Seasonal Expressions 2 Tour

On May 1, 2017 a new seasonal idea book was introduced by Close To My Heart - Seasonal Expressions 2.

Seasonal Expressions 2 can be viewed at my Consultant website or you can download a printable PDF (links open in a new tab). If you would like a list of items in SE2, the Product Index (in PDF format) may be helpful; I use mine for a wish list and as a way to track purchases. CTMH also produced a PDF Recipes which lists the products used (and Cricut shapes, if applicable) to create the samples found in the book. Based on Corporate policies and past seasonal idea books I believe most, if not all, of the products should be considered as available while supplies last.

Let's start our tour of Seasonal Expressions 2:

There are four new paper packs introduced in Seasonal Expressions 1. Each paper pack has a Workshops Your Way® Scrapbooking Kit. Download the WYW Scrapbooking instructions from my Consultant website (there is the link below the "Add To Cart" button), for instructions to create the layouts. In addition to the layouts, at the end of the guide there are directions for using the WYW "leftovers" and a few additional supplies (see the list under the WYW in the idea book), to create 6 to 12 cards (depending on the collection) using your scraps:

Little Dreamer this collection starts on page 4	No Worries this collection starts on page 14
Prickly Pear this collection starts on page 24	Jack this collection starts on page 34

Clicking on the link under the photos above take you to all of the CTMH products tagged with the paper collection name, including the stamps used to create samples in SE2 with the paper collection. Clicking on the paper photo will take you directly to the paper pack.

There are four new Workshops Your Way® cardmaking kits.

WYW Miss You Cardmaking Kit page 13	WYW Anniversary Cardmaking Kit page 23
WYW Let's Party Cardmaking Kit page 33	WYW Father's Day Cardmaking Kit page 43

When you look at the WYW Cardmaking Kits on my Consultant website, be sure to download the Guide (you will find it under the "Add to Cart" button) with cutting and assembly tips. Also, under the photo of the kit contents you will see photos of the two different cards the kit makes. Just click on the image for a better view.

There are eight new Thin Cut bundles—four for Cardmaking and four for Scrapbooking. If you do not use a die cutting machine like the Cuttlebug or Sizzix Big Shot, the stamp sets are available individually. If you have a die cutting machine, or plan to purchase one, please purchase the bundle as the dies not are available for individual purchase.

Thin Cuts Bundle (dies AND stamp set)	Stamp Set Only
Little Dreamer Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts (Z3335)	Little Dreamer—Cardmaking stamp set (C1677)
Little Dreamer Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts (Z3334)	Little Dreamer—Scrapbooking stamp set (D1721)
No Worries Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts (Z3337)	No Worries—Cardmaking stamp set (C1679)
No Worries Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts (Z3336)	No Worries—Scrapbooking stamp set (D1718)
Prickly Pear Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts (Z3332)	Prickly Pear—Cardmaking stamp set (C1682)
Prickly Pear Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts (Z3338)	Prickly Pear—Scrapbooking stamp set (D1722)
Jack Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts (Z3333)	Jack—Cardmaking stamp set (C1678)
Jack Scrapbooking Stamp + Thin Cuts (Z3339)	Jack—Scrapbooking stamp set (D1723)

There are two new standalone Thin Cuts and both have two coordinating stamps.

Thin Cuts with Coordinating Stamps
Thin Cuts—Basic Ovals (Z3328)	Thin Cuts—Basic Stars (Z3329)
Coordinating Stamps for Basic Ovals & Basic Stars
Today (M1172)	Together (M1173)
Hooray (A1205)	Scripty Thank You (A1206)

As a reminder, there are other Thin Cuts available from Close To My Heart. You will find the available options on my Consultant website.

CTMH is offering a new stamp that comes in French and Spanish versions and it coordinates with the Oval Thin Cut above.

English Version	French Version	Spanish Version
Scripty Thank You
A1206	A1206F	A1206S

The four Compliments that were introduced in Seasonal Expressions 1 are on pages 44 to 47 of Seasonal Expressions 2, but this time the samples show the Compliments used with the four new paper collections. I love how the Compliments coordinate with a variety of paper collections.

My Boy Complements (Z3306)	My Girl Complements (Z3308)
Springtime Complements (Z3307)	Snapshot Complements (Z3309)

We have two Cut Above scrapbooking kits that are a great introduction to scrapbooking because all you need to do is add adhesive and photos to complete the pages.

Cut Above® Layout Kit—Party Time (Z3330)

Cut Above® Layout Kit—Adventure (Z3331)

I hope you have enjoyed this tour of Seasonal Expressions 2. As always, the Shop Now button will take you to my Consultant website where you can see the other products that were introduced, read full products descriptions and place orders.

If you have any product questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts. Thanks for dropping by today.

Live, Laugh, Love Blog Hop

Welcome to the May 2017 SOTM Blog Hop featuring the stamp set Live, Laugh, Love. This month there are about 25 bloggers sharing projects they created with the CTMH Stamp Of The Month. If blog hopping is new to you, we try to keep it easy: just keep clicking on the link to the next blog (typically near the bottom of the post) to visit the next stop. Our blog hop is circular so visiting the next blog will take you back to where you started.

You should have arrived here from ***Create with Alyson by Alyson Mayo***. If you get lost along the way, Melinda Everitt keeps a list of participants on her blog at If You Bling It.

I used this stamp set to create a Mother's Day card. It's not exactly what I pictured in my mind's eye, but I am growing to love it. I choose silver because the gift that will accompany it is silver.

I used a technique, background stamping, that I typically shy away from because I am not confident with my results. I also do not tend to make monochromatic cards so this card is a bit out of my comfort zone. The front of my card starts the sentiment.

I finished the sentiment inside with a bit of a surprise.

The letters were easy to cut apart after stamping–without cutting the stamp first–as the artist left just enough space between the letters. I was a little worried that the design may be too intricate to heat emboss, but I was very pleased with results. Click on either of the photos below for a larger view of some sections of the card.

Before you head to ***Stampin' Maui by Jean McNulty***, the supplies I used to create my project are listed below.

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

• My Acrylix™ May 2017 SOTM: Live, Laugh, Love Stamp Set (S1705)
• My Acrylix™ Happy To Be Friends Stamp Set (C1605)
• Whimsy Fundamentals (Z3253)
• 12" X 12" Cardstock: White Daisy (1385), Crystal Blue (1292)
• Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad in the following colors: Crystal Blue (Z2817)
• VersaMark™ Ink Pad (Z891)
• Ranger™ Silver Super Fine Embossing Powder (Z2067)
• Craft Heater (Z555)
• 3L® E-Z Dots® Adhesive (Z3022)
• Thin 3-D Foam Tape (Z2060)
• Bonding Memories™ Glue Pen (Z553)
• Supplies not from Close To My Heart: Cricut® Design Space, Cricut® Explore, Cuttlebug, rounded-corner rectangular die, craft knife, glass cutting mat, red line super sticky tape (to hold the mechanics of the card together), I used the Craftwork Card's blog for instructions to cut and assemble the Twist and Pop Card—I used all of their measurements, except I started with an 8½" x 11" sheet of cardstock rather than A4; you will find my Design Space file to create a similar card here

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

Before you leave I would be delighted if you left me a comment letting me know what you think of this Mother's Day Card. On this hop I hope you are finding many ideas for how you might use the Live, Laugh, Love stamp set. Thanks for hopping with us! So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***Stampin' Maui by Jean McNulty***.

May 2017 CTMH News

Hello and Happy May! Another reason to be happy...May is National Scrapbooking Month! I have contest news too!

The May 2017 Stamp of the Month is Live, Laugh, Love

Live, Laugh, Love (S1705) is an exclusive D-size set of 9 stamps that is only available for purchase during the month of May 2017. The stamp set can be yours for $5 when you place an order of $50 or more in qualifying Close To My Heart products (and you qualify for additional sets at $5 for each $50 you spend). Alternatively it is available at $17.95. Recommended CTMH My Acrylix® Blocks for this stamp set are: 1" x 1" (Y1000), 2" x 2" (Y1003), 1" x 6½" (Y1005), 2" x 3½" (Y1009) and 2" x 6½" (Y1010).

CTMH Corporate Artists created this two-page layout using the Live, Laugh, Love stamp set.

If you would like a list of the products used to create the above layout, you will find the information in the Recipes for Seasonal Expressions 2, a PDF file that lists the products used to make the samples in the Seasonal Expressions 2 so you may re-create projects at home. I am participating in a Live, Laugh, Love blog hop this month; you will find my post here tomorrow. Please visit my CTMH 2017 05 May SOTM Live Laugh Love Pinterest Board for additional ideas using this stamp set.

May 2017 is National Scrapbooking Month—Live Beautifully

To celebrate National Scrapbooking Month, Close To My Heart created the limited edition collection Live Beautifully. The options are:

National Scrapbooking Month—Live Beautifully
Live Beautifully Paper Packet (CC1212B)	Live Beautifully Stamp Set (CC1212C)
Cut Above™ Layout Kit—Live Beautifully (CC1212A)	Cut Above™ Layout Kit—Live Beautifully kit brochure cover showing the five 2-page layouts you can create following the suggestions in the brochure; 5 additional brochure pages give tips for creating the 2-page layouts
Live Beautifully Post-bound Album Bundle-Black Album (CC1212)	Live Beautifully D-ring Album Bundle-Grey Album (CC1225)

The Live Beautifully Paper Packet (CC1212B) includes 16 12" x 12" sheets. There are 2 each of 6 double-sided designs and 2 each of 2 single-sided gold foil designs.

The Live Beautifully Stamp Set (CC1212C) is a D-Size set with sentiments, titles and floral images and includes 8 stamps.

The Cut Above™ Layout Kit—Live Beautifully includes the materials (pre-printed base pages, die-cut paper pieces, stickers, and gold foil accents) to create five 2-page layouts and six 12" x 12" Memory Protectors. Just add adhesive, 3-D Foam Tape and a journaling pen to your order and you have everything you need to complete the layouts shown in the kit brochure.

The album bundles include the Cut Above™ Layout Kit—Live Beautifully, Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen (Z1979) and Tombow® Permanent Adhesive (Z3326). Choose My Legacy™ Post-bound Album—Black (CC1212A) or My Legacy™ D-ring Album—Grey (CC1225). With the album bundle you only need to add photos.

Contest News **** Contest News ***** Contest News ***** Contest News ***** Contest News

Close To My Heart is having a Live Beautifully Cut Above® contest for CTMH customers on their corporate Facebook page. Participating is simple: All you need to do to enter is take a picture of one or more of your completed Cut Above layouts and share it on the corporate Facebook page between May 1 and May 31. At the end of the month, the Corporate office will hold a drawing from all those who entered; winners will receive one of the new Cut Above layout kits from Seasonal Expressions 2. Be sure to participate so you will have a chance to win!

Seasonal Expressions 2 2017

Today is the first day items from Seasonal Expressions 2 are available for purchase on my Consultant website. If can view SE2 here or download a PDF of the catalog here. I scheduled a tour of the new Idea Book to post on May 3.

If you are ready to place an order or would like to research any product, the Shop Now button will take you there.

If you have any product or promotion questions, do not hesitate to email me. You will also find me on Facebook at Brenda's Paper Crafts. Thank you for visiting today.