Basically the Best

 
During the month of August, when you order our Whimsy, Adventure, and Enchantment Fundamental papers, you can choose to get either the Rustic Home or Uptown Fundamentals for FREE! Both of these Basics packs feature foil designs and specialty materials for making your artwork unique. Yep, this deal is basically the best!
Offer valid August 1, 2016 (9:00 am MDT) – August 31, 2016 (11:59 pm MDT)

July 2016 Close To My Heart Newsletter

Memory Keeping Magic

Our featured paper collection this month makes real memory keeping magic. Check out all of the Magical collection's bright, bold designs! »

Get a sneak peek at the newest products—and lots of other benefits—by joining the Close To My Heart family of Consultants! Learn more »

July Stamp of the Month: From the Notebook

The July Stamp of the Month, From the Notebook, gives you a stylish and simple way to make note of every milestone. Find out how to get yours for just $5  »

April 2016 CTMH Newletter

Let Your Creativity Set Sail

Whatever you create, you can bet it will be shipshape when you use the nautical-themed Regatta paper packet and its coordinating accessories. See the complete collection! »

You deserve to be rewarded, and during April, becoming a Close To My Heart Consultant is more rewarding than ever! When you sign up and submit qualifying sales in your first 30 days, you can earn a free Cricut® collection of your choice or $100 Select Product Credit! Learn more »

April Stamp of the Month: Life in Pictures Vintage cameras and timeless phrases team up in April's Stamp of the Month, which can be yours for just $5 . Find out how »

Marianne Hancock
Close To My Heart Independent Consultant

CTMH January Special - Live Your Day

 Thank you for joining me on this blog hop featuring Close To My Heart's January Special - Live Your Day. A blog hop is just a circle with links on each post to continue to the next blog to see what they've created. If you're coming from Scrappin' Katy's Blog you're on the right track. I know you saw something fabulous while you were there!

I wanted to do something a little different with the Picture My Life cards instead of the usual "making a scrapbook layout". I'd seen where other people were using them for cards and I hadn't tried that yet. So, I picked out one of the 4x6 cards with a sentiment that I thought would make a great card. Since it was a little large for a standard size card, I thought it would work better on a 5x7. With a little cropping and rounding of the corners, I made it fit on the card without covering up the whole thing.

I put a black mat with rounded corners on it. Then, I embossed a 4x7 Thistle cardstock with the heart embossing folder and sanded it so the heart would stand out. I attached it to the front of the card that I had already cut down to 4" to give a little peek a boo look from the front. I found a leftover cricut cut from another project in Cotton Candy cardstock that had hearts with a scallopped border. It was originally a frame so I just cut the frame part off and attached to the back at the bottom of the PML card. I used a heart from the Penelope Complements up in the corner of the inside and finished it off with clear Sparkle.

 

I hope you like my card! Please feel free to leave a comment before you head on over to the next stop on the hop at the Heart and Soul Scrapper. 

Thanks for stopping by and if you would like to take advantage of the Live your Life Picture My Life Cards, I'd love for you to shop with me! Now through the end of January you can get them for 8.95.

   

Technique Blog Hop - Bokeh Stamping

The Technique Blog Hop is designing something with the Bokeh Technique. It's a really fun stamping technique where you make the background with 2-3 (or more) different colors of ink on watercolor paper. Then you use white pigment ink to create circles on top of the colors to make it look like a photography technique.

If you're coming from Darlys' Crafty Happy Blog you're on the right track!

The colors I chose were some of my favorites - Lagoon, Gypsy, and Thistle! I just used the stamp pads with ink squeezed onto the lid since I don't have those reinkers, yet. You just add the watered down ink to the dampened watercolor paper...not too wet or your colors will be too light. Then, using different sized circles, I sponged White Daisy ink - overlapping in some places to look light spots of light. You need to let the paper dry in between steps or the inks will just blend together.

To finish off the card, I stamped Happy birthday with Stazon Jet Black ink, added some strips of shimmer trim, glitzed it up with sparkles, and even used the remains from dovetailing the shimmer trim to add a bit of interest at the top of the card. Then, it was mounted to Lagoon cardstock and popped up off the White Daisy card base with 3-D Foam Tape.
 
These are some of the other supplies I used to make this card:
D1646 Finding The Words stamp set
Z3086 Aqua Shimmer Trim
Z1752 Sparkles Assortment 
Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

Now, hop along to see what Jen's Messy Studio has created!

CTMH Paper Blog Hop - La Vie En Rose

Welcome to our monthly CTMH Paper Blog Hop! This month we are featuring La Vie En Rose. It's a beautiful combination of neutrals in Black and White Daisy with Pomegranate & Poppy to coordinate with the lovely floral paper included in the pack.

If you're coming from Katy's Blog, you're already enjoying some beautiful artwork.