Happy Valentines!

Create a class set of Valentines in 30 minutes! Really! It will take you less time to create these Valentines than to run out to the store and purchase a box of ordinary ones. All you need is cardstock, a stamp set, paper scraps and your tools. (And this is a great way to use up your stash!)

For these Valentines, I started with the Centre Focus pattern (from Originals, pg. 111) as the basic layout. However, I made it my own, by adding a patterned paper background and changing the size of the centre piece to accommodate the sentiment.

Here's my recipe:

* Start with a 3" x 3" card with the fold at the top. (To make the card, cut a 3" x 6" piece from cardstock and fold in half.)

* Trim a 2 1/2" square from patterned paper and adhere to card face.

* Tear a 2" piece of washi tape or trim a 1/2" x 2" piece of paper or trim a 2" zip strip and adhere to middle of card, flush on the left side.

* Trim a 1" x 1 1/2" piece from cardstock and stamp sentiment. Adhere sentiment to right side of card, in the middle, overlapping washi tape.

* Stamp or write sentiment, Happy Valentine's Day, on inside.

For these cards, I used the sentiment from the Live Out Loud stamp set and the sentiment "Happy Valentine's Day" from the Whoo's Your Valentine stamp set on the inside. (Not shown.) I used the scraps from my Dotty For You papers.

It's easy to create multiple Valentine's quickly with this pattern. Get your little Valentine involved too! Assembling and stamping are easy and fun tasks for little hands.

Don't forget teacher! Use your school-themed papers and stamps to whip up cute Valentines for your child's teacher.

For these Valentines I followed the Sunset pattern (Originals, pg. 66).

* Use a 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" card with the fold on the tops as your base. (To make the card, cut a 3 1/2" x 5" piece from cardstock and fold in half.)

* Trim a 1 3/4" x 3 1/2" piece from patterned paper and adhere it to the card front, placing it 1/4" from the top, keeping the edges flush.

* Trim a 1 1/4" x 1 1/2" piece from cardstock and adhere it 1/4" from the right and top edges of the patterned paper.

* Stamp embellishments and adhere to card face.

For these cards, I used the ticket stamps from Blue Ribbon and Victory Workshop stamp sets and the large heart from Whoo's Your Valentine stamp set. I used the scraps from my Scholastic paper packet.

You've got 2 days left! Take a few minutes to show your love by creating your own special Valentines!

December Deals!

Only 22 shopping days until Christmas! Close to My Heart is a great place to shop for the crafters on your list.

The December Stamp of the Month features adorable "Special Care" labels which can be cut with the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge. These stamps are perfect for cards, scrapbook pages, gift tags and anything you'd like to add a message of of love to.

This stamp set is available until December 31st only. With a purchase of $50 or more, you can have this stamp set for only $5! (Regular price: $17.95)

Remember, the products from the Close To My Heart Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide are still available, until December 31st, and have great products for all kinds of projects: cards, scrapbook pages, mini-albums, tags, bags and more!

Get something for all the crafters on your list, then get something for yourself! With every $100 purchase from the Fall/Winter 2013 Idea Book or Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide, you can choose a "Star" item from the Gift Guide for FREE! Choose from the Sparkle & Shine Paper Packet, Sparkle & Shine Complements Dimensional Elements, Magical Days stamp set, Santa Claus stamp set, Mary and Babe stamp set, Trim the Tree stamp set, Charming Chevrons stamp set, Banner Wishes stamp set, Lifting Spirits stamp set, Lots of Love stamp set, or Angel Friends stamp set.

There's still time to host your own Gathering in December too! This time of year is so busy, but you can invite friends and family to shop through your Online Gathering and earn free Hostess Rewards for yourself! Contact me today to set up your own Gathering!

Note: To guarantee delivery before Christmas, place your order or host your Gathering no later than December 9th.

Sneak Peek: Day 1

Welcome to the Sneak Peek for the upcoming Autumn/Winter 2013 Idea Book! Visit my blog daily over the next 10 days for a sneak peek at my favourite new products. On August 1st, The Big Reveal, you'll be able to browse the new Idea Book online.

Can't wait? Receive a FREE Idea Book with your July order! Remember, this is the last month to order many of the amazing products in the current Idea Book--they'll be gone as of July 31st. Place your order ASAP! (Just visit my website and join the Last Chance Gathering for a chance to win the Mystery Hostess Rewards!)

Washi Wonder $10 (D-size)

The Party Is On $8 (C-size)

Family Photo $6 (B-size)

Speaking of Hostess Rewards, the exclusive new Hostess Stamp Sets are one of my favourite new products!

When you host your own Gathering (online or in person) and earn Hostess Rewards (starting with only $150 in sales), in addition to the Hostess Bundles you've seen before, you can chose to use your Rewards to purchase exclusive Hostess Stamp Sets. These beautiful stamp sets are offered at reduced price and start at only $4!

 

Bright All Night $4 (A-size)

Whether you want to make quick cards or create fabulous pages, the Hostess Stamp Sets offer you a range of designs for a great

price.

And you don't have to wait until the new Idea Book comes out to book your Gathering! Contact me right away to book your summer or fall Gathering!





July Specials

Stamp of the Month

The July Stamp of the Month is so delicious! Beautiful fruit images with sweet sentiments. You'll use this stamp set over and over for cards and scrapbook pages.

This stamp set is available only during July for $5 with a $50 purchase

.

Big Discount! 

 The Workshops on the Go^® canvas art kit includes an exclusive stamp set, a 12" × 12" canvas display, Cashmere baker’s twine, clear Sparkles, Sparkles flourish, Dimensional Elements in two colour schemes, and an instructional brochure. The workshop is perfect for making as a group or on your own. The Workshops on the Go^® canvas art kit has a retail value of $39.95 but is only $19.95 during July.

There is no qualifying purchase or minimum necessary!

Hurry! This is a "while supplies last" offer.

Patriotic Stamp Set Still Available!

If you missed it on your June order, there's still time to order the Patriotic stamp sets. When you purchase these exclusive patriotic stamp sets, Close To My Heart will donate a portion of the proceeds to either the USO (for the US) or the Canadian Hero Fund (for Canada), charitable organisations that support military families.

Order any of these great products through my online store, www.susanagomes.ctmh.com, or contact me to hold your own Gathering and earn Hostess Rewards.

June Specials!

Wow! There is so much happening in June! Feel like you deserve a little reward for all the hard work you're doing this month. CTMH makes it easy to treat yourself with FOUR great offers in June.

STAMP OF THE MONTH

June Stamp of the Month

Every month, CTMH offers a gorgeous D-size stamp set for only $5 with a $50 purchase. This month's stamp set is perfect for colours, cards and scrapbook pages.

MAKE IT A BANNER DAY!
This month only, with the purchase of $25 in product that includes a stamp set, you get the My Creations Mini-Banner for FREE! This cute mini-banner can be used as a home decor item, on scrapbook pages and cards and even to make a mini-album. The sturdy chipboard can be inked, distressed or just covered in patterned paper. For fun ideas on using the mini-banner, check out this YouTube video.

THANK YOU!
Close To My Heart is making a new Autumn/Winter 2013 stamp set, A True Thank You, available

immediately and will donate 100% of the profits from the sales of the from May 23 to June 30 to the American Red Cross to aid the Oklahoma victims. Help CTMH provide relief to those affected by the devastating Oklahoma tornadoes by purchasing A True Thank You stamp set for only $2.95 today!

STRONG AND FREE
Show your support of troops and country with new patriotic stamp sets—available only from June 1 to July 31, 2013! As a show of our support, Close To My Heart will donate $3 from each B-size My Acrylix® Courage stamp set and $5 from each D-size My Acrylix® Strong and Free stamp set to the Canadian Hero Fund, which supports spouses and children of fallen Canadian military troops by providing post-secondary education. Show your support
today—stamp style!

Circle Journal: Jen

Glitter, Bling and Pretty Things is the theme of Jen's Circle Journal. That presented quite a challenge for me. I'm not a glittery kind of gal. I have been trying to make my pages and cards more sparkly since I started with CTMH--there are just so many great shiny products--but with a house full of boys, glitter, bling and pretty things don't make it onto too many of my pages.

Thankfully, I found lots of inspiration online! I based Jen's layout on one I'd seen on Pinterest, by Nickie Hoffer.

I love the neutral black and white colour scheme with a pop of Cranberry. Black, cream and red has long been my favourite colour scheme.

Instead of the For Always patterned paper (which I don't have yet), I used black and white papers from My Mind's Eye I already had in my stash. The CTMH stamps used were BohemianAlphabet, Sweet Moments, the March 2012 Stamp of the Month, Florentine Workshops on the Go stamp set, and the Whoo's Your Valentine stamp set.

Did you notice the two-tone ink on the title? To achieve this look, simply ink stamp with the lighter colour first, top or bottom, and ink the darker colour second. Keep a straight line by inking on the edge of the stamp pad. The technique is simple and the effect is stunning!

To fit in with Jen's theme, I used CTMH silver Glitter paper to mat the large photo and add a stripe under the lace stamping. An alternative product that would work just as well for the stripe is Shimmer Trim. Available in black and silver, Shimmer Trim is 3/8" wide and backed with adhesive.

Additional sparkle was added around the page and to the large medallion with various adhesive bling: Sparkles Clear Assortment, Sparkles Pink, Red and Purple Assortment, and Pink Glitter Gems.

Glitter paper, bling gems and pretty stamps bring Jen's theme to life! If you'd like any of these glittery, sparkly, beautiful products for yourself, just check out my online store or pop me an email.

Happy Scrapping!

Circle Album

Have you ever taken part in a Circle Album? Or a Circle Journal? The idea is to get a group of scrappers together and each person contributes to your album. At the end, you have a completed album that has been crafted especially for you by your friends and fellow scrappers.

My scrapbooking club is undertaking such a project this year and I'm delighted to be taking part in it. Me and nine other scrappers will be exchanging albums monthly and by December we'll have completed the circle.

Each scrapper is picking a topic for the album. Mine is The Cottage. When it's done, I'll be taking my album up to the cottage and leaving it there for everyone to enjoy. I'm collecting pictures from everyone who uses the cottage--in laws, cousins, friends and other family--to include in the album. I'm really excited about this project and can't wait to get working on other people's albums.

The album starts off with a couple of pages created by the album owner.

A title page:

Featuring CTMH Back Country papers, Keyboard Uppercase stamps.

The first double-page layout (to appear soon).

A Sign In Page. This page is to acknowledge the people who worked on the album. I've created mine as a thank you page with spots for wallet sized photos of the contributors.

Featuring Clementine papers and stamps.

You know CTMH products will feature heavily in the pages I create for other people's albums, so look for monthly blogs about the pages I'll be making.