Back-to-School 2012

It's that time again for our family - school is once again in session! Ever since my son was in his second year of preschool I have made back-to-school cards for him and his friends and teachers. I think it's a simple little thing to do to help make something that many dread a bit sweeter.

The moment I saw our new Scholastic paper I knew I had to use it for this year's cards. (I also had to have it because my son and I are book lovers.) With a little inspiration from the new Idea Book and input from fellow papercrafters, this is what I came up with:

I love the "sketchy-ness" of the "back to school" phrase and thought pairing it with the pencil stamp made perfect sense. To get the blue tip on the pencil I first inked the stamp in Cashmere ink, and then I used an Outdoor Denim marker to color the tip. I used the same marker to sketch out my own "th" next to the 4 and "grade" just below it. I used both of our Cricut cartridges (Art Philosophy and Artiste) to cut some shapes, including the notebook paper which happens to be the reverse side of the paper with the numbers and letters all over it.

Feel free to contact me if you need a more detailed supply list or instructions on how to replicate this card.

National Stamping Month Blog Hop

For many of us the kids are returning to school, and some of us want to celebrate! What better way to do that than with National Stamping Month and a blog hop!

If you have come here from  Laila Harris' blog, you are on the right path.

Close to My Heart kicks off the party with another fun double stamp set called It's Your Day*. That's right, you get two D-size stamp sets in one envelope! It includes nearly 50 trendy images and sayings so you can add fun and flair to all your cards, layouts and other projects.

I made a couple different cards with this stamp set. Here is the first one:

Supply List:

CC1020 It's Your Day stamp set

X7156B Clementine paper packet

X5754 Creme Brulee cardstock

1388 Colonial White cardstock

Z2111 Chocolate Exclusive Inks stamp pad

Z1701 Baker's Twine Neutral Assortment

Z1686 Cricut Art Philosophy Collection

Z1790 Cricut Artiste Collection

And here is the second one:

Supply List:

CC1020 It's Your Day stamp set

X7159B Scholastic paper packet

X5932 Cashmere cardstock

1388 Colonial White cardstock

Z2114 Cocoa Exclusive Inks stamp pad

Z2171 Saddle Exclusive Inks stamp pad

Z1706 Round Durables Studs

Z1297 Edge Distresser

Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

Z1686 Cricut Art Philosophy Collection

Now hop on over to Shirley Ross' blog to see what she has created, and then continue on through the hop to see a wide variety of projects to inspire your own creativity!

*To celebrate National Stamping Month in September, we are offering a new double stamp set! You can get the exclusive My Acrylix® It’s Your Day double stamp set for just $5 when you place a minimum order of $35 in full retail products from August 15 through September 30. You’ll love this double set—two D-size sets in one envelope—with trendy images that capture the flavor of your day-to-day activities, errands, and musings—the little things that make up who you are and are worth remembering and sharing! With a retail value of $35.90, this set drastically increases the value of your qualifying purchase. Have twice the fun stamping during National Stamping Month with our new It’s Your Day double stamp set!

Fall/Winter 2012 New Product Hop

It’s August and that means Close to My Heart has introduced a new Idea Book with page-after-page of fun new products. It features designs for back-to-school, Halloween, fall, Christmas, and everything in between. If you have come here from Jen Rubio's blog, you're in the right place. The Blog Hop is a great big circle so you can start here and work your way around.

There are over 50 consultants participating in the hop, and you’ll want to see what each of them has created to share on their blogs. Hopping is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one. Here we go!

One of my favorite new paper packets is La Belle Vie. It features Black and Bamboo, as well as the exclusive colors La Belle Vie Mauve and La Belle Vie Pink which are only available in this kit. These colors combine to make some very beautiful patterned papers. Here is my card:

Supply list:

X7158B La Belle Vie paper packet

D15258 Jardin stamp set (set of 7)

X5646 Colonial White cardstock (base)

Z2118 Desert Sand Exclusive Inks stamp pad

Z1781 Black Striped Grosgrain Ribbon

Z1463 Flutter Paper Shapes

Z1466 Bling Assortment

Z1612 Pin Clips

Z1089 Black Waxy Flax

Z1096 Embroidery Floss Neutral Assortment (black)

Z1686 Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge

Now "hop" on over to Wendy Kessler's blog to see her work, and be sure to visit each consultant's blog to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas! If you’d like your own copy of the new Idea Book, contact me today!