All that Sparkles and Shines

We are now 2 weeks into November and while it may be Spring the weather this week as been wet, dreary and very dull, which meant no outdoor activities for me!....so what do you think I got up too?? Yes! you guessed it! I had some inky playtime! - no real surprise there?!! .... and my stamp set of choice was Close To My Heart's November Stamp of the Month called "Illuminate" and it certainly added a bit of sparkle into what was, weather wise, a dreary week.

This beautiful stamp set can be yours too, not only will it add some "Sparkle & Shine" to your day but also to your scrapbook pages and cards. All you need to do is spend $75 or more during November and this stamp can be added to your collection for only $5! This 15 stamp set includes 5 sentiments, a border, 5 large images and 4 small images.The possibilities are endless!

Visit my Online shop to place your order and/or find the instructions and supply list for the projects shown in this photo - simply click on Promotions then Stamp of the Month - you will find everything listed there and remember these projects are available online for a full 12 months which is fabulous!

 

These are the 3 cards I created using this stamp set - I experimented with a few different techniques when stamping up the images. If you would like to know more about these techniques and other fun things that you can do with ink & stamps?... join me for one of my Tuesday Technique Classes -  contact me at lotfam@iinet.net.au and I will pass on all the details for you.

 

 

This card demonstrates what I LOVE most about clear stamps and blocks - the fact that I can build up scenes with a combination of stamp sets - fun, fun, fun! Many of you that have been attending the "Come Create with Chris" events have heard how much I love Alcohol Markers they are an ever so easy way to colour the Clear Sparkle Embellishments  to co-ordinate with your project. I used a combination of "Honey" and "Autumn Terracotta" to colour the sparkles inside my lantern images on the card pictured below.

 

If you can't attend my scheduled classes but would like to learn more about stamping and the Close To My Heart product range, I am happy to schedule gatherings for you and your friends. Gatherings are a great way to earn yourself some discounted and free products and they are so easy to host - I will bring all the materials needed for you and your friends to create some great projects.

I'd love to come share some inky playtime with you !
 

Folded Flowers

I've had fun in my "happy room" this week trying out an idea inspired by a fellow Close To My Heart consultant. Over the weekend I was shown some very clever Christmas ornaments made with stamped shapes from the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection they were gorgeous and I wondered if I could create something similar to add to my card creations. These are the three cards I came up with using the ideas. I love how this concept can be used to create a card for any occasion....and a HUGE thanks to the original creator.

If you like the Sparkle and Shine Christmas papers don't forget they are only available for a limited time - they can be purchased from the Holiday Gift Guide which can be viewed at my Online Shop... and as an added bonus if you spend $130 or more you could earn this paper pack for free. I also used this paper pack for the second Christmas card I made using the folded image idea - love how this one looks like a 3D flower.

I decided to try the idea again this time hand cutting my images with the fabulous non stick micro-tip scissors - they have the perfect tip for cutting around intricate shapes and there is something very therapeutic about cutting paper - well I think there is LOL! I also sponged some ink around the edges of the shapes to deepen the colour and add a bit more texture - I think this gives the flowers and the leaves a more realistic look.

If you live in my area and would like to see these cards in real life or even have a little play time creating them or want to purchase some of the goodies I have used ....why don't you pop along to the Shepparton Papercraft Expo.....I'd love to "show you how".

Hope to see you there!

Back To My Ink

....so where have I been - you might well ask?? :) I've been touring the East Coast of Australia passionately sharing what I love about Close To My Heart and all the exciting projects you can create with the product range. Thank you to all the 1500+ people who have attended these events - it was a lot of FUN but after travelling the 5800km from home to Northern Queensland and back. I am happy to have returned to my paper playtime - oh how I have missed my ink!!

When I arrived home my order from the lovely Sparkle and Shine Holiday's from the Heart Gift range was waiting for me.........so many lovely goodies that I didn't quite know where to start, but it didn't take me long and I was inking and colouring up a storm.

The first card I made has given me a real head start on my Christmas Cards and was created with the beautiful Mary & Babe stamp set. This set can be found and purchased from the Holiday's from the Heart Gift Guide. However, there is an added bonus... you can receive it for free! when you place a $130 order from this gift guide. It was such a joy to colour in this image and I can't wait to colour in some more.

Aren't this rosette Christmas Trees the perfect decoration for your home during the holiday season?? - if you would like to know how to create them I would be more than happy to show you - simply contact me - or arrange a gathering with your friends I'm only too happy to share :)

....and while I was in Christmas mode I had a play with the heart warming Stamp of the Month - Scandinavian Wishes stamp set - gorgeous images for your Christmas cards in this collection and a set I am sure you will want! Once I started inking up this set I just couldn't stop - here are a few of the cards I created using it.

Love, love, love the ornament image and the wonderful way it has been designed to work with the shapes cut from the Art Philosophy Cricut Collection. If you are attending any of my upcoming events I will have a "stamping station" set up where you can create your own stamped embellishments with the exclusive Close To My Heart Cricut Collections  - fun, fun fun!!

If you would like to know more about the Close To My Heart range and see these cards and many more in real life then feel free to pop along to the Shepparton Paper Craft Expo - this event will showcase all the product range has to offer, give you the opportunity to play with the stamps, ink and cricut machines and will be your one stop shop for purchasing these wonderful goodies....

 Look forward to seeing you there!!

Gift Giving Ideas and Gatherings

I mentioned in my last post that I would share some Home Décor items with you and it comes as no surprise to most of you that I am in Papercraft Heaven with the gorgeous range of Close To My Heart products...there are endless possibilities for what can be created with them. I love making one of a kind gifts for my family and friends and this year I intend to be super organised for Christmas. I have made a good start with these framed pieces of stamped artwork. I found the shadow box frames in a local discount store and I was very pleased with how the art work looked framed within them. They were very simple to create and a little addictive too - I made 4 one afternoon and have recently purchased some frames to make a few more!

The frames were a little difficult to photograph for you as the glass and the Clear Sparkles were a little reflective and black on black doesn't show up too well.... but I am sure you get a good idea of how they turned out.

My youngest daughter is laying claim to this black and red creation it tones in well with the colour scheme of her house ;) The border was created with Red Shimmer Trim, the Scallop Border Punch and an arrangement of stamped images from the Washi Wonder stamp set - remember this set is exclusive to hostesses of a gathering event  - if you would like to add it to your stamp collection?... schedule an event with me today .

Christmas is traditionally that time of year when we all love making and receiving Homemade Gifts and as your Close To My Heart Consultant I can assist you with this task. If you would like to make a head-start on your Christmas gift making preparation check out the The Holiday Gift Guide in my online store you will find stunning papers, a scrapbook kit, embellishments, stamps and ideas for Christmas cards and gifts. If you purchase $130 or more you can choose one *"star"* product FREE - an extra special deal to save you more this holiday season! Contact me today, about hosting a Christmas Craft Gathering  - I would love to show you how to make some of these cute art work frames along with lots of other paper craft gifts and help you earn some of the wonderful Close To My Heart product collection for FREE. To host a gathering with your friends full of FUN and FESTIVE cheer simply contact me at lotfam@iinet.net.au or alternatively I can make you a customisedpiece of Home Décor email me for details.

Playing with Pinwheels

 

How cute is that little Miss "Stitched with Love" ???.....she arrived in my order yesterday and I couldn't wait to stamp her up and colour her in. She is from Founder & CEO of Close To My Heart Jeanette Lynton's archive of hand drawn images  - it is a stamp that just makes smile :) I coloured her with a handful of Copic Markers E000, E00, E11, R21, R22, R24, B91, B93 & B95 and co-ordinated these colours with a blend of Close To My Heart's Exclusive Ink Markers - the best thing about the exclusive markers is they are a perfect match for the Close To My Heart paper range and as you can see in this card - I used a mixture of papers from the For Always, Chantilly and Tommy My Reflections range. I have been playing with pinwheels this week too. This month's Stamp of the Month is a fabulous set of 10 stamps featuring pinwheel shapes as well as great sentiments and you can add this to you collection for only $5 with a purchase of $75 or more from my Online Shop. I decided to use one of the smaller pinwheels and the "You make my World go 'round" sentiment on the card with my little Miss. The wonderful thing about clear stamps & blocks is that you can easily line images up and mix and match different sets together. My little Miss actually looks like she is holding onto the pinwheel stick all because I could see through the block and could line my stamped image up perfectly with her hand.

 

The other great thing about My Acrylix stamps is how flexible they are. I was particularly thrilled with the result when I stamped over my layered paper border in the "Let's Celebrate" card below... no smudging or bleeding at all and my ink even stamped up beautifully on top of the Red Shimmer Trim (it was cut with the Scallop Border Punch). I added some other fun embellishments to this card too - some Crème Brule Bakers Twine, Ruby Buttons and I coloured some clear Sparkles in with my Cranberry Exclusive Marker - be sure to check out the wonderful range of Close To My Heart embellishments here in my online shop - you will find all sorts of goodies there to add sparkle and shine to your projects.

I continued my pinwheel playtime with a deviation from my usual square shaped cards and tried my hand at a rectangle shape. I was rather pleased with the result maybe I should experiment a bit more with different shape cards??

 

I hope you have been enjoying my weekly posts and they inspire you to try your hand at stamping or even help you decide on what goodies you need to add to your craft room collection. Don't forget I would love to hear your feedback on the projects I share - let me know if there is something you really liked or if you would like to learn more about the techniques and products used. I am more than happy to schedule time with you and your friends to show you the Close To My Heart product range. For those that are attending my "Come Create with Chris" events throughout Australia feel free to leave comments and suggestions on what you would like to see when I attend an event in your area... be sure to check back next week when I share my latest home décor creations ;) 

 

Pretty Florals

After spending last weekend on the sunny & very warm Central Coast the cold weather here at home has come as a bit of a shock! Today I was dressed again in winter woollies but my garden is showing signs of spring with beautiful blossoms and pretty flowers appearing everywhere. The colours are so pretty and they certainly inspired my card making playtime today. These cards were made using exclusive stamp sets from Close To My Heart's fabulous rewards programmes. If you love discounted and/or free products contact me today to schedule a Gathering in your home or mine OR if you prefer shopping online - you and your friends can shop from the comfort of your lounge chair and computer here. I "know" you will want to add these stamps to your collection and September is the time to do it.

Pink and Green are my "go to" colours whenever I start creating and I love all the different  "pink & green"colour variations Close To My Heart have in their ink and cardstock range. Today my favourites came from the Whimsy Colour Family - blush, sweet leaf, smoothie - just perfect for pretty florals. This card was inspired by something I saw made with washi tape on Pinterest and I am very pleased with how my interpretation came together with the Washi Wonder stamp set. I'm a bit partial to the use of washi tape on my projects and I love that these stamps mean I can co-ordinate my washi tape to any of my Close To My Heart papers and embellishments. They are also fun to make decorative papers with and this is how I created the border on the 2nd card - I also added a little bit of Gypsy Ink to the colour palette of card no.2 just for a bit of contrast.

How great is the sentiment on this card "good times are even better when they are shared" so appropriate for my papercraft friends and gathering groups! The funky cheerful flowers were made using images from the "You Are My Happy" stamp set and shapes from the Art Philosophy Cricut Collection - check out the details below and you could be adding these fun embellishments to your projects too.

The" You Are My Happy"  stamp set trio was released in celebration of National Stamping Month and has also become a favourite - it truly makes  me "happy". During the month of September, when you make a purchase of $75 or more, you qualify for this  stamp set trio for only $15 ( full retail value is $64 ). You'll love the whimsical alphabet, light-hearted sentiments, and fanciful images for a variety of occasions - don't miss out on a chance to own a set of your very own - contact me soon!

Friendship and Happiness

 

Recently I was asked the question - What is it about paper craft playtime that you love so much! My answer was simply two words "Friendship" and "Happiness". According to the academics ..."play is often described as a time when we feel most alive, yet we often take it for granted and may completely forget about it. But play isn't a luxury—it's a necessity. Play is as important to our physical and mental health as getting enough sleep, eating well, and exercising. It supercharges learning, helps us relieve stress, and connects us to others and the world around us. Play can also make work more productive and pleasurable". and truly, that is exactly how I feel about the "time-out" I take to play with paper. It is my stress release, it's fun, pleasurable... and I have met and fostered life long friendships with so many others who also share a passion for this craft. It is what I love most about my Close To My Heart business the sharing, joy, laughter, and fun we have at our playtime gatherings and workshops. Along with meeting new people - these events promote bonding and certainly strengthen the sense of community. My closest friends are those that are in my "Crafty Chicks" team and we would love to welcome "new" friends into our little community....if you are feeling a bit lonely and need to nourish your heart with happiness then becoming a Close To My Heart Consultant may be just what you are looking for - click here to find out more....and if you check out the photos below, you can see the results of my latest playtime and moments of happiness.

 

I really enjoyed revisiting the world of Paper Dolls playing with this stamp set. It made me very nostalgic and took me back to my childhood where a lot of my creative play time was spent colouring in and making Paper Dolls....such fond memories!

 

I did colour my little doll in with a combination of Copic Markers and Close To My Heart Exclusive Ink Makers - I love how they complimented each other so well.

Copics Used:
Skin - E11, E01, E00, E000, R20, BV000
Jeans - B91, B93, B95,
Dress - R81, R83, R85

The other card I made was pieced together using the little scraps of cardstock left-over from my Paper Doll card. It was easy to make and I was so pleased with how it turned out. I also LOVE the sentiment on this card it speaks volumes and reinforces my feelings on friendship. I can see myself using the "You Are My Happy" stamp set trio on so many of my upcoming projects - if you would like a preview of what this stamp set offers check out this video and contact me if you would like to add one to your stamp collection.



If you would like to see what some of the "Crafty Chicks" in my team have been making in their playtime click on these blog links - JLou and ScrappyVee. These ladies have become very dear friends and their creativity inspires me every day...be sure to leave them some love when you visit their blogs.