Sweet Sunshine Birdies

The March Stamp of the Month - Sunshine Birdies has been so much fun to create with! I have been churning out a huge array of different card styles this month.  After the 31st March, it will no longer be available to purchase, so I am very glad it has already been added it to my collection.

The little birdies are super sweet and I decided that they would be the perfect image to use to make Thank You cards. I love having a stash of pre-made thank you cards ready to go...it is always nice to let someone know how much you appreciated them.

The cards were created using a combination of papers from the Penelope and Kaleidoscope Paper Packs and embellished with Purple Enamel Hearts and silver glitter  Playful Puffies. The sentiment was stamped in black ink and comes from the Packages, Boxes and Tags Stamp Set. The little birdies ( and sun image ) were stamped in Black Memento Ink and coloured with Watercolour Pencils and shaded with a Blending Pen. In order to create a multiple of cards in one sitting I used a simple design - the sketch I have shared with you below.

Remember each month you can purchase a new release D-size stamp set (such as Sunshine Birdies) - it is available for one month only! and can be yours for $7.50 when you place an order of $75 or more in Close To My Heart products in my online shop - for more information simply click here

One Design - Three Different Ways.

Inspired by the cover of the current Seasonal Expressions catalogue/idea book I created this sweet little card, that I have labelled as a "pocket full of friendship".

It uses three of my favourite stamp sets - Springtime Wishes, Friend in Me and Ink Blot. The floral images were stamped onto papers from the Georgie  and Penelope Paper Packs and arranged in a bouquet above a pocket shape cut from the
Cricut® Artistry Collection. The pocket was cut from White Daisy Cardstock, stamped with a sentiment and outlined with a Black Pen. The card design came together very quickly and I was super please with the end result... so what do you do when you have a fool proof "recipe" ? - you "cook" it again!!

The two versions below were stamped in Black Memento™ Ink then one was coloured with Watercolour Pencils and the other in a distressed Watercolour Painting technique using the same colour palette.

Then I repeated the paper pieced version in a slightly different colour palette...fun, fun fun!!

 

 

If you would like to recreate this card yourself then now is the perfect time to add these stamp sets to your collection. During the month of March when you purchase two stamp sets you get a third set for free - that is a saving of $21 on the 3 stamp sets used in these card creations and exceptional value for money especially knowing you can use them over and over again. To find out more about this offer simply click here!

 



 

Hello There...

... my apologies for the big gap between posts, I have been having a few issues with blogger not wanting to log me in. However, I am here now, so maybe the problem is resolved!!

If you follow me on Instagram (ChrissyML) or Facebook you would have seen my new little crafting companion Archie. He is a  very cute diluted ginger tabby cat, rescued from an Animal Shelter just after Christmas. He has become my shadow, he keeps running off with my scissors and pens and loves pretty paper as much as I do!!

Over the past few days my buddy and I have been colouring up a storm with Watercolour Pencils and images from the Spring Critters Stamp Set. This is one of the sets you can find in the new Seasonal Expressions and co-ordinates with the Spring Critters Thin-Cut Dies. I am very excited by the addition of Thin-Cut Dies in the Close To My Heart product range, they bring a whole new dimension to my crafting.

Thin-Cuts are metal dies that you can use with your favorite die cutting machine to cut shapes that coordinate perfectly with some of the  My Acrylix® stamp sets. They are ideal for those of you who really dislike fussy cutting. I prefer to stamp my image first then run it through my Cuttlebug machine with the co-ordinating Thin-Cut Die before colouring and using in my project designs.

This is Archie's "sad face" I wouldn't let him chew this pencil although, he has added teeth marks to almost all the others!! He was very intrigued with my colouring and blending and happily sat on my desk to watch the process...well almost, there were a few moments where he wanted to "help"!

...and this is the card "we" created with the coloured images. The sweet little bunny shapes were cut in half and placed inside square shapes almost to make them appear as if they were popping out to say Hello! The strips of patterned paper came from the Penelope and La Vie En Rose paper packs and trimmed with a tiny piece of glitter paper. The sentiment was stamped in black ink combining 2 of the sentiment images from the Spring Critters Stamp Set.

I am hoping blogger continues to co-operate as I have lots of fun projects to share combining colouring techniques and Thin-Cuts be sure to pop back for a visit soon... to see the full range of Thin-Cuts available click here!

Wishing you a great weekend and some relaxing colouring time :)

1 Stamp Set - 3 Cards

Everything has been coming up roses over the past couple of weeks on my blog and today is no exception! There is no doubt that I have loved playing with the
January Stamp of the Month - Beloved Bouquet. This stamp set offers so many options for cardmakers and scrapbookers alike. It could be used for just about anything...Anniversary, Birthday, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Thinking of You, Thank you and so much more. However, there is some sad news... you only have a few more days to add this stamp set to your collection! If this is your "must have" stamp set too?... then pop on over to my ONLINE SHOP and place your order today and avoid disappointment.

Featured below are 3 cards created using the January Stamp of the Month - Beloved Bouquet that really highlight the versatility of the stamp set. I love that you can whip up a simple and effective card in just a few minutes or spend time in your craft room with inks and paints to create something a little more detailed. Whatever option you choose, I know this stamp set will help you create a masterpiece.

Don't forget you only have until the end of the month to add this lovely stamp set to you collection -  just $7.50 when you place an order of $75 or more in Close To My Heart products either online in my store, by phoning or emailing and placing your order directly through me... with 14 images included, this is stamp set is seriously great value!

Enjoy!

Stamp of the Month - Candlelight Garden

WOW! - can you believe it?... today is the 1st December and the last month of 2015!! I know that means many of you are crafting away getting the last of your Christmas cards and gifts made, but I thought today we might change the pace a bit and celebrate  friendships.

As I reflect on 2015 I know Close To My Heart and the friendships it brings has played a huge part in my year and for that, I am very grateful -  these "friendships mean everything"... and this leads into the card I want to share with you using the December Stamp of the Month - Candlelight Garden.

This stamp set includes a fabulous Mason Jar image. Mason Jars are so on trend at the moment and offer so many creative options. I stamped the image in black
Memento Ink onto some Watercolour Paper, then using Close To My Heart's Watercolour Paints  painted a translucent wash of blue paint to represent water in the bottom of the jar.

I then used a portion of the stems from the floral image found in the stamp set to attach some 3D flowers. These flower were made from a variety of different sizes of floral shapes, found in the Cricut® Artistry Collection. These were also coloured with a wash of pink Watercolour Paints. I love the texture and depth this created and how different it made the shapes look...if you click here your will see a card I previously created with these same shapes using a totally different technique. The lovely sparkly centres of the flowers are from the Bling Gems Gold Assortment . The leaves were cut from the Cricut® Art Philosophy Collection in Sweet Leaf Cardstock.

I used Black and Pixie cardstock as the base for the card design and complimented it with black & white patterns from the La Vie En Rose Paper Pack. The sentiment can also be found in the Candlelight Garden Stamp Set and the splattered areas were created with the Ink Blot Stamp Set. The gold foil heart is a sticker from the Fundamental Stickers Basics Pack and the card was embellished with white gems from the Grey Enamel Gems pack.

I've also made a blue version of this card design using Lagoon Cardstock and
Glacier Extra Thick Twine. The heart sticker can also be found in the Fundamental Stickers Basics Pack and the Thank You sentiment is from the Stamp of the Month stamp set.

When you spend $75 you can purchase this Stamp of the Month set for just $7.50 - that is a saving of over 70%...  when ordering from my Online Shop  you will be prompted to add this set before you finalise your order and check out - and don't forget to browse our CyberWeek Sale... for five days only, a selection of 39 items from Close To My Heart’s current product inventory can be yours for 25% off retail price! Get supplies you’ll need to make handcrafted gifts and cards for the holidays, including our
Cricut^® Artfully Sent Collection, at an amazing discount!

If you pop over to my Facebook Page - you will see the complete list of items available and some other Super Savings in my personal Daily Deals!! - how awesome is that...lots of great crafting specials for you to cash in on this holiday season!?

Happy Shopping!
Chris xx


 

Welcome Spring!!

Yay!! - today is the 1st day of Spring and I have been looking forward to this day for so many different reasons!... here are my top 2 reasons

1). It means warmer weather is on it's way! (I am so not a winter girl!!)

 

2). It is the release of our brand new Close To My Heart Catalogue/Idea Book (Annual Inspirations) - jammed packed with delicious new papers and crafting goodies to inspire your creativity!

...but that is just the beginning - today also sees the release of our Holiday Expressions supplement too! It contains lots of wonderful ideas and products to prepare you for Christmas and the holiday season... you can view the contents here.

 

September is also National Stamping Month, and this year Close To My Heart has something to help every kind of papercrafter say a big “hello” to life! Available only during the month of September, these exclusive C-size My Acrylix^® Hello, Life! stamp sets can be purchased for $21 each! or - for an even better deal, you can purchase all three for only $53 —a savings of $10!! Each stamp set is designed to fit with a specific type of papercrafting, whether that’s scrapbooking, cardmaking, or pocket scrapbooking. However, all the stamp sets coordinate with each other and can be used together to create dynamic artwork. These stamp sets also coordinate with shapes from the new Cricut^® Artistry collection to help expand your artwork options, even further. Remember, these stamp sets are available for one month only, so head on over to my Online Shop for one stamp set—or all three—before these gorgeous stamps disappear!

 

 ...and don't forget when you place your order for these stamp sets to add the September Stamp of the Month too - it's the perfect accompaniment for both your Springtime projects and the Hello, Life stamp sets. Here is a little preview of a card I made combining the 2 sets.


This card also uses one of my favourite "new" products released this month - Watercolour Paints! These paints fuel my passion for the Adult Colouring craze and I love that you can just play or unleash your inner artist with fancy techniques. The background for this card was simply created by "dripping" paint and water onto my watercolour cardstock and moving it around with my heat gun to create a marbled looking background...this is a fun technique to try if you are new to watercolour paints.

Another simple technique for beginners to try is applying a "wash" of colour over die-cuts and shapes... for this technique the 1st step is to adhere the die-cut shape to the watercolour cardstock and dampen the surface with water before adding the paint. A little tip is to attach your cardstock/working area to a hard surface with washi tape before you wet it. This will help eliminate the distortion (buckling and wrinkling) of the cardstock.

For the card below, I cut a title from the new Cricut® Artistry Collection multiple times (four) adhered them on top of each other with Bonding Memories™ Glue Pen and then applied a "wash" of pink coloured tones of paints across the title. The card was then embellished with Kaleidoscope Complements and stamped images from a new stamp set called Diamonds are Forever. The images were stamped in champagne pigment ink from the Basics Exclusive Inks™ Mini Pigment Pads Set, along with a few little star images stamped with the VersaMark™ Ink Pad and embossed with Silver Embossing Powder.

These cards also showcase one of the new paper packs released today, called
La Vie En Rose... a lovely romantic pack that contains some classic black and white prints.

I am looking forward to sharing the full array of new products and some more fun and advanced watercolour techniques with you over the coming weeks... it is going to be one very creative journey that I know you are going to enjoy!