Free To Be Me

This month, CTMH celebrates National Scrapbooking Month with a brand-new paper packet! Free To Be Me is a beautiful collection of 6 sheets of 12" x 12" double-sided patterned papers, 6 sheets of cardstock with a glossy resist pattern on one side and 2 sheets of patterned vellum. It's gorgeous!

Best of all, Free To Be Me is only $5 with qualifying purchase!

Check out this layout I made with Free To Be Me patterned papers and cardstock as well as the stamp sets from Ivy Lane Workshop on the Go Kit and Designed Decor Frame Kit.

This layout was inspired by one I saw on Pinterest by Sherri Funk for My Mind's Eye.I loved the circles and the white space really lets the papers pop!

With a little help from my Cricut and a couple of fun stamps, this page came together quickly and easily.

A fun stamping technique used on this page is over-stamping. To create the canvas texture on the stamped ribbons, first I stamped the ribbons (or pennants or banners--whatever you like to call them) from the Ivy Lane WOTG stamp set in Whisper Ink. I stamped all three close together on a single scrap of Colonial White Cardstock. Then I stamped directly over all three ribbons with Slate Ink using the canvass stamp from the Distressed Backgrounds stamp set. From there, I just trimmed out the ribbons and added them to the page. Over-stamping is a quick and easy way to add a little extra interest to solid stamped images.

I also used the same canvas stamp to create the large photo mat. I simply cut a piece of Colonial White cardstock to size and stamped around the edges of the cardstock in Whisper Ink. The little bit of distressed texture it adds to the page is a great contrast to the sleek design.

Love this layout? I'll be offering it as a free make-and-take at the upcoming Saturday Scrappers, or if you would like to host your own Gathering, I can show you and your guests how to make this layout. Contact me today to book your Gathering before May 31st!

Inspired by Artbooking

I don't have a Cricut (yet), but I love the artwork I've been seeing using CTMH's Cricut Artbooking Collection. CTMH posts a new video every week with ideas and how-to for Artbooking projects. Follow me on Facebook to see them.

The Artbooking look is very heavy on intricately cut backgrounds. For my Artbooking inspired layout, I turned to my Silhouette and cut a 8" x 11" herringbone background from Cocoa cardstock as well as the title. At first I thought I'd add patterned paper or cardstock strips behind the open areas of the herringbone pattern, but decided that would take way too long--this page was a 30-minute project.

Instead, I repeatedly stamped flower images from the Happy Autumn stamp set, using Crème Brulee, Goldrush and Olive inks, onto a 8.25" x 11.25" piece of Champagne cardstock. The affect reminds me of looking through a window, which is what this page is about.

The page is finished off with Huntington My Stickease (border, tab and banners) and canvas stickers and wooden button from the Huntington Assortment. The gems are from the Sparkles Brown and Tan Assortment leftover from my Huntington Workshop on the  Go Kit, but can also be bought separately.

This page came together very quickly and is a great example of how you can create beautiful pages with a lot of style without using patterned paper!

Happy October!

October is my favourite month of the year! There's lots to celebrate this month. Birthdays, Thanksgiving, Halloween, fall festivals and it finally begins feeling like autumn weather. I love crunching through the fallen leaves, watching the salmon run and taking advantage of the cool, crisp weather to get the last of the year's gardening done.

Though I'm delighting in picking pumpkins and decorating with corn stalks, in my scrapping life, I begin to think about the next big holiday: Christmas!! Now is the time to get Christmas cards, home decor, scrapbook pages and hand crafted gifts ready for the most wonderful time of the year.

This year, start your Christmas crafting with a bang using October's Stamp of the Month: Scandinavian Wishes. This gorgeous stamp set reminds me of warm woollen sweaters and cups of hot chocolate. Perfect for cards, pages and gift packaging, this will be a stamp set you come to again and again over the years.

To start making  your own Scandinavian Wishes, simply place an order of $50 or more in regularly priced product and add the Stamp of the Month for only $5. Aren't placing a qualifying order this month, but still want the stamp set? Scandinavian Wishes is available at the regular price of $17.95, but only in October.

Want to make the items seen in the photo? In addition to the October Stamp of the Month, you'll need Frosted Paper Packet, Frosted Assortment, Baker's Twine Harvest Assortment, Bronze Shimmer Trim, Stitch Guide, Scallop Border Punch, Cricut Artiste Collection, and of course inks!

Sneak Peek: Day 5

If you have a Cricut, you're going to LOVE CTMH's new offering. If you don't have a Cricut, beg, borrow or steal one because you're not going to want to miss out!

Take your scrapbooking to never-before-seen levels with the new Cricut Artbooking collection! With oodles of images in each of 15 layout themes, you can create several coordinating pages for each theme using just two keys and one dial size. Images include accents, borders, titles, overlays, photo mats--in standard photo sizes!--and more.

The Cricut keys are optimised for creating 12" x 12" pages in a jiffy. You'll love creating ten themed mini books, also optimised for several different sizes using just two keys and one dial size.

Celebrate birthdays, new baby, vacations, friends, sports, Halloween, Christmas, and more. When you're finished cutting, use the coordinating stamp sets and Dimensional Elements shapes to add even more pizazz!

The Cricut Artbooking collection includes the Cricut cartridge with 700 images, font, mini books and layouts; three My Acrylix D-size stamp sets; and three 12" x 9" Dimensional Elements in coordinating shapes.

Cricut Artbooking Bundle

You'll find pages, cards and mini books throughout the new Autumn/Winter 2013 Idea Book featuring Artbooking die cuts. If you can't wait one more week until the new Idea Book comes online, check out my Close To My Heart Board on Pinterest. New images are being posted almost every day.

Not ready for Artbooking? CTMH has two other Cricut collections: Art Philosophy (basic brackets, frames, flowers and font) and Artiste (featuring themed projects, interactive cards and more). Whether you're a new or advanced crafter, there's a cartridge for you!

Did you know the Cricut collections are designed with CTMH stamps in mind? Whenever you see a stamp image outlined in red, that shape can be cut with one of the Cricut cartridges. Just refer to the note under the stamp to see which cartridge is needed. Also, on the stamp carrier sheet, you'll find the settings you need to cut the shape to exactly the right size. CTMH has made using the Cricut cartridges, coordinating stamps and shapes fast, simple and easy!

Scrapbooking Pajama Party!

Here's a message from Close To My Heart:

Close To My Heart is teaming up with Big Picture Classes to bring  you a live webcast about the Cricut® Artbooking collection. Purchase the collection beginning August 1, 2013 and revolutionize the way
you scrapbook!

Tune in for the FREE webcast on Wednesday, July 31 at 7:00 pm (MDT) at BigPictureClasses.com. During the presentation, you’ll learn to make several projects from a variety of sponsors, including
Close To My Heart’s Artbooking “2 of a Kind” layout.

If you’d like to interact on the message board, participate in live chat, post to the gallery, download handouts, or enter any contests, you will need to log in to the Pajama Party “classroom” by creating a FREE
account on the Big Picture Classes website.

We hope you enjoy this sneak peek of the new Artbooking collection as Kristine Widtfeldt and the Big Picture Classes crew make the featured project and share their tips and tricks. We know you will
be chomping at the bit to make the Artbooking layout, so take this opportunity to sit back, relax, and drool over the items, then be ready to spring into action August 1 when you can buy the collection. Then tune
in to the archived event for step-by-step details on how to make the project.

To make the project, you will need the following items—or similar products—on hand:

Z1906 Cricut® Artbooking Collection*
1301 Bamboo Cardstock
1388 Colonial White Cardstock
X5668 Honey Cardstock
X5762 Lagoon Cardstock
X5930 Slate Cardstock
X5639 Sweet Leaf Cardstock
X5666 Twilight Cardstock
Z2160 Twilight Exclusive Inks® Pad
Z2173 Slate Exclusive Inks® Pad
Z1853 Aqua Dots*
Z1799 Silver Shimmer Trim
Z1151 3-D Foam Tape
Z1294 Sanding Kit

*These products will be available for purchase beginning August 1, 2013.

Out with the Old to make Room for the New!

Buzz & Bumble WOTG artwork.

I've been aware of the Spring 2013 Retiring List for a while. This is a list CTMH publishes to let Consultants know what products will no longer be available. But it wasn't until today that I examined it in detail.

Now, I know products are retired to make room for new and exciting things, and I really am looking forward to the unveiling of new products with the Fall/Winter 2013 Idea Book which comes out in August...BUT...I'm sad to see some of my favourite products go.

Claire WOTG artwork.

Of course, there are always paper packs that are not carried over to the next Idea Book. The papers not being carried over this time are Buzz and Bumble, Later Sk8r and Claire. Of course, the accessories that accompany them will not be carried over either.

Also, after July 31st, you will no longer be able to order Avonlea, Dakota, Clementine or Scholastic paper packs.

Later Sk8r WOTG artwork.

If you need brads, now is the time to stock up. It looks like CTMH won't be carrying them anymore--at least not the assortments they have now. The same goes for all the button assortments, Mini-Medley Accents and the Pewter and Wooden Badge Buttons.

If you enjoy making mini-albums and 3D items, you may want to stock up on  the My Creations Bookmark Album, Milk Carton, Canvas Journal and Paper Pouches.

Cardmakers will be saying goodbye to the 6" x 6" Kraft Die-Cut Cards and Envelopes and Kraft envelopes in all sizes.

Under tools and storage, the Accessories Organizer, Exclusive Inks Organizer Carrying Case, 2" scallop circle punch and corner rounder are also retiring.

By way of stamp sets, all E-size stamp sets (the big alphabets) and personalized stamps (single name stamps, address stamps and custom stamps) will no longer be available. There is also a long list of individual stamp sets that are retiring (such as School Rocks, Tea Time, Love Blooms, Christmas Love and many more). If you've had your eye on a stamp set, now may be the best time to get it. Remember, all stamp sets from the current Idea Book (with the exceptions noted above) will be available when the new Idea Book comes out. Also, any stamp sets that are marked as a Cricut Art Philosophy or Artiste set will continue to be available.

 So it's out with the old to make room for the new! There will be lots to look forward to with the next Idea Book and some exciting rumours are flying about what the new products are. Make sure to follow my blog so you don't miss the 10 day countdown to the new Idea Book in July. I'll be blogging about the new products at the top of my shopping list.

In the mean time, send me an email with your wish list items and I can let you know if they're being retired.

Remember, you can shop for all your favourite products on my website 24/7. You don't have to wait for a Gathering or invitation. Shop anytime!