Christmas Already????

Season's Greetings,

It is hard to believe that Christmas is almost here! As we finish all those last minute details, it is important to remember the reason for the season. So as you wrap, tie the bows, cook and do all the dishes!.......don't lose sight of that baby in the manger.

Last week was my mother's birthday and it has become a tradition that I make her a calendar. She always tells me how much she enjoys them, so I did one again this year.

I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Happy Thanksgiving

It is almost impossible to believe that Thanksgiving is week after next! The weather has been so warm that it doesn't seem possible we will soon be sharing Thanksgiving meals with our families and friends.

I like to send Thanksgiving cards to those family members I won't be seeing this year. This card was EASILY created in a couple of minutes by using paper from the Olivia paper packet. Because you get cardstock and coordinating background/texture papers, it takes just a minute to create something like this. I used Barn Red ink and the new Mocha adhesive gems.

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving, a season of thankfulness for our blessings.

Autumn Fun

It's October and that means fall leaves, cool days and cooler nights, and Halloween. I like what Close to My Heart does with Halloween......they make it fun! The pumpkins used on my cards are from a set called "The Boo Crew". Also new to the fall/winter catalog are some little guys called "Hooligans". These are little guys made of felt and they coordinate with the Hooligans paper packet.

The cards I made for Halloween could also be used for a "near" Halloween birthday with the change of sentiment stamps. The colors used were Sunset, Gypsy and Pear. Also in the packet also contains Lagoon. Check out pages 18 and 19 in the catalog.

I couldn't resist making a "pretty" card using the paper in the Hooligan's Paper Packet. With the addition of a bow and a butterfly, you have a nice all-occassion card.

September is Here

September means Fall is just around the corner, and also with September comes a new Fall-Winter catalog. Along with new papers, stamps and accessories comes eight fresh, new colors. The papers below are three pieces from the "Olivia" paper packet.
Below are the eight new colors. My photograph doesn't do these any justice. The top row, left to right are Gypsy, Pacifica, Sunset, and Sky. Bottom row is Smoothie, Pear, Cotton Candy, and Lagoon. Close to my Heart has always been on top of the trends in color. Sunset gives you a warm, autumn feeling, but it is also a versatile color for summer. I am excited to see Cotton Candy, which is a pretty pink that I think we've been missing in our pallette. Pear is a green that blends beautifully with blue, but can also be used for Christmas with reds. I keep finding more color blends as I play with these.

One of the new stamp sets is entitled "The Present". I love the verse, which can be used on a the front of a very simple card. It can be used for a sympathy card or a thinking of you card, or even a birthday card.

Here are two cards made with "The Present". The first card uses Sunset ink. The corner makes a frame for the verse. Simple. The second card uses a piece of paper from the paper packet, "Olivia".

Go to the Close to my Heart website to see the new catalog, our give me a call and I will get you a new catalog soon.

Is it August Already????

What is this you ask?????? No, I am not doing laundry, I'm getting ready to do some bleach stamping. I've known about this technique for years, but never tried it as it seemed to MESSY for me. One day I decided to give it a try and to my surprise, it wasn't really messy or even time-consuming for that matter.

This is the August Stamp of the Month, "Something Splendid". It is the perfect set of stamps to use with the bleach-stamping technique.

First you take a piece of cardstock and apply ink to it with a rubber brayer. Get the paper completely inked up and then either let it dry completely or dry it a bit with a heating tool. In this sample I used the Tulip ink pad.

Then use embossing ink to stamp your image on the inked piece of cardstock. I used the Chocolate Brown embossing powder. After you've applied the powder, heat with your heating tool.

Then put a small amount of bleach in a container and using a fine paint brush, simply apply the bleach where you want the "lighter" areas of the flower to appear. The bleach will bleach away the ink, but will not hurt the embossed image at all.

Continue painting until all areas are "bleached out".

Here is the finished card.

This is another sample, this time using "Honey" ink.

This is another card using the Stamp Set. I didn't bleach this one. It is just done with Sorbet ink using both of the flower stamps, the outline and the overlay.

This is also simple stamping, this time using Blush ink.

Enjoy the bleach technique, and also the month of August! If you are interested in the Stamp of the Month, please let me know by August 20th, and I will get them ordered.

Happy July!

It has been a busy few weeks. My kids and I took a three-day trip to Hocking Hills in Ohio. It was so nice to spend time with the kids and grandkids. We had a really nice trip.

This week my brother, Tim, was home. He and his family live in Longmont, Colorado. We had three family evenings which were all really fun.

So, finally today I decided it was time to post to the blog with cards I have been working on lately. This is made with the July SOTM, "Happy Forever". You have to just love these little critters, I think they're hedgehogs.

This card was made with a "word stamp". I then took a solid block-like stamp and in second generation, stamped Sweet Leaf and Ocean over the top of the writing.

The rest of these cards are made with a set entitled "Live Inspired". I love this set. It makes some really rich looking men's cards. I used the paper packet "Passages". This helps to make these cards look masculine.

It's June

I decided to post everything I've made in the past couple of weeks. Hope you can get a few ideas from my cards. You will have to excuse my text placement. I am having an awlful time getting my text to go in the right place! Oh well......













This is my father's day card, made with the June Stamp of the Month, "Wonderful Friend".

Inside the father's day card.

The actual set.

This is a small gift bag made with a white lunch sack. You cut the sack down to 4 1/4" and cover with cardstock and background paper. I have used it for a gift card enclosure twice this spring.

Here is a card I made using "A- door-ables". These are chipboard windows that can be colared with chalk, ink, paint......whatever you choose. You glue the "A-door-able" to your card and then it opens to reveal a message. What Fun!!

Graduation Cards

I love the new stamp set "Happy Holidays". It can be stamped on a 1 1/4" circle from our new circle punch. I am using these little stamps all the time these days. I've made Graduation Cards, Baby Cards, Birthday Cards and more.

Pleating background paper.

Stamp Set "A Little Buzz"....cute, no??