November Stamp of the Month: Cheers, 2016!

What a crazy weekend!  Can you believe our first snow?  Yikes!  I definitely wasn't expecting this much.



At least these aren't as late as last month's cards, right?  :-)  I wanted to share a few cards from the November Stamp of the Month: Cheers, 2016!  On this first card, I used some prints from the La Vie En Rose paper pack.  And I added the sentiment "This is your special day" from the Your Own Kind of Wonderful set.



This card is using some prints from the Sangria paper pack.  I added the cute little martini glass from the Mini Messages hostess set.



This last card is using prints from the holiday paper pack White Pines.  I cut out the balloon and cloud images with the newest Cricut cartridge Artistry.



Enjoy!  Make sure to order your November stamp of the month set before November ends.  :-)

Dani
 

October Stamp of the Month: Twinkle

I seriously can't believe that October is almost over.  How in the world did that happen?  There is simply not enough time or energy to get to everything you need to do, right?  I know these are super late, but I wanted to at least give you a last-minute reminder if you wanted the October Stamp of the Month: Twinkle. Plus, you'll hopefully have plenty of time to make your holiday cards and crafts this way too!  I used the holiday-themed White Pines paper packet on all the cards too.


 

 


Enjoy!  Make sure to order your set before October ends if you want it!  :-)

Dani
 

Open House Winner!!!

I found some time today to get everyone's entries in for the Open House Grand Prize.  The winner is:



Congratulations to Anne S.!  [Sorry it didn't quite focus on the name correctly, but you can still read it, blurriness and all.]  You won the grand prize package at the Open House (valued over $70).  A beautiful 12"x12" Ruby Floral album with two coordinating stamp sets.  


Enjoy your prize!
Dani
 

Open House tomorrow - Saturday, September 19th from 10am to 2pm!

 



Come join us in celebrating the brand new Annual Inspirations 2015 Idea Book along with the supplement Holiday Guide!  It went live on September 1, 2015.  You can view it online right now and pick up your very own copy at the Open House.  It is filled with fabulous products, breathtaking art, and entire new lines! 

There will be two make-n-take cards available for you to make for free, one of which will be using the new La Vie En Rose papers:




- A brand new Cricut collection: Artistry
- New paper kits: Zoe, Sangria, La Vie En Rose, Kaleidoscope, Georgie, and Urban
- New colors: Eggplant, Sapphire, Peacock, Fern, Saffron, Poppy, and Pomegranate
- A Holiday Expressions supplement filled with seasonal products
- New glitter paper pack colors: Gold and Red
- Brand new card kits beautifully designed with coordinating single stamp sentiments

I hope to see you soon at the Open House!  Make sure to stop by and get your free Idea Book.  :)

Dani
 

September Stamp of the Month: Paper Garden

Our new Idea Book is out along with the seasonal Holiday Expressions! 



Make sure to check them out online or at my Open House on September 12th!  In the meantime, I have a few cards to share made with September's stamp of the month set, Paper Garden.  This is such a gorgeous set. I love all the floral images, with the distressed text and patterns.  

I had fun with some of our new colors and papers!  In this first card, I used the new paper packet Sangria with the color scheme of Sunset, Thistle and two new colors Fern and Eggplant.  The sentiment is from the set Happy to Be Friends.
 


This next card was only stamping, no patterned paper, and I used the colors Flaxen, Glacier, Sweet Leaf, Juniper and the new Saffron.  The sentiment is from the set Happy to Be Friends again.




And this last card is stamping too with the colors Slate, Thistle and the new Eggplant again while the sentiment is from the Always Grateful stamp set.  I really like how the colors turned out together, so pretty!




I've been having a blast making samples with my fun, new products for the Open House!  Can't wait to share everything else!

Dani

August Stamp of the Month: Framed

Wow, freaking out a bit that it is August already!  The kids and I are most definitely NOT ready to think about school and homework and rigid schedules. (* shudder *)

There's a lot of fun things going on in August tied in with our new Idea Book coming next month.  I have lots to share.  First, August's stamp of the month set, Framed, is so sweet!  There are three decorative frames, each with their own unique look, with 9 different sentiments designed to fit in each.  I have included a flyer here, since it isn't shown in the current Idea Book.  Here are a few cards that I made with it.


 

 


Lovely!  Did you notice the new paper pack?  It is called Zoe.  And did you notice the cute little jar and flowers on the last card?  They are from the brand new Cricut Artistry Collection!

Close To My Heart is having the new Artistry collection and Zoe paper packet as well as a few other brand new products available for a special preview this month to celebrate the new Idea Book coming in September.  I'm going to share a listing of all the items that are available for you to get right now!

Simply click on each link to see a picture of each product on my website:

• -X7197B Zoe Paper Packet $9.95
• -X7197C Zoe Complements $5.95
• -Z3082 Zoe Assortment $5.95
• -Z3123 Enamel & Glitter Duos Green Triangles $4.95
• -Z3088 Coral Shimmer Trim $4.95
• -G1096 Workshops on the Go Zoe Scrapbooking Kit $29.95
• -Z3167 Cricut Artistry Collection $99

What do you want?  Anyone who orders over $20 (subtotal) of the new preview products during the month of August will receive a special coupon to get one of the new ink color stamp pads FREE with the new Idea Book.  Oops!  You'll find out more about those with the new Idea Book!!!



I'll be holding an Open House on Saturday, September 12th from 10am to 2pm.  Save the date!

Dani

 

July Stamp of the Month: Life is Wonderful

I'm loving' July! Well, maybe not all the rain -- but definitely the warm weather.  I could never deal with another winter the rest of my life and be perfectly content. July's stamp set is named Life is Wonderful.   I finally found some time to make some cards to share with this set.  

For the first card I started with basic, neutral colors -- Black, White with a bit of Flaxen (Whimsy Paper Fundamentals).  Then I added a pop of color with the flowers in the Wavy Blooms set.  I love how the colored flowers pull the card together.  I added the "awesome" sentiment from the Hello Summer set. 



With this next card I knew I wanted to use the Cranberry heart-patterned paper from the Adventure Paper Fundamentals.  Then I kept everything else neutral -- Black, White and Slate.  I added the "you are loved" sentiment from the Your Own Kind of Wonderful set.  For the final touch, I added a few Red Enamel hearts.



This last card, I used the Jackson papers from the Seasonal Expressions 2.  I paper pieced a few flowers from the Love This set and used a sentiment from a stamp set with the Cricut Artfully Sent collection.  I did all the stamping with Cocoa ink; I love how all the papers and colors coordinate so well.



And with a $25 purchase in current, retail priced stamps -- you can qualify to receive this stamp set FREE -- as part of Jump on it July's special.  Check it out!  :-)

Dani

 

June Stamp of the Month: Ice Cream Dream

Nothing screams warm weather and summertime more than ice cream, right?  June's stamp of the month set, Ice Cream Dream, is perfect to celebrate all those summertime activities!  I had so much fun playing with this set.  I did some paper piecing with the new Blossom paper packet, the ice cream truck turned out so cute!  The sentiment is from the Hostess Rewards set, Paper Bird.



I love the happiness sentiment with this set -- so I simply colored the images stamped in black.  Clean and simple, but oh so yummy!



This little guy is adorable; he's just celebrating with ice cream -- a great way to celebrate, right?  The sentiment is from Banner Wishes.



Using a print from the Brushed paper packet, I stamped in Cranberry and colored the images again.  Ice cream is always happy, right?



Make sure that you get your set ordered before June is over!  Enjoy!

Dani

 

Taste of Summer Special and May Stamp of the Month art!

Celebrate National Scrapbooking Month this May with this exclusive mouthwatering Taste of Summer paper packet with delicious designs.  This paper packet is only available while supplies last, so make sure to get your order in early for your taste of summer!  This special even has a coordinating stamp set available for purchase, perfect to create some delectable artwork.



 Here are a few cards to share that I made:


 

 

 


I am also a little more on the ball this time, and I have some May Stamp of the Month art to share: Just Sayin'.


 

 

 

 


Loving the new papers in the Seasonal Expressions 2: Blossom and Jackson too!

I'd like to say that I'll keep on top and share artwork in a timely manner, but... realistically, we'll see!  Enjoy!

Dani
 

New Seasonal Expressions 2 and some last-minute April Stamp of the Month art!

Close To My Heart has the brand new Seasonal Expressions 2 out with over 20 brand new stamp sets, two fabulous new paper packs: Blossom and Jackson, fantastic new My Crush™ For Her and For Him books, awesome new embellishments and more.  Make sure to check it out online, or contact me to pick up your own copy.


Here are a few cards made with some of my favorite sets:


 

 


Isn't the kitty just adorable?  This is from the Friendly Pets set; I love all the cute sentiments in it. 
I also have some last minute April Stamp of the Month art to share: Typed Note.



I decided to make a set of cards, which I thought would be great for a gift or just to have an easy versatile set of cards on hand.  I stamped some blank typewriters, used a variety of scrap cardstock pieces in the background, then stamped all the sentiments on squares cut JUST to fit inside the piece of paper on the typewriter.



Then when it is time for a card, I'll simply attach the needed sentiment like so:



Quick, cute and simple!  Can't beat that!  If you haven't got your April 2015 Stamp of the Month set, Typed Note yet, make sure to order it quickly -- April is almost over!

Enjoy!
Dani

 

February Stamp of the Month: A Happy Hello

This stamp set almost was a tad depressing, because THERE IS ALL THIS SNOW OUTSIDE and not a single pretty flower.  UGH.  I am definitely over winter, which of course, is too bad for me as it is only February.  Anyway, this helps us think of nice warm spring and summer days coming our way, right?

Here are the cards that I made with A Happy Hello.  First, I was thinking bright and bold colors.  I used Honey, Cranberry, and Lagoon.  I used our Dot embossing folder to add some interest on the background as well.  Then I topped off each flower with some bling!  I also used the "thanks" sentiment from the mini set Timely Tidings.



Then going in an entirely different direction color-wise, I went with Kraft, Cranberry and Black.  I kept this design clean and simple, just adding some Black shimmer trim and Black epoxy bubbles.



Switching this up yet again, I went with more of a softer color scheme with Thistle, Indian Corn Blue, Flaxen and Pixie.  The diagonal background print is from the Paper Fundamentals Whimsy Assortment while the sentiments are from another mini set A Quick Hello.



It's almost hard to believe that these three cards were made from the same stamp set, isn't it?  They all have such a different look to them.  The February stamp of the month set, A Happy Hello, is only available this month.  Make sure to order yours today!

Dani
 

January Stamp of the Month: This Moment

I wanted to create some artwork with January's stamp of the month, This Moment.  I decided to use Pantone's Color of the Year - Marsala.  Have you seen or heard about it yet?  I think our Barn Red is a great match for it.  And here's all their Spring 2015 Colors predicted, I think we have a lot of colors that synch up. 
 


Here's my take on our color matches:  
-Aquamarine: Glacier
-Scuba Blue: Lagoon
-Lucite Green: Juniper  
-Classic Blue: Pacifica
-Toasted Almond: Champagne
-Strawberry Ice: Cotton Candy  
-Tangerine: Sunset
-Custard: Canary
-Marsala: Barn Red
-Glacier Gray: Whisper
 
Pretty nice, huh?  Here are the cards that I made.  This card is using Barn Red Cardstock as the base, with the Diamond Embossing Folder from the Seasonal Expressions guide.  I used some Whisper, Slate and Canary as my coordinating colors.  I also added some striped banners from the All the Details set. 



Switching the colors up, this time I used Glacier, Outdoor Denim, Champagne, and a touch of Cashmere.  I stamped a background with Flight of the Arrows and used a sentiment from Your Own Kind of Wonderful too.



Then I realized that one of the prints in the Pathfinding paper packet had design with a strong Barn Red background.  Perfect!  I even added the tiny heart from You're the Bomb, the Operation Smile set shown on the back of the Seasonal Expressions. 



I love the hostess set, Better with a Friend -- and I thought this lady would go perfect with the XOXO sentiment.  I used the Barn Red print from the Enchantment Paper Fundamentals with some Lagoon, Flaxen, and a touch of Glacier and Champagne and had a whole lot of fun paper piecing.  How cute is this?



I also played around with another hostess set, A Thing Well Done -- and I felt it would go great with the Be Amazing sentiment.  I used the newsprint design from the Heartstrings paper packet, with the colors Cotton Candy and Whisper.  



I've always liked the Barn Red color, but now I have an entirely new appreciation for it.  :-)  The January Stamp of the Month set, This Moment, is only available this month.  Make sure to order yours today!

Dani