January 25, 2023Inspiration, Learn, Memory Keeping

How to Organize Years of Photos without Getting Overwhelmed

Close To My Heartback up photos, consolidate, digital photos, eliminate, empowered, memories, Memory Keeping, online cloud, organization, overwhelmed, photo case, photo organizer, photo table, photos, pocket scrapbooking, printed photos, printing, process, scrapbooking, snap-close, tips 12 Comments

When it comes to scrapbooking, one of the biggest deterrents for people is feeling overwhelmed by their copious amounts of unorganized photos. If you have years of memories piled up in your phone’s photo gallery, or spread between multiple devices even, it’s easy to feel discouraged and to put off preserving these moments in a much more user-friendly format. The longer you wait to sort and organize your photos, the more memories you’ll collect, and the more overwhelming the task will get—so let’s not delay and start now. Let us show you how!

Follow the step-by-step outline we’ve created, below, as we walk you through how to efficiently organize your digital photos and get them into a scrapbook! This process may take some commitment, but the journey is worth it—especially when your memories are all in order and in an album where they can be relived and shared!

Step One: Consolidate Your Digital Photos

Upload all of your digital photos to one location—your computer. We recommend using a photo managing system, like Google Photos, Amazon Photos, or iCloud, to easily transfer photos from your phone and other devices onto your computer. Amazon Photos is free* for Amazon Prime members and iCloud is best for those with multiple Apple devices (it is included on iPhones, iPads, and Macs), where it automatically updates between the Apple devices. (*As of the date of this article, this information is correct but is subject to change without our knowledge.)

Step Two: Eliminate Unwanted Photos

Once all of your photos are in one place, go through and eliminate any that aren’t worth keeping: repeats, photos with a blurry finger covering half the lens, photos of your to-do lists, etc.

A few tips: Avoid future photo hoarding by cleansing your digital photo libraries every few weeks. (Set a reminder on your schedule if you have to!) On the same note, while it’s a good idea to get in the habit of deleting subpar photos soon after you take them, don’t consider every photo that isn’t “Instagram worthy” subpar. Pause before you hit delete and allow a photo to sit for a while—especially photos of yourself (we can be so harsh on ourselves!). You might be surprised at how much joy a picture can recall regardless of how unprofessional it may appear or how much you might have hated looking at yourself when you first snapped the photo.

Step Three: Organize Your Digital Photos

In your photo managing system, create folders for each year of photos you have. Then place the corresponding photos in these folders. Once you’ve sorted your photos by year, go into each folder and create subfolders. You can label and further sort your photos by month, event, vacation, etc.

Step Four: Back Up Your Digital Photos

Back up all the photos in your photo managing system onto an external hard drive and/or a safe permanent online cloud service. You may be using a safe online cloud storage solution to sort your photos. Just make sure you also have a backup!

Step Five: Create To-Print Folders

Once you have organized your photos in your photo managing system, you’re ready to start thinking about scrapbooking them—woohoo! Even though all the photos you have left are photos you have deemed worth keeping, you may not want to scrapbook all of them. A great way to figure out which photos you want to scrapbook is to copy and paste a given folder onto your desktop. (Copy and paste, don’t just drag. We don’t want to permanently delete photos in this step.) Go through and delete any photos from this folder you don’t want to print and put in an album. This is also a good time to edit any of the photos you’re going to print, if you want to take that extra step.

Step Six: Upload & Print Photos

Once you’ve gone through all the photos on your desktop folder, you’re ready to print! We recommend creating a table, like the one below, to track each folder’s progress. When you have printed your photos, you can delete the desktop folder you created (remember, you’ve already saved these photos elsewhere!).

Tip: Choose one day every month to do a print run. Some months you may be able to afford printing more photos than other months. Whatever the circumstance, try and get in the habit of printing your photos on the same day each month.

Step Seven: Organize Printed Photos

Option 1: Use our photo organizer to sort and keep your printed photos.

You can organize your photos by date, person, event…whatever you want! Think about the album you want to create with the photos, and sort them into each case that way.

The photo organizer comes with 16 removable snap-close cases that can each hold up to 100 4″ x 6″ photos, while the sturdy large exterior case snaps close and comes with a convenient handle for transport. There is plenty of room to get yourself organized!

Option 2: Create a work-in-progress album.

Use one of our D-ring albums and divided Memory Protectors™ to separate out all the photos you’ll want for an album. You can group like photos together so you know how to plan your layouts.

(Going this route may even help you decide whether pocket scrapbooking is the way to go rather than traditional scrapbook layouts!)

And that’s it! The next step is to start scrapbooking away! If the idea of making the scrapbook pages themselves overwhelms you, a great place to start is with our scrapbooking workshop kits. You can also talk to your Close To My Heart Maker (or find one online!) for additional guidance.

We hope this post helps empower you to start organizing your photos for scrapbooking. We know that when you take that leap of faith, you’ll find so much joy and satisfaction in preserving your family’s memories and stories.

Do you have any additional tips for organizing and printing your photos for scrapbooking? Share them in the comments below!

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January 11, 2023Inspiration, Learn, Memory Keeping

Big Impact with Little Papers!

Close To My Heart6" x 6" paper, aged, cardmaking, Enjoy the Little Moments, It's the Little Things, mini album, minimal, minimalist, Mix-in, paperboard die-cuts, punch-out die-cuts, Remember When, scrapbooking, Shine Bright, silver paint marker, The Good Life, vertical stripe, white base page 6 Comments

If you’re like us, the minute you see a gorgeous set of patterned papers, the creative wheels in your mind begin to turn. Before long, you’re designing scrapbook layouts and cards in your head, and you can hardly wait to get your hands on the paper so you can bring your ideas to life! We know this feeling well and for that reason, we can’t wait to share the very special products featured in our post today. This beautiful selection is sure to inspire, so without further ado, let’s take a look at our It’s the Little Things collection!

It’s the Little Things is a unique collection, in the fact that it features a 6″ x 6″ paper packet, as opposed to the typical 12″ x 12″ size offered in the majority of our paper collections. In spite of the size difference, these 6″ x 6″ papers can still be used to great effect in 12″ x 12″ scrapbook layouts in addition to being used to create mini album pages with ease! The variety of patterns and colors included in these papers makes them a great choice to pair with other paper collections as well as plain cardstock.

Along with these 6″ x 6″ mini mix-in style papers, the It’s the Little Things suite also includes three exclusive stamp sets—one each for scrapbooking, cardmaking, and mini albums!

Inspired by the patterns, icons, and sentiments in the papers and stamp sets, this collection also includes multiple sets of stickers, paperboard die-cuts, and assorted acrylic shapes. These embellishment options were designed in sets for scrapbooking, cardmaking, and mini album projects, but they can easily be interchanged, depending on your own preferences and crafting vision!

Rounding out the It’s the Little Things collection are the three workshop kits, which make crafting with this exquisite suite a piece of cake!

Today, we’ll be showing off some of the standout features of the It’s the Little Things Scrapbooking Workshop Kit.

This kit allows crafters to create three 2-page layouts and one single page layout, embracing a beautiful, minimalistic approach in its design. This minimalistic feel is due primarily to the prominent use of white base pages, with much of the background untouched and clearly visible beneath the patterned paper elements. Each kit comes complete with scrapbooking stickers and punch-out die-cut embellishments, along with the It’s the Little Things 6″ x 6″ papers, the scrapbooking stamp set, and a few sheets of black and white cardstock.

To start off our scrapbook adventure today, we’re going to take a look at our single “Remember When” page, which uses a selection of black and white 6″ x 6” floral paper from the It’s the Little Things paper pack at its foundation. The paper sheets have been cut into triangular sections and attached over the corners of the base page, creating a beautiful framing effect. Black and white mix-in details come further into play with dovetailed pennant pieces positioned behind our “Remember when” title at the top of the page, and behind the journaling at the bottom. Rounding out the monochrome theming in this page is a simple layering of black and white cardstock with a border drawn in metallic silver paint marker for an added sparkly touch. This emphasis on a grayscale palette at the foundation of this page sets up a dramatic effect when vibrant colors are added into the center of the page.

The page comes into full color with a rainbow selection of patterned mix-in papers cut into dovetailed pennants and spaced evenly across the width of the page. Each pennant has been given a “shadow effect” by distressing the edges with Black ink to help them stand out even more against the white background.

After putting a few fun photos on the page, the final touches were added using the scrapbooking embellishments, stickers, and stamps, plus black twine, and a couple of Black & White Dots, which were first colored silver with a metallic paint marker. We’ve even given a silver coating to the “LOVE” title stickers for some extra shine. This gorgeous combination of a black and white color scheme at the page’s foundation and the brightly colored pennants and silver sections as accent pieces give you a minimalist effect while still embracing a flurry of bright colors!

Our next layout, “Enjoy the Little Moments”, embraces a greater emphasis on color right from the start, as the base page has been sponged with soft swathes of orange ink as an initial step.

After applying the ink, we attached various pieces of patterned paper from our trusty mix-in pack. This is an excellent example of how the 6″ x 6″ papers can be used to great effect in full-size 12″ x 12″ scrapbooking. Because of their smaller size, the patterned papers used in this layout did not require cutting, making it quick and easy to add them to the page!

Once the patterned paper was attached, we cut ½” strips of black cardstock and attached them along the top and bottom edges of the patterned papers, creating a sharp cutoff and further accentuating the contrast between the patterned sections and the stark white base page. To finish off the foundation of this scrapbook layout, we stamped a black ink border on the base page alongside the black cardstock strips.

After adding photos—attached to patterned paper mats—and a journaling piece, it’s embellishment time! This page is festooned with scrapbooking punch-out die-cuts, stamped die-cuts, and stickers from the It’s the Little Things Scrapbooking Workshop Kit. And once again, we turned to our trusty silver paint marker to add a metallic finish to the enamel dots

While the previous pages we’ve looked at today have all featured a horizontal flow of pattern and color, this next layout takes that approach in a 90° turn with some fun vertical stripes! Similar to our previous layout, the colorful sections on this pair of pages were created by cutting the rainbow stripe 6″ x 6″ patterned paper in half and then attaching them at the top and bottom of the white base page in the center. Thanks to the proportions of these papers, it was then a cinch to attach a single piece of 6″ x 6″ black and white patterned paper in the middle, capping it off at both the top and bottom edges with ½” paper strips trimmed from another black and white patterned piece.

Along the edges of these striped sections, we used a silver paint marker to create a simple, hand-drawn border, running the length of the pages.

With these papers in place, we had a great foundation that we topped with a handful of matted photos, stickers, die-cuts, and a unique sticker title on the right page using the “perfect” letter stickers from the It’s the Little Things scrapbooking selection.

With the vertical orientation of the stripes, this layout stands apart, although the techniques used to create it are easy to replicate. This makes it a great example of how a little bit of out-of-the-box thinking can help you to expand your creative output!

Our last layout on display from the It’s the Little Things Scrapbooking Workshop Kit is this adorable “Shine Bright” layout. These beautiful pages are graced with a spectrum of vibrant rectangular patterned pieces, all edged with black ink for an additional “shadow effect” against the white base pages.

For an additional accent effect, small dotted circles have been stamped so they peek out from behind the rectangular pieces, and each dotted section has been sponged with yellow ink. Clustered around these sections, we’ve also included some small dots, applied with a silver paint marker.

Photos, stickers, stamped die-cuts, and black punch-out die-cuts serve to create focal points, embellished accents, and title sections, all layered on top of and around the aforementioned rectangular pieces.

To finish out this layout, we added a few simple lines of journaling at the bottom of each page, stamped our trusty border in black ink on ¼” pieces of white cardstock, edged them in black ink, attached them above the colorful rectangular pieces, and applied black bow die-cuts and white dots in the center of the stamped pieces. As a final touch, we’ve added a simple silver border with the paint marker, as well as a few distressed elements that take this technique to the next level.

As you can see in the close-up above, a few sections of our white cardstock base pages have been torn slightly, crumpled and worked to achieve a distressed look. These sections were then curled down, and sponged lightly with yellow ink. Behind these sections, we’ve placed a small piece of patterned paper, edged in black ink, to serve as a sort of patch. This effect, when taken all together, results in a unique aged look.

As you can see, there’s a TON of creative potential available through the It’s the Little Things Scrapbooking Workshop Kit, and we can’t wait to hear about all the amazing memories you’ll preserve in your own pages! Comment below and let us know what stories you can’t wait to tell with this scrapbook kit, and stay tuned for even more fun with It’s the Little Things!

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December 28, 2022Create, Inspiration, Memory Keeping

Win a FREE Album Retreat Bundle!!

Close To My Heartalbum, Album Retreat, destination, Family, February Album Retreat, free, friends, getaway, going places, journey, love, Memory Keeping, retreat, road trip, scrapbooking, staycation, ticket, tour, travel, vacation, virtual, win 90 Comments

One of our most popular events is coming up! We’re talking about none other than the February Album Retreat, of course! We love Album Retreat for so many reasons, but mainly because we get to spend time creating with all of you! Join us for three days of instructional fun with some of our favorite Home Office personalities and create a 12″ x 12″ album in the process!

Album Retreats are events unique to Close To My Heart where we get together to make the pages of a 12″ x 12″ album. We offer a bundle of materials you will need to create 11 beautiful 12″ x 12″ two-page layouts over the course of three days of instruction. For February’s Album Retreat we will be creating a travel themed album featuring a variety of interactive elements—flaps, sliders, pockets, and MORE!

To join this February, simply purchase the February 2023 Album Retreat Bundle, which includes the papers, stickers, an exclusive stamp set, and embellishments needed to create the album. There is no separate registration fee! As we get closer to the event, we will invite everyone who has purchased the bundle to join a private Facebook group where the retreat will be hosted virtually.

The retreat will be held February 1–3, from 2:00 pm to approximately 8:30 pm (MST) each day. (That’s’ 2–4 February, 6:00 am–12:30 pm AEDT for our friends in Australia and New Zealand.) The last day to order your bundle is January 10, so mark your calendars if you haven’t ordered yours already!

Hosting a retreat virtually has its perks. Not only do we get to have as many of you attend as would like to, because there is not limited seating, but once the feed is no longer live, Facebook saves the videos so you can return to watch them over and over again at your own convenience!

We want everyone to have a chance to join us, so we are doing something extra special today and giving away one FREE Album Retreat product bundle! That means that the lucky winner will not only get a bundle of select and exclusive products but will also have access to the private virtual retreat hosted on Facebook in February!!

For an entry into this contest, there are two requirements: First, you must be subscribed to this blog (Yes, we will check!). Second, share this post on Facebook with the hashtag #ctmhgoingplaces. That’s it! You have from now until 3 pm (MST) on December 30 (7 am (AEST) on 31 December). The winner will be notified via email on January 3.

If you’re reading this and have already purchased a bundle, try to win the retreat for a friend! These types of events are a great way to invite others to learn about and fall in love with the art of scrapbooking!

This Album Retreat is sure to captivate you with interactive elements on every single layout! Get a glimpse of each pull, tuck, turn, and more in this stunning travel album!

See you in February!!

UPDATE: Our lucky giveaway winner is Cathie McKenzie! Congratulations, Cathie!

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December 15, 2022Create, Inspiration, Memory Keeping

Year-round Crafting with Four Seasons!

Close To My Heartautumn, autumn air, cards, Chasing Sunshine, core catalog, crafting, crafting for all seasons, Four Seasons, Four Seasons—Autumn, Four Seasons—Spring, Four Seasons—Summer, Four Seasons—Winter, Holiday, Memory Keeping, scrapbooking, seasonal, seasonal haul, seasons, Smell the Flowers, special, spring, spring greetings, stamping, summer, Thin Cuts, winter, winter wishes, workshop, Workshop Wow, year-round Leave a comment

No matter what time of year you dive into the creative process, there are always plenty of memories to be captured, friendships to be celebrated, and art to be crafted. Embracing your creative side year-round can be quick and easy when you’re working with seasonal papers and stickers. Today, we’re going to give you a peek into the crafting potential offered by our Workshop Wow: Four Seasons workshop kits and showing off just how easy it is to create stunning artwork on theme!

All the pages and cards on display today were designed using the Four Seasons paper collections in our 2022–2023 Core Products catalog. (To view these collections and all the other amazing products available in this catalog, click here!) Now, let’s get started!

First up is our springtime cardmaking workshop, bursting with floral features and bright colors. These cards favor a variety of sentiments, from birthday wishes, to greetings, to “just because” options. One standout feature of these cards is the use of White Acrylic Hearts across all of the card designs. While the cards also share a commonality in paper patterns and sticker usage, the inclusion of the White Acrylic Hearts as a common element across all our springtime cards serves as a simple but effective way to tie them all together, working to further preserve a cohesive theme.

For additional cohesion, these cards all pull their sentiments and stamped accents from the Seasonal Haul Stamp + Thin Cuts set and the My Acrylix^® Spring Greetings stamp set. These elements, while allowing for differences from card to card, also serve to uphold the springy feel throughout the entire assortment!

This springtime theme continues with our Four Seasons—Spring scrapbooking workshop. This workshop kit includes a garden of floral patterns across the seven pages available through this kit design. Fun fact: All of our Four Seasons scrapbooking workshop kits follow a similar design pattern, making it easy to create each page from each seasonal theme! Even with the design similarities, though, the papers, stickers, and color palette used in each seasonal page set the individual pieces apart. One standout element of the spring pages is the use of Woodgrain Die-cut Flowers. Additional floral elements were added to these pages from the Smell the Flowers Stamp + Thin Cuts set.

These stamps and Thin Cuts dies are particularly prevalent in this 12” x 12” “Love You” single page. Flowers and leaves from this set were both stamped directly on the base page and stamped on die-cuts and attached to the base page with 3-D Foam Tape, leaving a gorgeous multi-dimensional effect!

Moving on through the year, we get to our sunny summer layouts and cards! The gorgeous pieces in our summer selection feature a more vibrant color palette, making the scrapbook pages stand out in any album, and giving the cards an unforgettable foundation!

Our scrapbook pages take on even more floral accents, courtesy of the Chasing Sunshine Stamp + Thin Cuts set.

Our 12” x 12” “Go with the Flow” layout offers a great example of how these dies can be used to create custom embellishment clusters, perfectly tailored to the Four Seasons—Summer paper patterns and stickers!

The trick to making these embellishment clusters blend in so seamlessly with the paper and sticker designs is stamping them in complementary ink colors.

As with the scrapbook pages, each seasonal set of cards is designed following a similar pattern. Similarities can be seen from season to season, but each set has its own unique flair. Our summer cards sport the same bright hues as the scrapbooking pages, and are embellished with a handful of White Acrylic Flowers.

One theme that is seen throughout all of our Four Seasons cards is the usage of the truck die-cut from the Seasonal Haul Stamp + Thin Cuts. To get twice the cardmaking power, the Four Seasons—Summer cardmaking workshop kit includes two design options, both featuring the truck die-cut.

The summer truck cards have a relatively simple design, but are the perfect addition to the set, with truck beds full of acrylic flowers and an uplifting sentiment sticker! No matter which version of this card you choose to make, it’s sure to be a delight for any friend or family member you give it to!

Another great two-for-one card design can be found in the “Live a Little” and “Go With the Flow” cards. This dual design principle can be seen in various forms throughout the Four Seasons cards, and is a great way to create multiple cards quickly.

Next up are our selection of Autumnal cards and scrapbook pages. These leafy layouts and crisp cards are perfect for all kinds of festive occasions and the preservation of all kinds of memories. One of our favorite layouts from this set is the 12” x 12” “Crisp Air, Warm Hearts” layout, which includes a fun, striped panel section along the bottom of the pages. This layout really puts the power of the Four Seasons—Autumn paper on display, along with a handful of stickers.

The paper patterns can also be seen in the array of dovetailed pennants and paper layers in the upper half of the left page. By relying on the usage of patterned paper for the majority of these pages’ decoration, it makes the creative process quicker and easier to follow! With that being said, though, this page also benefits from the inclusion of Autumn Air Stamp + Thin Cuts set, as its stamps and dies have come together throughout the page to create embellishment clusters around the title pieces and photos.

Another beautiful piece that stands out in this collection is the 12” x 12” “Autumn Leaves & Pumpkins Please” layout! This photo-packed layout includes many of the elements seen in the “Crisp Air, Warm Hearts” layout, but this example embraces a more simple, white background toward the center, giving it a classic design. By going this route, we are left with optimal focus on the photos while at the same time, elegantly preserving the autumnal theme!

Last but not least are our winter cards and scrapbook pages, and each piece is packed with frosty wintery goodness! One of our absolute favorites in this selection is the “Thinking of You This Season” card. This card makes beautiful use of the Four Seasons—Winter woodgrain paper option for a secondary base, and a total of six other patterns that have been cut into strips of varying width and arranged side by side to form a stunning background.

To finish it off, we trimmed two pieces of paper—Scarlet and Mink, respectively—dovetailed and layered them, and stamped our festive sentiment and a handful of snowflakes in Pine ink. This, along with the aforementioned patterned paper strips, and a small constellation of White Acrylic Stars, make this card a real holiday treasure!

The final piece we’ll be looking at today is our “Winter Wishes” card, which shows off a simple but effective fold-over technique. A great feature of Close To My Heart patterned paper packs is that each page is double-sided, giving you twice the crafting capability with a single page. In this card, the base has been built out with a piece of Espresso cardstock, a white woodgrain piece on top of that, and a wintery foliage piece for the top layer. However, instead of leaving the top layer piece as-is, the top right corner has been folded down to reveal the woodgrain piece beneath it. This also shows off the plaid pattern on the back of the foliage piece, allowing both the patterns on this double-sided paper to work together at once!

This card has been finished off with stamps from both the My Acrylix^® Winter Wishes stamp set and a stamp and die-cut from the Seasonal Haul Stamp + Thin Cuts set, with the title piece popped up off the base with 3-D foam tape.

This beautiful card is perfect for friends, neighbors, and family members alike, and is a delight to receive, and to make!

We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s brief look at what’s in store with the Workshop Wow: Four Seasons special! We’ve only showed off a small portion of what’s available through these incredible seasonal workshop kits, and we can’t wait to hear about all the amazing things you’ll do with your Four Seasons artwork! What memories will you capture with the scrapbooking kits? Who’s on your card-giving list this year? Let us know in the comments below!

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December 7, 2022Create, Inspiration, Learn

Building Unique Backgrounds and Borders with Stamping!

Close To My Heartbackgrounds, borders, cardmaking, christmas, festive, happy holidays, harmonious patterns, Holiday, merry & bright, Patterns, scrapbooking, season's greetings, stamping, we wish yo a merry christmas, winter borders 4 Comments

At the heart of many crafting masterpieces is a great background. One way to instantly set your creations apart is to create your own background that is unique to your pieces. From splendid stamps to imaginative sponged or splattered sections, the sky’s the limit when it comes to what you can do to create your own beautiful backgrounds. Today, we’ll be taking a look at a very special selection of stamps that can be used to create one-of-a-kind background and border elements on cards and scrapbook layouts, combining these elements for a truly beautiful effect!

The artwork on display uses our Winter Borders and Harmonious Patterns stamp sets—both of which can be found in our October–December catalog and are just the thing to add a little festive flair to your holiday crafting! By using repeated stamping and layering techniques, it’s a simple matter to create gorgeous background elements as a foundation for your art!

One of the simplest ways to elevate your artwork is to add a custom border, like the one that can be seen in this “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” card. On the Scarlet piece, we added a smattering of dots to increase the interest of this piece of cardstock. This addition is a great way to complement the striped pattern of the base piece with something a bit more organic and free-feeling.

This dots stamp can be used on its own to suggest the effect of thick, falling snowflakes, or simply as an array of abstract dots. For another, more involved look, they can also be used with another stamp from the same Winter Borders set—a vine of holly leaves! The dots stamped on top of the leaves become holly berries, an effect you can see on our 12” x 12” Merry & Bright page.

We’ll take a closer look at that page in a minute, but before we do, let’s get back to the “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” Card.
Along with the dressed-up Scarlet strip, we also gussied up the Pine strip just below it. On this particular piece, we stamped the length of it with the leafy border stamp, also part of the Winter Borders stamp set. This leafy detail, stamped in Pine ink, serves to provide yet another unique pattern that you won’t get in a paper collection.

Though it is technically a border stamp, this particular usage comes off more as a background element. This is achieved by stamping the border design on a strip of paper that is narrower than the stamp itself, ensuring that the entirety of the paper is covered in the inked design. It’s a small detail that has a massive impact on the overall appearance of the card, sprucing it up and completing the combination of patterns that form the background and foundation of the card.

Now let’s look at that scrapbook page to see another fun border stamp!

We already talked about the holly leaves and berries below the photo, but look up above it to see our next example: A string of multicolored lights graces the top of this White Daisy cardstock piece, adding a small pop of color.

These lights start off with a simple light string, stamped with Black ink. Then, we stamped the colored bulbs onto the cardstock, taking care to line them up with the bulb fittings on the light string. Because the bulb is a single stamp image, we could easily alternate ink colors to create a pattern that matched the overall color scheme of this page.

For added realism, the bulb stamp image is designed with two small grooves, resulting in a break-up of the inked section to replicate the natural shine found on a glass light bulb. (Tip: To preserve this effect, make sure to not press down too hard when stamping your light bulbs. Rather than mashing the stamp and stamp block into the page, carefully set it down and apply light pressure over the surface area of the stamp.)

One last background stamping example that adds to the look of this page is a more subtle, but no less fun element behind our journaling: a piece of Pewter cardstock festooned with various music notes and symbols. While it is not the most prominent stamped element on this page, it provides a visual treat nonetheless, increasing interest in the journaling section and providing a bit of polish to the overall appearance of the page.

The last stamp in our Winter Borders set is a stunning array of stars and snowflakes. While it does make a stellar border, we’ve used it to great effect as a background element on our “Season’s Greetings” card.

To create variety in our background, we stamped the snowflakes in different colors and rotated it between columns, covering the entire White Daisy piece in a veritable winter wonderland!

This fun winter feel is amplified in other layers of the card, too. The artistically ripped cardstock pieces mimic snowdrifts, and a dots stamp from the Harmonious Patterns stamp set adds a heightened snowfall effect with a beautiful Silver Embossing Powder treatment.

And believe it or not, the cluster of trees on this card also come from one of our Harmonious Patterns stamps! Stamped in Scarlet, Mist, and Pine inks, these mini trees were carefully trimmed from a pattern stamp and arranged over the torn cardstock “snowbanks” for a frosty forest appeal—just showing that even backgrounds and patterns can shine in the foreground from time to time!

The snowfall dot assortment shown in our previous card comes in handy again in two other cards we have to show off today—our “Happy Holidays” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” cards. Both of these cards feature this distinctive dot pattern, though in different ways.

Our Happy Holidays card sports this pattern right on the primary base piece, with the rest of the card built on top of it.

The “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” card sports this pattern on a piece of Sage cardstock creating a band across the width of the card.

Both examples of this stamp usage, while serving different purposes, are vital additions to the overall design of these two cards. Take a look at how the dots effect is echoed by a splattering of ink over the central sentiment of the card. While one is stamped on and one is splattered, the random feel of both elements creates an overarching unity between background and foreground.

In the “Happy Holidays” card, the dots pattern is contrasted by the bold, straight lines of the tartan plaid stamp. This pattern is placed prominently over the Sage base piece and sandwiched between strips of silver glitter paper to create a vibrant focal point that coordinates nicely with the Candy Apple title.

No matter how you create your backgrounds, you can see that they play a vital role in the overall aesthetic of your projects! We hope today’s examples have given you a few ideas of how you can create your own fantastic backgrounds! Which border or background set was your favorite? Be sure to leave a comment below and let us know how you would use it!

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Recipes:

4¼“ x 5½” We Wish You a Merry Christmas Card (Horizontal)
M1322 My Acrylix^® We Wish You a Merry Christmas Stamp Set, C1962 My Acrylix^® Winter Borders Stamp Set, X7286B Christmas Story Paper Packet, X7287B Cherish Paper Packet, X6047 Black Cardstock, X6046 French Vanilla Cardstock, X6070 Pine Cardstock, X6049 Scarlet Cardstock, Z6540 Pine Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6526 Scarlet Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z2805 Black Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z6047 White Acrylic Stars, X254 White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Cricut^® Basic Shapes

Cricut^® Shape:
Basic Shapes
#M2AAB3EFD

4¼” x 5½” Happy Holidays Card (Horizontal)
D2117 My Acrylix^® Seasonal Haul Stamp Set, D2130 My Acrylix^® Harmonious Patterns Stamp Set, M1323 My Acrylix^® Happy Holidays Stamp Set, X6046 French Vanilla Cardstock, X5947 Mink Cardstock, X6058 Rosemary Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6509 Candy Apple Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6529 Rosemary Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6526 Scarlet Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems, Z4191 Silver Glitter Gems, Z1799 Silver Shimmer Trim, Z6047 White Acrylic Stars, Z3562 Silver Stickles^™ Glitter Glue, Z2533 Dark Red Shades TriBlend^™ Marker, Z2474 Ice Grey TriBlend^™ Marker, Z2522 Jade Green Shades TriBlend^™ Marker, Z2512 Muted Brown TriBlend^™ Marker, Z2525 Vintage Blue TriBlend^™Marker, Z2499 Blender Marker, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots

3″ x 3″ We Wish You a Merry Christmas Card
M1322 My Acrylix® We Wish You a Merry Christmas Stamp Set, C1962 My Acrylix® Winter Borders Stamp Set, X6070 Pine Cardstock, X6045 Sage Cardstock, X6058 Rosemary Cardstock, Z6540 Pine Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6529 Rosemary Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4591 Sage Shimmer Brush, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

4¼” x 5½” Seasons Greetings Card (Vertical)
C1962 My Acrylix^® Winter Borders Stamp Set, D2130 My Acrylix^® Harmonious Patterns Stamp Set, C1959 My Acrylix^® Christmas Reindeer Stamp Set, X6047 Black Cardstock, X6046 French Vanilla Cardstock, X5947 Mink Cardstock, X6069 Mist Cardstock, X6070 Pine Cardstock, X6045 Sage Cardstock, Z6539 Mist Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6540 Pine Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6526 Scarlet Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z2805 Black Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z891 VersaMark^™ Ink Pad, Z2067 Silver Super Fine Embossing Powder, Z4191 Silver Glitter Gems, Z4220 Anti-static Pouch, Z4252 Heat Tool, X254 White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

12″ x 12″ Merry & Bright Page
C1962 My Acrylix^® Winter Borders Stamp Set, D2130 My Acrylix^® Harmonious Patterns Stamp Set, D2115 My Acrylix^® Title Style Stamp Set, X9044 Mix-in Paper Packet (Oct-Dec), X6046 French Vanilla Cardstock, X5947 Mink Cardstock, X6069 Mist Cardstock, X6070 Pine Cardstock, X6049 Scarlet Cardstock, Z6539 Mist Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6540 Pine Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6529 Rosemary Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6504 Sage Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6526 Scarlet Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z2805 Black Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6046 Black Die-cut Stars, Z6058 Black Die-cut Alphabet, Z3224 Small Round Waterbrush, Z5010 White Gloss Spray, Z2089 Glue Dots^® Micro Dots

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November 16, 2022Celebrate, Create, Memory Keeping

Capturing YOUR Days in Calendars AND Scrapbooks!

Close To My Heart2023, album, autumn, baby, best year ever, blank canvas, calendar kit, Craft with Heart, Cut Above®, date night, everyday moments, Four Seasons, graduations, Holiday, joy, keep blooming, Memory Keeping, milestones, most wonderful time of the year, scrapbooking, smiles, spring, summer, These Are the Days, tradition, weddings, winter, year round Leave a comment

When we talk about memory keeping, it’s natural to think of documenting the biggest moments or occasions—weddings, graduations, new babies, major milestones—but it’s just as important to chronicle the smaller, everyday moments that happen outside of the spotlight. After all, these moments make up the bulk of our lives, and looking back on them can often have as great an impact as memories of more momentous occasions. Holiday traditions, date nights, days at the park, quiet moments at home, and even just random moments that bring you joy, for any reason—these can be just as meaningful and just as worthy of being kept close to your heart.

We love providing crafters with the opportunities and resources to commemorate all their special moments, and a hand-crafted calendar or an album full of thoughtful scrapbook layouts can be just the way to catch the special occasions as well as the everyday happy memories! After all, every joyful moment we capture is a smile that can be saved and cherished later!

On display today as a vehicle for capturing those smiles is artwork featuring our These Are the Days calendar and layout kits, and trust us, there’s a lot to love here! The These Are the Days kits are created with our Cut Above® format, making them an ideal springboard for both beginners and more experienced crafters. All kits designed with this format come with all the pieces and die-cuts pre-cut, and even some pre-printed pieces as well! Having all the cutting and a good portion of the printing already done allows crafters to complete their projects in no time, so it’s possible to create even more in one sitting. (For those of you who are familiar with our Craft with Heart^™ subscription program, the card and scrapbook kits available in each subscription box are all created with the Cut Above^® format. Check out our current kits on the Close To My Heart website!)

The Cut Above^® pages included in the These Are the Days kits were designed and created with paper patterns from the Four Seasons collections in our 2022–2023 Core Products Catalog. These seasonal papers are available in Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter options. (To see the Autumn collection in the spotlight, check out our blog post from a couple of weeks ago!) The Four Seasons paper collections come with their own individual 6-sheet paper packets, sticker sheets, and coordinating cardstock packs. These mini collections are ideal for all sorts of seasonal creations, and it’s incredible to see how well they all fit together in the These Are the Days layout and calendar kits! By utilizing the Four Seasons collections in the These Are the Days kits, it was easy to design an entire year’s worth of pages, themed specifically for each month or change of season as the year progresses.

Rounding out the These Are the Days kits is an exclusive stamp set to help you tell your stories! This stamp set includes a whopping 35 stamps, all designed for use with a calendar page or a scrapbook page documenting your special occasions!

For those of you who want to create a memory keeping project with a twist, try out the These Are the Days calendar kit! This kit still allows you to create 13 12″ x 12″ scrapbook pages , but instead of putting them into an album, you get to incorporate them (along with your favorite photos) into a 12-month calendar, complete with its very own cover! Since the These Are the Days Cut Above^® kits come with the materials to create 13 pages, you’re left with one for each month of a calendar year, and one left over to put on your calendar cover! This kit also includes a blank base calendar, so you can further personalize it by adding your own colorful reminders of important occasions or week-to-week happenings. It’s literally a blank canvas, just waiting for you to fill it in!

It takes no time at all to create a full calendar to commemorate all your important dates and capture some smaller, everyday treasures, too! It’s a beautiful way to celebrate the memorable occasions and fun impromptu ones alike, and it’s a project we know that any crafter will love!

If, however, you are a die-hard scrapbooker and creating albums is your jam, These Are the Days is still the perfect project for you! These Are the Days is unique in the fact that it can be used for a dual crafting purpose! Since these kits are designed as 12″ x 12″ Cut Above^® pages, it’s easy to create a calendar, or to reserve the pages for a scrapbook album to document a whole year! Because the These Are the Days layout kit includes 13 stunning pages, the kit allows crafters to create an entire year’s worth of pages in a single crafting session.

Each page has spots for your favorite photos, making it easy to preserve the fun stories of your year. Filling an entire album is a breeze with These Are the Days, and whether you fill it with your own memories or choose to give it to a family member or friend to put their own photos in, it’s bound to be a wonderful memory keeping solution!

To further illustrate the scrapbooking potential of the These Are the Days kits, we’ve even created two additional pages to show off just how easy it is to create pieces that coordinate with the These Are the Days kits! Since we know the These Are the Days pages are designed using the Four Seasons patterns, we have an easy resource for creating seamlessly coordinating pages by using matching designs! This allows you to turn the These Are the Days kit pages into full 2-page layouts! Take a look at the extra pages we created as inspiration for creating your own!

For our springtime layout option, we’ve selected the April page and created this “Keep Blooming” page to coordinate with the “Hello Spring” one from the Cut Above^® kit. This beautiful page sports a simple design, using a patterned Four Seasons—Spring paper for the base page. From there, we’ve attached a strategically torn piece of Avocado cardstock in the center of the page, about halfway down, with the torn section facing toward the bottom edge of the base page.

Once our torn piece was in place, we took a rectangular piece of White Daisy cardstock, positioned it over the Avocado piece, and added three Ballerina cardstock photo mats on top of that. From there, it was easy to select and attach our photos!

To finish this page off, we selected a few stickers from the Four Seasons—Spring sticker sheet to add our title, a small pennant line across the upper left-hand corner, and a small layered feature at the top right corner of our White Daisy piece. We love how quickly and easily this combination of simple elements completes a gorgeous coordinating page to complement the These Are the Days Cut Above^® “Hello Spring” page!

Our second coordinating page on display today was created to pair with our December “Joy” page. Like our “Keep Blooming” page, this “Most Wonderful Time…” page is simple enough to replicate in a just few steps.

This page starts off with a matching base page from the Four Seasons—Winter paper collection, and incorporates a few ½” zip strips from this paper packet, attached horizontally across the middle of the page to match the Cut Above^® page. From there, we layered a piece of Toffee cardstock, and a slightly smaller piece of the Four Seasons—Winter wood grain paper centered over it. From here, we mounted two 3″ x 4″ photos and one 4″ x 6″ photo on Pine photo mats and attached them to the base page, as you can see below.

For our title piece, we took a piece of Toffee cardstock, attached a Four Seasons—Winter border sticker, and dovetailed the ends. Our “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” title sticker was centered in the middle of this accent, and the whole thing was centered and attached to our base page.

To embellish this page, we’ve created a couple of layered sticker clusters to create additional interest around the photos and title section. As with the patterned papers and title sticker, these accents all came from the Four Seasons—Winter Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet and are a quick and easy way to add polished embellishments.

It’s incredible to see how simple it can be to design and create your own coordinating scrapbook pages to go with the These Are the Days Cut Above^® options, and it’s a beautiful way not only to preserve your memories, but to look forward to making new ones!

We hope you’ve enjoyed our look at the possibilities available through the These Are the Days calendar and scrapbook layout kits, and we wish you a happy year to come as we approach the start of 2023 in just a few short weeks! What’s your favorite memory of a small, everyday moment you’ve preserved? What’s a more momentous occasion that you’ll never forget? How would you use the These Are the Days kit to document these memories? Tell us your stories and how you’d preserve them in the comments below!

Recipes:

12″ x 12″ Hello Spring Layout
X8034S Four Seasons—Spring Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6053 Avocado Cardstock, X6036 Ballerina Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

12″ x 12″ Joy Layout
X8037S Four Seasons—Winter Paper Packet, X6070 Pine Cardstock, X5950 Toffee Cardstock, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

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November 9, 2022Celebrate, Learn, Memory Keeping

Create Gilded Accents with a Variety of Gloss Spray Techniques!

Close To My Heartaccents, Celebrate, christmas, christmas day, Christmas Eve, Christmas story, Family, gilded, glitter, gloss spray, gloss spray technique, gold, Holiday, Memory Keeping, monica, painting, rumpelstiltskin, scrapbooking, shine, sponge, spray, story, storytelling, stylus, technique, techniques, traditions, video, workshop, workshop guide 7 Comments

We’re at it again with one of our favorite media, the gloss spray! This time, we’re giving Rumpelstiltskin a run for his gold-making skills by creating our very own gilded accents, using a variety of techniques paired with Gilt gloss spray!

Our Christmas Story scrapbooking workshop features many of these types of techniques. So let’s start by looking at that artwork!

Can you spot the golden elements in this layout? You’ll notice that there are several gold accents on these pages, from the title sticker to the faux ribbons made from glitter paper. If you look closely, you’ll also see a few of these pennant-like tags.

While photos can’t capture the golden effect in all its glory, trust us when we say that these tags have a beautiful golden luster that compares to illuminated, gold painted manuscripts!

The ornate little tags on this layout started off a French Vanilla color and were transformed with just a little bit of gloss spray and a sponge.

Did you know you could paint with gloss spray? Give the bottle a nice shake, make sure you hear that little ball inside hit against the sides mixing the paint up, and then spray a small puddle onto an all-purpose mat. Cut a wedge out of your trusty round sponge and use it to apply the paint to your project. It’s that simple! This technique makes it easier to get a uniform application of gloss spray rather than the random splatters that you get when spraying.

In this next layout from the Christmas Story scrapbooking workshop, we used the gloss spray in two ways. One is more obvious than the other.

Do you see it?

The more obvious use of the gloss spray here is where we sprayed it along the top of the left page and the bottom of the right page, creating a gorgeous golden glare-like effect.

If you inspect these pages a bit further, past the obvious sprayed areas, you will find that we also used the Gilt gloss spray to accent some of the paper embellishments, using another painting technique.

In the case of this layout, we used the tip of a stylus tool to lift the paint from our puddle and paint small dots in the center of bows, inside scallops, and in a floral shape.

In this last layout from the Christmas Story scrapbooking workshop, both the sponge- and dot-painting techniques were used.

The paperclip-like accent along the top photo on the left page was transformed from its original French Vanilla color to the stunning gilt by sponging it with the gloss spray.

And like in the second layout, we added a couple of gilt dots to the right page with the help of a stylus tool.

Gloss sprays are truly one of our current favorites! There are countless ways to use this game changing medium, and as we continue to discover them, we will continue to share them with you!

In the video below, Close To My Heart President Monica Wihongi shares even more ways to use the beautiful Gilt gloss spray to create your very own gilded accents. She even recreates some of the effects from the Christmas Story scrapbooking workshop using different techniques than what we’ve shown you so far. Follow along and see for yourself!

Download your free Christmas Story scrapbooking workshop guide, here!

Christmas Story Scrapbooking Workshop Guide (US/CA)
Christmas Story Scrapbooking Workshop Guide (AU/NZ)

Recipe:

12″ x 12″ Christmas Story Scrapbooking Workshop Layouts
G1265 Christmas Story Scrapbooking Workshop Kit, Z5009 Gilt Gloss Spray, Z4575 Black LePen™, Z697 Round Sponge, Z3505 Dual-tip Stylus Embossing Tool, Z2045 All-purpose Mat, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Paper Trimmer, Scissors, Adhesive, Ruler

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November 2, 2022Celebrate, Inspiration, Memory Keeping

Holiday Creations with Seas & Greetings!

Close To My Heartbeach, cardmaking, cards, christmas, creativity, dual theme, Holiday, jingle shells, Memory Keeping, paper collection, sand, sandy, scrapbook pages, scrapbooking, Seas & Greetings, seasonal, snow, snowy, tropical, video, vip, VIP Customer Program, winter, workshops 1 Comment

Whether you’re playing in snow or sand, the 2022 holiday season is set to be merry and bright! It’s always a crafting party here at Close To My Heart, and we’ve got some major fun in store for this Christmas season! For us, Christmas means a big new selection of stamps, patterned papers, and embellishments to aid us in our cardmaking and memory keeping endeavors. We’ve got an incredible paper collection to introduce you to today, and we can’t wait to show it off!

We are extremely blessed to have our crafting community extend throughout the US, into Canada, across the Pacific to Japan, and down under to Australia and New Zealand. As such, the season for Christmas celebrations varies greatly depending on where you live—some celebrate in the winter time, with snow and cold weather, while others celebrate in the height of summer, with sunshine, high temperatures, and beautiful beach weather!The Seas & Greetings paper collection is an ideal solution for Christmas crafting from either end of that spectrum, as well as any place in between! Without any further ado, let’s get into all the amazing creative options that await with Seas & Greetings!

As you can see in the short video above, this amazing collection is an incredible example of the versatility that can be achieved with paper design. We not only have some first-rate artists here at CTMH, but we’ve got some of the best graphic designers around, too, and their skill is on full display with the Seas & Greetings paper collection! Because this suite is designed for holiday celebrations in both a beachside setting or a colder winter climate, each piece of paper sports a beach theme on one side, and a snowy winter theme on the other!

While all Close To My Heart paper packets feature double-sided designs, this collection is unique, as it essentially incorporates two themes into a single paper packet and enables crafters to pursue multiple ideas within a single suite. All the patterns you see in this collection have been purposefully designed to coordinate with both themes and the included sticker sheet.

Additionally, this paper packet includes 12 sheets instead of the usual 6, giving creators double the papers to work and craft with! Whether you’re commemorating a beautiful beachside holiday or capturing fun memories from a snow day, the Seas & Greetings Paper Packet & Sticker Sheet is an ideal starting point as you bring your crafting vision into reality!

Accompanying the paper packet in the Seas & Greetings collection are a selection of stamp and Thin Cuts metal dies, available in both the Beach and Winter themes. These stamps and dies pair beautifully with the patterns, icons, and sentiments featured on the papers and stickers, making this a winning combination for any crafting project!

Another essential included in the Seas & Greetings suite is the Seas & Greetings Coordinating Cardstock pack. This variety of colored cardstock has been selected to coordinate with the colors prominently featured in the paper packet and stickers, making it incredibly easy to create polished, balanced cards and scrapbook layouts!

Crafters can also look forward to top-notch embellishment potential with the Seas & Greetings Beach and Winter Embellishments! These embellishments include a variety of blue and white acrylic pieces, all finished with a frosty sheen for subtle shine.

As with the stamp and Thin Cuts options, the Seas & Greetings embellishments include shapes suitable for both the tropical beach theme and the chilly winter theme, making them perfect for inclusion in all your Seas & Greetings crafts! With so many fun products available through the Seas & Greetings collection, it’s a cinch to preserve your fondest holiday memories and stories!

The Seas & Greetings special has much in store for crafters of all types and experience levels, but we’ve got even more creative options for members of our VIP Customer program! Seas & Greetings includes three exclusive workshop kits—two for scrapbooking and one for cardmaking—just for members of this amazing program! (For those of you who may not be familiar with the perks available through the Close To My Heart VIP Customer program, either visit our website for more information, or reach out to your Maker for additional details!)

We guarantee you won’t want to miss out on the unique Seas & Greetings workshops available to our VIP Customers, and we can’t wait to show you what’s in store with these exclusive kits!

To start off this VIP crafting experience, we’ll get into all the ins and outs of two scrapbooking workshops—one created with the beach-inspired papers, and the other with the winter ones! These two workshops are identical in design, but vary in the colors used, and, of course, in the patterns featured.

As you can see, these scrapbook pages incorporate a wide variety of fun techniques and elements to set them apart, including two-tone rock n’ roll stamping, inking paper edges to add a subtle touch of color, cardstock ripping and distressing, strategic pigment splatters, and the inclusion of acrylic shapes!

These beautiful pages are a gorgeous way to preserve your favorite holiday memories, and with identical designs for both the winter and beach themes, it’s an ideal memory-keeping solution for crafters the world over!

Along with the scrapbook kits, the Seas & Greetings paper collection brings life to a selection of adorable holiday cards, perfect for all the special people in your life! With six card designs featured, the Seas & Greetings VIP Cardmaking kit allows crafters to create an array of personal, beachy cards for family and friends with ease!

Each of these cards was constructed using the Beach patterned papers from the Seas & Greetings paper collection, and stamps and Thin Cuts from our Seas & Greetings—Beach set! This card kit also keeps things interesting with card size and orientation, as it includes options for both standard-size and slimline cards, and a mix of horizontal and vertical designs.

We’ve loved going with you on this dive into the rich wealth of possibilities available through our Seas & Greetings collection! This playful and versatile collection is a wonderful way to commemorate your fondest Christmas memories, regardless of where they were made! From memory keeping to cardmaking and more, Seas & Greetings is sure to be a favorite you’ll turn to for all sorts of projects. With so much extra fun offered in our Seas & Greetings VIP Customer Program offer, be sure to talk to your Maker and learn how you can get the VIP treatment, too! We can’t wait to welcome you to the club!

What’s on your crafting agenda with Seas & Greetings? Leave a comment below to let us know what stories you’ll tell with this amazing collection, and whether you’ll be hitting the beach or braving the winter during your holiday celebrations this year!

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October 26, 2022Inspiration

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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Make It from Your Heart

Tag Archives: scrapbooking

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