Planners Gonna Plan/Part 1 - Setting Up A New Planner

I am so excited to be sharing with you the new Everyday Life™ Planner from Close To My Heart - decorative planners are so on trend in the world of papercrafting and this one is very hard to resist...truly who could resist something as pretty and practical as this??!!??

- not ME!

Setting up and decorating a planner is a huge part of the fun for planner addicts and there is nothing quite so appealing as a bundle of blank pages - they not only represent  a new year but new beginnings and a whole lot of "new" crafting opportunities. However, if you are new to this form of practical crafting they can also be a little daunting and with this in mind, I thought I would share with you my tips for getting started and a peek at my pages.

My first tip is to gather together your supplies -  pens, roller/date stamps, washi tape, post-it notes, stickers, Picture My Life™ cards, etc and store them together in easy  reach. My supplies are all bundled together in the My Acrylix® Mini Stamp Organizer  - they all fit in nicely and this is the perfect container to leave sitting out on my desk. While some of these decorative items  are optional -  I personally think they make the whole process so much more fun! - and yes, the pic  you see below gives you a little look at some goodies being released 1st Jan... that are going to add even more fun to embellishing your planner!

While I am a self-proclaimed "stationery junkie" and I have a huge collection of pens ( mainly pink )... highlighters, gel, fineliners, texta, erasable, correction - Yep!... you name it, I've got it!! I do however, find a single black pen is all you really need. Some people like to colour code events in their planners and write in a variety of different colours (eg. personal appointments in pink, sporting events in blue, housekeeping tasks in green etc). I find this a little time consuming and not so easy to keep track of. I never know if I will have the correct pen colour on hand when I need to write something and if I wait until I do; I know I will ultimately forget what it was, I wanted to write down! It is simply easier for me to write with my Black Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen  - and use the stickers that are included in the Everyday Life™ 2016 Planner Pages as a form of colour coding for any events, I wish to highlight.

The next thing I like to do when setting up a new planner is to make time to sit down with my current planner and transfer across perpetual and annual events - such as Birthdays, Anniversaries, Public Holidays etc. Then I add those appointments and important events already scheduled for the new year  - eg. the 6 monthly visit to the dentist or the start of the school year, holidays etc. I also find another great way to stay organised is to start marking down reminders in my planner too. An example of this, is the annual medical appointment I have in October, that I can't schedule 12 months ahead. Often when I do remember to phone and make the appointment, most of the convenient times are already gone or I am so late the appointment gets pushed out until November or in the case of this year, December! I have learnt the best thing to do is to schedule a date a month or 2 months earlier in my planner as a reminder to phone and make the appointment. While I don't manage my husband's or my daughter's appointments I do want to add reminders in my planners for them as well - a reminder to remind them LOL! If you are a goal setter or have monthly or annual housekeeping tasks such as air-conditioner maintenance, pool cleaning etc add them to your planner at this stage too. Taking the time to sit down and include these things in your planner now... for the coming year, helps you keep on track and removes some of the organisational stress from your life.

This is a little preview into my month of January - I love that the Everyday Life™ 2016 Planner Pages come with both monthly and weekly views. I use the monthly view as a form of diary/calendar with everything I have scheduled for the month written beside the date. This is just so I can see at a glance where I may have a spare date to schedule appointments, workshops etc. I then use the weekly view to add in the actual appointment times and any extra details I might need listed, such as what I need to do to prepare, what to bring, goals etc. There is more space to write on the weekly view pages and this is where my real planning happens. You will see in my example below where I have colour coded events using the stickers that are included in the Everyday Life™ 2016 Planner Pages. I also like to add notes to the monthly view pages for events I would like to combine & schedule with family & friends for that particular month... this is so when we do get together to co-ordinate plans, I can see quickly where I have a day available. I do like things to be colour co-ordinated and as you can see any "decorating" I do does match the planner's colour scheme. I tend to store any unused stickers, papers and embellishments from my other projects into colour groups... and as you can see on these pages - I have used pixie and glacier stickers from the Fundamental Stickers Whimsy Pack and the Kaleidoscope Complements along with some gold stars from the Gold Fundamental Assortment. Planners are great place to use all your left-over or excess treasures! My stamped Happy New Year embellishment was created using images from November Stamp of the Month - called Cheers... I am so glad I collect each month's Stamp of the Month as each set is so universal they can be used over and over again. I make sure I never miss out on ordering these stamp sets!

One of my favourite additions to this Everyday Life™ planner system is the My Crush® Everyday Life Pages and pocket style Memory Protectors (they come in 2 sizes -  4" x 6" and 4" x 3"). I really admire the planner addicts that have the time to basically scrapbook their weekly diary spread but I am afraid for me to do this I would be spending way too much time making my planner look "pretty" than actually doing the things I have planned!! However, with the inclusion of the  My Crush® Everyday Life Pages and pocket style Memory Protectors I can incorporate a little creative scrapbooking, display my memorabilia and journal my thoughts, adventures and experiences - a perfect mix of everything I love to do! - photo below, courtesy of the Close To My Heart art department.

Right now! is the perfect time to get your hands on the Everyday Life Planner™ - not only are we getting ready to commence another new year of plans, events and appointments but Close To My Heart have an amazing bundle offer available until the 31st December - click HERE for more details -  you can save over 15% off the retail price and get your 2016 planning well underway!

Over the coming months I will share some of my "not so personal" planner pages with you and pass on more tips and tricks for bullet journaling, memory keeping and embellishing your Everyday Life™ Album... stay tuned for this creative journey - planning your year has never been more FUN!



 

Convention 2015 - Make It From Your Heart - Part 2

One of the highlights (for me) at this year's Convention was the invitation to be a "special on-stage presenter" sharing my love of the Decorative Scrapbooking Style.

To me, decorative scrapbooking is all about the fun of creating layouts with lots of intricate detail, dimension and differing techniques. The Close To My Heart product range is jam packed with gorgeous papers and embellishments that the task of "decorating" is easy...everything is so complimentary that you can still add lots of detail and keep your photo or photos a focal point.

Here is a little peek at a few of the layouts I created for the presentation...along with close up pics of some of the decorative detail.

The "Hello There - Beautiful"  layout uses a combination of papers from the Urban, La Vie En Rose and Enchantment Fundamentals. Embellishments from the La Vie En Rose & Urban complements packs, the Basic Fundamental Stickers, Gold Foil Tape and the Gold Fundamental Assortment.

This 2nd layout is exactly the same sketch pattern and was super fun to create  - the photos of this sweet little cherub is just cuteness at it's best!

I used a combination of 15 different Close To My Heart products, once again proving how versatile the range is. Taking inspiration from little Missy's clothes I chose to use papers from the  Zoe, Kaleidoscope, Georgie, Sangria and Enchantment Fundamentals collections. The border was cut from the Artbooking Cricut Cartridge and the flowers & leaves from the new Artistry Cricut Cartridge. The page was then embellished with Silver Foil Tape, Sangria Assortment, Georgie Complements, Enamel & Glitter Duos Purple Hearts and Grey Enamel Gems. The journaling box is one of the 3" x 4" cards from the Picture My Life™ Georgie Scrapbooking Program and the "Smile" title was cut from one of the Silver Picture My Life™ Overlays.

All the products listed for these layouts can be found at my Online Shop - you can place an order there and have it delivered direct to your door...easy peasy!!

I prepared 10 layouts for this presentation and I plan to share them with you over the coming weeks. However, in the meantime head on over to my Facebook Page to see one of the single page layouts that features one of my Instagram photos.

My Crush Love

During the month of June, when you purchase any My Crush® book and its accompanying assortment pictured in Annual Inspirations 2014–2015, you will receive the coordinating stamp set FREE! That is a savings of at least $15 AUD - Choose from five lovely My Crush® book offerings... each My Crush® book also features unique details... glossy print, vellum pages, gold foil patterns and ink-resistant patterns... that make displaying your personality easier than ever. Plus, once you add the artistry of the coordinating assortments featuring sticker sheets, envelopes, alphabets, cards, and journaling spots, along with your FREE stamp set, you will be well on your way to your own gorgeous mini book creation!

I also love using the My Crush® book's outside their intended use ... the  60 – 10"x 7" printed cardstock-weight designed pages are acid-free, lignin-free, and buffered making them perfect for traditional scrapbooking. Combine them with the coordinating assortments and you will be creating gorgeous pieces of art work in no time at all.

I used pages from the My Crush™ In the Pink Book to create this layout. I teamed the paper patterns with Slate, Lagoon and Hollyhock cardstock and a combination of fun embellishments - Glacier Extra Thick Twine, Oceanside & Silver Sequins, Boardwalk Washi Tape. However, the majority of the decorative elements come from the My Crush™ In the Pink Assortment that includes journal spots, sticker sheets, alphabet sticker sheets and envelopes some of which were altered and layered to create this layout. The rose embellishment was also fussy cut from a page in the My Crush™ In the Pink Book... so many great possibilities that you can't help but fall in love with the My Crush Collection of products... be sure to check out the full range in my Online Shop.

 

Seasonal Expressions #2 - Blog Hop

This blog hop is featuring  products in Close To My Heart's recently released  Seasonal Expressions Idea Book/Catalogue #2- whatever season you are experiencing in your life - birthdays, holidays, anniversaries...you are in the right place to find the perfect artistic tool for preserving and celebrating your memories. The Seasonal Expressions products debuted on the 1st April and are available right through until the 31st March 2015.
 

If you have come here from Tracey Pierce's Blog  you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here...with me and work your way all around. If you get lost along the way, you'll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog – simply click here.

 

This month we have over 40 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations featuring these new products combined with other wonderful Close To My Heart products on their blogs. Be sure to check out all the fabulous art work they have to share - just click on the link at the end of this post to begin the journey!

The Seasonal Expressions is jammed pack with so many adorable goodies that I found it difficult to decide which one to feature today. However, being a huge fan of Mini Albums and an Embellishment addict! I thought I would combine my love of both.

Two new Mini Albums were introduced this month - the My Creations™ Mini Folio and the My Creations™ Mini Mix Album.The Mini Mix Album is a cute album that includes a mix of vellum, white cardstock, and kraft (4" x 4") pages with a white chipboard cover. I thought it would make a lovely birthday gift for my BFF and set about pre-decorating the pages in readiness to add photos.

The cover was decorated with papers from the Blossom Paper Pack, a title... cut from the font included with the Cricut® Art Philosophy Collection, some Oceanside & Coral Reef Sequins... then some of the gorgeous new metal/enamel pieces from the Blossom Assortment were added to the cover design to give it that perfect finishing touch!!

One of my favourite products released in the new Seasonal Expressions is the Carnival Washi Tape Pack - it contains 3 rolls of washi tape including a label based tape with 8 different sentiments making them ideal to cut, trim and alter for a variety of projects... again, perfect for my Friendship Mini Album!

For these pages I also "tore" one of the vellum pages from the album and cut to size to use as a journaling or photo mat. The little heart shape is also from one of the newly released embellishment packs - the Bubbly Enamel Shapes. I used more of the Carnival Washi Tape label sentiments along with some Blossom Complements stickers and sequins to decorate some of the other pages in this album.

I'd love to show you more pages in this album but I don't want to spoil all the surprises for my friend!! - I hope you have enjoyed these little "sneek" peaks"?!

Thanks for visiting my blog and if you haven't already been there or started from the very beginning of this blog hop?? -  now is the time to "Hop" on over to the lovely Catherine Nowak's Blog  to see what she has created...and don't forget to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to check out some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas! 

Friday Friend Feature #18

I have recently spent a weekend with my Close To My Heart consultant colleagues and the camaraderie it is one of the things I most love about my job - the sharing, the friendship, admiration and not to forget " the crafty fun"!

The projects I want to share with you today were both shared and inspired by two of my very special consultant friends - Maddy and Diane.

During some creative playtime Maddy taught us how to make a pinterest inspired cascading card with a 3D floral twist. I have such a flower fetish that it didn't take me long to fall in love with this idea and find a new addiction! I also loved Maddy's inspiring use of the little frames found in the March Stamp of the Month. A perfect way to add a sentiment to this card - don't forget there are only a few more days to left  to add this stamp set to your collection too!

The flowers and leaves are all shapes found in the  Cricut® Art Philosophy Collection and were created in much the same way as the floral idea I shared back in February... you will find that post here. The puffy glitter stickers really make these cards sparkle and I am going to be sad to see them discontinued at the end of the month - if you are a fan of these puffy embellishments too?... don't forget to place your order by the 31st March to avoid disappointment.

 

The second project I want to share with you was inspired by a notebook given to my friend Diane as a gift when she attended the Close To My Heart incentive trip in Hawaii - yes! as consultants we can earn all expenses paid overseas holidays - how fantastic is that??? and who doesn't like a pretty little notebook to record their dreams, aspirations and special memories??

 

The notebook I created was made by covering a journal/exercise book with some of the gorgeous new papers and embellishments due to be released on the 1st April - I know I am a tease but how pretty are they?? and how lucky am I to have these lovelies to play with already?? Another benefit of being a consultant is the opportunity to craft with new goodies before they are released!

 

If you are looking for a chance to shine in business, creativity and be paid for doing what you love? -  then becoming a Close To My Heart Consultant  may be just what you are looking for. March is the perfect time to join us and I would love to help you with this journey.

 

 

 - click here to find out more or email me at lotfam@iinet.net.au and what ever you have planned for this weekend... I hope it is full of fun, friendship and crafty pleasures!

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #95

Today I am celebrating my 200th blog post ( yah me!!! ) and sharing a Birthday card created for a special friend... based on this week's  sketch over on the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge Blog...

This is the current sketch:

I chose to rotate the sketch and alter the position of the sentiment placement.

 

 I have a real addiction for making paper flowers and the "star" of this card is certainly the 3D flower. It was created from shapes found on the Art Philosophy Cricut Collection. The floral shapes were cut from Crystal Blue and Glacier cardstock. They  were then distressed and definition & folds were added using an Embossing Tool and curved Tweezers. A Grey Epoxy Bubble was placed in the centre of the flower creation which was then adhered to the card design using Foam Tape to give it a little extra height.

 

Don't forget to pop on over to the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge and take a peek at all the inspiring ideas the Design Team as for you - play along with us and post your creations based on this sketch too... it is a lot of fun!
 

Mini Christmas Album

Today I wanted to share a little project that makes the ideal December Daily style of album. Never heard of a December Daily Album? - I like to think of this style of album as a combination of the "Photo-a-Day" and "Smashbooking" concepts...an opportunity to capture the spirit of the season in the 25 days leading up to Christmas.

The Mini Christmas Album project I have designed uses the Designer Creations Short Stack Album. It takes 1 hour to complete and if you would like to create one ready to commence recording your memories come the 1st December  - then contact me today or join a workshop event  - simply drop me a message at lotfam@iinet.net.au to find out more.

This is a wire bound album with 10 – 5" × 7" Kraft pages and a Kraft printed hardcover. Adding Flip Flap Memory Protectors to the album ensures there is plenty of space to preserve every photo taken during the month of December... and the journaling cards from the My Crush Holiday Happenings Assortment mean that every memory can be recorded too!

Here is a little preview of some of the pages - I love the "olde world" look of the My Crush Holiday Happenings Assortment. ...and no Christmas project would be complete without some "sparkle & shine" and I used Gold Shimmer Trim, Gold Sequins and Bitty Sparkles to add this festive look.

Looking forward to sharing and creating this project with you and don't forget you can pre-order the Album & Accessories from my Online Store - you can even add your order to the November Orders Online Gathering ...found at the bottom of the home page.

I am also offering this album project as a "mail-out class" similar to my card club.  The "mail-out class" comes with cutting instructions & full colour photos to make this an easy class for you to complete at home. To take advantage of this offer, please email me at lotfam@iinet.net.au

Enjoy!

 

October Stamp of the Month

Traditionally when my calendar ticks over to October I make a start on my Christmas projects...I like to be organised early and I love making and receiving homemade gifts. If you too, enjoy creating personal and exclusive handmade gifts then this month's Stamp of the Month is perfect! Home for the Holidays has 7 images that will help you create, celebrate and share the Spirit of the Season!

Last year my Christmas Dinner guests received a hand stamped paper package filled with chocolates. This year I intend to fill handmade bon bons with little personalised gifts and I have already got off to a good start. I've had my Cricut Machine buzzing and cutting bon bon shapes from the Artiste Cricut Collection using Kraft Cardstock.

I have trimmed the bon bons with Red Shimmer Trim and the music print B&T Duos™ Paper from the Yuletide Carol Paper Pack  (to give them that olde world classic Christmas look). The roses and leaves were cut from the Art Philosophy Cricut Collection in Cranberry and Olive cardstock. The Colonial White tag was also cut from the Art Philosophy Cricut Collection . The Do Not Open sentiment comes from the  October Stamp of the Month ... which I stamped on the tag in New England Ivy Ink.  The bon bons were tied with the Cranberry Striped Twill Ribbon and embellished with Gold Sequins and Clear Sparkles.

When you place an order of $75 or more in Close To My Heart products here in my Online Shop  you can purchase this D-size stamp Home for the Holidays set valued at $27 for just $5 — that’s over 70% off retail! ( available for one month only )

....and in addition to this Close To My Heart have a special bonus gift to accompany each qualifying purchase of $65 - you will receive one of two chevron ribbons FREE! Each chevron ribbon—Ruby or Outdoor Denim—has an original retail value of $9.50 So which ribbon will you get? It’s a surprise! quantities are limited, so place your orders here early this month.... be sure to take advantage of this fantastic offer so you can embellish your bon bons and craft projects with your own surprise roll of bonus ribbon!

 Hope your start to October is crafty and productive too - Have a great day :)
 

Capture The Day

Today was one of those strange spring days where you get 4 seasons all at once. I woke to strong winds and dreary skies, by lunchtime the sky was blue and the sun was shining....then late in the afternoon we had thunder, lightning and lots of heavy rain...and through it all, I played happily in my "happy room"!!

It was so much fun getting inky, cutting, pasting and stamping...it has been a long time since I have had an uninterrupted day at home just playing with my crafting goodies... and I loved every minute of it! I also now, have a lovely collection of projects to share with you over the coming weeks - be sure to stay tuned!

In the meantime, I thought I would share a pretty little card that I hope brings some sunshine to your day.

The Butterfly image comes in the Capture the Day Stamp Set  and was stamped in Black Ink onto some background paper I created using a combination of 3 of Close To My Heart's new ink colours - Thistle, Pixie and Canary, some rock salt (yes, crafting goodies can be found in your pantry!) and a little water in my Spray Pen...it is such a cool effect. I will be teaching this technique along with a few other tips and tricks for creating background papers at my upcoming workshop events, locally and in Melbourne - contact me at lotfam@iinet.net.au for more information.

The sentiment was stamped onto some paper taken from the My Crush In the Pink Book as was the distressed pink piece of paper it was mounted onto. I know, I mention it time and time again, but the papers in the Close To My Heart product collection co-ordinate so well with one another...it truly is what endears me most to this paper craft range.

The Gold Shimmer Trim and Bling Gems added a little "sparkle & shine" to the card while the Scallop Border Punch and faux stitching with the Marvy Journalling Pen completed the overall design.

If you belong to my Card Kit Club this is the card that is making it's way to your letterbox this week - Enjoy!

September Stamp of the Month

Today is the first day of Spring and my all time favourite time of the year. I can't really explain the feeling, but I get a real sense of excitement, renewal and passion when my calendar clicks over to the 1st of September. This month is particularly exciting in my Close To My Heart world too - it is that time of the year when we celebrate National Stamping Month and to honour our founder and CEO Jeanette Lynton’s 30-year anniversary in the scrapbooking and stamping industry...I have an exclusive stamp set to offer you. It features 30 mini images/sentiments perfectly suited to 30 days of stamping happiness - something for every occasion! Spend $30 on any current retail-priced stamps during the month of September with me or in my Online Shop and you qualify to receive the exclusive stamp set for FREE!!

This purchase also counts towards your qualifying order for this month's sweet Stamp of the Month set - Family is Forever -   simply place a $75 order and you can add both sets to your craft collection for just $5 -  absolutely amazing value for money!!

This is a delightful stamp set with nice large images and titles, perfect for your scrapbook projects and card projects alike. I especially love the heartfelt shape of the tree and it was this image that I chose to highlight in the card I am sharing with you today.

I decided to stamp the image using cocoa Pigment Ink - pigment inks are a little more intense in colour, making them ideal for page titles, sentiments or images that you really want to pop. I then embellished the heart features of the tree with some paper piecing... using the blue & white dotted paper design from the Wanderful Paper Pack and some little Red Enamel Hearts. I thought the red and blue colour combination gave my card a warm cottage feel and I selected an assortment of other papers in our product range to further enhance this theme. The red floral paper was a left-over card from my Picture My Life - Pear & Partridge Scrapbooking Kit and the newspaper style print came from the My Crush In the Pink Book - I am totally addicted to using the My Crush Books as a paper source! The cocoa paper is from the Basics Fundamental Assortment it comes with 20 double-sided 12" × 12" sheets (2 each of 10 designs) -  same design on both sides, one side with a glossy resist pattern and the other a matt surface. I used a combination of both sides for this card. I also used the Scallop Border Punch to add a subtle border and contrast to the card design.

If you have any questions about this month's Stamp of the Month or the 30 Years of Happy stamp set, please feel free to message me at lotfam@iinet.net.au or if you would like to see more art work using the stamp sets click here.