Adding Artistic Details with Tools

Project Inspiration: Tools for Tasteful Pages gives us tips for using CTMH tools to add details that will help us create gorgeous artwork. The layout where some of these tips were used is shown in the video is features on page 105 of the CTMH Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book.



Today's video is Project Inspiration: Tools for Tasteful Pages. The CTMH Corp. description is "Close To My Heart's stitch guide helps you quickly and easily add a little "oomph" to your projects. Watch the video to see how we've added the popular hand-sewn effect to the stamped images in the My Acrylix™ Windy Day set using just three tools."

Products used in the video:

• My Creations™ Windy Day Stamp Set (D1579)
• Baker's Twine Neutral Assortment (Z1701); unfortunately this assortment is no longer available, you could substitute Bake's Twine Neutral Metallic Assortment (Z1921) or embroidery floss for your stitching
• Stitch Guide (Z1852)
• Foam Mat (Z1859)

Not listed, but I think should be, is the Piercing Tool Kit (Z1114). The piercing tool has a wooden handle which makes it much easier to grip than a needle when piercing holes. The kit also includes a smaller push pad and two different needles.

Some of the tips mentioned in the video:

• two different stamps from the Windy Day set were combined to appear as one embellishment; the kite was stamped and cut out and placed on the layout; the girl was stamped directly on the layout and colored in; the two images were connected with stitching
• Alcohol markers were used to color in the stamped images; they were also used on the edges of the clouds and title to add dimension
• a back stitch was used to create the kite "string" and "join" the kite and girl into one embellishment, lightly pencil in a line to follow while stitching (stitching will cover the line)
• get ready to stitch by piercing along the line in equal increments then thread a needle with the floss or baker's twine and put a knot in the end
• backstitch - with this stitch a continuous line is created and you see thread between every hold that you created (see the diagram below if you have trouble visualizing how to backstitch)
• skip (or running) stitch - with this stitch a continuous line is not created, you only see thread between every other hole you pierced
• the flourish that gives movement to the kite is from the stitch guide
  

This quick drawing I created shows how I was taught to backstitch:

The numbers across the top correspond to the pierced holes and the red squiggly line is the paper; what appear above the red line is what you will see on the front of your layout. From the back of the layout bring your needle through pierced hole 2. Then put your needle through hole 1. Bring your needle up through pierced hole 3 and put it down through hold 2. Continue until you reach the end of your line. Your needle will only pass through the first and last hole one time. To secure your stitching at the end weave your needle through the thread on the back of your paper. If this is on a card, you may want to secure with some tape of a very small dot of Liquid Glass.

I hope today's video inspires you to add some hand stitching to your next layout or card. If you have decided to order any of these tools, the Shop Now button will take you to my Online Business Address.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Achieve Great Results with Embossing Folders

I learned so much from today's video Score Big with Embossing. When I speak with others who have watched the video, they say the same thing. I hope you have about 4 minutes to watch Score Big with Embossing.



The CTMH Corp. description of Score Big with Embossing is "Check out Close To My Heart's exclusive embossing folders, available in five trendy and classy patterns, and get some tips on the best ways to use them."

Products used in the video:

• Dot Embossing Folder (Z1924)
• Chevron Embossing Folder (Z1925)
• Quatrefoil Embossing Folder (Z1926)
• Damask Embossing Folder (Z1927)
• Stripe Embossing Folder (Z1960)

Some of the tips mentioned in the video:

• for best results, determine the grain of the cardstock by holding your hand out flat, place a piece of cardstock across your hand and watch for the bend (think of an arch); the grain is parallel with the ends of the arch
• when using an embossing folder and you go "with the grain" less of the white core will show; when you go "against the grain" more of the white core will show, but either is a personal preference and you may want to choose different looks on different projects
• the grain really does matter on on straight patterns like the Stripe Embossing Folder; when you go with the grain, you get nice clean lines, but when you go against the grain the embossing really breaks the fibers causing the cardstock to crack
• you want to make sure the paper is no wider than the folder, when using paper that is too wide, the pressure will warp and bend the edges of the paper
• you can use paper that is longer than the folder; there are slits at the top of the folder that allow you to create longer embossed strips
• if the indention in your paper is more than you would prefer (you would like a softer looking emboss), add another piece of cardstock to your "sandwich" to be a shim to help absorb some of the "bite" from the embossing folder; the impression will not be as deep; use scrap cardstock for your shims and you can use them over and over
• sand the embossing to expose the white core to highlight the embossing (or ink it)

I hope today's video inspired you to try the CTMH embossing folders. If you would like to see the embossing folders in action, contact me to schedule a Home Gathering where we can create a project with embossed cardstock. If you are ready to place an order the Show Now button will take you to my Online Business Address.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about embossing or any other CTMH product.

Artbooking Made Easy: Baby Mini Albums

The latest in the video series Artbooking Made Easy is Artbooking Made Easy: Baby Mini Albums/Sweet Smiles. Each week until April 2014 (except occasional breaks for holidays) Close To My Heart will release the next video in the series. Each video has tips, tricks and project inspiration for using the Artbooking collection.



This week's video is Artbooking Made Easy: Baby Mini Albums/Sweet Smiles. The CTMH Corp. description of the video is "Watch the video to see how using the Cricut® Artbooking shapes, icons, and borders to scrapbook memories of your sweet baby will have you grinning from ear to ear!"

A few points I want to be certain that you do not miss while watching the video:

• there are two Baby mini album keys on the Artbooking cartridge
• you will find the keys on pages 50 and 51 of the Artbooking booklet
• everything cut for the Baby album is cut at 8 inches (Real Dial Size off so the images cut relative to each other)
• to create the lion, cut the body once in slate and the face twice; once in cocoa and once in sorbet
• to create dimension, outline the shapes with a pen
• to get a different color flap on the envelope, cut the piece a second time and cut the flap part off the second cut and attach it to the flap of the first cut
• to create the card, use Real Dial Size to cut the title at 1 1/4 inch
• the giraffe's body was cut from sorbet and the topper cut from crème brulee; foam tape was used between the layers
• go to Jeanette Lynton's post, Artbooking Made Easy: Baby Mini Albums, to find the details on how to create the album with photographs of several pages

If you have missed earlier videos in the Artbooking Made Easy series, I am maintaining a list so they are easier to find. Just look for CTMH Cricut® Artbooking Collection in the green bar above.

Contact me if you would like to learn how you would be able to purchase the Artbooking collection at 1/2 off by hosting a Gathering either in-home or on-line.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Thanks for visiting today.

Hip Pics Album

Do you always look for something unique to give to your mother for Mother's Day? If so, the project shared in Project Inspiration: Hip Pics Album might be the perfect inspiration for you.



Today's video is Project Inspiration: Hip Pics Album and the CTMH Corp. description of the video is "Create a heartfelt Mother's Day gift complete with photos, embellishments, and sweet sentiments using the My Creations™ Hip Pics album and the My Acrylix™ Mother's Day stamp set from Close To My Heart."

Products used in the video:

• My Acrylix™ Mother's Day Stamp Set (C1577)
• My Creations™ Hip Pics Album (Z1956)

Some of the tips mentioned in the video:

• to make it easier to slide the photos into the Hip Pics Album, mount the photo on a 6 inch x 4 1/4 inch cardstock mat
• when attaching the photo to the mat, center the photo so about 1/8 inch of the mat will show on each side (the height of the photo will fill the mat); you do not see the mat when the photo is slid into the album
• alternatively you can use smaller photos and allow some of the mat to show through the window in the album
• you do not have to use photos on each page, you can fill the space with stamps or journaling that complement the photos

Another great stamp set for a Mother's Day themed album is the Hostess Rewards Stamp Set A Mother's Love (B1447) shown on page 8 of the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book. This album would also be a great Father's Day project when using the My Acrylix™ You're the Best Stamp Set (C1571) or the Hostess Rewards Stamp Set My Hero (B1448) shown on page 9.

I hope today's video inspired you to try a My Creations™ Hip Pics Album. If you would like to host an Online or Home Gathering to earn Hostess Rewards so you may get your own A Mother's Love or My Hero Stamp Set (or any other Hostess Rewards qualifying product), send me a message. If you are ready to place an order, the Show Now button will take you to my Online Business Address.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Stamp Transformation

It is so ironic that the video, Project Inspiration: Transform Your Stamps, was uploaded within the past week and I just watched it on Tuesday, February 4. Over the weekend I was looking at the Yosemite layout shown at the beginning of this video (and on page 88 of the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book) and deconstructing how they created the "to something special" in the upper right of the photograph. Jill did not mention it in this video, but that phrase is from the My Acrylix® Funky Blossoms Stamp Set (B1452) on page 90 of the IB. Only part of the phrase was stamped. If you look closely at the right side of that layout, you will see the border stamp from Funky Blossoms was also used. I did not think I needed that stamp set, but over the weekend I decided I do.



The CTMH Corp. description  of Project Inspiration: Transform Your Stamps is "Think outside the stamp set theme! Watch the video for ideas on transforming your icon stamps into borders, embellishments, and backgrounds using the My Acrylix™ Do Your Best stamp set, and then contact your Close To My Heart Consultant to purchase the necessary supplies."

Products used in the video:

• My Acrylix™ Do Your Best Stamp Set (C1573)
• My Creations™ Kraft 3-Ring Album (Z1871)

Some of the tips mentioned in the video:

• create your own B&T™ papers with the animal stamps from the Do Your Best Stamp Set
• when you random stamp use a triangular pattern
• you can stamp very close together or further apart, just keep it consistent throughout your stamping
• go off the page a little to make it appear random and to fill the entire space
• you can also sponge or distress some of the pages for more unique B&T™ papers

I hope today's video inspired you to take a second look at stamp sets you thought you would never use.

If you are ready to place an order the Show Now button will take you to my Online Business Address. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Giveaway Reminder

A couple of days before last week's Big Picture Classes Pajama Party I posted that I would be having a giveaway. It is very easy to enter - just create a one-page layout inspired by the layout Christine and Stacy showed during the Pajama Party:

The full details for how to enter are on my post Create a Layout & Your Name Gets Into My Drawing. I do hope that you will find a chance to play along. You still have more than one week to find some creative time.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Artbooking Made Easy: Sugar & Spice

Artbooking Made Easy: Sugar & Spice is the latest in the video series Artbooking Made Easy. Each week until April 2014 (except occasional breaks for holidays) Close To My Heart releases a new video in the series. Each video has tips, tricks and project inspiration for using the Artbooking collection.



This week's video Artbooking Made Easy: Sugar & Spice has the CTMH Corp. description "Add a little sass and pizzazz to your teen girl layouts using the Cricut® Artbooking cartridge from Close To My Heart! Watch the video and contact your Independent Consultant to learn more."

A few points I want to be certain that you do not miss while watching the video:

• the projects were created with the teen layout keys
• you will find the keys on pages 80 and 81 of the Artbooking booklet
• the "10 Things" layout was cut at 11 inches with Real Dial Size off
• two different half overlays were used on this two-page layout
• the heart border was embellished with scribble stamps (see yesterday's post)
• the heart photo mats have a slit which the Cricut® will cut for you so you can slide your photos in - no adhesive needed
• the "Giggles & Grins" layout uses overlays from the same key, but one is a full overlay and the other is a half overlay, both were cut at 11 inches with Real Dial Size off; the overlays were not backed with cardstock to allow the base B&T™ to show through
• the photo mats come from both keys
• these keys were used to create a cards too, the half overlay for the "butterfly card" was cut at 2 3/4"with Real Dial Size on; the green focal is a photo mat and cut at 2 3/4 inches; the heart border was cut at 11 inches and cut to fit the card (save the extra border for another project)
• in Jeanette Lynton's post, Artbooking Made Easy: Teen Layouts, you will find even more detail, closeup photos and a list of supplies used for each album; I love the idea to use the "10 Things" die cut as a key for labeling photos (or other elements) on a layout
• also on Jeanette Lynton's post is the chance to win your own Artbooking collection - the winner will be announced next Monday (Feb 10) so be sure to head over there now to leave a comment

If you have missed earlier videos in the Artbooking Made Easy series, I am maintaining a list so they are easier to find. Just look for CTMH Cricut® Artbooking Collection in the green bar above.

Contact me if you would like to learn how you would be able to purchase the Artbooking collection at 1/2 off by hosting a Gathering either in-home or on-line.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Thanks for watching today's Artbooking video.

Scribble Sensational

To be honest with you, I was not aware of the scribble trend until it was mentioned in the video. I searched Pinterest and, wow, there are a lot of project ideas out there, but I did not need to see those ideas to love the stamp sets shown in the video. I already have one, one will be arriving at my house any day and the other is on my wish list (admittedly it has moved up the list after seeing this video).



The CTMH Corp. description of today's video Project Inspiration: Scribble Sensational is "Join in on the scribble trend with these super cute images from the My Acrylix™ Oodles of Doodles stamp set. Watch the video to learn more about this playful stamping technique, and then contact your Close To My Heart Consultant to purchase the necessary supplies."

Products used in the video:

• My Acrylix® Oodles of Doodles Stamp Set (B1449) - page 100 of S/S 2014 Idea Book
• My Acrylix® Charming Chevrons Stamp Set (A1150) - page 100
• Sparkles Chevron Shapes (Z1909) - page 123

Some of the tips mentioned in the video:

• the My Acrylix® Oodles of Doodles stamp set coordinates with the Cricut® Artiste cartridge
• a similar stamp set is My Acrylix® Doodle Signs (A1158) - page 7, but it is only available as a Hostess Reward; contact me if you would like to host a Home or Online Gathering to earn rewards to acquire your own; Doodle Signs coordinates with the Cricut® Artbooking cartridge
• use the stamps with the included sentiments or hand-in-hand with other stamps to create a focal point or embellishment, the choice is yours

I hope today's video inspired you to try scribbling. If you are ready to place an order the Show Now button will take you to my Online Business Address.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Thanks for visiting today.

3-D Effects from Flat Die Cuts

Do you love to have dimension in the projects you make? Then this video might contain your next bit of inspiration.



Today's video is DIY: Easy 3-D Effects. The CTMH Corp. description is "Ever wanted to turn a flat Cricut® shape into a 3-D element but didn't know how? Watch the video to learn how easy it is to create beautiful 3-D embellishments from flat Close To My Heart Cricut® Artbooking shapes. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3-D!"

Products featured in the video:

• Cricut® Art Philosophy Collection (Z1686)
  
• Cricut® Artiste Collection (Z1790)
  
• Cricut® Artbooking Collection (Z1906)
• Bone Folder (Z1204)
  

Some of the tips mentioned in the video:

• center your die cuts over the groove in your Surecut™ Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer (Z1783) and use a Bone Folder (Z1204) in the groove to score the paper and create crisp folds
• the ornaments were created with four flat shapes scored down the middle and glued together using Liquid Glass (Z679)
• the heart garland has nine hearts along the length of twine and each was created with three flat shapes; some hearts were stamped before scoring; only score two of the die cuts as the third will be used as a base
• place adhesive (to the wrong side of the paper) on one folded side of a heart and attach the other folded heart
• lay the flat heart (base) on your table, add some adhesive, lay the twine on top and attach the folded hearts
• the film strip book on the mini album page is from the Artbooking cartridge
• cut two film strip die cuts
• before scoring the film strips, back the squares with cardstock in a color that coordinates with your project
• score between the openings on the film strip and where you have it backed with cardstock you may need to score a little harder
• staple the film strip book along the back edge (single layer, fold, single layer, single layer, fold, single layer) after embellishing
• in the middle of the completed film strip book, add some washi tape over the "binding" to give it a more finished look

I don't know about you, but this makes me look at banners in a fresh light. And I cannot wait to try the film strip idea.

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant yet, I would be happy to be your Consultant. If you are ready to place an order the Show Now button will take you to my Online Business Address.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

CTMH February 2014 Stamp of the Month: Wild About Love

The Close To My Heart February 2014 Stamp of the Month is Wild About Love. Today also marks the first day you may make a purchase of new items from the Spring Summer 2014 Idea Book.

This stamp set is so cute it created a lot of chatter among the CTMH Consultants that participate on the Consultant Bulletin Boards. You will find a larger image of each project shown in the above photo, a list of the products used and some hints for recreating the samples above on my OBA > Promotions > Stamp of the Month page. Another place to look for ideas using this stamp set is my Pinterest Board CTMH 2014 02 Feb SOTM Wild About Love.

Wild About Love is an exclusive D-size stamp set of 9 stamps that you can only purchase during the month of February 2014. The stamp set can be yours for $5 when you place an order of $50 or more in qualifying Close To My Heart Products. Alternatively you can purchase it for $17.95.

Recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks: 1" x 1" (Y1000), 2" x 2" (Y1003), and 3" x 3" (Y1006).

February also brings us the Embossing is Boss! event.

During the month of February 2014 when you purchase any two colored cardstock packs (single color or combo packs), you can choose one embossing folder for free. The embossing folders come in a variety of patterns: chevron, damask, dot, quatrefoil, or stripe and are 7 inches by 5 inches. The patterns are also repeatable for those times when you want to cover a larger piece of paper.

Just so you know, Kraft, White Daisy, Colonial White, and Paper Fundamentals Basics Assortment cardstocks are excluded from this special. In addition, the embossing machine is not included, but the folders will work with most embossing machines currently on the market.

Picture My Life™ is a new line from CTMH. It is pocket style scrapbooking. As a new scrapbooker you may like the ease of using the cards just as they are in the package. Alternatively, an avid scrapbooker may like to add these to their traditional albums to add more photos without the need to create several more 12" x 12" pages. You could even make the included cards "your own" by stamping, doodling or writing on them. Your only limit is your imagination.

Be sure to check out my Picture My Life™ tab above. On that page are photos of each PML collection as well as a list of coordinating colors. The photo above depicts the Babycakes collection.

Finally, you can view the Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book online. Just go to my OBA > Products > Idea Books. This year you can purchase your own copy from my OBA. Just search for item WC1141. The cost is $3.95 plus shipping (and tax if applicable in your area).

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant yet, I would be happy to help you learn more about CTMH products. Click the Shop with me link below to place an order or contact me if you have questions about any CTMH product or promotion or to schedule a Home or Online Gathering.

Thank you for visiting.