Are you worth it? Join my CTMH Team in April and be REWARDED!

Signing up as a new Consultant with Close To My Heart during April is more rewarding than ever. Not only do you get your beautiful New Consultant Kit at a new, lower price, but when you submit $450 in personal sales within your first 30 days**, you get your choice of either a FREE Cricut® collection or $145 in Select Product Credit—and that’s in addition to the Straight To The Top start-up bonus that you’ll earn along the way!

If you have met me, then you know how much I love being an Independent Consultant with Close To My Heart. In this video below, the gorgeous Monica Wihongi explains some of the MANY benefits of belonging to this wonderful papercrafting family. 

In April, there are even more reasons to join my CTMH Crafty Hearts' Team, with so many more REWARDS and freebies for you, so click here to get started! 

I would love to share this amazing journey with you!

Warmest crafting wishes,
Denise :)

Life in Pictures April SotM Australasian Blog Hop

Hello and welcome aboard our Close To My Heart April 2016 Life in Pictures Stamp of the Month Australasian Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Jenny's The Creative Heart, 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 few projects that I have created featuring the April Stamp of the Month, Life in Pictures. This stamp set is available only in April 2016 for $27, or for just $7.50 when you spend $75 or more. 

I collect old cameras! They are not in the very best condition, as they really are just to look at and appreciate, but I just love having these treasures from days gone by to remind me of a simpler time.  Can you imagine how excited I was when I saw the April Stamp of the Month, Life in Pictures?  Yes, I was VERY excited! LOL!

Here are a couple of the old cameras that I am lucky to own:

Needless to say, I was really looking forward to having a play with this gorgeous stamp set filled with so many cute cameras and adorable sayings.   

Just like last month, my projects are based on artwork from the Seasonal Expressions Idea Book.  I just love the creative ideas developed by the CTMH Art Department for our gorgeous Idea Books and I am always super-keen to try them out for myself. 

My first project uses Kraft Cardstock, Urban B&T Paper and Black and Gold Ribbon on a Colonial White Card Base with the image and sentiment stamped in Memento Black ink on Colonial White Cardstock.  The sentiment has been dove-tailed and mounted on Sapphire Cardstock.  It's simple and quick- the perfect card project to fit into my crazy, busy life right now!

You know me! When I get one a roll with a quick and easy card, I like to create variations of the same design.  The two cards below follow the same formula, but I have substituted the ribbon for Gold Foil Tape and Gold Shimmer Trim and added some Gold Sequins to one, but they are essentially the same design.

I also decided have a go at replicating the page layout in the Seasonal Expressions Idea Book.  Mine doesn't have any pictures on it as yet, but my plan is to use it as a title page for our 2016 album and pop little photos of our happy family into the photo spots! The page uses a combination of Sapphire and Saffron Cardstock and Paper Fundamentals as well as Slate Cardstock on a Colonial White base.  The little Polaroid frames are too cute and the images and sentiments are just perfect for this layout.  So simple, but oh, so adorable and I am just delighted with the finished page!

Thank you for visiting my Blog to check out my projects featuring the April Stamp of the Month, Life in Pictures.  I would love it if you could leave a comment below before you hop to the next stop on our Australasian Blog Hop, Lauren's CTMH Craftings.

Remember, the April Stamp of the Month, Life in Pictures is only available throughout April 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 :)

CTMH Australasian Stampaganza Blog Hop

Hello and welcome aboard our Close To My Heart Stampaganza Australasian Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Lauren Moore's CTMH Craftings, 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. 

Stampaganza is happening again! That means that throughout March, when you purchase two of our gorgeous My Acrylix stamp sets, you can choose another stamp set (of equal or lesser value) FREE! Yes, FREE! That's 3 stamp sets for the price of 2. What's not to love about that?

So today on our Australasian Blog Hop, we are celebrating Stampaganza 2016 by sharing some projects using our favourite stamp sets from the Annual Inspirations or Seasonal Expressions Idea Books.  

I have chosen my most favourite stamp set, Blossoming Expressions.  As you can see, this stamp set is completely gorgeous! The stamp set features solid stamps with less detail 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.

Did you know that it's Jeanette Lynton's birthday this month? Jeanette is the CEO and founder of Close To My Heart and she is one truly remarkable woman! 

To celebrate Jeanette's birthday, CTMH are encouraging everyone to create a handmade birthday card for Jeanette, snap a photo of it and post it to Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #cards4jeanette.  You can see more details on the CTMH Blog Make it from your Heart. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we flooded social media with beautiful handmade cards for Jeanette?  Will you join in the celebration too by creating your own card?

I was determined to use my favourite stamp set, Blossoming Expressions to create a truly special card in honour of Jeanette's birthday.  I created the following Cascade Card featuring La Vie En Rose B&T Paper with coordinating colours Pixie, Hollyhock, Ruby, Poppy and Pomegranate.  

Cascade Cards are so easy to create.  The base is created from two pieces of Cardstock that are cut and scored so they can slide together and interlock to make the mechanism that helps the card stretch out and then lay flat again. 

You can click on the link to download my instructions (PDF) for creating this Blossoming Expressions Cascade Card. I do hope you enjoy creating this special card as much as I enjoyed designing and making it! 

My next card is based on a card design by consultant Catherine Nowak. I just love the simplicity of the design and I think the La Vie En Rose B&T Paper works beautifully alongside the purple hues of Thistle and Eggplant on this card.  

The ingredients used to create this card are:

D1665 Blossoming Expressions stamp set

White Daisy Card and Envelope (Value Pack)

5 1/2” x 7/8” La Vie En Rose B&T Paper (black and white side)

4” x 4” White Daisy Cardstock (for stamping flowers and leaves)

2 3/4” x 1” White Daisy Cardstock (for stamping sentiment)

3” x 1” Thistle Cardstock

5” strip of Purple Shimmer Trim

Thistle Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

Eggplant Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

Pear Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

Topiary Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

Black Journalling Pen

Thin 3-D Foam Tape

3-D Foam Tape

Thank you for visiting my Blog to check out my card projects featuring the stamp set Blossoming Expressions.  I would love it if you would leave a comment below before you hop to the next stop on our Australasian Blog Hop, Jenny Gilbert's The Creative Heart, to see what stamp set is Jenny's favourite! 

Remember, the Stampaganza promotion is only available throughout March 2016 from your Close To My Heart Independent Consultant, so make sure you snap up your favourite stamp sets before the end of the month!

Warmest crafting wishes,
Denise :)

Time for another favourite stamp set!

This month, I am all about sharing my favourite stamp sets- well some of the anyway! I am loving revealing some of the my go-to stamp sets and a few of the projects that you can create with these beauties!

Today, I am going go ga-ga over the My Anchor stamp set (and matching My Anchor Thin Cuts).  This nautical stamp set has got so much going for it.  It creates gorgeous cards for males (and I know that we are always looking for more male-oriented card designs), spectacular embellishments for page payouts, and adds pizazz to your Planner and other paper crafting projects.

I created the card below to teach at my upcoming April Creative Cardmaking Workshop. I wanted to offer an eye-catching, fun and simple card for a male birthday.  The card features Sapphire, Glacier, White Daisy and Lagoon Cardstock, Regatta B&T Paper as well as Cranberry, Honey, Sapphire, Desert Sand Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads and Memento Black Stamp Pad.  With the use of the matching Thin Cuts, this card comes together quickly but still looks colourful and interesting. What do you think?

The 4 cards below are created from the products supplied in the Regatta Workshops Your Way Scrapbooking Kit.  In fact, you can create 2 each of these designs from this kit as well as 6 page layouts and 2 pocket scrapbooking pages! Wowza! I just love the fresh, fun feel of these adorable cards and the sentiments really make me smile!

Coordinating Thin Cuts really do make life easy-peasy! Just stamp and then roll the stamped image through your Big Shot or Cuttle Bug with the matching Thin Cut for a perfect cut every time! 

Check out our current range of stamp sets and coordinating Thin Cuts! Oh my gosh, they are just too adorable.  (Please note that the Springtime Wishes Thin Cuts are already sold out due to a huge demand and the other Thin Cuts have been placed on While Stocks Last).  

Don't forget, this month as part of our Stampaganza 2016 special promotion, when you purchase two of our gorgeous stamp sets, you can choose another stamp set (of equal or lesser value) FREE! Yes, FREE! That's 3 stamp sets for the price of 2.  How exciting! Order on my website 24/7, or send me a text or email with your order.

Don't forget to keep checking back in March as I continue to blog about my favourite stamp sets this month!

Warmest crafting wishes,
Denise :)

Alpha-Crazy!

I love alphabet stamps and I cannot lie! And they are my favourite stamps that I'll be sharing with you today! 

That's right, if you've been along for the ride with me this month, you know that I have been blogging about my favourite stamp sets to celebrate Stampaganza 2016!

Don't forget, this month as part of our Stampaganza 2016 promotion, when you purchase two of our gorgeous stamp sets, you can choose another stamp set (of equal or lesser value) FREE! Yes, FREE! That's 3 stamp sets for the price of 2.  How exciting!

Alphabet stamps are the bomb! You can use any combination of letters to create any words, sentiments or headings for your cards, pages, tags, planner or other crafting projects- and you never RUN OUT! You can mix and match letters from different alphabet stamps to create interesting and eye-catching focus points on your work and you can use different colour combinations to make those letters pop!

Close To My Heart has a huge assortment of My Acrylix Alphabet stamp sets available in a variety of fun, fabulous and funky fonts, but today I'm going to share four projects created with just a selection of them- 1. Jennifer's Hand, 2. Marquee Uppercase, 3. Typography, 4. Etched, 5. Keyboard Uppercase and 6. Inked.

The first project, a 5 1⁄2" x 4 1⁄4" Congrats! Card is featured on page 107 of the Annual Inspirations Idea Book and is created using the Etched and Jennifer's Hand Alphabet stamp sets.  The Etched stamp set has been used to create the stamped background and Jennifer's Hand has been used for the embossed sentiment at the front of the card.  

Ingredients used to create this card include:

A1182 My Acrylix® Etched Alphabet 
B1484 My Acrylix® Jennifer’s Hand 
Z7203B Georgie Paper Packet
1386 Black Cardstock
Z2172 Whisper Exclusive InksTM Pad 
Z888 Black StazOnTM Ink Pad 
Z2013 Sequins Silver Assortment 
Z2068 RangerTM White Super Fine Embossing Powder 
Z1979 Marvy® Uchida® LePenTM
Journaling Pen 


This adorable 12" x 12" Layout "You’re Off to Great Places" features on page 106 of the Annual Inspirations Idea Book.  It is a fabulous example of how you can use a number of stamp sets on the same project to create a fun and cohesive look.  This layout features 5 different stamp sets but they work together so beautifully! 

Ingredients used to create this layout include:
E1033 My Acrylix® Inked Alphabet
B1484 My Acrylix® Jennifer’s Hand 
E1029 My Acrylix® Marquee Uppercase 
B1416 My Acrylix® Keyboard Uppercase 
A1182 My Acrylix® Etched Alphabet 
X7201B La Vie En Rose Paper Packet X7204B Urban Paper Packet
1386 Black Cardstock
X5760 Cotton Candy Cardstock
Z3146 Watercolor Paper
Z2641 Glacier Exclusive InksTM Pad 
Z2105 Black Exclusive InksTM Pad
Z3091 Pink Enamel Gems
Z3132 Watercolor Paints
Z3188 Paintbrush Set
Z3169 Cricut® Artbooking Collection Thread
Cricut® Shapes:
Art booking, 11" Overlay <3> (cut 2, p. 40) 

This sweet 4 1⁄4" x 5 1⁄2" Alphabet Card is on page 104 of the Annual Inspirations Idea Book and features the Typography stamp set. I just love the contrast between the Whisper background stamping and the pop of Poppy for the sentiment.  

The ingredients used to create this card include:
E1032 My Acrylix Typography 
X7197B Zoe Paper Packet
X5779 Poppy Cardstock
Z2652 Poppy Exclusive Inks Pad 
Z2172 Whisper Exclusive Inks Pad 


Finally, here are two projects that would be super-cute additions to your next birthday bash!

This simple 4 1⁄4" x 5 1⁄2" Thanks a Bunch Card above features on page 107 of the Annual Inspirations Idea Book and includes letters from both the Inked and Etched alphabet stamp sets.  I just love the way the individual letters from the Inked stamp set can be stamped to look like they are joined into a cursive script! Check out the "thanks" sentiment above as a gorgeous example of this.  And of course our clear blocks make it so easy to line up the letters perfectly!

Ingredients used to create this card include:
E1033 My Acrylix Inked Alphabet 
A1182 My Acrylix Etched Alphabet 
D1663 My Acrylix Floral Banners 
X7201B La Vie En Rose Paper Packet 

Z2105 Black Exclusive Inks Pad 
Z2641 Glacier Exclusive Inks Pad 
Z2123 Goldrush Exclusive InksTM Pad 
Z2642 Flaxen Exclusive Inks Pad 
Z2012 Sequins Gold Assortment 
Z3086 Aqua Shimmer Trim 

The 5 3⁄4" x 4 3⁄4" HB to You Bag is also featured on page 107 of the Annual Inspirations Idea Book.  The Etched and Typography stamp sets have been used to create this adorable gift bag.  

Ingredients used to create this bag include:
A1182 My Acrylix Etched Alphabet 
E1032 My Acrylix Typography 
X7203B Georgie Paper Packet
1243 Goldrush Cardstock
Z2105 Black Exclusive Inks Pad
Z2641 Glacier Exclusive Inks Pad
Z2036 Designer Creations Slate Paper Bags 
Z2012 Sequins Gold Assortment
Z3171 Cricut Art Philosophy Collection Tissue Paper
Cricut® Shape:
Art Philosophy, 2" <Circle1> (p. 21) 

Do you want to create one or more of these super cute projects?  I'd love to show you how, and throughout March is definitely the perfect time to snap up your favourite Alphabet stamp sets (or any of your favourite stamps for that matter)!

Drop by my shop 24/7 to check out the huge range of My Acrylix stamp sets before Stampaganza 2016 is over or contact me to place an order or register for one of my upcoming workshops. 

Warmest crafty wishes,

Denise :)