the Halloween spirit we can this year, we’ve also put together a workshop that creates three coordinating 12″ x 12″ two-page scrapbook layouts and six treat containers using the products from the Boo Crew collection.
Join us for a Facebook Live, on October 12, at 2 p.m., MST, to create all three scrapbook layouts together. Then, keep watching for the second half of our Boo Crew workshop, where we will have Close To My Heart President Monica Wihongi’s daughter, Maya, demonstrating how to create the Boo Crew treat containers!
Just in time for the holiday season, we’ve paired the exclusive products from our Seasons in Motion special with a couple of FREE card patterns to add a little animated spice to our holidays!
In order to achieve the animated effect, layer the stamped images with either an animation sheetor a paper piece you can now cut using the new animation window Thin Cuts die!
Also part of the Seasons in Motion special, which we used to create our example cards, is the Holiday Stack! The Holiday Stack is a pack of 48 6″ x 6″ patterned papers with designs from some of our past favorite 12″ x 12″ patterns.
These are not the original 12″ x 12″ papers cut into quarters, keeping the patterns the same size, but, rather, shrunken down versions of the classic favorites made to fit a 6″ x 6″ square!
Download our two free animated cardmaking patterns, here, and delight your loved ones with animated cards this coming holiday season!
With Thanksgiving just a little over a week away, and Christmas shortly after, we thought we’d share in the holiday spirit with a free downloadable scrapbook pattern! <3
This timeless pattern made its original debut with our Back Country collection a few years ago but, as you can see, it can be used with any papers and for any occasion. Above, we paired the pattern with the Hawthorn paper collection from our September–October Catalog. (For those of you who didn’t get a chance to purchase the collection during these months, you are in luck! We recently started offering product on our website under an Online Only menu, and there are a few Hawthorn Paper Packets left—so grab one while you still can!)
Believe it or not, the layout below was created following this same pattern and paired with the Cedar & Pine collection.
If you look closely, you’ll notice that all we did was turn the pattern upside down. When you do flip or rotate a pattern, just make sure that the title and journaling fall somewhere on the page where it visually makes sense (to you). We didn’t like where the journaling box landed when we flipped our pattern and created this second layout, so we moved it. We also added another photo to this Christmas layout by splitting one of the designated 4″ x 6″ photo spots into two 3″ x 4″ photos.
At Close To My Heart, we take pride in providing the most comprehensive patterns for scrapbook layouts. When you download this pattern, you will notice that it also comes with cutting diagrams to make it even easier to create these pages!
Download this free scrapbooking pattern below and have a wonderful holiday season full of memories worth preserving!
For even more scrapbook patterns, check out our Make It from Your Heart™pattern book series. If you love the free patterns on the blog, you’re sure to be blown away by all the patterns offered in our beautiful how-to books!
Earlier this year we showed you how to use the Cricut® Flower Market Collection for a springtime monogram. Today we have some artwork that just goes to show that this truly is a collection for all seasons! Take a look at this beautiful wreath celebrating the upcoming fall!
Starting with a simple grapevine wreath, we decorated our piece with paper flowers and leaves in stunning fall colors. (Picking our colors was easy—we just turned to our brand new fall-themed paper packets from the Holiday Expressions idea book, which is available for purchase as of September 1.)
When working with Cricut® shapes in your décor, add dimension and life by curling and bending petals and leaves. Add embellishments, like buttons and ribbons, for more textures, details, and volume.
With its changing leaves in rich hues of reds, oranges, and yellows, fall is by far the most colorful season of the year to draw inspiration from. Bring some of those glowing vibrant tones into your home by creating some of your own décor pieces—it’s all about where your creativity takes you!
