National Scrapbooking Month - Taste of Summer

It’s National Scrapbooking Month, and Close to My Heart is celebrating by offering a little Taste of Summer! The Stamp of the Month Blog Hop group is also celebrating with a special edition hop featuring the Taste of Summer paper packet and bonus stamp set! In the paper packet you’ll find two each of six fun and fruity patterns on one side and a coordinating monochromatic pattern on the reverse. Meanwhile, the stamp set has 14 stamps that coordinate perfectly with the papers. (Complete details on the promotion are at the end of this post.)

If you have come here from {Maureen O’Sullivan’s blog}, you’re in the right place! There are more than 30 independent Close to My Heart consultants participating. Click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move through the Hop.

The Blog Hop is a great big circle. Start here and work your way around. If you get lost along the way you’ll find a complete list of participating consultants here. You can use this list to pick up where you left off.

Here we go!

Paper and stamp set sold separately.

I’m not sure what it is about these papers, but I am completely in love with them! It might be because summer is my favorite season, although the colors are pretty great, too. Either way, I’m just getting started with creating with them.

I’ve seen a lot of fabulous artwork from other consultants, and a 2-page layout from Pamela O’Connor (Reflections of My Art and Soul) particularly caught my eye. I didn’t duplicate her layout, but it did inspire me to use the strawberry paper and create a layout of my own. I used the Backstage pattern on pages 28 and 29 of Magic because I liked the scallops as they reminded me of the white flowers that bloom before strawberries appear. 

To stamp the strawberries I used the Rock ‘n Roll technique. First I inked the stamp in Cotton Candy, and then I rolled part of the image in Cranberry to give the berries a little contrast and depth. It helps them stand out from the other papers a bit more. The stems are stamped in Topiary. “You’re Berry Special” was stamped with the masking technique. I put a piece of scotch tape over “you’re” and “special”, inked the stamp in Cranberry, and then I removed the tape. I carefully inked “you’re” and “special” in Topiary ink and then stamped the entire image on the White Daisy circle. 

The one thing I did the same as Pamela was my title. The Topiary stands out, and the font in the stamp set and on Artfully Sent are quite similar if not the same. It really goes perfectly with everything else. 

Here is what I used. All products are Close to My Heart:

CC1039 Taste of Summer stamp set

CC1038 Taste of Summer Paper Packet

9040 Magic (softcover)

X5760 Cotton Candy cardstock

X5636 Topiary cardstock

1385 White Daisy cardstock

Z2105 Cranberry Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad

Z2642 Cotton Candy Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad

Z2162 Topiary Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad

Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

Z534 Micro-tip Scissors

Z1836 Non-stick Micro-tip Scissors

Z1686 Cricut® Art Philosophy Collection

Z3017 Cricut® Artfully Sent Collection

Now “Hop” on over to {Melinda Everitt’s blog} to see her work, and be sure to visit each consultant’s site to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas! Don’t forget, you can only get the exclusive Taste of Summer items through May 31st. Click here to order yours today!

*Celebrate National Scrapbooking Month during the month of May with our exclusive mouthwatering Taste of Summer paper packet, available for only $8.95! Featuring bold, vibrant colors, this exclusive paper packet is perfect to pair with your sweet summery memories, and provides delicious designs for your layouts, cards, and more! Contact your Independent Consultant for information about workshops for this paper packet. Watch Close To My Heart’s blog, Instagram account, and Facebook page throughout the month for more projects inspired by Taste of Summer. This paper packet is only available during May while supplies last, so get your order in early. No matter where you are or what the weather may be, you deserve a little taste of summer in your life!