January 30, 2016

Valentine, Techniques and Tutorials OH MY!

I have started thinking of Valentine treat and have been posting some on Instagram (follow me @ Evergreenmemories).  Here's a great video tutorial from Close to My Heart on creating a more masculine Valentine.  And Jill shares so many techniques using watercolors, watercolor pencils, sparkles, and stars. 





Enjoy! 

Michele

January 20, 2016

Seasonal Expressions 1 Blog Hop!

Did you know that CTMH has a new mini catalog full of wonderful, refreshing product?  If you missed that announcement, then you are in the right place to get an artwork preview!



Filled with fresh new paper and stamps bringing a bit of spring to your winter!  If you have arrived here from Kirsten's Blog then you are on the right track to hop through the consultant artwork from this featured catalog.  From here, you will hop on over to Jeanie's Blog.

I love everything about this book but I am choosing to share with you my paper pieced Spring Critters.


This technique is easy to do with our new thin cuts.  I stamped first on white paper and then again on the patterned paper.  I then used the thin cuts to cut out both images and used scissors to hand cut off the extra paper that I would use in the image.  So fun and easy.

I am new to thin cuts but I love that the CTMH cuts are packaged like our stamp sets; held on a magnetic sheet so they are easy to store and manage. 

To see more products from the Spring Seasonal Expressions, visit your consultants website.  If you do not have a consultant, you are welcome to shop with me. 

Now remember you will be hopping on over to visit Jeanie's Blog. 

Happy Stamping,
Michele

January 09, 2016

More than just one way to Live Your Day!

The Live Your Day Picture My Life deck of cards is only available during the month of January.  I used mine to create this fun birthday book... (can be seen in its entirety here)
 
 but watch this video from our home office and you can even more ideas on how to use this wonderful stack of cards. 



What will you do with your sets?  Order yours from my website today. 



Happy scrapping,
Michele


January 07, 2016

Introducing Charlotte

With the new year comes three new paper packs in the Close to My Heart selection.  Today you are getting a look at the paper packet possibly named after a princess, Charlotte.


The colors featured in this paper packet include black, champagne, slate, sorbet, whisper, and white daisy.  I also added some smoothie for a little vibrancy.  And something you should know about these new paper packets is they have new features.  All the papers in the kit are double sided patterned paper.  With some prints that are more subdued than other so they create a perfect combination for your artwork.  If you feel you need to add some solid cardstock, it is available from our Annual Inspiration idea book.

You will also notice that the paper packets have a new name for the workshops, Workshops Your Way.  These are set up for scrapbookers AND card makers.

In addition to all this product, Close to My Heart includes online access to a cutting and creative guide for scrapbook pages and cards.  As an example, you can see the guide for the Charlotte Workshop HERE. 

Finally, here are the cards that you can create when you add the Springtime Wishes stamp set.



Join the fun today!  Order your workshop your way and create at home or visit my Calendar of Events and attend one of my workshops.

Happy Stamping,
Michele

Products used:
G1104  Charlotte Workshop Your Way
C1641  Springtime Wishes Stamp set
Z3201  Springtime Wishes Thin Cuts
Z2164  Sorbet Ink Pad
Z2196  Smoothie Ink Pad (I substituted for the Sorbet for a little more vibrant color)
Z899  Momento Ink Pad
Z3132  Watercolor Paints
X254 White Cards and Envelopes
Z3188 Watercolor Brushes
Z2060 Thin Foam Tape

January 06, 2016

National Paper Crafting Month Blog Hop: Live Your Day

January is National Paper Crafting month and Close to My Heart is offering a wonderful special to celebrate.


Live Your Day is a collection of Picture My Life cards designed to coordinate perfectly with the sensational Everyday Life 2016 Planner Pages and My Crush Everyday Life Pages.   You can seamlessly integrate pocket scrapbooking into your 2016 planner or on their own, these cards make it easy to preserve your everyday moments all year long.

As you travel through this blog hop, you will see a variety of unique ideas on how you can use these cards to create fun artwork!  If you have arrived here from Jaquelin's Blog, you are hopping right along.  When you are ready to move along, you will be visiting Traci's Blog.

Now here is what I created with these cards.  I find the need to keep birthdays on a perpetual calendar to refer to each month and plan to create and send cards.  So, I used this set, the Artistry Cricut Cartridge, My Creations Mini Book and some fun white glitter paper to create My Birthday Book with birthday icons.



This set includes 20 4x6 cards and 20 4x3 cards. I used the 4x3 "month" cards and "birthday list and then decorated the 4x6 cards in between to make it fun! 

Each month of the year is represented like this January page.  










And in the final page, I made a pocket to keep stamps!



You can purchase the Live Your Day card set from your consultant or if you would like to create this book and are local, please see my Calendar of Events and sign up for the workshop.  If you are not local and do not have a consultant, contact me about getting a kit to go with instructions to create your own Birthday Book.   

Now remember to hop on over to Traci's Blog to see what she has created with the Live Your Day card set.  

Happy Creating,
Michele


January 01, 2016

January Stamp of the Month Blog Hop: Beloved Bouquet

Happy New Year and welcome to the January stamp of the month blog hop!  I hope you will find the artwork you see inspirational and urge you to begin creating regularly in the new year. 


If you have arrived here from Lauren's Blog, then you are following right along.  When you have completed your visit here, you will hop on over to Michelle's Blog to see what she has created. Now to see the Beloved Bouquet stamp set!


The stamp set this month is a great set to try two step stamping technique.  The solid stamp is stamped with a lighter ink and placed first on your paper and then the lined stamp is inked in a darker color and then stamped over top the first stamp.  This is an especially great result for flowers. 

So here is the card I created using this technique.  You can see the two step stamping technique on the flower and leaves. 

To create this card, I used the La Vie En Rose paper and the Beautiful You Picture My Life cards.  This combination of products creates a great back drop for the designs in this stamp set. 

 This card is the same layout with just a switch of the focal point from the left to the right.  And the image I stamped using the "baby's breath" stamp was first, second and third generation stamped in the pomegranate color to provide more depth of the image. 

As a reminder, each month, CTMH offers a stamp of the month.  This stamp set can only be purchased during that month.  With a $50 order, the stamp set is only $5.  You can also purchase it for $17.95...but who doesn't like a good deal.  Contact your consultant to purchase yours or if you do not have a consultant, I am happy to help you. 

Remember to hop on over to Michelle's Blog and enjoy her creations! 

Happy New Year,
Michele