September 30, 2016

Flower Market Cricut Cartridge Key 6

Layering is key to creating beautiful flowers with this cartridge.  Learn how Close to My Heart has done the work for you!  The Lilac cluster is one flower featured on this key. 



Enjoy,

Michele

September 26, 2016

Swan Lake


Have you seen this new paper packet?  We went from flamingos in the summer to swans in the fall and they are truly beautiful.  But, you will notice, although there was plenty of opportunity, I didn't use the swans in the layouts I created for my scrapbook workshop but you can always add them.    The workshop will be Friday October 7th, 9:30 a.m.  If you are not local, purchase the workshop from my website, and I will send you both my cutting guide and you will have access to the CTMH cutting guides as well. 






Remember you can always click on the photos to see them larger and better see the details. 

Enjoy the fall and bringing those summer memories to your scrapbooks.
Michele




September 23, 2016

Flower Market Cricut Cartridge Key 24

Bring Autumn to your cards and scrapbook pages and even home decor with the beautiful icons on this key.  You will also see some ways to use the contour feature in Design Space to add more options and possibilities to your Cricut crafting. 



Enjoy,

Michele

September 21, 2016

Jeepers Creepers: Halloween or Harvest?

Get two completely different looks from your Jeepers Creepers paper packet. You can also see more artwork using this paper packet in the Holiday Expressions Blog hop



What is your choice?  Harvest or Halloween...or both? 

Michele

September 19, 2016

It's Here! Holiday Expressions in now available.

Find all the crafting products you need for the holiday season in the 2016 Holiday Expressions idea book from Close To My Heart. See all the products on your Consultant’s website or at closetomyheart.com.  View this short video for a brief tour of the delightful products. 



Ready for holiday crafting?
Michele

September 17, 2016

More Jeepers Creepers

If you have visited my blog since Thursday, you say my Jeepers Creepers scrapbook workshop in our Holiday Expressions blog hop.  If you missed it, you can see it here!  After creating my workshop, I looked at some of the leftover papers and started creating some not so creepy cards!

My inspiration was to work with some of the different "folded" card patterns I have seen lately.  And from this, I created a Monster Workshop! 

Here's the first card. 


 I think this is referred to as the "Z" fold card.  The paper dimensions are as follows. 

Lagoon card background is 4 1/4 x 11 and is scored at 2 3/4 and 5 1/2. 
Pansy strip is 1 x 11 and is scored at the same measurements.

I then added my Monsters, a Picture My Life card, some masked stamping, and a zip strip!  The Jeepers Creepers assortment includes wonderful "eye" buttons but I had run out.  Luckily, I have some googly eyes in my stash! 

If you are local, come create this fun card with me at my "Monster Workshop" on Monday October 10th 7 p.m.   If you are not local but would like the kit and instructions, contact me and I will provide a kit for you.  Also, to see upcoming workshops, make sure you visit my Calendar of Events here on my blog or my Facebook Events

I have more monsters and fun folds to share with you next week! 

Michele


September 16, 2016

Flower Market Key 10

Our newest Cricut Collection called Flower Market is filled with endless creative possibilities.  Each week, Close to My Heart is featuring a different key and showing artwork using that key. 

Here's this weeks feature video. 



Enjoy,

Michele

September 15, 2016

Holiday Expressions New Product Blog Hop

The new Holiday Expressions has arrived and what a delight!  Yes, two new idea books in two months.  So much fun. 

This blog hop will feature different products that you will find for our newest catalog supplement.  If you have arrived here from Jennifer's Blog, thank you for joining me.  After your visit here, you will travel on to Jean's Blog. 

There is so much goodness in this little book.  If I was a paper hoarder...oh wait, I am! 

My artwork features the new paper packet Jeepers Creepers.  Of course when you first look at it, you will probably think Halloween.  The challenge for me is, how can I use it differently.  I also get a lot of help with this challenge from inspirational artwork from our CTMH community.  So here is my Jeepers Creepers artwork and upcoming scrapbook workshop. 


I look forward to using this for a birthday celebration for one of my nephews.  What other "celebrations" might you feature? 


This page was create using the consultant workshop that was developed by one of our own!  I love the new Marker Alphabet E1034 and the colors of the "PARTY!" are the new colors of the adventure palette.


Finally, this page came out of our "Magic" how to book and is the layout called Hocus Pocus.  I, of course, altered it a bit.  My thoughts for this page were maybe Harry Potter World or even a Homecoming Dance, starry nights?  But really, it could feature a lot of different photo themes. 

To see additional non-Halloween artwork created with Jeepers Creepers, you can also visit our home office blog Make it From Your Heart. 

I will list all the items I used to create these pages below but remember to move on to Jean's Blog because the Holiday Expressions if full of more fun products and Jean will surely have something wonderfully creative to share.

Items used to create these pages:
  • G1110 Jeepers Creepers Workshop Your Way
  • E1034  Marker Alphabet
  • Z3167 Artistry Cricut Cartridge
  • Z3285 Flower Market Cricut Cartridge
 Thank you for stopping by.  Please reach out to your consultant for shopping information or if you do not have a consultant, visit my website or reach out to me for more information.

Michele


 

September 06, 2016

National Stamping Month Blog Hop

September is National Stamping Month.  Close to My Heart has created this...to celebrate!



 Welcome to the blog hop featuring over 20 consultants who will be sharing their artwork with you. 
If you have arrived here from Jennifer's Blog, you are headed around the circle of creativity!  When you have finished at my stop, you will continue on to Jean's Blog and see her wonderful artwork. 

One of the many benefits of being a CTMH consultant is getting to create, preview and share artwork before it becomes available to the world!  There were so many beautiful renditions using the cards and stamp sets, my brain was full of inspiration.  I started with the ideas shared by Brenda Rose, and then created a card using Swan Lake papers for my upcoming 20 card workshop. 


Here are my cards inspired by Brenda using the card bases in the kit.



The Create Kindness card kit contains all of the supplies needed to create 24 beautiful handmade cards that you can use to brighten someone’s day! The kit can be yours for only $46.95—a 15% savings off the retail value! You can also purchase the mini stamps individually and refill the kit with extra card sets and envelopes.  Shop on your consultant's website to get your kit during the month of September, or if you are new to Close to My Heart, you can shop on my website

After you have perused the blog hop, you can see more artwork you can also use #createkindness on Facebook and Instagram.  Don't forget to head to Jean's Blog first. 

 And here's the kit in detail. 

Enjoy National Scrapbook month, take some time to be creative and create kindness in your community.

Michele

September 01, 2016

September SOTM Blog Hop: Blessed Beyond Measure

Welcome to the beginning of fall.  Well at least in many places we think of fall as the beginning of September or when the kids go back to school.  But I love the September weather in the Pacific Northwest and so for me, it is a continuation of summer with some of the fun artwork for fall.  And that leads us right into the stamp of the month.



Blessed Beyond Measure is the featured stamp set and has a wonderful fall feeling to it.  If you have arrived here from Vickie"s Blog thanks for joining us.  From here, you will travel on to Gina's Blog and enjoy the blessings of her artwork.  And here's the card I created. 



Using Swan Lake, a new paper packet from the Holiday Expression catalog, I featured the pumpkin stamp from the set.  I stamped on Saffron Cardstock in Goldrush ink to get that true pumpkin color.  I used the Mahogany Shin Han marker to add detail.  I added the small spray of leaves stamping with fern ink on fern cardstock.  The sentiment is stamped in Cocoa ink and the leaves are colored with the Sap Green Marker. 

I look forward to using this stamp set throughout the fall!  Remember, you can purchase this stamp set during the month of September order.  The retail price is $17.95 or $5 with a qualifying purchase.  Contact your consultant or visit my website to purchase your set today. 

Now remember you will be traveling onto Gina's Blog for more artwork. 

Enjoy the colors of fall!
Michele