Are you a Nutcracker fan?  I know so many people have vast collections of them! Close To My Heart has just the stamp set for you!  The Cedar & Pine Cardmaking Stamp Set w/ Thin Cuts is super cute!  You can easily embellish your Nutcrackers with the various stamps included in the set.

You can find the set here.  It is due to retire on December 31!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Come check out the selection of new, current and retired items in the 24 hour Black Friday Sale! The sale starts Friday, 11/29/19 at 3:00 PM MST and ends on Saturday 11/30/19 at 2:59 PM MST.  All items are while supplies last.  You can view the sale here!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Check out the exclusive new products that will be part of the Black Friday Sale!  Wooden banner kits, that are perfect for your holiday projects!  There will be a selection of new, current and retired items in the sale!  Discounts up to 50% off!  The sale starts Friday, 11/29/19 at 3:00 PM MST.  You can view all the sale items here when the sale starts!

Happy Shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I hope you are enjoying the day with friends and family and possibly  your craft supplies! It looks like it will be tomorrow before I can ink up some stamps, so I am sharing a card that I created back in 2012!  My card was created with the Cricut Artiste Collection, which has been brought back in digital form.  Cricut will be having some awesome sales this weekend, be sure and check them out from my affiliate link.  If you would like to see the card details, you can check them out on this post.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 I know things get hectic during the holiday season!  This is just a reminder that many specials are coming to an end on November 30!  First on the list is the November Stamp of the Month, Family Time. This set of 18 stamps is available for only $5, with a qualifying purchase.
 Next up is the Days of December Album Special. With this project you can complete a unique Everyday Life album, featuring a page for every day in December. The bundle is available with or without the stamps/Thin Cuts bundle.



Lastly, the Holiday Cheer tag and ornament kit! Dress up your holiday tree and gifts with your own custom ornaments and tags!


Have questions?  Need assistance with your order?  You can contact me here.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Are you planning your holiday shopping?  Close To My Heart will be having a Black Friday Sale, starting at 3:00 PM MST on Friday, November 29.  There will be a selection of current and retired items at up to 50% off!  This is a great time to do some crafty shopping for the holidays!  The Black Friday Sale, will be followed with the Cyber Monday Sale. The Cyber Monday Sale will start at 3:00 PM MST on Monday, December 2.


All sale items are while supplies last, be there at 3:00 PM MST for the best selection.  You can find all of the sales here!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

This card was a little bit of a stretch for me, but it is truly personal!  My main love of stamping, is because I am challenged at drawing stick figures!  I love to create things with paper.....but being artistic at drawing does not seem to be in my DNA!  Another reason that I so love creating cards....you can make them with the recipient in mind! This card was created for my future daughter in law, with a very slim resemblance of her three kitties, one of whom is no longer with us.  I so wish I had the artistic talent of some of you in blog land!  While by no means perfect, I think the card is perfect for the recipient!  Thankfully the images are on the cutesy side, so I think I can get away with cutesy coloring to match!  I created my card based on the sketch challenge this week at Sketch Saturday-

I so love these cute little doggies that are featured in the Best Friends Furever promotion! I am pretty certain the Eat, Play, Love is my dog's motto...possibly in that order!  I created my card based on the sketch challenge at CAS(E) this Sketch-


My card is super simple, though I did a little surgery on my stamp set. Eat, Play, Love comes together as one stamp.  I cut them apart.  I just find it easier to cut my stamps apart, vs masking off part of the image.  Certainly a personal preference.  I am just the worst at getting stray ink transfer while masking!  Once you start cutting your stamps to meet your needs, there is no turning back!  You just have to get past the first cut!  Here is a look at the complete stamp set-


I colored my pup with Copics and popped him up with 3-D foam tape for some added dimension, he is seriously flying to catch the Frisbee!

All supplies by Close To My Heart, except where noted:
CC11197 Best Friends Furever Bundle
Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z6508 Bluebird Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z6509 Candy Apple Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Copic Markers-B24, B26, C1, E31, E33, R11, R17, R27

I have also entered my card in the following challenges:
Addicted to Stamps-Anything Goes
Colour Crazy Challenge-Anything Goes
Cutie Pie Challenge-Add an Animal
Gem of a Challenge-Anything Goes
Sweet Stampin-Add a Pop of Red

Thanks so much for stopping by!

I am a huge advocate for animal rescue. My house is currently past capacity for four legged critters....I think we have taken the just one more a little too far.  In lieu of adopting another, I provide transport to help get critters to a better life.  Wyoming is a huge open space, and many pets need help getting across it to more populated areas to find their forever homes.  There is a huge need for animal transport volunteers.  It only takes a few hours of your time and you can help save numerous lives!  Chances are there is a volunteer transport Facebook group in your area!  Many of the animals travel hundreds if not thousands of miles for the chance at a better life.  If you live anywhere near a major highway, your help is surely needed!  Please consider adopting, fostering, transporting....it all  helps save a life!  Stepping off my soapbox now, I created my card based on the sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches-

I so love the Best Friends Furever promotion!  Regardless of whether you might be a dog person or a cat person, you are covered!  There is a dog stamp set and a cat stamp set.  The papers are REVERSIBLE!  Dog themed on one side, cat themed on the other!  Too cute!  Love them all?  Purchase the bundle of products and save 20%!


I kept my card clean and simple.  The super cute doggie totally stands alone!  I popped up my dog image and my resuce heart with 3-D foam for added dimension.  I added a touch of Liquid Glass to the dog's eyes and nose! Liquid Glass is not only an awesome adhesive, it works great for glossy accents as well.

All supplies by Close To My Heart:
CC11197 Best Friends Furever Bundle
Z6509 Candy Apple Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z679 Liquid Glass
Z3342 3-D Foam Dots

I have also entered my card in the following challenges:
Art Impressions-Anything Goes
CAS on Friday-Use a Frame
Heart 2 Heart-An Attitude of Gratitude

Thanks so much for stopping by!

If I could be half the person my dog thinks I am, pretty certain I could create World Peace!  Dogs are pretty awesome creatures.  I am fairly certain my dog thinks he is human though, he just might be offended if you called him a dog!  I created my card based on the sketch challenge at Sketch Saturday, and considering it is Friday, I am sneaking in with moments to spare!


My card was created with the super cute Best Friends Furever promotion!  This super cute set works for dogs and cats!  Because I am owned by both, I had to have the bundle....but you can purchase items separate as well!


My card is pretty simple.  I colored my pup with Copics and fussy cut him.  He is popped  up for more dimension.  I stamped and fussy cut a bone to add to my bow embellishment.

All supplies by Close To My Heart, except where noted:
CC11197 Best Friends Furever Bundle
Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z6509 Candy Apple Red Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z4187 Stitched Ovals Thin Cuts
Scallop Border Thin Cuts-Retired
Red Baker's Twine-American Crafts
Copic Markers-E51, E53, R17, R27, C1, C3

I have also entered my card in the following challenges:
Cuttlebug Mania-Animals
Ike's World-K is for Kindness
Watercooler Wednesday-Masculine

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Glitter...it seems you  love it or hate it! I am sure you instantly thought, Glitter! or Uggghhh, glitter! I so love the look of glitter....but so hate the glitter everywhere problem!  Problem solved, glitter paper!  Sorda like having your cake and eating it too!  You get the gorgeous glitter results, without the glitter everywhere problem! Glitter paper is so your friend in the craft room, plus it is Cricut friendly....it cuts so smoothly with dies or your electronic cutters! Close To My Heart is currently offering 6 colors of glitter paper-


The glitter paper comes in true 12x12 size and you get three sheets in each pack. A little goes a long ways....or feel free to use that whole sheet in your scrapbooks!  I added some bling to my card with the White Glitter paper.  It adds a gorgeous shimmer to your creations.  My card is based on the sketch challenge this week at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge-


I subbed in my snowflake for the focal element of my card to follow along with the theme challenge at The Paper Players-



My card is super simple.  I embossed my main panel with a snowflake embossing folder.  I love adding in different textures with the all white cards, which lead me to the glitter paper!  My snowflake was die cut three times and adhered together with liquid glass.  My first two layers were cut with white cardstock, saving the glitter paper layer for last.  My sentiment was cut on the Cricut Artiste Collection. I love how smoothly the Cricut Maker cuts little shapes!  Everything was adhered together with Liquid Glass adhesive. You can adhere glitter paper to cardstock with a tape runner.  If you want to add layers on top of glitter paper, I highly recommend Liquid Glass.  A regular tape runner, just does not give a lasting hold onto the glitter surface.

All supplies by Close To My Heart, except where noted:
1385 White Daisy Cardstock
Z3237 White Glitter Paper
Snowflakes Embossing Folder-Retired
Snowflakes Thin Cuts Die-Retired
Cricut Artiste Collection
Z679 Liquid Glass
Stitched Square Frame-MFT

I have also entered my card in the following challenges:
Addicted to Stamps and More-Holiday
Try It on Tuesday-Cold, Cold, Cold

Thanks so much for stopping by!

I decided to totally mix things up with my Christmas card making...from all white to black!  I just had to have this stamp set from Colorado Craft Company.  It is part of their Big & Bold line and  the stamp totally stands alone!  The images are huge!  My card is 5" x 5" and you can tell that the whole image did not quite fit. I plan to do some coloring with this image later, but for now, heat embossing it is!  I created my card based on the sketch challenge this week at CAS(E) this Sketch.


I totally took some inspiration from Jen Mitchell's card with the vellum!  This card was super simple to create.  I inked my image in Versamark and heat embossed in gold embossing powder.  For my vellum strip, I simply gently tore the edges and heat embossed my sentiment onto the strip.  I folded my vellum strip back behind my panel, so no worrying with adhesive showing on the front.  I thought about adding sequins, but felt they took away from the awesome stamp set!  My top panel is popped up with 3-D foam tape for added dimension.

All supplies by Close To My Heart, except where noted:
Pine Branch & Pinecones Stamp Set by Colorado Craft Company*
X6047 Black Cardstock
Z3367 Vellum Paper
Z891 Versamark Ink Pad
Z2066 Gold Embossing Powder

I have also entered my card in the following challenges:
AAA Cards-One Image + Optional Twist of Shimmer

Happy Little Stampers-CAS Tis The Season
Less is More-That's Torn It
Penny Black & More-Christmas

* I am NOT affiliated in anyway with Colorado Craft Company, but I am a huge fan.  They often have discount codes available. Try delandartie for a 10% discount if you decide you have to have the stamp set in your life as well!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

This little doggie is just too cute!  He is the perfect match for an uplifting card.  He is part of the doggie theme from the Best Friends Furever promotion. I just love the reversible papers, they are doggie themed on one side, kitty themed on the other! We are pretty much pro all four legged creatures in our household.  I created my card based on the sketch challenge at Try Stampin or Not on Tuesday.


I love the cute sentiments in the Eat Play Love stamp set. They are perfect for your canine creations.  If you have yet to see the complete stamp set, here it is-

All supplies by Close To My Heart, except where noted:
CC11197 Best Friends Furever Workshop Kit
Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Circle Dies-MFT
Fishtail Die-MFT

I have also entered my card in the following challenges:
Crafting by Designs-Anything Goes
Crafty Animals-Anything Goes
Cutie Pie Challenge-Add an Animal
Heart 2 Heart-World Kindness Day
Polkadoodles-Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp-Thinking of You
Southern Girls-Anything Goes

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Kitty cuddles are sooo much cheaper than therapy!  Adopt a kitty and they will gladly pay you back in kitty cuddles!  Fair warning, chances are it will be on their terms though! One kitty after another, I am now owned by five kitties.  My son keeps saying I am just one cat way from crazy cat lady.... My cats might say different and that I reached that stage one cat ago!  Regardless, we have reached max cat capacity!  I created my card based on the sketch challenge this week at Freshly Made Sketches-


My card was created with the new super cute Best Friends Furever promotion by Close To My Heart.  This promotion is super cool, it works for dogs or cats!  The papers are reversible.  Cat theme on one side, dog on the other.  Today, I am featuring the kitty side.  If you happen to be a dog person, I have you covered there too.  Three dogs reside here as well, and a dog themed card is coming soon!  This promotion features products for the cardmaker and the scrapbooker.  You can purchase individual items or get the bundle at a 20% discount. Considering the number of four legged friends in my household, the bundle was the way to go!


I love that the bundle comes with the Acrylic Hearts embellishments.  I am always meaning to order them, and always forget!  You can easily color the hearts with your alcohol markers. I added a touch of pink to my hearts with an RV11 Copic marker. I adhered my hearts to my card with Liquid Glass adhesive.  I use Liquid glass for everything!  It works as a super strong adhesive and is great for a glossy accent on your stamped images as well!  The Best Friends Furever items are available until December 31, 2019 or while supplies last. You can view all of the items here.

All supplies by Close To My Heart,except where noted:
CC11197 Best Friends Furever Workshop Kit
Z2844 Pixie Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z3318 Basic Circles Thin Cuts
Z4181 Stitched Circles Thin Cuts
Z679 Liquid Glass
RV11 Copic Marker

I have also entered my card in the following challenges:
Cutie Pie Challenge-Add an Animal
Heart 2 Heart Challenges-World Kindness Day
Little Red Wagon-Don't be Shy

Thanks so much for stopping by!

I so love Christmas cards that are anything but traditional colors, with purple being the strong favorite!  When I saw the color challenge this week at The Paper Players, I knew what I wanted to create.  The problem with creating cards in your head, is finding the time to actually create them on paper!  I had a craft day planned yesterday, but had to leave my house due to a carbon monoxide alert.  I have never had a carbon monoxide alarm go off, so decided it was better to be safe than sorry!  Fire Department visit later, we are totally fine, but do have a small issue somewhere!  Good news, the detectors do work and are super sensitive!  So with minutes to spare today, my card finally made it to paper!  Here is the original color challenge-


I went with some retired Close To My Heart favorites for the colors: Ocean, Pansy and Willow.  I had a little fun with this one and created an ink splatter background.  My card was  just too plain with a white background.  I dipped a paint brush into some Ocean reinker with water and splattered away.  Possibly too much, as I ended up with splatter well outside my "protective" tray!  One can only hope the papers on the adjoining desk were not too important!  Note to self-use an actual box next time!

My images were cut from Close To My Heart Cricut cartridges.  Did you know that ALL of the Close To My Heart Cricut Collections are now available in digital form?  You can purchase them online through my affiliate link and get them added to your account immediately.  No waiting and no shipping charges!  In fact, you can purchase any and all Cricut items through my affiliate link, not just Close To My Heart products!

My wreath is cut from the Close To My Heart Flower Market cartridge at 4.5".  I cut the images three times and layered them onto my card for a fuller wreath.  The Flower Market cartridge has numerous wreaths to choose from.  My Merry Christmas sentiment is cut from the Close To My Heart Artiste cartridge at 3.961"  The measurement is a little weird due to I simply sized it to fit my wreath.  I cut the sentiment twice and layered it together for more dimension.  I then punched some small dots to add to the wreath, but needed a little more pop, so added in sequins as well.  The end result is a pretty pop of unexpected color for a Christmas card, but so me!

All supplies by Close To My Heart, except where noted:
Cricut Flower Market Cartridge
Cricut Artiste Cartridge
1385 White Daisy Cardstock
X6012 Pansy Cardstock
X6026 Willow Cardstock
Ocean Cardstock-Retired
Ocean Reinker-Retired
Sequins-Unknown
Square Die-MFT
Hole Punch-Fiskars

I have also entered my card in the following challenges:
ABC Christmas Challenge-W is for Wreath
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge-Christmas
Happy Little Stampers-Anything Goes w/Dies

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Do you love creating gingerbread houses?  If so, the From Candyland stamp set is for you! This stamp set includes 31 stamps for you to create your own unique gingerbread houses!  Perfect for your holiday crafting.  Here is a look at the complete set-


So many of the sweet additions would stand alone on a card as well! I love the cute mix of fonts included in the sentiments.  A great set to your add to your collection, you can find it here.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

I am so loving the white on white for Christmas cards!  I decided to bling it up a bit and add in some silver foil. I ended up with so much bling, that taking a photo was a bit of a challenge! Getting a half way decent photo took longer than creating the card!  I created my card based on the sketch challenge at Mojo Monday-


The moment I saw the sketch, I knew it was a perfect match for the Custom Ornament Thin Cuts! My card was super simple to make.  My background panels are embossed with a snowflake embossing folder and matted onto silver foil.  For my ornament, I cut my decorative top layer in white and adhered to a silver foil base.  The ornament is super simple, the Thin Cuts do all the work for you!  My bow is a totally different story! I picked up, what I thought was a silvery shimmer organza ribbon from the dollar store.  Not!  Totally not organza, but heavy on the silvery shimmer!  I really felt like I needed a sentiment on the front, but I did not want to take away from the ornament. Most of my stamped sentiments seemed to get lost in all the bling.  I finally ended up die cutting some small letters to spell joy in silver foil.

All supplies by Close To My Heart, except where noted:
Z3533 Custom Ornament Thin Cuts
1385 White Daisy Cardstock
Z3366 Silver Foil Paper
Z4213 Silver Embellishing Thread
Snowflakes Embossing Folder-Retired
Lowercase Dies-MFT
Silver Glitter Ribbon-Dollar Tree

I have entered my card in the following challenges:
Crafty Sentiments Design-Anything Goes
Dream Valley Challenges-All that Glitters
Moving Along with the Times-Snowflakes
Shopping Our Stash-Here Comes Suzy Snowflake
Unicorn Challenge-Christmas/Winter

Thanks so much for stopping by!

While my desk is still clean, I decided to have another go with the white on white Christmas card.  I thought my layered snowflake would work perfect for the sketch challenge at CAS(E) this Sketch-


While I am normally a many layers type of gal, I have to admit....I am really liking the minimalist approach. I did sneak in a few layers on my snowflake.  I die cut my snowflake three times and adhered them together for more dimension on my card. My background panel was dry embossed and then die cut with a stitched rectangle frame.

All supplies by Close To My Heart, except where noted:
D1283 Say It in Style Stamp Set
1385 White Daisy Cardstock
Snowflake Thin Cuts-Retired
G1190 Hawthorn Cardmaking Kit (for the banner die)
Stitched Frame Die-Simon Says Stamp
Snowflake Embossing Folder-Provo Craft
Z891 Versamark Ink Pad
Z2067 Silver Embossing Powder

I have also entered my card in the following challenges:
Allsorts-White on White
Alphabet Challenge Blog-Q is for Quick and Easy
Happy Little Stampers-CAS, Tis the Season
Merry Little Christmas Challenge-Anything Goes
The Joy of Sets Tic Tac Toe-CAS, Winter, Heat Emboss
Thanks so much for stopping by!

I am always in awe of other's white on white Christmas cards.  I have honestly never attempted one....for the very reason that I struggle with no stray ink transfer on colored cards, let alone white!  I still had my snowflake die out on my desk when I saw the sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge and knew I wanted to try my hand at the all white card!

I started with a clean stamping surface and layered on the whites!  I added in extra dimension with dry and wet embossing and layers of 3-D foam.  I think I am hooked...more white cards to come!

All supplies by Close To My Heart, except where noted:
D1283 Say It in Style Stamp Set
1385 White Daisy Cardstock
Z891 Versamark Ink Pad
Z2067 Silver Embossing Powder
Snowflakes Embossing Folder-Provo Craft
Z4003 Snowflakes Thin Cuts-Retired
Fishtail Dies-MFT
Stitched Square Die-MFT
Stitched Rectangle Die-Simon Says
Sparkles Gem-Retired

I have also entered my card in the following challenges:
Allsorts-White on White
Cards 4 Galz-Let is Snow
Daisy Chain Challenges-Christmas/Winter
Gem of a Challenge-Anything Goes
Happy Little Stampers-Anything Goes w/Dies
Moving Along with the Times-Snowflakes

Thanks so much for stopping by!