A Girly Album made Easy!

I love the new Instalife Range, especially the Blush album paired with the Hello Gorgeous cards. I knew this would be a perfect album for my new niece!



Here is a quick video flick through of the album so far.

Link up with us at H2H For The Girls challenge this month!

Q is for Quick

Welcome to the Everything ABC's Blog Hop!

For this hop we will be featuring the letter Q. This may be the name of a paper, a stamp set or an embellishment. Whatever the crafter has chosen as their Q element will be featured in their post.

If you came from Darlys then you're on the right track!

I have been teaching my son about palindromes (words that are spelt the same both forwards and backwards) and I mentioned to him that 'racecar' is one such word. He then got out my new Racecar Birthday stamp set, and I had a eureka moment. Racecars are quick, hence the inspiration for the project for this hop!



I stamped and fussy cut the racecar, then adhered it onto a stamped background (the arrows are from the World Traveller stamp set) that used Crystal Blue, Pacifica and Twilight ink. I ran some Slate cardstock through the Chevron embossing folder for the background, and added in some teal shimmer paper and an arrow puffy from the Jackson embellishments.

Your next stop on our Everything ABC'S blog Hop is Catherine of CatScrapbooking.

In case you get lost along the way…go to Catherine Nowak for a complete list of participants!

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #172

This week's sketch At Atlantic Hearts immediately made me want to play with my new Whimsy Ribbon Pack!

I also stamped a sentiment from the new Love Your Face stamp set as the main focal feature.



This card will be going to a friend of mine who is struggling in life right now, to let her know I am thinking of her and that everything is going to be OK.

If this sketch or my card has inspired you, we would love for you to play along this week!

Copy That!

I love being inspired by Pinterest, other blogs, magazines and of course the gorgeous CTMH Annual Inspirations!

This  week's challenge at H2H is to choose something from the new CTMH Idea Book to recreate your own way! (Don’t have a new Idea Book? Either contact your consultant or view online at http://www.closetomyheart.com/ctmh/products/online-idea-book.aspx)

I have been busy creating with the Wise Guy Birthday stamp set, and was inspired by these gorgeous cards in the book.

I used Cranberry, Saffron and Peacock colours as well as Black ink to recreate one of the cards for a masculine birthday.



I had so much fun creating the sprinkle border! It was actually a lot easier than I thought, and something I will be experimenting with more in the future.



How will you be inspired by the Copy That prompt? Link up here!

I am also linking up with Seize The Birthday this week, a great challenge for birthday cards!

New Product Worldwide Blog Hop

Welcome to our New Product Blog Hop!  We will be featuring all of the new goodies from the Annual Inspirations that went live on August 1st.

If you have come here from Donna's Blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog.

This month we have 26 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using new and exciting CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

I am loving so many new products, but I tried to focus on just four new things for this project.

I used the new Blossom Cardstock as the backgound for this card and also the Cricut cut oval to back the cake. The cake and cake stand are from the new Wise Guy Birthday stamp set.

I placed the cake on a 4x4 patterned paper piece from the new Hello Gorgeous #Life Cards- not just for mini albums, these cards are great for cardmaking and scrapbooking too!



I stamped the sentiment under a strip of the new Whimsy Ribbon.



For a final touch, I added some of the new Shimmer Brush over the cake to make it sparkly- every card needs a bit of bling!



Now "hop" on over to Michelle's Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas!

CTMH Austalasian Blog Hop- Last Chance Annual Inspirations

Hello and welcome aboard our Last Chance Annual Inspirations Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop.

If you have arrived here from Vandra then you are in the right place.

If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post.

Today I would like to share with you a creation which features some of Close To My Heart’s retiring product- we only have until the end of August before new goodies are released and so CTMH have to make room somehow!

I started off by watercoloring a piece of Watercolour Paper to create a scenery background.



I then stamped two trees from the retiring Always Grateful stamp set, and added a sentiment from a retiring Hostess Rewards stamp set, Birthday Funnies.



I framed the card with some strips of Topiary cardstock, and added some of the retiring Urban paper behind it to finish off my card.



I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop, Georgia Creates.

S1607 From the Notebook Australasian Blog Hop

Welcome to the Australasian Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.

This is the start of the hop, or you may have arrived here from Vandra's blog.

If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post.

Today I would like to share with you a creation which features Close To My Heart’s July Stamp of the Month, From The Notebook.

This card uses one of the smaller icons, which I stamped repeatedly in Pomegranate ink. I didn't fuss too much about lining each one up perfectly as that would have taken far too long! I left a gap in the middle of the card and added a sentiment in Eggplant ink, then matted the entire piece of stamped cardstock on Eggplant cardstock. Finally, I added some matte sequins to complete the card.



This exclusive From The Notebook stamp is only available during July.  It can be yours for just $10 with a qualifying order of $75 or for $33 if ordered separately from your CTMH consultant.

I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop, Georgia Creates.

Ahoy Matey!

As a mother of boys and aunty to a lot of nephews, I always need boy cards, which was perfect for the Curtain Call challenge this week!

One of my favourite stamp sets is called Pirate Birthday, and it has this adorable pirate ship. It was perfect to match with the Tommy Paper Packet, and I also added some waves from the Play Hard-Diving stamp set and an anchor element from the Regatta Complements.



The sentiment is from the Waltzingmouse Half Pint Heroes stamp set, which is also a fabulous boy stamp set.

Make sure to check out the other boy themed cards at Curtain Call this week!

Dry Embossed Squares- so many new goodies!

Eeeep, I am so excited about the new CTMH embossing folders! I just had to open them up and have a play. The new ones are the Confetti and Confetti Stars, and this is my first time using them as well as the new Eggplant cardstock colour. I also used my new Fundamentals stickers and the new Gold Foil tape- so many new goodies that I am sharing with Darnell's NBUC (Never Before Used Challenge).

I am also linking up with the Between The Folds Embossing Challenge.



I loved experimenting with different colour combinations and embossing folders, and I also added a title from the Fundamentals Enchantment Sticker Assortment.



I added in some gold with the Gold Foil Tape and Gold sequins, and embellished the journal box with more Fundamentals Stickers. I also stamped a speech bubble from the Documenting Moments stamp set to journal in.



I loved creating this layout, and this was such a fun day!

September Newsletter- jam packed with NEW stuff!

New catalogues, new products, new promotions...

It’s September 1st which means LOTS of new goodies!! I am so excited to share all kinds of great things with you today, including:

• A brand new Annual Inspirations Catalogue
• A brand new Holiday Expressions Catalogue
• A brand new National Stamping Month Promotion
• A brand new Stamp of the Month
• Exclusive workshops and classes

New Idea Books

Our new Annual Inspirations catalog is available TODAY and it is jam packed with tons of great new products. You can view it online here or order your own copy here.

CTMH now has a special Holiday Expressions mini catalogue that you will love! It includes some great Halloween and Christmas goodies and more! View it online here or if you place an order on my website, you will get a free copy with your order!

National Stamping Month Promotion — Hello Life

September is National Stamping Month, and this year Close To My Heart has something to help every kind of papercrafter 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 $25 each! Or, for an even better deal, you can purchase all three for only $64—a savings of $11! Each stamp set is designed to fit with a specific type of papercrafting, whether that’s 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! Make certain to follow Close To My Heart’s blog, Instagram, and Facebook page for artwork inspiration featuring these lively stamp sets all month long. You can post your own artwork to your social media channels using the hashtag #ctmhHelloLife.

Click here to see each of the stamp sets.

Stamp of the Month - Paper Garden

Get this great stamp set for just $10!

With a minimum qualifying purchase, get your D-sized Stamp of the Month set for just $10! Add the stamp set to your cart here at full retail price ($33) or, with your qualifying order of $75, get it for just $10!

Set of 9

Recommended My Acrylix® Blocks:

1" × 1" (Y1000), 2" × 2" (Y1003), 4"× 5"(Y1012)

Upcoming Events

With two new catalogues, I have lots of special events planned in the months ahead. You can review all of my upcoming events on my Facebook Events page. Click on each individual event link for more information.

I have several spaces left for my catalogue launch tomorrow night, please let me know ASAP if you would like to come along! If you wish to come along and just look at the new product, you are also welcome to pop in.

The September Retreat is also coming- $110 for the weekend 18-20th September including lots of goodies, a play with new products, meals provided on Saturday and a great weekend!

Our October Sunday workshop is on the 4th October- It is FREE to drop in at any stage OR book a workspace for $20 and stay for a full day of crafting.

It is time to start thinking of Christmas- on the 11th October at 2pm I am holding a Base and Bling Necklace Class where you can create a gorgeous Christmas themed necklace plus a card to hold your finished creation- perfect for gift giving this Christmas!

Another great Christmas gift idea is the Family Hinged Display Tray on the 16th October. Get in early for those homemade Christmas gifts by creating a Family themed Hinged Display tray using the new Sangria paper packet, stamp set and twine.

Do you have lots of family photos to scrapbook? Let me show you how to turn three double page layouts into one interactive layout with up to 35 photos! This family themed scrapbooking workshop will give you enough layouts for a special occasion or everyday use, using patterns from our Ideas Books as well as flip flaps and the gorgeous new Sangria paper. Class is on Saturday 24th October.

Finally, it is also time to start thinking about Christmas Cards. Join my class on the 6th November and let me show you how to make 10 Christmas cards in this exclusive workshop. You will make 5 each of two designs and receive exclusive new product to take home.

Whew- congratulations for making it to the end! If you want to participate in any of these classes, either RSVP via my Facebook page or contact me for more information and to book a spot.

Happy Crafting!

Lauren