O Christmas Tree(s) Card

Here's yet another Christmas card, this one using Evergreen, Home for Christmas, and the Triangle Trees Thin Cuts.

The sentiment is stamped on the inside.

Another Snow Globe Card

Now that Christmas has passed, I can share a few more cards that I made.  I used the December stamp of the month, Christmas Snow Globes, with the Silver Bells collection.

After coloring the snow globe with colored pencils, I used a white gel pen to add snow flurries and then used clear shimmer brush over everything.  The final touch is the addition of two pearl Silver Bells dots for the headlights!

I hope you have had a very happy, blessed holiday season!

Naughty or Nice Layout

This layout is a good reminder about how taking your time can lead to better results!  I wish that I had placed all of my elements on my page (without adhesive) and then looked at it again a day or two later. 

If I had the chance to redo this layout, I would either use Seabrook or Sage cardstock for my base pages OR I would have used a blending brush to add some color behind my photos prior to adhering them.  I'm not unhappy with this layout (and not sorry for the double negative!); I just know that if I had walked away and come back, I would have added some color behind my photos rather than using the plain White Daisy cardstock base.

I used the Evergreen collection and a retired former stamp of the month for the cute candy cane alphabet title.

Spoiler: Naughty indeed! The journaling & hidden photo (of said naughtiness) is under the photo on the right page. 

Skylark Birthday Card

 Here’s a twist on the Triangle Trees Thin Cuts!  I used the smallest tree to cut these pennants from Skylark and a little Toffee from Silver Bells.  I accented to the banner with Silver Bells gems.

Today we are celebrating a very special birthday in my family!

Dreaming of a White Christmas Cards

Do you normally have a white Christmas?  (We do not.)  Here are two versions of the same Christmas card.  I love the versatility of our two-sided patterned paper!

The Silver Bells collection is lovely with the December stamp of the month, Christmas Snow Globes.

I used very little color (just a little gray colored pencil) on the first card, and the clear shimmer adds a nice touch.

I added a little more color for the second card (but not much).

Which one do you prefer?

I'm linking my cards to the Color Dare #578 Three Neutrals challenge.

Snow Globe Card

The December stamp of the month has four different adorable snow globes and two sentiments.  You can order it with or without Thin Cuts (die cuts).  

This card is based on a Make It From Your Heart sketch and features the Evergreen collection.  I added Toffee card stock to have another shade of brown.  After coloring the snow globe (stamped on Seabrook card stock) with colored pencils, I added white gel pen and clear shimmer brush accents.

The shimmer brush worked well over the colored pencils and white gel pen coloring!

O Christmas Tree Layout

The Triangle Trees stamps, Thin Cuts, and stencils have been such a huge hit that they’ve sold out again! 

I used 9 of the second-largest triangles to create the tree on the left (with a tenth one on the cluster on the right),

In hindsight, I think I should have stamped my title with Black ink but didn’t feel the need to change it  

I used Evergreen, Silver Bells, Home for Christmas, and a sheet from last year’s winter collection. 

November Story Process Layout

As much as I love teaching stamping and scrapbooking (which I do with my whole heart!), I am always looking for opportunities to learn and grow. I am part of Stacy Julian’s Live Your Story group, and each month she challenges us with a "story process" layout (randomly selected from a cool deck of story cards). Here’s my take on the November story process layout challenge (and the actual challenge, below):

*Special days: My aunt & uncle came to visit (from out of state) to pick up their new puppy. 

*One-word title: Peaches (the name my mom suggested for said puppy)

*Stamps: (retired) Love My Dog & Celebration Alphabet stamp sets 

*Mixing old with new: old stamps & plaid paper with new colors (Pumpkin & Journey)

This layout might not be of the "typical" special days, but it was indeed special when family from about 10 hours or so away is able to come and visit.

I love when our family can get together!  And don't you think that Peaches is the perfect name for this adorable Southern Brittany Spaniel?

Thankful for My Girls

Well, I thought that I had posted this card set already!  November's stamp of the Month with Evergreen with Desert Rose, Mink, and Pine.

Thankful Grateful Blessed

This simple cards uses strips of Evergreen to share this message.  I used Sage, Pine, & Acorn inks for the sentiments from the November stamp of the month, Thanks a Bunch.

Who would you give this card to? Leave a comment!

Thanksgiving 2022 Layout

 It’s only been almost a year, but I just got last year’s Thanksgiving photos printed and scrapbooked!

Using a sketch from Make It From Your Heart, I used the November stamp of the month, Thanks a Bunch, and the retired Harvest Wishes stamp set, along with the Daisy Alphabet stamp set.  I colored the cornucopia with colored pencils.  Evergreen was the focus of my color palette (Pine & Acorn) with the addition of Desert Rose. 

Don’t be afraid to mix and match colors & patterns!

Then & Now Layout

The newest Close To My Heart Idea Book, the November-December 2023 version, is perfect for the holidays, BUT these beautiful products are not limited to the holiday season!  I used Silver Bells, but not for Christmas, but to highlight my girls in 2007 and 2018 at the Biltmore Estate. 

When I saw this paper, I knew that I had found what I needed to preserve these sweet photos and memories of our girls.  I decided that Make It From Your Heart, Volume 6, Pattern 11, was the perfect sketch for my photos.

I used a favorite retired alphabet stamp set for my title and cut some Thin Cut hearts, circles, and foliage to accent this layout.  The pretty gold foliage on both pages are stickers from the Silver Bells collection.  I used the very pretty Silver Bells dots as embellishments across both pages.

On the right page, I decided to journal on White Daisy that I cut to fit.  I used a flip flap so that I could add two photos of the girls.  (I debated have the rear-facing photos on both pages but decided not to.)

Here is the page with the flip flap open to reveal the third photo.

Did you notice how I added thin strips of gold glitter paper and gold and silver metallic marker accents?

Don't be afraid to stretch your stash beyond their obvious uses!  Also, be sure to make connections between then and now as you tell your family's and friends' stories!

Stretch Your Stash Layout

Close To My Heart does such a great job of designing paper collections that can be used for their obvious intended purpose and stretched far beyond!  Can you believe that this Fall Break layout used Home for Christmas papers? 

That's right, the Pine and woodgrain patterned papers are both from the Home for Christmas collection!  I used Honey Butter cardstock as my base and added gold shimmer trim.  The sticker accents are from a retired fall collection (but I can't remember which at the moment).

For the page layout, I really let my pictures be my guide and decided that the strips across the bottom helped ground my photos.

Don't be afraid to mix and match collections and papers!  Just hurry to get Home for Christmas (or any of the items in the September-October Idea Book) before they're gone!

Christmas 2022 Layout

 Our Home for Christmas collection is so pretty!  Since I never seem to get my Christmas pictures in my albums in a timely manner (and I'm okay with that!), I had plenty of photos to choose from.   I chose a sketch from Make It From Your Heart, Vol  3 (Pattern 22) to create this layout.

I wanted to show you a close up of the right page to show how I fussy cut images from the patterned paper in this collection to accent my layout.  (The other embellishments are from one of last year's retired collections that were left over and coordinated very nicely.)

Be sure to shop the Home for Christmas collection before it's gone after tomorrow!

Merry Little Christmas Cards

On p. 40 of the September-October Idea Book, Close To My Heart offers four adorable seasonal small stamp sets, two for fall and two for winter.  I used the Merry Little Christmas set with and Home for Christmas to create these two Christmas cards.

Both cards use sketches from Make It From Your Heart, Vol. 6, and some simple colored pencil coloring.   The first card has few gold glitter gems, and the second one uses some red Stickles for accents.

Be sure to browse our collection of holiday stamps to get ready for the upcoming season!

Happy ‘Owlidays Card

The owls in the October stamp of the month, From Owl of Us, are so cute in their winter gear, that I had to pair one with the Home for Christmas collection.

I love that this stamp set has the option of also ordering coordinating Thin Cuts, so die cutting them makes this card even easier.  I colored the image with colored pencils.  The holiday sentiment will be stamped on the inside.

Be sure to get your wish list items from the September-October Idea Book before the end of the month!

Family Ties Layout

Since I still had family reunion pictures that I wanted to keep, I used up scraps from The Good Life collection to create this layout.

I actually used two sketches from Make It From Your Heart, Vol. 6.  The left page is based on Pattern 10, a single page layout, and the right page is based on Pattern 14, a double page layout.  (The second page of Pattern 14 didn't work with my photos.)  I really like how they came together!  (It helps to have the squares cross over across the pages and to have the Mocha polka dot background with square centers on both pages.)

I used really simple embellishments: gold glitter gems and Woodgrain die-cut shapes.

Finally, here’s how I made my “brick” patterned paper with our Stencil Pack 2, blending brushes, and Scarlet plus Mocha inks.   

Please let me know if you have any questions! 

Floral Notes Thank You Card

Florals are still an option for fall with the right color palette!  This card uses the new color of the year, Journey, paired with Pumpkin.  The techniques used on this card make it so pretty (in my humble opinion!).

I stamped the focal image in Journey twice on the card front and multiple times on the 1/4"x4-1/4" White Daisy strip to create my own patterned paper.  I then used a blending brush to add Journey ink to the floral cluster on the card base.

I also stamped the floral cluster in Black on a coordinating Thin Cut (die cut) piece, then colored it in with our beautiful new Colorista by Spectrum Noir colored pencils.  I added a 1/8" piece of Journey cardstock and a 1" piece of Pumpkin cardstock and a few Journey glitter gems to finish off this thank you card.

I'm linking this card up to Double Trouble's Challenge 150, Fancy Floral(s) because of course I used florals and I didn't use patterned paper; instead stamped my own!

October’s From Owl of Us Halloween Card #2

Here's another card using October’s stamp of the month, From Owl of Us, paired with the I Want Candy collection. 

This card uses the Make It From Your Heart, Vol. 6, Pattern 29.  I used colored pencils to color the adorable own and added some I Want Candy puffy stickers as embellishments.  (The sentiment is from a favorite retired holiday stamp set.)

Be sure to grab this stamp set and paper pack before the end of the month!  (You can find everything HERE if you don't already have a CTMH Maker.)

Family Reunion Layout

We recently went to my Mom's family reunion, and I'm delighted to scrapbook these pictures and tell a few stories already!

I knew I wanted to use The Good Life collection (paired with my Autumn Blessings stamp set), and I picked Pattern 17 from Make It From Your Heart, Vol. 6.  Because I had so many photos, I used the free Live Collage app to add two photos to one 4x6 template so that they would print 3"x4" each.

I kept the left page fairly simple because of all of the details on the right page.  I used two 3"x4" photo flaps to add more photos and journaling about who everyone is in the pictures.

The flip flaps are not adhered yet, but when they are, the white strip will be gone.  (The white strip protects the adhesive until you're reading to stick them in place.  I stick my flip flaps on the outside of the page protector.)  I decided to add a "hidden" journaling tag to identify more of the relationships between the people pictured that pulls up from behind the top right photo of my mom with her two sisters.

Here's what the tag looks like (with the journaling blurred because TMI).  Notice the long strip across the bottom to prevent the tag from being pulled out of the layout.  Since it's so close to the top of the page protector,  I didn't cut a slit in the actual page protector to access this tag.

Thanks for letting me share this layout with you!  Be sure to journal, journal, journal, even if it's privately added to the back of your layout of hidden with an interactive element.  Future generations will thank you!  Since I am the creator of all of our layouts, I journal from my point of view.  (Now that my daughters are older, when I make layouts for their albums, I have them journal to tell their story.  I will include some of my own thoughts at times.)

Finally, don't be afraid of your "messy" handwriting or getting everything perfect!  Your family will treasure your handwritten notes more than anything typed.  (When I have a really long story to tell, then I usually type it up instead of handwriting it.)  Give it a try!

October’s From Owl of Us Halloween Card #1

To create this cute Halloween card, I combined October’s stamp of the month, From Owl of Us, with the I Want Candy collection.

I used a fun sketch from Make It From Your Heart, Vol. 6, Pattern 25.  I love that this stamp set had the option purchase coordinating Thin Cuts!  

I made the "moon" pop with a little Mink ink distressing and lots of clear shimmer brush.  I used our new colored pencils to color the owl and branch.  Happy 'Owloween!

Pick of the Patch Layout

At my recent scrapbooking class, we created this fun fall layout that was perfect for our recent pumpkin patch adventure!

I started with a sketch from the NEW Make It From Your Heart, Vol. 6, which features single- and two-page layouts and cards.  I used Pumpkin, Honey Butter, Limeade (plaid from the Gnome for All Seasons- Autumn collection), Journey, and a pop of Royal.

To create this pretty cluster, I stamped the floral image from the Floral Notes stamp set on the background with Journey ink, and then use the blending brush to blend in a little more Journey. After stamping in Journey on the Thin Cut piece, I used our beautiful new colored pencils to color the flowers.  Notice how I used this technique and clusters in three places to move your eyes across the layout.  You can also see how I randomly stamped flowers in Pumpkin on the Pumpkin cardstock.

The stripes from the left page carry over to the right.

Here’s another close-up to show the title and the accent stamping.  I intentionally used a larger floral cluster on the bottom right to give this side a little more weight.

Don’t be afraid to mix fonts for a fun look!

National stamping month plaid stencil card

 This card was fun to make with the National Stamping Month Say It Style plaid stencils!

I used Honey Butter and Journey.  Next time I'll alternate the colors on both sides.  You can find the stencils and more HERE!

The Good Life Harvest Card 2

 

Harvest Blessings meets The Good Life again with this card. 

I love the wheat circle wreath stamp and the pop of Journey with the enamel star accent. 

Who would you send this card to?