CTMH Australasian Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - August 2014 - What a Hoot

Hello and welcome aboard our Close to My Heart Australasian Stamp of the month Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Jenny's Blog, Jen's Creative Classroom, then you are in the right place. If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post.

Today I would like to share with you this special birthday card which features the August Stamp of the Month - What a Hoot, available exclusively throughout August for $27 or for just $5 when you spend $75.

At first glance, you would think this is very much a "Halloween" stamp set, but I beg to differ. Owls of all shapes and sizes have been in style in crafting for a while now, and I for one am a little obsessed :-). When I saw the line drawn owls on this set, with options for eyes and hats, I knew I wanted to do a little paper piecing.

I took colour inspiration from my first favourite paper set out of the new Annual Inspirations book, called "Brushed". I absolutely love these prints and colour combination.

I stamped the standing owl onto the B&T paper, using the more subtle pattern for the body and the large print for the belly. Then I stamped the wings and the party hat onto a small piece of Olive cardstock. I stamped all the images in black ink to emphasise the paper piecing.

I used the Cricut Artbooking cartridge to cut the branch and the title. The images are actually from a Nursery layout (p.84), and the title says "Look Whoos here" but I trimmed off the last word by hand, so I could add the numbers for the age birthday. The titles are cut from Cranberry cardstock.

I love that all the Cricut cartridges from Close to My Heart are so versatile, with over 700 images on each, that be used in so many different ways.

Both the branch and the tree on the left side of the card were embossed with the new Woodgrain embossing folder, using colonial white cardstock as the base. Then I swiped Chocolate ink over the top of the embossed lines, and filled in with the Chocolate ink and a sponge dauber.

The base of the card is Champagne cardstock. I stamped some light clouds in the background from the C1570 Lifting Spirits set, with Glacier ink. Most of the card was assembled with flat adhesive, but for the 40 and the party hat I used a bit of foam tape to give the card some dimension. A little bit of sequins and sparkles finished the card - you always need a little bling, right?

I had tons of fun making this card, and hope the recipient likes it as well. 40 is the new 30, apparently lol

S1408 What a Hoot is only available until 31 August 2014 from your CTMH consultant.

I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop,  Lauren Moore's Blog, CTMH Craftings.

Yours in Craft,
Monika

CTMH Australasian Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - July 2014 - Circus Alphabet

Hello and welcome aboard our Australasian Stamp of the month Close to My Heart Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Anne's Blog, Mummy you made this?, then you are in the right place. If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post.

Today I would like to share with you these cards which feature the July Stamp of the Month - Circus Alphabet, available exclusively throughout July for $24 or for just $5 when you spend $75.

 I love Alphabet stamp sets, they are so versatile, allowing you to make your own greetings and titles, and to highlight your journaling. This one has a very whimsical feel, and the design also means you can colour them in if you wish. There are 68 stamps in the set, and he tallest image in the set is approximately ⅝" in height.

Do you find with alpha stickers you always have the same few letters left over? With my two girls, all the A, S and L stickers are gone - assuming there is enough in the packet to start with! With a stamp set, you can use each letter as often as you like, and pick whatever ink pad you have on hand to use - colour coordinated with your cardstock!

I needed to create some Thank You cards to have on hand, and this stamp set was perfect to create my own greeting. I used the upper case letters for the Thanks, and the lower case for the á bunch'.

I used the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge to cut the greeting pieces out of scraps of My Reflections scrapbook papers, and the backing from plain coordinating cardstock.  I stamped the greeting pieces and the base card in either Black ink, or a colour to match the backing piece - Gypsy, Cotton Candy, Ruby or Outdoor Denim. I then embossed these backing pieces with our embossing folders in Dots or Stripes, and used the sanding block to expose the white core and give them some more texture.

I adhered the backing piece directly to the Colonial white card, and then used foam tape to raise the Thanks piece onto the top. Very quickly I had 8 thank you cards ready to go, with a variety of colour schemes.

I love making cards in bulk as it saves time, but I also get bored with one design very easily, so this way I have a little variety in my stash!

Circus Alphabet is only available until 31 July 2014 from your CTMH consultant.

I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop,  Lauren Moore's Blog, CTMH Craftings.

Yours in Craft,
Monika

Artbooking Made Easy - All Star Layouts

Hi crafty friends,

do you have kids (or family members) who love all sorts of sport? the Sports Keys on the Artbooking Cricut Cartridge, exclusive to Close to My Heart, are just the ticket for getting your photos scrapped - or making gorgeous off-the-page items to display their talent!

Contact me if you would like to get your hands on this fantastic cartridge, or any of the tools and materials shown on the video.

Artbooking Cricut Collection

Yours in craft,
Monika

CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - December - Special Care

Hello and welcome aboard our Australasian Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month (SOTM) Blog Hop for December. If you have arrived here from Jo Armstrong's Blog, then you are in the right place. If you landed here first, the blog hop is a big circle, so please join in by following the link at the end of this post.

The SOTM for December is called Special Care and is a set of 6 stamps with a "washing instructions" theme. My first thought when I saw these stamps was for baby or children-inspired cards or scrapbook pages.

I have been a bit remiss with scrapbooking pages for Isobelle, as all her photos are digital and I don't often print them out any more. These pictures were taken by an amateur photographer friend of mine when Isobelle was just 3 weeks old, on 27 November 2009.

I wanted to keep the focus on the photos, so used colonial white card for the base pages and photo mats and embellishments in Cotton Candy. I also stamped in Cotton Candy and Slate, and added a touch of bling with the silver washi tape out of the Sparkle & Shine pack. The shapes come from the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge, and the title is from Artbooking, both exclusive to Close to My Heart.

I used one roll from each of the special Washi tape packs we currently have, the Party and the Sparkle and Shine packs. Each roll in this pack is 15 yards (13.7 metres) so the pack is great value.

This exclusive  stamp of the month is only available during December. It can be yours for just $5 with a qualifying order of $75 or for $24 if ordered separately from your CTMH consultant. If you do not have a consultant please contact me or place an order in my online store here.

The Washi tape and many other Christmas themed items are from the Holidays with Heart Gift Guide, available now through December 31 from your CTMH consultant whilst stocks last. Some items are in short supply so order early to avoid disappointment.

Orders totalling over $130 between now and 31 December 2013 can choose one starred item from The Holidays with Heart gift Guide for free so it is an ideal time to get your hands on one of our Cricut Collections or some Workshops on the Go (WOTG) kits for yourself, or as gifts, and be able to claim some lovely Christmas products, and your purchases will count towards 2 promotions!

I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop, Marianne Lamont's Blog.

Products used:
1388 Colonial White cardstock pack
X5760 Cotton Candy cardstock pack
S1312 Special Care
Z2173 Exclusive ink - Slate
Z2193 Exclusive ink - Cotton Candy
Z1908 Party Washi Tape - 3 pack
Z1907 Sparkle & Shine Washi Tape - 3 pack
Z1701 Baker's Twine - Neutral Assortment


Yours in craft,
Monika

CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - November - Illuminate

Hello and welcome aboard our Australasian Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month (SOTM) Blog Hop for November. If you have arrived here from Patricia’s Blog,  Patricia Manhire, then you are in the right place. If you landed here first, the blog hop is a big circle, so please join in by following the link at the end of this post.

The SOTM for November is called Illuminate and is a beautiful collection of lamps, lights and related phrases.

I designed this card in the Cricut Craft Room (CCR) which allowed me to get all the layers to match and the little windows to line up. The inspiration for this card actually came from my DH who suggested the window and light shining through it.

I used the Sparkle and Shine paper packet for the front layer, and colonial white card for the base.
The images come from the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge, exclusive to Close to My Heart.

I have saved the ccr file, so if you would like a copy of it, please leave a comment and I can email it to you as a little gift from me for visiting my blog!

I love that even though this is a "Christmas" themed paper packet, it can suit many other themes as well, and the damask print on this paper is subtle but beautiful.

The Sparkle and Shine paper and many other Christmas themed items are from the Holidays with Heart Gift Guide and are available now through December 31 from your CTMH consultant whilst stocks last. Some items are in short supply so order early to avoid disappointment.

This exclusive  stamp of the month is only available during November. It can be yours for just $5 with a qualifying order of $75 or for $24 if ordered separately from your CTMH consultant. If you do not have a consultant please contact me or place an order in my online store here.

Orders totalling over $130 between now and 31 December 2013 can choose one starred item from The Holidays with Heart gift Guide for free so it is an ideal time to get your hands on one of our Cricut Collections or some Workshops on the Go (WOTG) kits for yourself, or as gifts, and be able to claim some lovely Christmas products, and your purchases will count towards 2 promotions!

I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop, Noni’s blog, Live, Crop, Share.

Products used:
X7176B Sparkle and Shine paper packet
1388 Colonial White cardstock pack
S1311 Illuminate
Z2173 Exclusive ink - Slate
Z2110 Exclusive ink - Buttercup

Yours in craft,
Monika

Explore the Artiste cartridge - part 1 - numbers 1 to 5

Hi All

over the coming weeks I will be exploring the Cricut Artiste cartridge, exclusive to Close to My Heart (CTMH), making a project from each key. This post is for the numbers 1 to 5 keys.

This is such a versatile cartridge, with over 700 images on it , as well as coordinating stamps and chipboard elements from CTMH.

1.
I used the 3D object key to cut this little bag, and the Accent 1 to cut  the green doily decoration. The handle is just a strip of 12" cardstock cut to the width of the top of the bag. You could use Velcro or a magnetic closure to seal the bag.

2.
This is going to be a sign on my eldest daughters door - can you guess what colours she likes?
I used the Accent 2 and the Accent 2 <shift> to cut this out, I cut the plaque first at fit to page then measured the inside dimensions and sized the frame to match, in Cricut Craft room (CCR).

3.
I used Accent 3 to cut this plaque for the main focus on this card, and cut at 4" to make sure it would fit on the front of a standard card, then stamped and sponged with Lagoon exclusive ink and mounted it onto a piece of Sarita B&T papers. You could also cut this larger and use for a title block on a scrapbook page.

4.
I used 3D object to cut this cute pyramid topped little box, and Accent 2 and the Accent 2 <shift> for the keyhole embellishment on it. Afterwards I thought that if I had done this in CCR and hidden the contours on the dark blue backing, it would have been easier :-)
the 4 holes in the top are tied together with ribbon, but I have left the bottom flap unsealed so you can open it that way.

5.
I used the Card and the Card <shift> key for this gate fold card and matching envelope, and cut from one sheet of B&T paper. This is a great way to feature those double sided papers. The circle on the front to highlight the flower was punched, but you could also use the CCR to match a circle size to the flowers, as I did in the Laughing Lola sample.

 

That's it for today's explore session, come back soon for the other keys.

If you would like to purchase the Cricut Artiste cartridge, you can do so on my website here.

If you would like to attend my Cricut Club and use this and other cartridges in a friendly crop environment, contact me.

Yours in craft,
Monika

Cricut Cartridges from Close to My Heart

Did you know that Close to My Heart has 3 exclusive Cricut cartridges in the product range?

They have all been designed to coordinate with many of our stamp sets, and also with the chipboard shapes. In fact, when you purchase a cartridge, you will receive 3 stamp sets and 3 sheets of coordinating chipboard sheets in the bundle, for only $130.

The three cartridges are Art Philosophy, Artiste and the newest one, Artbooking. All 3 come with 700 images each, and can be combined in an unlimited number of ways.

The Artbooking cartridge was just released in June this year, and the company is presenting a series of videos over the coming months on what you can do with this cartridge. The link to the first one is below:

I will be running workshops each month to coincide with these videos, so you can create these pages, or similar, with your own photos. To make sure I meet your needs, please contact me to confirm you are interested, and your preferred day and time for these workshops. All dates will be advertised on my Facebook page as soon as they are confirmed.

I have also started a Cricut Crop, on the last Friday night of the month, from 7pm to 10 pm, where you can come along and do a normal crop using all my tools, or bring card stock and papers to cut shapes with my Cricut machine and cartridges. Cost is just $5 to cover wear and tear on my cricut. I will be presenting a quick project from a Cricut cut, and of course there will be supper provided. Please RSVP a week before each event so I can be prepared for projects and catering.

Do you have your own Cricut? you can get your hands on these cartridges by ordering on my website, just follow the Shop with me link.

Or, you can host your own gathering with a minimum sales of $300, and in addition to $50 product credit to spend on stamps or papers, you can order a Cricut cartridge (or any other item from the catalogue) for half price. That means the cartridge would only cost you $65!

Below are the 3 cartridges available, with the bundles you receive.

Artiste

Artbooking

Art Philosophy

So what are you waiting for? Like my Facebook page for workshop updates, and reserve your preferred Artbooking workshop date today!
http://www.facebook.com/Madcrafter72


Yours in craft,
Monika