Rocky Mountain Paper Crafts

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!

I am in the process of re-organizing my paper stash! No small feat, but my current system is turning to chaos!  Time to rein it back into control!  Of course, as I come across the pretty papers....I might as well make a card!  I just love this paper pack, the cards practically make themselves.  I created my card based on the sketch challenge at My Favorite Things-


Seriously those papers, totally made my card....I just added in a few embellishments!  The fab papers are from the Winterings Paper Pad from Little Yellow Bicycle.  They have been in the stash for a long time, so no idea if they are still available.  I die cut my snowflake die three times and adhered them together for more dimension. I also added in more snow in the form of white and clear sequins.  My sentiment is stamped on fishtail dies from MFT!

All supplies by Close To Heart, except where noted:
D1283 Say It In Style Stamp Set
Winterings Paper Pad-Little Yellow Bicycle
1385 White Daisy Cardstock
X5950 Toffee Cardstock
Z2828 Toffee Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z4235 Gold Loose Sequins
Snowflake Thin Cuts-Retired
Fishtail Dies-MFT
Burlap Ribbon-Celebrate It


I have also entered my card in the following challenges:
A Place to Start-Caffeinated Tones
Cardz 4 Gals-Let It Snow
Daisy Chain Challenges-Christmas/Winter
Krafty Chicks-Anything Goes w/optional twist of Winter
Moving Along with the Times-Snowflakes

Thanks so much for stopping by!

I inked up some old favorites today to play along with a few of my favorite challenges! New stamps always seem to stay on  my desk and get inked often...while old favorites gather some dust in a drawer! The moment I saw the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches and the theme at The Paper Players, I knew which set I wanted to use.  I then just had to find it!  I store my stamps by theme, which you would think would be Christmas.  No such luck, so then I tried animals and then plants...not there either!  I figured it must have hit the de-stash pile by accident!  It was always a favorite set, so I was bummed that I might have sold my last set! I went back through Christmas for the third time and the set had manged to fall back behind all the others!  So, it definitively needed some love! My deer and trees are from the Woodland Wishes stamp set, retired many years ago!  I created my card based on the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches-

And the Into the Woods theme at The Paper Players (which is why I had my heart set on this particular stamp set!)



I added some great texture to my card in many forms.  My white panel was embossed with a snowflake embossing folder, then topped off with white and clear sequins.  My trees and deer were applied in layers for added dimension as well.  My deer stamp is totally plain, I added in eyes with Nuvo drops.  I first tried just a black pen, but the eyes were really dull.  The Nuvo drops brings the eyes to life with a glossy finish.

All supplies by Close To My Heart, except where noted:
Z4015 Woodland Wishes Stamp Set & Thin Cuts-Retired
C1379 Holiday Commentary Stamp Set (sentiment)-Retired
Oh Deer Paper Pack-Retired
1385 White Daisy Cardstock
Desert Sand Cardstock-Retired
Desert Sand Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad-Retired
Olive Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad-Retired
Snowflakes Embossing Folder-Retired
Z4235 Gold Loose Sequins Mix
Black Nuvo Drops
Stitched Square Frames-MFT

I have also entered my card in the following challenges:
As You Like It Challenge-Favorite, Cute or Traditional for Christmas (I prefer traditional themes with non-tradition colors to mix it up!)
Dies R Us Challenge-Trees and or Leaves

Thanks so much for stopping by!

I combined a few layers to create a super simple Christmas Card with the For the Tree stamp set.  I am sure you are shocked, that I created with the stamp set without an ornament in sight!  My card is based on the sketch challenge this week at CAS(E) this Sketch-


I created my card with the wreath stamp, stamped in New England Ivy.  I then added in berries with Liquid Pearls in Ruby Red. My sentiment is heat embossed in clear.  Here is a look at the original stamp set, just in case you have missed it-


All supplies by Close To My Heart, except where noted:
D1891 For the Tree Stamp Set
X7251B Cedar & Pine Paper Collection
1385 White Daisy Cardstock
X6038 Candy Apple Red Cardstock
X6044 Peach Cardstock
Z2835 New England Ivy Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z6509 Candy Apple Red Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Cranberry Pigment Ink Pad, Retired
Z2088 Clear Embossing Powder
Liquid Pearls Ruby Red-Ranger

I have also entered my card in the following challenges:
ABC Christmas Challenge-W is for Wreath
Ellibelle's Corner-Christmas/Holidays
Heart 2 Heart-Full Circle
The Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge-Anything Goes

Thanks so much for stopping by!

I so love realistic wildlife stamps, they are an awesome choice for creating masculine cards.  I am a little bummed though,  I so wanted to share this complete stamp set with you. When I created this card... this stamp set was still available in limited quantities.  Sadly, it is now sold out!

I am so thankful for the sketches at Mojo Monday.  I was in a time crunch to complete this card...and the ever so helpful measurements at Mojo Monday helped my card come together quickly.  Here is a look at the original sketch design-


My card is pretty basic. A few layers with papers from the Hawthorn Paper Collection, which is still available. I heat embossed my elk image and colored with Copics. I then fussy cut and applied to my layered circles. No frills, but perfect for a masculine card.

All supplies by Close To My Heart, except where noted:
CC61932 Wild and Free Stamp Set-retired
X7249B Hawthorn Paper Collection
X6034 Sangria Cardstock
Brown Cardstock-Unknown
Colonial White Cardstock-Retired
Z8003 Espresso Exclusive Inks Pigment Stamp Pad
Z2088 Clear Embossing Powder
Fishtail Dies-MFT
Circle Stax Dies-MFT
Copic Markers-E31, E33, E35, E81

I have entered my card in the following challenges:
Colour Crazy Challenge-Anything Goes w/ Colored Image
Heart 2 Heart-Full Circle
Incy Wincy Designs-Animals
Simon Says Stamp-Anything Goes

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Have you seen the gorgeous scrapbook layouts in the new Cricut Complete Creativity Collection?  Maybe you are not a scrapbooker and think this collection is not for you?  Think again!  You can easily pull the elements out of the scrapbook pages to use on your cards instead!  Simply ungroup your items and just cut the items you want.  I pulled the Peace, Love & Joy sentiment from a 12x12 scrapbook page and resized it to fit my 5" x 5" card.  Here is the original layout-


The Complete Creativity Collection features 24 complete projects, with many images included in each project.  You can get tons of mileage out of the images by resizing and selecting various images to create scrapbooks, cards and home decor.  You can purchase Complete Creativity as well as all other items from the Cricut Store through my affiliate link. The Collection is digital, so you will receive it instantly upon purchase!

All supplies by Close To My Heart:
Cricut Complete Creativity Collection
1385 White Daisy Cardstock
X6047 Black Cardstock
X9009 Mix In Paper Packet
X7251B Cedar & Pine Paper Packet

I have entered my card in the following challenges:
12 Months of Christmas Link Up-Red/Green
Craftyhazelnut's Pattern Paper Challenge-Anything Goes
Dragonfly Dreams-Christmas/Winter
Happy Little Stampers CAS-Tis the Season
Simon Says Stamp-Anything Goes
The Paper Shelter-Square (My card is 5" x 5")

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Back with another fun Christmas ornament card!  This time, I created with a mix of Sangria and New England Ivy for a Victorian feel.  These ornaments are so fun to create with!  I created my card based on the sketch challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments.


This card is a little labor intensive, but was so fun to create.  I only mass produce Christmas cards by request, so I enjoy adding in all the little details to my individual cards. Some highlights on how it was created.  My New England Ivy panel was stamped with the wreath stamps in a totally random fashion with New England Ivy ink.  I just felt like the random stamping added a little texture to the plain cardstock panel. My square panel is 3 5/8" x 3 5/8" cut with a stitched square die.  My oval was dry embossed with a confetti embossing folder to resemble snow.  I added my ornaments in layers with pine boughs from the Close To My Heart Season of Joy Cricut Collection.  I added in details with Liquid Pearls and Bitty Sparkles.  Here is a close up of the dimension-


All supplies by Close To My Heart, except where noted:
D1891 For the Tree Stamp Set
Z3533 Custom Ornament Thin Cuts
Cricut Season of Joy Cartridge (Now available in Digital form)
1385 White Daisy Cardstock
X5959 New England Ivy Cardstock
Z2835 New England Ivy Exclusive Inks Stamp  Pad
X6034 Sangria Cardstock
Z6516 Sangria Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z1263 Bitty Sparkles
Z4213 Silver Embellishing Thread
Rouge Liquid Pearls
Z3318 Basic Circle Thin Cuts
Oval Die-MFT
Stitched Square Die-MFT
Confetti Embossing Folder-Retired

I have also entered my card in the following challenges:
Catch the Bug-Anything Goes
Die Cuttin Divas-Anything Goes
Dragonfly Dreams-Christmas/Winter
Pearly Sparkles Challenge-Christmas
Simon Says Stamp-Anything Goes

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hawthorn is not just for Fall!  Did you pick up the Hawthorn Cardmaking kit before it retired? I love this wreath cluster and made numerous fall themed cards with it.  Change up the colors and it works for Christmas too!  If you missed out on ordering the kit, there are a few left here!  My card is based on the sketch challenge this week at Freshly Made Sketches-


I mixed the Hawthorn stamps with the new Cedar & Pine Paper Pack to create my card. I so love plaid for holiday cardmaking....a close second to my love of my burlap!  Here is a look at the complete pack-

I used a variety of colors on my image.  I first stamped the image in Intense Black ink and then added in color with various Copic markers....keeping it in the green family.  The idea was to create a more holly and bough look vs fall leaves.  I then added in a little shimmer to my branches, pinecone and acorn with Diamond Stickles.  Red Liquid Pearls was used to add in some berries.  My sentiment was popped up for more dimension.

All supplies by Close To My Heart, except where noted:
G1190 Hawthorn Cardmaking Workshop Kit-Only a few left!
D1283 Say It in Style Sentiment Stamp Set
X7251B Cedar & Pine Paper Packet
X6047 Black Cardstock
1385 White Daisy Cardstock
X6030 Evergreen Cardstock
Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z6512 Evergreen Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Copic Markers-G21, G24, G28, YG61, YG63, YG97, YG99
Z3563 Diamond Stickles
Red Liquid Pearls
Z4235 Gold Loose Sequins-Temporarily Out of Stock

I have also entered my card in the following challenges:
The Paper Shelter-Make it Square (My card is 5" x 5')
Simon Says Stamp-Anything Goes
Watercooler Wednesday-Anything Goes

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Our furry friends play a huge role in our lives, and I want to help you document your favorite memories with your pals with paws. To help you do this,  Close To My Heart created a one-of-a-kind 6" x 8" Cut Above® kit! This 6" x 8" layout kit is the first of its kind and features reversible die-cuts, so you can choose dog or cat-focused titles and accents for this quick and easy project! Create even more fun pet themed projects using our other Best Friends Furever items, too! We’ve also created a new paper packet, sticker sheet, and two new stamp sets, along with a special workshop kit to help you keep your pet-themed creativity flowing.

 As a part of this special, you can purchase each exclusive item individually at full price, or in a bundle at a 20% discount!

There are also special deals for Hostesses whose parties reach the third level or higher of Hostess Rewards, and for new Consultants who sign up during the month of November! Any new Consultants who sign up between November 1 and November 30 will receive their choice of either the My Acrylix® Eat Play Love Stamp Set (CC11195) or the My Acrylix® Kitty Cuddles Stamp Set (CC11196) for free! Hostesses whose party or Gathering reaches the third level or higher of Hostess Rewards will receive their choice of either of these exclusive stamp sets at no charge.  Here is a look at the super cute stamp sets-






 Whether you are a cat or dog person or a little of both, Best Friends Furever is super cute!  You can see all the details here. This special is valid November 1 through December 31, 2019 or while supplies last!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Happy November!  Time for a new Stamp of the Month!  Family Time is a set of 18 stamps that is perfect for your papercrafting projects. I love the layered flower images!  Here is a look at the complete set-

Spend $50 and get this Stamp of the Month set for just $5!  You can contact me to place your order or order online here. Offer valid from November 1 through November 30, 2019.

Thanks so much for your interest in Close To My Heart products! You can view the full product line here.