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!

Sweet and Simple

If you're like me, in the autumn you like decorating with pumpkins, cornstalks, chrysanthemums and sunflowers. Take your usual seasonal displays up a notch with simple embellishments from your stash.

Dress up pumpkins with some Burlap Ribbon. Add a stamped tag with Baker's Twine. This pumpkin looks adorable sitting on a mantle or as part of a table centrepiece.

Create a spooky pumpkin with Moonlight Felt Shapes and Bitty Sparkles. A little bit of Black Tulle Ribbon and pins from the Bling Assortment finish off this pumpkin. For a little more ambiance, display with a chipboard sentiment.

Most of these items are no longer available, but if they're not in your stash, stock up on some current items to create the same look. Try Opaque Licorice Gems, Black Shimmer Trim, Black Striped Grossgrain Ribbon, Mini-Medley Accents Black Collection, or Base & Bling elements like Base & Bling Floral Accents and Base & Bling Black Jewels.

These mini pumpkin projects only take minutes to make and add a lot of impact to your display!

If you have a little more time, get out your My Creations Mini-Banner (you know, the one you received for free a few months ago and haven't gotten around to using yet), the new Huntington Workshops on the Go kit and some more of your favourite stamps and embellishments to create a Give Thanks banner.

To create this banner, I began by inking the entire surface of the mini-banners with Cashmere ink then stamping with the chicken wire stamp from the Distressed Backgrounds Stamp set in Cocoa ink. Next, I added a scalloped circle punched from Huntington papers to each banner. I dressed up each circle with assorted stamps, rub ons and corrugated shapes from my stash. The sentiment, Give Thanks, was stamped in Goldrush, Autumn Terracotta and Cocoa inks with the Token Alphabet stamp set. To make the letters look like epoxy buttons, I covered each with a thick layer of Liquid Glass. I tied the banners together with White Hemp Twine and Burlap Ribbon.

This easy project only took a couple of hours to make and I'll have this beautiful banner on display for Thanksgiving for many years to come.

Visit my website for more ideas on Home Decor and project items you can create easily and quickly. The Project Inspiration area has videos to inspire you to create special, personal projects for yourself.

Sneak Peek Day 10

Quite possibly my favourite CTMH product is the Workshop on the Go Kit. WOTG comes with everything you need to create two double-page layouts: a paper packet, cardstock, D-size stamp set, embellishments and instructions.There are always lots of leftovers for cards, mini-albums and other projects. Best of all, buying the kit saves you about $10 compared to buying the products individually.

WOTG stamps sets are exclusive--only available with the kit. And they are some pretty awesome stamps!

Here's a look at the WOTG in the upcoming Idea Book:

Laughing Lola

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Sarita

Pro Player

Babycakes

Huntington

Frosted

For a more detailed look at the papers, check out the Days 6 & 7 blog.

And remember, any of these kits is a great choice for your Home Gathering. Select your favourite kit and I'll provide the additional supplies (like inks and stamps) to bring these pages to life! Your guests will love completing one or two double-page layouts to go straight into their scrapbooks. Just contact me to set you your Gathering!

Come back to my blog tomorrow for THE BIG REVEAL! You'll see my Top Ten Must Have Products and will be able to browse the Idea Book online.

Sneak Peek: Day 4

My latest home decor piece using the Display Tray.

I love seeing my scrapbooking around my house. Whether it's mini-albums in a basket, a favourite layout in a picture frame or a canvas on the wall, I get a lot of joy out of seeing something I've lovingly made, that's celebrating the people I love, displayed in my home.

The designers at Close To My Heart know exactly how I feel and have neatly organised several new products to make embellishing my home as easy as embellishing a scrapbook page. With Designed Decor (home decor with heart), crafters are encouraged to create artwork with substance.

Turn your crafting projects into enduring works of art with our new Designed Decor products. These art and memory displays are durable enough to last from your child's first finger paintings through junior high art class and beyond.

Designed Decor Black Frame

The mini clothes pins and hooks, sold separately, are ideal for clipping artwork or photos to our new wired frames.

Use the Designed Decor Black Frame, with five wires, to organise and display precious photos or important pieces of paper--like tickets, notes and business cards.

The Designed Decor Colonial White Frame uses honeycomb wire for displaying artwork, photos, accents and more.

Both frames come with sawtooth hangers on the back.

In addition to the Display Tray and the Hinged Display Tray seen in previous Idea Books, the Autumn/Winter 2013 Idea Book introduces the Designed Decor Flip Stand Album.. This clear acrylic stand has rings for displaying photos up to 6 1/2" x 5 3/4". The stand also has a slot for inserting a background image.

Designed Decor Frame Kit

 The Designed Decor Frame Kit comes with everything you need to create a stylish, decorative art piece to display in your home. The kit includes a Designed Decor Colonial White Frame, My Acrylix Frame Kit Stamp Set (B size), 33 Kraft Paper Die Cut Shapes, 6 Mini Wooden Clothes Pins and 1 yard of Baker's Twine Hemp.

This is an excellent project for a workshop Home Gathering! Your family and friends will love crafting this stunning frame to display in their own homes.

It's easy to set up your own Workshop Gathering. Contact me to select a date. Invite your family and friends. Confirm how many kits you need 2 weeks before the Gathering. Get your crafting space ready. On the Gathering Day, I will arrive with everything your and your guests need to create the project, including additional inks and stamps, and will provide instruction and guidance to help your guests create a special keepsake--and having fun crafting the whole time!

Contact me today to book your own Gathering with the Designed Decor Frame Kit!

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.