Seasonal Expressions 1 New Product Blog Hop

Welcome to our SE1 New Product Blog Hop! If you have come here from Sheila'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 hop 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 decided to create a layout using some of the  more masculine items from the Hello Lovely Collection and the matching Sea Glass cardstock. I was inspired by the beautiful 'My Family' title.



The floral sticker and the sentiment sticker are from the Hello Lovely Complements, and I embellished with Grey Enamel Gems and Blue Glitter Dots. The sentiment was stamped in Sorbet ink using a Cricut exclusive stamp set.



I love the Sea Glass colour, and it perfectly frames this photo of my husband and sons at my son's seventh birthday party in December.



Now "Hop" on over to Terrie'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!

May Newsletter- Celebrating NSM

Yay, it is May! So many new things to share with you today!

Let's start with the NEW Seasonal Expressions (mini) catalogue, that launched on May first.

It is full of great new products, available from today until August 31st. Contact me today to get your copy! Or click HERE to view it online now.

Next up is the May stamp of the month, Celebrate with Cake.

Isn't it adorable? Perfect for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and more. It is only $10 with a qualifying order, or you can purchase it separately for $33. 

It is just $6 with a qualifying order, (or you can get it for $21.25 without).

Since it is National Scrapbooking Month, our albums are all 25% off- the perfect time to stock up.

And the last thing I want to share with you today is the Close To My Heart special for National Scrapbooking Month!

During the month of May, when you purchase $95 of product, you get the Happy Times paper packet for FREE.  (Or you can order it for $25.50 without a qualifying purchase.) There is also a matching D-sized Happy Times stamp set available for purchase for $33.

I have a feeling that this Happy Times paper pack is going to be a VERY popular item, and these monthly specials are always while supplies last, so make sure you don't miss out.

Remember, I always have upcoming workshops and events listed on my Facebook page- make sure you subscribe to keep up-to-date with my latest offers. 

S1605 Celebrate Australasian Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Hello and welcome aboard our May Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop.

If you have arrived here from Wendy's Blog 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 May Stamp of the Month, Celebrate with Cake.

I paired this stamp set with the new Magical WYW, a fabulous boy paper packet with the most amazing sequins!

Here is the layout- unfortunately I printed my photos the wrong size so you will have to imagine my layout with the birthday photos!



I paired the 'celebrate' sentiment with one of the cute cameras from the Magical Complements and the blue paper. You can also see the balloons from the Magical Complements with the white twine to create a bunch of balloons on one of my squares.



I cut up one of the PML cards and stamped the candles down the red strip in black ink.



The PML cards were also great to add a journalling box and the large camera square. More complements, sequins and the 'happy birthday' SOTM sentiment are clustered around the journalling to draw attention to it.



This exclusive  SOTM is only available during May. 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, Maz's Inky Fingers.

Last Chance Layout!

Hello and welcome aboard our Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop.

If you have arrived here from Meryl's Blog 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 the Close To My Heart items retiring at the end of this month.One of my favourite paper packets, Regattta, and a complimentary stamp set, Beach Days, have been used over and over in my household for capturing all of our summer memories.

I have some photos of us in the pool at my Dad's house, and I wanted to document them as we may not be swimming there next summer if he sells as planned. The Regatta Paper Packet and the Beach Days stamp set were perfect for this!



I have used one of the PML cards as a jounral box, and added one of the Glacier Fundamental Assortment paper clips. I also cut a crab shape from the Artistry cartridge and stamped the crab from Beach Days in Flaxen ink.



I also added a Beach Ball from the same stamp set, and added a title and some of my favourite Blue Epoxy Dots.



I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop, Maz's Inky Fingers.

C is for Critters

Welcome to the Everything ABC's Blog Hop!

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

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

These cute Spring Critters are from the new Seasonal Expressions and the Spring Critters stamp set comes with the matching Thin Cuts, so you can easily create  cute critters!

I decided to create three cards using this new stamp set and matching Thin Cuts.

The first card is the Artfully Sent Floral Wreath Card cut in Topiary Cardstock. I added the sweet bird, coloured blue, with the sentiment stamped in Topiary Ink. Some gold circles from the Fundamental Assortment Gold finished it off.



This orange fox is adorable! Once again I used Topiary Cardstock and Topiary Ink for this Artfully Sent Flower Sentiment Card. The wooden log and stripe stickers come from the White Pines Complements.



Lastly, this Artfully Sent Easter Egg Sentiment Card paired perfectly with the cute bunny and Easter sentiment, which I stamped with Pear Ink and matched with Pear Cardstock. This bunny only needed a touch of pink on the ears, nose and cheeks. The paper strip at the top is from a retired Paper Packet.



These three cards came together easily as these Critters take centre stage and do not need a lot of extra embellishments.



If you want more information on how to use our new Thin Cuts, this video explains how to use them with your die cutting machine.

Your next stop on our Everything ABC'S blog Hop is Wendy of My Scrapbooking Blog.

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

Seasonal Expressions 1 New Product Blog Hop

Welcome to our Seasonal Expressions Blog Hop!  We will be featuring products from the new CTMH Seasonal Expressions catalogue.  If you have come here from Catherine'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 31 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using new 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!

One of my new favourite Paper Packets is Regatta- perfect for sailing, swimming and boating adventures. However, it also has some wonderfully feminine details with floral embellishments and the gorgeous Pomegranate colour.

I used one of the PML cards included in the new Regatta Workshop Your Way to create the base of this card, and discovered that the flowers on this card worked perfectly with the floral stamp designs on the new Woodland Romance stamp set.

I cut a 2 inch circle in White Daisy cardstock, then stamped the leaves in Flaxen ink and the flowers in Pomegranate ink. The sentiment is from the new Spring Critters stamp set, which I stamped with Chocolate ink. I also sponged some Chocolate ink around the circle to make it stand out, as well as popping it up of the card with 3D Foam Tape. The finishing touch was some White Enamel Gems.

Now "Hop" on over to Lela'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 supplies used:
Cardstock: White Daisy
Embellishments: 3D Foam Tape, Grey Enamel Gems
Ink: Chocolate, Flaxen, Pomegranate
Stamp sets: Spring Critters, Woodland Romance
Workshop Your Way: Regatta

White Pines Australasian Blog Hop

Welcome to the Australasian White Pines Blog Hop!

f you have arrived here from Denise's Blog, Scrap Stamp Share 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.

I have done 12x12 Papercraft Samplers for each season, as well as Valentines Day, Halloween and Easter. For some reason I did not have a Christmas one, so it was White Pines to the rescue as I set about creating a fun sampler for my home decor display.

Here is the completed sampler- lots of small Christmas themed squares that remind me of a patchwork quilt! The outer piece of paper is 12 x 12, with the Fern cardstock at 11 x 11. The Colonial White squares are 2.5 x 2.5, with the middle squares at 2.25 x 2.2.5 and the smallest inner squares at 2 x 2.



The top left corner features a Cricut cut holly leaves, ornament and wreath, all with cardstock. I love the touches of bling from the Red Enamel Gems and the Gold Fundamental Assortment.



I stamped the title over two sqaures and fussy cut it, then popped it up on 3D Foam Tape. I also stamped and fussy cut a Santas face. The pinecone corner was also double stamped- first in Cocoa ink and then  again in Fern ink for some interest. The Christmas Tree is from the White Pines Complements.



Cricut to the rescue again for the word art cut from Glacier cardstock and the star cut from Cocoa Cardstock. I also added a little present button from the White Pines Assortment. The sweet singing animals are from the White Pines Complements, and I stamped the reindeer from the Reindeer Bells set and coloured him in, adding a red nose of course!



The red bow is from the Cranberry Fundamental Assortment, and the ornaments are stamped in Cocoa ink using the White Pines Scrapbooking WOTG stamp set. The Ho Ho Ho is from the Santa Claus stamp set and stamped in Cranberry ink. I Cricut cut the candy canes. The ornament is from the White Pines Complements, and I finished it off by adding a bow with the Fern Thick Twine.



The finished Papercraft Sampler is hanging in my hall entrance, ready for Christmas!



I love the pop of colour it brings when you walk in the door, and it matches in well with my other Christmas decorations. See that matching box set down at the bottom? Come back on Wednesday when I will share details on how to make it!



I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop, Katrina's Blog- All things Papercrafty.

To see all of my other White Pines inspired projects, please click here.

Nevermore Paper Feature- Robot Family Fun!

Hello and welcome aboard our Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop.

If you have arrived here from Maz' Blog 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 new Nevermore Paper Packet, featured in the new Seasonal Expressions catalogue and only available until the 31st December.

I was inspired by some of the CTMH Head Office artwork on page 8 of the SE catalogue for this paper packet.



I used the grey gear and cog print paper as a background for a robot themed page, and replaced the Halloween monsters with robots!



The cogs were watercoloured and then fussy cut. I also used one of the Sangria Complements pieces, the little camera, and added an arrow and date sticker from the Fundamentals Stickers Enchantment Pack and the Real Life sentiment from our new Instalife This Happened Roller Stamp.



I watercoloured the robots and fussy cut them- I am still getting the hang of watercolours as I was never an artistic student, but it is fun to play with them and experiment!



I then used a robot journal card from the Childhood PML Scrapbook Program, which is full of adorable childhood themed artwork and quotes.



Some more Sangria Complements and Fundamentals Stickers were added here, and I also added a black bling gem to the centre of the star.



I had so much fun creating this robot layout and using our new products! Remember, the Nevermore Paper Packet is only available until the 31st December.

I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop, Patricia Manhire's Creative Corner.

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

Happy Everything- Operation Smile

Operation Smile is a private,  not for profit organisation providing reconstructive surgery to children and young adults born in developing countries. Close to My Heart released our Seasonal Expressions Idea Book and on the back page of this Idea book you will find the D- sized, Happy Everything  stamp set. By purchasing this set at full retail price  of $33NZD you can help change the life of a child as CTMH will donate $US3 from your purchase to Operation Smile.

Today we will be sharing some inspiration using "Happy Everything". We hope you will be compelled to purchase this set and in so doing, contribute to the life changing work of Operation Smile.

If you came from Patricia's blog you are on the right track, otherwise follow the link at the end of this post to take you around the posts. I you get lost, a full list of participants can be found here.

I created a set of three cards, perfect for a birthday or just because.



The first birthday card is a base of the Blossom paper, with an extra flower stamped and fussy cut at the bottom. I have used a strip of glitter paper on it, and finished off my adding the sentiment in Sunset and Lagoon ink.



The second card uses the other side of the Blossom paper packet, along with a strip of the Paper Fundamentals. I fussy cut some more flowerrs and added them to the card, as well as two stamped sentiments and some Baker's Twine to finish.



For the third card, I random stamped the base of a card in Sunset pigment ink, then coated in clear embossing powder and heated to create a shiny finish. I then added the Pear leaves. Another strip of Blossom paper helped to anchor the sentiment, and I added some sparkle as well.



Here are the finished cards- I would love to know which one is your favourite!



Now hop over to Vandra's blog, Vandra's Virtual CTMH Classroom, to see what she has created!