Jan 20, 2016

La Vie En Rose Australasian Blog Hop


Hello and welcome aboard our Close To My Heart La Vie En Rose Australasian Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from  Maz Wood's Blog, Inky Fingers, 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. 

La Vie En Rose is a romantic, sophisticated paper collection created by Close To My Heart that features in the new 2015- 2016 Annual Inspirations Idea Book.  The La Vie En Rose range includes the La Vie En Rose Paper PacketLa Vie En Rose Workshops on the Go Scrapbooking KitLa Vie En Rose Assortment and La Vie En Rose Complements, which work on their own, or together, to create stunning colour-coordinated page layouts, cards and off-the-page projects quickly and easily.


Today, I would like to share with you this card that I have created featuring the new La Vie En Rose Paper Packet.  This gorgeous Paper Packet includes 6 sheets of double-side B&T (Background and Texture) Paper and 6 sheets of coordinating Cardstock.  The colours featured in the La Vie En Rose Paper Packet include Pomegranate, Black, Hollyhock, Poppy, Pixie, Ruby and White Daisy. 

You may (or may not) recall that back in 2014, I created a Flower Pot Card and Tutorial.  This month, I have decided to revisit the flower pot card using a different flower pot template.  This is what the card looks like when the insert is out:


And this is what it looks like when the insert has been slipped inside the flowerpot:


Click to view and print the Flower Pot Template (PDF). I have written some simple steps below for using it to create this cute Flower Pot Card.

1. Trace around the template and cut out the flower pot using your Non-stick Micro-tip Scissors.
2. Fold the top (1) down and to the front. 
3. Fold the bottom (3) up and to the back.
4. Decorate the front base (2) by adhering B&T Paper to it and trimming the sides.
5. Secure the top by wrapping a 1" x 8" strip of B&T Paper around the rim of the pot and adhering it at the back using 3L E-Z Dots Adhesive- now you have created a closed pot with an opening at the top in which to slide the insert. NB. I also used Silver Shimmer Trim and White Shimmer Trim to decorate the front of the rim.
6. Create the insert by tracing around the top (1) and middle (2) parts of the template (in one piece) and cut out using your Non-stick Micro-tip Scissors.

To create the flowers and leaves, I stamped a variety of the flower and leaf stamps from the Springtime Wishes stamp set in Black Memento ink directly onto Poppy, Pixie, Ruby, Hollyhock and Saffron Cardstock and Fundamentals Paper, then I used our wonderful new co-ordinating Springtime Wishes Thin Cuts to cut them out on my Big Shot.  I adhered the flowers and leaves using 3-D and Thin 3-D Foam Tape to create a layered finish and added Clear Sparkles for a little bit of bling.  NB. I arranged and adhered the flowers and leaves while the insert was inside the flower pot as it is easier to get a balanced look this way.


Ingredients used to create this card:

Springtime Wishes stamp set

Springtime Wishes Thin Cuts
White card and envelope (Value Pack)
La Vie En Rose B&T Paper (Flower side for base of pot; black side for the strip around the top)
Pixie Cardstock
Hollyhock Cardstock
Ruby Cardstock
Saffron Cardstock
Fern Cardstock
New England Ivy Cardstock
Poppy Fundamentals Paper (Enchantment)
Ruby Fundamentals Paper (Enchantment)
Black Memento Stamp Pad
Silver Shimmer Trim
White Shimmer Trim
Clear Sparkles Assortment
3-D Foam Tape
Thin 3-D Foam Tape

I also wanted to show you this beautiful page layout created by my son Perrin.  He is 15 years old and has crafted with me since he was 5 and I'm happy to say that he still loves spending time crafting with me when he's not busy doing assignments or studying for exams! As you can see, he does gorgeous work!  

His page is based on the Main Frame- Quilt Blocks pattern, one of over 100 scrapbook layout patterns featured in the Reflections Scrapbook Program.    

Perrin has used tone-on-tone background stamping in Pixie and featured the January Stamp of the Month, Beloved Bouquet on his page. You can see it here displayed in a CTMH White Shadow Box.  


Ingredients used to create this page layout:

Beloved Bouquet, January 2016 Stamp of the Month
White Daisy Cardstock (Base)
La Vie En Rose B&T Paper
Pixie Cardstock
Hollyhock Cardstock
Pomegranate Cardstock
Pixie Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Pomegranate Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Fern Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
New England Ivy Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

Thank you for visiting my Blog to check out my Flower Pot Card and Perrin's page layout featuring the gorgeous paper from the La Vie En Rose Paper Packet.  

I would love it if you would leave a comment below before you hop to the next stop on our La Vie En Rose Australasian Blog Hop, Tanya's Blog, Happy Papercrafting to see even more ways to use the La Vie En Rose Collection.


Remember, you can purchase any of the gorgeous La Vie En Rose products from your CTMH Independent Consultant.  

Until next time!

Warmest crafting wishes,
Denise :)

Jan 10, 2016

Live Your Day Australasian Blog Hop


Hello and welcome aboard our Close To My Heart Live Your Day National Papercrafting Month Australasian Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Jenny's Blog The Creative Heart, 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

This month, in honour of National Papercrafting Month you can purchase the exclusive Picture My Life™ Live Your Day cards for only $13.50.  This collection was designed to coordinate perfectly with the sensational Everyday Life™ 2016 Planner Pages and My Crush® Everyday Life Pages, so you can seamlessly integrate pocket scrapbooking into your 2016 planner. Whether in the planner or on their own, these cards make it easy to preserve your everyday moments all year long. The set features twenty 4" x 6" cards and thirty-six 3" x 4" cards. Each card features the card design oriented vertically on one side of the card and horizontally on the other, so you can pick which orientation works best with your project.


National Papercrafting Month is all about celebrating the joy and delights of creating heartfelt cards, scrapbook albums and other decorative paper crafts.   The Live Your Day PML cards are perfect for celebrating the here and now as well as those precious moments throughout the year, while adding a special touch to your papercraft projects.  

I am so excited to have the new CTMH Everyday Life Planner for 2016 and I thought these Live Your Day PML cards were just perfect for adding a special decorative touch to my planner! I just love the inspirational messages on the 4" x 6" cards, so I added them to the monthly dividers in my planner with some Shimmer Trim.  Now each month, I can be inspired anew with these motivational sayings and quotes.

I also created these two very simple, super easy cards with some of the leftover PML cards.  I love how quickly they come together with the larger patterned PML cards used to create a decorative base and words from the cards used as ready-made sentiments.  


For the first card, I cut off one of the ends of the 4" x 6" floral-design PML cards so it measured 4" x 5 1/4", rounded the corners and adhered it to a white card base.  I cut the sentiment "Be Happy" from a small PML card.  I dovetailed the ends of Black Cardstock and Silver Shimmer Trim and added them behind the words. I added a Pixie butterfly cut from the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge (p. 41) and decorated the card with Clear Sparkles.



For the second card, I cut off both of the ends the decorative heart-patterned PML card to measure 4" x 5 1/4" and adhered it to a white card base.  I cut a strip of Lagoon Fundamentals Paper and dovetailed the end, adhering it to the right side of the card.  I then cut the word "Hello" from another PML card and mounted it with 3-D Foam Tape.  As I said before, it is very simple, quick and super easy to create cards using these Live Your Day PML cards!

Thank you for visiting my Blog to check out my projects featuring the National Papercrafting Month PML Cards, Live Your Day.  I would love it if you would leave a comment below before you hop to the next stop on our Australasian Blog HopPassionate About Pages to see how Shaunna has used the exclusive National Papercrafting Month PML Cards to create her own special projects.

Remember, the National Papercrafting Month Live Your Day PML cards are only available throughout January 2016 from your Close To My Heart Independent Consultant, so get yours today for only $13.50 before they are gone!


Warmest crafting wishes,
Denise :)


Jan 3, 2016

Celebrate National Papercrafting Month in style!


January is National Papercrafting Month and you can celebrate with the exclusive Picture My Life™ Live Your Day scrapbooking program- available for one month only- January 2016! 

This gorgeous collection was designed to coordinate perfectly with the sensational Everyday Life™ 2016 Planner Pages and My Crush® Everyday Life Pages, so you can seamlessly integrate pocket scrapbooking into your 2016 planner. 

Whether in the planner or on their own, these PML Cards make it easy to preserve your everyday moments all year long. Get yours today for only $13.50 before this offer is gone!

This video shows the ways that you can use these gorgeous Live Your Day PML Cards in your planner and to create other projects quickly and easily!


Warmest crafting wishes,
Denise :)

Jan 1, 2016

Beloved Bouquet Stamp of the Month Australasian Blog Hop


Hello and welcome aboard our Close To My Heart January 2016 Stamp of the Month Australasian Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Shaunna's Blog Passionate About Pagesyou 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 set of six cards I have created that features the January Stamp of the Month, Beloved BouquetThis stamp set is available only in January 2016 for $27, or for just $7.50 when you spend $75 or more. 

Love is in the air with the January Stamp of the Month from Close To My Heart!  And with this new stamp set, love can also be on your card designs, on your page layouts, in your planner and on your designer decor items! Love can be everywhere! 

The stamp set features solid stamps for background stamping and stamps with finely detailed leaf and flower images for stamping the foreground. You can use first and second generation stamping with the same colour to create a subtle contrast between the background and foreground, or stamp with different ink colours for a more dramatic effect- the choice is up to you.



Here is the set of six cards that I have created featuring stamps from Beloved Bouquet.  I borrowed the layout from a cute card designed by Dawn Heathwood and I raided my scraps to choose the Cardstock colours for each of the cards (I love an opportunity to use up some of my scraps). 




To create these cards, I began with a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" Black Cardstock base, scored and folded in half at 4 1/4" and creased using the Bone Folder.  I also used Black Cardstock to mount the two White Daisy Cardstock pieces on the card.  I love the way the black creates a dramatic contrast to the white and colour on the cards.



I created the dovetailed strip down the side of the card using a 2" strip of White Daisy Cardstock and randomly stamping the flower outline in Black ink.  That actually looked quite stunning on its own, so I'll be using that idea again in a future card design.  



The various sentiments on the cards have been stamped in Black ink and the background stamping on the White Daisy Cardstock featuring the sentiment has been stamped with Fern ink.  The leaves were stamped in Fern for the background stamp and in Topiary for the foreground stamp.  The flowers have been stamped using a variety of ink colours to coordinate with the selected Cardstock. For some of the flowers I used first and second generation stamping in the same colour, and for others I used different colours for the background and foreground stamps. 



I cut a 1/2" x 4" strip of Black Glitter Paper, placed it at 2" on the card to add a bit of shimmer to the card design before adhering the leaves and flowers using Thin 3-D Foam Tape and 3-D Foam Tape to create varying heights on the card front.



Thank you for visiting my Blog to check out my special cards featuring the January Stamp of the Month, Beloved Bouquet.  I would love it if you could leave a comment below before you hop to the next stop on our Australasian Blog HopWendy's Blog Expressions of the Heart.


Remember, the January Stamp of the Month, Beloved Bouquet is only available throughout January 2016 from your Close To My Heart Independent Consultant for $27, or for just $7.50 when you spend $75 or more.
  

Warmest crafting wishes,
Denise :)