Monday, April 12, 2021

Stamptacular 2021 Blog Hop

Welcome to the Close To My Heart Stamptacular Blog Hop. This hop is brought to you from same the CTMH Makers who bring you the Stamp Of The Month Blog Hop. Today we are featuring projects created with the Stamp Sets and/or Stamps + Thin Cuts available during Stamptacular.

We have about 20 CTMH Makers sharing their creations on our Stamptacular Blog Hop. If you are starting at my blog, you can hop with us by clicking the link to the next blog (often found near the bottom of the page) until you come back to my page.

Stamptacular Blog Hop
Stamptacular Blog Hop

You should have arrived here from ***Haley Dyer's The Inky Scrapper***. If you get lost along the way, Melinda also keeps a list of all blog hop participants on her blog at If You Bling It.

I created this card for someone turning 4 years old. Since there was room on the slice of cake, I added four candles.

Emma's birthday card (front) - Stamptacular Blog Hop
Emma's birthday card (front) - Stamptacular Blog Hop

I stamped the slice of cake with Peach, Espresso and Smoothie. I stamped Peach and Espresso twice to get a nice, dark image. I used masking to add Smoothie ink to the cake layer. After allowing the ink to dry, I added Diamond Stickles™ Glitter Glue and I used the Heat Tool (keeping it a distance from the project) to speed up the drying and reduce the likelihood that the Glitter Glue would re-moisten the Smoothie ink make the color muddy.

The candles were stamped with Mint and Canary and I used the same Glitter Glue technique on the flames. The cake and candles were added using a variety of adhesives (to create dimension) to a scalloped oval cut from Mint cardstock (to ground the image).

After cutting the Canary cardstock with the Pennant Thin Cuts, I cut the top off to make it shorter. Then I covered the cardstock with Clear Shimmer Brush and set aside to dry. When it was completely dry I stamped with Black ink.

Emma's birthday card - Stamptacular Blog Hop
Emma's birthday card (inside) - Stamptacular Blog Hop

I cut another piece of Canary cardstock using the Pennant Banner from Share the Joy Stamps + Thin Cuts (unfortunately this set became unavailable from the time I created the card for an April 5th birthday and yesterday when I was verifying my post was ready; you could cut a 1⅜" strip and dove tail by hand or use the Stitched Hexagons Thin Cuts (or the hexagon in the Aurora—Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts (Z3711)) to trim the ends by following the technique here).

I used a mix of stamp sets to stamp the inside banner.

Emma's birthday card (close-up) - Stamptacular Blog Hop
Emma's birthday card (close-up) - Stamptacular Blog Hop

Here is a close-up of the shimmer on the card. I wish the shimmer photographed better, but you can see just a hint of the shimmer on the banner, candle flames and cake layer.

Before you head to ***Lauren Moore's CTMH Craftings***, the supplies I used to create my project are listed below.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:

 

Below are a few past projects created with products included in this Stamptacular sale:

created with Christmas Paper Doll Stamp + Thin Cuts
created with Happiness Lives Here—Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts
created with Happiness Lives Here—Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts
created with Happiness Lives Here—Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts
created with Cross-stitch Love Stamp + Thin Cuts
intentionally blank space

If you are not already working with a CTMH Maker, you may purchase all of the supplies I used at my eCommerce website.

If you have a few moments, please leave a comment letting me know what you think of the birthday card or any of the past projects I shared. I hope you are enjoying the projects created with items available during Stamptacular. Thanks for hopping with us!

So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***Lauren Moore's CTMH Craftings***.

Saturday, April 10, 2021

Lest We Forget

Lest We Forget was designed especially for Anzac Day—a day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, but please do not feel that this stamp set is limited to those living in Australia and New Zealand. The floral and phrase stamps are so versatile they are appropriate for many occasions.

Lest We Forget
Lest We Forget

Not only is Lest We Forget perfect for papercrafting to honor those in the armed forces, but it is a great choice for birthday, thinking of you, friendship cards and more. I don't know about you, but I can never have too many floral stamps.

The stamps are available individually, but you can save 20% when you purchase the bundle that includes both stamp sets (bottom image).

Lest We Forget Badge (CC42114)
Friendship Is a Blessing (CC42115)
Lest We Forget Stamp Set Bundle (CC42116)

This flyer details everything about Lest We Forget; you can download a PDF of the flyer here.

Lest We Forget flyer
Lest We Forget flyer

Lest We Forget is available though May 31, 2021, while supplies last.

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Mothers Are the Best

With plenty of time to spare–to receive your new stamp set and create something for Mothers Day–Close To My Heart introduces Mothers Are the Best.

Mothers Are the Best
Mothers Are the Best

Mothers Are the Best helps us create hand-stamped and crafted art to show out Mothers how much she means to us. This stamp set is versatile and works for cards, scrapbook ages, gift bags, and pretty much any papercrafts you choose to create.

The stamp set is available with two spellings options: Mom and Mum.

Mothers Are the Best (CC42113)
Mothers Are the Best (CC42113E)

Here is the Corporate-created flyer for Mothers Are the Best; if you would like to download a copy, you will find it here.

Mothers Are the Best flyer
Mothers Are the Best flyer

I love the butterfly and flowers in the set, but I think I see some fussy cutting in my future. Mothers Are the Best is available through May 31, 2021, while supplies last.

Thursday, April 1, 2021

CTMH Scandinavian Folk Art Greetings SOTM Blog Hop - April 2021

Welcome to the April 2021 SOTM Blog Hop featuring the stamp set Scandinavian Folk Art Greetings. This month we have almost 15 CTMH Makers sharing projects created with the CTMH Stamp Of The Month Scandinavian Folk Art Greetings. Keep visiting the next blog (typically via a link near the bottom of the post) to get back to the blog where you started.

Scandinavian Folk Art - April 2021 SOTM Blog Hop
Scandinavian Folk Art - April 2021 SOTM Blog Hop

You should have arrived here from ***Crafty Happy by Darlys Recker***. If you get lost along the way, Melinda Everitt also keeps a list of all participants on her blog at If You Bling It.

Scandinavian Folk Art stamp set
Scandinavian Folk Art stamp set

I was a little unsure where to start with this stamp set, so I did an image search for "Scandinavian folk art examples" and found some great inspiration. Two things I noticed right away were bright colors are often used, sometimes mono-chromatically, and often times many elements are combined to create a scene (which occasionally made me wish we had some of the stamps in reverse).

This 6" ⨯ 6" page is my first creation with the stamp set. I was thinking about creating a square card, but I do not want to cover any of the stamping with a sentiment so it is going to be a 6" ⨯ 6" PML-like card. Is that crazy? Or maybe I will search my stamp stash for a smaller sentiment that will fit inside the Candy Apple heart cut from the Hearts Background Thin Cut.

6" ⨯ 6" page created with Scandinavian Folk Art
6" ⨯ 6" page created with Scandinavian Folk Art
This project came together so nice on my stamp platform. I placed the stamp where I wanted it then rotated my 6" ⨯ 6" piece of White Daisy ¼ turn until all of the stamping was done with that stamp and color then I moved on to the next stamp/color. I lost count how many times I rotated the cardstock, but if it was a person I bet they would by dizzy.

My next project is inspired by a Nordic folk art repetitive navy blue ornament image I saw on iStock by Getty Images (one of the results for searching Yahoo images for "Scandinavian folk art examples").

card created with Scandinavian Folk Art
card created with Scandinavian Folk Art

While I do not think Scandinavian art typically includes Glitter or Glitter paper, I could not resist including some Sapphire Glitter Paper with the Bluebird ink and paper. I wish the Glitter Paper showed better in the photo.

I used the "hello" stamp from Scandinavian Folk Art Greetings on the cards I created for the March SOTM Winged Masterpiece. You will find the cards here.

Before you head to ***Haley Dyer's The Inky Scrapper***, the supplies I used to create my project are listed below.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:

If you are not already working with a CTMH Maker, you may purchase all of the supplies I used at my eCommerce website.

If you have a few moments, please leave a comment letting me know what you think of my card. I hope you are enjoying the projects created with Scandinavian Folk Art Greetings. Thanks for hopping with us!

So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***Haley Dyer's The Inky Scrapper***.

April 2021 CTMH News

Happy April Fools! I hope you were not fooled by anyone today. I received an email March 31 that a restaurant famous for their deep dish pizza was no longer going to serve deep dish pizza. I thought it was fairly easy to see that it was an April Fools message since I received it a day early; I just thought they made a mistake and sent it early, but I did read that people contacted them concerned about the email.

I think that Mother Nature is pulling a pretty good April Fools by sending us snow on April 1. Hopefully it will be the last snow of Spring 2021. I don't know about you, I am ready for the weather to be warm enough that I can have the windows open.

Let's look at what Close To My Heart has for us this month.

April 2021 Stamp Of The Month Scandinavian Folk Art Greetings

Close To My Heart Scandinavian Folk Art Greetings—April Stamp of the Month (S2104)
Scandinavian Folk Art Greetings (S2104)
available April 2021

Scandinavian Folk Art Greetings (S2104) is an exclusive D-size set of 17 stamps and is only available during the month of April 2021. The stamp set is available for $5 when you place an order of $50 or more in qualifying Close To My Heart products or it is free when you place a qualifying order and you are a CTMH VIP Customer; in either case you qualify for additional sets at $5 for each additional $50 you spend. It is also available for $18.95 with no other purchase required. Recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks for this stamp set are: 1" × 1" (Y1000), 1" × 3½" (Y1002), 2" × 2" (Y1003), and 2" × 3½" (Y1009).

The CTMH Art Department created two pages, one a traditional 12" × 12" page and the other a 12" × 12" pocket page, using the Scandinavian Folk Art Greetings stamp set.

created with Scandinavian Folk Art Greetings (April 2021 SOTM)
created with Scandinavian Folk Art Greetings (April 2021 SOTM)

The Recipes, a PDF file that lists the products used to make the samples in the March–April 2021 Catalog, will tell you everything used to create the art above. You will find the Recipes under the page-turner catalog here. I am participating in a Scandinavian Folk Art Greetings blog hop this month; you will find my post here on my blog tomorrow. Please visit my April SOTM (S2104) Scandinavian Folk Art Greetings Pinterest Board for other ideas to use the Scandinavian Folk Art Greetings stamp set.

Stamptacular

Stamptacular
Stamptacular

Stamptacular is one of my favorite promotions from Close To My Heart. It is a great time to purchase Stamps or Stamp + Thin Cuts that have been on my wish list, but I have not had a chance to purchase.

Close To My Heart brought back these five stamp sets from last year just for Stamptacular: My Acrylix® Let’s Stay Home (CC3212), The Great Indoors (CC5217), On Repeat (CC5218), Through Thick and Thin (CC7211), and Forever Grateful (CC7210). They are back, but only through April 30.

Stamptacular Stamps Flyer
Stamptacular Stamps Flyer

You can download a PDF copy of the Stamptacular Stamps Flyer here. During April you can save up to 35% on stamp sets.

Stamp SizeRetail PriceStamptacular Price
M$3.95$2.50
A$7.95$5.00
B$10.95$7.00
C$14.95$9.50
D$18.95$12.25
E$31.95$20.50

There are also discounts on Stamp + Thin Cuts bundles.

Stamptacular: Stamp + Thin Cuts Bundles flyer - page 1
Stamptacular: Stamp + Thin Cuts Bundles flyer - page 1
Stamptacular: Stamp + Thin Cuts Bundles flyer - page 2
Stamptacular: Stamp + Thin Cuts Bundles flyer - page 2
Stamptacular: Stamp + Thin Cuts Bundles flyer - page 3
Stamptacular: Stamp + Thin Cuts Bundles flyer - page 3
Stamptacular: Stamp + Thin Cuts Bundles flyer - page 4
Stamptacular: Stamp + Thin Cuts Bundles flyer - page 4
Stamptacular: Stamp + Thin Cuts Bundles flyer - page 5
Stamptacular: Stamp + Thin Cuts Bundles flyer - page 5
Stamptacular: Stamp + Thin Cuts Bundles flyer - page 6
Stamptacular: Stamp + Thin Cuts Bundles flyer - page 6

The Stamptacular: Stamp + Thin Cuts Bundles PDF flyer can be found here; I printed the flyer to cross off the ones I have, circle those that I am interested in and highlight those I cannot miss.

All Stamp + Thin Cuts bundles are only available while supplies last and may run out before the Stamptacular special is over; if there are any Stamp + Thin Cuts that you have had your eye on, be sure to order early.

There are a few stamp sets that are not available at a discounted price: exclusive stamp sets associated with current specials, Stamp of the Month sets and Operation Smile™ stamp sets.

Stamptacular is available through April 30, 2021.

National Scrapbooking Day Celebration

National Scrapbooking Day Celebration
National Scrapbooking Day Celebration

National Scrapbooking Day is the first Saturday in May and Close To My Heart has a fabulous celebration planned. In addition to the fun workshops available, CTMH will be hosting Facebook Lives on the @CLOSETOMYHEARTOFFICIAL page where we will create the projects together, staff from the Corporate Office will share some tips and techniques for papercrafting and CTMH will give away some fabulous prizes.

There are five workshop kits available or you can select a bundle at a discounted price that includes all of the workshop kits.

National Scrapbooking Day Celebration flyer page 1
National Scrapbooking Day Celebration
flyer page 1
National Scrapbooking Day Celebration flyer page 2
National Scrapbooking Day Celebration
flyer page 2
National Scrapbooking Day Celebration flyer page 3
National Scrapbooking Day Celebration
flyer page 3

You can download the National Scrapbooking Day Celebration flyer with all of the details here.

The Facebook Live Events will be on Friday, April 30 beginning at 4pm EDT and on Saturday, May 1 beginning at 1pm EDT. Be sure to click on each of the dates to mark yourself as "going" to have Facebook remind you as the events get closer. On Day 1 the More Than You'll Every Know (CC4219) layouts and Sending You Hugs (CC42110) cards will be created and on Day 2 the These Little Piggies Album (CC42111), Cheerful Humor (CC4218) cards and Party Girl (CC4217) layouts will be created. The National Scrapbooking Day Celebration Bundle is item CC4216.

The National Scrapbooking Day Celebration workshop kits are available though May 31 while supplies last.

March–April 2021 Catalog

March–April 2021 Catalog
March–April 2021 Catalog

The March–April 2021 catalog is halfway through its lifespan and will no longer be valid after April 30, 2021. You can view this catalog online or download a PDF to view anytime you have your device, but no Internet. On that page you will also find the Recipes, a document that lists the products used to create the samples in the catalog.

If you have any questions about the CTMH promotions or any products available on my eCommerce website, please reach out to me via the Contact Form to the right.

Have a great month of April. Enjoy the Spring flowers and religious celebrations.