Memories from the Kitchen and Giveaway

You may have heard it said that the kitchen is the most important room in a home. It is where you go to gather with your family and guests to cook, eat, socialize, do homework, craft, play games, and, on occasion, even scrapbook 😉 . With so much of our day-to-day happening around the kitchen, we are experiencing moments that are inevitably turning into nostalgic memories that we long to hold onto.

Naturally, because of our whole-hearted belief that everyone should be memory keepers, we came up with a system to help you preserve those precious memories from the kitchen.

Memories from the Kitchen #ctmh #closetomyheart #kitchentraditions #memorykeeping #kitchen #recipe #kit #memories #nostalgia #nostalgic #food #ctmhkitchentraditions #ctmhgimmesomesugar #giveaway #free #gimmesomesugar #everydaylife #EverydayLife #album

Designed for so much more than to hold recipes, the Cut AboveÂŽ Kitchen Traditions recipe kit is a collection of materials you can use to create a unique keepsake. It comes with recipe cards for those memorable meals that you yearn for, while also providing a place for photos and journaling to share why the recipes mean something to you.

We offer the kit in three configurations, so you can choose what fits your needs best. The first is the basic Cut AboveÂŽ Kitchen Traditions recipe kit, which comes with 60 4″ x 6″ cards (including recipe, title, journaling, and pattern cards), six 6″ x 8″ divider pages, two sticker sheets, and a helpful guide containing tips and ideas on how to use the kit. The second option is the Cut AboveÂŽ Kitchen Traditions recipe kit with Memory Protectors™. This option includes all the same materials as the first but also comes with 6 Memory Protectors™ to hold your cards and pages. The last option is the Cut AboveÂŽ Kitchen Traditions Bundle, which is an all-inclusive bundle that comes with the basic kit, the Memory Protectors, and a Bashful Everyday Life™ album and the coordinating My AcrylixÂŽ Kitchen Traditions stamp set (D1770).

We want to give all memory keepers—and aspiring memory keepers—the tools you need to beautifully document those special moments from your kitchen. That is why we are giving away 5 (!!!) Kitchen Traditions bundles to 5 lucky winners! For a chance to win, you will have to do a little bit more than what we’ve done in the past. First, you must be a subscriber to this blog. (If you aren’t yet, just push that big blue “Subscribe to list” button on the sidebar!) Second, you must leave a recipe you love in the comments below with a short explanation of why you love it. The drawing will take place Monday, April 30, at 2 p.m. MDT and winners will be notified via e-mail, as usual.

To kick things off, here’s a recipe from Close To My Heart President Monica Wihongi:

Frijoles a la Charra (Bean Soup)

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1 diced white onion
  • 6 strips cut bacon cut into 1 inch pieces (raw)
  • 4 cans La Constena pinto beans
  • 1 can Rotel Mexican Festival tomatoes
  • 3 cans petite diced tomato
  • Âź cup mild Herdez Salsa Casera
Directions:

In a large pot, boil the beans. While you wait for the beans to boil, fry the bacon in a separate large pan. Once the bacon is soft, add the onion and sautĂŠ it in the bacon grease. Add one can of diced tomatoes at a time and bring to a boil each time. Add the Rotel tomatoes and bring to a boil again. Add Herdez Salsa and cilantro and bring to a boil one last time. Combine your mixture with beans in the large pot and bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes.

Now, it’s your turn. Can’t wait to see what’s cooking in your kitchen!

Leave a comment

More than Just a Moment of Recognition for Mothers

She did it, and she did it without complaint. She did it for free. She did it when she was tired. She did it when she was overwhelmed. She did it and then did it again. The woman to whom you owe your life did everything—and it was all for you.

Now it’s that special time of year when you have a whole day devoted to simply saying “thank you” to your amazing mother—or grandmother, aunt, sister, friend, or any other motherly figure—for being in your life. We’re here to help you do it in a way she’ll always remember.

What’s our secret? The My Acrylix® Flowers for Mom stamp set (B1473)—also available as the Flowers for Mum stamp set (B1474). With this set, you can grace all your artwork for this special day with an extra touch of love.

My AcrylixÂŽ Flowers for Mom stamp set

 

Your mother has devoted her life to giving you memories, so a fitting gift would be scrapbook pages full of your memories of her! Cards, too, give a special mom in your life the opportunity to glimpse the ripples her loving care has created across generations.

Mother's Day artwork

A single sentiment from this set sums up perfectly the influence a mother has on another human soul: “Because of you, I am me.” Could there be a more touching way to tell your mother that a piece of her lives on in you?

Mothers deserve to hear that they’re doing their job well on more than one day of the year. Giving her a little artwork that she can display in her home all year long will be like telling her how much she means to you every single day. It’s a tiny way to repay her for all of those sleepless nights and messy bedrooms. It may seem small, but to her it means everything. So this Mother’s Day, give her everything!

Leave a comment

Seamless Spring Stamping

There’s something unmistakable in the air this time of year. Besides the stuff that tickles the sinuses, the stuff that tickles the artistic soul is in full bloom. When you’re ready to relieve that tickle, pick up your Seasonal Expressions 2 idea book to see the crisp, new spring stamp sets bursting out all over!

One of our favorite flowering sets holds a place in our hearts not just because it’s adorable, but also because it’s incredibly utilitarian. The Botanical Backgrounds stamp set, found on page 16 of Seasonal Expressions 2, is your secret to seamless stamping.

You & I Layout

The springy designs of this set are made to be stamped in succession without any evidence of overlap. Applied to pages and cards, these stamps turn blank cardstock into patterned paper, straight off the press.

Botanical Backgrounds stamp set

How does it work? First, ink your stamp with an Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ pad. Press it to your cardstock, allowing the edges of the stamp to overlap onto your protected surface.

Re-ink your stamp and place it under the first impression, making sure to align the designs. Once you pull away you’ll see how your second stamp took over exactly where the first left off. Cool, no?

Botanical Backgrounds stamp

Continue to stamp your cardstock to your liking, re-inking your stamp with every repetition.

When you’ve finished stamping the pattern outline, pull out your ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ markers to splash some color onto those pretty petals.

Botanical Backgrounds stamp

Ahh, the thrill of spring! To order your own Botanical Backgrounds stamp set, contact your Independent Consultant to get started on your own seasonal sensations.

Or, for a chance to WIN the set, along with other great products we used to make this fabulous layout (a total retail value of $75), head on over to the Canadian Scrapbooker™ blog and leave a comment on our giveaway there.

Leave a comment

Brilliant Birthdays: Catching Their Eye with a Card

Onward we go with our birthday celebration this month—just because we can. (Hey, everyone needs a reason to celebrate in January!) We’ve discussed the important matter of capturing birthday memories in your scrapbook pages, so now we’ll delve into the other delights you’ll need for the day of the event. Today’s special: birthday cards!

Even after the cake is all gobbled up and the decorations torn down, a card can stick around for a long time. It can be a gift in itself, as deserving of a child’s attention as any of the others they open on their special day. Using some of the suggestions below you can really show your love by the thought and care you put into your cards.

Monster Birthday Card

The wacky Love Ya Silly stamp set is a definite crowd pleaser! These little fellas add a lot of personality. You can create all sorts of adorably hilarious scenes with them.

Tie your card together by repeatedly using the same color. Here we’ve used a piece of Topiary striped washi tape, Topiary mini chevron ribbon, a sheet of Topiary from the Paper Fundamentals Enchantment assortment, Topiary and Pear cardstock balloons, and a green epoxy Bubble as an eyeball. We’ve even added a touch of Topiary to the stamped sentiment using the super-trendy, eye-popping ombré stamping technique. Does your recipient have a favorite color? Use it!

Love Your Face Birthday Card

Try daring color combos—this card features the same stamp in a wide variety of colors.

Also, try mixing and matching stamp sets for variety. Could you tell that this card uses three different sets? The trail of slime the monster left behind didn’t come from the Love Ya Silly set at all; it was actually done with the Brushstrokes set, the same set used to create the colorful background.

Plane Birthday Card

Have you got a little one that’s ecstatic over anything with an engine? Try a stamp set like this!

Paper-piece your stamped images to compose a complete image that really stands out. Use your markers to shade in some details and to highlight others to give your card dimension.

Happy Birthday 6 Card

Use repetition to make an appealing pattern. Here we’ve repeated the number six in a visual triangle to create lovely aesthetics.

Think outside the box with your embellishments. Using your Close To My Heart products in a wide range of ways—even with paper packets outside of their family—will lend exciting variety to your projects!

Cards are the right way to send a special greeting on that all-important day of the year. Make yours irresistible birthday gifts all in themselves for the kiddies in your life. Is there a better way to pull out their birthday smiles?

Recipes:
4 Âź” x 5 ½” Monster Happy Birthday Card
B1419 My Acrylix® Joyful Birthday, B1470 My Acrylix® Love Ya Silly, D1522 My Acrylix® Glamour Lowercase Alphabet, D1635 My Acrylix® Assorted Edges, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2031 Paper Fundamentals Enchantment Assortment, Z2195 Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2172 Whisper Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2502 Enchantment Exclusive Inks™ Mini Pigment Pads Set, Z2501 Adventure Exclusive Inks™ Mini Pigment Pads Set, Z1806 Green & Blue Epoxy Bubbles, Z1929 Topiary Mini Chevron Ribbon, Z2002 Topiary Striped Washi Tape, Z1767 Chalk Marker

4 Âź” x 5 ½” Love Your Face Card
B1419 My Acrylix® Joyful Birthday, B1470 My Acrylix® Love Ya Silly, C1608 My Acrylix® Brushstrokes, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2033 Paper Fundamentals Whimsy Assortment, Z2195 Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2641 Glacier Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2640 Thistle Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2644 Pixie Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2193 Cotton Candy Exclusive Inks™ Pad, 44751 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z1979 Marvy® Uchida® Le Pen™ Journaling Pen

5 ½” x 4 Âź” Sending Birthday Wishes Card
C1605 My Acrylix® Happy to Be Friends, C1570 My Acrylix® Lifting Spirits, B1438 My Acrylix® Banner Wishes, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, 1272 Cranberry Cardstock, X5929 Whisper Cardstock, X5772 Canary Cardstock, X5759 Pacifica Cardstock, Z2116 Cranberry Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2192 Pacifica Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2641 Glacier Exclusive Inks™ Pad, 44751 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2468 ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Warm Grey 7 Marker, Z2467 ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Warm Grey 4 Marker, Z3009 Chalk It Up Assortment, Z1848 Red Shimmer Trim

5 ½” x 4 Âź” Happy Birthday 6 Card
C1603 My Acrylix® A Bunch of Thanks, D1522 My Acrylix® Glamour Lowercase, C1605 My Acrylix® Happy to Be Friends, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5759 Pacifica Cardstock, Z2192 Pacifica Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2116 Cranberry Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2643 Canary Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z2641 Glacier Exclusive Inks™ Pad, Z3009 Chalk It Up Assortment, Z1806 Green & Blue Epoxy Bubbles, Z3017 Cricut® Artfully Sent Collection (stamp set)

Leave a comment