An Elegant Way to Put Your Memories On Display

Close To My Heartartwork, beach, boat, Decor, designed decor, display tray, frame, hang, home, Jackson, life in the summer, My Crush, net, ocean, Picture My Life, seashells, Seaside, vacation 5 Comments

As the end of July draws near, some of you have probably started to place your summertime memories in albums. But have you ever thought about hanging them on the wall? Our Designed Décor products are perfect for preserving memories while still leaving all the creativity to you! What’s really fun about this line is that the products allow you to showcase your photos while using even more of your favorite paper packets, stamps, and embellishments at once. Of course, the Designed Décor line can also be used with minimal or no embellishments, and the products will still add simple elegance to any photos. That’s what’s great about Designed Décor—YOU get to determine how many details you want to add and the overall effect you want to create. We decided to try our hand at creating a very embellished Designed Décor item, just for fun. 🙂 Our artist started with our display tray, let her creative gears run wild, and produced stunning results!

Isn’t that a gorgeous memento to hang on your wall? Right off the bat you can see that our display tray can be a great way to use up leftover scraps and embellishments you have lying around. Our artist cut the “Life” letters from the My Crush^®For Her Book and used 3-D foam tape to make them pop. How creative is that? We also love the way the artist cut photos in half to share between two windows. And the journaling on the Picture My Life™ Jackson Scrapbooking Program card. And the landscape scenes created using the Seaside paper packet and fence stamp. Sorry, we’ll try to contain our excitement. This display tray’s just got us reeling!

Like an intricate scrapbook page, the small details really make this display tray special. Embossed letters using the My Acrylix^® Keyboard Uppercase stamp set provide a gritty texture similar to sand, and what better pictures to use with the Oceanside sequins than actual pictures of the ocean? The sequins tie the cool colors of the display board together wonderfully.

Just look at all the details in this corner of the display tray. The Cricut^®-cut wave, the layered seashells shaded with watercolor pencils, the perfectly placed sequins, the metal Seaside Assortment pieces. And what an inventive way to use Glacier thick twine! The net and starfish add such a unique, dimensional element to this piece.

Not only is our Designed Décor line perfect for creating seasonal décor with family memories, but it’s also great for showcasing everyday pictures—and in a way that will catch the eye of all your guests. Even if you don’t use as many embellishments as the piece above, Designed Décor provides a great medium for beautifully displaying photos and memories. So go ahead! Take a look at our Designed Décor line, and choose the perfect piece to add to your home. Then sit back, relax, and let the compliments roll in. 🙂

Recipe

Life Is Better in the Summer Display Tray
C1594 My Acrylix^® Treasured Friendship, C1595 My Acrylix^® Hello Summer, D1609 My Acrylix^®Seaside Greetings, B1416 My Acrylix^® Keyboard Uppercase, X7192B Seaside Paper Packet, X7185B Scaredy Cat Paper Packet, Z3068 Picture My Life™ Jackson Scrapbooking Program, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2114 Cocoa Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2165 Juniper Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z1142 Brown StazOn™ Ink Pad, Z3081 My Crush^® For Her Book, Z1750 Display Tray, Z3014 Seaside Assortment, Z3039 Glacier Thick Twine, Z3041 Oceanside Sequins, Z2068 Ranger™ White Super Fine Embossing Powder, 3505 Watercolor Pencils, Z1906 Cricut^® Artbooking Collection, Pen, Hot Glue Gun

Cricut^® Shape:
Artbooking
1 ¼” Border <y> (p. 53)

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May 5, 2015Memory Keeping

Patterns on Patterns on Patterns

Blossom, design tips, how-to, Jackson, Patterns, simple inspiration 7 Comments

Behind every successful team, there’s a playbook. The same thing goes for artists. Lucky for us, the brains behind the beauty of Close To My Heart, our CEO, Jeanette Lynton, wrote a collection of how-to books overflowing with patterns for cards and layouts that will march you toward crafting victory time and time again.

These books are what you should turn to when you’re not sure where to start; they’re like the supportive coach waiting back on the sidelines. They never fail to kick off our artistic ideas and lay the foundation for a triumphant artistic production!

So what play did we use to pull off the lovely page shown below? The answer is the Reflections: Main Frame—Back Drop™ pattern. But that’s not the end of it.

The true secret behind the sauce is that we added a little twist to this pattern. Let’s head into the locker room and we’ll fill you in on the technique.
Ok, listen up. This technique is simple, yet powerful: We simply chose a piece from the how-to pattern and then filled it with a repeated shape instead of a block of cardstock. We used circles on this page, but you can use any shape you want.

Repetition is one of the fundamental characteristics of excellent design and including it in your artwork is equivalent to doing your sit-ups or eating your vegetables—it’s guaranteed to bring good things.

With the help of the 1″ circle punch and the Jackson and Blossom paper packets, we were able to add variety without overwhelming the design, making this layout a graceful pileup of B&T patterns, repeated circle patterns, and how-to patterns. That’s a lot of patterns!

When you give this technique a try, you could mix it up by using a different pattern, a different shape (we think using hearts would be game-changing), or different papers. The combination potential of these pattern players is incredible!

But that’s enough talk, folks. Now let’s get out there and craft like it’s game day.

Looking to add a few key players to your team of crafting supplies? Here’s the all-star lineup of the how-to books available through Close To My Heart:

9035 Make It from Your Heart™ Volume 1
9042 Make It from Your Heart™ Volume 2
9038 Cherish™ Scrapbook Program
9039 Imagine™ Scrapbook Program
9040 Magic™ Scrapbook Program
9037 Reflections™ Scrapbook Program
9041 Wishes Card Confidence Program™
9036 Originals Card Confidence Program™

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April 15, 2015Memory Keeping

We Get the Picture

Close To My Heartchange, deck, Jackson, Picture My Life, PML, pocket scrapbook, size 3 Comments

There’s a new player in the game of life. Picture My Life™, that is.

The newest addition to our Picture My Life™ scrapbooking programs, Jackson, debuted April 1 in the Seasonal Expressions 2 idea book. As with our previous decks, this one features a high design element, versatility, and all the dazzling designs you could ask for. The cards are great for mixing and matching with other decks, and the beautiful rounded edges look sharp within the pockets of our Memory Protectors™.

But Jackson is different, too.

It isn’t a 122-card deck, like your original favorites in Annual Inspirations. Following in the footsteps of the Hopscotch and Heartstrings programs, Jackson now stands as the star of the 56-card deck!

So why the shift in size? Quite simply, we work hard to provide you with the greatest products possible, and that always means meeting your needs. When we asked for feedback on your needs, you spoke—and we listened!

Your first request was a new balance between cards and photos. You cherish your photos so much that it turns out only a few cards on a page does the trick nicely. Fancy that! We are happy to help the lover of photos in every case.

Journaling was also voted one of your top priorities, so to complement your extra photos, we’ve provided more journaling spaces. With the Jackson program you’ll find that each card features one side dedicated to journaling, while the opposite side features the decorative sentiments and icons you’ve come to depend on. Once your memories are penned onto these journaling spots and slipped safely into pockets, flip your remaining cards over and enjoy the view!

Now that we’ve got the 56-card Jackson program in hand, we can all get back to capturing our favorite moments—one pocket at a time.

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April 1, 2015Community

We’re not fooling around—Seasonal Expressions 2 is here!

April Fools' Day, Blossom, Brian Holman, Jackson, monica, seasonal expressions 2, washi tape 56 Comments

In honor of the long-awaited arrival of Seasonal Expressions 2, we’ve compiled a list of our 7 favorite products that are now available! Check it out! And while you’re at it, keep a lookout for an April Fools’ Day surprise. 😉

1. Workshops on the Go® Blossom Cardmaking Kit
Grab your swimsuits, everyone! It’s time to take a dive into a pool of colors. We love this kit’s combination of the vibrant Blossom papers and the summery stamp set, which is available exclusively through this kit. Throw in coral reef sequins and Glacier extra thick twine, and you’ve got a recipe for a summer cooler we’ll happily sip all afternoon.

2. My Acrylix^® Wavy Blooms
The flowers in this stamp set practically bloom off the page! They’re breezy and beautiful and will effortlessly take on any color you choose. We love using ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ markers to create luminous spectrums that radiate from the page, but feel free to color them any which way you please because, honey, you’re the only florist in this flower shop.

3. My Crush™ For Her and For Him Books
We know, we know, we’ve told you we’re in love with our My Crush™ books a thousand times, but this crush just isn’t going away. If anything, it’s getting stronger. We’ve got the love bug, and, with new additions like the For Her and For Him books, we’re proud of it! Everything about these books is on point and, let’s face it, we’re borderline obsessed with them.

4. Carnival and Boardwalk Washi Tape Packs
First there were the strawberries on the cover and now this? Summer can’t come fast enough with all of these new products pouring sunshine into our hearts! This is probably the most versatile washi tape that’s ever come through our doors—you can use it in strips or as individual labels. We can’t wait to see it popping up on all your projects!

5. My Creations™ Mini Mix Album
Ever since we laid eyes on this little album, our imaginations have been going cuckoo with all the possibilities! It’s small enough to be adorable, but big enough to hold lots of bits and pieces, including all those square photos from your Instagram account. And the variety of vellum, kraft, and white cardstock pages keeps things a little mixed up in the best kind of way.

6. Blossom and Jackson Assortments
It’s no secret that we love working with papers, stickers, twine, tape, and other things that bend to our creative wills, but every once in a while a crafter likes to use something with a bit more backbone, which is precisely why we’re smitten with these metal-rimmed, enamel-filled pieces! Each one brings a jolt of personality all its own. They are just the right kind of adhesive-backed novelty we love to stick on our projects.

7. Supersized Diapers
As modeled so elegantly by our COO Brian Holman’s Smart car, these supersized diapers are a godsend to keep your car from making a mess all over town. Thanks to the plush fabric and contouring fit, this baby car can finally receive the care and nurture an infant like itself deserves! If you really want to get creative, try these diapers on oversized cats, dogs, and children. It’s your guaranteed defense for when nature calls! Works like a charm.
APRIL FOOLS! Sorry, Brian. But your car is kind of a baby. 🙂