From the Heart Special

September is almost over, and so is your chance to take advantage of this month's special: From the Heart. It took me a while to mess around with my special, but the stamp set is beautiful! The gold foil on the edge of the cards is such a nice touch, and the interactive cards are very unique.



I started out with a color scheme similar to the samples on the instruction sheet. I made one for of the four main sentiments. It is hard to get a good pictures of the cards with the gold foil; they look much prettier in real life.



Then I decided to mess around with a new colors scheme. I pulled some darker colors with purple and teal, and added a lighter green color with the leaves.



And finally, I decided to go with an overall lighter color scheme keeping the colors more pastel. I can't decide which scheme I like better -- they all turned out so pretty. I just wish I knew how to take better photographs with the gold foil!



There are only a few days left in September, if you haven't taken advantage of the special yet -- contact me right away!

Dani

 
 

September's stamp of the month set: Feel So Blessed

Isn't this late season warm weather wonderful? I definitely feel blessed by it, which is perfect for September's stamp of the month set, Feel So Blessed. The set has 26 stamps, including numbers, and thankful sentiments and images. I love the feather image!

This first card is using a striped patterned paper from Falling For You. I stamped, colored, and cut out three feathers. I attached them, then stamped the sentiment 'thanks' directly on the patterned paper. Same with the small hearts, which then I colored in; and finished the card off with some Bronze Sequins and Gold Glitter Gems.



This next card is again using patterned paper from Falling For You, a polka dot design. I cut out several circles in coordinating colors from the pack. I randomly attached them, trimming off any overhanging pieces. Then I stamped the sentiment 'Feel So Blessed' and attached some White Dots to finish it off.



This card is crated using a variety of prints from Falling For You. Red Shimmer Trim was attached between the two background prints. The large leaves were paper pieced out of the larger patterned print, with Feel So Blessed stamped in a circle.



This card is using a print from the Beary Christmas paper pack and a border design from Falling For You. I stamped the sentiments, hearts and leaf design; then colored them in. 



This last card is using prints and borders from Beary Christmas again, including one of the Picture My Life designs. The sentiment 'There are so many beautiful reasons to be thankful' was stamped then colored in with a couple strips of White Shimmer trim for accent.



Enjoy!
Dani
 
 

Disaster Relief Set - Stronger Together

Close To My Heart has prepared a stamp set, specifically designed to benefit those affected by disasters (such as the recent hurricanes and wildfires in the United States). The stamp set is titled Stronger Together (C1716) and features a variety of sentiments that can be used for comfort, encouragement, and more.



This C-size set is available for purchase now. The proceeds from the sale of this set will be donated to the Red Cross, which provides relief efforts to multiple disasters – and will allocate the funds where they are needed most. ALL OF THE PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED TO THE RED CROSS.

I would love to encourage sales of this set, so for a limited time I am offering 20% off any other CTMH products ordered with this set.* With the new Annual Inspirations and Seasonal Expressions just going live – this is a wonderful opportunity to knock several brand-new items off of your wish list! 

Get in touch with me this week to take advantage of this offer soon, offer ends this week!
Dani 

*Order must contain the disaster relief set Stronger Together C1716 (ineligible for discount), with all other CTMH products eligible for the 20% off offer ordered at the same time. This offer expires Sunday, September 17 at midnight CST. Orders must be placed through Danielle Benich, CTMH Independent Consultant in order to receive the 20% discount.

 
 

Open House Artwork!

For those of you unable to make it to the Open House, we missed you! And I wanted to share the artwork on display at the Open House, so everyone could see it. My daughter, once again, took pictures of everything for me -- :'( definitely going to miss her away at college. To check out the new Idea Books online, go here, and contact me to get your very own copy!





























And here were the two free make-n-takes that were available:





Enjoy!
Dani

 

August's Stamp of the Month set: School Year

I hope everyone else is enjoying their summer as much as we are -- my only concern is how fast it seems to be slipping away! I got to make some samples with the stamp of the month set for August: School Year. Perfect timing, with school right around the corner! Before I tell a bit about each one, I have to thank my daughter, Delaney, for taking some super great photos of my cards for me.  :-)

This first card is using some patterned paper from the Jack paper packet. I loved the little pencil stamp, and it made me think of our Framework Alphabet set. I added the little heart trio and a few accents... so cute!



This next card is using a patterned print from the No Worries paper packet. The sentiment is from the This & That set. My kids may need this encouragement as one heads off to college and the other off to high school!!!



This last card is using a few prints from the Jack paper packet again. I decided I didn't want to color my pencils yellow again, so I made them gray and red instead. Pencils are all colors and designs now, right?



I guess my next post will probably be AFTER school has started up, so hopefully I can keep up with everything.

Enjoy!
Dani

 

July's stamp of the month set: Storybook Alphabet

Well, my daughter is officially graduated from high school! We have survived senior photos, the grad party, and pre-college events. Maybe things can calm down around here slightly. :-) This month is an exciting time for Close To My Heart: Stampaganza is back! Not only can you buy 2 stamp sets and get 1 free (the third set is of equal or lesser value), but CTMH also brought back a collection of popular sets back for this month only!!! Make sure to check everything out!



I even had time to make a few samples with the stamp of the month set for July: Storybook Alphabet. This is a super cute alphabet set, with decorative capital letters -- perfect for adding your own color touches. I decided to try to showcase the new paper packets, available in the current Seasonal Expressions, as well.

This first card is using the new No Worries paper packet. What a great name for this packet; I love it! I used several prints from there, as well as the new coordinating No Worries sequins.



This next card is using the new Jack paper packet. I used a single print with a coordinating border from the packet. I stamped each letter on a coordinating piece of cardstock, then stamped the 'way to go' message from a stamp set included with the Cricut Flower Market collection. 



And finally, since it seems we are always running out of these, I turned the last one into a birthday card. This one is using the new Prickly Pear paper packet. With bright, vibrant colors it was a great match for celebrating a birthday. I stamped the 'birthday' message from the Happy To Be Friends stamp set. 



The only paper packet that I didn't showcase is Little Dreamer. So here is a cute little card from corporate to share:



With Stampaganza going on this month, it is a great time to get those stamp sets on your want list! Make sure to get you order in before July is over!

Enjoy!
Dani
 

 

April's Stamp of the Month set: Flock Together

I feel like we are being teased with the occasional warm weather here and there. I am so ready for it to get warm and just stay warm! We had a wonderful family Spring Break vacation; the weather down in Florida was phenomenal when we were there. It felt so wrong to leave such lovely weather. April's Stamp of the Month set, Flock Together, is a cute little set of 11. With an adorable little bird family, delightful sentiments, hearts and more... this set is perfect for celebrating family and friendships.

For this first card, I started out with some Kraft cardstock for the background. Then I stamped a row of the baby birds on the bottom in Chocolate ink. Also in Chocolate, I stamped the sentiment "You are the best" from Finding the Words. Then I stamped another baby bird on White Daisy, colored with markers, trimmed it out and attached it to the top center. I added just a touch of shimmer with the Shimmer brush on the bird's breast. Finishing it off, I added some White Dots to highlight the sentiment.



For this next card, I used a print from the Sugar Rush paper packet. Using colors from that set, I stamped the scallop border in Pomegranate, Canary, Sea Glass, Tangerine, Whisper and Raspberry inks creating a striped pattern of scallops. I stamped the sentiment on Tangerine with Pomegranate ink, then I stamped and colored the birds, trimmed and attached to the bottom -- and topped it all off with a few Sequins.



I went back to the Kraft Cardstock for the background again, using a few prints from the Dreamin' Big paper packet. Then I stamped the hearts and two large birds, then colored and added some shimmer with the Shimmer brush. I stamped the circle sentiment "love this" in multiple colors and attached along with some gold glitter gems. 



For this last card, I used some different prints from the Dreamin' Big paper packet. Then I stamped the large bird and colored him with a variety of colors. I wanted him to be extremely colorful, then I added some shimmer over the entire bird with both brushes: Clear and Gold. I wanted that bird to shine! Then I stamped some hearts and the sentiment "You are Fabulous" from the So Many Smiles set. 



The shimmer looks so good IRL, but it is so hard to take a good picture and be able to see it well. I tried to take a close-up so you could see it better:



This set is too cute! Don't miss out and make sure that you get your order in before April is over.

Dani
 

March's Stamp of the Month set: Tea-rrific

Finally! Coming later this month is the first day of Spring, March 20th. It makes me feel better to know that the start of some warmer weather is hopefully coming sometime soon. :-) March's Stamp of the Month set, Tea-rrific, is looking ahead as well with a variety of sentiments -- including one for Happy Mother's Day. The set of 11 is also filled with tea cups, a tea bag and a flower.

This first card is using a polka-dot print from the Whimsy Fundamentals collection paper pieced for the teacup. The remainder of the card was colored in with markers. All the stamping was done in Cocoa ink, except for the "steam" lines stamped in Cashmere.



This next card has Kraft cardstock in the background, with the flower random stamped in Chocolate with all the flowers colored with markers. The glitter paper is Sea Glass, the new color of the year, with the tea cup paper pieced with a pattern from the Adventure Fundamentals collection. The teacup and sentiment is stamped in Chocolate, with a ribbon used from the Rustic Home pack.



This card is using a lovely floral print from the Hello Lovely packet along with a striped print from the Whimsy Fundamentals collection. The cardstock for the teacup is Flaxen, stamped with Fern. The tea bag is also colored with markers and attached with embroidery floss. The ribbon is Blush Shimmer ribbon.



This last card is using a colorful polka-dot print from the Dreamin' Big packet, which set the color scheme. The background has Kraft and Slate cardstock. All the stamping is done in Slate, with the teacups and flower colored with marker. The flower has a sequin embellishment from the Dreamin' Big sequins.



Don't you love the little teacups?  So darn cute!  Make sure to get your order in during March!

Dani

 

February's Stamp of the Month set: Easter Bunny

Let's think ahead to lovely warmer weather and Easter! February's Stamp of the Month set, Easter Bunny, is perfect for this. This set of 12 has flowers, eggs, bunnies, and coordinating sentiments; it is hard to go wrong with that.

This first card is using a prints from the Enchantment and Adventure Fundamentals sets along with Kraft and White Daisy. All the stamping was done in Chocolate ink, with the banner from the Cricut Artistry Collection. The love and XOXO sentiment is from the Friendly Wishes stamp set. Everything else was colored in with markers.



This next card is using a couple of prints from the new Sugar Rush paper packet with some of the new Sugar Rush dots for accents. All the stamping was done in Saddle ink, with the thought bubble cut out from the Cricut Artistry Collection again. Everything else was colored with markers.



This card is using prints from the Hello Lovely paper packet (love this pack!). All the stamping was done in Desert Sand, and the dress was paper pieced with yet another print from the same pack; everything else was colored with markers.



This last card is using a few prints from the Sugar Rush paper packet and some Sugar Rush dots again. The stamping was done in Cocoa and Emerald, with the ribbon from the Adventure Ribbon Pack and everything else was colored with markers. Too cute!



It's such a charming stamp set, make sure to get your order in during February!

Enjoy! Dani

 

January's Stamp of the Month set: Adore You

The last few weeks have been rough! Sickness, more sickness, holiday stuff, school catch-up work, birthdays, high school dance, finals... ugh. We are definitely due for a break; and I am completely exhausted. Now that everyone is finally well and pretty much caught up at school, I am hoping that this extended weekend gives us all a chance to recover.

I was, however, able to squeeze out a few minutes to make some cards with the current stamp of the month set, Adore You. This set of 12 has beautifully illustrated hearts and flowers with romantic script sentiments. It was so nice to be able to sit down, be creative and do something that I enjoyed. I was also able to use some of the new paper packs available in the new Seasonal Expressions, Jan.-Apr. 2017. You can check it out online or get in touch with me to pick up your copy.

This first card has a paper pieced heart; I used a diagonal striped print from the Whimsy Fundamentals set with the rest colored in markers. I stamped all the images with Slate, except for the sentiment which was in Pomegranate.



This next card is a print from the new Some Kinda Wonderful pack. I took advantage of the large circle print as the base of the design. I stamped the small flower in black on all of the colored circles, in various directions -- leaving one open. On the open one, I stamped the 'thank you' sentiment. Then I stamped the small heart in black multiple times, cut them out and attached them over all the black and white circles. Then I just dressed it up, messily coloring the inside of the small flowers and adding a touch of the Shimmer Brush and finishing it up with a border on the bottom.



This card is using prints from what I think is my favorite new paper pack right now: Hello Lovely. I did all the stamping in Fern, then the rest was colored in with markers. These prints and colors are so pretty together -- just love them!



This last card has the flower designs stamped in Desert Sand, then colored in with markers. I used the new Shimmer Brush in Gold to add some accents to the center of the flowers. The sentiments are stamped in Eggplant and Tangerine.



So much fun! I love being able to color the stamps in with fun and different color combinations. It is a lovely stamp set, make sure to get your order in before January is over.

Enjoy! Dani