Vision Boards for Intentional Living

We have the perfect project to help inspire and motivate us this new year as we strive to live intentionally—vision boards!

Our Maker community recently created 12″ × 12″ vision boards using our custom wood frames and we’re loving how each turned out so uniquely beautiful!

A vision board helps you clarify and stay focused on what truly matters to you. What inspires us most about this concept is that everyone chooses different images, photos, ephemera, etc., to help represent their goals. When you mix in beautiful patterned papers, stamps that provide inspiration, and photos you can print in any size, you have no limits to the creative expression of your vision.

Here are a few examples of what our team created. Each person was given the same collection of basic supplies, yet their boards are all so different, just like their creators.

This 12″ × 12″ framed vision was created using half of one of our scrapbook patterns (Make It from Your Heart Vol. 1, pattern 4) with a mix of stamping, handwriting, and, of course, bling—achieving that perfect blend of clean images and personal touches! The outer frame was stained using a stamp pad and sponge, adding color while still showing the wood grain.

This layout uses SVG cut files mixed with stamping and stickers to create a large title. Tags and polaroid-like frames help bring emphasis to the elements on the page. Remember, if you don’t have a photo of your aspirations, the internet is your friend! You can find any image and print them just as you would a photo to help you document your vision. This frame was covered with a light color of Distress Oxide™ ink to give a more solid coverage to the wood.

This board uses the awesome collage template found at Persnickety Prints. Paired with our Multi Circle Windows Thin Cuts, you can create a template of your photos and frame it with this versatile die-cut shape. Use the negative space circles from the die to create a banner for added detail. This concept lets you put small images as one focal point in your frame and create a reference list to support it. We colored the wood frame and a few wood embellishments with Gloss Spray, which added intense color as well as a little shimmer.

This next idea makes the pattern paper really shine! We love using the retro polaroid style to make photos pop off the page. This was done with an SVG file, but you can easily print from Pernsickety’s 3″ × 4″ retro prints for the perfect uniform display of your photos and goals. Mix in some stamped sentiments for inspiration, and make things happen!

This last idea uses four 12″ x 12″ frames to create one large wall display. This multi-frame approach allows you to focus each quadrant on a different subject. Here, we’ve set goals for family history, creativity, home, travel and fitness. Look at all the ways the various photo print sizes can be used to help you visualize your goals. These frames were painted with black acrylic paint.

We hope these creative displays we shared for our 2021 visions will inspire you to create one for yourself. Manifesting your vision through photos paired with written words truly help realize what is possible. Putting a beautiful collection together will undoubtedly inspire you to create the life you desire for the new year!

Check out our very own Jill Broadbent talking about these beautiful boards with out friends in Studio 5!

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DIY Décor to Make Over Your Boy’s Room

DIY Boy's Room Decor #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhurban #frameitup #urbanframes #diydecor #boysroom #skater #skateboarding #rustic #epic #guitar #chipboard #monogram #visionboard #papercrafting #npm #nationalpapercraftingmonth

We’re at it again! Last week we shared a fun way to dress up a girl’s room using beautiful large paper flowers, and, as promised, today we’ve got some inspiration on how to use papercrafting to decorate a more boyish space. (It can be done!)

The Urban paper collection is one of our absolute all-time favorites. We love it so much, in fact, that we brought it back for a second time around! Whether you missed it when it made its debut, or you love the designs just as much as we do, now is your chance to stock up!

We paired these classic Urban patterns with a few of our other go-to products and came up with some really fun, trendy, and even purposeful, décor pieces. Take a closer look.

DIY Boy's Room Decor #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhurban #frameitup #urbanframes #diydecor #boysroom #skater #skateboarding #rustic #epic #guitar #chipboard #monogram #visionboard #papercrafting #npm #nationalpapercraftingmonth

DIY Boy's Room Decor #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhurban #frameitup #urbanframes #diydecor #boysroom #skater #skateboarding #rustic #epic #guitar #papercrafting #npm #nationalpapercraftingmonth #chipboard #monogram #visionboard

Our chipboard frames and monograms are a great way to showcase personality in any given space. The patterns found in the Urban papers and stickers provide just the right amount of warmth, edge, and attitude to do just that!

DIY Boy's Room Decor #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhurban #frameitup #urbanframes #diydecor #boysroom #skater #skateboarding #rustic #epic #guitar #chipboard #monogram #visionboard #papercrafting #npm #nationalpapercraftingmonth

We backed this third frame with some cork board to effortlessly add or move photos, notes, and other mementos around. With a little bit of personal thought and inspiration, you could easily turn one of these framed pieces into a vision board!

As a reminder, the Urban collection is here for a limited time! That includes the paper packet, coordinating cardstock, and the My Acrylix® Urban Flair stamp set. Make sure to get yours before it is gone for good!

DIY Boy's Room Decor #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhurban #frameitup #urbanframes #diydecor #boysroom #skater #skateboarding #rustic #epic #guitar #chipboard #monogram #visionboard #urbanflair

My Acrylix® Urban Flair Stamp Set

For those of you who, like us, also love all things scrapbooking and cardmaking. We put together a workshop that uses these designs to create this stunning artwork:

DIY Boy's Room Decor #ctmh #closetomyheart #ctmhurban #frameitup #urbanframes #diydecor #boysroom #skater #skateboarding #rustic #epic #guitar #chipboard #monogram #visionboard #scrapbooking #cardmaking #scrapbookingworkshop #cardmakingworkshop #papercrafting #npm #nationalpapercraftingmonth

Download the free instructions, here.

We love National Papercrafting Month, and we absolutely love with our Urban collection. Don’t forget, you only have until January 31st, while supplies last, to get your hands on this go-to classic!


Recipe

16″ x 16″ Urban Frames
CC12194 My Acrylix® Urban Flair Stamp Set, CC12191 Urban Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X6046 French Vanilla Cardstock, X5947 Mink Cardstock, X5950 Toffee Cardstock, Z2849 Charcoal Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Set, Z2829 Espresso Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2825 Mink Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2828 Toffee Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4088 White Alphabet Foam Stickers, Z4221 Mink Twine, Z2478 Earth Brown TriBlend™ Marker, Z2479 Gold Brown TriBlend™ Marker, Z3580 Chipboard Frame + Overlay, Z3430 Chipboard Monogram—R, Artiste Cricut® Collection

Cricut® Shape:
Artiste Collection
#M3BCAC

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Vision Boards: Organizing Your Creative Dreams

For even more vision board ideas, check out our recent Vision Boards 3 Ways blog post!

Typically when we decide it’s time to organize our lives, we think about things like paper stashes, overflowing closets, garages, or the plastic containers stacked precariously in the kitchen. But are all of these things really life? Sure, they play roles in our life, but they’re hopefully not what drives us to get up in the morning.

In the spirit of this month’s call to organization, we decided to tackle a project that’s a little more elusive than cupboards and drawers: organizing your creative intentions through a vision board!

So, what’s a vision board? It’s a place to display images, words, or objects that represent what you want to be and do with your life in one beautiful, central location. Our hope is that this fun project will help you design your vision for your art and your life, all while keeping your thoughts and actions organized enough to accomplish it.

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Your vision board can become your light at the end of the tunnel during creative blocks. It will keep you motivated to continue heading toward your personal creative oasis!

Now let’s dive into what you’ll need to do to create your vision board! As with all art projects on this blog, we encourage you to use this example as a jumping off point to inspire you in your own creative pursuits. With this project in particular it is especially important for you to take your own, individual spin.

  • Start by spending some time seriously considering what you want this vision board to accomplish. What do you need to remember most in your life? Find a few words or phrases that speak to where you are in life right now. Once you’ve decided what these are, use stamps, Cricut® cuts, Picture My Life™ cards, or simply your own handwriting to express them.
  • Include lists of your creative dreams and goals. Whether that includes a list of techniques you want to learn, albums you want to finish, places you want to visit, or dreams you have for your family, writing it down and reading it every day will help you make the choices necessary to bring it from your imagination into reality.
  • Always stay on the lookout for bits and pieces of your life to add to your vision board. Surrounding yourself with bits and pieces of what you love in this world will be your sunlight on cloudy days. One simple way to do this is through your regular crafting routine. Keep your eyes open for scraps of embellishments such as ribbon, washi tape, or Complements. Cut a little more Shimmer Trim than you ended up needing for your layout? Save it and recycle it for your vision board!
  • Remember that this board is an organization tool. When your to-do list looks as cute as this, you won’t be able to resist taking care of everything on it. Even weekly schedules take on a new light when you dress them up. It’s also a great place to include other items you need to attend to, such as invitations to weddings that you’re planning on making cards or gifts for.
  • Make sure the things you include on your vision board are what you’re naturally drawn to, not what you think you should be drawn to. Remember this process needs to be fun! Let your creativity get playful and choose things out of the ordinary. Dare to do things like stamp and emboss a photo or include random scraps of doodling. The most important thing is not to overthink it; just follow your creative heart!

There you have it: the beginner’s guide to streamlining your creative life. Although our craft rooms may never stay organized, at least our creative visions can stay on track. 😉

We’d love to see how your vision boards turn out! Share your photos of your new creations, or even of boards you’ve created already, on the Close To My Heart Facebook page.

Now go create your vision!

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