What else was in my box from Close to My Heart?

Well, September 1st is almost here and I think I can give you one last peek on what was in my box from Close to My Heart the other day....

Three of the six new ink colors we will have in the new Idea Book....Fern, Poppy and Pomegranate, but wait until you see the other three...

You can't have enough glitter paper and this new red package was calling my name. Three hues of red, Christmas cards here I come! 
Foil tape was also on my list and we will see how this is going to work. New enamel gems, new thick twine colors, golden sequins....Oh wait, they have been in the current Idea Book, ops! Make sure to get some of those in gold and silver, because sequins are hot right now and you will see them everywhere...

Oh yes and our new paper packs...surprise surprise...you know "Zoe" already, but wait until you see "Sangria", "Georgie".....can't tell you all of them yet... and there was more...but wait until you see it!

I hope I got you interested to see more...Check out the new Idea Book 2015-16 on September 1st on my website or contact me for our own personal copy. The Seasonal Expression "Holiday" edition will be available at the same time.

New Idea Book .... one more sneak peek before September 1st

Well...the final preview (or maybe a little more tomorrow?) of the new Idea Book starting September 1st is here. Not that my little sneak peeks are all that is new and exciting about the new Annual Idea Book 2015-16, oh no, there is so much more. You have to find out on your own what else is in it. 

Remember the Close to My Heart "Idea Book 2015-16" and the Seasonal Expressions "Holiday" Book will be out on September 1st. You can find both books online on my website (click here) or you can contact me to get your paper copy.


Last but not least...new "Base & Bling" items will be available in gold and silver. The antique once will retire,so if you like those, make sure to order them by August 31st!
New little charms and sticker sheet come along with the new gold and silver pendants and chains. Holiday specials can be found in the Holiday Expressions book...making cute little Christmas gifts. They are also awesome to put pictures of loved once in it and gift them as gifts for the Holidays. Wonder how you can make one? I will have classes for you available in the upcoming months. If you are interested, contact me...

One other item I really like is our cardmaking kits. Everything you need comes with the kit all you have to get out is a phrase to stamp on or you can pick on of the many mini stamps we have these days, especially made for those kits. You can also hand write your message...These kits make perfect gifts as well.

And finally, "Picture-My-Life" is getting bigger and bigger. No matte if you love to scrap them as intended or if you use the little cards to decorate your pages, cards and home decor items, many new designed sets are coming your way. There are two special once I already have played with and they are awesome....PSSSST... all I can say is "Overlay", "Clear", "Gold & Silver"...and more 

Stay tuned to see.... and contact me if you have questions

Make sure when you order from my website to hit the "Join" button on the lower right side called "Aug/Sep Special" and have the chance to win some free products in August!

September National Scrapbooking Month at Close to My Heart

September is National Stamping Month, and this year Close To My Heart has something to help every kind of paper-crafter say a big “hello!” to life! Available only during the month of September, these exclusive C-size My Acrylix® Hello, Life! stamp sets can be purchased for $13.95 each! 

Or, for an even better deal, you can purchase all three for only $34.95—a savings of $6.90! Each stamp set is designed to fit with a specific type of papercrafting, whether that’s traditional scrapbooking, cardmaking, or pocket scrapbooking. 

However, all the stamp sets coordinate with each other and can be used together to create dynamic artwork. These stamp sets also coordinate with shapes from the new Cricut® Artistry collection to help expand your artwork options even further. Remember, these stamp sets are available for one month only, so get your orders in for one stamp set—or all three—before these gorgeous stamps disappear! 

Contact me for more information or if you have questions ....

May I introduce you too...Cricut "Artistry" Cartridge by Close to My Heart

Earlier this week my box from Close to My Heart arrived with some really wonderful goodies in it. As a consultant I am able to order new products a month in advanced before my customers can get them...just one of the perks you have as a Close to My Heart consultant :-)

So I was debating with myself what to order first. To many new and exciting things are in the new Idea Book and I can't wait until you get your hands on the brand new annual Idea Book and at the same time the new Seasonal Expressions "Holiday" book...remember, September 1st is the day!

But back to the package....one of the items I ordered and this is actually available for all of you to purchase right now....

The Cricut "Artistry" Cartridge (Z3167)

I was wondering myself what the theme for this new cartridge might be, but now that I looked through the booklet and found all these gorgeous ideas and cuttings, I have to say this one is so worth it. Again over 700 items are on this cartridge and they are great for every occasion and every project you can think of. Card making, page design, home decor, party favorites etc...

I love that this cartridge has so many different items on it this time. Borders, backgrounds, embellishments, a fond and so much more...

The cartridge comes with three exclusive stamp sets and a combo pack of colored cardstock. So start cutting right out of the box....

You can order the set directly from my website by clicking HERE for the cartridge version and HERE for the digital version (for the Cricut Explore) or you can sent me an email and you will be able to receive $20 worth of extra products for FREE. Don't miss out on this great cartridge. Check back regular to see what I will create from the cartridge....

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me!

Be creative outdoors - Part II

Watercolors, the technique everyone lately seems to use and I am sure you have seen many different projects so far too. Why do we need watercolors, why can't we just use inks, color pencils or our markers? You can use all of these depending on the type of look you like to archive. 

I have been using watercolor pencils for many years and I think they are a great starting point for everyone who like to try this technique. They are relatively inexpensive and you can use them with most every white cardstock or watercolor paper. You do need a water resistant ink to stamp the image you like to color in. StazOn, Ranger archival ink and Memento are working well. If you don't have any of them, try your regular ink and clear emboss the image before coloring it.

Before you start, test your pencils on a piece of cardstock you intend to use. I usually make a stronger pencil impression and a lite one next to it. Then take a brush (small tip or tank water brushes) and some water (the brush should be almost try to the tough, not super wet) and start activating the color. All you so is brush over the pencil marks and see how the colors even out. You should not see any pencil lines anymore. Some colors blend smoother than others and you can see what the pencil will look like once activated with water. Now you can start coloring your image. You can bring extra movement to your stamped image by shading the image....Come join me in one of the watercolor classes to see how easy it is!

With regular cardstock you want to use less water otherwise the cardstock will bubble. In case you decide to use water color paper, well this will absorb more water and you might have to use a little more.

I will give you some more information about all the shown products and a few more in the upcoming days...so stay tuned!

Let the creativity begin!

It has been a hot and humid summer so far here in Michigan. I took some creative time off during July since my family from Germany was here to visit, but know I am getting my mojo flowing again....well I try with this still humid and hot weather.

My crafting table and everything else a woman need to be creative is located in our basement. While it is nice and cool down there, it is lacking off daylight. So I decided to move my creative station outside. A shady spot on the patio in the backyard...how nice can this be? Very nice until I forget something and have to go back downstairs...LOL

Well, after a few trips I decided, I can't get all my stuff upstairs, so I might limit myself to some coloring projects. My first project was the new tri-fold stamp sets from "Art Impressions" which I bought in May at the MegaMeet in Novi. I was itching to try them, but haven't found the time to do..until now:

I will show the different steps on how to stamp and color them in the following days/ week. I will also give you a rundown on what coloring sets I used and why some are easier than others for this project. I will show you the "Wedding Chapel" and the "House in Tuscany" tri-fold sets...   

If you are interested in learning these techniques and how the tri-fold stamps work, please contact me to set up a class. I will have a schedule with classes up on the blog by the end of next week. Classes will be held at my house and in small groups between 1-6 people. If a scheduled time frame does not work for you, please contact me and I will see if we can work something out. If you have at least 4 people or more, I will also come to your home....to let's try it and see how easy it is to create wonderful paper projects.  

New Idea Book 2015-16 ... Products available right now

Here is an overview of all the products from the brand new Close to My Heart Idea Book 2015-16 that are available right now.

The new Idea Book 2015-16 and all the other new products will be available for you starting September 1st. So make sure to check back often...

Feel free to order online on my website and don't forget to click the "Join"-button in the lower right corner for the Aug-Sep Special...you can win free products :-)

A special "Thank You" to a fellow consultant who put this overview of all new products available in August together!

Throwback Friday ... "Pathfinding"

Here is the last throwback Friday memory for now...I know, fall is not here yet, ...but...
if you like this wonderful fall paper package, make sure to order it this month because it will be gone buy August 31st or in case of high demand even earlier...

I will present you at least one double page layout every month and this month I will start with our wonderful Close To My Heart "Pathfinding" (X7186B) paper packet.

I love the gorgeous fall colors and I thought this is the perfect paper to create a fun Autumn page. 

The base for the layout is one of the three design papers that are in the package. Little tiny leave falling, just the right background. I created the tree trunk from a piece of 3" x 12" Chocolate cardstock. I hand drew the trunk onto the back of the paper so I didn't had to worry about the pencil line once I cut it out. I left a little stump on the top that would line up with the branch.

I stamped a wood-grain image with chocolate ink onto the trunk and edged the sides with the same ink. Edging the sides with a sponge make for a nice soft edge and gives the trunk some great dimension.

The photo mat is a 7"x 5" barn red piece of cardstock. I poked a small hole in the top corners, strung a piece of hemp through and placed it with foam dots onto the page, just so far off the tree that the hemp will reach the branch.

Four leaves and a cork button will hold the hemp in place and the photo mat looks like it is hanging of the branch.

The title as well as the leaves were cut with the Cricut and our Close To My Heart Cartridges "Art Philosophy" and " Artbooking". I used two different design papers from the "Pathfinding" paper pack to cut all leaves. The title is made from Autumn Terracotta cardstock. The pumpkin and the acorns you see are stamped and then hand cut. 

Scatter all your leaves on the bottom of the page, pointing in different directions. I elevated some with foam dots. 

Stay tuned for part two of this layout and a special extra photo adding to your page....coming tomorrow...

You can create this layout in one of my classes, or you can order the kit including everything you see on the layout. (Papers pre-cut, stamping done and complete colored instructions with pictures included). You can also purchase the layout assembled and ready to go....

Please contact me via email for more information!

August... Stamp of the Month - Framed

Here is the August Stamp of the Month - Framed (S1508).

This months stamp set is a great one and I am sure you will agree with me. 

Not only will you get three stamps in this set that correspond with our Close to My Heart Cricut cartridges, but you also get some really versatile sayings.

From Mother's and Father's Day to Valentine's Day and Christmas. You will get a Birthday phrase as well as Best Wishes, Thank You and For You.

Is there anything else you might need? I love that you can use the sayings individually or in combination with the frames.

A wonderful edition for all of you card makers. Perfect for page layouts and I will be using these a lot for all my home made gifts...

Little Thanks You's, boxes filled with goodies or how about my Christmas Cookies.



This special set was added to the current Idea Book for the month of August, because Close to My Heart extended the life of the 2014-2015 Idea Book all the way through August. 

You can get this stamp set, like all monthly sets, only during that month. You can purchase this set for only $5 with a qualifying order in August.

Send me an email with your order or go to my website and place your order there. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me.

Oh, and in case you missed previous announcements, yes, the new Idea Book 2015-2016 will be available for all on September 1st, so make sure to contact me to be one of the first to receive the new book.