December 8, 2021Celebrate, Create, Memory Keeping

Gearing Up for a Year of Crafting!

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As we approach the close of 2021, we do one of the most human things possible and turn our thoughts to the future. We plan, prepare, and hope for things that are to come. Are you prepared, or are you preparing, for a successful new year?

As you consider the possibilities that a new year brings, we would like to share several products to help organize your time, set goals, plan, and prioritize events.

REMEMBER TODAY

The exclusive Remember Today products are available in several kit options, one as a layout kit for creating 13 12″ x 12″ single-page scrapbook layouts, and two kit options using those same single-page layouts to create a 12-month calendar.

With the Remember Today stamp set, we can keep track of special dates, set goals, and even set reminders—and we can do it all in style with the beautiful designs included!

Whether you use the layouts to build a calendar or a scrapbook album (or both!—scrapbook your calendar pages at the end of each month!), the Remember Today pages and stamp set are a stunning way to plan for, make, and preserve wonderful memories in the year ahead!

PERPETUAL CALENDAR & MONTHLY STAMP SETS

Sometimes we need to look at the bigger picture, and a perpetual calendar is a great way to do it!

This last year, we rolled out a series of stamps dedicated to each month, aptly named Months of the Year 😉. Each stamp set is full of sentiments, borders, and icons for creating seasonally specific artwork all through the year. Pair these stamp sets with the Perpetual Calendar to design and create its pages!

Because Close To My Heart serves a global market, we’ve created two stamp sets for each month—one for crafters in the northern hemisphere, and another for artists in the southern hemisphere, to reflect the difference in seasons!

MONTHS OF THE YEAR SVGS

The last products we’re highlighting today are the digital art files included in our current Core Products Catalog, specifically the months of the year SVGs. Although we are only showing four examples, we have all twelve months of the year designed and ready to go. (Click here to see all available digital art files.)

Each month is available as a downloadable SVG file. Once you download the file, you can manipulate the images in a design software, like Cricut Design Space™. Resize it, remove layers—whatever you want, the file is yours! (Each different color shown in the artwork indicates different layers that can be edited and cut individually with your chosen software and personal cutting machine.)

There you have it, several great resources to help you get ready for the coming year—or to celebrate the year that we’re bringing to a close! 🙃

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September 4, 2018Celebrate, Create

Stamping with Memories in the Making

Close To My Heartcalendar, cut above, day, Memories in the Making, Month, National Stamping Month, September, stamping 2 Comments

Want to know what we love about September?? It’s National Stamping Month! To get in the mood to celebrate all things stamping, we have two new exclusive stamp sets as part of our National Stamping month special, Memories in the Making.

Memories in the Making—Days:

Memories in the Making—Months:

The Memories in the Making special, and National Stamping Month for that matter, is all about highlighting the ways you can use stamping in your papercrafting and memory keeping. This year is no exception! 🙂

As you can see, these stamp sets can be a fun addition to a variety of projects. Memories in the Making—Months comes with all twelve months of the year in a lovely, scripted font, making it easy to add a large title to any layout. Memories in the Making—Days gives you a variety of smaller images to stamp numbers, lists, words, and other icons on your projects. Can you spot all of the ways we’ve used this stamp set on this birthday scrapbook page, anniversary card, and frame?

If you aren’t already sold on how you can use these exclusive stamp sets, we’re sure you can guess the other way we are using them this month—in a handmade calendar!!

As part of National Stamping month, we’ve created a Cut Above^® layout kit that coordinates with these Memories in the Making stamp sets! The Memories in the Making Cut Above^® layout kit comes with pre-printed base pages, pre-cut paper, die-cuts, stickers, and instructions to create 13 single-page layouts. Combine this kit with a My Creations™ calendar, your Memories in the Making—Days and Memories in the Making—Months stamp sets, and a few other basic supplies to turn these single pages into a beautiful personalized calendar for the upcoming year.

With the Memories in the Making—Days stamp set, you can note important dates, make short to-do lists, and add other fun icons and shapes to your pages. For this December page, we used the Charcoal Exclusive Inks™ stamp pad to stamp the numbers and added other images with the Glacier Exclusive Inks™ stamp pad for a little extra color.

Once the year is over, trim the pages off the calendar and slip them into Memory Protectors™ to preserve. The great thing about this Cut Above^® kit, is that you can choose to just skip the calendar all together and make the individual pages straight for your scrapbook album! (To see all 13 completed pages, click here.)

These exclusive stamp sets, the layout kit, and several discounted bundle options, are only available during September, while supplies last. Make sure you get yours soon and join us as we celebrate National Stamping Month all month long with Memories in the Making!

Recipes:

12″ x 12″ August Birthday Page
CC9183 My Acrylix^® Memories in the Making—Months Stamp Set, CC9182 Memories in the Making—Days Stamp Set, X9000 Seasons Mix-in Paper Packet, X7236B Hello Pumpkin Paper Packet, X5989 Sugarplum Cardstock, X6027 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2825 Mink Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2832 Pewter Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2851 Saffron Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z8006 Sugarplum Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4213 Silver Embellishing Thread, Z4191 Silver Glitter Gems, Z4304 Silver Sequins—Loose

4¼” x 5½” Anniversary Card (Vertical)
CC9183 My Acrylix^® Memories in the Making—Months Stamp Set, CC9182 Memories in the Making—Days Stamp Set, X9000 Seasons Mix-in Paper Packet, X6027 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2832 Pewter Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z8006 Sugarplum Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4191 Silver Glitter Gems

Don’t Forget Frame
CC9182 Memories in the Making—Days Stamp Set, X9000 Seasons Mix-in Paper Packet, X5989 Sugarplum Cardstock, X6027 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2832 Pewter Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z8006 Sugarplum Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4191 Silver Glitter Gems

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September 5, 2017Create, Learn

Step-by-Step Instructions: From the Heart Card Kit

Close To My Heartcard, flower, from, heart, how, instruction, kit, Month, September, stamping, to 23 Comments

September is National Stamping Month, and we’ve designed an incredible card kit with elegant, layered stamping to celebrate!

It’s called the From the Heart card kit, and if you love stamping, you’ll love all the ways you can play with the interchangeable stamp designs to achieve a variety of looks for your cards.

If the thought of creating cards like these feels a bit daunting, don’t worry! The kit comes with helpful instructions to walk you through the assembly—just take a look!

Here are the pieces you get in your kit. You get enough to create 12 cards, plus the beautiful From the Heart stamp set and 12 envelopes. Once you punch out these pieces, follow the instructions below to create your cards.

Step 1

All the folds come pre-scored, so all you have to do is fold along the score lines. Starting with your card base (A), turn the gold foil side down and sharply fold the two outside flaps inward. Add adhesive to the top of these flaps.

Step 2

Fold your card base in half along the score line, attaching the front of the card base to the top of the flaps. This will form a pocket.

Step 3

Starting with the detached end of the large flap, make sharp folds along the score lines, accordion style, as shown.

Step 4

Add adhesive to the bottom of first fold (the white side).

Step 5

Insert the pull insert (B) into the pocket in your card base (A), keeping B centered. Attach that first fold from step 5 to the edge of the pull insert, keeping the edges flush. Now when you pull on the insert piece in and out, the large flap should pop up and down!

Step 6

Slide your card closed and then add adhesive to top of first fold (over gold foil).

Step 7

Attach supporting piece (D) to the top of first fold. This supporting piece is a little bit larger than the area where you added the adhesive, so keep the top edge flush with the crease and center it on the flap. When it’s in place, the edges of the supporting piece should overlap the gold foil around the edges of your card.

Step 8

Stamp your choice of sentiment and flowers onto your card front (C). When stamping the layers of your flowers, add extra depth by using different colors for each layer.

Step 9

Stamp leaves and twigs in between flowers. Again, add depth by stamping all of the layers in different colors. This stamp set allows you to get incredible detail in your stamp images for a beautiful finished card.

Step 10

Set aside your card front and go back to the base for a moment. Slide your card open, and then stamp your choice of inside sentiment onto the card base. The From the Heart stamp set includes four large sentiments designed especially to fit this space.

Step 11

Once your stamping is dry, slide the card closed and add adhesive to second fold of large flap. This is the section right next to the supporting strip (D) that you attached, and it is where you will attach your card front.

Step 12

Attach your card front (C) to the second fold, lining up the edges with the supporting strip (D).

Make your own beautiful, interactive cards using this card kit, available only during September! If you have any questions about how to assemble these cards or about the card kit itself, tell us in the comments below!

Happy crafting! 🙂

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May 25, 2017Create, Memory Keeping

Free Scrapbook Pattern for National Scrapbooking Month

Close To My Heartbeautifully, doggie, free, layout, live, Month, moon, National, pattern, scrapbook, scrapbooking 12 Comments

What better way to wrap up National Scrapbooking Month than to give our readers a free scrapbook pattern? 🙂

This pattern originally debuted with our Moon Doggie papers, but we decided to pair it with our National Scrapbooking Month Live Beautifully paper packet and stamp set—and we love the finished look! It goes to show how scrapbook patterns are truly timeless.

Download Pattern

Download the pattern above, and then create your own layout. Though the photo sizes on this pattern are not standard, you could easily replace the 5 ½” x 8″ photo on the left page with a matted 5″ x 7″. For the 4″ x 2 ½” photos on the right page, it is easy to trim ½” off of a 4″ x 3″ to fit the space.

Remember, our Live Beautifully paper packet and stamp set are only available until the end of the month, so grab them while you can!

For even more timeless patterns, check out our collection of affordable how-to pattern books, many of which are only available until the end of July. We know you’ll love them!

Recipe

12″ x 12″ Dream Layout
Moon Doggie Pattern
CC1212C My Acrylix® Live Beautifully Stamp Set, CC1212B Live Beautifully Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2805 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2844 Pixie Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2835 New England Ivy Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems, Z3095 Whisper Thick Twine, Z1979 Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen

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May 18, 2017Memory Keeping

Heritage Scrapbooking with Live Beautifully

Close To My Heartbeautifully, Family, genealogy, heritage, history, keeping, live, memory, Month, National, scrapbook, scrapbooking, vintage 6 Comments

At the heart of scrapbooking is the idea of preserving memories and telling stories in a meaningful way that will last. Scrapbooks are a great way to preserve your family’s history and be artistic at the same time.

Our Live Beautifully paper packet, which is only available this month as part of National Scrapbooking Month, features vintage-inspired designs that are perfect for heritage scrapbooking.

The beautiful flowers on this page were trimmed right out of one of the Live Beautifully papers. To really make them pop, we curled up the edges and attached them using 3-D foam tape. They look like they’re blooming right off the page!

This page also shows how the All About the Gold Fundamentals make a great companion to your Live Beautifully papers. They are 12″ x 12″ clear overlays with gold foil designs; on this page we used the diagonal stripes design. These overlays work really well with the gold foil accents featured in the Live Beautifully paper packet.

And while we’re talking about gold, let’s not overlook gold glitter paper! We used it to mat our photos here, and we love the results! Gold glitter paper looks really elegant with sepia or black and white photos. We finished the page off with some gold foil accents from the Springtime Complements, including the title.

Which additional products do you like to use with the Live Beautifully paper packet for your heritage scrapbooking? Tell us in the comments below!

Recipes

12″ x 12″ A Moment in Time Page
CC1212B Live Beautifully Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, 1386 Black Cardstock, Z3238 Gold Glitter Paper, Z3216 White Twine, Z3285 Cricut® Flower Market Collection

Cricut® Shapes:
¾” <font> “A MOMENT IN TIME”

12″ x 12″ Grandma & Grandpa Great Page
E1035 My Acrylix® Bistro Script Stamp Set, CC1212B Live Beautifully Paper Packet, Z3246 All About the Gold Fundamentals, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2805 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

12″ x 12″ My Favorite Page
CC1212B Live Beautifully Paper Packet, Z3238 Gold Glitter Paper, Z3307 Springtime Complements, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

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May 2, 2017Memory Keeping

A Closer Look at Our Cut Above® Live Beautifully Layout Kit

Close To My Heartabove, beautifully, beginner, cut, easy, fast, keeping, kit, live, May, memory, Month, National, scrapbooking 2 Comments

May is National Scrapbooking Month, and to celebrate, we’ve created a whole new Cut Above® layout kit to help you create not one, not two, but FIVE layouts!

It’s called Live Beautifully, and it is all about living a beautiful life, dreaming big, and inspiring others.

If you’re not familiar with our Cut Above layout kits, you get everything you need to assemble scrapbook layouts in one convenient kit: base pages, pre-cut pieces and die-cuts, stickers, and photo placeholders—all you need is adhesive and a journaling pen! Each of the five layouts in the Live Beautifully kit can be assembled in 15 minutes or less—they’re that easy!

Cut Above is the perfect solution for those who enjoy the art of scrapbooking but are looking for a quicker alternative. Even if you’re a die-hard decorative scrapbooker who loves to spend hours on a layout, this kit is a great way to catch up on documenting your stories without sacrificing quality.

Let’s take a closer look at the layouts this kit creates:

Gorgeous, right? You’d never guess these come together so quickly! The gold foil accents really add a special touch, and if you want, you can pop up pieces with 3-D foam tape to add dimension.

If you want to get this kit at a discount, buy the kit in a bundle with an album, adhesive, and journaling pen—that way you save 20% and you have everything you need to make and store your pages!

An amazing scrapbooking kit with pre-cut pieces and stickers! #ctmh #closetomyheart #livebeautifully #memorykeeping #scrapbooking #fast #easy #kit

Grey D-ring album bundle

Black post-bound album bundle

So what are you waiting for! Give the Cut Above Live Beautifully layout kit a try! We know you’ll love it! 🙂

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September 1, 2016Celebrate

The Perfect Starter Kit for Cardmaking

Close To My Heartbeginner, card, Create, kindness, kit, Month, National, stamping, starter 3 Comments

Cardmaking is about so much more than pretty paper. It’s about creating and celebrating beautiful relationships. Take a look at this short video to see what we mean:

Don’t you love the way this video captures the spirit of cardmaking? Not only do you get to make something beautiful with your own two hands, but you also get to give those cards to others and brighten their day. Even little cards can make a huge impact on someone. That’s why we created the Create Kindness card kit.

What better way to celebrate National Stamping Month than with this mini card kit that includes everything you need to complete 24 cards!

Here’s a list of the products included in the kit:

24 – 3″ × 3″ card bases with envelopes (6 of each color)
24 –white cardstock circles
8 –mini stamp sets (4 for the front of the cards, 4 for the inside)
1 – Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ mini stamp pad
1 – 2″ × 2″ My Acrylix® block
1 – My Acrylix® mini stamp organizer

This kit isn’t just for beginners either. If you already have the block, ink, and organizer, you can also purchase the stamps and cards separately. There’s stamping happiness to be spread all around! 🙂

What’s really fun about these stamps is that you get to color them with whatever you’d like! We colored these ones with ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ markers, but you could use anything you have in your crafting stash. Get creative!

We hope you join us in using handmade cards to create a little more kindness in the world. You may feel like you’re not doing much, but when we all do our part, we’ll make the world a better place.

Now get stamping! 🙂

Recipe

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May 2, 2016Learn, Memory Keeping

Happy Times All Month Long!

Close To My Hearthappy, Month, National, scrapbooking, Times, tips, tricks 21 Comments

It’s May, and that means it’s one of our very favorite times of the year—National Scrapbooking Month! To celebrate, we’ve created a very special paper packet and coordinating stamp set called Happy Times. We’ve got all sorts of beautiful artwork lined up for you featuring these wonderful papers, so be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube all month long!

In honor of this very special month, we’ll be sharing tips and tricks from our Art Studio about how to create amazing scrapbook pages. Today we’ll start with how to achieve good color balance.

This first page shows an example of color overload:

This can happen so easily when we want to focus on a given color—pink in this instance. With a pink page base, pink flowers galore, pink gold foil floral paper, a pink title, pink photo mats, and pink stamping, we have officially ended up with too much of a good thing! 🙂 Besides that, by going with so many patterned papers, the page also looks super busy, so that the details of the page get lost.

Take a look at what happens on a more balanced page:

Your initial impression might be that there is no pink at all, but then a handful of pink features pop right out at you, don’t they? This is because the color pink is now in contrast with the background of the page, which is a super neutral woodgrain and a duo of minty papers, all from the Happy Times paper packet. Thanks to this contrast, you can even see the beautiful pink flowers the little girl is holding in the photo, which were almost completely lost in the previous example. You can also see the stamped flowers much better. Here are the two pages side by side so you can really see the difference:

The page on the right really lets the photos take the spotlight, which is what this scrapbook page is really all about.

So here’s today’s tip in a nutshell: When you want to highlight a specific color, start with a neutral background, limit your favorite color so it really pops, and add a complementing color for contrast. As the artwork above shows, the Happy Times paper packet includes a wide variety of colors and patterns so you have everything you need to create balanced scrapbook pages right at your fingertips.

Tell us your favorite color in the comments below, and then stay tuned for more inspirational artwork as well as more scrapbooking tips and tricks throughout the month!

Recipe

12″ x 12″ Hello World Page (more balanced)
Make It from Your Heart™ Vol. 2: Pattern 14
CC1064 My Acrylix® Happy Times, CC1063 Happy Times Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5760 Cotton Candy Cardstock, Z2193 Cotton Candy Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2128 Hollyhock Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2650 Fern Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2012 Sequins Gold Assortment, Z1979 Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen, Z3169 Cricut® Artbooking Collection

Cricut® Shape:
Artbooking
2 ½” <HeloWrld> (p. 84)

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Make It from Your Heart

Tag Archives: Month

Gearing Up for a Year of Crafting!

Stamping with Memories in the Making

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