We are celebrating life’s special occasions with the Here’s to You special! Featuring four exclusive stamp sets and a workshop designed for making elegant cards and layouts, this special is the perfect way to get prepared for the happy events coming up on your calendar!
Exclusive Stamp Sets:
Not only are the sentiments on these stamp sets a must-have for celebrating relationships, but each set also coordinates with a shape from the Cricut® Artistry collection, giving you an easy way to add dimension and extra detail to your projects!
Workshop kit options:
CC7190
CC7191
We have two workshop kits available—one with a rose embossing folder and one without. Both kits include the four exclusive stamp sets and additional materials at a discounted price to create one 12″ x 12″ scrapbook page and seven standard size cards that can be used to celebrate friendships, anniversaries, weddings, and many other occasions.
Completed projects:
The designed workshop projects feature shapes cut with the Cricut® Artistry Collection. To keep things easy, we’ve compiled the necessary Cricut® shapes to complete the workshop as a project file in Cricut Design Space™, Here’s to You Workshop (https://design.cricut.com/#/design/95920516). (If you don’t have a digital machine, specific Cricut® cut information is also provided in the included instructions.)
Celebrate life’s special occasions with us and don’t miss out on this special offer! Only available through the end of August, while supplies last, get your cardmaking and scrapbooking in motion to commemorate the moments that matter most.
Looking for a way to spice up your scrapbook pages? We’ve got just the thing! All you need is a Cricut® machine and a little imagination for this technique.
First, find a basic Cricut® shape that you like: square, heart, diamond, etc. Next, cut out the shape over and over again on a piece of solid cardstock (we recommend using Cricut Design Space™ so you can more easily control where the shapes cut). Remove the shapes from the piece of cardstock, and then back the empty spaces with different pieces of patterned paper. As you can see from the example above, we repeated paper patterns across the shapes to add a sense of continuity to the page.
If you don’t have Cricut Design Space™, you can still get this effect by cutting multiple versions of the same image, but you could also cut the shapes out of patterned paper and attach them to a piece of cardstock. There are lots of different spins on this technique!
For example…
…try backing the shapes with photos! It’s a lot easier than trying to cut your photos on a Cricut® machine because you can slide them around behind the cardstock until they are framed just the way you like.
Another spin on this technique is to change up the size of your shapes. Smaller shapes give you a lot more little shape windows to work with. This page also shows how much you can play around with dimension as well.
First, we backed some of the empty spaces with patterned paper and left others empty. Next, we used 3-D foam tape to attach the White Daisy cardstock piece with all of our heart shapes cut out of it. The Bashful background shows through the empty hearts and creates a bit of a shadow. To finish off the look, we took some of the hearts that were cut out and embossed them with gold powder. We then used them to “fill in” a few of the heart-shaped windows with more 3-D foam tape to make them really pop. See how many possibilities there are when you start playing around with your Cricut® shapes?
We used circles and hearts for our artwork, but what Cricut® shapes would you try with this technique? Tell us in the comments below! 🙂
Every scrapbook album needs a front cover page and a back cover page…but sometimes it’s hard to know how to summarize your album! After all, you only have two pages, one at the front and one at the back, to explain what the entire album holds!
If cover pages have you stumped, don’t worry—we’ve got you covered! 😉 Here are three fail-proof ideas for creating amazing cover pages!
In Great Shape
Attach a large shape to the center of your base page. Then position your title and photos over this shape. Even if you have multiple photos (we have five here!), your page will still feel like a cover page because the large shape in the background creates a central focus. Pretty neat trick, right? 🙂
Easy As 1-2-3!
Simply attach three photos horizontally across the center of your page. Then add your title directly above or below these photos. Three is the key here! It’s a balanced number that draws the eye in.
Keep It Simple, Silly!
When all else fails, find a photo that sums up your album, and center it on your page along with a prominent title.
One fun spin on this approach is to center your photo but then place the title on the left side of your page, either vertically or horizontally!
Overall, the secret to creating a strong cover page is to draw the eye in to a central point with your pictures and title. If you keep that in mind, then you’re off to a great start!
Here at the Home Office, we love the Fourth of July. It’s a holiday dedicated to spending time with family, creating lasting memories, and most of all, remembering the men and women who have served this country.
Since this holiday is only a week away, we wanted to share with you a beautiful Fourth of July shadow box you can create for your home. We hope that as you make this page, you take a moment to feel gratitude for all those who have fought for our freedoms.
For this page, we took inspiration from none other than Old Glory herself. Strips of fringed paper form the stripes, and some 3-D stars in the top left corner allude to the 50 states.
Quick tip—To create each star, simply cut four identical star shapes. Then fold them in half and attached the halves together to create a sort of accordion.
In addition to this shadow box, we want to share with you some classic Fourth of July layouts.
Creating a faded watercolor title, which looks distressed, is perfect for a holiday all about tradition and history. We also made sure some fireworks found their way onto the page, compliments of the My Acrylix® Fireworks Fun stamp set—again, it’s all about the tradition!
If there was ever a perfect paper packet for the Fourth of July, it’s the Magical paper packet. The colors, the star and stripe designs—they’re just the thing for evoking feelings of July and preserving these warm summer memories.
Any of these layout pages would look wonderful in one of our shadow boxes too, and now is the perfect time to get your hands on some shadow boxes because you can purchase a 2-pack and save through our Flash Sale. The sale has been extended through June 30, so make sure to get in on the action before it’s over!
We want to hear about your Fourth of July traditions. Share your plans with us in the comments below!
12″ × 12″ Liberty Layout Make It from Your Heart™ Vol. 2: Pattern 3 (with alterations)
X7209B Magical Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z1829 Black & Grey Glitter Paper, Z3075 Red Glitter Paper, X7209C Magical Complements, Z3214 Magical Sequins, Z3169 Cricut® Artbooking Collection
All these products are available through one of our Independent Consultants. To find a Consultant near you, visit closetomyheart.com and click on “Find a Consultant” in the top right corner of the page.
Today we’re going to share some tips with you for mixing patterned papers together using, of course, our Happy Times paper packet, which is available for this month only.
Here are the two pages we’ll be comparing—a sort of before and after, if you will:
First, let’s start with the page on the left that looks a bit like an overrun garden:
In the spirit of this floral fiasco, here are some whoopsie daisies (get it, daisies? 😀 ) that make this page a little bit chaotic:
Whoopsie Daisy #1: Using all of your favorite patterns at once.
Yes, these papers are beautiful, but when you use them all together on one page, your eyes don’t know where to look! You want to set a beautiful backdrop for your photos, but in this example, the photo gets lost amid a bunch of theatrics.
Whoopsie Daisy #2: Choosing only patterned papers that perfectly match.
Don’t be afraid to mix it up a little! Remember, your color scheme doesn’t have to perfectly coordinate—the individual components just have to go together.
Okay, now let’s step away from the floral fiasco and look at a more calm, harmonious, page:
You can really see and feel the difference, huh? Isn’t it amazing how we respond to patterns? This page has definitely transformed into something more sophisticated and balanced, so let’s talk about how it’s blossomed:
Blossom #1: Choosing one pattern to be the hero.
On this page, the floral pattern is the hero. Every other paper supports this one pattern. Here’s a good rule of thumb: Choose one bold pattern, one or two medium patterns that support the bold pattern (pretty mellow patterns), and then choose papers with very subtle patterns or solid cardstock to round off your page. Here, the wooden pattern is our medium pattern and the mint paper is our very subtle pattern.
Blossom #2: Choosing patterns that aren’t too matchy matchy.
Remember, your papers don’t have to match perfectly, they just have to go! The mint color is perfect because it still goes with the hero paper, but it’s not the main color in the hero paper so it adds variety.
We hope you found these tips to be helpful. Stay tuned for more scrapbooking tips this month on the blog!
Recipes
12″ x 12″ Happy Times Page (good example) Reflections: Quartet—Border Cutout™
CC1064 My Acrylix® Happy Times, CC1063 Happy Times Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, 44751 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2193 Cotton Candy Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2650 Fern Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2012 Sequins Gold Assortment, Z3105 Fundamental Assortment Gold, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z1852 Stitch Guide, Thread, Pen
The only thing more alluring than a new Close To My Heart canvas-coated album is a BOGO deal. Put them together, and what do you have? A recipe for amazing that just so happens to be available to you during the month of February!
To help you fill up these gorgeous albums, we’ll be sharing ideas throughout the month for the kinds of album-worthy artwork we swoon over.
Today we’ve got an idea to take your albums up a notch: album title pages! It’s a great way to turn what would otherwise be a scattered compilation of layouts into a finished and cohesive album.
What can a title page do for you? Your album’s title page is like the opening scene for the slideshow of your life, so you want to make sure it sends the right message.
Keep the following three things in mind and you’ll be able to create a title page that’s sure to leave an impression:
1) A clear focal point. One good photo surrounded by plenty of negative space will do the trick.
2) A defined title. Your title is a succinct description at the beginning of your album to make it easy for your audience to recognize what the album is about.
3) Connection. A title page can jive with the layouts of an album while still making a statement of its own. Aim for coordination, not a perfect match. You might choose to make your title page first and then borrow a few elements to develop other layouts in the album. Or, you might do the opposite and make your title page last, pulling elements from some of your layouts. Regardless of the method you choose, be sure to make it your own!
On this, our first two-page spread of the album, you see border stitching that is a variant of the hand-drawn stitching on our title page. What a great way to pull the two pieces together.
We love title pages! What creative techniques have you used to create yours?
The release of another great idea book means we have an excuse to share even more artwork! When it comes to memory keeping, we know that each person takes a unique approach. We love to see beautiful, high-level artwork, but we know that it isn’t always realistic to add all the bells and whistles to every layout. After all, soccer practice, piano recitals, family meals, and all those other demands are important, too! Today’s artwork celebrates a style of memory keeping that is less elaborate, but no less lovely.
The beauties below are all done with just a few ingredients: B&T Duos™ papers and selected embellishments—no stamping required!
12″ x 12″ You Had Me at Hello Layout Magic: Card Trick™, X7193B Heartstrings Paper Packet, X7193C Heartstrings Complements, Z3015 Heartstrings Assortment, Z3024 White Shimmer Trim
The charming papers of the Heartstrings paper packet make beautiful layouts devoted to those you love.
Did you notice that the journaling spot on this layout is really a Heartstrings Complement in disguise?
12″ x 12″ Love These Moments Layout Make It from Your Heart™ Vol. 2: Pattern 2, X7193B Heartstrings Paper Packet, X7193C Heartstrings Complements, Z3015 Heartstrings Assortment, Z3024 White Shimmer Trim
This layout is made of White Daisy bases accented by pieces of B&T from the Heartstrings paper packet.
Aren’t these strips of washi tape fitting? Surprise! These aren’t washi tape strips at all—they’re stickers from the Heartstrings Complements. Their coordinating colors make them the perfect fit for this layout.
12″ x 12″ Love This Layout Make It from Your Heart™ Vol. 1: Pattern 6, X7194B Hopscotch Paper Packet, X7194C Hopscotch Complements, Z3016 Hopscotch Assortment, Z1752 Sparkles Clear Assortment
This layout is a fun combination of the Hopscotch paper packet and the coordinating Complements.
This Hopscotch hexagon sticker is a nice design element that is ready-to-add. It makes a beautiful page border as it is, but can also be trimmed to fit differently-shaped spaces on your layouts.
12″ x 12″ Fun Day Layout Make It from Your Heart™ Vol. 2: Pattern 10, X7194B Hopscotch Paper Packet, X7194C Hopscotch Complements, Z3016 Hopscotch Assortment, Z1752 Sparkles Clear Assortment
You don’t have to add a lot to a layout to make it complete! The clean and classy look of this layout is very attractive.
The size of a title isn’t the only feature that can make it stand out. This sentiment from the Hopscotch Complements captures the right tone of the layout and draws the eye right away. It achieves the same look as a stamped image without getting your fingers inky!
Thanks to our coordinating papers and accessories, you’ve got lots of tools at your disposal for creating quality layouts. Get started with these adorable new products from Seasonal Expressions 1!
