Moments Remembered

Here is my latest creation that we made at stamp club (contact me for more info on stamp club). Inspired by Close to My Heart's founder, Jeanette Lynton's blog, I put my own twist on a mini album idea. Sometimes, creating a scrapbook page or a detailed mini album is a bit too much. But having a cute little tin of ready made pockets to catch and preserve the little moments is so easy. Make up several of these little pockets and tuck a photo or a little memory or a piece of memorabilia in each pocket and tuck them in the tin. Make one for a special friend with a bunch of memories or one to keep on the coffee table to hold special family memories. Better yet, encourage your kids to share their favorite moments.

I used one of my favorite stamp sets, Circle Together (B1372) along with Desert Sand and Cocoa cardstock for the pocket pages, Tulip and Lagoon cardstock for accents and Tulip and Lagoon ink pads. And with our scallop punch and our circle punch, just punch out the stamped images. I cut the circles using my Cricut. And speaking of the Cricut...

...look at what is coming August 1st. I absolutely cannot wait!

I was browsing around some of my favorite creative blogs today and I discovered this gem of a video on one of them. This is by Shimelle Laine and she captures so much of how I feel about scrapbooking. So if you have 13 plus minutes, watch this. If you've ever been embarrassed to say you scrapbook, if you've ever struggled with thinking that you have to always create something perfect, if you've felt the need to scrapbook everything or nothing at all, you need to watch this video. One of my favorite parts, which comes between minutes 10 and 13 is when Shimelle says that scrapbookers berate their own hobby and when they do this, they perpetuate the stereotype that scrapbooking is just glue and stickers. There is nothing wrong with having a hobby. We should be proud to be scrapbookers because what we do for fun has the added benefit of telling stories that no one else will tell and helping us see the everyday in a more meaningful way.

So take a few minutes and watch this. I really think you'll be glad you did.

It's time...

Ok, I've been purposely putting off creating a blog for my Close to My Heart business. One, it requires a regular commitment. Knowing that I haven't updated my family's blog in over a year didn't bode well for a new blog. Two, knowing that my life is already incredibly over scheduled, I didn't know if it was a good idea to add another responsibility to my already busy life. But the bottom line is, I love Close to My Heart and I love stamping and scrapbooking and it was time to jump aboard the blogging band wagon and share my love of these things. You may get some random other posts here and there depending on my mood but here, I hope to share with you some great ideas, inspire you to create and, of course, keep you informed of the latest and greatest CTMH deals.

So let's get right to it.

There is still time in July to take advantage of an amazing Stamp of the Month. My son enlisted in the Marines a few months ago and his date to leave for boot camp is fast approaching. So this year, creating something patriotic was a little more meaningful. Using the July Stamp of the Month, American Celebration (D1458), and Hero (D1474), and the My Creations Banner (Z1378), I created these flag pennants for my 4th of July decor.

I base painted the pennants, painted them with crackle paint and then top coated them in white paint. Then using the Versamark Ink pad (Z891), Outdoor Denim Embossing Powder (Z656) and Cranberry Embossing Powder (Z659), I embossed the stamped images on the flags.





With a little leftover Fanfare paper (X7138B) and some scraps of Kraft Color Ready Borders (Z1377) I added some extra touches. These pennants would be darling without the paper scraps and with just the July Stamp of the Month. Look at the great images in this set:



These are perfect for Patriotic ideas but they can also be used for non Patriotic creations as well.

Love it! Remember, the Stamp of the month can be purchased for $22.95 or with every $25.00 you spend, take an additional 25% off (50% off at $50.00, 75% at $75.00, free at $100.00). And this month, if you spend $50.00, you would get the stamp of the month at 50% off and you can take advantage of July's More Bang for Your Buck Special. With your $50.00 order, you can purchase any of the following items for just $1.00 more!


OK, so for my first blog post, that was quite a bit of info. But there is just so much good stuff when it comes to Close to My Heart that it's hard to keep it brief. If you want to take advantage of any of these specials, give me a call or order here.

Watch for more good stuff to come! I know we're all crazy busy but all the more reason to take some time for yourself to create. Do it today--preserve a memory or make something fun for a loved one.