Close To My Heart: Life is worth...

At Close To My Heart, we believe in capturing and preserving memories and helping you celebrate the relationships that matter most.

His and Hers: A Book for Both

Close To My Heart’s My Crush™ books make great homes for your memorabilia! They come with a variety of beautifully designed papers and provide just the right backdrop for your keepsakes. See them for yourself!

Click here to order yours today!

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!

My Crush™ on Crafting

Close To My Heart’s My Crush™ books make great homes for your memorabilia! They come with a variety of beautifully designed papers and provide just the right backdrop for your keepsakes. See them for yourself!

You can see the rest of the My Crush™ line here.

Spine Expanders for My Legacy™ Post-Bound Albums [US and Canada]

It's Brian!

Close To My Heart’s My Legacy™ post-bound albums have great features, including a nice, finished look for your cherished memories. To top off that look, try using spine expanders between layouts. Curious as to how they work? Take a look at how to assemble your post-bound albums using this nifty product.

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 - 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!

Artbooking Made Easy: Happy Springtime

Add new life to all your layouts, cards, and crafts with the springtime keys on Close To My Heart's Cricut® Artbooking cartridge! The cutouts are perfect for spring-themed projects but versatile enough to accent almost anything. Contact me for more information.

Artbooking Made Easy: Top Secret

The secret is out! We love the Cricut® Artbooking cartridge from Close To My Heart. The shapes on the top-secret--themed mini album keys are perfect for scrapbooking your big ideas and big adventures! Contact me to learn more.

Artbooking Made Easy: Nursery Rhymes

The nursery-themed keys on the Cricut® Artbooking cartridge from Close To My Heart will have you singing nursery rhymes, reliving childhood memories, and reminiscing about your baby's first years. Watch the video to see these two keys in action. Contact me to learn more.

Studio Savings - March 2014

Find out how you can purchase your Studio J™ layouts for only $5 USD/CAD $8 AUD/$10 NZD—over $2 off the regular price!—during the month of March. 

Artbooking Made Easy: Sweet Smiles

Want to make an adorable baby album for yourself or as a gift? Watch the video to see how using the Cricut® Artbooking shapes, icons, and borders to scrapbook memories of your sweet baby will have you grinning from ear to ear! Contact me if you'd like to learn more.

Artbooking Made Easy: Love Is in the Air

Use Close To My Heart's Cricut® Artbooking cartridge to create striking scrapbook pages for your loved ones, from happy couples to loving families to cherub-like babies and so much more! Plus, learn how to create dramatic backgrounds to perfectly complement your love-struck photos.

Artbooking Made Easy: Freedom Layouts (S01E10)

The Cricut® Artbooking cartridge from Close To My Heart has shapes you'll love for your patriotic layouts and cards—and for all celebratory layouts and cards after that! Get great ideas from this video for using the freedom-themed keys to make sparkling titles, photo mats, overlays, and accents for any project.

Artbooking Made Easy: Festive Mini Albums (S01E09)

With the Cricut® Artbooking cartridge from Close To My Heart, your photos will find a cozy home on the pages of a dazzling holiday mini album. Watch the video to gather your own ideas on how to use its themed keys to create merry and bright holiday projects that last.

Artbooking Made Easy: Everyday Layouts (S01E08)

Combine cuts from a variety of themes from Close To My Heart's Cricut® Artbooking cartridge to make original papercrafted masterpieces. Watch the video to kick-start your ideas!

Artbooking Made Easy (S01E06): Designed Décor Flip Stand Album

With the help of the Cricut® Artbooking collection and Designed Décor flip stand album, Close To My Heart will make a home decorator out of you! Watch as simple icons, shapes, and titles from this cartridge are transformed into works of art perfect for display in your home.

Artbooking Made Easy (S01E04): Spooky Halloween Layouts

It's easy to add some creative spook to your projects with the Cricut® Artbooking collection from Close To My Heart. View a few creepy creations and learn how to make your own in this video.

Artbooking Made Easy (S01E03): Summer Mini-Albums

From grilling to swimming, camping, and road-tripping, Close To My Heart makes it easy for you to capture your summer memories in fun, unique mini-albums. See how they're made with the new Cricut® Artbooking collection.

Eight Great How-to Helps

Get the best in scrapbooking and cardmaking inspiration from the blueprints, cutting diagrams, instructions, tips, and full-colour artwork of Jeanette Lynton's how-to publications! Watch the video to see these must-have books and contact me to learn how to get them for yourself.