Friday Friend Feature

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!

This card is a great example of the use of embossing - Versamark Ink and White Super Fine Embossing Powder really make the white floral images "pop"...a little more dimension was added by using the Hollyhock coloured cardstock from the Adventure Fundamentals Paper Pack and some 3D Foam Tape behind the images that Veronica coloured in with the ShinHan Touch Twin Markers.

....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!

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.

 

Simple Colour Creation

Pink Butterflies are not a natural wonder but there are no rules to break in the world of Creative Adventure and I couldn't resist adding a touch of my favourite colour to the sweet butterfly from the Capture The Day Stamp Set. The addition of the ShinHan Touch Twin Markers to the Close To My Heart range makes it so easy to add rich vibrant colour to your projects. I used the  Cherry Pink, Tender Pink and Marigold markers to colour my butterfly using a simple outline and fill technique. I love how this range of marker colours co-ordinated with the Brushed Paper Pack and the Hollyhock Cardstock... making my butterfly embellishment "pop"!!

I added a little extra detail to my butterfly with the black Marvy Journalling Pen and then Sponged the papers with Hollyhock Ink to add some depth. The sentiment on this card is from the Your Own Kind of Wonderful stamp set -  a beautiful collection of 6 more butterflies with sentiments that touch our spirit and soul and are ideal for  uplifting your family and friends....click here to add this set to your shopping cart.

I hope this card has lifted your spirits...and with "Spring and Sunshine" just around the corner the days are certainly getting much brighter -  be sure to check out the full Brushed My Reflections Collection, they are the perfect products to highlight your Springtime photos and gift giving projects.



Picture My Life Projects

Only a few days remain to purchase any of the 13 available  Picture My Life™ Scrapbooking Programs featured in the 2014–2015 Annual Inspirations Idea Book (you can view them all here)  and receive your choice of  Memory Protectors (10-pack) for just $4.00! - such an awesome deal!  Each Picture My Life Scrapbooking Program already includes a coordinating 10-pack of Memory Protectors, so when you add an additional pack you will be well on your way to your own picture-perfect pocket album/project finished, done and beautiful!!

Each of the Program Kits contains a 12" x 12" cover page to begin your album project, 10 co-ordinating Memory Protectors,  and 122 double-sided cards (in 3" x 4" and 4" x 6" horizontal and vertical designs). The double-sided cards include titles, journaling boxes and so many beautiful patterns & designs to embellish your project. However, the cards can be adapted and used in various other paper craft projects and this is one of the reasons they are one of my all time favourite products. I am currently conducting card classes where you will make 10 cards in less than 1 hour!?!  - Yes! 1 hour!...they are quick, easy and you end up with a collection of cards (and envelopes) that will make you feel very organised - cards for every occasion. If you would like to be super, super organised and a step ahead of your Christmas preparations this year? - why not contact me today to schedule a Christmas 10 Card Picture My Life class - they are a lot of fun!

The cards below, feature the gorgeous Picture My Life Pear & Partridge Scrapbooking Program. I stamped all the blank areas of the embellishment cards with some of the lovely sentiments from the Christmas stamp sets Mary and Babe, Yuletide & To You and Yours....added some Washi Tape, Clear Sparkles and they were finished in no time! I have 2 of these kits in stock now, available for immediate delivery, contact me at lotfam@iinet.net.au and they are yours!

All 13 of the Picture My Life Scrapbooking Progams can be adapted & made into cards such as these - why not choose your favourites from my Online Shop and get started today...remember, multiple purchases that add up to $75 or more, also entitle you to add the August Stamp of the Month to your order for just $5 - don't miss out on this offer...these Owls are just so so cute!!

...More Embossing Fun

In my last post I mentioned "wet" and "dry" embossing and I received a few emails asking if I could explain more. There is nothing really special about this technique it is simply combining Embossing Powders and Embossing Folders together in the one project...as illustrated in the Friendship card I have created below.

I combined the Dot Embossing Folder with the Clear Super Fine Embossing Powder which created a "wet" ocean look appearance to my cardstock. The shells were made using the Princess Gold Embossing Powder, Flaxen & Glacier Exclusive Inks and the Emboss Resist technique. Love all the different textures, they certainly add interest and dimension to a simple card design.

I used the Clear Super Fine Embossing Powder and the Emboss Resist technique to create another card using the lovely Seaside My Reflections Scrapbook Products by Close To My Heart...very cool to be able to make personalised cards from my leftover scrapbook papers.

The larger shell was stamped onto Colonial White Cardstock with VersaMark Ink, embossed with Clear Super Fine Embossing Powder... then Sorbet Exclusive Ink was applied over the top. I used a thin strip of Teal Glitter Paper and a star fish antiqued-gold metal shape from the Seaside Assortment to add a little "sparkle & shine" to my card. There are 6 adhesive backed shapes in this pack including the large fish shown in the card at the top of this post...they are the perfect finishing touch.

Embossing materials and tools are all available from my Online Shop  just add them to your shopping cart, enter your payment details and your goodies will be delivered direct to your home - all very easy & convenient! I also offer technique based craft classes in my home (or yours)... where you can earn sales based rewards (stamp sets, papers etc) - simply contact me at lotfam@iinet.net.au to schedule your class.

If you are attending the "Come Create with Chris" event in Adelaide this weekend?... you will find a little more embossing fun on the agenda - looking forward to sharing this technique with you.

Embossing Fun

WOW! have I had a busy month?? - I have just completed a 6 city tour of Queensland and NSW teaching and demonstrating paper craft techniques at Close To My Heart consultant workshops. I am off to New Zealand this weekend to do it all again...we will be colouring, stamping, embossing and having loads of Crafty Fun... if you are attending one of these events make sure you introduce yourself - I love meeting my blog followers in real life!

One of the Close To My Heart products we have had a lot of FUN playing with at these events is Embossing Powders - my demonstrations have included how to combine "wet" and "dry" embossing in your projects, along with some emboss resist techniques... using the 5 new inks colours released this month - Thistle, Glacier, Flaxen, Canary and Pixie and the White Fine Detail Embossing Powder. Embossing offers so many creative options that can add a real "sparkle & shine" to your projects or even a touch of elegance as can be seen in this card.

The base of the card uses the new Thistle Cardstock a lovely vibrant on-trend colour,  pieces of paper I sponged from the My Crush - In the Pink Book and a strip of  "Juniper" coloured cardstock from the Paper Fundamentals - Whimsy Assortment. All trimmed with a border made with the Scallop Border Punch and a few Aqua Dots.  I love how well the different Close To My Heart product ranges co-ordinate - it certainly makes Close To My Heart my "one-stop lolly shop"!

Remember all these products can be purchased direct from my Online Shop and delivered right to your doorstep....how convenient is that?? I also offer card making classes in your home or mine - simply contact me at lotfam@iinet.net.au to find out how!

 

Single Page Sketch Layout

Every now and then I come across special photos that not only deserve a place in my memory albums but also need their own place in the limelight....and the gorgeous Designed Décor and My Creations range of products from Close To My Heart provide the perfect way to do that. This range is not only trendy and fun but it is also very functional. One of my favourites is the Designed Decor Shadow Box they come in Black or  Colonial White - wooden frames with a hinged back that opens for easy loading and have a magnetic closure.

I've just designed a simple Single Page Sketch that I can adapt and use time and time again to create interchangeable layouts to showcase in my frames. In the Black Shadow Box Frame I made an affirmation layout for my youngest daughter to place in her study - she is just finishing up her final year at University and now, while she is searching for employment, it is even more important that she doesn't give up on her Dreams!.

I love how a bit of random stamping and some layering of paper trims made with the Scallop and Chevron Border Punches can create a layout that looks like a mixed media piece of artwork without all the preparation and mess!! The "splotch" stamp image found in the stamp set from the Brushed Workshop on the Go Scrapbooking Kit makes it so easy to added a painted look to cardstock that is almost feels like "cheating" - Fun, Fun, Fun!! My "Dream" title and other stamped embellishments were fussy/hand cut using my trusty Micro Tip Scissors - I use them so much I think I have to put them as No. 1 on my Top 10 list of favourite products...do you have a "go to tool" or a No. 1 favourite?? if so, leave me a comment below... I'd love to hear what is your most treasured tool.

This is the Sketch I created, along with the layout I have placed inside the Colonial White Shadow Box Frame for my own study - a favourite photo of my girls that I simply treasure. The large "smile" title was cut from some of the 3 x 4 cards in the Picture My Life Seaside Scrapbooking Program using the font found in the Art Philosophy Cricut Collection - the heavier paper adds a little more dimension and makes the title pop! I "blinged" this layout up with a couple of different embellishments, the puffy stickers from the Chalk It Up Assortment and some White Enamel Stars .

If you have a favourite photo or some other artistic handiwork you would like to feature in your home just log into my Online Shop and click on the 3D Gifts and Decor Section and you will find a variety of  display frames to suit your own personal decorating style - even the very on trend Chalkboard and Shabby Chic Wire Frames.

Happy Decorating!