Scrapbooking Your Seaside Summer Holidays

Scrapbooking Time By the Beach #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcapecod #scrapbooking #dayatthebeach #beachdayscrapbooking #vacationscrapbooking #beachscrapbooking #seasidescrapbooking

If you’re leaving your heart in the sand this summer, we want to help you bring it home! Scrapbook all of your favorite moments from your endless days at the beach with the coastal themed Cape Cod paper collection.

Scrapbooking Time By the Beach #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcapecod #scrapbooking #dayatthebeach #beachdayscrapbooking #vacationscrapbooking #beachscrapbooking #seasidescrapbooking

Summer is officially on, and with it come days packed full of memories in the making. A refreshing trip to the beach tends to be a common theme for these hot months. Whether it’s by an ocean in your back yard or a planned trip to a paradisical location far away, so many of us long for the renewing feeling of the sand hugging our toes while our noses get kissed by the sun.

The Cape Cod paper collection will give your best beach trip photos a beautiful home, where you can return to the sea, time and time again, any time of year.

Scrapbooking Time By the Beach #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcapecod #scrapbooking #dayatthebeach #beachdayscrapbooking #vacationscrapbooking #beachscrapbooking #seasidescrapbooking

The beautiful coastal style of beachy materials in the Cape Cod patterned papers, stickers, stamp sets, and embellishments designs communicate the same relaxed feeling you find at the ocean.

The patterned papers and sticker sheet are each 12″ x 12″. Complete with sand, driftwood, palm trees, and turquoise blues, these coastal designs are part of a classic trend that never goes out of style. Even if you don’t make it to the ocean this summer, snatch up the Cape Cod collection while it’s available, now and through the end of August.

Scrapbooking Time By the Beach #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcapecod #scrapbooking #dayatthebeach #beachdayscrapbooking #vacationscrapbooking #beachscrapbooking #seasidescrapbooking

The Cape Cod–Scrapbooking stamp set plus Thin Cuts are a hot commodity right now and are going fast! Everyone is just loving on the cute seahorse and crab and their coordinating dies that make it that much easier to cut their shapes out!

Scrapbooking Time By the Beach #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcapecod #scrapbooking #dayatthebeach #beachdayscrapbooking #vacationscrapbooking #beachscrapbooking #seasidescrapbooking

No scrapbooking layout is complete without a few embellishments! The Cape Cod embellishments are made up of light blue acrylic shapes and coordinating kraft and white paperboard die-cuts. These on-point themed acrylic shapes and die-cuts are ideal for creating one-of-a-kind coastal scrapbook pages. You can use them as they come or customize them as needed. For example, we sponged a bit of ink on a white starfish die-cut, colored a palm tree with markers, and drew lines on the wings of a few seagulls with a white gel pen.

Several of these same natural seaside elements are found in the downloadable Cape Cod svg digital art collection, where you are free to cut them in any size and out of any paper design or color that you prefer, allowing for even further customization.

Scrapbooking Time By the Beach #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcapecod #scrapbooking #dayatthebeach #beachdayscrapbooking #vacationscrapbooking #beachscrapbooking #seasidescrapbooking

SVG images are digital images that are resolution independent and infinitely scalable. That means that you can resize them to any scale (large or small) and they will look clear and crisp every time. Once you save them to your device, access these images with your choice of design software. If you have a Cricut® cutting machine, you can access these files on Cricut Design Space™ and manipulate them there before cutting them out.

Use any of the svg images from the Cape Cod digital art collection to create or add onto your beach themed scrapbook pages or simply use the two-page layout we designed for you! Because it comes as an svg file, like explained above, you can make these pages as large or small as you’d like. When we designed the layout, we had the standard 12″ x 12″ in mind but, if you’d prefer a smaller layout, like a 6″ x 6″ for example, you can scale it down and adjust the photo count and sizes as needed.  

Scrapbooking Time By the Beach #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcapecod #scrapbooking #dayatthebeach #beachdayscrapbooking #vacationscrapbooking #beachscrapbooking #seasidescrapbooking

If you prefer a bit more guidance for scrapbooking your days in the sun, we’ve got you covered with the Cape Cod scrapbooking workshop! Pair the materials in the Cape Cod scrapbooking workshop kit with a few additional supplies (listed on our webpage and on the included guide) and create three coordinating 12″ x 12″ two-page layouts!

Scrapbooking Time By the Beach #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcapecod #scrapbooking #dayatthebeach #beachdayscrapbooking #vacationscrapbooking #beachscrapbooking #seasidescrapbooking
Scrapbooking Time By the Beach #closetomyheart #ctmh #ctmhcapecod #scrapbooking #dayatthebeach #beachdayscrapbooking #vacationscrapbooking #beachscrapbooking #seasidescrapbooking

The featured technique in this workshop is embellishing with white gloss spray. As you can see in the layouts above, the white gloss spray can create a water-weathered-like effect on the woodgrain patterned paper or emulate the white foam of a crashing wave.

The beach is a popular summertime destination. Whichever route you choose, bring and keep your memories from the beach home with the beautiful Cape Cod paper collection. Time wasted at the beach is time well spent, especially when you can be brought back through a well-kept scrapbook layout!

Stepping into the New Year with Places to Go and Memories to Keep!

As we step into the new year with renewed hope and conviction, we look forward to the places we’ll visit, the sites we’ll see, the things we’ll do, and the people we will share it all with.

The newest Close To My Heart catalog was just released on the first and, from cover to cover, it is full of exciting new products and ideas to preserve the memories you’ve made in the past year and are planning for in the year to come.

One of our newest paper collections, featured on the cover artwork of the January–March 2023 catalog, is called “Are We There Yet?

Stepping into the New Year with Places to Go and Memories to Keep! #arewethereyet #travel #scrapbooking #patternedpaper #suitcase #roadtrip #catalog #wander #staycation #vacation #goingplaces #journey #trip #family #friends

This gorgeous collection is inspired by all of those travel memories that we wandering humans can’t help but make! From big trips abroad or across state lines to smaller staycations or girls only weekends, most of us enjoy getting away from life’s repetitive beat from time to time.

The Are We There Yet? products are not only great tools to get those past travel memories preserved but also to inspire us to keep going. Exploring and wandering is about discovering different perspectives and seeing new things. If you plan things right, life will deliver new sights and unfold unseen horizons every step of the way. This collection asks the question, have we arrived? Even though we may arrive at specific travel destinations for a particular trip, with luck we’ll continue to go, to see, and to do, and never truly “arrive.”

We hope that this new year will bring many opportunities for travel and growth. Whatever adventures come our way, let’s not forget to document and preserve them! After all, sometimes to know where to go next, we need to remember where we’ve been. Scrapbooking is a beautiful way to journal these experiences, and it’s also a wonderful way to look back on them and share them with others.

For more inspiration on how to use the Are We There Yet? paper collection, take yourself on a journey through the new January–March 2023 catalog. Our Close To My Heart Makers are also sharing their ideas online, using the hashtag #ctmharewethereyet. Make sure to look up that hashtag from time to time to see what’s new and where this great collection is taking our fellow crafters!

Happy New Year and happy wandering! ❤️


Recipes:

12″ x 12″ Having a Great Time Page
Z4677 Are We There Yet?—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts, D2145 My Acrylix® Lovin’ Right Now Stamp Set, X7288S Are We There Yet? Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6063 Papaya Cardstock, X5950 Toffee Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6534 Papaya Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2848 Sapphire Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z4634 Black & White Dots, Z2515 Earth Brown Shades TriBlend Marker, Z4575 Black LePen, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine, White Twine, Stapler

12″ x 12″ Our Getaway Page
Z4677 Are We There Yet?—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts, C1966 My Acrylix® Are We There Yet—Borders Stamp Set, X7288S Are We There Yet? Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6066 Honey Butter Cardstock, X6063 Papaya Cardstock, X6044 Peach Cardstock, X5957 Sapphire Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6534 Papaya Exclusive Inks Stamp pad, Z6502 Peach Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2848 Sapphire Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2828 Toffee Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, X7288E Are We There Yet? Rubber Shapes, Z3726 Tags & Tabs Thin Cuts, Z3224 Small Round Waterbrush, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z2089 Glue Dots® Mircro Dots, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine, Cricut® Basic Shapes

Cricut® Shape:
Basic Shapes
#M2AAB3EFD

4¼” x 5½” What a Trip Card (Vertical)
Z4680 Are We There Yet?—Borders Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7288S Are We There yet? Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, X6063 Papaya Cardstock, X6044 Peach Cardstock, X5957 Sapphire Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2841 Glacier Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z6534 Papaya Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z6502 Peach Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2848 Sapphire Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z1513 White Gel Pens, Z3943 Circles Thin Cuts, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

12″ x 12″ Our Getaway Page
Z4677 Are We There Yet?—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7288S Are We There Yet? Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X7288C Are We There Yet? Coordinating Cardstock, Z2841 Glacier Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z6536 Honey Butter Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2825 Mink Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z6534 Papaya Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2848 Sapphire Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2828 Toffee Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2515 Earth Brown Sahdes TriBlend Marker, Z1507 Navy LePen, X7288E Are We There Yet? Rubber Shapes, Z4634 Black & White Dots, Z3726 Tags & Tabs Thin Cuts, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine, White Twine

12″ x 12″ Are We There Yet? Scrapbooking Workshop Layouts
G1269 Are We There Yet? Scrapbooking Workshop Kit, Z6508 Bluebird Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z2841 Glacier Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z6536 Honey Butter Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z6534 Papaya Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z6504 Sage Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad, Z697 Round Sponge, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

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Win a FREE Album Retreat Bundle!!

Win a FREE Album Retreat Bundle! #albumretreat #travel #vacation #getaway #journey #roadtrip #love #family #crafting #friends #scrapbooking #album #layouts #ticket #map #atlas #memorykeeping #document #love #staycation #epic #car #train #airplane #boat #cruise #safari #tour #tourist #beach #mountain #nationalpark #hotel #b&b #destination #passport #goingplaces #albumretreat

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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Making a Splash with Gloss Spray Techniques!

Make a Splash with Gloss Spray Techniques! #beachparty #summer #gloss #shine #spray #water #beach #sand #ocean #vacation #ctmh #closetomyheart #sparkle #shimmer #shine

Gloss sprays are one of the newest players to the papercrafting game. Their unique qualities make them especially useful for creating elaborate art in minutes, which is a big reason that we have loved adding them to our bag of crafting tricks! One place where we had lots of fun playing with these sprays is the Beach Party scrapbooking workshop—let’s take a look!

Make a Splash with Gloss Spray Techniques! #beachparty #summer #gloss #shine #spray #water #beach #sand #ocean #vacation #ctmh #closetomyheart #sparkle #shimmer #shine

On this “Sun and Fun” layout, we couldn’t resist embellishing the base pages with a few splatters of white gloss spray. This creates a distressed, faded effect that fits our beach-themed pages perfectly! See how well the white splatters behind the surfboards and sandcastle create a sandy effect? Just a few small speckles of the spray add a big effect!

Make a Splash with Gloss Spray Techniques! #beachparty #summer #gloss #shine #spray #water #beach #sand #ocean #vacation #ctmh #closetomyheart #sparkle #shimmer #shine

Did you spot the gloss spray on this layout? Here we’ve added it to the blue wave die-cuts near the bottom of the page, adding a lifelike foam look! Since the spray is acrylic, it dries glossy, which adds impressive sparkle to these papercrafted waves.

Make a Splash with Gloss Spray Techniques! #beachparty #summer #gloss #shine #spray #water #beach #sand #ocean #vacation #ctmh #closetomyheart #sparkle #shimmer #shine

In order to achieve a speckled look with gloss sprays, we sprayed the pieces from approximately eight inches away while they rested on an all-purpose mat. These powerful little bottles are packed with opaque acrylic paint, not too different from spray paint. To ensure the best quality spraying experience, always shake the bottle well before each use. There’s a little ball inside that will mix up the contents of the bottle for the best color and consistency of the paint. Gloss sprays can stain, so be sure to protect your work surfaces and use them in an area you don’t mind getting messy.

Follow along in the video below as our friend Jill Broadbent from the Home Office shares a few additional techniques and tips for using these dynamic sprays.

As we consider the gloss sprays’ qualities, you can see there are so many possibilities for art! Download the free guides for the Beach Party scrapbooking workshop below, and learn how easily today’s featured pages come together, including the white gloss spray accents!

Beach Party Scrapbooking Workshop Guide (US/CA)
Beach Party Scrapbooking Workshop Guide (AU/NZ)


Recipe:
12″ x 12″ Sun and Fun Layout, 12″ x 12″ Vacay Mode Layout
G1257 Beach Party Scrapbooking Workshop Kit, Z5010 White Gloss Spray, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

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The Happiest Place Collection!

Hold on to your hats, because we’re going on a VIP tour of our newest and most magical collection, yet—the Happiest Place!

July-August-cover

Summertime is the perfect time to make memories, and the Happiest Place collection is the perfect way to preserve them. With vibrant colors, delightfully whimsical patterns, and a wide selection of fun products to go with them, the Happiest Place will bring a smile to any face!

1. Happiest Place Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet

Let’s start everything off by taking a look at the Happiest Place Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet. This packet comes with twice as many patterned papers than the packets in most of our other collections, with 12 sheets—2 each of 6 double-sided designs!

Happiest-place-paper-pack-

Along with this awesome paper count, we’ve also got a beautiful sticker sheet, complete with silver glitter foil accents! This eye-catching assortment of stickers is the ideal complement to the fun designs of the papers, and you’ll love accenting your artwork with them!

CC7201-7

2. Happiest Place Coordinating Cardstock

Happiest-place-cardstock

The Happiest Place Coordinating Cardstock adds yet another element of wonder to this magical collection. Like the sticker sheet, this cardstock pack includes a selection with silver glitter foil designs. With these shiny patterns, it’s easier than ever to add a little sparkle to your cards and scrapbook pages!

3. Happiest Place Acrylic Shapes

Happiest-place-acrylic-shapes

Looking to add even more dimension to your project? The Happiest Place Acrylic Shapes coordinate perfectly with the patterns in this collection and make a great addition to any card or layout!

4. Happiest Place Stamp + Thin Cuts

Happiest-place-thincuts-stamp

Preserve your happiest memories and create truly magical artwork with the Happiest Place stamp set and Thin Cuts dies!

In addition to the Happiest Place stamp set and Thin Cuts, the new Magical Alphabet stamp set from our July–August catalog fits right in with the Happiest Place collection. Expand your creative magic even further and create personalized, coordinated titles!

Happiest-place-alphabet

5. SVGs (Digital Art)

Along with the playful images in these stamp sets and Thin Cuts, the Happiest Place also includes a variety of digital art options. With two collections of SVG files—Happiest Place Digital Art Titles and Happiest Place Digital Art Designs—you’ll be all set to use and cut these too-cute shapes for yourself using your favorite digital design program and personal digital cutting machine! These shapes can be used to cut paper for your cards or layouts, or they can be used to cut vinyl images for a one-of-a-kind album cover, like this one!

Happiest-place-cut-above-album-2

6. Happiest Place Cut Above® Kit

Use the materials in this kit to create the pages of an 8½” × 11″ album. No fussy-cutting required!

Happiest-place-cut-above

The Happiest Place Cut Above Layout Kit includes pre-printed base pages, exclusive die-cuts, pre-cut pieces, and instructions to guide you through every step of the way! No cutting or stamping necessary. Just pair this kit with your memories along with a journaling pen, photos, and adhesive!

7. FREE Virtual Event!

Join us as we host another fun and free 3-day virtual crafting event, beginning August 26! For more information, visit the Events tab on the Close To My Heart Facebook page, here. We’ll be doing some exciting giveaways in conjunction with this event, so be sure to mark yourself as “Going” when you visit our Facebook page to be registered for the giveaway opportunities!

We’re so excited about the Happiest Place collection, and just can’t wait for you to get your hands on it! Make sure to talk to your Consultant for even more information about any of these items and additional special offers available. (If you do not have a Consultant, find one in your area, here.)

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Memory Keeping with a Theme

Do you ever look at all your photos and wonder where to even begin? Do you go chronologically, starting at the beginning? Do you try to scrapbook the most recent ones? Do you stick to special events? It can be hard to choose, and that’s why we are loving the newest Story by Stacy™ workshop kit, Stories I Love. Stories I Love encourages all of us to focus on the photos and stories we treasure the most. Using just one photo and story at a time, the workbook included in the kit walks you through how to write a personal story exploring all of the layers behind that single photo. With this kit, you’ll have nine photos and stories documented in one special place.

Memory Keeping with a Theme #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhstorybystacy #storybystacy #ctmhstoriesilove #storytelling #memorykeeping #scrapbooking #themescrapbook

Choosing just nine of your most favorite photos for a Stories I Love album might still seem like a daunting task. You definitely don’t have to choose your top nine all at once. You can give yourself time to consider which photos you want to include, but we also have another approach to share with you today. You can use this approach with Stories I Love or apply it to any memory keeping project. Here’s the secret… choose a theme to help you get started. Instead of looking at all your thousands of photos (we’re confident you have that many), help yourself narrow it down by sticking to one theme or subject. Having a few parameters will make it easier to get started.

We asked three of the artists from our art studio to consider a Stories I Love album theme that they’d like to use to document stories and photos that are meaningful to them. You can use their ideas below to try this on your own! Remember, these themes are great for a Stories I Love album or you can use them in any size format. Even a 12″ x 12″ themed album can help you narrow your focus and get your memories in a scrapbook.

#1 Travel Adventures

Memory Keeping with a Theme #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhstorybystacy #storybystacy #ctmhstoriesilove #storytelling #memorykeeping #scrapbooking #themescrapbook

In this type of album, you can gather the stories and photos you love the most from places you’ve been, or you can choose your favorite photos from just one trip. For her travel album, our artist used the pages and stickers included in the Stories I Love workshop kit to document a treasured moment from a study abroad adventure in Italy. The layouts in her album include special photos from other places that she’s traveled, near or far, and the stories that go with them.

Memory Keeping with a Theme #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhstorybystacy #storybystacy #ctmhstoriesilove #storytelling #memorykeeping #scrapbooking #themescrapbook

You can see how she’s used the process outlined in the workbook to draft and even edit her story. This is part of what makes each Story by Stacy™ kit so usable. It takes you through the steps of both writing and creating. It’s ok if your workbook gets messy. It’s there to give you the space you need to draft and adjust the story before you write it on your album page.

#2 Family Traditions

Memory Keeping with a Theme #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhstorybystacy #storybystacy #ctmhstoriesilove #storytelling #memorykeeping #scrapbooking #themescrapbook

Another approach is to focus on family traditions. With this Stories I Love layout, our artist has highlighted a photo she loves of her family at Easter, and her story explores some of her favorite family traditions during Easter time. This artist kept her pages simple, letting the story and the black and white photo remain the most important parts of the layout, with stickers and just a few added silver glitter gems. You could use a Stories I Love album for photos about family holiday traditions or even things your family likes to do together. Do you go camping every summer? Do you have special family events that happen at Christmas time? Odds are that for these moments you also have photos of them that are particularly meaningful to you. Use this type of themed album to gather them all in one place.

#3 Relationships

Memory Keeping with a Theme #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhstorybystacy #storybystacy #ctmhstoriesilove #storytelling #memorykeeping #scrapbooking #themescrapbook

A different way you can theme your album is by focusing on a particular relationship. It could be with a parent, sibling, friend, or child. The photos in the album could highlight fun moments together or things you especially love about that person. For this album, our artist decided to work with photos just of her granddaughters. In her layout, she described one of her favorite things she does with her granddaughters and the special moments she gets to share with them. You can see how she’s added some other paper and embellishments to her pages. They don’t distract from the story and photo but do give her layout a different look.

It’s exciting to see how these stories and photos from our artists can come together to create a uniquely themed album for their memories. Just in case you need a few more ideas, here’s a handful of others you can try.

  • Baby album: Haven’t had time to finish your child’s baby album? That’s ok! Choose nine favorite baby photos and use the Stories I Love approach to tell those stories. This is an easy way to create a baby book that includes the best moments and stories in your own words.
  • Childhood album: Choose a few stories and photos from your own childhood. You may not have time to go back and scrapbook every photo, but this way you can gather the stories and photos that you love the most in one place. You’ll be able to write your favorite stories from your growing up years and share them with your family. This is something you could also do with your own kids. Have them choose their favorite photos and help them write the story behind one photo at a time. Not only is this a fun project to do together, but you’ll have a story told from their “kid” perspective.
  • Graduation album: Graduation season will be here soon. A Stories I Love album can be a great way to celebrate your graduate. Share a handful of stories and photos about that person over time. You can highlight moments from their life, big events, or simply what you love about the person they are becoming. This type of album is great to give as a gift to commemorate their special moment. You could do the same type of album for someone that’s retiring or reaching a milestone birthday or anniversary.
  • Pet album: Many of us have a furry friend in our lives. Use a themed album to gather photos of your pets and the stories that go with them. This could be an album you leave in process. Add some stories and photos in a Stories I Love album and then leave a few pages empty. This way you have space to include a few more the next time your pet does something new, silly, or even naughty that you want to remember with a story and photo. 🙂

The most important thing you can do is tell the stories and share the photos that you love. Those are stories that only you can tell, and starting with a theme can help you get rid of distractions or even scrapbook guilt (the guilt that memory keepers sometimes feel when they don’t have time to scrapbook EVERY SINGLE PHOTO). Give yourself permission to start with the ones that are the most important to you. That’s exactly what a Stories I Love album is for. We hope you’re inspired today to give the themed album approach a try, and we’d love to hear what theme you plan to use. Share them with us in the comments below!


Recipes:

6″ x 8″ Italy Layout
C1758 My Acrylix® Details I Love Stamp Set, Z4256 Story by Stacy™ Stories I Love Workshop Kit, Z2831 Charcoal Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z1979 Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen

6″ x 8″ Easter Layout
C1758 My Acrylix® Details I Love Stamp Set, Z4256 Story by Stacy™ Stories I Love Workshop Kit, Z2844 Pixie Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4191 Silver Glitter Gems, Z1979 Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen

6″ x 8″ Granddaughters Layout
Z4256 Story by Stacy™ Stories I Love Workshop Kit, Z4217 Story by Stacy™ Short Story Workshop Kit—Black & White, X7242 I Heart Us Paper Packet, X6028 Black Cardstock, X7241C So Much Happy Complements, Z4254 So Much Happy Puffy Stickers, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

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25 Journaling & Photo Prompts for Recurring Life Events

25 Prompts to Document Recurring Life Events #ctmh #closetomyheart #birthdayscrapbook #vacationscrapbook #holidayscrapbook #Christmasscrapbook #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #journalingprompts #photoprompts #journaling #photography

Are you in one of those families that go to Disney World once year? (lucky! 🙂 ) Do you spend most Christmas mornings at home in your pajamas? What about a birthday? We all have one every year. Holidays, birthdays, vacations, parties—the good times just keep coming, and so do the stories and photos that accompany them.

Earlier this month we shared a post about New Ways to Document the Holidays. We thought it would be worthwhile to follow that up with some additional ideas and prompts for other recurring life events so that we don’t always take the same photos and document the same stories year after year.

The following ideas can be used to take photos while you’re in the moment or as a place to start your journaling while you’re documenting the memory. If you’re new to scrapbooking or you’re just in a memory keeping rut, the following prompts can help get you going.

 

VACATIONS:

25 Prompts to Document Recurring Life Events #ctmh #closetomyheart #birthdayscrapbook #vacationscrapbook #holidayscrapbook #Christmasscrapbook #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #journalingprompts #photoprompts #journaling #photography1. Why are you going on this vacation?
2. How did you get to where you were going?
3. What did you pack for this trip?
4. Did everything go as planned?
25 Prompts to Document Recurring Life Events #ctmh #closetomyheart #birthdayscrapbook #vacationscrapbook #holidayscrapbook #Christmasscrapbook #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #journalingprompts #photoprompts #journaling #photography5. Who are the people that are with you?
6. Did you meet any interesting folks along the way?
7. What was your favorite meal/restaurant on the trip?
8. What cool souvenirs are you bringing home?
9. Has your life been changed by this trip?

 

CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAYS:

25 Prompts to Document Recurring Life Events #ctmh #closetomyheart #birthdayscrapbook #vacationscrapbook #holidayscrapbook #Christmasscrapbook #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #journalingprompts #photoprompts #journaling #photography10. What are you celebrating?
11. Do you have an ornament you love? Where did you get it and why do you love it?
12. What’s a favorite holiday treat? (Include the recipe!)
13. How does your family serve others?
14. Do you have any traditions?25 Prompts to Document Recurring Life Events #ctmh #closetomyheart #birthdayscrapbook #vacationscrapbook #holidayscrapbook #Christmasscrapbook #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #journalingprompts #photoprompts #journaling #photography15. How does “magic” happen in your home? (Ex. Is there an elf sitting on a shelf somewhere?)
16.What wrapping paper did you pick out, and why?
17. How did you decorate your home?
18. Are there special movies that you watch?
19. Do you have any favorite holiday music?

 

BIRTHDAYS:

25 Prompts to Document Recurring Life Events #ctmh #closetomyheart #birthdayscrapbook #vacationscrapbook #holidayscrapbook #Christmasscrapbook #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #journalingprompts #photoprompts #journaling #photography20. Did you get a cake? What flavor? If not, why?
21. What were the reactions to gifts? Was there a favorite?
22. Who did you celebrate with?25 Prompts to Document Recurring Life Events #ctmh #closetomyheart #birthdayscrapbook #vacationscrapbook #holidayscrapbook #Christmasscrapbook #scrapbooking #memorykeeping #journalingprompts #photoprompts #journaling #photography23. Interview the guest of honor and record their answers
24. Screenshot and document birthday messages from social media
25. How has life changed since your last birthday?

We hope you’re as inspired as we are to use your next birthday, holiday, or vacation to try out some of these memory keeping prompts. You can document your memories in creative ways by taking photos and answering some of the questions we’ve given you here today. Focusing on sharing the details around all of these topics will highlight what makes each vacation, birthday, and holiday particularly special on its own. We’d love to hear your ideas for scrapbooking these types of events. Share them with us in the comments below!


Recipes:

12″ x 12″ NYC Holiday Fails Page
C1725 My Acrylix® Simply Said Stamp Set, E1042 My Acrylix® Outline Classroom Alphabet Stamp Set, E1043 My Acrylix® Solid Classroom Alphabet Stamp Set, X9000 Seasons Mix-in Paper Packet, X6007 Lagoon Cardstock, X5986 Mint Cardstock, Z6503 Mint Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2831 Charcoal Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2731 Charcoal Exclusive Inks™ Re-inkerX7238C Oh What Fun Complements, Z4222 Hello Pumpkin Shapes, Z3314 Black & White Dots, Z4245 Opaque Matte Texture Paste, Z4247 Palette Knives, Z1979 Marvy® Uchida® LePen Journaling Pen, Z3503 Cricut® Artbooking Digital Collection

Cricut® Shape:
Artbooking
6″ Overlay <g> (p. 62, #M3F0A2)

12″ x 12″ Baking Magic Page
C1725 My Acrylix® Simply Said Stamp Set, X7236B Hello Pumpkin Paper Packet, X7235B Boutique Paper Packet, X7238B Oh What Fun Paper Packet, X9000 Seasons Mix-in Paper Packet, X6028 Black Cardstock, X5986 Mint Cardstock, X6016 Pixie Cardstock, X6027 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2805 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7238C Oh What Fun Complements, Z4216 Raspberry Baker’s Twine, Z4305 Thin Cuts—Fancy Tags, Z3317 Thin Cuts—Stitched Hearts, Z2027 Mini Stapler, Z1979 Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen, Z1951 Memory Protectors® Design 4

12″ x 12″ Wonderful Birthday Wishes Page
D1804 My Acrylix® Your Special Day Stamp Set, E1042 My Acrylix® Outline Classroom Alphabet Stamp Set, E1043 My Acrylix® Solid Classroom Alphabet Stamp Set, X7235B Boutique Paper Packet, X9000 Seasons Mix-in Paper Packet, X5990 Carolina Cardstock, X6021 Sapphire Cardstock, X6027 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6505 Carolina Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2831 Charcoal Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7238C Oh What Fun Complements, Z4304 Loose Sequins—Silver, Z4241 Thin Cuts—Decorative Borders, Z1979 Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z3500 Cricut® Artistry Digital Collection, Sewing Machine

Cricut® Shape:
Artistry
¾” Banner <New Years> (p. 50, #M41864D)

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Mermaid Tails & Fish Scales, Oh My!

Every girl wants to be a princess mermaid! Everywhere we look, we are inundated with a sea of little girls (and some not so little girls 🙂 ) donning some sort of tribute to the beautiful mythical creatures. Mermaids are so popular that they have incorporated themselves into everyday, useful items: from mermaid tail blankets to mermaid tail swimwear, dressing up as a mermaid is no longer just for costume. And at Close To My Heart we love them too! (Have you seen our Make Waves collection?!)

Because we’re sure you’ll have plenty of reasons to scrapbook memories surrounding this trend, including a trip to the beach or a tropical getaway, we want to share with you how to duplicate the fish scale pattern we created in this layout from our Seasonal Expressions catalog.

Mermaids and Fish Scales #ctmh #closetomyheart #mermaid #magic #magical #stardust #mythological #fishscale #fishtail #fish #tail #scale #girl #girly #sea #ocean #beach #water #getaway #vacation #technique #cricut

The technique is quite simple, but the end result will be stunning!

STEP 1—Consider the space you will be covering up with scales and decide what size circles you want to use.

Mermaids and Fish Scales #ctmh #closetomyheart #mermaid #magic #magical #stardust #mythological #fishscale #fishtail #fish #tail #scale #girl #girly #sea #ocean #beach #water #getaway #vacation #technique #cricut

Once you know the size of circles you will be using, a little basic math comes in handy in figuring out how many you will need to cut in order to fill your space. In our example layout we have a 12-inch piece of cardstock and 1¼-inch circles. So, 12 divided by 1.25 equals 9.6, which means we roughly needed 9½ circles per row. To cover the bottom four inches of our paper with this pattern, we needed 7 rows (of 9½) circles. That made 67 circles, which we cut with our trusty Cricut®. (If you don’t have a Cricut®, a hole punch will work, too!)

Of course, math isn’t for everyone so if you’d rather wing it, go for it! 😉

STEP 2—Lay your circles down starting with the top row.
Mermaids and Fish Scales #ctmh #closetomyheart #mermaid #magic #magical #stardust #mythological #fishscale #fishtail #fish #tail #scale #girl #girly #sea #ocean #beach #water #getaway #vacation #technique #cricutSTEP 3—Add a second row.

Mermaids and Fish Scales #ctmh #closetomyheart #mermaid #magic #magical #stardust #mythological #fishscale #fishtail #fish #tail #scale #girl #girly #sea #ocean #beach #water #getaway #vacation #technique #cricut

You’ll want to attach these circles off-center, covering up the lower half of the circles in the row above.

STEP 4—Continue adding all of your rows, one by one.
Mermaids and Fish Scales #ctmh #closetomyheart #mermaid #magic #magical #stardust #mythological #fishscale #fishtail #fish #tail #scale #girl #girly #sea #ocean #beach #water #getaway #vacation #technique #cricutstep 5—Trim your edges, and you’re done!

Told you it was easy! Now go make some mermaid tails of your own and let us know how they worked out for you in the comments below!


Recipe:

 12″ x 12″ Mermaid Page
D1764 My Acrylix® Make Waves—Scrapbooking Stamp Set, X7227B Make Waves Paper Packet, X5941 Bashful Cardstock, Z3146 Watercolor Paper, Z2841 Glacier Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7227C Make Waves Complements, Z4142 Make Waves Sequins & Gems, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z3188 Paintbrush Set, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z3389 Cricut® You Are Here Collection

Cricut® Shape:
You Are Here
1¼” Title <RandR> (cut 67, p. 42, #M46F6E)

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Mini Summertime Adventure Album

Mini summertime adventure album #ctmh #closetomyheart #cricut #cricutartbooking #cricutyouarehere #ctmhjack #camping #cabin #vacationCan you believe summer is already coming to a close? Oh how time flies when you’re having fun! Though it may be hard to wave farewell to days lounging by the pool, visiting family, and traveling to beautiful destinations, you can keep those summertime memories alive and well by creating a mini album. Summertime doesn’t have to end!

We created this camping-themed album with two of our exclusive Cricut® collections: Artbooking and You Are Here.

The Artbooking collection includes a variety of tabbed, hole-punched pages designed especially for creating mini albums like this one! To decorate those pages, we turned to the You Are Here collection, which is our newest Cricut® collection. This collection includes designs to help you document your adventures both near and far away from home. Combine these two collections together, and you’ve got everything you need to create any number of mini summertime adventure albums!

You’ll see lots of the Jack paper packet in our mini album. With its tree, woodgrain, and flannel-inspired plaid patterns, these papers are perfect for documenting your outdoor adventures. Just remember, it’s only available until the end of the month while supplies last, so grab yours while you can!

If these pages inspire you to make an album of your own, feel free to refer to the recipe at the bottom of this post to see which products we used, as well as more details about the Cricut® cuts.

Mini summertime adventure album #ctmh #closetomyheart #cricut #cricutartbooking #cricutyouarehere #ctmhjack #camping #cabin #vacationMini summertime adventure album #ctmh #closetomyheart #cricut #cricutartbooking #cricutyouarehere #ctmhjack #camping #cabin #vacation

Mini summertime adventure album #ctmh #closetomyheart #cricut #cricutartbooking #cricutyouarehere #ctmhjack #camping #cabin #vacationMini summertime adventure album #ctmh #closetomyheart #cricut #cricutartbooking #cricutyouarehere #ctmhjack #camping #cabin #vacation

Mini summertime adventure album #ctmh #closetomyheart #cricut #cricutartbooking #cricutyouarehere #ctmhjack #camping #cabin #vacation

Mini summertime adventure album #ctmh #closetomyheart #cricut #cricutartbooking #cricutyouarehere #ctmhjack #camping #cabin #vacation

Mini summertime adventure album #ctmh #closetomyheart #cricut #cricutartbooking #cricutyouarehere #ctmhjack #camping #cabin #vacation

Mini summertime adventure album #ctmh #closetomyheart #cricut #cricutartbooking #cricutyouarehere #ctmhjack #camping #cabin #vacation

What are your favorite memories from this summer? Tell us in the comments below!


Recipe

 6″ Wander Mini Album
X7222B Jack Paper Packet, X5957 Sapphire Cardstock, X5948 Heather Cardstock, X5960 Fern Cardstock, X5979 Juniper Cardstock, X5950 Toffee Cardstock, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, X5962 Goldrush Cardstock, X5965 Ruby Cardstock, X5959 New England Ivy Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z3095 Whisper Thick Twine, Z3169 Cricut® Artbooking Collection, Z3389 Cricut® You Are Here Collection

Cricut® Shapes:
Artbooking
3 ¼” Photo Mat 2 <1> (p. 38, Real Dial Size on)
6″ Photo Mat 1 <1> (cut 3, p. 38)
6″ Photo Mat 1 <2> (p. 39)
6″ Shift+Photo Mat 1 <@> (p. 39)
6″ Photo Mat 2 <3> (p. 40)
6″ Photo Mat 1 <3> (p. 40)

You Are Here
2 ½” Icon-2 <1> (p. 1)
2 ½” Shift+Icon-2 <!> (p. 1)
1 ½” Icon-3 <4> (p. 4)
1 ½” Shift+Icon-3 <$> (p. 4)
2″ Icon-4 <8> (cut 3, p. 8)
2″ Shift+Icon-4 <?> (cut 3, p. 8)
2″ Title <8> (p. 8)
2″ Shift+Title <8> (p. 8)
1 ½” Shift+Icon-3 <?> (p. 8)
2 ¾” Icon-4 <Y> (p. 16)
2″ Shift+Icon-1 <F> (p. 24)
2 ½” and 3″ Shift+Icon-3 <F> (p. 24)
2″ Icon-1 <G> (p. 25)
2″ Shift+Icon-1 <G> (p. 25)
1 ½” Title <G> (p. 25)
3″ Icon-2 <G> (p. 25)
3″ Shift+Icon-2 <G> (p. 25)
2″ Icon-4 <B> (p. 35)
2″ Shift+Icon-4 <B> (p. 35)
1″ Icon-2 <B> (p. 35)
1″ Shift+Icon-2 <B> (p. 35)
2 ¼” Title <B> (p. 35)
2 ¼” Shift+Title <B> (p. 35)
3″ Title <B> (cut 2, p. 35)
2″ Title <Seas> (p. 40)
2″ Shift+Title <Seas> (p. 40)

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