December 15, 2022Create, Inspiration, Memory Keeping

Year-round Crafting with Four Seasons!

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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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October 19, 2022Community, Inspiration, Learn

Baking Memories with a Recipe Swap and Giveaway!

Close To My Heartbaking, baking memories, cake, cardmaking, christmas, cinnamon rolls, circles, cookies, cooking, crafting, Family, food, free, Freshly Baked, friends, fun, giveaway, Holiday, holiday treats, kitchen, lick the bowl, love, memories, Memory Keeping, potatoes, recipe cards, recipe swap, recipes, scrapbooking workshop, stamp, straight cut, sweet life, Thin Cuts, treats, yummy 58 Comments

Some of life’s sweetest moments take place in our very own kitchens. It is where we gather with friends and family to share stories and make memories, often while enjoying something appetizing that has been carefully plated by the host. Today, we invite you to be our guest as we combine two of our favorites—food + crafting!

Even though in scrapbooking we often find a lot of squares and straight edges, have you noticed how prevalent circles are in a kitchen? From an array of dishes to cakes and cookies, circles are everywhere!

We took that familiar basic shape and used it to make a scrapbook page with our Freshly Baked paper collection, easily creating a space for preserving a moment where friends gathered to spend quality time together and make a delicious treat.

The smaller, patterned paper circles making up the larger circle shape on the page were cut from the Freshly Baked paper packet using the Circles Thin Cuts. The additional page elements, including the title and the smaller accents scattered across the page, are either stickers from this collection or stamped images from the Freshly Baked—Scrapbooking stamp set.

This second scrapbook page also carries the circle theme, this time through the designs on the patterned papers rather than the way the papers were cut. With just a few strips of paper, and some additional straight cuts, this delectable page also comes together quickly!

One of our favorite things on this page (besides the super cute couple pictured! ❤️) is the cookie cooling rack with the cookies on top of it! The cookie shapes were easily cut with the Freshly Baked—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts and then colored in to create accents to accompany the photo. For easier attachment, and to avoid having the space behind it appear too busy through its spaces, we mounted the die-cut cooling rack on White Daisy cardstock. The white space surrounding the cookies provides our eyes with a place to rest as we visually take this delicious page in.

As you can see from these two examples, the Freshly Baked collection has all the ingredients you need to preserve memories of food, recipes, traditions, and other kitchen fun in amazing scrapbooking layouts. Next time you’re preparing a meal–whether it’s an old family favorite, something new, or a meal for a special occasion–take pictures of the process and the result (so millennial of us, but why not?!), and then add these, along with pictures of the chefs and a copy of the recipes, to your scrapbooks!

Not sure where to start? Give one of our workshop kits a taste! The Freshly Baked scrapbooking workshop is designed to create three coordinating 12″ x 12″ two-page layouts that would make a great home for any of your kitchen exploits.

Include the recipes as part of the journaling and turn your scrapbooks into an even more valuable keepsake!For even more crafting assistance with the recipe side of your cooking adventures, the Freshly Baked—Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts are designed to make actual recipe cards.

This stamp and die set can be used to make cards to add to your scrapbook pages, or to make cards that you keep in your kitchen, or even to create a combination of both ideas—just imagine the beautiful functionality of a scrapbook dedicated to recipes with pictures and stories that you keep in your kitchen! (To see how and why Karen Pedersen, our Creative Arts Manager, preserves her recipes using this yummy collection of products, check out the video at the end of this post!)

Because we love food and memory keeping, we thought it would be fun to host another recipe swap, right here on the blog! We’ve done this a few times before and with huge success. It’s so exciting to see what everyone is cooking up in their kitchens, to get to know each other through our stories, and to pick up new recipes and ideas along the way! We’ve started you off with two actual recipes in the photos above–now it’s your turn!

If you’d like to participate (and we hope you will), share a special recipe and a memory that goes along with it in the comments below. If you’re not quite sure whether or not you want to share those delicious recipes running through your mind right now, we’re sweetening the deal by adding a giveaway. Share more than one recipe, even, and increase your chances to win one of THREE Freshly Baked—Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts!

For your recipe to be counted as an entry in the drawing, you must also be subscribed to this blog. (If you are not yet a subscriber, all you have to do is push the big blue button on the sidebar that says, “Subscribe to list.”) You will have until 3 p.m. Friday, October 21 (MST) to enter. Even if you miss the deadline, share a recipe anyway! We want to hear from you! (While you’re at it, be sure to check out this video to see how Karen uses the Freshly Baked product collection to document and organize her own recipes!)

Now tell us…what kind of yummy memories are you baking up in your kitchen? 😋

Recipes:

12″ x 12″ Baking Memories Page
Z8047 Freshly Baked—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7285S Freshly Baked Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6050 Flamingo Cardstock, X6046 French Vanilla Cardstock, X6066 Honey Butter Cardstock, X6068 Seabrook Cardstock, X5950 Toffee Cardstock, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z3561 Black Diamond Stickles^™ Glitter Glue, Z3630 Watercolor Pencils, Z3224 Small Round Waterbrush, Z4575 Black LePen^™, X7285E Freshly Baked Dots, Z3943 Circles Thin Cuts, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

12″ x 12″ Lick the Bowl Page
Z8047 Freshly Baked—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7285S Freshly Baked Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X7285D Freshly Baked Picture My Life^™ Cards, X6046 French Vanilla Cardstock, X6066 Honey Butter Cardstock, X6049 Scarlet Cardstock, X6068 Seabrook Cardstock, X5950 Toffee Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6531 Mocha Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3555 Christmas Red Stickles^™Glitter Glue, Z3787 Platinum Stickles^™Glitter Glue, Z3559 Waterfall Stickles^™ Glitter Glue, Z3630 Watercolor Pencils, Z4575 Black LePen^™, X7285E Freshly Baked Dots, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4″ x 6″ Creamy Cinnamon Rolls Recipe Card
Z8046 Freshly Baked—Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7285S Freshly Baked Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6068 Seabrook Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6531 Mocha Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6526 Scarlet Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z2805 Black Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z1509 Sepia LePen^™, X7285E Freshly Baked Dots, Z4607 4″ Masking Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4″ x 6″ Sour Cream Cheese Potatoes Recipe Card
Z8046 Freshly Baked—Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7285S Freshly Baked Paper Packet + Stickers, X6066 Honey Butter Cardstock, X6049 Scarlet Cardstock, X6068 Seabrook Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z3839 Scarlet Glitter Paper, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z4575 Black LePen^™, Z1500 Red LePen^™, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

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September 14, 2022Celebrate, Community, Create

Create to Your Heart’s Content with Card Creativity!

Close To My Heartanimals, background thin cuts, balloons, bugs, Card Creativity, cardmaking, cards, cardstock, Circle Lattice Background, clear sparkles, Cloud Background, D.O.T.S., distress oxide, Dragonfly Wishes, Floating By, guide, Hello Fabulous, Jeanette, National Stamping Month, party, sentiments, sponge, sponging, Stamp + Thin Cuts, stamping, stencils, stitched, Stitched Swirl Background, techniques, Thin Cuts, TriBlend™ markers 1 Comment

It’s time to celebrate, because National Stamping Month is officially underway! Around here, September is all about stamping! The art of stamping is one that is extremely close to our hearts. (Yes, pun INTENDED!) When Founder & CEO Jeanette Lynton first started this business under the name D.O.T.S. (Dozens of Terrific Stamps), the entire business was based on this wonderful art form. A lot has changed over the years; we’ve expanded our stamp offering, pioneered the use of transparent stamps and clear, interchangeable stamping blocks, and diversified our interests to include materials for memory keeping, cardmaking, and papercrafting projects. While we have become known as one of the premier providers of top-quality papers, cardstock, and embellishments, stamps will always be at the center of what we do. To this day, we continue to innovate and push the boundaries of stamping, whether it be in memory keeping, cardmaking, or papercrafting projects, while also building a strong presence within the worldwide crafting community.

With this in mind, it’s no wonder that National Stamping Month is one our favorite months and reasons to celebrate over the course of each year. To help us get into the stamping festivities, we have designed a brand-new selection of stamps and stamping-related projects, allowing everyone from our long-time crafting buddies to our newest friends the option to celebrate this amazing artistic medium and create along with us! You are going to love what we have to show you today, as we take you on a journey through this year’s National Stamping Month exclusive offer, Card Creativity. Let’s dive straight in!

Card Creativity is all about expressing your artistic vision through the cardmaking medium, which allows you to more readily share your creations with friends and family! With this central purpose at the heart of Card Creativity, we’ve created three stamp sets with coordinating Thin Cuts metal dies and stencils, and one set made up entirely of sentiments for the interior of your cards.

Each stamp set has its own unique feel and can be incorporated into countless designs for maximum creative output, and with so many interior sentiments to choose from, your cards are always sure to be a delight, not only for the recipients, but for you as you make them, as well!

Today, we’ll be focusing on the ins and outs of six particular designs, pictured below; all of these cards can be created by following the instructions in the Card Creativity Cardmaking Workshop Kit. (To download these instructions, click here! For our friends in Australia and New Zealand, click here!)

A hallmark of the Card Creativity cardmaking experience is the inclusion of coordinating background stencils, a method which can be seen in all six of the cards we’ll look at today. As crafters familiar with Close To My Heart will know, many of our stamp sets come with coordinating Thin Cuts metal dies, designed to cut die-cuts from plain paper that can then accommodate a stamped image from its coordinating set. Incorporating Thin Cuts into your stamp-based crafts can be a great way to bring additional dimension into your project. For Card Creativity, we’ve created three coordinating stamps and Thin Cuts, but we’ve also designed special stencils to layer in with the stamps and Thin Cuts. As you will see later on, these stencils can be used to create background patterns or to add color to accent elements more at the forefront.

Another standout feature of this cardmaking extravaganza is the inclusion of the Cloud, Stitched Swirl, and Circle Lattice Background Thin Cuts metal dies. These metal dies are each designed to fit a standard 4¼” x 5½” card, and they are a great way to create engaging backgrounds, card bases, or decorative overlays. These die-cuts are designed specifically to coordinate with our Card Creativity stamps, Thin Cuts, and stencils—to achieve some pretty impressive effects!—but they can be used as standalone Thin Cuts in a variety of other projects. The only limit is your imagination! Each one of these metal dies has been used to create the cards we’ll be looking at today, and we can’t wait to show them off!

The first two cards we’ll examine today are an adorable and light-hearted pair of birthday and greeting cards. Both cards were made using the Floating By Stamp + Thin Cuts + Stencil set (CC9225) and are a delightful blend of whimsy and good old-fashioned animal cuteness. (After all, what’s cuter than animals and colorful balloons? 🥰)

In our sweet little mouse birthday card, you can see the Cloud Background Thin Cuts (CC9228) used to great effect; not only has the main component of the metal die been used to create a simple, yet beautiful base, but the interior shapes from the initial cut have been incorporated as well. This inclusion gives the card an additional level of dimension befitting an expansive, cloudy sky for our mouse to float in. The mouse and its balloons top everything off, along with a hand-trimmed pennant for our sentiment, and a few Clear Sparkles!

For our “Floating By to Say Hi” greeting card, we begin to see how the stencils and Thin Cuts can work together for seamless coordination and application. Rather than using the Cloud Background Thin Cuts die as a base, we used the cloud stencil, Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide™ ink, and a sponge to apply light blue clouds to a plain white cardstock base. Over that, we layered a few of the interior cloud cut-outs, some strategically ripped cardstock, and of course, our animal friend and balloon! (For a fun twist, we stamped our sentiment on the balloon die-cut itself!) We’ve also added a few Clear Sparkles for a fun bit of shine, and with that, our “Floating By to Say Hi” greeting card is complete!

Our next set of cards was created with our Hello Fabulous Stamp + Thin Cuts + Stencil grouping, and we are loving the way the stencils came into play with our first card!

The “Hello Fabulous” motivational card showcases the use of not one pass with the stencil, but two! To create our multi-colored base, we sponged one color of ink with the stencil on one side, then flipped the stencil around and sponged a different color of ink onto the card base, perpendicular to the first round of color! This technique allows you to enjoy the dual-color effect while also enjoying the convenience of only needing one tool! (Just make sure to wipe the stencil off before going in for your second round of color to avoid smudging your card!)

After applying our stenciled colors to the card base, we cut an overlay piece using the Circle Lattice Background Thin Cuts metal die, and then sponged it with coordinating colors to match the stencil work we did on the card base. Once our colors were applied, we finished this card off with our stamped, die-cut sentiment, a few pieces of black and white cardstock to accent it, and a handful of our trusty clear sparkles for some subtle shine. When it all comes together, this vibrant card is a beautiful way to not only express and exercise your creativity, but is a great way to show someone special that you care!

Our other Hello Fabulous card doesn’t incorporate our background stencil, but does sport some pretty snazzy colors with blended Distress Oxide™ ink on the Circle Lattice Background die-cut piece. We love adding all sorts of bright coloring with Distress Oxide, and it’s always a treat to see what can be done with it!

For this card in particular, we used a Mini Ink Blending Tool to blend our selected ink colors into an awesome ombre effect. (For more inspiration on how to incorporate Distress Oxide inks into your own creations, check out our “Distress Oxide™ Ink Techniques and Ideas” blog post!)

The last two cards we’ll be looking at today were created with our Dragonfly Wishes Stamp + Thin Cuts + Stencil set, and we love the way these gorgeous cards came together!

With our “Thank You” card, we’ve gone for a more minimalistic approach when it comes to the base design, selecting a clean White Daisy base. To give it some extra pop, we’ve taken the Stitched Swirl Background Thin Cuts and used it to cut the distinctive stitched swirl patterns into our base. Once the base is in place, we added a 3¼” x 4″ piece of black cardstock, topped with an additional 3″ x 3¾” White Daisy piece, which has also been treated with the Stitched Swirl Background Thin Cuts die. This die is a great tool for adding subtle pattern and texture that contributes visual interest to your background without becoming too distracting. Once the base has been created, we get to the more involved, colorful parts of this creation process!

To add hues to our stamped die-cut flower patch, we went in with Blue Turquoise and Alpine Green TriBlend™ Markers and used the trio of shades in each to add some delicate color. However, it’s in our dragonfly’s wings where we really get into some coloring fun! For this elegant insect, we used our coordinating Dragonfly Wishes stencil to add color to the wings sections. This delicate blend of colors not only makes the dragonfly stand out but brings a more realistic touch to the overall aesthetic of the card. With the addition of our sentiment and a neat row of sparkles, this gorgeous dragonfly “Thank You” card is complete!

Our last piece we have to show you today is a fun dragonfly birthday card, complete with another stitched swirl background and a fun twist on the blended Distress Oxide™ ink blending techniques we’ve showcased in a few of our previous cards. Our “Wishing You a Wonderful Birthday” card starts off by running our base piece through our Die-cutting & Embossing Machine with the Stitched Swirl Background Thin Cuts. Next, we applied a pink and blue ink blend, adding a few water splatters for a watercolor effect.

Once the ink colors have been applied to our card base, we layered a small stamped image of cattails, matted with black cardstock, over the colored section and also popped our sentiment onto the card base, trimmed to a pennant shape for some additional flair. We’ve topped everything off with a pair of beautiful, iridescent dragonflies with delicately colored wings. Once again, we’ve used Distress Oxide™ ink pads and the Dragonfly Wishes stencil to achieve this appearance, and added a few Clear Sparkles to finish the look. (It’s amazing to see what a difference even a small embellishment can make!)

With so much crafting potential packed in, Card Creativity is the ultimate cardmaking experience and a great way to express your own love for stamping! We’ve loved showing you these incredible cards to give you an idea of the artwork that can be made with this amazing collection of products, and we’re looking forward to seeing all the awesome things you create with it, both for Card Creativity and beyond!

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August 31, 2022Celebrate, Create, Memory Keeping

Get Into the Halloween Spirit with Fa-BOO-lous Crafting!

Close To My Heartbat, candy, cat, coordinating cardstock, die-cuts, Fa-BOO-lous, Fa-BOO-lous Workshop Kit, ghost, Halloween, halloween 2022, Melon Dots, Memory Keeping, Papercrafting, patterned paper, scrapbooking, skeleton, spider, spiderweb, spirit, spooky, Thin Cuts, treat holders, trick-or-treat, workshop kit Leave a comment

From the sweet to the spooky, Halloween is hands down one of our favorite times of year! And what’s not to love!? Free candy, imaginative costumes, and some good old-fashioned scares to get our hearts racing are a winning combination and create some prime subjects for memory keeping and papercrafting magic!

When wonderful memories and adorable photos come together, you need a selection of top-notch materials to create your scrapbook pages, and this year we’ve got a real treat in store with the Fa-BOO-lous paper suite! To show it off, we’ll be having some fun with a handful of scrapbook pages and an adorable selection of treat holders even sweeter than the candy inside!To start off, though, let’s take a closer look at the Fa-BOO-lous collection itself. This whimsically spooky suite lives up to its name with a variety of fun patterns, Halloween characters, and icons to bring more than a little spirit to your artwork. Right at the heart of this collection is the Fa-BOO-lous Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet.

The distinguishing patterns, characters, and icons that set Fa-BOO-lous apart are all reflected in the papers, while the sticker sheet brings some additional options and titles to the crafting table. The individual icons and images present in the patterned papers can even be snipped from the pages to create standalone accents if you like. When taken all together, the Fa-BOO-lous Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet creates a one-of-a-kind foundation for your Halloween scrapbook pages and crafts!
To help maximize your crafting ability when using Fa-BOO-lous, this collection also has a coordinating cardstock pack, with six colors to help you create beautiful designs and smooth transitions between patterned papers and solid colors. For the Fa-BOO-lous Coordinating Cardstock pack, we’ve included our Color of the Year, Melon, accompanied by Black, Linen, Paprika, Peach, and Seabrook cardstock sheets; these same colors can also be seen in the Fa-BOO-lous Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, so coordination between the cardstock and Fa-BOO-lous patterned papers is flawless every time! It is this whimsical color scheme that helps the Fa-BOO-lous collection capture just the right amount of playfulness for the Halloween holiday.

Cardstock is a staple in any sort of memory keeping or papercrafting project, and it not only makes an appearance in the scrapbook pages we’ll show you today, but is also used in the selection of treat holders we’ll be looking at later in the post. Whenever you craft with Fa-BOO-lous, it’s always a good idea to make sure you’ve got the Fa-BOO-lous Coordinating Cardstock pack close at hand! Along with the exclusive papers and stickers, Fa-BOO-lous also includes its own selection of Melon Dots! These dots are a great way to add a touch of pizazz to your pieces.

They have a slight shine on their finish to attract the eye, and each dot comes with adhesive already applied to the back, making it a simple matter to apply them to your artwork for an eye-catching accent every time! Whether you’re placing a single dot, or creating a cluster using varying sizes, the Fa-BOO-lous Melon Dots are an incredible addition to this collection!
Rounding out the Fa-BOO-lous collection is the exclusive Stamp + Thin Cuts set! These stamps and Thin Cuts metal dies are designed specifically to coordinate with the patterns and themes included in the sticker sheet and patterned papers. With an adorable cadre of ghosts, cats, skeletons, spiders, and bats, the Fa-BOO-lous Stamp + Thin Cuts set is a must-have for your 2022 Halloween crafting projects! This too-cute troop is joined by a jack-o-lantern with options for three different faces, a spider web corner accent, and a couple of title and accent options. As with all our Stamp + Thin Cuts sets, the Fa-BOO-lous stamps are accompanied by coordinating metal dies to effortlessly cut out your stamped images!

These stamps can also be used to create cute background accents, which you will see in a few places on the Fa-BOO-lous scrapbook pages. You’ll also notice that the Fa-BOO-lous Thin Cuts have been used to create central accent pieces for the treat holders. Regardless of where they are used, the stamps and metal dies of the Fa-BOO-lous Stamp + Thin Cuts sets are an invaluable asset as you craft with Fa-BOO-lous!

Now that we’ve given you a better introduction to the Fa-BOO-lous collection, it’s time to get a better view of what can be done with this incredible suite! Along with the awesome array of new Fa-BOO-lous products, the Fa-BOO-lous special includes an exclusive workshop with instructions for scrapbook pages and Halloween treat holders! These projects are a great way to get into the Halloween spirit and have some great crafting fun while you’re at it! (As an added perk, this workshop kit is available at a discount during the Fa-BOO-lous special, allowing crafters to save 20% on this bundle of exclusive Fa-BOO-lous products!)

The Fa-BOO-lous Workshop Kit includes instructions and materials to help you create a single 12” x 12” scrapbook page, two 2-page scrapbook layouts, and a dozen treat holders. Each scrapbook page includes multiple options for photos and journaling. Having a good balance between photos and journaling is a key aspect to consider when creating or designing your own scrapbook pages, and the pre-designed pages featured in the Fa-BOO-lous Workshop Kit do this well.

For example, let’s look at this single “Halloween Cutie” scrapbook page. It includes spots for seven photos and a central journaling section, putting your stories right at the center of this crafting project and allowing you to surround it with your favorite pictures to complement the experiences and memories you record.

By placing the journaling piece in the center and clustering photos around it, it not only draws the viewer’s eyes to the written story but allows for photos close at hand to fill in the context of your story. This page is an excellent example of an effective storytelling device, and with so much memory keeping potential in just one page, it’s easy to see that big things are in store with Fa-BOO-lous!

Like the single page, our other scrapbook layouts also have excellent options for showcasing your treasured photos and favorite fun moments. Another great example of this potential in action is this 2-page “Spooky” layout, with spaces for eight photos and another ample journaling section! Along with the fun photos displayed on this layout, the pages were designed to incorporate many of the stickers, Thin Cuts die-cuts, and stamps, layered onto the already vibrant patterned papers used for this pair of pages. Many of these accent pieces were attached with Thin 3-D Foam Tape for added dimension. This step is an easy one and can be incorporated into almost any project!

In this scrapbook layout, we see a more linear design at play, with the photos arranged more in rows than in the clusters we saw in the previous page. This approach allows for plenty of photos to still be used, but also presents a more straightforward design and places a greater emphasis on your pictures, as the journaling section sits at the bottom left corner. With the journaling in this area, the story flows naturally from left to right in both words and pictures. A design like this allows you to maximize your storytelling capacity while still incorporating a variety of fun stickers, die-cuts, stamps, and patterned papers for eye-catching embellishments and background accents.

The last scrapbook layout we’ll be looking at today focuses more on the photo inclusion, but still gives place for journaling. With four 3” x 4” photo spaces, and two 4” x 6” ones, this “Boo-tiful” layout is a great way to make your pictures the focus of the pages, and after all, a picture is worth 1,000 words! Another aspect of note when considering this layout is the relative simplicity of the base page design. The foundation of this layout begins with two Black cardstock pages, and additional patterns and colors are layered on with seven vertical strips of patterned paper. To cap things off at the top and bottom edges, zip strips from the edges of the Fa-BOO-lous Paper Packet have been added as tidy borders.

Once the patterned paper and zip strips have been adhered to the base pages, you’ve got a wonderful canvas ready to complete with additional stickers, Fa-BOO-lous Melon Dots, photo mats, and, of course, your selection of photos! With all these elements combined, your “Boo-tiful” layout, along with the “Spooky” layout and “Halloween Cutie” single page, are sure to be pieces you will look back on fondly for years to come!
We’ve loved showing off these Fa-BOO-lous scrapbook pages, but we’re not done yet! As we mentioned at the beginning of this post, the Fa-BOO-lous Workshop Kit also includes instructions and materials to create a selection of adorable treat holders for even more crafting fun! These treat holders are created with a few simple folds and a touch of adhesive to form a pocket, and are embellished with a handful of stickers and stamped die-cuts from the Fa-BOO-lous Stamp + Thin Cuts set.

A few of these treat holder designs even include simple inserts, allowing die-cut Halloween characters to peek out over the edge of the pocket. Each treat holder measures 2” x 3” when complete, allowing enough space for a fun size candy bar, or a handful of smaller goodies.

The pre-designed Fa-BOO-lous Workshop Kit contents supply you with the materials to create twelve treat holders—3 each of 4 designs. Thanks to their simple design and the step-by-step instructions in the workshop guide, it’s quick and easy to create these treat holders en masse for Halloween parties, small and festive gifts for friends, or to add a unique touch to your trick-or-treat offering!

We are in love with the Fa-BOO-lous collection and all the crafting potential it offers! This incredible suite and its accompanying workshop kit are available through October 31, so you can craft with it right up to the Halloween holiday itself! The instruction guide for the Fa-BOO-lous Workshop Kit is available for download on our website; click here to access it!

No matter how you choose to utilize the Fa-BOO-lous paper suite and workshop kit, this whimsical collection is the perfect way both to celebrate Halloween 2022 and commemorate those celebrations with stunning scrapbook pages and papercrafts. It’s an all-around winner of a collection, and we’re excited to see how the members of our amazing crafting community put it to use this autumn! What’s your favorite part of this collection, and how do you plan to use it in your own Halloween crafts? Leave a comment below and let us know! We can’t wait to hear from you!

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June 29, 2022Inspiration

Making Your Mark on Memory Keeping

Close To My Heartart, artwork, make your mark, Memory Keeping, scrapbooking, stamping, stamps, Thin Cuts, unique 1 Comment

One of the great things about stamping is the way it lends itself to all types of crafting projects, from cardmaking and décor pieces to scrapbook pages and more! When it comes to memory keeping, there are certain elements where stamping can be especially useful. That’s why we design a range of stamp sets specifically with scrapbooking in mind. These stamps typically feature larger stamps than other sets to better fit the larger canvas of a 12″ x 12″ scrapbook page, and also include phrases and icons that come in handy as you create titles, accents, or journaling pieces.

Let’s take a closer look at a few examples that show different ways you can use stamping on your scrapbook pages.

One stamping technique that is especially effective on scrapbook pages is repeating a stamp image to create your own custom pattern or border. As you can see on the vibrant summertime layout above, we used a longer border piece and stamped it repeatedly, creating a refreshing background to provide a fun focal point for this layout!

You can see this technique used in a similar way with a single icon stamp on the fun roller derby page, pictured below. We’ve used a winged roller skate stamp to create a one-of-a-kind border and completed the look by coloring the skates with our watercolor pencils!

You can also use stamping on your base page to create intricate patterns, like this leafy tropical page. By switching up ink colors and layering stamped images, we created a lush jungle backdrop for these vacation photos.

Another way our stamps stand out is when they are used with our Thin Cuts metal dies. By using Thin Cuts shapes to create your own die-cuts, you can elevate your artwork with added dimension, making the stamped image pop! Many of our stamp sets have these dies designed to coordinate with them and using them together can save time and effort spent fussy cutting. Just send it through your die-cutting machine and you’re left with a perfect dimensional canvas for your stamped image!

Group stamped Thin Cuts images together to create clustered accents like the lemonade jar embellishment pictured above. By using these individual elements together, we were able to create a lemonade jar that looks so good you can almost taste it! Not only is it an adorable accent on its own, when it’s put into a scrapbook layout, it draws the page together and is an excellent addition to your photos and journaling!

On this next layout, you’ll see another great example of larger stamp images designed specifically for scrapbook pages:

The large library card accent provides a natural place for telling the story behind the pictures, making it an excellent addition to all kinds of pages.. Because the card is included as one single stamp, you only have to ink it once to get the entire library card effect.

However, if you want to take things up a notch, you can stamp your image partially on one color of paper and then complete it on another color for a two-toned accent piece. While we’ve shown off two-toned images with different ink colors, it’s more rare to see a dual-toned stamp accent where the two shades come from differences in paper color. This makes this particular technique stand out even more and helps the stamp to really shine.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to stamping techniques that can be employed on your scrapbook pages! But, no matter which stamping techniques you choose to employ, incorporating them into your scrapbook pages is a wonderful way to make your own mark on your memory keeping projects! Do you have a favorite way to use our stamps in your scrapbook creations? Leave a comment below and let us know!

Recipes
12″ x 12″ Summer Love Layout
S2206 My Acrylix® I Heart Summer Stamp Set, X9040 Mix-in Paper Packet, X6036 Ballerina Cardstock, X6040 Clover Cardstock, X6031 Green Apple Cardstock, X6043 Nectarine Cardstock, X6033 Paprika Cardstock, X6051 Sundance Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6520 Flamingo Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2848 Sapphire Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3516 Black Journaling Pen (.03), Z3630 Watercolor Pencils, Z5016 Clover Shimmer Trim, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems, Z679 Liquid Glass, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

12″ x 12″ Down and Derby Layout
D2089 My Acrylix® Skate like a Girl Stamp Set, X7280B Fresh Paint Paper Packet, X9040 Mix-in Paper Packet, X6037 Bluebird Cardstock, X6030 Evergreen Cardstock, X6035 Lemonade Cardstock, X6042 Mint Cardstock, X6044 Peach Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z4191 Silver Glitter Gems, Z3225 Medium Round Waterbrush, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

12″ x 12″ Tahiti Page
Z4447 Palm Fronds Stamp + Thin Cuts, B1799 My Acrylix® Brush Strokes Stamp Set, X9040 Mix-in Paper Packet, X6053 Avocado Cardstock, X6046 French Vanilla Cardstock, X6062 Harbour Cardstock, X5959 New England Ivy Cardstock, X6051 Sundance Cardstock, Z6523 Avocado Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6533 Harbour Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6503 Mint Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2835 New England Ivy Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6504 Sage Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Z6025 White Acrylic Flowers, Z4235 Gold Loose Sequins, Z4334 Slim Alphabet Thin Cuts, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

6″ x 8″ More Sunshine Layout with Pocket Scrapbooking
Z4446 Front Porch Sippin’ Stamp + Thin Cuts, X9040 Mix-in Paper Packet, X6053 Avocado Cardstock, X6062 Harbour Cardstock, X6035 Lemonade Cardstock, X6045 Sage Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6533 Harbour Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6517 Lemonade Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6510 Nectarine Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2524 Aqua Blue TriBlend™ Marker, Z2482 Citrus TriBlend™ Marker, Z2483 Light Yellow TriBlend™ Marker, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z3191 6″ x 8″ Memory Protectors™ Design 2, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

12″ x 12″ School Is Out Layout
Z3991 Date Stamp Stamp + Thin Cuts, X8022S Smarty Pants Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X8024B Love Story Paper Packet (Toffee), X8022C Smarty Pants Coordinating Cardstock, X6053 Avocado Cardstock, X6038 Candy Apple Cardstock, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, X6044 Peach Cardstock, X6051 Sundance Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2848 Sapphire Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4525 Primary Sprinkles, Z6015 Wood Stars, Hostess Rewards Acrylic Alphabet, Z3234 3″ x 3″ Flip Flaps™ Memory Protectors™, Z2482 Citrus TriBlend™ Marker, Z2518 Coral Shades TriBlend™ Marker, Z2526 True Blue Shades TriBlend™ Marker, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Typewriter

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June 1, 2022Inspiration

Spectacular Stamping!

Close To My Heartcardmaking, floral, patriotic, sale, scrapbooking, stamping, stamps, Stamptacular, Thin Cuts Leave a comment

At Close To My Heart, our bread and butter are our top-of-the-line stamp sets! There’s nothing quite like lifting a stamp block off of your project and seeing a flawless stamped image underneath. It’s definitely one of our favorite things, and we love sharing our incredible stamps with crafters everywhere! Our clear, unmounted stamps provide the highest level of crafting versatility, all while being reusable for years of creative fun!

All of our stamps are made of liquid photo polymer resin, a clear material that is sturdy, yet flexible, allowing for easy removal from stamp carrier sheets and placement on our acrylic stamping blocks. While some care is required, our stamps are durable enough to withstand repeated use over several years, so you can keep your favorites around for countless projects.

Because both the stamp and block are clear, it’s possible to see exactly where the stamped image will be on the project. Having this insider’s perspective on what your stamping will look like gives you greater control and confidence as you create! Whether you’re layering stamped images—as you can see in the card featured below—or incorporating fun color techniques, the ability to see what you’re doing takes the guesswork out of crafting and leaves you with the pure joy of creativity!

Along with simplifying your crafting, the fact that our stamps are clear and unmounted also cuts down on required storage space. Each stamp set comes on a plastic carrier sheet in a specialized envelope. Even after years of use, your stamps can still be stored on the same carrier sheets and in the same envelopes they arrived in!

Our incredible stamp sets come in six different sizes—A, B, C, D, E, and M (for mini)—and feature all kinds of sentiments, icons, and images. We have everything from classic florals and adorable animals to patriotic and summertime sets, so there is something for every crafter and every project!

Many of our stamps also come with coordinating Thin Cuts metal dies. Because these dies are designed in conjunction with specific stamp sets, they perfectly cut the outlines of stamped images for a polished end result without the need for delicate hand trimming. Thin Cuts metal dies are slim enough to fit in the same envelopes, so storage space for these dies is also minimized. Incorporating Thin Cuts dies into your artwork allows you to create accents with added dimension, like the sweet lemonade jar on the scrapbook layout below!

With so much to love about Close To My Heart stamps, it’s no wonder that crafters everywhere love to create with them. Right now, we’ve got an absolutely amazing sale on our stamps and Thin Cuts dies. Our Stamptacular sale offers deals on over 175 stamp + Thin Cuts bundles and nearly 300 standalone stamp sets!

Along with the savings available on this vast array of stamps and Thin Cuts, we’ve also created five exclusive stamp sets that were designed just for this Stamptacular sale! With four patriotic themed sets and a floral set, these exclusive stamps are the perfect companion for the deals available through Stamptacular!

We’re thrilled to be able to share so many of our stamps with you, and we want to hear about your favorite experiences with this crafting staple! Do you have any special memories associated with stamping, a favorite technique, or even a favorite stamp set? Leave a comment below and tell us all about it!

Recipes

4¼” x 5½” Meet Me On the Slopes Card (Vertical)
CC6226 My Acrylix® True Blue Stamp Set, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, X6062 Harbour Cardstock, X5950 Toffee Cardstock, X6058 Rosemary Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6531 Mocha Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6529 Rosemary Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z891 VersaMark™ Ink Pad, Z2088 Clear Super Fine Embossing Powder, Z2068 White Super Fine Embossing Powder, Z4220 Anti-static Pouch, Z4252 Heat Tool, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Z3224 Small Round Waterbrush, Z1985 Gold Shimmer Trim, Z4054 Gold Embellishing Thread

12″ x 12″ Okinawa is Home Page
CC6223 My Acrylix® Culture & Tradition Stamp Set, X6047 Black Cardstock, X6038 Candy Apple Cardstock, X6054 Grape Cardstock, Z6509 Candy Apple Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6524 Grape Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6517 Lemonade Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z1985 Gold Shimmer Trim, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems, Z3630 Watercolor Pencils, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z3225 Medium Round Waterbrush, Z3560 Golden Rod Stickles™ Glitter Glue, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

12″ x 12″ Fourth of July Page
CC6224 My Acrylix® Fourth of July Stamp Set, X7281B Tutti Frutti Paper Packet, X6038 Candy Apple Cardstock, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, X6057 Capri Cardstock, X5957 Sapphire Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6509 Candy Apple Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6528 Capri Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2841 Capri Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2841 Glacier Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2848 Sapphire Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2895 Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4223 Red Shimmer Brush, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z1799 Silver Shimmer Trim, Cricut® Artbooking Collection

Cricut® Shape:
Artbooking
#M3D292

12″ x 12″ Canada Day Page
CC6225 My Acrylix® Home and Native Land Stamp Set, X5947 Mink Cardstock, X6049 Scarlet Cardstock, X6051 Sundance Cardstock, X5950 Toffee Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2841 Glacier Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2832 Pewter Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6526 Scarlet Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2828 Toffee Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4339 Stencil Pack 2, Z4340 Stencil 3, Z3686 Stitched Fancy Brackets Thin Cuts, Z4304 Silver Loose Sequins, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

6″ x 8″ More Sunshine Layout with Pocket Scrapbooking
Z4446 Front Porch Sippin’ Stamp + Thin Cuts, X9040 Mix-in Paper Packet, X6053 Avocado Cardstock, X6062 Harbour Cardstock, X6035 Lemonade Cardstock, X6045 Sage Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6533 Harbour Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6517 Lemonade Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6513 Nectarine Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2524 Aqua Blue TriBlend™ Marker, Z2482 Citrus TriBlend™ Marker, Z2483 Light Yellow TriBlend™ Marker, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z3191 6″ x 8″ Memory Protectors™ Design 2, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” Thinking of You Card (Horizontal)
Make It from Your Heart, Volume 4, page 36–37
CC6222 My Acrylix® Floral Wishes Stamp Set, X8024B Love Story Paper Packet (Toffee), X5957 Sapphire Cardstock, X5950 Toffee Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2828 Toffee Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2848 Sapphire Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2481 Coral Marker TriBlend™ Marker, Z2486 Dull Green TriBlend™ Marker, Z2491 True Blue TriBlend™ Marker, Z3787 Platinum Stickles™ Glitter Glue, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems

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March 16, 2022Inspiration

A Birthday Bash You DON’T Want to Miss!

Close To My Heartbirthday, birthday bash, Cake Day, cardmaking, cards, Celebrate, celebration, giveaway, Jeanette, party, scrapbook, scrapbooking, Stamp + Thin Cuts, stamping, stamps, Thin Cuts 322 Comments

Can you believe that we are already halfway through March? That means that there’s still another half left, and we plan on wrapping it up in Close To My Heart style with a celebratory giveaway!

What are we celebrating? (Do we have to have a reason? 😉) One of our most dear relations has a birthday coming up in the next couple of weeks, and this simply cannot go without notice! We are talking of none other than the heart of Close To My Heart, Founder and CEO Jeanette Lynton!

Please join us in celebrating this inspiring pillar of our creative community by leaving her a birthday message in our comments, below. Jeanette loves this company and all of us who comprise it with all of her heart! If you’re one of our readers who’s been fortunate enough to meet her, you know that this is true. ❤️

To get the party started, we are giving away the Cake Day stamp and Thin Cuts sets! Not only are these two sets ideal for a variety of artwork projects celebrating birthdays and other occasions, but they both feature a variety of fun, stacking images that are easy to achieve and customize thanks to the versatility of stamping!

CAKE DAY—CARDMAKING STAMP + THIN CUTS

CAKE DAY—SCRAPBOOKING STAMP + THIN CUTS

Let’s take a closer look at how some of the different layers of this stamp set build on each other. For the presents, you have three different shapes to choose from, and you can add details to each of them with bows, wrapping paper designs, or both!

This little triangle is especially versatile because you can mix and match the different stripe patterns with each other, or stamp either stripe pattern on a solid stamped triangle to create a variety of colorful pennants for a banner.

Turn a pennant upside down and stamp one of the two included accents on top and you have a party hat!

We are giving away a total of five stamp + Thin Cuts sets, winners’ choice! If you’re one of our winners, let us know which set you prefer, the Cake Day—Cardmaking or Cake Day—Scrapbooking stamp + Thin Cuts!

To qualify for the drawing, it’s the easy two-step entry it always is. First, make sure you are subscribed! (So many leave comments and are not subscribed—we look!) If you are not subscribed, simply click on the blue “Subscribe to list” button found on the sidebar, if you’re on a computer, or at the very bottom of this post, if you’re on a phone or tablet. Second, and this is a must and just as important, if not more so, leave a birthday message for Jeanette in our comments section below. That’s it! All entries must be submitted by 5 pm, March 28, MDT (that’s 10:00 am 29 March, AEDT for our Aussie friends.) Winners will be notified via the e-mail address connected to their subscriptions.

Be sure to also check out Facebook and Instagram feeds for even MORE Cake Day giveaway opportunities that we will be running there in honor of Jeanette’s birthday month!

All of you that are part of our crafting community, you mean so much to us and especially to Jeanette. We are grateful for the years of friendship we’ve all shared and the many years of friendship to come. We love celebrating our relationship every opportunity we get! Today, please join us in celebrating Jeanette and leave her a birthday message below! Happy birthday Jeanette!!

Recipes:

4¼” x 5½” Cake Card (Vertical)
Z4417 Cake Day—Cardmaking Stamp Set + Thin Cuts, X7278S Cake Day Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, X6031 Green Apple Cardstock, X6035 Lemonade Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X6056 Wild Berry Cardstock, X7278D Cake Day Picture My Life^™ Cards, Z2841 Glacier Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6513 Green Apple Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6527 Wild Berry Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z1513 White Gel Pens, X7278E Cake Day Dots, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z697 Round Sponge, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” Happy Birthday to You Card (Horizontal)
Z4417 Cake Day Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7278S Cake Day Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, X6031 Green Apple Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2841 Glacier Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6513 Green Apple Exclusive Inks^™Stamp Pad, Z6517 Lemonade Exclusive Inks^™Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6527 Wild Berry Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, X7278E Cake Day Dots, Z4525 Primary Sprinkles, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Z1513 White Gel Pens, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z2089 Glue Dots^®Micro Dots, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

12″ x 12″ Hip Hip Hooray Layout
Z4416 Cake Day—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7278S Cake Day Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, X6051 Sundance Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2841 Glacier Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z6513 Green Apple Exclusive Inks^™Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks^™Stamp Pad, Z6527 Wild Berry Exclusive Inks^™ Stamp Pad, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks^™Stamp Pad, Z3787 Platinum Stickles^™ Glitter Glue, X7278E Cake Day Dots, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine, Cricut^® Basic Shapes

Cricut^® Shape:
Basic Shapes
#M2AAB3EFD

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July 22, 2021Create, Inspiration

Thinking Beyond the Lines with Unique Thin Cuts!

Close To My Heartbutterflies, butterfly, Isabella, Karen, Pedersen, Thin Cuts, unique Thin Cuts 1 Comment

Die-cutting with Thin Cuts #closetomyheart #ctmh #thincuts #diecutting #die-cuts #ctmhisabella #cardmaking #scrapbooking #papercrafting

One of the quickest and simplest ways to dress up your artwork is to add a unique Thin Cuts die-cut (or a few) to the mix! Our Thin Cuts metal dies are easy to use and produce gorgeous die-cuts time and time again. Let’s look at some of the more unique Thin Cuts from our July–August catalog and explore the various ways to use them to maximize creativity!

First up, we have our Isabella–Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts set. This Thin Cuts set includes five metal dies and features the large “Love” and “You” and banner dies.

These dies make an impression all on their own, but when you pair them with the intricate patterns in the accompanying Isabella—Cardmaking stamps, it takes them to a whole new level! Combining these stamps and the larger dies results in dimension that literally bursts off the page. When you create with these dies and stamps, you can either stamp on the die-cut after it’s been cut out of the paper, or you can stamp on paper and then use the Thin Cuts to cut your image. It’s completely up to you!

Next, let’s take a look at the Isabella—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts set. A few of the floral stamps and dies in this set have been specifically designed to layer over each other for greater dimension within these images. This results in more metal dies, but with our magnetic carrier sheets, you’ll never have to worry about losing a piece.

With these duplicated stamp images and die-cut outlines, you can easily combine them for a more dimensional image, larger image clusters, or you can use them separately for even more floral fun! To get the most out of these stamps and Thin Cuts, we recommend attaching them with 3-D foam tape.

The last die we’re looking at is the Butterfly Background Thin Cuts. This fun, stand-alone die yields an intricate image with a variety of delicate stitched butterflies and floral cut-outs. Because this die includes so many small or delicate pieces, you may find that you have a few left over at the end of your project, but don’t throw them out! You can always save the smaller pieces as accents to use in other projects whenever you’re looking for a unique embellishment.

One of our favorite ways to use this die is to cut several layers in various colors, patterns, or textures and allow them to peek through the cut-out portions, while leaving the larger stitched butterflies at the forefront. This die even allows for the butterflies to have lifted wings, bringing your artwork to life!

For a more in-depth look at how you can maximize the Thin Cuts and stamps showcased above, check out this video, where our Creative Arts manager, Karen Pedersen, takes you through her creative process with each of these dies and stamp sets!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this highlight of a few of our more unique Thin Cuts! If you like what you’ve seen here today or have some ideas of how you’d like to use the dies and stamps, leave us a comment below!

RECIPES

4¼” x 5½” Love You Card (Horizontal)
Z3969 Isabella—Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7270S Isabella Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X7270C Isabella Coordinating Cardstock, X6030 Evergreen Cardstock, Z6504 Sage Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4191 Silver Glitter Gems, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

8½” x 11″ Live Your Best Life Page
Z3963 Isabella—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7270S Isabella Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6036 Ballerina Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2825 Mink Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7270E Isabella Acrylic Shapes, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z3224 Small Round Waterbrush, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine, Pencil

4¼” x 5½” Love You Card (Vertical)
A1243 My Acrylix® Teeny Tiny Type Stamp Set, X9030 Mix-in Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X6032 Wisteria Cardstock, Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z4213 Silver Embellishing Thread, Z3961 Butterfly Background Thin Cuts, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Cricut® Basic Shapes, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

Cricut® Shape:
Basic Shapes
#M369879

4¼” x 5½” Love You Card (Vertical)
C1900 Isabella—Cardmaking Stamp Set, X6036 Ballerina Cardstock, X6037 Bluebird Cardstock, X6039 Carolina Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2805 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4304 Silver Loose Sequins, Z3559 Waterfall Stickles™ Glitter Glue, Z3961 Butterfly Background Thin Cuts, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

4¼” x 5½” Thanks Card (Vertical)
A1243 My Acrylix® Teeny Tiny Type Stamp Set, X9030 Mix-in Paper Packet, X6048 Blue Belle Cardstock, X6054 Grape Cardstock, X6041 Lil a c Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X6032 Wisteria Cardstock, Z891 VersaMark™ Ink Pad, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z3961 Butterfly Background Thin Cuts, Z2068 White Super Fine Embossing Powder, Z4220 Anti-static Pouch, Z4252 Heat Tool, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

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April 21, 2020Create, Memory Keeping

Creating Unique Scrapbook Pages

Close To My HeartArtbooking, creative, cricut, die cuts, groovy, Happy Days, hippy, legacy, memories, Memory Keeping, overlay, scrapbook, sunburst, Thin Cuts, unique, van 3 Comments

Scrapbooking is more than just a hobby—it’s a way to preserve your legacy, memories, and personality. Each page you make is infused with your own creative identity and is a unique form of self-expression. From color selection, creative design choice, and the techniques you favor, your pages are a part of who you are. No matter your crafting preferences or experience level, your scrapbook pages are the perfect way to exercise your own creativity.

One way to really put your crafting prowess to use is to combine several different elements into a single layout.

One of the most striking elements displayed in this “Happy Days” 12″ x 12″ layout is the use of a large Cricut^® shape as an overlay for an entire page. The sunburst effect on the left page was created by using a large sunbeam shape from the Cricut^® Artbooking Collection with smaller pieces of cardstock and patterned papers behind it.

By using a large Cricut^® shape as the primary element on this page, it was quick and easy to make it stand out. Finding new and innovative ways to use Cricut^® shapes in your layouts is a great way to make your mark and create beautiful, unique pages. You can customize this type of background even more by stamping small patterns to peek through the overlay.

Another fun way to add to some distinction to your pages is to use die-cuts or hand-cut images to decorate your pages. Using these types of elements in your artwork allows you to exercise your creative freedom to a greater degree, as you can choose your own colors, how often they are used, etc.

Here, you can see how a simple die-cut and stamped sentiment create a beautifully simple accent that’s unique to this page.

One last way to set your layouts apart is to make your own pocket cards. Pocket cards are a great way to create a distinct, patchwork effect in your layouts, and making your own yields an even more striking result, like the page you see here.

By using small stamps, sequins, a few of the die-cut or hand-cut shapes we showed you earlier, or even a few small photos to craft your own pocket cards, you’ll be able to tailor the feel of your layout to be even more personal and unique. Just look at the striking effect this row of pink die-cut flowers adds to this custom pocket card!

These are just a few ideas you can incorporate into your own scrapbook pages, and we hope you’ve been able to draw some inspiration. Leave us a comment and share with us what unique scrapbooking ideas you are incorporating in your own projects!

12″ x 12″ Happy Days Layout
Z3705 Let the Good Times Roll Stamp + Thin Cuts, X9013 Mix-in Paper Packet, X6047 Black Cardstock, X6037 Bluebird Cardstock, X5960 Fern Cardstock, X6043 Nectarine Cardstock, X5958 Peacock Cardstock, X5974 Raspberry Cardstock, X5980 Sweet Leaf Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6510 Nectarine Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2844 Pixie Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2812 Raspberry Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2853 Sweet Leaf Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7255G Seas the Day Die-cuts, Z4304 Silver Loose Sequins, Z4221 Mink Twine, Z2495 Bright Pink TriBlend™ Marker, Z2475 Brown Grey TriBlend™ Marker, Z2482 Citrus TriBlend™ Marker, Z2486 Dull Green TriBlend™ Marker, Z2483 Light Yellow TriBlend™ Marker, Z2480 Orange TriBlend™ Marker, Z2491 True Blue TriBlend™ Marker, Z3561 Black Diamond Stickles™ Glitter Gel, Z3563 Diamond Stickles™ Glitter Gel, Z4181 Stitched Circles Thin Cuts, Z2089 Glue Dots™ Micro Dots, Z1950 12″ x 12″ Memory Protectors™ Design 3, Cricut^® Artbooking Collection, Die-cutting Machine, Sewing Machine

Cricut Shape:
Artbooking
#M42499

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