Australasian Love Is All You Need Blog Hop

 Hello and welcome aboard our Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop, where this month's theme is Love Is All You Need.

If you have arrived here from Scrappy Chicks 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 youa  love themed layout featuring Close To My Heart’s current special, Now and Forever.

My favourite paper in this collection is the red hearts, and so I knew I wanted this to be the background of my layout. I always love the combination of pink and red, and the addition of the mint green Seabrook colour really helps to make this collection so dreamy. 

Once I had my background, it was easy enough to create a focal point around one 6x4 photo.

I used the Hearts Slimline Thin Cuts to cut this background piece using Ballerina cardstock- this Thin Cut is designed for use with our Slimline Cards but I also love adding it to scrapbook layouts.

I used the Seabrook cardstock to cut the title using a retired thin cut set, which also had the stamped wording, which I stamped in Desert Rose Ink. I added some interest by using the Seabrook Shimmer Brush underneath the title. I also added some embellishments using some Julep Glitter Gems and the Now and Forever Embroidered Embellishments, which are gorgeously detailed threaded florals and butterflies with an adhesive backing.

I double matted the photo using both the Now and Forever Cardstock as well as some of the patterned paper from the Now and Forever Paper Packet. And look at the detail on the embroidered butterfly!

This exclusive collection is only available until the 28th February, or while stocks last.

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, aMAZing Creations.

SWAK

 

It's the month of love!

I wanted to create a fun little tag card for Valentine's Day coming up, and so inspired by Craft Roulette I came up with this card using some leftover Valentine paper, my tag die cuts and some red enamel hearts. 

I stamped some subtle background circles on the red cardstock, and used the xoxo paper to fit with the Heart 2 Heart theme this week.

I am slowly getting my mojo back, and challenge inspiration certainly helps.

Australasian SOTM Blog Hop S2002- Cherishing Her

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

If you have arrived here from Scrappy Chicks 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 February Stamp of the Month, Cherishing Her.

I know there are some lovely feminine quotes and sentiments on this stamp set, But I'm still having so much fun playing with the Oh My Heart papers that I wanted to create a sweet valentine/Love card with this set.

I added the heart paper as the base and then offset the sentiment and mat at an angle.



The sentiment was stamped in Candy Apple, and then i added the flowers using second generation Candy Apple. The finishing touch was to paint the insides of each flower with the Clear Shimmer Brush.

This exclusive stamp set is only available during February . 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, Passionate About Pages.

Terrific Treats Blog Hop

Welcome back to the first Technique blog hop of 2020!

This month we are showcasing Terrific Treats- ways to make small gifts and goodies look like works of art. If you have arrived here from Maz Wood you are in the right place, and you can start or continue hopping from here!

With Valentine's Day coming up I wanted to share a little treat holder that doesn't require any fancy cutters or die cuts, just paper, cardstock, adhesive and a scorning board.

I created these treats using the February special Oh My Heart papers.

You simply take a 1.25 x 11 inch strip of patterned paper, add adhesive to one end and then attach the ends to form a heart shape. Then you can use a 2.5 x 2.5 inch piece of cardstock, scored at 5/8 n each side, to create a little box inside the heart to place a treat. In this case, I used Ferrero Rocher truffles as they are the perfect size!


You can use either side of the double sided patterned paper, and here I also fussy cut a heart and attached a banner using Pixie cardstock and stamping the "sweet" sentiment from the Oh My Heart stamp set stamped in Candy Apple ink.


This is such an adorable and easy project, I do hope you'll have a go with your own Valentines papers. Full detailed instructions can be found here.

Now hop on over to Melissa's Blog to see what she has created!

Artbooking In April- Love My Boys Mini Album

This is the first post for my Artbooking In April series- using the Cricut Artbooking cartridge to create paper perfection!

My first creation is the 8x3.5 Love Mini Album featured on page 46. Everything is ready to be cut at 8" so set the Cricut machine to 8" real dial size OFF and everything will cut in proportion for the album to be completed. The hardest part is choosing what cardstock and papers you want to use!



Instead of a typical love album for my husband, as I made him one earlier this year, I created an album for my boys to tell them how special they are to me.

Here is the front of my album- I have used the now retired Heartstrings paper, as well as Black, Lagoon and Ruby cardstock throughout the album.



The first page has some photos of me with my boys, as well as this wonderful envelope page. I have included a letter to each of my boys in this envelope, talking about their births and all of their wonderful qualities that make them unique. I printed all of the photos in black and white to keep the colours continual, as the photos I chose were taken over a time frame of three months.



I have wanted to use this poem in my scrapbooking for ages, and so this album was the perfect opportunity to use it! I simply printed it from my computer using white cardstock and adhered it to the album page. The blessed and bread tag were part of the mini album Cricut cuts, and I added some baker's twine.



On the back of the doily page I added one of my favourite photos of the boys together, and then on the sweet page I matted a photo of me and my boys during my son's 5th birthday.



These pages show more photos of my boys with their beautiful smiles, and all I added were some more Cricut cuts and a strip of washi tape. Did you notice the LOVE cut out on the side? It is part of the page and such a fun pop of interest to the page.



I can't have a project without my favourite shimmer trim, so that made an appearance on this page along with one of the stickers from the Heartstrings complements.



How awesome is this double heart page? I used this to share some photos of my boys playing together, and talk about why I love these photos.



A journaling tag from the Heartstrings complements filled the back of this space. and then the overlay on the right page was perfect for this photo of the boys kissing each other goodnight.



Some more glitter and Heartstrings complements are on these pages, as well as the Cricut cut Hugs frame. The stamp is from a special Convention stamp set- we get so spoilt as Close To My Heart consultants!



The back page has a bold title, as well as a recent photo of my boys on holiday. I love this photo so much that it is a canvas on our wall at home.



This mini album is so special to me, and I hope my boys will appreciate it. It was a definite labour of love but I had so much fun picking which photos to use, and the colour scheme was perfect for two little boys. I would love to know which page is your favourite!

CTMH suppplies used:
Cardstock: Black, Lagoon, Ruby, White Daisy
Cricut: Artbooking
Embellishments: Heartstrings Complements, Lagoon Hearts Washi Tape, Neutrals Metallic Baker's Twine, Silver Geometric Washi Tape
Ink: Black
Paper packs: Heartstrings, Teal Glitter Paper
Stamp sets: What A Day (Convention), Your Own Kind of Wonderful

Think Pink!

This week the challenge at H2H is to Think Pink Ink- Create a project with your favorite shade of CTMH pink, or a combo of several pinks if you are like me and can't pick just one!

Pink is definitely on my mind this month after celebrating my wedding anniversary and Valentines Day, and I got into the swing of things by cutting out the card from page 41 of the Artiste cartridge using Hollyhock cardstock and the Whimsy Paper Fundamentals sheet in Smoothie.



I decorated this by stamping a flower from the February Stamp of the Month using Hollyhock ink on White Daisy cardstock, and then stamped Cotton Candy cardstock with a sentiment from the Sweet Salutations stamp set using Hollyhock ink. I punched these out and then layered them on the band using 3D Foam Tape.



I was puzzling what to do with the finished product as it was too large for my original plan of a bar of chocolate, when my husband suggested it would be great over a bottle of wine!



So there you have it- a way to jazz up a gift of wine by placing this card over the bottle as a sleeve card.



The layers stand out really well in person, and you could write a message on the back portion of the card if wished.

This pink inspired project uses Smoothie, Cotton Candy and Hollyhock- three great Pink CTMH colours, and paired with pink Rose wine it makes a pretty gift.

Share your pink inspired project here with us!

14 Days of Love- Day 14

This is my last post for the 14 Days of Love in conjunction with the ABCs Blog Hop. I hope you have enjoyed my love inspired projects! If you wish to see all of my 14 days of love projects, please click here.

Welcome to the Everything ABC's Blog Hop!

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

If you have just hopped onto my blog, please start at the beginning at Linda's blog ~ Scrappy Therapy.

If you came from Lisa's blog then you're on the right track!

For my D, I wanted to show you some dry embossing using my Cuttlebug and the Close To My heart embossing folders. The hearts embossing folder is new in the Seasonal Expressions, and is perfect for today- Happy Valentines Day!

I used the hearts embossing folder on White cardstock- simply place the piece you wish to emboss in the folder, then run it through your machine.



I used this as the base of a Valentines Day card for my husband. White, brown and gold make this card masculine but the hearts still provide a love feel to the card.



I edged the dry embossed background with gold shimmer trim, and stamped a sentiment onto a tag. I used some washi to thread through the tag, and dipped the tag in some glue and then gold glitter. This card doesn't need much, as the dry embossed background provides a great detail.

Your next stop on our Everything ABC'S blog Hop is Shelly of Just One Pretty Piece.

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

CTMH supplies used:
Cardstock: Bamboo, White Daisy
Embellishments: Gold Polka Dot Washi Tape, Gold Shimmer Trim, Heart Embossing Folder
Ink: Chocolate
Stamp set: You Mean the World to Me

14 Days of Love- Day 13

Each day for 14 days I will be bringing you a project inspired by love!

Today I am sharing a pop up card created from the Artfully sent cartridge.

The outside of the card is cut for you, and I love this scalloped edge. I added some stamping, glitter embellishments and a sentiment to the front of the card.

 

When the card opens up, there is a pop up heart feature as well an arrow and heart that are cut from the cartridge. Doesn't that scalloped edge look pretty?

 

This is a great anniversary, wedding or engagement card, and the cartridge does most of the work for you!

Linking up with Just Add Ink.

CTMH supplies used:

Cardstock: Ruby, Whisper, White Daisy

Cartridge: Artfully Sent

Ink: Black, Whisper

Paper: Black and Grey Glitter Paper, Pink Glitter Paper

Stamp set: This Moment (January SOTM)

14 Days of Love- Day 12

Each day for 14 days I will be bringing you a project inspired by love!

Today I am sharing a quick and easy Valentines decor idea using the Artiste cartridge. 

The first thing to do is cut the Accent 2 scalloped heart at 5.75" from page 51 of the Artiste cartridge handbook using Ruby cardstock. You will be using the outer layer as your heart- put the inner side away to use on another project if wished. 

You will then need to cut 16 flowers at 3" using yellow Accent 2 on page 54 of the Artiste cartridge handbook. 15 flowers should fit on the finished wreath, but cut one extra just in case!

Use your quilling tool or roll each flower by hand, then adhere to the heart frame using Liquid Glass.

Loop the top of the wreath with a strip of Black Striped Twill Ribbon and hang on your wall!



You could make these bigger or do a few different sized ones to display a collection, or these would also be great as a teacher or neighbour gift.

Come back tomorrow as I will be sharing a pop up Valentines Day card!

14 Days of Love- Day 11

Each day for 14 days I will be bringing you a project inspired by love!

I always love getting mail that isn't a bill, so when I saw the adorable mailbox project in the Artiste booklet, I knew I had to create a love letter mailbox to put some sweet love notes inside. 

This mailbox was cut using paper for the main part, and then cardstock accents. 

I love the flag that is included with this cut out project- I decorated it by stamping a sentiment from the Lifting Spirits stamp set and attaching it to the mailbox with a brad.

The flag can move up and down, so now my boys and husband know when I have put a note inside the mailbox! I plan to use this for encouraging notes, to let the boys know of some family fun nights and also to express my feelings as I can write things better than vocalising them. 

What would you put in this mailbox? I would love to know!

CTMH supplies used:

Cardstock: Ruby, Whisper

Cricut Cartridges: Artfully Sent, Artiste

Embellishments: Mini Medley Accents

Ink: Hollyhock, Lagoon

Paper: Heartstrings

Stamp set: Lifting Spirits

14 Days of Love- Day 8

Each day for 14 days I will be bringing you a project inspired by love!

Today I would like to share a project inspired by Stampin' Nerd- a pull-out gift card box! Please click here for a full tutorial as she explains it better than I can.

 

The instructions give you this adorable box with a gift card slot, so that you can box up a gift card for a Valentines gift, wedding anniversary gift, or a date night voucher. here I have used a mall gift card for our date night gift so that we can use it to see a movie together than get a coffee at our local shopping centre.

I made a tag to attach to the box using one of my favourite stamp sets and some masking.

I attached it to the box using some ribbon and embellishment, and now it is ready to be given to my husband for a special and unexpected date night! 

Come back tomorrow as I will be sharing an anniversary layout using some of my favourite CTMH items.

CTMH supplies used:
Cardstock: Whisper, White Daisy
Embellishments: Red Enamel Hearts, Slate Diagonal Striped Ribbon, 
Inks: Black, Cotton Candy, Cranberry, Slate
Paper packet: Heartstrings
Stamp set: Love Clusters