Artbooking Made Easy: Happy Springtime - Watch Video

Designed Decor Frame Welcome Sign

Here's a photo of the welcome sign I created for our first Gold Country Retreat:

I used all CTMH materials:

Designed Decor Colonial White Frame

Mini Clothespins

Paper pinwheels created with CTMH Cricut Artiste Cartridge

using various CTMH papers, mostly blues and greens

12x12 Chalkboard Sheet paper & Chalk Marker to write "Welcome"

Want to make your own?  Click here to order your supplies.

Huntington Fall Layouts -- November Club Kit

Here's our November club kit layouts made with the beautiful Huntington papers, Huntington Stickease and Rosewood Mini-Medleys.  The pumpkin was created using the CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge ovals and egg shape for the center of the pumpkin.  The leaves can be found on the CTMH Artiste Cricut Cartridge.  Technique tip:  I also used the C1504 Fall Harvest stamp set to stamp tone-on-tone on the goldrush pumpkin pieces and leaves -- to create texture and depth on these pieces.  Technique tip:  I sponged Creme Brulee, Goldrush, Autumn Terracotta, Barn Red and Olive stamp pad inks for the title piece.  Wait a little for all the ink to dry and then stamp the title in Cocoa ink using the September SOM - Poster Tidings.  

I still had some good pieces of the Huntington Stickease and Rosewood Mini-Medleys left over from the club layouts, so I added another Huntington paper packet and some Bronze Shimmer Trim to create these two layouts.

I couldn't wait to make this CTMH Cricut Artbooking Tree and coordinating floral piece.  I just love this tree!  Technique Tip:  Cut some extra leaf shapes out of the printed papers, Goldrush & Olive cardstocks --using the CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy petal shape.  I used cocoa ink distressing and popped up some of the leaves in the center of the tree to give it even more dimension.

Have you noticed that a couple of the Huntington paper prints have gray in them?  I wanted to bring all the gray and cashmere colors together in one layout and add shine to it.  For the title, which was inspired by the song, I used my favorite new font - Framework Alphabet and Stardust Glitter Gel.

Enjoy! 

Artbooking Made Easy: Spooky Halloween Layouts!

It’s easy to make your spider webs stand out, full moons float, and black cats bounce off the page with the Cricut® Artbooking collection. Learn a few sweet techniques for using the Halloween-themed keys in this video.  Enjoy!  

Project Inspiration - Using Mixed Papers

Watch this video as Tiffany from our corporate office gives you some project inspiration using mixed papers from a variety of CTMH paper kits.  I enjoy doing this with my own scrapbooking.  

Have you tried it?

Artbooking Made Easy!

Here is the first installment of an 8-month ARTBOOKING MADE EASY series of videos and tips!  Learn how to use the new, revolutionary Close to My Heart Cricut Artbooking collection to create works of art.  From mini scrapbooks to layouts, you'll find themes to fit any occasion - just one dial size and let Artbooking do the rest!  The series will run until April, 2014.  Check back each week for the latest installment.

Get your Artbooking Cricut Collection + 3 additional stamp sets with my September Special.

Scroll down for all the details and contact me today!

Techniques - Subway Tidings/Poster Tidings

Here's some fun ideas and techniques you can use with the 

September Stamp of the Month - Poster Tidings.

Fall Workshop Day - CTMH Frosted Display Tray Project

CTMH Display Tray Project using the Frosted Papers!

(Design inspired by Lisa Stenz)

Here is one of the project kits available to create at our Fall Workshop Day.  

Learn how to create paper roses and yoyo's using our CTMH Cricut Artiste cartridge, our quilling tool and bone folder.

Please email me at: scrapwithsue@gmail.com and I'll send you the info on all the kits available to order.  

What's New in Stamps

Pajama Party - Live Webcast with CTMH Artbooking Collection

Close to my Heart is teaming up with Big Picture Classes to bring you a live webcast with step-by-step instructions for making this layout using the Cricut Artbooking Collection.  Purchase the collection here beginning August 1 and revolutionize the way you scrapbook!

The FREE webcast will air Wednesday, July 31 at 6:00 pm (PST).  During the presentation, you'll learn to make several projects from a variety of sponsors, including CTMH's Artbooking layout, as our very own Kristine Widtfelt walks you through the steps and gives you a sneak peek.  The Pajama Party class will be available for FREE at BigPictureClasses.com on July 31 and will be archived after the event for future viewing.  If you would like to interact on the message board, participate in the live chat, post to the gallery, download handouts, or enter any contests, you will need to log in to the Pajama Party "classroom" by creating a free account on the BigPictureClasses website.  Enjoy this sneak peek!

Here are the supplies needed to make the project:

Z1906 Cricut® Artbooking Collection*

1301 Bamboo Cardstock

1388 Colonial White Cardstock

X5668 Honey Cardstock

X5762 Lagoon Cardstock

X5930 Slate Cardstock

X5639 Sweet Leaf Cardstock

X5666 Twilight Cardstock

Z2160 Twilight Exclusive Inks® Pad

Z2173 Slate Exclusive Inks® Pad

Z1853 Aqua Dots*

Z1799 Silver Shimmer Trim

Z1151 3-D Foam Tape

Z1294 Sanding Kit

*These products will be available to purchase here beginning August 1, 2013.

Cricut Artbooking Layout - Celebrate My Hero

Our new Cricut Artbooking Cartridge makes it so fast and easy to create several layout themes.  With all the layout theme elements on the same page in the handbook and just one dial size setting, cutting your pieces is a snap!  Here are two of the themed layouts I created to honor one of our family members.  I couldn't be any more proud of my "Navy wife" niece, Angie and her husband, Chris, who is serving our country in the Navy.  Not only are we proud, but so grateful for Chris' service.

Surf's Up Club Kit with Flip Flaps!

Here are the Surf's Up club kit layouts for all of your summer photos!  Supplies used:  Surf's Up Paper Packet, Surf's Up My Stickease Assortment and the Memory Protectors Flip Flaps 12" Assortment pack.  Do you take a lot of vacation photos too?  Adding the Flip Flaps to the Surf's Up "Paradise" Layout gives you spaces for 13 photos!  You also have the option of purchasing a package of 4x6 Flip Flaps to add extra photos to your Surf's Up "Fun" Layout.

Have you ever used our Flip Flaps in any size?  They are FABULOUS and one of all-time CTMH favorite products.  I use all the sizes of Flip Flaps throughout my personal albums.  They can hold as many extra photos as you need for any layout.  All Flip Flaps have a self-adhesive strip that you attach to the outside of your layout memory protector.  The small assortment, with four different small sizes from 2x2 to 4x4, can hold any memorabilia pieces you want to add to your layout.  The 4x6 Flip Flaps can add as many photos to your layouts as you want or you can make a free-standing mini-album with them.  Want to add some extra photos to your new CTMH Crush Album?  The 4x6 Flip Flaps are the answer!  You'll find a lot of uses for these Flip Flaps.  CLICK HERE to order Flip Flaps in any size.

Using Our CTMH Spinners

We used our CTMH Spinners this month in our For Always layouts.  Here's how to incorporate the sturdy chipboard spinner into your other layouts for a unique, interactive element. You can stamp the spinner, cover it with your favorite papers, or just attach it as is to your layout for a different spin!

Creating with Canvas!

Have you seen the beautiful canvas artwork on page 38 of our Spring/Summer Idea Book and wondered how it was done?  This was created using our Claire Paper Kit and our My Creations 6x6 Canvas Displays.

See how easy it is when you watch the step-by-step instructions in this video.  Using our My Creations 6x6 Canvas Display, any of our paper kits, your favorite photos, tissue paper and finishing glue, you can create beautiful artwork for your home or office.  Enjoy!

Our My Creations 6x6 Canvas Displays are only $4.95 each, so you'll be able to create multiple canvas arrangements inexpensively.  For ordering and more info, CLICK HERE.

This is a fun do-it-yourself, at home project. . . or it could be a great workshop!  Just let me know if you and your friends would like this to be a workshop project. 

Greeting Cards in Your Scrapbooks

A friend just asked me for some ideas on how to include greeting cards in her scrapbook.  She is creating a wedding album for her daughter and wants to include the bridal shower and wedding cards her daughter has received.  Here are some ideas I shared with her - maybe they will be helpful for you too!

If you want to include the whole card:

--Create a 6x12 cardstock pocket on your 12x12 cardstock base.  Place it in our 12x12 (top loading) Memory Protector and you'll be able to take the cards in and out of your scrapbook easily.

If you want to focus on the messages written inside your cards, here are more ideas:

--Crop the written messages to 4x6 size and place them in our Photo Storage pages or in a Flip Flap Memory Protector (these come in various sizes).  It would be nice to have photos of wedding or shower guests and their written messages together in a scrapbook.

--Crop the written messages and create a collage 12x12 page with a cardstock base.

--I have also used our True Fit Folios in my scrapbooks - these are shaped like 12x12 file folders.  Each year, I receive photo Christmas cards from family and friends and want to include them in my scrapbook.  I crop the photos down, adhere them -- collage style -- to the front and back sides of our True Fit Folios.  You can also put special cards that you don't want to cut up INSIDE the True Fit Folio.  Then slip the entire True Fit Folio inside one of our Memory Protectors and place in your scrapbook.

You can CLICK HERE for more Albums and Accessories info, photos and ordering on my website.

Happy Scrapping!

For Always - June Club Kit

Here are the For Always layouts we'll be creating at your June club parties.  The first layout features a 3-D fabric flower made from the For Always Textiles, black lace and new black sparkle buttons.  The second layout feature a fun, new 3-D embellishment -- a spinner!  We'll take one of our new CTMH stampable chipboard spinners and add Lagoon, Pear and Smoothie cardstock pieces stamped with our new Wheel of Life stamp set to make an adorable, custom embellishment for this layout.

CTMH Supplies needed:  For Always paper kit, D1545 Wheel of Life stamp set, For Always Textiles, Black Button Assortment, Waxy Flax for the buttons, Black lace, Black Shimmer Trim, Lagoon card stock, Pear card stock, Smoothie cardstock, Slate cardstock, Daisy White cardstock.

Embossed Resist Stamping!

Random Stamping Video

Learn how to create a random pattern for a background design on your paper. 

Just stamp the image of your choice randomly on the page for results that are unique and stunning!

Monogram Stamps

You can add a personal touch to your artwork with our new monogram stamps—only $2.95 each! Click here to see and shop the monogram stamps.

The Right Tools Make All the Difference!

Discover how easy crafting can be when you use the perfect tool for your project. Whether you are creating 3-D flowers, applying rub-ons, or writing on chalkboard sheets, there is a tool for you!