Autumn Crafting Dreams Come True with Four Seasons Papers and Stamps!

Close To My Heart2022–2023 Core Products Catalog, autumn, autumn air, Autumn Blessings, cards, crafting, crisp, Crisp Air Warm Hearts, Distress Oxide™, fall, Four Seasons, Four Seasons—Autumn, It's Fall Y'all, leaf, leaf pile, leaves, Memory Keeping, mini page, Papercrafting, rock n' roll, scrapbooking, seasonal, stamping, Thankful Autumn, torn paper, video 5 Comments

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!

Recipes:

12″ x 12″ Autumn Layout
Z4670 Autumn Air Stamp + Thin Cuts, A1290 My Acrylix^® Thankful Autumn Stamp Set, X8036S Four Seasons—Autumn Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z1375 Kraft Paper, Z6536 Honey Buter Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6531 Mocha Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6510 Nectarine Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6515 Paprika Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z2828 Toffee Exclusive Inks^™Stamp Pad, Z3829 Spiced Marmalade Distress Oxide^™ Ink Pad, Z4522 Vintage Photo Distress Oxide^™Ink Pad, Z5009 Gilt Gloss Spray, Z3886 Mini Ink Blending Tool, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Thread

12″ x 12″ Autumn Single Page
Z4670 Autumn Air Stamp + Thin Cuts, A1290 My Acrylix^®Thankful Autumn Stamp Set, X8036S Four Seasons—Autumn Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6059 Shortbread Cardstock, X5950 Toffee Cardstock, Z6531 Mocha Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6510 Nectarine Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6515 Paprika Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6526 Scarlet Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6530 Shortbread Exclusive Inks^™Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z2828 Toffee Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z3630 Watercolor Pencils, Z3224 Small Round Waterbrush, Z4632 Orange & Yellow Dots, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

6″ x 6″ Crisp Air Page
Z4670 Autumn Air Stamp + Thin Cuts, X8036S Four Seasons—Autumn Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6046 French Vanilla Cardstock, X6066 Honey Butter Cardstock, X6059 Shortbread Cardstock, Z2829 Espresso Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6536 Honey Butter Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6515 Paprika Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z2828 Toffee Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z3787 Platinum Stickles^™ Glitter Glue, Z4575 Black LePen^™, Z4632 Orange & Yellow Dots, Z1985 Gold Shimmer Trim, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” Autumn Blessings Card (Horizontal)
Z4655 Season Haul Stamp + Thin Cuts, A1290 My Acrylix^®Thankful Autumn Stamp Set, X8036B Four Seasons—Fall Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6531 Mocha Exclusive Inks^™Stamp Pad, Z2828 Toffee Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z2805 Black Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z4604 Copper Stickles^™ Glitter Glue, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Z3630 Watercolor Pencils, Z4632 Orange & Yellow Dots, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” It’s Fall Y’all Card (Vertical)
X8036S Four Seasons—Autumn Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6510 Nectarine Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6515 Paprika Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6526 Scarlet Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6530 Shortbread Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z2828 Toffee Exclusive Inks^™Stamp Pad, Z3837 Pumice Stone Distress Oxide^™ Ink Pad, Z2517 Burnt Orange TriBlend^™ Marker, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems, Z4572 Blending Brushes, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

4¼” x 5½” Crisp Air Card (Vertical)
Z4670 Autumn Air Stamp + Thin Cuts, X8036S Four Seasons—Autumn Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6531 Mocha Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6510 Nectarine Exclusive Inks^™Stamp Pad, Z6515 Paprika Exclusive Inks^™Stamp Pad, Z6526 Scarlet Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6530 Shortbread Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z2519 Gold Yellow TriBlend^™ Marker, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine, String

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September 7, 2022Create, Inspiration

If Your Favorite Color Is “Fall”…

Close To My Heartautumn, beautiful day, cardmaking, Crisp Air, distressed cardstock, Exclusive Inks™, fall, featured colors, July–September catalog, leaves, Memory Keeping, nature, patterned paper, scrapbooking, seasonal, second-generation stamping, sponged ink, stamping, what a beautiful day, zip strip 5 Comments

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! 😉)

From colors to shapes and textures, the gorgeous themes in our Crisp Air paper collection are in every way inspired by this time of year. Let us show you how we paired the Crisp Air patterned papers and the Crisp Air—Scrapbooking stamp and Thin Cuts with just the right Exclusive Inks™ and cardstock colors to create some of the artwork in our current catalog.

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!

We are going to wrap things up with a beautiful card that we created from the Crisp Air patterned papers and the scrapbooking stamp set.

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. 🍂

Recipes:

12″ x 12″ Fall Page
Z8028 Crisp Air—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7284S Crisp Air Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6534 Papaya Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6502 Peach Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6540 Pine Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2848 Sapphire Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4575 Black LePen™, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems, Z4054 Gold Embellishing Thread, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

12″ x 12″ What a Beautiful Day Layout
Z8028 Crisp Air—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7284S Crisp Air Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6043 Nectarine Cardstock, X6044 Peach Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6522 Cinnamon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6531 Mocha Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6515 Paprika Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6502 Peach Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6540 Pine Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2828 Toffee Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3792 Bisque Liquid Pearls™, X7284E Crisp Air Dots, Z3943 Circles Thin Cuts, Z697 Round Sponge, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” What a Beautiful Day Card (Vertical)
Z8028 Crisp Air—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7284B Crisp Air Paper Packet, X6033 Paprika Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6540 Pine Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems, Z4054 Gold Embellishing Thread, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

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August 10, 2022Create, Inspiration, Learn

Papercrafting Autumn Leaves We Know You’ll Fall For!

Close To My Heartautumn, card, die-cuts, July–September catalog, leaf accents, leaf clusters, leaf embellishments, leaf overlay, leaf pile, leaf vein, leaves, page, Papercrafting, Simple Leaves Stamp + Thin Cuts, technique 1 Comment

Among all the wonderful things we love and look forward to with the autumn season, a standout favorite has to be the glorious display of colored leaves! As we draw closer to this magical time of year here at Close To My Heart, we are excited to showcase some artwork featuring beautiful leaf accents made with the Simple Leaves Stamp + Thin Cuts!

Taking a look at this unique collection of stamps and metal dies gives you an idea of the amazing artwork you can achieve! This set includes options to create fully layered leaf embellishments, simple outlines, stamped images, or individual leaf vein overlays. Just take a look at these leaves to see these possibilities brought to life!

But naturally, these colorful leaves look even better when added to artwork, like the scrapbook page pictured below.

As you can see, we’ve incorporated several different types of leaf embellishments on this page. The Simple Leaves Stamp + Thin Cuts is unique in the level of versatility packed into a single set, and this versatility is on full display in this scrapbook page! Take a closer look at the bottom right leaf cluster to see examples of layered die-cuts, leaves stamped directly on the base page (using the rock-n-roll stamping technique, no less!), more rock-n-roll stamping on our Ballerina cardstock leaf, more straightforward stamping with the small Rosemary berries, leaf vein overlays combined over stamped images and leaf outline die-cuts, and even a couple instances where the leaf vein Thin Cuts have been used to cut into the solid leaf creating an inverse effect.

Now jump into our other leaf pile in the upper left corner of the page to see what other variations you can spot!

Another way to create a striking effect when layering Thin Cuts is by using contrasting colors for the different layers. This card shows leaf outlines and overlays cut using colors selected to create contrast between darker and lighter layers:

To really bring our leaves to life with this technique, we amplified the effect by using coordinating cardstock and ink colors. By stamping our leaf shapes on the lighter side of our two-toned cardstock, we get even more color variation in the leaves before finishing them off with leaf vein overlays cut from a contrasting color.

We hope today’s artwork has inspired you to mimic the incredible variety of autumn leaves in your own upcoming crafting projects. What layering or coloring techniques are you most excited to try out? Tell us about it in the comments!

Recipes:

12″ x 12″ Autumn Page
Z8036 Simple Leaves Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7284B Crisp Air Paper Packet, X9042 Mix-in Paper Packet, X6036 Ballerina Cardstock, X6055 Desert Rose Cardstock, X5946 Linen Cardstock, X5947 Mink Cardstock, X6060 Mocha Cardstock, X6058 Rosemary Cardstock, X6045 Sage Cardstock, X5950 Toffee Cardstock, Z6501 Ballerina Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6525 Desert Rose Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6529 Rosemary Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3837 Pumice Stone Distress Oxide™ Ink Pad, Z5010 White Gloss Spray, Z4304 Silver Loose Sequins, Z6027 Wood Alphabet, Z3886 Mini Ink Blending Tool, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” What a Beautiful Day Card (Horizontal)
Z8036 Simple Leaves Stamp + Thin Cuts, X9042 Mix-in Paper Packet, X6046 French Vanilla Cardstock, X6062 Harbour Cardstock, X6066 Honey Butter Cardstock, X6063 Papaya Cardstock, X6044 Peach Cardstock, X6070 Pine Cardstock, X6033 Paprika Cardstock, X6068 Seabrook Cardstock, X6045 Sage Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6533 Harbour Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6536 Honey Butter Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6534 Papaya Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6540 Pine Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6504 Sage Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6538 Seabrook Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3563 Diamond Stickles™ Glitter Glue, Z4294 Harbour Shimmer Brush, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

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July 6, 2022Inspiration

Crisp Cards for All Occasions

Close To My Heartautumn, cardmaking, catalog, Crisp Air, fall, gratitude, July–September catalog, leaves, pumpkin, seasonal, stickers 5 Comments

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.

Crisp Cards for All Occasions #cardmaking #autumn #fall #stamping #embellishmentcluster #pumpkin #leaves #gratitude #thanks #celebration #love #seasonal #seasons #ctmh #closetomyheart

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, sponged Paprika 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!

Recipes:

4¼” x 5½” Love You Card (Vertical)
Z8028 Crisp Air—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts, C1945 My Acrylix® Language of Flowers Stamp Set, X7284S Crisp Air Paper Packet + Sicker Sheet, X7283B Backyard Bliss Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6515 Paprika Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6502 Peach Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2848 Sapphire Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6530 Shortbread Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3560 Golden Rod Stickles™ Glitter Glue, X7284E Crisp Air Dots, Z5017 Rose Gold Shimmer Trim, Z3886 Mini Ink Blending Tool, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” Autumn Beautiful Change Card (Vertical)
Z8028 Crisp Air—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7284S Crisp Air Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X7283B Backyard Bliss Paper Packet, X6070 Pine Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6531 Mocha Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6510 Nectarine Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2835 New England Ivy Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6515 Paprika Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7284E Crisp Air Dots, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” Thankful Card (Vertical)
Z8028 Crisp Air—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7284S Crisp Air Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6052 Cinnamon Cardstock, X6033 Paprika Cardstock, X6070 Pine Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6515 Paprika Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z891 VersaMark™ Ink Pad, Z3560 Golden Rod Stickles™ Glitter Glue, Z2066 Princess Gold Embossing Powder, X7284E Crisp Air Dots, Z8043 Maple Leaf Thin Cuts, Z8045 Gratitude Thin Cuts, Z3886 Mini Ink Blending Tool, Z4220 Anti-static Pouch, Z4252 Heat Tool, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” Celebrate Card (Vertical)
D2108 My Acrylix® Crisp Air—Scrapbooking Stamp Set, C1945 My Acrylix® Language of Flowers Stamp Set, X7284S Crisp Air Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X7282B Beach Party Paper Packet, X6059 Shortbread Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6522 Cinnamon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6515 Paprika Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2828 Toffee Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2517 Burnt Orange TriBlend™ Marker, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems, Z3886 Mini Ink Blending Tool, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Ribbon

4¼” x 5½” Thankful for You Card (Vertical)
D2106 My Acrylix® Crisp Air—Cardmaking Stamp Set, X7284S Crisp Air Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6052 Cinnamon Cardstock, X6043 Nectarine Cardstock, X6059 Shortbread Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6522 Cinnamon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6531 Mocha Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6515 Paprika Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2828 Toffee Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3560 Golden Rod Stickles™ Glitter Glue, X7284E Crisp Air Dots, Z4054 Gold Embellishing Thread, Z8044 Pumpkin Thin Cuts, Z3886 Mini Ink Blending Tool, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

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November 3, 2021Create

FREE Design Space File to Create Your Own Gratitude Tree!

Close To My Heartcraft, cricut, Design Space, download, file, free, grateful, gratitude, leaf, leaves, papercraft, thanksgiving, tree, trunk 9 Comments

Gratitude Paper Craft #closetomyheart #ctmh #cricut #gratitude #grateful #thanksgiving #gratitudetree #fallcraft #autumncraft #thanksgivingcraft #cricutdesignspace #free #freefile #freedownload #papercraft #papercrafting

The things we’re grateful for—relationships, homes, lifestyle comforts, financial success, etc.—may not grow on trees, but in today’s post they will! We’re going to walk you through the steps of creating your very own gratitude tree!

To get you started, we’re providing a FREE Cricut Design Space™ file for the shapes of the tree trunk and leaves! These tree shapes come from a variety of our Cricut^® collections, including Art Philosophy, Artbooking, Flower Shop, and more! Click here to download this file!

Once you’ve downloaded our free file, or have selected Cricut^® shapes or metal dies of your own, select a variety of colored cardstock to cut your leaves. For our tree, we chose to incorporate vibrant autumnal colors, but color choice is completely up to you! Just make sure to select shades that will allow your journaling to show. (As a reminder, all Close To My Heart colored cardstock is two-toned, so you can use a single color and still end up with two shades!)

After your leaves and trunk are cut, it’s time to create your base page and attach the trunk. We kept our base page simple with a denim patterned paper from our Textures Paper Packet, featured in the 2021–2022 Core Products Catalog. We also decided to add a little more dimension to our tree trunk by cutting two trunk layers and positioning them slightly off set from each other. For even more artistic fun, we chose to use a wood grain patterned paper from our Wood Grains Paper Packet for our top layer and a solid Mocha cardstock layer on the bottom. (Attaching your top layer with thin 3-D foam tape can be another great way to bring dimension to your tree!)

When your base is ready, put it in a 12″ x 12″ frame and set it in high traffic area of your home. Place the cut, leaves along with a few colorful pens and adhesive, in a handy bowl. Allow everyone who passes by to write something they are grateful for on a leaf and have them attach it to the tree! Another way to use this project is to bring it to your Thanksgiving Day table for a fun family activity! Pass the leaves around the table and invite your guests to write what they are grateful for. When everyone’s finished, collect all the leaves, and watch your gratitude tree spring to life as you share the thoughtful contributions of your loved ones!

For our tree, we used 3-D foam tape, thin 3-D foam tape, and a gl u e pen to attach the leaves to the base tree, resulting in a nice variation in dimension from leaf to leaf. Once you’ve attached all the gratitude leaves to the tree branches, you can use any extras to create a small leaf pile at the base of your tree trunk, helping to fill out your page and give it a little extra flair. One of the best parts about this project is that it’s sized to fit inside a standard size scrapbook album! Add a bit of journaling to bring some context to the project, dress it up with a few embellishments, and you’re ready to put it into your scrapbook to cherish for years to come!

Recollections of days, meals, and even gifts may fade over time, but creating a lasting memory of gratitude and family is a sure-fire way to make this year’s Thanksgiving holiday unforgettable! Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving tradition? Tell us about it in the comments, below!

November Gratitude Projects: These 5 crafts will keep thankful thoughts top of mind

Recipe

12″ x 12″ Gratitude Tree Page
Cricut Design Space™ File, X6060 Mocha Cardstock, X6043 Nectarine Cardstock, X6033 Paprika Cardstock, X6051 Sundance Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X8031 Textures Paper Packet, X8028 Wood Grain Paper Packet, Z1500 Red LePen™, Z1509 Sepia LePen™, Z1513 White Gel Pens, Z4054 Gold Embellishing Thread, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems, Z5317 Saddle Brown My Legacy™ D-ring Album, 4110 Top-load 12″ x 12″ Memory Protectors™, 12″ x 12″ Frame

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December 6, 2018Create, Learn

Create Decorative Borders for All Kinds of Artwork

Close To My Heartborders, cuttlebug, die cuts, die-cutting, dies, floral, flower, fringe, leafs, leaves, Patterns, pull tab, scallop, Thin Cuts 3 Comments

If you’ve ever found yourself at a loss for how to transform plain, straight lines on your papers into sensational, artistic statements, the Decorative Borders Thin Cuts set is the answer! These dies give you so many options for adding fun effects to your artwork. Take a look at all the unique shapes you can get from this one set:

This first photo shows the dies in this set made to cut away the edges of your papers, leaving the rest of the piece in tact. Here you’ll see papers we’ve cut with the small scallop, the fringe border, the large scallop, and the notebook paper dies. Notice that you can repeat these cuts to add the effects to a piece of paper larger than the die, as we did with the small scallop border. Accomplish this by repositioning the die after the first cut and sending it through your embossing machine a second time. Also note the faux stitching detail on both of the scallop borders!

These next two dies are a bit more traditional in that they cut shapes to be used as embellishments. These borders work especially well when layered with other paper strips and accents.

This last group we’ll call our “special effects” dies, for obvious reasons! Rather than cut a complete shape, these borders add patterns while leaving your paper intact. As we saw with the small scallop border, many of these can be repeated over large pieces of paper. Hopefully you also picked out the fun “pull tab” created by the far left die. Let’s get a closer look at what that looks like in artwork!

The pull tab die is a great way to add an interactive element to cards and other artwork. The die is designed to leave tiny connection points down the length of the cut shape, resulting in a perforated paper shape that is easy to tear away, revealing a stamped message beneath. Because this is such a fun effect, we’ve put together a brief tutorial for adding a pull tab to a custom-made envelope.

Start with a 5¾” x 7¾” piece of cardstock for your envelope base. Fold and score the envelope 3 3/8″ up from the bottom.

Next, use a separate 3″ x 5¾” piece of cardstock for the envelope flap. Score the envelope flap 1″ from the top, but leave flat after scoring.

Position the pull-tab die about 3/8″ from the right edge of the envelope flap, centered between the bottom edge and the score line. The die will extend beyond the left edge of the envelope flap, and that is just fine! Once you’ve made sure the die is parallel to the edge of the cardstock, secure it in place using washi tape. Then use your embossing machine to make the cut.

To create the hidden sentiment that will be revealed by the pull tab, cut a 5¾” x ¾” cardstock strip and stamp the sentiment about 1″ from the right edge. For maximum effect, use a different color of cardstock for this strip of paper.

Now attach the hidden sentiment piece to the envelope base as shown. Before gluing in place, check to make sure your sentiment will line up with the pull tab on the envelope flap and position accordingly!

To assemble the envelope, you’ll need two more pieces of cardstock to form the sides of your envelope. Cut these both at 1″ x 3¼” and then score and fold both in half.

DIY Envelope with pull tab tutorial #ctmh #thincuts

Attach the envelope sides and flap to your envelope base, then fold closed, gluing all pieces to the insides of your envelope.

Next add your card and use adhesive to close the envelope flap. When adding adhesive to the inside of the envelope flap, be sure to avoid getting adhesive on the pull tab itself!

There you have it! Have fun adding pull tabs, fringes, and lots of other decorative effects to your artwork using the Decorative Borders Thin Cuts!

Recipes:

4¼” x 5½” Merry Christmas Card (Vertical)
Z4240 My Acrylix® Oh What Fun—Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7238B Oh What Fun Paper Packet, X7238D Oh What Fun Coordinating Cardstock, Z2895 Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6503 Mint Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2805 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z4216 Raspberry Baker’s Twine, Z4241 Thin Cuts—Decorative Borders

‘Tis the Season Envelope
C1746 My Acrylix® Oh What Fun—Cardmaking Stamp Set, X6027 White Daisy Cardstock, X5986 Mint Cardstock, Z6507 Clover Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4241 Thin Cuts—Decorative Borders

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December 7, 2017Create, Learn

Holiday Favorites

Close To My Heartcatalog, catalogue, christmas, cut above, die cuts, dots, embellishment, embossing, enamel, gift, gift tags, Holiday, Holiday Expressions, leaf, leafs, leaves, oh snap!, picture perfect, seasonal, Thin Cuts 1 Comment

As the end of the year approaches, so does the end of our current idea book, Holiday Expressions. And, even though it may a bit taboo to choose a favorite child, we went for it and picked out a few of our favorite products from this catalog to show you just how versatile they really are and that they can be used outside of the holiday season.

First up, the Tree Line Border Thin Cuts.

It’s easy to associate pine trees with Christmas, the majority of us have one dominating our living rooms for the entire month of December (or more!) every year. But, lets not forget that before they got all dressed up for the party these beautiful trees had a more rustic existence.

These tree line dies can be used in multiple ways to invoke a natural scene. Their design allows for you to use one border at a time or to stack the die cuts, as we’ve done here, creating a more dimensional setting.

Another favorite is the My Acrylix^® Oh Snap! stamp set.

If you’re reading this post, you’re hanging with the crowd that doesn’t need a holiday to preserve memories. We’re all about capturing life’s moments, no matter the season.

Next up, we chose a more subtle and less obvious embellishment—the Cats & Bats Dots.

We have black and Emerald enamel dots. Yes, they work perfectly with this year’s Halloween collection, but these little guys are a force to be reckoned with all on their own. Embellishments like these are great to have on hand to add a splash of color any time you need it. And the low price means you can really stock up on these babies and use them on project after project!

Find merriment in anything and everything with our Merry Everything Cut Above^®tag kit.

Gifts should be shared all year round!

For the last highlight, even though we love all of our children the same, take a look at what we did with our leaf embossing folder below.

We love so many of our products that will be retiring in just a few weeks, it was difficult to list just a few. Take advantage of your opportunity to snatch up these items while you still can and remember that just because they are featured in the Holiday Expressions idea book doesn’t mean you can’t use them outside of the holidays. Revisit your catalog and take a look at those products again, thinking outside the holiday gift box!

Have you used any of our holiday products in a non-holiday way? Share your creative ideas below! We love hearing from you!

Recipes

4¼” x 5½” Birthday Wishes Card (Vertical)
B1537 My Acrylix^® Birthday Sparkles Stamp Set, X7225B Beary Christmas Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5954 Pewter Cardstock, X5955 Pebble Cardstock, Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z3357 Better Together Complements, Z4037 Thin Cuts—Tree Line Border, Z3285 Cricut^® Flower Market Collection, Die-cutting Machine

Cricut^® Shapes:
Flower Market
3″ Flower-2 <7> (p. 7, #MD389A5)

5″ x 7″Reach for the Stars Frame
B1565 My Acrylix^® A New Adventure Stamp Set, X7226B Silver & Gold Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5954 Pewter Cardstock, Z891 VersaMark™ Ink Pad, Z3357 Better Together Complements, Z4037 Thin Cuts—Tree Line Border, Z2067 Ranger™ Silver Super Fine Embossing Powder, Z555 Craft Heater, Die-cutting Machine

12″ x 12″ Capture Life Today Page
D1748 My Acrylix^® Oh Snap! Stamp Set, Z3353 Basics Fundamental Paper Packet, Z3350 Whimsy Fundamental Paper Packet, X5955 Pebble Cardstock, X5946 Linen Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, Z3366 Silver Foil Paper, Z2831 Charcoal Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2841 Glacier Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z891 VersaMark™ Ink Pad, Z4051 Picture My Life™ Cards—Silver & Gold, Z3355 Happy Moments Complements, Z3357 Better Together Complements, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems, Z2067 Ranger™ Silver Super Fine Embossing Powder, Z555 Craft Heater, Z3285 Cricut^® Flower Market Collection

Cricut^® Shapes:
Flower Market
2¼” Flower-2 <7> (p. 7, #mD389A5)

5″ x 5″ Smiles Mini Album
D1748 My Acrylix^® Oh Snap! Stamp Set, Z3350 Whimsy Fundamental Paper Packet, Z3353 Basics Fundamental Paper Packet, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z3366 Silver Foil Paper, X5946 Linen Cardstock, Z2832 Pewter Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2831 Charcoal Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2841 Glacier Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3089 Grey Gems, Z3364 Basics Ribbon Pack

12″ x 12″ Happy Place Page
X7226B Silver & Gold Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5954 Pewter Cardstock, X5969 Emerald Cardstock, Z3357 Better Together Complements, Z4028 Cats & Bats Dots

Treat Bag Topper
D1731 My Acrylix^® Eat Cate & Celebrate Stamp Set, X7226B Silver & Gold Paper Packet, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, Z3366 Silver Foil Paper, Z2831 Charcoal Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7226C Silver & Gold Complements, Z4028 Cats & Bats Dots

Merry Everything Gifts
M1188 My Acrylix^® Celebrate Stamp Set, C1684 My Acrylix^® Inked with Love Stamp Set, Z4049 Cut Above^® Tag Kit—Merry Everything, Z3351 Adventure Fundamental Paper Packet, X5980 Sweet Leaf Cardstock, Z2853 Sweet Leaf Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2812 Raspberry Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7226C Silver & Gold Complements, Z3361 Whimsy Ribbon Pack, Z3362 Adventure Ribbon Pack, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z3285 Cricut^® Flower Market Collection

Cricut^® Shapes:
2¾” Background <z> (cut 2, p. 31)

12″ x 12″ Home Layout
Make It from Your Heart Vol. 3: Pattern 12, X7225B Beary Christmas Paper Packet, Z3353 Basics Fundamental Paper Packet, X5946 Linen Cardstock, Z3367 Vellum Paper, Z3357 Better Together Complements, X7226C Silver & Gold Complements, Z1799 Silver Shimmer Trim, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z4031 Leaves Embossing Folder, Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” Celebrate Card (Vertical)
D1731 My Acrylix^® Eat Cake & Celebrate Stamp Set, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5955 Pebble Cardstock, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, X5953 Charcoal Cardstock, Z2831 Charcoal Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z1799 Silver Shimmer Trim, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z4031 Leaves Embossing Folder, Embossing Machine, Sewing Machine

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January 19, 2017Create

Trend Alert: Paper Plants Are IN!

Close To My Heartcricut, flower, leaf, leaves, paper, plants, pot, succulent, wreath 14 Comments

As your best crafting bud, we’re here to give you the scoop on the latest trends in the crafting industry. One trend that’s been on the rise lately is paper plants—for your home, parties, and everything in between!

Let us show you what we mean…

Brittany Watson Jepsen of The House That Lars Built is basically the queen of paper plants. She does tons (and we mean TONS!) of paper plant and flower projects on her blog and YouTube channel. Here are 18 of her personal favorite paper plant tutorials.

In a similar fashion, Brit + Co, a media company that celebrates women and creativity, rounded up their top 12 favorite paper plant projects from different bloggers.

Today we want to show you some of our own paper plant creations! We love this trend (especially because it doesn’t make you feel like a bad plant parent), and we have a feeling it will really grow on you, too (Eh? Eh?). 😉

Look at these beauties! We cut the shapes using two of our Cricut® collections (see recipe at bottom of post), and then attached the finished leaves to wire with a hot glue gun. Add them to pots filled with paper crinkle, pebbles, etc, and voila! You’ve got three amazing plants that will live forever!

If making paper plants from scratch seems a bit overwhelming, or if you don’t own a Cricut® machine, we’ve got just the solution for you. Try out our Welcome Home wreath kit, which comes with all the pieces pre-cut AND instructions with step-by-step photos.

Did we mention it’s only $18.95 (US)? It can’t get much better than that—except that it does, because you can also get it FREE with a qualifying purchase!

The kit’s only available until the end of January though, so if it’s calling your name, get it before it’s gone!

Another fun idea is to play around with arranging paper plants and leaves in picture frames. By slightly bending the leaves here, these plants seem to be growing out of the picture frame.

What do you think of this trend? Yea or nay? Tell us in the comments below!

Ready to make your own paper garden? Then be sure to check out our Cricut® Flower Market collection! It’s filled with tons of flowers, plants, leaves, and other shapes that would be perfect for creating paper plants projects, like this wreath:

Have fun! 🙂

Recipes

Plant Trio
X7216B Hello Lovely Paper Packet, Z3254 Enchantment Fundamentals, X5777 Fern Cardstock, X5783 Emerald Cardstock, X5784 Willow Cardstock, 1282 New England Ivy Cardstock, X5752 Juniper Cardstock, X5789 Sea Glass Cardstock, Z3285 Cricut® Flower Market Collection, Z3167 Cricut® Artistry Collection, Pots, Tray, Paper Crinkles, Wire, Hot Glue Gun

Cricut® Shapes (cut multiples of each shape as desired, depending on pot sizes):
Flower Market
9″ <Succulnt> (p. 40)
4 ½” <Succulnt> (p. 40)
1 ½” Flower-2 <Daisy> (cut multiple, p. 46)
1 ½” Shift+Flower-2 <Daisy> (cut multiple, p. 46)

Artistry
8 ¼” Shape <Spring> (cut multiple, p. 38)*
7 ½” Shape <Spring> (cut multiple, p. 38)*

*Modified in Cricut Design Space™. Unlock measurements and make shapes these sizes: 8 ¼” x 1 ¼” (h x w), 7 ½” x 1″ (h x w)

Succulent Wreath
CC1210 Welcome Home Wreath Kit, Glue

Fern Picture Frame
X7217B Some Kinda Wonderful Paper Packet, 1282 New England Ivy Cardstock, Z3146 Watercolor Paper, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z3224 Waterbrush—Small Round, Z3285 Cricut® Flower Market Collection

Cricut® Shapes:
3 ½” Shift+Flower-1 <G> (cut 2, p. 25)
5″ Shift+Background <Hibiscus> (cut 2, p. 30)
2″ and 2 ½” Shift+Flower-2 <X> (cut 2 of each, p. 32)
2″ Icon <x> (cut 2, p. 32)
2 ½” Shift+Background (cut 2, p. 40)

Flower Wreath
X5782 Pansy Cardstock, X5769 Thistle Cardstock, X5774 Eggplant Cardstock, X5789 Sea Glass Cardstock, X5770 Glacier Cardstock, X5776 Peacock Cardstock, X5762 Lagoon Cardstock, X5639 Sweet Leaf Cardstock, X5777 Fern Cardstock, X5784 Willow Cardstock, X5775 Sapphire Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5787 Blossom Cardstock, X5788 Raspberry Cardstock, 1386 Black Cardstock, 1301 Bamboo Cardstock, X5643 Chocolate Cardstock, Z1375 Kraft Cardstock, Z3146 Watercolor Paper, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z3188 Paintbrush Set, Z3285 Cricut® Flower Market Collection, Ribbon, Wreath Base, Hot Glue Gun

Cricut® Shapes:
Flower Market
3″ Flower-1 (cut 4, p. 14)
4½” Flower-1 (cut 3, p. 16)
2½” Shift+Icon (cut 3, p. 27)
1½” Shift+Flower-2 (cut 7, p. 31)
1½” Flower-2 (cut 7, p. 31)
1½” Shift+Flower-1 (cut 7, p. 31)
1½” Flower-1 (cut 7, p. 31)
3¼” Icon (cut 5, p. 32)
2¼” Flower-2 (cut 2, p. 32)
3¼” Flower-1 (p. 32)
3″ Shift+Icon (p. 32)
3½” Shift+Flower-2 (p. 32)
2½” Shift+Flower-1 (p. 32)
2¼” Icon (cut 2, p. 33)
2¼” Shift+Icon (cut 2, p. 33)
2½” Flower-1 (cut 3, p. 33)
2½” Shift+Flower-1 (cut 3, p. 33)
4½” Shift+Flower-1 (cut 3, p.36)
2¼” Icon (p. 40)
2¼” Shift+Icon (p. 40)
2½” Flower-2 (p. 40)
2½” Shift+Flower-2 (p. 40)
2½” Flower-1 (p. 40)
2½” Shift+Flower-1 (p. 40)
2″ Shift+Icon (p. 45)
2″ Shift+Flower-2 (p. 45)
2″ Flower-2 (p. 45)
1½” Icon (cut 3, p. 45)
1½” Flower-1 (cut 3, p. 45)
1½” Shift+Flower-1 (cut 3, p. 45)
1¼” Flower-2 (cut 2, p. 46)
1¼” Shift+Flower-2 (cut 2, p. 46)

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October 23, 2015Memory Keeping

Paper Inspiration

Close To My Heartfall, leaves, Sangria 1 Comment

A good piece of patterned paper does a lot to add color and interest to your scrapbook layouts, but its contributions don’t have to end there! You can actually draw on the patterns from the papers themselves to inspire your entire project. To help you see what we’re talking about, take a look at this layout inspired by the Sangria paper packet:

The beautiful tree scattering its leaves across the pages is undoubtedly the first thing you see when you look at this layout, but the idea for those beautiful Sunset leaves started with a pattern from the Sangria paper packet. Do you see them on that strip of Pomegranate paper across the middle of the page? It’s a simple thing, but it sparked a fun idea that became a central element of the page’s design.

Even beyond the leaves, another patterned paper suggested the organizing principle of the page. The bottom strip of Poppy patterned paper with its horizontal rows of leaves gave our artist the idea to use multiple horizontal stripes as a basic design element, which is also repeated as watercolor stripes on the journaling, too. Taking just a few simple cues from the patterned papers, our artist created a beautifully unified layout.

We simply love the Sangria paper packet for fall-themed layouts. The color palette is rich and festive. And the designs are beautiful! From warm ombres to swirls of Sunset leaves, the Sangria paper packet is sure to give you tons of ideas for creating memorable fall layouts.

Next time you’re looking for artwork inspiration, try drawing it from the patterned papers you are working with. They are sure to help you realize your creative potential on any crafting project.

Recipe

12″ x 12″ Dancing Leaves Layout
D1662 My Acrylix® Harvest Wreath Holiday, Z3126 Paper Fundamentals Enchantment Assortment, Z3128 Paper Fundamentals Basic Assortment, X7199B Sangria Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z1375 Kraft Cardstock, 1388 Colonial White Cardstock, Z3146 Watercolor Paper, Z2164 Sorbet Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2197 Pear Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7199C Sangria Complements, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z3132 Watercolor Paints

Cricut® Shapes
Art Philosophy
7″ Layer+Shift <Tree3> (p. 53)
¾” Shift <Font> “DANCING LEAVES”

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Make It from Your Heart

Tag Archives: leaves

Autumn Crafting Dreams Come True with Four Seasons Papers and Stamps!

If Your Favorite Color Is “Fall”…

Papercrafting Autumn Leaves We Know You’ll Fall For!

Crisp Cards for All Occasions

FREE Design Space File to Create Your Own Gratitude Tree!

Create Decorative Borders for All Kinds of Artwork

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Holiday Favorites

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Trend Alert: Paper Plants Are IN!

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Paper Inspiration

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