Sympathy Card with Rose Cut-Outs

Sadly we always need Sympathy cards in life and here is a simply but caring one to share.

I cut my card base at 4 1/4" x 11" and scored it at 5 1/2". The oval was cut on my Cricut, but you can use a big oval die as well and run it through your die-cutting machine.

The red rose overlay was cut from my Close to My Heart exclusive Cricut cartridge. I cut a matching design paper for the inside measuring 4" x 5 1/4" and adhered it in the center of the inside. To make sure your stamped phrase is positioned perfectly inside the oval and above the roses I used the following method:

Close the card and place the rose overlay on the side where you later want to adhere it to. Ink up your phrase and stamp directly through the oval opening. This way the phrase will be see even so the card is not opened. 

Now adhere the rose overlay to the side. Make sure to place adhesive only on to the areas that will adhere to the base front, otherwise you will glue your card shut. Stamp a few leave next to the overlay.







I added two small stripes of black cardstock to the front of the card and decorated it with a few pearls. 


More cards are coming ....

June Constant Campaign - Flash Sale

Flash Sale

June Constant Campaign

News flash! During the month of June, we’re offering great deals on bundles of discounted Close To My Heart products every weekend! Check out my Online Shopping Website each Friday during June to find a new set of bundles. There will be lots to choose from, but you’ll need to snatch them up quick, because they’re only available through the following Monday while supplies last! Bundles will be available at various discount levels and price points throughout the month, so check every weekend to see the new offerings. Remember, these discounts won’t last forever, and some will be gone in a flash, so act quickly to score the best deals!

Dates:
Friday, June 3, 2016 at 3:00 pm (MDT) – Monday, June 6, 2016 at 3:00 pm (MDT)
Friday, June 10, 2016 at 3:00 pm (MDT) – Monday, June 13, 2016 at 3:00 pm (MDT)
Friday, June 17, 2016 at 3:00 pm (MDT) – Monday, June 20, 2016 at 3:00 pm (MDT)
Friday, June 24, 2016 at 3:00 pm (MDT) – Monday, June 27, 2016 at 3:00 pm (MDT)

My "Snowhaven" page kit re-designed

Here is another example of a challenge I put myself into. A few Fridays ago I presented you a re-designed version of my "Brushed" page kit. I had so much fun with the re-design that I tackled another one. You can click HERE to see the original layout I designed with this kit!

This one is a winter scene, yes, in the middle of summer, but I thought this one shows even more how much options you have using one and the same paper pack/ page kit to create two or more completely different layouts.

Like with the "Brushed" one, this "Snowhaven" kit was already pre-cut and stamped. So first I took out all my parts and placed them on each side the way they were intended originally.

I started by moving things around and thinking about how to cut the old picture mats (the big one) into smaller ones. An open window blew a few of my papers around and flipped them over....Wait a second! Yeah, Close to My Heart design papers are all double sided, so why not use the backside of them, right?

Well, and this is what I came up with:

The left page changed quite a bit if you compare it to the original design. I used the big strip on the bottom and tore the paper away from the area the stamped imagine of the two skating kids was. I also cut the big blue and grey cardstock pieces down and converted them into multiple size.

The right page changes as well. Beside using the backsides of each paper, I arranged the the photo mats in a more loose way and added one extra mat that came from the grey piece of the left page. 

I think it is really amazing to see two totally different looking layouts which are based on the same pre-cut page kit, don't you think so? Leave me a comment and let me know which layout would be your favorite and have you ever tried to change a kit? I wold love to hear from you. 

If you have questions, like to check out one of my classes or would love to purchase items seen here on the blog, please contact me!

Stay tuned for more things to come...

A Birthday Card Surprise

Sometimes you want to make something different when you create a birthday card, just like this one:

The cardbase was cut from a 8 1/2" x 11" piece of white cardstock so you end up with two 4 1/4" x 11" pieces.

I scored one at 1 1/2" and 7" and left the other one for the next project.

Fold the card so both scored pieces will meet in the front. 


I used a die to create the little holes on the 4" side of the card, by running the cardbase with the die through my die-cutting machine.

Next I decorated the smaller 1 1/2" flap with some blue and teal cardstock pieces, both decorated with a scalloped edge. I added a piece of white ribbon and adhered the whole flap to the cardbase, leaving about 1/2" open along the blue edge. This is necessary so the bigger flap can later tuck behind it to close the card! A nice "Happy Birthday" greeting goes on the inside.

The rose on the front of the card was cut with the Cricut. I cut it from three different colors of cardstock. The base was cut in dark blue and created a full background and the small edge to the rose. The second lay was cut from teal cardstock and created the inside color. Last was a cut from light blue cardstock that created the detailed image of the rose.

You can adhere all three layers together with regular glue, but this will create a rather flat image. I used thin foam adhesive to adhere all three layers together. This will give the rose just a little more dimension. A few rhinestones will finish off this card.

Please let me know if you have questions or would like to learn how to make your own cards. There is always room for one more in my classes :-)

June Stamp of the Month "The Long Way Home"

Guess what monthly special stamp set is coming in June? It is called "The Long Way Home" (S1606) and is such a cute and whimsical set don't you think?

Oh I love the old VW bus with the little hearts on the side and how about that car? Reminds me of Chevy Chase in National Lampoon Vacation. Just place the bags on top of the car and we are off to Walley World :-)  

For me this is the perfect stamp set for masculine cards as well as for all these vacation photos that still need some embellishment. What would you like to use this set for? 

Well, you can buy the set for regular $17.95 or if you place an order of $50 or more on my website or via email to me, you can get the set for only $5. Awesome deal for a great set, don't you think? 



Please don't hesitate to contact me with your orders or any questions you might have.

My "Brushed" Layout in a re-designed version

Here is a layout that might look familiar to some of you who are following my blog on a regular base. Well it kinda is an old friend restyled a bit if I might say so...

So what do I mean by that. I happen to come across two of my "Brushed" layout kits. I designed these kits a while ago and thought, well, all parts are pre-cut and the design is pretty much done too so what can I do to change things up a little. Well and this is what I came up with:

I took all my parts out of the kit and put them in front of me. I looked at my old design and started to move things around. Suddenly I thought, why not change the left side of my design by cutting the big photo mat in two and cutting the flower paper square on a diagonal. Voila, here is the re-designed left side. All I added extra were these cute little butterflies.

I moved the flower ensemble between the two photo mats and added the black little stitches for the butterflies and the faux stitching around the jounaling block. 




I did leave the right page in tacked, since I really liked the many photo and journaling possibility. Only a few butterflies were added here and some of the black stitching.

Click here to see the original layout and leave me a comment which one you like better and why.

I really liked the little challenge I placed myself into and it was so much fun that I did the same with two more layouts. So stay tuned for more ideas to come...  

Please email me if you have questions or like to explore any of my classes.

Butterfly and Rose Overlay

I am a little behind with our monthly class project presentation, but since we will be on summer break soon, I am sure I will catch up.

Here is one of the cards we made in April and with the help of my awesome Cricut Explore... You didn't think we cut the butterflies and the roses by hand?

This card started with a piece of white cardstock cut a bit smaller than our base. We used the new Close to My Heart "Peacock" ink and a background stamp that looks like a watercolor image.

Next came the hard part...programming my Cricut LOL


First I picked the rose overlay from our Close to My Heart exclusive cartridges and one of the many butterflies that come with the cartridges. I made sure we had a butterfly that had a solid background and a lacy overlay. The butterfly was cut from two different shades of buttercream/ peach!

I placed the green rose overlay with foam dots to the stamped background. This gives it just a little bit more dimension. 
I then adhered the butterfly on top of the overlay. The laced butterfly was placed with two glue dots, located at the body of the butterfly on top of the solid one.

You can adhere the stamped background flat to your card base or you can use foam dots for more dimension. Perk up the wings of your butterfly and place a little banner with a phrase in the lower left corner....

Simple but pretty and a layout for many occasions.

Stay tuned for more....and if you wish to order a card or if you are interested to check out one of my classes, please let me know. You can contact me via Email just click HERE...
or leave a comment below!

Close to My Heart Specials for May...Don't forget!

National Scrapbooking Month - Happy Times

Happy Times can be yours during the month of Mary because it's National Scrapbooking Month, and Close to My Heart is offering an exciting promotion to celebrate! 

With a qualifying purchase of $60, you can get the exclusive Happy Times paper packet for FREE! 

This fun paper packet, which is available for one month only, features floral designs, gold foil details, and more! You can also purchase this exclusive paper packet at full retail for $ 14.95 with no purchase requirement. 

And don't forget, with the purchase of $60 you also quality for the Stamp of the Month for only $5!

And there is more this month:

Now through the end of May, you can save 25% on the purchase of Close To My Heart's amazing My Legacy albums! That is a savings of over $8.50 per album! Choose from our gorgeous variety of colors and patterns available in both post-bound and D-ring styles. But this offer is only available while supplies last, so place your order early to make sure you get the styles and colors you love. They're built to last and going fast.  If you ever wanted to try these albums, this is the perfect moment to get started- order yours today!

Both of these offers are valid only until May 31, 2016, so take advantage of them while they are still available..Click HERE to get to my online shop!

Frozen - Elsa and Anne - Page Layout

This is the last of the six layouts I made for customers during the Davisburg Spring crop in March. 

I had the characters done during another crop I had attended, since they need some time to adhere together. Many layers and tiny part and this takes a little time to finish.

My last layout for this set was inspired by Elsa and Anna. Do to the cutting function "mirror" on the Cricut Explore, I was able to create my characters for left and right pages. 

I picked a medium blue cardstock for the background. 
The light blue cardstock was cut down to a 10"x10" piece. When I adhered the light blue to the dark, I made sure the distances between top and bottom are the same. I placed the left piece a bit closer to the left side and the right closer to the right side. When you look at the pages right next to each other, the left, middle(both pages) and right space is equal. Hard to describe, hope it makes sense :-)

This time I used a third blue and peacock cardstock as my photo mats. I place an extra white cardstock piece on top with rounded corners. My snowflakes are added with foam dots to the page. I only place the foam in the middle of each flake, this way it is easier to tuck the pictured underneath. 

Both characters are raised with foam dot's as well since this makes them stand out from the rest just a bit.

All flakes are decorated with blue or clear rhinestones. This is a more simple design, but with all of these, you want to emphasize the wonderful characters and at the same time let your photos shine. Sometimes less is more ;) 

I did think about adding faux stitching with a white pen around the pages and maybe some doodling on the photo mats, but time was running out. You could add this to it, but I think the layout looks fine as it is.
If you missed the other five layouts from the past Fridays, click on the "Frozen" Label on the right and check them out. I would love to hear from you, so leave a comment or email me.

Come join me for a fun class on how to make your own layout matching your photos. Or, if you like to buy a layout, contact me with your wishes and for more information. Stay tuned for more layout to come....see whats new next Friday.