At my April scrapbooking class, we created this layout based on a Make It From Your Heart sketch using the Let's Go Anywhere collection.
I love how this layout uses a variety of photo sizes, and I taught some ways to get creative with photo collage apps to make two 3"x4" photos on one 4"x6" print.
This card was so fun to make for a dear, sweet friend’s birthday! She loves violets, so I knew that I wanted to use the February 2024 Close To My Heart stamp of the month, Say It with Flowers. I decided to use the retired postage frame Thin Cut and the retired Sweet Memories periwinkle pattern paper because blue is her favorite color.
After stamping flower bouquet in Jade ink onto the Periwinkle patterned paper and coloring the leaves with colored pencils, I grabbed my Blue Belle, Green Apple, and gold shimmer brushes to splatter the front of the card.
I stamped the floral image with Harbor ink on White Daisy card stock, and then used a blending brush to add color with periwinkle and a bit of harbor. After fussy cutting the flowers and adhering them, I added some detail and dimension with a white gel pen. Can you see how I use 3-D foam tape for the two larger flowers? A pair of Honey Butter enamel dots finished off this card.
I stamped at the birthday sentiment in Harbor ink also.
Thank you for letting me share this birthday card with you!
Here's a sweet baby card that I taught at my recent card class using the Let's Go Anywhere cardmaking stamp set and Thin Cuts paired with the Honey Bunny collection.
We used the light side of Seabrook for our heart die cut and stamped the coordinating world heart stamp in Sage ink.
This card design was copied from the card on p. 22 of the March/April CTMH Idea Book. I love how much inspiration these catalogs provide!
Here is my final layout of our stay in Evora. Thanks for letting me share this part of our trip with you! Seeing the Roman aqueduct and following it into town (as it seemed to get lower and lower) was a really neat experience. I continue to marvel at how old structures in Europe can be and how young our country is by comparison.
Once again, I let my photos drive my design. I was really happy to be able to add the picture of the wall with the pretty bougainvillea onto this page (even though it was across from the Cathedral).
Let your pictures guide your design and you tell your stories! As always, please let me know if I can assist you in any way.
{Layout 24/52}
Hopefully you aren't sick of my travel layouts yet! I've only got a few left to share of our time in quaint Evora. We visited the Church of St. Francis.
We actually visited the Chapel of the Bones first, but I’m adding this layout second because I like the flow better. I really love how the neutrals work with my photos, so I kept the color pop of the passports to a minimum.
The twisted ribbon technique creates a pretty card! It's not hard at all to make but is a little time consuming. You need over 12" each of two different 0.5" strips. For both cards, I used the April stamp of the month, Little Hedgehogs, and the Honey Butter collection.
Don’t worry if your photos need to be different sizes than the suggested photos in a sketch or kit. I used five 4 x 4 photos instead of the recommended 3 x 3, and I think my layout is lovely.
Don’t forget my team’s motto, “ A mistake is an opportunity to embellish!” Don’t look too closely to find my stamping mistakes! Your layouts don't have to be perfect to be worthy!
{Layout 21/52; halfway to my yearly goal!}
This card design is all the rage so I couldn't resist making a fractured card at my recent, final Close To My Heart card class.
Because I took and printed way too many photos, I narrowed them down to create three layouts of the beautiful cathedral. These all use the same paper suite, Let's Go Anywhere, and my own layout designs. I used a retired set of thin cut arrows to help add some embellishments that coordinate throughout the layouts. (I am planning to go back and add a few embellishments now that I found the coordinating die cuts in my stash.)
I use more of the green city map print to highlight the cloister garden.
For the interior photos, I decided to stencil a brick pattern with Toffee and Espresso ink to help mimic the inside of the cathedral.
The heart is from the Let’s Go Anywhere cardmaking stamp set and coordinating thin cuts. (When I last checked, these are still available.)
{Layout 18-20/52}
After we visited the temple, we stumbled upon the gorgeous public library.
I love how the busy patterned paper complements the whimsy of the children’s section of the library.
This layout is the second featured in the now unavailable Let’s Go Anywhere scrapbooking workshop kit. (Spoiler! Stampin' Up will start carrying some of our workshop kits in the near future!)
{Layout 17/52}
When I saw the Let’s Go Anywhere collection, I knew I wanted at least one of almost everything because it’s perfect for my photos from my trip to Portugal a few years ago that haven’t yet been scrapbooked. (Hopefully you won’t get tired of this collection!)
Unfortunately, the scrapbooking workshop is no longer available, but I wanted to share my layouts with you anyway, because (in my opinion) they are so beautiful. Almost everything else is still available, so be sure to check out this collection before the end of the month.
I used my alphabet Thin Cuts to add the towns name. I also added some extra photos with a 3 x 4 flip-flap that I had in my stash. (I am super excited to announce that Stampin' Up! will be starting to carry flip-flaps at some point in the future!)
The arrows on the bottom right are pointing to my dad! That gives a lot of perspective on the size of the temple.
{Layout 16/52}
One of the mamy benefits of participating in Stacy Julian's Live Your Story membership group is her emphasis on storytelling as memory keeping. Now that the girls are older, it’s so much easier to tell stories over time, like this one.
I had originally planned to use three of these pictures with my birthday from 2021, since that’s when they were taken, but I remembered a moment in time that I scrapbooked of the girls absolutely cracking up at a restaurant. It turns out that was way back in the fall of 2015. Fast forward to this weekend: three of the four of us saw a sight we wish we hadn’t, but that absolutely cracked us up. And, well, crack was part of the hilarity. (I won't say anymore out of respect for delicate sensibilities!) I decided that I needed to combine all of these pictures together to show how much fun we have together.
On a more technical note, I used the current Honey Bunny collection, the April stamp of the month, Little Hedgehogs, and a sketch from the Creative Design Team's 12"x12" sketchbook.
Maybe I should print this blog post and tuck it behind the layout, because I really didn’t journal that much on it. Thoughts? I always appreciate feedback! Thanks so much for being part of my Inky Scrapper community!
{Layout 15/52}
Once again, I can’t believe that I was able to scrapbook an event within just days of it happening! I used the adorable Honey Bunny collection and the Honey Bunny Scrapbooking stamp set and Thin Cuts.
To save time, I stamped the bunnies on Acorn card stock that I had already cut with the Thin Cuts. That meant that I had to do just a little shading to add a little dimension and white gel pen for some bunny tails and bellies.
I fussy cut the "happy" to make the beginning of the title. I colored the stamped images with marker accents.
Hopefully you aren’t sick of seeing the rocking cards yet! Here is the April stamp of the month, Little Hedgehogs, edition with the Honey Bunny collection
I used my two gold yellow markers to color the various shades of the little hedgies. I just made a lot of little dashes instead of actually coloring in the images.
Rather than color the flower, I stamped it on the right side of a piece of Honey Butter card stock and then fussy cut it out. I used the same gold yellow marker for the center, and then added Honey Butter shimmer brush accents.
Can you see how I added Black Diamonds Stickles to the hedgehogs' eyes and noses? It gives a little fun dimension to their adorable faces.
If you love these cutie pies, be sure to grab your April stamp of the month, with or without Thin Cuts, on my website before the end of the month.
With this week being my spring break, I’m using some time off to get crafty. I can’t believe that I was able to scrapbook my birthday within just a few days of it happening! I decided to use the March Live Your Story "Hue and Me" color palette* since it went so well with my outfit. (Please tell me you also buy clothes to match scrapbook paper and vice versa?)
From top to bottom, I used 1“ x 12“ strips of light Seabrook, Seabrook glitter paper, Glacier, light Jade, light Evergreen, and Evergreen glitter paper. The balloons and sentiments are all from various retired birthday stamps in my stash. (If you look closely at the balloons, I used coordinating shimmer brushes to color alternating stripes.) I’m really happy with how this layout turned out. Don’t be afraid of using card stock and stamps instead of patterned paper.
How did I do on using this color swatch?
*Live Your Story is an amazing memory-keeping community hosted by Stacy Julian. I really love being a part of this community in addition to my Close To My Heart community. You can learn more HERE. If you decide to join, tell Stacy that I sent you! (No, I don't get any commission for recommending this group; it's just that wonderful!)
{Layout 13/52}
First and foremost, thank you so much for your support! As announced last month, Close To My Heart is sadly closing its doors, and my 24-year tenure comes to an end at the end of the month. While I am still grieving this closure, I am committed to remaining the Inky Scrapper and sharing my love of papercrafting with my community.
My final CTMH classes will be this Sunday, April 7, beginning at 4:00 with cards followed by a scrapbook layout class. As always, attendees can pay a small materials fee ($8 per class) or have that fee waived with a minimum $35 order. My website will be available for purchases through the end of April. CTMH will officially close its doors at the end of June.
So what happens next?
Stampin’ Up has made a very generous offer, so I am excited to announce that on May 1, I will be a Stampin’ Up demonstrator to continue my papercrafting journey. I’m especially excited about Stampin' Up’s commitment to expanding their memory keeping line, including items purchased from Close To My Heart. While I don’t have full details yet, I look forward to continuing my passion to teach card classes and scrapbook classes in the Northeast Georgia/TriState area.
I hope you’ll join me on the next chapter of this exciting adventure! Stay tuned for more details as they unfold! Thank you for your continued support!
No foolin' it's April 1! Say hello to the adorable April stamp of the month, Little Hedgehogs! Hopefully you love these cute hedgehogs as much as I do! This card came together very quickly thanks to the coordinating Thin Cuts with the April stamp of the month, the photo frame Thin Cut, and the Honey Bunny collection.
I used a very quick coloring technique on the hedgehog where I just made little dashes or scratches rather than trying to color in the entire image. I also outlined some of the stamped images to add a little color and dimension. Rather than color in the flower, I used my Honey Butter shimmer brush to color the center to make it a daisy.
Can you see the shimmer at this angle? I also used Black Stickles to highlight the hedgehog's eyes and nose. You can find everything I used on my Close To My Heart website, while supplies last, through the end of the month.
Wishing you and yours a blessed Easter!
After stamping the sentiment, I used blending brushes to add Sage and Glacier ink for a bit of grass and sky.
Using a sketch with more than one stamp set to make different cards is so much fun!
It's hard to see, but I added Honey Butter shimmer brush to the flowers.
Wherever you are, whatever your faith, I hope that you have a blessed weekend!
Who doesn't love a fast & easy sketch? It took me longer to color the cute bunny than anything else (and it was totally worth it)!
I hope you hop into a great weekend!
Here's another rocking card like I shared yesterday, but this one uses the Honey Bunny Scrapbooking stamp set and Thin Cuts for the mama and baby bunnies.
I cut and stamped the mama bunny on Toffee cardstock and then added the pink Spectrum Noir Tri-Blend accents. I stamped the baby on a White Daisy Thin Cut and then again on a Toffee piece that I fussy cut to layer on top of the white Bunny (hence the white bell and tail). Black Diamond Stickles add a little dimension and sparkle to the bunnies' eyes.
I have decided to save this card for a baby shower rather than an Easter card, although it could really be used either way.
These adorable rocking (half circle) cards are the current rage, and I couldn't resist making a few myself (using the March stamp of the month, Just Chicken In)!
My second card is similar to the first but takes it to the next level with a scalloped circle base and paper piecing for each of the four chicks.
Give these rocking cards a try! They are really fun to stand up on your desk and give them a tap to let them rock back and forth.
Can you see how I used a blending brush to add Glacier ink to the card base behind the patterned paper oval?
I think this would make a lovely Easter card, but the nice thing is that I can add any sentiment that I'd like to finish off this sweet card.
Honey Bunny has been so fun to create with this month! Here is the layout I've made from our Easter 2022 photos (the only Easter I was missing).
{Layouts 12/52}
The March stamp of the month, Just Chicken In (with and without Thin Cuts) is absolutely adorable! Here are two cards I’ve made with it:
For the first card, I used Sage pattern paper from the recently retired Sweet Memories collection. I love the dimension of the chick Thin Cuts layered in the circle cut out.
To save time on the second card, I die cut the chicks from the light side of Honey Butter cardstock so that I only had to color the beak and feet with colored pencil. (I added Honey Butter shimmer brush accents too).
I used the retired postage frames Thin Cuts for the frame. I also used the cloud background Thin Cuts as a stencil with a blending brush and Glacier ink to make the sky. I use the same blending brush technique to create the Sage ground. Finally, I added a little Black Diamond Stickles to each chicks' eye for added dimension.
Be sure to grab your March stamp of the month to send some love to all the chicks you need to check on!
Since this year is a Leap Year, I chose February 29 to document "A Day in the Life" and talked my family into participating. I sent them some photo prompt ideas, and here are the results. (I made two two-page layouts: one for my husband and me and one for our girls.)
I also wanted to show that the new Let's Go Anywhere collection can be used for more than just travel (which is its obvious theme). For my title, I used the stamp set in the Scrapbooking Starter Bundle 1. The other two stamp sets are retired & in my stash.
I think this sketch from Make It From Your Heart, Vol. 5, was a fun way to show the girls' photos, especially the with the silly selfies.
Remember, you can order your Close To My Heart favorites, while supplies last, through April 30, right HERE.
{Layout 10 & 11/52}
My family's February challenge was THINGS we love, so here's what I created. (I have loved using up so much of the retired Four Seasons- Summer collection.) This layout has more white space than I am used to, but it's growing on me.
I am so happy with how my family is on board to playing along with these challenges. (Recently, my husband asked me what the March challenge was going to be!)
Let me know in the comments if you're creating your own Project 24 in 2024!
{Layout 9/52}
It's been really fun scrapbooking and stash-busting lately! I'm pretty sure everything used on this layout is retired, but I think it’s a fun way to document the end of 2023. This layout uses the retired Four Seasons- Winter collection with my own design.
I also wanted to show how fun it is to mix and match to create something new. Here is the 1st/title page of our 2024 scrapbook.
I decided Sapphire was the best color to use with our photos, and then, when I found the Sapphire paper with the gray and white polkadots, I knew I had the start to a color scheme. The background is actually silver foil, but the light makes the top part look gold, which is actually a very cool effect!
This layout sketch is from Make It from Your Heart, Vol. 6, pattern 2. I love the Sapphire glitter paper and silver shimmer trim/gems and puffy stickers as embellishments.
{Layouts 7 & 8/52}
This layout was so fun to make! At the end of last year, I had the brilliant idea to capture my top 23 photos of 2023. I then used my favorite picture collage app, LiveCollage, which is free, to combine them together to make 11 square photos. Finally, I added them to one of my Persnickety Prints boxes (which automatically makes 4" square photos).
I used the retired Four Seasons- Summer collection (the same one I used HERE) and a retired stamp set. I used some of my acrylic shapes stash to embellish (which is still available HERE). I didn't journal much at all because these stories are already documented (or will be documented) in this album. I think that I will make more year-in-review layouts moving forward (and possibly occasionally going backward).
Thanks for letting me share!
{Layout 6/52}
If you haven't already heard the news, Close To My Heart announced earlier this week that they are closing their doors. Having been with them for over 25 years (24 as a Maker), I am deeply saddened by this news. On the bright side, business will go on as usual for March and April. After April, I will no longer be affiliated with CTMH, and they will officially close their doors at the end of June.
While I don't have firm plans yet, I do know that I plan to continue to share my love of papercrafting with you in whatever new endeavor I choose. I would like to finish out my last two months with CTMH in the best possible way! Thank you for being part of this amazing chapter of my life!
Let the March madness begin! Grab all the cardstock you need to stock up on during Cardstock Carnival, with savings on cardstock packs, bundles, and exclusive die cut borders! (Read all about it HERE.)
If you've read this far, then I would appreciate a comment of support. If you don't have a current CTMH Maker, then it would mean a lot if you made a purchase from me between now and April 30. Again, times are changing, but I will still be here papercrafting! Thanks for your support!
