You Make My Heart Happy

 I haven't been able to participate in a lot of challenges recently, but when I saw Double Trouble's Trail Mix challenge paired with the Color Dare I knew I could participate!

I used 2x2 squares of patterned papers from Isabella, Wander and the current Mix-In to create this fun patchwork heart background. I matted it on a polka dot piece of paper from the Mix In, and then framed it with Sundance Cardstock. 

Each paper was a different fun pattern, but I kept the colour palette quite simple in order for all the patterns to work together and chose papers with Sapphire, Sundance and Paprika tones. I also used a retired Doodled Borders stamp to stamp around the heart using Black Ink to create a more cohesive heart frame. 

So that the heart still showed on the layout, I only used one 4x4 photo and matted it on Kraft Paper. The only embellishment I used were hearts that were leftover from using the Hearts Background Thin Cuts and Black Cardstock.  

Finally, I kept the theme going with this title- the large sticker is from the Perfect Match sticker sheet and the rest of the sentiment was stamped in Black Ink from the Every Bit Of Wonderful stamp set.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing my mix and match paper heart layout- it looks tricky but it is really fun to do! Thanks for stopping by today and I'd love to know what you think. 

July/August New Product Blog Hop

Welcome to our New Product Blog Hop!  

If you have come here from Darlys' 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 14 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using new 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!

As soon as I saw the You're Pawsome set, I knew I had to have it for layouts of my cat!

I used this this stamp set with the new Mix In Paper Packet, Sundance Cardstock and the Wander Paper Packet to create this layout about Chester's love of fresh water from the sink.

I used the lined paper and then stamped little paw prints all over it in Black Ink. I also stamped the journal box with a title and paw print, and added one of the adorable cats from the stamp set.

I also added another cat and sentiment up the top- look at how detailed this stamp set is! I love the shading in the ears and these cats are great left plain or coloured in. 

Now "Hop" on over to Maureen'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! 

Australasian July SOTM Blog Hop- Strong Roots

Hello and welcome aboard our July Stamp of the Month Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop. 

If you have arrived here from Doris 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 Close To My Heart’s July Stamp of the Month, Strong Roots.

I have so many friends who are moving house this month, and so I needed some quick and easy cards for that. The set of keys in this stamp set were perfect for this! I grabbed my brand new Mix In Paper Packet and the Mix In Coordinating Cardstock, focusing on the Toffee and Peach colours to make it quite neutral. 

As you can see, I tone on tone background stamped the key with Peach Ink onto the lighter side of the Peach Cardstock, and then matted it onto a piece of the Mix In Paper. I then stamped the key in Toffee Ink on Kraft Paper and fussy cut, then popped up with 3D Foam Tape. Lastly, I used one of the sentiments and stamped that on the darker side of the Peach Cardstock using Toffee Ink and cut it using the Circle Thin Cuts. I added some Gold Shimmer Trim to anchor the sentiment and I was done!

This exclusive Stamp if the Month is only available during July.

If you do not have a consultant please contact me or place an order here.

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

Dazzling Dimension Technique Blog Hop

Welcome to our Technique Blog Hop!  This month there are 12 of us highlighting different ways to add dimension to your projects.  This blog hop is a great big circle so you can start wherever you want and continue through to see all the fabulous artwork incorporating this technique.

If you are coming from Melissa's Blog, you are on the right track! 

I knew how I wanted to add dimension to my project- Cricut cut flowers from the Flower Market collection! I cut out a few different flowers in Grape, Lemonade, Avocado, Flamingo and Nectarine cardstock. I also added some Gold Glitter Gems to the centres of the daffodils. 

I added all of these flowers to the mason jar stamp set from the Eat Play Love Cardmaking stamp set, and also added the sentiment from the April Stamp of the Month, Scandinavian Folk Art Greetings. I used the Mix In Paper Packet for the polka dot background, accented with a strip of checkered paper from the Daisy Meadows Paper Packet and matted on Flamingo Cardstock. 

I got even more layers added to my card by popping everything up on 3D Foam Tape- such a quick and easy way to add dimension!

Thanks for stopping by!  Please continue onto Cat's Blog where you will find some additional artwork highlighting this technique!  Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you thought of my variation and happy hopping!

What's Your Angle?

This week at Heart 2 Heart challenges, we want you to show us your project using angles!

I looked through my stash and found a triangle piece of ombre paper that layered perfectly onto a card, and I loved the blue and green combo. I added it to a piece of paper from the Mix In Paper Packet, and then matted the paper onto some Lagoon cardstock.

The sentiment is stamped on Lagoon Ink from the March Stamp of the Month, Scandinavian Folk Art Greetings, and then I lastly added some simple Daisy Meadows Dots for dimension.

We'd love to see your angled projects over at Heart 2 Heart challenges!

It's A Sketch Challenge!

Heart 2 Heart has an awesome sketch challenge for you this week!

The basis of the sketch is here- I love that the measurements are provided for this sketch as it made my card so quick and easy to put together. 

I used the brand new Cherry Blossoms stamp set for both the flowers and the sentiment , and the patterned papers are from the March April Mix In Paper Packet. I really love this combination of Fern, Toffee and Flamingo!

If you are inspired by this week's sketch, we would love to have you join us over at Heart 2 Heart Challenges.

Operation Smile Every Bit of Wonderful Blog Hop

Welcome to our Operation Smile Blog Hop!  We will be featuring the Operation Smile stamp set, Every Bit Of Wonderful. For every purchase of this stamp set, 7$USD is donated to Operation Smile.  

If you have come here from Darlys' 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 myself and 12 other Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's featured stamp and other great 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 have been wanting to use this beautiful floral paper from the Mix In Paper Packet, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to pair it with this stamp set!.  I also used some of my leftover Serenity scraps, a zip strip from the Mix In and I created my own distress oxide panel for the layout as well using Abandoned Coral and Picked Raspberry distress oxide inks, then flicking it with water and blue watercolour paint. 

I coloured another piece of White Daisy Cardstock with the distress inks and then stamped the flowers from the stamp set over this using Intense Black Ink. I then fussy cut and layered all of the flowers, and added some extra fussy cut flowers from Sapphire Cardstock as well as stamping some of the leaf stamps directly onto the paper. I also added some Gold Glitter Gems because who doesn't love bling?

See all the different lovely details in the distress oxide panel? I love spritzing these with water to get that dreamy bokeh look. 

I clustered some of the flowers using 3D foam tape to add some dimension, and I also stamped the sentiment from the Operation Smile stamp set directly onto the paper using Black ink as it fitted so perfectly in the gap above the photo.

Now "Hop" on over to Katy'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! 

November/December Catalog New Product Blog Hop

Welcome to our New Product Blog Hop!  We will be featuring all of the amazing new products from the November and December Catalogue. 

If you have come here from Melinda’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 19 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using great 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 love the bright, fun look of the Jingle Joy collection, and decided to show some of the products within this collection paired with the Mix In Paper. Here is the full two page layout, but let's also have a closer look at some of the details.

The left hand side features the cute tree printed paper from the Mix In, which pairs perfectly with the Jingle Joy colours.

I used one of the Jingle Joy PML cards as a focal point and added some cute little presents from the Jingle Joy Cardmaking Stamp Set and Thin Cuts in Raspberry and Clover ink.

The left hand side also features some more of the wonderful Mix In Paper Packet, the PML cards and the cardmaking stamp set. 

I love the the PML cards come with journal boxes, which make it easy to write down all your memories and stories. I also added Santa in his sleigh from the Cardmaking stamp set, stamped in Black ink to give the look of a silhouette. 

The title on this page came from the Jingle Joy Scrapbooking stamp set and Thin Cuts, which I stamped in Evergreen ink.

You can see I also added a strip of Raspberry Cardstock and I also cut the striped zip strip in half to add more patterns and colour to the page. 

These pages are meant to work together as a double page spread, but could be easily used as two single page layouts too!

Now "Hop" on over to Gina'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! 

Chester has Catitude

This week at Heart 2 Heart, the challenge is to use Black on your projects.

I love this black polka dot paper from the Mix In Paper Packet, and so I wanted to use it to scrapbook photos of my black and white cat, Chester. I paired it with some pops of green and a border created from the new Catitude stamp set.

I used the Stitched Circle Thin Cuts to add an accent on one of the photos and added a stamped sentiment from the Catitude stamp set. 

I stamped the Catituyde cat image (which is awesome by the way!) and then simply cut it up into squares to create a border along the side of my layout. This stamp set is fabulous for colouring, but I kept it to black and white to fit the theme of this page. 

Lastly, I stamped another title onto the journalling card and added a sweet little paw-print stamp too. 

I'm really pleased with how this layout turned out- I love the black and white cat border and these photos really deserved to have their story told! 

Wonderful Waterbrushes!

One of my favourite craft tools to use is my Waterbrush!

I love to have more control over my colouring by using the CTMH Watercolour Pencils, but as you can see in this image, the pencil colouring is quite harsh with not a lot of blending.



As you can see here, as soon as we add water to the pencils it begins to soften and blend. the easiest way to do this is with a waterbrush!



Here us my waterbrushed floral accent on a card using the new Mix In Papers. It gives such a soft, smooth look and the waterbrushes come in different tips so you can have a lot of control or use it for backgrounds.



What is your favourite crafting tool? Share with us over at Heart 2 Heart challenges!

The Pretty of Paper Piecing

Welcome to our Technique Blog Hop!  This month there are 10 of us highlighting Paper Piecing.

This blog hop is a great big circle so you can start wherever you want and continue through to see all the fabulous artwork incorporating this technique.

If you are coming from Carrie’s Blog, you are on the right track!

I could not wait to get my hands on the new Love Lives Here stamp set as I knew it would be perfect for paper piecing!

So what exactly is paper piecing? Paper piecing is commonly thought of as a quilting technique, though it is also a technique used in scrapbooking and cardmaking. Paper piecing in scrapbooking and cardmaking projects involves creating an image from several layers of cut pieces of paper. The layered image generally pops from the page and can be more visually appealing than an image that is flat or made from one layer of paper. you can do this by hand, using thin cuts or even your Cricut!

I decided to go the old fashioned way with stamps, cardstock and scissors as my tools of choice.

I stamped each image multiple times on different colours of cardstock and even used some of the Mix In Papers as well to get some pattern and variation. I then cut each piece of clothing as well as the hair, and layered it on each image stamped in black ink on White Daisy cardstock. I finished off by colouring the skin with the Fair Skin Triblend Marker.



I used the lady and two of the young boy images since I want to get some lovely photos of me with my two boys. But the possibilities are endless with this set!

Here's my finished layout with the Mix In Papers. As you can see, I used the square with my paper pieced figures as a type of PML card, and stamped the family time sentiment from the same stamp set. I also added some Acrylic Hearts for embellishment and backed the whole thing on Toffee cardstock.



Thanks for stopping by!  Please continue onto Haley’s Blog where you will find some additional artwork highlighting this technique!  Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you thought of my variation and happy hopping!

June Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - Garden Tags

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  We will be featuring June's SOTM, which is Garden Tags, a set of 8 stamps.

If you have come here from Haley'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 22 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great 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!

How many of you like to drink tea? I'm going to show you a fun idea for your used tea bags!

I have a full video tutorial here if you want to see me in action creating these cards. Basically, you completely dry out a tea bag, cut a slit in the back of the bag and shake out the tea leaves, and then you are able to stamp and colour on the tea bag like it is a piece of paper.

Here is the first teabag card I created using the dragonfly image from the Garden Tags stamp, the Mix In Paper Packet and the You Make Me Happy stamp set for the sentiment.



Here is a close up of what the stamped tea bag looks like. For this card I created a tone on tone look by stamping the dragonfly in Toffee ink and then colouring with the watercolour pencils, but leaving them dry as you don't want to get the teabag wet again.



For the second card, I did a brighter look by stamping the daisy tag in Sapphire then colouring in, and pairing with the bright colours of the Stitched Together Paper Packet.



You can see how well the teabag picks up the colours- either tone on tone or high contrast works well for this technique.



Here you can see the same card design with both muted and high contrast colour choices- I would love to know which one you like best!



Now "Hop" on over to Kathy'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! Remember, the June SOTM is only available until 30th June!  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!