Pocket Card Celebration

Close To My Heart is continuing their 35 year celebration with 35% off Pocket Cards in March.  Our pocket card selection coordinates perfectly with our paper packets.  Pocket cards are a go to item for pocket style scrapbooking and are perfect for quick and easy cardmaking.  You can view the current selection here!


Thanks so much for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketches #379

My fluffy cat is back for the sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches! I love cats of all types....but have a fondness for soft, fluffy kitties, with one exception!  My kitties seem to have read the calendar and actually believe the first day of spring is near.  As a result, I have kitties shedding everywhere!  When it comes to shedding time, fluffy kitties are the worst!  I am up to vacuuming a couple of times a day and there is no end in sight for the kitty hair.  I seriously need a Roomba to work full time! Here is a look at the original sketch design-

I kept my card on the clean and simple side.  My camera lighting does not appreciate the different materials on my card, but I can assure you in person, they all match!  Did you know you can color suede with your alcohol based markers? My pink suede bow was not the exact shade that I wanted....Copic marker to the rescue, a few swipes and it matched perfectly...regardless of what the camera says! I have used Copics to color bling, ribbon, brads, embossing etc.  They are truly a versatile product!

All supplies by Close To My Heart except where noted:
C1769 Purrrrific Stamp Set
X7242B I Heart Us Paper Packet
X6027 White Daisy Cardstock
X6016 Pixie Cardstock
Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks
Z2844 Pixie Exclusive Inks
Z3318 Thin Cuts Basic Circles
Z4181 Thin Cuts Stitched Circles
Z4195 Beautiful Friendship Bows (On the Clearance Rack!)
Pixie Glitter Gems-Retired
Copic Markers-various-sorry I do not have the color list available

I have also entered my card in the following challenges:
Allsorts-Favorite Stamp
My Time to Craft-It's raining Cats & Dogs
 Penny Black & More-Anything Goes w/option of circles

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Mojo Sketch #511

One of my goals this year, is to mail more cards.  We all love to receive cards in the mail and a handmade card brightens everyone's day.  I know we often think of sending cards for special occasions, but it is the non-conventional ones that are the most surprising.  I honestly do not celebrate St. Patrick's Day...but decided it would be a good day to send a little something in the mail. I created my card based on the sketch challenge at Mojo Monday. I have always been a huge fan of Julee's layered sketches!

My four leaf clover was created with the super cute stitched heart dies by Close To My Heart. I cut a total of eight hearts.  I adhered four hearts directly to my circle shape.  I then scored the remaining four hearts down the middle and only applied adhesive to the center of the hearts.  After adhering to the flat hearts, I raised the sides of the hearts to give the clover a 3-D effect. Since the hearts did not line up perfectly in the center, I colored a gem with a Copic Marker to match my clover and placed in the center. My stem is cute from an oval stitched die. Super cute and super easy to make!

My sentiments is actually from this month's Love Blossoms special. I love the large font and you can create many sentiments out of the words that are included.  I took the liberty of cutting apart one of the sentiments to make a custom saying for my card.  Don't fear cutting your stamps, you can always slide them back together on a clear block.  Cutting sentiments apart gives you more freedom in your placement and more mileage out of the stamp set.  Here is the original stamp set-

All supplies by Close To My Heart, except where noted:
CC2199 Love Blossoms Stamp Set
Z4182 Stitched Heart Dies
Z4187 Stitched Oval Dies
Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems
X5707 Summer Celebration Pattern Paper-Retired
Topiary Cardstock-Retired
Topiary Ink-Retired
Gold Sequins-Retired
Copic Sketch G46

(I had every intention of using the current color of Clover for my card....but it seems to have disappeared from my craft room!  Clover would be a close color to Topiary, you can view all the Clover items here)

I have entered my card in the following challenges:
Color My Heart Color Dare-Inspiration Board
Crafty Cardmakers-Make It Green
Crafty Gals Corner-Add a Shamrock/Clover
Die Cut Diva's-Use Green and or Gold
Double Trouble Challenge-Wearin of the Green w/optional twist of gold plus double dare of H2H
Ellibelle's Corner-Spring or Green
Heart 2 Heart Challenges-Wearin of the Green
ModSquad Challenge-Layered Looks
Use Your Stuff-Stitching, Faux or Real

Thanks so much for stopping by!

DIY Home Decor Project

Close To My Heart has a new DIY Home Decor Project available! With the Home Chipboard Monogram workshop, you can create a papercrafting project that is sure to add a cozy touch to any room! This workshop uses chipboard monogram letters and easy-to-cut shapes from the Cricut Design Space™ project file created just for this workshop.

The kit provides you with the pattern paper, cardstock, chipboard monogram letters, and puffy stickers to spell the word Home. You also get access to the cutting files in Cricut Design Space.  You will need access to the Cricut Artistry Collection and a Cricut Machine to use the files. You can view the kit details here!  Here is a look at the kit contents (puffy stickers not shown)-

The kit is available until April 30, 2019 or While Supplies Last!  Feel free to contact me with any questions!

You Are So Wonderful

The Paper Players is having a Colors of the Rainbow Challenge this week.  As soon as I saw the challenge released, I knew I had the perfect paper for it! The I Heart Us paper packet has some gorgeous papers with all the colors of the rainbow!  While looking through the papers, I happened across the sheet of various images that are meant to work well for the Picture My Life Albums....the You are so Wonderful to me image was PERFECT for a card!  I really felt the card would be more fitting if it only said You are so Wonderful.....so I got a little creative about covering up part of the sentiment.  I inked up some butterflies from the upcoming April Stamp of the Month and strategically placed them on my card.  To add some interest, I inked up my larger butterfly in Thistle ink first and then rolled the edges into black ink.  I then layered the butterfly to give it movement on the card.  I love the end result and it resulted in a quick and easy colorful card.  This card is sure to brighten someone's day!  Here is a look at the complete paper pack-

All supplies by Close To My Heart, except where noted:
S1904 Love So Sweet (Available April 1, 2019)
X7242B I Heart Us Paper Packet
X6027 White Daisy Cardstock
X6024 Thistle Cardstock
Z2840 Thistle Exclusive Inks
Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks
Black Spica Glitter Pen by Copic

I have entered my card in the following challenges:
Crafty Hazelnut's Pattern Paper-Anything Goes w/pattern paper
Simon Says Stamp-Whatever the Weather
The Paper Players-Colors of the Rainbow

Through the Purple Haze-Rainbows

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Don't forget, Paper packs are Buy One Get One Half off in March!  You can view the full line up here!

Freshly Made Sketches #378

I spent a little time coloring with my favorite stamp set of the moment, Budding Peony.  I changed things up a little and went with purple as my color scheme.  I figured you had seen enough of my pinks and mint!  My card is based on the sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches-

My card ended up taking a direction of it's own.  I promise that rectangle strip is under my peonies!  I had planned on using the strip more as a flower box. It still serves the purpose, my flowers just happen to be in full bloom over the top of it! I layered the flowers to give added dimension.

All supplies by Close To My Heart, except where noted:
D1831 Budding Peony
X6024 Thistle Cardstock
X6027 White Daisy Cardstock
X242B I Heart Us Pattern Paper
Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks
Stitched Frame-MFT
Copics-see below

I have also entered my card in the following challenges:
Crazy 4 Challenges-Flowers
The Flower Challenge-Anything Goes
Southern Girls-Flowers or Animals

Thanks so much for stopping by!