Christmas Story Layouts: Downton Abbey at the Biltmore

Christmas Story is such a lovely holiday collection (that is retiring TODAY)!  It paired so well with my photos of our trip to the Biltmore Estate to see the Downton Abbey exhibit three years ago.  My mother-in-law is a huge fan, so we treated her to this visit.  (I am thankful for the memories that pop up on Facebook, which reminded me of this great day and that I had yet to scrapbook the photos.)

This first layout is for our daughter (and I made two that were very similar for each of them).  I had so many pictures (as usual) that I used a Pocket Plus Memory Protector Design 1 to be able to show them all.  Here is the left page with the front of the Pocket Plus.

And now the right page with the back of the Pocket Plus.

(Sorry for the weird alignment!)  I used the Christmas Story embellishments, gold shimmer trim, and a retired stamp set for my title.

For my album, I created three different layouts of our day.  (I told you I took a lot of pictures!)

My first one focused on the actual House.  I love adding more photos with flip flaps!  (That white stripe in the middle will disappear when I peel that label off and adhere the flip flaps in my actual album.)

My second layout highlights the various sets we saw at the Downton Abbey exhibit.  (It was so cool to feel like we had been transported to Downton!)

My third and final layout shows off some of the many costume photos I took.  (They were absolutely exquisite- and even more beautiful in person than on screen.)

I took advantage of a photo collage app (I like the free version of LiveCollage) to create two 3"x4" photos on a 4"x6" canvas to be able to include so many (smaller) photos.

Again, I used retired stamp sets, Christmas Story embellishments, and silver glitter gems and shimmer trim for this final layout.

Thank you for your support in 2022!  I am looking forward to an extra crafty, inky, and scrappy 2023!  Happy New Year to you and yours!

Two More Graduation Cards

In addition to our daughter's graduation, our niece and our "daughter #3" (AKA DD's BFF) also graduated!  Here are the cards I made using the same format as the one for our daughter.

Of course I tried to personalize the cards with school colors, so I used Sapphire and Honey Butter with gold accents on the left card and Pewter and Black with silver accents on the right card.  (If you'd like more details about how I made these cards, refer back to this post.)

H2H Challenges: Full Circle

Sadly, Heart2Heart Challenges is closing at the end of the month, but to celebrate the end, our challenge is "Full Circle."

I made this fun celebratory card with the You Deserve It All stamp set (without the coordinating Thin Cuts) and the Celebrating You collection.  After stamping the present and lid in black, I used grey and turquoise markers to color the image.  A little Charcoal card stock and silver shimmer trim finished this off nicely.

It has been a fun run at Heart2Heart challenges, and I hope that you will continue to visit me here!  Best wish and happy crafting!

Graduation Card & Gift

Yesterday was a pretty exciting day!  Our youngest graduated with honors from the University of Georgia!  Of course I had to make a card for her and found a great idea for a gift box.

I used one of my retired graduation stamp sets and paired it with the Star Shaker Window Thin Cuts and foam/acetate.  (I wish I had created a light gray background inside my star, but I didn't realize that would have probably looked better until I had finished the card.

The inside of the shaker is filled with stars cut from red glitter paper (which matches the star frame) and tiny silver star sequins.  I added little drops of silver stickles to further embellish the card.

Next I created the mortarboard box (including the tassel) from a post I found on Splitcoast Stampers.  I think it turned out pretty well!

Finally, if you've made it this far, here's one of my favorite pictures from her graduation photo shoot!

 Thanks for letting me share!  

Freshly Baked Cookies Card

Cookies, anyone?  This card was easier to make than you might think thanks to the Freshly Baked Cookies scrapbooking stamp set and Thin Cuts.  I cut the wire rack out of black cardstock.

Each cookie stamp has a coordinating thin cut.  I had fun decorating with markers, stickles, liquid pearls, and white gel pens.

This collection is only available through the end of the year, so be sure to get yours HERE.

Flower Shoppe & Flourished Greetings Thank You

Recently I needed a thank you card so I grabbed the cheerful Flower Shoppe collection and paired with the Flourished Greetings stamp set.

I stamped my sentiment in Raspberry, added a few pink stickles (to mixed results) and acrylic hearts from the Flower Shoppe embellishment collection.  I really like the addition of the Capri shimmer trim also.

Card making doesn't have to be elaborate or fancy to be pretty!

Heart2Heart Challenges: A Few of My Favorite Things

Our first December Heart2Heart challenge is "A Few of My Favorite Things," so of course I had to include scrapbooking, Close To My Heart, travel, and my family!  (I can't believe that I didn't stamp anything on this project- yet.  I'm not sure I'm finished with it.)

These photos are some of my final ones that need to be scrapbooked from our Awesome American Adventure last year.  I decided that the Flower Shoppe collection was a great fit with my photos (with less of a focus on the floral elements).  My scrapbook layout sketch came from the recent Flower Shoppe Workshop Wow Scrapbooking kit (these instructions are no longer available, but all of the Flower Shoppe collection is HERE).

On the left page, I had three photos that I wanted to use, so I am incorporating a flip flap to include three photos on the space of one.

I had fun using my black journaling pen to doodle and journal.  So far, I've used the paper pack +  stickers, cardstock pack, and acrylic shapes from this collection.  I may go back and stamp something also if that ends up helping my layout flow in the bigger pictures of my trip album.

Be sure to see all of our H2H designers' favorite things and add yours before the month ends right HERE!

November Card Class

How is it the end of November already?!?  I realized that I had not shared my November card class cards with you, so here we go!

This card uses the November stamp of the month, Christmas Snowflake Mandalas, with the Cherish collection.  I stamped the main French Vanilla panel with the largest snowflake in Pewter ink.  I then stamped it again on scrap in Mist, again in Mink, and once more in Seabrook to fussy cut all the different layers (with a little 3D foam tape in the middle).  I used Stickles & Liquid Pearls to accent the beautiful stamped image.  (This card did take a LOT of time to make, so it's probably not one that you would want to mass produce for your holiday greetings.  It's definitely worth it for some special someones though!)

The rest of my cards use the All Purpose Tags Thin Cuts.  

This first one still uses the Cherish collection paired with the From Me to You special offer stamp set, Just for You, and the November stamp of the month.

My second card uses the Cup of Cheer special offer stamp set with the Christmas Story collection.  Can you see the Gilt Gloss Spray background on the card front?

The fourth and final card uses the same stamp set, Cup of Cheer, with the skinnier tags and the Four Seasons- Winter paper pack.  Used some red Stickles to accent the hearts on the sentiment tag.

Hurry to take advantage of the November offers if you haven't already!  If you don't have a Close To My Heart Maker (consultant) already, feel free to shop HERE.  Please leave a comment telling me which card you like best.

Heart2Heart Challenges: Card Creations

 It's time to crank out those creative cards!

I decided to combine two of this month's specials, Christmas Snowflake Mandalas, the November stamp of the month, and a cute little stamp set, A Cup of Cheer, from the From Me To You special.

To create my card, I started with a panel of Cherish patterned paper.  The picture doesn't show it well, but I spritzed White gloss on the front to add to the frosty feeling.  I used a 1.5" square of Mist cardstock which I cut in half on the diagonal for my corners.  I embellished the corners with silver shimmer trim (cut in half) and zip strips from the paper pack.  I used a white gel pen for my faux stitching.  

For the tag, I used a Thin Cut die from the All-Purpose Tags Thin Cuts.  I inked up the snowflake mandala stamp with Seabrook and then rolled the edges in Mist.  The "just for you" sentiment is from the Just for You stamp set (stamped in Pewter).  A little Pewter cardstock for the tag, silver embroidery floss, and a silver gem finished off this card quickly.

Check out all of our H2H designers' card creations and join us before the month ends!

Heart2Heart Challenges: Recipe Exchange

The first Heart2Heart November challenge is a recipe exchange!  You can use a recipe, feature a recipe, or anything else that you think meets the challenge.

I decided to use the Freshly Baked collection (papers, embellishments, and scrapbooking stamp set) to create two cards based on recipes from Make It From Your Heart, Vol. 4.

My first card uses recipe pattern 14.  I turned the sentiment panel of French Vanilla cardstock to accommodate the size of the sentiment (stamped in Scarlet).  I trimmed down my gold shimmer trim to fit the 1/4" dimensions.  For both cards, I cut the gingerbread man out of Toffee cardstock with the coordinating Thin Cut, stamped in black, then embellished with white gel pens and red Stickles.

My second card uses recipe pattern 15.  I fussy cut the "Life Is Short" banner after stamping in Glacier ink then used 3D foam dots to layer that on top of the Scarlet sentiment.  I embellished this card with Freshly Baked enamel dots.

Be sure to join us at H2H challenges with your own recipe exchange!  We can't wait to see what you create!

November CTMH Specials

Close To My Heart is offering some very fun and festive specials this month!  (You can find them all HERE under the Promotions tab.)

The November stamp of the month, Christmas Snowflake Mandalas

From Me to You tags & stamp sets

Seas & Greetings (with a winter and tropical option)

Carryover specials:

These Are the Days calendar/scrapbook kit

Picture This Christmas card kit

H2H Challenges: Use a Stencil (Product Challenge)

The latest Heart2Heart Challenges challenge is to use a stencil.  Close To My Heart has a lot of great ready-made stencils, but you can also make your own.  I decided to use my new butterfly stencil from the Slimline Card Front Stencil Pack 2.

I sponged many of my distress oxide inks through the stencil to create the card front (Abandoned Coral, Tattered Rose, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Peeled Paint, and Vintage Photo).

After sponging the distress oxide inks through the stencil (in kind of a rainbow pattern), I spritzed water to activate the distress pigments.  Next, I blotted the water droplets off of the card front, and then I "flicked" Paprika, Espresso, and Gold shimmer brushes across the panel.  Finally, I carefully removed the stencil to let the panel dry.

I used Mocha ink to stamp the sentiment from the Thankful Autumn stamp set.  I cut a slender piece of Gold glitter cardstock to cross the panel, and then embellished with a wood grain heart that I inked in Mocha ink to match.

After trimming the sponged panel to 3.25"x7.75", I then mounted it on a piece of Mocha cardstock (3.5"x8") for the card front to finish off this fall slimline card featuring our stencils. 

Be sure to check out all of our H2H designers projects HERE and be sure to join us before the month ends!

October Offerings

Close To My Heart has some beautiful specials available this month!  Some are only available through the end of the month while others last longer.

Here are the specials that are only available while supplies last until the end of the month (so be sure to order yours before they're gone):

October Stamp of the Month, Blessings of the First Noel

Fa-BOO-lous! Collection

Card Creativity (National Stamping Month)

Workshop WOW: Flower Shoppe

The other two specials are available now until the end of the year, also while supplies last:

Picture This Christmas (Photo Card Kit)

These Are the Days (Scrapbook/Calendar Kits)

September Stamp of the Month Fall Layout (#4)

This layout was the feature of my September scrapbooking class and features the September stamp of the month, Enjoy These Moments, and the Crisp Air collection.

I had fun coloring the heart with various Spectrum Noir Tri-Blend markers and CTMH/Cricut cuts (I think from Art Philosophy).

Let me know if you'd like to learn more about the classes that I offer!

Crisp Air Scrapbooking Workshop, Layout 1: Grand Canyon 2

 Here's my third layout using the Crisp Air scrapbooking workshop (which is actually the first layout of the kit).  You can find layout 1 HERE and layout 3 HERE if you missed them and want to see them.

I love how these scallops were pre-cut die cuts because they would have been hard to make by myself.  Notice how I used leftover zip strip pieces as "washi tape" photo accents.  It's important to have elements cross over both pages of a two-page layout.

You'll notice that I used less of the fall leaves from this collection since my photos are actually from summer.  I am perfectly happy having leftover stickers, etc., to use on other projects!

Don't be afraid to use these kits and personalize them to make them your own!  They always make such pretty layouts! If you'd like to order your own Crisp Air Scrapbooking Workshop, be sure to grab yours before the month ends and this collection retires.  Learn more HERE!