How to Make a Large Paper Flower

Learn how to create an extra-large, papercrafted flower using the Charlotte paper packet, and Close To My Heart’s exclusive Cricut® cartidges. 

Cricut® Artfully Sent: Pocket Function

The Pocket function of your Close To My Heart Cricut® Artfully Sent cartridge will spice up so much more than just your layouts. See the possibilities in this video!

Click here to learn more about Artfully Sent!

Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - March: Choose Happy

Welcome to the March Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! This month’s set is Choose Happy, a set of 14 stamps.

If you have come here from {Carol Taggio’s blog}, you’re in the right place! There are more than 65 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.

Let’s begin!

 The Brushed paper packet has a LOT of pink in it. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I am not personally a huge fan of pink. Therefore, when designing my card I wanted to go with less of the pink, or in this case, Pixie. That being said, I chose to focus more on the Canary or yellow. I love this new color. It’s bright, but not too bright.

I ended up choosing a card pattern with a lot of pieces, which allowed me to use a number of different papers and textures. I used tiny pieces of one of the zip strips in the packet, and I added texture to the White Daisy by embossing it with the Diamond Embossing Folder.

This particular stamp set isn’t specifically designed to be used with one of our Cricut cartridges, but I knew we had a shape similar to the frame I wanted to use, so I played around with it until I got the right size. I like how there is plenty of white space around the stamped frame. It helps the Flaxen color of the frame stand out.

I find that it is best to adhere dry embossed pieces with either foam tape or Glue Dots, and as I wrapped the embossed piece with the Extra Thick Twine, the foam tape was most appropriate in this instance.

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

S1503 Choose Happy stamp set

X7190B Brushed Paper Packet

Z2642 Flaxen Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad

Z2165 Juniper Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad

Z3036 Flaxen Extra Thick Twine

Z1807 Pink Glitter Gems

Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

Z3020 Diamond Embossing Folder

Z1836 Non-Stick Micro-tip Scissors

9042 Make It from Your Heart™ Volume 2 (#29)

Z1906 Cricut® Artbooking Collection

Now “Hop” on over to {Michelle Jones’ 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, this exclusive stamp set is only available through March 31st. Click here to order yours today!

Cricut® Artfully Sent: Sentiment Function

The Sentiment function of Close To My Heart’s Cricut® Artfully Sent cartridge goes deeper than words. See for yourself what extra tricks are hidden within this fun function!

You can shop in your pajamas here.

Cricut® Artfully Sent: Scene Function

Close To My Heart’s Cricut® Artfully Sent cartridge is packed with beautiful and inspirational card concepts, including the “scene” function.

For more information on Artfully Sent, click here.

Cricut® Artfully Sent: Pop-Up Cards with Icons

Take a look at some eye-popping cards made with the Pop-up and Icon functions of Close To My Heart’s Cricut® Artfully Sent collection.

Want more details on the Artfully Sent bundle? Click here.

Christmas Gifts

Happy New Year!

Now that Christmas has come and gone I can share a couple of the gifts I made for my family. I tried a new technique/product that I hadn't used before, but I was also able to use some things that I've had lying around for more than a year.

First up are these chalkboard mason jars. I received a lot of emails over several months with ideas for crafting with them. I didn't have time to try even a fraction of them, of course, but since I liked the chalkboard idea the most, it's the one I did.

Before I got started I used some blue painter's tape and wrapped it around the threaded part of the jars so that the lids would still screw on like they're supposed to. I covered my work area (outside) with a large piece of plastic, and then I found a box that I could stand on end and stand the jars in. Following the directions on the can of spray paint, I applied my first layer of chalkboard paint making sure to rotate each jar to cover the whole thing. Once the paint had dried for the appropriate amount of time, I added a second coat.

When everything was really dry I used a chalkboard marker to decorate the outside. I thought about cutting some tags or letters or something to hang from the twine but decided I liked the simple, rustic look of just using the twine.

Here is what I used:

• mason jars, twine and Krylon Chalkboard Paint all purchased at Michael's
• Chalk Marker from Close to My Heart

Next up are these chalkboard signs. I'd started working on them ages ago but couldn't get my idea to come together enough to get them done in the timeframe I was working with. A few months later this stamp of the month came along and I created a card with these houses and the sentiment. I knew then that I'd come up with the design for these signs.

Because I was using a design I'd already worked with, I still had the Cricut Craft Room file that I'd use to cut out the houses. All I had to do was choose my colors and cut! The embossing folders work so well that you can easily run 3 pieces of cardstock through at once, so I stacked the houses and did one run through with each of the folders I needed. I swiped two of the white houses across the Honey ink pad to add another color.

Cranberry, Olive, and White Daisy cardstock with brown stripe ribbon.

Slate, Whisper, and White Daisy cardstock with black stripe ribbon.

Cranberry, Olive and White Daisy cardstock with burlap ribbon.

Here is what I used:

• metal chalkboard signs purchased from Pick Your Plum
• Cranberry, Olive, Slate, Whisper, and White Daisy cardstock from Close to My Heart
• Stripe, Dot, and Quatrefoil Embossing Folders from Close to My Heart
•  Honey Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad
• Chocolate Stripe, Black Stripe, and Burlap ribbon from Close to My Heart (retired)
• S1403 Happy Place stamp set from Close to My Heart (retired)

Thanks for visiting!

Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - December: Cutie Pie

Welcome to the Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! This month we’re featuring the December set Cutie Pie, a set of 11 stamps. 

If you have come here from {Dawn Ross’ blog}, you’re in the right place! There are more than 60 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.

Off we go!

This month’s set is just fun. I mean, who doesn’t love cupcakes, and when you pair this set with the Confetti Wishes papers you have the perfect combination!

I was inspired by a sample layout on page 41 in Make It from Your Heart Volume 2. I loved how they used photo frames for pictures rather than just photo mats. I wanted to add a bit of pizzazz so I cut mine from the Canary Paper Fundamentals and placed two of them with the embossed side up, while the last one has the patterned side up for a little contrast.

The other great thing about the photo frames is they have cutouts. I put small pieces of our Purple Shimmer Trim behind them to make them stand out. I also ran a strip under the edge of the banner with the sentiment for a little more bling.

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

S1412 Cutie Pie stamp set
X7189B Confetti Wishes Paper Packet
Z2033 Paper Fundamentals Whimsy Assortment
44751 Archival Black Exclusive Inks stamp pad
Z2462 ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Peony Purple Marker
Z2464 ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Tender Pink Marker
Z2461 ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Peacock Green Marker
Z2465 ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Turquoise Blue Marker

Z1919 Purple Shimmer Trim

Z1936 Purple Glitter Gems
Z1151 3-D Foam Tape
Z1836 Non-Stick Micro-tip Scissors
Z1906 Cricut® Artbooking Collection

Now “Hop” on over to {Beth Naumann’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, this exclusive stamp set is only available through December 31st. Click here to order yours today!

Special Edition Blog Hop: Artfully Sent

Welcome to a special edition Blog Hop! 

We’re celebrating the release of Close to My Heart’s new Artfully Sent Cricut Cartridge! Just like all of our other Cricut cartridges it features over 700 images, comes with 3 exclusive My Acrylix Stamp Sets, and also comes with a pack of 12x12" White Daisy Cardstock which is perfect for card bases or using to stamp sentiments on.

If you have come here from {Priscilla Gotham’s blog}, you’re in the right place! There are more than 40 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.

Let's get started!

Artfully Sent certainly includes many designs to help you quickly and easily create a beautiful card, but to be honest, it was the stamp sets that I was most excited about! One of them is nothing but sentiments, and I can always use a new sentiment set. Another one has elegant border frames. I chose to feature these two stamp sets rather than one of the new card patterns. 

My card still came together pretty fast even though I decided to create the frame for the sentiment by embossing it in gold. I thought the gold was perfect for a Christmas card and the Yuletide Carol papers.

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

Z3017 Cricut® Artfully Sent Collection
X7187B Yuletide Carol Paper Packet
Z891 VersaMark™ Ink Pad
Z2066 Ranger™ Princess Gold Embossing Powder
Z2170 Ruby Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad
Z1848 Red Shimmer Trim
Z1985 Gold Shimmer Trim
Z2023 Bling Gems Gold Assortment



Now “Hop” on over to {Dana Kessler’s blog} to see her work, and be sure to visit each consultant’s site to get a glimpse into the many things you can do with this new cartridge! Click here to order yours today!

Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - October: Home for the Holidays

Welcome to the Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! This month we’re featuring the October set Home for the Holidays, a set of 7 stamps. 

If you have come here from {Jen Rubio’s blog}, you’re in the right place! There are more than 70 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.

Off we go!

I love it when I am able to use something from my stash for a project! 

My October swap assignment was “no limits,” which means I had to use a pre-determined paper packet with the Stamp of the Month to create anything I wished. I had tossed around a few ideas with picture frames, but when I went to my stash to find said picture frames, I didn’t have enough of the same color. However, I found these tins I’ve had for ages and knew right away they were perfect!

Once I had the tins my idea came together pretty quickly. I cut the background paper and rounded the corners. I used the Art Philosophy cartridge to cut out the ornaments – one from Champagne cardstock and a slightly smaller one from Background & Texture paper. I stamped the ornament in Ruby and then cut out the center. I stamped it again in New England Ivy and cut out the tree.

I used one layer of 3-D Foam Tape under the tree and a double layer of it under the ornament. I tied a piece of Baker’s Twine to the top and tucked the long piece behind the background paper before adhering the whole thing to the inside of the tin.

To finish it all off I put a Bitty Sparkle in the star on top of the tree and attached a piece of the zip strip off the B&T for the sentiment. Finally, I attached the bow and loop to the back of the tin with Liquid Glass.

Here is what I used. All products are Close to My Heart except for the tins:

S1410 Home for the Holidays stamp set

X7187B Yuletide Carol Paper Packet

Z2170 Ruby Exclusive Inks stamp pad

Z2135 New England Ivy Exclusive Inks stamp pad

Z1263 Bitty Sparkles

Z1921 Baker’s Twine Neutral Metallic Assortment

Z1987 Cranberry Striped Twill

Z679 Liquid Glass

Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

Z1836 Non-Stick Micro-tip Scissors

Z1686 Cricut© Art Philosophy Collection

Now “Hop” on over to {Nancy Womersley’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, this exclusive stamp set is only available through October 31st! Click here to order yours today!

Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - September: Family is Forever

Welcome to the Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! This month we’re featuring the September set Family is Forever, a set of 7 stamps. 

If you have come here from {Kami Welter’s blog}, you’re in the right place! There are more than 70 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.

Off we go!

I don’t know about you, but I am madly in love with the Chalk It Up paper pack! It is definitely one of my favorites from Annual Inspirations.

For September my swap group was given the challenge of using Chalk It Up with all its doodles and stars and such with the Family is Forever Stamp of the Month. My personal assignment was to make a card with said paper and stamps. This took some thinking!

I felt like the flower in the stamp set was too small for the paper I’d decided to use, so I embossed the Flaxen cardstock to give it some texture. To bring a sense of cohesiveness to everything, I sponged the edge of the black scallop circle with White Daisy ink, edge distressed the Lagoon square with the Micro-tip Scissors, very lightly sanded the edge of the dotted B&T (patterned paper), and sanded across all the stripes in the Flaxen cardstock to bring out some of the white core.

Even though I thought the flower stamp was too small to use as a flower on my card, I did think it would make the perfect center for a flower. I cut flower shapes from the Art Philosophy cartridge, stamped the small flower on White Daisy cardstock, and then cut it out before adhering it to the center of the Cricut flowers. I used my embossing tool and push pad to curl the petals to give them some dimension.

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

S1409 Family is Forever stamp set
X7184B Chalk It Up Paper Packet
Z2163 White Daisy Exclusive Inks stamp pad (pigment-based)
Z2012 Sequins Gold Assortment 
Z1988 Black Striped Twill
Z1960 Stripe Embossing Folder
Z1294 Sanding Kit
Z697 Round Sponge
Z1836 Non-Stick Micro-tip Scissors
Z2046 Piercing & Embossing Tool Kit
Z1686 Cricut© Art Philosophy Collection

Now “Hop” on over to {Priscilla Gotham’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, this exclusive stamp set is only available through September 30th! Click here to order yours today!

Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - August: What a Hoot

Welcome to the Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! This month we’re featuring the August set What a Hoot, a set of 17 stamps. 

If you have come here from Haley Dyer’s blog, you’re in the right place! There are more than 60 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.

Off we go!

When I was a kid my aunt loved owls, so every time I see one I think of her. They’re one of those once-popular icons that has come back around again, and I think this stamp set is just so darn cute!

With each new catalog my monthly swap group changes things up a bit. For the next six months each member has to use the same assigned paper packet with that month’s Stamp of the Month set. Our swap leader has given us some really challenging combinations this time. The paper packet for August was Wanderful. It has fun designs featuring travel themes. What? Travel themes with an owl stamp set? That’s right!

The other part of my particular assignment for August was to use a 3-D shape from one of our Cricut cartridges. After giving all of this some thought and perusing the Cricut shape booklets, I decided I wanted to go with a party theme. I used the cake/pie box on Artiste. These are so easy to put together!

I stamped the owl image on both the polka dot paper and the paper with the graph paper design. Then I cut out the area around the eyes and the tummy from the graph paper pattern and glued them down in the appropriate areas on the polka dot pieces. I used one of our new ShinHan Touch Twin Markers to give the eyes a touch of color.

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

S1408 What a Hoot stamp set
X7191B Wanderful Paper Packet
44751 Archival Black Exclusive Inks stamp pad
Z1985 Gold Shimmer Trim
Z2459 Pastel Green ShinHan© Touch Twin© Marker
Z1790 Cricut© Artiste Collection

Now “Hop” on over to Michelle Johns' 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, this exclusive stamp set is only available through August 31st! Click here to order yours today!

Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - July: Circus Alphabet

Welcome to the Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! This month we’re featuring the July set Circus Alphabet, a set of 68 stamps. 

If you have come here from Kami Welter’s blog, you’re in the right place! There are more than 50 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.

Off we go!

Who doesn't love to doodle? That’s why I think this stamp set is so cute. It’s made up of doodled letters and numbers! That being said, I wanted to use a paper that was fun and whimsical like these letters are. It only took me a moment to choose the floral pattern from the Lollydoodle papers. 

Using the Art Philosophy cartridge I cut a flower from Juniper cardstock and then cut the coordinating layer from White Daisy cardstock. The Chocolate Woodgrain Washi Tape coordinated perfectly with some of the flower centers in the paper, so I applied it to the center of the Juniper flower before attaching the white flower. I cut leaves from both Pear cardstock and the Green Glitter Paper with the Artiste cartridge and tucked them under the flower.

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

S1407 Circus Alphabet stamp set

X7183B Lollydoodle Paper Packet

1385 White Daisy cardstock

X5752 Juniper cardstock

Z1847 Green Glitter Paper

Z2165 Juniper Exclusive Inks stamp pad

Z1930 Chocolate Woodgrain Washi Tape

Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

Z1851 Scallop Border Punch

Z1686 Cricut© Art Philosophy Collection

Z1790 Cricut©  Artiste Collection

Now “Hop” on over to Dawn Ross’ 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, this exclusive stamp set is only available through July 31st! Click here to order yours today!

Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - April: Balloon Talk

Welcome to the Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! This month we’re featuring the April set Balloon Talk, a set of 24 stamps.

If you have come here from Sheila Bennett’s blog, you’re in the right place! There are more than 50 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.

Off we go!

Part of my inspiration for this card was a challenge I took up for Lent. I did give something up, but not in the traditional sense. What I gave up was hanging on to the dozens and dozens of swap cards I’ve collected over the years. I’ve been sending a card a day to a friend or family member. There is nothing better than sending happy mail!

So how did this inspire me in the creation of this swap card? Well, I really never saw the importance of cards that say “I miss you” until I started sending out these cards. Not all of my friends or family members live near me. How nice it will be to send them a card that tells them I miss them. I miss living near them and being able to do things together. Great inspiration for a card!

I chose the new Lollydoodle paper for its fun and colorful palette. I paired it with the Chevron embossing folder to give the piece of Cotton Candy cardstock some texture. I cut out the bubble for the “hello it’s me” on the Cricut® and hand-cut the other two.

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

S1404 Balloon Talk stamp set

X7183B Lollydoodle Paper Packet

1385 White Daisy cardstock

Z2193 Cotton Candy Exclusive Inks stamp pad

Z2165 Juniper Exclusive Inks stamp pad

Z2164 Sorbet Exclusive Inks stamp pad

Z1925 Chevron Embossing Folder

Z1807 Pink Glitter Gems

Z1686 Cricut® ArtisteCollection

Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

9042 Make It from Your Heart Volume 2

Now “Hop” on over to Maria Myers' blog to see her work, and be sure to visit each consultant’s blog to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas! Don’t forget, this exclusive stamp set is only available through April 30th! Click here to order yours today!

Floating Your Fancy

I LOVE these project ideas! Fast, simple, easy, and beautiful!

Get the most out of Close To My Heart's Cricut® Artbooking cartridge with these fun home décor ideas. Create decorative floating frames and functional message boards quickly and easily. Contact me for more information.

Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - March: Happy Place

Welcome to the Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! This month we’re featuring the March set Happy Place, a set of 7 stamps. If you have come here Dana Kessler’s blog, you’re in the right place! There are more than 50 independent Close to My Heart consultants sharing artwork made using the Stamp of the Month and other great Close to My Heart products. 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.

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.

Off we go!

This month I was able to make one card for two projects – the Blog Hop and my team swap – as my swap assignment was to use the Stamp of the Month. The real challenge came in using the assigned paper pack, which was Skylark.

So how do you take organic patterned papers and mix them with a whimsical and cheery stamp set? You use a sentiment and some Cricut shapes, that’s how! I wanted to use the house shape from the Art Philosophy cartridge, but it was too squat to leave it as is so I used Cricut® Craft Room to elongate and change the width. 

Standard house shape

The result was three different houses in different colors. To make each of them more unique I used our awesome new embossing folders to create texture. I inked direct-to-paper with the Sweet Leaf ink pad on the white house.

Houses modified in Cricut Craft Room

Houses after embossing

I knew I needed to stamp my sentiment on something other than a rectangle to create more interest, which is why I went with an oval. I sponged the edge with Chocolate ink to add dimension between the houses (especially the white one) and the sentiment piece. The houses are attached with adhesive, but I used 3-D Foam Tape to attach the sentiment since it was already popped up due to the embossing on the houses.

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

S1403 Happy Place stamp set

X7177B Skylark Paper Packet

1385 White Daisy cardstock

X5643 Chocolate cardstock

X5666 Twilight cardstock

Z2153 Sweet Leaf Exclusive Inks stamp pad

Z2111 Chocolate Exclusive Inks stamp pad

Z1960 Stripe Embossing Folder

Z1926 Quatrefoil Embossing Folder

Z1806 Green & Blue Epoxy Bubbles

Z1686 Cricut® Art Philosophy Collection

Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

Now “Hop” on over to Michelle Loncar’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! Don’t forget, this exclusive stamp set is only available through March 31st! Click here to order yours today!

Cloud Nine and Stella Cards

As you may remember, Close to My Heart offered a fun card kit called Cloud Nine for National Papercrafting Month in January. I recently had a chance to sit down and put my cards together (I'd cut the paper weeks ago), and while I was at it, I decided to cut a second set using different paper because I really like the card patterns. I chose the retired Stella paper packet, partially because it had two of the same colors in it (Lagoon and Sunset) as the Cloud Nine. I used my Cricut to cut additional shapes for the sentiments, and I was ready to go!

I had originally thought I'd use the same Gold Polka Dot Washi Tape that came with the Cloud Nine kit, but once I started putting the cards together I decided the Smoothie Striped Washi Tape would work better. I love how both sets came out!

1

The other thing I did was use the Cloud Nine B&T scraps to make five additional cards. I had mistakenly cut some square White Daisy card bases that were supposed to be Colonial White, so they needed used up as well. 

These cards were all so much fun to make, and I am always happy when I actually use something up and don't have extras to add to my stash!