Crafts

Whale and baby cards!

2019-09-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

I know, it doesn't sound like whale and baby cards should overlap... but somehow they did this time. I needed a few more baby cards, so I was making those first.

Then I had this cute little whale stamp set by Technique Tuesday, Wendell the Whale. So I made a cute little baby card with it.

That one turned out so cute, and I felt that I had enough baby cards for now... so I decided to make whale cards from all the other sentiments available. Be prepared!

Seriously, how cute are those!?!

Enjoy, Dani

More Cards!

2019-02-27T16:04:00.002-08:00

I recently got a new stamp set by Technique Tuesday called Cheeky Chicken. :-) I finally got some time to sit down and play around with it and make some cards. This set cracks me up! Ha-ha!

I used one of each sentiment, but I then figured since Kenny said we were short Thank You cards... I should probably make some of those. So I put the silly, fun stamp set aside and made a variety of thank yous.

Then while I was looking for a certain thank you sentiment, I found this cute little pinata stamp set. I got distracted and just had to make a card with it too. You always need birthday cards, right?

I also did my very first applique sewing project. Delaney said she'd like another pillow for her dorm room and found a design she liked on Pinterest. I sort of copied it best I could with the supplies I had on hand. It is pretty cool to be able to make something nice just out of leftover scraps! :-)

Posting these makes me want to make something again! We are in the middle of some house improvements, so I'm not sure if I will have time or not... but I do know it would sure make me feel better (I hate the mess!!!). :-)

Dani

Latest Craft Efforts!

2018-09-14T14:27:00.003-07:00

Aaaah, summertime -- no schedule, homework, etc. It was soooo nice. I got more sleep, enjoyed hanging out with both of my kiddos, did a lot of reading, played video games, and just had more time to relax. It is hard to believe that it is over already.

This summer I was trying to learn more about sewing as well as keep organizing/inventorying my craft room. So my crafty time has been harder to come by, but I did manage to accomplish a few projects. First, I did A LOT of mending and altering clothes. Definitely have to say that this is not my favorite aspect of sewing... however necessary it is.

I did manage a few fun projects however. I shared earlier the mini quilt I made myself on my birthday with my BFF on our Family Blog. At the time, I was trying to keep this blog more CTMH-oriented and didn't share it here. As I am no longer a consultant, that impediment is gone. So, I'll go ahead and share it again here.

I loved how it turned out, so I decided to make Delaney one for her room at school. (I was bound and determined to take a break from the mending and do something fun!) I incorporated the number 22 in the design, since that is the soccer number she has at Parkside. The base colors were black and white, which is the predominate color scheme of her room and I threw in as many little extras as I could from existing fabric I had here at home. I thought it turned out really cute.

She sent me a picture of it hanging in her room after she got it. (Her dad dropped it off with other goodies at an away game for her.)

As far as organizing my craft stuff goes, I have been trying to go through bins, boxes, baskets -- you name it, and organizing things together. I have also been inventorying things as I've been going through things with Evernote. I *love* it. I have all my acrylic stamps organized in there, and it is so easy to type in a keyword and see sets that match to select from, and then find exactly where the set is located. I have also gotten through my punches, dry embossing stencils, and even my old wooden sets. I still have a lot more things to get through, but I'm getting there. I also pulled out the many handmade cards I had everywhere and put them in one place, organized by theme to easily find a card when needed. That took a lot longer than I thought it would, but I finally finished them all up.

One other big project that I finished up was I made my first quilt! I used reclaimed denim and soccer fleece to make a rag quilt. I even had a little helper most of the time while I was working on it. It was basically, "Oh, you're working on this here? I shall sit on it." He's so cute, that he can get away with it too. He would usually fall asleep so I was trying to carefully work around him in a tiny area -- as he takes up most of the table.

The thing that took the longest wasn't the actual assembly of the quilt. It was all the cutting of the squares! I couldn't believe how long it took just to cut squares. The denim was really hard on my rotary blade too; it completely dulled it. I had to order new blades. But once I finally got through cutting all the squares, the actual assembly wasn't too bad. Delaney helped me lay out all the squares, to make sure that I had the different denim colors spread out nicely. Then I simply had to sew all the squares together row by row, then attach all the rows together. After everything was together, cutting all the seams was a tad tedious -- but then it was finished! Ta-dah!

It is currently on the futon in the soccer room -- a perfect match. All that denim makes for one heavy quilt too, I think it will be nice and toasty in the winter months.

I have a bigger "want to do" list than I actually have time to do. So I guess time will tell what I actually get to next.

Dani

Making Cards Again!

2018-06-12T20:26:00.002-07:00

I guess I haven't officially put anything on the blog, so I will do that here now. As of this past April 1st, I am no longer a consultant with Close To My Heart. I have loved being a part of their company and their products for quite a while now, but with my illness things were just slowly coming to this decision. Thanks for being such great customers and keep in touch!

Now that that is out of the way, I will still be using this blog to post crafty stuff. Recently, I have been on an organizational and cataloging kick with all my craft supplies. I have been using Evernote for a while now. I started with my stamp sets and was so happy with the results, that I have been slowly adding in more and more supplies when I can get to it. I have a couple of bins filled with old projects of all types. Whether it was from a convention, a customer ordered but didn't actually pick up the packet, or something I never finished... they all went in these bins. I have decided it was time to start working through them.

So, I pulled out three old packages of card kits and went to town with them. I decided to use whatever stamps I wanted with them, so I would have a better variety of finished cards to utilize. I got to play with some new cat stamp sets I hadn't had the opportunity to use yet, as well as drag out a bunch of older sets too.

It was a lot of fun making these. Having everything pre-cut made it really quick to whip out all these cards. I wonder what I will be able to drag out of the Old Projects bin next?
Dani

New stamp set: Gimme Some Sugar

2018-03-22T12:02:00.004-07:00

Have you checked out the current Seasonal Expressions?

There are some beautiful new paper collections: Chelsea Gardens, Make Waves, Stargazer, and Gimme Some Sugar along with several embellishments and a variety of stamp sets. One of my favorite new sets is C1702 Gimme Some Sugar - Cardmaking. (You can even get the set with a coordinating set of dies.) Here are a few cards that I made with the set.

Keeping this card clean and simple, I randomly stamped the background with all the cooking images in Heather ink. Then I cut out a heart and coordinating scallop with my Cricut and stamped the sentiment "baked with love." For a final touch, I added a few Bashful Pearls as accents.

Since I always seem to run out of Thank You cards, I loved the "grateful for you" sentiment. Using the new Gimme Some Sugar collection, I added a piece of the printed paper on the bottom -- wrapping it with a ribbon from the Basics ribbon collection. Then I stamped the grater on top with the sentiment.

I also played with the cute little oven mitt. I stamped, colored and cut out the mitt and attached it to a Lemon background. Then wanting to use a different color scheme -- I pulled out the new Nutmeg color and made my own striped accent attaching it on the bottom with a thin strip of the Nutmeg n bottom. Then I used the adorable sentiment "I must admitt you're the best." Too cute!

And last but not least, I made a 6"x6" card using the Gimme Some Sugar papers again. I used 2"x2" squares of the patterned paper to set up the grid, then stamped the measuring cups in each corner. I colored each cup in a little bit and attached some thin strips at slightly off angles to give it a more varied look. I finished it off with stamping the sentiment "You always measure up" and adding a few Bashful Pearls.

Don't you love this set? Make sure to get yours ordered while you can. Enjoy!

Dani

From the Heart Special

2017-09-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

September is almost over, and so is your chance to take advantage of this month's special: From the Heart. It took me a while to mess around with my special, but the stamp set is beautiful! The gold foil on the edge of the cards is such a nice touch, and the interactive cards are very unique.

I started out with a color scheme similar to the samples on the instruction sheet. I made one for of the four main sentiments. It is hard to get a good pictures of the cards with the gold foil; they look much prettier in real life.

Then I decided to mess around with a new colors scheme. I pulled some darker colors with purple and teal, and added a lighter green color with the leaves.

And finally, I decided to go with an overall lighter color scheme keeping the colors more pastel. I can't decide which scheme I like better -- they all turned out so pretty. I just wish I knew how to take better photographs with the gold foil!

There are only a few days left in September, if you haven't taken advantage of the special yet -- contact me right away!

Dani

September's stamp of the month set: Feel So Blessed

2017-09-20T15:04:00.002-07:00

Isn't this late season warm weather wonderful? I definitely feel blessed by it, which is perfect for September's stamp of the month set, Feel So Blessed. The set has 26 stamps, including numbers, and thankful sentiments and images. I love the feather image!

This first card is using a striped patterned paper from Falling For You. I stamped, colored, and cut out three feathers. I attached them, then stamped the sentiment 'thanks' directly on the patterned paper. Same with the small hearts, which then I colored in; and finished the card off with some Bronze Sequins and Gold Glitter Gems.

This next card is again using patterned paper from Falling For You, a polka dot design. I cut out several circles in coordinating colors from the pack. I randomly attached them, trimming off any overhanging pieces. Then I stamped the sentiment 'Feel So Blessed' and attached some White Dots to finish it off.

This card is crated using a variety of prints from Falling For You. Red Shimmer Trim was attached between the two background prints. The large leaves were paper pieced out of the larger patterned print, with Feel So Blessed stamped in a circle.

This card is using a print from the Beary Christmas paper pack and a border design from Falling For You. I stamped the sentiments, hearts and leaf design; then colored them in.

This last card is using prints and borders from Beary Christmas again, including one of the Picture My Life designs. The sentiment 'There are so many beautiful reasons to be thankful' was stamped then colored in with a couple strips of White Shimmer trim for accent.

Enjoy!
Dani

Disaster Relief Set - Stronger Together

2017-09-11T13:42:00.002-07:00

Close To My Heart has prepared a stamp set, specifically designed to benefit those affected by disasters (such as the recent hurricanes and wildfires in the United States). The stamp set is titled Stronger Together (C1716) and features a variety of sentiments that can be used for comfort, encouragement, and more.

This C-size set is available for purchase now. The proceeds from the sale of this set will be donated to the Red Cross, which provides relief efforts to multiple disasters – and will allocate the funds where they are needed most. ALL OF THE PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED TO THE RED CROSS.

I would love to encourage sales of this set, so for a limited time I am offering 20% off any other CTMH products ordered with this set.* With the new Annual Inspirations and Seasonal Expressions just going live – this is a wonderful opportunity to knock several brand-new items off of your wish list!

Get in touch with me this week to take advantage of this offer soon, offer ends this week!
Dani

*Order must contain the disaster relief set Stronger Together C1716 (ineligible for discount), with all other CTMH products eligible for the 20% off offer ordered at the same time. This offer expires Sunday, September 17 at midnight CST. Orders must be placed through Danielle Benich, CTMH Independent Consultant in order to receive the 20% discount.

Open House Artwork!

2017-08-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

For those of you unable to make it to the Open House, we missed you! And I wanted to share the artwork on display at the Open House, so everyone could see it. My daughter, once again, took pictures of everything for me -- :'( definitely going to miss her away at college. To check out the new Idea Books online, go here, and contact me to get your very own copy!

And here were the two free make-n-takes that were available:

Enjoy!
Dani

August's Stamp of the Month set: School Year

2017-08-04T18:59:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone else is enjoying their summer as much as we are -- my only concern is how fast it seems to be slipping away! I got to make some samples with the stamp of the month set for August: School Year. Perfect timing, with school right around the corner! Before I tell a bit about each one, I have to thank my daughter, Delaney, for taking some super great photos of my cards for me. :-)

This first card is using some patterned paper from the Jack paper packet. I loved the little pencil stamp, and it made me think of our Framework Alphabet set. I added the little heart trio and a few accents... so cute!

This next card is using a patterned print from the No Worries paper packet. The sentiment is from the This & That set. My kids may need this encouragement as one heads off to college and the other off to high school!!!

This last card is using a few prints from the Jack paper packet again. I decided I didn't want to color my pencils yellow again, so I made them gray and red instead. Pencils are all colors and designs now, right?

I guess my next post will probably be AFTER school has started up, so hopefully I can keep up with everything.

Enjoy!
Dani

July's stamp of the month set: Storybook Alphabet

2017-07-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

Well, my daughter is officially graduated from high school! We have survived senior photos, the grad party, and pre-college events. Maybe things can calm down around here slightly. :-) This month is an exciting time for Close To My Heart: Stampaganza is back! Not only can you buy 2 stamp sets and get 1 free (the third set is of equal or lesser value), but CTMH also brought back a collection of popular sets back for this month only!!! Make sure to check everything out!

I even had time to make a few samples with the stamp of the month set for July: Storybook Alphabet. This is a super cute alphabet set, with decorative capital letters -- perfect for adding your own color touches. I decided to try to showcase the new paper packets, available in the current Seasonal Expressions, as well.

This first card is using the new No Worries paper packet. What a great name for this packet; I love it! I used several prints from there, as well as the new coordinating No Worries sequins.

This next card is using the new Jack paper packet. I used a single print with a coordinating border from the packet. I stamped each letter on a coordinating piece of cardstock, then stamped the 'way to go' message from a stamp set included with the Cricut Flower Market collection.

And finally, since it seems we are always running out of these, I turned the last one into a birthday card. This one is using the new Prickly Pear paper packet. With bright, vibrant colors it was a great match for celebrating a birthday. I stamped the 'birthday' message from the Happy To Be Friends stamp set.

The only paper packet that I didn't showcase is Little Dreamer. So here is a cute little card from corporate to share:

With Stampaganza going on this month, it is a great time to get those stamp sets on your want list! Make sure to get you order in before July is over!

Enjoy!
Dani

April's Stamp of the Month set: Flock Together

2017-04-13T18:36:00.002-07:00

I feel like we are being teased with the occasional warm weather here and there. I am so ready for it to get warm and just stay warm! We had a wonderful family Spring Break vacation; the weather down in Florida was phenomenal when we were there. It felt so wrong to leave such lovely weather. April's Stamp of the Month set, Flock Together, is a cute little set of 11. With an adorable little bird family, delightful sentiments, hearts and more... this set is perfect for celebrating family and friendships.

For this first card, I started out with some Kraft cardstock for the background. Then I stamped a row of the baby birds on the bottom in Chocolate ink. Also in Chocolate, I stamped the sentiment "You are the best" from Finding the Words. Then I stamped another baby bird on White Daisy, colored with markers, trimmed it out and attached it to the top center. I added just a touch of shimmer with the Shimmer brush on the bird's breast. Finishing it off, I added some White Dots to highlight the sentiment.

For this next card, I used a print from the Sugar Rush paper packet. Using colors from that set, I stamped the scallop border in Pomegranate, Canary, Sea Glass, Tangerine, Whisper and Raspberry inks creating a striped pattern of scallops. I stamped the sentiment on Tangerine with Pomegranate ink, then I stamped and colored the birds, trimmed and attached to the bottom -- and topped it all off with a few Sequins.

I went back to the Kraft Cardstock for the background again, using a few prints from the Dreamin' Big paper packet. Then I stamped the hearts and two large birds, then colored and added some shimmer with the Shimmer brush. I stamped the circle sentiment "love this" in multiple colors and attached along with some gold glitter gems.

For this last card, I used some different prints from the Dreamin' Big paper packet. Then I stamped the large bird and colored him with a variety of colors. I wanted him to be extremely colorful, then I added some shimmer over the entire bird with both brushes: Clear and Gold. I wanted that bird to shine! Then I stamped some hearts and the sentiment "You are Fabulous" from the So Many Smiles set.

The shimmer looks so good IRL, but it is so hard to take a good picture and be able to see it well. I tried to take a close-up so you could see it better:

This set is too cute! Don't miss out and make sure that you get your order in before April is over.

Dani

March's Stamp of the Month set: Tea-rrific

2017-03-04T19:52:00.000-08:00

Finally! Coming later this month is the first day of Spring, March 20th. It makes me feel better to know that the start of some warmer weather is hopefully coming sometime soon. :-) March's Stamp of the Month set, Tea-rrific, is looking ahead as well with a variety of sentiments -- including one for Happy Mother's Day. The set of 11 is also filled with tea cups, a tea bag and a flower.

This first card is using a polka-dot print from the Whimsy Fundamentals collection paper pieced for the teacup. The remainder of the card was colored in with markers. All the stamping was done in Cocoa ink, except for the "steam" lines stamped in Cashmere.

This next card has Kraft cardstock in the background, with the flower random stamped in Chocolate with all the flowers colored with markers. The glitter paper is Sea Glass, the new color of the year, with the tea cup paper pieced with a pattern from the Adventure Fundamentals collection. The teacup and sentiment is stamped in Chocolate, with a ribbon used from the Rustic Home pack.

This card is using a lovely floral print from the Hello Lovely packet along with a striped print from the Whimsy Fundamentals collection. The cardstock for the teacup is Flaxen, stamped with Fern. The tea bag is also colored with markers and attached with embroidery floss. The ribbon is Blush Shimmer ribbon.

This last card is using a colorful polka-dot print from the Dreamin' Big packet, which set the color scheme. The background has Kraft and Slate cardstock. All the stamping is done in Slate, with the teacups and flower colored with marker. The flower has a sequin embellishment from the Dreamin' Big sequins.

Don't you love the little teacups? So darn cute! Make sure to get your order in during March!

Dani

February's Stamp of the Month set: Easter Bunny

2017-02-02T16:17:00.002-08:00

Let's think ahead to lovely warmer weather and Easter! February's Stamp of the Month set, Easter Bunny, is perfect for this. This set of 12 has flowers, eggs, bunnies, and coordinating sentiments; it is hard to go wrong with that.

This first card is using a prints from the Enchantment and Adventure Fundamentals sets along with Kraft and White Daisy. All the stamping was done in Chocolate ink, with the banner from the Cricut Artistry Collection. The love and XOXO sentiment is from the Friendly Wishes stamp set. Everything else was colored in with markers.

This next card is using a couple of prints from the new Sugar Rush paper packet with some of the new Sugar Rush dots for accents. All the stamping was done in Saddle ink, with the thought bubble cut out from the Cricut Artistry Collection again. Everything else was colored with markers.

This card is using prints from the Hello Lovely paper packet (love this pack!). All the stamping was done in Desert Sand, and the dress was paper pieced with yet another print from the same pack; everything else was colored with markers.

This last card is using a few prints from the Sugar Rush paper packet and some Sugar Rush dots again. The stamping was done in Cocoa and Emerald, with the ribbon from the Adventure Ribbon Pack and everything else was colored with markers. Too cute!

It's such a charming stamp set, make sure to get your order in during February!

Enjoy! Dani

January's Stamp of the Month set: Adore You

2017-01-11T15:03:00.001-08:00

The last few weeks have been rough! Sickness, more sickness, holiday stuff, school catch-up work, birthdays, high school dance, finals... ugh. We are definitely due for a break; and I am completely exhausted. Now that everyone is finally well and pretty much caught up at school, I am hoping that this extended weekend gives us all a chance to recover.

I was, however, able to squeeze out a few minutes to make some cards with the current stamp of the month set, Adore You. This set of 12 has beautifully illustrated hearts and flowers with romantic script sentiments. It was so nice to be able to sit down, be creative and do something that I enjoyed. I was also able to use some of the new paper packs available in the new Seasonal Expressions, Jan.-Apr. 2017. You can check it out online or get in touch with me to pick up your copy.

This first card has a paper pieced heart; I used a diagonal striped print from the Whimsy Fundamentals set with the rest colored in markers. I stamped all the images with Slate, except for the sentiment which was in Pomegranate.

This next card is a print from the new Some Kinda Wonderful pack. I took advantage of the large circle print as the base of the design. I stamped the small flower in black on all of the colored circles, in various directions -- leaving one open. On the open one, I stamped the 'thank you' sentiment. Then I stamped the small heart in black multiple times, cut them out and attached them over all the black and white circles. Then I just dressed it up, messily coloring the inside of the small flowers and adding a touch of the Shimmer Brush and finishing it up with a border on the bottom.

This card is using prints from what I think is my favorite new paper pack right now: Hello Lovely. I did all the stamping in Fern, then the rest was colored in with markers. These prints and colors are so pretty together -- just love them!

This last card has the flower designs stamped in Desert Sand, then colored in with markers. I used the new Shimmer Brush in Gold to add some accents to the center of the flowers. The sentiments are stamped in Eggplant and Tangerine.

So much fun! I love being able to color the stamps in with fun and different color combinations. It is a lovely stamp set, make sure to get your order in before January is over.

Enjoy! Dani

December's Stamp of the Month set: Thoughtful Flowers

2016-11-29T17:31:00.001-08:00

It's December! Can you believe it? The last month of 2016, where does the time go? I found a few moments to finish up some art for December's stamp of the month set, Thoughtful Flowers, in between all the holiday preparations. This set of 14 is filled with artistic, hand-drawn flowers and several coordinating sentiments - so pretty! It was a nice break from everything, hopefully I can find more time for crafty projects. :-)

I started out pretty simple, random stamping the background with one color Cashmere. Then I stamped the sentiment on a mini banner in Cocoa, and added two Cocoa strips on top.

This next card is playing around with some bright colors for the background, finished off with a strip of Green Shimmer Trim.

Using Swan Lake papers, this card has a few paper pieced flowers with the polka dot ribbon from the Rustic Home Ribbon pack as accents along with Silver Sequins.

Then I decided it was time to play around with coloring in the flowers! I made some quick masks out of paper, so I could stamp a few flowers together in one cluster on Kraft cardstock. Then I carefully colored in the flowers and used papers from the Enchanted Fundamentals paper pack.

And, last but not least, keeping in the holiday spirit, I made a Christmas card. Using masks again, I created a cluster of poinsettas and carefully colored them in. Using another ribbon from the Rustic Home Ribbon pack with another paper from the Enchanted Fundamentals paper pack. For a pop of color, I put a small strip of Cranberry cardstock behind the ribbon and made a quick tag for the sentiment.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and may we all find time for some craftiness amidst all the holiday craziness.

Enjoy!
Dani

November's Stamp of the Month set: New Year's Cheer

2016-11-03T13:57:00.001-07:00

As quickly as it seems October went by, it's easier to think that the New Year will be here before we know it. November's Stamp of the Month set, New Year's Cheer, is all ready to help you celebrate. The set has 13 stamps with delightful images and sentiments perfect for your end of the year festivities. Here are a few cards to share:

This first card is using a pattern from Rustic Home Fundamentals as the background. The color scheme is using a few of the new colors: Blossom, Emerald, and Lemon with a little bit of Cocoa ink as well. The new colors pop off the page, so pretty against the background. I also used markers to color the Clear Sparkles to match (alcohol-based markers).

The new ink pads are so easy to use and open; I can't wait until you try them out. If you missed checking them out at the Open House or didn't notice them in the new Idea Book -- the new stamp pads come with improved magnetic closures. So easy to open and use! I know you will love them.

This next card is using a pattern from the Oh Deer! collection. The stamping was done with Slate and Sea Glass (our new Color of the Year). I love how those colors look together, so pretty. I even "rimmed" the glass with some salt or sugar by cutting a thin strip of our White Shimmer trim and added to the top of the glass. Too cute!

I love the new Color of the Year feature in our Idea Book. Sea Glass is our first new trendy color, available for this Idea Book only. It is a fabulous color, make sure to check it out and get it while you can. It is available in stamp pads, re-inkers, cardstock, mini pigment pads, and glitter paper.

For the last card, I used yet another print from the Oh Deer collection going with a Raspberry, Whisper and Black color scheme. If you paid close attention, I even added some "beverages" inside the glasses with markers on all the cards. For this one, I had to be careful to adjust the liquid inside on the tilted glass.

I think I am always ready for the New Year. It means all the holiday hoopla and craziness associated with Christmas is done and over, and it is just time to play some games and have fun with family.

Enjoy!
Dani

October's Stamp of the Month set: Yuletide Joy

2016-10-04T11:37:00.012-07:00

I know that it can be hard to think of it now, but let's try to get in a festive mood and think of the upcoming holidays. October's Stamp of the Month set, Yuletide Joy, is perfect for helping us with our holiday projects. This set has 7 stamps, with adorable doodle-like designs of a stocking, gift, star and bell with coordinating sentiments. I have a few cards to share!

The first card is using a patterns from the Oh Deer! collection. The star was stamped in Slate ink, with the sentiments stamped in Saffron and Desert Sand. The flower in the star and stars on the border strip were colored in with markers and a few sequins added to finish off the card.

This next card is using a pattern from the City Sidewalks collection. The bell was stamped in Archival Black ink and colored with the smallest paintbrush and our Watercolor paints. When it was dry, I added some shimmer with the Shimmer brush. I love that thing, can you tell? I attached some of the Black & Gold ribbon as accents, with the sentiment "happy holidays" from the Short & Sweet set.

Here is a close-up of the shimmer accents.

This next card is using a pattern from the City Sidewalks collection again as well as a pattern from the Oh Deer collection. The stocking was stamped in Ruby ink on Ruby cardstock, with parts colored in with marker and the paper pieced top stamped on White Daisy. The sentiment "Merry Christmas" was also stamped in Ruby ink under the banner with several sequins added along with some stitching for accents.

For this last card, I decided that while the gift could obviously be used with holiday designs, it can also easily be used for other present giving occasions. A diagonal-striped design in Saffron was used from the Enchantment collection with Cranberry and Cocoa cardstock. I stamped the gift and the sentiment "happy" in Cocoa ink with "birthday" in Cranberry ink from the Happy to Be Friends set. The stars and confetti were from the Happy for You set, stamped in Saffron. Then I colored in parts of the gift and confetti with markers.

Enjoy!
Dani

Happy World Cardmaking Day!

2016-10-01T16:09:00.001-07:00

Happy World Cardmaking Day, everyone! Here is some artwork to share in honor of the day. These were cards that I had out for the Open House.

This first card is using the new Swan Lake collection, featured in the Holiday Expressions. The flower and jar cut-out are from the new Cricut Flower Market Collection. I love the layered flowers that are available shown here, one push of the button and it cuts out all your layers. The leaf pattern on the bottom, is from one of the sets in the Flower Market Collection as well. The sentiment is from the Finding the Words set. I added a sequin as the center of the flower.

This next is a pattern from the new Rustic Home Fundamentals, with the fish and sentiment from the Hooked on You set. The fish and water was colored with markers, and then I added some strategic sparkles with the new Shimmer Brush. It's hard to take a good photograph of it, so I took a close-up to hopefully see it better. Then I sponged the edges of the top to give it a distressed look.

This is a sweet little card using another flower from the new Cricut Flower Market Collection using the colors Flaxen, Fern and Saffron with White Daisy for the flower petals. The background was stamped with the mini set Dandy with the sentiment from one of the sets included with the Flower Market Collection. The ribbon is from the new Rustic Home Ribbon Pack.

Think festive holidays with this next card. This is another layered flower from the new Cricut Flower Market Collection with prints from the new City Sidewalks collection. The sentiment on the tag was stamped from the Short & Sweet set.

Gold and Black, two colors that always look good together. The polka dot vellum on the bottom is from Uptown Fundamentals. The gold vellum die-cut message bubble is from the Good Life Complements.

Yet another cute flower from the new Cricut Flower Market Collection using a print from the new Adventure Fundamentals. The smiley face was from the Emojis set with a sentiment from the So Many Smiles set. Cute and simple!

I stamped the Wreath first, with a sentiment inside from one of the sets included in the Cricut Artistry collection, then carefully cut out the left side as shown. The stamping was done with Flaxen, and all the leaves where colored by marker. The wood print is another from the Rustic Home Fundamentals.

More festive holidays! A variety of prints from City Sidewalks were used with the Framework Alphabet set for the "joy" sentiment. Finishing it off with shimmer trim in Red, Green and Black.

How about cute, adorable monsters? This card is using patterns from Jeepers Creepers, with a smiley face and small sentiments from the Emojis set as well as a sentiment from a set included with the Cricut Flower Market collection.

Yet another layered flower from the new Cricut Flower Market Collection using a print from the new Memo Fundamentals. The sentiment is from a set included with the Cricut Flower Market collection with a ribbon from the Rustic Home Ribbon pack.

Here's a graduation card to share! Using a print from the new Adventure Fundamentals with stamps from Diploma Day and Woodland Critters. I colored the owl in a bit with markers and added some sequins as a final touch.

And last, but not least, here's a little "just because" card. I stamped the leaves from the Lovely Leaves set in Chocolate ink on Kraft cardstock for the background. The leaves were then colored in with markers. The sentiment is from the Happy to Be Friends set.

Enjoy World Card Making Day!
Dani

What To Make After You've Put Your Create Kindness Cards Together!

2016-09-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

Just for a few more days, you can take advantage of Close To My Heart's fantastic special: Create Kindness.

It is a phenomenal special with everything you need to create 24 beautiful, handmade cards: 24 pre-printed card bases with envelopes, die-cut circles for sentiments, 8 exclusive M-size stamp sets, a 2"x2" acrylic block, an Archival Black mini pigment ink pad -- all packed in a My Acrylix Mini Stamp Organizer.

Some of you already ordered it at the Open House, but I wanted to give one more reminder for everyone else to have a chance to get the kit before it is gone. And... I wanted to share some ideas for what to do AFTER you've made all your cards from the kit. The stamp sets included are delightful and easily adaptable to standard size cards.

For the cards, I also used prints from some of our new fundamentals creative papers: Whimsy, Adventure, and Enchantment on most of the cards. So gorgeous and easy to use!

For this card, I lightly sketched a line to help me stamp the floral bouquet stamp across evenly and easily. Then I simply colored in the flowers, attached the paper overlaying the love sentiment, and adhered the White Shimmer trim. Next I stamped the "love you" sentiment from the Happy To Be Friends set.

With this card, I cut out a message bubble from the Artistry collection. I stamped the "you are special to me" sentiment inside. I colored the word special and added a few heart punches as accents.

I attached the diagonal striped pattern on the bottom of the card, and added a few black "stripes" with cardstock. Then I stamped the "kindness changes everything" sentiment in the top left, colored in the word changes and adhered a few sequins as accents.

With this card, I used the Wreath stamp as a frame. Then I stamped the floral hello stamp inside the wreath, and notched the end like a banner. I carefully colored everything in, then added a lovely shimmer with our new Shimmer Brush. Love it!!! Finally finishing off the card with some White & Gold ribbon.

It's really hard to see the shimmer in the full shot, so here is a close-up. Hopefully it can be seen better here.

This card is using a few of our new colors: Tangerine, Pansy and Willow. I stamped "thank you" from the Short & Sweet set inside the circles on the patterned paper. Then I stamped a leaves background, using one of the stamp sets included with the new Flower Market collection on the Willow cardstock strip. I masked the "smile" sentiment and stamped only the flowers on the circle, colored everything in, then attached the colored circle to a scalloped circle. The colors turned out so bright and pretty -- much better IRL. I had a hard time trying to get the colors right in the photo.

Using the top of the card as a guide, I stamped the daisy-like flower sentiment across the top, colored in a few areas in the flowers, and attached a strip of the polka dot paper just covering the "friend" sentiment. Next I stamped "enjoy the little things" in the bottom right corner, colored the word things, and attached a few Sparkles to finish everything off. I used two of the sets from the kit on this card!

Last but not least, I overlapped two matching circle papers, aligning the circles exactly for the background. Then I stamped "be your kind of beautiful" over a circle and colored in the word kind. Using the So Many Smiles set, I randomly stamped a variety of circle designs in the remaining circles and attached some sequins throughout as accents.

You definitely don't want to miss out on the lovely sets included in this month's special. Make sure to get your order in today!

Enjoy!
~Dani

September's Stamp of the Month: Blessed Beyond Measure & Create Kindness Special

2016-09-01T18:18:00.001-07:00

How can it be September already? That is just crazy!

I have a few cards to share with this month's stamp of the month set: Blessed Beyond Measure. This set has 19 stamps, with fall-themed images and coordinating sentiments. I also used some new papers from the latest Annual Inspirations (Aug 2016 - July 2017).

This first card is using a Saffron colored print from our new versatile Enchantment Fundamentals. I used the Cricut Artbooking Collection to cut the leaves and stamped with Saddle and Ruby Ink on -- alternating the ink colors with the cardstock. Add a few gold sequins and voila!

The next card has a random stamped background with the branches/leaves and branches/berries stamped in Cocoa and Poppy ink on Kraft cardstock. The sentiment is stamped on Poppy cardstock with a ribbon from the new Rustic Home Ribbon pack for decoration.

And this last card is using a print from our new Rustic Home Fundamentals for the background. The pumpkin is also cut with the Cricut cartridge and stamped on the new Tangerine cardstock in Tangerine ink with the stem stamped in Slate ink. The two smaller leaves are again cut out with the Artbooking cartridge and stamped again with Slate ink on Desert Sand and Fern cardstock. I wrapped each of the ribbons from the Rustic Home Ribbon Pack around the bottom and attached the stamped pumpkin and leaves.

The new paper collections are just spectacular! I've been hard at work creating artwork for the upcoming Open House. I can't wait for you guys to see everything. Check your calendar and make sure to keep some time available on Saturday, September 17th from 9am to 1pm.

Also to celebrate National Stamping Month, Close To My Heart has a fantastic special: Create Kindness.

It is a phenomenal special with everything you need to create 24 beautiful, handmade cards: 24 pre-printed card bases with envelopes, die-cut circles for sentiments, 8 exclusive M-size stamp sets, a 2"x2" acrylic block, an Archival Black mini pigment ink pad -- all packed in a My Acrylix Mini Stamp Organizer.

I decided to kick my cards up a notch. I simply used a few extra supplies: black cardstock, white cardstock, markers and watercolors. Since there are 8 sentiment stamps, I used each one 3 times. Here are my cards:

It is a lovely kit; the stamp sets are spectacular. You are definitely not going to want to miss out on this special, make sure to get your order in today!

If you haven't picked up your new Annual Inspirations or Holiday Expressions yet, contact me to pick up a copy or you can get yours at the Open House on Saturday, September 17th from 9am to 1pm.
I can't wait!

Dani

August's Stamp of the Month: Purr-fect Halloween

2016-08-21T16:39:00.002-07:00

So hard to believe that school has started back up again, my "little" kids are now in their last year of high school and last year of middle school. How in the world did that happen?

I was able to get some more craft time to make a few samples with this month's adorable stamp of the month set: Purr-fect Halloween. This fun set has 17 stamps, with delightful images and several coordinating sentiments. I also got to use some of the new paper sets from the upcoming Holiday Expressions!!! For this first card, I used the new Jeepers Creepers collection as well as some of the new colors: Tangerine, Willow and Pansy. All the stamping was done in Black ink, with the images paper pieced. Too cute!

This next card is also using some paper from the new Jeepers Creepers collection. The ink colors used were Whisper, Slate and Black.

With this last card, I used yet another new paper collection: Swan Lake. I created the background with 1" squares of all but one of the patterns. I attached the squares slightly askew on a 6" cardstock piece, then trimmed off all the overlapping edges. Then I used my sewing machine to randomly stitch all the pieces down. Then I paper pieced the rest, with all the stamping done in Slate ink.

I have the new Annual Inspirations here along with the upcoming new Holiday Expressions. If you haven't got your copy yet, get in touch with me to pick yours up. And mark your calendar for Saturday, September 17 for an Open House showcasing artwork from both publications from 9am to 1pm. Enjoy!

Dani

July's Stamp of the Month: From the Notebook

2016-07-05T17:10:00.001-07:00

Hope everyone had a great July 4th weekend! Can you believe the weather? I was wearing jeans, sneakers and a jacket on July 3rd. Too weird. I was able to get some crafty time and make a few samples with July's Stamp of the Month set, From the Notebook. It's a charming little set with some cute little icons and mock office supplies.

The first card is using paper from the new Calypso paper packet as well as the stamp set Feathers with a sentiment from Tickled Pink.

This card is using the new Florence paper packet with a sentiment from Your Own Kind of Wonderful.

And this last card is using the new Magical paper packet with the adorably sweet set Friendly Pets. How cute is that?

Did you see what I did there? I made a sample with each of the new phenomenal paper packets from the Seasonal Expressions, May-August. These paper packs can't be missed out on, so make sure to get yours today! Get one of each paper packet, and you are well on your way to earning the stamp of the month set for only $5! If you haven't picked up your Seasonal Expressions, you can easily check it out online or touch base with me to pick one up. And coming August 1st... our new Annual Inspirations - yeah!

Enjoy!
Dani

June's Stamp of the Month: The Long Way Home

2016-05-31T19:23:00.000-07:00

June's Stamp of the Month set, The Long Way Home, was a surprise set for me. I wasn't sure how I felt about it, but it was a lot of fun to mess around with and has more versatility than I originally believed. Here are some fun cards that I made to share. This first card is using paper from the new Calypso paper packet as well as the Basics Paper Fundamentals. I also used the Hit the Road stamp set.

This card is using the new Calypso paper packet with a sentiment from Wavy Blooms, super quick and simple. The Calypso paper packet is my favorite paper packet from the new Seasonal Expressions -- so cute!

This card is using paper from both the new Magical paper packet and Calypso -- just added some black stamping and cardstock to finish the card off.

This card is using papers from Kaleidoscope; I used the same pastel colors when stamping the van. I even added liquid glass to the windows of the van.

This card is using the Magical paper packet with the stamp set Keyboard Uppercase for the sentiment. I love the background paper, so cute!

How cute is this flamingo paper from Calypso?!? Adorable! I also used the Hit the Road set again along with the Florida set.

Love these cards! The new paper packets are phenomenal; make sure to check them out!

Enjoy! Dani

May's Stamp of the Month: Celebrate with Cake and More!

2016-05-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

May's Stamp of the Month set, Celebrate with Cake, is a set that you can always use. It seems like my kids are always telling me we are out of birthday cards; this handy set can help keep your birthday card supply stocked. Also available in May to celebrate National Scrapbooking Month is the Happy Times special.

With a qualifying purchase of $60, the exclusive Happy Times paper packet is FREE! Or if you prefer, you can simply purchase it for $14.95. There is also an exclusive stamp set Happy Times, designed to go with the paper packet which can be purchased for $17.95. A perfect way to celebrate happy times!

This card is using patterned paper from the Georgie paper packet. A little paper piecing, and voila, the card is finished -- quick, clean and simple.

I was obviously a little late getting my cards online. :-) Here is a Mother's Day card that I made with the Happy Times paper packet. I used the Framework Alphabet set, with the sentiment from the hostess set Say It All.

Here's a cute thank you card made with the new set A Bunch of Love from the second Seasonal Expressions, which went live on May 1st. I love how the gradient on the paper looks behind the random stamping.

Here's another birthday card made with the same set. I stamped and colored the flowers on Kraft cardstock, then paper pieced the banner to have it pop off the page.

For this birthday card, I stamped the candles across the bottom and paper pieced the flowers from the patterned paper on the bottom.

The kids won't be able to complain we're short of birthday cards for a while now. :-) This card, I simply created a layered cake -- paper piecing in coordinating cardstock colors.

For the background, I used a pattern from La Vie En Rose for the background. Then I paper pieced the cake out and had fun coloring.

The gradient in the background is from the Kaleidoscope packet. Then I paper pieced the cake out and colored again.

I used some of the gold foil paper from the Happy Times paper packet on this card. It's hard to get a good picture of that. I stacked up triple layer cake to make a fancy wedding cake for this Just Married card.

For this last card, I used some patterned paper from the new paper packet Florence. I love the colors in this packet: Flaxen, Peacock, Poppy, Ruby, Saffron and Whisper -- so pretty!

Make sure to check out the other new paper packets in the second Seasonal Expressions: Magical and Calypso.

Also, during the month of May, Close To My Heart's amazing My Legacy albums are on sale for 25% off. This is a great time to get a few more albums at a great price!

Make sure to take advantage of all May's specials while you can. :-) Enjoy!
Dani