October Blog Hop:

"Enchantment"

The "Enchantment" range of colours has seven new shades.

So we decided to showcase this colour range in our October Blog Hop.

Hello and welcome to another Blog Hop.  If you have come from Julie's Blog Julie's papercraft then you are on the right track.

Below is the simple one page layout that I put together for this blog.

It is based on the layout on page 70 of the Annual Inspirations and uses the new Urban paper pack and new Fundamentals - Enchantment pack.

The photos below show the opposite sides of the Fundamentals- Enchantment papers.  One side has a subtle glossy resist pattern and the other side has the same pattern but in a bold white print.  My layout uses the bold print of the pomegranate shade (as the mat for my photo) and the glossy side of the fern and saffron shades (the 12" strips).  The gloss was hard to show in a photo but does look gorgeous when the light reflects off it.

 

My daughter has just returned from an exchange to America, so this photo (taken with her brother at the Melbourne airport before she left), also gave me the perfect opportunity to use some of the new travel stamps.  These included Here We Go (D1600), American Celebration (D1458) and Colorado (M1066).

 The Exclusive Inks used to stamp these were Fern, Pomegranate, Saffron and Sapphire.  These are four of the seven new colour shades and match the papers from the Fundamentals - Enchantment pack that I have used.

Thanks for visiting my blog.  If you want to view more of the Close To My Heart products, just go to my website www.wendywatson.ctmh.com.au. 

Now 'hop' over to Alison's Blog "Scissors Paper Heart" to see what she has created using the Enchantment colours.

Happy crafting!
Wendy 

"La Vie En Rose"

Workshop on the Go

Last weekend I enjoyed some more scrapbooking using the new products in the Annual Inspirations, released this month.  

My favourite double page layout was this one, using the La Vie En Rose Workshop on the Go.  Such gorgeous papers in this pack, and the stamp set is great for family photos such as I was using.

My layout is based on the additional layout in the La Vie En Rose Workshop on the Go, however I used the Silver Foil tape instead of the Gold Foil tape and I added the Poppy Thick Twine across the top for a bit of extra colour.  I stuck the twine on using Liquid glass.  I only had to hold the twine down for a few seconds and the liquid glass held it.  Very easy.

If you want to view more of the Close To My Heart products, just go to my website www.wendywatson.ctmh.com.au.

Happy crafting!
Wendy

September Blog Hop:

 Our Favourite New Product!

 

Spring is here and so is our new CTMH "Annual Inspirations"!

Hello and welcome to another Blog Hop.  If you have come from Michelle's Blog Michelle K Scraps then you are on the right track. 

From 1 September 2015, we have a brand new "Annual Inspirations".  How exciting!  So many new products - new papers, new colours, new organisation products, new stamps, the list goes on.

So when I needed to decided what my "favourite product" from the new Inspirations book was, it was really hard to choose!

In the end, I cheated a little and chose the Sangria Paper Pack / Workshop on the Go. This is not only my favourite paper pack, but it also incorporates my favourite new colours - Eggplant, Pomegranate and Poppy!  These are just three of the seven beautiful new colours introduced in this "Annual Inspirations".

Here is the page I created (based on a previous CTMH layout) using the Sangria paper, Pomegranate cardstock, Eggplant cardstock, Eggplant exclusive ink and Sangria assortment pack.  (Note that the Sangria Workshop on the Go includes all these products (excluding the ink pad) as well as an exclusive stamp set.)

Also available from now are products in the new "Holiday Expressions".  These products include Christmas and Halloween themed papers, stamps and ideas and are available until 31 December 2015.

Thanks again for visiting my blog.  If you want to view more of the Close To My Heart products, just go to my website www.wendywatson.ctmh.com.au. 

Now, for more exciting new products, 'hop' over to Cindy's Blog to see what her favourite new product is.

Happy crafting!
Wendy

August Blog Hop - Mini Albums

Hello again and welcome to another Blog Hop.  If you have come from Michelle's Blog Michelle K Scraps then you are on the right track.  For a complete list of the blog participants, click here.

This month our blog hop is showcasing "Mini Albums".  

There are several types of "mini" albums including  My Creations™ Mini Mix Album, My Creations™ Mini Folio, My Creations™ Hip Pics Album, My Creations™ Black Mini Book.

There are many uses for these books.  For example a selection of photos from a trip that you went on. Instead of showing family & friends the 100's of photos taken, you can show them a few of your favourites! They are a great gift for tweens or teenagers to use as journals and to put photos of friends in.  I have sold quite a few to customers specifically for this purpose.

When you add a few photos I think these books make the most wonderful, personal gifts you could ever give.  This is what my blog is all about today.

Back in April/May, we hosted Haley from Colorado, America. At the end of the three weeks, I had so many photos for her to take home on a USB stick, however, I wanted her to be able to have a little book to show her family and friends as soon as she arrived home. 

So on the day before she left, I made this "mini album" and gave it to her at the airport.

The album I used was the Designer Creations Short Stack Album.  This has ten wire-bound kraft pages measuring  5" × 7"; with a kraft printed hardcover.

After printing a small selection of photos, and adding a few embellishments, washi tape and stamped headings, the album was almost complete.  The final personal touch was to adhere a 3" X 3" White Daisy Envelope to the inside of the back cover.  My daughter, Laura, wrote a personal note to her American 'sister' and this is where we put the letter.  

For a look at a few sample pages from Haley's album, keep scrolling down.

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit my blog.  If you want to view more of the Close To My Heart products, just go to my website www.wendywatson.ctmh.com.au.  Please note that the My Crush™ Books are on the while stocks last list, several of the themes are already sold out.  So if you are wanting one of these mini albums, you should act fast.

Now, for more great ideas using mini albums, 'hop' over to Alison's Scissors Paper Heart Blog to see what she has created this month.

Happy crafting!
Wendy


Here are a sample of a few of the pages from the mini album:

July Blog Hop - "Operation Smile"

Welcome to another blog hop!  If you have arrived from Helen's Blog (Helen's Heart 'n' Craft) then you are on the right path.

In this months Blog Hop we are promoting the stamp set Happy Everything, sales from which go towards raising money for a very special cause, "Operation Smile". 

"Since its founding in 1982, Operation Smile has performed over 220,000 surgical procedures to correct facial deformities in children.  It only takes an hour for volunteer medical teams to perform these life-altering surgeries that will give children confidence for a lifetime"  CTMH Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book.

If you would like more information and to read some truly inspirational stories about 'Operation Smile', see their website.

For every Happy Everything stamp set (see below) sold, CTMH will donate US$3 to Operation Smile.

This is the card I created using this stamp set: 

The card uses the "masking technique" and is based on a similar card made by Lauren Moore.
I have been wanting to try this technique for a long time now.  It is such an effective and simple way to add colour - and is very easy.

The technique uses masking tape, washi tape or any tape that can be removed without leaving behind any residue or damaging the surface of the paper.  Take a piece of tape and press it against a stamp pad.  Lift it off, and then stick it to your paper.  When the tape is lifted off the paper, the ink will remain on the paper. 

This was done three times for the three colours on my card: Canary, Crystal Blue and Smoothie.  The balloon was then stamped over the three colours using Outdoor Denim ink.  The Happy Birthday sentiment was also stamping using Outdoor demin.

This design was then mounted on Crystal Blue Cardstock and three Aqua Dots added to the top right hand corner to add some 3D dimension to the card.

I hope you will support this very worthwhile cause, by purchasing this versatile stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by.  If you want to view more of the Close To My Heart products, just go to my website www.wendywatson.ctmh.com.au. 

Now, for more great ideas using this stamp set, jump over to Alison's Scissors Paper Heart Blog to see what she has created this month.

Happy crafting!
Wendy

June 2015 Stamp of the Month

June Stamp of the Month - Ice Cream Dream

What a fun stamp set CTMH are offering for their June Stamp of the Month - "Ice Cream Dream".

Here is my scrapbook page using this stamp set.  It is based on Pattern 13 out of the CTMH book of inspirational layouts  "Make it from your Heart. Volume 1".

 

 

The paper pack I have used is Hopscotch (no longer available).  Cardstock is Gracier, Holyhock, and Colonial White.  The stamping is done using Indian Corn Blue Stamp Pad, the ice-creams and cute dog were then fussy cut using the Non-stick Micro tip scissors, and coloured in with the fabulous Shinhan Markers (Carmine, Tender Pink, Barely Beige, Mahogany and Peony Purple).  The 3D foam tape was used to give them a 3D look on the page.

This is a really cute stamp set to use with your scrapbooking pages or to use on cards, see my examples below.

Remember that the "Ice Cream Dream" stamp set is only available for the month of June and is only $5 with any qualifying order of $75 or more.  If you want to view more of the Close To My Heart products, just go to my website www.wendywatson.ctmh.com.au.

Happy crafting!
Wendy

 Welcome to another blog hop!  If you have arrived from Helen's Blog (Helen's Heart 'n' Craft) then you are on the right path.  For a complete list of the blogs in this blog hop, click here.

This months Blog Hop is all about the colour   PINK !

Here is a page layout which I have scrapped using just a few of the many pink products from CTMH.

The paper pack I have used is Brushed.  This is a beautiful paper pack, which is also fantastic value when purchased as a Brushed -Workshop on The Go.  The stamp "Joy Captured" is also out of this Workshop on the Go and (along with all WOTG stamp sets) is an exclusive stamp set which is only available when purchased in the WOTG.

The Pink Glitter Gems and Pink Shimmer Trim (which I have dovetailed), complete the embellishments I have used on the page.

The darker of the pink cardstock is Hollyhock, and I have used the Journaling pen to write on my page.  The photos have been mounted onto Black cardstock to make them stand out on all the pink.  The White Daisy cardstock page was then mounted onto Pixie cardstock to give the whole page a framed pink border.

"Joy Captured" Stamp out of the Brushed Workshop On The Go Kit

Pink shimmer trim and pink glitter gems

The final detail on my page is the stamping on the far right hand side, as shown in the photo below.

This effect was made using the Houndstooth check stamp from the Distressed Backgrounds Stamp set and stamped using the Hollyhock Exclusive Ink Stamp Pad.  The stamping was made directly onto the White Daisy cardstock.

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit my blog.  I hope you will continue to pop in and see what I am creating.  If you want to view more of the Close To My Heart products, just go to my website www.wendywatson.ctmh.com.au.

Now, for more great ideas using pink CTMH products, 'hop' over to Alison's Scissors Paper Heart Blog to see what she has created this month.

Happy crafting!
Wendy