My lovely crafting friend and team member Alicia has been working her magic once again... she has created these cards entirely from the left-over pieces and scraps from her other paper craft projects and they are awesome! They really show how far you can stretch your crafting budget.
...and while you may have thought the Yuletide Carol paper pack was only something you used with Christmas projects - think again! Alicia has used some of her scraps from this paper pack to create the background for this lovely card. The paper pieced tree was made using Kraft Cardstock and a small piece of green and white spotted paper from the Brushed Paper Pack ... and again the sentiment comes from the Happyto Be Friends stamp set.
Have a great crafty weekend and thanks for stopping by today....
Today I am sharing some gorgeous Valentine cards created by the equally lovely Alicia. This set of 4 cards was made using papers from both the Heartstrings and Brushed collections. The "Love You" sentiment can be found in the Happy to Be Friends stamp set which is jammed packed with sentiments for all occasions.
Alicia followed the same design format for each of these cards but by altering the placement of the embellishments each card has it's own individual look. The selection of embellishments are all available in the Close To My Heart product range - Heartstrings Assortment, Pixie Extra Thick Twine, Red Enamel Hearts,Stuck on YouPuffies and Shimmer Trim. The lace doily is a die-cut template that Alicia has amongst her personal collection however, you can reproduce a similar look with shapes from the Art Philosophy Cricut Collection. My suggestion would be the Font Layer found on page 68 of the Art Philosophy booklet.
If you would like create your own version of these cards simply follow the sketch below - Alicia and I would love to see what you come up with and you are welcome to post your finished cards to my Facebook Page... and while the cards showcased today were created with Valentine's Day in mind this sketch can be adapted to suit any theme you wish.
I hope your tomorrow is full of love and romance and you find some time for some crafty playtime over the weekend!
Today's Friday Friend Feature is showcasing 3 very similar, yet different cards from the very talented Alicia. Alicia has broken away from the traditional themed Valentines cards that depict hearts and roses... and come up with something fun and quirky using the "Love Ya Silly" stamp set found in the Seasonal Expressions idea book/catalogue.
If you would like create your own version of these cards simply follow the sketch below - Alicia and I would love to see what you come up with and you are welcome to post your finished cards to my Facebook Page.
Hope you have had a happy Friday and get the opportunity for some paper play this weekend!
Welcome to the first "Friday Friend Feature" of 2015! Today I wanted to share some cards made by the consultants in my team of Crafty Chicks. The cards we are featuring use some of the girls favourite Close To My Heart products.
Veronica has been busy creating too and I love the cards she has made with some of the latest Close To My Heart product releases. How clever is the card with all the little dry embossed squares? The 6 embossing folders used are all exclusive to Close To My Heart - Arrow,Chevron,Scallop,Floral,Damask and Diamond... but you can view the full range here. The Thistle Diagonal Striped Ribbon adds a nice touch of colour and finishing element to this very elegant card. Veronica's second card was created using the stamp set included in the Artiste Cricut Collection and papers from the National Papercrafting Month special release called Year >> Noted - click here to find out how to add these papers to your crafting collection... but you have to be quick !!!... the Year >> Noted pack (includes papers, C-size stamp set and gold foil stickers) & is only available until the 31st January.
I hope you have enjoyed and been inspired by this art work, created by some of the consultants in my team... be sure to leave them an encouraging message in the comments section below. If you would like to know more about becoming a Close ToMy Heart Consultant in my team and join all our crafty fun - simply click here or contact me a lotfam@iinet.net.au.
With "Activity Week" commencing in most Primary Schools across Victoria next week... we are certainly on the countdown to the end of another School Year. My crafting friend Alicia has come up with a cute little appreciation gift idea for your child's teacher that I would like to share with you. A handmade gift is a perfect way to show your gratitude and this project is ideal for those of you who may have left it until the "last minute" - it is simple, quick and very economical.
I used the same stamp set to create this Thank You Card which would also be the perfect card to accompany your gift.
This is one of my favourite stamp sets it features 13 individual stamps including 7 different sentiments....and it can be used throughout the whole school year. Having lots of school teachers in our extended family I know that receiving a card of appreciation at any time from a student or a parent truly warms their heart. The TeacherAppreciation set retails for $27 however, during Close To My Heart'sDeal of theDecade promotion in December you can purchase this set for only $10 - a huge saving of $17.....to find out more, simply click here. The Deal of the Decade runs right through until the 31st December and not only can you purchase this set for $10, you can also choose any of our C or D size stamp sets for the same price with a qualifying order. Visit my Online Store to view all the stamps available to you.
If you are wanting help with Christmas gifts not only for teachers but for the crafty family and friends in your life - don't hesitate to contact me. I have an array of goodies for immediate delivery or if your prefer a gift voucher, I can help you there too!!
Today the Friday Friend Feature has reached a milestone - can you believe this is post number 10 already?!! I hope you have enjoyed seeing the creations made by my Crafty Friends as much as I enjoy bringing them to you...but stay tuned because there is so much more to come. Alicia has been sharing lots of formulas for "quick & easy" card making over on her blog and today she is sharing with us some cards created with the Babycakes Picture My Life Scrapbooking Program. Don't be fooled by the name of this product - while it may have you thinking all things baby and scrapbooking this is not necessarily the case! The 122 cards that come in this collection are so versatile and they make perfect greeting cards for all occasions.
The 5 1/2" X 4 1/4" Daisy White Value Pack of Cards was used as the base to create these cards and to keep them consistent in design with the Picture My LifeCollection Alicia used the Corner Rounder taking the cards from square to round in an instant! Many of the cards in this collection come with great sentiments and designs but every so often a little extra "something", just finishes them off. Alicia has chosen to add ribbon but also added some stamping and embellishments. The cards below feature the Have a Happy Day stamp set along with Gold Sequins and Gold Bling Gems.
Thanks for stopping by today - don't forget to add a comment before you leave and whatever you are up to this weekend I hope there is a little time for some crafty play!
It is time for another Friday Friend Feature… every Friday I have be featuring art work created by my Crafty Friends using Close To My Heart products. Some of this art work has been created by consultants in my team, paper craft designer friends and others from my circle of scrapping and card making buddies – all have fabulous crafting skills and a love for paper craft.
Today I am sharing some beautiful Christmas Cards created by Veronica a very talented consultant in my team. Veronica has become a little addicted to card making with the new Artfully Sent Cricut Collection ... and if these cards are any indication, I can't wait to see what else she creates from the 700 images available on this cartridge.
Veronica loves using overlays in her scrapbook projects so it was just a natural progression to look at the "sleeve" selection on the Artfully Sent Cricut Collection in the same way...for her cardmaking creations.
I love that both these cards are a deviation from traditional Christmas colours. The "Joy" card uses paper from both the Brushed and the Paper Fundamentals WhimsyAssortment and the sentiment comes from the Noel stamp set. It is a little difficult to see in this photograph but the "Joy" sentiment is embossed with Gold EmbossingPowder co-ordinating beautifully with the Gold Shimmer Trim and adds a touch of Christmas sparkle!
I think Veronica has a "bit of a thing" for glitter! - she has placed some Purple GlitterPaper behind the "overlay" on her cute Polar Bear card...and how great does that image look stamped in Smokey Plum Ink ??! Remember, today is the very last day you can add this Polar Bear image and the October Stamp of the Month to your orders....don't miss out - click here to have one shipped to you today!
Veronica has also used some Silver Glitter Paper to make this Christmas card "sparkle & shine". This is one of the "sentiment" cards from the Artfully Sent CricutCollection and how clever was Veronica to use the Chalk It Up Papers to enhance this sentiment - the star print is a perfect choice for Christmas.
If you would like to see what else Veronica has created using the Artfully Sent CricutCollection head on over to her blog or if you would like to add this cartridge to your crafting collection simply place an order in my Online Shop.
Thanks for popping by my blog today - be sure to leave some "love" for Veronica in the comments section....if you are celebrating Halloween I hope you have a fun day and the rest of your weekend is full of crafting adventures!
This week I have been busy preparing for a 4 day craft show and as such I haven't spent much time in my Happy Room getting inky or creating cards. However, my inspiring friend Alicia has been crafting up a storm making 2 gorgeous sets of cards - one for the Boys and one for the Girls!
How fabulous is this set of cards? - you would never know that they were all created using small pieces of left-over paper from the Seaside,Wanderful and Chalk It Uppaper packs...nor would you think you could create such masculine themed cards from the pretty stamp set called Have a Happy Day but once again Alicia has highlighted how co-ordinated the Close To My Heart product range is. I love the "clean & simple" design of these cards and the Triangle Metal Studs are just the right finishing touch.
Alicia chose to create her "girl" cards using another formula based design and the gorgeous Brushed Paper Pack - which just happens to be my favourite paper pack!...and because all girls love a little pretty and bling they have been embellished with Thistle Diagonal Striped Ribbon, Gold Sequins and Gold Shimmer Trim. The sweet sentiment was stamped in Thistle Ink and can be found in the Lovely Birthday stamp set.
Both the stamp sets Alicia has used to create these card sets can be found in the New Consultant Card Making Kit - if you love card making and sharing your creativity?...you may like to consider purchasing this kit. It is jammed packed with fantastic cardmaking goodies and can be delivered direct to your doorstep simply by clicking here - or - if you are attending this weekend's Stitches & Craft Show in Melbourne come by and say "hello" you will have the opportunity to take a kit home with you ( on the day ) or you can place an order for this BIG box of yumminess!
Hope you get a chance to pop by my stand ( No. 146 ) this weekend - all the products featured on my blog will be available to purchase... along with some fun project kits to get your creative juices flowing - Have a Great Weekend!
My apologies for those of you who were waiting for last week's Friday FriendFeature...somewhere in the wonderful world of cyber space my scheduled post went missing! I was interstate celebrating all things Close To My Heart at the 1st Australasian Consultant Convention and haven't been able to rectify the mishap until today.
The cards I am featuring today were made by Andrea - a very passionate & organised card maker in my team of consultants. Andrea has made a head start on her Christmas Cards for this year and tells me she has almost finished them! Her secret to being so organised is the Picture My Lifecollection Pear & Partridge. The 3" x 4" cards became the foundation from which she created her Christmas Cards.
Many of the cards in this collection come with great sentiments & designs but every so often a little extra "something", just finishes them off. Andrea chose to add an Aussie flavour to her cards with the Australian Thanks stamp set and coloured in the Waratah image with ShinHan Touch Twin Markers. The cards were then matted onto Cranberry and White Daisy cardstock - using the Corner Rounder to tie in with the shape of the cards. They were then mounted onto Kraft Cardstock that had been dry- embossed with the Quatrefoil and Dot embossing folders. If you are a fan of Embossing Folders? - then I will let you in on another "secret"Close To My Heart will be releasing another 4 folders into their product range in the very near future - stay tuned for more information!!
If you would like to attend a Christmas Card Making Class simply send me a message at lotfam@iinet.net.au and I will slot you into one of my upcoming events where you will be able to complete 10 cards in less than 1 hour - you'll be as organised as Andrea in no time at all.
I also have lots of other Christmas Projects to share with you...many of which will be on display at my stand ( 146 ) at this weekend's Stitches & Craft Show in Melbourne - come by and say hello or purchase some crafty goodies to get you started.
Today's Friday Friend Feature is once again celebrating Spring and more beautiful art work from Alicia. Alicia created a stunning little set of cards using more of the fun goodies found in the New Consultant Card Making Kit and she describes these cards as showcasing her favourite design elements - the colour blue, butterflies, white space, a bit of bling!
The butterfly images can be found in the stamp set Your Own Kind of Wonderful it features 6 butterflies and some lovely uplifting sentiments. Alicia stamped the images with Lagoon Ink and trimmed the cards with a B&T Duo™ Paper from the Seaside Paper Pack and Teal Shimmer Trim - all 3 of those items are included in the Cardmakers Kit. The tiny flower images are from another stamp set found in the kit called Lovely Birthday - which is one of my favourite stamp sets... I actually used it on the card featured in my previous blog post.
Alicia's cards were finished off & embellished with bling from the Aqua Dots and Clear Sparkle assortments...along with a sentiment stamped in Slate Ink
If you love card making and sharing your creativity with others - you may like to consider purchasing this fabulous kit - it is jammed packed with gorgeous cardmaking goodies and can be delivered direct to your doorstep simply by clicking here.
Benefits of Being a Consultant:
22% discount on all CTMH products.
Potential to earn FREE products with every order
You can be your own hostess.
Preview and order new products before they are released.
Access to an exclusive consultant website - containing artwork, creative insider kits, tutorials, business ideas and more.
The opportunity to earn your $130 kit fee back in your first 3 months.
Free on-line training program with creative, personal and business classes.
Opportunity to attend corporate sponsored events and earn an all expenses paid holiday (every year!)
Free online shop/website
An opportunity to purchase a Cricut Machine and/or Cuttlebug at a discount price.
Benefits of Joining My Team:
One-on-one mentoring that includes product marketing, blog set-up etc
Access to an exclusive facebook group for team members only.
Card/Project Kits & Handouts – free & exclusive to my team members.
Card Swaps, Awards & Incentives throughout the year designed for team members only.
To be a part of "Chris's Crafty Chicks" an Australian wide team of creative and inspiring artists.
and so much more…
Click here to join in the FUN! - or email me at lotfam@iinet.net.au if you would like more information.
Have a great weekend - I hope it is full of lovely spring sunshine and all things crafty!
Today is the fifth instalment of the Friday Friend Feature. I hope you have been enjoying the art work shared and created by my Crafty Friends. Today I am showcasing more of Alicia's inspiring card making talents.
Alicia's cards feature products from the Confetti Wishes and Seaside product ranges that are included in the Cardmakers New Consultant Kit. I love these fun and funky Birthday cards
- the fabulous cake embellishments that Alicia designed were created from the icons in the Confetti Wishes Complements Pack and finished off with cute little bows made from Thistle Diagonal Striped Ribbon(this ribbon is also included the New Consultant Kit). These cards would brighten any Birthday celebration.
If like Alicia, you love making cards you might like to consider purchasing a Consultant Kit - not only do you receive the fabulous products featured in these cards but you save huge $$ and continue to do so with 22% ( and more ) off any further purchases. If you would like more information of this awesome offer email me at lotfam@iinet.net.au or click here for all the details.
I hope you have a lovely weekend - and find some time to get your Craft on!!
Welcome to Friday Friend Feature No. 4 -
each Friday on my blog I have been featuring art
work created by my Crafty Friends using Close To My Heart products. The art
work comes to you from consultants in my team, paper craft designer friends
and others from my circle of scrapping and card making buddies – all have
amazing talents and a love for all that is crafty… and I know they have been inspiring you
to use these wonderful products in ways you never would have imagined.
The cards I am featuring today were made by Michelle - a very dear friend and consultant in my team of Crafty Chicks. Michelle's cards showcase the "masking tape" technique... which is very much on trend in the card making world at the moment. Michelle describes it as a "simple yet effective technique" and as you can see the stamped images make a huge impact when showcased in this way.
Michelle has used the Dreamer and Maximum Power stamp sets along with the Happy Birthday sentiment from the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection on these cards. The Dreamer card features 3 of the new ink colours in the Whimsy Colour Palette -Glacier, Flaxen and Pixie....while the Happy Birthday card uses Pear, Cashmere and IndianCorn Blue. You can check out the full range of exclusive ink colours in the Close ToMy Heart range here in my Online Shop with 42 co-ordinating colours to choose from, there are so many combinations you can use to create these simple but stunning style of cards. If you would like to learn some fun techniques for your paper craft projects join us for a Crafty Day Out - you are always welcome.
Have a great weekend and don't forget to leave Michelle a message in the comments section below - I love hearing your thoughts on the art work showcased on my blog.
Today is the 3rd instalment of my Friday Friend Feature…each and every Friday I will be featuring art
work created by my Crafty Friends using Close To My Heart products. This art
work will be created by consultants in my team, paper craft designer friends
and others from my circle of scrapping and card making buddies – all have
amazing talents and a love for all that is crafty… I know they will inspire you
to use these wonderful products in ways you never would have imagined.
Today’s sweet crafting comes fromone of my online designer friends Aliciawho creates... simply, because it makes her happy. Alicia and I belong to an online crafting community and her card making is very inspiring. Alicia is sharing a set of 3 delightful cards featuring one of our Hostess Reward Stamp Sets called Sweet As Sugar.
After earning Hostess Rewards at your qualifying gathering you can "treat" yourself to some discounted stamp sets making your hostess credit stretch even further. The Sweet As Sugar set features 12 images and would normally retail for $27 however, as a Hostess Reward you can purchase it for only $14!!....take a look at what Alicia has created using this set....her cards are certainly very sweet!!
The "lolly jar" images were stamped on a combination of papers from the Brushed Paper Pack and the Paper Fundamentals Whimsy Assortment. Although there are images included in this set to fill the jars, Alicia chose to use a mixture of embellishments instead - very cute and clever!
If you would like to host a gathering and add this stamp set to your collection please send me a message at lotfam@iinet.net.au I'd love to help you earn discounted craft goodies! I'm also happy to announce that Alicia will be sharing her designs with us on a regular basis and I would love you to leave some love & a message for her in the comments section below... and don't forget to check back next Friday for the 4th instalment of my Friday Friend Feature.
What ever this weekend has in store for you I hope you get to enjoy some crafting time!
Today is also the 2nd instalment of my Friday Friend Feature...each and every Friday I will be featuring art work created by my Crafty Friends using Close To My Heart products. This art work will be created by consultants in my team, paper craft designer friends and others from my circle of scrapping and card making buddies - all have amazing talents and a love for all that is crafty...I know they will inspire you to use these wonderful products in ways you never would have imagined.
Today's crafty goodness comes from another consultant in my team who also happens to be my youngest daughter Larissa - she just loves making pretty handmade things!! Larissa is currently doing some volunteer work at a small rural Primary School and assisting and helping prepare items for their school fete. The date of this year's fete happens to fall on Halloween and this is the theme they will focus on. Larissa has been busy working with her students creating goodies to sell at their stalls and she has found Close To My Heart'sCut Above Treat Bag Kits perfect for this.
The Kits contain:
10 – 5" × 3½" × 13/8" Printed Treat Bags (5 each of 2 designs)
5 – 4" × 6" Sheets of ¾" Stickers
12 – 1½" White Daisy Circles
12 – 3-D Foam Squares
10 – 5" × 3¼" Cellophane Bags
and being pre-cut, ready to assemble make them ideal for the classroom and children alike. They can then be customised with ink, co-ordinating stamp sets and your choice of embellishments. The Treat Bags Larissa's class have made, feature an apt and very cute stamp set called Trick and Treat Sweets, it includes 9 images - 6 are little characters such as this witch and cat. These treat bags were embellished with Black Shimmer Trim and White Enamel Stars.
The little pencil gift packs have also been a hit with the children. They have enjoyed playing with ink & stamps but also taking a sense of pride in their handiwork. These packs make great party favours too, simply combine with the Perfect Fit -Birthday stamp set to complete the theme. The Annual Inspirations IdeaBook/Catalogue has another cute pencil topper idea on page 41 - don't forget this Idea Book is jammed packed with inspiring ideas...you can view it here or if you prefer a hard copy? I am happy to send one out to you - email me at lotfam@iinet.net.au
Here is video from Close To My Heart that gives you a preview of some other great Cut Above Kits...
Remember that September is also National Stamping Month, and when you spend $30 on any current retail-priced stamps during the month of September, you qualify to receive the exclusive C-sized stamp set #30 Years of Happy for FREE! Larissa has used some of the images to create more pencil pack gifts which she will use as Student Rewards - tokens of encouragement and merit awards.... if you too are a school teacher then this a set for you!
I hope you have enjoyed today's Friend Feature, the Cut Above Kits and Larissa's handiwork - I'd love you to leave a message for Larissa in the comments section below and don't forget to check back in next Friday I have some lovely cards to share with you that were made by one of my Paper Craft Designer Friends.
In my last post, I mentioned that Spring brings with it a time of excitement and renewal...and today, I bring that to you... with a brand new segment on my blog called the Friday Friend Feature - each and every Friday I will be featuring art work designed by my Crafty Friends using Close To My Heart products. This art work will be created by consultants in my team, paper craft designer friends and others from my circle of scrapping & cardmaking buddies - all have amazing talents and I know they will inspire you to use these wonderful products in ways you never would have imagined.
Today, I am introducing you to a long time crafting friend and consultant in my team - Veronica Wuthrich who has created two gorgeous cards using the Happy Birds stamp set...both are based on card sketches from the Make It From Your Heart idea books. The vibrant & fun colour palette Veronica has chosen, simply oozes happiness!
....and I love how Veronica has paper pieced and highlighted the versatility of the Happy Birds stamp set on her 2nd card - how cool to use the feather image as a leaf -very clever!...and as you can see she is a great fan of dimensional elements in her art work. The frame embellishment was covered with Topiary Striped Washi Tape and comes from the dimensional elements included in the Artbooking Cricut Collection. The cardstock was stamped using the tone on tone technique with arrow images from the One Way Borders stamp set and the yellow and green printed papers come from the pretty Brushed Paper Pack.
....in celebration of Spring and my new blog feature, one lucky person will receive the Happy Birds stamp set for FREE - all you have to do is place an order in my Online Store or with me personally for a chance to win.
I hope you have enjoyed my new Friday Friend Feature and Veronica's lovely cards...I'd love it if you could leave a message or comment for Veronica below and I look forward to sharing some more inspiring art work with you next Friday!
