Late September 2023 CTMH News

I have some news to share that I do not want to get lost in my October 2023 update, so I thought I would jump on with a quick post.

PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE UPDATED DATES AND TIMES FOR THE FACEBOOK LIVES

National Stamping Month—Say It with Style

If you are planning to attend any of the National Stamping Month Facebook Live Events, the schedule has been updated a bit. Rather than two workshops on each day, there will be one workshop each day for four days on October 3–6 at 4pm EDT each day. I updated the September 8 Mark Your Calendars for Say It with Style Facebook Events post with the new date and links to the new Facebook events.

I also want to remind you that we have two specials ending on September 30 - three when you include the Stamp Of The Month.

A Gnome for All Seasons—Autumn

A Gnome for All Seasons—Autumn

A Gnome for All Seasons—Autumn will be ending on September 30. It is my understanding that A Gnome for All Seasons—Autumn is the first in a series of gnome inspired items that Close To My Heart will be bringing to us. While I have not been a super fan of the gnomes since the beginning, they are beginning to grow on me. To save some room for a quick photo progression of assembling the Thin Cuts Autumn Gnome below, I will ask to you visit my September 1 post for more information about the A Gnome for All Seasons—Autumn collection or visit my eCommerce page.

Memory Lane

Memory Lane

The Memory Lane special will also be ending on September 30. I shared details of Memory Lane when it was first introduced in July. I love the soft, soothing color in Memory Lane. My only regret is my Memory Lane supplies are still in the box waiting for me to carve out some time to create.

Thoughtful Tokens—September Stamp of the Month

Thoughtful Tokens—September Stamp of the Month (S2309)

As always, the Stamp Of The Month is only available for one month and then it is gone. Thoughtful Tokens (S2309) is no exception. I have used the sentiments from this set because they are a perfect size for when you want the card front to shine, but unfortunately I have not had much luck finding time to use the other stamps in the set.

Finally, I would like to show you how I worked with the Gnomes for Autumn Thin Cuts (CC72327).

Gnomes for Autumn Thin Cuts Step 1

The above photo shows all of the Thin Cuts used the create the Autumn Gnome. I used the light side of Peach for the face (background) cut and hands and the dark side for the nose. I used Mocha for the braids, feet and flower center. I used Sangria (retired) for the shirt, Honey Butter for the hat, Sundance for the flower and Jade for the stem (below I show an assembled gnome with Sage for the stem).

I should note that I used a wet glue like (a Quickie Glue™ Pen (Z1512) or Dual-tip Permanent Glue Pen (Z3440) so I have a little time to wiggle the pieces into place.

Gnomes for Autumn Thin Cuts Step 2

This photo shows my first assembly steps. I added the shoes/feet and flower stem. I put the hat on before the nose so it makes it easier to place the nose in the correct spot, however I did not place the glue close to the bottom edge so I could lift the hat and slightly slide the nose under the brim of the hat.

Gnomes for Autumn Thin Cuts Step 3

At this stage I add the flower, dress/shirt and nose. Be sure to lift the brim and slide the nose under the brim of the hat a little.

Gnomes for Autumn Thin Cuts Step 4

Here I had the flower center and braids (for the braid on the right, leave some room on the right edge for the hand). The braids will cover the base/background at the bottom and keeps the gnome from appearing bald.

Finally it is time to add the hands. The hand on the left has a little dimple where the hand is holding the flower stem. The hand on the right is shaped a little like an egg. I put the pointed end at about 1pm and just slightly tucked the rounded end under the braid (slightly tucked is so little I do not have a ruler that is precise enough to tell you a measurement).

And here are two finished gnomes.

Gnomes for Autumn Thin Cuts Step 5

Another clever Maker showed a guy gnome on Facebook from the Gnomes for Autumn Thin Cuts. Unfortunately I saw it in a private Facebook group so I cannot share a link, I do not remember their name, and I did not get a chance to try it before writing this post. What they did was to trim the flower and stem from the base/background and to use part of the flower to make a beard. I will try to get a chance to create and share one before the end of September.

I hope you have a great rest of your week and that your weekend plans include some crafting. Take care!

Stenciled Star Birthday Cards

Since I received the stencils in the Essentials 2023–2024 catalog, I am hooked on stenciling. What a wonderful way to take a piece of cardstock and make it unique to me with colors that I select for the image. I can also vary the amount of ink on my brush and the pressure I use to further make the image unique.

While I have posted other stenciled projects recently, this is one of the first stenciled projects I started. I pulled out of scraps to create with while I got a feel for how to best hold the brush, how much to ink the brush and how much pressure to use. I think it was little bit of fate that pushed this project aside because the It's Your Birthday Stamp + Thin Cuts (part of the National Stamping Month—Say It with Style special), had not been introduced yet when I started.

I used the same One Sheet Wonder idea as when I created the Halloween Cards I shared earlier this month. All of the colored cardstock were either stenciled or embossed so it would not be so plain.

Birthday Cards created with Stencil Pack 1

So the stenciled panels do not get lost on the card fronts, I inked the edges. I used It's Your Birthday Stamp + Thin Cuts on several of the cards above. On the first card I layered the Thin Cut on top of a square of Candy Apple so the sentiment did not get lost among the stars. I just trimmed the square to be about 5/16" larger than the Thin Cut piece. When I used the "Sending Birthday Hugs" stamp, I used low tack tape to mask the word "hugs" (I inked with the tape in place then used tweezers to remove the tape before stamping). I found the Just a Number Stamp Set with "wishes" and stamped that in place of "hugs". Since "wishes" was a little smaller, I used the star stamp from It's Your Birthday to fill in a little. I used the "left overs" from die cutting the Happy Birthday Thin Cut and backed it with white cardstock then I used a journaling pen to draw lines inside the cut (I wish the photo showed that piece better). The two cards at the bottom use the different sizes of the Stitched Fancy Brackets I created when showing how I made them in a previous blog post. The card on the left was stamped with The Good Life—Cardmaking and the card on the right uses Thoughtful Tokens—September Stamp of the Month.

Birthday Cards created with Stencil Pack 1

This group of cards were created very similar to the cards in the first photo. The happy birthday on the first card are from the Thin Cut with the blue cut layered on top of the yellow die cut so the yellow is just slightly peeking out like a shadow. The next card has a banner cut from Party Banners and a stamp from the Craft with Heart™ Cardmaking September–December 2019 subscription box stuck to a My Acrylix® Block to follow the arch of the cut; I also used a stamp from this set on the other Party Banners die cut.

I really like how I can pull supplies from my stash to mix with current products create a batch of cards where no two cards are too much alike. I will be giving this group of cards to the local senior citizens group; they have someone makes sure members receive a card at their luncheon when they are celebrating a birthday that month.
 

Supplies used:

• My Acrylix™ stamp sets: It's Your Birthday + Thin Cuts (CC9237) or It's Your Birthday (CC9233), The Good Life—Cardmaking (C1994), Thoughtful Tokens—September Stamp of the Month (S2309), Just a Number (D1514), stamp (C1804) from Craft with Heart™ Cardmaking subscription September–December 2019 (CHC4201) aka Cardmaking Starter Kit (Z4361) from the 2022 Startup Savings promotion
• Exclusive Inks™: Lemonade (Z6517), Candy Apple (Z6509), Bluebird (Z6508), Sapphire (Z2848)
• Thin Cuts: Stitched Fancy Brackets (Z3686), Party Banners (Z4152), Happy Birthday (Z3304)
• Stencils:
• Stencil Pack 1 (Z7040) or Stencil Bundle (Z5438) from Essentials 2023–2024
• Card Front Stencil Pack 1 (Z7042) or Card Front Stencil Bundle (Z5439) from Essentials 2023–2024
• Stencil Pack 2 (Z4339) or Stencil Bundle (Z4383) from Core Products 2021–2022
• Embossing Folders: Confetti Stars (Z3119)
• tools-ish: 1" Masking Tape (Z4606), Masking Tape Bundle (Z5444) or 4" Masking Tape (Z4607), Blending Brushes (Z4572)

Code to above product name appearance:

• text with link = this is a current product available on my eCommerce site at the time this post was published
• highlighted text with link = this is a product that was available on my eCommerce site when I created the paper craft(s) pictured above and the post was published; since it is on the retiring list and no longer appears in the current catalogs, or it was part of a promotion, it is available only while supplies last
• plain text = retired product no longer on my eCommerce site; if you really like a product, look for it at yard sales, on Facebook groups or other places people resale items

When you get creative the next time, be sure to check your supplies for a fun way to re-use or re-purpose items. I hope you like how I mixed and matched new products with older supplies.

CTMH Stitched Fancy Brackets - Cutting Different Sizes

Hello friends!

Recently I shared cards using the Stitched Fancy Brackets where I made the size a bit smaller to better fit the stamp I was using. Here are two examples; this thank you card:

floral card 3 created with stenciled cardstock - card details here

And this sympathy card:

Sympathy Card created with August 2023 SOTM (S2308) - card details here

There has been some curiosity about how I created just the right size of bracket for the stamp I selected. Let me show you how I made them.

Start by selecting a scrap or strip of cardstock and cut on the desired edge. I have started with a strip as narrow as 1", but I never choose anything too much wider than just over ½ the width of the die (the second example below shows this better).

Step 1 - First Cut

Remove the die cut and start to align for the second cut. Fit the stitched notches on the cardstock into the raised stiches on the die and use a low tack tape (I used iCraft Removable Purple Tape that I have in my stash, but the 1" Masking Tape (Z4606) works the same) to hold the cardstock in place while running through your die cutting machine.

Step 2 - Prepare for Second Cut

Here are your finished brackets in a smaller size for shorter or smaller sentiments.

Finished Cut Brackets

For the cuts below, I used the longer side of the smaller Stitched Fancy Bracket and a wider cardstock strip with the larger Stitched Fancy Bracket. As you can see, the edge of the die flairs out a bit close to the middle of the edge, so you need to avoid the cardstock falling too close to the center of the die. As above, I fit the stitches on the cardstock into the stitched "blades" on the die and taped the cardstock in place before running this through my die cutting machine.

Step 1 - First Cut - Longer Thin Cut Edge and Wider Cardstock

Here is a longer, less in height, bracket by using the longer side of the smaller die and a taller bracket by using a wider cardstock strip.

Finished Cut Brackets - Longer Thin Cut Edge and Wider Cardstock

Now you may be wondering what other dies you can do this with and honestly I have not tried that many from Close To My Heart. Some dies you can just look at and know it is unlikely to cut well, but if you really want that shape, try the die with a scrap of cardstock if you are curious.

If you are lucky enough to have the retired Stitched Brackets (Z3631), this technique works for narrower strips of cardstock (1" strip used for sample below). Because the die indents near the middle of the edges, the edge would get cut in such a way so the result is not a mirror image top to bottom.

Finished Cut Bracket - Stitched Brackets (Z3631)

If you take a closer look at the cut I made using Stitched Brackets, due to the indent I have a bit of a second stitched impression. It is faint enough that I would still use the completed cut, but if you are very, very particular, you may choose to not use the die cut.

Supplies used:

• Thin Cuts: Stitched Fancy Brackets (Z3686), Stitched Brackets (Z3631)
• 1" Masking Tape (Z4606), Masking Tape Bundle (Z5444) or 4" Masking Tape (Z4607)

Code to above product name appearance:

• plain text = retired product no longer on my eCommerce site; if you really like a product, look for it at yard sales, on Facebook groups or other places people resale items
• text with link = this is a current product available on my eCommerce site
• highlighted text with link = this is a product that was on my eCommerce site when I created the paper crafts pictured above and wrote the post, but since it is on the retiring list and no longer appears in the current catalogs, or it was part of a promotion, it is available only while supplies last

I hope you give this technique a try. I think it is a great way to extend your options when paper crafting. I would love to see how you use this technique. Thank you for stopping by today.

Stenciled Floral Thank You Cards

Let's start the week on a positive note with some pretty flowers. I mailed the cards shown below last Tuesday; I hope they were received by now and arrived in good condition (I put them in a zip top plastic bag just in case the weather was rainy).

I have been enjoying creating with the newest stencils from Close To My Heart. With White Daisy cardstock, blending brushes and Rosy, Limeade, Jade and Honey Butter Exclusive Inks™, I created this floral sheet.

stenciled cardstock created with Stencil Pack 1 (Z7040)

From the floral sheet, I cut using this "guide".

floral stenciled paper cutting "guide"

I do not give you exact measurements because you may have other ideas based on what flowers you want to highlight on your cards. When cutting the floral layer, I first trimmed off ⅛" from the left and right sides (indicated by the red in the diagram above). Then I trimmed off ⅛" from the top and the bottom (shown in orange). After I trimmed ⅛" off around the sides, I cut 3¾" from the left and right sides (shown as yellow and green above). When I got to the remaining strip (the middle of the card), the plan was to trim ¼" from each side (indicated with purple) which would leave a 3¾" strip (shown in blue), but in my case I measured wrong (see photo below). It worked out in the end, but you may want to measure better than I did, or you may want a wider "leftover" strip from the middle (or the sides) and try to use that strip on another project. I cut each 3¾" strip into two 5" pieces. When cutting the 5" length, sometimes I started at the top and other times the bottom; on the middle piece I made one cut from the top and the other cut from the bottom because I was not happy with the stenciling I did in the middle – I was a little to "loose" with my circles when blending. Here's my sheet after making the cuts (the ⅛" already hit the recycle bin by the time I took this photo):

stenciled cardstock cut for cardmaking

By now you want me to finally show you the cards I created with my stenciled cardstock. Here they are:

floral card 1 created with stenciled cardstock

On this card I layered the floral stenciled cardstock on top of a piece of Limeade cardstock (lighter side). I die cut a piece of White Daisy using the Dragonfly Wishes Stamp + Thin Cuts (I am bummed this is no longer on my website – it was when I created my cards) and stamped the coordinating "thank you" from the same set.

floral card 2 created with stenciled cardstock

I layered the floral stenciled cardstock on top of a piece of Limeade cardstock (darker side). I cut the words from Jade and Rosy cardstock and layered the die cuts so a bit of the Rosy die cut would create a shadow.

floral card 3 created with stenciled cardstock

This time I layered the floral stenciled cardstock on top of a piece of Rosy cardstock (light side). I die cut a piece of White Daisy using the Stitched Fancy Brackets Thin Cuts (if you are saying "wait, the die does not cut that shape", please come back tomorrow for a step-by-step on how I cut the bracket). I stamped the "thank you" from Floral Notes Stamp Set (I applied a piece of masking tape to the stamp, inked, removed the tape then stamped "thank" then repeated to add "you").

floral card 4 created with stenciled cardstock

I layered the floral stenciled cardstock on top of a piece of Jade cardstock (lighter side). I die cut a piece of White Daisy using the Dragonfly Wishes Stamp + Thin Cuts and used the "thank you" from Thoughtful Tokens—September Stamp of the Month.

floral card 5 created with stenciled cardstock

For this card I layered the floral stenciled cardstock on top of a piece of Rosy cardstock (darker side). I die cut a piece of White Daisy using the Dragonfly Wishes Stamp + Thin Cuts and stamped the coordinating "thank you" from the same set.

floral card 6 created with stenciled cardstock

On my final card I layered on Jade (darker side). I die cut Jade cardstock with the Scalloped Circle Frame and White Daisy with Circles Thin Cuts. I used a stamp from Flowers Are like Friends. I did not want to cover up too much of the stenciled flowers, so I placed the die cuts off center and trimmed to they did not extend past the Jade layer.

Except for the "thank you" from the For You Thin Cuts, all of the sentiments are popped with Thin 3-D Foam Tape. You can use the Quickie Glue™ Pen or Dual-tip Permanent Glue Pen to adhere the die cuts from the For You Thin Cuts.

Products used to create the Thank You cards:

• My Acrylix™ stamp sets: Thoughtful Tokens—September Stamp of the Month (S2309), Dragonfly Wishes Stamp + Thin Cuts (CC92226), Flowers Are like Friends (C1986), Floral Notes (C1988)
• Thin Cuts: Scalloped Circle Frame (Z4636), Circles (Z3943), Stitched Fancy Brackets (Z3686), For You (Z4650)
• Exclusive Inks™: Rosy (Z6572), Limeade (Z6575), Jade (Z6574), Honey Butter (Z6536), Intense Black (Z4189)
• Cardstock: White Daisy (1385), Rosy (X6072), Limeade (X6075), Jade (X6074)
• White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack (X254)
• 1" Masking Tape (Z4606), Masking Tape Bundle (Z5444) or 4" Masking Tape (Z4607), Thin 3-D Foam Tape (Z2060), Quickie Glue™ Pen (Z1512), Dual-tip Permanent Glue Pen (Z3440), Blending Brushes (Z4572)

Code to above product name appearance:

• plain text = retired product no longer on my eCommerce site; if you really like a product, look for it at yard sales, on Facebook groups or other places people resale items
• italicized text = retired and only used inside the cards
• text with link = this is a current product available on my eCommerce site
• highlighted text with link = this is a product that was on my eCommerce site when I created the paper crafts pictured above and wrote the post, but since it is on the retiring list and no longer appears in the current catalogs, or it was part of a promotion, it is available only while supplies last

If you were thinking the 12" x 12" stencils were only for scrapbooking, I hope I showed that they are much more versatile and can be used for cardmaking and other paper crafting. Be sure to stop back tomorrow to see how I used the Stitched Fancy Brackets to create just the right size die cut for the stamp I used. Have a great week!

Princess and Castle Happy Birthday Card

We had a birthday in our family this week. My great-niece turned four, so I created this card for her.

birthday card created with four CTMH Stamp Sets

When I saw the Storybook—Cardmaking stamp I thought it would go so well with the princess in the Birthday Numbers stamp from a few months earlier. Then when I went to use both on a card, I felt I needed a way to bridge the images. Fortunately the August 2023 Stamp Of The Month, with a little masking, allowed me to use the river as a path and gave me the transition I was looking for.

I stamped the princess on a White Daisy circle cut with the Circle Thin Cuts and I used the Scalloped Circle Frame Thin Cuts to cut a Mulberry scalloped circle to place under the princess. I colored with several colors form the new Colorista by Spectrum Noir™ pencils. I added Clear Shimmer Brush to the scallops, clouds, mirror and window. I used the Slimline Stitched Card Front with Mulberry to cover the slimline card front.

Products used to create this birthday card:

• My Acrylix™ stamp sets: Storybook—Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts (Z4684) or Storybook—Cardmaking (C1968) from January–March 2023 catalog; Birthday Numbers Stamp + Thin Cuts (Z4448) or Birthday Numbers (D2096) from May–June 2022 catalog; Goodbye Isn't Forever—August Stamp of the Month (S2308); Thoughtful Critters Stamp + Thin Cuts (CC9216)
• Exclusive Inks™: Intense Black (Z4189), Mulberry (Z6532), Mink (Z2825)
• Cardstock: White Daisy (1385), Mulberry (X6061)
• Thin Cuts: Circles (Z3943), Scalloped Circle Frame (Z4636), Slimline Stitched Card Front & Background (Z4651)
• Colored Pencils: Perfect Portrait (Z7037), Natural Landscape (Z7038), Bright & Vivid (Z7039) or Colored Pencils Bundle (Z5431)
• Clear Shimmer Brush (Z3293)
• Slimline Cards & Envelopes (X257)

Code to above product name appearance:

• plain text = retired product no longer on my eCommerce site; if you really like a product, look for it at yard sales, on Facebook groups or other places people resale items
• text with link = this is a current product available on my eCommerce site
• highlighted text with link = this is a product on my eCommerce site (at the time of this post), but since it is on the retiring list and no longer appears in the current catalogs, or the promotion in which it was featured is over, the item is available while supplies last

I hope you are inspired to mix and match your stamps and Thin Cuts to create unique to you paper crafts. Have a wonderful weekend ahead.

I Want Candy

Close To My Heart introduced a new special today: I Want Candy.

I Want Candy

I Want Candy features a bright, but not too bright, paper packet with coordinating cardstock, a choice to two stamps + Thin Cuts (one Halloween-themed and the other more everyday) and puffy stickers! I Want Candy is offered in two different scrapbooking workshop kits—one with a Halloween theme and one with a non-Halloween focus. You can choose from an entire product bundle, individual items, the Eerie-sistible Scrapbooking Workshop Kit or the I Want Candy Scrapbooking Workshop Kit. Layouts from both workshop kits are pictured in the flyer below, or scroll through the images on the product pages.

I Want Candy Flyer - page 1	I Want Candy Flyer - page 2
I Want Candy Flyer - page 3	I Want Candy Flyer - page 4

The above flyer is also available in PDF format here. The I Want Candy special will remain available through October 31, 2023, while supplies last.

Have a fun weekend!

Mark Your Calendars for Say It with Style Facebook Events

September is National Stamping Month. As I mentioned the other day, Close To My Heart created Say It with Style for the occasion.

National Stamping Month—Say It with Style

If you missed my first post of the month containing the details of this special, you will find the post here or you can download a PDF of the Say It with Style flyer.

PLEASE NOTE UPDATED DATES AND TIMES BELOW

The free National Stamping Month events have been expanded to take place our four days rather than just two days. The workshops will now take place October 3–6. CTMH will be hosting the events on the Close To My Heart Official Facebook Page. During this event a selection of the cards (one card of each design) from the special workshops will be created. Here is a schedule of which projects will be creating on each day of this amazing celebration!

• Tuesday, October 3 at 4pm EDT–You Go Girl Cardmaking Workshop–You Go Girl Facebook Event
• Wednesday, October 4 at 4pm EDT–Sending You A Hug Cardmaking Workshop–Sending You a Hug Facebook Event
• Thursday, October 5 at 4pm EDT–Best Wishes  Cardmaking Workshop–Best Wishes Facebook Event
• Friday, October at 6pm EDT–It's Your Birthday Cardmaking Workshop–It's Your Birthday  Facebook Event

I plan to attend the events and am very much looking forward to it. If you would like to create along with us, get your kits and download the instructions on the Say It with Style page on my eCommerce site. If for any reason you are unable to join us during the live event, the videos will be available at the same links afterward.

I hope you will be able to join us. Have a wonderful weekend!

Cozy Up Birthday Card

Hello. I am happy that you dropped by today. I have a birthday card to share with you today.

Cozy Up Birthday Card

This wreath on this card was made using the drop outs from the wreaths that were die cut for the Cozy Up Cardmaking Workshop Kit.

I used the drop out center of the die cut wreath (similar to the instructions for Project 4 in the Cozy Up Cardmaking Workshop), a Blending Brush and Toffee ink to lightly create a background for where the wreath should be placed. I used a wet glue (a Quickie Glue™ Pen (Z1512) or Dual-tip Permanent Glue Pen (Z3440) would work well), to place the drop outs. I used a mix of Toffee and Rosemary cardstock pieces to create the wreath. 

I used the oak leaf and acorn stamp and Thin Cuts from Thoughtful Critters Stamp + Thin Cuts. I stamped using Mocha. I inked the die cuts long enough ago that I am unsure if I shaded the acorns lightly with Mocha (my best guess) or with Toffee. I added the die cuts to the card front with a mix of Thin 3-D and 3-D Foam Tape.

I cut a thin strip of White Daisy cardstock and applied color with Molten Copper Metallic Paint Markers. I applied this and a narrow strip of Cozy Up paper to the bottom of the card. Both of the strips are leftovers from the Cardmaking Workshop.

If you read my posts, you know that I keep the stamp sets from the now retired Craft with Heart™ Cardmaking Subscription Kits on my desk to have a variety of greetings at my fingertips. I used one of the "birthday-ish" sentiments on the card front. I have not stamped inside the card yet because I am not sure if I will use the card myself or donate the card to the senior group.

Products used to create this Cozy Up Birthday card:

• Cozy Up Cardmaking Workshop Kit (G1286)
• Thoughtful Critters Stamp + Thin Cuts (CC9216)
• Exclusive Inks™: Mocha (Z6531), Toffee (Z2828), Candy Apple (Z6509), Pumpkin (Z6576), Intense Black (Z4189)
• Blending Brushes (Z4572)
• Molten Copper Metallic Paint Markers (Z4581)
• White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack (X254)
• 3-D Foam Tape (Z1151) and Thin 3-D Foam Tape (Z2060)
• stamp from one of the Craft with Heart™ Cardmaking Subscription Kits

Code to above product name appearance:

• plain text = retired product no longer on my eCommerce site; if you really like a product, look for it at yard sales, on Facebook groups or other places people resale items
• text with link = this is a current product available on my eCommerce site
• highlighted text with link = this is a product on my eCommerce site, but since it is on the retiring list and no longer appears in the current catalogs, or the promotion in which it was featured is over, the item is available while supplies last

I hope you are inspired to look at your scraps in a different way. Have a great rest of your week.

The Good Life Sympathy Card

Unfortunately I have been needing too many sympathy cards lately. I hope I do not run out of inspiration since taxes and death are a fact of life. This is my latest sympathy card.

The Good Life Sympathy Card

I created this card for a woman my mother attended school with – from the first day of elementary school (they did not have Kindergarten back then) to high school graduation. Her husband of 59 years recently died. It seems like just a couple of years ago we went to their 50th Anniversary. 

I kept the focus on the lovely stream from The Good Life—Cardmaking Stamp Set. I used the card on page 8 of the September—October 2023 catalog for coloring inspiration. I added three birds to the top of the card with a colored pencil. I layered the stamped and colored White Daisy layer onto a Pine cardstock layer before attaching to the card front.

Supplies used to create the card:

• My Acrylix™ stamp sets: The Good Life—Cardmaking (C1994)
• Exclusive Inks™: Mink (Z2825),  Intense Black (Z4189)
• Cardstock: White Daisy (2485), Pine (X6070)
• White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack (X254)
• Colored pencils Colorista by Spectrum Noir™: Perfect Portrait (Z7037) and Natural Landscape (Z7038) or choose the Colored Pencils Bundle (Z5431) which includes both sets

I hope that this is the last sympathy card I need in 2023 and I would not mind not having any to make in 2024 as well.

Enjoy this first full week of September. I hope you had a great weekend and had an extra day to enjoy some time with family. Be sure to find someplace where it is not too hot and humid to stay safe if you are located where we have record breaking heat.

Halloween Cards 2023

Happy Sunday! Yesterday I finished (by finished I mean sentiments on the inside and stamped with the CTMH Angel Policy Stamp Set (A1086) on the back) one of my first batches of cards in awhile.

Halloween Cards created with Stencil Pack 1

I saw a post on Facebook where someone mentioned that they did not see many Halloween-themed items from CTMH so far this year. Honestly I do not know if CTMH will be having a Halloween special like Fa-BOO-lous! or Boo Crew or Got Candy? Even though I do not typically create much for Halloween (other than cards for my great-nieces and great-nephew), the comment challenged me to find a way to create my own paper and pull out some older, but still wonderful stamps from my stash. I hope this inspires you too. Let's get started.

cardstock created with Stencil Pack 1

I created this cardstock using a sheet of White Daisy, Blending Brushes, Limeade, Pumpkin, Royal and Acorn Exclusive Inks™ and Stencil Pack 1.

Stencil Pack 1 (Z7040)

Color each quadrant of the star stencil above using a different ink. I used Pumpkin in the upper left, Acorn in the upper right, Royal in the lower left and Limeade in the lower right. Put a lot of ink on your brush to get a deeper color or brush some off onto scrap paper for a lighter color. Change your pressure to adjust the deepness of the color too. Please note since the stars with the diagonal stipes overlay the larger stars, you always want to use a darker color in the lower left and a lighter color in the lower right. Once you have these squares inked, turn the cardstock one-quarter turn and ink the same colors in the same quadrant. Repeat two more times.

When my star cardstock was complete, I used a one-sheet wonder pattern I found (in a private Facebook group) a couple of years ago and cut the stenciled cardstock up (if you use a search engine you will find a variety of one-sheet wonder patterns). The one-sheet wonder pattern is designed to make nine cards and assumes that you have double-sided paper. Since I didn't want to ink both sides of the White Daisy, I supplemented with colored cardstock and was able to create 13 cards:

Halloween Cards 2023

You will find a larger image of my cards here.

Once I had the basic card pattern laid out, I placed stamps on the cards to audition how they would look.

I used two stamp sets that coordinate with images from the Close To My Heart Artiste Collection, Magic Potions (C1509) and Spellbound Cricut Workshop (C1526), so I used my Cricut® Maker to cut labels. I used Cricut® Design Space to add an offset layer, cut in black cardstock, to make the image pop on the card.

Here are a few notes about each card, starting in the top left:

1. I did not want to cover the stenciling too much, so I kept it simple and used a strip of Royal cardstock (dove tail the ends) to ground the stamped image on a Cricut® cut. I inked the edges of the stenciled piece so it would stand out on the card base.
2. I really wanted to use the street lamp and sign so I adjusted the cardstock width a bit. I inked the edges of the stenciled piece. I used Black Ore Paper to create a little pop (compare to card 8 or card 13). You cannot see it in the photo, but I used a Clear Shimmer Brush on the sign, glass in the lamp and on the spider. I stamped on a Cricut® cut.
3. I inked the edges of the stenciled piece. I used the simple tried and true method of using a paper trimmer to mat and layer for the stamped sentiment. I used a Clear Shimmer Brush on the mummy and Black Shimmer Brush on the Bats. I also used Black Ore Paper.
4. I used a stamp from one of the stamp sets on the Limeade cardstock, Black Ore Paper and a Cricut® Cut for the stamped image. I inked the edges of the stenciled piece. 
5. I used stamps on the Limeade cardstock, Black Ore Paper and a Cricut® Cut for the stamped image. I inked the edges of the stenciled piece. 
6. I inked the edges of the stenciled piece. I used a stencil from Slimline Card Front Stencil Pack 2 to add stars to the Acorn cardstock, Black Ore Paper and a Cricut® Cut for the stamped image.
7. I didn't notice this until just now, a bug landed on this card when I was taking the photo; the black dot in the lower middle of the card is not part of the stamping from the Captured Moments (C1423) stamp. Oops! I kept the card very simple with stamping and Black Ore Paper. I inked the edges of the stenciled piece. 
8. I stamped a cobweb and spider on the stenciled cardstock. I also stamped a border, dangling spiders and sentiment on the Pumpkin cardstock. I added Black Shimmer Brush to the spiders. I inked the edges of the stenciled piece. 
9. After stamping the bat and fence, I added Clear Shimmer Brush. I used Black Ore Paper and a Cricut® Cut for the stamped image. I inked the edges of the stenciled piece.
10. This card was kept very simple with inking on the edges of the stenciled piece and stamping.
11. The owl was stampled and fussy cut. The branch was die cut using Thin Cuts from the Home For Christmas Cardmaking Workshop and Acorn cardstock. A Cricut® Cut was used for the stamped sentiment. I inked the edges of the stenciled piece and used Black Ore paper
12. This card was kept very simple with inking on the edges of the stenciled piece and stamping.
13. This card has the most stamping with a Royal web border, cobwebs in Acorn and spiders in Intense Black, more spiders dangling on the stenciled cardstock (with Black Shimmer Brush) and stamping on the bottom panel.

If you have any questions about the cards, please do not hesitate to ask; there is a Contact Form to the right. Unfortunately I do not have any spares of the retired products to sell – I do not travel to craft events to sell products to event attendees, so I do not purchase CTMH products if I have no plans to use them.

Products used to create the Halloween cards:

• My Acrylix™ stamp sets: Angel Policy (Z1086), Captured Moments (C1423), Magic Potions (C1509), Moonlight Scrapbooking Workshop (C1512), Spellbound Cricut Workshop (C1526), Say It in Style (D1283), October Word Puzzle (D1311), Just To Say Cricut Collection - Artfully Sent (D1629)
• Exclusive Inks™: Royal (Z6577), Limeade (Z6575), Acorn (Z6573), Pumpkin (Z6576), Intense Black (Z4189), Canary (Z2843), Whisper ()
• cardstock: White Daisy (1385), Black (X6047), Royal (X6077), Limeade (X6075), Acorn (X6073), Pumpkin (X6076)
• Workshop Kit: Home for Christmas (G1290) - I used the Thin Cuts branch on card 11
• specialty paper: Black Ore (Z3879)
• White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack (X254)
• stencils:
  • Stencil Pack 1 (Z7040) or Stencil Bundle (Z5438)
  • Slimline Card Front Stencil Pack 2 (Z6096) or Slimline Card Front Stencil Bundle (Z5421)
• embellishments: Clear Shimmer Brush (Z3293), Black Shimmer Brush (Z4224)
• tools-ish:
  • Blending Brushes (Z4572)
  • Cricut® / Close To My Heart Artiste collection of images that coordinate with Magic Potions (C1509): Circle (#M39DC7), Label (#M45BO1), Label (#M394FD), Label (#M3A780), Label (#M39295)
  • Cricut® / Close To My Heart Artiste collection of images that coordinate with Spellbound Cricut Workshop (C1526): Label (#M464A8), Label (#M46925)
  • Cricut® Design Space
  • Cricut® Maker

Code to above product name appearance:

• plain text = retired product no longer on my eCommerce site; if you really like a product, look for it at yard sales, on Facebook groups or other places people resale items
• italicized text = retired and only used inside the cards
• text with link = this is a current product available on my eCommerce site
• highlighted text with link = this is a product on my eCommerce site, but since it is on the retiring list and no longer appears in the current catalogs, it is available while supplies last
• Cricut® / Close To My Heart Artiste collection - the images are free to Cricut® Access Subscribers

I hope you are inspired to mix it up a bit and try a renewed (or new to you) technique (stenciling).

Labor Day Weekend Sale

In case you missed the news buried in the September 2023 news I posted earlier today, Close To My Heart is having a Labor Day Weekend Sale and it starts now.

Labor Day Weekend Sale

The Labor Day Weekend Sale begins at 5:00pm EDT and runs through 1:59am on Wednesday, September 6 (that is 11:50pm MDT in Utah where the Corporate Office is located).

The usual terms that have applied to past sales apply to the Labor Day Weekend Sale: 

• Sale prices are only available on orders placed on my Maker website.
• All discounted items count toward earning VIP Credit.
• All discounted items count towards Stamp of the Month qualification.
• Sale prices do not apply to VIP Credit purchases; that is, if you choose to redeem VIP Credit on sale items, you will be charged the full retail value for those items (so my suggestion is to save your VIP credits for a future order).
• Shipping and handling is based on the full retail value of the sale items.
• To see the items featured in the sale, visit the Flash Sale page on my Maker website during the sale.
• All offers are only available while supplies last, so be sure to get them in before the sale ends!
• If (and this is a huge if since we have to new catalogs that have products that just became available today) any current products are included in the sale, it is very likely that only a limited number were set aside for the sale. Once CTMH sells through the quantity set aside, I think the items will go back to their regular price (or may not be available until after the sale ends).

I have not heard any whispers about exclusive products during this sale, but it is possible. I have not seen any products previewed for the sale.

Please shop early for the best selection.

Subscribers to the Close To My Heart newsletter or Close To My Heart VIP newsletter will receive an email at the beginning of the sale to let them know when it has started.

Just a reminder that CTMH Corporate Offices will be closed on Labor Day. While you will be able to place orders throughout the weekend and on the Labor Day holiday, the shipping department and the rest of the Corporate staff will be taking a very well deserved day off in observance of the holiday. 

Have a fabulous Labor Day weekend!